...you know that just to be a dick whoever designed it included a feature where on the very hottest of days it would randomly fail causing great cries of anguish in the palaces of the mighty, and then somebody has to go and praise the demon extra hard to get it working again, possibly sacrificing something of worth to get it running again.
Ascensions and Transgressions: the Tales of Keris Dulmeadokht (Exalted game)
- Thread starter Aleph
- Start date
- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
This is precisely why she is not going to do this. She doesn't want them fighting in her City, and if they can't move their armies through the City or their siblings' territories, they can't fight. And the further away from each other they are, the more bitter and vicious the fights between non-adjacent souls tend to be. Thus, this policy reduces the amount of mess that takes place in the City and forces the children as a group to stay in a constantly shifting network of alliances and feuds that keep them cohesive and bound together as well as dampening the viciousness between opposite souls with the influence of allies situated between them. Two or three will be bickering and scrapping or actively at war at any given time, but come back two months later and the same two or three will be allying with each other against someone else. It forces them to stay connected to their siblings and not just isolate themselves or lose touch - they have to play the social game with their neighbours if they want access to the other three.
She only makes baby owlriders if she's having a threesome with a man and a woman who conceive on that night, and Keris will probably institute a policy of "don't have kids you won't be around to raise" along with a supply of Maiden's Tea.
15, and yes, the twins were conceived in early Crowning Water RY769, while we're currently in Crowning Air RY770. So Keris has about a season more to go, unless they come early.
(She is hoping very, very hard that they don't come late).
Apart from Haneyl and Vali, who if given a choice would fight all the time with extreme melodrama and massive collateral damage. It's not bitter at all, though.
I'm pretty sure I saw a homebrewed one here a while back. IIRC, it was a Metagoyan first-circle that planted a garden which ate the heat out of the air.
I was curious about the power growth of the Infernal exalted in this version of Creation and was wondering about how much experience Keris and her fellow experienced infernal Exalted have? How much experience would you expect one of the first Infernal Exalted to have after five years of power? I realize that it should vary between individuals based on their individual activity but I think that an average estimate would be very useful.
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Keris is a freak because she's a PC - and moreover, a PC who's realised she can farm XP through beach episodes with her souls. Most Infernals will not develop as fast as she does (also, she has a Third Circle Demon and a Yozi (and her girlfriend's Solar past life) as Mentors).
As a general rule of thumb, the Enlightenment system expects characters to plateau in power because you've got a narrow Enlightenment band and once you cap that out, you broaden your capacities rather than heighten them. Keris hasn't got more lethal in combat for quite a long time - she's just become more of a crafter and a socialite. Moreover, once characters move more into strategic timescales, they're going to be getting much less XP because time progresses much more per session. Rather than 5XP for a day, they're now getting 5XP for several season's worth of play - but it's still one session.
But generally, after five years I'd expect Infernals to be in the Enlightenment 8-9 ballpark (Essence 3-4), with a few prodigies having raced up to Enlightenment 10. The higher end ones (the ones who have more PC-like activity curves) are already reaching the point of diminishing returns in capabilities and are spreading out rather than just mono-focussing (especially due to the way Infernal Charmsets work). Exalts get higher XP in adversity - going out and doing stuff against meaningful opposition is much more XP-developing than just ruling over mortals. Sitting in safety means you'll advance much more slowly.
For example, both Keris and Sasi are more developed than Testolagh - and Keris is higher XP than him, despite being a noob relatively. That's because he's been effectively serving as a strategic-scale character, doing nation-building and the like, which causes less rapid growth than Keris' running around like a manic chipmunk, and the fact that Sasi is putting herself up against the Terrestrial influence in An Teng.
I've got a Calesco charm for you.
Radiant Paragon of (Virtue)
Cost: -
Min: Essence 1
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Virtue 4, Pantheon-Anchored (Calesco)
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: None
(Insert flavor text here)
The Infernal's (Virtue) is treated as being 1 higher for the purposes of effects that depend on it (max Willpower, etc.) In addition, whenever the Infernal channels or rolls (Virtue), she gains 1 additional success on that roll.
This is not without cost, however. The Infernal must pay 1 additional Willpower in order to suppress (Virtue). If the Infernal ever dips below (Virtue) 4, she immediately loses the benefits of this Charm, but not the drawbacks. The Charm itself does not collapse back into XP, and it resumes normal function as soon as the Infernal reaches (Virtue) 4 again.
I think this charm is a good fit for Calesco.
Radiant Paragon of (Virtue)
Cost: -
Min: Essence 1
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Virtue 4, Pantheon-Anchored (Calesco)
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: None
(Insert flavor text here)
The Infernal's (Virtue) is treated as being 1 higher for the purposes of effects that depend on it (max Willpower, etc.) In addition, whenever the Infernal channels or rolls (Virtue), she gains 1 additional success on that roll.
This is not without cost, however. The Infernal must pay 1 additional Willpower in order to suppress (Virtue). If the Infernal ever dips below (Virtue) 4, she immediately loses the benefits of this Charm, but not the drawbacks. The Charm itself does not collapse back into XP, and it resumes normal function as soon as the Infernal reaches (Virtue) 4 again.
I think this charm is a good fit for Calesco.
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- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Calesco is not enormously Temperate, her Conviction varies wildly, and she mostly shows her Valour when it supports Compassion. She's one Virtue, not all of them.
Yes. Calesco does in fact have something for her Virtue - but that's something based off Tragic Love Amusement, so her Compassion always works like TLA Compassion.
(this is one of the biggest reasons she's arguably the most fucked up of Keris' souls at a basic emotional level)
(this is one of the biggest reasons she's arguably the most fucked up of Keris' souls at a basic emotional level)
V2:
Exemplary Radiance of Compassion
Cost: -
Mins: Enlightenment 6
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Pantheon-Anchored (Calesco), Compassion 4
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: None
(Insert flavor text here)
-The Infernal's Compassion is treated as being 1 higher for the purposes of charms and static values (such as maximum WP.)
-Whenever the Infernal channels or rolls Compassion, she gains 1 additional success.
-The Infernal must spend 1 extra WP to suppress Compassion.
At Enlightenment 8:
-When the Infernal channels Compassion, she may spend 1 extra Compassion channel to add successes instead of dice.
At Enlightenment 10, with purchase 2:
-The Infernal may now spend 1WP instead of a Compassion channel to convert her Compassion dice to Successes. The Infernal may no longer suppress Compassion.
Exemplary Radiance of Compassion
Cost: -
Mins: Enlightenment 6
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Pantheon-Anchored (Calesco), Compassion 4
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: None
(Insert flavor text here)
-The Infernal's Compassion is treated as being 1 higher for the purposes of charms and static values (such as maximum WP.)
-Whenever the Infernal channels or rolls Compassion, she gains 1 additional success.
-The Infernal must spend 1 extra WP to suppress Compassion.
At Enlightenment 8:
-When the Infernal channels Compassion, she may spend 1 extra Compassion channel to add successes instead of dice.
At Enlightenment 10, with purchase 2:
-The Infernal may now spend 1WP instead of a Compassion channel to convert her Compassion dice to Successes. The Infernal may no longer suppress Compassion.
