Difference between revisions of "JesseLowe/PirateMonkeySession11"

Latest revision as of 01:16, 6 April 2010

TonyC materializes out of thin air.

Monkey says, "Yo."

You say, "Howdy."

TonyC [to Apollonian]: On the plate today is the evac attempt?

Apollonian [to TonyC]: That's what it looks like.

TonyC [to Apollonian]: I don't have the PDF book in this comp, so pardon the basic question. When its says full dodge pool, does it include Essence, artifact, other charms, mobility penalty, wound penalty, etc? Or just Dex+Dodge+specialty?

The Storyteller . o O ( With regard to what? )

TonyC [to Apollonian]: Flow Like Blood, of course.

TonyC [to Apollonian]: The question can probably be generalized for other charms.

The Storyteller . o O ( I think it's the entire thing. It's essentially a special-case extra action Charm. )

TonyC [to Apollonian]: In a completely non-sequitur manner, as I posted in the PirateMonkey forum, the core Solar Sail Charms suck.

TonyC [to Apollonian]: So there.

The Storyteller . o O ( I've noticed... )

jetman has arrived.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Hi. I"m not here yet... just got in. )

Monkey . o O ( Did you see that Dungeon Majesty thing from rpg.net? )

Monkey . o O ( The mind boggles. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Yeah... it does. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( there was a train accident that closed the main north-south street. )

TonyC [to jetman]: http://www.dungeonmajesty.com/DMlowres.html

The Storyteller . o O ( Where do you live, anyway? )

Monkey . o O ( David is an evil West Coaster. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Chandler, AZ, in the Phoenix sprawl. )

The Storyteller . o O ( AZ isn't any coast. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( So I just got in the door and need to eat... I fear I'll be another half hour or so. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Not unless there's a really, really big earthquake. )

The Storyteller . o O ( I'm okay with waiting for a bit. Any issues needing to be raised in the meantime? )

Monkey . o O ( Let's meet Roseblack! Let's let's! )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( How much training time is there on the trip to Celeron? 1/4th day on a busy ship, right/ And two days travel time? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Yep. )

Monkey . o O ( Intel Inside. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I wonder if Roseblack's the Captain's suggested romantic interest? )

Monkey . o O ( Not Ocean Pearl or whatever her name is? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Who's Ocean Pearl? )

Monkey . o O ( But you'd better get your Charisma up the wazoo and get the App at least to 2. I mean, she's considered a dark horse candidate for the throne and everything. )

TonyC [to Apollonian]: The pirate queen from the back of Zenith book. I may have gotten the name completely wrong as I don't have the book.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Ocean Pearl is a signature Zenith character for the castebook. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Ah. Haven't got any of the caste books save Dawn. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And Roseblack, being at such heights, won't be swayed by appearances. Indeed, she's probably tired of prettyboys. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( What kind of melee charms are in Dawn? Is there a multi-attack one? Attacking a whole crowd at once? I had a notion for one like that. )

The Storyteller . o O ( I appear to have loaned it to one of my players. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Ah, well. I thought if Essence can make a sword from nothing, it should be able to enhance one that already exists, growing out the blade to 20 or 30 feet long for one massive swing. Be good against huge monsters and ships too. )

TonyC [to jetman]: From online discussions, apparently Solars don't get a multi-attack charm. Apparently that's considered an Abyssal's schtick (that is, carnage of extras). Solars get uber \one-on-one charms.

TonyC [to jetman]: Try Magma Kraken spell maybe?

jetman [to TonyC]: That one's not ringing a bell... where is it?

TonyC [to jetman]: Anyway, closest thing for multi-attack thing is Ready In 8 Directions Stance, which is the uber counter-attack charm. It works until the extras realize what a bad idea it is to attack a Solar and turns tail. Anyway, Magma Kraken was in Book of Three Circles and as such, it's probably in Savant and Sorcerer.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( OK, soup's on... back in a bit. )

TonyC [to Apollonian]: Is there a Solar charm to dematerialize?

Apollonian [to TonyC]: I don't think so.

The Storyteller . o O ( If there is, it's probably a Lore or Occult Charm, though. )

TonyC [to Apollonian]: Btw, working on Chapter 3, I realized what was in the Temple of Yuan Ang the Fisherman God. Luckily, Monkey has no idea, or he'd paint the sky red.

The Storyteller . o O ( Heh. )

TonyC [to Apollonian]: Hmmm, shouldn't you spend that 50 XP on Ambassador? Hint: if you haven't the time, pass the Abyssal book and the character sheet to one of you Heroes player and tell him to go to town.

The Storyteller . o O ( She's not likely to appear any time soon, and I've been busy constructing Mask of Winters' Western Circle. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Back, sorry for the delay. )

Monkey . o O ( Hmmm, you want me to switch computer now instead of waiting? That way we won't have interruption. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Sure. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Oh, vis a vis Tony thinking I'm on the west coast, I am in the Pacific time zone... AZ doesn't use DST. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Gives me time to grab a cuppa -- it should be done brewing now. )

TonyC [to Apollonian]: Oh, probably will spend XP to raise a virtue.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( So in two weeks, I'll be in Mountain. )

TonyC [to Apollonian]: Ta ta.

TonyC decides that saving the world takes priority over chatting and disappears.

The Storyteller . o O ( Will that require any schedule changes? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( No, not really. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I'm still the earliest one in the group. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Given what Tony said about Solar attack charms, I'd still like to try and work out the sword-extending one, as an attack with extra damage against large targets... a blade long enough to cut a ship in half with one mighty swipe. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Hmmm... Sounds like a certain artifact, actually, and one you'd know of: the Abyssal Ebon Siaka, admiral of the Skullstone fleet, carries a First Age maul that can sink a ship in a single blow. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Maybe it had a mate, or maybe you can steal it. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Hmmm... A Solar mate? )

The Storyteller . o O ( It doesn't seem to have been Exalt-specific. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Hmmm, worth looking into. Still the idea of the captain's sword stretching up to the sky and coming down to cleave a dragon, castle tower or ship is an interesting one. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Honestly, it sounds more like a spell. "Ship-Cleaving Blow" perhaps. Or maybe a higher-Essence Charm. Well, we might as well think about it. :) )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( It's not as if the Captain doesn't have any other things to improve on in the meantime. :) Peeking at the spell-creation rules, I'd have to rule him inventing a spell himself out. He can't even train for two days straight with his busy schedule, much less five weeks for a maybe roll. )

The Storyteller . o O ( True, true. He's going to have to make time one of these days, though... )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The world won't save itself... and putting Monkey in charge isn't an idea that will allow for the ultimate concentration needed to master new powers... )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( BTW, will the faceless NPCs in the crew advance as time goes on, enough to have some suitable new lieutenants? I also had an idea for trolling the Lookshy navy for problem officers as possible recruits they'd like to be rid of. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Yes, they will. The scale of things is growing, though. Pretty soon, you'll only be dealing with your flagship crew and your captains. Assuming, of course, that you don't lose the fleet to some disaster or other. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( :knocks on wood. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Hopefully, there will be enough ships and good commanders to disperse into several smaller fleet groups before too long. )

The Storyteller . o O ( I like the other idea you had, too. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Which one? )

The Storyteller . o O ( problem officers )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Ah, yes. Borrowed from the "Wraith Squadron" X-wing novel. But in a desperate war like this, the officers would have to be pretty bad for the high command to want to be rid of them. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Well, there's no shortage of mercenaries and such in the Scavenger Lands. Charm-wise, the Captain's biggest priority should be more of those leadership Charms. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Once he gets Solar Counterattack, he'll be pretty well fixed for attack and defense charms, and the only spell that looks really good is Infallable Messenger, so the Perform and Presence ones are coming soon. )

The Storyteller . o O ( The other spell he might find terribly useful is Summon Elemental. He doesn't seem the diabolist type, but the spirits of wind and wave? That kinda fits his style. )

The Storyteller . o O ( So what are the Captain's plans when he reaches Celeren? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Hmmm... you're right. Can an elemental be summoned and bound, then hand around invisibly and be called up as needed, as that demon was on Barada's ship? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Sure. Just bind it to service for a month. You've got Savant and Sorcerer -- that pretty well covers it. Now you just need Games of Divinity... )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The captain is dead certain that there will be a trap or ambush for the evacuation fleet. He plans to find it and trip it early. The late-coming ships are to aid in the evacuation itself. )

The Storyteller . o O ( The other thing the Captain may need to learn -- especially if he intends to continue opposing the Deathlords -- is necromancy. Or at least, the Iron Countermagic spell. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Say, can Presence be used to relate to summoned animals for getting their loyalty and so forth, or is it strictly Survival? )

The Storyteller . o O ( that's Survival. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Iron countermagic? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( What does it counter that the Emerald and higher circle ones don't? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Necromancy is a seperate 3 circles of magic -- Shadowlands, Labyrinth, and Void. Each circle has a countermagic spell which works as normal against necromancy of its level or against sorcery of the next lower level. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Meanwhile, sorcery works the other way 'round. So Emerald Countermagic won't counter necromancy at all, but Sapphire will counter Shadowlands Circle necromancy and Adamant will counter Shadowlands and Labyrinth Circle. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Ahhh, I didn't know it was seperate to that degree. I thought it was just different spells. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Hopefully, he can find some spellbooks with these spells in them. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Oh, and there's a goof on his soak on the Wiki... doesn't include the Magical Materials bonus. Fixing now. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Nope, different Charm trees. He'll have to find a necromancer to grab those spellbooks, of course... )

The Storyteller . o O ( The other thing he needs is a manse. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Well, there will probably be one on a ship he runs into before too long, so it's just a matter of making him into a chum... :) )

Monkey . o O ( Sorry. )

The Storyteller waves at Tony.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Now that's going to be tricky... they're all well-known, right? And the Captain has too many enemies to stand still. )

jetman [to TonyC]: It's OK.

Monkey . o O ( Let's go. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Well, there are _lots_ of demesnes and manses. He could find a little 1 or 2 point one pretty easily. It's the 4 or 5 pointers that would be tricky. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Anyway, let's begin. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( He'll put it on the shopping list... )

Monkey . o O ( My solution is simple. Let's take over Rathess. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Simple, he says... )

Monkey . o O ( Well, the complex solution is taking over Lookshy. )

Monkey . o O ( I'd go for that though. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Monkey would flee the conqured city in a week, pursued by burecrats who need his approval for every little thing. )

The Stormhammer and the Nimbus cut through the pale moonlit ocean swiftly, propelled by sorcerous winds on their journey to the doomed city of Celeren. Riding on the wings of the gale, they pass a few ships in the distance. None attempt pursuit. As the moon sets on the second night after the capture of the triremes, the city can be seen on the horizon, and the two ships enter the harbor under the light of the rising sun. Beyond the coastal hills can be seen the smoke of many fires, silent testimony of a besieging army.

