SJE/Session20
Exalted Session 20
End of last session- Paragon has invaded. The Captain is rapidly de-Exalting. Ravitsu Cail has 4 days to live before Ssseths poison kills him. The Ryku must reach the Palace in 24 hours or Gem will be destroyed. Jaq is injured, outnumbered and out of Essence and carrying the uniforms they need. 1 day is left to Calibration</b>
We begin with Jaq, racing through the desert, pursued by 3 cavalrymen. A lancer on either side, a bowman pursuing from behind. Our doughty sneak thief throws himself to the right, appearing to fall from the saddle. On the way down, his blade cuts the strap of the lancers saddle, pitching him out of his seat and leaving him behind in the sand. Jaq continues his swing under his own horse cuts the belly strap of the second lancers saddle. He too goes under the hooves of his own steed and is left far behind! Finally Jaq idly throws his gyro chakram up in the air towards the bowman who easily dodges the throw and starts firing his bow. He’s very much surprised then when the screaming chakram comes howling back at him, cutting through his arm!
Jaq is easily able to lose the injured pursuer in the (Shi-wadi-)wadis, dunes and ‘Oasis’ in the desert. (Pause for terrible puns as we go into musical puns- a’ Madness’ brought on by the ‘Thriller’ that passed in a ‘Blur’. Much xp dockage for atrocious puning, not least the GM)
Reunited, our intrepid Exalts disguise themselves with Jaqs stolen uniforms and set out to the Paragon camp in the waning hours of the night. We decide that Rav is curled up in mouse-form in the ryku casks recovering from all the airlifting and ward-busting he’s been doing all night. He’s also their ace in the hole if anyone gets too curious. “Go for the eyes Rav, Go for the eyes!” SJE/Baldurs Gate> earns an xp laugh award.
Adopting the role of grizzled desert rangers of Demi-Prefect Shania’s spec ops command, they get past the sentry (though he does stare at Jaq a lot as if almost recognising him). A gulliable lieutenant falls for Orchids social charms “Bandits attacked and you had to eat your secret orders & papers before they fell into enemy hands? Oh, OK!” and writes them a temperorary pass for the camp. But if they want to get past the front lines, they’ll need authorisation from General Peleus, commander in chief of the Army of Paragon.
Now, instead of keeping a low profile and maybe stealing a pass, forging one or talking their way past some troops, they decide to beard the lion in his den and Orchid and Brand march into the Generals Command Tent, bold as brass.
The General is a 7 foot tall mountain of the man, skin like granite, dark grey hair and an shoulders almost as broad as he is tall- the outcaste Earth Aspect General Peleus Mountain-Shaker. He is clad in excellent super-heavy plate armour but wears it like silk. A cowled sorcerer called ‘Blacken’ tends an aromatic brazier in a shadowed corner. A ferret of a man (Spymaster Rathenn) toadies to the General.
Orchid uses the same story as before- they are a special command meant to link up with Demi-Prefect Shania in the city before dawn. The General hasn’t heard anything about any secret operation and he wont have anyone messing up his assault with maverick military missions! Today is the day of the Big Push and he doesn’t want anyone to interfere with the schedule! What is their plan and cargo he demands.
Brand and Orchid refuse to say, warning they are oathed to die if they don’t obey Shanias orders. The General doesn’t care- he outranks a Demi-Prefect and wants to know what is going on. Orchid and Brand keep prevaricating and this winds the general up even more as he threatens imprisonment and chains unless they tell him what secret commando op is going on.
(Meanwhile Rathenn has popped outside and interrogates Captain and Jaq. They play dumb and he waves a badge of an Eye and a Flame at them saying they should recognise his authority supersedes their orders. Captain pretends to give in an hands him a vial of the Paragonese FastTime potion they captured from the bandits. Smiling the spymaster returns to the tent, not noticing that sneaky Jaq used his Perfect Theft charm to nick his shiny badge of authority!)
Hitting the table, 5foot Orchid stamps her feet and demands a pass or else “she will have to carry out her second set of orders!”
The 7foot General tall general has never heard such insubordination and puts his clenched fist through the table as he demands answers!
Brand realises this is going nowhere fast and whips out the Soulsteel direlance and cuts through the central pole of the command tent collapsing it around them! Cutting their way out, they flee across camp and towards Gem, pursued by the giant Earth aspect and the sorcerer, waking the sleeping army!
Orchid dashes through the ruins of the Hot District, zig-zagging around obstacles. The General is fast on the sprint, despite his superheavy armour, crashing straight through and over walls and tents instead! He tries to grab Orchid, but she wriggles away. Brand leaps in, his normally deadly soulsteel direlance striking thrice, merely scratching the man-mountain. Jaq throws his normally deadly Gyro Chakram, expanding it a hundred fold with Cascade of Cutting Terror, but even this cloud of screaming soulsteel blades gets reduced to ping against the awesome armour of Peleus.
The General responds by calling his loyal weapon, a massive stone Sledgehammer. Winds carry it to his hand and he takes an enormous swing at Brand, knocking him through a shack wall and out the other side for nearly half his health levels! Brand though invokes his Twilight anima power and rises to his feet, patting the dust of his shoulders and growing mad. Peleus’ eyes narrow as he sees Brands Caste Mark bright and realises he faces 3 Solars.
The Captain meanwhile has let the others and is racing the wagon through the Paragonese lines for Gem, waving the Spymasters badge all the way. Squeezing around battering rams he even manages to get the cart going on 2 wheels for a little while!
