Chronicle Report

[ElfSpeaker]

Also, here's Zakiti's sorcerous initiation. The merits and shaping rituals are adapted from other initiations. Zakiti has only the first shaping ritual thus far.
Sorcerous Initiation
Understanding of Malfean Wisdom

Shaping rituals: Whenever you take the shape sorcery action, you can draw additional (Essence) sorcerous motes from bound spirits. You can only draw additional motes if the shape sorcery roll exceeds the Resolve of the spirit. The spirits loose (Essence) motes from their pool. Each spirit can only be drawn from once per day. Essence used to fuel your control spell does not remove motes from the drained spirits.

You meditate on the secrets of Malfeas and its hidden meaning unwinds in you sleep. Instead of recovering willpower, you roll Intelligence + Occult and gain one sorcerous mote that lasts until you next sleep. Each mote counts as two motes for you control spell. Once per story, you can stunt to describe how your understanding of infernal secrets allows you to draw power from the situation at hand. Doing so awards you a number of sorcerous motes equal to (you Essence x [stunt level + 1]), which last for the duration of the scene.
Merits:
Infernal Nobility (Merit •): Demons recognize the sorcerer as one favored in the Demon City. First Circle demons
are treated as having a Minor Tie of terrified awe towards her, while Second and Third Circle demons have a positive Minor Tie of respect, or some variation suited to their nature.



Tome of Demonic Wisdom (Merit •): You possess an infernal text that unveils the secrets of demon summoning. With an appropriate ritual stunt, you can reduce the Willpower cost of a demon summoning spell.

Comprehension of Cecelyne Law (Merit ••): The sorcerer feels the pull of Essence on creation when she comes within 10 miles of sorcerous forces—a sorcerer wreaking havoc with spells, a demon bound to ill ends or unbound and rampaging, an ancient curse fallen upon the land. Any tracking rolls the wearer makes to pinpoint or chase down such perils enjoys double 9s.

[ElfSpeaker]

I've gotten things to a acceptable point on Obsidian Portal. Here's the link to the Adventure Log. Many pages in the wiki are still in pretty rough format, but I'm working on expanding my notes. I'm planning on staying in Nexus for a few sessions at least, so I'm really fleshing out details in that area. Fell free to use my notes for your own games. If you want me to provide more details about what I'm thinking in any area, just leave a comment to let me know.

I've also cleaned up the write up for Kaveh's backstory:

Kaveh’s story is one full of gaps due to his lost memories. He knows he grew up in The Lap, a peaceful southern city ruled by the Realm. He’s pretty sure his family were among the upper rungs of society, controlling mercantile interests across the South. He suspects they traded heavily with the Realm and remembers having a Dragonblooded lover from House V'neef.
Even the events of his exaltation are muddled in his memory. He took the lead negotiating between the Guild, his family, and a minor city state regarding recently discovered jade deposits. Somehow, he pulled everyone together into a mutually beneficial agreement where all would prosper and no blood was shed. Upon the conclusion of the agreement and the signing of contract by all parties, Kaveh Exalted, and used his anima to sanctify the contract. He was forced to use wit, guile, and a little luck to escape, and fled toward the Dreaming Sea beyond the reach of the Realm.
In his travels, he encountered Madame Marthesine, god of lost things. He bargained away his memories of his family in exchange for an artifact that would help him disguise his nature. The artifact she gave him let him sculpt illusions out of essence. With this newfound power, he began making his way to the Scavenger Lands, where he intended to rebuild his reputation and his fortune.
Kaveh wants to be a hero. He grew up hearing tales of exalted heroism about the Dragonblooded of the Realm. He loved the epics tales, puppet kabuki theater, and legends of the larger-than-life heroes who protected Creation from whatever threats may come. He wanted to be a hero, he wanted that power. Becoming a Chosen of the Sun was a shock to Kaveh, but once he understood he had not become one of the demons described in legends, he realized he could be the hero.

[ElfSpeaker]

I ran session 6 this week, which ended up being rather different than I expected. Genjo's player call out sick 20 minutes before game, so rather than progressing directly with the plot, I had an interlude session. Turns out, my pages of notes about Nexus and various NPCs payed off. Drac's actions during the session will seem a little out of context without his backstory, that being the case, his will be the next background I write up.

Session 6 Summary

• Kaveh launch a mercantile scheme
• Zakiti had an unexpected encounter with a Lunar and a powerful spirit
• Drac sought information about the killers from his past.

One additional note: I tend to steal names, and this is the first session where that could be apparent. Madame Fei's is a tribute to a tea house of the same name in Swallows of the South, a live-play Exalted podcast which is really excellent. I recommend that you give it a listen.

