Heru/InnerCircleStory
The Story of the Inner Circle
Heru Heru/ICLookshyFactions
During the Primordial War their was a perfect circle-brotherhood of five Solars who battled against a number of Primordials in Yu-Shan itself. While the fighting in the rest of Creation was as intense, it wasn't as intense as it was in Yu-Shan for this was where the Primordials made their main home and center of operations. In the ensuring War large blocks of the city were devastated. It was during the last phase of the fighting that the five Solars fought in the defense of the Unconquered Sun himself (who, due to the geas, cannot lift a finger against a Primordial in either defense or offense) when a Primordial sought to destroy him. The battle of intense and as epic as anything else in the War, and almost was lost, but in the end the five Solars triumphed and utterly destroyed the Primordial.
To show his eternal thanks, the Unconquered Sun said that he would present the brotherhood with a number of gifts. The first gift was that the shards of all five 'brothers' would both eternally seek each other out in friendship and love. This gift, unknowingly, put a damper in the Great Curse as it relates to the interaction between the five, for the betrayal and hatred of one by another is almost impossible. The second gift had far reaching effects, for this gift was the pronouncement that these five shards would eternally be known as the Inner Circle, the highest leadership circle amongst all his Solar Exalted.
The third, and much more physical gift, was the presentation of a uniquely designed Solar-aspected Celestial Manse within the heavenly city of Yu-Shan itself. To make sure that this gift was as eternal as his thanks, the Unconquered Sun made it so that the attunement of the Manse was of two levels: the first level is supreme and is connected to the very shard of the five Solars, while the second level is subordinate and can be attuned by anybody. In addition, a special feature he provided made the Manse produce six hearthstones at one time, one for each Solar and a spare one.
As the Primordial War ending it was these five individuals that provided the nucleus of the new Realm. Each of the five Exalted did jobs according to their Caste: the Dawn established the governing structure of the Realm military; the Zenith led others in the organizing of the Realm; the Twilight designed the Senate Chamber and the Five Caste Houses in the early days, as well as helping to establish the physical infrastructure; the Night helped to establish the security of the Realm and silenced those creatures which provided the most vocal opposition to the new governing body; and the Eclipse tried to negotiate with the spirits, gods, Dragon Kings and other Exalted so that the new Realm had as much support as possible. It was thanks to the tireless leadership effort of the Inner Circle that the Realm made it off the ground.
Eventually time passed and the original five began to die. When one of the members of the Inner Circle died their body would be buried in the Primus Solar Manse catacombs and a five day-long Festival of Morning would be held. All the surviving members of the Inner Circle would feel a heartrending sense of loss. Always less than a year later the Solar Shard would Exalt a mortal man. A spiritual message would be sent to both the remaining members and the new one and they would feel a call to unite at some sort of middle ground. Once gathered together again a feeling of peace and unity and wellness would come to the reunited circle. The older ones would then educate the new Chosen in all that they need to know both about their Caste and about their nature as a member of the Inner Circle. This remained the status quo for some twenty shard-generations, before the Usurpation upset the balance.
By the time of the Usurpation, the members of the Inner Circle were unlike the majority of other Exalted in how they related to each other. For each of them the other members of the Inner Circle were Like and thus they cared for each other, operated well together, trusted each other, and were loyal to each other. The Great Curse was not able to effect this artificial structure put into place by the Unconquered Sun. On the other hand, the Great Curse influenced how they interacted with others not of their Circle. Trust did not exist for others and they made sure that others new that they were at the center of the Realm. They never turned their back on the Unconquered Sun, though, and remained access to the Primus Solar Manse and the City of Yu-Shan even after the Unconquered Sun turned his eyes away from his Exalted.
The Usurpation caught the five of the Inner Circle by surprise just as it did for the rest of the Solar and Lunar Exalted. The four Solars attending the party in the Celestial Ballroom within New City were not drunk or even handicapped in anyway, but they were amongst the first Solars targeted by the avenging Dragon-Blooded. They were attacked by hundreds and hundreds of Dragon-Blooded and dozens of Sidereal Exalted. After hours of battle they were taken down and their shards captured, these were amongst the first to be placed within the Jade Prison.
