Murder; an Exalted SI

Larekko12 said:
?? I though that was what that Lore training session was for.

But okay.
No the lore session was to crossrefrence my knowledge. I.e. stuff like checking that the Scarlet Empress had still dissapared, that the Great Contagion had happaned, and cities like Gem or Lookshy still existed. Pretty much giving me the basic knowledge about the setting that isn't part of the books. More specific knowledge about exalts and the training thereof is another matter entirely and will probably come up later.
 
HioH said:
*fact finding session*
It would be lethally embarrassing to not know about something that's 'common knowledge' and be found out like that.

Anyway, who wants to bet that your own Deathlord tipped off the Wyld Hunt in order to make your test more challenging? That or the previously mentioned exalting the same shard in the city repeatedly until one sticks.
 
6
Honor Kill:

I kept on the move for the entire night, never stopping for more than a few minutes. My largest problem at the moment lay in the inexact nature of the information at my disposal. Exalted as written was a badly flawed system, with countless loopholes that could be used to break the setting in half by anyone with even the slightest of time and knowledge. Now seeing as the world I was in seemed to be very much like the one described in the books, that meant that most of the worst offenders were probably not possible.

But this left the smaller and perhaps more esoteric problems. The first that came to mind was Infallible messenger; it could, in theory be used to perfectly track me unless I managed to get some mystical protections. Yet the fact that I hadn't been bombarded by cherubs and their sorcerous masters meant that it probably didn't work that way here. The only other explanation would be that the people here were drooling morons, something I doubted.

As the sun began to rise from the horizon, I finally descended from the towering forest of buildings that I had been leaping between, touching down in an empty alley with a only the softest of sounds.

I Fucking loved being superhuman.

Perhaps it was my slightly sleep deprived state but it took me a few moments to notice that something was wrong. The streets around me were abandoned, with no people in sight and all the buildings securely locked. I barely had time to swear before a strong wind carrying the faintest hint of Essence blew through the empty streets.

I reacted instantly, almost throwing myself into an alley and franticly beginning to think of a way to escape the coming storm. Jumping back into the air was foolish, had been foolish, it disconnected me from what was happening on the ground isolated me when I needed to blend in. Now I was stuck out in the open with the Wyld Hunt on the way.

A quick glance around revealed nothing, stone road and obsidian walls providing no comfort. All the doors around were closed and probably barred. Breaking into a building would only be counterproductive, raising noise and attention when I really didn't need it. A second look showed me a possible way, two stories up on a building on the other side of the street from where I was standing there was a single window open. For a second I wondered at it, it was the only open entrance within sight, before I forced myself to move towards it.

Even if it was a trap, it was the only place I could hide before the Dragon-Blooded arrived. A quick leap and I was balancing on the entrance to a darkened room, and with a last glance at the rapidly lightening sky, I stepped inside.

It was a small and cramped common area of what I assumed to be servant's quarters from the multitude of doorways leading into it. I moved quietly and glanced inside one of the entrances. Sure enough, a series of empty beds and small cupboards lined the room. quick glances showed similar layouts in most of the other rooms, all empty, with one door opening into a hall leading deeper into the building.

Thankfully, it seemed as if the Servants had already woken for the day and begun whatever tasks they had. But I don't think I could stay here for too long, someone was bound to come by at the most inopportune time. I froze.

The window!

I moved as fast as I could without making too much noise, almost running to the open window. A quick look outside showed me that it might be too late, five people and one large animal already gathered around where I had landed a short while ago. Hoping that they hadn't already seen, I carefully closed the window, keeping only the tiniest crack open to observe my pursuers.

It was a full circle of Dragonborn. Their leader seemed to be the wood aspect who, from the brown skin and green almost vine like hair, might actually be an elder. She was gesturing from her mount on what at first glance seemed to be an enormous lion. Then I spotted the hooves. It was a Simhata, a lion-horse, powerful creatures bred as mounts for the Exalted. She looked to be unarmed, In fact only one of the Dragon-Blooded was actually armed with a Daiklaive.

