Grigori Tinpuras, Xael's Lunar

You find yourself in Mishaka having completed everything you'd come here to do and with nothing else in particular needing to be done. As such, you go to a nearby pub to drink idly as you watch the patrons go about their daily lives. While sitting there, you hear a loud commotion outside.

Following the crowd out to look, you see all the townspeople have stepped to the side as a group of men in various colored armor chase a robed figure down the street. A man steps out from the crowd in front of the pursuers holding his hand out. "Hey now, what is this all about? Who is that, and why are you chasing them?" he questions.

"Out of the way, filth!" one of the men shouts as he brushes the interruption to the side and continues his chase.

Seemingly insulted, the man reaches to the greatsword on his back and pulls it from the cloth sheathing. "Don't just ignore me!" He then hefts the blade up and around, swinging downward and turning it to catch the dirt and fling it toward the men. The sword falls to his side after having traveled the large crescent, the tip pointing behind him and away from the armored men.

"How dare you presume to tell me what to do! I'll teach you some respect, wretch!" the man in the red armor fumes as he spins around and draws his own gleaming red blade. "Do you honestly think you could win against me, peasant?" He stands prepared, waiting for the other man to make the first move.

Grigori watched the events unfold. This man was rather stupid, getting himself involved where he doesn't belong. And yet, here he was. His character would dictate that this was not the first time he'd done something so brash. His skill with the sword seemed grand, judging by the one motion he had seen. Someone like him might have a bounty on his head. Though simply killing him here would make things messy, especially if there was no bounty.

Grigori sighed. If this man did have a bounty, he didn't want it stolen by what appeared to be guards or soldiers. But he also didn't want to make himself a spectacle, for obvious reasons. He thought for a bit, and decided he would let things unfold a bit more. Then he thought about the bounty a troublemaker like this might have. Grigori pushed to the front and spoke to the trouble maker in a hushed voice.

"That man in the robe is a murderer trying to escape. You are probably the only one that doesn't know. Now please calm down and let this man do his job."

Ignoring your words, the man in front of you spits to the side before again speaking to the red armored man. "You disgust me, chasing down an unarmed man. Whether I could win or not would not stop me from fighting injustice. But I bet my training trumps your bravado."

"LET US SEE!" and with that the greatsword-wielding combatant charges forward, bringing his weapon to bear by dragging it forward, a deep carving cut with the blade arcing over his head and back down to his ready position.

Bringing his weapon down to block, the armored man miscalculates the arc of the swing. As the greatsword slashes across him, he winces in pain.

Gathering himself from the force of the blow, he spins around and brings his blade down upon the jacketed man's shoulder. The armored man (obviously a Dragon-Blood) now has the faint the outline of a red dragon, it's jaw open wide surrounding his sword as if it were to bite the other as the blade dug in.

The greatswordsman falls downward in an attempt to evade the swing. Though his dodgings and maneuverings were a great attempt, he is still struck by the dragon-surmounted sword. The blade itself doesn't seem to do much, but when his strike hits, the essence-dragon bursts into flames, obviously searing his flesh based on his reaction.

With a smirk and an overconfident maneuver, the Terrestrial pulls his Daiklave back, then thrusts it forward again trying to impale the other man, the blade surmounted again by the glittering dragon trails.

Standing still, the combatant waits as the Dragon-Blood thrusts forward, his blade seemingly finding purchase. A flash of brilliant golden-white light issues forth, leaving the swordsman unscathed and unimpressed.

"You have chosen the wrong foe to think so lightly of," he says, a toothy grin dominating his face.

Dazzled by the light, the Terrestrial blinks a few times and seems surprised as he realizes that his attack had no effect. After a moment, his eyes widen and his stance begins to waver. Fear begins to creep into his features as he stands in front of the other man, unable to speak. Curious as to what caused the sudden change, you look at the other man closely. After a moment, you notice a glimmering Solar Caste mark on his forehead. Dawn Caste, if you remember your Mentor's teachings correctly.

