Going Underground...Again!

So, it's been a while since my last entry, and I'm very sorry for the delay! I had a lot going on at work, and I actually have two session to report on this time around, as Jaime was unable to run his Fate game last week. Which brings me to a bit of sad news.

Jaime won't be able to game with us for the foreseeable future. He's been assigned a new work schedule that will conflict with his time with the group for the next few months. This will bring our number down to three; one GM, and two players. Now, I'm perfectly okay with running games with two players, but I feel too much is accomplished per session with only two players. As such, we have come up with a tentative plan for the next few months. I'll run Burn Legend for one more session, and then Blake will run a few weeks' worth of Don't Rest Your Head (truth be told, I'm seriously looking forward to it). At that point, we'll invite some people to join us, using a short D&D campaign run by Blake as sort of a "mixer" game. Depending on how long that lasts, we'll return to Burn Legend until Exalted 3rd Edition releases. So, the next session this week will probably be the last one for quite some time, maybe the last one for good. Whatever the case, I'll resume blogging once I start running Exalted 3rd Edition.

Anyway, onward!

This session began with the fight between Shiver, Papana, and the wolves on one side, and Crush and his gorillas on the other. Shiver paired off with Crush, Papana with one of the gorillas, and six of the wolves against two gorillas. Eric knocked one of the gorillas away and took care of it in the alligator enclosure (Jaimie was not present for this session).

Papana did well enough against the gorilla and managed to dispatch it after several rounds. The wolves did not fare well. One of the gorillas knocked a group silly and joined his companions to harass those remaining. Papana rushed in and knocked down both of them before the other wolves were taken down.

Shiver and Crush had an interesting fight, however. Crush's opening attack dropped Shiver's first health stock (Blake laments that it didn't drop Shiver then and there; would've made for a more interesting story, he feels). Shiver came back from that initial attack, however, and the two managed to exchange solid blows for several rounds. Shiver used a powerful counterattack technique that dealt 8 damage to Crush at one point. Appropriately, Shiver dealt the finishing blow with his Overdrive. Drawing energy from the Moon itself, Shiver's claws gleamed with silver ki. He then slashed inward with both of them, sending twin arcs of silver ki on an intersecting path. Crush rampaged right into them as they intersected. The force knocked him back into the enclosure, where he bodily connected with a boulder and dropped, reverting into his human form (he made it all the way to his last health stock, and was only two points away from using his Overdrive--booooo!)

Shiver then asserted his superiority over Crush and convinced him to be their eyes and ears in this area, in case any new Scrolls of Power showed up. They were on the same side, after all, allied against the Shinigami and the forces of Yomi Wan. The group then parted ways: Papana and Shiver returned to the United States, while Eric went to visit his prospective business contacts while he was near China.

When they returned, they found the Dojo of Fallen Stars smoking. Sensei explained that demons had attacked the dojo, thinking a Scroll of Power was housed here, but he and Bitter Opal had managed to drive them away. They explained the situation, but suddenly realized that they didn't have the Scroll--Eric did. Bitter Opal went into a tirade, which Papana soundly retaliated against. Sensei broke them up, sending Bitter Opal to focus on rebuilding the incense room. Papana then called up Eric, but received no connecting signal--it didn't even ring. Knowing someone was wrong, Papana called up Alice, Eric's assistant, and had her send a plane to take them to Eric's last known GPS location.

They ended up having to dive out of the plane because the pilot had been nearly shot on sight when he had dropped off Eric. They succeeded in style, and carefully approached the unassuming, squat. facility. Papana then threw caution to the wind and boldly approached. He nearly received a machine gun to the face, but managed to talk his way out of it, threatening the offending guard with Eric's wrath if any harm came to him. The guards then took a blindfolded Papana and wolf-form Shiver below ground. Shiver saw many people working on mechanical somethings, but he couldn't figure out what. The lighting was dim, with bright lights in the development rooms to minimize shadows while working. Green running lights bordered the walls near the floor.

They were then seated in a windowless room with a pleasant-looking man with a slow voice. They bantered for a while. The man, who called himself Alpha, told them Mr. Anderson was just fine and was in the middle of a tour of the facility. Papana politely declined a tour of his own. The organization, called the Eye of the Maker, lamented that the Exalted were given powers beyond mere mortals, and while many used their abilities righteously, many more used them selfishly. The group made it their goal to equip the common man with the means to defend themselves against the Exalted if necessary, through a genetic engineering program and a biomechnical augmentations program. Alpha then received notice that Eric had completed the tour, and he would escort Papana and Shiver to his location. As they exited the room, they heard a loud hum that decreased in pitch. The overhead lights faded, and the green running lights turned to yellow, and then blinking red. Alpha panicked and ran down the hallways, Papana and Shiver following closely after.

As they rounded a corner, Alpha stopped dead in his tracks. Shiver could smell the fear rolling off of him. Blue mists then poured in from the far end of the hall. Shiver smelled a new scent from Alpha, and Papana could smell it, too. He put a reassuring hand on Alpha, who screamed and ran forward into the mist. Realizing his mistake, he turned around and tried to run away. The mist lurched forward and skeletal hands shot out and dragged Alpha into the mist. Papana and Shiver heard him scream, but muffled and as if from far away. The mist lurched forward again, launched something into the wall, which fell and broke against the floor. It was Alpha, but all vitality had been drained from his body. Emaciated figures with blue flesh limped out of the mist, an unsettling hunger in their dead eyes. Papana stepped forward and fired a bolt of solar ki at them, which passed right through them as if they were made of mist.

"Nope!" Papana exclaimed as he and Shiver took off in the opposite direction.

Everyone Needs to Calm Down

Last session ended with the group planning on ticking off Tepet Jeht to the point that he would attack them out of rage. As they made their way from Lord Tepet's chamber to Jeht's, a large, broad man burst out of Jeht's room and roared back, "You promised me that scroll, Tepet, and I'll take it or your life!" He then stormed past the group, seething. However, Shiver caught his scent and it was not human.

Ignoring this for the time being, the group entered the chamber. Papana sneaked up on Jeht, who was in the middle of grandstanding for his minions. By degrees, the group riled Jeht up, until Eric fired the last shots that sent Jeht over the edge: Comparing his business practices to Wal-Mart's. Enraged, Jeht flung fire at the group, who challenged him then to a battle of honor. Papana took the lead on this fight. The battle strongly favored Jeht at the beginning. He managed to take down Papana's first health stock within the first two rounds of combat. Papana then made a moderate comeback, until the two started trading blows without too much disparity between success. However, Jeht charged up his Overdrive a little faster than Papana.

Jeht dropped back into a pulled-away stance, his two hands hovering from each other and cradling the air between them, about the size of a man's head. "You think you're so strong, Mugen? You're not the only special one!" Crackles of golden energy sparked around his hands as an orb of pure sunlight grew in the space between his hands. When it expanded fully, Jeht roared, "HEAVENLY DESTROYER BLAST!" He thrust his hands forward, and the ball detonated with solar radiance.

All objects within the room were shattered, and all occupants knocked down, badly injured. When the debris had settled and people had managed to blink the sunspots from their eyes, they found that Jeht was nowhere to be seen. As if he had simply vanished.

Eric's first instinct was to go and check the Scroll: safe and sound. Shiver then joined him and the two decided to stake out the room and guard the Scroll in case Jeht had not been vaporized and wanted to steal the Scroll. Eric had a spark of inspiration, and swapped the Scroll with a fake. Papana, on the other hand, trudged up to his room and crashed onto the bed to sleep off his injuries.

