Boooooored. Kakara was watching tv at Sophie's house (the others had things to do) and that was one of the only two things she could think of. The heat wave going on was bad enough that school was cancelled which on paper sounds great, but it meant they couldn't do anything outside and the only thing to watch was daytime television.
"-ext time on D-" Reruns. *kshhhk*
The closest thing Sophie and Kakara had to entertainment was taking turns on the remote, switching channels.
"-today we'll show you how to lose-" My weight is utterly perfect. *kshhhk*
Hoooooot. That was the other thing she was thinking. Even with the fan on it was still freakishly hot. It wasn't fair is what it was! She was comfortable enough in her Masque form that she could take the heat of a planet-busting attack, so how was the sun making her so hot!? It didn't make sense!
"-one and two! And one-" No. *kshhhk*
It's this kind of thing that makes one wish for an alien invasion, then maybe she'd have something to worry about........ Nope, still nothing, and it was still so hot! She wondered if the water in the freezer had finishing freezing into ice.
"There are lizardmen living among us I tell you!" Close but no cigar, mister conspiracy man. *kshhhk*
"Hey Karen?" Sophie called drearily.
"Yeah?" Kakara replied.
"If there were actually lizardmen among us, what do you think we should do?" she idly asked.
Normally this kind of question might've made Kakara think about the Masque and what would happen if it went down and other stuff, but it was so hot that she couldn't be bothered and simply answered, "If they don't bother anyone, let 'em be. If they want to conquer us, kick 'em out. Aside from that, I dunno."
"Ok... I think it's my turn on the remote now."
"Hm? Yeah, sure," said Kakara before handing Sophie the remote.
Sooooooo boooooooored.
Based on true events.
I think I've been indulging in too much Dragon Ball lately. I spent way more time than necessary when I started writing about the freezer. Kept on having to stop myself from writing it with an 'a' or an 'i'. Almost had to google the correct spelling.
"Brothers and sisters," says Celeran, modulating his tone as the cheers from his pronouncement die down. "Again, be welcome to this historic event. For the first time since the days of Lady Garla herself, we gather here to address the function of the Faith in the modern day. These are troubled times we find ourselves in, and thus we come together to address them. But first, let us welcome our esteemed guests."
You sigh quietly, wishing he would just get to his point already. Grandma nudges you. Be good.
I am, I am.
And you are. The High Priest introduces Grandma, as if anybody didn't know who she was, and she stands, waves a bit, and sits again. He then introduces you, and you go through the whole routine. He introduces a bunch of "respected and prominent members of the community," who do the same.
The unofficial middle priesthood, Grandma tells you. Officially, the Faith has only Priests and the High Priest, but the growth of our civilization has required that an in-between station be created as the Faith's numbers grow.
You nod slightly.
High Priest Celeran goes on to lead a prayer, which...well, it doesn't do much for you. You sit there awkwardly as every other person bows their head and goes silent for a solid minute, wondering if you should follow along. Then Celeran reads a piece of scripture. You perk up, remembering Fennella telling you that those were like stories, but to your dismay this one is just a bit of boring philosophy. You shoot her a betrayed look. She cringes and mouths, "Sorry," to you.
Still, you do as Grandma tells you, and act like a good girl. You listen to all the boring speeches and the stupid announcements. You watch people act very excited about religious things that don't seem to be at all important. You pay attention.
It just doesn't get you anything of value. You learn nothing except for the fact that religious ceremonies are really boring if you don't already buy into them, and nothing of significance happens to justify your diligence. Grandma's happy with you, but that's about it.
As Celeran moves -- finally -- into his point, you feel vaguely cheated that this is the reward for good behavior.
At the end of a long parable on the benefits of obedience, Celeran abruptly goes silent. It's such a radical change from his normal mode of speech that the Hall goes silent with him, everybody waiting on tenterhooks to hear what he's going to say.
"These are momentous times," he says, at last. "Lords fight. Clans shatter. Sorcery is used to Seal away the minds of a holy Lord and Scion. An entire House vanishes, in blatant opposition to the leadership of their Clan. We are beset."
In the crowd, a saiyan lunges to her feet. "Beset by treason!" She whirls and levels a finger at Lady Vegeta. "All of this is because of Dandeer Vegeta's scheming!"
The Hall erupts into shouting. You can easily see that the majority of the people there are shouting in agreement with the protester, but...
A spike of alarm grows in your chest at the sight of a worryingly large group of saiyans around Dandeer, shouting in protest to the accusations. It would seem that you know what she was up to, now.
"ENOUGH!"
The Hall goes silent as Celeran shouts again. He scowls out across the gathering.
"We are not here to discuss that. We are not here to discuss the Sealing. We are not here to discuss the matter of the regency. We are not here to do that because we cannot be here to do that."
Murmurs chase each other around the Hall. People glance at each other in confusion. Plainly, they did not expect to hear that.
"People, I am not invested with the authority to address those matters that so concern you," says Celeran. "I am a simple guide. It is my place to organize large functions of the Faith, provide advice, and keep the scriptures, but I have no authority over any of you. In fact, given that this situation is a result of my sovereign Lord's decisions, in the absence of any authority to do so it is grossly inappropriate for me to even speak on the matter. I am sorry. I understand your turmoil and desire to address this, but I -- but we -- cannot. Thus has it been, since the First Council. I am powerless here. We cannot address this. Thank you for your patience and for your understanding. But we must move on."
You blink. You must admit, you were...not expecting that. Not at all. You don't know all the words he was using, but you're pretty sure he just said, "Sorry, no, can't talk about it," and then said to move on.
"Faith is a private matter, on Garenhuld," says Celeran. "We are no different. What you do or believe about the Sealing is your affair. Truly, would you wish it to be any different? Given the way we have conducted ourselves in years past, I cannot imagine so."
For a long moment, the crowd is silent.
Then, an old man stands. "I can." He looks around. "Look at us. Squabbling like children, when this is a council of our faith. Our discipline, gone. Our High Priest, driven to shouting to keep us from each other's throats. This is a disgrace. In this world where the system of Lords brings us to this travesty -- where our sitting Matriarch and Patriarch do nothing to reign in the missteps of their children, as their duty is -- we are helpless. Our nobility may be demi-gods. In fact, no maybe about it. They are. But they are not gods. And they have done this to us, or allowed it."
He thrusts an accusing finger at Grandma. You bristle -- that's mean and rude, and worse, it's not right -- but Grandma speaks in your mind before you have the chance.
Calm, Kakara. He doesn't, and cannot, know. He will feel quite the fool, once we enact our solution.
"I am of Clan Vegeta!" roars the man, turning in a slow circle. "I am of the Clan of Kings! My Clan is dying! Under the misrule of the Usurper Dandeer, the rule of law has all but collapsed! We bicker and feud amongst ourselves, deprived of our center -- of our rightful Lord!" He bares his teeth in fury. "Left without that center, we fly apart at the seams. And it would seem that you here who are Gokun are no better, despite your insistence that Lords need hold no authority in your daily lives! Because here, in this place with no center, here we fly apart too!"
People begin to cry out in protest, but only get so far before the old man fires up his aura.
"PROVE ME RIGHT, THEN! SHOUT ME DOWN!"
Silence falls.
"We fall apart without a leader," he says, straightening. "Well, I refuse to let that stand." He turns to Celeran. "You say you lack the authority? Be damned with that. I'll give you that authority! We can't be trusted to control ourselves, so I'll gladly give it to you!" He stamps a foot, shaking the ground. "I say we give the authority to the High Priest to rule on matters of the Faith!"
Grandma frowns.
The assembly of saiyans starts shouting in response to the old man's declaration, people shouting for and against it.
A majority are for it. A solid majority, at that. But...there are many against, as well.
"I'll stand for High Priest Celeran to receive this authority!"
"Give us a real leader!"
"Our nobles are holy! We have no right to raise up an authority apart from them!"
"You'd give some man -- not a Lord, not even a Head -- power over a fifth of our people? You'd break us all!"
"No better man that one who doesn't want the power! He's never reached for it!"
"If our Lords won't rule us right, we'll find somebody to do it for them!"
"Heresy!"
