Shadows of the Past, log 5 (3/24/2012)
Teyv begins to take deep breaths in anticipation of the whole room becoming submerged.
<> Reed says "Well, *I* can breathe underwater . . ."
<> Two says "CBA breathing"
Brian says, "The River God cries out and hammers against the cave. "My river!" she screams, trying to break the cave in-block as the water begins to fill. She's not getting much purchase."
Teyv moves towards the exit (whichever is nearest, is that up into the temple?). He wonders if a wolf howl might dislodge the stone, but decides it would be much better to wait until everybody is out of underground space before trying. Besides, the sonic shock will be more effective if the target is beneath the water. He should advice people to not even be in the temple.
Reed casts a glance at Teyv. "If you can't do anything else, just float. Don't flail." That said, he wades into the rising waters to inspect the cave-in, putting a hand on the god's arm as he comes up beside her. "Calm, sister. There is always a way."
<> Brian says "Well, they won't know if you won't tell them; the river god, for example, looks like she's staying."
Reed [to Brian]: How solid is this cave-in? Are there openings that a smallish person or critter can get through?
Brian says, "The river god whirls, looking despairingly at Reed as the water rises up to her knees and your waists. "The damage to the local geomancy was bad enough I could feel it during the fight," she groans. "If this happens, it'll poison the site for decades-- centuries, even. My poor people," she groans, and takes another whack with her daiklaive at the stone."
<> Brian rolls 20 dice: <1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 4 4 4 4 5 6 7 8 9 9 9 10> for 7 successes.
Two says, "My armor will let me breath for a while." She moves towards the cave in. "I can work on opening it as long as my air lasts."
<> Brian says "Bounce again."
Brian [to Reed]: It's pretty packed in; the rock smashed into itself rather heavily.
Brian says, "You guys have about a minute to chest height; it'll be over six feet in about a minute past that."
<> Mahir says "What are the odds that an arrow blast will do *anything* useful?"
<> Brian says "Bennu will be following along with everyone else."
Reed [to Brian]: So, not even like an eel could get through?
<> Mahir says "Because that's all I've got to work with, for something like that."
<> Brian says "30 soak, 30 hardness, 30 health levels past that, piercing does not effect."
<> Brian says "So, 'maybe'."
<> Brian says "It is stationary."
<> Two says "That's a lot of 30"
<> Brian says "You're not exactly going to miss."
<> Mahir says "No DV, but I have to get over 30 raw damage."
Brian [to Reed]: You could try; it'd be some epic dex rolls. But you are, in fact, a dex monke- otter.
Reed [to Brian]: And rather small and skinny to start with. But I'd also need an eel form. I do have extra HB slots, it's just a question of whether or not you'll let me add one retroactively.
<> Mahir says "Although.... 24 dice against zero DV, double succ, plus 16 damage. Even a basic Sky-burning can theoretically get there."
<> Mahir says "I just need 8 succ on 24 to get over Hardness and Soak."
Brian [to Reed]: Oh, sure, that's what it's there for. Though if you're in there when Mahir is attacking, I may make you dodge some.
Brian says, "Okay, I need a pose from everyone on what you're doing during the first ten or so seconds. The River God will continue to hammer at the cave-in to little effect."
Mahir calls out to the group, "Stand clear! I'm going to try to blow a hole!" With that, he draws back his bow, pulling on the last of his reserves of essence for one final assault, breathing slow and steady to focus his power, giving his comrades plenty of time to clear out before he releases.
<> Mahir says "Since we're out of combat ticks, I'm going to use a full Aim action while people move out of the way for extra dice."
Reed looks up at the archer, and then over to the two Solar brutes. "Focus your attacks and attempt to make a hole near the top. I will attempt to go through and ram it from the other side." With a final light touch to the god's arm he drops under the rising waters, body shrinking and slimming into a slim, silvery eel as he searches the bottom for a way through.
Teyv emerges into the temple, looking back into the hole to see if anybody else needs help up.
Ashan holds tight to his serenity, examining the blockage with a critical eye, looking for the most auspicious place to strike the blockage for maximum effect.
Brian says, "The river god, nobody's fool, stands way clear. Bennu, still somewhat dazed, moves back and away as the water rises."
Brian [to Ashan]: Aiming, or a Charm?
<> Ashan says "Aim."
Two stands clear for Mahir's shot, then begins pulling rocks and debris from the cave-in, near the top.
<> Ashan says "(It's hard to tell with Sids, but only his combat Charms are useful in this situation.)"
Brian [to Two]: Well, in theory, Mahir will be shooting at the top. Are you working up there despite that?
<> Two says "I will work up there AFTER that"
<> Brian says "Ahhh, ok. 2-dot, roll, Mahir."
<> Mahir says "And I've got Sky-Burning going, and 2-dot refunds my essence. Aim is +3 dice?"
<> Ashan says "Max, yeah."
<> Mahir rolls 29 dice: <1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 9 9 9 9 10 10 10> for 17 successes.
Brian [to Teyv]: Most of the populace is staring at the huge sinkhole to the side of the temple, which is now dangerously unstable with a good third of its side over a big pit now; others are only not fleeing because of the mad villagers still surrounding.
<> Mahir says "SBS makes that 34, +16L, 50 raw, assuming no DV for an inanimate object. :-P"
<> Brian says "Ok. Roll 20 dice of damage."
<> Mahir rolls 20 damage dice: <1 1 2 2 2 3 3 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 10> for 10 successes.
<> Brian rolls 10 dice: <1 1 1 2 3 4 4 6 7 8> for 2 successes.
Brian [to Teyv]: The temple shakes and quakes up above, the foundations rocking to the horror of the villagers.
Teyv, glowing very brightly, and with all manner of Solar rays coming from him due to his essence expenditure, commands with a powerful voice to the guards, villagers, and even the mad: "Get back from the hole, it will only grow larger, and swallow all who do not stand clear!"
Teyv then moves away from the dangerous area himself, though trying to stay close enough to be of help if his comrades need it.