Captain Kaizoku had briefed Monkey before the mad dash to stay alert as they approached the city, steadfast in his belief that some exceptionally grand and fell attack would be made by Mask of Winters. He himself moved to the bow and peered down into the water and up into the sky looking for the extraordinary

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( . Left off the period. )

Already, the harbor is crowded with ships picking up refugees -- mostly civilians at the moment, but you can see wounded soldiers being loaded into a few deep-water ships flying the Lookshy flag. The standards of the Marukani Alliance flutter bravely from flagpoles all around the Port, but the winged shapes circling far above, many bowshots away, make a mockery of the city's defiance.

Monkey spends most of his waking time on the mast of the yacht, looking for bad guys.

Captain Kaizoku gets out his spyglass to look for the command ship or any Orca Squadron vessels, as well as investigating the distant winged shapes.

The Storyteller . o O ( BRB, nature calls. Brief sum-up: Juggernaut is on the way, as is the evacuation fleet. Both won't arrive for at least 3 days. )

Monkey . o O ( If you really want to risk it, you can always fly. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( How? Summoning up a Great Eagle or the like and using Commanding the Beasts wouldn't last long... best to save that trick for a critical situation. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And Stormwind Rider's top altitude is 50 feet or so... more like Stormwind Hovercraft. :) )

Monkey . o O ( Oh, I didn't know there's a top altitude. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Back. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Yep, you need the Flying Chariot spell to get really airborne. )

Monkey . o O ( At any rate, it might be possible to travel back to Lookshy using Stormwind Rider and get the other two ships here before Juggernaut arrives. )

Monkey . o O ( What are those winged shapes? Vultures? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( It can leap 50 feet wide or 30 feet high. Have to look into what Exalted beast is as big as a great eagle though.... )

Monkey . o O ( Hey, you could try that spell on those winged shapes. )

Scattered around the docks, you see the forest-green uniforms of the Seventh Legion's Second Field Force. As the Stormhammer berths, you see a pair of warstriders in Seventh Legion colors crest one of the encircling hills briefly.

The Storyteller . o O ( answering both questions at once.... )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The range on Commanding is vocal range... need a big megaphone indeed. )

Monkey . o O ( I see that rumors of Second Field Force losing all their warstriders were exaggerated. )

Captain Kaizoku peers through his spyglass at the circling flyers and -- after a bit of focusing -- recognizes them as hybrocs. (Exalted, pp. 315, 316) They look a bit the worse for wear, though, and they are ridden by black-cloaked, silver-masked riders with lances. Nemissaries.

Monkey vacates the Stormhammer immediately and saunters to look at the warstriders.

The Storyteller . o O ( Hmmm. How do you want to do this, then? Monkey goes and takes a look at the Seventh Legion and Marukani defenders while the Captain talks to the sailor and navy types? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( They did. It was the 7th Legion who still has Warstriders. And yes. Are there any Orca Squadron units he can see? There first, otherwise, the highest ranking vessel is where he starts. )

Monkey . o O ( Hmmm, if they still have an airship, Captain and Monkey might be able to take out the Hybrocs. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Do either of you have Outcaste? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I just ordered it today actually... )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And let's have Mohammed come to the mountain. Bait a half dozen down and then they'll work for the Captain. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Whoops, the mountain coming to Mohammed, rather. )

Monkey . o O ( David, 7th Legion is the name of Lookshy's army. They are divided into several field forces, the second of which is the one we're evacuating. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And they're Dragon Blooded, at least in part? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. All of Lookshy's forces are (technically) the Shogunate Seventh Legion (Reinforced). They're split up into "Field Forces" which are each about as large as a Realm legion. The Second Field Force is/was the conventional arm, deployed to take on standard Second Age armies -- which the Mask's army does _not_ qualify as. )

Monkey . o O ( Yes. In fact, you can't make officers if you aren't DB. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Most of the officers are. Some are heroic mortals, some are god-blooded, but really, most are DBs. )

Monkey . o O ( No, I take it back. I think it was field officers who must be DB. Oh well, just look up Outcaste. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Ah, I thought the 7th Legion was seperate from the Field Force armies... got it. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Lookshy's a bit more egalitarian and open-minded than the Realm on that score. Something about having to fight for survival and not being dependent on the Immaculate Doctrine for political clout. )

The Storyteller . o O ( We'll follow Monkey for a moment, then. )

Monkey . o O ( Oook! )

Captain Kaizoku tucks his copy of the agreement with the Council in his cloth-of-gold uniform longcoat as he strides down the boarding ramp, ordering a fang put on guard duty.

The Storyteller . o O ( Is Master Jaff with him? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( So the Captain will have a diplomatic incident to deal with by the time he finds a suitable commander to talk to then. :) )

Monkey . o O ( Of course. )

Monkey jumps down to the dock easily enough, zipping past a startled group of men and women in vaguely important-looking uniforms as he rushes off up the slope toward where he saw the warstriders.

A note to the curious traveler: Celeren was not always one city, but began as two settlements. The first was founded by the Marukani nomads after the Great Contagion. As the Scarlet Empress began ordering the Realm, they found their own expansion limited by the sea and the defenders of the various Scavenger Lands, with whom they began to find much in common.

The encampment that became Celeren was their westernmost trading outpost, where they would bring fine horses and other goods to trade with merchants from the South and the Realm. These merchants eventually took advantage of a nearby harbor and founded the second settlement.

Monkey . o O ( But what about the warstriders? )

At the time of the city's first destruction, then, Celeren was two small metropoli, divided by a low line of hills and connected by a five-mile long road cut through the hills with the aid of spirits and sorcery. The metropoli are named Port and Pasture, and it is up the low hills that Monkey is climbing as he follows the brightly painted war machines of the Seventh Legion.

Monkey says, "Ahoy there!"

Monkey says, "Say, what are those called?"

The climb is not too difficult -- the hills are gently sloped and clear of rough terrain, as they are used for pasture and farming -- and Monkey reaches the crest after a bare half-hour of climbing. Spread out before him is the Pasture. Climbing up the hills, it spreads out onto a level plain for perhaps half a mile beyond the mouth of the road.

Monkey thinks, "They couldn't hear me because they're too far away. Must get closer then."

Monkey looks down the hill and sees....

Monkey . o O ( Where's the sieging army? )

Once upon a time, the plain beyond it echoed to the sound of the Marukani herds in convocation, and fed their horses with sweet grass. Now a barren stretch of burned soil separates the gray stone walls of the city from the encircling army. It is almost another half-mile in width, an arc of desolation between the city and the army of Mask of Winters.

Planted in the barren earth all about the city are poles, man-high, from which flutter feathers and prayer-strips, brightly colored and painted with all manner of holy symbols. Each pole is topped with a skull -- horse, man, dog -- from which dangle thigh- and finger-bones. These are wards against the dead, and they seem to be working.

Monkey . o O ( If we ever get some extra downtime that neither of us aren't using, Kaizoku should teach that Occult thingy to Monkey. )

Flapping in a soft southern wind against the walls are banners, proclaiming the defiance of the city's inhabitants. These, too, are wards, against despair and fear. They... are not working so well. Not to judge from the steady trickle of men pushing carts and women bearing weeping children that flows from Pasture to Port.

Monkey strolls into the devastation, forgetting the warstriders for the moment and wishing to see first hand just what kind of forces is arrayed there.

Gazing out over the army of the Deathlord, it's easy to see why. Monkey's lips move as he counts -- math is _hard_! -- and by his estimate there are a full two, maybe three legions arrayed against the city. To the north and south are mortal soldiers clad in black and bone-white. Before them and between them are quiet legions of animated corpses, standing still among flocks of carrion crows and raitons. And in the center of the besieging army are gathered the elite: four dragons worth of nemissaries in their silver masks and black robes. By the look of them, they have possessed not only their usual vessels, but also fallen Marukani horsemen and horses. Of all these forces, only the zombies still stand in battle formation. The rest are encamped, but wary, behind ditches and sharpened stakes prepared against sallies from the city.

The Storyteller . o O ( Ummm... just heard some thunder. If my connection goes out, it's probably a power failure. )

Monkey . o O ( Any obvious leader? )

Standing over all of the Mask's army are -- lips moving again -- ten -- no, fifteen warstriders of soulsteel. Four of them, near the center of the army, are larger and more ornate, and one is clearly of far superior workmanship than all the others. A red banner flies from its back, bearing a device: a white horse crushed within a mailed glove.

Monkey . o O ( A lone pavillion in the midst of the dead, a grand tent, or perhaps a black and silver warstrider, taller and more ornate than the others, or other such signs. )

Monkey . o O ( Ah, you read my mind. Thank you. )

Monkey turns around and starts heading back to Port.

Of the warstriders, only four are moving at present, on a regular circuit of the perimeter of the besiegers. The Seventh Legion warstriders match their movements, but you only see five in Lookshy's colors. A few lonely scales of Marukani cavalry also patrol the no-man's-land between the two forces, staying within bowshot of the walls.

The Storyteller . o O ( Meanwhile, back at Port... )

Monkey . o O ( Clarification: is that 10+4+1 or 11+3+1 warstriders? )

The Storyteller . o O ( 10 common, 4 noble, 1 royal. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Less than one for every finger and toe Monkey has! He's got a numeric advantage on them! )

Monkey . o O ( This is when I wish Monkey had some Air Dragon MA charms. )

Monkey . o O ( Yay! )

The Storyteller . o O ( By the way, Mask of Winters' symbol is (unimaginatively) a black sunburst mask on a white field. Look at the picture on page 302 of the main Exalted rulebook for the mask. )

Monkey . o O ( Don't tempt me. I thought it would be within Monkey's personality to simply walk to the patroling abyssal warstriders and simply start trying to take them out. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Wouldn't he try to "borrow" a Legion one to make it more interesting first? )

As the gangplank on the Nimbus thuds onto the dock, a dockhand shouts up to the vessel. "Harbormaster Tinasky will be along shortly, Nimbus!"

Scanning the harbor, there don't appear to be any ships from Orca Squadron in dock at the moment. There's a full trireme squadron from the regular navy, though. Most of the ships in dock are cargo or passenger vessels -- in fact, most of them are coasters and river merchants, flying crude facsimiles of the Lookshy or Marukani flags.