In the dead of night, Shiver was woken by something. He did not know what, but he did not wake up without good reason. Soon enough, a smokey figured materialized out of the shadows. Shiver waited until the shadow had reached three-quarters of the way between the door and the desk that both sheltered Shiver's wolf form, as well as the Scroll in its glass box. Shiver then transformed into his mighty spirit werewolf form, sending the desk into splinters. Eric woke with a start, and the shadow hesitated. Shiver dashed for the door, surging right past the shadow, to block the exit. The shadow seized its opportunity and sprinted forward, grabbing the Scroll, and leaped headlong through the window. Shiver and Eric looked at each other in surprise, then gathered at the window. Within moments, they heard a voice scream "Son of a bitch!" The voice undoubtedly belonged to Jeht.

Having decidedly ousted Jeht, the group set about promoting Magdeline as the next leader of House Tepet. They made great progress, convincing many of the higher-ups to abdicate their position to her during the next hierarchy structuring at the winter solstice.

Afterward, they decided to reward themselves by taking a look at the Scroll. As they opened it, white lettering on the gold leaf glowed with inner radiance. Ancient sigils explained the three lines of characters showing the process of martial techniques, one of which Papana realized was the same as his own Heaven Thunder Hammer, while Eric observed that one of them closely matched the technique Jeht had attempted to use. They summoned a Tepet scholar, who translated the sigils:

"The first line reads...Destroyer of Heaven." indicated the technique Jeht had used. "The second...Fist of the Heavens," pointing to the technique that matched Papana's. "And the third...cancel the ending." This third technique was confusing in its process; it appeared as if the Mugen picked up another being and hurled it into a third. "And the fourth line: From the Sun this Scroll draws power. Unto Sun shall it return."

"So, Jeht learned a Mugen technique from this Scroll?" Eric asked.

"Learned, maybe. But he didn't understand." Papana observed quietly.

[Mechanically, the Scrolls of Power allow an Exalt to learn additional Overdrive Techniques, even those of other Exalt types. While Jeht had learned the physical aspect of the Technique, he hadn't internalized what it meant to use the Technique and to be Mugen. Finally, using the Scroll in this way would cause it to vanish...and rematerialize at certain sacred sites. No one decided to use the Scroll, however, though Wade was very tempted to pick up Cancel the Apocalypse, which would have allowed him to hurl an opponent into another and damage them both. However, the Technique would've began at 1 dot, and they didn't want to risk upsetting the mission.]

The group then decided to follow Shiver's curiosity concerning the man with the strange scent. Shiver managed to track him down, following the scent to a zoo. The scent became muddled, but Shiver pushed through the obstructions, arriving at the gorilla enclosure. Sure enough, a mighty silverback paced menacingly, and gave Shiver a dark glare when they locked eyes. Communicating on threads of ki, the two exchanged enough information to agree to meet again at night. Before they left the zoo for the day, Shiver slipped into the wolf enclosure and asserted his dominance over the softened pack.

That night, the trio returned to the gorilla enclosure. The silverback leaped over the tall fence, transforming into his human form and slapping on a pair of athletic shorts. He admitted soon enough that he was an Okami, like Shiver, and his name was Crush, the Relentless. Where Shiver was sent to Earth to combat needless violence, Crush was sent to bring down the self-righteous. In fact, Jeht had been his current target, and the Scroll was going to be a reward for a job well-done. That, and he planned to increase his strength through it. The group was not about to part with it, and Crush wouldn't take no for an answer. So, he summoned his gorilla allies and then transformed into a massive 10-foot beast of pure brawn. Shiver then called his new wolf minions and the two groups faced off.

Read the next session here!

Seeing Scarlet

After making the resolution to recover the Scrolls of Power, now at risk from theft by the Shinigami, the trio began making plans to visit an old friend. Not too long ago, Papana had been taunted for his unsuccessful attempt to reclaim a golden scroll from Tepet Ymol. After successfully and destructively defeating him, the thought of the golden scroll was lost, along with Tepet Jeht. This Tepet, however, owed Shiver a life debt--which the trio now intended to collect.

Eric called his, er, business associate, Tepet Magdeline. "Okay, here's the plan. You. Me. My private jet. Flying over the ocean. And then landing in the Scarlet Realm and having a chat with Jeht."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. I liked the first part." Magdeline said, "Can you repeat that so that I know you're not crazy?"

"Sure! You and me are going to be in my private jet, alone for several hours, and then when we land in the Scarlet Realm, you're going to take me to see Jeht."

"You're insane. Jeht is...well, it would take too long to explain on the phone. Why do you want to see him so badly?"

"You remember, don't you? He owes us, well, Shiver a life debt. We're going to collect on it."

"That's...a really, really bad idea. What do intend to ask from him?"

Papana took the phone at this point, "He has a scroll that we need to keep in safe hands."

"I assure you, as long as Jeht has it, it's perfectly safe. Is this the Dude impersonator? You know you could put this on speaker, right? Wait. You know what? Jeht's an asshole. If you want to take a scroll from him, I'll help you out. It probably won't end nicely, but...Jeht deserves it. I'll send you coordinates to an air field. Meet me there in three hours."

In the downtime, Eric called up his perpetually overwhelmed assistant, Alice, who wasn't pleased that he was skipping down, again, but perked up when she informed him of a new business venture based in China that had asked for a meeting at their headquarters. They had been secretive, saying they would only speak with the head of the organization, and no one else. Shiver and Papana, on the other hand, went down to the park. Shiver went to blow off steam; Papana went to build up steam. The Mugen threw balls that broke the sound barrier, while Shiver streaked by in a silver blur and used a slide as a ramp to catch the balls in midair. Some local kids recognized Papana and begged him to give them a spin on the merry-go-round. Luckily, Eric showed up just in time to use Airbinding to bring them safely to the ground once they went flying off.

Three hours after the call, the trio rolled up on their motorcycles to find an abandoned, flat, level strip of ground. There was a red car there waiting for them, with a stylized flame insignia emblazoned on the hood and sides. A woman slid out of the car, her hair rippling fluidly in the light breeze.

"Good to see you again, handsome." she greeted Eric. Eric's jet touched down not too long after, and the group set off for the Scarlet Realm, located in northwestern China. After a successful Lore roll on the part of Papana, the group learned quite a bit about the Scarlet Dynasty and House Tepet. The Scarlet Realm hopes to be for Ryuujin what the Vatican City is for Catholic Christians: a central body that lightly governs those a part of it, but mostly providing a strong, central foundation. As such, the Realm is currently trying to create a position for an individual to act as the executive of the Realm. Until then, however, the Realm and the Great Houses are ruled by a council of the heads of those Houses. House Tepet, being a mostly militaristic group, has established its central Hall within the Scarlet Realm. Other Houses are located elsewhere around the world, such as House Peleps, a naval group, being situated in Japan.

On the way, Magdeline explained that House Tepet is an intense group of people. They are primarily Fire Ryuujin, and are, naturally, hot-headed. To prevent their passions boiling over, especially where ambition is concerned, they follow a very rigid hierarchy. Everyone is put onto the same, linear hierarchy. Magdeline herself is #20, while Ymol used to be #2, but was then replaced by Jeht. Magedline's father, Lord Tepet, is #1. She also explained that Tepets do not tolerate drawn-out conflicts. If an argument cannot be resolved within one hour, the two parties duke it out on fighting strips in the great hall.

