The Return of the Scarlet Empress IC

[Incendius]

Penumbra doesn't stir at Child's questions. She expects to be barraged, and plans to answer as many of them honestly as she possibly can.

"To answer your first and last questions..." Penumbra kneels down to her pack, moving slowly so as to not be threatening, and pulls out a single blunt headed arrow. It was of the same make as the arrows that had knocked Besi unconscious. "I am an archer who has helped you already."

"As to your second question: I know where he has been for the past few weeks, as I have been tracking him. I also know that whatever sorcery he used to escape the barracks involved inserting a key in a door and simply walking through it, if you were wondering how he vanished."

Penumbra shrugs. "Beyond that, I know as much as you do. He had attracted my attention by interfering with my work multiple times, to what purpose I am not sure."

[Tavar]

Child cocks his head at the girls turn of phrase. She had business that was interfered with, and he was....

"Wait, what do you mean, interfering with your work? Were you trying to contact the people he killed?"

The fact that she was the apparently invisible archer is worrisome, but Child focuses less on her powers and more on her intentions.

[Aevylmar]

Skandi fades to second place in the gaggle, eyes flickering from Child to Penumbra.

"Thank you for your help, and for using blunt arrows," he says quietly.

"Good hunter, bad hunter."

[Incendius]

"I am in the business of freeing slaves, and he prevented me from doing so three times in succession. I believe it was a departure from his normal killings and was a ploy solely meant to gain my attention. Each murder came minutes before I had planned to act, which is too much of a coincidence for my sake. He stopped once I caught up to him and injured him with an arrow, and proceeded to flee here."

Penumbra tilts her head towards Skandi.

"You are welcome."

[Tavar]

"The one who died in the fort, that was your target?"

It's clear that Child's largely just looking for confirmation, and the sentence comes out somewhat clipped.

[Incendius]

"No, as I said, I followed him here. That is the only reason I am even in this area."

Penumbra provides the confirmation that Child seems to desire.

[Tavar]

Child very visibly relaxes a bit.

"They weren't someone called Lin Arba or Ever-Growing Furor, were they? If not, it likely is some diversion on the necromancer's part."

[Guancyto]

"We're young," Besi points out to Pell, "you're a sorcerous prodigy. So the politicians and the cowards. Comforting."

She thinks about it, clearly not liking what she's hearing but continuing to move on if Pell looks well enough to travel. "Who told you that?" she asks, although she doesn't sound accusing - or at least she doesn't try to, "that you can't fight Anathema with armies?"

[Incendius]

"They were not. I'm curious, how do you know his other victims? Have you been following him as well, or did you find a list or something?"

Penumbra's tone waxes sarcastic at her second proffered option. What kind of assassin would keep a list of their kills?

[Tavar]

"Oddly enough, he did. Those appear to have been the previous targets. We're hoping to head him off at the next target. Considering how little most of us know of each other, I have no objections to you joining this little venture."

[Incendius]

Penumbra eyes Child for a few moments and then looks at both Rose and Skandi. She knows that Child is more important than he looks, but the two Anathema are really the ones she needs to be concerned about.

"And what do the rest of you say?"

[Aevylmar]

Skandi gave her a friendly smile. "I have no objections to more company, but I'm curious how you managed to become invisible and defeat a Dynast in two shots. Are you god-blooded? And if not, who Chose you?"

[Illyceria]

Aya sighs to herself and nods to the strange woman, "The more the merrier. That necromancer guy certainly was not smart at all, he got all of us angry at him. Its quite unhealthy." she shakes her head with a sigh and gives a shrug.

[Incendius]

Penumbra takes no time before she responds; the best lies are told without hesitation. "I have powers because I am ghost-blooded. As to felling a Dynast, well, I imagine that surprise did most of the trick. It would have been a lot harder she had known where I was and was able to stop my attacks as she was doing with you."

[horngeek]

Rose nods at Penumbra's explanation. "That makes sense to me.

And I have no objections either. We could use all the help we can get."

[Incendius]

"Thank you. Shall we depart?" Penumbra kneels down to pick up her bag. This action would be unremarkable, except for the fact that Penumbra's shadow does not follow her movements. Instead, the shadow simply stands in place juggling a dagger. It completely ignores Penumbra's actions, preferring its own amusements.

Even more noticeably, the shadow is stretching in the wrong direction. The sun is rising in the East and so it should be directed towards the group. However, in opposition to sense and reason, it stretches further down the trail.

