The GM says, "Okay.  So, what's been happening for the last couple of 
years.... after the referendum passed, Matthias waited a couple of weeks 
to hear back from any other groups, and the decision was made to select 
Radz as the site.  You three were assigned by your various Archangels to 
go into a holding pattern, playing nice with the locals and seeing to it 
that demons didn't infiltrate while surveying and negotations were going 
on.  This took a couple of months."

The GM says, "The city charter agreed upon was a 
council-and-strong-manager system; the ethereals can elect a City 
Council, and Jack has been taking to the title of Mayor, but ultimately 
it's an angel, Matthias usually, who manages the city and sees to the 
shape of the city and its laws."

The GM says, "The original settlements, as promised, have been kept 
largely intact.  Angels moved in to the wilderness areas and started 
building there.  When new Ethereals moved in, they spread from the 
settled areas into the Angel's Quarter and the wilderness area to the 
north.  There's a quick sketch at 
http://earl.of.sandwich.net/In_Nomine/CivisRoughMap.jpg ."

The GM says, "(Scale: the distance radius of the circle is about two 
miles.)"

The GM says, "There are currently about a thousand angels in the Angels' 
Quarter, under orders to practice maintaining Roles -- buy food, pretend 
to sleep at night, etc.  They tend to craft relics for sale, teach in the 
Ethereals' Quarter, or serve military, police, or civil-servant 
functions."

The GM says, "There are perhaps a thousand Ethereals that have moved in 
to the Ethereals' Quarter, and a fair amount of traffic in and out.  
Bloom has started up a Buddhist community center, and is known to pay 
good money for verifiably accurate copies of earthly Buddhist texts.  
Temple is well-patronized, with plenty of Hindus around.  The monotheist 
churches are mostly in Angel's Quarter."

Neil . o O ( Darn. We might end up /paying/ Eucastor to hang around and 
make people frustrated and angry, if we're teaching angels to maintain 
roles. He might end up with a /staff/. )

Thais [to Neil]: Hey, even Anger spirits need jobs!

The GM says, "At present, Civis houses about 2000 beings and a transient 
population of a couple hundred more.  It may be regarded as something 
like a bustling small town in America, or more accurately a 
moderate-sized town in a developing nation given its typical tech level."


The GM says, "Things are not all sweetness.  You can't tell a 
human-looking figment from a sapient Ethereal at a glance, and figments 
don't act rationally.  Assaults and dream-eating are common crimes in the 
Ethereal Quarter.  Jesdyn, I presume you would want to slip into a role 
as a policeman trying to keep order, yes?"

Jesdyn [to William]: Yes.

Jesdyn [to William]: Can't *I* tell a figment from a sapient at a glance?


William [to Jesdyn]: They can *look* human.  It would take a resonance, 
and resonating 216 beings a day is inviting Infernal Interventions.

William [to Jesdyn]: Should you resonate, then yes, a non-sapient figment 
has no self-opinion.

The GM says, "I expect Thais would most likely serve generally in a 
military capacity, patrolling the Bounding Mountains and occasionally 
scanning in the streets, mostly on anti-demon duty.  This would give her 
plenty of opportunities to be working with Neil.  Sound good, or had you 
a different idea?"

The GM says, "(Demonic attacks on Civis so far have been desultory and 
sneaking rather than screaming-hordes-of-diabolism.)"

Thais [to William]: Works for me. She's more than happy to keep an eye 
out for demons to SMITESMITESMITEWHEE! And, y'know, whatever else people 
need help with.

Thais [to William]: Unless she's supposed to be working on Role-building 
too, she's likely to spend all her time working on /something/, even if 
it's just roaming about looking for someone who needs her help.

William [to StevenE]: Hmm, and how do we tie you in with this.  Given 
your age and connection to Dreams, I would see you more in an 
administrative capacity, working wih Matthias and the City Council.

Neil . o O ( Legislative, judicial, and executive. Heh heh heh. )

The GM says, "I suppose taking a shift every now and then with Thais and 
Neil would keep your finger on the pulse of the streets.  Alternatively, 
if something comes up you might be able to call on their assistance -- 
after all, you've worked together before and each of you has a face known 
to the original inhabitants of the Domain."

The GM says, "(If you can think of something better, I'm certainly open 
to it.)"

Neil . o O ( I've been catching up on the Vertigo book /Fables/ recently. 
Heh heh heh. I'm afraid I rather like Bigby. )

Ekur says, "Hmm.  How about liason between the City Council and the 
angelic security groups.  Patrolling the city to control figments and 
drive out demons is the kind of work Ekur did in the Vale, but I agree 
his experence, Word, and political skills would make him more valuable in 
Civis as a REMF. And yes, he'd go out on patrols occasionally to keep his 
finger on the pulse and to give the newer people some pointers."

