William wonders what skills would actually be used for GMing.  Writing 
and Acting would probably be the lion's share.

Thais idly wonders how much longer Thais can go with none of the 
ethereals working out her Archangel. It's been handy, so far. It can't 
possibly last...

William [to Thais]: You don't *look* like the typical Swordie.  :^)

Thais [to William]: This probably helps, yes.

Thais would suggest Fast-Talk as a prime skill for GMing.

William says, "Hm, I haven't put up last session's log."

StevenE materializes in a burst of blackness as he teleports in from 
elsewhere in the MOO.

StevenE has made StevenE's local name Ekur

William uploads the tail of last week's log quickly: 
http://earl.of.sandwich.net/In_Nomine/Civis_Game_Logs/Excerpt.txt .

William says, "Let me know when you're done reading and we'll pick up in 
media res."

Ekur says, "'william Done."

Neil says, "Ready."

Thais says, "Ready."

Arc 2: The Natives Are Restless (cont.)

----------------------------------Jesdyn---------------------------------
--

Neil [in Angelic]: "But we won't insist on it. I'm Neil, Mercurian of 

Judgement. We beat up White Smoke yesterday, just for the chance to talk 


to the citizens of Radz. You have a moment?"

---------------------------------finished--------------------------------
--

The guy looks at Neil for a moment, then says, "What the hell for?  We 
don't need your help."

Another guy says, "You're just saying that 'cause you guys lost."  The 
first guy flips him off and turns back to you.

Neil [in Angelic]: "No, you don't. We'd like yours. Heaven plans to build 
a city in the Marches. We'd like to build it here, and Jack's agreed to 
hold a vote on the matter in a week."

Neil awaits -- 'spirited comment'.

StevenE [to William]: Suto-rezzing the guy Neil's speaking with.

Ekur . o O ( Auto, even. )

The guy says, "I knew it.  They're coming for the Marches again, and now 
they want to take over."  He begins addressing the crowd.  "Last time 
they were here they were open about killing us.  Now they come building 
cities and calling us friends.  They'll cut you off from your belief, 
choke off the birth of new Ethereals and wait for us to slowly 
suffocate."

William [to Ekur]: You recognize the flavor of an emotion spirit, Anger 
in this case.  He is willing to stir up any conflict he can.

Neil [in Angelic]: "Not true. Ethereals are formed from human will. We 
would have to change humanity to change that, and God would... not 
approve."

William says, "The crowd is listening to him."

Neil . o O ( OOC Edit that to "I don't think God would approve" if need 
be. )

Ekur says, "Purity is gone.  Dreams today works with the Civis Project.  
And the alternative is the unmitigated influence of Nightmares, who would 
have quite approved of White Smoke's plans for this domain."

The Anger spirit says, "So you say now.  Your masters may even have you 
believing it.  But if you really thought that, what did you think you 
would accomplish killing us off in the Crusade, huh?"

Neil is dropping out of Angelic since it's useless when it impacts CDaU 
anyways.

A third member of the crowd says, "That was centuries ago.  People 
change."

Neil says, "Look, nobody's explained that very well to me, either. But I 
say I'm not, and today I say I that would be unJust."

Ekur says, "What did we accomplish with the Crusade?  We unnecessarily 
angered the benign spirits of the Marches, we drove the gods into the 
arms of Beleth, we divided Heaven into factions, and we got the Commander 
of the Host called on the carpet.  Don't you think we might have learned 
something from that?"

The third guy in the crowd says, "Are you saying you're apologizing for 
it?"

Thais is /so/ not saying anything right now.

Neil lets Ekur field this one.

The Anger spirit says, "Centuries can pass for us too.  I was there; I 
rode with the Greeks.  And I was thrown from Olympus to fend for myself 
in the Marches, growing and being cut down and growing again!  I've 
struggled for those centuries, and all because of Heaven!  They don't 
belong here!!  This is our land!"

Neil [to William]: Err. Just how ticked off is Dominic going to be with 
me if I walk around denouncing Heaven's actions? Can I /give/ 
professional judgements on what is and isn't just?

Some of the crowd murmur, caught up in his fervor.

Neil says, "You're right. It is your land. Which is why we're asking for 
some of it. And you can vote on it a week from now, and if we don't get 
the vote we hope for, we'll leave."

William [to Neil]: The applicable general rule would be that you don't 
set policy for Heaven.

Ekur says, "Those who continue Uriel's efforts are Outcast.  As a 
servitor of Dreams, I was there when my Lady protested Uriel's actions.  
I know I believe Heaven owes you an apology, and I know I'm not the one 
who has the standing to apologize for it."

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Oh, nice.

Thais is being quiet, /very/ quiet, and keeping her opinions to herself. 
Suspects that she could not possibly say anything at this point that 
would make things better, without lying outright.

Neil says, "But -- we're offering you an opportunity. Heaven WILL build 
this city. If not here, elsewhere. The question is, do you want it? We, 
you and I, will build an outpost of angels and ethereals. Do you want the 
chance to change us?"

Neil says, "That's what cities are. Living organisms. I was a policeman 
on Earth, I know cities. That's why I'm here."

Neil says, "The domain we choose will see congress and trade with Heaven, 
and our trade with other domains will flow through here."

The Anger spirit says, "A vote.  Pah.  Like you care what we decide.  
I'll vote on it.  I'll vote with my sword!  Your blackwinged thugs come 
here, you'll find that the Marches have learned from the first Crusade 
too.  Don't expect it to be --" He is interrupted by a question from the 
crowd.