The shadow stops its juggling as Penumbra hefts her bag over her shoulder and leaves her kneel. Its pause ends in a flurry of motion at the very moment that Penumbra turns, putting her back to the group.

It throws the shadowy dagger with all of its might, sending the projectile racing towards the massed shadows of the gathered Exalts. The shadows tear in the path of the dagger, momentarily losing their cohesion as it rips them in twain. They reform nigh instantly, but it happened nonetheless.

Penumbra's shadow shrugs at its pointless effort and then flows into its proper place, distorting as it rushes under Penumbra's feet. It no longer moves of its own accord now that it is back where it should be.

[industrious]

"We're young," Besi points out to Pell, "you're a sorcerous prodigy. So the politicians and the cowards. Comforting."

She thinks about it, clearly not liking what she's hearing but continuing to move on if Pell looks well enough to travel. "Who told you that?" she asks, although she doesn't sound accusing - or at least she doesn't try to, "that you can't fight Anathema with armies?"

Pell

"It's just common sense, really."

He looks weary, and still favors one side too much, but he can move and talk and be the arrogant Dynast that he was previous.

"I mean, you can't find an Anathema with an army. And armies are too slow to pursue an Anathema. And given what happened to House Tepet all those years ago..."

He pauses for a moment in memory of the lost legions. Thankfully, the Bull of the North hadn't moved against the Realm in twenty years, for some unknown reason.

"...it just won't work. We don't have enough armies to kill the Anathema."

[Tavar]

Child

He notices the....oddity, but it doesn't seem as if it did anything. Caution, then, but nothing more. So he walks after her, down the road to Nexus.

[Aevylmar]

Skandi starts.

"Does your shadow normally do that?"

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Int+Occult to figure out what's going on. Hoping for a botch.

Skandi is going to pick up a dot or two of Occult the first time he gets a chance.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3621442/

[Incendius]

Penumbra turns. "Do what?" Her tone is quizzical. Luckily, she is answered by her shadow, which makes a choking gesture with its hands.

Penumbra sighs "Unfortunately, yes. Being Ghost-Blooded has its disadvantages. "

[Illyceria]

"Fascinating," Aya says watching the shadow with a bit of curious interest. "I've not many children of ghosts so I'm sorry if... I..." and she continues to watch as they walk, "bother you." After a few she gets bored though and looks forward as they walk. She wondered how the next city might treat them, hopefully better than before, she was not entirely happy with Waypoint's actions. Though she couldn't blame them entirely, their Inn had been torched.

[horngeek]

Rose blinks a little. "Hope it's not going to be threatening the entire trip...

In any case, we haven't even introduced ourselves. I'm Rose."

[industrious]

A Week Goes By

As Calibration ends, the road to Nexus begins to fill once more with travelers and traders. Men seeking fortune in the big city, and those who've already found it and are now locked in a perpetual struggle to keep it. Wagons filled with silks and spices, indigo and wood, and all manner of other things pass both groups by; the garish colors and potent smells wafting through their nostrils as they do so.

With every step along the way, Sierra feels the sense of eerie familiarity more strongly. The whispers never fade, but become more crisp and more clear; she hears them as snatches of imperatives, demanding behaviors and promising blessings upon the traders, the roads, and the goods they carry.

Pell slowly recovers all the while, still arrogant but always willing to talk with Besi. The Earth Aspect has a small notebook; in it, he jots down the potential strengths and weaknesses of the various demons he will attempt to summon once he is fully recovered. Maren continues with them, but Besi despairs of her meek, mouse-like cousin ever being Blessed by the Dragons, even if she is quite useful helping them look for food.

At the end of the week, Child receives a missive from the Bureau. He immediately recognizes the...distinctive style of Emerald Stormwrack.

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To: Child of Steel and Ruby
Crimson Panoply of Victory, Convention of Wood
Chair, Sub-Convention on the Hundred Kingdoms
Distinguished Member, Sub-Convention on Nexus
Distinguished Member, Sub-Convention on Lookshy
Stuck-Up Asshat

So, Calibration's come and gone, busiest time of year, and you're off on vacation while the rest of us work. Lovely. Thanks a lot, chum.

Anyways, the Bureau's in an uproar about the Cleansing. Apparently, nobody planned for it, officially-speaking, even though Chejop's probably stroking his beard and giggling in triumph. Ayesha gave a nice, long speech about how the Capital Convention was, once again, overstepping the bounds of its mandate, or some such. Buggered if I was invited to that meeting.

