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  1. - Top - End - #1
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    Default God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    Silence falls as Watcher finishes his speech, a quiet unbroken by god or man. None dare speak before the Unconquered Sun, the King of Heaven, Ignis Divine. The Most High raises up the four fulcrums of his virtue, calling upon the Five-Score Fellowship to know the same virtue in their judgment. By the Aegis of Unconquered Might, he commands of them a fair and just decree; by the Trumpet of Absolute Victory, he demands that they speak the truth of their hearts; by the Godspear of All-Searing Noon, he asks that they be bold in speech and judgment; and by the Laurel of Entwining Mercy, he reminds them that justice must ever be tempered with compassion. He speaks.

    "The Accused Have Spoken. Chosen of the Stars, You Who Sit In Judgment of these Princes of the Earth, Speak Your Verdict, That Justice May Be Done. I Command of You Truth, and Truth Alone. So Let It Be Done."

    Where before their was clamor and strife, the Sidereal Host now speaks of one accord. Each Division's elder speaks on its behalf, casting the vote of their entire score of the Fellowship. Five voices cast their judgment, five gods testify to each verdict.

    "I, Ayesha Ura, Elder Harbinger of the Division of Journeys, proclaim a verdict of innocent." The Sidereal looks up at you, positively beaming. To her, their is no doubt to as to the trial's outcome. A weary, weathered wayfarer of a god rises beside her, a ship's wheel borne up on his back. "I, Ruvia, Captain of the Golden Barque, confirm the will of Heaven in this matter."

    "I, the Righteous Sage Bride, Elder Joybringer of the Division of Serenity, proclaim a verdict of innocent." The Sidereal who speaks is a small, quiet woman, her hair all in red ringlets–but for all her shy beauty, her presence is enthralling, all captivating. A lazy-looking god lounges beside her, clutching a decanter of blue gemstone. "I, Yaogin, Bearer of the Lapis Ewer, confirm the will of Heaven in this matter."

    "I, Glorious Victory of Heaven, Elder Reckoner of the Division of Endings, proclaim a verdict of innocent." The bearded Sidereal shoots you a sly grin, his hands posed in the sign of Saturn, as if to bring an end to injustice. His own shadow seems to coil up beside him–but it is no shadow. "I, Wayang, the Black Puppet Mask, confirm the will of Heaven in this matter."

    "I, Sifu White Lotus, Elder Shieldbearer of the Division of Battles, proclaim a verdict of innocent." The sifu seems truly ancient, his white beard sweeping the floor with its impressive length. While he seems distant and distracted, there is no lack of surety in his words. The god who speaks beside him is a beautiful woman adorned in lacquered red armor, her spear held high even in this court. "I, Hu Dai Liang, Shogun of the Crimson Banner, confirm the will of Heaven in this matter."

    "I, Chejop Kejak, Elder Oracle of the Division of Secrets, proclaim a verdict of guilty." The oldest of the Viziers glowers up at you, his eyes burning green with what might even be rage. He has known, for the first time in the thousands of years since the Usurpation, bitter defeat, a defeat not even he can countermand. The deity who speaks Heaven's judgment is a strange and enigmatic thing, wrapped in countless robes of blue and grey. It speaks in a soft and strangely childish whisper. "I, Nara-O, Keeper of Secrets, protest this matter on behalf of Heaven."

    Having heard the decision of all five Divisions, having heard the truth of accusation and defense, having heard all that can be said of justice, Ignis Divine speaks, and his voice is the rumbling of the sky's vault. All Yu-Shan hears his voice, for this is not only the justice of the Bureaus of Heaven, but of all Heaven. The King speaks, and his kingdom hears his commands.

    "So It Shall Be. Invincible Maiden Yomiko, Ivory Eyes, Watcher From Behind The Mirror, Zephyr Scales-of-War, I Find You Innocent of All Accusations, and Extend the Apology of the Most High to You. Let All Heaven, Let All the Gods Aid You in Your Endeavor to Heal Creation of this Awful Blight. Whispering Heaven, I Find You Innocent of All Accusations, and Absolve You of All Censure. I Promote You to Captain of the Division of Endings for Your Intrepid Service to the Lawgivers, and Commend You Unto Saturn. Most Efficacious Doctor of Brazen Impossibilities, I Find You Guilty of the Charges Brought Against You, But Stay All Punishment. You Are to Reveal the Secrets of What You Have Done So That Creation Might Be Healed, and to Submit Unto Lytek, That He May Discover the Secrets of Your Nature, and Return Your Exaltation to the Righteous Light from Whence It Came. Such is My Justice."

    "And Yet, That Cannot Be All. Ivory Eyes, Most Inspired Child of Twilight, Arrow of Heaven Beyond All Others, You Have Spoken of Great Injustice Done Unto You and Yours, and I Have Heard the Truth of Your Voice. O-Bankai, You Are to Release the Woman Called Somber Reed from All Bonds and Confinement, and to Forgive All Unjust Debts of Ivory Eyes. I Chastise You for Such Audacious Indiscretion, and Sentence You to a Thousand Years of Faithful and Austere Service to Heaven. Such Is My Justice. I Call this Trial to Conclusion. All of You May Depart, Save for You, My Exalted. I Would Speak With You."
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    Default Re: God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    Ivory Eyes sits, fixed to her chair with hands clasped tight around the edge of the table's adamant edge. Her eyes are closed, and her smile widens even as--no, especially as Chejop Kejak cries out against them. Her smiles tightens to a dangerous rigor as the Sun pronounces judgement against O-Bankai, and she cries quick, brief tears before flying up into the air, her anima blaring to full totemic glory. Both Ivory and her familiar raptor of essence glare down at O-Bankai with stern eyes.

    When she glides down to the ground, it as near the foot of the bench, waiting for the room to clear so that the Sun may speak with them.

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    Default Re: God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    Zephyr

    Zephyr squeezes Ivory on the shoulder - then, forgoing all pretenses of sobriety, he laughs aloud, embracing his friends each one at a time, Ivory last of all. "I told you we would see her freed, and matters reckoned with that lout of a god - though I did not expect such exalted aid in accomplishing the task." He clapped his hands, a grin of pure joy on his face - The feeling of absolution was intoxicating, and he savored it for all it was worth while he waited for the room to clear, making a special point to send a particularly insufferable smirk to Chejop.

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    Default Re: God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    The tears of sorrow Yomiko wore during her final statement had ceased, but were suddenly overcome with tears of joy as the court found she and her Circle innocent. She held her arms tightly around Zephyr when it came her time to feel his great embrace and once he had moved on she held Konoko in her arms and hugged Watcher as well. She had not forgotten Ivory, as she loosed her arms around the latter two companions and embraced her even as Zephyr still did.
    She looks up at the Unconquered Sun once their presence was requested and she held her hands together to speak, "Our attention is forever yours if you so requested, Ignis Divine."
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    "My Children, I Am Well Pleased. The Truth Was With You, and Those Who Would See You Falsely Accused Have Been Set Right. Let It Be Known That I Shall Not Abide Such Injustices Brought Against My Chosen Any Further. Your Case Shall Be Precedent and Prime Verdict in All Future Matters, and There Shall Be Divinity Above the Sidereal Exalted to Oversee All Accusations in Days to Come. I Give Personal Apology On Behalf of Heaven, and Know That I Will Not Let Your Honor and Honesty Go Unrewarded. Behold! Calibration is a Season of Gifts, and May the Highest Gifts Be Given Unto Those Who Have Borne the Greatest Burden."

    In a flash of sunlight, his four fulcrums disappear, drawn back into his essence. In their stead come four gemstone, four hearthstones drawn from Heaven's geomancy. There is a scintillating pearl, resplendent in all the colors of the rainbow; a mirror-smooth disc of obsidian, so dark that all light dies in its depths; a ruddy-red stone the size of a man's fist, rough-edged and unhewn; and lastly, a crystal of adamant, its twenty facets catching the light.

    "Yomiko, You Asked Me Nothing of Yourself When I Would Give You Any Gift, and your Compassion is a Light to Match My Own. I Name You God-Bride of the Unconquered Sun, and Bestow Upon You this Sublime Opal, as Testament and Sign of Our Sacred Marriage."

    "Watcher, You Have Served Me As an Unshakable Pillar of Justice, Your Own Judgment All That I Could Ever Expect of the Lawgivers. I Name You Right Hand of Justice Unquestionable, and Send in You the Enforcement of All Law. I Gift You With This, the Hidden Sun Obsidian, to Aid You in Your Service."

    "Zephyr, Know That Though I Am Unconquered, It Is Only for Luna's Presence at My Side. She Is the Strength to Challenge that Would Defeat Me, and for That Alone Am I Mighty. I Name You Ordained Guardian of the Golden Sun, and May You Be As Luna Unto My Chosen by This, the Juggernaut Stone, the Strength That Does Not Cease."