Brian says, "The golden burst of Mahir's energies has shattered the top third of the cave in, giving the water somewhere to flow, stabilizing at about stomach height. But the resulting cave isn't very stable; the natural tunnel beyond is okay, but the mouth of it is damaged by the rockfall from before. Sand is still flowing down, and how stable the rock tunnel is going to stay is anyone's guess. The river god gestures with her dailkaive, concentration on her face as she tries to create temporary ice braces, but especially in the desert, that is -only- temporary."
Reed [to Brian]: Can I go through?
Brian [to Reed]: In pretty much any form no taller than a wolf.
Reed [to Brian]: My human form is barely taller than a wolf.
Brian chuckles.
Told of the new hole by the whispers of currents against his skin, Reed abandons his search at the bottom and shoots up to the top, surfacing only long enough to hiss an acknowledgement towards Mahir before he dives into the tunnel and zips through to the other side.
Two begins enlarging the hole and clearing out more debris.
Brian says, "Anyone have Craft at 2 or more?"
<> Reed says "I do not. I was just going to ram it."
Brian says, "Also, those of you trying to clear the hole make stunts for doing so; strength + athletics if you're trying to move them, attack stunts if you're going to be attacking."
Teyv [to Brian]: I do, but I suppose that doesn't help at the moment.
Reed [to Brian]: I assume I don't need to roll to get through, given that there's a hole now?
Brian [to Teyv]: The villagers are backing up, and Bennu leaps out of the hole to take charge of them, getting them organized and moving to find heavy rocks from the scrabble nearby to weight the side of the temple to prevent a collapse, with her tiger-warriors providing escort.
Brian [to Reed]: Nope!
Reed [to Brian]: About how long is the tunnel on the other side?
Brian [to Teyv]: You can stunt your perception + craft roll to figure out what's going on with the hole-- and the temple-- anyway. Just at a +3 difficulty.
Brian [to Reed]: It takes a curving right about 30' down, moving towards the rock outcropping that the river flows out of that the villagers use for cleaning-- they get drinking and irrigation water from upstream.
Two operates mechanically, grabbing rock and debris and tossing it to, moving on to the next one. She incorporates her breathing exercises into the work and drifts off into a world of only river and debris.
Reed [to Brian]: About how wide around is it?
Brian [to Reed]: About 12'.
Brian [to Two]: Strength + Ath + 2. Don't forget your armor's bonus.
Reed [to Brian]: Excellent.
<> Two says "+3 I believe"
<> Two rolls 11 dice: <1 1 1 2 3 5 6 6 7 7 10> for 4 successes.
Ashan watches Two work for a moment, attuning himself to the rhythm of her movements. He leaps lightly down to shift his angle of attack, watching targeting information flow across his vision, and releases his Essence-blade at the most harmonious moment, leaving the fading sign of the Gull behind it. It flies well-clear of Two, striking ahead of her to weaken and break apart a cluster of stone which might have proven troublesome.
Brian will wait until other people's descriptions to judge results, btw. Ashan, charm use?
<> Ashan says "Essence Thorn + Life Gets Worse + Aim."
Brian laughs. "Gotcha. 2-dot stunt."
<> Ashan rolls 17 dice: <1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10> for 5 successes.
<> Ashan just. stares at the dice orphan.
<> Ashan says "I don't think that breaks hardness."
<> Ashan says "My base with LGW is 19."
Brian [to Ashan]: And you don't get any bonuses?
<> Ashan says "That's WITH the bonuses."
<> Ashan says "Clearly the Maidens don't intend for Ashan to be fighting things."
Teyv looks around now that the villagers seem to be safe and Bennu is taking care of any who are too curious for their own good. Listening to the rushing water, and seeing where he can into the whole, and looking at the temple rising and shifting, an idea strikes him. It would be a remarkable engineering feat to redirect a river to move structures. Let the water do all the work. There'd be the problem of carved marble not floating, and the difficulty of how to stop the water when things are in place... Those are just details, and there is probably some kind of binding charm that can be used to keep the buildings together. The gears in Teyv's head turn (as he imagines when he's using his engineering, instead of medical training) as he watches what is around him.
<> Ashan says "(I think I'm just gonna buy Fateful Excellency for everything I care about after this session)"
<> Brian patpats.
Reed whips along the tunnel gauging the walls' shapes and the water's flow, letting his body gradually stretch and enlarge as he passes through. Once at the end he slows and turns around, and having saved the last layers of muscle and cartilage for last, finally ripples into the largest and strongest of all his forms. He pushes off the rock and shoots back up the tunnel like a projectile from an ancient weapon, a streamlined blur of silver and steel-grey aimed to plunge into the rockfall and smash it down.
Brian laughs. 3-dot, and I'll let you use Wits rather than Perception.
Brian [to Mahir]: What are you up to, btw?
<> Mahir says "I fully intend to throw another SBS at the wall, just waiting for the proper timing."
Teyv [to Brian]: that's 10+3, do I subtract anything for the difficulty, or how does that work?
Teyv [to Brian]: that's 10+3, do I subtract anything for the difficulty, or how does that work?
Brian [to Mahir]: Make a Perception + Craft roll.
Brian [to Teyv]: No, I apply it myself to your comparison.
<> Mahir says "Can I stunt to apply lockpicking instead of Craft, which I have none of?"
<> Teyv rolls 13 dice: <1 1 2 2 3 5 7 8 8 8 9 10 10> for 9 successes.
<> Brian says "It'll be at +3 difficulty, but yes."
<> Mahir says "I don't have *that* many Larceny dice."
<> Brian nods, and gives Bennu a chance to pose for Sammun, since he's there.
Mahir watches the flow of the water, the motions of his comrades, the structure of the wall. The information flows together in a stream, his eyes take in the whole scene as he searches for a pattern pointing towards the location of his next strike.
<> Mahir says "Stunt for the Perc roll."
Brian [to Mahir]: 2-dot, roll away.
<> Reed says "I just thought of an even better thing to do, but oh well."
Brian [to Reed]: On your next action!
