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Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

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firefrog600 said:
Yeah I don't want to be in a quest where we take zero risks. Avoiding letting others get enemies at every turn is kind of annoying
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Right. So in turn you decide rather than minimize them you'll just ignore them entirely to do the more interesting thing. The risk isn't for us it's for the other Shih hence my original reply to you.

A gift that requires us to waste our AP covering their asses from massively increased aggro so they don't get killed and have their incredibly rare in setting macguffin stolen is a horrible gift.
 
firefrog600 said:
Yeah I don't want to be in a quest where we take zero risks. Avoiding letting others get enemies at every turn is kind of annoying. They already live dangerous lives they'd be significantly more equipped for them with this offer. If kuei Jin are the worry then fight some kuei Jin. I'd note that they are far more insular here than in world of darkness. If Yama kings are the worry I don't think a Yama king can easily come into reality here without downsides probably. Though they could definitely send worrying amounts of akuma. I'd offer protection for them but that's probably not gonna have much political weight for most of a generation .
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1) Thats not a fair characterization.
Its not that long ago that Molly took a naagloshii as her sole backup to go assassinate Arianna Ortega. She literally just murdered I.T with no backup to save Titania a fight. And she is still taking a trip to Vegas this month.

We take plenty of risks routinely. Calculated ones.
The issue at stake is taking an unnecessary risk, and one with the potential to blowback on people who we might want as allies.


2) There are different levels of threat.
For a Shih, having to worry about kueijin and minor shen is a very different level of hazard than potentially drawing the personal attentions of a Yama King or a Denarian or an evil archmage.


3)Giving someone a gift that they now need your protection to keep?
Is very much the sort of thing that would sound to a professional paranoid like a Yama King scheme to subvert an organization.

Keep that in mind when you are making offers to people; being (too) generous CAN be suspicious, especially to people who dont know you personally.
 
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Adhoc vote count started by Yzarc on Dec 20, 2023 at 11:01 PM, finished with 49 posts and 20 votes.
  • [X] Agree to let him explore Sanctuary
    [X] Plan Reaching Out
    -[X] Agree to let him explore Sanctuary
    -[X] Offer an alliance with his monastery and any trained shih who are friendly with them
    —[X] Ask if more of his order would want to explore the Courts and if they'd be interested in hosting representatives from them in turn.
    —[X] Mention mutual benefits, like sharing lore martial arts lore and medical assistance as things to be on the lookout for while traveling.
    —[X] Take the time to explain who the Shih are and the potential in mutual cooperation to the Exarchs at some point.
    —[X] [Stunt] "Sure Though I should warn you that the people here are incredibly curious about the outer universe. If you're not careful you'll end up with a bio pic playing on holo sets across the planet or something." Molly says with a lighthearted smile.
    —-[X] Continuing in a more thoughtful tone Molly shoots a curious look at Divsimar "Would any more of your order be interested in visiting, and maybe hosting some visitors of their own? The Courts can't stay isolated forever, and it would be good to for them to introduce themselves - and be introduced - to the world at large among friends" .
    [X] Plan Honor Thy Teacher
    -[X] Agree to let him explore Sanctuary
    --[X] Offer whatever support he requires, and provide ways to contact you
    --[X] If he wishes to travel anonymously, help him with a cover story and provide means to communicate
    -[X] Offer an alliance with his monastery and any trained shih who are friendly with them
    --[X] Terms:
    ---[X] You provide:
    ----[X] The benefit of the Courts' medical technology and equipment for those suffering from injuries obtained in the line of duty
    ----[X] The benefit of the Wheel for those suffering from incurable illnesses, including old age, that are not ready to depart this life
    ----[X] Access to armor, and weapons on the same terms as White Council gets
    ---[X] They provide:
    ----[X] Advice, local knowledge, and introductions for you and your agents as needed
    ----[X] Shelter for your agents, with a right of refusal if it actively endangers them
    ----[X] A chance to learn shih arts for your agents (with a right to refuse the student)
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uju32 said:
1) Thats not a fair characterization.
Its not that long ago that Molly took a naagloshii as her sole backup to go assassinate Arianna Ortega. She literally just murdered I.T with no backup to save Titania a fight. And she is still taking a trip to Vegas this month.

We take plenty of risks routinely. Calculated ones.
The issue at stake is taking an unnecessary risk, and one with the potential to blowback on people who we might want as allies.


2) There are different levels of threat.
For a Shih, having to worry about kueijin and minor shen is a very different level of hazard than potentially drawing the personal attentions of a Yama King or a Denarian or an evil archmage.


3)Giving someone a gift that they now need your protection to keep?
Is very much the sort of thing that would sound to a professional paranoid like a Yama King scheme to subvert an organization.

Keep that in mind when you are making offers to people; being (too) generous CAN be suspicious, especially to people who dont know you personally.
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Not to uh undercut your comments but I'm unsure why you listed denarian cause uh fuck those are not comparable. Like sure denarians can and do make sweeping changes but their not in the same weight class as a yama king or evil archmage. They can handle denarians even if not easily. Like they can make xanatos level plans and ritual shit but generally their not the same weight class. Also would be less interested in said peaches not no interest just less.
 
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Uh offhand is there anything in exalted that can ward against the crowns sight? Other than the fact it can't look directly at itself or exaltations?
 
uju32 said:
The problem here is that they are acutely vulnerable to empowered minions in numbers, especially in mixed forces.
All the supernatural buffs dont help them against significant numbers of ghouls or enthralled humans with AKs and body armor.
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I don't really buy that one. Again the problem is fuel and backlash.

They'd start out with a pretty amazing base statline that feeds directly into their abilities and buffs. Anyone with the Qiao of the Feng is now significantly better, compounding their healing to downright cheating levels.

They've got multiple cheap detection abilities that cross reading mortal intent and detecting possession or mind control.

An old Shih with the right skill set could reliably get up to 10+ lethal okay soak, 10-13 brawl dice dealing Agg damage in all 4 full attacks they make a turn. Layer on ignoring wounded most wounded penalties and even faster combat regen to taste.

That guy is going to be useless after the scene ends, but have fun breaking into a fortress where he and his closest friends keep their stuff, cause we haven't even gotten to the weird stuff.

They're not unbeatable, but some punk warlock isn't going to wipe them out with mind controlled goons.
uju32 said:
For example, Victor Sells, the starter villain in Storm Front, the one that was peddling magical drugs?
Had, without any preptime, half a dozen magical attack drones in a drawer, and a Hell-demon that he summoned.
Leonid Kravos, the dude who killed himself to become the Nightmare? Had at least one demon on tap even when taken by surprise when he was alive, hence the need for Michael's presence.

Those are relatively low level casters in the Dresden Files from the earlier books, with relatively low level access to hired help.

Someone like Vittorio Malvora with his access to regenerating uberghouls? Or the Denarians with access to elite mooks, both Tessa's elite ghouls and Nicodemus' entire lineages of disciples? Or Mavra's (Or indeed, any Black Court Master vampire) ability to throw up a fighting force at short notice? Or even a couple of Formorian hitsquads?
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That's all bull though.

Victor Sells is clearly early edition weirdness; he eats part of Dresden's soul in a dream and somehow none of his weird stuff ever comes up again. IC it's clearly harder to pull that nonsense than you're presenting.

Uberghouls, vampires, and summons are squarely back in their area of expertise again. Arguing their powers only work on shen is like arguing our charms should only work on creatures specifically labeled CoDs in their native setting. If you throw demon scorpions, Uber ghouls fresh from the nevernever, or blampire fledglings should count for most of their supernatural only abilities.

Shouting it from the roof would be stupid, but the Shih actively hunt down and kill people like Akuma. If they were fragile enough to whip up some minions and kill they'd have died ages ago. That they still have exist and send expeditions across the planet should demonstrate that we're not talking about Ordo members here.


uju32 said:
This is something where you let Brother Div gather information, and then socialize with other senior Shih and share their impressions and concerns.
Its not really the sort of thing that you should rush.
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I don't think raising the issue of more people from his order showing up if they want to and getting them thinking about if they want to do things in reverse as well is particularly aggressive. Nor is signaling we're interest in further cooperation by mentioning areas we might help each other in so that the guy doing the reporting can include that.

