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"Ten Thousand, you cannot be serious. These 'deathknights' are a serious threat to the Prophecy. We cannot affort the -time- to study them." Tomorrow's Flower Haddad looks quite annoyed at his colleague's suggestion.
"So you suggest that we destroy them out of hand?"
Arkadi nervously flips his cigarette around in his fingers...they just HAD to make the meeting room a non-smokign area...
Malic looks around, hrming..
"It worked well enough with the other Celestial Exalted. If these beings are more of the same, then the decision we made then still holds, and we must carry it out."
<Malic> "The Dragon-Blooded haven't been very successful in destroying the Deathknights, though..If I may say so."
<Arkadi> "Not to mention the Celestials came back."
Haddad nods to the two younger Sidereals. "The Dragon-Blooded aren't our only tools in this matter, however. What say you?"
Gia blushes bright red all of a sudden and shifts nervously in her seat.
<Malic> "Well. It's them. Or you know, us. And there's more of them. They're better at it."
<Arkadi> "..well, I can vouch that the deathknights hit like a bloody triphammer."
Gia speaks up. "I have no doubt of the Terrestrial's use as tools. I am less comfortable with their use as weapons.
<willows> Aramis Ber, the Chosen of Journeys serving as Arkadi's Sifu, toys with a citrine-encrusted scepter. "What do you mean by that, Esara Gia?"
Gia takes a deep breath, glancing around at some of the most powerful Sidereals in the bureau. "Certainly, with my relative inexperience as one chosen of the Maidens, I may not see the entire situation. But I have seen these Deathknights, and bested one twice.. And while it was not a real test of my ability, I doubt a Dragon-Blood could have fared half as well as I did."
<Malic> "Well, thats why you send 20 or so."
<Arkadi> "With a couple of dragons of infantry behind them."
<Gia> "Power is in perception, Brother Malic. If we advertise the Deathknights as a true threat, a serious threat, it may weaken the people's faith in the Realm. There are already so many other factors threatening the balance and stability that the Realm provides, that pointing out another serious threat may weaken the apparent strength of the Terrestrials."
<Arkadi> "...so despite the fact they ARE an actual serious threat, a tleast in my estimation...we can't use our biggest knife to off them ?'
<Malic> "Right."
Gia shrugs slightly. "We can. I am simply saying that the strength of the Terrestrials is as tools. We put them on a pedestal and show that they're incredibly powerful, godlike beings. The more threats that seem greater than the tools, the weaker those tools seem. This may be a threat better taken care of in another way than throwing Terrestrials at the Deathknights until they're gone."
Arkadi tries to voice his opinion on just how utterly, completely ass-backwards that line of reaosning is....and comes to the conclusion he can't find the words...so he just takes a sip of his juice
<Arkadi> (not Gai's second line, Mal's)
<Malic> "Most threats go away pretty fast when you do that."
Arkadi 's pride in his home nation overrides his line of reasonign in the argument 'Tell that to Lookshy."
Arkadi winces as he realized he just destroyed his line of reasoning, and swears to himself softly
<Gia> A decidedly feline smile rests on Gia's lips.
Arkadi chalks it up to his inability to chain-smoke right now
<Arkadi> "ANYWAYS...moving to the original topic of conversation...the deathknights are a threat...but I do agree that we need to know more about what we're dealing with."
<Gia> "Personally, I am more interested in what our elders have to say," Gia murmurs as she looks around the room.
<willows> Ten Thousand Virtues murmurs, "Hmm...we -could- bring one in for examination." Black Ice Shadow gives his Sifu an alarmed look.
<willows> "Of all of us, you five are the most immediately familiar with current affairs outside the Realm," Chejop observes. "Perhaps you should be leading us."
<Arkadi> "I don't recommend bringing one in, sir."
<Arkadi> "You may as well just give them a slip of paper saying 'this way into Yu-Shan! Don't bother wiping your feet at the door!'"
<Gia> "One has already breached the gates, and it resulted in death." Gia looks somber. "I see no need for a Deathknight to enter the gates once more."
Arkadi , for once, agrees with Gia
<willows> Aramis nods. "They're right. Once we open the door, it will be difficult to shut."
<Malic> "Since the Solars HAVE returned and, for the moment, are impossible to dispatch en masse, it would be relativly simple to have the Golds turn them against the Deathknights. Combined with the...well I guess they still call it the Wyld Hunt, they might be useful."
<willows> The two Endings Caste look put out.
<Gia> "I would be hesitant to put this task in the hands of newly-recruited Solars, however. If the Gold has Solars which they give some semblance of trust.. That would make a good trial, as it were."
<Arkadi> "Makes sense..."
<willows> Chejop whispers something in Haddad's ear and grins conspiratorially, then stands up. "I've said what I need to say here. I trust that you all will come to some decision in the matter."
Gia looks surprised. "Thank you for your time, sir."
Arkadi chokes on his drink
<Arkadi> *cough*sputter*hack* "You w-what?"
Gia kicks Arkadi under the table.
<Gia> "Show some respect," she whispers.