Grandma stands, shouting angrily as she speaks against the motion. Dandeer Vegeta rallies her supporters and starts decrying the notion. High Priest Celeran remains silent, watching the Council spiral out of control.
Chaos erupts.
What do you do?
[ ] Watch and wait.
[ ] Raise your voice in support of the motion.
-[ ] Just join the chorus.
-[ ] Make your words heard.
--[ ] Write in how you get their attention and what you say.
[ ] Oppose the motion.
-[ ] Write in how you get their attention and what you say.
[ ] Impose order, so that things calm down, slow down, and give you time to think.
-[ ] Write in how you, etc.
[ ] Leave immediately.
-[ ] Quietly.
-[ ] Make a fuss.
--[ ] Write in etc.
[ ] Write-in.
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED, AND TOOK THE PUBLIC-USE COOKIE WITH IT. THANKS TO EXECUTE/DUMBO FOR CONTRIBUTING IT.
[X] Plan Demigoddess
-[X] Oppose the motion
-[X] Shut up the screams by turning super saiyan then moving to the stage to stand next to Celeran.
-[X] Address the problem: Nobility's hands-off approach is causing unrest. It is your duty to take a more active role in your society to help with this and the cult is an important part of it.
-[X] Offer to mediate until the current crisis is resolved. You are still learning but with advice from your elders (implying grandma and Celeran though not outright mentioning them) you will get through this situation, as saiyans
always have.
-[X] Leverage your position as the gold and that it happened in these times, as well as the feeling you had regarding training Oozaru. Leave open to interpretation the possibility of divine inspiration.
-[X] Act confident, with authority. Give the Vegetans something familiar to latch into.
-[X] Move on the discussion to the religious matters they are here to discuss. Act as observer and defer to those who know more of the subject.
As you grow older, you will some day come to understand that the way your mind slows down at crucial moments is unusual. The realization will come that not everybody sees the world through pine sap when the time comes to decide where they stand.
For now, you think it's normal, as thoughts chase each other through your head. You make the connection swiftly -- Celeran planned this out. The timing was just too good, and by the furious glances she's shooting at him, your Grandma realizes this as well. By the terrified look that you see Lady Vegeta shoot him, she realizes this as well. She must realize what a shaky spot she's in, and what will likely happen to her if he gets the power he seeks.
You have a brief inkling of blackmailing Celeran with your knowledge of his true loyalties and forcing him to oppose the motion. The thought flickers and dies. Too flimsy. If he called you on it, you'd have no choice but to escalate or be humiliated by him.
You consider letting him have this moment, as the momentum of the crowd says he inevitably will. You throw that idea aside. High Priest Celeran is, you know, a Peat. From Fennella, you know that he hasn't cast his House loyalties aside. You strongly consider outing him in front of the crowd as a puppet of his brother and a traitor to your Clan. That would ruin him, you know, and start the inevitable collapse of his House.
But you discard that thought. You have the word of an eleven-year-old girl for evidence, and as Dad has taught you, you need to always act with moderation and patience in matters like this. Action on Celeran's divided loyalties can wait for later, once you decide how to best address the issue.
Once I can figure out how I can do this without losing my only saiyan friend.
At last...you think of the crowd itself. The world gets even slower as your power level climbs.
Grandma cuts off in her shouting, snapping her head over to look at you with wide eyes as your ki skyrockets. In a rolling, building pace, your overwhelming presence sears out across the Hall, and voices still where it falls.
You come to your feet in a daze. Your hands curl into fists. The world turns gold.
You don't bother with anything other than your maximum. Your full presence rams into the skulls of everybody there, and as one they collapse to their knees, the argument silenced in a heartbeat. They bow their heads to you, and it looks like a forest falling. For a long moment, you simply stare out at them, the sizzle of your aura the only sound in the silence.
Then you turn, and advance on Celeran.
A bolt of pure terror lances through his presence, a terror you feel echoed in a small cluster of lesser presences around Fennella. The Peat House, you realize. Of course they would be here. Of course they would recognize your actions as a sign that they have at last pushed too far, and for too much. You ignore them, and Celeran as well, and step into the dead center of the stage. He's occupying it. He clears it out for you as you approach. You face the crowd without a glance at him.
You school your face into a calm mask. You can't do as Jaffur did -- that perfect, blank sternness that he wore at nearly all times is beyond you. But you can do calm, and shall. The Vegetans are at the heart of this, and so it is to them that you will play. If they want somebody like they're used to, you can provide. You will take charge of this mess. But...how? You're not sure. You're new to this...but you have to try.
"You're important," you say. Despite your presence, your words are soft and almost uncertain. You try to firm them. "You are. You feel scared and alone because you feel like you've been left behind. You feel..." You pause. "You feel like you can't trust anybody."
Like Jaffur.
"You feel like there's nobody who's going to listen to you. You feel like nobody is going to keep you safe -- not even from yourself. And you're scared. You're scared because you don't think anybody is coming to help you."
Like my friends.
"You feel alone." Your voice shakes -- just a bit, but you see heads lifting all across the Hall. "You feel alone. Like there's nobody out there with you. Like nobody wants to. Like you're not important."
Like me. Like I used to be.
"But you are important. Some people look at you and think you're weird. Some people think you're dangerous. Some people don't want to understand you. Any of you. They think that because you aren't most of us, they can act like you aren't any of us.
"But you're important."
Everybody is looking at you now. You swallow, and forge on, trying to bring the words you need to mind. "There are so many of you. I've never seen this many people in one place before. Even if you weren't who you are, that makes you important to me. But you are who you are. You're the Faith. Just because people don't understand doesn't mean you don't touch them."
You look around the Hall, trying to take in everybody and wondering how on Earth they're all hearing you, as quiet as you're being.
"I know you're scared because things are crazy and you don't think anybody is doing anything to stop it. You feel like you're being ignored, and what you believe in is being ignored too. And that's not right. Because I'm listening. I'm not the Lady Goku. I won't be for a long time! But I'm the Scion, and I know that I'm important to you. Especially you. I can't ignore that. I have a duty. I have a duty to my Clan, but I have a duty to you, too. Because I can see how you all look at me. I'm important to you. So I have to earn it. I need to be a part of things. I can't hide from you all anymore."
You take a breath, and look at the man who started all of this. He's crying.
"You said that you need somebody to make sure we don't fall apart," you say.
He nods jerkily.
"I can't be a leader like you were asking," you say. "I'm not ready for that. But I can keep us from trying to hurt each other. That's what I'm for. I'm not supposed to rule anybody yet. I won't even rule anybody when I'm Lady, because that's not how Goku works. But I'm supposed to help us talk to each other without fighting. I can do that. I will do that."
You take a deep breath. Confidence. Right. I need to be confident. You step forward towards the edge of the stage, raising your voice a bit. "We've been through worse than this. We're the Exiles. We survived the Death of Earth. We lived through the Dark Age. We made it through every fight since then. We'll make it through this. And I'll help. I'm not grown up yet, but I'll listen to you. I can help us talk to each other without wanting to fight. And I'm going to listen to my elders, because that's what they're for. We can do this. But until we do, I'll help."
You can see them looking at you with expressions you've never seen on anybody's faces before. You don't know what to make of them. "I'm smart. I'm smart, and I figure things out that nobody else does. I figured out the Golden Oozaru. I didn't even know I was looking for it. It just came to me. I figured it out now, when everything looks like it's falling apart. I can figure out this."
You feel faintly bad about that. You know they'll think of their gods when you say that, and you don't feel great about pulling on their faith, even if you don't agree with it. But you forge on. Helping them is more important. You stand up straight.
"I'm the Scion of Goku. Some day, I'll be the Lady Goku. Helping you all agree with each other without getting so mad you hurt each other is going to be my job. So let me help you now. Let me help you talk about what you came here to talk about without starting to hate each other. We don't have to fight. You're here to talk about how the faith needs to change, since the world is. That's good. Let's talk about that. But we can't tear our people apart because of it."
You end your speech and look out across them, feeling confident for the first time. You meet countless gazes without flinching. You aren't dictating; you aren't demanding. You're just saying what you know is true. There doesn't need to be a fight today. This can stop without tearing people apart. You know that.
And you think you managed to say it right, too.
You catch movement in the corner of your eye.
