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"First of all, I'm sure you all heard about Moray Darktide." He starts. "Moray used to be just one of many privateers working for Skullstone, until he Exalted as a Solar. As soon as that happened, the Silver Prince was all over him like flies on shit. He gave him a new ship, money, equipment, a command, an island to call his own, covered him with gifts and rewards, and sent him on a long campaign against the Lintha, as far from Skullstone as possible." He grins. "Who can guess why?"

Like a schoolgirl answering to a teacher's question, Radiant Starfall raises a hand. "Because he's worried that he might realize that Skullstone's New Order is a sham?"

Lynne snaps his fingers. "Yes, good one Starry. A plus. But there's more." And here you can see he clearly enjoys having everyone on the edge of their seats. "Moray wasn't the first Solar that the Prince got his hands on."

"You see, before him, there was this dude. I don't really know the story well... it was before I started snooping around, and most proof of what happened had been removed. But I know that the Prince found a Solar, a Zenith, and brought it to Skullstone, inside his Manse there, the Ebon Skull. And then, he never walked out of it. What walked out, instead, months later, was an Abyssal that looked oh so very much like him: Fallen Wolf of the Cutting Sea."

You don't like where this is going. "You don't mean that..."

He nods. "Yeah, the Prince captured and tortured a Solar and turned him into an Abyssal."

>That's impossible.
>That's... actually possible.
>Go on.
>Interesting, but we don't have time for storytelling. Stick to the facts that will be useful in battle.
>...Alright, briefing's over, Lynne. We need to talk privately. Now.
>(Other?)

>>40321727
>That's... actually possible
>Go on

>>40321727
>...Alright, briefing's over, Lynne. We need to talk privately. Now.
Ho, shit.

>>40321727
>Go on.
Abyssals can be redeemed, Solars can get corrupted.

By RAW he's a decent-ish guy actually, very faithful to UCS.

>>40321727
>That's impossible.
I don't want Maka to accept this possibility, even if it can happen.

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>40321727
>That's... actually possible.

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>Who are we?
Maka, an exiled noble Exalted as a Zenith-caste Solar. Queen of Gem, now ruling the western island of Tianna. You have gathered a lot of allies and friends, and have a powerful Manse under construction.
But Tianna is actually an artificial island, built around a First Age Titan: an almighty flying fortress built in an ancient, forgotten age, and although this is kept secret, two Deathlords are seeking to obtain it.
The Tyrant of the Doomsday Machine, ghost of your past incarnation, seeked it as a weapon to cut her ties to the Neverborn. But you have persuaded her to try and seek redemption in the eyes of the Sun in other ways, and count her as an unlikely ally.
But now the Silver Prince is coming, to punish her and claim the Titan for himself in the name of Oblivion. And this looks like a battle you won't be able to talk your way out of...

>Solar? Zenith? I don't know Exalted...
This quest is as newbie-friendly as possible, and I want it to work as a newbie's intro to Exalted. If you have ANY question, ask in thread. For the setting, google "1d4chan exalted".

>Archive?
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Solar%20Quest

>System?
Dicepool-like system. When performing an action, everyone rolls 1d10 when posting. the first X rolls are considered, where X is equal to attribute + ability. Yes, this means that the more people are posting, the stronger Maka is, up to a limit of her attribute + ability.

>XP?
Attributes cost [current score x5] xp. Abilities cost [current score x3] xp, except Zenith costing [(current score x3) -1]. Charms cost 10 xp, except for Zenith-based charms (related to charisma and physical/mental fortitude) which cost 8 xp. At the end of every "session" (thread) you will be presented with a list of possible acquisitions.

>Twitter?
@exaltedfag

>Any questions?
http://ask.fm/Exaltedfag

New System Info: http://pastebin.com/pvAZpsJ6
Characters info (player-made): http://pastebin.com/5WnD47jp

>>40321727
>What walked out, instead, months later, was an Abyssal that looked oh so very much like him: Fallen Wolf of the Cutting Sea."
He's actually a cool dude, we should see about putting feelers out to him if we can after this is all over.

>>40321727
>That's... actually possible.
>Go on.

>>40321701
>That's... actually possible.
>Go on.

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"...go on." You nod.

Merely knowing this causes an unpleasant churning sensation in your stomach.

Could it have happened to you?

"Is he with the fleet?" Zaan asks, more pragmatically.

"He's not with the Prince." Is Lynne's shocking reply. "The Prince must've felt pretty safe about Wolf's conversion, to the point that he let him go around unsupervised. He trusted him, or probably he trusted his own brainwashing."

"But it didn't work." You point out.

"Not as well as the Prince would have hoped, that much's sure. I have no idea what the Wolf is up to now, but I know he's not fighting on the Prince's side." The lunar explains. "Which is why, I imagine, the Prince now is keeping Moray richly rewarded but busy, and isn't trying the procedure, whatever it is, on him. He's worried that he might go out of control, and wants to keep him as a Solar rather than try to convert him."

You nod to yourself. "Tyrant said that the Prince is an extremely devious and patient planner, but that's also his weakness: he's bad at improvising and making quick decisions."

"That might be part of the reason." Lynne nods. "Oh, as far as Darktide's concerned, guy eats Lintha for breakfast. If we're talking about effectiveness on the field of battle, he's the biggest threat after the Prince himself. That guy is a monster, both in personal combat and as a leader."

He lets that sink in before continuing: "Well, that brings us to the Abyssals. even after counting the Wolf and Moray, The Prince has more than a perfect circle. He has a total of seven Abyssals... more or less. A full circle, and an extra Dusk and Daybreak... those would be equivalent to the Dawn and Twilight castes of Solars."

Worried whispers fill the room before Lynne raises a hand to calm them down. "It's not as bad as it sounds. Let me explain. First of all, not all of them are going to come here. At least one, maybe two, will probably stay in Skullstone. The Prince doesn't believe in committing all of his forces."

(cont.)

>>40322179
>The Prince doesn't believe in committing all of his forces.
That means we will have to invade/infiltrate Skullstone and/or befriend Wolf and hunt the remaining of the Prince's loyalists.

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>40322255

Looks like we will still have some resistance to put up with when we trash skullstone in retaliation

>>40322255
That should be the plan anyway, if we can't kill Silver Prince for good now we can at least wreck his power base in the year it'll take him to come back.

And if we do kill him for good someone still needs to take over a now leaderless Soulsteel making country.

He scratches his chin, thinking about it for a second. "Ebon Siaka is SURE to come. Bet you anything."

"Ebon Siaka?" You ask.

"Moray might be the best soldier, but he's not the best murderer. Ebon Siaka is.. a piece of work. I don't know much about her, except that he wears a freaking full suit of soulsteel plate, carries the biggest hammer you'll ever see outside of the hands of really, really large warstriders, and can sink ships and destroy towns with one whack."

"So... she's a woman with a really big hammer, and that's all?" Valeriana seems unimpressed.

"That's literally all she is. But that hammer is REALLY big and she's REALLY good at using it."

Tia sneers. "Overcompensating." She says, almost like it was a really big word she just learned and wanted to show it off.

Some giggling around the table injects a bit of levity into the discussion.

"The other Dusk is the King of Uncloaked Steel and... I'm not sure if he'll be with the fleet, or if he even still fights with the Prince."

"Another rebel?" Valeriana wonders.

"Something like that. Not out of any sort of high ideal or anything, mind you. He's just... a free-spirited sort, in a way. I don't think there's any bad blood between him and the Prince, he even shows up in Skullstone every now and then. He just... comes and goes and does whatever the fuck he wants. I really have no idea why the Prince doesn't rein him in."

"What's his deal?" You ask.

"He likes to fight. He really, really likes to fight. Like, he ENJOYS fighting. But not like Ebon Siaka does. Siaka just likes to splatter people's skulls and smash things around, but King wants a challenge. He's... not dishonorable, although I dunno if I'd call him honorable. But it's all about enjoying the fight to him. Prince might've sold him on that. Only reason he'd stick with the fleet, because he doesn't buy into anything else the Prince can offer. He doesn't care about money, power, loyalty, religion, any of that."

(cont.)

>We'll give him the fight he wants.
>Any way we can keep him off our backs?
>Any way we can talk him into looking for that fight on our side and against the Prince's?
>Let's just hope he's not on board.
>(Other?)

>>40322372
>Any way we can talk him into looking for that fight on our side and against the Prince's?
I think I know the perfect solar on our side for this duty.

>>40322392

>Any way we can talk him into looking for that fight on our side and against the Prince's?

We can always hope

>>40322392
>>Let's just hope he's not on board.

>>40322372
>Any way we can talk him into looking for that fight on our side and against the Prince's?
>Is he straight?

>>40322392
>Any way we can keep him off our backs?
For us, somewhere else, any chance to have to fight less people. I really don't want to fight three fighty Exalts considering we only have two on our side

>>40322490
Tia is worth at least two fighty exalts.

