[Exalted] The Last Daughter -- Dragon-Blooded Sorcery School Quest

VagueZ said:

Imagine Amiti coming to the conclusion that this Hearth is probably also a polycule and then what sort of reaction she'd have to then being invited to swear to join it.

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VagueZ said:

So this is basically the Hearth picking whose Aspect they're enjoying together, the way I see it. Sailing the coast together is Maia's Water Aspect. Enjoying "a night under the stars" is Sola's Air Aspect. Ambraea's grounded Earth is reflected in returning to the handiest big city and enjoying the local culture—notably, Chanos is a city with a lot of marble and lapis lazuli construction, so this isn't just a nebulous connection to Earth.

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VagueZ said:

A night together under the stars sounds like a great way for the Hearth to find things get Complicated with Sola (or at least sort out weird feelings together and decide that's not the direction these three want to go), so that's what I'm voting for.

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Gazetteer said:

Keric looks back to you, and says, by way of example: "She asked about you in the middle of that same exchange, in fact, the last time I saw her. Entirely civil."

You try not to match Deizil's grimace. "What did you tell her?"

Keric gives you a surprised look. "The truth," he says, as though there were no other possible answer.

For some reason, this fails to reassure.

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Gazetteer said:

You falter a little. It's a relief, but you hadn't expected this to weigh so little with them. "I can't promise how things are going to go after I leave this island," you say. "There might not be as much of a long term as I would prefer, if things go badly."

"Ambraea," Perfection says, with an uncharacteristically delicate air, "I don't know if you've fully considered this, but you are a Terrestrial."

"... Yes," you say, not even remotely sure where they're going with this, "I am quite aware that I'm a Dragon-Blood."

"So, 'long term' in your case is... several hundred years at the most, unless you get particularly resourceful. Which, do not misunderstand me, is quite enough time for us both to be very useful to each other. You're a valuable investment! But I'm two-thousand years old, give or take, and from my perspective, you're always going to be a temporary one."

The way that they talk about your own eventual mortality is a little disquieting, however many centuries it might ideally be from now. "You don't always act like you're two-thousand," you say. "It can be easy to forget."

Perfection gives a draconic impression of a shrug, resting their head back down on their folded forelegs. "Well, achieving dragonhood is a rebirth, of sorts. Particularly for a gemlord — this body, this power, this perspective, it's all so different from the way I spent most of those two millenia, sometimes I don't feel like exactly the same person. I think you bring that out in me, to be entirely honest."

"Is that a good thing?" you venture.

"Yes," Perfection decides. "I think I would be quite pleased if you managed to make it to four or five hundred — I've come to quite enjoy your company. I quite think I'll miss you when you're dead."

That draws out a bit of a laugh from you. "I'll see what I can do," you say. You'd never intended to settle for a mere two or three hundred years of life, should you get anywhere in that neighbourhood — what's the point of being a sorcerer otherwise? The encouragement doesn't hurt, though. You appreciate the vote of confidence.

"Yes, I expect you will," Perfection agrees. "You're quite good at exceeding expectations, after all. Don't let it go to your head. If you're really so worried about not being able to keep your obligations to me..."

Perfection lifts up a huge forelimb, holding it out to you. You do your best not to flinch as you watch your faint reflection grow larger in one diamond-shod talon, right before they touch it to your forehead. There's a flash of white, and a rush of cold Earth Essence strong enough to send you staggering back half a step.

"What was that?" you ask.

"One last gift before you go out into the wide world," Perfection says. "You'll be able to hear riches now — it may make locating them easier, in the future."

You frown. "Hear riches?" you ask, confused. Still, as you concentrate, not quite sure what you're looking for, you become aware of a faint musical hum at the edge of your hearing. Reaching down, you bring one of the pouches at your belt up and press it to your ear — sure enough, the sound is coming from the handful of small gemstones you keep inside.

"It's attached to our bargain," Perfection explains, "consider it an additional perk."

"Thank you," you say, after a moment's thought. "A useful ability — much as you might seem to be the ultimate beneficiary, in the end."

"One might argue that this is the entire point of cultivating a sorcerous disciple," Perfection says, sounding perfectly pleased with themself.

"I suppose it is," you say. What you don't say is that, after everything, you're very glad that you met them all those years ago. You're sure that they know, and their ego doesn't need the help.

