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Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

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What's interesting here is that the akuma are killing people here.

They don't need to, they can just feed on ghosts for Yin Chi and stay Yin cycled, which means they only need to take a bite once every ten days to stay active.

The question is why precisely those shaman needed to die?

The reasons why they killed them makes a big difference as to whether we can redeem these akuma. We should track down where they're interred and use the Crown to ask.

uju32 said:
This is what I object to.
The strength, or lack thereof, of your Po does not appear to be a factor.
It just has to be awake at your moment of death. Which has nothing to do with strength.
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An awakened Po is a strong Po, I see them as synonymous terms.
 
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uju32 said:
This is what I object to.
The strength, or lack thereof, of your Po does not appear to be a factor.
It just has to be awake at your moment of death. Which has nothing to do with strength.


@DragonParadox

QUESTION
1) Do we have the names/identities of those killed? How many are we looking at?
And just as a curiosity, how many of them does the Recluce Murders designation miss? I have this private bet that they would have missed at least two thirds of the victims.
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You did not get numbers, because the magic followed along the line of the murder. Whoever did this thought in terms of killing the local minor talents and sensitives, which is a kind of clue in and of itself.
 
fictionfan said:
Not most, but any that have trained in the field.
[X] Talk to Lieutenant Murphy, supernatural killings are her department
-[x] Olivia should be able to warn the order.
This at least is a problem that SI can deal with if given enough information. Or at the very least they are worthwhile backup.
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No it isnt.
Just Bone Shintai 3, like this messenger apparently had, turns you into an armored invisible killer with 2x normal HP and an Agg weapon. This would be the Loup Garou all over again, just worse.

Alratan said:
The question is why that shaman needed to die?
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If you are trying to stay lowkey, killing off the people who can see you is a nobrainer if you arent averse to bloodshed.
They might also have Golden Chi.
Alratan said:
An awakened Po is a strong Po, I see them as synonymous terms.
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I see the problem.
They arent synonymous.
 
So they've been killing mortals with the talent in Chicago? Ones they've been hunting down without being provoked?

And without being a necessity apparently? I'm not inclined to show mercy to those who harm others uninvolved in pursuit of their own salvation.

The Ghouls and vampires were compelled to hunt mortals but these Jade Courts can apparently feed on ghosts instead?
 
uju32 said:
I see the problem.
They arent synonymous.
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I have to find the reference, but I believe they are.

Edit: Compare:

Most mortals do not have the P'o Virtue; the Demon is the peculiar curse of the Kuei-jin. A few mortals, however, have rudimentary P'o ratings. If a mortal drops to a Humanity rating of 1, he gains a P'o rating of 1, though he may not use this P'o as Kuei-jin do. Each time the mortal's Humanity rating drops below 1 (see The Vampire Players Guide, pp. 33-34), he not only gains a Derangement, but he also adds one point to his P'o rating. This occurrence might prove significant when certain Kuei-jin powers come into play; P'otainted mortals might well "run amok" and join the vampires in sprees of carnage.​

to:

• During his lifetime, the mortal awakened his dormant P'o. Such an occurrence is possible only through sustained deeds of depravity and callousness, such that the mortal's "dark side" has a significant impact on his personality and overall karma. (In game terms, any human whose Humanity score drops below 5 may have awakened his P'o, and anyone whose Humanity score falls to 1, then gains a subsequent Derangement [see The Vampire Players Guide, pp. 34-35], certainly has done so.)
• The mortal died in such traumatic fashion that his P'o awakened at the moment of dying. This situation typically arises only when a very nasty death combines with an overwhelming urge to remain in the living world. Unfortunately, the Fifth Age, with its brushfire wars, political "detention centers" and tong battles, offers countless opportunities for this sort of death.​

It sounds like an Awakened Po is a Po rating of 1, which is stronger than a Po of non-existent.

uju32 said:
If you are trying to stay lowkey, killing off the people who can see you is a nobrainer if you arent averse to bloodshed.
They might also have Golden Chi.
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Shaman aren't angels; which is what Hsien basically are. They're not going to have golden chi that grants accelerated enlightenment.
 
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uju32 said:
No it isnt.
Just Bone Shintai 3, like this messenger apparently had, turns you into an armored invisible killer with 2x normal HP and an Agg weapon. This would be the Loup Garou all over again, just worse.
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But they have weaknesses that a mortal can take advantage of right? The Loup Garou would not have been nearly as much of a problem if all the cops had guns full of inherented sliver bullets.

