Session Start: Wed Jan 19 19:23:01 2005 Session Ident: #ethresh * Logging #ethresh to 'C:\Documents and Settings\Dave\My Documents\Exalted\Abyssal\Logs\AB-01-19-2005' just a little. actually both of them I think the comparison map is really good. It is sometimes hard to realize the scale of Creation. You don't just jump from continent to continent like it was nothing indeed our modern idea of distance is so distorted imagine going from Lancaster to York four hundred years ago dense forest, rolling hills, a big ass river, hostile indian tribes. Damn, now we do it in 40 minutes heh thus far I haven't really be big on playing out the trips, I doubt I ever will, but it is something to consider alrighty, lets get started The pompous Terrestrial Cassius smiles slightly and looks at you with shallow eyes. "So, you’ve accepted our invitation to join our cause. We have a number of positions available in the city due to recent... cutbacks." A wicked looking guard with an axe snickers at the doorway behind you. "Like I said" Continues Cassius, "we are in need of some qualified people to help run the city. We have an opening for Mayor, an architect, and a librarian for Llarra’s study in the Manse." He casually drops the words from his mouth like they were unworthy of speaking. He apparently realizes this and wanders away down the hall, leaving everybody behind. A brief moment of confusion comes over the assembled servants before several of them rush off behind their master. The man brazenly wearing the symbol of The Mask of Winters walks up to you. "I think you’ll find the job in the library most satisfying."* * Echo loses his zealous visage and nods to the man without a word. This felt like all manner of trap. And yet, how could he resist the pull of destiny? Thus far it had not led him astray, and besides, he was confident enough in his own abilities to get himself out of just about any bad situation. Still...a servant of the Mask of Winters here? It was unsettling. * Echo regains his footing and looks to the man with pleading eyes. "Y-Yes, of course. Where shall I go?" Echo honestly wonders. Perhaps in the library he could glean some information from the literature of the Manse. Either that, or seduce and kill this Llarra person. Either/or.* A priest in colorful robes walks up and smiles at you brightly. "Yes, the librarian position has been open for quite some time." He turns to the man, his smile fading. "What was your name again sir, I seem to have forgotten..." The cloaked man turns with irritation and walks down the hall after Cassius. "I haven't told it to you. Come on newcomer." His footsteps echo down the marble hall.* http://www.angelfire.com/creep/dp/Ruinp.JPG * Echo smirks. Oh how wonderful, this is all going so swimmingly. Now I get to tango with a servant of the Mask of Winters whilst trying to discover the true nature of this powerful Manse. And I must save Crimson too, must not forget Crimson. She might be the key to all of this...and there goes my escort. "Yes milord!" Echo yells, quickly running up beside the enigmatic man.* He continues in silence and makes a turn somewhere in the maze of corridors. He opens a large oak door leading into what appears to be a library reading room and motions for you to enter as he holds the door. Down the hall you see Cassius in an animated conversation with a beautiful woman in white clothing.* * Echo continues meandering behind the strange man. Even as he is beckoned to enter, Echo stands, curiously eyeing the library and the great hall he had entered. Yet even as he breathed in the magnificence of the place, it was hard to keep his eyes away from the woman in white. Llarra, perhaps? Perhaps an introduction was in order...a humble one. Or perhaps it would be better to BE introduced..or else he might lose his head. One never knows when dealing with zealots. Echo enters the library and waits by the door.* The room itself is rather large and quite plush. Leather chairs and couches line the walls and a number of bookstands are about. This is the area where people may read their books in leisure, often with servants attending them. There are no such servants here at the moment, in fact the two of you seem entirely alone and the only other door in the room is shut. Behind you the door closes with a thud and you hear an odd click. Not quite the sound of a door locking mechanism. You know that sound from somewhere... but where? You mind flares in alarm as Uncanny Impulse Evasion screams at you to react and you instantly place the sound. Soulsteel.* (you may spend the 2 mote to dodge with your Dexterity per the charms rules, or you can use mundane reactions to the ambush, if that is indeed what it is) (2 motes, definitly) (I can always drink her blood, heh) (3dice, 2 successes) You move with sublime speed and agility and catch the man off guard. As you turn to face him you see he now holds an odd looking device. It is clearly made of Soulsteel, but is of a design you've never seen before. It looks like a strange cross between a butcher blade and a short firewand. The weird weapon is about a foot long and looks mean, whatever it is. With a snort of irritation the man recognizes the charm in a action a sidesteps behind a rather thick bookcase, obscuring him from your view. Essence traces in his voice as he speaks angrily, "Who sent you Abyssal?" (Deception-Piercing Stare)* * Echo throws back his brown cloak, a terrible shadow emerging from its hidden places. The shadow wraps around Echo instantly, turning his skin a jet black for an instant, then fading away into nothing. Echo darts backwards, his eyes quickly scanning for this strange...well armed man. "I am here on my own accord. How about you? Perhaps you'd like to explain what you're doing here?" Echo sneers, still trying to remain conscious of the dangerous nature of the Mask of Winters.