It was a massive Grand Daiklaive, and the woman wielding it was also armored in what I guessed to be Superheavy plate. While I couldn't say for sure, the her armor's and exposed hair's white color seemed to indicate an Air aspect.

The youngest in their group actually looked unarmored and unarmed, a man clad in blue robes with a soft smile on his face at something his leader was saying. I pegged him as either an martial artist or a Sorcerer and probably a water aspect, if only because of the clothes.

The fire aspect on the other hand was undoubtedly a sorcerer. Flanking him were two shifting figures made from fire, and in front of him was a single female form seemingly made from cloud. I think that the wind from earlier might have been that air elemental.

The last member of their group stood slightly apart- tensions in the group? - and was toying with a blue-green chakram and occasionally interjecting herself in the conversation.

I couldn't hear them from where I was standing, but it seemed as if they were talking about whatever the Elemental had said. For a few tense minutes they did nothing except talk, before backing away from the Fire aspect. As soon as they were outside some invisible radius, the Sorcer lit up with power. Fire erupted from his form, the Anima banner of a Terrestrial, his eyes lit with crimson light, and flickering runes seemed to form out of the flames around him.

I tensed.

Then the light faded, and in front of him a small floating creature appeared. Six wings supported a tiny body in the air, and as it approached it's summoner I recognized it as the manifestation of the Infallible Messenger spell. My musings from before came back with a vengeance, and I could feel my heart begin to speed up.

Then it accelerated, moving faster than I could track but away from me. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. It seemed that I was safe for now, but they knew I was in the district and seemed to have the city in lockdown. I really, really didn't want to stay in this damn place much longer.

"Just" six more days to go.

-
Ladies, gentlemen, and undetermined tentacled friends: our Heroes/Villains of this part of the story, please give them a big round of applause. Like always, feedback is ambrosia.
 
Odysseus2099 said:
It's more a "there's no way Creation would still exist if it worked this way" than a "the game is unbalanced".
A lot of OP things makes a game unplayable, I'm just saying that the OP should remember the bar in Exalted is set much higher than in other settings, and a lot of things that wouldn't fly elsewere is more or less common occurance in this game.
 
ryuan said:
A lot of OP things makes a game unplayable, I'm just saying that the OP should remember the bar in Exalted is set much higher than in other settings, and a lot of things that wouldn't fly elsewere is more or less common occurance in this game.
It's more like three dot manses that can pump out a couple of million Dragon-Blooded per day that don't exist. But don't worry, there's a LOT of OP stuff left in the setting.
 
AkumaOuja said:
Does it help to know that my Headcanon name for her until corrected by author is currently Willow?

Because they bend so well.
You know, I think I will use this. *yoink* Miss Wood Aspect is now named Supple Willow of house Cathak.

If only because it really clashes with her personality.
 
Forum Viking said:
I like the descriptions of the people hunting you, you made them very distinct and rather interesting.
Thank you, coming up with cool characters is always fun. I hope I can show you how I see them in my mind.
 
well well you got either 2 sorcers or 2 Martial artist around as the women with the chakram might be a initate of of the orders in the path of air.
 
afterthought53 said:
Abyssal's aren't my favorite exalts but it's good to see how well you're handling this.
Thanks, still early days but I will see if we can't keep that shark unjumped.

For people wondering; the updates are a bit sporadic right now because of midterms, I should get back on track after Thursday.
 
Chuut-Riit said:
Sounds like a good plan for the weekend! :)

Actually I'd love to write some stuff of my own...if I only had an inkling of creativity and talent, so it's probably better to spare the world the literary atrocities I would spawn..;)
Ahh, but remember: Atrocity is just a few piddly letters from Awesome.
Give it a whirl. The worst that can happen is that SB tears your self confidence into floating scraps!
:p
 
7
The small group of Terrestrials didn't move after the message had been sent, simply continuing their conversation while keeping out of their comrades fiery aura. I was had just managed to relax slightly when they all froze, heads cocking as if trying to listen to something. I tensed slightly. Looked like they were getting new orders.

