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Exalted Session 62

10th Resplendant Air

It’s the Cathak Reunion, and they are celebrating with all the fiery violence that their family is renowned for. Cathak Anaria, although outnumbered 3 to 1, has the advantage of Fire Dragon Style Martial Arts and an unshakeable faith in the Unconquered Sun as she tries to beat the truth of his words into her cousines heads with paired daiklaives. The McCathaks by contrast are purely secular, but a well trained team, augmenting each others abilities.

All four have their Fire Animas blazing, and the sandy square quickly turns into an inferno, sand melting into liquid glass. Bannion is judo-thrown clear of the melee, heading like a blazing meteorite towards Brands precious not-yet-fully-operational Giant Robot Head and mirrors and lenses! Rav fortunately is on hand to fly up and slingshot him back into the fracas before a Solarian aide has time to tell Brand that they’ve analysed the flightplan, and there may be weakness.

Irritated, Brand Monkey-Leaps high into the air and crashlands straight in the middle of the fight, fissure lines rippling away from his impact.

“RIGHT, YOU INBRED HICKS AND IDIOTS! STOP RIGHT THERE! ANARIA, YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED, ENDANGERING OUR WEAPON AGAINST THE DEATHLORDS. NOW GET A GRIP!”

A shocked & humbled Anaria, apologies, even as the McCathaks whisper something about ‘teachers pet’. But they skedaddle before Brands ire lands on them.

Shizu comforts Anaria, asking her to set a good example to cousins. She promises to be exemplar of righteousness, piety and good deeds they cannot possibly ignore. Shizu gets the ominous feeling that she may have given Anaria ‘ideas’.

Meanwhile the Watch Exalts have a different problem. Though individually they may be great inventors, demagogues, generals, thieves and drunkards, none of them is an especially skilled administrator of large public works. And they need one, because the “Great Wall of Solaria” is suffering from a lack of organisation. Some sections of the wall are being delayed because they need more mortar. Other sections have plenty of mortar but no bricks. And some sections haven’t been touched because no one is sure if they are putting a gate there, or if someone else is due to send a work-crew there.

As the architect of this plan, the ever-pragmatic Brand seeks out General Ledaal Takei and asks the Air Aspect for his aid. Takei is willing to help but only if he is given a free hand in organising things. Plus, he warns Brand that putting a Realm Dragonblood in charge of the rebellious Solarians might be difficult.

Brand gathers together the masons and guild masters for a catered Face2Face management meeting and Q&A session. He starts by saying- “You’ve all done very well in building the wall so far. Its been an incredible achievement and you should be proud” <cheers!>

”We do it in praise of the Unconquered Sun” shouts one.

”Hallelujah!” they praise,

“But… I’m worried we will not be finished in time, before the demons reach us on the 13th. So I’ve decided to call in an outside consultant with experience in building field fortifications and large scale defences. Ledaal Takei is the man who has the experience and ability to co-ordinate this great work.” <worried looks at idea>

“Excuse me Honoured Shining One” interrupts a Solarian “But isn’t General Ledaals experience in crushing the rebellion of freedom-loving Solarians everywhere. How can you ask us to work for man who oppressed us for a generation under the iron fist of Realm tyranny?!”

“Because there will be no future if the Zombies arrive and eat your brains. No future generations, and no more Solaria. Now is the time to band together and build! We are all under threat here, Solarians and Dragonblood alike! I am telling you that without Ledaal Takei managing this project, the wall will not be complete! Granted his experience might be in oppressing us militarily, but we need it now more than ever to crush the zombie threat!”

The Solarians accede to Brands request, with some grumbles. Ledaal Takei jumps into accede, shouting at Hoshi to take East Wall, Nalwah to take the West and he’ll take the rest. Underling Promoting Touch some sergeants later and soon the centre of Solaria Minor is a hive of bureaucratic activity as clay is shipped to kilns, and bricks, mortar and workers sent to the walls. Theres a lot of synergy and management speak in the air!

”If he says “Synergy” one more time” complains Shizu, “I’ll Cascade of Cutting Buzzwords him…”

The Captain meanwhile is making strides in turning the Solarians into a fighting force. Strides only hampered by the fact that he now has long-time drinking buddy Cathak Aron around that he is now spending 30% of his time training and 70% drinking in the pub.

Ravitsu (worried about the McCathaks mentioning raiding Solaria Magnus and burning it to the ground) talks to the McCathaks and tells them that raiding Solaria Magnus would be a bad idea, explaining about deathknights. “So, deathknights is evil ‘Nathema like you, but with more evil and death” asks Bella.

“In a manner of speaking” agrees Rav.

Rav on flyboys notices a great many hummocks and strange dunes in the sands of the Shadowland bridge slowly growing towards Solaria Minor. He catches the sharp scent of carrion in the air and wonders about zombies in the sand. Rav and Brand determine that it will take about 3 days for the Shadowland peninsula to reach Solaria Minor. At current rates of growth….

Shizu and Rav are worried about counter attacks from the Abyssals and stay up all night on sentry duty. They don’t spot anyone sneaking in. Brand and the Captain get into a deep discussion. (which the GM’s entirely missed).