Here's the full session write-up: Session 6

[ElfSpeaker]

And here's Drac's Story:

The second son of an aristocratic family in Puyo, Drac Ir was a horseman and a military man from a young age. Through his skill at arms, he rose through the ranks of the elite cavalry of the Triarchy and achieved the rank of captain. Has a further honor, he was selected as captain of the guard for the ambassador to the Confederation of Rivers, Rasa Ha, who was also a niece to one of the triarchs.

Drac accompanied Rasa to Marita, and along the journey began to court her. She reciprocated his interest, and they started a slow courtly romance. That budding romance led Drac to be alone with Rasa the night assassins struck. A dozen assassins stormed the ambassadorial suite. Drac fought valiantly, killing several of the assassins before they reach Rasa. When the first knife struck her, he took his second breath and Exalted. With the might of the Unconquered Sun, Drac cut down the assassins with ease. But becoming chosen did not save Rasa.

Hearing the commotion of battle the other guards rushed into the room and saw their captain glowing with the light of the sun, cutting down those who stood before him. Raised on stories of the anathema, they fled and sought the aid of the delegation from Lookshy and the Seventh Legion. The assassins fled too, those that survived. Drac pursued one, killed him, and took a token from the dead man. The token was a large coin with crossed knives on one side and a snake coiled in a figure eight eating its own tail on the other. Three assassins escaped.

Dragonblooded from Lookshy confronted Drac, and fought him through the streets of Marita. Drac fled, and those left behind were convinced he was involved in the murder. Word was sent to Puyo, and the Triarchy and they set a price on his head.

Not knowing of the bounty, Drac made his way across the Riverlands to his homeland. In Puyo, he discovered there was a price on his head only once he reached the Triarch’s palace. Drac had to fight the guards without killing any of his former companions, and once again flee, this time into the caverns beneath Puyo.

Beneath Puyo, he discovered spirits mined the bounty of the earth that the Triarchs use to maintain their wealth and power. Deeper still, he came upon a tomb, burred by the cataclysmic forces that rent the land at the end of the Contagion. Water had seeped into the cavern and it’s flow had opened the tomb. Standing amidst the ruins of the tomb stood a suit of orichalcum armor, the breastplate etched with horse and wold. Drac new this thing was his, and took it.

Not wanting to fight the men of his homeland, Drac traveled once more into the Riverlands, this time seeking the remaining assassins to get revenge for the death of his beloved and the end of his life before.

[ElfSpeaker]

Another month has gone by and I have another session write up for you all. Negotiations got a little bogged down so I didn't quite captures all of the details of the back and forth, but I got the essential details. The NPC of the session and the wyld descriptions were inspired by the SAS Adventure: Daughter of Nexus.

You can see the post on Obsidian Portal here: https://orichalcumsouls.obsidianport...-log/session-7

• Genjo receives a vision from the Unconquered Sun.
• Kaveh takes the next step on his mercantile scheme.
• Our heroes enter the Wyld zone in Firewander and encounter a lovely Fairfolk who eventually agrees to lead them where they want to go for a price Drac finds more than willing to pay.

Session 7 - Into the Firestorm

As the Sun crossed the horizon, Genjo experience a vision of the Unconquered Sun. Sol Invictus stood before he and spoke, "Genjo, forge a perfect circle," five flames in the colors of the sun of the sun appeared in a circle around the god, "and release my reflection." Genjo awoke, and went up to the roof to watch the sunrise.

The other awoke shortly later and shared a communal breakfast with Genjo's family and the refugees from Thorns. When questioned about the gar root, Kaveh explained his plan to sell it as a high fashion item from the Lap. Hira quickly caught onto the scheme, and she and Kaveh worked out a deal in which she would take care of the proper licensing and sale in exchange for twenty percent of the profit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Firewander, they approached the edge of the firestorm. Heedless of the heat, Genjo strode into the smoke and flames, and made his way through to a corridor made of cool silk curtains. He called for his companions to follow, though his voice sounded distant and muffled. Zakiti followed him through, pulling cloth over her face and wetting her clothing to protect herself from the flames. She passed through unharmed, followed closely by Drac who coughed and choked on the thick smoke and heat. Kaveh covered his face, steeled his will, and race through the flames, coming through unharmed.

Genjo lead them through the silk, brushing aside curtains, until they stiffened pulled away. The pathways were then formed with razor-edge, steel-strong sheets of crimson lace. Through the gaps the in lace, silhouettes of dancing flames or writhing bodies could be seen hazily. As they continued through the strange realm, Drac noticed the lace formed the shape of a face with eyes that watch him. He saw the eyes blink, and turned to take a closer look. Out of the lace, formed from the lace curving in on itself, stepped the hollow form of a perfectly formed woman.

