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[Exalted 2e] Chosen of the Second Age
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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 4860199" data-attributes="member: 5203"><p>Okay, if you insist...</p><p></p><p>-------------------------------------</p><p></p><p> They came into a wide alleyway, eight or perhaps ten feet in width, with two-story stone buildings to either side. Several figures moved within the alley, stepping over the corpses of those who had already fallen. Closest to the Solars was a man in articulated white jade plate armor, wielding a tetsubo also made of white jade. His bearing was similar to that of the Earth Immaculate monk Ground Ripple, who they had encountered in Lynnisbrook, but this was another member of that order. Further down the alley, perched upon low balconies on either side, were two archers in green jade armor and holding power bows.</p><p></p><p> The figure in the center of the alley was the one that drew everyone's gaze, however, for it seemed to be what anyone else would describe as a monster. It stood about six feet in height, standing upon two legs but covered in fine, dark hair. Its face was elongated, and small, sharp claws protruded from its fingers. A brilliant silver-white disc stood out from its forehead, and the sky above was filled with the ephemeral image of a silvery mongoose, leaping about and baring sharp teeth as it did battle with a multiple-headed hydra. A dozen arrow shafts lay on the ground at its feet, shattered as though they had been fired against a stone wall, and the Wood-Aspected archer on the right sported deep slashes across his face. However, the other bodies in the alley either had arrows protruding from their skulls or had their throats opened up by a sharp blade of some sort, and the Lunar was heavily wounded itself, to the point that they all marveled that it was still standing.</p><p></p><p> As they watched, the scarred archer fired at the Lunar, the arrow blazing with emerald-tinged Essence. Snarling, it raked claws through the air, shredding the arrow mid-flight. The other archer took aim as well, but his shot was fouled when a boomerang whirled through the air, slicing his bowstring in half.</p><p></p><p> “More of your followers, Anathema?” the Wood Immaculate called out, as he retrieved a spare string. “They will die as well!”</p><p></p><p> The Earth Immaculate turned, and seeing the newcomers, frowned. He swung his tetsubo around and connected with the building just behind him, striking it so hard the ground shook. The building immediately collapsed, sending rubble spilling into the alley and cutting off the four Solars from the battle.</p><p></p><p> Ayama began to move to climb over the rubble, but a movement above caught her eye. She peered into the pre-dawn gloom, and for a moment saw the dusty haze on the roof to her left part just enough to reveal another Immaculate in a blue jade breastplate, holding a chakram of the same material. Before she could call out a warning or act, however, the Air Immaculate had thrown the chakram, which split into four Essence-fueled copies, one for each new combatant. Ghost was able to spot the attack at the last moment, and tried to flip out of the way, but was still sliced across the arm. Ayama dove for Zanka and pulled her back, taking two glancing strikes from the chakram, while Kaliel’s armor protected him from most of the damage.</p><p></p><p> Blood dripping from his wound, Ghost moved to the rooftop, leapfrogging between the two walls and alighting behind a pile of refuse. Looking around, he tried to determine the source of the blue chakrams, but saw nothing. Instead, he leapt across the rooftops, somersaulting in midair as he threw his boomerangs at the archer who had just restrung his bow, even as the Wood Aspected archer fired at him. The Immaculate screamed as the sharpened Chiaroscuro glass bit deep into his shoulder, while Ghost simply twisted in midair to avoid the arrow speeding at his chest.</p><p></p><p> The Lunar leapt at the second archer, landing atop the balcony and hurling the Wood Immaculate across the alleyway, where he slammed into the wall and then fell to the ground. Deprived of his primary opponent, the Earth Immaculate turned to face Kaliel, who had leapt up the pile of rubble and come sliding down the other side, riding atop a large chunk of masonry. Axe and tetsubo locked together with a resounding ring. But perhaps the most surprising thing to occur, at least to the Solars in the fight, was when Zanka suddenly ran forward into the battle, screaming curses against the Immaculate Order, and leapt up at the balcony where the Wood-Aspected archer still stood, pulling herself up to face him. As they struggled, however, the mongoose-like Lunar leapt from one balcony to the other, claws extended before him, and buried his hands deep into the Wood Immaculate’s chest, pinning him to the door behind him.</p><p></p><p>Ayama, who had been the only one to see the hidden Air Aspect, pulled one of the long wooden structural poles from the pile of rubble at her feet that had once been a building. Glancing down, she noted that the end of the structural pole was dark with blood, no doubt from an unsuspecting victim of the Earth Immaculate’s carelessness. She set aside her rising fury for the moment; first she had to deal with the unseen threat above. Ayama vaulted to the roof using the pole, landing a few feet from where she’d last seen the Air-Aspected warrior. She spotted him again just as he hurled the chakram at her chest, with an attack meant to knock the wind from her lungs. Steeling herself with Essence, the attack merely bounced off her solar plexus ineffectively. The chakram returned to the Air Immaculate’s hand, who looked at his opponent with consternation. </p><p></p><p> The scarred archer on the ground had risen to his feet in an eyeblink, and had fired an arrow at Kaliel, but the Dawn warrior saw the missile coming, and hooked the Earth Immaculate’s tetsubo with the back of his axe, so that the arrow impacted on the white jade weapon. He began to line up another shot, but was startled when Zanka suddenly dropped down on his shoulders from above, and tried to break his neck by clamping her legs on both sides of his head and twisting. He was only saved by his jade gorget, which prevented Zanka from maintaining pressure on his spine.</p><p></p><p> On the rooftop, Ayama raised her pole like a lance, and charged at the Air Immaculate. He moved to avoid the blow, but at the last second Ayama changed the angle of the pole, catching the jade chakram in the Dragon-Blood’s hand through its center, and pulling it free from his grasp. Her momentum carried her through to land a jaw-shattering kick on the Immaculate. The impact caused his concentration to waver, disrupting the Charm he was using to obscure his location. With his location exposed, the Wyld Huntsman turned and ran, jumping across a few rooftops before dropping into the streets below. Ayama looked around and saw Ghost on the opposite roof.</p><p></p><p> “Got it,” he said, and then turned and ran the opposite direction. He leapt up onto the end of a wooden pole that had been placed atop the roof to hold a clothes line. The pole bent nearly in half from his weight, and then sprang back, launching the Night Solar into the air, easily outpacing the fleeing Air Aspect.