A Dream of Quiet (IC)

[Drascin]

Gah, light. Drake averts his rather sensitive eyes for a moment, which slows him. Squinting his eyes, he runs towards Onyx, to provide reinforcements and trying to see just what the hell is under there...

[Tavar]

Looping his twin swords around one of the beasts legs, Wing pulls, digging their blades into it's flesh, and attempting to drag it off course.

"Oh No you don't, Monster. Your business is with me!"

Spoiler

Show

First Attack: (11d10)[10][9][10][9][3][2][5][8][9][2][4](71)
Second Attack: (10d10)[3][9][1][5][5][5][1][4][5][6](44)

Damage is 7L +successes.

[Recaiden]

The blades cut into the monster's leg, and from the wound, white-hot flames flare out and spread, reducing the monster to ash in an instant.

Then flames flare up behind Crucible, and when they vanish the beast is there; you'd swear grinning at Wing.
"It is with him alone, uf-ya. Stand aside." It speaks in Flametongue, with no trace of accent or distortion.

Spoiler

Show

Counterattack-speed dodge.

Raziel may go next, depending on JB rolls.

[Drascin]

"Sorry, we just kind of called a truce with that guy for a while. It's pretty bad form to let the people you've just called truce with get disemboweled by a Lunar, see" Drake points out, standing a couple steps behind the thing and across Onyx so as to surround it, and taking a fighting stance. "Well, if you are a Lunar still, instead of an infernal thing. That's some weird essence you have there, broski" the Sidereal grins ever so slightly. Distract him, goad him, give the others time to run.

[Leliel]

While he had begun to set off after the prisoners, Raziel was certainly close enough to hear the tearing iron sphere and turn back, entering just as the big shiny thing released its foreign threat.

"Oy.

Oyyyy."

Raziel, grumbling in Old Realm, proceeded to turn to TITS (Or would that be TTWITS, now?)

"You. Yes, you.

"You obviously don't know a thing about early game sequential boss etiquette. You're supposed to collapse the cave entrance so that the flow of the story isn't interrupted, give the party a chance to use our healing abilities and save the game, and then save your intro scene for when we come to save our new buddy from you.

"If you don't turn out to be slightly easier then Crucible and Jana, I'm going to have a word with your superiors."

Then, the Tendrils wobbled a bit and lunged into a defensive position as Raziel blinked the light out of his eyes.

Spoiler

Show

Spending willpower to see him properly.

Join Combat: (4d10)[4][6][3][7](20)

[Recaiden]

"All well and good to honor your truce but- Infernal? What do you mean?" The thing rocks back on its hind legs, eyes closed as it turns its sight inward, an opportunity Crucible takes to scramble away and ready a defensive stance.

It shakes itself back to the cavern after only a second, turning to face the returned Infernal, and replying in Old Realm. Slowly and awkwardly, a clearly only partially-learned tongue. "Seeing. Clever. Hah! Well viewed, Sidereal. I will deal with that...later. Apologies for not knowing drama but I am here with them, not with you. I am not less strong. He was less than I. You have weakened him further."


The video game rhetoric clearly goes over its head, but it does hesitate a moment before looking back to the Abyssal.

It continues, slipping into Flametongue, "Would you offer me something to replace my lost prey? I have no desire to fight this foolish blooded, and little to fight you others. Only the dark one."

Spoiler

Show

The monster uses some miscellaneous actions in confusion. Drake is up, then Raziel and Wing, in whichever order.

[Drascin]

"Oh hey, so you know what I am. That puts you in a pretty exclusive club, you know" Drake says, not missing a beat.

"Now, then, this should make this a bit easier. See, I need this man alive. He knows a whole lot that I need to know to keep this town alive and kicking. So I'm afraid just letting you get him is far off the table. But I would rather if we could solve this... civilizedly" he adds, circling around the Lunar so as to come face to face with him - and coming a bit closer to Crucible.

"Now, though. You mention offering you something in exchange for leaving him alone? That could be more agreeable, perhaps, depending. What would you want?" he finishes, staring straight at the man-creature, watching for any sign or twitch that says he intends to attack again.

