View source for Daneel Rush/Session01A

<b>Session 01-A: <i>Land of Opportunity</i><br>
Characters:</b> Maya, Kybele<br>


Three weeks eastwards from Greyfalls you may find the Nasaru Redoubt of Lookshy's Seventh Legion. But we don't care about that just yet.

Four weeks eastwards from the Redoubt itself, past the Rock River and by the border of the forestry which extends endlessly towards the Elemental Pole of Wood, there was a small hamlet. Too far and too small to be counted as one of the Hundred Kingdoms, the nameless settlement encompassed a significant portion of land for the amount of people it apparently housed.

It was seventeen-years-old Maya Malirien who arrived to the outskirts of that settlement, drawn eastwards by ambition and a strange drive. After losing her family and everything she knew to the Realm's depredations, Maya and those few among her parents' servants who had chosen to follow her had escaped from their original residence in nearing Greyfalls all the way to Nexus, where they were unknown and unnoticed. She had lived in the free city for some time, doing all sorts of odd jobs. However, minor jobs were most definitely not enough.

After all, she was now one of the Anathema. A demon, according to the Realm's Immaculate Philosophy.

Very well, then. They called her a demon, so she would become exactly that. Her family had succumbed to the Great Houses because it solely depended on them for sustenance. She dreamed of returning the favor. To crush their economy, and enjoy watching them collapse like the house of cards they were.

To do that, however, she needed power. Economical power, to be precise. She needed money, in amounts no number of years of being a tavern wench would supply. Hence, she left her followers in Nexus to keep an eye on the situation there while she traveled east, to the frontier land of danger and opportunity. She was a patient woman, but she also liked to gamble, so she wanted to try a high-risk high-reward option.

It was simple on paper. The far east was unimaginably rich in resources. She needed a small plot of land and people to work on it, that was pretty much it. She could start exporting raw material, and move from that to manufactured goods as her little plot of land became a developed settlement. She wanted to rule, and she needed to become wealthy, extremely so, before challenging the big leagues.

Thus, Maya stood there, in the outskirts of that nameless settlement, to see what she had to work with.

As she examined the working people before her, soundlessly toiling away at the fields of tobacco and...was that opium?

Huh, opium indeed. Interesting. Yet another question to the list.

Why tobacco? Why opium? Who were they selling those to? Had the Guild already made it to this place? And who the hell was in charge? Who protected these people from the threats from the forest? Why did these farmers act like she was not there, standing in the middle of a poorly made road? Why did they all look so damn serious?

And who the hell was that guy loafing under that tree to her left?

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"Hmm...mmm-mmm-mmm..."

It was promising. Almost a little overwhelming on how promising it was.

Kybele had chosen to rest after a whole morning of walking. Relaxing under the shade of an ancient oak, he had tried his Geomantic Dowser to look for manses or demesnes in the area.

It was dancing, his dowser.

The tip jumped from point to point, ceaselessly. Not one, or two, but three sites of geomantic power in the vicinity, all of them at the exact same distance from his current spot. It was almost funny.

The dowser did not give him any information other than the site's direction. Were they demesnes, or were they already tapped? Of which Aspect? How far away were they?

He had a lot to do.

Kybele's was an extremely ambitious and time-consuming agenda. Basically, he wanted to map the geomancy of the entirety of Creation. Well, he wanted to do a lot more than just mapping, but that was the obligatory first step. Fortunately, there were methods besides roaming the entirety of Creation, walking from place to place, cataloging every single manse and demesne there is. Unfortunately, such methods demanded attuning to powerful manses designed to precise specifications: either one in each quadrant or a single great manse of extreme power.

For the time being, he was doing the walking thing. He was nowhere near as skilled as he needed to be to design such manses, and even then he would have to own the land and acquire enough money to afford building such structures.

He really had a lot to do.

His plan had a lot of holes in it. Even if he somehow managed to gain possession of an adequate demesne, how could he prevent it from being seized by somebody else while he was away, for example?

Haa, the troubles of being a visionary...

Kybele glanced at the farmers working the land. Huge plots entirely devoted to growing tobacco and...was that opium?

He had never tried the thing; it would get in the way of his genius.

In any case, these people, these farmers...were odd.

Not even a single one, not even once, had bothered to look at him. Not even a nervous glance at the foreigner with the neatly combed caramel hair and the sagely purple robes. They were like automata, completely immersed in their work and oblivious to everything else. They did not even chat amongst themselves.

