[Exalted] Protectors of the River Province

[LadyTevar]

"That's what I'm wearing now," Teamhair replied. "Orduin gifted them to me. But I was joking about the Essence spider. It was merely a Spider the size of a tiger. One day I will Hunt an Essence or Wood Spider, though."

[rhoenix]

"Hmm is that so?" remarked Kolth thoughtfully. "Well Liayna," he said, turning to her with a mostly innocent smile, "it appears you and I might have business, or at least a trade of services, to discuss after all."

[LadyTevar]

Meanwhile, Teamhair had walked over and slipped into Orduin's lap. "My dear Solar, are you having trouble thinking of me being more dangerous than you?"

[SirNitram]

"Gunzosha aren't exactly given long speeches on how gorgeous women in silks and with fans are more deadly than them." Orduin boggled. "I'll be honest, you're the first Lunar I've actually met."

[LadyTevar]

Teamhair chuckled, giving the dazed and confused Gunzosha a kiss. "It's ok, love. Just remember that I am supposed to be strong enough to keep up with you." She did not mention that she wasn't even one of the martially-inclined Lunar castes. That would just break his confidence more.

[Hotfoot]

Liayna looked back at Kolth and smiled slightly. "I'm listening, though we could always go somewhere a little more...private, if you wish to keep this business proposition a secret." She tested the waters carefully with Kolth, aware of his more skittish nature. She could turn on her full charm, but that would likely scare him away.

[rhoenix]

"That would be fine," Kolth replied to Liayna, with a straight face. "The business part is pretty straightforward, but the negotiations of price could potentially offend a few ears," he finished with a smirk.

It had been quite a few weeks since the group had talked about ethics, and morality as befitting the Chosen of Sol Invictus (and Luna), and Kolth's mind had grown much more at ease since then. Learning to trust those in his Circle (as it seemed to be now) had come slowly, but it was growing amongst all of them. For his part, spying on the others earlier on had helped, but not as much as simply talking with the others.

And besides - that one dalliance he had with that Fire-Aspected (in temperment as well as type of Exalt) Dragon-Blooded soldier in Lookshy was fun, more so than any of the harem girls in town - but even she couldn't keep up with him.

Perhaps it was time to test a theory or two about other Solars, Kolth thought, betraying nothing of his thoughts to the others beyond a slight twinkling of his eyes as he finished his blunt.

[Hotfoot]

"Well then, let us talk business, shall we?" Liayna stood and beckoned Kolth with a simple gesture back to her wagon. Her eyes slid to Teamhair's, locking for a moment before a quick smirk flickered over her lips. The trip was short, as the caravan did not take up a tremendous amount of space, but there was still some seclusion to be had in Liayna's wagon. She opened the door for Kolth, waiting for him to enter before coming in behind him.

"So, what did you have in mind?" She motioned for him to have a seat while she lingered by the door, unfastening some of the ribbons holding her hair back, letting it fall freely around her shoulders.

[rhoenix]

Seeing as Liayna appeared to be wasting very little time, Kolth let her get to her feet first (and if someone asked later if he checked her out a little bit as she was getting up, he wouldn't deny doing so more than once, maybe twice), and then finished off the last of his blunt before suddenly leaping swiftly to his feet, following Liayna into her wagon.

Watching her remain near the door as she gracefully waved him to a comfortable-looking chair, he saw that she began taking out the ribbons in her hair.

"Well," he said, seating himself comfortably in the chair as he relaxed, "the business I had in mind was fairly simple, especially now that we apparently have an easy way to get spider silk. I would like to have a few outfits made of the material - two or three made for being up to no good, four of varied, comfortable, and functional traveling clothes, and one or two good outfits for when I have to suffer through another stuffy official wanting to make sure everyone around them is dressed as uncomfortably as they are."

"Now," he continued with a growing smile, "because I'm requesting high-end work for all clothes, I'm fully prepared to negotiate. Would you like to throw out your first price, or shall I begin by naming a price?"

(EDIT: "silksteel" changed to "silk")

[Marcao]

It was difficult not to look at Liayna even now lacking her usual finery her beauty was such that it tended to dominate most social encounters. He was not above her charms nor her enthusiasm and skill but understood the essence of their arrangement. Her words sounded true to his ears and he acknowledged them as such. For the following moments he remained silent, his eyes keenly aware of the body language and mannerisms of the individual members of his circle.

My circle?