I'm not expecting a Qiao training for demon mercenaries trade deal or something, but this will go smoother if they're not guessing about the loose direction of our thoughts.
 
firefrog600 said:
Uh offhand is there anything in exalted that can ward against the crowns sight? Other than the fact it can't look directly at itself or exaltations?
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Not by RAW. Of course by RAW there is nothing stoping it from looking at itself or predicting the results of free will. Even Sidereal don't have a defense against asking the storyteller a question.
 
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[X] BronzeTongue
BronzeTongue said:
An old Shih with the right skill set could reliably get up to 10+ lethal okay soak, 10-13 brawl dice dealing Agg damage in all 4 full attacks they make a turn. Layer on ignoring wounded most wounded penalties and even faster combat regen to taste.
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Keep in mind that Shih don't even natively soak Lethal, Iron Skin is just boosting their human Stamina, not giving them increased resistance to bullets like it does for us.
Is there a power that gives them easy Lethal soak?

fictionfan said:
Not by RAW. Of course by RAW there is nothing stoping it from looking at itself or predicting the results of free will. Even Sidereal don't have a defense against asking the storyteller a question.
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Free Will is just an excuse for the Storyteller not knowing things in the future I think?

Ultimatly the ST will have to have his enemies react to what your guys do, if they know it, so any future predictions are flawed, only present and past can be perfect.
 
Artemis1992 said:
Keep in mind that Shih don't even natively soak Lethal, Iron Skin is just boosting their human Stamina, not giving them increased resistance to bullets like it does for us.
Is there a power that gives them easy Lethal soak?
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I think the 4 dot for Qiao of the I Shi does, but I don't have time to check right now.

In any case Divsimar soaked getting shot in the shoulder without armor, so there's some Qiao available to do this even if that isn't the right power for it.
 
In fairness we could give them the peaches instead of the tree. Its not as much of a gift but their less likely to be attacked though I don't know the exact rules for attuning or anything. Instead we're likely to be attacked! If people attack them on the slim chance they might get word on their methods, after they figure out their immortal, after after parsing rumor from fact, then their unlikely to attack them for minimal gain. Asides we can always just lay this as an offer freely given they can refuse if they want.
 
fictionfan said:
If we talk to him using Source Code Compliance Protocol how long will he continue speaking true speech?

Actually we really should see about sharing that language among our people and see if they manage anything clever with it.
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Several minutes only (it's scene long, and in the scene where we shared it with Archive and others only lasted for several minutes), so sadly not an option. Teaching it to those very, very trusted seems like a good, if risky idea, because, well, it's not just Old Realm, which would be mystical enough, it's the primordial language. Leaving aside how most wouldn't have physiology to actually speak it, it can probably be used for magic. Lydia is definitely getting taught, though.
BronzeTongue said:
Yeah, I get it and like the direction. I just don't think the added potential of people believing they have the real deal is worth it when the splendor doesn't necessarily have to take that form to serve our desired function.
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You might be right, it's better to be original and I don't want to hyper-fixate on what's ultimately an aesthetic issue.
BronzeTongue said:
Thanks.

It was supposed to be ahistorical/mythologized to an extent. I didn't specify where the wayfarer was traveling from or an actual time period so that it could fit into anything; from individuals (real or imagined) who left the labyrinth before the migration immortalized as heroes above the surface and villains beneath it to the first generations to have found the warm belt.

The "spoke of the wheel" thing isn't intended to be setting down law either. If it exists at all the spring could just as well be a powerful dragon nest aligned to the wheel as a concept instead of death. Maybe even an old term for them in general inspired by stories like these from before their civilization developed a more advanced understanding of magic.

I'm interested in how a more accurate adaptation would look, but I was going for something closer to origin myth than historical account. It's not like the spoke of the wheel and the spring at its foot has to be real to inspire an item (or an audience of young martial artists in the distant past of the FCF for that matter).
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Yeah, I'll work on something, probably based on your idea. I like the idea of never ending ice... I'll see when I have a bit of time.
uju32 said:
And we have in fact built temporary orbital habitats; multiple of them.