They were as silent farming machines.

And then there was the girl. A beautiful raven-haired girl with an adventurous look, and breasts that threatened to burst out of her chain shirt. Really.

And she was awfully clean for someone who must have spent the last few weeks on the road like him. It was nice to know he was not the only one who cared about proper hygiene in the edge of civilization.

Oh, she was looking at him.

He offered a nod in response, if only to acknowledge her presence. Then he quickly prepared some ink using water from his traveling skin and an inkstick. Before he could do anything else, he had to quickly trace the three directions leading to the sites of power on his map. Then he intended to get something to eat. Anything was better than rabbit stew at this point.

Movement from further down the road caught his attention. Huh, a welcome committee. Funny, that.

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Six men, four carrying spears in their right hands and short swords tied to their belts, two with short swords and short bows strapped to their backs. All of them young, from late teens to mid-twenties, and all of them trying to look tougher than they were.

And finally, movement from the farmers. How many...three of them actually (finally!) looked up at her and the approaching militiamen. But only once the armed men walked past them. Interesting.

The group of six split into two, three of them getting off the road to approach the man in purple. So he's not a local, as suspected.

Placing her hands on her hips, Maya waited for the remaining three to address her.

"Halt!" the older and defacto leader of the trio called out.

Eyes were rolled.

"I've been standing here for a while already...eyes to my face, boys."

Yet even as she said those words, she posed in just the right way to flaunt her cleavage, and the hopeless men, who had probably not enjoyed any decent tail since gods-know-when--if at all--, promptly became like putty in her hands.

Seriously, too easy.

"Now, what can I do for you?" she offered.

"Ah, uh, yes! Yes!" the startled man on the lead remembered why he was there on the first place. "We need you to state your purpose and who you're with, ma'am."

Ma'am? She was just seventeen, for the gods' sake. This guy was way older than her.

"Me? I'm just a traveler looking for adventure and treasure, and I'm all by myself here."

"Nobody travels on his own this far to the east, and definitely not a girl your age."

Oh, so the guy was not a total idiot, after all.

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Kybele had put his things back in his traveling bag by the time the three young partisans arrived. It was just proper manners.

"Good day, gentlemen. How can I be of assistance?"

One of the men lowered his spear to point at the tall man in violet. How awfully rude.

"Identify yourself and explain why you are here, sir."

Kybele nodded. He could do that.

"Mnemon Kybele, at your service. I am a man who studies nature, and my research has brought me this far to the east."

It did not cease to amaze him, the fact that his family name meant absolutely nothing in this part of the world.

"So you some kind of doctor?"

Kybele had to struggle not to sigh. Really...

"...a...mong other things, yes."

"Hmm..."

Kybele raised an eyebrow when the man who had exchanged words with him turned his back to talk with his comrades. The Mnemon savant was no experienced fighter, but he was pretty dam sure he could have buried his blade on that guy's back before either of the three could notice.

What kind of soldiers are these people?

Apparently not very good ones.

The man turned to looked at him once more.

"That girl yours?" he asked, rudely pointing at the young raven-haired beauty on the road.

"I wished as much," Kybele admitted. "But it's the first time I see her in my life. So, what is it with this place, anyway?"

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Two speared men behind, and the other four in front.

In the middle, Maya and Kybele had the chance to get acquainted with each other.

While they could have tried disposing of the militiamen their own way (namely, using force), they both saw it as an unnecessary and pointless hassle.

"So, who the hell are you and why are they assuming we're together?" Maya began.

"Well...they do have a point," Kybele argued. "It's not very often you see a late teenage girl wandering this far away on her own."

"Teenage? I'll let's you know I'm all woman, mister."

"I...can clearly see that. My apologies for the poor choice of words. My point persists, however. Women adventurers are the exception, rather than the norm. No insult intended."

"No insult taken. What about you? You a sorcerer?"

"No, unfortunately not. My interests lie in another direction." Noticing the way Maya looked at his clothes, Kybele explained himself. "I like robes."

"Uh...kay....wait." The eyebrow of mistrust climbed back up. "You a Dragon-Blood, aren't you?"

Both noticed the soldiers around them stiffening for a moment there.

"No, not at all. If I were, I would not be here in the first place."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said. Name's Kybele, yours?"