A member says, "Will you bring Teachers back?  They all left when White 
Smoke took over."

Thais sniffs faintly at "blackwinged thugs".

[snip msg'ing]

The Anger spirit erupts.  "Teachers?  Do you *want* to be brainwashed by 
their propaganda machine?!"

Neil looks to Ekur and hopes he knows what a Teacher is.

StevenE [to William]: Does Ekur know what a Teacher is?  Because I'm not 
remembering it from anything I've read ..  .

William [to Ekur]: Probably a teacher, capitalized simply due to respect 
for the position.  Having an intellectul in residence is a mark of status 
for a Domain, enough that ethereals with significant skills in the 
profession can leave if they don't like conditions.

William [to Ekur]: Sentient Ethereals are born with much of the knowledge 
of their dreamer.  Some Ethereals are born from the knowledge of children 
or uneducated persons; enough that a vital Domain can have a regular 
supply of inhabitants that need basics like literacy or math.

Ekur says, "We will allow Teachers to come back, I hope that they do, I 
think they will be attracted by Civis, and I'm sure that there are angels 
who would love the opportunity to teach.  But we're not going to force 
them to come back, because Civis is not a disguised Crusade, and we're 
not going to force anyone to participate."

The Anger spirit points at Bloom.  "No.  It'll be all sweetness and 
light.  That's how Heaven works.  Look who their front man was.  He 
*wants* to die for them.  Do you?"

Bloom says, "It's not death," very quietly.  "Not exactly."

Several people in the crowd apparently are mulling over the idea of 
having multiple teachers coming back.

Neil shifts uncomfortably. "We didn't ask him to make that choice. Nor 
will we ask you. Nor -- I do apologize, Dr. Bloom -- are we even sure 
it's a good idea. It's a choice. His choice. That's what it is."

Ekur says, "All sweetness and light?  I hope not.  I once served Fear, 
and my love of Dreams is the love of mystery, of suprise, of the 
strangeness and even the fear of the unknown.  I hope Civis can inspire 
wonder, not just mundane sweetness and light."

The murmur "served Fear" echoes through the crowd.

Neil swears -- swears to /God/ -- he's never going on an extended voyage 
to other realms of existence without pulling files on his companions 
beforehand.

William [to Neil]: Oh, new Oath?  :)

Jesdyn [to William]: Malacurian?

William slaps his forehead.  Sorry.  Got you two mixed up again.

Ekur says, "When I served it, Fear was something to be worked through, to 
be overcome.  Many of you feel it in regards to Civis, and I hope to help 
you work through it, and overcome it."

Thais blinks twice, and eyes the crowd a little more warily than before 
for signs of more /aggressive/ hostility.

The Anger spirit says, "Well at least you admit there's something base 
about this land grab.  'Not exactly death.'  Well that's very comforting.  
No, just slow fading.  Well, I'm not sitting around for it.  Let's throw 
these bums out!"

He turns to you and raises his dukes.

Neil shifts back to Angelic. "Well. Before we start brawling -- I didn't 
say we're leaving until AFTER the vote -- I meant to tell you Easterly 
refugees we checked up on Priest.

Neil says, "They're doing fine out there in the irradiated zone."

The crowd considers this momentarily.  After a second, it becomes clear 
that no one is joining the Anger spirit.

He looks around, looks his first respondent in the eye.  The guy shrugs.  
"I wanna know what happened with Priest."

The Anger spirit puts down his fists.  "Sheep.  SHEEP!  I won't be kicked 
out of my home again, do you hear me?!"  He spins on one foot and runs 
off toward one of the buildings.

Ekur says, "That's right.  You won't be kicked out of your home again."

Neil says, "Not much happened. We needed to see him anyways -- we do plan 
to try to speak to everyone here this week. He was undecided. We assured 
him he and his would not be made unwelcome or have their temple damaged 
or defaced."

William says, "We won't have to tithe Essence?" someone in the crowd 
asks.  "Or worship Jehovah?"

Bloom says, "It's not like it's a bad idea...."

Neil says, "No, you will not. There is a possible downside -- you will 
not be permitted to interact with humanity or the corporeal world."

William says, "Even if they come here?" says the same guy.  "I get a 
coupla dreamscapes a month out in my rock garden."

Neil blinks. "You know what? I have no idea."

Neil says, "The vote is a referendum -- this will be negotiated further."


"I can live with that," says somebody.

Neil says, "That's a thorny question we'll have to consider."

The crowd seems to acknowledge that stuff is still up in the air.  Side 
conversations start.

Thais leans over to Ekur, and asks quietly, "What /does/ one do with a 
dreamscape popping up in the middle of the garden?"

Neil murmurs, "And what do you do if an otherworldly bazaar starts 
showing up in /everyone's/ dreams? In fact, if humanity /does/ start to 
worry the edges of Civis, are we sure Heaven's mark is on it firmly 
enough to keep *Civis itself* from becoming an Ethereal?"

Ekur says, sotto voce, "Dreams would like to have it herded back to the 
Vale as quickly as possible."

Ekur says, "I kept quiet, because I think your answer helps us more, but 
it's unlikely that humans will be allowed to stay in Civis any longer 
than it takes to find them and move them."

William says, "Plans at this point?"

Ekur smiles at Thais.  "Good job with keeping silent, by the way.  The 
ethereals ceratinly wouldn't be receptive to a defense of the Crusades."

Ekur says, "Neil, who's next on our important Ethereals list?"

fadethecat [to William]: I'm in auto-follow mode, pretty much. Thais is 
trying to Do What She's Told by older, more experienced angels, and keep 
an eye out for trouble. Not taking a lot of initiative.

