Sheet is now done, it should be a bit surprising.
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Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Crossover Fantasy
Arc 15 Post 64: Trail of Death
New
Trail of Death
13th of March 2007 A.D.
"I'm on my way." you snap off, mind already whirling with what Lara might be after. How much sisterly care is true and how much is a mask? Does she even know herself? Not something you can ask over the phone, much less read in between the buzzing of the connection. "There are things Inari needs to know. I don't have all the answers, but I have more than anyone else."
"You hope," Lara interjects her voice neutral but for the straining of her breath.
"We all have hope, but I have knowledge still," you answer as you click off the phone.
"Well then we await your insight," Lara rattles off an address and room number for a Hotel, either the one she is staying at or more likely one that is permanently on hold for more discreet dealings of the White Court.
"333 Fulton St., Room 13. Got it."
The clang of breaking glass and desperate gunfire interjects the conversation and then distinctly the sound of bone shattering and cartilage torn free, you'd heard it often enough. Is she killing someone with her off hand? You're not sure if you should be impressed or horrified. What's the equivalent of 'Eyes on the road!' for fighting?
"Bring..." she has to stop and catch her breath. "Bring Thomas too, he'll want to see her."
You end the call without goodbe, unsure if any good could come of this before raising your eyes to sweep around the room. Tiffany looks unphased again, not a hair out of place, no hint of what she's thinking behind those green eyes. Lydia by contrast is sympathetic for Inari's fate, but unsure if she's still her own woman or a pawn of something darker. In that she agrees with the old wizard you think, though he keeps his own counsel for now, volunteering only the name of the new warden of San Francisco, named in the wake of recent reorganization.
As for Harry... yup, head down looking mulish enough to crew concrete and spit out gravel, up for rescuing a damsel in distress, at least it's not aimed at me, though you do have to wonder how Inari Raith is likely to take it after being swayed by the Neverborn.
***
The six if you thus arrive in San Francisco by phone call and squeaky speakers playing a song too loud.
"I'm assuming this has something to do with that darn mess downtown?" An elderly woman, her hair drawn up in a messy bun, her cheeks rosy as a picture in a children's book and her eyes as grey as steel asks without preamble.
When the sky had gone strange there had been a few incidents like in other parts of the country, the world come to that, but whereas the worst that could be expected normally would be a few shots fired wildly or some fool drawing a knife the Dollar Tree Killings had been particularly gruesome, one man had been ripped almost in half like a wishbone, the two parts connected only by his entrails while another had been killed with a high powered sniper riffle.... by having the barrel shoved into their eye and clear through their skull.
As Leah, you finally get her name in the process, explains the bodies themselves had caused some consternation at the local morgue since both of them showed signs of having been dead for days before the killing.
"Days not weeks which means Thrashing Dragon or Thousand Whispers." She looks at you sharply to see if you catch her meaning.
"Yang inclined Wan Kuei?" half ask. Not the only ones who had been killed, judging by the fight you'd heard over the phone, though Lara would have been more careful to hide her tracks.
The warden nods sharply. "It looked more like they were mauled to death than killed with weapons and... this wasn't on the news either but one of the had their throat bitten out. Is there a scourge in town?"
"No," Listens to the Wind speaks before you can get a word in. "Might be something worse, might be better."
Leah laughs darkly, almost seeming to surprise herself. "Hope to God Almighty it's better than a scourge, what the hell could worse?"
We're about to find out aren't we? Some thoughts are better left unshared.
Thankfully she doesn't press either of the wizards for more information, content that the council is on this, whatever 'this' is to have filled her small ritual chamber with the touch of alien essence, though the same couldn't be said of Thomas.
"Was that something...?" he can't quite bring himself to finish even in a whisper.
You think about is the moment, recalling the grasping blackness of the still ocean that devoured all light upon its face and almost wish that you could lie. "Yes."
***
On the way through windy streets filled with people either rushing and frazzled or still walking gingerly as if they are afraid the pavement under their feet might change to lava at any moment you wonder: 'Is tearing the throat out of an assassin any worse than any other way she could have killed him.' From Harry's vision it had clearly been self-defense and dead was dead, in this case twice over. The only conclusion you can reach without being the worse kind of hypocrite is no, but from the look on the wizards' faces, both of them, they aren't nearly so sanguine. Heh... It's far too late to wonder if you should be finding any part of this morbidly funny.
Its in such a mindset that you arive at the Inn at the Opera, built in the style popular at the turn of the last century and then modernized and sanitized within an inch of its architectural life its facade reminds you of nothing so much as a beautiful rose someone has shrink-wrapped, an impression not least improved by the innofensive blandness of its interior. At least they choose pastels rather than beige, Usum points out sardonically.
Thomas over takes you on the stairs and he's the first to the door.
"I don't recall inviting a wizard, much less two," Lara says archly while looking past him to Harry and Listens to the Wind.
Harry's already geering up to answer, probably something less than polite, though Tiffany looks like she might try to stop him if you don't.
What do you say?
