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

Jesdyn materializes out of thin air.

Jesdyn says, "Yeah, ever since I learned the @join command, I don't do a 
lot of walking."

Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local name Neil

The GM says, "As long as sombody makes the trudge.  :^)"

StevenE has made StevenE's local name Ekur

fadethecat swings into the room on a bit of rigging.

fadethecat has made fadethecat's local name Thais

Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local description An affable man in a deep navy 
blue uniform. He has a badge and a halo, and he's here to help you.

Ekur says, "What skill covers knowledge of law?"

William (#2330) has changed the GM of this room to William (#2330).

William [to StevenE]: Law.

fadethecat [to William]: Handy, that.

Ekur shakes his head.  Professional, not Social.  Okay.

Neil says, "Asking that made me remember Neil's got Game Theory. I've got 
the horrible mental image of Dominic assigning me as the Game's liason 
here in Civis."

The GM says, "You get a default and a +4 when dealing with the law for 
any region where you've lived a long time -- in Ekur's case, heaven and 
Civis.  Babylon's has probably faded a bit, and the Marches at large 
mainly follow the law of dog-eat-dog-spirit."

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: If we need a Game liason in Civis, we have 
problems.

fadethecat [to William]: Incidentally, do you (or any other players) mind 
if a friend of mine who's a fan of the game sits in on the session?

The GM says, "Spectators welcome."

The GM says, "This Neil's groupie?"

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: This is /Dominic/. ): I don't doubt I might get 
orders to lay off genuine Game servitors hounding after a Renegade.

fadethecat [to William]: Yeah.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Mm. But this is also /Civis/, not Earth. It's not 
really contested Heaven/Hell ground, or even properly neutral.

StevenE [to William]: Okay, given his responsibilities in Civis, Ekur 
will bump up his Politics a half-point to 17, spend a point for 
Administration-17, and a half-point for Law-15.  That'll leave me with 10 
unspent XP.

William [to StevenE]: Email me that, so I'll have a note.

Neil says, "Hey, can you use Administration as a Marches combat skill?"

The GM says, "O_o ...no?"

Neil says, "Hmph. Sword still mightier than pen."

The GM says, "If a Renegade showed up in Civis I imagine it would be 
treated the same as one at a Heavenly Tether -- you can Redeem, you can 
bum around *if* you're likely to do so in the future, or we can send you 
to Limbo.  Or you can leave."

SD materializes out of thin air.

The GM says, "Ah, a.k.a. Ryukage?"

Sariel nods. "Or Sariel, nowadays. Hi!" *grins*

The GM says, "Welcome."

William pulls up the various notes.  And the very important soda.

Thais mmm, soda. And grabs a drink pre-game.

Sariel waves to people! And thanks muchly for the invitation to watch. 
Has been _loving_ this game in logs.

Sariel grins, and hangs out in the bleachers.

Neil has consumed a pint of coffee/heath bar crunch, and is now in the 
proper state of mind to a play a Friend of Man.

Thais has hippy-friendly Triscuits to go with her Malakite of the Sword.

Neil says, "Dizzy and craving meat."

Sariel fears.

The GM says, "It is several months after you began the shuffle of 
populations in Civis. (Sariel, this was the session two weeks ago, an 
off-the-cuff while I got other things organized.  Not yet on the site.)  
The city is beginning to settle in to the notion of integrated 
neighborhoods."

Sariel [to William]: :nods.

The GM says, "In the intervening time, Ekur has been keeping busy with 
his usual responsibilities, while Neil has been determinedly practicing 
his martial skills following the earlier invasion attempt.  Thais has 
been splitting her time between lightened patrol duties and the many 
details of setting up a crafts shop, making friends and business 
connections in the city."

The GM says, "Today, the latest mail run from Heaven comes in.  A missive 
from Laurence tops the bundle, with several addressees listed next to a 
small hologrammatic disc with the Lightning logo.  Most are the 
higher-ranking officials of the city, including Matthias and Ekur, but 
Thais is included as well.  Word is sent for her to report to City Hall."


Thais checks the ribbons on her scabbard on her way over. Must be 
/shiny/.

The GM says, "While she makes her way here, Matthias activates the disc.  
He, Jack, Ekur, Yazz, and a selection of other officers from the angelic 
garrison are in the room.  The disc buzzes for a moment, then flickers to 
life.  A miniature translucent projection of Archangel Laurence appears."


The small projection looks about and confirms that no one is in the room 
not authorized to receive this letter.  Without further ceremony, it 
turns to Matthias.  "The Seraphim Council at the request of Archangel 
Blandine has agreed to the request of the Amerind pantheon to establish 
an embassy.  To your duties with the Civis project are to be added this 
objective.  Send a trusted angel with a small group selected at your 
discretion to escort an ambassadorial envoy to Cibola."

Arc 5: All Manner of Diplomacy

The projection flickers momentarily.  "A number of classified 
transmissions are now to be distributed.  The recipients should identify 
themselves in order."  Thais, you arrive.

Sariel . o O ( <<ping>> )

Thais spots the projection of her Archangel, and settles into a more 
alert position to see what he has to say.

Sariel . o O ( Gah, my keepalive is weird here. Sorry. )

fadethecat [to William]: Safe to assume that since it's a recorded 
message (or interactive message-thingy), no particular signs of respect 
are required?

William [to fadethecat]: True.  At least while it *was* a recorded 
message.  :^)

Neil [to William]: The recording looking around was kind of freaky, yes.

fadethecat [to William]: Heh. Please poke me if Thais is being less 
formal than the situation calls for! She is more up-to-date on these 
things than I am.

William [to Neil]: I figure Heaven's security technology is advanced 
enough that it can program facial-pattern recognition.

As soon as the room clears of other personnel, the projection pauses.  
"Establishing linkup... going live."  The projection flickers out, and 
Thais sees her perceptions of the room warp into the simply furnished 
room where her Heart is stored in the Cathedral of the Sword.

fadethecat [to William]: A/hah/.

The GM says, "Laurence is standing nearby, spending a spare minute 
testing the balance of what appears to be a machete.  He sees the 
transmission and sheaths it in a carrier."

Thais kneels promptly. "My Lord."

Laurence says, "I bid you welcome, my child.  Rise."

Thais stands up again, just as promptly. "How may I serve?"

Laurence says, "I have reviewed your request for the Hunt attunement.  It 
appear to align well with the needs of your mission and your past 
performance indicates you will utilize it effectively.  I wanted to speak 
with you personally about your plans for it."

You are fixed with a gaze which is piercing in more than the metaphorical 
sense.  The feel of the Sword at the heart of your being is suddenly very 
intense and sharp as your Archangel searches for your clearest 
motivations in this matter.  It's painful, a little.  But in a good way.

fadethecat [to William]: What info do you want? Or, well, you're the GM. 
Do you actually need any more?

Neil [to Sariel]: :avidly watches Thais avoid words like "hottie".

Neil curses. I didn't WANT that to interject in the scene.

