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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 78 – Places of Power – Ganan (270XP 216DX, 261/208 spent; 20WhP 68GP 17SP), Melody (270XP 216DX, 251/203 spent), Jinabar (270XP 216DX, 268/212 spent)

The sun hangs low in the sky as the Dynasts twitch nervously by the Gateway Tree.

Melody, Ganan, Tinkara, and Yochanan stand by the tree. Melody leans back, casually, against it. Ganan puts the finishing touches on a low defensive bluff (4SP). Jin pilots the siege strider with Whims in the gunnery position: they wait to one side, hidden in the tree-line. Aliset leads the remaining Dynasts who make a show of being ready for battle as they stand in the open, just a short charge away from the tree. Jorod has Clapper standing ready to charge in. Runes carved in stone pillars are set up around the clearing – new since the last time the

Melody slaps Ganan in the chest, “Look sharp, he’s coming.”

A moment later, the Dynasts see a disturbance in the forest: the trees start to sway, a change in the wind brings the sharp stench of death, and the low moan of the dead is carried to their ears.

Ganan stands straight and readies his firewand thumbing a cartridge into the breach. Tinkara readies her warclub. Yochanan and Melody both remain unarmed and stand arms folded ready to receive Oka.

Melody gives Yochanan the side eye, “Just let me do the talking.”

“This is my plan,” Yochanan says, “You let me do the talking.”

“Your plan?! We’re the ones who told you about the deal!” Melody hisses.

“I am the one who set up the only thing that’s going to make this plan work. Expecting you to fail. Which you did, ergo, my plan.”

Melody bites her tongue as Oka emerges from the tree line. He’s flanked by six giant figures, at least eight feet tall, wearing full plate armor. He lingers on the boarder of the clearing, just inside the runes that stop him teleporting away. He stares at them in silence. Ranks of massed zombies can be half-glimpsed through the trees – their numbers impossible to estimate.

Melody has to raise her voice to shout at him, “Well, are we negotiating this or not?”

The Gift of Merciful Silence shouts back at her, “There’s a lot of you to negotiate. Well-armed too. And your army is missing.”

“Don’t need the army, because this is going to go smoothly!” Melody yells back, “And you’re standing there with an army – you’re really going to complain about your aunt and nephew here?”

Yochanan glares and gestures for Tinkara and Ganan to back off.

“Come on,” Tinkara gestures.

“I don’t see why-” Ganan starts to grumble as he backs away from the Gateway Tree.

Cautiously, the Gift approaches. His honor guard advances a handful of paces and zombies start to filter out of the woods. The bulk of their numbers is still concealed as the dead linger at the edge of the clearing, allowing their master to go forward alone.

“I am surprised your Dynastic allies don’t want to make their demands in person.” The Gift says suspiciously once he has closed to a normal talking distance.

Melody lowers her voice, “Well, frankly I don’t trust you. But I know a little about the powers of the Deceivers – you’ll swear the terms of our ceasefire in front of Yochanan here. That’s not something my ‘Dynastic allies’ need to see too closely.”

The Gift scrutinizes Melody for a moment, trying to get a read on her intentions. “Yes, about that,” He begins slowly, directing his attention to Yochanan, “I had thought after the bloody nose you gave me in our last encounter, that it would be better to draw your out into the open and deal with you as an equal. But as you’re here without an army…” His gaze settles on Melody, “It seems I’m better served by killing you and just taking what I want!”

On cue, an enormous, armored Warstrider – fifteen feet high and made of bone and twisted sinew – rises up from its prone position in the tree line. The zombies break position and charge forward, flowing around The Gift’s honor guard like a river flowing around immovable boulders in the rapids.

The Gift moves forward in a blur. He strikes out at Melody, smashing into her with his warclub, sending her flying backwards. She skids to a halt, still on her feet, a short distance away from Ganan. He then turns his attention to Yochanan: Soulsteel meets orichalcum as their weapons clash, ringing out against each other as the evenly matched opponents block each other’s blows.

Ganan grins at Melody as he unloads his firewand. Almost effortlessly, the Gift smashes his club through the flames on the backswing of a deadly blow meant for Yochanan. The mark of the Unclean – a black circle, weeping blood – appears on his forehead. The ground trembles beneath Ganan as he attunes to the element of Earth.

Tinkara backs away as the Dragon-Blooded host charges forward.

Jin steers the siege strider out of the tree line. She’s careful to keep the main gun pointing toward The Gift’s forces, not trusting Whims not to betray them. She makes directly for the Gift’s Warstrider – the bonestrider turns and stomps toward the squat six-legged machine. It draws a massive, two-handed sword as it squares off against the fierce pincers of Jin’s war-machine.

Whims fires the main canon at the bonestrider. The blast rocks the necromantic creation back, and it crushes a handful of zombies underfoot as it staggers.

Without turning to look, Melody extends a hand, grabbing hold of Clapper’s harness and swinging up into the howdah – drawing her bow in the same fluid motion.