    "And You, Ivory Eyes. You Are Wonder and Will Beyond Any That Creation Has Known. I Name Your Sorceress Supreme of All Creation, and Commend the Secrets of the Highest Sorcery Unto You. By This, the Adamant of Unconquered Sorcery, May You Bring Your Works Into the World with Compassion and Righteousness."

    "To Each of these Stones There Is A Manse Within Yu-Shan, Already Bound Unto Your Will by My Command. You Shall Be Always Welcome Within Yu-Shan, and Your Sanctums Shall Stand Ever Open to You So Long as You Do Live. I Depart Now, for Calibration Ends, and the Games of Divinity Must Be Played. Go In Peace, My Children, and Serve Creation as King and Steward, Lawgiver and Guardian."
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    Default Re: God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    Zephyr

    Zephyr bowed. He'd been doing a lot of that today. He spoke in tones of profound respect as he took the gift that the Unconquered Sun offered him. I thank you, my Lord. I will continue to serve my Lady, and protect your Chosen as I always have, and to protect the world with every fiber of my being.

    With that, he started to back away from the shining face of Sol Invictus, ready to take his leave and return to his duties at home.

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    Default Re: God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    Yomiko continued to smile, the muscles in her face feeling strain but not being deterred by it. She took the glorious stone from her celestial husband's hand, and her heart swelled beyond imagining. "Surely Heaven will become my second home, in time." She takes his hand in both of hers and places his hand upon her cheek, closing her eyes. "Thank you..."
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    Default Re: God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    Ivory receives the Adamant with a gracious smile and sighs.

    "With respects, Ignis, I have something to attend to thanks to your help." She grins wickedly and rushes from the court room, wings flapping as she leaps from the nearest window and takes to the skies of Heaven. Her mind is quick and clear as a glacier-fed river, easily remembering the quicksilver waterways that crisscross Yu-Shan as she guides herself back, back to where it all began.

    O-Bankai stands at the threshold of his manse, and Ivory looks at him: not gloating, not imperious, but forceful nonetheless. O-Bankai cedes to her, gesturing for someone within to exit.

    She's not much taller than Ivory Eyes: a stunted woman, heavy with age but not obese. Her hair is thin and mixes black and gray in equal proportions. Her skin is tanned by thirty years of Chiaroscuran sun, her eyes are soft and pale silver. The nose, the ears, the angle of her lips--they are features familiar to Ivory Eyes, features inherited. Somber Reed smells of cinnamon and mint.

    They embrace, and if Ivory is crying then Reed is behind herself, shaking with tears and laughter as she inhales deeply. Ivory Eyes is suddenly aware of her scent--it has to be rice, rice, rice. Rice and the rich smell of deep, clean earth.

    "I'm sorry that it's taken this long," Ivory manages between heaves, and Somber Reed pushes her daughter back to take in the sight of her. Ivory pushes her hair back into place self-consciously, realizing how long she's travelled from Lotus to the Blessed Isle, through the City and into Yu-Shan.

    "Ivory. You're alive. You're really alive," Reed says.

    "And I'm taking you with me," Ivory says with a laugh. She prompts her mother, rushing forward to cross the hearth. Somber Reed shoots O-Bankai a nasty look of her own as they pass the irate culinary god. "Are you ready?"

    "Ready? Ready for wh--"

    Somber Reed is interrupted as Ivory flares her anima, letting the raptor spread over both herself and her mother. They're enveloped in an instant and Ivory takes her mother's hands and launches the pair skyward. Her mother screams, a delighted woop.

    "Ivory, how is this possible?" she asks.

    "Anything is possible for the Solar Exalted," Ivory says, smiling as she turns down to look at her mother. "You've missed a lot mom, paying for my sins. That ends today. You're coming to live with me in Lotus. We found it mom, called there. It was this tiny village long ago and now...you'll see, mom. It's a metropolis now, where people live long lives and...and mom, you can have anything you want, Ivory says, still crying. "You can have palaces, jewels, feasts, wings. If you want wings, I will give you wings, mom."

    "Oh Ivory," Somber Reed says as they pass lower to the ground and land at a waiting dragonboat. Reed leans in, brushes an errant strand of Ivory's hair behind her ear. "What could I possibly want with wings when I have such a daughter who would and could offer me them? That is the best gift you can give me, Ivory. The one thing only you can provide: your presence."
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    Default Re: God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    Zephyr

    After a time, Zephyr and the rest of the circle reunite with Ivory Eyes. He bows in greeting, as if Ivory's mother were a queen among the Chosen, and together they take to the Dragonboat. He looks at Ivory and her mother with a quiet smile. "Greetings, Miss. I know this must be a shock to you - but we are Ivory's friends. Her circle - Princes and Princesses of the Earth, as is she. It is an honor to meet you."

    The glories of all heaven blaze by in a blur as the boat takes them towards the gate. Sights, sounds, smells accost them on every side - and here and there, watching eyes can be seen in a flash of brilliant color and shining stars. No doubt the Bronze Faction is both reeling and seething from the courtroom defeat, but the word of Sol Invictus is adamant indeed, and Zephyr doubted they would try anything. As the circle alights, Zephyr is in no huge hurry - though he is eager to return to Lotus, he savors the opportunity to see the parts of heaven through which they pass. Raised in the wild and a child of a thousand hardships, Zephyr nevertheless has a prediliction for the finer things in life - and he wishes he had more time, and more of that strange coin they used in heaven - he would have bought a gift for Ivory, perhaps, though he doubted anything he could find would equal the gifts they had already been given.

    Still, there is much that needs to be done, and he has no time to tarry. He gives the others a wicked grin as they approach the Gate - "Heh... since we own property now, we should come to visit soon. I think we might actually be able to give Chejop Kejack an epileptic fit if we tweak his nose anymore, the old goat." He said, avoiding a vulgar ephitet at the last moment in deference to Reed's presence. Taking one last glance around at the glories of heaven, Zephyr mutters "Some day" before stepping through the gate, heading for Lotus. Heading for home.

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    Epilogue: The Sun Always Rises

    Madness. The light of the sun itself, the golden radiance of the Daystar, burned with emerald flame, raining down spears of aberrant, infernal essence. The Dragon-Blooded fell to their knees in agony, their skin catching aflame before their very eyes, cancerous burns spreading across their flesh. Rising Echo fell to his knees, only spared from the wrath of the mad green sun by his Solar vigor. And then, with the sound of utter silence, of a thousand leaden bells tolling only nothingess, the world fell apart. The ground beneath the Eclipse Caste's feet disintegrated into nothingness, leaving him to fall through endless unbeing. The Dragon-Blooded and mortals caught in the green sun's wake with him unraveled slowly, deliquescing from the inside out. First there bones went, leaving their flesh to collapse in on itself; then muscle and organs, leaving their hollow skin to crumple before dissipating. The very air around him dissipated, leaving him to choke on the emptiness of the void. But Rising Echo did not fall. His anima flared to golden brilliance, flickering with infinite possibilities. He was Chosen of the Sun, a Prince of the Earth, and he could not fall. Even as Creation ceased to be around him, even as the very cosmic principle that allowed for existence was negated, Rising Echo defied unbeing, standing unconquered against the void.

    And then came the desert. Out of nothingness, out of the void, out of the very unshinmaic absence of being came the silver sands of the Endless Desert, infinite unbounded malice pouring into whatever foothold they could broach upon Creation. Rising Echo struggled to follow them, fighting with more than mortal strength to ride the Yozi's manifestation back into Creation, to drag himself out of the void. But as he pulled himself, fingers scraping into the silver desert around him, there came an awful laughter, the very desolation around him mocking his efforts. Cecelyne's awful maw yawned wide, and she spoke her callous cruelty. For five days Rising Echo struggled against her sands, arguing each and every one of the vile and broken laws she spoke to bind him. For every handful of sand he clung to, dragging himself forward, the winds of Hell itself drove him back two. And yet for every law that Cecelyne presented, Rising Echo presented rebuttal and counterargument, debating the Endless Desert to a standstill.

    Five days passed, five days that passed in the seconds between the void ripping Creation asunder, and Cecelyne flowing out of its gaping desolation, tainting all the world with her presence. And Rising Echo, for all his strength, faltered. Before his eyes, the sands of Cecelyne poured forward into the shinmaic breach between Creation and Malfeas, sealing it with her infinite body. He was caught, imprisoned in Hell with no fewer fetters than the Yozis themselves. On every side he would find demons and the Infernal Exalted, an entire world that would see him caught and broken and slain. Unless he found escape, impossible escape from an entire world built as a cage and a prison, he would die, whether by the emerald flames of Malfeas's wrath or the black malice of the Ebon Dragon's hatred. Without his circle, without his city, without even the light of the Most High, he who had blessed him with exaltation, Rising Echo stood truly alone.

