Dollieh Sanctuary

Based on EXALTED, an epic fantasy role-playing game by White Wolf Game Studio
Characters and story by Janet Trautvetter and Myranda Kalis Sarro

V'neef Citan:

"When you're born into one of the eleven noble houses of the Scarlet Dynasty, the divine blood of the Terrestrial Dragons runs in your very veins. To be Exalted—to receive the blessing and elemental powers of the gods, usually before your fifteenth birthday—is your birthright, and to aspire to the highest ideals the Dragons represent is, in theory at least, your driving goal in life.

"At least, that's the way it's supposed to be. In reality, it seems the Dragons bless whom they will without great regard for purity of bloodline, personal piety or nobility of character.

"And as for those high ideals—well. Thanks to the exclusive boarding schools that cater to the favored children of the Dynasty, I or any one of my Dragon-blooded peers can quote them verbatim. Living by them, though… that's something else altogether.

"I do what I can…. But in an empire grown corrupt with greed and decadent from the spoils of war and the labors of those it has enslaved, how much difference can one man make, even when Exalted by the gods?"

Night in the Imperial City, capital of a vast empire known as the Realm.

In an alley near the docks, three figures slip furtively through the shadows. Two of them, a boy and a girl, wear silken robes ill-suited for the streets, and ornamental golden collars. Their guide is tall, cloaked and hooded, his face unseen; he carries the boy, who is injured, and leads the way through the maze of narrow streets. He is one of a highly secretive conspiracy known as The Shadow Road, who operate a clandestine network across the Blessed Isle to aid escaping slaves to find safe routes out of the Realm.


SILVERTHORN: "In here. There's a place you can rest for a while."

MEI: "What is this place?"


SILVERTHORN: "One warehouse among dozens of others just like it... but this one is also a safe house, and a waystation on the Shadow Road."


MEI: "Oh, no—his wounds are bleeding again... Lie still, Bela, you're safe now."

SILVERTHORN: "I've tended a few bad wounds in my day. Let me see what I can do for him."


BELA: "Nooooo!—No, don't let him touch me! He's a demon, he'll eat my soul— "


MEI: "Bela, hush, what are you talking about, he's the one that got us out of that awful place! He's not a—"


MEI: "Oh! Who—what—are you?"


SILVERTHORN: "I'm called Silverthorn. Don't let my appearance frighten you, Mei. I assure you, I am not a demon, nor one of the Fair Folk, and I have no desire to devour your souls."

MEI: "But you looked so different… before. When you came to free us—and then the guards all acted like they recognized you."


SILVERTHORN: "They saw what needed to see, that is all.

"I can help Bela if he will allow me—you don't want these wounds to fester. You have a long journey ahead of you, you'll need your strength."

MEI: "A journey? Where exactly are you taking us?"


SILVERTHORN: "I am but one guide on the shadow road—you alone can determine where it leads. But you are starting from the heart of the Realm, so the road will be long and I cannot walk it with you.

"I will see you safely to someone who can take you out of the city. From here, he will take you to Arjuf, and arrange for your passage on a ship back to your homeland."

MEI: "There is nothing to go home to. Our village was destroyed, everyone's dead, except me and Bela. If I could go anywhere, though... I'd go to Coral. My father is a ship captain, he was away on a trading voyage when the pirates struck. That's the one port I know he always comes to sooner or later."


SILVERTHORN: "Then Coral it is, and I hope you find— Someone's coming!"

Continued in next post.....

STRIKING THUNDER: "It's me, I got your message—oh, you have been busy, haven't you? You didn't say there'd be two of them this time…"

SILVERTHORN: "Is that going to be a problem?"


STRIKING THUNDER: "Hmm…. Let me take a look here… Let me guess. House Cynis again, heh? You always have a soft spot for the brothel bait, don't you…"

MEI: "And just who are you, anyway?"



SILVERTHORN: "This is Striking Thunder. He's a merchant factor with many connections. He can find you safe passage to Arjuf."



SILVERTHORN: "This is Mei and Bela. They need to find a shadow road to Coral."

STRIKING THUNDER: "Coral! That's a long road, and a sea voyage as well. Can either of them do real work?"



MEI: "That depends on what you mean by real work."

SILVERTHORN: "I will pay their passage expenses, as usual."



