I understand. It's possible, if less likely, that father Forthill has the phone number of someone who can let us in. Depends on how organized the RCC is.
Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Crossover Fantasy
BoredMan
Maintaining the Agenda is our top priority
I'd be voting for Quick Call but even if they can get into contact with someone who can open the wards we'd still have to wait for them to get here, then modify the wards, and I don't think we have the time.
From the outside it really does look like Molly is playing 4-d chess doesnt it?
As opposed to all the blundering and internal screaming going on from the inside.
Quite aside from your reasonable point about the time delays involved in getting through to anyone who can do open said wards on a timely basis while the Merlin is probably engaged in combat?
There's also the issue of time zones.
There's 6 hours time zone difference between Chicago and Paris in winter; GMT-5 and GMT+1(GMT+2 in summer) respectively. When it was 6.30pm in Chicago and far-western Brazil, it was 12.30am here.
Given that Molly was in Brazil at 6.30pm, and the amount of time that has elapsed since then(the Lord of Outer Night, Shaw, the entire Coming to Edinburgh movie), its probably really early morning now in Paris.
In the 3-4AM range.
Which makes this the 19th of February in Europe, incidentally.
But its winter, and that means sunrise is *checks*7.53AM in Paris.
Which gives us time to wrap this stuff up and get out of town.
But basically, most people in Chicago will be asleep.
Father Forthill aint answering no phones, and neither is anyone in Europe sleeping the sleep of the righteous.
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Been super busy lately, so mostly posting in random spots of free time.
[X] The Restaurant, more people, but they will clear out quick for better or for worse
Too much extra time cost just to check in my opinion.
Good think Molly has her head screwed tight, sufficiently to not suffer from imposter syndrome.
I hope.
I've seen enough Ciaphas Cain fanfiction to know how such u unintentional displays of cunning can make a mess.
The wards, whatever they are, cannot be easy to break from break and entry, otherwise they would have failed long ago from a simple robbery. If they are sealing something nasty, they have to have some measures to prevent easy failure scenarios. I also expect there to be a priest / overseer on sight somewhere.
OK time for me to take some creative liberties with the geography of Paris (Given that this is another world and it's not like the IRL history of the catacombs isn't silly in places, it's just not quite what I need )
)
BoredMan
Maintaining the Agenda is our top priority
This was just discussed and the QM gave us clarification. If breaking the wards wasn't an issue this wouldn't have been a vote. McCoy would've just went for it.
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Arc 14 Interlude 10: That Petty Evil Might Open the Way
That Petty Evil Might Open the Way
18th of February 2007 A.D.
You would think that any right-thinking soul who heard of a place called 'La Barrière d'Enfer', the Gates of Hell would stay away from them, you would think that if you'd never met a Frenchman. Ebeneezer McCoy, Blackstaff of the White Council loved and hated, as only a country boy come late to the great cities of the world could. Dorian Grey that literary demon conjured from Wilde's imagination once said: 'When Good Americans die they go to Paris'. Of course Wilde had been buried in the Cimetière de Bagneux outside the old walls of Paris of which now there scarce lay brick on brick, maybe he knew a little more of demons that weren't literary than Ebenezar gave him credit for. He hadn't been back here in fifty seven years.
The trendy little restaurant was new, the building that housed it was not, decorated with friezes of dancers caught eternally in the dance. They almost seemed to come alive from the light from the window spilling had once been the gate though which the tolls were taken, bribes were given and all manner of devilry done. Woe betide the traveler who did not keep their wits about them past the gate, the guards were more likely to whistle and turn their heads than come look if they heard screams.
These days the screams were felt not heard.
"This being force majeure and all, do you mind lending a few drops of blood to be used on the spot," he asked the girl with silver running though her voice and eyes like life's last sunset.
She stopped dead, heh, looked between him and the doors adjar with some kind of canned music flowing out of 'em. "Are you sure... if there's trouble below they might be violent."
"If you weren't here to talk 'em down I wouldn't try it, but then I wouldn't have the blood to try. That's how wizardry goes more often than you'd think."