The Captain prays to his beloved wife, Burning Feather, Goddess of Intoxicants with plenty of of libations. She appears and he convinces her to bless the sand whiskey so that it will give the men plenty of ‘Dutch courage’

“Will the battle last long” enquires Burning Feather

“No, not long at all” says the Captain with some certainty

“I’m sure they’ll be fine then” replies his wife breezily.

After some intimacies, Burning Feather asks Captain Ibrahim to return the favour- “By the way dear, could you just hold onto this package for me?”

• a plain brown paper parcel materialises. The wrapping hints at spherical objects.*

“Why?” asks a puzzled Captain

”Well there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding with the Censors and some numbers got mixed up in an audit, and I wound up holding it for friend. Anyway, if you could hold onto it safely for a few days, the Censors would never think to look for it here. Besides, as my husband, they could never compel you to testify against me” explains Feather in a rush.

“Well OK…”

”And don’t eat it! Its more precious than all the Realm!” snaps Feather.

“Mmmmm… hungry…” drools the Captain.

11th Resplendent Fire RY 769

On the morning of the 11th, the Exalts wake to panic and shouting. Apparently there has been a death in the night. Sesus Nalwah is discovered dead in his bedroom, run straight through by a red jade direlance, pinning him to the wall behind! Two half filled cups of wine by the dresser indicate someone well known to him was here.

An obvious suspect leaps to Shizu’s mind. Didn’t Cathak Boone carry a red jade direlance? And suspiciously, the 3 McCathaks left town in the early hours of the morning!

But the the great detective is called in and Burning Brand goes all CSI on the crime-scene. Carefully investigating the scene with his All Seeing Sorcerors Eyes he finds some inconsistencies- the direlance is attuned to Fire energies, but there is the faint taste of necrotic energies in a room habitually infused with Water Essence. Furthermore, the strength needed to hurl a direlance through a DB and pin him to the wall would have required some kind of Charm enhancement. And there are no burn marks that’d you expect from Boones flaring anima…

Indeed re-creating the scene, Brand determines that Sesus Nalwah was not killed near the wine, but rather opening the door to his room. The wine was placed there later, after his death.

Worried that perhaps the Abssyal Day Caste assassin The Disciple of Seven Forbidden Wisdoms has launched a pre-emptive strike on their Dragonblood allies, Rav turns into a giant Eaglehawk, and picking up Shizu in his talons, the two race across the desert sands, following the Stormwind Rider trail of Cathak Bella to the ruined necropolis of Solaria Magnus!

Rav turns on stealth mode (Sneaky Fox Method) as he flies in to the dark necropolis of Solaria Magnus, Shizu carried in his talons.

They quickly spot Cathak Bannion nonchantly and obviously walking across a deserted and ruined square, whistling some country ditty and twirling his jade sword. Before they can make contact, Shizu spots a dark figure rise up from a roof facing the square and launch a black arrow. Bannions whistle is murdered in his throat as the arrow goes through his trachea!

Then Bella and Boone rise up from hiding- Boone makes to throw his jade direlance and then looks around in confusion as he suddenly realises he doesnt have it! (darn Abyssal Larceny charms!) Belle continues with the plan and Rav has to bank sharply as a cloud of black death materialieses and rains obsidian death down on the Abyssal who perfectly dodges. The Disciple of Seven Forbidden Wisdoms pirouettes and fires another black arrow which takes Bella in the chest and she too falls, slumping down. Boone rushes out and drags Bannions body from the centre of the square and into cover.

Shizu and Rav attack- between them they rain down a flurry of blows upon their dark reflection. Hails of black arrows rain are met by cascades of golden sling bullets and silvery sweeps of a direlance.The Disciple dodges each attack, but the toll is beginning to show on him. Then one or two more hits slice through, and the Abyssal swings into a deserted building. Shizu makes to cover the exit, but the Abyssal outflanks. Another fruitless exchange of attacks bounce off the others perfect defences.

Still the Disciple is running low on Essence (he's had a busy morning) and he starts retreating back to the Palace, even as the DB's hightail it out of town in their whirlwind. Rav and Shizu pursue, unwilling to let their quarry escape. Racing through the streets of Solaria Magnus, they draw more blood from their quarry, though even the most grevious of wounds dont seem to slow him.

• poof*

The Abyssal vanishes in a cloud of shadows, teleporting away. The two Exalts look around, Ravitsus hunter senses re-awakening. And yes... even in the middle of a shadowland, whenever they go towards the building on the left, the hackles on the back of their necks rise. They've felt that before- the presence of the deathknight.

But to their right, a quarter of a mile away is the ruins of the Governors Palace. And from its ruined gate, Rav and Shizu see 4 familiar figues emerging. A pale faced woman with black corset armour and giant sword twice her height. A foppish Edwardian dandy in black silks and white lace. A knight clad in bright moonsilver armour, bearing a black sword. And a cowled and black robed figure from whom a palpable aura of menace exudes.

The Maiden of the Mirthless Smile

The Lord of Silent Repose

The Knight of Dark Renown

The Voice of Oblivion.

Perhaps mere feet away, the injured and exhausted Disciple of Seven Forbidden Wisdoms is probably hiding. Now is their best chance to land a killing blow. Yet if they dally too long, then the Abyssal Circle will surely catch and slay them. What to do? Risk versus Reward?

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