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-:24 [ST] The wreckage of Silk Row burns and smolders, a snarl of shattered timbers, ruined furniture, and broken pottery. Cathak Kalan stands over the body of Peleps Deled, recently slain monk and avatar of Daana'd - or so he claimed. The crowd of slaves, prostitutes, and confused Citizens that had scattered during the fight begin to creep back in its aftermath, looking in astonishment at the corpses of Deled and the Anathema.
-:27 [Keshin] Keshin slowly reenters the devastated area, returning from his vantage point.  "What a waste."
-:28 [Kalan] Fire crackles around Kalan like a veil, and the air is heavy and hard to breath in, suffused with the heat of his anima. He nods to Keshin, sluicing blood from the tip of his direlance with two fingers.
-:28 [Kalan] "Yes. I gave him every opportunity, but the fool would not yield."
-:30 [Keshin] He nods.  "I saw.  I wish he had seen reason.  His power would have been useful."  He casts a wary eye at Kalan, but says nothing about Deled's accusations.  He would need watching.
-:32 [Kalan] Kalan shrugs. "His Typhoon Shout would have been useful on the walls," he agrees, though he does not seem unduly regretful.
-:32 [ST] The watching crowd is almost completely silent, and virtually all of their eyes seem about to escape their heads. It's likely that they have never seen devastation on this scale.
-:33 [Kalan] He glances at the crushed Anathema. "They'll need burial."
-:34 [Keshin] "Just push the ruins over their bodies.  There is no need or time to rebuild this anyway.  These will have to join the other refugees."  He waves in the generally at the onlookers.
-:35 [Kalan] He considers Deled thoughtfullly for a moment. "I suppose we cannot cut his head off and hold it aloft for the crowd to gape at," he notes regretfully.
-:37 [Kalan] The Peleps would not miss Deled, but certain forms needed to be maintained. He cups his hands around his mouth and roars to the spectators, "You see, now the judgement of the Dragons!"
-:37 [ST] "Excuse me, Prince of Earth," a Citizen speaks up. She is an older woman, around fifty, and a tortoise shell pin sweeps up and holds back her graying hair on both sides. She speaks to Keshin "But I owned several of these Pleasure Houses, and I believe reimbursement should-"
-:38 [ST] She falls silent at Kalan's shout, and much of the crowd cringes back. A few flee the scene outright.
-:38 [Talek] Talek bends down and examines the charred remains of the abyssal. "My, it seems you slew this witness in the confusion. I suppose we won't be able to question her, then."
-:38 [Talek] He raises his eyebrows
-:39 [Kalan] Kalan glares at her. "Peleps Deled caused this destruction. Apply to the Peleps, or to the fools who named this monster their champion. If you can find them."
-:39 [ST] The Outcast's dead eyes stare up into Talek's. A few drops of blood splatter her chin. The giant hole Kalan's spear made through her chest, pinning her heart, is nothing but a charred crater.
-:40 [Kalan] He passes the rest of the crowd under grim review. "Tell ALL the rebels the fate Deled has wrought. It is not too late for them to cease their folly and join in the defense of this city." He dismisses them with a wave, and turns to Talek.
-:41 [Kalan] He shrugs. "No great loss. Deled's 'Safety Among Enemies' could not have found a worthier recipient." He smiles grimly. "Alive, she would only seek to divide us."
-:43 [ST] The woman who earlier challenged Keshin opens her mouth as if to speak again, then takes a step back, and another, following most of the crowd away
-:43 [Talek] "Safety Among Enemies, of course. It was compassionate of him to spare the mortals with his charm. So, how did you know this lady?"
-:43 [ST] A few stragglers remain, both men and women, most of them with the red shoulder tattoo noting that they are prostitutes. They have nowhere else to go, now.
-:45 [Kalan] Kalan's eyes narrow. "I did not know her."
-:46 [Keshin] Keshin observes silently.  Talek was willing to press the issue as he was not.
-:47 [Talek] "How did she know you, then?"
-:49 [Talek] "We've all got less than savory allies Kalan, I can understand. But you need to tell us." he speaks in fast, ornamental high realm, to confuse the mortals.
-:51 [Kalan] Kalan flushes. "Do you question my integrity?" he demands. "I have told you, I know nothing of this woman. She was doubtless a spy; being a spy, she occupied her time by �spying�, and has even managed to learn all the names we have not bothered to learn!"
-:52 [Talek] "We need to know, Kalan."
-:54 [Kalan] Kalan stiffens. "And I have told you, Talek," he says coldly. "Even dead, the creature does its work, it seems."
-:54 [Talek] "If this is just some love affair, perhaps we can talk about it."
-:55 [Talek] "Maybe an old alliance forged out of necessity? I know a Demon or two I wouldn't want anyone to know about. Hell, even Jorj uttered a few illegal prayers to get tutoring in Sorcery."
-:56 [Kalan] "Your misdeeds are of no interest to me," Kalan snaps. "Come. We should return to Shatterspear."
-:56 [Talek] "We know you are fond of the damnned women."
-:57 [Kalan] Kalan stares at him incredulously.
-:57 [Talek] "You're not making this easier on yourself."
-:57 [Keshin] This would be far beyond that, consorting with an Abyssal.  They just had to hope that if it was true, it had stopped with her, that he had no business with one still alive.
-:58 [Talek] "You should tell us now. Otherwise, what will people think, hmmm?"
-:59 [Talek] "You murdered an Immaculate, and your spear conviently finds its way into the heart of a villian who begged you by name for aid."
-:59 [Kalan] He laughs, and shakes his head. "I don't know what there is in your romantic past to make you believe otherwise, but I swear, by the Dragons and Gaia herself, I knew nothing abou...."
-:00 [Talek] "How come that Hektonhire didn't attack any of us as we were leaving, eh Kalan? It went after the Solar."
-:01 [ST] Cynis Matara stares at the ground, pale and troubled, a dusting of ash on her face.
-:01 [Talek] "How come we found our way to that Abyssal printing press so easily? Its a big city, lots of spots to hide it."
-:01 [ST] "Leave him alone," she says quietly. Her eyes are poisonous. "He didn't do anything. Nothing worse than you."
-:01 [ST] Clearly, she has not forgotten the sacrifice of Leos.
-:02 [Talek] "I think you had better start explaining yourself."
-:02 [Kalan] He cuts himself off midword at Talek's remarks. "�Murdered� an Immaculate? By the bloody Dragons, I assure you aimed at the man with the razorclaws in the battle." He snarls at Talek. "I no longer care to be questioned by you, and your ridiculous accuastions."
-:03 [Talek] "Ridiculous? Fine then, leader, call upon your lover or on Keshin to defend you."
-:03 [Talek] "This woman shares your sheets, and all she would do is attack my ethics."
-:04 [Talek] In the common dialect: "We can not go into battle led by one who has dealings with our enemies! Your denials make you look a traitor!"
-:04 [Kalan] Kalan laughs out loud. "What should she be doing? Taking the machinations of an Anathema at face value?"
-:05 [Talek] "Yes, she was a clever plotter to get herself killed."
-:06 [Kalan] He whitens as Talek takes the argument to the streets. "Be careful, you fool," he snarls. "You do not aid our cause by making our quarrels- or your credulousness- public."
-:06 [Talek] "You've left us no choice, Kalan!"
-:08 [Talek] "You're blushing, you're blaming the whole thing on invisible conspiracies, your lies are about as transparent as a four year old caught stealing sweets!"
-:09 [Talek] "Do you think we are fools!"
-:09 [Talek] "What are you hiding?"
-:09 [ST] "You shouldn't have killed the old man!" Matara snaps at Talek suddenly, clearly reaching the end of her rope. "It wasn't his fault!"
-:09 [Kalan] "Yes," Kalan says in disgust. "I do think you are a fool. We should return to the Shatterspear." He lays a hand gently on Matara's shoulder.
-:10 [Kalan] "We can discuss things there."
-:12 [Keshin] Keshin stands mute, debating with himself.  In the end, they needed Kalan, so unless he was truly corrupt justice would have to wait.  And then events pushed that from his mind - "Look" he points towards the distant flames.  "Have the rebels atacked Prince Sajet?  Let us hope it is just that."
-:12 [Talek] "This is the best you can do? Let your child bride here complain about a mortal who died? Ask him how many mortal deaths he's been responsible for. Ask how many more will die today."
-:13 [Talek] "I'm sorry, I can't follow a traitor. Desperate as our situation is, how much worse will it be if he conspires with the Neverborn?"
-:14 [Kalan] Kalan caresses Matara, his expression smooth and untroubled. He turns his head to follow Keshin's finger. "We should find out."
-:14 [Talek] "Damn it Keshin, we have to settle this!"
-:15 [Kalan] "Not now!" Kalan says curtly.
-:16 [ST] Matara glares quietly at Talek, apparently too wroth to speak.
-:18 [Keshin] "So we watch him.  What hope is there without him?  We cannot let this cities defenders tear each other apart!  Us or the guards."
-:19 [Talek] "Keshin, you do not understand. There is proof of his treachery."