>>40322392
>Any way we can talk him into looking for that fight on our side and against the Prince's?
This is going to be one of the most important fights since the usurpation. I think we can count on him showing up at some point.

>>40322392
>Any way we can talk him into looking for that fight on our side and against the Prince's?
"Hey, you know what would make this a much more interesting fight? You defecting to our side right now".

>>40322372
>King of Uncloaked Steel
Isn't he the guy from Keychain?

>>40322372
>The other Dusk is the King of Uncloaked Steel

Yeah, Keychain of Creation was very good while it lasted.

>>40322392
>>Any way we can talk him into looking for that fight on our side and against the Prince's?

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>>40322682

>Yeah, Keychain of Creation was very good while it lasted.

Misho will never get the keys
Secret will never become a solar
Marena will never find her son

>>40322372
>King of Uncloaked Steel

Oh my god, yes.

>>40322392
>Any way we can talk him into looking for that fight on our side and against the Prince's?

>>40322722
>The last page will never be The Eyes of Heaven are upon us.
>The last page will always be that stupid joke

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You consider the information. "...Any way we can talk him into looking for that fight on our side and against the Prince's?"

"You mean talk some sense into him? Well... I don't know him that well. But if I had to guess, I'd say... not before fighting him at least once. He's not going to listen to anything unless we manage to stop him first. But... on the other hand, he's so carefree that I think it could be surprisingly easy to turn him against the Prince. IF he thinks that fighting his forces is going to be more fun than fighting against us."

"...Is he straight?" You ask with a grin.

"I don't think the bloke's interested in sex at all. He just wants to fight." Lynne groans. "Well, next up is the Lady in the Untold Depths, his only Midnight. And I'll be honest. I don't know shit about her."

"Why's that?" Radiant Starfall asks.

"She spends nearly all of her time in the Underworld, often out of reach and in the Labyrinth."

You heard about the Labyrinth from Tyrant, and what you heard you didn't like. An impossibly vast, geometrically impossible maze resting under the surface of the Underworld, leading to forgotten cities eaten by Death and Time, ghosts of ancient monsters still inhabiting their rotting carcasses, and many other dark, unholy wonders... including the Primordials themselves, the root of the Deathlords' evil.

"Likelihood she'll be with the fleet?"

"No idea. The Prince values her as a seer and counselor, but I don't know anything of practical value about her. Sorry, love."

No sense troubling yourself over this, for now. "Who's next then?"

"Prince's got two Daybreaks. Herald of the Threshold is one nasty dude. He just really looks the part, meaning he looks like the Neverborn personally shat him out."

(cont.)

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"No relation to the Threshold as in the geographical region?" Valeriana wonders.

"None." The Lunar explains. "Threshold as in the border of life and death. He... investigated it a lot. Experimentally. He's the Prince's go-to guy for sorcery and especially necromancy, and anything magical. He's been working since his Exaltation to something he calls the "quest for the perfection in undeath", and churned out a lot of different designs for undead creatures. Also he might be insanely evil even for the standards of Abyssals. I'm pretty sure he's the one behind Island Five."

"Island Five?" You wonder.

"It's the name of the place - and the operation - from which the Prince harvests human souls. Where his forge is. Herald takes care of the mystical part, and the other Daybreak, Marvelous Maker of Mayhem, works the forge."

"Wow." Zaan grins. "Allitteration much?"

Lynne shrugs. "Maker's the safest bet for who stayed at home. She hates leaving her forge, and isn't really a strong fighter as far as I know, so I'm pretty sure she's still on Island Five."

"While Herald?" You ask.

"He's probably with Prince as magical support." Valeriana nods, and Lynne nods as well.

Ririth raises a hand. "Uh, well... can't do anything about the undead, but if he summoned demons, I can make sure they don't hurt anyone."

"Thank you, Ririth. That would be much appreciated." You nod. "I'll take care of the undead. Who's missing?"

(Sorry, I have to AFK a moment. Also sorry if this is just one big infodump, but I thought it would be better than Lynne knowing and not saying anything!)

>>40322871
>(Sorry, I have to AFK a moment. Also sorry if this is just one big infodump, but I thought it would be better than Lynne knowing and not saying anything!)
Don't worry about it, knowing this is great.

>"She spends nearly all of her time in the Underworld, often out of reach and in the Labyrinth."
Like this, upside is she might not be here, on the other hand if she is she'll probably be crazy.

>>40321701
>You can see that the small Lunar's wounds have healed almost completely, leaving only faint scars on his pale skin.
I wonder if those will go away, if they don't then he was probably at 0 health when he got here.

>>40322871
>Also sorry if this is just one big infodump, but I thought it would be better than Lynne knowing and not saying anything!)
I like it. This info is what we needed for some time now.
>>40322947
I think Karas was at 0 HL. Lynne was still concious when they took him.

>>40322722
YellowSid is totally Marena's son

>>40322871
>"Uh, well... can't do anything about the undead
Maka can handle them if it comes down to it, we'll want to be careful of a trap, but if we can do something we probably should. Not alone though.

>>40322947
They'll go away as soon as he wants them to or he finishes healing. He's a Lunar. Self-healing and appearance control is something of a universal talent, in the same way that dice and leadership are for Solars.

>>40323144
The trap won't be at the undead, it will be using the undead. The trap is 'lure Maka away from somewhere important, launch a social attack while she's too far away to defend her organization's morale/loyalty.' Any use of undead will be a feint, something to force us to commit Maka where she seems useful rather than where she actually is useful.

It's classic 'manipulative douchebag with social super powers.'

>>40323254
Yeah, but what if they have a behemoth sized undead and shit? Super flying skeletons and wheel skeletons spookying the whole battlefield.

>>40323254
Eh the Prince is a smooth operator but he doesn't strike me as interested in talking for this fight.

Remember the prince is the type to take things slow and methodical and wear you down socially, we forced him into a knee jerk hasty expedition cobbled together with whatever he had at the time.

Plus to him this is a holy war, he's coming to destroy us and nothing else.

>>40323292
Our undead-fucking power only works on Extras and our brother has ECSJ for the big shit. Undead are just bait where Maka is concerned.

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"As far as abyssals go, only two...ish. Knight of Ghosts and Shadows is the Prince's Day Caste, or rather, he's been adopted."

"Adopted." You reply deadpan.

"Well, he was originally the Deathknight of another Deathlord, called the Lover Clad in the Rainment of Tears, far in the north-east. But he left her, convinced that the Silver Prince was getting shit done while she was just wasting time."

"What can he do?" Starfall asks.

"Nearly anything." He replies. "He's scarily competent. Personal combat, infiltration, espionage, assassination. He knows sorcery and necromancy on top of that, is an accomplished martial artist... The Prince scored a jackpot with him. The only thing I've never seen him doing is working together with others. He's always strictly solo."

"Great." You roll your eyes. "The last one?"

"Daughter of Cloudy Skies. Moonshadow. I actually have no idea what her specialty is, but I do know that she's been the Prince's troubleshooter whenever some problem arises with Skullstone's neighbors, like with pirates, or if Coral gets uppity, or the Neck starts closing up trade or docking rights.... that sort of stuff. THe takes care of those problems, and it always ends in one of two ways. If the other guys think they can take her on, it ends with a lot of dead bodies. Otherwise, everyone starts agreeing as their nation self-destructs as long as she's there."

"Self-destructs?" You frown. You don't like the sound of that.

"Just... everything goes haywire. Traders leave, mail isn't delivered, taxes aren't paid, harvest time passes by without anyone collecting so much as a single turnip, fishermen scuttle their own ships. Things like that."

Your first thought is that you might want to send a quick message to Mikahil as soon as this particular individual is spotted on Tianna.

"...That's... quite the gallery." Tia herself is impressed.

(cont.)

>>40323293
No, he's coming to destroy the Tyrant. Turning our forces - her allies - against her is actually textbook Silver Prince. I guarantee that he's going to attempt a well-timed mass social attack to steal or dismiss our troops at some point so that he can more easily deal with the Tyrant exclusively. We need to make sure Maka's around to undermine that attempt when he does, because that will be a battle-defining moment.

>>40323413
That goes against his MO of Rasputin style social combat though.

He worms his way in and grinds people and nations down through methodical social engineering and conditioning.

He didn't create Skullstone by showing up once and saying "All yall niggas work for ME now".

>>40323413
And if you're wrong?
Are we just going to sit out the entire battle?

Thinking about all this "The silver prince is not good at improvisation" makes me think that we would be better off the launch one decapitating strike with everything we have rather then trying to play the long game.

>>40323612
We'd be relying on forty lightning ballistas not hitting anybody. His fleet is monstrously well armed.

We have earthworks and a five dot manse fortress, lets use them to keep our forces safe from the superior firepower of the Prince's fleet until we can do whatever we do to turn the tide.

