With his new disguise Jet went out to confront the guards. He gently tapped one of them on the shoulder and politely asked him for his attention but the city guard equipped with his club, black helmet and buff-jacket turned around with a swing of his weapon, which Jet managed to easily side-step. This did not please the soldier.
"Stop resisting!"

"Sir, I'm just-"

The man took one more swing, then another, and another. None hit their mark. To the eyes of the Infernal this mortal's movements were quite sluggish and clumsy. A gentle smack at his wrists, or simply ducking was enough to redirect or evade his blows. Seeing this others joined in to help their comrade. Their contribution did not help. Jets eyes darted from one, to another and his ears picked up their hurried steps on the pavement. He managed to evade all of them at the same time and he triumphed over his foes without harming any of them, as the Black Helms eventually ended up beating each other up due to their poor coordination. Once all of them either lied on the ground, battered and bruised, or leant on their own knees in exhaustion Jet looked at them.

>He swiftly left the area before reinforcements would arrive
>He grabbed one of them and started questioning him why they were wailing on the civilians
>He swiftly ended each
>Custom

File: Jet Character Sheet.pdf (149 KB, PDF)

149 KB PDF

Welcome to Exalted. A high-fantasy land of eastern and western mythology combined into a bizarre amalgam.
You play as one of the Infernal Exalted, the Champions of Hell given immense power by the Yozi, the Demon Princes of Malfeas to do with them as you will.
dice are 1d20 against a DC based on circumstances and the chosen option. Bonuses are given to particularly creative or cool solutions to problems ranging from a +1 to a +3 on your final roll
multiple votes are allowed, if they are not mutually exclusive. Subject to QM approval depending on the situation
custom votes are allowed and welcome

And here's a character sheet. It's a work in progress but hopefully I'll iron out the kinks sooner or later.

And here's the archive link for last thread:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Mnemon%20Jet

Enjoy

>>6065702
>He grabbed one of them and started questioning him why they were wailing on the civilians
>>6065703
thanks for returning OP

>>6065702
>He grabbed one of them and started questioning him why they were wailing on the civilians

>>6065702
>He grabbed one of them and started questioning him why they were wailing on the civilians

>>6065702
>He grabbed one of them and started questioning him why they were wailing on the civilians

Nice, we're back on.

>>6065703
Hot damn we've even got stats now. When Jet uses his firewand gun, does it rely more on martial arts or "archery"? Also Jet has 4 appearance, hes actually a bishonen.

>>6065702
>Put on the act of some retired general and slam their moral
>"How is it possible that not only the Black Helms are turned into uncoordinated, undisciplined and disgusting barbarians not more worth than the mud mixed with horse shit you find in the stables after turbulent rain?! Years of seeing blood being spilled on the battlefields and on the streets, almost losing an eye while clad in armor and doing what I was trained for, and this is what the new generations were turned into?!"
>"I'm disgusted beyond belief, that an old sack of bones with a back that hurts each passing day, could evade ALL of you without not much effort!! What is it? You enjoyed a little too much of beating poor civilians and bums that you all got sluggish? Oh by the Dragons... I swear that if you don't explain right about now why you would decide to split the heads of simple people dancing on the street, I'll drag your asses to the most bastardly cold and disgusting guard post to the North, and train you all by myself on the open until all the fingers in your hand turn charcoal black and are so twisted it would be better to cut them off and give you hooks for hands."
>"You! Fucking explain now before I get you all tied and dragged across the streets to your superiors and left like another bum on the streets, infected by fleas and any other goddamn mix of diseases!"

I don't know if you would like to already make a random persona of a retired soldier/Seargent, but given our looks I could only think of that. Or maybe we're just some random nomad bum who appears from time to time and just fucks around, I feel that could work more our ways, and also this long ass write-in would really help to give us some good-demon points

>>6065788
Firearms of all kind rely on Archery.
It's just an umbrella term for ranged combat of all kinds other than throwing shit.

>>6065702
>He grabbed one of them and started questioning him why they were wailing on the civilians

>>6065790
Thats pretty funny. Though if I was deciding on an alter ego to do stuff that Jet doesn't want to tarnish his goody goody public image with I think I'd go for more of an Underworld gangster persona. Though maybe it can fit together, the retired or fallen soldier officer who fell into a bad crowd.

>>6065790
I'll support. But like other guy says, gangster would work.

>>6065971
>>6066064
I just came with the retired soldier, but we can work this Persona into just a gangster that's highly competent on things and sometimes steals and others just fucks around lying and stuff (Like how he could be lying into being a Officer or something)

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He walked up to one of the guards, grabbed him by the collar, took a deep breath - which was just an excuse for him to collect his thoughts - and began shaking him.
"How is it possible that the Black Helms turned into undisciplined, uncoordinated barbarians worth less than mud mixed with horse shit after turbulent rain? After years of seeing blood spilled on the battlefield and almost losing an eye this is still the saddest excuse for an armed force I've ever seen! I'm disgusted beyond belief that an old sack of bones like me, with a back that won't stop aching, can still dance around you like a fly around a pile of dung! Thank the Dragons I quit the service so you useless morons don't tarnish my name with this pathetic display!"

"W-What the fuck do you want?!"

Tossing the man, Jet made the guard sit down in front of him to drive home just how much he's being looked down on.
"What I want to know is why you decided to crack open the skulls of a few plebeians just because of a little dancing. Or better yet, how you dare to do it when it's clear you're not "guards" of the realm but rather petty criminals, as you couldn't defeat a stiff breeze, much less repel any sort of hostile force. And you better answer me quick, before I drag you out of the city myself and beat some sense into you, or the soul out of your chest!"

"The satrap will have your head for this!"
The guard cursed as he struggled with the dust his landing whipped up.

"The satrap?"
Jet spoke out loud. But deep inside he realized this was not just some overzealous peacekeepers abusing the citizenry. This little pissant wouldn't just casually threaten someone with the local governor, unless he was directly involved already. Otherwise he'd have to be notified and heads would roll for troubling him with such a minor incident.
"Who's the satrap here?"
Deep down he begged it to be anyone but a member of House Mnemon.

"Cathak Jirobo, you ingrate!"

Jet sighed with relief. It's only a Cathak. He can deal with those. But this bodes ill. House Cathak having a deep rooted warrior culture and being one of the most militant houses usually reserves "esteemed" positions like that of Satrap for those they deem "failures", i.e. anyone not a soldier. If his suspicions are right, the governor could prove to be quite a nuisance. But he had to be sure. So he drew his firewand and pointed it at the Black Helm.
"And why did the satrap order the violent suppression of the crowd?"

The guard's attitude changed swiftly as he started fearing for his life.
"I-I don't know! I swear! He just doesn't like it when people start gathering!"
The pieces started falling into place. Food shortage in a farming settlement, rampant poverty, the satrap fearing congregations. House Cathak was never concerned with things that don't involve fighting. They are draining this satrapy, and likely many others, dry in preparation for the coming succession war. And the satrap is fearing rebellion from the discontent citizens.

"I see. Thank you."
He holstered his firearm and turned his back to the guard as he left.
"This disguise is pretty good."
He thought to himself.

"Want me to commit it to memory? You know, for future reference."
Markolab replied.

"Actually, that's a good idea. Please do."

"Done. So, what now?"

"Nothing. I've no desire to pursue hostilities with the satrap or House Cathak. And thanks to my disguise they won't know that it was me who humiliated their men. So unless they do something to me personally I can just lay low. But we'll leave first thing in the morning. Don't want to sit on this powder keg longer than I need to."

"Uh-huh. Makes sense. But by "doing something to you", do you mean "arresting your sister"? Because that's what they are doing over there."
Jet jerked his head to the side where Markolab was guiding him and true enough, he saw his sister and wife being escorted away in what appear to be bathrobes, by a large squad of Black Helms. And Jet felt his blood starting to boil.
"Careful. There's about twenty men. You're good but not that good. And by that I don't mean you couldn't beat them to a bloody pulp and swoop the women off their feet. But they'd definitely notice something off about you. Like your anima burning brighter than a bonfire. And I don't need to remind you that when that happens your disguise will also melt away."

Jet glared with murderous intent at the people dragging his sister and wife away.

>"The Satrap will pay for this!"
>He'll wait for the night and break them out of confinement
>NOBODY gets away with laying a hand on his family!
>Custom

>>6066594
Well shit... I don't know what to do, do we go Karen mode now?

>>6066594
This depends, Entirely, on if these fuckers act inappropriately.

>Shadow them until they reach confinement. Keep note on the manner in which they are treated.

>If merely imprisoned, go to the Satrap and demand they are freed or we'll butcher him or they are bringing down the wrath of mnemon by imprisoning one of their scions.
>If mistreated, abused or otherwise acting inappropriately, we're going to blow off some torment by turning the garrison into a saw trap/charnel pit. THEN the Satrap.

>>6066620
Hell, if we want to conceal our issue even better, we can sabotage several posts and gates, rally a bunch of the people in the town to a riot and then have them storm the manor/prison.

Let the peasantry die, our hands are obscured and it is all believably "Jet using his social skills to cause chaos again"

>>6066594
>Custom
Take on the appearance of a senior black helmet and tell them to drop everything because some one-eyed lunatic beat up the guards who went to suppress the dance gathering and theres injured.

>>6066620
>+1

>>6066626
I like this, but I feel that in this small city all the Black Helmets should know their officials, and we don't know the appearance of some of them to fool the guards. There's already some crazy guy with a scar doing dumb shit and pointing with a firestick to the guards, it would be weird there being two now

>>6066754
Hmmm cover his face in wounds or blood or something? Muffle it through a 'broken' nose and hope that's enough.

He steeled himself to keep his impulsive thoughts in check. Acting hastily could prove to be disastrous in this situation. Rather he decided to trail the guards to see where exactly they are taking the girls, or rather what they do once there. But that was easier said than done. He had two disguises he could take. Neither of which were ideal in this situation. He'd need to make yet another one, which would push him even closer to the brink where his essence would start radiating outward.

"Here's a thought. You already have a third form to take. And it wouldn't even cost you any essence to maintain..."

His true form. The thought of using it did not cross Jet's mind. In the years since he became a Green Sun Prince he stayed disguised pretty much all the time. He liked it that way, it helped him ignore his true nature. But it was also a dangerous move. If people realized what he was it could be disastrous. Markolab however was adamant that unless they thoroughly examined him most people would simply write him off as a little weird at a distance, or slightly mutated at worst. There was also one factor which complicated things. In his thug disguise he made himself some ragged clothes to better sell the image. But the dynastic clothings were real. He'd need to get changed, lest someone identified him based on his outfit.

He looked to the side and saw some vagrants who were not bothered enough by the Black Helms to scurry. One of them was wearing a yellow, long sleeved cloak with a shroud. It was an attire commonly worn by travelers, as it was thought to bring good luck on long journeys. Jet approached him quickly and knelt down beside him whilst waving around a paper note.
"Hey. You. I'll give you one koku for your cloak!"

The man briefly stared at the brute towering over him. At first he thought this was a joke, but once he realized the sincerity of the offer he accepted it without hesitation. One Koku is approximately the monthly income of an average peasant in the Realm. Jet would've offered less but he did not have the time to haggle with the vagrant. Once the exchange was done he put on his newly acquired article of clothing and its previous owner ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Someone must've noticed the homeless man running however, as a guard approached Jet shortly afterwards and grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Hey! Hold it!"
The man turned him around but apologized as soon as he saw Jet's face.
"Ah. Sorry sir. We're searching for two fugitives. One with red hair, and another with a scar on his face. Have you seen either of them?"

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With his green eyes the infernal answered.
"No ser. But I'll make sure to notify the guards if I see someone like that."

"Thank you. Have a blessed day!"

Jet cursed under his breath that the man was wasting his time and ran where he last saw Kaya and Ena before they left his field of vision. Luckily his sister had been pretty obviously resisting arrest so they are actually moving rather slowly with her. Still, they have spears pointed at her so she's forced to obey their commands. He wondered why they wouldn't just break out but he guessed that the girls did not wish to make a scene and instead chose to comply with the authorities. Well, it was probably Ena who decided that and Kaya is simply following suit.

He kept tailing them until the girls were taken into the constabulary, which was just an open field with several iron cages. But the place was not unsecure by any means. Several archers watched the surrounding area from wooden towers. Guards patrolled the block with spears, swords and other implements of war. There were even some guard dogs if the barkings were any indication. Worse yet, a man showed up clad from head to toe in heavy, red jade artifact mail and a direlance on his back. Quite an impressive arsenal, especially in such a backwater city.

The man handed over two bundles tied up tightly with twine.
"Your clothes."

"About fucking time!"
Kaya shouted at the man.
"Who in the Empress’ twat do you think you are?! You dare intrude on two dynasts during their visit to the bath house and drag them across the street?! Heads will roll for this! No, scratch that! Your balls will roll for this! And pray the great houses don't hear of this, lest we squish your entire bloodline like a pimple on our asscheek!"

"You've been detained as per the Satraps instructions. We received reports of a red haired man inciting violence on the streets of the city, one whose description eerily matches yours-"

"Jet..."
Ena muttered.

"You will tell us exactly who you are and what your purpose is. Should your answer be satisfactory you will be immediately released and issued a formal apology by the satrap. The sooner you cooperate the sooner we can end this. Who are you and why are you here?"

"We are scions of House Mnemon and House Ledaal! And we don't owe you shit, least of all an explanation! We're Princes of the Earth and do as we fucking please! Now be a good little tool, open this cage and start licking my boots before I decide to stop playing nice and break down these bars!"

"Go ahead. We're already sitting on a major political incident as two members of a great house strode in unannounced and started disrupting the peace in Cathak territory. If word of this gets out it's you who will be punished. And if you start acting violently you'll receive more than just a slap on the wrist. Now tell me. What is your purpose and who are your accomplices? Who's the dancing man and the thug?"

"What thug?"

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The man shook his head.
"Perhaps a night in the cell will have you come to your senses. Tomorrow you will give us your names and why the great houses sent you. Or else..."

The man left them and as Jet continued to follow him he could hear Kaya voicing her irritation to Ena.
“There. Can I stop playing nice now and finally get out of here?”

“No! Do you WANT to start a political incident?”

“Yes?”

“Urgh. How are you two related?!”

Jet wanted nothing less than to break them out. But doing so without alerting anyone or alerting the girls to his true nature would be borderline impossible while they are under constant surveillance. So he focused on their captors and what he could do about them. The dragon-blooded headed to a rather tall pagoda at the center of the city, which must serve as its administrative center. Given traditional Realm architecture, the satrap would be located at the top level and that’s most likely where the man was headed.

He turned his attention to the soldiers patrolling the streets and their schedules. He waited until an opportunity presented itself when the guards had their backs turned and no commoners were looking in his direction. Then he touched the smooth wall of the building. Filaments of quicksilver sprouted from his palm, like tiny roots. Similar to lichen they gain purchase on the tiniest of crevices in the wall and allow Jet to scale it with minimal effort. Even when he reached the underside of one of the roofs he was able to walk upside down and over its edge. But he had to climb fast, lest someone spotted the strange man in yellow robes making his way up the Satraps office.

Finally he reached the top and hid under one of the windows where he could hear the conversation going on between the men he was trailing and the one who he presumed to be the governor.
“Have they said anything?”

“Not yet. They are understandably furious. Are you sure this is wise? They are dynasts after all.”

“Do not question me, Gourd! The peasantry is just about ready for a revolt, then three or four outsiders from the Blessed Isle show up and start causing a ruckus? They are spies our enemies sent I tell you! Here to disturb our satrapies to take a stab at House Cathak! Get everything you can out of them!”

The man hesitated however.
“I know it’s not my place to say, but if the situation is already so stressed wouldn’t it be about time to ease up on the taxes? The people are just hungry. If we didn’t demand so much from them I’m sure-”

“Easy for you to talk. You’re not the one whose neck House Cathak is breathing down upon! You’re a warrior Gourd, they like you. Despite the fact that you’re a threshold bumpkin that was just adopted into the family. Meanwhile I was laden with this task because I had the misfortune of not exalting. And now it’s MY head that they’ll have if I don’t produce the results they expect! So please cousin, stick to what you’re good at, killing things. And I’ll try to herd cats a bit longer. Make the girls talk. Have them reveal their accomplice. If not, kill them.”

“K-Kill? You can’t be serious! That would-”

“Not do anything. They have no official papers. We’ve received no word of their passing. They are not on official business. Meaning nobody will notice if they disappear. Do not let your softness dictate your actions, Gourd. They are here to destroy us. Remember that.”

“As you wish, cousin. But I’ll keep praying they speak.”

“You do that. I’ll give a call to our informants to see if they can’t track down our missing dancer.”

Jet felt his heart sink. Creation really has gone mad in the absence of the Empress. Everyone is ready to jump at each other’s throats like rabid, starving dogs at the slightest provocation. And Markolab is delighted by this.
“Well they do seem a bit on edge, don’t they?”

“How do I get out of this?”

“You’re asking me? You got the body, buddy. Either get going and hope you can run for the hills fast enough with the girls or get ready for one hell of a tough sell as you try to explain to this nutcase that you’re not a spy sent here to undermine a literal nobody. Or…”

“Or?”

“Or quit sitting on your own arms and show these maggots what happens when they cross a real Prince of the Earth!”

>”I suppose there’s no reasoning with these people.” (Fight)
>”Get Kaya and Ena, get to the cart, make a run for it. How hard could it be?” (Flee)
>”No. I refuse to make an even bigger mess. We can resolve this like civilized people.” (Talk)
>Custom

>>6067420
>”Get Kaya and Ena, get to the cart, make a run for it. How hard could it be?” (Flee)

>>6067420
Choices choices.