The thought came unbidden to the surface of his mind and he pushed it gently aside. It had felt right to him and yet he understood that it was also not an accurate assessment. He was not the most knowledgeable member of the circle nor was he the most experienced. He was also somewhat out of his element. Being a Dawn did not immediately allowed him to dominate the circle. He had not earned that place and in the overall scheme of things, he had accomplished little enough. His lack of accomplishments was something that was only now starting to bother him. What had he managed to do so far?

Orduin was a Gunzosha for the mightiest military force in the east. Liayna had through wits and charisma alone begun to lead a caravan making profit and getting information along the way. The way her people followed and respected her spoke highly of her skill. What had he done that compared? It was perhaps not a fair assessment but the thought rankled nonetheless. His eyes closed for a moment and in the edges of his mind he could hear faint sounds, sounds that should be familiar to him but they were little more than a droning noise at the edge of his perception. He strained to hear, the droning shifting ever so slightly into another sound. It was a strange sound, an incessant buzz that shifted beneath his momentary concentrate into a roar that seemed to resonate in all directions.

I know that sound.

In his mind, a flash of insight as a fragment of a memory clawed its way to the surface. In his mind, he saw an assembled host of thousands all roaring in approval beneath him. His head turned, catching sight of a platform that seemed to be made of solid gold. At the edge of his peripheral vision a shape stood, he turned to face it catching sight of long strands of silken hair before the memory fled. His eyes opened and focused on Orduin as he offered a strained comment to his Lunar mate.

What did I miss?

Silk-steel? He blinked, his head turning to look at Kolth more closely as he spoke to Teamhair. Kolth's comments met with a shake of his head. "As if creation were not an interesting enough place with you having access to such materials." He said. He had no doubt that Kolth would find a hundred uses for such and each would be more interesting than the former. He really did possess a rather perverse sense of humor at times. When Kolth and Liayna began to talk his attention shifted elsewhere as he considered their overall situation.

[Academia Nut]

Ake had missed the majority of the conversation, engrossed as he was in talking to Liayna's cooks about the proper way to treat game, going into the intricacies of proper cooking temperature and time and the use of various herbs and spices, many of them from the West but a few available more locally. Even the selection of wood for the cooking, both for the purposes of burning and for making spits, was covered.

Eventually though he wandered back to where the others had gathered and plopped down, saying, "Ah, we should be treated to a fine meal this evening, those two are bright ones and they seem to have picked up my final cooking instructions. They also had access to some nice spices. Now quite what I'm used to working with, but still more than enough. Whatever you think you know about eating game, forget about it, for you have probably heard tales or sampled fares cooked by brutes who char the outside and leave the inside bloody and raw, the whole thing tough and unappetizing. No, today's fare should be tender and juicy, the meat falling off the bone and lightly rubbed with some lovely rice vinegar infused with lemon ironwood we found in the stores and then mixed up with a tiny bit of pepper and some horseradish. It should be very tender with a complex and slightly spicy flavour."

Barely remembered images of marching upon campaign trails and the various, now totally forgotten, recipes his former incarnation and his men had come up with, several of them more dares than serious cooking, filled Ake's mind, causing him to smile a bittersweet smile. Those were good times.

Having heard bits of the conversation, he added in, "My memories are not quite clear on the matter, but should you ever get the chance to actually consume the flesh of an Essence Spider good lady, I would recommend you have a considerably quantity of soothing liquid on hand before you begin. The relationship between Essence Spiders and the wood elementals means their flesh tastes somewhat like lobster that has been marinating in just about every hot spice known to man or god for about a week."

He then grinned somewhat more cheekily and said, his eyebrows waggling suggestively, "Of course, if anyone wants to bet I won't do it again, they had better not risk a night with their favourite concubine this time!"

[LadyTevar]

"If you wish, I'll save a few pieces for you," Teamhair answered Ake, still sitting in the lap of the very flustered Orduin.

"So, since they left before I admitted it's not SilkSteel, what do you think Liayna will have Kolth do to pay for his new clothing?" she asked the men with a wide grin. "I have 3 obols saying he lasts less than 4 hours with her."

[SirNitram]

"Ha! I'd not be surprised." He eyes her. "You told that lie just to see my face, didn't you? Ah well."

[LadyTevar]

Teamhair ran her hand down Orduin's face, in a mix of tease and affection. "It was amusing, seeing your shock. Would you like to go with me when I go for a Tyrant Lizard?"