There's nothing suggesting economic constraints holding the Solar Deliberative back.. There is a surfeit of evidence for Age of Legends Solars straight up doing their thing without waiting for the Deliberative's approval or disapproval. There was never anything preventing a single Solar, or a small Circle, heading out into the Wyld and building a proof of concept.

The fact that none of them, to our knowledge, ever succeeded at this, says interesting things.
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Are you seriously nitpicking orbital habitats comment? Ok, to be clear: by orbital habitat I meant permanent habitation with breeding multi-generational population. There, better? Or let's use lunar habitats. Those are also technically possible, even simpler than orbital ones, actually.

There's a ton to suggest that economic constraints were holding Solar Deliberative back. Economics were the reason for Sol to turn his face back from Creation - Hierophant was using his name to cheat on taxes, essentially. Meaning that taxes were a thing, and were a thing worth cheating on. Meaning economics mattered. Yes, each solar had great personal wealth, but it was not sufficient for truly grandiose projects. Elon Musk is personally very wealthy and can undertake a lot of stuff on his own. He still isn't colonizing Mars and requires governmental approval and funding for that.
uju32 said:
Strongly disagree.

Shih monks have a place in the balance of power in Kindred of the East, and are tolerated by most of the darkside hierarchy because they serve a function in stuff like hunting solitary kueijin and shen who cross lines as well as posing a threat to high tier Yomi Wan threats when part of a mixed party.

Also, they have nothing worth stealing.

Change an element of that, give them something seriously worth stealing, and options that werent worth the trouble before become viable.
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The logic you are using here is that "the only safety is safety in obscurity, rising against darkness is only possible for as long as darkness allows it". F*ck that logic. If wan kuei object, we'll kick their teeth in. We are already on Kakuri's and likely others' Most Wanted list.
uju32 said:
We are not there.
We have our life to live, and commitments at the other side of the globe.
There's no way that we get to pre-empt a serious attack; at best, we avenge them, which is cold comfort to a dead monsastery.

Not to mention that their having to not depend on Molly's protection for survival would be a failure state for the Shih, and if you have a nasty suspicious mind, like the sort of scheme a Yama King would concoct to gain power over a Shih faction.
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Which is why we have forces. And we can make preparations. And the treasure can be kept secure and hidden. They don't even have infiltrators. It's quite possible for them to hide their new treasure for a long enough time that its benefits far outweigh the downside of increased attention.
uju32 said:
Because the history of Exalted 2E would be very different if there was a second Creation that the forces of the Usurpation did not reach, where the Loom of Fate had no sway and the various events following it, from the Balorean Crusade to the Great Contagion, did not affect.
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Well of Udr is a canonical thing that leads to different Creations.
uju32 said:
We take plenty of risks routinely. Calculated ones.
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Sorry, but this is BS. The calculated part. We take risks, but the calculation is, at best, inconsistent.

Also @DragonParadox please count me personally as supporting @BronzeTongue
 
Adhoc vote count started by Yzarc on Dec 20, 2023 at 11:01 PM, finished with 49 posts and 20 votes.
  • [X] Agree to let him explore Sanctuary
    [X] Plan Reaching Out
    -[X] Agree to let him explore Sanctuary
    -[X] Offer an alliance with his monastery and any trained shih who are friendly with them
    —[X] Ask if more of his order would want to explore the Courts and if they'd be interested in hosting representatives from them in turn.
    —[X] Mention mutual benefits, like sharing lore martial arts lore and medical assistance as things to be on the lookout for while traveling.
    —[X] Take the time to explain who the Shih are and the potential in mutual cooperation to the Exarchs at some point.
    —[X] [Stunt] "Sure Though I should warn you that the people here are incredibly curious about the outer universe. If you're not careful you'll end up with a bio pic playing on holo sets across the planet or something." Molly says with a lighthearted smile.
    —-[X] Continuing in a more thoughtful tone Molly shoots a curious look at Divsimar "Would any more of your order be interested in visiting, and maybe hosting some visitors of their own? The Courts can't stay isolated forever, and it would be good to for them to introduce themselves - and be introduced - to the world at large among friends" .
    [X] Plan Honor Thy Teacher
    -[X] Agree to let him explore Sanctuary
    --[X] Offer whatever support he requires, and provide ways to contact you
    --[X] If he wishes to travel anonymously, help him with a cover story and provide means to communicate
    -[X] Offer an alliance with his monastery and any trained shih who are friendly with them
    --[X] Terms:
    ---[X] You provide:
    ----[X] The benefit of the Courts' medical technology and equipment for those suffering from injuries obtained in the line of duty
    ----[X] The benefit of the Wheel for those suffering from incurable illnesses, including old age, that are not ready to depart this life
    ----[X] Access to armor, and weapons on the same terms as White Council gets
    ---[X] They provide:
    ----[X] Advice, local knowledge, and introductions for you and your agents as needed
    ----[X] Shelter for your agents, with a right of refusal if it actively endangers them
    ----[X] A chance to learn shih arts for your agents (with a right to refuse the student)
Click to expand...
 
