Latest revision as of 20:32, 8 June 2010

Sun on the Waves

This is my current Solar campaign. This game is set in the West and revloves around the raising of Luthe and the story around Leviathan and his Solar mate.

Setting

As the Inland Sea passes the Blessed Isle and becomes the Great Western Ocean one enters the West. At first, the islands are large and common, but the further west one goes, the smaller and less frequent they become. Once past distant archipelagos and scattered islands beyond them, there is only a horizon: where the sea and sky come together and it can only be distinguished at sunrise and sunset. Even the most experienced sailors find it maddening to sail too far out, for what is there to find save more ocean stretching out unto the end of time?

This is the least populous of the directions, as there is less land for people to live upon. Due to this lack of arable land, vegetables other than cultivated kelp are a luxury in the islands. There are stretches of temperate land to the Southwest and the Northwest which allow for actual cultivation, until the mountains and deserts of the South or the frozen wastes of the North make farming an impossibility. In the true West, the political unit is the island and thus each island or archipelago grouping of islands forms its own independent nation. Although not everyone in the West is a sailor, pirate, shipwright or fishermen, the sea cannot be ignored by anyone. A child who cannot sail a boat by the age of six has been raised poorly. Many of these island nations entertain the pirate trade, though only the Wavecrest Archipelago and The Neck allow non-aligned pirates to openly enter port. (They and the outright pirate nation of the Lintha, that is with its secret port of Bluehaven, whose location is said to constantly change.)

The Southwest and Northwest have collections of coastal nations instead of islands ranging from Realm-affiliated principalities to petty kingdoms and republics ruled by Outcaste Dragon-Bloods.

Clothing is oriented toward practical shipboard wear. Westerners give offerings to the sea spirits, the bow spirits of their ships, the spirits of wind and weather and good fortune and any other spirits who may have a bearing on the situation. Western culture is frequently patriarchal, with women's roles in the community being well defined if not actually confining. Visiting women from outside a particular island are often treated as honorary males for the duration of their visit to minimize the cultural impact, but they are encouraged to remain in the foreigners' quarter of town rather than test local hospitality.

Characters

• Cerulian Storm, Eclipse Caste, Tya Ship Captain

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• Oncoming Storm, Twilight Caste, Sorcerer

IMAGE COMING SOON

• Restless Wave, Zenith Caste, Darkmist Runaway

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• Melisande, No Moon Caste, Social Engineer

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• Resplendent Shadow, Night Caste, Greatest Thief in Creation

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Introduction

The night fell on a lone ship sailing south from the isle of Onyx. Just before the sun slipped below the horizon the lookout spotted a fog bank on the Northern horizon. The Tya captain unfurled all available sail and left the pursuing Skullstone ship behind. While choosing to sail through the night and risk getting lost in a Shadowland, another of the Silver Prince’s ships ambushed the Tya ship. As the ship approached all of the war ghosts on board lit up with pale blue ghost fire and materialized.

In the moments before impact the crew, including the Circle of Exalts, prepared for battle. Oncoming Storm cast Death of Obsidian Butterflies and inflicted considerable damage to the monoreme, killing the 20 zombie rowers, and consequently lighting up his anima banner. Unfortunately the ship had enough momentum to ram the Tya ship. Quick thinking on the captain’s part and judicious use of Hull Preserving Technique saved the small vessel from a premature sinking.

Melisande under went the Deadly Beastman Transformation and rushed the group of war ghosts trying to board the Tya ship. She instantly destroyed one ghost while two more leapt aboard. These two were quickly dispatched by Restless Wave, while Oncoming Storm cast Invulnerable Skin of Bronze upon himself. Resplendent Shadow used Mental Invisibility Technique and faded from sight.

Oncoming Storm leapt over to the Skullstone ship and began to brawl with three war ghosts, his Bronze Skin keeping him safe from their axes, with on shattering completely on his arm. The Night jumped across as well and snuck under the raised deck towards the rear of the ship where he spotted a Nemmisary guiding the war ghosts. Meanwhile Melisande was held up battling more ghosts, as four more leaped past her onto the Tya ship where they were quickly dispatched by Restless Wave, who slid into their midst and knocked them down with his trident. Respendent Shadow leapt up onto the deck of the Skullstone ship, grabbed the nemissary with his legs, and attacked, doing considerable damage.