</p><p></p><p> In the alley below, Kaliel and the Earth Immaculate continued their deadly exchange, their weapons whistling through the air and connecting with blows that seemed to shake the ground. Kaliel felt the haft of his axe shivering with the impacts of the tetsubo, and he wondered how well it would hold up against the jade weapon. He reversed his grip after deflecting a blow aimed at his head, and brought it in low, attempting to split the Immaculate in half. Unable to bring his own weapon around in time, the Earth Aspect howled as the blade bit deep between two plates in his leg greaves. Small bits of stone began to whirl around the Immaculate as his anima flared in response to the Essence he was channeling, and his cry of pain turned into a scream of rage. He moved to attack again, but was held up as the Lunar suddenly leapt on his back, clawing and biting. The Lunar was unable to penetrate the white jade, but the Immaculate was unable to shake him off, keeping him from resuming his assault on Kaliel.</p><p></p><p> Nearby, Zanka was still clamped atop the thrashing Wood Immaculate. “Since you have blinded yourself to the truth,” she shouted, “you will live forever in darkness!” She then pulled out her war fans, still folded, and tried to jam them into his eyes. Unfortunately, her strike was deflected by the visor on his helmet, and the Immaculate finally managed to get a grip on Zanka’s arm. Before he could pull her off, however, he felt his arm being grabbed and twisted behind him. He cried in pain as he heard a popping noise from his elbow.</p><p></p><p> “My friend has not finished her lesson,” Ayama said to the archer, twisting his arm harder.</p><p></p><p> Some distance away, the Air-Aspected Huntsman ran down the street. His powers still obscured him from mortal sight, so his passage through those who were moving about in the early gloom was noted only as a strange gust of wind. Thinking himself safe, the Dragon-Blood was startled when an amber boomerang sailed just over his head, missing by inches. He looked back over his shoulder, just in time to see a second boomerang slash across his face. The Immaculate looked up and saw Ghost running along the edge of the rooftops above, extending a hand to catch his boomerangs as they circled around to him. The Huntsman grabbed a knife from the belt of a peasant in the street and threw it, but his aim was wide, and the blade sailed harmlessly away. Ghost continued to harry his fleeing quarry, until the Air Aspect ducked into a peasant’s hut. Grabbing a rope tied to the roof, Ghost swung down and dove through the same doorway, rolling into a defensive crouch in the middle of a pitch-black dwelling. The only sounds were those of the occupants, disturbed by two unwelcome visitors. Ghost focused his Essence, and light suddenly blazed from his caste mark, filling the hovel with a gold-violet light. At the same time, he grabbed a small sack of flour from the floor and tore it open, spreading its contents throughout the room. His eyes scanned the drifting flour, and when he saw some caught up in a strange whirling eddy in the corner, he let loose with his weapon. The Air Immaculate screamed as the boomerang bit into his leg.</p><p></p><p> The Earth Immaculate and the Lunar continued to grapple with each other, until a fortuitous twist caused the Lunar’s paws to slip on the blood-slicked white jade, and he fell backward. The tetsubo swung around, barely missing the Lunar and forcing him back. The Huntsman moved to press his advantage, but then felt a tap on his pauldron.</p><p></p><p> “He is not the threat here,” Kaliel said, as he came around with a bone-crushing swing of his axe. Reeling back, the Earth Aspect spat blood and squared off once again against his axe-wielding enemy, whose forehead was now starting to glow with the unholy symbol of the Forsaken. The Immaculate glanced over and saw that his fellow Huntsman had been pulled off his feet by the Anathema’s two female allies; the larger one held him while the small one leveled vicious kicks at his head. Fortunately, his green jade armor protected him from most of the blows, and he was using his Essence to heal himself, allowing him to finally throw off the larger woman. Unfortunately, the beast they had been tracking chose that moment to leap upon the Wood-Aspected archer, driving its claws underneath his breastplate. It withdrew its arms, red with blood up to the elbows, and holding great handfuls of the man’s entrails.</p><p></p><p> Realizing he now stood alone against four Anathema, the Earth-Aspected Huntsman shouted and suddenly charged at Kaliel, bringing his tetsubo down in a blurred arc. Unable to bring his axe around to parry in time, The studded weapon crashed into his shoulder, tearing into his flesh and grinding bones. Kaliel grunted as he was nearly forced to his knees, and just managed to stagger back out of range. The Immaculate charged again, but this time swung his weapon at the building just behind Kaliel, smashing it to rubble as he had with the dwelling on the other side of the alley. Rubble cascaded down, burying Kaliel up to his chest; he was barely able to raise his arms in time to keep them free. The Immaculate renewed his attack on the immobilized Solar, bringing his heavy tetsubo down to crush his skull. Kaliel was barely able to bring his axe up to block, and he winced as the force of the blow reverberated down his arms. He saw stress fractures open up on the haft of his axe, and knew his trusted weapon would not withstand much more punishment.</p><p></p><p> Inside the peasant dwelling, the Air Immaculate sprang from his position in the corner, diving at Ghost with his deadly fingertips pointed at the Night Caste’s solar plexus. Ghost grabbed a blanket off the bed and flung it into the air, obscuring the martial artist’s view enough that he was able to avoid the attack. Ghost somersaulted over the diving Dragon-Blood and twisted in mid-air, landing in the same corner that his opponent had just abandoned. His legs extended out perpendicular to his body, each foot gaining purchase on the wall and bracing Ghost in position. He threw both boomerangs at the same time toward the Air Aspect, who had just recovered from his own acrobatic maneuver. The Immaculate caught up the blanket that Ghost had just used, and attempted to repeat the Anathema’s obscuring tactic. The two weapons sliced neatly through the fabric, and severed both of the Immaculate’s arms at the shoulders. The blanket settled down over the Dragon-Blood’s head as his anima dissipated, and the body stood for a moment, the blanket quickly turning red on either side, before he collapsed.</p><p></p><p> Ghost quickly jumped down and gathered up the pieces of the corpse, bundling them in the blanket. Hefting the load on one shoulder, he turned to face the occupants of the hovel, who were all cowering in a corner. He knew that in the pre-dawn gloom, the light coming from his caste mark would have half-blinded them, so they would not have seen his face.</p><p></p><p> “The Wyld Hunt has been careless and irresponsible, and have brought harm to innocent mortals,” Ghost said. “They have been punished for their transgressions.” He tossed a handful of coins on the table, more than enough to cover the damages to the house, and then made his way to the door. He made sure to dampen his caste mark before emerging into the street, and quickly leaping back to the rooftops with the body of the Immaculate, and making his way back to his companions. He had no trouble marking their location, as he could still see the ethereal image of a mongoose battling a hydra in the sky, which had now been joined by the image of fiery wings spread across the sky, dropping a rain of golden chrysanthemum petals.