Monkey . o O ( That's the common heroic approach. Monkey's reckless approach would push the dial to 11. It involves knocking one of the abyssal warstrider out, dumping the original occupant, and then borrow that warstrider. Said warstrider would work for quite a while, until MoW got wind of it and shatters the Hearthstone powering it. )

Captain Kaizoku gives the small crew and the marines their instructions and sets security. No one is to board just yet. "Aye then" he says, leaping down the gangplank in a single move and straightening his uniform coat. He takes a good look around at the ships in port, and their condition and load, along with how many people are milling around the docks waiting to board.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And his guts would make up for his total lack of familiarity with advanced devices, and the incompatible Magical Material. )

Among the swirl of soldiers, sailors, and refugees, the Captain can make no real count of their numbers. At a guess, there's over five thousand people flowing in and out of eyesight at the moment... And approaching him is a small party. From the retinue following the short, stout woman in the lead, he would guess that she is Harbormaster Tinasky. A Lookshy naval officer in blue walks beside her, while a quintet of civilians and an officer in forest green follow.

Monkey . o O ( Exactly. Besides, it'll only make the fight fair for both sides. :) )

Captain Kaizoku waits for them to approach, standing quietly and confidently, giving each of them an appraising glance.

The group weaves through the bustle of workers on the dock and mills to a stop in front of the Captain. The Harbormaster bows, as do the rest of them a moment later. "Captain Kaizoku?" she asks in a businesslike tone.

Captain Kaizoku nods his head once and then returns the bow, equal in depth. "I am" he says in a matching tone. "If you are aware of who I am, you must be aware of what I am doing. What is the status of the evacuation?"

The harbormaster nods. "Shozei Odaka," she indicates the naval officer "brought news of your status. Will you accompany us to my offices? They are warded against spies."

Monkey . o O ( David? )

Odaka coughs. She glances at him, then says, "If you require anything for your ships, we may be able to supply it. Erdene will work with your pursers to supply your needs." One of the civilians, a middle-aged woman in white trousers and a long blue coat buttoned down one side, steps forward and bows. She is carrying a writing tablet and a bag with a few scrolls inside is slung across her back.

Captain Kaizoku inclines his head once more at the officer. "Of course. Lead the way" he replies, carefully streching out his occult perceptions for any hostile spell threads. A gathering of this size and importantce may be a target.

Captain Kaizoku calls out for the Purser and says "My purser Ackbar" as the man comes into view. "Our needs are few at this time however. Do not stretch your resources to cover us over needier vessels."

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Needed to look up the officer's name, see if we'd met before. Which we haven't. )

The Captain's instincts are not far off. As he accompanies the group up the dock toward a cluster of drab buildings, the beating of wings and the stench of death descend from the air. Glancing up, you see a pair of the nemissary hybroc-riders swooping down for a closer look. Before you can scatter -- before they even reach mast-height -- there's a crackle of sorcery from one of the triremes in dock, and three bolts of lightning bridge the distance between the undead and the ship. Two miss, but one finds its mark and blows one of the carrion into greasy, smoking chunks. Its nemissary rider is blown clear by the explosion and falls with a crash onto a cargo ship. A talon of Lookshy marines rushes over while the other nemissary makes for safer heights.

The harbormaster takes it all in stride. "Thanks to the Seventh Legion's marksmanship, and the wards of the City Father, we haven't had to simply sit and take it..."

Captain Kaizoku replies "Very efficient" as he looks over to see the setup of the ballisae, making mental notes to increase the elevation of the Stormhammer's mount. "Is the Mask making more subtle probes as well, or does he rely on brute force alone?"

The Storyteller . o O ( It's a lightning ballista, not a light powerbow. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( But it's the swivel mount that lets them fire up, right, not some quality of the weapon. Or so I'm thinking. )

The army officer speaks up. "We haven't encountered any, yet, which is... worrying. The Mask is known for subtlety. That he wouldn't use it now is unlikely."

The Storyteller . o O ( Yes, you're right. BRB, AFK for a minute. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Feel free to set some meeting exposition at the offices. )

Monkey . o O ( Underground, perhaps? )

Captain Kaizoku scowls slightly at that, but is not surprised. He holds his tongue until they pass through the guarded and secured offices and down a set of stairs, to a glass room under the harbor, the water held at bay by Shogunate constructon, the keels of many ships visible from a unique perspective.

Monkey . o O ( I looked and looked and basically, there's just no way to save Celeren. The undead army could be taken out. The warstriders could be disabled. The Floating Dead could be dealt with. But when Juggernaut gets here, it's over. )

Monkey . o O ( And Kaizoku should talk to the City Father. )

Captain Kaizoku stands after everyone is seated in what must have been a naval construction supervision room back in the Shogunate. "The Mask is clearly saving his best methods for when the evacuation begins" he says gravely. "The Legion and Navy forces will be too busy and loaded down to ferry out the population to deal with his masterstroke. It will be subtle and it will be new, something no one has seen before. His land forces are well known and established, therefore it will come from the sea or the sky. I do not believe he has reckoned with the power of the Sun. The rest of my fleet is arriving shortly to aid in the effort here. I plan to uncover and spring his trap before the evactuation fleet sails into it."

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Unless someone finds a mobile fortress to match Juggernaut. Who's the city father? )

Monkey . o O ( I don't know, but given that he's warding Celeren, probably the local god. )

The two Lookshy officers look a little uncomfortable at the mention of the Unconquered Sun, but say nothing. The harbormaster shrugs. "If that is your plan, I cannot gainsay it. What do you need from us?"

One of the civilians, an old man dressed in white and brown robes and carrying a wooden staff carved from driftwood, bends over and says something in an unknown language.

The army officer -- who introduced himself as Shozei Royama when you settled into the meeting, by the way -- intreprets.

Captain Kaizoku leans forward, his steady gaze taking in all present, not just the military men. "Tell me what does not fit in with the situation here. Have there been any probes by the Floating Dead? Events stranger than can be attributed to a seige?"

Royama says, "Master Qutugh says that the omens show danger from the south. But the omens are not clear." He shakes his head wearily. "Not that they ever are." Master Qutugh apparently understands the headshake, and barks out a laugh. He has very white teeth in his sun-browned face.

Shozei Odaka says, "The Floating Dead have harassed us repeatedly, but never tried to bring about a real battle. We've only lost a few ships, all of them small ones, on the way here."

Royama says, "I'll tell you what doesn't fit. Despite the wards and the Legion forces, that army out there should be able to smash through the walls in less than a week. But they haven't moved for almost two. Why are they waiting for Juggernaut?"

The Storyteller . o O ( CK's go. )

Captain Kaizoku asks "Has the harbor *floor* been searched? With devices, spells or people using breathing gums? The Floating Dead do not need to float... they have no terror of drowning and could row beneath the surface as easily as above." Upon the news of Juggernaut, he answers "All eyes are on it now. Nothing could happen until it arrives... or so he wants you to think! Its power is a diversion while he works something else into position. The Juggernaut does not swim. It cannot stop the fleet. Therefore, something else must be preparing to."

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, and btw: Yes, you do have some of that Manuera Gum handy. Say, about ten applications worth. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Then the Captain just needs to go back to the ship, find Monkey and... whoops, plan's gone wrong already. :) )

Monkey . o O ( I can't find any info on Celeren. )

The harbormaster nods. "One of the Second's sorcerers has bound a pair of elementals with the task of watching over the harbor. So far as they can tell us, the harbor floor and seawall are all safe, with only the usual inhabitants both physical and spiritual."

The Storyteller . o O ( I'm not surprised. I'm going to stick what I've written for tonight's session up there at some point. )

Monkey . o O ( Although there's this interesting webpage from some other people playing Exalted in this corner of creation. nothing useful though. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, and it's also a company formed by ex-Enron executives... )

The harbormaster stands and unrolls a large scroll handed to her by the last civilian in the room, her quiet and efficient secretary. "Perhaps the evacuation plan will give us some clues."

Captain Kaizoku points to the map of the harbor inset in the table, at the exit, specifically. "And outside of it? As the fleet moves out, there is where it will be most vulnerable. I suspect he will probe hard with his ground forces to hurry the evactuation... please, tell me how it is ordered."

Monkey after a while, Monkey finally reaches the harbor. Captain Kaizoku is already gone though. Thus begins Monkey's quest of finding Captain Kaizoku among the maze of bureaucracy that is the Second Field Force.

The Storyteller . o O ( Oooh... Monkey, make an Intelligence + Bureaucracy roll. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The horror! )

Monkey . o O ( Bureaucracy? What's that? Is it yummy? )

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Yummy? >>> {8, 6}.

After asking around the docks, and shamelessly batting his eyes at a cute Lookshy officer, Monkey finds his way to the meeting room just as the harbormaster begins explaining the evacuation plan...

Monkey . o O ( Ah well, one success. I suppose eventually someone will get annoyed enough by Monkey's presence to direct him to the right place. )

Monkey says, "Good afternoon, Boss. Hi there, strangers."

Captain Kaizoku hides his momentary surprise that Monkey was interested in going to a meeting and able to find his way to one.

Shozei (btw, "Shozei" is equivalent to an army major or a navy captain) Royama says, "Ah, the infamous Monkey." Everyone rises and bows, politely, Master Qutugh makes a little gesture with his hands that _seems_ respectful, but the glint in his eyes makes you wonder.

Monkey says, "Oh wow."

Monkey grins and bows back. "I didn't know I was famous."

Harbormaster Tinasky begins to explain the evacuation plans.

Captain Kaizoku makes a mental note to explain fame against infamy to Monkey later.

Monkey says, "Captain, there's probably about three companies out there. And then ten big warstriders. Plus four bigger ones. Plus one really nice looking one."

She says, "We knew from the moment we heard that Juggernaut began to move that it would be impossible to hold this city against the Mask. Therefore, High Command has decided to make it extremely expensive for him -- at least as expensive as we can afford. With any luck, this will delay any move against the Marukan Redoubt, which is currently besieged." She indicates it on the map on the scroll. "We'd guess that the First Field Force is moving to relieve it, but you know how High Command gets about this kind of thing -- need to know only."

Monkey says, "Oh, and of those three dragons, two are zombies, and one weird people wearing masks."

Captain Kaizoku nods his head. "Very big and very shiny, I'm sure. A powerful distraction, one of many in play here."

The Storyteller . o O ( Monkey's not that bad at counting. That's three _legions_, not three dragons. )

Monkey . o O ( Ah. Sorry. I'm still not used to the Exalted units. )

Captain Kaizoku nods in agreement with her, showing he has surmised this already. "But for now, what we need to know is here."