After they landed, they went immediately to breakfast. They noticed, however, that there were no cars on the streets at all. "It's a government policy." Magdeline explained, "We found that pollution tampers with our ki. Though, I guess growing up in a polluted environment, you've built up a tolerance to it." she added, looking at Eric. "Everyone here either walks, bikes, or uses the metro system." They saw a couple of landmarks on their way toward Tepet Hall. In the distance, the Scarlet Pagoda gleamed with stones like red marble. They passed by the Hall of Heroes, where Ryuujin throughout history received praise for their exploits. One landmark in particular caught their attention especially. Magdeline began discussing its beauty and significance for a good five minutes before they reached it. The Convergence of Elements, she said, was meant to show the beauty of each element individually, as well as the beauty of their harmony. As the streetcar turned the corner, however, the Convergence was a wall of flame, while Ryuujin of several stripes worked to put down the flames. "We're thinking about renovating it, honestly." Magdeline said in defeat.

At last, they arrived at Tepet Hall. Whereas the Scarlet Palace was a bright, beautiful construction of red marble and jade, Tepet Hall was a squat, minimalistic building of dull, crimson stone. Using her authority as #20, Magdeline was able to escort the trio through the spartan corridors of the Hall and past the multitude of guards, two for every door. Soon enough, they came upon Tepet Jeht, who was deep in conversation with a squad of his goons in a room that was unexpectedly lavish.

“Good to see you again.” Papana said amicably, settling himself on the desk beside Jeht.

“Shit! Where the hell...?” Jeht stammered, “I mean, it’s good to see you, too! I was just thinking how I needed to get into contact with you and, you know...”

“Yes, I think I do know. You owe my dog a life debt.”

“Ah. Yes. That.”

“We’re going to add interest to the debt, since you’ve missed a few late fees. The Shinigami have taken an interest in your scroll. We want to make sure it’s protected.”

“The Shinigami? A story meant to frighten little Ryuujin. Besides, that scrolls not going anywhere as long as I’m alive.” Jeht said with a defiant gleam in his eyes.

The negotiations then broke down into a shouting match. Threats and snide comments escalated the tension to the point of Jeht drawing his sleek pistols in rage, and Eric countering with secretly funded ICBMs. Jeht refused to back down, inviting the trio to instigate a new world war: a missile from America destroying a fledgling nation? Not a great public opinion stunt.

“Look, I think we’re all getting a little carried away.” Papana urged. “Back to our original offer: Give the scroll to us as protection, or give us the funds to find another.”

“Or this:” Eric stepped in, “Give us the funds to find as many as we can. We’ll split them with you, fifty-fifty. You provide us the means, and we’ll do all the heavy lifting.”

“Half, you say?” Jeht’s eyes lit up. “That sounds like an equitable arrangement. Let me discuss the matters with my companions here, and we’ll get back to you.”

Papana snorted. “We don’t have time for this. We’re going to talk with someone around here who can actually make decisions on his own and help us. We’re going to see Lord Tepet.”

“Good luck with that.” Jeht said with a bitter smile.

Magdeline led the way to the second and topmost story of the building, growing visibly uneasy as they approached the Lord’s chamber.

“What’s wrong?” Eric asked, not totally oblivious to her discomfort.

“There’s something you need to know about my father.” she said, opening the doors without knocking. The room was bare except for a bed, a small table, and an ancient red spear. At the far end of the room was a large window overlooking the Scarlet Realm. An old man in a wheelchair sat staring out that window. Magdeline crossed the room and knelt by the man. “Daddy? It’s me, Magdeline. I brought some friends of mine who wanted to talk with you.” The man’s eyes continued to stare blankly with glassy eyes out over the Realm, his breaths coming in slow, steady rasps.

Moved to pity, Papana introduced himself and began having a one-sided conversation with the man. At some point, he mentioned that he himself was a Mugen, finding no reason to hide the fact from this frail old man.

“Mu...gen...” Lord Tepet wheezed, his words hardly more audible than a whisper. Papana then began going through katas, channeling his sun-ki quietly. Lord Tepet felt rather than saw Papana’s building ki. The glass over his eyes faded, instead replaced with happy mists that precipitating down his gaunt flesh, while the ghost of a smile haunted the corners of his lips. When Papana had finished his katas, the vivacity faded out of Lord Tepet once more. Papana, disheartened by the old man’s condition, made to leave, when suddenly an arm like iron shot out and grabbed hold of his shirt. A raspy voice whispered, “Jeht...cannot...rule.” Lord Tepet then slumped over in his wheelchair.

Magdeline screamed and assaulted Papana, “What have you done?” she cried, tears already streaming down her face.

Eric checked for a pulse, and found it, as well as felt the bioelectricity in the old man still flowing, albeit feebly. “He’s fine. Just tired.” he observed. They laid Lord Tepet on his bed and left the room quietly.

“He’s just a figurehead.” Eric said. “Jeht’s just waiting until he passes away to preserve the hierarchy.”

Magdeline nodded. “My father always wanted to become a Mugen, or at least befriend one. Not only were they powerful, he also felt they were shining examples of righteousness. Having one on his side would be a great asset for his bid to rule the Scarlet Dynasty.”

“What about you?” Papana asked. “Why can’t you rule the Dynasty?”

“Only those on the Council are the serious contenders. I would have to usurp Jeht.”

“We’re going to make him mad.” Eric began, something crackling in his mind, “Mad enough to challenge Papana to single combat. Papana will kick his ass, of course, showing off as many of his Mugen abilities as possible. Not only will he knock down Jeht a peg or two, or all of them, but we’ll be able to take the scroll away from him, establish himself as a Mugen in alliance with House Tepet, and, as a result of his more personal alliance with you, promote you as a stronger candidate for the leader of the House.”

“That’s...brilliant.” Magdeline complimented.

“So,” Papana began, a cold determination setting into his usually carefree face, “let’s go piss this guy off.”

The Lesser Evils of Yomi Wan

I ended up not being able to run Burn Legend this Thursday, unfortunately. Jaime had some work issues and was in no mood, physically and mentally, to play. We also had an old high school friend drop by unannounced, so we ended up hanging out with him instead of playing. To make up for it, here is the third and final part of the series on the denizens of Yomi Wan.

Third Circle Demons

Each Deathlord is attended by six Demons of the Third Circle, also referred to as Yamajin. The aggregate of six Second Circle Demons themselves, the Yamajin have achieved corrupt ascension and may fully wield the powers of Hell as Yamajin, the Infernal Exalted. As such, they have enough souls to emulate their Yama King masters without ripping their entire being to shreds. Each group of Yamajin has access to a Shintai that grants a fraction of the Yama Kings’ powers by becoming a temporary avatar. The Yamajin are influential throughout the world, serving as generals, chief diplomats, and executive officers.

The Yamajin of the Demon Emperor are also called the Slayers, their souls chosen for their ferocity and capabilities in combat. They serve as generals under the First and Forsaken Lion. Chief among them is the Brass Tiger Legion, led by the eponymous Yamajin. Most of them are militaristic in nature, though some are fighting champions or mercenaries. They may call upon the Demon Emperor Shintai, which transforms into the devils of legend—monsters with black claws, cruel horns, fangs with dripping venom, and wings that breathe despair into the wind.

Those Yamajin who serve the Princess of Hell are called the Malefactors. Their souls are selected from a long line of those who use the power of dominance, both physical and emotional, to secure their positions of authority. While most are in positions of religious authority, others are CEOs and judges. They emulate the eternal sands of the Princess of Hell through Soul-Sand Devil Shintai, through which their bodies become living constructs of silver sand.