"Alright," she snapped a switchblade out of somewhere and cut her palm. Red blood, Ebeneezer noticed. A lot of scions had stranger colors.
To be a wizard was to be prepared, that is what he said if anyone asked why he carried around little packets of milk and honey. Usually the thing they prepared him for was a quick coffee but at times like this...
White and gold and red mixed in a cup he'd snatched off an empty table, its last drinker just lucky enough to miss the show. Milk and honey and blood, that's how the old greeks had called the dead and not just them. A twist of power, a handful of words, half a prayer half a summoning at least as old as the Trojan War, ittle taught these days. It called the dead, pale and cold fractured reflections that cut living flesh like glass, but it didn't bind them. The light flickered and died, the darkness poppled like ink inside, pale figures moving in the gloom. He saw or thought he saw beggers without eyes and lepers peeling flesh from bone, soldiers with limbs lost to careless, cruel canonades, screetching screeming, wanting hungering. It was the living whose voices could hardly be heard even as they ran, men and women, young and old from the suddenly cursed building. The old man winced when he saw a kin who couldn't have been older than thirteen run out the end of her braid dipped in fresh blood. The ectoplasm would melt in a few minutes, the memories would stick. He'd done worse for less reason in his day, but not in front of Harry.
"Stop!" Said death's daughter in a voice like a bell tolling in the halls of Hades and the darkness stopped at the threashold and the pale figures drew back like flotsam on a frozen wave.
As the potential witnesses were getting as far away down the street as they could and other passers by were trying and failing to get answers out of them the girl Lydia fiddled with her phone and some of that 'rock-an'-roll' stuff. Of all the Keys to all the places.
Reality ripped in two along a seam ethereal amd Molly Carpenter stepped though among colapsed tables and broken chairs, the smell of spilled alchool and the cavoring of ghosts.
He pulled on the thread leading to Arthur down below. but as they were making their way into the passage that lead to the old quarries turned ossuaries Ebeneezar heard the least welcome voice at this place and time, amplified by magic, young it was but half familiar: "Attention warlcoks. Surrender yourself for judgement and you will have a fair trial."
Lucio and the others were already in the tunnel and they had left a readguard.
What do you do?
[] Try to get information from the controlled wardens
[] Just knock them out and continue down, you have your lead
[] Write in
OOC: The Barrière d'Enfer is a real place in our world, the structures just remained gouvernment property.
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fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Surrender actually might be the correct option. Lucio might be under mind control, but she has enough presence of mind to talk and we have Exalted social powers. Also we just need to get Sophia the chance to touch her in order to take off the mind control.
Also Molly is at her most convincing when bound in chains.
[X]Plan surrender
-[x]Surrender. Ask Lucio if she has any hand cuffs or other restraints you can use.
-[x]Once bound (and CCC applies) use empathy exlicancy 1 mote and convince Lucio that she is under mind control and that Sophia can lift it.
-[x][Stunt] "I have nothing to fear from a fair trial for I am innocent and even with you under mind control you will quickly realize that."
Also Molly is at her most convincing when bound in chains.
[X]Plan surrender
-[x]Surrender. Ask Lucio if she has any hand cuffs or other restraints you can use.
-[x]Once bound (and CCC applies) use empathy exlicancy 1 mote and convince Lucio that she is under mind control and that Sophia can lift it.
-[x][Stunt] "I have nothing to fear from a fair trial for I am innocent and even with you under mind control you will quickly realize that."
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So this is the rearguard
@DragonParadox
QUESTION
1) How many people are here in the rear guard?
Cant be that many, if they are looking to engage the Merlin's retinue of OG bodyguards, they are going to need numbers.
Lydia has Supernatural Awareness, and Sophia activates Secret of Gaia
2) Molly/Sophia both share memories of the junior Warden who have been enthralled that Molly discovered via Crown question.
Can we identify if any of them are present here?
Trying to determine if we are looking at people following what they believe are legitimate orders or magic binding.
Because how we address this differs based on who we are dealing with.
@DragonParadox
QUESTION
1) How many people are here in the rear guard?