The Solars greeted her, and she asked their purpose. Genjo told here they were trying to find a vault within the old capital building near the center of the district. She said she could guide them. When they expressed reluctance, she told them not to worry, the Interdict still held and she would keep to the Accords. The Solars did not know what she was talking about but she assured them that she meant them no harm. Zakiti asked what price she would request for guiding them, and the lace woman requested a kiss from Drac in the flesh. She danced spritely between the sheets of razor-lace, encouraging them to follow. Despite their reluctance, they decided to follow.

As she lead, the lace became glassy, and melted like wax into shimmering pools. The woman's form shifted too, becoming glassy, then running into liquid that shimmered like the pools she led them across. Giant mushrooms sprouted, growing rapidly to form a jungle of stalks and a canopy of gills. Sweet fungal spoors wafted down, clinging to the breath of the Solars. Genjo accused the woman, now made of mushroom stalks that more clearly showed the nakedness of her feminine form, of leading them into danger. She assure them of their safety and lead onward.

The mushrooms dried and were replaced by clusters of giant flower petals. The characters had to push by the petals, and found their clothing coated in a fine dust of brightly colored pollen. The wind whispered through the petals like distant lovers' sighs. Finally, the petals parted, revealing a glade domed by fire. Their guide, now formed from petals, blew away in the wind, and the characters saw an open pagoda atop a small but steep rise in the glade. A figure lough upon a divan in the shade of the pagoda.

They mounted the hill to meet their guide in the flesh. In person, he presence was overwhelming; the sweet smell of lilacs permeated the air, her dusky flesh exposed save where purple flowers clung to her like wisps of cloud doing nothing to conceal her nude body. Her lilac eyes were flecked with gold and her pupils slitted like a cat's. She greeted them, "Welcome, and now for my price." Drac move to her, intending a quick and chaste kiss, but she move quick as a striking snake to touch his face and pull him in for a full-mouthed, passionate kiss.

Genjo expressed his displeasure at not being led where he wanted to go. The raksha replied that she had agreed to lead them, but never said where she would lead them, and they never asked. They asked what would be needed to guide them to the vault, and she requested a story. Zakiti recognized that when she asked for a story, she wanted something more than a spoken tale, and cautioned the others against agreeing. Kaveh suggested that he could weave a tale from illusions, perhaps the story of Genjo's escape from Thorns. Genjo refuse to share that story, fearing that the raksha would weave in into the reality of the wyld.

The Raksha has Drac's name, which he gave, and she provided her own name, 1000 Lilac Cascade of Discordant Poise. She gestured for Drac to come sit by her. Zakiti offered her a bound spirit, that of an irksome road god bound within one of her jars. The spirit could be hers and tell her many stories. The raksha said the spirit cost Zakiti nothing, and that the value of a thing was in its cost. Kaveh was outraged at the assertion and tried to convince her to accept the small God and a spoken story. She said she would guide them for the god and an hour of passion with Drac Ir.

As they argued, the raksha worked Drac's armor loose, the the breastplate fell to the ground. Zakiti tried to lift it and found it almost too heavy to manage. Genjo tried to help Drac put it on again, but Drac refused. The solars argued, but eventually she sweetened the deal by offering to balm Drac's burns. Despite Kaveh's protests and Zakiti's caution, the deal was eventually accepted at Drac's urging. While the Raksha took her price, the other Solars withdrew from the pagoda.

[ElfSpeaker]

At long last, Genjo's tale:

Genjo's life has followed a winding path. He grew up in Thorns, proud but poor. At a young age, he found is place in the street gangs that thrived in the underbelly of the city. He used his strength and intimidating demeanor to make a name for himself as a fighter.

When Thorns went to war with the Confederation of Rivers, Genjo joined the army for the promise of pay, loot, and glory. He fought across the Scavenger Lands, surviving some of the major battles of the campaign. Despite Thorn's losses, Genjo made a name for himself once again. He made friends too, and when the war ended, he returned to Thorns to the employ of one of the bosses of a major crime syndicates. He progressed quickly from enforcer to boss, commanding a crew of his own.

Genjo married up, paying a high bride-price to an impoverished noble family. He tried to hide his criminal dealings from his new wife, taking on the guise of a merchant-gentleman, but she saw through his rouse. Rather than treating Genjo with disdain, she offered to help, advising him with her keen intellect and keeping the books. Together, they prospered and started a family. Genjo continued to rise within the syndicate, and turned more towards legitimate business dealings. Things were going well.

Then Thorns fell. The fallen behemoth Juggernaut dragged itself to the walls of Thorns. Thousands of zombies and hungry ghosts poured over the city's defenders. The dragonblooded stood to stem the tide, and were slaughtered in the field by the Mask of Winter's deathknights. Refugees fled the city, Genjo and his family among them.