>>40323612
Except by focusing on rushing to complete pearl we've basically put all our eggs in one basket

>>40323473
Much of it, yes. In this battle we're playing commander, moral, and backup emergency tactical support. But the real point is that undead minions, in particular, are an anti-Maka lure. He's going to try to move our exalts where HE wants them using bait like that - disposable things that just put them somewhere less effective - and we need to be aware and ready for those kinds of feints.

>>40323435
He also didn't conquer it with an overwhelming show of force like he's doing now. Regardless, he's perfectly capable of turning our troops against our allies if we give him a chance, and if we provide him an opening by chasing after a battalion of skeletons to explode them, he will take it.

>>40323435

The Prince seems pretty machiavelian.

Jokes aside, he strikes me as the kind of dude that can plan his way out of 999 possibilities, but start freaking out if his foes find the 1000th one

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"There's another one, a Day caste called Secret Sorrowful Bearer of Destiny, but, as far as I know, she ran away from the Prince and no one knows where she might be now."

"One less problem to worry about." You smile.

"And then there's the others." Lynne grins.

That off-handed remark sends the briefing room into chaos.

"What? What do you mean?" Valeriana briefly panics.

"He's got more than just Abyssals." Lynne holds up five fingers. "Extra problem number one: Skullstone has a handful of locally-Exalted Dragon-Blooded, who of course are as loyal to him as anyone else. With the fact that Skullstone's New Order doesn't put the Dragon-Blooded on a higher rank than mortals, unlike the Immaculate Order, these Exalted try to improve their position with the only possible way Skullstone recognizes: service."

You try not to bite your fingernails. "How many are there?"

"Not many. I don't think the Prince will have more than two, three or four with him. And they're not as high-profile in his organization as the Abyssals are, and they're actually kept pretty hidden to avoid comparisons with the Immaculate Faith, so I don't actually know, like, their names or faces."

Second finger. "Then, there's the Sutured."

"Sutured?" You don't like the sound of that.

"It's a reward the Prince gives to his most faithful mortal retainers. It's a Necromantic spell that makes them nearly-immortal. I've seen one of them take more arrows than a pincushion and not even slow down. Even though they're not Exalted, don't underestimate them. And, they creep the fuck out of me."

"You roll your eyes. "What's the last three."

Third finger. "He has some sort of... ghostly war machine the Lady in the Untold Depths brought him from the Labyrinth. They keep it under lock and key, and never used it, so I have no idea what it does. But it can't be good."

"...Go on." This is sucking more and more by the minute.

(cont.)

>>40323676
>But the real point is that undead minions, in particular, are an anti-Maka lure.
And what if you're wrong?

I just had an idea

Can Starfall help other be discrete?

Because if Maka can sneak in the rear of the ennemy forces, she could do devastating damages.

It would be risky, but no one would expect Maka to sneak somewhere, and the payoff would be amazing

>>40323676
He didn't conquer it with overwhelming force because he didn't need to. He had time to start his religion and grow it past a minor cult into the major religion on the islands. That's the social engineering at work, slow and methodical.

We've forced his hand into an extremely hasty endeavor in which he's probably invested a significant chunk of his existing forces into accomplishing.

He's panicking, basically. This entire battle is taking place in a time and place NOT of his choosing. The only thing he can do is throw as much force as he can muster at us and hope it works, because if it doesn't he's in serious shit.

>>40323740
Risk>Reward

also hi guys

>>40323685
>a Day caste called Secret Sorrowful Bearer of Destiny

Boo, not even close to long enough a name.

>>40323768

Don't forget he's still amazingly smart, even if the game isn't the one he favors

>>40323727
I'm not. But even if I was? We'll have a slightly-less-than-ideal efficiency when we mop them up with some other forces instead of a massive, massive loss when the Prince turns out army without us around to argue. It's rising a minor disadvantage to safeguard against a massive loss.

>>40323373
>Knight of Ghosts and Shadows is the Prince's Day Caste
>he was originally the Deathknight of another Deathlord, called the Lover Clad in the Raiment of Tears

Aaahahahaha, oh, poor, poor Silver Prince...

>>40323810
Oh I haven't forgotten, but I'm saying that because we've knocked him way out of his comfort zone that he's more prone to making mistakes. He's out of his element facing a circle of Solars, there aren't many worse situations for any bad guy in Creation.

What would be amazing is if we manage to get the Behemot underwater, without it being noticed

>>40323685
>Secret Sorrowful Bearer of Destiny
I wonder if that means we can meet Misho or if we'll be a sideplot to his own Creation saving story sometime.

You know, when we hve the time we should make a banana phone, so people can call each other over the loom of fate.
...Imagine the pattern spiders' reaction when they have to play the lady from the phone service additionall to their work lod with keeping creation intact

>>40323872

Why? The change of master is bullshit and he's being doublecrossed?

>>40323903
You know what would be really amazing? Getting in contact with Flow, parting the water under the ships like the Red Sea, and then crushing/drowning them with the walls of water as they're released. There was a sorcery spell to do exactly that which a Dragon-blooded once used to walk from the South all the way to the Blessed Isle, but I doubt (but hope) one of our sorcerers knows it.

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Fourth finger. "Unfolding Corpse-White Lotus."

"Who's that?" Tia asks.

"Nobody knows. She's some sort of adviser that sometimes shows up, and the Prince trusts her completely. She looks very much living, and not a ghost. She might be an Abyssal, or a Solar or Lunar maybe, or some sort of spirit that can pass off as human. Or she's something a lot weirder and very good at disguises. Fact is, either the Prince has something on her, or she has something on him. Or possibly both. The woman only talks in annoyingly cryptic phrases, but the Prince always acts on those without a second thought."

"A mystery wrapped in an enigma." Valeriana strokes her chin. "Do you think she'll be with the fleet?"

"Maybe. The Prince seems to trust her a lot. But, even though she does carry a sword around, I've never seen her fight, and I don't think she's likely to start now. It feels more like... she doesn't WORK for the Prince, but more like, they work TOGETHER. For now. So she doesn't do his dirty work, for example."

"You've still got one finger up." notes Ririth.

He grins, still smug as hell. "When Wolf started to become rebellious, Prince was forced to use, and therefore reveal, what might be his biggest trump card. His own sword."

Everyone falls silent.

"It's called Howler in Darkness. It looks like an ornate short word, but it can turn into one of the biggest damn Soulsteel surfboards I've ever seen. And... if he cuts you with it, you are compelled to obey him for one hundred days." He turns to you. "And no, Maka, you're probably thinking something about heroic willpower or the power of friendship or something like that. But as far as I know, no, doesn't work like that. He bops you with that, cuts deep enough to draw and drink your blood, and you're done. For one season and something, all you can do is serve him."

"How did Wolf break free, then?" You wonder. "Couldn't he just... hit him again once the hundred days are over."

"I think it only works once."

(Cont.)

>>40323942
No. The Lover is ten times as lewd as Maka and a thousand times as cruel. She fucks people to death just to try to feel anything.

>>40323958
>Getting in contact with Flow
We tried, they aren't answering.

>>40323966
>Unfolding Corpse-White Lotus
Sidereal spotted

>>40323942
Yeah. Knight still works faithfully for the Lover, even if he doesn't realize it anymore. His memory was wiped by her, and every time he dreams he sends information on the Prince back to his real master.

>>40323872
The only being able to out sex maa without giving a fuck

>>40323966
>"It's called Howler in Darkness. It looks like an ornate short word, but it can turn into one of the biggest damn Soulsteel surfboards I've ever seen. And... if he cuts you with it, you are compelled to obey him for one hundred days." He turns to you. "And no, Maka, you're probably thinking something about heroic willpower or the power of friendship or something like that. But as far as I know, no, doesn't work like that. He bops you with that, cuts deep enough to draw and drink your blood, and you're done. For one season and something, all you can do is serve him."
We need Adamant Skin Technique

>>40323903

Adding to this: we really need a surprise.

I don't know what exactly, but we need to figure out something that will derail the Prince's battleplan for a a while at least.

Maybe we could swap some forces between Pearl and the Dark Omen? Maybe Maka should be at the Dark Omen, since it's where it's more likely the undead foes will be ?

>>40323979
>The Lover is ten times as lewd as Maka
We need to fix that, then.

>>40324052
No, we really don't.

>>40323979
Doesn't change the fact that she still has loyal servant who love and adore her. She's got mindrape powers that put Maka's to shame, and no inhibitions about using them.

But yes, Knight is still her Deathknight, not the Prince's, and she's using him as a mole.

The Silver Prince always did fear the Lover's cunning, and this ploy is just another example of why that fear is completely justified.

>>40324035
How about we get skeleton (pun not intended) crew on the dark Omen, the crash it right into the Prince's Fleet , preferably his flagship ?

>>40324035
The Dark Omen can move, we don't need to garrison it to hold terrain or whatever.

