Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

After what we did to two planes we should avoid flying on them altogether.
Not altogether, but yes at our level planes are a great place to launch an ambush. They are auto self contained meaning that they can be attacked with minimal masquerade risk. Very much not the safest way to travel at our enemy level.
 
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Since it hasn't come up in the thread for awhile allow me to remind about the ridiculousness of
The sorcerer releases her Essence and shapes it into a cascade of streaming butterflies sculpted from razor-edged obsidian. Flashing past her shoulders in a glassy torrent, they shred everything within a path roughly 30 yards wide, 10 yards high, and 100 yards
long. After this spell ends, the entire area of its effect is littered with the sharp, broken remnants of the summoned insects.
System: Spend 3 Essence and roll Perception + Occult (difficulty 5). Everyone inside the attack pattern who isn't behind solid cover must soak a number of levels of lethal damage equal to the successes rolled.
Base difficulty 5 Perception + Occult roll. No dodge chance just soak however many successes we roll. Molly has perception 3 Occult 5 with Occult being a key skill. So right out of the box that is an average of 4 damage.
But of course there no reason not to cast wet so raise that to 4.8.
But we also have All things betray which is scene long charm reducing all Perception DC's by 3. Which mins out the DC at 3 well adding too more dice. So damage is now 7.
But we can also spend another essence on occult exilancies doubling our base dice so 12.6 damage.
But we can also get The Pentacle and the Scepter (••••) reducing the cost and DC of all ancient sorcery by 1. Which helps the other spells but for Death of Obsidian Butterflies means the damage now goes up to 14.

Of course there are other ways we can raise the damage more, but those are the most accessible and likely to be the case every time we use it.

Sandstrike blast is cheaper but uses Dexterity + Athletics. Athletics is not a key skill.
Furthermore, when this arc ends we will almost certainly be at essence 4 and return our Gree Sun Nimbus at full strength. Therefore, after 14 damage we can spend 1 more essence and inflict (highest of Strength, Charisma, or Intelligence) levels of automatic aggravated damage.

Your calculation will kill almost all mookss, but my calculation will also kill many bosses without perfect defense, or ridiculous regeneration / absorption.
 
[X] Take the Ebon path from the underworld, Nergui knows it well

That is… a whole lot of successes, black bloody stars. If this is deployed correctly it might just *break* the wicked city entirely, even ignoring what all his rivals will do once this goes off
 
Furthermore, when this arc ends we will almost certainly be at essence 4 and return our Gree Sun Nimbus at full strength. Therefore, after 14 damage we can spend 1 more essence and inflict (highest of Strength, Charisma, or Intelligence) levels of automatic aggravated damage.

Your calculation will kill almost all mookss, but my calculation will also kill many bosses without perfect defense, or ridiculous regeneration / absorption.
I favor Tree's Many Branches as a combat pick from AS, because it gives multi attack for significant period of time of an otherwise difficult to acquire form. Most charms for this add attacks at the end of a round, while the spell lets you do them in your turn. So you end up able to out speed even other exalts with action boosters. The bomb spell is nice, but for a lot of our engagements that would make a world of difference.

Utility wise we still don't have a way to block scrying. Taking Incantation of Spiritual Discretion would make it easier to secure places against remote spying, and if we can convert it to a splendor we could carry it around to get our own version of how the faerie queens and gods can block spying with the presence.
 
Wouldn't this thing has been better in number of successes if we didn't go, considering the 25 and 20 dice rolled by Mother Summer? (Narrative is a completely different story, but still) :rofl::lol::rofl:
 
[X] Take the Ebon path from the underworld, Nergui knows it well

That is… a whole lot of successes, black bloody stars. If this is deployed correctly it might just *break* the wicked city entirely, even ignoring what all his rivals will do once this goes off

[X] Take the Ebon path from the underworld, Nergui knows it well

What I'm dying to see is the rest of the world's future reaction to what we're going to do. After just less than a week of our first confrontation with Mikaboshi, we used a terribly powerful and unknown artifact (the only explanations being that it is something very, very old or made very recently, both having horrifying if different implications) to level Wicked City in a way even worse than Lanka was. Molly's reputation will go through the roof after this.

I really think @DragonParadox should do an interlude after we finish everything to show this, it really deserves it.
 