-:20 [Kalan] Kalan's lips thin at this less-than-rousing defense from Keshin. "We'll discuss this later," he says. His eyes are hard and cold as flint. "I do not care to have my reputation maligned in this manner. For now- for now, the city is burning."
-:20 [Talek] "There are.....records of meetings between him and his woman" he toes the dead woman "-in Thorns."
-:21 [Talek] "It was revealed in the Deliberative"
-:21 [Talek] "The news was told to me by sorcerous means."
-:22 [ST] "I- I don't believe you," Matara snaps. "You're lying."
-:22 [Kalan] Kalan's lips twitch. "Who slanders me with such stories?"
-:23 [Talek] "My Grandmother sent me the news personally, but it is hardly a secrert."
-:23 [Talek] "Cathak Cainan himself was laughed out of the Deliberative."
-:24 [Keshin] Keshin looks at the body again, shuddering.  "What drove you to that?  If this is true, nothing will save you."
-:26 [Kalan] "Twisty bitch," Kalan says impassively. "It is a lie, Keshin." He follows Keshin's gaze, and turns away. "Cooked up by this one's vicious ancestress to discredit my house, perhaps."
-:26 [Kalan] Anger flares. "In the meantime, Kushan is �burning�. I am going to see why. I suggest you accompany me, since I have little chance of doing anything effective, exausted as I am."
-:28 [Kalan] He lets go of Matara, and turns in the direction of the flames.
-:28 [ST] "I'll come along," Matara volunteers. "I won't let you go alone."
-:28 [Talek] "That is unforunate" Talek says, raising his bow.
-:29 [Talek] "I don't want to do this, Kalan, but you've left me no choice."
-:29 [Keshin] Keshin stares at Kalan's back as he walks away, warring with himself.  If only he could KNOW.
-:30 [Kalan] Kalan glances over his shoulder, smirks, and continues on his way, giving Talek an open shot at his back. He reaches out and touches Matara's hand.
-:31 [Talek] With a grimace, Talek shoots his defenseless foe in the back.
-:31 [Talek] "Grandma would be so proud" he mutters
-:33 [Kalan] Kalan staggers, his eyes widening in shock as Talek's arrow drives into his right shoulder. Tongue of Flame falls to the rubble with a metallic clang.
-:34 [Kalan] Another sprouts in his thigh, in his arm, ins his leg. He falls to his knees.
-:35 [Kalan] He chokes off a strangled shout.
-:35 [ST] Matara shouts in alarm, whirling, her Reaper daiklave getting into position. Her battle cry leaves something to be desired.
-:35 [ST] "Leave him alone!"
-:35 [Talek] Talek advances a few paces. "Why was it, Kalan? Why did you do it?"
-:36 [Kalan] He turns, his eyes bright with pain. "You fool," he gasps. "The fires- could be anything-" He gestures to the horizon.
-:36 [Keshin] It was almost a release, watching him fall.  Perhaps now the city would die, but the difficulty of that decision was off him, and he could simply think of to move from here.
-:37 [Kalan] He wraps a hand around the haft of the arrow in his leg. "I have done-" he tugs on the arrow, breaking the haft off in his hand. He flings it away. "�Nothing�."
-:38 [Talek] "Dammit Kalan, why do you keep lying!"
-:39 [Kalan] He reaches for the one in his shoulder,  and nearly faints in agony as the arrowhead slices through muscle as he pulls it out.
-:39 [ST] Matara steps in front of Kalan, shielding him with her body. "H-how do we know you're telling the truth?" she spits. "Because that's what your grandmother says? Why was she trying to discredit Cainan in the first place?"
-:42 [Talek] "Because she wants to be Empress. That doesn't mean she's lying."
-:43 [Kalan] Kalan calls Tongue of Flame to hand, and sets the direlance's butt on the floor to lever himself painfully to his feet. He's breathing hard. "We have fought together for weeks against...difficult odds. I would ask if you really thought I was capable of such...treachery. Such treason."
-:44 [Talek] "My Grandmother rarely lies. She is too powerful to need to."
-:44 [Talek] "What am I supposed to think, Kalan!"
-:45 [Talek] "You're obviously lying. I tried to make it easy for you."
-:45 [Talek] "You could have told them about your treachery yourself, said it was a mistake, apologized, told us you hadn't realized what you were doing, anything!"
-:45 [Kalan] Kalan's voice is arctic, sharp as a lash. "You trust the words of an ambitious old woman more than the oath of a comrade. Very well."
-:45 [Talek] "But you won't tell us a thing!"
-:46 [Kalan] "I will not apologize for things I am not guilty of."
-:47 [Talek] "The ambitous old lady showed the evidence to the entire Deliberative!"
-:47 [ST] The dregs of the crowd stand transfixed, unmoving, locked in place by the drama before them.  The flames in the Prince's Quarter continue to rage.
-:48 [Kalan] He stares at Talek, eyes hard. "Believe what you like. In the meantime..." he turns. "The city is burning."
-:49 [ST] "If you want him, you'll go through me first," Matara snarls.
-:49 [Talek] "Do you even know the charms to catch arrows, child?"
-:50 [ST] "I'm no more a child than you... and I've been through worse."
-:50 [Keshin] Even with him still alive they could not go back now.  Kalan would never be able to forgive this if they spared him now.
-:51 [Kalan] He turns his back again, and this time his shoulders stiffen with tension. "Peace, Matara. There is a city in our charge."
-:51 [Kalan] "We would do well to remember it."
-:52 [Kalan] He stumbles forward, wincing a little at the pain, but it is no worse than many injuries he had marched on, in his time in the legions.
-:53 [ST] Matara takes a few steps back, her eyes still locked on Talek.
-:55 [Talek] Talek looks incredulous. "Keshin, try to reason with this madman. I can not pretend nothing has happened."
-:55 [Kalan] He calls back to the Mnemon, "If you're raising your bow again- I will be no stronger and no more capable of defending myself from your murderous impulses �after� the demonic invasion- or whatever it is- is dealt with."
-:56 [Talek] "I am no fool to think I can take you in a fair fight."
-:57 [Talek] "You just killed Deled, what chance will I stand? It's now or never."
-:58 [Kalan] Kalan curls his lips. "You think I will become stronger from the mere presence of fire in the Prince's Quarter? I have nothing left."
-:58 [Keshin] "What will reason do now?  You must kill him now, or he will kill you later I think.  I will not stop you.  Then it is for Matara to decide if she wishes to avenge his death or to join us in this cities defense."
-:58 [Talek] "That is your final answer, traitor?"
-:59 [Talek] "If so, then you will not be able to aid us in whatever we face."
-:59 [ST] "I'll die before he does," Matara snaps, eyes flickering between the other two. "Keshin... not you too."
-:00 [Talek] "Oh, for god's sake."
-:00 [Talek] "I'm sorry Kalan, I'm sure you're a decent guy, but you've given me no explanation and no choice. I'm not going to drag this out any longer."
-:01 [Kalan] Kalan closes his eyes. The smell of smoke wafts to him, stinging his nostrils. He lifts a hand. "Wait." His voice is icy.
-:03 [Talek] Talek leaps towards a small stonee building, lands on the wall, kicks off into the air, pointing his bow downward.....and sails overhead, landing on a wooden roof where a few brave boys have scrambled for a better view of the drama
-:03 [Talek] "speak"
-:04 [Kalan] He turns back to Talek. "I will swear....I will swear to take no vengeance for this." He bares his teeth. His shoulder throbs in agony. "But you must �wait� until after this is taken care of." He jerks his head towards the fire.
-:06 [Talek] "And then, we will hear the full story?"
-:07 [ST] "You've already heard it!" Matara shouts
-:08 [Kalan] "And then, I will tell you everything there is to tell."
-:09 [Keshin] "Why can't you tell us now, if there is something more for you to tell?"
-:09 [Talek] "Very well. Keshin, you are the witness? If he offers more denials, you shall join me in doing what has to be done? Your honor I know is beyond reproach."
-:09 [Kalan] "Apparently, Talek requires more details," Kalan bites out.
-:10 [ST] "Kalan... there isn't anything. Just tell them that... there isn't anything and we're wasting time." Matara's eyes dart rapidly between Talek and Keshin, waiting for either to make a move.
-:11 [Keshin] Keshin moves, finally, striding towards the fire.  "Even he says there is something Matara."
-:12 [Kalan] "If I tell them that now, they'll only kill us both," Kalan tells her quickly under his breath as Keshin approaches. "They are so determined to believe lies." His smile is a flash of teeth.
-:15 [ST] Matara only nods, not relaxing her posture. "We can find out later, surely."
-:17 [Talek] "Very well."
-:17 [Kalan] "If you two are done....there is a disaster requiring attention." He jerks his head towards the fire.
-:17 [Talek] "Can you walk?"
-:18 [Kalan] Kalan looks at him scornfully. "Naturally. Let's go."
