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Mare Internum: An Exalted Quest

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[X] Just push past him.

Everybody was kung-fu fighting.

Edit: Kind of surprised theres not chance to bring out the seal here.
 
Gender is going to be quite a confusing subject in this quest where your very own appendages have their own wants and seething hatred.
 
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The Proud Do Not Endure 54
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    • Parabola said:
    [X] "Alright, I won't go investigate." (Lie, immediately go investigate.)
    -[X] If that fails, incapacitate Orison.
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    "Alright, I'll drop it."

    Orison's tense form relaxes just a little. Palpable relief rises form him like smoke from burning kindling.

    ORISON: "Well, I'm glad to hear that. Now-"

    PRESENCE: DIFFICULT
    2 5
    CHECK FAILED

    "I need to go to the washroom."

    He immediately tenses again.

    ORISON: "Are you fucking serious? Do I look like an idiot to you?"

    "I really need to go though. I drank some water yesterday and I don't think I was prepared for it."

    ORISON: "Alright, enough of this-"

    He turns to open the door. Your opportunity resolves itself before your eyes.

    "Sorry about this."

    In a flash, you hop forward, kick off the counter and leap towards Orison. He turns towards you reflexively at the exact moment you are shoulder-height and arm-length from his head. Your textbook right cross catches him on the brow.

    In your mind's eye, you see his brain slosh jelly-like in his skull from the impact, twin hemispheres winking out like snuffed candles. The muscular tension that supported him vanishes in an eyeblink and he clatters to the floor. You manage to catch his head before it hits the ground.

    SAGACITY: DIFFICULT
    3 5
    CHECK PASSED

    SAGACITY: I estimate that you have three minutes before he wakes, and two months before he fully recovers from the concussion. I hope you're proud of yourself.

    Pride doesn't enter into it. The proud do not endure.

    You slip out of the kitchen and snap off the door handle, jamming the heavy board latch in place. Orison will be further delayed when he wakes.

    The main hall has more than half of the legionaires, but some of them are in one of the three upstairs rooms, or preparing outside. Fincher went to see the Paleans, who you know are down the hall to the right of you. That means when Fincher leaves that room she will come directly into the main hall.

    [ ] Search the main hall.
    [ ] Go upstairs.
    [ ] Head outside.
     
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    • Crumplepunch said:
    Pride doesn't enter into it. The proud do not endure.
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    Ooh, titledrop for the miniarc.

    Personally, I think we should search upstairs. If I were an infiltrator I wouldn't be out in the open... then again, probably a Sidereal, that's no guarantee. Do we have enough time to search here in the main hall and then leg it upstairs?

    We probably shouldn't go outside because I'm not sure what there would even be there to see but honestly I don't know, there are legionaries out there. Up to whoever votes next.
     
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    ...Alright, it's been over half an hour, I'm not gonna feel guilty about double-posting and making the vote.

    My logic is a bit Doylist but... it's almost certainly a Sidereal infiltrating given the memory deal. We know there's nothing of importance or great value in this random house besides us - so they're probably here for us specifically - if not the troops then either us or Fincher. And does a Sidereal in infiltration really need to hide per se? Would they necessarily be upstairs or outside? If they're after us (benevolent or otherwise), clearly, they should be somewhere open, where they'd be able to keep an eye on a great number of people, on us.

    Would a Sidereal with a Destiny hiding them fear being out in the open, in the middle of everyone, just another face in the crowd? No.

    [X] Search the main hall.
     
    The Proud Do Not Endure 55
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    • Parabola said:
    [X] Search the main hall.
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    The majority of legionaries are in the main hall. Regardless of the risk, it offers the best and most immediate chance to find this mysterious infiltrator. You have to know.

    SAGACITY: Listen to yourself! You don't even know that there is an infiltrator, all you have is Integrity being confused about some numbers.

    WAR: This seems like a bad decision from a strategic perspective.

    STEALTH: It's only a matter of time before we are discovered.

    AWARENESS: I don't even know what we are looking for.

    INTEGRITY: I know we can't remember it, but it happened. Someone changed the numbers.

    SAGACITY: And so what if there was, you fool? What would that even mean?

    WAR: Would it be worth this?

    You have to know.

    The group of legionaries parts around you. Some of them look fearful.

    INTEGRITY: At least some of them heard Fincher shouting at you.

    AWARENESS: It was pretty loud.

    AWARENESS: VERY DIFFICULT
    4 6
    CHECK PASSED

    You glance at each face in turn, embedding the craggy contours of their faces into your brain, cross-referencing each with your memories of the previous day.

    Pale, drawn, tattooed. He smokes a long pipe and tries to relax around a meagre beach fire.

    Balding, thickset, scowling. He pats the mane of a horse to calm her as she shivers along the Ashglass road.

    Grim-faced, ashen, shaved head. She steadies one of the wounded on his horse, keeps her hand on his side as they walk.

    Over-young, sandy hair, gangly. He helps you put on your newly claimed armour and gauntlets.

    Tall, blue eyes, russet curls. Nothing.

    Really? Nothing? You look at the man again.

    "You! Who the fuck are you?"

    The man pales.

    BOWERY: "Uh, Bowery, lady. Can I help you?"

    "Why can't I remember your face?"

    BOWERY: "I, er..."

    He bends down to pick something up. Your hand goes to your sword, reflexively. You feel a wave of incipient violence around you. Everyone is ready for a fight to break out.

    Bowery picks up a full-face Raigi helmet. He seems oblivious to the danger.