Genjo looked out for the people around him, leading them out of the rapidly spreading Shadowland and across the Scavenger Lands. He use the contacts and favors he had built through his criminal enterprises, and managed to lead a community of several dozen families from his neighborhood to safety. Eventually, they reached Nexus, and they used the last of their wealth to pay the head tax and enter the city.

Lead by Genjo, they began to build a new life for themselves in Nightside. The rent was outrageous for the moldering tenement they received, but it was enough to house them all, and while it didn't pay well, work was plentiful. Other refugees from Thorns joined them in Nightside, beginnning to form and informal Thorns Town neighborhood.

Everything changes for Genjo once again when one of the frequent floods struck the neighborhood. Most of the families retreated to the relative safety of the second and third floor, but one child was caught by the rising water and swept into the canal. Without hesitation, Genjo went after him, and almost had him to safety when a riverdragon rose out of the canal. Genjo threw the child to the balcony, and turned to face the beast. The riverdragon pulled him into the river. Genjo exalted to the zenith cast, and killed the beast with his bare hands.

His exaltation was accompanied by a vision of the Unconquered Sun. The Sun spoke: "You shall be my priest, and then king. Your journeys shall be long. Guide your companions in the righteousness of my way. You You shall lead your people to salvation and caste back the dark pall over your homeland and restore it to the Sun."

Fearing the repercussions that could befall his family and community, Genjo fled the city of Nexus.

[ElfSpeaker]

Session 8 was the continuation of what I had planned for session 7 and at the end of the session, I gave my players enough extra experience points to bring their characters up to Essence 2. For the next session, the characters will head to Great Forks looking for another Solar. A new player will be joining our group. Before that session, I'll have an interlude mini-session with each player as they increase their essence and wrap up events in Nexus.

Session 8

• The characters find Tul Wan, the mad Cityfather of Hollow
• They learn that the vault contains The Five Days Darkness, and requires a Solar of each caste to open
• Zakiti releases Tul Wan in exchange for his agreement to bring them back to the vault when they need
• They leave the Wyld Zone and the Astrologer considers their task complete
• Drac learns something about the assassins he's hunter

True to her world, 1000 Lilac Cascade led them from the glade. The flowering hedges parted, revealing a blossom covered hall. The blossoms shifted to colorful ceremonial and carnival masks. Their faces displayed extreme emotion; anguish, ecstasy, and horror. Our heroes felt like hollow lights in the eye holes of the masks were watching them, but when they looked closer, this masks showed only empty darkness. Lilac's shell became a carnival riot of cloth and color, mirroring the masks. She stopped at the end of the passage, a broken tiled square in front of a grand building ahead. She bade her farewell to Drac, and said to call upon her when they were ready to depart.

The cracked tiles of the square formed a ten-pointed sunburst. The same sigil was engraved upon the massive gold doors. Genjo approached, and grunted with effort as he heaved the door open. The light of the firestorm overhead pierced the darkness within. Dust hung in the air, and the beam of flickering light illuminated a massive gold statue across from the door. Refuse and debris littered the floor. Looking in, they saw the room was circular, 5 doorways and 5 statues evenly spaced about the room at the points of the ten-pointed sunburst mandala on the floor.

As the Solars entered, the figure of a man rose from the debris. His gaunt form was garbed in ornate green robes of office stained with dark splotches down the front.. A long beard and mustache adorned his face, doing little to hide his sunken cheeks and sallow skin. His finger nails were inky black and his eyes reflected the mad flames of Firewander. The man spoke, stating that it had been many years since he had visitors who were not creatures of the Wyld, and asking them if they had come for a judgement. As he gestured, droplets of ink spattered from his fingers. After speaking briefly, he reacted with anger when they did not know his name.

"I am Tul Wan, Cityfather of Hallow, High Judge of the East."

Zakiti assuage his anger, and asked about the Law. She learned that this place was a court, and during the Shogunate, mortals and Princes of the Earth from across the direction came to Tul Wan for judgement. To make or change a law, required a quorum of five judges from among the Princes of the Earth, the lawgivers, or courtly gods. Tul Wan had been High Judge here since a few centuries after the Lawgivers were overthrown by the Princes of the Earth, and he did not remember much before that. He had served as judge for nearly seven centuries.

Upon asking whether the courthouse held artifacts of power, Tul Wan accused them of being thieves. Once again, Zakiti assuaged him and explained their purpose. Tul Wan said they were looking for a vault sealed by the Deliberative during the height of the First Age. The Five Days Darkness was sealed within the vault and it could only be opened by a quorum of Solars of each caste.

Zakiti and Genjo went to examine the vault while Drac and Kaveh remained to speak to Tul Wan about ancient law. Drac quickly became convince that Tul Wan was dangerously unhinged, but kept quiet about his opinion.

