Exalted:End of an Era

[Mistress of Whispers]

Still whispering, Shaya replied to Pheonix.

 

"I don't like it either. The internal patrols might be a clue - perhaps they were trying to deal with the threat of a traitor? Or perhaps" she paused for a moment, as she did not want to admit the treachery might have spread beyond one person "they were working with him. But it's all speculation for now. We won't tell the unit - the memory of Lookshy is all that is left to them and I won't tarnish it on mere supposition."

 

 

((In preparation of resuming my own Exalted tabletop, I've been reading up on charms and such and I've statted Shaya as she was immediately following her exaltation. If either of you is curious, I've uploaded that file here. I'm also going to do her as she is now; it'll be funny (and mind-blowing ) to see the theoretical XP that went into that.

 

Update: I decided to cap at 500 XP. Stats here.))

Edited April 23, 2013 by Mistress of Whispers

[Takhesis]

((Oooo shiny charrie sheets.....))

 

Pheonix nodded,

 

"Agreed. If what the Abyssal said about the Orbs is true... we may have a bigger problem than tarnishing memories. What do we do when we find them?"

 

"As well as needing to sort out the Empress of course." Pheonix wasn't about to forget the callous murder of a city.

[Mistress of Whispers]

"If the Abyssal is telling the truth... we take the Orbs and dismantle them. We have an engineer with us, he'll just have to figure out how to do it. And then we're going to kick Shadow of Cities' ass. Right after we kick the Empress' ass."

 

Shaya laughed at the impossibility of the task, but nevertheless that was the plan in a nutshell: take Orbs, defeat Empress, defeat Deathlord, go home and enjoy well-deserved rest.

 

"But let's start with babysteps: getting to Nexus. During my fight with those Abyssals, they would have killed me if it weren't for Web intervening. So I trust her to not want me dead. But - " she looked at the Shadowland nearby " - we both know there are worse fates than death. Perhaps this is all a ploy to lure us into the Underworld, where she and her kind will have the advantage over us. She might be counting on us not to act against her since she is our guide and way out. So between you and me, let's be perfectly clear: if she betrays us, if she turns on us, if she tries anything funny - we will kill her and find our own way out; I will not let this unit be played by an Abyssal."

Edited April 23, 2013 by Mistress of Whispers

[Takhesis]

((Poor Abyssals.... no-one likes/ trusts them.))

 

Pheonix agreed with the plan. It seemed impossibly far-fetched but then again, the whole situation was unbelievable.

[Mistress of Whispers]

((I think Pheonix and Shaya are good to go. We'll see if Hanzo works up the courage to approach Web and otherwise I vote for moving to nightfall.))

[Takhesis]

((Yep. I have a few meetings today so will probably move on this evening after them))

[Biologist]

Tinker meandered over to Hanzo and gestured to the white flower.

 

"That is Maiden's Bloom, which makes a delicious tea. Or -" he looked unsure for a moment "it's Widow's Tears, which make a deadly poison. But I'm fairly sure it's Maiden's Bloom. Well, relatively sure, at least. Besides, there are several situations where serving someone delicious tea or a deadly poison would be win-win."

"So how can we find out? I wouldn't mind a cup of delicious tea, but I could do without being poisoned at the moment."

 

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

 

Hanzo remembered hearing about a new kind of Exalted a few years back: Death Knights. Evil creatures, working for the Mask of Winters and his ilk. Murderers, necromancers and madmen they had called them. And quite a few other names as well. Yet Web did not seem to fit any of those ill begotten titles. True, she looked a bit pale, but he couldn't imagine her murdering an entire village just for fun. So here was a Death Knight, Exalted by one of the Death Lords (he couldn't recall them being celestial beings as well), seemingly friendly towards them and a potential font of knowledge about her race. He could not resist the temptation. But how to approach her?

 

As Hanzo watched the unit's interaction - or lack thereof - with Web, he decided speaking with her was allowed. He approached her from the front, as not to startle her from her meditation - Who knows what she would do then? - and settled down a little away from her. He cleared his throat and not awaiting a response he said: "Well, Web, what are you?"

 

((Hanzo is not the most suave man in Creation ))

[Takhesis]

Web answered Hanzo, after rousing from her half-trance at his approach.

 

"That depends on who you ask. There are many answers to that one." She wasn't being deliberately vague, it was the truth.

 

"I am an Abyssal Exalt. To most that means Death Knight - a champion of Death and a scourge to Creation." Web smiled ruefully "I can't exactly blame that point of view, most do fit those terms."

 

"Monster, abomination, unnatural blight. All those terms and some less flattering ones have been used."

