Return of the Scarlet Empress II - Nothing on My Back...

[Ifni]

The Docks

"Your count was off, Typhon. In more ways than one."

Eris dances back, behind the shield of the Sidereal's deathly blades, to the sheltered cranny she picked out. She tilts her shoulders to slide Firada to the ground, as gently as she can, one hand cradling her sister's head even as the other reaches for the hilt of her daiklave. The little Eclipse straightens and turns as she draws Remembrance, the leather of her baldric parting like silk as the great jade blade sweeps out and around. (Presumably she'll be able to get a replacement in Yu-Shan; this style of back-sheath isn't really designed for re-use after a fast draw.)

Between her and Shadow, they should be able to hold this line. But for now the Chosen of Saturn seems to be keeping Typhon at bay well enough on his own, and in the seconds so bought...

Three quick steps on damp-warped planks bring her to the edge of the dock. In a single swift motion she raises her boot to the deck of the junk (sitting rather low in the water as it is; she would not have taken passage on this particular boat, given the choice), and pushes downward, even as she lunges forward with her daiklave.

The deck tilts slightly toward the Eclipse, and a wash of greenish river-water sloshes around her boots. The old watersoaked wooden planks of the junk creak faintly. But her focus has narrowed to the crystal, falling free from where it was wedged between the planks, trailing a cord of bloodstained leather.

--------------

Respect for your sword had been one of her sister's oft-repeated lessons; one of her own instructors had apparently made an impression on her. Even a crude iron dagger deserves cleaning and care, if you don't want to kill yourself with a nick from your own rot-poisoned blade; to carry a good sword is a privilege, one that comes with responsibilities.

And any heirloom daiklave is a sacred trust, and this one more literally than most.

However, it is important to remember that a sacred trust can also be a six-foot-long lever.

--------------

Six feet of dark jade sword slide through the night air, to scoop up a tumbling crystal in the runnels carved into the broad blade. There is blood there, not quite dried, enough to provide purchase; and a rough tuft of spider-hair to catch the leather cord.

The blade swings toward Stormwrack, almost lazily. Stopping... just short, the crystal glittering tantalizingly.

The Solar's gaze is already turning back toward Typhon and Shadow and Firada, but she takes a moment to smile at the Chosen of Secrets, contempt and amusement both in the curve of her lips and the glitter of her green eyes.

Stormwrack should be able to reach it, from where he's lying curled up and trying not to scream. It'll just take a little motivation. And probably more than a little pain.

After all, she does want him to have the crystal, on the chance he can do something useful with it. She's just... having a little fun with him.

Spoiler

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Speed 7 four-action flurry, probably.
(1) Put down Firada (ruled as Speed 7 in OOC)
(2) Draw daiklave (I don't see any reasonable way I could've had it out while carrying Firada)
Reflexive move to the junk, then
(3) Modified stunt-attack with daiklave to try to pass Stormwrack his crystal - if this is approved, I'll do the rolls in OOC.
(4) Declare Defend Other, joining Shadow's guard on Firada.

[Aevylmar]

Skandi grins for a moment. Invisible enemies... really takes him back. But every trick has its weakness. The ring of steel on starmetal sounds, as Typhon's metal blade strikes sparks off of Black Ice Shadow's heavenly one -

And then here is a third metal, between the invisible-but-audible steel of Typhon and the inevitable wielder, as that blade forged of Luna's wrath crushes Typhon's steel sword between the Second and Third Magical Materials.

Spoiler

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Making one attack with Moonwrath against Typhon's sword, spending 5m on the First Excellency. An iron statue's durability is given on p.154 of the core rulebook; on a bare hit, Typhon needs a new sword.

Also, I'm assuming he can't parry an attack aimed at an object with the object itself. Also also, what was the stunt value for my last action?

Base+Excellency: (20d10)[6][7][5][1][6][3][2][9][4][4][4][7][1][5][8][9][5][7][7][7](107) = 8s
Specialty: (2d10)[10][9](19) = 3s
Stunt: (3d10)[7][5][9](21) = 1/1/2s

Spoiler

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All buffs are factored in.
Boosts: Deadly Beastman Form (+1 all physical attributes, heal a Bashing and a Lethal each round, +4L/4B soak, +4 yards/tick of move)
Penalties: None.