Orchid goes in for the Generals sandaled feet, his literal Achilles heel, but even his bare flesh has the consistency of granite, deflecting her war fans. Jaqs knives injure, but only slightly. In return Jaq gets a Flying Guilotine spell from the forgotten sorcerer and nearly loses an arm.
Brand shouts something about “Face the Power of the Unconquered Sun!” and unleashes his deadly combo, anima banner flaring, immense golden bat-wings stretch out from his shoulders and a screaming blizzard of golden bats guide his blows. He lunges at Peleus who dodges aside. He spins and cuts again at the General who smiles and reveals another secret- mastery of the Safety Amongst Enemies technique, redirecting brands deadly attack towards Orchid! Orchid’s flapping DPC form clothes desperate parry Brands burning spear away and she dodges under it, coming close to death. Brands third strike hits true though, an immense swing that would surely part the Generals head from his shoulders! (30 raw damage minus 18 soak). But this titanic blow is cursed by ill luck, catching the General across the cheek bone instead of the neck, marking him, not maiming! (2 successes on 12 damage!)
The Generals reply is succinct “Afore me Traitor!” - the sledge comes down and under in a golf swing, catching Brand low in the ribs, shattering ribs and launching him high in the air in a trajectory that will fall just short of the walls of Gem, 200 yards away!
Captain fortunately spots Brand burning up on re-entry and his horsewhip arcs up, golden Essence lengthening it so that it wraps around Brand. With a jerk, Brand’s trajectory is yanked toward the Captain and the wagon seat where his near lifeless body lands. The Captain jumps the trenches (helping the horse a little) and heads for the Gate, screaming the codeword.
Orchid and Jaq, seeing Brands fate, knock a Paragonese rider from his horse and race away for dear life, even as the army erupts around them like a nest of hornets. They race toward Gem, Paragonese troops in hot pursuit, the carefully planned assault now lost before the Generals bellows of “Get them! Get them now!” The Big Push has arrived at last!
The Captain at last reaches the Gates of Gem, which open, revealing the sallying force behind- 500, ready to charge Lancers! Hot dogging the wagon into a sliding break, he leaps onto a cavalry horse and leads the Brown Destriers mercenary company out to meet the disorganised Paragon advance. As he does, his anima banner begins to instinctively flare invoking the Dawn Caste Terror as he declaims “Let <b>‘Blood, blood, blood!’</b> be your motto! Slit their gizzards! Rarrrrr!”
As the hooves of the 500 horses shake the very earth of the killing ground, the Captain begins to glow, as if the rising sun was dawning behind him. As it does, a glowing, golden 50 foot high figure of a bacchanalian man turns terrible, bunch of grapes crushed in his fist, dripping like blood spreads terror and fear throughout the Paragonese Army. Unable to look upon his countenance, they turn aside, pikes dipping as the Captain rides through them like a football rolling through a field of toy soldiers. Death truly rides behind him!
Orchid urges forward her overburdened horse and races toward the Captain. She aims to change horses mid charge and rejoin the Captain! He though can barely see Orchid and raises his polearm to skewer this impudent Paragonese rider! But her horse shies away from the burning demigod and she leaps high, grabbing hold of the poleaxe. There then follows a frantic few seconds as Orchid’s delicately manicured hands hold on for dear life as she is spun round and round the poleaxe shaft as the invincible Captain uses her rag-doll body as part banner, part kicking weapon on any nearby infantry!
Jaq meanwhile rolls off and uses Seven Shadow Evasion to dodge, roll and dive between the thundering hooves of the entire cavalry charge and run for the Gate!
At last the charge circles round through the devastated lines of the Paragonese advance and both Orchid and Captain safely rejoin their companions. Jaq has been tending to Brand and decided (on his limited medical knowledge) that Brand is dead. Orchid concurs, but the Captain thinks Brand is faking it. (Many have tried to fake their deaths, or at least major illness when told they ride with Captain, so he has some experience of malingerers.)
To prove life to a sceptical Orchid, the Captain twists one of Brands broken arms and he twitches in reflexive agony! Orchid goes mad (gets Limit from the Captains childish behaviour) and slaps him, calling him an “Ignorant, stupid bastard” . This gets the Captains goat (he also gains Limit from being demeaned) and he tells her to “pull your weight and take the wagon to the Palace instead of flying around like a useless… err… thing!”
“Why don’t you go jump in a vat of wine then?!?!”
“I will then” says the Captain (not realising its an insult about his drunkenness)
“Fine” she says
“FINE!” he storms
“Well then.” She hisses
“FINE THEN! I WILL!” he leaves.
So, in summary-the Ryku has at last reached Gem on the 28th Descending Fire. Brand is being fitted for a full body cast, nearly every bone in his body broken. Jaq is badly injured, but has now learnt the powerful technique of Seven Shadow Evasion. Orchid and the Captain are gaining Limit off each other at incredible rates, both soon to Break soon. (and the Captain has Beserk Anger as his Flaw! Some might hope he de-Exalts before he Limit Breaks!). Brand and the Captain have revealed their full iconic banners before the crowded walls (& eyes) of Gem and Paragon, marking themselves as public Anathaema
Gem is still surrounded by a large Paragonese Army, dented but not out of the field by any means. Its General has vowed vengeance on those who cut him. Rav has 3 and a half days to live.
Calibration starts tomorrow!
Tick-tick-TICK!
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