</p><p></p><p> The Earth Immaculate attempted to move in to finish off the buried warrior, but was pulled back when the Lunar jumped on his back, scrabbling and clawing at his limbs with such speed that he could barely move. At the same time, Ayama suddenly appeared in front of him, her eyes dark with fury. “You callous, worthless worm!” she shouted at him, as she spat in his face and punched him. A short distance away, Zanka was still kicking at the eviscerated corpse of the Wood Aspected archer, her frenzied, bloody rampage still strangely graceful and dance-like.</p><p></p><p> Kaliel took advantage of the Earth Aspect’s distraction, hooking his axe onto the Immaculate’s tetsubo as he swung wildly to try and dislodge the Lunar. Gripping his axe tightly, he used the momentum of the Immaculate’s backswing to pull himself out of the pile of rubble, and once he was clear, renewed his own attacks, managing to get in a few solid blows. Ayama backed off her own assault, knowing she would not be able to penetrate the Immaculate’s heavy armor. Instead, her Zenith caste mark flared to life as she touched the frenzied Lunar and sent Essence flowing into him, easing the pain of his many wounds, and then administered the same care to Kaliel. Seeing what she was doing, the Immaculate roared and tried to aim a blow at Ayama’s head.</p><p></p><p> With a strange, ululating scream, Zanka suddenly ran into the melee and leapt at the Immaculate. Her war fans snapped open, and she sliced at the Dragon Blood’s wrists as she flew by. The razor sharp edges of the fan slipped into the thin joint where the jade gauntlets attached to the vambrace, and though the wound left was shallow, it caused the Huntsman’s hand to spasm. His white jade tetsubo spiraled out of his grasp, sailing over Kaliel’s head and landing several feet away. Seconds later, Ghost appeared on the rooftop, and jumped down to the alley. He kicked a wooden pole into his hands, and jumped at the Immaculate, jabbing and swinging with the makeshift staff. His attacks were hardly a threat to the heavily armored Huntsman, but wounding the Immaculate was not his goal.</p><p></p><p> The Dragon-Blood shook off the Lunar at last, and easily deflected a blow from Ghost’s staff on his forearm. He looked just past this newest foe, and for a moment was unable to make sense of what he was seeing, for it seemed that the large Anathema was swinging his axe directly at the back of the newcomer’s head. At the last possible moment, the man with the staff ducked away, bending at an improbable angle, and too late the Huntsman realized his error.</p><p></p><p> The axe bit deep, finally punching through the heavy jade and shattering ribs. Blood spurted from the lips of the Immaculate as he fell to his knees, and then toppled over stiffly.</p><p></p><p> The four Solars looked around, making sure no more enemies were appearing. “Quickly,” said Ghost, and he leapt back up to the rooftop to retrieve the body of the Air Immaculate. Kaliel walked over to where the jade tetsubo had landed, and lifted it to his shoulder – without the Essence of the Immaculate empowering it, the weapon was rendered to little more than a pillar of stone, weighing about as much as an average man. Zanka was sitting atop the body of the Earth Dragon Blood, jabbing him in the face and throat with chops and punches to make sure he was dead. Blood flew up and splattered on her already gore-stained clothing.</p><p></p><p> “You who have chosen to poison Creation with your lies!” she shouted at the body, “Know that our righteous vengeance shall descend upon you!”</p><p></p><p> Perturbed by Zanka’s uncharacteristic display of vitriol, Ayama turned to the one who had been the focus of all that had occurred. In the flickering sliver light surrounding them, she was not certain when he had changed, but instead of a bestial hybrid of man and mongoose, she saw a badly injured man dressed in mere scraps of clothing, kneeling on the ground, looking around with bewilderment at all that had occurred. She walked up and extended a hand, and when he reached out to grasp it, she pulled him up, kindly but firmly, and led him through the rubble strewn about.</p><p></p><p> They all heard a noise about the growing calls of alarm in the distance, and turned to see Luc steering a stolen wagon to just outside the alley, their horses having been hastily harnessed to it. The Chosen quickly piled the bodies of the Wyld Hunt into the wagon, and then covered the corpses and rode quickly out of the city. The brilliant auras surrounding both Kaliel and the mysterious Lunar died down, allowing them to escape without encountering more resistance.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">۞</p><p></p><p> A day later, they sat huddled around a small fire, far from any settlement. The Lunar spoke.</p><p></p><p> “My name is Lenn,” he said to them. “I have lived in Cherak all my life. Many years ago, I grew weary of seeing my fellow men and women terrorized by the thugs and gangs that prey upon those who live in the slums. I took it upon myself to do what the Empire seemed unwilling to do – I patrolled the streets, and did what I could to stop the criminals. Soon I came across others who felt as I did, and we worked together to bring what justice we could to the poorest citizens. Last night, I and my companions were returning from our patrols of the worker’s district. That was when the Immaculate warriors attacked. Before I knew what was happening, my friends were all dead, shot with arrows or beheaded by blue discs. After that, all I saw was silver and red.” He looked at everyone at the fire. “What has happened to me?”</p><p></p><p> Ayama reached out and placed her hand atop his. “You have been Chosen, just as we have,” she said. “Exalted above mortals. We four have been Exalted by the Unconquered Sun, to act as avatars of His will in Creation. You, however, have been Chosen by the goddess Luna.” Ayama frowned. “Unfortunately, there is little more I can tell you about this. Much of the truth about us has been destroyed or hidden by the Dragon-Bloods, and so all we know of Lunars is based upon lies and propaganda.”</p><p></p><p> “Why was I Chosen?” Lenn asked.</p><p></p><p> “No one in Creation can answer that question,” Ayama said. “There is no way to know such things.”</p><p></p><p> “Then there is a problem,” Ghost said. He passed around a scrap of parchment. “I found this on the body of the Earth-Blood.”</p><p></p><p> The parchment was scrawled with a set of directions, as well as a date and time,written in High Realm. They all quickly realized that the message gave the exact time and location in Cherak that Lenn experienced his Exaltation.</p><p></p><p> “Unfortunately,” Ghost said, as he retrieved the parchment, “we cannot tell you much of what it means to be a Lunar Exalted. It would be best if we could send you to live among your own kind, but the Lunars are not easily found. For good reason, as you can see.”</p><p></p><p> “From what I recall of the old stories warning us against the Anathema,” Zanka said, “the legends spoke of the ‘beasts who walk like men’ who were driven off to the edges of Creation long ago.”</p><p></p><p> “Then perhaps the Lunars still gather where Creation meets the Wyld,” Kaliel said. “Perhaps we should go there.”