Samun, working around the outskirts of the organized villagers, watches the patterns as they move; he's paying attention to the geomancy, to the motion of the air, to the movement of the Earth itself, as he appraises their efforts and how well they stave off the complete collapse.
Reed [to Brian]: Well, my next action should be ramming the wall, unless my extra swim speed means I'll get there before then.
Brian [to Bennu]: 2-dot stunt
<> Bennu says "And it's got to be Per+Craft?"
Brian [to Reed]: I was figuring that you were ramming the wall this turn-- did you want a larger lead-back? It's up to you.
<> Brian says "Lore or Larceny at +3 diff."
<> Bennu says "Note that he has a degree in Geomancy."
<> Bennu says "So if that's relevant..."
<> Bennu says "Maybe I could swing occult?"
Reed [to Brian]: It depends on how long the tunnel is. I didn't think it was that far to the outside river.
Brian [to Bennu]: ... At +4 difficulty, I suppose. Geomancy is involved.
<> Mahir rolls 6 dice: <1 2 3 4 6 9> for 1 success.
Brian [to Reed]: Oh, to the outside? To the outside it's a good 30 or 40 yards.
<> Bennu says "Okay, wp/wp."
<> Bennu rolls 10 dice: <1 1 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 9> for 1 success.
Brian [to Reed]: That'd be a good 10-20 seconds.
<> Bennu says "..."
<> Brian says "..."
<> Ashan says "...seriously, dice orphan?"
<> Bennu says "Not it. :p"
Reed [to Brian]: I want to pick up as much momentum as possible, so all the way to the end. I do have doubled swim speed, too.
Two continues pulling rocks and debris, dropping rocks and debris.
<> Ashan says "Okay, I may have burned all my personal favor, but I still have external rerolls left. Which of you wants one?"
Brian [to Teyv]: You're starting to hear little pops and cracks, and the hissing sound of sand moving rapidly. The cave in and excavation are NOT stable, even with the ice braces, and the more that it gets dug out, the less there is to take the weight of the sand and damaged rock and big ol' temple...
<> Ashan says "This is too ridiculous to let stand."
Brian [to Ashan]: You manage to get another six inches or so cleared away.
<> Mahir says "My roll wasn't really the important one, it's just a minor advantage on my next cannon blast. :-P"
Brian [to Teyv]: It'll take a heroic-- ie, Solar-- effort to keep it stable, and the further the cave is cleared without bracing, the harder it will be.
<> Two says "We are all gonna die and it won't even be a heroic death in battle :("
<> Brian says "Mind you, I _had_ written up a huge death scene for the goddess, so you guys are all entirely off my intended script."
<> Brian says "Nah, you wouldn't die."
<> Brian says "The geomancy in the area would get really, REALLY toxic though."
<> Mahir says "You might want to yell at Mahir to hold back, then, because I'm an Aim action away from blasting away a bunch more rock."
<> Brian says "I just want to see how much you guys will be able to save. Y'all are being Excessively Exalted, and I'm so proud."
<> Reed says "Just tell me when and what to roll."
Brian [to Reed]: If you went all the way out, let's say 2 or 3 poses before you get here.
Brian says, "Okay. I'll want another round of update poses; let Teyv go first to see if he remembers to share information."
Reed [to Brian]: Will I get a bonus for having built up a huge amount of momentum and potential energy?
<> Mahir says "If it changes anyone's pose, imagine I'm shouting "Clear!" as I Aim, and I'll do an actual pose of the blast at the end, assuming I don't abort?"
Brian [to Reed]: Sure, I'll double your damage dice.
Brian [to Mahir]: That works.
Ashan makes a face as his Thorn dissipates with little-to-no effect, then thinks furiously. What they need is an ally -- someone suited to moving earth without destruction. The spirit courts of the area are obscure, but he's lived in Yu Shan since before he could walk, and the politics of the divine city and the earth below flood through his mind. With luck and the guidance of the Maiden of Serenity, he'll find something he can use.
Teyv yells to those below, not knowing if they can hear him: "Stop clearing the cave in, it's the only thing holding up the village! We need to shore up the temple before the river can flow, or it will wash away all that remains!" He immediately, disregarding personal danger, moves towards the temple and begins invoking his crack mending technique. It seems that fixing a few cracks in the temple will only make the pieces at the bottom of the river larger, but that is all that he can think to do. Leaving streaks of exalted light behind him, he begins to streak around the temple, doing the best he can to repair what can be repaired by one charm powered exalt.
<> Two brb
Reed [to Brian]: Sweet.
Brian says, "Okay, everyone else pose! ^_^"
<> Ashan says "Stunt?"
Brian [to Teyv]: Are you spot checking, or are you going to start using Charms.
Brian [to Ashan]: Argh, missed it. 2-dot.
<> Ashan says "WP/WP"
<> Ashan rolls 10 dice: <1 1 3 3 4 5 8 8 8 9> for 4 successes.
Mahir pauses, hearing Teyv's cry, slowly, he lowers his bow, returning the drawn string to rest, allowing the charged arrow to dissipate. He looks around at the rest of the party, and at the temple, trying to think of a way to help the situation that doesn't involve arrows.
<> Ashan says "Five total..."
Teyv [to Brian]: I'll use my crack-mending technique, as that's the only thing I have. To repair the temple, ground, whatever I can repair.
<> Reed says "And I just realized that I technically shouldn't have an orca form, since they're a hell of a lot larger than I thought they were. Maybe I'm a small one."
<> Two back
<> Ashan says "Baby orca!"
<> Reed says "I'm so cute and adorable!"
Brian [to Ashan]: The local river god's name-- the one down there with you-- is known by many names; her official one is Refinement of Whispers. Generous Deep Truths holds fief over the local hardscrabble area, and has a firm-but-fair, only mostly corrupt relationship with his various ancillaries; the deeper desert is held by the fierce Shattered Hope Hatchet, a right bastard who's terrible at poetry and is sleeping with one of Wong Bongerok's concubines.
Two listens to Teyv and then begins putting the rock and debris BACK. But not entirely back. "How do we keep the temple from falling?"