STRIKING THUNDER: " It's not a question of jade, you know that—it's looking like they belong. So they don't attract unwelcome attention by being helpless or too pretty… House Cynis pays good jade for informants these days."

SILVERTHORN: "I daresay they do. But what informants do not notice, they cannot report."



STRIKING THUNDER: "Well, let's take care of the obvious first—those collars have got to go."

MEI: "Yes, please....".



STRIKING THUNDER: "There's been a Purple Robe poking his nose about too, asking questions... You understand, some of my contacts, they get a little nervous when some Imperial ministry official starts paying attention to their business. 'Specially if he's Dragon-blooded. That kind, they don't take no for an answer."

SILVERTHORN: "Understood. We'll deal with the ministry official later. For now, these two need travel arrangements made, and quickly, before the alarm is raised."



STRIKING THUNDER: (to Bela) "Easy, lad. I'm cutting your collar, not your throat... There, that's it. Just relax, and you'll be a free man in no time...."



SILVERTHORN: "Here, Mei — Why don't you trade that collar for something more comfortable. You can change back in that corner if you like."



MEI: "That sounds like a good bargain to me!"



STRIKING THUNDER: (privately to Silverthorn) "The boy's in bad shape. There's bleeding inside, I'm thinking. Whoever beat him like that... they wanted him to suffer. He's not going to make it out of the prefecture, much less all the way to Arjuf or Coral."

SILVERTHORN: "Don't give up too soon. He's young and strong, and freedom is an excellent medicine of itself. I have some very good healing liniments, too—let's see how he responds to those."

STRIKING THUNDER: " Well, if you say so... I'll go see about those arrangements."





STRIKING THUNDER: "Hey, you can't blame me for wanting a peek—Alright, alright... I'll be back in a couple of hours."

SILVERTHORN: "Thank you."

Continued in next post.....

SILVERTHORN: "Don't be afraid, my young friend... See what you need to see.... it's going to be alright."



BELA: ( whispering ) "Grandmother.... I've missed you... Did you come for me...? "

SILVERTHORN: "No, Bela—this isn't your time, not yet. I know it hurts.... but you need to hold on just a little longer... Just close your eyes and relax..... "



MEI: ( Thinking) What--? Is this what I think it is...? Maybe I should ask him if I'm really supposed to—

But what she sees stops her in amazement...




MEI: ( Thinking) oh, my....


A few minutes later....


MEI: "Well, you're probably right, no one is going to look twice at me now!"



MEI: "But it's so heavy! "

SILVERTHORN: "Yes, so I've been told.... But the weight will affect how you walk and move, and thus add to the illusion.

"Come, I've prepared some things for you to take along, for you and for Bela, let me show you.... "



MEI: (comes over to look at Bela) "He's breathing much better—he's not so pale, either... "

SILVERTHORN: "This liniment will help those wounds heal without scarring. And in the small bottle... a restorative powder. A pinch or so in his tea in the mornings, and he will regain his strength much quicker. It won't hurt you to take it either—given your...ah, condition.. it would be expected. "

MEI: "My condition—hah! Though I'm sure you're right about that! "


SILVERTHORN: "And because it is the nature of journeys to develop unexpected complications—there's also some extra jade to help with at least some of those. "

MEI: "Thank you. "

SILVERTHORN: "Something else you should know... Striking Thunder deals in many commodities, but information is of all things the most precious, even more than jade. He will doubtless be full of questions for you... Whatever currency you may have from your time inside House Cynis, be sure to use it wisely. "

MEI: "I will. "


Some time later, Striking Thunder returns, having made the arrangements he promised....


STRIKING THUNDER: "That's it, lad, just take small steps, we don't have far to go to get to the wagon... We've got a river barge waiting for you, that'll make the first part of your trip a lot easier.... "



STRIKING THUNDER: "That liniment of yours is just amazing... didn't think he'd be on his feet like this so soon.... We ought to bottle that stuff and sell it, we'd make a fortune! "



SILVERTHORN: "It's an old family recipe—But I'm afraid the ghosts of my ancestors would haunt me forever if I ever revealed its secrets. "

Mei lags behind, waiting until Striking Thunder is out of earshot....


MEI: "Silverthorn... What you did for Bela... You're one of the Dragon-blooded, aren't you?"