Monkey . o O ( Legions then. )

Tinasky continues. "We are already moving the most vulnerable citizens and wounded north in all the local boats we could salvage. They are being shipped to the Marin Bay Redoubt, some three hundred miles north. From there, they'll disperse by land further north, either toward Lookshy or Nexus, or into the northern range towns."

Monkey . o O ( Hmmm, is the Zenith anima ability soakable by armor? )

Captain Kaizoku chimes in with "It is the military transports he will be most concerned with... All his enemies in a small area, unable to deploy... that is when he will make his move."

Tinasky says, "When the main fleet arrives, we'll ship out as much of the rest of the populace and the rest of the Second, save for a few volunteers. Those volunteers are tasked with harassing the Mask's army and making unlife as difficult as possible."

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Nope. )

Monkey . o O ( You sure? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( It says "Unsoakable..." )

Monkey . o O ( Because now you have an attack that probably will knock out the pilot of the ten common warstriders. )

Captain Kaizoku looks down at the table, thinking for a moment on those brave, doomed souls.

Shozei Royama speaks up. "We have another worry, however. If it seems that the evacuation is likely to succeed, or if somehow Juggernaut is delayed, the Mask may unleash sorcery upon the city. Captain, what do you know of Fallen Lapis?"

Monkey . o O ( Does Monkey even know? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Deathlords and their servants can resist though... who pilots them? )

The Storyteller . o O ( War ghosts. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And what does the Captain know of the Fallen Lapis? )

Monkey . o O ( Although the noble and royal ones may have actual deathknights piloting them. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Very little -- it was the site of a battle in the war in which House Tepet lost its legions. That's about it. )

Captain Kaizoku says, "Clearly, not the most important things about it. Is a ritual being prepared there?"

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The range of the flare is 10 yards and the cost five per frying. 10 would leave the captain at Zero, and since it's a one per turn thing, it'd be hard to fend off 10... )

Shozei Royama smiles grimly. "No. Fallen Lapis was the capital of Ardeleth, on the border with the Haltan Republic. Four years ago, during the war, Anathema sorcerers killed all of its inhabitants in five minutes using sorcery."

Monkey says, "Oh, that's alright then, because we got one right here."

Master Qutugh says in heavily accented Riverspeak, "The army at our gates is led by two deathknights. The warleader is the Reducer of Cities, and he is accompanied by the necromancer Graceful Student of Sorrow."

Captain Kaizoku shoots a stern glance at Monkey as he agrees to that vile term. "That is not a spell I have mastered, else I would scourge the army outside with it" he says.

Monkey says, "What sort of persons are they?"

Captain Kaizoku says, "Evil beings of darkness Monkey. I am more concerned with what they have been doing, and where."

Monkey says, "Oh, okay. Well, what have they been doing then? And where?"

Monkey looks at the officers assembled here for the answer.

Tinasky says, "The Reducer is a warlord and a fearsome foe. It was his warstrider that you saw standing tallest among the ones at the gates. The Graceful Scholar... is a mystery. He -- or she, we don't know -- joined with the Reducer a few weeks ago, as he marched on our city. He has done very little since, though we see strange lights every night from the tents that bear his banner."

Monkey . o O ( anima flare, probably. )

Monkey scratches his head, "Strange lights. Hmmm. Maybe I'll stay up tonight and watch."

She says, "None of us have faced either one personally. Taimyo Yushoto, however, duelled with the Reducer at the Battle of Tegus Minghan. You should probably talk to him -- he commands the Second from his bed."

Monkey says, "Oh, one more thing. What are those flying things?"

Monkey . o O ( Monkey wasn't there when it got blasted, thus he didn't get a look. )

Captain Kaizoku says "Two Deathknights and two Solars to counter them... removing them would certainly disrupt his plans. I have no intention of duelling him though. I plan to kill him, and the Scholar. What is the most valuable target or asset remaining in the city? What would make the Mask's mightiest warriors move to take it?"

Tinasky pauses, then draws a small scroll out of her sleeve. "But as you are a sailor first, this may be of more use to you." She hands the scroll to Captain Kaizoku. "It is a plotted map of all of the Floating Dead's predations over the last two years. It's been -- a hobby -- of mine. Perhaps you can use it to predict where they will strike next, but none of us have been able to discern much of a pattern."

She says, "As to the most valuable target in the city? Probably the manse in Pasture."

Captain Kaizoku unravels the scroll and spreads it before him. "Tell me of it then..." he asks as he looks down at the map. "I was thinking a particular target that might be moved by sea however."

Shozei Royama says, "The fliers are nemissaries riding undead hybrocs. We are confused by them -- they do not bear the symbol of the Mask, and do not work closely with his army, but seem to be allied, somehow. They are sometimes accompanied by a skyship of unknown origin -- if not for them, we should be able to evacuate the city much faster, with the Sky Guard and the Mantas.

Captain Kaizoku smiles wickedly at that. "When was the ship last seen, and from what direction does it come?"

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Sure, he's the Captain of 1,000 plans, but it's no good when they all come up at once... )

Shozei Royama says, "It would probably be better to show you. It is the home of the City Father, and the command headquarters of the Taimyo. We can go there directly from here."

Captain Kaizoku stands and tucks the scroll into an interior pocket. "Very good then. Mr. Monkey, you're with me" he says, all business, mind working out many different notions at once.

Shozei Odaka says, "It only appears at night, and is hard to see. As best we can tell, it came from the northwest. We last saw it two days ago, when it flew over the city, very fast, heading south."

Captain Kaizoku says, "How many of the Sky Guard's flying units remain in the city? Any?"

Monkey . o O ( I have a possible plan for taking out the Royal warstrider. However, this requires some knowledge of warstrider that Monkey does not possess. Not to mention some clarification on how movement works with warstriders. )

Odaka says, "None. They're too valuable to risk losing if things go to hell."

Monkey . o O ( Let me work on the numbers first. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I may have a way to combine the "Draw the deathknights" plan and the "Raid the airship" one... )

The Storyteller . o O ( I think that's the end of this scene, really. Head up to the manse? It's only mid-morning. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( OK. )

Monkey . o O ( Sure. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The birds will dive at will... we present a big target for them, they jump in, the Captain takes command and then he, Monkey and some brave Legionnaires mount up and fly to raid the airship. )

Monkey . o O ( Okay, here's what I was thinking. Request a warstrider for Monkey. Monkey dons the warstrider. Warstrider has a movement multiplier of 10. If this applies to jumps and stacks with charms, then it is feasible a scout strider with ST 10 can jump 10 ST x 10 yards (charm) x 10 (multiplier) = 1000 yards/turn. The devastation is approximately 1/2 mile. )

It's a long but pleasant walk to the manse, which dominates the Pasture. Built in Shogunate style, it is an open pyramid in shape, stretching up some three very tall stories. Broad stairways climb in a double helix up the inside, while the outside is protected by broad walls at the base and a constant whipping wind around the upper levels. Clearly, it's an Air-aspected manse, though the style belies its age -- on the way up, you learn that it is barely a century old, constructed by Lookshy sorcerer-technicians as part of the alliance defense agreements.

Monkey . o O ( Heck, if the airship got too close (vertical jump 1/2 = 500 yards).... )

The Storyteller . o O ( As you approach the manse, make a Perception + Occult roll )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The problem is attuning with it would take some time... )

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Per >>> {10, 10}.

Monkey . o O ( Wow. )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 7 dice on Per + Occ >>> {10, 1, 9, 10, 10, 5, 1}.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Woo! )

The Storyteller . o O ( Well. Betcha wish you could save those rolls... )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( OH, yes! )

Approaching the manse and tasting the flows of Essence, you can tell that this is a moderately powerful one -- local architecture and landscaping has been carefully altered to shift most of the Pasture's Essence through the pyramid. In game terms, it's a 4-dot manse.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The jumping theory seems sound, but there's no way the airship will get that low... it's within ground fire range. And the pilot's a top fighter... we should talk to the commander. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Maybe Monkey can borrow his, since he's not using it. )

Monkey . o O ( Against the airship it will have to depend on luck. Against the encamped warstriders though.... )

Captain Kaizoku takes in the view without comment as he goes up the winding path to the manse, alert for any more trouble.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( But if the airship's down, the evactuation can go better and faster. The warstriders are just a diversion. )

Monkey has an odd feeling. It's like the air here's crisper, sound clearer, and the colors more vibrant.

Monkey . o O ( Airship is a problem we can't deal with at the moment. Warstriders are there now. )

As you climb the sweeping stairs to the second level of the manse, you hear the sound of trumpets across the walls and no-man's-land. Turning to see the cause of the commotion, you see a trio of undead war machines striding forward, surrounded by a lot of zombies. Nemissary outriders frame the foray in black and silver. The attackers have made it barely a third of the way across when you feel a powerful presence rush overhead. "Look!" Tanika shouts and points up. A being, twice the height of a man, with the wings of an eagle and the head of a horse, soars over you. "The City Father." The god swoops down to the walls and begins channeling Essence -- by the look of it, reinforcing the wards.

Monkey . o O ( Anyway, food for your thought. )

Shozei Odaka says, "This happens every couple of days."

Captain Kaizoku says, "Oh? And are the results always the same?"

Monkey addresses the god. "Good morning. What are you doing, by the way?"

Royama says, "They probe the defenses, we cripple a war machine are wipe out a couple dozen undead, then they retreat." He frowns. "I haven't seen that sort of machine before, though." As he speaks, you can see one of the necromantic horrors turn on corpse-driven muscles and spit out a javelin at the City Father. As the javelin crosses the line of the wall, it shatters in a flare of Essence.

Captain Kaizoku pulls his spyglass from a deep outer pocket and extends it to look at the new type of machine. "Troubling..."

As you have talked, you've continued your ascent the last few steps to the second floor of the manse. Standing on the wide balcony that makes up most of the front of the pyramid, you are joined by an older Dragon-blooded in the forest green uniform of the Second. He's accompanied by a pair of soldiers and a medic. The Lookshy officers salute as soon as they see him.

Captain Kaizoku settles for respectful a bow, as he is not any sort of soldier for Lookshy.

Monkey is used at being ignored by gods and important people. He simply resolves to find and talk to the City Father later.

Monkey says, "Oh, hey, where does the City Father live anyway? What's his name? Surely he doesn't go calling himself City Father all the time?"

