SJE/Session68
Exalted Session 68
The Face of Oblivion
22nd Resplendent Air RY769
On the field of battle, the Dragonblooded officers of the Ledaal House Legion lead their men and Alanas Tiger Warriors forward to battle the war ghosts and zombies infesting Solaria Magnus. Their charge is slightly delayed as the Lord of Silent Repose finds himself a rock and begins to strum a melancholy tune on his ebony Lute.
”Nobody knows de trouble I see
Nobody knows but Oblivion…”
The Legionaires stuff some wax into their ears, but the other Exalts are not so quick- Shizu suffering especially as her eardrums rupture from the sorrow the Lords dirge.
The other Abyssals leap into action- the Maiden hurls a spear at Brand, the Knight of Dark Renown begins a dreadful Necromantic incantation and the cowled, Emperoresque Voice screams soundlessly as a wave of pure, black Oblivion engulfs the lead legionaires, eating through rubble, sand, flesh and bone till only the bare, scorched earth remains!
Shizu sneaks through, under cover of charms and quickly pens a Cease and Desist note from the “Solarian Inspectorate of Unlisenced Musicians and Buskers” which she then wraps around an arrow and fires at the Lord of Silent Repose, but he dodges. A similar missive asking for a Health and Safety and Environmental Impact report on the Knights necromancy is swallowed up by the Knight of Dark Renowns dark damage reducing anima.
Brand aims (by pointing his finger) and tells the Essence Cannon crews to “Fire when ready” at the Maiden. She parries with Ironic Jest. Nascent however has spotted the danger of the Knight successfully casting a Labyrinth Circle spell and charges past the Maiden and Voice to assault the Knight. Nascents anima glows so bright as he invokes his Combo of Death, that even the Knight, concentrating deep on shaping the necrotic Essence of his mighty spell notices and aborts the spell to Perfectly defend himself from Nascents deadly onslaught!
Meanwhile the great Black Tentacle the Knight had been summoning is still rising high into the air above the two combatants- no longer shaped, the Essence in it is going critical!
As the Lord plays on, his life-draining music harming Exalts (who put their faith in armour rather than Soak charms) more than the wax-eared Legionaires. Rav decides to do something about the Lords melancholy music, as its really giving him a headache. The Lunar takes on the aspect of the “East Solarian Judge” in the Underworld Eurovision Song Contest and awards the Lord of Silent Repose “Null point” . As Rav declares a huge Direlance flurry at the Lord, I realise that since he spent his charm this activation on “Wailing Dirge” , I cant actually Perfect the angry Lunar music critics mighty blows. Even Dodge Essence Flow isn’t enough to boost the Abyssals DV as the Lord of Silent Repose is beaten like a sock puppet! Then to add the icing to the cake, Rav declares an extra action and buys down his ticks so he can act again before the Lords DV (& Charm) refreshes!
Brand meanwhile has mustered the McCathaks into a charge against the Voice of Oblivion. Bella shouts “Bannion go left! Boone go right! Brand, follow me down the middle!”
The Voice of Oblivion spots their co-ordinated attack, and his black hood falls back to reveal an albino white face, black pupils, and a look of such hate that mere mortals fall back in terror. Channelling his Hate and spite, the Voice opens his mouth and spews out another Wave of Oblivion. The McCathaks make like hopping firecrackers and jump high into the air to avoid it disintegrating their legs. Brand takes another path and sets his huge Grand Daiklaive into the dirt above him. Calling on Heavenly Guardian Defence, the black tide of Oblivion meets the shining gold of his sword and with a sound like a Evangelion death move, he parries!
Then its on! The Fire Aspects dance like moths around a flame, direlances and daiklavies flashing in to hack at the Voices white flesh and dark robe. Then Brand jumps high into the air, swinging his daiklaive overhead at the face of Oblivion. The Voice anima banner swells as he perfectly soaks attack after attack, but Brands last swing is 3m too far and he decides to risk it. Raising his arm to parry, Brands Grand daiklaive cleaves through the Voices forearm and his hand falls away!
