Hey there, folks. Back again with another Exalted write-up. This most recent session wrapped up "Embers," the 'return to Smolder' story. We had some time to start the next one, but I think for the sake of coherence and pacing I'm gonna bump that stuff into the next post and start fresh with the next story. Just so you know.
Unrelated to Exalted, just pointing out that later today, the Backerkit crowdfunding campaign for Trinity Continuum: Aegis starts. It's a game set in, as the name suggests, the Trinity Continuum but in the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age, focusing on Ancient Greece (though not exclusively so). It's swords and sandals, heroes and monsters and the blurry line between them. I didn't work on this book, but when working on the time travel material for the Trinity Continuum Player's Guide I got to read the outline for Aegis as a reference and let's just say I Know Things and am looking forward to seeing what people think about the Things I Know.
Anyhow, with that out of the way, let's get into it!
So we pick up where we left off, with the battle starting to wind down after the group's fight with Lost to the Riptide and Obsidian Hand of Vengance. The ship out in the harbor breaks off its attack from the fort and starts to sail away -- either Obsidian Hand of Vengeance, its captain, wound up back there when he escaped, or (more likely) someone on the ship was monitoring the fight and knew to get while the getting was good. (The appearance of Bokano's Magma Kraken was likely a factor.) But without the influence of the ship and whom- or whatever was on it, the defenders of the fort (with Bokano's help) are making quick work of it.
"Y'know what," Hǎifēng starts. "I hate this island. Every time we come to this island, y'know, just... I'm putting this island on the no-sail list."
"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" someone (I think Gou, I forgot to write it down) says.
"Name one good thing that's happened when we came here before." Xương gets kind of a big grin and looks like he's about to say something. But he's standing behind Hǎifēng, so Hǎifēng's completely unaware as, after a beat, they add "And Xương getting laid with Bokano doesn't count." Xương's face falls.[0]
Hǎifēng goes on to insist the island is cursed, and Gou's not sure if he can refute it. But there's some agreement they should look into moving on anyways as they head back to town to get back to the boat. Hǎifēng laments that the Abyssal was barely a blip on their radar, hardly worth worrying about. They're a little grumpy about having to always save people from some terrible fate. Xương asks if they're tired of being a hero, and Hǎifēng says it's not that bad, but sometimes you have to ask yourself if a given conflict is worth it. Maybe create a scale that ranges from 'fuck it' to 'I gotta step in there because nobody else will.' And sometimes, when you see something, and it lands a little closer to the 'fuck it' level... They just kind of trail off with an 'ehhh' and a shrug.[1]
Gou reminds the others that they're pretty well-stocked and can leave whenever, and while Hǎifēng obviously doesn't want to take off in the middle of the night after a huge battle, they do want to leave sooner rather than later. Gou also suggests that perhaps there's a reward coming to them for their assistance, and Hǎifēng certainly wouldn't turn that down.
They get back to Smolder proper to find that the battle's wrapped up there, too. Living attackers are being dragged off in chains, dead bodies are being hauled off, and Stormseve Serenity is going around with glowing hands, using some sort of magic to touch each of the remaining ghosts and make them vanish with a poof as they pass into Lethe and begin the cycle of reincarnation. Sunder, whose anima banner is still glowing[2] with an Eclipse Caste mark shining on his forehead, comes over to check to see if they're okay, updates them that things are taken care of in town -- the attackers came from outside, though many of Lost to the Riptide's crew saw an opportunity to join in on what they correctly assumed was someone trying to free her from Bokano's claws. Sunder's a little awkward and admits it -- he's very new to being Exalted, and admits he's still learning the trio's names. At one point he calls Xương by his moniker, Bonetaker, as he mentions that they plan to see what they can get out of the ship he sank. Xương shrugs and says it's what he does. "Lots of bones on ships," Sunder says, totally deadpan.[3]
But since the danger is passed, the Lunars decide they're going to grab a drink, and we fade to commercial on Hǎifēng teasing Gou for being so awkward when it comes to partying and drinking.
The trio wakes up pretty rough the next morning. Hǎifēng is in an unfamiliar room, in fact, and they just quietly try to get back to the boat where Xương's asleep in his hammock on deck and Gou's out like a light in this bunk.
