Hey there, all. If this Exalted post is going up when I mean it to, I should be caught up in time for my next session.
I can't think of anything to add to that, clever or otherwise, so let's just get into it.
The Circle, having successfully had a few drinks and cursed Heaven without being immediately struck down by the gods or their agents, decides that now is the best time to go out and catch the ghost's attention and deal with it. Stray Dog Serenade talks about going out and doing his "I'm so soft and huntable and full of warm blood" routine, and Lecht points out that ghosts don't drink blood. Some zombies, perhaps, but not usually ghosts.[0] Wandering Dawn agrees to a patrol of the city, and -- seeing an opportunity to slip away and resolve their business with Nadia -- Lecht proposes splitting up and whomever 'gets' the ghost, wins. Wandering Dawn asks if that means bagging the ghost or getting attacked, and Lecht settles on getting attacked. They even offer to turn off their special ghost-sensing abilities to keep it fair. Wandering Dawn asks what the bet is, and after a moment of shrugging and looking around at each other, he suggests a round of drinks and the others agree.
So they split up -- Lecht taking the western portion of the city, Stray Dog going east, and Wandering Dawn hitting the north.
(Smash cut to the next morning with a newspaper headline about a massacre in the southern portion of town. I kid, I kid.)
First we follow Lecht skulking through the streets, heading for Nadia's office but also keeping an eye out for the ghost. The moon, having passed through shadow and come out the other side since the encounter with the Teodozjia about a week ago, peeks out as a crescent in the night sky overhead. Hardly anyone's out -- most of the folks that Lecht sees are either patrolling guardsmen or people desperately getting home or wherever. There isn't a lot of the usual nighttime lurking you'd find in a city this size.
They get back to Nadia's office, where one of the goons from the front room before is standing guard outside. A couple of locals, a man and woman each with conspicuous green cloths wrapped around an upper arm are hassling him about the office remaining open after dark. They seem to be haranguing him about putting people in danger by continuing to do business of some sort and luring people into danger from the specter that's been stalking the streets. Seeing Lecht coming, the guard gives them a quick 'gimme a moment' gesture and tells them that the office isn't open, there's just a late appointment and once that's resolved he'll close things up and there's nothing more to worry about. They continue to insist that this is going to get someone killed, at which point Lecht steps up and informs the pair that their idiocy is going to get them killed -- they're the ones who chose to out in the dark, hassling the man, bringing this on themselves.
The pair stops and notices Lecht, and the man insists that the city's greed -- specifically the Liczkas' greed -- is choking the city, and the fact that this office is open is one of the last gasps demonstrating the city's impending demise. He sounds like he honestly believes it, but it also sounds like a line he's been fed, something he's rehearsed. Lecht sees the guard reaching for the man's shoulder, and recognizes a distinct bulge in the back of the guard's glove -- weighted around the knuckles, for extra impact.
They quickly push past the pair and interrupt the guard from grabbing the man and sucker-punching him, informing him that they're the appointment. The guard says he's aware, and that the lady is waiting. Lecht moves past and as they're about to go in, they stop and look at the people hassling the guard. "And by the way, Nadia is a bitch," they say, in a tone suggesting there's going to be a 'but.' But there isn't. The guard just snorts in amusement before they go in and close the door behind them to the sound of the guard giving the troublemakers one last waring to go.
Nadia's waiting in the foyer -- if she heard the 'bitch' comment, and she almost certainly did, she doesn't say anything. She's slightly on edge, hiding it well enough from anyone who wouldn't have had much experience with her. The box Lecht brought in earlier is with her, and she tells them the payment's in the box.
Lecht demands their sarcophagus, and she says it's in storage and she needs more time and effort to get it. The Exigent sighs and asks what she's sending them after next, and she says there are detailed instructions in a scroll case in the box, but she volunteers that it's going to be in Gethamane. Lecht checks the box, finds a bunch of trinkets previously 'liberated' from their village packed with the salt along with the scroll case. They close everything up and drag the box outside.
The guard stands out there, alone, and asks "Ya got that?" Lecht just says "I'll see you later" as they move past, and the man says (with a hint of sincerity) "Watch your step out there" before he goes back in and secures the door.
