WaiyaddoNoDan/YouZhaoSession1

YOU ZHAO

First Game Session

The PCs

WaiyaddoNoDan/RebornVermillionHavoc
WaiyaddoNoDan/Traveler
WaiyaddoNoDan/WuGoMaXa

The Guest NPCs

Gen, City Father of Hollow
Danah, wealthy merchant
Lame Dog, vagrant and ruffian
Hu Dai Liang, Shogun of the Crimson Banner

Summary and Random OOC Info

Havoc, Traveler, and Wu-Go are introduced to their new agency -- a cross-divisional effort to investigate and repair damage to Creation and fate left behind by the Solars. Their initial mission is to fix a minor and not-so-minor errors in Hollow, and then determine what's causing the Essence irregularities behind them. The anomalies are dealt with, and are confirmed to be the connected with a Solar killed in Hollow, but remain unexplained.

The session was mainly to introduce the players and characters to their roles in the chronicle. They have played Exalted before, but are leery of acting as servitors of some NPC commanding them all the time. None of the three (four, counting Kaksua's player) have either played or run Sidereals outside of the occasional NPC, so we all needed a bit of a warm up. I specifically avoided any combat of note or serious challenges so the players could have some idea of just what it's like to be a magical kung fu fate ninja loaded down with the Arcane Fate. Before the game we also went over Sidereal Astrology and Resplendent Destinies to some extent.

After the initial Astrology intro, I allowed the players to take as many Resplendent Destinies as they chose with an automatic unrolled Essence + College + 2 successes on their Effect Roll. This means they had Essence + College points to distribute between their Resplendent Effect pool and duration, with one Paradox die for each destiny and additional dice for duration as normal. For example, Havoc took three free Resplendent Destinies at a duration of one year each, therefore had six Paradox dice to roll. Any further Resplendent Destinies added or renewed during play will follow all the normal Astrology rules. This was a way for the PCs to start with an array of Resplendent Destinies without having to jump through all the horoscope-planning-petition-shmoozing-etc. hoops. If they haven't noticed that they can get FAR better results than Essence + College by going through those hoops, they will soon enough.

I made the ruling that while Havoc is wearing the Crimson Armor of the Unseen Assassin, he cannot be affected by Astrology, use Astrology, or wear a Resplendent Destiny, but he can use Resplendent Effects (as they function on creatures outside of fate). Any concern I had for the player abusing his access to Resplendent Effects and immunity to other Astrology was nipped in the bud when the player rolled 8 successes on his six Paradox dice. Ouch! In his words, "I will never use Astrology again."

The Beginning

Reborn Vermillion Havoc arrived at the address he'd received from his superiors. It was a run down old warehouse in a bad part of Yu Shan. After taking a moment of dubious thought to confirm the address, he entered.
Two younger Sidereals were already seated in chairs when he came in, and greeted him. They had no more idea of what was going on than he did. The entrance chamber was three prefabricated walls set together against the much larger exterior wall, leaving open air between the tops of the flimsy walls and the soaring ceiling of the warehouse. There was a door opposite the one he'd entered by.
None of the three were terribly impressed.
An innocently pretty, young-seeming goddess opened the interior door and poked her head through. She tells them that "Nuran" will see them now. Their sense of foreboding grew only greater as they walked down hallways made of yet more prefabricated walls within the warehouse. They eventually find themselves in a medium-sized audience chamber set with a screen, a podium, and four collapsible chairs in a small row in the center of the room.
They see a tall god with four sets of eyes that climb up his very tall head. He wears a simple bureaucrat's cap and a long-sleeved silk robe. He does not appear to have a nose above his wide mouth.
He greets them and suggests that they sit. Havoc declines. He insists they sit, and the Chosen of Battles grumpily does so. The god explains the he is Nuran, the administrative head of the Post-Usurpation Special Squadron -- a new organization created by the Divisions of Journeys, Battles, Secrets, and Endings, with one Exalt from each Division serving as its field agents. He is himself an undersecretary to Nara-O, head of the Forbidding Manse of Ivy, and sheepishly admits that they have... lost track of the Chosen of Secrets that was supposed to be present. Without further ado, he activates the screen and gives them their first mission.

The Briefing

Their mission is threefold.

• They must find and replace the feather quill in the second-story study of a merchant named Danah with a quill supplied by Nuran. He must not know that anything suspicious has taken place, and must absolutely not be harmed. Nuran indicates on a map of Hollow on the screen exactly where Danah's residence is, and mentions that he will give the team a map.
• They must find a man of no fixed residence called Lame Dog. Lame Dog was destined to die in a knife fight three days ago, and suffered a mortal wound. For some reason, he didn't see fit to die of his wound. He was known to prowl a sector southwest of the city heart, and any investigation should start there. If possible, make his death match the original one as nearly as possible.
• These two anomalies are only the most recent in Hollow. Gen, the city's god, is certain that some mighty Essence manipulation is behind it. The agents must find and deal with the problem. Should they lack the means to deal with it, they should return with what information they have.

