Exalted: Saving Pinehull

[Brickwall]

Stone Spring

Perched atop one of the cabins is a snowy white owl. It swivels its head around to survey the town.

No chimera yet.

It looks down at the two warriors standing below.

The Immaculate I can see fighting. But the other girl looks mortal...and unarmed. She might be an Immaculate too, or maybe a sorceress, but I thought Terrestrials of that caliber showed their breeding. I wish I had some wisdom to draw upon, but I don't.

Stone stays high on the roof. In this form, his antlers were near impossible to see, but he felt no reason to risk it. He keeps quiet, and waits for hell to break loose.

[Terraoblivion]

She ran her hand over the bow. The battle was imminent and even though she trusted Seras and her abilities in battle she was still in danger. She was not a warrior by any means of the word, but she was one of the chosen of the sun. She could not just stand back and let her sister go into battle alone nor could she leave the village to its fate for even a single night longer. She had to fight.

Looking into the darkness covering the town she tried to predict where the monster would come from, but it was hopeless. It came from different directions every night, in different forms. There was no way of predicting what she would see before it was there. As long as they got enough of a warning that she could get out of its reach and use her bow properly she would be safe...hopefully.

[GryffonDurime]

Fire-in-Ice

"Maybe it can be fixed," Fire-in-Ice said, "but it took the most brilliant Spiders to build it in the first place. I'm tired, and these people deserve better. If the Tablet will sing for you, if you can claim it and make it function again, then it will be yours. When the Tablet is yours..."

He stops for a moment, and closes his eyes, sighing deeply like an old steam vent.

"...do not give it to me."

[Ravyn]

"Understood." Taraneh finishes her drink and sets it down, then folds her hands on the table in front of her, stubbornly attempting to hide the way her fingertips press into the tablecloth.

Merciful Maidens, what have I gotten myself into?

[GryffonDurime]

Fire-in-Ice

The god nods softly and then motions to Aja, satisfied.

"I'll be here."

[Ravyn]

Taraneh stands smoothly, bows to both Fire-in-Ice and Aja, and steps back out of the sanctum and begins walking back to the village.

....and then I get to hope that I don't find the beastie by accident....

[GryffonDurime]

Taraneh makes her way safely and uneventfully back to the plaza square; the air is cold and still and utterly quiet: the only sound, mundane of magical, are the familiar sounds of the Exalted, the brass orchestra in Cricket's home, and the slight twinge of drumbeats from Snvl's dwelling.

Cricket himself emerges into the plaza square soon after she returns, looking from Miyuki to Stone Spring and back to Taraneh. Without speaking, he offers each of them in turn a bit of sweet bread, the only bit of succor Pinehull can spare for them. A distant howl pierces the silence, a howl like the crazed offspring of wolf and whale mixed with the screeching of bats. It's a distant, silver sound, angry and tarnished.

[Terraoblivion]

Miyuki took the bread, smiling at the old man as she did so. "Thank you, the hospitality of this town is appreciated. I just hope i will be able to repay it by aiding with your problems." Her eating was interrupted by the cry piercing the night, causing her to quickly down the last bits of the food before putting an arrow on the string and preparing for what was to come.

[Ravyn]

The bread is halfway to Taraneh's mouth when she hears the howl; she takes a quick bite, looks at it, realizes she's lost her appetite. "Well, here's the exciting part...." She looks at the bread again, sighs, and sets it down on a clean surface next to her familiar, then gives the bird a last scratch behind the ears. Leave some for me, I'll be back.

"You ready? I think I'm ready...." With that, she sets down her case next to the bread and the bird and begins working her way towards the sound.

[Kantolin]

Beigis' initial reaction was to continue what he was doing last - which would mean to look for Taraneh.

Simultaneously, her sudden spike in popularity mixed with the fact that she was meant to meet with Fire-and-Ice alone caused him to change his mind. Turning, he instead chose to wander - simply search around the town aimlessly, keeping away from the central plaza. He spent his time restfully, relaxing and watching.

