God-Kings of Lotus: Heroes of the Unconquered Sun

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Yomiko's tears roll gently down her cheeks, staring at the lantern with awe on her face in addition to the tears. She approaches it slowly, a hand held out slightly. She brushes past the physical narrative, wanting so greatly to just touch it... a simple pressing of her fingertips on the golden shell. It's all she needed.

[The Demented One]

A golden fire burns within the lantern as Ivory Eyes and Yomiko reach for it, fingers stopping just shy of the golden lamp. Licking tongues of lambent flame seem to fall into shapes, accidents of perception giving rise to the form of an eye within the fire, staring out at you. By some coincidence of light, some haphazard arrangement of rays and hues, it seems to brim with nothing more than utter sympathy. But as the God-Kings cautiously fall short of touching it, the fire dies down, dimming to nothingness. "It's beautiful." opines Astra, unable to look away from the gilded lamp.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

She stares at it quietly for a short amount of time, then finally speaks softly and quietly. "Hello." She smiles just a little bit, "I am Yomiko. Why did you show me that...?" She pauses as it sits there silently. The pictures implanted so perfectly and beautifully into her memory. Images that would not soon leave her, images she never wanted to leave her. She held her hand up once again, ever so close to the emanation before her. She presses her fingers gently on the golden lantern.

[Ellas Aramond]

Watcher

The nightbringer finds himself taken off guard from the Hunter's praises. He still hadn't gotten used to the people of Lotus worshiping him, and here was a creature of the Wyld practically about to do the same thing. Watcher hated this place. He really really did.

"I very much doubt that you want to die." Watcher says, using his usual hostile demeanor to hide his unease. The last thing he wanted was to have to deal with another Honeyed Words Speaker. "And if you make no move against us, the I shall not want you to either. Since you saw our...incident with Nhogg, then you can probably guess what we want. We require the help of your master. So if you can help us persuade him to come with us, it would be most helpful."

[The Demented One]

Watcher and Zephyr

"Oh, I don't want to die! explains Jubal, settling onto the ground with a thump. He crosses his legs, looking up at you like a child examining a new toy. "But I might! If I'm not a good enough huntsman, if you're too clever for me, I could die! And not come back!" It's not a very convincing argument, and the hunter certainly doesn't seem to have a death-wish. "But I guess you don't want to play the hunt, not now. I overheard you with Honeyed Words Speaker, and with Nhogg." He might even be bashful as he confesses to this eavesdropping, but something in you protests that this cannot be so. He is raksha, his emotions only fictions, only facades. "Let's make a deal. I'll agree to whatever you want. And then, when you're done, I get to hunt one of you. Deal?"

Yomiko and Ivory Eyes

Yomiko's fingers fall upon the glistering gold of the lantern. That's all it takes. There is a quaking, a rumbling, a roar of catastrophic flame, and the lamp spits forth a towering inferno of blinding white, streaked through with supernova crimsons and nebular greens. The radiance hangs over you like an aurora, scintillating through a thousand shades of indigo, through every adumbration of black, through the countless subtle variations of violet, through the unnameable colors of the feel of wind, the taste of honey, sound of the stars turning through the sky.

The aurora shapes itself, folding hue and tint into form, coalescing into a whirling congeries of prismatic spheres. A clot of darkness chokes the space between the spheres, utter black marred by the glint of distant stars–stars that open into eyes, a thousand staring eyes, utterly inhuman. You feel the caress of some greater cosmic awareness, and see dim gray tentacles that writhe against your own flesh, seeming to slip out of the space between spaces.

"Aaaaah! Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck!" The voice booms from within the congeries of alien essence, warm and jovial. If you were to imagine the voice that a being utterly beyond mortal comprehension would speak with, the speech of a formless alien thing only pretending at humanity, it would be the exact opposite of this. "Whoa, does it feel good to be out of there! Nice to be back, ladies and gentlemen. Hi, where're you from? What're your names?"

[Ellas Aramond]

Watcher

The gleam that appears in Watcher's eyes is bright enough that even Zephyr can see it from the other side of the nightbringer's mirror mask. It becomes all too apparent that he plans to do something uncharacteristically self-less and crazy. "This will only happen if you do exactly what we decide on, no ifs, ands or buts." Watcher says, "And if you do everything in your power to aid us, then yes, we have a deal. I am known as the Watcher From Behind the Mirror, and I shall be the one that you attempt to hunt."