    And yet, Rising Echo was Chosen of the Sun. He rose to his feet, and began walking through the sands of the Endless Desert, towards the Demon City of Malfeas. The demons, the Infernal Exalted, and even the Yozis themselves could be negotiated with, could be sworn to sacred oaths, could be tricked, could be bested. And if anyone could best the fallen titans in a game of words, it would be Rising Echo. God-King of Lotus.
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    Default Re: God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    Downtime Theatre


    Ivory smiled as she ran her thumb across the spines of the books. There were quite a few of them. The Adamant Lily Pagoda had an empty library where shelves lined walls so tall that she could fit everything she owned into that room and still have space left over to fly about, but the delivery had exceeded even that capacity. The shelves were full now, and the overflow covered the floor of the room in ankle-high piles of books and files and papers.

    "Most of this is regrettably useless, mistress," D'resh said from his perch on her new desk. "Records kept with the Bureau of Destiny on the minutea of the lives of sorcerers throughout history. The chafe, not the wheat, either. If you were curious as to what Salina favored for midafternoon tea, the answer would appear to be chamomile," he said as he glided down to the pile and opened a file with a flap of his wings. "When Miss Ura was preparing the readings you requested, orders came down from the...which was the green one, Miss Ivory Eyes?"

    "The Forbidding Manse of Ivy," she said absentmindedly and she flipped through an old tome. It turned into dust in her hands.

    "Yes. Orders came down from the Manse to include...everything. And news that there had been a most regrettable incident with the index and a flame duck. My apologies," D'Resh said as he lept to Ivory's shoulder. "But Miss Ura did advise me, rather conspiratorially, to help you look for that--" he pointed to a thin saffron volume near the edge of the shelves.

    Ivory took the volume gingerly and opened it, smiling as she did so. Inside there were clippings and copies of notes: names of a few fine Sidereal savants, notes on spells and artifacts. Even a few notions about shinmatic theory.

    "Relay my compliments to Ayesha when you meet with her next," Ivory said as she took a seat at the desk.

    "And when do you think that would be, Miss Ivory Eyes?" D'Resh asked, his manners starched and straight as a butler's coat.

    "I was hoping it would be tomorrow. Assuming, of course, that you accept a position as my retainer here in Heaven."

    "You could simply bind me to such a task," D'Resh said. A test. He was clever, yes, and politely paranoid. Practically perfect for such a position.

    "I've not even bound you to my service yet, D'Resh, and I was hoping you'd prefer a salary. Of course, if you'd rather I bound you," she said, looking up from her notes with a smile.

    D'Resh grinned, the tips of his beak curving in a matter that would have been unnatural for anything other than a spirit. He extended his wing, she took it, and they shook.

    ***

    "Are you sure about this, mother?" Ivory asked, scraping a last sliver of rock from the statue set before her on the counter.

    "Positive," Somber Reed replied, finishing her cup of tea with a satisfied sound. "I've seen how hard you work, how many nights you go without any sleep."

    "I don't need sleep anymore."

    "Just because you don't need to sleep doesn't mean that you shouldn't," Somber Reed said.

    Would you care for more tea, Miss Reed? Bronzeheart asked, his voice light and elated to be of service again. Ivory had become an infrequent visitor in her own home, and the great mechanical spider enjoyed his protracted discussions with the woman. She spoke of Heaven and her career as a Chiaroscuran glassblower, and she had taken to inventing with such minimal instruction that Ivory sometimes wondered if her mother was Exalted.

    "That would be lovely, Bronzeheart," she replied, and there was the noise of mechanisms lowering. A spark kindled in the brick hearth and a thin track of iron spiraled out from the cupboard with a kettle. Two pipes slid forward and released sprays of water and tea leaves.

    "I still can't believe you got that little system working with his circuitry," Ivory said with a smile as she seated herself at the table and offered up the statue for her mother's approval. It was the Somber Reed of thirty years ago: the strong-shouldered woman who had pulled her daughter from the raucous of divine justice. The face, though, was lost to Ivory Eyes and so she had borrowed the severity and solemnity of her mother's current features, smoothing wrinkles where she could.

    "Where did you think you got your resourcefulness from?" Reed asked as she picked up the statue and turned it over in her hands, paying special attention to the hands. The hands holding the statue were old and weathered, but the statue's hands themselves were young and strong and each palm was set with a diamond. "Your father was a brilliant man, Ivory, but rigid as a pipe."

    "I wouldn't know," Ivory said. It could have sounded mean, but she chose her tone carefully.

    Somber Reed shook her head, sighed, and spoke all at once: "He was a tinker. Loved mechanisms, especially the rare few First Age curios he got his hands on. I met him at the bazaar. He bough a piece of my crystal, and he looked at me with his big green eyes and I fell. We were happy for a few seasons, and then it...just ended, Ivory. He said he couldn't keep up with me, and I think what he meant was that we didn't want the same things. But I'd like to think that somewhere, he knows what a beautiful young woman you've grown up to be."

    Ivory bit the bottom of her lips as they curved into a smile just as her mother slid a hand to Ivory's swollen stomach.

    "Are you going to be alright? It's such a long ritual, Ivory. We could wait."

    "I'll be fine," Ivory Eyes said as she stood, taking her mother by the hand with the statue tucked under her arm. She took the kettle from the fire and poured a cup for each of them. They toasted and clambered up the stairs.

    The room was full of cushions: Ivory seated herself on a blue poof and her mother chose a thin pink pillow. She set the statue between them and gestured: every candle in the room lit all at once.

    "What I do here, I do in the name of the Unconquered Sun and Autocthon. Their gifts empower the mortal race, and what light they have offered me, I now offer you."

    ***

    The pegasi landed just as soon as the high jade walls came into view and trotted forward to the gate at a brisk pace. Ivory suspected that they could practically taste the sunwheat.

    "That trip was absolutely interminable," the Doctor said. His own horse craned it's neck back to shoot him a nasty look.

    "I think I may have an idea for fixing that," Ivory said with a smile as she slid from her mount, handing his reigns to one of the guards, a phantom conjured from wyldstuff. Ivory still wasn't sure if they were functionally real, completely human. Every Wyldshaper in Petal had weighed in on the debate without reaching a conclusion, but ultimately Ivory had decreed that they would air on the side of humanity--until proof could be offered to the contrary, every person created by Wyldshaping was afforded the full rights due to any mortal.

    "That Sidereal has been selling you his wild fancies," the Doctor said as he took the guard by the elbow, turning him around to examine him as he adjusted his spectacles.

    "They're interesting ideas," Ivory replied, smacking the Doctor away from the bewildered guard. "I believe they have promise, though they may require a bit of Solar perspective."

    "I'm surprised you trust the Viziers at all after what they did."

    "What one of them did," Ivory replied, and grabbed the Doctor's hand to drag him across the threshold. "And welcome to Petal."

    Petal was a city built in concentric rings, crisscrossed by a web of canals and bridges. Most of the city was flat and empty lots, but a few of the Amalga had settled down into modest palaces. They could have a great deal more than they generally did: the Amalaga had been chosen for fine minds and responsible spirits. Each precinct had a distinct aspect of essence from the demense at it's heart, and they had entered at the wood-aspected Rose Precinct. They strolled the broad highroad that ran to the Solar Manse at the heart of Petal, passing infrequent homes and countless empty spaces.

    "I see you've left considerable room for expansion," Doctor Brass said as they passed a pair of Wyldshaped consorts: two coquettish boys with sly smiles. They bowed low as Ivory passed.

    "I've tried to layout the city with an eye for what it will become. Lotus is a bit of a lost cause in that respect," she adds with a laugh.

    They walked in awkward silence, finally making it to the center of petal: a field of thick sunflowers as tall as Ivory's chest and the Doctor's waist. They waded through them as best they could, finally coming to the center: a circular copse where the sunflower had grown so tall and so thick that their cable-like stems had braided with one another into a high dome. There was a great gap in the ceiling to let sunlight in, and a basin that collected it just below. All around them, Wyldshapers sat, pulling elastic wyldstuff all the colors of the rainbow, shaping it like a cat's cradle. Ivory sat herself and the Doctor beside an old man with glistening adamant eyes.

    "Anything to report, Ashrin?" Ivory asked.

    The old man shook his head. "A few more goblins tried to come at us. Big mistake. We only got your message yesterday, though, ma'am. We've made decent progress towards the components...your statues are almost complete, but the gauntlet is still proving a bit tricky."

    "Well, then," Ivory said as she reached towards the basin with her hand and drew out a globe of raw sunlight, slick with the rainbow sheen of the Wyld. It hung between her fingers, free-floating as her eyes bled to bright white, her anima erupting. The Doctor offered her his hand and she took it; Ashrin did the same. "This...is going to be quite difficult. Producing a stable Protoshinmatic Vortex was a challenge even for the Lawgivers of old. Have you instructed the Shaped to withdraw to the edge of the city?"

    "I have," Ashrin said with a nod. "And everyone else is under the effects of an Integrity-Protecting Prana. We may begin whenever you are ready, ma'am."

    "Here is good, and I can imagine no time better than now," Ivory said. The Doctor and Ashrin linked hands, completing the circuit and encircling the globe. The three turned slowly, peering into the unraveled heart of the Wyld.

    And maybe it peered back.
    Last edited by GryffonDurime; 2009-12-21 at 06:20 PM.