</p><p></p><p> “My village is north of here, near Crystal,” Zanka said, “and that is not so very far from the northern edge of Creation.”</p><p></p><p> “I would suggest a different approach,” Ayama said. “My own village of Petgrana lies in the deep forests of the East, nearly due west of the Elemental Pole of Wood. It is clear that you possess some natural affinity toward the mongoose, which is a creature more at home in the East than in the North.”</p><p></p><p> “Truly, that is what the animal is called?” Lenn asked. “When I had… Exalted, I could see the image of this creature in my mind’s eye, feel its spirit – but I had never seen its like, and had no word to describe it.”</p><p></p><p> “In my village, I can promise you that you would be welcomed, and offered refuge. From there, you could explore the edges of the world and try and find more of your kin.”</p><p></p><p> “But until that day, you are welcome to remain with us,” Kaliel said. “We may know little of the ways of the Lunars, but we are familiar with being Exalted, and I think you will find our company more welcoming than that of the Immaculate Order.”</p><p></p><p> “Indeed,” Lenn said. “I will remain with you and journey to your village, Ayama. There is a town, about a hundred miles east of Cherak along the coast, called Crabber’s Bay. The harbor there is deep enough for large ships. I would suggest we go there, and find passage on a vessel that will carry us toward our destination.”</p><p></p><p> They set out early the next morning, taking time only to stake the bodies of the Wyld Hunt out on the road, much as the Illuminated priest had been left out in Luc’s village. Signs hung on the corpses gave warning to the Hunt and to Peleps Deled. They left their stolen cart on the road as well, and then set out.</p><p></p><p> They traveled for days along the coast, taking smaller trails to avoid traffic. At night, Lenn would experiment with his newly discovered powers, while Ayama observed the flow of his Essence. She was able to discern that while their own Solar Essence seemed able to enhance the skills and bring the Exalt closer to perfection in form and execution, the silvery Lunar Essence was more primal, and seemed to enhance Lenn’s physical prowess. He was already fairly skilled in unarmed combat, but when his Essence flowed he moved with inhuman strength and quickness. Zanka, who also observed Lenn’s experiments, was surprised to find that her own Essence seemed to respond to his, as if it were trying to mirror the unseen flows of power. After a while, Zanka began to feel as though she could train her own body to respond like Lenn’s, though she could not explain the source of this awareness, as none of her Solar companions described a similar experience.*</p><p></p><p> A few days into their journey, Kaliel suddenly looked at Ghost. “With all that has occurred,” he said, “I have neglected to ask you why it was we had need to leave Cherak at such an early hour.”</p><p></p><p> “Ah! I had almost forgotten!” Ghost pulled on his reins and moved his horse up next to Zanka, opening up his saddlebag as he did so. “Zanka, I believe you will be most appreciative of this,” he said. “You can wear it to the next formal event you attend.”</p><p></p><p> From the bag, Ghost produced a shimmering, sparkling stole. Upon close examination, they saw that the fabric was woven from moonsilver thread, and it was studded with white jade beads. Zanka’s eyes sparkled as brightly as the garment.</p><p></p><p> “I would advise that you not wear it at any event in Cherak, however,” Ghost cautioned, “nor to any event at which Ragara Mnemon Luana will be in attendance.”</p><p></p><p> “The wife of the lord of House Ragara in Cherak?” Lenn gasped. “That stole was her most prized possession!”</p><p></p><p> “Not any more,” Ghost grinned.</p><p></p><p> Later that same night, Ayama pulled Ghost aside, and led him some distance away from their encampment. “Ghost, I wish to speak of you about your mentor.”</p><p></p><p> “Of course.”</p><p></p><p> “Since we discovered the information the Wyld Hunt was carrying about Lenn, I have been… concerned. There should be no way for anyone in Creation to know when an Exaltation is going to take place. In our travels, I have met with astrologers, and attempted to have our fortunes read. Even the most skilled cannot discern our fate; our destinies are not written in the stars. The only person I have ever met who appears to have some knowledge of that which has not yet happened is your mentor, Pearlescent Lotus Whispers. Is it possible that she may be providing information to the Immaculate Order?”</p><p></p><p> Ghost frowned. “My first instinct would be to say no,” he said. “But I must admit I know little of her beyond the rare occasions when she would come to Greyfalls. Pearl travels widely and has dealings with a variety of people throughout Creation. Still, she has never spoken favorably to me of the Immaculate philosophies, though she does not overtly disparage them, either. It is more that she has always encouraged me to acts which reinforced my own poor opinion of the Philosophies. And it does appear that Pearl has some connection with this Cult of the Illuminated – if the Cult is considered heretical by the Order, why would someone associated with the Cult willingly aid the Wyld Hunt? Perhaps others possess the same talents as Pearl.”</p><p></p><p> “Then it seems that I must assume that she possesses some sort of sorcery capable of such foretellings,” Ayama said.</p><p></p><p> “Should we encounter Pearl again,” Ghost said, “I will ask her about it directly. Of course, she may opt not to answer – this has been the way of things between us when I ask things she is not willing to reveal.”</p><p></p><p> “I do not wish to cast aspersions upon her,” Ayama said. “She has been nothing but genial toward us so far. This is why I wished to speak to you privately – I feared that my questions might lead some of our companions to come to hasty conclusions.”</p><p></p><p> Eventually, the six travelers came to a crossroad. Stone markers indicated that the road leading off to the north would eventually arrive at Rubylak.</p><p></p><p> Kaliel reined in his mount, and turned. He now wore the white jade armor of the Immaculate, and his tetsubo sat comfortably upon his back. “My friends,” he said, “I must take my leave of you for a time. I must take this opportunity to return briefly to Chrysanthemum, and from there pay a visit to Lady Rinalta in Lagan, to see how their militia training progresses. I have entered into an alliance with Lagan, and I must see to it that our end of that bargain is being upheld. I will board a river barge from Lynnisbrook bound for Greyfalls, and rendezvous with you.”</p><p></p><p> “Follow the river four days east of Mist Island,” Ayama told him. “There will be a village along the south bank. I will leave word with the locals to expect you, and to provide you with a guide to Petgrana. I will also make certain that Sunlight Pierces the Canopy is aware of your imminent arrival.”</p><p></p><p> “The armor worn by the other Immaculates I will take to Chrysanthemum,” Kaliel said. “It could have future value. I suggest that you retain their weapons – they may become useful to you in your journey should you need to bargain with them.” He looked over his companions one last time. “Fare well,” he said, “and I will meet you in Petgrana.” With that, he turned his horse down the road, and went north toward his home.