[] If it weren't for the council we'd never have found out Inari needed help to begin with
[] This concerns everyone. Innary isn't the only one
[] Write in
OOC: No rolls for this one, at least no visibile ones.
I don't know something about the entrance made me like tempted to immediately clap back.
Well hello Lara Nice to see you I meant to talk to you about Inari but suddenly that slipping my mind and something about ants is coming in but that's for another time though I'm sure if anyone spends any amount of time arguing about who's here I might recall in full right now.
Well hello Lara Nice to see you I meant to talk to you about Inari but suddenly that slipping my mind and something about ants is coming in but that's for another time though I'm sure if anyone spends any amount of time arguing about who's here I might recall in full right now.
Knife on the eyes? Finger on the trigger? Something like that.
I wonder if she actually got any essence from that. Technically they weren't alive and shouldn't have had any blood flowing for her to drink, but I'm not sure an Abyssal exaltation would be that picky about its diet.
Yeah. She must be pretty stressed to react like that in a hotel room of all things.
Setting aside the exalts in the room for a second, Listens To The Wind is a senior council member and scary as shit.
I mean, this is the guy who walked up to a Naagoloshi and essentially said "god thinks you're an ugly piece of shit and I'm about to make it worse" then followed through. No tricks, he just turned into a giant bear and beat his ass like a drum.
An Abyssal who drinks the blood of one of the Hungry Dead finds it darkly invigorating, and may gain one point of Essence for every two Yin Chi consumed. Yang Chi burns unpleasantly upon an Abyssal's tongue, and is of no use to them.
-ExVsWoD page 267
She would have gotten some Essence out of their Yin Chi, though it wasn't the most common.
- Location
- Canada
Wizards are always some of the scariest guys alive, they're just squishy mortals who die easy when caught unprepared. Wardens are rare after all.
But when you have an Infernal Soak monster like Molly tanking all the damage, all of a sudden the DPS guys start popping off. A kill squad of Molly leading Lydia and the Dragon Knight Exalts, backed up by 5-6 Senior Council members, could probably take on every single Lord of Outer Night. Simultaneously.
But when you have an Infernal Soak monster like Molly tanking all the damage, all of a sudden the DPS guys start popping off. A kill squad of Molly leading Lydia and the Dragon Knight Exalts, backed up by 5-6 Senior Council members, could probably take on every single Lord of Outer Night. Simultaneously.
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...I mean she trusted Molly and Thomas enough to talk to her about it. Understandably might view bringing a hit squad with uncertain loyalty along as a betrayal. Not sure I'd expect future cooperation.
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Ivar
Dark Reaper
- Location
- Russia Moscow
Do you think she would have accepted it better if it had been a squad of our fanatics with magic guns?But I would say that Lara in this situation could not expect Molly to come only with Thomas and maybe bring her circle members. But she at the same time I think you exaggerate the chances that this will completely destroy the alliance. This is a minor diplomatic incident that if we do not throw out the botch it is easy to smooth over.
[X] Try to de-escalate
-[X] Empathy excellency
-[X] There are three others out there, and wizards are needed to help find them
I think we need to try and deescalate the situation a bit. We also need to explain that we also need Inari's help as a scrying aid. Because we actually do need it.
-[X] Empathy excellency
-[X] There are three others out there, and wizards are needed to help find them
I think we need to try and deescalate the situation a bit. We also need to explain that we also need Inari's help as a scrying aid. Because we actually do need it.
If this one doesn't work, apply the other good old exalted joke:
[JK] Enter combat as soon as she wins at Social.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
I didn't realize that Listen-to-wind was coming either. We don't need any more audience for our secret telling them the minimum.
Lara knows that Molly alone is enough to murder her and any bodyguards she may have. She saw us dispose of a Walker. Inari makes it more of a tossup, but if Lara realized the parallels between Molly and Inari, then all she has to go with is "Molly is almost a year old Exalt with tons of practical combat experience under her belt, and Inari is less than a day old one with no combat training. She cannot know that Abyssals are more lethal than Infernals.
All the more reason to stick to "It's all Kemmler's fault" story.
You're right on general, but LttW is an odd duck of a wizard. He is a life specialist who uses transformation magic and stuff like that to become the tank.
I think this is an okay direction, but the tactics need a little work. For one thing, it's impolite to finger the wizards as our source by implication when we don't have to. Sure Lara will learn shortly anyway, but it's better to avoid unnecessary friction. A lot of times etiquette rules are a little irrational, and this particular violation isn't a huge deal, but still.
More importantly to the actual situation, it's not great to immediately angle for what we want in so obvious a manner. It's better to set up an understanding of what we have that she wants and generally how helpful we are to work with right now then get into the rest.
[X] Try to de-escalate
-[X] Empathy excellency, FpoR, Willpower for AtB
-[X] [Stunt] Meeting Lara's eyes Molly gave an almost imperceptible nod, acknowledging her concern. "I know showing up with the magical version of an aircraft carrier battle group isn't a great look, but you have my word that our intent is peaceful and will remain so for the duration of this visit unless forced to defend ourselves or innocent lives".