Jesdyn [to William]: Work the crowd and answer lesser concerns not 
already voiced. Work on Jane's package if it isn't already finished. 
Worry about the Tsayadim attacking a city that's decided gates or walls 
don't match its Incan motif.

Thais glances about for listeners who might have caught Ekur's words. "I 
thought that might be the case, yes."

William snaps his fingers.  That's the scene I wanted to run.

Jesdyn [to William]: Probably want to talk to Jack next. I admit, angels 
who don't need to sleep can get a lot done in seven solar days.

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Jack, I think. He's not convinced.

Neil growls OOCly.

William  brbs, phone call.

Neil goes out of character.

Neil says, "I've never done much online play before. I really miss being 
able to see people's faces."

Neil says, "I've /always/ got an answer and I'm /always/ ready to act. I 
can't see faces and take silent cues to tell me whether or not somebody 
else is going to move."

Neil says, "So thirty, forty-five seconds of silence pass, and I start to 
get jittery."

Neil says, "It's hard not to run roughshod over everything. \:"

Thais nods. "Fortunately, it's easy to edit stuff after the fact in logs 
to account for hastiness. Sorry Thais has been so quiet, but she sorta 
/has/ to right now. Usually I type fairly quickly once I know what to 
do."

StevenE [to Jesdyn]: Yeah.  Don't worry too much about it.

Neil says, "That's the second time I've been reassured. Very well..."

Ekur knows he's somewhat slow.  Has a tendency to pause and think in RL 
conversations, too, which drives people batty.

William says, "B."

Ekur . o O ( Well, those who worry about responses, not those who just 
want to talk-talk-talk.  The latter seem to really like me. )

Neil returns to character.

Neil says, "We need to see Jack... not next. Another couple of days, I 
think."

Neil says, "We need to canvas further and have talked to at least most of 
everybody. Right now I think we're leaving crowds with a largely positive 
impression."

Thais nods. "I was surprised by how little the spirits were willing to 
follow that one who wanted to throw us out. It seems a good sign."

Bloom says, "Speaking of which, I spoke to Jack.  He said I can vote if I 
move here, but I'll have to be anchored.  I'll need to head back to 
Pfluviak's to disanchor, though.  I'd... rather not go alone, of course.  
Depending on whether you think you can spare someone for a day or two."

Bloom says, "It's one sure vote, at any rate.  Which, with a population 
of a hundred or so, could matter."

Thais says, "I would be pleased to escort Bloom back, if you two think 
this is appropriate...?"

Thais coughs, and adds, "I don't believe that my presence here is likely 
to be useful for garnering more votes. It's not quite my...area of 
expertise."

Neil says, "You can't do much here, it's true. The two of you should be 
alright. Send me a call if you run into trouble."

Bloom says, "Besides, it'll be a couple of days I don't attract another 
crowd."  He smiles wryly.

Thais nods briskly. "Certainly." She turns to Bloom. "My honor to protect 
you on that journey and the return, then. When should we set out?"

Ekur nods.  "You sure you don't want me to come with you?

Bloom says, "Now's good."

The guy who asked earlier about teachers starts questioning Ekur about 
university setups.

Neil hmms. Even if he gets a negative vote, he could recruit from Radz 
for the /next/ vote in a new domain, if the domain master allows 
immigrants to vote. Two failures in populated zones and he has enough of 
a force to take a hostile zone.

Ekur says, "Okay, go on without me."

Ekur turns to the university questioner.

William says, "Okay, background while Thais is out: Ekur and Neil are 
working crowds, Neil, you take a few hours to finish up Jane's request, 
is that correct?"

Neil says, "Yes."

William says, "And you'll try to speak to Jack at some point?""

Neil says, "After I've covered a good bit of ground and got a better idea 
of what sticking points are likely to be."

William says, "Okay."

Neil says, "Also looking for advantages his consitituents see that I 
hadn't considered. I want to give Jack problems, and give him the 
solution to those problems."

Bloom and Thais set out.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 12.

Bloom visualizes Pfluviak's for a second and starts off.  "I appreciate 
the escort," he says.  "Traveling the Far Marches alone isn't something 
most Ethereals my size do."

Thais strides along beside Bloom. "That seems wise, given the perils of 
the area that I've seen so far. How long have you been living at 
Pfluviak's?"

William says, "A couple of years," he says.  "I fall in with travelers 
that stop by for the newt.  They often go interesting places."

fadethecat [to William]: ...should I know what he means by 'the newt'?

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 8.

Bloom notes your blank expression.  "You remember those newts hanging by 
their tails on racks behind the bar?  The Domain was built around that 
little oddity some human dreamed up.  You feed 'em an Essence and squeeze 
'em for juice.  Occasionally you get two out, which is how Pfluviak pays 
the moat guards."

Thais says, "...how peculiar."

Thais absently winds one of the ribbons from her hair around one finger. 
"I'm looking forward to the rest of this job, I'll admit. I haven't been 
out of Heaven until just recently, and there are so many strange things 
to see."

Bloom says, "Weird is a theme in the Marches."  He gets a thoughtful 
look.  "I must admit, one can become sated with the bizarre.  More often 
these days, it's the commonalities underlying unusual Domains and 
Ethereals that has been interesting me."

Thais says, "The commonalities? How so?"