Osprey enters the chamber just as Chejop leaves. He bows respectufully to the elder Sidereal, then joins his comrades.
<Gia> "Brother Osprey." Gia smiles. "It's good to see you. You missed a most surprising meeting."
Osprey nods to Gia and sits down. "I apologize; I was unavoiably delayed."
<Gia> "In short, Kejak wants us to use our own judgement and do what we think is best," Gia states flatly.
<Osprey> Both of Osprey's eyebrows rise. "That is indeed surprising," he agrees mildly.
<Gia> "Now we just have to figure out what we think is best." Gia sighs slightly.
Osprey looks around at the other Sidereals gathered in the room.
Osprey looks at his comrades.
<Osprey> "Perhaps we should retire, then, to discuss our plan of action?" he suggests.
<Gia> "Yes, that sounds like a good idea."
Arkadi nods
Osprey casts his eye back over the other Sidereals, who are talking amongst themselves. Some seem confused by Chejop's decree, others upset, but none of them look particularly thrilled. "It might help us to deal with our colleagues if we were able to present a unified front."
<Osprey> "They do not seem to share our esteemed elder's high opinion of our abilities."
<Gia> "To say the least."
Malic sighs and leans back in his seat. "Well of course not. They're elders and they have their own opinions of our abilities, which are obviously not theirs. So. What would you like to do?"
<Gia> "Discuss this in private."
<willows> ------------
<Osprey> Several hours later, in Gia's Manse...
<Osprey> The group has spent a long time arguing, and virtually none making actual progress.
<Gia> "This is really not good. We've been imbued with responsibility, and we're doing nothing to prove that we're ready for it."
<Osprey> Hollow Moth excused herself more than an hour ago, claiming that the lack of progress was giving her a headache.
Malic is spending the majority of his time playing a complicated game with a long bit of string. Idly pulling it taut, Malic forms the picture of the Deathknight they battled in Skullstone. "So..we should do something, as I said."
<Malic> "What should we do? The Solars? The Dragon-Blooded?"
<Arkadi> "Well, which has less chance of biting us in the ass?"
<Gia> "You know, I really wonder if either are the correct answer."
<Arkadi> "I think that right now, we're deep into the shades fo grey."
<Malic> "The Realm's busy fucking itself more ways then they have lances, they can't mobilize enough Dragon-Blooded to defeat the Deathknights anymore then they can get their heads far enough out of the way to let their husbands impregante them."
<Malic> "The Solars? Well, which ones? How many? Where? And they're just a whole lot of work in general."
<Malic> "The Sidereals? Well, who and inbetween what memo-writting spree?"
<Osprey> "There is one group of Exalted who have not yet been mentioned," Osprey points out.
<Arkadi> "Oh Sextes..."
<Arkadi> "You don't mean *them*"
<Gia> "Who has such strong ties to the Lunars, to use them for such a thing?"
Osprey folds his arms. "The Chosen of Luna are mightier in battle than the Terrestrial Exalted, and are far more established than the newly-returned Solars."
<Arkadi> "And easier to find, too...I know."
<Arkadi> "...it would avoid the factional infighting, too."
<Arkadi> "Doesn't mean I *like* it."
<Gia> "I think Brother Osprey found the only solution that is insane enough to work."
<Osprey> "If we wish to turn two threats against one another, having Ma-Ha-Suchi and his brethren fight the Deathlords would be much more likely to yield results than relying on scattered Solars, or the unstable Realm."
Osprey rubs his temples.
<Malic> "If you'd like to convince the Lunars to help you, please, do. I've only met one and she was more interested in slaughtering the inhabitants of Gheede with her army of slug-children then talking to me."
<Gia> "Perhaps you didn't offer the right incentive."
<Malic> "She was focused on the slaughter.
<Osprey> "That is the problem," concedes Osprey, tiredly. "The children of the moon, rightly or not, feel wronged by civilization, and by the Fivescore Fellowship."
<Osprey> "Dealing with them would mean swallowing our pride."
Osprey looks sidelong at Malic and Arkadi. "...which might be quite a mouthful, for some of us."
<Malic> "My pride tastes bad."
<Arkadi> "Look, if somethign works, I'm all for it, pride or not."
<Gia> "And dealing with them may also mean dealing with those who remember what our kind did to their mates in the First Age."
Osprey reaches forward and pets Whisper, who is rubbing up against his legs.
<Arkadi> "Well, that's not horrifically different from our day-to-day jobs anyways, Gia..."
<Osprey> "Influencing the Immaculate Order would probably remove one of the few stabiliizing influences from the Realm. Relying on Solars would, I feel, be... a mistake. In many ways."
<Arkadi> "I can't say I *like* the plan, as the Lunars are too damn hard to gauge, but it's the best of a shiotty set of alternatives, so I'm for it,"
Osprey lifts Whisper up into his lap, and sits back. "If nothing else, it will allow us to keep our eyes on another major faction. The Silver Pact has real power, and it has long been my feeling that that fact is too often ignored in the Celestial City."
<Gia> "You realize, this may have us pegged as quintupling the size of the silver faction in Yu-Shan." Gia chuckles slightly.
