LOG START
[17:38:43] Master of Games
All Creation, Beneath the Sword
Session 13
The situation at Nathir is coming to a head. Gensuji has seized the initiative and attacked. It will not be a short or easy battle, but things look grim for the city-state.
But let us turn the hourglass back a little, as is our privilege. While the Sword Prince Gensuji was besieging Nathir, waiting for his chance, three heroes met on the Agate River and swore an oath to make this Vaneha a better place, as best they know how. And their work is cut out for them: Many designs seem to converge on Jibei and Vaneha. They’ve encountered nobles from the faraway Blessed Isle who purport to desire the Vanehan people’s freedom, but their own Scarlet Dynasty is a hungry predator and they would think our heroes demons if they knew. On the lake, the old divine court stirred, represented by the Mother of Orphans and her strange, cracked power, bent on dropping the Ninety-Nine Stars to the ground. She was appeased and parted amicably, more or less, but it would be incautious to presume we’ve heard the last of the old gods’ revenge. And they subdued the marsh bandits calling themselves the Blue Legs, crocodile-riding ruffians and smugglers from far away who agreed to join Raizo’s rebellion if the Datei would look after their leader. Said leader, Oboscu, was injured in the fighting and now lies alive, but comatose.
And that same day the news reached Jibei—there’s been a betrayal. Gensuji may have played his hand early, anxious to return home, but the advantage is his, and the dice will fall one way or the other.
Thus, it behooves heroes to be where history happens. Raizo’s fighting force is still small and fast to get ready, and both the Datei and the Quagheads know how to move people and cargo quickly and subtly on water. It should be a simple thing to intercept Gensuji’s army—if the fighting drags on and the Solars make good time, they might even make it to Nathir before it’s all over.
[18:12:16] Datei ma Kagemori
Kagemori sends a polite, if brief, notification to the throne that the urchin prince situation has been resolved. The fact that the giant crocodile situation has not been goes unsaid, but that is not what the throne asked of him to do in any case. Following that, he begins to gather supplies to meet with the Sword Prince himself before he returns. In volatile situations, being the first to give information gives one a critical edge.
[18:24:03] Raizo
Raizo sets about seeing to preparations to march, such as it is, considering that it’s a couple dozen mangy curs and some Solars moving hard and lean rather than a proper army or anything. He tells his men to pack light, only necessities; weapons, armor, enough food for the march plus a spare day. Anything else stays in Jibei or it needs not slow them down. Luckily, being mangy curs, they’re used to this sort of thing, and the Bluelegs might even be able to help the pace if there’s convenient streams to go up or down. Before setting out, Raizo leaves a letter for Sengal, stating simply: “Nathir.”
[18:27:38] River Snake
Snake travels fairly light to begin with, but sends messages to his various contacts and lackeys to get whatever unseful information about the situation at their destination to him, news can travel pretty fast, there should be someone with intel waiting somewhere en route.
[18:30:27] Master of Games
Both the Band of the Canopy and the Blue Legs are nimble enough to be ready soon—none possess much more than their equipment and the clothes on their back. They’re easy enough to explain away, too, as filthy mercenaries of the sort Datei deals with anyhow. There are even a few new faces among the Band, bright eyes in dirt-crusted faces from the outer city who have been shown a possible future free from squalor.
And off you are in record time, leaving Agate Lake before much of Jibei has quite finished digesting the news.
[18:39:06] Master of Games
All the better, for the descent to lower altitudes is always relatively slow going as the river snakes back and forth. It will be faster by a good bit once you reach the Yellow River. Before, though, you have a tail. After some hours on the river, a courier astride a nearly exhausted horse races downhill on the riverbank, seemingly waving to every larger convoy he finds in search of Raizo. He has a letter bearing the mon Raizo saw previously among V’neef Sengal’s effects.
[18:40:09] Master of Games
The letter is as simple as that Raizo sent, and seems to have been written in haste—there’s spilled ink on it. It bears a name: Sesus Mene, and Sengal’s mon and signature.
[18:40:34] Master of Games
A contact in Nathir, perhaps.
[18:44:42] Raizo
Torn between the instinct to destroy evidence and to hold onto it for later, Raizo opts to stow the letter in an empty drink gourd in case it might be relevant later. Can always eat it later or something.
[18:59:48] Master of Games
By the time you reach the lowlands, the situation at Nathir is still muddy—you’ve made better time than the news has, so far. The second courier finds your convoy at this point. Only Kagemori sees a small figure with crystal wings zoom close almost faster than the eye can look and stop at a respectful distance in front of him before verbally relaying a message:
The Anori send their regards and would ask Datei’s help in discreetly investigating the recent theft of a certain hearth-gem of particular importance to the Sword. They would be very grateful were the matter handled without causing undue concern, that is to say, without letting the Sword Prince’s family know the Anori lost their bauble.