The Gift and Yochanan lock blows again. The glittering halo of the Deceiver appears on Yochanan’s brow as radiant darkness limes the outline of the Gift, creating an aura that seems to suck in all light.

As sparks fly between the blur of the anathema’s warclubs, Ganan thumbs another cartridge into his weapon, reloading and aiming at Oka in a single motion.

The tide of zombies reaches Yochanan. The white light of the sun outlines him in power: he and Oka seem untouchable among the masses of the dead.

Tinkara continues to withdraw as the Dragon-Blooded meet the ranks of the zombies. The dead melt away under their blows like a candle thrust into a blacksmith’s forge.

The bonestrider marches forward. Its movements look deceptively awkward as it brings its sword down on the siege strider. Jin raises a claw, catching the deadly blade in its pincers. The bonestrider strains and the siege strider groans under the pressure.

Jin swipes out with the other claw, smashing at the bone strider’s legs. The undead machine goes to one knee, the pressure of its sword strike lightening.

“Shoot this fucker now!” Jin screams at Whims.

Whims calls back desperately, “At this range we’ll be caught in the blast!”

“Fucking now!” Jin reiterates.

Whims fires at point-blank range. A singularity forms where the blast of essence strikes the chest-plate of the enemy war-machine. Bone and sinew are ripped away from the nightmare machine even as the armored plates of the siege strider groan under the awesome power of the blast. Warning lights flash red across Jin’s console as the strider is subjected to the colossal forces. The closest zombies are swept up into the air and are torn apart by the concentrated blast of essence.

Melody fires an arrow at the Gift. With his free hand, he snatches the arrow from the air with a sneer, blocking it just inches from his face. Melody pulses living essence through the arrow, trying to get it to explode into thorns as when Midnight Flamebough caught her arrow, but the necromantic energy of the Gift causes the wood to rot away to nothing – turning to harmless mulch. A bird made of pure shadow, flying on two wings of night, erupts from the Gift, as a pillar of pure darkness blasts into the sky.

Yochanan charges forward, a bird almost identical to the Gift’s, yet different in every way, trails behind him – a thunderbird made of purest golden light. Yochanan’s strike smashes past the Gift’s drives the Gift sprawling back toward the Dynasts.

Ganan dashes forward, wrestling the Gift into a body lock, pinning him down, as the sandstorm of his anima whips up around them both. The Gift’s black anima starts to crawl over his body… and the runes surrounding the Gateway Tree glow red with power.

“What have you done!” The Gift spits as he realizes he can’t teleport away.

Melody arm wheels as she spits arrows into the pinned Deathknight. The Gift rages, despite being pinned by Ganan, he moves with unnatural grace, twisting into shadows that shouldn’t exist as he tries to avoid Melody’s blows. No mortal archer could hit him, but Melody is no mortal archer – and her arrows drive home, causing the Gift to scream and curse.

The Dynasts push deeper into the zombie horde, the Gift’s elite honor guard finds them and matches them blow-for-blow.

The essence singularity strips metal plates from the siege strider. “Time to abandon ship!” Jin calls, ripping the Gateway Key from the central console and bailing out of the strider. Whims follows a half-second behind her. And the implosion blast detonates with extreme force. The bonestrider is ripped to pieces and the heavily mauled siege strider slumps forward with a whine of over-stressed metal. Jin flicks her wrackstaff out to its fighting length and prepares to join the fight.

Whims points his crossbow at Jin’s back, “Give me the Gateway Key, Cynis Jinabar.”

“Oh, son of a b-”

Ganan throws the Gift to the ground with bone breaking force. He follows up with the speed of an agata, driving his foot down in a series of stomping attacks. The Gift rolls and interposes his club, stopping Ganan from landing a telling blow.

Melody’s anima rises to full bloom as she looses a deadly arrow that buries itself in the Gift’s side. Ganan jumps backward, and the Gift pulls a face of confused relief. Until Clapper’s enormous foot smashes down on his prone form.

“Oka!” Yochanan screams, pushing Ganan aside. With strength that defies belief he lifts Clapper’s foot up one-handed and drags the Gift’s broken body out with the other.

****

Jin twirls her wrackstaff casually, “You better hope the first shot kills me. Because you sure as shit can’t take us all out. You’ve lost, zombie.”

Whims smiles affably, “If I were working for the Mask of Winters, all I need to do is open the gate. Because you ‘sure as shit’ can’t stop his army. Fortunately for us all, I just want to get back to Malfeas. And you want to get rid of me, it’s a win-win.”

“I’d love you to go to hell, Whims. But I’m not handing over the key.”

“That’s a pity, because I don’t just ‘want’ to go – I need a way back.” Whims fires his quarrel at Jin, who only barely manages to defect it with her wrackstaff.

****

“Step aside Yochanan, I’m finishing this.” Ganan pulls his tetsubo from his anima and squares off against the Solar Anathema.

Yochanan settles into a fighting position, guarding the downed Gift of Merciful Silence, “Don’t be a fool. He’s incapacitated, just as we planned. And you are no match for me.”

