DKDragons/SessionFourteen
17:21 [Kalan] "With the harbor closed, we're cut off from supplies, support....if the Realm woke up to the plight of the Threshold and sent half the navy, the couldn't get to us."
17:21 [Kalan] "We've discussed this before. We should use the firedust, load up a decoy ship, and explode it in the midst of those things."
17:22 [Kalan] Kalan drums his fingers on the desk. It was odd, to be standing in front of it again like a mere sergeant. "Sparks, tell him how much it will deplete the firedust stock."
17:24 [ST] Sparks shakes her head defiantly, stirring firey red locks. "Well, depends on how big you wanna make it. How many you think are out there."
17:25 [Keshin] Keshin nods. "I agree. The harbor is necessary. I doubt reinforcements are coming, but opening it will allow the city to fish for itself, and for useless mouths to escape. Besides, it would be good to defeat those rumors that we are the ones stopping the harbor. Tell me, how do you plan to load the ship? Move to some point on the coast outside the blocade and sail it in from there? OR do we move into the harbor in
17:25 [ST] "Firedust burns good enough, but if you want a big explosion... you're gonna need almost all of it."
17:26 [Keshin] Or do we move into the harbor in force, and drop a load of firedust into one of the ships there?"
17:28 [Keshin] He stares at each gathered there in turn, hoping that he presented the proper ediface of command. He was never that comfortable with this.
17:28 [Kalan] "The demons were quiesent until I..er....shot a bolt of fire into their midst. They do not seem overly intelligent. We may be left unmolested as long as we avoid the water itself. If not, a feint to draw them off." Kalan shrugs and smiles minimally.
17:28 [Kalan] "We could use Defenders."
17:32 [Keshin] "I think we should save those for a situation where their talents would be most useful, not waste them in a job that needs fodder. The slaves I think."
17:33 * Kalan narrows his eyes. "May I remind you, the armies of the enemies are flush with citizens. We will need to be lucky with how we position them to get any use out of them at all."
17:34 [Kalan] "This may be their only chance of being useful; the slaves have learned to fight shield-to-shield well together but they haven't the individual prowess to survive such a battle. Their morale will take a hit if demons devour an entire company."
17:35 [Kalan] He smiles coldly. "But of course, the decision is yours."
17:36 [Keshin] Keshin shifts a bit, nervous. "Perhaps you are right. But if we lose elite soldiers to the demons, morale will suffer as well. If we need to send the Defenders, they must be seen to hold, at least."
17:36 [ST] Sparks looks between the two Dragonbloods uncertainly. "Well, my Tigers could hold 'em. They don't like fire." She pauses. "But it'd need firedust... and it's gonna cost you."
17:39 [Kalan] "Reserve three fangs of your Tigers . We'll send them behind a half-scale of Defenders. They'll be safe behind the meat wall, and preserve their powder - and our mutants guardians. If that meets with your approval," he adds to Keshin as an afterthought.
17:41 [Keshin] Keshin nods. "Excellent �advice�." To Sparks: "Payment will be arranged."
17:44 [ST] "Good enough, I'll tell the bravest there's a bonus involved. You'll get your two-and-a-half grots no problem." Sparks defiantly does not bother with the Realm's method of troop organization.
17:45 [Kalan] "I'll take the ship out of the harbor. Is there anything else?"
17:54 [Talek] Just then, Talek crests over a wall and lands directly in the middle of the action, along with three very tired looking mortals. "Hey guys"
17:56 [Kalan] Kalan frowns reflexively at the sight of him, the wounds on his back twinging. Not forgotten, or forgiven. "Convinced of the threat?" he asks the mortals bitingly, in preference to greeting Talek.
17:57 [Keshin] Keshin smiles grimly at Talek. "I have taken command here. Why did you not return last night? Did something happen? And you three. I see by your expression that you have come to understand what faces us."
17:58 [ST] Mojabe and Cynthos merely stare at the ground, cowed. Ravos Celice steps forward, her rather unattractive mouth set in a hard line. "Indeed. I will do what I can to convince them. We all will."
17:59 [Talek] "We spied on their army. It was cooped up in a Shadowland, we had to wait til Dawn to leave."
18:00 [Talek] "Pretty sizable, several battleframes, and its all being led by that Solar Anathema."
18:00 [Talek] "Who has clearly brainwashed his mortal minions."
18:01 [Keshin] He grimaces. "The Solar? Did you see him, or did your information come from another source? Do you believe he is working in concert with Abyssals, or are they controlling the enemy from the shadows?"
18:05 [Talek] "We interrogated a few captives"
18:05 [Talek] "They claimed he took the Second Breath while already serving in his army."
18:06 [Talek] "It was the one we met in Ghan"
18:06 [Talek] "Uh, Scorpio something."
18:08 [Kalan] Kalan's mouth twitches. "Iron Spider. Scorpion was the girl." He frowns at the sorcerer. "We need to do something to stop- or at least slow down- those battleframes."
18:10 [Kalan] "How many elementals can you summon?"
18:10 [ST] "Well, maybe if you weren't using all the firedust..." Sparks grumbles. "At least put a prayer strip to my father in there, bastard though he is."