The GM says, "Acronym query: REMF?"

Neil . o O ( Rear-Echelon Mother... Friend. )

StevenE [to William]: Military term -- What Neil said.

The GM says, "Ah."

The GM says, "Okay, that works."

The GM says, "Finally, a couple of other developments.  Pollution, 
believe it or not, is a problem -- not soot, but Disturbance.  With so 
many Symphonically Aware beings in such close proximity, Essence gets 
spent with some frequency.  There's almost always at least one note 
echoing in the Domain at any given minute."

The GM says, "Oh, and the Ethereals are calling the city Nod.  :^)"

fadethecat [to William]: I feel like I /ought/ to catch the reference...

The GM says, "Yes, Ken Hite has that effect."

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: I have a support staff I ask questions of like 
that while I'm playing. It's only fair, since she asks /me/ questions 
like that for the other 333 hours a week.

The GM says, "'The Land of Nod' is just a general term for the place 
where dreamers go, though in the Hermetic tradition it's a literal 
magical realm."

Neil . o O ( Err. Every two weeks. )

William <ooc> I actually got it from GURPS Cabal.

The GM says, "Allllmost ready to go.  Neil, you wanted a Judgmentmobile.  
It shouldn't be too expensive compared to the XP you've got, so we can 
assume it today and work out the cost when we have a bit more time."

Jesdyn [to William]: Okay. I'll spend at least one full point on Driving, 
as well. 

The GM says, "Check."

Jesdyn [to William]: There's no excuse for me to have not done so before 
this.

William takes a deep breath... okay.

Arc 3: Men in Black, Angels in White

The GM says, "It is June 1986.  Big news in Civis these days: Blandine is 
coming!"

The GM says, "The Lady of Dreams has never visited Civis (to most 
people's knowledge).  She will be inspecting the city, speaking with 
Matthias and some of the elected officials, and working with some of her 
angels."

The GM says, "Among the events scheduled for her arrival are several 
promotions, including that of Ekur to Vassal.  Ekur has worked well as 
liaison between the angelic and ethereal portions of the city government 
and is having his rank formalized.  He is already being treated by most 
with the respect the position entails."

The GM says, "Prior to the visit, which is a few days from now, there is 
a substantial push to get the place as spruced up as it would normally be 
for a visiting dignitary."

The GM says, "There is also a considerable influx of transient population 
in the Ethereal Quarter, of ethereals hoping to get a word in with her.  
It's not often she's predictably somewhere outside of Heaven or her 
Tower."

he GM says, "So lots of staff are being assigned to keep that section of 
town -- Factory, the Bazaar of Civis, the University, the residential 
section, Temple -- as calm and orderly as possible.  Naturally, this 
includes Thais and Neil."

The GM says, "Ekur, you're in a position to receive some of the 
complaints this is generating, so they've been assigned to you personally 
to handle some of the stuff you think needs a few angels to work on in 
particular."

StevenE [to William]: Er, is that a cue?

he GM says, "Yeah, almost.  Last line, one sec:"

The GM says, "Selection of tasks: (1) a large group of rowdy fairies has 
taken over several rooms in the apartment complexes; neighbors want them 
out, or at least to shut up.  (2) Reports of human dreamscapes spotted in 
some of the sand gardens, drawn by the activity (required by law).  (3) 
Religious tensions cropping up with reports of Voodoo and Amerind spirits 
going at it in the streets.  Or, if you can anticipate other problems, 
you have some latitude."

The GM says, "Okay, fire away."

Neil . o O ( Thou Shalt Not Suffer The Disturbingly Rowdy To Live... 
Here. )

Ekur hmms.  Rowdy neighbors is fairly routine.  Humans showing up is 
important in principle, of course, but it's unlikely to get worse if put 
off a bit.  A religious war, however, is something that might well get 
worse with time.  That's probably the most important thing to get a 
handle on.

Thais is inclined to agree. Isolated incidents vs. a widespread problem 
means the larger problem should be taken care of first.

Ekur says, "So, yes, the Voodoo-Amerind troubles look to be the highest 
priority."

Thais . o O ( Besides, unless Blandine decides to take a nap in a room by 
the fairies, those are unlikely to affect her. )

Neil . o O ( Do we want them to stop fighting, or stop fighting /here/? )


The GM says, "The fights have been reported in the streets of the 
residential section near the sand gardens.  Neil's got a car."

Thais calls shotgun.

