SJE/Session11
Exalted Session 11 Log
Events- early morning 18th Descending Fire Ravitsu and the Captain surveil the suspected warehouse of Ahram the Trader, who holds an export licence for firedust. The Captain distracts them while Rav in mouse form scurries between their feet. He observes that the thieves are cutting up the fire powder into small pouches and filling sacks with 10-20 pouches per sack. Rav evacs out unnoticed.
(Think 24! The clock is ticking to the hour- tink- Tink- TINK!, 4 split screens show different scenes! Upper right, a small mouse scurries between the feet of thugs cutting a mound of firedust into smaller bags. Upper Right- Brand looks yellow and near death, blood on his lips as he twists in agony on his bed. Lower Left- Alana looks worried as she and a mysterious man flee into the nightime desert. Lower Right, blazing white light surrounds a black clad ninja, Orchid rises unsteadily from behind the cover of a toppled table. Camera focuses in Lower Right –
Clock 11:59:44
Full screen on Orchid, as she makes her way to the ninja, tugging away the black hood. Beneath is the recognisable face of young Jaq, recent recruit and boy-scout to the Watch.
Orchid- “OH Fuck!”
11:59:58
- CHINK*
11:59:59
- CHINK!!!*
12:00:00
- KA-CHINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*</i>
Everyone gets some sleep and goes on duty around 8am.
Convening in the Granite Towers- some truths are shared. Jaq and Orchid reveal that they too Exalted during the night though Orchid keeps back some of the details on the Hierophant and Jak doesn’t mention the whole Black Mouse thing at all.
Orchid reveals some of the threat to Gem, how the Fate of Creation is now intertwined with that of Creation as a whole. Much talk of this amongst the Exalts as they sort themselves out. They also notice Alana is missing and find her note saying “Have fled to desert with those lunatics I told you about. Back sometime”
Then the PC’s surprise me. New Eclipse Orchid suggests they swear a binding oath to prevent the destruction of Gem from all enemies, within and without. (Actually, initially Orchid misspoke and said “We swear the destruction of Gem” to much amusement and speculation on how a dyslexic Eclipse could create more havoc than any given Abyssal….)
After a few revisions they all agree, join hands and say “I swear that I will defend the City of Gem from all enemies and threats as long as I shall live”. Somewhere above, three knocks in the sky signify Heavens witnessing of this oath.
Looking at the Chalkboard, the most immediate threat to defend against appears to the be the Obsidian Theives Guild and their stockpiling of firedust for undoubtedly nefarious ends. Plans are drawn up, the Palace is notified that Alana wont make her meeting with the Despot, and the Captain receives an invite from Lord Steward Valtess to join him at a large dinner party on the 20th at the Palace.
Then Trouble! Word comes of death at the City Gates. Scrambling, Rav, Captain, Jaq & Orchid head down the mountain for the Watchtowers on the City gates. Getting through the mob, they head up the spiral steps of the Gate tower and come out in the top turret room.
There the naked, decapitated corpse of old Watch hand Cpl. McMuhrty has been hung upside down from a rafter. Ravitsu, first through the door, gets the feeling of being watched- the Lunar hairs on the back of her neck prickling. But there is no one there, just a quiet sound of some clicks and a low humming noise.
Further investigation shows blood spatter near the two chairs at the fire. A lot of blood spatter. Body seems to have died of instantaneous decapitation. But where is Old Tam, McMuhrtys partner? A faint blood trail leads to the balcony surrounding the watchtower. Again a feeling of being watched- but no one to see. Old Tam’s headless body is here too- impaled on the spike at the top of the tower, a good 7 feet up from the roof gutter!
They get the bodies down and make a thorough invstigation. There are maybe some tracks in the rafters, but who nobody knows. Essence flows are strangely normal and no one is sure what could have done this without leaving a trace. But other threats press on Gem and this double murder is reluctantly sidelined to concentrate on the Obsidian issue. The rest of the Watch NPC’s head off for the wake/funereal arrangements for Old Tam and McMuhrty, leaving the Watchouse and patrols dangerously undermanned- only the 5 PCs are still on duty!
Brand (still slowly recovering from his poisoning) tries to put all the pieces of he Firedust smuggling together, but finds his charm-enhanced concentration interrupted by the sound of a crying child. It is the demon-kid Lucita who is sobbing about a bad dream she had of monsters chewing their way out of the ground with tentacles and teeth and stuff. Brand, hardened badcop that his is unable to reassure a crying 8 year old and winds up giving her lollipops instead, but does check under the bed anyway.
((Orchid, Rav & Brand go to astrologer Prophetic Voice and sort out deaf old neighbour Venerable Otaku- hilarity ensues.))
Captain stakes out the warehouse, gets drunk, gets into arm wrestle with Drongo, spots cart leaving just in time and sees it deliver sacks to addresses round city.
Orchid finds out that the Abyssal Lord of Silent Repose has taken up his old lodgings in the diplomatic quarter (lower Peak) and his carriage visits the Diamond Palace nearly nightly.
Rav and Brand discover that crime is down, the Obsidians are up to something but no one is sure what- they have been acquiring buildings around the city with a little intimidation and a lot of money.
Jak follows Desert Goat around all day- eventually to the home of Khalid the Slaver where he finally gets close enough to overhear “…. Sieze the armoury, tomorrow…. Firedust distributed….. uprising on the 20th…..”
Its all gone bad, it sounds like the Obsidian Guild are conspiring to lead a revolution on the 20th (when the bigwigs are at dinner) and today is the 18th. The Despot must be told!
But even then, braying trumpets from the (abandoned) City Gates herald the arrival of a column of men, horses and carriages, in blue and silver uniforms. It is the embassy from Paragon, lead by Ambassador Hollow Reed (played by Neville Chamberlain), Demi-Prefect Shania (think Denise Crosby) his bodyguard and a unit of Paragon Mounted Lancers as their protection.
The Watch rush down there, trying to look presentable (Rav resorts to Lunar shapeshifting charms to accomplish this miracle, the Captain looks shaven and less drunk for a moment, but Orchid and Brand really shine).
The Ambassador requests admittance to the City, the Captain accedes. Then youthful Jak impresses everyone by single-handedly opening the 30-foot tall gates himself! (9 successes on the Str & Athletics roll!)
“And hes our newest recruit!” boasts the Captain in diplomatic small talk as the Ambassador, Captain, Orchid and Demi-Prefect. Diplomatic incidents are avoided, the delay at the Gates smoothed over and soon the Ambassador and retinue are delivered to the Diamond Palace where Major Ymes engages in a Zoolander-esque fashion strut-off with the Captain over who is is the better looking and groomed.
So we close with the group at the gates of the Palace, so close to warning the Despot of the revolution, yet still so far away...
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