As they get back to the ship Bokano shows up, and she just nods to them as they duck back inside because now this is officially a walk of shame. But she greets Xương up on the deck, asks how everyone is. Xương says he's fine, and that 'what's her name' (he remembers, he's just being dismissive) didn't even scratch any of them. She nods, and makes sure to indicate to Xương that there's a shed with their supplies at the end of the dock, and tosses him the key. Basically, everything they got for their journeys is in there so that way it could be delivered without strangers having to come aboard the Moonlight Maiden.
She tells him that they've been interrogating the attackers, and it's pretty much what it looks like -- the Captain of the Ashen Umbra got wind of Lost to the Riptide's capture, and figured they could either bust her out and earn her favor or kill her and take a wild card off the table (as well as free up her Exaltation). But she mentions that this is her first real brush with Captain Ash, who normally isn't this active this far east. She says she's considering having Stormseve Serenity hold off on that planned trip to Wantari's Crucible, but visiting the mainland would give her a chance to hit up her contacts in that regard.
I can't remember how much detail comes up during the conversation here, but I think this is where I actually mentioned in-character that Bokano recruited Serenity while doing her own legwork investigating the Captain after the group's previous visit, having met her while reaching out to the Raiton Academy -- Creation's only dedicated school of necromancy (as far as I know).
Bokano says the group can stay a couple of extra days if they want -- the weather's pretty bad anyways (it's drizzling), may as well give it a day or two to calm down, and Xương says it'd feel like a better use of their time if they had a lead before leaving anyhow. She gets that and says that within reason, the group's tab on the island is covered for a couple of days. Xương says it'd be great if they could have captured the ghost, and they talk about that and where he went and there's just some chatter about the situation. Bokano says she hasn't slept in a couple of days so she's gonna go take a nap, but if the group needs her for anything there's ways to find her. She suggests they get some food and rest up, and heads out.
So there's a bit of downtime.
Hǎifēng seeks out the Lintha crew that's docked in Smolder, finding a tall, muscular, dark-skinned scowling woman[4] by their ship and giving her a letter intended for Cousin Mongo. (Just sort of an "I miss you, hope you're well" sort of thing.) The woman says she'll get it to someone who'll pass it along to him when they get the chance. Hǎifēng thanks her and starts to hand her some cowries (a shell used as currency in places) as a sign of appreciation.
"It is shells, right?" they ask.
"Yeah, it's pretty much anything in the Cinder Isles, but for folks on the sea, cowries are fine."
So they tip her in shells as she looks up and spots someone over Hǎifēng's shoulder.
"Not finding new business partners behind my back, are you?" Owl asks with a big smile as he comes walking up, dressed like a merchant.
"Owl!" Hǎifēng calls out, glad to see him. (This gets a sour look on the woman's face.)
"I think you've got me confused for someone else, I'm Lost Wind," he says meaningfully.
He talks to the woman quietly for a moment and slips an arm around Hǎifēng's shoulders as he makes a big show of taking them off her hands. He then quietly explains that 'Owl' is a name that shouldn't get thrown around too much, you never know what people are going to remember. Hǎifēng apologizes and Owl says that's on him, there's a lot of alternate identities involved for someone like him and Hǎifēng didn't know. But he's glad for a chance to catch up.
Hǎifēng asks if there's anything he wanted to say, and Owl says that he just wanted to take Hǎifēng up on that offer of a drink and a chat while they've got a chance. He takes Hǎifēng to someplace that's less of a dive than the Drunken Octopus, more of a 'navy bar' called the Iron Glory.[5]
They make small talk for a couple of hours, as Hǎifēng focuses on just giving Owl someone to talk to. Owl does let a few personal details slip, implying he's a couple of hundred years old and saying he's from Lookshy but hasn't been back since he Exalted and went to work for Heaven. He says he might take a vacation and visit home (maybe pass himself off as a distant cousin and check in on any surviving family), but he says it in such a way that suggests he's been telling himself that for a long time. Owl mentions at one point that he's sure if he did go back, he'd probably find half the stuff he remembers is gone -- which seems sad to Hǎifēng, but Owl says it's the stuff that's still the same, that's remained static and unchanging, that would sadden him more.
But after a while he says he has to get back to work. He starts to explain the deal that he's helped Nekoda make, but then stops and just explains it in plain terms -- swiping the Brass Legionnaires from Fort Gamon went off without a hitch, and he's disguised them as suits of armor scavenged from a shipwreck and pretending to sell them to another member of the heist crew on another ship as a cover for getting them to a gate to Heaven. Which is... a lot.
