[Exalted] Protectors of the River Province

[The Nomad]

After a couple of minutes, the Forest Walker's muffled voice reached Teamhair's ears. "How can I assist you, Moonchild?"

[SirNitram]

Orduin was quietly thinking. Two with ancestor cults. Quite dutiful ones, even. Weren't the Abyssals okay with that? The need for recruitment can't be that bad, given the Legion Of Dehelsen as a hint. So why..

The Twillight suddenly blinked. "...Oh blast. I think I know. Was the other attack on a place with an ancestor cult?"

[LadyTevar]

"Merely a question, Lord of the Trees," Teamhair answered, looking down into the acorn, trying to think how best to phrase it. "In the village that was attacked, did the villagers leave offerings upon the graves of their dead?"

She had already thought of the possiblity that Orduin just now realized, which is why she had wanted to verify with Uid Opht. "Please, Uid Opht, if you or your subjects know this answer, it will tell us which of Orkie Kiam's villages will be hit, for he cannot and will not aid us more."

[The Nomad]

Like the rustle of leaves in the wind, Uid Opht's voice came as a whisper: "I have never noticed any offering on the graves of the dead, nor has any of my subjects made any observations about this."

[rhoenix]

Making the same connections as Orduin and now Teamhair ran with the line of thought, the mean-looking bladed end of his chain dropped out of Kolth's right coatsleeve, suddenly stopping as his hand grasped the chain connected to it. On his face was a cold smile that wouldn't look out of place on a man bent on the utter destruction of a pest. This perhaps wasn't too far from the truth.

"To the village with no ancestor worship, then. Let's carve our initials in this necrophiliac."

[Marcao]

He blinked as Orduin and the others made their exchanges. It appeared that of all the chosen, he possessed the smallest amount of information pertaining to the Death Knights. It shamed him to a degree, but he understood that he had a keen mind and that everyone had to start somewhere. Ultimately, a path solidified as the most likely approach due to the answers offered by their ally. Kolth spoke and his enthusiasm was all but palpable.

"Yes. It does seem that it is the most likely target." He admitted even if he had done little of the work.

The question now was of course, if he was best suited to assist the other three chosen or if he should make his way towards where he expected their ship to be and take command. Were the sailors of Lookshy capable enough to prevent their adversary from fleeing if he somehow made it to his craft?

[LadyTevar]

"Thank you, Uid Opht, Lord of the Forest," Teamhair replied with grateful flattery. "You have shown us our enemy's true target. When next we come to your lands, I will dance the tale of our victory, and lay the villain's head at your feet for the death he caused."

She lowered the crystal and looked to her companions, her silver tattoos blazing brightly. "Let us hunt."

[The Nomad]

The Storm Herald's sails deployed to catch the feeble wind, the sailors overdoing themselves to proceed with the best speed available, all of Yevala's skill required to avoid the treacherous shallows and other dangers of nocturnal navigation.

It was well into the night, the new moon dark in the sky, when they reached the point closest to the target village along the river. A dark mist had arisen, hundreds of yards wide, making navigation very difficult and clouding vision - moreover, there seemed to be no wind at all... The mist had a chilling, eerie quality, not seeming quite there, yet tangible nonethless.

Then, at the extremity of the fog, near the river's bank, the dark figurehead of a great black ship was visible. Even at a great distance, it was daunting in its stern cast, as if judging the whole world, and founding it wanting.

[rhoenix]

Standing with one leg on the prow of the ship, Kolth grinned as their prey appeared in the unnatural mists. All his senses felt utterly alive, and his nerves nearly sung in anticipation.

This was going to be the start of something epic.

[Marcao]

He had almost forgotten how challenging it could be to handle a ship in such circumstances. It took every ounce of skill he possessed to keep the Storm Herald safe and taking advantage of the meager wind which the night was providing to them. When the mist arose he frowned and concentrated even more fully on keeping his ship and those within it safe. He took steps towards this end although he expected that the source of the mist was nothing less than their target.

His eyes caught sight of the dark figurehead of a great black ship and he considered for a moment. He had no true knowledge of the capabilities of their adversary and if he was a superior sailor than he was, he would be able to withdraw and it may be weeks before it resurfaced again. He made an effort to slow and remain out of direct sight of the black ship. If they had achieved the right conclusions, they knew where the ship would strike. It made little sense to engage the ship in direct conflict unless there was no other way.

