[IC][Exalted 2.5] The Emerald Labyrinth

[wonderandawe]

And her mental listing came to a crashing halt when she heard the message. Very slowly, Zarah stood up from the table. She paused for a moment, trying to regain her composure and went over to the Prodigal of Ashen Remorse. She quietly asked, "Can I see this message?"

[wonderandawe]

Zarah heads over to the bartender and apologizes for the chair. She passes the man some coin and then sits back down at the table. Apparently, patrons destroying furniture was not as common in the North as it was in the Imperial City.

""Mr. Zan, what can you tell us about prepare for the Emerald Labyrinth? What is a good size group to go into the Labyrinth? What sort of gear will we need to bring? Are there any specialists we will need to hire? " Zarah was already mentally creating list on what was needed to prepare for the trip.

[Belkra]

It would appear that the message left in the carcass was meant for someone currently in the tavern. With that thought, the Prodigal of Ashen Remorse stands and purposely strides into the tavern. He takes in the smoldering remains of the chair and looks to those he remembers from the ship in. The Daybreak registers their new compatriot with a nod and gestures with his staff toward the smear on the window.

"I take it you are all aware of the carcass that hit the wall?" His voice sounds not so much steeped in entropy as it does a voice that is straining to remain a living voice against an overwhelming tide of underworld pressure. "Apparently it is a message for the one who has called one known as the King of Hoof. He comes to eat your bones in the passing of one moon. I would be wary, whoever you are..."

With that, he will pause and look expectantly around the common room. His intent is to ensure that the message sent by the King was received by its intended recipient.

[Dietaku]

(Nergui)

"T-the disease? No one knows. Some say it's the Forest Folk, a nasty, brutish group of mosnters who live in the Deep Woods, near the Beesee Sen Towers, and have the aid of several ancient and evil forest spirits. They're secretive, but anyone who goes near them gets the disease. But...Moon on your head," the doctor says, his eyes widening and he falls to the floor.

"Is it true? The Stewards of Luna...They do exist?" he says, looking on at the hulking form before him.

[Dietaku]

(Tavern)

Zan looks on as the Lover destroys a perfectly good chair, as the bartender looks on in horror at the destruction of his property. When the weapon returned to its position, Zan chuckles.

"I took you all as extraordinary, but a magitech man. What wonders. Very well, Mr. Eisen, we have an accord," he says, extending his hand.

"Deci-Kukla. As per the Ochre Foundation's Statute Against Anti-Creation Weaponry due to the emergence and proliferation of Kerred'r Harmonicas in the wake of the Saigoth-Azorn Immolation, the metric of Kukla, named for the God of the Apocalyptic End of Creation, was coined in order to codify and instate limits on what weaponry the Chosen were allowed to bring to bear. This metric indicates the threat that a given entity or object has to destroying Creation, with 1 Kukla being a total eradication of all animal life, and 10 being the complete reversal of existence," the book-sprite states to no one in particular.

[Dietaku]

(Plaza)

Master Ironsong stares at Merciful for what seems like eons, but then slowly nods his head.

"Whatever I can do to assist, you only need say, Misstress," he says with a bow. The rest of the crows continues to press towards Merciful, ever hungry for his attention. He has them in his snare now, but especially master Ironsong, who took his bait willingly.

However, while the rich tread on one another for Merciful's attentions, a growing crowd of the workers and yeomen start talking of another, new messiah.

All the while, Marian continues his investigator routine, oblivious to the hubbub around him.

What will you do?

[dreamking89]

" .4 Deci-what?" Orca says as he takes his boots off the table, leaning in towards the book sprite. "What the hell is it talking about? All I need to know is how to keep these monsters from stopping me as I explore the...." He trails off as he watches The Unrestrained Lover's display.

"Well, sink me to the depths...." He says, tilting his hat back, "That's a bit more fancy than a flame piece. Does your other arm dispense wine?" He chuckles, taking a mental note to examine his new friend's "toys" a bit later.

