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Mare Internum: An Exalted Quest

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The Proud Do Not Endure 48
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    • zxzx24 said:
    [X] You said the bodies were 'bad', what did you mean by that?
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    "You said the bodies were 'bad', what did you mean by that?"

    FINCHER: "Yeah, I guess we should talk about that. They were, uh, cut up and burned."

    "Burned?"

    FINCHER: "Not with torches, they looked like a fire aspect had gone to town on them. The Raigi don't have any Exalted. Maybe an angry elemental? Reports said there was minimal spirit activity on the island. I don't know. Whatever it was, it wasn't the riders we ran into."

    "And it ambushed your scouts."

    FINCHER: "And it ambushed my scouts."

    "Was there a trail?"

    FINCHER: "What? Yeah, a pretty obvious one, apparently. I don't blame Dunland and Gannet for not following it. They did the right thing in coming right back."

    NAVIGATE: We should be able to follow something like that with no trouble, even in the dark.

    "We'd have a safer march without whatever it is at your back."

    FINCHER: "Yeah, that's not happening. I'm not going to get any more people killed."

    INTEGRITY: DIFFICULT
    6 1
    CHECK PASSED

    INTEGRITY: These are probably the first people who died following her orders. She's making an extra effort to be cautious. It's understandable, isn't it?

    "Yeah, but... we don't know what's out there. It could be with the Raigis, or it could be something else we have to deal with. Shouldn't we track it down?"

    FINCHER: "No. We're going to form up tight, march southwest, find another nice camp somewhere and get enough supplies to see us through until we can contact the reinforcements. We're going to play this safe."

    WAR: NORMAL
    5 3
    CHECK PASSED

    WAR: You both have a point. Hunting an unknown enemy is inherently risky, but so is leaving an unknown enemy out in the field without observation.

    [ ] What if I were to investigate this killing as part of my official duties?
    [ ] Okay, we'll play it your way. We'll look for another camp.

    This is a consequential decision, please vote.
     
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    • [X] What if I were to investigate this killing as part of my official duties?

    Adventure!

    Also... Might have been Firewands. Not sure how common they are outside the west.
     
    [X] Okay, we'll play it your way. We'll look for another camp.

    I'd think we'd stick together for now, and just do our best to prepare for something to come in the future. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
     
    zxzx24 said:
    Also... Might have been Firewands. Not sure how common they are outside the west.
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    They're not uncommon in the South where firedust comes from, rare elsewhere. Given that it left some sort of obvious trail, though, I'm thinking it wasn't firewands. Probably an elemental, god, or fire aspect.

    If it was an elemental, it could have been summoned by a sorcerer. This doesn't seem like the sort of place where there would be a lot of fire elementals wandering around.

    [X] What if I were to investigate this killing as part of my official duties?

    I think hunting the thing down will tell us more about ourselves and our capabilities, as well as more about what's going on here.
     
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    [ ] What if I were to investigate this killing as part of my official duties?

    LETS GOOOOOOOO
     
    [X] What if I were to investigate this killing as part of my official duties?
    Let's go make bad decisions.
     
    [X] What if I were to investigate this killing as part of my official duties?
     
    [X] What if I were to investigate this killing as part of my official duties?
     
    [X] What if I were to investigate this killing as part of my official duties?

    MAGISTRATE BUSINESS, HAND OVER YOUR HORSE.
     
    The Proud Do Not Endure 49
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    • zxzx24 said:
    [X] What if I were to investigate this killing as part of my official duties?
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    "What if I were to investigate this killing as part of my official duties."

    Fincher pauses in her pacing of the kitchen and holds the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger, as though she has developed a sudden headache.

    FINCHER: "Shit. Alright, I can't stop you, but I seriously recommend against this. I can't guarantee your safety."

    "Do I look like I'm concerned with my safety?"

    FINCHER: "You do not," she responds without hesitation. "But you're not the one that will be up on charges about it if you die."

    "I won't die."

    FINCHER: "Yeah. Well. First time for everything."

    "I can deal with whatever it is and then rejoin you. No problem, right?"

    FINCHER: "Of course there's a problem!" she snaps. "Why are you making this so difficult?"

    "Do you think I can't handle it?"

    FINCHER: "Boss, I have no idea what you can handle, and I have no idea what you'll be handling. I can't send you out without backup, but I also don't want to leave the column underdefended. What am I supposed to do?"

