Salroka

Exalted: Fall of Creation

[RP ON TEMPORARY HIATUS. WILL UPDATE AT LATER DATE. STAFF, DO NOT ARCHIVE]

Exalted: Fall of Creation

After his dealings with the blacksmith's son, Fergus headed back to the Squeaky Wheel. It was starting to get dark, and he was finally feeling the exhaustion of walking for so long on minimal rest. On his way back, he bought up a handful of sugar snacks from one of the village kids selling them outside the bakery. "This should help lift everyone's spirits. Thank you, young lady." said Fergus as he handed her two yen for the treats. It was a small gesture, but sometimes a small act had a big impact.

Heading inside the Squeaky Wheel, Fergus was greeted by the owner. Giving her a handshake and thanking her, Fergus went upstairs and knocked on each of his companions doors. If the knock was answered, Fergus smiled and handed over a couple of candies. If it wasn't, then that meant more candies for later. And with all that settled, he decided it was time to catch up on sleep. There were still some locals downstairs eating and drinking and having fun, but not him. Mere moments after he hit the bed, Fergus was asleep.

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THE NEXT DAY, APPROXIMATELY 8AM

Fergus was woken up by a heavy knocking on his door. The owner was here to inform him that the blacksmith's son was here to deliver his order. "Yozi's take me, that was fast. I didn't expect things to be done until this afternoon at least." Upon heading downstairs, Fergus greeted Gareth and was astounded by the quality of the weapons he had bought. When told they were done already, Fergus expected them to be functional but low-quality... but they were each of very fine make. "How did you m-" Gareth chuckled, causing the patrician to pause. "My pops and I run a smithy in a trading town on a river. Everything you asked for was already made ahead of time. The only thing that needed any actual work was this." At that point, Gareth handed over Axley's sword. The blade was a bit thicker and the grip had been slightly extended to aid in balancing the weapon, but all of the expensive adornments had been preserved.

The breakfast menu at the Squeaky Wheel was as simple and hearty as the dinner menu the night before. The fried onion bread balls were still available, as well as a ham steak with two eggs and corn bread, and lastly a bowl of oat gruel with fresh strawberries and sugar syrup. Fergus ordered the ham, eggs, and cornbread. It was a complete meal, and would keep him satiated for quite a while. He made conversation with a couple of townsfolk who were curious why he was there, but did not disclose the attacks on the ruins. Causing a panic would only complicate matters. It was better to explain things to this "Master Hsu", who was apparently an authority figure in the town. As a local authority, he would be better equipped to explain things to the people he represented.

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APPROXIMATELY 11AM

The barkeep had gone into the kitchen to help his son get ready for the lunch customers, the owner was upstairs cleaning, and Fergus was picking at an order of the onion bread balls he had bought to share with one of the locals. It was at this point that the daughter of the owner and barkeep returned to the Squeaky Wheel. "Hey, mom! Master Hsu is here! Wasn't there some folks here that needed to talk to him?!" To this, Fergus smiled and told the local that they could have the rest. "I'm one of those folks, dear. Thanks for letting us know he's here." And so it was that Fergus headed out to meet this "Master Hsu" person. Hopefully he could do something to help these folks stay calm in the face of open war with another Deathlord. It was a faint hope, but Fergus was trying to think positively.

Exalted: Fall of Creation

ONE-HUNDRED FIFTY KILOMETERS NORTH-NORTHEAST, CITY OF PANGU

"...ing is in order, Master. We are about to activate them now. Agreed, we cannot have another mishap like in the former capital. Yes. I understand. Lieutenant, inform the thaumaturges that they may proceed. Yes, master. We will be heading to the northeastern coast next. No issues to report, no. Understood, master. The war against Pangu Prefecture will no doubt be bloody enough to achieve our goal, especially since the elements of surprise and overwhelming force are on our side. Once the orbs are detonated, their forces and any resistances outside of the Tepet and Cynis legions will be in complete disarray. The western front is reinforced heavily. No survivors will get past them. Understood. Yes, master. We will not fail. I thank you for your concern, but I am fine." Cackling Harlot stepped away from a strange device that looked like a bowl of liquified soulsteel and looked to the sky for a moment before whispering "I have to be. For the sake of this world and everyone left alive in it."

