Nikink/PoA768DescFire3
Back to Promise of Ages
3rd Descending Fire
Sunset. The yacht has recently begun sailing up the River of Tears, staying close to banks to avoid the heavier river traffic and stronger currents. Unfortunately this allows swarms of mosquitos to feast upon the yacht's inhabitants.
Jade Wisdom is in the galley preparing the evening meal. Savvy and her cultist girls are giggling in what was once Dakura's 'Pleasure Room'.
On deck, Scarred and Phinnae notice a sudden mysterious silence descend upon the boat. Looking around in consternation the Solar spies another boat coming towards them in the twilight stillness. He mentions this to Phinnae and runs below to warn Jade Wisdom.
As he descends the stairs Phinnae calls out "Want me to sail casual?" in a voice that seems unnaturally loud in the muted air. Scarred groans and shakes if head before dashing into Savvy's giggity-room to warn her as well.
Jade Wisdom hurriedly dons his armour and gathers his weapons in preparation of hostile intentions.
A gong sounds, low and lingering in the air.
Savvy collects her weapon and rushes on deck assuming her deadly beastman form. Her cult girls cling to each other in fear.
Jade Wisdom runs up to the deck activating his charms in an agonisingly long powerup...
Drums are heard, beating a slow steady beat in the night.
Jade Wisdom feels a dread fear creep over his heart. The crew and girls are sent below decks to hide. Looking to the stern, the Jadeborn sees the approaching boat. A colourful barque with oars like a multitude of fins rippling through the water and large glistening sails.
Scarred suddenly remembers he can't ever really screw up... he wishes he'd recalled that he had that hearthstone many months ago...
A figure arcs through the air towards the Shining Pearl. To Jade Wisdom's essence vision the creature is clearly a fae. It lands with an inhumanly graceful flourish, looks up and opens it's mouth to speak. Before any sound leaves its mouth Jade Wisdom answers with a Witty Retort to the face! The Gore Maul blurs as it is brought around again but the agile fae evades the terrified, yet furious, Jadeborn.
The fae swings a glistening blade three times in a deadly flurry of attacks which cause Jade Wisdom to cry out in pain. The Jadeborn's blood splashes down across the deck.
Savvy leaps onto the fae and drags her silver claws across it's shining armour but no harm is done to the creature. With a sense of urgency, Captain Phinnae pulls back the tensile string of her bow and launches an arrow. In true toxophilite style the arrow strikes deep and true into its breast. A small smile freezes upon the creatures beatific face as it collapses to the deck and Jade Wisdom gives it a solid boot off the ship and into the water below ... Phinnae
Seeing the danger on the Shining Pearl is over for now, Scarred runs up the main mast and swings across the 20 yard gap to the fae boat on a rope. All the time thinking to himself, these can't be fae, fae don't exist, the Empress destroyed all of them before her ascension... - Just figured it should be known who made that fantastic swing. Muzz
A pair of arrows speed through the still and silent air towards Jade Wisdom. The first is turned aside by his Resolute Denial, but the second strikes true, penetrating his chest armour.
Phinnae sights the fae archer on the other boat. With speed only the chosen of Luna could muster, Phinnae pulls Boris to her chest and fires an arrow, striking the fae square in the shoulder. Scarred rolls across the deck from his athletic acrobatics and leaps to his feet to attack. He sways and bobs in a drunken stupor but does little to worry the beautiful creature. Savvy turn into a bird and flies across the gap.
The glorious fae pulls forth a shining blade and stabs it into the intoxicated Scarred with a casual thrust. Blood sprays from the Solar as he cries out in pain.
Jade Wisdom props up Resolute Denial with Witty Retort to free his arms and draws forth Dakura's Powerbow. He looses an arrow but the graceful fae warrior easily avoids the shot.
Scarred takes a fortifying swig from his Gourd and unleashes a surprising kick... less surprisingly the inebriated Solar misses.