* (Incomparable Phantom Form) (perception + awareness...) (5 motes, 1 wp. Yeah.) (wow, 5 dice, 5 successes) (Groovy) Your quick eyes spot the cloaked man peaking at your through a slot in the bookcase. "Hmm." He says in honest thought, "Fair enough. You be honest and I'll do the same Abyssal. I'm also here of my own accord, and though I'm disgusted to say it, I'm rather stuck in this hell-hole." He shifts away from the slot and you can no longer see him.* * Echo backpeddles, trying to maintain a visual on the man he assumes to be a Death Knight. Although he had assumed as much the instant he saw the man originally, the appearence of a soulsteel weapon pretty much confirmed that theory. Death Knights were the only ones who were providing irritation for him these days. * Echo crouches down and looks at the bottom shelves, guessing that the Abyssal in question is just ducking to avoid being spotted. "Well that makes three of us, doesn't it? Why did you come here?" Echo asks briskly.* "I'm here to interrogate and kill an Abyssal woman with pink hair." Suddenly his form crawls up the wall in an odd fashion and finds it self on the second floor, which overlooks the first in a ring around the room. (Crouching Gargoyle Stance) He stands confidently behind the railing above, looking down on you. "You haven't happened to see someone matching that description have you?"* * Echo laughs and quickly rolls forward, putting his back against a bookcase and throwing a finger towards the Death Knight. "Well you never know. I probably have met a pink haired girl in my time here, but that information will cost you." Echo grins wildly.* He mimics your grin as his charm reads the truth to your statement. "What's your price then? I have considerable knowledge your pathetic Deathlord certainly has not told you, resources beyond your imagining." He smiles and leans on a comfortable looking couch, looking quite relaxed since you can't reach him on the second floor.* * Echo laughs and stands up. "My pathetic Deathlord? I've heard no great tales of the might of the Mask of Winters as of late. As a matter of fact, I've heard NOTHING regarding him or his "vast" armies. So what, slaughtered to the man by a fraction of the Lions forces? Hahaha, a fitting fate. You have no concept of what you're here for, do you?" Echo laughs again, pushing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose.* The man's face contorts in disgust. "You misunderstand child. I serve no Deathlord. I wear this pin as an... inside joke between my former master and myself. I had originally thought you an assassin sent to finish me off, but I seem to have been mistaken." He sits down on the couch, crossing one leg over the other and resting his weapon on his knee. "And the Lion's armies are the reason I'm here today." "No, I'm not exactly certain of what I'm looking for. Whispers I've heard, in my dreams. I've followed a bloody path investigating this war all by myself, and it led me here, but why I do not know." He cocks his head to the side slightly, "Do you?"* * Echo nods and smiles. "The Lion's armies are why we are ALL here today. Why our kind is spread to the edges of Creation and the Underworld. Don't you think it's a little disgusting that we have been dispatched to undo the failings of a dozen ghosts a hundred times older than us? But I digress. I do not know why I am here. I follow breadcrumbs and good luck. Look where it has finally gotten me." A sharp glint flickers through Echoes perfect green eyes. "Look where it has gotten -us-."* The man stays silent for a moment, looking you over. "Indeed." He stares for a moment more before continuing. "My name is Ruin in Vanity and Discord. It is my third name, the one I choose for myself on my third breath. I call no ghost, man, nor beast master, yet I serve the Malfeans and their righteous cause fully." "The war Lion started will have dire consequences for us all. What the Malfeans have worked millenia for may have been undone in his act of aggression. Someone must fix his mistakes." He shakes his head and rubs his eyes wearily, "I just wish I knew where I was going."* * Echo shrugs. "I never called your loyalties into question, Ruin In Vanity and Discord. Just your purposes. Yet the whispers of your dreams sent you here...so something must be happening in this city. I doubt the Terrestrials have anything to do with it though. What is with them anyways? From what I can tell, they seem to be blundering fools. But then again, I've yet to meet the lovely Llarra." He smirks.* He rolls his eyes, "Yes, lovely Llarra. The queen of the fools. I've been an assistant librarian for the past day and a half and have uncovered far more about this place than those Dragon-Spawn know about it." He settles back into his couch and yawns. "Its a simple story, one plainly laid out in the books here in the library." "The Terrestrials just don't care for books. Llarra calls herself a sorceress, but she cares not for lore and history, only the raw power of spells. In the first age this city wasn't a city at all, it was a massive stone tower built into the cliffside. And when I say massive, I mean massive. It sole purpose was to project some kind of energy weapon outwards to the sea beyond the plains. Specifically to repel the Fae." Eventually the border with the Fae was pushed far beyond the reach of this mighty weapon and it became rather useless. Over the years mortal kings and Terrestial wanderers have dug out the tower into this crude city, diminishing the power of the manse it once was. "Now the manse's defenses are reduced to a powerful field of energy that cannot reach beyond the city walls. Llarra and her companions think they've found a might treasure, but they've just found a pathetic broken toy of an age gone by."