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Mare Internum: An Exalted Quest

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Great minds think alike! Also, Crumplepunch, there are all really great, well-thought out and worldly grounded backstories. And you wrote a bunch of them in such short succession! Had you already thought up all these officers as characters before writing the update?
 
That was delightful. Crumplepunch, apart from Mei, how many remained unlooked at?

Also, hell of a roll to do well on.
Orm Embar said:
[X] Take Rivers' dinner as he's taken away.

Rivers is being detained, but his food's free! Good thing the Wolf of Sibun's on the case.
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Tenebrous Silken Vesper to her friends
 
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Okay, this was the absolute best roll to succeed in so far. Amazing job, dice.

Taking the dinner is a good vote, but I want to remind Mei that the Wold of Sibun is childish and terrible. So
[X] Wait, I still want to do Mei.
 
You know, I was just about to comment how great it is that Vesper just casually tore Usamir a new one without really meaning to, simply making dinner conversation with half her attention on the food.

Then the update loaded and she fucking exposed an Iselsi infiltration the same way. Amazing. So glad we aced that check.
 
Wait. If dinner is over at this table, can we go and sit with Orison and Fincher's, or Lily and Colter's group and take all the food with us?

Share-sies is good!
 
Back after that short hiatus, should proceed briskly provided I don't crash again. As of today MI has hit 100k words!

I intend to update as fast as possible throughout November; MI stated in November of last year as a one-month project to see how much I could write for a quest and has never hit that same pace again since. I want to see if I can get back into the swing of it for the one year anniversary.

Kymme said:
Great minds think alike! Also, Crumplepunch, there are all really great, well-thought out and worldly grounded backstories. And you wrote a bunch of them in such short succession! Had you already thought up all these officers as characters before writing the update?
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I knew what Rivers was up to and Usamir's vague backstory, the rest was improvised.

BeepSmile said:
That was delightful. Crumplepunch, apart from Mei, how many remained unlooked at?
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Not counting Usamir, just his first mate Kendrel and his unnamed female aide (Cinnamon's cousin.)
 
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I think now would be a good time to bring up The Numbers to Mei, as we just proved that we know our stuff even if we are also a bit nutter butter.
 
thelordofmango said:
I think now would be a good time to bring up The Numbers to Mei, as we just proved that we know our stuff even if we are also a bit nutter butter.
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The Numbers is an obsession that Vesper (and any voters) would be better served not fixating so hard on
Like sure, keep a note in the back of our head to be on the lookout for weird arithmetic or whatever, but accept that it's not something we can do anything about as it currently stands
And pushing the point with no solid explanation or framework, let alone solution, will do nothing but damage Vesper's fragile credibility

Vesper herself isn't sure that she isn't just crazy when it comes to The Numbers
 
I do wonder if this is a situation where Mei already knew but was keeping it on the DL cause she needs people in posts and it's not necessarily in these spies interests to screw things up too badly? The read I got was that they're just as likely to be killed by the locals as everyone else. Might not be grateful for the big reveal
 
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For A Better World 106
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    • SkrmnMrgsm said:
    [X] Take Rivers' dinner as he's taken away
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    There is general commotion, argument and outrage. Mercer's unnamed aide looks like he is about to make a run for it, but freezes on the spot when Mei turns to look at him. The camp guards take him and Rivers and frogmarch them away. You see ripples of confusion radiate outwards in the crowd of assembled legionaries as they see one of their senior officers is arrested.

    MEI: "Sen Yin, I want you to conduct a search of Rivers' room, he's your officer. Mercer, the same for Shenin, make sure you search everything, Any coded messages or anything else suspicious, have them sent to me. The rest of you officers, I want you to conduct searches for anyone else with those tattoos. Get the word to Colter as well. Be quick about it, before they give us the slip. Dismissed."

    The officers each stand to leave. You reach across the table and grap the dish containing Rivers' half-finished meal.

    MEI: "Anteya, Coppersmith, you stay."

    USAMIR: "Anteya is my aide, dragonlord."

    MEI: "Do you want to deny her dinner?"

    USAMIR: "No?"

    MEI: "Then fuck off."

    She sounds more tired than angry. Nonetheless Usamir leaves in a hurry, not even looking back.

    MEI: "You two, platter this stuff up and share out the leftovers to the other tables. Make sure you keep a plate for yourselves."

    Anteya bobs a curtsy, just like Cinnamon did earlier.

    ANTEYA: "Thank you, lady."

    COPPERSMITH: "Thanks, lady."

    Mei gives no acknowledgement of this. The two aides gather the remaining food on a couple of central platters and carry them away.

    You examine your newly acquired meal. Fluffy white flatbreads, some kind of shredded fish, fresh, in a dark sauce. A bowl of fried noodles, probably wheat, with pickled ginger. You tear off a hunk of bread and use it to scoop out some of your remaining dipping sauce.

    You realize you are alone at the table with Mei.

    MEI: "And what do you have to say for yourself?"

    "I was thinking about 'congratulations,'" you answer through a mouthful of bread "but I'd probably go with some kind of sagely aphorism, like 'the best part about exposing a spy at lunch is the second lunch.'"

    She almost smiles at that. You feel the echo of it, before she forces her face to be still.

    MEI: "You could have come to me quietly."

    "He asked me to deduce something. I wasn't really even thinking about it until I was saying it."

    MEI: "Hrm. I knew someone was copying our logistical papers, I was going to ask you to look for a spy in the ranks anyway. Now I have one of my senior officers arrested in front of half of my forces."

    "What're you going to do with him?"

    She chews thoughtfully on a piece of meat.

    MEI: "Code says I should hang them both. I'm erring on the side of mercy if only because we need all the soldiers we can get, and a spy hunt with hanging bodies is going to be bad for morale. Demotion to rank, put under a mean fang, kept under scrutiny. Thoughts?"

    [ ] Don't demote him.
    [ ] Demotion to rank sounds good.
    [ ] Hanging is safest.
     
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    • [X] Demotion to rank sounds good.
    -[X] Is my opinion actually going to sway you?
     
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