[17:17]	Flare	At the end of the last Session, Kagura Gin had successful depowered the Manse that had been supplying Nergius Date, and his Fenrir Tome, with energy. Without anymore of the black lightning, the room is slowly being filled with pure blue lightning instead- no longer tainted with the Ash Element of the Underworld-, and as Date starts his rant, he is interrupted by both Gin and Zeitoun entering...
[17:17]	Flare	...the room from separate doors. He is now depowered- even if he is still a Dragonblood-, and alone.
[17:17]	Flare	"...So you are gonna kill me now, then...huh." Date says, angrily, as he looks between the group.
[17:18]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Not if you kill yourself for us."
[17:18]	Kagura_Gin	"I don't think we have to kill him. We could just rough him up."
[17:18]	NazuruVetinar	"Lost your bluster, I see."
[17:19]	Flare	"Yeah I was *expecting* the Knight would kill you all for me but hey he was utterly incompetent and then I thought I could do it but then you brought someone whose smart enough to break my manse so yeah I got nothing left."
[17:20]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Your knightly companion was only concerned with fighting me. And I threw the fight."
[17:21]	Flare	"...Wow."
[17:21]	Flare	"I don't know which one of you is worse about that."
[17:21]	Kagura_Gin	"Well, I did steal your manse."
[17:21]	Flare	"I mean really all he wanted to do was fight you and he let you pass, then you throw it so he doesn't even get to enjoy his fight? That's really lame dude."
[17:22]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Didn't take a savant to realize it was a diversion, and violence is rarely the path to a satisfactory conclusion. There would have been nothing to gain from allowing the fight."
[17:23]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"If he wishes a rematch, he can always find me again."
[17:24]	NazuruVetinar	"So, are you going to beg for mercy now, or what?"
[17:24]	Flare	"Man I don't know."
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[17:25]	Flare	"I mean I'm pretty sure I already held you off long enough, so it really depends. I mean, if you kill me, I guess it means no one will ever be able to wield Fenrir again, at least in your life times."
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[17:26]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Long enough for what?"
[17:26]	Kagura_Gin	"You say that like it's a bad thing. You had to tap into underworld dragonlines just to get it to work."
[17:26]	Flare	"If you don't....well most of my house is going to be re-dead because, you know, battle outside, and if I live the others are probably going to go after me anyway so really I'm gonna die no matter what I think..."
[17:26]	Flare	"Actually I was presenting that as a Pro to your side. I'm very reasonable like that."
[17:28]	Flare	"See, the reason this entire advance was staged, as it were, and the reason that I revealed I had Fenrir, was because I was ordered to get your Gens to attack me. The Needless, unnaounced Agression would trigger a response from the Shogun, presumably execution or suicide orders for a decent chunk of your houses. More then I lose. I and the Knight were then to escape. Even if I lose a lot of...
[17:28]	Flare	...people, you'd lose more. But you guys cocked it up and got them to attack, so that's ruined."
[17:28]	NazuruVetinar	"I'm sure you have some distant relatives, somewhere at least."
[17:28]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"The knight and I."
[17:29]	Flare	"No one but I can weild Fenrir."
[17:29]	Flare	"Right now, anyway."
[17:29]	Flare	"It takes blood as pure as our first Ancestors to wield a Royal Regalia or a Fell Regalia. A Dragonblood of the same Aspect, with Breeding beyond all others. If you lack that, you can't wield it."
[17:30]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"You really don't know who we are, do you."
[17:30]	Flare	"Not in the least."
[17:30]	Flare	"Some people who snuck into my Manse, got past the Knight and intend to kill me."
[17:30]	NazuruVetinar	"How specific."
[17:31]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Everyone here has the same blood in their veins as in the beginning. We are all thoroughbred."
[17:32]	Kagura_Gin	"According to my research, we're all of the same mad solar's breeding program."
[17:32]	Flare	"Right. That."
[17:32]	Flare	"Wait really?"
[17:32]	Flare	"Fascinating."
[17:33]	Kagura_Gin	"Anyway, who ordered you to attack us?"
[17:33]	Flare	"Jiru Tamaki, the Scion of the Jiru Family.
[17:33]	Flare	"
[17:34]	Flare	"She was the one who helped me find Fenrir. Told me this was the price for it."
[17:34]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"The validity of that research aside, our ancestors were perfectly Exalted all the way back to the War. Now, you've said an awful lot of interesting things so far and not offered any explanation for any of them. You seem committed to ignoring my attempts to understand any of this, in fact, and that's more than a little annoying. You have nothing to lose here. You've held us off long enough...
