DKDragons/SessionSix
----- Some time earlier... -----
17:17 [Talek] Talek lies in bed, looking up at the ruined fresco ceiling, engaged in the important business of trying to figure out who the hell would want a picture of elephants singing on their bedroom ceiling.
17:20 [ST] Talek is saved from this in-depth contemplation when the brooch attached to his clothing begins to grow warm - not as a stove heating up might, but like something alive. It almost seems to move, and its blue stone shines a trifle more brightly.
17:20 [ST] Mnemon is calling.
17:21 [Talek] "Grandmother, good to hear from you again."
17:22 [ST] Silvery strands of essence snake up to Talek's ear, flare brightly, and then vanish.
17:22 [ST] "Yes, I'm sure it is. What do you have to tell me?"
17:22 [ST] Mnemon's voice is soft, velvety... but there's a hint of something nasty moving about beneath the surface.
17:24 [Talek] "The Anathema's magic has completly turned a city againist itself, resulting in mass killing, turning it into a Shadowland, I suspect."
17:26 [Talek] "Two of my 'allies' in this Hunt have been quite taken by a Deathknight, the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile, who has now disappeared"
17:28 [ST] "The Anathema are insidious creatures, Talek. You should fear them - their words, their deeds, their very nature. But not as much as you should fear me. And yet, I wonder if you do."
17:28 [ST] "You have not retrieved a copy of the book for me."
17:32 [Talek] "I have ordered a few pages sent to you, but I have not been able to retrieve anything more."
17:34 [ST] "This..." There is a moment of silence, and the brooch seems to grow uncomfortably warm even through Talek's clothing. "Displeases me."
17:34 [Talek] "Once the book does its work, mass chaos results, and naturally, the books are often destroyed in the chaos. It is insidious. But we are shortly going to be venturing into the city of the dead, I suspect."
17:35 [ST] Again, there is a long, strained silence.
17:35 [Talek] "I apologize, Grandmother, You know my own powers are feeble, and my allies insane."
17:35 [ST] When she speaks again, Mnemon sounds slightly drugged, blurry, lightheaded. If Talek could see across the miles between them, he would see her blood filling the grooves of runes carved on the Imperial Manse's door.
17:36 [ST] "I will be Empress someday, Talek. Did you know that?"
17:36 [Talek] "The Cathak threw himself in the path of golem in an attempt to find death, and the Cynis was never trained to fight at all."
17:37 [Talek] "I have known it since I was a child" Talek says. His voice is starting to waver
17:39 [ST] "I have seen it in my dreams, in the stars, in the entrails of a woman I cut apart. I have SEEN it...." She laughs, softly. "I have known since I was a child as well."
17:39 [ST] "I will remember my enemies, Talek. And my friends. That's what you want, isn't it? That's why you came to me in the first place, yes?"
17:42 [Talek] "Of course, but Grandma, please do not expect too much of this book. It has been suggested that it may simply be an Anthema mind control trick in paper form. I would never wish to raise your expectations beyond what I can fulfill."
17:46 [ST] "It... does not matter. Given time, I can master even the tricks of the Anathema. I am greater than she ever was - that is why they feared me, why they tried to push me aside. You would do well to remember that."
17:47 [ST] The brooch buzzes warningly, and seems to dig painfully against Talek's skin. "I know of your arrangement with the Slug."
17:48 [Talek] "And I trust it does not displease you?"
17:48 [Talek] From the pained tone of his voice, he does not trust in taht at all
17:51 [ST] "It is not fit for a faithful servant of the Empress. I could make you anything you wish - a match that would stagger the dynasty. The Roseblack, perhaps... or perhaps a new house entirely, yes... or you could simply stay and serve me," Her voice wavers; the grooves are filled with blood. "But if you fail me again, I will destroy you so utterly that you will beg for death before the end.
17:51 [ST] Like Rahsa did. Like she still does."
17:51 [ST] Rahsa had been a distant cousin. She had displeased Mnemon at a family gathering and vanished soon after.
17:51 [ST] A hundred years ago.
17:52 [Talek] "Perhaps some lesser cousin will need the favor" he says, terrified
17:52 [Talek] "Grandma, these words need not be said. We are family."
17:53 [Talek] "I know what my fate will be."
17:53 [ST] "Do you remember the old story, Talek? Step not within the spider's grasp, for her price is steep... but her rewards are great." The smile is almost audible in her voice. "I have lots of family, Talek. How important do you wish to be to me?"
17:54 [ST] His last statement seems to placate her; when she speaks again, her voice is almost crisp.
17:54 [ST] "There is a ship down at the docks of Kushan. The Silverclaw. There is a package waiting there for you. Retrieve it, and do not delay."
17:56 [Talek] "Thank you Grandma, I am honored. I had not realized how dear I was to your heart." he is heartfelt on that last statement
17:57 [ST] "See that you stay that way." The brooch vibrates once more and falls silent.
18:02 [ST] Talek finds his way to the ship with some difficulty, moored as it is at the end of one of the longer, more isolated docks, down near the nighttime hustle and bustle of Tumbletown. That means that no one is there to watch, however - just one guardsman standing at the end of the gangplank. He wears no livery, and casts a suspicious eye at Talek.
18:02 [ST] "Whaddya want?"
18:03 [Talek] Talek pushes a mote of essence into his eyes, which burn an ugly, too deep green for a moment.
18:03 [ST] The man takes a startled step back, but quickly composes himself. "Oh. You. Just a moment, I'll get her."
18:03 [Talek] "I believe you have business with me."
18:04 [ST] He doesn't quite scramble up the gangplank, but his quick, ungainly stride is close.
18:05 [ST] A few moments later, a slim figure in a dark gray cloak, drawn tightly to shade her face, descends the gangplank. There is a package gripped in one slender arm.
18:05 [ST] "Talek, I presume," she says crisply. Not even her eyes are visible.
18:07 [Talek] "Yes."
18:07 [Talek] "Should I ask whom I am adressing?"
18:07 [ST] "You should not," she says, pressing the bundle into Talek's arms. "Mnemon wants you to have this. Open it."
18:08 [Talek] He holds the package out in front of him, and opens it
18:11 [ST] It's a thin, flat box, maybe six inches high and three times as long.