<> Reed says "Also note that I probably can't hear Teyv yelling."
Brian says, "The river god gets a hopeless, but determined look. "Chosen, my river is my primary responsibility, and my care for the people here a partially illegal hobby," she says frankly. "But I have grown to care for them and their family lines. Please-- if you can. Take care of them, if I cannot," she says, before concentrating, draining more of her essence into trying to shore up the walls with ice."
Brian [to Reed]: Well, orcas do have mad hearing, but you're under water. Roll Perception + Awareness +3 for being an orca, difficulty 4.
<> Ashan says "Can I get a read on how likely Generous Deep Truths would be to intervene in a situation like this?"
<> Two has no good charms for this situation.
Brian [to Ashan]: It's... possible. He isn't too much of a bastard, and they're probably illegally worshipping him a bit too, though mostly skimming off the top of Refinement of Whispers' operation. It depends on how likely he is to think this'll get his racket noticed.
Brian [to Two]: You are a strong woman, with a strong heart and a strong back. That is all the Unconquered Sun demands of Dawns. How it may be useful...
Brian goes to check some text on Crack-Mending.
<> Two says "I considered attempting to hold up the village. I decided that would probably end badly."
<> Ashan says "* Two is now known as Atlas"
<> Brian says "You can lift and carry, at least. Sorry, adobe is not loading. >_< Give me a sec."
Reed [to Brian]: And Teyv isn't. If he was in the water, it'd be a lot easier.
<> Reed rolls 10 dice: <2 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 10 10> for 4 successes.
<> Two says "Can you... donate essence?"
Brian [to Reed]: You have mad hearing _skills_. You totally ate a musically appreciative orca, who never used a prayerPod to damage his hearing, and obviously worked on it at after school activities. You can hear him.
<> Brian says "Only with Lore Charms. Teyv might need your help up whereever he intends to Do Things."
<> Two sads.
Two says, "There's nothing more I can do down her. I don't think I can hold up the village. I'm going to go up and see if there's anything I can do aboveground."
Brian [to Teyv]: With the power of your magics at your side, you can accomplish substantial amounts of work, going at basically Essence x 3 multiplier for repairs. At the top, you can probably shift around those rocks that Bennu and company are bringing in to not only distribute the load better, but make it geomantically pleasing to deal with the essence flow. Long term fixes are going to have to be accomplished at the riverheart and fallen tunnel, or in the sinkhole created above it.
<> Brian says "Did anyone not get a response?"
<> Brian makes some honeyjar tea.
Ashan takes another moment of thought, then decides it's not worth the risk to drag potentially-corrupt divine politics into this. Instead, he prays, not to any greater god, but to the swarm of least and lesser gods who tend individual stones, exhorting those in the walls and ceiling to hold fast to each other. A least god's ability to affect their domain is limited, but with his prayers' Essence lending them strength and serenity, enough of them might tip the balance in their favor.
<> Brian chuckles. "In Exalted, you _can_ convince rocks not to fall. Charm, or thaumaturgy?"
Two heads upside and over to Teyv. "Is there anything I can help with?"
<> Ashan says "Thaumaturgy; sadly, I don't have the charm that would make this automatic."
<> Brian says "Do you have any degrees, or going freeform?"
<> Ashan says "Freeform, equally sadly."
<> Brian ponders. What's your Occult, 5?
<> Ashan says "Yep."
<> Brian says "Okay, it'll take the equivalent of a Resource 3 in sacrifice-- including your essence to get rid of it, of course. You probably have good thaumaturgical tools, given your Salary, but you'll also have to pay for getting rid of the need for a workshop. 2-dot stunt."
<> Ashan says "I wasn't using that Essence anyway."
Teyv says in a sped up voice, but because Solars are dignified, appropriately shifted to not sound like a chipmunk, the *just right* things to Two pointing him towards the places he can be of most use in repairing the temple and the surrounding area.
<> Ashan says "WP/WP."
Mahir looks around a moment, sees nothing to shoot, and goes to help Teyv move rocks.
Brian ponders. "Mahir, Two, roll Dexterity + Athletics, it'll add to Teyv's roll as dice for good helpers.
<> Mahir rolls 8 dice: <1 2 4 5 6 6 7 10> for 3 successes.
<> Ashan rolls 11 dice: <1 1 2 2 5 5 6 8 9 9 10> for 5 successes.
<> Ashan says "total 6."
Brian waits on Two's choices here.
<> Two rolls 6 dice: <1 4 6 8 10 10> for 5 successes.
Two nods to Teyv and begins doing Stuff. Stuff that probably involves lifting and moving things around.
<> Two says "Oh wait, I should have rolled 8 total."
<> Two says "Err 7"
<> Two says "Wow, I have horrible math today."
<> Two rolls 1 die: <5> for 0 successes.
Brian [to Teyv]: Okay, roll Int + Craft + 2 dot stunt + 8 dice for your mad skills helpers.
Reed can't easily stop his headlong rush towards the rockfall, but he can remold his body and aim for the arrow-bored tunnel, popping out of the pool under the temple in a rush of spray and pale fur. "Perhaps he might have mentioned that earlier?" he asks, not expecting an answer. Twisting in midair, he splashes back down and swims over to the god's side. Placing webbed paws on the pillars she makes, Reed attempts to reinforce them against the Southern heat, singing softly to them of their icy and chill brethren in the North.
<> Teyv rolls 20 dice: <1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 5 5 6 6 7 7 7 8 10 10> for 8 successes.
Brian says, "... I don't suppose Ashan has any rerolls to give people?"
<> Ashan says "I sure do."
<> Ashan says "Have a reroll, Teyv."
<> Ashan says "(I burned all my self-rerolls but I still have both my other-rerolls. One of them, now.)"
Teyv stops and reconsiders his actions, as he looks at Ashan, and he modifies what he's doing, and how he's directing others, as he sees the threads of fate behind Ashan.
<> Teyv rolls 20 dice: <1 1 2 2 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 10> for 6 successes.
<> Reed says "Erps."
<> Ashan says ". . ."
