Exalted - catch up timeskip

I can't wait more and must get back to telling you about Exalted because I adore this game so much and no one's letting me info dump my joy on them at the moment. But there's so much that's happened since I last wrote anything so I need to catch you up super fast!

Well, we fought in the Black Chase, convincing Undying Fury and The Emissary to help us. One notable thing we found was a weird black sarcophagus that filled us with dread, and which the Anathema destroyed.The fighting was fierce and we were glad we'd convinced the Anathema to join, or the Imperial Army would have been destroyed.  However, the Realm didn't see it that way, and we were returned to the Cathak estate and placed under house arrest. Following a show trial, we were sentenced to death but our unit helped us escape the night before our execution. I was worried about what would happen to our uncle, but he reassured us. I believe I painted the sunrise over his estate, using lots of the Cathak fire colours, as a parting gift. 

Somewhere around here, the Empress disappeared. We sent her Infallible Messenger messages to say we would look for her, but had no idea where to start. 

Can't remember exactly where we went, probably Nexus. Don't remember the adventures until we decided to go to Thorns.

It was horrific. We looked for our sister Mei and for Captain Ling, but found neither. Their houses were neat and tidy, though, which somehow made the Dead place creepier. Eventually ended with an epic battle against the Mask of Winters on top of their behemoth, during which we Exalted and briefly met with Ignis Divine himself, who called us his children and blessed us and told us help was on its way and it was super dramatic and I fired an arrow of golden light and I really want to write this up properly at some point but I'm racing through to get to where we are because I love where we are so damn much.

The Azure Titan and his band arrived in the Five Metal Shrike (I think these are all things from the rulebook, but please remember everything in our game is heavily adapted). He summoned the sword, Edelweiss, from its home in the sun and defended us as we ran to the Shrike (a spaceship type thing). The Emissary lost an arm and was killed, maybe? Kito and I were taken to New Meru, where we were given training in our new powers. Azure Titan (known as Big Blue to his friends) is Dawn Caste, as is Kito, and taught us about fighting. Meredith is Twilight and I love her to pieces - she looks messy and swears constantly and is probably the best sorceror to have lived. Eskill is the Zenith, the priest, and taught us about prayer. Sabine, the Night and tried to teach us stealth and subtlety and was impressed with my archery, given I was so newly Exalted. She's a bit of a tease. The Eclipse only met with me, as a fellow Eclipse, and only ever for brief periods. She taught me some stuff but not loads. We stayed in the houses that had belonged to our previous incarnations. Mine was light and airy and filled with poetry; I quickly converted an upstairs room to a studio and painted the view, painted places we visited and people we met. When we left, I knew I'd have to leave the paintings behind, which felt ok. Like a promise we'd come back. Kito was a bit surprised by his place. filled with statues and artwork that turned out to be of his previous incarnation, by his previous incarnation. They were, apparently, a bit vain. 

Eventually, we had to return to Creation proper. I think a year had passed? And I forget exactly why, but I think it was Hak we met and he said we had options about what to investigate and we decided to go to a shattered archipelego (something to do with the way Solar souls had been prevented from returning to Creation, or something, I forget). I think we started in Nexus, in the Emissary's tower, and our former unit were there and Hak suggested we call on our allies, and I sent a message to Fury and then went to open the door and he was there, the intensity of his expression emblazoned on my brain. He followed me up the stairs and sat beside me as we decided what to do. Kito was - is - still afraid of him, but I haven't been since that moment I bowed my head and apologised to him for what was done at the Hold of White Idols.

Anyway, he joins us for a few adventures, including one where we hide in a river boat that was smuggling drugs (possibly for the Empire?) and he saved me when I nearly died from breathing some of the dust, and then we went to cross the ocean to get to this archipelego. Kito used his cloud to carry us, and when he got tired, found a boat to request refuge on, but they tried to kill us. In character, I remember nothing because I was almost immediately nearly killed. Out of characetr, Fury took me below deck and worked to save my life while Kito hit his first limit break and brutally tortured and murdered the entire crew...

We made it to the land, with me still drifting in and out of consciousness. Eventually recovered but still not enough to join Kito. He found a blacksmith and there was something about him and it was the Emissary who'd used a fancy charm to live as someone else for a period of time in order to not die when the Mask of Winters killed him. 

More stuff, and we decide to go to the ruined city of Deninsor to use as a base. Lots of drama there, but I managed to attume to the hearthstone just in time to stop the automata etc from killing the others. The city is mine. We try to get a few people to come join us (secretly, safely) to get the factories running again. Kito still wary of Fury, but he's reluctant to leave us. We have to go se tup safe houses and safe routes for people to travel to us, and he stays to look after the city but I message him frequently to let him know how we are and he responds each time with "ok". But one night, when we're staying at the pub we first stayed at in whichever city it was, the Laughing Badger, I think, with Lawrence, there's a knocking and I go to the window, feeling like it might be him... and it's not. It's Lawrence at the door and I have to let him down gently. 

We find a baby solar somewhere else. Fury destroys an Immaculate Monastary: he holds them responsible for the death of his mate. Rey exalts but doesn't tell us for ages.

Eventually, we do something and have a big party to celebrate and Fury finally tells me what I'd hoped for ages: he is my lunar mate. I relax. I draw Fury as I first saw him after Exalting, but surrounded by birds. Weird dream shared with Kito, "the well is hunting you".

Game goes on sabbatical.

Picks up. A year has passed, trying to rebuid Deninsor. Emissary decides it's time to visit Speramin. Fury and Tiger join. Fury has calmed a lot over the year, and wants to be known by a former name again, Brilliant Rain. Only Taji sticks to this. He freaks them all out a bit by being so calm. He tries diplomacy with the beastmen outside, though it doesn't work until he calmly squishes the skull of one. We're led to the lunar who's set up home here. He tries talking to her, but she doesn't recognise him and the Emissary ends up crushing her. He and Kito then stroll around the perimeter of the city until they're able to unpick the magics that hold it in stasis. Kito becomes guardian of the city. Fury and I return to Deninsor, the Emissary to Nexus, and Rey and Tiger stay with Kito.

It's a bitter winter, and the heating breaks under Deninsor. My craftsmen show me what's needed to fix it, and I head to Nexus to retrieve it, getting caught in a blizzard, losing my beloved wingblade and nearly dying in the process, but eventually make it. The Emissary figures out some of what I put myself through and I feel bad: people died the previous winter because I delegated, and this winter I nearly died because I didn't. He is sympathetic, understanding that I'm trying to learn but swinging from one extreme to another. He helps me get the piece back safely. I try to downplay the experience, but Fury holds me while I cry and doesn't ask difficult questions.

I miss Kito. We see each other rarely. Fury has to visit his holdings, a pilgrimage he has undertaken before, and I miss him too. I find being alone very hard. I paint a huge piece, depicting the Emissary's Tower, and figure out a way to send it to him to be a surprise. It will take months to arrive.

