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>Solar? Lunar? Sidereal? What the hell is this, Astronomy Quest?
When the gods rebelled against their creators, the mightiest gods (of the sun, moon, and stars) granted incredible power to chosen mortals to serve as their champions against the Titans. The Solars were created to be paragons of excellence; the Lunars, guardians, custodians, and, if necessary, lethal enforcers; the Sidereals, wise counsellors and behind-the-scenes facilitators.

>Who are we?
We call ourselves Casimir, and we are one of the Lunar Exalted, chosen by the god of the Moon, Luna, as one of her 300 champions. Each one of us is bonded to a Solar, one of the 300 champions of the Sun, to act as their boon companion, conscience, counsellor, and (if need be) executioner. We draw our power from Luna’s blessing, and also our mutable form as one of an elite breed of shape-changers. We are also a chimera, a Lunar who has been corrupted by the chaos of the Wyld, and who has surrendered some of their humanity and sanity in exchange for greater power. Mad, bad, and dangerous to know, we’ve rampaged for an indeterminate time as a ravening monster, only reawakening to sanity at the touch of our newfound Solar mate.

>And who’s that?
Ashen-Tome Lector, whom we rescued from a Wyld Hunt. She seems to have been looking for us when she was attacked. We preyed on her assailants, and was about to include her in our meal when our bond to her shocked us back to sanity. She appears to be one of the Abyssal Exalted: Solars who have had their Exaltation captured and corrupted by one of thirteen Deathlords bent on destroying Creation to grant peace to their Neverborn masters. She apparently finds being in Creation uncomfortable and debilitating to her Essence, and she feeds on the blood of the living to restore her strength.

The river runs swollen and cold with snowmelt. You stand with Ashen-Tome Lector and Astrid Nahaka on the bank, watching the massive bulk of the river dragon you’ve just slain loll in the current, too bulky to be carried downstream. The great monster is now carrion for crows, its molten blood cooling now at the river’s icy touch.

Beside you, the shattered bulk of the Snowspring Falls ferry lies riven on the bank, its teams of oxen long having snapped their traces and fled. Its holds are filled with supplies vital to the village’s survival through the winter, its crew slaughtered by the serpent.

Now that the rush of battle has subsided, Ash looks a little wan. You remember that she cannot respire Essence in Creation like you can. She catches you look, and smiles, a little weakly.

“I’m all right, Casimir. I was just thinking about the ferry. Do you think we should let the villagers know what happened? They'll need to get to these supplies before they spoil..." She seems pensive, and her eyes are fixed on the broken lines of the ferry. "What a pity. I was hoping to take this all the way to Sijan."

Astrid smirks, and her Fae horse snorts and whickers, prancing recklessly. As usual, she sits her mount with complete and utter ease, and not for the first time you wonder if the horse is an actual Fae creature, or merely an extension of her legend.

"Surely you would not wish to punctuate the end of such an adventure with busywork. Let the mortals settle their own affairs. On to the promises of the open road!"

You also can't tell if Astrid is being serious, or if she's merely advocating a position opposite to Ash's to be annoying.

Do you...
> ... ask Ash about the ferry?
> ... ask Astrid about what she knows about the surrounding area?
> ... [write in]?

> Exalted-wise, Astrid currently counts as an Allies 3 background merit.

>>35516779
> ... ask Astrid about what she knows about the surrounding area?

Forgot your trip dude.

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>>35516822
That I did. What an embarrassment!

> ... ask Astrid about what she knows about the surrounding area?

She shrugs. "Forest. Snow. Mortal villages, spread out thin: a fine net of thinking minds holding out against ennui and the formless chaos of the Wyld." Astrid presses a hand against her breast melodramatically. "Ah, what travails such mortals must suffer!

"There is scarce little here worth telling stories about. Small lives, small minds, small plots. Domestic tragedy. Pastoral romances. The only epic plotline that could come from such environs is that of horror, the invasion of something alien, something terrible lurking in the depths..."

She jerks a thumb at the corpse of the Coldstream Serpent. "And what there is of such excitement, we have already lain to rest. In such exalted company, I'd be minded to head for the big cities, where intrigue abounds. I've decided that I've had enough of playing at knighthood -- perhaps from here on in I'll play the capricious coquette." The beautiful Fae waggles her eyebrows at you in an outrageous manner. "Can you feel my charms overtaking you already, beast-lord?"

