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Dynasty of Dovak	By : JohnDoe Category: +A through F > Exalted RPG Views: 4983 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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Chapter List
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Session 63 – Western Imperial Protectorate – Reya (195XP 156DX, 187/143 spent; 9GP 36SP), Melody (195XP 156DX, 184/146 spent), and Ganan (195XP 156DX, 187/153 spent; 8WhP 44GP 77SP)

“And so my brave companions, our brave countryman Mnemon Ferad continues with Oban’s mission to break the siege on Arjuf. But we unlucky five must journey to the coast and put the Peleps ships to flame before they can bring reinforcements for the Usurper!” Aharon Saber Edge roars loudly and slaps Cynis Ganan on the back as he and Melody leave Juche with Udi.

“Remind me why he’s traveling with us?” Ganan complains, loudly.

Melody sighs, “Because your wife doesn’t want to take your newborn child into a war-zone. And because Aharon is a good fighter. And because Nellens Gazal wants him to spy on us.”

“Plus I get to spend some time with my beautiful shorty, Cynis Ganan.” Aharon booms.

“I am not short! I am tall for Dynast!” Ganan shoots back.

Melody giggles, “That’s not what that means… you know what, never-mind… Wait… what?”

“Oh, Gan and I go way back.” He winks salaciously at Melody, “Way back.”

“Urgh. Please don’t.” Melody sticks out her tongue, screws up her eyes, and shakes her head from side to side to clear the mental image, “Wait… is that why Aharon is always hitting on Reya?”

Udi chuckles, “No, that’s a different thing.” Aharon’s smile splits his face from ear-to-ear as he looks Udi over and gives her a wink. Udi begins to cast Stormwind Rider.

Aharon gestures towards Udi, “After you Wheels.”

“Okay, now you’re just making stuff up!” Melody accuses shaking her head.

“I hate you!” Ganan says to Aharon as Udi’s spell lifts them off the ground.

****

It’s evening by the time the Dynasts reach the shore: winter’s darkness already covering the land. Their Stormwind allows them to avoid the main roads and the bulk of the Cathak forces – but the effect of the war is shown on the topology of the Blessed Isle.

The Red Sky port is a small affair by Dynastic standards: large enough for a pair of deepwater ships or trireme tenders to moor alongside a dozen smaller ships. But the dock now only houses half a dozen triremes.

Ganan folds his arms across his chest as they look down at the sleepy port from a hill, “Do we wait? See if any more come in after dark?”

Melody’s eyes sweep across the Inland Sea, “No. We strike now. We need to rob Peleps of their naval advantages. If they redeploy forces here to catch us, they’re not deploying them against House Ledaal and Ferad.”

“Brah!” Aharon slaps his chest, voicing his affirmative consent to Melody’s plan.

Melody gives him a sidelong glance and shakes her head, “What do you people see in this guy? Udi, you in?”

Udi curtsies and begins to cast a new Stormwind Rider to carry them into the port.

Melody puts a hand on her arm, “No. You wait here. Come in and extract these two love birds if things go south. Boys, you go in on foot, and I’m going to say this exceptionally slowly: do not start any fights. Sneak down to the port, split up, and sink those damn triremes. In the port, so they stop other ships mooring. Do not try to help me. Repeat that back to me.”

“Don’t help you.” Aharon intones flippantly.

“Don’t start any fights.” Ganan adds.

“Holy shit, that’s why Reya is always doing this,” Melody pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration, “That’s not the way round that’s going to cause problems. Ganan, do not help me. Aharon, we are not here to kill civilians. We’re not even here to kill Peleps marines. We’re here to sink those dragons-damned boats.” She gives them both a hard stare, “A'ight, bitches watch this shit right here.”

She draws her bow and holds it out in front of her. She screws up her eyes in concentration, feeling her essence surging through the orichalcum. She feels the memory of the bow’s first steed. The power contained in the bowstring woven from the horse-god’s hair. She feeds her own power into the artifact, enforcing her will on that memory of the great Hiparkes. Her jaw clenches. A thin trickle of blood runs from her nose as a steed erupts from the weapon: the mount’s coat is as black as coal, but its eyes burn with the light of twin suns, tinted by the greens of Melody’s anima. The phantom steed has no mane, the hair clipped close to the neck. Melody mounts him in a single bound and gallops toward the port – her anima burning bright.