Attack Pools
Moonwrath - Speed 5, Accuracy 15 / 17, Damage 14L / 2, Rate 2, P
Axe - Speed 5, Accuracy 12 / 14 + 1S, Damage 11L, Rate 2, P
Shieldbash - Speed 6, Accuracy 11 / 13, Damage 7B, Rate 1, P
Dagger - Speed 4, Accuracy 13 / 15, Damage 7L, Rate 3, P
Iron Boot - Speed 5, Accuracy 11 / 13, Damage 12B, Rate 2, P
Note: (Fierce blows are currently off.)

Defense Pools
Moonwrath - 6 / 7
Axe - 5 / 6
Shield - 7 / 8
Dodge - 4

Essence: 3
Personal: 8/23 + (unknown stunt) + (unknown stunt)
Peripherial: 5/52
Willpower: 1/10
Committed: 13

Getting Hit
Soak: 17L / 19B
Natural: 7L/10B
Hardness: 8L / 8B
Health Levels: 0/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/2/2/4

[industrious]

Skandi

The blade shatters into now-visible fragments, and the hilt clatters to the ground. Typhon is still nowhere to be seen.

[Tavar]

Child

"I see no reason stay. The emissary is elsewhere, but it looks as if nothing untoward has been done. We best leave before he or she comes back; I doubt they would bluff."

[industrious]

Shalrina

"Then I'll take my leave. Pleasure doing business, Sidereal. But I hope you take no offense if I sincerely hope we never cross paths again."

She bows at Lauren, then Child, and departs.

[industrious]

Emerald

Desperation and pain twists the grimy Sidereal's features, but he lunges for the crystal, and points the thing in the general direction of Typhon.

"Sleep," he says softly, voice hoarse and raspy. "Sleep now."

And Firada is surrounded by a swirls of gently swirling mist.

Spoiler

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Everyone near Firada, meaning Shadow, Skandi, Eris, and Typhon, have to roll Stamina+Resistance, or fall asleep. Difficulty is 4.

Shadow: (8d10)[10][1][3][7][9][8][4][3](45) - 1 Compassion Channel
Typhon: (3d10)[3][4][9](16) + 1 sux

[Ifni]

Eris

There's a temptation to move the sword away as Emerald reaches for the crystal, to taunt him a little longer... but no. This isn't the time to amuse herself.

And at his words and the first sight of that opalescent mist the Eclipse's eyes widen and her sword flashes around and up in reflexive reaction. Mist rising that fast is never a good sign, whether in a long-abandoned manse or from bone-white luminous pools in the deep Undercity. Not something she can parry like a sword-thrust, but she presses her forehead against Remembrance as she gulps in a last lungful of hopefully-untainted* air; the blade is wide enough that the extra fraction of a second the mist takes to curl around its hilt might just give her an edge.

More importantly, if she falls to the spell - at least her blade won't be lost to the river.

*Well, as untainted as the air ever gets down here, anyway. A lungful of Nexus' distinctive waterfront atmosphere is something of an acquired taste.

Spoiler

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Let's see what the dice say!
(7d10)[9][7][4][10][10][2][2](44) Stamina + Resistance
(2d10)[10][2](12) Adrenaline-Fueled specialty (totally an ST call)
(3d10)[4][1][8](13) possible stunt
+1 sux Infinite Resplendence Amulet.

EDIT: ... yeah, the dice aren't letting me off Deliberate Cruelty this easily.

[Maugan Ra]

Carefully, Zhou moves onto the Lucky Starr and kneels at Stormwrack's side, Daiklaive held ready in a classic defensive stance as his eyes dart about, trying to deduce whether that spell managed to incapacitate Typhon or not.

Spoiler

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Defend Other on Stormwrack, unless we're dropping out of combat ticks. Whatever works.

[Aevylmar]

As the soothing mists surround Skandi, he holds his breath and tries his best to move out of the way of the cloud. If he can make it away before the cloud hits...

Spoiler

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Base: (6d10)[4][10][8][1][8][8](39)
Stunt: (3d10)[7][5][1](13)

Edit - Success with no stunt.

He emerges ten feet away, standing over Emerald.

"Need a hand?"

Spoiler

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Are we out of Combat time?

[industrious]

Stormwrack

"Need more than a bleeding hand," he says bluntly. "Bloody Day Caste did something to me leg. Can't put any weight on it."

He pauses for a moment as he stares at Black Ice Shadow.

"...Wonderful. I get the freak seeing me all helpless, too."

"Emerald Stormwrack. If you seek to offend me, any attempt you make will be futile. Your predilection for insulting all you encounter is well known. Now, if you wish to be in less pain, allow me to assist."