Celeran steps up to you, the only one in the entire Hall other than your Grandma who's still standing. He looks down into your eyes, and you stare back at him, waiting to see what he wants.
He looks like he's searching for something.
The moment between the two of you stretches, the priest and his demigod staring at each other, each looking for something. In a way, you guess, he's your priest, despite how weird that feels.
And then he finds what he's looking for. His eyes fill with something you've never seen from him.
Shame.
He slowly, gracefully, lowers himself to his knees, and bows his head to the floor at your feet. "My Lady Scion..." He takes a shuddering breath. "I have a confession to make."
You hear a sharp gasp from the Peats -- Head Peat, if he's the one who's the highest power level there.
"I made this happen," says Celeran, shame in his voice. "I conspired to raise myself up as a true authority above the people of the Faith. I saw the chaos of our people, and inaction of those meant to protect us from ourselves, and I concluded that I was the only one who could save us. In my hubris, I sought to set myself against those touched by the Mandate of Heaven. I forgot who you are. I forgot that for every evil, there is a good. To my shame, I forgot that the gods never leave us without somebody to protect us from those who fail. When our society crumbled around us, Lady Garla the First, Princess of All Saiyans, stepped forward to reform our society. When Lord Oni Goku's cruel reign threatened to consume all, there was Prince Carrick Vegeta to set himself against that monster. When I saw our only Lord and our Matriarch and Patriarch looking upon the chaos of our people and doing nothing, I thought I was the balance set against them. I was wrong. It was you."
He raises his head -- not to look in your eyes, but enough to bring his forehead off the floor. "Where I sought to steal power like a thief in the night, you have stepped forward and with simple words undone my schemes. Where I thought to become great by stealth, you simply are. My Lady Scion, I am sorry. You are the one who will step forward to save us from this madness. I see that now. I will not shame myself again by daring to suppose when or even how -- but I have, in my arrogance, forgotten that every Scion is ordained by those with the touch of True Sight upon them. You have been set to some day lead fully half of our people for a reason. I see that reason now. Your words are clear and earnestly meant. They burn with conviction. You shame me, Scion. And you don't even mean to. You will some day be a better and worthier leader than I ever could be. I beg you for your forgiveness..." He lowers his head back to the stage and deliberately drops his power level to near-zero. "...but if you wish it, I freely accept your punishment."
[ ] Accept his apology.
-[ ] Help him to his feet.
-[ ] Just return to your seat.
[ ] Refuse his apology.
-[ ] ...but offer no punishment.
--[ ] Help him to his feet.
--[ ] Just return to your seat.
-[ ] ...and give him a punishment.
--[ ] Strip him of his high rank.
--[ ] Remove him from the priesthood and return him to his House.
--[ ] Execute him. (x0.01 vote weighting)
[ ] Don't accept or refuse his apology.
-[ ] Just take your seat.
-[ ] Help him to his feet.
-[ ] Explain why.
-[ ] Leave immediately.
Write-ins welcome for any option or sub-option, particularly for votes that call for explanations or punishment sub-options. Choose all applicable, non-contradictory options.
* * *
For every character of significance, I figure out their levers. The more levers you hit, the easier dealing with them is.
Before now, you have never hit all of them in one fell swoop.
Part of the reason I asked for non-specific write-ins was because they all sounded like philosophy or ethics texts, and I already have a problem making Kakara sound like a kid. Problem: I still have that problem. I wrestled with this for a while before something clicked. I don't think it's perfect...but I had a genuinely fantastic time writing this update. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks for giving me such fantastic fodder for this update. Written to the sounds of the linked video up top.
This is a big moment for Kakara. You're on the verge of losing that "Mysterious" reputation...but a trait is on the edge of forming.
Launch Style
A poorly-documented figure from the distant past, Launch is believed by many to have been nothing more than a myth. Others believe it was a title bestowed by Master Roshi upon his current favorite romantic prospect. Some few claim she was two women cursed to share a single body. Regardless, the surviving stories tell of her ability to terrorize and scatter numerous opponents. In her honor, this style was created. While it is known that Launch was never a martial artist (should she have truly existed), this style was created to honor her dual nature. At its core, Launch style is heavily defensive, borrowing elements from several styles including the Drunken Fist and Crazy Monkey. Erratic movements are used to mimic the purported ability of Launch to frequently escape danger despite being apparently oblivious towards it. At a moment's notice, however, a Launch Style user can change to an offensive stance that rivals Goku style for it's lack of defensive utility. While shifted towards offense, Launch Style users prefer loud, flashy, or fast attacks, often aimed more at disrupting groups of enemies than doing excessive damage to any single one. Launch Style experienced a brief prominence several generations ago when a small group of practitioners were credited with helping then-Scion Kokira Vegeta put down the rebellion of House Pilaf. By disrupting the non-SSJ House Members at key moments, the Launch Style users were able to allow Scion Kokira to eliminate the opposing Super Saiyans relatively unmolested, although at ruinous cost to themselves. Involved techniques: Agility, flight, ki blasts (rapid),Hand-to-Hand [Crowd Fighting]. Penalized techniques: Hand-to-Hand [Team Fighting], Hand-to-Hand [Dueling], Ki Projection (single-target, high damage, or specialized techniques).
I figured there'd be a few Saiyans who wanted to imitate Launch. Essentially, the style is one of opposites: it changes from a heavily-defensive style with almost no ability to project force to one with almost no defensive ability. Unfortunately, Launch wasn't actually much of a fighter, she was more a force of nature. To mimic this, Launch Style doesn't actually try to defeat opponents so much as it tries to disrupt them. For a decade or two, it was even fashionable for the reigning Lord or Lady to have a small number of Launch Stylists to call upon specifically for this purpose - they excel at keeping groups of opponents from organizing. Unfortunately, they also tend to take hideous casualties while doing so, so this fell out of favor relatively quickly.
King Vegeta stands as one of the three most notable pure-blooded Saiyans known to history, the others being Prince Vegeta and Kakarot. He not only stood as one of the most powerful Saiyans of his time (matched only by Bardock and exceeded by his son), he was an unparalleled military genius and leader as well.
In ancient times, Planet Plant was split between the Tuffles and the Saiyans. The Tuffles were a docile race that lived together as a unified people. Their numbers were plentiful and were very technologically advanced. The Saiyans were an aggressive, warlike race that needed to fight. They were split into tribes with single chiefs at their head, had a much lower population than the Tuffles, and had next to no technology beyond what was required to make metal knives and the most basic of clothing.
The Saiyans spent most of their time combating the wildlife for food, skirmishing against the Tuffles when they came into contact, and occasionally fighting each other. Eventually it would be that on occasion large groups of Saiyans would band together and make an attack on the Tuffles, but such were the Tuffles' numbers and technology that the Saiyans could never achieve any long-term victories. This would change with King Vegeta who at the time was a chief of one of the Saiyan tribes.
Vegeta was the first known Saiyan to unify the entire Saiyan race. He was a very charismatic man and convinced many separate tribes to join him with the promise of finally overthrowing the Tuffles and ruling Planet Plant. To those who would not be convinced, he would display his power or forcibly subjugate them. One of the methods he used to unify the Saiyan race was instituting the notion of Saiyan pride that Prince Vegeta would later come to embody, to the effect that Saiyans thought more and more of themselves in regards to race rather than tribe. The Saiyans were generally prideful that they were bigger and stronger than Tuffles, but it was Vegeta who refined and codified the self-pride that the Saiyan race would hold in later years.
The Tuffles had gained some knowledge of what was going on and attempted to assassinate him multiple times to spare the many Tuffle lives that would be lost in the war that would ensue, but all the attempts failed. They actually had a negative effect as Vegeta capitalised on the failed assassinations to point out how the Tuffles feared him, making it easier to convince the other Saiyans to join him. It should be noted that the Tuffles did not have the wrong idea. Vegeta's path to power was accelerated by their attempts, but he likely would've unified the race eventually anyway. As this history will show, killing Vegeta was also their only hope of survival, but the Tuffles didn't know this at the time.
Once King Vegeta had unified the Saiyans of the planet, he had launched the war that would be called the Saiyan-Tuffle War. Vegeta's tactical ingenuity had been shown before both prior to and during the unification of his race, but it was in the war that his military genius would be most placed on display.
