SJE/Session32
Session 32
After last weeks cataclysmic events (and Brand being literally knocked out of the battle), the remaining Solar Exalts decide to gang up on Octavion as Anaria covers their backs with the rest of the demon army. Occasional blasts of “Carmina Burana” and the ‘Imperial March’ mark the attempts of the Abyssals to use their limb-slicing and soul-draining Combos on Stanewald. Ravs launched himself up into the air, haven taken the Emerald Thurible from Artom Thules corpse last session.
The great grey-skinned, black-oiled Octavion grabs out with his huge hands intending to snatch up one of the Solars by the legs and then use them as an improvised weapon to clobber the rest of the Circle. Fortunately, each of the remaining Exalts manages to beat the 6-12 successes he generates.
Rav somersaults in the air and sticks the Thurible to the tip of his spear. He begins a crash dive, spear extended dive-bomber style at the bald spot on Octavions skull.
400ft
Windstreaming past his ears, wings are tucked in for maximum speed.
300ft
Speeds is approaching terminal. For somebody.
200ft
Thurible is starting to glow red-hot with re-entry
100ft
Here WE GO!... Drumrolll…
20ft
BOING!
A great reverberating ringing sound is heard as the Thurible-onna-Direlance hits Octavions head. The Thurible comes away much the worse for wear as Octavion apparently keeps his cerebellum somewhere around his sternum and his bald spot soaks the damage. The Thurible however is cracked and goes spinning through the air, trailing a malefic green light…
Lightning-quick, Jaq fires a sling stone through it- cracking containment!
Green energy begins spewing out of the holed Thurible, so with a second stone, Jaq slings it towards Octavions face. He blanches and dives under it in panic, as the spewing green light trailing the Thurible begins eating its way through the ground.
Orchid puts two and two together and realises that the Thurible was a high Essence item that had been supplying the demonic horde with Essence to remain in Creation. This huge source of power is from the microscopic amount of the Green Sun Ligier’s Essence contained within. And a microscopic amount of a solar sized entity is enough to really ruin the neighbourhood. And now its freed from its container, this malignant, unholy green energy will try to rejoin its source by eating a hole through Creation and into Malfeas! It’s an unholy nuclear reactor of demonic energy and now the shielding is cracked!
So Orchid comes up with “The Plan” . Which involves other people hitting the unholy Nuclear Reactor of Doom a lot.
Rav can scoop it up into the air with his direlance, lacrosse-style. Then the Captain leaps up into the air and volleyballs it over Octavion towards the demon army. Jaq can then guide it into the centre of the demon army with some sling stones to add spin and direction. Alana gets the joyous job of keeping Octavion occupied this round, while Orchid supervises and provides pithy comments. Then hopefully it sucks in the demon army rather than Gem and most of neighbouring Creation.
(I love the idea, so everyone involved gets a 3 dice stunt for this turn)
Rav knocks it up way into the air, with a golf-club swing and cry of “Fore!” . The insanely handsome Captain, hair ruffled to perfection rises up in a close-up shot, hands outstretched, as ‘Great Balls of Fire’ plays in the background. He volleys it towards he demon army and Jaq shoots from the hip with some more sling stones to guide it straight into the centre of the horde!
Alana meanwhile takes advantage of Octavions panic to get her head back. (As mentioned way back in Session 24- the severed Solar head hanging from Octavions belt used to belong to Alana’s previous incarnation). She slices at Octavions hip with her daiklaive and cuts into it, and through the cords attached to the withered head. She somersaults forward, clasping the head before it hits the ground.
OOC- Jaq “!Ooo Ooo! Can I use Cascade of Cutting Terror on it!” OOC- Alana “No! Its my head! You cant use my head!”
BOOM!
At this point the Emerald Thurible loses all integrity and the ravening power of Ligier is let loose across the plain. A tidal wave of devastating green light washes across the demon army and desert ground, eating away at both in a matter of moments! It starts burning through the earth, desperately seeking to burn its way down to Malfeas itself! The demon army tries to flee, but as they do, the ground falls away beneath them, Return of the King-style!
However, this baleful expanding green light has yet to reach Octavion and the Solars. Orchid steps forward and commands in a low coldly emotionless tone that brooks no argument “Go Home Octavion. Now” Reeling from the sudden devastation, even the Valour 5 Demon Prince involuntarily takes a few steps back in shock.
Denied permission to use Alanas head for CoCT, Jaq is at a loss what to do.
OOC Jaq- “Steve- does Octavion wear shoes?” OOC GM- “I guess so. Massive leather sandals” OOC Jaq- “Can I use Flawless Pickpocketing Technique to steal one?” OOC GM (puzzled) - “With that Charm, you can steal anything, so I guess so.”
So Jaq steals Octavions sandals as he’s stepping back and passes them to the Captain.
The Captain does what he always does with a hefty boot that he’s not putting on to his feet. He winds up his arm in a full speed baseball swing and hurls it at Octavon, with a tremendous “THWACK!”. A host of puns descend from around the table
“I’m giving him the Boot”
“Socking it to him”
Orchid laments on how we “Suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous footwear.”
Both GM and Octavion reel under this unexpected assault, and the mighty demon prince is overbalanced enough to topple backwards into the expanding Portal to Malfeas, sucked away by a malignant green whirlwind of energy!
With Octavion gone, Stanewald does a runner too, sans an arm after one of the Abyssals got a nasty Limb-severing Combo through her defences. She swallow-dives into the maelstrom of green energy as the Portal closes, leaving a vast depression in the sands outside Gem, the demon menace at last defeated!!!