Silverthorn does not respond.

MEI: "What you're doing for us… It must be illegal."



SILVERTHORN: "Highly illegal, in fact."

MEI: "And dangerous, even for a member of the Dynasty. Why are you doing this—risking your life, everything you have—for us?"



SILVERTHORN: "Why? Because holding another in bondage is not protection, and binding the world in chains of greed is not stewardship."

MEI: "I can't repay you for any of this..."

SILVERTHORN: "You owe me nothing. We have taken enough from you as it is. Two years of your life, and Bela's—past time to set the balance at least partly right."



MEI: "Then know at least you have my eternal gratitude—and here is a token of it." (She kisses his cheek). "Thank you. I will pray to the gods to protect you always."



SILVERTHORN: "May you find your way safely on the shadow road... and find your father at the other end."






SILVERTHORN: "There are times…. I almost wish I could go with them. My collar cannot be seen, but it is no less real."

Continued in next post.....

The Imperial Jade Palace—a sprawling, centuries-old fortified enclave that is a small city in itself, home and administrative headquarters for the city's Dragon-blooded elite and those who serve them. Nine of the eleven great Dynastic Houses have their own compounds here. Built partly by Essence-powered sorcery and demonic slaves, and partly by the labor of human hands, it is (as one would expect) riddled with secret passages and hidden rooms—so many, it is said that no one person, not even the Scarlet Empress herself, knows them all.

But in truth, it's less important to know every secret passage, than to have access to one which you alone know the existence of. One such passage, whose most frequent traveler prays that is in fact the case, emerges in a small enclosed herb garden, in the wing of the Palace reserved for members of House V'neef....





REN: "My lord, I'm glad you're back safely. I was beginning to worry."

SILVERTHORN: "Don't tell me you've been waiting up all night!"



REN: "I did sleep a little. Was it a good night, my lord?"

SILVERTHORN: "It was. We'll need to make more of the liniment, though—one of them had been beaten rather badly. I gave them all that remained in the jar."



REN: "I'll check the supplies in the stillroom. We should still have enough of the primary ingredients."

SILVERTHORN: "Good. Thank you, Ren. Stand back...."



As Silverthorn removes his mask, his anima shimmers around him, and his form changes.... there is also the faint scent of linden blossoms, even though there is no linden tree in the garden...



As soon as the transformation is complete, however, he sinks down weakly onto the bench. In his hands is a beautifully crafted mask of moonsilver and jade....


REN: "Lord Citan?—are you injured?"


CITAN: "I'm fine, just a bit woozy. Using it... always takes a lot out of me. And I used Essence of my own tonight as well."


REN: "I do wish you would use a less incriminating place to store that artifact, my lord. If it is ever discovered…"


CITAN: "If Silverthorn's Mask of Moonsilver Illusion is ever discovered, any sorcerer will be able to trace who has been using it."


CITAN: "And anyone who comes literally digging in my garden probably already knows too much. By that point, where it is stored hardly matters."



REN: "Yes, my lord. You should rest now… your mother has requested that you join her for a private luncheon today in the peacock room."


CITAN: "I don't suppose her invitation happened to mention who else would be joining us for that private luncheon—I have this nagging suspicion she's dangling me in front of incipient brides again."

REN: "She did request that you remember to garb yourself appropriately for your station…"


CITAN: ::sighs:: "In that case, I'll take your advice and sleep while I can—wouldn't want to disappoint her by having the bait show up with dark circles under his eyes…"

REN: "Very good, my lord…."


CITAN: "I healed a shattered rib tonight, Ren. I could almost see it… the particles of bone coming together, the swelling in the surrounding tissue going down… the pain ebbing away like the outgoing tide. It was…"


CITAN: "It was almost like being a real healer."


REN: "It's a rare gift, even among the Princes of the Earth."


CITAN: "…… I know. Thank you, Ren. I'll be in shortly."

Ren bows and departs.



COMING SOON:

Episode 2: Bad News Travels Furthest and Fast...
Episode 3: Thicker than Water
Episode 4: Reflections on Summer Love
Episode 5: The Games of Court
Episode 6: The Eyes of the Dragon
Episode 7: The Road Not Traveled
Episode 8: Heartbroken Clouds

woohoo! I didnt have long to wait!....now I need more!