Neil kicks the Blue Room and its globals in disgust, then plops into 
sullen silence.

William [to Thais]: Elaborate as clearly as you can what you intend to do 
with Hunt once you've got it.  Internally; he won't need anything so 
imprecise as speech.  :^)

Sariel [to William]: *admires!*

Sariel [to Jesdyn]: *cackles*

[ paging, paging... ]

Thais intends to use Hunt generally to solve problems with recurring 
enemies to the city of Thais, so that she has more freedom in choosing 
whether to deal with a combatant fully in the first encounter, or leave 
him to draw out other enemies when he believes he's gone free. 
Specifically, she wishes to use Hunt to know the /instant/ Wrinth gets 
anywhere near Civis or other areas she's involved with, so that she can 
go STAB HIM LOTS, on the principle that apparently he didn't get the 
lesson the first time.

Thais has, for that matter, been learning all sorts of fun things about 
situations in which you actually want to let someone go and track him, 
and /boy/ would this be useful to have, compared to Songs alone. There is 
also a faint trace of interest in seeing if she could drag that one demon 
towards redemption, but she doesn't plan to go hunting for him without 
good cause.

Laurence muses over this momentarily and then nods.  He reaches over to 
the crystal bubble sitting in the niche in the wall.  The feeling of 
sharpness releases you, flowing into the sphere, where it orbits 
momentarily before catching up with itself and disappearing in a flash of 
light.  You are left with a certain clarity of perception, in which a new 
layer of awareness manifests itself.

Thaisblinks once, and bows before Laurence. "Thank you." Looks up again 
with a sharp smile, already considering the implications.

Laurence says, "This part of the discussion was merely private, of 
course, not classified.  What I say next is."  He begins to pull the 
machete out of its sheath, mutters, "Too imprecise," and pulls a 
*gorgeous* kris out of his Scabbard.

Thais admires the blade, with all the heart-felt sincerity of a young 
Malakite of the Sword.

Laurence says, "You have a very particular need in defending your city.  
It being in the Marches, it is possible to rout a foe without seriously 
damaging him, until the process is repeated several times."

Thais nods, not voicing the understood "And thus the utility of Hunt".

Laurence says, "I will describe to you a technique I developed during my 
time with Purity.  It is not widely known, both due to its limited 
utility and to the fact that we have kept it secret deliberately.  To my 
knowledge, Hell has neither invented it, nor discovered its secrets, nor 
collected a Fallen angel who knew of the matter."

Thais goes very slightly wide-eyed, but waits silently for her Archangel 
to continue.

Laurence says, "If one desires to terminate an opponent's effectiveness 
in the Marches, one can attempt to focus one's energies specifically on 
eliminating their Ethereal Forces.  Usually, of course, only a Superior 
can be so precise.  But with a humanoid demon -- that is, any but a 
Shedite, a Balseraph, and a very few Djinn -- or a cephalocentric 
ethereal, consciousness and thus the seat of the ethereal presence is 
centered behind the eyes.  An attack in celestial mode aimed at the 
apparent icon of such an organ, with the intent of a crippling rather 
than a killing blow, markedly increases the tendency that the Force lost 
will be Ethereal.  It is performed as follows:"  He strikes a pose of 
complete clarity, and you can *see* the opponent at which he aims and 
strikes.

Thais's hands twitch near the hilt of her own sword as she watches, 
following the movement with her gaze.

Neil . o O ( Ho-lee Hammurabi. What's Dominic done for /me/ lately? )

Laurence puts away the sword with a practiced gesture.  "You should be 
able to work out the necessary intent and strike.  And Thais.  Should you 
use this technique, I expect combat to be prosecuted until the demon is 
no longer capable of recalling the particulars."

Thais nods briskly, nearly radiating (okay, literally radiating, for 
those with the Elohite resonance handy) the pure thrill of knowing how to 
make that /hurt/. "Understood, sir."

Laurence nods.  "Dismissed."  With the formality, the perception of the 
room in Civis returns and the holographic disc flickers off.

Thais appears a touch surprised. And very, very happy.

William  GM meta: you essentially now have the option to use 'Hit 
Location: Ethereal Forces' in the Marches with any piercing weapon.  Same 
penalty as striking the eyes, and you can practice this up like any other 
maneuver.

fadethecat [to William]: Mmmmmmm.

Ekur . o O ( And now Thais is definitively the premiere combatant in the 
party. )

fadethecat [to William]: Well, I know where /my/ CP are going in the near 
future...

Outside, Matthias is talking to Ekur.  "I definitely think that a 
Distincted angel of Dreams is the best option for accrediting our 
ambassador.  They'll trust you to vouch for whoever we send."

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Maybe. It's not a cureall. Does it knock 'em off 
directly, or does it just skew the aging roll for zeroed Soul Hits?

William  GM meta: I make the normal aging rolls for Forces lost in 
celestial combat -- once for Corporeal, Ethereal, and Celestial Forces, 
as usual.  However, I replace any Corporeal or Celestial Force lost with 
an Ethereal one.

Sariel [to William]: Oh, _nice_.

fadethecat [to William]: There will be eye-stabbing. There will be much 
eye-stabbing.

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Not to mention that she can't afford to /use/ the 
thing very often. If we start regularly inflicting force-loss, they're 
gonna notice if Thais starts screwing numbers. And how's she gonna 
explain her sudden prediliction for a difficult-to-hit target on a being 
who is -- so far was we know -- totally homogenous?

Ekur pauses thoughtfully, and then nods to Matthias.  "I find I agree.  
The other logical choice would be you, but your responsibilities here are 
too great, while mine can be left to others for a while with no 
significant repercussions."

Matthias says to Ekur, "Quite.  Jack and I shall see about selecting an 
ambassador.  Ready and equip a team of what you feel is an appropriate 
size to escort them to Cibola, one day from now."

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: It's awesome, but... this is going to be fun to play 
out. She's got a /secret/...

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: No, see, this is why if she uses it, she's got to 
go yank /all/ the target's ethereal Forces, if possible. So he won't 
remember who he was fighting or how he lost 'em...

Ekur . o O ( Modesty?  If I let that influence my reactions, I'd be 
/dissonant/. )

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Yeah. But do it without non-combatants /or your 
allies/ realizing what you're up to.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Through multiple fights.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: My allies can tell "Going for the eyes is handy 
for taking someone down", not which Forces are being shredded.

StevenE [to William]: Okay, the question is, is Thais plus Neil enough?  
Or should I be adding more people?  Ekur should have a rough guess as to 
what's appropriate, but I don't really have one.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: And, yes, Thais is planning on using this 
/discreetly/. She's not going to be going for the throat--er, eyes--for 
every fight she comes up in.

William [to StevenE]: Thais plus Neil should be fine.  That'll give you a 
group of four, and three coming back, which with angels should be enough 
to handle pretty much any random problems in the Far Marches.

Neil says, "And we'll be in the Judgementmobile."

The GM says, "Well, three plus however many the embassy turns out to be."


Neil wonders if he can borrow a relic vehicle-mounted minigun from Yazz. 


Thais [to Neil]: The awesome, awesome Judgmentmobile.

Ekur is tempted to add an Ethereal for diplomatic purposes.  Yazz for 
preference (important and combat-skilled), Dr. Bloom (familiar face) if 
Yazz is too busy and Dr. Bloom isn't.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Hey, look at that, Neil isn't on the shortlist 
for diplomacy.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: How strange!

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Maybe diplomacy involves less punching, where 
we're going?

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Amerind diplomacy involved just beating people 
with painted sticks instead of killing them.

William coughs.

The GM says, "The Iroquois League was a five-nation alliance that lasted 
for decades and kept significant peace in the region."

The GM says, "The Maya and Incan empires both dealt with large numbers of 
foreign powers in their day in ways other than conquering them.  Though 
that was often first choice."

Thais says, "Uh-oh. Better leave the Mercurian behind, then."

Neil sighs. Fine. Go be right. See if I care.

Ekur goes around talking to people.  He starts with Thais, because she's 
right there.  Assuming she says yes, he move over to Yazz (who was also 
there).

William [to Ekur]: Presuming you broach the idea with Yazz, he allows as 
how it's a tempting notion but he'd rather stay second man to Jack.  
Bloom might be more willing.

Ekur nods, moves on to inform Neil, and then approaches Dr. Bloom.

Thais [to William]: Double-checking, but... Thais can reserve one of her 
tracking-slots for Wrinth, despite having fought him before she got the 
attunement, right?

[ paging, paging... ]

William [to Thais]: In-character, a brief moment of concentration lets 
Thais realize she can summon up the memory of Wrinth and attach him to 
one of those dangling threads of perception with ease.

William [to Thais]: "Location" being a fuzzy concept in the Marches, you 
can currently tell that he's in a Far Marches Domain which is not Civis.

Thais settles a lingering sense of "where" onto Wrinth. She's more than 
pleased to accept the task, now that she'll /know/ if Wrinth goes lurking 
anywhere near Civis.

Elsewindow, in the "Gehennom Intensive Care" campaign, Wrinth's heart 
monitor twitches.

William [to Ekur]: Bloom blinks at you for a moment, looks around at his 
community center, and thinks.

Thais . o O ( Wrinth's heart goes pitter-pat at the thought of Thais! How 
sweet! )

Sariel . o O ( *cackles* )

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Actually, at this point it's probably my turn to 
Traumatize him. And I've got something on order that'll arrive after this 
arc to do the job.

Bloom takes a deep breath and says, "...yes.  Yes, I think this would 
make an excellent opportunity.  If I have a day or so, I can settle 
affairs here -- I have enough students that are capable of handling 
responsibilities here."

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Aw, come on. Let Thais have another stab at it 
first! She could alternate with Neil and Ekur...

Bloom says, "For a few days, at least, right?

Ekur nods.  "We have a day before we go, and it will probably take a few 
days.  If you can't get away for that long, I understand."

Bloom says, "I can.  I'll see you at City Hall tomorrow."

Ekur says, "Thank you."

The GM says, "And, if there are no other preparations that folks need to 
make...?  (No, no relic vehicle-mounted railguns available... Yazz 
actually knows a man that's *got* one, original Radz citizen, but it's 
not for rent...)"

Thais admires the railgun, but is all Boy Scout Motto and thus always 
prepared. Her sword's good enough as prep goes.

Neil says, "Waah. Alas. No, no preparations here. Just spend a day 
letting everyone know I'll be on a trip for a few days."

Neil . o O ( And I'll be very /tired/ when I get back. )

Jesdyn [to William]: Oh! Meant to ask. Do you allow Dissonance to be 
bought off for ten Essence, and if so, how is someone without that 
Essence capacity going to do that? Installments?

William [to Jesdyn]: Nope, gotta be all at once.  You'll need a reliquary 
or 10 Forces, that's the breaks.

The GM says, "Very well -- it is tomorrow.  Bloom shows up at City Hall 
with his robe, knapsack, and a mandala tapestry rolled up on top.  The 
selected angelic ambasassador is the Destiny angel you met earlier, a 
young Mercurian by the name of Jahaz."

fadethecat [to William]: A Mercurian who's actually diplomatic? There 
must be a trick.

The GM says, "Jahaz is a little nervous but greets you all with a little 
bow.  This causes a paper or two to spill, which he scrambles to 
collect."

Ekur nods to the new ambassador.  "Your escort is ready, sir."

Neil shakes everyone's hand and pings them as he does so. [Claiming the 
touch-based bonus and most-deviant-act scan.]

Jahaz says, "It's a pleasure to meet you all.  Thank you for the escort.  
I'm, uh, ready to go when you are."

Thais smiles cheerfully at Jahaz. "Need any help with those?"

Neil . o O ( Of course, Jahaz will scan /me/ at the same time, and I 
wonder how I show up to one of those. )

William [to Neil]: I'm assuming this is mostly aimed at Bloom and Jahaz, 
right?  Or are you checking up on Ekur and Thais as well?

Ekur is autorezzing Jahaz, too.

Thais joins in the resonating fun!

William [to Ekur]: Any particular question in mind, or is general 
emotional state fine?

StevenE [to William]: No question.

Jesdyn [to William]: Checking up on everyone, shaking Ekur and Thais' 
hand if I arrived seperately and have an excuse.

fadethecat [to William]: ...because it's a good idea to know if there are 
any strange honorable definitions or quirks in Jahaz's background she 
should know about! Really!

William mutters, Neil - Jahaz, Ekur, Thais, Bloom, Thais - Jahaz...

Jesdyn [to William]: If Ekur's got some body art or Thais is in -- well 
-- it's hard to imagine what kind of trouble she might be in, but I'd 
rather scan her than explain why I didn't to Dominic.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, you rolled 10.

Sariel . o O ( <William> Note to self: next PC to join the party is a 
_Kyriotate_, dammit. )

roll 3d6

On 3d6, you rolled 12.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, you rolled 10.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, you rolled 15.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, you rolled 12.

fadethecat [to Sariel]: *snickers* Indeed.

Sariel [to fadethecat]: Because even Ofanim and Cherubim can get _some_ 
information! ^_^

Neil says, "Good thing we've got so much time today. While William 
explores the world of combinatorial resonance interactions, I'm going to 
get a cola."

Ekur . o O ( That's it!  Ekur should get some Ethereal tattoos!  It's a 
harmless quirk that will cause others to have to stop and reconsider 
their prejudices! ;-)  )

Ekur . o O ( Maybe even a barcode on the forehead as a sly commentary on 
Demonic mutterings.  )

Sariel [to StevenE]: *_laughs_*

William [to Neil]: JAHAZ: is from Heaven, has that name, is mostly 
interested in his work, has recently developed an interest in the riddle 
game and its philosophical/moral underpinnings, mostly works withe the 
angels in Civis but has developed a good relationship with a few of the 
ethereal writers in the city, and is nervous about his ability to 
represent the city but his employers estimate him as able to do the job.