BACK IN THE VILLAGE OF DRAGON'S GATE

The night was going smoothly. Fergus had eaten a DOUBLE helping of the fritters and split an order of the turnips, rice, and sauce with his fellow survivors. It was now that he said they should talk to the mayor of the town and inform him or her of what brought them here. The sharp-eared tavern owner overheard the lawyer and informed them that "Master Hsu" would likely be at the docks in the morning. It seemed he always liked to inspect the town's livelihood and make sure everyone was taking care of their boats. "If you lot are gonna room here anyway, I'll let him know you mean to have a word with him when I go down to buy fish for the chowder tomorrow morning. Until then, make yerselves comfy."

It wad always amazing what sort of changes a couple dozen yen caused in people. For Fergus, it was not much. For many working class, it was a week's wages. For an unlucky few, it was nearly a month's wages. Regardless, he was glad his resources had come in handy. "Right, then. I'm going to go see a man about some proper weapons. This little thing might dissuade a cutpurse, but it'd be no real help if I ever ran afoul of a brigand or pirate or what have you. I'll be back."

As he turned to leave, Axley grabbed Fergus by the arm and "asked" him to have her sword repaired or reforged or otherwise made combat-ready in some way. The look on her face said "this is not a request..." continuing to keep up appearances of being a friendly and well-mannered man despite his frustration with Axley's previous refusal to accept his charity, Fergus smiled and nodded as he took her weapon. On his way out, Fergus handed the tavern owner's daughter two yen for her lovely flute playing.

A few minutes of walking led Fergus to the smoke of the smithy. Not surprisingly, it was next to the local stables. Horses needed to be properly shoed, farm tools needed repairs, and so on. Fergus headed up to the door just as a muscular young man was coming out. "Oh. Hello sir. Welcome to the Amaranth Stables and Smithy. I'm Gareth. I help my father run the place. Looking for... hmm... weapons and armor, I take it?" Before Fergus could ask how he knew, the young man continued. "You're clearly not a farmer, and you have no horse with you that I can see. Not much other reason to visit other than weapons or armor. So what can I get for you?"

Fergus smiled. This young man was a smart one. He would go far in his trade, so long as he managed to survive the war. "I need a pair of swords, a couple handaxes, a spear or halberd, and a shortbow if you happen to have any. I know you can't make any armor on short notice, though. So we will have to manage without for now."

"I'll have to make one of the swords, but it'll be ready by morning. As for the bow? We have one. It's a lovely piece, hand-crafted by an Exalt from House Cathak before the war. His wife had been a tournament archer, who died in a terrible accident during an event she was participating in. He gifted one of his masterworks to our mayor, who gave it to my father in recognition of his contributions to our town. I can't sell it." Again, the young blacksmith interrupted Fergus just as he was about to speak. "I'm just pulling your leg, sir. It's a nice piece, for certain. But it's just a simple yew bow that I reinforced with a couple strips of metal for extra oomph when you let your arrow fly. Plus it hurts more if you hit a guy with it. And yes, I can indeed sell it."

Laughter was unavoidable. Fergus had to admit, the young man had a great sense of humor. And so they went about working on an acceptable price for the weapons Fergus intended to purchase for the group.

Exalted: Fall of Creation

@Nate1008

Accepted the request. Also sent you an invite to the server for the RP.

Exalted: Fall of Creation

@Nate1008

Please hit me up on Discord. Again, my username there is Salroka#4907.

Exalted: Fall of Creation

Fergus' brow furrowed as everyone seemed to be a bit at odds over what to eat and who was paying. Cilia seemed to just ignore the squabbling and immediately went to work trying to earn a meal that was already going to be paid for, followed quickly by Axley. Snow followed the ladies into the Squeaky Wheel as well, leaving Sasuke and Fergus to thwir own devices outside. Frustrated with the behavior and apparent ungratefulness of his cohorts, Fergus grumbled to his fellow patrician.

