Forgotten Suns Notes

Next steps:

• Item adjustments. Some stuff left back in Manse.
• Gossamer stuff degrades, including wagon.
• Memory Sapphires Vision
• Juuken's meeting with Flawlessly Wrathful Sunrise. Delirious with disease and the death of his crew, he hallucinates that Juuken is another alchemical called Darkly Fluttering Eyes. He gives his units soul gems to Juuken, along with his key and passphrase ("the light is too Bright for my huge, underdeveloped subterranean eyes") into Ot.
• Possible note from Hammer in the Woods, asking for assistance: Maduka finally lost it and needs to be taken out, but need to frame the other camp. Asking solars to do the dirty work and possibly take blame.
• Other message jar?
• Events
  • Ascending Wood, RY 768 (1 year, 9 months ago)
    • 1st - Ot breaks into Creation
  • Resplendent Wood, RY 768 (1 year, 8 months ago)
  • Descending Wood, RY 768 (1 year, 7 months ago)
  • Ascending Fire, RY 768 (1 year, 6 months ago)
    • 1st - Stage 2 begins
  • Resplendent Fire, RY 768 (1 year, 5 months ago)
  • Descending Fire, RY 768 (1 year, 4 months ago)
  • Ascending Air, RY 769 (1 year, 3 months ago)
  • Resplendent Air, RY 769 (1 year, 2 months ago)
    • 28th day of Resplendent Air - Excessively Righteous Blossom kills Ten Stripes.
  • Descending Air, RY 769 (1 year, 1 month ago)
    • Kerok issues three decrees: First, that Yugash shall remain in Creation for all time, taking the Southwest as its own. Second, that no new conquest of Creation’s lands shall be made unless provoked. And third, that non-Autochthonians wishing to enter Yugash as citizens will be granted a modicum of rights and henceforth be known as "outsiders."
  • Ascending Water, RY 769 (1 year ago)
  • Resplendent Water, RY 769 (14 months ago)
  • Descending Water, RY 769 (13 months ago)
    • 5th - Regret leaves manse
  • Ascending Earth, RY 769 (12 months ago)
    • 15th - Excessively Righteous Blossom and his 4,000 troops defeated at Gem. Yearlong prep for new invasion begins.
  • 28th - Regret arrives in Gem.
  • Resplendent Earth, RY 769 (11 months ago)
    • 10th - Regret tracks down some Autochtonian survivors and tortures them for information about Autochthon and Autochtonia.
    • 25th - Regret reaches the Lap, killing librarian and taking his place. Discovers more info about Autochthon, as well as legends of an orichalcum mine.
  • Descending Earth, RY 769 (10 months ago)
    • 7th - Regret meets cirle in the Lap
  • Ascending Wood, RY 769 (9 months ago)
  • Resplendent Wood, RY 769 (8 months ago)
    • 17th - Regret and Cruxis leave Dense Effulgence Root. Loose water?
  • Descending Wood, RY 769 (7 months ago)
  • ~25th - mine visited by Imperials and buildings destroyed.
  • Ascending Fire, RY 769 (6 months ago)
    • 2nd - Regret and Cruxis enter Autochtonia. They almost immediately kill Meticulous Owl. Soul, unable to get back to Underworld, finds Golden Venna Boar-Rider, makes a monster. Use information of mine to strike deal. Regret takes control of an artifact Meticulous Owl had to communicate with First and Forsaken Lion, sending false intelligence. Finds that resonance still a problem, and sleeps in coffin to shed it. Generally assists with invasion plans.
  • 22nd - Circle visits Kardak
  • 25th - manse repaired; hearthstones explode
  • 28th - Autochtonians reach mine. In spite of warnings not to, they antagonize Kardak, who slaughters them.
  • Resplendent Fire, RY 769 (5 months ago)
    • Cruxis limit breaks, treating people cruelly, runs off into the Reaches. Stays there for a while contemplating, also training for Essence. Discovers elemental pole of smoke.
  • Descending Fire, RY 769 (4 months ago)
    • 1st - Pre essence training
  • Second, larger expedition to mine, with several alchemicals, succeeds. Kardak and his tribe killed, their manse claimed as well. People enslaved. One shipment goes back.
  • Ascending Air, RY 769 (3 months ago)
    • 14th - A brief failure in the filtering system allows mosquitoes to enter Ot.
  • Resplendent Air, RY 769 (2 months ago)
    • 22nd - Great Contagion surfaces.
  • Descending Air, RY 769 (1 month ago)
    • 5th - Something akin to martial law declared. Various sections of Yugash quarentines Ot, and various sections of both isolate themselves. Unhesitatingly Loyal Weapon is infect and goes gremlin. All exalts dispatched to stop her.
    • 9th - Unhesitatingly Loyal Weapon destroyed, but over a third of the exalts sent to stop her are killed as well. In addition, isolation seals in much of Ot are compromised in the fighting, with Weapon attempting at times to intentionally spread the disease.
    • 10th - Rumors spread: Yugash being warred on by other nations with disease; isolationism vindicated; punishment from the Machine God. Void cults become more active.
    • 11th - With Weapon dead, Blossom attempts to regain position as invading general, still intent on conquering. This calls the whole concept into question and in the ensuing debate, it is suggested in a moment of heated argument that Blossom might have sabotaged Weapon. This derails the proceedings, with Blossom storming out making threats about taking control away from the "ignorant" mortals.
    • 13th - Trams to the rest of Autochthonia sealed.
    • 15th - 10% of Ot dead. Cruxis eventually notices this and returns. He sneaks into Ot, but winds up in a quarantined section with no other Exalts. He takes control, but is fighting a loosing battle.
    • 26th - Essence training over. Story begins
  • Ascending Water, RY 769
    • 4th - 25% of Ot dead. 7% of the rest of Yugash dead. Regret sees shadowland.
  • 1st day of Descending Water - Gem hears about approaching invasion force.