William [to Neil]: His most deviant act so far was sneaking down the 
Tower as a reliever and getting himself lost in the Far Marches -- and 
injured -- before running home.

William [to Neil]: Ekur, Thais, and Bloom you know most of.  Bloom's most 
deviant act is still the dream-eating from years back.  I forget if we 
ever assigned one for Ekur and Thais, but I can't imagine they've 
possibly developed a new one in the last few months.  Ekur has been 
pondering tattoos.

William [to Ekur]: Jahaz is nervous, excited, determined, and generally 
everything one would expect of someone given his first major 
responsibility for others.

Ekur . o O ( Okay, now that Neil is hyperventilating . . . . )

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Nah -- but when I file a report, keep in mind I 
actually spent points on Angelic.

William [to Thais]: Jahaz's sense of honor largely reflects the Destiny 
educational system for Mercurians to a T.  He's particularly proud of a 
paper he published on the use of truth in the construction of consensual 
illusions by entertainer magicians, and is worried he may be a little 
*too* proud of it.

Ekur should come up with a Most Deviant Act sometime.  Hmm.

fadethecat [to William]: Aw. That's kinda cute.

Jesdyn [to William]: You're absolutely awesome. Do you do all this 
off-the-cuff, or do you spend time armoring NPC against the slings and 
arrows of our resonances?

Jahaz looks at Neil curiously after shaking hands.  "Patricia, eh?  
Decided to switch genders?"

William [to Neil]: *Completely* off-the-cuff.

Thais [to William]: *admires*

Neil shrugs, slightly stung. "It was a Role. I left it behind."

"I've never had a Role," Thais says, very slightly wistfully. "That must 
be interesting."

Jahaz nods agreeably.  "Just wondering."

Neil did not expect to visit this today, and is surprised and resentful.

Jahaz eyes Neil.  "Oh dear.  I seem to have pushed a button."

Neil will cover it with his usual grace, and shoot Jahaz in th-- hold on, 
that's not right.

Jahaz comes to a realization.  "...which I should really stop pushing, 
shouldn't I.  Are we all ready to go?"

Jesdyn [to William]: Excellent! I see we'll be revisiting our discussion 
on the Judgementmobile's capabilities today.

Thais says, "Ready as always."

Ekur . o O ( Oooh, killing a celestial /in anger/ during the Fall.  Just 
selfish enough anger that it emerged as dissonance, not a transformation 
into a Malakite.  That's certainly deviant for an Elohite. )

William [to Ekur]: *Nice* one.

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Very nice.

Ekur says, "Ready when you are."

Neil nods, shortly.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: I think Thais's most deviant act is still that 
time she got distracted while delivering a message, back as a reliever, 
and didn't get straight to the recipient.

Neil says, "Jahaz, you'll ride with me. Will we all ride together, or 
some of us walk alongside the car, ready for trouble?"

Sariel . o O ( I _love_ you three PCs. Just. Uh. For the record. ^_^ )

Neil says, "What kind of trouble could we meet that we'd have a hard time 
dealing with from inside the car, for that?"

Neil says, "On the way back, we'll have the diplomats in the car so they 
can run if they need to."

Jahaz says, "Well, who all knows the way to The City of Gold?"

Ekur says, "I think in the car is a good idea, the ambassador in the 
middle of the back seat, flanked by me and Thais for protection."

William [to Ekur]: Certainly, you're familiar with the image of all such 
major Domains.

Bloom says, "I've been there a few times."

Ekur says, "I know the way, too."

Neil . o O ( I was worried that Jahaz was going to scan Bloom and ask him 
why he wanted to be a Balseraph, but I see he's gonna dodge /that/ 
bullet. He's a better Mercurian than I am. <resent> <resent> <resent> )

William [to Neil]: Ooh, jealousy!  *makes note for Dominic's next weekly 
visit*

Jesdyn [to William]: I may take that back, a little; this can't be the 
only Mercurian's ever met, after all. But they've gotten off on a bad 
foot, that's for sure.

Jesdyn [to William]: Of course, being a Mercurian, this might /be/ one of 
the first times Jahaz has ever been on a bad foot with somebody.

Bloom says, "And since I recall that Ekur is none too good with cars, beg 
your pardon Vassal, it looks like I'm driving.  With your permission, of 
course, Neil, he is your ride."

Ekur says, "I'm plenty good with them, as long as oxen or mules are 
pulling.  These internal combustion engine jobs, though . . . ."

Neil says, "That's certainly fine. If we have to mash something, get to 
safety -- and back home if you don't hear from us celestially."

Thais takes her assigned place in the car, making sure she's not seated 
in such a way as to obstruct her sword.

Bloom puts his stuff in the trunk, sits behind the steering wheel, 
appears to mentally go through a checklist, nods his head and confidently 
hits the button that starts the hydraulics.

*bounce*

*bounce*

*bounce*

Neil says, "Be a good practice run for the return trip, when we REALLY 
don't want any sur...?"

Bloom says, "That's not right."

Bloom hits it again and the car settles down, practically glowing with 
satisfied tricksterism.

roll 3d6

On 3d6, you rolled 9.

Bloom gives it another go, and the gas pedal works this time.  You roll 
out of Civis.

Bloom turns to Neil to comment, "Intriguing functionality."

Neil . o O ( Bloom drives past the Michael's Embassy, when suddenly an 
enraged Cherub comes boiling out. "You! In the car! I see you! You aren't 
getting away from me this time!" )

Neil flushes slightly. "It has an important duty-related function."

skill 14 Area_Knowledge_(Marches)

You rolled 6 and Area_Knowledge_(Marches) - succeeded by 8.

The GM says, "You climb up over the Bounding Range at a good clip, 
passing a patrol that acknowledges your passing, and enter the gray sands 
of the inter-Domain wilds.  Bloom steers toward lighter golden sands when 
possible, a cloud of dust rising behind the Judgmentmobile to vanish in 
imperceptible mingling with the omnipresent thin fong of the Far 
Marches."

roll 3d6

On 3d6, you rolled 8.

Neil . o O ( Wonder if we get any of Heaven's stations out here. But if 
we did, we'd get 80s music. Maybe we'll just play board games. Thais 
probably has a copy of Laurence's newest one, Dutiful Pursuit. It tells 
you what to go do instead of sit around and play board games. )

The GM says, "Little disturbs your trip.  About 4 hours into the trip, 
you pass a small caravan of Amerinds traveling to Civis.  Another two 
hours later, Beleth's Tower shadow-flares in the distance to mark the 
Demon's Sunset and the fog becomes a little darker and more forbidding."

Neil taps the headlamps on.