The perfectly obedient servants of the Grand Arbiter of Fell Wisdom are known, paradoxically, as the Defilers. Despite their quest for perfection and stasis, neither of those come without getting dirty. Their souls are chosen from those who crave order and despise deviance, with a particular focus on those who prefer to use their superior intelligence to solve problems. Most are highly acclaimed academics, but one or two are leaders bent on creating a uniform society. They emulate the brilliant wisdom of the Grand Aribter by use of Ten Thousand Flame Spiral Shintai, in which they call a small, tangible portion of the white flames of her infinite wisdom to protect themselves from those who would act against the bringers of peace and order.

The Herald of the Emerald Winds does not have Yamajin servants, per se. Those who do further her goals serve her indirectly through the Lover Clad in Raiment of Tears, her only outlet into Earth. They are a secretive group, knowing that if they went public with their affiliations and intentions, the Demon Emperor would deal out harsh punishment upon the Herald. Even so, these Scourges are modern-day vampires. They latch on to someone who strikes their fancy and drains them of time, resources, and, most importantly, vitality, until the victim is a husk in human shape. Some do this through impossible demands coupled with inescapable attraction, some through endless carousing, and some through more nefarious means. In any case, this drained vitality is metaphysically transferred to the Herald, infusing her with that energy, which she keeps locked away in a secret wind that quietly travels the outskirts of the Endless Desert. Their souls are chosen among those with insatiable appetites—for power, money, lovers, fame, or simple more. They emulate the Herald through Scarlet Rapture Shintai, where they achieve, in some small part, the joyous freedom the Herald so desires—by bursting from their mortal shells and rushing wantonly about as a crimson wind of gore and viscera.

The agents of the Shadow of All Things are a treacherous group, likely to backstab each other to further their own selfish goals—but the Shadow wouldn’t have it any other way. These deceitful Fiends are masters of shadow games and intrigue. Their souls are chosen from those who manipulate the desires, beliefs, and emotions of others for their own personal gains. They emulate the Shadow of All Things through Black Mirror Shintai, which allows them to take the form of an unfortunate victim, stealing his vitality, skills, and very identity with every strike.

The ardent followers of the Mother of Poisons are known as the Corrupters, but that is not how they would want to be remembered. They would be seen as benevolent, caring, nurturing, parental figures—they just happen to destroy the lives of those who share love with them. They just can’t help themselves. Their souls are chosen from among those with a crushing agony to be loved. When they finally get their wish, they become smothering, then jealous, then abusive, and finally murderous—after all, isn’t their love the only thing the objects of their affections truly need? They call upon the eternal love of the Mother of Poisons through All-Devouring Depths Shintai, where they draw their wayward opponents into a loving embrace—with prehensile tentacles of pure toxin.

Second Circle Demons

The Yamajin, also known as Third Circle Demons, are given command over six Second Circle Demons of their own. Second Circle Demons, usually called Greater Akuma, are the product of six First Circle Demon souls being warped and bound together. In this midway point of demonic transcendence, the Greater Akuma may wield many of the power of Hell, even channel great bursts of it, but must do so in generalities—they do not have enough souls to distribute the destructive violence of channeling the might of one of the Yama Kings without damaging themselves. The Greater Akuma are not as globally influential as their Yamajin masters, but still hold positions of power, such as governors, advisers, and city crime bosses.

First Circle Demons

Each Second Circle Demon has control over six First Circle Demons, also called Lesser Akuma. Like their greater counterparts, they are created by the combination of six souls, but these souls are chosen from among the Demonspawn—infernalists, Least Akuma, and actual demons of Yomi Wan. Because they only have six souls, they cannot channel the true might of Yomi Wan, even if they wanted to. They can still use some of its wrath, but not to extent that the Greater Akuma can. The Lesser Akuma operate on a more local basis, as city council members, managers, and street gang leaders.

Demonspawn

The term Demonspawn refers to three different servants of Yomi Wan: Infernalists, Least Akuma, and demons. First Circle Demons personally command at least six Demonspawn, usually six of each type, in addition to any uninitiated followers.

Infernalists are mortal members of cults who worship Yomi Wan devoutly. By the Christian world, they are labeled as Satanists or pagans. Many wonder why the Yama Kings simply don’t turn all infernalists into Akuma, but that would deprive them of one their most precious resources: Prayer. Like every deity before them, they gain sustenance through consumption of prayer, and prayer is most nutritious when it comes from sources outside of the deity’s plane of existence. So, while Akuma do provide some benefit, mortal worship from Earth is the most sustaining.

Least Akuma are mortals who have sold their souls to the Yama Kings. In exchange for their eternal service (though it is usually cut very short, very quickly, and very violently), their souls are twisted by Hell’s power, infusing it with unholy might, then returned to their bodies. Should a Least Akuma have second thoughts about serving, their lives can be snuffed instantly. Most are inspired by the thought of becoming a Deathlord someday—once their soul has been added into a First Circle Demon, then a Second, then into a Yamajin, and finally into a Deathlord.

Demons are fiendish creatures of legend. They are formed from the hollow husks left behind by the transformation of a Lesser Akuma, Greater Akuma, or Yamajin into a being of higher power. The malevolence of the Yama Kings seeps into these empty shells, filling them with power and corruption, twisting their very flesh into something more suitable to contain their might.

Infernal Exaltation

The process of ascending to a higher form of hellish being is known as Infernal Exaltation. To create a First Circle Demon, six souls must be gathered: two infernalists, two Least Akuma, and two demons. The souls of the infernalists connect the First Circle Demon to Earth, allowing him to cross between it and Yomi Wan. The souls of the demons allow him to survive in Hell and grant him a connection to its powers. The souls of the Least Akuma connect the two, allowing them to coexist in the same body without destroying each other. The Second Circle Demon officiating the ceremony provides a body for the souls to enter once bound together (the fresher, the better). The ceremony can be performed on any night, beginning at sundown and terminating at midnight. At the end of the ceremony, the souls are twisted around each other so tightly as to be indivisible and enter the host body. This results in a being of great power with composite souls, and six hollow bodies. The remains of the demons are burned in offering to the Yama Kings, while the human bodies are taken by the Yama Kings and transformed into new demons. With the creation of each new First Circle Demon, there is a net gain of two demons.

When a new Second Circle Demon must be created, the process is much the same: six First Circle Demons are gathered, their own composite souls wrapped around each other, then inserted into a new host. This leaves six corpses, two of which are burned in offering, while the other four are transformed into demons. The ceremony for creating a Second Circle Demon is performed from sundown to midnight, but is restricted to the nights of the New Moon. The process and result is identical for creating new Third Circle Demons, save for increased cost for materials and time for the conduction of the ceremony, which can only take place during the Winter Solstice.

When a Deathlord is vanquished, the Yama King controlling it must rest for one year and one day before it can create a new avatar. During this period, their powers are greatly diminished, as are their wills—they essentially died without perishing, something that rattles them to their core. Having invested so much of themselves into the Deathlord avatar, and the new composite souls going into its making, the new creation can never be the same. The first Deathlord of the Herald of the Emerald Winds was called the Princess Magnificent with Lips of Coral and Robes of Black Feathers. The Herald used this avatar to play among the humans, using it as an escape from the tyrannical hold of the Demon Emperor, which the Emperor allowed during her periods of rest within the Emerald Sun. She grew too fond of humankind, however, which greatly displeased the Demon Emperor, so he sent the First and Forsaken Lion and his Yamajin to slay the Princess Magnificent. He then forbade the Herald from creating a new avatar or having Yamajin or Akuma. For a time, she was so traumatized by the experience they she obeyed his every command without question. She has recovered much of her will, however, and without his knowledge, she forged the Lover Clad in Raiment of Tears, complete with a full retinue of Yamajin and Akuma. It was a long process, having to carefully gather the 1,296 Demonspawn to create her new avatar, but absolutely worth it, since she can now escape the reins of the Demon Emperor through her amorous proxy.