------------
-:24 [ST] The harried group of Dragonbloods makes their way through the city's streets as quickly as possible, hampered by injury and mistrust. Long before the walls of the Prince's Quarter draw near, the smell of smoke and the shouts of battle become audible, and as the Dragonbloods draw closer it becomes obvious that the Palace Sublime of the Honored Prince itself is burning atop its hill, thatched  roofs blazing fiercely.
-:25 [ST] The air is thick with choking smoke, and the flames flicker off the bronzed onion domes and cupolas of the nobility's houses as the Dragonbloods make their way through. The gates of the Palace walls lie in utter ruin, and figures sprawl across the lawn beyond, unmoving. Several ranks of Defenders stand on either side of the gate, motionless.
-:27 [Kalan] Kalan looks for anyone more knowledgeable than a giant mutant slave.
-:28 [ST] There doesn't seem to be anyone outside the gates besides the Defenders - the other combatants have moved within. In fact, most of the fighting seems to have died off.
-:30 [Kalan] Kalan passes through the gates, keeping a wary eye on the Defenders to either side.
-:32 [ST] Bodies lie sprawled everywhere - by the armor designs, all Kushanian, and most rather wealthy. Many of them are wearing the standard tortoise shell artifacts that mark Citizens, others the crimson sash of the Prince's guard.
-:33 [ST] A gathering of Citizens waits at the side entrance to the palace, wielding scimitars, layered in heavy scale armor that looks more ornamentative than anything else.
-:33 [Keshin] Keshin stalks next to him, brooding.  Hopefully the leaders of this hadn't faded away yet.
-:34 [ST] As the Dragonbloods watch, more emerge from the palace, lead by a hawk-nosed young woman with hair that swirls down to her ankles, laced with tortoise shell beads - the ends of her hair are charred. In one hand, she holds something aloft.
-:34 [ST] A head.
-:34 [ST] "I have killed the false Prince!" she roars. "Once Peleps Deled returns, we shall take this city back once and for all!"
-:35 [Talek] Talek puts an arrow into the head of the "false prince".
-:35 [Talek] "Brother Peleps has been unavoidably delayed."
-:35 [ST] The arrow pierces Sajet's temple and quivers. As one, both crowds turn to regard the newcomers.
-:36 [Talek] "Is there anything we can help you with?" Talek offers
-:37 [Kalan] "He is dead," Kalan clarifies. "He put his beliefs to the test of the Dragons, and the Dragons judged his righteousness. His body now lies crumpled in the streets. He will not be returning to rescue you."
-:38 [ST] The woman seems taken aback by the question and the revelation, but quickly recovers. "Prince Sajet is dead, his lies exposed. He talked before he died, Dragons! He told us of the famine that strikes our city and your attempt to hide it from us! You are false! You are usurpers! You have ruled our city for TOO LONG!"
-:38 [ST] The crowd roars in agreement.
-:41 [Talek] "Did you have some food you wanted to offer everyone?" Talek asks mildly
-:42 [Keshin] "And what, you wish to rebel against the Realm?  We are all that stops this city from destruction.  We are trying to defend it.  You obviously have plenty of martial valor, why waste it in this," he gestures with contempt at the waste around them.  "Join us."
-:43 [ST] "A noble gesture, o Prince," the woman spits. "If you had not freed our slaves. If you had not made them equal with us, set them in armed authority above us. The only threat to this city is your machinations, no matter what Sarom Kyros says."
-:43 [Kalan] Kalan idly wonders how many they would have to kill to keep the famine secret. Too many, he decides regretfully. "Plans are in place to deal with the shortage" Kalan says in a bored voice. "True-hearted Kushanites defending the city will have plenty to eat."
-:44 [Keshin] "You are blind."
-:45 [ST] "The shortage was probably engineered by you," she snaps. "Like everything else. But have no fear. Soon the entire city will know, I have sent runners. We shall see how calm your freed whelps are when you're not filling their bellies and slaking their lusts."
-:46 [Kalan] His eyes flash. "Walk to Ghan, and you will know the truth. Though you would have difficulty walking back."
-:47 [Kalan] The Kushanites determination ignore the noses on their faces was becoming tiresome. He grins. At least it would no longer be his problem, very soon.
-:49 [ST] "How convenient, that the truth always seems to be elsewhere." She smiles. "We will elect a new Prince. Your laws will be revoked. The city will be returned to its former glory. You are not the satrap, to order us about. We have seen what protection the Realm offers, and its worth."
-:50 [ST] "You bring the hated Ghanites into our city, defiling our water. You take our food. You demean us at every turn, and expect our love? Return to your manse. Leave Kushan to its Citizens."
-:51 [Talek] "Who are you, percisely, to carry on so with the Princes of the Earth?"
-:52 [Keshin] "This is about more than Kushan.  We are here to defend the realm.  And you propose to remove the Realm and its laws from your city?"
-:53 [ST] "You have broken the terms of your rule!" the woman shouts and the crowd roars in approval. "Your puppet is dead. Leave us."
-:55 [Kalan] "We have a duty to defend you," Kalan says. "Fools though you are. Do you remember the demons that clog your harbor?"
-:56 [ST] "How could we forget them? Deled believed your sorcerors had brought them."
-:58 [Kalan] "Poor Dead Deled knew nothing. We couldn't summon that many demons if we wanted. If we were the villains you supposed, we'd have blood apes in the streets, not mist in the harbor."
-:00 [ST] "We demand you lift the siege," the woman continues, nonplussed. "We demand our share of the food you hoard. We demand the return of our slaves."
-:02 [Talek] "I repeat: who are you to represent the citizens of this city, hmmmm?"
-:03 [Keshin] "No.  You will have a share of the food if you wish to help us in our defense of the city.  If you want the docks clear, then help us clear them.  If you persist in this, then starve or die."
-:04 [ST] "Do not expect the Defenders to stand in our way. They would not stand against us. Now that the Prince is dead, they will support our newly elected candidate." She smiles at Talek's question. "I am Ravos Celice, and I expect to be chosen for that position shortly. If you have slain Deled, you have only slowed the end."
-:05 [Keshin] Keshin looks to Talek.  "If this city become indefensible, it would be better to destroy it for rebellion than let the Realm be seen to lose to the attacking Anathema."
-:06 [Talek] "And you are the leader of this little rebellion, hmmmm?"
-:07 [ST] "One of many, Prince," her tone sounds anything but respectful. "Do you think to slay us all?"
-:08 [Kalan] "That would be an ill thing to happen.... a second time," Kalan comments from the sidelines. "And guilty of the murder of Prince Sajet," Kalan adds. "Do they allow the election of criminals in this city?"
-:09 [Talek] "No, the Army of the Neverborn camped outside can kill you all, if that's what you want."
-:12 [Keshin] Keshin stays silent, not wanting to overplay the threat.  He disguises his glance at the watchers, trying to guage their reaction.
-:13 [ST] "We do not believe such an army exists," Celice says. "We have seen no evidence of it."
-:13 [ST] The crowd behind her looks on-edge, but excited. Sacking Sajet's palace has given them courage.
-:14 [Kalan] "We have shown it to a witness once as obdurate as you. He believes it. A hundred refugee Ghanites are all that are left of Ghan, a long with a handful of former Ghan Citizens. They believe." Kalan growls. "What evidence will you accept before the army arrives at your gates?"
-:15 [Kalan] "A monster at your doorstep does not vanish. Not even if you close your eyes very, very tight."
-:16 [ST] "I would have to see such an army." She smiles. "I would have to see you fight it."
-:17 [Talek] "Fine."
-:17 [Talek] "Grab two of your most trustworthy aides and come with me."
-:18 [Talek] "I will call up the Stormwinds, and take you to see the army of the dead."
-:20 [ST] She considers it for a moment.
-:20 [ST] "I do not believe you..." her arrogant smile widens. "But I was always a curious little girl. I will come along with you if you wish... but bear in mind that my death will only increase your troubles."
-:22 [Keshin] "If we werre just going to kill you we would do it now, as an example.  But I still hold hope for all of you, that you will fight for your city when you stop being blinded by ignorance."
-:22 [Talek] "Very well. Grab a few of your aides - I don't want everyone else saying t hey don't believe your testimony. I will prepare the spell."
-:23 [Talek] Talek turns to his companions. "Do we know where they are camped? Will we be able to see an army of the dead by night?"
-:23 [ST] Celice tosses Sajet's head aside contemptuously, letting it roll down the grassy lawn, and goes to converse with her subordinantes.
-:24 [Keshin] Keshin watches carefully, to see who the ringleaders were.  It would be useful to know, incase this tactic didn't work.
-:28 [ST] After a few minutes, she pulls a full-faced man with his hair graying at the temples and an angry young woman with flashing blue eyes and short dark hair from the crowd.
-:29 [ST] "Rand Mojabe and Sarom Cynthos," Celice says tersely, returning. "Their houses are politically at odds. They have no desire to agree with each other."
-:30 [Kalan] "Fly safe," Kalan says sardonically, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning against the wall.
-:32 [Keshin] "Return soon.  There is much to do."
