NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sanzuo" data-source="post: 5219391" data-attributes="member: 66180">The Final Hunt (Exalted Adventure for Dragon-Blooded Wyld Hunters who think they've seen it all.) Lexicon - For those unfamiliar with the terminology of the Age of Sorrows. <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Exalted - A human who has been granted god-like power for reasons far too convoluted to be explained in a single sentence.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lunar Exalted - Exalted who serve Luna (the moon)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dragon-Blooded - Technically, the weakest type of Exalted but also the most numerous.  They serve and protect the Scarlet Empire.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Anathema - Non-humans and any Exalted who aren't Dragon-Blooded.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Scarlet Empire - Typical overbearing evil-empire type scenario.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Creation - The world</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wyld - Outside of Creation. Icky-bad.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wyld Hunt - Kind of like the Gestapo for Anathema.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Immaculate Order - “Kung-Fu Nazi-Church”</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Behemoth - A really big ancient monster.  Like, really, really, retardedly huge.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Google - use it for the rest</li> </ul>            Premise A group is ordered to locate and destroy an Anathema hiding within the Wyld outside of Creation.  This is an epic adventure for a group of Dragon-Blooded player characters of the Wyld Hunt that will take the Circle across the vast reaches of Creation and beyond.  Introduction At this point the player characters are a proven group of mighty hunters and killers of foul Anathema to the Scarlet Empire.  They have sought and slain some of the worst enemies to the Empire including members of the mighty Solar Exalted.  Their accomplishments have garnered the attention of Creation's most influential individual, Chejop Kejak.  At long last, Kejak has found a dependable group of soldiers to carry on his will in the form of action.  He arranges a top-secret meeting with the player characters within the Immaculate Order's main temple on the Blessed Isle and explains their mission to them.  When the Circle enters the chamber, read or paraphrase the following:Before you in this austere audience chamber located beneath the Immaculate Order's most holy temple is a simply-dressed elderly man.  Though the creases in his skin and the silvery, balding hair of his skull betray his age; his physical presence and fierce, piercing gaze of his speckled emerald-colored eyes fill your unconsciousness with awe.  In all of your considerable experience this is possibly the most powerful being you have ever met in person. Once the Circle settles themselves, Chejop Kejak will explain their mission:“You have proven yourselves to likely be the most capable members of the Wyld Hunt I've seen in my life.” (The Circle truly has no idea how much of a compliment this is.) “For you I have a task of which only you seem to be capable.  There is a foul Anathema of Luna that goes by the name of Matthias who must die.  I know you have faced Luna's offspring before, but believe me when I say that Matthias is among the most ancient and cunning of his kind.  He has evaded the Wyld Hunt since its foundation and caused no end of torment to the innocent citizens of the Empire and the rest of Creation. Unfortunately, this monster counts the dreaded creatures of the Wyld as his allies and lives amongst them, far outside the reach of most of the Immaculate Order's agents.  Most.  That's where you come in.  Now I must caution you that this creature that I am asking you to hunt is a master of deception and evasion.  He can assume nearly any form and has many agents working for him.  So before you go barreling off into the Wyld with your jade artifacts flashing in the light, allow me to offer some wisdom:  I advise you to use cunning and guile when seeking this mark.  For if you advertise yourselves too readily he will surely see you coming and be gone before you can even face him.  I have faith that you can accomplish this task, for only you have both the wisdom to find this Anathema, and the strength to slay it.” He gives the player characters a mission to hunt down and slay an ancient Lunar Exalted who has been a thorn in Kejak's side since the Usurpation.  The Lunar goes by the name of Matthias and has been responsible for the destruction of some of Kejak's best laid plans and is an enemy of all civilization.  Matthias is a master shape-shifter, assassin and saboteur.  He is also ancient and powerful enough to be considered a saint among his own kind.  He knows that Kejak is after him and so has gone into hiding within the Wyld itself outside of creation, beyond the gaze of Kejak, his Bronze Faction and the Loom of Fate itself.   Before the Circle departs on their mission, Kejak has one last helpful piece of information:“We know that this particular Anathema spawned an entire clan of bestial Wyld barbarians deep in the forests beyond the Hundred Kingdoms in the east.  