18:12 [Talek] "Uh, three? Maybe four?"
18:15 [Kalan] "Split your summons between water and earth elementals. As powerful as you can get. And keep summoning them. They can bog up the approaches to the city; let's make the invasion as unpleasant as we can."
18:15 [Kalan] "Sparks, ready your men. We're blowing the ship this morning."
18:16 [Keshin] "Yes. Do as he says."
18:18 [ST] Sparks waffles between which of the Dragonbloods to bow to and finally settles for some odd spot between them, hastening away
18:20 [ST] "We'll go inform the Citizens of what we saw." Even a night in a Shadowland seems to have affected Celice. Her long, dark hair, once vibrant, is now stiff and listless, with several strands gone gray. "...with your leave."
18:20 [ST] She and the others seem significantly humbled.
18:22 [Kalan] Kalan grins, relishing their newfound sense of deference.
18:22 [Talek] "Well, I guess I'll just get to summoning. As soon as I figure out how to regrow the hands of my assistant and write some letters of apology to the Celestial Court. ta ta" Talek wanders off, looking vaguelly pleased
18:25 [ST] The fog lies low and oppressive along the harbor, sending a cold, seeping chill into the bodies of Dragonblooded and mortal alike.
18:26 [ST] It seems particularly thick today, and swirls strangely just beyond the range of sight, forming strange patterns of light and darkness as dozens of strange creatures move through its depths.
18:28 [ST] The Defenders, led by a reluctant Grandidi (the closest thing to a recognized authority until a new Prince is selected), have assembled some ways down the harbor front, forming a line five ranks deep along a narrow alley. Behind them are Striking Sparks and fifteen of her troops, the fear in their eyes belying their external stoicism. They've seen what the Eristrufa can do before.
18:29 [ST] The most suitable ship has been selected, a wallowing, two-masted merchant cog whose very name has been wiped off by the vicious spray and toss of the sea. The ship bobs on the tide off one of the harbors, still and silent.
18:30 [ST] The creatures do not emerge from the mist.
18:33 [Keshin] "Lets move. The more we can do before they react the better."
18:34 [Kalan] Kalan stands at the dock, waiting for the powder to be loaded and staring at the creatures in the mist.
18:34 [ST] Former slave soldiers move swiftly under the watchful eyes of the Tigers, moving barrow after barrow of precious firedust up the gangplank and onto the ship, where it is stored below.
18:35 [ST] Despite the staggering number of runs, it seems to take forever. The mist moves sluggishly, seemingly unconcerned.
18:35 [Keshin] Keshin prowls between the loaders and the formation of defenders, trying to keep an eye on the whole operation. It wasn't comfortable, trusting others to do their job.
18:37 [Kalan] "Captain," Kalan says suddenly, turning the squat, unhappy looking woman hovering at a distance. He beckons her over. Nervously, she comes. "Explain to me how take this out into the harbor single-handedly," he orders.
18:40 [ST] She frowns, clearly still unused to the idea that it is HER ship among all others that must be sacrificed. "It ain't a good ship. Slow. Old. Don't steer too well. But if you string up the sails and man the wheel, you'll get her out far enough." She grunts.
18:42 [Kalan] He nods. "You pull on those ropes to string up the sails, correct?"
18:44 [Kalan] He turns his gaze back to the horizon. "Perhaps you'd better string up the sails when the loading's finished," he suggests gently, enjoying the shade of green she turns.
18:47 [ST] "Got some sailors can do it," she says. She speaks low Realm, and thus is used to deferring to the Dragon-blooded, but even that cannot hide her bitterness.
18:48 [Kalan] Kalan shrugs. "Delegate yourself," he suggests acidly, and glares at her until she obeys, rounding up a few sailors.
18:49 [Kalan] "We're ready to go out," Kalan calls to Keshin as the last slave staggers gratefully off the ship
18:50 [ST] In short order the sails are ready, stirred by the slight wind that swirls the fog around. Once cut free, the ship will move out into the harbor surely, if not swiftly.
18:52 [Kalan] "We may get more of them, if I accompany the ship and take care to provoke them further,"
18:53 [Keshin] Keshin stands by the defenders, happier now that the loading is done. "Yes. Do it. And make it back. We will need you later."
18:54 [ST] That's when it happens - one of the Tigers, restless, skittish, pivots behind him, shouting, and pulls the trigger on his firewand, shooting a jet of flame high into the sky behind the formation.
18:55 [ST] There's a strange, grating, wolflike howl, and the Eristrufa appears in a mass of writhing tentacles, behind and above the cordon of Defenders. It descends in a tangle of barbs, rending and cutting, and shouts ring out from the assailed soldiers.
18:56 [ST] Out over the harbor, dozens of answering calls ring out.
18:56 [Kalan] He nods at this heartwarming concern for his wellbeing. He unstraps his armor and drops it to the deck and rolls his shoulders to get ride of the stiffness. He swears, jumping onto the ship and cutting it loose with a swipe of a sword borrowed from the startled captain.
