Session 20220630 Report
General Summary
Marag-ang took Ten Ox Meditation
Mathias Stormcrow took Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit
Saturnday 21st Resplendent Wood, Calendar
Little Raven gives his prepared speech to sway the crowd of monks in the amphitheatre and convince them that Solars are heroes rather than Anathema. Thanks to the preparation of the party, his Charms and ability at rhetoric he eventually convinces most of them, but during the process he also use Mastery of Small Manners to determine that a nondescript monk at the rear of assembly had as his motives determine if this conclave is a threat to the Realm, and get out of An-Teng (suggesting there is some reason they cannot simply leave). At the conclusion of the speech the suspicious monk attempts to sneak out, but Mathias moves to intercept them and makes a magnificent (and un-enhanced) job of talking them into relaxing and surrendering, but an instant of clarity crosses their face and suddenly they are gone and were never present. The PCs remember both sets of events but cannot find any physical evidence the monk was ever present, and no-one reacts to some sort of vanishing holy man. Searching for people leaving town does not locate the monk. Mathias believes the monk suspects (but cannot be sure) that he is also a Solar, and in turn suspects the other of being a Lunar Exalted - the Charm used is not a Solar one and is too powerful for a Dragon-Blooded.
Back in town Mathias checks in with the garrison and finds that they are attempting to decide whether they should be searching for Solars, he spots that middling-high members of the Prince's government are leaving the palace and convinces the Islanders they should follow them instead (to protect them), ending with two or three guards following each official, who when they realise they are observed stop moving with purpose and just wander around the town aimlessly, the Stormcrow stays near the palace and sees one last official sneaking out in outerwear borrowed from a palace servant, he follows, sees the man remove his disguise and ask people about finding "the Solar" with small silver bribes to encourage cooperation. At the same time many Monks of the Golden Lord are spreading the new orthodoxy about Solars through the town (they are bringing religious freedom from the Immaculate Order and probably political freedom from the Realm.
Sunday 22nd Resplendent Wood
Today mixed groups of servants and officials leave the palace, drawing the attention of the garrison before individual officials slip away from the groups unfollowed, Mathias waits outside for the same official as yesterday (who never appears) while Marag wanders the town waiting for someone to bribe him. When they do he claims he knows "the Solar" whereupon the official invites that worthy to visit the palace, Marag counters with an offer to arrange a meeting in the amphitheatre for midnight which the official cannot agree to but will pass on.
By midnight the three Solars are lurking in the amphitheatre, with Copper Scorpion and Mathias well hidden towards the outskirts and Marag invisible (using Invisible Statue Spirit) at the centre. A group of bats fly in and around, realising that they must be checking for him Marag becomes visible and a few minutes later a man in a cast bronze bat mask walks in. He introduces himself as Spiralling Hope of the Night-Blooming family and invites Marag (who is going by Little Raven) to the Palace. Mastery of Small Manners reveals his motives as "loyally serve the Prince" so they go, with Mathias following at a distance. Reaching a secret door outside the walls, Hope uses a complicated knock to signal someone inside to open it (no mechanism to open from the outside), then they continue along the secret passage into the palace proper. Mathias waits a little while (correctly hoping no-one will remain at the door) then enters using Door-Evading Technique and follows along.
In a well-appointed room waits the High Prince sitting on a chair not quite a throne, with a bronze mask of a tiger sitting on an end table next to him, and standing behind is a large man wearing yet another mask, this one of a gorilla. After a brief discussion Marag can tell none of them are Solars or Death Knights, and that the Prince's motives are to determine if Marag is really a Solar and if will be able to help the Prince. Pushing with this information (basically proving his Solarness) he asks what the Prince wants help with, which turns out to be finding out how Dawnlit Snow (his wife) actually died, since falling down stairs by herself seems unlikely. From just outside the room Mathias can smell at least two tigers, and hear one in the room on the other side of the meeting. Little Raven suggests Jawbone Echoes to question the corpse, the Prince says they have already tried Necromancy (Thaumaturgical not Enlightened) but has no objections, Marag also mentions the existence of Death Revealing Technique and hints he could learn it for sufficient payment, but the Prince doesn't respond to the suggestion. Spiralling Hope leads Marag-ang down to a crypt beneath the palace where the princesses skeleton (first exposed to birds to free it from flesh). Taking an hour he casts the ritual, asking the question "Who killed you" and gets the answer "Only saw them from the corners of my eye as they chased me, and heard the horrible howls". Not wanting to risk breaking the jaw Marag and Mathias consider what to ask first, and wonder if the howls indicate the involvement of a shape shifted Lunar. At this point both realise they cannot remember what the disappearing monk looked like, which seems strange.
Rewards Granted
Marag took Ten Ox Meditation
Stormcrow took Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit