Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

25st of July 2006 A.D.

As you descent into the depths, trying not tho think of where the spare breathing mask the vampire had on them had been you descend into the depths, the black forms of your new 'friends' obscuring the light of your anima and the bright yellow paint-job of your latest creation. Mom is never going to believe this one... Come to think of it maybe it's best not to tell her too many details about it.The water of the lake is clearer than you had hoped, nothing worse than fine white sand swirling all about you like the world's worst and wettest case of dandruff, though you quickly realize there's nothing else alive here either, no fish, no algae and no fish-men...

Then you see it, growing from the bottom of the lake like blisters of leprous white stone arranged in a distorted pentagram with the north-facing point way farther out than any of the others the base sprawls over maybe five hundred square yards, though you cannot see any opening to it, at least not with eyes of flesh. Looking deeper, you see that at the apex of the northern blister the top the the dome is not stone at all, but the barnacle covered shell of some mutant crustacean that opens...

Lost 1 Essence -> Now at 8/12

Yew.

In literally has to swallow and poop out everyone who enters the base that way, and you very much suspect it is not going to be so kind as to expel people who should not be there.

"We have to cut our way in," you call out over the short range radio, also courtesy of the Red Court. Monster they may be, but they are well prepared ones. "Keep away from the...."

As you speak a dissonance passes through the water, half pressure on the ear, half phantom pain at the back of your head, some kind of mind magic, though not meant for you.

"They seek to drive us into Rabia Roja, the Red Rage, but it is their blood that is in the water," you hear the elder vampire say with sickening satisfaction.

He hardly has time to gloat before the worm thing lunges forth it's pale, almost translucent body way, way longer than it has any right to be, though you are mostly focused on the jagged teeth that line its three part jaw ready to rip and tear at the vampires. though before it and strike a pair of harpoons thunk heavily into its undulating bulk, spilling ropes of dark blue blood into the water..

Three things happen then almost too fast for the eye to follow.

Firstly Don Phillipe who alone of all his kin had kept his flesh mask intact casts it off to reveal hideous almost scaly form where it is not covered in coarse white hair, pair of misshapen wings growing from his back, secondly something ripples in the water, quicksilver swift and almost invisible as it tries to tear the breathing mask off him, but the vampire had been ready for it, grabbing it with his clawed feet and then sinking his dreadful fangs into it, ripping and tearing at flesh now stained crimson.


From what you can see the hapless attacker looks like some kind of frogman with way too many eyes... but you do not have time to look more closely because the third thing that happens is one of the other domes exploding upwards in a shower of stone water suddenly turned into a deadly concussive wave that blows a pair of vampires away like leaves in a gale, though one of them looks only a little dazed and the other got out of it with only a broken arm

That had not been a mundane blast, you can feel it in the water, the dying notes of a dissonant song, this is a place of power where the dragon lines meet. And that is the last clear thought you have as you are swarmed by a dozen and more beings that may... once have been human. From the waist up the changes are not obvious, other than perhaps the bulbous eyes and the fact they are hairless except for the lanky strands on their head, but below the waist their legs are unnaturally short and bent backwards ending in enormous feet with prehensile toes almost the size of the leg.

The more pressing concern is that each of them seems to be armed with what looks like an oversized taser flashing and sputtering in the dark waters. Spinning and kicking, weightless in the embrace of your anima you manage to interpose your shield or sword between yourself and every blow every weapon, bisecting one smashing a second creature's head in and smashing Usum's pointed guard under the chin of a third in a shower of blood that strikes your face.

Lost 1 Essence -> Now at 7/12

I don't not have time for this, that sorcerer is still down there.

Tactical Situation

• When swarming the 9 remaining Frogmen have a total of 3x12DC6 Attacks and have a total of 45 HL; with the loss of each 15 HL they lose one attack
• The Worm is at 12/15 HL and can attempt to swallow whole any 2 humanoid targets or attack the Yellow Submarine with its acidic bile
• The unseen sorcerer used a powerful mental attack to try to drive the vampires into a frenzy, though he has so far failed... rather badly from the tone of Don Phillipe's last message
• The vampires are mostly unharmed except for one which was slightly wounded by the worm (5/7 HL)

What do you do?

[] Keep killing the chaff once they are dead you can deal with the sorcerer (Dex+Melee+Excellency already up)

[] Try to ignore the frogmen, the vampires will beat them off you, head towards the destroyed dome to secure an entrance into the base (Charisma+Leadership Roll to inspire the vampires while continuing to parry the swarm)

[] Write in

OOC: That poor sorcerer cannot catch a break, he botched what should have been an easy and in theme spell for him and Don Philipe murdered that assassin fomor even though he was at a significant disadvantage to spot him