18:57 [Kalan] Kalan calls a ball of fire to hand, and sends it streaking over into the pocket of Eristrufa nearest the soldiers.
18:58 [Kalan] The wind sluggishly fills the sails, and Kalan longs fiercely for Mara.
18:58 [ST] As the wind fills the sails of the nameless ship, bearing it away from the docks, another demon appears near the docks. Its barbed, bladed, and eye-covered tentacles drip seawater as it advances up the quays, reaching out almost casually to rend and tear the nearby shop stalls.
18:58 [Keshin] Calm, now that the situation had dropped into chaos, and no one could really expect him to control it, Keshin draws his weapon and charges at the mass of demons eating his troops, roaring in defiance.
18:58 [ST] Kalan's attack doesn't seem to phase the knot of demons attacking onshore, but it DOES draw the attention of dozens more over the harbor. They trumpet loudly, moving toward the vessel.
18:59 [Kalan] Kalan glances over his shoulder, and his eyes widen in alarm.
19:03 [Keshin] He had been standing slightly forward of the line, and to their left, on the side of the dock the fireship had been moored on, so the defenders were closer to him than the mercenary troops. He sweeps down the dock, then cuts back, taking the demons' flank, if they could be said to have one, slamming down at them with his reaver daiklave.
19:06 [ST] Keshin advances through a nest of slashing tentacles and a sea of flame from the Tigers' firewands, hacking away at the writhing form of the demon. As the strikes come in, its outline blurs and doubles - it suddenly seems to be many places at once, its multiple limbs moving in impossible ways to block the blows.
19:08 [ST] Then, even as a half dozen the creature's limbs still vibrate from knocking aside the Dragonblood's daiklave, two more emerge from the tangled mass, spearing forward. The fluted, twisted claws on their tip whistle strangely as they cut through the air.
19:10 [Keshin] Keshin hunches, using his daiklave to deflect one attack above him, but the other scores.
19:13 [ST] Though the blow hits, it only skips across the surface of the Dragonblood's armor in a spray of sparks.
19:13 [ST] The other Eristrufa descends among the Defenders, rending and tearing
19:15 [ST] Two of the giant warriors thrash uselessly as a pair of tentacles dart directly through their faceplates. Blood sprays through the narrow vision slits as the tentacles strain, bearing the wriggling figures aloft. The last Eristrufa continues to creep up the dock.
19:16 [ST] The Defenders counterattack without so much as a spoken word, lashing out with massive greataxes no normal mortal could wield.
19:16 [ST] Black sizzling blood sprays across the docks as several severed tentacles fall writhing to the ground.
19:17 [ST] Meanwhile, as Kalan continues to steer out to sea, the swarm of Eristrufa draws closer, keening with eagerness. They have grown bored in their long guard duty. Kalan can count dozens at least, arrowing in on him from every direction. They'll be on top of him soon.
19:20 [Keshin] With the Eristrufa focused on him, Keshin backhands at it, pressing it away from the back of the Defender formation, then rolls to interpose himself, coming up with a low sweep or his blade.
19:25 [ST] The creature retreats in a whirl of limbs, blocking the first slash between a pair of sawblade teeth. The second, however...
19:28 [ST] The Eristrufa shoots backward through the air in an alarming squidlike motion, spraying blood from the stump of three of its severed limbs. It has dozens more.
19:29 [ST] The other creature advances, carving paths through metal and flesh, parting the crowd of Defenders before it in spurts of gore. The two tentacles holding the dead Defenders rise and bend back, then lash forward, launching the pair of corpses at Keshin.
19:32 [Keshin] The corpses land where he had been, but miss him as he strides forward to take advantage of the ground the other demon had given.
19:35 [ST] The Defenders mount another counterattack with the unyielding ferocity of brainwashed, disciplined fanatics, but their weight of numbers and massive weapons don't seem to make a dent in the creatures. The Tigers, having finished reloading, unleash jets of flame on the wounded creature behind them, but it darts out of the way, trailing more of its hissing blood, splattering it across the cobblestones, smashing street stalls and tearing free wooden shutters as it retreats up the alley toward the city.
19:37 [ST] The Eristrufa are on top of Kalan now, still screaming. Barbed, jewel-eyed tentacles curl around the railing of the ship. One rises to caress the sail lightly, shredding it to utter ribbons. The creatures will attack soon, and they are too many for Kalan to hope to stand against all of them.
19:38 [Kalan] Kalan hacks at the tentacle shredding the sail, firing a volley of fire at the rest in a vain attempt to keep them back from him.
19:38 [Kalan] He wanted the ship as far out in the harbor as it would go, and he would buy every second he could.
19:49 [Keshin] Seeing one off, Keshin whirls, and bulls through the Defender formation. They were keeping rank well, even those in the process of dying to the Eristrufa's attack. He vaults the front ranks, not wanting to disturb their effectiveness, landing right next to the demon, and in the path of the second, bringing his daiklave down crushingly.
19:55 [ST] The demon waits, quiescent, holding its attack to strike when the Dragonblood's guard is down. But his blow strikes through, cleaving down through the center of the creature's tangled mass, bisecting it neatly. A dozen writhing tentacles fall to either side of Keshin, twitching madly in synch.