At the exact same moment as the attacks went down on the other four, the Twilight amongst the circle was away tending to matters in the Command Center located deep within the Celestial Ballroom. He felt the others in the Inner Circle die, all four of them, and he went insane almost instantly. The Dragon-Blooded found him and the battle that happened next was intense and dramatic. Before they could take him down he managed to activate the Dome of the Celestial Incarna, an ancient artifact that surrounded the Senate Chamber, the five Solar Caste Houses, the five Lunar Caste Domes, the five Sidereal Caste Towers, the five Terrestrial Aspect Barracks, the Primus Factory-Cathedral, the Phoenix Den (highest military command center), the Golden Temple (the main temple to the Celestial Incana), the Primus Gate (a special Yu-Shan gateway that let travelers go from Creation directly to the Primus Solar Manse), the Solar Gardens and a majority of the Old City in an impenetrable shield. The rippling shield manifested itself and cut the entire area off from the outside world. When he died, at the hands of his attackers, his Shard too was captured and placed in the Jade Prison.
Despite the fact that their bodies were not interred in Primus Solar Manse in Yu-Shan, the higher souls of all five made their way to the catacombs and bonded to what would have been their personal resting places. This was made possible by the attunement to the Primus Solar Manse that they all had, this Essence-laden link called the souls to that location. The Sidereals who latter did research all agreed that this was for the best, because if the souls of the five did not manifest their they would have went to the Underworld and more than likely gave themselves to the Neverborn, an outcome nobody living or divine wanted.
Fast forward some two thousand years, time is now in the Age of Sorrow, and the Jade Prison is destroyed releasing the five shards of the Inner Circle back into Creation. Lytek, the God of Exaltation, was extremely pleased when the five Inner Circle Shards arrived back on his desk. He spent a few years trimming the memories but not removing the essential ones (for example, all of the Five Circle remember instinctively the battle that made then of the Inner Circle). On the Twilight Shard this trimming had a very important effect, he wanted to make sure that the very strong emotions that the last one felt at the deaths of the other four was not remembered. This he did very well.
Within the same year all five of the Shards Exalted a mortal man from the region around Lookshy. The Dawn was from Celeren and was formerly a horse warrior; the Zenith came from Lookshy itself and was a noble tax collector; the Twilight, also from Lookshy, was an educated merchant; the Night came from Nexus and was previously a political spy; finally the Eclipse who was native to Great Forks and a professional diplomat. These men held pretty normal lives and, through the direct choice of Lytek, all were extremely attractive and of high breeding and education.
Months before their Exaltation they left the cities of their birth and traveled to the regions around them, the reasons were varied. The Dawn’s military unit was dispatched to settle a dispute; the Zenith was assigned by his government to collect taxes in an auxiliary town; the Twilight, a son in a merchant house, is sent to broker a deal with a town so that they buy his company’s goods; the Night was hired by a noble of Nexus to spy on a traveling merchant caravan beyond the city walls; and the Eclipse was in negotiation with little gods and elementals in region outside the city.
While either traveling to or traveling home from whatever had them leave their city, they just so happened to arrive at the same road juncture at the same time. While this might seem a coincidence, Lytek has godly allies within the Bureau of Destiny and so used a lot of them to make sure things like this worked out. None of the groups would have talked to met each other if it wasn’t for the combination Fair Folk and undead attack on all the groups. The battle wasn’t going so well for the humans when, all of a sudden, all five men Exalted at the same exact moment. The entire field was covered in a gigantic glow as the Shards entered into each of them. In the exact same moment they were awakened to the truth of who and what they were. The battle was a complete route for the attacking forces after this, for all newly born Solars had access to intense wellsprings of power and might. After the battle was over the Solars worked together and made sure every mortal who saw the battle took an oath not to speak about the fact that five people went through an Exaltation at the same time and in the same place.
The five decided that they were going to split up for a time to get everything back at their homes situated first. Continued communication was made much easier amongst them for they noticed that the Unconquered Sun (In His Infinite Wisdom!) provided each of them with a Talking Stone. They left, either finishing their mission or heading back home.
Months passed before they all got everything situated and left their cities. They gathered at the exact same crossroad that they Exalted at and began to discuss their Exaltation and plan what would happen now. The primary thing that they all agreed upon was that they would need to get to the Manse they all had in the visions. The Night told the others that Nexus contained one of the Gates from Creation to Yu-Shan. The Twilight then mentioned that he had heard stories about little gods opening the portals pretty much at will. The Eclipse then mentioned that he knew some little gods who might help them. The Zenith then came forward and put together a plan from the myriad abilities all the others had.
With that the group headed toward Great Forks to speak to a little god. Once at Great Forks the little god told the party that he required the Twilight to forge him a staff. Thankfully, that was made easier than they thought because the Twilight had access to resources due to his trade company’s small-time operation in the city. With that done they all traveled to Nexus where the Night managed to get them to the Gate. Before they could activate it a number of Immaculate Monks appeared and attacked them. They all worked together, and receiving aid from the little god, and so managed to vanquish the monks. The monks were killed for their arrogance and insipid need for attack. The little god then activated the Gate and wished them luck, the five Solars entered into the Gate.