“At your full strength? Maybe not. But this charming light-show tells me you’re all but spent – and I haven’t even begun to fight.” Ganan takes careful aim and the power within his tetsubo builds.

Melody curses under her breath, “Gan, this isn’t the plan.”

Ganan tightens his grip as he and Yochanan start to probe each other. “It isn’t your plan. I see a chance to take out two anathema.” His tetsubo hums with power, “Call me crazy, but I feel like that’s the job.”

“You’re crazy!” Melody yells, “We don’t know how many zombies are still out there! The others are flagging…” She catches sight of Jin and Whims, “And Jin’s fighting Whims. We don’t have time for this.”

****

Jin closes in with Whims. She hooks her wrackstaff inside his guard and smashes a body blow against him.

Whims tosses his crossbow aside and pulls his scythe from the shadows of Elsewhere, “I’ll try and leave you alive.” He promises as they clash together.

****

Ganan blurs forward, his motion almost too fast to see as he unleashes an attack like no other. Descending with the force of the axis of Creation itself, he launches a blow impossible even for a prince of the earth to block.

Yochanan blocks it anyway. Catching Ganan’s two-handed blow with the tip of his warclub on a single out-stretched arm. Yochanan flexes, throwing Ganan off-balance, and counterattacks with a blow of his own. Ganan unleashes the god-metal flash, channeling the power of his bronze skin into a single point – allowing Yochanan to shatter his spell instead of his bones. The force of the blow drives sends him flying into the mass of zombies. Yochanan turns to glare at Melody.

Melody meets his gaze, “We’re good. Take your boy and get the hell out of here.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Yochanan says simply.

“A fine plan… before a hearth of the Realm’s finest saw you light up with the power of the sun. Before Ganan knew, this kingdom was all yours. When only me and Ganan knew, you still had a good shot. But Ganan’s right – you’re tapped and you can’t take us all. And I promise you, V’neef Aliset is not going to just let an Anathema walk away. So, take the win. Your sister is already half-way back to Dovak, ready to defend it with an intact army. You’ve got a bunch of Dynasts mopping up the last of the dead. And this is your chance to do the right thing for your son.”

“I need to take him somewhere out of the reach of the Realm.” Yochanan states levelly, flicking his eyes to the Gateway Tree.

Melody grimaces, “Oh, I knew you’d say that.”

****
Jin gets very little insight from the single word whispered to her that represents Whim’s biggest secret. So instead, she relies on brute force by unleashing a firestorm assault. Reigning powerful blows backed by the force of the fire dragon, Jin smashes Whim’s weapon aside, takes out his legs, then delivers a neck breaking finishing blow. Her anima rages around her in a roaring bonfire of flames.

Melody approaches with Yochanan dragging the Gift. She dismounts smartly, “Throw me the stone.”

****

Ganan skids to a halt in the middle of the zombie army. They rake him with bear claws and crude weapons, beating him into earth dragon form. For a moment he considers just powering through the zombies to get back to Yochanan, but he sees Muli struggling with a pair of the Gift’s champions.

Ganan snarls with frustration and goes to rescue his son, sending zombies hurtling out of his path with powerful sweeps of his tetsubo.

****

“Everyone wants this dragons-damned stone,” Jin mutters as she throws the gateway key to Melody.

Melody tosses the stone to Yochanan and points to Whims, “Is he going to be a problem?”

Jin shrugs, “He wanted to go through the gate, but not to the underworld.”

Yochanan picks up Whim’s corpse as if her were a child, showing no signs of struggling with the weight, “I guess that means he’s coming with us. Yu-Shan.”

Gateway Tree’s foliage changes to leaves of pure gold and the trunk splits in two and starts to form an arch. Slowly the appearance of the tree itself morphs into one of the gates of auspicious passage that lead from Creation to the heavens.

Yochanan stops at the threshold of the gateway and holds up the Gateway Key, “This is probably safer with me.”

Melody gestures at the siege strider, “I get not wanting to trust us with it. But if you don’t the Jadeborn are going to be pissed. We’ll take the stone back to the Blessed Isle with us – it will be thousands of miles away from here, almost as good, right?”

“And we’ll set the gate back to Creation.” Jin adds.

Yochanan tosses the stone back to Jin without a word and disappears through the gate.

“Omphalos.” Jin says, and the tree slowly returns to normal, closing the gateway to heaven behind the fleeing Solar.

****

Ganan drives his tetsubo into the ground, unleashing a mighty shockwave. The surrounding zombies fall to the ground, unable to keep their footing, and Ganan bats loose chunks of earth into their ranks, devastating them.

Ganan points his tetsubo at the closest of the Gift’s giants, “Two against one? Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”

Johon and Aliset use the reprieve to finish off the zombies, separating them from the giant champions. The other Dragon-Blooded resolve to do their best against the Gift’s champions.

