Rihaku
The Internet
It buys Phoenix Renewal Tactic x2 and Protection of Celestial Bliss.
[Exalted, ?] Most High
- Thread starter Rihaku
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- exalted (white wolf)
It buys Phoenix Renewal Tactic x2 and Protection of Celestial Bliss.
VanusDraco
Special Projects Division
- Location
- The Bottom Line
This is just my own opinion, but rich in resources just mean natural resources and thus is probably rich from trade/resource extraction. What this translate to is basically that we'd have a lot of money and other mundane resources. Problem is that I don't see how much that helps us given the level that we are going to play at. Maybe it's just a bias from the way my group of friends have talked about Exalted, but personal power and artifacts and Manse(Which augments your personal power) were always shit load more important than resources. And honestly, this Satrapy is still going to be there, and if we need its resources later in our plan of conquest, we could just take it.
Well, here's my problem that I have with Dragon Blooded garrison. We can't trust them.
I mean, especially since we have no idea who's working for Anys Syn, who's working for Anys Syn and who works for fuck Hesiesh. With the great houses fully behind Anys Syn, we can trust Dragon Blooded who exist within the system even less.
Ah, no, we can't. It's in the process of being taken by the enemy; its days our numbered. If we leave this for later, Luseng is going to be swallowed whole by the coalition against it. Besides, Artifacts and Manses are much rarer in the 3e; as for the utility of Resources, we had an opportunity to purchase a Working as recently as an update ago.
The people who are assigned to us are working for Syn; the people who are already there, fighting and dying to protect their home, aren't. Seems simple enough.
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VanusDraco
Special Projects Division
- Location
- The Bottom Line
So, you think that the Lunar/Fae/Abyssal alliance is going to strip mine the place and turn it into a wasteland? I mean, the resource are still going to be there. I'd understand if they were being invaded by Alchemicals, but the current alliance is more liable to eat/emo eat/kill the people as oppose to exploit the resources. (Actually, I am not that sure what Lunars do to people they conquer, hopefully the dreaded beastman breeding camps are not in play, but even that might have just been story-teller interpretation as oppose to Lunar policy)
Anys Syn have her fingers in literally every pie, soup, and packet of salt everywhere. The people who were already there could very well have worked with the mysterious stranger with the mechanical hand long before we've been born, and who is to say that such sleeper agents can't receive another visit? Also, since you talked about the dragon blooded posted there, what about pressure from their House? How do you know who will stay loyal to us, who will stay loyal to the Realm, who will stay loyal to their House, who will stay loyal to their friends and who will stay loyal to Hesiesh?
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
That's explicitly what they're planning to do though, one third Wyld Zone, one third Shadowland, one third "Whatever the fuck this Lunar wants" Even if we were to happen along later, it's likely whatever encouraged this alliance will have already been claimed or destroyed.
Anys Syn does not have "Her fingers in every pie, soup, and packet of salt", she's powerful and influential, but her power is only absolute in the Immaculate Order. If she was truly omnipotent with absolute power, we'd have been crushed instantly within hours of our Exaltation. That she did not do so suggests that her power and influence does, indeed, have limitations.
Even if there are sleeper agents (Doubtful, if she owned everyone defending it, they wouldn't have been ordered to stand and die), they're not going to be absolutely loyal to some shady woman they may or may not even remember later.
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The Raksha will warp things and the Abyssals will turn everything into a shadowland if they can possibly swing it, but I'm primarily talking about accessing the Satrapy's resources becoming virtually impossible for us, once the last bastion of Realm resistance has been snuffed out.
Subversion is always a risk, but I think having swooped in and averted their complete and total devastation will count for quite a lot; these people weren't merely left to die, they were ordered to stay and die. That kind of thing severs bonds.
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Guile
Having a really great time right now
The Deathlords do like their shadowlands.
SirLagginton
Shadow Cabal Caerbannog Bun-Bun
- Location
- Arrrghhh
[X] Absolutely Unbreakable
So, if Ivory was Syn's third-deadliest asset, and the first is Anys herself... who's the second? /paranoia
Guile
Having a really great time right now
How crucial is Absolutely Unbreakable? Are these one-hit kill Shaping techniques something Abyssals/Raksha can use at a moment's notice in battle, or something they need to prep for?