Appearing within the corridor three Celestial Lions immediately arrive in front of the five Solar Exalted. The Eclipse speaks first, establishing himself as an Eclipse Solar Exalted and that he wishes to gain access to his Manse. The head Celestial Lion seems to pause for a second and then asks if the other four are also of the Inner Circle. When that is made so, the door barring the passage into Yu-Shan opens up and the Celestial Lion informs the five that they are, officially, always welcome within Yu-Shan and that they are protected by ancient oaths and laws once within it. In front of the Celestial Lion a pass manifests itself and he hands it to the Eclipse with the notification to show this to the river-travel god for speedy travel to their Manse. They then head for their Manse and get their without any problem.
They spend weeks exploring the six structures and gardens within the Manse, it is here that they also meet the higher souls of their previous Shard incarnations. They are told a lot of what happened in the past and are then informed that the secrets of Creation will be theirs when they reach the requisite level of enlightenment to safely handle it. Needless to say, they spend almost a year learning all that they can. During this process they are completing knowledge lessons and going through Essence-expansion techniques to grow their Essence levels rapidly. In the end of the learning process each of the Solar Exalted is able to raise their Essence from 1 to 5, a mighty act made possible only through their dedicated education.
It is also within the Manse that they put together their long-term plans for Creation. Their plans really took shape when they discovered within the office both a record of where the five hidden Manses of the Five-Metal Shrike are and what the loyalty-code is. Each of these Manses are not more than a day’s travel from the Gates 20, 58, 60, 42, and 25. They realized that gaining control this very powerful aerial machine of war would help to establish themselves as forces to be reckoned with rather than just another rabble of Solar Exalted.
Over the next few months the five traveled from a Yu-Shan Gate to one of the hidden Manses, attune to the Shrike Manse (this is possible without disrupting the Hearthstone in the Five-Metal Shrike), then study the geomancy of the Manse and its surrounding area. They did this to all of the five Shrike Manse which took some time, but a lot less considering that they did not have to travel the distances within Creation. Throughout the time they faced against a number of Dragon-Blooded, Fair Folk, undead, pirates and even a few Sidereals who were dispatched to stop the Inner Circle, needless to say all such attempts failed. In the end of this time the five managed to pinpoint where the Five-Metal Shrike was and found a way to travel to it as quickly as possible. Once they found the Shrike the Dawn used the access codes gained from the office in the First Manse and became the recognized captain of the Shrike. And thus their first mission was a success.
Their second mission played on their role as the Inner Circle within the First Age Solar Deliberate. They very Shards were keyed to defenses and protection systems established in cities throughout Creation. One such defense system was the golden shield the last Twilight from the First Age activated around the center portion of the city of Meru. Another such defense system was the one that exists in Sperimin, a defense that was designed in the event that it was invaded by Fair Folk and other enemies of Creation. Another thing should be noted about Sperimin, it contains an ancient Gate to Yu-Shan.
The Inner Circle waited patiently for a moment that would make the attack so much easier.
The Night infiltrates the city and begins to pick off those officers who are not at the gathering convened by Raksi. He makes sure that nobody he targets lives long enough to report back on his action. In addition, he also frees a number of slaves which are being held in posts throughout the city. His arrival sets the stage for the battle to come.
During one of Raksi’s outdoor sacrificial presentations the Five-Metal Shrike appears out of nowhere blasting. The Shrike aims directly for where Raksi is, and because she was completely taken off guard, she is hit directly by the blast. While she is very much hurt because of the blast, the Shrike launches a second blast right on the heels of the first one so that she is completely pulverized. As soon as the ship gets close enough the Dawn drops out of the ship and immediately engages any of the beastmen forces surrounding the pedestal. The Shrike provides support in this action by clearly and tactically picking off anybody it decides is a threat: that is anybody that is not a human (a number of humans who were going to be sacrificed are here).
At the same exact moment as the Shrike arrived the rest arrive through the Gate. Those around the Gate fall almost immediately at the hands of the four Exalted warriors. As soon as the immediate Gate area is secured the Zenith begins fighting anybody he comes against. The Eclipse begins summoning operations, calling down elementals and little gods who are angered and displeased with Raksi’s rule of the city. These forces begin attacking the entire city.
