Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

On top of having already cleansed Carlos of mind control that is not who we are hunting . The Wizards we are hunting are not mind controlled that they are purposeful parts of the conspiracy. Peabody, this guy we picked up, woman skinning a teenage girl. They are all warlocks and knowing participants in Black Council activities.
I mean we are capturing those with mind control my dude. Cause they aren't safe for themselves or others until cleansed. We also haven't cleared individually who is who yet with crown questions.
 
I mean we are capturing those with mind control my dude. Cause they aren't safe for themselves or others until cleansed. We also haven't cleared individually who is who yet with crown questions.
Who else has been compromised by this conspiracy?

Lost 2 Essence -> Now at 13/18 (Subterfuge Excellency and Crown Question)

Mavis Jones, the girl you'd been talking to before. De Lin, one of the kids trying to help Sarah with the unconscious Tina, Joshua Brown, one of the boys who was eyeing Isabela a little too much even after finding out she's a vampire, Warden Captain Anastasia Lucio, Carlos Ramirez...

What are they doing right now?

Flashes pass before the mind's eye, most of them startlingly mundane: a seemingly ordinary middle-aged couple having lunch at a nice restaurant, an old man playing checkers in the park, a lady riffling through a foreign paper, some subtly disturbing: a silver haired man whistling as he walks among a collection of unlabeled wine bottles that you are morally certain don't have wine in them, another braiding poppets out of human hair, a woman looking over pages covered with reams and reams of complex numbers while a teen about of an age with the ones in front of you whimpers in the corner. Are those glass shards? And a few, just a few of those images are filled with rites of black magic, not the small stumbling things of warlocks just slipped from the narrow path they did not know of, but willing atrocity of the sort one can only commit with eyes open, gleeful.

Next kid: Where are they?

Snapshots again, faster this time since you can already recognize the faces, vague sense of locations, some of them in this world some of them in the other, names barely making sense, one of them Almost Nowhere. Just for the moment, too much to expect that they would be slow as well as evil. The two in the Hidden Halls would find it the easiest to inform the other five and make use of any subverted wizards they have access to, though maybe at first for political purposes.

54 Total conspirators, 7 Total Aware

Nevernever
13 in sundry other Nevernever realms 0 aware
1 No Name Always Aware, always knows, Almost? Outside.

Material World
7 in the Hidden Halls 2 Aware (One is Peabody)
9 in the in Central and South America 1 Aware
5 in Europe 1 Aware
12 in Africa 1 Aware
6 in Asia 1 Aware
1 in Australia 0 Aware
That is not who we are hunting nor capturing right now and we know who is mind controlled and who isn't.
 
"The fuck do you..." He grits his teeth. "I wanted to save something of the world for me. If I die I hope He kills you all. I hope he chews slow. Black fire will rise from the askes of the old world and the truth of the heavens will be writ for the strong, only for the strong. You'll wish Limos had taken you gently let your thoughts sprout."

How hard do we want to press him here? Not to put too fine a point on it, but Molly is an afterlife. Death is not the worst thing he can be threatened with.

Not that we should actually go through with it, but we don't have to actually need to break him on the wheel to credibly make the threat.

There'd be a social cost at minimum to raising that point though, so it'd have to be worth it.


[] You have a warlock and a confession of conspiracy as well as Black Magic, time to go to the Hidden Halls and see how the traitors take it

[] Wait for McCoy. Harry is sure he'll show up soon

[] Ask more questions of Shaw even if it might be awkward explaining how you know the answers
-[] Write in
McCoy's delay is starting to worry me. Shouldn't Morgan's word be good enough if he's dragging proof along with him?
There's a lot going on with lightning speed but because the supernal version quintuples the base speed then reflexive teleport of an extra 500 m plus 100m not to mention as a reflexive charm there's nothing stopping a solar from using it five times in a single round if they're an essence 5 Solar . Which is 175 m + 2,100 per round they can only do that for 4 Rounds that is true but at that point you're literally sprinting kilometers within seconds.

An infernal needs to break out three separate charms and a ones An infernal needs to break out three separate charms and a demon god transformation just to meet that. That's not an equal commitment that is an infernal committing everything they have. This is one charm with a supernal purchase. You need to spend XP for rage recast running to forever and windborne stride if you're talking about XP efficiency you're really not talking about anything.

The only way to do that would be to turn into a shentai and use the signature effect which would allow an infernal to beat the solar but that requires yet again a demon god transformation. A solar is without shenanigans that involve teleportation through water bodies or Greater magics is considerably faster than a infernal. As solars also have a god transformation they could use in that situation which yet again doubles their movement speed and increases their dexterity by 3.

I'm not sure you can actually chain it like that given how it's phrased. If it worked like that any charm which gave a reflexive action could get funny.

