fadethecat swings into the room on a bit of rigging.

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

fadethecat has made fadethecat's local name Thais

StevenE has made StevenE's local name Ekur

Jesdyn materializes out of thin air.

Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local name Neil

fadethecat has made fadethecat's local description A young woman with 
long black hair, wearing sturdy clothes of neutral colors. Plus lots of 
sparkly ribbons. Especially around her sword belt.

Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local description A genial man with a badge and 
a halo, he'd be the last person to hurt you... no, really, he'd be the 
last.

The GM says, "'lo all.  Gimme a minute..."

The GM says, "My head is a little stuffed with a cold.  If I say 
something that appears too odd to grok, poke me and I'll doublecheck my 
parachron settings..."

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Hee.

Sariel materializes out of thin air.

Sariel waves, lurkily.

William apologizes for delay.  One more minute.

fadethecat runs off, saber waving, to swash some more buckles.

Look out! It's the Dread Pirate Fade!

StevenE has made StevenE's local description An Elohite. You've seen one, 
you've seen them all. This one has a sword and a shield.

Neil silently hands fade more bubblegum.

The GM says, "And, I'm back.  Whee!"

The GM says, "Okay.  So, last time we parted company with our heroes they 
had heard that Wrinth -- currently traveling with a likely Sorcerer and 
an indeterminate number of roughneck troops of indeterminate species -- 
has been making the rounds of major Ethereal Domains to deliver China's 
Taiwan ultimatum from Hell regarding diplomatic relations with Civis."

Thais [to Neil]: Sooo. No kicking ass yet?

The GM says, "You've just left Jahaz, a Mercurian of Destiny, as Civis' 
ambassador to Cibola, and are headed to Asgard, Wrinth's location of last 
report.  Bloom will be headed back to Civis with the next caravan, so 
it's currently you three in the Judgmentmobile."

fadethecat runs off, saber waving, to swash some more buckles.

Look out! It's the Dread Pirate Fade!

William blinks.  Wow, connection really *is* up and down, isn't it.

fadethecat has reconnected.

Thais tests.

The GM says, "Pong."

Thais says, "HA! Connection."

Neil says, "AAARGH."

The GM says, "Did you get the recap?"

fadethecat [to William]: Nope.

Neil [to Thais]: Maybe, maybe not. What Asgard calls "diplomacy" I'd 
call... "diplomacy", actually. We'll get along fine.

[ paging, paging... ]

fadethecat [to William]: I'm getting serious lag, but I'll do what I can 
to stay connected.

Thais . o O ( Which is to say, 'pray'. )

The GM says, "There's an Amerind caravan heading there in a couple of 
hours leaving at midnight, or you can strike out for Asgard now."

Jesdyn [to William]: What's the caravan's business?

Jesdyn [to William]: And would we outpace them if we left alone?

Ekur . o O ( Ridin' along in the Judgementmobile, who's the angel at the 
wheel?  It needs to be someone who can get to Asgard . . .  )

William [to Jesdyn]: A collection of individuals banding together for 
safety.  You ask around?

William [to Jesdyn]: When I say 'a collection of individuals,' I mean, 
it's nothing official.  Each has their own business.

Thais . o O ( Wait, we're asking the Mercurian to do something social? )

Jesdyn [to William]: Huh. How much time would we lose if we went with 
them?

Jesdyn [to William]: Since none of /us/ necessarily know the way...

The GM says, "Ekur being an angel and reasonably familiar with Asgard, 
you'll probably move several hours faster than them, *and* leave several 
hours earlier."

The GM says, "(Given Ekur's background, I think it's safe to assume he's 
done business with all the major Domains.)"

Neil says, "Well? If he's just making the rounds, we'll lose him, but if 
he's settling in for longer operations, we'll have potential allies."

Ekur says, "Potential allies, but also potential hostages.  And, with a 
sorcerer around, they'd be able to use our allies as weapons."

Ekur looks over at the Malakite of the Sword.  "Tactical advice?"

Neil . o O ( I fear if we wait for her to lag out we'll lose him, too. )

Neil says, "Alright, I'm convinced."

Neil says, "Asgard ho! Anybody know if there's tolls on Bifrost?"

fadethecat has reconnected.

fadethecat [to William]: ...argh.

[ paging, paging... ]

The GM says, "Allright, so you're traveling under Ekur's navigation?"

Neil says, "With any flashes of insight from Thais, yes."

fadethecat [to William]: Works for me.

William [to Ekur]: Roll it.

Neil says, "The practice in triangulation should do her good..."

fadethecat [to William]: I'm getting bursts of lag of a minute or more. 
I'll try to dig up a better wireless signal in the area.

Ekur rolled 10 versus 19 and succeeded by 9.

William [to Thais]: If you're checking Hunt during the trip, roll 
Perception for me...

fadethecat has reconnected.

fadethecat [to William]: Sigh. Did you get my roll?

William [to fadethecat]: Nope.

Thais rolled 8 versus 17 and succeeded by 9.

The GM says, "Thankye."

Ekur says, "It'll be interesting if we encounter Wrinth in the town just 
outside Bifrost; no fighting allowed there.  The drawing of a weapon or 
the striking of someone sets off an alarm that summons the guards."

Jesdyn [to William]: How much could the Judgmentmobile's turbo help us 
here? Just not really a factor, or too expensive to be worthwhile?

William [to Jesdyn]: That's really something that would only have a 
useful effect in a Domain with a notion of distance.  In the Far Marches, 
speed is entirely a function of knowledge.

Neil listents to Ekur with interest. "Striking someone? Is grappling or 
locks covered?"

The GM says, "You set out of Cibola on your own; the Judgmentmobile acts 
a little miffed at having to pretend to go Ekur's walking speed, but it's 
not that much slower when the Elohite is leading the way to a well-known, 
large Domain he's familiar with.  As far as Thais can tell, you *are* 
heading for Wrinth.  You set out just after your talk with Grandmother 
Spider, and manage to make it to Asgard just as the caravan from Cibola 
would be setting out."

Thais frowns. "For some values of 'interesting', yes."

[ paging, paging... ]

Ekur says, "As long as you don't cause injury with the grapple or locks, 
it doesn't set things off.  Inflict any mental damage, though, and it'll 
go off."

fadethecat runs off, saber waving, to swash some more buckles.

Look out! It's the Dread Pirate Fade!

Jesdyn [to William]: Alright, we're rolling on it. Drive-by pings to get 
a sense of the city and Thais a chance to home in on Wrinth. Is he here, 
by the way?

William pokes fade to make sure Thais is here...

fadethecat [to William]: Yeah.

The GM says, "The Far Marches ripples with the Essence of dreams as 
midnight strikes.  At this moment, the fog parts before you to become a 
whistling dry wind, and a craggy land of mountains green with evergreen 
and white with snow rises in the distance toward a starry sky.  
Incongruously in this nighttime panorama, a shimmering rainbow arcs from 
the far side of the wooden-walled town in front of you to disappear in 
that interstellar blackness."

fadethecat [to William]: I get a few minutes of being connected, a few 
minutes of lag, and then I discover the extremely long lag is actually a 
disconnect. This is gonna be rocky. It may settle down.

William [to Thais]: Wrinth is *here*, and he is *thattaway*.  Inside the 
town.

Jesdyn [to William]: This is the no-hitting town?

William [to Jesdyn]: Yeah.  Also the only town you see, at present, 
although a much thinner track rises into the foothills off to your right.


Thais points off towards the appropriate direction. "That way," she says. 
"This might be...interesting, if we're not allowed to fight anyone."

Ekur points.  "That track is off to Jotunheim, where trolls and such 
live."