[17:34]	NazuruVetinar	"Where do you hide things like this, out of sheer curiosity? Ruined temple somewhere?"
[17:34]	KuwagatoZeitoun	...for what? What in Pasiap's name is this Fenrir, and why is it so special?"
[17:34]	Flare	"Okay it's like this."
[17:38]	Flare	"This is what I was told, anyway. When the Black Nadir Corcurrent happened. That thing that caused our Gens to split? The Five that followed our Solar brought their Regalia with them when he went down to the Underworld. When they came back, the Royal Regalia were now the Fell Regalia. They're just Artifacts. Made by the Solar, powerful, keyed to an individual Gens. Fenrir is the Fell Regalia...
[17:38]	Flare	...of the Nergius Family. It was brought down below by my Ancestor as Fenrir the White Wolf, and returned as Fenrir the Black Lightning. Don't ask me why it's just what happened. Maybe someone else knows. Fenrir isn't really special to you except for the fact I have it. Anyone else with it, it's just an old book. Doesn't even have anything written in it."
[17:42]	Flare	"Understood?"
[17:43]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"I got that. What are you stalling for?"
[17:43]	NazuruVetinar	"So the dread book doesn't even have anything written it? Not what expected, but ok. Expected it to have esoteric secrets in it or something."
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[17:48]	Flare_	"See, the Regalia I know of are like this. You have the Fell Regalia of Jiru, which is Fell Spear Gungir. There is the Royal Regalia of Kirigasa, which is the Stalwart Shield Delilah. And the only other one I know was told to me by accident, I think, which is Drowning Hands, Poseidon. I don't know whose it is. They just said they had it." he explained. "Hidden? Ehh...It seems to depend. I...
[17:48]	Flare_	...didn't find mine, it was given to me. I don't actually know where they ended up."
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[17:49]	Flare	"As for what I'm stalling for? I'm...kind of hoping someone will swoop in and save me."
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[17:50]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Well. Can't speak for that." *Zeitoun shrugs, armor plates scraping like pottery.*
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[17:50]	NazuruVetinar	"Doesn't look like anyone is coming. Sorry."
[17:50]	Flare	"Yeah I don't know either. I think I ran out of usefulness."
[17:50]	Flare	"You'd figure they'd at least want the book though. I don't get it."
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[17:55]	Flare	"Anyway so yeah. I think maybe the message has gotten through and your guys might be killing themselves now? I'm not sure. I dunno who is gonna end up killing themselves....but I dunno."
[17:58]	Flare	A few minutes pass by quietly.
[17:59]	Flare	"...So...I'm...just gonna leaave then?"
[18:00]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Why should we allow that?"
[18:00]	Flare	"I dunno."
[18:00]	NazuruVetinar	"It doesn't look like we're going to kill you here so...Come quietly I guess?" He looks to his companions. "Anyone have a better idea?"
[18:00]	Flare	"Probably shouldn't honestly. I mean I did do some pretty bad shit."
[18:00]	Kagura_Gin	"It would go a long way to keeping you alive if you give me the hearthstone."
[18:00]	Flare	"Oh yeah, sure."
[18:00]	KuwagatoZeitoun	shrugs at Nazuru's suggestion.
[18:01]	Flare	Date plucks the Hearthstone out of the cover of the book and casually hunks it over at Gin.
[18:03]	Kagura_Gin	snatches the stone out of the air. "Thank you."
[18:05]	Kuwagato_Ayusei	bows, "We appreciate your cooperation."
[18:05]	Kuwagato_Ayusei	says it half sarcastically, because Date did kill one of his allies.
[18:07]	Flare	"Yeah I'm all about not co-operating
[18:07]	Flare	About co-operating*"
[18:08]	Flare	"Anyway if you're arresting me can my family come too? And like maybe not be arressted."
[18:10]	Kuwagato_Ayusei	"Zeitoun, what is protocol for visitation of war criminals or political hostages?"
[18:11]	Kuwagato_Ayusei	"I assume the latter is allowed visitation during special events and the former... Um, that is tricky."
[18:13]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"I think house arrest is the proscribed punishment for a pure Terrestrial to keep the lines pure. And punitive damages, of course."
[18:13]	Flare	"...Yeah we ain't got much money."
[18:13]	Flare	"Most of it was spent on those swords my soldiers have."