19:55 [ST] As that creature falls, the last advances, whipping its razored limbs before it, splitting the air with a keening whine.
19:58 [Keshin] His daiklave plants into the deck on the other side of the Eristrufa's body, so Keshin rolls forward as the other demon attacks, intereposing the temporarily fixed blade, before levering it, and a chunk of the dock, inward, freeing the blade.
19:59 [ST] The slashing tentacle goes wide, tearing half the dock asunder as Keshin bats it aside.
19:59 [ST] Onboard the merchant ship, the first of the creatures boils over the railing, rising up smoothly into the sky above Kalan before falling upon him in a tangle of questing limbs
20:03 [Kalan] Kalan darts upward as the tentacle comes down, and turns frantically as another swipes above his head, jeweled eyes winking madly.
20:04 [Kalan] He reaches frantically for a rope, pulling himself upward onto the mast. Its shredded sails flap in the wind, slapping against his face.
20:07 [ST] The questing tentacles knife through the air around Kalan like a score of tangled, deadly serpents, but none touch the Dragonblood as they literally tear the rigging and sail to shreds. The last shears through the mast entirely, sending the entire assembly - and the Dragonblood atop it, plummeting toward the deck.
20:08 [ST] Back on shore, the Defenders move forward around Keshin in lockstep, gore-flecked axes rising and falling methodically as they advance into a nest of striking tentacles
20:10 [ST] The creature groans loudly as a Defender's mighty axe blow splits one of its tentacles vertically down its entire length. The two halves of the now forked limb twitch in opposite directions as a geyser of black blood fountains from between them, spraying the advancing Defenders.
20:11 [ST] Aside from this demon, the battle on shore seems to be winding down - though the one onboard the ship is heating up as more and more Eristrufa surround it.
20:11 [ST] As the vessel moves further out into the harbor, it triggers the creatures' implanted orders, drawing them to its attempt to escape.
20:15 [Keshin] Seeing the vulnerability of the last demon before him, Keshin rushes to finish it with a last flurry of attacks. Two defenders seemed too cheap a price for their accomplishment so far, and he wanted to insure it wouldn't grow. He slashes down repeatedly at the thing, powering through its waving tentacular defenses.
20:19 [ST] Keshin's blows strike off first one limb, then another, then another, then another, and soon a tsunami of severed tentacles and spraying viscera fills the air around him. The image of the savage Dragonblood is the last sight of a score of faceted dead eyes, viewed from a variety of angles as the limbs they're attached to go flying.
20:20 [ST] The central mass, tattered into a lump of congealed gore by the attack, falls to the docks, unmoving.
20:21 [Keshin] He feels alive, doing this. So much easier than organizing the battle, but far less important unfortunately.
20:23 [Kalan] Kalan smashes against the deck, rolling back to his feet. He's breathing hard and panting, the foolish iron sword clutched in his hand like a lifeline. Sinister coils of tendrils rise around the ship, as if they were not dozens of beasts, but one, massive behemoth below the waters....
20:24 [Kalan] �Calamari tonight�, he resolves privately....
20:24 [Kalan] Sword at the ready, he stands on the foredeck and awaits their attack.
20:29 [ST] An absolute storm of tentacles descends on Kalan, blotting out even the wan, fog-shrouded sunlight. His entire world becomes a mass of screaming, tooth-covered worms, grasping, writhing, rending
20:30 [Kalan] Kalan hacks furiously at the writhing tentacles as they descend, but the mere mortal craftmanship weighs lead in his hands, and with a heart full of despair Kalan leaps upward in the mess, and as they grope as wrestle for him, he disappears in a flash of fire.
20:36 [Kalan] Most of the creatures' extrusions end up hurting each other more than him, slamming into each other with the force of repressed rage, but one, silvery-red and pitted with the scars of broken eyes, is cannier than most; it follows him upward, upward, and lash against his face.
20:37 [Kalan] Kalan screams as it opens a long stinging gash on his cheek the instant he materializes, and the scream becomes a dragon's roar, his blood transfusing to liquid plasma, his skin and hair becoming...fire.
20:40 [Kalan] His dream, the secret dream of every Fire Aspect, the dream Cathak took care to beat out of each of its scions with whips and rulers and merciless discipline, is realized.
20:40 [Kalan] The world explodes.
20:41 [Kalan] Kalan is the pitiless heart of Gaia burning.
20:43 [ST] A second sun blossoms over the Kushan harbor, briefly. A ball of purest flame forms, disentegrating the ship in a wave of elemental fire. In the first few moments, a chunk of the sea simply vanishes, flash-evaporated by the sudden burst of heat and light.
20:44 [ST] A column of flame hundreds of yards high stabs into the sky, stabbing defiantly into the heavens, searing away the clutching fog. Then, it becomes a hemisphere, expanding, consuming. The surrounding sea begins to boil.
20:45 [ST] Windows all across the city of Kushan shatter inward. The delicate glass Fountain of Sighs in the dead Prince's garden, a holdover from the First Age, explodes into a million worthless fragments.