* * Echo snickers. "But does that surprise you? They cannot see past their own lackluster majesty. So why haven't you killed them then? Surely they aren't so strong. Besides, the cityfolk won't fight for them. Once they are dead we should be able to leave the city, yes?" Echo asks, curious about if butchering the would be gods is a feasible plan. If so, he was more than willing to execute it with haste.* He nods, "Easy enough to say, but have you ever met an Immaculate in battle before? I haven't. Despite their odd behavior, Cassius and Rhemenon are both skilled and old warriors." He stands and walks around the room towards you, still looking down. "One thing I did notice right away. This is a Solar Manse we're standing in." "The power is far more than these fools can comprehend. They are so far over their heads it is laughable. The very act of attunement gave them the derrangement of god-hood. The believe so fully they would be like trapped tigers if we attacked them, most dangerous I say."* (I need to hold the baby for a moment. Maybe 5 minutes.) * Echo rubs his eyes and sighs. "Oh wonderful. Well I don't suppose we can talk them out of the god idea, eh? They seem hell bent on it...Although perhaps we could use that to our advantage." Echo flicks his soulsteel arm out from underneath his cloak. He smirks, then begins pacing. "We do have an advantage in their crusading nature." "The only thing a crusader hates more than a heretic...is a heretic he thought to be faithful. Like...one of their own? You've been around them longer. Who is the weakest of the three? I assume the ogre with the Executor rank or whatever."* (back) "Rhemenon is definitely the dumbest of the group. He's relied on sheer strength and brutality so long he doesn't know much else." He smiles slightly at the thought, "You have a plan then?"* * Echo nods. "I need to speak with Llarra. Alone. After that, we shall see. I imagine inciting a religious riot is out of the question...but I'll see what I can do." Echo throws his cloak back over his soulsteel arm, then smirks. "Oh yes, and about the woman with the pink hair. Why do you actually want her?"* He eyes you warily, "My dreams brought me here and they showed me something in her possession. A black stone she carries. It was pointing... somewhere."* * Echo shrugs. "In that case I suppose we both want her. I'm about as knowledgable about her intentions as you are. Nevertheless, she is captured by the three clowns. They need to be removed from this drama. I'll get to work on that now. In the meantime, although I don't -expect- you to do anything I ask..." "I would ask that you keep a low profile. I highly doubt the appearence of Anathema will make for good dinner conversation in this city."* He smiles slightly. "You are correct. More than Anathema, children of the darkness spreading over both Creation and the Underworld. Truely Lion has galvanized the forces of Creation against us. To reveal ourselves anywhere in Creation in these days would be suicide." He backs away from the counter and lets you get on with your business. Inwardly, he grins to himself. She's here.* * Echo backs away as well. For now their mutual dilemma would equate to peace. For now. Echo no more trusted this new Death Knight than he trusted Crimson. Although, unlike Crimson, this particular Death Knight had not yet proven himself totally disloyal. He grins and heads back into the hallway. * Echo looks down the end of the hall to see if Llarra and Cassius are still talking. He would need to get Llarra alone.* You see Cassius spinning on his heels and throwing his hands up in dismay. He walks across the hall to a private room and goes inside. Llarra gives an unpleasant look in his direction and heads to her own room, directly across the hall. A pair of slouching guards keep watch over each door, but otherwise the hall is deserted at this hour of the night.* * Echo trudges down the long hallway towards the females room. As he approaches her room, he casts a wary look towards Cassius' door. Hopefully the fool would not invade his private time with Llarra. The seeds of discord must be sown before a harvest can be reapt. Echo stops at the guards in front of Llarra's door and frowns. "Make way, make way. I am sent my Executor Rhemenon to speak with the Lady."* The guard's eye are dull and you wonder in which roach infested prison the Terrestrials found this sorry excuse for a human. Though he doesn't seem to care a bit about his job, he has taken to his new status as a prominent figure and frowns at you. "Says you bud." The other guard chuckles.* * Echo stares at the guard in disbelief. "You...question the word of Executor Rhemenon...or one of the Priests? Surely you know the fate of men who are too...confident?" Echo glares at the man. "Or shall I wake Executor Rhemenon from his slumber so he may -counsel- you on your lack of faith?"