Neil . o O ( Set the scene: The young loa Julie falls in love with the 
Indian spirit "Roaming O". )

Neil says, "So -- we go find out who the players are, why they're 
fighting, and what we can do about it all."

Neil has no immediate research to perform, so is ready to depart with 
Thais and Ekur as soon as everyone's ready.

StevenE [to William]: I can't recall -- are the Amerind religions 
semi-Divine?

The GM says, "No.  Voodoun is, though -- it's a West African pantheon 
syncretized with Christianity."

Ekur nods.  What he thought.  Which makes this especially tricky a 
problem.  Don't want to look like we're siding with the semi-Divines, or 
else we'll just increase the unrest.

Ekur says, "Neil, Thais?  Remember that Vodoun is semi-Divine, but we 
need the Ethereals to see us as genuinely even-handed.  If Civis is to 
work, the pagans need to be confident we aren't going to side up with 
whomever acknowledges the One God."

Thais nods. "We can be perfectly even-handed," she says, in a voice that 
implies it would be foolish to doubt such a thing. "We'll just deal with 
them reasonably and politely, and work everything out."

Neil pulls out a notepad and draws a line down the center of a page. "So 
we should try and keep the skull-cracking at an even tally? We can do 
that."

The GM says, "Parking, fortunately, is not a problem when one can 
unSummon one's vehicle.  It is a matter of a few minutes to get to one of 
the public parks, about five acres of rock formations near the middle of 
the Ethereals' Quarter.  Camped on this collection of stone hills is a 
party of spirits whose icons are Navajo sand-painting figures.  One gets 
the impression that this is 'formal diplomatic wear.'"

The GM says, "What icons are you guys wearing?"

Ekur says, "Also note that just because they're spirits of a semi-Divine 
religion, it doesn't mean the Voodoun will be cooperative.  Even 
Archangels quarrel, after all."

Jesdyn [to William]: If Civis has a uniform, I'm wearing those colors in 
a flattering but quiet cut.

StevenE [to William]: My Celestial form, plus circular spectacles as a 
sort of identifying mark, so the Ethereals can keep track of which 
Elohite I am.  Unless human-seeming icons are expected in Civis?  
Dress-casual white clothing.

Jesdyn [to William]: A visible badge with Judgement's sigil.

fadethecat [to William]: Thais has a...well. Figure it looks much like 
that image I showed you earlier, except without the black wings. She 
usually doesn't leave wings on her icon, to avoid spooking people.

fadethecat [to William]: Unless uniforms are expected, that is.

The GM says, "Either are worn with frequency.  One gets the impression 
that an angel in celestial form is trying to be open about their 
presence, and one in human form is trying to blend in.  Either can be 
interpreted positively or negatively depending on the situation."

The GM says, "A Malakite in celestial form, unfortunately, is often taken 
as a threat.  Though ribbons might allay that."

Neil goes for human form with a halo.

fadethecat [to William]: Thus avoiding the wings!

Thais likes her wings, but still finds them a bit...imposing. Especially 
around ethereals. Even with the ribbons.

Ekur . o O ( Elohites have a reputation for objectivity.  It's useful to 
advertise. )

Jesdyn [to William]: Yes, I'll drop the wings but with a visible-but-dim 
halo. There's only so far I can blend in if I'm going to be on the clock.


The GM says, "Okay.  So Neil's halo and sigil mark him as an angel.  
Natives would probably get Ekur's signal, though these guys are 
outsiders."

The GM says, "A few of the campers look you over.  They notice Neil and 
some nudging and whispering goes on."

Neil [to Ekur]: You're leading here, I think?

Ekur strides forward, auto-rezzing the campers.  How would they react if 
I asked if they were having trouble with Voodoo spirits?

Neil pings them all and lets... actually, he'll have to sort it out. 
Resonate them all anyways.

Thais follows the other two, trailing slightly behind them, and holds off 
on pinging until she can figure out who's in charge in the camp, or at 
least the instigator.

William [to StevenE]: They're curious about you and wondering what you 
intend.  They would react with angry agreement and demand something be 
done.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, you rolled 16.

William [to Jesdyn]: You get an array of Navajo names: Anaba, 
Nayenezgani, Bikeh Hezho, etc.  Most hail from the Navajo Domain, though 
Anaba comes from Navajo land in what is now New Mexico.  The leader of 
the group appears to be Nayenezgani.

The GM says, "They're all paying attention to you now that you've entered 
the camp."

Ekur looks over to Neil, and sotto voice says, "Anybody I should talk to 
in particular?"

Neil replies, "Nayenezgani's the leader of the group, Anaba's an 
outsider."