The GM says, "As this happens, the sands begin to crunch underfoot with a 
more realistic echo, and a great cliff rises in the distance.  The view 
above you develops the deep blue of star-speckled night sky rather than 
the forbidding blankness of undefinedness.  Fires light up random-seeming 
points on the cliff ahead."

Thais busies herself throughout the drive with watching outside for signs 
of potential threats.

The GM says, "As you draw closer, a last flare of sunset light shines 
through a notch in the hills, and the cliff is illuminated in orange fire 
for an instant.  Higher and more thickly populated than any such dwelling 
on Earth, the cliff towers above you carved top to bottom with terraces, 
ladders, and multi-story buildings, all of which glow in the sidelong 
sunset light as if indeed made of gold.  The sun sets, and the moon 
reigns the sky.  You have arrived at Cibola."

Ekur says, "Well, your Excellency, we've arrived at your post."  Ekur 
steps out of the car, and offers a hand to Jahaz.  "Where do we go now?"

Jahaz looks up at the town.  "That's an excellent question."  He blinks.  
"Um.  No pun intended.  At any rate, I'm sure we'll have to make contact 
with the natives."

Ekur [to William]: Area Knowledge (Marches) roll to remember where the 
political center of the city is?  Usually ambassadors are presented to 
the head of state, at least on Earth.

Neil idly considers honking, but discards it.

William [to Ekur]: Go for it.

Ekur rolled 11 versus 19 and succeeded by 8.

Thais steps out of the car, brushing her pants into neat smooth lines 
again, and looks around.

Ekur says, "Mr. Ambassador, I believe the thing to do is to take you to 
the capitol and present your credentials."  Ekur points.  "It's 
thataway."

Neil . o O ( Does he even know who he's supposed to talk to? Are we even 
sure this is Cibola, and not a subtle demonic trick? Maybe someone should 
go see if they can push th-- wait a SECOND! )

Neil says, "Thais, just out of curiosity -- where's Wrinth?"

William [to Ekur]: Several of the Amerind pantheons have merged, either 
by Assumption or because they lost a lot of members, whether to Heaven or 
loss of believers.  Grandmother Spider can be found in religions from the 
Cherokee to the Hopi, and is currently in charge here.  She inhabits a 
kiva, an underground room, well-protected deep in the back of the cliff.  
The entrance is at a pueblo in the middle on the top floor.

Sariel has disconnected.

Thais checks on the Hunt attunement to find out the answer to that rather 
interesting question.

William [to Thais]: Currently in a Far Marches Domain not this one.

Thais says, "Not around here. Why do you ask?"

skill 17 AK(Marches)

You rolled 7 and AK(Marches) - succeeded by 10.

William [to Thais]: And, you're *fairly* sure, not Civis.  But it'll take 
practice to be able to glean that kind of information from the "feel" of 
the thing.

Thais [to William]: More reason to regularly ping Wrinth's presence, 
then!

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Because we'd be pretty embarassed if I didn't. I 
just wanted to make sure you had all the rough edges knocked off your 
attunement.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: That was IC. ):

Thais cheerfuls at Neil. "Don't worry. I intend to keep a close watch on 
where /that/ one might be."

The GM says, "As you approach the cliff, there is plenty of movement if 
no humanoid presence.  Two ravens, a copperhead, an owl, a rabbit, all 
pause in their travels to watch you go by."

Ekur says, "Okay, on up to the top.  My suggested order is myself in 
front, then you Neil, then His Excellency, then Dr. Bloom, with Thais 
guarding the rear.  When we reach the entrance, I'll go in and contact 
whomever is there, and then the ambassador will enter with you three 
following.  Sound good?"

Thais nods. "I can keep an eye on everything from the back."

Neil nods.

Sariel materializes out of thin air.

Sariel . o O ( My phone is evil. >_< Sorry. )

Jesdyn [to Sariel]: You only missed my dramatic revelation of... no known 
demonic operative.

The GM says, "There is a series of ladders in the public section of the 
pueblo that appears to rise to the top, past a collection of terraces and 
rooms.  Your train climbs up a couple of floors before you come to a 
terrace where the next ladder up features a small clay doll sitting next 
to it."

Ekur doesn't expect an attack, but is going to try to avoid having the 
ambassador killed if there is one.  Now, after credentials are presented, 
his security becomes the hosts' responsibility, so Ekur can sit back and 
do whatever passes for an Elohite enjoying himself.

Sariel [to Jesdyn]: Hee!

Neil eyes the doll. Not that he'd know if it held deep cultural 
signficance.

Neil . o O ( Of course, in the Marches, deep cultural signficance 
translates pretty directly to "dice of damage", so there you are. )

Thais continues the general "Malakite looking for trouble" lookout.

The GM says, "The red-mud Kachina stands as you approach, and turns 
abstract facial features up to you from its apparent height of inches.  
In a whistling little voice it asks, "Welcome, travelers, to Cibola.  
Where do you go?""

William  <ooc> For reference on the level of abstraction here, 
http://www.tallmouse.com/projects/kids/mudhead/mudhead.jpg .

Ekur says, "His Excellency, Jahaz, Ambassador of Heaven and Civis to 
Cibola, wishes to present his credentials to Grandmother Spider so he can 
assume his duties."

Kachina whistles excitedly.  "They said yes!  She will be overjoyed to 
hear.  Wait one moment while I reveal the path."

Thais resonates the Kachina, a little curious. It speaks a bit the way 
relievers do, and it's certainly the right size for an equivalent.

skill 17 Resonance

You rolled 10 and Resonance - succeeded by 7.

Neil notices Thais quirk her head and does the same.

Ekur auto-rezzes not just Kachina, but also the ravens, copperhead, owl, 
and rabbit.  What he's looking for is an emotion that indicates a threat 
or potential diplomatic pitfall; you don't have to come up with anything 
else.

William [to Thais]: It's a real spirit all right -- self-aware, not a 
figment -- but only chooses to appear so physically small at present.  
Its most honorable act in the past while was insisting to an overbearing 
demonic visitor that he *would* show respect to Grandmother Spider, or he 
would be quite unable to find her at all.

Thais [to William]: We resonate because we care!

Ekur . o O ( Being able to resonate without failure makes it really, 
really tempting to resonate every rock.  I don't want that to be a burden 
on William, however. )

William [to Ekur]: Obviously, the animals were all locals.  They were 
there to keep an eye on visitors.  They were generally wary, and quite 
curious as to why several angels have showed up as a large party.  
Kachina is genuinely happy to hear your news.

skill 18 Resonance

You rolled 8 and Resonance - succeeded by 10.

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: I would've pegged the menagerie but refrained for 
the same reason.

William [to Neil]: This doll's name is Gishi, and it was born here in 
Cibola of a human dream that had been inspired for the purpose.  It's 
grateful to the greater gods of the place for its existence and wishes to 
serve them well; they regard it, to the extent they know about it, as a 
dependable front-line watchman.

William [to Neil]: Its most deviant act was letting a Nightmares demon in 
the secret way one day.  It was scared, of course, but there you are.

