Hey there, folks, hope everyone's doing well, so on and so forth. I know a few folks have had a rough time of it as of late, and just know that my thoughts are with you whether you're reading this or not. (I'm not sure how you'll know my thoughts are with you if you're not reading this, but just don't think too hard about it.)
I've been running at a little less than peak efficiency myself, which is why it's been quiet around these parts, but hopefully I'll be back up to speed soon enough.
Anyhow...
Where we left off, our trio plus entourage were in the basement of the ruins, with thousand-year old automatons starting to rev up and threaten to become a problem. So the group gets to trying to deal with them.
Lecht first uses some of their powers to cause the dead body stuck in the door's mechanisms to dislodge itself, animating it basically as a zombie while Stray Dog and Wandering Dawn rush to work on the door where Stray Dog is pretty certain that he can reset whatever magical 'mechanism' activated them in the first place and render them inert. He quickly works at the mechanisms, trying to cut off whatever's powering them, weakening them in the process.[0]
The automata wake up and begin to menace the group, as Stray Dog's brute squad and Lecht try to hold them back only to discover just how dense and solid they are. Lecht has to brace themself behind their staff and call over the zombie to help them ward off the mechanoid's strike, while Dawn uses his spear to try and push back the other one going after Stray Dog.
Dawn then channels his Essence to take a swing at it, hard enough to damage it such that the reduced power it's receiving can no longer sustain it. And shortly afterwards Stray Dog manages to shut down the other with some sparks and a hum.
The group manages to get the vault door open to find... admittedly, not much. It's definitely some sort of armory, but it's mostly been cleared out. There's still a lot of well-preserved, high-quality Shogunate weapons and armor -- enough to help the good people of Eslund defend themselves, with enough stuff left over to sell and recoup some of their recent losses.
There is, however, one item of unusual interest -- some sort of magical lantern, brighter than but not too dissimilar from the magical crystal-torch one of the now-dead adventurers was carrying. So the group snags that for study and with the help of Stray Dog's followers they gather up stuff to take back to the village. Also, on the way out, it looks like the demon spiders have cleared out for the moment, so they're also able to go back in and get the dead bodies out for a proper burial -- and, after some discussion about the nature of the gemstones in the spiders' web, they grab a couple for later, just in case.
But soon enough they've got bodies buried, they've retrieved Lecht's wagon, and the group heads back to Eslund. The mood in town seems pretty lively, especially once the Circle-plus-assistants begin setting out the weapons they found. One of the town elders, a man named Evening Shepherd, asks about them. Stray Dog gives him the short version as well as directions to the armory itself -- after all, the structure of the ruin itself might be useful. Evening Shepherd, in return, informs the group that the soldiers are clearing out -- they've sent word that they'll be gone by morning, and some of them have already been seen heading back to the Travelers' Road. They're also apparently leaving behind most of the supplies they haven't already consumed, keeping a few basic essentials so they can put some distance between themselves and Eslund without having to stop and forage nearby.
Evening Shepherd thanks the group for all they've done, and says that the village is truly blessed in having brave souls step up in their time of need. He makes it clear the town's in their debt, and there's a lot of 'aw shucks' as the group makes plans to relax for the night and leave in the morning. Lecht also asks Evening Shepherd if they can read the town's internment records and stuff on their burial rites. The old man, caught off-guard, asks if they're looking for something specific, but apparently this is just light reading, and keeping up with local customs, and whatnot. Dawn reassures the old man that Lecht is harmless, so he's fine showing them to it.
Over the course of the evening the soldiers pass by the village as they get back on the Travelers' Road, heading north -- presumably back to their leader's camp in Fella. They're close enough they can be seen from the village -- because it's literally not worth the effort to give it a wide-enough berth to hide their presence -- but far enough that they're clearly not going to cause any trouble. Ragara Saresh comes by, and the group notices her, but neither side engages with the other -- though there is a hint of relief on her face. No sign of Dreadful Thorn, though. Regardless, that evening, Stray Dog throws another party, and Lecht spends all night reading.
The next day as the group leaves, Lecht looks more drawn-out and emaciated than usual because they haven't slept. Stray Dog says they look like hell, and they say the records were surprisingly detailed. Dawn suggests they get some rest, and they just give him a thousand-yard stare until it gets weird and awkward. But in the end, Dawn just points out they look like death.
<Pause for laughter, cut to commercial>
After a couple of days of travel, they find a nice quiet spot on the road where Stray Dog wants to follow through on something he's been quietly planning to do -- summoning a demon. Part of what's got it in his head is the near-encounter with the unicorns, as the demon he wants to summon -- a perronele, also known as a 'living armor' -- is known for their translation abilities.[1] But he's been researching the summoning techniques for one, prepared some implements, and so on a quiet evening he slips off with his followers, as well as Lecht and Dawn, and prepares a summoning circle. Lecht takes notes the whole time, as this is an entirely new realm of magic for them.
At sunset he begins the ritual with chanting and burning offerings and the like, and invocations to the demons' Second Circle progenitor -- Lucien, the Guardian of Sleep, Expressive Soul of the End of All Wisdom -- and then to that demon's Third Circle progenitor -- Orabilis, the End of All Wisdom, Sixth Soul of the Endless Desert. At midnight, a faint green glow traces out a rift in the air and a creature of off-white ooze emerges, quivering with fear and confusion. Stray Dog then binds it under the Abscissic plate of the Warden to protect him for a year and a day, and it slimes across the ground over to him, where it proceeds to cover his skin and turn pretty much transparent.
Now, anyone who knows what to look for (and that they should be looking for it in the first place) may be able to spot the presence of the demon symbiotically-bound to the Infernal, but otherwise he just looks a little sickly and has a layer of magical living armor covering his skin.