Ulyssian is very, very good at not being where his enemies expect him to be.
Ulyssian is very, very good at not being where his enemies expect him to be.
Basically everything the Raksha do is Shaping. Abyssals... it depends on their loadout; not everybody is going to have something like Memory-Reweaving Discipline, but a successful use of a powerful enough social Charm would really fuck us over. Charms don't generally require prep-time; things like God-King's Shrike are the exception rather than the rule.
Absolutely Unbreakable isn't absolutely necessary, but it's the kind of thing where if we need it, we will really need it.
- Location
- Southern Virginia
You know for a plan reliant on finding support within the Realm we've got basically fuck-all progress on that. Cathak hates Ulyssian, Sesus has been alienated enough he may as well be disowned, Cynis may be just a tad upset over Beman, and we have almost no social or political contacts with any of the others save Nellens. Who is the weakest of the Great Houses. And to whose heir we are going to confess being Anathema.
Well we'd better hope that Anys Syn fucks up or else Ulyssian is going to find getting support rather difficult where it actually counts.
Well we'd better hope that Anys Syn fucks up or else Ulyssian is going to find getting support rather difficult where it actually counts.
- Location
- The end of all things
As is, he cannot be instantly killed by shaping effects, and they cannot reduce his skill with a blade or his ability to wield one. He cannot be turned into a cat, but he can be turned into a catboy.
He can also always find a way to undo such a curse, even if it would otherwise be permanent or fatal. Said way might not be quick or easy, mind.
Guile
Having a really great time right now
I know I always count on a competent enemy fucking up to secure my victories!
More seriously, those were, in order: Random luck (or GM fiat) having us deal 50+ damage in one strike, something that is presumably pretty heavily ameliorated by Uly being a stone-cold badass that they can lay claim to, a disgraced Immaculate monk that picked a fight with a student for stupid reasons.
VanusDraco
Special Projects Division
- Location
- The Bottom Line
Well, wyld zones translate direct into wealth via a couple charm, so I'd say that that's not too bad.
But lets say that I concede the point, that the material wealth of this Satrapy is lost forever to the shadowland (Necroeconomy should totally be a thing that we can exploit if we deal the the deathlord in the area
) or even just is lost because the Lunar ate it. There are a lot of other place that are similar and the simple material wealth should not be a massive difficulty to acquire consider that we are a E4 Solar.
The fact that the local garrison can be ordered to stand and die, and the fact that they actually carries out such order really do speak something about their loyalty doesn't it?
Also, the Shady women that saved the life of yourself or your child or your entire family, the shady woman who may have evidence of past crime that you have hidden for years which could mean death for your entire family, the shady woman who can promise you everything for favors and have always delivered. Sidreals have no trouble creating and maintaining contacts, and since they are so busy, they tend to do a lot of network to cover as much ground as possible, so ya, I am very much worried about the loyalty of people we find here.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Actually, Destiny-Manifesting Method gives us blanket immunity to things like "Shape you Dead" moves. It gives us an achievable means to break any curse no matter how potent. Of course, achievable doesn't mean easy.
Resolve also protects us against the likes of Memory-Reweaving Discipline though, and it's one of Ulyssian's top areas of focus. If we're taking on someone who can trivially pop and equivilent and punch through his defenses, then we're probably outclassed enough that just ruling this out won't be so easy.
Resolve also protects us against the likes of Memory-Reweaving Discipline though, and it's one of Ulyssian's top areas of focus. If we're taking on someone who can trivially pop and equivilent and punch through his defenses, then we're probably outclassed enough that just ruling this out won't be so easy.
I still have no idea why we keep snubbing House Sessus which could've been our most powerful backer and shielded us from a majority of Any Syn's bullshit.
Mm, I wasn't exactly enthused with that particular idea, but apparently people like Saery.
If worst comes to worst, we can always attempt to marry Zao off to Mnemon (or at least raise the possibility with him, anyway); that particular coalition might be capable of resisting Hesiesh's influence.
Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Well, wyld zones translate direct into wealth via a couple charm, so I'd say that that's not too bad.
But lets say that I concede the point, that the material wealth of this Satrapy is lost forever to the shadowland (Necroeconomy should totally be a thing that we can exploit if we deal the the deathlord in the area
There are a lot of other place that are similar and the simple material wealth should not be a massive difficulty to acquire consider that we are a E4 Solar.