Since you're the closest of us to the Old Man's toady on the Convention, you're probably persona non grata in the office around now. In any case, you're being assigned as a temporary field agent. Going to be doing some local troubleshooting. You and Chejop Jr, too. I know both of you are working on something for Oversight, but you weren't clever enough to get detached duty for it. She should probably know about this, but she's with the Cleansing right now, and it's too dangerous to get a missive. By which I mean I was too lazy to give her a copy of this. She'd probably cry to the Old Man if she read this; she doesn't seem like she's got a thick skin.

So, I've got an assignment for you two. Apparently, some bleeding Lunar (Symphony of Bells, or some such) has decided he's going to be cultured. Been acquiring some art. Now, the barbarians can try to be as civilized as they like; I highly encourage the lot to aim to be that. But it seems like at least one of his newly bought works portrays a Forbidden God, which isn't nice, now is it? Your job, then, is to make like one of the bloody savages and smash the damn thing to pieces. No, I don't know what the piece is called, and I've tried my Bloody Secretary Technique. Damn things occluded from the Loom somehow. It's up to you. Be clever. Use that noggin of yours. Otherwise, what the Malfeas are we paying you for?

Emerald Stormwrack
Forbidding Manse of Ivy, Convention of Wood
Chief Investigator, Convention on Forbidden Gods
Member, Sub-Convention on Nexus

Oh, and just try report me for how I write. I dare you. I got the bleeding information across, and isn't that all that really matters?

And Forsaken Starfall says hello, and is asking if you've gotten it in had a positive mutual experience with a willing partner.

[Aevylmar]

Skandi is cheerful for the entire trip, making friendly small-talk with everyone else, without bothering to push the fragile cover stories of any of his companions. He is Chosen of Luna, and knows it.

A few times he goes hunting; both times, he leaves in his human form and returns in his human form. Come to think of it, he hasn't changed into a beast shape in the party's sight yet...

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Just how much EXP did we get, after all the quest rewards and things? And do I correctly understand the post in terms of saying what animals we've got?

Also, what are local animals between the size of a cat and a moose that nobody would mind being hunted?

[The_Snark]

Maren fades into the countryside as the tattered remnants of the Cleansing set out for Nexus, ever-present but typically ignored in the way that nobles ignore servants. And she is, indeed a servant, despite her parentage: when they camp by the side of the road she gathers tubers and hunts with a sling for their meal, she skins and cleans and cooks, she fetches water for washing and drinking. She rarely speaks unless spoken to, and then always with downcast eyes, offering hesitant suggestions and never directly contradicting Besi and Pell. Yet it soon becomes clear that she's spent more time in the wilds than either Dynast. Country cousin, indeed.

It's also clear that Pell intimidates her a little; at least, she always speaks to Besi first if both are available, trusting their shared blood to shield her a little if she should happen to offend a Dynast's pride. But her most constant companion is Meru.

On the first evening she carefully washes the blood from Meru's clothes and skin, doing her best to make her look as dignified as a beheaded corpse possibly can. She never fails to take her shift pulling the wooden travois, though this becomes a grimmer task with each day that passes; only the rapidly descending chill of winter keeps the rot in check. One evening she broaches this subject with Besi, diffidently asking whether it might not be more respectful to give her a proper burial along the road and carry word of her death (along with her prized possessions) to her family instead of carrying the body itself. It's a nice thought, but few people appreciate a rotting, headless corpse.

[Tavar]

There isn't much Child can do about the letter, but what he can do he does.

Most of his time, however, is considering possible strategies to finish the mission without revealing what he actually is. Unfortunately, too much depends on their enemies actions and motives.

For the others, he seems a good listener, a sympathetic ear, though he's still noticeably brief with Skandi. If broached, however, he remains somewhat vague about who he works for, and what he does: he's clearly not much of a liar, preferring to simply not answer rather than possibly trap himself in falsehood.

He's also clearly somewhat experienced as a traveler, though not an outdoors man by any stretch of the definition.

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google EST where the Lunar known as Symphony of Bells currently is/was last seen, as well as basic information regarding her. Spread out of course so that I don't flare my Anima.

[Lix Lorn]

Sierra gets more and more uncomfortable as time goes by, remaining on the edge of the group. She remains quiet when addressed, and tries to avoid questions, but other than that remains polite, and even friendly in a shy way.

[Illyceria]

Let it not be said that Aya was an unkind person. It was obvious to her, despite the creepy shadow, that Penumbra was hurt. Now a normal girl might swallow professional pride and avoid the obvious supernatural killer, but Aya was not normal, not professional, and well despite her empowerment she was still a young lady. So she approached the Abyssal and offered to tend to the wounds. Rebutted the first day and annoyed Aya debating the value of removing pain from the other woman before moving on to have short friendly chats with Sierra.