Ganan pulls a face, “Okay, that was cool.”

Aharon points a finger at Melody a puzzled look on his face, “You didn’t know she could do that?”

Udi twiddles her thumbs, “You know she’s creating a distraction for you to get to the port. That means you actually have to get to the port.”

Ganan and Aharon scramble down the hill to approach the port.

****

Melody sighs to herself, “By the Dragons, I love my job.” She draws her bow and sprays three Cathak liveried guards with arrows. Her anima flares totemic, erupting into thorns as she lights up the evening. She gallops through the town whooping and howling as she puts arrows in anyone carrying a weapon wearing Cathak colors – strangely, she doesn’t see any Peleps marines.

The port's defenders rally quickly and chase after Melody. She easily dodges the stones hurled at her from slings as she rides out to the outskirts of the town, giggling all the way. She rounds the town, picking off the defenders one at a time until the Dragon-Blooded in port organize a proper chase to sally out… and which point she bolts across the coast, drawing the defenders out of the city.

****

Ganan and Aharon slip into the town as Melody races away, and they quickly make their way to the docks. Each working from an opposite end, they start to sink the triremes.

Ganan pulls his tetsubo from the stone of the wharf and smashes it directly into the keel of the first boat. The rippling shock-wave splinters boards and splits corking. Ganan is already moving to the next boat as it starts to take on water.

Aharon plunges his halberd between the boards of his boat, before igniting the blade. The wood smolders, then catches, forming a roaring bonfire as he rips the blade free and moves onto the next boat.

Soldiers wearing black, trimmed with green and gold spill off the boats. Along with five soldiers clad in green jade armor, bearing the Mon of House Cynis. The mortals rank up. Two of the Dragon-Blooded split off for each of the attackers, the last staying in the middle of the formation to direct the mortal troops.

Ganan flexes and aims at the closest Cynis warrior. They wear a full face mask, shaped like a roaring lion. The warrior behind them draws her bow.

Aharon slips past his Cynis attackers, leaping onto the flaming boat, then jumping across to the next boat – his anima rising to a roaring bonfire as he does so. Flames lick the sails of the boat as he lands on the deck.

The Cynis Exalts fighting Aharon split up. One, carrying a Wavecleaver daiklave boards his boat, followed by a dozen mortals. The other pushes their way onto the next boat, with her Skycutter in hand. Cynis Wavecleaver tears into Aharon with a flurry of blows, headless of the flames catching around them. Aharon spins his halberd with unnatural speed: the tight confines of the boat hinder him against his nimble opponent, but he still manages to block the blows.

Cynis Skycutter pulls his arm back and unleashes on Aharon. Unable to turn his massive weapon against two attackers on the right confines on the boat, Aharon dodges. The Skycutter clips him on the back of the head on its return flight to its owners, slightly dazing him.

Cynis Bow fires on Ganan, who easily turns the arrow aside on his tetsubo. Cynis Lion closes in the wake of the arrow, their fists burning with Essence. They seize Ganan’s tetsubo and wrenches it out of his grip, throwing it into the sea. Ganan takes Earth Dragon Form, his anima flaring up around him.

The Cynis Commander bellows orders to the mortal troops, ordering them to pin the Dragons down. The mortals surge in both directions. Aharon sweeps his halberd in a broad arc, and the mortals retreat like shadows before the flame. Ganan smashes a bronze fist into the lead mortal, and ducks and weaves through the others.

Aharon jumps to his third boat, where Cynis Skycutter is waiting for him. Aharon ignores the Dragon-Blooded in front of him, driving his flaming halberd into the wooden boards beneath him.

Ganan bobs under the desperate grasping of the mortals, avoiding their knives and fists to close with Cynis Lion. He grabs at the Jade clad warrior, picks them up high over his head, and throws them into the sea after his tetsubo.