[Recaiden]

"You appeal to me on the basis of civilization? Poor choice of words." The thing drops its knife, clattering on the stone floor.
"I presume none of you delicious little Exalts wish to die in his place, do you? Is the rate still three quests, one life saved, or one year of servitude, blooded?"
"But then, you are not all Lunars. I don't even know what you are, strange one; Raziel, if I did hear correctly? Perhaps something else is in order. Can any of you perform the Sun's style of wyld shaping? Or any sort other than mine? Can you offer any information, great secrets worth sparing him?" It counts off ideas on its human fingers, looking up distractedly.
"Or make an offer of your own. It just might be enough. Do hurry."

[Tavar]

"You know the nature of two of our group, would you care to reveal yours? The one you seek said you were some sort of Wyld Beast, some creation of the Fair Folk, but is that true?"

Wing is careful. He doesn't sheath his weapons, but he does try and hold them in a more defensive manner.

"More importantly, what kind of secrets do you want? Or what services you desire?"

[Drascin]

"Perhaps a bad choice of words. But it's the only word that came to mind to describe the option where nobody in this room ended up bleeding on the floor - which is my preferred option. I've had enough fighting for today, and we have a few thousand lives to save. I'm open to suggestions on the wordng, though"

"And no Wyld shaping here, but finding out about stuff is kind of my job. So, then, what kind of information would you want to know?"

[Recaiden]

"Almost. Your companion has it right; I am one of Luna's Chosen."

"I desire an expert in Shaping magic. Since you haven't any, do you know the path of the Endless Ladder? Have you any knowledge of the Caging? A copy of the Skull Diary? The forsaken name of the only deathlord from our number?"

"You might say 'peacefully', or 'calmly', or 'diplomatically', couldn't you? Do you suppose you could teach me a better way to evade fate? I need something that those with less refined essence can use. Or do you know much of anything about the Games of the Incarnae?"

[Tavar]

"What do you want the shaping for?"

Spoiler

Show

Does he have the normal tattoo's?

[Recaiden]

"You get it! I need things made such that they can't be shaped away. More importantly, I need damage unshaped that the Wyld has done. Even the tattoos don't protect one's mind, and as you can probably tell I don't bother with them. Unfortunately robbing me of their little protection. There were times, when I was younger, that I needed it."

[Drascin]

"There were times when I needed it". So we're talking with a Lunar who likely already has a foot tiptoeing into Chimera territory. Not a good thing. Why can't we ever meet friendly people who just want to help? Drake sighs inwardly, carefully keeping his poker face outwardly. The Sidereal tosses a questioning look at Onyx - he isn't sure what the standard way to deal with Chimera in the Silver Pact is, but somehow he has doubts that it involves gumdrops and acceptance.

"...I see. You're not actually talking about the Games of Divinity at all there, are you? Anyway, yes, I can perhaps give you some hints on some of those stuff. Though I admit I have never heard of "the Caging", at least by that name. What are you referring to, if I may ask? The imprisoning of the Solar essences, maybe, or someting else?" he says, softly, looking at the mutant Lunar and carefully modulating his voice.

"In any case... yes, perhaps there is a trade to be made here. I could perhaps get you a fair amount of fragments of the Skull Diary. Or if you want something a tad more obscure, I have a fairly good guess about who the Deathlord you're referring to is, and even exactly what the name you're looking for is" he adds, smirking slightly. "I have been studying the Deathlords and their masters lately, and putting some things together". Yes, he's deliberately making this the most apparently enticing option. Mostly because the name getting out would hurt nobody but the Dowager - and let's be honest here, screw the Dowager .

"I'm kind of surprised on the Ladder, though. Any particular reason you want to ascend to the Silver Chair? I can't think why one would want to go get his face eaten by Luna" he adds, raising an eyebrow.

[Recaiden]

"It means the fixing of the Lunar castes in the high First Age. It has been carefully hidden away, but if any would know more of it it would be Elders who will not speak or Sidereal. I am not concerned with the Solar shards. We already know of the Sidereal hand in the Usurpation."