    BOWERY: "I was wearing this all day yesterday."

    You look at the helmet, with its snarling teeth and graven mustaches. Joking with Toothsome as they were packing up the horses.

    "Uh... okay, sorry, yes, I remember you."

    You release your hand from your sword. The tension in the room lowers by a notch.

    BRINDLE: "Lady, is everything alright?"

    The young man looks worried. He's frozen in place, as though the merest movement could set off a terrible chain reaction.

    There is nothing here. You hear a door open own the hall. Over the general hubbub, you make out Fincher's footsteps.

    You have only seconds.

    [ ] Confront Fincher.
    [ ] Retreat upstairs.
    [ ] Retreat outside.
     
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    • I'm thinking search upstairs, then jump out a window to get outside?

    [X] Retreat upstairs.
     
    The Proud Do Not Endure 56
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    • TaliesinSkye said:
    [X] Retreat upstairs.
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    You turn to Brindle.

    "Remain where you are, and await my instructions."

    You sprint upstairs, leaving the confused boy behind.

    The landing is silent. You don't know how long you have before things get difficult, but it is surely not long.

    There are three rooms here. The leftmost, at the far end of the landing, is the one where you slept the last few hours. The middle one is the small room where Fincher performed your medical checkup. The rightmost room, by process of elimination, must be being used as an infirmary for the wounded.

    The infiltrator could be lurking in any of them.

    [ ] Left.
    [ ] Middle.
    [ ] Right.
     
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    • [X] Left.

    This feels weirdly like a filler vote?

    Crumplepunch said:
    cross-referencing each with your memories of the previous day.
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    Foolish girl we already know our memories tell us nothing. They are being tampered with.

    Crumplepunch said:
    Tall, blue eyes, russet curls. Nothing.
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    In creation eyes of blue hold a particular special meaning among certain kinds of exalted.

    Crumplepunch said:
    "Why can't I remember your face?"

    BOWERY: "I, er..."

    He bends down to pick something up. Your hand goes to your sword, reflexively. You feel a wave of incipient violence around you. Everyone is ready for a fight to break out.

    Bowery picks up a full-face Raigi helmet. He seems oblivious to the danger.

    BOWERY: "I was wearing this all day yesterday."
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    This is too convenient. We should have at least detained him.

    Crumplepunch said:
    "Uh... okay, sorry, yes, I remember you."
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    ...Oh come on!

    Keep it together integrity!
     
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    The Proud Do Not Endure 57
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    • Broken25 said:
    [X] Left.
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    The linens covering the three straw matresses have alreay been rolled up and stowed for transport.

    Other than that, the room is exactly as you left it. Empty.

    You hear raised voices from downstairs. Sounds like Fincher is trying to figure out what's going on.

    Won't be long now.

    [ ] Middle.
    [ ] Right.
    [ ] Return downstairs.
     
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    • The Proud Do Not Endure 58
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    • Parabola said:
    [X] Middle.
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    You open the door. Two things happen at once.

    Firstly, from downstairs, you distinctly hear Fincher's voice raising to a shout.

    WAR: Somone probably found Orison.

    Secondly, the two legionaries who are busy in the bed yelp and cover themselves with a sheet.

    You hear heavy footfalls on the stairs. You enter the room and close the door behind you.

    The stairs connect to the landing directly in front of this door. If you leave here you will be spotted instantly by whoever is approaching.

    There is a window that is just large enough for you, but it is nailed shut and pasted over.

    [ ] Break through the window and escape.
    [ ] Pull back the sheets to examine the legionaries.
    [ ] Return to the landing.
     
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    • Classic Disco conundrum: double down on being a trashfire with very little chance of improving the situation, or accept the current consequences of our actions, which would be embarrassing. Most players tend to the more outrageous actions because of the sunk-cost fallacy and because asking forgiveness is easier than asking permission. And people let you get away with it because you're in a position of ostensible authority.

    When it comes to the 'run away from owing money' thing, even if you succeed you simply just... jog away while the manager sarcastically tells you you're real mature, and it doesn't actually solve your problem. It's better than accidentally hitting an elderly woman's wheelchair and knocking yourself out, but also less spectacular.

    Only, in this case it's not a matter of owing money or whatever. There's a memory-shifting infiltrator here, and you just can't prove it.
     
    The Proud Do Not Endure 59
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    • MorDrakka said:
    [X] Break through the window and escape.
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    INTEGRITY: There's nothing here. Maybe we should give up and take responsibility for what we did. We have no idea what we are doing.

    No way, taking responsibility is a sucker's game.

    You unsling your hatchet and use the blunt striking face to smash through the window. One of the cowering legionaries looks over the top of his blankets in shock.

    LEGIONARY: "What the fuck are you doing?"

    "I have no idea what I'm doing. And you can't stop me."

    You leap through the broken window and into the darkness below.

    EMBASSY: We haven't spoken in a while, but I just want you to know I am very disappointed in this whole string of events.

    You land on the damp ground hard, and roll to lessen the impact.

    You are at the rear of the farmhouse. You could circle around to the front, and from there access the stables or return to the ground floor. Alternatively, you could simply run away before anyone figures out what's going on.

    [ ] Head around the front and re-enter the ground floor of the farmhouse.
    [ ] Head around the front and enter the stables.
    [ ] Flee into the night and try to forget about this whole mess.
     
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    • [X] Head around the front and re-enter the ground floor of the farmhouse.

    Im partial to going After mc blue eyes.

    We could ask the horses for help I guess?
     
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