As for derailing his battle plan one thing I was thinking of between threads is a flyby on Val's Chariot with essence weapons or bombs or whatever. The objective is to destroy the deck guns on his ships from above at a speed they couldn't track.

With far far fewer deck weapons the Prince loses a huge amount of firepower for his force and allows our guys to maneuver in the open to face his troops.

>>40324072
Why not, anon?

>>40324052
>>40324072
Eh, it will happen naturally, and with less edgy.

>>40324095
If we make it past the night so Val can even use the spell, doing it when no one is fighting is pointless since he can just repair them at his leisure.

>>40323987
We could use that example to teach our deathlord how not to do it

>>40324119

Well the plan relied on it still being daytime during this wait period before the Prince makes his move.

If it's getting late into the evening though it's a no go.

>>40324052
God no. The Lover is the perfect example of lewd gone too far, of what Maka could turn into if she totally gave in to her Curse - someone who cares only about chasing pleasure, no matter the impact on the world or people in her life. The Lover is to Maka what 'axe-crazy, killing everything forever non-stop' is to Tia. Sex and violence are both fun and useful things until you go full Great Curse with them.

>>40324113
The Lover is a big fan of lewd that ignores stupid things like consent, mutual enjoyment, survival, etc.

You know, the little things.

>>40324151
>As the afternoon begins to give way to the ever-encroaching evening
And Val is current doing a fly over for the last three ships and it would take too long to prepare the bombs, guns, whatever.

>>40324016
Yup

>>40324080

It would do an incredible ammount of damage, though I'd rather have it charges the fleet at full speed before taking off.

Oh dang.

We could use the Omen as bait, and once enough people start reaching it, it just flies away. Revealing Maka and the DB gundam

>>40324196
Ah I didn't see that line then, my plan was doomed to begin with.

It occurs to me though that we haven't taken into account the Abyssals.

We have The Baron and that Day caste who's name escapes me. Also probably Fleurdelis and maybe the Doctor have ways to contribute further.

The following minutes are spent discussing and pondering the implications of Lynne's briefing, as he adds some information on top of that.
Apparently, the forces the Prince normally uses consist of:
- Zombie Marines, the mainstay of any Skullstone fleet, more skilled and powerful than mass-raised shamblers: capable of following complex orders, wielding weapons, and not stopping to eat every time they make a kill.
- Armored Skeletons, shock troops infamous for being both incredibly scary and amazingly resilient, the equivalent of land-based heavy infantry.
- Warstriders, piloted by Awakened mortals and ghost-blooded (for some reason, the Prince doesn't want his own Exalted piloting them), their main focus is in dismantling enemy emplacements and fortifications.
- War Ghosts, the Prince's elite supernatural combat force, ghostly soldiers with decades or centuries of training backed by supernatural charms giving them the ability to manifest physically in Creation - and more.
- The Forsaken, a troop of well-trained ghost-blooded shock troops. At least half of them are capable of using Essence in some way, and are equipped with suitable weapons. The Forsaken are heavily indoctrinated zealots who actively seek death in battle.
- The Vodaks, mortals equipped with the best armor and weapons Skullstone can provide (similar to Ashigaru power armor), used as elite troops and commandos.
- On top of all those, the ships' crews are also trained in combat and could take up arms and be sent to the frontlines if needed.

>Thank you for all this information, Lynne. We'll put it to good use. Now, everyone to your station. Let's wait for the storm to hit.
>Great. This actually changes everything... let's alter our battle plan, now, while we're still in time. (how?)
>(Other?)

>>40324276
Hahaha. Fuck. I thought things were looking better, but now it's the opposite.

We need flow here. and Yaraon.
We have to make the plains as muddy as possible, best would be so much the skeletons won't be anything but sitting target after few steps

>>40324307
As far as pure numbers go we still beat him, but we are going to take massive amounts of casualties.

>>40324276
Does Lynne have any idea of the force distribution, how many of what soldiers we can expect?

What was the total expected numbers again?

>>40324168
That's not a lewd, that's sociopathy in extreme. Maka can be the lewdest, so long she stays sane.

>>40324276
>The Vodaks

Praise the sun that their namesake isn't in this fight.

Around 400 troops and 10 warstriders. Maybe more troops and less warstriders, maybe more warstriders and less troops.

>>40324276
>Thank you for all this information, Lynne. We'll put it to good use. Now, everyone to your station. Let's wait for the storm to hit.
As noone's voted for anything else.

>>40324398
That's not counting the missing boats and the ones Karas and Lynne took down right?

>>40324276
>>Great. This actually changes everything... let's alter our battle plan, now, while we're still in time. (how?)

Since it's assumed that the Prince is avoiding bringing any undead extras we can assume that Zombie Marines, Armored Skeletons, and maybe War Ghosts are NOT a part of this fleet.

That leaves Vodaks and the Forsaken for his primary land combat formations with probably up to a half dozen warstriders in support.

We can assume the ship's crews will NOT be fighting on the frontlines, they'll be needed to man the essence weapons of the ships and defend them from surprise attack.

The Prince will probably make landfall sometime after the battle has properly joined. The first wave will probably be the Warstriders and Vodaks with that Siaka murderess and the King of Uncloaked Steel. The murderess because she wants to murder people and the King because he wants a good fight and being in the first wave might get him one.

Let's try to suck the first wave into a trap in our fortifications and convince the King to turn on the Prince for a far better fight, We can offer a war against Skullstone as the carrot to get him to defect.

>>40324433
>>40324344 might be effective at slowing the warstriders down... marginally

When we think about it your other sumptions lead me to believe the prince will manly use living awakened or ghostblooded. it has an added advantage of making it possible to use these troops twice

>>40324276
It's going to be all this and whatever he can raise from the casualties, we're really going to want Zaan to stop that.

Yeah I don't think we'll be able to afford to staying in the back, Maka's going to need to be out fighting, we might not to be on Exalted duty, anytime one shows up and starts making trouble we head over with who ever is nearby and deal with it.

>>40324276
>Thank you for all this information, Lynne. We'll put it to good use. Now, everyone to your station. Let's wait for the storm to hit.
Bad shit is coming, nothing we didn't already know.

>>40324481
The Prince has mastery of necromancy and it's being assumed by Lynne that his sorcerer/necromancer abyssal is also in the fleet.

His troops would be getting used twice no matter what happens.

We need to kill Siaka though, she's the type that can't really be reformed. All she wants to do is kill people.

>>40324276
>Thank you for all this information, Lynne. We'll put it to good use. Now, everyone to your station. Let's wait for the storm to hit.

Can we build shackles strong enough to hold an exalted in case one of our people get's cut with the Prince's sword?

>>40324563
We also want to keep an eye out for that Day caste, she'll be a nightmare if she gets inside the manse

>>40324594
Which one though, are you talking about the hyper competent superspy or the nice-country-you-have-shame-if-something-bad-happened "diplomat".

>>40324080
That's actually not a bad idea. It could be done, if you manage to talk the Tyrant - and Doctor - into it. Anyone supporting this idea?

>>40324344
Flow isn't responding to your summons. You're actually pretty worried about her.

>>40324587
Depends on what Exalted.
Valeriana? Sure, a very strong chain might hold her still.
Tia? I'd make a "get a good pair of running shoes instead" joke, but not even that is going to help.

>>40324638
>That's actually not a bad idea. It could be done, if you manage to talk the Tyrant - and Doctor - into it. Anyone supporting this idea?
Might as well go talk to her about it, we should go see if she has a battle plan anyway.

>>40324587
It's not a matter of shackles, it's everything else. Val can unmake anything, Tia can shatter anything, Maka can convince anyone to release her. Every exalt needs a custom prison - like Magneto - and no prison is infallible.

>>40324638
>>40324660
This

>>40324638
I'd back talking the Tyrant into sacrificing the Dark Omen to deal a crippling blow to the Prince.

We can also talk to her and appraise her on the battle plan so her abyssals can actually contribute.

>>40324638
>That's actually not a bad idea.
I will make a short instrumental for the dark omen if that happens

Ill weep for you, flying death ship

>>40324638
>Flow isn't responding to your summons. You're actually pretty worried about her.
We should see if we can talk to them before night falls, i'm worried they might have gotten killed.

Here you go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb4YB0ia46w

>>40324638

I'm not against the idea, but I'd rather have the Omen charges the fleet to damages the ships, and then fly back if possible. At least, unless we need to sacrifice it.


I think we really should check on Flow before it's too late.

The Abyssals could have visited her.

>>40324754
What re we waiting for? of to flow and a short tun to the tyrant so we can wreck her ship

>>40324674
>shackles

I am now imagining Maka being bound by a set of Manacles of Night as a form of BDSM play.

Yeah, that isn't a bad thought at all...

>>40324754

Killed, or something nastier

>>40324808
What if the Prince cut Flow and drank her blood?