-:34 [Talek] "Great, hold this." he says offering t he ringleader a map
-:36 [Talek] "Oh great spirits of Stormwind, carry us noble heroes to victory! Oh Great Spirits of Stormwind, know that we stand united in your service!" he wonders if the Yozis had designed the spellchant specifically for the irony it would pr oduce at moments like this
-:36 [ST] She takes it uncertainly, flanked by her subordinates.
-:36 [Talek] A smell like rotten pine comes in, a mild breeze rises, with a few out of place pine needles flitting around their feet
-:37 [Talek] Then the spell explodes and the four rise into the air. Talek stands upright in the center, directing the spell. He takes great care to cause Mojabe and Cynthos to be hurled againist eachother in the corner as the spell takes hold.
-:38 [Talek] "Up, up, and away." Talek intones wryly. "I guess you wouldn't get that joke, out here in the provinces."
-:38 [ST] The subordinates grimace and grumble, but Celice is silent as the winds bear her aloft, billowing her long hair out behind her magnificently. "Perhaps not."
-:43 [Talek] They group spins over dark, empty wheat fields and deserted villages
-:44 [Talek] Its a clear night, and the complete absence of human activity below them is eery. Everyone has headed for the safety of the city's walls.  Here and there gleaners have set up camp to bring in a premature harvest where the peasants left their fields unattended.
-:44 [ST] "It's almost as if you expect us to see something," Celice whispers into Talek's ear. "I will be most disappointed if you're bringing us out here to die."
-:45 [Talek] "Of course I expect you to see something. Did you think I was carrying us to an Orgy? I'm not a Cynis."
-:46 [ST] "Pity. After all their years of rule, I know how to deal with them better. They never would have armed the slaves."
-:48 [Talek] The group tracks down over the River, towards Ghan. A few wood  spirits, two foot tall, vauelly humanoid collections of spirits, walk near the river, looking to make their homes elsewhere
-:48 [Talek] "Well, Matara is a Cynis. Perhaps you'd her to lead your city?"
-:50 [ST] "That one," Celice snorts. For a mortal, she is bold. "I've choked on chicken bones more threatening."
-:49 [ST] "It's quiet down there," Cynthos says, voice tinged with uncertainty.
-:49 [Talek] "The villages are getting closer together. We're approaching Ghan."
-:51 [Talek] Talek chuckles. "Don't underestimate her.  Chickens don't carry Daiklaves."
-:51 [Talek] There we are. "See that rotting hulk up in the distance. That is Ghan"
-:52 [ST] "It doesn't look any different to me," she says. "But there are no lights-" A sudden shocked intake of breath.
-:53 [ST] Ghan lies ahead over the dark plains, walls rising like a monolith into the sky. Hundreds of luminous tentacles suddenly rise beyond them, probing at the air, turning to face the roaring cyclone.
-:53 [ST] Legion's hearing is as impeccable as ever.
-:54 [ST] "What... is it?" Cynthos asks.
-:54 [Talek] "It is called Legion, for it is many."
-:54 [Talek] "It is the ghost of the people of Ghan."
-:55 [Talek] "Sometimes, if you get close enough, you can see the face of one of the people of Ghan writhing inside it."
-:55 [ST] "And the Dead... created that thing?" Celice's hand bears down almost painfully on Talek's shoulder. "Is that what you would have us believe?"
-:56 [Talek] "With a bit of help from the nobles of Ghan."
-:56 [Talek] "Perhaps you knew some of the prominent families of Ghan? We might still find them, in one of its million arms. Would you like me to get closer?"
-:57 [ST] "No," Mojabe insists, the first time he's spoken in some time. "Do not."
-:57 [ST] "Where is the army of the dead, Mnemon Talek?" Celice asks, trying to still her trembling. "Where have they gone? How do we know that they did this?"
-:59 [Talek] Talek circles the city. "There" he says, pointing to vast holes in the ground, each the size of a wagon.
-:59 [Talek] "Those are the footprints of a great deathly machine. The spirits of Ghan live in Legion, their bodies were turned  into a war machine." he swoops low.
-:00 [Talek] "these are its footprints. Observe - see how there are many tiny footprints within the larger footprints? And a hand print there. And there, what I imagine must be a face print."
-:01 [Talek] "We shall follow the tracks of this machine. Perhaps we shall find where the army of the dead now camps."
-:01 [ST] Cynthos and Mojabe have grown wan. Celice pushes on.
-:01 [ST] "Yes. I want there to be no question."
-:01 [ST] Behind them, the glowing tentacles of Legion probe the night sky and slither through the tunnels of Ghan.
-:02 [Talek] Silently, the four speed over the footprints of a dead city
-:03 [ST] Talek's journey takes the three in a spiralling loop north of Ghan. The hours bleed away and the night grows deeper as the Storm winds tear a path alongside the tracks in the earth, through a desolate and abandoned countryside.
-:04 [ST] Soon, rolling hills begin, and then the slightly more rugged terrain that Talek previously encountered near Higara, wooded vales and spurs of rock.
-:05 [ST] At one point, the tracks cross over another set of massive holes in the earth. Nearby is a hill with its top clipped off, a spur of rock sprouting from it.
-:05 [ST] The area where the Dragonbloods battled the first war machine.
-:06 [ST] The tracks continue north, and as Talek follows them, he feels a sudden chill. It's almost imperceptable in the darkness, but the three of them have passed into a shadowland, the rim of the great darkness that makes up the Mask's empire.
-:06 [Talek] "The work of another of their war machines. Ghan is hardly the first city to be enslaved thus."
-:07 [Talek] Talek swerves back into the land of living and circles slowly for a minute
-:07 [Talek] "We are heading into a Shadowland."
-:07 [Talek] "You know what that is, yes?"
-:08 [Talek] "You understand that this is extremly dangerous. Here the dead rule."
-:08 [Talek] "You wish to proceed?"
-:08 [ST] The others say nothing, but at last Celice says, "Yes. We have known the Shadowland is there for months, since the rise of the Mask. Take us within, if you must."
-:13 [Talek] Talek shrugs
-:14 [Talek] He shifts the Stormwind and charges in
-:18 [ST] Entering the Shadowland is like being dipped into a frigid bath; even the air seems more sluggish and thick, gelatinous. The mortals shiver miserably.
-:20 [ST] The change in the landscape below comes slowly, almost imperceptibly.  By degrees, the vibrant grass grows more thin, more pale, until ghost weeds the color of milk carpet the ground. The trees grow ever shorter and more stunted, studded with thorns. Brackish pools lie beneath them, still and mirror-clear, reflecting the weird constellations of the Underworld.
-:21 [ST] The holes in the earth have filled with water the rusty color of blood. Following them, Talek moves through the nightmarish landscape.
-:23 [ST] Plasmics gambol below. Half a fox crawls along the ground after a bleeding mouse, trailing its guts out behind it and leaving a snail trail of blood on the white grass. Luminous moths with wings a foot across and the faces of children buzz around patches of sobbing red flowers. The mortals are silent, horrified.
-:23 [Talek] Talek is visibly shaken. He had seen glimpses of Malfeas, but this, this was horrifying.
-:24 [ST] At last, a trio of dark shapes rise ahead, screened by a low ridge of hills. It's too far to tell clearly, but the profile makes them resemble the war frames Talek has already seen.
-:25 [Talek] "There. Those are three of  the machines I described to you earlier. The army will be camped beneath them."
-:26 [Talek] "Those three machines are enough to destroy your city, and I assure you, you will not fight them off without Exalted assistance."
-:26 [Talek] "Is that enough for you, or shall I go closer? I warn you, they may be able to grab us out of the sky."
-:26 [ST] Celice nods slowly. Talek more feels the motion than sees it. "I... see."
-:28 [ST] "I... am convinced. But it might be useful for us to see... to know what to expect..."
-:28 [Talek] "heh heh, if you say so. Come, let's take a look."
-:29 [Talek] "If they kill us and put our ghosts in one of those machines, I'll just have to spend eternity harassing you."
-:29 [Talek] He swoops in, just close enough to take a quick peek, already preparing to turn and continue backwards
-:36 [ST] The quiescent war machines loom over a bowl-like depression in the ground several hundred yards wide. Below them a forest of black tents sprout like poisonous toadstools. Mortals mill through them, many wearing the armor and sigil of the Vermin. Luminous ghosts and nemissaries march through the camp, conversing or playing at cards. The Harrowed, Ghanites and Kushanites who read Rao Ling's book but recovered some amount of sanity, are located near the edges of the encampment, and beyond them are row after row of the maddened readers of the book, staked to the earth like animals to keep them from savaging each other.
-:36 [ST] Smaller war machines rise behind the tents, grotesque amalgamations of iron and flesh, studded with cutting blades, claws, and all manner of siege devices. At a glance, Talek counts a couple dozen of them, with more possibly underneath the tarps throughout the camp. He spots artifacts, as well - things that look like firewands, a warstrider made of bone, and several ordered rows of the black powered armor that the Dragonbloods found in Ghan.
-:37 [ST] The lip of the crater fortunately shields the Stormwind rider from view, for now.  After his quick pass, as Talek turns to go, he spots a pair of figures slowly circling the rim of the crater - a pair of mortal sentries, it seems. They haven't spotted the Dragonblood and his mortal charges yet.