[Fluff] The Deathlords of Yomi Wan

Here is the second in the three-part series detailing the antagonistic forces of Yomi Wan.

The avatars of the Yama Kings, the Lords of Death are their manifestations on Earth. In order to operate directly in Earthly matters, the Yama Kings created these beings of lesser power. The Deathlords operate as their creator consciously wills, but command far less power than their cosmic, otherworldly selves. Even so, the power they do wield is still formidable. Each Yama King has one Deathlord avatar, while each Deathlord has six Third Circle Demons serving beneath him. Should a Deathlord be vanquished, a new one is created from those Demons once the Yama King recovers after a year and a day. Being such unique entities, each Deathlord has a unique martial arts style, which only he or she can practice. Because they are diluted forms of divinity, the Deathlords represent the diminished strength of the Yama Kings, as well as their amplified flaws and weaknesses. The Tennin, longtime foes of the Yama Kings and their brood, have conjectured that each Deathlord has a hamartia—a fatal flaw that, if exploited, could expedite the slaying of a Deathlord and more negatively impact its Yama King counterpart.

The First and Forsaken Lion is the avatar of the Demon Emperor. In this form, the Demon Emperor is a tall, broad, muscular man wearing combat fatigues. Currently, he operates as an arms dealer and tactician-for-hire. In doing so, he proves his military capabilities to those of ill repute, earning their respect and fear. One day soon, he will create a military state through bloody warfare, then expand his military conquests across the globe. He practices Hungry Ghost Style, a demanding martial art that complements the Lion’s hunger for conquest. It is characterized by its destruction of the opponent’s body, as if a malevolent spirit were eating away at it. The Demon Emperor has made the Lion less active as of late. While his opponents worry what he could be plotting, the Demon Emperor worries, too. When the Demon Emperor instills the Lion with enough rage to destroy an army, the Lion begins to disobey the Emperor’s commands, becoming a mad creature bent on destroying anything and everything around him.

The Bishop of the Chalcedony Thurible is the avatar of the Princess of Hell. In this form, the Princess is an old, wizened man wearing robes of the Catholic Church. He has infiltrated the organization and has spent the last decade legitimizing his candidacy for Pope, including creating a believable and righteous backstory. If and when he ascends to the Papacy, he will use his influence to sway the largest religion in the world for the benefit of Yomi Wan. He employs Gentle Embrace Style. It is a seemingly unassuming Style, using light attacks, if it deals damage at all—until the Bishop uses its most potent technique to devastating, crushing effect. The Princess of Hell constantly pushes the Bishop to the point of exhaustion and often beyond. She has found that the longer she allows the Bishop to rest between missions, the more difficult it becomes to get him working at full capacity again. When troubles in Yomi Wan prevented her from concentrating her efforts in Earth for quite some time, the Princess was shocked to find the Bishop disobeying her commands in favor of laziness—a shameful discovery she has not disclosed to her fellow Yama Kings.

The Dowager of the Irreverent Vulgate in Unrent Veils is the avatar of the Grand Arbiter of Fell Wisdom. In this form, she appears as a tired old woman usually wearing a white lab coat. She operates as a researcher examining lethal diseases. Centuries ago, she used her fell powers to orchestrate the epidemic known as the Black Plague. While this seems to run contrary to the Grand Arbiter’s desire for stasis, she did it in order to strengthen the population. She continues her work, quietly mutating viruses and performing open tests on entire populations, all for the twisted benefit of strengthening mortals—and instilling obedient fear in them. She emulates her diseases through Poxes of Contagion Style, a bizarre martial art that grows like a tumor, shutting down vital systems, until it bursts and spreads its infection. The Grand Arbiter has spent the last century crafting the Dowager into an autonomous pawn, so that she may better focus her efforts on organizing the society of Yomi Wan. When she checks in on the Dowager, she is pleasantly surprised: the Dowager has acquired many new things of great value and expanded her network of influences, drawing in a torrent of funds from many sources. Even so, the Grand Arbiter has begun to notice trivial objects in the Dowager’s collection, what the mortals would call “pretty.” The Dowager always has a clear and convincing purpose for the possession of these objects, but doubt scratches at the heart of the Grand Arbiter. Does the Dowager really need a diamond tiara for the next global disease conference?

The Lover Clad in Raiment of Tears is the avatar of the Herald of the Emerald Winds. In this form, she appears as a beautiful celebrity famous for genuine talent, but more famous for her amorous escapades. The Herald actually invests her entire consciousness into this form while resting within the Emerald Sun, using it as an escape from the boredom. The Lover seeks to become an international sensation, then use that reputation and her sex appeal to seduce, corrupt, and cast down the righteous and politically mighty—all for the thrill of it. Despite the emotional wounds she’s inflicted on others and her own inner turmoil, she simply bitterly laughs them away. Through Laughing Wounds Style, she channels her pain outward, inflicting harm on those who have harmed her. The Herald sometimes gets carried away with her search for the next great thrill, however. She has discovered that she gets a rush by surrendering her will to that of the Lover, granting her puppet full control. When she does so, however, the Lover is filled with the Herald’s need for release and validation by indulging in wanton, lustful crusades. The Herald had a bad trip recently, however, when she found that the Lover was reluctant to release control back to the Herald—but that fear is quickly wearing off, as the danger that situation poses makes it all the more thrilling.

The Mask of Winters is the avatar of the Shadow of All Things. In this form, he appears as a slender, enigmatic figure wearing a featureless white mask that completely covers his face. He is a multiple agent, far surpassing even the most talented double agents in his ability to simultaneously manipulate different organizations. He never lets on what his actual goals are, but he has accumulated many favors and options for blackmail. He waits in shadow for the moment, waiting until the right moment to strike and suddenly seize control of a major power—preferably one with nuclear weapon capabilities. He has the ability to slip through shadows, granted to him through Ebon Shadow Style. This martial art focuses on deception, surprise attacks, and immobilizing enemies for an easy finishing technique. Despite his own slippery nature, the Shadow of All Things is a tyrant through and through. He fears he may have put too much of himself into his avatar, however, as there are times he cannot locate the Mask after having turned his attention back to Yomi Wan. When he does find the Mask, he is often in the midst of petty identity theft. Police are still trying to piece together the story behind a woman’s insane account that her missing husband dissolved into black smoke before her eyes.

The Walker in Darkness is the avatar of the Mother of Poisons. In this form, she appears as a strapping man with several horrific scars—some from cuts, many from burns. Embracing the Mother of Poisons’ dichotomic philosophy of beloved and reviled, he is a mercenary. He is seen as a liberator and hero of those who hired him, and amoral and villainous by those whom he has slaughtered. Even though he is capable with modern weapons, he prefers chemical and biological warfare—they are much more effective weapons than bullets and rockets, and few forces anticipate their usage. The Walker channels the dichotomy of the Mother of Poisons through Dark Messiah Style. At times, the savage darkness of the art is apparent, but at other times the Walker is truly seen as a benevolent savior. The Mother of Poisons finds herself putting in an unexpected amount of resources into the upkeep of the Walker. As time goes on, she finds he must consume more and more to remain fully active. Even as the quantity of what the Walker increases, so too does the necessary quality. Military rations and fast food no longer suffice. The Walker has hired a team of professional chefs to serve him culinary masterpieces five times a day, much to his company’s delight. There are times, however, when the Walker’s appetite becomes too great, and he indulges in consumption of human flesh and blood, which he finds is more satisfying than traditional foods. The Mother would not mind this idiosyncrasy if the Walker did not shrug off her control when he pursued a cannibalistic meal.