Cynis Skycutter hurls his weapon point blank at Aharon. Aharon clasps his hands together, catching the blade between his palms. Cynis Skycutter steps forward and yanks his weapon back out of Aharon’s grip.

Cynis Bow fires on Ganan again. The arrow breaks harmlessly against his skin.

Cynis Wavecleaver leaps after Aharon. She misses the jump but drives her blade into the side of the boat to break her fall.

The mortals close in again. Aharon fends them off-barehanded, laughing boisterously as he tosses them aside. They stab at Ganan, pushing into him, pinning him down as they mob him, swarming over his invulnerable body.

Ganan drives a foot down into the stone of the wharf. An explosive shock-wave bursts out, smashing the mortals aside, hurling them backward. Cynis Bow is thrown back with them, landing bodily on the ground. She does not get back up.

Aharon wrenches his burning halberd from the deck and leaps onto his fourth boat. Unopposed, he channels the force of the fire dragon through his weapon, jetting out a great gout of flame that sets the deck ablaze around him.

Cynis Skycutter throws again as the boat burns around him. The weapon strikes Aharon in the back, ripping open his flesh, despite his armor. Aharon goes down to one knee.

Cynis Wavecleaver pulls herself onto the burning boat with Skycutter, and gazes hopelessly across to the next boat where Aharon is waiting.

The mortals regroup, uncertainly but then surge forward like the crashing tide once more. Ganan batters their attacks aside with the patient discipline of the mountain. They seize on Aharon, stabbing and slashing at his exposed flesh, even as the boat around them erupts into fire.

“Get Aharon out of here!” Ganan bellows in Old Realm, before diving into the water of the sea. His Invulnerable Bronze Skin causes him to sink straight to the bottom. He looks around for his tetsubo, banishing it Elsewhere through the waters of the Inland Sea. Then he turns to formless shadow, his bronze skin dissolving.

Ndiza materializes and flies to Aharon’s side. The battered Dragon-Blooded pulls himself out from the mass of mortal bodies hemming him in to slump onto the demon’s back. Ndiza kicks off into the air. Aharon sends a message to Udi, “We’re getting fucked up down here: get us out!”

Wavecleaver and Skycutter take up defensive positions around the last boat. As do the mortals.

The shadowy Ganan swims up through the water. The bonfire of his anima makes it impossible to hide: everyone sees the dark shadow slink onto the boat. And everyone sees the wrecking fist that punches a hole in the side of the boat. There’s just little they can do to stop it. And Ganan escapes into the gloaming of twilight.

****

With their raid successful, our heroes rally to plan their next move. The burning ships at the dock being enough provocation for the Cathak troops to call off their fruitless pursuit of Melody. Aharon aims Ndiza for Udi’s Stormwind, then they pick up Ganan by his swirling anima, narrowly avoiding Cynis Skycutter’s ferocious attacks before they finally pick up Melody and gun for The Palace of Vines. Ganan’s form turns solid again.

“The Palace is by the coast, so expect heavy Peleps resistance.” Melody begins, “I will lay down covering fire. Ganan, how’s your shadow thing?”

Ganan grunts, “It’ll get me past the Peleps troops. It won’t get you in. Depending on how many there are, I might be better without it.” He pulls his tetsubo from his anima, ready for action.

Udi asks, “What about giving it to Aharon? He’s wounded, could use it to sneak past the Peleps forces?”

“I can fight!” Aharon insists.

“You can bleed.” Ganan counters.

“Shut up.” Melody hisses, her eyes scanning the horizon.

“He started it!” Ganan rejoins.

“In the name of Pasiap! Ganan, shut up!” Melody looks fervently into the gloom, “Where the hell are they?”
The fields around the Ledaal manse have been burned and salted. The coast is ravaged. The only wildlife they see are carrion birds and scavengers. No mortals dare brave the night. The Palace of Vines looms on the horizon racing towards them.

Ledaal forces take up defensive positions as they draw closer, readying bows and blades.

Melody leans into Udi, “Think they’re impostors? Peleps forces?”

Udi shakes her head, “That’s my cousin.”

The Dragons arrive at the Palace of Vines, Udi takes them past the Ledaal security without incident.

