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

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

StevenE has made StevenE's local name Ekur

Jesdyn materializes out of thin air.

fadethecat swings into the room on a bit of rigging.

fadethecat has made fadethecat's local name Thais

Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local name Neil

Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local description A cheerful man in Civis blue, 
he's Here To Help. Just... maybe not help /you/.

The GM says, "Okay, everyone set?  I'm ready to go."

Ekur is ready, though he expects to not have too much to do in Blandine's 
realm.

Neil says, "Yeah."

Neil says, "I'm not sure what we're going to /do/, mind, unless we get a 
lead."

Thais is ready.

Neil says, "Neil and Thais are loose in Valhalla without a minder."

Neil . o O ( If we find hot Norse chicks and transport them somewhere, 
will that make the Judgementmobile the /Ride of the Valkyries/? )

The GM says, "The next several hours will pass rather uneventfully for 
both sets of you.  What happens then will depend..."

Arc 5, continued: The Riddle Game

The GM says, "Let's go with Ekur for the moment, actually; there will be 
a short series of events from his point-of-view before he gets back to 
you."

William [to Ekur]: Can't think of anything particular to do with a few 
hours that doesn't involve the dreamer?

StevenE [to William]: Well, I can talk with other Blandine servitors, or 
I could go around doing my old job of protecting dreamers, or ... hmm, 
mostly blanking.

The GM says, "Oh, that's right, you left Dorotea's dream, didn't you.  
Okay."

StevenE [to William]: No, I was looking around in the dream for paths to 
other dreamers.  But you specified "doesn't involve the dreamer", so i 
assumed you meant "not in her dreamscape".

Ekur . o O ( I mean, a dreamscape's a personal thing. )

The GM says, "Okay.  It'll matter whether you stayed or left, so which 
did Ekur do?"

Ekur says, "Unless there's something pressing, he's going to stay and 
explore, use his Psychology skill on the 'scape to try to understand 
Dorotea."

The GM says, "Okay.  Roll it..."

Ekur rolled 10 versus 17 and succeeded by 7.

The GM says, "This bland little suburb is a fairly accurate metaphorical 
representation of her current life state; it's minimally acceptable but 
she regards it as uninspiring and seeks more."

The GM says, "Shortly before dawn, the dreamscape ripples slightly and a 
squirrel climbs out of the foliage of a nearby tree and peeks at you, 
chittering.  'Vassal?'"

Ekur says, "Yes?"

The squirrel says, "Aaron, sir.  I'm the Cherub you ordered.  I'll be 
with Dorotea.  I've been briefed... nasty situation she's gotten herself 
into, sir."

Aaron says, "At present, I wasn't sure whether to keep my distance during 
the day or offer my services as a sort of sorcerous 'familiar,' though on 
a strictly ally basis, you know, rather than command like demons.  Would 
you have any thoughts, or maybe a third way?"

Neil . o O ( Hire her from Civis' budget and assign her to research and 
enforcement. Make her a Soldier of Neil. )

Ekur says, "That might work.  I'm not sure, mind you, how well she 
distinguishes the Marches in general from her own personal subconscious, 
or what she knows of the War.  She might not think she summons demons as 
distinguished from her inner demons.  I should warn you, by the way, she 
now knows the name of the demon to which she last lost a Will-War, and 
she may be seeking revenge."

Ekur goes on to narrate everything he's seen and learned about Dorotea to 
the Cherub.

Aaron tries to whistle, and coughs.  "I'll keep an eye out, sir..." The 
dream begins to break up as Dorotea wakes.  "Sounds like I'll be seeing 
you agai--" The dream ends.

William [to Ekur]: The Distinction releases you, and you're free to go 
where you will.

The GM says, "Also, every angel who needs one, pick up a dawn Essence."

Neil says, "Back up to... four here, I think."

Ekur will head back to Asgard, unless he's gotten a communication in the 
meantime about where Neil and Thais are now.

The GM says, "And on that note, we turn back to Neil and Thais."

