Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

I think frankly if Molly understood the full extent of the Neverborn problem she would probably come to the conclusion that there had to be a way to end it other than just putting them to sleep. But that's for the future. I also wonder when the Neverborn will stop mistaking Molly for Yozi's servant and start mistaking her for Yozi if that's even possible.

And so Inari can learn a lot, even more than we would by simply risking asking. Especially about Yozi and Infernals. But she will learn the same thing that we have to say. That Exalts are always free agents and there is no strong built-in control.

And so we must shut Harry up before he starts jumping to the wrong actions. As well as his colleague. They can provoke a problem now and we absolutely do not need that. And it is just time to calm down the two members of the True Venatori in the room.

[X] No, the point of an Exaltation is free will and she has it, she will have it regardless of how the Neverborn might rage (Molly does not know if this is true; though if she says it it will be in the sincere belief it is)
 
Listens to the Wind looks at you with an almost unblinking intensity and Tiffany's face just seems to ask 'Why' while it's hard to read more than shock on Harry's face. Thomas is just about the only one not paying attention, having walked over to the open bedroom door.
I'm not sure what this is about? We pretty much repeated what we said to the wizards earlier.
That's 4 successes, correct?


[X] No, the point of an Exaltation is free will and she has it, she will have it regardless of how the Neverborn might rage (Molly does not know if this is true; though if she says it it will be in the sincere belief it is)
-[X] Only inari herself can sign her free will away, and it's not a simple process
 
[X] Are there strings when you are handed a weapon and told to use it? An exaltation is a gift of power tinted a different color that is added to your soul. The shape of the weapon and who gave it are both important, but you are still you as well.
-[X] In other words, you have a spooky scary power, but you're still Inari, and as free as you wish to be.
-[X] Remember we do impossible things.
 
So just to be clear, you found some antediluvian monstrosity and decided that the thing to do was try to talk it around?" Lara asks in what you would like to think is feigned horror, trying to get concessions, but you are pretty sure is genuine. She's fought in the Oblivion War after all. "And then you woke up something even worse and had to run for your life?"
Once again, for the record, this actually worked just fine. Everyone's acting like its crazy but Molly actually did talk the heart and soul of the black court - grey goo by way of a hive mind of ancient ghosts forged as a super weapon - into trying to be better.


"They still think you're the confused one," Inari cuts in as every other pair of eyes in the room snaps to her face. "The Whispers... I can hear them... they're trying to ne nice I think... or maybe they are just too happy to be nasty."

"You can hear the Neverborn?" No reason not to name them now, you think with just a smidge of panic if only because more of it won't help.

Even though both Lara and Thomas look like they'd like nothing better than to sush their little sister she ignores them, looking almost relieved at the confession. "One I think. Offering help, sugestions, advice... can't tune it out, but I don't feel like I have strings on." She looks at her hands as though checking for actual black threads on her fingers. "I'm still me, just not the girl I used to be."
Oh boy, that's going to be fun.
"Hells bells, we've got to get rid of it, get back her Name..." Harry is already making a list.

For his part Joseph Listens to the Wind keeps his own counsel, though you do not doubt said counsel has grown dark
Won't that kill her? Pretty sure Molly has an idea on this from when she was stalked by Kakuri.

Also, my read is that her name wasn't taken so much as destroyed. I don't think there's anything to get back anymore.


[] No, the point of an Exaltation is free will and she has it, she will have it regardless of how the Neverborn might rage (Molly does not know if this is true; though if she says it it will be in the sincere belief it is)

[] There is... one place she could be safe while we find out more (Your thoughts go to Daemonreach; May initiate combat)
If she's uncooperative then trying to lock her up will start a fight, if she's cooperative then locking her up is both cruel and wasteful.

We've already talked extensively about helping her out. Why not just state that outright? She has free will, we'll force reality to comply if need be.

This is probably surprising coming from me, but my point on celestials has been about how its creation spanning Russian Roulette. It looks a lot like we just got an empty chamber.
 
[X] No, the point of an Exaltation is free will and she has it, she will have it regardless of how the Neverborn might rage (Molly does not know if this is true; though if she says it it will be in the sincere belief it is)

Yes Inari listen to them seeth, listen to them cope, if you're lucky you might even hear them Mald.
 
[x] No, the point of an Exaltation is free will and she has it, she will have it regardless of how the Neverborn might rage (Molly does not know if this is true; though if she says it it will be in the sincere belief it is)
-[x][Stunt]words come to your lips as if you are quoting even though you have never heard them "The Exalted were made to do the impossible. In this thing as in all things they exceeded all expectations."
 
Honestly, if Neverborn is awake enough to communicate, that's pretty bad. I really hope Inari got the worst hand in this regard, and not all 4 have Whisper 5. Either way, we have an invaluable and very dangerous source of information about the true history of the world, and that in itself is dangerous.

This is probably surprising coming from me, but my point on celestials has been about how its creation spanning Russian Roulette. It looks a lot like we just got an empty chamber.
Yeah, that's luck. Let's see what happens with the other 3. But I think we can handle them... If we find them. Luckily, all the Exalts have zero support structures now except us. And that won't let the undead army kidnap them and cut them off from Molly... Hmm, what if we play on the Neverborn's confusion and try to introduce ourselves as this very cavalry from Yozi... Although it's very stupid and risky, I can't help but share the idea.
 