[19:01:09] Master of Games
The sorcerous messenger dissipates after delivering its message. Perhaps the Anori don’t realize Kagemori’s out of the city yet.
[19:13:51] Datei ma Kagemori
Kagemori composes a response to send back, saying his duties to the Throne are keeping him occupied temporarily but he will inquire about it discreetly. If the thief does not know of its true value, it will likely be hard to track but easy to re-acquire.
[19:21:10] Master of Games
The message is couriered away at the next best stop. It will take some time to reach Jibei, but such is the nature of non-magical communications. A letter can’t fly on the wind.
[19:29:04] Datei ma Kagemori
Kagemori informs his Exalted companions of the message from the Aonori, and inquires if either encountered any magical rocks trying to be sold off. “Not much that can be done on the matter at the moment, in any case.”
[19:31:09] River Snake
Snake shrugs and smiles “Most of them are already gone, except this thing” As he pulls out the tiara and twirls it on a finger
[19:31:51] Raizo
”Fancy that.”
[19:32:25] Master of Games
The bauble River Snake shows off is an eight-faced pink and black tourmaline set into a black iron circlet that perfectly matches the description the Anori messenger gave Kagemori.
[19:32:25] River Snake
”It looked useful so I kept it. Havent had time to figure out what it is yet”
[19:32:33] Raizo
Raizo has a wry smirk; talent and timing should be recognized.
[19:33:49] Datei ma Kagemori
”…That does match the description quite accurately. One presumes it is indeed useful. Otherwise, they wouldn’t want it back. They did not ask about anything else, so the rest of it being gone seems to not be a concern. Or, at least, not enough of a concern to ask me about it.”
[19:34:13] Datei ma Kagemori
”We should find out what it does.”
[19:34:50] River Snake
”Any ways to check other than putting it on?”
[19:38:29] Datei ma Kagemori
”Using it is likely to be the most thorough method, but I would be surprised if it cannot be analyzed using more mundane methods.”
[19:40:08] River Snake
”If you can at least make sure its not trapped somehow, that would be nice”
[19:42:06] Datei ma Kagemori
”Well, it hasn’t killed you yet at least.” Kagemori takes the tiara and examines the filigree closely, before moving to the centerpiece. He stares deeply into the gem and tries to see if he can feel any malevolence or paranoia in its swirling, magical depths.
[19:45:59] Raizo
”Hopefully it doesn’t just eat your brain or something. Not that I could say why anyone would even keep or make such a thing, but who knows why the ancients made what they did.”
[19:46:44] Raizo
”I heard they made enormous reptiles that piss drugs. Can you believe that? Who is that even for?”
[19:47:58] Master of Games
Some of the soldiers express disbelief at that notion and call Raizo a bullshitter. One says he’d drink reptile piss if it was qat.
[19:48:35] River Snake
”I suppose if your were a drug dealer making a lizard piss it would be easier than refining it a normal way”
[19:48:45] Raizo
”You can have my share of lizard-piss qat.”
[19:50:12] Master of Games
One of the Blue Legs claims they once got the fish literally piss-drunk when relieving themselves after getting entirely too shitfaced.
[19:50:16] Master of Games
Geomancy is an honored art in Vaneha, and so Kagemori’s education has included the basics, even if he’s not Anori. The stone’s crystal exhibits the characteristic patterns of wooden essence, but in a subtle, immaterial way.
[19:50:16] Datei ma Kagemori
Kagemori does not hear this discussion, focused on the gem.
[19:51:29] Master of Games
It is a gem of emotion and idealism. There’s a dream trapped inside it, and it perceives its equal in others. The wearer could plant their own dreams in it, if they had ones worth seeing in others.
[19:52:52] Master of Games
What surprises him a little is the material the circlet is made of. Normally, he hears, such things are wrought of exquisite, dreamlike metals like gold that is the glow of the sun in physical form or gray steel with the faces of the dead inside it, but this is made, though finely, from glossy black iron that looks almost alive.
[19:56:26] Datei ma Kagemori
”You plant a dream inside this, and it lets you see if others share that dream. Or something along those lines. A dream lives inside it, in any case. … Conveniently, that lets you tell if someone else has been using it since you last used it, I suppose, if there’s a new dream in it.”
[19:57:41] River Snake
”That’s interesting”
[19:59:27] Datei ma Kagemori
”I do not believe it will kill its wearer.”
[20:01:18] Raizo
”Or make you piss drugs.”