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A Silent Blade - Chapter 2
- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
And another session! A Silent Blade 2 reminds us that Keris actually likes Kuha quite a lot, and that if you catcall her little owlrider, you will be lucky if said little owlrider demonstrates that she's a souped-up swaggering high-Physique fighter-jock. If you are unlucky, she will call in her combat-focused-Third-Circle-tier Mentor 5 as backup, and then you're just fucked. We also have Keris abusing Splintered Gale Shintai, and an old acquaintance showing up who most of you won't recognise as she's a reference to the Vengeance Served Cold arc that took place in Nexus just before Keris moved to the Southwest. Rest assured things will be explained next session, probably.
Extras as usual:
Extras as usual:
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MooGoesCow21
Just Listen to me....
- Location
- US Washington
You guys are evil for leaving us on such a cliff hanger 
I remember earlier discussions mentioning something about a Solar and a Lunar being there when Keris was raiding her Past Life's tomb. Is this that Lunar? She can apparently turn into a mouse, so...
SMT5 DLC - Keris Dulmea
Keris Dulmea (1)
HP/8785
MP/infinite
Slash: Weak
Strike: Resist
Shot: Reflect
Fire: Resist
Ice: Resist
Elec: Resist
Force: Resist
Terra: Resist
Light: Null
Dark: Null
Press Turns: 5
Attack 1: 1 target, Slash, 1 hit
Attack 2: 1 target, Strike, 1 hit
Attack 3: 1 target, Shot, 1 hit
Moveset:
-(Passive) Ctener of Keris
--When it enters the battlefield, inflicts Sick on all foes (65%); at the start of its turn, or when HP drops to 0 and Enduring Soul doesn't activate, swaps out with Keris Dulmea (2 or 3, selected randomly)
-(Passive) Resist Almighty
--Takes 50% less damage from Almighty attacks
-(Passive) Enduring Soul
--Once per battle, when HP drops to 0, revives with full HP
-(Curse) Pandemic Bomb
--MP 15; targets all foes; inflicts Sick (45%)
-(Healing) Recarmdra
--MP 1; revives/fully heals all allies; kills user; user is unaffected by Recarm skills for the rest of the battle
-(Healing) Diarahan
--MP 20; fully heals 1 ally
-(Status) Silent Prayer
--MP 20; cancels out all stat adjustments on friend and foe alike
-(Almighty) Sickening Requiem
--MP 30; deals medium damage to all foes; inflicts Sick (35%)
-(Almighty) Death's Door
--MP 20; targets all foes; against Sick targets with 2+ HP remaining, reduces HP to 1; against everybody else, deals exactly 1 damage
Keris Dulmea (2)
HP/8785
MP/infinite
Slash: Reflect
Strike: Weak
Shot: Resist
Fire: Resist
Ice: Resist
Elec: Resist
Force: Resist
Terra: Resist
Light: Reflect
Dark: Weak
Press Turns: 5
Attack 1: 1 target, Slash, 1 hit
Attack 2: 1 target, Strike, 1 hit
Attack 3: 1 target, Shot, 1 hit
Moveset:
-(Passive) Cnteer of Keris
--When it enters the battlefield, inflicts Sleep on all foes (65%); at the start of its turn, or when HP drops to 0 and Enduring Soul doesn't activate, swaps out with Keris Dulmea (1 or 3, selected randomly)
-(Passive) Resist Almighty
--Takes 50% less damage from Almighty attacks
-(Passive) Enduring Soul
--Once per battle, when HP drops to 0, revives with full HP
-(Curse) Lullaby
--MP 15; targets all foes; inflicts Sleep (45%)
-(Healing) Recarmdra
--MP 1; revives/fully heals all allies; kills user; user is unaffected by Recarm skills for the rest of the battle
-(Healing) Diarahan
--MP 20; fully heals 1 ally
-(Status) Silent Prayer
--MP 20; cancels out all stat adjustments on friend and foe alike
-(Almighty) Relaxing Melody
--MP 30; deals medium damage to all foes; inflicts Sleep (35%)
-(Light) Eternal Rest
--MP 30; targets all sleeping foes; instant death to all targets
-(Light) Mahama Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Light by 2 tiers.
Keris Dulmea (3)
HP/8785
MP/infinite
Slash: Resist
Strike: Reflect
Shot: Weak
Fire: Resist
Ice: Resist
Elec: Resist
Force: Resist
Terra: Resist
Light: Weak
Dark: Reflect
Press Turns: 5
Attack 1: 1 target, Slash, 1 hit
Attack 2: 1 target, Strike, 1 hit
Attack 3: 1 target, Shot, 1 hit
Moveset:
-(Passive) Cetenr of Keris
--When it enters the battlefield, inflicts Terror on all foes (65%); at the start of its turn, or when HP drops to 0 and Enduring Soul doesn't activate, swaps out with Keris Dulmea (1 or 2, selected randomly)
-(Passive) Resist Almighty
--Takes 50% less damage from Almighty attacks
-(Passive) Enduring Soul
--Once per battle, when HP drops to 0, revives with full HP
-(Curse) Evil Smile
--MP 15; targets all foes; inflicts Terror (45%)
-(Healing) Recarmdra
--MP 1; revives/fully heals all allies; kills user; user is unaffected by Recarm skills for the rest of the battle
-(Healing) Diarahan
--MP 20; fully heals 1 ally
-(Status) Silent Prayer
--MP 20; cancels out all stat adjustments on friend and foe alike
-(Almighty) Scare Chord
--MP 30; deals medium damage to all foes; inflicts Terror (35%)
-(Dark) Ghastly Wail
--MP 30; targets all Terror'd foes; instant death to all targets
-(Dark) Mamudo Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Dark by 2 tiers.
Hello, gamers. Look at your Final Boss. Now look at Dulmea. Now back at your Boss, now back to Dulmea. Now, thankfully, your Boss isn't Dulmea, but if your Final Boss used full-healing spells and abilities, he could aggravate you like he's Dulmea.
Look down - back up - where are you? You're at your computer reading about the Boss your Boss could aggravate you like! What's that in the room you're in? Back at me, I have it - it's the short-circuited PS5 I created when I threw a half-full can of soda at the TV in my frustration over Dulmea using Recarmdra. Look again - the PS5 is now good as new!
Anything is possible when your Final Boss is insufferably good at healing itself. I'm on a shoestring budget. *whistles jaunty tune*
The above is a 100% accurate (if sparsely detailed) description of an incident that befell me while I was trying like mad to complete the A&T DLC. I was fighting Dulmea, got her down to 10% HP and Branded, all but one of her was dead... and she used Recarmdra. In a fit of frustration-induced rage, I threw the can of 7-Up I was drinking at the TV, and it ended up dousing my PS5. Mom insisted I pay the full repair bill, so my finances took a pretty big hit.
One of the reasons that Dulmea is so frustrating is that, just like Zanara, she has multiple different forms that she switches between, and you have to kill them all. Now, normally, this wouldn't be a problem; you've dealt with Zanara, you can deal with this, right? Hahaha no. With Zanara, you know what you're getting, because not only do the forms have completely different avatars, but there actually aren't any appreciable differences between the forms aside from their moveset (which isn't even all that different).