The Twilight heads deep into the heart of the city where the Command Center is. During his travels he rapidly deals with the local forces stationed around the city. Once in the Command Center he attunes to it with a mote of Essence and then activates the defense shield. Just as that happens, the Shrike launches itself from the battle and heads slightly above the shield line otherwise it would have been trapped in the defense shield. To those within the city large golden colored stripes start begin from, creating a rolling impervious dome that entirely covers the city of Sperimin. The Twilight then heads to a room slightly off the main Command Center, in there he activates a special defense measure that makes it impossible for all beings except those recognized to use the Gate in Yu-Shan to enter into this city (thus prohibiting Sidereal interference).
With that done the Twilight, Eclipse, Zenith and Night meet back at the convocation center; the Dawn continues to fight those beastman forces still surviving the elemental and little god onslaught.
The Eclipse contacts those elementals and little gods within the city, telling them that except for mopping up operations (which must continue) the battle is over. Each and every one of them are free to go, as was the deal, but if they wish to they may remain within the city and take up their old duties in tending the buildings and libraries of the city. The vast majority of the elementals and little gods choose to remain here, many of them were jobless and this will give them a higher social standing back in Yu-Shan. The Eclipse finishes by making sure that the elementals and little gods are assigned to exactly the place they need to be assigned. This wasn’t hard because most of them remember where they need to go, but it did take some time due to the vast number of them.
At the very same moment the Zenith has the humans that were going to be sacrificed gather around him. He tells them that they have a number of options, any of which they are free to choose. The first option is that they leave, an opening in the defenses will be made so that they may go. The second option is that they remain within the city and help try to rebuild it and make it a place fit for human habitation. A consensus seems to be reached that because the vast majority of those who were captives here were slaves, they have nowhere to go and nothing to do if they did go. Thus, almost 10,000 people agree to remain here and take up the job of rebuilding. They are informed that they won’t have to do it alone, they will have the support of elementals (Wood elementals will help provide food, etc.), little gods (who will help educate and train mortals), and the Solar Exalted themselves. Never again, the Zenith acclaims, will they be slaves or under the thrall of barbaric powers who do not care about humanity.
The five remain within the city for a week or so making sure that everything functions according to their plans. At the end of that period the five say their goodbyes for now and open a door within the defense shield. They are then picked up by the Shrike as was planned from the very beginning. As soon as they get into the Shrike they are informed about an Abyssal attack against the forces of Lookshy. Knowing that if such an event were to be successful all their plans would be ruined they head directly for the battle. On their way the Eclipse contacts a number of elementals and little gods and asks them if they would be available to help defend humanity against the ravages of the undead; many agree to help.
At the point of the arrival of the Five-Metal Shrike the Deathlord had cut off the Lookshy forces from their bases. As with most battles conducted by the Abyssals, the hordes of undead grew by the minute. Suddenly, alone and unexpected, the Shrike appeared in the skies. Blasts of Essence from dozens of points along its hull began firing on the undead forces. The ship then hovers close to the ground, and Dawn and Eclipse jump to the ground and begin to cut a swath through the undead hordes, heading for the manse. The Night and Zenith stuck in through the back of the lines and too out several Abyssal Exalted, causing utter disarray to the Undead troops. Then, due to previous preparations by the Zenith and Eclipse, a massive force of elementals and gods manifested themselves to aid in the defeat of the enemies of Creation. Dismayed, the Deathlord realizes that the battle is not going his way and orders a general retreat to his remaining forces.
The Five-Metal Shrike then go to Lookshy, and gets permission to dock at the Skyguard base as a thanks for the aid in battle. The five Solars are allowed to mostly freely roam in the city. The Dawn spends most of his time in the martial schools teaching students and in the offices aiding the commanders. The Zenith spends most of his time helping in the hospitals and just plain making himself visible to the people of the city. The Twilight is very busy in the factories and workshops crafting, aiding the Zenith in the hospitals, visiting the schools (both standard and magical) teaching and just walking around the city helping to fix anything that is broken, free of charge. The Night has aided the police and intelligence services of the city, as well has helped the government take down two crime agencies (neither were connected to local nobility) and a number of Realm-sponsored spy and subversive rings. Finally, the Eclipse spends most of his time speaking to the bureaucracy, the noble houses and the merchant business that exist within the city.
Since their arrival the Dawn has accelerated the military training program, increased its efficiency by dozens of percent, and provided new ideas for a better and more successful military. The Zenith has helped heal thousands of people, increasing both the numbers in the military and the amount of productive citizens. At a base level, he has done much to gain approval by the masses. In addition, Zenith also speaks about the Unconquered Sun to all those who listen. One of the avenues that the Zenith worked in was in the refurbishing the minor Cult of the Unconquered Sun that existed in the city. This small cult did not have that many adherents but he worked tireless to try and get it to grow, which it did. After a weak within the city the numbers of people who would go to mass grew from a mere dozen to over five hundred, and was growing. In addition he, with Twilight aid, began rebuilding and refurbishing the entire Temple. In less than the time it took to gather more people the Temple was brought back to a level equaling that of the First Age.
