A Game of Manses

[Serafina]

You wake up slowly, after dreams of pain and heat and danger. Your skin feels dry and burnt, and every muscle and bone in your body aches. And you can't even begin to describe how your head feels.
Opening your eyes is a heroic effort worthy of a great legend, and you are rewarded with the view of a painted ceiling.

"You know, Mizuki, i should really kill you right now. It would do everyone a favor if i just cut your throat, threw your body into the ocean and made up some story about a foreign mission go wrong. Maybe it would even be a favor to you. But i need to hear your story first."

You have to recognize the speaker by voice, as you find yourself unable to turn your head - at least without falling unconcious.
Female. Stern. A hint of anger, but not directed at anyone specific. Familiar.
You recognize the voice of Amilar Yelami - secret pride of Gens Amilar, sypmistress of the General Staff, decadent lady of Lookshys high society - and your personal tutor.

"You, a mere heretical god-bastard, abuse resources entrusted to you by all our citizens to break into territory restricted even to most Exalts. You put yourself over noble Dragonbloods and violate your oaths to our organization. So tell me, Gochei Mizuki Hinata - what were you doing? Since when do you cooperate with vile demons against our city?"

[Snowfire]

Mizuki blinks slowly, carefully, thoughts sluggish as she thinks back, trying to isolate the cause of her current state - and the restrained anger of Amilar. "If one...finds that...which confuses them...they seek out the answers." She struggles to turn her head, pain lancing through her body as she does so, but pushes through until her eyes meet those of her mentor. "You taught me that."

She pauses, drawing in a shallow breath as she tries to array her thoughts. There....there had been the...the report about the sunpeople. Curiousity...confusion...there had been a justification in there. Then the infiltration, slipping in through the shadows, dodging traps and roiling columns of essence before reaching its heart. And then...what...what had happened next? Light and power, streaming out of her, pouring endlessly from her soul into the ancient structure around her. There....there had been something else as well...just on the edge of memory. But...what had happened to her?

All flashes through her mind in the space of that breath.

"Demons?" She asks blearily. "Mistress, what happened to me? I remember light....power pouring from my soul into the Factory-Cathedral...but..." She blinks, again, then her eyes flare wide. "Sunblessed..." She whispers, mind too weary to hold back her realisation. "They...you keep them to power it, don't you!" The words aren't accusing, far from it in fact, they're awestruck. "It needs....it need sun aspected Essence, and that doesn't exist anymo-" She cuts off again.

"Oh."

[Serafina]

"Yes. Oh fits perfectly. Do you know what your Fang saw when they found you? You, bleeding on the ground - surrounded by the anima banner of an Anathema."

Yelami stands up, looming over you. "Which is why i should kill you right now. There are two reasons i don't - you changed something in the manse, and it appears to be more stable now. And an acquaintance of mine made me reconsider my position on some Anathema - we will see whether that includes you."

[Snowfire]

Mizuki mutters a curse in her mind, but doesn't cower at her mentor's intimidation.

"I think...I claimed it, Taizei. That's what I felt...and..." She reaches down, with visible effort, and carefully draws a small jewel from an anklet. "This....this would be a Hearthstone, I think. And, Mistress?" She says. "You made me. My loyalty, my life, my being, is yours to command as it has always been."

[Serafina]

Yelami snorts "Stop the act. I have a task for you. I have a list of tasks that i want your Fang to accomplish, and a target that needs to be taken care of in a certain way. Do so to my satisfaction and i will consider you trustworthy enough for your usual work."

She hands you simple scroll - you recognize the smell of alchemical treatment on it.
"Memorize this, then start working. And i want you to accomplish the last task yourself."
The scroll spells out a long list of alchemical ingredients, some of them with an instruction on how to acquire them - in a nearby Shadowland. And a target for subtle assassination via poison - Tihiro Tatila, the matriarch of a helot trade house.
She leaves, and the scroll crumbles to dust.

[Snowfire]

"As you wish." Mizuki replies softly. She shifts slightly as Yelami leaves. She has a chance, at least. Then she calls for her pen, paper, and her Fang. She sends out the majority of her Fang to gather the ingredients, then hands a letter to the last one and tells her to take it to their contact.

The letter is quite simple.