The second day she attempted tending to Penumbra's wounds after failing to convince herself that ignoring it would be a viable solution. What if it got infected, disease, a life even as long as an Exalt could be made painful if it was a tough disease. She spent what short time Penumbra gave her to argue the case before leaving her alone with her frustrations, frustrations that a tree felt later that night as she cut it apart with her power.

The third was like the last, but instead of talking to her, Aya attempted subterfuge and speed to deal with the threat of an ally in pain. Pride wounded from retaliations Aya decided with her hand still sore to draw upon the power of exaltation, if Penumbra wanted to suffer for it then so be it! Hmph! It just didn't help Aya's feelings any, and the already restricted Infernal was beginning to hate being self-restricted. By the end of the week Aya frustrations and annoyances was starting show.

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Vague time spent postie! During what time she spends learning, Aya will be learning PIO instead of a second purchase of Ego-Infused Pattern Primacy because... yes she is frustrated and ready to burst, so something flashy needs to be learned! ^^

[Incendius]

There is a reason that Penumbra likes operating alone, and Aya was very kind to demonstrate that. It wasn't the offer of aid that annoyed Penumbra; in fact, she thought it was rather nice for someone to look after her for once. The thing that annoyed her was the damned persistence with which Aya kept after the issue.

The woman just wouldn't take no for an answer, and she kept pestering Penumbra about the issue. This set Penumbra's nerves on edge and even tested the limits of her remarkable self control. Luckily, Penumbra's injuries healed at the usual accelerated rate, and the issue quickly dissipated.

Penumbra spent the rest of the trip in silence, keeping to herself on the edge of the group and minding her own business. She did, however, take three excursions over the course of the journey. Each one occurred during the middle of the night, and Penumbra did not think to include any of her companions in them.

The first happened after the group was passed by a pair of slavers. Their profession might not have been obvious to anyone, but Penumbra easily recognized the jingle of chains and the human sized nets that such men use to capture their prey. It didn't take very much to dispatch of them; they both fell to a single arrow. Their bodies were disposed of neatly, and not a trace of blood remained the following morning.

The second came nearly a week later, when they were joined at a campsite by a wagon that reeked of Qat and other drugs. The wagon had a light guard, which told Penumbra that the owner of the wagon was likely a seller that partook of his own product. She decided up to liven up that man's day and replaced the top part of his stash with a crushed up plant similar to the drugs, but which had poisonous fumes. The stolen drugs were put into Penumbra's suck, for some later date. The man's coughing the next morning nearly made Penumbra smile.

Finally, the third happened near the end of their journey as they journeyed alongside a river. Penumbra spotted tracks on the other side of the river that told of a line of chained people. She floated over the river in the dead of night, walking into the slavers camp completely invisible, and took her sweet time slitting the throats of every one of the slavers. None of the slaves woke, but Penumbra dropped the keys to their shackles near enough for them to acquire once they rose and witnessed the carnage.

Other than those minor excursions, it was a fairly uneventful three weeks.

[Guancyto]

Three weeks isn't a long time, but it seems an eternity to Besi. Looking after Maren is indeed a nice thought, one that seems to become more unpleasant each day. She seems restless, eager to be done with her journey as the flames within her burn even hotter. On a couple of occasions she wanders off entirely, rejoining Pell, Maren and Meru a day or more later, bearing new wounds still closing from the influence of her hearthstone.

As short as three weeks is, there is unfortunately not enough time to speak of felling raksha raiders in a near-suicidal charge on their pet behemoth, of the hobgoblins burnt to ash in the towering, raging fire. Perhaps in small villages and encampments along their way stories will be told of the Silent Dragon who meditated in the burning wreckage of war beasts and gossamer palanquins, remnants of a Noble who had foolishly decided that he could merely sit back and observe his retinue taking slaves.

Or perhaps there will be tales told of a meteor who felled a wood god who had decided itself a fearsome predator who culled the weak and sick who wandered too far from their homes. Perhaps it was only searching for their fearful prayers to keep itself alive, but it was a predator that found it had become the prey. Such places have not seen the Hunt in decades and yet, at some time during those three weeks they may see that the Dragons have not gone forever.

It is in such a place that Maren now lies buried after Besi feels she is slowing their journey, a humble grave among the many dead that the ravages of Creation have left. The populace's terrified gratitude is answered with only a single request.

"Remember her."