[wonderandawe]

Zarah grinned when she saw The Unrestrained Lover’s demonstration. “That was wonderful!” she exclaimed.

Sipping her wine, she observed Zan after the demonstration. Even before her exaltation, she distrusted Dragon bloods. The Pelpes destroyed everything my family took generations to build and they probably don’t even remember our name.

No, I need to stop thinking like that. This man has never set foot on the Blessed Isle and has not been raised since birth in the Immaculate Order. The Dynasts would either send him off to the legions or the monks, if he dared claimed his birthright.

We do need a guide, at least until Joachim and the rest of us learn our way around the Labyrinth.

[Wise Old Guru]

Nergui grinned a little sheepishly.

"I am not a god, I just carry the moon on my head...tell me, Healer Adelheid, is this illness common here? Where does it come from?"

[Magnusar]

(Tavern)

"I hear that something has changed in the deeper parts of the Labyrinth. There are paths of flashing lights, new rivers appeared out of nowhere, and entire sections of bush have shifted position or disappeared. Some great upheaval is occurring, but I can't really say what it is," Zan shrugs, as the book's sprite adjusts itself and coughs, speakign once more.

"Xa Borugo, He who Dwells in Filth, the Toad Lord. He first appeared in the swamps of Metagaos, and has dwelt in the muck of bogs ever since. Not much is known of the Toad Lord, albeit, he apparently has a greater wisdom than one usually attributes to his kind. The other, Yrmanaea, the Serpent-Maiden, Storm-shepherd of Dreams, was created by Oramus to patrol the Celestial Vault. She befriended the Comet Maiden, and the two became fast friends. When the Comet Maiden died during the Primordial War, it is said that the Cloud of Dreams waits for her friend, even now. She appears in the sky as part cloud, part serpent, and part woman. Do not think on her too long at you, or she will devour portions of your hopes and dreams. Both are .4 DeciKukla-level threats to Creation," she says primly.

Zan arches his brow at the Lover's suggestion, but folds his arms," I trust you have a proposition in mind, erm...Mr. Automaton?" he asks.

Unrestrained Lover chuckle at the mention of automaton yet the tone of his voice remain calm even amused a bit.

"Please call me Eisen, I do have a proposal in mind you are a sharp one Mr. Zan. My companion and I wish to explore the labyrinth, we require a guide and you seem to be the one for the job in exchange for your expertise and time I will arm you and your hunting companion with advanced weapons and gear some will be simply mechanical but other can be much more powerful and if you ask how powerful well... You can see for yourself.

True to his word unrestrained Lover lift his right arm puling back his sleeve to reveal the bronze like flesh of his forearm covered in intricate motonic circuits and metal plates. Before anyone can say anything his arm split open into four parts revealing the turning gears and piston inside it, his hand is pulled inside as the four part of his forearm extend other metal plates to connect to one another creating a large cylinder from which a cannon barrel extend instead of a hand. Taking aim at a lonely chair in the tavern a few yards away from their table the cannon begins to rotate becoming faster until it turn at several rotation per second before spitting a fiery ball of blue plasma in a thunderous boom that desintegrate most of the chair as steam vents from small tubes near his elbow before his arm retake it's original appearance. (Unrestrained Lover spends 6 motes of personnal essence: 5 to deploy the pulse cannon and one to fire)

"Is that enough to impress you ?"

[Dietaku]

(Prodigal Marian)

The cause of death was simple: the back half of the animal in question was missing. What it was, though, was another kettle of fish entirely. It was about the size of a dog, with fuzzy feathers, and a small, beady eyes. A beak suggested it being a bird, but the one attached limb had a hoof at the end of its limb. Curious.

On the body, though, was a message in Old Realm who had a definite anachronistic twang to it. Not the harsh syllables of Malfeas or the flowy script of Heaven. No, this is clear, concise and almost blocky.

