SJE/Session18
Exalted Session 18
24th Descending Fire
The Watch report to duty to find the Granite Tower surrounded by over a dozen horses and 4 camels, the Captain lying drunk in a gutter, face being liked by a raspy camelidaen tongue. “Geroff Orchid” he mutters.
The rest of the Watch don’t know what to make of all this- apparently the Palace have sent this kings ransom in horseflesh to the Granite Tower- but why? “Dunno Sirs, more’n my jobsworth to arsk” says the flunky who is handing over the reins.
In due course Orchid appears to explain the “Good news and better news!” – She has volunteered the Watch to go into the western mountains to recover the Ryku shipment as a favour to the Despots Great Aunt and Mother Sahlak.
“Great Aunt?!” exclaims Jaq “Is that the proper procedure?”
“Mother Sahlak!?” splutters Brand “And you survived?!”
“No, no, you have quite the wrong idea” explains Orchid “If the Great Aunt wants something, then the Despot would surely be happy to grant it. And Mother Sahlak and I have quite the professional relationship. She’ll be nice to you, if you do this little job for her and swear to return all the Ryku”
“How about she swears not to have me killed” asks Brand
“I’m sure we can negotiate it all after we have the ryku- time though is of the essence” re-assures the diplomatic Orchid.
It’s about 40 miles to Five Gorge Pass- it’ll be about 2 days there and 2 days back, assuming all goes well. They’ll have to ride hard and light- a challenging task for such novice riders (unfortunately Orchid forgot to tell Sahlak and Auntie the Watch couldnt ride. Oh well!)
So the Watch mount up over the grudging protests of Brand and meet their guide, a worried looking Palace clerk called Nervous Quill. Well, when we say mount up, mostly it involves falling or hanging onto dear life as only the Captain and Orchid (in a previous life) have ever ridden a horse before. Jaq, Rav and Brand suffer tremendously as they canter down Gem and out into the desert. Every step is another bounce, every bounce a jolt of pain to the crotch and thighs as the 3 city mice race across the wilderness. Brand’s riding is so poor he will soon be a eunuch, but he believes Body Mending mediation will grow it all back… Jaq especially suffers from exposure, unused to the baking heat and travelling burnouses. For some reason he discloses that he fears meeting snakes out in the wilderness and urges his companions to look out for them, especially poisonous ones…
Still they make it to the mountains, 3 much the worse for wear. Ravines, gullies, ridges, trails and ledges provide a winding and treacherous path through the black basalt of this volcanic mountain range. Along one particulourly perilous precipice the new horsemen are having difficulty, especially as seasoned rider Captain Ibrahim tries overtaking on a 2 yard wide trail. Disaster is only narrowly averted as Brand resorts to leading his mount on foot and Orchid calls upon past life memories to encourage the horse back from a near fatal misstep.
Down into the canyons a red gemstone is spotted lying amongst a rocky bank- Brand goes for the shiny but is ambushed by the desert basilisk that jumps out at him, bursting into flame as it does. The basilisk is quickly cut down and Brand prises the gem off its forehead and places it in the hearthstone slot of his direlance.
“Woah! Flame On!” flame races down the lance, up his arms, over his shoulders and head, covering him in a sheet of slame, Johnny Storm style! And though he tries to will it off, the conflagration scares off both the horses and Nervous Quill.
Having lost their guide, it is down to the Captain who somehow finds water in this rocky wasteland and who sets up a camp, afflicted as he is by alcohol withdrawal. Brand helps him out with his stash of rotgut which he Cap’n nearly finishes. To his horror the Captain realises that no once packed wine or spirits in the supplies- he faces the real and horrifying possibility of being without alcohol for the first time since he became an alcoholic!
The Watch make camp and set Watches. The Captains goes quietly but when he sleeps he is tormented by those realistic dreams- this time he is in a rocky tunnel, the weight of the mountain around him, digging deep down into the earth, rocks thrown and splintering behind him in his haste. This thrashing nightmares wakes the rest of the Watch in the Mens tent (Brand, Rav, Cap’n and Jaq) while Orchid has the Womens tent to herself.
Once sleep is regained, Orchid takes a Watch and ninjas attack. Well actually more a pair of black pyjamas jump down from the canyon face, apparently worn by someone invisible. Orchid suspects an Aranea, and challenges it, but the clothing settles and disspears into the rocks ahead of her. Despite offering it secrets, she gets no response, if it was ever there in the first place.