Bloom says, "Oh... how they break physical law, for example.  I've never 
been to Earth, but it's obvious most Domains follow Earth's rules for the 
most part.  When there's an exception, it's more often than not one of a 
few.  Like a glamour.  Or allowing inhabitants to speak a common 
language.  I suppose many humans wish for such a thing."

Thais nods thoughtfully. "This seems likely. I've seen human souls of all 
sorts in Heaven, for centuries now, and there are certain similarities. I 
wonder how many of those are, in their own way, dreams of Heaven? Being 
able to fly, or be understood by everyone perfectly at last..." She 
laughs briefly. "I'm told those are two things one finds very difficult 
to get over losing, down on the corporeal plane. I've spent so long 
flying, it is hard to imagine being ground-bound for so long, or trying 
to muddle by /always/ in a language that can't quite represent what I 
mean."

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 13.

William says, "Conversation about the Marches and their peculiarities 
continues until you reach Pfluviak's a few subjective hours later, having 
crossed no other paths on the way.  The guards beat back the moat monster 
and you enter.  Pfluviak looks up from behind the bar where he is serving 
a newt juice to someone and visibly recognizes you."

Pfluviak says, "Hey, Bloom; angel.  How'd it go?"

Thais offers a friendly wave, a little too conscious of the many 
ethereals she doesn't know in this area. "It seems to be going fairly 
well," she says.

The complement of beings in the bar is perhaps a little greater than last 
time.

loom says, "I'll be needing to disanchor.  Moving to Radz.  It's been a 
good place, don't get me wrong, but it's for voting rights."

Pfluviak says, "Uh... okay.  Sorry to lose your rent, but if you wanna 
go, I can't stop you."

Bloom nods and turns to you.  "It's upstairs.  I'll just be a minute."

He passes over an Essence to Pfluviak.  "Give her a newt juice on me."  
He heads to a stairwell in a nook in the back.

Pfluviak eyes you.  "You really want?"

Thais watches Bloom's disappearance a touch nervously, but decides this 
is a reasonably safe place, so far as she knows. "Thank you, but I think 
I'll pass. I heard the process described, and while it sounds 
interesting..." She trails off, not quite sure how to phrase "Ew!" in a 
polite manner.

Pfluviak shrugs, and suppresses a bit of a smile.  "No skin off mine."

William says, "The newt juice is rather tasty," says a smooth voice 
behind you.  "And it usually returns you your Essence, which is 
*especially* delicious."

Thais turns to look. "It seems a bit chancy," she says politely.

fadethecat [to William]: And, pinging for honor if I can see who spoke.

Thais rolled 12 versus 17 and succeeded by 5.

Neil . o O ( If Eve could've pinged for honor when a honeyed voice 
offered her untold delights, it would've saved us all some trouble. )

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Hee. Darn straight.

William [to Thais]: Pattern of honor based on loyalty to (fuzzed 
authoritative entity).  Recent significantly honorable acts are 
variations on themes of successful combat.

He's a tall, rake-thin being with coiffed hair coming up to sit beside 
you.  He smiles brilliantly.  "Chance tastes like rare spices," he says.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 13.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 12.

Thais smiles back, more automatically at the friendly expression than 
anything else, though she's less than happy with her results. "But 
there's something to be said for sticking to what works."

He does seem nice.  Pretty hot, too.

fadethecat [to William]: ...you're evil. I admire that in a GM.

William says, "But where would we be if everyone did that, eh?" he says.  
"Take you for instance.  Pfluviak says you're an angel.  Rare to see them 
venturing out here."

He says, "What risk brings a cute little thing like yourself to the Far 
Marches?"

Thais shrugs, still smiling, though she blinks at 'cute little thing'. 
"It's good to broaden one's horizons, now and then. Literally and 
otherwise. But it would be a bit much to take every chance that comes to 
me. There's a difference between being curious and simply being foolish, 
after all. What brings you here?"

Thais . o O ( ...but I'm not a cute little thing anymore. I fledged! )

He says, "Work, I'm afraid.  Pfluviak's is a decent place to keep an eye 
on developments in the Marches beyond the major Domains."  He takes a sip 
of the red-golden liquid in his tumbler.  "And you, I must say, have all 
the hallmarks of a development."

He offers you a sip.  "It's not poison, you know.  You're broadening your 
horizons, right?"

Smile tings.  Dark eyes flash.

Thais smiles more vaguely, and waves away the offer. "At the moment, I'm 
only helping a friend move. And, no thank you. While I am broadening my 
horizons, I probably ought to start slowly."

He shrugs.  "Ah, yes.  Something about voting?  Now there *is* a rarity 
in the Marches.  Masters of Domains aren't known for their commitment to 
democratic principles."  He furrows his brow.  "Except Americana, but Mr. 
President is unusual himself..."  He shakes his head.  "What's the vote 
on that's so important you're taking a trip to get the chance to 
participate?"

[snip msg'ing]

Thais says, "Seeing as it's a matter specific to the Domain, I can't 
really go into details about that business to those who aren't 
residents." She pauses, and considers. "Though, really, it's more a 
matter of wanting to avoid undue outside influence than anything else. 
You do understand how that can cause problems when trying to make for a 
fair vote, don't you?"

He nods.  "Sure, I can see that.  What if I joined the immigration?  Just 
to see the rarity, if nothing else."

He says, "Could I vote then?"

Neil . o O ( Sure you could. Make sure you stand on the special mat and 
firmly grasp both the red and black voting levers. )

Thais fidgets with a ribbon. "The voting is open to any spirits who are 
resident there. If they're happy to let Bloom anchor there and vote, I 
don't really see why not any other reasonably polite ethereal who wanted 
to. I'm not sure why you'd like to anchor in a place you've never been, 
though, if you usually prefer to stay here?"