Neil . o O ( We might be able to one-shot him -- again -- and then run. 
Or claim I just tripped and hit Ekur; do /you/ see a dead demon here? No? 
)

Ekur says, "If possible, we might want to provoke Wrinth into attacking.  
Then we can, well, assist the watch in their efforts."

Thais says, "It might be worth actually engaging him in conversation, for 
once."

Thais considers this. "...or, well, not. I suppose we'll see how it 
goes."

Neil says, "Hey, we meet Wrinth and we learn who he's been talking to."

Jesdyn [to William]: We're all full-up on Essence, right?

The GM says, "The town's gates are open.  Inside is a fairly businesslike 
atmosphere in most places, the wooden shops with elaborate decorative 
carvings selling much the same kind of wares and services found elsewhere 
in the Marches.  There is a large bazaar in the center of town, and 
meadhalls or other entertainment venues doing a roaring business.  In the 
very back of town is the forbidding stone keep that surrounds the base of 
Bifrost, fairly bristling with watchmen."

William [to Jesdyn]: Yep.

Neil turns to Ekur. "Any limits on Essence, songs, or mind-control 
resonances?

[ paging, paging... ]

Ekur says, "As best I know, no.  It's pretty hard to detect and keep a 
lid on such things."

William [to Thais]: Wrinth is inside the keep somewhere.

The GM says, "As a general note, as you pass through the streets the 
guard has an open presence.  And eyepatches are common wear among them."

fadethecat runs off, saber waving, to swash some more buckles.

Look out! It's the Dread Pirate Fade!

William [to Thais]: Wrinth is inside the keep somewhere.

Neil . o O ( Odin knows we're here. Depending on what Wrinth's up to, he 
may or may not know as well. Odin may have told him we're here and to get 
out before we tear the place up. )

Ekur nods respectfully to guards as they pass.

fadethecat runs off, saber waving, to swash some more buckles.

Look out! It's the Dread Pirate Fade!

Neil says, "Alright. We're here. So is he. Time to plan."

fadethecat [to William]: I'm really sorry about this; the wireless signal 
is giving more noise than actual signal.

William [to Ekur]: In one of the squads to which you pay your respects, a 
dwarvish guard sergeant leading the bunch stops them to talk with you.  
"As I live and breathe," he says.  "Ekur."

Neil says, "Ekur, do you have diplomatic credentials or the right to 
forge some?... okay, your scene."

Ekur mentions in passing to Thais and Neil, "The eyepatches are the mark 
of Odin.  Those with that attunement can see through the eyes of others, 
and it is rumored Odin can see out of their eyes."

StevenE [to William]: Do i recognize him?  What's his name?

William [to Ekur]: Suthri, and he was one of Volund's entourage the last 
time that worthy and you had a discussion on blacksmithing, which was a 
little heated on Volund's part.  He seems to have switched bosses, as he 
now wears an eyepatch.

Ekur auto-rezzes the dwarf while he's at it.  Skip the action-reaction 
bit.

Neil pings him as well, since he's a Person of Interest.

Neil rummages around in his pocket and pulls out a sock with some hair 
ribbons.

Thais joins in the resonance assault!

Thais rolled 12 versus 17 and succeeded by 5.

Sock-Puppet-Thais says... oh, good, never mind.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: ...a Thais sock puppet?

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: If you were out of contact I was just gonna 
/assume/ you'd want in on the resonances.

William [to Ekur]: He's mildly surprised to see you here, and is curious 
about your presence.  He's motivated by a desire to keep peace in the 
town, and he's mindful of your history with the place.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: ...well. Yes.

Ekur says, "Suthri!  It's been a while.  Serving One-Eye now?  Bet you're 
wondering why I'm here."

William [to Thais]: He's a decent bloke, as honor goes.  Does his job 
with dedication.  Skipped out on his last boss when offered a better deal 
by the boss' boss, a touch of hard feelings on the former's part but 
everyone considered it a move up.

Jesdyn [to William]: Mine? Or do I need to roll it? I actually don't know 
what the target is...

William [to Jesdyn]: You do need to roll to resonate, yeah.

Jesdyn [to William]: Well, you always rolled it before. What's my target, 
straight Perception?

The GM says, "Ah, yeah.  Mercurian Resonance is uncontested Perception."

Neil rolled 9 versus 16 and succeeded by 7.

William [to Neil]: This is the dwarf Suthri ("Southerner"), he's from 
here, he's known to number of people outside the Domain via a minor 
mention in the Eddas.  He's considered a decent chap by most people who 
know him, although his last boss was disappointed to lose him.

Sariel has reconnected.

Sariel . o O ( Bloody phone. )

fadethecat runs off, saber waving, to swash some more buckles.

Look out! It's the Dread Pirate Fade!

William [to Neil]: Most deviant act, about twenty years ago: getting 
together with his brothers (Northri, Austri, Vestri, and several others) 
to take out some ethereal upstarts that had stolen their names and some 
of their Essence.

The GM says, "(Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur were particularly displeased with 
the new Image attempts.)"

Sariel [to William]: *cackles*

Neil isn't getting it.

StevenE [to Jesdyn]: Tolkien borrowed some dwarf names from the Eddas.

fadethecat [to William]: Hee.

William [to Ekur]: "Was, yes.  I recall that's a sharp eye you've got on 
you, as well."

Suthri says, "So to what do we owe the honor?"

Ekur nods.  "Well, I've been moved into a posting at Civis, and have had 
some run-ins with a demon that doesn't want it to succeed.  Said demon 
has lately been running around trying to intimidate various pantheons 
into having nothing to do with Civis, and we had a tip he was here.  So 
we came to keep an eye on him, even though we know there's not a chance 
Odin would let Hell intimidate him into anything."

Neil . o O ( Huh. While we're here, if we've got time, I want to speak to 
a skald about Selkirk and Rox... Roxburgh? )

fadethecat runs off, saber waving, to swash some more buckles.

Look out! It's the Dread Pirate Fade!

Suthri nods.  "If you've got a tiff with him, be sure to take it outside 
the walls before coming to blows."

Suthri says, "That must be the fellow who talked his way in to see 
Heimdall earlier.  He's in Keep-under-Bifrost right now, though they made 
his bodyguard wait in the Golden Meadhall nearby."

Neil . o O ( (: )

Ekur nods.  "Certainly.  Even Malakim can wait long enough to have at him 
in the open, and our whole goal is to maintain good relations, not to 
tick people off by picking fights with our foes on their ground."

Ekur nods again.  "Thanks for the tip."

fadethecat has reconnected.

fadethecat [to William]: Bloody hell. You might as well use a Thais sock 
puppet for this session; I'm not going to be getting much done.

Suthri says, "No problem.  Tell the gate guard Suthri will vouch for your 
character, he might let you in as well."  He eyes Thais and Neil.  
"Though he might do the same for your friends as he did for the demon's 
bodyguard.  Well, I've got rounds to get to."  He waves and the squad 
troops off.

Neil says, "Should we adopt new images? I don't know what the transdomain 
diplomatic protocol is..."

Jesdyn [to William]: Would Wrinth have even bothered tell his friends 
what we /look/ like -- is shape that malleable in the Marches that nobody 
ever bothers?

Thais mutters quietly, "Wrinth needs /bodyguards/ now? Poor baby."

William [to Jesdyn]: Shape is amazingly malleable in the Marches; the 
only thing that makes it useful at all is that people tend to default to 
something familiar.  Whether Wrinth would have told anybody about you 
would, I suppose, be a function of how worried he was that you were 
pursuing.

Ekur (unless William contradicts me) "Eh, some places prefer it.  But the 
Aesir like someone who acts boldly and openly, so I'd suggest we keep our 
usual forms."

fadethecat runs off, saber waving, to swash some more buckles.

