Tales of the Exalted

Once Jill arrived May poured her tea and grabbed the snacks she had been keeping away until everyone had arrived.
She then sat back a few feet from Callista and began playing a soft song on a stringed instrument.

"Alright, Cion, call me Ruby. Rebekah is too harsh on some people's tongues." She took a sip of the tea and made a face. "Just like this is too harsh on mine." Set set it aside and pushed it out of reach. Last thing she wanted was to get caught up in conversation and forget that it tasted terrible, that's happened too many times already.

"Not really from around here, no. Ship-born in the West. Lived traveling most of my life. Made some stops, learned my trade, highest bidder was here with a challenge I couldn't pass up" He was easy to talk to, almost like Gaheris in his cavalier do-what-you-want manner.

Callista took her seat between Donovan and Eida last, giving the whole table a warm smile. They all had their unique differences, both good and bad but she hoped they would see past the bad ones to work together. This afternoon wasn't really about that, it was getting to know the newest arrival and seeing if he would benefit from spending time with them. Who knew, maybe they could learn something from him and his strange customs.


”Thank you all again for coming. This isn't intended as a formal affair. We all share a common bond, yes even you Silver and I felt that it would be nice to be able to get to know each other. We also have a newcomer, both to our city but also just as importantly to our shared patron. Perhaps we will find he has talents he can lend us in our upcoming endeavors.” Callista said as May moved around to serve them. She also realized that she wanted to know more about them as individuals, their hopes and desires so that she could help them attain them as they might help her.

”I like the way Rebekah rolls off the tongue, but I think Ruby fits a woman like you very well,” he grinned letting her decide if he meant the color or the gemstone. ”The tea? It is not so bad. I would rather a good bit of spirits myself but if you add enough honey it is alright,” he said light heartedly. ”A ship you say? I have never been on anything larger than a river birlinn or any body of water larger than the river said ship was on. It sounds as if you have traveled a great deal, I am envious of you.”

As open as ever, Callista lead into a surprisingly simple line of questions that they could all build off of. Eida had to get the first question in the air, interrupting his incessant flirting. Talking over the Princess right away, wonderful manners, this one. "Cion, you have explained why you have come, but where are you from, and what is your prowess in? My curiosity is not alone in this matter."

So close, you just need to casually brush her arm. The faintest of accidents, let her know you are here for her. Jaeda's whispers in his head were distracting. Is it really that hard to show a little desire in front of people?

Cion looked across the table at the tattooed man and wondered if it would have been acceptable for him to have shown up with out a shirt. Probably not, but then again maybe the girls with have gotten a little thrill off his one intricate tattoos.

"I come from Tírnanog, it is a great city to the north of your hundred kingdoms, or as we call them the Do-áirithe Luán. Literally translated Many Strays but I did not come up with the term. As for my prowess, if I understand you right I suppose I am a swordsman by birth and will be one until my death, untimely or otherwise. How about yourself?" Cion was genuinely curious as to why the odd man was gifted as an Exalted, not in a derogatory way but he wasn't exactly what he had pictured when people told him there where other "Sun Kings" in Terenuthis.

No wonder he saw the knight of An-Tir as a threat, the two wore the hearts of soldiers. The skins he wore could not compete with them directly, but as an important figure repeated to him whenever it was necessary, 'You have to think sideways.'
"I was born into a unique caste of the Nahuatl culture, all but extinct due to conquest of the Khal's Temujin. I am the last tlamacazqui, 'giver of things.' Generally speaking those were mostly blessings, words, or rituals. The Sorcerer-Priests brought me up to be competent in mystic warfare, and when necessary, political machination. I have served my Warlord Awilix in that capacity since the fall of the Nahuatl."

"And do your still serve this warlord, the mighty Khal or the Lady Callista? I am a little confused as to what is going on here. The only cities I went to spoke of the Solar Exalted as returned rulers from the past." Cion said. He wasn't sure but he thought that out of all present the tattooed man was going to be the most difficult to win over but he wasn't entirely sure why.

Eida thought about the situation for a moment. Who did he serve now? "I owed a life debt to the Warlord, who served under the Khal. Awilix has recently abandoned her claim on the debt, and left his service. Outside of the current agreement we have brokered, my actions are not dictated by anyone but myself. I am not in the service of Princess Callista, but travel with her as a companion." He looked to his side and tried to get a moment of eye contact. He was guarded still, but Eida wanted some small comfort that his line of thinking was correct.

Eida was not sure if the realization that just hit him was euphoric, or depressing. He was, more or less, now free of the constraints originally keeping him in place.

May looked up from her music at Eida's words. Awilix had been here several times recently, Sanjuro had seen the Eagle who's skin she'd stolen perched outside her advisor's window just two nights ago.
Still, it wasn't her place to question the words of the Chosen, so she remained silent and continued playing. It had been some time since she'd felt the desire to entertain the Princess's guests, especially after her time in Sun Wu. But something had come over her since Callista brought her back to life, and she was no longer so full of pain.

Cion brings up an excellent point. All any of us know of this situation is what we hear from rumor and gossip. We can delve history for what the Solar were, but I do not know if that is the same as what we are. I do feel that whatever it is though, it will be a matter of no small consequence.