Neil . o O ( "Ekur: Kicked out Judgmentmobile headlight, challenged Odin 
to assumption combat. Odin now blind, pissed; returning to Civis. Now." )


Ekur . o O ( Oh, God, please let neil be messaging in British English. 
;-) )

The GM says, "The scene in the Golden Meadhall changes and stays the 
same.  Midnight comes and goes, there is a brief flurry of economic 
activity with the Ethereals' newly-gained Essence, the customers go in 
and out but the activities stay very similar.  The elf from earlier 
apparently was a musician scheduled to do a set starting at midnight, and 
this he does."

The GM says, "Neil, Thais, Politics rolls please.  Neil's default is 13, 
Thais' 12."

Thais rolled 14 versus 12 and failed by 2.

fadethecat [to William]: Oh dear.

Neil rolled 11 versus 13 and succeeded by 2.

William [to Neil]: As boredom starts to set in, it crosses your mind: 
what if the AllFather has decided 'no answer' is the best way to answer 
this ultimatum?

Jesdyn [to William]: That's what I was sorta figuring he might do, 
actually, since that's fair to best case.

Neil says, "Thais? it's been a day, and I don't think Odin's going to 
trip over himself to antagonize Heaven or Hell."

Thais looks up from her empty tankard of mead. "Oh? ...oh. Mm. I see what 
you mean."

Leather and Giz look at each other thoughtfully, considering this 
possibility themselves.

The two discuss this quietly for a moment, and Giz goes over to a fellow 
with a mailbag to speak with him.  They converse for a few moments, an 
Essence changes hands, and a Song of CelTongues goes off.

Thais sets the drink aside, and slides closer to Neil. "We did have a few 
other options," she says, more quietly. "What are you thinking?"

Neil says, "Not sure. If we assume Odin won't answer, then we can either 
figure out Wrinth's next stop and meet him there, go explore Selkirk, or 
go home."

Neil says, "Selkirk sounds like a bad plan without a couple hundred of 
your friends. Any idea where Wrinth is right now?"

Thais takes a moment to search out Wrinth's current location.

Thais adds, absently, "We probably want Ekur along for any but the last 
option."

William [to Thais]: He's been the same physical distance away (a 
subjective couple of miles) in the same Domain since he left.

Thais says, "He hasn't gone any further than the last time I checked."

The GM says, "By 'same Domain,' of course, I mean that he's elsewhere 
here in the caul around Asgard."

Neil says, "We could dress up in Norse duds and pass by. At least find 
out what he's up to. If we go straight to him and pound on him, he may 
figure out how we're tracking him and he might manage to kill us this 
time."

Thais tilts a hand, considering this. "No perceptive resonance means he's 
unlikely to spot us if we're careful, but...he does work in the Marches. 
He's obviously not /stupid/. So let's be careful, if we want to go 
sneaking around."

Neil says, "Probably don't even want to talk to him. Just see where he is 
and resonate whoever he's talking to."

Thais nods. "Works for me. Pity Ekur's not back yet. Three resonances are 
better than two, and all that."

William [to Ekur]: (Roll me AK(Marches) so I can estimate how long it'll 
take you to get back.)

Ekur rolled 13 versus 19 and succeeded by 6.

The GM says, "'k.  About three hours from current scene time.  Thais, 
Neil, carry on."

After the Disturbance from the first communication dies down, another 
CelTongues rings through the Domain and Giz, from his expression, is the 
recipient.  He hastily informs Leather and they leave the Meadhall.

Thais smirks. "Word's getting out. I suppose we'd better get moving."

Neil ponders. Follow them at a distance, or see Wrinth?

Thais suspects these two things would coincide.

Neil says, "Hmm. Are we going to learn much from it? We already pinged 
them, we already pinged Wrinth, and we know where Wrinth is going."

The GM says, "They're leaving now..."

Neil says, "Let's let them go and get a ways ahead of us, then change and 
go see Wrinth."

Thais shrugs. "Never know what we might find," she says.

Neil proceeds to follow through on his plan, shifting his form to that 
of... hmm... ah, yes. A Viking with a horned helmet.

The GM says, "Dreaming minus 3 to take a face not your own."

Thais rolled 12 versus 15 and succeeded by 3.

The GM says, "(Neil, effective skill 16)"

Thais shifts to a similar guise, a little shorter and wearing a long 
blond braid.

Neil rolled 8 versus 16 and succeeded by 8.