In terms of commitment, solars get supernal effects all the time and infernals get Shintai only signatures.They're equivalent investments in the context of their type and treating them that way is the closest possible thing to a fair comparison.

You count it by charm, but by exp it's a lot clearer. Assuming everyone is buying out of caste the solar picks up LS for 12 xp, while the infernal picks up WBS for 8 xp and either RtF or RR:SS for another 4.

Solars basically don't have any other relevant options to invest in to get faster.


Edit:

Seriously though, solars do not have a super mode that does this. Instead they get supernal effects all the time.

An infernal spending the same exp and fewer motes is faster outright for most of the essence level scale. The only place that changes is at the very top if solars are allowed to dump all of their essence into flurrying a charm with itself.

Which should probably not be allowed any more than tapping GSNF multiple times on the same hit is anyway.

If you let in even a little bit of any other sort of shenanigans it swings back in the other direction even at the summit, because getting dex dots is pretty easy and has dramatically more of an impact on speed for infernals than it does solars.
 
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VOTE
[X]Plan Confessional
-[X] Ask more questions of Shaw even if it might be awkward explaining how you know the answers
--[X] Who is HIM who he referred to
--[X] Identities of fellow conspirators, how they were recruited, which of them are dead
--[X] Any imminent plans he is aware of
-[X]Molly: Empathy Excellency + All Things Betray: 2m
-[X]Sophia: Sirens Veil + Ubermensch/Beyond Human + Secret of Gaia: 5WP
-[X]STUNT: You watch Shaw's attention shift abruptly as Sophia enters the room, shaking her hands free of water droplets. His eyes track her like a rat tracking a serpent, the sheer force of her unleashed presence demanding and holding his attention even as she ignores him, acquiring a chair. "And just who the fuck are you?" he demands. In response, Sophia smiles, and its a mirror of the smile on your face.


RATIONALE
While we wait for McCoy, put the time to use. We have a captive prisoner, make him sing like a canary.

Molly plays good cop, rolling Manipulation + Empathy. Sophia plays bad cop, rolling Charisma + Intimidation.
Sophia is running Secret of Gaia to improve her ability at lie detection, while Molly is running All Things Betray for the same reason.

Remember, most of these are not for Molly's benefit, its for the benefit of the Wardens here and any other witnesses, who only have Molly's word that about everyone who is compromised.
The more we can get a confession from this dude, the less we have to justify in the aftermath.

And if we can get this guy to blurt or hint about Peabody influencing the Council, or mind controlling Captain-Commander Luccio, we get some additional forewarning to everyone here.

Also, the time that Molly spends talking to him is also time she is regenerating Essence at a rate of 4m/hour while in Last Station, which is a Dragons Nest. If McCoy isnt here in an hour, a hour thirty minutes, we start thinking about moving without him. If Molly reaches full Essence and he isnt here, we move anyway.

Sophia regens ~3-4WP a scene, so the expenditure is not an issue for her.


MATH
Molly
All Things Betray: -3DC to Perception rolls

Charisma/Manipulation 4 + Empathy 5 + Stunt 2 + Excellency 9 = 20 dice
Charisma/Manipulation 4 + Intimidation 3 + Stunt 2 + Excellency 7 = 16 dice
Perception 4 + Empathy 5 + Stunt 2 = 11 dice at -3DC(All Things Betray)


Sophia
Sirens Veil: +2 to every Social Attribute = Charisma 6, Manipulation 6, Appearance 5
Ubermensch: +4 Charisma for 4WP = Charisma 10, Manipulation 6, Appearance 5
Secret of Gaia: +1 dice to non-combat rolls + -3DC to all Perception rolls for 1WP

Roll: Charisma 10 + Intimidation 3 + Secret of Gaia 1 = 14 dice at -1DC BSM
Roll: Perception 4 + Empathy 5 + Secret of Gaia 1 = 10 dice at -4DC(BSM 1 + Secret of Gaia 3)
 
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That is not who we are hunting nor capturing right now and we know who is mind controlled and who isn't.
Does that last one actually tell us who is mind controlled and who is willing? Cause it just says those aware for the first thing you quoted. But the last one just says where and how many are aware not who. Unless we figured out who were in said locations in some other texts.
 
We also don't know who is outsider infected from any of these posts which you know is more than just mind fucking.
[X]Plan Confessional
 
Does that last one actually tell us who is mind controlled and who is willing?
Who else has been compromised by this conspiracy?

Lost 2 Essence -> Now at 13/18 (Subterfuge Excellency and Crown Question)

Mavis Jones, the girl you'd been talking to before. De Lin, one of the kids trying to help Sarah with the unconscious Tina, Joshua Brown, one of the boys who was eyeing Isabela a little too much even after finding out she's a vampire, Warden Captain Anastasia Lucio, Carlos Ramirez...