The fact that the local garrison can be ordered to stand and die, and the fact that they actually carries out such order really do speak something about their loyalty doesn't it?
Also, the Shady women that saved the life of yourself or your child or your entire family, the shady woman who may have evidence of past crime that you have hidden for years which could mean death for your entire family, the shady woman who can promise you everything for favors and have always delivered. Sidreals have no trouble creating and maintaining contacts, and since they are so busy, they tend to do a lot of network to cover as much ground as possible, so ya, I am very much worried about the loyalty of people we find here.
Wyld Shaping only kicks in if you're already in the Middlemarches, and it's much more difficult and less broken then it was in 2ed.
If it was just material wealth, then a clusterfuck like this wouldn't be happening. Deathlords for instance have essentially "Resources Yes", Lunars don't usually give a shit, and Fair Folk can make money from whole-cloth. Thus, they want something else, and it's probably not just "Oh hey, they're in the area, so we're going to unite just on principle". The Realm apparently would be getting curbstomped by any one of these factions in it's current state, they're taking on three, I smell a rat.
It's pretty easy to order someone to stand and die. Just refuse to pick them up when they're extracted.
That would require Anys Syn to have anticipated this happening and prepare sleeper agents worldwide just for this very occasion, and yet still fail to actually stop this kind of disaster from happening in the first place despite apparently having life-debts on every Dynast in the Realm apparently?
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Guile
Having a really great time right now
Speaking of, I wonder what Beman thinks of recent events, or the Slug.
>Pick fight with uppity mortal
>Mortal later proves to be Zao's successor by slaying a great hero of the Realm in single combat in the third pass.
How could we ever challenge her, when she has such abilities!
>Pick fight with uppity mortal
>Mortal later proves to be Zao's successor by slaying a great hero of the Realm in single combat in the third pass.
So, you're banking on Syn personally saving the lives of (or concealing the secrets of) most of the people in every satrapy in the Realm?
How could we ever challenge her, when she has such abilities!
A Distant Shore
Rihaku
The Internet
A Distant Shore
They came to say good-bye to him, as he left Seacrown for a distant shore. His friends. It was a paltry gathering, but he viewed it with a quiet fondness. Mountain Hero, Tepet Nilul, Nellens Saery, Jael & Mari Aust, Sepulchral Pearl, and Empty Moon. Pearl promised to visit. Hero stifled his sniffles. Nilul stage whispered some particularly egregious suggestions in his ear, which shocked the eavesdropping Moon. Jael Aust promised that Luseng would be their first customer - a reduced rate! - when their mercenary company was done.
Better by far than the empty fete the Sesus craft had gotten when they'd left for Seacrown, all those months ago.
Moon hugged him and told him she'd be joining him soon.
"Only if it's safe," he said seriously, to which she defiantly shook her head, bottom lip quivering.
"Uly-" She managed, and hugged him again, tightly, but not so tight that it would have constricted him, even if he'd been a mortal.
Nilul laid a hand to her forehead as she walked up and playfully joined the hug. "Oh," she exclaimed, "our Incompetents Society is all grown up."
"I'm not part of the Incompetents Society," Moon pointed out.
"You're an honorary member!" Nilul declared. "Besides, we need someone to cover for Uly while he's gone, and who better than his better half~?"
"B-b-better," Moon squeaked, face turning red. Ulyssian put a hand on her forehead to check for a temperature.
Nilul shook her head resignedly. "Hey," she said, "hopeless dunce. Grow strong so that you can protect me, okay? I'll be seeing ya." She sidled off, flaring her hips mockingly as she walked.
"U-um," Moon said. "I- I guess this is goodbye, at least for now-"
"ULYSSIAN!" Zao appeared in a clap of thunder, seizing him by the arm. "YOU'RE LATE! COME WITH ME."
The world twisted in a blur of speed and they were deposited onto the ship. The captain nodded appreciatively at Zao.
"It's two days journey to Luseng," Zao began, handing Ulyssian a sheaf of papers. "You should be studying, not wasting time with sentimentality. You can enjoy time with friends when you aren't in imminent threat of shortly being dead."