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: *snickers*

He cheers up at that.  "I don't stay here, not usually.  I'm pretty 
perambulant, my home is elsewhere.  Does this mean I can join your 
caravan?"

Thais says, "I don't see why not. Especially in this area, larger parties 
are likely safer in travel anyway."

He says, "Yeah, definitely.  Wonderful.  So where are we headed?"

At this point Bloom comes down, sporting a backpack with some rolled-up 
fabric sticking out of one side.

Thais waves cheerfully to Bloom. "Here's my guide; he can probably 
explain it better than I can. ...I'm afraid I didn't catch your name, 
earlier. What do you go by?"

He says, "Alexander."  He stands up, stretches, and offers you a hand up.  
"But Alex... please."

Bloom comes up to you.  "Hello, Alex.  I see you and Thais have met."

Thais takes the hand, and slides off her seat. "Pleased to meet you, 
Alex. As he points out, I'm Thais. Bloom, are you ready to head out 
again? We can wait a while longer, if need be. There's no great rush 
yet."

Bloom says, "No, I'm ready to go if you are.  Do you want to stay for a 
bit or something?"

Thais looks to Alex. "Unless you have any pressing reason to linger, we 
might as well get started."

Alex says, "I am ready to lay my path with yours, lovely one."

Thais smiles at both of them. "In that case, let's be off. The good 
doctor knows the way."

Bloom nods, and you head out.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 13.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 9.

Bloom leads as usual.  Alex leans over to you.  "No, seriously.  Where 
are we going?"

fadethecat [to William]: Radz is the name of the Domain, right?

William [to Thais]: Yep.

Thais says, "It's a Domain called Radz. The power structure shifted 
recently, and thus the need for a vote to determine how it'll be managed 
from now on. Have you ever been there?"

Alex says, "No, never.  What's it like?  The land, the people."

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 8.

Thais says, "It's something of a post-apocalyptic dream, I think, though 
of course there are variations from all the changes the inhabitants have 
made. The people living there seem very reasonable, a few hotheads aside. 
I've been quite impressed by how responsibly they're dealing with recent 
events, especially after needing to retake their Domain from the previous 
ruler." She looks a touch sheepish. "I'll admit I was expecting worse of 
them, which was an error on my part."

William [to Thais]: Right about this point, a little part of your brain 
points out that there are very few patrons in the Universe which read to 
your resonance as (fuzzy authoritative entity).  On the other hand, Alex 
is no less handsome at the moment.

Thais [to William]: Yay! It begins to wear off! Ish.

Alex realizes, "Ah.  'Mad Max.'  That movie a few years ago about after a 
nuclear war."

Thais nods, slowly losing her smile. "I think I heard it mentioned. I 
haven't seen it, myself." And wishes she knew if Bloom knew Celestial 
Tongues, because this would be an /excellent/ moment to find out 
privately how much he knows about this 'Alex' she's somehow agreed to 
travel with. Especially since "another angel" seems...very low on the 
list of possibilities.

Thais . o O ( Bloom didn't seem distressed, and seemed to know him. So he 
could be another angel. Except Bloom seemed quite thrilled to meet angels 
earlier, and greeted this one in a rather ordinary manner, so that seems 
unlikely. But if he's really an ethereal, who could he be working for 
that does that sort of Superior fuzz? Maybe he is a demon. This could be 
awkward. )

Alex looks over.  "You look distressed.  Something I can help with?"

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 7.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 7.

William says, "Gosh, he seems helpful."

fadethecat [to William]: *cries*

Thais nods, and rubs the bridge of her nose. "I was wondering who you 
work for. But it's a bit of a personal question, so I didn't really want 
to bring it up. I'm sorry if I'm coming across as a bit rude; I haven't 
quite mastered the complexities of etiquette in the Marches yet."

Alex says, "Don't even worry about it.  I work for pretty much anyone 
that'll have me, really."

William [to fadethecat]: It only lasts a few minutes at a time, and the 
walk is hours.  It'll go back and forth like this unless Thais does 
something dramatic.  

fadethecat [to William]: Hmm. I think her sneaking suspicions are going 
to be uncertain enough that when they're not quelled, she'll wait until 
she can ask older angels for advice on the situation before trying 
anything. He seems so /nice/!

fadethecat [to William]: (And cute! And mysterious! And...possibly evil! 
Well, she can always smite /later/ if it becomes clearly needed.)

William says, "Allright.  You show up at Radz as a party of three, having 
taken about 12 hours in total for the two trips."

fadethecat [to William]: (brb while you catch up on what they were doing)


Neil . o O ( Twenty minutes remain. )

William [to Neil]: Eh?

William [to Neil]: Until 11 ET, I suppose you mean -- is that a stop time 
for you?

Neil says, "No, but it might've been for someone. Just wanted to mention 
it before we got into what looked like a complicated scene. About twelve 
different resonances are about to fly."

fadethecat [to William]: And, back.

fadethecat [to William]: I, for one, can cheerfully continue for a great 
while longer. (Sleep? Who needs sleep?)

William says, "Okay, noted."

Ekur says, "I'll have to quit . . . hmm, throwing in time zones, 4 Am 
ET."

Alex shades his eyes and looks at the landscape.  "Wow.  Like Mongolia.  
Dead."

William  <ooc> Probably midnight here for me, unless someone shows up 
before then.

Thais says, "Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home." She turns 
to Bloom. "Should we head back to where we left the others, or do you 
need to go someplace particular to anchor properly?"