The Twilight has finished manufacturing the items and equipment Lookshy was planning on building over the next four months in less than a week and using less than 1/12 the amount of resources. His work in the workshop has also completely halted the decay of the First Age-like equipment Lookshy has, which has caused Lookshy some problems in that all their future predictions and timetables are off. His walking around the city has providing himself the majority of his good will for he has, at no cost, fixed thousands of peoples homes and equipment. In addition, he recently released glowstone making machines (which only require 1 mote of attunement and plain old stone) that provide a new cleaner, brighter and cheaper source of light for Lookshy. His work in the magical schools has accelerated by months the training regime of the Lookshy sorcerer-savants and, in addition, he has altered some teaching plans to be more efficient.
The operations of the Night have reduced corruption and crime in the city by almost 30%. Not only that but because of his efforts Lookshy is a much safer city to live in by mortals. Finally, the Eclipse has helped clean up the bureaucracy by making it much more efficient and productive. Not only that but by helping to streamline it, Lookshy will henceforth save tens of thousands of credit each year. His work with the noble families and merchant houses has also seen to the signing of many new treaties and alliances. All in all, this has made the Lookshy economy much more stable and much more efficient.
Two acts have marred a rather peaceful visit, though neither act was started by the Solar Exalted. The first act was started when this Immaculate Monk ran up to the Twilight screaming “Anathema” and began attacking him. The battle was very short and ended with the Monk’s death at the hands of the Twilight. Thankfully, despite the fight taking place in the middle of a crowded and busy mercantile street, no bystander got hurt. At the end of the fight the Twilight repaired all the damage done to the locals carts and equipment and paid for (with bonus) any of the destroyed food. This was an attack done in broad daylight in front of witnesses of both the security service and the people, no charges were pressed against the Solar but a fine was brought up against the local Immaculate Monk Chapter.
The second fight was very much deeper and quite different in scope. This fight also took place in broad daylight within the busy streets of Lookshy but included all five Solar Exalted. They were traveling back to their ship and were also looking around and buying the goods that interested them. All of a sudden ten people began to attack them: eight Dragon-blooded agents of the Realm’s Wyld Hunt and two Sidereal agents. As soon as the attack began the Zenith tried to make it so the people got away, though most just went into the buildings to watch the fight.
After that the Zenith, Dawn and Eclipse began directly fighting against the Dragon-blooded. The Twilight ducked into a nearby passage and began channeling Essence into a spell of both disruption and protection, making sure that no Sidereal or Dragon-blooded area effect charms or sorceries could be used against the Solars. The Dawn used his Charms to sneak around to where the two Sidereals were and engage then in direct hand-to-hand combat, something that they are weak against. The battle lasted for some time and only involved the fifteen original people, for when other Lookshy troops arrived they were told to not involve themselves by the Zenith in a voice that could not be disobeyed.
The battle ended when all ten of the attackers lay dead at the feat of the Solar Exalted, proving once and for all the power that these mighty heroes could command. As soon as their enemies were defeated and the battle was over each Solar immediately began post-battle mop-up operations. The Dawn and Night gathered each of the bodies together in the central market square and searched them for anything that might have been useful. The Zenith immediately flashed his anima banner to make sure that the souls of the dead go onto their next life rather than manifest as a ghost. After that was done he began, aided by the Twilight, to tend to the wounds of his fellow Solar Exalted. The Twilight, after healing his allies, began to tend to the repairs of anything damaged in the attack. An ironic thing about the fight was that the area ending up looking so much better and newer after the battle than the did before the battle, all thanks to the Twilight. The Eclipse immediately tended toward both the calming of the local bystanders who had witnessed the attack and talking to the Lookshy warriors who had arrived on the seen. Just as before none of the Solars were arrested though they did, under their own free will, go with the Constable to the prison for a discussion.
An interesting conversation happened when the Solars were talking to the local police chief. Not between the Solars and the chief but when an aid told the chief that a local representative of the people wished to speak to him. When he left the room he was told, by the representative, that they had a signed petition by over a few hundred people who had seen the fight. They all wanted it to be made officially known that the fight was not started by the Solars and that they were minding their own business. The outcome of this was no charges were brought up against the Solars and the government of Lookshy realized that the common folk had a lot of respect for the Solar Exalted.