Neil is perfectly aware that Vikings didn't wear horned helmets, by the 
way. But since nobody else does, all the Ethereals are stuck with them. 
Heh heh heh.

The GM says, "Outside the town there are two tracks in the snow, 
currently under a frosty blue dawn with the wind having died down.  Most 
of the traffic has passed over the one that heads straight out, away from 
the Domain, with a smaller number of prints lead off to the left along a 
smaller track, in the direction Thais senses Wrinth."

Thais gestures discreetly that way. "Off to talk with the boss," she 
says.

The GM says, "The Domain in this region becomes first forested and then 
mountainous, the trail suddenly rising and falling over the roots of a 
mountain lost in mist above.  A couple of miles away from the town, the 
trail takes a final dip and turns to head into a cave that sits where two 
spurs of the mountain join at the bottom.  The entrance has been worked 
by artificers, and now sports a smooth archway and flagstones, each 
apparently sized for giants."

Neil . o O ( Hard to mosey on by. "Sorry, we were looking for Olaf. Haf 
hyu seen him? We can't leave the level without him." )

Thais surveys the giant-sized entrance, and ponders what she knows of 
giants in Norse mythology. Nothing /good/. Which...would make sense for 
Wrinth hanging out around them, yes, but isn't dreadfully convenient for 
purposes of wandering nonchalantly in.

William [to Thais]: Anthro (Ethereals)!

Thais rolled 8 versus 15 and succeeded by 7.

fadethecat [to William]: Mm, shiny success.

William [to Thais]: Giants in most mythologies, including Norse, were 
frequently enemies of the reigning pantheon, but could typically be dealt 
with assuming you obeyed the rules.  Flattery helped -- they often had 
crude but effective craft skills.  The prevalence of the fire imagery 
around the place suggests temperamental spirits who will appreciate 
passion.

The GM says, "Gently sloping down, the great tunnel is well-lit with 
bright torchbaskets and the lightand sound of a roaring fire comes from 
deeper within.  After a few hundred feet, and a few normal-sized doors to 
either side, the tunnel comes to an end in a conventionhall-sized room 
with that fire blazing in an enormous fireplace to the opposite side.  
Giants populate roughly half the hall; normal sized humanoids and even 
dwarfs are doing various sorts of business with them."

The GM says, "The hall is apparently a court.  In a throne to your left, 
a giant with a bushy red beard and an iron circlet is speaking and 
listening with a group of beings.  A scribe scribbles at a desk; an 
exchequer man examines a small pile of ether-coins in front of a merchant 
carrying a pair of talisman axes; soldiers stand guard.  You blend in 
fairly well."

Neil watches Thais for clues about who to ping; if none are forthcoming, 
he'll take a random sample.

Thais looks around casually, and checks her beeline on Wrinth again if 
she doesn't spot his minions promptly.

William [to Thais]: "The beeline points you to some shadows near the 
throne.  One of the speakers with the... king, presumably... is Wrinth, 
and you can see him now.  It is him to whom the king is presently 
listening.

Thais elbows Neil, and nods in that direction. "Ear of the king," she 
says quietly. "How handy."

Neil pings the king, and the group of the king and Wrinth.

William [to Neil]: Resonance rolls.

The GM says, "(King first.)"

Neil rolled 14 versus 16 and succeeded by 2.

Neil rolled 7 versus 16 and succeeded by 9.

Thais does the same.

Thais rolled 9 versus 17 and succeeded by 8.

Thais rolled 8 versus 17 and succeeded by 9.

Jesdyn [to William]: Can I ping "the King and the Norse pantheon", or is 
such a diffuse concept covered in the original focused roll?

William [to Neil]: The first gets nothing; the king is protected by the 
mantle.  It also fuzzes the second, though it's clear that he's the 
center of events presently.  That center is temporarily shifting to 
Wrinth, although he's the only one who's consciously aware of that.

Jesdyn [to William]: Leather and Giz around by chance?

William [to Thais]: The first merely gets that the king is presently 
debating the honor or dishonor of an act; you can't resonate groups.

fadethecat [to William]: Er, right. King and then Wrinth, I meant.

William [to Neil]: Looking around for them, you find them in the circle 
near Wrinth, standing around.

fadethecat [to William]: (...yes, I got a really good look at his honor 
earlier. But you never know!)