18:12 [ST] "This is a Box of Swift Transport," the figure explains. "If you place something within and expend essence, it will vanish from the box and appear within another, many miles away. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how Mnemon wants you to use this."
18:15 [Talek] "Hmm. I suppose I don't need to ask your family name, anyway. eh cousin?"
18:15 [Talek] "Thank you. Is there anything else?"
18:17 [ST] She tilts back her hood slightly, smiling. It's an attractive, almost pixie-like face, but not one Talek recognizes. "You should not ask. That will be all."
18:20 [Talek] "No. Dragons preserve us."
18:23 [ST] Considering the hectic scene he returns to, perhaps it's not surprising that it's only later that Talek realizes he can't remember the woman's face at all.
18:48 [Kalan] Kalan walks through the palace as if he owns the place, pushing past orderlies and well-meaning major domos with a snarl of irritatoin. The sound of his dirty, battered boots echo down the marble hallway. Zip murmurs directions in his ear, warm and flickering, and Kalan pushes up the last ornate gold-gilt door between him and the Prince.
18:49 [Kalan] The fat man is sprawled on a divan, tickling an underdressed young woman with a feather.
18:50 [Kalan] "Prince," Kalan says crisply, his nostrils flaring with disgust as he makes a short, shallow bow. "Your servant."
18:50 [ST] Sajet looks up, startled. At the sight of Kalan and the others, he gives a short shove to the woman, sending her tumbling off into the floor. She begins to crawl away with long-suffering practice.
18:51 [ST] "Princes... Princes of the Earth!" Sajet gasps. "How good of you to visit me! I don't suppose this is about the Maiden..."
18:51 [Kalan] "Should it be?" Kalan asks, raising his eyebrows in a manner haughty as it is hypocritical.
18:52 [ST] "No... I suppose not. I only hoped..." He trails off.
18:55 [Kalan] "I'm sure," drawls Kalan. "The Shatterspear has been attacked by demons. Garm is dead, and the news from Ghan is dire. It is overrun, and the enemy has infiltrated the Defenders with the cursed book."
18:57 [ST] This, at least, seems to sober him. He starts violently, springing up from the Divan and then falling back, sweat springing to his brow.
18:57 [ST] "The Defenders? Are... are you sure? This is... have you sent for aid?"
18:58 [Talek] "That's what we're doing now"
18:59 [Kalan] "A message has been sent to the Cynis, and reinforcements to the Hunt were on their way....but the Hunt is designed for killing lone Anathema, not fighting armies. Any major troop deployments will take time to organize and deploy."
19:01 [Kalan] Kalan's cold eyes bore into Sajet's. Even for a mortal puppet, this one was substandard. "You need to begin organizaing your defenses immediately. The Hunt requires a division of your Defenders, as well.".
19:05 [ST] "I..." he gulps. "I suppose... but if we send them... who will keep order here?"
19:07 [Kalan] "We will leave you a garrison," Kalan says cooly. "You will have access to the Satrap's troops, and with your permission," which his tone indicates he expects without question, "I will begin training regiments of slave militia to bulk our numbers."
19:11 [ST] "Slave militia?"
19:12 [ST] He looks as if he has been slapped. "I... you must know that I cannot permit such a thing. The Honored Citizens... they would have me stripped, beaten, paraded through the streets."
19:14 [Kalan] Kalan draws his teeth back. "Would they prefer to die? Offer to compensate them from your treasury. Promise them the slaves will be purchased by the Realm. The Defenders alone will not be enough to hold this city."
19:17 [ST] "They will not be happy," he frets, lacing his fingers together. "It is not just a matter of the price, but the... the symbolism. If we arm the slaves, we destroy everything this city stands for. Many would rather die than face such a fate."
19:18 [Talek] "I am sure your majesty will be able to lead them to a better path"
19:20 [ST] "I..." he smiles nervously, his grin lost in flabby chins. "I am but a figurehead... they think me unimportant. They may not listen. There will be riots, chaos. They believe only in the Defenders, and only because they are so utterly broken they cannot resist."
19:20 [ST] Something in him seems to fade, though something else smolders. "We are a frightened people, beneath it all. We fear the revolt of the lessers we gather to ourselves. More than death, in some cases."
19:21 [Kalan] "Then become the ruler. Be their leader," Kalan says cooly, his eyes sparking like a banked fire "Take them on the wiser path, and save them."
19:23 [ST] "I do not have the strength. I never... I did not want this. I am not supposed to rule," he seems to rediscover a spark of affronted anger. "Your brothers and sisters are supposed to rule! You are supposed to safeguard us! And now, you ask me to turn my back on the patronage of the Cynis for the sake of a handful of slaves? You will ruin this country... we will fall into nothing."
19:23 [ST] The young woman has frozen in the corner, her eyes wide with horror.
19:27 [Kalan] "This city will die before the Cynis can arrive with their legions. If they ever do." Kalan speaks slowly and deliberately precise. "We rule, and you obey, and we tell you now that you will have to change if you are to survive."
19:28 [ST] "I suppose..." He slumps, defeated, trying to hold on to some amount of dignity.
19:28 [ST] "You must guarantee my safety. I must have guards. You must agree to buy those slaves that battle, and to take them away when this is over. This will take generations to undo. This... will probably be the end of this country."
19:29 [Kalan] His eyes narrow. "This is the wisdom of the Dragons. Are you a slave yourself, to hide cowering under the table when the monsters come? We Dragons rule, but not alone."
19:30 [Kalan] He pauses, measuring the man. "Have you the strength to do this?" he asks, not cruelly, but as one seeking information.
19:32 [ST] He sighs heavily. "You know I do not. Who among my people does? We haven't ruled in hundreds of years. We enjoyed the bounty of your Realm, and believed it would last forever, and now... now you say the only way to save ourselves is to destroy ourselves... and I doubt even that will work.
19:36 [Talek] "You beg for our protection and call us rulers, so now you must answer to our demands if we are to save you. Will you do so willingly, or will you snivel on the floor while my brother tries to givey ou backbone?"
19:37 [Kalan] "You are not so weak as that," Kalan says at last. "Not all of you." He remembers the boy from...was it only last afternooon? He had stood up to Kalan, and demanded his due from a Prince of the Earth, ignorant puppy that he was.