Look out! It's the Dread Pirate Fade!

William nods in full agreement with what Steven said.

Neil . o O ( Boldly and openly? Wonder if I can get out of this without 
ending up with one of Thor's rites. Visit from Dominic in T-minus... )

Jesdyn [to William]: Can I predict Dominic's visits?

William [to Jesdyn]: You're due in a few days, but there's a give-or-take 
of about 2.  So he's not likely to show up for 48 hours, then he could 
drop by anytime between then and the next five days.

William [to Jesdyn]: There was the time he visited you three days 
straight, but it was only later you found out there was a Gamester in the 
vicinity looking for Judges to trip... then there was the time when 
nearly a fortnight passed, and that last two days I expect Neil was a 
nervous wreck.  :^)

Jesdyn [to William]: Heh. Scary.

[ paging, paging... ]

William awaits your next move, or the planning thereof.

Neil . o O ( Ekur goes on to see Wrinth, because splitting the party 
worked out so well before. We go accost one of Wrinth's allies, with any 
luck the human one. )

Ekur mentions to the other two, "I'm going to do my best to get all three 
of us in there together, but if I can't, we'll probably all three have to 
wait outside.  I'd rather we not initiate hostilities with Wrinth in the 
castle or town.  If he lets his anger get the best of him and attacks, 
that's one thing, but otherwise we simply acompany him out of town, and 
then fight him there."

Thais nods. "I can work with that," she says. "Though I'd like to find 
out what he's doing before the stabbing commences, in case he's already 
set plans in motion."

Neil . o O ( Thais could vamp him. Of course, honestly /Neil/ would 
probably do that better. )

Neil says, "I'd really like to head to the Golden Palace and get a solid 
resonance on Wrinth's new bodyguard."

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Yeah, I suspect demons aren't very susceptible to 
suddenly-friendly Malakim.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: I was just talking from a sheer experience 
standpoint. And I'm hoping the bodyguard is the sorcerer.

Ekur hmms.  "Thais, what about you?  The castle or the palace?"

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Well, we should hit the castle first -- but if only 
you can get in there, I wouldn't be heartbroken if we had to kill some 
time at the meadhall.

Thais considers. "Let's try for the palace first, and see if we can get 
in."

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Err -- do you mean the castle or the meadhall 
"Golden Palace"?

William  <ooc> I believe by 'palace' he meant the meadhall, whereas by 
'castle' he meant the keep surrounding the base of Bifrost.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Ergh. Um. Castle, I mean.

William  <ooc> And, if I read Thais correctly, she's suggest first trying 
to get in to the keep - right.  Okay.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: I'm obviously not entirely with the flow of 
things tonight.

fadethecat runs off, saber waving, to swash some more buckles.

Look out! It's the Dread Pirate Fade!

Thais . o O ( It's very similar to having an internet connection, except 
for the part where I'm connected. )

The GM says, "The keep is a square edifice the size of a large mansion, 
the Rainbow Bridge springing up out of somewhere in the back.  You can 
definitely feel that gravity in the area has a firm grip on things -- 
attempting to fly across that dry, spike-filled moat would be likely to 
fail, unless you were perhaps a floating ring of fire.  There is a 
drawbridge down, and a watch on the battlements.  A pair of armored 
guards with weapons that read as talismans stand to either side of the 
bridge, a portcullis lowered across the way into the courtyard."

Ekur says, "Okay, if I can't convince the guard to let all three of us 
in, Neil, say that you'd /rather/ go to the meadhall.  Because I'm going 
to try to get them to let you in by making it look like an insult if we 
all aren't let in, and if I obviously let them let just me in /then/, it 
will hurt us as much as an unanswered insult."

Neil nods. 

fadethecat has reconnected.

Ekur approaches the guard.  "I am Ekur, Elohite of Dreams.  Suthri of the 
Guard will vouch for me.  These are my friends and companions, Neil, 
Mercurian of Judgment, and Thais, Malakite of the Sword.  I vouch for 
them.  We seek an audience within."

Thais attempts to look non-hostile.

Ekur . o O ( Bold and open, bold and open . . . . )

Neil pings the guards.

Neil says, "Two rolls or one?"

The guard leans on his spear and clears his throat.  "Suthri I know, aye.  
What manner of audience d'ye seek?  The All-Father is not in the business 
of opening the gates of Valhalla to all comers."

William [to Neil]: 2.

Neil rolled 12 versus 16 and succeeded by 4.

Neil rolled 12 versus 16 and succeeded by 4.

William [to Neil]: Although you can resonate them *as a group* with one 
roll, to sense interrelationships.

Neil says, "And as a group."

Neil rolled 7 versus 16 and succeeded by 9.

Ekur says, "A demon has come to this place to make demands upon the 
Aesir, to make demands that would harm our interests.  We would speak 
against his deceit, his lies, his trickery, and his conceit."

Thais . o O ( Precise, yet concise. It's good to let the Elohite talk. )

Jesdyn [to William]: Hey, Thais' force-matrix now has a direct link to 
Wrinth's. Will that show up in my res if I include her in groups I'm 
checking for Wrinthness?

William [to Neil]: You get the names Piet and Olaf, and that they were 
apparently born in two different dreamscapes and escaped on their own.  
They are considered low-ranking soldiers with no particular behavior 
problems.  Minor spirits, but both are real, not figments.  As a group, 
they share no personal love but will watch each other's back out of a 
sense of duty.

William [to Jesdyn]: And yes, she has a definite relationship with Wrinth 
at the moment.

Olaf turns to Piet.  "We did let the demon in."

Piet looks at Olaf.  "Bugger made us."

Olaf says, "So let these guys in on their own."

fadethecat has reconnected.

skill 17 Diplomacy_Ekur

You rolled 7 and Diplomacy_Ekur - succeeded by 10.

roll 3d6+10

On 3d6+10, you rolled 18.

Piet thinks.

Ekur . o O ( Hopefully, I won't have to give the speech about the 
difference between friends and servants, and how an insult to a friend 
cannot be overlooked, and that Ekur will not go where his friends may 
not. )

William [to Ekur]: Really?  I think it'd be a good speech!  ^_^

Piet says, "Oh, allright.  But only the one of you.  Same deal as we gave 
'im."

Ekur . o O ( Okay, I do.  Drumroll . . . )

William  <ooc> Trumpets begin sounding in the background.  A flag waves 
transparently over the scenery behind Ekur.

William  . o O (Ping?)

fadethecat runs off, saber waving, to swash some more buckles.

Look out! It's the Dread Pirate Fade!

fadethecat [to StevenE]: ...darnit. I missed the speech, didn't I?

Ekur says, "The demon came with his servants, his slaves and inferiors.  
I come with my friends, my companions, my allies.  To send them off like 
servants is an insult, an insult I cannot overlook.  I cannot go where my 
friends may not.  Are the Aesir such quivering cowards that they cannot 
dare face a mere three angels to speak against lies?"

William [to fadethecat]: Not unless I have too.

The GM says, "There we go."

Ekur rewrote it when he was halfway through.

fadethecat [to StevenE]: Nice.

Ekur . o O ( Bold and open, bold and open . . . . )

There are whistles from the guards across the way, and laughter from the 
watchmen up on the battlements.  Piet grins.  "I like your style, angel.  
Allright, they won't get sent off like good little lackeys."  Piet 
signals the guards on the other side of the portcullis, who nod and begin 
turning the winch.

Neil sends the Judgementmobile off to, uhm, forage, I guess. Hopefully it 
won't stray too far. Unless I can actually drive it past the outer wall 
and park it in the courtyard.