William [to Thais]: Ah.  In that case, Wrinth's results are basically the 
same, a bit more perfunctory to your present resonance; he seems to 
consider himself engaged in the same long series of interrelated actions 
as he was earlier.

The GM says, "A giant comes up to you, so to speak, and displays his 
right hand palm outward briefly.  'Welcome to the hall of Utgard-Loki, 
travelers.  How may we serve?'"

Thais smiles politely and lets Neil handle this. He's the Mercurian. He 
does diplomacy.

Neil . o O ( Uhm. Uhm. Uhm.  )

Jesdyn [to William]: IQ roll for lead?

Jesdyn [to William]: I guess I could claim we're traders, but -- short of 
Thais -- I've got no merchandise.

Jesdyn [to William]: And Dominic's too friendly with Laurence for that to 
end well.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Wandering adventurers!

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Like wandering monsters, except Norse.

William [to Jesdyn]: Acting default, IQ-5 (13).

Jesdyn [to William]: Erf.

Neil rolled 8 versus 13 and succeeded by 5.

Neil . o O ( Whew. )

William [to Jesdyn]: Try looking to buy.

Neil says, "We're looking for trade stock. We've heard Norse weapons are 
in great demand in that new city Heaven's building."

Neil . o O ( Awkward, heavy-handed -- not my best work at all. )

"Are they," says the giant.  "That is well.  You will find several 
merchants scattered throughout this complex.  Some of them, I dare say, 
are skilled with the tiny work that suits spirits of your stature.  Be 
welcome to our town, and may your search be fruitful.  Do not hesitate to 
speak to a guard if you require assistance."  He bows and takes his 
leave.

Neil begins to mingle, approaching some place he has a chance of 
listening in on Wrinth in a spiral pattern.

Thais follows along in standard companion/retainer mode, with a hint of 
bodyguard to how she watches the people they pass.

The GM says, "The crowd is mobile enough that this can be done over the 
space of about ten minutes, and after that time you are on the outer ring 
of people listening to the king.  You can't hear Wrinth from here, but 
the king's words are louder."

"A contest, I think," the king says.  "Sworn retainers we have, but if 
they are to be masters of Domains they will need to be able to hold their 
place."

A murmur from the side of the throne.  "Yes," says the king.  "War has 
that virtue."

The king chuckles.  "The winner must have at least one feat in which he 
surpasses all others, yes?"  Several of the retainers appear to get an 
inside joke, and laugh.

Neil . o O ( I'll bet that'd be funny if I had more ranks in mythology. )


The king pounds an arm of his throne cheerfully.  "So be it, then!" he 
roars, and business in the hall stops as he stands and throws his arms 
out.  "Hear me!  I go at sunset to speak to Odin, and I will bear the 
names of trusted spirits of this Domain who are surpassing in achievement 
of some kind.  Send the word, and at noon contest will begin in this very 
hall -- the winner will have opportunity to make his name known 
throughout the Marches!"

Thais uh-ohs very, very quietly. "I take it we're staying here until 
noon," she murmurs to Neil.

The GM says, "He sits back down, and the hall begins to buzz."

Neil says, "Probably. Let's see if we can find out what that was about."

Neil listens to the buzz.

Thais does as well, stepping a few paces away from Neil to catch another 
segment of buzz.

The GM says, "The people away from the throne haven't the foggiest idea 
what the prize is, while the people near the throne know that the demon 
has been asking Utgard-Loki to favor a certain political position with 
Odin.  Apparently there is a Domain he knows of that will be easy to 
Master, and the king intends to award the prize to a trusted retainer 
that will be suitably grateful."

The GM says, "Err, that was what Neil found out."

The GM says, "Thais, conversation with you tends to turn to the contest, 
thr ground rules of which are based in Utgard-Loki's main myth -- anyone 
can pick the rules themself, and face any challengers who care to take 
them on.  The better your feat displayed, and the more challengers you 
take on, the more likely Utgard-Loki is to look favorably on the result.  
Combat is traditional though creativity is rewarded."

Thais looks suitably interested, and then tracks back to find Neil and 
see what he's discovered.