 

Web bit her lip as she considered whether or not to share her theory, after all it was a very radical idea and not one that many would want to consider. But Hanzo would probably find out soon enough, especially when she used Essence, perhaps he'd be able to help confirm it for her.

 

"I wonder why Abyssals aren't mentioned in First Age texts. I don't know whether its because the Exaltation is something new and didn't exist then or whether they did and the mentions were erased for some reason."

 

"One thing I do know from texts about Solars - is that there are some similarities between Solars and Abyssals. The Caste Marks are identical - apart from the Gold glow of Solars and the blood and black light of Abyssals that is.... can't help but wonder if there's a link."

[Biologist]

Hanzo considered her words carefully. What he could remember from the First Age, there hadn't been any Death Lord exalted - or 'Abyssals' as Web called herself - as far as he knew.

 

"I am not sure why you weren't mentioned in the texts. From what I recall from that period, I didn't know of any 'Abyssals'." He used the word experimentally. The sound had a bad feeling to it, one that reminded him of darkness and insanity and the dreams of dead gods. He shook his head and added: "And believe me when I say, that in the First Age, I knew of... everything." He sounded ludicrous, but it was what he felt was right. His previous incarnations were undisputed masters of knowledge. And all that knowledge was in his head. Somewhere. It was a scary thought.

 

"But we can try and figure it out. Let's start with the basics. Which Celestial Incarna Exalted you? I highly doubt that Death Lords are on the same level of power, or they would have taken over Heaven by now. So they must have exalted you in name of one of the Celestial Incarnae. Which one was it?"

[Takhesis]

Web thought a bit as Hanzo asked which Incarnae was responsible for her Exaltation.

 

"You know, I don't remember any Incarnae being invoked during the process of my Exaltation. But that could just be a mind fail on my part."

 

Since she Exalted at the point of death - or close to it - it was probably not surprising her memory didn't recall the Incarnae - or lack of one. Though as she spoke a very bad memory flashed behind her eyes. One of the sun turning his face away and abandoning her.

 

"Though I seem to remember seeing Sol Invictus turn his back on me."

 

[The eternal torture of the Abyssal..... reliving the moment Sol Invictus turned away during the Usurpation....]

Edited April 24, 2013 by Takhesis

[Biologist]

"So the only Celestial Incarna you remember from your Exaltation is the Unconquered Sun, but he did not Exalt you? And he turned his back on you? That cannot be good at all."

 

Hanzo was confused. What he remembered of Exaltations was that only the Celestial Incarnae and the Terrestrial Dragons could grant it. He also remembered a name. It was intrinsically linked to Exaltations, but he couldn't put his finger on it who this person actually was or where he lived.

 

"That is strange. I don't recall any other power in Creation to have the ability to Exalt mortals. I don't think it has been done since the beginning of Time." Where did he get all this information? Some of the knowledge that bubbled up from the depths of his mind was as fresh as the memories of yesterday, yet he knew that it must have happened thousands of years ago.

 

"There was a specialist who knew everything there is to know about Exaltations. I don't know whether he was Exalted or not and I doubt he is still alive. But maybe we could find out if he left behind some knowledge we could access. His name is Lytek."

 

Something else occured to him. "And do you know why you call yourself an 'Abyssal' Exalt? I know of only one Abyss and it is not a place you want to be associated with."

Edited April 25, 2013 by Biologist

[Takhesis]

[Yay Lytek - the God of Exaltations.....and a Guardian Dragon on my Scroll ]

 

"That's pretty much it." Web said to Hanzo's first comment. "I don't recall any other Incarnae involved in or present at my Exaltation. Perhaps there's information left in the First Age place that the contains the odd Soulbreaker Orbs."

 

"As for why I call myself an Abyssal Exalt - its what I was told I had become when I entered the service of the Shadow of Cities. I know of no other name for it except for Death Knight and the other more insulting terms used. No term sounds pleasant for what I am. Even the generic Black Exaltation doesn't sound particularly nice."

 

"If you know of a better name for this Exaltation - I'll use it."

 

The whispers in the back of her mind started up again - telling her that there was no escape from the inevitable. She blanked them as best she could...Fate-forsaken she might be, but that just meant she could forge her own destiny. At least that's how she comforted herself.

 

"Though a gut feeling tells me there is no good term."

[Biologist]

Hanzo pondered this for a moment. Then his face lit up with a big grin as he had found the answer. "I have been such a fool. There is a very easy way to verify by which of the Celestial Incarnae you have been Exalted. Just tell me to which of the magical materials you are most easily attuned and we have the answer. Is it Orichalcum, or Moonsilver, or Starmetal? Or perhaps a specific colour of Jade?"