"Maya. You've got a weird name, ya know?"

"Weird family, yes."

They were surprised to see a walled settlement at the end of the road. The farmed area gave way to gentle plains and then to a row of tall logs tied together. The hamlet's doors were open, and a fiery-haired man in a breastplate stood in the middle, escorted by four more soldiers like their own escort. More worrisome than the man and the sword on its sheath were the row of eight archers high up the wooden wall, bows at the ready.

"Is it just me, or that does not look very welcoming?"

"I...would have to agree with you, Maya dear."

The moment Maya and Kybele got within ten meters or so of the open gate, the armored man drew his blade and pointed towards them. As he did that, the air around him burst into orange and red flames.

"Kill them!"

"Now that's just not welcoming at all," Kybele was swift to complain. "Maybe they're not into big breasts...?"

"Shut up."

"Look at the bright side: you got your Dragon-Blooded."

"Shut. Up."

A ball of flame coalesced in the Fire-Aspect's free hand.

"That...looks like it would hurt if it hit me," Kybele stated the obvious. As if on cue, the man threw the fire bolt straight at his face.

"Really..." Kybele muttered as he smoothly tilted his head to the right, allowing the flame shot to streak past, only caressing the tip of his left ear.

Maya then shot forwards, making a flip in between and over the four solders in front of her. As she was upside down for a short moment, the throwing knives she concealed in the pockets of her tight pants slid off and fell in her hands to be thrown just as she fell back on her feet.

Three of the four partisans she had just jumped over collapsed to the barren ground of the road, gurgling as blood poured out of their pierced throats.

"Uhh...awesomeness aside, I take it this means a peaceful resolution is out of the question?" Kybele muttered almost shyly.

Awed and frightened by Maya's prowess, the eight archers above focused fire on her. Two arrows struck home, one on her right shoulder and the other on her left thigh. The femme winced, but did not falter.

Two of the leader's guards stayed behind to guard him, and the remaining two moved forward, drawing weapons to attack Maya.

At the same time, Kybele found himself surrounded by three militiamen.

"Huh. Not pretty."

Kybele's minimalistic approach to dodging worked again. Falling on one knee was enough to dodge the two spears from the soldiers behind him. The long weapons drew a dangerous X just before his neck. While remaining low, he took a step back to avoid the incoming sword short from in front, before standing back up, with the two spears barely touching his sides.

"This is not my kind of thing..." he muttered as he backtracked between the two spear wielders, drawing the three soldiers' attention to him and away from Maya.

He raised an eyebrow when the knives Maya had thrown unnaturally jumped off their victims back to the girls hands.

"Well, what do we have here...and we really should stop the eyebrow thing."

The three knives danced in Maya's right hand before she three them straight at the Exalted enemy. Two blades flew in a perfect line, one behind the other, so as to make them harder to parry, and the third flew in the shadow of the other two, aiming lower.

The Dragon-Blood crouched down to dodge, but he was neither quick nor perceptive. The first and third knives buried themselves deep in his flesh, while the second one flew over his right shoulder.

"Hmph!" Maya snorted with a grin of satisfaction. She would never bow down to some cocky dragon jerk!

It was then that the two guards closed the rest of the distance to where Maya proudly stood. The two men wildly swung their blades twice, and Maya danced around the steel, swaying dangerously close to the blades' path and blocking her enemies' sight with her long hair. Still, a lucky slash found its mark, and Maya's dance came to an end with a cry of pain, as dangerous amounts of blood poured out of the wound.

"Tch! Bastards!" Strangely enough, it was Kybele who cursed like that. Throwing subtlety to the curb, he allowed the gates of his Essence to flow, to drive his arm and empower his blade.

In one swift motion, Kybele turned around, drew his straight sword, raised it high and then struck the two spear wielders with two diagonal strikes, drawing the arms of a wide V-letter on their bodies.

The first falling slash struck deep, tearing the poor young soldier's organs and killing him instantly. The second remained conscious and standing, but the deep gash across his chest did not look very promising.

More importantly, the golden aura that surrounded Kybele's form did not leave any doubt to what he truly was.

The archers, who were just about to unleash a second barrage on the wounded girl, faltered for a moment, looking down at their leader as they wondered what to do in the face of this new threat.

The man, despite his fearsome aura of flame, looked positively terrified.