William [to Ekur]: For later, you may wish to peruse 
http://www.online-literature.com/bulfinch/mythology_fable/32/ and assume 
familiarity with the contents.  :^)

[ msg'ing ]

Neil [to William]: Alright, I'll try that. One drawing heavy on American 
images of the Norse myths -- such as they are -- along with contemporary 
concepts of interest in the Marches.

The GM says, "(For the others wondering, I've been msg'ing with Jesdyn on 
a course of action.)"

Neil still -- after most of a year -- can't correctly operate the Blue 
Room messaging commands.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Got an idea, but it'll take me most of the night 
and day to finish it. 

Neil will build a riddle of his own, and sits down in a corner with a 
dreamed-up pad and pencil.

William [to Jesdyn]: Eh?  It's just after dawn -- you're looking at about 
4 hours of work.

William will make some rolls behind a GM screen here, physically... one 
mo...

Jesdyn [to William]: Oh. That's fine. I'll burn an Essence on it, if it's 
appropriate.

Thais tracks down Neil, finally, in the corner. "Looks like you already 
have a plan," she says, taking a seat beside him.

William [to Jesdyn]: If you like.  There are a series of three -- 
Literature, language, and writing.  I trust you're doing it in English, 
not Angelic?  Or will you be attempting an Angelic puzzle (which no one 
but an angel could finish, but will of course revel your nature)?

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: I tried -- twice -- to tell you. The Blue Room 
hates me, did I mention?

Jesdyn [to William]: Oh, English for certain.

Jesdyn [to William]: Three rolls? I'll bolster my weakest under-15 roll 
with a point. Do the skills default from IQ or English?

The GM says, "IQ, boost noted.  It draws the attention of a few people 
around you who see you writing, but apparently it would be impolite to 
inquire into your obvious preparations yet."

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Oi.

Neil says, "Yes. If they're playing a riddle game, I want in. Not sure 
what I can do with this, but I think... well, if nothing else, it'll be 
fun."

Neil . o O ( Ekur should arrive before noon. Maybe he'll have a good clue 
for 22-Down... )

The GM says, "You set the terms of the game, according to what Thais 
said.  In point of fact, what will be the terms of this challenge?  You 
can present a crossword puzzle for people to solve, but what's the 
claim?"

Jesdyn [to William]: I'm not sure. What would a normal claim be?

Thais nods, staring right back at any onlookers. "And you might get more 
information just from being on the inside of the competition. Mm. Do you 
think it would be helpful to have multiple entries? I think I'd prefer to 
stay on the outside and watch, otherwise."

The GM says, "Something that generally gets across the idea 'I'm smarter 
than you, and here's proof.'"

The GM says, "Like the riddle game, in fact.  ^_^"

Jesdyn [to William]: Huh. Tempted to write "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do 
Better" in the top in Angelic, but that'd be pushing it.

The GM says, "Think about it for a sec and we'll get Ekur over there."

William [to Ekur]: Yes, you do show up before noon -- although your 
friends aren't in the Golden Meadhall.  There's an elf on stage behind 
the dance floor just finishing a set.  He notices your entrance and 
signals you.

[ msg'ing ]

William  <ooc> Thought about giving Ekur a random encounter with a Tsayad 
trying to get a new dreamshade away from a Valkyrie as he approached 
Asgard -- mm, yummy conflicting priorities -- but  figured, enh, it's so 
bloody *unlikely*.  ;^)

Ekur walks over to the elf.  "Yes?"

The elf says to Ekur, "You were with the other angels, yah?  The ones who 
left earlier?"

Ekur says, "Yes, I was.  Where did they go?"

The elf says, "They owe me a small favor, by the way, I trust that end of 
the bargain will be held up.  Anyway, if they're not anywhere else in 
town about the only place they could go other than up Bifrost is 
Jotunheim.  Loki -- I mean, Utgard-Loki, well, same difference these days 
-- he keeps a place down that way.  Off the smaller track out the front 
gate."

Ekur says, "Okay, thanks.  And I'm sure the debt will be repaid, Malakim 
are good about that.  Did Odin ever send a response, by the way?"

@emit The elf says, "Nope.  I think your friends figured he wasn't gonna.  
Allfather does keep his own counsel a lot."