The officer -- clearly Taimyo Yushoto -- does not return the salute, as his hands are busy with his crutches. He's missing his left leg from the knee down, clearly a recent injury. He looks the two Solars over with a sharp eye. "You must be Captain Kaizoku. I was surprised when I heard of your... alliance with the Seventh."

Monkey . o O ( This is where I miss the high end Medicine charms. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Doctor Monkey?! )

Monkey . o O ( Oook! That could be my next character in some other game! )

Monkey . o O ( The Librarian is an orangutan, so why couldn't the Doctor be a monkey? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Say, as an aside, look up "Monkey Exalted" on the Wiki. )

Monkey . o O ( Did. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Anyway, the war machines are Bone Spear Artillery. Also from the Wiki. )

Captain Kaizoku assesses Yushoto in return, noting the conditon of his leg, and curious as to what sort of wound took it. "We have common enemies. And the sun's duty is to burn away creatures of darkness." He looks with distaste at the crumbling zombie force. "I understand you were injured fighting the Deathknight leader of this force?"

Monkey says, "You are?"

Monkey says, "What style does he use?"

The medic steps forward and produces a folding chair. The taimyo sits down and rests his crutches across his lap. "I was. Near the end of the battle, I and my headquarters staff defended the baggage train against his warstrider fang. He... He was much, much stronger than anyone I have ever faced. His warstrider tore through mine as a tiger upon a young fawn. It was only through the efforts of my Chozei that I survived."

The Storyteller . o O ( I really just need to memorize the Lookshy ranks. )

Captain Kaizoku inquires "Did he pull you to safety, or drive off the Warstrider?"

At this point, you are all watching the events in the no-man's-land. A pair of warstriders backed up by ashigaru are moving on the artillery, which is being surprisingly persistent. Yushoto answers, "She placed her warstrider between the Reducer's and my own, as the surgeons cut me free of the wreckage. She did not escape, but her valor will be remembered."

Monkey says, "Why don't you guys sneak it at night and smash his warstriders, if they're giving you so much trouble?"

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Can the Captain make a roll to size up the tactics of the battle below? )

Tinasky, standing behind you, has been listening somewhat impatiently, and as the taimyo seems to be done speaking, turns to her secretary and begins to say something. Her shout of alarm is cut off by a gurgle and a gout of blood splashes the assembled defenders of Celeren as her head flies off the balcony to bounce obscenely down the stairs.

Monkey emerges from behind Captain Kaizoku, having somehow managed to use him as cover from the blood splatter. Looking remarkably clean, he says, "Does this happen often?"

Captain Kaizoku drops to one knee as he unsheathes his Daiklave, a beam of sunlight running along the edge to gleam loudly at the tip, his coat flying out behind him as he spins in a circle, scanning the area from sky to ground. "DOWN!" he hisses to Monkey.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Whoops. )

Spinning around, you see a woman, masked in bone and clad in soulsteel, standing where the assistant was a moment ago. She leaps backward effortlessly, a slashing sword in one hand as she lands atop the far parapet.

The Storyteller . o O ( Roll for initiative. )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 1d10+14 and got 16.

On 1d10, you rolled 7.

Monkey rolled 1d10+8 and got 11.

On 1d10+7, you rolled 12.

Monkey gives chase.

Monkey . o O ( Unless Kaizoku shouts otherwise. )

On 1d10+5, you rolled 15.

Captain Kaizoku kicks off the ground towards the Deathknight, seeming to fly over it without touching, his great sword held straight out before him, aiming at the wicked creature's heart. Then he wavers and vanishes for an instant, dropping to a legsweep feint and a sword sweep aimed two foot above that, to catch her as she tries to evade.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Two actions, one attack, one for defense. )

Monkey . o O ( But she's at the far parapet? )

Monkey . o O ( Ah well. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( How far is that? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, here's the situation: You all are standing, blood-spattered, on the balcony of the Celeren Manse. The harbormaster's headless corpse has just fallen to the floor, and the mortals (and the Taimyo) are just beginning to react. The Abyssal is standing precariously on a parapet fifty feet away, reaching for a chakram. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Initiative Order: CK, Mortals, Abyssal, Monkey. )

Monkey . o O ( Throw your daiklave at her? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( That's right at the edge of the move and attack... the captain can do 16 yards and a full dice action. Is that in range? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Yeah. It's cool enough. Plus you get a 1-die stunt bonus. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Zero dots in throwing... )

The Storyteller . o O ( Any Charms? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Excellent strike for 8 )

The Storyteller . o O ( Don't roll yet. )

Monkey . o O ( Ah, the infamous Abyssal subtract dice charms. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( OK. And that's skill + the charm, no weapon bonus, right? )

The Storyteller . o O ( yah. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The what?! )

The Storyteller . o O ( Actually... I meant to bring that up at some point. I think I've figured a good way of handling those pesky "Essence-driven" attacks and defenses. )

Monkey . o O ( Abyssal charms work not by increasing their dice pool. Well, some do, but most of them work by subtracting their opponent's dice pool. )

Monkey . o O ( The Add bonus, substract penalties, then figure in charms? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Ahhh. I had no idea. )

The Storyteller . o O ( The whole "no weapon bonus/penalty etc. thing only applies if you're buying up from 0, such as building a dodge defense with Reed In The Wind. This is because you add the Charms modifiers last, and if you're buying from 0, you have no other modifiers or dice to work with, for better or worse. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Make sense? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Um, not sure. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Well, it does to me. :P Anyway, that means that for a standard attack, such as you're doing now, you do add weapon bonus. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( OK, got it. So my base attack is 23. )

Monkey . o O ( Each exalted type has different schtick. Solars add dice up to Attr + Abil. Abyssals substract dice. Sidereals manipulates target number and difficulty, I think. Lunars adds to Attribute. Dragonblooded adds dice pool up to Abil+specialty. )

Monkey . o O ( Wow, maybe Monkey doesn't have to do anything. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Depends on her dice-removing charms... )

The Storyteller . o O ( However, as she stands on the parapet, a dark shroud of essence covers her -- you lose 16 dice. )

Monkey . o O ( Abyssals do have Perfects I think. )

Monkey . o O ( No, being corrupted Solars, they _have_ Perfects. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Perfectly lovely... )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 7 dice on something >>> {6, 6, 1, 1, 10, 3, 9}.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Wish I had the "observe manse" roll there... )

The Storyteller . o O ( That being said, roll your attack. )

The Storyteller . o O ( And she dodges. )

You rolled 7 dice on Abyssal dodge >>> {7, 3, 1, 2, 8, 4, 8}.

Monkey . o O ( Monkey will take two actions. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Ooops. )

You rolled 4 dice on Abyssal dodge >>> {4, 2, 2, 6}.

The Storyteller . o O ( Forgot to subtract the multiple action penalties. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Therefore, the captain hits her. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Her soak is 13L. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Extra successes? Or dead on/ )

The Storyteller . o O ( 3 successes. )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 3 dice on damage >>> {6, 9, 4}.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Minimal. )

The Storyteller . o O ( describe? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Oh, I get one essence back for the stunt, right? )

The Storyteller . o O ( No, two motes. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Power combat doubles the essence reward. )

Captain Kaizoku was not expecting the inky blackness and so the Deathknight is able to evade the main force of his blow, but his shining Daiklave is too big to hide from in a shadow and her heel is struck by the arcing blade. A minor wound, but still first blood. His eyes narrow as he meets her mask.

The Storyteller . o O ( Lookshy officers turn. )

Shocked from their immobility by the captain's action, the locals draw swords and leap forward. The two soldiers bodily pick up the taimyo and begin hustling him toward the inner area of the manse, while the rest of the mortals draw weapons and rush forward to back you up.

The Storyteller . o O ( Abyssal's turn. )

The white-masked woman rolls with the Solar's blow and tumbles along the parapet, launching her chakram at the Taimyo as she rolls away from the Captain. Her nicked heel leaves an arc of blood that splatters on the white stone.

You rolled 8 dice on Abyssal chakram attack >>> {9, 7, 3, 9, 10, 10, 7, 8}.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( We're really going to regret the lack of medical charms in a moment... )

The soulsteel chakram screams through the air, the tormented ghosts inside lending their voice to the rushing air that follows it. Taimyo Yushoto sees his death rushing toward him, and to his credit, he does not scream. The chakram strikes him a clean and terrible blow.

Monkey . o O ( What? He doesn't have any Dodge or Resistance Charm? )

Monkey . o O ( Oh well, if he's dead, he's dead. )

The Storyteller . o O ( He's kinda missing a leg and in the hands of two well-meaning and burly soldiers. He is, however, wearing armor. )

You rolled 8 dice on chakram damage >>> {2, 4, 5, 9, 4, 8, 5, 7}.

Monkey . o O ( Out of curiousity, what aspect is he? )

The chakram returns to the Abyssal assassin's hand streaked with the dragonling's blood, leaving a gash up his left side.

think Fire aspect.

The Storyteller . o O ( Fire aspect. )

The Storyteller . o O ( And now it is Monkey's turn. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( If the captain doesn't need to defend, can he use his action after everyone else to attack? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Yes, but he'll suffer the held action penalty. In this case, uh... looks for init card )

The Storyteller . o O ( In this case, -6 on top of the penalty for multiple actions. )

Monkey retrieves his tube from his belt and fiddles with its setting. That's the problem with multipurpose items. But soon enough, the tube extends into a staff. Twirling it overhead, Monkey sprints after Captain Kaizoku and the Abyssal, and since Captain Kaizoku's armored bulk is kinda in his way, veers to the side and up to the sidewall, attacking the deathknight with a quick jab before he lands behind her.

The Storyteller . o O ( Again, swirling shadows surround her. )

Monkey . o O ( -16? )

Captain Kaizoku says, "Monkey . o O ( Can I add Excellent Strike? )"

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Monkey . o O ( Kaizoku, if you use your held action to attack after I go, you'll have a -6 penalty to your offense. ) )

Monkey . o O ( Okay, then I ask if I can add Excellent Strike. And David wants to know if he can attack at the same time (for -5 penalty instead of -6). And I said I don't think Jesse will let you do that. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Answers are yes, and no, in that order. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Anyway, you lose a good 20 dice. )

Monkey . o O ( Ah, good thing I can add 10 dice. Personal. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. )

Monkey rolled 13 dice on Staff Jab >>> {4, 9, 3, 3, 1, 1, 6, 1, 7, 10, 5, 7, 3}.

The Storyteller . o O ( And she dodges... )

You rolled 8 dice on Abyssal dodge >>> {8, 10, 6, 10, 9, 7, 1, 4}.

