A Dream of Quiet (IC)

[Rhyvurg]

"Ask him if he's hungry, my new cook is here and I want to challenge him a bit."

[Leliel]

"[Around here, actually. Just the Silent Crescent. Don't know where that is, seem familiar?]"

"Would you like to eat anything? Compliments of Drake."

All right, blind taste test. Okay.

[Scarlet Dragon]

"Don't need to ask twice... I'm famished." Dancer's ear perk up at the sound of getting food and an eager glint comes into his eyes. "It will do my stomach good to get some cooking other than mine."

[Leliel]

"[He has answered in the affirmative.]"

And you are an idiot in the affirmative. Seriously, mention Devil-Tyrant Avatar Shintai to the Lunar next time, why don't we?

Point taken. Keep lid on frustration.

[Rhyvurg]

Pyrus calls for the cook and gestures him over to the westerner. "So, what did I miss while out gathering an army?"

[Tavar]

Reaching the courtyard without incident, Wing looks around the Empty courtyard for a second, before turning to Drake.

"This is either perfectly fine, or horribly bad. Which do you think?"

[Drascin]

"<You forget my line of work. "When in doubt, assume everything has gone horribly wrong until proven otherwise" is generally the default, because it's the most frequent case>" Drake smirks his usual ironic smirk.

"<Still, there doesn't seem to be any sign of fighting, and I figure if there had been a scuffle here, at least there'd be remaining splashes from Raziel's tentacles. So I figure they just went somewhere and left us to hang>"

[Leliel]

Pyrus calls for the cook and gestures him over to the westerner. "So, what did I miss while out gathering an army?"

"[Oh, us nearly being eaten by a psychotic Lunar after interrupting and turning one of the First and Forsaken Lion's deathknights when he was still planning to create a beachhead shadowland for the assault on Gem before we calmed it down. Nothing much.]"

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I think that's what happened. I'll edit the post if I'm wrong.

[Rhyvurg]

He laughs. "And here I was proud of coming back with a small army. Seems I've been missing out."

[Recaiden]

A lone cloud drifts between the sun and the courtyard.

Meanwhile, a knock comes at the door to the Cathak residence. A servant or character opening the door will find someone there, hooded and cloaked, small, not apparently armed

The cook asks of Dancer what he wishes to eat.

[Tavar]

"Probably back home, then. We should probably do the same, to share some of the information."

Wing follows his advice, unless Drake brings up a problem.

[Scarlet Dragon]

"I would like something spicy, the food I've been eating lately has been a tad bland. Other than that surprise me." Dancer says with an eager grin on his face and his tail swinging back and forth excitedly.

[Drascin]

"<Sounds like a good idea. Plus I left all my stuff there anyway. Let's go then>"

And indeed, absent any ambush or other matter of interest, Drake and Onyx will be knocking on the door shortly!

[Recaiden]

"I know just the thing then!" The cook hurries off to the kitchen, where he can occasionally be heard speaking through recipes: "Half a lion-pepper...steam four spans, or maybe five with this cut..."

The only thing of interest would be another person arriving to knock just as Drake and Onyx do. Without really looking, Onyx recognizes his Solar.
The butler draws open the door, and recognizing Onyx and his welcome here, ushers them all inside.

[Tavar]

Wing

The feeling was back. A draw on something deep within, on the level of his souls, all three of them.

"Masque! What brings you back?"

[Recaiden]

The feeling that this person, above others, is who he needs to protect, for whom he is to be a guiding light. A pull that they belong together, side by side.

"Onyx Wing. I am here because the Lion is coming here. He must be fully committed here and defeated before my plan goes on."
"And it is my fault that he comes. I think it might be a test of the Lion, but then, my master may just be confused. Few of the living truly know themselves, and it is harder for the dead." Her voice is happy, but more evidently smooth and serene, not fragmented with whispers as her speech was the first time.

[Drascin]

"<Yeah, we kind of figured that you had something to do with the sudden haste. We happen to be just back from stopping the Lion from winning right now. A little less dumb luck and right now this city would be desperately fighting for its existence already>" Drake definitely does not sound very amused. He looks straight at Masque with a frown, waiting for at least something in the vein of an explanation.

[Tavar]

Wing

"I wonder why every meeting between Exalts seems to come at such bad time? Though, it's good to see you again."
The fact that some of his happiness is due to her seeming better mentally is left unsaid. Something about what she says makes Wing hesitate, before continuing.
"What plan is this? And why exactly is he moving against Gem because of you?"

[Recaiden]

"Things are too broken for there to be good times in which to meet."

"The Neverborn know everything known by every ghost ever to enter the Underworld, and anything that their knights know at the moment we enter their tombs, and much that is known to the others who seek communion with them."

"But perhaps I'm ahead of myself. I petitioned for release from the Deathlords' service, that I could champion the Neverborn directly as Weeping Raiton does. I discovered that such a power is beyond them; it comes from the Void itself, and I was not hollow enough to embrace it. Raiton lies, and serves a darker power than the Fallen."

"So I resolved that I would free myself as far as I could be freed. When I abandoned the Lion as a failure to the Neverborn, he whispered all sorts of threats through my link to the Monstrance. It's funny, you know, our Master regards us each as loyal servants, or as failures, alternately. But he never acted on them. He won't, or he can't, hurt me. So I'm going to walk into the Thousand and take it from him. Not that simply of course. I have help, spying to do, necromantic shields to lay, perfect timing to arrange."