As he speaks, he knows that he shouldn't be trusting a single word out of the hunter's mouth. That it would be so much easier just to kill him. But he reminds himself that these Raksha seemed to follow the rules of their games. No, Jubal would not betray them if he too played by the rules. Each member of his circle had a different talents. Ivory could be as swift as a coursing river. Zephyr could channel all the force of a great typhoon. Inside Yomiko was the strength of a raging fire. But only he could call upon the mystery of the dark side of the moon. Only he could use it to stay out of Jubal's sight. This is why Watcher would win.

[The Demented One]

Watcher and Zephyr

"Oh no, I'm not going to make my mind up now." protests Jubal, rife with mischief. "I'll do whatever you say, swear it on my heart. But I want my time to pick out my prey, and I can't hardly know which of you would be best. You're pretty and all, but I can hardly know if you'll be worth it. Can you even survive the Wyld on your own, without that little play-reality? It'd be a little boring if you can't. Imagine finally catching up to your prey, and finding that he's got no eyes anymore and his legs turned into chocolate. No, no, I'll make my pick once we've gone on your little misadventure. No sooner."

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

Zephyr gave the Hunter a wary, sidelong look. He had let Watcher handle the negotations, but he shared his circle-mate's misgivings. "Oh, yes? And do you plan on telling us when the hunt begins? Or are you simply going to start? I don't relish the thought of an unexpected spear in my back. There are enough aimed there already."

[The Demented One]

Watcher and Zepyr

Jubal sticks out his lower lip in an overblown pout, his eyes wide in a mask of sadness. "If I'm going to hunt you down, you'll know it, and you'll have a blade in your hand. It's no fun otherwise. I could just leap forward from the darkness and ram a spear through your belly, but where's the fun in that? Where's the danger. No, I'll fight fair. Trust me." Every instinct, everything you've learned of the Wyld, suggests that you should not trust him. Especially about the oath. "Especially about the oath! Honeyed Words Speaker told you already, I can't break my sworn word. Why can't we just strike a level deal, without all this suspicion and loophole-chasing?" No. Don't do that. Do the opposite of that.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Words have escaped her. Words have simply tied sheets together into a rope and have left out their bedroom window to escape servitude, to escape the dread task of being spoken at a time like this. Her mouth hung open slightly, beautiful teeth visible behind beautiful lips. She simply looks back at Ivory and Astra in silence, then back at the emanation before her. "Hello!" Oh, there they went. "I am Yomiko, it is a pleasure to meet you." She curtsies politely, now with a smile.

[WhiteKnight777]

Zephyr

Zephyr grinned at the wyld-thing. His raiment was shifting now, a long, frayed cloak of silver and a simple kilt. He was barefoot, and he stood, looking around the great plain with a gleam in his eye. "Why? Because you're a creature of primal chaos. Sworn oath and bound word mean little enough. You are change incarnate. And, O mighty hunter, the biggest reason I do not trust you..." He leaned in, baring his teeth in a fierce grin. "Is because I know you. I am a son of mighty Luna, the Argent Madonna - I know change, and I know flux. I know why they are not to be trusted, because they are part of my nature, just as they are the whole of yours."

[Ellas Aramond]

Watcher

"If he is so untrustworthy, then it would seem easier on us to just kill him." Watcher says, throwing back his cloak slightly to reveal his hand gripping one of the chakrams. The slightly crazy tone in his voice telling Zephyr to roll with it. "He is just a hunter, after all. Meaning he has not the might of the charisma of the last two we faced. Besides, I am sure whoever Ivory and Yomiko are with to be much more useful to our cause."

Spoiler

Show

Spending 4 motes on First Presence Excellency to intimidate Jubal.

Manipulation+presence (12d10)[8][6][5][10][1][5][4][6][7][9][10][6](77)

[The Demented One]

Watcher and Zephyr

"Oh, we can dance together, if you please." sings Jubal, his mouth smiling too-wide to reveal row upon row of teeth like flinty knives. "Say the word, and the hunt begins. But I'd be smote and slain by the Whisper in the Leaves if I didn't offer you a chance to strike pacts with me, and my oaths are wrought of iron. I am change, I am chaos, but what words I swear fetter me, just as your silver cage constrains you, moonchild. So, what shall it be? The oath or the spear?"