Hak visits and sets us a task, to learn about Death Knights. He suggests we capture one. I visit Kito to plan, bringing things I've found in Deninsor I think will make good gifts for Kito, Rey and Tiger - and Kito's lunar mate (Kestrel), who's shown up and I haven't heard much about except that she's there. Turns out, she was travelling with a friend who is Tiger's solar mate (Violet). Feel bad I haven't brought anything for her.

There's a couple of Shadowlands we consider starting in. One is not far from the floating mountain Metagalapa, and Kito wonders if we could hide the death knight under there. We go to investigate. He flies up it with Tiger and Kestrel; I stay on the ground with Fury and Violet. We're there long enough I get restless, and we creep beneath the mountain, quickly deciding it is not a place to bring a creature of darkness. Fury tells us to stay quiet and leave quietly, and I do not argue: something swims through the ice beneath our feet, and it frightens even him. We set up campfire. I fret about Kito, but the others reassure me. Fury sings a lunar song of the First Age; I lie nestled into him, sketching his hands. We sleep, and are woken by Hak, who takes us into the mountain. The group there have discovered it's a crashed Directional Titan; the Emissary is already there, cackling with glee. My heart sinks: Kito looks so happy without me and with his new friends, and now he's found a better gift for the Emissary than I could ever provide, I squish the feeling, try not to let it add to the sense of loss and inadequacy that's been building. Kito goes back to Speramin to make use of the genesis lab to create a temporary crew for the Titan. There were 4 in the First Age, flying battleships powerful enough to destroy a whole city, and Kito has found the newest.While he's in Speramin, I explore. It's beautiful, carrying a pattern of cherry blossoms, a sense of the fury of nature, of working with nature to protect nature. I assist the Emissary as he makes as many repairs as possible. He thanks us with weapons and armour from the sets that matched the decor. Working with my hands, carrying out the repairs, it helps stem some of the sense of loss and helplessness I've been feeling.

The Emissary and Hak work to move the mountain that had formed on the back of the Directional Titan (as people were living on it); they adjusted Fate so it seemed as though it had always been in its new place. Even though I watched them  move it, it still affected me. Strange experience. The Emissary finds a place to hide the Titan that's equidistant between Nexus, Deninsor and Speramin. We return to our respective cities to make sure things are ok (I sort out a few disputes that the team I'd left in charge had struggled with - Cainen, Rhiannon etc are good fighters but aren't so strong as city leaders. They do their best).

Kito, Rey, Fury and I meet up again and last minute decide to go to a different Shadowland than originally planned. We explore the ruins during the day, but realise we'll need to go in at night to actually find anyone. Waiting outside, Fury tells us the history of this place: a mad king who burnt the entire city as funerary offerings, creating a Shadowland in the process.

Night falls. As the sun dips below the horizon, green fire restores the city to... not life, but some mirror of it.

Rambles

It feels strange to write here, like I have to pretend I'm not in mourning when I am, or like I have to pretend I'm so deep in mourning that nothing else exists.

And neither's true. Both are true. It's never as simple as black and white; when we think that way, we don't just miss the shades of grey, but a full spectrum of colour.

Going through this bereavement with an understanding that I am autistic and have ADHD helps me understand a lot more about how I have handled (and not handled) grief in the past. It's still a tangled mess in my head; I might find the words one day but at the moment I'm still getting the sense and shape of it.

And this isn't where I wanted to go with my writing here today.

I've been rediscovering my tactile creative side: Ziggy (who now prefers Zigzag as a nickname. He says Zigzag is his Blood Bowl name, and his real name has been relegated to his "other name") let me play with his air-dry clay and I can see that becoming a real hyperfixation if I let it. It was pleasurable to mold the clay, and the ways it shaped surprised me. Waiting for our projects to dry so we can decorate them.

The anthology I'm published in is out in paperback here. I don't get royalties or commission or anything, but I am excited to share it.

What did I want to talk about today? I want to share my joy in the Exalted I'm playing in. I'm back in Second Age Exalted as envisiged by Rich, playing Taji alongside Bells as her twin brother, Kito. I love the relationship between the twins - I really enjoy having a close relationship with another PC. And there's wonderful relationships with the NPC's too, and they are different for each twin. Kito is terrified of Taji's lunar mate, for instance, yet Taji is utterly and deeply in love with him. She knows he's dangerous, but sees him as guardian rather than threat. Then there's the Emissary, a character from the meta but taken into his own by our GM, a friend and mentor - even a father figure - for the twins, supporting them individually as well as guiding them together. I really enjoy the depth of character Rich has created for each of the major NPC's, whether entirely his creation, or inspired by characters named in the book. The love, the fear, the laughter. It's an important part of TTRPG campaigns for me: it's the relationships that keep bringing me back.

I want to offer that to my Hunter group, help them build the bonds between the PC's and give them friendships, meaningful relationships outside as well. I want to give them the ties to make them fight harder...

I'm not sure how to do this, and I won't know what I need to learn until I've tried.

First session hopefully in Feb. Got to confirm and finalise a date.

Wish me luck!

