Hey there again, folks. Here's hoping I get this done in a timely fashion and posted and remain fully caught up for a week or two. (Which I seem to have technically done, barring a plane falling on my house during the editing process, not that you'd know if that happened so I don't know why I'm typing this.)
First off, real quick, here's a reminder that Onyx Path is doing a massive sale on the Trinity Continuum books to celebrate their 10th anniversary! (link may be wonky on mobile) If you're new here, I've worked on multiple books from the TC: Æon line, and I wholeheartedly believe my best work is in there. (Though the work I did for the upcoming Brave New Worlds supplement for Trinity Continuum core might give it a run for its money, we'll see.) I don't know off the top of my head how long the sale's running since they've described this sale as a 'Part 1,' implying a 'Part 2,' so why wait?
Second, this week's post wraps up the "Crossroads" story. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that I was going to do a write-up or at least just talk more about the system I'm using to represent playing Gateway. And really, all I did was use this fan-made system, pretty much straight-up, converted to Third Edition. I'd considered at one point tweaking it to add some utility to the War Ability, introduced in Second Edition right before the linked rules got posted (and arguably useful for Gateway), but decided against it as nobody in the group has any War (as far as I know) and I didn't see the need to punish them for it.
And before I get into the meat of the post, I just want to take a moment to be amused that while it may not seem like it on the surface because of the Southwestern climate, in-setting this story is taking place at Creation's equivalent of this time of the year -- early on in the last month of the year, a couple of weeks away before the craziness of ringing in the new year. I dunno, that amuses me slightly. On a semi-related note, in case I forget to say so later on in the month, I hope everyone has a safe and pleasant holiday season, regardless of what holidays you do and don't celebrate.
So where we left off, Shango has just finished his match against the Lintha and is catching up with Hǎifēng and Xương, who've been watching. The group sits around and waits for further news on whether the finals are going to be played today, and as they do so Nam-Kyu shows up. He introduces himself to Hǎifēng and Shango and asks Xương if they're cool to talk, which they are.
They find a quiet spot off to the side as Nam-Kyu explains that his sister has found a way to quickly replace the kimonos for the Game of Scribes side-event, so they can do the test run they wanted to do. But he has a weird feeling about it, isn't sure why, and wants to bounce it off of the only people he knows he can talk to about this. So he asks them if they know anything about a demon named Makarios.
Uh-oh.
So, long story short, Mi-Yun has made an arrangement with Makarios to trade one of the prizes they still have for the kimonos.[0] Specifically, she's trading a magical Gateway board that can play on its own for them.[1] Which he's not thrilled about, but for the sake of doing the work he understands it. He's also not entirely comfortable with involving another demon in their whole situation, and someone (I think Xương) talks about how important it can be to know your limit on demons.
He explains that he'd talk to her himself but she's pissed at him for earlier and she's gone to take a nap in a guarded room. Hǎifēng asks what they're supposed to do, sleep with the guard, and that takes Nam-Kyu back a bit (which is the point). But based on the looks the group is giving him, Nam-Kyu asks if they know something he doesn't.
"What, you mean like how the board is a fake?" Xương just outright asks.
The blood drains from Nam-Kyu's face, because this means that whether intentional or not, Mi-Yun is about to try and cheat Makarios, and that is one of the things you Do Not Do.[2] He says they have to stop her, and he says that she's guarded by a couple of mercenaries but also a demon spider she's had guarding the prize room. Xương is down for it-- after all, a possible fight with a demon spider was dangled in front of him earlier. Nam-Kyu takes them to the theater, currently closed while workers clean things up and prepare for a possible match later, and he takes them into a backstage area where two women -- one of them the strange-eyed mercenary Shango played during the qualifiers, the other one the woman that Hǎifēng knocked out in the basement -- are waiting with the demon spider hanging from the ceiling on a single thread of hellsilk.[3]
Hǎifēng tries to convince the mercenaries to stand down, pointing out that if Mi-Yun isn't stopped then stuff's gonna happen and they're not gonna get paid. They point out that she paid them half up-front, so Xương tells them outright that she's about to summon Makarios to Creation (I think he qualifies that with 'accidentally' but I can't recall off-hand), and that's not going to be a good time for anyone. So with that extra detail, Hǎifēng's able to persuade them it's in their best interests to go. On the way out, they point out that they're still going to have to convince the spider, which descends on its hellsilk and snarls and jabbers at them.
Xương, who understands Old Realm (which is the native language of spirits, gods, demons, etc.), understands that it's demanding to know where they're going, what they think they're doing, and so on and so forth. He tells it that they quit and it's fighting him now.