  12. - Top - End - #12
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    Silver Dawn

    Zephyr groaned wearily as he collapsed into his chair, relief evident in his features. Even as inexhaustible as he was, the Lunar felt as if he was finally reaching his limits. He had been pushing himself to the breaking point for months - every day, he would spend hours holding Yeddim above his head in the fields, one in each arm, the placid, incurious beasts barely registering the difference followed by swimming, running, and flying scores of leagues around Lotus. Nights, he spent patroling - hunting the elusive cult of Might-killers. He worked relentlessly with the watch, determined that no more of his circle's loyal retainers would die at the hands of those cowards. Spare time was spent with Ivory or Yomiko, drafting letters of propoganda. He had learned much - including how to sway others with the pen, rather than just his fists. It felt good - his words were being read all over the East, now, and the prayers flowing into Lotus burned in his head and in his mind. He didn't just feel good, he felt powerful. It amused him to think that the Immaculates must be tearing their beards out over the Anathema cult blooming wild in the woods of the east. Let them try and stop him - with his speed, would make sure any intrepid inquisitors entering their territory would regret it, and quickly.

    The thoughts of all his accomplishments brought a warm smile to his face as Zephyr slipped into sleep. And dreamed.

    "Just because you're asleep doesn't mean you get to rest, boy. Stand up." boomed and all-too-familiar voice.

    Zephyr groaned, rising to his feet and opening his dream-eyes. He looked up at the figure standing before him - It was like looking in a mirror.

    The dream-Zephyr was perhaps a head taller than he himself, though Zephyr vaguely felt that might just be a matter of perspective. He had a fuller beard than Zephyr's own goatee, and his skin was a lighter shade, and his hair a different color altogether. But there was no mistaking the resemblance. Of course, it wasn't Zephyr, per se... it was him, as he had been. Or what his Exaltation had been. He had asked Ivory about it, but he hadn't really understood the explanation. What was important was what the Not-him had to say - and to teach.

    "Your progress is still too slow. You can do better than this. We're close to a breakthrough - we can both feel it. Lotus position." He snapped, and Zephyr complied, gritting his jaw. His sleep hadn't been restful in months, either - every night he awoke in his dreams, in the middle of a vast, moonlit desert of silver sand, with this strange taskmaster barking orders at him - but he couldn't deny that he had learned much, so he resolved to continue.

    Arranging himself on the sandy ground, Zephyr placed his body in the Upward Striving Lotus Arrangement, feeling the flows of essence humming through his chakra. He heard his dream-tutor's voice droning in a low, sonorous hum that resonated within him, speaking to something deeper and more primal than his concious self. He relaxed, tried to let the stress of months bleed off, tried to forget the frustrations of night after night of failure to make progress. He closed his eyes, and let his mind drift back to his meeting with Luna. He had replayed Her words time and time again over his training sessions, but so far he had found nothing new. Her boundless love still filled him. His heart still beat for Her. That was all unchanged... but still, nothing new.

    Tonight, however, he looked past the words. He looked within. He stared into Her eyes as he remembered them. He watched the flow of Her form. Some niggling though in the back of his mind urged him on. The sounds of his breathing merged with the slow drone of the spirit's voice. He felt his heartbeat slow, his senses dilate as he emptied himself and let the memories flow in like an argent sea.

    Silver in the darkness. Brilliant luminescence in the emptiness of his thoughts. Something... Yes! there was something there. He forced himself to contain his excitement, to stalk the thought like a hunter following prey. He approached it slowly... and then he lunged forward.

    Into the silver sea he fell. It was so simple - so sublimely, perfectly simple, he couldn't even express it. It was a knowing, a trick of the light, a gleam in the eye. Change. Constant change. The flow of moonsilver, the flicker of moonlight on a fast-streaming river. And it was so much more. His eyes opened, and he stood, new purpose filling him.

    His spirit-mentor smiled at him, and his face was no longer different, nor his eyes, nor his hair. He was looking at a mirror, a reflection... no, not even that. It was merely himself. The other nodded, and stepped towards him - and then into him. Zephyr shuddered as he felt more knowing flow into him. Secrets undreamed and dreams unbidden moved through him, and he felt himself flow and change - now he looked down at his hand, as crimson scales, black in the moonlight, were covered in a glimmering sheen of perfect, flowing silver. He threw his head back and laughed aloud, looking up at Luna's face as he shuddered awake. Dawn was breaking through the window, and he smiled as he cracked his sore joints, a massive grin on his face. It was time to go see Ivory - and he had a feeling it was going to be a glorious day.

  13. - Top - End - #13
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    The Night's Apprentice


    A young girl walked in the twilight, the cool air smelling sweet. She looked from side to side and opened the large doors of an old, run down mansion, creaking as their rusted hinges move for the first time in years. Up stairways and old ladders, all the way her eyes stayed open and alert. The girl stopped in a dark hallway. The only illumination coming from the grey light from a broken window. Looking up she re-adjusts the belts holding the sword loosely to her back. Her moves were quiet as she stalked up a hidden ladder, becoming aware of voices the higher she got.

    "Forya, this is not working." A familiar, gravelly voice comes from beyond the open trap door. "We have scanned more then half the city, and still no sign of this cult. We are doing something wrong, I just don't know what."

    "My lord, the only thing we know is that they see killing the Mighty as an act of glory." A much richer voice responds. "For all we know, more of these Infernals are pulling the strings and keeping them from our sight."

    All falls quiet as the girl ascends the last of the rungs. climbing through looks around a very large room, most of the space on the wall covered in maps, lists, and other related notes. Before she could get a better look around however, her reflection showed up in her vision. Turning quickly only revealed Watcher's masked form standing next to her.

    "Konoko," He greets her. "I take it your mother told you where I spend my time."

    "Wuh-!" Is all the girl could say, the nightbringer's startling appearance almost sending her back down the laddder. "Uh, heh. Yeah." She squeaked, regaining her balance and stepping away from the trapdoor.

    "Forya, we will need to go over this later. Go tell Derecha to look through District Nine, if you would." Watcher sighed, making his way to a large desk as cluttered with papers as the walls. But that sound in his voice, was that...amusement? After the masked woman leaves, Watcher turned back to the girl, interested in just what was going through her mind "So, I can only assume you had a reason for coming all the way over here."

    Konoko, noting that she wasn't being turned away and even catching the bit of mirth in Watcher's voice, walked closer to the desk. "Yes, well." She takes a deep breath and tries to look as adult and powerful as she can, "Watcher, I wanna join you."

    "You want to...what?" It took quite a bit to surprise the Nightbringer, and he had almost forgotten that it didn't take wonders of the First Age and people trying to kill him to catch him unawares.

    "I want to part of your Exodus Syndicate!" She blurted out immediately after he was finished. "My... mom's treating me like a kid, but I'm a Mighty! I can do more than she thinks I can, even after my new dad said I made him proud!"

    The image of Yomiko coming after him with her warstrider's swords raised high was quickly banished from Watcher's mind. There were a few all too capable Mighty who had found out about his Syndicate, who would never show any interest. Yet here Konoko was, practically still a child, wanting to join him? Yes, her mother would kill him if she ever found out, but this was a chance he could not pass up. "You know what the Syndicate does, right?" He replies dryly.

    "I know they do what you tell them to, right? And I know you just want to spread justice to Lotus. Afterall, justice is what's gonna protect Lotus." She leaned on one leg and said very matter-of-factly. "And I've only seen a masked person that wasn't you once out my window, so I know they're not supposed to be seen."

    "You are right, but there are a few things that you do not understand." He holds back the surprise that she had actually seen one of his people. "Yes, they have a large hand in the safety of the city; but the watchmen do the same thing, and they don't hide themselves. No, my people, they are willing to do whatever it takes to keep Lotus. Even kill."

    "Not to mention I trained them all personally. He goes on. "That makes them more then police, more then warriors. It makes them assassins."

    She only blinks at the last statements, but she was not to be deterred. "I've helped you guys fight before, and it's not like killing is so hard. I mean, my mom has killed lots of people, even she doesn't like to, she still does." She pauses for a moment as if in thought, "...Kill who?"

    "Anyone who would threaten Lotus. Do you remember Iulus' wedding?" He asks, twirling one of his boomerangs. "That cultist would have been attacked by at least three of us if Izunagi had had not gotten to him first."

    She put a finger on her lip and looked to the side, "...I liked Mr. Iulus. He said I was a strong and beautiful girl." She looked back at Watcher with determination in her eyes, and for the first time when Night Caste looked Konoko's eyes, he saw the strength and power of her mother. He couldn't have been sure, but now it's clear she certainly is no mere child. "I can kill anyone that deserves it. I can do whatever it takes to protect Lotus."

    "I have no doubt that you can, but it is the will that I am concerned about. It is one thing to hold the firewand. It is another thing entirely to pull the trigger." With a casual toss of his weapon he opened another trapdoor, this time in the ceiling. "Meet me back here in exactly one hour, there's something I want to try." With that he leaped through the hole, vanishing from both sight and sound.