We can probably get away, if they send a serious pursuit it would have to include actual exalted with goons. Hostile entity down the line unless it collapses anyways. If it endures then we leave knowing its troubles to mess with it later. House Cathak gets a report of the gang being out here and a political incident from dynasts sneaking in, causing a scene, and then busting out. Reporting it is a good excuse for him to get some breathing room, or maybe it makes him look incompetent and he keeps it to himself?

Jet is great at talking-no-jutsu so he could probably swing these two? But revealing himself they will see the man with red hair who started the dancing. The instant hostility making it rather difficult to get a word in. They also see some dude who just climbed up or snuck through the entire tower like an assassin and call in more guards who strain the situation and Jet's essence usage even further as he has to influence even more people who are even more hostile. Win and they could probably leave, or spend a little while here and fix the problems with big brain bureaucracy Jet finding a solution to make a potential friend/ally if we want. But if it fails we can commence fighting but then they absolutely have to die or else his identity is blown.

Fighting would be pretty fun. It'll be against an exalted warrior with equipment, and whatever guards they can get up here. Kill these two and this Cathak satrap city probably falls apart into chaos. Theres some opportunity there.

Fun other option but Jet has no stealth and at the limit for taking forms, would be to sneak in and maybe use his blood to poison some of the governor's wine with his mercury blood? Could be pretty hard to actually kill someone without it being apparent the wine is tainted. Plus the exalted warrior would live and probably report it and cause an incident. Fun to think of though.

>>6067420
>Custom: Slink into the office and reveal ourselves with a laugh. "On that score you are wrong, lay a hand upon either of then and it will be the last insignificant action you ever take.

Satrap! Satrap! I was just on my way here to ask you to release my charges. They are travelling with their unexalted familial relation, much like you but not stuck in a backwater, and I decided I liked the music on the street. I am aware you do not fully comprehend your significance, or lack thereof, so I will merely make things startlingly clear. Unless you wish to deal with 2 suddenly uncooperative dragonblooded and a 2nd circle demon, as well as my summoner if they are harmed, you will make a wise decision and drop the matter without mentioning me then we shall depart.
Or you can tell your cousin to try and harm me, in which you will die swiftly and violently, probably followed by himself. I caused chaos with a dance, Imagine what I can do to two of you with violence."

Threaten em and then give them an out.

>>6067420
>Go to the satrap cousin right at the entrance and reveal ourselves to him AND ONLY HIM, make a improvised secret meeting where we talk before he takes us to the satrap

Just appearing out of nowhere will shake him up and being willing to talk. By all accounts were unarmed, and we can say from the guards we ran, followed the guy and waited for him to come out so we could talk in private.

We just explain to him we just got married and this was just a romantic escapade with our wife, and our sister just came here by herself as our "guard". We request a secret and quiet meeting with the Satrap to explain to him, and then after he lets his guard down we just play a little game of "we're connecting the dots" and tell how fucked he's going to be on the long run on this city. BUT he's lucky he found himself with the best on his class and a genius on commerce, so, if he stops with his bullshit, let us go and don't tell anyone, we can take a look to the accounting books, make a plan for a few months so things can get more smooth and we leave him by himself. Eventually he might fuck up again, so we go like "if in a future you don't know what to do and need our help, we can come and take a look at your finances to help you again, but the next time won't be free"

He's crazy and clearly going schizo mode, so, if we can ease him up and show a solution for his trouble is going to be good. He's more scared of his family than from a couple of dynast who he can easily kill, so I think this angle is better

>>6067971
Supporting this.
Gourd atleast seems like a straight laced warrior who isn't having a mental breakdown. Focusing on him should be a lot easier even if he is an exalted warrior. He already has doubts about what the other guy is doing too.

>>6065701
HYPE. The first thread was fantastic, I can't wait to see what becomes of the second one.

>>6067971
I'll agree with this. If we can subvert Gourd we can have this paper-pusher eating from the palm of our hand in short order.

>>6067971
Fine, I'll change >>6067679 to support.

>>6067971
This seems to have gained some traction.

Roll 1d20
First 4 considered
dc 9, crit 14
and because of the custom post you enjoy a +2 on your final score

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>6068552

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>6068552
Cmon, 12 or higher

>>6068571
good job

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>6068552
Rool

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>6068577
Goddamn!

>>6068552
Rollan

File: red jade.png (1.09 MB, 1024x891)

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“Well? Are you listening?”

“Yeah. I just don’t like the options you’ve given me.”

“Oh come on! Look! They got your girl, your sister and they ruined the good vibes you made! You have every right to turn this into a bloodbath of legendary proportions!”

“Yeah. Right. And if I start going on the warpath how am I going to explain what happened to half the city? Besides, I remember you mentioning not once how discretion is one of our greatest assets.”

“Yeah but I’m BORED!”

“Well suck it up. I’ll handle this. Peacefully if preferrable.”

“You’re no fun.”

Jet watched a bit more as Gourd excused himself from the presence of his cousin and took his leave. He did not bother too much with subtlety this time, he could not afford to lose track of the man. So he surveyed the area in search of a spot not being observed and he jumped down from the tower on top of a nearby building. The crash and subsequent shattering of roof tiles would’ve alerted many nearby, so Jet shot out a pair of roots from his foot before landing and as they swiftly but gently secured a footing for him he gradually slowed himself down. Thankfully it appeared that nobody witnessed his little stunt so he was able to jump down from there into an alley without trouble.

He kept tracking Gourd through the streets. It wasn’t hard, given his brilliant red armor and the prominent horns on his helmet. He trekked through half the city before arriving at a rather impressive looking building. Though smaller than the governor's office, it was no less opulent. Jet waited a little while, observing the place from a distance until he gathered his courage, jumped over the stone fence surrounding the compound and rushed in through one of the windows, which his roots opened easily from the inside once they found a slight opening. He was squatting on the windowsill, thinking he had performed the infiltration flawlessly when a sliding door slammed open with Gourd standing there, polearm in hand and still wearing his red jade armor.

“I was wondering when you were going to show yourself.”

“Since when?”

“I’m always on guard in case someone tries following me home. I don’t know who you are but my guess is you’re with those two outsiders. But whoever you might be, you’re under arrest in the name of the satrap.”

Jet threw up his hands with a sigh.
“You’re free to take me in. But wouldn’t you rather know who you’re dealing with?”

“You can save your explanation for the satrap.”

“I don’t know about that Gourd. I’d much rather talk with you. You seemed much more level headed than your cousin back there.”
The tip of the exalts Dire Lance quivered. He seemed so stoic, so confident up until now. But now he’s shaken a bit.
“I understand of course. He must be overworked and mortals tend to crack under pressure. I sympathize. Which is why I came to you. I’d rather not burden him any more and make him… snap.+

Damn. I did not realize the random image I got was ai sloppa. That's hideous

“What do you want?”

“Just to clear things up so we can both go our separate ways without a major incident between the houses. My name is Mnemon Jet. Or I suppose that’s now Mnemon Jet of House Ledaal. You see I had my marriage recently and we were on our way to our honeymoon with my wife, Ledaal Catala Ena. The very loud girl you had the pleasure of meeting is my sister, Mnemon Kaya. She came with us as a bodyguard, though I’d rather say she’s here to mooch off of us.”

“And you expect me to believe any of that?”

“I’m expecting you to be reasonable. Even if I’m lying, you already caught us. If we’re spies, we failed. We’ll leave without a word, nobody needs to know, nobody needs to get involved and you’ll be richer knowing that two houses have their eyes set on you. Of course I’m not lying but I don’t expect you to just go along with what I’m saying. I’d be disappointed if you did, actually.”

“Hmmm.”

“Here are your options. At least how I see them. You may arrest me and take me to your cousin, and then you can pray he doesn’t mangle the case and bring much more attention to your city than needed. You could let me and my family go and I promise you’ll never hear from us ever again. Or…”

“If you’re waiting for me to ask what is it, you’re wasting your time.”

“You’re no fun. Lastly you could take me to the Satrap, arrange a private meeting just between the two of us. Not as prisoner and official, but as equals.”

“Why would I-”

“So that I may explain myself to him, and tell him exactly how fucked he is.”
Gourd looks like he’s just about ready to attack at the obvious threat but Jet lowers his hand to calm him down with a dismissive hand wave.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying I’m going to do anything to you. You’re doing it yourselves. I’ve been here for less than a day and I can see how dire the situation is. Tensions are already high with the rabble due to the food shortages and overtaxation. I suspect it’s only going to get worse. Luckily, the Dragons blessed you on this day as it just so happens that THE top graduate of the Spiral, specializing in economics, decided to pass through your city and he’s offering to take a look at your finances and help correct them… In exchange for overlooking a minor slight on his part, of course.”

“I…”

“Your cousin needs help, Gourd. He will not be able to keep things under control for much longer. You must help him before it’s too late.”

The lance is slowly lowered as Gourd gets lost in his thoughts.
“He’s a… proud man. A good man but a proud one. He’d take it as a failure on his part.”

“He IS failing!”

“And what do you know about that? He’s a dynast from birth and he carries himself as such. He worked his whole life as if he’d be chosen one day. But it never happened. And now he feels like he has to prove himself, that despite his shortcomings he’s still somebody. Do you know what that must feel like?”


Markolab’s voice rang in Jet’s mind.
“If only he knew.”

He sets the lance down, its prominent tip pointing upward.
“I was a farm boy, who rode horses all day. I never expected to be anything. And now look at me? I’m standing where he should be. And he resents me for it. He’d never accept help from me… or you.”

“You’re making a mistake, Gourd.”

“Maybe… But we all make mistakes.”
He sighs.
“I’ll let your wife and sister go. Jirobo will be furious but I’ll weather it. But you’ll need to leave immediately. No questions asked.”

“Hmph. Can’t say I agree with your decision. But I’m not going to complain.”

Jet stepped forward to offer the man a handshake as thanks but Gourd stopped him.
“Just one more thing. Are you sure you could fix the problems of the city?”

“Top student. I wasn’t bragging.”

“Then just in case the trust I place in my cousin is misplaced… could I call on you for aid? You know, a favor for a favor.”

“It’s going to be much harder to fix if things get even a little worse…”

“Is that a problem for a top student of the academy?”

>No (Agree to help him in case he needs it)
>Yes (Refuse)
>Custom?

>>6068762
The Wyld reaches its claws deep in unexpected places...

>>6068774
>No (Agree to help him in case he needs it)
There's no reason not to pocket a favour.

>>6068805
Oh yeah. Now that you mention it, Sloppa is a perfect representation of the shit that goes on in the Bordermarches

>>6068774
>Not an issue.

Easy, we get what we want and thats it.

>>6068811
Imagine standing against a swordsman and he morphs into an undulating sprawl of lines and colour that match a man's shape but are simply wrong. The terror is beyond description.

>>6068774
>No (Agree to help him in case he needs it)

Glad we could take care of this. Though combat would have been fun too, and the chaos of the city losing its governor and dragonblooded warrior.

>>6068774
>No (Agree to help him in case he needs it)
>But make it clear that, unless he needs another favor like this again, the next time they need some other commercial miracle, we're going to ask to be paid, it's our profession after all
>Also tell Markolab something like "The best part of me being "boring", is that when I finally want to bash some skulls you're going to enjoy it even more"

>>6068774
>No (Agree to help him in case he needs it)

>>6068774
>No (Agree to help him in case he needs it)

>>6068774
>No (Agree to help him in case he needs it)

"No, it isn't. And that's not what I was saying. Merely that you better be ready for some drastic measurements if or when the time comes for it."

"I am."

"Good. So does that mean we have a deal?"

"Swear it. Swear it on your name in front of the dragons and we do."

"Sigh. I, Mnemon Jet, solemnly swear before the Immaculate Dragons to provide my assistance to you, should you call upon it, in case the city needs guidance with its economic situation. There. Happy?"

"Yes. Very."

"Good. But know that this is a one time thing. Mess up again and I'll be expecting compensation in exchange for my services."

"Of course. But I hope there won't be a need for that. In fact, I'd love it if I never needed to call on your favor. But I don't believe we live in hopeful times like that. But enough of that. Come. I'll take you to your family."
Jet followed Gourd back to the prison grounds but just before entering the area the dragon-blooded stopped and handed Jet a key.
"Here. This opens their cell. Make sure to leave it in the lock and spare me a trip to the blacksmith. Oh, and the items we confiscated are in that tent. Make sure to collect them."

"I'm not sure they'll just let me waltz in and break out your prisoners."

Gourd let out a chortle under his helmet.
"Just wait. You'll know the opportunity when you see it. Wait here."
The red armored exalt left Jet for a few brief minutes and came back running, followed by the sound of a bell being repeatedly struck. An alarm.
"Fire! There's a fire! Men! Come! We need to put it out before it spreads!"

Jet looked over his own shoulder and saw smoke rising above the nearby buildings. The madman actually lit a fire. It was an oddly elegant solution, as it not only drew away all the soldiers on guard duty but also gave an excellent explanation for Gourd as to how his prisoners escaped. Jet smirked and watched patiently as the last of the guards left before dashing in. Kaya and Ena gave him a surprised look as he started fiddling with the lock.
"JET?!"

"Quiet! We need to hurry! They won't be distracted for long!"
The lock opened with a satisfying "clank" before falling to the ground with the key still inside.
"Your items are there, quick!"

The girls rush in to snatch up whatever they can and they start following the infernal back to their cart outside the city's perimeter. Thankfully the fire drew most of the citizens attention, including those meant to be on guard duty so they had no problem leaving. Without missing a beat they got their horses up and tied them to the cart before taking off in a mad dash.

Finally, once it seemed like they safely escaped, Kaya and Ena gave Jet an inquisitive look.
"Thanks for the save, Jet. But we had things under control."

"I saw. You were very in control in that iron cage."

"Hey! We just didn't want to make a scene-"

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"What Kaya is trying to say is, thank you. Unfortunately the holding cell had enchantments on it that made it... difficult to escape. So we were waiting for them to release us. Also we hoped to avoid an incident. By the way, how exactly did you manage to get the key? And did you cause that fire?"

"No. And I didn't get it. It was given to me. I got lucky and managed to convince that man in the red jade armor to let you go, in exchange for a favor."

"What favor?"

"I don't know Kaya, I'm sure he'll tell me when he wants to turn it in. Hopefully we can get far enough away that it will never come. But I'm not holding my breath 'til then."
They fell silent afterward and Jet focused on the road.

"Nice cloak by the way."

"Thanks Kaya, it was very expensive. Speaking of clothes though... why were you naked when they brought you in?"

"We went to the bath house."

"Typical..."

The trio went as far as their horses could take them while the sun was still shining down upon them. Deciding that it was safer to not move at night they made camp and rested. In his sleep Jet was tormented once more by strange dreams. In it he saw Gourd of all people, standing behind him whilst he, covered from head to toe in resplendent golden armor, faced four units of dragon-blooded, twenty in total, in combat. The fight was brutal, by his standards anyway, yet it took no effort to dispatch them all. He was able to send each unit flying with one punch each, and it did not even have to connect.

"They are not up to standard."

"My lord, I assure you of their quality myself. Each of them is from my bloodline and I oversaw their training personally."

"No. It's not an issue of training. No. 2 and No. 4 of the Third Unit have troubles with their anima. Essence flows irregularly through their chakras, causing motonic fluctuation. I could see deviations as high as 0.000000001 from the universal standard of other Dragon-Blooded. Pantera!"

An adolescent boy darted across the entire manse and showed up in his shadow with such speed it looked as if he used sorcery to teleport.
"My lord?"

"Collect bio-samples from each of these newbloods and take it to the genesys lab for study. I suspect Gens Raicho is succumbing to this new "disease" that ails our terrestrial cousins."

"Y-Your excellency! I assure you there's nothing-"

"If I find out that you have been sabotaging my troops, my stock in such a manner..."
He could feel the mounting fury of a thousand volcanic eruptions rising in his stomach. He felt like he could die from it any moment.
"I will cull each and every single branch of your degenerate bloodline, before you irreversibly taint what is mine by divine mandate! The Deliberative be damned!"

Jet snapped awake from the sensation of his chest being on fire. Though it was but a dream the pain from the burning fury in his chest felt oh so real even now. Panting and sweating he looked around, contending with the darkness of the camp to see if he woke the others up. When he was sure he was the only one awake he sighed with relief.

“You know I always wonder what goes on in that head of yours when you sleep. Seems intense.”

“A bunch of nonsense. Like most dreams. Jumbled messes with no real meaning.”

“Dreams are the stuff of wonder, magic and chaos. The stuff of the Wyld your kind was made to harness. Sometimes it’s random, other times prophetic. Impossible to tell which at the moment. Come oooon. Tell me. I could help you decipher it, you know. Was it something saucy?”

“As if I’d sacrifice the last bit of privacy I have to a demon.”

“Have it your way. You waking up every other day drenched in sweat and looking like you’re about to die is plenty amusing on its own.”

Jet scoffed at the demon and went back to sleep, or at least tried to rest as much as possible. He had naturally more vigor than a mere mortal, and if push came to shove he could stay up for an entire week, but it was still better to get plenty of rest. He got cranky when denied his daily dose of sleep.

The following day and the next few they kept to the road, not bothering to enter any settlements after their last experience. Instead they hunted and gathered what they needed (or poached as some might call it) and used natural fresh waters to drink and bathe. It was less than pleasant, definitely not something any of them were used to with their dynastic lifestyles. But eventually they stumbled upon a settlement that seemed to be a perfect fit for Jets desires. It was a small, insignificant little settlement, not even worthy of being called a town. There were only a few rudimentary houses of a box like design made of wooden logs and large stones. Judging by its size and the number of homes the place couldn’t have more than 10 or 20 families in total. It was not even present on any of the maps they had in their possessions. And best of all, it lied far enough from any large regional powers.

Small, insignificant and new.

“Perfect!”
Jet grinned as he surveyed the place.
“Now it’s only a matter of checking if it’s owned by someone!”

“FINALLY! I was getting tired of all this carting. Even if it doesn’t fit your stupid preferences, can we PLEASE stay here for a few days? I NEED civilization!”

