Tomb of the Five Corners: Exalted

[Krylo]

Do not believe what the
scientists tell you. The natural
history we know is a lie, a
falsehood sold to us by wicked
old men who would make the
world a dull gray prison and
protect us from the dangers
inherent to freedom. They would
have you believe our planet to
be a lonely starship, hurtling
through the void of space,
barren of magic and in need of
a stern hand upon the rudder.

Close your mind to their
deception. The time before our
time was not a time of senseless
natural struggle and reptilian
rage, but a time of myth and
sorcery. It was a time of legend,
when heroes walked Creation
and wielded the very power of
the gods. It was a time before
the world was bent, a time
before the magic of Creation
lessened, a time before the souls
of men became the stunted,
withered things they are today.

This is a story of that time

***

Okay, I think most of us know what exalted is by now. Big damn heroes with big damn super powers against big damn villains. This here game of exalted is going to be a pre-genned adventured called Return to the Tomb of the Five Corners. The reason I'm doing a pre-genned adventure and not my own campaign is because pretty much every exalted game tends to fall apart before we even get to kill shit, and I'd rather test the waters with something that's short, relatively simple, and quick to get into. It seems like it will have the most chance of working.

If this succeeds there's a chance (maybe even a good one) of me trying something more original! Hopefully it will also inspire other people to try and, you know, actually DO something as well *coughfunkacough* so I can actually be a player sometime, too.

On to the business.

I need 4 players, one Dawn, twilight, night, and zenith character. No eclipse. The adventure only calls for those four. I'll be going on a combination of first come first serve and time availability/trustworthiness for these positions. So mostly if you ask first you'll get in, the exception being if I can't line up a time or you don't show up to a session without a good reason (or multiple sessions), in which case I'll invite in someone who hadn't been initially quick enough but had expressed interest.

This means you should express interest even if you don't get one of the initial four spots!

The adventure also came with pre-genned character sheets I'll attach. You can make your own, but the adventure is designed for these four characters, so I'd suggest just taking the pre-genned characters. This will also facilitate getting into the game faster. You'll find those characters attached to the end of this post.

We'll be using standard rules, no errata or house rules, again because this is what the adventure was designed for, and, again, because it will make things easier.

We'll also be playing this in chat, my preference being the RP section of the NPF Ajax chat (and using the ajax dice roller), so as to facilitate a smoother game, allow interested parties to sit in and watch if they like (so long as they don't interfere with the game), and will allow me easy access to the logs. We could also set up an AIM chatroom as well if someone has a problem with the Ajax idea.

I'm available Mon-Friday after 9pm Central, Saturday after 6pm Central, and Sunday anytime after 2pm Central, on any given day. I also have every other week off, so we might be able to work in extra sessions during my week off, depending on how everyone's times line up and our ability to stay in contact with each other.

Post your available times when you want to sign up.

Further, this is meant to be an 'introduction to the game' adventure, so if you have little, or even no, experience with exalted that's fine! I can rip out the first chapter or two of the module that explains the basic rules or, better yet, if you can get your hands on the core rulebook and read up, you're still fine. Really even if you can't do either of that I can mostly tell you what you need to roll and answer any specific questions.

Current Castes Claimed:
Dawn: Steel
Zenith: Mern
Twilight: Overcast
Night: Arhra

All that out of the way:

***

Returning to the city of Nexus after a successful campaign against the bandit king Barrow Black and his army, the Eyes in the Hills, you find a message waiting for you.

My Circlemates,
Though we have never met, I feel I know all of you. When the stories of your deeds
reached me, I was newly Exalted, alone and confused, but somehow, the tales triggered
memories of a life before this one, where we stood side-by-side and fought as one. I’m sure
you all know the feeling of which I write, just as I’m sure you all know the emptiness your
absence brings me.
When I began my search for the companions my memories promised me, I followed my
visions to an ancient ruin, believing perhaps the landmark I sensed would be a meeting point. I
thought we’d be drawn together to a common goal, but the place I found was empty.
This note is a compromise. I wish I could see you in person, but I dare not leave my
find. The ruins to which I was led by the memories of my past life contain relics of the
First Age, treasures beyond value that belong rightfully to all of us. I can’t fully unlock
this ruin alone, and I fear that if I leave to find you myself, we will return to nothing but
a plundered shell. Please, follow the messenger with whom I’ve entrusted this note, and
together, we will claim our inheritance.

The note was unsigned, but sealed in golden wax pressed with the sigil of the eclipse caste, and you had long wondered at the identity of your fifth circle mate, all of you having gleaned flashes of the first age and the final member of your perfect circle.

The messenger, a man by the name of Little Shoe, explained to you that he was intrusted with this note in the town of Northeast Spoke by a beautiful woman with pale skin and dark hair, and that it had taken him six months to track you down and deliver it. Your campaign against the Eyes had been long, and he'd eventually decided he'd be best off waiting for you in Nexus for your return.

You decided to follow him to the ruins at once, crossing the Yellow River and heading north and east for days until reaching the Northeast spoke where you heard rumors of bandits bearing the symbol of the Eyes of the Hills to the north in a place known as the Valley of Death, a desolate expanse avoided by the people of the region for as long as anyone can remember.

Once you arrived the area seemed familiar, and following flashes of your first age memories you were able to quickly find the ruins, leaving Little Shoe behind. . .