The status quo went pretty much unchanged for the next few months or so. In fact the only thing of interest during this time was the arrival of another Dawn Caste Solar Exalted. He didn’t stay that long, but he wanted to make himself known and ask for help in some training. When he did leave it was now equipped with a communications artifact crafted by the Twilight so that communications could be continued.
The peace ended spectacularly one fair morning when a large explosion was seen coming from the War Den. The War Den was a Second Age construction that contained the command and leadership for the Lookshy military. The five Solar Exalted, who were aimlessly walking around the city at the time, quickly dropped what they were doing and headed for the area of the explosion. What they saw was no good, not good at all.
When they got to the gates of the War Den they were approached by basic soldier who escorted the Solars to the command tent. The command tent was a make-shift construction set up after the explosion to coordinate the search and rescue and repair operations being conducted. Their they were greeted by the highest surviving officer, a Chozei who had just happened to not be in the officer’s meeting. He was quite relieved to see the Solars and seemed to want to give up the authority he was unprepared for, but the Solars just said they were here to help not to take control. They were then told the situation, a situation that was very grim.
It seems that an unknown assassin was able to set off a First Age artifact in the meeting room of the War Den. This was set off at the same time as a routine meeting was being held with most of the officer corps. The situation that this caused was that the Seventh Legion still has all its troops but no higher officers to organize and command them. Such an inefficiency would cause a loss in any battle that the Seventh Legion partook in before the situation was rectified.
The Dawn took local charge of the military so that rescue operations could be achieved quickly. The Zenith began using his anima to make sure no ghosts erupted from this side. In addition he began to gather troops and officers to make some sort of makeshift command hierarchy. The Twilight began to stabilize and heal as many people as possible, he also began to organize the healing corps. As soon as that was well coordinated he also began to use Charms to try and stabilize the building so that collapse does not happen. The Night aided the Dawn in rescue operations as well as making sure that no looting took place by directing security operations. The Eclipse summoned water elementals to put out the fire. In addition to that he also tried to get those nearby to aid the operations. All five worked efficiently and directed others to do the same. Because of their help the situation was contained in just an hour time.
Yet almost as soon as the Exalted began to end the cleanup operations reports began to file in about a massing Abyssal army nearby. This report was quickly verified and the Exalted began to immediately move. Later on those who witnessed this would say that a change seem to have come over the Solars, transforming then from powerful men into the demigods that they actually are. This phenomena played a large role in the events that would occur after the battle.
The Dawn very quickly made a call to arms of all the troops in the city. Where a chain of command lay broken and unseen he promoted people to a higher rank and reforged the chain of organization. He then brought the troops to the outside gate and began to prepare for the siege. The Zenith headed right for the Lookshy Manse, which contained immense command and control facilities, where he immediately began to assume control. In addition to that once organization is achieved he heads directly to the battle where his anti-undead anima would be most useful.
The Twilight heads toward residence of the sorcerers to try and gather then so that they can provide immense magical support. As soon as that was done he goes to the artifice quarter and makes sure that the Lookshy troops and forces are outfitted with the best that can be made at such a short notice. With these two steps done he heads to where the Solars are gathering to provide frontal support. The Night begins to direct internal security, realizing that order must be kept. With the security department reestablished Night heads towards the gathering of Solars, knowing that together they are unstoppable. The Eclipse goes to get support from amongst the local nobility. Through this action he is able to increase the number of troops in the Lookshy army for the short battle to come. In addition to that he summons a number of elementals and little gods to provide reinforcement, defense and offensive assistance to the Lookshy army. With that done he too heads to the Solar gathering, uniting the five in one place. At the same point in time the Five-Metal Shrike leaves anchorage in the docking bay and begins to harass the Abyssal army.
The battle soon commenced. This was a battle that was more fearsome than anything else that the Solars in the Inner Circle had faced already. Yet, despite facing an Abyssal army numbers were actually on the Solars side. For they not only had the mortal and Dragon-blooded troops of Lookshy, but also a large number of elementals and even some little gods were in the battle. But more importantly they had five Solars and the Five-Metal Shrike. In addition, the normal practice of raising the recently slain to fight again on the Abyssal side did not work, the Zenith saw to that. The battle was intense and lasted for a day but in the end all of the Abyssal forces were vanquished. And when the Solars vanquish something, that means nothing managed to retreat or enter into the Underworld. By the end thousands upon thousands of souls entered into Lethe.