"Ah-aaah-close the gate! Close the gate and then kill them both!" he cried desperately as his two guards helped him stumble his way back inside the wooden blockade. The archers then disappeared behind the wall, the more to fulfill their leader's command as swiftly as possible. That left only four soldiers outside: two facing Maya and two in a pincer formation in front and behind Kybele.

"You..." Maya gasped, more out of pain than anything else. "You are..."

"Yeah," Kybele shrugged. "Does this mean you'll try to kill me too?"

"Nah, not at all..." the girl responded with a vicious smirk. "It only means I can go WILD myself!"

The three knives she had thrown at the Dragon-Blooded leader flew back to her hands. Maya's Essence flowed wildly and she threw two of the knives straight down at the ground between her and the soldiers that threatened her. The blades amazingly bounced off the packed soil and flew straight at their intended targets. The first pierced the soft skin at the underside of the solder's jaw, spearing through his tongue before reaching his midbrain, killing him on the spot. The second knife struck at an angle, not killing its target but virtually rendering him a non-combatant.

The other two soldiers closer to Kybele promptly dropped their weapons, gambling on the mercy card rather than trying their fortune against two obviously angry demons in human disguise.

"Good," Kybele uttered coldly, acknowledging their surrender. He then walked to Maya's side.

"Ah, coincidences. Truly the spice of life."

"I thought sex was the spice of life," Maya argued.

"...is that some sort of invitation?"

"It might be if we get out of this in one piece," the visibly tired girl admitted with hands on her knees.

Kybele, standing tall and proud and reveling in the warmth of his golden aura, released a rather cocky laugh.

"I'll keep it in mind. Now...these people are poorly trained," he began. It was true; so far only their sheer numbers had caused the two Exalts trouble. "Take out their leader and we can make them stop. Think you can get him with those knives of yours?"

"My knives won't tear down that wooden gate."

The man smirked. "Of course they won't."

Kybele ran to the blocked entrance as fast as he could; it was far safer to pull his plan off before the archers were back in their places.

Before becoming an Anathema, Kybele was an architect. While the Realm mostly used stone in its constructions, wood was a staple of Dynasts' leisure resorts and the Immaculate Order's shrines and temples.

Kybele knew wood. He knew how to build with it, and apparently, by virtue of his new powers, he knew how to unravel things built it as well.

Such a shoddy construction, built by inexperienced hands, never stood a chance.

His sword was like the spear of the Unconquered Sun itself, tearing through the wooden gate like a diamond scalpel through rice paper. His satisfaction was not small when the cries of shock and fear of the partisans within reached his ears, and when the gate fell apart, neatly split in two, he saw it was because the tremors unleashed by the mighty attack made the archers stumble down the stairs leading to the top of the palisade.

A single knife, gleaming gold with Essence, pierced through the air in a flash, promptly embedding itself on the Dragon-Blooded leader's forehead. One of the men supposedly guarding him cried pathetically when his leader's lifeless body slumped down like a sack of potatoes.

"Weapons down or extra breathing holes, your pick!"

With Maya's golden aura joining Kybele's and reinforcing the weight of her threat, there was not really much of a choice for them.

"Um, you know..." Kybele raised a hand like a student calling for his teacher's attention. "When I said 'take out', I didn't mean killing him..."

"Why the hell not?"

"Well, for once, I would like to know why he wanted to kill two complete strangers without any chance to talk things out. Just for once."

"Uhh..." Maya glanced at the corpse of the Dragon-Blood. Intracraneal fluid poured out of the slit made by her lethal attack. "...good point."

"You...are not the smartest hay in the stack, are you?"

"Shut up!"

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They asked around for someone willing to talk to them. While their golden auras settled down, Kybele took the chance to treat Maya's wounds.

"Can't you use your awesome Anathema powers to heal me or something?"

"I don't have that kind of power," Kybele retorted. "Or if I have it I'm not aware of it; I'm just getting used to this Anathema thing."

"Hmm...is that the truth or you just needed a reason to grope me?"

"As appealing as your body may be, young lady, I have other things in my mind at the moment."

"Why are you talking like an old man? You cannot be older than any of these guys."

She meant of course the young partisans who shot them uneasy glances from time to time.

"I'm twenty-two, thank you for asking," Kybele responded flatly. "And what about you? You're Anathema too; where are your awesome healing powers?"

"...you're not very likable, did you know that?"