Kachina scuttles into a hole in the wall about its size.  You hear it 
moving about inside the windowless room beyond, and after a moment a slab 
descends from the floor to reveal a ladder going down into a tunnel 
beyond.  "This way," it calls out.  "The way up from there leads 
nowhere."

Neil will be sure to tell Jahaz of a secret access to Cibola known to 
Nightmares at the earliest opportunity.

Ekur follows.

Neil follows.

Thais takes the rear of the party, as specified.

The GM says, "The passage beyond the ladder is lit at corners with 
torches.  Square-cut in what is apparently the living stone, it turns at 
right angles with no obvious pattern, unless you grasp the deeper meaning 
of the path... (roll any related Mythology skill, should you be 
interested)."

Ekur rolled 11 versus 18 and succeeded by 7.

William [to Ekur]: Theology?  Occultism?

Neil . o O ( Area Knowledge (Marches) ought to /be/ a Mythology skill, 
but I don't think I have that either. )

StevenE [to William]: That was Occultism.

fadethecat rolls 3 dice, and gets a 11.

Ekur rolled 15 versus 18 and succeeded by 3.

Ekur says, "That was Theology."

Thais [to William]: Darnit, forgot the command. But I have Anthropology 
(Ethereals).

Ekur oohs.

Ekur rolled 11 versus 18 and succeeded by 7.

Ekur says, "And *that* was Anthropology (Ethereals), just to round it 
out."

Ekur wonders if he should roll Hidden Lore (Ethereal).

William [to StevenE]: Works.  You recognize the path you're following: 
it's a traditional Amerind labyrinth.  You're in the righthand branch of 
http://media.graniteschools.org/Curriculum/anasazi/photos/me.JPG , the 
Earth symbol.  This is the 'better' half, it leads you to the center.

William [to Thais]: You recognize the concept of a labyrinth, at least.  
A fairly common construction in Ethereal psychology and architecture.

Neil is in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.

The GM says, "Pretty much, yeah.  :^)"

XYZZY

Nothing happens.

The GM says, "...did anybody else just see that?"

Neil points a finger at StevenE.

StevenE [to William]: It was just soooo tempting . . .

Jesdyn [to William]: @check doesn't work, unless you boost it to ignore 
whoever Michael is. "@check michael" will see past the ineffability to 
the Symphonic core.

Sariel [to StevenE]: *SNRK*

The GM says, "You come to the end of the passage.  A bowl of glowing 
coals casts a dim red light, the walls close and warm around you deep 
within the cliff.  Artwork dances on the hallway, here a spider in its 
cobweb, there drawings of warriors, buffalo hunts, growing maize, the 
lives of the ancient pueblo dwellers and other Indian nations from around 
the continent."

Sariel . o O ( Need to poweridle for a bit; am apparently first-up for 
gaming elsewindow. *admires a lot so far!* Thanks for letting me watch! )


The GM says, "Nothing else stirs.  The passage seems to await your next 
move."

Thais looks to the ambassador, who would presumably know what's 
appropriate. And then, remembering the possibility of danger, glances 
back behind them.

William [to Thais]: The ambassador is examining the artwork.  Behind you 
only the silent, still passage stretches.

Ekur announces, in his best stentorian voice, "His Excellency, Jahaz, 
Ambassador of heaven and Civis to Cibola."  He then signals Jahaz to move 
forward.

Neil . o O ( No matter what happens, don't lose the receipt. If this 
ambassador gets broken Destiny may give us a refund. )

William [to Ekur]: Jahaz takes a step forward.  Nothing else happens.

Neil  ...

Jahaz says slowly, "It's a puzzle, I think..."

Neil readies the mental construct of a riot shield, and holds it on the 
edge of fruition. In case it isn't a puzzle.

Thais says, "Ah. Is it most appropriate for the ambassador to handle it, 
then?"

Ekur examines the artwork more closely.

skill 18 Perception

You rolled 16 and Perception - succeeded by 2.

William [to Ekur]: You notice that the bowl on the spider in the cobweb 
isn't painted art -- it's a tiny raised cup made of iron and copper.

Jahaz says to Thais, "That may be the case.  Let me think... it probably 
has something to do with Amerind myths or symbology.  Possibly 
Grandmother Spider herself."

Ekur mentions the cup to the Ambassador in a quiet whisper.

Jahaz thinks about what Ekur says.

skill 16 Literature

You rolled 12 and Literature - succeeded by 4.

Ekur . o O ( Not sure if we have to solve it as a group, or the 
ambassador has to solve it as the envoy.  Doesn't want to undercut the 
ambassador's position/dignity, especially after playing footman to try to 
increase it. )

Jahaz says, "One of the things Grandmother Spider did in some Amerind 
legends was play the Prometheus role.  She stole fire in a cup from one 
source or another."

Ekur nods, and looks over to the coals in the bowl.

Jahaz says, "She was tiny, but one coal was all it took."

William [to Ekur]: Oh -- the boal of coals is a big one simply sitting 
there on its own.  The spider in the cobweb is in the corner.

The GM says, "bowl, even"

StevenE [to William]: Right, I understood that.  I was trying to subtly 
signal Jahaz without saying anything.

Neil murmurs to Ekur, "We're doing them a favor here. We COULD just tell 
her to show or we walk."

skill Ekur_Acting 18

You rolled 16 and 18 - critically failed by 10.

"...

The GM says, "..."

skill 18 Ekur_Acting

You rolled 7 and Ekur_Acting - succeeded by 11.

@emit Jahaz looks at "That's better.

Jahaz looks at "That's better.

Neil will idle for some CPR.

" :P

The GM says, " :P"

Thais [to William]: Please, please tell me that wasn't an II...

"No, just a mistype.  Several.

The GM says, "No, just a mistype.  Several."

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: I thought I'd personally blown the whole mission.


Jahaz looks at Ekur for a moment, then gets the picture.  "Ah!"  He 
reaches over to the bowl of coals, thinking for a moment and using the 
edge of a quill pen to pick one up.  He taps it on the spider's tiny 
bowl, and waits.

Neil . o O ( Huh. Okay, we'll call it Pen, Sword one-all. )

The GM says, "The iron-and-copper bowl, as any bimetallic object will do 
when heated, warps slightly.  There is a tiny click, and counterweights 
roll somewhere out of sight.  The wall descends, and a few more feet of 
passage is revealed.  A ladder leads into a large cavern apparently lit 
by a brightly burning fire."

Ekur says, "Anyone object to the plan of having me move forward, announce 
the ambassador, and then you three follow the ambassador in?"

Thais shakes her head.

Neil says, "Sounds good."

Ekur, assuming Jahaz doesn't object, goes ahead.

Ekur announces, in his best stentorian voice, "His Excellency, Jahaz, 
Ambassador of Heaven and Civis to Cibola."

The GM says, "Jahaz, hearing this, heads down the ladder to join you."