"Go stick it in a corpse. You ain't my type." he says, but he nods and at the other Sidereal's touch, some of his wounds simple vanish.

[Aevylmar]

Skandi sheaths his sword and, in fact, does offer a helping hand to pull the newly-healed Stormwrack to his feet (assuming Stormwrack can, in fact, be pulled to his feet) before running Moonwrath all over the area where Typhon fell.

If he touches something solid and invisible with his moonsilver sword, he's going to whack it until it dies.

Spoiler

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This is the equivalent of taking 20 on a search check in D&D: Go over the area, bit-by-bit, until I find him. Then murder.

[Ifni]

As the brief mists fade, Eris moves back to her sister's side, daiklave held ready as she scans the area. She grins at the Chosen of Jupiter. (Well, her teeth are showing, at least.)

"Nice trick, Stormwrack - and you too, Shadow. I'll have to remember not to underestimate Sidereals. Can you tell if you got Typhon, or if he just decided to decamp?"

She frowns at Skandi as he starts prodding around with his daiklave. "Careful with that edge, Skandi. If he's unconscious... well, we might not want to kill him right away. And given we're going to Yu-Shan - Shadow, think your bosses would like an Abyssal to question? Or would you consider it too dangerous?"

[Aevylmar]

Skandi sighs, since he hasn't found Typhon by the time she says something. "My plan was to whack him until he died once I found him. The larger scheme of things might have some value, though."

[Ifni]

"You're more merciful than I would be." The little Eclipse glances down at Firada's burns, her hands clenching briefly on the hilt of her daiklave. "He doesn't deserve a quick death. Better than letting him get away, though - I'll defer to our Sidereal friends on whether bringing him with us would be a terrible idea, if he actually is still here and asleep. How long do the effects of your spell last, Stormwrack?"

She doesn't join Skandi, preferring to remain with her sister, but studies the slick planks of the dock, looking for places where they might be bowed downward slightly with an invisible weight.

[industrious]

Black Ice Shadow

"I have enough essence to get us to Yu-Shan and smoke at the same time. Since none of us are dead, I'm assuming we've got him. And in Creation, should last two days. He'll still be tired at the end of it too."

Emerald's expression is surly and disgruntled at the beginning, but his teeth, too, are showing by the end.

"I do not believe that Typhon is currently awake. Else he would be attempting to slay me to the utmost of his abilities."

Black Ice Shadow does not elaborate on that statement.

"And as tempting as it is to make him squeal, we can't take him. I vote I get bash his brains in with a belaying pin."

"While I agree with my colleague that bringing a deathknight into Heaven is far too risky, we cannot kill him. It would not be right."

"He's a ****ing deathknight! Or does the sight of his cold, pointy body get you"

"He is a human being, regardless of his choices. Ending a life falls under my domain, Emerald Stormwrack, and I do not do so unless absolutely necessary."

Black Ice Shadow's form remains unyielding, daiklaves raised en garde.

"If any of you attempt to bring him harm, I will respond. If he were in our position, he would not hesitate to murder. We must be better."

[Aevylmar]

Skandi sighs. He doesn't sheath his sword, but he does leave guard position. "Either we kill him, we take him prisoner, or we let him roam free. If we can't imprison him and we can't kill him, he'll keep on murdering people. If we kill him, his Exaltation will presumably go to someone else evil - like most other Abyssals - but whoever it is will be new and not so dangerous. I don't like murdering people, but if we let him live, whoever he kills next we're failing to save."

[Ifni]

"Skandi is correct. What do you want to do, Black Ice Shadow? Just leave him here to sleep it off? He tortured Stormwrack, he would've done worse to Firada if he'd gotten the chance. At what point do you call a death necessary, if not for such as him? He's a murderer, a torturer, worse; he speaks for Thorns. It would be a blow struck against the Mask, to take him out of the picture." The little Solar's voice is intense, and slightly rough with emotion.

She pauses, and dips her head slightly to Stormwrack. "I agree you've earned the right, if we do kill him, but let me help? I was from Thorns, once."

She looks back at Shadow. "If you won't agree to let us kill him and won't take him to Yu-Shan... do you have another idea? Or is this just a statement of idealism that maps rather poorly into reality?" She doesn't say I'm disappointed in you, but her eyes are reproachful.