-:39 [Talek] Talek quickly turns and circles in the direction the Sentries are walking, keeping out of their line of sight
-:39 [Talek] Once he's a fair distance around the circle, he takes off at a straight line and flies over a field of broken horrors before turning back towards Creation.
-:41 [ST] Talek flies, and flies, and flies... but the fields of pale grass seem to stretch on and on, unending
-:43 [Talek] "Ah yes, I almost forgot to mention the best part"
-:43 [Talek] "We have to stay here til morning."
-:43 [Talek] "See a nice  spot to camp?"
-:44 [ST] Cynothos and Mojabe don't venture an answer. Celice snaps, "You're the expert."
-:45 [ST] The sight of the army has obviously shaken her deeply.
-:47 [Talek] Talek circles, looking for any kind of break in the featureless terrain
-:49 [Talek] Not finding any, he lands at a spot near where they entered the Shadowland
-:51 [Talek] "Good as any. Lie down so asnot to be too visible. I don't reccomend sleeping, although I know its very soft." he pushes at  the ground, which seems  to have the consistency of flesh over bones.
-:52 [ST] Cynthos lowers herself warily into the grass, her eyes darting back and forth. "I thought my cousin was merely lying to gain capital in the Sarom family..."
-:52 [ST] Celice and Mojabe move down beside her.
-:53 [ST] "You've convinced me, for what it's worth," Celice says. "But the others will require some assurances. At least tell them you'll restore the old system after this is over."
-:54 [Talek] "Then perhaps the slaves won't fight?"
-:56 [Talek] "I'll tell them to fight or die. I think you three will be very persuasive"
-:57 [Talek] "Perhaps you can spread the rumour that the old system will be restored. You may tell your fellows as much, as you like. But I can make no official pronouncements."
-:58 [ST] "Well, there's no need to tell the slaves as much. I will spread the word among my followers. It scarcely matters if we all die. I do not think even arming the slaves will-"
-:08 [ST] The tall grass rustles loudly; someone or something is approaching.
-:09 [ST] A few moments later, Talek hears a few voices arguing back and forth.
-:09 [ST] "Are you sure you saw it here, Lamprey? It could have been an er... plasmic."
-:09 [ST] "I saw them," a woman's voice answers quietly. "Two or three."
-:10 [Talek] Talek holds his finger up to his mouth
-:11 [ST] "Listen," a third voice says. "There's only three of us, maybe we shouldn't-"
-:11 [ST] "No," the first voice, another man insists. "We've got to let the others know."
-:11 [ST] The voices are growing closer.
-:12 [Talek] He draws his bow and whizzes an arrow past the ear of the first voice. "Freeze, mortal, or the next shot will be in your eye."
-:12 [ST] The movement stops
-:14 [ST] "Leech," the woman says. "Careful."
-:14 [ST] "Show yourself!" the first voice demands
-:14 [Talek] There is a flash of smoke, and Talek stands before them, holding his bow forward
-:16 [Talek] "Drop your weapons."
-:16 [ST] The first man, Leech, is massive, probably in his thirties, with a dark beard and hair.  The man behind him has a prominent scar on his face and is much younger. Lamprey, a tall, willowy blond woman, is at the rear of the pack. All of them wear lamellar armor. Leech has a slashing sword, the other two a pair of straight swords.
-:16 [ST] "I don't think so," Leech says, his eyes narrowing. "I remember you, Dragon. You were the one I saw with Little Scorpion, that day."
-:18 [Talek] "And she's dead now, isn't she?"
-:19 [ST] "She was a sweet girl," Lamprey says. She's beautiful, if fragile-looking. Tears glimmer in her eyes. "She never harmed anyone."
-:19 [ST] "Monster," Leech snarls. "I suppose you've come here to finish what you started."
-:20 [Talek] "If you'd like. "
-:21 [ST] "You may find me more difficult to handle than a child."
-:21 [Talek] "I doubt it."
-:22 [Talek] "But come a little closer, and we can  find out."
-:22 [Talek] "I won't cry  any tears for those who serve death."
-:23 [ST] "Dragonbloods... your kind were always so overconfident," an old bitterness creeps into Leech's voice. "Thinking you can do whatever you want to mortals... that you're somehow superior. When I traded my name, Spider and the others taught me that your power is illusion. That your mastery over Creation is �nothing.�"
-:23 [ST] "We'll never let your kind dominate us again." The edge of his blade is bright.
-:23 [ST] "Soon your city will be erased... its populace embraced, enlightened. Healed."
-:28 [Talek] "Why wait? I'm a doctor, I can 'heal' you now."
-:29 [ST] Leech laughs sharply, his eyes narrowing. His sword darts back and forth. "I was a doctor too... once. Sounds like we have a professional dispute."
-:34 [ST] "Flea, watch T- Lamprey," he says, not taking his eyes from the Dragonblood.
-:35 [ST] Then with a roar, he springs forward, his sword flashing out in a silvery arc. Its edge cleaves a path through the ghost grass, shrouding him in white tendrils as he follows through on the strike, trying to carve the Dragonblood's head from his shoulders.
-:40 [Talek] His anima of thorns springs to life around Talek, and he pivots back
-:42 [ST] He's not quite fast enough, the edge of Leech's blade scoring a gash across his forearm.
-:44 [Talek] Talek looks down at the gash in his arm, then looks back up at 'Leech'. "I hope that was very satisfying." T hen his hands are a blur, and there's a twang, twang, twang of three arrows
-:46 [ST] Leech takes a step back, his face furrowing in concentration as his sword sweeps up to block the first arrow.
-:46 [Talek] Leech groans once, and his eyes loll. He takes a step forward, swaying. The other two arrows pierce his neck and his left eye. Blood bubbles down his chin. He falls.
-:47 [Talek] Talek lowers his bow, and takes a step  forward
-:48 [ST] "NO!" Lamprey screams, fumbling at her belt. Flea steps forward, straight sword at the ready.
-:48 [Talek] "Feeling better, doctor?" he shoves the man, who falls back on the ground heavily. Talek spits in his dead, staring eyes
-:49 [Talek] "Anyone else need treatment?"
-:54 [ST] Lamprey's entire body seems to tremble. A crazed look of terror and rage is in her eyes, but her hands are steady as she raises both of them before her, leveling her Flame Piece at the Dragonblood. She closes her left eye in concentration, her finger tightening on the trigger.
-:54 [ST] A burst of flame scorches a path through the ghost grass, igniting one of the spectral moths. It flutters up into the sky, flaming and shrieking.
-:59 [Talek] With effortless grace,  Talek lithely dodges.....into the path of the attack. Go Talek
-:00 [ST] The blast washes across Talek, but his armor absorbs the brunt of the blow, only warming a few degrees.
-:00 [ST] As Lamprey desperately begins reloading her weapon, Flea darts in, stabbing low with his blade
-:00 [Talek] "oooo, just like making out with a fire aspect. Saucy."
-:01 [Talek] "Ooo, this is fun!" Talek says, leaping over Lamprey's head as he crouches for his strike
-:02 [ST] "Stand still, you son of a bitch!" Flea roars in frustration. Lamprey remains silent, tears spilling down her face.
-:04 [ST] Flea dodges around Lamprey, almost pushing her down in his haste to get to Talek. He ducks low as he comes, filling his hand with a handful of dirt like tiny chunks of obsidian, never slowing his advance.
-:05 [ST] His hand flies up, hurling the dirt into Talek's face, and he ducks low, swinging his blade around in a vicious hook at the Dragonblood's belly
-:05 [Talek] Talek covers his face with his hands. "oh no, dirt!" he says mockingly
-:05 [ST] He growls in wordless frustration as his weapon skips off the other's armor in a shower of sparks.
-:09 [Talek] Talek turns, draws his bow, and slays the woman.
-:10 [Talek] "Now watch carefully"
-:12 [ST] Talek's arrows pinion the woman gruesomely. The flame piece, finally reloaded, falls from nerveless fingers
-:12 [ST] She falls to her knees, then to her face, unconscious and on the verge of death.
-:12 [Talek] Talek turns to Lamprey
-:12 [Talek] "Listen....."
-:12 [Talek] "Hear that? She's still breathing?"
-:13 [Talek] "I'm a doctor you know."
-:13 [Talek] "I can save her, if you like."
-:13 [ST] Flea narrows his eyes. He opens his mouth to protest, then finally throws his sword away.
-:13 [ST] "Do it."
-:14 [Talek] He gestures to his companions, who are huddling frozen in the  grass. "Hold him."
-:15 [Talek] He shoves him back. "don't try anything stupid, little Flea"
-:16 [ST] Celice leads the way, followed a few minutes later by Cynthos. Mojabe can't seem to bring himself to move.
-:16 [ST] The two women move to either side of Flea, pinioning his arms behind his back. He doesn't resist.
-:16 [Talek] Talek crouches over Lamprey's body
-:17 [Talek] He reaches into the ground for his usual pharmaceutical apparatus, but all he gets is some poision ivy
-:17 [Talek] "Damn Shadowland"
-:17 [Talek] "Have to do this the old fashioned way."