They secured their equipment quickly then left, moving in a tight group down the street towards the temple district. I slumped against the wall next to me. What just happened? They had at least gotten one good "ping" from that elemental, I'm sure of it. Why would they just leave now… Reinforcements seems like the most logical explanation. Or perhaps politics.

The murmurs of approaching conversation cut of my line of thought. The servants were returning. Out of options that didn't begin and end with me killing all witnesses in a massacre, I opened the window and jumped. I was starting to get the feeling that a Day-caste exaltation would have been more useful. As I moved through the empty streets, I comforted myself with the thoughts of the Magitech abominations I might one day create. If I couldn't be a super-ninja-vampire-superweapon I would be satisfied with building a Jaeger.

That could do magic.

-

As time passed people returned to the streets, still cautious but eager to resume their lives. With the fact that they had my approximate position I judged it a good time to move to a different district. I needed someplace to get a good nights, or days, rest before I could resume trying to counteract any attempts to find me. This is the kind of thing that would go much smoother if I had more applicable skills other than "Spider-Man".

Even if Spider-man was a perfectly acceptable and incredibly fun powerset to play around with, it had a rather narrow band of applicable situations. Especially when I lacked any combat or defense charms. I would kill for some basic knowledge of sorcery.

Instead of wielding incredible cosmic power to solve my situation I was instead to work around it like a mortal. Mingling with the crowds I moved closer the exit to the redlight district or as it was called in The Imperial City; The Garden of Crimson Pleasures. A place where everyone had at least one good explanation to why they were trying to get there.

The walls separating the districts were nothing like the great granite ring around the city, they were white brick topped by stone tiles that encircled and defined each area of the city more as a formality than any actual physical deterrence. This "weakness" seemed much less pertinent when constant patrols of dragonblooded moved along the narrow top, keeping their balance perfectly on the thin area.

As soon as I saw the gate I knew I had no chance to leave the Empyrean Bazaar undetected, and if I was honest to myself, at all. The walls themselves, as mentioned, were constantly patrolled and the gates were even worse. I only checked one gate, but I didn't need any great insight to understand that all the others were probably the same or worse.

A full Scale of twenty-five Dragon-Blooded were in attendance, fully kitted with massive Daiklaives and equally formidable jade armor, just waiting for any enemy to be foolish enough to reveal themselves. The missing fingers of the Heptagram Sorcerers amongst their number told me that they could probably deploy anywhere within the city on short notice, and that I could expect Demons or Elementals if worst came to worst.

At least I didn't see any Sidereals. I slapped myself lightly, drawing odd looks from people around me that I ignored. Seeing Sidereals… Really, I needed to keep concentrated and trying to find fate ninjas would not be a productive use of my time. With my primary option out of commission I turned to other, less polished ideas. Or rather I turned to the time honored concept of: money is good, more money is better. I needed a job.

A task that turned out to be surprisingly simple. The lockdown of the district had caused many problems for shop owners, both large and small. With several hours of the day lost, and some of the more sensitive wares quickly becoming spoiled when unattended. It wasn't glamorous work, or even steady work, but simply moving through the district and asking those shop owners that seemed stressed turned a nice bounty of menial labor.

A eighth of a yen here from moving inventory, three-eighths there were my literacy allowed me to help take notes for a beleaguered shopkeeper. The small issues caused by the chaos I had caused turned out to be a gold mine where my money situation was concerned. With seemingly everyone eager to have my help with something. Six hours and eight yen later I decided that my bodies needs were greater than my monetary ones. The fact that every person I talked to seemed to comment on my usual skin tone was only a small part of my decision to quit.

With enough money to keep myself comfortably feed and quartered for the rest of the week, I decided to splurge a little. Picking out one of the ubiquitous, small but comfy looking, teahouses that could be found littered across the district I walked through the open screen door. A well dressed woman met me almost as soon as I stepped inside and, without commenting on my unusual complexion, ushered me into a packed main room. Small communal tables seemed to be the norm, and conversations were kept low as people mingled, ate, and drank tea.