Bloom says, "I'll probably anchor in Central, seeing as how that's a 
clean zone right now."

Alex says, "Others?"

Thais [to William]: Currently, is he Very Nice or just cute?

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 9.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 15.

William says, "Very Nice."

Neil . o O ( Bad news for someone -- ah. )

Thais nods cheerfully. "The other two that I've been working with. 
They're taking care of other business here while I escorted Bloom to that 
bar and back. I'm not really the campaigning sort, after all. I mean, not 
for /political/ campaigns. It seemed best for me to step out of the way 
and be useful elsewhere."

Neil . o O ( Ribbons in her hair, distinct non-smiteage here -- did 
Laurence start playing fortune cookie games with new-minted Oaths? "In 
bed." "Unless it's kawaii."  )

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: She's Charmed! She has an excuse! Kinda.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: ...besides, she isn't /sure/ he's evil, and 
wouldn't want to smite hastily.

As you head toward Central, Alex says, "Ah, I quite understand.  What 
kind of angels are they, Mercurians?"

fadethecat [to William]: ...just to double-check: Mercurian and Elohite, 
right?

William [to Thais]: Yep.

Neil . o O ( "No, just five or six Malakim and Michael." )

Thais shakes her head, sending her ribbons swinging. "One Mercurian, one 
Elohite. I enjoy working with different Choirs, for such a different 
perspective on matters. And," she adds, with a brief chuckle, "angels who 
are more experienced than I am. It's good to have someone older around to 
keep me pointed in the right direction, if I get confused by all the, 
shall we say, broadening of my horizons."

Alex pats your shoulder (a bit condescendingly, now that you think of 
it).  "We were all young once," he says.

Thais covers a quick giggle. "Well, there's young, and then there's 
/young/..."

Alex looks around Southgate as you pass through.  "I should... look for a 
place to anchor."

Alex says, "Why don't you go on ahead?"

Bloom looks back at him.  "Central's safer.  The radiation's clear 
there."

Thais nods. "You should come along with us. There's still potential for 
danger in the uncleared areas, and this way you can meet my friends, as 
long as you're here."

Alex looks a little nervous for the first time, but it disappears 
quickly.  "Sure, why not."  You head to Central.

William says, "Pause for quick background work...."

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 11.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 9.

William says, "Ekur has been doing more working of the crowd.  With so 
many people in Central that it usually holds, unable to go beyond the 
boundaries of the town due to the clear zone boundaries, population 
density is higher than usual and tempers are short.  Both of you have 
nipped more than one fight in the bud."

William says, "Neil's summary of Heavenly law made it to Jane safely and 
copies are beginning to circulate."

William says, "The law exciting the most comment, of course, is 
'Ethereals shall not visit the Corporeal Plane, nor communicate with its 
inhabitants corporeally or in dreams, nor seek property, deeds, Essence, 
or souls therefrom.', with ' Dead mortals not in the celestial realms 
shall promptly release their hold on mortal existence and ascend to face 
judgment.' running second."

Alex walks in to Central with Bloom and Thais and examines the crowd.  
Where are Ekur and Neil?

Ekur is working the crowd still, answering questions and the like.

As is Neil.

Alex says, "Lots of folks," approvingly.  "Very... vital crowd.  See your 
friends?"

Thais glances about, and points. "That's Neil, over there. I don't see 
Ekur right off, but he's bound to be somewhere in this crowd." She stands 
up on her tiptoes to get a better look. "Over there, I think. Can't see 
very well from here."

Alex glances over.  "Actually, now that we're in the safe zone I think 
I'll contact someone who owns a place and ask about anchoring.  I'll 
catch you once I've made arrangements."

Thais says, disappointment creeping into her voice, "Well, if you're 
sure... I'll catch you later, then."

Without waiting for your answer, he heads down to the square and starts 
mingling with the crowd.

Neil . o O ( Wonder if pinging Thais will show "Alexander, agent of Hell" 
in her friends list. )

Bloom looks after him.  "He's always been a little funny like that.  
Definitely a nice guy, curious about everything, but always running off."


Thais nods slowly. "I meant to ask you about him at some point when you 
had a moment... Any idea who he works for? I mean, he said anyone, and he 
seems a trustworthy sort, but when I was looking at his honor..." She 
frowns. "Maybe I'm misinterpreting something."

Ekur . o O ( Awwww.  And here I was debating whether to use Ethereal or 
Celestial combat. )

Bloom shakes his head.  "Works for?  No, not really.  As far as I know 
he's always been an independent agent.  Or maybe a mercenary.  He's never 
so much as swung a punch in Pfluviak's, that much I know.

Thais says, "...interesting. Given what I saw..."

Thais recalls the near-disastrous mistaken resonance from earlier, and 
shakes her head. "But then, maybe it's all in my head. Let's go catch the 
others and see how things are going."

Ekur . o O ( It was Eli, in disguise!  And the fuzzy authority was God 
Himself! )

William says, "You head on down to Neil, and -- I presume -- Ekur."

Neil would bash his head in if he possessed out-of-character knowledge of 
both Thais' encounter and his player's rotten luck.

fadethecat [to William]: Right right.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Hee. And isn't it fun that one II now has Thais 
wondering if she can trust her own resonance?

William  <ooc> I'll freely admit I normally shy from messing with 
people's characters using mind-control magic or psionic powers.  But for 
some reason I make an excpetion with In Nomine's array of demonic 
resonances.  There's just something about it that screams to me, "Demons 
SUCK!"