“I-I agree with Kaya. It’d be nice to rest for a bit. So… maybe no disturbances this time?”

The two of them glared at Jet. In hindsight it wasn’t one of his brightest ideas to tell them he was the cause for their arrest. But it’s better to remain honest with each other.
“Fine. We can stay here for a bit. We need to restock anyway.”

As he directed the cart his mind was already racing with the possibilities. He couldn’t wait to finally get his hands on a piece of land and make something out of it. But most of all he was interested in-

>its natural resources
>its lifeblood, the people
>its leadership and how easy would it be to supplant it
>Custom

>>6069508
>its lifeblood, the people

>>6069508
>its lifeblood, the people

>>6069508
>Its lifeblood, the people
Souls are the most valuable resource of them all.

>>6069508
>Its lifeblood, the people
What is a king without a kingdom?

>>6069508
>its lifeblood, the people

He was interested in the people, the lifeblood of any city. Not just their exact numbers, their make-up, their culture, religion and history. To avoid unnecessary tension one must study the natives and their customs. It was a core part of his curriculum regarding the exploitation of barbarians. The leadership of the place mattered little, they merely had to be removed. And the prosperity of a land was easy to improve. But its people needed to be studied to know how to use them properly.

"I don't get you Jet. Why are you so excited about a handful of peasants? Wouldn't it be better to find a more populous place?"

Jet smirked to himself as he cracked the reins of the horses.
"Smaller communities are ideal. Though they are more cohesive than larger ones, it's also much easier to learn the exact capabilities of each member. And once their talents are properly exploited and their home becomes prosperous, it's easy to subvert them with a large influx of foreigners looking for a better life. This place is perfect. Or, it looks to be."

As they move closer and closer to the settlement they come across a shepherd, a young boy who could only be considered an adult with a lot of generosity. He was resting under the shade of an apple tree while his sheep grazed all around him. Jet ordered the horses to stop and once he saw the plebian boy look up out of curiosity he called out to him.
"Hey peasant! What's the name of this place?"

The boy took out the blade of grass from his mouth and spat on the ground before responding.
"Peasant is your sweet grandmother's chafed kneecaps, you god-forsaken cunt of a bastard."
He said with such calmness one would think he recited and practiced that line his whole life for just this moment.

They all kept blinking from the shock and remained silent for a good couple of seconds before Jet finally formulated a response.
"My apologies, I meant no offense-"

"Yeah I bet ya didn't. Now, if you know what's good for ya, you'll turn that shitwagon around and go back where ya came from. Because we don't like strangers around these parts."

"How... charming."
Ena said, struggling to maintain her normally reserved persona.

"Well, thank you for the advice but I don't think we will. A good day to you."

They left the boy alone with his sheep and proceeded inward. Jet then turned to the girls.
"Looks like we might not get a warm welcome. Just to be safe, try to not speak with a High-Realm accent. And whatever happens, don't use your family names. We don't want them to know we're from the Realm. In fact, it might be best if we use fake names, Ena."

"Not me?"

"No. I know you'll just slip up."

"Hey fuck you!"

"Just stick to your own name. And no titles or honorifics either."

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They all silently agree to keep their natures as Dynasts hidden as they park down their cart near the edge of the town and go in. The three of them split up, with each heading off to do whatever they please. Ena goes to reserve a room at the only inn in town, Kaya looks through the markets and Jet strolls down the streets, taking a good look at the homes and especially the gardens of the folk. His estimate of about 20 families was roughly correct, but it's obviously hard to guess if every household belongs to a separate family at a glance.

The place really is an insignificant little shithole by all accounts. There's a blacksmith, a tailor, a hunter who's also the tanner, a tavern and the square where most people went to sell whatever surplus they had, but many simply set up shop wherever they could and last but not least a temple, more of a shrine really. Presumably for some local protective deity. Mostly however the people pursued simple lives, growing food in gardens, raising livestock or doing other necessary work like chopping wood or mining stone and trading for which they lacked. Yet after the tour even Markolab started agreeing with the choice of location.

“Yes, this place indeed has potential. Good choice.”

“How so?”

“I’ll tell you later. However, I think you should stop.”

Jet did so purely out of curiosity and he realized that a person whom he thought was simply going the same way he did was actually following him. A young looking girl wearing plain and frankly ragged looking clothes approached him with a cheerful smile.
“Blessing of the gods upon you stranger!”

“Erm. Good day to you as well.”

“I hope the others did not trouble you that much. They fear outsiders.”
As they should. Most random travelers are usually scouts for bandits, or worse.
“I’m Eruka by the way. Welcome to Summer Valley!”

“Uh…”
Jet struggled for a moment. He was not used to warm welcomes such as this and thus he struggled to come up with a name.
“Nice to meet you. Call me Master Saffron. And no, we were not disturbed. But you seem awfully eager to engage people you’ve never met before.”

“Ah, that’s precisely why I wished to talk with you. I’m not used to new faces. And I don’t know why but I just know when I look at you that you aren’t a bad person, mister Saffron.”

“Just Saffron, please.”
Jet grumbled, whilst wondering if the girls affection was also a result of his infernal powers. But he wasn’t about to ignore a potential asset just because of that.

“As you wish. By the way Saffron, what brings you to our village?”

“Actually me and my family are looking to settle down.”

“Oh…”
Her cheerful expression sours.
“I wouldn’t recommend that.”

“Why?”

She looks from left to right and then begins whispering.
“Truth is the town has been attacked several times recently. I wouldn’t recommend you start a new life here mister.”

File: Fair Folk.png (1.67 MB, 1200x685)

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And there it is. Her intentions are now clear as ice. She saw the strangers with the wagon passing through town and thought she could hitch a ride with them. Clever. The girl is resourceful, despite her age.
“By whom, if I may ask?”

“Not who. What. Goblins. They come and raid the town every two weeks. I’d recommend you don’t linger here for more than three days.”

“I see. Thank you for the warning Eruka.”


Markolab chuckled.
“Oh this is great! Fair Folk? This far inland? You know what that means? No? There’s a Demesne they are occupying and turned into a Freehold, a beachhead they make so they don’t die. If there is a Demesne nearby, then this really is a prime piece of land! Or better yet… hmmm. You ARE a Fiend. You have diplomatic immunity in the courts of the fairy. Hell if you really wanted to you could bargain with the Raksha. But personally, given your immense lack of experience, I wouldn’t recommend that.”

>”I guess I should handle those then. I don’t like living next to rabid animals.”
>”Then this place isn’t as ideal as I thought. We’ll take our leave.”
>”Go visit these Fae to see if you can work something out.”
>Custom

>>6070158
>"Then we should see how to arrange a meeting with these Goblins, and I also need everything you know about fairy customs and things in general about them"
>The plan is to make sure they don't make outright attacks and see what they want. If what they ask can be gathered easily we can maintain good relatioships with them as in commercial one: They come, we give what they want, and they give us something in exchange.

>>6070158
>”I guess I should handle those then. I don’t like living next to rabid animals.”

>>6070158
>”Go visit these Fae to see if you can work something out.”

Might be handy to have this Freehold and some Fair Folk around. More interesting. If we have to do anything weird or kill someone to keep our cover we could blame it on elves or whatever. We can learn any charm if I remember what someone said last thread, so that could be pretty handy to learn some Fair Folk magic. Or if they can make interesting stuff. Fair Folk elf wife? Though really Jet is for Kaya and Ena. But subverting them or having them as allies might be handy.

Also needing Jet gang's strength to fend off future goblin raids is kind of a convenient way to justify them staying, taking over the village, and changing things.

>Custom
Plan for those three days and wait to crush the next goblin raid, use the momentum of victory to take leadership of the village, and use then go bargain with the Raksha while they are weak from defeat.

If Ena can summon demons that might also be handy for the Seven Samurai montage of preparing the village for defense. At least thats the ideal in my eyes.

>>6070158
>”Go visit these Fae to see if you can work something out.”
We are a diplomat par excellence, subverting the Fair Folk would be a wonderful test of audacity.

>>6070158

>”I guess I should handle those then. I don’t like living next to rabid animals.”

>>6070158
>”Go visit these Fae to see if you can work something out.”

>>6070158
>”Go visit these Fae to see if you can work something out.”

Lol, you guys are beyond screwed

>>6070204
Technically yes. Fiends are capable of learning Fair Folk charms. A good chunk of those are useless though for non-Raksha

I cant believe I found the thread just to see you guys actually trying to play lawyer with the FAE of all things.

>>6070435
I showed up five hours ago anon and to be honest it's perfectly in the nature of an Exalted to do dumb shit and expecting to walk away scott free.

>>6070435
To be fair Infernals have access to Cecelyne charms, who invented laws. But funnily enough anons chose to double and triple doen on Szoreny stuff instead of dipping into her. Kek

>>6070381

My Jet believes in giving chances. That said perhaps I was a tad overly ambitious. I saw a seed of a dream that would reach for the sun just like szoreny. But if in the true light of enlightenment it's actually just a big weed I guess uhhh violence? Salt their women, burn their cattle, and slay their fields.

>>6070509
To learn Fair Folk charms you still have to meet the requirements for them. That bring... Graces. Living things don't have graces, they have virtues. To get a grace you must have a Raksha remove one of your virtues and fashion a grace out of it. You don't want that. For starters that means a core part of your being has been externalized and people can take it from you and exercise control over it. For example if they got your Valor (which is now a Sword grace) they can decide at any point to deny access to your own bravery.
Furthermore by becoming like a Raksha you'd no longer have the innate resistance to their shaping bullshit and they can drag you into their dream duels

Not ideal to say the least

>>6070539
That sounds straight up looney toons. Unless the benefits were tremendous or the flavor of it was really seductive I can't imagine doing that lol. Maybe a pet fae folk instead? But if they can't survive without a freehold I guess that might also require some work.

>>6070546
>>6070546
You see it clearly. Fair Folk are trope elementals, living stories. They can do whatever, whenever, however.
Graces are fake emotions these alien monsters have and use to try to figure living out. They are immortal and can't die thus have no Valor. They can conjure limitless wealth in an instant and don't see the point of Temperance. They have no long term goals or any goals actually so they can't use Conviction to stick to their path. And they see all other beings as figments of their own imagination and thus have no empathy or Compassion.

Raksha charms can be powerful. Like fashioning likitless wealth out of nothing. But it either doesn't work in stable reality or if it does it's still a fake nothigburger.
Raksha can pull metric tons of the finest gold and jewels out of their ass, enough to crash the world economy or they can conjure an army of a million strong. But it's all illusions. Good illusions, that can and will hurt you. But illusions none the less. If you can see through the veil of bullshit it can not affect you

"I think I'll have a little chat with these Fair Folk then. See if I can get them to "cooperate" with my little plans."

"Hmmmm. Yes, yes. Very good... WHAT?! Jet! Buddy! My prince! My Mobility Assisting Device! Were you paying attention to any of what I said?! I know we have our moments of discord. We take jabs at each other, insult each other's progenitors and have our little dynamic of trying to piss each other off. But when I tell you to NOT do something I mean it! I do it for your sake! And in case you don't comprehend the severity of the situation, let me reiterate. DO NOT FUCK WITH THE LORDS OF CHAOS! Even the Yozi found it more prudent to just kill them on sight rather than deal with them in any capacity! Out of all beings, only the Elders of the First Age had the sheer balls, wits and guile to subdue the Fair Folk with oaths and even then the Balorian Crusade still happened! You my boy are NOT one of those luminaries! You're going to get us fucking killed! Or worse! I'm not too keen on being stuck in your hollowed out, empty carcass after the Raksha eat your soul, devour your dreams, and shit out your ambitions!"

"My people have kept Creation safe from the fair folk. The Wyld Hunt put plenty of their heads on pikes. I'm going to be fine."

"That's only because you assholes had the Sword of Creation aimed at them the whole time and they were afraid to make a move against you! Sigh. Fine... Fine! We'll do it your way. Not like I can stop you. But PLEASE Jet! Listen to me!"

"I'm listening. As long as you give sound advice."

"Good. Good. First thing first, leave this peasant girl and go back to that blacksmith we passed."

"Why?"

"We need iron. Cold iron. Not steel or any other refined metal. Raw, wrought iron. A horseshoe, a dagger, anything! If you must tear some nails out of the walls. It should offer you some protection against the fae."

Jet looked at the girl before him.
"Miss. Perchance do you have any possessions made of iron?"

"Eh?"
The girl, despite being unsure about Jet's request, took him to her home. She asked him to stay outside and after a few minutes of wait came out with a simple iron spoon.
"I know what you're thinking. It doesn't work as well as you think..."

Jet looked at the walls of the log house and how they were marred by claw marks. She carried a sorrowful expression on her face. He took the spoon and checked if it was indeed made of raw iron, it was. He then returned his focus to her.
"Thank you. May I ask what you mean by that?"

"My... father used to tell me to keep an iron horseshoe under my bed. He said it wards away evil fairies. The stories were not true."

That's all he needed to hear and all she could share without tearing open still fresh wounds. It's obvious by the run-down state of the home that there weren't enough people living there to maintain it. Her family must've been dragged away by those goblin raiders.

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"Foolish girl."
Markolab chuckled.
"She thought merely possessing it was enough. That only offers protection from a few fae glamours. You need to beat them to death with iron to be absolutely safe."

"Enough. She had no way to know that. Anyway, will this be enough?"

"If you're good at killing things with a fucking spoon, then yes. But worry not. We only need it to make our job easier. And as insurance."

Jet nodded and pocketed the ironware away. As he was about to leave however the peasant girl stopped him.
"Wait! If perchance you leave the town, could you maybe-"

"Don't worry about it."
He looked around.
"Which direction do the goblins usually come from?"

The girl stared at him in disbelief before exploding in a rage.
"You can't be serious! You'll get yourself killed!"

"Which way?"

The girl simply refused to answer and stormed back inside before slamming the door behind her. Markolab urged his master to ignore her and started guiding him instead. He directed Jet's attention towards a particular patch of the nearby woods that not only was more lush and vibrant than the rest but also had a few streams coming out to the plains. Even Jet, with his limited knowledge of the arcane, knew what that signified. Those are telltale signs of a nearby Demesne, the one Markolab already noticed before. And according to the demon that's most likely where the fae have set up camp. So that's where he headed.

It took him about ten minutes to walk out of town, and another forty to get to the woods. He had seen trails leading to other parts of the forest, but not here. The locals most likely had their superstitions about that area and with good reason. Demesnes are confluxes of Creation's essence, their great power tends to warp their surrounding area to match the elemental alignment of the demesne itself. There are cautionary tales of men living in demesnes of fire and developing red hair at first, then red skin, then they'd turn into beings of living fire. Though this is a slight exaggeration these places of power hold many dangers beside slow mutation over many years, like greedy spirits all vying for its control.

This place was most likely a demesne of Wood, as the forest around here was strong. The trees were tall, girthy and healthy. Tree and plant roots ran all over the ground like a blanket of vegetation one could easily trip over. The one thing that did not match this hypothesis was that despite its vibrancy the forest seemed almost desolate. It was quiet, deathly quiet. No birds sang, no bugs or lizards scuttled around in the undergrowth and no small mammals rustled the branches of the trees as they moved about. There is a popular philosophical quandary that monks of the Immaculate Faith love to recite.
"If a tree falls but none witness it, does it make a sound?"
Well these woods provide a good answer. It's so quiet here that would a tree to fall anywhere it could be heard everywhere like thunder.

"This place is giving me the creeps."

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"Strange. Either the Fair Folk drove away all the animals or... or they enchanted all of them. Keep your eyes peeled Jet, I'll watch your back. DUCK!"

A mushroom behind him rose from the ground, alongside a great bundle of roots. Or at least that's what it looked like. In truth it was a diminutive creature, with an impressive gut, a prominent ear and a bizarre club-like tool in hand. A goblin. The creature had spiraling patterns all over its skin and its nose was shaped like a mushroom cap. As it laid down it perfectly blended into the environment to the point that not even Markolab could pick it out from the native vegetation. Jet crouched under its swing and got to see its alien weapon from up close. It had a handle with a crossguard, like a sword, and its head was a bizarre jumble of spikes made of wood, stained glass and crystals and the two ends were connected by a stiff line only a hair's breadth.

He shifts to the side, plants one hand on the ground and uses it to spin around and kick the goblin as hard as he can. He lands a clean hit and the foul creature goes flying with a guttural screech, which stops as its body collides full force with a tree trunk. Jet spins a bit more before he manages to stop and stand up, but when he does the goblin is nowhere to be seen. Where it struck the tree were now colorful lichen and beneath was a small pile of dirt he's pretty sure wasn't there before.
"What the hell? Where did it go?"

"You killed it. Goblins are only really a threat in overwhelming numbers."

"Yeah but where is it?"

He was expecting the usual malicious chuckle from his coadjutor but the demon only sounded worried.
"This is why I said you don't know what you're doing Jet. Because you don't. The Fair Folk aren't of this reality, Hell they are barely real at all. When one dies within the confines of Creation the gears of reality grind them to composite motes and incorporate them into the tapestry of fate. The vines? The dirt? There's your goblin. What's left of it. And it's only going to get worse as we go deeper in."

Jet froze. He couldn't make heads or tails of what was said to him. He gave up trying to comprehend it and shifted his focus on what he could.
"Hey, how come it attacked me? Didn't you say I had immunity?"

"Yeah. In the courts of the Fae. Does this look like a court to you?"

"Tch... then I guess I better find it."

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The search for the Freehold was more arduous than initially expected. He thought it'd be easy to spot the camp of a fairy but apparently they are quite good at using geomantic principles to hide their freeholds. Only by finding the actual entrance, which could be anything from a rock formation, a bunch of branches in an arch or a hole in a tree. And all along the way as he searched he kept being ambushed by goblins. Though they were annoying and could not be underestimated they did bring a certain ease for the infernals' demonic companion. Apparently the lack of other, more complex wyld creatures or even hobgoblins meant this band of Raksha was still small and weak. This however did not help Jet with his growing sense of unease and dread.