[18:13]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"At least you have each other."
[18:13]	Flare	"IT's true."
[18:16]	Flare	"So yeah, we can totally leave I guess. Let me go get my family."
[18:16]	Kuwagato_Ayusei	"Service to our gens, then?"
[18:16]	Flare	"If that's what you want, I guess."
[18:16]	Flare	"Could be worse. Could be dead."
[18:16]	Kuwagato_Ayusei	"If you cannot pay in koku, you can pay in sweat."
[18:17]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Sorcerers are always in demand."
[18:17]	Flare	"Ahaha...most of it came from the book, but okay."
[18:18]	NazuruVetinar	"You can always improve."
[18:19]	Flare	"True."
[18:25]	Flare	So Date goes into the next room and collects his family. a Clearly mortal woman who seems to be in her late 30s, and a newborn daughter. Date casually ushers them to follow the group as they make their way down and outside of the manse, past the area where the Knight had been, but this time they leave through the main door. Because the actual group goes first, there is no great yell or...
[18:25]	Flare	...people rushing, and the group plus it's three extras proceed unmolested and unchallenged to the main camp. The person that meets them there, wiping her hands on a pure white towel that has become somewhat blood-stained, is Ranmaru. She seems upset. "...Why is he not dead?" She asks them, frowning.
[18:25]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Why are you questioning us?"
[18:26]	Flare	"Because he's still alive."
[18:26]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"That's not an answer."
[18:26]	NazuruVetinar	"He's neutralized."
[18:26]	Kagura_Gin	"He can't use Fenrir and he's lost the manse. And he can tell us who ordered him to do this."
[18:27]	Flare	"...That does little to soothe the pain."
[18:28]	NazuruVetinar	"He isn't really a threat, without his book."
[18:29]	Flare	"Come see what he has wrought." She says, turning and heading back into the camp with the same frown. The soldiers all look...pensive. And there are far fewer of them then before. "A threat or not...Revenge is rarely reasonable."
[18:30]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"An eye for an eye makes the world go blind."
[18:30]	Flare	"This would be more like an eye for half a face."
[18:32]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"You know as well as I do that retribution will only contribute more sorrow to the world. Is that what you want to do?"
[18:32]	Kuwagato_Ayusei	"Forgive your enemies, so they may soothe your pain. He is indebted to us now."
[18:32]	Kagura_Gin	"It's still a bad idea."
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[18:37]	Flare	Ranmaru shakes her head. A sound of sobbing slowly enters the groups ears as they turn a corner. As it comes into view, they see nothing but line after line of Black Lacquered Boxes. Row upon row, all the perfect size to fit a person's head. Almost too many to count. To the left, the tent that the sobbing is coming from can be seen. Two people are inside it, backlit from a lamp. It is hard...
[18:37]	Flare	...to say who it is, other then a young male and a female, but the vines that curl around the tent make it obvious who the female is. She is not crying, apparently, as she holds the younger person close. "...The shogun sent us a chastisement for our rash actions. We regained our honor." She said, shaking her head. "He said, Blood Pays for Blood. Toshinaga was supposed to kill his father....I...
[18:37]	Flare	...stepped in instead, since we are siblings. But we got off lightly. The Koji are most of these boxes. All killed by Kyrin's hand. Lord Himura's mother as well." She sighed. "It is not my place to speak of your own punishments. But it was decided you would suffer the least. As the bravest, those who fought bravely, we agreed to take the dishonor." She explained.
[18:41]	Kagura_Gin	"... well. This isn't romantic at all."
[18:41]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Welcome to war."
[18:41]	NazuruVetinar	frowns, and stays quiet.
[18:43]	Kagura_Gin	"And so Date wins. Fantastic. Of all the idiocy I have ever seen..."
[18:44]	Flare	"Hurrah." Date says. He doesn't seem happy.
[18:44]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Not quite."
[18:44]	Flare	"Hur-fucking-rah."
[18:46]	Kagura_Gin	"Suffer the least, though? What does that mean? They only took hands instead of heads? The entire area is now CRIPPLED! 11 Dragonblood families have just lost the majority of their soldiers and members. Of all the damned idiocy!"
[18:46]	Flare	"It's not...that bad."
[18:46]	Flare	"I mean it's bad, but it's not the majority of most houses."
[18:46]	Flare	"There is only one member of the Koji who still lives, however."