...
We then cut to the northern side of Silverpost where Wandering Dawn is also patrolling the nearly-empty streets. A couple of guards walk by, and look like they're about to say something to him before they spot the bear-sized wolverine following close behind. They think better of it and move on, which means that Dawn is alone on the city street when he hears the ominous footsteps ahead of him. There's a soft, chill breeze as fog comes into view -- moving against the breeze, shrouding a figure who steps around the corner and into view. All he can make out through the following mist is a slim silhouette with a wide-brimmed straw hat.
He slowly approaches and calls out to them in greeting, and warns them it's dangerous to be walking around at night alone. There's a ghost about, after all, and they should get inside whenever they can.
The figure comes closer, and Wandering Dawn can make out a nearly-featureless porcelain mask. A feminine voice with some sort of unnatural occult intonation to it says "It is dangerous out, but not for me. You should stay inside, where it is warm, and dry, and well-list."
The Solar pauses at that. "Oh, you must be the expert they hired!" He then approaches her, all friendly-like. "Name's Wandering Dawn."
She takes a half-step back at that, disarmed by his straightforward and forthright approach. "I am no mere 'expert.' I am Wanasaan Kaga, and I am here to deal with the problem."[1]
"Um, sorry, I don't really recognize the name. But, as it so happens, my friends and I are actually out having a little contest to see who can bag this so-called 'ghost' first. We'd be willing to... Well, I'd be willing to include you in it, if you want. Free round of drinks. If you happen to catch this thing before we do, I'll buy you a drink."
She's trying very hard to maintain her poise like this -- the 'ominous voice and wreathed in fog' routine intimidates the hell out of most randomly people she comes across. And she ponders that for a moment as the fog surrounding her moves in, all but blotting out the rest of the street. Wandering Dawn introduces Mollie like this is a perfectly normal conversation to have. ('Hello magical ghost-hunter with spooky fog and a mask, this is my giant wolverine and I am a perfectly normal human worm-baby.')
"'Kaga' is fine," she says when he addresses her by her full name. "I will not need a drink, but..." She pauses to think, not sure what to say to this (I mean, I sure as hell couldn't think of anything clever).
When she trails around he asks about how she's doing the thing with the fog, because he's quite impressed. She sighs, looks around, and drops the ominous tone to speak more normally. "I normally work alone, as do my people, and we don't normally accept or need help. I think you should stay inside but you seem to be able to handle yourself."
He asks if she thinks it's a ghost or something masquerading as one. She says she just arrived but having looked at the bodies of the dead, she's pretty sure it's a ghost -- simply a unique one. He says he'll keep that in mind and wishes her luck. She tells him to 'be safe' before she vanishes into her personal fog bank and the Solar continues on with his patrol.
...
We then cut to the eastern end of town, where Stray Dog Serenade is wandering what he realizes is the fancy high-class part of the city -- even if the quality and style of the houses weren't enough to tip him off, it's clearly better-patrolled by the guard than other parts of the city. He's doing the equivalent of stepping on cracks, walking under ladders, doing anything that might attract bad luck.
He spots a figure standing outside the Morning Dew on the Leaf teahouse -- he hasn't met her properly, but after a second he recognizes her as Oguri's bodyguard, Mahi. He decides to approach her, and it takes her a moment to recognize him as well. She bows slightly, and he gives an exaggerated -- positively clownish -- bow in response.
"What are you doing out here on a night like this?" he asks with a big smile. "They say there's ghosts about."
"Oguri has private business inside," she says, speaking slowly to be understood despite her accent. "I'm keeping watch, because there's a ghost about," she adds, matter-of-factly.
"Your employer's business is none of mine, just keep doing what you're doing," he says, about to move on.
She ponders a moment. "What brings you out here?"
"Hunting for the ghost. I was hoping I'd present a tempting enough target on my own. But I appeal more to worm-deer than ghosts."
She mutters something in Firetongue, clearly in response to the comment about hunting for the ghost. Stray Dog doesn't understand the language, but his magic living demon armor whispers in his ear that she said "Well, that oughta be funny."
He just smiles at her.
"Pardon me, that was rude," she admits, unaware of his translator. "I was wishing you luck."