The portcullis creaks up.  Piet turns to you and says, "Heimdall is in 
the chamber straight ahead past the carven doors.  Be respectful in his 
presence, and do not turn either left or right in the hall here or the 
courtyard."

William [to Neil]: It's been sitting quietly behind you and can probably 
park out here.  There are a couple of smiths looking it over and 
occasionally poking it.

Thais . o O ( Good Judgmentmobile. Sit. Stay. )

Ekur nods.  "Thank you."

Neil murmurs to the Judgementmobile -- audibly, in the case of the smiths 
-- not to eat anyone and to stay nearby, then joins Thais and Ekur.

Ekur . o O ( When I was giving those speeches, my mind cast them in Zap 
Brannigan's voice. )

Ekur assumes we all head forward to the hall as instructed when the 
portcullis is up.

Thais is accustomed to staying on the straight and narrow.

Neil was never crooked.

Ekur . o O ( Which is why the Windy Ofanite told him to get bent? )

The GM says, "Liveried servants bow as you approach a more decorative 
building inside the keep, and open a large pair of double doors carved 
with scenes from Norse myth.  Inside is a chamber blazing with torches, 
along the walls, apparently treated chemically to burn in multiple colors 
of the rainbow.  Runes are carved into the wooden panels of the walls, 
huge, rough, and deep.  Before an iron-bound locked door in the back 
stands a barrel-chested Ethereal with flowing golden locks and beard, a 
horn hanging from one hip and a sword from the other."

The GM says, "Incongruously, a slick-haired man in a modern business suit 
stands between you and him."

Ekur bows respectfully to the Ethereal, without being servile about it.

fadethecat runs off, saber waving, to swash some more buckles.

Look out! It's the Dread Pirate Fade!

StevenE [to William]: Auto-rez on the pair, though I don't expect to get 
anything off Heimdall.

Neil mirrors Ekur's bow, and then pings the man hard enough to make his 
hair stand on end. Well, if it wasn't slicked up with Helldown.

The GM says, "Heimdall nods slightly in return.  The movement catches the 
eye of the man standing in front of him talking to him, who turns to you.  
Why, hello Wrinth."

William [to Ekur]: Nothing off of Heimdall, though you can try to roll 
for a crit.

Thais resonates Heimdall. And, out of sheer curiousity, Wrinth while 
she's at it.

Ekur rolled 12 versus 18 and succeeded by 6.

Neil doesn't bother resonating Heimdall, he'll get more out of a copy of 
/Bullfinch's/ than he will his resonance.

The GM says, "That's two more from Thais and one from Neil, then."

Neil rolled 13 versus 16 and succeeded by 3.

fadethecat runs off, saber waving, to swash some more buckles.

Look out! It's the Dread Pirate Fade!

William [to Ekur]: Wrinth has the undercurrent of Discordant anger that 
you would expect, though at present it's controlled.  He's feeling rather 
pleased with himself at the moment, apparently because he has something 
up his sleeve.  He's surprised to see you, and the anger flares but is 
forcibly controlled.

Ekur . o O ( And I thought, since they couldn't Fall, Malakim couldn't 
yo-yo. )

fadethecat [to StevenE]: Mrfle. I am /not/ happy about getting this kind 
of connection while meeting with Thais's Very Favorite Demon.

William [to Neil]: Wrinth gets the usual information you've come to 
expect, and, y'know, I don't think we ever worked out his most deviant 
act.  Hmm.  He is a *demon*... hmm.

Jesdyn [to William]: If he's old enough to be from the original fall, 
There You Go. Otherwise... open ball game.

Sariel [to Jesdyn]: Heck, if he's Fallen period.

Jesdyn [to Sariel]: True. If he was Hellborn, then.

Sariel [to Jesdyn]: *grins, nods*

William [to Neil]: Gimme until next session to think about it.  I don't 
wanna come up with something an hour after we stop and think "Oh, *that* 
should have been it!".  We'll stipulate it involved sealing multiple 
Fates, he really enjoyed it, and it got him a medal.

Jesdyn [to William]: Alright.

fadethecat [to William]: Now I'm more curious about his recent honor... 
Oh, heck. Did my rolls get through?

Neil . o O ( Neil's currently in a holding pattern; he's not going to 
start taunting Wrinth until he's sure it's not going to cheese off 
Heimdal or step on Ekur's lines. )

William [to Thais]: Nope.  Roll twice, and we'll say the first needs a 
crit for heimdall.

Thais rolled 16 versus 17 and succeeded by 1.

Thais rolled 6 versus 17 and critically succeeded by 11.

fadethecat [to William]: ...well, there was /a/ crit... 

Ekur . o O ( Awww.  Exact-opposite timing . . . )

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Awesome. Thais is 1-for-1 with Wrinth.

The GM says, "Do you *really* want to res Heimdall that badly, or would 
you like to see what a crit on Wrinth gives you?  O:^)"

fadethecat [to William]: The latter!

The GM says, "Right then.  Heimdall's a blank, and..."

Neil . o O ( Door #2! Door #2! )

fadethecat [to William]: I mean, a god is a god is a god, but this is 
/Wrinth/.

Sariel [to fadethecat]: Clearly the Dice <s>Ethereals</s> Gods are trying 
to compensate for the colossal suckage of the Internet <s>Ethereals</s> 
Gods tonight?

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Maybe you'll end this with /all/ your Hunt links 
on Wrinth.

fadethecat [to Sariel]: I can only hope...

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: That would be...peculiar.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Imagine that. "36.228N 175.229E, elevation 922ft, 
bearing 144 degrees at 3.2 feet per second... 36.227N 17..."

Sariel [to Jesdyn]: Hee!

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Heee.

Ekur . o O ( Get a Cherub watching Thais.  Especially if St. Valentine's 
Day is any time soon.  Make sure she's including anthrax in the cards. )

Sariel [to StevenE]: *cackles*

Neil . o O ( Cherub of /Judgment/. "<whap> Bad angel! No cookie!" )

The GM says, "...the pattern of Wrinth's honor is a curious and twisted 
thing, based on personal pride, feats of arms, and a fervent belief in 
what he knows to be propaganda, because the enemy's propaganda is even 
*less* believable.  Recent honorable acts include sublimating a growing 
desire to lash out at the source of his frustration, and calmly plotting 
a more strategic means of accomplishing his mission, which he hopes will 
also deal with the personal problems that have been getting him in hot 
water with his boss.  There's a flash-image of him dealing with an aging 
human woman in a dreamscape, and another with him bargaining with... the 
connection starts getting fuzzier... a chained, dead queen?  Something 
bloody...""

Thais . o O ( Hey, it's perfectly healthy for a Malakite to be obsessive 
about finding a demon! And I always /do/ end up stabbing him. ...unless 
Ekur stabs him to death first and I don't get a chance. )

Sariel [to William]: Oh, _nice_.

Thais smiles sweetly at Wrinth.

Thais . o O ( Gonna stab you in the /face/. ...but in a really 
reasonable, honorable manner. Later. )

Wrinth startles to see the three of you, but forces it back and shows 
teeth in what might be taken for a smile.  "Hell's bells.  They'll let 
*any* kind of riffraff in here."

Heimdall frowns.

Wrinth looks up.  "Oh, not really, you know.  Just yanking her 
Oath-chains."

fadethecat [to William]: I love Wrinth so much. In a meaning-to-stab-him 
kind of way.

Ekur looks to Wrinth.  "Grandmother Spider has a message for you, Wrinth.  
She says no.  If you've been trying to intimidate the Aesir into having 
no dealings with Civis, I expect you've been hearing that here, too."

Thais smiles serenely in the knowledge that she can always track Wrinth 
down again. Smiting evil is much easier when you can find it.