None of this is true of Dulmea. Each of her forms specializes in a different status condition, has a different physical weakness, reflects another different physical attack type, and oh yeah - they all look the same. The only way to tell them apart is to pay attention to the status ailment she inflicts each turn (which Mr. Genius didn't cotton on to until after I fried my console). The one good thing about this fight is that two of Dulmea are basically fangless without the instant-kill skills, so a Tetraja will handily defang them. (Under Construction)
HP/8785
MP/infinite
Slash: Weak
Strike: Resist
Shot: Reflect
Fire: Resist
Ice: Resist
Elec: Resist
Force: Resist
Terra: Resist
Light: Null
Dark: Null
Press Turns: 5
Attack 1: 1 target, Slash, 1 hit
Attack 2: 1 target, Strike, 1 hit
Attack 3: 1 target, Shot, 1 hit
Moveset:
-(Passive) Ctener of Keris
--When it enters the battlefield, inflicts Sick on all foes (65%); at the start of its turn, or when HP drops to 0 and Enduring Soul doesn't activate, swaps out with Keris Dulmea (2 or 3, selected randomly)
-(Passive) Resist Almighty
--Takes 50% less damage from Almighty attacks
-(Passive) Enduring Soul
--Once per battle, when HP drops to 0, revives with full HP
-(Curse) Pandemic Bomb
--MP 15; targets all foes; inflicts Sick (45%)
-(Healing) Recarmdra
--MP 1; revives/fully heals all allies; kills user; user is unaffected by Recarm skills for the rest of the battle
-(Healing) Diarahan
--MP 20; fully heals 1 ally
-(Status) Silent Prayer
--MP 20; cancels out all stat adjustments on friend and foe alike
-(Almighty) Sickening Requiem
--MP 30; deals medium damage to all foes; inflicts Sick (35%)
-(Almighty) Death's Door
--MP 20; targets all foes; against Sick targets with 2+ HP remaining, reduces HP to 1; against everybody else, deals exactly 1 damage
Keris Dulmea (2)
HP/8785
MP/infinite
Slash: Reflect
Strike: Weak
Shot: Resist
Fire: Resist
Ice: Resist
Elec: Resist
Force: Resist
Terra: Resist
Light: Reflect
Dark: Weak
Press Turns: 5
Attack 1: 1 target, Slash, 1 hit
Attack 2: 1 target, Strike, 1 hit
Attack 3: 1 target, Shot, 1 hit
Moveset:
-(Passive) Cnteer of Keris
--When it enters the battlefield, inflicts Sleep on all foes (65%); at the start of its turn, or when HP drops to 0 and Enduring Soul doesn't activate, swaps out with Keris Dulmea (1 or 3, selected randomly)
-(Passive) Resist Almighty
--Takes 50% less damage from Almighty attacks
-(Passive) Enduring Soul
--Once per battle, when HP drops to 0, revives with full HP
-(Curse) Lullaby
--MP 15; targets all foes; inflicts Sleep (45%)
-(Healing) Recarmdra
--MP 1; revives/fully heals all allies; kills user; user is unaffected by Recarm skills for the rest of the battle
-(Healing) Diarahan
--MP 20; fully heals 1 ally
-(Status) Silent Prayer
--MP 20; cancels out all stat adjustments on friend and foe alike
-(Almighty) Relaxing Melody
--MP 30; deals medium damage to all foes; inflicts Sleep (35%)
-(Light) Eternal Rest
--MP 30; targets all sleeping foes; instant death to all targets
-(Light) Mahama Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Light by 2 tiers.
Keris Dulmea (3)
HP/8785
MP/infinite
Slash: Resist
Strike: Reflect
Shot: Weak
Fire: Resist
Ice: Resist
Elec: Resist
Force: Resist
Terra: Resist
Light: Weak
Dark: Reflect
Press Turns: 5
Attack 1: 1 target, Slash, 1 hit
Attack 2: 1 target, Strike, 1 hit
Attack 3: 1 target, Shot, 1 hit
Moveset:
-(Passive) Cetenr of Keris
--When it enters the battlefield, inflicts Terror on all foes (65%); at the start of its turn, or when HP drops to 0 and Enduring Soul doesn't activate, swaps out with Keris Dulmea (1 or 2, selected randomly)
-(Passive) Resist Almighty
--Takes 50% less damage from Almighty attacks
-(Passive) Enduring Soul
--Once per battle, when HP drops to 0, revives with full HP
-(Curse) Evil Smile
--MP 15; targets all foes; inflicts Terror (45%)
-(Healing) Recarmdra
--MP 1; revives/fully heals all allies; kills user; user is unaffected by Recarm skills for the rest of the battle
-(Healing) Diarahan
--MP 20; fully heals 1 ally
-(Status) Silent Prayer
--MP 20; cancels out all stat adjustments on friend and foe alike
-(Almighty) Scare Chord
--MP 30; deals medium damage to all foes; inflicts Terror (35%)
-(Dark) Ghastly Wail
--MP 30; targets all Terror'd foes; instant death to all targets
-(Dark) Mamudo Break
--MP 75; reduces all enemies' resistances to Dark by 2 tiers.
Hello, gamers. Look at your Final Boss. Now look at Dulmea. Now back at your Boss, now back to Dulmea. Now, thankfully, your Boss isn't Dulmea, but if your Final Boss used full-healing spells and abilities, he could aggravate you like he's Dulmea.
Look down - back up - where are you? You're at your computer reading about the Boss your Boss could aggravate you like! What's that in the room you're in? Back at me, I have it - it's the short-circuited PS5 I created when I threw a half-full can of soda at the TV in my frustration over Dulmea using Recarmdra. Look again - the PS5 is now good as new!
Anything is possible when your Final Boss is insufferably good at healing itself. I'm on a shoestring budget. *whistles jaunty tune*
The above is a 100% accurate (if sparsely detailed) description of an incident that befell me while I was trying like mad to complete the A&T DLC. I was fighting Dulmea, got her down to 10% HP and Branded, all but one of her was dead... and she used Recarmdra. In a fit of frustration-induced rage, I threw the can of 7-Up I was drinking at the TV, and it ended up dousing my PS5. Mom insisted I pay the full repair bill, so my finances took a pretty big hit.
One of the reasons that Dulmea is so frustrating is that, just like Zanara, she has multiple different forms that she switches between, and you have to kill them all. Now, normally, this wouldn't be a problem; you've dealt with Zanara, you can deal with this, right? Hahaha no. With Zanara, you know what you're getting, because not only do the forms have completely different avatars, but there actually aren't any appreciable differences between the forms aside from their moveset (which isn't even all that different).
None of this is true of Dulmea. Each of her forms specializes in a different status condition, has a different physical weakness, reflects another different physical attack type, and oh yeah - they all look the same. The only way to tell them apart is to pay attention to the status ailment she inflicts each turn (which Mr. Genius didn't cotton on to until after I fried my console). The one good thing about this fight is that two of Dulmea are basically fangless without the instant-kill skills, so a Tetraja will handily defang them. (Under Construction)
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- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Just noticed this, btw, and all of my lol. That's hilarious.
I thought you might appreciate that.
On a more sober note, if any of Keris's souls delve into con artistry and counterfiting, it'd probably be Zanara. The female one is something of a sadist, and their abilities dovetail well with the required skills, not to mention that out of all Keris's souls (that we've seen so far), Zanara is the only one that just gets people, which is essential to any would-be charlatan.
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Wonderful to see that this is back.
A Silent Blade - Chapter 3
- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
... okay then.