19:39 [Talek] "Perhaps we should replace you with someone more ambitous. What about you, girl? I suppose you must know the secrets of the Kingdom as well as this lout."
19:39 [Talek] He gestures to the slave
19:40 [ST] "I... please, do not ask-" she babbles.
19:41 [ST] "Fine," Sajet says wearily, eyes narrowing in offense at Talek's suggestion. "I will try."
19:41 * Kalan nods brusquely. "Send your generals to the Shatterspear. We will coordinate strategies."
19:43 [ST] Sajet sinks back into the divan. "Very well." He turns to the young woman. "You are dismissed."
19:46 [Kalan] "Is there any further assistance you require?"
19:51 [ST] "I... nothing. I will ask you if I need any aid." His tone promises that he will. "Only..."
19:51 [ST] "If you see the Maiden, please inform me."
19:53 [Kalan] Kalan bows again, with a shade more respect, turns on his heel, and leaves.
19:53 [Talek] Talek follows
19:58 [ST] Clever Tansy's eyes are glassy. Again. She enters the conference room with a sheaf of papers under her arms, on which she has painted complex equations and symbols, some in her own blood. The anasthetic effects of her addiction come in quite useful sometimes.
19:58 [ST] "I've done most of the initial work. Easier than I thought... but when it comes to these things I ain't exactly an expert."
20:01 [Kalan] "How much armor have you had to strip?" As the most likely wearer, it was a subject Kalan was keenly interested in.
20:02 [ST] "I managed to salvage the primary chest plates on both sides, but the secondaries had to go, and the essence flow is still a bit disrupted. I've been getting weird readings, too."
20:02 [Kalan] "What kind of weird readings?"
20:04 [ST] "Just some kinks in the essence conduits, it seems to be sapping some of the power."
20:04 [ST] "It won't be as strong as you're used to, but it's still damn strong. Close enough for what you have to do."
20:14 [Kalan] "Yes." He had found an old direlance, massive, atop the walls. Some fool had tied as flag around it, centuries ago, but there was only a scrap of moldy brown cloth left; that symbol of allegiance forgotten and indeciperhable. All our loyalities turn to dust in the end. He smiles unpleasantly. "Indeed. When are our reinforcements expected?"
20:16 [ST] Tansy blinks, lost for a moment, and so Silken Whisper supplies.
20:17 [ST] "If the sailing is good, they should arrive on the morrow. Perhaps one more night to prepare and to marshall ourselves?"
20:19 * Kalan nods. "I'll begin organizing the militia and basic training. " He only hoped they prospered as the first batch had. "You know what you should be doing."
20:21 [ST] The monk nods. A moment later, Tansy does too.
20:30 [Kalan] He dismisses them, and grimly begins his preparation for war.
20:51 [ST] The knock at Kalan's door comes softly, hesitantly. Zip lifts from his spot in a lantern and flutters in the center of the room, uncertain.
20:54 [Kalan] "Come in," Kalan calls, sitting up wearily.
20:55 [Kalan] He was sitting somewhat slumped at his writing table, a sheaf of orders stacked neatly at his elbow, and another - procurement notices- still waiting to be written. Maps covered the rest of the table.
20:56 [ST] The door opens slowly. Rather than Silken Whisper with some report his monks have heard among the citizenry, or Tansy with another of her tangeants, or beauty with more bad news about supplies, it is the elegant figure of Cynis Matara.
20:56 [ST] "Kalan... are you busy?"
20:57 [Kalan] Kalan glances at his paperwork. "Nothing that can't keep," he says, with more wish than truth. He stands, eyes glittering.
20:58 [ST] "I-I've seen to the distribution of the weapons among the recruits," Matara says, averting her eyes. "Talek says that the wards on the Shatterspear are almost fixed..."
21:00 [Kalan] "Good news," Kalan says laconically, enjoying her discomfiture. "Has Sajet send word of his progress with the citizens?"
21:02 [ST] "Nothing much yet... they have called for a council meeting... he seems to think they'll stone him..." She bites her lip. "But initial phases of the plan are occurring. Raven says that the slaves themselves seem wholly behind the idea... not surprising, I guess."
21:02 [ST] Her face betrays nothing of her feelings on these matters.
21:05 [Kalan] "The'll do well enough, if they're anything like the first batch." These Citizens were doomed. Their beaten slaves had more will than their magistrates. The Cynis would be thrilled with the Hunt's progress. He laughs at the thought. "Is that all, Matara?" he asks softly.
21:06 [ST] Her voice is almost inaudible. "You know it isn't."
21:10 [Kalan] He moves closer to her, until she twitches a little nervously. The air around him is a little too hot for comfort. "You've come to continue our conversation of the previous evening, then?" he asks, and running a finger lightly along the curve of her jaw and tilting her chin gently up.
21:11 [ST] "It probably saved your life," she counters, with some weak attempt at a barb. Then, quietly, intently: "Yes."
21:16 [Kalan] "So it did," he murmurs, and leans down to kiss her. His eyes smolder, and his skin is almost scorching. He puts an arm around her waist and pulls her close.
21:16 [Kalan] He amost laughs again when he feels her pulse racing, how she trembles.
21:18 [ST] Matara wilts against him, returning the kiss with brutal, long-restrained passion. Zip darts around the room, throwing wild patterns of shadow and light.
21:21 [Kalan] Kalan kisses her almost as roughly, and little bits of smoke rise from his footprints as he draws her back to the bed, pushing her robes off her shoulders. He spares a moment to wave vaguely at the fire elemental with his free hand, and it stops, quivering in alarm and uncertainty.
21:22 [ST] "Yes-" Matara gasps. "Yesyes, I want-"
21:23 [ST] And the door slams open violently enough to jar a vase from a table. It shatters loudly on the floor.
21:23 [Kalan] Kalan raises his head, face flushed red with annoyance.
21:23 [ST] "Well, I see you've been busy..." the woman stands in the door, her form dark against the light streaming in from behind her. "Husband."
21:25 [ST] Matara gives a moan of intermingled frustration and dismay.
21:26 [Kalan] "Mara," hisses Kalan, his arm still wrapped tight around Matara's waist. He doesn't seem disposed to let her go. His face twists in an effort to repress a snarl, but when he speaks again he sounds cold, indolent. "What are you doing here?"