Monkey . o O ( Lousy roll. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Monkey, add two dice for the stunt -- I would've mentioned it earlier, 'cept for that annoying LD stuff. )

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Add dice >>> {9, 4}.

The Storyteller . o O ( Well, not quite enough, but you do get 4 motes back. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Is there a minimum dice to hit with penalties, as there is with damage? )

The shadows wrapped around the deathknight move and shift in confusing patterns, reaching out and caressing Monkey's staff as she finishes her roll -- chakram somehow back in her hand alread -- and balances on the parapet behind him.

Monkey . o O ( Essence. Except charms trumps it. )

The Storyteller . o O ( not with regard to Abyssal Dodge Charms, no. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Roll initiative again. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( So there'd be literally no way for him to hit. Ah, well )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 1d10+14 and got 23.

Monkey rolled 1d10+16 and got 21.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Fnord. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Maybe -- she'd have to spend a _lot_ of essence. )

Monkey . o O ( It seems Reflexive. )

On 1d10+7, you rolled 10.

On 1d10+4, you rolled 11.

Monkey . o O ( Pretty sure Kaizoku's first. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Sitrep: She's a couple paces behind Monkey, between him and the wall, on the parapet. CK is further down. The Taimyo is being hustled off by his guards, and the other mortals are rushing to help you. Order: CK, Monkey, mortals, Abyssal. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Her chakram's not bigger than his sword... and did it come back to her? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Yes, it did. )

The Storyteller . o O ( And it's the Captain's turn... )

Captain Kaizoku points to Monkey with his off hand, then moves it to the Deathknight's left side as he charges past Monkey, coat filling with air behind him, tails flapping in the breeze He holds up his Daiklave in front of him, bracing the inside with his hand as he drives it horizontally at her right midsection with all his strength and momentum.

The Storyteller . o O ( Charms? Multiple actions? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( 8 motes in Excellent Strike, four out of peripheral now. Two actions. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I have no idea if the vague strategy will have any payoff. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. Lose 20 dice. )

Monkey acknowledges Kaizoku's gesture with a slight nod and moves to the deathknight's left. Unlike the Captain though, Monkey makes a series of quick jabs at various vital points.

Monkey . o O ( Five actions. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Stunt, if any? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, 2 dice. )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 2 dice on Attack >>> {7, 7}.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Woo! 100% )

Monkey . o O ( Woohoo! )

As the captain strikes at her, the Abyssal's shadows thicken perceptibly, and her anima flares in dark flash.

You rolled 10 dice on Abyssal dodge >>> {2, 8, 2, 6, 5, 5, 6, 3, 5, 8}.

The Storyteller . o O ( damn, just barely. )

The Storyteller . o O ( You miss, barely. Monkey, your go. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( D'oh! She can't dodge the anima flare, and her roll to resist it can't be as good as her dodge. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, and everybody make Awareness + Perception rolls )

Monkey rolled 3 dice on Awa + Per >>> {3, 10, 3}.

Captain Kaizoku rolled 4 dice on Per >>> {7, 6, 3, 5}.

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Monkey, what are you doing? )

Monkey . o O ( Five attacks. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Yowza! )

Monkey goes all out. "Kiya, hah! Hah! Take that! And that! One more!"

Monkey . o O ( She defends? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Action penalties are: -5, -6, -7, -8, -9. And she defends, yes. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Hmmm... Zenith Caste Solars can cause damage equal to Essence to creatures of darkness. However, DeathLords and Abyssals can soak this damage with a Soak value equal to their own Essence. And yet, that's an attack, so the captain's min. damage would be his essence (3), regardless of soak. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Or would it? )

The Storyteller . o O ( I'll have to think about it. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Anyway, roll the attacks. )

Monkey rolled 8 dice on Kiya, hah! >>> {9, 10, 3, 5, 3, 10, 5, 2}.

You rolled 12 dice on Abyssal dodge >>> {3, 8, 6, 3, 9, 9, 8, 3, 8, 7, 9, 4}.

Monkey rolled 7 dice on Hah! >>> {8, 3, 4, 6, 5, 4, 3}.

Monkey rolled 6 dice on Take that! >>> {8, 7, 10, 2, 1, 1}.

You rolled 11 dice on abyssal dodge >>> {2, 5, 3, 7, 7, 8, 6, 2, 5, 10, 10}.

You rolled 10 dice on abyssal dodge >>> {5, 4, 5, 1, 9, 3, 3, 6, 5, 10}.

Monkey rolled 5 dice on And that! >>> {9, 1, 1, 2, 5}.

You rolled 9 dice on abyssal dodge >>> {8, 9, 1, 2, 9, 8, 7, 2, 5}.

Monkey rolled 4 dice on One more (+1 wp) >>> {2, 7, 7, 4}.

You rolled 8 dice on abyssal dodge >>> {3, 3, 8, 4, 5, 3, 7, 10}.

Monkey . o O ( add one auto-success on the last one. )

The Storyteller . o O ( and now the counting... )

The Storyteller . o O ( one hit... and... )

Monkey . o O ( 5, 1, 4, 1, 3 successes. )

The Storyteller . o O ( One solid hit with one remaining success. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Soak is 13L, hardness is 3L -- roll the damage as long as it's higher than 3 dice left. )

Monkey . o O ( I don't think hardness work that way. But if you say so, then the answer is no damage. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Hmmm... In that case, let me double check. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Raw damage, before soak applies, is less than the hardness, then no effect )

The Storyteller . o O ( No, you're correct. Raw damage has to be less than hardness. (Which makes hardness virtually useless.) )

The Storyteller . o O ( So roll whatever damage you've got. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( It's mostly to shrug off ranged attacks like bows, I thought. )

Monkey rolled 3 dice on Damage >>> {8, 3, 10}.

The Storyteller . o O ( Heh. Even a bow wielded by a standard human is going to do minimum 4L. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Describe it! )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( A thought: Do the Deathknights and lords have Essence hardness for soaking the Zenith attack? )

The Storyteller . o O ( No. )

Monkey's flurry of attack was almost random in nature. Despite that, or perhaps because of that, the deathknight was unable to dodge all of them. A lucky strike punches her on the stomach, and the grunt of exhaled air could be heard by everyone involved.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I'd like to try the anima flare at her at the end of the turn to try and slow her down... )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. I can't see any reason not to... though I'm still trying to figure out the soak thing. )

The Storyteller . o O ( So... let's see... the mortals. )

Monkey . o O ( Blagh. I just saw that a staff's rate is 2. How in the world did the staff arrive at that number? )

The mortals spread out behind the two Solars, who seem to have things well in hand. They fan out, preventing any escape from that direction.

The Storyteller . o O ( Hell if I know. Don't worry about it. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Therefore, CK, do your Anima Flare Attack! )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Too big to whip around fast? It's an artifact though, right? They have higher rates. )

The Storyteller . o O ( It's an artifact, but not an artifact weapon. Which seems to make a difference. )

Monkey . o O ( Too slow? Obviously you haven't seen Jackie Chan in action. I mean, he used a stepladder to fend off 7-8 people. And a broomstick. How come my demigod couldn't exceed a mere Jackie Chan? )

The Storyteller . o O ( _Game Balance_ Ta-da! )

Monkey . o O ( Oh well. Hmmmm, what's plan B? )

Captain Kaizoku whips his sword around and around in a circle above his head, the blade gleaming in the sun. The solar energy seems to be caught by the curved golden steel, growing thicker and thicker. The captain calls out "Raging STORM!" and thrusts the blade in the foul Deathknight's direction, a golden tidal wave appearing behind him as the flurry of shining clouds shoots into the dark void of the Abyssal's spirit.

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, for soak, she's going to roll her Essence against yours. I guess. That's the only think I can come up with that makes sense. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Fair enough.l )

TonyC decides that saving the world takes priority over chatting and disappears.

TonyC takes a break from saving the world and wanders in.

Captain Kaizoku rolled 3 dice on Solar Flare >>> {1, 4, 9}.

Monkey . o O ( Suggestion: Don't roll. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Defense trumps attack? )

Monkey . o O ( No. it's just that in Exalted, you never roll soak. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Well, she is Essence 4. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Argh. Anyway, she'll take an aggro health level. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Should I describe? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Sure. )

Captain Kaizoku 's solar power burns through the darkness around the killer, scorching a narrow burn line from her heart up her throat.

The Storyteller . o O ( And... roll initiative. )

Monkey rolled 1d10+16 and got 18.

Captain Kaizoku rolled 1d10+14 and got 24.

On 1d10, you rolled 3.

On 1d10+7, you rolled 9.

On 1d10+4, you rolled 8.

On 1d10+17, you rolled 26.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Is she showing a caste mark, BTW? Does the captain know anything from what he sees? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( THAT isn't good. )

The Storyteller . o O ( No caste mark, as she's wearing a mask. (I'm pretty sure that Abyssal caste marks don't get glowy, just bleedy. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Tho you do see blood trickling out of the eyeholes on the mask. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Which is a natural side effect of being whacked around. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Sitrep: Abyssal cornered on the edge of the parapet, you two cornering her, the mortals backing you up, the Taimyo vanished into the manse. Init: Surprise 26, CK 24, Monkey 18, Abyssal 9, mortals 8. )

Monkey . o O ( Ooo, surprise! )

Before you can step in with the killing blows, there's a clap like thunder and a wave of carrion wind rushes over you. Looking up, you can see a nemissary-ridden hybroc almost on top of you, stooping as if on prey. Its huge talons reach out... for the Abyssal.

The Storyteller . o O ( roll Str + Athletics to stay on your feet, difficulty 3. )

Monkey . o O ( I'll spend Willpower for auto-success. )

Monkey rolled 7 dice on standing >>> {2, 3, 3, 2, 9, 1, 6}.

Captain Kaizoku rolled 4 dice on Str + Ath >>> {1, 1, 5, 1}.

The Storyteller . o O ( Oy! )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I KNEW I should have done the same thing. )

You rolled 4 dice on something >>> {6, 10, 5, 7}.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I never spend enough Willpower... )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( 3 1s and a 5. )

Ironically, the mortals do fine... But Monkey is buffeted down to the floor by the carrion wind and the Captain is blown over the railing toward a forty-foot fall.

The Storyteller . o O ( Make a Dex + Athletics roll, difficulty 3 (again) to catch yourself at the last minute. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( THIS time A WP. )

Monkey . o O ( Quick! Use the Ultimate Attack Combo and destroy the ground before it can hit you! )

You rolled 6 dice on something >>> {10, 3, 8, 6, 1, 3}.

