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Jul 23rd, 2009
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  1. [00:03] <Clarence|ST> If anything chaotic happened in the outside world, the tranquility inside the bell tower betrayed it. It's mid-afternoon, and a certain Zenith is seeking a place to hide after angering a god, and this is the best place she knows.
  2. 06[00:05] * Kris sighs softly, the last of her bruises fading before her eyes. Still covered in road dust though.
  3. [00:07] <Clarence|ST> An eagle glides in, and lands on an outstretched arm. It belongs to Altair, sitting opposite of Kris.
  4. 06[00:08] * Kris smiles weakly. "...I'd really like to know how you appear like that."
  5. [00:09] <Clarence|ST> Altair feeds the eagle a treat. "I'd really like to know what posessed you to anger the Radiolari Gods."
  6. 01[00:09] <Kris> "Uhmm... Youthful foolishness... That and not knowing what Radiolari Gods are."
  7. 06[00:10] * Kris reaches up and raps her knuckles against her head. "Sometimes I need to make a mistake before I learn things... I'm just glad I lived through this one."
  8. [00:11] <Clarence|ST> Altair half-smiles. "Arn't we all."
  9. [00:11] <Clarence|ST> "Of course, this event does make it rather convenient for us."
  10. 06[00:11] * Kris stretches her legs out, brased against a wall. "Convenient?"
  11. [00:16] <Clarence|ST> "I take it you don't know much about gods, so let me tell you. The god you just... encountered, for lack of a better term, is Jaemero, one of the eleven gods of the Chayans."
  12. 06[00:16] * Kris nods.
  13. [00:17] <Clarence|ST> "Did anything seem strange about Jaemero to you?"
  14. 01[00:18] <Kris> "I couldn't tell if he was a she or a he.... And s/he made their followers burst into flame?"
  15. [00:18] <Clarence|ST> "Indeed she did."
  16. [00:19] <Clarence|ST> "This may come as a surprise, but she is a rather... low, ranking god."
  17. 06[00:20] * Kris shrugs. "I try to Expect Nothing. That way nothing suprises me.
  18. 01[00:20] <Kris> "So, low ranking god."
  19. [00:22] <Clarence|ST> "Let's put her at about, say, a farm owner's level. Higher than a peasant, who toil away as their purpose dictates. This farm owner should have nothing but the ability to oversee & decree the outcome of their farm."
  20. 01[00:22] <Kris> "With you so far."
  21. [00:23] <Clarence|ST> "However, this farmer can make her followers burst into flame, and send you through four foot thick stone walls with but a gesture."
  22. [00:23] <Clarence|ST> "Something is not right in Chaya."
  23. 06[00:24] * Kris doesn't really have a snappy retort to that. So she just nods.
  24. [00:24] <Clarence|ST> "But, most ignore it. And thus Chaya has been ignored for many centuries."
  25. [00:24] <Clarence|ST> "It's just a quiet little country who don't bother anyone."
  26. 06[00:24] * Kris nods again.
  27. [00:25] <Clarence|ST> "But, my friend, who you know as Shi, saw this confusing spectacle first hand, many years ago."
  28. [00:26] <Clarence|ST> "He's been trying to decipher the riddle behind this for just as long."
  29. 01[00:26] <Kris> "...Shi... Centuries?"
  30. [00:26] <Clarence|ST> "Centuries, Yes."
  31. 01[00:26] <Kris> "Huh. Ok."
  32. [00:27] <Clarence|ST> "He is, as you are, Exalted."
  33. 06[00:27] * Kris nods. "Makes sense."
  34. [00:27] <Clarence|ST> "However, he is unable to unravel this mystery try as he may."
  35. 06[00:27] * Kris hmms thoughtfully. "He must be pretty good at hiding it."
  36. [00:27] <Clarence|ST> "You could say that."
  37. 06[00:28] * Kris smirks. "I won't ask you to go against your nature, I'll try to figure Shi's secrets out before bothering you about them. You called him a Chosen of Saturn, right?"
  38. [00:28] <Clarence|ST> "Correct."
  39. 01[00:30] <Kris> "So... One of the Maidens, Chosen of the Maidens, like Chosen of the Sun and Chosen of the Moon... Ok. So... Mystery of Chaya. Small quiet nation with dark secrets. Sounds like something out of a novel."
  40. [00:30] <Clarence|ST> "You could say that."
  41. [00:31] <Clarence|ST> "My point is, Shi needs your help."