Even though the battle was over the job of the Solars did not end. The Dawn directed the troops to travel around the field making sure that organization and authority was still in control. Not only that but he acted as a gigantic lightning rod, making sure that all saw him and new that everything was fine. The Zenith began tending to the wounded and organizing the list of the deceased. The Night tended to the security apparatus, continuing the work that he started in the first moments of the fighting. The Eclipse gathered the bureaucracy of Lookshy to make sure that everything operated as if nothing happened.
The Twilight was not well disposed to simply letting such a situation that led to the attack happen again. What this meant is that he had plans to end the threat that the nearby Shadowlands had on Lookshy. Calling to him the Five-Metal Shrike, he and five other Terrestrial Exalted (one from each aspect) boarded the ship. He had them stay in the small gathering space and specifically told them not to touch anything. He then had the ship fly to the site of the Shadowlands. Once their he and the Dragon-Blooded disembarked and began preparations for the closing of said Shadowlands. The first step was to order the Dragon-Blooded to use their Charms to see and fight any ghost that was nearby, with them somewhat out of the way the Twilight could due his job safely. With that accomplished he then used Dead Earth Restoration four times. Each time he used the Charm he reduced the size of the local Shadowland by one parameter: region, to city, to building, to gone. Between each casting he recharged his pool of Essence from both the Dragon-Blooded and his attunement to the Five-Metal Shrike. As soon as he cast the Charm he had the Dragon-Blooded use their Charms to try and reawaken life to the formerly dead region. While it wasn’t completely successful it did make sure that in less than a season life would return. When they were completely finished they boarded the Five-Metal Shrike and returned to Lookshy.
In the days immediately following the Abyssal Siege of Lookshy the city seems to be hanging on a hair-thin wire. The remaining government is trying all that they can to reestablish the city on a firm foundation, but it seems that all their work is for naught. The military is trying all it can to make sure that other forces do not take advantage of the problems to invade. The bureaucracy and government are in shambles. The noble houses are on shaky ground and are not sure what to do. The Immaculate Monks try to get things to quiet down but all their preaching is doing is stirring the crowed. The merchants and businesses have begun to steer clear of the city lest they get hurt in the fall they are predicting. And finally, the people start taking to the streets protesting the activates and the (non)ability of the new leaders. It really does seem that the great 800-year old city of Lookshy won’t make it to the next spring, its that bad.
The Solar Exalted haven’t been sitting on their asses in their ship, rather they have walked the streets making sure that the common folk don’t begin killing each other or throwing away the basic rule of law. Wherever the Solars went people would ask them what they wanted them to do, and Solars would respond that they should ask lawful authority of the city. This did not satisfy most people for while they realized the authority was legal they also knew that it was ineffective.
Eventually, the number of people demanding that the Solars take charge began to become a mob. The five Solar Exalted tried to delay it is as long as they could but even they new that something had to be done. In an act of intense magic, an image of the five Solar Exalted appeared before every citizen and resident of Lookshy and its subordinate territories. The holographic-Zenith spoke to the people, “WE HAD NO WISH TO STEP ON OR SUBJEGATE THE NORMAL AUTHOIRTY OF THIS CITY-STATE. YET NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE WISHED TO REMAIN PRIVATE CITIZENS HELPING FOR HELPING SAKE, WE DO NOT IGNORE OUT DUTIES. OVER THE LAST WEEK MORE AND MORE DENIZENS OF THIS GREAT CITY-STATE CAME BEFORE US TO DEMAND US TO TAKE CHARGE. TO MAKE SURE THAT IS A MAJORITY WISH BY THE MAINSTREEM POPULATION OF LOOKSHY MAGIC WILL BE USED. AS SOON AS I END THIS DIALOG YOU WILL ALL FEEL A MESSAGE IN YOUR HEAD. ONCE YOU HEAR THE MESSAGE ANSWER YES OR NO. WHEN ALL IN THE TERRITORY VOTE EVERBODY WILL FEEL THE ANSWER. IF THE MAJORITY OF LOOKSHY DENIZENS WISH FOR US TO TAKE CONTROL WE WILL DO IT. BUT DO NOTE THAT ONCE WE GAIN CONTROL WE WILL NOT GIVE IT UP EASILY OR QUIETLY. AND THAT ONCE WE BECOME THE PRINCES OF THIS CITY WE WILL CHANGE MANY THINGS.” The hologram faded at the last word and the Zenith began the casting of the Charm that will send a message to all those within the bounds of the city-state’s territory. The message was, “Do you recognize the authority of the Solar Exalted over this city-state and its people.” The message went out and people began answering. Those that answered near the onset waited eagerly to hear what the outcome of the vote was. Some noted that this was the first, and probably only, democratic vote that Lookshy had ever had in its history.