It was still, Ulyssian decided, a better send-off than he'd gotten for the Sesus. But Zao was not incorrect; now, it was time for Ulyssian to train below. The satrap of Luseng had been murdered a week before. The situation was already disintegrating. Time was of the essence.
In the bowels of the ship, where the wood creaked and smelled of caulk and mildew, by guttering torchlight, he reviewed the documents he'd been given. A naval intelligence report, somewhat outdated but thorough. An overview of the city-state's current tactical situation. And the profiles of the Dragon-Blooded whom Anys Syn had assigned to his staff.
The naval profile of Luseng was written on thick parchment, in an elegent, curving script. On the top left, in faded letters, was written: This took me forever! You owe me one, Baravaan. Love, Esertia.
The calligraphy was exquisite; the prose, almost poetic. A subdued artistic flair was married to the exacting technical precision demanded of savant-scribes applying to the Magisterial Examinations.
Perched atop the Glittering Ford is the city-state of Luseng, The Pearl-on-the-Shore, whose dominion extends far into the North-West of Creation. Its people know that Luseng possesses a spectacular abundance of resources, an unusually temperate clime, and exquisite natural beauty of numerous varieties. Newly conquered, they still regard the satrap as a sort of king, and he has engendered a healthy trade with independent Wu Jian, through which much of the kingdom's wealth - raw ore of silver, ever-cold rainbow-scaled trout, bales of fine silk, barrels of powerful medicine, and breathtaking blocks of lucent jade - filters into the Blessed Isle and across the world, carried in the holds of Realm caravels and pirate galleys alike. The satrapy's pirate connections are an open secret to those in the region.
It is a land where the chill nip of spring invigorates rather than pierces, where it rains more often than it snows. All manner of delicate blossoms thrive among the trees, artfully placed through the merchant and royal districts. The ruffian clangor and piled-high anarchy of Little Jian, next to the docks, is tolerated precisely because it keeps pirate sailors contained; Luseng's blue light districts are legendary among smugglers. Without, they contend with the bared fangs of Lunar dominions to the north-east, Fae to the north-west, and a broad stretch of shadowland to the south-west.
It would come as a surprise to many that, for all the lucre Luseng exports, its vast natural resources remain underexploited, even in times of peace. Three years out of four, its plantations collect two full harvests of Creation's most notoriously finicky and delicate cash crops. Its lucid rivers and deep green lakes teem with powerfully dense schools of fish, and some whisper that the Emerald Mountain itself contains, under innumerable tons of vegetation and stone, a core of solid jade. For all this, half its populace is mired in poverty, easy prey for all manner of press-ganging and debt slavery; it is not uncommon to see beggars starving on the streets. The Immaculate mission, located in an out-of-the-way corner of the city, has tranquilly neglected its duties, having been bribed to the teeth and beyond. Grand Master Mnemon Revara considers this posting his "spirited retirement," spending far more time in the blue light district than he does in the temple...
A recent footnote. The Grand Master had been slain, and most of his monks scattered to the four winds. Ulyssian flipped through the sheafs.
The Emerald Mountain. The deeper you mine, the thicker the jade. A thousand meters down, the seams are so rich that the jade seems more interwoven with the stone than embedded in it. At some point, you find more jade than stone. Beyond that? No one's survived beyond that.
The overview hadn't been exaggerating, then. A small mountain whose core housed a mass of solid jade. No wonder the satrapy was so hotly contested. The thaumaturgical implications alone could be world-shaking. What lurked within, that would prevent even Exalted scavengers from boring deep? Ulyssian continued to skim, but found only speculation. He turned the page.
The Cusp - a slender arc of shadow that borders the south-west of the kingdom, shaped vaguely like a crescent moon impaled through by a bodkin tip. Beneath is the full shadowland wherein resides the Deathlord that infrequently terrorizes and defends the southern lip of the kingdom. Sometimes its emissaries arrive bearing gifts, grave goods of supernatural potence and miracles of death. Other times, they ride through the land, reaving and killing without pattern or reason.
He frowned. Why had the Deathlord gone from intermittent benevolence to total war? What it merely the obvious conclusion, or was he missing something deeper?
He had unlocked the war-mind of the Lord Strategos, or at least its barest sliver; that had been enough to reduce Naval casualties thirty percent in one month. Could it also save this bitterly embattled satrapy-state, on which so much rested? Perhaps not alone. He would need the mind of the Strategos, and his sword besides.
