Tiiired

See, now this is why I think I might be involved in too many games.
Last night, after helping with a group quest on WoW, we played Exalted. It wasn't a big session for some people, but it was reasonably intense for me. Today my brain is sort of set in Exalted mode - analyzing what happened and what course of advancement would be appropriate.
But tonight is a night where nothing is "hard" scheduled. That just means there will be some pressure to run Star Wars. And, truth be told, I do want to continue the story that's just begun. The problem is, I'm not really able to think about it right now. And, on top of that, there will probably be some push to hit a dungeon or start a trip into Karazhan.
@.@


Let's see... I'm a few sessions behind here.

The Circle met with Sol, Luna, and Gaia (the last was unexpected). Much was conveyed and related unto the Incarnae. It was done well enough to convince the Unconquered Sun that Solars were paying attention and starting to pull their weigh again as he reinstated the mandate of Heaven that decreed the Solars as rulers of Creation. Officially, that's pretty simple. Practically, however, it's a lot more complex as the Solars as a whole are not united. Perhaps the biggest question is how the Bronze Faction Sidereals are going to react as they already don't like the Solars. They pushed the Usurpation after the mandate was taken away, so if they act out there'd be more repercussions against them now. They might anyway.
After some discussion, Luna did a couple major things, too. She charged Vee with finding a Wyld-crazed Lunar in the East and restoring her (I'm told it's Rakshi, though this is not a character I'm familiar with). She also "switched" Kujath's Lunar bond to Selina. Which, theoretically, leaves Auric connected to some other Lunar shard somewhere. I have some mixed feelings about that, but it's not remotely my business.
The circle then returned to Xian's manse and spent some time-flow-shifted time training...

... only to be invited to see the Maiden of Serenity. Except they weren't told where they were going, just led off by Xian Aki.
Unfortunately, this sessions was just about a wash. Misunderstandings between players and characters ending up off-balance and defensive made things a mess. The Maiden pushed for the Solars to commit to the oath that keeps any from committing hostilities on her grounds, but the Circle wasn't ready to agree to that so quickly. It was deduced that the Maiden knew about the jade box containing the blank exaltation shards they Circle wanted, but how to use that knowledge didn't click. I tried to stall for more time...

... Last night was better. A little party discussion helped center the Circle so they could go back to talking with the Maiden while knowing what they were doing.
I made use of Zeal (as I knew I probably would) in the discussions, for beating a MDV of 21 without a "perfect attack" is close to impossible. Social DV's are usually a lot lower than physical ones, and attack pools frequently reflect this.
So the Maiden, Venus, was convinced to turn over the box. Yay. As she was about to do so, however, another Sidereal showed up to interrupt and delay the matter. At roughly this point, Xian whispers to Alexi that she should try to break Venus' addiction to the Games of Divinity and that this new Siddie will try to interrupt until Venus leaves.
That's when things got ugly (in both a good and bad way). Alexi, trusting Xian, launches into social attacks on Venus to get her to stay rather than going back to the Games. The other Solars assist (the Lunars being bound by the oath that keeps them from doing much). Selina physically grabs the Maiden, shocking a great many people though I can't argue the effectiveness. So with some trading Willpower for Willpower, the Maiden's pool actually exhausts a lot faster than I would ever have guessed. In what is described as a "therapy session," Alexi finally manages to convince the Maiden of Serenity that the Games have been a distraction from her duties and is likewise plaguing her fellow Incarnae.
It's a serious "Oh My God" moment to see your character doing this to one of the more powerful entities in the setting.
Of course, the other Sidereal sees the start of this and takes off. She can't attack in the baths/gardens, but she sure can go report to her superiors. Assaulting a Maiden is going to attract some seriously negative attention, even if it's for her own good.
A weary, if clear-headed, Venus then turns the box over and explains the age is coming to an end. She says this means one of her sisters will die and be replaced, and the newly-ascended Maiden will hold sway over the new age. She also says war shall consume Creation. Together, this says that the Maiden of Battle, Mars, is going to be the one to perish. I'm still trying to process this. Is it something to try to avoid? Breaking a cycle, even on that level, isn't inconceivable. Or is it something to accept? After all, freeing and uniting Creation is simply not going to happen peaceably.
So... the Circle needs to get those shards to Lytek, make sure he won't be mugged, and probably get their collective tails back to Creation to continue things there while letting Yu Shan cool down a bit.

Quote, if out of character:
OOC: Alexi adjusts her glasses and taps her pen against her notepad, eyeing the Maiden on the couch. "So. How long have you been playing the World of War- I mean, the Games of Divinity? Mmm-hmm. And when did you stop going to work?"

I, and to a lesser extent Alexi, feel a little bad about all this. Social combat is in the rules, sure. This was a good thing for Venus, sure. But it feels like brutal brainwashing. And with another charm or two, it's only going to get worse. Is that really any better than what the Cult of the Illuminated does? Or the Immaculate Order?