Exalted - Our First Command

This is the story of our Second Age Exalted game, told from the point of view of my character, Cathak Taji. Click here for the index.

~~~

 

We headed north, knowing we couldn't take on the Bull (yet) but determined to learn as much about him as possible. The journey was uneventful: we rested at Port Kaylen, where the gate guard slept as we walked past. The inn we stayed in was cheap, pleasant in itself, but run by a harridan. We were back at Highcastle by the next evening. Rey greeted us with good news: she'd been reassigned with us as the Empress pulled some strings after our visit, and was glad to be out of the cold. She led us to Rose Black and the leader of House Tepet to make our promotion official. Our new unit was the 73rd Regiment, a scale within the 33rd Legion. Our first mission had the primary objective of coming back alive: to the north was The Hold of White Idols, a rice farming region whose produce supplied much of the Realm and Threshold, but they'd gone quiet recently and we were to learn why. On our way, we were to stop at a holding of one of the lesser Houses of Ledaal. She gave us a Hearthstone amulet that would allow us to contact her, our medals of office showing us as Scale Lords, and sent us on our way.

We picked our way through the campsite to reach our scale, their tents in a semicircle that broke the perfect order of the camp. 6 who appeared to be normal humans, and 6 Dynasts: 3 from Tepet, 2 from Cathak and 1 Ledaal, Sven. He called us "kids", but I managed not to rise to his baiting. We were young, and I knew we'd soon prove we were there on merit.

They were the troublemakers, which delighted me. It meant they could think.

We found a rabbit in Kito's bed that night. I was set to punish them or at least get revenge, but Kito calmed me and I listened. We fashioned it a harness and named it 'Ghost' and kept it as a mascot. It was a sweet thing, white with black spots.

We left in the morning and got to know our unit as we travelled. Cathak Cainan was particularly grizzled and seemed to have the most leadership experience. The other member of our House, Kou, was the youngest of the Dynasts, an Immaculate Monk wearing a tunic with a leaping flame motif. House Tepet was represented by Rihannon, a blonde-haired older woman with a reaper diklaive and an excellent cook, Elena, who felt familiar until it struck me she reminded me of the Rose Black, and Hoarst, whose bald head was one of the shiniest things I'd ever seen, and who seemed... shifty. He kept grumbling about the cold. Ledaal Sven had fair hair and skin, blue eyes and light stubble, and seemed young and irreverent. Everything was a joke to him - I had no doubt he was behind Ghost's appearance. Of the mortals, Osada and Iki were married. They wore full plate armour as though it were nothing, and had strange amulets grafted into their wrists. Matsu Dairu had a pair of ornate guns with which he was very skilled.

After half a day's travel, Sven was already bored. We could hear running water and headed toward it. Before we reached the river, we found a giant rock gouged with great clawmarks indicating we were passing into an Anathema's territory. After a quick discussion, we decded to take the risk as the river would vastly speed up our travel. Once we reached it, Cainan oversaw the building of a raft while Rihannon, a good fisherman and cook, prepared a meal. Osada, Rey, Elena and I secured the perimeter, and I learnt more about Osada and Iki's armour. It wasn't full plate, but "gonzai" armour, linked to the amulets. It's a special kind of power armour that can be used by those who can't normally channel essence, but it halves their lifespan. In thanks for such a sacrifice, the Realm promises to look after their families and gives them a command. He met Iki through this, and they're here rather than commanding their own unit because they're coming to the end of their time and "well, I'm not the type to die in bed, so I'm refusing to retire." I could respect that.

Cainan and I were sharing watch when the tyrant lizard attacked that night, crashed through the trees towards our camp. I fired arrows into it as Cainan swung at it. It bent its mighty head and caught him in his jaws, lifting to swallow him, but in that instant he flared so that it looked like it was breathing fire for a moment and cut his way free, the sword getting wedged as he finally fell. I fired an arrow into its open mouth and must have hit a nerve that caused the jaws to snap shut, lodging the sword deep into the creature's brain. We looked at each other with the joy of hard fought victory. There's good eating on a tyrant lizard. Rihannon joined us in time to organise the creature's dissection, splitting the parts into edible, valuable, useful and detritus.

The river raced us along until we reached an offshoot used to irrigate the fields of the Ledaal holding. We saw fewer people than we'd expected, but it seemed to be very efficient. Overseers stared as we floated past,visibly relaxing when they saw the  Imperial red armour worn by some of the unit.

After tying up the raft, we were led to Overseer Vash, a corpulent man grown comfortable in his position. He introduced us to his servant George and showed us around. Housing for the workers and livestock was pointed out and dismissed as he led us to the gardens, replete with ornate topiaries and pristine lawns and flower beds. Even the ivy clinging to the buildings was immaculate. The stables housed horses of particularly fine eastern stock. As we approached the main house, servants tripped out and lined up as though for an inspection. Vash then offered his hospitality for as long as we might want, his obsequious bow and unctuous grin failing to hide his desire it wouldn't be long: with so many Dynasts in our party, perhaps he thought he was being replaced. He then began a detailed tour of the house, and this was when we noticed Hoarst was missing. Kito left Sven in charge, and we snuck off to look for him.

We found him in a study, feet on table, flicking through paperwork, looking, he explained, for any dodgy dealings. Behind him, a painting rested on the floor to expose a safe in the wall, the open door revealing a jewellery box filled with large gems, and two talents of yellow jade! Hoarst chuckled at our shocked expressions. 

"There was more." He indicated the paperwork. "Our Overseer Vash has been dealing with the Azlanti." And not just the Azlanti: he showed us where 12 talents had been paid to the Azlanti, 5 to the Guild (for slaves), and finally 5 to the Realm. Payments had been coming later and later and with less and less interest, so the Realm had become suspicious. This was the real reason we'd been told to go via this site. He explained something the Rose Black had omitted telling us: each member of our unit has their own purpose and their own mission. This was his.

As we helped him restore the room, I discovered a secret compartment in the safe, holding a key labled 73256. Hoarst pocketed the guide and promised to keep digging, but seemed genuinely impressed I'd found the key. We rejoined the tour briefly: Sven was doing a fantastic job of keeping Vash occupied, so we slipped off again to look for a bigger safe. 

 

Kito suggested the wine cellar, figuring a safe as large as we're expecting would have to be underground. As we walked, Hoarst explained the unit's recent history. The previous leader, Scale Lord Chow, faced down an Anathema so the rest could escape, but even so half the unit had died. 

The wine cellar was filled with expensive bottles of wine and spirits, and barrels of various sizes, up to some several metres in diameter laid on their sides. One of these sounded empty so I fiddled around and found a catch that opened the front, revealing a large metal door. The key fitted the latch, and the number turned out to be the code. The wall the barrel had been pressed against wasn't, as it had appeared, been the edge of the cellar. While the room had been large, where we now stood was even larger. The size and structure made us think the room had to be Shogunite, or even older, but was clearly in current use. The wine stored here was worth even more than that we'd already seen. There were green jade talents stacked fairly near the door, artworks and other items dotted around. Kito found a small box in green jade. Opening it, we found 8 needles around the length of a finger and the diameter of a stem of wheat, 2 in each of the magical materials. We recognised them as Wound Healing Needles and hid them in my bag. A fine pair of gloves next caught our eyes, chased in orichalcum. The left included a Hearthstone socket. Kito identified them as Gloves of Martial Readiness, and again we squirrelled them away. I picked up a small orichalcum chevron, that could clip over a belt buckle, and spent a moment attuning to it. Throwing it to the ground caused it to expand until I could stand on it, hovering. It responded to my awkward movements and my feet felt secured. With practice, I knew it would make a very useful archery platform (I'd later learn it was known as a Wind Blade Class Personal Transport, and it remains one of my favourite possessions). Finally was another small jade box, with motifs picked out in moonsilver, locked and dusty like it had been discarded. Kito attuned to this which allowed him to open it and discover a plasma tongue repeater, like the one the Highcastle Quarter Master had given us, complete with ammo. I restored my wind blade to belt buckle sized and shared a look with Kito: there was a lot of orichalcum in the room.

What we found there made us look more closely at the yellow jade Hoarst had found in the office. Stamped by the Imperial Mint but dated to the first 5 or 6 years of the Shogunite. We took these and rejoined our unit, throwing the jade down in front of Vash with our accusations. He prevaricated and tried to justify himself, but before he got far Elena's blade flashed past, beheading him. I was shocked and angry, wanting to hear more, especially about where he'd found the orichalcum items (Anathema tombs, but we didn't learn the location), and frustrated that she was acting on orders from above me and about which I knew nothing. I understood this wasn't unusual in an army situation, but I felt undermined and that was nearly unbearable. I suppressed my feelings and gave instructions to split up and find more evidence.

As the others amassed paperwork and such in the great hall, I found a hidden room behind the kitchen - I had to squirm through the back of a cupboard to reach it. Inside was a strange device, with an array of buttons and blinking lights. I didn't recognise any of the symbols and curiously tapped a couple of the buttons. The lights and some symbols changed. I tapped again, and the blinking intensified. An alarm sounded. I frantically batted more of the buttons until the blinking and alarm synced into what sounded like a countdown. I bolted from the strange room and started yelling for everyone to evacuate. As I reached the edge of the gardens, I saw a large, metal dragon-shape break out of the house and explode. I was shaken but not injured, unlike Kito who'd been trying to rescue servants. He was bleeding profusely when I found him, badly bruised all over with his leg twisted beneath him. We laid him out carefully, and I tested the needles. To my relief, they worked. Guards came running over, but Sven led them off. I instructed our unit to clear the ruin, and we got the surviving servants to prepare the guest house as the main residence.

 

As Kito came to, he pointed out there was no essence in the area. The device must have been similar to a Thousand Forged Dragon, though with less destructive power. All the same, it shouldn't have been possible to accidentally enter the launch code. Either I got very, very unlucky, or those things have a lifespan and become unstable towards the end. That might explain why there was less damage, too... Either way, I was just grateful my brother was ok and the damage not as bad as it might have been.

Exalted - Calibration and Manse Building

This is the story of our Second Age Exalted game, told from the point of view of my character, Cathak Taji. Click here for the index.