 

He was eager to hear the answer. He had to suppress his enthusiasm now that he had solved the problem.

 

To the Moonshadow, Hanzo was not hard to read. It was obvious he had few social skills and a passion for solving riddles. If she wanted, she could easily win him over to her cause.

[Takhesis]

Web half-smiled at Hanzo's grinning enthusiasm at a potential solution to the riddle of her Exaltation.

 

"Unfortunately it seems to be none of the usual culprits. The magical material that I seem to have an affinity for is Soulsteel." Web replied, then had an idea. "Would seeing the material help? If so you'll have to ask Shaya, she's currently in possession of my Soulsteel dagger."

 

At least, she assumed it was in Shaya's possession - it could be held by one of the other members of the unit. Although to be honest she hadn't tried to attune to any other material so it wasn't 100% certain that Soulsteel was the right answer.

 

[Biologist]

Hanzo looked crestfallen when Web claimed Soulsteel as her magical material. He looked at her in disbelief for a moment, waiting for her to tell him she had joked. When she didn't, he almost looked annoyed*.

 

"That cannot be right. Soulsteel is not a magical material. Not really. It is not linked to any of the Celestial Incarnae, but to the Underworld. It is a curiosity at best, hammered into being by pounding on the souls of the dead until they take shape and form, inflicting on them a perpetual torturous existence. There is a reason why it feels slick to the touch and seems to emit an aura of dread. If you are really quiet, you supposedly can still hear the souls inside scream in agony."He shuddered. "It is a heinous act that only the most wicked souls deserve, and only a sadist would want to own a Soulsteel item, let alone use it..."

 

Hanzo had gotten agitated, his words were passionate. This clearly was something close to his heart and he was deeply offended by Soulsteel, but maybe even more so by the fact that he hadn't been able to solve the riddle. His disgust for the very idea of Soulsteel was sincere, though, and Web could see he didn't want anything to do with it, save maybe destroy it somehow.

 

"And the only beings in the Underworld who come close in power to the Celestial Incarnae are the Neverborn. But they do not posess the ability to Exalt anyone. And they are dead."

 

((* Hanzo just gathered a few points of Limit there ))

Edited April 26, 2013 by Biologist

[Takhesis]

At the mention of the Neverborn and the disgust shown by Hanzo, the whispers in her mind laughed and mocked Web. And for once - she didn't have a good comeback to put them back in their place.

 

Web pulled her knees up, wrapped her arms round her legs and rested her chin on top. All in all, she looked more like a lost child then an Exalt with the power to destroy Creation.

 

"If the Neverborn are dead, why do I hear them?" She murmured mostly to herself, but Hanzo could still hear her words if he tried.

 

 

[Web has already built up quite a bit of Resonance from her earlier actions.... and I still don't know how she'll vent it..... but I doubt the depression will help.]

[Biologist]

Still annoyed, Hanzo answered her, without hesitation: "Well, The Neverborn aren't dead in the conventional way. They were never actually born; they just came into existence, therefore they cannot technically die. Not as we know, anyway. We did slay them however and now they lie in a perpetual death-like sleep at the mouth of the Abyss, dreaming and..."

 

He was silent for a moment as he registered what Web had said.

 

"Wait, what? You can hear the Neverborn?"

 

Web could almost see Hanzo's brain try to put everything together. "If you hear the Neverborn, you are linked to them. Your 'Magical Material'..." He made it clear he didn't think it was a proper one at all. "... is Soulsteel, a link to the Underworld and the Neverborn. That makes it awefully logical to conclude that they have Exalted you." He shook his head in disbelief. "But that is impossible. They cannot Exalt anyone. The only way for them to get their hands on an Exaltation is..."

 

He became very quiet all of a sudden and he turned a few shades paler in an instant. "By the black scales of Daana'd, that would be disastrous."

[Mistress of Whispers]

Gunn's face remained stoic as ever, but he signalled for the two Lancers to be alert. He had served under a Solar long enough to read the signs of mounting agitation in both Hanzo and Web, and whilst Shaya's beserker rage was usually triggered through combat, he wasn't sure if it would be the same for these two. Satisfied that the Lancers were on alert, he looked around to catch his Captain and Lieutenant's eye too.

[Takhesis]

Web noticed Hanzo's whitening face,

 

"What? If the Neverborn don't have the power to give Exaltation, yet the only logical conclusion is that they have somehow Exalted me. Then what has happened?"