Chandra,

I am in desperate need of guidance and you are the only one I believe I can turn to. If you can, meet me at the usual place in (insert date far enough away to be able to walk reasonably, as a lunar date). Please come if you can.

Starlight

[Serafina]

Your Fang gathers most of the ingredients over the next day, though they are reluctant to go into a Shadowland on their own. Since Chandra usually manages to show up within the next few days, you decide to wait for her aid.

To your surprise, your wounds seem to be better any time you look. Your burned bones stop hurting before you finish your letter, your skin is renewed after the first night and you feel more energetic as you should.

You wait for Chandra at one of the unveleoped areas of the Green Hunt, Lookshys inner-city park district. You did expect to be almost immobilized, comprimising security, now you are on your own as the full moon rises and you wait in the warm night of Resplendent Fire.

[Snowfire]

Mizuki sighs, looking up at the skies, feeling the rush of Essence - so much more than she had ever felt - within her. Under the stars felt...strange. As if she belonged, and yet as if she didn't - the moon too bright and full. She shook her head at herself. It didn't make sense. But...from all she had ever read...

The biggest question was why though. Why her. She had led a good life, perhaps not one as morally right as others, but one sworn to the city that had birthed her - quite literally when one thought about it. So why had - oh what did it matter. There was no real way back - other than death, and that wasn't an option she was willing to consider. Or a way back, as it happened.

"...I don't have to look too far or too long awhile,
To make a lengthy list of all that I enjoy,
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile,
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy."

She sings softly, voice still slightly rough from her experience.

Spoiler

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Code-melody - password is

"I want to leave a legacy,
How will they remember me?"

I can roll Performance if you want

[Serafina]

You hear a surprised voice from a nearby tree.
"My my, you certainly look - no, feel - different somehow....Oh, i know! You probably got a haircut, or maybe a new tan?"
She jumps down the tree, landing a few meters away. Still in the shade, she begins to stride towards you.

"Or maaaybee..." her voice is unrecognizable as the serious, focused tone you are accustomed to from her. "maybe it is something like this."
A prism of flickering silver-purple light erupts in front of you, shifting around her body. You blink at the sudden, intense light - are those her ears? You squint and spot pivoting ears poking over her head.

She pounces the last few steps, her feet landing directly in front of yours.Her eyes blink, face very close to yours, and then sweep all over your body.
"Yes, it's something like this. Ain't i right?"

[Snowfire]

What the..? Ears...and tatoos in - Mizuki's thoughts grind to a halt as her own eyes fix on the mark on Chandra's forehead. Trickster! I...I...what...but...no! But...

"You...you're...you're like what I've become!" She has to actively clamp down on the volume, the words coming out barely above a whisper. "When? How? No, it doesn't matter." She shakes her head, trying to clear it of the cries of 'Anathema!' She reaches up tentatively, fingers trembling, towards the mark on Chandra's forehead. And quite without meaning to, her own flares slightly, the golden ring on her forehead glimmering slightly as a single mote of essence escape her - like a sudden outburst of held breath.

"Are...are we the same?" She asks softly, tone undercut by a need for understanding that is equal parts curiosity and near-terror.

[Serafina]

She smirks "Yes, we are both evil, demon-possessed Anathema. At least according to the Dragonbloods." She giggles.
"But we aren't quite alike. As you should be able to see by our animas, and your distinctive lack of fluffly ears. Basically, we are both Exalts - but instead of being chosen by the Elemental Dragons, i was chosen by the Godess of the Moon - Luna."
She pokes your forehead. "And you, you were chosen by the God of the Sun - the Unconquered Sun."

[Snowfire]

Mizuki laughs, the faint joy almost shattering her heart, and wipes a slight moisture from her eyes. "Fluffy ears..." She shakes her head, mind reeling. Then.

"Why? Why me? Was it the cathedral beneath the feet of those who learn at the academy of sorcery? Or...or was it something else? And..." She sighs gently, trying to array her thoughts. Questions, so many...where and why and...no. Focus, girl.

"From what you say...the Dragonbloods have lied for...for as long as the Shogunate has stood." Mizuki shakes her head, not in denial or disbelief, but in something else - that no words can really explain. "Why?"

