Alas, I did not get a chance to explore the metaphysical properties of the bath this session, but Soon.
And, like a cosmic law of the universe, when a bath exists to be enjoyed, something will conspire to interrupt your ability to do so.
Today was an interesting session, in that I as a player had no plans, or better to say was 'Between' plans. Meaning Aleph had her own plot to throw my way, and it was a well-timed one.
Right now the messenger of the moment is Celi, the Despot's right-hand sorcerer ranking even higher than Inks. (Which is fair.) As the session points out, she's an Ifrit, a powerful Elemental and Sorcerer, meaning that her presence is a calculated statement of 'This is serious' and Inks is under suspicion.
We move on, and I am once again confronted by Inks's lack of broad optimization- I just don't HAVE any Investigation Charms, and only a single lonely dot, so my ability to do things is severely hampered. That's not to say i'm incapable of doing things, I just don't have easy things to frame my actions with.
Today I want to spend a little more time on... not simply summarizing what happened. The log covers that. The important thing I want to touch on is that Aleph as an ST is not afraid of Complexity and Nuance, but that willingness also means that she has to be careful and sure that I understand her gameplay information- because what I think is happening may not always be what she intends is happening.
This scene was sort of a... We spent a lot of time shaking each other for information, so to speak. As I'm writing this post-mortem, I reallize I don't have a lot to say at this point. The session stands for itself.
I suppose if there is a comment worth making, is that the world is moving around Inks both in response to her actions, and responses to other characters actions. I as a player don't feel like I'm in a world made Just for her, and nor do I feel like the world is Out To Get Me. Like Aleph said back in the first few sessions, it's okay for people to be Entertainingly Wrong.
Now, the standout element other than being called down on suspicion of murder is how well Aleph tutorialized the familiar bond that I myself forgot. Maji being Maji RUSHED to Inks's side and made quite an impression on the palace guards. And palace wall.
Having pinned the murder plot onto her to-do list, we move on to the Investigation. Since Inks just does not have the investigation muscle yet. So I made up for that by doing Research. You'll note that Aleph and I don't actullly know what kind of Underworld we're using yet. She likely will want to invoke a lot of the homebrew she's worked on with Earthscorpion, which isn't necessarily bad, but I myself am so firmly 'dialed in' to 2e that even if I don't have it on mind, i have enough working knowledge of the Dead to get by.
Regardless, I earned 9 successes and have thus compiled the greatest treatise on The Dead of Gem this decade. I think. (note to self, when I start my university, make that into a textbook).
Armed with this knowledge, I continued to gather more information which in turn apply further to the investigation. My earlier theory about the Mysterious Ally (which Inks herself has no real knowledge of before now), seems to be holding true, at least in some capacity.
Having done the basic legwork, I tied the session off with an impromptu question and answer scene with some Ragged, who are more accurately 'Children of the Desert Mother'.
One thing I like about this game, and Exalted in general, is the ability for player characters to do miraculous things like repairing the painting with a touch.
I suppose my main reaction to this session is that Aleph has firmly teed up a Plot for me, as opposed to letting me play in the sandbox that is Gem. We shall see if it leads to a cast of recurring characters and new, interesting engagements!