The elf says, "Nope.  I think your friends figured he wasn't gonna.  
Allfather does keep his own counsel a lot."

The elf says, "I could send word to the Keep that any answer could get 
sent to me here in town, I live here.  Bump up the favor a bit, what do 
you say?"

Ekur nods.  "That sounds like a deal, though I expect there won't be an 
answer at this point.  And thanks for the information.  Got space for a 
note of Essence?"

Neil . o O ( I don't mind telling an elf to go pound sand, but I would 
like to know what he's going to expect from us. He knows we're angels, 
that should keep the Moral Turpitude down. )

The elf brightens and summons a small artifact lute for an Essence.  "I 
do now.  That's mighty nice of you."

Ekur gives the elf a point of Essence, and then heads out for the hall of 
Utgard-Loki.

The GM says, "You reach there about an hour before noon."

Ekur . o O ( The better-disposed he is to us, the less trouble the favor 
should be for us.  And building good relations is always useful. )

[ msg'ing ]

The GM says, "Neil, you're looking over your work, and it's not the 
biggest crossword, but it looks like it all hangs together and the clues 
are decently tough-yet-accurate."


Jesdyn [to William]: Sounds good. I imagine I'll pay to have copies made 
before the event opens; I'll make sure the scribes all have a copy if 
someone requests one, and keep the rest.

William [to Jesdyn]: There is a scribe cooperative nearby with standard 
prices: tThe usual is an Essence for a page, though for a larger order 
ether-coins or notarized favors are available.

Jesdyn [to William]: Essence a page? OUCH.

The GM says, "Come to think of it, that is a day's 'income', isn't it?  
That may have been a bit hasty."

William ponders the economics and revises prices downward.  One Essence 
for five, they'll split jobs among themselves privately.

Jesdyn [to William]: If I just wrote this damn thing I should have a 
pretty clear image of it. If I get Thais to check them for me -- I figure 
a crossword with errors is inherently dishonorable -- I can crank 'em out 
pretty fast...

Jesdyn [to William]: How long would it take me to make a copy?

Jesdyn [to William]: Dreamshaping them out of nothing?

Jesdyn [to William]: I'd figured that one Essence would be good for 
thirty or better. At one Essence per, they break even at (number of 
members) jobs per day.

The GM says, "It would take a few minutes.  Each one will require a lot 
of fine details, so I'd say effective Dreaming skill, hmm, 12 for a 
flawless copy.  But Thais can check for errors."

Thais would be happy to check things for Rightness.

(THIS CROSSWORD HAS NO HONOR!)

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: I was trying to set it up so you could /resonate/ 
them. (:

Jesdyn [to William]: What kind of notarized favors are we talking about?

Jesdyn [to William]: And what kind of turnout are we expecting?

Jesdyn [to William]: Ideally, the crosswords will be such a hit people 
will pay the scribes for them. In fact, I'm going to try /pitching/ it to 
the scribes as a money-making venture. More copies at reduced price, and 
I send interested people to them.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: That works too.

William [to Jesdyn]: Unspecified "to be named later," based roughly on 
the model of Geases; a large order would be "a day's non-dangerous labor, 
with right of principled refusal." It appears that some two dozen 
interested souls are showing up, most of them with weaponry.

Jesdyn [to William]: How many spectators? They're almost my primary 
audience.

The GM says, "The scribes consider the notion of republishing these and 
decline, especially since the contest is taking place on short notice."

Jesdyn [to William]: Can only trusted souls compete or win?

Ekur . o O ( Of course, I'm going to walk in looking like myself, knowing 
nothing, and not even knowing what Thais and neil look like. )

William [to Jesdyn]: It's entirely up to Utgard-Loki, but knowing what he 
wants the winner for one can safely assume a newcomer will have to prove 
he's worth the king's investment of resources.

Jesdyn [to William]: Hmm. Is it /dishonest/ to compete if I can't win, or 
to simply refuse the honor? I mean, I'm really just trying to impress the 
locals.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Bah, you're just weeding out unworthy 
competitors.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: What I was thinking, yeah.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: What, Loki's going to be pissed at my trickery?

The GM says, "If it makes *me* laugh -- which it just did -- I suspect 
you'll be okay if you play it right."