He was actually a bit surprised when he noted the sun was, slowly, leaving the sky. He hadn't figured that he was wandering for quite that long. Then again, he knew what was comforting for him.

He made his way near but not quite into the central plaza. One other thing he could help with, after all, was with the more direct problem - or at least, he could see what it was and decide how well he could help from there.

Thus he remained - a bit hidden, but watching.

[GryffonDurime]

The howl repeats, this time high, rapid, and metallic: a symphony of trills followed by a distant booming drum-like voice.

It changes again into a metallic hum, and grows louder with each passing second. A blur of light like a comet streaks through the woods, illuminating dark trunks. Finally, the blaze settles on a cabin in Pinehull's second tier, one of the few left still largely in tact. As it cools, it shapes itself like thick ooze until it's barely recognizable as an elk with greasy black fur and two lime-like eyes. It sharpens it's antlers against the sides of the cabin, tearing back thick slices of bark in a haphazard pile...all in all, it resembles the way most people would peel an orange. Inside, two barely audible voices cry out in fear.

...But it hasn't taken notice of you, or moved to harm you in any way. Curious.

Spoiler

Show

Rush over and Join Battle if you'd like; Serpent-Skinned Elk really doesn't care one way or the other.

[Terraoblivion]

The string was on the bow and she was ready, as she leveled it and took aim, not wasting time to move over to the beast. It would not be needed anyway and the father from the being the better. Aiming carefully she let the arrow fly, cleaving the air with almost supernatural precision before lodging itself firmly in the flesh on the back of the elk-beast.

Spoiler

Show

Not the best description ever, i'm afraid, but it will serve. And i uses my first excellency to its full effect using motes of personal essence.

Join Battle: (4d10)[1][10][10][3](24)
Attack: (12d10)[5][5][8][4][8][1][7][5][7][5][7][5](67)

Base damage is 4L, plus whatever extra successes i get. And ping will be 3 damage in any case.

[Ravyn]

Taraneh is slightly more direct in her opposition to the incoming creature, darting across the snow towards it in what might appear to be a race with the arrow. On the way, she sings a barrage of words in front of her, sharp, quick sets of four short notes in an upswinging scale, with every emphasized word rising a note in the scale as her foot slams down on the packed snow. "I may not know what you are but this I can't accept!"

Spoiler

Show

Along with hopefully getting the little so-and-so's attention, Harmony in Opposition Stance. Join Battle: (6d10)[7][1][2][6][6][9](31); Per+MA: (8d10)[4][4][2][10][2][5][2][4](33)

[Brickwall]

Stone

Great, it picked a full one. I was hoping to let the Terrestrial take care of it, but those people need to be saved.

The owl takes flight from the roof and speeds toward the house. When arrives above the cabin, it literally stops in midair. This is because it no longer has wings. It morphs, attaining the shape of a man, or maybe an elk. Then it has both. The seven-foot elk-man drops from the air and lands in the house. Silver tattoos glow along its exterior.

"Sorry to drop in suddenly," it says in Stone's usual deadpan voice, apparently unhindered by the inhuman jaw, "but I'm afraid I need to take you both to safety." He looks around for whoever he needs to scoop up.

Spoiler

Show

Join Battle: (6d10)[10][5][2][5][9][3](34)

[Kantolin]

Beigis noted the creature's choice of target and cringed for an instant, blitzing towards the building. He grasped hold of a window (at least, he thought it was a window - in immediate retrospect it was probably simply a hole in the building) to leap in... when he noted the man from before.

This lead to a moment of hesitation before he pulled away. It seemed as though he - Stone? - had the people within helped - something that would be futile if the creature was simply permitted to continue.

Summarily, he peeked around the corner at the creature. He remained out of sight, both watching and fingering a knife. He could note the others being more direct - thus he opted to remain hidden until the creature extended itself. Better to wait to see what it could do.