I recommend you start your search there.” Part One: The Hunt Begins At this point in the player character's careers they are influential enough and powerful enough that all of Creation is within their reach.  They are able to commandeer and utilize any resource the Scarlet Empire has to offer to reach their goal.  They are chasing a master of espionage, however, and their success relies a great deal on their ability to not attract a great deal of attention to themselves, particularly once they leave the borders of the Empire itself.  The only clue they have been given is that sometime in Mattias' ancient past he fathered a litter of offspring who eventually grew into an entire clan of badger-men who live somewhere in the Wyld-tainted forests of the east.  This first part of the adventure is relatively open-ended as the players must formulate a way for their characters to make their way east and seek the beastmen of the badger-clan.  This is a good opportunity for a number of mini-adventures that stand in the way of the player characters and their goal.  Following enough rumors, leads and exploring the wilds will eventually lead them to the badger-clan living beneath the monstrous forests of the east.  When the Circle first encounters members of the badger-clan, read or paraphrase the following:The Wyld barbarians before you are a hideous amalgamation of human and badger, further warped and twisted by the energies of the Wyld.  Some have far too many limbs, vestigial body parts, multiple eyes crammed into single sockets, and other stomach-churning features. Chejop Kejak advised the player characters to use discretion and guile at least up to the point until they have Matthias cornered.  Ultimately, how they deal with the badger-clan when they meet them is up to the player characters.  They could simply slaughter the beastmen when they meet them, but they are unlikely to gain very much information with this method.  Integrating themselves with the clan and meeting civilly with the clan leader is the safest method to gaining information.  When the Circle is brought (or fights their way) before the clan leader, describe him thusly:You see the largest of the badger-men standing before you well over your heads.  His muscles bulge beneath his fur-matted skin.  His proportions seem relatively normal except for a second, tiny head that seems to grow out of the side of his neck and echo's everything he says in a shrill mocking tone. He greets the Circle:Big Head: “Why have you come before badger-clan? Have you come to steal our mushrooms!?” Little Head: “mushrooms, mushrooms!” When asked about Matthias, the clan leader will respond:Big Head: “You speak of the All-Father!  The one who gave birth to all of badger-clan!” Little Head: “badger, badger, badger, badger, badger-clan!” Big Head: “He is our god, and we worship Him as such.  Yet it has been many generations since He left us, we know not where He lives.” Little Head: “where He lives, where He lives!” Big Head: “Yet there is one being who may yet know.  This being is another god, and also an enemy of all badger-kind!  It is a Behemoth! A great snake!” Little Head: “a snake, a snake!” Optional Objective: The badger-clan regards the one the player characters know as Matthias as a deity; an all-father who created them.  As experienced Wyld Hunters, the player characters should already know or at least learn that the badger-clan's worship of Matthias as a deity would grant him real power.  If they wish to give themselves an edge when they eventually meet Matthias then they must stop the worship of Matthias.  This can be done by manipulating the badger-clan to no longer worship Matthias (a difficult and time-consuming proposition) or by simply wiping out the entire clan.  Whichever method the player characters choose, cutting off his worship by the badger-clan would possibly alert Matthias that the Wyld Hunt is on his trail.  Either way, this objective is optional.  Part Two: The Behemoth When the Circle encounters the Behemoth, describe him as such:Before you in a shadowy jungle valley lies what at first you thought was a small mountain.  Instead, you realize, is the slick coiled figure of a massive serpent.  One of you must have somehow given yourselves away, because abruptly a glowing amber eye the size of a house opens up on the peak of the mound like a horrible moon-rise.  As if moving in slow motion, yet at the same time moving at unfathomable velocity, the titanic serpent uncoils itself and slithers in your direction like a scaly avalanche. After meeting the badger-clan the Circle must seek a mighty Behemoth who is at least as old as Matthias and is the only one who likely knows where he currently resides.  When the Circle meets the creature, who appears in the form of a titanic anaconda, they must first fight off its massive assault as it tries to devour them.  Only after they have endured the Behemoth's attack for a time will it withdraw and ask the player characters what they want.  After the Circle has fended off the Behemoth's attack for a time, he will withdraw and surround the circle at a respectable distance and address them in a hissing, godlike tone:“Why have you dissturbed me, lowly creaturess?” When asked about Matthias, the Behemoth will respond:“Ah, I know him.  