What... What the fuck?
Somehow you manage to keep the shock off your face, but the more you think about it the more it makes sense. It is easier to get into the heads of trainees than proper wizards, but it's also easier to get into the heads of young Wardens than the hoary old Senior Council Wizards.

You're getting a lot of names... a lot more names than there are trainees. Fuck you'll have to check the file back at the palace, but you think a lot of those names are Carlos' peers, the people who would be sent to take down the traitors. If the conspiracy has its hooks in so many why is it still a conspiracy... what are they hiding from?
See Above.
Does that last one actually tell us who is mind controlled and who is willing? Cause it just says those aware for the first thing you quoted. But the last one just says where and how many are aware not who. Unless we figured out who were in said locations in some other texts.
I had this same question.
I asked this is what "aware" means-
It means the ones who have found out that you pinged one of them. There is clearly some kind of communication network that is instant or next to it and just as clearly it is not shared among all of the conspiracy
The part where you knocked out someone who was controlled while they were being used to spy on you.
We know and have records of who is mind controlled
Fuck you'll have to check the file back at the palace,
and who is apart of the Conspiracy we are moving on the Conspiracy currently.
 
I wonder how many people on the white council have broken the laws but aren't actually traitors or willing ones at least. The list would definitely be bigger than the number of traitors well maybe not bigger but at least more names would appear. I mean Dresden would appear on the list he's broken kill with magic and necromancy albeit barely for the latter. Oh he also broke the outsider law as a kid right?
 
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I wonder how many people on the white council have broken the laws but aren't actually traitors or willing ones at least. The list would definitely be bigger than the number of traitors well maybe not bigger but at least more names would appear. I mean Dresden would appear on the list he's broken kill with magic and necromancy albeit barely for the latter. Oh he also broke the outsider law as a kid right?
He didn't seek beyond the outer gates, Justin sent He Who Walks Behind after him
 
[X] uju32

@uju32 could you tell Harry to hurry Eb? I'm also getting worried about the delay because we have Morgan's word and the longer we wait the more Peabody can do to those who think they're safe behind Edinburgh.
 
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[X] uju32

@uju32 could you tell Harry to hurry Eb? I'm also getting worried about the delay because we have Morgan's word and the longer we wait the more Peabody can do to those who think they're safe behind Edinburgh.
Has it even been an hour since we called him? I would usually expect travel though the ways to take a least an hour unless you are paying some serious fey favor.
 
[X] uju32

@uju32 could you tell Harry to hurry Eb? I'm also getting worried about the delay because we have Morgan's word and the longer we wait the more Peabody can do to those who think they're safe behind Edinburgh.
They arent in realtime contact; Eb doesnt carry a cellphone.

The way things work in canon is that Harry leaves a message and Ebenezar calls him back magically or otherwise.
So either Ebenezar hasnt checked his messages, or he's called, they've talked and he's delayed.
Either way, not somthing Harry can hurry along.

Besides, I think its only been maybe two or three hours since Molly detected the scrying and called in everybody.
The trip to the Amazon took less than thirty minutes, the trip to Australia took less than fifteen minutes, and she hasnt spent more than two hours on everything else.
We know and have records of who is mind controlled
We know who is mind-controlled, but I am not sure we know who is involved under false pretences(if you have the captain of the Wardens mind-controlled, you can give a lot of secret orders), or is being manipulated via blackmail or the like.

That said, I dont really think its our prerogative to determine how the White Council addresses the people who may or may not be involved against their will in this entire affair.
Just to try to take whoever we can alive for trial and/or detox.
 
fairly sure just actively dealing with outsiders counts for the law here.
No it requires active action otherwise anyone who has ever seen an outsider ever would be in violation of the law contingent of the white Council that has been fighting the summoned Outsiders of the red Court would also be in violation any poor unfortunate practitioner who gets taken some place to be sacrificed to some of them even if they survive will be in violation you need to have a hand in deliberately summoning from Beyond the gate to be in violation.
 
They arent in realtime contact; Eb doesnt carry a cellphone.

The way things work in canon is that Harry leaves a message and Ebenezar calls him back magically or otherwise.
So either Ebenezar hasnt checked his messages, or he's called, they've talked and he's delayed.
Either way, not somthing Harry can hurry along.

Besides, I think its only been maybe two or three hours since Molly detected the scrying and called in everybody.
The trip to the Amazon took less than thirty minutes, the trip to Australia took less than fifteen minutes, and she hasnt spent more than two hours on everything else.

We know who is mind-controlled, but I am not sure we know who is involved under false pretences(if you have the captain of the Wardens mind-controlled, you can give a lot of secret orders), or is being manipulated via blackmail or the like.