Callista was listening to the exchange politely, as many of her questions were being asked already so she didn't feel the need to interject with any new ones. It was almost like there was a band of tension in the room but she couldn't exactly figure out why it was lingering there. Callista had even used her powers to catch a glimpse of the new comer’s intentions and he truly seemed genuine in his search for answers in others like himself, even if there did seem to be more he was hiding.


She was surprised to hear Eida speak of her as a companion, as it hadn't occurred to her that his motives for staying may have gone beyond a compulsion to remain in the service to the man who conquered his people. The princess found herself watching him as he spoke, smiling kindly but almost sheepishly when he glanced over and caught her gaze on him.


Moving her eyes back to their guest she continued explaining. ”Most at this table were in the service or under the employment of the Khal before our Exaltation. In fact, it was his brother’s betrayal that brought about the Unconquered Sun’s blessings for all of us, except for Silver that is. I was born here in Terenuthis, it is my home and these are my people. That is why I stay. I suppose you could say that I am in service to them, the Khal has just been my ward since I was a girl. We now share a similar vision of seeing the Hundred Kingdoms united." As for the rest of them, well she knew that was something she needed to adress soon so that they all could focus on either the same goal or assist eachother with theirs. "I agree with Donovan's wisdom, what we were may not be what we will become.”

"Ok, but what are we supposed to do with what we got? I mean sure, uniting the kingdoms here for this man is admirable. But I'm not a tool. Where does that end? I don't care that we were chosen, I want to know what we are supposed to do with it."

Cion peeled his eyes off the regal princess to look over at the other redhead next to him. "Now that is the question and one I have been asking myself ever since given these powers." He looked over at the white haired Wyld mutant to his other side. "And you, they keep talking about you like you are something special. Where you chosen before the rest of us or do you carry the blood of the dragons?"

"Me? A dragon? No, I was chosen by Luna a long time ago. I just, you know travel a lot," she said swishing her tail and popping another rice treat in her mouth. "Lunars are the partners of Solars, which is why I'm here. That and interesting things keep happening around here." she glanced around the table but didn't say anymore than that.

"Which is good enough for me. For now. I'm here to get shit together and try my hand at that wall again. After that? I'll get to that after it's done. Shu Han or bust, never met a challenge I couldn't overcome." Ruby didn't really have loyalties here. It was entertaining at the moment, provided her with all the resources she needed, and a game-stopping challenge to meet head-on.

"My brother says the Exalted are exactly that, tools." May said finally. She looked around, knowing full well that she wasn't included in the conversation, but that didn't mean she was excluded.
"The God that chose him was smaller, hardly anything next to the Unconquered Sun. She spoke to him, because her purview was narrow. "Protect my lands and it's people. Do not let us be forgotten." She commanded him. And that is what he did. But not in the way he imagined." she was embarrassed now, as the godly beings gave her their attention.
"He thought he was chosen to defeat the Khal. But he was not. He was chosen to save our people and our home. Perhaps he could have used his divine power to kill Khal Shono, but in doing so he would have left my homeland defenseless against the plague that followed their invasion." she remembered watching him struggle with this burden. A choice that still haunted him now.
"His own desires, his freedom... it means nothing because he was Chosen to do a task. He is Izanami's champion in this world, an extension of her will. The question I would ask, were I in your place, is what does the Unconquered Sun wish? What does Lawgiver mean?" she looked back down at her instrument ad began to strum it again.

”Mayumi speaks wisdom and demonstrates why I am blessed to have a servant such as she,” she smiled with a hint of pride. Her thoughts drifted over the vision she had seen when the light came to her and the purpose it had given her. For a moment she struggled with sharing it with the group but the decided that speaking of such may seek as if she had delusions since none of the others seemed to have had the same experience.

”We all have our own paths to walk, even after being chosen. I do not presume every Exalt of a God is for the same purpose but maybe we all are here to bring light to the world around us. Perhaps though, our simultaneous Exaltations means that he did not intend for us to achieve these tasks alone.” Callista had always understood that her own desires would come second to the greater good and now it was even more so that the Unconquered Sun had chosen her.

Donovan thought on everyone's words. They all had an immediate goal of staying as did he. The idea of what would come after that baffled him though. He was here as part of the Khal's army. He imagined after that he would return to his own kingdom - though he rather expected the Khal to continually have task. What if there was no task to do? The Khal had given him the latitude to refuse service. One question he had realized he had been avoiding was what would Mother think about the situation?

If our role is lawgiver we will most likely gravitate to that role. To arbitrate in conflict; To establish order where there is chaos; To Provide guidance and order.

He looked over at Jill

I imagine you, as a Lunar have more knowledge than all the sages regarding the nature of the Solars. For you and Awilix it is part of your very being...

he looked over at Eida Perhaps we should find her?

Eida looked over at the An-Tir knight and narrowed his eyes. He did not know Eida's Warlord. He knew next to nothing about the relationship the two of them had shared for the years they had together.

"No." Eida glanced about to make sure everyone was going to understand his position, he disliked having to repeat himself. "You, and everyone else here, with the exception of the new individual, heard her plainly. If she had a desire to stay, she would have done so." Saying this was painful, and though it was probably true in some sense, Eida refused to believe what he was saying, his Warlord would not have just abandoned him without direction. "If she returns, it will be under her own desire, not from unwanted pressure from us or any others. She is a force of nature and will not be channeled by anyone."