I like how usually... almost ADHD-like Vesper been like, this is by far the most consistently focused we've seen her (and voted her to, of course).
That we rolled well, and from that performed well, only adds to that narrative to her falling into a state of flow during this dissection.
It does help that it plays into our favored skills, so it makes me think- did Vesper do things like this, in her past? Or do them relatively often, anyway. Just analyzing a crime scene or some unholy abomination and calmly, methodically finding out every piece of information she can.
This was really cool. Because it was so far away from most other things in the quest in terms of Vesper's ability, and the exquisitely placed description, it really did have the perfect vibe and pacing of a kind of detective's cadaver examination. Superb stuff, Crumple.
It does help that it plays into our favored skills, so it makes me think- did Vesper do things like this, in her past? Or do them relatively often, anyway. Just analyzing a crime scene or some unholy abomination and calmly, methodically finding out every piece of information she can.
If you assume that "Few necromancers even among the Exalted possess the skill" = "this was done by a second circle necromancer" then like, yeah, in this time period you're mainly looking at Lunars or really terrible kinds of ghosts. "One of the 20-odd Solars in the world/an incredibly rare Exigent who is also a really strong necromancer" are pretty remote compared to those two groups.
The option that it's something stranger or more unique than the standard options is always on the table and not necessarily worth discounting. And sometimes, skill means literal skill and not just initiation level or whatever.
If you assume that "Few necromancers even among the Exalted possess the skill" = "this was done by a second circle necromancer" then like, yeah, in this time period you're mainly looking at Lunars or really terrible kinds of ghosts. "One of the 20-odd Solars in the world/an incredibly rare Exigent who is also a really strong necromancer" are pretty remote compared to those two groups.
Can't it just be a Deathlord and their Abbysals? (I guess Deathlords do count as a really terrible kind of ghost) It was 763 when we set out after all.
My first thought was 'it's probably a necromantic working so a highly skilled first circle necromancer could do it with enough luck' but uh, how many days has it been since the fleet arrived? It seems like they did a lot of very extensive stuff to this corpse in just a few days.
This thing may not prevail over one of the Exalted of sufficient power - it fell to Vesper's sword, after all, though Vesper is by no means an unexceptional fighter - but for all intents and purposes it's immune to harm at the hands of mortal troops in a way even most Exalts aren't. It may be restrained - bungee pits, bolas, nets might all be possibilities to investigate - but there is no way for mortal weapons wielded with mortal strength to cut through cast iron-encased bone, and little else can impair its motion. Strategically leveraged against 'soft' places that lack the physical presence of a combat-ready Dragon-Blood, one of these things could single-handedly wipe out a position.
And they made it in three days?
This thing can't be cheap. This is neither the mass production of ordinary zombies nor the rote spellwork of raising and binding a single ghost. This is artisanal work requiring infrastructure and money. Cast iron isn't super expensive, sure, but they would have needed a nearby smithy plus the necrological facilities and tools to strip a body of all its flesh and organs, preserve the flesh during the rest of the procedure, then coat the bones in newly-smelted iron, bind both higher and lower soul and forge the higher soul into soulsteel, then put the entire thing back together. And have it complete and operational in three days.
They would need a large, sophisticated workshop and a non-insignificant workforce, at a guess. Purely spitballing here, but the enemy's main weakness might be that their necromantic artisanship is operating out of a large, conspicuous, possibly vulnerable place. Maybe we can locate and strike it? If not... I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of a secure workshop outputting one of these every couple days, if not more.
"Alright, findings. Talonlord White Coal died by drowning during the storm three days ago. His corpse was recovered, dried, embalmed and dissected. The bones were sheathed in iron, which serves to both increase the corpse's durability and to force its own hungry ghost to animate it. The heart was replaced with jet as part of this binding process. Then they put the whole thing back together, piece by piece."
THE BANE OF KADJ: "The higher ghost was bound using the iron heel process and then soulforged into a phylactery placed within the corpse's skull in place of the brain. Magically fused with the skeleton, this allows the hungry ghost to assume many of the advantages of the late talonlord's skills, experience and intellect."
"Severing the head robbed the revenant of its reasoning abilities and led it to try to destroy its own body in a rage. Crushing the heart may also have contributed to this."
"Standard countermeasures won't work. Even if you can pin it down with lugged polearms like a regular zombie, and that's a tall order what with it retains most of its former skills, there's no way you're getting through this skeleton with a hatchet."
MEI: "Mm. Maybe a beaked greataxe, or a pick. I'll talk to Rooster about options, he's clever with this stuff."
"As far as I can see, our only option is to get a dragon-blood to fight them directly, preferably two on one."
THE BANE OF KADJ: "I have a recommendation."
MEI: "Is it demons?"