The first of Ganan’s opponents, wielding a wickedly spiked mace barrels into him with powerful swipes from side-to-side. Even without his invulnerable skin, Ganan is still preternaturally tough and the blow does little more than bruise him.

The second wields a massive sword – as long as Abrojo, if not as wide. Calling on his immaculate training, Ganan takes the blow head on, the skin of the stone dragon hardening his body as the blade bludgeons him.

“We… should help him, shouldn’t we?” Jin asks hesitantly.

“Oh, fuck him. Go help the others. There’s six of them and six of us.” She drives Clapper toward her foes and unleashes an arrow at the sword wielding giant. The arrow rings off the suit of armor, like the ringing of a bell.

Jin eyes up an axe wielding giant who seems to be peeling off to chase down Jorod and Aliset. She harnesses the power of her anima and blasts a bolt of flame at the suit. The undead creature turns and sights Jin and starts lumbering toward her.

The remaining three giants find Dynastic opponents and they trade blows. Aliset and Jorod drive the zombies back to the treeline.

Ganan hammers the mace wielding giant, spinning in place to smash into it a second time, sending it hurtling backward.

Jin takes careful aim at the giant heading toward her.

Melody aims in a heartbeat, rocked into position by Clapper’s movements, and unleashes another shot. The thorns rip open the suit of armor, revealing to no-one’s surprise that the suit is hollow.

“Be careful! These aren’t your standard war ghosts!” Ganan warns, unnecessarily.

The axe wielding suit of animated armor reaches Jin, it sweeps it’s axe with surprising skill at Jin, who fails to deflect the blow. The axe rends across her armor, driving her back under the assault.

The sword wielding armor ignores Melody to swing at Ganan again, trying to beat him into the ground. Ganan stands firm against the onslaught.

The mace wielding suit of armor rises to its feet and shakes off Ganan’s powerful blow. It starts to lumber back to the combat.

Ganan smashes with a side on-strike, dealing severe damage to the long-sword wielding suit of armor and knocking them to the side. The blow is a vicious one, one that would crush the bones of a foe with bones, but the haunted armor is far from destroyed. Ganan backs up, putting some distance between him and the suit.

Jin lashes out with a blazing dragon strike. Her wrackstaff smashes into the breastplate of the armor leaving a dent, but not appreciably slowing the creature down.

Both the mace-wielding and the sword-wielding suit follow after Ganan. They both pelt with surprising speed toward him, but the mace-wielding suit is the only one able to keep pace.

Melody puts an arrow into the mace-wielding suit. It erupts into thorns, clogging the armors joints.

Jin’s anima burns at the construct, the flames licking at the undead suit of armor.

Jin circles her foe, battering the joints, as she tries to gain the advantage needed to land a telling blow.

Melody steers Clapper to keep him at range from the undead, and fires another shot at the mace wielding suit. Her arrow explodes into thorns again, tearing at the creature.

Ganan launches himself forward again and barrels into the mace-wielding giant. With the fury of a wolverine, he topples the much larger creature over, knocking it prone.

The mace-wielding suit swings at Ganan’s legs. Ganan hardens his body against the blow. The eight-foot-tall giant suit of armor is strong, but Ganan is tougher, and he keeps his footing.

Ganan’s counterassault gives the sword-suit the chance to catch up. Ganan’s essence is spent, and the suits attack sends him reeling backward. The sword-suit presses the attack, swinging at Ganan with a strike meant to decapitate. Ganan ducks under the blow and the suit over-extends.

Jin’s axe wielding foe swings at her, but she easily deflects the blade with her dragon-given skill.

With her foe over-extended, and her superiority in combat proven, Jin launches a second firestorm assault, raining a triple attack onto the undead construct. She smiles smugly to herself as every blow lands with devastating force, but the smile soon fades – the creature is badly mauled, but not down.

The sword-wielding giant swings again, driving its blade into Ganan’s abdomen, impaling him on his sword.

Melody fires an arrow at the downed mace-wielder. The arrow explodes into a mess of vines which engulf the suit, growing between the plates and twisting into the joints.

The mace wielding suit struggles up to its feet, the weight of the vines pulling it down. It swings at Ganan, pinned by its fellow’s sword. Its mace strikes Ganan full in the face. Ganan just grins at the blow.

Ganan forces his body up the sword impaling him to ram his tetsubo into the construct’s head. The blow rings like a gong as Ganan gets a second-wind. He delivers another blow which drives his foe to the ground. The sword comes free of his abdomen with a sickening sucking sound.

Jin’s anima continues to burn her foe. The armors joints start to melt and stick together. Ganan roars as he pulses essence through his anima – both his foes are knocked back by the surging energies of the earth.

Ganan staggers back to Melody’s side. Clapper’s large body is a reassuring presence.

Melody takes aim at the downed sword-wielding suit.

Feeling the blessings of the Dragons, Jin continues to attack her foe, battering against the suit of armor. She feels her essence rising as she builds power.

The mace-wielding suit painstakingly tries to pull itself forward. It tries to rush at Ganan but fails pitifully. The sword-wielding suit rises to its feet.