—[X] "I was working with the council when we determined that Inari was affected by the situation. There's more going on than it seems and we're going to need all the help we can get".
—[X] As she spoke the memory of a frozen tree and her first glimpse of green fire darted across Molly's mind like an arrow. For a moment a sympathy too raw - too human - to mistake, but too close to the heart to dare name, echoed in her voice.
—-[X] "Lara, she's like me"
Actually, we're probably the most spied on group on the planet right now. How are we going to keep Anduriel and similar from hearing everything we say?
- Location
- Perth, Scotland
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I like this well enough, and I'd be fine with it passing in its own right - but I think I've got something for this:
[X] Appeal, honestly, to her love for her sister - and her knowledge of your character, however much she might think it naive at times
-[X] Empathy Excellency, FPOR, 1 WP for ATB
-[X] "Lara," you say, fixing her silver-blue gaze with your own, looking past the predation in her for what you genuinely want to believe - even if a fool it might make you - is an honest love and worry that makes this vampire before you Lara, rather than some nameless monster, "I am here to help her, first and foremost."
-[X] "These wizards, uninvited as they might be, were instrumental in even knowing that this had occurred in the first place. And even if you don't trust them, trust me - no, more than that, trust in what you know of me."
-[X] You hold her stare, thinking of your own brothers and sisters, and knowing all too well what this sort of worry feels like, and - with a dark moment's thought - the sort of lengths it could push you to if the stage were another, and the actors reversed. You hope that at least a little of that understanding comes across to this woman - this beautiful, dangerous, scared woman - in front of you.
-[X] "Please, Lara. One sister to another. Let me help."
I don't know what else to add to this, in terms of explanatory notes. Maybe - as I note in the stunt itself - it's naive to try and reach out to her on this level. She's someone that self-describes as a monster, and there's no question that she's done monstrous things. Moreover, there's an audience here, which could definitely impact on this sort of appeal.
But I don't think so.
It's not wrong, I think, to try and reach out a hand to someone in empathy, as long as you do it eyes open. It might work, it might not - but you can't make the world a better place if you don't try. I genuinely believe that there's value in treating someone like they're better, like they can be better, than they think.
(...And damned if I'm not typecasting myself with the sorts of stunts I write, at this rate.)
But anyway, yeah: as ever, happy to take feedback - especially on mechanical aspects - and just hear people's thoughts on this generally.
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Ivar
Dark Reaper
- Location
- Russia Moscow
The important thing is that Lara is a True Venatori. We need to make sure she understands that the Abyssals are free agents and are not bound to the will of the Neverborn and are not a strong vector of infection. This is a hyper important point in the negotiations. We need to make sure that the information gets out and we don't let stupid incidents happen.
- Location
- Perth, Scotland
- Pronouns
- He/Him
This is also really good, @BronzeTongue. It's a bit of a different tack to my stunt - it leans more on the notion that Molly is like Inari than that Molly is like Lara (honestly, I'd say both are true to a degree, especially in this particular situation) - but I like it.
Also, regardless of what folk go for, could you go over those mechanical additions? That's definitely the weakest part of my stunting, because I do not have as extensive a knowledge of the charm set as I'd like.
Incidentally, I'm about 80% sure we're dealing with a day caste here. She doesn't have to take her starter charms from her caste, but I'd assume she'll start somewhere centered on her caste themes because that's what the exaltation is looking for.
I could be wrong, but it seems to fit her the best of the four castes we know are on offer. The next best is moonshadow, but I don't recall anything about her being an artist or a lawyer and those are the most applicable qualifications for her from that caste.
Given what she did I'm tempted to speculate on her charms:
Thinking that she respecced for high strength, then drained one Jade to death and then used the 5 auto successes on damage to make up for her lack of excellency qualifying weapons.
I don't see a mechanical problem with what you did, but it looks like you're just using excellency. I'd say adding FPoR would be good. It's a passive that gives us a dice bonus based on how many successful checks we've made under some special rules that you can find in the custom charm section of the character sheet.
I could be wrong, but it seems to fit her the best of the four castes we know are on offer. The next best is moonshadow, but I don't recall anything about her being an artist or a lawyer and those are the most applicable qualifications for her from that caste.
Given what she did I'm tempted to speculate on her charms:
Thinking that she respecced for high strength, then drained one Jade to death and then used the 5 auto successes on damage to make up for her lack of excellency qualifying weapons.
I like the direction you took here as well, and agree that Molly is a bit like both of them. It's a just a question of which angle to play. I went with the connection with Inari because that's where her focus is but your approach is valid too.
I don't see a mechanical problem with what you did, but it looks like you're just using excellency. I'd say adding FPoR would be good. It's a passive that gives us a dice bonus based on how many successful checks we've made under some special rules that you can find in the custom charm section of the character sheet.
I mean the wizard was in the room when you mentioned secrets. It would have taken some doing to get him to not come along even for an exalt and you guys did not vote to try to get rid of him.
- Location
- Right Where I Am
It's been said that secrets are like heroin to wizards, and neither of the ones here seem eager to prove that wrong.