20:46 [ST] The gathered Eristrufa scream as one as they are consumed in the conflagaration, seared away to nothingness.
20:46 [ST] And-
20:47 [ST] Ha-Ma Lu, the God of Firedust, startles Ahlat by dropping his cup of Celestial Tea, spilling it across the documents they have met to sign. "What is it?" Ahlat demands. Smiling beatifically, the lesser god simply waves off his question, savoring the moment.
20:48 [ST] In the depths of the twisted demon city there is an ocean, ever-moving, ever-burning, ever-hated. Kimberry, the Yozi. The Sea that Marched against the flame.
20:49 [ST] As a hundred of her children die in a moment, the briefest tremor passes through the Yozi. A pinprick, next to nothing. But it is enough. In an existence full of such unending pain, even the slightest addition may enrage.
20:49 [ST] And finally...
20:51 [ST] Mnemon, presiding over the graduation ceremony of the Heptagram, in the middle of her grandest and most bombastic speech yet, finds herself at an utter loss for words as an army of her summoned demons scream in unified agony, sending a spike of pain and confusion through her mind. The crowd murmurs as she falls to her knees, holding her head, sobbing. When she rises minutes later, a false, deadly smile plastered across her face, her wrath almost rivals the Yozi's.
20:54 [ST] As the tower of fire fades away, the sun shines once more on Kushan's harbor. Flakes of errant ash fall in patches over the city.
20:55 [ST] "Now that," Striking Sparks says, her voice as ragged as if she's just finished making love, "is what I call an explosion."
20:58 [Keshin] Keshin nods twice, reseting his mind. "Right. Get the fishermen out in force. Hopefully there are still fish out there. And station some defenders on each dock, there may be a few remenant Eristrufa."
20:58 [Kalan] Kalan smiles as fire surrounds him, embracing him like a mother. He almost has wings, and he spreads his arms wide...His smile widens, and then turns into a scream as he falls into boiling water. It is only the fire that was his friend. His agonized shout is swallowed as the scalding water runs down his throat, burning him. He swims frantically downward, desperate to escape the heat.
20:59 [Kalan] The skin of his face and hands turns pink and begins to bubble before he makes it to cooler waters.
21:01 [Kalan] Long, painful minutes later, he pulls himself up onto the dock, and lies there gasping.
21:04 [ST] Striking Sparks blinks once at Keshin's order, looking at him with unfocused eyes. Suddenly, she leans forward, planting a kiss on him, before pulling back and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Sorry," she apologizes. "It's the explosions, you know. Anyway, yeah... I'll... spread the word." She keeps looking over her shoulder at the ascending column of smoke as she goes.
21:08 [Keshin] He stares after her, startled. Apparently betrothal was the key.
21:11 [Keshin] Keshin waits for Kalan, watching the harbor come to life around him. Eventually, he sees Kalan climb out from the ocean, and flop onto a nearby dock. He jogs over. Dealing with him was his job, not one he could fob off on someone else. "Good. You follow orders well."
21:14 [Kalan] Kalan looks ups, staggering to his feet with difficulty. He sways there for a moment trying to come up with some biting sarcasm, but in the end he just snarls at Keshin and stalks off.
-------
21:16 [Talek] Talek barged into the warehouse demanding assistance in the name of the Dragons. Predictably, the slaves helped and the citizens took off.
21:17 [Talek] For warehouse workers, they're pretty good at drawing sigils in Old Realm. Then again, the sigils of the Terrawurm aren't exactly delicate.
21:19 [Talek] He does have to yell and scream to find the turnips necessary to conduct his wood essence into earth, and the tubers aren't exactly choice. The citizens rile under his abuse.
21:21 [Talek] Talek starts his chant. Its three hours of stamping, beating a drum, and ordering the slaves to dance. The terrawurm loves vibrations
21:22 [Talek] As the dance proceeds Talek's mood improves. By the end of it, he's practically beaming
21:23 [Talek] "By the might of the dragons and the authority in my blood, I summon you-" and then the improvised cymbols clang and the slaves jump, not for the terrawurm's name is said only in vibrations
21:28 [ST] The vibrations travel through the stone floor, the dirt below, the rock below. Something hears. Something comes.
21:30 [ST] Called the Terrawurm in the Realm, it is variously known across the Threshold as the Terraserpent, the Snake of Earth, and the Rock-Eater. It has spend long blind years gnawing at the roots of the mountains of the East, and Talek's call breaks it from its assigned job. It tunnels through the earth toward the city of Kushan, an earthworm a hundred yards long, as thick around as a fully grown man.
21:30 [ST] It bursts forth from the floor in a rush of earth and stone, rising in a glistening column that nearly touches the ceiling. Many of the drummers falter. The creature sways back and forth.
21:32 [Talek] Talek raises his arms, and a great wooden rune bends itself into flowery existence in front of him
21:34 [ST] The creature is incapable of speech, unlike the Kri, which never falls silent. The last Talek saw of it, the Kri was basking in the former Sonorous Academy, enjoying the songs of its freed slaves. Leos's daugther seems to be a favorite, to her great misfortune.