The vault was sealed with an orichalcum door with no visible mechanism to open it. The floor was a mirror of the sun-burst mandala above, except for the five circles marked with the five castes spaced evenly around the room. Zakiti examined the door, and found it was inscribed with archaic old realm script. From what she was able to understand, she learned that the vault sealed away The Five Days Darkness, which was deemed a threat because it was unable to face the light of the Sun. The vault was sealed by the order of the Deliberative, and could indeed only be opened by a quorum of the five Solar Castes.

Zakiti explained to Genjo that there may be ways around the seal, besides finding a fifth Solar. A powerful sorcerous working might be able to circumvent the requirements, but that would take research, materials, and time. Similarly, a third circle demon could almost certainly break or bypass the seal. Finally, if they were unable to find a Solar, and the rumors about the dark reflections of the Solars turned out to be true, finding one of them of the right caste would probably suffice. With no present way to open the vault, Genjo decided that their task for the Astrologer was complete.

Before leaving, Zakiti asked Tul Wan if he could bring them back to this place without passing through the Wyld. He explained that he could always get to the courthouse, but could not go through the Wyld. She offered him a way out in one of her binding jars if he would bring them back here when they needed. After some negotiation, he agreed, provided that Kaveh bound her to an oath to release him from the jar once they were beyond the Wyld and carry him out again through the Wyld if he brought them here. For his part, he agreed not to visit destruction upon Nexus, nor to disrupt its legal system. The agreement was sealed, and they departed.

Drac called out to Lilac, who's Wyld avatar appeared almost immediately from among the masks. She led them once more through the Wyld. The walls became glassy and ran like melted wax before solidifying once again in rainbow hues, the light reflecting at odd angles, casting strange lights and shadows. Sounds were distant, and even the breath of the Solars echoed strangely as if from elsewhere. When the reached the curtain of fire that marked the boundary of the Wyld region, Lilac expressed her affection for Drac. In turn, Drac said he hoped they would see each other again soon. She said that time flowed differently for her. "The seeds of the sun are strong, and I'm sure we'll meet again soon." With that, she opened the curtain of fire, and the Solars departed once more into Nexus. Zakiti released Tul Wan, who quickly disappeared.

After resting, Drac went to meet with Rinriven Dai. The guild boss told him that several weeks ago, a group of the assassins he was looking for had been brutally murdered. Rinriven gave him the name of the mercenary captain who investigated the scene, and said he would call in his favor in the future. Drac told him were he stabled his horse, and that messages could find him there.

Drac met up with his fellow Solars as they returned to speak to Kratz, the Astrologer. She lamented that they were unable to unseal the vault, but appreciated their efforts. As a gesture of goodwill, she said she would fulfill any favor they asked of her if she were able. She would try to find out more about The Five Days Darkness, and would use favors to try to find a suitable fifth Solar.

---

Here's the stat block I created for Tul Wan:
Tul Wan, Mad Cityfather of Hollow
Tul Wan was once the Cityfather of Hollow, the administrative center of the River Provinces during the Shogunate. The wyld energies that permeate Firewander have warped him and driven him mad. He is a gaunt, bearded, old man garbed in green robes of office and a tall hat. His robes are stain with dark splotches down the front. He finger nails are inky black and his eyes reflect the mad flames that imprison him in Firewander.

Essence: 4; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 6 dice
Personal Motes: 90
Health Levels: -0/-1x3/-2x3/-4/Incap
Actions:

• Administration: 8 dice
• Calligraphy: 9 dice
• Notice: 6 dice
• Oratory: 8 dice
• Shogunate Era Lore: 9 dice

Appearance 3, Resolve 3, Guile 1 Combat

• Attack (Scepter): 7 dice (damage 12)
• Attack (Grapple): 6 dice
• Combat Movement: 6 dice
  Evasion 2, Parry 4
  Soak/Hardness: 8/0

Intimacies

• Defining: Restore Hollow to its former glory.
• Defining: Devour those who defile Hollow.
• Major: Respect the rightness of proper law (though his grasp on what is proper has been twisted)
• Major: The Rakshasa (hatred)

Offensive Charms

• Binding Words (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Eclipse; Essence 3) Tul Wan scribes a law into the air with ink dripping from his fingers. The letters of the law fly toward the target character within short range and bind them tight. This charm initiates a grapple that uses Tul Wan's Calligraphy (Wits + Linguistics) skill (9 dice), with a control pool equal to his Administration (Intelligence + Bureaucracy) (8 dice) (Still opposed by Strength + Brawl/Martial Arts). The target is restrained for the duration of the control.
  [Grappling characters suffer -2 Defense and cannot perform fluries. Grappled characters cannot take move actions and suffer -1 to all attacks or -3 to attacks using two-handed weapons.]
• Burning Law Prohibition (5m; Simple; Instant; Perilous, Uniform; Essence 3) Those bound by the law face Tul Wan's wrath. Tul Wan can sacrifice remaining rounds of control through Binding Words to make Savage attack against the bound target. If the attack is withering, use Tul Wan's Administration as the attack roll.