[X] Plan Reaching Out
Yzarc said:
Adhoc vote count started by Yzarc on Dec 20, 2023 at 11:01 PM, finished with 49 posts and 20 votes.
  • [X] Agree to let him explore Sanctuary
    [X] Plan Reaching Out
    -[X] Agree to let him explore Sanctuary
    -[X] Offer an alliance with his monastery and any trained shih who are friendly with them
    —[X] Ask if more of his order would want to explore the Courts and if they'd be interested in hosting representatives from them in turn.
    —[X] Mention mutual benefits, like sharing lore martial arts lore and medical assistance as things to be on the lookout for while traveling.
    —[X] Take the time to explain who the Shih are and the potential in mutual cooperation to the Exarchs at some point.
    —[X] [Stunt] "Sure Though I should warn you that the people here are incredibly curious about the outer universe. If you're not careful you'll end up with a bio pic playing on holo sets across the planet or something." Molly says with a lighthearted smile.
    —-[X] Continuing in a more thoughtful tone Molly shoots a curious look at Divsimar "Would any more of your order be interested in visiting, and maybe hosting some visitors of their own? The Courts can't stay isolated forever, and it would be good to for them to introduce themselves - and be introduced - to the world at large among friends" .
    [X] Plan Honor Thy Teacher
    -[X] Agree to let him explore Sanctuary
    --[X] Offer whatever support he requires, and provide ways to contact you
    --[X] If he wishes to travel anonymously, help him with a cover story and provide means to communicate
    -[X] Offer an alliance with his monastery and any trained shih who are friendly with them
    --[X] Terms:
    ---[X] You provide:
    ----[X] The benefit of the Courts' medical technology and equipment for those suffering from injuries obtained in the line of duty
    ----[X] The benefit of the Wheel for those suffering from incurable illnesses, including old age, that are not ready to depart this life
    ----[X] Access to armor, and weapons on the same terms as White Council gets
    ---[X] They provide:
    ----[X] Advice, local knowledge, and introductions for you and your agents as needed
    ----[X] Shelter for your agents, with a right of refusal if it actively endangers them
    ----[X] A chance to learn shih arts for your agents (with a right to refuse the student)
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Your votecount seems to be missing Artemis1992's from a few posts up.
Artemis1992 said:
[X] BronzeTongue
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OK, vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Dec 21, 2023 at 8:49 AM, finished with 61 posts and 22 votes.
  • [X] Plan Reaching Out
    -[X] Agree to let him explore Sanctuary
    -[X] Offer an alliance with his monastery and any trained shih who are friendly with them
    —[X] Ask if more of his order would want to explore the Courts and if they'd be interested in hosting representatives from them in turn.
    —[X] Mention mutual benefits, like sharing lore martial arts lore and medical assistance as things to be on the lookout for while traveling.
    —[X] Take the time to explain who the Shih are and the potential in mutual cooperation to the Exarchs at some point.
    —[X] [Stunt] "Sure Though I should warn you that the people here are incredibly curious about the outer universe. If you're not careful you'll end up with a bio pic playing on holo sets across the planet or something." Molly says with a lighthearted smile.
    —-[X] Continuing in a more thoughtful tone Molly shoots a curious look at Divsimar "Would any more of your order be interested in visiting, and maybe hosting some visitors of their own? The Courts can't stay isolated forever, and it would be good to for them to introduce themselves - and be introduced - to the world at large among friends" .
    [X] Agree to let him explore Sanctuary
    [X] Plan Honor Thy Teacher
    -[X] Agree to let him explore Sanctuary
    --[X] Offer whatever support he requires, and provide ways to contact you
    --[X] If he wishes to travel anonymously, help him with a cover story and provide means to communicate
    -[X] Offer an alliance with his monastery and any trained shih who are friendly with them
    --[X] Terms:
    ---[X] You provide:
    ----[X] The benefit of the Courts' medical technology and equipment for those suffering from injuries obtained in the line of duty
    ----[X] The benefit of the Wheel for those suffering from incurable illnesses, including old age, that are not ready to depart this life
    ----[X] Access to armor, and weapons on the same terms as White Council gets
    ---[X] They provide:
    ----[X] Advice, local knowledge, and introductions for you and your agents as needed
    ----[X] Shelter for your agents, with a right of refusal if it actively endangers them
    ----[X] A chance to learn shih arts for your agents (with a right to refuse the student)
Click to expand...
 