THE BANE OF KADJ: "It is demons."
MEI: "Then no."
THE BANE OF KADJ: "You continue to neglect the resources available to you, dragonlord. How many will die because of your abstemiousness?"
MEI: "You expect me to believe you give a shit about that?"
It's hard to say if the sorcerer is smiling because he lacks a lot of the requisite facial muscles, but he seems amused.
[ ] I agree, demons are a bad idea.
[ ] We should hear out the demon plan.
[ ] Demons might be our only option.
That was the funniest time to fail, incredible. Absolutely flawless deacription and analysis, then completely bellyflop the conclusion. Ohh, I'm so glad chance waited to fuck us, that was glorious.
So, I've been on an Exalted mechanics kick lately, making a bunch of different spirits among demons and elementals. This last series of updates inspired me to write up the Caged Hungry Ghost!
Merits Blood Scent: Hungry ghosts adds three successes on any Perception-based roll to sense the presence of spilt blood, and can smell battles or massacres from five miles away. If it is specifically attempting to track or detect a character who is bleeding, it adds an additional success for each point of wound penalty that character is suffering.
Reinforced Frame: The Caged Hungry Ghost resides within an extensively modified body reinforced by necromantic rituals and iron plating and frames in order to render it resistant to most forms of attack. It is immune to mundane gambits which would inflict crippling penalties without severing a limb, and increases the difficulty of gambits meant to destroy its limbs by three. It additionally ignores the first two points of penalty to attack or mobility that would be inflicted by magic that inflicts crippling penalties or grievous damage from injury, counting them separately.
Offensive Charms
Remembrance-of-Flame Interception (2m per success, supplemental, instant): The Caged Hungry Ghost remembers the Exalt it once was, and can call upon those embers and the dark magic used to animate it to enhance its attacks. It may spend 2m to add an automatic success to any attack or movement action, or to raise either defense by one. When attacking an enemy specifically designated by its master, or who suffers from a -2 wound penalty or greater, for an additional 2m it may add an additional automatic success, or raise its defenses against the same by two.
Flame-Wreathed Talons (8m, supplemental, instant, Dual): The Caged Hungry Ghost wraps its talons in deadly flames. On a Withering attack it doubles threshold successes for the purposes of calculating raw damage, and adds extra successes to the damage roll of a decisive attack.
Battle Memory Meditation (10m; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): The Caged Hungry Ghost draws upon the Essence buried in her bones and recalls how she once moved. For the rest of the scene, she may use up to three Charms she knew in life. When the scene ends, she forgets them.
Defensive Charms Kickback Strike Evasion (10m,4i, reflexive, instant): The Hungry Ghost kicks at a foe with a heel spiked with keratin, clashing an incoming attack with all the normal rules for a clash, save that the Caged Hungry Ghost may add a third automatic success with Remembrance-of-Flame Interception for an additional 2m to enhance the clash. If the Caged Hungry Ghost wins, it propels itself back by a single range band, and throws its target back a range band in the opposite direction with the force of the kick.
Misc Charms
Destructive Force (3m or 1i; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): The Hungry Ghost adds three bonus successes on a feat of strength to destroy an object or obstacle.
MEI: "What? Did you forget what I told you already?"
THE BANE OF KADJ: "Oh, were you telling the story about the siege of Marmor again?"
MEI: "What if I was?"
THE BANE OF KADJ: "Then perhaps you should consider that I do not have the time or resources to summon an entire cohort of erymanthoi. We are dealing with a specific tactical problem, not trying to hold territory with a demon army."
Mei glances at you. You shrug.
MEI: "Fine. What do you think would be best for killing one of these things."
The sorcerer takes a moment to consider his answer.
THE BANE OF KADJ: "An erymanthus could do the job, with the proper tools. They are considerably stronger than a mortal, and more savage. I am cognizent of our supply condition, however, and it would be difficult to keep it fed with fresh meat. Unless you would acquiesce to it devouring Raigi corpses?"
MEI: "No."
THE BANE OF KADJ: "Greyjaw Anuhles have a similar issue. Madaken and baidaks probably lack the strength. A jazon would work, but they grow wild and uncontrollable in battle, so they are unsuitable. Tomescu and metody could dismember and dissolve the body respectively, but you probably have objections to certain morale issues."
MEI: "That's putting it mildly. No."
THE BANE OF KADJ: "Teodojzjia are certainly formidable enough, though they would insist on preaching their religion to the legion."
MONK 2: "What?"
MEI: "Absolutely not."
THE BANE OF KADJ: "You are limiting our options considerably."
SAGACITY: EXTRAORDINARY CHECK PASSED
"What about a demjen?"
THE BANE OF KADJ: "A demjen is nowhere near strong enough to... oh, hm. That might work. Clever."