</p><p></p><p>---------------------------</p><p></p><p>* Each type of Solar has a unique ability. In the case of the Eclipse, they may learn the magical Charms of Exalt types other than Solars, even those of deities, spirits, and other magical creatures. In this case, Zanka has learned a basic Dexterity-enhancing Lunar Charm known as an Excellency.</p><p></p><p>As a general rule, Solar Charms enhance learned abilities, like Melee, Bureaucracy, Craft, Performance, etc. Lunar Charms enhance raw Abilities; Strength, Stamina, Intelligence, etc.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 4860199, member: 5203"] Okay, if you insist... ------------------------------------- They came into a wide alleyway, eight or perhaps ten feet in width, with two-story stone buildings to either side. Several figures moved within the alley, stepping over the corpses of those who had already fallen. Closest to the Solars was a man in articulated white jade plate armor, wielding a tetsubo also made of white jade. His bearing was similar to that of the Earth Immaculate monk Ground Ripple, who they had encountered in Lynnisbrook, but this was another member of that order. Further down the alley, perched upon low balconies on either side, were two archers in green jade armor and holding power bows. The figure in the center of the alley was the one that drew everyone's gaze, however, for it seemed to be what anyone else would describe as a monster. It stood about six feet in height, standing upon two legs but covered in fine, dark hair. Its face was elongated, and small, sharp claws protruded from its fingers. A brilliant silver-white disc stood out from its forehead, and the sky above was filled with the ephemeral image of a silvery mongoose, leaping about and baring sharp teeth as it did battle with a multiple-headed hydra. A dozen arrow shafts lay on the ground at its feet, shattered as though they had been fired against a stone wall, and the Wood-Aspected archer on the right sported deep slashes across his face. However, the other bodies in the alley either had arrows protruding from their skulls or had their throats opened up by a sharp blade of some sort, and the Lunar was heavily wounded itself, to the point that they all marveled that it was still standing. As they watched, the scarred archer fired at the Lunar, the arrow blazing with emerald-tinged Essence. Snarling, it raked claws through the air, shredding the arrow mid-flight. The other archer took aim as well, but his shot was fouled when a boomerang whirled through the air, slicing his bowstring in half. “More of your followers, Anathema?” the Wood Immaculate called out, as he retrieved a spare string. “They will die as well!” The Earth Immaculate turned, and seeing the newcomers, frowned. He swung his tetsubo around and connected with the building just behind him, striking it so hard the ground shook. The building immediately collapsed, sending rubble spilling into the alley and cutting off the four Solars from the battle. Ayama began to move to climb over the rubble, but a movement above caught her eye. She peered into the pre-dawn gloom, and for a moment saw the dusty haze on the roof to her left part just enough to reveal another Immaculate in a blue jade breastplate, holding a chakram of the same material. Before she could call out a warning or act, however, the Air Immaculate had thrown the chakram, which split into four Essence-fueled copies, one for each new combatant. Ghost was able to spot the attack at the last moment, and tried to flip out of the way, but was still sliced across the arm. Ayama dove for Zanka and pulled her back, taking two glancing strikes from the chakram, while Kaliel’s armor protected him from most of the damage. Blood dripping from his wound, Ghost moved to the rooftop, leapfrogging between the two walls and alighting behind a pile of refuse. Looking around, he tried to determine the source of the blue chakrams, but saw nothing. Instead, he leapt across the rooftops, somersaulting in midair as he threw his boomerangs at the archer who had just restrung his bow, even as the Wood Aspected archer fired at him. The Immaculate screamed as the sharpened Chiaroscuro glass bit deep into his shoulder, while Ghost simply twisted in midair to avoid the arrow speeding at his chest. The Lunar leapt at the second archer, landing atop the balcony and hurling the Wood Immaculate across the alleyway, where he slammed into the wall and then fell to the ground. Deprived of his primary opponent, the Earth Immaculate turned to face Kaliel, who had leapt up the pile of rubble and come sliding down the other side, riding atop a large chunk of masonry. Axe and tetsubo locked together with a resounding ring. But perhaps the most surprising thing to occur, at least to the Solars in the fight, was when Zanka suddenly ran forward into the battle, screaming curses against the Immaculate Order, and leapt up at the balcony where the Wood-Aspected archer still stood, pulling herself up to face him. As they struggled, however, the mongoose-like Lunar leapt from one balcony to the other, claws extended before him, and buried his hands deep into the Wood Immaculate’s chest, pinning him to the door behind him. Ayama, who had been the only one to see the hidden Air Aspect, pulled one of the long wooden structural poles from the pile of rubble at her feet that had once been a building. Glancing down, she noted that the end of the structural pole was dark with blood, no doubt from an unsuspecting victim of the Earth Immaculate’s carelessness. She set aside her rising fury for the moment; first she had to deal with the unseen threat above. Ayama vaulted to the roof using the pole, landing a few feet from where she’d last seen the Air-Aspected warrior. She spotted him again just as he hurled the chakram at her chest, with an attack meant to knock the wind from her lungs. Steeling herself with Essence, the attack merely bounced off her solar plexus ineffectively. The chakram returned to the Air Immaculate’s hand, who looked at his opponent with consternation. The scarred archer on the ground had risen to his feet in an eyeblink, and had fired an arrow at Kaliel, but the Dawn warrior saw the missile coming, and hooked the Earth Immaculate’s tetsubo with the back of his axe, so that the arrow impacted on the white jade weapon. He began to line up another shot, but was startled when Zanka suddenly dropped down on his shoulders from above, and tried to break his neck by clamping her legs on both sides of his head and twisting. He was only saved by his jade gorget, which prevented Zanka from maintaining pressure on his spine. On the rooftop, Ayama raised her pole like a lance, and charged at the Air Immaculate. He moved to avoid the blow, but at the last second Ayama changed the angle of the pole, catching the jade chakram in the Dragon-Blood’s hand through its center, and pulling it free from his grasp. Her momentum carried her through to land a jaw-shattering kick on the Immaculate. The impact caused his concentration to waver, disrupting the Charm he was using to obscure his location. With his location exposed, the Wyld Huntsman turned and ran, jumping across a few rooftops before dropping into the streets below. Ayama looked around and saw Ghost on the opposite roof. “Got it,” he said, and then turned and ran the opposite direction. He leapt up onto the end of a wooden pole that had been placed atop the roof to hold a clothes line. The pole bent nearly in half from his weight, and then sprang