~~~

It was the run up to Calibration in the year 757, making us 17. We'd been in the army a couple of years, been promoted a few times. Reilly sent us back to Rose Black at High Castle, not giving us time to see Rey before we left. When we got there, the quartermaster greeted us: we'd sent back the various things he'd asked for every opportunity we'd had, and to show us his gratitude he gave us a power bow and a flame tongue repeater, with ammo pearls and a kit to make more.

My overriding memory of our return to High Castle was the sheer number of Dynasts strutting around the place. Rose Black called us to her as soon as she could, to explain that we'd been in the army long enough to be allowed home for an extended period, even to leave. However, she continued, they had a continuing real problem with beastmen and we'd proven ourself against them, and in particular she was worried by a threat from the north, an Anathema calling themselves "The Bull of the North". If we came back, she'd give us our own command. We looked at each other, torn: I wanted to go home and see my family, but I liked Rose Black a lot, and I knew this would help the Empress too, and beastmen were a menace, and I think Kito felt similarly. She read our inner conflict and told us we didn't have to make a decision until after Calibration and sent us back to Gruncle's.

The Emissary joined us to travel back and invited us to a sorcerors' meet, a feast from the end of the First Age. It's held on the nights when the rituals to summon the most dangerous demons must begin: by gathering the most powerful sorcerors together, this can't happen without knowledge. The Realm doesn't following the tradition and it's fallen out of practice. He wants to bring it back. The Empress can't attend due to her position (though says she may come in disguise).

We talked with him about Lunar's Warriors. He called them Stewards and explained they're paired with Lawgivers. The Bull of the North, we learn, is a Lawgiver, but won't be open to negotiation: he'll see us as representing a force trying to oppose him. The Emissary showed uncharacteristic emotion then, looking demonstrably worried: there should be 300 Lawgivers, but he only knows of Tsung (the Seer) and the Azure Titan (our former incarnations' mentor). With the Bull of the North, that's 4, or 6 if he's right about our destiny.

When we reached Gruncle's, Hak's there and we showed him the bush where Kito saw the mouse. He told us we're truly blessed. 

Once we'd been greeted by everyone and been fed and fussed, I sought Gruncle alone in his office - the one with the stunning view over the Estate that makes it look like the grounds are aflame as the sun sets. It was an awkward conversation, but I walked away  reassured that if Kito and I do end up Anathema then he will at least still talk to us, and he knew I understood he would protect us as best he could, but had to put the safety of the House first.

And then the Emissary told us it was time to leave for the feast. He drew a glass globe from his sleeve and dropped it to the floor, where it shattered to dust that rose to create a shimmering, transparent door. He opened it and ushered us into a corridor of similar doors, with large double doors at one end. Others of the doors like we'd entered by opened and people came through until around 25 people stood there. We walked through the main doors and I realised we were approaching a manse, somewhere in Elsewhere - that place that isn't the Wyld, isn't Creation, but is everywhere else. From the steps to the Manse door walked down two inhuman women, perfect mirror to each other, with strange metallic tattoos or engravings across their skin.

Most of the guests seemed snobby. Not rude towards us, exactly, but uninterested. The Seer - Tsung - was about the only exception, and the Emissary didn't seem entirely pleased by our acquaintance. We didn't recognise him to begin with, but I, at least, was pleased to see him. We talked to him about things we'd struggled to get others to explain to us, and finally learnt the significance of the white mouse and the symbol Kito had seen: a boon from the Unconquered Sun, a symbol of his favour, a moment of luck or inspiration to help overcome insurmountable odds, and very, very rare. His favourites may see one or two in their entire lives.

The food was incredible, which made up for how lonely it started to feel.

In the morning, the Emissary took us and Hak to check on some of his freeholdings in the west, leading us through a set of sliding doors to a mountainside overlooking the ocean. An archipelago stretched out, leading to a larger island in the northeast, but we walked away from the view toward the mountaintop, a blackened caldera. The heat haze and a wisp of smoke showed this to be dormant, not extinct. All the same, even at the centre the heat felt merely uncomfortable and not deadly as I'd expected. As the Emissary reached through the solid rock, I activated my All Encompassing Sorceror's Sight and realised there were no elementals around. He pulled on an orichalcum chain the other side of the rock, and the heat dissipated, the mountain melting with it to leave an evergreen forest. It felt unnatural: we hadn't left the tropical region, so these trees were distinctly out of place. 

"This is the first freehold," our expressions led him to explain more. "A freehold is a stable area in the Wyld," and he went on to explain the Wyld we'd been in before had been the Border Marches. We were now in the Middle Marches and beyond that was the Deep Wyld, chaos unformed. I looked more closely at our surroundings and realised we stood in a bubble: there was a distinct circumference around us where the trees and bushes were well-formed, moreso even than in Creation, but beyond that things started to blur.

We followed the Emissary as he led us to the Deep Wyld, the bubble continuing to protect us. A path formed as he trod, and we took care to stay on it. Beyond that was darkness - the darkness of a child's room, filled with monsters. Nothing there, yet everything.

He created a safe area for the 3 of us to wait in while he worked, and we chatted with Hak. He told us he'd never been to the Deep Wyld before: Viziers like him rely on Ambrosia - on prayers made manifest - but Lawgivers, frustrated by the limitations of Ambrosia, had learnt to manipulate the Wyld. 

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Very."

Golems stepped into existence around the Emissary, 12ft tall and golden. No, not gold: orichalum. Once there were 12, they knelt to him; he looked discomforted by the servitude, and tired by their creation. They returnedwith us, and Hak quietly explained to Kito and me that things created in the Wyld become unstable in Creation - further magics are required to give them solidity here, or they degrade. The magics were lost in the First Age: maybe 5 people have the knowledge now, and only 3 the power. 