It was only lacking Iroh to make it perfect.

The table I was seated at had four other patrons already there, an older couple speaking softly while ignoring the world around them, a young woman engrossed in a book who I took for a student, and like the punchline of some cosmic joke the blue-haired, blue clothed, Water Aspect that had been hunting me earlier.

-
Not sure about this snippet, but something is better than nothing. Also, if anyone with exalted knowledge is willing to talk and help me plan future plotlines and the like I would appreciate it. Just say in the thread or throw me a PM.
 
HioH said:
No ROB involved in this fic. But there might be a spider or two... :)
Well, if she comments on your appearance you can possibly claim to be ghost blooded (on your maternal grandfathers side, assuming there's no other problems with making such a claim) or being born in a Shadowland. She might also be able to teach you magic, or at least discuss it with you, after all someone who courts her attention is probably not the anathema she's looking for. Hide in plain sight so to speak.

If however she ignores you to keep reading do the same, make small talk with the older couple.

edit: Which one had blue hair? you only commented on the blue robed male and the one with the blue-green chakram.
 
The male, shall Edit for clarity.
Four people
Two older
One female student
One dragon Blooded male.
 
8
For a second I hesitated, then took the open seat that the smiling server was gesturing towards. I inclined my head slightly in greeting, and the water aspect returned it in kind. He was not the stereotypical Dragon-blooded, in fact his slight build and ever so feminine features marked him as someone that probably didn't fit in well amongst the aggressive culture of the Terrestrials. His long hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and his voice was soft and cultured when he spoke.

"Don't worry, I don't care for formalities. My name is Dorlinor".

Apparently my pause had been noticed, if misconstrued.

"No, no. I'm just not used to seeing Dragon-Blooded up close like this. I'm Obsidian, I just arrived in the city."

True enough I suppose and hopefully enough to assuage him.

"Hmm? Where are you from? Your Realm is quite good but your name sounds Threshold.."

I picked a village I had seen on the map before, one not to far from the capitol and began to spin a story.

"Not that far from here actually but, as you can see-" I indicated my pale skin tone. "-I don't really fit in well. Mother never said, but I think my father is from the North. So I decided to seek my fortune in the city." My voice rose with enthusiasm that was only partially fake.

He smiled.

"Well you've chosen an exciting time to come here."

"I heard the horns! Are there really Anathema in the Imperial City itself?"

The others at our table quieted, and seemed interested in his answer as well. His lips pressed together in a thin line for a moment before he spoke.

"Those weak souls that fall to the demons are found everywhere, but it is almost unheard of for the Anathema to appear so often. But worry not! While it might seem terrifying, the fact is that the Imperial City is the best place for them to appear. We can easily root them out here before they grow in strength and cause to much destruction."

I would feel safer if it wasn't me being hunted. As the others returned to their respective distractions, the server came back to take my order. As I had been too busy talking to read the menu I instead deferred to my Watery table companion who recommended a dish made from rice noodles and pork with a cup of the house's traditional Tea.

As I waited for my order, we continued to converse. I played up the curious country boy angle and we were soon engrossed in tales of the distant lands around creation. I had read about them, but hearing it told from someone that had actually been to these places was something else.

In the middle of a tale about the endless forests of the East, we were interrupted once more. This time by a animal. I tentatively identified it as a Ferret, but it was much longer than any I had seen before and I could spot small patches of scales along it's body. It clambered up Dorlinor's body and wrapped itself around his neck with a satisfied purr. Reaching up to scratch it's tiny chin, he introduced our newest interruption.

"This is Isa. You must excuse her, she was just running an errand for me."

The ferret seemed to nod in agreement, then leaned into the the finger that was pampering it. Luckily my food arrived before we could pick up where we left off and spared us another interruption. Dorlinor and his circle were extremely well traveled. Apparently having journeyed almost across all of creation in their five years of service to the Wyld hunt.