Udi takes them to the person in charge, to our heroes’ surprise it is a man – Ledaal Caros. He welcomes them, and the news that the ships at Red Sky have been sunk.

He nods grimly and leads the heroes to a battle-map of the Blessed Isle (not unlike the one Berit kept).

“That squares with our intelligence reports. Up until Calibration, we were under constant assault from Peleps marines. They extracted a heavy toll, and deploying the bulk of our forces to the south to contain them and Ragara allowed the Cathak forces to march through the north without opposition. But the past few weeks have seen no Peleps activity. Not here. Not anywhere else on the Isle, as far as my intelligence reports indicate.”

Ganan shrugs, “Winter troop movements nothing unusual there.”

Melody shakes her head, “You can’t march a legion through the snow. That makes winter an ideal time for coastal raids. Can’t concentrate forces in a city – they’ll eat all the winter supplies. Peleps should have seized half the coastline by now.”

“And that they haven’t is bad?” Ganan says, chuckling affably. “That just means we’re winning!”

“No, it means that there’s an army the size of all the legions put together on the Sea somewhere, and all they’re doing is ferrying Cynis troops to the shores – and not in particularly large numbers at that.” Aharon says, “What are they doing?”

Caros shakes his head, “We don’t know. But we’ve been getting disturbing reports from the Threshold.”

Melody nods, “That Mask of Winters has marched an army of the dead on Lookshy in the dead of winter. We’ve heard.”

Caros laughs bitterly, “That news is weeks old. Lookshy is under siege, yes. Have you heard about Halta? The Haslanti league? Chiaroscuro?” Seeing the confusion on their faces, Caros grits his teeth and continues, “The Bull of the North: House Tepet broke the back of his forces, but he has not been idle. He has withdrawn his forces to the distant north: uprooting his nomads under the protection of the winter snows and leading them where no army can follow. He is beyond the reach of our spies, House Sesus’s too, but they none in the north have seen a Haslanti flying ship for months.”

Ganan folds his arms across his chest, “If he conquers the Haslanti League, we’ll have to deal with flying Anathema.”

“When,” Caros corrects, “When he conquers the League. We don’t have enough troops to march them north. Even if we did, we don’t have the ships to cross the Inland Sea. If we could cross the sea, we couldn’t march across the snow. If we could march across the snow, we’d be fighting the army that crushed House Tepet.”

“Why do I get the feeling the news about Halta isn’t any better? I don’t suppose the Linowan managed to burn their damn forest to the ground?” Melody gripes bitterly.

“This we have more information for. The Bull of the North has divided his forces. He and his barbarian hordes went north. His witch went east. You’ve heard the stories about how House Tepet took her arm? She’s they say she has a new arm made of demon gold. She has… bewitched the forest. They say enchanted pines now grow whenever a redwood is felled, pines which have sprung up all over the forest now the great trees have lost their leaves. They say strange gods now walk the Wyld of the forest floor, mingling with the Fair Folk. The Linowan have been driven from their holy sites: they have lost miles of ground to this new forest and will send no tribute this year.” Caros explains.

“Don’t make us beg for it man, what is happening in Chiaroscuro?!” Ganan snaps angrily, “It’s our biggest port across the Sea! The prime staging ground for an attack on our shores!”

Caros smiles sadly, “There will be no attack from Chiaroscuro. The Tri-Khan is dead. Assassinated. Demonic cultists and Lunar Anathema fight open battles in the streets. After her conquest of the Imperial City, we believe Peleps Lundaer may have led a strike-force to try and reclaim the city. War or not, we would have supported her if we had known what she was trying to do: it seems she defied orders and led half the Fire Fleet into battle. They have not returned, and our agents in the city have fallen silent.”

Aharon looks at the ground in shame, “Creation is burning.”

****

The Dragons are allowed to stay in the Palace overnight. At first light, they set out again back for Juche.

Aharon and Udi make to peel off, but Melody catches them, “Don’t go too far. Come when I call – we have something important to discuss. And let Berit know what we’ve learned here, she needs this tactical information – if Peleps has deserted, then now is the time to strike.”