[SirNitram]

"I was expecting a sacred hunt to be more solitary. Wouldn't deny the chance, though I'm iffy on whether I'm any use against an enemy that size."

[LadyTevar]

"Oh, you wouldn't be able to help me. I have to kill it myself. I was just going to let you watch"

[SirNitram]

"And you keep telling me you're not the kind of Lunar whose a warrior..?" Orduin shook his head slowly.

[LadyTevar]

"Simply because I am a lover, doesn't mean I can't fight, my dear," Teamhair childed. "However, I am not a Full Moon, who like the Dawn Caste is meant for war."

[Marcao]

The exchanges between the other members had his attention and he made it a point not to offer any comments of his own when Teamhair brought up Liayna and what sort of payment she may demand from Kolth. He was certain that any such arrangement would be mutually satisfactory for both parties involved, Liayna seemed to have an honest streak that colored most of her interactions.

When Teamhair began to affectionately tease Orduin he almost smiled but managed to hold it back. It was an unusual relationship, but he could clearly make out the genuine affection from the Lunar even if at times her words did not seem to show a great deal of it. It seemed the Lunar enjoyed trying to crack the stern facade of the Gunzosha.

I wonder if my Lunar...

The thought surprised him and he immediately dismissed it. Of all his memories, the memories of his former self's lover were the most enigmatic. He did not believe he had ever seen her face. He had seen the faces of other women, solars mostly he was certain but the bulk of his flashes of insight tended to revolve around technology, the circle and armies. Why was it that he could not readily remember his former mate? What had she been like?

Was it because back then I had placed more importance in my troops?

His eyes closed for a moment, remembering the roar as it seemed to resonate from the mountains and drown out the heavens. He could not recall the memory but that sound still haunted him. The sound of thousands maybe tens of thousand voices unified into a singular whole.

All in praise of me. All in service of me.

His eyes opened and he shook his head, his left hand sliding over strands of Emerald hair before he took a deep breath and held it. He wanted to talk about their mission. He wanted to talk about their target but he was uncertain that he wanted to dispel the mood that had descended upon the camp with such things. They could wait for a more somber conversation. Besides, who knew how many more moments like this they would share?

He stood up and stretched slightly before his head turned as he looked about to the others. Kolth, Liayna, Teamhair, Orduin, and finally Ake. "I feel like stretching my legs. I am not going far, so don't do anything I would not do." he added his eyes lingering on Kolth and Liayna before he took a step and then another seeking to reach the edge of the camp and move beyond it.

[Academia Nut]

"Should you ever catch an Essence Spider then I will gladly feast upon its flesh with you after, although it certainly is an exhilerating experience," Ake said with a smile to Teamhair.

While watching their banter, he noticed the look on Yevela's face and felt as if he knew it before he realized that he had seen it on his own face in the private moments before. The face that he refused to let the rest of the world see, instead plastering over his private fears with very public courage. Oh, it wasn't faked courage, but that did not hide the fact that the fears were still there, beneath the surface.

Hopping back to his feet, he said, "I am not quite as tired as I thought I was. Would you mind if I stretched my legs with you Yevela so that the dinner might be all the sweeter for filling a stomach in need of filling?"

[Marcao]

He paused at the edge of the camp and turned in order to look at Ake as he spoke. His words lingered in the air for only a moment before he nodded and motioned with his right hand to his side. "You are welcome to join me Ake." He said without reservation and waited for the chosen to move to his side before he turned once more and sought to pierce the veil that separated the camp from the rest of creation beyond it.

What questions do you have that you desire answered?

He wondered. He moved alongside Ake for over a dozen steps before he found himself speaking. "You are a Zenith Ake." He stated letting those words cavort in the empty spaces between them for a moment before he continued. "I have a question. At the moment that the eye of the Unconquered Sun fell onto you, when you were chosen. What did you see?"

He went silent as he awaited a response. He was uncertain where he had heard it, or if it was perhaps some intrinsic knowledge that he possessed but were not all Zeniths supposed to commune briefly with the Unconquered Sun upon being chosen? The Zeniths had been the priests to the Unconquered Sun after all, a connection that even now could not be forgotten. He had seen nothing. At least, if he had seen something he could not objectively recall what it had been.

What did I miss?