"I swear... no matter how nice I try to be, the poor always seem to hate me just because I have the ability to help them. Do you get that much as a Tepet? Or is it just because I hail from the House of the Empress that I'm treated with a bit of extra disdain?" A sigh, then a hand motion for Sasuke to follow him inside. "Let's go in and get bitched at for paying for everything, shall we?"

Before the two patricians entered, the barkeep was treated to not just one woman trying to ply her trade, but a pair of them. Before he could formulate a response to the pair of them, a shrill yell was heard from the upper story of the building. The portly barkeep audibly groaned and said "I was going to warn ye... but the missus has sharp ears." As the barkeep spoke, a middle-aged woman stormed out of one of the guest rooms and down the stairs. She got right in the faces of Axley and Cilia, eyeing the two women up before going off on one.

"You tarts leave my husband alone. There'll be none of that shenaniganry in my place of business. We've all the help we need. He tends bar, the boy cooks, the girl entertains with song and flute, and I make sure it all looks shiny and clean. Now be off with you if you were lookin' fer a free meal or bed!" The look on her face was not one of anger, but of annoyance and distrust. Thankfully, it did not last.

Saving the day was Fergus, who overheard the tail-end of the apparent owner's rant toward his female traveling companions. "Now now, there's no need for that. I apologize. My friends here are just a stubborn pair, and used to doing things their own way. I assure you, we're all paying customers. Both for some foodstuffs from the delicious-smelling kitchen as well as some soft beds for the night. We've... been walking for a while." Kicking his toe against the floor at the end of his little speech to bring attention to the dirt caked onto his otherwise very fine boots, Fergus then flashed a few pieces of lesser scrip to show he had money to back his claim.

The woman's demeanor shifted almost immediately to that of a cheerful barmaid. "Well why didn't you lot say you were customers? Have a seat! JARRA! WHAT'S ON THE MENU TONIGHT?!" the woman literally shouted toward the kitchen. A few seconds later, the voice of a young man shouted back: "RABBIT AND POTATO FRITTERS, FRIED ONION BREAD BALLS, OR TURNIPS AND RICE WITH RED SAUCE! ANYTHING ELSE, MA?!" The woman ignored the last bit and returned her attention to the group of strangers in her establishment. "There ye have it. If none of that tickles yer fancy, we can see if we have anything else. But thems what's we got ready for quick eats."

Taken aback by the quick shift, Fergus then turned his gaze to both Axley and Cilia, his eyes giving a silent plea to not do that again. Taking a seat at a table near the bar, Fergus leaned over toward the barkeep and asked the man if he could get five mugs of beer. Rolling his eyes at the little display his wife put on, the chubby man seemed glad to have an excuse to get back to work and began pouring the drinks for Fergus' table. "PLEASE sit down, my friends. Let's get a good meal in us before we cause these fine folks any more trouble." A friendly wink toward the owner put a smile on her face. Being a lawyer was as much knowing how to sway people as it was knowing how to present a case... and Fergus was making use of that talent tonight.

As the barkeep brought the beers to the table, Fergus began to order his meal. "I'll have..."

Exalted: Fall of Creation

@Nate1008

Please hit me up on Discord. My info is Salroka#4907.

As for your questions,

1. The only "monsters" I would even remotely consider would be beastmen, and even then you would need a very good backstory or reason to play one. They are generally not trusted by society, as they tend to be quite impulsive and savage compared to the rest of the world.

2. New players would be starting wherever the current group of active players are located.

3. Psionics, no. Magic, yes... but not in the D&D sense. Magic practiced by normal mortals is incredibly niche and weak compared to that of Exalted and other beings with awakened essence.

4. Most decidedly a fantasy setting.

Exalted: Fall of Creation

And so it was that the four survivors of the Imperial Ruins became five. While two of them were suspicious of the new man, the other two seemed to hold more favorable attitudes. The walk toward the river's edge was long, but thankfully uneventful... at least until they approached the next town. Cilia's sharp eyes spotted the smoke first, and the others were quickly alerted. Before they rushed headlong into danger, Sasuke and Snow' combat experience allowed them both to spot the telltale signs of troop movement: evenly-spaced bootprints, mostly in line with each other. Not only was it a sign of disciplined warriors, but ones trying to hide their true numbers. If not for the training and experience of the two combat veterans, the group's trip may have been cut VERY short.