"If you think everybody's going to like you solely because you are every man's wet dream come true, then you are up for a whole lot of disappointment, young lady."

"Stop calling me that!"

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In the end, it was Maya alone who met with the hamlet's representative. Kybele was left to keep an eye on the young men who fought them. However, it was hard for them to even think of trying anything. The fearsome Anathema was not only watching over them, he was also treating their wounded.

The man who spoke in behalf of the villagers was most likely the oldest around. Despite his white hairs and slightly wrinkled and emaciated face, however, the man still looked spry and able to spend his days toiling at the fields. One of the archers, apparently the oldest among the remaining partisans, joined the meeting in behalf of his group.

Explanations were prompt; Maya did not even need to demand for them.

The villagers came from all over the Hundred Kingdoms. A small caravan of about fifteen families which fled from poverty and other issues grew in number as it traveled east, joined by others who sought a second chance someplace else. They settled just short of entering the fearsome and eternal forest and built the vestiges of a settlement, eager to create a self-sufficient community away from the issues of the rest of Creation.

The dead Fire-Aspect, Hakat Saure, arrived just after the pilgrims had settled down. An Outcaste from Nexus looking for an easy life, he quickly intimidated the humble villagers into making him their leader. His arguments were surprisingly sound; he stated they would need a strong leader to protect them from the threats from further east: barbarians, Fair Folk, wild beasts and bandits. With the place under his rule, he gathered the young and strong amongst the villagers and turned into a ragtag militia, while everyone else worked at the plantations.

But their "powerful" leader did not protect them. When the Guild made it to the distant settlement, he agreed to have his people grow tobacco and opium and little else. When the barbarians arrived, he bought the hamlet's safety with opium and women. When the Raksha arrived, he offered the lives of the people who worked for him. The empty husks the Fair Folk gave back to them were put to work in the farms until the Guild caravan's next visit.

It was a painful life, but they had gotten used to it, coming to term with the awful truth: there was no truly safe, peaceful place in Creation. Not for the poor and the powerless.

"We hated him, but things still worked. We were not happy, but we survived. Now what's left for us, miss?"

It was with those words that the old man left Maya. Some distance away, mothers, sisters, daughters and wives cried over the bodies of the fallen.

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Kybele sat next to the Exalted girl. He had been conversing with the militiamen as he helped them repair the fallen gate. She promptly explained what she had learned from the locals.

"But we still don't know why he tried to kill us at first glance," she concluded.

"Oh, we do."

"We do?"

"Well, I do. Or I might, I'm not sure, really."

"Spit it out already."

Kybele reveals what he learned from one of the young archers: that one of the Fair Folk had met with Hakat just minutes before they arrived to the gate and the fight ensued.

"And this guy might be anywhere in the village," Maya pondered with a groan.

"Or he might not be around anymore. But let's assume the worst case scenario. You think you can fight?"

"I know I can," Maya replied. "I just don't think it would be a good idea."

"Fair enough." Kybele sighed. "I guess it would be too much asking for the guy to show up alone next time, huh..."

"You know, you never told me what your business here was."

"Me? I'm a geomancer."

Kybele was responded with an empty stare. He narrowed his eyes into a flat stare.

"I study the natural flows of Essence in the world."

"...oh." Maya's voice came out flat and emotionless. "That sounds...awfully interesting."

"You're a terrible liar."

"Only because I'm not trying!"

Kybele took his time to explain the purpose of his trip.

"That...sounds like an awful lot of work."

"Probably because it is. But think of the possibilities!"

"Uhh...I'd rather leave that to you. But, if you're here, that means there are manses nearby?"

"Most likely untapped demesnes, actually...and now that I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised if our new Wyld friend is in one of them. So, what do you plan to do now?"

"Me? I guess I'm making this place mine," Maya declared as she got back on her feet, wincing when her hurt body complained.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah. I mean, I had intended for some subtler, more small scale, but when life gives you lemons...I mean, this is a good location; it's why I came this way in the first place. I think I can get something going here." She grinned. "And I guess I'll take those demesnes for myself. It will be a while before I can do anything useful with them, though."

"Hmm..."

"Unless you're willing to cooperate."

"Cooperate."

Maya nodded. "Even I know two are better than one, especially now that I'm all mangled up like this. And you seem like you know your stuff; you even told them how to rebuilt the gate."