Neil demands Kobalite essence! He's running short right now...

The GM says, "Speaking of which..."

skill 12 Copy-Dreaming

You rolled 10 and Copy-Dreaming - succeeded by 2.

The GM says, "There's a copy for Utgard-Loki, and, Thais, it checks out.  
Further copies should probably wait upon requests from challengers."

Thais admires the crossword puzzle.

The GM says, "Ekur, you walk in on a place abuzz with talk of a 
competition to be held for the prize the demon brought.  No one knows 
what it is, but the king himself will be the judge."

The GM says, "Neil and Thais don't seem to be anywhere obvious."

Utgard-Loki's voice booms across the hall.  "We have an unexpected 
guest!"

Jesdyn [to William]: Well, for reference. If I have to, I'll go for the 
notarized favor, but negotiated in private, since "it better be in Civis" 
and "there's a /prior call/ on my services" are pretty steep problems. If 
it'd help, I'd drop Jane's name.

StevenE [to William]: Can I see Wrinth anywhere?

The hall quietens down, and Utgard-Loki waves expansively at Ekur.  "Come 
in, angel, come in!  My hall shows hospitality to all... who deserve 
it..."

Neil actually has a Marches credit score, thanks to the Judgmentmobile. A 
good one, too.

William [to Ekur]: Yep, he's standing, now quite obviously, next to the 
giant in the iron circlet who has just beckoned to you.  He smirks.

Ekur bows politely to Utgard-Loki.  "And I thank you for your 
hospitality, as far as I deserve it.  But how can I be unexpected, when 
Wrinth himself came ahead to herald me?"

Utgard-Loki says, "You were not mentioned in our conversation, so 
surprise makes your visit all the sweeter."  He sits back down.  "Tell 
me, what brings a traveler here from Heaven?"  He glances briefly at 
Wrinth, and back to you.

Wrinth is still smiling, but his eyes are darting around the hall.  They 
light on Neil and Thais no longer than on anyone else, and his brow 
furrows slightly.

Neil . o O ( Tee hee. )

Thais . o O ( And this is one of the many reasons we keep the Elohite 
around. )

Ekur says, "I was at the meadhall, hoping for an answer from Odin to a 
query of mine, and those there spoke to me of your hall, so I came to 
visit.  And I am glad I did, for I would like to see the competition."

Utgard-Loki says, "Well, I cannot speak for the AllFather, but when I see 
him later perhaps I shall have a word or two to say about your business, 
if you like."

Wrinth gestures to Utgard-Loki, who bends down quite a long ways to hear, 
and whispers something to him.  Utgard-Loki quirks an eyebrow, nods, and 
sits back up.

Ekur says, "Ah, but would it be a word or two that I would like?  In any 
case, before the competition begins, may I tell a tale of another 
competition from long ago?"

Neil . o O ( Wrinth: "Dude, there's two other stooges here, and one's 
hot." Loki: "Gotcha." )

StevenE [to William]: BTW, does this domain have the translation feature, 
and can people identify my original language as I speak it?

fadethecat has reconnected.

Neil . o O ( Gyah, translation feature. Will that affect written works? 
I'm certain I don't want it to, puns don't work very well in other 
languages. )

William [to StevenE]: Yes -- everybody else is speaking Norse, I just 
hadn't mentioned it yet.  And they can identify the language if they hear 
the original sounds, and know it; Angelic is obvious, of course.

William [to Neil]: Not written works, no.  Ever notice it's very hard to 
read in dreams?

StevenE [to William]: What I intend to try is telling the tale of Elijah 
and the Prophets of Baal in the original Hebrew, with a Lucid 
Dreaming/Illusion Art dramatization.

Jesdyn [to William]: Gyah. I really hope they can read English. ): I 
suppose anyone ambitious enough... well, no... ah well. We'll see.

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Hol-eee -- wow.

Neil . o O ( Crit-fail; StevenE tunes in to NTV and has Soundtrack for 
the rest of the arc. )

Neil blinks once. Speaking of...

William [to StevenE]: You may proceed, in Hebrew, and will be understood.


William [to Neil]: <ooc> You know, I always thought angels ought to sort 
of have Soundtrack by default.

fadethecat [to StevenE]: Dude. Thais totally needs popcorn for this one.