Cast

Kerok, Grand Autocrat

Mortal. Grand Autocrat of Yugash. Behind the plan to break the Seal of Divinities. Machiavellian, but understated. Will listen to PCs if they make any sense. Particularly interested in curing disease. Fears Blossoms current movements. Secretly doubts decision to open seal, but won't change it.

Will probably die offscreen so that the new autocrat can order the seal remade while the PCs are off doing something.

Excessively Righteous Blossom

Moonsilver caste. Essence 3, 7 foot tall male. Overly idealistic. Actively plotting to take over Ot. Has assembled a good number of followers, mostly exalts sick of mortal control. Has taken over sections with ruthless purges of the infected, which seem to have worked. Mostly exists to wait around until/if the PCs decide to kick his ass. This will send his sections into chaos, though.

Fair-Spoken Rishi

Orichalcum caste. Essence 4, 15 foot tall male. Four large green eyes. Advocate for extra-Autochthonian peoples. Deeply hurt over the "betrayal" of life from Creation for bringing the disease, and somewhat broken. Speaks out against reprisals against "outsiders", sometimes to the determent of Yugash. Largely ignored and fallen from grace, but could provide an ally if the PCs need a political hand.

Silkily Descending Mountain

Starmetal caste, Essence 2, 6 foot female. Most human looking of the alchemicals the PCs will see. At one point romantically linked to Cruxis, but scarred by him when he broke. Essentially assigned to Regret now, which will extend to the PCs when they arrive. Not particularly prepared for the contagion emotionally, with heavy doses of denial and "it will be fine". Otherwise, smart, capable, charming and helpful. Kathleen Turner voice.

Heavenly Bitter Metal

Soulsteel enforcer, Essence 3, 7 foot male. Never speaks. Acts as bodyguard for Kerok now, but actually spy for different nation (Jarish). Quite devout. Internally very concerned for disease and suffering of mortals who have it.

Gloriously Still Alloy

Orichalcum leader type, Essence 2, 6 foot male. One of the only oricalcum castes in the section of Ot still acting as the "head" of the invasion and coordinating the disease response. Not prepared for the massive number of tasks that now fall to him. Arrogant. Will treat the PCs mostly as a distraction unless they get in his way.

Unrepentantly Battleworn Servant

Jade caste, Essence 2, 5.5 foot female. Very haggard, but determined. Working hard to help the people, doing anything she can. Will enthusiastically help cure plans.

Golden Venna Boar-Rider

Outcaste terrestrial, captured and now abandoned to the Reaches. Fire aspect. Lusty, rebellious and insane. Inherits Meticulous Owl's soul, and the odd combination of location, aspect and caste makes a strange breed of exalt. Can use db and abyssal charms. Reflexives at will.

Drawn by death of disease, eventually hooks up with Blossom.

Others

• Unhesitatingly Loyal Weapon - Oricalcum caste. Essence 4, 20 foot tall female. More machine than person. Caught disease and went gremlin. Had to be destroyed.
• Exsirar - Mortal general planning assault on Gem until his death from the disease.
• Synergistically Industrious Combine - linked group, sent to mine.
  • Stunningly Old Soul
  • Blessedly Stalwart Hammer
  • Asymmetrically Growing Crystal
  • Silently Flowing Ore
  • Unapproachably Bright Glow
• Flawlessly Wrathful Sunrise - Leader of scouting party found by Juuken
• Darkly Fluttering Eyes - Other scouting party leader. Sunrises mistakes Juuken for her.

Scenes

Meanwhile

• Kerok dies. Succeeded by Piklon, who orders the gate shut, which is done.
• Party stuck.
• Regret realizes shadowlands could offer a way out, if any remain.
• Escape into Labyrinth
• Varden's "anonymous benefactor"

Research

• Make sure Stag & Fern gets a target number reduction from astrology
• Tome of the Great Maker
  • Story of eight heroes, names given to city
  • Pretty clear that some of the original inhabitants were taken against their will.

Training

• Gutts - combos, perhaps
• Cruxis - strength (with needles)
• Regret - martial arts, dex (with needles)

Screaming

• Regret "feels" a shadowland form.
• Ot screams when it does.