firefrog600 said:
In fairness we could give them the peaches instead of the tree. Its not as much of a gift but their less likely to be attacked though I don't know the exact rules for attuning or anything. Instead we're likely to be attacked! If people attack them on the slim chance they might get word on their methods, after they figure out their immortal, after after parsing rumor from fact, then their unlikely to attack them for minimal gain. Asides we can always just lay this as an offer freely given they can refuse if they want.
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That's a fair point, but it's one with its own issues. Having control of the source makes it easier to trust we're not going to screw them and that the people who accept the transformation aren't secretly beholden to us somehow to keep it.

uju32 said:
Strongly disagree.

Shih monks have a place in the balance of power in Kindred of the East, and are tolerated by most of the darkside hierarchy because they serve a function in stuff like hunting solitary kueijin and shen who cross lines as well as posing a threat to high tier Yomi Wan threats when part of a mixed party.
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Yog said:
The logic you are using here is that "the only safety is safety in obscurity, rising against darkness is only possible for as long as darkness allows it". F*ck that logic. If wan kuei object, we'll kick their teeth in. We are already on Kakuri's and likely others' Most Wanted list.
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In fairness there are things that are a bad idea to do and attention it's unhealthy to have. It's all relative. I just don't think demon hunting monks have the same concerns as say the Ordo.

Here is what ExWoD has to say on them:

The demon hunters known as the Shih trace their origins to a legendary figure born more than 3,000 years ago named Wan Kung Yi. As best as Dragon-Blooded genealogists can determine, Yi was no kin of Terrestrial Exalted, but merely a mortal man of extraordinary disci- pline and virtue. The order he founded not only made an extensive survey of the nature and weaknesses of the night people, they practiced physical and spiritual re- finements to gain conscious access to the power of their own life-force... and then devised battle arts to wield that energy as a weapon with which to kill monsters.
The Dragon-Blooded have never had any sort of agreement or alliance with the Shih. Although individ- ual Exalted have sometimes quietly supported individ- ual demon hunters or offered them shelter, they usual- ly took pains to appear as nothing more than eccentric aristocrats while doing so. The Shih are diligent, the Shih are implacable, and the Shih are very, very good
at uncovering the cataloging the secrets of the super- natural world. The Dragon-Blooded did not and do not want the Shih to pay attention to them.
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They're basically humanity's home grown supernatural power. Mages and sorcerers are amazing, but they're also barred paths and you have to be born with a key.

The Qiao were developed by the work of virtuous mortals stealing fire from hell and thunder from the gods. They pay dearly for it, but that power is something they built instead of having it given to them and anyone can follow the bridges as far as their dedication takes them.

The things they made are so grossly effective that for people not hobbled by mortal limits they're a game changing source of power.

Despite all that they're not a world shaking organization who are going to 1v1 vampire lords on the regular, but they're dangerous to screw with.
 
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Arc 11 Post 34: Balance of the Soul
  • Threadmarks
    • Balance of the Soul ​

    9th of January 2007 A.D.

