AlaronChildrenOfTheRealm/Anita

Anita is an experienced Solar Exalt of the Eclipse Caste. She plays the part of the major mystery woman in the plot, someone that the characters should wonder and worry about but only figure out later in the plot.

Anita looks like a lady in her late twenties, with a mixed eastern\isle complexion, brown eyes and short black hair tied back. She is of medium build and height, and is reasonably attractive naturally, but doesn't attempt to enhance or complement it. Externally, she seems to be of even temperament, which belies her insecurities about their current mission. Anita is naturally a compassionate person, and the thought that she and her distantly spread circle are more or less kidnapping children for their own reasons won't settle down in her mind. Nevertheless, she will carry out her part of the mission as arranged.

The "plan", as it stands, was a long time in the making. Another of her circle, a Twilight Sorceror named Erstwhile Cloudfall, discovered some manuscripts seeming to describe the work of a Solar in the employ of the Machine God Autochthon shortly before the god disappeared. It described an artificial means of containing and controlling the essence of a terrestrial, impossible in theory but of vast potential if it was true. The location of the lab described appeared to be the same Academy the the PCs will be attending, a minor Solar Aspected Manse now, but back then a wellspring of essence comparable to the Imperial Manse itself.

Although the manse of the first age has been altered by the Realm to eradicate as much of the original imagery as possible, the building proper and much of the superficial construction could not be safely altered without the risk of explosion, and so the early Realm decided to turn it into an academy of learning. The School is a reasonably prestigious Academy, typically reserved for children who need a high security environment for their protection. It is described seperately.

It is beneath this school, they learned, that the lab was build so long ago. Their Night Caste, Tanim, managed to steal the plans and layout from a mad spirit. Erstwhile translated the plans and correlated them with the surrounding surface plans. Tanim acquired the rights to build a cafe on top of an old bolt-hole tunnel leading in. Erstwhile designed and build the cafe. Anita was more than willing to do her part by the end, having had little part so far..

In essence, her mission was simple. Scope the place out under the guise of a sanctioned school Cafe. Get into the building, and get the prototype storage vessel for the essences. However, Anita discovered more than they had expected upon entering (an adventure in itself, with the security on the grounds as it was). Not only had the project been a success, but there was apparently a small cache of terrestrial essences already captured in small gems not unlike a dream-stone.

The plan changed abruptly. Anita had retrieved the plans, some of the equipment and, incidentally, a first age luxury seacraft. But the others proposed taking things a little furthur. Why not take some children from the school and exalt them with the gems? They are well-trained, sophisticated and knowledgable. They are also young and impressionable, easily taught to fight alongside the returning Solars. This is the point at which Anita became uneasy. Her take on this is that she is to find willing children for this part, which explains why she has taken so long to do anything so far.

Anita will take an interest in the PCs. Young and desperate to be exalted, they could only be willing to go along with her once she explained the plan, right? And they are far more promising all round than the other children in the Academy. Of course, she'd find a way to kidnap them first, and tell them after. Just to be sure.

The PCs will first meet Anita in the Cafe during a day off. The Cafe is modelled on an oriental look with a mix of furniture to suit the needs of different customers; stools for some, low japanese-style tables for others. They serve a variety of infusions and teas, many of high quality (it's tailored for Dynast children, after all), and luxury confection (Anita has, in my version of this setting, craft (cookery) 3, for fun).

She will approach them and take orders in a jovial and laisse faire manner, and return shortly afterwards, asking if she may join them, under the pretense that she hasn't seen them around before.

From there on, Anita will make efforts to befriend them and earn their trust. She is patient and sneaky; during the Maiden Tea Poisoning incident, for example, she will send an anonymous message to one or many of the characters warning them (She'll have overheard Ramse and her Mother planning it in her cafe), so that she can let them know it was her later. Small and appropriately useful gifts (perhaps even minor artifacts!) may turn up just when they need them, courtesy of Anita.

When the Deathlord invasion occurs, shortly before Calibration, Anita will round up the children somehow (even if it's just running through the crowd and grabbing them as an afterthought) and cram everyone into the first age ship (aformentioned). From here, it's all about getting them safely to the South, where Erstwhile Cloudfall believes another lab is located which will facilitate the exaltation process.