The Emissary sent the golems around the island, which I now realised the caldera marked the very centre of, as we sat on its edge. He waited about 40 minutes - to allow them to get to the right places or for the sun to be in the right place, I wasn't sure - then clapped his hands as though into prayer and was hit by a torrent of light from the sun, cascading from him to flood the island until it reached what I surmised were the golems: 12 beams of light returned to the sky and expanded out to create a shield. As soon as the shield was complete, a 4-armed creature climbed from the soil to patrol the island, and magma began to bubble, rising from the ash of the caldera to reveal a simple sructure made of a composite of the 5 magical materials. The domed roof opened and the Emissary sank in.

Hak looked interested. As far as he'd known, only one person could do this, and that was the first sorceror, who'd been given her power by the Unconquered Sun.

A door appeared in the structure and the Emissary stepped out. He explained he had 30 planned, but could only manage maybe 10 this Calibration. Our offer of help was accepted, and Kito summoned a cloud to take us to the next location, a tiny rock in the ocean barely big enough for the 4 of us. The remaining golems (slightly smaller now) took their places beneath the waves and again pillars of light rose from them. The island seemed to shift as the ritual continued; once complete, a throne of glass waves stood before us, with a basin on a pedestal. The Emissary scooped out the ball bobbing in the bowl and explained there was a second manse below, which he'd created in a set of ancient ruins, and that was the relay manse to match the one he'd created earlier.

We took a portal to Gruncle's garden: stepping through felt a lot like walking through the Deep Wyld.

I peppered the Emissary with questions, of course. Manses are created during Calibration and are best given years of planning. There are many ways to use a manse that have been lost since the First Age - to learn more about that, I'd need to Meru herself, but the great city is no longer on top of the Imperial Mountain. He'd looked and found nothing but the ruins of hovels, long picked clean: no signs of the glory of the city.

There were feasts every night for the next four nights. The other guests continued to be uninterested in interacting with us, but the food and drink were phenomenal. The mirrored twins wore increasingly elaborate outfits: black fabric that flowed like water; a strange, metallic or stone-like material in white and silver; greens in a leafy, flowery, viney pattern; and finally, flickering, fiery reds.

We helped build manses again the second day, again in very remote spots: a section of a tropical island gave a multi-tiered tree; a four-armed statue of the Unconquered Sun, facing the Realm, above a small bay, where a rock formation created a natural wind tunnel that enhanced the sound of the crashing waves; an abandoned mine in the side of an equally abandoned quarry became a steel disc inscribed with runes supporting a throne and pedestal on a small island not far from a Shadowland (which had grown a lot since his last visit, 200 years perviously). On some of these, I saw statues as we left: the golems settling to take the exact appearance of those statues outside Nexus, with the Emissary's features.

The Emissary didn't take us if he did anymore on later days, but Mum took me to a manse in the north of the Realm to attune the hearthstone in her bracers.

It was good to spend time with our family, because we'd made up our minds what to tell Rose Black: the Bull of the North was a real threat, one even I appreciated we couldn't take on yet, but we would need to one day, so we might was well take the opportunity to learn as much about him as possible with our own recon unit.

Amaryllis "Blazing Shield of the Sun" (Exalted First Age Solar)

As well as the Second Age Exalted game featuring Taji which I'm slowly writing up, Rich has been running a First Age game for Bells (Kito)  and Ash, another of their friends. I was invited in, as Ash is going to join our Aberrant game (which starts next week 😀).

Game Background
Bells and Ash are playing teenagers, brand new Solar Exalts attending Meru High. They've both inherited cities and vast fortunes from their previous incarnations and are learning about what it means to be Exalts. It's an alternate history of the Second Age game, so there's a few familiar names and faces, which is fun. 

As with the Second Age game, various liberties have been taken with the official setting.

Character Background
I've joined as an older Exalt, a Zenith by the name of "Blazing Shield of the Sun" who also still goes by her mortal name of Amaryllis. She Exalted maybe 100 years ago, so is still young in Solar terms. Her Lunar mate (Nevalia or Nevaris, depending if they're in female or male form) is older again (several points in the Ally background). They're close, friends and lovers, currently with an adopted daughter Mara (a few points of the Ward or Dependent flaw, forget the name), though they have raised other children that one or other has birthed (need to double check that about Nevalia, but I assume they've both carried babies). Amaryllis is also the ruler of Ondar-Shambal (inherited from her previous incarnation), and is a devoted follower of the Unconquered Sun. She has a following within Ondar-Shambal (Cult) that she finds embarrassing and does her best to reflect the praise to Ignis Divine.

Personality
Amaryllis's overriding trait, the one that gives her the form of her Great Curse, is Compassion. She can't stand by if she sees innocents suffering ("greater curse" flaw means her trigger track is shorter than normal). This is how Mara came to be in her custody: she arrived too late to stop the destruction of a town caught between two warring factions. The only survivor was a young girl, whom she immediately took in.

At the opposite end, her Temperance is very low, meaning she acts compulsively and, when not actively engaged in praying to the Unconquered Sun, is restless and finds it hard to sit still. Her Deliberative paperwork is vastly out of date, she rarely shows up for non-religious official events she's expected to attend, and she's easily distracted. Fortunately for her health, she overindulges as much in healthy things as unhealthy: she's always eating fruit, trains rigorously in martial arts for the pleasure of movement, enjoys sex and parties, drinks too much, reads romance and adventure (but nothing non-fiction unless she has to)...

She's a loyal friend, fiercely protective and hates letting people down. She worries that her lack of temperance makes her unworthy to lead Ondar-Shambal but trusts Lytek knew what he was doing when he chose her.

Attributes and Abilities
She's quick-witted, sharp-eyed, smart, charismatic, tough and resilient. She loves martial arts and is an effective fighter - though she's rarely been called on to use her skills for real, and even when she has, it's been to defend an innocent (or innocent group) from someone significantly less powerful than herself. Her love of movement extends to high acrobatics. She's got a good stage presence that helps her lead group worship, and prayer is a big focus for her. 

While she never had the patience or commitment to learn sorcery, Nevalia/Nevaris is an accomplished sorceror and some of the knowledge has rubbed off on Amaryllis.

As well as being a religious centre, Ondar-Shambal is an active trading partner and, despite the tedium of it, she has become fairly skilled in bureaucracy as a result

Most of her charms relate to resilience, acrobatics and martial arts. Her hearthstones focus on memory and reading (to help her complete necessary tasks she finds dull as quickly as possible), and healing.

The Game...
May or may not get written up at some point.