Ivory Eyes and Yomiko

"YOMIKO! Great name! Give her a round of applause, folks!" The sound of distant clapping comes from afar, like ten thousand thousand hands brought together in sporadic syncopation. A brilliant neon violet traces Yomiko's name within the dark, beaming with brilliant violet. "And who have we here?" wonders the raksha, as two if its tentacles slither down towards Ivory Eyes and Astra. The slithering tendrils coil around them, and check a pair of nametags that certainly weren't there before. "Ivory Eyes and Astra Seven-Feathers! Welcome, folks. Nice to have you on the show. So, what'll it be? Wealth beyond measure? Infinite wisdom? Phenomenal cosmic power?"

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Yomiko looks nothing but stunned now. This was... well, this was as to be expected considering everything leading up to this point. The Invincible Maiden is far from without poise and composure. Her gaping mouth turns back into a smile, though her eyes betray no inquisitiveness. "What do you mean? Surely you cannot simply give us such things as infinite wisdom or phenomenal cosmic power. No more than we already have, at least. We are also chosen of Sun and Moon! Is there anything you can grant us that we cannot gain ourselves?"

[The Demented One]

Ivory Eyes and Yomiko

"Master, I don't think you quite realize what you're getting into!" blurts the Shaper of the Ever-Changing, a sudden music swelling up from within his infinite revolving spheres. Dread comes over you, a visceral trepidation. Your every sense screams warning, and well-honed muscles tense in expectation of what is yet to come. You have stood against the princes of hell and fought with the lords of chaos, and yet you still fear what this raksha forebodes. Not another musical number.

"Well, Ma-Ha-Suchi had his red roses,
Berengiere has her shining veils,
But masters, you're in luck, 'cause up your sleeves,
You've got a brand of magic never fails!

You've got a power in your corner now,
The grandest of daiklaves in your hand!
You've got some punch, pizazz, yahoo, and how!
See, all you gotta do is rub that lamp,
And I'll say:

'Exalted mistresses,
What will your pleasures be?
Let me take your order, scribe it down.'
You ain't never had a friend like me!

Life is your battlefield,
And I'm your grand army!
Just order what it is you want,
You ain't never had a friend like me!"

The darkness around you crystallizes into shape, a massive flying island suspended above a whirling oceanic maelstrom. Legion upon legion of abominations march against you, brass-girded demons and zombie juggernauts and crude caricatures of a certain elderly Sidereal. But behind you stands an infinite rank of soldiers, each one a figment of the Unshaped diminished down to a spark of shape. The Shaper of the Ever-Changing surges forwards, trammeling your fantastic foes underfoot. It's very impressive! You should clap!

"Yes ma'ams, we pride ourselves on service,
You're the boss, the queen, most high!
Say what you wish, it's yours! True dish!
Shall I obliterate Lookshy?

Try conquering the Blessed Isle,
Or raising up Luthe!
I'm in the mood to help you rule,
You ain't never had a friend like me!"

The entire city of Lookshy appears before you, at once in miniature and in its true scale. It nestles within one of the Shaper's loathsome, osseous tentacles–and with a playful squeeze, he shatters it. Its cracked and broken pieces fall into the darkness, swirling and conglomerating together into a bonsai Blessed Isle, subjugated beneath your feet. One rubbery black tentacle dips into it, dissolving the fantasy like a stone disturbing a pool, and pulls out a wondrous city of glowing lights and great glass domes. Go on, clap!

"Can your friends do this?
Can your friends do that?
Can your friends pull this
Out of their little hat?"

A top hat poofs into being atop the foremost sphere, dapper beyond imagining. One tentacle lifts it up, and another reaches into its silk-lined depths. Ta-da! It's the Catastrophic Explosion Squid of Gem! The Catastrophic Explosion Squid looks confused, and then explodes.

"Can your friends go poof!
Well, looky here!
Can your friends work sorcery's wonders,
Let 'er rip, then make this sucker disappear?"

