Session 7: Anathema, Anathema and More Anathema Report

General Summary

Galit and Mishal

Galit and Mishal traveled through the Calibration Gate with Storm to the Foyer of Yu-Shan, otherwise known as Heaven. Storm ushered them through as quickly as he could, briefly slowing to received a message from a mechanical spider. In the moments before they reached the door to the Vale, a green-cloaked woman was there. She diverted Storm for a moment, and of course, Galit and Mishal eavesdropped. The lady claimed that Bence's death had been fate, that cleaning up the snarl had taken her a week, and that he owed her one. They exited the 63rd Gate, overlooking the Sequestered Vale in the moonlight. As the sun rose over the Vale, Storm led them through the village of Templeton to the Tabernacle itself, a monastic observatory. In the courtyard of the Tabernacle, they met with Demethea, a giant woman who Storm claimed was a Solar. She demonstrated her Caste Mark and the light of the Sun, then Mishal and Demethea sparred - during which Mishal discovered that Demethea had skin like steel and was deliberately restraining herself. When they had finished, Demethea explained that she had been a slave, but one of the slavemasters had been about to beat her friend, and she had been unable to do nothing about it - and in choosing to do something, the Sun spoke to her, and granted her the power of Exaltation. Then, she politely excused herself to continue her studies - learning to read and write. Storm took Galit and Mishal out of the central courtyard and into a nook overlooking Templeton and the waterfall, where they could see many people, ascending the waterfall cliff face with a hand-powered pulley elevator to attend a morning service. Storm explained a great deal, as much as he was capable, of the Solar Exalted and their return. He was unwilling to tell me if or where more Solars were, or the particulars of his Heavenly employment, but he did let slip that Mercury herself had assigned him to observe the Children when they arrived in Creation. Finally, he instructed them on how they might find more gates to Heaven - many gates were marked, for those who knew how to look, with the sign of Mercury. The pair returned to the Cloister to maintain their studies, and on the 28th of Ascending Fire, attended the dream meeting of the Children.

Fengrao and Heavens

Fengrao and Heavens were travelling on the civilian frigate Safest Dragon, and the captain approached them, offering wax to plug their ears. He explained that they were to pass through a Wyld Zone, and that the Fair Folk would try to tempt them off the boat - if they left the boat, nobody would try to save them. The Wyld Zone itself was a section of open ocean with no waves, the waters still and glassy. Heavens, utilising his power, discovered that it was a mere facade to conceal drowned corpses below the surface of the water. In the distance, the Children could see a woman with woven hair and an emerald green dress - it was Mother Gaia!...or something wearing her shape. She was standing on the ocean, beckoning the Children, who realised they were about to remove their earplugs. While they had managed to resist the wiles of the Fair Folk, another passenger had not - he sprinted for the railing, eager to join the siren. Fengrao made an attempt to reach him before he made the leap, but Heavens had the speed of the wind with him, and had the man around the waist. He planted his feet on the railing just in time as the man attempted to leap off, and wrestled him to the ground. The captain thanked them for saving the passenger, and Heavens inquired on how the ship itself was protected from the attacks of the Fae - while the captain was unable to explain, his thaumaturge was more than willing to explain the intricacies of the magic that expanded a magnetic field from a lodestone around the boat, to trick the senses of the Fair Folk. The pair, on the 28th of Ascending Fire, attended the dream meeting of the Children. The captain of the Safest Dragon deposited them at the piratical port of the Coral Archipelago, with a quick note that he would linger in their waters for three days and return to retrieve them before his licence of safe passage expired - after that, they would be on their own. In the local watering hole, full of drunks and pirates, the local tavernkeep was quite forthcoming once his palm had been greased with authentic Realm scrip. The tavernkeep filled them in, that disciples of Five Days Darkness had been noted traveling up the volcano path to the summit, where they would normally take the sacrifices to the volcano god. Upon ascending the volcano, they were hindered by a golemic figure of magma, that rose from the caldera and demanded to know their business. When they claimed they came seeking Five Days Darkness, the figure grumbled and admitted them passage deeper into the volcano - leading to a circular cave lit by shining globes, at the centre of which sat the four-armed shadow that is Five Days Darkness. Five Days Darkness was wary at first of the Dragonblooded Children, believing them to be Immaculates who had come to attempt yet another assassination on him, but quickly came around when he seemed to smell something 'new' about the two. He gave instruction to his disciples to cease hiding, upon which a half-dozen men and women emerged from the few shadows of the room. 5DD took offence to the claim that he had murdered Gaia, denying that he was both willing, or even able, to do such a thing - even comparing Gaia to a grandmother of sorts. He also claimed a kinship of sorts with the Solar Anathema, and professed disgust at the notion of deathknights.

Thrudd

Thrudd, in the war tent of Yurgen Kaneko, the Bull of the North, claimed that he was a simple peasant farmer from the South, who had come all this way on foot to retrieve the bones of his brother. While the Bull was initially accepting of such a story, he found the story to be lacking with some investigation and requested that Thrudd be taken to a holding cell for questioning. Thrudd initially complied, but fled as soon as he was out of sight of the Bull, retreating deep into the earth. He watched the Bull for some time, who gave instructions that the Dragon-Blood was to be attacked on sight, before retreating back towards the southern coast through the earth, some days walk away. When he reached the coast, he returned north and found a wagon trail, following it west to a variety of villages - scaring the local populace with questions about 'Solars'. On the 28th of Ascending Fire, Thrudd attended the dream meeting of the Children. He found himself on the edge of a shadowland, an area of land that had been saturated with death. A horde of undead was present on the other side, led by a heavily robed living priest. When the robed priest noticed Thrudd, he instructed him to give himself up, and struck with a lance of necrotic energy, wounding the Dragonblooded, who again fled into the earth. Although the priest and his horde of ghoulish undead trailed the underground travel of Thrudd, they returned to their path after two days of constant chasing.

Kai'hua

Kai'hua was in attendance at Draegart's Academy for the Arcane, and her presence was requested by the headmaster, Draegart himself. Draegart was suspicious of Kai'hua, who haad been learning at a pace unprecedented for a mortal, and who had their tuition paid by their Dragonblooded relative, V'Neef Fengrao. Kai'hua refused to give anything up, but Draegart's suspicions were not pacified. During the first lesson of true summoning, the fire sprite summoned by Kai'hua immediately took humanoid form and bowed to the Princess of the Earth, requesting an order, while her mortal peers were still struggling to dominate the elemental's will. Draegart knew at this time that Kai'hua was a Dragonblood in guise. Kai'hua confronted Draegart about this issue, and Draegart swore not to inform anyone of her presence here - he had something to hide of his own, it seemed.

Dream Meeting

In Kai'hua's dream of Gaia's worldbody, the Children met on the 28th of Ascending Fire. They discussed the events that had been occurring - Fengrao and Heavens explained that they would be some time in the west, and had encountered a Fae in the ocean. Mishal and Galit explained that Storm had unveiled contradictory information on the Anathema, and when pressed, confirmed that they had actually met with a Solar by the name of Demethea. Mishal and Thrudd argued passionately about the Anathema - Thrudd, the memory of the Bull still recent, claimed that the Anathema were still evil, while Mishal claimed that the Anathema were in fact heroic people who had been empowered by the Sun Himself - citing Demethea's story of slavery that had been ended with a single decisive choice, upon which she had been spoken to by the Unconquered Sun.