Defensive Charms

• Aegis of Hollow (1m per soak; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 2) Tul Wan hardens his skin with essence, gaining 1 soak for each mote up to twice his essence (8 soak). The Aegis was once much more powerful, but with Hollow but a memory and Tul Wan isolated, he must burn his essence to access its power.

Miscellaneous Charms

• Mastery of Word and Law (1m+; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 3) Tul Wan may add dice to Calligraphy, Administration, or other rolls pertaining to his domain. The maximum is double his Essence (8). This charm may be used to enhance Binding Words and Burning Law Prohibition.
• Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Tul Wan fades away and vanishes on his next turn, reappearing in the center of the assembly chamber in the central administration building of Hollow in the heart of the Firewander district.
• Materialize (60m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Tul Wan materializes as if first drawn by blush, then painted into the world.
• Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Tul Wan can measure any who enter the domain of his city, as marked by the stone pillars 30 miles from the walls of Nexus.
• Devour (-; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The Wyld has twisted Tul Wan. He crouches over a fallen foe, his jaw distends revealing sharp needle-like teeth, and he swallows the corpse. Tul Wan must be materialized to use this charm. He recovers 2m for every health level of the devoured creature and 10m for each point of permanent essence. The spirit of the devoured creature cannot become a ghost.

[ElfSpeaker]

Sorry for the long absence. It's a busy season for me, so I didn't have time to complete my session writeups. Here's the interlude summary and writup:

• Drac finds out the fate of the assassins he was looking for
• Kaveh looks into his past
• Genjo takes care of his family
• Zakiti focuses on research

https://orichalcumsouls.obsidianport...-log/interlude
While they wait for Kratz to find the one they would need to open the vault, life continued in Nexus.
Drac met with Dromb, the Bronze Executioner who investigated the murder of the assassins. Dromb told Drac that he had found the case a little unsettling. Normally, a simple murder wouldn't be investigated by the Executioners unless someone important was involved. But in this case, the number of bodies and the brutality of the killing merited their attention. The safe house looked like a slaughter yard. He suspected multiple killers, given the number of dead and the apparent variety of weapons used in the attacks, but he couldn't find evidence for more than one assailant on scene. Most disturbing though was that in the center of the carnage was a single flower. He showed the flower to Drac, which he recognized as a Hiparkes Star, a five-petaled flower said to grow on the steppe were Hiparkes, the Horse God, leaves his foot prints as he gallops across the open land. The flower had been on of Rasa's favorites before her death.
Kaveh took the time to delve into his past. Disguising himself, he went to the Guild to ask about the deal that lead to his exaltation. After spreading around a bit of coin, he learned that the contract he negotiated was between the Guild and House Ragara of the Realm. He knew Ragara had dealing in the South, and given his involvement with the Dragonblooded of The Lap, his family working for one of the great house of the Realm made sense to him.
He attempted to learn more about The Five Days Darkness. He quickly found that the documents at the Library of Nexus did not reach far enough into the past to cover the time he was looking for. Curious about his own kind, he asked the Astrologer where he could find out more about the Solar Exalted. She recommended not asking in Nexus about the Solars and their history. Such questions could attract unwanted attention, including assassins sent by the Wyld Hunt. She did, however, impart the knowledge she has learned over the years…
In the First Age, Solars were the greatest of the Exalted. They had lead the champions of the gods against ancient forces that threatened the very nature of Creation and triumphed. The gods granted them a Creation Ruling Mandate and the Solars established the Deliberative to rule. Through the age, the Solars battled against many enemies of creation, including demons, rogue spirits, the Raksha, and ancient races lost to time. They defeated each in turn. The Eclipse Caste were the diplomats and administrators that kept creation running. Through their power, they bound some enemies of creation, such as the Raksha, to respect parley; these pacts are woven into the very fabric of Creation, and by entering, all must obey. The Solars created great wonders and all Creation prospered under their reign.
But as the age wore on, and all foes were vanquished, a darkness crept into the Solar's spirits. They turned from collaborative rules to tyrants, jealous of each other's power. They waged proxy wars against one another as games. They wrested secrets from the enemies of creation, and constructed foul sorceries that corrupted creation. And the people of Creation suffered. The Dragonblooded, who had faithfully served their Solar masters for centuries, watch the suffering and knew they had to act. In a Creation spanning conspiracy eventually called the Usurpation, they rose up and killed the rules of Creation. The Solars were not reborn as in the past, but locked away from Creation for millennia. The Dragonblooded tried to carry on the tradition of rulership established by the Solars, but the wars of the Usurpation left scars that could not be healed. That was over 1500 years ago.
Genjo took his time to check in on his family. He was please to discover that his wife's leadership had brought stability and even some prosperity to the refugee community. He role in the bureaucracy let he ease the process of getting permits and licences for the members of the community. He looked into the local criminal underworld, and discovered that like everything else in Nexus, the chains of loyalty and patronage wound upward toward the Council of Entities, though the system was too Byzantine for him to untangle on his own. He looked into the Astrologer, and found that she was somewhat reclusive. The extent of her personal wealth and influence was generally unknown, as was her personal power. She certainly had some kind of supernatural support, as she had been a member of the Council of Entities for over a century at least, though she was certainly not its longest serving member. By reputation, she was considered fair but shrewd in her dealings. Most curiously, her entries into the Civilities seem strange at first, but often show foresight that helps those who follow them.
Zakiti continued her sorcerous research and received several spell scrolls from the Astrologer. With Kratz, she concluded that they would not be able to break the wards through sorcery alone, since the Vault was likely a sorcerous working of the third circle. She continued to offer succor in the name of the River Whore, but also in the name of Tul Wan. When she met with Tul Wan, he expressed that he was learning the brilliance of Nexus legal system and was surprised to be receiving prayer. Finally, she researched the history of the Emissary, learning that he appeared early in the city's history and took an active role in the daily life of Nexus. Curiosity piqued, Zakiti observer the Emissary announcing new Civilities in the market.