Ekur . o O ( Awww!  It would have been more dramatic had Ekur 
/dreamshaped/ a coal and passed it to Jahaz.  rats. )

Neil . o O ( Hey, if this is a second test, I'm taking point on our third 
prospective emergence into our hosts quarters.  )

The GM says, "Below, you find yourselves in a cavern larger than even 
angelic eyes can see.  Fires burn merrily on the wall behind you and in 
pottery bowls hanging on woven ropes from the ceiling, which arches into 
an obscured distance.  Far below, a stream churns from somewhere to 
somewhere.  Stretched along between these distant walls, an enormous 
complex spiderweb shifts in random-seeming breezes."

Neil says, "Wow."

A tiny old woman sits in a chair near the edge of the ledge says, "Thank 
you dearie."

Thais pulls on a slightly more formal posture as she hears this, and 
tries to glance all about in a /polite/ manner.

The GM says, "She is collecting strands from the web, untangling knots, 
and knitting them.  The strands of her knitting reach out to meld back 
seamlessly with the web, in intricate patterns."

The GM says, "She pauses and looks up at you.  'And which one of you 
would be Jahaz?'"

Neil . o O ( That one! That one! Eat him! I'm too courageous to die! )

Ekur turns to and nods at Jahaz.

Jahaz, at the gesture, remembers his business and steps forward.  He 
bows.  "Grandmother Spider, I wish to present my credentials as 
ambassador from the city of Civis to Cibola.  Ekur, Vassal of Dreams, is 
here to vouch for my character, as is the ethereal Dr. Bloom."

Neil . o O ( /Can/ Doc Bloom vouch for his character? Well, they could've 
met before. )

Ekur half-bows to Grandmother Spider at the mention of his name.

Grandmother Spider looks at Bloom.  "Dr. Bloom, is it?"  She reaches out 
a hand to the web, and a strand floats up on an unseen breeze.  She 
grasps it and examines it, whereupon for some reason Bloom straightens up 
and puts a hand to his chest, as if someone had touched him.  She 
releases it, it returns to the web, and he looks at himself bemusedly.

Bloom says, "Jahaz has worked with the angels and the Ethereals of the 
city for years.  His character is of good report and his intellectual 
credentials impeccable."

Grandmother Spider nods, and turns to Neil and Thais.  "And you two?"

Thais bows politely. "Thais, Malakite of the Sword. I'm accompanying them 
to guard against trouble during the journeys between the two domains."

Neil bows politely. "Neil, Mercurian of Judgment. The same."

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: And just think, from that introduction, people 
might think /Thais/ was the dangerous one.

Jesdyn [to William]: Can a god detect a ping, even if it doesn't work? 
You can't know if it was going to work or not until after the fact, after 
all.

Jesdyn [to William]: And she /is/ weak. Weaker than most, at least.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: I was desperately trying to figure out what to 
say.

Grandmother Spider makes a motion that she understands, and goes back to 
knitting.  "Depending on whether you *seek* trouble, you arrived either a 
little too late, or at just the right time.  You are not the only 
diplomat we have seen in recent days."

William [to Jesdyn]: Since it's Perception-based, probably not.

Neil will go for it, then.

skill 18 Resonance

You rolled 6 and Resonance - critically succeeded by 12.

Thais looks intensely interested in this, but lets the diplomat do the 
talking. She does ping this god's honor, though.

StevenE [to William]: Okay, rez-time  And I'm not sure what to ask for a 
reaction to, so emotional state, plus two strongest emotions and causes.

Ekur . o O ( 5-1 Nightmares is here.  Any takers?  10-1. )

William [to Neil]: A familiar fog surrounds your perceptions, the shadow 
of the ethereal mantle.  Not quite as impenetrable as Superior 
ineffability, at least when you're really on your game -- and today you 
are.  She estimates herself as weaker than she used to be, weaker than 
her friends think she is. . . but not as weak as her enemies think.

William [to Neil]: And that's all you can make out.  :)

skill 17 Thais_Resonance

You rolled 12 and Thais_Resonance - succeeded by 5.

William [to Thais]: You, however, can make out very little through the 
mantle.  She seems to think she's honorable, at any rate.

Ekur . o O ( And if I can't see through, I'll make a resonance roll and 
hope for a DI. )

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: We already know Nightmares is here. Well, I do. You 
will when we get a second of downtime.

William thinks about Ekur... yeah, for once you're gonna have to make an 
effort.  :^)

skill 18 Resonance

You rolled 12 and Resonance - succeeded by 6.

Ekur . o O ( Rats. )

William [to Ekur]: Sorry, nothing past her outward appearance of 
calmness.

skill 18 IQ

You rolled 12 and IQ - succeeded by 6.

William thinks now might be a good time for Neil to remember Kachina's 
troubles.

Neil says, "Kachina knew something of that, Grandmother."

Neil says, "A demon of Nightmares found his way to Cibola."

Grandmother Spider nods.  "Yes.  The poor thing couldn't help himself.  
Fortunately, the fool demon made it to the end of the labyrinth and then 
couldn't figure out how to move on, so he just shouted his mission."  She 
sniffs.  "Hell has interesting ideas of diplomacy some days."

Neil says, "Shame we missed him."

Thais says, "Quite."

Grandmother Spider says, "It was known previously that we were seeking an 
embassy from you.  Hell is apparently not thrilled with the idea, and is 
no longer satisfied with bribing or threatening such of our people as 
they can pick off.  They have sent us an ultimatum -- full diplomatic 
relations with Nightmares and exclusion of envoys from Civis or Blandine, 
or open war."

Neil says, "By any chance did he leave a name?"

Grandmother Spider says, "Yes, although I suspect he made it up after he 
was confounded by our labyrinth.  He said we could communicate our answer 
to 'rinth."

Neil . o O ( My. He must've been so very... angry. )

Thais twitches. Very slightly. "How interesting," she says.

Neil . o O ( THere's a chance he might've been /dissonant/ for leaving 
the maze, depending on how you define conflict. )

Grandmother Spider says, "He left instructions to send our answer to the 
Domain of Selkirk.  I'm not sending any of my people to Selkirk, nobody 
ever leaves that place.  Which I suppose is his point, but still."

Thais . o O ( Find him and stab him in the ETHEREAL FORCES dammit. )

Grandmother Spider mutters, "Wretched Anansi anyway, I've never been able 
to fix that tangle..."

Neil says, "Huh. We've heard of both him and Selkirk. We've pounded 
Wrinth, but we never got around to visiting Selkirk. Anything you could 
share about it? We might stop by there soon."

Neil adds, belatedly, "Revered Grandmother."

Grandmother Spider says, "Selkirk?  Only that it's hideously dangerous.  
It must be.  I don't know what all went on there, but any ethereal that 
goes past the outer caul never comes back."

Bloom visibly pales.

Ekur stops, and considers.  "You of course will have to make up your own 
mind in this matter.  Exclusive diplomatic relations with Hell will 
certainly lead to slavery to Nightmares, while boldly standing your 
ground has its own certain risks.  I cannot speak for my superiors, of 
course, but if you are attacked by Hell for speaking with Heaven, I 
believe we would be honor-bound to come to your aid."