[Serafina]

"Well, i am hardly an expert on Solars, but as far as i know you're chosen for heroic feats. Since i can't read your mind i have no idea what you did in any cathedral i don't know off, deary."

She smirks again, begins to play with her left ear and...is that a tail?
"Well, as for the Dragonbloods lying - you should really know this, considering your line of work. Well don't worry, Chandra will teach you a lot of stuff!" Her smirk widens even more, and you hear her rolling, soft laugh again.
"Because we are more powerful than them, so the only way they can keep power with us around is by lying and controlling the mortals."

[Snowfire]

"Heroic...oh. I guess that would explain it..." Mizuki shakes her head, the confused voices finally beginning to clear. "So...people like you - and me - have been hiding ever since?" She laughs. "Well, I guess you're right about my line of work, and considering everything I've seen it does make this a little easier to reconcile...

"Regardless, I guess we have a lot to talk about. But in this case, I think it may be wiser for us to walk and talk. I...almost died when I...Exalted. And my mentor knows." She raises a hand quickly. "She's given me a chance to go against the... propaganda, I guess. And most of the things I need are in a Shadowland near [insert where Shadowland is]." She extends her hand, palm open. "Could you come along, and explain things on the way?"

[Serafina]

"Whatever do you want in a Shadowland? Well at least it's the Mourning Fields, that close to Lookshy there shouldn't be too much trouble..." she sighs "and i shouldn't have said that. No provoking Pattern Spiders, my Sifu always said. Well, come on then. Anything else you want to know, while we walk a few miles at night?"

[Serafina]

The twok of you walk through the streets of Lookshy, though you have to wait for a while for your anima flares to go out. You try to keep it quiet as long as you are in the city, but your chat is not less intense for it.

You manage to reach the border of the Shadowland before the sun rises. You see guard towers outside its borders, while the border is marked with white stones.
"Okay, here we are. Beware, ye who wander this path, for it leads to the fate of all things." Despite, or maybe because of these words, she giggles again. "Or somesuch. Don't worry, i'll watch your...well, behind. Don't kiss any ghosts, and no hugging zombies either."

You an see beyond the border of the Shadowland - damp growth, low willow trees, no animal life in sight. It appears to be hidden under dark shadows of a cloudy, moonless sky, despite the full moon above you. Icy winds blow into you from the south.

[Snowfire]

"All the same," Mizuki replies, grinning, "with what you said I'd rather be careful going in. If that isn't too much for you to bear." She shakes her head incredulously. "And kiss ghosts? Is that even possible?"

[Serafina]

"Since they are material inside a Shadowland, yes it would. Mind you, most Ghosts are just like most Mortals - not evil, and at most serving someone who opposes you. Of course they ARE ghosts, so they do have some essence powers and likely serve a Deathlord."

You both step over the border of the Shadowland - and you see why it is darker here. There is a moon, but it is blood-red and appears to give off little light. The temperature drops as well, and the air appears to be stale and mouldy despite a cold wind.
Chandra whispers "Okay, you know what we need - i think we best get is as soon as possible."

[Snowfire]

"Ah." Mizuki colours slightly, another thing she hadn't know. Or had she not remembered...it was difficult. She shivers at the sudden cold, and lowers her voice to a low growling whisper. "We need to find some violet leaves according to my instructions. Let's go."

She sweeps her cloak around her shoulders, to better blend with the drab surroundings of the Shadowlands, and then goes forward carefully, her step asymmetrical and random in its pace and positioning.

Spoiler

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Stealth+Wits+2: (1d10)[9](1d10)[5](1d10)[5](1d10)[8](1d10)[3](1d10)[3](1d10)[10](1d10)[6](1d10)[4](1d10)[3]

[Serafina]

You track across the landscape, looking at the spare plants to find one that matches the description. Chandra manages to keep up with ease, but after a while you can not shake the feeling of being tracked, though you can spot no pursuers.

After maybe two hours - it is hard to tell in the unfamiliar redish light and with the strange sky above - you find a patch of fern that looks about the right color.
But as you stop, you hear a howl from behind you her a terrifiying howl from behind, and as you turn around you see several tattered men in torn clothes, swinging rusty blades and clad in black armor. You can see furious pale faces, and their bloody intention is immedeately clear to you.

