SJE/Session69
Exalted Session 69
Last Stand at the Coral Corral
The arrival of the Princess Magnificent with Lips of Coral and Robes of Black coincided with that of the Captain, fresh from sleeping it off in a ditch. He had discarded the piece of paper with the squiggles and headed for the sound of battle. The Princess’ first target was Nascent, his flaw if invulnerability pinning him to the spot.
Having checked that Brand was still breathing the Captain leapt with his charm enhanced thews towards Nascent and, before the Princess could strike, picked him up, horse and all and then ran back to Brand. On the horse, Nascent shouted, if not too earnestly, to be taken back to the battle.
Ravistsu, fresh from killing one Abysssal; leapt into the air shouting ‘ Oi, fat ankles’. Deprived of her target the enraged Princess shot out a hand and a hair needle tore through Rav’s wings.
In the corner of the battlefield, Shizu began to invoke the most dread evils, channelling the Great Mime and becoming something only referred to in horror in the most ancient tomes, an Avatar of the Nameless God.
You make it sound like such a bad thing said Shizu’s player.
Invested with the power of Mimicry, Shizu leapt from invisible wall to wall, slowly creeping on the Princess. When in position she fired a hypothetical arrow at the Princess who failed to disbelieve and was cut through for two aggravated. There is no defence against that forbidden power cursed even this blasphemy against Creation. Turning to Shizu she cried You dare use the Forbidden! Even the Malfeans would not countenance it, and squinting she tried to make Shizu’s brain explode. In agony Sahizu clutches her skull as blood runs down her ears.
Cut scene
The Loom of Fate shakes as spiders scuttle in alarm as Tapestry shifts
Chejop Kejak "Its like a different Loom is intruding onto our Creation. Similar, yet alien. I haven’t seen this for a thousand years, and we had to kill the Solars to make it stop…”)
Back to the battle
As Shizu taps into this black and white power so the Captain's mime sense goes off. Something is very, very wrong and it is focused on Shizu. With an act of will he shifts his attention to the battle against the DeathLord.
Meanwhile the Knight of Dark Renown breaks free from the aftermath of the spell and seeing Nascent turning to challenge him once more gestures to a pile of bones, summoning a skeletal horse. Mounting it he turns to charge Shizu. Taking advantage of the DeathLord's distraction, Alana shouts orders to the Circle and nearby Dragonblooded co-ordinating 10 different attackers.
(The view shifts to top down)
Five burning red paths mark the attack of the Fire Aspects along the ground, weaving in and around the dead, living and dying. The Captain seizes a nearby round boulder and driving three finger holds into it throws it at the Princess. Brand deftly leaps atop, riding the obsidian bowling ball towards its target ready to strike out at the right moment. Nascent turns his horse from battling the Knight and charges, to provide a follow through while Ravitsu stunts firing his direlance as an arrow but does not let go, allowing it to draw him down to the Princess for a final flurry. As the attackers move into position, the Dragonbloodeds unleash a co-ordination charm and in a split-second, all ten attackers have harmonised their pace, their breathing and their attacks, like an Olympic synchronised swimming team. The air is rent with the sound of dozens of simultaneous strikes, the Princess’s perfect parries and the blasting heat of the expended essence. (She spends 87m to perfectly defend each attack, leaving her exhausted as her enemies regroup and prepare to strike again.)
Shizu jumps from under an invisible table and mimes a kiosk around Princess- Princess who again fails to disbelieve again and, as Shizu slams down the grill, is trapped in soundless, invisible box. Her eyes blazing she reaches across the battlefield and sucks the necrotic from a thousand ghosts.
The Knight of Dark Renown charges, lining both Shizu and then the Captain, but they easily avoid his blows. The Captain leaps to strike the Princess but the dark power of Mimicry stops him, as his smashfists rain down on the invisible kiosk walls. Enraged he rolls limit break, but botches as his anger is washed away leaving an icy calm of the mime. Affected by mimicry he ‘picks up’ the kiosk, with the princess inside, shakes and throws it skyward, shouting to Brand ‘ NOW’.
Brand fires the Giant robot head at clouds, and they vanish, leaving Solaria Major soaked in the rays of the sun. Alana turns to her crack shield mirror warriors and shouts ‘Formation’, upon which they align their shields, collecting the light of the sun and concentrating it on the Princess, trapped in her booth like a Out-of-Date Microwavable Ready Meal. Ravitsu shines his moon silver lance, reflecting light into the Princess’ eyes and confusing her further.
As the kiosk arcs through the sky, it fills with smoke and flame as the Princess burns like a Buffy vamp. Her umbrella can only shield one side and she is being fried from above and below.
In agony she explodes out of invisible box and uses umbrella to float down Mary Poppins style to land on Knight’s horse. He opens portal to Labyrinth and they flee in horror and shame at their defeat.
Ravitsu flies overhead and blocks their path to the gate “In the name of the Moon, You Shall Not Pass”. The horse goes flying, its riders taking a tumble. With a cry of victory, Alana leads the final attack, co-ordinating the Circle’s blows. The Captain reaches the Knight and with one hand grabs and clinches him. The Princess makes a desperate run for portal with Flitting Shadow speed charm and the Knight despairingly calls “Mistresss….” as she abandons him.
It is then a race for the portal; a second before the Princess can make it, she is once more hit from all sides. The Cathaks and McCathaks enthusiasm takes them in and out of the portal’s writhing dark energies but their blows have weakened the Princess. The Captain steps up and, wielding the Knight of Dark Renown in one hand, shouts ‘Smashfist! Deathknight! Smashfist!, Deathknight!’ hitting the Princess four times, but she can only block two, leaving her face black & blue. Brand and Ravitsu stab into her and Alana steps forward to deliver the final blow. With 11 HL of aggravated Zenith holy damage, she lops off first one arm, then the other and finally swings her daiklaive cross the DeathLord, cutting her in two. There is a fading cry as some soul, a thousand years overdue rejoins the circle of life. The Labyrinth portal shakes and trembles as the Malfeans turn angrily in their sleep. The Knight tries to crawl into the collapsing portal, but the Captain drags him back. By this time the dark mimicry energies have overcome the Captain, his face has become white with dark patches under the eyes and around the mouth.
‘You’re my wife now…” he growls at the terrified Deathknight. (cue much laughter round the table)
Victory!
Turning around to survey the battle, the Circle are cheered by the arrival of the Mahdi and his host. Caught between the Legion, the Solarian Tiger Warriors and the Nomads, the remaining zombies and ghosts are quickly despatched. Although the Knight of Dark Renown is shorn of power for now, all recognise that he is too dangerous to be kept prisoner. There and then the Mahdi and Alana judge him and he is sentenced to the cleansing flame. Tied to a stake, the fire is provided by the last charge of the Giant Robot Head, and the corpse is immolated by the Zeniths with all others who have fallen. Everyone is exhausted and returns to Solaria Minor (now Solo?). As they do Ravitsu mentions how like First Age it was for DB’s to obey the Solars.
Return to SJE