The Solar lowers his stance, pulling his legs into position. His boots drag across the dirt of the street making the faintest of scuffing noises. The sound of his movement is immediately apparent, the crowd and men before him are deadly quiet.

"You sit in your decadent life, sure of your power and position. You oppress those weaker than you, bully those that don't like it, and kill those who oppose you. But when one has the strength to stop you, what do you do? What will you do when your armies fail and your power wanes? You will be but one of many."

"I grew up, knowing to respect your kind above all others. That there were beings of pure evil, the Anathema, that sought the downfall of all that I loved..."

He raises his fist in front of his face.

"But now I know what to truly fear, not you, not the Anathema, I... Fear... NO ONE!"

At that, the Solar's Anima flared up brightly as he grew to simply enormous stature, his eyes burning a brilliant red.

The Dawn Caste burst forward, straight at the frightened Dragon-Blooded, seemingly about to collide, then stopped short and used the momentum to his advantage letting his feet leave the ground and he began to spin. His blade skit along the ground below him kicking up dust, until his first revolution had come to an end.

The blade crashed down upon the quivering man, like a wave of death, but that was not the end of the act. The blade met the ground again, but the Lawgiver did not yet fall, he kept himself aloft with the force remaining from the last blow, as he began to twist his body and spin again. Another bladed wave struck, and then another, but this time when the blade hit the ground, it dug in with a loud 'Shk', catapulting him up and over, to land on the other side of his foe.

Eyes widening at the sudden increase in the Ascending Sun's stature, but steadying himself for the incoming attack, the Terrestrial pulled his blade above himself at just the right moment, catching the greatsword upon it and causing a multitude of gold and blue sparks to go flying from the clash of metal directly into the Solar's eyes.

Seeming delightfully surprised that he was able to parry the first strike, his face became that of horror as the assault was continued. He flailed in a futile attempt to block the continuing strikes. Unable to match the Dawn's prowess with the blade, he is forced to burn off his essence.

The second slash hits him squarely in the shoulder. Large billows of flame erupt from his body, forming abstract images of a dragon curled around him causing the blow that should have been fatal to cause nothing more than a small laceration.

Disoriented by the ferocity of the attack, his attempts to parry the final strike are met with failure. As the blow hits him in the arm, the roar of flames around him explode again, the dragon-image snapping viciously at the Solar. The fire seems to sear his skin painfully as he strays too close to the raging inferno of a man. Landing once more on the ground, the Solar pauses shortly as the conclusion of his flurry of blows. His final blow doesn't seem to have affected the Dragon-Blood.

Thoroughly shaken and terrified by the beast of a man that now stood in front of him, he lost all the composure he once had. "You have not seen the last of me, Anathema! I will find you and kill you!" Fuming at his humiliation and quivering with the last few moments' actions, weakened by his enormous essence usage, he hardly seemed willing to fight any longer. Flames still billowing from him, he ran off down the street and around the corner leaving fires lingering where his feet touched the ground. There was no chance of pursuit due to the speed of his movement, easily twice what you know you could manage.

Enthralled by the displays of power, you suddenly realize that you are the only person standing there and quickly duck down with the peasants.

The Solar now looked around, seemingly quite oblivious to everything but the Dragon-Blood up till now. As he turned his gaze at the villagers, they slipped behind something as if it would protect or hide them from him.

He stood still for a moment, staring at where his foe had been, and at the trail of dust and fire from where he had fled at a breakneck pace. He looked down for a moment, kicking at the ground. Still wreathed in white flame, he allowed himself to shrink back down to normal proportions as he lifted his head, and starts following the road to the edge of town.

Grigori practically drooled. A mark this powerful, a Solar exalted to be sure. Not only could he get a challenge out of this, but surely there was quite a bit of money for it too. Of course, he would lose in a straight battle. He would have to plot this out for a while. He thought about simply shadowing the man, but then he remembered one of the lessons his mentor had taught him. He hated the idea that his mentor had been right about such a stupid thing.

Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer

He ran after the man, planning to gain his trust, and then betray him later. When he got close enough, he spoke to him.
"Hey! Excuse me! I'm uh... I'm sorry about lying to you about that robed man earlier. I was only trying to keep you from getting yourself hurt, really. I'm truly sorry. I would like to pardon myself in some way. Is there anything I could possibly help you with?"

The Solar stopped dead in his tracks, turned, shot a strange and angry look at you, and then calmly but with a measure of rage replied.

"No."

Emphasizing his response, Essence flows forth like a tidal-wave from his body and it coalesces, swirling beneath him. It bursts forth, a wolf of brilliant white flames, jumping through his body, and landing before him, snarling and snapping. It then jumps back, into his body, a shower of shining sparks flying in every direction, and leaving his body coated in brilliant alabaster flames.

The blindingly bright man turns back to his previous direction, ignoring you, and continuing his march out of town.

Grigori watched the mans back as he walked away. This new show of power was intimidating and exciting at the same time. But he also only started to realize that he would gain attention should he start hanging around a guy like this. At least, were he human. He also needed to know more about this man. He decided to ask the crowd for information. It was possible that someone had seen his bounty. After that, he would need to ascertain the mans goals, so he might be able to get closer to him.

Grigori also began to wonder about the fact that his mark was a Solar. In theory, they should be allies against the dragon-blooded. He also considered how foolish it was for the man to reveal his identity in public. Perhaps he was missing some key element in this situation. Did the man simply not care? He felt a twinge of anger. He might have learned the answer from his mentor, had he not ceased his education prematurely.

Damn that old codger! He never focused on teaching me the important things! I know he kept secrets from me. I know that he could have taught me more about the art of killing, but he refused to. He must have been afraid that I would surpass him. Dammit, why am I thinking about him?! I need to focus on the present. I need to focus on this mystery man.

After spending some time asking around about the Solar, you find many answers of fear and ignorance. Nobody seems to have ever seen this man before. A couple think they might have seen him walking into town earlier that day, but they aren't certain. It could have been anybody really. This, of course, means that there's no bounty on him, at least not here, not yet.

Grigori was rather annoyed. No one seemed to know anything about this man. He was running out of options, and decided on one. He ducked into a back alley where no one could see him, and shape shifted into a raiton. He took to the sky with his black wings and circled around until he spotted the solar. He began trailing him.

Well, this is all I have now. I'm just going to have to follow him around until I can find out more about him. Perhaps wherever he's going will offer some source of information.

Shapeshift: 3m spent from Personal

Flying overhead, you see everything from a completely different perspective. After a few short moments, you spot your target, walking out of the town. After a few moments, he reaches a tree with a large white wolf sleeping under it.

He walks up to the wolf and pats it on the head. "Tta' lp yu ere, ll, c'n lp e w I ess... Kee ard r e ile I est, 'kay oy? I d to el p a it." the speech travels up to you distorted and hushed. He drives his sword into the ground, leans up against the tree, and tries to get some sleep as his wolf sits up and starts looking around, protecting it's master.

Grigori attempts to decipher what he heard:
"Lotta help you were. Well, can't help it I guess... Keep guard while I rest, Okay boy?"
The last bit was decidedly too distorted to make heads or tails of. Regardless, it was probably no more important than the rest of it.

A white wolf... could it be a familiar? Or just some pet? Perhaps I could find out.

Grigori slowly circled down to the tree. He watched the wolf the entire time, ready to take to the air again should it respond to him. If it let him near, he could simply sit in the tree until the man started to move again. And maybe the man would even talk in his sleep.