Does that even work on gods?

>>40324781
I said MAKE, as in write, one , not FIND one
And one in, what, 8 bit?

>>40324808
Might just be hiding and not wanting to fight

If the Tyrant doesn't want to sacrifice the Omen, we can use her own arguments against her: she would be refusing to do what need to be done

>>40324839

What if he just got his charismatic people on the case?

That'll turn lewd pretty quickly

>>40324859

Maybe

>>40324881
Wait, I left for a bit, why are we sacrificing the Omen?

>>40324945
Suicide attack to smash up the prince's fleet.

Ideally the Flagship.

Also crewed by skeletons, none of the exalted or whatnot.

>>40324945
Destroying more ships, soldiersand warstriders

>>40324974
>>40324976
That sounds like a horrible idea.

>>40324945
Because Praise the Sun!
http://a.pomf.se/mashcs.webm

>>40325018
I don't personally like it, but I want to head over to talk to the Tyrant to see what her plans are and then to check out Flow.

>>40325018
Considering the forces stacked against us we need to do everything we can to level the playing field.

>>40324974
>>40324976
That sounds like a disgusting waste. We should only sacrifice the Dark Omen like that if it's already critically damaged. It's of far more use as a fortified location and artillery platform right now than using it as a fucking kamikaze bomb.

The briefing is more or less over, leaving you with a head full of troubled ideas swimming around.

Lynne leaves, promising to repeat the briefing with Karas when he'll be released from Silk's tender cares, and bit by bit people start leaving the war room.

Tia remains by your side, sloppily overfilling a cup with liquor (both given to her by Millian, part of the refreshments). She hands it over to you, then holds the rest of the bottle up, inviting you to a toast.

"To what are we toasting?" You ask her with a smile. It doesn't surprise you to see her so cheerful right now.

"Killing bad guys." She replies with a toothy grin, as her bottle and your cup gently collide with a dull thud.

"And saving the world." You add, taking a long sip.

After Exalting, you've become a lot more resilient to alcohol and spirits as well, which is why you're drinking the stuff lightly. Your overconfidence punishes you, harshly, when the liquor kicks the breath out of your lungs.

"...Liquor my ass!" Is the first thing you manage to say, noticing the "90° proof grain alcohol" label on the bottle as Tia casually chugs it. Not wanting to be undone, you follow suit.

As Millian slowly facepalms and the room empties, you and Tia quickly down the entire bottle, sitting on the cold stone table.

"Maka." Tia says, after a long silence.

"What?" You reply, turning the cup in your hand to find out it's actually made from a humanoid skull, elongated and with delicate features. Where the heck did Tia find something in such poor taste- ah, yeah, now you remember. "What?" You repeat.

"I love you." She simply says, looking straight into your eyes as you lift them from the cup.

>You know it's bad luck.
>I know.
>I love you too.
>Stay focused on the battle ahead. No distractions.
>Say nothing.
>(other?)

>>40325061

>I love you too.
There is only one answer

>>40325061
>I know.
We get it

>>40325061
>I love you too.

>>40325061
>You know it's bad luck.
We have may have a Sidereal among the opposing forces, no tripping death flags

>>40325061
>I love you too.
We'll show her our love for like a week straight after all this, minimum.

How long 'til nightfall?

>>40325061
>>I love you too.

>>40325061
>I know.
>I love you too.
>Stay focused on the battle ahead. No distractions.

>>40325061
>I love you too.
Daww

>>40325061
>I love you too.

>>40325061
>I love you too.
Also what the shit we're drinking alcohol while pregnant!

>>40325157
Seriously I feel guilty about it, but we have to keep the distractions aside and keep organizing things.
Mostly searching for flow and talking to the Tyrant

>>40325061
>I love you too.
But no sex right now, seriously Tia

>>40325183
The kids are exalted at the moment. they survived so much maidens tea it would have made a mortal sterile, so I don't worry

>>40324974
>>40324976

If we can get it to destroy the living forces of the Prince, it would cripple him immensely

>>40325061
>>I love you too.

Talking to The Heart?

I vote to use it, anyway

>>40325266
Agreed

>>40325061
>Say nothing, just smile and be close to her.
Let Tia conduct the moment, guys.

>>40325266
>>40325296
What? No, Tia knows that when Maka says "I love you" it's about her. Whatever the reason is, or to whoever Maka is actually saying that.

"I love you too." You reply, touching your forehead to hers, arm around her shoulder.

"Remember when you said that, once Pearl was complete, we were going to have our marriage here?"

"I did. Sorry it turned out this way."

"Are you kidding?" Again that grin. Too many teeth. Way too pointy and sharp. Way too happy. "This is... the third best gift you could give me."

"That sounds awfully specific." You giggle. "What's the second?"

With a single finger, she gently touches your belly. "In here."

"...And the first?"

She gently pushes you down on the cold stone table, and sneaks a kiss on your lips. "You."

She pulls back and stands up from the table with a small leap. "Tomorrow morning I will return home, drenched in the blood of your enemies, to take you as my wife." She doesn't word it as a wish or as a promise, but as a simple, factual statement.

"Tomorrow morning." You don't have a window down here, but you don't need one. Twilight has begun, and the sun will disappear and give way to the darkness of the night in half a hour.

>...Let's go to the fortress walls.
>Bring me to Flow's island before night falls.
>Bring me to the Dark Omen before night falls.
>I will spend this last half hour with you, after all. I can think of nowhere else I'd rather be.
>(Other?)

>>40325408
>I will spend this last half hour with you, after all. I can think of nowhere else I'd rather be.
All is well

>>40325408
>Bring me to the Dark Omen before night falls.

>>40325408
>>Bring me to Flow's island before night falls.
Tia is way too good, we really scored great with our Lunar husbando.

I'm against blowing up the the Omen and I'm sure there's something going on here

>>40325408
>I will spend this last half hour with you, after all. I can think of nowhere else I'd rather be.
Goddammit. I wanted to get to the Dark Omen but after that speech...

>>40325408
>"Tomorrow morning I will return home, drenched in the blood of your enemies, to take you as my wife."
Swoon. That's some staggeringly romantic shit, right there.

>>40325408
>I will spend this last half hour with you, after all. I can think of nowhere else I'd rather be.
The Prince is totally going to cut Tia with his sword

>>40325408
>Bring me to the Dark Omen before night falls.
>You can make love to me while we are there
Gattai da?

>>40325408
>I will spend this last half hour with you, after all. I can think of nowhere else I'd rather be.
Fuck you and your perfectly laid out and written character quirks and interactions that drive me to this madness. Fuck you, EF, I love you.

>>40325477
>Swoon.
Seconded.

>>40325483
>The Prince is totally going to cut Tia with his sword
Obviously. Either her or Karas is going to get cut and we'll have to execute them for the good of everyone. The foreshadowing couldn't be more clear - it'll be a sickening tear-jerker.

>>40325408
>Bring me to the Dark Omen before night falls.
>You can make love to me while we are there
Fuck, changing vote >>40325469

>>40325408
>I will spend this last half hour with you, after all. I can think of nowhere else I'd rather be.
In one night this is going to all be over.

No way were going to be able to afford GET by the time we fight Silver Prince, we'll probably need AST before then though.

>>40325408
>Bring me to Flow's island before night falls.
We need to find out what's happened to them. At worst, the Silver Prince has coopted them, and if that's the case we risk the "flood plan" discussed earlier being turned against us.

>>40325483
>>40325510
Things aren't so prophesied, we'll take the hits with our glorious AST tits

>>40325477
Seriously, where tia comes from there would be fucking right now
Sometimes our lunar husbando/waifu just finds the right words

I love how everyone assumes this is foreshadowing and Tia's gonna get it.
I'm going to tell you this: only Maka's rolls are visible to you, but I DO roll all other actions done by NPCs, like a GM at a tabletop game, so nothing is set in stone. I have ideas, of course, but I genuinely, honestly have no idea how the battle will play out.
Of course, you only have my word for that, I realize, but it's really all I can give, realistically speaking.
So, it's up to you.

>>40325408
>...Let's go to the fortress walls.
Because I wonder what this one will do. Romance on the walls, maybe?

>>40325580
>50% of the cast confirmed for kill
We shall mourn greatly come the morrow.

>>40325477
>Swoon.
This.

>>40325588
Probably watch the sunset.

>>40325588
This worries me that tia will end up weakening the walls

>>40325477
>tfw no opportunity to say this to a girl

>>40325542
Does somebody have the gif of that girl ¨parrying¨ a sword with them?

File: 1427977026211.jpg (206 KB, 900x695)

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>>40325645
I know, right?

>>40325580
So you're letting the dice gods decide if Tia is defeated or not. I'm not sure that's more reassuring...

>>40325671
You know, if our society was a bit more open to it, I'd say it at least once a year...
Talkin' 'bout slaughter and polygamy here

>>40325408

>>Bring me to Flow's island before night falls.