Melody and Ganan find Nellens Mirar attending Danireya at the suite given to their use in the Nellens manse. Mirar seems to be reading her poetry in Dragon-tongue as she feeds the baby.

“I told you.” Melody says, shaking her head at Ganan, “I told you.”

Ganan shakes his head dismissively, “The mission was a mixed success, my love.” He reports, “We burned the boats-”

“Ships.” Reya corrects on reflex.

“Boats.” Melody reiterates, “There were no ships. Six triremes. Loaded with Cynis troops. Not a Peleps to be seen. Ledaal intelligence says Peleps Lundaer has deserted, and the rest of their forces haven’t been seen all winter. The Anathema march unchecked on the Threshold. We need to finish this war.”

Reya looks at her sister-in-law levelly, “Then turn the seasons, melt the snow, sow and bring in the harvest, smash the Usurper’s armies and his assassins and his Anathema.”

“We are trying to finish this war, Madame Melody.” Nellens Mirar snaps.

Melody makes a face of bewildered outrage, “Get outta here Mirar! Go plan some troop movements!”

Mirar looks uncertainly to Reya, who dismisses him. He leaves giving Melody an angry glare.

“Why are you wasting time with him?” Melody complains, exasperated.

Reya stares at her unblinking, “He is a general. One of the most important men in the Nellens military.” She hands the baby over to Ganan to burp her before continuing, “You are on Mnemon’s war council – why aren’t you spending more time with him? And for that matter, why not tell us about the Thousand-Forged Dragons.”

“Because I didn’t know!” Melody shouts back, “Mnemon listens to us but tells us nothing.” She drops her voice sulkily, “I would have told you.”

Reya rises, “We need to get word to Berit. Coordinate with V’neef. March on the Imperial City now. We have a force within striking distance of the city. We have the Merchant Fleet. If House Peleps is no longer in the field, now is the time to strike. Before Cathak can march their legions overland. Mnemon has the Thousand-Forged Dragons. We need to attack.”

“I agree.” Melody snaps, “Does your new Nellens lover?”

“Nellens Mirar is not her lover!” Ganan says, his voice something like a roar despite not being any louder than usual.

Reya takes the baby back from him, “Melody, would you give us a moment? Replenish your supplies.”

Melody takes a deep breath, “Fine. But we’re having dinner tonight. With Udi and Aharon. All five of us.” She turns and walks from the room.

“Sit down my love.” Reya says gently.

“I think I’d rather stand.” Ganan replies, his voice soft and dangerous. “What do you want to say that can’t be said in front of your sister?”

Reya sits, and continues, her voice calm and her tone formal, “When we arrived in Juche those months ago, on our mission to recruit Berit, we needed access to the city. Nellens Mirar barred our way. He desired me. I enchanted him to gain entrance.”

“I’m not an Agata!” Ganan snaps, “I’m not some pretty, flighty thing with no memory: I remember perfectly. I didn’t like it then, I don’t like it now… but it worked.”

Reya nods, “Yes. It worked. I have encouraged this fascination, deliberately and intentionally, because it affords us advantages. Mirar has helped cement the Nellens alliance, provided me with intelligence on the Nellens forces and the Jadeborn, and he’s found a slave wet-nurse that I may accompany you into battle next time.”

“A slave? Melody is not going to like that…”

Reya waves the concern away, “I used one of my manumissions. We’ll pay her. Aline is her name.”

“Are you sleeping with him?” Ganan asks bluntly.

“No.” Reya says.

Ganan sits, “Do you… That is to say are you…”

“I’m not going to sleep with him. I don’t want to sleep with him. I am not in love with him. You are the only man I have ever desired that way.”

Ganan relaxes back into the chair and spreads his hands in relief, “Then what’s the problem? Why not say all this in front of Melody?”

“Nellens Mirar likes to spy on us. I partly expect that he is listening in now.” She pauses, “Melody suspects my infidelity. She is perceptive and others will think it too.”

“Dragons damn what everyone else thinks. You’ve had half the maidens in Darjilis. Let them gossip. It adds to your reputation. Why should I care if you’re not touching his cock?” Ganan grins at her.

Reya remains impassive, “I said I wasn’t sleeping with him. Not that I haven’t… touched him.”