So aside from the little excursion into the realm of the arcane, the group has a peaceful week or so of travel between Eslund and Fella. They reach the edge of the city limits, marked with signs warning people about lighting fires outdoors -- the land is cursed, and the elements are out of whack. So outdoor fires quickly grow out of control, which is a potential problem when all of the buildings are wood -- as part of the city's curse makes it impossible to build structures out of stone. A short distance away from the city, on the other side of the Travelers' Road, is a military camp flying gold and white Ragara flags.
Dawn suggests that once the caravan's set up, they should go deliver that bill from Eslund. The others agree and decide to travel with just the three of them so they don't look like they're there to start trouble. They go to the camp and ask to speak to the captain, and they're lead to a command tent where he's going over a table covered in maps, with a woman dressed as an advisor assisting him. Winglord Ragara Ledayo asks the group their business, and Stray Dog hands him the bill. He reads over it, seeing the message from Saresh, and he's heard about this so he's not too shocked -- but he does read it all in-depth.
He then asks the group for their names, and both Stray Dog and Lecht are reluctant, but Wandering Dawn steps up to introduce himself. Ledayo asks about the other two, and Dawn simply says he doesn't want to speak for them, and the monster hunter's reputation is enough that Ledayo lets the matter drop for now. The captain expresses dismay that the situation has come to this, and he's not going to press for details since Saresh vouched for them, but he also says he'd appreciate it if at some point he could hear their side of the story for the official report back to his superiors on what went down.
He then turns to Segala Torin, his patrician assistant, and quietly confirms with her that they've got what they need to get this dealt with. The two talk among themselves for a moment, and Stray Dog listens in to hear her suggest that they get 'the monk and the acolyte' to take care of it. He agrees, and sends her off to fetch them. He then informs the group that he's going to have some supplies and koku gathered up and sent to Eslund for their troubles.[2]
Ledayo then asks if there's anything else he can do while they're here, but it seems that's it. He then says he appreciates the group bringing the matter to his attention, and Stray Dog says he just wants to be sure they're going to help out Eslund, and that both the Circle and the people of Eslund thank him for resolving this. He acknowledges and understands that, and they go on their way.
On the way out of the command tent, the group sees a pair of Immaculate monks approaching, an older man and a younger man -- but the younger man draws Stray Dog's attention. He's a Northerner, and clearly hasn't been a monk very long -- his head bears subtle tan lines suggesting it's been only-recently shaved for the first time. But also, Stray Dog recognizes him.
He doesn't say anything right away, but once the group is a safe distance away, he addresses the others. "Fellows, I don't know what this means yet, but the monk's acolyte is someone I used to know."
Dawn, intrigued, asks "What, like an old friend?"
The Infernal ponders his answer for a moment. "He used to be one of my many close friends who traveled with me, until we had a disagreement and he disappeared." He pauses for a beat. "But not before Exalting."
Dawn looks back at them, and Lecht says they don't know anything about these monks, but they'd assume they're Dragon-Blooded, right? Stray Dog says that the one he knows is something else. Not a Solar and not a Prince of Hell, that's all he can tell them. Dawn asks if they should be worried, and Stray Dog says only insofar as trouble tends to follow the Exalted wherever they go... and this guy did fuck him over.
Dawn asks how long ago this ways, and Stray Dog says a little over a year. Lecht wonders how he could be a monk, then, because isn't that only a Dragon-Blooded thing? If he's something else, how could he be an Immaculate? Stray Dog suggests that maybe he's pretending to be a Dragon-Blood, or a mortal, and Lecht points out that he's got perfect ammunition to use against him if he wants revenge.
Stray Dog says he doesn't necessarily want revenge... though revenge is sweet. But at least, it'd be funny to see the look on his face as he's run out of town. Dawn suggests there could be something else going on, and Lecht says that the guy shaved his head and that suggests some commitment to the bit.
Dawn asks Stray Dog whether he's planning to confront him, and after a moment's pondering he says he'd need more time to think about what to say. Dawn's willing to consider it a dodged arrow for now. Lecht asks about the likelihood they'll run into him again.
"That depends," Stray Dog begins. "Do you believe in fate?"
Lecht would rather not weigh in on that one. Stray Dog thinks it's safe to say they'll encounter him again. Dawn points out that even if they do, Stray Dog will have allies this time. And hey, maybe a year's been enough time that things have smoothed over enough on his end, they might be getting all worked up for nothing.
Lecht, remembering where they are, comments that if worse comes to worst, they could just light a match.
And we leave off of there.
[0]-- The way I handled this was by having rolls to work on the door, with successes effectively doing levels of damage to the automata. Though maybe I made it a little easier than intended, or perhaps misinterpreted my notes in the moment, because they still go down pretty fast. That's not a complaint, just an observation.
[1]-- This is something he'd talked about before with the rest of the group, and while I know it was at least a semi-IC conversation apparently I forgot to include it in the appropriate write-up for whatever session it was in. I mean, it wouldn't have been important to the story, but that still bugs me. Ah well.
[2]-- 'Koku' in this context is a denomination of jade scrip, a currency used among Realm commoners. It's not as useful outside of Dynastic territory as silver would be, but it'll spend well-enough in Whitewall that most merchants on the Road will certainly accept it. A single koku is actually a good bit of money, about enough to cover the monthly food costs for a small-ish family. Admittedly, I meant to have him use the term for a smaller denomination for the sake of casual conversation but mean a larger one, and mistook one for the other in the moment. Not that it's a big deal, but the mistake bugs me nonetheless.
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