Wrinth turns to Heimdall.  "It's not a matter of intimidation.  It's a 
matter of what we can offer.  The carrot, not the stick.  Heaven wants to 
spread monotheism, and that's that.  Hell doesn't give a rat's ass what 
people worship, as long as it's not God."

Wrinth says, "We have had mutually profitable relationships with many 
Ethereals for centuries.  Can Heaven say as much?"

Wrinth turns and smirks at Ekur.

Ekur says, "Your Superior, Baal, used to care very much that people 
worshipped him.  Are the Ethereals supposed to merely take your word that 
Demon Princes will not try to steal their worshippers as soon as it seems 
to be in their interest?"

Ekur says, "As for mutual profit, I would not look upon the Ethereals who 
have dealt with Hell as successful, and I doubt the Aesir would see them 
as such.  Is that to change, and a gain, are the Ehereals to accept 
Hell's word for it?"

[ paging, paging... ]

Wrinth snaps to Ekur, "The Baal-worship rumor is a base calumny I'll not 
have repeated.  My Lord has no need of the piddling Essence of a cult 
when man's very nature is unending battle."  He turns to Heimdall.  "We 
are, after all, not in competition with Ethereals for worship Essence.  
Unlike divine religions.  Nor have we begun expanding our territorial 
reach into the domains of the Ethereals, as you have."

Neil says, "So that wasn't you we killed trying to warp Civis into Neon 
Metropolis and kill the domain master?"

Neil says, "Oh, Lamont says 'hi'. I hope Beleth didn't need him too 
badly."

Wrinth quirks an eyebrow.  "That was an Assumption combat I decided to 
help along.  Perfectly natural ecology of the Marches."

Wrinth says, "Whereas if the history has it correctly you pretty much 
stepped in to the middle of the combat between White Smoke and Jack, and 
took the side of the man who agreed to hand his Domain over to you."

Thais turns to look at Neil. "We're suppressing all worship other than 
that of God? Why didn't anyone send me the memo? I mean, that's going to 
put a crimp in my weekly lunch with Bloom, what with him working at the 
Temple in Civis and all."

Wrinth says, "Yes, a few religions have aligned themselves with God.  And 
what have the Hindu or the loa gotten out of it?  Nothing.  Whereas the 
kami, now they're doing quite well for themselves these days.  This new 
thing, what's it called, Japanese animation.  Media exposure.  There are 
a *lot* of humans in the world these days, Heimdall.  A lot of people to 
hear your stories.  And the Media controls those channels."

fadethecat has reconnected.

fadethecat [to William]: Mrfle. Did my pose get through?

Ekur says, "Jack merely agreed to allow the Ethereals of Radz a vote in 
whether to become the site for Civis, in exchange for our assistance in 
clearing aout a being who took delight in warping others.  I do 
understand how that would seem objectionable to a demon, of course."

[paging, paging... ] 

William [to fadethecat]: Last thing was your comment about Bloom.

fadethecat [to William]: Ah, thanks.

fadethecat [to William]: I think I might as well let Thais play quiet for 
most of this argument, since I'm having so much trouble getting through.

Neil says, "Ah. The Media controls the dial, but it can't ever /refuse/ 
humanity or it loses that control."

Wrinth smirks, "Votes aren't exactly a big *thing*, here.  In case you 
haven't noticed, this is a feudal medieval monarchical Domain."

Neil says, "The Media's the most dependent of all the words on the 
beliefs and desires of humanity. It's not an ally, it's /competition/."

Ekur says, "Ah, yes, cartoons.  I imagine Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur are 
eager to have the experience of becoming what the Media makes of them."

Neil . o O ( And Jesus saves, passes to Ekur, he shoots, HE SCORES! )

Sariel . o O ( *SNICKERS* )

fadethecat [to StevenE]: Oh, /nice/ one.

Wrinth's brow briefly furrows.

Wrinth says, calmly, "If they care to work with our artists, the source 
material is far less corrupted than it would otherwise be.  That is the 
point of our relationship with the August Prosperity Collective."

Heimdall murmurs, "Don't read Tolkien, do you."

Ekur says, "And votes?  This is the domain of the gods of the people of 
the Althing."

Neil says, "Oh! I almost forgot."

Neil pings Wrinth and burns three Essence doing it, looking for threads 
about the human sorcerer.

Jesdyn [to William]: Effective skill 19; any penalty for the directed 
query?

William [to Jesdyn]: I'll return any relevant information that you'd get 
with the usual degree of success... roll it?

Neil rolled 14 versus 19 and succeeded by 5.

Wrinth pauses at Ekur's last statement, and appears blank for a moment.  
When Neil pings him, he quickly turns to respond to that.  "If you 
please.  I haven't been so rude as to resonate *you.*"

Wrinth winks at Thais where Heimdall can't see it.

Thais maintains her friendly smile at the demon. Though it's 
perhaps...toothy.

Neil spreads his hands. "Just looking for something. We really need to 
talk later -- and by talk I mean kill you -- over the human sorcerer you 
brought here."

William [to Neil]: He's currently in a relationship with a human.  He's 
clearly the dominant entity in the pair, at present -- there's a Will-war 
in the background of that.

Sariel [to Jesdyn]: *cackles*

Neil says, "I don't think sorcery was really a net win for the Gods of 
the Marches, either, but if they want to talk to you about it I'm sure I 
can wait."

Neil . o O ( CRAP. We didn't confirm it was a sorcerer. Damnit! )

Neil . o O ( Don't make assumptions. Plan better. )

William [to Neil]: <ooc> Do you know what a Will-war is?

StevenE [to Jesdyn]: Um?  Will-war confirms it.

Wrinth recovers smoothly, saying, "Don't be silly.  Pagan sorcerers were 
the first kind.  It's practically designed to cement bonds between humans 
and ethereals.  Demons are above being commanded by such things."

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Nobody said it was the /human/ who was here, though. 
That's why I'm complaining.

Jesdyn [to William]: Yeah, but I don't know if Neil does. And how long 
does one take, anyways?

Neil says, "... they are?"

Neil slowly starts to grin.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: I think Neil /ought/ to know what a Will-War is; 
it's reasonably common knowledge among celestials.

William [to Neil]: What fade said, a Will-war is a pretty standard 
component of Sorcery, at least the demon-summoning types.  And they don't 
take very long, depending on how fast one side wins.  Minutes, hours.  

Jesdyn [to William]: What did "background" mean -- is there one going 
/right now/?

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: After a Will-War has happened, the effects last 
for a period of time.

William [to Jesdyn]: No, the dominance in his relationship with the human 
is due to a Will-war.

Jesdyn [to William]: Are they strictly duration based, or can... 
circumstances... force a new one?

Jesdyn [to William]: And can the loser in a Will war sense these 
circumstances?

William [to Jesdyn]: Random duration of a few weeks or so.  As far as I 
know, there's no real way to force a new one.  Once you've lost a 
Will-war, you're stuck for a while.

Jesdyn [to William]: Rats. Pretty obvious what I was going for, there. Ah 
well.

William [to Jesdyn]: Maaaaybe the winner could free the other and undergo 
a new one, although why he'd ever want to I don't know.

Jesdyn [to William]: I was really sort of hoping to grab Wrinth and tear 
his arm off until his soon-to-be-owner got the hint and owned him while 
he was hip-deep in shock penalties.

William [to Jesdyn]: Oh.  Nope, sorry.  :)

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: We could tear off his arm /anyway/...

Sariel [to Jesdyn]: *LAUGHS*

Ekur nods to Heimdall.  "I believe, sir, that both sides have presented 
their best case to you, and the remainder of the discussion of the 
disagreements between the petitioners is best conducted outside the walls 
of the town.  At your leave?"