A few things, uh. A few things happened in this session. Well, actually it was basically just three or four conversations, but several reveals got dumped on my head and left me reeling a bit (though not to the levels of Rat). First off, then, three excerpts from what would be Session -9 relative to the published logs; halfway through the Vengeance Served Cold arc. This was part two of the Nexan Palaceboat Auction that @EarthScorpion and I may have referenced before, and is where Keris ran into Madame la Mouse the first time. So; a brief summary. It was an auction that included many artifacts and high-value goods, which Kasseni was sure to attend - Keris therefore went to make first contact with her to start her elaborate revenge plan. Sasi went because she was there to help Keris get revenge (as a way of winning Keris to her side) and also for some dealing of her own - her ultimate goal for the arc was to assassinate a member of the Council and get a patsy under her control installed in their place (this did not work out as planned).
Naturally, about 10 different Exalts of various splats showed up, and basically everyone but Keris and Sasi were there to rob the place blind. Yes, I know, Keris was one of the only Exalts there who didn't have theft as a primary objective. Just a secondary one. I was shocked too. A few interesting things happened - Keris accidentally mind-whammied half the people there with Attention-Holding Grace, two dudes tried to have a swordfight over her and one got 1 sux and missed while the other botched and stabbed himself in the foot, Keris did frantic medical aid and started down the path of a surgeon, Sasi bitched at her for mind-whammying everyone... but she made a strong first impression on Kasseni and got her hooked. Things were going Just According To Keikaku.
Then, a little while into the auction, and during the bidding for the Artifact 1 orichalcum-and-sapphire dinner plate that Keris had been grudgingly convinced to relinquish from her hoard to get them in as participants (with Sasi putting it up for sale on the understanding that Keris would steal it back from whoever bought it), this happened:
She found that the treasures were mostly a no-go due to the chaos, went to find Sasi and Kasseni, got Kasseni out through the bottom of the barge ("do you wish for us to evacuate you?" says Sasi, because even when under attack by a Lunar demonologist she is a mercenary little extortionist on the lookout for ways to get someone indebted to her ¬_¬), and then...
... yeah. Turned out all he had was a Perfect Soak, lol. I wouldn't have gotten away with that if he'd been able to parry or dodge, but as it was...
Honestly, I still think that is legitimately my most hilarious theft across 140 sessions, just for what the looks on their faces must have been like. You can almost see all the combatants pausing for an action or two to go "Did that just happen? Is she with you? Is she with us?" And she used no Obvious magic and was across the roof and back into the water in literally a single action, so as far as the Dragonblooded saw, it was just a vaguely female redheaded blur.
Sometimes I have fun imagining how they must have written that up in their after-action reports. And how their ranking officers must have reacted to reading them.
And upon confirming that the knives were Keris's still-much-loved and often-used Ascending Air, it turned out that Sasi had done some theft of her own, because she is Keris's gorgeous wonderful angel. Though this was before they finalised their relationship and started sleeping together - at this point there had just been a lot of subtle flirting and quite a bit of confusion on Keris's part.
Poor Sasi.
So! With that infodump put down, you can appreciate why it was so surprising to see Madame la Mouse two years later and fifteen hundred miles away. And you'll be in a much better condition to appreciate some of the puns and backhanded references made in chapter 3 of A Silent Blade! Oh, what fun Keris is having. What wonderful, wicked fun.
Extras, as usual:
A few things, uh. A few things happened in this session. Well, actually it was basically just three or four conversations, but several reveals got dumped on my head and left me reeling a bit (though not to the levels of Rat). First off, then, three excerpts from what would be Session -9 relative to the published logs; halfway through the Vengeance Served Cold arc. This was part two of the Nexan Palaceboat Auction that @EarthScorpion and I may have referenced before, and is where Keris ran into Madame la Mouse the first time. So; a brief summary. It was an auction that included many artifacts and high-value goods, which Kasseni was sure to attend - Keris therefore went to make first contact with her to start her elaborate revenge plan. Sasi went because she was there to help Keris get revenge (as a way of winning Keris to her side) and also for some dealing of her own - her ultimate goal for the arc was to assassinate a member of the Council and get a patsy under her control installed in their place (this did not work out as planned).
Naturally, about 10 different Exalts of various splats showed up, and basically everyone but Keris and Sasi were there to rob the place blind. Yes, I know, Keris was one of the only Exalts there who didn't have theft as a primary objective. Just a secondary one. I was shocked too. A few interesting things happened - Keris accidentally mind-whammied half the people there with Attention-Holding Grace, two dudes tried to have a swordfight over her and one got 1 sux and missed while the other botched and stabbed himself in the foot, Keris did frantic medical aid and started down the path of a surgeon, Sasi bitched at her for mind-whammying everyone... but she made a strong first impression on Kasseni and got her hooked. Things were going Just According To Keikaku.
Then, a little while into the auction, and during the bidding for the Artifact 1 orichalcum-and-sapphire dinner plate that Keris had been grudgingly convinced to relinquish from her hoard to get them in as participants (with Sasi putting it up for sale on the understanding that Keris would steal it back from whoever bought it), this happened:
There's a noise in the distance, too. It's... it's kind of a rumbling noise. Or roaring, maybe. It's coming from the direction of the river, certainly.
"... what's that sound?" Keris asks, frowning. It's getting distinctly closer, too. Of course, it seems no one else can hear it. Especially when the speaker is still loudly extolling the virtue of her plate.
"What sound?" asks Kasseni.
"The... hang on." Keris quietly shuffles to the end of the row and attracts Sasi's attention with some quiet gesturing. When Sasi doesn't come over immediately, Keris hurries over to her.
"Something's coming," she whispers. "Big and fast and rumbly-roary and getting closer really quickly. From the river." She strains her ears, listening intently. She's heard that sound before, she knows she's heard it before, she just can't place it. She stands abruptly, waving at the speaker. "Hush a minute!" she shouts, cupping a hand to her ear. "Everyone quiet!"
It's not the noise from outside which catches her attention, though it's very strange. It sounds like the crashing of water, but mixed with the howling of hounds - and now it's quieter, other people can distinctly hear it too. No, what she heard was from the front of the auditorium, and what it was was a noise so quiet it almost wasn't a noise, a faintly metallic noise of two metal items clinking together.
Someone barges in from the door to the outside. "Hounds!" gasps a man in a naval outfit. "Hounds made of fire! Or burning oil! They're riding the waves! And there are men riding them!"
That seems vaguely familiar to Keris. It's... oh, she can't remember the precise details, but there's certainly a demon who takes the form of a burning oilslick made of men and beasts who drags the water in her wake. Or possibly his wake. She can't remember if it's a male or female demon. It descends from... possibly Astrea? It's from the Divine Ignition, anyway.
'Huh,' she thinks.
Were she a more eloquent and structured thinker, she might think something like 'I know that demon citizens can be summoned by Exalted who don't serve the All-Makers, and there are a lot of shiny valuable things here that an Exalt might want to try and steal. If I were going to try and steal them, I might make sure that everyone was good and distracted by something big and flashy so that I could sneak in and take my pick of what's on offer'.
As it is, she thinks 'huh'. And then - ignoring the mad dash of people making for the door - heads forward, to the front of the room where the tiny 'click' sound came from, and where the auction items are being displayed.
After all, even if someone else isn't using this as a distraction to steal things, that doesn't mean she can't.
And... there! Keris hears another clink, and locates to the shadows behind the gong. She can't see anything there, but she doesn't need to see things to know they're there. And what she can hear, now that she gets closer, is quiet breaths. Except they just shifted in pitch and now she's hearing a mouse, not the person she could have sworn was there.