Exalted - The Death of Raven

This is the story of our Exalted game, told from the point of view of my character, Cathak Taji. Click here for the index.

~~~

Tiger reached the temple doors as they opened in a swirl of feathers. Raven stood there, muscular male torso bared, but a bird's head and a pair of huge black-feathered wings. Twirling a silver daiklave as though it were a twig, he leapt at Tiger and landed a blow. In response, Tiger's form shifted, becoming sleeker, leaner, faster. Raven flew up high, gathering essence to him - realising he was casting sorcery, Kito and Ray ran for cover, but I hadn't taken my eyes from him since he emerged and he was still just inside the range of my bow. I drew the string back far enough to hurt, pictured white mice and the symbol Kito had found, whispered a prayer, and loosed the arrow. It took all my courage, but I watched the arrow fly true. It glanced against the beast - not enough to distract him, but I hit him.

There was no immediate effect to Raven's casting. The 5 beastmen who'd made it into the temple now raced out, dressed for battle and armed with bows - which was when volcanic tentacles erupted from the ground, lashing at Ray, Tiger and Kito but ignoring me, still hidden in the forest. Tiger fought the tentacles, but Ray backed off and Kito ran into the temple. The remaining beastmen chased after him, so Ray followed.

The tentacles had flailed as individuals, but with only one target remaining I saw Raven focus on them, and those Tiger hadn't destroyed stilled then turned on my ally, one wrapping itself around him and the others then smashing into him. He looked awful; I knew I had to do something, for all I felt out of my depth. I braced myself against the trunk of the tree I stood in, and took careful aim at Raven once more. Again, I managed to hit! The tentacle dropped Tiger, but my relief lasted barely an exhale as Raven dove through the foliage to me. I dropped from my branch as his blade sliced through where I had been standing, turning a killing blow to a glancing one, compounded with bruising as I landed awkwardly. Raven returned to the sky as I tried to hide.

Curling up in the roots of a tree,I looked back up to see Tiger had transformed into a roc and Ray standing near the temple doors. Raven swooped at Tiger, who rose above, shifted back to human and drew his axe as he fell to land on Raven's back. Ray's lance flashed past, close but missing both. Tiger roared as he swung his axe - an impossible arc, he'd clearly missed... and yet somehow twisting to cut through Raven.

They fell, one of Raven's wings spiralling separately.

Kito emerged from the temple as I disentangled myself from the jungle. Ray left to retrieve the lance and Kito checked on Tiger, which left me to look to Raven. A young-looking man, fine-boned with a pointed, beak-like nose. I decapitated the body. Tiger left the head for us to take back as a gory trophy, gave the daiklave to Kito and burnt the rest of Raven. He would fix the damage Kito had attempted to inflict on the manse and claim it as his own. I looked around at this warm, tranquil spot and envied him, swore to myself I would have a manse at least as fine as this of my own, one day.

The journey back to the camp felt anti-climatic after that. We told Captain Riley that we'd found Raven and the beastmen dead when we reached the village, but he didn't believe us and blamed Ray's leadership for us disobeying his direct order not to get involved. Ray was angry, clear even through the faceless armour, stated we should be being rewarded for this, and insisted on taking a few days off. The armour cracked open then, and a tall woman stepped out, with long, blonde hair and vibrant green eyes. "And for the record, Riley, fuck you," she spat as she spun on her heel and left the room. We followed like lost sheep, and she sent us to rest, explaining she'd be visiting a village a few miles up river.

She's gone when we woke. We spent a couple of anxious weeks trying to keep our heads down and doing general camp tasks, and then she was back, with no further comment. Everything continued as if she'd never left, never sworn at Riley. We stayed with the camp for another year and half, earning a few promotions and continuing to serve under Ray. Once we reached the point where we'd been in the army for 2 years (making us about 17), Captain Riley sent us back to the Rose Black at High Castle.

#RPGaDay2018: Day 25 - Name a game that has had an impact on you in the last year

Exalted.

That was easy!

Guess I should expand a little on why I've chosen Exalted...

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll have seen my write-ups of the game. If you're interested, the index is here. Where I've written up to so far happen over a year ago, but hopefully you can see some of what I love about the game in what you've read.

It's intensely character driven, with our characters at the heart of it. The "destined hero" story can be pretty boring to me when I read it or see it in films, but in Exalted I'm loving it - partly because of the slow reveal of the extent of our importance and ancestry and so on, but mostly because I'm sharing the limelight with another player I relish playing alongside, with a pair of interesting, well-connected and well-rounded characters. Despite - hell, because of - our ancestry and destiny, the ally-PC's don't give us an easy time, although they will help us out. They also feel rounded and realistic, and we've built close bonds with several of them (I have suspicions on the motivations of some, which makes it even more interesting).

Some time after where I've written to so far, Taji and Kito do manage to Exalt, becoming Solars and learning more about their ancestry (which raises a lot more questions they aren't in an easy position to get an answer to). Kito has an emotional arc involving a young lady he falls for prior to Exaltation, which relationship he feels he has to end subsequently, due to knowing he has a Lunar mate out there somewhere, while Taji has to deal with confused feelings towards one NPC for similar reasons - and because attraction isn't something she knows how to deal with! They've met some very dangerous beings, both as potential foes and potential allies. They've been afraid for their lives and each other's, saved the lives of others, and made difficult decisions. They've learnt about themselves, grown up - grown apart and closer.

Having played the characters from the days before their 8th birthday to their early 20's, I feel very intensely about them and their fate beyond even what I normally feel for characters I've played for a while. I had this with Kella, too; I think it's the bond with the other characters and the story that means the game has such an impact on me. 

We took a break within the last 12 months to play Mage*, and the place we paused the game was so beautiful and so right, with the arm of her love around Taji's shoulder - and an ominous note promising more danger arriving in the morning.

 And you? What game's had an impact on you this year?

 

*We've just finished the first arc of Mage, which means we'll be playing some First Age Exalted for a bit (gotta claim the city of Sperimin) before returning to Aberrant (with a new player from the First Age Exalted game), and then we'll be returning to whatever Exalted age it is we play in normally which I'm really excited about! And we'll alternate between these games as we spiral them towards their various conclusions.

#RPGaDay2018: Day 20 - Which game mechanic inspires your play the most?

This is a weird question for me to try to answer. I'm not sure any game mechanic does inspire my play! Maybe if I played more of the newer, story-based games, but I still mostly play older-style stuff, like White Wolf etc (just in a character driven manner).

The best I can go with is merits/flaws, advantages/disadvantages, edges/hindrances or whatever you want to call them. I love these, especially the flaws - and not just for the extra character points, though that's what drew me in initially. These days, I like them for their own sakes. 

Take Amaryllis 'Blazing Shield of the Sun', my new First Age Solar Exalt for the game I've gatecrashed. When we generated Taji and Kito, we didn't look at the merits and flaws: we were playing children, so let them grow naturally via roleplay and are rewarded when we play up to our self-created flaws by the opportunities that come out of them rather than with xp. With Amaryllis, my GM said I could 'earn' up to 7 bonus points by taking flaws, though I could take as many points of flaws as I wanted. I ended up with 8, because there were two flaws that really stood out to me.

For the first, Solar Exalts have this curse that means when they're exposed to certain triggers they have to make virtue rolls and mark successes on a track which, when full, causes them to go off the rails a bit. The track usually has 10 boxes, but with this particular flaw, you can reduce the number of boxes by the number of points of the flaw you take, up to 5. I wanted all 5. Her particular version - a compassion limit that means she'll take the most direct route to stop innocent suffering, even if it's not the most sensible, safe or even reasonable - sounds like it'll be really good fun to play.