Heimdall nods.  "I will send a messenger to Odin and see what he shall 
say about the matter, and if he wishes to speak to either party or both."


Heimdall says, spreading his glances around the lot of you, "I think the 
All-Father would be *most displeased* if he summoned an envoy who was 
suddenly indisposed."

Thais eyes Wrinth. "There are many steps between full health and 
indisposed," she murmurs.

Heimdall shrugs.  "On the other hand, perhaps he would take it as a sign.  
It is your tussle.  I shall send word of any response to the Golden 
Meadhall.  You may leave."

Neil . o O ( Neil shooting someone in the head is an /omen/. Why didn't I 
think of this explanation for Dominic before now? )

Heimdall says as you go, "A moment with Ekur alone, if you please."  
Wrinth starts to object, and he says, "It is on a different matter."

Sariel . o O ( *cackle* Because Dominic gets these nasty throbbing veins 
right over the eyes on the left side whenever prophecy and omens come up? 
)

Thais nods politely to this request, and turns to go. If anyone's trying 
to jump Ekur, there's more trouble here than standing around would 
prevent.

Ekur nods and waits.

Neil bows politely, and leaves with Thais. "Don't be mad, now -- we'll be 
seeing you soon, Wrinth."

After the others have departed, Heimdall says quietly, "I will be brief.  
You are known to us, and doubtless you have heard that one of our 
greatest has been missing for some time.  Dreams has more contact with 
the world than we.  Tell me, angel, have you had any word of Thor?"

Heimdall adds, "In Angelic, if you please."

Neil . o O ( Eli isn't on walkabout, he /eloped/ -- with Thor. )

Sariel . o O ( ...now _that's_ scary. )

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: ...too plausible. Scary.

StevenE [to William]: Have I heard anything about Thor?  (I'm assuming 
no, since he's a Remnant according to the Rev Cycle . . .)

William [to Ekur]: Rev3, the "No Dinero" adventure, and in this game none 
of the Rev Cycle has happened yet.  So this is just Heimdall worrying 
about his friend.

Neil . o O ( Nooo! Not the Rev Cycle! It hasn't even HAPPENED yet! )

Neil . o O ( Wait a second. We're /before the Rev Cycle/. Roadtrip. We're 
burning Austin to the ground. )

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: It would be for the best.

Sariel [to Jesdyn]: Hee!

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: We could torch Los Angeles too, but it's too 
spread out to burn well.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: I have it on good authority that Los Angeles is 
/always/ on fire, in a sort of rotation.

Sariel [to fadethecat]: Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. 
Also, Songs of Shields are love!

Sariel [to Jesdyn]: _Hee_.

William watches you guys turn the War hot, and Baal's Word get a massive 
boost in human Essence from all the sudden, scary arsons and beheadings

Jesdyn [to William]: Yeah, well, if I explained Furfur to him, he'd just 
nod quickly and help hold down angelic wrongdoing and Heaven's goals in 
the Marches while we were otherwise occupied.

Sariel [to William]: * Wrinth smugs. I meant to inspire that. Really!

Ekur, in Angelic, says, "I am afraid I have no news of Thor.  I must say 
I have always regretted the circumstances under which he went missing."

Jesdyn [to William]: Which would be sort of funny, as it would make Baal 
sort of a Judge; Baal, Seraph of Judgement would be the /funniest/ 
/thing/ /ever/. Michael would probably just go ahead and switch over to 
Wrath.

Sariel [to Jesdyn]: ...I fear _so much_.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Considering that in the RevCycle one of the 
adventures has Dominic trying to push an angel, we're probably best just 
not going there.

Heimdall sighs.  "I always ask when I can.  Thank you anyway.  I shall 
send word to you if I get a response to this affair."

Ekur bows respectfully, and takes his leave.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: WHAT? I've never read the full cycle. That jerk. 
If I hear about that I'm gonna arrest him and let the Seraphim Council 
sort it out.

Neil settles down.

Wrinth has given Neil a dirty look, Thais an appraising look, and the 
decorations not a second glance.  He heads out to the meadhall.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: I recommend staying far, far away from the 
whole...thing.

Thais strides along cheerfully, but waits for Ekur just outside the 
gates.

Neil follows on his heels. He /really/ needs to talk to this sorcerer. He 
might be salvagable.

Thais . o O ( Do I want to let the Mercurian alone with--wait, this is 
Neil we're talking about. I just hope he doesn't kill Wrinth while I'm 
not there. )

Jesdyn [to William]: I've got a problem here.

William [to Jesdyn]: Mm?

Jesdyn [to William]: We told the citizens of Radz that Civis would be 
safe even to Armageddon because it wasn't vital to the War.

William thinks... okay... I could look it up.

Jesdyn [to William]: Were we right? Because if I have to make a call 
between "keeping a Hellsworn alive who hasn't yet met his Fate" and "not 
totally screwing Civis against the wall", right now I gotta go with the 
human.

StevenE [to Jesdyn]: Not quite, IIRC.  We said that under normal 
circumstances it would be safe because of all the angels, and during 
Armageddon it would be safe because it would be unimportant.

William [to Jesdyn]: I'm going to sit here and smile Yoda-like at you and 
let you work out the ethical dilemmas as you come to them.  :^)

Jesdyn [to William]: I'm fine with that -- that is, getting all three of 
us killed and Discordant over a single human who /probably/ can't be 
saved. We're angels, that's what we do. But I /do/ have the right to ask 
for case law.

William [to Jesdyn]: Sure, that's fair enough.  Lemme think.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Thais is okay with smiting the human too. But 
then, Malakite. Not lots of warm fuzzies towards Hellsworn.

skill 16 Neil_Heaven_Law

You rolled 9 and Neil_Heaven_Law - succeeded by 7.

Neil . o O ( Shoutcast? /She Blinded Me With Science/. Thank you, 
internet? )

Neil . o O ( "internet." )

William [to Neil]: "Humans come first" is indeed a pretty safe bet in all 
cases.  The exception would be if the cost of pursuing the human's 
redemption were so great, and the likelihood of succeeding so small, that 
it would seem -- to Dominic's Mercurian Attunement -- that the Symphony 
would be better off without the human in question.  I think paying 
attention to the feelings you get from that would be a good guideline.

William [to Neil]: That give good guidance?

Jesdyn [to William]: Exactly what I needed.

Ekur is, of course, has an inborn tendency to being ruthlessly pragmatic, 
when considering what would best benefit Heaven . . . but that has to 
take Heaven's nature as the Good Side into account, of course.

Jesdyn [to William]: One last question.

The GM says, "Fire away."

Jesdyn [to William]: /Exactly/ what does it take to trigger eligiblity 
for Hunt?

The GM says, "Passage of arms.  Mechanically, I'd say, if I put Thais and 
the potential target into the same combat round and they were in any 
obvious way on opposite sides, that would do.  Certainly if one targeted 
an attack at the other."

Neil says, "Okay. Just curious."

Neil is ready now. He's headed to the Golden Palace with Wrinth; if 
asked, he'll cheerfully explain that he's waiting for word from Heimdall 
like a dutiful servant of Heaven.

Thais is waiting just outside the gates (drawbridge? door? thingy) for 
Ekur to finish and get back. She is not compelled to follow Wrinth 
everywhere, really.

The GM says, "Wrinth has already headed out, presumably to the Meadhall."


Ekur assumes we're all on our way to the meadhall, if not already there.

Thais is certainly heading that way once Ekur's outside.

The GM says, "The Golden Meadhall is a big, thatch-roofed, thick-beamed 
building with pillars apparently thick with gilt carvings, off of which 
torches burn merrily.  The football-field-sized space is surrounded with 
benches which are chock full of merrymakers, most of them human though by 
no means all.  In the center of the space a fire roars up a chimney, 
ethereal chefs carefully crafting just the right flavor and texture of 
all manner of food and drink.  There is a large, open dance floor on one 
side and a currently empty stage."