Ganan sits straight, he grips the arms of his chair, “You’ve… touched him?”

“Yes.”

“Kissed him?”

“Chastely. And I have allowed him to kiss my body, over my clothes.”

There’s a sound of breaking wood as bronze hands squeeze the arms of the chair into splinters, “Oh, damn it!” Ganan curses, standing to examine the ruined chair.

“Ganan,” Reya calls him calmly.

“Just a moment.” Ganan waves distractedly, not turning to face his wife, “All the pieces are here, I can fix this.” He kneels by the chair and starts to run his hands over the wood, mending the cracks (4SP). Soon the chair is perfect, but Ganan doesn’t rise. He just stays looking fixedly at the chair.

Reya clears her throat, “Ganan.”

Ganan doesn’t turn, “I wish you hadn’t told me. I would never have known. Like this chair.”

“You’d prefer I lie to you when Melody and everyone else in Creation knows?”

“Yes! … No. No.” Ganan sighs.

“You know that this is of no significance.” Reya continues, her tone the same – as if they are discussing an upcoming salon or a petition from the peasantry. Her tone is not one of a question.

“Simply an emotional matter. Of no significance at all. I’m told many couples… are not… faithful. Certainly my parents…” He trails off.

Reya sets the sleeping baby down in the cot Ganan crafted and walks to him. She lays a hand on his head as he kneels, facing away from her. “I am faithful to you. You have my heart, and you are the father of my children. And you have slept with other women since our marriage, this is much less than that.”

“Only ever at your insistence. Never behind your back.” Ganan brushes her off and rises, turned away from her.

Reya folds her arms across her chest, “There’s a dematerialized neomah in this room right now.”

“I have not slept with Cresta.”

“And when you went to Hell?”

Ganan turns, “I didn’t sleep with Whims. Or kiss him. Or touch his prick.”

Reya nods, “Whims? That was his name was it.”

“I… did nothing wrong.” Ganan says, without conviction as he turns to face her, “Damn it I told you, I didn’t even touch him!”

Reya sits in the newly repaired chair, “You don’t talk about it. Never mentioned… anyone. Did you… love him?”

Ganan feels his throat go dry, he pauses and thinks to deny it, then he hangs his head, “Yes. I felt something. He is dead now.”

Reya tents her fingers, “And you don’t see how that is worse? I don’t love Mirar.” She rises and walks over to Ganan who flinches away, turning past her to go back to his chair.

“How can it be worse if I never-” Ganan stops, curses, and kicks the chair he just repaired to pieces with a single powerful blow. Lezabe stirs, cries once, but does not wake – turning and going back to sleep. “Alright, it’s worse. It’s much worse when you love them.”

This new display of violence gives Reya pause. She doesn’t try to close with Ganan, instead taking a step back. And then another. Her fingers settle on the jade of her shield. “I just told you, I have never been in love with another man. Ever. Not before you and not after you. You are the only man I love. I love you.” Emotion creeps into her voice, her tone taking on a note of pleading despite her best efforts.

“Man.” Ganan says closing his eyes, his voice no more than a hoarse whisper, but even that trembles with emotion.

Reya bends and brings her shield up across her body, taking another step back. “Gan…”

“Don’t deny that you’re in love with that… by-blow.” Ganan’s voice trembles as he speaks, the volume of his words rising, “From lowest slave to the finest daughters of Patrician houses, I have never once cared about the girls…” He shakes his head ruefully, “The women you’ve used to slake your lust with. They’re nothing to me. But that… barbarian BITCH!” Ganan yells, as he turns, throwing his arms out wide in a wild gesture, “And now a man? A DYNASTIC man?”

Reya adopts a fighting position and forces herself to say, very clearly, “I do not love Nellens Mirar. I am no longer in love with Princess Tinkara Dovak. I was infatuated with her. Briefly. But I chose you.”

Ganan laughs mockingly, “You didn’t choose shit. She canned you. And you didn’t even come back to me. You went to your tower to contemplate which Anathema magics could force her back to you!” He sighs, sucks his teeth, and shakes his head, “You’ve still got that damn slave collar in your traveling pack, haven’t you? HAVEN’T YOU!” He roars. The baby wakes and cries.