He set aside the intelligence report and leafed through the profiles of his staff. Half a dozen Dragon-Blooded Syn had sent to reinforce the two dozen or so already present within the Satrapy. A full Circle of Immaculate Monks, shikari ostensibly dispatched to help deal with the Anathema threat in the region. He suspected they would be rather more interested in policing him. Aside from them was Outward Thistle, his aide-de-camp, an Air Aspect with no notable achievements. The dossier indicated that he was both young and exceptionally indolent, having failed out of the Heptagram.
The remainder of his staff were mortal. As for the Dragon-Blooded still in Luseng, intelligence was still lacking. Without knowing which were still alive, there was little point in planning for them.
That was what he had to work with. Against Luseng were arrayed a Lunar Elder and his horde, a Circle of mighty deathknights, and a Wyld freehold that had persisted for nearly six hundred years. The city itself could well be taken by the time his ship arrived.
Odyssial looked at Ambition sitting down on his lap. I'll find a way, he thought, and began to work.
---
Before you arrive, there is enough time to tap the Lord Strategos once. This is also the time to come up with pre-strategies for surviving, and prevailing, in Luseng.
[ ] The Three Kingdoms Prophecy - A wise man once said, the kingdom, once united, must divide; once divided, must unite. Though you do not know the tactical disposition of the city-state, the contours of its strategic situation are clear. Emerald Mountain is a critical sticking point, as is the city itself. Given their predilections and the current headings of their behemoths, the Fae are far more interested in Luseng (and, likely, its populace, full of hope and terror) than the Mountain, but both the Abyssals and the Lunar would desire it for themselves. Circumstances might favor a pact to split the Mountain, but overreach could be manufactured. With only the Fae to deal with, the city itself, its Dragon-Blooded defenders over two dozen strong, and capable of resupply via sea, would likely hold. The Abyssals and Lunar would be at an impasse as they navigated the issue of the Mountain. Three hostile forces occupied the Luseng Territory, but all of them could be maneuvered into stasis. Giving Ulyssian time to fortify the city, and prepare. The kingdom may first be divided, but in time it will unite, and that story will come to an end.
*Makes Luseng safer for you, but ossifies the situation, reducing both the risks and opportunities of chaos
*The great majority of the populace is withdrawn into the capital, so this option will reduce the suffering of the common people
*Gives you time to entrench yourself and consolidate power before sallying forth
*However, the first party that breaks the precarious balance will be at a severe circumstantial disadvantage, reducing the effectiveness of aggression from all corners - including yours
*Still takes time to set up and implement
*Circumstantial penalties are not so great that a determined Exalt couldn't simply ignore them if he were willing to tank the losses.
[ ] The Scarlet Flag Prophecy - Once you arrive at Luseng, the immediacy of the situation will consume all. Rely on your personal power and your ability to thrive in chaos; for now, Zao still needs your help. Your mentor protected you in your time of need. Now is the time to begin repaying some of that debt. Deliver to the Admiral a series of communiques that his captains can use to distinguish themselves, while the remainder of the Navy languishes in relative mediocrity. Effectiveness can only be denied so far. Once it is clear who the winners and losers are, even Anys' grip on the Navy can be throttled.
*Naval loyalty to Zao could be extremely important, given Luseng's coastal position
*Solidifies Zao's influence in the Admiralty, temporarily protecting it from erosion by Anys
*Continues your program of strengthening the Navy and protecting the Realm and Creation
*Zao will be less pissed off at you for your many liberties taken previous
*He may even be willing to let Moon interact with you for more than five minutes in public
[ ] The Grand Heretical Prophecy - If Anys presumes to strike at you, then you shall strike back. All across Creation, Wyld Hunts murder newly Exalted Solars and Lunars, many of which seem all too human. Their dogma can console or harden the flintiest of hearts, but what of the average Dynast, not yet debauched enough to be leeched of all compassion? Might they wonder whether the process of Anathemic possession is truly infallible, inescapable and irreversible? The texts may say so, but the evidence of their Exalted senses, their superhuman powers of perception, sometimes, sometimes say otherwise. And even if an Anathema is a demon true, do the Sorcerers not tell everyone that demons are not a class of being to be marked with so broad a brush? There are useful demons, even kind ones; ones that could be said to be good. What if an Anathema... a rare one, certainly, given their tendencies... could be good as well? A demon doppelganger, yes, but not an evil one. Not irredeemably.