Its skin loses its shine, becoming only fur and not plated metal, and its eyes cease their green glow. It surely knows that the Pact's general response to Chimera is 'kill on sight', but it seems enough at ease from Drake's willingness to negotiate.

"Yes, I think we can come to some arrangement. 'A fair amount' is what I already have, and while you might well have enough to make up the difference, you may not. The traitor's Name, though, that surprises me. I would spare him for all that you know of her."

"As for the chair, why would I be killed? I am one of her Chosen, and much of the Chair, I gather, runs Wyld and alone. I am sure she would know of my presence, but I am no Raksha to be eaten out of hand."

[Drascin]

"It means the fixing of the Lunar castes in the high First Age. It has been carefully hidden away, but if any would know more of it it would be Elders who will not speak or Sidereal. I am not concerned with the Solar shards. We already know of the Sidereal hand in the Usurpation."

Drake shrugs. "Good for you. You probably know more than we do, then. Other than the fact we dunnit, since the breaking of the Mask not even Sidereals are entirely sure of what was done" he grins ever so slightly. "And yeah, no idea on the Lunar castes. I know some of the guys say castefixing tattoos have been attributed to Raksi and that's about it. Zero idea of how she did it or who was with her or anything around it or even if it's true"

"Yes, I think we can come to some arrangement. 'A fair amount' is what I already have, and while you might well have enough to make up the difference, you may not. The traitor's Name, though, that surprises me. I would spare him for all that you know of her."

"I endeavour to surprise. I'm a Sidereal, it's the main advantage I get" Drake smirks - he would tip his hat if he was wearing it. "Honest question, though - what do you intend to use it for?"

"As for the chair, why would I be killed? I am one of her Chosen, and much of the Chair, I gather, runs Wyld and alone. I am sure she would know of my presence, but I am no Raksha to be eaten out of hand."

"...what little I know of the Silver Lady tells me "why" is the wrong question to ask, here" Drake says, with a grimace. "Lots of Lunars on record going into Luna's gardens in Yu-Shan. Some are noted to come out. Others... not so much. Luna is mysterious as hell - and I work for the freaking Maidens. So yeah, personally, I'd need to have a pretty good reason before going up there" he shrugs.

[Tavar]

Finally having a topic that he can speak with some knowledge of, Wing chimes in regarding the Lunar tattoos and castes. He pulls a sleeve down, showing the his tattoos.

"The tattoo's were designed by the Raksi during the exile in the Wyld. They help prevent the damage the exile in the Wyld caused from worsening, and prevent one from turning into a Chimera. Part of this the process locks one into a single caste, and another blocks all external shaping. There are rumors that the castes shifted in the first age, but they are only that, rumors. Largely prevalent among those who chose not to receive the tattoos."

[Recaiden]

"What cause would you who have received the tattoos have to investigate or doubt? But that is getting paranoid. The point is that we believe that once, at the dawn of Exaltation, Lunar castes all changed as the casteless do now. It was only in the First Age that having only one Caste became normal. Even then, one's caste would change initially and only steady over time. It is not right, how the tattoos enforce stability."

It lifts itself up, and its body reconfigures to a humanoid form, the head and torso reshaping, and fingers blossoming from the top pair of arms as the claws and pads recede.

"With the name, I hope to destroy her, as is a Lunar's responsibility. I know that the Deathlords do not die properly, but with her name, I might give enough doubt that her master will destroy her. But in case not, there are powerful bindings the dead can be held to if you know their name."
"Do we have a deal?"

It shrugs.

"I trust in Luna, as much as any. I think there would be much to learn there. Don't you?"

[Drascin]

"Well, it seems fair enough. To me at least" Drake nods, before turning back to the other two with a questioning look. "So, what do you guys think?"

[Leliel]

Of course, Raziel did not understand a word, but he heard "Luna" clearly enough...and "Dowager".

The Dowager...dammit, what does she have to do with anything?

I really don't want another Great Contagion on my hands...

"That depends. What is the deal?

No speaky Flametongue, remember?"