Ekur nods to Neil, walks up to Nayenezgani, and smiles.  "Hi, I'm a 
liason between the City Council and the angelic administration.  I've 
been told you guys have been having some trouble with Voodoo spirits, and 
I'd like to see if the difficulties can be worked out."

Nayanezgani stands and offers his right hand, palm open.  He says, 
"Ya'at'eeh, servants of Jehovah.  It is good that you come."

The GM says, "(He, like the others, is barely recognizable as human, 
appearing to be a flesh-out two-dimensional sand painting image of a 
person: e.g., http://www.kinderart.com/multic/sandpainting2.jpg .)"

StevenE [to William]: Roll against Savoir-Faire (Ethereal) to figure out 
if I should return the gesture or shake his hand or whatever?

Nayanezgani says, "I am Nayanezgani, leader of this delegation.  Be 
welcome to our camp.  May I offer you water?"

'Ekur Hmm, it's very specific.

William [to StevenE]: Hmm, it's very specific.

skill 18 Savoir-Faire (Marches)

You rolled 9 and Savoir-Faire (Marches) - succeeded by 9.

William [to StevenE]: Okay, yeah.  It's a softer version of a Western 
handshake.  Clasp, don't shake.

The GM says, "Ping?"

Neil is awake.

The GM says, "Steven, fade?"

StevenE [to William]: Yeah, I'm trying to figure out if I should accept 
the water or politely decline.  Ekur have any idea which is polite?

The GM says, "Oh.  Probably accept.  This all has the air of a standard 
welcome."

Thais [to William]: Oh, right, sorry. I should ping the leader.

Thais rolled 14 versus 17 and succeeded by 3.

The GM says, "Nayenezgani doesn't have any flavor of duplicity in his 
emotional state at the moment."

Ekur clasps his hand, and then says, "Thank you for the offer, we would 
be honored to drink with you."

William [to fadethecat]: Most recent honorable act, volunteering to the 
head of his pantheon to take a few men and cross the Marches to the new 
angel-city to explore the possibility of bringing some negotiations to 
Blandine when word came that she was arriving.

Nayenezgani seats himself cross-legged and calls for water, which is 
brought and served all around.  The water is served from a reliquary, and 
is charged with an Essence each -- an extravagance in the Marches.  It is 
a subtle display of wealth on his part.

Neil . o O ( May I assume we're already full up on Essence? )

The GM says, "Yeah."

Nayenezgani sips his water.  "I thank you for responding so promptly.  We 
were told that this city was to be safe and neutral ground; it was 
displeasing to find our Diyindine'e suffering an attempt at kidnapping by 
ethereals that claimed alliance with Heaven."

Ekur frowns.  "It is to be safe and neutral ground.  A kidnapping 
attempt?"

Nayenezgani nods at Anaba, who comes to stand beside him.

Neil listens and quietly jots down names and places, as well as resonance 
results.

Thais resonates Anaba, who seems to be important in this incident.

Thais rolled 9 versus 17 and succeeded by 8.

Anaba says, "After we arrived and made camp, I was sent to make a request 
for some time to see the White Lady when she came here.  I spoke to the 
Council with many other people and we were told nothing formal had been 
decided yet.  On my way back, I was accosted by a pair of ethereals who 
wore signs of Papa Legba.  They sang Songs at me which left me 
disoriented and listless.  They demanded my name, then sent a message via 
Song to someone else.  They waited, and nothing happened, which suprised 
them.  They debated what to do about me while I stood there, but 
fortunately a couple of my companions wandered by and they ran off."

William [to Thais]: Most recent honorable act, volunteering for this 
mission; pattern of honor based on his duties to fellow man as 
Diyindine'e, holy person.

Ekur says, "This is very disturbing.  Do you know where these Papa Legba 
ethereals ran to?"

Anaba says, "Not them in particular.  We heard of an encampment of 
Voodoun ethereals near the factory and sent a party to bear grievance, 
but the ones who answered us seemed to know nothing about it and said 
they were insulted.  We were repulsed with a scuffle, though no one was 
seriously injured on either side."

Thais twirls a ribbon around one finger thoughtfully. "There may well be 
a third party trying to stir up trouble, in that case. It's at least 
worth looking into as a possibility."

Nayenezgani says, "I think it more likely they were just sheltering their 
own."

Ekur nods.  "The logical thing for us to do is to go and speak to the 
Voodoun.  If they are responsible, we will get to the bottom of it, if I 
have to detail an Seraph to talk to every single one of them.  If they 
are not, we will know that someone else is causing trouble, and we can 
alert everyone."