*Plants the seeds of a grand heresy that is poised to emerge in the months to come
*A swell of grassroots support among more open-minded and compassionate Dynasts can be engineered with a few critical moves
*Little immediate impact; will require your ongoing attention and intervention to nurture
*If successful, could drain Immaculate resources, occupy Anys' Hesiesh persona, and even - in the highest extremity - pave the way for legitimization of open Ulyssian rule.
*Is fucking crazy
They came to say good-bye to him, as he left Seacrown for a distant shore. His friends. It was a paltry gathering, but he viewed it with a quiet fondness. Mountain Hero, Tepet Nilul, Nellens Saery, Jael & Mari Aust, Sepulchral Pearl, and Empty Moon. Pearl promised to visit. Hero stifled his sniffles. Nilul stage whispered some particularly egregious suggestions in his ear, which shocked the eavesdropping Moon. Jael Aust promised that Luseng would be their first customer - a reduced rate! - when their mercenary company was done.
Better by far than the empty fete the Sesus craft had gotten when they'd left for Seacrown, all those months ago.
Moon hugged him and told him she'd be joining him soon.
"Only if it's safe," he said seriously, to which she defiantly shook her head, bottom lip quivering.
"Uly-" She managed, and hugged him again, tightly, but not so tight that it would have constricted him, even if he'd been a mortal.
Nilul laid a hand to her forehead as she walked up and playfully joined the hug. "Oh," she exclaimed, "our Incompetents Society is all grown up."
"I'm not part of the Incompetents Society," Moon pointed out.
"You're an honorary member!" Nilul declared. "Besides, we need someone to cover for Uly while he's gone, and who better than his better half~?"
"B-b-better," Moon squeaked, face turning red. Ulyssian put a hand on her forehead to check for a temperature.
Nilul shook her head resignedly. "Hey," she said, "hopeless dunce. Grow strong so that you can protect me, okay? I'll be seeing ya." She sidled off, flaring her hips mockingly as she walked.
"U-um," Moon said. "I- I guess this is goodbye, at least for now-"
"ULYSSIAN!" Zao appeared in a clap of thunder, seizing him by the arm. "YOU'RE LATE! COME WITH ME."
The world twisted in a blur of speed and they were deposited onto the ship. The captain nodded appreciatively at Zao.
"It's two days journey to Luseng," Zao began, handing Ulyssian a sheaf of papers. "You should be studying, not wasting time with sentimentality. You can enjoy time with friends when you aren't in imminent threat of shortly being dead."
It was still, Ulyssian decided, a better send-off than he'd gotten for the Sesus. But Zao was not incorrect; now, it was time for Ulyssian to train below. The satrap of Luseng had been murdered a week before. The situation was already disintegrating. Time was of the essence.
In the bowels of the ship, where the wood creaked and smelled of caulk and mildew, by guttering torchlight, he reviewed the documents he'd been given. A naval intelligence report, somewhat outdated but thorough. An overview of the city-state's current tactical situation. And the profiles of the Dragon-Blooded whom Anys Syn had assigned to his staff.
The naval profile of Luseng was written on thick parchment, in an elegent, curving script. On the top left, in faded letters, was written: This took me forever! You owe me one, Baravaan. Love, Esertia.
The calligraphy was exquisite; the prose, almost poetic. A subdued artistic flair was married to the exacting technical precision demanded of savant-scribes applying to the Magisterial Examinations.
Perched atop the Glittering Ford is the city-state of Luseng, The Pearl-on-the-Shore, whose dominion extends far into the North-West of Creation. Its people know that Luseng possesses a spectacular abundance of resources, an unusually temperate clime, and exquisite natural beauty of numerous varieties. Newly conquered, they still regard the satrap as a sort of king, and he has engendered a healthy trade with independent Wu Jian, through which much of the kingdom's wealth - raw ore of silver, ever-cold rainbow-scaled trout, bales of fine silk, barrels of powerful medicine, and breathtaking blocks of lucent jade - filters into the Blessed Isle and across the world, carried in the holds of Realm caravels and pirate galleys alike. The satrapy's pirate connections are an open secret to those in the region.