>>35516779
>[write in]?
We should go back and inform the village about the ferry, they are kinda worshiping us now so we have a duty to them.

>>35516978
Bet you we're gonna get bogged down with uncomfortable questions and more time-wasting.

>>35516978
They'll figure it out on their own, given time.

>>35516978
No.

>>35517030
we're not talking to them ourselves, Ashen can do that, and it not that out of the way. We're just going to hide on her neck again I suppose, unless people wanna go all god mode and have the villages bow down again.

>>35517089
By the time they go looking for the ferry, the food will spoil and the wild animal will get whatever is left.

In the mean time, Ash has picked her way over to the ferry and is looking it over with a look you've only seen her wear once before: a look of intense concentration, the one that steeled her features in the midst of a life-or-death battle. The look that says she's solving a problem.

"You know..." she muses, looking over the wreck, "I could probably fix this. Or at least repurpose much of the material. It won't take long. A day at the most. It won't be a ferry again, but I could manage a small skiff or something."

You think about it. While you're no expert -- having spent as long as you can remember as a wild beast prowling these woods -- it sounds like you have two viable options: travel downriver on foot, or let Ash put together a boat that could carry you.

Would you prefer to...
> travel by road: slower, more chances of encountering other folk,
> travel by river: faster, you have no idea how to sail

>>35517199
Shit, my trip keeps falling off

>>35517199
>>35517199
>travel by river: faster, you have no idea how to sail
seems fun, let's help her out

>>35517199
> travel by river: faster, you have no idea how to sail

>>35517199
> travel by river: faster, you have no idea how to sail

This can only end well

>>35517199
> travel by river: faster, you have no idea how to sail

We can totally be a giant snake rudder or some such.

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Despite Astrid's dramatic eye-rolling, you agree with Ash that travelling downriver by boat sounds infinitely more pleasant. She seems a little heartened by the decision, but also squirms a little when she actually lays her hands on the splintered wood of the craft.

"I... I can do this. But it'll take Essence. And I... I don't have a whole lot left. I can't respire Essence outside of a s-s-shadowland, unless I d-d-drink someone's b-blood." She can't meet your gaze any more, twisting her fingers together and looking straight at her own feet.

"C-can I s-suck your blood, Casimir?"

> pic related, kinda what I imagine Ash to look like: shoulder-length hair, pale skin

>>35517383
"I-it's not like I want to or anything," she adds. "It's just that... well, I can't feed from Fae -- "

Astrid laughs at the thought. "You could certainly try, although I don't think I'd provide a very filling repast. We're both parasites, little girl."

" -- and, well, I s-suppose I could go back to the village to find someone to f-feed from, if you don't w-want me to..."

>>35517407
meh I don't care, go for it.

"Sure, I guess." You're not exactly comfortable with the thought, but how much damage can she do with those tiny fangs anyway? It's not like you've never been bitten by worse.

You lean forward to give her a better angle. She wraps her arms around you, under your arms, and leans forward so you can't see anything save the top of her head and her fine, dark hair. You can feel her breath against your skin, oddly cool despite the rapidity with which she breathes, as she nuzzles against your skin for a moment. You can't help a faint surge of desire as you feel her lips against your neck, wet and soft, and then comes the twin pinprick...

... and...

... you've fallen, the strength gone out of your knees, measuring your length in the snow, as she kneels above you, her grip burning into your shoulders. The suction of Ash's mouth against your neck becomes actual pain, an ache surrounding a penetrating cold. You find yourself suddenly and inexplicably hard in your clothes, tenting your borrowed robes, your back arching as she continues to drink. Your vision goes red around the corners...

"Release him!"

... and then Astrid is there, arms hooking around Ash's waist, hauling her off you as the Abyssal at first struggles, and then flies into a full-blown panic.

"Casimir? Casimir! Are you okay? I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry I don't know what came over me it's just that it's been so long I don't know I don't know I'm sorry I'm so sorry -- "

You groggily find your feet. Your knees still feel weak. Those tiny fangs are apparently capable of more than you thought.

> take 1 Bashing damage. 3 HP left: 1 Bashing, 2 Lethal

What do you do?
> lose your temper
> flee
> scold Ash
> reassure Ash
> scold Astrid
> thank Astrid
> other?

>>35517677
>> reassure Ash
Hug her

>>35517677
>reassure Ash
> thank Astrid
> other?
"You got enough to build that boat now?"

