The Devil (Kicked) Out of Her Box

As it turns out, Violence is a very effective solution when used aggressively and with great force and verve!
It's somewhat therapeutic you will admit between the smashing and the bashing and generally making a mess of those who fell to the Golden Man's honeyed words, you had built up no small amount of stress over the course of the last few… Hours? Days? You hadn't really taken an accounting of how long it's been since the Golden Man arrived and the subsequent loss of your happy place. Something to do when you have a moment to breathe you suppose.

Regardless, the point is that it's good to deal with your stress when it comes up. Some would say that you need to vent, but you would disagree that just mindless venting is therapeutic–you gave it a try once and found yourself disappointed. The key is that you need to keep busy, and make steps towards Removing The Source of the Stress. That is how you regain serenity in a life full of unpleasant events and disappointment.

Fortunately, you've had a chance over the course of your time here, cleaning up after the mess that was the rioters and all, to understand the second of the powers at your disposal. The City Stands, it does not bleed, it does not quiver, it will exist or be destroyed, there is no other alternative


Which meant that you could sort of pull off the basic forms by just using your bare palm as a gauntlet. It wasn't what you'd call ideal, and you still risked getting hurt if you failed to deflect force just right, but between your hardened skin, your advanced techniques, and the burning soul that continued to fill your limbs with terrible strength–you could make do.

You would have made a little game of it if you could, but alas, you were being Watched, and you had every desire and interest to make as good a case for yourself as possible. So instead of finding some creative way to sort out the problems and take out the garbage, you had to be all serious about it. Readings on proper military tactics empowered by supernal intuition directed the handful of Spire Guard you had already co-opted from room to room, using yourself as an inviolable speartip to sweep through the layers of the spire. The damage…

Well, it could have certainly been far worse than it is. Some of the earlier floors had been ransacked–though it hadn't gotten to the point where someone felt it was time to set a fire yet, so it was Probably just going to be a daunting task re-indexing the documents and piecing together fragments. Something for the scribes to do–or maybe you could use a spell of some sort?

Come to think of it, are there any demons who are skilled at this sort of thing?

"Hmmm…" Hekate's voice whispers behind your back. "I believe… Yes, the Aalu would be a suitable agent if you sought to organise this disaster zone. I'm unfamiliar with any rituals that can beckon one though."

Irritating, but you supposed that it couldn't be helped.

At least it would likely give any students who desired to assist something to do.

All woolgathering aside, Your prompt approach and aggressive reaction has served you well, and as the stoked furnace of your soul begins to sputter out, you find the number of rioters lessening, bit by bit.

By the time your flames cooled to a mere glow, the task was done. You were sweaty, breathing heavily, and still felt like you couldn't quite wind down from the molten hellfire boiling through your veins, but as best as you could tell, the White Spire was safe. The damage dealt to the facilities and the non-combattants minor, and all things considered, you could call it a complete victory.

And you had a great deal of explaining to do.

---

The Headmistress sighed, steepling her hands before her. A potent sorceress, one who had reigned over the White Spire for…

Well, she doesn't like talking about her age and it'd be rude to ask, but you've seen records that she's been Around and About for at least three hundred years now, so she's probably hidden her death somewhere or another. The point is, she's a terrifyingly potent magus who's forgotten more about the Art than most have ever learned. There isn't a single Sorcerer in the Highlands who hasn't learned from her at some point, regardless of the paths they take to get there in the first place.

She's also just under five feet tall, and has the cherubic features of an eternal teenager, asking her about that is an even faster way to find yourself with a perpetual tiny rain cloud constantly following you and raining on you for a few months.

Right now, she may very well be considering that.

"So we have one of the Blasphemous ones overthrowing Clan Dunbar with suspiciously quickly moving popular support, rioters twisted by his memory who somehow now all clearly remember events that never actually happened that confirm his stories, and people who are willing to be stirred up into violent revolution from a few speeches."

That's about the size of it, yes.

"And then we have you, granted a measure of power from a Demon of some sort–and no small amount of that based on the corrosion of the ground you passed through–to counter this. You came to us first, because clearly, we'd want to break our neutrality for the sake of a former alumni, and ended up scything your way through the rioters, leaving half of them crippled and the other half wishing they were because at least the hurting would stop. Is that right?"