The Saiyans were a strong, powerful race with an instinctive need and ability to fight, but their numbers were pitiful in comparison to the Tuffles and in terms of technology the gap was gargantuan. The Tuffles scouters were especially useful in the fight, as they let them anticipate Saiyan attacks and told them how much force was being sent against them. These were the reasons why the Saiyans had never been able to do more than accomplish temporary victories. Now, however, the Saiyans were unified and Vegeta had done more than unify the Saiyans before he began the war.
Vegeta had instilled a hard discipline on his soldiers so that they quickly and promptly followed orders, focusing on strategic objectives instead of doing their own thing. He had also organised the Saiyans into a proper army with the previous tribal chiefs as elite troops which could tackle objectives that no other Saiyans could and lead the others into battle he couldn't personally do it himself. (Nappa, who served as Vegeta's second-in-command for much of the war and later became general of the entire Saiyan Army, was the heir to his tribe prior to unification.) With an organised army, the hard core of the elites, and Vegeta's keen mind for battle (as well as his unmatched power), fighting the Tuffles had turned from being a hopeless endeavour into something that could possibly be won.
The Saiyan-Tuffle War had raged for ten whole years with no end in sight. The Tuffles' technology wasn't enough to defeat the new Saiyan threat they now faced but neither did the Saiyans have the numbers to achieve total victory over the Tuffles. They both gave as good as they took on the field of battle, the Saiyans sustained by their love of fighting and the Tuffles by their desperate struggle for survival. In the end the war was won when Plant's full moon appeared, something that happened only once every century. Vegeta, in anticipation of the cosmological event, deployed the Saiyans in such a way that when the full moon did appear, they'd be in position to wipe out every Tuffle despite their mindlessness. Finally, the full moon appeared, the Saiyans transformed into Great Apes and within a few hours, they eradicated the Tuffles completely from the face of Planet Plant.
The Saiyans had become victorious in their war. They rebuilt the destroyed cities of the Tuffles and plundered their technology, prospering like never before. With the planet theirs, they renamed it Planet Vegeta in honour of the hero who led them to victory. Unfortunately for them, however, there was no one left on the planet for the Saiyans to fight besides themselves now that the Tuffles were gone. Were it not for King Vegeta, they might have immediately fallen into infighting, but as it was they did not and eventually found themselves in contact with the larger galaxy, giving them plenty more opportunities to fight.
King Vegeta, eventually fought Frieza with his personal elites in an attempt to kill the tyrant, free the Saiyans, and rescue his son. He and his men died swiftly and ignobly, much as the Saiyan race as a whole.
Vegeta was succeeded his two sons, Vegeta and Tarble. Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans, would go on to hold his title to his death. His legend would in time far surpass that of his father, becoming the legendary Super Saiyan and eventually ascending to godhood. Tarble, who had been exiled for his lack of fighting ability and aggression, grew to become a powerful warrior in his own right. On Planet Tech-Tech, he not only fought two first form Frieza equivalents and survived, he caused them enough trouble that they chased him across the galaxy when he fled the planet with his native wife.
Thus is the entire known history of Vegeta, King of all Saiyans.
[X] Don't accept or refuse his apology.
-[X] Help him to his feet.
-[X] Explain why.
--[X] He says he will accept punishment for reaching above his station but there is something else he must answer for first; taking advantage of the distress of his fellow saiyans in his search for power. Since he is willing to offer his life in penance, you will take it: he shall dedicate it to help others whenever he can until he makes amends for what he did. Then, on the day you become Lady, he will come to you and you shall pass judgement.
Order In the Hall
You stare down at Celeran for a moment, torn on what you should do. It's a hard question. You're not sure what you should or even can do here.
...but then, perhaps that's an answer all on its own.
You reach down, your hand crossing into his vision. He looks up at you.
You shake your hand at him, and he takes it, allowing you to pull him up and to his feet. He looks at you, somewhat confused.
"...no," you say, shaking your head. "I'm not going to hurt you."
He nods, still hesitant.
"I'm not going to forgive you, either!" you say, raising a finger.
He blinks. "I- I'm sorry, Lady Scion. I don't understand."
"I'm going to need to get my Dad to not name you a traitor when he finds out what you tried to do," you say, giving him an annoyed look. "He wouldn't even be wrong, because that's what you were trying to do. But he would kill you. And I don't want that. But you do have to pay for it."
"I will accept my punishment freely-"
"Stop talking and listen!"
He blinks, bowing his head.
"You talk too much," you say. "You need to listen to someone else talk sometimes." You take a deep breath. "That's part of the problem, though. Isn't it?" You straighten. "You offered me your life. Fine. I'll take it. But not like you were thinking. Because even though you did something against my family, you did something against them, first." You point out at the silent crowd. "You used them. You knew they were scared, and you used them. So you have to make it up to them first. I'm going to have to spend the next several years telling my Dad why he shouldn't kill you. So if you want to give me your life, fine. But you won't give it to me. You give it to them."
Again you point at the crowd. "You help them, for as long as my Dad is Lord. You do your job -- your real job. But you give them your life while you're at it. You do everything you can to help them until you're ready to tell them that you're sorry like you told me. And when I become Lady, you come to me. And when I actually am Lady and I can judge you, I will. After you spend those years helping them and making up for what you did, and I've spent them keeping my Dad from killing you...them I'll give you judgment. Understand?" [Perilously High Diplomacy Check: Smashing Success]
He nods, slowly. "I...as you command, Lady Scion. I understand." He then smiles, excitement growing in his tone. "Yes. Yes. That's perfect! That's..." He laughs. It almost sounds like crying. He goes to his knees again. "Lady Scion, that's exactly what I wanted in the first place. To help. Thank you."
You fold your arms. "Don't say thank you yet. I told you I won't forgive you yet. You have to make it up to them first."
He nods. "Right. Yes! Of course." He stand, scrubbing at his face. "I won't disappoint you. I swear I won't."
You step forward and jab a finger into his chest. "Don't disappoint them," you say, feeling irritated that he isn't getting this.
He opens his mouth -- maybe to say something that will annoy you by missing the point again -- but then shuts it, a sudden and thoughtful look on his face. He opens his mouth again...and closes it again, settling for a sharp nod.
You nod back. "Now, um...I'm not in charge here. So...this is the Council." You look out at the crowd. "I'm sorry, but we can't talk about the way the Sealing is being handled here. This is for your Faith. It's my family's job to handle the other stuff. Please, trust me. Let's talk about what you came here to talk about. And...I'll help to make sure we don't fly apart."
You look around, and drop out of Super Saiyan.
In a slowly-mounting roar, the crowd begins to cheer.
You look around in shock as people rise to their feet, screaming in acclamation. You gape in honest surprise for a moment before mastering yourself.
It doesn't matter. From the cheering, they love you all the more for it.
You give them all a simple nod, unsure of how to handle this, and then return to your seat. As you do, Grandma wraps an arm around you.
There are many things I could say right now, and there are many things I could be. But I am, and shall settle for saying that I am so very proud of you, Kakara.
You duck your head, flushing.
The cheers slowly abate under fatigue and Celeran's efforts, and at long last the Hall is quiet. "The Lady Scion speaks true when she clarifies what we can address of the Sealing," says Celeran. "It is not our place to criticize its handling. That said, it does present a theological concern for us. And that perspective we are in urgent need of addressing. Good people of the Faith, I have in part called you here today to determine what we should decide about the Sealing. More to the point, I have come to demand the explanation of Dandeer, the Lady Vegeta, for her actions. I open the floor to discussion of the ramifications of the Sealing, and what it means for our Faith. To begin with, I call upon Lady Dandeer. Come to the stage, Lady Vegeta, and explain yourself!"
The Hall erupts once again.
[ ] Restore order
-[ ] Mediate the discussion
--[ ] Fairly
--[ ] Suppress one side (which?)
-[ ] Let them handle the discussion
-[ ] Argue for one side (which?)
[ ] Let them fight
[ ] Write-in (includes options like "Leave Immediately")
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED.
* * *
Reputation Lost: "Mysterious."