Brands watch mostly consists of playing with the Basilisk Stone. He cant turn the coat of flame on or off at will, but removing and reinstalling the stone into the hearth stone setting seems to do the trick. We also realise the a Burning Brand indeed makes a great barbeque, marshmallow toasting and impromptu sauna (with tent and a spring).
Ravitsu has last watch in the early hours of the morning. He spots a small green snake slithering determinedly towards the Male tent. He grabs it, but it bites his finger, fangs sinking deep. A hissing voice sounds in Rav’s mind
“So Thief, the patient revenge of Ssseth has arrived. Know that you have only a week to live before this poison reaches your heart- the only antidote lies hidden in my Sanctum. However, I offer you life again if you complete Three Tasks for my greater glory. In order to save your own life, you must- steal the hecatomb from Ahlats sacrifice, steal the Despots Yasal Crystal collection and then burn every Immaculate Text in the Temple of Five Harmonious Dragons.” </i>
Thief? Rav it seems has been accidentally bitten by a short sighted Servant of Ssseth who had been dispatched to poison Jaq. (Much to Ravs horror he realises there are no anti-poison Lunar Charms. Bit of an oversight really)
Rousing most of the others (the Captain is apparently still sleeping, in reality feigning and hearing every word) an argument erupts.
<i> “What is going on Jaq?!” demands Rav
“I don’t know.” (spots the green snake) “Er… uh oh?” Jaq mumbles, horrified.
“I’ve only got a week to live because this snake bit me instead of you! Why does Ssseth want you dead?”
“Er… you see…. You remember that missing scroll thing from the Immaculate Temple?”
“That was you?”
“!No!, rather sort of- I retrieved it from Ssseth and returned it anonymously to the Immaculates. Then Ssseth cursed me, so I had Master Tanaka beat him up!”
“Who are you?”
“Er… see this?” Jaq pulls out a small black stone miniature of a mouse.
“You are the Black Mouse!” - shock and surprise for Rav and Brand. Less so for Orchid who already knew.
“Er… one of them. There is another- Dashing Hare”
“I bet there is another” says Brand, sotte voce “how does the song go- 3 blind mice?”
“Well there is also my brother….”
(GM smiles)
“Right, this is your fault, so you can steal the hecatomb and Yasal Crystals. I don’t mind burning the Immaculate texts I suppose” says Rav angrily.
“Er… please don’t tell the Captain?” says a shaken Jaq.
Meanwhile in the tent Captain Ibrahim wonders that if the Black Mouse could break into his family compound, then perhaps he could do so again and this time kill his wicked uncle, allowing Ibrahim to take back his rightful inheritance. Resolving to say nothing yet, the wily but drink-less Captain feigns sleep once more.
Eventually dawn rises on a disgruntled and disunited watch who cannot even agree on which trail to follow. Rav exchanges angry glances with a sheepish Jaq. Orchid is worried about the spirit of secrets that has hidden itself nearby, the Captain needs another drink and Brand wants to go back to the city. Truly it is the camping trip from hell.
Though they find their guide once more (hiding under a camoflauged cloak two canyons down), more trouble awaits them. Rav slips off in eagle form and spots a possible ambush ahead- metal glints from either side of a narrow and winding ravine. Brand and Jaq go ninja to climb up the ravine and flank their attackers while Orchid, Rav and Captain lead their herd of horses through the defile. A bandit jumps out and demands their cattle or their lives. Rav tells them to bugger off.
As arrows are to be loosed and nets thrown, Jaq and Brand spoil the ambush, cutting nets and knocking a guy off the 20 yard high ravine face.. “Aaargghhhhh….<thump!>”
Then something curious happens. The old and grey-bearded bandits all take a sip from steel vials secreted about their person. Suddenly their actions become a blur of speed, weapons loosed in a cascade of after-images, 12 yards covered in a second, 3 arrows in the air before the first has struck. The Exalts burn through personal essence, desperately trying to dodge and parry this incredible flurry of attacks and weapons from their Matrix speeding opponents. Jaq doesn’t recognise the liquid (which causes the bandits veins to become pronounced and glow faintly blue, adding more lines to their faces)- whatever it is, it must be new.
So, we leave our protagonists locked in mortal combats with mortals who are now more than mortal. Blades clash and parry and strike with mind-boggling speed, wounds getting through the Captains stalwart defence, even as 4 of the 10 hyper-fast mortals perish in the Exalted counter-attack. What further surprises and mysteries await?
3 days to Calibration. Rav has 7 days left to live. Tick-tick- TICK!
So ends Session 18.
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