>>35517677
> flee

>>35516654
QM, you forgot your name, and trip.

>>35517677
> flee

>>35517757
>>35517811
why the hell would we run, are you guys high?

>>35517868
I straight up don't trust her. First it was the pet thing and we were just a "Beasty." Now it's oh so sorry I accidentally ate some of you! What would have happened if Astrid wasn't here? To note she also wanted Astrid gone.

Furthermore - We had an impulse to kill her at one point.

>>35517868
My guess is she killed our ass in a previous life or some shit. I don't agree with the straight up, ITS ALL FINE LETS HUG!

>>35517899
Fleeing is a bit extreme though if that's the case. WE an't no coward.

>>35517677
> scold Ash

You decide that, with two superpowered women wrestling in front of you, wry humour is definitely the way to go.

"I hope you've got enough for that boat, because I'm not sure I'm up for a second round of that." You walk over, trying not to stagger. "I'm all right. Just a little overwhelmed. I think that was my first kiss you stole."

Ash makes a sound somewhere between a giggle and a sob, going limp. Astrid hangs on for a moment longer, before cautiously releasing her and standing up. You nod to the Fae cavalier. "Thank you."

She winks at you. "For what? You're a tasty morsel, and I can't let your little leash-holder have all of you to herself, can I?" She walks away with a silvery laugh, and you find yourself more unnerved than ever, remembering her earlier claim to feeding off emotion.

You squat before Ash and put your arms around her shoulders. "Hey. Look at me."

She does, unwillingly.

"Do I not look fine?" you ask, pressing your forehead against hers. "I'm okay, completely unharmed. Just a little... giddy. Maybe you ought to warn me to sit down first, next time."

She rubs at her eyes, red with unshed tears. "O-okay. I'm really sorry. I... I've never felt anything like that before.

"I know that feeding on Exalted is different from mortals. I drank from that Dragon-blooded, and it was different... fuller, richer. More intoxicating. But your blood..." Ash shivers. "I'd better not have any more of it.

"It's like nothing I've ever had before, and I think I might get addicted."

You push her hood back and pat her on the head. "Then you'd better not. I hope you have enough for now, though."

She nods.

You flick her on the nose then, making her flinch back, and then glare at you sullenly, before she shakes her head and breaks into a small smile.

"That'll teach you to go around stealing kisses like that. Immoderate woman."

She just swats at your arm, and stands, turning to the ferry and going to work.

> cont'd

>>35516918
>perhaps from here on in I'll play the capricious coquette.
So, this fae could be anything, and she decided to become an autistic attention whore?

>>35518117
sounds pretty fae.

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>>35518092
Watching her work on the vessel is... unnerving. Ash works without tools, without helpers, her anima swelling black and drinking in the light of the sun as it crawls over the shattered planks. Spectral fingers pry at pegs and pull out nails, as tendrils of shadow drag the ship apart and throw it back together again. Broken pieces of wood and the cargo of the ferry are largely left behind, as Ash lifts her hands, and a new vessel launches itself into the water.

At first it's nothing more than the skeleton of a boat: the keel and ribs, eerily suspended above the water by a thick silvery mist spun from Ash's anima. She gestures, and her unseen helpers carry wood and nails, securing them in place without sound or sawdust. Each piece is set in place and sealed with no more than a touch of Ash's finger as she paces around the growing construction, shaping it as much with her mind as with her hands.

Watching her put the craft together is unnerving, and she did say that it would take the rest of the day to finish.

In the time left to you, you could:
> rest: regain 1 Bashing HP and 1 Essence
> talk to Astrid
> return to the village to let them know about the ferry
> muck about...
> ... with your inventory?
> ... by going hunting?
> ... other?

For reference, your inventory includes:
> winter clothing for you and Ash
> some preserved food, bought at the village
> fine steel weapons (short swords and chakrams with Ash; in your human form you wear the fighting claws strapped to your hands)
> a cloak of woven leaves, worn by Ash
> a longbow, used by one of the Dragon-blooded assassins
> a dark, ovoid stone hanging from a silver chain, worn around your neck, taken from a Dragon-blooded warrior
> some assorted coinage
> you can take whatever you'd like from the ferry's cargo: they seem to have been carrying bars of ore, some finished metalwork (nails and tools), and barrels upon barrels of salt

>>35518117
You could have posted anything, and you decided to shitpost?