Victory!
The exhausted Exalts are barely able to stand as they survey the scene around them. The demon army is gone, though thousands of corpses litter the walls and ruined gate of Gem, where the decimated soldiers still hold. The word of victory quickly spreads throughout Gem and the people come out of the lava tubes and shelters and soon throng the streets and roofs of the city, spontaneously cheering and clapping at the sight of their enemies departure. A tidal wave of applause greets the Captain, Rav, Alana, Jaq and Orchid as they make their way back to the City. (Brand has nearly made it to the bottom of the mountain having been jogging down from the Palace these last few minutes)
Still, though the nearby soldiers are hailing the Solars and Lunar as saviours, the cheering and applause quietens as the Exalts approach the Abyssals and Dragonbloods. Both factions have gathered together and eyeing the other warily. There is open hatred on the faces of Anaria and Master Tanaka as they gaze at the Lord of Silent Repose, Maiden with the Mirthless Smile and the Knight of Dark Renown. The Abyssals hands are edging towards their weapons and it suddenly seems a lot colder around them. The war might be over, but it doesn’t look like peace has broken out yet and that is worrying Gem’s citizenry.
Rav grabs a slain Erythanoi head and exclaims “GEM WILL NEVER FALL!” The Captain starts waving another head around - “Rarr! Hurrah!”
Orchids voice cuts through the city, in a low flat voice she points to each of the Solar Lunar heroes explaining how each did their part-
<points to the Captain>. - “He suffered on The Cross for you!” <Jaq> - “He battled battled mimes and spirits” (the crows ‘Ooohs’ at the mention of mimes) <Rav> - “He fought the war in the air alone” <Alana>- “She killed Octavion!” (the crowd ‘Aaaahs’) <Orchid> “I went to Hell” (crowd begins applauding)
There is growing applause and respect radiating out from the massed citizens of Gem. It reaches a grand crescendo of delight and support. At last the Exalts feel like they can say “Ich bin ein Gemite” . Its as if the people of Gem have taken the City Watch Exalts into their hearts and respect. Though the People of Gem may still think of you as Unholy Anathaema Demons from Hell, they now realise the Exalts are their Unholy Anathaema Demons from Hell and wont put up with any nonsense from foreign rulers or potentates who say otherwise!
An honour guard of the surviving soldiers and City Watchmen escort the Exalts up to the Palace for Tea & Medals, meeting up with Brand along the way. The Abyssals slink off to pack for a house move and the DB’s start giving compassionate aid for the injured and traumatised mortals.
Up at the Palace, a 7 trumpet salute sounds as the gates are thrown open and the Palace Guard line up to salute the victorious heroes. The Despot throws a big party for them in the Grand ballroom as Auntie, Mother Sahlak and the various nobles of Gem toast their health and victory. There is tea, and scones and jelly and ice cream and gingerbread men and candy and Burning Brand is never happier.
There are groupies and admirers too, as the beautiful sons and daughters of the nobility flock around the insanely handsome and gorgeous Exalts (everyone has App 3-5!)
Jaq decides that since she didn’t have a chance to disguise in the middle of the battle when she got her new armour that she would come out as her true gender
“What? Ninja?” the GM is heard to remark.
Alana’s holy Fedaykeen Cult Tiger Warriors are a little put out at all these ‘impure’ suitors seeking to importune the perfect Shiny One, so they act as particularly aggressive celebrity bodyguard, handing people off in the face who get to close and pushing through the mob in a tight cordon whenever she moves about!
Rav gets a lot of interest from people fascinated with him silver glow and shapechanging abilities. “Do the wings!” they beg him. When Rav uses Gift of Luna to sprout silver eagle wings, the crowd around him gasp and begin to gently stroke them
“Oh my God, I’ve attracted the Furries!” Rav realises!
The Captain is meanwhile making various trips to a convenient broom cupboard with assorted bevies of lovelies on his arm. He too is never happier!
At last all good things must come to an end and despite the Captain voting to continue basking in the adulation of Gems populace before so quickly goes again (already there are complaints that the Portal maelstrom didn’t leave enough bodies around to loot), Orchid insists they meet down at hers for a Talk.
Of course Floating Summer Orchids home is now a burnt out shell, along with most of the neighbourhood after Evil Orchids vindictive spate of arson.
“Anything important in there?” the Captain asks “Just my whole life!”
They go to Jaqs pad instead. She too has had a visitor- someone has nicked all her valuables and drank all the beer in the pantry. And left a small black mouse figurine behind. Has Dashing Hare struck again or is it a sign that her brother, the original Black Mouse still lives?
They have the Talk. The truth comes out about Evil Orchid. Everybody starts getting Limit. Orchid wants to know why didn’t they notice? Why!? Alana says “You were like this before you went to Hell!” Lots of bad feeling and disagreement till Jaq steps in as peacemaker.
‘Ting.’
A silver envelope manifests itself on the dresser.
A cautious Rav opens it, recognising a Heavenly Seal on the back.
“Exalts of the Gem City Watch.
You are cordially invited to the Carnival of Meeting in the Gardens of Yu Shan for an evening of delight and wonders.
Please make your way to the highest point of Gem tomorrow night for transportation.
Yr. Obdt. Servant.
(Indecipherable Squiggle}
pp. Chejop Kejak"
....
So ends Session 32.
Phew!
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