[Drascin]

"Oh, right" Drake sighs. He looks at the Lunar for a second. "Excuse me a second, my associate doesn't speak Flametongue and didn't catch a word of what we just negotiated. Give me a moment to translate"

He considers Old Realm, but decides to try English, to check. So he talks nonchalantly while looking very carefully at both the half-chimera and Crucible for any reaction. Might as well check. "<Basically, this guy wanted something in exchange for letting Crucible go without a fight. He wants to screw with the Dowager, he says, so I offered him to give him her old true name. Yes, I know it - I'll explain later. I was just checking if any of you saw any potential pitfalls with that idea>" He doesn't explain his full reasoning yet, though. Not until they're safe and away, just in case.

[Tavar]

Wing continues the discussion in English, so the group understand.

"<I have no objections to the idea.>"

Turning back to the Lunar, Wing returns to Flamespeach.

"I have no problem with my friend helping you. And if you need help with something the Silver Pact could help with, you can certainly contact them through me."

[Leliel]

"Oh, right" Drake sighs. He looks at the Lunar for a second. "Excuse me a second, my associate doesn't speak Flametongue and didn't catch a word of what we just negotiated. Give me a moment to translate"

He considers Old Realm, but decides to try English, to check. So he talks nonchalantly while looking very carefully at both the half-chimera and Crucible for any reaction. Might as well check. "<Basically, this guy wanted something in exchange for letting Crucible go without a fight. He wants to screw with the Dowager, he says, so I offered him to give him her old true name. Yes, I know it - I'll explain later. I was just checking if any of you saw any potential pitfalls with that idea>" He doesn't explain his full reasoning yet, though. Not until they're safe and away, just in case.

"<Actually, I can't say I'm that surprised. I don't have s very high opinion of Yu-Shan, but I respect Sidereals' detective skills.>

<Given you live in a city that is basically Film Noir: The Shiny Edition, I guess you have to be. I'll take up the offer.>"

[Recaiden]

The Lunar waits for a while for Drake to explain to Leliel in ...what language is that? and then replies to Wing in Flametongue.

"Thank you, Blooded. Not many of you would say those things. If the Changing Moons can ever help you, you may ask."

It glares at Crucible. "I think, Abyssal, you are free to go." Turning away, a step towards Drake, to wait for the information.

[Recaiden]

"And should you ever wish to be free, as Luna's Champions should be..." It goes to listen close to Drake, most importantly, for that name, and if so told, turns and leaves the cavern, scrambling through the entrance and down the tunnel at quite a speed.

"I am in your debt, all of you. There is something further about the Legion, that it reminded me of. I know little of, but Walking on Laughter mentioned, in the preparation for coming here, a portal in the city, and I wonder now if it could exist and be a, or the, reason for the Legion's coming."

Spoiler

Show

Apologies for forcing things, but I think it needed some moving along.

Drake may remember a small note about a lost gate in those papers he got from Nazri so long ago.

---

1

Far to the north, a Dragonblooded may well be returning from the Blessed Isle, after a truly unsettling trip, though he did learn a great deal. Since reaching the shore of the Inland Sea, everything felt subtly off. The desert is likely a bit of a relief.

[Drascin]

"And should you ever wish to be free, as Luna's Champions should be..." It goes to listen close to Drake, most importantly, for that name, and if so told, turns and leaves the cavern, scrambling through the entrance and down the tunnel at quite a speed.

Drake will indeed tell him the name, and also a few other useful tibdits he might have guessed about the Dowager. It's in his best interests to give the Lunar a decent shot.

"I am in your debt, all of you. There is something further about the Legion, that it reminded me of. I know little of, but Walking on Laughter mentioned, in the preparation for coming here, a portal in the city, and I wonder now if it could exist and be a, or the, reason for the Legion's coming."

Drake looks at Crucible ith a neutral expression. "A portal? That really sounds like something we should investigate. Whatever that portal is, I give you twenty to one odds that it's in our best interests to stop the Lion from getting it" He has a suspicion, but he'd rather not speak up until he has more...