Player Notes

Player Notes: Adrios

Things to Note on Adrios' sheet:

• Front
  • His Essence has increased
  • He started training to become an alchemist, increasing Craft, Lore and Occult.
  • Stats for Immaculate Golden Bow reflect new Essence rating.
• Back
  • Some new artifacts
  • "Motion of the Sharp Wave", his jade shortbow, costs a lot to attune (8 motes) because it isn't orichalcum. Since he usually summons his Immaculate, this might just be wasted. (On the other hand, the jade bow doesn't cost Willpower to use, so maybe not.) A real oricalcum bow might be useful, though.

When spreading instructions about finding Soul Mirror, Stag told Adrios:

"While looking at the face of the room's major feature, take the passageway to your immediate left. Take the first left, then a quick right, then go a half mile until you see the sun."

When the door shuts, you can feel your hearthstone go dead, no longer providing you with essence.

Player Notes: Guen

Things to note about Guen's sheet:

• Front
  • Raised Essence. (Note, this means you could take another level of Deadly Beastman.)
  • Topaz Mind is listed as a weapon. It is a shaping combat weapon, not standard combat, so you can basically ignore that line.
• Back
  • Take a look at which artifacts are "attuned" and which aren't. This is a guess on my part, but seemed the most rational.

When spreading instructions about finding Soul Mirror, Stag told Guen:

"In the city, find the red granite road. From its halfway point, you can see the white jade footbridge. Go to the bridge, and jump off of it."

When the door shuts, you can feel your hearthstone go dead, no longer providing you with essence.

Player Notes: Gutts

Things to note on Gutt's sheet:

• Front
  • Essence increases
  • Training times tracked for charms Gutss trained on but didn't have xp to learn
• Back
  • Butterfly plate is so degraded, the you should probably leave it behind.
  • Note which artifacts are attuned and which aren't.

When spreading instructions about finding Soul Mirror, Stag told Gutts:

"In the water, enter the mouth of the dragon. Go left, then right, another right and a left, until you lament the shark."

When the door shuts, you can feel your hearthstone go dead, no longer providing you with essence.

Player Notes: Juuken

Things to note on Juuken's sheet:

• Front
  • You know two martial arts forms. You can only use one of them at a time. Water Dragon allows armor. Celestial Monkey normally doesn't allow armor, but you know its pinnacle charm (Celestial Godbody Understanding), which allows you to use the style with armor.
  • The trick is going to be weapons. Celestial Godbody Understanding also allows Celestial Monkey style to be used with any weapons. Water Dragon, however, can only use tiger claws. What this means is that if you use a weapon other than tiger claws, you cannot gain a benefit to attack or defend with it from a Water Dragon charm.
• Back
  • All of your artifacts are jade, with forced attunement. This means you get the jade bonus, but had to commit twice the motes to them. The effect is that you have a huge amount of peripheral essence tied up in these artifacts.
  • It is possible to attune to the artifacts without forcing the attunment. This prevents you from paying twice the cost, but doesn't provide the material bonus. In armor, Jade allows you to ignore fatigue value. In weapons, jade adds three to speed. So, you could reduce your commitment at the cost of subtracting 3 from the Speed listed on your sheet (Speed adds to initiative) and gaining a fatigue rating on your armor.
  • Another option is to forgo your sword. With forced attunement, it takes 10 motes to attune. Given the inability of using it with Water Dragon charms, that may not be worth it. If you like, you could exchange it for another two-dot artifact.

Player Notes: Stag

Some names from your past that might come up today:

Mnemon is one of the Scarlet Empress' daughters, born about 400 years ago, and founder of one of the Empire's noble houses. She is probably the most personally powerful of the house leaders, and possibly even smarter than her mother. You've never met her in person, but know her reputation as someone both crafty and ruthless.

Ithak Miras was your sidereal trainer and sifu (martial arts instructor). While you were stationed at the Imperial Palace, he was having an affair with Mnemon. He didn't like your romantic life. After being disturbed by a meeting with Mnemon, he ordered you to put an end to it. When you refused, he was going to transfer you, but "Flowing Pen" resigned from the Immaculate Order and became official consort instead. Miras vanished a week later.

Flowing Pen was your name when you were at the Palace.

Mnemon Torbun was the terrestrial who told you about the Broken-Winged Crane and how he was pretty sure it had corrupted the Empress. He not only knew about sidereals, he knew you were one of them. Not long after he contacted you, he was found ripped limb from limb.

Oliran Drell was, like you, a sidereal (of Secrets) undercover at the Palace. He was the one who kicked your ass and imprisoned you. You suspect he had been corrupted like the Empress was.

Player Notes: Varden

Notes about Varden's sheet:

• Front
  • Increased Essence
  • Craft Air and some other prereqs for Magitech.
• Back
  • Take a look at what you are carrying vs. what is attuned. You might want to move some of this around.

When spreading instructions about finding Soul Mirror, Stag told Varden:

"Move forward the direction you face. At the intersection, go strait. Then straight, straight, straight, right, left, straight. About ten yards before this hallway leads to the next room, stop and remove a stone from the ceiling."

When the door shuts, you can feel your hearthstone go dead, no longer providing you with essence.