<> Ashan says "...really, dice orphan?!"
Teyv dodges something that falls. Perhaps the threads of fate he saw were not towards a desirable end...
<> Ashan says "Well, you can take the better of the two, if that helps."
Brian [to Reed]: Are you doing thaumaturgy, or using a Charm?
Brian [to Teyv]: Despite the heroic efforts up above, you can still hear a lot of that creaking and cracking. You've gained a few hours of time at the least; it's not going to crash down now.
Brian works on responses, sec.
<> Two says "Maybe... we can move the village."
Reed [to Brian]: I don't have any applicable Charms, but I can lend my skills to the god and buff her rolls.
Brian [to Mahir, Two]: Your armor's essence sight shows that Teyv's work _has_ managed to bleed off some of the toxic essence created by the geomantic disaster in the middle of the Wyld taint. It looks like it won't become a Tainted Land after all-- for now. The rocks you placed are acting as grounding elements, and when they 'fill' they'll make primitive wards, turning Wyld and Water-Essence back against itself to 'reflect' it and channel an invisible "flare" of Essence skywards.
Brian [to Ashan]: You have Essence Sight at all?
<> Ashan says "Natively!"
<> Bennu says "Hmm. Samun has elemental summoning at Degree 3."
<> Bennu says "We could probably find us some earth elementals willing to help stabilize."
Brian [to Ashan]: You can see the Little Gods responding eagerly to the call of an Exalt. They are enthusiastically joining hands and dancing in a beautiful, very, very, very SLOW ballet of 'we are not falling we are not falling we are not falling'. They haven't ENTIRELY convinced the gravitational Essence to agree with them, but with Teyv's stabilizing the surface, it's holding for now.
Brian [to Bennu]: Samun thinks of that very thing, and salutes. "Ma'am, I think this is an area where the Celestial Hierarchy works in our favor," he says quietly. "Do you want me to call upon the waters and the earth for you?"
Two says, "Things seem. Better? Do you think we could send a message back and ask for help with stabilizing the area?"
Brian [to Reed]: Hmm.
Brian [to Reed]: Roll the higher of Charisma or Perception + Occult or Performance, +2 dot stunt.
Bennu nods after a heartbeat of thought. "Any help the elemental courts are willing to lend," she says. "Find some appropriate gifts from your supplies," she directs. "I will aid the ritual if you have need."
Reed [to Brian]: I have an Occult specialty for gods and spirits of the North. Can I add that?
Brian [to Reed]: ... Yes. yes you can. Very nice.
<> Reed rolls 10 dice: <1 2 2 3 4 4 7 7 10 10> for 6 successes.
Brian [to Bennu]: Samun salutes and nods, heading over to the supplies to begin the work after hesitatingly asking, "Your blessing is very appropriate ma'am, but the Enlightened one and the Copper Spider," he says with a bit of existential dread, "They would also be very very important for this, ma'am."
<> Brian says "Enlightened One being you, Ashan."
Bennu nods to Samun. "Start preparing things, I'll ask them to assist," she directs, and heads back towards the shattered temple, picking her footing carefully as she seeks the other Exalts.
Ashan is picking his way back up to the temple, satisfied that the least gods will cooperate -- at least as long as their stamina and/or attention span holds.
Brian [to Ashan]: You're wet. The silks will require some serious magic to get unstained. These are _rocks_. Lots of _rocks_. You wonder if they're paying you enough for this, but you are making it up easily enough.
Ashan sighs. Such is the burden of serving Destiny.
Two hanging out near Teyv, following directions and such.
<> Bennu says "I'm not sure where Ashan and Teyv are."
<> Reed says "Circling the temple?"
Brian [to Reed]: You hear the grateful murmur of Whispers further up, "You have my gratitude, Chosen. You've reminded them of the cycle of the world and water, and they'll stay cold longer. Let's go topside and see what plans can be made for my people, my temple, and my river.
Brian says, "The tall goddess climbs her way out as well, and uses some of her power to dry anyone's clothing, though the stains will require other efforts, of course."
<> Mahir is still drying, not having had any reason to go down in the muck.
<> Mahir says "Is *dry*, not drying."
Reed launches himself up out of the water after the goddess, fur shedding water as he bounds over the fallen rocks to the top of the hole. He pauses at the top and stands on his hind legs, whiskers twitching as he seeks the particular thread of scent and Essence that marks Teyv, and then scampers off to find the Solar hopefully still intact.
<> Reed says "All my clothes are brown anyway."
Bennu intercepts Ashan and Teyv as she finds them. "Samun would like your assistance with a ritual," she requests. "We need help to stabilize things permanently."
Ashan nods. "Elementals, I assume?" he asks, changing direction. "The least gods are doing what they can below, but that won't last forever."
Brian says, "Samun has returned from getting the supplies; being judicious, he's just brought the packs over. "How much help do we want, and how potent, Great Ones?" says the Dragon Blood, bowing at the waist. "As well, if you want both Earth and Water summoned, they should probably be summoned at different sites, to avoid essence contamination.""
Ashan glances back at the sinkhole, thoughtful. "Earth should be our first priority," he says. "The strongest we can find who are willing to work for us -- though I can be persuasive if need be. Water we can leave to the goddess if need be."
<> Brian says "Ashan, I'll RP Samun, but I want you to handle the requirements for Thaumatology here, and what elementals can be summoned; Elementals are a weak point for me."
<> Ashan says "Lemme dig a second."
<> Ashan says "Okay, our best bets are probably mercury ants, if there's a colony around. They can shape and transmute earth, they're not particularly important or powerful and they're accustomed to unquestioning servitude."
<> Ashan says "Jokun would be a good second choice."
<> Brian says "Refresh my memory on Jokun?"
Brian [to Teyv]: What sort of project do you envision for shoring things up below?
Reed scampers up behind Teyv and leaps, landing neatly on the Solar's shoulder. He might be a little heavy for comfort, but that's Teyv's problem, not his.
Brian [to Two]: What civilian abilities does Two have?
