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[Exalted, ?] Most High

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The thing is, the anima isn't our biggest concern when try into impersonate fire aspect. It's our caste mark. Our anima only lacks the environmental damage but if we're force to show it we would have already lost.
 
Can we get a current vote count? If Prove It wins, you guys are seriously going to be low on XP. If an opportunity comes up in the future where you'll need it, you could lose options.
 
Well, I'll give it a go. A bit raw, but I'm not experienced with writing stunts.
I hope this helps!


Sepulchral Pearl stared stubbornly at him, defying the truth as he knew it with her every thought. Were he anyone else, Ulyssian would have despaired and given up, letting her labour under these delusions. After all, her identity as Professor Ivory served him well enough, and while it was somewhat distasteful, there was no urgency here. One could even say that to demand more was... inefficient.

But he was Sesus Ulyssian, formerly and forever Odyssial, and though his memories were fragmented and disjointed for now, he could still remember the most important things. He could see the minute cracks in her mask, the weakness of her chains. If he knew her at all, if his memories of Pearl did not betray him, then there was still a chance to fix things.

And whenever there was a chance, he would find a way.

"You call her a monster," his clipped words rang out in the empty room. "As befitting of the 'great and terrible' Odyssial's companion, I suppose."

For the briefest of moments, a look of uncertainty flickered over her face, but she remained sullen and quiet.

It was maddening. Odyssial had never really cared for other people's opinions insofar as they didn't affect his plans, but this... travesty, it was not something he could let stand, both as her friend and as her pupil. Whatever else she believed, Reminiscent Ivory was Sepulchral Pearl, and for one to judge the other, to discard her deeds and accomplishments as if they were nothing-

He could all too easily imagine himself in such a position, if only things were a bit different, and his plans for reincarnation slightly less successful.

"And you'd be right on both accounts," he asserted, noting her widening eyes with slight amusement. He was never one to mince words if he could help it. "What they did, what they had to do... I won't lie to myself, not in this. I look upon his work, and I see a man driven by a mad ambition, determined to succeed at his goals, sometimes at the cost of everything else."

A self-deprecating smile made it onto his face as Ulyssian remembered striving for that utopia, walking over obstacles and corpses of his allies and enemies alike. His very existence as Sesus Ulyssian was proof that Odyssial would stop at nothing, not even Death.

"I see myself, were I to fight impossible odds and forced to look for every advantage available. I made mistakes, certainly, and Pearl was right alongside me, following my lead as a steadfast comrade."

He took a breath and closed his eyes in pain. There were many regrets buried there, agonizing memories and emotions that threatened to bubble to the surface. But that would come later. For now, his friend needed him.

"If you want to blame someone, then blame me!" he told Ivory, and that finally elicited a reaction.
"You didn't- It was not your- Uly! Don't say that!" she exclaimed, on the verge of tearing up. "I'm not blaming you-"

Ulyssian didn't have a way with flowery words, and the best that could be said about Odyssial's oratory skills was 'He spoke, and men followed'. But this was a battle for Pearl's integrity and happiness, and it was not a battle he was willing to lose.

The world slowed down, and his thoughts became crystal-clear. He saw lines of movement, threats and avenues of attack, as he always did when his instincts rose to the surface. Ivory's figure seemed to blur in his vision, and he could almost see another in her place, a memory of happier times.

Ulyssian moved, and before she had a chance to react, he encircled her in his arms with an awkward gesture.
Her form stilled and she shook, as if uncertain what to do. He knew that part of her wanted to flee, but there was another part, a hidden part that longed for a resolution.

"Once upon a time, there was a Chosen of Endings," he whispered in her ear, "who asked me a question."
"What do you see, Uly?" she asked as if in a trance.
"I told her of my goal, of my vision and my dream. A road without end, one that we could all walk with our head held high."
"It was beautiful," she nodded her head uncosciously, "but-"
"She said-"
"There's always an Ending, Ody."
"Tell me, Pearl, did our dream end?"