"Anyway, I believe the Neverborn saw something in my mind that told them of someone's impending death who they wish to Exalt as a Deathlord. So some of their servants have been set a test to prove their worthiness to continue existing. The Heron and the Lion have both failed the Neverborn catastrophically in the past, but were still too valuable to discard...when there was no one to replace them. Although after what happened in Greyfalls the other day, the Heron is probably doomed, the Lion still can't fail."

[Recaiden]

"I imagine that it was some thing that happened here, but looking back I cannot find it. None of you look to be leading to the deaths of any great ones. I can try to show you what I saw in his mind, if you think it could help. Failing that, time only helps the dead, as you lucky ones have seen. We should take further action against him, right away."

[Tavar]

Wing guides her and Drake inside, looking out for the others. Never just one fire....

"Do you know where to strike? We have some theories, but they aren't quite firm yet."

[Scarlet Dragon]

As Onyx Wing and the others with him come farther into Pyrus' abode they find Dancer eagerly sniffing the air, with a longer nose than he previously had, as well as his tail twitching eagerly as if in anticipation of something.

In the same room they would also see Pyrus and Raziel conversing though Dancer had long ago stopped paying them much attention as he couldn't understand most of what was being said by them anyways though his catlike ears still occasionally twitch in their direction.

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Tail as well as his ears are his Tells, I'm just assuming most of the supernatural beings can see them while in human form.

I also spent one mote to enhance Dancer's sense of smell, to better enjoy the scent of the meal being prepared :)

[Drascin]

Drake listens to all that with a serious face, not liking what he hears but not speaking for a moment.

Which is pretty meritorious, all in all, because on the inside he's basically going OH HELL NEW DEATHLORDS AND CONSCIOUS NEVERBORN DANGER WILL ROBINSON and running in circles with his hands up.

He would curse the fact he's fated to live in interesting times if it wasn't because Fate here is just the laws of cause and effect. Samsara'd to live in interesting times? That doesn't roll off the tongue nearly as well.

Anyway, he follows the others inside. After all, far as Masque is concerned he's just a nonexalted the circle keeps on hand/is friendly with, and he doesn't quite want to disabuse her of that notion just yet. Given how she seems to devotedly serve the Neverborn and he is rather against the Neverborn's whole "kill everything ever and then ourselves" plan...

[Leliel]

"Oh. Hey Drake. Hey Wing. And...Masque! What a pleasant surprise. I've been studying the Underworld while you were gone and was hoping to interview you about a few things."

While obviously invisible, Beheris is there as well, having come there after a member of the cult ferried a message (though Dancer did not actually know he was a cultist, given how he was also a town crier).

[Tavar]

"Might be in a bit more trouble than that. Seems the Deathlord isn't through making his attacks at the moment. Masque says she might have an idea of what we can do to delay or stop him, though."

[Recaiden]

"He's looking for a gate somewhere in the tunnels under Gem. We believe it's related to the Games, but if anyone knows, they've not told us."

"Silencing his necromancers will vastly slow him, but the Lion himself is the foremost master of Shizuan Necromancy, so that can't completely stop him."

"We could then find the thing first and wait to confront him there, or do something that will force him to look away, such as steal his Exaltation trove, kidnap the Heron, or burn his construction yards."

The Deathknight nods to them, smiling slightly at Raziel.
"Good to see you, Raziel, was it? I'll be glad to help; there's so little understood about the New World. But not now. Hello new one."

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That's not necessarily true. Many will have good enough MDV that they will, but it's by no means a sure thing.

[Tavar]

"Gates. It's all about gates. Are you talking about 'Gilmynes' Saigoth Gates', by any chance?"

[Recaiden]

"We've never heard of 'Gilmyne', but it could be. Saigoth sounds like I may have heard of it once. I do not recall."
Demons, particularly such well disguised ones, are not well known in the Underworld.

[Leliel]

"We've never heard of 'Gilmyne', but it could be. Saigoth sounds like I may have heard of it once. I do not recall."
Demons, particularly such well disguised ones, are not well known in the Underworld.

"Dancers at the Saigoth Gates. They're essentially living pillars of flame that disguise themselves as pretty humans. They're obsessed with dancing for the glory of the Saigoth Gates, one variety of which dissolves ghosts into Lethe, so they're known for being the assistants of exorcists. I'm a little unfamiliar with what the Gates are, but I think Saigoth was an island continent in the First Age, now part of the Wyld. Or at least, that's what one of them told me. And he was drunk."

Crap. Seemed like the Lion was really obsessed with Gem, wasn't he? He must have really needed that Shadowland.

[Drascin]

"So, most of us have heard of Saigoth, but none of us actually know much about it. I think this may merit a little research"

"Hmmm..." Drake sounds thoughtful. "Whatever it is, what we all seem to agree on is that this Saigoth was a place that left Creation so long ago. So that bit is probably true, at least. But then, what was left there that the Lion wants so much? If what miss Masque says is correct, and it has to do with the great Games of Divinity the Incarnae play... perhaps this "Saigoth" shares or houses some connection with Yu-Shan and the mighty Dome?"

"So that would be my suggestion" he says, respectfully (still acting the "trusted underlong" role after all). "Some of us scour the tunnels for these "Gates" in case they are truly here, some of us attempt to find more information on them, and the rest help with preparing defenses, imprinting the urgency of the matter on authorities, and generally staying on patrol - we almost lost Gem today, and only did not thanks to all but miracle. But I'm not sure if we can rely on miracles again. I would feel better if we found our own agents to keep on the lookout for anything suspcious - or pressed the Despot on keeping us more up to date on happenings. We were notified of these disappearances well over a month too late, and ten hours even later would have been disaster. Or better yet, both.".