  42. 01[00:32] <Kris> "Well, those Radiolari have already pissed me off, so I'll be happy to deal with them.... Well, I'd be happy to help Shi, but we tried asking him what you meant by Chosen of Saturn. He evaded the question."
  43. [00:32] <Clarence|ST> "As he would."
  44. [00:32] <Clarence|ST> "Tell him I already talked to you about it, and want to solve the mystery too, when you see him."
  45. 06[00:33] * Kris nods. "Understood. Can you tell me anything else about Chaya, or the Radiolari?"
  46. [00:33] <Clarence|ST> "Try get Soul interested in this. He is of the Twilight Caste, he is naturally gifted with the insight to problems."
  47. 01[00:33] <Kris> "I was planning on it."
  48. [00:34] <Clarence|ST> "About Chaya? What did you have in mind?"
  49. 06[00:34] * Kris thinks. "Hardly anyone smiles here, or gets angry, or sad... Or anything. I know the stories about that one month in Fire Season, but well, they're stories, what's true and what's fiction?"
  50. [00:35] <Clarence|ST> "What do you hear about That One Month?"
  51. [00:36] <Clarence|ST> "Chances are, as outlandish the things you may have heard are, they are true."
  52. 01[00:36] <Kris> "The Chayas go crazy, they tear apart outsiders, engage in orgies, stuff like that."
  53. [00:36] <Clarence|ST> "Completely true."
  54. 06[00:36] * Kris nods. "Alright."
  55. 01[00:37] <Kris> "Well, Chayans are Chayans, and this only happens with them... So... Why?"
  56. [00:39] <Clarence|ST> "What else happens during that One Month?"
  57. 06[00:39] * Kris thinks. "...The Fire trees bloom?"
  58. [00:40] <Clarence|ST> Altair nods, and lets the eagle fly free.
  59. 01[00:40] <Kris> "Hmm..."
  60. 06[00:41] * Kris stands slowly one hand on the wall to steady herself. She puts weight on her feet and begins to stretch.
  61. 01[00:42] <Kris> "Well, there's obviously something causing the crazy-chayans, and the fire trees bloom at the same time they go crazy... So..."
  62. 06[00:42] * Kris shrugs. "I'm a dancer, not a doctor, that's Soul's department."
  63. [00:44] <Clarence|ST> "Hm. As you say."
  64. 06[00:44] * Kris sighs. "I can't believe I was so stupid, I went off without getting a feel for the situation, and got bashed through a wall for my trouble."
  65. [00:45] <Clarence|ST> "We all make mistakes."
  66. 01[00:45] <Kris> "Still annoying."
  67. [00:46] <Clarence|ST> "However, I don't think you should show yourself in Chaya."
  68. 06[00:46] * Kris smirks. "Probably not a good idea, not for a while at least."
  69. [00:46] <Clarence|ST> "If you see any of the natives, or the fire trees, I'd reccomend you don't engage."
  70. 01[00:46] <Kris> "Don't engage the fire trees?"
  71. [00:47] <Clarence|ST> "They have eyes."
  72. 06[00:47] * Kris nods. "Thank you for the warning.
  73. 01[00:48] <Kris> "...How Am I going to get around town? I can change my dress a bit to be harder to recongize, but my face is hard to hide."
  74. [00:51] <Clarence|ST> Altair strokes his chin.
  75. [00:52] <Clarence|ST> He stops, and takes off his face, which reveals itself to be a plain, expressionless mask. Underneath the mask was the same face. "Here."
  76. 06[00:52] * Kris takes the mask... "hmm."
  77. [00:53] <Clarence|ST> "It should take care of most disguise needs... But do not stray close to the fire trees."
  78. 01[00:54] <Kris> "They could see through it?"
  79. [00:54] <Clarence|ST> Altair nods.
  80. 01[00:54] <Kris> "Good to know. Thank you."
  81. 06[00:55] * Kris cocks her head to the side, thinking. "Is Jaemero the only god in this city?"
  82. 01[00:55] <Kris> "Chayan god, i mean."
  83. [00:56] <Clarence|ST> "There are ten more, but the one you should be most concerned about is Xochichem. He watches over Chaya's capital."
  84. [00:56] <Clarence|ST> "He is the strongest of the eleven."
  85. 01[00:56] <Kris> "Hmm..."
  86. [00:56] <Clarence|ST> "If you took a stroll around Chaya's temple district, you'dve seen many shrines to him."