He didn't say how they had managed to traverse the massive distances involved, but I suspected that they didn't walk much. When I asked about his circle mates he was more withdrawn, but I did manage to learn their names.

The Wood aspect leader was Supple Willow of house Cathak.

Their Daiklaive wielding Air aspect was Tokkan of house Sesus.

The sorcerous Fire aspect was named Jouen of house Nellens.

The nervous Earth aspect was Kidorui of house Cathak.

Dorlinor himself was of house Ledaal.

In retrospect, it was probably a rather stupid thing for me to do. Learning about the people hunting me would do nothing except make me hesitate when- If -It came time to kill them. In my defense, I was mostly running off movies and books right now. After the slight divergence into his circle, we returned to "safer" topics.

In the middle of a complex tale involving Raksha, Two cows, and rebellious grass, he broke off mid sentence and cocked his head in the strange manner I had seen before. After a few seconds he apologetically returned to our conversation.

"Please Excuse me, this has been fun but I need to go."

I hoped that meant that they had lost the trail. "It's no trouble at all, I'm the one who should be sorry. Taking so much of your time."

He smiled, waving my concerns off. "I had fun. after all, what use are adventures if they aren't shared?"

I found myself smiling in return. "Indeed."

I kept the smile as he rose and walked away, only letting it slip once he was outside the building. This could be very bad, I still don't know what resonance system was in play and "consorting" with the living like this might be enough to get me punished. A Resonance eruption was really the last thing I needed right now.

With a sigh I rose, meal finished, and drained the last of the bitter green tea with a grimace. Give me Earl Grey any day of the week instead of this stuff. Dropping my payment into the hands of the server, I left the Tea shop.

The city was still subdued but I spotted one large and, to me obvious, difference. All over the street I saw dozens of men and women that didn't fit in. They were clad in normal clothing, but the way they moved and held themselves told a different story. A quick scan of the street confirmed my theory.

There were covered wagons spread out along the street, each surrounded by a small contingent of the "Civilians". They were soldiers disguised and with their gear stashed in the wagons. The only question was if they were here to ambush me, or to search for me.

The easiest way to find out would be from the source. Picking out one woman who seemed isolated from the rest and near an alley, I began to move, weaving through the crowd with ease. My right hand lowered, drawing the knife and keeping it low to hide it. Soon I was within three paces of the disguised soldier.

Two

One.

-
Had some problems with this part, dialog has never been my strongest skill. Hope it turned out okay.
 
HioH said:
...The easiest way to find out would be from the source. Picking out one woman who seemed isolated from the rest and near an alley, I began to move, weaving through the crowd with ease. My right hand lowered, drawing the knife and keeping it low to hide it. Soon I was within three paces of the disguised soldier.

Two

One...
o_O

*Facepalm*

Unless you've got a charm that will prevent her from recognizing you, you'll have to kill her after your little 'interrogation'. Which will mean they will know their target was in the area instead of just suspect it, they may even get a description of you if anyone notices the very distinctive pale guy dragging the soon to be dead girl into the alley.

So unless you're just walking by her and seeing if she recognizes you and tries to raise an alarm, the alley putting you in a position to interrupt and take care of her, and just passing her by if she doesn't then I seriously doubt this is a good idea.
 
SolipsistSerpen said:
Well, or if he has some of the crazier Abyssal Stealth and Larceny charms that let you do things like murder people in plain sight (Atrocity without Witness) and eat their faces to become them (Face Drinking Bite).
He'd have to actually learn them first. Also, you may want to put on a flame-resistant black robe.

But while it's necroed, it sure is odd that an Aybssal managed to go an entire chapter without murdering anybody! :p
 
SolipsistSerpen said:
Ah. Oops. My apologies everyone. Really I should have known better.

Wait... How long did I have that tab open before I got around to reading it...?
Well, it's been a week since the thread passed to the point where it would be necromancy to post in it, so probably at least that long.
 
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