There was a brief squabble about what to do next, before Axely pointed out that they were on the eastern side of the town and the bootprints were heading east as well. The group had narrowly avoided whatever unit had razed the small town. Fergus then suggested they stick to the plan and move upriver. They still had enough food for a day or two, and the enemy seemed to be heading down the banks, not up them. It seemed counterproductive if they wanted to press inland, but he wasn't going to question their good fortune yet again.

So the group decided to avoid the razed town in case any enemies were left behind to deal with stragglers or take stock of the spoils of war. Further upriver they went. A steady pace saw good progress toward the next town, but they were forced to stop and make camp overnight once more. While fetching firewood, Axely and Cilia found a good patch of mushrooms for everyone to eat. Snow had made a pair snare traps as they walked, and used it to catch a rabbit and a squirrel. The squirrel wasn't really worth the small amount of meat on it and was released. The rabbit was field dressed and cooked by the morning fire, ensuring everyone had a tasty breakfast. Fergus was not used to "roughing it" and complained a bit about his feet hurting, but was silenced when EVERYONE on the group reminded him of what they had just survived and how he was lucky to be alive, let alone walking to what they hoped would be safety.

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Cackling Harlot HATED ships. They reminded her of all the ships she saw in the distance while strapped to the altars of the Yozi-worshippers before her Exaltation. Despite that, there was no other way to cross the mouth of the Imperial River quickly while also leading several Fangs worth of elite soldiers. She grumbled under her breath while the helmsman bellowed orders to his men. Her orders were clear, and she would not disappoint her master. Even if it left a trail of hundreds of thousands of corpses in her wake, she would see this campaign through to the end. She HAD to. If not...

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The group arrived at a quiet fishing village in the late afternoon. The sign on the trail leading to the center of town identified it as the village of Dragon's Gate. A bold name for such a small town, but Fergus didn't care. There were no enemy soldiers here, the buildings were not on fire, and there seemed to be TWO different inns! Each was across the town square from the other. To the north, near the docks: The Squeaky Wheel. Beloved by locals for the cook's tendency to deep-fry things in greasy Yeddim fat. The sign on the door read "At The Squeaky Wheel, YOU get the grease!" To the south, near the farrier and stables: The Broken Bench, named for a trio of husky carpenters that sat down for a break after building it... who broke the bench on which they sat. It's sign read "Portions so big, you'll feel like you might break a bench too".

Fergus thought the signs were absurd, but comical. His vote was on the Squeaky Wheel. "I haven't had genuine fried food for some time. I know it's not healthy, but what we need now is comfort food. If you guys want the other place, I'm fine with that. But I think some fatty and delicious junk food would lift our spirits a lot right now. Either way, I can foot the bill. What do all you say?" It wasn't the BEST reasoning, but it wasn't BAD reasoning. Really, Fergus just wanted to eat something bad for him and was willing to pay.

Exalted: Fall of Creation

According to Snow's brief explanation, the Tepet man and Axley had some sort of history. That didn't make the news that the monk felt this newcomer was a spy any easier to swallow. Still, Fergus thought it wasn't as complicated as all that. If a man from a Tepet Patrician House (especially a patrician so decorated as to have such fine weapons and armor) survived the assault on the Ruins, then it could just as easily be the dragons' will that they meet like this.

Fergus' brow furrowed a bit as he tried to put his thoughts into words. "I suppose that's possible, Snow. Being wary is definitely wise. But I know a bit about him as well. Any patrician such as myself would. His weapon alone gives away the fact he is with House Tepet. You may have noticed that as well, had you not been so worked up about him being an enemy." Fergus patted the fine dagger he kept at his side before continuing, signaling to Snow that he had no intent on letting himself just be killed without a fight.

"Still, you could be right. Though I will be frank with you. I'm going to try and see it from a different angle. Perhaps the dragons themselves smile upon us today, yes? Two patricians from the two mightiest remaining dynastic houses, meet by chance with a ragtag group of survivors after a devastating attack on the former capital? Seems almost like a fated encounter, doesn't it?" He patted the monk on the shoulder in hopes of reassuring the man. "All we can do now is play it by ear and hope for the best. If you're on edge the entire time, you'll burn yourself out long before we get to Lord's Crossing."