Jesdyn [to William]: Indiscriminate resonance usage -- I want that 
sorcerer. I'm nailing anyone near the visible exits first.

fadethecat [to William]: Human-looking, or actual dreamers/dreamshades?

The GM says, "Ah, yes.  Human-*looking*."

William [to Jesdyn]: There are over 216 people in this hall at present... 
are you sure?

Sariel [to William]: _Hee_.

Thais leans over towards Ekur as they step inside. "So, oh wise Power, 
what do you consider the most objective way of dealing with this 
situation? I /can/ wait on the smiting."

Jesdyn [to William]: Rawr. Some hall. Fine. I'm a /cop/. If I can't find 
an out-of-towner in a local bar I'll eat my badge.

Jesdyn [to William]: Just out of curiosity, am I actually standing in a 
Norse meadhall in which fighting is impermissible?

William [to Jesdyn]: Good call.  You look around and find Wrinth sitting 
with four toughs who are apparently from a modern urban style of 
dreamscape: muscled, tattoo'ed, going for the chains-and-leather look.  
They're off to one side near the fire, and the toughs have apparently 
enjoyed a few beers already.  Drunk is a state of mind, and states of 
mind can be achieved in the Marches.

Ekur says, "While we're in town, we don't initiate combat.  But if you 
make Wrinth angry enough to take a swing at you first . . . "

The GM says, "Wrinth is tapping his fingers, looking around, and spots 
you three.  He smirks and stops looking quite so bored."

Jesdyn [to William]: Because it seems to me that the guards might be 
awful... slow... to respond.

Thais nods. "So noted, Ekur." And offers Wrinth a cheery wave from across 
the room.

Neil says, "In any case, I'm going to scan the four as a group, looking 
for one who doesn't really belong. Failing that, I'm gonna scan /Wrinth/ 
to make sure he's not the sorcerer playing silly buggers."

William [to Jesdyn]: You know, that's an excellent point.  And I know why 
the law was originally passed -- because the Aesir needed a fairly safe 
place for people to come with their coin once they closed off Valhalla 
behind Bifrost.  But it is a bit counter-stereotype.

The GM says, "Or counter-myth, which Ethereals might consider more 
important."

Jesdyn [to William]: I think there might be certain areas of the domain 
marked as free-fire zones.

skill 16 Group_Resonance

You rolled 8 and Group_Resonance - succeeded by 8.

Jesdyn [to William]: Say -- with a rune above the door -- in a perfect 
world, a rune Wrinth isn't aware of but Ekur is and is clearly visible to 
us, but I wouldn't insist on it.

The GM says, "Nothing so fortunate in your sight, I'm afraid."

Neil . o O ( I can't wait to tell the Warjerks I got kicked out of 
/Valhalla/ for /fighting/, and what have they done lately? )

Ekur gets a seat near Wrinth.  "You know, if you hadn't emphasized 
'thing', I might have forgotten that little detail about how Viking 
societies worked."

The GM says, "At any rate, the guards aren't much of a group.  Each was 
collected individually and brought together by a single entity, 
technically against their will but they don't find the state onerous so 
far.  They all hail from an ethereal copy of New York, inhabited by a 
number of that city's urban legends."

skill 16 Resonance

You rolled 14 and Resonance - succeeded by 2.

Jesdyn [to William]: That single commanding entity -- any hint of 
direction?

The GM says, "Not the guy sitting next to them."

The GM says, "And Wrinth's name is Wrinth."

Wrinth turns to Ekur.  "Wot the hell is the Althing, anyway?"

Thais takes a seat next to Ekur, if there's room. Following the Elohite's 
lead usually leads to fun and stabbing.

Ekur says, "Parliament of Iceland, founded back a thousand years or so."

Neil moves out of range of the conversation, keeping an eye on them while 
he looks for someone out of place, with touches of resonance here and 
there to help keep him moving.

Wrinth says, "Ah.  Well, in case you think you scored points, I was 
pointing out that Odin isn't Jack bloody Mann.  Odin runs this place, not 
the will of the damn people."

fadethecat has reconnected.

fadethecat [to William]: ...well, it /was/ a stable connection.

Ekur says, "Yeah, Odin's first among equals here.  Unlike Baal in Hell, 
who's spent millenia of rebellion against God by slobbering all over 
Lucifer's boots.  At least God isn't a jumped-up second-born Archangel."

Thais sets an elbow on the table, props her chin in one hand, and listens 
to the snark-off with a quiet smile.

[ paging, paging... ]

[ roll relevant to NPC character sheet -- Control roll, passed]

Wrinth waves a finger.  "Tsk, tsk.  Too obvious an attempt to rile me.  
I'm not Eucastor, especially when I've got a job to do."

The GM says, "There is a murmuring among the ethereals in the hall.  The 
bubble of a human dreamscape has floated through the doors, and is 
heading toward your little group."

Neil returns and pulls out a chair.

Wrinth casually finishes off the glass sitting next to him, and grins.  
"And it looks like my date has arrived."  He stands.  "If you gentlemen 
would excuse me."

Jesdyn [to William]: What're my options here -- can I move it? Can I 
enter it? If I enter it can I hit Wrinth?

Thais glances over to the bubble. "Interesting," she says, and looks back 
to Ekur. "Not very...standard."

William [to Jesdyn]: The question is moot, as shortly after it gets next 
to Wrinth it shimmers and collapses in onto a human figure.

William [to Jesdyn]: Though to answer your question, you would need 
Blandine's Dreamwalking Attunement, her Vassal Distinction, or the 
Corporeal Song of Dreams to enter the dreamscape.

Neil pings the human.

The GM says, "Standing next to Wrinth is now a 40-some-odd year old woman 
with long black hair in ringlets and a simple white dress.  She holds 
casually, as if it is a part of her self-image, a short wand.  She looks 
around, then turns to Wrinth and demands, "*Now* where are we?""

skill 16 Resonance

You rolled 13 and Resonance - succeeded by 3.

Ekur rezzes him too.

Thais resonates, because, hey, when a human suddenly drops into a place 
like this, it's what you do.

Thais rolled 10 versus 17 and succeeded by 7.

Neil rolled 16d6 and got 61.

Neil blinks.

William [to Neil]: The human regards herself as having unrecognized 
greatness.  Others regard her simply as 'that lady.'  She presently is on 
the bad end of a relationship strongly dominated by Wrinth.

William [to Neil]: Her most deviant act would be some demon-summonings a 
while back.

Jesdyn [to William]: Case law check -- is demon-summoning more or less 
deviant than being an accessory to what the demon does?

Jesdyn [to William]: That is, is a demon-summoning that accomplished 
little of import a worse crime than murder? Arson? Tax evasion?

William [to Ekur]: She's in a state of resignation to a bad situation but 
harbors hopes, including ambition, that seem to be on the edge of 
realization.  She's presently a little nervous due to strange 
surroundings.

William [to Jesdyn]: Accessory to a prison break.

Jesdyn [to William]: So it's bad, but it's not going to conceal worse 
crimes.

William [to Jesdyn]: Right, whatever else that followed appeared to be, 
if a little selfish, not as bad as that itself.

Neil . o O ( Alright. I now have a Plan B. )

Neil . o O ( If you've got a Plan A go now. )

Ekur says, "Aw, Wrinth.  You mean you're interested in a human, instead 
of pining for Thais?"

Neil patpats Thais! Thais is not comforted!

Thais raises one eyebrow at Ekur.