So that's when the fighting starts. Nam-Kyu's already fucked off to who-knows-where, probably when the spider put itself into play. Xương takes a run at the spider, leaping up and spiking it into the floor like a volleyball. It hits the floor with a crunch that's half 'spider carapace' and half 'wooden floor cracking.'
While this is going on, Shango runs for the door to the room where Mi-Yun is trying to take a nap to deal with Makarios. There's one of those webbing 'mechanisms' on the door-handle, and as he tries to burn it off with Weirdflame he trips something and strands of hellsilk weave into visibility as they try to wrap around his arms. But he's quick enough to flip the firewand around to burn the silk off as it closes in. Hǎifēng, having determined with a quick exchange that Xương's got the demon well in hand, helps Shango get the door open so they can go in. The room is filled with incense and they can see Mi-Yun on the floor, the mark drawn on her forehead, with the board next to her.[4]
The Anulhe, dazed but pissed, lunges at Xương with unnatural speed, and he uses his forearm to ward it off like someone trying to deflect an attack dog. It chomps on him, teeth actually managing to connect, but it can't get the leverage to break the skin. But he does actually feel it, because even a single post-soak die of withering damage can roll successes.
So now it's personal. As the camera zooms in on his face you can see the exact moment where he's decided 'fuck this,' as his eyes roll back while that shark-frenzy begins to settle in. It's extra-creepy, because he's still in human form, though his anima banner is lightly glowing as he slams the spider hard against the ground, expecting it to crack rather than squish. And crack it does, breaking into shards that immediately begin to sublimate into Essence-laden mist.
In the next room, Hǎifēng rushes over to the sleeping Mi-Yun, rubbing the mark of Makarios off her forehead, doing it extra-hard to make sure the spot is all sore and red. That startles her awake, despite whatever she's taken to knock her out, and she's confused and wondering what's going on and who Hǎifēng is. They tell her she's bartering a fake board, and in a combination of 'too dazed to understand' and 'disbelieving the board is a fake,' she's like "What?" Hǎifēng flicks a piece off the board and tells her it doesn't work, that she was about to unintentionally summon Makarios physically into Creation. Xương, having caught up by now, rubs it in and now she's fully aware of what she almost did.
At about this point they can hear someone kicking in the front doors of the theater. Xương, still glowing, ducks into a closet and closes the door as much as he can while still being able to hear what's going on. Shango quickly holsters Weirdflame.
A bunch of monks, some of them obviously Dragon-Blooded, come in with Futoshi, whom Xương met the other day. The jig's up, apparently, and they're here for Mi-Yun. They drag her out without a fight.
Then we've get a bit of a montage of monks fighting with mercenaries in the streets as the Circle makes themselves scarce and asks a few questions of people on the way back to Xương's place. It turns out that one of the people Hǎifēng and Xương liberated from the basement decided to risk reprisal and reported everything going on to the temple. And at some point during all this, they learned of the intersection between the Makarios cult and the Sigereth cult and so the rest of the tournament is also shut down.
We jump ahead a couple of hours to the trio resting up back at the clinic, when there's a knock at the door. Shango opens the door to find someone he recognizes as a member of Ledaal Kes' entourage. He addresses Shango as 'Lord Shango,' and hands him a scroll. Shango glances at the scroll, and when he looks up to tip the man he's already gone. He opens the scroll, and it reads "We still have a match. Be at the theater when you can," in fine calligraphy. And then, hastily-scrawled at the bottom, is "P.S. Your friends are more than welcome."[5]
Shango informs the others that Kes has invited him to a rematch, and he gets cleaned up and dresses up nice. He asks if the others want to come watch. Xương and Hǎifēng, not having much else to do, don't mind coming along.
The theater district is quiet when the Circle comes back, the locals staying off the streets in the wake of the fighting outside earlier. A guard of House Ledaal troops protects the theater, and they step aside to allow the Circle in.
Kes is waiting alone in the theater, standing in front of a table with a very nice Gateway board, with his hands visible in body language clearly reading 'I'm not here to fight.'[6] Next to him is a table with tea, booze, and some snacks -- stuff he'd had set aside for parties that aren't going to happen since events were cut short. He explains that he's rented out the building, that he'd won his match and was going to face Shango in the finals anyways, and didn't want to go home without having that match. He points out they're alone in the building and can speak freely. Shango says he's all for casual conversation as he sits down at the board. Everyone gets in on the booze and snacks, especially Xương, who makes a deliberate effort to go through as much of it as possible.