"I thank you. But between you and me, I don't need luck. I'm good."
Mahi raises an eyebrow at that, and just nods at him after a moment.
Stray Dog walks on, and after another couple of blocks he hears some sort of hissing or swishing sound he's having difficulty placing. He rushes towards it and sees a translucent figure approaching a large house. It holds a cane in one hand -- not using it walk, not carrying it. Though it'd be weird if it was using it to walk, since its feet are invisible and it's floating off the ground. But all Stray Dog can see is the head, the hands, and a large flowing cloak. Some sort of dust is blowing off of the figure.
"You there! Ghost! Halt!" he yells, rushing towards it, smelling salt on the air.
The ghost turns around, and he realizes that everything he couldn't see before -- everything except the hands and head -- is a skeleton, either covered with or made of salt. It shrieks at him, brandishing the cane, and he realizes he doesn't really know enough about ghosts to know if he can fight it. But as it comes at him, he reaches out to gather up the ambient power of the area and reaches out to grab the ghost's cloak with his free hand. He pulls it in close and blasts it with Flight of the Brilliant Raptor, setting it on fire.[2]
It burns bright yellow as it pulls away with a high-pitched shriek. It flies into the sky, on fire, and vanishes in a burst of flame like flash paper. And somehow it actually left that scrap of cloak in his hand, though now it appears old, worn, and dusty, like a tapestry from a long-abandoned mansion. He figures the others likely saw or heard that, so he stays put for the moment.
And in fact, a couple of minutes later Wandering Dawn arrives, riding Mollie. He leaps off her back and lands with a roll before springing to his feet as she skids to a stop behind him. "Did you see that? I'm assuming... the ghost?"
"Yup." He holds up the scrap of cloth. "I got a piece of him." Wandering Dawn examines the scrap, noticing the texture of it, and the fact that it appears to be partially crusted with salt. "It's clearly some kind of salt ghost," he mentions.
Wandering Dawn remarks that's something he never expected to hear. Stray Dog says the ghost was tracking salt everywhere, that you could even smell it. At about this point soldiers from the city guard show up and start asking questions. Stray Dog says he and his group are travelers passing through, and he saw the ghost and chased it off. At this point Lecht shows up, dragging the box, their staff clanging and chiming. "Tell me everything."
Stray Dog tells Lecht and Wandering Dawn of the encounter in as much detail as he can. As he talks, more city guard show up to secure the area and drive back the few people daring to come out to see what's happened. From the southern side of town, an armed woman in armor clearly indicative of House Tepet shows up along with Carik the blacksmith. One of the guards starts to send Carik away, but the Tepet gives them a 'She's with me' and they back off. Wanasaan Kaga also shows up, albeit hanging out on a nearby rooftop, wreathed in her fog.
Fortunately, as Stray Dog's a natural performer, his description of the encounter is rather expressive, enough that Lecht is able to work out a great deal from his telling. They figure out that the ghost certainly is a hungry ghost, despite the professed immunity to salt -- clearly, something about the nature of the living person had been so entwined with salt, so infused with it, that it seems to have produced some sort of unique entity. Perhaps a God-Blood? Also, from the description (and due to an absolutely ridiculous number of successes on their player's part), they recognize that it's also a particularly rare variety of hungry ghost -- one attached to someone who's still alive and near death.
Lecht reawakens the unnatural senses that allow them to perceive the presence of ghosts, and recognize that it's still close enough that they can sense it. They even work out that it's somewhere in the large house where Stray Dog saw it heading when he encountered it. Lecht, whose base of operations is the village ruins of Kolozma just a little further north of Silverpost, is familiar enough with the city that they recognize the house -- it's the Liczka Estate.
Lecht conveys what they've worked out to the others while the city guard are trying to get everyone to return to their homes. They then ask if they'd get into trouble if they stormed the estate, to which Wandering Dawn helpfully responds that they would. But it's worth noting that the family patriarch, Marku Liczka, has been attacked by the ghost. But perhaps they could approach peacefully, like they heard about the attack and had a run-in with the ghost and see if they can talk to him about what happened -- giving them a chance to poke around.