The second, I was inspired by The Emissary in our other Exalted game, and the way his life changed when Kito and Taji arrived. The flaw, 'ward' means the character has someone they look after who periodically gets into trouble they need saving from. I laughed as I read it, and pointed out that The Emissary must have acquired this when he met us. Yep, agreed the GM, the full 5 points, twice. I took the flaw at 3 points, feeling this was a good balance between risking the ward's antics taking over a game I'm kinda a bit-part in, and still getting to experience that feeling of responsibility. It works well with the other flaw, too: her great compassion meant that when she found the young, traumatised child, rather than do the sensible thing and find someone who was good parenting, she took Mara in herself and swore to protect her.

Along with her high compassion and low temperance (other Exalted mechanics), this has given me a quick in-road to a character joining an established game, making it easier to settle in to her faster.

What about you? Is there a game mechanic that inspires you? Let me know!

#RPGaDay2018: Day 19 - What music enhances your game?

Just listen to the open few bars of that. I'll explain in a bit.

My GM's have used music to inspire sessions or set scenes for pretty much as long as I've been gaming. I remember being in a room in the Renraku Arcology in the Shadowrun game right back at the start, with all these dolls who turned their heads to me and sung my name in creepy voices "Kamayaaa, Kamayaaa", a scene presaged when the GM started the session by playing the intro to a metal track he enjoyed. I'm not sure which song it was, but the intro was a bunch of kids singing about how they were going to get you...

The game most inspired by music was the World of Darkness campaign I played in at uni. I will always think of that game when I hear "The Final Countdown" by Europe, and The Pixies "Where is My Mind?" is the song for Malkav for me, but it's REM's "End of the World" where the GM took the most effort. He went through the song, making sure each line showed up somewhere in the Werewolf, Vampire or Hunter game. I'll never forget the NPC hunter we met as he paddled into Hudson Bay in a small dinghy to face down the Godzilla-monsters (Mokolé in their archid forms): we were nervous for him, but Lenny Bruce was not afraid.

There's been plenty of others, but not many other uses of music that have stuck with me so directly. 

Which brings me back to the video at the top. This is The Emissary's theme song, the mysterious NPC from our Exalted game - the Anathema Taji and Kito first befriended that caused them so much trouble (though not as much trouble as their presence causes him...)

The fifth paragraph of this episode is the pertinent one. Rich had established the character's theme song by having it play whenever we saw him give the laws, something we witnessed a few times at a great distance as we settled into Nexus. We then got on with the various troublemaking we liked to get up to, eventually detouring to the White Tower - the tallest building in the city and one which would give us a good view. As we stood on the path debating how to gain access, we heard the opening bars of the track and turned to the GM, eyes and mouths wide with horror. We'd completely forgotten this was where The Emissary lived, and sure enough, he was walking towards us...

For me, it was hands down the best use of music I've ever experienced in a game.

What about you? How has music enhanced your gaming? Let me know below!

#RPGaDay2018: Day 14 - Describe a failure that became amazing

I've been thinking a lot about this. The one that keeps coming to mind is one I've talked about before, in one form or another, and is part of why my Exalted game is still on my mind, even though we haven't played for months.

It's when Taji and Kito, recently given leadership of a small unit in the Teppet Legion, are sent with that unit to find out why a previously loyal and prosperous farming community in the northern threshold were no longer sending their tithe to the Realm, or responding to them at all. Although full of doubts about the Realm's Anathema propaganda, Taji had no such ambivalence when it came to her duty, her faith in the Scarlet Empress, her faith in her powers of persuasion, or her faith in the sway and power of the Realm, which is why she insisted they approach in full colours, despite her more circumspect brother's protestations.

It was the worst kind of failure. Unbeknownst to her (though foreshadowed in a previous session) the rest of the unit had secret orders, including "kill them all if they don't submit" (Taji and Kito's grant of leadership being very much tokenistic at this stage, possibly given to curry favour with House Cathak, or possibly to keep an eye on them after they'd openly befriended an Anathema). Taji marched up to the gates and demanded entry, which was denied. Stunned, she demanded again, in the Name of the Realm! They refused, a fight broke out, Taji and Kito tried to get their troops under control (and failed) and tried not to kill anyone themselves, but ended up doing so as they were fighting for their lives.

Eventually, the twins were separated, which was when Taji found the Anathema. At first, she thought he was joining in with the slaughter just for the fun of it, but she quickly realised he was laying to rest one of those he'd sworn to protect: a child killed by one of her side (out of character, I suspect his presence was the reason the rest of the unit were under instruction to kill everyone).

It was a really intense moment in the story, leading to some exciting roleplay since as the twins deal with their incredible guilt over this incident, particularly as they come to work with the Anathema they found there. Taji blames herself absolutely, believing this would not have happened if she'd listened to her brother (probably the first time her self-confidence has suffered a real knockback). She would do anything to make things right with the Anathema. Kito, on the other hand, is more wary of him, afraid that he might yet kill them. It makes for an interesting dynamic, especially as the game continued and the relationships between the twins and the Anathema developed. The devastation of the village was an absolute disaster, but has led to some amazing roleplay.

Possibly this prompt meant to inspire a story of a time a failed dice roll led to something cool, and that's certainly happened, but this stands out everytime.

Taking part? What's your story? Share a link or tell me below!

#RPGaDay2018: Day 5 - Favourite Recurring NPC

As yesterday, I've thought back over the various NPC's who've recurred in the games I've loved. I kinda wanted to pick a villain. Irrevetti, is the one who stands out because I hate him, and I'm loving it! He mostly recurs through being mentioned rather than us interacting with him, though, and I want to pick someone we spend in-game time with.

Irrevetti is a major villain in our Pathfinder game. The GM, Rich, created a bunch of NPC's and gave life to others from the book - to the point I'm not always sure which are which. From there, he expanded it to give Bells and I a full superteam of NPC's, as well as family, friends, mentors and rivals in Aberrant. I was really tempted to pick either Holly or Alastair from that game, for the maternal relationship Chrissie has with them both (most complicated with Alastair), but in my opinion it was Exalted where all the effort he's put into NPC building and development really came together. Again, some of them are named in the setting and many more are his creations - including some (Lawrence) who were created on the fly in response to things we chose to do (hire a child to help us not fall foul of curious and changing laws in a new city).

Meredith is wonderful. A First Age Solar living in seclusion, a Twilight, a formidable sorceror and crafter, she's scatty, she swears a lot, and my character idolises her more than a little. 'Gruncle' Cathak Chow, who raised the twins, last seen when he saved their lives in a part of the story not yet told. Captain Ling, another character who was created on the cuff and we liked so much (because she kept the young twins safe) she was used as a reason to get us to go somewhere dangerous...

But I'm going to pick the Undying Fury of Creation. If you've followed the story, you'll have met him very briefly in the 'non-canon' section. He's another being from the First Age, and carries his emotional baggage far more clearly than Meredith. A powerful Lunar, his bond with his Solar mate was such that her death tore him apart and he's never quite recovered. As mortals, Taji and Kito caused him great harm, such that Taji feels she owes him her death - that her death can come at no hands but his (though she still puts herself in thoughtless, reckless danger). As Exalts, he's saved her life on more than one occasion. Their relationship is complicated, emotionally intense, and very rewarding.

If you're taking part in the challenge, don't forget to leave a link to your response in the comments :)

Exalted - Hunting Beastmen pt 2

This is the story of our Exalted game, told from the point of view of my character, Cathak Taji. Click here for the index.