Flying down to land in the tree, the wolf doesn't seem to notice or care about you. After sleeping for a number of hours till the sun sets, the Solar wakes. He looks around for a minute, then sits with his legs crossed and his back against his sword that he'd driven into the ground. His wolf comes to sit next to him as he pets it calmly. For the next hour, he sits there, apparently meditating.

When finally he is finished, he stands up taking his sword and begins walking back toward the city. He walks through the streets that are unexpectedly busy considering the time of night and talking to whichever merchants will speak with him after his performance earlier that day. He seems to be purchasing a substantial quantity of food and traveling supplies. About enough for a week of travel, you surmise from the quantity.

All motes respired.

Grigori takes note of what the solar buys, and once he has ascertained the solars direction of movement, he buys the same(after shifting back to human form).

He must be headed somewhere far now, but buying that much supplies, does he intend to go on foot? It seems like I won't be able to follow him for so long without the proper supplies myself. He sure is making this difficult though. And there are still the ramifications to think about. If there are any. This man is clearly some sort of outcast. I doubt anyone would even miss him. Still, this is one of the reasons for following him; to gather information about him. Though I don't think I would like to keep shifting between bird and man so many times. And besides, it may prove easier to track him on foot.

Once Grigori has finished buying the supplies, he gets out of sight and shifts into a raiton again. He then follows the solar until he stops for a break, at which point he flies along his current path for about 3000 more feet, lands behind a grove of trees or somesuch, and resumes human form. He then takes a break himself, waiting for the solar to catch up with him.

After purchasing enough supplies for about a week of travel, you begin to follow the Solar as he leaves the city. Suddenly, he begins sprinting through the streets and out of town, heading east. He seems to be making a point of staying off the roads as he runs. After following for a little while, he stops running, but continues on his path to the east. You aren't certain why he ran or where he's going, and it seems a little odd, but then... Most Exalts are a little odd in some way or another.

When the first rays of the sun finally peak over the horizon, the Solar decides to stop, presumably to eat and rest for a short while before continuing because he certainly couldn't be tired yet. Flying ahead and stopping to rest and eat yourself, you wait.

Some short time later, when the sun is shining it's pale morning glow over the landscape, you see the Solar coming along his path toward you, then turn and go around you, his pace quickening slightly. Unsure of why he'd avoid you, you are curious, but also know to be cautious of this Child of the Sun.

Damn he's avoiding me. I'm going to have to come up with something fast. I could try revealing my true nature via anima, but he might take that as a signal for combat. If he didn't he may wonder how I knew he was a solar. Unless... well, it's worth the risk I think.

Grigori causes his anima to glow brightly, and waves at the solar.

Perhaps like this, he will trust me, if he knows we are in similar situations. Of course, everything might go wrong here, and if it does, I will take it as a sign and give up on this hunt. I'm sure I could find some challenging marks that aren't this much trouble.

Idly glancing around for a quick moment while you wait for him to respond, you notice the plants in the light and darkness of your anima are beginning to moisten and gather tiny dew droplets on them ...even more than they already had from the recently-passed night.

Turning, the muscular Solar begins walking towards the you. He walks slowly, waiting for you to make your next move. He seems ready to spring into action at any moment should he need to.

1m spent to create 8-10 mote anima display.

Well, he hasn't attacked me outright... yet. I suppose this could work after all.

Grigori, showing a broad smile, gestures in greeting to the solar, and speaks loudly enough that he believes the solar can hear him.
"Hello! As you can see, we are in the same boat, are we not? I saw your little display back in town, and took some interest in you. You seem to be someone who still knows what justice is, despite having ascended. I would like to help you in your journey of goodwill, if you would allow it. "

I hope he buys this... I can always use that trick that damned old man taught me if need be. I just hope I read him right.

The Solar draws yet closer, close enough that if he were to brandish it in full, his blade's tip could nick the end of your nose.