[18:48]	Flare	"The Kuwagato have not been touched at all, and the majority of your clans are still safe." She said, shaking her head.
[18:49]	Kagura_Gin	"Yes. Not that bad. Just say everything back to me that I just said. I always wanted an echo to follow me around."
[18:49]	KuwagatoZeitoun	frowns. "That is enough."
[18:49]	Flare	"I just had to kill my own father while my brother watched. Don't push me."
[18:50]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Don't make a scene. No one is happy here."
[18:51]	Kagura_Gin	"I'm not making a scene. I'm just making sure everyone understands the absolute idiocy of what happened here. We played right into this trap. If I didn't know any better, it would seem like this was a damned attempt by our families to usurp the area."
[18:53]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"And what are you going to do about it?"
[18:54]	NazuruVetinar	"Going to take a lot of funds to fix this place up. It better have really been worth seizing, in that case."
[18:58]	Flare	"I don't know if we'll be able to focus on fixing this place up anytime soon, at least." Ranmaru mumbled. She was still wiping her hands on that rag, even though they were clean, over and over. "...We killed some of the Nerigus, but they surrendered fast. What are we going to do with all of them, if we aren't killing them to a man like they deserve?"
[18:59]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Slavery."
[19:00]	Flare	"Seems too good for them, but okay."
[19:01]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Well, what else are you going to do?"
[19:02]	Flare	"I don't know. Why do I have to come up with all the answers?"
[19:02]	Kagura_Gin	"You're the leadership of tomorrow."
[19:02]	Flare	"So are you!"
[19:03]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"If you can't kill them, might as well make use of them somehow. Slavery. Easy solution."
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[19:04]	Flare	"You're right..." She says, shaking her head. "...it....It's just annoying."
[19:04]	NazuruVetinar	"Vassals are hard to come by."
[19:05]	Flare	"I can see him. Right there! He's the reason so many are dead, and I bet he isn't even sorry for it."
[19:05]	Flare	"It's frustrating."
[19:06]	Kagura_Gin	"If he's not sorry now, he certainly will be."
[19:06]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"And I'm /already leadership/. I'm the head of my Stirps. My lord, my same age, is the head of his Gens. If you can't find it in yourself to find them more gainful employment in your house, then grind them into dust working your fields or whatever else you need done. But by sitting here, wallowing around, you do nothing and get nowhere."
[19:07]	Flare	Ranmaru looks suitably chastised, frowning. "...You're right..."
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[19:22]	Flare	As Ranmaru wanders away, still wiping her hands over and over on her rag, a loud, booming voice comes across the camp. "Excuse me, Dragonblooded of the Traitor Gens. Would you please turn your attention back to the Fortress. Your Solar Master has an announcement for you." The Sky slowly parts above the tower as the group turns, opening a hole in the massive black clouds. Out of it, dropping...
[19:22]	Flare	...slowly, as if gravity could not understand why it was aloft in the first place, was a massive beast with four wings- it could be a Dragon, but it was a mockery of one. It's flesh was pink, green, and black, as if it was rotting before their very eyes. It's head was flat and wide, like a hammerhead shark, with eyes at the edges. It's mouth split it's head open lengthwise, directly under...
[19:22]	Flare	...the eyes. It held itself aloft on four wings, rotated one hundred and eighty degrees so that they grew wider at the top instead of the base, and it landed on the tower with a shuddering sound, thick black claws on it's hands and feet gripping the tower to stay attached to it. Standing on the creature's head were a handful of figures. Most of them were hooded, save for two. Standing...
[19:22]	Flare	...directly to the right of the center figure was a woman with hair that was water, running down her back and pooling at her feet. Held in her hand was a wicked barbed spear, black as a starless night, even as the group watched- they could see, even that far out, somehow-, the barbs of the weapon curled and twisted. "...That's Jiru Tamaki." Date murmured to the group. "And that's Gungir." To...
[19:22]	Flare	...the other sides were people of various heights dressed in different colors. Some wore gray, some wore red, others blue, white or green. There were about eight of the figures, all standing silently. But seated in the center of the Dragon, upon a throne too big for him, was a child- perhaps in his mid teens-. He looked utterly nonthreatening...except for the fact that upon his brow glowed...
[19:22]	Flare	...the caste of Twilights, the Unclean. "Traitor Dragonbloods! I am Riada Muramasa. I am the holder of the Exaltation that you all swore Loyalty to me, along with being the Scion of the Head Gens of our Clans. Let it be understood that this means you are all loyal to me. I understand this might be annoying, because you think you have independence. I assure you this is a delusion. I have it...