[ElfSpeaker]

And, I have the session 9 writeup ready too. This session was very role playing/character interaction heavy, which makes for a great session but not the greatest writeup. I've tried to capture some of the best lines out of the session. Senka's player is an old friend and one of my favorite people to game with.

Unfortunately, we had to postpone our December session due to the intrusion of life events. Our adventure will continue in January.

• Our heroes meet a fifth Solar, Senka, The Red Snow, in Great Forks during the Festival of the Three
• Senka asks them to help her kill a Dragonblooded General in exchange for her help
• Drac continues his investigation into the assassins that killed his lover
• The session ends as they stop the murder of their assassin contact from a mysterious yet familiar character

https://orichalcumsouls.obsidianport...-log/session-9

Session 9 - Night in the City of Temples
Several weeks later, the Astrologer summon our heroes together once again. She said she had found a Solar who would suit their needs, an assassin residing in Great Forks who was know as the Red Snow. The characters booked passage on a Guild operated barge making its way up the Yellow River to the City of Temples. They arrived a few days before the Festival of the Three, the triennial festival that commemorated the coming together of the Three Gods and Three Peoples who founded the city. After several days, on the first day of the festival, they tracked the Red Snow down to the Copper Bottom, a dark bar frequented by some of Great Forks more unusual residents. While Drac went to attend to a personal matter, Zakiti, Kaveh, and Genjo went to meet the Red Snow.
The Red Snow was sitting alone at a shadowed table near the back of the bar sipping a strong drink through a metal straw from beneath her oni mask. After confirming her identity, Genjo explained they needed her unique talents to help open a vault, impressed her by downing a powerful beverage, and flashing his caste mark. The Red Snow revealed her name, Senka, and suggested going somewhere more private to continue the conversation. They sent word to Drac, and wound their way inward toward the Temple District to the Bronze Coatl.
After being shown to a private room, requesting refreshments, and turning down the offer of courtesans, they exchanged more formal introductions and explained the situation with the vault and the Five Days Darkness in greater detail. Senka was incredulous with the situation, and Genjo explained that the Astrologer wanted to use the Five Days Darkness as a weapon against the Mask of Winters. Senka said she wanted to help, but afterward, she wanted their help to kill someone who she said deserved it. Kaveh was outraged, he was no assassin and did not want to kill someone, much less someone he didn't know. Senka revealed that she had heard of him, and that he was a Dynast of the Scarlet Empire. She said that she'd give them some time to think about her offer and that she would meet them again on the following day. Finally, she gave them the name of the man she wanted to kill, Cathak Kitono. Kaveh remembered having met him at a gala in The Lap after Kitono had brutually put down an uprising in the highlands of An Teng. He remember Kitono being arrogant and abrasive, even for one of the dragonblooded.
Responding to Kaveh's reluctance to killing Kitono after Senka's departure:

• Genjo: He sounds like a terrible person.
• Kaveh: There are other ways to hurt people…
• Genjo: Yes, I'm thinking about starting with those.

