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| − | = It Begins =
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| − | In RY 796, four young Lunars of the Silver Pact received a message, delivered by bird-men messengers. The message was an invitation (read: summons) to the Manse of one Hathoth Sandstainer. The bird-men guided the four Lunars to the immense (level-5) manse in the mountains to the West of the Lap. The first and the last to arrive arrived nearly a month apart. One full day after the last one to arrive walked through the manse' iron gates, as tall as twenty men, the four Lunars were finally permitted entry to Anat's tower. There, the elder Lunar, whose tattoos spoke of him as a revered elder of the Crossroads Society, and a Full Moon warrior of some prowess, informed the four what he had called them for.
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| − | There was, he informed them, a certain artifact that he had been seeking for some time. He had recently learned that it had passed into the ownership of the Tri-Khan of Chiaroscuro some ten years ago, but pressing matters demanded his attention and he was unable to retrieve it himself. He asked the four young Lunars to retrieve it for him. He also asked them to "for the love of Luna keep it on the down low, and whatever you do don't let that idiot Tamuz find out you or I were involved or we're all screwed in the ear." He offered them no compensation. The favor of a respected Pack elder was enough to hold their interest, and the thought of his irritation should they refuse was enough to secure their enthusiasm.
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| − | He gave them the night to think about it. In the morning, they accepted (not really having a choice). He gave them a scroll containing details about the artifact and its proper care and handling, then sent them off.
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| − | On the journey to the city, they learned that they were after an artifact called the Black Mirror, a disc of polished obsidian covering a hexagon of soulsteel-and-moonsilver alloy, as tall as two men, with a frame of black and white jade worked in a design of moonflowers and poison ivy leaves, backed with human ribs engraved with glyphs in Old Realm. Its capabilities were not specified, but they assumed that it was some sort of scrying device, and one of great power given its size. According to the scroll, it was kept in the oldest vault of the Chiaroscuran treasury, buried under the Tri-Khan's palace.
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| − | The point was raised; how were they going to steal a twelve-foot-tall artifact mirror from a heavily guarded vault, move it out of the city while evading the inevitable pursuit, and get it back to Hathoth's manse?
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| − | The answer, was, predictably, "no idea whatsoever."
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| − | = Cast =
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| − | [[/Ratik|Ratik]], a leader of a small gang in Chiaroscuro. He Exalted seven years ago and left his gang for training. He only returned six months ago, and reassembled the nexus of his gang, which had scattered in his absence. Two months ago, he was summoned by the Sandstainer. The promise of monetary rewards drew his interest, and he is staying involved largely for that reason. That said, he is not disloyal to his companions per se, as he has come to view them as "his" in a sense, and thus under his protection. He is a rat-totem Changing Moon.
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| − | [[/Nkolos|Nkolos Bloodthirster]], a vampire bat-totem Full Moon. He accepted Athoth's offer because he wants the old Lunar's protection from a senior member of the Seneschals of the Sun Kings who he managed to gravely offend and irritate at the last Gathering he attended. The old Lunar has since made it his mission to smash any of Nkolos' attempts to build a kingdom of his batmen children. Nkolos is...unbalanced, to phrase it kindly. A bloodthirsty savage would also be an appropriate description.
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| − | [[/TG|Tsut'sen Gon]], a Changing Moon leopard-totem. He was born to a Chiorascuran noble family of middling rank, inherited his family's holdings several years ago, and was Exalted during a recent hunting expedition gone terribly wrong. He had only just completed his training and returned to his estate when he received Athoth's summons. He agreed to the old Lunar's mission only because the Sandstainer held a blood-debt on his master, and had decided to call it in in this fashion. The action his group is taking grates on him, as do his companions, but his honor does not permit him to shuck this task.
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