Finally after hours of wandering the woods he managed to find what he thought to be the gateway to the Freehold, which was a particularly large circle of mushrooms at the edge of a clearing.
"You sure this will work?"

"I've been saying from the start that this won't work, you stubborn bastard. But once you step through you should be safe, to a degree. I'll try to help but you need to do exactly as I fucking say! Got it? First off, do NOT accept anything. No food, no water, don't even sit down if offered a seat and don't accept a handshake! Don't give them anything either! Use that Saffron moniker. Do not attack them, no matter what they do! Do not even move in a way that could be interpreted as an attack! If they start harassing you, let them."

"Are you serious?"

"I am and you better fucking do as I tell you! And for the love of the Yozi be careful! Keep your eyes peeled and remember, you are real, they aren't."

"What does that even mean?!"

"Doesn't matter! Just keep repeating the mantra! I am real, they are not! The rest is up to your ego..."

"Argh! Fine, whatever! I'm going in!"

He stepped into the ring and as he stepped out towards the clearing reality peeled back around him like a veil, revealing a scene he had a hard time comprehending. The empty clearing was nowhere to be found, in its place stood a magical kingdom built out of the roots, stems, leaves and petals of plants and crystals, as if it popped right out of a fairy tale. Even the sky had a saccharin look to it, especially as it shifted in colors. Two dozen tiny, red-capped gnomeish creatures blew into flowers in their hands that let out noises like trumpets. One of them was hammering the belly of an overgrown frog that sounded like a drum.

“Hear ye! Hear ye! Another foul villain hath cometh to challenge our good Laerd Cumhaill, The Greatest Xia, Slayer of Evil, Bedder of Princess Effluvia and owner of the Proud Fungal Blade! Rejoice! For the fields shall be blessed by the shed blood of the wicked!”

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One of the tiny creatures cried with a scroll made of human skin in its hand, and another overzealous one walked over to kick Jet in the shin and blow raspberries at him. However as it did one of the giant petals of a nearby house broke off and flew towards it at such speed it decapitated the diminutive pixie.

Jet stared at this mortified, and so did the other fae, even more so when his forehead opened up, revealing a black hole that dimmed the head-ache inducing color cascade of this world. Even their outfits, made of colorshifting leaves, became dull and gray. They shuddered as they looked at him.
“The House Builders… The House Builders… The House Builders…”
They repeated in a mantra.

“Markolab? What just happened?”

“The little one unknowingly violated the oath all Raksha are beholden to and paid the price. When it kicked you it violated your diplomatic immunity. Keep your caste mark lit and they won’t dare harm you, so long as you remember what I said. Now let’s go.”

With none to escort him Jet started walking towards the castle. The journey took far longer than anticipated and it made him realize that this place is far larger than the clearing led him to believe. It took him an entire hour of ignoring all distractions and marching steadily to reach the gates, where a pointy eared man awaited him, riding a horse made of stained glass and accompanied by six standard bearing child-like elfen things… and one mortal man.

“Behold! Laerd-”
The dead eyed man repeated the introduction the other gnomes did. Jet paid little attention to his words, he was more interested in the boys dimm eyes and the monotony of how he talked.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“They drained him dry. His dreams, passions, even his sense of self. It all lays in the gullet of the Fair Folk now. ‘Tis but a husk of a man, puppeteered by strings of gossamer and glamour.”

“Is there a way to fix it?”

“No.”

Finally the boy’s ravings about his lord end, and the fae raises a sword made of feathers.
“Good job squire! We may make a knight of you yet! Now-”
The fae turned to Jet.
“-speak Knave! What hast brought thee here? Hast thou cometh to challenge me or perchance to request hospitality?”

He ignored the Fae for now and turned to his demon for assistance.
“Does it not know?”

“It does. But the Raksha are creatures of story. It’s trying to lure you into its own narrative. Don’t let it do what it wants.”

>I’ve come to make an alliance
>I’ve come to bargain
>I’ve come to kill you
>Custom

>>6070702
>"I've come to consult Laerd Cumhaill, The Greatest Xia, Slayer of Evil, Bedder of Princess Effluvia and owner of the Proud Fungal Blade, and discern how we might best advantage ourselves of each other. For I, the Loquacious and Sagacious Saffron, have heard stirrings in the deep and have need of his counsel. If thou art him indeed, in truth, I need go no further."
This was a baaad idea, holy shit holy shit holy shit. Maybe we can pull something out of this? If we're brazen enough and can hold our own.

>>6070711
Hmm... or maybe playing into his nonsense is unwise? It would likely help with negotiating, but do we want to negotiate? I'm thoroughly spooked.

>>6070711
We dont move it into his nonesense.

>>6070702
>I am saffron. I come to bargain.

>>6070702
>"I have come for reasons that will remain my own. Do you often refer to visiting royals with such insulting terms? For that matter, I don't recall giving permission to refer to me at all. You took such liberties all on your own. Your own people have tried to attack me since the moment I arrived. A terrible breach of etiquette."
Deny his routine. Make him believe he owes us and needs to kiss ass to not pay the troll toll for this boy's hole.
Also, do NOT give him the reason for our arrival. Else he take it, literally.

>>6070718
Hmm... good thinking, yeah. We don't want to consign our soul to the outcome a 4D semantics chess match with a motile kaleidoscope of lies. We're a bureaucrat, it's best we keep it to bureaucracy- safe and boring, with as little narrative ambiguity as possible.

>>6070702
I'm changing my vote from >>6070711 to-
>I've come to bargain
The Courtly immunity gives us some slack for faux passes but we cannot, I repeat, we cannot let our guard down.

>>6070719
>+1
good idea, anon

>>6070702
>I come to bargain

This was a terrible mistake but we ball anyway, didn't defied fate just to scurry away the moment we see knife ears.

>>6070719
Hmm... damn, that is exceptionally good reasoning. Should we go with this? Refusing to tell him what our intentions are and placing the onus of hospitality on him, but then that leaves us vulnerable to his gifts. If he offers us refreshments or something, or even to go as far as a celebratory feast, we'd be endangering ourselves to reject it outright. I think we should keep it as simple as possible, if we're going to be here at all.

>>6070727
We should just play it straight, they're creatures of stories leaning into them might as well fuck us in the ass and we're goddamn a bureaucrat not a used car salesman.

>>6070728
True. The more I think about it, the more I agree. Let's keep it simple. If we're smart, we can probably leverage the fairies for a distraction down the line.

>>6070702
>"I have come for reasons that will remain my own. Do you often refer to visiting royals with such insulting terms? For that matter, I don't recall giving permission to refer to me at all. You took such liberties all on your own. Your own people have tried to attack me since the moment I arrived. Axk terrible breach of etiquette."

>>6070718
Ill change mine for this one.
>>6070719

>>6070719
Hmm... on second thought, I like this write-in too much to disagree with it.

>>6070702
I'm going to switch my vote a third and final time to back this >>6070719.

>>6070719
On that note, I'd like to actually make an addendum here.
Before saying or doing ANYTHING, run it by Markolab first. We have two minds in one body, we need to be taking full advantage of that. We might look a little slow or contemplative, but it's worth it in my opinion.

So... this >>6070719 is what you want to go with?
An insult and trying to get him to believe he owes you?

Not criticizing or anything, just clarifying that everyone is onboard even with the non-greentext part

>>6070927
Hmm... on third thought, again, as I've been inconsistent but the Raksha are DANGEROUS, I think I would rather go with >>6070721, as I was initially hesitant on the write-in and don't think it's a solid idea, as Markolab would run an intervention the second he sensed that thought in our head. Jet hasn't even killed a mortal sorcerer in battle yet and we're confronting a Fae Lord, we need to be on our best fucking behaviour. I've been wishy-washy on the votes but switching, in this instance, feels like common sense.

>>6070937
To clarify, I don't think it's a solid idea in retrospect considering our character sheet. If we were powerful enough to leave Laerd Cumhail sweating I would be all for it, but we aren't, we're just arrogant and extremely good at mortal politicking, which is not in any way shape or form comparable to Raksha politicking. Jet is in too far over his head to comprehend the magnitude. I thought this would be an interesting segment and am all for any amount of risk, within (or without) reason, but I'm surprised Markolab even cooperated with this. The poor beetle/bastard. Imagine being a major demon and playing backseat driver to a superficially cautious yet overtly, internally arrogant consummate politician and scholar.

>>6070939
Tbh he can't do much but scream and call you slurs. If you're stubborn enough to do stupid shit anyway his only option is to assist in a way you survive
And he did protest plenty

>>6070927
What does Markolab think of the plan?

>>6070955
He's not sure what Jet hopes to achieve

>>6070956
Yo Loom, what about this:

>I'm not your enemy, oh Laerd Cumhaill, The Greatest Xia, Slayer of Evil, Bedder of Princess Effluvia and owner of the Proud Fungal Blade. I, The Sagacious Saffron, Blessed by Fortune, Beloved by the Meek and Weak, and Kin of Mercury, I'm but a traveler, both in the realm of Creation, this place, and who knows where other planes I might wanna travel on a later moment. I've followed the trace of some rascal Goblins who have been tormenting a small population, and before knowing I landed on your illustrious Kingdom, which I hope my presence doesn't offend yer sensibilities, even if I do not care myself. And with all being said and done, I'm leaving! May your Kingdom, your subjects, and you be blessed by fortune, unless any other goblin or creature may decide to go again to Creation to cause mischief. Chao chao!

I must admit, It was hard writing this with all the rules, and I feel that maybe I fucked it up a little at least lmao.

But from my understanding, we have to do something like this, right? We've come here and we're being called a Villain, and they're talking like in prose, so if we do the same like talking like in a children's book and calling ourselves all those good titles, and basically tell like in a story we're actually doing other stuff BUT being a literal villain of the story, we should be good, right?

>don't get lure into its narrative
>Immediately gets lured into its narrative
Mucho texto
Also i think he can see through the traveler bullshit because we have a goddamn caste mark on our damn forehead making a freaking blackhole sucking the cascading colour with. Give him the fake name our infernal exaltation and we bargain that the occupants of this place will never come near that village(make it specific which village) ever again or harm them in anyway and he'll never see our sorry asses again.

>>6071202
Thank you. I will use this as a direction then.
Now...>>6070719
This is good. Not great, but sufficient.>>6071141
This is a terribad idea so it won't be included

Please roll 1d20. No bonuses this time
With your custom prompt you have a chance at a critical success
First 4 rolls will be considered
dc: 14, crit: 19

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>6071213
WEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREALWEAREREAL

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>6071213
Rell

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Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>6071213
I'M SORRY SENSEI BUT I MUST GO ALL OUT!

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>6071213

>>6071219
>>6071221
>>6071226
Out of all the things to die to, we die to a knife ear named fart cumsnail

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>>6071232
Thank you mysterious anon that has emerged from the shadows to save our bacon & eggs!

>>6071232
NVM LESSSS GOOOOOOOO

>>6071232
You guys are so lucky. That would've resulted in attempted gangrape and at least a new torso growing out of your asshole

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>>6071241
INDEED! For even if we fall, someone will get a chuckle out of our fuckup! For it is the nature of a Infernal to work with the setbacks as they're given.

>>6071232
A stunning display of diplomacy.

>>6071241
Markolab is probably simulating tinnitus with his screams. By Malfeas, we need to stay clear of the Fair Folk until we're strong enough to hold our own.

>>6071241
so the fae are degens as well ? damn. although considering what people have shown of this game, I shouldn't be surprised.

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>>6071246
The Fae are the worst in every aspect.
One of their Grace, the Cup, is about understanding the needs and desires of others, so you can be their bottom and control them as they pound your p(b)ussy

>>6071244
Oh you're not out of the woods yet. And yes, Markolab could make diamonds with his sphincter right now if he had one.
The Fae are pretty much one of the only things that's a kill on sight for everyone, all the time, and mortal enemies usually cease fighting when they show up

>>6071237
Home now. You are most welcome anon. I'll chalk this win up next to telling kaya she should just go stay with Ena instead of running off.

>>6071252
>One of their Grace, the Cup, is about understanding the needs and desires of others, so you can be their bottom and control them as they pound your p(b)ussy
grace is their boon ?

>And yes, Markolab could make diamonds with his sphincter right now if he had one.
>The Fae are pretty much one of the only things that's a kill on sight for everyone, all the time, and mortal enemies usually cease fighting when they show up
zam

>>6071384
No. Graces are aspects of their fake personalities, they are also physical objects that you can take from them and fuck them over.
A Raksha can have 5. But must have a Heart to be "real" and not just a figment of another Rakshas imagination
>The Heart
This is their "soul". Fae without Hearts have no motivation beyond what others give them
>Sword
Protects the hard. A Rakshas capacity for violence
>Cup
A Rakshas capacity to recognize desires and that others have them.
>Staff
The ability to recognize other people are real and not just figments of your imagination, so you can interact with them as equals.
>Ring
A Rakshas ability to create things separate from themselves. It's also their ego and self awareness. While the Heart gives them a Motivation to act upon, the Ring is their ability to say "This is who I am"

This is all fake pretend bullshit however. While these mirror the Virtues of real people it's all just a mask they use to gaslight others and themselves. While a Raksha with high graces can pass as a normal living being, at the end of the day they are still monsters of pure energy that make up a story. In their true form an Unshaped Raksha is a magical landscape, the people in it and the narratives they play out. "Once upon a time" bs. A Shaped Raksha (this nigga) is all that compressed into the shape of a person

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Jet's eyes shifted away from Cumhaill for a moment and onto his entourage, the six children dressed in queer uniforms that changed color as they moved and wielding halberds. He growled in his own mind at his coadjutor.

"I thought you said this would be a small freehold! This place is huge and there's a ton of them here."

"I said before I'm not an expert. I prefer not dealing with the Raksha at all. Better to kill them on sight. But this is consistent with what I know. This is about as big of a freehold as a single noble can make on its own. It probably broke off from its old court. And ignore the others. He's the only one that's "real". All the others are extras, background characters, part of the scenery. Tools and weapons it uses to write its story. Kill it, and the rest will simply cease to function or exist."

"But if I attack they will join in."

"Most assuredly. They are homunculi. The largest of the wee folk, bigger cousins of the poppet that kicked you. They serve as honor guards and majordomos of the ruling fae. The good thing is that there is usually a limited number of them. These six are probably all it has. But watch out for them. They are dangerous opponents, if a bit fragile."

"Okay. Thanks for the heads-up."
Taking a deep breath and clutching on the iron spoon in his pocket, hard, Jet looked at the Fae standing before him.
"My reasons are my own Laerd Cumhaill. I am Master Saffron and I am appalled by your questions. You address royalty visiting your realm in such manners? Knave? Villain? For that matter, I do not recall giving you the permission to address me at all. You have quite the nerve, taking such liberties all of your own accord!"

The fae started wagging its fingers.
"Dost thou not bear the stench of the House Builders? Doth thine essence not pollute this sanctuary with the vile wickedness of the Shadow of All Things? Face it, Master Saffron, you are the villain here!"

Jet leaned on Markolab once more.
"That name again."

"House Builders. It's what they sometimes call the Yozi. They view Creation as the house they built. And the Shadow of All Things is the title of The Ebon Dragon, his mark is what burns on your forehead."

"Keep your titles for yourself Laerd. Lest you choke on them. I carry the banner of the House Builders. Whilst your people invaded their home, attacked me and violated the ancient oaths by which you are beholden. Being vilified by you means nothing. Now I demand from you Laerd Cumhaill that you leave the occupants of Summer Vale in peace and do not come near the village! Never come near or harm its inhabitants ever again!"

Markolab screamed.
"NO! You stupid idiot! Bad terms! That means they can still enchant the people from afar!"

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Jet realized his mistake and broke out in a profuse sweat. But before he could formulate a correction to his terms the Fae responded.
"And why should I do that? The House Builders no longer own their old home and carry no authority in Creation. You have no right to demand such. And it was not by my hand that I've been summoned. I was called here by the people of the village who wished to pay me tribute!"

"Tribute? You devour the dreams of men and make them your slaves!"

"Perhaps the same could be said of all lords. And since these people lacked one, I graciously provided."

"Your words are as empty as your soul. These mortals ill need a savior such as you. They demand a lord that can elevate them above heaven, me! I lay claim to these people. They are mine! By the right of the builders and my might!"

"Thine arrogance is eclipsed only by the darkness in thine soul Villain! But enough talk! I tire of these dealings. I've granted thine the audience I must. Leave this kingdom so that we may fight another day over the land! Unless thou canst offer a suitable offering in exchange for our placidity..."

Markolab grumbled.
"Phew. It didn't accept. Good. That means it's greedy and impatient. It wants to predate on the people unobstructed, rather than twist the deal in its favor."

"But what do I do?! This is insane! It's like I'm talking to an insane wall!"

"Exactly. Which is why I urged that you don't come here! The Raksha do not follow conventional logic. Dealing them is difficult and perilous with rewards that simply don't outweigh the risk attached. Which is why you kill them!"

Jet suddenly had an epiphany.
"Laerd Cumhaill. It appears we're at an impasse. We both want the same thing, lordship over the dominion. Are you willing to duel for it?"

The eyes of the fae glint with a myriad of shifting colors, revealing a ravenous hunger that gnaws at Jet's very soul.
"A challenge? Splendid!"
It brandished its feather sword with an elegant flourish, sending ripples of color and sound through the air.
"We fight one on one! If thou art victorious I shall acquiesce! But if I triumph, thou shalt come with me on a tour of the neighboring freeholds and proclaim before the fairy courts my superiority over yourself and the demon princes! And you relinquish your claims over the land! Agreed?"