Are hungry dead active during the day? The cops are not required to get into a straight fight.
 
So... In regards to XP spending - let's try and look at it from task-oriented position. What tasks do we have next month?
1) Dealing with Jade Court - that's etiquette, probably Maggot Mana Plague if we want to recruit them, and Murder is Meat if we are to fight, with maybe Wind-Born stride to make the fight easier. How does mortality work with wan kuei? Do they get sent back to hell, or do they die the final death, if they are killed with normallish weapons?
2) Dealing with our minions, old (Jade dogs) and new (whamps, including the fledgeling) - empathy, Maggot Mana Plague probably (with interesting effects on the fledgeling and a bonus). Also VEE or Prayer Eating techniques up to third dot.
3) Continuing work on Last Station - if I recall correctly, we are at the point where technology excellency will be useful. That, and more craft, I think.
4) Dealing with the naagloshii - that's not actually a given. It's a present danger, but not an immediate one, given that it has been several months and it didn't act. We need Essence-Dissecting Stare to find it (or we'll need to burn Crown questions) and see past its veils (if I understand the function "Spending 1 Willpower permits the Infernal to attune her senses to the vibrations of another realm of existence for a scene, seeing through the Gauntlet or Shroud and into the Penumbra or Shadowlands, or to behold reality's chimerical aspect." with the fluff "The Infernal's stare rips away the pretenses of prosaic reality, allowing her to see through to the truth of the cosmos.", this should work on illusions), Wind-Born Stride to match its speed (at least in shintai), and maybe Seeing is Blindness to make it harder for it to flee. We don't need Murder is Meat to make sure it stays dead - mundane weapons (sch as nukes) are enough. Naagloshii aren't immortal.
5) General AP hell. Alchemy, sleep reducer
6) Preparing to meet with Mab - Etiquette, possibly craft (to prepare a suitable location that favors us and doesn't offend Mab, and possibly to make some sort of reconciliation gift to Mab)

All actions would benefit from the ability boosting potion (Alchemy recipe, 2 dots). And no, it's not doping, it's magical potions, and I will die on this hill.

So, based on these (please tell me what I missed), we should go with the following:
[] Task-oriented approach
-[] Maggot Mana Plague, 8 XP
-[] Alchemy 2 dots, 4 -1 +3 = 6 XP, free recipes (if I understand correctly, we get 1 for free):
--[] A liquid that, when imbibed, removes minor Health Level penalties (through Injured) until the individual is wounded again or heals, 1 dot
--[] A liquid that allows the drinker to go for an entire week with only one hour's sleep per night., 2 dots
-[] Additional alchemy recipes, 2 dots, 2 XP:
--[] Enhance Ability: an elixir that can enhance a specific ability in a person who drinks it. The drinker gains a specialty in that ability for the duration (or +2 dice when it is relevant if they already have one) for one hour per success on the creation.
-[] Etiquette 5, 4 XP
-[] Empathy 5, 4 XP

This leaves us with presumably 6 XP. I would suggest buying Seeing is Blindness with it, or a combination of craft 4 (3 XP) and technology excellency (4 XP, we take 1 xp from the bank). Craft is our go-to solution in many regards, and great in general so far. At the final alternative, we buy Murder is Meat to be on the safe side, and use the 2 remaining XP on Lydia, or buy a second 2 dot recipe (a healing potion).

Lydia should get Command the Dead (which synergies with our craft as we make her wooden soldiers) and either Willpower 6, or Hunter's Bolt.

Using this combination of actions, we get minions brimming with energy (maggot mana plague), get at least +1 AP and specialties in a number of abilities when needed, and are able to better deal with Jade Court.

We definitely don't need RVD next turn - we won't be able to make use of it at all. We are very deep in AP hell, we have no time to go exploring.

uju32 said:
No it isnt.
Just Bone Shintai 3, like this messenger apparently had, turns you into an armored invisible killer with 2x normal HP and an Agg weapon. This would be the Loup Garou all over again, just worse.
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And that's why it's critically important they are warned, so they don't try to apprehend the vampires.
LightLan said:
She has a DC10 stealth veil? Damn.

(-3 from ATB, -2 from Demonic Guide and still DC5)
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Yeesh. We really should check what's up with her.
 
Did a quick look at the hungry dead for weaknesses

Weaknesses
Kuei-jin are not created through the act of another, like western vampires are, and their numbers are limited and can not be easily replenished. Their blood has no supernatural properties of its own and cannot create Blood Bonds or ghouls.

The sun is just as dangerous to the Kuei-jin as it is to their western cousins. Kuei-jin, however, do not begin to burn when exposed to sunlight; instead, their flesh begins to rot until nothing remains but a putrified carcass.

A stake through the heart does not automatically paralyze a Kuei-jin. However, the heart is instrumental in processing Chi energy, and certain types of attacks can disrupt the Chi flow in a Kuei-jin's body. Vampires of Yin prove vulnerable to wood, the element of Yang; conversely, vampires of Yang are vulnerable to metal, the element of Yin.
________________
Not as specific as I might have hoped. So Yang vampires might actually be weak to metal bullets, but Yin vampires need to be hit by wood. And of course standing in the sunlight is a fairly good defense.

Also hungry dead don't actually have ready made ways to make minions. So they might not actually have much.
 
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DragonParadox said:
Of Shadows Near and Far
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COMMENTARY
-They have been murdering sensitives and minor talents.
Thats rather similar to the original Skavis plot of White Night.
Hmm.

-Jaslin Hotel is a ~100 room, 3-star hotel in Chinatown.
Having the cyberdevils hack the records for rooms booked since the arrival of the Kakuri party should tell us how many people there are in Eiko's retinue.

-Eiko is probably a Shikome Assassin.
DragonParadox said:
She is as beautiful as the moon above, subtle and wise in the ways of the Endless Night, she does not speak without need nor act without judgement, though the company of such as myself is a grave trial to her," comes the reply in the cadence of a well-worn lesson harshly taught, one you can use, Usum whispers at the back of your mind.
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Shikome rarely talk.

-They have been in Chicago for 13 days.
That means they arrived on September 17. We met Leinth Skavis and Isabella on September 8, 9 days before that.
So I dont think this has anything to do with them; too much time passed.

Similarly doesnt appear to have anything to do with the naagloshii, which predates them.


-Convenient to have Olivia here. Getting the Order off the streets for the next week seems to be our first priority.
And with regards to Olivia's invisibility, its worth noting that the first Bone Shintai power is magic invisibility, something that all Shikome Assassins have.

Might help explain all the dead talents if there's an invisible assassin around.
fictionfan said:
But the have weaknesses that a mortal can take advantage of right? The Loup Garou would not have been nearly as much of a problem if all the cops had guns full of inherented sliver bullets.

Are hungry dead active during the day? The cops are not required to get into a straight fight.
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The Loup Garou was a stupid animal acting on instinct. This is an intelligent person.
They can supplement their native defenses with a kevlar vest and carry handguns.

Wan Kuei are vulnerable to sunlight, but can tolerate some of it.
That doesnt prevent them acting during the day as long as they stay out of the sun.
 
I wonder how the white Court feels about all these Jade vampires entering the city? Also it explains the misidentification before.
 
fictionfan said:
But they have weaknesses that a mortal can take advantage of right? The Loup Garou would not have been nearly as much of a problem if all the cops had guns full of inherented sliver bullets.

Are hungry dead active during the day? The cops are not required to get into a straight fight.
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Akuma are particularly likely to have bakemono servants who have no trouble sleeping during the day. Hungry Dead rot in the sunlight, but they can stay awake during the day, although it's much easier if they have higher Dharma or Hun rating.

They can also hang out on the other side of the Veil rather than the material world while sleeping.
 
VOTE
[X] Warn the Order of the Cauldron
-[X]STUNT: In reply, you hand the letter over to Lydia. "His boss wants a meeting" you say, forcing a lightness into your voice that you dont really feel. With an effort, you stop and take Olivia's hand, squeezing it comfortably. "You did fine. " You look over to Lydia, who has just finished reading the letter, and hands it back to you, one eyebrow raised. "The soul of courtesy, that one." You weigh the letter in your hand for a moment, then fumble it into your purse, drawing Clippy out instead. "I think" you say deliberately "the Order should stay out of Chinatown, and behind thresholds at night for the next week or so." You look at your phone. "Call Anna."