That said, I dont really think its our prerogative to determine how the White Council addresses the people who may or may not be involved against their will in this entire affair.
Just to try to take whoever we can alive for trial and/or detox.
Your not concerned for those whose minds have been altered enough to interfere? That seems fairly morally repugnant and I'm not sure you can really justify molly washing her hands clean of the situation when she can at least try even if its difficult.
No it requires active action otherwise anyone who has ever seen an outsider ever would be in violation of the law contingent of the white Council that has been fighting the summoned Outsiders of the red Court would also be in violation any poor unfortunate practitioner who gets taken some place to be sacrificed to some of them even if they survive will be in violation you need to have a hand in deliberately summoning from Beyond the gate to be in violation.
dealings
 
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Can we send Sophia to the local warden training camp to dispell all the mind control or has she already done that?
 
They arent in realtime contact; Eb doesnt carry a cellphone.
We do have Morgan right here, along with his presumably powerful coworkers. Now that they're out of that red court trap they may be able to toss around spirit messengers or something.
The only dealings Harry had with HWWB was setting him on fire.

If you're thinking of the deal he made for power around that same time, that was with Leansidhe.
Can we send Sophia to the local warden training camp to dispell all the mind control or has she already done that?
Pretty sure we got most of them at least.

Edit:

Parasite/Living spell/Demon-hybrid A melange of complex images assaults your sense: Shaw pushing bound people into the wall as it flowed over them, inscribing itself under their skin, though mind and soul, consuming their knowledge of magic, synthesizing, improving, evolving.
Was thinking about this, and it sounds like this thing incorporates the souls of its victims to some extent.

Perhaps I'm reaching, but in DF canon killing a soul is really hard if it's possible at all, especially a mortal's soul. You can cripple, mutilate, and otherwise defile them, but destroying is another animal entirely.

So is there enough left that if we take the parasite-spell-demon thing to Sanctuary and hack it to pieces that the Wheel could put his victims back together again?

@DragonParadox does Molly know enough make a good guess about the answer?
 
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We do have Morgan right here, along with his presumably powerful coworkers. Now that they're out of that red court trap they may be able to toss around spirit messengers or something.

The only dealings Harry had with HWWB was setting him on fire.

If you're thinking of the deal he made for power around that same time, that was with Leansidhe.

Pretty sure we got most of them at least.

Edit:


Was thinking about this, and it sounds like this thing incorporates the souls of its victims to some extent.

Perhaps I'm reaching, but in DF canon killing a soul is really hard if it's possible at all, especially a mortal's soul. You can cripple, mutilate, and otherwise defile them, but destroying is another animal entirely.

So is there enough left that if we take the parasite-spell-demon thing to Sanctuary and hack it to pieces that the Wheel could put his victims back together again?

@DragonParadox does Molly know enough make a good guess about the answer?
Yeah we don't actually have word on if black court or red court destroy the souls, cast out the souls, or transform the souls when they take over humans. Could also vary on the court though obviously this matters less in quest since souless in canon and soulless here is just different types of souls. But in canon it could be the soul goes to whatever afterlife their destined for when taken over, they could be destroyed in the process, or maybe their absorbed and transformed by the process.

Its probably meant to be one of those mysteries unknown to mortals type deals. I mean maybe the mothers know seeing as they have a cure for vampirism on their shelf I think I remember but in canon its probably for the most part one of those big mysteries like the afterlife.
 
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Yeah we don't actually have word on if black court or red court destroy the souls, cast out the souls, or transform the souls when they take over humans. Could also vary on the court though obviously this matters less in quest since souless in canon and soulless here is just different types of souls. But in canon it could be the soul goes to whatever afterlife their destined for when taken over, they could be destroyed in the process, or maybe their absorbed and transformed by the process.
Reds at least are pretty specifically not the person they used to be, so it's either cast out or destroy.
 
same for the blacks according to butcher. In fairness in universe it could be a corruption but in canon its probably one of those two.
According to some of Lydia's statements in Vegas, what happens with the Blacks is more of something entering the corpses and spend energy to pretend to be alive enough to deceive reality. Considering that the new ones don't even need to be alive before being created, the original soul has nothing to do with it.

Likewise, there are the Reds, who are actually another species that is born in the body of the half Reds and then uses the skin and memories of the previous victim, even being able to deceive themselves that it was the same person, but they are not. In this case, it is more likely that the soul is just expelled, I don't think they are special enough as a species to be able to devour/destroy souls (especially with the ease with which they can reproduce) and DP has already mentioned how few are true souls, and not marks in the ectoplasm, that can stay in the world instead of immediately going to a different underworld.
 
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