738 Words

Man, that would be a perfect moment for Moon to barge in. Why did you have to get injured and deprive us of our entertainment, Empty Moon?!

[X] Attempt to Persuade Her
 
Rihaku said:
But don't you want to see it?
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Not if it makes Ivory upset or more mentally unstable. I like Ivory and Pearl seemed awesome from the few glimpses we got at her. I would rather we don't have to cause her undue suffering or make her insane if we can help it.

Friends shouldn't let other friends suffer if they can do something about it.
 
[X] Prove It.
I like Pearl. Also, I can't help but think having a sidereal completely on our side and guilt free would be a good thing
 
Usernames said:
So Just about 2.5 Million XP to get Optimized Ulyssian, not counting charms and stuff.

We still need to max out Ulyssian Social abilities and Attributes or at least make them not SHIT.
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Or leave social-fu to our specialist allies, Ivory and Lea.
Like we did in last quest. Well, the former anyway.
We just need to safeguard their loyalty AND reliability, which we are doing now. And we shall do for all time again, as befit our duty?

But yes, we just need to make sure they don't have glaring weakness against other entities social-fuing them.


Incidentally, how feasible is it for Lealope to infiltrate The Realm? Or is her disguises get bypassed by Sidereals?
 
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Stunting for Persuade. Eh, spontaneously developing a new Charm with a sufficient stunt is a common enough House rule. Of course there's XP involved, but I figure Uly/Ody already has core Integrity Charms including his no-selling the Ebon Dragon defense and some basic "lol no UMI" Charm, so bringing those together in a "no selling UMI on others" Charm seems reasonably within the real of the possible. That said it can just be cut off before that point. Or just after that point if people don't like what follows (but hey it's Exalted). Not sure of the breadth of memories Ulyssian can access, but most of these are related directly to choices we made or scenes Rihaku wrote or are basically trivial.

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Ivory stopped flinching and settled back into a guarded posture following her outburst, ready to react to whatever argument he might bring to bear. Only a perceptiveness as keen as his own could possibly have detected the light tells of uncertainty; the minute heave of her chest, the brief flicker of her eyes before they met his, the aborted whetting of her lips. And of course, he knew Pearl and all of her idiosyncrasies. On a level far beyond the superficial familiarity of Ulyssian and Ivory, he knew her and had dealt with her petulance many times.

"That I could live with, were it so," Ulyssian said quietly, his voice like silk but laced with steel. He did not let any hint of the fury building inside through in it. There would be blood when he was powerful enough. Revenge could be suboptimal, but making an example of traitors was always useful. But that could wait.

"What I cannot abide is Pearl's reincarnation mouthing off the lies and slander of her murderers. She was no monster." He followed the declaration up by awkwardly placing his arm on Pearl's shoulder to establish physical connection." I know they have conditioned you to think so. The Sidereals seized you and your other reincarnations as early as possible and manipulated the mass of memories you have to produce their lie. You had no other context from which to evaluate their claims. And if you began questioning them resetting you to the point of a blank slate would be easy enough," he said darkly.

He could see right through the methods of the Bronze Faction. Grab the subject early. Give her a seamless context to make sense of the jumble of her memories. Deny her contact with any elements that could contradict the narrative. Employ Charms to set the false-memory firmly inside her mentality. And if she showed signs of breaking the conditioning, arrange death. Preferably on some kind of heroic mission that would get her killed while accomplishing something useful, given how much of a blow losing a Sidereal was to them; but a sword in the night if necessary.

Pearl squirmed at his touch and began to object. He kept his grip firm. "Sepulchral Pearl was a hero of the Exalted Host and a tireless defender of Creation. Her work during the war against the Titans saved countless lives of mortals from the depredations of true inhuman monsters. And I remember a young Exalt, shorter than you," and he took his hand off her shoulder and took it down in front of her, indicating Pearl's malnourished stature, "who would not stop calling me Ody and who, on the final day of that war, stood on my shoulders to watch the sun set to see its Ending. She was happy the slaughter was over. Does she sound like a monster to you?"