As Kes sits down, he says he's a little tired of dancing around things and asks which one of them is the Lunar that ripped off the prize room. Nobody says anything but he spots Hǎifēng trying not to look guilty, and subtly nods. He said he had a feeling there was something going on with the three of them, and would have assumed one or more Solars interfering with events were it not for someone reporting the presence of a Lunar ripping off the prize room. Hǎifēng gets a read on him and determines that while he is here for Gateway, he's also trying to maybe answer a couple of little lingering questions for his own satisfaction. So they suggest to Shango that they play for questions, based on captured pieces and such.[7] Shango and Kes are both down for this.
Kes lets Shango go first, and he starts in with a Gateway playing style he's been developing in his head, a collection of smaller styles inspired by the phases of the moon. So he's starting with No Moon style for the first stages of the game. It's very much like Roba Seafoam's technique, seemingly random but not entirely random moves, controlled chaos to disrupt an opponent's expectations, and it definitely seems to work in that regard judging from Kes' attempts to scramble and keep up.
As they play, questions are asked. Hǎifēng asks if the that artifact board, beyond just getting to play Gateway, that brought Kes to Lathe. And according to him it is -- this really is just part of a vacation from his job at the Imperial Treasury (among other things). But he's certainly enjoyed the playing (he gestures to Shango), the carousing (he gestures to Hǎifēng), and being taunted (gestures to Xương).
As they continue, Kes asks Shango if he knows a man named Alora Datro, who turns out to have been one of Shango's teachers back in Zhaojūn where he grew up. Kes mentions that Datro comes from a patrician family[8], and the two of them went to school together for a time when they were younger, and his observation of Shango's Gateway style from their previous matches (both the one they played and others Kes watched when he had the chance) reminded him of Datro's style. Shango's clearly had a Realm-approved education, so he suspected that Datro might have influenced Shango's strategies -- well, his usual strategies, at least.
Shango then asks, in kind of a foreboding tone, what Kes knows of Datro after their time togther. Kes admits that all he knows is that after he failed to Exalt, he eventually wound up transferred to Zhaojūn to work as an administrator and teacher. At this point, Shango's moved on to the Half/Crescent Moon phase of his new style, a much more aggressive series of maneuvers to represent the blade-like nature of the moon in this phase. As he shifts to this more aggressive posturing, moving pieces with an angry energy like a nerve has been struck, he says that his time with Datro wasn't as bad as with some other teachers, but he's still a crotchety old man -- though he almost says something much ruder. All Kes can say, deeply thoughtful at that, is that life in the Threshold can be hard on someone raised on the Blessed Isle.
Kes then asks Shango if he's Baihu Kojo Shango, the one whose family is looking for him, and just gets a smile in return. He emphasizes that he's not going to sell Shango out, but then he mentions Shango's brother (I'm blanking on whether he just mentioned his brother's looking for him or if he had a question to ask but I didn't write down exactly what I said) and that gets a genuine stutter from Shango as it throws him off.
Kes then asks about their motivations for getting involved in the tournament, and Hǎifēng reminds him of what they told him the other night -- there was a party going on and they wanted to crash it. Shango comments that really, all this is kind of a vacation for the three of them as well. Hǎifēng remarks that Shango has a point, which is weird -- Shango being right, they mean.
At about this point, going into the late stages of the game, Kes is adjusting to Shango's strategies and is starting to turn things around. Between that and the provocative conversation, Shango shifts to hybrid form and his anima banner begins to glow from the effort he's putting forth. This is the Full Moon technique, for as the full moon shines brightly on a cloudless night, so he too attempts to shine, playing with dramatic flourishes and style. And Kes doubles down on his focus as well, his own anima banner glowing as a breeze whips through the theater, causing lamps to flicker. (Hǎifēng notices that Kes' outfit is actually expertly tailored to take advantage and look fashionable under such circumstances) Both of them have been spending Essence this whole time to enhance their focus, to better read their opponents, and they've reached the threshold beyond which it becomes difficult to spend Essence subtly.
But in the end, Kes' focus on fundamentals and time-tested strategies cuts through Shango's dramatic presentation, and the Dragon-Blood barely squeaks out a victory. Even he's a little surprised as he sits back and observes the board. Shango lets out a deep sigh and relaxes back into his human form. Hǎifēng points out they're going to be stuck in the room for the next half-hour or so, Kes says he doesn't have anywhere to be and they've got plenty of booze left.