[19:22]	Flare	...on good authority of my own that I do in fact have authority over you. It should be understood, however, that I am forgiving and just. I will not even get mad at you for not joining me today. But you will join me. It is in your nature. As a fair ruler, I will now open the floor to questions of me. Three of them, I think. Please think carefully and I will answer them as you wish. Then I...
[19:22]	Flare	...will leave." The child stated, then leaned back in his throne, waiting.
[19:24]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"I have no words to exchange with the Unclean."
[19:28]	NazuruVetinar	"You clearly like the underworld, how about you go lock yourself back up down there?"
[19:28]	Flare	"Negative. I like it more up here."
[19:30]	Kagura_Gin	can resist no longer and since no one else is asking questions, she may as well ask the natural one. "Have your balls even dropped yet!?" She cries out, cupping her hands to her mouth so that the... child monster can hear her.
[19:30]	NazuruVetinar	"Maybe I'll just have to do it for you, then."
[19:30]	Flare	"How rude. Are you a pedophile?"
[19:31]	Kagura_Gin	"You haven't answered my question."
[19:31]	Flare	"I don't think it's any of your business. I would rather not have some old hag lusting after me."
[19:36]	Flare	"I am sorry to say, Old Lady, but your sexual advances are unwanted, so I will have to ask you to apologize when you understand your place." He says. "Regardless, if you're going to stop asking me questions, I believe it should be understood I am introducing an Absolute Barrier in our little slice of Creation. No one may enter or leave until you have all sworn Loyalty to me. I know this will...
[19:36]	Flare	...be annoying, but I assure you, my loyal servants, it is for the best."
[19:36]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"You and your treacherous kissing cousins were not overthrown on a passing whim. The very world we fought and bled for, the world for whom untold numbers died, was under siege by your misbegotten machinations. We pulled Creation from the crucible of the Primordials only to deliver it into the laps of those who were just as blind. Creation was on the threshold of destruction and it took yet...
[19:36]	KuwagatoZeitoun	...more blood to bring it back from the edge. A world under the Solars is a world under the Primordials; it is a world with a fast-approaching expiration. My lords refused to bow to you and gave their lives to defend the Creation they loved. My father died bringing you bastards down. If you want me to bow, you'd better be ready to bend my corpse because these knees will be straight as long...
[19:37]	KuwagatoZeitoun	...as I breathe."
[19:37]	Flare	"That's okay. There's always those resistant to the true way of things. It's just how these things go, I fear."
[19:41]	Kagura_Gin	"And I fear that you are quite boring."
[19:42]	Flare	"Sorry about that old Hag, I must be making you miss your nap. Don't worry, I'm wrapping this up now. This shall be a splendid little War between my side, the Just and correct, and your side, who are misguided. But it's okay. We'll teach you better. Okay. Don't worry though, we'll give you some time to think about it. I don't want to kill more of you then are necessary."
[19:43]	NazuruVetinar	"Even if you do manage to kill us all, and I don't think you will, the rest of Creation will be out for your guts. And that is a losing battle, no matter who you think you are."
[19:44]	Flare	"No no, it'll be fine. The Fifteen Gens together again are incredibly powerful. You underestimate yourself!"
[19:44]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"Maybe you're a little behind on the times, but you lost this war about thirty years ago. It's not hard to guess who's going to win."
[19:45]	Flare	"Don't worry. Like I said. We're going to win. But you're looking too far in the future, Soldier. Come on and focus on the present. It's my job, as the King, to focus on the Future."
[19:48]	KuwagatoZeitoun	"There are less than twenty of you. There are over ten million of us. Good luck."
[19:48]	Flare	"There's twenty of us on the Dragon."
[19:48]	Flare	"I mean why would we bring all the soldiers?"
[19:55]	Flare	"Anyway is our audience done? I have things I need to be doing, sadly."
[19:55]	Kagura_Gin	"Because it means you have more to absorb all of this." And the fact was, the whole time, Gin was playing the short game, as if this was a bunch of children playing on a board. Sure no one can leave. And no one could blame her when she unleased the OBSIDIAN BUTTERFLIES.
[20:00]	Flare	Muramasa coughs as the butterflies shoot out at them. He crosses his arm as a sheen of yellow essence covers himself and the group. The Dragon is not covered, as the butterflies crash against it's dead flesh.
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