"Do you have allies in this part of Creation who could hold a deathknight?" It's a genuine question, not rhetorical, although her voice is strained. She glances at Zhou, watching silently. "I'm pretty sure the Cleansing would kill him without a second thought, and Lookshy troops won't be here for hours yet - they'd be subject to pressure by the Mask, anyway. Possibly... the Pact, Skandi? The friend of yours I'm thinking of certainly doesn't like deathknights, but I don't know if he has the capabilities to hold one prisoner without killing him, even if he's delivered unconscious."

She's pretty sure that if Chimes did have such capabilities, Typhon's life in the Lunar's hands would be interestingly painful, and with a length directly proportional to how much information the deathknight has to divulge - but Shadow doesn't need to know that, and while she'd prefer to obtain that information directly, it's a better choice than letting him go free.

"Or give me a better option, Shadow. I respect your fight against Oblivion and quarrels between us would be foolish, especially over Typhon. But letting him walk free when we have a chance to stop him would be a damn betrayal of the war you claim to fight."

[Aevylmar]

Skandi grins. "Actually, yeah. He has worse odds of escaping from Death Itself than he does from my silver friend's keeping, and he'd hold him forever - Typhon escaping or dying would give our enemies another Exaltation."

"Reasonable?"

[industrious]

Sidereals

"Well, I suppose..."

"Malfeas's guts no. Adorjan's love, no. We are not turning in the bleeding ambassador to Thorns, a bloody deathknight over to the barbarians. They'd take all his information and end up invading somewhere, I just know it. Can't trust a Lunar with the key to civilization."

"And we aren't going to be getting any of that information, either. We are not going to hand that much power over to the Silver Pact."

"...Emerald Stormwrack is correct. The Silver Pact possesses great animosity towards the Five Score Fellowship. It would not be prudent for us to give them something they may use to attack us."

[Ifni]

Eris gives both Sidereals a level look. "The Lunar in question does not strike me as the destroyer-of-civilization type. And should we hand Typhon over to him - at the very least, I would ask for access to any information he extracts from the deathknight, as a condition of my agreement."

And then you only need to get that information from me. Of course, should I not leave Yu-Shan alive, you'll lose that access...

She glances at Skandi. "If we do go that route, Skandi, remember we're the ones offering a valuable favor, not vice versa. You may want to let me handle the negotiations, and your friend does not need to know about Shadow's scruples." She thinks for a moment. "The Silver Pact has some kind of honor-debt system, yes?"

She looks back at Stormwrack and Shadow. Her voice is silken. "And if you do not like my suggestions, Chosen, kindly provide some of your own. If you won't take the risk of holding Typhon yourself, then stand aside and let someone else do it. If you think his information is likely to be so valuable, then put some skin in the game and take him to Yu-Shan for questioning. Or come up with a third path, one that doesn't leave Typhon free to work on the Mask's behalf. But I doubt very much you'll find a solution that gets you all the reward with no risk whatsoever. It doesn't work that way."

She shrugs. "The distrust between the Pact and the Bureau appears quite mutual, to my outsider's eye. You can hardly blame the Lunars for animosity, after a thousand years of Wyld Hunts." A faint edged smile. "But deathknights seem to be a topic you - where by you I now mean those Sidereals and Lunars presently in Nexus, who I have spoken with - can agree on."

This could perhaps serve as an overture, toward joint action in a common cause. A side effect - primarily, she wants Typhon to pay for Thorns - but possibly a useful one.

"Or to boil it down, Shadow - not prudent, you say. More or less prudent than taking a deathknight to Yu-Shan, or letting him walk free?"

There's no challenge in those last words, only curiosity. It'll be interesting to find out what worries the Sidereals most.

[Maugan Ra]

Zhou sighs, and then speaks. "We can't kill him. Bastard of the century or not, he's still helpless right now, and you can't just go around killing defeated foes when they're helpless."

He looks at the Sidereals. "You're sure there's no way to imprison him in Yu-Shan? I find it hard to believe that heaven of all places completely lacks any sort of secured holding cells. The guardianship of the Celestial Lions is legendary at least, and there's got to be a god of 'utterly inescapable death traps' or something, surely?"

He doesn't know if he should even be weighing in here at all. The man is an ambassador... but no. He already got involved when he placed himself between Firada and the Deathknight, however figuratively. Trying to claim neutrality now is a pointless gesture.

[industrious]

Sidereals

"I don't have the authority to"

"...I do."

"What if the bastard escapes? Are you really going to accept that sort of responsibility on your own head?"

"I have no career to speak of. I would say much like yourself, Emerald Stormwrack, but your patronage protects you. I wasn't even approached."

Emerald spits into the water in disgust.

