SJE/Session81
Exalted Session 81
Reconstruction 1st-28th Ascending Air RY 679
A shorter session tonigh with Rav, Shizu and the Captaint-
In the aftermath of the Perfects death, his soldiers flee from the burning animas of the victorious Exalts. Rav grabs Brand out from the Perfects terrible wards, but he doesnt stir. The Captain talks to Shania (whose oath brand is fading in and out) and implores her to pass through the deadly wards and destroy the damaged oathrod. She cannot- her oaths prevent her. But she can gingerly kick it out, down the stairs to the Captain. Seizing the Roseblacks jade daiklaive, he brings it in an overhead sweep and smashes the First Age Artifact into a thousand pieces!
A growing sound reaches the ears of the triumphant Exalts and Rav flies up through the shattered skylight(s) to make it out more clearly- it is the sound of cheering, spreading across the entire city as the Paragonese realise their long servitude to the Perfect is over! Making their way out to the wide balcony (from where the elderly ruler often watched the Perfect Day Parades of military might), the Captain, Rav, a reviving Shizu, Nascent, Alana, Roseblack and Ledaal Takei see the populace crowding into the Square of Perfection for a spontaneous show of joy! Waving from the balcony, lighting up the city with their glorious anima banners, Rav Lion-Roars at the crowd saying "Rejoice People of Paragon! You are free! The mad tyrant is dead!" - overwhelming cheering nearly deafens the Exalts. The Roseblack nudges Rav and whispers some words. The speech changes tone slightly "You will be free to choose your own lives without magical oaths bound to your flesh! But in the meantime, the Realm will keep order and maintain governance!". The crowd, used to order is still pleased and a few try out their new liberty by attempting to pull down the large, idealised statue of the Perfect in the main square.
So, with the Roseblack seizing the opportunity to install direct Realm rule of this large Southern city, the period of reconstruction and de-Perfectisation begins. Rav consults with Demi-Prefect Shania, mentioning that as the Solar on the spot, she might like to guide and rule this city. But Shania declines, saying that she would rather slip away from this city, free to live her life as she chooses, no longer at the beck and call of anyone, be it an immortal ruler, Exalts, the Unconquered Sun or anyone.
Ravs first actions are to set up a City Watch for Paragon. Paragon had never needed one in the past (since contravention of the Perfects laws meant magical, inescapable death) so its from the ground up. The largest pool of able bodied young men is the Paragonese Army (currently guarded by the Realm legionaires) and its from them Rav recruits and begins giving lessons on civil policing.
The Captain see's opportunity for his merchant house in the post-Perfect command economy. With his uncle already here, he petitions the Roseblack for favoured contractor status and begins supplying the Paragonese with opium, wine, colourful dyes, dreamstones, firedust and rykku! A free people are free to indulge their vices after all.
But the big issue of the day is the Mime Question. Accepted like no other city in the South, the Mimes were the silent traffic guardians of the city who answered only to the Perfect. (and then only to nod) The Captain secretly meets with certain Paragonese extremists and forms a secret Star Chamber to bring the mimes to justice. Soon mimes are lynched from city lamp posts, beaten up and killed. The unlucky ones are beaten or tortured until they talk, but none do, keeping their faith in "...." and the principles of Mime.
3 Mimes silently come to Shizu as she lies recovering in the Palace. Through mime, they convey their need for help, for the one touched by the Great Mime to save them, but Shizu sends them away. She tries to write a "Dear John" prayer to "...." Gawd of Mimes in which she thanks him for his help at the Battle of Solaria, but its not Him, its her and they should cut their association. She no longer wants to share his power. But.... she cannot do it. She cannot deny the mimes so fully, to only use "...." to defeat a Deathlord and then abandon Him. Her compassion wont allow it.
So, next night, mostly recovered, Shizu sneaks out to spy on the Captain. She overhears the Star Chamber being informed of a mime show in the Warehouse district. Determined to break it up (and break some legs) the Captain and his posse don their black hoods and head out into the night as Shizu races ahead to warn the mimes of their impending danger! Reaching the ware house she finds a small crowd watching that classic tale of the "Custard Pie and the Rake" and spreads word that their is going to be a raid. But the mimes wont leave until their sacred perfomance is done. Shizu falls into mime as she warns them to flee now. Through the silence, she hears the 'tromp-tromp' of the Captain and his vigilantes.
Desperately Shizu rushes to the door and braces against it. Outside, the Captain boots it with Exalted-strength but surprising it holds! He strains his mighty thews, but again, on the other side of the door Shizu braces and holds it back as the last of the mimes clambers through the back window. Angry, the Captain knowing there must be someone on the other side of the door changes tack and punches straight through the door at head-height! Warned by Surprise Anticipation Method, Shizu ducks and then Spiderfoots out of the warehouse as the Captain and his goons crash through the door to find the warehouse empty.
But this rescue is but the first in the secret battle between the Captain and Shizu- Seeing the Captains spread of mime-hate across the city (where once beloved mimes would hold up traffic at schools to allow the children to pass). Shizu decides to form an underground Mime Railroad (OOC Captain- "Underground railroad! Great idea- lets drive them underground and use their bones for rails!"). But Shizu's skills of organisation and planning are fairly weak, so she is forced to turn to her fiance Ravitsu Cale. Asking Rav to help save the mimes from the Captains wrath is a tricky business as Rav shares most right-thinking peoples opinions of mimes. But the brutality and lawlessness of the Captains Star Chamber cant be allowed, and though he hates the idea, Rav organises the stops on the Mime Underground Railroad, sending money, calling up contacts, arranging transport to pass the Paragonese Mimes through the South to freedom in the quiet city of Sijan in the northern Scavenger Lands.
So, with the Paragonese experimenting with colour and social freedom, the Paragon City Watch up and running, the Mimes run out of town (to everyones relief), Brand still in a coma and Shania disappearing like the Night Caste she is, the Roseblack announces that she is leaving Ledaal Takei as interim Imperial Governor and a quarter of her army as garrison and its time to resume their journey to the Blessed Isle.
But first she needs to make a slight detour to pick up her uncle....
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