 

Perhaps there was yet an explanation for what she had become - even if it turned out that everyone she once knew was right - that she was an unnatural abomination that had no right to exist.

 

If that was true.... then perhaps the best thing she could do was throw herself into the Abyss. From all the tales of it - that would not only destroy her physical form but her spirit self too. And hopefully the Exaltation that attached itself to her.

 

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

 

Pheonix noticed Gunn looking around as well as noticing Hanzo and Web in conversation.

 

"I think we have a problem...." She said to Shaya, and pointed out the pair.

[Biologist]

Hanzo barely dared to utter the words to give voice to this blasphemous theory. His mind still raced to calculate the ramifications while he answered in a thin voice: "Then the Neverborn have stolen Exaltations and twisted them into servitude to them."

 

His eyes were still somewhere in the far distance of the mind as he continued. "That would explain the similarities in Caste marks and Anima you spoke of." He shook his head as if to clear it from a clinging fog. "But catching an Exaltation is nigh impossible. It is not like a soul, which can be caught by the simplest of magic. It is a part of the Holy Divinity to whom the Exaltation belongs."

 

He suddenly looked up, their gazes met. "This is a dire situation. If the Neverborn have Solar slaves, Creation is in greater peril than a hundred Scarlet Empresses combined. We need to know more. How many of these 'Abyssal' Exalted are there? What are their powers? Are they slaves? What happens when they die?..."

 

Hanzo got agitated again. The unit was now on full alert, ready for anything. Eyeing the young Artificer warily.

 

((Shaya and Pheonix have probably heard that last bit... what do you think?))

[Takhesis]

((I think they might have - though I'll let Shaya react first out of the two - since Shaya may have more to say about the implication of Abyssal and Solar being related))

 

Web saw Hanzo's agitation at the thought and it was kind of contagious - though if what he said was true then there might be a way of reversing the process.

 

"I don't know exact numbers - but there are 5 - well 4 now - in the service of the Shadow of Cities. If we assume that all Death Lords have the same number of Exalts in service - then there would be 65 Abyssal Exalts." Web started, "Though that doesn't account for the difference in power between Death Lords - Shadow of Cities is one of the lowest in power.... so potentially more."

 

"As for powers - it varies by Exalt. Slaves would be a good description - if you ignore the fact that there was a choice offered - at point of death." The answer was short there, "Who wouldn't choose to live with power rather than die?"

 

"When the Exalt dies - the Exaltation returns to the Death Lord that owns it - ready to be placed into the next host. The 'spark' is contained within a construct til a host is found for it." Web knew of the monstrances, but not their true purpose.

[Mistress of Whispers]

Shaya narrowed her eyes in anger when she saw the Abyssal, who she didn't trust as far as she could throw her, trying (and succeeding) to throw the engineer off balance. We're not even in the Underworld and already she's at it. Closing the gap between them in powerful strides, she was just in time to catch the last of Web and Hanzo's conversation and it only fuelled her rage.

 

Barely able to contain herself, she positioned herself between them.

 

"YOU" she snarled to Web "STOP TALKING."

 

"And you," her anger was barely lessened as she turned to Hanzo "stop listening to her. Abyssals do nothing but kill and lie. You cannot trust ANYTHING she says so just stop building insane theories on it. Solars and Abyssals are NOTHING ALIKE."

 

Physically trembling with anger, it was all she could do not to take Web's head off - literally. Behind her, the unit was quietly getting in place to fight off all three Exalts and not liking the odds. The soft humm of essence lances and gunzosha weapons being powered up, filled the air.

 

 

((Sorry sorry sorry! But abiding hatred for Abyssals + still near limit-break from that last fight = not a calm and collected Solar right now. Give her some time to stew and she'll probably see reason.))

[Takhesis]

((Pheonix isn't likely to help either - Fire Aspect and all...))

 

Pheonix drew some Essence towards her - ready to deal some damage should the Abyssal dare to move or act. A soft glow of firelight came from her clenched fists as a visible sign of the power she contained.

 

After all Shaya may need the back up - especially as it seemed Web had started to influence and potentially corrupt the other Solar.

[Mistress of Whispers]

((So we have a Fire and Dawn gearing for a fight, and an Abyssal who probably can't say or do *anything* without making matters worse (given Shaya's current state of mind). So no pressure on socially inept Hanzo to diffuse the situation and prevent an all-out Exalted brawl at the edge of a Shadowland as night is setting in .))

[Takhesis]

((Yep - since Gunn had caught Pheonix's eye earlier - she's going to prep for trouble. Which in her mind means prepping for a fight... makes perfect logical sense.... ))