Shango then does a sitting low bow of respect to his opponent. Kes says it's the best match he's had in a long time. He also informs Shango that if he ever finds himself on the Blessed Idle, in Arjuf Dominion or the Imperial City, to look him up for a rematch. (His tone suggests he doesn't expect the three of them to ever go to the Imperial City, but he doesn't want to come across like he'd turn them away there.)
Shango picks up a saucer of sake and has one more personal question for Kes. He asks what Kes thinks about other Exalted beyond the Dragon-Blooded. His personal beliefs, not just what the scrolls and elders say.
Kes considers that for a moment, warming up the pot of tea on a small burner as his anima display has inadvertently cooled it. He says that he's aware that his thoughts on the other Exalted need refinement, that he needs to learn more about them and their places in the world. But he's keeping an open mind. Shango says that's not the answer you'd get from most Dynasts. Kes nods and says that a decade ago, he'd have seen 'anathema' as a source of chaos, but today he's not as convinced. He's still studying the board, as it were.[9] Shango acknowledges that everyone has a lot to learn, the Dynasts more than most. Kes diplomatically agrees.
And from there things dissolve into small talk and drinking until the anima banners fade. Xương, by now, is too out of it to contribute, having drunk way too much of the finest (or at least the most expensive) wines he's ever had. But once things have calmed down enough they can leave without causing attention, Kes gets up and dusts himself off -- not that he's actually dusty, but it's just kind of a signal that it's time to get ready to go. He pulls out a wooden case and packs up the Gateway board. He tells them he's giving them the board, and quickly adds that this isn't a consolation prize, that he'd have done this anyways (or at least as long as Shango gave him a good match, though he doesn't mention this part). He says that the conversation has been very pleasant -- Xương, in particular, has been quite pleasant for the last half-hour (during which he's been unconscious and propped up with a stick).
There's a few moments where they consider who should leave first, and in the end Kes suggests they go ahead and leave first while he gets someone to clean everything up. He wishes them a pleasant evening, safe travels, and a safe Calibration. Shango and Hǎifēng proceed to help Xương out as Kes straightens some things up. And the story ends on Kes overhearing some muttering coming from them, turning to the door with a look of confusion, and asking of nobody in particular "Teeth bucket?"
And we leave it there, for both the session and the story.
Keep safe, folks!
[0]-- Not relevant to the direct story, but Nam-Kyu explains that the concept behind the ritual is that the game creates a scenario of the Incarnae, Gaia, and Autochthon playing the Games of Divinity while creation falls apart underneath them, metaphorically creating a link to Sigereth allowing her to reach out to Creation -- in this case, sending an army of the Empty Pawns. The special kimonos allow the players to metaphorically take on those roles as they play a five-person match of Gateway (with the Maidens of Fate collectively represented by one). If the side-event had gone off without a hitch, this would have been the finals of said event.
[1]-- Y'know, the one they took from V'neef Gamon's collection on Talipan Island, traded to the Three Devil Princes, which has been brought back so someone can purchase it and then someone tried to steal it and got a decoy instead... Wait. Decoy?
[2]-- While he's not the most dangerous of Second Circle Demons, going back on a deal with Makarios can enable him to manifest in Creation, unbound.
[3]-- 'Hellsilk' is a technical term.
[4]-- If the board was real and this had worked, she'd have woken up to find the board exchanged for the kimonos.
[5]-- For the record, it's not that Kes forgot about Shango's friends. It's that he only realized at the last-minute that they might not assume the invitation applies to them as well. And I just now realized I forgot to have the scroll sealed with an artifact signet ring or something. Dammit.
[6]-- He also uses a Dragon-Blooded Charm to read them and make it clear they're here for a Gateway match and not to kill him.
[7]-- I tried to come up with a system for this on the fly based on the die rolls for the actual Gateway-playing, but quickly ditched it and decided to just eyeball if they were asking too much.
[8]-- Patricians in the Realm are mortals who come from families where there's just enough Dragon-Blooded heritage that there's a decent chance of Terrestrial Exaltation. They occupy a social stratum above regular peasants and are raised in and around high society to make things easier on everyone if they Exalt. Conveniently, those who don't Exalt are already educated to become administrators, assistants, and bureaucrats to keep the empire running.
[9]-- Two notes here, really. First, just pointing out that aside from using the term academically with obvious air quotes, he's been very careful not to use the term 'Anathema' to refer to the characters in particular or Lunars in general. Take that as you will. Second, I've strongly resisted the urge for him to make Gateway jokes and puns during his appearances this whole story arc. I allowed this one, since who knows when he'll show up again after this scene.
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