Slowly, Reya moves over to her pack. She picks out the slave collar and tosses it to Ganan. It clatters to the ground by his feet. “Destroy it. I. Chose. You.”

Ganan picks the collar off the ground and slips it into his pack. He sniffs, looks off into the distance, “I’m going to take a walk. Call me when it’s time for Melody’s dinner.” He turns and walks out of the room leaving Reya with their crying child.

****

Late into the evening, Melody assembles them all for dinner, outside of the Nellens manse at a discrete restaurant. The lighting is low and intimate, soft music is subtly played in the open courtyard outside where the Dynasts will eat. Wine is uncorked and allowed to breathe. Melody wears her armor but has changed her clothes. Ledaal Ludila is the first to arrive, followed by Reya, Aharon, then finally Ganan – all except Ganan have dressed up for the occasion. Melody shows them to their seats around a round table: Reya, then Udi, Aharon, Ganan, with her between Reya and Ganan. Wine is poured. Everyone but Ganan makes pleasant small-talk as the first course and main courses are served. Whilst they wait for desert Melody makes her proposal.

“We five, have been brought together. By our elders, by fate, by circumstance. And there is no denying that there is… history between some of us. But as this war wears on, it becomes clear – we have many battles left to fight, together. I did not have the advantage of growing up in the Realm, but I know something of our condition as Dragon-Blooded: we are stronger together than apart. No matter what our individual goals for this war are, we all want to survive. I propose we form a Sworn Kinship.”

Reya clears her throat, “I appreciate the sentiment Melody, but I think your timing might be a little off. Ganan and I-”

Ganan interrupts, “I’m in.”

Melody smiles at him and gives him a gracious nod. He curtly nods back and takes an obscenely large gulp of wine.

Reya brings her glass to her lips and takes a small sip, “I didn’t think you would say that. Do you care to elaborate on why?”

Ganan sucks his teeth, “Well I hate Aharon. I’m not overly fond of Udi. And you…” He waves a finger at Reya as everyone starts to realize exactly how much he’s had to drink and how little he’s said all night, “You threatened to never form a kinship with me again. But… Melody’s arguments are logical. We are fighting together. We do want to live. This will help with that. I don’t like it, but I have no counter-argument. So… to hell with how I feel. Emotions don’t matter. I’m in.”

Aharon slaps him on the back, “If Ganan’s in, then I’m in. Why you’d want to form a kinship with someone sent to spy on you, I still don’t understand. And I confess I’m a little worried that making you my brothers and sisters might damage my ‘chances’, but I know at least two of you are going to keep having sex… so…” He winks at Reya as Ganan forcibly removes his arm from his back, muttering something about hating him.

Melody smiles pleasantly at Udi, “Ledaal Ludila?”

Udi takes a deep breath, “Like Aharon, I am here to spy on you. Granted I thought Aharon was on my side.” She forces a smile, clearly still raw from Aharon’s treachery, “It’s presumptuous to assume I am free to make such a commitment.”

Melody shrugs, “Your superiors must have expected this. Meaning you are either free to make the commitment, or you have a better excuse.”

Udi looks at Reya, “I will Swear if Danireya will.”

Melody turns to Reya, “Sister?”

Reya looks around at the sea of expectant faces – only Ganan isn’t staring at her as he pours himself more wine. She pinches the bridge of her nose, “In this history of bad ideas, this is right up there with fighting against a Cathak-Peleps alliance and trying to get Mnemon and V’neef to work together. So… I guess I’m in.”

The dragons stand. Ganan puts his hand to the middle of the circle. Melody lays hers on top of his, then Udi, Aharon, and Reya. Together they speak the words of Kinship, Aharon’s truncated version finishing before the Dynasts. Their animas flare and merge together and a new Hearth is formed, and dessert is served.

****

Reya spends 8XP to train Storm-Gathering Fervor.
Melody spends 8XP to train Ailment Sensing Meditation.
Ganan spends 8DX to train Weapon-Breaking Defense Technique.
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Dynasty of Dovak