"Fine," he snarls. "We'll bring the bloody deathknight to Yu-Shan. I'll keep him knocked out the entire way, and someone who isn't bleeding crippled at the moment guarding him the whole time. If he tries to escape before he's in the lion's hands, he's dead. No more arguments."

[Ifni]

The Docks

You can't just go around killing defeated foes when they're helpless... Eris' lips twitch in a faint and faintly bitter smile. She's quite sure no such mercy would be afforded to her if the Cleansing knew what she was - or the Lookshy troops arriving at dawn, for that matter.

But grating as she finds Zhou and Shadow's sudden attacks of conscience - especially Zhou's, set against his earlier readiness to call her a friend in the same breath that he threatened to kill her - the insight afforded is probably worth the annoyance.

In a brisk tone she says, "Works for me, if it does for Skandi." The little Eclipse studies the two Sidereals. I have no career to speak of... wasn't even approached... yes, this is not improving her opinion of the Bureau's promotion criteria. But it may present an opportunity, down the road. "I'll note, Emerald, that I am coming to Yu-Shan only because Shadow asked me to. Your colleague seems to have his priorities straight."

"However, this remains rather moot unless we can find Typhon, and I'm not lowering my guard on Firada until we do."

"Assuming we do, though - I take it we'll be waiting for Child and Isa and Sierra? I'd like to stop by the Guild headquarters before we leave, if there's time. It's not far. Zhou, Skandi - is there anything else you need to do before we leave? It would probably be best if at least one of you could stay here, so Shadow doesn't have to protect Firada and Emerald and guard Typhon on his own."

[Aevylmar]

Skandi shrugs. "Sounds fine to me. I'm ready to visit heaven once the others show."

He resumes slowly dragging Moonwrath over the area where Typhon vanished. The tip scars the wood of the dock, but the flat edge would touch the Deathknight if he found him - and not hard enough to be likely to wake him up.

Spoiler

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Resuming my extremely slow and careful search for Typhon.

[Maugan Ra]

"I'll stay here. I already left a report, and really, I don't think I want to add anything about a fight with the Thorns ambassador to that."

[The_Snark]

Ragara Soras Maren's family is known for its Earth-aspected scions, and so her room is redolent with the imagery of earth and stone: straight lines and blocky corners, sturdy furnishings, bare walls and an earthen floor. Isa would have preferred a gentler aspect, Water or perhaps Wood, but her disguise does not offer her that choice. It hardly matters.

Kept within the small, sturdy bedside table is a vial of green ink and a roll of something which resembles parchment. A touch reveals it to be thin silk, not paper. Isa unstoppers the vial and begins penning a letter. Her handwriting is precise, the style formal (as all Bureau missives are). Yet even accounting for the care she must take with such an expensive and delicate medium, it takes a long time to finish.

[industrious]

Black Ice Shadow

"There is no need to do that, Skandi the Wolf. Typhon is right there."

The aura around his weapons fade and his stance becomes more casual, as he points to a small corner of the dock.

[Ifni]

"Fair enough, Zhou." Eris pauses. Some part of her prods at her, that she should say more than that, should acknowledge the risks he's taking -

She manages, "Thanks for what you said, for Firada."

Watching the Chosen of Endings, the Eclipse relaxes slightly as well, and nods. "I have some spare bowstrings, if we want to tie him up." She hesitates for a moment, and then walks over to the area Shadow indicated, daiklave still held at the ready. "How deeply is he likely to be sleeping, Stormwrack? Would searching him for weapons wake him?"

[industrious]

Stormwrack

"Pretty godsdamned deep. He won't wake unless you slap him awake. And there are chains and the like belowdecks. If someone can help me there, I can put him there."

Black Ice Shadow has something resembling a smile behind his scarf.

"I can tell you that Wink of the Storm's Eye does not possess any soulsteel weaponry, Eris Orchid, and was forbidden from acquiring any after his were stolen from him."

[Ifni]

"... I like you, Black Ice Shadow." Eris grins at the violet-eyed Sidereal, and then nods to Stormwrack. "That sounds like a good idea. I assume you'll want someone to carry him down there?"

The little Solar crouches down, lowers her daiklave carefully to the ground within arm's reach, and begins passing her hands slowly through the air in the region Shadow indicated. She glances back over her shoulder at Emerald. "And... does that mean we are taking the boat to Yu-Shan? As opposed to some -" She pauses in her search to wave one hand in a vague gesture, which might possibly be considered mystical by someone who knows absolutely nothing about magic, "- sorcery that takes us there instantly?"