<> Ashan says "They're the bodyguard-types. Very honorable, made of rock. They're not as good for our purposes because they don't have Affinity Element Control, but they're potentially easier to sway by just being virtuous."
<> Two says "Not much :("
<> Two says "Presence 1, Mob-Dispersing Technique"
<> Two says "Fury Inciting Presence"
Teyv [to Brian]: Perhaps he can convince the sand and gravel available to turn into cement, and eventually concrete, to make arches which can withstand the water, and be strong enough to hold the ground, and durable enough to resist the flow of water.
Teyv [to Brian]: I'm still accelerated, so if I can make it, I should be able to make it dry in time to be useful. If I can't make concrete, then I guess I'm stacking rocks.
<> Two says "Trackless Region Navigation :D"
<> Ashan says "Most water elementals are jerks, so not good for us without a solid sorcerous binding; otherwise, a sobeksis might do to keep the river under control."
Brian says, "Samun nods formally to the river god and bows to the emerging Exalts in greeting. The River god looks at the assembled tools and packs and nods her acquiescence. "There's a colony of Mercury Ants about forty or fifty li down river, where it starts to turn to steam," she comments. "Good neighbors, as long as I keep the villagers away." She turns to gently greet and reassure her people as best she can, trying to do triage to discover how many survivors are there-- if there are even enough people to continue village life at all."
Brian [to Teyv]: You know Mercury Ants, powerful laborers and soldiers with an unfortunate aphrodesiac venom they can inject. And you might, indeed, be able to make cement; you can use Essence to shift the nature of the rocks a bit in the context of Craft. The Ants would probably make excellent construction workers to help create both braces, and the new/repaired tunnel, if the three of you can summon them.
Ashan nods back to her. "They're likely our best bet," he says. "There aren't many better laborers and stone-shapers within our means to call quickly."
Teyv [to Brian]: I have another option, if I can have heat, lots and lots of focused heat. The concrete itself will heat up when it dries, but shouldn't require anything special to make, once the ingredients are right.
<> Reed says "Roman cement was pretty much heated limestone and volcano ash."
Brian [to Mahir]: Do you have the Essence Arrow SFX that lights them on superfire?
Brian says, "This is the South; there are lots of volcanos around."
<> Brian says "He does have Virtuous Guardian of Flame, and, in fact, Bennuplayer just reminded me that she has the Heat effect which is roughly the same convection as being near magma."
<> Teyv says "I'd need 2-3000F to melt the sand."
<> Teyv says "Though I think caves of formed glass is a much more exalted style, than just formed concrete."
<> Reed says "It is much more stylish than concrete, yes."
<> Brian says "And, yes, 1 xp."
<> Reed says "But I think you might need an air elemental or two to create enough air to keep the bubble from collapsing inqard."
<> Reed says "Inward."
Brian says, "Bennu's armor can produce superheat around her continuously; usually it requires attack, but I'd let her just sit in something and turn it on if you want; I can ask her about her choices on that if you decide to go with that."
<> Two says "It does a lot of math for you, but it needs some design work. And I don't know all of the rules :("
Teyv [to Brian]: I shall begin composing the stunt in preparation for the ants arrival.
Brian says, "If Mahir takes Fiery Arrow Attack, I'll rule that it definitely outproduces 200-300F with each arrow storm, though you'd have to find a way to sustain the heat. Sammun could also try to summon a Fire Elemental as well."
Brian [to Teyv]: You might want to tell your Circle and Sammun what you have in mind/need, so they can produce the solutions/tools.
<> Mahir says "Let's see what happens with the ants, since that's already started, and whether we need to do MOAR after that."
Teyvturns to Sammun and the others around him. "Sand is abundant, but it is too unstable to construct any sort of foundation." Still accelerated, in his mending frenzy, Teyv picks up a piece of broken glass from the debris and holds it up, "We shall melt the sand into glass. It will take great amounts of heat, but then we can flow it into arches, braces, and pillars, to hold the weight of the temple and village. It must be large, because glass is not strung, but it is very hard, and the river can run over and through it without carving through it."
Teyv says, "We will wait for the ants, and enlist their help, as we will need many workers guide the molten flows into place."
<> Brian says "Lamas-yu are the big fiery eye dealies? Or am I remembering wrong?"
Ashan nods thoughtfully. "Need fires, then," he replies. "Those are easy enough to come by in numbers, and easy enough to direct if we're careful. If you're using glass, will you still want mercury ants to shape it?"
<> Ashan says "Yep."
Brian says, "Sammun bows and nods to Ashan, "We might also attempt to intercept a herd of lamas-yu," he suggests diffidently. "We're not too far off from the migration season.""
Brian [to Reed, Two]: Actually, do you guys have 3 or more in Survival? I can think of some things for you to do while the others are working on fixing the place.
<> Teyv says "I don't know anything about mercury ants, so if they don't or catch on fire, then they would be good for shaping."
Brian [to Mahir]: And if they don't need you for fire, I can get you in on that too.
Ashan nods to Sammun. "Not a bad idea, if nobody minds the side effects." He turns to Teyv. "I think we'll have to leave the design to you."
Reed shifts restlessly at the mention of fire, claws digging into Teyv's shoulder. "I cannot help you in this," he says. "It is against my nature." Unless the Solar explicitly commands, that is, but he's wise enough not to mention that.
<> Ashan says "Mercury ants are...well, they're giant ants. Unfortunately, the mercury part refers to their poison rather than them actually being made of metal, so we might have to use our battle-armored Solars instead."
<> Reed says "I only have 2 in Survival."
Brian [to Teyv]: They are tougher when there's more around, but not fireproof.
<> Two happens to have Survival 3, as a favored ability, AND a single charm for it.
<> Two says "Wait, 2 charms, but I got one for free."
Teyv says, "Reed, my friend, as a natural shape shifter, perhaps you can sing to the sand to encourage it to change its form.""
<> Ashan says "Ants would be ideal if we were reshaping the stone directly, but we probably don't want them if we're going to be working in molten glass."
<> Mahir says "Survival 3 was required for my template. And Hardship Mendicant, but that one doesn't help, I think."
