SJE/Session84
Exalted Session 84
"I am rubber, you are glue"
15-20 Resplendent Earth RY 769
A quick update.
As the Imperial Fleet tried to re-organise itself, the eagle eyed Exalts saw the fleet of the Dread Pirate Moray Darktide and his Fleet of the Dead bearing down upon them! Somehow, he managed to sneak his ships in closer than most could believe (darn Sea Ambush Technique :-)). The Roseblack, seeing her fleet in dissarray, orders her flagship and its sister ship to wheel about and make for the 10 ship pirate fleet, hopefully buying the rest Imperial fleet enough time to flee. Rav sets to the skies as Brand, Alana and Nascent jump onto the quickly summoned Thunderbird 2. Shizu stays on board the Realm ship to sling away pirate steersmen till her Essence restores.
The battle begins badly for the Realm as Moray fires a prow-mounted Essence Cannon whose golden beam cuts through the wood of the Realm warship like a laser through butter. The Roseblack does her best to knit together the huge hull breach with her Wood Charms, encouraging green shoots to spring out from the long-weathered timber and knit together, slowing the sinking of the ship.
Meanwhile, the aged and irritable Tepet leaps into the clouds above. Moments later, a huge bolt of lightning from the Heavens cracks the mast of one of the pirate ships as he uses an almighty "Call Down the Thunder" Essence 6 Charm! Brand, Nascent, Rav and Alana endure a hail of arrows as they fly over Darktides ship, the Pearly Queen (though I somehow resist the temptation to give Moray a Jamie Oliver-style Mockney accent). Alana and Nascent for Darktide, while Brand mistimes an Errol Flynn jump down the rigging to land in the middle of a horde of zombies. Rav swoops around, cutting the rigging from pirate ships.
Alana and Nascent lock swords with Moray who cries out "Hold your blades, my Solar bretheren! I'm here to rescue you!"
"Rescue US?!" exclaim the Gem Solars
"I heard that the evil Roseblack had captured you and was taking you to the Blessed Isle, surely to be executed! So I brought my fleet to rescue you!" says Moray proudly
"Look we are prisoners... TECHNICALLY... but we swore a Sanctified Oath. You cant rescue us without it going horribly wrong"
"Plus do you think we could be captured if we didnt want to be! Nudge, nudge, wink, wink" says Rav, hinting at upsets to come in the Blessed Isle.
"But I'm here to RESCUE you! If you need, I will take you prisoner and deliver you wherever you choose. Then you wont be breaking your oath"
"Look, we dont want rescued by you, Especially since you serve a Deathlord and sail with zombies. How can you call yourself a Solar and work for the Underworld"
(Blades continue to clash, neither side genuinely wanting to kill each other. Arrows and Essence bolts keep flying, men and zombies tumbling overboard)
"I dont serve the Silver Prince! I merely take his letter of Marque and sail where I choose! We are more ... allies- he provides the ships and crew, and I provide the sailing!"
"Well what do you want!"
"To prove myself the greatest Captain of the West and cast out the Evil Realm. They are the great threat to Creation, not the Underworld! And I will have the head of the Roseblack"
("We should really introduce him to the Mahdi" whispers Brand "We really SHOULDNT" whispers back Rav)
"Why the Roseblack? She seems pretty OK for a Dragonblood"
"Because she has ravaged the West, hanging dozens of my comrades and crew, burning whole ports and ships! I swore vengeance- her head belongs to me"
"Well you cant have it. She upholds her end of the oath, and we need her to release us from it".
"But I must! I have an oath to uphold too!"
"Wont happen"
"Well then, my Solar brothers and sisters- I propose this oath. If I call off my attack and allow you and the accursed Roseblack to go now, you swear that you will deliver her onto me on your return journey from the Blessed Isle?"
(some conferring- "Well the Roseblack would be up for it. If it saves her men" and "Plus, we arent saying how much of a fleet we can deliver- might as well throw in the whole Earth Fleet")
"Agreed!"
Nascent santifies the oath and 4 great peals of thunder surprise Tepet Arada up the in the clouds as he wonders who just used Call Down the Thunder too!
With that, the destroyed undead pirate ships are scuttled, their crews taken aboard and the fleet of the Dread Pirate Moray Darktide sails away. The Imperial fleet is saved. The Roseblack is a little nonchalent as the Exalts tell her of the deal they made with Moray, but already her mind starts considering the possibilities, tactics and forces she might bring to bear when she is delivered up. She's a little mystified about why Moray wants vengeance on her, but mentions that she'd been on a campaign to cleanse the Lintha demon-pirates from the West, and had protected trade by capturing and killing pirates when she came across them.
In the intervening days, the Watch Exalts have some whispered conversations about the imprisoned Essence shard that was recovered from the undead whale. Its decided that Alana should be entrusted with it (everyone objected to Brand getting his mad scientist hands on it).
And at last the fleet hoves into view of the Blessed Isle with its great white cliffs shining in the sun, and beyond that the rich, green land of jade and plenty. Landing at the port of Arjuf, the Southern Exalts who spent all their lives in Brand can barely believe their eyes. Truly the Realm must be rich to cover the land in green carpet and let water trickle wash away into dirt!
And despite Immaculate protests, the Anathaema have at last come to the Blessed Isle....
So Ends Session 84
Return to SJE