Wouldn't this thing has been better in number of successes if we didn't go, considering the 25 and 20 dice rolled by Mother Summer? (Narrative is a completely different story, but still) :rofl::lol::rofl:
It may be true mechanically (but even so Molly personally helped a lot), but for fairies and their magic the narrative of something is very, very important, even more than its raw power sometimes.
 
so does literally no one want to talk nicest crown questions in figuring out where the gramps is kept hostage, threats, where to place the bomb best, etc etc?
 
Screems of Steel: Elementals of Stone Metal and more recently Plastic can be both bond workers and employees depending on if they have been swayed to Mikaboshi's service. Among the most potent and arcane of implants forged in the Wicked city are those powered by the agony of the very substance from which they are made while at the same time a raiding party might find itself holding its own against Akuma for a time only for the very wall against which they have backed up to grow teeth or the ground under their feet to coils like a serpent entrapping them. The latter sort of elementals are still quite vain and inclined to heed rites that would propitiate them in the world of the living even if they are very unlikely to offer any service without high cost (Wits+Streetwise or for any willing to risk networking Wits+Computers may be used to identify the places where tainted elementals dwell )

Wreckers Reign: On the rare instances when some part of the City must be torn down rather than built over the administrating Akuma will rather than use their own skills and resources simply summon spirits of destruction and sabotage. These beings have been trained to react to any wide scale alterations of the strata of the City in the same way that vultures might react to the smell of rotten meat, adding a further layer of protection at the cost of an... acceptable number of false positives (Large Scale Alterations, ex destroying the entire wall of a building risk summoning wrecker spirits)
Fun thought on the rebels; these two groups seem particularly vulnerable considering how this plague is supposed to hit things disease usually shouldn't concern.

If a riot starts those wrecker spirits will probably show up, and once they're infected why wouldn't they start trying to take the place apart? At which point they'd come into contact with a lot of disaffected elementals. The Wicked Willful City could end up with the actual buildings and streets in open rebellion.

Which could do wonders for the geomancy engine the Mikaboshi has built the place into. Imagine wrecker spirits swarming over his key infrastructure as elementals deliberately reformat the debris into their own healthier alignment.

Even if it doesn't reformat the city as a whole, which I wouldn't hold out for, it'd basically give it urban renewal themed cancer.

I didn't realize Happy Fun City aggressively converting the hell as a whole was meant in the literal sense.
 
A more archaic spelling/term for jailer, and that would be Mikaboshi in this case. She was saying that he's the one that's going to suffer from us unleashing this plague.
She's a major fey, a phrase like that given in that context is reasonably likely to have actual power. Might as well have pointed a laser designator at his forehead.


I believe this was the last discussion on Crown questions?
I do also wonder where the recent Plastic thing came from - does it make sense to have come from Joe?
Probably not, too new for them to have done anything yet and he's more of an iron guy as I understand it.
 
"virulent and ever-changing". You don't to cut description I half discarding something that doesn't fit into your view. This is clearly about transformation, about evolution and life.
"Eroding all certainties". Again, you don't get to cut parts of the text off. The fae without their core bindings is an Outsider. You can always trust fae not to lie. To uphold their bargains. Etc. They are not a good fit for Water. They are not Raksha anymore.
Moot point now, but for the record, I strongly disagree.

It's not just about it being about a sacrifice, it's that it's a sacrifice that's directly analogous to the Darkhallow.
And the videos you cite suggest to me that someone orchestrated the rise of the Fey Courts, but that could just mean they arranged for them to murder and steal the power of some third party.

And the fact that taking on a mantle can reshape you to look like the archetype it embodies means that simple appearance is mostly irrelevant. If a band of sidhe killed, consumed the split the power of a previous generation of Triune Goddesses to form the courts they could well look early identical to them.
You have the relationship wrong, I think
The Darkhallow is similar to what was done for the Fae, not the other way around. And it misses a lot of the nuance involved, according to Butcher's later statements on the issue. And Butcher has been pretty clear about the Fae being empowered by Hecate; Hades wouldnt be buddy buddy with Mab if she'd vored a member of his pantheon for power.

No, thats not how it works. Mantles can reshape you. Consuming the power of something usually does not. It was an explicit plot point in Summer Knight when Aurora was trying to dump the power of the Summer Knight into Winter, and again in one of the Dresden comics, the one with the hag.

The Fae were given power and inherited responsibilities; they did not assume a mantle.