Jet glared at the Fae, sizing it up. He wasn't sure about the wisdom of this course of actions, but a fair duel sounded much more appealing than fighting the entire kingdom and all things in it at once. However Markolab had a different view of things.
"Wait! I got an idea... up the ante! Offer yourself as a slave if you lose, in exchange for a wish if you win."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"This is a great opportunity! One on one? It's perfect! Win, and demand its sword. Not its weapon! Its sword grace! Got it?"

"Why?"

"Take its sword grace and you gain control over its aggression. Destroy it and it won't be able to defend itself. Control it and you can deny access to it. And after its Sword is gone, its Heart will be free for the taking. Take its Heart, and it will do whatever you tell it to."

"Hmmmm."

>Accept the Laerd's terms. No modification
>Up the ante and wage your soul
>Offer him something precious in exchange for peace (what?)
>Bid him farewell and leave to prepare for the coming conflict
>Custom

>>6071946
>Up the ante and wage your soul
If Markolab's for it, I'm for it. I trust the beetle's judgement.

>>6071946
>Up the ante and wage your soul
WE BALL

>>6071946
>Up the ante and wage your soul
We ball

>>6071946
>Up the ante and wage your soul
Boom or Bust

>>6071946
>Up the ante.

We can still just refuse tp abide by it, with our bullshit "make the Yongzi take the soul hit" bullshit.

>>6071946
>Up the ante and wage your soul

We have a pretty good consensus going on

1d20 again
First 4 accepted
Dc 12, crit 16

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>6072237
The Loom spins as our fists fly, and the Ebon Dragon soars overhead!

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>6072237
let's go

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>6072237

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>6072237
Rall

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"I accept your bet, Laerd Cumhaill."

"Excellent! Then-"

"And I raise the stakes."

"What?"

With a flourish Jet smacked his own chest and proudly declared his intent.
"I wager my very soul! If you beat me I become your property! But if I win, you will owe me any one favor of my choosing!"

"What kind of fool dost thou take me for? You have no soul to wager as the pawn of the Demon Princes."

"Guess again. My soul is my own Laerd. Now do you accept MY challenge? Or are you too much of a coward to contend with me?"

The Raksha flashed a smile, letting his needle-like glass teeth show for the first time and he pulled out a featureless, reflective mask out of its robe before donning it.
"Then have at thee!"

His body erupted in a chiaroscuro pillar of dark and light essence, the pressure of which whipped up rainbow winds all throughout the magical kingdom. Even Jet felt himself pushed back by the display.
"That's an anima banner! What the hell?"

"Shit! A nishkriya mask! This was a mistake! Jet! Guard! Quick!"

The fae held out its feathery blade horizontally before pulling it back and throwing out a slash in front of himself. Jet only barely saw the attack coming, and were his joints not unnaturally flexible he never could've bent so far backwards to avoid it. Even then the slash managed to scratch the bridge of his nose just before he could bend out of the way. Now bent backwards he could see the extent of the destruction that was wrought. The trees, towers, windmills and even the clouds in the path of the attack were parted. Where presumably the edge of the Freehold laid was a gaping, rainbow colored wound in the sky. Jet felt shaken as Markolab tried to explain the situation to him. Nishkriya was the shinma of conflict, violence and destruction. So long as the mask was donned the fae relinquished its own identity, becoming an avatar of pure destruction. This Raksha may have been playing lord until now, but secretly he was waiting for his "villain" to show up so it may destroy it in glorious combat.

But there was something strange about the whole situation. Despite faced with such a destructive force Jet did not feel an ounce of fear. Far from it. His spine uncurled as he straightened his back and with a swipe of his thumb he wiped the drop of blood off his cheek. He was grinning from ear to ear.
"Markolab."

"Yes?"

"Is this Freehold sealed from the outside world?"

"Yes."

"And the mortals in here-"

"Are all lost causes. Why?"

"Just checking."

Though the wound on him had already closed, it still stung. The pain of it made him giddy with anticipation. For the first time since his exaltation he had nobody near him, and an excuse to no longer hold himself back. Slowly the chains that he placed on himself years ago, nay, in childhood started falling one by one. And using the pain inflicted on him as a conduit, he activated the Infernal Monster style.
"Retribution... will follow!"

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The essence Jet meticulously kept locked down until now erupted from within him. The explosive burst and the green-black pillar of pure energy rising to the heavens was accompanied by the Infernals' manic laughter as his shadowy disguise melted away and sloughed off his skin, revealing his malfean glory. The contrast between the Anima Banners of the Raksha and him were like night and day. The Faes felt like another part of the scenery that was revealed, it felt natural and fit in. Meanwhile as Jets anima formed the head of a roaring, demonic beetle the spewing torrent of essence started warping the surroundings according to its own design. Nearby vegetation rotted or developed a fine, metallic patina, the few drops of blood that fell from his cheek started sprouting bloody vegetation and the nearby shadows started to dance, venerating the glory of the Yozi. Even the pristine yellow cloak on Jet's back was being altered, developing black flame and spiral patterns on it.

Though Cumhaill had his face obstructed by his mask, his reaction gave away his feelings. Threads of essence shot from his fingers, each one attaching itself to a Homunculi which he took control of and sic’ed them on the cackling infernal. This was an obvious bending of the rules, but since he was controlling them directly they were not "technically" combatants, but mere weapons being used. But as the six halberds came down on his head Jet did not falter. Four arms sprouted from his back, tossing aside his robe and each one grabbing one polearm. The last two Jet caught with his fleshy limbs and with a simple twirl altered the course of the weapons, forming a circle from the homunculi as he impaled each one with the weapon of the one next to it.

Jet jumped out from the ring of fae as they started turning into an elaborate shrub upon death and as he landed he drew his firewand with one hand and the silver spoon with another. He stared at Cumhaill the same way an eager bloodhound looked at the prey it's about to chase down and tear to shreds. He shot out from his position like a blast of fire from his wand and the Raksha just barely managed to jump high in the air before the Infernal could claw his eyes out with his silvery limbs. Blades of grass and flower petals followed Cumhaill into the air. With a flourish of his sword he cut each of the hundreds of plant parts into the shape of hornets and sent them against Jet. In response the Fiend simply raised his firewand and shot in the air, turning all those beautiful little bugs into fireflies.

Normally a Firewand requires a long and meticulous reload after each shot. But his swift and nimble limbs worked in tandem, with three of them dividing the labor between each other. This let him reach an unprecedented rate of fire, with a shot being fired every second without pause. The Raksha first tried slashing the gouts of fire in twain but the sheer number of them was overwhelming him. Instead he slashed at the ground, sending more grass and spores in the air which he skipped away on towards his castle. Jet pursued him relentlessly, smashing through little cottages, gardens and the magnificent status of Cumhaill that got in his way. The very landscape itself seemed to fall apart in his wake as the Rakshas fluid reality was fraying on its edges from the sheer weight of the infernal energies being dumped into it.

Reaching his magnificent, crystalline palace Cumhaill ran up its side in clear violation of natures laws. Jet followed him by sprouting spikes from the sole of his feet. Cackling like a maniac and absolutely lost in the rush of his own essence Jet kept shooting volleys of firedust at Cumhaill until he heard an unpleasant “Click” when he tried to pull the trigger after reloading.
“Huh?”

“You’re wide open!”

Another one of those slashes is thrown out that almost cleaved the realm in half. Rather than dodging Jet’s eyes narrow on the faes wrist movements. As the swing happens he pulls out the iron spoon and with a whack in the middle cuts a channel of safe passage through it. But the Raksha was not about to let the opening go to waste and charged the Infernal. It however made a gross miscalculation. The Infernal he was fighting was nowhere near the same he was before the fighting began. He lost himself in his own essence and his ego. He had seen what the Raksha amounted to and all he felt was disgust that this wretched fantasy dared to think it could lord over him.

Cumhaill’s sword passed through Jet harmlessly as the shell of arrogance shattered the dreamforged blade. The fae realized the error he made and tried to get away but he found four arms seizing him from all sides, with the fifth wielding the iron spoon raised over his head. The mundane kitchen utensil broke a hole through his mask and his kaleidoscopic blood gushed forth as Cumhaill screamed.
“MY EYE!”

Jet gave the spoon a good twist before seizing the body of the elf with the rest of his hand and throwing both of them off the castle walls. Hugging it so hard as to crack its bones the Fiend dragged his foe down to the depths as they hit the ground together.

File: Graces.png (722 KB, 1047x596)

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A bit dizzy, with a bloody forehead Jet stumbled out of the crater he made in the dreamscape, with Cumhaill dragged in one of his mercurial arms. He tossed the fae ahead before stomping on his neck and yanking the spoon out of him. With the power of his Nishkriya mask gone and his injuries mounting Cumhaill came face to face with the possibility that he could die for the first time. And Jet loved the expression he was making.

“Say it. Say it!”

“I… I yield!”

Jet kicked him in the face.
“I accept Master Saffron as my better! Say it!”

“I accept you as my better… Master Saffron.”

“Good. Now, I believe you owe me a favor.”

The elf spat on the ground.
“My… essence is spent. If thou wouldst wait just a wee bit-”

“I don’t need your damn essence or any of your fairy gold. I want you Sword Grace!”

“Ah yes, my sword. Grace-”

Jet kicked him again.
“NO! The Sword Grace! The grace that is your sword! NOW!”
Cumhaill’s eyes shifted towards the feathered blade he was wielding. That is his Sword Grace, whatever that is. Jet took it with a grin. It seems weird that such a light little thing could be so dangerous, but as he learned it really isn't. It’s nothing but an illusion, a lie. Once one sees through it the things worth less than a buttering knife.
“Pleasure doing business with you!”

>Leave without saying another word
>”And if you harm the village or its citizens again I’m coming back!”
>”I’ll be seeing you later.”
>Custom

>>6072419
>Take his heart, as Markolab told you was now possible without resistance.

>>6072421
The Rakshas Heart is what's currently the core of the Freehold. Take its Heart and the Freehold collapses. Should the Freehold collapse they'll start dying rapidly and will either have to feed more frequently or move to a different Freehold.

It's possible to take it if you want to, just saying what it'd mean

>>6072418
>Iron spoon cuts through magical slash
>Scooping its eye with it
Wicked as shit goddamn

>>6072419
>Custom
Twirl the spoon menacingly "Now you see what happens when you cross the Builders."

>>6072419
>Hold the sword grace over the head and loudly proclaim towards the fae critters and laerd "If you dare have any intentions towards that village then know that your existence will be met with a swift end by my hand. Now bow before your new master or else an iron spoon won't be the worst thing that will be entering your face!"

We gotta ham it up with a monologue cause that battle was one for the ages. Also this place is 100 percent ours since we got it's lord ass on ass on silver platter right?

>>6072425
But we wilwl have absolute control over it, yes? A small price to pay for a totally obedient knife ear.

Unrelated question, what happens to fae that end up going to Malfeas? Fae that have been enslaved by agents of the Yozi, I mean.

>>6072445
They get assraped and ripped into atoms
Also, like I said, you do get absolute control over it
But unless it feeds that thing will calcify and die in a few days

>>6072419
Get fucked knife ear.

>See you when I see you.

>>6072419
>”I’ll be seeing you later.”

>>6072419
>”I’ll be seeing you later.”

Jet looked around and saw the myriad of fairy creatures inhabiting the twisted place looking at
him. The air was brimming with tension as the narrative of the place had been thoroughly disturbed. Now a new chapter can be inserted to change the direction of the story. He spread his arms with the spoon in one hand and the sword grace in the other.

"Now you've born witnessed to the power of the Builders! If any of you harbor any aspirations towards the village and its people, know that this spoon is the least thing you'll have to worry about! For I am Master Saffron! And Creation isn't yours to lord over! It's mine!"
He then looked at the Laerd covering beneath him.
"And you better behave, or I'm taking your Heart next. I'll see you later."

Still oozing malfean essence and twisting the landscape as he passes by it, Jet walked toward the edge of the Freehold. By the time he reaches its borders his anima has quieted down and his quicksilver limbs have retracted back in his body. After stepping through the threshold he once again found himself within stable Creation, and he felt his legs wobble and his stomach churn. It was a feeling similar but worse in every way to how one feels after a prolonged journey over sea. It took great effort for him to keep his breakfast down but luckily he managed it just fine.

"Easy there. Take your time. The Wyld can be disorienting at the best of times."
His coadjutor tried to soothe his nerves.
"You know, that little display was pointless. The Raksha was the only one you needed to twist around your fingers. And he was thoroughly shaken already. But bravo regardless. That was a sublime performance. And it looks like you managed to do it fast enough to avoid being horribly mutated by the essence of chaos. How do you feel?"

Disregarding the overwhelming sense of nausea Jet couldn't deny that he was feeling amazing. The rush from finally being able to cut loose and exercise his power had not faded. This sensation of invincibility was akin to being drunk, and he felt it was going to take quite a bit of effort to restrain himself once more.
"Shut up."

"Heh. You can play coy all you want. I saw you grinning ear to ear while fighting. You're a natural! You were made for this! You can pretend to me all you like, you can't deceive yourself Prince."

"I'm going to turn back now..."

"Wait. Don't use your shadow yet. Your essence is still in a fever pitch. Meditate a little until you can rein it in again."

"Fine. But won't I be in danger?"

"From what? The fae who are scared shitless of you? Or the natural animals they scared away?"

Not having a retort to that, Jet sat down in the lotus position and started regulating his breathing to hasten his recovery. Whilst he did that however he started realizing just how much that little outburst changed even the items on his person. The black flame-like patterns on his robe did not disappear, and now that he took another look at it he saw that his flamewand had a brassy tinge to it. Apparently these were permanent alterations, with his only consolation being that further exposure likely won't alter them further, according to Markolab.

"Wait. I had an idea. Couldn't I just stroll back as I am and claim the fae mutated me?"

"You could... but the issue is your wife. There is a not so insignificant chance that she'll realize the mutations align more with hell-taint rather than wyld exposure. It's better to be safe for now."

"Right. Are we done?"

"I don't know. Give it a try."

"Fine. Loom Snarling Deception!"

Jet's shadow became animate and wrapped around him once more, making him look like he was a few minutes ago. It felt strangely confining, compared to before, like clothing that was just a bit too small to wear. After checking himself out and stretching his limbs to accommodate to it Jet took a look at the feathered sword in his possession and wondered how he was going to handle it. Hiding the grace away risked it being found and taken by someone who did not know what it was, or worse, did. On the other hand, revealing that he managed to "pacify" the local fae would earn him the favor of the locals for sure, at the cost of making his kin suspicious as to just how he managed to pull it off. It was a tough choice to be sure.

>He went to the center of the village and proclaimed loudly his triumph over the Fae for all to hear
>He hid the Grace somewhere safe and acted as if nothing happened
>He went to Kaya and Ena and explained he managed to sign a "truce" with the Raksha and the item was a symbol of peace
>Custom

>>6074451
>He went to Kaya and Ena and explained he managed to not only sign a "truce" with the Raksha, but tricked it into handing over its sword.
We've got a fae sword. Being loud is reckless, but I feel like we've earned the right to flaunt it a little.

>>6074451
>>He went to Kaya and Ena and explained he managed to sign a "truce" with the Raksha and the item was a symbol of peace
we ball, a little

>>6074451
>Went to Kaya and Ena to explain he signed a truce. And explain this was our in to the townships leadership.
>Loudly proclaim to the town that we have subdued the Fae, and invite them to sit outside in the evening. For the attacks have stopped.

We can tell two tales to two different people.

>>6074572
Actually, ai like the "tricked a fae" angle more.
We are social man. Support that over truce

>>6074451
>He went to Kaya and Ena and explained he managed to sign a "truce" with the Raksha and the item was a symbol of peace

>Custom
>He went to Kaya and Ena and explained he managed to not only sign a "truce" with the Raksha, but tricked it into handing over its sword.

tfw trying to ride a line between insane, bizarre, and believable Jet behavior to try and put together something coherent enough that Kaya, Ena, and the village people will believe. Is it more believable that he put together a truce with no downside? Or that Jet tricked a Fae into an unspeakably favorable arrangement like the sun kings of old.

Maybe tell Kaya and Ena that he tricked the Fae, then that they should tell the village that the gang altogether bested it enough to keep it away. If the villagers don't believe him he could prove he was there, the boy whose dreams and virtues were eaten was probably a local who was taken, so he could describe him.

>>6074451
>He went to Kaya and Ena and explained he managed to not only sign a "truce" with the Raksha, but tricked it into handing over its sword.
Yeah it was a real tricky "battle" of "words" alright.

He started heading back where he came from, retracing his steps through the thick, wild forest. Once he was outside and under the open sky he saw that the sun was almost in the same position it was when he entered. Apparently time can flow slower or faster than normal within the Wyld. As he got to the borders of the settlement he really started contemplating what to do. Jet scoffed at the very notion of keeping his achievements hidden. He did not risk his neck and sanity tangling with the wyld-born just so he couldn't bask in the glory. But it might not be the smartest decision to go around town, loudly thumping his chest that he embarrassed a lord of chaos in single combat. He'd need to compromise.

First things first, upon getting back to town he sought out the home of the peasant girl that he talked with. After a knock on her door and some waiting the girl popped out, obviously busy packing her belongings in preparation for the journey she wishes to undertake.
"Erm, hello?"

"Hello again. I've come to return this to you and to offer my thanks."

"My... spoon? You're welcome but I'm not sure I understand."

"That's fine."
Jet looked in and saw bulging bundles of cloth held together by twine.
"And I'm sorry to say this but you might want to unpack those. I'm afraid we won't be giving you a ride."

"I-If it's a matter of money I'm sure we can-"

"It's not. We're simply not leaving. I'm sorry."

"But-but-"

"I hope this inconvenience won't affect our future interactions. Have a blessed day."

With that Jet left the girl at her home and headed towards the local tavern where the girls had bought temporary lodging. Though they were not there it didn't take long for him to track both of them down, as their finer garments stuck out amidst the poorer villagers. Once the three of them gathered in one of the single bed rooms they rented the girls started chewing Jet out for disappearing without a trace.