Ekur makes a Hidden Lore (Ethereal) roll to see if he can come up with 
anything useful about Selkirk.

Ekur rolled 11 versus 18 and succeeded by 7.

Grandmother Spider says, "I fully intend to accept your ambassador, 
Vassal.  What I would be much more comfortable doing is accepting the 
embassy with Hell's rival proposal turned down with prejudice.  If you 
see what I mean."

Thais rocks very slightly on her heels--it's something of an aborted 
bounce. 

William [to Ekur]: Selkirk and Roxburgh were two Domains known for their 
longstanding war, which attracted quite a few violent ethereals hoping 
for tales of glory. However, they've been completely silent for 
centuries.  Since they never produced anything of much importance except 
veterans, investigation has not been considered a priority.

Grandmother Spider says, "You won't find him if you rush to Selkirk, 
though, at least I don't think so -- he and several men took off with our 
regular caravan to Ysgard."

Thais says, "Finding him... should not be a problem, Revered 
Grandmother."

Ekur says, "Ah.  Revered Grandmother, if you could arrange for Dr. Bloom 
to go with your diplomatic party back to Civis, I believe Neil, Thais, 
and myself would be happy to take your answer to Wrinth at Ysgard."

Grandmother Spider looks up at that and smiles.  "I think I could 
certainly arrange such a thing.  Your generous offer is happily 
accepted."

Ekur was hesitating over going to Selkirk, since something that strikes 
down Ethereal gods is certainly angel-level danger.  But just chasing 
Wrinth in a normal part of the Ethereal?

Neil would've been fine with a properly buffed war party doing a quick 
smash-and-grab on Selkirk just to see what the deal was.

Ekur turns to Dr. Bloom.  "Unless, good doctor, you'd rather come with 
us, of course.  But you do have business to attend to in Civis."

Neil pictures a black skull-and-angel-wings flag, and now fully intends 
to mount one at some point.

Thais wears the serene smile of a Malakite looking forward to stabbing a 
demon repeatedly in the face.

Bloom, still a little pale but recovering, shakes his head.  "Well... yes 
and no.  I've done my duty here, and there's little I can help you with 
at Ysgard, but I don't think any of you would know the way to Selkirk 
without me."

Bloom says, "I can describe it as vividly as possible of course, and with 
a name that often works.  But it's chancier."

Thais says, "If we're only trying to find Wrinth... It doesn't matter 
/where/ he's gone. Outside of Hell, I can find him."

Thais pauses, and adds more quietly, "I could probably find him in Hell, 
too, but that's frowned on."

Bloom says, "Ah... in that case, I think heading back to Civis would be 
the best idea."

Neil . o O ( Wait, what? We're not /going/ to Selkirk, we're going to 
Wrinth. And the Indians are going to Civis. Nobody's going to Selkirk, 
unless that's where we leave Wrinth's pants. )

Neil . o O ( Huh. I wonder if a wedgie would work on a demon? He's a 
Friend of Man, he's as close as they come, he's probably got the iconic 
equipment. )

William  <ooc> Err, Mercurians are Friends of Man.  Impudites are Takers.  
:^)

Jesdyn [to William]: Ehh, I've had some crummy friends, but yes.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Dude, if Wrinth is a Friend of Man, Thais is 
totally going to need to apologize.

Ekur . o O ( Mercurian in service to Baal?  Can't see it.  Okay, maybe 
Neil . . . . )

fadethecat [to StevenE]: Which raises an interesting point; is Wrinth 
serving Baal, or Beleth?

William  <ooc> I *shoot the human in the head*.  If it's just -- and only 
in that case -- Dominic's attunement protects me.  If it's unjust -- and 
only in that case -- Baal's does....

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: I figure it's not unreasonable for Baal's agent 
to be propping up Nightmares.

William [to fadethecat]: Previous resonances have told you that the 
mission Wrinth is generally following is 'attack Heaven's presence in the 
Marches', which is why he's got such a mad-on for Civis.  Doubtless he 
coordinates with Nightmares all the time.

Jesdyn [to William]: Actually, if it's /honorable/ combat. So I'd be 
hosed if I dishonorably and unlawfully shot somebody.

fadethecat [to William]: Ah, makes sense.

Thais . o O ( Coincidentally, Thais's mission is to protect Civis from 
harm. It's a match made in the Marches! )

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Let's keep in mind that Wrinth /and his men/ headed 
out. 

William  <ooc> It being after 9, why don't we call it here for the 
evening.  Arrangements are made for Bloom to head back to Civis on the 
next scheduled caravan in a couple of days, Jahaz is provided lodgings 
and instantly has an appointment list as long as his arm and a set of 
Indian bodyguards, and you guys can head to Ysgard for the next session.

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Last time we managed to keep his friends from 
playing. If he managed to bring any friends from Hell...

Jesdyn [to William]: And next session you can mail us CDs with the 
Judgementmobile's playlist.

William [to Jesdyn]: Don't forget to email me a few of your own 
preferences, if you like.

Ekur says, "Revered Grandmother, you mentioned "his men".  Can you 
describe them at all?  Nature and power being more important than the 
changeable appearance."

Jesdyn [to William]: Actually, /making/ your session CDs the playlist in 
the car sounds pretty good, if we manage to fight Wrinth in a courtyard 
where we can all get out of the car and leave the radio on...

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Hee.

Ekur . o O ( And then, we can start out on the Hunt in a fortnight. )

Neil says, "It's a real shame nobody else can take Nybbas' Songfic 
attunement."

Neil says, "Except that nobody can write songfics but players with Media 
characters. Really, it's an acceptable tradeoff."

Grandmother Spider says, "According to my people, they looked humanoid 
and didn't talk much.  They didn't make any displays of obvious powers, 
but they enjoyed a few fights while they were here.  No one got killed, 
but Wrinth's men definitely won."

Grandmother Spider pauses.  "I correct myself... one of them did have 
some powers."

Grandmother Spider says, "He got angry at one of our minor spirits and 
commanded him to go make a fool of himself.  It was obviously Sorcery."

Ekur nods in thanks.

Neil . o O ( Crap. Potential human. Tell him he's a bad man, /then/ shoot 
him in the head. Got it. )

Jahaz starts and turns to you.  "You can't let him run around with a 
human," he says.  "You have to make that soul a priority."

Neil affably nods. "We'll take care of him first."

Jahaz is relieved at that. "Thank you, that's reassuring."

Thais [to Neil]: You are /so/ lucky Jahaz isn't a Seraph.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Did I lie?

William snickers madly.

Ekur says, "Of course.  I spent most of the last six thousand years 
combating the influence of demons on humans in the Marches, and it would 
be a hard habit to break, were I tempted."

Session end: Arc 5, Session 1 -- All Manner of Diplomacy