Those Tennin who have worked closely with Christian exorcists or have read supplemental Christian texts learn that the Christian faith recognizes seven deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, lust, gluttony, envy, and pride. The Tennin have casually discussed the association of the Deathlords with the deadly sins. While many associations are interchanged, the small group of Tennin who strongly believe in the validity of the associations grow worried—there are seven deadly sins and only six Deathlords. Many of their peers would argue that one of the Deathlords, most likely the First and Forsaken Lion, could have two sins associated with him, as he is the avatar of the Demon Emperor. They hold true to the one-to-one associations, however, and propose the secret existence of a seventh Deathlord. And should there be a seventh Deathlord, that would imply the existence of an unknown Yama King. 

Third Party

The gang of men in red sweatshirts was suddenly assaulted on three sides: A flying jump-kick that struck like a comet, a werewolf tearing through the steel wall, and an electrified steel door that exploded off its hinges. Two were dispatched before the fight even began. There was a brief standstill, some bantering, until Bill Smoke lost his patience and ordered his men to kill them.

This fight operated in the same way as Papana and Shiver's first fight against the gang at the warehouse-arena. The gang members came at them three at a time, and they used their Techniques as both attack and defense. And just like last time, Papana did surprisingly well against the gang members, while Shiver struggled. Unlike last time, however, they had Eric to help. Within the first few rounds, Papana delivered a particularly devastating blow, causing the unstable floor to come loose and crash downward onto the first floor. At the same time, Eric used his mastery of wind to carry him and his assailants upward onto the roof. The gangster at the center of the vortex received a barrage of electricity continued to soar upward after the rest landed on the roof, flying off into the distance like a faulty blue lightbulb.

On the first floor, Papana and Shiver continued beating the snot out of the gangsters. They seemed to be handling the fight quite well. Papana was simply stomping the gangsters attacking him, while Shiver held his own. Feeling like he was missing out on the party, Eric took his group down from the roof, destablizing it. Once Papana had defeated his six assailants--made much faster with a potent Overdrive--one of the ones targeting Shiver was ordered by Smoke to target Papana--with a goddamn rocket launcher. Papana saw this and immediately rushed forward. He managed to knock the gangster backward, but not before he fired off the rocket, which, due to a Mugen's burning fist in his face, was sent exploding into the roof. Shards of rusty steel and molten slag cascading down, prompting everyone to make Dexterity rolls to avoid the shrapnel. The trio was hit a time or two between them, but two gangsters were lethally impaled. Not too long after, Eric finished off the last of his assailants, and turned his focus to the man who had attacked him at the warehouse-arena, preventing him from helping Papana rescue Shiver.

The greasy man, whom Bill Smoke addressed as Georgie, slid forward, almost as if he was gliding along the ground. After his first attack, Eric complained that he would have to replace he was wearing, due to Georgie's foul appearance: patchy hair, greasy skin, and a tattered trenchcoat that looked like it had been dipped in a vat of oil. Eric fought him with lashing winds and bolts of electricity, while Georgie used a fluid fighting style and a black ichor similar to oil. He tried his best to debilitate Eric with it, but the Ryujiin was able to avoid it and drop Georgie with a shock to the head.

The gangster who fired the rocket launcher managed to survive Papana's fist, and continued to avoid his attacks for a while. The Mugen triumphed eventually, however, and took on Knuckles, a large, muscular man with numerous brass piercings. The two exchanged fierce blows, their opening attacks both shattering the earth and sending much of the debris skyward. Twice, the falling shrapnel sliced into Knuckles, but the large man pulled the pieces of metal out with no apparent pain. One of Knuckles' attacks even removed one of Papana's Health Stocks. Papana came back with renewed force, however, and dropped him with a blazing fist to the gut soon after.

Before Shiver could finish off the last of the gangsters attacking him, the gangster turned to flee. On his way out, Bill Smoke took off a satchel and handed it to him. Shiver then turned his attention to Smoke. Rage bubbled up like burning quicksilver at the memory of the man in the red sweatshirt trying to wolfnap him. Shiver attacked him with relentless fury, while Smoke tried to knock him away with powerful blasts of green fire. Shiver built up his Overdrive and delivered a particularly devastating attack. Not only did it cause Smoke to lose two Health Stocks, it also knocked the gang leader unconscious. Even if he had survived, he would have lost another Health Stock the next round due to Shiver's attack. In fact, Shiver was the first of the three to defeat his "big bad," even though he started after Eric.

Shiver then took off after the satchel carrier, who had one other gangster to help him. They fled through the sagebrush and cheatgrass in the moonlight, heading toward a small patch of trees. Shiver bounded after them, using his superior speed to quickly catch up. When he came level with the gangsters just at the entrance of the woods, he instead went up onto a small ridge and looked at them, his silhouette against the moon. Twin orbs of seething silver glared at them, then Shiver threw back his head and howled. It was soon answered, as a pack of wolves rallied to him, The two strongest advanced, then charged toward the gangsters at Shiver's command. Meanwhile, Eric had defeated Georgie and took off after Shiver and his prey. Using surges of wind, he caught up and managed to get up a tree while the gangsters were intimidated by Shiver's howl. He hurled a lightning bolt near them as a distraction. The gangster with the satchel bolted into the forest, while the other one pulled out two submachine guns and unloaded both clips in desperation. Bullets sprayed wildly, all of them missing their targets, while Eric's precision lightning strike dispatched him in a single attack, long before the wolves attacked--though they were appreciative of the hot meal.

Meanwhile, Papana had been struggling with Knuckles a little bit. Even after he had defeated the abnormally large man, things prevented him from assisting the others. As he made his way toward the woods, debris from his exchange with Knuckles began falling from the sky--including the solid metal door that Eric had originally dislodged. Despite his strength, the door was too heavy for him to lift. So, he fired a bolt of solar ki at it, which indeed removed it from his person, but left him far behind the others.

Back at the woods, the man in the satchel tried to escape, thinking that everyone was focused on his sacrificial companion. However, he received a rude surprise when Shiver suddenly appeared and gave him a crippling slash across the back. Before Shiver could do any more damage, the carrier rose up in defiance of gravity and levitated several feet in the air. Eric arrived and tried to electrify the hovering carrier, but he simply shifted to the left or right and easily dodged the attacks. Shiver, with his superior night vision, then noticed a figure in the darkness, barely discernible from the shadows.

"Well met." the shadow said, taking measured steps forward when he felt Shiver's eyes upon him. He was clad in black cloth finery, his dress sharp and tasteful enough to gain compliments from Eric, and a long black leather trenchcoat completed the look. Strangely, however, he wore a visor with a short beak and splayed feathers made of black crystal. Shifting ropes of utter blackness spilled from his lifted hand, coiling around the floating carrier.

At this point, Papana arrived, having finished with his ordeal with the door. "Give us the satchel, and we won't have to hurt you," Eric said.

"Indeed? Then we have a problem. You see, I want the satchel, too."

"We can settle this peacefully." Papana offered, followed up quickly by Shiver's suggestion, "Yeah! Like an arm-wrestling contest!"

The shadow man laughed at this. "If we must compete over the satchel, I will agree to your challenge by arm wrestle." he lifted the unconscious carrier into a nearby tree, wrapping the shadow-ropes around him and the tree. He then chopped a different tree with his hand, shearing through it and creating a level stump. He rolled back one of his sleeves, exposing almost luminescent white skin. He placed his elbow on the stump and looked at the trio. "I'm waiting."