Jin’s opponent swings its blade again, but Jin’s essence smoothed movements easily keep her one-step ahead of her foe.

Ganan backs up again, splitting up from Melody. He feels his strength returning to his body.

Jin’s movements are like butter in a hot pan. She has achieved domination over her foe, her essence-based movements slipping easily through the axe-wielder’s guard.

Melody fires at the sword-suit, driving an arrow into the lumbering giant and spurring Clapper to trot out of range of the mace-suit.

The axe-suit swings at Jin, who easily deflects the blows. The mace- and sword- suits both try to close with Ganan. Melody’s twisting vines crush and pull down the mace-suit. The living vines utterly consume the ghostly suit, which gives a howl of violent desperation as Melody’s essence consumes the giant.

Jin’s anima continues to burn at the suit, and she drives her wrackstaff bodily into the creature. The shoulder joint buckles under Jin’s burning assault.

Melody spurs Clapper toward the sword suit. The Shieldback lizard slaps the ground and hisses creating a riotous distraction.

Ganan waits for the sword-suit to close with him before bolting forward and swinging his tetsubo. The giant’s giant sword comes down as Ganan swings his weapon upward. Ganan’s blow strikes true, devastating the suit, smashing it to pieces.

Jin clashes with the axe-suit’s clumsy attacks – a riot of clouds spreading out from their combat, invigorating the nearby Dragon-Blooded who are struggling with their own foes.

Jorod and Aliset finish off the zombies, Jin finally destroys her opponent, and the remaining Dragon-Blooded gang-up on the last three giant suits of animated armor.

****

Muli shakes his head in disbelief when he sees his father’s wounds. He starts to bandage the gaping hole in Ganan’s torso.

“It’s just a flesh wound.” Ganan insists, having had most of his major organs pierces through by a massive sword. He looks around gingerly, “Where are the Anathema?”

“Escaped,” Melody replies simply, “Through the Gateway Tree.”

Aliset makes a sour-face, “I assume you knew?”

Melody holds Aliset’s gaze for a long moment, “Mid-fight, whilst you were being slaughtered by those suits of armor, Ganan stopped fighting the dead to try to bring down the Solar. We united with the Dovaks to stop the Mask of Winters, anathema or not, I don’t regret that decision. As I said, we were addled. Yochanan did something to our memories – I didn’t even remember giving my child to your grandmother’s care. Now I do. Yochanan being anathema? Obviously, I know that now: I’ve been upfront with you about this entire situation from the beginning.”

Tepet Darik speaks up, “We’ve won, right? The Mask of Winters remains sealed in the Underworld? The Anathema are gone? Army of the Dead destroyed?”

Jin collapses her wrackstaff and hi-fives Darik, “This is what winning looks like. Right brother? Nephew? Nephew-in-law? Sister-in-law-in-law? Niece-in-law-in-law-in-law? Wow… I am related to most of you. Adopt me, Darik?”

“My guts are spilling the contents of my digestive system into my abdominal cavity,” Ganan says jocularly as Muli works wrist deep inside him, “And yet you still manage to be more full-of-shit than me.” Ganan grins from ear-to-ear at his sister.

“I suppose,” Aliset says, her expression softening, “We’ve driven off the Anathema and preserved the local garrison. I am willing to call this a successful mission. I just have to take you back to the Blessed Isle.”

Ganan points at the wrecked siege strider, “We should probably fix and return that. And it’ll take time to arrange suitable transport for Clapper.”

Melody wags a warning finger at Ganan, “You shouldn’t be talking. Or moving. Or conscious. Lay down and let Muli work.” She turns her attention o Muli, “Do you want me to sedate him?”

Muli snorts, “Do you think it would help?”

****

Melody and Muli patch the battered Dynasts up. Jin calls on her archons to send word to Dovak and scout for any more enemy forces.

Ganan drags himself over to the battered siege strider.

“You really shouldn’t be up,” Melody admonishes as Ganan collects the battle-damaged parts of the strider that litter the battlefield.

Ganan grimaces, his voice raw with a pain that isn’t physical, “We won’t get another shot at stopping him.”

Melody nods slowly, “We did what we had to do. You didn’t have a chance of stopping him today: the anathema are too powerful.”

“He lifted Clapper and battered me aside with one blow,” Ganan shakes his head in sorrow, “Melody, what have we done?”

“What we had to do to save Creation,” Melody answers, “Yochanan didn’t have to come to us. If you’re worried about him just growing stronger somewhere… out there,” She gestures vaguely, “He didn’t have to come to us. He came to us to stop the Mask of Winters, and we stopped him. We didn’t let the anathema go – the anathema was already loose. We are in no worse position now, than we were a month ago. We’re in a lot better position now.”

Ganan balls his hands into fists then untenses them.

“And we’ve got a war strider!” Jin adds chipperly, dismissing Mott as she walks over.

“It’s a siege strider, and we’re giving it back as soon as Ganan has got it working.” Melody looks over to Ganan, “You can get it working, right?”