Reputation Gained: "The Just." At a very young age, you stepped forward and took control of a near-to-rampaging crowd. With a few words and your conviction, you talked them down and restored order, and afterwards, gave a merciful-yet-stern judgment to the one responsible. All present agree that you handled yourself well, and in general people expect you to only act further in accordance with this in the future.
Skill Improved: Diplomacy [Competent-->Talented].
Sub-Trait Gained: Open-Armed. [Sub-Trait of "Pacifist"] You know that there are more questions to answer about your beliefs, but you've answered at least one. Those who oppose you don't have to be hurt in order to stop. You can offer them the chance to turn back. Gain a minor bonus to all attempts to "redeem" your opponents from their courses of action.
Somebody bug me in eight hours about it and I'll put up the details for all of this then and update the character sheet. I'm too tired to go into it now beyond what the wording implies.
To save time: Celeran is being genuine by bringing this up. It is a legitimate and serious theological concern, and Dandeer was always going to have to explain herself. He's not undermining your ruling. It's just that it's a tough conversation that needs to happen, and timing is unfortunate.
I know it's certainly not the peak of the last update, not helped by the delay I'll bet, but I hope you've enjoyed this one. I did. Have fun! And goodnight. Ask questions if you like, but I'm going to sleep immediately. I'll answer later.
[X] Restore order
-[X] Mediate the discussion
--[X] Fairly
I Turn My Back For Five Minutes...
You let out an annoyed huff and shoot back to your feet, transforming. Instantly the furor dies and everybody hits the floor.
"He talks for less than a minute, and you're all right back to screaming at each other!" you yell, freely allowing your peevishness to be heard. "No wonder you want somebody to tell you to stop!"
An audience consisting mostly of thousands of adults staring at each other sheepishly is quite the sight. You sit down, sniffing, and detransform. "If you don't pay attention to the rules, you're being rude to me," you say.
That is some quality silence you've inspired.
At length, Celeran coughs and steps forward again. "Lady Dandeer Vegeta. To the stage, if you will."
It is a curious thing, to watch her ascend the stage in such absolute silence. You keep expecting jeers or hissing. From her posture, she does as well. As soon as she leaves her knot of supporters, her shoulders hunch and her eyes start to dart around the crowd as though expecting a blow. It gets worse and worse as she approaches the stage, and when she finally arrives, she looks like she's about to faint.
And no wonder, of course. Even the children in the crowd must be able to feel the sheer fury in Grandma's ki at the moment. You half-expect her to go for Dandeer's throat, and glance at her in the hopes of conveying your desperate wish for her not to.
Don't worry, comes Grandma's voice, tight and angry. I'm not going to. I'm holding onto how very proud of your speech just then I am and how much I don't want to undercut it.
You nod slightly.
Lady Vegeta finally makes it onto the stage and turns to the crowd, cringing. Celeran steps up to her.
"'And so we pay homage to our Patriarchs, Matriarchs, Ladies, Lords, and Scions,'" he says, his voice holding all the tones of a quote. "'To them we pay our fealty and reverence, for in them is the spark of the divine. We do not raise our hands against our rulers; their words are tinged with Grace.' Why have you broken this tenet?"
A flash of fire appears in her eyes, and she snaps, "Why have you? What right does a Peat have to chastise me?"
You quite deliberately flash to your full base power. She shoots you a glance, and quails away from your forbidding stare.
"I have already confessed, recanted, and begged forgiveness for my sin, and I set aside my family name long ago," says Celeran. "The Scion has rendered her judgment, and I have accepted it. What do you answer to this charge?"
She swallows. "I don't have to answer."
"So you don't," replies Celeran, his tone pleasant. "We, however, do not have to accept that." He turns to the gathered crowd. "Members of the Faith, I am not invested with the power of excommunication. But you are. A few times in our history the offense of one of ours has been so great that the members of the Faith sought to cast them out. Lady Dandeer refuses to answer why she has committed this sin. She will not defend herself. So long as she refuses, I leave her judgment to you-"
"YOU WILL NOT CAST ME OUT!"
The crowd goes dead silent as Dandeer starts screeching in fury, all of her nervousness burned away in a heartbeat.
"This Faith is mine as much as yours!" she says, swiping her hand through the air. "I will not be driven out of it, because I HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG!"
The crowd starts to surge in response to that, but you're already coming to your feet. A flare of golden light blasts through the Hall.
"This isn't going to be calm," you say, annoyed. "I'll make it calm. Lady Vegeta, what were you saying?"
You don't look at her. You hate her. You hate her so much. It makes you sick to be standing up her in defense of her.
But you promised to be fair. And the more she talks, the more reason she'll give them to be mad for real at her. You can be patient.
That said, she appears to be happy with you speaking up. "Of course!" She gives you a relieved smile. "Lady Scion, you of all people know why I chose to-"
"I'm not on anybody's side," you say, short and level. You stare directly ahead. "I'm just making sure that people can talk."
She blinks, suddenly less sure. Does this woman even remember what happened the last time you two met?
"I...very well." She turns back out to the crowd. "I am not guilty of heresy. I have only done what is best for my family! My husband and my son are sick -- they are ill! None you have any right to scold me for my choices! My Clan sat and watched for years as my husband grew worse and worse, and you Gokun were always so content to-"
You flare your aura. "Be nice."
She quails, swallowing. "...nobody helped for years. And by the time I realized what needed to be done, it was too late for my son." She straightens. "I Sealed them both, to save them. I've heard what people are saying. Sealing isn't a curse. It's a medical treatment! It seals away the part of them that's savage and bloodthirsty, and lets everything good about them come forward. They're not dead, they're just fixed!"
People glance at each other when she says that. You feel a pit of nervousness in your stomach. They don't believe her...do they?
Celeran steps forward. "That tells us why you Sealed your Lord husband. Setting aside the matter of heresy, that is an explanation. But why Seal your son?"
"His father has broken him, like his own father did to him!" she shouts. The Vegetan contingent gets suddenly, fearfully, deathly quiet at that last part, in a way that send a shudder down your spine. "They're both poison, and they poisoned my son too! It's their fault, if you want somebody to blame! Jaffur is broken and Jaron is the only good thing that he can be, and it's all because of them!"
It is a blast of golden power that you've experienced from the source many times. Yet every time you feel it from somebody else, it is different. Grandma feels like hugs and cookies and iron faith and determination. Dad feels like convictions and patience swirling over a faint echo of howling regret. Jaffur felt different every time, by turns desperate and blazing with a drive to succeed or feeling like an avatar of death. Vegeta was a shrieking thing of cold and vicious cruelty.
Patriarch Yammar Vegeta, you now know, is a Prince.
He feels of simple, distant, unassailable dignity and nobility, gazing down upon the distant world below. And that distance is enforced by the silent threat of insane violence to any who dare try to scale those heights. And he is angry.
Every Vegetan in the crowd hits the floor on their hands, knees, and faces the instant they feel his presence roll out across the Hall. Only in their thousands can you feel the stark terror they exude at his presence. The Gokun follow only a second later, delayed only by the lack of cultural conditioning demanding that they recognize that presence as a cause to bow.
He takes a step forward, and then another, and another, and for each one that presence seems to demand a host of poets to follow along and set each pace to verse. You personally aren't affected because you're just as strong as him, but you can feel it.
No, what freezes you is the realization that this is the odd power level you felt speaking to your Grandma earlier.
"Tell me," he says, continuing his advance forward.
You move forward, just a little bit, in case he's going to try something.
"Tell me..." he says again, stepping up onto the stage. "No. Give me the blame for my son. I'm not alone in it, but I deserve it."
He comes to a halt opposite Dandeer. "Give me a single reason why I should not vaporize you where you stand for daring to imply that what you did to my grandson is my fault in any way."
* * *
Well. Shit.
[ ] Stand back.
[ ] Provide said single reason (write-in what).
[ ] Nope the hell out of here.
[ ] Side with Yammar.
[ ] Get mad. "I just got these people calmed down, and now you!" (Possibility of saying more than you intend as the dam breaks on a failed DC 65 Willpower check)
[ ] Write-in (as always, but particularly for such a delicate situation as this, heavily encouraged).
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED.
Be aware that this will be the last crisis to dispense with at the Council. Once this is attended to you will vote on your conduct for the remainder of the Council and then skip through to the end of the event chain.