But Owl and Hǎifēng part once more as friends, as he 'gets back into character' as Lost Wind, part of Nekoda the parrotfolk merchant's crew.[6] He tells Hǎifēng to give his best to the rest of their Circle and leaves.
We then cut to Gou going to check up on Open Palm, flying close enough he can easily shift into human form and walk the rest of the way. He finds Bokano's people bringing in medicines and extra water, with Sunder and Loma supervising everything. The Peleps administrator also ostensibly supervises, but seems to be spending most of her time glaring at the Anathema while the Ragara monk is focused on helping.
Gou greets the other Lunar and Solar, and Sunder takes a moment to update him on what's going on because somehow that's just a job I keep giving him. He says that it's a good thing Gou and his Circle found out what was going on -- he almost mentions the ghost, though Loma subtly elbows him and stops him just in time. No need to freak people out more than necessary, after all. But he says they owe Gou and his allies their thanks.
Gou says he'll pass along his regards, and Sunder privately tells him that he's not sure about how well Open Palm is functioning as an experiment. But Bokano's reassessing some things. Gou says it'd be a nice change of pace. Sunder asks in what way, and Gou says that if groups of monks can live among Anathema then maybe their eyes will be opened to a few things.[7] Sunder nods and understands that, and points out that Silver Lining leaving the Immaculate Order because his own people are dicks isn't the most encouraging thing. But maybe Bokano's setting a good example without meaning to.
Gou says that sometimes the greatest forms of inspiration come about rather spontaneously, and Sunder agrees to that. He then says he's just here to keep things together because while he's new to being an Exalt, he can apparently sanctify oaths which is pretty nice. There's some small talk and Gou then spends a couple of hours just kind of keeping an eye out for trouble before he heads back.
That caps off the episode, though the session continued a bit as I started us off into the next. But I think for the sake of coherence and all that, I'm gonna move the rest of that ahead to the next post and start fresh. See you there!
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[0]-- So my group plays over Discord voice chat (no video or anything). I sit with Sean, Xương's player, and Zach and Bryan (Hǎifēng and Gou, respectively) are on their end of things. And so there was actually a moment where Zach said the first half of that, then paused for a beat as Sean made the face I described and then -- completely unable to see Sean's expression -- continued with the rest. Not gonna deny, I still miss playing in person, but moments like that take the edge off.
[1]-- Admittedly, this might be kind of a function of this game having gone on as long as it has, compounded by the fact that I'm pretty generous with the bonus XP, but we're definitely at that point where the group can outclass massive chunks of what the setting can throw at them but I can't necessarily justify constantly ramping up the challenges DBZ-style. I've got some thoughts on that but this isn't the place for them.
[2]-- It's worth noting that Sunder's anima banner really stands out in this regard -- most of the other Exalts in the area are Lunars, with various shades of blue and purple and silver. Even Silver Lining's could probably be mistaken for a Lunar anima if you didn't know what to look for. But as a Solar, Sunder's anima is a bright, flickering yellow and gold.
[3]-- My notes are spotty, I apologize if I accidentally misattributed this line.
[4]-- Hǎifēng wouldn't recognize her in any case, but if this were a TV show the audience would recognize her as one of the Sidereals that was part of Owl's heist crew.
[5]-- This is entirely unintentional on my part, but it's fitting that Owl picked the bar he did. I described the place as being kind of a military bar entirely on the fly after picking a name off of a pre-generated list of random bar names. But as I'm about to point out in the main post, Owl is from Lookshy, which is a very militaristic nation. Not that he's ever been (or would have been) a soldier, but he'd be naturally very comfortable in a military-oriented environment.
[6]-- I know I've mentioned this before, but I feel like it's worth reminding the fair reader that Owl still doesn't know that Hǎifēng spotted him working for Nekoda in Lathe.
[7]-- I'll admit I didn't fully get where Bryan was going with this in the moment but didn't want to stop the scene and ask -- but as I type this, I realize there might've been a misunderstanding about what Sunder meant about Bokano reexamining the 'Open Palm experiment.' Again, not gonna delve into that here, but maybe I'll touch on it if it comes up in-character.
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