SJE/Session47
Exalted Session 47
Gods and Exalts
Apologies for the briefer nature of this session report. Write ups are hard to get back into.
So, the camera turns to Shizi. Who has finally made a breakthrough in her investigations of her dizygotic twin brother’s disappearance? His last girlfriend (or the one he saw on the night before he vanished at least) revealed that he had a meeting in the back precincts of the Temple of Rulen (Southern God of Mathematics)
Travelling there (its a small temple of the Street of Small Gods. Rulen receives some donations from wealthy merchants and accountants. He holds to the sacred laws that 1 + 1=2, the Secret Mystery of zero and simultaneous equations) a disguised Shizu asks after a man matching her brothers description. Of course they haven’t seen anyone who looks like him. Questioned further about that day, the High Priest of Rulen at first claims to perfectly remember it. But then he can’t. That’s strange. They do agree to look in the donation book for that day, to see if anything is recorded there, and discover an even greater mystery. The records of the day in question should fall on p.56 of the book. (Initiates of Rulen laboriously page-number each new book when it’s received as an act of faith). But p.56 is missing- with p. 55 facing page 57. How could such a disruption to the divine numbering order have occurred?! The High Priest is much perturbed and Shizu begins to suspect the hand of Sad Ivory, Assassin of Fate.
The Captain meanwhile is in bed with sacrificial ex-virgin Welcoming Blossom. That’s when his wife, the Goddess of Intoxicants Burning Feather materialises in his room with a shriek of rage so powerful that kegs of ale explode across Gem and every wine bottle in the city shatters as her diatribe rises in pitch!
”Captain-Ibrahim-al’Amarah-what-do-you-think-you-aredoingwiththisworthlesshussyofSsseth!!! Ishoulddestroyyouutterly,curse you to never taste alcohol again!!!!!”</i>
<i>“Its not what you think dear! I just needed to know what she knew about the Mime conspiracy” back-pedals the Captain.
“WHAT! You just want me for my mind? Not my body!” exclaims the curvaceous Welcoming Blossom, upset to learn that her lover isn’t actually a Northern barbarian. “Well, I’m going to hurl myself into the jaws of Ssseth. See what you do then” says the heartbroken Blossom who storms out.
(Fortunately Rav is outside to calm her down and pour on the tea and sympathy. Brand falls off the scaffolding outside because he’s laughing too much and Orchid makes the mistake of trying to intervene in a domestic)
The Captain tries mollifying his divine wife, arguing that their last parting meant he wasn’t sure they were married. Orchid passes over the blank divorce papers which further outrages a miffed Burning Feather, as clearly the Captain didn’t see that her rejection of him was an invitation to win back her heart. The Captain (worried about never being able to taste alcohol again) professes he is her greatest worshipper
“See dear, the papers are still blank! I couldn’t bring myself to fill them in!”
“If you love me, you will have no hesitation in burning these divorce papers. Show me that we’ll be together forever!”
One last gulp later, the Captain hurls the papers into the fire, and Burning Feather reconciles with him. Upset that Ssseth has dared to bite her husband, she summons a bottle of the Wine of the Gods and shares this potent brew with the Captain. Its powerful spirits are more than enough to fully heal the Captain and banish the poison of Ssseth….
Other events.
Welcome Blossom makes herself busy around the Granite Watchtower and along with her obvious assets, turns out to be a dab-hand with a tea urn. The men of the Watch immediately warm to her. Orchid and Rav discuss setting some sort of charity to help ‘that sort of woman’ to make a life for themselves after escaping exploitation.
Orchid goes visit the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile, to thank her for her kind “Get WellSJE/Dead Soon” card and gift. Once more each tries to seduce the other with their unearthly charms, but stalemate again. The Maiden is
Brand uncovers more of the Paragonese spy ringSJE/Session47/Mime conspiracy and sends a report to the Despot. Completion of the repairs to the Granite Watchtower is nearing, with something magical forming in the lowest levels. He decides to to top it off by putting up the huge orichalcum giant robot head to cap the tower roof. But they get a stream of complaints from the nobility higher up on the mountain that its golden reflection is blinding them every time they look up on the mountain. Still it makes for an effective beacon to be seen shining across the desert below.
Orchid gets IM’d from the Mahdi- Apparently he’s had a great victory over the Fair Folk invasion, he’s standing on a mountain of bodies etc. The Watch decide it’d be a nice idea to go visit and see how he’s doing.
First though, Orchid goes visit the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile, to thank her for her kind “Get WellSJE/Dead Soon” card and gift. Once more each tries to seduce the other with their unearthly charms, but stalemate again. The Maiden is more than happy to volunteer to help slaughter Fae, indicating that Abyssals and Solars have a common enemy. Orchid though declines, thinking it impolitic to bring and Abyssal to meet the righteous Zenith Caste Mahdi.
Along the way they stop at the Great Oasis (Brand and the Captain fail their will save against picking up some useless tat in the Trading Post and Gift shop). Rav wants to eat lion heartsblood that night so he flies out at night, and finds a strange pride of lions. Led by an very big Lion, the pride of lioness and young is being followed not by one rogue male, but by a whole pack of them. When they get to close, the Alpha Lion turns and roars back at them with such strength that the sand is whipped away and he can be heard for miles. Rav suspects either a lion god or a Lunar. Nonetheless Rav bags himself an isolated rogue male and consumes its heartsblood.
Following the trail of the Mahdi and the Dehennen nomads, the group (squeezed together in a Stormwind Rider and suffering from the desert heat) come across a great pyramidal dune- it is the mountain of Fae bodies, now covered by the sand and reverting back to elemental Essence.
Half a days journey, they come at last to the encampment of the desert nomads in the deep desert. The Mahdi is delighted to see them, telling them of how the faith of Sol Invictus made triumph assured. Now he and his army will patrol the Border of Fire and stop any further Fae incursions!
The Watch are more worried that the Mahdis blind faith is going to get him and his men killed, since the army only has 3 more days of food and water left. But the Mahdi wont hear of it! If his army is in need, then faith will sustain them! Mana will rain down from the heavens! They will reach the Lost City of Cinnabar and take water there! Why does the Circle’s faith waver ? What has their Zenith been doing to fail to instil in them the true faith of the Sun!
The Captain is swayed by this righteous argument, almost joining the Mahdi’s jihad! Orchid on the other hand is annoyed by the Mahdi’s fanaticism, believing it will lead only to ruin.
So, the Solars part, relations between the Watch and the Holy Warriors of the Desert now strained….
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