Phinnae tuns into her deadly beastman form and flies up, shooting again with her Moonsilver bow and striking the Cataphract in the chest. At the same time, Savvy resumes her beastman form and drops like an angry lion-horse onto the fae head. The fae remains completely silent, yet is clearly surprised. It slices at Savvy but she manages to awesomely dodge the whirling blade.
Another arrow embeds itself into the Cataphract's back thanks to Jade Wisdom. Unfortunately his second arrow is easily avoided once the fae spun around to see the attack. The fae also manages to avoid another blow from the drunk Solar. Now completely on the defensive, the glorious fae warrior manages to avoid another pair of arrows from the Jadeborn.
From high above, Phinnae snatches an arrow from her quiver, then plunges into a barrel roll towards the boat. She swoops over the deck, attempting to impale the creature and knock it into the river. Alas the fae, both agile and tricksy, turns as her arrow impacts its armour. It glances off and therefore does not cause any damage. While distracted by Phinnae, Savvy bites at its legs and feels the imaginary flesh give beneath her fangs ... Phinnae
The Cataphract brings its razor sharp blade up and across Phinnae's exposed body, causing another shower of gore to fly through the air. While it is attacking her Jade Wisdom releases another two arrows, the first ricochets off the railing and causes the fae to step back and spin to avoid it. But the second arrow's path anticipated this reaction and ricochets off Scarred's gourd and into the silent yet beautiful face of the creature. A final look of surprise is frozen there as it slumps, dead, to the deck.
Jade Wisdom is quite pleased by this.
The three Exalts take some stock of their surroundings on the fae boat and notice quite a large number of hobgoblins holding a steady distance. The sound of slow clapping is clearly audible in the otherwise silent twilight air. Looking up they spot another glorious fae.
Scarred asks "Who're you? *hic*", to which the fae noble replies, Invincible Serf of the Wyld. The fae then requests that they replace his Cataphracts in return for killing them in cold blood. They are not swayed by his arguments, fortunately.
Scarred asks why they attacked, but Invincible Surf of the Wyld denies any aggression.
The Exalts remain somewhat dumbfounded...
A bit more discussion takes place regarding who attacked whom. But neither party is willing to concede.
Savvy tries some diplomacy but to little effect.
Phinnae unfurls her massive purple and silver wings and tucks Scarred under a bulging bicep. With a single indignant flourish and swig of a gord, they fly back to the Shining Pearl ...Phinnae
The beautiful fae man refuses to tell the message he claims to have for the Exalts. At this, Savvy becomes bird and flies back to the yacht herself.
Once all the Exalts are aboard, Jade Wisdom recommends going after the creature of chaos, and reminds them all of fair folk deprivations across Creation, the wanton destruction during the Great Contagion, stealing people's dreams and sucking their souls dry...
Savvy says no.
Jade Wisdom reluctantly agrees to her wishes.
Scarred wants food, so the Jadeborn trudges back below decs to remove his bloodied armour. He informs the crew and the girls it is safe again, then heads to the galley where he prepares some food and tends to his wounds. Over dinner, he tries once more to explain ll he knows about the fair folk, and just why they are the enemies of all sane creatures in Creation, but the Exalts seem unconvinced. Jade Wisdom suspects this is due to the Fae noble being so good looking, and enchanting... beguiling. Scarred's refusal to even believe that the creatures were fae, or that fae even exist anymore is confounding, and the Jadeborn starts to think the Solar is insane, perhaps already fae addled. A discussion with Savvy also leaves him with a sense of unease as she appears to be a fae sympathiser. As if she belives it's ok for beautiful lies to enslave people, because they are beautiful. Thinking about her three cultists, Jade Wisdom grows even more uneasy.
The slow steady sound of drums beating all night do nothing to alleviate his fears, and he stays awake until dawn, deep in thought, and watchful for a return.
Back to Promise of Ages