"... hnn," she hums, looking around in confusion. She shrugs, as though deciding it was nothing, and half-turns to go.
And then lashes out with a vicious kick that knocks the gong over backwards, straight onto whatever's behind it. The gong falls with a booming clash. Of course, given it was already ringing from the first kick, the end result is that Keris' ears now double hurt.
A mouse squirms out from under it. It's running away.
"Oh no you don't, you little..." Keris knows what she heard, and what she heard was a human breathing turning into a mouse breathing. And now she's mostly hearing painful ringing, but the point is that this is not a normal mouse. She darts after it, the braid around her neck lashing out to grab it alongside her hands. "Get back here!"
The mouse is small, agile and unpredictable in its movements. Against most people, it would escape with ease. But Keris is used to hunting vermin with little more than a stick and her hands and voice. There's good eating on a rat. She pins it down, lashing out with hair and fists and feet to stop it darting through any gaps too small for her to follow and hemming it in enough to grab.
With a cunning feint and lunge, Keris successfully grabs a mouse with her hair.
...
... a mouse which is now a dusky skinned woman in her early twenties, her hair covered in the way that some Southerners do and wearing shabby clothes. More relevantly, she's is swinging her fist towards Keris' nose.
"Gah!" Keris yelps, ducking backwards as the blow catches her across the cheek. She narrows her eyes and growls, and sacrifices her braids with a savage yank to send a wave of hair boiling forward to grab at the woman. "Stay still, dammit! Who are you?"
The woman might be only slightly taller than Keris and rather less fit-looking, but she appears to have quite a punch on her. Keris goes flying backwards into one of the braziers, and sends it flying, spilling burning sandalwood and coal onto the floor. The woman turns and flees again, turning as she runs into a mouse and vanishing among the feet of the crowd.
Things only get worse with the screams outside. Keris hears a booming voice from around the burning barking demons as she flips back onto her feet.
"This vessel, and all the possession on it, now belong to me, Prince Naween! Surrender and my demons and my men may spare your lives! Fight back and I'll kill you all and burn your vessel to the ground, then pick the treasures from this sunken wreck!"
Giving up on the woman, Keris decides that this is an excellent time to take as many treasures as possible into protective custody.
After all, it's not as though they're likely to be missed once this is over.
"... what's that sound?" Keris asks, frowning. It's getting distinctly closer, too. Of course, it seems no one else can hear it. Especially when the speaker is still loudly extolling the virtue of her plate.
"What sound?" asks Kasseni.
"The... hang on." Keris quietly shuffles to the end of the row and attracts Sasi's attention with some quiet gesturing. When Sasi doesn't come over immediately, Keris hurries over to her.
"Something's coming," she whispers. "Big and fast and rumbly-roary and getting closer really quickly. From the river." She strains her ears, listening intently. She's heard that sound before, she knows she's heard it before, she just can't place it. She stands abruptly, waving at the speaker. "Hush a minute!" she shouts, cupping a hand to her ear. "Everyone quiet!"
It's not the noise from outside which catches her attention, though it's very strange. It sounds like the crashing of water, but mixed with the howling of hounds - and now it's quieter, other people can distinctly hear it too. No, what she heard was from the front of the auditorium, and what it was was a noise so quiet it almost wasn't a noise, a faintly metallic noise of two metal items clinking together.
Someone barges in from the door to the outside. "Hounds!" gasps a man in a naval outfit. "Hounds made of fire! Or burning oil! They're riding the waves! And there are men riding them!"
That seems vaguely familiar to Keris. It's... oh, she can't remember the precise details, but there's certainly a demon who takes the form of a burning oilslick made of men and beasts who drags the water in her wake. Or possibly his wake. She can't remember if it's a male or female demon. It descends from... possibly Astrea? It's from the Divine Ignition, anyway.
'Huh,' she thinks.
Were she a more eloquent and structured thinker, she might think something like 'I know that demon citizens can be summoned by Exalted who don't serve the All-Makers, and there are a lot of shiny valuable things here that an Exalt might want to try and steal. If I were going to try and steal them, I might make sure that everyone was good and distracted by something big and flashy so that I could sneak in and take my pick of what's on offer'.
As it is, she thinks 'huh'. And then - ignoring the mad dash of people making for the door - heads forward, to the front of the room where the tiny 'click' sound came from, and where the auction items are being displayed.
After all, even if someone else isn't using this as a distraction to steal things, that doesn't mean she can't.
And... there! Keris hears another clink, and locates to the shadows behind the gong. She can't see anything there, but she doesn't need to see things to know they're there. And what she can hear, now that she gets closer, is quiet breaths. Except they just shifted in pitch and now she's hearing a mouse, not the person she could have sworn was there.
"... hnn," she hums, looking around in confusion. She shrugs, as though deciding it was nothing, and half-turns to go.
And then lashes out with a vicious kick that knocks the gong over backwards, straight onto whatever's behind it. The gong falls with a booming clash. Of course, given it was already ringing from the first kick, the end result is that Keris' ears now double hurt.
A mouse squirms out from under it. It's running away.
"Oh no you don't, you little..." Keris knows what she heard, and what she heard was a human breathing turning into a mouse breathing. And now she's mostly hearing painful ringing, but the point is that this is not a normal mouse. She darts after it, the braid around her neck lashing out to grab it alongside her hands. "Get back here!"
The mouse is small, agile and unpredictable in its movements. Against most people, it would escape with ease. But Keris is used to hunting vermin with little more than a stick and her hands and voice. There's good eating on a rat. She pins it down, lashing out with hair and fists and feet to stop it darting through any gaps too small for her to follow and hemming it in enough to grab.
With a cunning feint and lunge, Keris successfully grabs a mouse with her hair.
...
... a mouse which is now a dusky skinned woman in her early twenties, her hair covered in the way that some Southerners do and wearing shabby clothes. More relevantly, she's is swinging her fist towards Keris' nose.
"Gah!" Keris yelps, ducking backwards as the blow catches her across the cheek. She narrows her eyes and growls, and sacrifices her braids with a savage yank to send a wave of hair boiling forward to grab at the woman. "Stay still, dammit! Who are you?"
The woman might be only slightly taller than Keris and rather less fit-looking, but she appears to have quite a punch on her. Keris goes flying backwards into one of the braziers, and sends it flying, spilling burning sandalwood and coal onto the floor. The woman turns and flees again, turning as she runs into a mouse and vanishing among the feet of the crowd.
Things only get worse with the screams outside. Keris hears a booming voice from around the burning barking demons as she flips back onto her feet.
"This vessel, and all the possession on it, now belong to me, Prince Naween! Surrender and my demons and my men may spare your lives! Fight back and I'll kill you all and burn your vessel to the ground, then pick the treasures from this sunken wreck!"
Giving up on the woman, Keris decides that this is an excellent time to take as many treasures as possible into protective custody.
After all, it's not as though they're likely to be missed once this is over.
She found that the treasures were mostly a no-go due to the chaos, went to find Sasi and Kasseni, got Kasseni out through the bottom of the barge ("do you wish for us to evacuate you?" says Sasi, because even when under attack by a Lunar demonologist she is a mercenary little extortionist on the lookout for ways to get someone indebted to her ¬_¬), and then...
From the bank, they can see the barge. It's surrounded by thick white smoke and what looks like burning oil, but Keris can see that they're all one thing. There are faces in the smoke. The burning creatures in among the oil are scrambling up the side of the ship, but they're being repulsed by the soldiers.