  87. 06[00:57] * Kris nods. "I probably have."
  88. 01[01:01] <Kris> !rdbot join #clarencexaltedooc
  89. [01:01] <RDbot> On it, chief.
  90. 06[01:02] * Kris thinks. "Gods subsist on prayer, right? Even these Radiolari.... They get prayer from mortals, the Chayans in this case... And if we do anything to mess with their source of prayers, they'll come down on us like the fist of the north star.... Why did I say that?"
  91. [01:03] <Clarence|ST> "No idea. It was Shi's favourite childhood hero, though."
  92. [01:03] <Clarence|ST> "Perhaps you read it somewhere."
  93. 06[01:04] * Kris laughs lightly.
  94. 01[01:04] <Kris> "Anyway, We're not really in a position to take over Chaya with military force, I can try to work my way in through social channels, but I'd need a lot more time and experience..."
  95. 06[01:05] * Kris looks at Altair and smiles weakly. "Sorry, I think better when I have someone to talk to."
  96. [01:05] <Clarence|ST> "It's quite alright."
  97. [01:05] <Clarence|ST> "Remember what happened when you last threw your divinity at Radiolari Monks, though."
  98. [01:05] <Clarence|ST> "Be subtle."
  99. 06[01:06] * Kris nods. "So, we need to cure the plauge, can't forget that, and Shi wants to solve the Chayan Mystery.... And thank you, yes."
  100. 01[01:08] <Kris> "I'd need to secure the loyalty of smaller groups of people... But not tell them to stop worshiping the Radiolari until the time is right.... Do you know if the Chayan gods can read the mortal's minds?"
  101. [01:09] <Clarence|ST> "Afraid I can't say."
  102. 01[01:09] <Kris> "I mean, there's little point in doing anything if the gods know my plans... Damn."
  103. 06[01:12] * Kris thinks. "I assume as the God of the Hidden, my plans are kept in confidence, right?"
  104. [01:18] <Clarence|ST> Altair smiles & nods.
  105. 01[01:18] <Kris> "You don't mind if i stay here for a few hours, maybe a day or two? I'm kind of... Exhausted."
  106. [01:18] <Clarence|ST> "Not at all. It's not often I get such esteemed company."
  107. 06[01:19] * Kris snorts, stiffling a giggle. "I'm a country girl from the Hundred Kingdoms, Exalted or not, I'm not very esteemed."
  108. [01:20] <Clarence|ST> "The Unconquered Sun chose you in these dark times to be an exemplar of Reightousness, Inspiration, and Justice. Country girl or not, your very presence demands respect."
  109. 06[01:21] * Kris looks down a bit as her face turns red.
  110. 06[01:23] * Kris sighs, letting her skintone normalize. She wanders over to one of the windows, looking out over Mo Ha city. "There's so much to do... I can do it... I know I can... The question is time. Can I get strong enough fast enough to matter?"
  111. [01:25] <Clarence|ST> "I'm sure you will do your best."
  112. 06[01:26] * Kris nods. "I'm Chosen of the Unconquered Sun, there is no such thing as defeat."
  113. 06[01:27] * Kris toys with the mask in her hands, and remembers to take her fans out of the pockets in her sleeves and store them in her sash where they below. "Is there anything else about Chaya that might help me? Beware the Fire Trees, watch out for Xochichem, and keep my face out of sight."
  114. [01:29] <Clarence|ST> "Not that I can think of."
  115. 06[01:30] * Kris rubs at her eyes. "I'm going to need a crash course in occultism.... I hope Soul's up for having a student."
  116. 06[01:31] * Kris blinks.
  117. 01[01:31] <Kris> "The Chayan situation can't have been kept quiet for centuries without someone noticing."
  118. 01[01:32] <Kris> "I mean, you noticed. Shi knows something, enough to want to solve the mystery..."
  119. [01:33] <Clarence|ST> "It's not that no-one hasn't noticed that Chaya was strange, the fact you know rumours of the Fire Trees is testament to this."
  120. [01:33] <Clarence|ST> "The fact that no-one really wants to stay in such an eeries place means no-one really wants to find anything out about it."
  121. 01[01:33] <Kris> "Well yeah... It's more that no one has bothered to ask /why/ it was strange."
  122. 01[01:34] <Kris> "Well, considering I want to carve an empire out of this place, I kind of need to find out everything about it."
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