21:28 [ST] "Well, Kalan," she says with that brittle sharpness that he's all-too familiar with. "I have accompanied the reinforcements from the Hunt, chiefly to make sure that you were behaving yourself rather than betraying the Realm again. Apparently I overestimated you. If I'd known I'd find you rutting with a sow even the Cynis are ashamed of, I would have attended to more important matters."
21:33 [Kalan] Kalan throws back his head, eyes blazing. "Leave her out of this. You demean yourself." He smiles humorlessly, a slight curl of the lips to show teeth. "Your little military histories have quite shown the way this season, have they not? I would not have �dreamed� of dragging you away. I know your publishers are eager for your next work."
21:37 [ST] "They can wait. Our daughter is due to be wed in a year's time. Much could happen in a year... including word of your disgrace spreading. I won't allow that. I am not the one demeaning our honor." Her voice takes on a harsh, bitter age. "Careful with this one, little Cynis. Some men talk sweet and stab you in the back... Kalan doesn't even bother to talk sweet. Once they know you've bedded him, you'll be lucky to get one of your own slaves to give you a second glance."
21:37 [ST] "As for my manuscript, I brought it with me... though if the events of the journey and what I've found here are any indication, I won't have time to finish it."
21:38 [Kalan] "What is the strength of the reinforcements that arrived with you?" Kalan asks sharply, his tolerance for the woman's existence rapidy dissipating.
21:40 [ST] "A wing of the Slug's mercenaries, a wing of Ledaal house troops. Less of both after the attack. Demons."
21:40 [Kalan] "Dragonblooded? I hope they've brought more than desk warriors," he says, his eyes raking up and down his wife's form contemptuously.
21:41 [Kalan] She was fit, but not conditioned as a soldier was.
21:44 [ST] "I haven't forgotten how to use my daiklave." An ugly smile crosses her face. "Apparently, neither have you."
21:45 [Kalan] "Have you anything of substance to say?" Kalan asks, his narrowed eyes showing what he thought of this feeble sally.
21:48 [ST] "While you attend to your more... base needs, this place is falling to pieces around you. Another Dragonblood has accompanied me, Ledaal Keshin. You should meet with him, and with the rest of your... forces. An opium addict, an urchin, and a Cynis who doesn't like to fuck. You've gathered quite a collection. But the threat here is real, and you ignore it at your peril." It's a lecture somehow familiar.
21:52 [Kalan] "Yes, we've all heard the witterings the Ledaal are so eager to impart from the safety of the Blessed Isle," says Kalan, his voice bored. He dismisses her with a waves her away. "Call the others to the conference room. I'll be down shortly." The preemptory tone is unmistakable.
21:56 [ST] Mara turns sharply, her elegantly-looped hair swinging. "Don't let him put his poison inside you, little Cynis," she says, a hard, humorless chuckle in her voice. "It acts slowly, but it will kill you in the end."
21:56 [ST] Then she is gone.
22:04 [Kalan] "Who?" asks Kalan as she's almost through the door.
22:04 [ST] "What?" She snaps, not turning around.
22:05 [Kalan] "Who is our daughter marrying?"
22:05 [ST] "I don't think it concerns you."
22:06 [Kalan] "I think it does," Kalan replies, eyes hard.
22:08 [ST] "You threw away your daughter when you threw away your obligation to the Realm," Mara sneers. "If you want another, maybe you should start with the woman in your bed. She's certainly of an age."
22:10 [Kalan] "I can still make things difficult for you," Kalan says, like poison, like acid. "Perhaps you should avoid aggravating me. I am dead already. I have little to lose."
22:11 [ST] "Don't worry, Kalan. When you decide to lose what you have left, I'll make sure to tidy up after you. The way I always do."
22:13 [Kalan] Kalan stares venemously at the door, long after she has gone. He shudders once, with revulsion, and draws Matara closer. He shuts his eyes and breathes in the flowery smell of the wood aspect's hair. Better, far better, than the faint smell of lightning and ozone that trailed after that damned bitch.
22:13 [Kalan] He caresses her face blindly and then kisses her again, gently.
22:14 [Kalan] "It seems we'll have to finish this later," he whispers, an edge of hoarse laughter in his voice.
22:16 [ST] She nods silently, almost visibly trembling. Mara's words have obviously affected her. "I'm sorry."
22:18 [Kalan] "Don't be. I'm glad to be rid of the frigid bitch." Rage lashes there, twisted and terrible beneath the softness of his caresses. He kisses her again, and Zip pops into being over his shoulder, flaming steadly. "Come," he says, and disappears through the door.
22:21 [ST] Matara stands there for a long moment before following after.
23:57 [Kalan] "I'll send for you," Kalan tells Matara, and retreats to his office, trailed by his wife. He kicks the door behind him and then settles into Garm's heavy oak chair behind the desk. "Wine?" he offers with a sardonic smile. "Garm kept good vintages."
23:57 [Kalan] He has already poured himself a glass.
00:00 [ST] "I'll pass," Mara says stiffly, seating herself on the edge of her chair. "One of us should stay lucid."
00:03 [Kalan] "I remember a certain tolerance for licquor," Kalan says, taking a gulp of wine and swishing it around in his mouth. "Certainly the night Aren was concieved." He smiles unpleasantly at her.
00:04 [ST] "A lot of things have changed since then," she says, looking at him poisonously.
00:07 [ST] "If you cared for Aren as you claim to, you wouldn't be here, doing this. You wouldn't be seducing that Cynis girl. You wouldn't be alive."
00:08 [Kalan] "I've done my best," Kalan says, tipping the glass back and draining it. "Talek interfered. Do you begrudge me a little harmless amusement at the conclusion of my life?"
00:11 [ST] "It's not harmless. Do you think you're doing her a favor? Or your family? The rumors about her... they say she is an Outcaste, a puling coward, prone to fits of violence... she sounds just the woman for you. But you didn't bring me here to talk about her, or the wine. Or our daughter." She looks at him.
00:11 [ST] "Did you?"
00:12 [Kalan] "She seduced �me�, I'll have you know," he says. "For what it's worth, she has more courage than you give her credit for, and endured more than you ever will."
00:12 [Kalan] He sets his glass back down. "No."