And of course, Keris can see the centre attraction wonderfully. On top of the pagoda, three Dragonblooded whose animas burn with elemental fury (and also have set the top of the pagoda on fire) are fighting a man who's lit in a blinding white halo. He stabs one of the Dragonblooded with one of his two moonlit knives. The woman goes flying backwards, but she stabs her sword into the roof and manages to avoid going over the edge.
Keris growls. "Idiot. 'Put on a big flashy show, let everyone know you're there, summon up a demon and attack in force'... it's like he wants to die." She huffs in annoyance. "Moron doesn't deserve the stuff he's trying to steal. At least the other one was halfway smart about it."
She scoffs at the scene and turns to Kasseni, checking the woman over carefully and listening to her breathing and heartbeat. "Are you okay? Hurt? Burnt? Swallow any water?"
"I got river water in my mouth," Kasseni moans.
Keris is distinctly unimpressed. And unsympathetic. "Okay. Are you hurt, though?"
"No. No, not hurt. Unless I caught something from the water," Kasseni says, shakily.
Keris' attention is split between her and the battle, as jade-steel weapons clash and the two long wavey knives of the Lunar Anathema meet the daiklaives of the Dragonblooded.
"... that's good," she says distractedly. "Definitely a good... thing, yeah." The moonlit knives seem to ripple sinuously as the Anathema blocks and parries. Keris's eyes follow them like a cat watching a ball of string. "... listen," she says, "I should go and check if Lili got out okay. Can you make your way home from here, or do you want to wait here for me to come back after I sweep the river for her? There's..." she cocks her head, "... nobody around that I can hear, and you've got your sword, so you should be safe now that you're clear of the demons."
EarthScorpion: ((And so we find that when it comes to loot and advancing her plans for revenge by taking advantage of Kasseni when she just saved her life, Keris is going for... loot. : p))
Aleph: ((Hey, she's already advanced her plans, and Kasseni's not exactly going to forget. Also, bluntly... it's much less of a choice than Keris is making it out to be, and she knows it. Kasseni is not very likely to choose "walking through Nexus District on foot at night, alone and with only a sword" over "wait for the probably-demon-blooded assassin to get back and protect me".))
"I... I think I'll wait here," says the dripping wet older lady, shivering in the cold. She pauses. "Actually," she swallows, "escort me back to the garden area. They'll have dry clothes there."
Keris glances between Kasseni and the boat, then down to the garden area. After a second's rapid calculation, she nods. "Okay," she agrees, "but quickly. If Lili didn't get clear of the boat in time, I need to get back there soon."
She leaves Kasseni in the company of the guards who are... uh, not entirely sure what they should be doing now that the place they are meant to be guarding is on fire and surrounded by demons and... yeah. Quite a few of them have fled already.
Then she dives back into the water, and yessss, finally she's invisible and unseen. Her Lance can come out to play. She makes it back to the boat in a few short seconds, and listens to the fight going on its roof. Sasi is already clear, as she thought - she can't hear her anywhere onboard or nearby - so it's just the pretty knives she has to concern herself with.
Well, 'Prince Naween' does seem to be awfully preoccupied with those Dragonblooded he's fighting. Keris grins wickedly, and flicks the Lance out; its chain form unravelling as it slashes through the water with no more resistance than she feels.
Through, and up, and out. The weighted ball on the end of the chain is all but invisible in the smoke-filled air as it whips out to coil around the Lunar's blades and yank.
His eyes widen as Keris sprints in from an unseen angle and he spins on the spot moving his blades to counter her.
... and then her ball-weighted chain whips around his wrists and he's letting go and her hair is darting out and she has them in her hair. She's diving almost before any of the combatants have realised what happened, plunging back into the river and vanishing amidst the cloudy, fire-lit turmoil.
Scything through the water, Keris stows her Lance and her pretty new toys away in her Devil Domain - she can bind them to call into her hands later - and emerges dripping from the river at the edge of the gardens where Kasseni is waiting.
And of course, Keris can see the centre attraction wonderfully. On top of the pagoda, three Dragonblooded whose animas burn with elemental fury (and also have set the top of the pagoda on fire) are fighting a man who's lit in a blinding white halo. He stabs one of the Dragonblooded with one of his two moonlit knives. The woman goes flying backwards, but she stabs her sword into the roof and manages to avoid going over the edge.
Keris growls. "Idiot. 'Put on a big flashy show, let everyone know you're there, summon up a demon and attack in force'... it's like he wants to die." She huffs in annoyance. "Moron doesn't deserve the stuff he's trying to steal. At least the other one was halfway smart about it."
She scoffs at the scene and turns to Kasseni, checking the woman over carefully and listening to her breathing and heartbeat. "Are you okay? Hurt? Burnt? Swallow any water?"
"I got river water in my mouth," Kasseni moans.
Keris is distinctly unimpressed. And unsympathetic. "Okay. Are you hurt, though?"
"No. No, not hurt. Unless I caught something from the water," Kasseni says, shakily.
Keris' attention is split between her and the battle, as jade-steel weapons clash and the two long wavey knives of the Lunar Anathema meet the daiklaives of the Dragonblooded.
"... that's good," she says distractedly. "Definitely a good... thing, yeah." The moonlit knives seem to ripple sinuously as the Anathema blocks and parries. Keris's eyes follow them like a cat watching a ball of string. "... listen," she says, "I should go and check if Lili got out okay. Can you make your way home from here, or do you want to wait here for me to come back after I sweep the river for her? There's..." she cocks her head, "... nobody around that I can hear, and you've got your sword, so you should be safe now that you're clear of the demons."
EarthScorpion: ((And so we find that when it comes to loot and advancing her plans for revenge by taking advantage of Kasseni when she just saved her life, Keris is going for... loot. : p))
Aleph: ((Hey, she's already advanced her plans, and Kasseni's not exactly going to forget. Also, bluntly... it's much less of a choice than Keris is making it out to be, and she knows it. Kasseni is not very likely to choose "walking through Nexus District on foot at night, alone and with only a sword" over "wait for the probably-demon-blooded assassin to get back and protect me".))
"I... I think I'll wait here," says the dripping wet older lady, shivering in the cold. She pauses. "Actually," she swallows, "escort me back to the garden area. They'll have dry clothes there."
Keris glances between Kasseni and the boat, then down to the garden area. After a second's rapid calculation, she nods. "Okay," she agrees, "but quickly. If Lili didn't get clear of the boat in time, I need to get back there soon."
She leaves Kasseni in the company of the guards who are... uh, not entirely sure what they should be doing now that the place they are meant to be guarding is on fire and surrounded by demons and... yeah. Quite a few of them have fled already.
Then she dives back into the water, and yessss, finally she's invisible and unseen. Her Lance can come out to play. She makes it back to the boat in a few short seconds, and listens to the fight going on its roof. Sasi is already clear, as she thought - she can't hear her anywhere onboard or nearby - so it's just the pretty knives she has to concern herself with.
Well, 'Prince Naween' does seem to be awfully preoccupied with those Dragonblooded he's fighting. Keris grins wickedly, and flicks the Lance out; its chain form unravelling as it slashes through the water with no more resistance than she feels.
Through, and up, and out. The weighted ball on the end of the chain is all but invisible in the smoke-filled air as it whips out to coil around the Lunar's blades and yank.