Captain Kaizoku rolled 5 dice on Dex + Ath >>> {4, 9, 6, 6, 8}.

Captain Kaizoku turns his sword over and presses the edge into the ground to dig a handhold, catching himself as his feet

Monkey . o O ( How far away is the hybroc? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Well, actually, you needed 3 successes to save yourself. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( That's three, with the WP. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Ah, okay. )

The undead hybroc siezes the Abyssal in its talons and beats its wings strongly, struggling for altitude, countering its inertia and the pull of earth.

The Storyteller . o O ( It's about ten feet up. Monkey's got a chance at acting, but he'll need to spend an action to get up. The captain will need to spend two to get back safely. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Well, there goes that plan. If it's undead, Commanding the Beasts won't work on it. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( But the Anima Flare will, and he doesn't need to be standing... captain's up? )

The Storyteller . o O ( yes. )

Captain Kaizoku scowls at the undead beast before him, and the creature it is riding on. "I will not stand by in the presence of evil! The sun will burn away you foul shadows!" he intones. A golden tidal wave washes up from over the cliffside, burning and searing the rotting flesh of the massive bird.

Monkey looks at the Captain, then at the hybroc, then back at the Captain before deciding on something reckless. With a flip, he gets back on his feet. Turning towards the captain, he grabs him by the shoulder, saying "Hold on!" and jumps at the undead hybroc.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Anima flare. No resistance for a plain undead, right? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Correct. )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 3 dice on Anima Flare! >>> {2, 7, 10}.

Monkey . o O ( If Captain doesn't want to go, just don't hold on. If you do though, we may get a ride. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Two aggro health levels. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Wouldn't that be three? From the 10? )

The Storyteller . o O ( not on damage rolls. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Ahhh. )

The Storyteller . o O ( This being a large zombie, that scratches it. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I was hoping it'd be an extra zombie and almost dead. )

The hybroc reels back from the holy energy in pain, and screams in rage.

The Storyteller . o O ( Monkey, you're... doing what? )

Monkey . o O ( I'm grabbing Captain, jumps with him, and lands on top of the undead hybroc. Nothing unusual, really. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The captain will go along with it. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oy. Well, it's a 3-die stunt. That should help a bit. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Any charms? )

Monkey . o O ( No. Although once I land I may need Graceful Crane Stance. )

Monkey . o O ( It's like being on a storm-tossed deck, except higher. )

Monkey . o O ( Let's see, standing is one. Grabbing Captain is two action. Jumping is movement, although landing on the hybroc probably requires a Ath roll (Dex? Wits?). )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. Only two rolls. First a Str + Ath roll to get a good grip on the captain. Second, Dex + Athletics, 5 successes needed, to jump on the hybroc's back. The jump is at a -3 multiple action penalty. And, of course, add 3 dice to both rolls. )

Monkey rolled 8 dice on Grab >>> {2, 2, 1, 3, 1, 10, 6, 10}.

Monkey . o O ( And, for my ultimate trick! )

The Storyteller . o O ( ? )

Monkey . o O ( Let's channel Valor! Spending WP for that. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I wish the captain was crazy enough to get three-die stunts... )

Monkey rolled 15 dice on Crazy nuts jump >>> {9, 9, 2, 8, 6, 8, 6, 7, 5, 5, 9, 9, 1, 4, 5}.

The Storyteller . o O ( Hmmm... I'll see if I can come up with some suggestions. )

Monkey . o O ( Yes! )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, describe it. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( My, I wonder what happens when you use the Zenith fear-flare when you're standing on an undead. )

"Captain, hold on!" Monkey says as he squats to grab Captain Kaizoku by the waist, and without checking whether the Captain understands what he intends to do, Monkey made a great leap up, attempting to land on the undead hybroc. His small frame holding the tall lanky captain was silhouetted, frozen against the sun for a moment, before they both land with a loud thump on the back of the hybroc.

The Storyteller . o O ( This is going to be very interesting. )

Monkey wobbles for a moment before he regains his footing.

Captain Kaizoku leaves a golden trail behind him as he is pulled up in the air, solar energy burning a foot in the air above him as he goes, looking like a shooting star as he falls towards the immense beast.

You can't see his face, but you'd bet the nemissary is panicking right now. The hybroc continues to gain altitude, though, and as you're on your way up, you can see the Abyssal making futile gestures in the air as she writhes in the tight grasp of the hybroc.

The Storyteller . o O ( Make Awareness + Perception rolls, and roll Init. )

Monkey . o O ( Well, think we'll find the bad guy's airship this way? )

Monkey rolled 3 dice on Awa + Per >>> {5, 7, 10}.

Monkey rolled 1d10+16 and got 17.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I think the Nemissary and Deathknight will try and kill us first. )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 1d10+14 and got 17.

On 1d10+8, you rolled 18.

Monkey . o O ( Unlikely. The nemissary can't abandon this body without having the deathknight fall. The deathknight is firmly in the hybroc's grip and is in a bad position. )

On 1d10+6, you rolled 15.

The Storyteller . o O ( CK, make that Awareness + Per roll )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 4 dice on Awareness >>> {7, 3, 5, 2}.

Monkey . o O ( And the nemissary letting the deathknight fall would be a long painful career in the deathlord's torture chamber. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( But are two Solars worth 1 deathknight? Lots of dead guys to promote! )

You whisper, "Those gestures the Abyssal was making looked kinda like what the captain does when he's casting a spell" to TonyC.

Monkey points at the deathknight below. "Captain, those gestures seem awfully familiar. Isn't one of those butterfly spell?

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Does the captain notice anything? )

Monkey . o O ( Switching staff to blowgun is one action? )

Monkey says, "I'll just quiet her, shall I?"

The Storyteller . o O ( Sitrep: Y'all are on an undead hybroc, behind a panicky nemissary, and there's an Abyssal below you in the hybroc's claws. Init order: Abyssal 18, Monkey 17, CK 16, nemissaries 15. )

Captain Kaizoku says, "By all means Mr. Monkey."

Monkey . o O ( Luckily, deathknights aren't technically dead, and thus still affected by poison. And if that's not right, well, we'll find out really soon. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Maybe they like poison? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Well, at least she can't cast this turn, and aiming that spell will be hard since she's on the bottom and we're on top. )

Monkey aims the blowgun at the deathknight's face. Two quick breaths, and two essence darts laced with paralytic poison sped from the blowgun.

The hybroc rises higher, the nemissary scrabbles for his sword, and below, you can hear the eldritch tones of a necromantic spell being completed. In a shimmering arc, the Abyssal's chakram flies out in front of the hybroc, over, and around, leaving behind it a hole in the sky that opens onto a darkness beyond darkness. Through hole come moans and screams, and you half imagine you can see strange shapes and sorrows moving in the darkness. The hybroc is lifting towards the slash in the sky.

The Storyteller . o O ( Neat trick, given that there's a hybroc between you. That's going to need a pretty damn good stunt. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Timing it with the downdraft of its wings? )

Monkey . o O ( That's easy. However, did she complete the spell in one turn like Ambassador? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Ayup. Shadowlands circle, one turn for the Charm, one for the spell. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Who's up? Monkey's action still resolving? )

Monkey takes a step back to the right wing of the hybroc, and feet grabbing the front edge of the wing, let himself fall. Upside down, he has a good vantage point. Winking at her, he darts her.

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, that's an Athletics roll for sure. Difficulty 5. 2 stunt dice. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, and will that dart go through a reinforced breastplate? )

Monkey . o O ( Better channel valor again. Wp. Dang, I burned 5 already. )

Monkey rolled 14 dice on Ath + Dex + Stunt + Valor >>> {1, 9, 9, 2, 7, 5, 2, 6, 2, 1, 4, 10, 10, 10}.

The Storyteller . o O ( Word. Totally succeeded on that one. )

Monkey rolled 5 dice on Dart1 >>> {6, 10, 10, 6, 6}.

Monkey rolled 4 dice on dart2 >>> {7, 10, 7, 3}.

Monkey . o O ( Love those 10s. )

The Storyteller . o O ( 4 and 4, and she can't defend. But... )

Monkey . o O ( The extra successes bring the damage over 3L. This means it hits flesh instead of breastplate. )

The Storyteller . o O ( And she therefore doesn't get soak? )

Monkey . o O ( Oh, she gets soak, but I still get minimum damage. And most important, poison still takes effect. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. Roll damage, and what's the poison effect? )

Monkey . o O ( Paralytic poison. Sta+Res. Diff 2. Success takes 3B. Failure takes 6B. Duration 4 hours. Dice penalty to all action due to poison, -3. )

Monkey rolled 5 dice on Dart1 damage >>> {4, 7, 2, 4, 8}.

Monkey rolled 5 dice on Dart2 damage >>> {3, 6, 3, 5, 8}.

Monkey . o O ( Stop. Wrong damage. )

Monkey . o O ( Should be minimum. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Eh? )

Monkey rolled 3 dice on Dart1 damage >>> {1, 5, 10}.

Monkey rolled 3 dice on Dart2 damage >>> {10, 3, 3}.

Monkey . o O ( 5 dice would be damage pre soak. Given 13L soak, I should roll ping damage instead. )

You rolled 2 dice on poison resistance >>> {9, 9}.

You rolled 2 dice on poison resistance >>> {8, 10}.

Monkey . o O ( David, I think the nemissary is yours to handle. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Heh. In any case, she's unconscious now... And the hybroc is still climbing toward the slash. It'll get through this turn. )

Monkey . o O ( Cut off his head. )

The Storyteller . o O ( And it is CK's turn. )

Captain Kaizoku is grasping the rotting feathers of the hydroc. He stands up, defying the wind, takes his blade in both hands and plunges it down into the neck of the great dead bird, a storm of bright light flying up from the point of his blade as he uses his full might to decapitate the wretched thing.

Monkey . o O ( So, how long does the rift spell last anyway? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay... You're a lot higher than forty feet now, you know? )

think And the rift will last for four turns.

The Storyteller . o O ( And the rift will last for four turns. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I have a plan, and the higher the better. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, and a 1-die stunt. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( 8 motes in Excellent Strike, 1 WP and two actions, one for defense. )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 21 dice on Sword strike >>> {6, 8, 10, 7, 2, 6, 6, 9, 3, 4, 10, 7, 9, 10, 6, 3, 6, 4, 10, 10, 4}.