Papana stepped forward and grasped the shadow man's hand. The contest began instantly and they struggled dead even for several minutes. Using their Strength scores, they began a race to three net successes over the other's scores. They rolled high successes on each roll--3, 4, 5, and even 6 on 4-die pools. However, they rolled exactly the same number of successes on each roll! Papana began shining with a brilliant golden aura, while shadows blacker than night gathered around the shadow man. The air itself compressed with tension, and a dread hush fell over the woods. Finally, the tension snapped, and the shadow man slammed Papana's hand into the stump, shattering it into kindling. The shadow man smiled in triumph, then climbed up the tree with his prisoner while the trio discussed what to do next. Papana urged them to honor the agreement, but asked the shadow man to at least tell them what was in the satchel.

The shadow man obliged them, closing the satchel and putting it around himself. "The locations of the Tennin dojos, as well as the Scrolls of Power. Until later." he said, then vanished into the shadows of the woods.

Eric immediately called up Sensei, telling him they had important information to share. An hour later, back at the Dojo of Fallen Stars, the trio told Sensei and Bitter Opal the bad news.

"Do you know what you've done?" Bitter Opal snarled. "Each of the Scrolls of Power are protected by a Tennin dojo. You've just given our most important locations to the enemy!"

"Why are we getting our heads bitten off?" Eric argued, "We didn't know what was in that bag until it was too late, and neither did you." Opal pursed her lips but did not contest Eric's point.

"What are these Scrolls of Power, anyway?" Papana asked.

"Powerful Tennin artifacts. They have capability of bestowing the powers of the different forms of the Exalted, even upon those who are not of the same class. They are only given to those who prove themselves truly worthy of receiving such power. Now it appears that the forces of Yomi Wan want them to increase the strength of their armies."

"From the description of this mysterious man of the shadows, it does not sound like an agent of the Yama Kings." Sensei observed.

"It could have been a servant of the Shadow of All Things." Opal countered.

"True, but the servants of the Shadow are not an honorable group in any sense."

"What does that mean?" Eric asked.

"It was one of the Shinigami, the Shadow Priests." Sensei explained.

"...who haven't been seen in over a thousand years." Opal retorted.

"I believe they have been biding their time, just like the Yama Kings, just like the Tennin." Sensei then focused on the trio, "These Scrolls of Power must remain within the protection of the Tennin. We have been working for years beyond count to prepare our own armies to contest the forces of Yomi Wan. The Shinigami are an unknown force, so we must assume that they are enemies as well, even if they are not allied with Yomi Wan. We cannot allow the Scrolls of Power to fall into the hands of the Yama Kings or the Shadow Priests."

"Why exactly are we fighting for the Tennin?" Shiver, now in human form, asked Eric.

"Well, I am because she's hot." he explained, gesturing to Bitter Opal.

Shiver blinked in confusion, "She is?"

"Why don't we call them up? Let them know that their dojos are in danger?" Eric asked.

"Our dojos are often in remote locations, especially the ones housing the Scrolls of Power." Bitter Opal explained, "Furthermore, the mystic powers of the Scrolls interfere with any modern devices. We will contact those we can, but our most important dojos will have to be notified in person."

Papana stood up then, a strong confidence radiating from him, "Then I guess we need to go spread the word."

---

What did we enjoy?

• Stunt destruction. Everyone got to destroy some scenery in this session: Blake destroyed a wall with a flying kick, then a floor with a downward fist; Eric broke through a roof in two different directions; and Shiver tore through a wall with his claws, then actually sent a guy flying through the air so hard that he cracked a supporting beam and caused the building to tilt. Even I got to bring the roof crashing down with a rocket. It feels satisfying to destroy things without having to worry about the object's durability--because it just feels cool.
• Fighting styles. Mass combat and single combat feel different enough to call for different strategies, but similar enough to not be alien to each other. Blake, for example, greatly enjoys mass combat against extras and being able to defeat several of them with a single attack. Wade, on the other hand, prefers single combat because he seems to have better luck there.
• Botching. This is one of two new rules we introduced in this session. Botches happened quite frequently tonight, especially when the extras were trying to avoid falling shrapnel. We decided that botches on noncombat rolls merited a few extra penalties. We may apply this to combat in the future, maybe with botched rolls causing the incoming attack to be treated as Victorious.
• Varied combat. One of the biggest complaints about Exalted 2nd Edition was the phenomenon known as mote attrition. That is, battles were decided by who ran out of motes first. This doesn't apply in Burn Legend. Even if this system's motes, ki, are depleted, you are still able to fight with a great deal of strength--you just lose access to your best techniques, not all of them. Here's to hoping that Exalted 3rd Edition fixes this problem!

What did we not enjoy?

• Nothing! This was an all-over great session!
• Little big bads. Actually, my one complaint is that my antagonists went down quickly. Two of the three dropped after their first Health Stock loss, while Bill Smoke lost two in one attack and then dropped. So much for that climactic fight...

What did we learn?

• Mass combat kind of sucks. At least for werewolves.
• Doors hate Mugens.
• Full die pools. They're nice to have.

Phone Beepy Thing

So, it's been awhile. Like, two weeks overdue. One of the reasons for this is that school started up again two weeks ago, and I've been having a hard time adjusting to the new schedule, as well as conditioning myself to the mental and emotional demands of being a teacher. It's amazing how much you can forget in a couple of months! That leads into the second reason I didn't post sooner: I didn't feel proud of posting the contents of the game. I was tired, and it showed in the way I ran the game.

I don't like being a "Railroad GM" because I think the narrative should come from the players, mostly. When I brought this up with the group this last Thursday, they said it was alright; they had fun, and sometimes being railroaded is necessary, especially when the objective isn't clear. So, on to the recap!

Papana and Shiver spent a few days recovering from their injuries. It takes 12 hours to regenerate a single Health Stock, so Papana was resting in the sauna for about three days straight. He devoured everything in sight afterward. The three of them then used the training facilities to develop their abilities (after having received 9 XP at the end of the previous session). Sensei had a policy where the neophytes would essentially be target practice while the masters developed their new techniques, in order to learn from personal (albeit painful) experience. Eric also footed the bill to reinforce the walls of the Dojo of Fallen Stars with inches-thick steel cores and wooden facades in order to prevent the recurring destruction Papana did upon the building while training.

One evening, once all the neophytes had headed home, the gang and Sensei were watching TV while eating Chinese takeout. A news anchor appeared and gave a brief report:

"The Scarlet Empire is issuing a worldwide congregation in order to establish a central governing body to encourage cooperation between the Great Houses. The congregation's location is being kept secret, but is said to be taking place within the next two months. Pope Francis has sent an envoy to the Scarlet Empire in order to establish goodwill between the two religious city-states, and seeks to talk with them about their supernatural condition, in order to understand their part in God's plan.

"Contrary to the Pope's stance, Russian President Putin's administration has declared that they are very uncomfortable with having a new neighbor with 'demonic' citizens. The Obama Administration has yet to release a statement disclosing their position on the Scarlet Empire.

"In other news, troubled actress Vivian Carlisle revealed her ongoing affair with Senator Robert Ferguson, a self-proclaimed 'family man.' This is her second publicized affair. She has stated she will check herself into sex addiction clinic. Cain Romulus, lead singer of the rock music group Eye and Tooth has come under allegations of using band funds to support the Hellraisers terrorist organization. The Hellraisers themselves have publicly announced their affiliations with the Yama Kings. Romulus has denied any such affiliations with the Hellraisers and has fired his bookkeeper, whom he says is the one who was siphoning the funds.