>A fight might happen there.


>>40325472
>>40325424
>>40325490
>>40325588

Guys, as much as I love what she said, we really have things to do. Like Tia, and checking on Flow or the Tyrant

>>40325757
We could have tried doing both.
But I forget that the Tyrant is a major turn off to Tia.

>>40325757
I know... I suppose i would be ok with some combination of going to tyrant and being with Tia

>>40325757
>checking on Flow
It's way too late for that. What makes you think we'll be able to contact Flow now in the last few minutes before the battle, when we haven't been able to for days?

>>40325803

Well, if Flow & friends aren't really in troubles, we can be quick

>>40325408
>Bring me to Flow's island before night falls.

>>40325840

Maka personaly going there?

>>40325876
Get ready to be disappointed by the anticlimax.

>>40325840
You know, >>40325876 has a point

"I will spend this last half hour with you, after all." You give her a kiss back. "I can think of nowhere else I'd rather be."

Thanks to Millian and Regis coughing and "Excuse them"-ing the remaining few people out of the room, you're left alone with Tia on the stone table.

Although Tia has always been full of forceful lust anytime she's been with you in these circumstances, this one time, you and her enjoy each other gently and sweetly.

Maybe she's saving her strength and capacity for violence for the battle. Maybe she's worried about hurting you.

Maybe, more than the sex, it's being close to you for another thirty minutes, what she wants the most right now.

You can't blame her. You feel the same.

Maybe this time would be better spent doing last-minute arrangements for the battle. Every time your mind drifts to it, you always find something you should worry about. Is the third trenchline long enough? Should you ask the soldiers to dig another twenty meters north? You noticed a black jade Daiklave hanging from Regis' back. Did Irene hand that to him? Is it too big for him? do the archers on the walls have enough arrows? What about signal arrows, in case they need them? Speaking of Irene, how is her work coming along?

But, the warm touch of Tia's skin to yours reminds you of something you don't want to forget, in this dark moment. The very reason you fight: for life, and happiness, and love.

So, you love the last thirty minutes away together.

Then, night finally falls on Tianna.

(cont.)

(short AFK, got to get some stuff ready)

>>40325909
Hey, there will be a very good climax right now.

>>40325909
That's what we say to tia

>>40325840
Because we'll actually be checking on them for once. Instead of apparently just sending a summons and assuming they'll show up.

>>40325922
>You noticed a black jade Daiklave hanging from Regis' back.
Hype.

I wonder if it's better than our Artifact

>>40325922
It's happening.

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>>40325922
>Tia's skin
Her creepy, white, Northern ghost-like skin. Creepy-ass white people.

>>40325997
Noble. Pristine. Sacred.
But not creepy. White skin is pretty in it's own right.

>>40325948
What?

File: Maka.jpg (216 KB, 719x1000)

216 KB JPG

>>40326038
Creepy as fuck. White people look like corpses and ghosts, drained of all life but still alive. They look like they've been kept underground for a thousand years and came back wilted and creepy. Healthy, living people have healthy skin tones instead of looking like animated corpses.

Creepy-ass white folk are creepy as fuck.

>>40326100
You know, Maka's skin is one the light side considering where she's from

>>40326100
Never seen a corpse, eh?
Grey, not white.

>>40325922

Well fudge


fudgity fudge

>>40326147
Maka's skin tone is light as hell considering where she's from. A common skin tone in Gem is black. Not dark brown - as black as coal or volcanic rock. And in spite of that, Tia's way, way, lighter than her?

Creepy as fuck. Kudos to Maka for being into that, but I wouldn't be able to handle it, getting screwed by someone who looks like a ghost.

>>40326193
Wouldn't say that that white color looks like a ghost, or creepy, but to each their own i suppose.

>>40326193
But Tia looks like a shark. And a horse. And a bird. And a hedgehog. And a dog. And a three headed beast with redundant limbs. And a flying spaghetti monster. And a loli. And a shota. And a behemoth. And a giant fist. And a hero of Justice.

And so on.

>>40325922
Did Regis get his toy?

File: Tia Full Moon.png (640 KB, 1000x1500)

640 KB PNG

>>40326221
I definitely would. It looks unhealthy as hell, at the very least, like someone who's seriously ill, or been held in captivity without sunlight for years.

>>40325922
Suggesting a change of clothes to #08, #13 or #19 after love making is done.

>>40326193
>>40326274
Okay, Maka's not uncultured, she was Queen of a city, she's spoken to delegates, learned from savants, not to mention everything she saw on her way to the West after getting dethroned

>>40326297
I'll second Number 8, Babydoll Armor

>>40326307
Who's talking about Maka? I, personally, think that white people look like unhealthy, creepy-ass ghosts. The fact that Maka's into fucking them anyway gives me little shivers, but also makes me proud, because she's clearly more tolerant than I am. I'd never be able to have sex with a person that pale.

>>40326325
That one is better for the fight itself. I think first we need Maka to wear #13 when commanding the troops before putting 08 on and joining the fight.

>>40326297
>Suggesting a change of clothes to #08
Third

>>40326358
I think 8 is a much better commander's wear than personal fighting clothes, that would be 12 or 19, and I'd prefer 19 of those two once we're actually punching faces.

>>40326334
Okay, that's good with me. Let's just end this small excurse into skin color discussions and smash some undead fuckers

>>40326297
I think we should stick with 11, we just put it in.

Oh Look, A distraction! http://pastebin.com/AjdgGwzt

>>40326493
>Let's just end this small excurse into skin color discussions and smash some undead fuckers
Agreed.

I'm back, typing now. Sorry for the delay.

>>40326581
Cool. Did Regis get his shiny thing yet?

>>40326595
What shiny thing?

>>40326623
The shiny thing he's getting for >>40326550

>>40326595
Yeah he makes it shiny since we awakened him

>>40326595
Shiny thing? You mean his penis?

>>40326550
>ketchup
Hehe, I giggled.
You giving Regis an artifact?

>>40326767
I don't know what he's talking about, but he got a jade Daiklave

>>40326550
Hey, neat, a sequel to my buddy cop story. The closer this gets to Law and Order: Yu Shan, the better.

>>40326767
Yes. A first age suit of power armor designed for use by sunkissed/golden babies. May or may not come with horrible flashbacks for Maka and TIa due to its possible previous owner.

>>40326856
In the Bureau of Heavenly Justice the gods are represented by two seperate, yet equally important groups. The gods who investigate crime, and the Sidereals who sanction the offenders.

These are their stories.

>>40326942
MAKE A DAMN QUEST OUT OF IT
Or, better yet, a book

File: batman-law-and-order.gif (76 KB, 763x766)

76 KB GIF

>>40326856
>Law and Order: Yu Shan
>In the criminal justice system of Yu Shan the people are represented by three separate, yet equally important groups. The Celestial Lions who investigate crime, the Bureau of Destiny who sanction the offenders, and the Goddamn Unconquered Sun.
>These are their stories.
>GONG GONG.

>>40326983
Someone tried to make a Sidereal Quest recently, but it died about three posts in because nobody has the slightest clue what was going on or what their in-character options were. That said, I'd play the SHIT out of a Sidereal Quest that's one part police procedural and one part Chuck - complete with starting your own shadow organization with its secret agenda within the Bureau of Destiny i.e. another faction like the Gold, Bronze, or Silver factions.

File: queen Amata tai tianna.png (649 KB, 849x1000)

649 KB PNG

You're not sure if it's some sorcery of the Silver Prince, or just tension, but the night feels colder and colder as the sun leaves the sky, dropping you in a winter that feels as if made by nightmares given shape.

Standing on top of Golden Reach's ramparts with Tia by your side, looking down at the sea, you see movement.

From out of the setting sun, silent as death, you see a single black ship set sail, detach itself from the formation lurking near the horizon and approach the coast at... a surprisingly leisurely pace.

It doesn't evade anyone's attention the fact that the rest of the fleet also subtly approaches, but still keeping far enough to not feel like they could make a rush for the coast at any moment.

"One at a time? That's going to be easy." Tia grins, but you have to wonder what that single ship means. Are they sending a messenger? Parley?
It's clearly heading for Pearl, and not the Dark Omen...

Finally, the sun vanishes. Almost at the same instant, a small sprite dressed like a miniature Amata appears in front of you, iridescent wings fluttering in the cold breeze, and repeats, in her voice:

"We're safe and sound in Tianna Castle. We searched far and wide along the coast for the other three ships, but we found only one. It's lurking hidden in the fog, outside the bay in front of the harbor, but quite distant from the coast and the city. We couldn't find the other two, which means they're either in reserve or not close to the coast for some reason. You can tell a reply to the spirit, and he'll bring it back to me instantly."

Then the spirit makes an oddly sad, pensive face.