    --------------------------------------------------------

    One hour later, Konoko sat at Watcher's desk looking at the papers atop it; partly out of curiosity, partly out of boredom. "They're listing all the different groups in the city." She muttered.

    After a few minutes, a figure cloaked in black and silver swooped down through the opening in the roof, but obviously not Watcher. "The masked one is a few floors down. He sent me to get you."

    She looked up at the newcomer and got out of her seat. Nodding, she trekked down until seeing the glint of light off Watcher's mask.

    "Konoko, I see you brought your weapon." Without another word, Watcher stepped aside to reveal a young woman, bound and unconscious lying on the wooden floor.

    Looking at her, Konoko felt her mother's great compassion already beginning to well up in her heart. She held the hilt of her weapon in her hand again, looking from the bound girl to Watcher. "...I-I have. What do you want me to do?"

    "You said that you would kill to protect the city, well, this woman is a threat." Watcher speaks, all emotion gone from his voice. "Like I said before, it is quite another thing to pull the trigger."

    Her wide eyes lay upon the woman, eventually looking back and forth from the victim to Watcher repeatedly. She paused and took her weapon from her back, aproaching slowly. She spoke softly, but loud enough for the Nightbringer to hear, "What did she do?"

    "Does it matter?" Watcher replied angrily. "You said yourself that the Syndicate does exactly what I say. If I bring you into this, I have to know that you will do the same."

    She began to shake. What had she gotten herself into? She approached the girl with fear in her eyes, holding the blade up as if to attack. But Orichalcum clattered to the ground, her hands balled into fists. "NO!" Her voice echoes throughout the ancient mansion. "I can't just kill her! I don't know what she did! She might be completely innocent!" She turned to Watcher again, shaking slightly, either because of fear or rage. "I won't!"

    "Calm yourself, Konoko." Watcher said after spending a moment to observer her, all traces of anger gone. He put his hand on her shoulder, remembering his time before donning the mask that he actually had a reason to be caring. "Droite, I believe that she has alleved my concerns." The woman opened her eyes and stood up all too easily. The ropes falling off her making it obvious that it has only looked like she was helpless.

    Konoko blinked and the all-too-real tears in her eyes quickly rolled down her cheeks, but she looked utterly surprised. "But..." she wasn't even sure what to say. She could only stand there dumbfounded for a moment before turning her gaze to Watcher for another frantic time.

    "You need time to settle down," Watcher says, walking out of the room. "Come back tomorrow if you can still stand me, you have a lot ahead of you."

    Turning to the girl, Droite went to comfort her, leading her to one of the many couches that lay about the manor. "He says that we're his eyes around Lotus." she said, sympathy in her voice. "But thats not everything we do."

    Seeing Konoko's silent look, she continued. "We keep him grounded. He's said more then once, that if we weren't around, he would have made some very bad decisions; killed people that weren't deserving. We ask questions, we do what he doesn't think of, and most importantly, we watch his back."

    Konoko paused for a while, her eyes still wet. She then smiled at Watcher's associate and looked over at where the Night Caste left. She let out a relieved sigh and put the Jade of her armor to her moist forehead. "...I think I can do that, too."
    Last edited by Ellas Aramond; 2009-12-22 at 01:51 AM.
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  14. - Top - End - #14
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    -A Red Sun Sinks-


    The Invincible Bride of the Unconquered Sun walked through the gates of Lotus, the ears of it's people full of the same glorious song that burst within her heart. Song of Sun and Moon, of Heaven and it's many Stars, of the Love of Sol Invictus. She sung songs of demons scorned, their masters running in defeat at the God-Kings arrival, songs of a wicked false Empress smote by the jaws of Luna's chosen, and the blades of Ignis Divine. Her songs of glory over countless weeks turned to dirges of loss. To see the Uplifter of Men swallowed by endless wretched sand, burned under vitriolic green sunlight. Songs of the burning rage she felt inside her, songs that were as scorching and wild as the flaming anima that burst from within her.
    In her many temples, she would dance as she would sing. Her body moved with such divine grace and beauty, onlookers would feel it their greatest sin should they even blink. The movements of her form were exquisite, they were glorious almost beyond what mortal man and woman could hope to comprehend. Days and days, never ending, never ceasing her dance save to sleep and eat and with each passing day as she sang songs of glories most divine, her golden light would flare brighter and brighter. It was like watching the sun itself dance atop the balconies and stages of Lotus. Her heart may race, and her legs and throat may ache, but the Invincible Maiden never ceased and those who witnessed her felt their hearts swell for her as did hers for all.

    ~\_/*\_/~

    Months could pass, and even if the fact that Rising Echo was gone the disparity of it could strike when knowing the hole he filled in Lotus was empty. She could walk down the halls of his Bureau and see in the eyes and bodies of those whom he employed carried the same sadness as she did. Oh she knew Echo was not dead, and so did all else who would listen to her(and that was a great many), but that did not change the fact that meeting him whenever one pleased was no longer an option... and when they could was entirely outside of the foreseeable future.
    She did not want spirits to die so slowly, so painfully, or at all. She would spend any day she was not performing speaking with any member of the staff. Everyone from the lowest clerks to the those directly under Rising Echo, she would simply spend hours talking with them as they worked and hoping not to distract them. If she felt their work was slowed, she would simply apologize, and to their dismay leave and wait to speak with them again after their shifts.
    It was not long before many of the members of staff treated Yomiko as they would a sister or a mother. The sorrow they shared, and her love of their city made them just as a family. Konoko, when not mysteriously gone, would often join her mother in chats with the men and women and was happy enough to simply listen or sleep.

    ~\_/*\_/~

    A red demon. Flames of blood burst from it's eyes, it's mouth and it's flesh. A red demon that beset her without end. Every few nights, she would wake up, her dreams making her feel as vulnerable as she did when she was only a girl. She rubbed her neck and always went to get a glass of water from the fountain at the ground floor of her palace. She would sip from her glass while looking out over the City. Flames in the distance, orange and harmless. Torches of those who would work during the night. Mostly guardsmen and those who would prefer not to face a guardsman. O' but Lotus was rich with all sorts, and for all their flaws she knew there was always goodness to them. She would sigh and slip back into sleep.

    "No, stop!" is all she could whimper as her dream avatar. A red demon of fire again would assault her mercilessly. She felt her blood gush from her in gouts of crimson flames, flames that the demon would feed on. With each drop shed, the demon was more distinct. Dreadful and beautiful, powerful and composed of not but rage. Rage and Yomiko.
    "YOU WOULD SUBMIT TO ME! LEST YOU BECOME AS WEAK AS YOU WERE!" It bellowed at her, flashing before her memories. Memories she tried so dearly to leave behind, memories she just wish would die. With every cut upon her perfect flesh, she felt rage well up within her. "NO!"
    This was the last time... it had to be the last time. She could not sleep, her muscles burned and ached. She could feel the fire in her, even when she was awake. This was the last time.
    The red demon, the demon that was Yomiko's rage suddenly turned it's gaze from her. The little girl was no longer little. The little girl was the Invincible Bride of Sol Invictus, the Zenith Sun and before the demon she shone exactly like it. In her hands were blades of furious love, across her breast was armor of her compassion. "I would not submit to you... the rage in my heart is something that must die! You will die, demon! And I will destroy you!"
    She cut at the fiend, red fire fell away and turned to gold and the gold of Yomiko's heart absorbed into her and only made her radiance grow brighter. It bellowed, it was ripped and torn slowly apart by her twin blades. Soon, it was little more than a burning rib-cage and skull, it could not move, it could only speak to her soul. "You are not invincible, Yomiko. One day I will rise again, I will show you what you need to be invincible. I will be waiting."
    The demon burst, and the last remnants of it's red flame were taken back in by the swordswoman and dimmed to nothing.

    She awoke the next morning, glowing as brightly as the Sun outsider her window. The strength of her soul was too great now to be kept within her, even as she slept. She walked again to her balcony as it faced the rising sun and she smiled.

    "O' Lotus, my love. It is going to be a good day." And so she started to sing again, on the brightest of days.
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  15. - Top - End - #15
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    Default Re: God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    After all that has happened, all the horrors and wonders you have seen in the five nights of Calibration, you return home to Lotus, return home to the seat of your power upon Zephyr’s broad wings. You find your city still safe, still sanctuary against the horrors that have beset the Blessed Isle. Alighting, you find the city lit by torches against the night, patrolled by double and triple-watches, armed men led by the Mighty. At your presence they halt and salute, raising their swords in patriotic zeal. The captain of the brigade, a Mighty well-skilled in the ways of arrows and bowmanship, speaks to you, telling how Captain Transval has awaited your return with anxious expectation throughout the five days’ darkness. Watcher, Yomiko, and Zephyr go to attend on their Dragon-Blooded general and second-in-command; Ivory Eyes, however, takes her mother to Bronzeheart’s sanctuary, that she might rest and recuperate within her daughter’s home.