MEI: "I've never heard of a demjen."
THE BANE OF KADJ: "They are not listed in your tactical manuals. Their only conventional use is mining, and the legion eschews magical solutions where mundane ones might suffice. However, they could have a particular use here."
MEI: "Explain."
"It has a magical song that turns metal into crabs."
MEI: "Explain using more words."
THE BANE OF KADJ: "Demjen song makes metal in its vicinity come alive in the form of small arthropodic golems called chalcothetes. This has some utility against heavily armored opponents, but is generally not very practical for the battlefield. However..."
MEI: "When your enemy has iron-sheathed bones it suddenly becomes an instant kill attack."
THE BANE OF KADJ: "Just so. A demjen's song would destroy most of this revenant's body and unbind the hungry ghost. At night, it would become vulnerable to conventional attack. During the day, the exposed hungry ghost would be quickly destroyed by the sun."
MEI: "Alright. How is this demjen temprementally? Is it going to be rampaging about making crab golems out of spearheads and helmets and eating eyeballs or something?"
THE BANE OF KADJ: "You needn't worry. They are rather personable for demons, with no inclination to violence. Even less dangerous than the agata. They will be quite happy given a few hours a day in the sea to swim and hunt for fish."
MEI: "Alright. Summon one tonight. I'll make my assessment on how to proceed after meeting it."
She nods to you curtly.
INTEGRITY: That means good work.
THE BANE OF KADJ: "Very well. I also have a few more weapons from my workshop that I might supply."
MEI: "Send me your recommendations later."
[ ] What kind of weapons are we talking about?
[ ] Can we talk about those other demons?
[ ] Let's talk about strategy.
And it's somehow even funnier that we're back to being bizarrely good after failing that tactical recommendation roll so badly. God, it really is just poetic to be sherlock holmes, making perfect inductive leaps of logic and assertkng ourselves as a trustworthy authority in their element, being asked for advice and just going 'i have literally no ideas and we're all gonna die' the moment we get legitimacy, and then the second Mei sighs and realises she got caught up with trusting us for a second and resigns herself to ignoring our bullshit, we go back to cutting and incisive creativity that only an inspired fellow expert could come up with. It's absolutely masterful chaos and I love it.
So, I've been on an Exalted mechanics kick lately, making a bunch of different spirits among demons and elementals. This last series of updates inspired me to write up the Caged Hungry Ghost!
Merits Blood Scent: Hungry ghosts adds three successes on any Perception-based roll to sense the presence of spilt blood, and can smell battles or massacres from five miles away. If it is specifically attempting to track or detect a character who is bleeding, it adds an additional success for each point of wound penalty that character is suffering.
Reinforced Frame: The Caged Hungry Ghost resides within an extensively modified body reinforced by necromantic rituals and iron plating and frames in order to render it resistant to most forms of attack. It is immune to mundane gambits which would inflict crippling penalties without severing a limb, and increases the difficulty of gambits meant to destroy its limbs by three. It additionally ignores the first two points of penalty to attack or mobility that would be inflicted by magic that inflicts crippling penalties or grievous damage from injury, counting them separately.
Offensive Charms
Remembrance-of-Flame Interception (2m per success, supplemental, instant): The Caged Hungry Ghost remembers the Exalt it once was, and can call upon those embers and the dark magic used to animate it to enhance its attacks. It may spend 2m to add an automatic success to any attack or movement action, or to raise either defense by one. When attacking an enemy specifically designated by its master, or who suffers from a -2 wound penalty or greater, for an additional 2m it may add an additional automatic success, or raise its defenses against the same by two.
Flame-Wreathed Talons (8m, supplemental, instant, Dual): The Caged Hungry Ghost wraps its talons in deadly flames. On a Withering attack it doubles threshold successes for the purposes of calculating raw damage, and adds extra successes to the damage roll of a decisive attack.
Battle Memory Meditation (10m; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): The Caged Hungry Ghost draws upon the Essence buried in her bones and recalls how she once moved. For the rest of the scene, she may use up to three Charms she knew in life. When the scene ends, she forgets them.
Defensive Charms Kickback Strike Evasion (10m,4i, reflexive, instant): The Hungry Ghost kicks at a foe with a heel spiked with keratin, clashing an incoming attack with all the normal rules for a clash, save that the Caged Hungry Ghost may add a third automatic success with Remembrance-of-Flame Interception for an additional 2m to enhance the clash. If the Caged Hungry Ghost wins, it propels itself back by a single range band, and throws its target back a range band in the opposite direction with the force of the kick.
Misc Charms
Destructive Force (3m or 1i; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): The Hungry Ghost adds three bonus successes on a feat of strength to destroy an object or obstacle.