It is a land where the chill nip of spring invigorates rather than pierces, where it rains more often than it snows. All manner of delicate blossoms thrive among the trees, artfully placed through the merchant and royal districts. The ruffian clangor and piled-high anarchy of Little Jian, next to the docks, is tolerated precisely because it keeps pirate sailors contained; Luseng's blue light districts are legendary among smugglers. Without, they contend with the bared fangs of Lunar dominions to the north-east, Fae to the north-west, and a broad stretch of shadowland to the south-west.
It would come as a surprise to many that, for all the lucre Luseng exports, its vast natural resources remain underexploited, even in times of peace. Three years out of four, its plantations collect two full harvests of Creation's most notoriously finicky and delicate cash crops. Its lucid rivers and deep green lakes teem with powerfully dense schools of fish, and some whisper that the Emerald Mountain itself contains, under innumerable tons of vegetation and stone, a core of solid jade. For all this, half its populace is mired in poverty, easy prey for all manner of press-ganging and debt slavery; it is not uncommon to see beggars starving on the streets. The Immaculate mission, located in an out-of-the-way corner of the city, has tranquilly neglected its duties, having been bribed to the teeth and beyond. Grand Master Mnemon Revara considers this posting his "spirited retirement," spending far more time in the blue light district than he does in the temple...
A recent footnote. The Grand Master had been slain, and most of his monks scattered to the four winds. Ulyssian flipped through the sheafs.
The Emerald Mountain. The deeper you mine, the thicker the jade. A thousand meters down, the seams are so rich that the jade seems more interwoven with the stone than embedded in it. At some point, you find more jade than stone. Beyond that? No one's survived beyond that.
The overview hadn't been exaggerating, then. A small mountain whose core housed a mass of solid jade. No wonder the satrapy was so hotly contested. The thaumaturgical implications alone could be world-shaking. What lurked within, that would prevent even Exalted scavengers from boring deep? Ulyssian continued to skim, but found only speculation. He turned the page.
The Cusp - a slender arc of shadow that borders the south-west of the kingdom, shaped vaguely like a crescent moon impaled through by a bodkin tip. Beneath is the full shadowland wherein resides the Deathlord that infrequently terrorizes and defends the southern lip of the kingdom. Sometimes its emissaries arrive bearing gifts, grave goods of supernatural potence and miracles of death. Other times, they ride through the land, reaving and killing without pattern or reason.
He frowned. Why had the Deathlord gone from intermittent benevolence to total war? What it merely the obvious conclusion, or was he missing something deeper?
He had unlocked the war-mind of the Lord Strategos, or at least its barest sliver; that had been enough to reduce Naval casualties thirty percent in one month. Could it also save this bitterly embattled satrapy-state, on which so much rested? Perhaps not alone. He would need the mind of the Strategos, and his sword besides.
He set aside the intelligence report and leafed through the profiles of his staff. Half a dozen Dragon-Blooded Syn had sent to reinforce the two dozen or so already present within the Satrapy. A full Circle of Immaculate Monks, shikari ostensibly dispatched to help deal with the Anathema threat in the region. He suspected they would be rather more interested in policing him. Aside from them was Outward Thistle, his aide-de-camp, an Air Aspect with no notable achievements. The dossier indicated that he was both young and exceptionally indolent, having failed out of the Heptagram.
The remainder of his staff were mortal. As for the Dragon-Blooded still in Luseng, intelligence was still lacking. Without knowing which were still alive, there was little point in planning for them.
That was what he had to work with. Against Luseng were arrayed a Lunar Elder and his horde, a Circle of mighty deathknights, and a Wyld freehold that had persisted for nearly six hundred years. The city itself could well be taken by the time his ship arrived.
Odyssial looked at Ambition sitting down on his lap. I'll find a way, he thought, and began to work.
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Before you arrive, there is enough time to tap the Lord Strategos once. This is also the time to come up with pre-strategies for surviving, and prevailing, in Luseng.
