Mission 5: Ransom for the Impious

Exalted: Grass Spiders
Grass Spiders On You Organizational Info Charms
Chapter 2
10: A Proper Sendoff 11: The Rat that Caught the Canary 12: A Proper Introduction 13: A Pearl Necklace 14: The Spider and the Slug
The Circle With No Name
Ash - CS Fay - CS Mesa - CS Opal Zealot - CS

Prelude

Rizuka knelt idly in the gardens behind the hospital, tending to a patch of plants whose growth she wasn't entirely happy with. This was, of course, a relative term; so strong was Rizuka's Wood-aspect anima banner that it had permanently endowed the garden with teeming life Essence, making it nearly as ripe and fertile as the Elemental Pole of Wood itself. Its most wilted flowers would be exotic blooms in any of Creation's markets. Nevertheless, Rizuka tried to nurture them further. Although she didn't look back, she raised her gaze when she heard heavy footsteps approaching behind her.

"Oak."

Oak's demeanor was less than jovial, as he got straight to business, "Midori, we have a very serious problem."

Rizuka finally looked back and upwards at the giant of a man, standing with some effort. She matched his concern, recognizing that a man as ancient and grizzled as Oak was not bothered by anything but the most grave of situations.

"What's wrong, Oak?"

"Come to the Manse. Let's go."

Although Rizuka had reached a comforting hand out towards Oak's shoulder, he turned before its arrival and began walking. Concerned, she followed him, matching his quick pace.

---

At the manse, Ruk, Anton, Tiamat, and the Three Elite Fiends stood gathered in the Manse's inner chamber, where meetings with the Fiends were held. They were gathered around something, although at first, Rizuka couldn't tell what. As they got closer, it became clear that it was a body.

Rizuka nudged between Ruk and Tiamat, kneeling at the foot of the cadaver. Instinctively feeling for a pulse and finding none, she looked back to the group.

"Who... is this?"

Gyoki replied, "I spoke with this man last week in Matetha - what he's doing in our damned grand corridor I couldn't possibly fathom, as I don't seem to recall inviting him here. He appears to be quite dead, also. I'd say he was in better shape when we last spoke."

Shedding a bit more light on Gyoki's reply, Ruk added, "This is the man from House Ledaal who hired The Circle With No Name to steal the Broken-Winged Crane. We don't know how he got in here, or why he's dead, but that's not our biggest concern."

Rizuka stood, tilting her head slightly, not fully understanding what Ruk was getting at. Tiamat spoke, holding up a pipe that he'd had in his hands.

"This pipe - it was still lit in the man's mouth when we found him. It's --"

He was cutoff by Rizuka; rarely prone to outbursts of any sort, even she couldn't stop herself from covering her mouth with one hand as she gasped.

"My gods... that's Atlas's pipe. It never made it back from his last mission... my gods..." She turned to Oak, her face having become slightly pale.

"Has the Circle with No Name left yet?"

Oak nodded affirmatively, and Anton, who had done a lot of the legwork in initial intelligence gathering, added, "They left yesterday, yeah, headin' int'Icehome southward."

Rizuka replied, "They could be in way over their heads... We should warn them - let the Harvestmen do this."

Tiamat nodded and said, "This is our dirty laundry and should clean it up. This job clearly isn't what we thought it was."

Anton, Ruk, and Oak were all ready to speak up as well, though it wasn't clear if they agreed or not. It didn't matter. Samsara, the quietest of the Elite Fiends, spoke up, and everyone else fell silent. Her piercing, inhuman voice was disconcerting even to the Order's most seasoned assassins, and her words were brief.

"No. This is as it should be. Atlas's beliefs encouraged the creation of the Circle With No Name. Atlas was not a fool. It is only natural that the new should arise from the ashes of the old - Atlas believed a new age was at hand, and with that new age, a new era for our art. Let the Circle With No Name prove themselves in the wake of Atlas's death; let them demonstrate, as he did, that our art will continue to reinvent itself as time marches on."