back, launching the Night Solar into the air, easily outpacing the fleeing Air Aspect. In the alley below, Kaliel and the Earth Immaculate continued their deadly exchange, their weapons whistling through the air and connecting with blows that seemed to shake the ground. Kaliel felt the haft of his axe shivering with the impacts of the tetsubo, and he wondered how well it would hold up against the jade weapon. He reversed his grip after deflecting a blow aimed at his head, and brought it in low, attempting to split the Immaculate in half. Unable to bring his own weapon around in time, the Earth Aspect howled as the blade bit deep between two plates in his leg greaves. Small bits of stone began to whirl around the Immaculate as his anima flared in response to the Essence he was channeling, and his cry of pain turned into a scream of rage. He moved to attack again, but was held up as the Lunar suddenly leapt on his back, clawing and biting. The Lunar was unable to penetrate the white jade, but the Immaculate was unable to shake him off, keeping him from resuming his assault on Kaliel. Nearby, Zanka was still clamped atop the thrashing Wood Immaculate. “Since you have blinded yourself to the truth,” she shouted, “you will live forever in darkness!” She then pulled out her war fans, still folded, and tried to jam them into his eyes. Unfortunately, her strike was deflected by the visor on his helmet, and the Immaculate finally managed to get a grip on Zanka’s arm. Before he could pull her off, however, he felt his arm being grabbed and twisted behind him. He cried in pain as he heard a popping noise from his elbow. “My friend has not finished her lesson,” Ayama said to the archer, twisting his arm harder. Some distance away, the Air-Aspected Huntsman ran down the street. His powers still obscured him from mortal sight, so his passage through those who were moving about in the early gloom was noted only as a strange gust of wind. Thinking himself safe, the Dragon-Blood was startled when an amber boomerang sailed just over his head, missing by inches. He looked back over his shoulder, just in time to see a second boomerang slash across his face. The Immaculate looked up and saw Ghost running along the edge of the rooftops above, extending a hand to catch his boomerangs as they circled around to him. The Huntsman grabbed a knife from the belt of a peasant in the street and threw it, but his aim was wide, and the blade sailed harmlessly away. Ghost continued to harry his fleeing quarry, until the Air Aspect ducked into a peasant’s hut. Grabbing a rope tied to the roof, Ghost swung down and dove through the same doorway, rolling into a defensive crouch in the middle of a pitch-black dwelling. The only sounds were those of the occupants, disturbed by two unwelcome visitors. Ghost focused his Essence, and light suddenly blazed from his caste mark, filling the hovel with a gold-violet light. At the same time, he grabbed a small sack of flour from the floor and tore it open, spreading its contents throughout the room. His eyes scanned the drifting flour, and when he saw some caught up in a strange whirling eddy in the corner, he let loose with his weapon. The Air Immaculate screamed as the boomerang bit into his leg. The Earth Immaculate and the Lunar continued to grapple with each other, until a fortuitous twist caused the Lunar’s paws to slip on the blood-slicked white jade, and he fell backward. The tetsubo swung around, barely missing the Lunar and forcing him back. The Huntsman moved to press his advantage, but then felt a tap on his pauldron. “He is not the threat here,” Kaliel said, as he came around with a bone-crushing swing of his axe. Reeling back, the Earth Aspect spat blood and squared off once again against his axe-wielding enemy, whose forehead was now starting to glow with the unholy symbol of the Forsaken. The Immaculate glanced over and saw that his fellow Huntsman had been pulled off his feet by the Anathema’s two female allies; the larger one held him while the small one leveled vicious kicks at his head. Fortunately, his green jade armor protected him from most of the blows, and he was using his Essence to heal himself, allowing him to finally throw off the larger woman. Unfortunately, the beast they had been tracking chose that moment to leap upon the Wood-Aspected archer, driving its claws underneath his breastplate. It withdrew its arms, red with blood up to the elbows, and holding great handfuls of the man’s entrails. Realizing he now stood alone against four Anathema, the Earth-Aspected Huntsman shouted and suddenly charged at Kaliel, bringing his tetsubo down in a blurred arc. Unable to bring his axe around to parry in time, The studded weapon crashed into his shoulder, tearing into his flesh and grinding bones. Kaliel grunted as he was nearly forced to his knees, and just managed to stagger back out of range. The Immaculate charged again, but this time swung his weapon at the building just behind Kaliel, smashing it to rubble as he had with the dwelling on the other side of the alley. Rubble cascaded down, burying Kaliel up to his chest; he was barely able to raise his arms in time to keep them free. The Immaculate renewed his attack on the immobilized Solar, bringing his heavy tetsubo down to crush his skull. Kaliel was barely able to bring his axe up to block, and he winced as the force of the blow reverberated down his arms. He saw stress fractures open up on the haft of his axe, and knew his trusted weapon would not withstand much more punishment. Inside the peasant dwelling, the Air Immaculate sprang from his position in the corner, diving at Ghost with his deadly fingertips pointed at the Night Caste’s solar plexus. Ghost grabbed a blanket off the bed and flung it into the air, obscuring the martial artist’s view enough that he was able to avoid the attack. Ghost somersaulted over the diving Dragon-Blood and twisted in mid-air, landing in the same corner that his opponent had just abandoned. His legs extended out perpendicular to his body, each foot gaining purchase on the wall and bracing Ghost in position. He threw both boomerangs at the same time toward the Air Aspect, who had just recovered from his own acrobatic maneuver. The Immaculate caught up the blanket that Ghost had just used, and attempted to repeat the Anathema’s obscuring tactic. The two weapons sliced neatly through the fabric, and severed both of the Immaculate’s arms at the shoulders. The blanket settled down over the Dragon-Blood’s head as his anima dissipated, and the body stood for a moment, the blanket quickly turning red on either side, before he collapsed. Ghost quickly jumped down and gathered up the pieces of the corpse, bundling them in the blanket. Hefting the load on one shoulder, he turned to face the occupants of the hovel, who were all cowering in a corner. He knew that in the pre-dawn gloom, the light coming from his caste mark would have half-blinded them, so they would not have seen his face. “The Wyld Hunt has been careless and irresponsible, and have brought harm to innocent mortals,” Ghost said. “They have been punished for their transgressions.” He tossed a handful of coins on the table, more than enough to cover the damages to the house, and then made his way to the door. He made sure to dampen his caste mark before emerging into the street, and quickly leaping back to the rooftops with the body of the Immaculate, and making his way back to his companions. He had no trouble marking their