"And fortify the wall." Noticing the raised eyebrow, Kybele explained himself. "I was an architect. Before I left the Blessed Isle and became...well, like this."

Maya's expression sharpened. "You come from the Realm."

"Yes." Kybele nodded. "The disgrace of House Mnemon, Mnemon Kybele, at your service."

An uncomfortable silence followed. It did not get much better when Maya wordlessly walked away.

"...and that would be the reason I don't like to use my family name this side of the world," Kybele muttered to himself.

And he still had not eaten lunch.

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Kybele, too, was surprised when the whole population of the small settlement gathered just beyond the broken gate. From what he heard, Maya had given the order. He was a little surprised the people were going a long with her, but he guessed they had little choice in the matter.

It was truly a small place. Counting quickly...127 people, of which 51 were men and 76 female. Of the 127 inhabitants, 44 were children: 27 girls and 17 boys. Curiously enough, not a single one of the villagers looked to old or too weak to work.

Apparently, becoming Anathema gave him EXTREME COUNTING SKILLS. Interesting.

And then, the one behind this curious reunion appeared. She stood on the ceiling of the house nearest to the gate, looking down at her audience with a smile that brimmed with confidence without foundation.

Let us quote, word by word, Maya Malirien's speech to the citizens of a nameless hamlet in the middle of nowhere.

"Men, women and children of...hmm...damn. Damn it, you bastards, why didn't you come up with a name for this place?"

"We never got to that, and Lord Hakat was a lazy bastard!"

Maya had to chuckle at the audacious young boy who actually answered back. While his mother scolded him, Maya resumed her speech.

"Anyway, people! My name is Maya! Maya Malirien! And, as you can see..." Spending a minute amount of Essence, she revealed her Caste Mark to the awe and fright of many. "...I am one of those the Realm calls Anathema."

"I am supposed to be a demon, a corrupter. And maybe, to your eyes, I am such a thing. I was, after all, the one who took the lives of your children, your friends and partners."

The consternation was visible, and it was easy who tell who amongst the present were close to the deceased militiamen.

"For that, with all due respect, I will not apologize. It was they who were swayed by the man you call 'Lord'. It was they who listened to his commands and drew weapons against me. What I did, I did to protect my own life. So, I do not expect forgiveness, or even acceptance; I need no such things from you. My conscience is clean."

Kybele wondered whether those words were truly aimed at the hopeless villagers, or at herself.

"But now I ask you, people: what do you intend to do? Are you truly giving up, now that your tyrant protector is gone? You claim you wanted to build a peaceful village, away from the problems of the world you left; I ask you: have you really tried? Did you honestly believe you could just settled in an empty spot and everything would be fine?"

"There is no safe place in this world! You know this as well as I do! Each and everyone of you, if you truly wish to make something of yourselves in this world, you have to fight! You have to struggle, to crawl like maggots in the filth of this rotten, merciless world!"

"Fertile land! Clean air and water! This place, like so many in the East, is blessed with resources! Brimming with potential! It has everything you need to build the self-sufficient home you wished for, and SO MUCH MORE! I can see it! I can FEEL it! But you have not accomplished anything because it was so much easier to just GIVE UP!"

Suddenly, she smiled, and calmly sat on the edge of the wooden ceiling.

"But now you can try again. And I want to help you."

The white-haired spokesman of the villagers moved to the forefront to address Maya directly.

"So you are taking Lord Hakat's place."

"Most definitely not," Maya hissed. "I will not sacrifice any of you to barbarians. I will not trade any of you to the Fair Folk. I will not make you into the tools of the Guild. Why should YOUR work inflate the pockets of others?"

"Just a while ago, I looked at the written record of that Hakat guy's deal with the Guild. It was a sham! He may have been Dragon-Blooded, but he knew crap about money! They are exploiting your hard work! They are exploiting your ignorance!"

"So let's do something about that! Let's build a place worth living in! Let's build a place the money-grubbers from Nexus will not look down upon! A strong village! A peaceful village! A prosperous village!"

"And you claim you can do this for us?" A woman in her forties suddenly called out.

"I claim I can TRY! And I claim I can do a damn better job than the idiot I did you the favor of killing!"

The well-built white-haired man intervened again.

"And what do YOU get out of it?"

Ah, the age-old question.

Maya grinned. She could use smart people like this guy.