[X] Move in-between them.
-[X] Provide said reason (though likely the kind of reason he wanted).
--[X] Tell Yammar that sneaking in here uninvited and then threatening to murder people is not okay. He has a right to be angry of being accused for being responsible for Jaffur's sealing, and if the Faith agrees to let him stay he has a right to demand an explanation and take part in the debate, but if he threatens anyone again, tries to murder Dandeer or if we sense he's even preparing to attack with your ki, we're throwing him out.
--[X] If we sense Yammar preparing to attack, stop him.
A Regular Preacher Edwards
"I have a reason," you say.
His eyes turn to you. "Really? Do share."
"You're not supposed to be here. This is for the Faith. Not you. Sneaking in and threatening to murder people isn't right. You can be angry that she's saying Jaffur's Sealing is your fault, and if they let you stay you can argue with her about it. That's fine."
Throughout this, he grows more and more exasperated, and as you finish lets out a long sigh, rolling his eyes. "Girl, I'm part of the Faith. I have every right to be here. I was invited specifically. The fact that I chose to suppress my energy to avoid causing a scene was courtesy on my part. I didn't sneak in, and my participation is not up for discussion." He gives you a deep frown. "But by all mean, continue your fascinating rebuke. Go on. I'm listening." He crosses his arms.?
You blink, your momentum thoroughly cut out from under you. "...oh. Well you're still wrong coming in and threatening to kill people!"
"Oh please, I've killed dozens of people, some younger than you. Next."
You grit your teeth and suppress the surge of anger that provokes. "Well you don't get to today!"
Silence.
"...really?" He uncrosses his arms, focusing intently on you. "Do tell."
"Today is for talking," you say, forging ahead. "You can stay and talk about the problems we're talking about, but you can't threaten to kill people just because they say something you don't like! If you threaten anybody again, try to kill Lady Vegeta, or even feel like you're going to do something, I'm going to throw you out!"
In demonstration, you flare to your full power, casting golden light all around you from your aura.
Yammar stares back at you, impassive. And then, at last, he nods, dropping out of his transformation. "...better. You should have led with that." He turns away from Lady Vegeta completely and walks past you to the chairs set up on the platform. "Always bear in mind who you're speaking to, young Scion. Your second point was dead weight, and your first relied on the assumption that I'm not one of the Faithful. As you grow wiser, you'll learn that both are to be avoided. And while the victor in a contest between us would by no means be certain, the mere threat of force at our level is enough to deter quite a bit of poor behavior."
Not to mention the appearance of authority, he say in your mind. Somebody needed to take this rabble in hand. I'm not about to disrupt your control over them. I must grudgingly admit that it was well done.
You twitch at the unexpected voice and scowl at him as he takes his chair next to Grandma.
"Apra."
"Yammar."
You continue glaring. You hate him. He's insulting and just mean. But he's given you what you want. You turn back to Lady Vegeta. "What were you saying?"
She slowly tears her gaze away from Yammar and back to you, white-faced and trembling. "I...um. Yes. Yes, I...yes." She turns to the crowd. "I...I am not a criminal. I'm fixing my son from the damage cause by his father and grand-"
crunch
You whirl back around to Yammar and see that his foot has gone through the stage. He's giving Lady Vegeta a black look, and he's tense with rage.
He stays silent, though.
"I'm just fixing the damage that he's already suffered!" says Lady Vegeta, apparently deciding to let the question of blame go. "He's better as Jaron! I've taken away all the hurt and the pain, and now he can grow up as his own boy, into his own man! I've freed him! And none of you -- none of you who just sat and watched while things got worse and worse -- none of you have the right to judge me for that!" She crosses her arms.
Celeran steps forward once it becomes clear that she's finished. "Sit down."
She scowls at him, but grudgingly leaves the stage.
Celeran turns, taking in all of the crowd in a single sweep. "Does anybody wish to speak in support of Lady Vegeta?"
As it happens, they do. A slow trickle of the supporters she's gathered to her come to the stage and add their words to hers. But...not all of them. For whatever reason, some of them are drifting away from her, and only a fraction stand up in her defense. Apparently something has shaken their support of her.
Taken all together...only a few people come forward. Lady Dandeer's support is trembling.
When the last speaker sits down, Celeran steps forward once again. "Nobody else? Very well, then. Who would like to contest her claims?"
Yammar stands immediately.
You scowl at him as he steps forward, but he's following your instructions, so you say nothing. He settles down at the center of the stage and clears his throat. "I could begin by saying that our Super Saiyans are our demigods. I could argue that their status as Lady Vegeta's family is completely irrelevant to the spirit of the question she was asked, and I'd be right in saying that. I could say that the question of what this act means on a theological basis is an entirely separate issue from what it means for Dandeer's personal life and that she and the parade of her supporters who have taken the stage to make that point have been wasting our time and their chance at convincing us to withhold our judgment. I could also call criticizing somebody's right to be angry with you a rather poor means of convincing people that you're in the right, and call my daughter-in-law an absolute imbecile." His eyes glint. "Again, I'd be correct if I said that."
Dandeer comes to her feet in the crowd. "You don't-!"
"SILENCE!"
Thunder cracks as Yammar shouts Dandeer down. She quails, collapsing back into her chair.
"I believe the Scion has made her stance on interruptions perfectly clear," says Yammar, smirking.
...and just like that he's cut your ability to protest his blatant intimidation. What an asshole. You glare at him silently.
"I could say all of those things, and indeed I have," says Yammar, sounding bored. "But let's be honest here -- as I said, all of those points are quite irrelevant to the question of what the Sealing means for us in theological terms. And I'll tell you what it means -- it means that we can feel free to ignore the divine status of Super Saiyans. What my daughter-in-law has done is an utter violation, and it places herself squarely above those we deem demigods. She is attempting to usurp divinity and render the respect we pay the prominent figures of our Faith absolutely meaningless. What is the point of venerating the gods and demi-gods if we don't pay them the respect of not tearing them down? No, what she has done isn't therapy. It's not healing. It's not the act of a concerned mother. What she has done, as far as we are concerned, is heresy, plain and simple. She has raised her hands against the divine not once, but twice! She has thrown our society into chaos by striking at the very thing underpinning it! She has sinned!"
There's a dull roar of affirmation -- nobody interrupting, but the crowd starts making some noise.
"Have we forgotten what the system of Lords was put in place to defend against? Our annihilation is at stake! By her actions she risks not mere temporal instability, but the death of our entire society at the hands of that devil, the Enemy! She threatens our very souls! We are not the leaders of the galaxy! We are not the strongest power out there! There is greater -- greater than the gods! And thus we must be ordered, must be disciplined, must be hidden! We are not powerful enough to ignore the necessity for hiding; we are specks in the hands of an angry god! Somewhere out there the Enemy waits, and searches! They are infinite and beyond death, and they will find us if we slip! And she threatens us all with that living hell!"
Shouts of agreement begin to rise up from the audience. You begin to consider stepping in.
"This heresy is nothing so banal as a point of disagreement; it is a direct invitation to the apocalypse that our entire society has been built around! By her selfish recklessness Dandeer Vegeta threatens to tear us all down and see us destroyed! I feel no shame in calling that heresy. She treats our fear and our concern with contempt! And if she will not answer that charge -- if all she has to answer our outrage with is pathetic, puling whines over how very hard it is to be her -- I say that she has no right to call herself one of us! If she is so self-centered as to ignore and deny the impact her actions have had on us all, I for one demand that I no longer need pretend any fellowship with her at all!"
The shouting rises to a fever pitch, and you transform. Instantly, quiet is restored, and you keep your eyes on Yammar, ready to step in should he try anything.
But he doesn't even look at you. "As the High Priest says, he is not vested with the power of excommunication. We are. And it sickens me to need to call this thing that walks like a woman my sister in Faith any longer. I call for a vote of excommunication. I call for us to cast her out."
And behind you, Grandma stands. "I second this call."
Celeran steps forward once again. "Then I respect our Matriarch and Patriarch's call for consensus, and bring this to a vote. I call for all those who stand against this motion to step forward."