00:13 [Kalan] He pulls some papers out of the desk. "Garm left these," he says, sliding the intelligence documents towards her across the table. "You know our plans. I trust you to carry them out adequately. If the worst happens and you're pinned in the city, draw back slowly and begin tearing it down in sections and roasting the enemy alive in it."
00:13 [Kalan] "You know the proper alchemical formulas, I believe. The district walls are imperishable. You should be able to kill quite a number of them before you're forced back to the docks. Have oil ready to torch the ships in harbor."
00:14 [ST] "I know the doctrine well enough. We'll slow them as much as we can." She reaches across the table to take the papers, and for a moment their hands brush. "Are you running away again?"
00:16 [Kalan] "No." He looks away, and his face spasms for a moment in rage, hideous. "I will meet my end in the shadowlands." He smiles slowly, pouring himself more wine. "Unless Talek interferes."
00:17 [ST] "Make it a good death, husband." She sounds almost affectionate, as she used to. "For our sake. For yours."
00:19 [Kalan] His stares at her for a moment, and when he speaks his voice is tight, eyes cold and hateful. "There is no good death. If you'd fought in a single bloody war you'd know that." He pulls a piece of paper apart from the others and taps a heavy finger on it. "Now, I wish to discuss these new slave dragons...."
00:22 [ST] Mara nods, leaning a bit closer, listening carefully. The distance between them is magnified by proximity, but she listens carefully to his suggestions.
00:22 [Kalan] --
00:24 [Kalan] Sometime later, Kalan taps on Matara's door, feeling half a fool lingering in the corridor. But the office was hardly a comfortable place for an assignation, and he'd spent better than an hour going over the defenses with Mara.
00:26 [ST] "Come in," Matara says at last, softly. She's working at her own desk, sketching out orders and marking items off lists. "I think the satrapy troops might listen to me, since I'm a Cynis," she says in a rush. "I- think- they... might..." she trails off looking up at him.
00:27 [Kalan] "They will not defy a Dragonblooded of Cynis lightly," he agrees, stepping into her room.
00:29 [Kalan] "Are you busy?" he asks. He echoes her words of earlier in the evening, the events of the day giving them a sardonic twist.
00:29 [ST] "You think? Really? I- no, not really." She looks down at the papers. "There'll be time for this later, when... when you're gone."
00:32 [Kalan] "Then come here," he whispers, words heated, as ever with him. Zip did not hover above his shoulder now, and he believed he had disgusted Mara enough with a drunken grope at the conclusion of their talk that she would leave them well alone.
00:33 [ST] "Kalan..." she hesitates for a moment. "Are you coming back?"
00:34 [Kalan] "Not likely," he tells her with a bitter smirk.
00:34 [ST] She reacts with a long, shuddering sob. "Please."
00:38 [Kalan] He stands behind her chair and caresses her shoulder. "It is only what I deserve," he whispers, leaning down to kiss her cheek. His words are cold, frozen, but his fingers are warm as he pulls delicately at the fastenings of her robe. There is anger in his voice. "My duty."
00:39 [ST] "Your duty... to what? To the Realm?" She doesn't resist his advances, but her muscles are stiff under his fingers. "What about your duty to..."
00:39 [ST] She can't bring herself to finish it.
00:43 [Kalan] "I'd already spent my life when you met me," he said, cool and barely under control. He leans down and kisses the top of her head. "What do you want from me? You know what kind of man I am. I have not concealed it from you." He massages the back of her neck with a thumb.
00:44 [ST] "I know you don't belong in the Realm," she says softly. "Neither do I. You know that too. Everything your wife said about me... it's all true. I don't... I'm not one of them. I never will be, really."
00:45 [ST] "I thought it could be different, for both of us... I thought-" She shakes her head. "You'll just call me a stupid child again."
00:50 [Kalan] "Yes," Kalan is beginning to grow impatient with her. "Regardless of your romantic notions, we are Dragonblooded." The gentleness of his caresses is belied by the harshness of his tone. "Our duty is to the Dragons and the Realm, not to ourselves." His smile is thin and horrible. "No one ever said we could be happy." He spins her around and kisses her passionately.
00:50 [ST] She returns it for a long moment before breaking away. "Do you really believe that? I thought... when I Exalted, I thought everything would be different."
00:55 [Kalan] "Physical indulgence is permissable" he says, running his hands along her body. "Emotional?" He laughs. "When have you seen tenderness among the Exalted, or kindness untainted by self-interest?"
00:56 [ST] "Never," she admits, closing her eyes, leaning close. "Never. Not even from you. I'm not so dull as you believe."
00:59 [Kalan] "Just so." He cradles her in his arms for a while, feeling strangely protective. She was so young. It was almost cruel, clipping a young dragon's wings. "I haven't much time," her reminds her.
01:01 [ST] She nods, leaning in close, breathing slowly and deeply. "I'm not... the most skilled at this," she mumbles into his shoulder, before finding a measure of strength. "And if I'll only have you once... you... better make sure I remember it." She laughs then, but it's a strained sound.
01:03 [Kalan] "Oh, you will," he says, his skin heating. He draws her to her bed. "Word of a Cathak."
01:04 [Kalan] It was just as well, he mused as he rid them of the last of their garments, that she didn't realize his word was worthless.
ST's Notes: Ledaal Keshin and the arriving reinforcements were attacked at sea by a number of demons. The scene introduced Keshin, Mara, and Striking Sparks, the god-blooded daughter of the god of firedust, leading a squadron of southern mercenaries hired by the Slug. The battle was costly, but Keshin and the others were able to drive the demons off. However, this revealed a dangerous threat - demons aswarm in the harbor, perhaps cutting off relief. The log has been lost, but will be added if ever discovered.
22:12 [ST] The conference room is uncomfortably full.
22:12 [ST] Aside from Keshin and Talek, Tansy, Silken Whisper, and Spark, the other commanders among the troops are pressed in elbow-to-elbow.
22:15 [ST] Vash, the commander of Kalan's forces, stands next to Beauty, she of the broken nose and seven missing teeth. Beside them is Dirn, the hawk-faced young man who leads the contigent of former slaves.
22:15 [ST] Only Matara, Kalan, and Mara are missing.
22:15 [ST] It's a rather conspicuous absence.
22:16 [ST] Mara arrives first, seating herself at the head of the table. Technically, Kalan outranks her, but she has no taste for that particular protocol.