Over towards Knight and Nascent, the great black tentacle of Necromantic power rears up over the battling Exalts like some blind kraken seeking life. At last the essence structure the Knight was trying to shape fractures away and the tentacle turns to a million pieces of razorsharp black ice, slicing into Nascent and drawing blood from his cheek. Nascent tries to turn from the danger, but finds himself spinning into the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile. Flanked by the Maiden and Knight, his blade turns into a blur of parries as the two deathknights try to wear him down with flurries.
Somehow Nascent survives, and his golden aura shining around him, he summons up the last dregs of his Essence for one last brutal, 6 blow Combo attack on the Maiden. Despite her Infinte Melee Mastery, it is not enough to save her from Nascents equally powerful Infinite Mastery, as his Foe-Clearing Halberd, rends through her armour and flesh. With one might heave, he drives the axehead deep into her lily-white chest and then on the withdrawal drags out her still breathing lungs! ( “Shes got a good set of pipes on her!” - GM)
With a wicked smile Nascent spends his last point of uncommitted Essence to invoke his Halberds kinetic blast and the Maidens lungs explode in a shower of gore!
Shizu takes another sniper shot at the shocked (and blood spattered) Knight, but the Knights armour and anima are too powerful for anything less than a charm enhanced Grand weapon to worry.
Rav in the meantime has smashed into the Lord of Silent Repose, before he could get his defences back. Stabbing into his gut and thigh the Lord falls, nearly incapacitated.
“Please, noble Lunar, spare my life” he bargains “I will swear by the Malfeans to do anything you ask, once”
“Then I ask you to die” growls Rav. The Lord tries crawling away, but the long legged Lunar can easily keep up.
“Then I’ll swear to be humble servant forever, just don’t kill me!” begs the Lord, casting aside the last shreds of his dignity.
Ravs reply to this plea is contemptous- his direlance a silver flash through the air, skewering through the Lords chest and plucking out his black, withered heart!
Back to the Voice of Oblivion. The hate filled Midnight caste anima flares around him- a black gateway to the Void welling within him. Looking from his amputated arm to the fall of the Lord of Silent Repose and Maiden of the Mirthless Smile, his undead forces falling before the Legions swords, the Hate swells within him. The delicate balance of self-control that keeps a living embodiment of the Void in existence has been broken and the Voice of Oblivion gives into his Hate for life. He decides to become with Oblivion, and take everything in sight with him!
Brand, mere feet away, can see it in the Voice of Oblivions eyes. As the Voice, stretches back his head and opens his mouth to release an apocalyptic explosion of pure, entropic, dark Void upon everything within 400 yards radius! It will be a great Akira-style sphere of black Oblivion that will consume everything around it, armies, buildings, Exalts and even the ground itself in one self-destructive, hate filled act!
That’s when Brand lunges forward caring not for his existence, Grand Daiklaive swings over his head and plunges straight down the Voice of Oblivions throat! The Voice stands there for one thwarted, hate-filled moment, before exploding in a burst of black Essence! Brand is lost to sight as the failed Oblivion blast washes over him, but peters out yards beyond.
Shizu and the McCathaks leap over to the crater in the ground as the black cloud of Oblivion stuff fades away. Clasping Brand to their chests, they find he still breathes! His sacrifice not in vain, and despite all his mumblings about “Useless, stupid compassion…” he looks up at the sky and his still living comrades a better man.
The battle seems to be swinging their way. While Nascent still battles the obstinate Daybreak caste Knight of Dark Renown, the greater part of the Abyssal strength has been broken. But just as victory seems inevitable, shouts of alarm and men suddenly falling dead, warn of the approach of a slim, slight figure, with a beaked and black-plumed headdress.
Enter the Princess Magnificent with Lips of Coral and Robes of Black Feathers….
So Ends Session 68
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