Nayenezgani thinks about this for a moment.  He says, "This seems 
acceptable.  I think it would be wise for Anaba to travel with you, so 
that we can see justice done.  Also, of course, he may recognize his 
would-be captors, if they have not changed their faces."

Neil . o O ( Moving with the swiftness of the mountain cat, Anaba calls 
"Shotgun!" as his ancestors did. )

Ekur says, "That seems reasonable."  Ekur sips the last of his water, and 
stands.  "I would suggest, for the moment, that the rest of your people 
stay in this area.  You're less likely to be bothered here in a group.  
This is not an order, of course, but there is safety in numbers.  And I 
intend to resolve this swiftly."

Nayenezgani says, "We will travel in groups should it become necessary.  
We would, of course, still like to set up a meeting with the White Lady.  
Or can you arrange such a thing yourself, Elohite?"

Ekur says, "I am not certain how much time the Lady will have, or what 
influence I can bring to bear on her schedule.  However, as things 
currently stand, I will put in a word for you."

Nayenezgani stands.  "Many thanks.  All speed in your search.  Anaba?"  
Anaba nods and steps forward to follow you.

Thais politely doesn't attempt to claim the shotgun seat in the car for 
the next part of the drive.

Ekur . o O ( If this is what it seems, then it's probably worthwhile to 
smooth ruffled feathers by helping arrange an appointment.  If it isn't 
what it seems, well, then it won't be as things currently stand. )

Neil says, "Next the Voudoun delegation, I think?"

Ekur, as the group walks off, says to Neil, "You're the police expert, I 
suggest you take the lead at this point."

Neil says, "Right."

Neil heads to the center of the Voudon influence in Civis, and talks with 
Anaba as they go.

Neil says, "Can you tell me anything more about the two Papa Legba 
followers? The way they moved, the way the spoke. Did they remind you of 
anything?"

Anaba says, "Remind me of anything..."  He thinks.

Neil keeps talking as Anaba considers it. "Seems a pretty haphazard 
attack, from what you've described. They had you senseless without even 
knowing who you were. And then -- whoever they were relying on for 
directions just... wasn't available? 

Neil says, "I'd generally expect better of the voudonistas. How would 
/you/ arrange to kidnap somebody? You'd know who you were looking for, 
and I don't think your elders would just leave you in the lurch for 
planning and command."

Anaba says, "Well, they looked like black humans, wearing T-shirts and 
jean shorts, barefoot, pretty typical for the young kids in the cities 
these days.  They had the signature white hair, and they wore his vever.  
I recognize it because his people are usually the representatives to the 
other Domains.

Anaba says, "I think they were speaking French between themselves.  That 
sounded like their accent when they spoke English to me."

Neil nods. "French? That makes sense, yes.

Anaba says, "As for their leader, whoever they contacted with that 
Song... I don't know.  They had me in a very suggestive state, things 
were a little fuzzy.  Don't know why they wanted my name either, but 
that's one of the things they sent off."

Anaba says, "How does the French thing make sense?"

Neil [Anaba]: Voodoo's strongest hold -- in America, at least, which is 
what I've studied -- is from slave-holding southeastern America, the 
French holdings.

Anaba says, "Ah, okay.  It was mostly Santeria back in Santa Fe."

Neil says, "A couple years back, we ran off a demon whose sole purpose 
was to cause discord and division among what was to be Civis -- and this 
just isn't adding up. I'd like to ask you to trust us while you're with 
us, and try not to take offense at any accusations they level. I don't 
think they'll know anything about this... but I promise you that if they 
/do/, we will learn of it. I won't have such things in my city."

Anaba nods.  "Completely understand.  Demons show up in our Domain 
sometimes.  Try to give us orders, or try to bribe us.  Some guys take 
the bait.  We usually kick those suckers out."

Thais listens quietly, though she's acquired a smile since discussion of 
demons began. Dealing with those is always so...satisfying.

Neil says, "Thank you. This will go much quicker, with your help."

Neil has pumped Anaba for information and cautioned him against acting 
out of turn, so he's done with Anaba. If nobody else wants to talk to him 
away from his friends, we'll arrive at where we're going shortly.

[ snip msg'ing ]

Ekur has nothing to add.

The GM says, "Jesdyn is about to head off, and I could certainly use some 
time to do some chores (gaming is so much more fun a use of time, but 
they have to get done eventually).  It's been short, but we've intro'ed 
all the basic elements of this arc and gotten started, so, pause here and 
take up next week?"

Ekur blinks.  "This is a logical pause point."

Neil thumps Ekur. "You're not in character right now, Spock."

The GM says, "A'ighty."