location, as he could still see the ethereal image of a mongoose battling a hydra in the sky, which had now been joined by the image of fiery wings spread across the sky, dropping a rain of golden chrysanthemum petals. The Earth Immaculate attempted to move in to finish off the buried warrior, but was pulled back when the Lunar jumped on his back, scrabbling and clawing at his limbs with such speed that he could barely move. At the same time, Ayama suddenly appeared in front of him, her eyes dark with fury. “You callous, worthless worm!” she shouted at him, as she spat in his face and punched him. A short distance away, Zanka was still kicking at the eviscerated corpse of the Wood Aspected archer, her frenzied, bloody rampage still strangely graceful and dance-like. Kaliel took advantage of the Earth Aspect’s distraction, hooking his axe onto the Immaculate’s tetsubo as he swung wildly to try and dislodge the Lunar. Gripping his axe tightly, he used the momentum of the Immaculate’s backswing to pull himself out of the pile of rubble, and once he was clear, renewed his own attacks, managing to get in a few solid blows. Ayama backed off her own assault, knowing she would not be able to penetrate the Immaculate’s heavy armor. Instead, her Zenith caste mark flared to life as she touched the frenzied Lunar and sent Essence flowing into him, easing the pain of his many wounds, and then administered the same care to Kaliel. Seeing what she was doing, the Immaculate roared and tried to aim a blow at Ayama’s head. With a strange, ululating scream, Zanka suddenly ran into the melee and leapt at the Immaculate. Her war fans snapped open, and she sliced at the Dragon Blood’s wrists as she flew by. The razor sharp edges of the fan slipped into the thin joint where the jade gauntlets attached to the vambrace, and though the wound left was shallow, it caused the Huntsman’s hand to spasm. His white jade tetsubo spiraled out of his grasp, sailing over Kaliel’s head and landing several feet away. Seconds later, Ghost appeared on the rooftop, and jumped down to the alley. He kicked a wooden pole into his hands, and jumped at the Immaculate, jabbing and swinging with the makeshift staff. His attacks were hardly a threat to the heavily armored Huntsman, but wounding the Immaculate was not his goal. The Dragon-Blood shook off the Lunar at last, and easily deflected a blow from Ghost’s staff on his forearm. He looked just past this newest foe, and for a moment was unable to make sense of what he was seeing, for it seemed that the large Anathema was swinging his axe directly at the back of the newcomer’s head. At the last possible moment, the man with the staff ducked away, bending at an improbable angle, and too late the Huntsman realized his error. The axe bit deep, finally punching through the heavy jade and shattering ribs. Blood spurted from the lips of the Immaculate as he fell to his knees, and then toppled over stiffly. The four Solars looked around, making sure no more enemies were appearing. “Quickly,” said Ghost, and he leapt back up to the rooftop to retrieve the body of the Air Immaculate. Kaliel walked over to where the jade tetsubo had landed, and lifted it to his shoulder – without the Essence of the Immaculate empowering it, the weapon was rendered to little more than a pillar of stone, weighing about as much as an average man. Zanka was sitting atop the body of the Earth Dragon Blood, jabbing him in the face and throat with chops and punches to make sure he was dead. Blood flew up and splattered on her already gore-stained clothing. “You who have chosen to poison Creation with your lies!” she shouted at the body, “Know that our righteous vengeance shall descend upon you!” Perturbed by Zanka’s uncharacteristic display of vitriol, Ayama turned to the one who had been the focus of all that had occurred. In the flickering sliver light surrounding them, she was not certain when he had changed, but instead of a bestial hybrid of man and mongoose, she saw a badly injured man dressed in mere scraps of clothing, kneeling on the ground, looking around with bewilderment at all that had occurred. She walked up and extended a hand, and when he reached out to grasp it, she pulled him up, kindly but firmly, and led him through the rubble strewn about. They all heard a noise about the growing calls of alarm in the distance, and turned to see Luc steering a stolen wagon to just outside the alley, their horses having been hastily harnessed to it. The Chosen quickly piled the bodies of the Wyld Hunt into the wagon, and then covered the corpses and rode quickly out of the city. The brilliant auras surrounding both Kaliel and the mysterious Lunar died down, allowing them to escape without encountering more resistance. [center]۞[/center] A day later, they sat huddled around a small fire, far from any settlement. The Lunar spoke. “My name is Lenn,” he said to them. “I have lived in Cherak all my life. Many years ago, I grew weary of seeing my fellow men and women terrorized by the thugs and gangs that prey upon those who live in the slums. I took it upon myself to do what the Empire seemed unwilling to do – I patrolled the streets, and did what I could to stop the criminals. Soon I came across others who felt as I did, and we worked together to bring what justice we could to the poorest citizens. Last night, I and my companions were returning from our patrols of the worker’s district. That was when the Immaculate warriors attacked. Before I knew what was happening, my friends were all dead, shot with arrows or beheaded by blue discs. After that, all I saw was silver and red.” He looked at everyone at the fire. “What has happened to me?” Ayama reached out and placed her hand atop his. “You have been Chosen, just as we have,” she said. “Exalted above mortals. We four have been Exalted by the Unconquered Sun, to act as avatars of His will in Creation. You, however, have been Chosen by the goddess Luna.” Ayama frowned. “Unfortunately, there is little more I can tell you about this. Much of the truth about us has been destroyed or hidden by the Dragon-Bloods, and so all we know of Lunars is based upon lies and propaganda.” “Why was I Chosen?” Lenn asked. “No one in Creation can answer that question,” Ayama said. “There is no way to know such things.” “Then there is a problem,” Ghost said. He passed around a scrap of parchment. “I found this on the body of the Earth-Blood.” The parchment was scrawled with a set of directions, as well as a date and time,written in High Realm. They all quickly realized that the message gave the exact time and location in Cherak that Lenn experienced his Exaltation. “Unfortunately,” Ghost said, as he retrieved the parchment, “we cannot tell you much of what it means to be a Lunar Exalted. It would be best if we could send you to live among your own kind, but the Lunars are not easily found. For good reason, as you can see.” “From what I recall of the old stories warning us against the Anathema,” Zanka said, “the legends spoke of the ‘beasts who walk like men’ who were driven off to the edges of Creation long ago.” “Then perhaps the Lunars still gather where Creation meets the Wyld,” Kaliel said. “Perhaps we should go there.” “My village is north of here, near Crystal,” Zanka said, “and that is not so very far from the northern edge of Creation.” “I would suggest a different approach,” Ayama said. “My own village of Petgrana lies in the deep forests of the East, nearly due west of the Elemental Pole of Wood. It