"Where have you been?"

"I went on a stroll in the forest, survey our new domain. Did you know there are Fair Folk living in the area?"

Kaya was shocked, but Ena looked more like her suspicions had been just confirmed.
"That would explain why the villagers were so tense."

"Well shit! If we had a full Sworn Brotherhood, I'd be all for going there and tearing their heads off. But with just the two of us?"
Kaya sucked on her teeth.
"Not good. We should get out of here while we still can."

Ignoring the callousness of how his sister just disregarded him Jet took out the fan-like blade from his cloak and began rolling it around in his palm.
"That won't be necessary."

"The fuck is that?!"
The two girls looked at the iridescent plumage of the queer blade in a mesmerized fashion. Though the alien weapon was strange even in the Freehold, it being surrounded by mundane objects only accentuated its alien beauty.

"That is a symbol of peace. An olive branch, if you will, that I managed to squeeze out of the Raksha of the forest. So long as we have this they shouldn't harm the village. At least, I hope."

"H-How did you manage that? Did you really go out and court the Fair Folk? That's extremely reckless Jet! Mortals shouldn't deal with spirits! Especially the Fae!"

"Let's just say that I managed to make the leader of the local court sign off on an agreement that was a bit more than it could handle. In other words, I tricked him."

"JET!"
Ena was now quite distraught.
"Dealings with the Fair Folk always backfire in unseen ways! That was not-"

"I know my own contract, Ena. All the possible loopholes are known to me, I'm not a fool. Please, trust me a little."

Kaya put a hand over her girlfriend's shoulder.
"Hell yeah sister! Don't underestimate my bro for a second! We're the twin dragons for a reason!"

"B-But-"

Though the peer pressure from the twins was enough to put her on the back foot only when Jet swore on his honor as a Dynast to handle things, should they go awry did Ena finally relent and accept the situation. Though begrudgingly. The three of them then started pondering on how to proceed from there but Jet urged them to simply take things easy for the next couple days. It'd help the locals get accustomed to their presence if they didn't do anything outrageous for a while. And he knew that within a few days the regularly scheduled goblin raid was meant to happen.

For the next three days Kaya and Ena immersed themselves in the study of their own essence and blood, with Ena trying to educate her friend in the martial arts and Kaya blowing her off and focusing on her swordsmanship and native abilities instead. The two tried to do this far away from prying eyes, but a few curious locals, mainly children did catch a glimpse of them and afterwards rumors about them started spreading like wildfire. There were talks about them being exalted and that nothing good can come of them. Meanwhile Jet surveyed the nearby area, from the quality of the soil, the abundance of the forest and the purity of the nearby stream which the locals depend upon for much of their daily needs. Many local workmen disliked him poking his nose where they thought he shouldn’t, and for using nonsensical city-folk things like “advanced tools” and “writing”.

But thankfully nobody acted on their dislike, as on the third day everyone sheltered themselves, with the settlement turning into a ghost town. Doors were barred with whatever furniture could be moved, and protective charms of iron, salt, ash and sheepsblood were applied wherever possible. According to Markolab this was cute, as about half of their practices did precisely nothing to ward off Raksha.

File: Forge.png (1.21 MB, 1254x862)

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The girls were not sure about what they should do as the tavern owner barred them from entering the building after they carelessly left it during the day. At Jet’s suggestion they started up a little campfire right in the middle of the street and they began cooking potluck right then and there. If anyone had peeped on them from the barricaded windows, they did not notice. The girls were admittedly slightly fearful of what might happen but as the day came and went their worries melted away and their faith in their dynastic brother was reinforced.

When the hour of midnight passed people slowly started creeping out of their homes, driven by curiosity and confusion, they found the three of them having their little picnic with not a care in the world. These people were so befuddled they could do nothing but stare in disbelief at the display. Only when Eruka, the girl whom Jet met, did they get any answers.
“What? Where are the goblins? Is this your doing, Master Saffron?”

Jet smiled and handed her a bowl and invited her to partake of the soup.
“I guess we’re not so bad omens after all!”
He said with a smirk.

Some people took the dynasts up on their offer. Most others simply returned to their homes and got a nice rest for the first time in a long while. The next day however things visibly changed around Summer Valley. Practically every place was abuzz with rumors about the newcomers, the few words Eruka managed to get out of them got out of control like wildfire and the people started making up wilder and wilder stories of what happened, most involved the girls using their peerless martial skills to beat the fiends back.

>Torment gained: 1

This bothered Jet a bit. Afterall it was his glory they were adorning them with. But ultimately it fit his designs perfectly. If they believed it was the girls who did it, that only diverts attention away from him. But some people spoke about the mysterious Master Saffron that Eruka talked to and it was probably because of these rumors that Jet was invited to the local blacksmith for a talk. The man of the forge was a robust beast, the likes of which Jet has only seen in the shape of blood apes. He had the arm of bears and a chest like a tree trunk.

“Thank you for coming.”
He said.
“I’m Bear. Silent Bear.”

“Of course he is…”

Jet ignored Markolab and shook the man's hand as he reached out, getting a proper finger cruncher, as expected.
“Master Saffron. A pleasure. So I take it you’re the leader here?”

“We have no leader. No kings either. People simply respect me and listen to what I have to say. And I like to listen to what they say. Word is, you three are the reason why the Fair Folk did not show up yesterday. Is that true?”

“Who knows?”

“I see you like being coy. But I prefer being blunt. I appreciate what you did. But I struggle to fathom what three Exalts want with us.”

“Two. One’s my wife, the other’s my sister. I’m mortal, like you. I’ll let you figure out which is which. But I’ll let you know I’m not so vain as to take a woman that looks like me as a bride.”

“That’s the thing. We’re simply human. Only the inhuman call us “mortals”. That, and Dynasts. But the same difference I guess. So what I’m really curious about is what the fuck three Dynasts want with us. This isn’t your Realm, dragonling. And we don’t need your influence here. Frankly, I’d rather take the Fae. Because I know what to expect from them. So I’ll ask bluntly. Why have you come here?”

“If you’re not the leader of this town then I don’t owe you any explanation, do I? But for your information we came for the same reason you distrust us. We dislike the Realm. We came here to start a new life, a new family. Away from all the bullshit of the Blessed Isle. And with your permission we’d like to build a house somewhere on the outskirts. That’s it.”

Bear turns to his forge and starts contemplating the fires as he starts heating a piece of metal over them.
“It’s not just the Realm I don’t like. I fucking hate Exalts too. Men wielding powers they shouldn’t, looking down on everyone else not lucky enough to be chosen by the gods. Nothing good comes from them. Ever. But I’m not the leader. I can’t stop you. Do as you wish. But make sure to keep your women in check. If they start their exalted devilry we’re going to have problems.”

“Noted.”

Jet offered Bear another handshake and this time he squeezed back a little, just enough to show he’s capable of exerting force, not enough to give himself away. Bear got back to his forge and Jet took his leave. Outside he let out a smirk, which Markolab caught onto.

“Heh. Poor sod has no clue what he’s in for. So what’s the plan my prince?”

“Build a house, first and foremost.”

“Yes, but the plan! What’s the big picture? What do we build afterwards? I want to see it with my minds eye!”


“You see dear Markolab, according to The One Hundred Fifty-Six Score and Five Maxims of Assiduous Concordance we must-”

>”-make farms to create a surplus of food for harsher times and to sell for profits!”
>”-establish trade connections with neighboring settlements via roads!”
>”-create a strong foundation through extensive plumbing networks to promote health, and help irrigation!”
>Custom

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You may decide what you want to build in this shithole to increase its prosperity. But for now, stick to something simple

>>6075300
>”-create a strong foundation through extensive plumbing networks to promote health, and help irrigation!”
If we have a sturdy foundation to build on, everything else will be an order of magnitude easier.

>>6075300
>”-create a strong foundation through extensive plumbing networks to promote health, and help irrigation!”
Irrigation is the future my friend

>>6075300
>”-create a strong foundation through extensive plumbing networks to promote health, and help irrigation!”

>>6075300
>”-create a strong foundation through extensive plumbing networks to promote health, and help irrigation!”
Plumbing also leans into baths which Kaya and Ena will be happy about. A big bath so Kaya can barge into Jet bathing.

>>6075300
4x game time.
>"-solidify our grasp on local resources, by surveying the area and establishing supply lines and workforces to harvest lumber, stone, ore, and everything else we'll need to build this place up."
You may think that plumbing is the best first move, but it's actually the best SECOND move. Because we're going to want a lot of excess resources to actually build the plumbing up in a way that doesn't require us to update it down the line.
This is ESSENTIAL for an independent hold, and one that has strong export power in the future.
Also there's probably really good shit to find around here given the vibes Jet's had since he first stepped foot inside.

>>6075300
I support
>>6075468

We want abundant resources for abundant constructions.

>>6075300
>”-create a strong foundation through extensive plumbing networks to promote health, and help irrigation!”

>>6075300
Supporting >>6075468 here, have lost too many games of Civ not to.

"-survey the area to see what resources you have available-"

"But you already did that."

"Only a surface level check. You can never be too sure. Then, we'll need to develop supply lines so we can start stockpiling materials. We can only do foundational work once, so we need to make sure we do it right. I already know we have ample wood, good soil and drinkable water but stone, salt, metals and luxury goods will all be needed. And I want to know if we can self-sustain or will we experience a constant drain on our budget."

"Hmmmm. Perhaps I could be of assistance to hasten the process?"

"Hah! You? With what? Your constant talking?"

"Are you forgetting that I'm a proper font of knowledge, and the literal eye behind your back? I can do more than just talk, you know. It's just that you're stubborn as a fucking mule and won't let me. But I guess I could stop supporting you altogether to see how little it actually matters..."

"Alright, alright. I apologize. How do you want to help me?"

"I could teach you my charm."

"Excuse me?"

"You have my flesh incorporated into your body. And you're a Fiend to boot. By all means it should be quite easy for you to learn to do with your body what I could with mine."

"And what would that be?"

"Scoop up some soil and roll it into a ball."
Jet rolled his eyes at first but reluctantly did as the demon told. The mud he gathered in his palm started to shrink and condense into dark colored, shiny, rubbery ball that looked and smelled a lot like a century egg from a distance.
"See? You're a natural!"

"What is this?"

"Eat it."

Jet was hesitant but his curiosity overwhelmed his caution and chucked the sphere in his mouth. But he regretted his decision almost immediately. The thing was chewy and tough at the same time, and had an almost rancid, sour taste as if it was left to ferment for far too long. It was so bad, yet he couldn't find the strength to spit it out so he swallowed it whole to the delight of Markolab.

"Heh. Not so good, is it?"

"What the hell was that? Are you trying to get me killed? Whoa..."
Jet found his outrage disappear as understanding flooded his mind. He knew the composition of the soil, its history and how it connected to many things around it, such as the water from the nearby river, the rain and even the great quantities of springwater underground he didn't even know existed.
"What am I feeling?"

"Knowledge. My kind was made to serve a specific purpose. To be sent to Creation and serve the Golden Lords, and to collect and consume their refuse in secret so we may divine their secrets. Objects belonging to a person can create arcane links to them. We are interpreters of those links. We live to seek them, to consume them. And the less someone wants others to know about a particular piece of information, the better it tastes for us. Imagine a lord discussing the assassination of his rival whilst having dinner. If I eat his leftovers I learn of his plot, and enjoy a meal much more succulent than he was. Pretty handy isn't it?"

"Yes but... why does a clump of dirt know so much about the surrounding area?"

"Creation is bound together via its dragon lines, the chakras of the earth. That clump of soil was part of an interconnected web moments before you ate it. Now this is not the charms intended purpose, and it's not very effective. But I imagine if you walked around the four corners of the area and got some samples from there you could get a pretty clear picture. Oh, and sadly it doesn't work on living things or corpses, so don't get your hopes up."

"Seems like an oversight to me."

"It isn't. If we went around murdering everyone for their secrets they would've realized we were dangerous. But in the whole First Age people simply thought we were good servants with a penchant for eating trash. Sadly this worked a bit too well and many thought us to be unsavory."

Jet thanked his coadjutor and went on a quick trip around the land, collecting handfuls of soil from the riverbed, the forest, the fields and the road leading to the place. The ball formed from these was a bit larger than the one before, but tasted just as horrible. However upon its consumption an almost perfect map formed in his head of the surrounding land, including what riches one might find there. In addition to the water reserves he found before, he located a cave which could serve as a suitable quarry to mine stones from, and perhaps more importantly a cave up the river which houses salt. He could even pinpoint on his mental map where the Raksha Freehold was located.

"Huh. This is... quite useful actually. Thanks Markolab."

"Anytime."

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With his newfound knowledge Jet returned to the tavern to discuss with the girls how he'd proceed with things. While they were supportive of his decision, neither felt particularly inclined to help him. Kaya did not feel like being a manual laborer, instead opting to hunt for wild game by zapping it with lightning until she could fabricate herself a proper hunting bow. While Ena, due to a critical lack of libraries or bookstores in the village, thought to head out and search for any ancient ruins in the area. Jet thought about notifying her about there not being any in the immediate area, but he refrained from doing so, lest he gave away his abilities. Instead he simply warned her about where the Freehold was so she could avoid it safely. Thus he was left alone to get started on his work.

He went into the woods, to a place where he knew he'd find some good quality wood and after making sure nobody was observing him he began cutting down trees. It was good practice, chopping the trunks with the side of his palm, and even better when he punched the logs into manageable sized pieces. But transporting his haul proved to be more difficult than he anticipated. He ended up threading some makeshift rope from nearby vines and poked holes in the wood so he could thread his rope through them. Then he started pulling the logs out of the forest manually. It was long and exhausting work, especially alone. And it did not help that at his fourth round he encountered one of the locals. It was the same shepherd boy he met when they first arrived.

"You know this would be much easier if you used animals, your highness."

Jet dropped the log he was pulling behind himself and looked at the boy.
"What do you want? As you can see I'm quite busy."

"Yeah, I can see that. I just came to watch the show. Hey, do me a favor and do two more rounds if you can. I got my dinner riding on you."

"You made a bet?"

"Ye. Me and the woodcutters. They said you'll collapse after seven. I said six."

"Well, hate to disappoint but as you can see I haven't even broken a sweat. So tough shit."

"You say that. But high and mighty assholes like you have a tendency to talk big right before eating shit. So I believe in you."
The boy said with a mocking grin.

"What's your problem? I'm just trying to work here. Don't you have sheep to fuck or anything better to do?"

"I just don't like people who think they are better than me."

"Then we shouldn't have any problem with each other. I don't think I'm better than you. I am. Now if you'll excuse me, I got a house to build. Have a blessed day."

Jet picked the rope back up and resumed his work. He took the logs he prepared to an area he knew would make a great place for a home. Not only was its location excellent considering the future expansion of the town he had in mind, but it was also almost perfectly level, so he had very little work to do with it. After some minimal landscaping he piled up the wood in one place and got to work on laying down the foundations. Though he had little actual experience building stuff, he knew from his studies how the finished product should look like. For an Exalt, that was enough.

He worked quick, but more importantly he worked well. So well that the same men who presumably made bets about how fast he was going to tap out approached his property to take a closer look at what he was making, while Jet was taking a break.
"Good afternoon my good men. Anything I can help you with?"

"You built this alone?"

"Oh, this? It's just something I threw together. Nothing fancy, it'll be a temporary home until I can build a proper one. Sadly it's going slower than I expected. Still pretty new to this."

It was obvious from their expressions that they were either very impressed, or very, very jealous of the work being done. But they tried to hide it all the same. They tried chatting Jet up to figure out who he is and why they've come here but he easily danced around their questions, giving vague, nothing answers to their queries. He kept chatting with them right up until Kaya also showed up, with a whole boar carcass dragged behind her.

"Yo! I was wondering what you were up to. What's all this?"

"I knew you'd get mad if I didn't get you a proper place to sleep so I got started on a house."

"Oh! Good idea! But you know what else we need?"

"A bath. Yeah, yeah. I know. Dont worry. Once I set things up it will be the first thing on my list."

"Great!"
She then turned to the woodcutters.
"Hi everyone, I'm Kaya! The sister of Doofus over there. Hope he didn't get on your nerves too much. Anyway, I caught this boar over here that I planned to cook. Wanna join us?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to sell the game?"

"What are hides and tusks for? Idiot."

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The men were not about to pass on a chance to eat actual meat. Given the state of the land, they probably can't really afford to eat meat outside maybe holidays, if they can't catch any themselves. And given how dangerous the woods were up until now they probably didn't dare to hunt too much. So the strong men of the village ate the roast meat with great gusto, and after some friendly banter they agreed to help out with the rest of the work in order to return the favor, much to Jet's delight. As Kaya got to cleaning the hide of the boar he took the men back and with their help and tools they actually managed to take all the wood back to the house, where they actually put the whole thing together by the time Ena returned from her wanderings. It was quite barebones, literally just four walls with a roof with nothing inside, not even individual rooms. But with their sleeping cots they could sleep in there already. And it was only a temporary arrangement anyway.

The next morning after everyone had done their morning routine Jet got some parchment and ink and began designing the future of the town. He drew a stylised map, with everything marked down and got to planning. It was childsplay for him. He studied to manage domains on the scale of cities on the Blessed Isle. He could whip up designs for a place like this in his sleep. But their simplistic elegance earned even an impressed whistle from Markolab.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. You're even planning on moving the existing buildings?"

"Of course. It's like they were thrown together by a bunch of drunkards. Actually, that's definitely how they were built. Need to put them into an auspicious arrangement. Makes things much easier down the line."

"I did not know you knew geomancy."

"I don't. I only know some principles where it's relevant to urban design."

"And they taught you this in school?"