"Maka... I've been a horrible person. I've kept secrets, lied and cheated my way through life, even with you. If I don't make it through this night... I want you to know that I'm sorry."

(cont.)

>Maybe you should just have been more honest.
>Your apologies are accepted.
>Don't worry about it.

Combined with:

>Attack the lone ship.
>Wait in Tianna City.
>(Other?)

Combined with:

>Order Pearl's artillery to fire on the ship as soon as it's within range
>Order Pearl's artillery to hold fire until they're in close range, then blow it sky-high.
>Order (Talon/Zaan/Tia) to board it while it's at sea and detached from the formation.
>Order everyone to let it reach the shore, but stay on guard.

(blast, have to AFK again. i hate these interruptions, sorry)

>>40326193
God forbid you ever go to Europe

>>40327181
>Don't worry about it.
>Wait in Tianna City.
>Order Pearl's artillery to hold fire until they're in close range, then blow it sky-high.

>>40327208
>God forbid you ever go to Europe
I know, right? That would just be awful.

>>40327181
>Maybe you should just have been more honest.
>Wait in Tianna City.
>Order everyone to let it reach the shore, but stay on guard.

>>40327181
>Don't worry about it for now.
>Wait in Tianna City.

>Order Pearl's artillery to hold fire until they're in close range, then blow it sky-high.

>>40327181
>Don't worry about it.
>Wait in Tianna City.
>Order everyone to let it reach the shore, but stay on guard.

>>40327181
>Maybe you should just have been more honest. (But I still love you)
>Attack the lone ship.
>Order Pearl's artillery to hold fire until they're in close range, then blow it sky-high.
Damn right you should have been more honest.

>>40327181
>Maybe you should just have been more honest.
>Wait in Tianna City.
>Order Pearl's artillery to hold fire until they're in close range, then blow it sky-high.

>>40327181
>Don't worry about it.
>Wait in Tianna City.
>Order everyone to let it reach the shore, but stay on guard.

>>40327181
>Don't worry about it.
>Wait in Tianna City.
>Order Pearl's artillery to hold fire until they're in close range, then blow it sky-high.
We'll marry you after Amata, tell her that we love her.

>>40327122
>If you are sorry, life. Life to make up for it and be a better person with every ounce of your being and I'll be there, supporting you, catching you if you trip, but don't die tonight Amata.

>People saying not to worry about it
The last time we told her that, she kept lying to us about the Titan until she literally had no choice.

>>40327181
>Don't worry about it.
>Wait in Tianna City.
Not sure about the ship though, what could it be?

>>40327181
>Don't worry about it. And make sure you make it through the night.
>Wait in Tianna City.
>Order Pearl's artillery to hold fire until they're in close range, then blow it sky-high.

>>40326920
I think that would be better for Maka and Tia's actual son, you know?

>>40327492
>Implying he's getting a hand me down.

>Your apologises are accepted
>I love you

Can't stress that enough


>>Wait in Tianna City.

I think you meant Pearl

>Send a signal telling the ship to stop. If it doesn't, order Pearl's artillery to hold fire until they're in close range, then blow it sky-high.

If they want to Parley, it's gonna be by our rules

>>40327181

meant to link this>>40327523

>>40327037
>the Goddamn Unconquered Sun
We should always refere to him with that name

>>40327492
Sure, in like 15-20 years

>>40327437
>I think you meant Pearl
Not, that's to tell Amata to attack or wait in Tianna.

>>40327181
>Your apologies are accepted. I love you.
>Wait in Tianna City
>Order everyone to let it reach the shore, but stay on guard.

>>40327523
>I think you meant Pearl
Talon, Valeriana, Amata and Mikahil are in Tianna City. They went there last thread.

>>40327548
Senpai is senpai

>>40327548
Senpai is our senpai

>>40327181
>Maybe you should just have been more honest.
>Wait in Tianna City.
>Order Pearl's artillery to hold fire until they're in close range, then blow it sky-high.

>>40327181
>Your apologies are accepted, but you need to be more honest going forward.
>Wait in Tianna City.
>Order Pearl's artillery to hold fire until they're in close range, then blow it sky-high.

I'm so glad we have so much Essence, we have like, just enough to activate our combat charms, SCA and either MRP or IPS.

File: Regis.jpg (304 KB, 850x1198)

304 KB JPG

You smile at the little sprite.

"...I'm not mad at you, Amata. It's all right. Just... think about winning. Stay in Tianna City for now, don't take unnecessary risks. I love you."

All too soon, the little spirit vanishes into thin air, leaving you alone with your conundrum. The ship has passed Flow's island and is closing in fast.

Regis, clad in his well-fitting Ashigaru and armed with a new weapon, courtesy of Amata and Irene no doubt, walks up to you from behind.

"The engineers are asking if they can open fire." He informs you.

"Only once it gets within 50 meters of the coast. I want a clean shot. They must blow it up with the first strike."

"What if it's a messenger?" He idly wonders.

"Even more reasons to blow it up." You grin.

He nods, understanding the idea, and heads back down to the guns.

Still, the doubt grinds at you. "What do you think is in that ship?" You ask Tia, just as the vessel wanders within the range you've specified.

It all happens so fast. Five beams of light and one of thunder explode from beneath you at once.

(cont.)

>>40328105
Assuming our weapons count as unarmed then we don't

If they count as armed then we do.

Let's hope nothing we cared about was in that ship

>>40328604
Part of me begins to worry it had hostages on it that the Prince wanted to use as leverage.

Three of the beams miss and explode against the waves, raising tall towers of splashing water. One grazes the stern, blowing a cloud of sparks. One impacts the water close enough that the concussive blow rolls the ship sideways, almost at ninety degrees. For a moment, you have a clear sight of the ship's keel.

And the next moment, your Lightning Ballista's line of energy hits just there, below the waterline, on the bottom of the ship, and blows a flaming crater in the soulsteel-reinforced metal of the ship's hull.

As the ship rights itself by virtue of the distribution of weight, the hole disappears, but you have no problems imagining the end result of that sort of damage.

"Dead people." Tia replies, belatedly, as the vessel quickly begins to flounder. A single blast of its own Lightning Ballistas strike the walls of your fortress head on in retaliation, but the energy of the impact is dispersed all around you in a grand display of light and very little damage.

The ship doesn't fire a second shot. You see the crew leaping out of water in a panic, realizing that the ship is lost. Some linger around, while others, you can see clearly, begin to earnestly swim towards the shore.

Almost simultaneously, the entire rest of the fleet lurches and gathers up speed, full steam ahead, towards the coast. The gig is up. The force splits down along the middle, half going in your direction, half heading for the Dark Omen.

Well. At least you're not going to leave time to the Silver Prince to talk you to death. Battle is joined.

>Hold fast. Don't leave them an inch. Fire at will. (m+d)
>Hold your fire, artillery. Save it for when they make their landing. (m+d)
>Send Tia/Zaan/Lynne/someone else to pick off the survivors before they can hit the shores. (m+d)
>Time for some skirmish. Tia/Zaan/Lynne, fly up and give a ride to Radiant/Zareen. Radiant/Zareen, you're on sniper duty for now. (m+d)
>(other?)

>>40328604
Oh god, Regis was there, wasn't he? The abyssals never returned him from the cease fire and we just killed him.

>>40328493
So once again we unconditionally forgive Amata for lying to us despite about half the voters being against it.

>>40328641
Wrong Deathlord

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>40328639
>Hold your fire, artillery. Save it for when they make their landing. (m+d)

>>40328641
Regis was the guy who passed the order to fire at close range to our gunners. We JUST spoke to him. He's fine.

>>40328639
>>Hold your fire, artillery. Save it for when they make their landing. (m+d)

>>40328641
>>40328660
never mind wrong deathlord, it's just flat out wrong, we got Regis back in our initial meeting with the Tyrant.

>>40328639
>>Hold fast. Don't leave them an inch. Fire at will. (m+d)
Every ship we can sink before they land is fewer soldiers or warstriders to deal with.

So you guys are still fapping to this stuff, huh

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>40328639
>Hold fast. Don't leave them an inch. Fire at will. (m+d)

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>40328639
>Hold fast. Don't leave them an inch. Fire at will. (m+d)
This a HEP moment?
If it is we should Commit

>>40328694
I assume he thought the Deathlord tricked us with some kind of fake Regis, which is why I clarified Regis was never with the Silver Prince to begin with

Rolled 6 (1d10)

I'll second commiting HEP if appropriate

Rolled 4, 7 = 11 (2d10)

>>40328639
>>Hold your fire, artillery. Save it for when they make their landing. (m+d)
>Send Tia/Zaan to pick off the survivors before they can hit the shores. (m+d)

Don't use commit yet, we'll want to save it up for the thick of battle, commit doesn't recharge remember, use burn instead for anything at this point in time.