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Join Battle for enemy Ghosts: (1d10)[2] (1d10)[8] (1d10)[5] (1d10)[1]
Mizukis Join Battle:(1d10)[2] (1d10)[9] (1d10)[5] (1d10)[3] (1d10)[6]
Chandras Join Battle:(1d10)[1] (1d10)[9] (1d10)[5] (1d10)[9] (1d10)[8] (1d10)[2]

[Serafina]

Before the Ghosts reach you or you can react, Chandra does - she steps before you, crouching down into a low, tense stance, ready to pounce at any attacker. Her hands sweep out and into claw-like gestures, and you hear a low growl coming from her.

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Chandra activates Tiger form as her first action.

Current Tick: 3
Your next action: Tick 3

[Snowfire]

Mizuki spins, two fans springing into her hands from the sash at her waist, and she snaps them open before her eyes. The jewels catch and reflect the red moon, but that faint light is washed away in a shimmer of gold as essence flares across their surfaces.

The same light faint light flickers across Mizuki, blurring her silhouette as she spins behind her ally. Distinct edges of essence gleam along the fan's tips, and she flares them out in the direction of the ghosts.

Let's see...now how do I...ah!

The two fans spin across the space between her and two of the ghosts, essence surrounding them such that they seem more a circle of gold light rather than actual weapons. The two weapons move apart as they reach the group of ghosts, bouncing out to tear into the necks of their closest foes.

Spoiler

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Attack: (16d10)[2][9][3][4][2][4][4][1][4][9][9][4][7][3][4][7](76)

[Serafina]

Mizukis fans slash into two of the leading, unarmored ghosts, ripping through their corpus like they would through a shōji paper wall. You see their bodies dissolve before the other ghosts crash into Chandra and you.

A wild flurry of attacks by everyone involved ensues.
Chandra slashes her fingers over the first ghost that gets near her, spraying ghostly blood all over the place. But the armor ghost retains both its momentum and its unlife, and its axe cleaves into her unarmored flesh before she can react.
Another ghost tackles her and tries to claw her open, but she manages to hold if off without sustaining damage. The next one has more luck, and a claw burrows itself into her stomach - but fails to cause even a scratch.

You barely can pay any more attention, as you are attacked by four enemies yourself. Supreme grace lets you flow out of the way of the first three blow that crash down upon you, and as you dance aside a swung naginata burrows into the wrong target!
The last strike however waited for your move, and your own momentum prevents you from anticipating the blow. Despite that, your own reflexes carry you out of the way of the rusty dagger before you even register it, and your gracefully reposition yourself into a firm yet elegant stance.

You are distracted long enough that both Chandra and the ghosts can act again. The Lunar jumps to your defense, and launches at a ghost that is busy attacking you. She swipes him of his feet and lands of his chest. A fountain of silver light washes over the whole landscape, and you see a furious cat lashing out with sharp claws. Terrible howls can be heard from both combatants, and the ghost perishes moments later.

Both Chandra and you are able to evade the follow-up attacks of the remaining six ghosts, though you can see that she is hard-pressed to do so compared to your play-like elegance with which you dive and dance between hostile blows.

Spoiler

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Chandra is being attacked by three ghosts. One has lost two health levels, the other two are unharmed.
She has lost her -0 and first -1 health levels herself.

You are being attacked by three more ghosts. One lost a health level due to being struck by another ghosts botch, then got finished off by Chandra, the other three are unharmed.
You have taken no damage.

Current tick: 8
Your next action: Tick 9

Motes spent: 5(combo)+5(attack)+5(attack). 4 motes regained from stunt. Please describe your anima banner during your next turn.

[Snowfire]

Mizuki's face twists in slight concern as Chandra takes her hits, but does not allow it to distract her - instead channeling it into her next strikes. She spins, hands catching her fans deftly out of the air, and then slams them out to either side. They cut lethally out, essence flaring along their edges once more, and the blades whistle a soft tune - as if cutting the air itself - before slicing through where her instincts tell her the two ghosts are.

She continues her spin, legs acting of their own accord to send her bouncing up the body and off the face of the one before her - a casual, slightly harder, kick sending its head bouncing away. In mid-air, she flips end-for-end, spin never ceasing, and brings her fans in around her to defend herself from further attacks.