[20:04:29] Datei ma Kagemori
”…I am reasonably sure it does not do that.”
[20:05:12] Raizo
”Probably for the best.”
[20:06:13] Datei ma Kagemori
”In any case, a useful relic, particularly for a paranoid ruler, but far from a realm-shaking wonder.”
[20:13:55] Datei ma Kagemori
Kagemori delicately places the tiara upon his head, before sitting in a lotus position and beginning to meditate to attune its Essence and his own.
[20:17:43] Master of Games
Kagemori’s essence intertwines slowly with that of the tiara. The treasure doesn’t quite offer resistance, but it feels almost reluctant to belong to him, as if it weren’t meant for him. But all the treasures of Creation are meant for the Chosen of the Sun, and as he opens his eyes again he feels the gem judging those he gazes upon with the Sword Prince’s eyes. Nobody present is committed to his cause—Raizo, arguably, comes closest, but his ideals are different.
[20:19:39] Datei ma Kagemori
”…Not the dream I expected to be within this curio.”
[20:20:04] River Snake
”That’s…ambitious”
[20:24:23] Raizo
”At least he’s modest.”
[20:25:11] River Snake
”Think this guy is another fan of the Sun?”
[20:26:51] Datei ma Kagemori
”I wonder if it can tell…Sincerity. Or recency. If I can trick this artifact, that could be a very useful ace in the hole to have. But to do so, I likely have to accept this dream, or something very close.”
[20:31:26] Raizo
”I suppose it would depend on if he has a virtuous heart to guide and soothe the people, or a greedy one, if he would care for the Sun or His wants.”
[20:31:56] Raizo
”Judging from how he’s run things so far, well, probably not.”
[20:36:09] Datei ma Kagemori
”Well, we have some time to consider what to do with it.”
[20:37:47] Master of Games
As you join the Yellow River and make your way westward, the news start to filter through River Snake’s network of informants, giving shape to what is going on at Nathir. It seems the House of Thirty Seals, the infamous lodge of demonologists that is perhaps the greatest wild card in Nathir’s defenses, has been split. The sorcerers and their demons are murdering each other in the streets, wrecking the city rather than keeping Gensuji’s army in check. It seems Gensuji overestimated how quickly the city would fold, though, and moved his army into a sorcerous battlefield rather than a burning wreck. And there’s still the regular defenders. The situation is chaos, with fighting in the streets and buildings of the city. Gensuji clearly has the upper hand, considering, but it’s impossible to say how much he’ll have to bleed for his prize.
[20:45:00] Datei ma Kagemori
”Demons running amuck. Does not sound like a righteous or harmonious realm.”
[20:46:42] River Snake
”Sounds like a mess.”
[20:47:34] Raizo
”Demons are… certainly a complication. I can lead men against men, but I’m not sure about them.”
[20:48:10] Raizo
”Not that I plan on needing to, but you never know once forces clash.”
[20:48:48] Datei ma Kagemori
”We should first prioritize getting a lay of the current situation and finding the Prince.”
[20:49:42] River Snake
”We’re not here to fight a war anyways”
[20:49:44] Raizo
”Agreed. Keep our minds on the objectives, targets of opportunity only when they don’t compromise what’s important.”
[21:04:54] Master of Games
News continues to filter in sporadically as you make good time down the river. Your company is lightly burdened and marches harder and longer than a mere mortal force without complaint. The intelligence, however, is of limited use, as the situation remains chaotic and murky. Several sorcerers are confirmed dead, but their sorcery is still around. Gensuji’s army is making slow, grueling, and brutal progress through the city, block by block instead of sweeping in victorious as he had surely hoped.
[21:06:26] Master of Games
And such is the latest report the morning you see the spires of Nathir—and the smoke rising from them—in the distance at last.
[21:12:45] Master of Games
There’s two obvious paths of approach: keep going along the river and try to reach Nathir’s port, or follow Gensuji’s path on land. The Sword Prince surely arranged for a blockade by water, but it’s hard to say what the state of it is now. His wake on land might be the most open path, but also the most obvious.
[21:24:52] Raizo
”Step one, find Gensuji. Maybe along the way, uh, patch up the holes in our kit,” Raizo says, keenly annoyed with the shabby state of affairs for his men. Lamellar missing scales, mail full of holes, threadbare gambesons and jacks, when you march on loot and you haven’t had much loot, well, you’re out of loot.
[21:25:23] Raizo
”Hopefully between Snake and Kagemori someone can find out where he is, then we can figure out a way to get to him.”
[21:31:11] Datei ma Kagemori
Kagemori looks out at the horizon, and the burning spires. “Nathir will fall, but I wonder how valuable a prize it will be after all this.”