The Job

Client: House Ledaal
Target: The Broken-Winged Crane
Type: Theft
Target background: It was said the true copy of the Broken-Winged Crane will be written by a High Priestess of the Yozis, and that the completion of such a text will mark the beginning of the end of the times. Although all copies of the Broken-Winged are considered incredibly dangerous (possessing or reading even a single page of the book is punished by a swift, non-negotiable death in any remotely civilized area of Creation), it was believed previously that the true copy had not yet been written. Professors at the Heptagram believe they have turned up the true copy - still a work in progress, thankfully - and have readily convinced House Ledaal of such. In keeping with growing tensions in the Realm, House Ledaal is concerned that if the All-Seeing Eye is alerted, dormant spymasters from House Iselsi will try to recover the book and use it as a bargaining chip. Ledaal has opted for a different route - and that's where the Grass-Spiders come in.

Simply, the job of the Order is to steal the Broken-Winged Crane before it can be finished. The text was pinpointed by Heptagram faculty contacts in Icehome, where they believe it is currently being kept in the labyrinth underneath the Treasury building. It is also known that the text occasionally resides aboard a commerce airship, The Cicada, which travels in cycles between Icehome and Crystal. It is known that the text was in the Treasury building at the time of discovery, but the agent in question is concerned that the book's caretakers know it was spotted. The agent noted a large shipment of treasury items being shipped to Crystal aboard The Cicada, and is concerned the text may have been moved. Contacts in Crystal are able to verify that the text is not being housed within the city, so the book is either in the treasury or aboard the ship.

Ledaal has stressed that the acquisition of this text prior to its completion is critical to the safety of Creation as a whole. They have authorized the use of whatever means are necessary to obtain the book - House Ledaal's elders have agreed that they will take the blame for any political fallout that occurs as a result of the Grass Spiders' actions, provided they successfully obtain the text. They have also cautioned the Order that many other powerful groups of people, particularly Yu-Shan and its servants, have a strong interest in obtaining this book - Ledaal (perhaps rightfully) does not trust their intentions to be pure. Furthermore, it is not impossible that other Realm intelligence agencies have also uncovered the text, and may be working to obtain it.

((I will post maps of the Treasury building and the relevant Icehome districts in the next couple of days.))

((Check out the North sourcebook for information on the Haslanti League.))

Critical Notes:

• You have been authorized to use whatever means are needed to recover the book, at any cost. Kill whoever you have to, blow up whatever needs to be blown up, drop a Soulbreaker Orb in the middle of the city and then fly the Geronimo through the crater into the Treasury's catacombs to get the book, guns blazing, whatever. Whatever it takes.
• That said, the Haslanti League are some of the toughest, proudest bastards in Creation. They're all good at fighting and they have a large airship fleet with over 100 First-Age quality vessels, any of which they're perfectly willing to bring to bear if they feel their well-being is threatened. Factor in the likelihood of an extremely well-guarded Treasury building, interference from Heaven's agents (yes, that means Sidereal Exalts), the possibility of akuma (it is the Broken-Winged Crane, after all), and stealth/finesse doesn't seem like such bad idea.
• The Grandmothers (North book, pg. 66) are good friends of Gyoki and the Order. They may be able to provide useful information, but they may also alert Icehome to your presence - tread carefully.
• The Treasury is hosting a gala for visiting traders - this would be an ideal time to check out the Treasury building without arousing too much suspicion.
• Regardless of the scenario, the Haslans are unlikely to take kindly to intruders or theft - the fact that the text was stored in the Treasury means the author/owner is likely a friend of the Oligarchy.

Expected Threats:

• Haslanti Guards (Threat level: Low to Medium, Probability of Encounter: Likely)
• Sidereal Demon-Hunters (Threat level: You've read Scroll of Monk and Sidereal 2e, Probability of Encounter: Medium)
• All-Seeing Eye Agents (Threat level: High, Probability of Encounter: Medium)
• Haslanti Air Boats (Threat level: Medium to High, Probability of Encounter: Likely)

Team: The Circle With No Name