"I don't…" Pearl shook her head, still fighting the truth, trying to deny it. "The… Kejop said the Solars were heroic early on. It was only later. They become mad with power. You did… great and terrible things. Countless mortals destroyed, Creation frayed. And she went along with it."

Ulyssian paused, briefly, evaluating the claim. Rejecting it. "Creation flourished as never before or since. Great cities filled a larger world. Mortals knew peace and contentment. The Raksha were at bay, and the gods knew their place and did their work. It was no paradise but it was better. For everyone, down to the lowliest laborer. There were foolish individuals, too many, among the Exalted Host. But can the Realm claim otherwise? Where were these humanitarian motives when the Realm forged its satrapies over the Threshold? When the legions slaughtered the fourth or the tenth peasant rebellion on the Blessed Isle?"

"They… but I remember! I remember killing so many people, even then. So much blood flowed on my hands," Ivory countered frantically. "They couldn't all be justified. And she killed fellow Sidereals, at your behest…"

"Are your hands clean today?" He pressed on immediately after asking the question. "You are a Chosen of Endings. You would see and arrange for death. You do so now and you did so then. And you know it is necessary. As for betraying the Fellowship," Ulyssian didn't bother keeping the contempt out of his voice at the mention of the Sidereals' collegial nickname, "they betrayed you. You died fighting their assassins because you would not side with the usurpers. Nor were you the only Sidereal who died that way. It would have been impossible for your Bronze Faction to carry out their plan without purging dissenters. You know that as well as I."

"You were going to… do something to Creation," she said, spitting out the objection desperately. "The Sidereals saw it in a Great Prophecy, and the only chance to save Creation was to overthrow the Solars then."

Was that what had motivated the Sidereals to their madness? Ulyssian shook his head. "Prophecies are unreliable. People see in them what they want to see. We exploited that, did we not, to send Ascendant Rosary on a wild chase through the River Province for a hidden weakness of yours that did not exist?" He smiled fondly in remembrance. "And didn't we laugh afterward as we watched him interrogating every peasant with red hair and a facial mole for a thousand li? Though, they were right in one thing. I intended to remake Creation."

Pearl gasped. "So, it was true?"

Ulyssian's smile tightened. "The best lies are built around a truth. You know the Loom of Fate. Undeserved suffering is built into the very fabric of Creation. In this Age or any other Age the reality of Creation always falls far from the ideals of the mortal heart. I would change that. I would build a new world where effort is rewarded, where striving is not futile, where good intentions produce good results, and the strong are not indifferent to the weak. That is what I strove to do, and that is the vision that Sepulchral Pearl gave her loyalty to. Is that the aim of a monster?"

Confusion danced openly on Pearl's face. She was warring within herself. Before her programming could rationalize it, before she could object, he placed a finger gently on her lips. "Pearl was my closest friend. She was my constant companion across the Age of Glory and the First Age which followed it. Were I monster she would not have followed me. Were she a monster I would have slain her myself. Search your feelings. You know this to be true."

The weight of Sidereal mind-tricks and the rather mundane effects of a constantly reinforced narrative were pitted against Pearl's very essence. Ulyssian peered into her eyes, searching for any sign of how the conflict was going. There was, perhaps, one way more than words to aid her. His integrity shrugged off any attempt by others to be him; and his own personality was beyond question or challenge. None could affect his mind and turn it against his will. Essence stirred within him as he sought a way, any way, to aid Pearl. And he always found a way.

His finger left her lips and touched her forehead. A light flash of golden essence sparked against her. Her eyes widened as the supernatural influences of the Bronze Faction collapsed, one layer of programming after another, at the sheer will of Ulyssian. He could not be any other than himself, and could prevent others from being him. Thus, he could prevent others from being anything other than themselves. Pearl would have to define that but she would do it free from the malign influences warped about her soul by Sidereal power.