Neil . o O ( "Be a touchstone", Dominic said. "Be relied on", Dominic 
said. I'm doomed. )

Ekur greets Thais and Bloom with a nod.  "Well, looks like nothing 
disastrous happened to you two.  Run into any maurauders, like those 
Hunger spirits?"

fadethecat [to William]: Hey, it's entirely appropriate!

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 11.

Thais shakes her head. "Only one ethereal who wanted to come anchor here, 
so he traveled back with us. Though it's a little...odd. I think. I'm not 
sure. If I see him around, I'd like you to take a look at him, if only to 
reassure me. I'm probably spooking at nothing. Goes by Alex, he's..." She 
gestures a bit vaguely. "Looks like a human male, and..." The gestures 
become more vague. "Good-looking, and all that. A friendly sort."

William [to Ekur]: Privately, your auto-res suggests Thais' emotional 
state is slightly off-kilter, though there's nothing you can put your 
finger on and she seems cheerful enough.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 8.

Neil pings Thais as well, although it's not likely he'll learn anything 
she doesn't know.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 10.

William [to Neil]: No information you wouldn't have expected, including 
any on Alex.

Ekur nods.  "Well, you do get odd sorts in the Marches.  I'll keep an eye 
out."

Ekur . o O ( Don't want to spook Thais, but if she's suspicious, and her 
emotional state is out of kilter . . . hmm. )

Bloom obligingly dream-shapes a life-size translucent mannikin of Alex, 
which fades after everyone has gotten a good look at it.

fadethecat [to William]: Would you let me know when the latest dose wears 
off? She's more likely to discuss her ping results then.

William says, "Sure thing.  Spending a few minutes discussing political 
strategy should be sufficient."

StevenE [to William]: Hmm.  Do I have a chance of recognizing this guy as 
somebody I've seen at Pfluviak's before?

Thais says, "So, how's it been going on this end?"

William [to Ekur]: Come to think of it, we did say you both showed up 
there on a regular basis, didn't we.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 7.

William [to Ekur]: Yeah, you've seen the guy around in the last couple of 
years sometimes.  He was always scrupulously averse to any confrontation 
that looked like it was going to become physical.  Your resonance 
generally picked a "smooth operator" sort of self-assuredness.

William says, "Hit the newt juice pretty hard, too."

Thais . o O ( Squeezed newts. Squeezed /newts/. I'm sure Jordi's 
Servitors would have something to say about that. )

Ekur nods, and says, "Yeah, he's a Pfluviak's regular.  Hmm.  Never 
really got to know him.  Liked the newt juice, avoided trouble."

Ekur says, "As far as what's been going on, not all that much.  Making 
connections, answering questions.  No disasters so far."

Thais pulls a ribbon out of her hair to wrap it around one wrist. 
"That's...interesting. He seemed a much more combative type from what I 
read. Maybe he doesn't do so very often." She shakes the question off. "A 
lack of disasters is encouraging. Can you tell how the overall opinion is 
swinging yet?"

Neil finishes his conversation and joins Ekur and Thais.

StevenE [to William]: Hmm.  How does overall opinion seem to be swinging?


Ekur . o O ( At least as far as I've been resonating it off the people 
I've been talking to. )

William [to Ekur]: Polls are shifting in your direction.  More than half 
of the people in Central are now in the "yes" camp.  Most of the rest 
would want information, which discussions suggest mean "guidance from 
Jack."  The no voters tend not to be swayable.

Ekur says, "There's a sway to our side.  Then there's a large group 
looking for guidance from Jack.  And then there are the hard-core nos, 
who seem to be very solidly no."

Neil says, "We can talk to Jack, and try to sway him and influence the 
fence-sitters."

William [to Thais]: 'round about now.

Thais nods along, a touch distracted. "That's good. Ekur, you're sure you 
don't know more about Alex than that? Who he's working for, maybe."

Ekur says, "If I've ever talked with him, I don't recall, and it would 
have been just small talk.  Emotionally, he's something of a smooth 
operator, maybe a manipulator."

Ekur looks at Thais's emotions again.

Thais says, "It's just that he said--well, he at least implied he was an 
ethereal who meant to anchor here, but when I was looking at his honor, 
his loyalty is to someone who... I can't see them. The sort of fuzz over 
the details like you get when trying to look too closely into the 
business of an Archangel. Or...other Superior."

William [to Ekur]: A touch more worried than she was a moment ago, but 
that's physically obvious.

Thais sighs fretfully. "But he said he worked for just anyone. Maybe he 
was lying to me. Working outside of Heaven is so.../complicated/."

StevenE [to William]: Yeah, was looking to see if I could resolve the 
"off-kilter" any better.

William [to StevenE]: Hmm.  Ask a *really good* question.

Neil says, "Don't worry too much about it. If he's trouble, then he's 
going to be trouble in my city. That's my /Role/, you might say."

William [to StevenE]: That is, of predicting her actions.

Thais spreads her hands. "I just hope I haven't done anything foolish in 
bringing him here. He seemed so...nice."

StevenE is blanking on what to do with Ekur's resonance, so is just going 
to continue on for the moment.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 8.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 11.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, the GM rolled 18.

*twitch*

William  <ooc> Probabilities would suggest that one of these days we will 
go *one whole month* without calling down an Intervention of some flavor.


Ekur says, "Hmm.  Lots of people in the Ethereal lie, especially to 
angels."

Neil says, "Have we SEEN any Divine Interventions?"

fadethecat [to William]: ...sob.

William <ooc> I know we did in my one-shot playtest game with Kai.