He then smirks a bit, relaxing a little. They're actually all alive, nobody ended up badly, and this time he can actually breathe, if somewhat raggedly. "And don't worry, we're going to be taking advantage of that debt real quick. Anything you can tell us would be welcome, really. Not a lot of agents that can get the kind of knowledge a deathknight has access to. But first, let's head back home. I could do with a glass of water about now"

[Recaiden]

"Yes. Whatever it might be, the General was keeping it secret even from some of his own Deathknights; so it must matter, mustn't it?"

The Abyssal produces a small flask of water, and tosses it toward Drake.
"Take mine then."
Jana is waiting in the tunnel outside the cavern.

"The Lion would be perfectly happy if he could turn the Legion to conquering Stygia and the other Underworld Kingdoms once and for all. But his master has other goals. To that end the Lion had drawn up a long-term campaign to assault the world above, spearheaded by the juggernaut airship Final Mælstrom, and the Twice-Fallen was content with these preparations. But several months ago, something changed. He is more awake than ever, and angry. Even the most direct of Deathlords, which he is, has schemes in layers and layers. But he will be growing increasingly desperate after losing two, now three deathknights, and failing here. The Neverborn are the only thing he fears."

"Let's get out of here."

[Drascin]

"Yes. Whatever it might be, the General was keeping it secret even from some of his own Deathknights; so it must matter, mustn't it?"

"Or it's a hoax. Faffles does not look like an idiot, and he must have known that agents only loyal due to coercion are rarely the most loyal. It might well have been a false trail planted so any rogues spent their time chasing ghosts - okay, bad simile, but you know what I mean. But he seems way too direct for that kind of thing... and if you say he's so desperate, it's probably genuine. Yeah, let's regroup and start investigating that"

The Abyssal produces a small flask of water, and tosses it toward Drake.
"Take mine then."
Jana is waiting in the tunnel outside the cavern.

At that, Drake positively smiles as he catches it. "Oh, god, thanks. I'm parched". Of course, he's going to keep Expected Pain turned on as he brings the flask to his lips, in case it's poisoned or is some strange sort of alchemical serum of truth or something. He doesn't truly expect it, of course, but paranoia is a hard habit to break.

After a long gulp, he pulls it down and grins. "Whew. You're a lifesaver, man. I really was not made for this climate. I would be more at home in Whitewall or something" he mentions, conversationally, passing the flask back.

"The Lion would be perfectly happy if he could turn the Legion to conquering Stygia and the other Underworld Kingdoms once and for all. But his master has other goals. To that end the Lion had drawn up a long-term campaign to assault the world above, spearheaded by the juggernaut airship Final Mælstrom, and the Twice-Fallen was content with these preparations. But several months ago, something changed. He is more awake than ever, and angry. Even the most direct of Deathlords, which he is, has schemes in layers and layers. But he will be growing increasingly desperate after losing two, now three deathknights, and failing here. The Neverborn are the only thing he fears."

Drake frowns. "I see" Twice-Fallen, huh. That would make He Who Holds in Thrall the ancient Mardukth which some theories from First Age scholars speak of. Holy **** and a half. "I would also be pretty desperate if I had zombie Mardukth breathing straight down my neck. Of course, sympathy is limited, what with the objective being killing everyone and such". He is joking, but he looks very serious, as he is thinking. "But I want to know what changed. Something had to happen"

Please let it not be what just passed his mind. Please.

"Let's get out of here."

"Yeah. Our animas have calmed enough already, let's see if we can slip out without calling too much attention"

Spoiler

Show

And with that I think we can probably fast forward to back at the house to rejoin Pyrus and such.

Drake will want to find a lone moment ASAP to report to Nazri, too. Lots of things happening really fast.

[Tavar]

"Looks like we need another strategy meeting. Oh well, not like we were planning much else."

[Leliel]

"Hey, at least this way we'll actually have a short-term goal.

"<My inner Yozi cries out for adventure...and power. Heheheheh....>

<Seriously, my demonic instincts are telling me I should do something. Yozis get bored really easily, apparently.>