Just as a hypothetical... when Molly imagines what a fey would look like without the rules Iku Turso comes to mind. ;)
Huh.
Gonna have to dwell on this a bit.

Six True Lies of the Wicked City
COMMENTARY
All is Poison is one of those effects that needs Transcendent Lord of Flies to counter.
Fortunately, even at its worst, TLF will cancel it out for both Molly and her party.
And if its used to try to impede her escape, CCC kicks in as well.

Im genuinely curious about what happens to that effect if/when Molly pops Shintai and seizes control of a roughly 2-mile wide bubble of reality.
Should be hilarious.


Eyes Everywhere is largely ineffective in the eyes of Molly rolling All Things Betray.
IC confirmation of ongoing raids by shikome.


Machine Masks runs into All Things Betray again.
And Hellscry Chakra should be able to distinguish between dopplegangers and the real thing.
I will note that Machine Masks is very similar in principle to Splintered Gale Incarnation, Molly's shadow clone charm.


Screams of Steel is not something Molly is really equipped for.
Someone else will have to carry that. There's also the problem that any prepwork with such elementals might result in pre-warning the Wicked City. That said, Cracked Cell Circumvention should proc if they try any bullshit. And Molly has Demonic Primacy to handle a purely diplomatic encounter.


Wreckers Reign: Runs right into Demonic Primacy.
And at the climax, Shintai's reality marble.
Rolls
Water
Leadle Re-roll Water
Fire
*Tiffany buffing herself excluded, she had the time to make her int 10*
Air
Paragon Reroll Air
Wood
Interesting that the Ladle gave Mother Summer a reroll on Water.
No Lydia roll.
And Lash's Paragon re-roll goes to the wrong link.
Monster Summer roll on Wood though.
 
VOTE
[X] Translate directly from urban sprawl into the Wicked City, the most magically direct, but it will require you getting on a plane, Chicago does not have any connections


RATIONALE

There's the boring way, and there's the cinematic way. I vote for the cinematic way.
Basically the first forty seconds of this:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMXESlny4-I

Just without the exploding plane.


More seriously, both the Scarlet Road and the Ebon Road run the risk of triggering random encounters that might require we burn resources to avoid or resolve. And there are definitely watchers who might warn our target that we are on the way.
So if possible, we want to avoid this.

The last interlude tells us that there's ongoing raids by shikome into the Wicked City, which serves as a useful cover.
So take advantage of it, and false flag as infiltrators from Kakuri until absolutely necessary.

Nergui will look and feel like an akuma in Emma-O's service, while both Molly and Lydia can disguise themselves as a shikome using resources from Sanctuary. Molly and Lydia have seen shikome and akuma from Kakuri before, so they have a good idea how to fake the look and feel.

But Im serious about the plane jump.

Night time drop over an urban sprawl; Nergui has a good idea which are the most relevant Ways/paths to the Wicked City. And there's even a good reason; the Earthside locale around such crossing-over points are probably monitored by Mikaboshi's agents, so an airdrop minimizes contact time.
 
Moot point now, but for the record, I strongly disagree.


You have the relationship wrong, I think
The Darkhallow is similar to what was done for the Fae, not the other way around. And it misses a lot of the nuance involved, according to Butcher's later statements on the issue. And Butcher has been pretty clear about the Fae being empowered by Hecate; Hades wouldnt be buddy buddy with Mab if she'd vored a member of his pantheon for power.

No, thats not how it works. Mantles can reshape you. Consuming the power of something usually does not. It was an explicit plot point in Summer Knight when Aurora was trying to dump the power of the Summer Knight into Winter, and again in one of the Dresden comics, the one with the hag.

The Fae were given power and inherited responsibilities; they did not assume a mantle.


Huh.
Gonna have to dwell on this a bit.


COMMENTARY
All is Poison is one of those effects that needs Transcendent Lord of Flies to counter.
Fortunately, even at its worst, TLF will cancel it out for both Molly and her party.
And if its used to try to impede her escape, CCC kicks in as well.

Im genuinely curious about what happens to that effect if/when Molly pops Shintai and seizes control of a roughly 2-mile wide bubble of reality.
Should be hilarious.


Eyes Everywhere is largely ineffective in the eyes of Molly rolling All Things Betray.
IC confirmation of ongoing raids by shikome.