"Actually these designs are part of what I came up with, based on some older ones I found in some textbooks in the Spirals library. A lot of modern architects disregard these methods completely. I find that they help."

"Good instinct. I can definitely see some inspiration from First Age city-plannings. Your teachers are idiots for ignoring such principles."

"Thank you. Sadly there is one major hurdle I'll have to overcome."

"And that is?"

"Labor."

Building a whole city alone, with his bare hands is possible for an exalt. But time consuming, and not at all inconspicuous. To save on time one must rely on workers for larger projects. Presently Jet had three ideas about how to solve this issue. One would be to use the locals, and ask them for help in exchange for goods and favors like now. The downside is that it’d be slow since they are unskilled and would only contribute when their free time and mood allowed. The second is a faster, but more expensive option. Hiring skilled laborers from somewhere else. And lastly was the riskiest option. Demons. Summoned demons are both stronger and faster than mortals, and they are better at creating advanced structures. But to summon them he’d either need to learn sorcery, or convince Ena to do it, if she’s even capable of casting the particular spell necessary.

>Use locals
>Hire foreign contractors
>Summon demons
>Custom

>>6076051
>Force the fae to do it, using glamours to appear as human workers.

>>6076051
>Summon demons
Not free labour but definitely less expensive, and powerful too. Just need to convince ena and if she can't do it we've got a literal beetle demon up our ass to teach us the spell which we can explain as hiring "another" exalted that knows it
>>6076055
I don't think they work with iron which is kind of bad when we're trying to build a whole ass city.

>>6076051
>Summon demons
We need to learn summoning either way, and this is an excellent excuse. Between Ena and Markolab, this should be a cinch. The only difficulty is the locals but they'll be cowed as soon as they realize what efficiency we're capable of.

>>6076055
That would be brazen and I'd support it if we were more remote. As is, if a single Dragonblooded came snooping around and caught the scent of the fae on the wind, we would be turbofucked. By the way... do you guys think we should try to seize control of Laerd Cumhail sooner, before we've solidified the status quo around here, or later, when we've gotten an establishmed settlement to the point where it can entrench itself?

>>6076051
I think this came up in the first thread, but you can encounter mortal/non-exalted sorcerers. They can get powerful enough to beat green exalted sorcerers. But also they have to give up something important to them?

>>6076051
>Hire foreign contractors
>>6076068
wait, markolab is a beetle ?

>>6076051
>Summon demons
As is our right and need. I'd thought about using the locals and working with them to build a closer rapport, but what would Jet be able to teach them about such constructions? How much help would he be himself as he is now?

>>6076051
>If Ena knows the demon spell, use that one.
>If she doesnt, Recruit the locals. We have exaltation to convince them, but an argument for their cooperation and moving is "I'm redesigning your houses for free to make them more comfortable and sturdy/arcane so that fae problems are mitigated in the future. The only payment I need is your help fixing it in place."

Appeal to the danger fixed, since telling them we know better than they do isnt gonna win em over.

>>6076154
The sacrifice is a part of the learning process. It applies even to Exalts

>>6076318
Jet knows how to design stuff and what the end product should be like, but not really how to get there.
He'd be like a very annoying overseer at a construction site bossing everyobe around while clearly not having a clue about what the actual building process entails. That being said, he's an Exalt and learns very quickly through experience

Right. Here's how things are looking currently:
>You chose to establish supply lines. This will make things easier
>Plumbing will be appreciated by the locals
>However you chose to use demon labor, which will put the neighbors on edge quite a bit and poses a medium amount of risk (for refernce the Raksha would've been high risk)

Roll 1d20 with a +2 bonus
First 4 rolls are considered
Dc 13, Crit 17
Meeting the DC .eans little complications. Crit means no complications

Rolled 19 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>6076432

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>>6076436
My tension! What did you do to it?!

File: dr-manhattan-manhattan-85(...).gif (1.24 MB, 498x261)

1.24 MB GIF

>>6076437
Gone. Reduced to atoms.

Rolled 15 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>6076437
Here buddy. Have another roll to make you feel better.

>>6076451
Oh yay! A crit! Just on the cusp of a complication but narrowly avoided!

>my2dav
Even captcha is tense!

Rolled 11 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>6076432

>>6076437
I'll pretend I am very tense and that my roll is needed to save it just like that last one with the fae

AAAAHHHH HELP ME JET

Rolled 14 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

In interest of getting this over with.
Nat 1

>>6076436
>>6076437
lol, lmao even

>>6076437
Look, Demons are just happy to work for little pay.
The perfect laborer.

The citizens will be pleased by the new infrastructure. But the presence of demons means there is a medium chance for outrage, which will be mitigated should the project succeed.

"Markolab? How hard is it to learn sorcery?"

"Eh. Your essence is still not refined enough I'd say. You're getting there, don't get me wrong but it's still lacking. Then we'd need to do the whole Five Steps thing. Real pain in the ass. Not to mention the process of actually developing the spells you want to use."

"Can't you teach me?"

"Haha! No. Sorcery is forbidden for us Serfs. Best we're allowed to learn is thaumaturgy. So while I have some technical knowledge I have no clue how to actually cast spells. Why? Thinking about using demon labor?"

"Correct."

"Hmmm. How about your wife? Would she know?"

"I'd rather not involve her in this."

"Why not? Wouldn't it be better to have her summon stuff, rather than having to explain how a bloody "mortal" came to suddenly learn sorcery out of nowhere and summon more demons than she's ever seen? Get her to do it. And stay with her during the summoning process. You may learn a thing or two, and my fellows will be less likely to resist when they see one of their prince being present at the summoning."

"That is, if I reveal myself to them. Which I don't want."

"Jet, my brother, you can smell Yozi influence on others. Every demon can. Even if you hide it, demons will know you're favored by the Demon Princes."

Jet let out a weary sigh.
"I really don't want to involve her in this."

"Think of it this way. If you manage to acclimate her to the presence of demons now, it'll make things much easier for you down the line."

"You think I'll ever reveal to her that I am one? That'll be the day I die probably. Anyway, fine. I'll give it a shot."

Jet sought out Ena while she was doing her examination of the area. He approached her with the intent of simply walking with her for a while and watching her work. Since the two of them had precious little time to spend in just each other's company she eagerly accepted as she continued examining the land for signs that might point to old ruins nearby. Such magically charged places typically left their marks, sadly the presence of the Freehold and its wyld energies made this rather more difficult than it otherwise would've been. Jet of course knew that there were no places to excavate nearby, but he opted to let his wife apply herself and find that out on her own. Instead he tried to sneak in a few compliments as he watched her.

"I admire your work ethic. Not one stone left unturned. You show real dedication to your art."

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The compliment did not yield the expected result. Instead Ena straightened her back, straightened her robes and let out a sullen sigh.
"It's not dedication, it's desperation. I've been given freedom to act as I please for the first time in my life and I feel like I must produce something for it. But I am... not like you. I don't know what I'm doing, out here or in general. I'm afraid I was not cut out for this. All my life I thought I'd spend all my days at home, researching. This, I failed to prepare for."

Ena looked over her own shoulder and gave her husband a sad, pathetic, painful smile. Jet never thought he'd ever see the day when an exalt would give off the same sensation of being lost he felt his entire life. He stepped over and gently gave her shoulder a reassuring touch.
"You think I know what I'm doing? I'm also just throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks. I had no plans beyond escaping the Blessed Isle and... I'm sorry for dragging you out here with me."

"Don't be. This is my shortcoming, not yours. I simply have to overcome it and be the dynast I'm supposed to be. And it's true that out here I could discover far more than I ever could from the confines of the family labs."

"I see. If there's any way I can help, please say so. But until then, want to take your mind off of it?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"I'm having some problems with the construction. Namely workers. Do you know how to summon demon servants?"

Ena is taken aback by the request.
"Catala is a small branch, so we have to make do wherever we can. Thus all sorcerers are required to learn demonology. So I know the basics of demonology but I've never tried it before."

"Sounds like a good opportunity to broaden your horizons then! I'm sure successfully doing it will do wonders for your confidence. And don't worry, Kaya and I will be there for support."

"I-If I am to do this I'd rather not involve you. Demon summoning is not as dangerous as people think, but it isn't safe. Especially for-"
She clasps her hands over her own mouth.

"It's fine. You can say it. And don't worry. I won't do anything stupid. I'll merely offer moral support."

"R-Right."

The two of them headed back to town to make some preparations. The ritual to summon a demon from Malfeas must be done at sunset and it culminates at midnight, by that time they need to be ready to start. They moved whatever components were necessary far out of view of the village and began setting things up. Warding sigils of salt, ritual circles drawn into the earth and candles placed down in a spiral pattern were all they needed. In truth all of these could be foregone, but each ward helps the process so there's no reason not to do it. And in case things go south Kaya was ready with her Daiklave to smite the demon, should it break out.

"Alright. I'm ready to begin. Now to decide what sort of demon it should be... I guess simple blood apes will suffice."

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Markolab quickly chimed in.
"Eeee, wrong. Erymanthoi is the plebeian choice. For construction you want a hopping puppeteer. Easier to handle too, no blood tax. But be careful. They don't like being summoned at all."

"Actually, could you call for a hopping puppeteer?"

"Hmmm? What's that?"

Both Jet and his coadjutor felt their words fail them. Hopping puppeteer is only what other demons call those ones.
"U-uh, it's uh- something I read about in old scrolls at the Academy. Apparently they were used for construction during the Shogunate?"
Jet lied in his fit of panic.

"Oooooh. You mean Marottes? Oh yeah, how could I forget about those? We used them all the time. Thank you! That’s way better than apes!”

Finally Ena cut open her palm just as the sun set over the horizon to use her exalted blood as a key to begin the ritual. She began chanting scriptures in an old, forgotten tongue. Kaya did not seem to get much of it, nor did she care. But to Jet they felt familiar somehow. As Markolab explained they are a retelling of the events of the First War, when the demons were vanquished and bound eternally in hell. As the ritual went on Ena pumped more and more of her essence into it, causing bubbles of water to start floating all around her and the sound of the raging sea to emanate around the forest. Strange glyphs materialized around her and disappeared at the same rate. Even the light of the moon seemed to change to take on a blood-red hue over time. Finally as midnight came Ena spoke with a voice of authority that made the ground shake, crack and erupt with green flames.

“By my command! Demon of the First Circle! Show yourself! Appear before me and obey the terms of your surrender! Marotte!”

Hellfire exploded in the ritual circle and a pair of spindly limbs crawled out from the hole that appeared. The creature was unlike the other demons Jet had seen before. It was nothing more than a tangle of gangly legs, each between about 50 and 100 yards in length, with a “knot” in the center serving as its core. Made of phlegm-soaked cords woven from coarse hair the limbs grasped at the air and tried to support the rest of the body.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck! Ooooh you just HAD to do it! DIDN’T YOU?! Couldn’t let a poor sod finish his rotgut in peace! NOOOOO! You NEEDED a slave NOW! Didn’t you? ASSHOLES!”

Ena grimaced and tried to assert herself, channeling even more essence than before.
“You. Will. Obey. ME!”

“Oh? You just want to go, huh? Fine, bitch! Let the contest begin!”

A tug of war of wills began, where the Exalt and the Demon fought to see if the slave would be bound or if it was free to cause havoc and mayhem across Creation. One of the prime threats posed by demon summoning. Ena’s ludicrous expenditure of essence and the ritual preparations were all so she could tip the balance in her favor. But the puppeteer looked quite irate and pushed back, hard. In response Jet stepped up to his wife, placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke up.

“You got this. Don’t be afraid.”
He then glared at the hopping puppeteer which after a brief moment of confusion started to crumble under the weight of Enas presence.


“I’m doing it!”
She exclaimed with pride as the Marotte finally bowed before her. Chains of aetherial light wrapped around it for a moment before disappearing.
“Marotte! I, Ena of house Catala, bind you to a task! Assist my husband, Mnemon Jet, in the construction of this village!”

“As you wish, master.”

Ena promptly collapsed on the spot, with her anima dissipating immediately. The poor girl exerted herself far more than she should’ve. But the binding was successful and so both Jet and Kaya relaxed. She was picked up by her husband and taken home, all the while their new demon buddy followed them with unceasing movements. After the two got back home safely and laid Ena down to rest Kaya turned to her brother.

“Ugh. You sure this was a good idea? That thing is creeping me out. Hey! Can you cut out all that wiggling?! It’s annoying!”


“Bite me!”
The demon responded.

“We’ll see. First I want to know how good it is at its job. If it’s not sufficient we can just banish it back where it came from. I hope. I think I’ll test it out now. You stay home and make sure Ena is alright. ‘Kay?”

“Yeah, of course but- Aren’t you tired? You also need to rest.”

“If she worked herself this hard how would it look if I just lazed around? I will not disrespect her like that. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kaya reluctantly agreed and closed the door of the house. Jet then took his new demon away and presented it with the plans he had drawn.
“You think you can make this?”

“Now just hold on a minute. Before we do anything… Just who are you?”
The gangly mass of threads seemed to look inquisitively at him. Though it was hard to determine its current emotional state beyond “irate”.

>Your master. That’s all you need to know.
>Mnemon Jet. Prince of the Earth.
>Call me Master Saffron. And I’m your prince. But you won’t speak of that to anyone
>Custom?

>>6076710
>Your master. That’s all you need to know.

>>6076710
>"Mnemon Jet. Prince of the Earth. The local mortals and spirits know me as Master Saffron and you'll refer to me as such, but you are kin, of like blood and like mind, and deserve to know the truth. You are of the Primordials and thus no slave of mine, but I expect to see quality work before you are recompensed "

>>6076730
>Support.
You get best work by having incentives as well as punishments.

Thiugh saying he isnt a slave is inaccurate. He's a serf. Minor difference.

I'm posting to make an announcement. Due to my dumbass being bad at scheduling my weekend got busier than I like. Updates will most likely be sporadic on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Apologies for the complications

>>6076741
Technically he's a prisoner being let out of the slammer temporarily so he can work on a rich assholes yard

>>6076940
Noted, thank you for the update.

>>6076710
>Make absolutely sure that nobody can see or hear the two of you before responding. If it is safe, then...
>"Mnemon Jet. Prince of the Earth. The local mortals and spirits know me as Master Saffron and you'll refer to me as such, but you are kin, of like blood and like mind, and deserve to know the truth. You are of the Primordials and thus no slave of mine, but I expect to see quality work before you are recompensed "

>>6076730
>Support
What do we even give him? A rope girlfriend?

>>6077047
Babies. Literally.
They are big fans

>>6077050
Oh so like a daycare demon, one of those bouncing toys given life. The chances of that improve once we make that bath.

>>6077082
No. More like, they just really enjoy children for some inexplicable reason. Same way you enjoy baby animals I guess. Or maybe one of those little shit designer dogs.
Hopping Puppeteers like to snatch them up and just handle them in one of their appendages. Problem is, they got no fucking clue how to take care of or even handle a child. Best case scenario, you have a few broken limbs on your kid. Worst case scenario it died of starvation or dehydration because the fucker didn't know it needed to feed the child. And once it goes limp and boring the puppeteer will shrug and look for one that's not "broken"

>>6077101
Lol. I wonder if we could give it some goblins, or you know what one of those Homunculi should be pretty sturdy?

>>6077106
They are actually not. Glass cannons. They hit hard but crumple after very little abuse

>>6077112
Hmmmm unfortunate unless our demon can be a little more gentle. Perhaps demand that Cumhail take on the appearance of a child. As a true fae warrior he can take some punishment and without aggression of his sword grace he can't fight back.

>>6077112
How strong is the hopping puppeteer as a combatant? I wonder if the weird ball that acts as it's core could fit into a pocket or pack you could carry around. In my imagination It could almost look like Jets mercury arms coming out, perhaps enough that he could use it in public and wave it off as the demon being a good helper.

>>6077047
A chance to be out of Malfeas.

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>>6077262
The puppeteers are creatures of landscape and architecture, never satisfied with the structures or wilderness around them. They are most at home in the Demon City, where raw material abounds and the climate suits their taste.
In their quiescent state, these demons resemble fist sized masses of knotted hair glued together by phlegm and bile When stirred into motion, the hair unrolls into dozens of spindly legs ending in small black feet. The central knot, the size of a coin, reaches heights of 50 or 100 yards. Their gait gives the creatures their name. Rather than moving in any synchronized fashion, the terminus of each leg gathers itself and springs, moving more or less in the direction the demon desires. The overall impression resembles that of an insect swarm with an unstable speck located high overhead. A wild puppeteer, freed for some reason to wander the world, often has infants in various states of dehydration and starvation curled up in several non-hopping legs. Puppeteers adore tiny children but have no interest in caring for them.
Those who have seen a puppeteer at work report a chaotic and almost comical process of change. The jerking, uncertain legs coordinate in a bizarrely short span of time to build walls or towers from scattered stones or fencing from fallen wood. They tear trees and shrubs from the earth, kick them from limb to limb to limb while other feet scrabble to dig holes, and then replant them. A puppeteer can pass from one end of a village to the other within a day, shattering some homes, creating others, carrying buildings and their foundations to new locations and using spare pieces to build a sheltering wall around the whole. With the right raw materials, a puppeteer can build siege equipment or defenses almost as fast as it can walk across them.
For the most part, structures built by hopping puppeteers are clean of taint. The slime that covers these demons clings to the puppeteers surprisingly well. Only a few thin trails slide off while the demon hops. Though vile, this substance has narcotic and addictive properties that certain wealthy mortals appreciate. The ultimate end to such addiction, as the need for puppeteer ichor grows, is to swallow a quiescent demon. This usually leads to the addict’s death.
Puppeteers do not like being summoned. A puppeteer can kick a sorcerer who fails to control it from one foot to another for hours, until the battered body has no life in it. Then, it will rearrange local habitations to its inhuman aesthetic until killed or banished.
Other notes: When engaged in its craft, a single puppeteer counts as a workforce of 10.