His eyes widen as Keris sprints in from an unseen angle and he spins on the spot moving his blades to counter her.
... and then her ball-weighted chain whips around his wrists and he's letting go and her hair is darting out and she has them in her hair. She's diving almost before any of the combatants have realised what happened, plunging back into the river and vanishing amidst the cloudy, fire-lit turmoil.
Scything through the water, Keris stows her Lance and her pretty new toys away in her Devil Domain - she can bind them to call into her hands later - and emerges dripping from the river at the edge of the gardens where Kasseni is waiting.
... yeah. Turned out all he had was a Perfect Soak, lol. I wouldn't have gotten away with that if he'd been able to parry or dodge, but as it was...
Honestly, I still think that is legitimately my most hilarious theft across 140 sessions, just for what the looks on their faces must have been like. You can almost see all the combatants pausing for an action or two to go "Did that just happen? Is she with you? Is she with us?" And she used no Obvious magic and was across the roof and back into the water in literally a single action, so as far as the Dragonblooded saw, it was just a vaguely female redheaded blur.
Sometimes I have fun imagining how they must have written that up in their after-action reports. And how their ranking officers must have reacted to reading them.
And upon confirming that the knives were Keris's still-much-loved and often-used Ascending Air, it turned out that Sasi had done some theft of her own, because she is Keris's gorgeous wonderful angel. Though this was before they finalised their relationship and started sleeping together - at this point there had just been a lot of subtle flirting and quite a bit of confusion on Keris's part.
Keris is let instantly into Sasi's inner chambers. Sasi is reddened and burnt, and her hands are bandaged up. In addition, she has shed her false appearance. Nevertheless, she looks very smug. Very smug by Sasi standards, which is mega-smug by most standards. Keris is cautiously optimistic at this. Smug Sasi is happy Sasi, which is slightly-less-likely-to-yell-at-her Sasi. "So... things went well?" she asks tentatively.
Sasi gestures at the table.
Except wait, it's not a table. It's a sizable lockbox, the size of a sea chest. Keris raises an eyebrow. "You made off with something too? What's in it?"
Sasi smiles. "I remembered that dense things sink," she says smugly. "And since there was already a hole in the bottom of the ship - I'm fairly sure that was the man's plan, incidentally. Sink the ship, and then have his demons carry away the salvage. So I just waited in the vessel until someone else realised the same thing and tried to make a hole so they could escape with some of the stolen goods and say they were lost at sea. A Fire Aspect from Great Forks, as it so happened." She pats Keris on the hand. "I might not be quite as subtle as you, but he wasn't looking and I was just... a shadow in the dark."
Keris jerks up in alarm. "Is that why you look burnt? Sasi! Why'd you try and do something like that?! You could've been hurt! I'm the one who's meant to do the fighting! It's dangerous!"
Sasi pulls a face. "No, that was because..." she blushes, "an oil lamp fell on me when I was the shadow. Burning oil... burns."
"... oh," Keris blinks, and her - quite literally - ruffled hair settles somewhat. A slight awkwardness descends. "Um, that's good. But it was still dangerous! Next time get me to do the killing people," she admonishes. It would be more effective if she were looking at Sasi as she said it, rather than the chest. "So... what's in it?"
Sasi snaps her fingers, and a little demon crawls out of the lock with a clicking noise, which then pops open. "A collection of late Shogunate meditations and postulates on sorcerous theory, engraved on celestium sheets," Sasi says smugly. "In addition to a collection of mid-Shogunate wood-leaf green jade jewellery - a full collection, apart from the right ankle bracelet - and a Marana Shogun-era black-jade recurved bow."
She blinks, as the bow appears to spontaneously teleport into Keris's lap. "Pretty..." Keris coos, enraptured by the deadly weapon. "Oooo, it curves like my new toys! And it's so... what's the word? Lusty? No, lustrous!" She runs her hair over the bow's surface, watching it seem to drink up the light. "So pretty..."
"It'll need to be restrung," Sasi says, somewhat annoyed. "Its string was destroyed. But I'm sure I'll be able to find someone in the City who can do that. And Keris," she pauses, looking for the right way to put it, "I intend to be the one to make use of it."
EarthScorpion: ((Sasi is trying to not say 'it's mine'.))
Keris pouts, but relinquishes it. "Yeah, I'm not really good with bows anyway. But so pretty. And the jewellery is nice, too." She sighs mournfully. "I admit it; your haul is better than mine. Even if mine was funnier."
Sasi blinks.
"Keris," she says. "What did you do?"
Keris blinks up at her innocently. "Well, you did say you were hoping they'd kill him," she points out. "And his knives were very pretty. I just... helped."
"What. Did. You. Do?"
Keris twists her wrist, and Dulmea drops her two new toys into her hands. "Stole his knives," she grins smugly. "While he was using them. Against three Dragonblooded." She holds the wavy blades up to the light, admiring them now that she has time to look them over properly.
Sasi is silent for a while. "Out of purest academic curiosity," she says, "... how did you manage that? People usually... uh, hold onto their weapons quite tightly."
Keris's smug grin widens. "They do," she agrees. "Just not tightly enough. And don't worry, I wasn't doing any obvious magic and my soul wasn't flaring like theirs were and I was only out of the water for about two seconds and it was smoky and hazy so they probably didn't get a good look at me. And even if they did, all they saw was a really fast girl stealing his knives and diving into the river. That'd just make them think what you wanted about me being demon-blooded, right?"
"Anyway," she adds, "I helped them kill him. I doubt they'll complain."
(... ... ...)
"Oh, hey," Keris notes. "There's writing on these! It says..." she peers at it carefully, lips tracing over the words soundlessly.
There's a pause.
"... I have no idea what it says," she admits. "Lifting... Wind? Or something?" She flips one of the pair over and hands it to Sasi. "I think it's High Realm. Could you?"
"That was... not bad for someone who probably only knows enough Low Realm to tell sailors where the naughty ladies are, let alone any High Realm," Sasi teases her, before paying proper attention. "No, it's 'Ascending Air', as in the month. And..." Sasi turns the blade over, and Keris is struck by the realisation that she's very nearly as pale as the white jade, "... dragons," she says, with almost a note of reverence in her voice. "Goodness me. It has the heron stamp. This may, in fact, be the Ascending Air. I wonder how on earth it got into the hands of that Lunar Anathema."
Keris stares at her blankly, with the strong feeling that she's missing something. "Um?"
"It's part of a moderately famous collection made during... ah, I believe the reign of the Second Empress," Sasi explains. "Fifteen themed weapon sets, one for each month - and rumours of a sixteenth, for Calibration. And yes, I do believe Ascending Air was a kris pair, because," she pauses, "... it's a pun in High Realm," she concludes. She passes them back, and then runs her hands through her hair. "Most of them have been given to Houses or lost," she adds. "I think it's only something like four sets remain in the hands of the Throne."
Keris examines her new toys thoughtfully. "So they're really valuable pretty knives, then?" she asks to confirm. Sasi looks somewhat aghast.
"They are a fine masterwork example of a famous blademaker around five hundred years old!"
"Really really valuable pretty knives," Keris agrees, polishing them tenderly and looking like a child with a new toy. Happy rumbling emanates from somewhere in her hindbrain. "Got it."
"Remind me to not go with you to art galleries," Sasi says, grumbling as she gingerly sponges down her burns.
Sasi gestures at the table.