-:18 [Talek] He puts his hands on her chest, lifts his face to the sky, and closes  them. There's a shudder of green light into her form. She moans a little.
-:19 [Talek] "There. She'll live for now, I'll examine her more  later, when my anima has died down."
-:20 [Talek] Talek stands up and quickly moves away.
-:20 [ST] Flea glowers. "A kindness... if you hadn't caused the injuries in the first place, and killed Leech." he doesn't struggle.
-:22 [Talek] Talek walks over to Mojabe, rips up the man's shirt as he lies too frozento protest, and throws it to the man. "Release him. He won't go anywhere. Here, tie these ar ound her wounds. I can direct you, if necessary."
-:23 [Talek] "I offered to let you surrendur, but Leech charged in, the fool. Did you really think you could stand againist my might?"
-:23 [ST] The man kneels and begins to work without protest. He's more adept than Talek might expect; he's obviously had some training.
-:24 [Talek] Talek  sits, and his anima seems to die down a bit. Still, he is circled by thorns and rose petals.
-:24 [ST] "We were only a patrol returning to the Shadowland... Leech should have known better, but he's been- I mean-" His face contorts. "-he was furious ever since Little Scorpion's death. I think only Iron Spider was more enraged."
-:25 [Talek] "You preach  death and serve the end of all things. You are the declared enemy of all creation. You......" Talek trails off
-:26 [ST] "We were forgotten. Thrown away. Trampled. The Vermin gave us a new hope, and a new outlook on life. We offer the same to any we meet. Like the fire that cleanses the forest, we come."
-:27 [ST] He speaks almost mechanically as he binds Lamprey's wounds
-:27 [Talek] "A new hope of what?"
-:29 [ST] "Belonging to something. Being safe. Protected. I don't know." He doesn't even seem that convinced.
-:32 [Talek] "Protected from what?  They send you out on patrols in Shadowlands."
-:32 [Talek] "I can't imagine I'm the worst thing out here."
-:32 [Talek] He sighs.
-:33 [Talek] "What became of Iron Spider, anyway?"
-:33 [ST] "He leads us still... changed. He's become a Solar, now. But I expect you knew that."
-:34 [Talek] "Wait, he was mortal before?"
-:34 [Talek] "Fascinating."
-:35 [Talek] "And he still leads the armies of death."
-:35 [Talek] "What lord do you serve?"
-:35 [ST] "The Mask of Winters. Who else?"
-:38 [Talek] "hmmmmm. You don't seem to revere Iron Spider, particularly. I take it he was a friend before he was your commander?"
-:40 [ST] "No... I didn't know him. He used to serve some Abyssal, until he ran away and tried to go back to a normal life... but he couldn't. He'd seen too much. The Master took him back, and made him the leader of the Vermin, and he found the rest of us. He doesn't demand worship, just respect. He gets it."
-:41 [Talek] "That is most interesting, indeed. A Solar."
-:42 [Talek] "And what is your army planning to do? Don't tell me you don't know, the privates always have an inkling of what their commanders are planning"
-:43 [ST] "Sack and burn the city of Kushan," Flea frowns, his scar pulling downward strangely. "I expect you know that too."
-:55 [Talek] "Now do you understand why someone might want to kill you?"
-:56 [ST] "The unenlightened, perhaps. But that does not mean that I forgive them. Forgive you. Not for Little Scorpion. She was too young to fight... a mere child, her parents killed by a vicious man. She just wanted a family."
-:57 [Talek] "Were you there when she died?"
-:58 [ST] "Iron Spider has told me all I need to know."
-:11 [Talek] "She jumped on a blow meant for Iron Spider. We wouldn't have killed her. She was harmless, and a useful informant. Just as you are."
-:12 [ST] "An accident? Hah... well, even if it were true, I don't see what it would change. We've chosen sides."
-:12 [Talek] "But we didn't mourn her. Nor will I mourn 'Leech'. We have an entire world to rule. You stand up and proclaim you want to kill everyone, destroy millions of families."
-:13 [Talek] Talek shrugs.
-:13 [ST] "He was a good man, no matter what you think," Flea says. "Your world pushed him too hard. It pushed all of us too hard. If you could only see that..."
-:13 [Talek] "My companions and I have freed the slaves of Kushan, at great personal cost." he glowers at his companions
-:13 [Talek] "We're not all bad."
-:14 [Talek] "I don't care why you did what you did. "
-:14 [ST] "Well, you could kill me easily now..." he touches the unconscious Lamprey's cheek. "And her even easier. I guess it doesn't matter what I think of you."
-:16 [Talek] "Those slaves were freed to fight. Scorpion was killed because of who she was. "
-:16 [Talek] "And we killed one of our own today."
-:16 [Talek] "An Immaculate, sent here to slay Anathema - like Iron Spider. "
-:17 [Talek] "He wasn't willing to compromise."
-:18 [Talek] Talek looks at him. "In the morning, I'll let you go, and I'll give Lamprey a few more motes so she can walk back with you."
-:19 [ST] "It's that easy, then? You know we'll tell them you were here. That when we meet again, we will be enemies?"
-:19 [Talek] "And what, you're going to poke me with your stick again?"
-:21 [ST] "You are few. We are many. If I had only attacked with Leech, perhaps... things would have gone differently tonight. Your troops will not stand against us. Or our war machines."
-:24 [Talek] "The Mask's war machines, you mean. The Maks will win. You will be crushed under the machine's boot, or you will catch an arrow, or die of the disease that will follow in your wake. Or perhaps the ghosts of Kushan will be angry with you, as they were in Ghan."
-:26 [Talek] "And your master too, will die."
-:27 [ST] "That remains to be seen, Dragonblood. He has offered us more than you ever did."
-:40 [Talek] "I haven't offered you anything, yet. Listen. Tell your master that if he ever wishes to negotiate, he may contact Mnemnon Talek. The talk will be as between enemies - I'm sure your master hates me as much as I hate him, eh? - but still, we may have  much to talk about."
-:41 [Talek] "Did you know the Walker in Darkness was attacked by Anathema - a Lunar and Solar, lovers no doubt, acting to oppose him. That is how he was killed."
-:41 [ST] He narrows his eyes, suspicious. "I... will pass along the message. And my master knows well the Walker's fate."
-:42 [Talek] "Your master could rebel, march his troops elsewhere. You wouldn't have to keep murdering people, and you could keep your 'family', here."
-:43 [Talek] He leans in, his anima following. "Do you see these three?"
-:44 [ST] He laughs. "Oh, some of us have thought of that... but the master's master... him you don't run from. Better to serve him than to be in his sights."
-:45 [Talek] "You'd be surprised, child."
-:47 [Talek] Talek lays down, resting his head on his powerbow. "I think I shall sleep for a whlie. Flea, Celicia or whatever your name is - keep watch, will you?"
-:47 [ST] "I fear you less than I fear him." Flea says, stroking Lamprey's hair gently. "Believe that."
-:48 [Talek] "Ahh, but there is one Scorpion, and one Mask, but ten thousand dragons."
-:48 [ST] "Uh, yes, certainly," Celice says tersely, focusing her eyes upon Flea. "We'll wake you if there's any problem."
-:48 [ST] "I hope dawn comes soon," Cynthos says quietly.
-:49 [Talek] Talek falls asleep on his side, snoring gently
-----
-:39 [Kalan] Kalan watches the Stormwind skip into the sky. "There's no reason for us to remain here. We should return to the Shatterspear," he says, glancing Keshin.
-:40 [Keshin] With that display over, Keshin glares about him.  "You have done what you came to do.  While we wait, start drawing water from the wells.  Get these flames out before it can spread!"  It probably wouldn't happen, but if he got them following orders it would help later.
-:41 [ST] The Citizens aren't used to following orders, but the absence of their leader seems to sap some of their confidence, and Keshin's advice is worthwhile. The lower members of their caste, upjumped bumpkins and refugees from the hinterlands, are the first ones to move to the task.
-:42 [ST] After a few moments, one of them calls over a handful of slaves, and even these Citizens are relieved.
-:42 [ST] The blaze is not out, but it doesn't seem to be spreading
-:43 [Kalan] Kalan watches as the fires lick against the sky. It probably shouldn't give him such satisfaction to see the city he was defending burn, but it does.
-:46 [Keshin] Keshin walks among the Citizens, giving orders more frequently than was strictly necessary, but always something unobjectionable.  He never strays out of sight of Kalan, although he tries not to be obvious about it.
-:47 [ST] Matara aids as she can, keeping the firefighters moving and adding a bit of muscle here and there. She, too, stops frequently to look at Kalan.
-:49 [Kalan] Kalan watches Keshin boss around the citizens in sour amusement. He takes advantage of his injuries to ignore the fire-fighting efforts, and it is probably a coincidence that once-defeated flames blaze stronger as he stands and strolls to Keshin's side.
-:49 [Kalan] "A private word," he says briefly.