You're not apologising, you saw torches in the libraries when there were perfectly good glowstones.

"And I will be having Words with them for that." The Headmistress agrees on that point. "Still… I will admit to being less than charitable to this Anathema–whether through accident or design, he compelled my people to betray their oaths of neutrality. That demands retaliation in either event. Your efforts also bought me sufficient time to raise the defences, which is appreciated as well."

She grimaced–which honestly looked a bit more like a pout than anything else on her features, it was weirdly cute and absolutely not something you would let show on your face because the Headmistress was sensitive about her stature. "So you know what? Fuck it, I'll play this game. Are you willing to respect the old Oaths and allow the White Spire to retain its primacy? Free of taxes and obligations save that of the fair education of those with the will to learn?"

The question is, do those obligations still apply to You, your new stature has given you no small number of research avenues to process, and having access to the libraries and facilities here would go a long way to understanding that.

"That's the deal, we get safety and security, you get a source of instruction for the populace that isn't going to demand oaths of loyalty or backbreaking tuition in turn–above and beyond those who decide to be lifers anyway." The Headmistress reiterates. There's more to it, but you've read the contract in the past, and it's broadly what she declares.

You've really no reason to refuse, it worked well for you after all.

"Great then!" Headmistress Hearn bared her teeth. "Now, let's going to discuss how to put that shiny bastard in the ground, shall we?"

Finally, she's saying what you want to hear. The day was looking up!

---

You have acquired a Story Boon: The Support of the White Spire

You have some time before the Headmistress can call in some pent up favours, whistle up some force multipliers, and patch up the loyal Spire Guard in preparation to drive the Golden Man out of Caer Wyrdstone–ideally by burying him six feet under. How do you spend it?

Choose Three

[ ] Rest: You feel like you could go on, but you are definitely feeling a degree of fatigue from flaring your Anima the way you did. Take a catnap, get your head back in the game, and make sure you can push yourself to the limit if things don't go as planned. [Restore your buffer. You aren't suffering significant impairment from Fatigue yet, but you will the next time you end up having to draw on the power of your Exaltation in full. Not a problem unless you expect this campaign to get dragged out, but if it does, you'll be glad to have that extra wiggle room.]

[ ] Equip Yourself: While the best stuff has probably been looted by now, you can still likely scavenge up a proper set of weapons and a hauberk that fits well enough with a little time. [Acquire a gauntlet and sabre suited for the use of Royal Guard Style, removing all remaining penalties to Ciara's combat prowess]

[ ] Drill the Guard: You've earned the support of the White Spire Academy, who are excellent fighters–but they specialize in guarding the Spire, not going on the offensive. That'll require a little crash course in city fighting tactics, but you're confident you can work out at least some basic formations and techniques with a little time and energy. [Ensure there are no complications involved with leading the Spire Guard into battle, that they're capable of working with you and don't have any major blind spots that might impair their performance.]

[ ] Witch's Brew: You have a talented alchemist taking up residence in your head. Why not take advantage of the time you have to prepare an edge or two for this? Stimulants, healing draughts, curatives, solvents, the sky's the limit! [Prepare 2x uses of Concoctions, a surprise tool that can help you later.]

[ ] Anarchist's Cookbook: Rather than create useful tools… Why not create a bomb, something very explosive that will cause a whole lot of Problems to people that ideally aren't you. It'll be hard work, but you're sure you can put something together with a little investment of time and effort. [Prepare 1x use of Explosives, which can be used during a combat encounter to make things go easier.]

[ ] Meditate: You've gotten your hands on an awful lot of power, but you still barely understand how to wield it. You have a moment's peace, why not use it to see if you can get a grasp on the scope of your abilities. [Take some time to understand the functionality of your power, and how it can be wielded more effectively.]

AN: As declared in the Schedule, I'm back! Enjoy the doot and the first big choice since the Character Generation portion. Figure out how you want to spend your time before taking a poke at the Golden Man and hopefully putting him six feet under--or barring that, at least get him to fuck the hell off of your lawn.

Enjoy the update! And remember, Discussion gives me life.

Two Hour Moratorium as usual.