Except wait, it's not a table. It's a sizable lockbox, the size of a sea chest. Keris raises an eyebrow. "You made off with something too? What's in it?"
Sasi smiles. "I remembered that dense things sink," she says smugly. "And since there was already a hole in the bottom of the ship - I'm fairly sure that was the man's plan, incidentally. Sink the ship, and then have his demons carry away the salvage. So I just waited in the vessel until someone else realised the same thing and tried to make a hole so they could escape with some of the stolen goods and say they were lost at sea. A Fire Aspect from Great Forks, as it so happened." She pats Keris on the hand. "I might not be quite as subtle as you, but he wasn't looking and I was just... a shadow in the dark."
Keris jerks up in alarm. "Is that why you look burnt? Sasi! Why'd you try and do something like that?! You could've been hurt! I'm the one who's meant to do the fighting! It's dangerous!"
Sasi pulls a face. "No, that was because..." she blushes, "an oil lamp fell on me when I was the shadow. Burning oil... burns."
"... oh," Keris blinks, and her - quite literally - ruffled hair settles somewhat. A slight awkwardness descends. "Um, that's good. But it was still dangerous! Next time get me to do the killing people," she admonishes. It would be more effective if she were looking at Sasi as she said it, rather than the chest. "So... what's in it?"
Sasi snaps her fingers, and a little demon crawls out of the lock with a clicking noise, which then pops open. "A collection of late Shogunate meditations and postulates on sorcerous theory, engraved on celestium sheets," Sasi says smugly. "In addition to a collection of mid-Shogunate wood-leaf green jade jewellery - a full collection, apart from the right ankle bracelet - and a Marana Shogun-era black-jade recurved bow."
She blinks, as the bow appears to spontaneously teleport into Keris's lap. "Pretty..." Keris coos, enraptured by the deadly weapon. "Oooo, it curves like my new toys! And it's so... what's the word? Lusty? No, lustrous!" She runs her hair over the bow's surface, watching it seem to drink up the light. "So pretty..."
"It'll need to be restrung," Sasi says, somewhat annoyed. "Its string was destroyed. But I'm sure I'll be able to find someone in the City who can do that. And Keris," she pauses, looking for the right way to put it, "I intend to be the one to make use of it."
EarthScorpion: ((Sasi is trying to not say 'it's mine'.))
Keris pouts, but relinquishes it. "Yeah, I'm not really good with bows anyway. But so pretty. And the jewellery is nice, too." She sighs mournfully. "I admit it; your haul is better than mine. Even if mine was funnier."
Sasi blinks.
"Keris," she says. "What did you do?"
Keris blinks up at her innocently. "Well, you did say you were hoping they'd kill him," she points out. "And his knives were very pretty. I just... helped."
"What. Did. You. Do?"
Keris twists her wrist, and Dulmea drops her two new toys into her hands. "Stole his knives," she grins smugly. "While he was using them. Against three Dragonblooded." She holds the wavy blades up to the light, admiring them now that she has time to look them over properly.
Sasi is silent for a while. "Out of purest academic curiosity," she says, "... how did you manage that? People usually... uh, hold onto their weapons quite tightly."
Keris's smug grin widens. "They do," she agrees. "Just not tightly enough. And don't worry, I wasn't doing any obvious magic and my soul wasn't flaring like theirs were and I was only out of the water for about two seconds and it was smoky and hazy so they probably didn't get a good look at me. And even if they did, all they saw was a really fast girl stealing his knives and diving into the river. That'd just make them think what you wanted about me being demon-blooded, right?"
"Anyway," she adds, "I helped them kill him. I doubt they'll complain."
(... ... ...)
"Oh, hey," Keris notes. "There's writing on these! It says..." she peers at it carefully, lips tracing over the words soundlessly.
There's a pause.
"... I have no idea what it says," she admits. "Lifting... Wind? Or something?" She flips one of the pair over and hands it to Sasi. "I think it's High Realm. Could you?"
"That was... not bad for someone who probably only knows enough Low Realm to tell sailors where the naughty ladies are, let alone any High Realm," Sasi teases her, before paying proper attention. "No, it's 'Ascending Air', as in the month. And..." Sasi turns the blade over, and Keris is struck by the realisation that she's very nearly as pale as the white jade, "... dragons," she says, with almost a note of reverence in her voice. "Goodness me. It has the heron stamp. This may, in fact, be the Ascending Air. I wonder how on earth it got into the hands of that Lunar Anathema."
Keris stares at her blankly, with the strong feeling that she's missing something. "Um?"
"It's part of a moderately famous collection made during... ah, I believe the reign of the Second Empress," Sasi explains. "Fifteen themed weapon sets, one for each month - and rumours of a sixteenth, for Calibration. And yes, I do believe Ascending Air was a kris pair, because," she pauses, "... it's a pun in High Realm," she concludes. She passes them back, and then runs her hands through her hair. "Most of them have been given to Houses or lost," she adds. "I think it's only something like four sets remain in the hands of the Throne."
Keris examines her new toys thoughtfully. "So they're really valuable pretty knives, then?" she asks to confirm. Sasi looks somewhat aghast.
"They are a fine masterwork example of a famous blademaker around five hundred years old!"
"Really really valuable pretty knives," Keris agrees, polishing them tenderly and looking like a child with a new toy. Happy rumbling emanates from somewhere in her hindbrain. "Got it."
"Remind me to not go with you to art galleries," Sasi says, grumbling as she gingerly sponges down her burns.
Poor Sasi.
So! With that infodump put down, you can appreciate why it was so surprising to see Madame la Mouse two years later and fifteen hundred miles away. And you'll be in a much better condition to appreciate some of the puns and backhanded references made in chapter 3 of A Silent Blade! Oh, what fun Keris is having. What wonderful, wicked fun.
Extras, as usual:
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- Location
- The sixth circle of Hell (second on weekends)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
This one. And her similarly-intense sense of taste (and smell, to a lesser extent) comes from here.
Due to her weird paradigm and some sort of internal block that may be rooted in street-rat-born "always be alert and on-guard" instincts, she can't turn either of them off, and both have amusing stories of how she bought them, mega-succeeded on the next Reaction+Awareness roll she made and then basically fell over twitching from sensory overload.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Oh Keris.
I suppose now would be a good time to ask if there have been any thoughts on what to do with the Abyssals in Kerisgame, what with the fact that you guys definitely want to get away from a lot of the stuff in canon.
Earthscorpion has produced a lot of interesting homebrew on Ghosts. I would imagine that the nature of the Abyssal Exalted in this story would be shaped by his previous work. Here is link to a document entitled "The Pale Apple Necronomicon" that contains a lot of his work.
The Pale Apple Necronomicon
I also think that this post from Earthscorpion contains a truly fascinating take on the Abyssal Exalted. It seems to solve many of the most prevalent problem of Canon and allows for a a considerably more flexible player splat. Link: Tabletop - General Exalted Thread | Page 1133
The Pale Apple Necronomicon
I also think that this post from Earthscorpion contains a truly fascinating take on the Abyssal Exalted. It seems to solve many of the most prevalent problem of Canon and allows for a a considerably more flexible player splat. Link: Tabletop - General Exalted Thread | Page 1133
At least one of them, I think, should want a world of undeath - basically covering Creation in one big Shadowland. Beyond that, I personally have no idea.
I know it's a cheesy idea, but the interesting part is the execution.