Honestly, if Neverborn is awake enough to communicate, that's pretty bad. I really hope Inari got the worst hand in this regard, and not all 4 have Whisper 5. Either way, we have an invaluable and very dangerous source of information about the true history of the world, and that in itself is dangerous.
Unfortunately the neverborn communicate with their dreaming Corpses so their wakefulness is not really capable of being gauged by Whispers background level.
Other than that yeah having a source to the age of Legends directly is dangerous in a variety of ways but also presents an opportunity in way more.
 
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[x] No, the point of an Exaltation is free will and she has it, she will have it regardless of how the Neverborn might rage (Molly does not know if this is true; though if she says it it will be in the sincere belief it is)
-[x][Stunt]words come to your lips as if you are quoting even though you have never heard them "The Exalted were made to do the impossible. In this thing as in all things they exceeded all expectations."
 
[X] No, the point of an Exaltation is free will and she has it, she will have it regardless of how the Neverborn might rage (Molly does not know if this is true; though if she says it it will be in the sincere belief it is)

If anything can bring Them true rest, it would be an Abyssal Exaltation.
The raw power of the Solars, turned to the mastery of True Death is thing incomparable to any other force wielded by mortals or immortals.
I suspect an Abyssal with the right Charms could true-kill every last prisoner of Demonreach as an only moderately difficult example.
 
If anything can bring Them true rest, it would be an Abyssal Exaltation.
The raw power of the Solars, turned to the mastery of True Death is thing incomparable to any other force wielded by mortals or immortals.
I suspect an Abyssal with the right Charms could true-kill every last prisoner of Demonreach as an only moderately difficult example.
And this will even be quite desirable for the Neverborn who basically want to die and simply see no way out except to blow up all of creation into Oblivion in order to die along with it.
 
[x] No, the point of an Exaltation is free will and she has it, she will have it regardless of how the Neverborn might rage (Molly does not know if this is true; though if she says it it will be in the sincere belief it is)
-[x][Stunt]words come to your lips as if you are quoting even though you have never heard them "The Exalted were made to do the impossible. In this thing as in all things they exceeded all expectations."
 
I truly fear abyssals stealing Lydia's show.
That is going to be a unfortunate and inevitable problem. Lydia is a Abyssal lit. Now we are going to have multiple of the genuine articles. Her title of Queen of the dead is in serious jeopardy.
Is it weird I don't? Lydia is an exalt of death but as a working system either the passing on to an afterlife or reincarnation the preservation of the Soul in whatever form that preservation takes a psychopomp through and through. The Abyssal are not that they are death as the end the complete cessation of any and everything there is no preservation there is no cycle there is no care for the souls of the Dead not inherently at least.

Outside of these thematic differences mechanically they're differentiated the fact that the Abyssal spring death or Oblivion through excellence which limits their magical ability spread rather sharply. All of their charms are either direct attributions of death and in causing it or based around their abilities or both.

While Lydia's can be wider dealing with death conceptually dealing with death in the relation to the Divinity she holds as a Welsh demigod so she has Earth aspected charms and familiar charms and things that do outright magical stuff that have nothing to do with her abilities.

My distinct worry is that she will feel the need to deal with an Abyssal if she understands what their Spirit killer does because she is a farryman of Souls and they are disintegrators.
 
My distinct worry is that she will feel the need to deal with an Abyssal if she understands what their Spirit killer does because she is a farryman of Souls and they are disintegrators.
This is a worry yes.

We should lean into the distinction you noted - help her claim and revive her ancestral realm, gather more subjects, stuff like that. On dealing with exalts - you can't be doubly exalted, but we may be able to use the remaining shard as a power source for some weapon for her, possibly.
 
[X] No, the point of an Exaltation is free will and she has it, she will have it regardless of how the Neverborn might rage (Molly does not know if this is true; though if she says it it will be in the sincere belief it is)
 
[x] No, the point of an Exaltation is free will and she has it, she will have it regardless of how the Neverborn might rage (Molly does not know if this is true; though if she says it it will be in the sincere belief it is)
-[x][Stunt]words come to your lips as if you are quoting even though you have never heard them "The Exalted were made to do the impossible. In this thing as in all things they exceeded all expectations."
 
[X] No, the point of an Exaltation is free will and she has it, she will have it regardless of how the Neverborn might rage (Molly does not know if this is true; though if she says it it will be in the sincere belief it is)
 
"Exaltation a tool, an instrument of the soul given to mortals long ago that they may overcome not merely what is difficult but what is impossible."

"That should be impossible," Harry corrects with wizardly precision almost despite himself. He meets Tiffany's amused look. "What? If you are doing then it's possible."
I'm just glad that we haven't uncovered more deep lore yet. Because this would evolve this statement into "exaltations are weapons of a long forgotten war where mortal men were uplifted to defeat original big G Gods, and succeeded beyond the wildest nightmares of their deific allies".

Also, it's important to remember that Essence use in general distorts fate. I wonder how soon Harry will learn enough about his new state to realize that.
 
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