Nuran gives them the map and replacement quill, and suggests which gate they should use, and that they would find themselves some ways upsriver from Hollow itself.
The agents excuse themselves, and take about twenty minutes to reach the outer wall of Yu Shan using Havoc's dragon boat and the Gold Channel. They present their credentials to the Celestial Lions, and find themselves...

The Mission

...outside a stone gate of archaic but finely crafted design, on a grassy hill overlooking a great river. A small fishing village is visible to the west.
The characters walk to the village and attempt to buy a boat. The fisherman notes that he only has one boat, and wouldn't have a livelihood if he sold it. The PCs negotiate a price for passage. His mercantile acumen is no match for their haggling, and they essentially get a free ride ot Hollow.
On the journey, the hapless fisherman is repeatedly terrified when he sees an armored, daiklave-carrying Exalt with danger in his every movement who he has never seen before lounging on the deck of his boat. Reborn Vermillion Havoc tires of dealing with the Arcane Fate and decides to stay below decks for the rest of the two-day journey.
The agents arrive at one of Hollow's riverside quays and pay the promised pittance of copper to the fisherman. The poor pilot gets one more fright from the vision of battle and death that steps off his boat before casting off and heading back upriver.
Arriving in the city, the group decides to split up. Havoc will replace the quill, Traveler and Wu-Go will head southwest, find Lame Dog, and deal with him. They will meet back up at a bar/club near the docks at dusk.
Wu-Go quietly investigates where someone like Lame Dog might be found, while Traveler blatantly asks people. This time around, the subtle course gets better results: Wu-Go learns that there is a slum called the Canal District where vagabonds and the lowest class of criminals live, sheltered somewhat from the weather by elevated roadways. Traveler buys a knife, and they head there.

The Feather Quill

Meanwhile, Havoc allows his Essence to course through his armor and speeds from rooftop to rooftop, literally nothing but a blur. Before long, he finds the merchant's manor -- a sturdy five-story building with windows only on the top floor. He lies in wait on a nearby apartment building and surveils Danah's home for a time.
Eventually determining that the owner himself is not home, the Chosen of Battles descends to street level and knocks on the door. A servant girl opens the door, but the Crimson Armor of the Unseen Assassin serves its purpose, and she doesn't see him as he slips inside the building.
Unbeknownst to him, unfortunately, the maid is not the only one watching. The security man watching Essence-projected feeds from around the building notices something, almost imperceptable move past the young woman.
The Sidereal speedily moves up the stairs and to the study, but before he can so much as check if the door is locked he catches the sound of heavy footsteps pounding up the stairs. With caution born of a hundred battles, he creeps towards the railing above the stairs and looks down.
He is not expecting to see a burly, well-dressed man carrying an object of unusual design that is definitely intended as some kind of Essence-projecting weapon. Taken aback for the moment, Havoc fades into the shadows and lets the guard go by. The guard moves past the study and down the hall, turning at the end to investigate the other rooms on the floor.
Irritated at the interruption, Havoc hurriedly moves back to the study door and listens for movement, hears none, and begins to open the door...
When he hears a startled shout from down the hall as the guard, returning from his patrol, sees some thing lurking outside the study. Even as his eyes try to convince him there's nothing there, he's leveling his weapon.
Almost disbelieving his luck, the Sidereal rockets away from the study and leaps over the rail above the stairs -- only to catch hold and hang below. The guard's training overrules his panic (he makes his Temperance check) and he manages to not wildly fire after the blurred shape as it moves away. He instead warily moves down the stairs, covering all angles, and opens a panel near the entrance on the ground floor. He taps a few buttons, and a klaxxon complements the sound of bolts ramming into place in the front door.
Determined to get into the damn study, Havoc flips back up onto the second floor and tries the study door. It is unlocked. He makes the switch, and the klaxxon ceases. He slowly and carefully makes his way back down, only to find the front door unlocked. A moment later, the door clicks shut and he's gone.
The guard, having canceled the security lockdown, scratches his head and tries to remember why he activated it in the first place.