Machine Masks runs into All Things Betray again.
And Hellscry Chakra should be able to distinguish between dopplegangers and the real thing.
I will note that Machine Masks is very similar in principle to Splintered Gale Incarnation, Molly's shadow clone charm.


Screams of Steel is not something Molly is really equipped for.
Someone else will have to carry that. There's also the problem that any prepwork with such elementals might result in pre-warning the Wicked City. That said, Cracked Cell Circumvention should proc if they try any bullshit. And Molly has Demonic Primacy to handle a purely diplomatic encounter.


Wreckers Reign: Runs right into Demonic Primacy.
And at the climax, Shintai's reality marble.

Interesting that the Ladle gave Mother Summer a reroll on Water.
No Lydia roll.
And Lash's Paragon re-roll goes to the wrong link.
Monster Summer roll on Wood though.
I mean they did assume a mantle I assume you mean didn't inherit a mantle right?
 
I mean they did assume a mantle I assume you mean didn't inherit a mantle right?
They didnt assume a mantle.

Their mantles were, as far as we know, forged from scratch. Just that Hecate the Triple Goddess of *inhales* boundaries, crossroads, night, light, magic, witchcraft, drugs, the Moon, graves, ghosts and the underworld, is supposed to be the person who provided the power necessary to do so.

There is nothing about them stealing power from someone else; this was a gift/responsibility, and an active empowerment.

Certainly, if they had stolen the power they used?
Ethniu and King Corb would have said so back when they were taunting everybody in Peace Talks/Battle Grounds.
They came by their power legitimately.
 
They didnt assume a mantle.

Their mantles were, as far as we know, forged from scratch. Just that Hecate the Triple Goddess of *inhales* boundaries, crossroads, night, light, magic, witchcraft, drugs, the Moon, graves, ghosts and the underworld, is supposed to be the person who provided the power necessary to do so.

There is nothing about them stealing power from someone else; this was a gift/responsibility, and an active empowerment.

Certainly, if they had stolen the power they used?
Ethniu and King Corb would have said so back when they were taunting everybody in Peace Talks/Battle Grounds.
They came by their power legitimately.
That's what assuming a mantle means as far as I'm concerned it means having a mantle means you've assumed one.

Also a sacrifice was made it's not like Hecate if she's the one who made the mantles which seems likely made them from nothing.
 
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That's what assuming a mantle means as far as I'm concerned it means having a mantle means you've assumed one.

Also a sacrifice was made it's not like Hecate if she's the one who made the mantles which seems likely made them from nothing.
Disagree. A Mantle is a very specific magical thing in the Dresdenverse.
For example, the Winter Knight is a troubleshooter for the Winter Court, sometimes literally. But there are people who have filled that role without having the mantle.


You cant say that. We dont know precisely what went on with Hecate and the Fae.
All I can say with confidence is that it was consensual, because if it wasnt people would still be talking about it; immortals are just that, immortal, and they have very long memories. Hades certainly wouldnt be quite so...friendly with Mab.
 
Disagree. A Mantle is a very specific magical thing in the Dresdenverse.
For example, the Winter Knight is a troubleshooter for the Winter Court, sometimes literally. But there are people who have filled that role without having the mantle.


You cant say that. We dont know precisely what went on with Hecate and the Fae.
All I can say with confidence is that it was consensual, because if it wasnt people would still be talking about it; immortals are just that, immortal, and they have very long memories. Hades certainly wouldnt be quite so...friendly with Mab.
I mean the darkhallow is close to what they did which was a sacrifice. So I'm fairly fucking sure some things died in the process.
 
I mean the darkhallow is close to what they did which was a sacrifice. So I'm fairly fucking sure some things died in the process.
Gods need a foothold to stay in reality. I'm not sure how we'd tell exactly what happened, or if it's meaningfully distinct from death, but someone retiring their character giving all their equipment to a friend earthly power and screwing off to the deep nevernever doesn't seem that unreasonable.
 
Gods need a foothold to stay in reality. I'm not sure how we'd tell exactly what happened, or if it's meaningfully distinct from death, but someone retiring their character giving all their equipment to a friend earthly power and screwing off to the deep nevernever doesn't seem that unreasonable.
That could make sense to some degree given gods seem to be able to have more than one mantle. I'm still fairly sure some things died in the process of making the courts simply because butcher described the darkhallow as something similar. Also fame seems to be enough a foothold to just visit reality at least.
 
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