    Within the mansion that now stands as Lotus’s head executive offices, the three God-Kings find Captain Transval in his own chambers, accompanied by Jubilant Dawn, a number of Mighty savants, and a handful of spirits summoned up by Ivory Eyes. The Dragon-Blood’s joy to see you returned is all too readily apparent on his face. He leaps up from his seat with passion suited to his aspect, and launches in to a lengthy story. In your absence, it would seem that attacks on the Mighty–and on all the enlightened citizenry of Lotus–have only intensified. Assassins or assailants have leapt out of every shadow, it seems, and many of the Mighty have only escaped through undeserved luck. Transval explains at length the precautions he has taken, the heightened watches and the curfews, the careful safeguarding of the Mighty. He seems almost apologetic for the liberties he has taken in command, but everything in his deeds speaks to his best judgment.

    And so it is that, as you once more settle upon your thrones, the issue of the Mighty-hunting cults takes precedence. While all of the God-Kings take up their power against them–Yomiko speaking harsh sermons against the illicit and invidious cults, Zephyr patrolling the streets in full and furious force, Ivory Eyes binding spirits to the defense of the Mighty–it is Watcher and his Exodus Syndicate who bring the greatest force against them. Every night for the next season, the Lawgiver and his sworn agents stalk the streets of Lotus, shadowing the patrols of Mighty that keep watch by night. On the very first night, it is Forya who spots the man stalking the watch patrol, slinking alongside them in the parallel allies. The murderous villain is brought down before he even hears the swish of Watcher’s boomerang, laid flat by a single blow. He is the first of what will become dozens that fill the cells of Lotus’s prisons, captured and brought to justice by the Exodus Syndicate.

    Within a month, the attacks have halted. Watcher cannot help but admire what he has done, the successes of his Exodus Sydnicate–not a single Mighty has fallen, nor even been attacked, before his agents have moved in to apprehend the cultists who would raise up arms against the chosen heroes of Lotus. Now, there are none bold enough to risk defying the Nightbringer–and now, Watcher can carry his justice to them. Yomiko’s persuasions and Zephyr’s intimidation turn many of the cultists captured and imprisoned, and those who do not accede to such gentle ministrations find themselves in the hands of Watcher. Soon, the Lord Nightbringer has found out each and every cult cell in Lotus. In one single, coordinated assault, his Exodus Syndicate sweeps through Lotus, arresting each and every cultist, filling Lotus’s cells with dozens, hundreds of the Mighty-hunters. Watcher’s truth-seeking ears are soon satisfied by their confessions, lacking only one final detail–the head of the cults. Each and every prisoner protests utter ignorance of the cult’s true leader, and they all speak truthfully. But whoever has fomented this attack on Lotus has been broken of his every advantage, his followers and lackeys imprisoned. He is alone now, whatever he plots or plans.

    But more disturbing still is what Watcher finds on the night of the mass arrests, as he personally brings in more than half of the cultists. Though most accede instantly to his appearance, surrendering en masse, there are some who fight–and though they are brought down easily, they lash out at the Solar with skill they should not have, skill they could not have. They fight with an excellency of swordsmanship that is rightful gift only of the Solar Exalted–and, to Watcher’s horror, an excellency that belonged to the Mighty he found dead at the hands of the cults. Somehow, they have stolen the power granted by Rising Echo unto his chosen, and no interrogation or persuasion can convince them to reveal how it was done. They speak only of the blessings of the Shining One, and break down into senseless gibbering if pressed further. Worthless. Watcher keeps a strict watch on the enlightened prisoners, devising penal protocols and uniquely inescapable prisons for their sole benefit. But for whatever mystery remains unresolved, the crisis is past. Those who would plot against Lotus and its heroes have met Watcher’s justice.

    And as Watcher brings his law to Lotus, so too does Ivory Eyes bring her wonders. Far-Flung Petal, her wyld-shaping collective deep in the Bordermarches of Chaos, finally begins operations–and within days, it has changed the face of Lotus. Every city, every society in Creation rests upon the backs of farmers and laborers, those who provide the bare necessities of life. Lotus, no more. Within mere days, Far-Flung Petal has wrought enough of food from the chaos of the Wyld to feed every citizen of Lotus for years. And in days to come, the wonders grow only greater. Every want and need, every good and luxury is shaped from inchoate nothingness within Petal’s bounds, and they are barred to none. Within months, every citizen of Lotus commands all he could ever want, living in wealth to match the most opulent the Realm could offer. Poverty vanishes, for there is no need of it–without any scarcity, without a limit to what riches can be divided amongst society, there is nothing to limit all from freely sharing their wealth, benefitting from the benefices of the God-Kings.

    Lotus is transformed. No more must anyone work for pay, or to keep themselves fed. Men and women now work solely for the good of their fellow citizens, and for the glory of Lotus. Ivory Eyes offers enlightenment to all who take up this endeavor, granting an education in both mortal and magical arts to all who ask for it. Soon, every citizen is literate and educated to match the most pampered scion of the Dynasty, and almost all have mastered the arts of essence, guided to enlightenment under the God-Kings’ tutelage. Petal offers these newly-enlightened mortals the artifice and implements of First Age civilization. A geomantic power grid supplies all inhabitants with magical lighting, heating, communications, and sanitation. Everyday wonders proliferate, from the transperfect domestic utensil to the thousand comforts lounge, letting the lowliest of Lotus’s people live in all the splendor of the Era of Dreams. The Dragon Rail offers travel to any, letting any citizen speed across Creation with ease and comfort. Under this magical renaissance, Lotus booms, six hundred thousand men and women living within a city built to rival the greatest cities of Creation, putting Nexus, Gem, even the Imperial City to shame. The towers of Lotus, wrought by thaumaturgy and sorcery, surpass all others, hundreds upon hundreds of feet high. Honeycombed within them are the laboratories of mage-scientists and thaumaturges, the sanctums of sorcerers, the workshops of artificers, the studios of enlightened artists, and the workplaces of a hundred hundred other refined and glorious professions. The governance of Lotus is now conducted from a splendid pleasure dome wrought over Ivory Eyes’ caldera-manse, an opal dome built in homage to that of the Incarnae themselves.

    Heaven and Creation stir over the blossoming of Lotus, and the rebirth of the First Age that comes with it. Whispering Heaven, newly appointed to the post of Captain of the Division of Endings, also finds himself promoted to Head of the Convention on Lotus, a subdivision of the Convention on Essence-Wielders that consists of nine-tenths of that convention’s personnel. Lotus’s almost universally enlightened populace surpasses that of any other city or nation within the world, perhaps even exceeding any other Direction. Though the Sidereal keeps offices in both Yu-Shan and Lotus, he only rarely enters into Creation, caught up in the bureaucracy of Heaven. The Gold Faction founded by Ayesha Ura only last year has blossomed, swallowing up recruits swayed by the God-Kings’ words at the Calibration Trial. Wun Ja, Goddess of the Shining Metropolis, is an almost daily visitor to Lotus, walking its streets as if she very a common peasant and handing out blessings to all who draw her fancy. She becomes a regular coffeehouse companion of O-Mochi and O-Mizuchi, the three gods conspiring and conversing at all hours of the day. O-Mochi is proud to boast a second title now. With Petal shaping all the food that Lotus could ever need, the fields of Lotus are left to the herd of yeddim that now numbers in the hundreds, the educated beasts eating rice by the bushel as the rewards of their labor. Heaven, taking notice of O-Mochi’s role in the rise of Lotus, has seen fit to bless him with the dual titles of God of Wild Rice and God of Domesticated Beasts, and his power has grown commensurately. He is content, though, to idle the streets of Lotus, laughing to see its people well-fed and well-ruled.

    Throughout the East, Lotus is a thing of wonder and legend. Yomiko and Zephyr travel through all the nations that surround them, borne in one of the magical chariots restored to order by Ivory Eyes. They come to the trade-city of Nexus, the theocracy of Great Forks, the warring states of Halta and Linowan, the flying mountain of Megatalpa, the strange republic of Chaya, the great mausoleum of Sijan, and even to those bordermarches held by the Arczekh Horde. To all they come openly as friends, speaking of the wonders of Lotus, the glories of the Exalted, and their generosity to all allies. Zephyr serves as diplomat and ambassador, winning over treaties and alliances, while Yomiko comes as a priestess first and foremost, winning hearts and minds for Lotus. Soon all the wares of Nexus are opened to Lotus, and it is not uncommon to see Haltan beastmen walking the streets of Lotus, or sapient ata-beasts discussing philosophy in salons, or Megatalpan hawks crossing the skies. The morticians of Sijan even venture out to the Exalted City itself for a dual purpose, constructing two funerary monuments. One is a tomb of black glass, shot through with veins of gold, a mausoleum to receive the body of Iulus. Its twin, towering just as high, is a golden cenotaph inscribed with all the prayers of the Unconquered Sun, a monument and memorial for Rising Echo.