<Osprey> "Lunar Exalted are some of the most powerful beings alive today. If anyone besides us has the wherewithal to defeat the forces of the dead, or even offer significant impediment, it is them."
Malic snorts. "If you say so, Osprey...which one of us would like to start finding a Lunar? Just wander into the Wyld and hope one pops up that doesn't simply bite you in two, swallow you and crap you out? Well, if its Moth or Gia maybe it will rape them, drag them back to its cave and let them bare its children. Lunars. Bloody flaming-spewing balls of the nine incestuous dragons! I need a drink."
Osprey shrugs at Gia's comment. "I do not advocate letting them run roughshod over Creation."
<Osprey> "My... upbringing... has given me the perspective to realize that both 'civilization' and 'barbarism' have their merits."
<Osprey> "I would not see either one triumph completely."
<Malic> "There's the barbarians and there's the Lunars. I don't like the Lunars. They nearly killed my caravan once, you know."
Gia raises her eyebrows at Malic. "I'll find a Lunar, Brother. If you fear them, don't worry, I'll protect you." Obviously her pride was a bit wounded by Malic's comment.
Osprey rubs Whisper behind the ears. The cat purrs happily, his eyes closing.
<Osprey> "Many tribes worship Lunar Exalted as gods."
<Osprey> "And most Lunars Exalt from the tribes."
<Osprey> "I am the exception, not the rule."
Osprey shrugs slightly.
<Malic> "Ask Lytek when one is about to Exalt then. They'll find him, I assume."
<Arkadi> "...that's...not a half-bad idea..."
Osprey looks at Malic. "What good would a young Exalt of any kind do us, against the Deathlords' centuries of experience and magic?"
<Osprey> "These ghosts are clearly among the most ancient and powerful of their kind."
<Malic> "Not the young one..the ones that come to find him."
<Arkadi> "The young one is the bait to get the older ones."
<Osprey> "Ah, of course." Osprey nods. "I misunderstood your intent."
<Osprey> "That could indeed be a wise course of action."
<Osprey> "Although," he cautions, "we would still have to win the trust, or at least the respect, of the elders we hope to deal with."
<Gia> "Definitely."
<Arkadi> "Well, we can cross that bridge when we get to it."
Osprey looks around at his companions.
<Osprey> "Before we plunge headlong into things, we should consider carefully whom we wish to deal with."
<Osprey> "From what I know of the East, Rakshi and Ma-Ha-Suchi would both be less than agreeable toward us."
<Malic> "Tamuz seems to be a rather friendly Lunar. He supposedly checks to see if you're a barbarian before he eats you."
<Arkadi> "From what I hear about Rakshi, I want nothing to do with her ANYWAYS."
Osprey looks at Malic. "I have heard this name before, but I know little of Tamuz. He makes his home in the South?"
<Malic> "Yes."
<Malic> "And there's Leviathan out West. He sleeps a lot."
<Osprey> "There are surely ancients hidden away in the North and West, as well," muses Osprey, "but we might be at a disadvantage with them, since none of us hails from either of those directions."
<Arkadi> "Well, everything I've heard about Tamuz says that he's pretty level-headed."
<Osprey> Whisper, satisfied with the amount of worship he has received tonight, jumps down from Osprey's lap.
<Osprey> "In any case, we should gather information before rushing off."
<Osprey> "I'm sure each of us has sources which will prove useful."
<Osprey> "Shall we meet back here in one week, and discuss what we have found?"
Osprey pauses thoughtfully. "Hollow Moth should also be informed of our plans."
Gia nods mutely.
<Malic> "Well, I suppose that after we visit Lytek, we should prepare for our trip South, to meet with the nice bloodthirsty barbarians."
Osprey gives Malic a mildly reproving glance.
<Malic> "What?"
Osprey shakes his head tiredly.
Osprey stands up, brushing cat hair off his pants.
<Gia> "Be more openminded, Malic, and less.. you."
<Osprey> "Let's not bicker any more tonight," sighs Osprey.
Gia squeezes Osprey's shoulder. "I think a sense of power makes us grumpy. Perhaps a good night's sleep is in order for everyone."
<Malic> "Should I bring my camel-skin loincloth and thigh-bone hatchet next time?"
Osprey places a hand on Malic's shoulder, and one on Gia's. "Let us just find out more about this Tamuz, and the tribes of the South, and make decisions when we reconvene."
<Gia> "If Ember's into that kind of thing, it's your business. But now my living room has a dress code simply from you MENTIONING such an ensemble."
Malic snorts at Gia. "Well, what do you think they wear in the desert?"
<Gia> "There's a difference between the desert and my home."
Osprey looks at his two friends. "We are a long way from dressing up as anything," he observes.
<Osprey> "It has been a long day. I think I shall join our colleagues in bidding you good night. Sister Gia... brother Malic." Osprey nods to them, and gathers up his cloak and daiklave.
Malic nods. "Good night Gia." Waving tiredly, Malic heads off, not at all his normally chipper self.
Gia walks her friends to the door before retiring for the evening.
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