    [ ] Come with me. Orison can handle the march, we'll finish whatever it is double time and be back before you know it.
    [ ] Give me a team of your best. It'll give everyone the best chance, it's a sound decision.
    [ ] Give me the Paleans. I speak Riverspeak, I can work with them.
    [ ] I'll go by myself. I've fought worse. I assume.
     
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    • Hmm, aren't the Paleans fortification experts? Not sure that'd help with hunting a mysterious being alone. Then again, who knows.
     
    TaliesinSkye said:
    @Crumplepunch, could you remind us about the Paleans?
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    Fincher's group contains a unit of six Palean bandieras, auxilliaries from the small satrapy of Pale, located on the coast between Lookshy and Medo. They are competent professional soldiers but currently lacking their specialized equipment (arbalests, pavises and heavy polearms) and using weapons looted from your shore skirmish.

    They speak only Riverspeak, so only Fincher (and you) can interact with them, limiting their ability to integrate with the rest of the legion. Morale is low.

    (Pale is entirely unrelated to the Pale, and in fact I wrote it into Exalted 3e canon before I ever played Disco Elysium.)
     
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    The Proud Do Not Endure 50
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    • 1337Procrast said:
    [X] Give me the Paleans. I speak Riverspeak, I can work with them.
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    "Give me the Paleans. I speak Riverspeak, I can work with them."

    Fincher scratches the back of her head, thoughtfully.

    FINCHER: "That might work. I'll have to ask them."

    "Aren't you their officer? Don't you give them orders?"

    FINCHER: "Technically, yeah, but everything's fucked, isn't it? If they decide to desert and go to ground somewhere in the hills, there's not a damn thing I can do about it. We're at the asking nicely stage of military command."

    "So they'll come with me if they agree?"

    FINCHER: "They'll go with you if they can convince me they won't try to take you hostage and use you to barter a way home, or slit your throat as you sleep." She shrugs. "They've seen you fight, I doubt they're that stupid, but desperation does bad things to people."

    "Well, I don't want to get my throat slit."

    FINCHER: "Yeah, by the way, your throat has been slit at least twice."

    "At least I know I can survive that."

    Fincher frowns and opens her mouth to respond, but a knock at the door interrupts her.

    FINCHER: "Enter."

    Orison enters, holding a slate.

    ORISON: "Got the headcount, talon. Copse is going to need a little more time before he can walk, but Bayard is all better, thanking your efforts." he bows his head to Fincher. "No deserters, we're all accounted for. Thirty-seven able legion, three wounded, twenty marines, six Paleans. Plus you and our lady."

    INTEGRITY: LEGENDARY
    5 4
    CHECK SUCCESS

    INTEGRITY: That's wrong.

    SAGACITY: No it isn't. Thirty-eight able, four wounded, twenty marines, six Paleans. One of the wounded has healed, two are dead, so it's thirty-seven able, three wounded.

    INTEGRITY: It doesn't add up. It doesn't make sense.

    SAGACITY: Integrity is broken. This is basic arithmetic.

    INTEGRITY: Someone has changed the numbers.

    "Someone has changed the numbers."

    FINCHER: "What?"

    Fincher and Orison both look at you in confusion.

    ORISON: "Nobody changed these numbers, lady. Did the tally myself."

    "No, you don't understand. There's one more than there should be. Isn't there?"

    They exchange a long glance.

    FINCHER: "Boss, you're not doing a great job of convincing me of your mental stability."

    [ ] Insist that there is an infiltrator in your midst.
    [ ] Let it drop.
     
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    • [X] Insist that there is an infiltrator in your midst.

    For giggles. We might just be being crazy.

    We must trust in integrity San and dice San however.

    Edit:
    Someone could have been healed, but someone also could have died and been replaced.
     
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    Crumplepunch said:
    Four incapacitated leaves me with thirty-seven able legion
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    Crumplepunch said:
    Six Paleans, of the thirty we set out with
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    Crumplepunch said:
    Twenty. Press-ganged marines to the last one
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    Crumplepunch said:
    Thirty-nine able legion, three wounded, twenty marines, six Paleans. Plus you and our lady.
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    Wow, standards have really dropped for these infiltrators. Imagine getting discovered because of basic addition smh
     
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