A silent moment followed, but at last Pearl looked him in the eyes. "Ody!" It was a half-gasp, half-cry, and tears began streaking down her face. She pulled him into a tight hug with sudden forcefulness. "You found a way, of course you did. I can't… they used me Ody, they lied and twisted my mind and turned me against you. Please forgive me, I couldn't… they even made me try to kill Lea, and hunt down Embers and destroy your following and I didn't…"

Ulyssian hushed her. "It's okay, Pearl. They had you before you Exalted. You were not given the chance to develop yourself sufficiently to resist their powers. It is their fault. It is the fault of this indifferent Creation. But we're together again now and things will change."

"I'm so glad," she said, but she was still crying against his shoulder. "I'm finally happy."

There would be blood, he swore again. If Kejack still lived he would die a wretched death at Ulyssian's hands. The other leaders of the Bronze Faction would suffer for the indignity they had subjected his Pearl to. It was a matter for later, though. Other pressing concerns impinged upon him. Like saving Creation. He could only anticipate that his vengeance would be necessary and optimal for that salvation.

He pulled back from the embrace as Pearl finished weeping. They looked at one another, Pearl giggling and Ulyssian smiling in unfeigned happiness. And they kissed gently on the lips, finally bringing about an emotional catharsis. The spell of the moment was broken with it and they pulled back out of each other's arms.

"So," Pearl said, wiping her tears away before slipping her hair back around her neck. "We need to speak to Zao. Now. Sifu is only a patient man when he needs to be."

Ulyssian nodded. "You must tell me of Lea. But later. Let us go plan our next move to save Creation."

~1600 words
 
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

It was Ody's fault! The Betrayal!
Hahahahahaha I can't stop laughing, this is just perfect. I really like it.

Lathe... Lathe the Loom for mortals.
 
Something else to consider: Ivory's been a brainwashed Bronze Faction assassin for hundreds of years, and in that time has probably dispatched quite a few of our kind. Pressing her further when she's already suffering from extreme dissonance and is emotionally unbalanced, and then pulling a sword on her? Does anyone see how that might end poorly?
 
Omake, 1076, words.

Memories.

The Exalted Host sped up its advance, their ranks slackening as they reached the last leg of their journey. No command passed from the Stratego lips to the lines of soldiers stretching behind him, they all knew that the time for vigilance was past. The signs were obvious, indeed, the moment they entered the pacified lands of the borders and left those upon which the Wyld encroached was unmistakable. The lands they left behind had offered as many wonders to the sight than threats to their lives, none or few present on this side of Creation. Not since his campaigns at least.

The freeholds of the Fae-Folk had been of an exquisite beauty and while in this they were strangely alike to the realm they so despised, the most arresting sights of Creation often being the heralds of its deadlier aspects, the Fae lands had been more ...extremes. As Creation's carnivorous plants and its poisonous fruits often displayed the most striking colors, both as a lure to the unwary and a warning to the wise, the Wyld offered his own brand of welcome to who dared cross it.
As the moth attracted to the fire, many were those who had marveled at its wonders however brief their contemplation had proved to be. Twisting in his saddle to cast a glance at the glittering remains his mount crushed in its advance, Odyssial recalled the vista that awaited them when they fouled this ground for the first time. They had seen rivers colors of the rainbow, giants opals encrusted with reflect of the whole spectrum covering the earth. In the towering constructs rising from this ocean of wealth there had white shards, which upon close scrutiny had revealed themselves to be bleached bones. Beauty and death, the leitmotiv of the Fae-Folks.

He found himself wondering at these bizarre aesthetes. They prized the same harmony of proportions, of colors and sounds than his people admired. But they also craved a certain kind of discordance, those moment of rupture which they viewed as marks of the sublime. Of course, his people appreciated grandeur, they even cultivated it, eager to rise to the heights the Titans had denied them. But the Fae tastes were more sinister, beyond mere desire for self-aggrandizement. Even the decadent streak he perceived among some of his peers stayed far from those peculiarities.