At the end of the hour the answer came back: 80% Yes, 15% No, 5% Abstain. Lookshy was once again under the authority of the Solar Exalted. With the vote out of the way, the hologram of the Solar Exalted reappeared in front of all those within the territory. Like before, the Zenith spoke to the people, “SO BE IT LOOKSHY, YOU HAVE MADE YOUR CALL AND NOW YOU WILL KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE RULED BY THE PRINCES OF THE CREATION, CHOSEN OF THE UNCONQUERED SUN.”
Most rejoiced but some noble houses were upset, as were most Immaculate Monks. Yet, none doubted that the Solars would be firmly in charge come the morning. Yet before any of those organizations could even begin to move or plot the Solars began acting.
The Dawn went immediately to the military headquarters to make sure that all was well. As soon as he was their he ordered a call to attendance and made that mandatory. Any soldier who refused to show up would be considered to have gone AWOL and would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. While the message was being sent out he began to reorganize the military bureaucracy and hierarchy structure. The changes made before the battle were intended to just hold until peace was reestablished, those placements he made now were designed to be permanent. All positions were filled and officers were made to write reports on all that they had. For the next few days all those in the Lookshy military would be extremely busy. The military was firmly under the control of the Solar Exalted.
The Zenith headed directly towards the Lookshy Manse. Once their he made a call to the nobility of Lookshy and issued a directive that all noble heads attend a meeting their. In addition to that he also called an meeting of all merchant houses that are legally recognized in Lookshy. While waiting for the to gatherings to convene he made a cursory examination of Lookshy Mansion, making note of those First Age devices that were marked as ‘do not use.’ One point of magitech especially caught his eye, a device that was a First Age city defense system.
When the nobles arrived he would notify then that they would have nothing to fear, their noble titles would remain. The only recognizing Solar authority did was place a new tier atop their positions. And since Solar Exaltation is not based on blood they have no fear of new noble families being made superior to them. Though, he noted, in time the Half-Caste sons and daughters of the Solars might become recognized houses in their own right, that sort of thing is far in the future. What he really wanted to know was could he and the other Solars count on the nobles support. They had plans, he told them, that would see the Solars becoming the rulers of a new Realm and as allies the would be handsomely rewarded.
When the merchants arrived he ushered them into one of the many meeting rooms. Their the Zenith told them that in this day and age merchant houses and companies are more than necessary, they are paramount. That because of the Solars plan to retake all of Creation the Solars needed a means of providing resources to both the military and civilian forces. What he really was asking, he noted, was an assurance of mercantile loyalty which, if given, would ensure their long-lasting prosperity and growth in wealth and power. Who amongst all those walking Creation would really have the means of keeping their words.
The Twilight headed directly for the Sorcerer’s School and artificer district. Once their he demanded that all sorcerers and artificers (of all ilk) be recalled to the district for a reorganization. While that was in the process of happening he went through the records of the organization’s bureaucratic structure. The Twilight constantly made notes on what needed to be changed and what could be kept. He also began to look into what actually the vaults of Lookshy held which, occasionally, surprised him in their potency and awe-inspiring power. By the end of the period the artificers and sorcerers of Lookshy were firmly under the authority of the Solar Exalted.
The Night went to the headquarters of both the security and intelligence apparatuses of Lookshy. Once their he ordered that all members of both branches be return to the headquarters for a restructuring gathering. The most momentous thing he got access to was the spectacularly detailed records long kept by Lookshy on all denizens of Lookshy and all important people and gods of the world. The amount of dirt and other blackmail information was enough to turn heads. On a greater look practically few mortals or Dragon-Blooded in the Realm and the nearby Threshold States were free if something that could be used to manipulate them. Beyond that one of the major activities he began to undertake was to make sure that the security of all of Lookshy was maintained without fail. He also began putting into operations to make sure that the events that saw the bombing of the War Den and the unnoticing of the Abyssal Army could never happen again.
The Eclipse went to the headquarters of the bureaucracy of Lookshy. Once their he made a general call that all bureaucrats must return to the office immediately for it was a time of change. Their he began to look into the bureaucracy’s operations in great detail to see where changes could be made. For one of the benefits of the Solar Exalted is that even a very small bureaucracy could be made to operate over a very wide area and of high ability. In addition he also requested a dialog with all the gods of Lookshy. One of the things he knew was very much needed was the rebuilding of the Celestial and Terrestrial Bureaucracy and he knew that to start Lookshy needed to be organized.
This is where the Inner Circle is now.
Commentary
Note. I am not a writer, what I am is a person with a lot of ideas and a big imagination. Thus, it might suck from a story perspective but I hope it gets my ideas across. -Heru