This is the most time sensitive option on our list.
Telling our little group of minor talents to stay off the streets at night for the next week or so, and to avoid Chinatown in particular, might save some lives. Everything else can wait till morning.

Gonna have to make Olivia a Mentat Stone as soon as we buy Enchantment 1.
 
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I think we need to try to pass a broader warning that just the Order. We need to ask Harry how to pass a message further, ask for a notice to be put up at Bock's and McAnallys, etc.

We can leverage them as a threat to get broader influence and more contacts.
 
Acolyte said:
But your soul is objectively who you are in dreaden files, i don't understand what your personal views have to do with it. Its why ghosts aren't real people.
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Maybe I misunderstood what you were suggesting, but the implication I took from your comment was to have people get completely wiped.

The soul in DF is sort of like a spiritual brain rather than wholly being "you" in some greater sense. We can infer that from the information we got from Bob on burning bits of it for soul fire without actually influencing you unless you burn so much that you actively damage the overall structure.

Even setting that aside, there's no indication in DF that reincarnation is actually a thing. Not anything saying it isn't, but it never comes up e even in passing.

There isn't a contradiction in saying that the soul encompasses a particular configuration that expresses a person, and that sufficient deviation changes that. Mutilating it until it loses continuity of consciousness seems like a reasonable point to distinguish between recycling spiritual mass and the continuation of a life.
 
Alratan said:
I think we need to try to pass a broader warning that just the Order. We need to ask Harry how to pass a message further, ask for a notice to be put up at Bock's and McAnallys, etc.

We can leverage them as a threat to get broader influence and more contacts.
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We can argue about who to tell and when, and whether we would have legal jeopardy.
However, note the actual instructions:
DragonParadox said:
OOC: The questions of who had the akuma fed on and who they had killed are distinct so I went with killed since that is the more relevant information at least in my estimation. The vote is only about immediate action, stuff you can do in a few hours, actually dealing with the agents of Kakuri.
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This is about what you do immediately. Tonight.
Other stuff is for tomorrow, which is a new turn.

By those instructions, @Yog's vote appears to miss the point entirely.
Any single one of the options given will take several hours to deal with. At a minimum.
 
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Yog said:
Lydia should get Command the Dead (which synergies with our craft as we make her wooden soldiers) and either Willpower 6, or Hunter's Bolt.
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I feel like she would be better off getting her dog authority charm and we get a bakomono charm. We can make her a bunch of dog bakomono for her to command. Much more straight forward.
 
Nyarky said:
Look at what is bolded, what is said is that Ususm can tell that they can control you as soon as they take the first silver of soul, they just dislike doing it and prefer blackmail and other indirect methods, because they have learned the lesson I pointed out, that taking control too soon stopped them from being trusted and so it is in their advantage to pretend that they can't as easily as they actually can.
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I read the exact opposite.
DragonParadox said:
While the Wan Kuei may sell slivers of their souls to the Yama Kings and still strive towards enlightenment they never know the measure of their own soul, for that is only given to those who have reached the Hundred Clouds, the pinnacle of Dharma. So every deal with the masters of Yomi Wan is made with the understanding that this one might be your last that one might have handed them the last piece of yourself and utter control over all that you are. It is a matter of some theological debate among the Jade Court if the Yama Kings can see how much of a petitioner's soul they have yet to claim. Usum can put that to rest, they can as soon as they take the first sliver of soul though they are usually extremely circumspect in using the pieces of a partially claimed soul to directly sway the Wan Kuei, much preferring blackmail, bribery and intimidation because they have learned though the long ages that such is almost an assured means to lose their tools and all the toil and effort that went into cultivating them

The vice of the Po soul is unrestrained passion, the vice of the Han soul is unrestrained pride. to visibly attempt to chain them before the chain is unbreakable is to force them into desperate unity of purpose that will lead to escape far more often than not.
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Bold: It is a matter of debate whether the Kings can see how much they have yet to claim. Usum can settle that debate, they know how much exists in total from the moment they get any.

Italics: Using the minor influence from holding part of the soul to actively do anything their victim can notice instead of just letting it lead them into corruption passively will, the vast majority of the time, lead to them completely losing all their influence as the remainder of the soul tears its way free. Even if that remainder is literally the last piece of the same size as the first fragment.
 
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