The Storyteller . o O ( Hmmmm... Should a defense be possible? I'm not sure. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Can't dodge unless it loops... sure can't parry with a wing or claw. )

Monkey . o O ( I don't think so. Although there is one attack he could've done to make living really difficult. Lucky us it isn't its turn. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Yeah, I think it's going to have to rely on its soak. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Which is 4L. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( 21 damage then? )

The Storyteller . o O ( so roll that damage. By the way, are you doing anything about the other nemissary? )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 21 dice on damage >>> {6, 3, 1, 6, 10, 1, 6, 7, 10, 5, 6, 2, 7, 9, 3, 7, 9, 4, 6, 8, 4}.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( WE'll see what the situation is after this. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Hmmm. that's 10 total for him after the flare. )

The hybroc's head is almost shorn clear off, dangling from the corpse by a flap of rotting skin. The creature gives up the ghost and begins to fall back toward the Celeren manse about a hundred feet below. A quick glance behind you shows the nemissary has done the same, lolling in its saddle like an unoccupied corpse.

The Storyteller . o O ( Roll initiative. )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 1d10+14 and got 19.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Altitude? )

The Storyteller . o O ( 100 feet and falling fast. )

Monkey rolled 1d10+16 and got 17.

The Storyteller . o O ( CK, what do you do? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The plan, in short: Stormwind Rider. Will we hit the ground this turn, or next turn? )

Monkey . o O ( You need time? Order me. )

TonyC decides that saving the world takes priority over chatting and disappears.

The Storyteller . o O ( Uh... calculating air coefficiency and terminal velocity...:) )

TonyC takes a break from saving the world and wanders in.

Monkey . o O ( Did I miss anything? )

The Storyteller . o O ( No, but that _was_ funny. )

Monkey . o O ( heh )

The Storyteller . o O ( You'll hit on Initiative count 10 next turn. BTW, you can't add your weapon speed to the next Init roll, since you're no longer fighting anything. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Got it. )

Captain Kaizoku calls out "Spread your arms Monkey, and hold onto my back!" as he makes a circle with his fingers in free-fall, unleashing the power of Emerald Circle Sorcery. An emerald circle dotted with runes grows from between his hands to surround him and Monkey.

The Storyteller . o O ( Monkey? )

Monkey does as ordered, naturally. But just in case, he manipulates his Essence to harden his skin.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And how close are we to the side of the cliff? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Cliff? )

Monkey . o O ( Okay, I have a back-up plan in case CK couldn't pull stormwind rider fast enough. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Hill? Any vertical surface nearby? Or did the bird get that far away from the manse? )

Monkey . o O ( PS: Estimated falling damage is 20L. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, the manse. It's pyramidal, it's about ten feet off to one side. If this doesn't work, you'll bounce off the slope. )

Monkey . o O ( Monkey's current soak, 12B, 2L. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Oh, my basic plan was to use the 60 feet of absorbption from SWR to cushion the fall, but maybe we can get close enough to start driving down the side. )

The Storyteller . o O ( roll initiative, then. )

Monkey rolled 1d10 and got 10.

Captain Kaizoku rolled 1d10+7 and got 9.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( ARGH! )

The Storyteller . o O ( Ouch. )

Monkey . o O ( That's 18. Dex + Wits = 8. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( My wits is only 3 )

Monkey . o O ( Plan. Hold action until init 11. )

The Storyteller . o O ( First off, CK, make a Wits + Athletics roll. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Power Pole Extend? )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 4 dice on Wits + Ath >>> {8, 4, 1, 5}.

The Storyteller . o O ( I don't think we need to talk about Monkey's Power Pole. )

Monkey asks nervously, "Captain, are you going to be done soon? We're getting really close here." Of course Captain Kaizoku, being busy with his spell, could not respond.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The ground moves first, I think. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. Here's the situation: You can't get the spell off in time, but staring down at the cold white surface of the _air_ manse, you realize that you can maneuver into an updraft... which will halve the damage. It's still gonna hurt like hell, of course... )

Monkey . o O ( Really? Not Monkey? )

The Storyteller . o O ( Monkey goes. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Monkey? )

Monkey decides that the Captain wants to get mad at him, he can get mad at him later, but the onrushing ground is something Monkey couldn't argue with right now. Thus reasoned, Monkey grabs Captain Kaizoku from the back with both hands, and channeling essence to his legs, jumps up perhaps half the distance of the fall.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Must be another big stunt. )

Monkey . o O ( Monkey Leap up. 20 yards. )

Monkey . o O ( No big stunt. Just buying time. )

The Storyteller . o O ( I'm trying to visualize this... )

The Storyteller . o O ( what are you pushing against? )

Monkey . o O ( The falling hybroc, of course, which will hit the ground sooner. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Ah! Okay! That works. )

Monkey . o O ( But with Essence, my kungfu is so leet that I'm already 60 feet up by that time, and gravity will need another turn to catch up. )

The Storyteller . o O ( That gives you till count 15 of next turn. )

The Storyteller . o O ( and the captain still has an action. )

Monkey . o O ( Well, I think the deathknight goes bye bye. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Definitely. >_< )

The Storyteller . o O ( Captain? )

Monkey . o O ( So, does Kaizoku needs more time? )

Captain Kaizoku sticks his arms out to his shoulders, catching the emerald ring and giving it a strong spin, then another and another... a white vortex begins to form around the Captain and Monkey as the Stormwind Rider spell goes into effect, the captain aiming a flying leap with the spell at the nearest thing... the falling bird body. "Grab her with your staff if you can!" he calls out, angling his next bounce to the side of the pyramid.

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The spell can't fly, but it can jump without dissipating. He's trying to hopscotch down, ride down the pyramid's side or at least get within 60 feet of the ground. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Monkey, make a Dex + Athletics roll... difficulty 12... to catch the Abyssal. And you'll be fine now that you've got the spell up -- you were a bare fifty feet up when it took hold. )

Monkey . o O ( 12? Good god. )

The Storyteller . o O ( You just stopped falling after jumping 20 or 60 feet away from the thing, I'm not sure which. OTOH, you are Exalted, so it's _possible_. Just not likely. )

Monkey . o O ( I can't even justify channeling any virtues. Oh well. Spending WP for auto-success and hope for the best. )

Monkey rolled 10 dice on something >>> {1, 5, 5, 1, 7, 9, 2, 7, 6, 7}.

Monkey . o O ( 5 only. )

Monkey tries, but too late, even as the last word of Captain Kaizoku's order is uttered, the hybroc carcass hit the ground, burying the deathknight under it with a loud crash.

The Storyteller . o O ( Are you just landing, or are you gonna go somewhere now that you have the spell going? )

Monkey . o O ( Suggest land where the hybroc crashed and inspect the bodies. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( It dissipates and protects from damage at or under 60 feet... 30 feet can keep going, so we're walking, but first checking the Deathknight. )

Monkey . o O ( With deathknights, you got to see the body first. And even then, it's not a sure thing. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I worry about the Nemissary and the harbormaster... )

The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. I'm getting pretty tired, so I think we'll move pretty quickly and wrap things up. The deathknight is bye-bye. Her body is broken and shattered beneath the body of the hybroc. Carefully removing her mask, you see an unfamiliar face, and amid the ruin of her recent beauty you can make out the caste mark of a Moonshadow Abyssal. )

Monkey . o O ( Point, but surely by now fangs of crack troops led by veteran dragonblooded officers are already securing the manse. )

Captain Kaizoku comes down to a graceful halt, the Stormwinds dissapting and the anima banner winds fading moments later.

Captain Kaizoku remarks harshly "The servants of the dead are undone by their own tools. Wrap her in her cloak and bring her remains Monkey."

Monkey says, "I wonder if they will cut off her head and post it out there in retaliation and warning."

Monkey says, "Aye, Captain."

Captain Kaizoku heads back up the pyramid at a rapid rate, leading Monkey and barking "Is the area secure?" to the troops there, going to check on the condition of the wounded leader.

Grisly work, but Monkey tied the ends of her cloak together into a makeshift shroud and follows Captain Kaizoku, dragging the corpse behind him.

Monkey says, "May I suggest cutting off this assassin's head and returning it to them?"

Captain Kaizoku looks in on him briefly, and pays respects to the fallen Tinashy. "Who is in charge now... and was this Deathknight known to the city?"

Monkey rolled 2 dice on Temperance >>> {1, 4}.

The Storyteller . o O ( The Taimyo's fine, and the deathknight is completely unknown in the city. )

Monkey starts unwrapping the deathknight's body and claiming battle booty.

Captain Kaizoku says, "Oh, I think we should show them the power of the Sun Monkey, not just return a head. I have a plan."

The Storyteller . o O ( Does monkey really want a lovely set of soulsteel items? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( They look creepy! Like that sword. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( But maybe he's trying to do a disguise. )

Monkey stops his search and looks at Captain Kaizoku. "Plan? Cool! I love plans!"

Captain Kaizoku says, "Or more of a show, perhaps... Bring her along. You men come too."

Monkey . o O ( Why not? Gothic chic is an acknowledged bishie style, and if it gets boring, Monkey can always toss it off to the sea or something. )

The Storyteller . o O ( How long is this going to take? It's almost 6:00 am here... )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( He's going to take the body near where Monkey saw the Warstriders, make a loud speech, hold up the body and use the solar burn on it, in short. )

Monkey . o O ( Jesse has a point. Maybe we should open next week with that scene? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( OK, it'll give me more time to come up with a good one. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Actually, let's do that one over e-mail. Just make a quick Cha + Performance roll. )

Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on Cha Per >>> {7, 10, 1, 6, 7, 4}.

Monkey . o O ( And GM, I'd like to know how much approximately a royal warstrider weigh, since I'm weighing the possibility of stealing it. )

Monkey . o O ( Take the whole week to come up with a number. )

The Storyteller . o O ( 4 successes, and let me get back to you on that one. Several tons at minimum. )

Monkey . o O ( Waits for the XP awards, and dances the Dance of 3-die Stunt. )

The Storyteller . o O ( Oh, right, XP. Heck, I never assigned missions, neither. )

Monkey . o O ( Call it 3 base + 1 for no mission? )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Well, "Save the population of the city" was a pretty broad goal. )

The Storyteller . o O ( we'll call that a quick 5 XP each + 1 more for Monkey's 3-die stunt. )

The Storyteller . o O ( You took out the admiral of the Floating Dead. )

Monkey . o O ( Boo yah! )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( She was?! )

The Storyteller . o O ( She was. )

Monkey . o O ( Sleep time. )

Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Nite all! )

The Storyteller . o O ( Indeed. Anything else will have to be over e-mail. I'll see if I can get the log up quicker this time. CYA. )