"Finally, Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay have had a falling out over their co-directing of a film based on the Exalted--the future of the film is currently unknown."

Sensei contemplatively stroked his long white beard. "This Cain Romulus fellow. The reporter said he was working with the Hellraisers, and the Hellraisers openly work for the Yama Kings." his tone grew serious, "Papana, you and your friends must investigate this further. A public figure with a lot of money is something we don't want supporting Yomi Wan." Papana, Shiver, and Eric looked at Sensei in confusion, all of them asking, "Why?" At this moment, a woman walked into the "dining room."

"Ah good, you are here, Bitter Opal." Sensei said as the woman bowed to him. Papana noticed that Sensei looked at her much the same way he looked at him. She wore a kimono of pure white hemmed with grey, an expression as serious and hard as steel on her face. Where Eric's Tepet companion had a cascade of flowing black hair, Bitter Opal's hair fell straight and true, almost rigidly. "These three need a brief history of Yomi Wan."

Bitter Opal smiled, then addressed the three: "Yomi Wan is known as Hell to many cultures and religions. It is a place of demons and vice, and the stronghold of the Yama Kings. They, the Yama Kings, are governed by the Demon Emperor. He has grown discontent with his territory, however, and seeks to expand his tyranny. He himself cannot enter this world, because his power is too great and he would shatter the world. As such, he must conquer this world through proxies."

Papana piped up at this point, "If Hell is a place of vice and sin, it sound like a hell of a lot more fun this this world. Why would the Demon Emperor want more?"

"It is his very nature, firstly." Bitter Opal explained, "And while Yomi Wan is indeed a place of wanton debauchery, it is also a realm while a green sun blasts the land with harsh radioactive light, and emerald flames consume everything in their path."

The group perked up at this. They remembered their encounter with the man in the red sweatshirt, who had been able to hurl balls of green flame and also fire them out of his motorcycle.

"The Hellraisers are only the first who openly support the coming advent of Yomi Wan. There have been many secret organizations throughout history, all of them setting the stage for the Demon Emperor to conquer this world. We, the Tennin," she indicated herself and Sensei, "have hunted down vermin like the Hellraisers and destroyed them and their foul nests. But we Tennin are too few, and the Demonspawn of Hell grow too great in number. We have begun asking for help from among those other Exalted we can trust." she gave a brief nod to the group. "We must stomp out the Demonspawn wherever they show themselves, and this Cain Romulus fellow is a good a start as any. Unless you have any better leads?"

"As a matter of fact..." Papana said as he rushed out to where he had been working on the motorcycle he had stolen from the man in the red sweatshirt. As he did, Shiver explained the situation to a confused Sensei and Bitter Opal. Papana returned with two items he recovered from the motorcycle's saddle bags: A key and a cellphone. "We encountered someone who used those emerald fires from Hell." Papana told Bitter Opal, "And he tried to steal my dog."

"I could probably get someone from the tech department to hack into the phone, see if we can get more info." Eric offered, already dialing a number on his phone. The tech guy, Steve, made his way down to the Dojo after about half an hour and started running illegal hacking systems, paid for under the table by Eric himself without his personal assistant's knowledge. After hacking into the phone, Papana called up the first contact in the phone, Al. Al seemed very surprised to be receiving a call, and, in his confusion, revealed that the owner of the phone had been dead for several weeks, after having been thrown into the ocean with cement blocks on his feet. He then abruptly hung up. Steve took the phone, found a number listed as "BOSS," then proceeded to hack into other phones in the original's list that shared the mutual entry. He then used the phones he successfully hacked to triangulate the position of the BOSS' phone, located in a remote area about an hour's drive away. He also found out that the same number was also listed as "Bill Smoke" in two of the other phones. Papana fired up his motorcycle, Shiver clambered into the sidecar, and Eric revved up his new bike: A sleek thing of cobalt and chrome, complete with a diode at the branch of the handles where blue electricity crackled. They roared down the freeway, following the GPS tracker on Eric's phone.

They arrived at a dilapidated mill with long streaks of rust and a single lit window, but no other buildings around. The trio entered it boldly, shoving aside a very squeaky door to enter. Papana punched the rusty latch off, then heard a soft tong as if from far away. They found themselves in a large, dark room, the only light source spilling weakly from the far side, the door latch wobbling at the foot of the stairs. Footsteps clanged down the stairs, revealing a man in a red sweatshirt. He saw the trio, shouted an expletive, then opened fire at them with a submachine gun. Papana and Eric fired bolts of energy at him, annihilating the stairs but knocking the gangster upward. Knowing they had lost the element of surprise, the trio vaulted up the stairs, Shiver transforming into his hybrid Spirit Form in preparation.

At the top of the stairs, they saw a naked bulb and a window, out of which they could see their motorcycles. Only a few feet away was a very solid steel door and when they put their ears to it, they could hear very faint sounds on the other side. Papana boldly pounded on the door, calling, "Your pizza is here!"

Obvious footsteps pounded to the door, stopped, then pounded back. Papana banged on the door again, "Come and get it!"

This time, many more footsteps loudly approached the door. Shiver slipped out of the window and crawled along the side of the building where the rust had weakened the metal enough for his claws to pierce through. On the opposite side, he was able to look through a tiny hole in the rust and saw about twenty gangsters, all armed with guns, facing the door. Behind them stood three very familiar figures: Georgie, Knuckles, and the man in the red sweatshirt. On the other side of the door, Eric shared a plan with Papana quickly. He summoned up a mighty gale as Papana leaped out of the window. Eric then used the gale to redirect Papana in midair--straight into the side of the building, Papana's fist burning with sun-ki as he smashed through the rusted steel. At the same time, Shiver ripped apart the rusted exterior and bounded through with a terrible howl. Shots rang out and bullets filled the air...

---

Despite the amount of text above, we actually had a relatively short night, as Wade had to answer a call at work, which delayed us by about an hour. And, as you can see, we didn't do any actual fight, but man will we start the next session with one! Despite not getting to kick any ass, we still liked that we had an opportunity to roleplay and explore our characters.

Blake decided that Papana has a very protective stance over Shiver, despite Shiver's ability to very much take care of himself. This relationship was seen last time when Shiver was being wolfnapped, but Papana consistently refers to Shiver as his dog, implying not ownership but a mutually deep connection.

Wade found that he was having Shiver out of his wolf form more often, as it is difficult to communicate with others as a wolf. This shows in-game, as Shiver has opened up a little to his comrades.

Jaime fleshed out a lot of Eric's business background, adding Steve the tech guy and his personal assistant. A little was also revealed about his past: He barely graduated from high school and dropped out of community college. Even so, he learned what he needed to and became one of the most prominent businessmen of the world.

On a side note, it appears that the group as a whole has been focusing on roleplaying and character development. Sure, the focus of this game is to kick as much ass as possible, but this session was almost entirely devoted to roleplaying and setting the stage for the next chapter in the adventure. In our FATE game, there has also been a lot of time given to character development. Blake's character managed to impress the "bad guy" of the current area, while my character has a budding romance with one of the local ladies. All of us where genuinely bummed out that our time in this dimension was coming to an end and we had a serious and mature conversation about it--a rare thing for our group. I'm certainly not complaining about this development, but it was just something I noticed.

I'll try my hardest to get a post up in a more reasonable time frame this time around. If there's anything in here that catches your attention, let me know!