~~~

The next evening, Raging Tiger sent us after a party of beastmen to see what we could do - he'd be nearby in case we got into trouble. There were about 20 of them with a wolf-like appearance, settling at a campfire, cooking meat and squabbling over scraps. Something about them seemed to disappoint Raging Tiger.

Kito and I quickly planned our attack. I don't think either Rey or Tiger expected us to open with a flurry of Obsidian Butterflies through their tents, and a Blazing Raptor straight into their campfire. The beastmen certainly didn't, but none tried to flee and Kito stepped in front of me to take the blows as they charged.

The fight was fierce and bloody; we were victorious, but Kito was severely hurt. Raging Tiger carried him away with Rey in support, telling me it wouldn't be safe to follow. Unnerved but trusting them, I explored the camp, finding a few furs but no clues as to where the beastmen had come from or where they were heading. When the others returned, Kito was healed. Completely healed, no scars remained anywhere, not even the ones he'd picked up as a child. Weirder, his hair and skin had gone white, his eyes blue, paler than anyone from the North.

We continued on, a strange group. Time started to blur. We'd run into the occasional small band of beastmen, all easily dealt with.

After 2, maybe 3 weeks, Kito got Raging Tiger to tell us a bit more about the Children of Luna and the rules the existance of the beastmen breach. Luna doesn't have a strict code, but chooses those who've survived hardship, telling them they're chosen and now her warrior, and there's a duty of stewardship over the land that comes with this. It was this stewardship our quarry had breached: they were lording it over their creations and using them to encroach Raging Ti2ger's territory. We worried again about the military camp where we were based, but he reassured us he didn't mind as long as we didn't overhunt the area. He valued self-sufficiency and wouldn't be a hero, not wanting the people he'd helped to fall back into the same danger once he'd moved on. The way he said it, it sounded like there was a story there, but when we asked more, he gave us the same line we'd heard many time from the Emissary so many times: "another time, perhaps". He repeated that when we tried to ask about how he got chosen by Luna, then told us to sleep. We'd reached the mountains we'd need to climb to reach to the valley where we'd find the other Lunar.

It was a hard climb, steep with few handholds. The first rest point was about 100m up; just as I was pulling myself onto the ledge, there was a terrible rumbling, clamourous clanging from below me. Ray and Raging Tiger were already on the ledge: my eyes widened to realise it was Kito who'd fallen, and I screamed the kind of scream that froze my entire body. Raging Tiger swooped into a giant bird to carry him to us: we couldn't get into his armour, which meant we couldn't see how hurt he was, but at least meant he was alive. Tiger strapped him to his back as we continued; he was just about conscious by the time we made camp, and halfway through the next night's travel he was fine.

And eventually we looked out over the valley. It was beautiful, utterly idyllic, and without Tiger we'd never have found it. A small town of old buildings surrounded a stepped pyramid being reclaimed by the local vegetation, more akin to a jungle than a tundra. There was no snow, either, and the climate was warm and humid. We guessed the place to be at least 2,000 years old: it was clearly First Age, so possibly even older. Armed beastmen and unarmed people walked the streets. Tiger explained the pyramid at the heart was likely a powerful manse, judging by the effect. At Kito's question, he said it was likely the hearthstone was with the rogue Lunar, assuming there was a stone. At our surprised expressions, he explained not all manses have stones; some are built to a specific purpose instead.

We observed the town for a while. The normal people seemed to act as a serving class. Of the 60 or so beastmen, not all were combatants. One stood out from the rest, a pure bipedal snow leopard, of which the others were cruder, more human-looking simulcrams. This individual was smaller and compact than Raging Tiger's first appearance and carried a longsword. Concern passed over the face of our new friend: this wasn't our quarry, who's Aspect was Raven, but one of their followers. He was confident he could take on Raven, but not so sure about Leopard. As nervous as this made him, it worried us more. He suggested we - Rey, Kito and I - shoot at the beastmen and keep them occupied while he fought the Lunar. Shoot and move on, he reiterated. Kito and I cast Invulnerable Skin of Bronze, and we were ready.

The Leopard leapt to intercept Tiger as he walked brazenly into the town, yanking a di-klave from its arm. Slightly more than half the beastmen followed into the fight, so Rey joined Tiger while Kito and I ranged the jungle the other side of the river, shooting into the remainder until we had their attention. I stayed in the trees, shooting and moving to make it harder for them to pinpoint me, but one small group reached Kito and he had to switch to his blades - Rey joined him as more hurtled toward the melee. 

I saw 4 of the beastmen creeping into a hut and thought they were hiding from the fight until I saw them leave again with a cart-sized ballista! I took aim as they set it up, but they fired before I loosed. A ball of glowing blue energy expanded... exploded... killed them all! I swung my bow, seeking a new target.

Shoot and move. Shoot and move.

A group made a break for the temple, the pyramid. I killed one, but the other 5 ran inside. I looked around: only 3 remained. One threw a javelin at Kito - I shot it, and hid again. A glance showed me it was still standing, so I fired again as I wormed my way into a spot with vantage on the temple. This shot went through his side and embedded on a wall beyond, dripping heart's blood as he slumped to the floor. As I turned my attention back to the temple, I saw Kito running across the rooftops and fall into a building - before I could leave my hiding place, he'd recovered and continued on his path. I continued to mark the temple doors. 

Raging Tiger continued a blur against the Leopard while the last beastmen fell to Kito's swirling blades. It was then we noticed the humans milling around, armed with scythes, pitchforks and other utensils. Only one held a shortsword, and awkwardly at that. Kito investigated the ballista while Ray defeated the farmers. I kept my bow trained on the temple doors, waiting for the beastmen to come out with whatever threat they had in mind, but the corner of my eye saw the other, the Leopard, heading towards it, and Tiger's aura flaring as he spent Essence in response: a silver light building until it exploded out in a blinding flash, revealing a join-the-dots tiger roaring behind. The Leopard's blade span away as she fell in half.

The temple doors swung open. I saw fleeting black movement within and feathers falling out, and Tiger was there.