The Catastrophic Explosion Squid's ruptured remnants poof into a swirl of fire, sucked into the shimmering surface of one glistering alien orb. It spits back a gout of phantasmal flame, spinning fire and light into gossamer shapes of beautiful, over-muscled men. They strut and pose before you, beauteous to behold–but then, with the wave of a tentacle, they are gone. It's a very neat trick!

"So don't sit there slack-jawed, buggy-eyed,
I'm here to answer all your exalted prayers!
You've got me bona fide, certified,
You've got an unshaped bound to your affairs!
I've sworn a powerful oath to help you out,
So what you wish, I really want to know.
You've got a wish that's Essence 5, no doubt!
So all you've got to do is rub like so, and oh!

Exalted Mistresses, have a wish or two or three
I'm in your service, Princes of Earth,
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend,
You ain't
NEVER!
HAD A!
FRIEND!
LIKE!
ME!

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The illusions are indeed wondrous, and she can't help but smile as the figments swirl around her in a prismatic display of shapes and movements. Impressed surely, but convinced is indeed something she is not. "Your wonders and sorcery are little more than shapes forged from the Wyld. Were we to take anything you could give us to Creation they would simply fade or falter, yes? And even if they did not, would they truly be real...?" She looks thoughtful, losing focus on the current situation. "If you... brought someone back, say from the dead... they wouldn't be real."

[The Demented One]

Ivory Eyes and Yomiko

"Oh no, mistress. All wishes granted are actual, factual, and satisfactual. I can make it as real as you want–heck, I could make it more real than you are! You want the resurrection of the dead, you'll get it, and I don't mean any zombies."

The Shaper of the Ever-Changing conjures up a figment-troupe of the dapper undead, dressed to the nines in double-breasted suits and gentleman's attire. They shamble towards you, canes clattering on the ground, as the haggard moan of "Braaaains!" are heard. But soon, a voice of dissent enters the monotonous chorus. "Braaains? Martiniiiis." In no time at all, all the zombies have agreed on cocktails, and a bartender is soon conjured up to mix their orders. The zombie socialites vanish with a whish, their monocles clinking as they fall upon the ground.

"So, Mistress Yomiko, who should I bring back for your first wish? A parent? A child? A lover? The Scarlet Empress?"

[GryffonDurime]

"Real to you, perhaps," Ivory says, recovering from the shock of the Wyld outburst. She had expected something...less obsequious, to be certain. But the Wyld wanted to thrive through any story, and service was certainly one that it could manage. "But not to us. Do not forget where we are, Yomiko," she offers sternly, then winces. A small stab of pain in the stomach. Ivory's eyes widen in understanding but she regains her composure in a moment's space and speaks to the Shaper in her gravest tone.

"If you wish to serve us, then help us to draw your Unshaped master nearer Creation. Help us discover what has been done to the Infernal shards. And do so now."

[The Demented One]

Ivory Eyes and Yomiko

"Well now that's just a bit unimpressive, but sure. Wish granted! That's one out of three, for those of you keeping track at home." A chalkboard swirls into being within one of the Shaper's spheres, each of your names written out and underlined in pure white chalk. An invisible hand traces a single tally mark under Ivory Eyes' name, marking off her wish. "Now, anything else, Sorceress? Perhaps I could conjure up the Book of Three Circles, or bring back Salina for a chat. Or maybe you'd just like some help with that thesis paper of yours, no?"

[GryffonDurime]

"Fine," Ivory Eyes says obstinately, "I will indulge you. I wish for the Book of Three Circles! Let me show you the ways in which your grasp of reality is lacking. It shall be instructive. And I am not working on a thesis," she adds, rather confusedly.

[The Demented One]

Ivory Eyes and Yomiko

"Now that's more like it! Ladies and gentlemen, characters and players, give a warm round of applause to the BOOK! OF! THREE! CIRCLEEEEEES!" A golden aurora fills Ivory Eyes' hands, a great arcane fire that burns with soul-scorching wrath, yet withers not the least measure of her flesh. With a flash of indigo brilliance, it folds itself into three tomes within her hands, a triad of books that proclaims themselves by the rings set into each of their hidebound covers–one of emerald, one of sapphire, and one of adamant. With a quick page-through, Ivory Eyes sees they are filled with sorcerous notations in the Devonian cipher, the strange calculus of essence. She cannot see the least hint of fakery or forgery, and the books does not fade into gossamer even within the bounds of her Chaos-Repelling Pattern. "Impressive, I know. You can thank me later."