He did not mean to ignore Cilia in the exchange, but he needed to talk to the new man and hammer things out. Cutting off any further discussion between the man and Axley, Fergus yelled out: "You there! Tepet!" He figured addressing the warrior by his noble house might be best. Both a show of his own authority as well as recognition of the other's status as a noble. Especially as Fergus did not yet know what the man's name was, nor his patrician house. "As it seems you've history with one of our merry group of misfits, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for now. ... that said, I doubt I am alone in thinking I want to know exactly what happened there." The word "there" was accompanied with a motion toward The Tepet man's neck wound.

Looking around again at the mostly packed-up campsite, Fergus made a proposal. "For the time being, we are headed upriver to the nearest town in order get some rest and properly supply ourselves before deciding what we do next. Tag along with us. On the way, you can explain everything. If we all like what we hear, then you can stick with us if you see fit. If we don't like what we hear, then that's as far as we go together. Seems fair to me. What say you?" As he asked the final question, Fergus extended a hand to the Tepet man while keeping his other hand planted firmly on the pommel of his weapon.

He did not intentionally speak for the others in the group. It was merely habitual, as patricians are used to speaking from positions of authority.

Exalted: Fall of Creation

The following is a collaborative post between Meleck and Salroka

Cilia moved closer to Fergus to get his opinion on what was going on and to try to learn about where they were going. “Fergus...” she asked quietly, “... do you know who he is?” She figured that Barrister knew anyone who had money and a family name.

After the atrocities they had all witnessed the day prior, Fergus was still on pins and needles. Cilia's question snapped him back from his internal musings about how this guy might be a bandit. Rather than answer right away, he took a few moments to eye over the newcomer. Fergus had seen those symbols before. "Well I'll be the spawn of anathema. He's from House Tepet. Mnemon might be the house of the current Empress, but Tepet has the military might. If he's friendly, we may have just lucked out." Of course... that was a big if. Especially given the past twenty-four hours.

To this, Cilia nodded with a little understanding. Most of the house politics that she knew came from her mother’s work, entertaining the men who came to the port to trade, make deals, and other things men tend to do. The politics that Fergus talked about was above her. But she agreed that having the military on their side would be good. As the wind started to blow a bit, she pulled her hair around to start braiding it for the day. She made it look easy as she put it into a tail of sorts. “Fergus, what is the place we are heading to like?”

While she may not have said much, Cilia at least seemed to agree with the general gist of what Fergus had said. Then she asked about Lord's Crossing, and what it was like. "It's actually fairly similar to what the ruins were like before the war, if you happened to see any pictures of it in books. I know you might be too young to remember the old Imperial City, but yeah. A bit smaller, to be honest. Though it is still fairly similar." He didn't yet want to tell her just how far away it was. Knowing the distance might be a little demoralizing at this point in time.

She looked at him and smiled a little bit. She wasn’t sure if the “fairly similar” was a good thing or not. “Hmm” she said with a little bit of apprehension and paused. She said, “I thought those things from yesterday were just in nightmares and stories told to get children to behave. I was glad to have all of you there to keep me going.” She pondered, “I wish I grabbed some proof so we could show something other than our word.” She knew that she would not be considered a credible witness on something this grave.

Fergus conceded a little bit to Cilia's opinion on the undead horde. " Yeah, so did a lot of folks. Even a lot of survivors from the war figured they were all wiped out by the Fair Folk once we gave them most of Creation. Hell, even I thought that. Shows how much I know, huh?" Almost as if in response to her mention of credible proof, Snow commented on the Tepet man having met "the enemy" and survived. From this far away, Fergus had no clue HOW Snow knew that... but he doubted the monk would lie about such a thing. "Well... maybe we just got that proof you asked for. By all the dragons, this is just... I don't even know what to think about the last day or so."

Cilia watched Fergus and his reaction to hearing Snow talk about “meeting the enemy and survived.” She said with a little worry in her voice, “I guess, there is a lot that we all are needing to learn.” She knew that Fergus was now going to be drawn into the other conversation. She would follow.