Brian [to Reed, Two]: You guys might want to help organize the villagers and help Whispers decide whether or not the village can stay here while she works to recover the river site.
<> Ashan says "...on the other hand, jokun might actually WORK. They have extra soak against fire and heat."
<> Ashan says "No Craft, though."
Brian [to Ashan]: That would work. It sounds like it would be mostly unskilled labor, and you might be able to _call_ some up that have craft 1 with a higher difficulty; it's not an unheard of use for them.
<> Ashan says "Yah."
Reed snorts. "I know nothing of /sand/," he replies, not masking the disdain in his tone. "I can persuade a stream to change its course, or a cold wind to blow gently. But of /sand/ I want no doings."
Two says, "I will gather the villagers. I think they will need to come to some decision about the future of this place and whether they want to remain after the Wyld attack."
<> Ashan says "We'd have to pitch it to them carefully to appeal to their sense of honor, but that's okay, we have plenty of ways to do that."
<> Brian says "Well, it IS a huge crisis in the local geomancy."
<> Ashan says "Yep."
Two goes around the village to collect people for a frank discussion with Whispers about the Future.
Brian says, "Whispers straightens up from talking to the villagers and directs them over to Two. "I'm worried," she says. "We have more craftsfolk than I thought; most had iron tools available. What we're really missing are hunters, and the flocks are dead completely.""
Reed nods at Two, and eyes Teyv. "You know much about the workings of sand," he finally says. "I am sure you will be able to persuade it." That said, he leaps off the Solar's shoulder and changes his form mid-air, winging off to find the god and a perch on her.
<> Reed says "I can always scout for food and then tell folks where it is. Don't have any real capacity for bringing back a large amount, though."
Brian says, "Whispers nods gratefully to Reed."
Brian [to Reed]: You could also try to find wild herds or something.
Brian [to Ashan, Teyv]: Will you guys be assisting Samun, and what is your actual, current list for Elementals you want summoned?
<> Reed says "Aerial recon ftw."
Teyv [to Brian]: I do not know what the elementals are called, some that are made of fire, and some resistant to heat would be good.
<> Ashan says "Definitely need fires, which are actually ridiculously easy to summon. Possibly llama-yu, which are cute eye-puffballs of destruction; possibly jokun, for labor purposes in the molten glass."
Two rubs her forehead. "Food. I, hmm. I grew up with flocks. Perhaps we can arrange for some animals to make their way here. In the mean time, perhaps we could go hunting and take some of the villagers along for support and training. I admit I am not that good with a bow, but it would be a start."
<> Reed says "Llama-yu and jokun, I thought?"
<> Brian says "No one actually ordered Samun in-character to do any summoning, though."
<> Ashan says "True. Let me take care of that."
Brian says, "The people look grateful. "Some children survived, Prince of the Earth," one said, bowing. "They're at the blacksmith's now, but it don't take much to herd if there are some stock around here, but we've got only two survivin' hunters, o Lady, and five retired.""
<> Two says "Samun is like a text adventure character: Samun, begin summoning"
Ashan turns to Samun, mentally running down a list of suitable elementals in his head. "Let's see if we can find a jokun or two willing to help," he says. "Mercury ants aren't as good at working molten glass as they are stone. We can try for llama-yu, but I still think we may as well go with need fires as well; they're simple enough to birth that it won't take much of a rite."
Brian [to Mahir]: It looks like you probably won't be needed to burn things. You want to do helping with survival?
Brian says, "Sammun bows. "Three ceremonies, then, my lords, to get things started. How will the fire elementals be protected from the water of the river? Or will it be temporarily diverted?""
Reed nods at the Dawn from his perch on the goddess' shoulder. "I can seek for prey, and perhaps drive it towards the village. But I am faster than any mortal, and it would not be efficient to slow. If a group wishes to follow, I will report the location of anything I find."
Two nods to Reed. "That would be very useful. Also look for any animals that the village can keep. Two of the hunters can stay with the children and gather up any loose herd animals. The rest will go with me to see about getting food for today. No one is retired anymore."
<> Reed says "I don't think I'd have any IC knowledge about what animals are "keepable.""
<> Two says "Two would, having grown up with cow warriors and such."
Ashan glances at Teyv for that question; he's the engineer.
<> Reed says "Yeah. Reed's world is divided into things he can eat, and things that will eat him. I'm sure he's seen herds before, but if there's something that looks kind of like a cow but isn't, he probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference."
<> Mahir says "Mahir would know plenty about herding, was born into a nomadic Delzahn tribe."
Teyv surveys the cave in, and makes mental notes as to what exactly is required to be braced, so that as soon as the elementals and mortals are ready, the work can begin. "Do you think it will be possible to convince the river goddess to hold back her flow while we work. I expect it will only be for an hour or two, and any relief from the river's flow will make things easier."
<> Mahir!player is suddenly having an attack of the thud, and would be perfectly happy to quietly observe the ritual, instead.
Reed nods. "I will go West," he says, and takes to the sky again, not waiting to see if any of the villagers actually follow.
Brian [to Reed]: I suspect you've probably heard about goats and sheep enough to know them when you see them.
<> Brian says "That works, Brian."
<> Two says "So many Brians!"
Reed [to Brian]: But if there's a sheep made out of metal, or a demon goat that eats people instead of garbage, he might not recognize them.
Brian says, "The river god in question turns towards Teyv as some of her people follow Reed as instructed and frowns. "Not easily," she admits. "I don't have anything like the power of the Yanaze or the Yellow. I'd need some serious help, and I wouldn't be able to remake the ice braces after. But if you don't think that they'd need them, and you can get someone to help me with the ritual for a bit, I can use my privilege to lower the river to a trickle for a while as a curse.""
Brian [to Reed]: People not eating metal, I suspect, you can manage. Stunt your survival check.
Two preps hunters with any weapons and tools they may need. "If we run into something that is very intent on making us dinner, please let me handle it."