The Fae Folks wrote symphonies so great that they would turn mad any who dared hear it, produced wonders whose enchanting sight made one forget everything, even to care for his own life. They made war. War, this thing that they viewed as the birthing place of the greatest and most terrible deeds often blending together. He had learned much about them as he wiped them out of the face of the earth, such was the mercy his mind and memory afforded his enemies: to be understood and remembered, always.
He recalled that they had welcomed his coming at first. He understood now with hindsight that they knew then the tale of his deeds and that it made him a kind of masterpiece in their warped vision of the world. Odyssial knew no such thing as false-modesty or arrogance, thus he knew his worth, and as a paragon above all paragon who brought salvation with slaughter, he understood his appeal for them.

Unbeknownst to his Host, many of the Fae-Folks applauded his arrival.
The defenders arrayed upon the walls of the keep that had stood there instead of this valley of broken gems, had cheered when he left his army to head alone toward it. They had roared in delight when he had launched himself through the air, rising upon a crackling cloud of energy only to fall guillotine like in their direction.

Such daring, they must have thought. Sober minds among them had probably sneered and thought him a fool. Rare among their numbers wondered at what hid behind such confidence. None of them were left to ponder the answer now.
If he indeed rose to hang briefly above their citadel then appeared to fell in an headlong collision course with it, things had not go as expected. He still remembered the surprise on the face of those guard when his fall halted. The total absence of understanding when it became deadly clear that the momentum he had accrued did not.

The roof of their hold caving upon their heads, the Fae lords had rocketed through the air among their falling sentinels, rising toward him on their own plumes of essences. He had incinerated them mid-flight.
In the same manner that a stroke of his sword had transmitted all the energy of his interrupted fall below, leaving him suspended in midair, it had carried and released in a wave the corona of energy that had shrouded his form and propelled his flight. Engulfed by it, those who had been entirely consumed on contact had plummeted to the grounds in the midst of a rain of ashes.
When he had touched the ground among the wreckage it was only to launch himself without pause in the maze of opal hallways still standing, the Fae arrayed in his way exploding in cloud of viscera and blood on his passage.

The implosion that followed, vaporizing what remained of the keep to leave a desiccated husk behind had been unnecessary strictly speaking. An object lesson for those few in the Host he felt were forgetful of some basic truths about the world. After this moment they had come upon myriad of wonders, citadels of mists and weaved silks, giants pyramids of snow shining improbably under the glare of the sun. None so "welcoming" as this one. He unleashed his Host this time, only intervening against their most terrible foes.

He felt his mind turn away from those memories as the first battlements of the nearest settlements came into view. Anyone seeing him this distracted...well, of the few that could have noticed anything, two were in the army's ranks, both would have probably teased him mercilessly. Coming back victorious with a woman perched upon his shoulder or another reclined on his lap would sent exactly the wrong messag-

A sigh escaped his lips seconds before silky arms snaked around his necks and a soft weight pushed against his back. An amused voice preempted his objection.

" Stop fooling yourself, Oddy, you saw me coming a mile away, if you didn't like that, I wouldn't be there ".
"Hn".
 
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Hm, quite a few omakes! Do the people want to try Persuade without Prove It, or would you rather get the sword for a discounted rate and no training time anyway?
Orm Embar said:
Something else to consider: Ivory's been a brainwashed Bronze Faction assassin for hundreds of years, and in that time has probably dispatched quite a few of our kind. Pressing her further when she's already suffering from extreme dissonance and is emotionally unbalanced, and then pulling a sword on her? Does anyone see how that might end poorly?
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There are many trade-offs involved, but this isn't really one of them. Zao's still in the Academy, after all, and Odyssial can defend himself against Pearl. Hell, he remembers five billion different ways how their fights may turn out!
 
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