-:50 [Keshin] He nods, and steps away from the efforts.  Things were proceeding nicely now.  Those who weren't working were melting away.
-:52 [Kalan] "Truly private," Kalan says, his gaze flickering to the onlookers. They hid their curiosity, in the way of mortals, but their interest is obvious. "Come," he gestures to a smoldering building with a slate roof that had escaped the worst of the blazes.
-:54 [Keshin] Wary, but confident, Keshin follows.
-:54 [Kalan] He steps into the building, shooing out a sobbing man in the red livery of a the prince. He runs, leaving his sword under the table where he had hidden. The sitting room, decorated in blue, is smokey but serviceable.
-:55 [Kalan] "False as they are, the Anathema's accusations have caused problems in the chain of authority in this Wyld Hunt," Kalan says without preamble. He stands straight, speaking as calmly as if he had not been accused of treason.
-:56 [Keshin] He stares at him.  "Yes."
-:59 [Kalan] "Talek will not continue under my command, and perhaps neither will you. For the good of the Hunt, I should withdraw my leadership." Kalan smiles unpleasantly. "I expect you have no objection."
-:01 [Kalan] He sits down,sprawling comfortably on a smoldering blue couch half burned away. "But there are conditions."
-:03 [Keshin] "Conditions?"  He remains standing, looking down at the other man physically and metaphorically.
-:04 [Kalan] "I expect you to agree to these without argument. It is in your interest, loyal scion of the Realm that you are, that I surrender without argument or.....painful divisions among the mortal troops."
-:05 [Kalan] "The first is that I retain direct command of the Cathak troops. I brought them with me, and I have a duty to them. I will not hand them over to a less experienced field officer."
-:07 [Kalan] These number about fifty; not so many, though they were among the best soldiers in Kushan. Kalan hesitates. His next condition is a trifle more delicate, and not usually the sort of thing settled in such brutish surroundings.
-:07 [Keshin] "And the others?  I will hear them all before any agreement."
-:08 [Kalan] "I expect you will become commander in my place; Mara has no field experience, Avaku is too haunted by his experience in Ghan, Matara is too young and the others are ....sorcerers." His lip curls.
-:09 [Keshin] He smiles without humor.  "And Talek is too agressive?"
-:10 [Kalan] "Too much the fool, too much a Mnemon, and too much a sorcerer," he answers venemously. "If we by some miracle pull this off, you will be a hero. A Shield of the Realm." He laughs at the thought; it is delicious, in light of the sure, dishnorable execution that awaited him.
-:11 [Kalan] "My second condition is this: you will swear to marry my daughter Aran, if you survive Kushan."
-:12 [Keshin] "As you might expect, I have no objection to leadership. . . ."  Keshins words stop as he hears the second.  He had certainly not expected that.  "Why?"
-:14 [Kalan] Kalan stands restlessly. "It will be a good match for her," he says. He needn't spell it out; even a Ledaal could understand �why� he wished such a thing. He crosses his hands behind his back, and looks over his shoulder. "Do you agree to my conditions?" he asks curtly.
-:18 [Keshin] He hesitates.  It was a big decision, completely at odds with his life so far.  But the chances of it mattering were remote.  He would probably die in the defense, unless something changed soon.  Accepting this would only help that cause, and do no damage to anyone but him and Aran.  There was no other woman that he would be spurning with this deal.  "Mara will have to agree to this betrothal.  And I expect you to follow  my orders.  The soldiers will be under your command, but you under mine.  I need them in the defense, as you know."
-:21 [Kalan] "Mara will agree. Very well," Kalan says rigidly. "I will follow your orders."
-:21 [Keshin] He did not know her, but had heard nothing objectionable about any of that immediate family apart from her father.
-:24 [Keshin] "I trust you will accept my word on this matter?  If you betray us, uh excluding any previous occurences, then our deal is broken."
-:24 [Keshin] "I would not damage your daughter's reputation further with a broken betrothal."
-:25 [Kalan] "There is nothing else to bind you. I will trust your word." He glares at Keshin with bitter amusement. "I suppose you will not do the same."
-:26 [Keshin] Again that bare smile.  "It seems unwise."
-:29 [Kalan] "May you choke on a chicken bone," Kalan answers without much heat. This was it, then? All titles, all honors stripped from him? He gives the Ledaal a deeply ironical salute. "Orders?"
-:45 [Keshin] "Find me a chicken, a thousand if you can.  Or more realistically try to find where the food was stored in this palace.  Perhaps some of it can be saved.  If possible, gain control of it without further antagonizing these traitors."
-:49 [Kalan] "Very well." He leaves Keshin without another word. "Zip-" he says, calling the little fire elemental who had been his friend and scout. He remembers a second later, like a fool, that Zip had left him. He clenches his jaw, commandeers a group of the more biddable-looking Kushanites, and leads the way into the palace.
-:54 [Kalan] After a few smooth words provokes a heated argument among the Kushanites over who, exactly, kept the food, Kalan accepts charge of it for 'equitable distribution to the city.' He escorts it to the Shatterspear, sending a flunky to report to Keshin.
-:56 [Keshin] Keshin goes back to the general firefighting efforts, steadily giving commands, controlling the situation.  When he was near to those he thought influential, he mentioned the change in leadership and direction.  His comitment to the defense of the city from the abomination that would soon be confirmed for them.  The necessity of what had been done.
-:56 [Keshin] He said, and hoped, that food would be available for all who fought, and pledged that he would eat last of all each day from the rationed amount.  It was wearing, and he was impatient for Talek to return with the witnesses, but he had to remain outwardly calm for their benefit.
-:09 [Kalan] That night, Kalan tells his soldiers the reordering of command, and gets very drunk. He had already made quite a dent in the old commander's liquor cabinet, and now he drinks with the determination of one wishing to achieve unconsciousness.
-:10 [ST] Matara tries to go to Kalan, but draws away at the sight of his drunkenness, and perhaps, the realization of something. She leaves him to drink without further comment.
-:12 [Kalan] He slips into uneasy sleep, but wakes with a shout. In his dreams, when he kissed Matara, she kept turning into the Outcast. The Anathema laughs at him, and when he wakes there is blood on his lips from where he bit them.
-:29 [Kalan]  He wakes up again to a splash of cold water on his face. "It's dawn," the urchin from the Screamhouse says pointedly. The sun falls cruelly on his face, and he moans pitifully.
-:30 [Kalan] The urchin- had he really accepted the creature in his employ? he could smell it from here- readies itself for another salvoy, He gropes for a missle, and finds an empty glass of wine. He throws it in the general direction of his tormentor. "Out, urchin."
-:32 [ST] "s'fine, sleep all day if I care!"
-:34 [Kalan] Kalan groans at his aching head, and surrenders pathetically to daylight. There was little chance he could sleep with the sun glaring in his eyes in anycase. "Where is Matara?" he demands. "I..." his memory is uncertain on this point, mixed with nightmares. "I remember her coming in."
-:34 [Kalan] He stands from the bed, and changes his clothes with rushed, jerky movements.
-:34 [ST] "I dunno where she is. 'm not HER squire."
-:36 [Kalan] Kalan glares at...it. "In the future, consider keeping track of people part of your duties." In the sunlight, it seemed different somehow. More dirty, and something undefinable as well. "You need new clothes."
-:38 [ST] The Urchin glowers quietly. "These're broken in. Good enough for the Screamhouse."
-:40 [Kalan] "Not for my employ," Kalan says firmly. "You'll not be sopping up blood with your breeches here. Not often, at any rate." He might be little more than a drunken scaleleader now, but he would have a presentable staff.
-:41 [Kalan] "Go to Vash. Tell him to arrange for something from the stores. They have boy's sizes for the drummers."
-:42 [ST] "'s he the bald one, or the fat one? Or the ugly one?"
-:44 [Kalan] "The ugly one is dead," he says coldly. The knowledge is still painful. "Or she would have managed something for you already. Vash is the one with one green bar and two red on his shoulders." At the mortal's perplexed frown, he adds "The half-shaved one."
-:45 [Kalan] Vash had talked of joining the Immaculates after his stretch with the legions, though Kalan privately considered the man too fond of his red meat to ever go through with it.
-:46 [ST] "Fine. 'll ask him, then."
-:47 [Kalan] "Make sure it's in the right size," he adds, frowning. "Dump some water on yourself too."
-:47 [Kalan] He dismisses the boy with a wave of his hand. Down the hallway, he checks with the guards for Matara's location.
-:48 [ST] The Urchin nods absently, worming away, grumbling all the while. "Water's not even good to drink..."
-:49 [ST] The guard says Matara left her study and went above, to the higher levels. She hasn't been down since, and is probably investigating the Implosion Cannon up there.
-:50 [Kalan] Kalan recalls suddenly that the glass of wine had been half-full when he dropped off to sleep, and presses his lips together in disapproval at this evidence in dissipation in the young. He climbs up to the loft, where the artillery-such as it was- was kept.
-:52 [ST] Matara lies on her back beneath the vitals of the cannon that fills much of the room, her face hidden from view as she tinkers. Tansy sits against the opposite wall, her hands tightly bandaged and bound, giving suggestions when the Dragonblood falters.