Ganan makes a fifty-fifty gesture, “It’s not that badly damaged. Given that it took an implosion vortex at point-blank range. We could probably get it moving toward Hiram… now? But it needs maintenance, and if we try to drive it in this condition, it might fall apart on the way. Give me the right tools, I can patch it up in… two days.”

“That’s not too-” Melody begins.

Jin cuts her off, “Define ‘right tools’. How long is it going to take to get the right tools? With Lookshy an ash pile, are there tools on this continent you can use?”

(Melody turns to Jin, “Thank you, I can’t believe I almost fell for that.”

Jin shakes her head, “Rookie mistake.”)

“Well...” Ganan begins, “A blacksmiths cart, some glass blowing gear… do you want me to make a list? It’s about a wagons worth of stuff: Clapper could haul it all, no problem. Dovak won’t have it all, but I can make do with what there is.” Ganan spits on his hands, which sizzles as they heat red-hot. He smooths out the bent metal plates by hand and spot wielding them into place with his own essence.

Jin waves Mott over and Ganan gives the archon the list of required tools.

****

Jin and Melody go to see Aliset.

Jin takes the lead, “We need a few days – two or three – to get this Jadeborn machine fixed and returned.”

Aliset folds her arms, “Given the confirmed Anathema sighting, I’d rather return sooner.”

“We’re not stopping you,” Jin smiles broadly.

Aliset looks to Melody for support.

“The Jadeborn were able to ship a contingent of warriors here in good speed,” Melody offers, “If we return their priceless technology in good condition, and they might have a way back to the Blessed Isle that’s quicker than a three-week march through the forest and chartering a ship across the sea. Two-day delay now might shave a couple of weeks off our journey time.”

“I’m hearing ‘if’ and ‘might’, Admiral Melody. Contrasted against a certainty of seeing two anathema escape this Satrapy.”

“As Cynis Jinabar says, you’re welcome to leave for the Isle now. You wanted to know what was going on in Dovak? It was conquered, illegally, by House Cynis and a Deathknight. We rooted out House Cynis and the Deathknight is fled. You wanted to find out where I was? You found me – stopping the Mask of Winters. And together, we did stop the Mask of Winters. That’s a successful mission. Believe me, we all want to get back to the Blessed Isle as soon as possible-”

“Well, I am exiled. Technically.” Jin chimes in, “And Ganan probably wants to go find his wife and daughter.”

“I want to get back to the Blessed Isle as soon as possible-”

“Oh, I want to come home. But I need one of those Tepet adoptions first.” Jin interrupts again.

Melody ignores her and continues with her point, “I’m asking you to trust me, because I want to help you. But if you don’t want my help, by all means, head back for the Isle now. Give the Empress a true account of everything that’s happened here – from your own point of view, without my interference. I will stand on my record. And, frankly, I expect I’ll beat you home.”

Aliset holds up her hands in defeat, “You win, mother. I trust you. We’ll give you your two days. But I’m not camping in the woods. My hearth will return to Dovak and make clear to the… queen(?) that whatever deal her anathema brother made with you, that does not apply between her and the Empress. She should expect an Rulinsei Satrap.”

Melody sighs, “If Rulinsei wants Dovak that badly, I’m not going to get in her way. But there’s going to be two very angry – very powerful – anathema out there with a score to settle if she tries to extract tribute here. If she can get the tribute to Jiara, or any other port, the Merchant Fleet will give her a considerable discount on shipping it back to the Blessed Isle as recompense.”

Aliset visibility relaxes, “Alright then, it seems we’re all agreed.”

****

Ganan works on repairing the siege strider. He is pleasantly surprised when Mott arrives with, not only the cartloads of tools and raw materials he asked for, but the Jadeborn tools Lady Magnificent stole from Hiram. He works to clear off as much of the damage as he can (-60SP: 12GP, 1SP), but after only a day’s work he announces that there’s nothing else he can do without more sophisticated parts and tools.

“Well, it looks… okay?” Jin says walking slowly around the machine, “It’ll drive back to Hiram, right? I know you said it’d drive yesterday, I mean, it’ll drive back without breaking down.”

“Yes!” Ganan says confidently, folding his arms over his chest. He looks suspiciously ill at ease though.

Melody points at the cockpit, “If I climb into the driver’s seat, how many red-lights are going to come on?”

Ganan shifts his weight from foot-to-foot, “Well… it’s obviously not fully repaired… But I’m confident that if it breaks down on the way, I’ll be able to get it going again.”

“Without having to stop for more parts and tools?” Jin asks, climbing into the cockpit and socketing the Gateway Key. A lot of red lights show on the display.

“Of course!” Ganan responds, indignantly, “I mean, Melody should bring Clapper and the cart full of tools with us.”

“Uh-huh,” Jin says, skeptically. She sets her words on the wind, instructing her archons to round up Aliset’s kinship and meet them in Hiram.

