SJE/Session14
Exalted Session 14
It’s the early hours of the 20th Descending Fire. Having unmasked the coup plot of Lord Steward Valtess and Major Ymes of the Palace Guard (in cahoots with Quiet Fox of the Obsidian Thieves Guild), the Watch spend the night raiding the Guild safehouses, backed up by the Army. Doors are kicked down, suspects arrested, firedust confiscated.
After the last round-ups, the Captain gives the team the day off for a job well done.
Brand however is still consumed with his hatred of the Thieves Guild, Mother Sahlak and anything else going, and goes to work interrogating the prisoners. He eventually extracts the location where the Guild members say Quiet Fox lives.
The Captain suffers terrible dreams once more- bloody nightmares of riding across the desert on a black steed, attacked by some leaping desert predator, he rends it jaw from jaw, awakening to the sensation of being covered in blood once more. Worried by these dreams he seeks the advice of a Oneiromancer, Prophetic Voice (astrologer for hire, reasonable rates!). Prophetic voice stirs examines tea-leaves, reads palms and interprets the Captains dreams. While marvelling at how two lines meet and form his life line, the astrologer agrees with the Captain that these are warnings from the Gods and that propriating their wrath is necessary. Taking this advice to heart, the Captain attends one of Mrs. Ahlats cattle sacrifice rites (“putting dinner on my Husbands table”) and learns of the hecatomb- the sacrifice of 1,000 cattle to Ahlat on the eve of Calibration. The Captain spends most of the rest of the day beg, borrowing (and misappropriating the Watch petty cash box) to buy 15 calves for the hecatomb.
Jaq aka Quiet Shadow aka The Black Mouse is still puzzled over the recent theft of the Dynasts Diadem (largest gemstone in Creation) by an imposter Black Mouse. Could it be her thought lost brother Swift Shadow, the original Black Mouse? She spends the day following her brothers lovers around in case he is still alive and in contact with one of his many ex-girlfriends. Alas no luck. But Jaq does remind Orchid of her obligations to help find Swift Shadow.
Orchid is doing many things. After her house astrologer says that the stars indicate she will be hunting seals tonight, she sends him off to find Arrack of Northolm, whose Exaltation she has apparently misappropriated (and is screwing up her astrological fortune). He goes off for a year and a day, promising to write.
Then Orchid sends some minions to go shopping for war-fans. She asks around about Swift Shadow to little avail and sends some tea to Mother Sahlak as a courtesy (they have business yet to discuss, post-party). Then she decides that the second best parlour really needs a coat of paint to cover the sun bleaching effect of 2 Exaltations that took place there, so goes to seek her Solar amigos, anxious to turn these golden demi-gods into cowboy interior-home decorators!
Despite it being their day off, Orchid finds Rav and Brand at the Granite Watchtower. Much jokery on how sad they are to turn up for work on their supposed day off! There is some nervous experimentation with the captured Soulsteel Gyroscopic Chakram and Brand (Twiglet that he is) manages to partially attune to it, and reset it from its command to fly after and kill Jaq. Brand deactivates it and puts it into a box in the Dept. of Forbidden Magics.
Rav, Orchid and Brand go visit Quiet Fox’s house, not expecting him to be there but perhaps clues to where he fled. Instead they find a literal deathtrap. Bear traps buried in the sand of the courtyard. High velocity needles when the shutter is jimmied open. Razor sharp window ledges. Nightingale floors and a pit trap beneath the rug. This isn’t where some one lives- it’s a test from a Thieves Guildmaster who believes in Darwinian selection!
So they go hunt for Ahram the Trader (the firedust exporter who was the frontman for the Obsidian Thieves Guild). He’s fled town this morning with a favoured nephew. Rav turns to Eagle form and follows after them, finding them on the northern trail to the Lap. Unfortunately the midday sun exhausts even this Lunar Exalt and the need for shade forces Rav to abandon his plan for a flyby snatch of Ahram.