Stray Dog thinks that's a solid idea, which surprises Wandering Dawn -- not because compliments from Stray Dog are rare, but that he's not expecting his off-the-cuff ideas to be good ones. Lecht would rather go straight at the problem, but they agree to place nice. So there's a little more back and forth, and Wandering Dawn leads the trio up to the guards at the front of the estate.
Naturally, the guards ask where Wandering Dawn thinks he's going.
"Well, I heard that Marku Liczka was attacked, correct?"
"He was one of the earliest victims, yes."
"How has he been doing?"
The guard shrugs. "At his age, recovery has been slow, but his son and daughter have been keeping an eye on him."
"We're hunting this ghost, and if he feels well enough to maybe explain what happened when he was attacked, it might help us track this thing down."
Now the guard looks confused and asks if it can wait until the morning, since he's probably asleep. Wandering Dawn glances at Lecht, who whispers they probably can't sense the ghost if it's dormant during the day... but, they point out, they are a fine doctor. Wandering Dawn turns back to the guard and offers up Lecht's services in exchange for the information.
Lecht adds they'd also need gold, which Wandering Dawn swiftly amends to mean there'd be a small service fee. He then puts on his biggest, most disarming smile and drags Lecht in close and makes them smile as well.
Somehow, this works -- the guard can't promise they can talk to the old man now, but they can at least come in and sit and ask. He leads them inside (Lecht leaving their box by the door and warning the guards that if anyone opens it they'll be cursed), where he whispers to a servant who rushes off. Then he leads the characters to a sitting room to refresh themselves while they wait for someone to come talk to them. They're in there for a little while, during which a servant brings in some tea and fruit and Lecht informs the others that they're certain the ghost is in the building.
A young woman comes in and introduces herself as Anica Liczka, Marku's daughter and currently his caretaker, and asks what they need her father for. Wandering Dawn gives her the basics -- they're hunting the ghost, his compatriot just had a run-in with it, and they're gathering information. They were hoping to question Marku since they know he survived. And as Dawn's associate is a skilled healer, they could take a closer look at him and provide a diagnosis and prognosis for his condition.
Anica offers to see if her father is in any state to be seen.
Lecht speaks up and insists they would provide a cure, not merely a diagnosis. "You seem very certain," Anica remarks. Lecht promises her that afterwards, her father 'would suffer no more,' and everyone quietly begs them to find a better phrasing for that. Wandering Dawn's quick to clarify that Lecht would bring him relief and he would continue to live.
Anica is still concerned. "You're hunting the ghost that attacked him?"
Stray Dog says he encountered it and it escaped there.
"It fled here, to the house?"
"Yes."
"It was told an expert was bring brought in, but I was told it was going to be one of the Wanasaan exorcists?" she asks.
Wandering Dawn says he encountered her while they were out and about, and Lecht chimes in that they beat her so they win. Dawn tries to cover for Lecht's comment by contextualizing that there's a little competition -- Lecht quickly cuts him off, but Anica's already taking a couple steps back. She just says she's going to see if he's ready for visitors, and she'll be back as soon as possible.
The three are left alone in the sitting room again. They look around -- its got a library, a fireplace, comfy chairs, a nice place to meet visitors. There are portraits on the walls and Stray Dog looks over them and spots something.
It's a portrait of a man in his late 20's or early 30's standing at the entrance to a mine, addressing his workers, looking all dramatic and inspirational, waving a cane around as he speaks. Stray Dog recognizes the man's face and the cane. "That's the guy. That's the ghost!"
He then notes a plaque on the frame, which the camera zooms in on:
'Marku Liczka, on the day of his inheritance, addressing his workers for the first time'
And we leave it there.
[0]-- Technically, some do, but I didn't want to get into a thing about it.
[1]-- Wandering Dawn isn't familiar with them, but the Wanasaan are a band of Dragon-Blooded exorcists and ghost-hunters for hire based out of the Northwest. They've got their own rituals and traditions that specially empower them to deal with spectral problems. There's a little more info about them in the Dragon-Blooded core book, and a rogue Wanasaan is a main character in the novella The Silence of Our Ancestors.
[2]-- We treated this as a single contested roll, as this was intended to just be an encounter and didn't want to spend the rest of the session slugging it out.
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