    "Sure Though I should warn you that the people here are incredibly curious about the outer universe. If you're not careful you'll end up with a bio pic playing on holo-sets across the planet or something." The words are said in good humor, but not lightly. In a more serious tone you continue: "Would any more of your order be interested in visiting, and maybe hosting some visitors of their own? The Courts can't stay isolated forever, and it would be good to for them to introduce themselves - and be introduced - to the world at large among friends" .

    The old man sighs, not in sorrow, or maybe not just in sorrow, more bittersweet recollection. "This is not something I expected to share so soon but..." he motions to the city, advertisement and entertainment writing itself in luminous form, at times punctuated by the membranous wing of an agile flier. "I had not expected to be here when I awoke this morning. My 'order' as you so politely put it is not a power abroad in the world, it is a gathering of those for whom the life of a shih, the life of the envoy and the hunter, has grown too burdensome. Teachers we are, of man and sometimes of shen, guardians of holy places and the things held therein. We claim to keep those things that would otherwise be washed away by the river of years and that is truth, but not the whole of it. Of those skilled in the Bridges of the Spirit most come climb the mountain seeking to lull to slumber the shadow-self, sometimes called the Po. Some would say such men make a poor fit for a place where the dark runs so deep and strong.."

    "But you're fine," you point out simply.

    "I am old," he counters with a shake of the head. "I know, shocking, I am surprised by it everyday." There is no bitterness to the laugh, only a kind of quiet acceptance. "Twenty years ago you would have found me less 'fine' and, I am sad to say, more willing to jump to conclusions. Now you put me to a hard test Miss Carpenter. Do I send the young, interested in this... information superhighway, in the dance of data spirits and the potential of new weapons against the Yama Kings and their puppets, against the encroaching Red Court working their way into the graces of Thrashing Dragon Elders among the Wan Kuei even as I know they will be tempted to cut corners? Or do I instead send misives to the old and willful, my peers, my seniors. Filled they are with an understanding of themselves, but also suspicious, likely to take a long time to learn and teach both."

    "What are you concerned about? Implants? I could see that no one gets anything..." The thought of what some of the SUTRA implants would do to a Earth-born human takes no pondering and it it a grusome thing indeed.

    "To learn a new martial art from one of the shen one must change the style or change the self. For meny of by brothers I fear the latter would be far easier than the former and yet... and yet..." For a moment he seems lost in thought. "You did not come to be as you are now by accident, nor by the straightforward unfolding of dharma. The world is moving faster and faster beneath our feet. Is there any time left for caution?"

    The question is not asked of you, not really, Brother Divsimar is wondering aloud if he has the heart to put more of his order, perhaps his former students through another windowing of the kind all too familiar to those who follow in the steps of Yu the Excelent Archer, this time risking not that they would burn from within, but that they would fall to the darkness of Sanctuary of... you. Whatever signs he has seen or movements he has guessed at your teacher seems to be leaning that way, but now you wonder too: Is this a sacrifice worth making?

    [] Yes, let what shih might wish to come do so, the more prepared all of you shall be for what's to come

    [] No, advise that he be more prudent. For all the world is moving swiftly too much haste can still make one stumble

    [] Write in

    OOC: No rolls for the offer itself, he already trusts Molly enough... well enough to have this concersation with himself in her presence.
     
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    • The answer is usually... both. Most to watch and measure from outside, seeing what works and what doesn't, and a bare few to wade into the ocean and be watched.
     
    Modus_Tollens said:
    The answer is usually... both. Most to watch and measure from outside, seeing what works and what doesn't, and a bare few to wade into the ocean and be watched.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Both comes with another issue, if you send both the cautious and conservative and the swift and imaginative they may well come into conflict. The Shih are not a military unit, they are a loose brotherhood of individuals linked by common philosophy. What hierarchical relations exist among them are the product of master apprentice pairs. Other than that it's a matter of respect held by the young for the old... or not in some cases.
     
    The Wheel turns. It is our duty and obligation to see that it does not turn to ruin, but it isn't within our remit to make it stop. Let them come, and experience, and learn and teach so we all are richer for it

    [X] Yes, let what shih might wish to come do so, the more prepared all of you shall be for what's to come
     
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