Spoiler

Show

Join battle: (5d10)[3][1][1][4][9](18)

[GryffonDurime]

Miyuki's bowsnap is the first sound to fill the cold air, and the arrow catches the beast in it's cheek. It turns it's head slowly and deliberately to fix its gaze on Miyuki, and the arrow drags half it's mouth into a too-wide smile. As it turns, Taraneh catches it's attention, though her essence-filled words fail to have any visible effect.

In the momentary distraction, Stone Spring manages to get the people of the house out and running towards the plaza. Even as Beigis remains beyond the creature's attentions, the creature rears up and moves to swipe Taraneh aside, growling deeply like a brass tiger as his hoof becomes a disturbing, fleshy blade.

Spoiler

Show

See OOC for Resolutions and Tick Order.

[GryffonDurime]

The beast's attack falls short of Taraneh as she jumps back. Even still, it's sharpened hoof leaves a great gash in the snowy path. Stone backs away with a fierce look in his eyes, arms raised protectively to block off any path of ingress for the monster while the frightened mortals continue to flee towards the plaza, stumbling in fear.

[Terraoblivion]

The battle had begun and the beast seemed to hardly take notice of the actions of her and the people who seemed to help her fight it. This was bad. She was no warrior and the girl she had talked to earlier didn't seem like one either. Kneeling down she stringed another arrow, feeling the tension of the bowstring under her fingers as the power of the sun flowed into her arrow guiding it to its target, a barely audible prayer to the Unconquered Sun on her lips as she finally let it fly.

Spoiler

Show

I use my first excellency to buy six more dice to hit the creature.

Attack [rollv]12d10[/rollv]

Base damage is 4L and ping is 3L.

[Kantolin]

And there it went.

Most creatures, when shot at by a bow, recoil. They attempt to defend themselves, attempt to do /anything/ to defend themselves. A grim smile, however, is not 'anything'.

There was no sound to his step. The knife was silent as it left his hand, was silent as it split the air around it as it traveled. The essence he'd utilized was also invisible - internalized by the blade - but still there, amplifying his aim and focus.

Beigis was no longer hidden; and hopefully, this would make further conflict that much more simple.

Spoiler

Show

Utilized Joint-Wounding Attack for three motes. Beyond that, throwing a knife at him, by necessity stepping into visibility to do so.

(8d10)[51]

[GryffonDurime]

Another arrows catches the beast's other cheek and draws it's entire face into a disturbed grimace, though it remains seemingly unwounded. A knife whirs past its head, and in the distance a sound like an organ plays for Taraneh alone: a sad song, a quiet song.

Nonetheless, the beast screams with a giddy sort of rage and sickly, pulsating plates of hardened skin spring up across the monstrosity's unholy flesh.

[Ravyn]

It didn't work.... why didn't it work? Taraneh takes a step back, then narrows her eyes. Okay... resonate with what I do know. He's a shapeshifter... modulate about half a step I think.... slightly more rapid.... all right, let's see what we can do here.... And she tries the notes again, in a slightly different rhythm and with slightly different pitches; singing one, dancing a step over, singing another, upping her pitch slightly to account for the changes and singing a third; the pattern is slightly more off-key than her last, but with a definite commonality to it, and sung in notes that start loud and fade immediately like bell-tones. "All right you lug let's try this again..."

Spoiler

Show

Harmony in Opposition again. (8d10)[9][5][2][1][6][5][2][10](40)

[GryffonDurime]

Taraneh's strikes meet only empty wind as the beast's protean form slides away from each blow. In return, Stone Spring rushes forward, his own shape slipping into that of a man-shaped elk, thickly muscled and broadly built. He delivers a mighty blow, striking the beast with his antlers as he aims for it's neck with a thick hoof-like hand.

"Mockery of Luna!"

Spoiler

Show

(9d10)[1][1][8][7][8][1][6][1][9](42)