The Man Who Would Not Die

Wu-Go-Ma-Xa and Traveler found themselves in a wide lot beside an open sewer, punctuated by great pylons supporting the roads above. It is full of makeshift hovels made from crates, boxes, and rags. It doesn't take many questions before a ragged old vagrant directs them fearfully to a particular pylon. Wu-Go approaches, and Traveler hangs back.
This particular pylon has only a few lean-tos around it, and a single scruffy and vaguely menacing man leans against it casually. The fresh, damp red stain on his shirt is impossible to hide.
Wu-Go inquires if the man is Lame Dog. The man sizes up the clean-cut stranger with his wide hat and odd clothes. He asks who wants to know. The Sidereal off-handedly mentions that he owed him money. The ragamuffin knows he's never met the stranger before, but is unable to resist the lure of free cash. He shiftily replies that he's not Lame Dog, but can get him the money if it's given to him. The Chosen of Endings and Journeys both see through the transparent lie, and know for certain that this is Lame Dog.
It is only Lame Dog's survival instinct that let him notice the shadow that silently streaked towards him. While normally it wouldn't have worry him too much, ever since that damn fight he's been on edge more than usual. He scrambles to the side, feet slipping on the ground as he desperately moves out of the way.
The shadow brushes his shoulder, and a gleaming new knife springs forth as though born from the bloody wound. Lame Dog is flung against the stone pylon, but keeps his feet and tries to flee from these strange assassins. Wu-Go attempts a flying tackle, but the ruffian didn't survive in the underbelly of the city without Valor, and he focuses it. What little Virtue he has stands in defiance of the Sidereals, as he slips free of the Exalt's grip.
Indeed, he'd very nearly gotten the vast monument of stone between him and his attackers when Traveler made a sudden movement. While Lame Dog could defy fate for a brief moment, he was merely mortal. The shuriken whipped into his back and he fell, his body finally failing him.
The Chosen of Endings leaned over to confirm the mortal's death, and smelled a corpse. As the two Exalted watched, the body turned an ashen grey and began to bloat. Lame Dog's destiny flooded back to him like a dammed river, and within moments he was reduced to a slashed corpse, three days dead.
This facet of the mission being confirmed finished, the two cover their noses and walk back to the bar.

The Vortex

The Sidereals decide to find a high vantage point from which to observe the city and garner some hints about the disturbances in its Essence. It's a simple matter to walk to the tallest of the immense, smooth towers and take the passenger capsule up to the observation deck installed for tourists and romantics. Making a circuit of the platform, Traveler and Havoc notice irregularities in the street lamps. The Essence Sight granted by his visor allows the Chosen of Battles to get a better idea of where the worst instability is, and all three make their way back down to street level -- Wu-Go and Traveler via the passenger capsule, and Havoc by leaping down from rooftop to rooftop.
Some minutes later, they find themselvse in a small open-air market that is empty for the night. A single wan light flickers pathetically on the top of its jade-and-iron post. The Sidereals investigate the plaza, but find nothing more than an odd, round concentric pattern etched into the pavement near the center. Wu-Go departs to ask the local folk about the area. Feeling suspicious, Reborn Vermillion Havoc once again activates his armor's Essence Sight...
...and is faced with streamers of Essence. They whirl around the market place, and when they touch the lightpost the light burns brighter for a moment, then fails completely before slowly building back to life. First Havoc, then Traveler step into the center of the minor Essence storm. They find themselves in a calm, dead zone. The ground is smooth beneat their feet, within the grooves etched by the Essence. Despite the steady breeze of Essence-driven air elsewhere in the square, the inside of the vortex is completely still.
After a moment of conference, they decide to inform Gen, the city father, of their findings.
His mansion at the heart of the city is not hard to find. The Essence lamps of Hollow's core beat with a slow, steady pulse that is a welcome relief from the errant flickering elsewhere. They announce themselves to the doorman as investigators from the Bureau of Destiny, and are shown in to see the god. Passing through door after door, they enter a simply furnished room in which an old man sits writing at a desk. He looks up and bids them sit. Havoc declines, and Gen shrugs and asks them their business.
The two Sidereals explain that they were sent in answer to his request, and detail their findings within the market. He frowns briefly, and glances at Havoc in his brilliant-clad armor. "I see," he replies in turn. "It is ... somewhat clear what has happened, and I will set my servants to repairing it." He begins writing on a new sheet, presumably detailing instructions for his minions to carry out. "Oh," Gen adds, "please ask Hu Dai Liang to instruct her operatives to show more care next time they do battle in my city."
Bemused, they rejoin Wu-Go and set back to Yu Shan.

Mission End

On returning, Havoc immediately went to Hu Dai Liang's office in the Crimson Panoply of Victory and conveyed Gen's message. She received it impassively and thanked the Sidereal for letting her know. After her dismissal he caught up to the others on the way to their ... warehouse ... to report back to Nuran.
The eight-eyed god barely contained his agitation when they told him all that came to pass. He explained that a group of Dragon-Blooded led by a Chosen of Battles had defeated the Dawn caste Solar Dor Kashur in the midst of the same market in Hollow, three years ago. He surmised that powers Kashur had brought to bear had caused damage to Essence and fate.
He congratulated on their first completed mission as YOU ZHAO field agents, and told them to enjoy their time off - he would be sending them into the field again very soon.

Comments

"Willing to listen to critique" is my middle name(s)!

Dan, sometimes you make me want to say HOLY CRAP! And I mean that as a complement. ~ G

Well, then, I guess I'll have to take it as a compliment. :-) - WaiyaddoNoDan

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