21:36 [Talek] "So, have you guys heard the joke about where the Terraserpent sits?" Talek jokes. The slaves gape in awe
21:36 [ST] As Talek's arcane rune asserts itself, the Terrawurm seems to calm, lowering itself to lie prone on the floor, a sign of blunt animal obedience.
21:37 [Talek] Talek pats it on the head fondly, and whispers to it to tunnel under a certain stretch of ground, and to rest when it needs to...."you will need your strength soon, my child."
21:38 [ST] The great beast makes a low chuffing sound, seeming to understand. It slips away, leaving a glistening trail behind it, sliding silently into the earth.
21:38 [ST] No sooner has it vanished from sight than the brooch on Talek's robe grows warm, its blue stone flaring brightly.
21:39 [ST] It seems Mnemon seeks an audience.
21:40 [Talek] In an expansive mood and aflame with essence, Talek answers warmly. "Grandma! So good to hear from you again."
21:41 [ST] "Talek," Mnemon's voice is cold, stern. "You will report. What happens in the city? How does the struggle progress?"
21:45 [Talek] "Deled is dead. Kalan's secret is out of the bag. Keshin is commanding the troops, although I doubt he has their respect"
21:45 [ST] "Deled never should have been there," Mnemon says tersely. "I- are you alone? There are urgent matters we must discuss."
21:46 [Talek] "I have quelled a rebellion here. I do not want anyone to say that our defense failed because of the mortals lack of loyalty."
21:47 [Talek] "A few servants. I doubt they speak Old Realm."
21:47 [Talek] "I am heading somewhere more private." He found this mode of communication ackward
21:47 [ST] "Eyes are everywhere," Mnemon says sharply. "A Mnemon should know that above all!" At his concession, her voice thaws slightly. "Yes, yes, that's a good boy."
21:48 [Talek] "The abyssal's force is now being led by a Solar. He is exalted recently and is still young in his power. I am unsure what effect his presence will have."
21:49 [ST] Once Talek has retired to a more secure location, an isolated storeroom nearby, Mnemon deigns to reply. It is almost as if she knows when he has arrived there.
21:50 [ST] "I know, Talek. You should not treat me as a foolish whelp, grandson. I will... be Empress one day..." Her voice takes on its quavering, mad quality, as it always does when she speaks of this.
21:51 [ST] "The siege on the harbor continues unbroken, correct?"
21:54 [Talek] "So far, so good. My comrades have a mad plan to lift it, though."
21:54 [Talek] "You should consider plans for the reinforcements."
21:54 [Talek] "Although I doubt they will be succesful."
21:55 [ST] "Ensure that they are not. I entrust this task to you, Talek. Remember what happens to those who fail me."
21:56 [ST] "As for the Solar leading the forces of the Deathlord... I know regrettably little about him... since Sad Ivory's demise my intelligence is limited. But I did not call to share news with you. To listen to you mewl."
21:56 [ST] "I have a task. A very important one."
21:57 [Talek] "Anything, Grandmother."
21:59 [ST] "There is a part of the city known as Tumbletown, they tell me. You know it. The home of the freed slaves. The shanty town near the harbor."
22:00 [Talek] "I have heard of it."
22:02 [ST] "The Citizens do not disturb it. They do not say why, though they all know. It contains the shrine to Shi-Ma, the goddess of Kushan. The Weeping Amnethyst Princess. The former slaves make ample sacrifices, and she protects them, remembering her role as a protector and nurturer in the First Age, before her city became what it is today."
22:02 [ST] Mnemon sits before a mirror in her wing of the Imperial Manse, maintaining a web of protective anti-eavesdropping spells as she applies paint to her lips and cheeks.
22:04 [ST] "Beneath her sanctum there is a tunnel. At the end of that tunnel is a door. And when you have opened the door, that is where the forces of the Solar will enter. Shi-Ma has promised to aid you in this. She will help you open the way."
22:07 [Talek] "I have a Terraserpent who I have asked to make new tunnels. I can certainly ask it to create a few more."
22:07 [Talek] "What needs to be done to open the door?"
22:08 [ST] "Some minor sorcery, aided by the Goddess's desire. She trusts no one else. Truthfully, she probably does not trust you, but the rewards for her are... undeniable."
22:12 [Talek] "Truly? Why does she aide us?"
22:13 [ST] "A unique case..." Mnemon smirks at herself in the mirror, curling her lashes. Servants should do such things, but she could never trust them to do them correctly... and even if her mother had praised the usefulness of deafened slaves, there were other ways for servants to spy on their betters.
22:15 [ST] "In the ancient times, Shi-Ma was known as the gentlest of the city-gods... her heresy was her love, and the affection she bestowed upon her city. She would weep for the birds that fell dead in the park, weep for the worthless mortal children that drowned in the river. When the Contagion came, she nearly went mad. When the Realm remade Kushan, she did go mad."
22:16 [Talek] "I don't blame her."
22:16 [ST] "She has remained in that gutter, coddling the former slaves, relying upon their affection, upon the disgusting sense of satisfaction it gives her, and she has fallen deeper into despair. She never imagines that she will change. She wants only an ending."