****

The siege strider makes groaning noises of protest all the way from the Gateway Tree to Hiram. But it gets there. Aliset and her hearth meet our heroes and together they return the siege strider to Jade Walker.

Jade Walker is unimpressed, “I suppose it’s in better condition than last time.”

Jin smiles sweetly, “Excellent. Then the Deathknight is removed and your artifact is returned. The Realm thanks you for your service, and our business is concluded. Yes?”

Jade Walker nods, slowly, and uncertainly.

“Excellent!” Jin wastes no time seizing on her hesitation, “Now then, as our business has concluded on favorable terms, on to the next matter of business. Yochanan hired Jadeborn warriors, but they didn’t come from here. I understand they came from Dijak and Lutar. We’re trying to get back to the Blessed Isle: is there some way to travel back there… at speed?”

Jade Walker seems hesitant to answer that question. Jin pushes a little, laying a confidence inspiring hand on her shoulder.

“After all, the sooner we’re gone, the sooner we’re gone.”

“Well…” Jade Walker considers, “There is that. Lutar is a settlement to the east and north. Dijak is in the south, near Mount Eledath.”

(“Where?” Ganan whispers to Melody.

“Bent Creek.” She whispers back.)

“So… no closer to the Blessed Isle then?” Jin confirms, disappointedly.

“You might be able to go from Dijak to the Imperial Mountain. But your Shieldback lizard would never fit.” Jade Walker tents her fingers.

Aliset mutters something about this venture being a waste of time.

“So, we’re all clear,” Melody asks, “Fit where?”

Jade Walker leaders them through Hiram to yet another new set of subterranean tunnels. “Tunnel cars move at three hundred miles an hour. They can only carry ten, and they are limited to fixed destinations.”

“By Pasiap!” Ganan exclaims, “We could be back on the Blessed Isle in a day.”

Melody opens her mouth to protest, stops, counts markers off on her fingers, then closes her mouth as she realizes Ganan is right. She pulls a face of consternation, “Well, I’m still not leaving Clapper behind.”

Jin smiles apologetically to Jade Walker and V’neef Aliset, “She really likes that lizard. You don’t have any other way of getting around quickly?”

“Not to the Blessed Isle. And nothing that’ll take something the size of a Shieldback lizard.” Jade Walker confirms dourly.

A new voice sounds from behind the group – it’s Jubilant Ore, “Well, the teleportation grid would work.”

Ganan’s eyes narrow, “The what?”

****

Aliset and her hearth agree to take the tunnel car – if nothing else they can send a heliograph to the Imperial City from Juche, and the chance to shave their journey time down to a single day is too good to pass up. It takes a few minutes for the tunnel car to arrive, and then the Dynasts part ways.

Melody hugs and kisses her son and her daughter-in-law, before giving her nephew and his husband a tight squeeze, and a respectful salute for Tepet Darik. Ganan clasps his son by the forearm and gives the others a slight nod. Jin is properly formal.

They watch their allies hurtle away into a dark tunnel. Ganan turns to Jubilant Ore and rubs his hand together gleefully, “You said something about a teleportation chamber?”

****

Jubilant Ore leads them across the city, talking animatedly as they go:

“It’s actually a fascinating concept. Consider… what if you dug a tunnel from Juche to the Imperial City? What if that tunnel collapsed and was filled with dirt? And what if you excavated that dirt – would the hole you made be the same tunnel? And if it isn’t the same tunnel, how could you tell the difference?”

Melody scratches her head.

Ganan answers slowly, “We have a similar… conundrum. At least I think it’s similar. ‘The Ship of Daana’d’.”

(“Where she burned the boats?” Melody asks.

“Not specifically. Daana’d was so long at sea that every plank on her ship was replaced over the course of the war – is it the same ship after every inch of wood has been replaced? And when it was finally scuttled, the ruined planks were restored by a miracle of Sextus Jylis, and a new ship built from them, though Daana’d herself never set foot on it – is that ship the original ship of Daana’d?”)

Melody is puzzled, “What does this have to do with… oh hell no!”

Before them is a shimmering haze, like a heat mirage. On the other side of the haze is a room filled with green gas, a crystal control panel is on the far side of the room, and a large gem is set into the ceiling.

Ganan’s jaw tightens with an audible “pop”.

Jin walks up to the shimmering forcefield holding the gas in, “So… what? This thing makes tunnels? Builds ships? Fill me in here.”

“It’s a disintegration chamber,” Melody answers before Jubilant Ore can speak, “One of these killed our hearthmate.”

Jin casts a disappointed look at Jubilant Ore, “Jubi, are you trying to kill us? I thought we were friends.”

“This is not a disintegration chamber. I don’t even know what a disintegration chamber is, though disintegration is part of the process. This is a teleportation chamber. The crystal array in the ceiling breaks down solid matter and transports it – instantaneously – to a new location.”

Ganan’s entire expression changes, “You mean to say that after disintegrating it… transports and reintegrates?”