[Academia Nut]

Ake was silent for a time as he considered what to say to such a personal question before finally he said, "Some of it I shall keep to myself, but you could say that I was shown a mission. For the briefest of instants I was shown Creation. I saw the Fae encroaching, the Wyld creeping inward a little more each year, the tide of destruction and madness that had been pushed back in the First Age threatening to one day destroy everything. I saw ancestor cults that trapped the dead outside the cycle of reincarnation, feeding the power of the things that lurk beyond the grave and aiding in their agenda against the living. I saw gods abandon their duties to become like common thugs, demanding payment for services they are already supposed to do. I saw corruption and decadence, a hundred threats to Creation."

He then smiled and said, "But I saw something else too. For all that they can fall into decay and despair and greed and a thousand other sins, the mortals are still here. We were once mortals too, remember that. The spark of Exaltation can find any heart that is worthy. I saw... remembered perhaps... armies of mortals worthy to be lead by the Exalted... no wait. No, that was wrong. I saw armies that the Exalted were worthy of leading. Strong, proud hearts, tens of thousands all beating in unison, each one worthy to walk amongst us as peers if not for the fact that there is not enough essence for everyone. That army does not exist today, perhaps it never existed, but if not it should exist as an ideal to aspire to. I want to build... no find that army. I want to find those who have it in their hearts to march against the darkness that encroaches from every side and throw it back, broken and bloody. I want ten thousand, a hundred thousand voices to chant as one the name of the Unconquered Sun as we march on the Fae, the Deathlords, any and all who threaten Creation."

His smile turning a touch wan and self-depreciating, Ake said, "I am something of a scoundrel and a fool, but I want to bring Creation back to what it once was. I will start with the East, start with shoring back up the walls of reality that have crumbled since the First Age. But I cannot do it alone, no one, mortal or Exalt can, if for no other reason than one man cannot be everywhere at once."

[Marcao]

He had not expected that his question would be answered without any conditions. Ake was the newest member of the circle and the one that he felt the least connected to within the circle. Nonetheless, there was enough of a connection to warrant the question. When the chosen spoke he listened, paying close attention to not only the words but the emotional undertones and his body language. He shared more information than he had expected allowing him a rare insight into the inner thoughts and motivations of the Zenith. Ultimately, he found himself responding in turn.

"You were gifted with a great deal Ake, I myself saw nothing at least that I can recall. I have been clutching at the dark since then, guided around by occasional insights and flashbacks that are fragmented at best." He went silent for a moment, his eyes skittering about their surroundings before he pressed on.

"I know that Creation is wrong. I can feel it every waking moment, as if I tried hard enough I could part a veil and see how things were supposed to be. It is this sense that has driven to me act so far, it is what has guided me to the East and to the other members of the circle. When I was alone, I was uncertain of what sort of change I could accomplish and what sort of scale. As a circle, we could change creation.

"And that is something that makes me somewhat uncomfortable. I want change Ake and I am willing to pay the price for it. My blood, the blood of others, it does not matter to me. I am willing to sacrifice thousands to achieve that end, because ultimately I know that what existed before benefited all. Still I have concerns. If I follow that path to its logical conclusion, I admit that I am uncertain as to what I would replace the existing infrastructure."

He went silent then. He could destroy and he knew that the existing leadership was wrong but he had not given a great deal of thought of what would come in its place. The Chosen of the Sun were the logical choices to be regents once again.

We are lawgivers. It was to us that the Unconquered Sun gave the mandate to rule creation.

"I once thought that I could simply change the world beneath skill and personality. If I willed Creation to change that it would do so but now I think that this circle will be central to that change." His ambitions would be realized only through working with the circle. He understood that now, what other reason could there be for five chosen to meet under such circumstances? it was only then that he address the point about their mortality.

"It is my desire to remain grounded in that mortality Ake. I don't want to forget, but every moment that passes I realize that I can achieve things that mortals cannot. I cannot change what is, nor would I try to. I simply wish to remain Yvela Sharas as time passes and not forget that." It was perhaps his greatest fear. The memories and insights that resided within him were immensely valuable, the power locked away in the memories of his previous life promised untold wonders. And yet, they frightened him. How could they not? As time went on, as he grew in might would he continue to be Yvela Sharas or would he slowly become something else? Would he become someone else? And if so, was he doomed to repeat his past triumphs and failures?

I have to break that cycle.

[Academia Nut]

Ake nodded and said, "Perhaps I am blessed to know a touch more... and perhaps I am not. Most of my memories from past lives are unclear and fragmentory, possibly moreso than yours, but not all of them. Not all of them. I remember that towards the end I was a self-aggrandizing lout more concerned with personal pride and glory and in revelry than in actually doing my job. As a king, there have probably been worse, in that I found more fun in involving my subjects in my parties and hunts, but I can safely say that they would have probably been better off - if perhaps not quite as happy- if I had been a more attentive leader. However, even when my lieutenants turned on me, even when the whole world had turned upside down, there were still those that followed me."