    But it is not only the nations of the Threshold and the Far East that bind themselves to Lotus in alliance. Yomiko and Zephyr travel to the Blessed Isle, to the Realm itself, and there they walk openly as Exalted. Roseblack announces a grand summit, a meeting of reconciliation and renewal to be held on the heights of the Imperial Mountain itself. There, Yomiko and Zephyr meet with Roseblack, dressed in the full regalia of the Dragon-Blooded Empress, the heads of the Realm’s Great Houses, and the Mouth of Peace, the head of the Immaculate Order. Five days and nights the council goes on, words spoken both in peace and in hatred. In the end, a treaty is reached, the Five Petals Accord. And it is monumental. The Empress and the Great Houses proclaim the treaty unto all the Dragon-Blooded Host and the mortal peoples of the Realm, decreeing an end to the millennial persecution of the Celestial Exalted. The Solar Exalted and Lunar Exalted are recognized as legitimate chosen of the gods, and the doctrines of the Immaculate Order officially repudiated on the matter of the Anathema. The treaty extends the full protection of Imperial Law to all Exalted, and by this, ends the Wyld Hunt. To strike down a Lawgiver is no more an act of righteousness, but murder. Despite the protests of the Mouth of Peace, and of one particularly eloquent if nondescript Immaculate, the Empress revokes all approval of the Immaculate Order, ceases all Imperial funding of it, and condemns those who have let hatred blind them. The treaty is one of peace, not only between the Realm and Lotus, but between the Terrestrial Exalted and the Celestial Exalted.

    But it is not only a treaty. Zephyr and Yomiko walk among the Dynasts of the Realm, speaking with them as individuals. In teahouses, palaces, academies, manses, the God-Kings invite the Dragon-Blooded to speak with them, and those who do find old hatreds worn away. Though there are still those who cling to Immaculate Doctrine, or reject the God-Kings out of hatred for the new Empress who speaks their endorsement, those who come to them are greater by an order of magnitude. Yomiko and Zephyr win over the hearts and minds of the Dragon-Blooded Host each by each, and it is monumental. For ages the Realm has built itself upon the overthrow of the Celestial Exalted, the supremacy of the Dragon-Blooded Host. Now, they have come to see just how human the Celestial Exalted can be, just how glorious the Solars and Lunars are. None who speak with Yomiko and Zephyr could condemn them as Anathema, and nevermore shall think so simply of the Chosen of the Sun and Moon. The Dragon-Blooded Host, the children of Usurpers, have redeemed themselves of their forefathers sins.

    And so it is that when the Flower of the East, flagship of Lotus, crosses over the skies of the Imperial City, it is too the sound of ten thousand dragons rejoicing. For seasons the silver desert that mars the Blessed Isle has stood unswayed, a blight upon all Creation, the triumph of Cecelyne. And now the God-Kings come to conquer her. The airship, attended upon by a coterie of air elementals summoned and bound by Ivory Eyes, comes to a halt above the demonic wastes, hovering fixed in the air. And down from it falls the very strength of Lunar, the spirit shape of Zephyr. The mighty tyrant lizard descends with a jade statue in its grasps, one of the five icons of Ivory Eyes that will be the fundament of the sorceress’s magic, the spell by which Cecelyne will be repelled. He sets it down on the edge of the silver desert, then wings back to the ship in the shape of a giant hawk. Three more statues he bears down, setting them in a ring around the wasteland with his tyrant lizard strength in full. The final monument of jade he sets down in the heart of the Imperial City, setting the arc of the ring wide enough to encompass all of the Yozi’s extrusion. With thousands of Dynasts looking on, with Empress Roseblack and Ayesha Ura watching from the flight deck of the Flower of the East, the moment draws nigh. All the Blessed Isle awaits Ivory Eyes.
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    Ivory stands at the front of the flight deck, leaning a little more heavily on her phylactery than she had in recent times--the orichalcum and adamant staff buttresses her stability as she stands at the bough, eight months pregnant. Atop it is a glistening orb, a quivering mass of congealed possibility that sings all songs at once. On her free hand is a great gauntlet of clockwork, and set in it's palm the very Hearthstone given to her by Ignis Divine. Ivory smiles as she approaches the railing, looking over to the cheering faces below. It wasn't supposed to be this easy, she told herself only for another part of herself to reply in turn: easy? This was easy?

    Somber Reed approaches her daughter and sets an arm across her shoulders, squeezing lightly. Ivory hefts her phylactery into the air and begins to sing in a rasp of Old Realm that carries a deeply Primordial twang, the air of magic and sovereignty. She has none of Yomiko's talent but all of her circlemate's heart.

    <<Child of my heart, born of a neverending dream,
    You are cradled in light, bathed in a radiant gleam,
    Flourish and grow, my mystical world,
    Here you will ever belong,
    Son of my yearning,
    Daughter of hope,
    Beautiful child of my song,
    Although storms may descend,
    Mountains and valleys may quake...
    For the days that remain,
    This is the promise I make
    No shadow fall across this land,
    Before the wind and fire I stand
    And you my child will know no harm
    Enfolded in my arms.

    Out of death, life.
    Out of night, day.
    Glory from sorrow.
    Out of grief, joy.
    Out of storm, come strength for tomorrow.
    Out of dust, gold.
    Out of fire, air: comfort forsaken,
    Out of rage, calm, out of loss find glory awakened...
    Shine forever,
    shine forever.>>


    As her song crescendos, light wells up from each statue, arcing into a dome just above the Flower of the East. When all five beams converge, the day subsides briefly to night as the dome fills with deep blue lapis. The illusion of night lasts only a moment as Ivory's anima erupts--not from her, but from the sanctuary itself, a glorious raptor enfolding the desert and the Manse with star-flecked wings. It smiles, looks up to Ivory, and fades into a rain of golden stardust that settles on rooftops and the eaves of windows, rushing off the sides of the Flower's domed roof.

    Somber Reed takes Ivory's phylactery gingerly as her daughter turns her attention to the quaking of the Imperial Manse. Veins of orichalcum striate its jade exterior, and a comet erupts from it's heart, blazing towards Ivory before hanging in the air before her. She reaches forward over the railing and clutches it, still hot from the geomantic forge.

    "If the Manse is the Sword of Creation, then this is the jewel in its hilt," Ivory says softly. She refocuses and raises her free hand, revealing the Gem of Adamant Sorcery and its magitech setting. The Hand of the Great Maker whirs to life, adamant gears chiming brightly as they accelerate. Ivory gestures, raising her hand. Scrub grass follows suit, raising in tandem with her motion as the vastness of the desert succumbs to her will.

    Exhausted, Ivory returns to her seat, with Seven-Leaved Prince floating just beside her. Ashrin calls out to his team of Wyldshapers, who approach the bough in Ivory's stead and begin the process of restoring fertility to the shaped land.

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    Zephyr

    Standing beside his mate, as always. Zephyr cannot help but feel an upsurge of glorious pride. Here is the woman that he loves, in the full glory of her power, radiant and in her element. Even with all that he has seen in the last few years of his life, he cannot help but be awed by what she can do. For all his prowess, all his unassailable might, he is but a warrior - and she is a goddess, who shapes the very face of Creation with force of will alone. He smiles a small and secret smile as he watches her work. At last, when it is finished, he steps forward to offer her his arm.

    "Well done, as always Ivory." Says the Full-Moon, his eyes twinkling merrily. "If mine and Yomiko's words were not enough to sway them, this will make even the most ardent Immaculate reconsider. Like our incarnations of old, you have defied the will of the Yozi themselves."

    Zephyr chuckles softly, his body shuddering with mirth. Wrapped in cerements of silver gossamer trimmed with blue, the Lunar looks nothing less than his station - a God-King of elder days, a representative of the Most High on the face of Creation, and a warlord of unnumbered hosts. He looks down at the slowly transforming ground, watches the transformation from desecration to purity restored, and wonders, despite his jubilation, if some wounds will ever heal.

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    Empress Ejava smiles as she watches Ivory Eyes's amalga restore the tarnished land to wholeness, shaping barren scrub and dusty fields to lush gardens and grasslands. She now wears the full regalia of the Imperial Empress, crown and all, and commands the loyalty of all the Realm. "Thank you, Ivory Eyes. All of you. What happens today is only the culmination of all our efforts, and you have done much for me. I shall not forget this. I ask that you keep the hearthstone of the Imperial Manse–there is no other than you that I would trust to wield it who could, and it shall serve as a token of our alliance, if a grand token at that. Thank you." She smiles, her new eloquence still strange to her.

    "Indeed." agrees Ayesha Ura, accompanied by a small delegation of Gold Faction Sidereals. "I will make my full report to Heaven; I'm sure Chejop Kejak will be most pleased to read it. I believe you have finally convinced Heaven that the Solar Exalted are the necessary rulers of Creation." She grins teasingly at the thought of the Elder Oracle's grievances, and her companions give a nervous titter. "I was also given a message for you, God-Kings. Lytek says that he has concluded his study of the Infernal Exalt you took into custody, and believes he might have found...well, I'm not entirely sure what he found, but he seems quite excited over it. He requested your presence."
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    Ivory Eyes' weary smile widens and she spins halfway around in the chair before standing up and gesturing to Ayesha. One of Ivory's earliest Amalga, created during her collaboration with Echo, steps forward and lays a hand on his mistress' temples, massaging them slowly as essence flows into the Sorceress Supreme.