-:52 [ST] She seems more sedated than ever, probably for the pain.
-:53 [Kalan] Kalan exchanges nods with Tansy. "How's the cannon?" he asks, slinking into the room.
-:54 [ST] Tansy shrugs laconically. "It'll shoot. For a while. Probably."
-:55 [ST] "The parts are old," Matara adds from beneath the device. "But everything's working, and it draws Essence from the Manse itself. We should be able to count on it... not that it's a very heavy weapon. It's meant to break up skirmishers, not fight war machines."
-:56 [Kalan] "That's something. We can keep them from supporting the major machines as well as they might otherwise. Get anything that massive alone, and it'll fall."
-:58 [ST] "It doesn't hold that much essence at once," Tansy adds. "The capacitor isn't large... makes for a delay between shots..." She blinks. "I heard you killed him, Kalan...er... sir." She sounds more sincere than she ever has when she says, "Thank you."
-:00 [Kalan] It's inappropriate, to share this satisfaction in the death of a Dragonblood with a mortal, and bad for discipline besides, but Kalan smiles. "Think nothing of it."
-:02 [Kalan] He crouches down to squint at Matara. "I've yielded command of the Hunt to Keshin," he tells her, though she had doubtless heard the news already.
-:03 [ST] She sighs heavily. "Perhaps that is the best. They suspect you too much to listen to you any longer... that woman... it's all her fault."
-:05 [Kalan] "Yes," agrees Kalan, from the heart. His right hand makes a fist. "Would that I could kill her twice."
-:06 [ST] "But it's all lies, Kalan. I know... no matter what they say, you wouldn't."
-:09 [Kalan] He crouches down beside her, touching her foot. He can't help smiling at her folly. It was what made her so precious to him. He turns his head aside, glancing at Tansy. "Could we have a private moment?"
-:10 [ST] Tansy shrugs, struggling to her feet. "Fine by me. I'm hungry anyway. Guess it's time for Whisper to spoon it in again." She sounds sedate and untroubled by this, making her way out of the room slowly and steadily.
-:11 [Kalan] "Keep an eye on the Urchin," he adds. "I think he's drinking the booze." He was damned if he was going to let anyone deplete the supply besides himself.
-:12 [ST] "How could you tell?" Matara says, an edge in her voice. "I came to talk to you last night, you seemed to be swimming in it."
-:13 [Kalan] Kalan pulls Matara out from under the cannon by her foot as Tansy vanishes downstairs, lifting her up in his arms to kiss her hungrily. She's stiff in his arms, and he realizes she can still smell it on his breath.
-:14 [Kalan] "All the more reason to pay careful attention," he tells her idly. "I was...upset, last night."
-:15 [ST] "I noticed," she says, squirming a bit. "I thought... that might mean... that what they said was true."
-:16 [Kalan] "Did you really?" He draws back from her a little, eyes flashing.  "And what do you think now?"
-:17 [Kalan] He had to hear it again. He needed it, desperately.
-:18 [ST] "You acted so strange... they all seemed so convinced, but..." she doesn't look at him. "And your wife always acts so strangely. I thought it was because of our openness, but... I..."
-:18 [ST] "It can't be true."
-:21 [Kalan] Kalan closes his eyes, leaning forward to press her forehead to his. She did believe, then. She thought he was a monster, a traitor, worst. He starts kissing her, her lips, cheek, a trail of kisses down her neck.
-:22 [ST] "I... Kalan.." she gasps. "I..." Her voice comes in a sudden blurt. "Do you think she's dead?"
-:23 [Kalan] "No."
-:24 [Kalan] He kisses the line of her jaw. "A prisoner, perhaps..Or waiting for the right moment on the outskirts of all of this."
-:26 [ST] "I wish she was dead. I think. I-" She pauses for a moment, trembling against him. "I don't think we're going to survive this attack."
-:29 [Kalan] "No," Kalan says, remotely. "Though things are not as impossible as they may appear. We have strong fortifications. Ample soldiers. A supply of firedust. Our greatest enemy now is starvation."
-:30 [Kalan] He looks at her, and hesitates, torn. "Matara..."
-:30 [ST] "Mara and Avaku should bring more back... maybe we could break the seige on the harbor..." She looks away. "Not that I was much help last time."
-:33 [Kalan] He smiles at that. "You devote yourself too much to offense. Test an opponent before committing to an attack."
-:34 [ST] She's barely listening, taken aback by his tone now. "...what is it?"
-:38 [Kalan] He glances at his hands, and then draws her closer and begins kissing her again. "It's true," he whispers harshly in between kisses. "Every word of it."
-:38 [ST] She stops, flattening her hands against his chest, pushing him back. "Don't joke, Kalan, not about that."
-:40 [Kalan] He captures her wrists in his hands. His eyes narrow in cruel amusement. "I'm not joking. betrayed Thorns. Gave the Outcast information on its defenses. Set the bitch on Deled's trail as you slept."
-:42 [ST] "Stop it!" Her face contorts and she attempts to pull away from him. "Why would you tell me these things? Just to hurt me because I stood up for you?"
-:44 [Kalan] "You deserve the truth," Kalan says coldly. He doesn't release her hands. "You knew it was true. You know me. You just didn't want to believe it." His lips stretch in an ugly smile. "Should I let you blind yourself like these Kushanites?"
-:47 [ST] "Yes," tears roll down her face. "We're going to die anyway. What did it matter? Couldn't you let me pretend, for a while? That anyone who wanted me could have the slightest worth? You're a liar. You're cruel. You're a traitor. You're everything your wife says you are."
-:51 [Kalan] "Yes," Kalan agrees, drinking in the words, her hatred. His eyes glint. "But you needn't die with me." He lets go of her hand and touches her face. "You can live, and learn from a bitter experience, and find someone else."
-:52 [ST] "I can?" She flinches away from his touch. "You suggest I should abandon my post?"
-:54 [Kalan] He lets his hand drop. "No. But a soldier fighting to live fights the harder for it." He stands, going to the window. Wind stirs his hair. He turns back to Matara with a frown in his eyes.
-:54 [Kalan] "Will you betray me as Mara did? Tell the others my confession?"
-:57 [ST] "What does it matter? They all believe it anyway," her voice is bitter. "No one trusts you, and no one ever should."
-:00 [Kalan] "Stripping away any remaining doubt might make them feel compelled to execute me, regardless of the incoming threat." He hesitates, watching her. "It matters that the slander against me is not confirmed from my own lips."
-:01 [ST] "No, I won't tell them," she says at last, exhaling heavily. "But I'll be watching you. And if you betray us again, I'll kill you myself."
-:01 [ST] Her confidence in this last statement seems to far outweigh her fighting ability.
-:04 [Kalan] He smiles at her. It is a smile a touch awry. "You are one of the Dragonblooded at last. Congratulations." He steps closer to her, smells the flower of her hair. He can smell himself too; alcohol, smoke, and blood. "Can I expect you in my bed tonight?" he asks crudely, to seal the breach.
-:06 [ST] "You know the answer. Does asking it amuse you? Do you think I don't know how you act by now? I'm a fool, but I'm not �stupid.�" She snarls, "�No.� Now get away from me. Is that what you want to hear?"
-:09 [Kalan] He laughs. "Yes, he admits, taking a savage pleasure in the ruin of everything. "That's what I wanted to hear." He doesn't dare take her hand, but he bows low, a sweeping bow he knew she would interpret as mockery.
-:10 [Kalan] He takes his leave of her.
-:10 [Kalan] "Vash!" He shouts as he trots down the stairs. "Vash, if you've got the urchin kitted out, we need to discuss the firedust...."
-:12 [ST] "Yes, I gave him some clothes, he ran off to put them on... strange child... the... firedust, sir?" Vash looks a little haggard. Beauty's death has hit him hard - they had been comrades for a long time, and her death is a reminder of his own mortality.
-:13 [Kalan] "It's time we took out the demons in the harbor."
-:14 [ST] "Well, Striking Spark and her mercenaries brought in a lot of it... we've stored it here..."
-:16 [Kalan] "Fetch Striking Spark," Kalan says, gesturing to a hovering lackey.
-:17 [ST] A few minutes later, Striking SparkS, whose name the scribes always seem to mess up, arrives. With her short, copper-colored curls and her coal-dark skin, she is as striking a sight as usual. Perhaps she really is the bastard daughter of the God of Firedust... but if so he hasn't been doing her any favors lately.
-:19 [Kalan] Kalan smiles charmingly at her. "How much firedust would it take to blow up a ship?"
-----
-<i>ST's Notes: I was surprised the PCs nearly got into a dust-up, then surprised when it stopped. Leech, Lamprey, and Flea were all modeled on characters from a DB/Heroic Mortal campaign a few of the players had been in in the past. Leech was my PC. I would feel bad about this shameless insertion if Talek hadn't painted the walls with him effortlessly.</i>

Difference between revisions of "DKDragons/SessionThirteen"

Latest revision as of 18:30, 27 June 2012

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