[ ] The Three Kingdoms Prophecy - A wise man once said, the kingdom, once united, must divide; once divided, must unite. Though you do not know the tactical disposition of the city-state, the contours of its strategic situation are clear. Emerald Mountain is a critical sticking point, as is the city itself. Given their predilections and the current headings of their behemoths, the Fae are far more interested in Luseng (and, likely, its populace, full of hope and terror) than the Mountain, but both the Abyssals and the Lunar would desire it for themselves. Circumstances might favor a pact to split the Mountain, but overreach could be manufactured. With only the Fae to deal with, the city itself, its Dragon-Blooded defenders over two dozen strong, and capable of resupply via sea, would likely hold. The Abyssals and Lunar would be at an impasse as they navigated the issue of the Mountain. Three hostile forces occupied the Luseng Territory, but all of them could be maneuvered into stasis. Giving Ulyssian time to fortify the city, and prepare. The kingdom may first be divided, but in time it will unite, and that story will come to an end.
*Makes Luseng safer for you, but ossifies the situation, reducing both the risks and opportunities of chaos
*The great majority of the populace is withdrawn into the capital, so this option will reduce the suffering of the common people
*Gives you time to entrench yourself and consolidate power before sallying forth
*However, the first party that breaks the precarious balance will be at a severe circumstantial disadvantage, reducing the effectiveness of aggression from all corners - including yours
*Still takes time to set up and implement
*Circumstantial penalties are not so great that a determined Exalt couldn't simply ignore them if he were willing to tank the losses.
[ ] The Scarlet Flag Prophecy - Once you arrive at Luseng, the immediacy of the situation will consume all. Rely on your personal power and your ability to thrive in chaos; for now, Zao still needs your help. Your mentor protected you in your time of need. Now is the time to begin repaying some of that debt. Deliver to the Admiral a series of communiques that his captains can use to distinguish themselves, while the remainder of the Navy languishes in relative mediocrity. Effectiveness can only be denied so far. Once it is clear who the winners and losers are, even Anys' grip on the Navy can be throttled.
*Naval loyalty to Zao could be extremely important, given Luseng's coastal position
*Solidifies Zao's influence in the Admiralty, temporarily protecting it from erosion by Anys
*Continues your program of strengthening the Navy and protecting the Realm and Creation
*Zao will be less pissed off at you for your many liberties taken previous
*He may even be willing to let Moon interact with you for more than five minutes in public
[ ] The Grand Heretical Prophecy - If Anys presumes to strike at you, then you shall strike back. All across Creation, Wyld Hunts murder newly Exalted Solars and Lunars, many of which seem all too human. Their dogma can console or harden the flintiest of hearts, but what of the average Dynast, not yet debauched enough to be leeched of all compassion? Might they wonder whether the process of Anathemic possession is truly infallible, inescapable and irreversible? The texts may say so, but the evidence of their Exalted senses, their superhuman powers of perception, sometimes, sometimes say otherwise. And even if an Anathema is a demon true, do the Sorcerers not tell everyone that demons are not a class of being to be marked with so broad a brush? There are useful demons, even kind ones; ones that could be said to be good. What if an Anathema... a rare one, certainly, given their tendencies... could be good as well? A demon doppelganger, yes, but not an evil one. Not irredeemably.
*Plants the seeds of a grand heresy that is poised to emerge in the months to come
*A swell of grassroots support among more open-minded and compassionate Dynasts can be engineered with a few critical moves
*Little immediate impact; will require your ongoing attention and intervention to nurture
*If successful, could drain Immaculate resources, occupy Anys' Hesiesh persona, and even - in the highest extremity - pave the way for legitimization of open Ulyssian rule.
*Is fucking crazy
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Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Son of a Bitch.
The Emerald Mountain may or may not be a Directional Titan equivilent. Or at least Some kind of gigastructure. That kind of Jade concentration just doesn't actually Occur naturally. Especially as "Nobody Survives" going deeper.
It may even be one of Odyssial's Vaults! Given how most people who get far enough to reach the "Outermost Reaches" tend to suddenly die.
The Emerald Mountain may or may not be a Directional Titan equivilent. Or at least Some kind of gigastructure. That kind of Jade concentration just doesn't actually Occur naturally. Especially as "Nobody Survives" going deeper.
It may even be one of Odyssial's Vaults! Given how most people who get far enough to reach the "Outermost Reaches" tend to suddenly die.
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Rihaku
The Internet
Please don't embed videos, it slows the page scrolling and loading for others.
Could also be the result of a really, really epic Wyld Shaping session.
"I can create Magical Materials?" *Optimizes*