"Justice? Goodwill? There is no justice in these lands anymore. Goodwill only serves to blind the peasantry from the truth. We are being assaulted on all sides, the Deathlords seek to destroy the lands from within, slaughtering towns to spread their taint. Whilst the Dragon-Blooded ignore the real threats, and instead waste entire armies to hunt the Anathema. If I truly have 'ascended', I have risen to a shattered throne, and I will be damned If I let the pieces get stolen by the true evils in this world."

He sighs heavily, gathering his thoughts and slightly changing his temperament in doing so.

"The long and short of it is that The Mask of Winters took my life from me, and I will not let him run roughshod through my home. For now I stand no chance against him, but I now seek to gain strength. Strength of body, strength of mind, and the strength of the people. With those, I may stand a chance of driving him from my homeland, but that is a long time from now. I do not care if you follow or not, and if there are spoils to be had, you will get what you earn. Further than that, your decisions are your own."

He promptly finds a nearby rock, and plops down upon it.

"I am taking a short rest, when I am finished I am leaving, with or without you."

Excellent. Now the hunt can begin!

"I know what you mean friend, which is why I wish to help you. You, who would fight for someone he hasn't even met. I believe you can restore justice to this world. But you forgot one thing you wil be needing; the power of allies. People who will fight close to you and watch your back. I will be one such ally. My name is Grigori Tinpuras, might I know yours?"

"Just call me Cerril"

A few moments later, Cerril eases himself up, and continues walking to the east toward the rising sun.

This is excellent. I can hardly believe how well that worked. Now to find out about that mutt of his. I don't want any surprises.

"Well then Cerril, it is an honor to travel with you. If you ever require a job of stealth, I am your man. Of course I could also help you during battle too."

Grigori waits a few moments silently, and then speaks again.

"So, that wolf, is he your pet? Does he have a name?"

"Wolf? Oh, Rijo. He keeps to himself mostly, never straying too far from me, but only occasionally coming close. I usually have to spend an hour looking for him, but it really isn't hard to find him. If he does come 'round here, I suggest you keep several feet from me, he tends to get bitey around strangers. Yep, like a couple of feral dogs me and him."

Cerril sighs again, with obvious displeasure.

"We really should pick up the pace if we are going to get to Tirith."

At that, he begins walking faster, more determined to get to the village at the foot of one of the nearby mountains to the east.

"Well, between the three of us, I'm sure there's nothing we couldn't handle!"
Grigori grins roguishly.
"So what are we going to be doing in Tirith, if you don't mind me asking? And go as fast as you'd like, I can keep up just fine."

Ignoring your first statement, Cerril responds to your second, "What we are doing there... depends on a few things. At best we could walk into town and be immediately accepted for what we are, maybe even work up a following there. That I doubt. We could always ask if they need help with anything, you know, bandits and the like. At worst, they run us out and we sneak back in during the night to grab anything we might need. If there aren't any Dragon-Blooded soldiers there I would rather not have to kill anyone, but we will see..."

I'd best stop the idle banter for now, lest he get suspicious. This man really is some sort of fool. He wouldn't kill the dragon blooded even though they are the ones that hunt us? Ha! When I have your blood Cerril, I will put it to better use than you ever would.

Grigori continues to travel along side Cerril, saying nothing.

Remaining silent, the two of you walk towards Tirith, stopping occasionally to rest and eat. There is little talking and few things of interest over the next two days as you near the village, opting for the peace of silence. The land has thickened and is now more of a forest than it was near Mishaka. The late morning is beautiful, and walking through the forest is peaceful and calming.

As you arrive at Tirith, a small group of villagers comes out to meet you. One of the men, a handsome young fellow in furs and leather addresses you. "Greetings, travelers. What brings you out to our village?" he looks calm and kind as he waits for a response.

"Me and my..." Cerril stops for a second. "Esteemed colleague here, were just passing through looking for work. We tend to specialize in 'dealing' with bandits and the like. Perhaps you or your fellow could utilize our services? I also personally have some skill making and repairing swords as well."

Gain 9 Experience for the end of an extended Scene.