>>35518226
> rest: regain 1 Bashing HP and 1 Essence

Get some nice basking in, take it easy for a bit.

>>35518226
>> rest: regain 1 Bashing HP and 1 Essence
> muck about...
> ... with your inventory?

>>35518226
> rest: regain 1 Bashing HP and 1 Essence

>>35518226
>return to the village to let them know about the ferry
I feel this is important to let them know about the ferry, we can rest on the ride down the river.

>>35518226
rest, then fly to the village and inform them of the ferry.

>>35518226
> rest: regain 1 Bashing HP and 1 Essence
> talk to Astrid

So... you're not going to start taking bites out of me too... right?

I know I keep repeating the village thing, but I'm worried about it being low on supplies and maybe getting attacked again by that guy's Father. And not having to carry Ash around we can get there faster and rest on the trip back in the skif.

You could send Astrid, since she's mounted. She wouldn't mind (well, she'd complain, but it's not like she has real feelings). She's a bit flashy, but she could carry word to the village.

Anyone have any questions about inventory, Charms, or anything? We have a little bit of downtime to chat.

>>35518226
Let's rest while we tell Astrid to go to town and tell them about how the far knight and old god slew a malefic dragon. She can take her time. We're not going anywhere.

>>35518474
>>35518496
I like this we'll rest have her tell the tale.

At a critical moment a servant of the serpent god of the forest (or whatever the hell they worship now) Rose from the waters to help her kill the creature in a critical moment.

>>35518496
good enough for me
>>35518474
I don't have any questions really.

As predicted, when asked to ride to the village, Astrid puts on an aggrieved expression, but then confesses that she's actually pretty curious about the mortals who're worshipping a new god.

"Do you think they'd believe I was a messenger from him? Maybe I can get them to pray to me!" she muses out loud, swinging back into the saddle.

"Try not to draw too much attention to yourself," you advise her, but by the time the third word is out of your mouth, she's already riding hard for the village.

You shrug, and pack some snow together, lounging on it as Ash continues with her work, her brow furrowed in concentration. She moves in a trance, her will focused entirely on the desired end result. Once in a while she stops, staring into space at nothing, her lips moving soundlessly, before resuming her work.

You divert yourself by laying out your various belongings. You have to admit, since you regained consciousness at Ash's touch, you've accumulated them at an alarming rate. You test the longbow that you've carried for so long without ammunition, and find that even when you exert yourself to the utmost, you can't draw the string back more than an inch. Perhaps there is some trick or magic to its operation.

The other item that piques your interest is the dark-coloured stone you took from the body of a Dragon-blooded warrior. You dangle it from its chain from your fingers and watch as it swings.

Is it just your imagination, or... No, it's not. While the stone dangles from its chain, it definitely pulls a little to one direction. As it oscillates, it always hangs suspended, pointing to some distant location, for a splitsecond, before it resumes its free movement. You move it about, but like a lodestone it always points to some location downstream and to one side: Southwest, if you're any judge.

[+1 HP, +1 Essence]

cont'd

>>35518658
cont'd

Time passes, and the Sun sinks below the edge of Creation. You get a fire going on the riverbank: while its glow is clearly visible, you trust Astrid's estimation that there is little of interest or danger in the surrounding area save for the monster you've already slain.

You try your hand at fishing with some of your dried supplies as bait, and manage to catch a pair of fat perch, which you skewer on twigs and roast over the fire after you gut and clean them. You season them with a little salt, as you wait for your companions.

Astrid is the first to return from her errand, chuckling a little to herself. She seems in much better humour than when she left. "Well. Those villagers are certainly a superstitious lot. I told them of the monster, and that it was slain, and they immediately fell on their faces and praised their new god. It was quite funny. Are humans really so helpless that they require the intercession of higher powers to accomplish anything?"

You shrug, noncommittally. You don't really remember ever having been human.

"Of course, I wasn't talking about you." She plumps herself down on the snow beside you, stretching her fingers out towards the fire. "You're the White Waste Walker, after all, aren't you? The Lunar terror, who stalks the woods and tears Fae apart for having the temerity to enter Creation." Her slim shoulders shake as she giggles. "Oh, how they'll howl when they hear that I've travelled with you.

"You know, I think I'm glad I decided to stay, instead of returning to the Freehold. Being a part of your legend is going to be interesting indeed."