"That's...that's very impressive!" blurts Astra, overcome by the Unshaped's showmanship. Showrakshaship? Nevermind. "I'd like to make a wish now!" She tiptoes up to one of the floating spheres, her cheeks flush with brash embarrassment. "I'd like...um, well..." You cannot make out the rest, as the Lunar whispers her wish with hushed shame. But the Unshaped's response is anything but hushed! "Oh, why yes ma'am! I'll grant your adorable little wish, you cute little thing. D'awww, who's the cutest little Lunar? Who's the cutest little Lunar? You're the cutest little Lunar!" The Changing Moon's face is an absolute blank.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

This is unbelievable. This can't be real, can it? Things not simply brought about through fantasy, stories made as real as stories can. This was real, this must have been. She looks at Astra with a loving smile and then at this strange raksha entity. "I feel strange asking this. Everything within me forged at the heart of Creation screams at me that this is impossible. I've seen wondrous things here... impossible things. I don't know what I will do if this isn't real." she paused, then as tears began to well in her eyes again and her lower lip shook, "I wish you to bring Her back."

[The Demented One]

Ivory Eyes and Yomiko

"You want it? You got it." There is no fanfare here, no spectacle. Out from the infinite darkness within the Shaper steps a woman, still girlish and slight. She could be a younger Yomiko, or perhaps a grown-up Konoko. She blinks with wide-eyed astonishment–and then throws herself at the Invincible Maiden. The Lady Konoko, the namesake of Yomiko's daughter, wraps her arms around her sister, pulling her into a tight embrace."Yomi! You came back for me!" She falls on Yomiko's shoulder, utterly collapsing against her body with exhaustion and relief. Tears cascade down from bright eyes, swirling in the eddies of the chaos. "I don't know what happened. I was out by the spirit-pond, and then I saw Ichi...he had a knife. And then everything went dark. But now you're here!"

"I just love a family reunion." smirks the Shaper, quite pleased with himself.

[GryffonDurime]

For all her examination and awareness, the Sorceress Supreme can find no fault in the treasure given to her, no trace of Wyld chicanery. Ivory Eyes balks at the seeming resurrection of Yomiko's sister, then turns her attention back to the Book in her hands. She throws it down and grabs her temples. He anima erupts around her, a blazing raptor of gold and red and blue. It can't be real, because it can't be this easy.

"This is not a wish: tell me what you get from granting our desires, what you may exact from us in return. This is not real, it can not be because reality is firm. It is the silt of Meru, the deep roots of Lotus. Reality is defined by the proximity of Earth, by the warp and woof of the Loom," Ivory says, and then repeats it again and again, a mantra for stability practiced by elder sorcerers of the First Age and popularized by Devon as a meditation on permanence. The tiny clockwork gears of her Hand of the Maker begin to turn, then whir, grinding out white sparks threateningly.

Spoiler

Show

Just a reminder for myself.

Essence ●●●●●
Personal 22/22
Peripheral 22/35
Glory 10/10
Committed: 10 (Vajra), 8 (CRP)

Willpower: 7/7

Dodge DV: 5

Health:
[ ] -0
[ ][ ][ ][ ] -1
[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] -2
[ ] -4
[ ] Incapacitated

Magic in effect:
Chaos Repelling Prana
Anima 11+

[The Demented One]

Ivory Eyes and Yomiko

"Well, if you really must know," concedes the Shaper of the Ever-Changing, utterly failing to mask his enthusiasm, "Long ago, I swore several regrettable oaths to Nhogg, my ugly pig of a cousin. He and I had this little argument going on for a few hundred years, and one day I may have sort of lost, just a little bit. Nhogg thought it'd be fun to have me stuff myself inside this lantern, only let me out when a Child of Earth–that'd be you–touches it. Phenomenal cosmic power, itty bitty living space. So whenever one of you calls me up, I've gotta grant three wishes–one, two, three. And until someone wishes me free, I'm cooped up in here forever. Sad story, isn't it? Sure would be lovely if someone freed me. Oh well, shame. What more do you want?"