"It's called 'long-term investing', good man. For now, I only ask for loyalty. Loyalty, and obedience. I will never ask for the impossible, or the incorrect. I want to build a good place for you, a place where you can work and do your very best. And then, as your leader, the fruits of your labor will become my reward."

"I'll make it clear: this is but an offer. If you say no, I will leave without complaining. I will not force you into obedience. I want to believe I am better than that. So, the choice is yours. Your fate is in your own hands."

She grinned.

"How does it feel?"

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"Here. An offer of peace."

Maya shot a strange look at the other Exalted, but accepted the bowl. "This is..."

"Bean soup with extra vegetables and a piece of bread hard as rock. I got one of the nice ladies to share some of her family's meal with us."

"...how much did you pay her?"

"Don't ask."

Once again, Kybele sat next to the attractive girl.

"So, you think they'll go along with it?"

"...if they have an ounce of common sense, they will. It's better than the alternative. They won't just pack their things and run away. They want to stay here."

"You...have put some thought into this, haven't you?"

"I may not be the smartest hay in the stack, but I know a thing or two about how society works."

"Really. Then, young lady, what do you intend to do if they agree to make you their leader?"

"You mean 'when'. 'When' they agree to make me their leader."

"Whatever."

"Well, the first thing is to make sure neither barbarians nor Fair Folk mess with this place ever again. Fair Folk maybe I can negotiate with, but I guess barbarians...no choice but to teach them a lesson."

"You and what army?"

"Do you think I don't know that?" Maya exclaimed exasperatedly. "These guys have to learn how to be a decent militia...and we gotta improve the village's defenses. Then we have to make sure the village can produce its own sustenance, ensure easier and safer access to water, define a proper set of laws, explore the surrounding areas to catalog the available resources, maybe take a look at those demesnes of yours...man, what a hassle..."

"...we?"

Maya tried (and did a very good job at) looking puzzled. "I thought you would stick around to do your research."

"I thought you hated me."

Maya snorted. "You...are not with them, right? The Realm."

"Hmm...how do I put this? You see, there's this thing called the Wyld Hunt..."

"Shut up."

Maya ate silently. Kybele did not bother look at her, instead watching the young men and children working together to fix the gate he destroyed while the older villagers debated on Maya's offer.

"I...don't know what issues you have with the Realm...or with House Mnemon. Whatever they are, they are none of my business."

He tapped the center of his forehead with his right index.

"Not anymore."

Maya chuckled. "Then I guess we can get along...somehow."

"At least until my business in this area is over, yes."

"Fair enough."

They sealed their agreement to cooperate with a shake of hands.

"So...is that indecent proposal of earlier still available?"

"Don't even dream of it, Mnemon."

"Tch, what a cocktease."

"Ho, didn't know the queers from the Great Houses were allowed such language."

"Stop that."

And that is how two young Solar Exalted became rulers of a small nameless hamlet in the far East.

It happened faster than anybody expected, but that's just how Anathema do things.


<b>SESSION END</b>


== Writer's Notes ==

This was the very first Exalted session for all those involved, players and ST. Needless to say, it was clumsy and slow-paced, and many, many die rolls were repeated when errors came to light. But they had a blast; I can tell from the recording. Maya's player got into the whole stunting thing like a fish in the ocean, and her very first combat turn (the forward-flip-and-kill-three-extras stunt) was an insanely good roll. The other insane roll in this session was Kybele's use of Shattering Grasp. He was delighted to use the Charm, which he had thought would be nothing but a speedbump before Craftsman Needs No Tools. It would take Kybele's player a while to get into stunting regularly, though.

It would take some more sessions before our ST got the hang of the rules and the game began to move at a suitable pace. At first we thought the one-Charm-per-turn rule was too oppressive (hence Maya taking so much damage in her first fight), but it was just because we sucked. Maya's and Kybele's players figured out by the end of this session that scene-long defenses were a must have. Flow Like Blood became the immediate objective. After this session, Kybele's player became torn between more Craft Charms or moving towards Medicine. But Essence 3 comes first after all, doesn't it?

Session 01-B was my very first session of Exalted play. I still remember it fondly, and it will be a delight to narrate it. Next time, then, allow me to introduce the Sidereal I'm so very fond of, Walker in Boundless Shadows, and the little girl who would steal the spotlight throughout the whole campaign with her disturbing awesomeness, Shoat of the Mire.


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