22:16 [ST] "The Deathlord has promised that if he may slaughter her city, he shall cast her into Oblivion forever. She welcomes this."
22:17 [Talek] "Politics makes strange bedfellows."
22:17 [Talek] "I shall do as you ask."
22:18 [ST] "I know you will." There's a moment of silence, as Mnemon flexes lacquered nails, admiring them. "Talek... I visited Rahsa yesterday."
22:19 [ST] "You must have heard the stories. Her faux pas at the family gathering... a hundred years ago."
22:19 [ST] "She has torn out her eyes, since I saw her last. She doesn't speak much any more, not properly, but I sensed from the way she tugged on my skirts that she was... lonely."
22:20 [ST] "I will have to find someone to join her soon."
22:21 [Talek] "I'm sure the Cathak would be happy to lend you Kalan to keep Rasha company. I hear he is a fantastic lover, if she is so lonely."
22:22 [Talek] Talek is a little surprised by his own bravery. But then, come to think of it, it wasn't the first time he had been threatend with eternal imprisonment by one of his relatives
22:23 [ST] "A fitting punishment, for a traitor to the Realm," Mnemon chuckles, and it sounds almost worse than her fury. "Do not disappoint me, Talek. I must go now... a speech... a minor social function. It is nothing."
22:24 [Talek] "I hope you will not be too bored, Grandmother."
22:25 [ST] "As do I."
22:28 [ST] The stone flares once more then goes silent.
22:34 [ST] It takes a few minutes to clean up the warehouse. The slaves have mostly gone now, but they did a poor job of cleaning up the arcane reagents and remaining sigils.
22:35 [ST] If not dealt with, these traces could lead to essence mutation and perhaps even a demon slipping through from Malfeas. As Talek starts to set to this task, a massive explosion rocks the warehouse.
22:35 [ST] The sound of shattering glass can be heard outside.
22:35 [Talek] "Oh, what now?"
22:36 [Talek] Talek walks outside to take a look, tossing the scrap of parchment he had picked up back over his shoulder. If a Demon gets through from Malfeas, what harm could it do?
22:36 [ST] A column of flame surges into the sky above the harbor, a lance of fire. Even as Talek watches, it dims and fades, and when it clears away... the fog is gone.
22:37 [Talek] "Well, that's the end of that."
22:38 [ST] Mnemon will not be pleased.
23:01 [Talek] Talek sits in his bedroom,
23:02 [Talek] He's appropriated a small townhouse (a mansion by local standards) with a dreadfully parochical (unbelievably lavish) garden
23:03 [Talek] He sits on the silk, with a textbook open and some samples from the garden, assembling a pair of hands from clay, leaves, twigs, and what appears to be a bird's nest
23:04 [Talek] Tansy sits nearby, lost in an opium daze. Talek has quietly appropriated most of the city's supply. He used to be so compassionate, he remembers.
23:04 [Kalan] The house shakes slightly as someone begins kicking furiously on the door. A servant shrieks, diving into a supply closet.
23:04 [Kalan] "�TALEK!�" Kalan roars from outside.
23:05 [Talek] "Come in" Talek says, rolling his eyes
23:07 [Kalan] There's a pause, as Kalan considers how much of his dignity to sacrifice. "...My hands..." he calls up at last, a little raggedly.
23:08 [Talek] "Binzi, get the door!" he hollars
23:14 [Talek] A terrified servant leads you into Talek's bedroom. "You need something?"
23:14 [Kalan] Kalan strolls into the room, limping a little bit with the effort to seem unaffected. His face and hands are pink, bubbled with white spots. An open gash leaks blood across his face. He holds his hands limp in front of him, and takes care they touch nothing. "I was ...injured," he says cooly enough. His voice is rougher than he would like, and he frowns at Talek as if he has just found a spider in his stew.
23:15 [ST] Tansy waves a bandaged hand listlessly at Kalan.
23:16 [Kalan] He glances at Tansy. There's a little drool collecting at the corner of her vacant smile. "I see you're looking better," he says, a modicum of warmth in his voice. No doubt he should mention Tansy's discipline...issues to Keshin.
23:16 [Talek] "Just one minute, I've almost figured this out."
23:17 [Kalan] Whether he ignored the problem or decided to 'handle' it, the results would be amusing.
23:17 [Talek] "Fascinating really, never had cause to make new hands from scratch l ike this. Here we go!" he removes the bandages and places the new hands on. Tansy screams, but it comes out oddly through the drugs
23:18 [Talek] Finally she collapses. The new hands appear to have turned to flesh. Talek lays her out gently. "Now then, you were saying?"
23:20 [Kalan] Kalan's stomach turns at the sight. He fixes his attention on Talek, as the somewhat- less nauseating spectacle. "I was scalded in the water, a mist demon has disfigured me, and- perhaps you recall- your damned arrowheads are still buried in my back." His voice turns poisonous. "�Fix� it."
23:21 [Talek] "Now now, all you had to was ask."
23:22 [Talek] "now, just lay down here" he gestures to a divan. "Take your armor off."