Cant be that many, if they are looking to engage the Merlin's retinue of OG bodyguards, they are going to need numbers.
Lydia has Supernatural Awareness, and Sophia activates Secret of Gaia
2) Molly/Sophia both share memories of the junior Warden who have been enthralled that Molly discovered via Crown question.
Can we identify if any of them are present here?
Trying to determine if we are looking at people following what they believe are legitimate orders or magic binding.
Because how we address this differs based on who we are dealing with.
You do not know, you just heard a voice call up a flight of steps, that said the voice matches one of the enthralled wardens.
BoredMan
Maintaining the Agenda is our top priority
Is she still in Shintai?
Yes, she is, all the buffs from last fight too.
BoredMan
Maintaining the Agenda is our top priority
So Molly's in Shintai without BMI on. I wonder what everyone underground is thinking after her signature just appeared on top of them.
*sigh*
If we'd brought LaFortier and Morgan, we'd have a good chance of talking these guys down without violence. Hell, if we brought Tiffany, we could risk actually hurting people in the knowledge that she could fix them, and if necessary keep them unconscious.
But we didnt. And we made our own task markedly worse.
So we either have the option of
1)Gambling an Excellency on Charisma + Empathy persusasion roll, and having to spend more Essence if that fails
2)Going maximum violence from the beginning with Sophia as support, probably having to risk an Occult Excellency on countermagic, and ending up with additional impediments and increased risk of wizard casualties
And because these are the catacombs?
We cant leave unconscious people behind here if we want them alive, so if we attack them, we are bringing them with us.
Which means we'd have to carry them.
@DragonParadox
QUESTION
1) Confirmed members of Team McCoy are
a) McCoy
b) Lydia + Sophia + Dresden
c) Sanctuary fireteam (3x sorcerers + 5x Weavers)
Did he bring any other Wardens/wizards with him?
No, that is the team present.
So there's only TWO White Council members here.
And one of them is Harry Dresden, who while a Warden, does not have the best reputation among the Council at large.
People can and will entirely legitimately disbelieve him.
I know people are probably tired of hearing it, but this was an entirely unforced error on our part.
Should have brought LaFortier and Team Morgan.
We literally went to South America to bring Morgan back because of his authority among the Council. And then we didnt use it.
VOTE
[X] Just knock them out and continue down, you have your lead
-[X]Molly + Sophia for nonlethal takedowns
-[X]Disable, disarm, cuff them, and carry them along
-[X]STUNT: You wait for McCoy to finish talking, unfolding Dark Sun as you exchange a silent mental conference with Sophia and Lydia, relying on Sophia to relay on to the rest of the party even as she spills some more water on herself. When McCoy stops talking, you catch his eye, and at his grim nod, you move.
Shintai Molly
Attack roll: Dexterity 8 + Melee 5 + Stunt 2 = 15 dice
Damage Roll: Strength 5 + Usum 2 = 7 dice
Soak: Stamina 10 + VLE 10 + Shintai 1 + Demon Armor 4 = 24 at -1DC
Movement: [20 + (Dex 8*3)] x Swift Stride 2 x Windborn Stride 3 = 234 yards/turn = 88 yards/second
Health: 15 + 14 = 29
Willpower 4/9
Essence: 7/18
Active: BSM, Hellscry Chakra and All Things Betray
Sophia
Attack roll: Dex 7 + Melee 5 = 12 dice at -1DC Graceful
Damage roll: Strength 13 + 2 NotUsum = 15 dice
Soak roll: Stamina 11 = 11 dice at -2DC Corpse Skin
Movement: [20 +(Dex 7*3)] x Windborn Stride 3 x Extra Action 1.5 = 61 yards/second
Health = 15 + Numbing 3: 18
Willpower 14/14 (Font of Evil Will 5)
2x Actions/turn
Active: BSM + Secret of Gaia
RATIONALE
Molly is coming from Sanctuary, I can assume she picked up extra cuffs
Molly and Sophia are the tankiest people here, and the fastest, and they both have solidly superhuman stats.
Just roll them over, fast, cuff them, disarm them and carry the bodies.
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