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Attack 1: (15d10)[9][9][7][5][10][10][2][10][10][6][1][8][3][8][5](103)
Attack 2: (12d10)[7][1][6][7][6][1][4][2][10][10][3][9](66)
Attack 3: (9d10)[5][2][2][8][1][5][7][5][4](39) vs extra (so probably not required)

Attacks made at speed 4.

Anima banner has had 5 motes burnt into it. Additional 4 this round via use of Lethal Paper Fan & Shadow over Water (if latter is allowed). Additional required motes spent from Personal pool.

[Serafina]

Only three ghosts remain, and they keep focussing on Chandra - who slices at another ghost, but without felling it. She still manages to catch the counter-attacks of all her attackers.

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Three ghosts dead, one of them an extra.

Another ghosts attacking Chandra loses a health level, and is now four down.

Current tick: 13
Your next action: 13
You're up again.

[Snowfire]

Cursing the ghosts in her mind, Mizuki whirls across the short distance between her and the ghosts surrounding Chandra. No essence tips her fans this time, instead they gleam with the blood crimson of the reflected moon - thirsty for the blood of their mistress's final enemies. Her steps bring her spinning past the first ghost, fan outstretched to slice a second smile on to its throat, and then in to cover Chandra's back.

"So, this is what you meant by not kissing ghosts." She asks, hand lashing out as the wounded ghost strays into her reach. The fan slices forward, cutting the air again with that same eerie whistle, to tear through already rent not-flesh.

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Attack 1: (15d10)[10][10][2][6][7][5][8][6][10][10][2][9][5][10][4](104)
Attack 2: (14d10)[10][1][1][5][10][2][4][10][9][7][10][9][2][10](90)

Will trigger Shadow over Water if targeted.

[Serafina]

"No, i didn't - and don't you ever dare kiss me like that!" Chandra shouts as the last ghost goes down. "Though nibbling is okay, but i really want to keep my throat intact".


The ghosts beng dealt with, you look at the patch of ferns you were investigating. A lot of it has been trampled, but there are plenty of purple ferns left that could be gathered, and even the trampled ones might be of use. You don't know, but you have little idea what this plant is for, other than as a poison, in the first place. Either way you could gather much more than required, if you are so inclined.

[Snowfire]

Mizuki arches an eyebrow at her Lunar friend. "So...you wouldn't be averse to my nibbling on you then?" She teases, crouching down in front of the ferns.

"So...no name given this time, Yelami." She whispers to herself. "Is this a test as well? And if so, of what..." She trails off, carefully plucking one of the ferns from its earthen home, and holding it up before her eyes, as if searching for some sign of its identity in the veined leaves.

Her mind races back, through childhood and teaching, long sessions spent in libraries and archives, the occasional visits to the Academy of Sorcery, even the - rare - times when Yelami had had her...instructed. She doubted that any of her mentor's lessons would bear fruit - but she had studied alchemy far more than most realised. Enchantment might have been her favourite of the Arts, but...alchemy and herbalism had been a close second. And then

Purple ferns...soft or hard to the touch? Crisp or brittle? The size of the leaves, any serration or particular pattern to the veins that ran across it. All little pieces of the puzzle of identification.

But did she know...

Strange flashes of memory flickered in her mind, sunlight unknown to her dancing on her skin in the feel of them. There was knowledge there...but what was 'there'. And what did it mean?

[Serafina]

You remember attending a lesson about poison-making, a necessary part of your profession, even though you never made any yourself.
Most of it was about ordinary poisons - everything from slow-acting to fast-acting ones, from silent killers to producers of excruciating pain, from ingested tasteless ones to those used as perfumes.
A few plants like this - gathered from Shadowlands - were mentioned. Some had strange properties - more than just poisoning the body. From inducing severe loss of sanity without any other effects, over inducing near-death states. You finally recall that this type should be useful for inducing a delirious state with...terrible results of some sort, though you can not recall the specifics about that, try as you might.

[Snowfire]

Ah, so this is more than a simple kill mission... Mizuki ponders. Well, if I'm right at least. She turns to Chandra. "Ok, I've got a certain amount I'm meant to gather, but it might be good to have a bit more of this stuff on hand, just in case."

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Gathering three times the required amount. For...research purposes. Yeah...research...