William <ooc> Have we in this game?

Thais  <ooc> nods. Yeah. But not in /this/ game yet...

fadethecat [to William]: Apparently Lucifer is holding a personal 
/grudge/ against us.

Ekur <ooc> Rolled a 4, that's the closest, I think.

Neil <OOC> Is this grounds for complaint to our Superiors? I mean, if the 
Lightbringer isn't gonna play /fair/...

William says, "Okay.  A point of disturbance echoes through the Domain.  
About half of the people nearby hear it, including all three of you.  It 
seems to be an Essence spent on a Song, something with an emotional 
effect."

Neil glances at Thais, and then tries for direction, distance, and 
singer's identity.

Ekur says, "Hmm.  Somebody's playing around."

Thais blinks, and tries to work out what direction that came from. 
"Anyone catch what that was?"

Ekur also tries for the direction/distance/ID.

fadethecat [to William]: Oh, wait, we /did/ have a DI, didn't we? To kill 
that one ethereal's cloud cover.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Was that divine?

William [to fadethecat]: Oh yeah, silly me.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: I thought I was just rolling well.

William [to Jesdyn]: White Smoke got a DI trying to resist.

"Neil, Ekur: yes.  You, and all the others in the region who perceive it, 
seem to sense that it came from Thais.

William says, "Neil, Ekur: yes.  You, and all the others in the region 
who perceive it, seem to sense that it came from Thais."

Neil . o O ( ... uh-oh. That's bad. )

William [to Thais]: To you, it seems to have come from a building over on 
the western side of Central, an upper room, from Alex.

Ekur says, "Thais, did you just use a Song?"

Neil looks for things Thais would be singing at. Anyone showing unusual 
devotion or antipathy?

Thais shakes her head. "No. I think Alex did. Sounded like it came from 
over there," she adds, and points.

Ekur says, "Hmm.  Then you were the target.  Meeting Alex just went up on 
my priority list."

fadethecat [to William]: Y'know, I should learn to fear any time I'm in 
an IN game you're running and Impudites are involved. IIs always seem to 
follow.

Several members of the crowd look at the three of you darkly and move 
hastily away from Thais.

William [to Thais]: In my defense, the DI here came in the climax!

Thais frowns. "Why did you think it was coming from me, though? I mean, 
I'm standing right here. If I'd done something, it shouldn't... I don't 
think it should have sounded the same." She stifles another sigh. "Today 
has been /very/ strange."

Jesdyn [to William]: You mean II?

William [to Jesdyn]: No, the DI last game.

Ekur says, "Let's go talk with Alex.  Resonate him a bit, figure out 
what's all going on."

William says, "Hmm, and it's midnight.  I think it's a good time to 
pause, with the mystery deepening."

Neil says, "Sounds good."

@clearlocal

Do you really want to clear all of the local names and descriptions? 
[Enter `yes' or `no']

yes

All local names and descriptions have been cleared.

William says, "Maybe we should make it a plot point that Thais attracts 
Interventions and *has no idea why*..."

fadethecat cackles. "Man, it's going to be hard to wait two weeks for the 
next one."

fadethecat snickers. "Quite possibly. Poor Thais. She's /so/ confused. 
All that IQ, no confidence!"

fadethecat says, "Thanks for game!"

Jesdyn . o O ( Patron (God, 12 or less) [infinite], Enemy (Lucifer, 12 or 
less) [-infinite]. )

William says, "'Intervention Magnet: 0 points.  You are a focal point of 
interest for the powers of the Universe.  This is like Weirdness Magnet 
but comes with +3 reactions of awe from anyone who figures out the 
truth.'"

StevenE . o O ( Well, it turns out, Thais was made from two forces from 
angels who were the children of Yves and Lucifer, back when Lucifer was 
AA of Light . . .  )

Jesdyn [to William]: You mean negative three, surely.

fadethecat giggles. "Yeah. Anyone around me gets a DI or II on any roll 
of 4 or 17 as well as 3 or 18, so long as they're doing something that 
can end up affecting me."

Jesdyn says, "This was fun."

StevenE . o O ( Both Yves and Lucifer watch their grand-angel, and 
interfere with its life. )

William [to Jesdyn]: If *you* knew God and Lucifer paid attention to the 
guy who lived next door, wouldn't you drop hints about evolution's next 
go-around in the hope they got a receptive audience?

Thais wails. Is just trying to be a good little Malakite...

StevenE . o O ( Lucifer so hoped for a little Seraph he could induct into 
the family buisiness, and was *so* disappointed . . . )

Jesdyn is gonna laugh if Alex turns out to be Malphas.

fadethecat snerks.

fadethecat says, "I wonder if it's a very good, or very bad, thing that 
Thais is the only type of angel who can't Fall."

Jesdyn says, "Hey, I'm just glad I'm not writing the after-action report 
on this one."

fadethecat . o O ( Oh well. Thais will just have to go drag Alex off to 
some angelic Tether for a nice, long chat. After all, giving in to evil 
doesn't count if you promptly un-evil them! Right? )

Jesdyn will once again file a report free of the phrase "glass of newt 
juice".

StevenE says, "Anyway, to the Lobby!"

fadethecat wonders what Thais's report is going to be like. And how much 
of a headache it'll give whoever reads it.

:William needs to count up hours.  Neil's due for weekly visit in a 
couple of days, I think.

fadethecat says, "To the lobby!"

StevenE goes home.

William says, "See ya!"

fadethecat saunters off the edge of the plank.

Jesdyn goes home.