Ash returns from her labours, glowing from exertion. Her movements suggest tiredness, but she's grinning as she ties the boat up by the bank. It's a sleek craft, wide but streamlined, with a shallow keel. A single mast stands proud above it, the sail currently furled.

She helps herself to a fish unbidden, sitting on the other side of you.

> cont'd

>>35518770
"However did you learn to cook as a beast?" she muses, as she peels off a hot flake of white flesh and pops it into her mouth. You grin at her satisfied look and the crunch of charred fish-skin.

"I didn't. It's something from before, I think. Before I Exalted."

You frown a little. You clearly retain skills from that early period, but no real memories. Nothing except that flash, of a house in squalor, the stench of pestilence, and that grasping hand, skin drawn tight around it, shrunken into a claw... and that voice, rasping a single word.

> "Casimir..."

"I suppose it'll come back to me," you conclude, leaning back, your own fish only bones and a memory.

Ash casts the picked-clean skeleton into the fire and rises. "Come, let's be away. There's a full moon tonight, and we can make some headway down the river. I'll feel better with some wind in our sails."

With the moon bright on the water, the sail full and taut, your little vessel begins its maiden voyage. Astrid's horse faded away into insubstantiality the moment she boarded, and while she seemed ill-at-ease at first to be without her steed, the novel sensation of sailing soon gets to her.

You sit in the front of the boat, your back against the upward-curving brow, facing the two women. Ash is operating the tiller with one hand and handling the sails with the other, using a clever rope-and-pulley to alter the angle and fullness of the canvas. Astrid watches her intently, asking questions about the finer points, and Ash soon seems to open up to the Fae, passing her the rope and giving instructions with all the severity of a schoolmistress.

The two of them, heads together as Ash instructs Astrid on the proper tension to maintain in the sail, and the sound of the river's current carrying you downstream, are the last things you remember as you fall gently asleep.

------------------------------
[end]

>>35518851
Thanks for running. Falling asleep on a boat seems to be a real big thing on /tg/. Didn't get much done tonight though.

I think I'm calling it here. My meds are making me drowsy as hell and I'm finding it hard to concentrate.

Anyone have any comments on the quest so far?

We also has several possible options as to where this can go. We're heading downriver, and that'll eventually bring us to Sijan, but that's quite a ways away, which leaves us with a few options.

Next thread, would you guys prefer to head directly to Sijan, or do a little sidequest I have in mind?

The stone around our neck is also pulling us somewhere, which we might want to investigate.

When we get to Sijan (or maybe sooner, but definitely in Sijan) we'll get an introduction to the Underworld-y stuff.

>>35518866
MC is falling asleep because so am I. I wish I were on a boat with two lovely women though. Sadly, I'm not, although the meds might get me there in my dreams...

Sorry about the short thread. I really wanted to run one since the last one was a while ago, but I don't think I can keep up quality.

>>35518893
Thanks for runnin dude.

>>35518893
To be honest, it seems like most other Anons are asleep. It is Monday midnight and every seems a bit knackered. Maybe we can do voting next time?

>>35518893
God damn it faggot, run at your regular times!

>>35518939
Sure, no problem. I'll include these options at the start of the next thread.

>>35518974
In terms of regular I could probably only really do it regular once a week. I thought it'd be nice to snatch some free time and make some progress on the quest.

>>35519031
Your favourite program runs at 6PM, it always has. Now, one day you return home, looking at the schedule, and it has suddenly aired at 5AM! Woe is you who did not know the show time was suddenly changed l

>>35519031
once a week is perfectly fine, theres even been quests that are more like once a month, so don't worry about not running enough unless you find yourself not having done a thread for 2 weeks

just keep us updated on how things are going and when you run at your regular times we'll be there

>>35519031
Archived Chief. http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/35516654/ Not sure who got to it first, so don't thank me. G'night.

>>35519142
Thank you for reading anyway!

>>35518893

We should just keep heading south, and then go to Gem. That's where the deathlord nuked, isn't it?

>>35516654
Hi, I'm the anon that wrote the speech to the villagers. I just got home and saw this thread, but unfortunately I might just pass out from exhaustion, so I apologize if I can't participate.

>>35521264
the thread finished 5 hours ago anon, you won't miss anything, OP ran short today

>>35521308
Yeah, I just opened the tab and replied to the OP without actually looking at the thread so as to not spoil anything.
Thanks mate.