He iss called Matt the Insstigater amongsst the Fair Folk.  I know not why they call him that.  Perhapsse it iss becausse he iss part inssect, part tiger and part alligater? No matter.  I hear that they ssay he pitss hiss enemiess againsst one another to further hiss ambitionss.  I csertainly fought many battless againsst him and hiss many beasstman clanss.  The worsst of which are the deliciouss boar-clan that livess in the rainforesstss to the ssouth of here.  How I would love to ssnack on thosse deliciouss morssalss oncsse again.  Alass, I am too large thesse dayss and they ssee me coming miless away.  Perhapsse if you brought me the boar-king'ss daughter we could reach an agreement? The boar clan likess to hide, even amongsst one another.  All of the boar-children look alike, but I happen to know that the king'ss daughter iss a mutant with two tailss.” In order to get the Behemoth to cooperate, the group must first perform a service for it.  Long ago the Behemoth was simply an anaconda whose favorite food were the local boars.  The boars are long gone, but there exists another clan of beastmen who have long taken on the aspect of boars through Wyld energies and interspecies breeding.  The Behemoth specifically seeks the boar-king's daughter, for when she comes of age she will sow the rest of the royal lineage.  If the player characters agree to bring the boar-king's daughter to the Behemoth, then it will tell them all that it knows.  Like the badger-clan, the boar-clan are all twisted mutants and vary in appearance.  The Behemoth tells the Circle that the one he seeks is the girl/piglet that has two tails.  Upon arriving at the territory of the boar-clan, the Circle should have little problem locating the beastmen, for the boar-clan  attack intruders on sight.  The player characters will have to fight many skirmishes with the boar-clan whilst seeking the piglet-girl with two tails.  Read or paraphrase the following while the Circle searches for the boar-king's daughter:While the fearsome boar-clan adults stand twice as tall as the largest amongst you, the piglets are 'merely' the size of an adult man and don't go down without a fight.  Eventually you find a particularly homely piglet covered in warty nodules and with a pair of, twitching, curly tails on its rear. When they return to the Behemoth with the boar-king's daughter the Behemoth will eagerly devour her in a single swallow.  Keeping in with his part of the agreement.  (He will be less agreeable if they bring her back already dead, but still grudgingly share his information.)  The Behemoth tells the Circle that, last he knew, Matthias was living in “the happiesst place on earth.”  Part Three: The Riddle The Behemoth's clue is a bit of a riddle.  If pressed, the Behemoth will only answer “find the happiesst place on earth and you will find Matt the Insstigater.”  The rest is up to the player characters to figure out.  This is a good time for the Circle to return to civilization and take a break from any fighting and roughing they may have done to consider the riddle.  They could potentially go on another epic journey, traveling all around Creation searching for this happiest place on earth.  Along the way, questioning local mortals, spirits and other creatures will gradually reveal certain hints to the solution of this riddle (see below).  The Solution: On the elemental pole of earth, back on the very center of the Blessed Isle and yet across the boundaries of Creation, there exists a domain belonging to a powerful Fair Folk Luminary who rules over a large group of the Mountain Folk.  Like all fey, this Luminary feeds on the souls and emotions of mortals.  Being a member of the Entertainer Caste, the Luminary feeds on joy and happiness.  It is therefore in his interest for the Luminary to make his realm a veritable paradise for his subjects, keeping them as happy as possible so that his crop of happiness never runs out.  His domain is quite literally the happiest place on earth.  If the player characters spend too much time with distractions or otherwise make no progress to the solution for many months then Chejop Kejak will meet with them in secret (and in disguise, of course) and ask why they have been making no progress.  He will listen to what they've learned so far and offer his insights to the solution.  Kejak knows of the Fair Folk Luminary and his domain on the elemental pole of earth.  He will list this as a possible lead among others (which are simply red herrings).  Chejop Kejak will seek the Circle and try to guide them on the right path:“I've heard rumors of a Fair Folk prince who resides atop the elemental pole of earth.  I believe he feeds off of the joy and happiness of his subjects, so you may want to snoop around there.” Part Four: The Luminary's Domain Hopefully the player characters eventually find their way to the domain of the Luminary.  After a brief jaunt across the untamed Wyld (which will doubtless require sorcery and resolve to endure) the player characters will find a subterranean region of semi-stability.  