For the remainder of the evening, Zakiti turned to her usual diversion of picking pockets and distributing her gains to the poor, though she found that the poor of Great Forks were better off than most. Genjo, Kaveh, and Drac discussed the possibility of agreeing to the deal, but having a code to with draw if thing went wrong with the operation. Genjo eventually agreed and they settled on a code. Kaveh remain uncharacteristically silent having already expressed his disapproval for the plan.
Over the next day, the Solars enjoyed the entertainments of the festival. Through their search for the Red Snow, Drac had discovered a local contact location for the Serpent's Fangs, the assassins he was hunting. He scouted the Raiton Temple, where their acolyte waited for prospective customers. He discussed his search with the others, and Zakiti agreed to do some information gathering of her own for him. After asking around, she found Old Mother Raiton, a well known fixer in the criminal underworld of Great Forks. She spoke to the old woman and learned the the call and response to contact the Serpent's Fangs and was told that the Red Snow was a reliable assassin.

• "The petals fall on an empty bank."
• "The petals cover the fallen."

That evening, they met once again. Genjo accepted Senka's offer, though Kaveh said he would not be involved. The discussion moved on to Drac personal investigation. Senka offered to help them, and suggested that Drac should probably not be the one to speak to the assassins, since he didn't look the part and may be recognized. She, Zakiti, and Kaveh went to speak to the representative of Serpent's Fangs.
They went to the acolyte, spoke the code phrase, and left the temple. A representative followed them, and approached them in a fancy hooka bar to discuss business. Kaveh acted as a representative of a potential client, and expressed reluctance because an assassination attempt in Marita had left survivors. The representative said that the job had probably not required the execution of all witnesses, and that if it had, the order would have sent more assassins. He also explained that he would not have the details of the job because the Fangs operated as independent cells in different cities to compartmentalize information. He agreed to find out what he could if that was an issue causing reluctance on the part of Kaveh's patron.
After the meeting, the representative departed, followed quickly by the Solars. As he moved through the crowd, Senka spotted a flash of steel as a rooftop assailent flung a blade at that representative of the Fangs. Acting quickly, she unwrapped he bow, and fire an arrow which deflected the blade. Kaveh leaped to the rooftop to pursue the unknown assailant. In the shadows and lantern light of the festival, Drac caught a glimpse of the assailant's face. Impossibly, she looked like Rasa, the fallen Ambassador of Puyo and his former lover…

As a teaser, session 10 is tentatively titled Death in Decadence.

[ElfSpeaker]

While I don't have a full session write up (two weeks until our next session), I do have a bit of a teaser in narrative form. Some of the elements I've used will be obvious to my players, but they don't know Exalted very well, so a lot of other pieces will be varying degrees of mysterious.

A Vision Of Things To Come

[ElfSpeaker]

Much delayed, but here's the next session writeup: https://orichalcumsouls.obsidianport...log/session-10

[Walker-of-Ebony-Clouds]

Very nice.. I enjoyed reading this & i may make a thread like this to chronicle my games though i doubt mine will be as neat & tidy as what you have presented as i am still dusting off my head canon. My players tend to break or run into the 4th wall a lot lol. Keep up the good work!!!

[ElfSpeaker]

Very nice.. I enjoyed reading this & i may make a thread like this to chronicle my games though i doubt mine will be as neat & tidy as what you have presented as i am still dusting off my head canon. My players tend to break or run into the 4th wall a lot lol. Keep up the good work!!!

Thanks for the feedback. I've been putting a lot of work into it so I'm glad you like it.

[ElfSpeaker]

Our last session was full of excellent roleplaying and character development. I know I didn't catch everything, but I got the important pieces and some of the best lines, like "Nice night for an evening." Toward the end of the session we had some unexpected conflict between characters based on seeds of conflict sown very early in the campaign. In our session zero, I worked with the players to develop ties between the characters. Kaveh's player asked "Zakiti, why do you never accept food from me?" Unbeknownst to him, Zakiti had a major intimacy of "I will never go hungry again." This lead her to some mental gymnastics to cast Kaveh as a bit of a villain in her character's eyes. The conflict came to a breaking point at the end of the session.

https://orichalcumsouls.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/session-11

As always, I've added wiki links for the NPCs and places mentioned in the session. I have more information hidden from my players, but if you want to know more about any of the NPCs, let me know and I'll add that information here.

[ElfSpeaker]

Unfortunately, we had a limited crew for session 12. Drac's player was traveling, and after session 11, Kaveh's player has decided to step out of this game. I'm consulting him regarding Kaveh's actions as an NPC, who will shortly be leaving the group. They end up opening the vault in this session, and meeting the Five Days Darkness. For those of you who know the version presented in Compass of Terrestrial Directions vol 1, my take on the character is rather different. I loved the concept of the god from that book, but was never thrilled with the execution.

https://orichalcumsouls.obsidianportal.com/adventure-log/session-12