22:17 [ST] "Kalan should be along shortly," she says. "He's trying to find his way out of Matara."
22:19 [Keshin] Keshin leans against the wall at the shoulder of the table. "You plan on conducting the meeting without him? Half the point is hearing why he needs us in the first place, I would have thought."
22:21 [ST] "We'll wait," Mara says. "As long as it takes."
22:23 [Kalan] "My thanks for the consideration" Kalan says ironically from the doorway as he steps into the chamber. He raises his eyebrow at Mara in his seat, and smiles at her indulgently at her petty gesture. He seats himself beside her. "I hear you lost some soldiers in transit," he says, looking at Keshin.
22:25 [ST] Matara seats herself in the only seat left, across from Kalan at Mara's other elbow.
22:25 [Keshin] "Yes."
22:25 [Kalan] "Demons at sea? What variety?"
22:26 [Keshin] "We weren't sure. Talek says they sound like Mist tentacle demons."
22:27 [Talek] "Eristrufa. Mist Tentacle Demon would be the translation out of Infernal. A clever name, really."
22:27 [ST] "They don't like fire," Spark adds, tapping the butt of her flame piece on the table.
22:27 [Talek] "There only real purpose is to kill people at sea."
22:27 [Keshin] "We lost about 50 men, by my rough count. 200 or so left."
22:28 [Talek] "They would only do so if Summoned and ordered to attack. There is a Summoner out t here who wants this Hunt to fail."
22:28 [Keshin] "I am told there has been a Deathknight wandering around. Perhaps we might start there?"
22:29 [Kalan] "Then our mysterious sorcerer is choosing better tools, or we've another enemy resorting to demonology." Kalan scowls. "Yes. A supposed ambassador from the Mask. She claimed to be here to demonstrate the Mask's good intentions by rooting out the insurgency here."
22:30 [ST] "And yet, the insurgency continues," Mara says.
22:32 [Kalan] He scowls at her. "They have considerable resources." He shakes his head. "We might as well start at the beginning." He describes, in neutral, precise terms, the situation in Kushan and Ghan. The book that enslaves minds and teaches savage skill at fighting; the rebellion it fueled in Ghan and the failure of Avaku's efforts to stop it.
22:34 [Kalan] "The Defenders have fallen to the book as well; all reports are of a massacre. We must assume the city is falling and prepare for the defense of Kushan proper. Matara, Talek, the Abyssal and I went to village to investigate similar events, and discovered a vast war machine. We hurt it gravely, but not enough to cripple it. It retreated to a shadowland."
22:35 [Kalan] "The Citizens of this place are slothful and decadent, hardly up to defending themselves. Prince Sajet has authorized the arming and training of a slave militia." He concludes with a brief account of the erratic, seemingly poorly-planned demon attacks.
22:38 [ST] "A stunning rendition, husband. The question is, what do we do next?"
22:39 [Talek] "Do we have the troops to retake this damned city?"
22:40 [Keshin] "You are arming the slaves? That seems foolish. If the situation is so dire, it would be better to retreat. If the region burns, it will rally the nation to face the threat. If we arm the slaves, and worse, they revolt, it will sap the Realm's strength instead."
22:43 [Kalan] "As they rallied at the death of Thorns?" Kalan's lip curls in contempt. "I would not bet a jade obol on the Realm's answering. Retreat would only allow the enemy to firm his stranglehold on the region, leaving us in a poor position to establish beacheads. To say nothing of the additional converts the enemy would gain from those blasted books."
22:44 [Kalan] He nods to Dirn. "They will fight for their lives and souls, as we all must."
22:45 [ST] In answer to Talek's question, an older man near the back speaks up. General Grandidi looks to be sixty if he's a day, and his armor, emblazoned with the Black Lion of Kushan, fits poorly. Still, he's old enough to have fought in the last barbarian struggles.
22:46 [ST] "It depends, Prince of Earth. They have around 2,000 Defenders at any given time, in addition to some local forces. But some of these have turned. If the stories you are telling are true, all of the city may have turned. There are over forty thousand souls in Ghan."
22:48 [Kalan] "Of less consequence than cities is the army," Kalan says. "We must concentrate on the destruction of our foe's forces, and those books, and most importantly on the Anathema who created this all. This is not a human enemy to be conquered, but a plague to be burnt out."
22:48 [Keshin] "The book would be so effective? That does change the situation. Any ground we give strengthens the enemy unaccepably."
22:48 [Kalan] "Not ground. Ground is only dirt. People. We need to begin evacuating the uninfected villages near Ghan."
22:49 [Talek] "And how many forces do we have, precisely?
22:49 [ST] "Avaku is still in the city..." Matara speaks up. "Jorj too. We can't just leave them.... can we?"
22:50 [Talek] "I do not think we can fight an entire city. Neither can we be sure we have quaranteened the spell."
22:50 [Talek] "The only true solution is to obtain a copy of the book and attempt to research a counterspell."
22:51 [ST] "There were copies of the book all over Higara," Raven speaks up from somewhere in the back. The girl is impertinent. "Why didn't you get one �then?�"
22:51 [Talek] "I suggest we sneak into the city for that purpose. After that is accomplished, we should evacuate the villages near the city and burn the farms, destroy the roads leading to it.
22:51 [Talek] "These zealouts are not rational enough to scavenge for food."
22:52 [Talek] "Well, where are they all now? Vanished into the earth?"
22:52 [ST] "How should I know? �I'm� not going back there."
22:52 [Kalan] Kalan nods. "It may be that slaying the Anathema behind it woud end the magic as well." He grimaces. "We need a copy of the book, and we need knowedge of just what the enemy has planned." He drums his fingers erratically on the table. "Higara will still have copies, I imagine."
22:53 [ST] "As for our assets..." Siklen Whisper spreads a scroll on the table before him.
22:57 [ST] "By my calculations, the Hunt itself can draw upon around 400 seasoned troops. We've lost some in the Higara expedition and in the attack here, but reinforcements helped replace some of the losses. I imagine recruiting slaves could increase our numbers, but they won't have the skills of our trained troops."
22:58 [ST] "The satrap is absent, but does have paid forces in the city. About a dragon's worth, of dubious quality. They may accept our command, they may not."