23:24 [Kalan] Kalan unstraps his armor gingerly, and then his shirt his scalded hands shaking with pain. He lays on the couch on his stomach, uneasy. The wound in his shoulder stabs in uncomfortable memory of the last time he turned his back on Talek.
23:26 [Talek] Talek touches his hands to Kalan's back, and extends roots into the flesh
23:27 [Talek] The roots push up from below, popping the arrowheads out along the same path they entered
23:27 [Kalan] Kalan gasps as the metal burrows again through his flesh.
23:28 [Talek] He pulls his hands away quickly, and the roots remain. You can feel them crawling lightly, knitting the wounds shut before distintegrating into flesh
23:28 [Talek] "Now, about those burns."
23:28 [Talek] "Not my specialty, I'm afraid"
23:29 [Talek] Talek grabs a variety of pungent powders, and mixes them together with a bit of powerful rice brandy, and a little of his own blood
23:29 [Talek] "Fire burns Wood, as you know."
23:29 [Kalan] Kalan sits up, biting down an oath as one hand brushes against a pillow, leaving skin behind. "Manage. Something."
23:29 [Talek] "Here, sit up again."
23:30 [Talek] Talek paints Kalan's face and hands with the sickly sweet smelling glue. "You won't be winning any beauty pagents for a few days, I'm afraid, but the wounds should heal."
23:31 [Talek] He cakes the stuff thick around Kalan's fingers, and wraps them with gauze. As for Kalan's face, it looks like a woman undergoing some esoteric beauty treatment. Very esoteric.
23:31 [Talek] "There." Talek stands back, and stifles a laugh
23:32 [Talek] "Sorry about the arrows. You never did offer us that explanation, though."
23:33 [Kalan] Kalan shrugs, nodding when the gesture does not pain him. His expression is ugly and savage, and becomes uglier still. "There is nothing to explain," he bites out. He catches sight of himself in a glass, and looks momentarily horrified.
23:33 [Kalan] It is grotesque.
23:34 [Kalan] �I was unlikely to succeed in seducing Mara regardless�, he reminds himself. She was probably sleeping with Keshin by now anyway; he was her sort.
23:34 [Kalan] The sneer, at least, suits his puffy, twisted features.
23:35 [Talek] Talek sighs.
23:36 [Talek] "Very well. I suppose it was probably just a love affair. You have so many women."
23:37 [Talek] "Do you think i'ts wise?"
23:38 [Kalan] "Who do I have?" Kalan retorts, strapping on his armor.
23:41 [Talek] "Err, Matara? Or Mara? Which is your wife and which is your lover?"
23:41 [Talek] "I can never keep those two straight"
23:42 [Kalan] Kalan just glares at him. He nods brusquely to Tansy, and stomps out. She never notices the gesture.
23:44 [Talek] "The thanks I get."
23:44 [Talek] He stares at his high companion and his departing commander and wonders how the hell he got himself so far into this disaster
23:46 [Talek] "I'm going to reincarnate as a flea, aren't I Tansy?" he says
23:46 [Talek] "Maybe I'll have to build a lot of Pagodas. Or maybe I'll ask to marry Rahsa and get her out that way, I could make her new eyes, and I hear she was very high breeding. Although, hmm, that request might be misinterpeted....."
23:47 [Talek] He flops down, exhausted.
00:14 [Kalan] Being relieved of command had unexpected advantages, Kalan decides as he returns a salute to a squad of armed slaves patrolling Tumbletown. They were looking alarmingly professional these days, in leather armor, metal helms, and spears.
00:16 [Kalan] The loss of authority was galling, and his skin itched every time Keshin gave him an order, but while Keshin was stuck behind his desk organizing supplies, Kalan was left to wander the streets and enjoy the fine wine the Citizenry, newly generous, had donated the Dragonblooded command.
00:18 [Kalan] A breeze winds through the crowded, dirty streets, and Kalan lifts his head to smell....flowers? His directions were accurate then. He smiles, and takes a swig from the bottle he carried open.
00:23 [Kalan] The smile twists the skin on his cheek awry, and the prostitute who hesitantly approached him blanches and chooses another mark. The garden Kalan finds around the corner is a small, shabby affair, little more than a grove of twisted trees, and few haphazardly tended flowers.
00:24 [Kalan] It was the only public greenery in Kushan; a comment, no doubt, on what corrupted life they fought for.
00:26 [Kalan] Kalan sets his wine down against the tree, and almost falls. He laughs hoarsely, steadying himself against it. He searches inside his armor for the trinket...ah, there.
00:28 [Kalan] He pulls the medallion out. He had taken it from the girl's corpse...Scorpion, he seemed to recall, had been her name. He drapes it casually over a branch, and regards it unsmiling.
00:31 [Kalan] "Sleep here," he says at last, briefly. It somehow comes an order. A little heresy, this pathetic memorial, but what was the Immaculate Order to him, now?
00:32 [Kalan] He taps the tree in farewell, picks up his bottle, and leaves Scorpion's medallion there.
00:34 [Kalan] Wind whistles through tree, stirring its meagre branches. The medallion's chain knocking against the trunk sounds like the rattle of bones.