>>6077262
They are strong enough tp juggle trees but barely know how to throw a punch.
One could technically learn how to fight but their need to incessantly moves makes most of that very difficult.
They are peerless archtitects however.

For combat it's easier to just summon blood apes

>>6076730
>>6076710
>Support

Jet looked around to make sure nobody was in the vicinity to overhear him. But he supposed the towering demon would unnerve any peasant enough for them to reveal themselves. Still, being careful never hurt anyone.
"Mnemon Jet, Prince of the Earth. But the local mortals and spirits know me as Master Saffron, and you will address me as such."

"Oh laa-dee-daa. Please, let me bow before you, your highness! Listen kid, just because the woman said I have to help you doesn't mean I have to like it, or respect you for that matter."
Jet sighed, then tapped his forehead to make his caste mark flash for a brief moment. Seeing the black circle on his forehead made the demon jerk backwards in shock.
"Oh no..."

"I guess we're kin, so you deserve to know the truth. You are of Yozi blood, and thus no slave of mine. Work well and I'll see that you are recompensed. Betray me-"
Jet drew his empty flamewand and pointed it at the demon.
"-and you will be punished appropriately."

"..."
The puppeteer looked down at him, but in lieu of a face it was hard to tell what it was thinking.
"Yes prince, of course. What do you need of me?"

Jet nodded in satisfaction, put away his weapon and drew out the plans for the construction he had prepared.
"This. Think you can handle it?"

The demon's central part leaned close and one of its strands started rubbing it, as a man would his chin. Finally it straightened itself out and raised two of its strands.
"That's it? Observe!"

Though the hopping puppeteer had not stopped moving for a second before, it has become quite erratic now. Its many limbs started moving independently of one another, picking up logs here, sculpting the ground there. It moved with such speed, vigor and dexterity it had Jet taken aback. Aided by essence, supernatural skill and its alien physiology the Marotte
worked at the same pace as ten expert craftsmen and when it was done it could move to the next site with its long limbs faster than any man could. It was a frightening, yet awe-inspiring sight to behold. It alone, with no tools needed, relying on its monstrous strength and the artful technique of a true idiot savant managed to establish a proper logging camp, a stone mine, pristine compacted dirt roads and the plumbing network Jet designed, all before the sun came up. True, it did need guidance, as the demon's own sense of aesthetics were less than pleasing for mortal eyes, but its work was impeccable. By the crack of dawn it had even finished a simple, rudimentary well at the center of town where people could draw water from via a bucket. This was only a temporary solution, but it would allow the people to immediately reap some of the benefits of the work being done.

"So, your highness? Satisfied?"

"Holy shit..."

Markolab chuckled.
"Told you. Hopping Puppeteers are twice as good at construction than Blood Apes. Just uh, make sure no children go near it. Marottes love kids for some reason."

"D-Do they eat children?"

"No. They just like them. Literally. They are especially fond of babies. I don't know why. But they know nothing about how to take care of one. At best you'll have a kid with a few broken limbs. At worst they'll die because the puppeteer didn't know it needed to feed them."

"Okay. Noted."
Jet then looked up at the demon and tried to compose himself.
"Ahem. Impressive work. May I ask your name?"

"Eh? Why?"

"So that I may thank you properly."

"Uh. Uuuuuh. My... it's Gagarel."

"Thank you Gagarel. I think we'll be able to do great things together. Now, you said I interrupted you while you were drinking. Allow me to rectify that."
Jet went back home with the demon and took a bottle of wine out of the cart parked next to it.
"Here. It's the last bottle I have from my home. I hope it will please you."

"Uh. T-Thanks? But you know that was five days ago, right? Still I'm not going to say no."
Jet did not understand what it meant, as they summoned it just a few hours ago. However Markolab enlightened him that when summoned, demons receive their call five days prior to the summoning so they may make the journey through Cecelyne on time. Gagarel meanwhile took the bottle from him, broke its top off with one of its appendages and poured the contents all over the central knot of hair.
"Ugh. You guys drink this? This is weak as piss!"

"Sorry. That's all I had at the moment. Next time I'll try to get something stronger. But while we're at it, what else do you like? Perhaps you have a favorite food or something?"

"Uuuuh. My kind eats meat and hair."

"Hair? Like human hair?"

"Yes."

"Huh..."

But as the two of them commune with each other the other villagers start awakening and getting ready for the daily toil of existence. However when the first ones leave their homes they are greeted by newly made dirt roads, freshly cut grass and a well in the street where there had been none yesterday. For a while they are left scratching their heads, and a few simply shrug and go about their business as if nothing had changed. But soon a woman's scream shocked everyone awake as she saw the giant, slimy demon hopping around at the edge of town. It didn't take long for people to come rushing out of their homes and grab whatever farm implements they could, alongside some torches, and march towards the infernal beast with murderous intent in their eyes. Jet saw the orange glow emanating from the mob and ordered Gagarel to remain at the house, unless violence breaks out, before rushing ahead to intercept them.

"Kill the devil worshippers!"
They cried, among many other obscenities and curses. Jet knew he had to pull out all the stops to diffuse the tension, so sweet smelling vapors started wafting from his robes immediately. But it appeared that he may have done so prematurely, as a figure threw itself between him and the lynch-mob.

"STOP!"
Eruka screamed loud enough to overpower the crowd's noise.
"WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING?!"

"THEY BROUGHT DEMONS TO OUR VILLAGE! THEY MUST HANG!"

"Have you ALL LOST YOUR MINDS? These strangers came to our village and the Fair Folk who plagued us for months stopped raiding our homes! Do you not see that it was divine providence that brought them here to help us? Have you not noticed the well in the middle of town?! You'd thank Master Saffron for his benevolence by burning his home down? Have many of you not eaten at his home yesterday? Have you not enjoyed his hospitality? Did he, or his family, come across as bad people to any of you?! We should be thanking them for their help! Not... whatever this is! You all bring shame to us and our ancestors!"

Jet was surprised the girl took such a strong stance for his sake, but he wasn't about to complain about it. He stepped up just behind her, so as to not give the mob any openings as he speaks.
"Thank you young lady. But I'll speak for myself. My apologies for scaring all of you. It was not my intention to disturb you. We've summoned a demon to your village, that's true. However it was for the sake of building improvements throughout the town. Already we've made a well, however that is just the start. I'm planning on building a free, public bath house next. And should any of you wish for it, we will have running water installed in your homes for the small price of a lock of hair from each member of the household. But in turn you'll have fully functioning indoor bathrooms in your homes."

Some people scratched their heads.
"What's a bathroom?"

"A place where one may bathe and relieve themselves indoors. Without a need for outhouses."

"But that's preposterous!"

"I assure you, it is not. You will also have free, unlimited running water in your homes. Should you wish for it. But I will not do anything unless you permit me to, I swear this upon my name as Master Saffron, as all of Heaven as my witness! I see that I overstepped my boundaries and I apologize. I fully submit myself to your mercy and accept any punishment you deem necessary. But I ask that you do not harm my family or my demon servant. None of them have done anything wrong, but do as I asked!"

Like a thunderclap the very vocal outrage of the people went away as fast as it came, in part because one of their own took a stance against them, and in part because of Jet and his essence saturating the area. In the end the lynching ended before it could began, with only the most aggressive of people giving Jet one last shout before leaving.
"And keep that fuckin' thing away from us!"

"Do not come near it and nothing will happen!"
As they left only Eruka remained and Jet turned to her with a sigh.
"Thank you. I do not know why you helped me but I'm in your debt."

She simply shook her head.
"I always carry water for my fathers forge so his back doesn’t hurt as much. You’re the one who helped me. I’m just returning the favor. Catch you later, Saffron!”

“Heh. It sounds like you have a fan, Jet.”

“Hmmm.”

This was a surprising turn of events. But thankfully the girl's interjection helped smooth things over before things could get out of hand. However it has become clear to Jet that he’s going to experience some pushback from these barbarians, even if his intentions are noble and his success would bring prosperity to them. It was their simple human nature that made them fear the unknown, the change that was the problem, not any material limitations.

>”Maybe getting in the good graces of the smith’s daughter wouldn’t be a bad idea”
>”I better make these savages like me to prevent another outrage.”
>”Screw them. I don’t need their cooperation, just their land. My work will justify itself.”
>Custom

>>6078634
>"Behavioral correction of a population was well covered in my schooling. Indoctrination, to use another term for it. They will learn to love us, and what changes we bring to their village with the aid of demons - even if I need to control the hearts and minds of the people to brand the lesson into them."
I have zero issues mindfucking the local population with liberal usage of social psychology and a little bit of mercury poisoning. It'll give us a lot of experience with Szoreny's charms over a period of weeks/months.
In time, they will love the Yozi.
Kimberry would approve.

>>6078634
They have no leader, they have the smith they respect.

>It's good to get in her good graces.
>These barbarians are idiots, but If I intend to make a kingdom of them, I require their cooperation, however it is gained. For this we need a simple release valve.

So my plan is simple.
1. Get in good with the smiths daughter, secure that very useful friendship. Make sure she agrees that improving the village is good, maybe get her to pass around word that we're from one of the biggest cities and run away for reasons unknown.
2. Form a small and vocal but impotent counter-force. Pick like 2 or 3 unpopular villagers who were already agressive but lack popular support or wits to act as vocal opposition to everything we do. After the 9th time they scream about demons, people will tune them out.
3. In a few days, have the word passed out that we're going to be holding a public meeting in town center about some more work we wish to do on the town. Frame it as benevolently self serving. "I'm living in this town now, so I want it to be improved. Where the town gets better, my life is also more comfortable and it keeps my hands busy." They can give a few of their "issues" or "needs" which we've already gotten planned for. Give the illusion of feedback and cooperation. And of course, we settle payment for services [minor occult things, like the hair for our demon].
4. Once we've got the infrastructure organised, we can start recruiting. Maybe use our time in designing and meeting with people to suss out who's got some talents we can use and who's reliable labour. We want to recruit them for quarrying and transport I think, start building a power base.

Hey QM, what book are you using for infernals? I wanna go get it.

>>6078640
>Hey QM, what book are you using for infernals? I wanna go get it.
Yes
Manual of Exalted Power: Infernals
Broken-Winged Crane
Ink Monkeys
Compass of Celestial Compass: Malfeas
Book of Sorcery Vol. 5: The Roll of Glorious Divinity II
And a bunch of fanwork shit from Revlid and Earthscorpion and whoever made cool Yozi shit. So you won't find everything in the official supplements (some is shit I made up)
But the official books can all be downloaded from /tg/s Exalted General

>>6078634
>”Maybe getting in the good graces of the smith’s daughter wouldn’t be a bad idea”
>Shower them with so much generosity such as food, better roads, the modern conveniences so much so that they have no choice but to accept us as a force of good in their life

The quickest way to the people's heart is their stomach, luckily for us they are starving. Then if food is not enough then we lessen the load on their bodies with better roads and modern conveniences we give them the chance to live instead scraping day through day, we will become a man they know that they can trust. We become mrbeast, also let's hope our demon don't come near a child.

>>6078639
>>6078640
>Brainwashing
>Counter opposition

I swear to god both of you literally just came off from your jobs as fbi and cia agents.

>>6078691
So what if I did? Our masters demand results, son. If those results require us to write propaganda and make children swear binding oaths they know not the consequences of, well, that's just a small sacrifice to make for those results. But enough about my job, Jet has a village to convince, and I'll take diehard loyalty over a meager "he's a cool and friendly dude" any day. These mortals should be willing to kill themselves for our sake by the time we're done. I'll accept nothing less from our serfs.

>>6078720
Uhh slow down? Some of these guys barely know what a bathhouse is, you're treating them like they're the next iteration of jesus christ himself. Like you're really into it man, i'm starting to think that this is your barely disguised fetish for mind controlling.

>>6078733
Sadly Exalted social combat is basically mind-control. They are simply so eloquent, so attractive that people can't help but agree with whatever they say.
And this goes double, triple and quadrouple for Infernals whose Social charms always have insidious side-effects (and sometimes primary ones)
For example: Jet's current social combat is basically weaponized sociopathy, because he instinctively knows what people want to hear from him and he acts on it. Which is super predatory. And this will get worse

>>6078634
>”I better make these savages like me to prevent another outrage.”

>>6078691
We are a prince of hell. Who better to learn monster tactics from than the worst?

Anyway. These people dont matter. Our sister and our wife matter. Employ whatever tactics enaure we maintain control and can extract the value of the people here.

>>6078634
>”Maybe getting in the good graces of the smith’s daughter wouldn’t be a bad idea”.

We did have some torment. Scooby Doo villainy. Dress up as a ghost or bandit to spook locals as needed. Or maybe a harmless seeming giant animal that pranks people.

Jet considered his current situation, and the disposition of the blacksmith's daughter. The course he should take was quite obvious. Behavioral correction, encouragement of beneficial actions and the punishment of disruptive ones, is also an important facet of governance. And already Eruka, the blacksmith's daughter, seemed like a figure for that. But he'd need to sleep on that and make plans for it. So he withdrew alongside Gagarel and the two went to sleep just as Kaya and Ena woke up. The two questioned what was all the racket outside but Jet assured them it was only a bout of confusion on the part of the locals.

Gagarel squeezed himself into the cabin and rolled his limbs up around his core, making the whole demon look like a phlegm coated ball of yarn. Jet on the other hand only pretended to sleep and he worked on the next steps of his plan. It wasn't anything complex or glamorous, these barbarians were easy to manipulate simpletons. Basic techniques will suffice.

After resting Jet took Gagarel back to work. The two made a bathhouse as was planned. It was a simple thing, a single large hotspring heated with wood and charcoal due to the lack of natural thermal waters and decorated in accordance with more simple, traditional designs. Once it was done he approached Eruka and offered to install water in her home first as thanks for her assistance. She agreed eagerly and wasted no time cutting a lock of her hair so the puppeteer may consume it with gusto. She was a bit taken aback when the hell-creature casually pushed her house some twenty yards back and sculpted the terrain around it to be perfectly flat, but her reservations disappeared after only about ten minutes Jet invited her inside to showcase her the wonders of civilization. Toilets, sinks and bathtubs were not something she was too familiar with, but she was a bright little peasant and quickly saw the potential benefits of theirs. She was especially intrigued by the idea of taking warm baths in the tub. Jet however explained that heating enough water for that may not be ideal, but he also reminded her that the freshly built bathhouse is fully functional, should she wish to try it. Eruka was reluctant at first but after a bit of insistence on Jet's part curiosity quickly overtook her.

She felt rather awkward, sitting naked in the stone lined pond. But as the fires underground started heating up the pool the farmgirl felt all the tension in her body melt away. Her relaxed bliss was only clouded by worried thoughts that she was not going to be able to go back to washing herself in the cold river after this. But that became the least of her worries right as Jet climbed in a few feet away from her.
"How's the temperature? I only guessed as to how hot it'd get."

"Mmmmm. It's lovely..."
Eruka let out a terrified shriek that undoubtedly attracted some attention from people nearby.
"S-SAFFRON!"

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"

>>6079414
Ah. Cultural research has a blindspot for the common sense of a region

File: Faggot.jpg (221 KB, 850x1210)

221 KB JPG

"To take a dip, why else? It's communal, you know."

"T-That's not-"

She tried to protest but her complaints were quickly drowned out by two new voices that arrived.
"Ooooooh! You got it up already? SWEET!"
Kaya and Ena wasted no time disrobing and climbing in themselves, which further added to the poor girl's shock.

"B-B-B-But aren't you siblings?!"

"Yea. And?"
Kaya looked at Jet and got only a shrug from him. Neither knew what her problem was. Neither did Ena.

"YOU'RE NAKED!"

"You're looking far too red, miss. If you can't take it, there are buckets of cold water there. It also promotes health by improving your circulation and it does wonders to your skin!"

"No! You're not doing this! I'm not the weird one here! You are!"

The three simply shrugged. Shared baths are a part of Realm culture, as they help with relaxation and the establishment or reinforcement of bonds between individuals. To them it was natural. Eruka however wanted to have none of it. She tried to leave but then realized she'd need to get out of the water to do so and expose herself further. She ended up staying in the water with the three of them and did indeed overheat by the end of it. Jet sighed and decided to take her back home to be safe.

After carrying the poor girl home Jet was confronted by someone who was seemingly waiting for him just outside Erukas abode.
"Can I help you?"
He looked at the shepherd boy.

"Yeah. You can get the fuck out of this town first thing tomorrow."

"Now why would I do that?"

"You outsiders haven't been here for a week and you're already summoning demons and building stuff all over the place. Now I saw you carrying her while she was unconscious. It's clear for everyone to see that you're nothing but trouble! You can either fuck off or start keeping to yourself and being normal. Otherwise we're going to have problems."

Jet couldn't help but let out a fiendish grin. Normally it takes some effort to discern the true motives of a person that hide beneath the layers of lies that people sometimes tell even themselves. But there was an unmistakable, sweet scent in the air that was more important to Jet than food or water. One he couldn't mistake for anything else. Envy. The boy was jealous of him. But why? Well that was obvious. He did not give an ounce of shit when Jet was building things before, nor was he part of the lynch mob that tried to kill Gagarel. No, it's something much simpler. The girl.

He stepped forth, with his pearly whites practically glowing and he put a hand on the boy's shoulder, who physically recoiled from this.

>”You know what? I’ll let you have this one.”
>”As you wish. Now try telling her to do the same. See what happens.”
>”Make me”
>Custom

>>6079470
>Custom
"If I can't get your girlfriend in my bed by the end of the week, I'll fuck off and leave you with more money than you can spend in your life. If I can, though, I'm making you watch every second of it and you won't look away."

>>6079470
>>6079476
Supporting this cuckolding. It's a great way to lower torment. And szoreny would fucking revel in it.
Also, we should toss this faggot to the local Fae for ego death once we're done cucking him.