22:58 [Talek] "These to fight a city of madmen"
22:59 [Talek] "Slaying the Sorceror may craze the madmen further, Kalan. I am eager to wring the neck of the Anathema as much as you, but we must persue every concievable option."
23:00 [ST] "Kushan has three dragons of Black Lions, Citizen military. Ostensibly well-trained, but not blooded." Grandidi looks slightly offended. "An additional two dragons of conscripts might be raised, but they will again be of dubious quality. Four dragons of Defenders."
23:00 [ST] "Slaves we will have in abundance, though how many can be trained in time..."
23:01 [Kalan] "I do not think these madmen �can� be crazed further. We cannot hope to defeat them all through force alone; not without legions worth of reinforcement. We will have to poison them."
23:01 [ST] "Other assets." He looks about the room as if to verify the trustworthiness of everyone there. As if that hadn't already been destroyed by the attack from within.
23:03 [ST] "The warstrider. The Implosion Cannon mounted on the Shatterspear. A small Essence cannon. A fuel bolt launcher. Seven Fire Pearls. Two Lightning Boxes. A swift rider. 1.5 tons of Firedust, brought by the Burning Tigers."
23:03 [ST] "One quagmire mine. I believe that is all."
23:06 [Talek] "That is not enough to destroy a city, although we might start a few fires."
23:07 [Talek] "Perhaps burn the place down."
23:07 [Talek] "I suggest we go in as a reconissance misison."
23:07 [Kalan] "We may be able to bait many of them into a trap as well, if they display as little discipline as they did in Higara. Your point about their rations is well taken. Kushan surely has many opiates and drugs available."
23:08 [Talek] "Myself and one other can ride the Agata, I think. We could take one more on the swift rider, if necessary."
23:08 [Talek] "As is, we have little idea as to the true state of affairs in the city"
23:09 * Kalan nods. "Yes. Reconissance is neccessary." He flexes his hands. "We must also consider a trip into the shadowlands. Find where the beastly war-machine has gone. There may be...other forces...on the other side of the veil."
23:12 [ST] "And who would be involved in this mission?" Mara asks in a remarkably neutral tone. "Someone will have to manage things here."
23:14 [Kalan] "I will go on the mission," Kalan says at once, hiding the bitterness. He was the most experienced soldier here, and he would waste his life chasing monsters. "Keshin. Do you have a military background?"
23:16 [Keshin] "Not formally, no."
23:16 [Talek] "If you're going, I don't wnat Matara or Mara along."
23:16 [Keshin] "But I know my way around a fight, certainly. I volunteer for the mission."
23:16 [Talek] "Excellent"
23:17 [ST] "I have a right," Matara protests. "You can't expect me to stay here while Avaku is in danger. Kalan, please-"
23:18 [Kalan] Kalan grits his teeth, glaring at Talek. "Mara. You're in charge of organizing the defense. Mobilize and train as many as you can, and extract as many poisons as you can from the stores of the slavetrainers. They will surely have quite a stock."
23:20 [Kalan] He squeezes his eyes shut, and lets out a hissing breath. Little as he liked leaving her... "Your rights are irrelevant. We'll do what we can for your cousin, but we must leave adequate forces to defend Kushan if the scouting mission is lost."
23:21 [ST] "We'll do our duty, Kalan," Mara says, giving Matara a thin, humorless grin. "Don't worry about that."
23:24 [Kalan] "I don't," Kalan says coldly, fixing her with a stare. "See to it that you demonstrate competence with more than a pen."
23:25 [ST] Her eyes flash. "You should have seen me on the trip here, husband. Perhaps I'll impress you yet." It would take the sharpest of eyes to catch her pointed look at Matara. "It may be less difficult than I imagine."
23:25 [ST] General Grandidi speaks up. "Er... Princes of Earth, I feel there is something I should bring to your attention."
23:25 [Kalan] Kalan's eyes flick to him.
23:26 [ST] "Sajet has done as you said with regards to raising the slave armies, but the Citizens are restless. There has been talk of storming Sajet's palace... and the Defenders may not step in. They are conditioned never to harm Citizens. That's the only reason any other police forces exist."
23:29 [Keshin] "You will have the troops we brought with us as well. They should be sufficient I would think."
23:29 [Kalan] "Is the loyalty of the Black Lions to Sajet in question?" Kalan asks quietly. His eyes glint. "If it is, there seems little choice but to defend him with the ...new recruits. Is that a precedent they are interested in setting?"
23:29 [Talek] "Leave the demon parts and zombies in the central square for a week. That will quiet them down"
23:31 [ST] "I'm a practical man, o Prince," Grandidi returns. "And not native to this country. That's why I'm here, despite my official status as a Citizen. Some of the Lions may support me in this... but they cannot be counted on to fight their fellows." He turns to Talek "And they fear the slaves at their side more than they do these terrors they can scarcely grasp. Even now most of them do not truly believe the doom about to descend."
23:32 [Kalan] "Then we must convince them," Kalan says idly. He slips a hand around a glass of wine left one the table and raises it to his lips, drinking deep. "The boy from yesterday. Is he of good family?"
23:36 [ST] "Sarom Kyros, of the Sarom-Bylander line," Grandidi says. Once, he had had to learn all the Great Families on the Register to receive his anointment. "No longer a particularly wealthy family - hence his dealing in crude laborers - but generally regarded as an honest one."
23:37 [Kalan] "Hmm. Would the Citizens consent to waiting a few days for our return from the scouting expedition? Perhaps his testimony would carry more weight than our's."
23:38 [ST] "There are no guarantees, but I will do what I can," Grandidi replies.
23:38 [ST] "As will I," Mara says. "They may find me more persuasive."
23:39 * Kalan nods. "Talek. When will you be ready with your sorcery?"
23:41 [Talek] "I can leave immediatelly. The preperations have already been made for a flight into the city."
23:42 [Kalan] Kalan closes his eyes in brief frustration. "Then, with your agreement, Keshin, we will depart in three hours."
23:44 [Kalan] "Grandidi. Please go to Sarom Kyros with our earnest invitation, that he may see the danger facing Kushan for himself and give testimony to his fellow Citizens."
23:45 [Keshin] "I'll be ready."
23:45 [ST] "Grandidi nods shortly. "I will convey your request."