[GryffonDurime]

Ivory stands, suddenly possessed by the spirit of an idea. She withdraws a few steps from the book and raises her hands in a curt mudra. She gestures swiftly towards Creation and then towards the book. Her eyes flash emerald as she pulls a spell from the depths of the White Room, and when her anima erupts the faint shadows of a thousand sorcerers join, reflected in the light of her totem.

Spoiler

Show

Ivory's tossing down Emerald Circle Countermagic on the book for 20m, 2w.

[The Demented One]

Ivory Eyes and Watcher

Plin! That's the sound of Ivory's new spellbook not dissolving as she casts her countermagic upon it. It remains shaped and solid, in exactly the same way that a spell wouldn't. She feels a bit silly. "Woah, woah, woah! I thought you wished for the Book of Three Circles! Why are you trying to mess it up? That's very rude!" complains the Shaper of the Ever-Changing.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

She just stares at her. She can't even blink, she doesn't even notice the tears flowing from her and down into the blackness below her. This was impossible, this was a blasphemy against everything Creation dictates. Deep down this was a problem, but that pinpoint of doubt was quelled easily when looking into the girl's hazel eyes. She then embraced her back with all the force she could muster without hurting her. "Konoko!"

She's overwhelmed, she can barely think coherently. So many memories, so many feelings. There's only a bit of time between when her thoughts are not but a chaotic torrent, then they settle on a single thought. She's alive, the sins of the past undone. The wicked still walk, but their deeds are lost. How could this have happened? Those passed on through Lethe are gone, not but their souls survive to become someone anew. She looks back up at the apparently infinitely powerful raksha. "I wish for Astra, Ivory and I to understand how this works, exactly. Spare no detail."

[Ellas Aramond]

Watcher

Watcher lets out a laugh as he hears the hunter's words. And not his usual dark chuckle, but a deep laugh, completely unbecoming of his gravelly whisper. Were it not only Exalted and Raksha around, then anyone listening would surely have their hairs standing on end from the sheer strangeness of it.

"Of course, I understand now." He says finally. "You are a mighty hunter, that none of us can doubt. But I do not think that it is your desire for a challenge that stops you from taking me up on my deal. It is more likely that you see hunting me as too big a task for even your abilities. If you are so eager to dance, then why not do it on terms that we both can be happy with?

Spoiler

Show

Spending 4 motes on First Presence Excellency to intimidate Jubal...not that I'm sure this will help at all.

Manipulation+presence (12d10)[10][3][2][7][9][2][3][8][9][9][8][8](78)

[The Demented One]

Watcher and Zephyr

"Ah...but...I mean...bwahahaha!" Jubal struggles to maintain composure, and fails. He breaks down laughing, snickering at Watcher to his mask-clad face. "You think I'm scared of you? Oh, oh my. I tried to give it to you gently, but just look at yourself! Could you even survive the Wyld without those minions? The Lunar would be a challenge, and the sorceress, but you? You're just another mortal to me. Maybe you don't quite understand, but you're in the Wyld now." He touches the earth, and a vine sprouts up from the sand, coiling upwards until it is the height of a man, a woody green shaft whose thorns are all of obsidian. Jubal plucks it out by the roots, holding it like a spear. "And you think you can just kill something so ancient as me, something that stands within its innermost sanctum, with a few shiny toys? Does that seem right to you? Don't make me laugh, Solar. If you won't consent to my pact...then flee."

Ivory Eyes and Yomiko

"Well!" shouts the Shaper, as the darkness around you is suddenly transformed into a kitchen. All but one of the Unshaped's crystalline sphere's vanish, and the one that remains is adorned with a chef's hat and apron. "It's all very simple, you see!" he explains, with a hearty zest. "The Wyld's not just some shiny light show, girls! It's a great big cauldron of infinities, and the soup can be just about anything. Now, what I do is take a ladle–that'd be your wishes, for those of you keeping track at home–and dip it down into this soup to find whatever you want. You want dead sister soup? I poke around the Wyld until I find the part where it brings you dead sister back to life, and I dish it out! Bang!"