A pause settled over Ake as old memories surfaced and a look of sorrow crossed his normally indefatigable face. He then shook it off, although a frown remained, and said, "Mortals can surprise you. They may not have our strength, charm, endurance, skills, or magic, but that does not necessarily mean they are weak. The spear is much stronger than a single arrow, but try and break ten thousand arrows over your knee all at once and see what happens. Take heart from the strengths they do have, and uplift them, teach them to be greater than they were before. If you ever forget that you were once mortal, then you should ask a man if he forgets if he was ever a child. Every toddling babe, barely capable of walking has the potential to grow into a proud warrior. Every babbling child, incapable of coherent sentences, can become a master orator. Does this mean we look down on them because they are inferior to us? No! We guide and nurture them because their futures are unwritten and full of potential, we show them the paths that are open to them. Now, while the number of mortals who Exalt are far fewer than the number of children who grow into adults, I think you can understand this analogy. You need not fear becoming something else, no more than a boy need fear becoming a man. No, what you need fear, what we all need fear, is in becoming a man that boy would not look up to.

"I admit to being a fool, to being prideful and easily swayed by baser desires, but I will not be a coward about it! I will admit my faults and move forward, I will seek to become something more than I am, something better! If one day I look in a pond and I no longer see Ake staring back at me, then I had damn well better see a man Ake would like to meet! Change need not mean destruction and replacement, it can also be transformation. There is no need to tear down what works, it is the things that do not work that need excisement and the things that do not work well that need improvement."

A grin then spread over Ake's face and he said, "Tell you what. You make sure that ten, twenty, and hundred years from now that the man called Ake you speak with is one that I would wish to meet, and I will make sure that the man named Yevela I speak with is one you would wish to meet."

[Marcao]

He glanced at the Zenith before seeking refuge beneath one of the branches of a tree. His eyes slid over the branch and tree seeking out any threats such as snakes or other such creatures before coming to a stop. The air around them whispered as it danced past, his eyes seeking those of Ake before he responded.

"Sometimes not knowing can be better than knowing. I am not as ready to condemn my actions or yours. Look around you Ake, creation has fallen so far.

"I remember times when every man, woman and child could read. I remember a time when no man or woman was desperate enough to sell their bodies for coin. I remember a time when clean water was readily available for everyone even in the very heart of the desert. When roads were safe, when the Fae stayed on the Wyld and did not dare to consider encroachment. Can you say that you did anything worse than what the guild does on a daily basis. If the overthrow of our previous lives brought with it anything positive, I am not seeing it." He admitted.

Did it bring freedom? Freedom to choose? Did humanity choose this or was it imposed upon it by the strong?

The sorrow in the Zenith's face was genuine but it was readily perceived for only a moment before that emotion was drowned. He himself was intimately aware of how that felt. The Zenith spoke with conviction about mortals and for a moment or two he was swayed. Such was the power of his words. The moment faded however, as he recalled rather intimately the state of the world. He knew all too well what mortals were capable of. His own nation had proven that time and time again.

"Mortals will hold no secrets from me Ake not after what I have seen, heard and felt. Their weakness is not one of physical limitations, it resides in the very core of them all. Creation mirrors that weakness and I cannot abide it. it is true that we were once like they were, but we were chosen and they were not. The light of the Unconquered Sun has cleansed that weakness."

And yet it may have replaced one weakness with another.


"I will help all those that desire to be helped. I will assist all those that choose to join me in the struggle to change this world and turn it back to what it should be. What it was always meant to be. I will bring it all back. The tarnished jewel that is creation will be polished into a gleam that will once again be fit to absorb and reflect the light of the Sun."

But I will not go along with your plan. I will not teach the mortals how to overthrow me. I will not squander my gifts. I know what you do not. Mortals were never meant to rule themselves. I can be a better ruler than the brightest Dragon blood ever could. My memories prove it.

"I thank you for your words however. We all must change it is inevitable. To not change is to stagnate, and we all must grow Exalt or not. I will harness that growth into something suitable to our needs."

And mine.

His final words echoed in the night and he found a smile gracing his lips. "I like the sound of that." He admitted.

I just hope it is a promise we both can keep.