Of those still standing around Lady Vegeta, only a bare few step forward. The rest stay in their seats, apparently thoroughly cowed by Yammar's speech. The vast majority of those gathered eye them with hostility and contempt.
Celeran nods, tension in his body as he strangles whatever he's feeling to keep it off his face. "Those in favor."
* * *
Last chance to influence things. What do you do?
[ ] Nothing. You said you would mediate, and they have followed the rules. If this is their decision, it's their decision.
[ ] Jump in at the last minute to oppose this. You're not of the Faith, but you bet they'll listen anyway.
[ ] Speak in support of the motion. You're not of the Faith, but they're not going to care considering the avalanche of support the motion is about to receive.
[ ] Leave immediately.
[ ] Write-in.
TESTING THIS OUT: TWO-HOUR MORATORIUM ON VOTES. ANY VOTES POSTED BEFORE 20:30 GMT WILL NOT BE COUNTED.
THIS VOTE IS STILL OPEN.
* * *
Man, y'all panicked. Nothing failed, it's just that Yammar is a critical asshole who likes to be as abrasive as possible when he critiques somebody's actions. He actually likes you a little bit. :lol
To be clear, this is the last major vote of the Council. Beyond this there might be a vote to decide some last-minute socialization as things break up, depending on fatigue, but no more major issues that you need to weigh in on. This is the big one. After this it's on with the rest of the year, and into the search for the Senzus. Speak now or forever hold your peace.
Enjoy! Cookie to the first person who gets the reference in the update title.
The noise in response to Celeran's call is less a cheer than a shockwave. Thousands of voices, all raised as one, slam into you, and even with your strength, you rock back on your heels a bit. People howl in condemnation of Lady Vegeta, screaming for minutes on end. Seeking her out, you see her collapsing into her seat, white-faced as those around her hurl abuse at her.
Celeran makes several futile calls for order before simply letting them go for a few minutes. It's only when the crowd starts pressing in around Dandeer that you finally step forward.
You remember the sheer weight that a Full-Power Super Saiyan has in their voice to the ears of a normal saiyan, even though you can't hear it anymore. You bring that forth. "THAT'S ENOUGH."
And as if cut off with a knife, the cheering stops. "YOU MADE YOUR CHOICE. NOW LET HER GO."
The crowd mutter in discontentment, but slowly pulls away from her.
She doesn't even realize that they're letting her leave at first, so absorbed is she in the loss. It takes several minutes, and quite a few people jeering at her, before she starts in her seat and comes back to herself. She looks up and around. You realize that she's weeping.
She comes to her feet in a full-body shudder and looks around, mouth opening and closing. She grasps for something to say. But nothing comes.
"Lady Dandeer Vegeta, late of the House Falere," says Celeran, looking down at her, "you have been found by your peers to be unworthy of inclusion in the Faith of the Ancestors. By the decision of those gathered here today, we cast you out. You are no longer our sister; you are no longer our friend. From this day forth you are a traitor to the Faith."
She sags. "No..."
"You are not a mere outsider, for we do not expect everybody to believe as we do," says Celeran, inexorable. "You are one who has fallen. You are no longer welcome at our services. You are no longer welcome in our hearts. Wherever we go, you are outcast. And as such, you are no longer welcome here. This is a place of the Faith. There is no room for you here. Begone."
She doesn't move for a long moment, staring around in the hope that somebody will step forward in her defense.
And nobody does.
She slowly turns and leaves, every muscle in her body slumping in defeat. Everybody watches her go in hostile silence, until the moment the gate shuts behind her.
Celeran takes a quiet breath that only you see while everybody's attention is elsewhere, and looks lighter for it. Then he straightens. "With that attended to, I call for a brief recess, after which we will return to the other matters demanding our attention. Reconvene in five minutes."
* * *
From there, things are quiet. With both the Matriarch and Patriarch on the stage and you standing over the congregation in silent mediation, things are quiet. The talking turns to matters of bureaucracy.
As it turns out, the Cult does wind up investing Celeran with more central authority, as part of a general restructuring of the Cult to account for its increased numbers. The unofficial middle priesthood is formalized, and Celeran is granted the authority to rule on minor matters of interpretation of the holy texts.
But overall, he remains largely a distant figure, with no direct authority over the members of his congregation. The change is mostly to make the whole thing less unwieldy, and ensure that Celeran doesn't need to serve as the go-between for over a thousand different priests. Beyond that there are a few points of procedure and a handful of formal prayers that are apparently revolutionary to those gathered here. Your eyes glaze over a bit at those parts.
In general, things turn boring. The Council runs through the rest of the day and well into the night without significant strife. You slowly start to relax.
By the time things finish up, you're practically mellow.
As people start to disperse, Grandma comes up to you, waits for you to detransform, and gives you a big hug. "I'm so proud of you right now, Kakara. That was a very brave thing of you to do. And you did so well! This, the Golden Oozaru -- you're going from strength to strength these days, and in more ways than one. I couldn't be happier to be your Grandma."
You burrow into her arms, as much for the hug as to hide your happy smile. "Thank you, Grandma."
You feel Yammar stepping up, and stiffen. You pull away and look him in the eye.
He meets your gaze. "I must admit, I'm somewhat impressed as well. You didn't do poorly, which is impressive enough at your age." He cocks his head. "You don't like me, do you girl?"
You scowl, not answering.
"That's alright," he says, waving it aside. "You needn't. Some would say it's better that way." Without the slightest change in pace or tone, he launches into a criticism. "Next time be surer of yourself. You hesitated a few times, and the more perceptive members of the audience will be catching onto that about now. If you can avoid that next time, you'll have them all." And with that, he turns away. "Apra. Always a pleasure."
"Yammar," she says, nodding.
He flies off towards the gate, ignoring everything.
Grandma catches your attention by laying her hand on your shoulder. "Everybody is starting to leave, now. We're all tired, after today. But you should have some time to go talk to your new friend before she goes. Go on. I need to speak with Celeran before I leave." She smiles at you and heads off towards the High Priest.
* * *
[ ] Go see Fennella before you go.
[ ] Tag along with Grandma to go see High Priest Celeran.
[ ] Talk to somebody else.
-[ ] Who?
[ ] Leave immediately.
[ ] Wander the crowd.
[ ] Write in.
THIS VOTE IS NOW CLOSED.
You have enough time before people disperse to speak to any one person or do any one thing.
The next post will conclude the mini-event. Enjoy, everybody!
You briefly consider going and talking to Lady Vegeta before you leave, but ultimately dismiss the notion. It's not the right timing, you're not even sure you want to do it, and you have no idea what you'd say if you did.
Instead you smile at Grandma and head off towards Fennella.
She's talking to her mother when you approach, and doesn't notice you coming at first. But then her mother happens to glance up at you. Her face goes blank, and she nudges her daughter. Fennella glances at you.
"Hi!" you say, waving.
Fennella's mother nudges her, and the girl starts. "Um, h- hi!" She gives you a faintly awed look.
Her mother nudges her.
Fennella starts. "Oh! Um, this is my mother. Mom, this is Kakara...um...you knew that, right..."
Mrs. Peat gives you a nod.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Peat!" you say. Then you turn to Fennella. "So, I forgot to get your phone number for you before I went to the stage. Can I have it?"
"Oh, sure!"
The two of you trade numbers. "By the way, if we ever meet outside of the Hall, my Masque-name is Karen," you say, tail whipping around happily.
"Mine's Felicity," she says. "Although, why would we meet outside of the Hall?"
"So you can meet my human friends," you say, cocking your head. "Duh."
She flushes. "A- ah. I mean, I'd like that, but...it is okay, right?"
You nod, smiling. "Yeah! So long as you don't talk about the Masquerade, you're fine! My friends are great."
She cocks her head. "What are their names?"
You absently lift into the air, leaning back on a cushion of ki as you spread your arms wide. "Well, there's Gemma and Jennifer and Maya, and then Sophie -- especially Sophie, and she's kind of in charge, but not quite..."
Trait Gained: Compelling Presence.
Reputation Lost: Mysterious.
Reputation Gained: In All But Name.
* * *
In the aftermath of the Council, things go back to normal for you, and for saiyan society at large. You return to your daily routine, spend time with friends both old and new, and enjoy the chance to just be normal for a little while.