William [to Thais]: You get a list of honorable and dishonorable acts 
suited to someone who has dedicated their real energies to Sorcery, 
sacrificing what would pass for a normal human life.  She's disregarded 
job and social responsibilities for the call of research and 
experimentation with the chords of reality, delving into what she knew 
were dark corners of knowledge.  On the other hand, she seems to have 
been genuinely interested in exploring and recording the nature of the 
Marches as an intellectual achievement meant to inform others.

Neil says, "Heya, lady. You're in Asgard, presumably about to serve the 
designs of Hell and its minions."

William [to Ekur]: The human stares at you, then grins wickedly at 
Wrinth.  "That's your *name*, motherfucker.  That's your *name*!  Our 
next Will-war is gonna be /totally/ effing different, I can tell you!"

Thais says, "Oo. Really? Could I get an invite on that one?"

Sariel . o O ( HEE. )

The lady turns to Ekur.  "You there.  Thanks man, I owe you one big 
time."

William [to Ekur]: By the way, are you still wearing the Elohite uniform?


StevenE [to William]: Yep.

She looks you over.  "Space alien in a D&D bar full of dwarves and 
fighters.  Interesting."

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: ...D&D?

Wrinth turns to you.  "Nice going, dork."

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Oops, that should've been IC.

Thais tries to parse the comment. Right. Time for another crash course in 
human culture.

Ekur says, "Oh, you're welcome anytime, Wrinth."

Wrinth turns to the human.  "Just shut up and head outside.  We've got 
work to do.  And tell the boys to keep these three company once we get 
outside the walls."

Ekur says, "Ma'am, you know, dealing with demons is frowned upon by my 
people.  Never mind the risk it puts your soul in, it really annoys us."

Neil shakes the woman's hand. "Hi. I'm Neil, nice to meet you."

Wrinth says, "Don't talk to them, don't shake the greasy lawyer's hand, 
just do what I said."

Thais taps fingers absently on her sword hilt. "Another plus to not 
working for Hell. Not worrying about your true name getting out."

Neil flips the lady into a lock and gently forces her to the ground.

Neil . o O ( And the crowd goes silent. )

Ekur says, "You know, Wrinth, when Baal goes back to trying to get the 
humans to worship him, it would make sense to teach his priests sorcery.  
How many humans do you think you'll wind up serving then?"

William [to Neil]: Arm Lock 17 currently: roll it.

Jesdyn [to William]: 21.

Jesdyn [to William]: Isn't it? Arm Lock-17, but it's not DX based in the 
Marches, it's IQ based, so it's skill 21.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: I fear your armlock.

William mutters... Based on 18 IQ, eight points Hard, 19, last XP email I 
got... I see you have 1 point in... oh, you bought up Judo.  Okay.

Neil rolled 8 versus 21 and succeeded by 13.

Sariel [to fadethecat]: Armlocks are mandatory for all good Mercurians of 
Judgment! Even the ones who like headshotting people.

The GM says, "We'll use that if you make it, but first you need to 
Grapple (vs. Dodge); roll unmodified Judo."

Jesdyn [to William]: Sure, but keep in mind I was already shaking her 
hand.

Neil rolled 13 versus 19 and succeeded by 6.

[ rolls relevant to NPC character sheets -- series of Arm Lock rolls from 
human ]

The GM says, "Right.  The arm lock completely surprises her, and she's 
pinned before she knows what was going on."

Jesdyn [to William]: Not that I want to deal with it, but wouldn't that 
be a check versus IQ?

William [to Jesdyn]: Hmm... Yes, but you succeeded by 13, so only a 
favorable Intervention would have managed the trick anyway...

The lady yells, "Hey!  What the f-"  Wrinth yells, "Guards!  Get your 
butts over here, the angels are picking on a human!"

Thais looks to Ekur. This was our plan A? No one tells the Malakite 
anything.

The lady struggles.  "Let me go!  I've got work to do!"

Ekur says, "Ah, Wrinth.  Trying to hide behind Ethereals again.  Tell me, 
do you ever try to fight your own battles?"

Neil speaks, very coldly, from the floor. "I am an angel of the Lord. 
This human is imperiled by Hell."

Wrinth says, "I'd be glad to if it wasn't the law around here."  He looks 
up at the guards.  "What are you waiting for?"

A guard shrugs.  "Hasn't actually hurt anyone yet."

Warmth returns to Neil's voice. "It's not your choice, ma'am, so I 
there's no need to hurt you. I'll maintain this lock until I bring you to 
a place of safety or I'm soul-killed. There's no need to be alarmed."

The lady says, "Hell only imperils those who imperil themselves.  I know 
what I'm doing and you are interfering with humanity.  Let me go!"

Thais stands up from her place at the table, hands behind her back. "I 
should recall Neil's idea of a friendly discussion," she comments 
quietly, and watches Wrinth.

Neil notes, in passing, that attempts to break the lock are against skill 
/25/, so it's going to take the Lightbringer *and a crowbar* to break 
this hold without interference.

Sariel [to Jesdyn]: _Wow_.

Ekur says, "Well, Wrinth?  Aren't you glad you aren't serving Belial, the 
way all your plans keep backfiring?  And I never imagined Baal was so 
forgiving of incompetence."

Neil says, "Not likely, miss. I'll hold you here until you wake, if 
necessary."

[ roll relevant to NPC character sheet -- Control, passed ]

Ekur auto-rezzes Wrinth.

William [to Ekur]: Decidedly angry, and mind currently racing.

Jesdyn [to Sariel]: Judo is awesome.

Wrinth snaps his fingers at the toughs.  "Well?  Quit sitting there being 
useless and peel the Mercurian off your mistress!"

The four toughs converge on Neil.

Sariel [to Jesdyn]: Clearly!

Jesdyn [to William]: Hold a second.

Wrinth says, "*Gently*, the guards around here are apparently pansies 
until somebody's had an eye out."

Wrinth says, to the large number of Ethereals with eyepatches that growl 
at that remark, "Oh bite me, it's a turn of phrase."

Thais steps a little closer to Neil, and smiles toothily at Wrinth's 
ethereals.

Neil /shifts/ his stance from the floor, the ethereal plane subtly giving 
way, and his celestial form is more obvious. He plans to take this 
seriously.

Ekur says, "Ah, Wrinth, do you think your turns of phrase went as 
smoothly with Heimdall as they are with these Ethereals?"

The GM says, "Hmmm.  It looks like we're about to embark on a very slow, 
very careful few rounds of combat in which positioning and judicious use 
of non-lethal techniques is going to play a major role.  Since it's a bit 
late to start that, why don't we begin that next time?  :^)"

Neil says, "Sounds good."

Thais says, "Works for me."

Ekur says, "Sure."

Thais . o O ( In which Thais learns the gentle art of standing in 
people's way, very, very precisely. )

The GM says, "Allrighty then."

All local names and descriptions have been cleared.

Sariel admires the scene.

Jesdyn says, "You know what? *THANK GOD* Flatfoot Fu has Brawling and 
Wrestling."

The GM says, "Yes, well played from all."

StevenE . o O ( Darn self-control.  I'm starting to feel like Palpatine 
tempting Luke. )

fadethecat [to StevenE]: ...hee.

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Luke was easier to taunt.

William [to StevenE]: Yeah, and those rolls have been against 
progressively more penalized target numbers, too.  :^)

fadethecat says, "Thais is kinda bemused, by this point. But, hey, she's 
an adaptable...Malakite of the Sword. Er. Kinda."

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: I dunno what the submission score is on /2, but 
we're gonna have to get it up to 3 before this'll work.

Sariel _giggles_.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: We can work on that as soon as we get Wrinth out 
of this place...

William carefully shrinkwraps all the pieces in place on the gameboard 
and waves out.  See you in a fortnight!