"I have been called. You forget. I will feast on your bones in one moon's passing. THE KING OF HOOF," it reads.

What will you do?

[Dietaku]

(Nergui)

Adelheid nods, and wipes his head. Going to a cabinet on the side of the room, he returns with several vials of liquid. Opening them in order, they all possess pungent earhty odors that bring tears to the eyes. He pours one into the man's mouth, another is applied to the skin, and the other is daubed on the man's forehead. Adelheid mutters a chant, and while most of it is unintelligible, Nergui catches, " Breath suffuse you," and ," Under the Blue Road."

After wiping his brow once more and sighing, Adelheid returns, and says," That will hold him for a time longer, but this is just a temporary solution. Eventually, his flesh is going to overcome it and choke out his life with these vines. You can go now, sir, if you;d like. The salves ought to stay it for a few days, but after that, things will return to the way he was; dying. I must confess, though, sir, that I find your attitude refreshing. Most others would have left him to die. You, however, fought for him. That means a lot, especially in this town. I must know....Are you a god? Only one of the Ennead would have acted so," he says nervously.

[Dietaku]

(Xisa)

"That is Zadro, not an entirely pleasant man. I understand he's some sort of enforcer for a rather shady bunch. I could not tell you much more, sadly. Interesting, though! We are all connected to the Dragons. That is true in a way! Oh, how I find you interesting! Dafar and the others aren't like you, Miss Ledaal! Oh, no, no, no, no!" Sala says, her face crinkling up in sheer glee, even as she tells you about Zadro's unsavory doings.

[Dietaku]

(Tavern)

"I hear that something has changed in the deeper parts of the Labyrinth. There are paths of flashing lights, new rivers appeared out of nowhere, and entire sections of bush have shifted position or disappeared. Some great upheaval is occurring, but I can't really say what it is," Zan shrugs, as the book's sprite adjusts itself and coughs, speakign once more.

"Xa Borugo, He who Dwells in Filth, the Toad Lord. He first appeared in the swamps of Metagaos, and has dwelt in the muck of bogs ever since. Not much is known of the Toad Lord, albeit, he apparently has a greater wisdom than one usually attributes to his kind. The other, Yrmanaea, the Serpent-Maiden, Storm-shepherd of Dreams, was created by Oramus to patrol the Celestial Vault. She befriended the Comet Maiden, and the two became fast friends. When the Comet Maiden died during the Primordial War, it is said that the Cloud of Dreams waits for her friend, even now. She appears in the sky as part cloud, part serpent, and part woman. Do not think on her too long at you, or she will devour portions of your hopes and dreams. Both are .4 DeciKukla-level threats to Creation," she says primly.

Zan arches his brow at the Lover's suggestion, but folds his arms," I trust you have a proposition in mind, erm...Mr. Automaton?" he asks.

[Exthalion]

Smiling a secret smile Merciful leaned in close to Ironsong, as though to discuss something over the bustle of the crowd.

“The treasures of the Labyrinth are not all of jade and treasures. There are secrets of alchemical-smithcraft to smelt tin from river rock until it is more common than copper, and to forge iron into steel as easily as pouring lead. I have seen it done, I know where the spells are graven and the forges wait. Trinkets make men wealthy, such secrets as this make them gods. You cannot take advantage of such things alone, the facilities and material required are too great. Yet the great family who backs my efforts has allowed me certain… discretion.” The last word was half a promise of wealth and half a promise of something else.

“I need someone skilled in metalwork to oversee and direct this, someone who knows the area, someone with the talent to turn an opportunity into a reality. I think you are that someone. You would need to expand quickly, get more suppliers and increase what they bring, and expand your workforce, perhaps with your erstwhile competitors. I can help… if you’re willing.”

Manipulation + Presence roll to convince him. My effective appearance is 8.

https://www.rpnation.com/dice/5492/view

4 successes

If he agrees, activate VEE to grant him a dot of Bureaucracy.