But before long you start itching, and it's back to the year's schedule.
* * *
There.
Screaming, howling, people dying, buildings collapsing, the crust of the planet beneath you turning to magma and dust, you don't care, you can't care, and as the second level rages through your body you reach out a hand to burn it all to ash and laugh-
backbackback
You gulp in a breath, coming back to yourself and feeling your eyes come out of the trance state. You huddle in on yourself, trembling.
You feel Sensei's hand on your back. "It's okay. It's okay. It was a false vision. Nothing to worry about. You're fine."
You lean into his grasp, sobbing.
"It happens when you're first reaching for a conscious vision," he says, his hand moving in soothing circles. "Everybody gets them. They're not right, and trust me, I know the signs. Whatever you saw, it won't happen. I promise."
You nod, trying to choke back the tears. It can't happen. It won't.
You'll never be like that.
* * *
Despite the hiccups, Sensei tells you that you're actually making very good progress on the Sight. With every passing day comes more control, and with more control comes the ability to drop out of the random visions that are now beginning to surprise you.
"That's pretty normal," says Sensei, busying himself at the mantel. You keep a wary eye on the spice jar, not eager for another vision quest.
"But why now and not earlier?" you ask.
"Because the Sight was sleeping earlier," he says. "When it's awake, you'll get the visions, but otherwise no. That's why Ancestor Bardock was constantly bombarded with them -- he received the Sight and awakened in the same instant. You're doing fine, though. You can already drop down out of them. It's good progress."
You nod, uncertain.
But despite the progress, being able to stop a vision you don't want is about the extent of your abilities. You still can't go searching for one on purpose -- although if you find yourself cast adrift in between dreams, you can usually make your way to a vision.
But far more intriguing is the ability that Sensei shares with you one day.
"One particularly powerful art of the Craft is the ability to walk outside of your own body," he says, doing chores while lecturing you, as always. "We are given the ability to See -- and eyes are not always sufficient for the purity of Sight we can receive. If you know what you're doing, you can learn to throw your consciousness out of your body and into the world, to roam around and See for itself what your body can't. It lets you interact with things to a limited extent, which visions can't do -- but it's only possible with presentsight."
"What happens to your body?" you ask.
"Coma," he replies. "So don't spend to long on walkabout. But it can be handy. You've actually done it before. When I first took you as a student, you went somewhere. You didn't get into any trouble, and you came back fine, so it's none of my business. But that's sort of what you can do, once you learn how. Just promise that you'll be careful. When you walk abroad, you're a shade. You'd be formidable even then, but still you'd be significantly weaker. Be cautious."
You nod. "I understand."
"Good."
Ability improved: Seer [Untrained-->Novice]
* * *
As autumn turns to winter, you sit with your Dad inside as snow falls outside, bent over a massive book about the size of your torso.
"Wait, we can revoke Headships?" you ask, looking at him.
"In theory," he says. "In practice I can really only get away with it if there's nobody who would object. And somebody always would, out of principle if nothing else. No, I can't force succession, or else the Peats would be scattered throughout the rest of the Clan even now. Now the Lords Vegeta, they have that authority. But we have to be more subtle."
"Because we're not in a position of authority over the Clan," you say.
"Not any real one," he replies. "After Lord Oni's Rebellion, no Lord or Lady has dared try and impose central control. There would be riots. I doubt it's what the Staubers had in mind when they stepped in against Oni, but that's how it played out. So yes, we have to be careful." He points to a symbol in the book. "Name and description."
"House Pestor," you say, from memory. "Royalist, anti-Masquerade, and anti-Cult. They want a saiyan monarch again. That's why mostly nobody listens to them in the Clan."
He nods. "They find more friends in Clan Vegeta. Now, that could be a problem from my perspective. I already have little enough control over the Houses, and that muddles the jurisdiction on top of that." He points to another House and raises his eyebrows at you.
"House...Metis!" you say, thinking hard. "They're a Vegetan House. Very involved in the Cult and they're isolationists." You look at him. "You...use them? Somehow?"
He nods. "I regularly have meals with Head Metis, trying to convince him -- previously, her, but the Heir was born two years ago and caused a succession -- to block moves by Head Pestor to find friends in Clan Vegeta. The two Houses are natural enemies save for the point of royalism. Since royalism is the only thing making House Pestor look attractive from across the Clan divide, having a somewhat prominent royalist House in staunch opposition to them goes a long way towards preventing overtures from succeeding. Pestor has tried to petition previous Vegetan Lords for a Clan switch before, but with Metis always objecting, they don't have the case. And I come out looking clean."
You nod, thinking. It's only one of the various ways Dad has shared with you to keep the Clans under control. That, coupled with the detailed overview he's given you of your Clan and the first lessons you're starting on Clan Vegeta, have brought the details of his job into a lot more focus than they were before.
A lot of what you'll have to do will be continuing preexisting arrangements that you'll inherit from your Dad once you become Lady, but it's clear that the system as it stands has a lot of scheming going on under the surface.
Skill revealed: Intrigue [Competent].
Skill improved: Communication [no rank-up given your recent rank-up, but progress toward the next level]
Comprehensive knowledge of Gokun Houses gained; you will reliably know the names, agendas, Heads, and Heirs of all Gokun Houses.
Basic knowledge of Vegetan Houses gained; you will reliably know the names and stances of all Vegetan Houses, as well as the agendas, Heads, and Heirs of their own four Great Houses (Lore post to be updated later).
* * *
As the year spins towards its end, you find yourself flying through the clouds, panning out across the land with your senses. You're looking for House Senzu.
You've been looking all year, but they've hid really well. Despite a year's searching, you haven't found a trace of them. Their Sorcerer must be really talented.
You're just about to give up when you...do you feel something?
You're combing through the continent that Senzu Hall is know to be located in, even if their wards have erased their exact location from everybody's minds. You've been doing this, usually staying above the clouds to stay out of sight, about once a month at irregular intervals. And as always, your ki is suppressed.
And for the first time since you started, you think you feel something. Right...
...no, it's gone. You grumble in annoyance. That leaves you in a pickle. You could just keep listening, but if you really wanted to, you could send out a pulse of ki and listen to the "echoes." Like sonar, that's one way of gaining a lot of detail very quickly. If they are suppressing imperfectly -- if they're expressing any power at all -- you'll find them. But like sonar, active pings for ki sense are a lot more conspicuous. They'll know you've found them, if they're out there.
You hover in place for a moment, torn by indecision.
You sensed something. Months of searching later, and you sensed something. What do you do?
[ ] Send out an active ping. You can chase them down if you need to. Opposed check of your Ki Sense vs. their Ki Control with a massive bonus for you, strict pass/fail results. They know that you're looking either way.
[ ] Keep listening with passive senses. Opposed check with no bonus and possible distance penalties depending on where they are, but they won't know you're looking.
Meanwhile, what have you been focusing on in Seer training?
[ ] Things that are.
[ ] Things that were.
[ ] Things that will be.
What to do about House Peat will be addressed once the Senzu event chain is concluded. I'll be updating the character sheet with all of your new shinies tomorrow. Speaking of:
Trait -- Compelling Presence: When you speak, people listen. Something about your words draws and fascinates those around you. You have an almost indefinable charisma about you that draws people's attention whenever you have something to say. Minor bonus to all Communication checks and moderate boosts to take charge of a situation.
Reputation -- In All But Name: At the Second Garenhuld Ancestral Council, you took command of the chaos surrounding the reforms there and forced it to bend to your will. Under your presence, those there bowed time and again as you displayed a wisdom and strength of character beyond your years. Word has been slow to spread beyond the Ancestor Cult, but it is spreading, and the word is that the Scion of Goku is the kind of saiyan who comes along not even once in a lifetime -- the kind of saiyan that any saiyan would bow the knee to as a Princess or a Queen. People will watch you intently for signs of promise or ambition, and hold some expectations that you will behave as a Princess would.
Skill -- Seer [Novice]: You have enough control to suppress a vision when you don't want it, but seeking out one on purpose is still unreliable. At best.
Skill -- Intrigue [Competent]: You have some basic grounding in the art of soft power. Your schemes at this stage, however, are fairly basic and straightforward.
I hope you all enjoy the update! Happy discussing!
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