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Gazetteer said:

You have sat in the Heptagram's lecture hall countless times over the years, taking your seat somewhere on the benches rising up around the circular presentation area in the centre of the floor. It forms the base for the Heptagram's central residency tower, and the large, vaulted room is one of the first ones that anyone attending the school sees.

Tonight, though, for the first time, you stand in the centre of it, the one looking up at an audience and presenting your hard-won knowledge. Unfortunately, that audience consists entirely of the school's staff, sitting near to one another, all watching you intently.

"... and so, I was able to induce my familiar to physically merge her Essence with that of an Earthen substance, effectively giving her access to a form of dematerialisation." You have pinned a series of diagrams to a wooden presentation board. You stand beside it, and have referred to it frequently as you explained the intricate technical details of your research and answered questions relating to your methodology and techniques. Now, you step over to the end of the board, to a diagram of a rough human form, the Essence channels clearly marked. "As I continued my research, however, I became convinced that, with sufficient preparation, a human body infused with Earth Essence could be used instead."

"Interesting," says Ragara Bhagwei. It's not the first time he's spoken up, but it's the first time he's said anything that wasn't a difficult or disarming question about your experiments. He leans forward in his seat, eyes intent on your diagram. "I take it you have a practical demonstration planned."

"Yes," you say, stepping away from the board.

The idea for this part had come from the way Verdigris had hidden in your stone armour during your fight with the Anathema. It had taken some doing, and was likely only possible at all due to your close sorcerous bond with Verdigris, but your efforts had borne fruit.

You approach the nearby table where Verdigris has been coiled the entire time, waiting politely for her cue. You pull back the sleeve of your school tunic, holding out your bare forearm to her. Almost daintily, she uncoils herself, winding her body around your arm the way she's done countless times before. This time, however, as she makes contact with your skin, you experience a cold blending of foreign Essence with your own, and she seems to sink directly into the flesh of your arm without actually taking up the physical space. In a moment, the bronze serpent has vanished, leaving behind what looks deceptively like a metallic snake tattoo wound around your arm.

"That is an impressive trick," Cynis Bashura says. "It causes no ill effects? For you or for the spirit?"

"None that I've observed," you say. As you watch, the snake tattoo shifts a little, slowly climbing your arm in a leisurely manner. She can pop back out when it suits her, or on command, and doesn't seem particularly averse to the entire process. For you, the sensation has taken some getting used to, but it's undeniably useful. "I document that process as well as the modifications to the working in my written research, along with what I have already gone over." It sits on the desk near to where Verdigris had sat, a formidable stack of notebooks, all meticulously organised. You've done your legwork for this project over the past three years.

"I feel obligated to say," you add, "that I received a great deal of advice and consultation from Nellens Ovo. I regret that he is not here to see the final results." He had, at no point, been genuinely encouraging, the emotion seemingly being a little bit beyond him — a man you're not sure could have ever done well in the larger Dynasty, beyond the very particular scholarly atmosphere of the Heptagram. Still, he had helped a great deal, and taught you quite a bit, and you regret his death.

"He would be pleased to have been mentioned, and I'm sure would have found something to complain about," First Light says. Your mention of the slain instructor casts a subdued air over the room, but seems to be received particularly well. There's a moment of silence on that note, before First Light asks: "I'm curious, though. What specific preparations did you make to normalise the interplay between her Essence and yours? It couldn't have been—"

The presentation continues on for most of an hour — during that time, Verdrigris stays hidden against your skin, seemingly entirely comfortable.

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Yesman said:

The interaction with Deizil and Keric was cute and awkward, loved it...but I'm a simple snowman, this bit kinda flew over my head. Did it sound like it was a casual off handed question Mnemon asked about Ambraea or was it more ominous?

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Yesman said:

The interaction with Deizil and Keric was cute and awkward, loved it...but I'm a simple snowman, this bit kinda flew over my head. Did it sound like it was a casual off handed question Mnemon asked about Ambraea or was it more ominous?

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Gazetteer said:

Scrutiny:
Similar to connections, but not strictly beneficial, and potentially disadvantageous

INTENSITY	ORGANISATION	NATURE
3	House Mnemon	Watchfulness

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