is clear that you possess some natural affinity toward the mongoose, which is a creature more at home in the East than in the North.” “Truly, that is what the animal is called?” Lenn asked. “When I had… Exalted, I could see the image of this creature in my mind’s eye, feel its spirit – but I had never seen its like, and had no word to describe it.” “In my village, I can promise you that you would be welcomed, and offered refuge. From there, you could explore the edges of the world and try and find more of your kin.” “But until that day, you are welcome to remain with us,” Kaliel said. “We may know little of the ways of the Lunars, but we are familiar with being Exalted, and I think you will find our company more welcoming than that of the Immaculate Order.” “Indeed,” Lenn said. “I will remain with you and journey to your village, Ayama. There is a town, about a hundred miles east of Cherak along the coast, called Crabber’s Bay. The harbor there is deep enough for large ships. I would suggest we go there, and find passage on a vessel that will carry us toward our destination.” They set out early the next morning, taking time only to stake the bodies of the Wyld Hunt out on the road, much as the Illuminated priest had been left out in Luc’s village. Signs hung on the corpses gave warning to the Hunt and to Peleps Deled. They left their stolen cart on the road as well, and then set out. They traveled for days along the coast, taking smaller trails to avoid traffic. At night, Lenn would experiment with his newly discovered powers, while Ayama observed the flow of his Essence. She was able to discern that while their own Solar Essence seemed able to enhance the skills and bring the Exalt closer to perfection in form and execution, the silvery Lunar Essence was more primal, and seemed to enhance Lenn’s physical prowess. He was already fairly skilled in unarmed combat, but when his Essence flowed he moved with inhuman strength and quickness. Zanka, who also observed Lenn’s experiments, was surprised to find that her own Essence seemed to respond to his, as if it were trying to mirror the unseen flows of power. After a while, Zanka began to feel as though she could train her own body to respond like Lenn’s, though she could not explain the source of this awareness, as none of her Solar companions described a similar experience.* A few days into their journey, Kaliel suddenly looked at Ghost. “With all that has occurred,” he said, “I have neglected to ask you why it was we had need to leave Cherak at such an early hour.” “Ah! I had almost forgotten!” Ghost pulled on his reins and moved his horse up next to Zanka, opening up his saddlebag as he did so. “Zanka, I believe you will be most appreciative of this,” he said. “You can wear it to the next formal event you attend.” From the bag, Ghost produced a shimmering, sparkling stole. Upon close examination, they saw that the fabric was woven from moonsilver thread, and it was studded with white jade beads. Zanka’s eyes sparkled as brightly as the garment. “I would advise that you not wear it at any event in Cherak, however,” Ghost cautioned, “nor to any event at which Ragara Mnemon Luana will be in attendance.” “The wife of the lord of House Ragara in Cherak?” Lenn gasped. “That stole was her most prized possession!” “Not any more,” Ghost grinned. Later that same night, Ayama pulled Ghost aside, and led him some distance away from their encampment. “Ghost, I wish to speak of you about your mentor.” “Of course.” “Since we discovered the information the Wyld Hunt was carrying about Lenn, I have been… concerned. There should be no way for anyone in Creation to know when an Exaltation is going to take place. In our travels, I have met with astrologers, and attempted to have our fortunes read. Even the most skilled cannot discern our fate; our destinies are not written in the stars. The only person I have ever met who appears to have some knowledge of that which has not yet happened is your mentor, Pearlescent Lotus Whispers. Is it possible that she may be providing information to the Immaculate Order?” Ghost frowned. “My first instinct would be to say no,” he said. “But I must admit I know little of her beyond the rare occasions when she would come to Greyfalls. Pearl travels widely and has dealings with a variety of people throughout Creation. Still, she has never spoken favorably to me of the Immaculate philosophies, though she does not overtly disparage them, either. It is more that she has always encouraged me to acts which reinforced my own poor opinion of the Philosophies. And it does appear that Pearl has some connection with this Cult of the Illuminated – if the Cult is considered heretical by the Order, why would someone associated with the Cult willingly aid the Wyld Hunt? Perhaps others possess the same talents as Pearl.” “Then it seems that I must assume that she possesses some sort of sorcery capable of such foretellings,” Ayama said. “Should we encounter Pearl again,” Ghost said, “I will ask her about it directly. Of course, she may opt not to answer – this has been the way of things between us when I ask things she is not willing to reveal.” “I do not wish to cast aspersions upon her,” Ayama said. “She has been nothing but genial toward us so far. This is why I wished to speak to you privately – I feared that my questions might lead some of our companions to come to hasty conclusions.” Eventually, the six travelers came to a crossroad. Stone markers indicated that the road leading off to the north would eventually arrive at Rubylak. Kaliel reined in his mount, and turned. He now wore the white jade armor of the Immaculate, and his tetsubo sat comfortably upon his back. “My friends,” he said, “I must take my leave of you for a time. I must take this opportunity to return briefly to Chrysanthemum, and from there pay a visit to Lady Rinalta in Lagan, to see how their militia training progresses. I have entered into an alliance with Lagan, and I must see to it that our end of that bargain is being upheld. I will board a river barge from Lynnisbrook bound for Greyfalls, and rendezvous with you.” “Follow the river four days east of Mist Island,” Ayama told him. “There will be a village along the south bank. I will leave word with the locals to expect you, and to provide you with a guide to Petgrana. I will also make certain that Sunlight Pierces the Canopy is aware of your imminent arrival.” “The armor worn by the other Immaculates I will take to Chrysanthemum,” Kaliel said. “It could have future value. I suggest that you retain their weapons – they may become useful to you in your journey should you need to bargain with them.” He looked over his companions one last time. “Fare well,” he said, “and I will meet you in Petgrana.” With that, he turned his horse down the road, and went north toward his home. --------------------------- * Each type of Solar has a unique ability. In the case of the Eclipse, they may learn the magical Charms of Exalt types other than Solars, even those of deities, spirits, and other magical creatures. In this case, Zanka has learned a basic Dexterity-enhancing Lunar Charm known as an Excellency. As a general rule, Solar Charms enhance learned abilities, like Melee, Bureaucracy, Craft, Performance, etc. Lunar Charms enhance raw Abilities; Strength, Stamina, Intelligence, etc. [/QUOTE]
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[Exalted 2e] Chosen of the Second Age
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