Reed soars above the despised sands, slowly riding the thermals back and forth across the landscape with his falcon's eyes peeled and looking for any sign of food whether it be animal, vegetable, or otherwise.
<> Two says "Mmmm. Mineral."
Teyv turns to the river god, "If we can drop the level to just a few inches, that will be gentle enough for us to work in. It isn't even the water so much as the flow which will be a danger. Those who can, will assist you."
Brian [to Teyv]: You can probably assist her while Ashan helps Samun summon.
Brian [to Reed]: Give me a Perception + Survival + 3 for being in a falcon +2 stunt roll.
Brian [to Two]: The few hunters nod gravely. They are afraid, but willing to be shielded by your light.
<> Reed rolls 11 dice: <2 3 3 4 5 6 7 7 7 8 10> for 6 successes.
Brian [to Ashan]: Since Samun is an NPC, mind doing the entire summoning pose as though he was a sorcerous tool for you? :P
<> Two says "As long as we don't face anything with a ranged attack, we'll be fine."
<> Ashan says "Gotcha. Should I go for all three rites, or do them sequentially?"
<> Reed says "I didn't think Samun was a tool. He seemed quite nice, for a fawning subservient."
Brian [to Ashan]: For my sanity, please make them all as one.
Brian [to Ashan]: Feel free to take up a page worth of text if you linebreak it, though. Or sequential poses.
Two says, "Alright, let's go. Hopefully, Reed will help us from the sky." She checks the sensory augmentation on her armor and heads to the West. "In the past, where did you hunt and where did you find herd animals?""
Brian [to Reed]: The keen eyes of the falcon find no runaway herds, but with some difficulty, you manage to find and, using your talons and beak, corral some goats in a little box canyon for your volunteers to take. It's kind of sad, really; the elders and the kids are not having a great time moving the goats, who are former domesticates enough to -want- to work with humans... or, in this case, "play" with them.
Brian [to Two]: One of the elderly men sighs, "The herds are dead, great lord. Though I do know that some feral cattle from the Age Before," he says with some dread, "Travel deeper east in the scrub, belike."
<> Two says "So sad :("
Reed attempts to assist the villagers, darting over as goats run away and hissing in their faces to turn them back towards the main herd. "Did you not bring any rope?"
Brian [to Reed]: Two of them have rope over the necks of some of the younger males, while the matriarch is just watching and chewing her cud. A few of the youngsters hold up rope for your inspection; it's not the best, but not the worst you've ever seen. They're just not very good at actually grabbing them, let alone figuring out how to lead the herd.
Brian [to Teyv]: Are you going to start construction independently and let Ashan and Samun help Whispers after the arrival of the elementals, or will you be helping her?
<> Two ponders.
Ashan sets out the ritual components, assisted by Samun, drawing summoning circles in the sand far enough away from each other that their Essence doesn't interfere. For the ritual trappings, he chooses almost at random, letting his instincts for a harmonious world guide him; elementals were shaped, once, to guide and repair Creation, and Creation has need of them now. The Essence of the world whispers to him, telling him what is most auspicious to call the servants the Circle needs.
The first rite is almost absurdly simple. Terrestrial and Sidereal ignite a fire on the sand, and whisper to the sparks rising from it as they feed Essence to the flames. "Come, need fire," Ashan murmurs, "to melt sand to glass at a place of our choosing," and watches as the sparks begin to coalesce into globes of burning light.
The second ritual, though more complex, is less a summons than a beckoning, a shift in emphasis and intent, for llama-yu have the intelligence of friendly puppies and would not respond to a traditional summons. Fragrant smoke rises from the circle as a diagram of wood burns, touched with faint blue light as Ashan adds the Essence of Serenity to the call, to rise and scatter on the wind. _This way_, it whispers, _come this way. Burn brightly. Here are friends._
The last rite involves no flame, and Ashan and Samun spend the most time preparing it. Ashan's incantation weaves a soothing descant around Samun's ritual words, enhancing and amplifying them. Together they speak of the need for strength, for honor, for hands that flame will not touch; of the needs of mortal and god alike, of the cowardly assault the fae perpetrated upon them, and of the honor in aiding those in need.
<> Two says "suspects Mob-Dispersing Rebuke on the goats would not be too useful."
Brian [to Ashan]: Excellent. Let me look up Sammun's occultery stats, and I'll have you roll 3 times at 3-dot stunts.
<> Brian says "Well, you might get them running the same way..."
Teyv approaches the river goddess, "Lets slow the river while the elementals form up."
<> Brian says "Or you could look for the cattle."
<> Reed says "Look for the cattle. I got this."
<> Ashan says "...I'm nervous about making these rolls. Maybe I should give the dice orphan an ice cream first."
<> Ashan offers the dice orphan an ice cream.
<> Two says "You fool! The dice orphan is lactose intolerant!"
<> Ashan says "NOOOOoooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOooooo"
<> Brian says "Sigh. Pause for a second."
Two takes a few of the hunters. "Let's look for that feral cattle. I suspect we'll be able to convince them to adjust to village life."
<> Brian says "I have to go find my wife to find the stats for her henchman."
Reed picks up a loop of rope and tests the knots, pulling at them with talons and beak. Once he finds them satisfactory he picks up the lasso; loop in his claws, free end gripped in his beak, and the extra draped over his back. It's a bit of a struggle to get off the ground, but once he gets up in the air he reorients to find the matriarch and dives for her head, loop dangling from his feet.
Brian says, "It's close enough to four, so let's pause here. For the record, when we get back, Two, I'm going to want a survival roll from you to hunt cattle. Sammun has a Charisma + Occult + 3 degree + 3 stunt pool of 15; Ashan, you'll be rolling fully cooperative with him 3 times-- bennuplayer will probably run for next time. Reed, I'm going to rule that you automatically succeeed in helping them back."
Brian says, "Everyone gets 7 xp, because y'all have done some Heroic Geomancy here."
<> Ashan says "Awesome."
Brian was originally planning that the river goddess would die, the river would go toxic, and you'd have to move the villagers one way or another closer to Kether Rock. So you guys sort of super-succeeded.
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