He would prefer to hit the ship after it had reached the edge of its target. It would be easier to contend with its master upon solid ground and yet did they want to risk the death knight using his power to possibly charm the local humans? If he could command them to quietly board a boat could he command them to fight on his behalf? He hesitated for a moment before whispering.

"We see our target. Do you wish to engage it in the water now and risk that it has superior skill in these waters than ourselves or do we wait for it to stop, hitting it at a tactical advantage and risk that the death knight may charm the local humans and have him fight us?" He asked the others for their input before proceeding.

[LadyTevar]

"Take him now..." Teamhair replied, her mortal seeming dropping away to reveal her bright russett hair, fox ears, and silver tattoos. She had changed into a simple robe that seemed somewhat over-large for her. The moonsilver fans were at her side, within easy reach for when the fight began.

"I would prefer dry land," Orduin said in counter-point, easing up onto the deck in full Gunzha armor. "But you may be right about the villagers."

[SirNitram]

(added. Why? Wanted to do it.)

...System initiliazing. Hooking into aegis-insets.... complete. Operating off sun-aspected Essence. Analysis: Orduin Balkinor operating suit.

Targetting online.
Motion trackers online.
Exomusculature online.
Power optimal.
Vitality-booster starting.. No damage to operator. Entering combat-standby

All systems optimal.
For the 7th Legion!

[Marcao]

He hesitated for a handful of precious seconds after both Orduin and his lunar made their thoughts known. In the end, if Kolth had wanted to say something he would have said so already. He took his silence as a decision to support immediate action. He took a deep breath and held it before he touched his power and channeled essence into a familiar pattern allowing him a deeper connection between himself, his ship and the waters surrounding him.

"Here we go." He whispered as he maneuvered the Storm Herald towards the Ebon ship that loomed in the distance. There was no easy way to grow without challenge and he knew within himself that he would have to seek those challenges if he was to eventually exert his will over all of creation. Here before him laid such a challenge and he had no doubt that he would overcome it.

He looked over his shoulder and motioned towards one of the helots in the boat. He was surprised to discover that the man did not hesitate before moving to carry out the order. It was time to see if the present that they had been provided would be of use. He had no immediate intention of sinking the entire ship but crippling it outright would play into their hands. Either way, he was curious to see what their adversaries response would be. The orichalcum breastplate was reassuring around him as was the sword at his side.

[The Nomad]

Even Yevala's skill was challenged as he tried to sail closer to the Black Ship - the mist swallowed them despite his best efforts, and his spatial awareness was sorely taxed as he actually almost ran into the river bank - then, he lost all sense of direction in the eerie, silent miasma. Through sheer dogged determination and unfailing skill, he managed to cross to the other side, only to reappear in what seemed a foreign, barren landscape: trees the color of ash with black leaves, a river darker than a moonless night - which was what they were now under, the pale crescent of the waning moon gone from the sky - and an air that smelled of dust - immediately, they felt their chakras closing themselves to the death-aspected Essence around them.

And behind them, the fog bank was floating on the river, and in its curls, the Exalts could swear they saw a smirk. It did not look like it was dissipating, a strange consistence for something that seemed so unreal.

The Black Ship was nowhere to be seen.

[SirNitram]

**WARNING - UNDERWORLD ESSENCE DETECTED**
**HEARTHSTONE OUTPUT ROUGHLY 51% OPTIMAL**
*Priority 1: Evade Capture*
*Priority 2: Conserve Motonic Energy*
*Priority 3: Complete Mission If Possible*
*Priority 4: Contact Legion Of Dehelsen*
*Confirm?*
*Y*

"Welcome to the Underworld. See if you can locate that ship.. If not, let's get our bearings."

[rhoenix]

Slowly, Kolth smiled. It was a cold smile as he looked out into the darkened distance. "If your prey tries to go to ground, leave no ground for them to run to. Yvela, can you navigate here?"

[LadyTevar]

She should have done this before they entered the mist, but now they were in a place Sol and Luna did not reach, Teamhair knew she would need the abilities granted more than ever. Calling on her spirit-self, she triggered her Deadly Beastform Transformation knack.

Her loose robe filled out as she gained some size, fitting her new form perfectly as her tail fluffed out behind. Red fur grew over her, the silver tattoos seeming to float over top. Her head narrowed, her mouth and nose distending to form a sharp muzzle filled with gleaming fangs. Black leathery paw/hands reached down for the moonsilver fans, opening them both with a crisp snap. The images upon them were of a giant 4-tailed fox, defending a walled town as an army attacked.

