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Session One

Descending Earth 10-14, 768

The late morning sunlight shines across the city of Lookshy, towers and Manses glittering across the wide plains. In a small dojo tucked into an alley within the Mercenaries Quarter, the beautiful spear-sensei Anaba calmly instructs a pupil on techniques of block-and-thrust combinations. Grace Fultimur, sorceress in the service of the Intelligence Directorate, studies reports gathered from her last mission to observe the movements of the Deathlord Walker in Darkness as she takes a late breakfast. Ranger and spy Lapis Eon lies in his bed, staring at the ceiling as he tries to shake off dark and unsettled dreams. The archer-scout Lumo, up since before dawn, enters his third hour of drilling his small squad of elite archers, the distant spires of Lookshy's defense-Manses just visible over the treetops. In her office within the headquarters of the First Legion, Sanura examines maps of the area north of Thorns as she prepares for another scouting mission southward.

Each of them is interrupted at the same time by a tiny sprite, bright blue and fluttering on dazzling dragonfly wings, which zips into view from the skies overhead. Each studies the sprites intently as the tiny spirits say, "You are summoned immediately to attend the will of Teresu Zen Wu, taimyo of the Fourth Field Force. Join her at once within the Deheleshen Manse." Only Grace recognizes an Infallible Messenger, but all of them know an order when they see one. Anaba regretfully cuts short her teaching session; Lumo turns command of the squad over to his second with instructions to continue drilling. The rest set aside their affairs just as quickly and ready themselves to meet with one of the most powerful women in Lookshy.

Each of the heroes displays his or her security pass to enter into the Inner City, but even their clearances are inadequate to grant them access to the headquarters of the Legion itself. Escorted by armed Terrestrial Exalts, they are shown to Zen Wu's private office. Folding screens hide the walls, and a complicated artifact plays a continual game of Gateway against itself. The room is that of an ascetic, but nonetheless conveys power. After only a short wait, Zen Wu enters the room. She is short, strong and handsome in a way, her lined face that of an athletic woman in her middle years. Small sparks, like tiny lightning, leap occasionally from the corners of her eyes, and her hair never stops moving in a slight breeze felt by no one else. As she seats herself behind her broad, plainly decorated table, she fixes each of them with a steel eye. "I will be honest with you," she says, her voice level. "I do not care whether you live or die." She waits a moment to let that statement settle before continuing. "As far as I am concerned, each of you is a traitor to Lookshy, a demon in a human body, an abomination deserving only of destruction." The steel gaze sweeps them each again. "You have only one way to change my mind. Serve well."

Nods around the table greet this statement, from all but Lapis and Anaba. Lapis says, "We will do whatever is necessary to prove ourselves," his voice all careful courtesy. Anaba is less diplomatic. "I will continue to serve Lookshy as I always have," she snarls, "whether you believe me a demon or not." Zen Wu stares at her, but the Dawn Caste warrior stares back defiantly. At last Zen Wu nods. "Very well," says the taimyo, producing a seres of scrolls and unrolling them across her desk. "Here is your first mission."

The map shows the lands north of the Yanaze near Lookshy. "Ten days ago, a circuit rider reported the disppearance of a village north of the Yanaze called Threefeather Market," Zen Wu says, laying a finger on the map to mark the tiny settlement. "While the buildings remained, the people were gone. Completely. Initially, we labeled this threat as slavers, lacking any other immediate suggestions as to who would wish to carry off all the members of a village. The Legion cannot allow something like this to happen so close to Lookshy, for what should be obvious reasons. Three scales of ashigaru, under the command of Maheka Visna, were detailed to Threefeather Market to locate and detain the slavers.

"Three days ago we lost contact with the detail. All attempts through sorcery or Charms to locate or communicate with the task force have been unsuccessful." Zen Wu's eyes sweep across the group once more. "And so we turn to you. The mission is simple. Find out what happened. Bring back our people if you can." With that, she leaves the group, and they are escorted to another briefing room to discuss the mission.

Before the discussion can proceed, however, Lapis announces that he wants to establish a formal Solar Circle, using his anima power to seal the oath. After some discussion, the group agrees. Moving to an inner courtyard of the Tower of Three Winds, the ancestral Manse of Anaba's adopted father, the five Solars swear to defend and support each other, the oath sanctified by Heaven itself.

They then turn to the matter of the disappearing villages. They quickly come to the conclusion that slavers would not have been so thorough in removing people, and no slaving group would have had the ability to make three scales of ashigaru disappear regardless. Two theories seem to find support: undead forces or some work of the Fair Folk. With nothing more than this to go on, they gather their belongings, make arrangements for their absences, and depart on fast horses.

Two days' hard travel see them to Threefeather Market, across the Yanaze to the north. Signs are clear of a sudden interruption in the lives of the residents, even two weeks after the event. Children's toys lie scattered about, as though in the midst of some game. Half-eaten meals lie on plates, rotten and moldy. As they wander through the abandoned village, Sanura asks aloud what this could mean. Lapis, his eyes rolling back in his head, answers in an unearthly voice: "The bloodless limbs that once carried your blood with rise up to strike us down." Sanura's face pales as though she too were bloodless, but she will not speak of her sudden suspicions. Two trails lead from the village: one east, an orderly progression as that of soldiers, and one northeast, a ragtag trail of shuffling feet, almost a mob. The ashigaru headed east, the group decides, and - after a sampling some of Fate's threads by Lapis - they choose to follow where the soldiers went.

A few hours' travel brings them to another village, equally deserted, equally mysterious. Here, the village palisade was breached by something with massive feet, as of some sort of monstrous beast. Again, ragged trackes lead north-northeast and disciplined tracks lead east. Again, the heroes follow the soldiers. Forced to make camp in the evening before finding any additional traces, the Solars bed down for the night, setting careful watch to protect themselves. Though none sleep well, Lapis' dreams are troubled by images of a horrific machine, belching black smoke and somehow consuming the sun. When they arise the next day, his eyes are hollow and worried.

At the third village the Solars encounter, they find more signs of vanishings, but something else too. Lumo and Grace experience brief flashes of hallucination, sensory confusion and misfire. Lumo thinks at first it might be some Fair Folk trick, but Grace knows it for Essence disruption aftereffects - Charms were used here. Many Charms, in a small amount of time. "This is where the ashigaru fell," Lapis says, and no one denies him. Only one set of tracks leads away from this village - straight north. Without further delay, the heroes chase after the vanished soldiers.

Late the next morning, they come across a terrible scene. Villagers being rounded up in their own town square under the malicious eyes of several zombies and a tyrant lizard - an undead tyrant lizard, no less. Fearful of what this might mean, the Solars strike without heistation. Lumo fires arrows on them, while Anaba and Lapis close in for more direct attacks. Grace and Sanura fllow the others, more slowly. The battle goes well and quickly for the heroes - though Lapis suffers wounds at the hands of one of the more powerful zombies (perhaps it is a nemissary?), all three fall quickly. The tyrant lizard, as might be expected, falls last, despite fighting with a disturbing intelligence. As the corrupted corpse slumps to the ground in the midst of the town, bleeding from dozens of bloody wounds inflicted by Anaba's terrible Cascade of Cutting Terror, it looks straight in Sanura's eyes and says, "This is not over yet." And then it is gone, whatever spirit that had animated it moved on.

Questions are asked of the villagers, but they can say little about what occured. With no greater clues, the Solar heroes look toward the north once more, and their destiny.

(10 xp)

Hapushet/FallingShadowsSessionOne/FallingShadowsSessionTwo