Episode 3: The White Witch, Part 1

Previously on Exalted: the Egg of Rodan:
While traveling south across the frozen ice-pack of the Far North, the Circle came upon a nomad village beset by attacks. Their own men have become captivated by an evil Fairy Witch who steals the ovaries of the women. By now, the turned men have become twisted killers warped by the Wyld. The Circle decides to help the survivors of the village and defeat the attacking mutant Wyld-tainted barbarians. They then set off to the White Witch's lair.

And now:
The Circle, minus Netiso who stays with the village, follow the footprints of the attackers to a large dome in the ice crowned by tall Wyld-hardened ice crystal spires. The area around the dome is littered with the discarded and chewed-upon bodies of dozens of women, each with long surgical incisions in their lower abdomen. The footprints begin mysteriously in the snow several hundred feet away from the dome. The Unconquered Sun has risen low on the horizon to the northeast and has begun to make his long low trek around the horizon. Jade soars overhead like a circling condor. Beyond, more crystalline spires grow to prodigious heights, eventually twisting and curling in unnatural shapes and disappearing into the permanent mist of the Wyld.

As they approach, the Circle is set upon by Omen Dogs guarding the perimeter. The Omen Dogs are quickly dispatched by Brilliant Warrior, Dontesse, and Jade.

Into the Lair

There is some debate as to how to gain entry. Dontesse eventually powers up his Daiklave and strikes one of the crystal spires. The shockwave rocks the ground, knocks everyone down, and clears the 7-8 inches of snow covering the ice for several hundred feet in every direction, revealing frozen bodies trapped in the ice as far as anyone can see. Broken Mountain Forge and Headless notice an entrance in the ice, a ramp leading down. No one else can see or perceive the entrance in any way, obviously it is guarded by powerful illusions. Eventually, Headless and Broken Mountain Forge are able to make the others see the entrance.

The Horde Attack

They descend into a long passage in the white ice and hear voices several hundred feet ahead. Dontesse and Gleaming Warrior move ahead and are confronted with forty charging mutant barbarians. They retreat behind Headless who unleashes the Death of the Obsidian Butterflies. All but five of the barbarians are dispatched, and the remaining five flee for their lives.

Shaping the Wyld

The team continue, passing through a large cavernous living area for the barbarian thralls, they pass on and find another living area, apparently for the leaders. Another passage beyond displays the disorienting effect of the Wyld as down becomes up and the passage twists upon itself. With the exception of Jade, who has learned to harden her mind against such effects, the Circle begin to feel the effects of the Wyld on a personal level as well. They discover that thinking about something makes it real, to their detriment as they begin to create environmental hazards for themselves out of their own anxieties. They defeat their anxieties through concentrated effort.

The Labyrinth of Reflections

They come across a chamber fashioned into a labyrinth of reflective ice, creating a hall of mirrors. One of the leaders of the mutants taunts them, thousands of reflections moving in all directions. The Circle stays together. Dontesse closes his eyes, concentrating, removing all distractions. He aims Unrelenting Luminance by smell, air currents, and the flow of Essence in the labyrinth. He blindly fires several shots and hits the savage with each one, killing him. The circle becomes lost in the labyrinth and unwisely decides to split up. Jade, immune to the effects, concentrates, removing the Labyrinth, and walks directly to the exit. Several of the Circle open their minds to the Wyld, accepting its embrace in exchange for shaping an escape from the labyrinth. Broken Mountain Forge is the first to display the mutating effect of the Wyld. Two small horns are beginning to sprout from his forehead.

The Lake of the Frozen Damned

Past the labyrinth of reflections, the Circle encounters a large cavern consisting of a frozen lake. Standing on the ice are three of the twisted savage leaders. Under the ice are more bodies of victims, trapped forever. The twisted savages advance on the Circle in a zig-zag random pattern. Dontesse and Gleaming Warrior use the Graceful Crane Stance to gracefully cross the ice, defeating the savages swiftly. Jade opens his mind to the seduction of the Wyld shaping in order to provide assistance. Headless begins to cross the ice and falls through. Broken Mountain Forge and Jade pull him out before he drowns. With the help of Dontesse, Gleaming Warrior, and Jade, the Circle eventually manage to cross the ice.

The Bottomless Chamber of the Descending Pillars

Beyond the ice lake, the passage led to another chamber. Startlingly, it was the chamber they just left. They turned around to see where they had just come from, and it was a different chamber. The Circle went back and found a large chamber disappearing into the bottomless mist. Above was a ceiling of ice stalactites filled a black writing mass. Ahead were dozens of ice pillars at different heights. Six large mutant savages stood atop the pillars.

Dontesse used the Arrow Storm technique to shoot the pillars out from under the savages, causing many to fall to their doom. One falling savage was pinned to a pillar with an arrow through his long tentacle-like tongue. Gleaming Warrior dispatched the survivors. Gleaming Warrior soon discovered that the pillars begin to sink when you stand on them. As he leapt across, he was attacked by a swarm of man-eating bats from the ceiling. The Circle goes into action against the deadly swarm. Unable to dodge, Gleaming Warrior is forced to parry the diving bats in a blur of flashing orichalcum. Dontesse dispatches a few bats, but soon finds his arrows are of little use. Headless’ Obsidian Butterflies disperse the swarm, but does little damage. Broken Mountain Forge’s Flying Guillotine manages to saw through many of the bats. Eventually, through valiant effort, the bats are defeated.

Traha

Jade helps Headless across the chamber, then rescues the surviving Wyld barbarian, pinned to the slowly descending column by his tongue. The twisted creature with tentacles for arms and a grotesquely long tongue is grateful to Jade and pledges his life to her. Jade sanctifies the oath and the creature is bonded to her. He explains his name is Traha (“Pwa-ha”? “No, Pwa-Ha! Pee-Ah-Ay-Ape-Ay, Pwa-ha!”) and that in exchange for sparing his life, he will aid her.

To be continued...