Restless Wave leapt across onto the enemy ship and killed two more of the war ghosts, while Melisande bounded over to help Resplendent Shadow with the nemessary, who was quickly dispatched by her claws. While the final mopping up took place Resplendent Shadow noticed a large ration perched on the stern of the ship. The Eclipse fired an arrow at it and it hit the bird with no visable effect. The Night tried to sneak up upon it but the bird noticed him even though he was using Mental Invisibility Technique.

Deducing that this was no ordinary bird, the Circle attempted to speak to it. The raiton responded by hopping down and transforming into an Abysssal. A conversation ensued where the Abyssal demanded the return of the escaped Solar, Restless Wave. When this was flatly refused by the Eclipse, as she had been sent to retrieve him by her Storm Mother patron, the Abyssal offered an alternative. That the ship return to Skullstone on the first day of Calibration and take an item from the Abyssal and take it where ever they wish as long as they do not destroy it. During this conversation, the Lunar was struck with a memory of the First Age, of her with her claws in the chest of a Dawn saying, “It’s for your own good,” as the Dawn died. Cerulean Storm agreed and sanctified the agreement using her Caste power.

Chapter 1

This chapter took the Circle through the Spirit Exiles of the Western Ocean adventure in Time of Tumult. It went very well and served as a great introduction to the world and system of Exalted. After recovering in the Neck for a time, a servant of Fakharu appeared and asked for the Circle's aid in retrieving his mortal lover. They agreed to and set sail to his spire. While at Fakharu's spire they explored many ofthe rooms filled with art objects, one of which was an basalt giant orca suspended in the middle of a room with lighting that rippled as if a person was underwater. Around the walls of the room were reliefs showing the major events of the West, mainly the story of Leviathan and Amyana. The room induced a flash back for Cerulian Storm of her giving Islebreaker to Leviathan on the deck of a First Age warship surrounded by chearing crews, many of them Dragon Blooded. Meanwhile Oncoming Storm found a red jade grand daiklave called, Claw of Heisesh, which he saw in a vison pinning him to the ruined wall of a Manse surrounded by piles of dead Dragon Blooded and demons.

During their trip to Sikunare's court they ran afoul of two Children of Saikal and a wild battle ensued. The Circle is not sure what percipitated the attack but they are now very wary around sharks.

They sailed on from Fakharu's island towards Sikunare's court to gain further information. Here is where the characters Virtues really came into play. Sikunare is a fairly unpleasant person and the cruelty she inflicted on her siren servants inspired the Zenith and Night Castes to execute a plan to free two of them while Sikunare entertained the rest of the Circle. As luck would have it Cerulian Storm's patron storm mother is, in fact, Sikunare. The entire Circle was aided in this endeavor by, Blood on the Foam, a renegade spirit that, while hating the sirens, wanted to stick it to Sikunare. The Circle agreed to his price of 10 victims, bloodied and thrown overboard, in the next month. After returning from the Archipelago of the Exiles, the Circle avoided Sikunare's court as a giant cyclone was over it, and Cerulian Storm is worried about her position within the Tya.

When in the Archipelago fo the Exiles, the Circle decided to infiltrate the castle of Silver Robe and try to find Amarel and sneak her out. Unfortunately the Zenith witnessed a disfigurement ceremony and interupted it. This resulted in a direct confrontation between the guards and thier commander and the Circle. After a long battle, Golden Swallow, aided the Circle helping facilitate their escape with Amarel. The Circle decided to take the body of a war crow they had killed back to Fakharu in hopes of it serving as an aid to give feathers back to Golden Swallow. The ritual did not have the effect the Circle intended, though Fakharu knew the outcome, as Golden Swallow was transformed into a Valravn. The Circle asked for few material rewards from Fakharu and in doing so have earned a strong ally in Heaven, to counter balance some fairly powerful enemies.

Comments

This game is currently on hold as our group rotates GMs after a chapter for a game is concluded. - Grimjaws