“It has to be to another chamber. And, unfortunately, the only chamber big enough for your mount and all of you is not on the Blessed Isle it’s…”

“It’s in the Lap.” Ganan and Jin say simultaneously, each remembering visiting the chamber with Aharon.

Jubilant ore pulls a face, “No, it’s at the base of a great statue forged in the First Age called ‘the Penitent’.”

“That’s the Lap.” Melody clarifies, “I suppose that would be useful if we were trying to get to the Lap.”

“I’m going. Teleport me.” Ganan interrupts.

“Gan!” Melody reproves, “We need to get back to the Blessed Isle. If this thing isn’t just going to kill us like it killed Aharon, going to the Lap doesn’t help us.”

“Actually,” Jin says, “The Lap has a lot of bulk traffic. (You should know that Melody.) You could easily find a ship to transport Clapper. And, I’m still in exile. Travel to the Lap suits me – nothing ever happens in the Lap and I have a lot of allies there. It’s a good place to lay low.”

“And technically,” Ganan adds, “You need to get to the Blessed Isle. My wife and child went missing from Paragon. Going to the Lap is heading in the right direction for me. And more importantly… if this is a teleportation chamber… Aharon was the one who showed us the chamber in the Lap… what if… what if he’s not dead? What if he just transported himself to the Lap?”

Melody softens her voice, “Gan… you saw what happened to Aharon. He trusted you with his artifacts right before it happened.”

“Because we needed them. We needed every advantage, and if Aharon was just… just going home, then he didn’t need them.”

Melody closes her eyes and probes the void that once held their hearthmate, “Gan, I don’t sense him. I haven’t been able to sense him since… since he died.”

Jin interrupts, “You mean, ‘since he was disintegrated’.” She turns to her brother and Jubilant Ore, “I know you can’t dig half a hole, but you can dig half a tunnel. Is it possible to get ‘stuck’ between disintegration and reintegration?”

Jubilant Ore looks morbidly fascinated, “It’s not a fault I’ve ever heard of occurring. If you try to transport into a security restricted chamber, there can be a delay before you’re bounced back to your original location though – manual reintegration can be used in such cases.”

Ganan snaps his fingers and points at Jubilant Ore, “We can’t sense him, because he’s not anywhere to sense. But with manual reintegration… maybe I can save him!”

“If these things really ‘teleport’ and don’t just kill whoever goes in there!” Melody snaps.

“Whom.”

Whilst Melody and Ganan bicker, Jubilant Ore enters the chamber and teleports. Ganan stops mid-sentence to watch her work the controls. Her body is torn apart right in front of them by the same bright light that killed Aharon.

“Well, she’s dead.” Melody quips.

After a few minutes Jubilant Ore returns holding up a bottle of frozen lightning. “Furthest reaches north and back again instantly. If you want to leave your Shieldback lizard behind, I can send you to far more interesting places.”

Melody doesn’t have a response to this. As the warding gas is no longer present, Ganan walks into the chamber and starts studying the controls. Jin and her archons follow.

(Jin starts chanting “peer pressure” over and over again under her breath in a barely audible whisper.)

Without turning round, Ganan makes the case for Melody to join them. “We can charter a ship from the Lap to Arjuf for Clapper. I’m sure Liir or Coren could take Clapper to the City for you. When we find Reya, she can zip you across the Inland Sea.”

(Jin is flabbergasted, “That’s so dangerous! Why would you ever do that? There’s like, a thirty percent chance of dying!”)

Melody exhales heavily through her nose, “Okay, fine.” She leads Clapper into the teleportation chamber and gives the signal for Jubilant Ore to transport them. “Wait a second. This Ship of Daana’d thing? Is that… is that us? Is this going to kill us? The create indistinguishable copies in the Lap? Are well still going to be-”

Bright white light fills the room. There’s a moment of scouring pain as our heroes are reduced to their fundamental components. Black spots swim before their eyes and the light subsides.

“Us?” Melody concludes.

They blink and rub their eyes. Several of Jin’s archons throw up. They look around: the chamber itself looks almost identical, but the room beyond isn’t the Jadeborn settlement they just left. Ganan and Jin both recognize where they are – Aharon Saber Edge used to obsess about this chamber, thinking it would lead deep inside the Penitent.

“Did it work?” Melody asks.

Jin nods, “This is the Lap. Aharon was obsessed with-”

“She’s here!” Ganan says grinning from ear-to-ear and pelting out of the chamber and out-of-sight.

Jin turns to Melody, “I’m going to go ahead and assume that’s Danireya and I’m guessing she’s about 500 yards… that way.” Jin points.

Melody reaches out with her bond to her hearthmate, “That’s… right. How did you know that?”

Jin rolls her eyes, “Oh, let me count the number of ways this is going to go wrong. Mott, book a bulk transport for Clapper, get the guys straightened up, and meet us at Safe House 1.” She turns her attention back to Melody, “You’re… you’re pretty sure Aharon is dead, right?”

****

Jin spends 8XP to train Smoldering Essence Attack.
- 85
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- 87
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Dynasty of Dovak