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>40328639

>>Hold fast. Don't leave them an inch. Fire at will. (m+d)

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>40328639
Dice

Seconding use of HEP if appropriate (burn)

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>40328776
We can keep charms commited between scenes, it'll stay active as long as we keep it commited but we won't get back the essence for as long as we have it on

>>40328639
EF I forget if you mentioned that our gauntlets make our attacks count as armed.

If they do can we remove our gauntlets to take advantage of fists of iron and Solar Hero Style?

We get more dice outta that.

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>40328639

Forgot to add

>Send Tia to pick off the survivors before they can hit the shores. (m+d)

>>40328639
>Hold fast. Don't leave them an inch. Concentrate on their landing. (m+d)
>Have Zaan prepare something nasty for them.
PEOPLE YOUR DICE!

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>40328842
Gauntlets and boots are a brawling aid and therefore compatible with SHS, like it's always beem

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>40328639
I'll throw in my vote for HEP (commit)

>>40328842
Solar Hero Style counts gauntlets, boots, brawling aids and improvised weapons as "unarmed".

>>40328809
This is news to me, the only thing I've seen for a ruling is that commit is scenelong, aka scene change is the end of it.

>>40328776
Commit recharged between scenes, but we can keep it on without having to activate again.

>>40328922
>Commit Essence is used to power scene-long charms or those with even longer durations, a few charms with exceedingly powerful effects, and to attune to powerful artifacts. Commit Essence is regained at a speed of 1 point per scene. Charms with long durations can be left on, tying up the required points of Commit Essence accordingly.
>(Example: Maka has 7 Commit Essence and wants to leave Armored in Righteousness Stance always on. Armored in Righteousness Stance costs 2 Essence, so 2 of her 7 points are always kept tied up in Armored in Righteousness Stance, leaving her with 5 points. If she ever needed those 2 points back, she'd have to deactivate Armored in Righteousness Stance and wait two scenes.)
It's in the pastebin

File: Health and Essence.jpg (60 KB, 414x164)

60 KB JPG

[HEROISM-ENCOURAGING PRESENCE]

[Men + Daw = 7 9 3 6 4 7 10 9 6 = 6 successes]

You bite your lower lip, torn between your impulse to order your artillery to open fire as soon as ready, and the realization that three missed shots at close range means that even if they fire at long range...

Oh, screw it. You're outgunned anyway. "Regis!" You call down to the lower level of the fortress, shouting down the stairwell. "Tell them to fire at will! Pick their targets, make the shots count-" Your words are cut short by a flurry of thunderbolts filling the air all around you with a roaring scream. None hits, every blow impacting on the sea, the beach, or flying across the black sky.

Looks like artillery is hard for them too. At least long-range.

"...Make the shots count and try to break up the formation!" You finish the message, with a glance northwards, towards the Dark Omen, where the artillery duel has begun in earnest as well.

"I think the-"

Just as you started talking to Tia, a second flurry of bolts rises from the dark fleet, and these are surprisingly more accurate. You see her try to put herself between you and the walls, as one particular shot explodes against the ramparts, dangerously brilliant, dangerously near. You feel more shots impacting against the trenchwork on the ground, and your heart sinks when the din of the explosion gives way to screams of pain.

>...Let's stay here on the ramparts where we can have a better view of the situation.
>Tia, go down to ground level and see what's happening. Deal with any problems.
>Let's go down. I... I can't stay here without doing anything. I want to be on the frontlines.
>Let's go back inside the fortress. I feel safer there. I'm sure they can deal with it.

>>40329313
>>Tia, go down to ground level and see what's happening. Deal with any problems.

>>40329313
>>Tia, go down to ground level and see what's happening. Deal with any problems.

We need to command this battle, not become overwhelmed with worry for our soldiers.

We'll get more of them killed by doing so.

Also Commit 2x AIRS in case we're close to a blast from them.

>>40329313
>>Tia, go down to ground level and see what's happening. Deal with any problems.
Go and make my enemies dead.

>>40329313
>Tia, go down to ground level and see what's happening. Deal with any problems. And then come back up.

>>40329313
>Tia, go down to ground level and see what's happening. Deal with any problems.

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>40329313
>Tia, go down to ground level and see what's happening. Deal with any problems.
We will be safe husband

>>40329313
>Let's go back inside the fortress. I feel safer there. I'm sure they can deal with it.

You clear your throat. "Tia."

She nods subtly.

"...Go down there. They probably need help. Do... anything you can to keep my people safe."

She nods again.

"Deal with any problems."

Another nod

"And then come back."

Without a word, she simply leaps off the ramparts, taking the 30 meter something plunge to ground level and disappearing onto the night.
A third flurry of shots tears through the night, exploding in firey craters on the beaches.

"...They're not shooting at the Manse." You realize. Rather than aim directly at the Golden Reach's powerful but undergunned walls, they're focusing fire where their troops will hit the ground, to soften up any resistance.

You weigh your options: you could keep your troops out there, ready to kick the first wave back in the sea, but they will suffer casualties from this magical artillery barrage. Or, you could let your troops in the fortress, but at the risk of becoming bottled inside, with only five cannons against their thirty and more, unable to bring your numerical superiority (as far as sheer infantry is concerned) to bear.

>Order everyone to fall back into the fortress to seek refuge from the black fleet's bombardment.
>Order your entrenched forces to hold their ground no matter what and prepare for when the Skullstone troops will hit the beaches.

>>40329556
>Order your entrenched forces to hold their ground no matter what and prepare for when the Skullstone troops will hit the beaches.

>>40329556
>Order your troops to fall back to either side of the fortress, using the walls as cover

The enemy fleet will have to approach our fortress to continue shelling them at that point, and it allows our forces to flank them when they land.

>>40329556
>>Order your entrenched forces to hold their ground no matter what and prepare for when the Skullstone troops will hit the beaches.

>>40329556
>Order your entrenched forces to hold their ground no matter what and prepare for when the Skullstone troops will hit the beaches.

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>40329556

>Order your entrenched forces to hold their ground no matter what and prepare for when the Skullstone troops will hit the beaches.

We need to stand fast and hitting them then they are busy unloading from the beaches.

>>40329556
>Order everyone to fall back into the fortress to seek refuge from the black fleet's bombardment.

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>40329623
I don't think our walls are wide enough to do this, not with the spread out formation the fleet has.

>>40329556
>Order your entrenched forces to hold their ground no matter what and prepare for when the Skullstone troops will hit the beaches.

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>40329556
>Order your entrenched forces to hold their ground no matter what and prepare for when the Skullstone troops will hit the beaches.
War is where the hard decisions get made. They need to dig in and weight to kill them on the beaches.

>>40329699
>>40329767
My heart can't take this.

>>40329699
>>40329767
>2 10s in a row
It's a shame that EF now only uses rolls when he calls for them.
Otherwise something neat might have happened

As much as you hate to see your own people exposed to enemy fire, you have to take the long view. And locking them up inside your fortress is only going to be worse...

"Sis."

You turn around, as explosions once more flash in the night all around you, to see one of the strangest spectacles you've ever had before you.

Giving you a rather surly (for want of a better term) look is a very naked Karas, covered from head to toe in bluish slime.
Clamped around one of his legs, and leaving a similar trail of goo behind her all the way, is Silk, who seems to be crying "More... more, give me more..."

"...Are you alright?" You ask him.

He glowers. "What you did to me is torture."

"Is it?" You smile and glance at Silk, who perks up. "All I did was hand you to her." You pat her slimy head, and she nuzzles up to you like a cat. "SHE did the torture."

He gives a look to the battlefield behind you. "Just in time?"

"Just in time." You nod. "Lynne's down on the ground floor. He has the short story for you."

He sighs, exasperated, and walks away. "...Better put on my suit of armor." He mutters."

"Silk?" You ask the fae with a knowing tone of voice.

She gives you an "okay" sign.

"ACTIVATE IT."

[Session end]

XP:

Base +2
Battle Joined: +1

Total 8 XP.


HEART-COMPELLING METHOD: (upgrades Inspired Performance Style: on top of its effect, all social attacks have 1 automatic success).
ADAMANT SKIN TECHNIQUE: (2B) For one turn, you suffer zero damage from all attacks.
SUN-KING RADIANCE (Perm.) Anyone loyal to you uses your mental defense rather than their own, if your score is higher.
PHANTOM-CONJURING PERFORMANCE: (Perm.) can fashion phantasmagorical images and sounds from your own Anima.
OX-BODY TECHNIQUE: (Perm.) +2 Health Levels. Can be bought multiple times.

>>40329974
>[Session end]
It's over. Thanks for the thread EF.

My heart is going to hurt so much by the time this is over.

>>40329974
>"ACTIVATE IT."
I suddenly hear a Japanese pop/rock ballad exploding through my mind.

>>40330014
>ADAMANT SKIN TECHNIQUE: (2B) For one turn, you suffer zero damage from all attacks.
So that we don't get mind-control shanked.