    "If you've time, then, Lady Ura, I would be most pleased if you would remain aboard and take command of the ship for the afternoon. I can imagine no finer commander than the Captain of Journeys."

    Are you going somewhere, Miss Ivory Eyes? the Prince asks, his head titled.

    "Lord Lytek awaits us. No reason to go all the way back to the caldera when we've a fine manse to inspect," she adds, gesturing to the Imperial Manse in the distance. "You have the bridge, Lady Ura," she adds before taking her phylactery back from Somber Reed and leaping over the rails, her wings outstretched to catch the thermals.

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    Yomiko smiled brightly as the hellish desert that blotted out the flesh of Creation healed over once again. She smiled, though her heart was still heavy for the companion that dwelt beyond the sand. She could only express her awe through her smile, for Ivory's display of talent for sorcery left her speechless. It was best for Zephyr to speak his words of pride and joy for his Solar mate.
    Once the spell is complete, she turns to all guests present before them. "Allies and well-wishers. I cannot thank you all enough for being here, here at where the Chosen of the Sun and Moon take wrap their golden hands around Hell itself to plunge it back into it's vitriolic netherworld, to suffer as the borders of the wretched city, no longer to bring it's blight to Creation where it was punished to keep from for all of time." Her smile is ever-present as she speaks.
    "So speak unto those who might still be ill-wishers of the Celestial Exalted, tell them of the greatness of Ivory Eyes. Of her love and guardianship of Creation. Let them know that we should be seen through the same eyes as Sol Invictus, eyes of perfection. Though I speak wishing for your love and admiration, know I speak without selfishness, for what we do is all for you and we expect no reward."
    When her speech is complete, she sees Ivory take flight off the side of the warship. "Be well." She bows and she erupts with golden essence, the flaming wings on her back erupting outward and she too takes flight, on somewhat more flamboyant wings.
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    The Dragon-Blooded and mortals looking on roar with applause, caught up in the glory of Ivory Eyes, the beauty of Yomiko. The twin Lawgivers wing down to earth, borne up by sorcery and magic fire. Zephyr and Watcher follow close behind them, the one swooping down in the shape of a hawk, the other flitting through shadows to manifest upon the ground. Roseblack descends alongside them, one of the attendant air elementals catching her as she falls and bringing her safely to ground. Ayesha Ura waves to Ivory Eyes before taking the helm, turning windward to return the vessel to Lotus. She has arranged for a sabbatical in order to survey and account for the newly restored fleet of Lotus on behalf of Vanileth.

    The Empress and the God-Kings parade to incessant applause, making their way towards the Imperial Palace, and the Imperial Manse within. Where once you fought your way to the walls of the palace, your journey is now attended by all auspices, all walls and gates laid open at Empress Ejava's command. She bids her farewell as you near the doors of the Manse, not following any further. As you enter the most hallowed earth of all Creation, you find the countless wards and defenses quiescent, held at bay by the gem which Ivory Eyes commands. The Imperial Manse knows its master. But this is not the day to explore its secrets–instead, Yomiko offers her prayers unto Lytek, beckoning the god open his doors.

    And in response, a glowing line of light traces out an oblong rectangle, essence coalescing within its bounds to form a door of stately ivory. Turning the adamant knob, Yomiko steps into Lytek's sanctum-offices, the rest of the God-Kings following after her. Lytek sits happily on a birchwood footstooll within, prodding and poking Doctor Brass. The Infernal lies flat on a slab, and dozens of motonic lenses and essence probes spread out above him, borne on the countless spidery mechanical arms descending from the ceiling. The God of Exaltation rises happily at your entrance, arms spread wide in welcome.

    "Hello, my friends! I am ever so glad to see you again, it has been far too long. The good Doctor has been most helpful with my experiments, and I believe that I've finally unraveled the most of this mystery. It would seem that the Yozis have found a way to crack open a Solar Exaltation, maim and mutilate it down to the core so that it can channel their own powers. God-Kings, the Infernal Exalted wield the very same powers as the Yozis themselves. I...I can't even imagine how it is possible. I have no idea of how this was done, and without that, I can do nothing to restore his exaltation."

    Shame seems to fill the God of Exaltation with his admission. He is not one accustomed to admitting his own failures, or coming up against his own limits. Nevertheless, he moves on. "It would be utterly impossible to discover the true nature of Infernal Exaltation. The Lawgivers of the First Age had a way of finding such impossible things. By going out into the Wyld and capturing one of the Unshaped, the Princes of Chaos, they could force it back into Creation, examine the inchoate infinites that nestled and folded within its being. If you could subdue one of the Lords of Chaos and force it into Creation, we could force it to shift through countless possibilities until it revealed the creation of this poisoned shard. With that known, I can say with absolute certainty that I can undo whatever the Demon Princes have done!"
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    Watcher

    "Let me make sure that I am understanding this correctly." Watcher says, thinking back on everything he has heard and read about the Wyld. "In order to 'fix' the Infernals, we need to travel off the map, into a realm of utter madness. Then we need to find one of the rulers of the Wyld, capture him, and bring him back here so you can force him to change shape until you find what you need? You do not even know how long tht will take, do you? And not to mention that all of this needs to be done before some new threat decides to use Creation as its punching bag."

    Watcher lets out a long sigh, not knowing whether to be annoyed, or to simply disbelieve all this. "Well, I suppose we will just have to do this swiftly."
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    Lytek draws back nervously at Watcher's castigation, bowing his head in shame. "My apologies, Lord Watcher. Binding and experimenting on one of the Unshaped will be the most expedient method to reverting Infernal Exaltations to their original Solar state, and perhaps even restoring any warped exaltation. I cannot attest to the speed with which I could conclude my experiments, but I assure you that I will bring to bear the whole of my divine power. Remember, I am the God of Exaltation. If you do this for me, I will be able to purify the Infernal Exalted. If not, I doubt they ever will be. I apologize for asking so much of you, but it must be done."
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    Default Re: God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    Yomiko looked at Watcher as he spoke, then at Lytek as he replied. "I am willing to go through with such a task, but even with Ivory's mastery over chaos we cannot simply walk into the Wyld and ensnare an Unshaped." She looks at Ivory, "Can you? Can anyone?"
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    Default Re: God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    Ivory looks truly and rightly flummoxed at Yomiko's inquisition, shrugging strongly. "I feel fairly confident that we could safely descend into the Deep Wyld and beyond. I can understand, in the barest way, how we might be able to interact with the Unshaped there. But what you are asking, Lord Lytek, should be impossible. Only the Shaped can cross the bordermarches. If we bring you an Unshaped, it will calcify into useless ephemera. I don't even know how to move an Unshaped! They are...they are places, but unbound by the traditional restrictions imposed by the Shinma that defines shape and space."

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    "I am sorry, Lady Ivory Eyes. I know not how it was done. I never witnessed such a thing firsthand; that was sole province of the Exalted. I have been able to glean much from the memories of the Twilight Castes and No Moon Castes of the First Age, but they are hazy and incomplete, the minutiae of their methods left ambiguous and undefined." The luminous deity shrugs, an old man ashamed to prevail on the generosity of the God-Kings. He opens up an intricate mirror-paneled cabinet, withdrawing a handful of glowing gems from within; dreamstones inscribed with the memories of First Age Exalts. He explains the lineage and contents of each in brief as he lays them out, leaving you with the best record of Bright Shattered Ice and Queen k'Tula's experimentation on the Princes of Chaos.
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    Zephyr

    Zephyr kept quiet for a time, his face showing an unusual shadow of trepidation. He chews his lip gently for a moment,m before he finally speaks up. "My mistress might know more - she is an Elder among our folk, and she hoards secrets as a squirrel hoards nuts for the winter... but if anyone knows for certain, it is Raksi, Queen of Fangs..." He gives a little shudder. "But she is savage beyond measure, even by the standards of we Lunars... and I doubt she would give up her secrets without recieving something in return - And she hungers for one thing above all: The secrets of the Adamant Circle... but I fear for all creation should she come to possess them. Her evil is as depthless as it is profound." Zephyr looks incredibly uncomfortable as he speaks, as if baring some secret and long-hidden shame.

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    "Then it seems we have one or the other to convince. One to share her secrets willingly, and the other to take a lesser offering. A safer offering." She held her hands together as she spoke. "Hopefully it shall be easy." She smiles.
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    "It would, perhaps, be best if we were to try both avenues. If your first ally does not know, perhaps she will lend us aid against this Queen of Fangs. Where are we to go first, then?" Ivory asks, beginning the motions of gathering Essence.

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    Default Re: God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

    Zephyr

    Zephyr gives a slight shrug, giving an embarassed smile. "The best that I can do is put out a message for her through the Pact and hope that she finds it, and that she is willing to come. She is Changing Moon - if she does not wish us to find her, she will not be found. "

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