* (http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=120) (Too funny to ignore) (hahahhahah) That last bit causes a slight bit of hesitation. He glances back at the door to Llarra's room and shrugs. "Whatever, I'm thirsty." With that he wanders off. The other three guards exchange glances and follow the other to the bar. Good help is so hard to find these days.* * Echo smiles. Sometimes it's too easy to send mortals on their way. Terrestrials were a different matter entirely. When he was but a man, they were beings that inspired terror. Now they barely inspired pity. With that in mind, Echo knocks at the door quietly.* (Using Exquisite Ettiquite Technique since I've no idea how a priest is supposed to behave. 3 motes.) (Exquisite Ettiquite Style actually.) (good idea) "Come in." The voice is feminine but irritated. "And this better be good."* * Echo bows his way in and bows ever further after closing the door. "Milady, I am the newest priest here, I was told to introduce myself. I apologize if it is not the right time." Echo says humbly.* Llarra is sitting on a amazingly comfortable looking couch in the center of the room before a large fireplace. You can tell immediately that she must have taken the best room in the entire building. This room looks like it leads into at least four others that are probably even bigger. Expensive rugs cover the floor and all manner of drinks fill crystal glasses on a nearby table. Llarra herself is the vision of beauty. She wears a white outfit and looks to have had her hair done by professional stylists recently. Behind her a servant busies himself with cleaning up and another brings her a snack tray on a silver platter. Llarra looks you up and down with interest. "Odd to see such a handsome priest around here."* * Echo bows again. "I appreciate the compliment Milady. You are looking..spectacular yourself. ..I apologize if that was inappropriate. I have been appointed as a librarian..so if you need anything Milady, simply ask." Echo smirks and looks up at the woman, then looks away.* She glances away, as a servant brings in another tray. She looks it over a waves it away in disgust. "I don't care if it's not in season, find me those lobsters!" She shouts to the servant. He bows deeply and leaves quickly. "Ah yes, librarian. I'm busy you see and I need you to catalogue some books for me. Specifically anything to do with sorcery." She looks at you, seeming to hope her words would impress you.* * Echo nods quickly. "Sorcery? Yes, yes, a very important subject, yes. Surely you must be a great Sorceror Milady. I'm sure the mighty Ammenhour bestows infinite wisdom upon you, as you are the finest here." Echo smiles and then bows away once more. "Shall I inform Investicus Cassius of any such sorcerous literature as well?"* She slams one of the trays down on the floor and stands up, "You certainly will not!" She stomps on the floor and the remaining servants in the room (and likely the adjoining rooms) scuttle away in distress. "That know it all think's he's so smart! Well I'm the one who discovered the Hearthroom and learned how to activate the entire manse." She continues, "Without my vast knowledge of lore and history, trying to attune to a solar manse could result in a massive feedback of energies that very well could have harmed us bodily. But instead," She waggles he finger, "I discovered a god! The God! The best ever!" She reaches to the sky and just kinda stands there for a moment.* * Echo nods and raises a brow. "That is very impressive Milady. I believe the great one Ammenhour has picked you as his Prophet on this world, don't you think so? I dreamt that, Milady. I dreamt you standing alone on a mountaintop, with great light and power at your grasp. It was amazing, Milady." Echo adds. Now she needs only bite.* (Using the Bauble of Addictive Tongue on her.) "Really? He gave you a dream message?" She claps in joy. "Finally. I was testing Cassius and Rhemenon about that. I didn't tell them that Ammenhour comes to me in my dreams and talks to me. They never mention it, so I thought I was the only one. But to find a priest as gifted as I, oh excellent!" She hops slightly up and down. "What did he say to you?"* * Echo smiles and shys away from her questions. "Oh Milady, I am not as gifted as you, I only saw the vision. His words were like thunder, I heard so little. So much power Milady, surely you understand. Perhaps tonight you will dream the same thing. Perhaps I will dream the same dream again, and I can try to discern what he wanted me to hear. If that suits you, Milady."* She smiles widely, "Excellent plan! I like it very much indeed. In fact, you can join me tomorrow for the Judging. We have over a dozen people to judge tomorrow and I could use the help of someone so in touch with Ammenhour. I think you'll like it, the entire city turns out to listen to what I have to say. Perhaps I'll even let you have a chance to speak to the crowd, would you like that priest?"* * Echo nods. "Of course Milady, that would be a great honor for one such as I. A great honor indeed." Echo smiles broadly. Tomorrow would be a good day. "Well then Milady, I shall endevour to catalogue those books...and dream, as per your instructions."* "Very well then, enjoy our hospitality in this glorious manse." She retires to her bedroom. Something does cross you mind. Something about spending the night in a solar manse... eh, whatever. (and we'll call it a night I think) (Cool) (I gotta sleep soon anyways, heh) me too okay, see ya later. Hopefully I'll have those stories up by next time Session Close: Wed Jan 19 21:48:47 2005