As soon as they enter, the Circle is met by the Luminary himself, who appears in all his splendor.  It will become quickly apparent that the fey ruler cannot be defeated or even seriously harmed while in his domain with an almost limitless supply of essence to feed him.  When the Luminary appears, he greets the player characters:“Greetings, children! Ah, you seem to be lost.  No matter, you will find yourselves most welcome here... assuming you're willing to pay the price.  It is almost my lunchtime you see, and it has been ages since I've sampled the delectable joy of a Dragon-Blooded.” When asked about Matthias:“Ah, Matt the Instigater!  I know him, of course, and despise him.  He did come this way, but I soon lost track of him.  You are most welcome to seek him and slay him if you wish, assuming you are still willing to enter...”The Luminary might be willing to allow the player characters into his domain, but first they must be willing to pay a price.  The Luminary asks for half of their souls as the toll for entering his domain, no other bargain will do.  The fey lord assures the Circle that half their souls “will not be missed.”  If they agree, the player characters will see and feel the Luminary draw a bit of their happiness out of them and into his mouth.  They will find themselves feeling very melancholy (well, more melancholy than usual).  The Luminary will seem unsatisfied at the unexpectedly meager meal, desiring the other half of his lunch, but will allow the Circle to pass into his domain for the time being.  When the player characters pass into the Luminary's domain, read or paraphrase the following:The vast, subterranean kingdom you now explore is a constantly changing prism of environments - all beautiful and breathtaking.  One chamber might be a flashing array of crystals and another might be a great, three-dimensional garden of delights.  When you are about to grow bored of one chamber, a portal or tunnel will open revealing another more wondrous than the last.  Various small fey creatures fly about at your beck and call, bringing you whatever you desire. The Circle will find the Luminary's domain to be a baffling labyrinth of temptation and pleasure, every possible want or desire of the player characters are offered and available to them.  The stocky mountain folk who reside in the cavern network's mutable areas seem to flitter about in a dreamy state of euphoria.  Yet, their bodies seem gaunt and malnourished, for to the Luminary, his subjects are literally cattle.  While in this place, the Circle will have to fight against their desires, for if they give into happiness along with the rest of the inhabitants the rest of their souls will become food for the cruel fey ruler.  Part Five and Conclusion:  Matthias If the Circle has been diligent and careful in their search for Matthias, they have a good chance of locating the shape-shifting snoop behind the Luminary's subjects and illusions.  When he is surprised to find the Wyld Hunt before him, Matthias will change into his fearsome beast-forms, thinking them to be easy prey like so many others.  Matthias will likely be the strongest opponent the player characters have ever faced and some of the Circle members may even die.  Chejop Kejak did, however, pick this group for a reason, knowing that they had a chance against the legendary Lunar.  If the Circle perseveres and uses all their resources and strategies then they may very well defeat him. If the Circle screwed around most of the time and barely made any effort to be discreet in their search for the Lunar then they may very well find that Matthias has fled the Luminary's domain before their arrival.  He probably got wind of the Wyld Hunt's activities and went far deeper into hiding, making any further attempts to find him nigh impossible.  Kejak will be very disappointed in them assuming they can escape from the Luminary's domain; but that's a very minor obstacle compared to what they've been through in the past.  Ingredients<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a girl with pigtails - the piglet-girl of the boar-clan, identifiable by her two tails.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">the happiest place on earth - the domain of a powerful Fair Folk Luminary, who grants his subjects every desire in exchange for literally devouring their happiness.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">half-eaten lunch - in order to enter the Luminary's domain, the Circle must offer half their souls to him.  This barely sates the fey.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">snoop - the Circle themselves can be considered snoops for the investigative style this adventure takes.  Also, Matthias is a snoop for his modus operandi of meddling in the affairs of others.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">a snake, a snake! - how the Behemoth is referred to by the badger-clan leader's smaller head.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Matt the Insstigater - Matthias, a Lunar Exalted referred to by this title by the Behemoth and the Fair Folk for his tendency to incite conflict amongst his enemies and turn attention away from himself.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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