Back in Gem Orchid and Brand duck and cover when they see a column of horsemen riding through the caravanaserais, back into Gem. Its Master Ledaal Tanaka and an annoyed Cathak Aron leading 125 Realm horsemen with shining armour and bright swords. The Wyld Hunt is back in town!
Meanwhile the Captain is in the Watchhouse, poking around. He hears a noise from upstairs- a floorboard creaking in the Dept of Forbidden Magics. Grabbing a firewand and poleaxe, he investigates.
The door swings open. Around him is the Department, filled with musty bookshelves, in the corner a broken summoning circle, a stuffed crocodile handing from the the rafters. And at the far side is a large, 7 foot humanoid, shimmering in the air as light bends round its optical cloaking system. And there is a red beam of light shining through the air, bulls-eying the Captains chest!
With a battlecry, the Captain charges forward, discharging his firewand and swinging his poleaxe. But the optical camo makes it hard to hit, and the Creature fires back, a glowing blue-white ball of plasma smashing into the Captains chest! Around him the firewands blast has ignited the bookcase, precious tomes and grimoires like the Al-Azif and Tome of the Unicorn bursting into glame.
Now the Creature exerts its massive, hydraulically assisted strength and pushes the burning bookcase onto the Captain, who spins his poleaxe around to catch and parr back the bookcase with one mighty heave!
The others have been returning, and spot the fire from the second storey of the Watchtower. Could it be a revenge attack by the Obsidian Thieves? There is still a lot of firedust unaccounted for!
Jaq and Rav race towards their base, fleet footed. Orchid demands her sedan runners go faster. Brand heaves up his guts, unused to running so soon after his poisoning (2 days ago) and catches a lift on Orchids sedan.
As Jaq jumps from neighbouring roof to a 2nd storey window on the Watch Tower he sees a scene of chaos. Amidst burning books and alchemical equipment, the badly injured Captain battles the near-invisible Hunter, plasma hits burning through his breastplate. Spotting the newcomer, the creature turns and flees, racing for the opposite window. Jaq whips out his knives and throws one to cut the sting holding the head of the stuffed crocodile from the rafters. Croc swings down, jaws almost enveloping the shimmering Hunter, dodging as best as he can. Jaq’s second knife lodges deep in the enemys’ thigh as it takes an impossible leap, landing 40 yards away on roof across the road.
Rav has arrived, leaping from barrels to carts, trampolineing off a sun-awning she sets off in hot pursuit of the alien, calling upon her Gift of Lunar (Lunatic?) Speed to keep up with the Hunter.
Orchid and Brands sedan comes to a skidding stop outside the Granite Watchtower, boxes scattering around them! The rear bearer stumbles a little and the whole sedan chair swings right suddenly, the two passengers rolling out, Sweeney-style!
Meanwhile, the irate but injured Captain sees his opponent make this huge leap out of the window and across 8 yards of busy street. Thinking himself immortal, the Captain channels Stupidity (some call it Valour, but we know better :_)) and takes a running jump out the window!
Unlike the Hunter, the Captain has no Charm-assisted mobility, and makes 4 of the 8 yards. Legs treading thin air, Wylie Coyote-style, he falls. Orchid and Brand turn and stare as a shadow from above grows bigger. Looking back they see the Captain fall through the sedan chair canopy, then into the comfy cushioned seat with a gout of exploding feathers! Then the 4 upright poles holding up the Sedan canopy slowly fall away, the chair utterly destroyed! KERASH!
In words that will haunt Orchid forever, the madly grinning Captain leaps to his feet, grabs the poleaxe falling through the air after him and yells “After Him Men!”, so once more the Watch take to the roofs of Gem Keystone Cop style, chasing an alien Hunter who has just retrieved his Soulsteel Gyroscopic Chakram…
And its their day off and everything!
So ends Session 14…
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