"Find them, Yvela. Find them quickly."

[Marcao]

He frowned as he and his ship were swallowed into that ebon miasma but persevered as a true child of the sun would have in the circumstances. Ultimately, he felt the shift more than saw it as the mist assaulted his senses and made vision rather difficult. In the end, he glanced around him and instantly understood what had transpired.

"The underworld." He said mostly to himself as Orduin cemented the fact in stone with his own assessment a fraction of a second later.

He turned his head to look towards Kolth a moment later and nodded. "I can navigate here, but I have never been here before I don't think so I am a bit of a disadvantage." He smiled faintly at that.

"I am working, I am working." He replied to Teamhair. It was not as easy as it looked nor as she hoped. He reached inward and tried to focus on the heightened connection he shared with his ship and the magic that still flowed from within him linking vessel and exalt. He had to have faith in himself and his ship if he was to track their adversary.

Where have you run off to you son of a motherless whore?

[The Nomad]

After some research, Yevala realized that the Black Ship was nowhere in sight. Could it be that the ship was still on the other side, in the world of the living? The mist itself did not propagate or dissipate, still chilling the senses of living beings.

The Exalts weighed down the options: waiting in ambush in the world of the dead could prove tactically sound in the short term, but there was no known accessible river-borne shadowland, and there was no guarantee they could bring the ship back into Creation if they could not replicate this mist. On the other hand, considering the disorientating properties of the mist, if they crossed it again, they could not guarantee to come at a tactically advantageous position. Any crew the ship might have would also be advantaged in the Underworld.

[rhoenix]

Kolth began pacing the deck as he thought. "Hmm, many options here," he said, lighting a blunt. "Unless there's something I'm missing, we need to track that ship. We apparently found how it appeared on the surface, which is where I suspect it still is."

He took a deep hit of the blunt, exhaling a cloud of smoke one large smoke ring at a time, watching them drift upward into the Underworld, almost seeming to be affronts to the dark and somber nature of the place. This seemed to deeply amuse him briefly.

"So, as deeply tempting as it is for me to want to know where this corpse molester lives, we need to find their dessicated hides first. I say we turn back and go back to the surface world, and find the ship there."

[LadyTevar]

"I agree," Teamhair said, her voice deeper from the shapechange. "If they control the portal, we could get trapped."

[Marcao]

He couldn't find their target and that was frustrating but at the same time, the clear absence of the vessel offered some answers to their situation. What if they had been dragged into the Underworld in order to give the Death Knight the time it would need to carry out its grim task? It was an elegant solution to the problem of interference was it not? He had heard that the Death Knights were stronger in the Underworld than they were in Creation. If that was true, then it would be logical for them to want to fight where they were strongest.

"It may be that we are here to buy the death knight the time it needs to carry out its task." He admitted.

"I have also heard it said that such creatures are stronger here than in creation." He added.

"If that is the case, I have no desire to play by rules that benefit our adversary." With those words said he began to maneuver the Storm Herald around and sought to make his way back to the unseen threshold that acted as a door between Creation and this place. He had no intention of being trapped here until the black ship manifested around him swollen with humans and gorging itself with the power of this place. No, his concern was creation and the humans that lived therein.

The trick of course was how to maneuver his vessel to the black ship while staying in creation. He had not been aware of what had pulled them into the underworld and he would prefer not to have to deal with that again...

[SirNitram]

Orduin ruminated. "Mirrors are supposed to do something like this... But there's no mir-..." A glance down. The Yanaze was reflective. The Twilight's enhanced speed led him running around to the far end of the ship. "Don't be boiling, don't be boiling.."

[The Nomad]

Yevala plunged the ship back into the mists, and, like the first time, he had to fight severe disorientation, but on his second try, he took greater care to keep his bearings and thus emerged under Creation's night sky, fifty yards from the Black Ship. Then, the Exalts could see a chilling sight.

The ominous vessel was close to the river bank. Linking ship and land were several long ladderlike landing stages made of human bones, and aboard, at least two scores villagers entranced by the eerie, mirthless sound of pipes. Almost as many villagers were on the bank or in the process of embarking.

On the ship's prow, a black-cloaked silhouette, visibly playing a set of pipes, turned his head to face the emerging Storm Herald.

[SirNitram]

"I don't know if closing the distance sends us back.." Orduin grunted as he hurried around the deck. "But I think we need to disrupt that magic, pronto! Get the artillery ready!"