23:49 [Kalan] "Mara, Matara," it is unpleasant, how alliterative their names were. He wondered if that was part of his attraction to the Cynis, apart from her own idiotic fondness for him. "I wish to speak to you seperately concerning the defence."
23:50 [ST] "I'm sure you do," Mara says. Matara only nods.
23:53 [Talek] "Very well. I will be making last minute preperations. Kenshin, do you know how to ride a Swift Rider?"
23:56 [Kalan] "Unless anyone has further concerns to raise, you are all dismissed," Kalan says, rising.
23:58 [Keshin] He nods to Talek. "I can ride one."
00:03 [Talek] "Very well. Let's take a look to make sure it still works."
00:04 [Talek] .....a few minutes later, they are in the vault. Talek is cleaning his Essence Scrying Visor and checking the condits on the Swift Rider.
00:05 [ST] The Swift Rider's a fairly simple machine on the inside. The Essence flows seem to be clear. Doesn't seem to be any reason why it wouldn't work.
00:06 [Talek] He sits proped againist a wall. Clever Tansy sits in the corner, smiling and smoking her pipe.
00:06 [Talek] "So, what school did you go to Kenshin?"
00:18 [Keshin] He sits back against the Swift Rider, running a hand appreciatively over its sleek frame, eyes half closed. "I went to the House of Bells. You were in the Heptagram? Or did you take a more roundabout route to your specialties?"
00:29 [Talek] "Heptagram. Medic. Wild parties. You know how it is."
00:29 [Talek] "I'm surprised no one told you Kalan would be here."
00:29 [Keshin] "Oh? It didn't matter to me particularly, but I got the impression that Mara knew."
00:31 [ST] Something rustles softly at the shutters of the nearby window. Tansy looks up with an expression of bleary curiousity.
00:32 [Talek] Talek peers at it through his newly polished Essence Scrying visor
00:34 [ST] A small form is outside, battering determinedly at the shutters. Deep, red colored essence, Terrestrial.
00:34 [ST] Some kind of automaton, it looks like.
00:35 [Talek] "Kenshin, would mind letting in our guest? I think its for the Heptagram, but you never know when you might need Bells."
00:36 [Keshin] He nods, standing up, keeping his eyes in line with the shutters. He moves over to the window smoothly, and unlatches the shutters with the end of his daiklave. It never hurt to have a weapon cleared.
00:37 [ST] The thing that flutters through the window looks something like a metal butterfly, a crude collection of thin jade plates hammered into a vague insectlike shape.
00:37 [Talek] "Well, where are you going little friend?"
00:38 [ST] Talek recognizes it. It's one of the first artifacts Jorj made at the Heptagram. He used to use it to communicate with his brother, Talek, and their other friends, usually when some mischief was afoot. He had been seeing Cathak Slee at the time, and so named it after her: the Wee Slee.
00:41 [Talek] The recognition striking, Talek leaps for it, alarmed. "Tell me your message"
00:42 [Keshin] Keshin steps back quickly. "Is something wrong?"
00:43 [ST] The thing wiggles its wings for a moment, then crackles. Jorj's voice comes in, very faint and indistinct
00:43 [ST] "....lek, are you th..."
00:45 [ST] "...ow if this stupid thing still works"
00:47 [Talek] "I can hear you" Talek shouts
00:48 [ST] "..dy hell, gonna shout my ear o--- listen.... I... calibrate... st a second- There."
00:48 [ST] The little insect wiggles its antennae.
00:49 [ST] "I don't have much time. I wouldn't have used Slee here, she's a real museum piece, but I had to get the word out to someone. You're the only one I trust."
00:51 [Talek] "What's going on?"
00:51 [ST] Tansy raises an eyebrow but doesn't make a move to leave.
00:51 [Talek] Talek eyes Keshin but doesn't say anything
00:52 [ST] "I'm almost out of Essence - just enough to get Slee going, and I think half of it is because the damn thing has some kind of affection for me. You know what it's like when you use an artifact enough, the little gods get fond of you - anyway, it doesn't matter. I used the last of my essence on the Infalliable Messenger Spell and WHERE. THE. HELL. ARE. YOU?"
00:53 [Keshin] Keshin raises an eyebrow, noding his head towards the door in inquiry. Polite, and it bought time as well.
01:04 [Talek] "The Infallible Messanger spell failed. It came through garbled. Tell me where you are and what to do and I'll come get you."
01:04 [Talek] He had been making a lot of pr omises to angry people recently
01:05 [ST] "Ghan, still in Ghan. I haven't seen Avaku in days. He's probably dead. Listen... this place is done. The book's been all over. There's thousands of them.... some people are still fighting, but not enough. We had some of the Defenders for a while, but when the citizens turned, they wouldn't fight them.
01:06 [ST] Most of the city's in their hands... I'm holed up somewhere in Flyspeck, but they're bound to find me sometime... listen..."
01:06 [ST] "Talek, something's off. I'm not recovering any of my Essence. This place is starting to feel... cold."
01:08 [Talek] "A Shadowland." he says, in a whisper
01:09 [Talek] "Prepare for ghosts, Jorj. I'll be there as soon as I can."
01:09 [ST] "There's something here, underneath the Crucible... the tower of Earth. I've seen them going down there, but I'm too weak to go it alone. Remember that, no matter what happens to me. There's something down there."
01:10 [Talek] "Stay where you are. Put salt up. I'll feed slee some essence."
01:11 [ST] "Okay, buddy," he says in reply. "I'm about out of Essence to keep this going on my end anyway, but I'll save a mote or two for later. Just don't delay too long."
01:15 [Talek] "We're coming now."
01:17 [ST] The device gives one last flutter, nods its head to confirm the message, then falls silent.
01:17 [Talek] He reverently picks it up and puts it in his pocket. He seems ready to cry.
01:19 [Talek] "Now" he says to his audience of two. "We shall see what we are really made of." He trails into Old Realm. "Hound of the North, see my resolve, Hound the South, see my passion, Hound of the waves.....hound of the forest, attend me!"
01:20 [Talek] The wind springs up into the room for all different directions. A cold northern wind, a hot southern wind, a sea breeze.....finally, it flows together forming a large, shaggy dog with green fur. It is weighless and not quite of this world. It barks once, eager.