Ekur nods.  Waits for Utagrd-Loki to give permission . . . .

Ekur . o O ( De l'audace, et encore de l'audace, et toujours de l'audace! 
)

Jesdyn [to William]: I know. It's totally unfair. That's such an awesome 
ability. On the other hand, it restricts In Nomine "songfics" to demons 
of the Media. So I'll live with it...

Utgard-Loki looks at you pensively, and stops booming.  "Many tales are 
told in this hall.  You may tell yours."

StevenE [to William]: Okay, the skill rolls in order are Literature or 
Theology (whichever is best for the tale roll), Lucid Dreaming, and 
Illusion Art:

Ekur rolled 13 versus 18 and succeeded by 5.

Ekur rolled 9 versus 18 and succeeded by 9.

Ekur rolled 10 versus 18 and succeeded by 8.

William  <ooc> And since soundtracks have been mentioned, I feel kind of 
like CD track 1 would work nicely for this!

Neil . o O ( Whew. I /hate/ triads. )

Neil . o O ( Err. That came out wrong? )

Ekur creates, above his head, a diorama of the confrontation between 
Baal's prophets and Elijah

Thais <ooc> cues up the appropriate track.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Hee.

----------------------------------StevenE--------------------------------
--

And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between 
two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow 
him. And the people answered him not a word. 

22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of 
the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

 23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one 
bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put 
no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, 
and put no fire under:

 24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of 
the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the 
people answered and said, It is well spoken.

And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for 
yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of 
your gods, but put no fire under.

 26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, 
and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O 
Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they 
leaped upon the altar which was made.

27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry 
aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is 
in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. 

28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with 
knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. 

 29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until 
the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither 
voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the 
people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was 
broken down.

 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes 
of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel 
shall be thy name:

32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he 
made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of 
seed.

 33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid 
him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on 
the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.

 34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. 
And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.

 35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench 
also with water

36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening 
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of 
Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God 
in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these 
things at thy word.

 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the 
LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and 
the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was 
in the trench.

39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they 
said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of 
them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the 
brook Kishon, and slew them there.

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

Ekur . o O ( The end. )

fadethecat [to StevenE]: I love that story. Always one of my favorites. 
Especially the translations that ask if Baal is off relieving himself.

Neil . o O ( Neil: "And I shall tell a tale, a book of triumph and 
tragedy. From the book of Superman, chapter 540: Lo, Doomsday struck at 
Superman..." )

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Niiiiiice. 

The GM says, "At the end of the story, the hall stands in dead silence.  
Echoing the story, flames crackling in the fireplace are the only 
sounds."

Wrinth emerges from the shadow of the throne into the firelight, cold 
anger on his face.  He approached Ekur in measured steps.

As he gets within sword's reach of Ekur, a note sings out and a rapier is 
suddenly there.  Utgard-Loki cries out, "Demon!" and Wrinth pauses, hand 
on sword hilt.

Wrinth turns on his heel.  "If the angel would speak in a long tale of 
fire, then I would speak in a short tale of wind."

skill 16 Dream-shaping

You rolled 7 and Dream-shaping - succeeded by 9.

Thais watches from the sidelines, interested but not concerned. Ekur's 
well able to take care of himself, especially within a regulated contest.


Neil . o O ( If I wasn't busy hiding, I'd've have a wisecrack there. )

Wrinth raises his left hand and above it a bust of the two-faced god 
appears.  "Who is the hypocrite?"

Wrinth says, "Heaven claims in its propaganda that Baal sought worship.  
I say he did not, and what if he has?  Has he slain any of your war gods?  
Who slew the god of doorways for sharing the Essence of motion?  Who slew 
Zeus and Thor for claiming the lightning?"

Wrinth turns to Ekur.  "Answer me *that* riddle, angel."

Ekur says, "Uriel no longer walks among us, Wrinth.  But you in your 
anger miss the true point of my story, and instead emphasize the strength 
and power of Heaven.  The point of my story is simply that in a contest 
between YHVH and Baal, those who serve YHVH are victorious, while those 
that serve Baal fail.  As was with the prophets, as is true the time we 
faced one another, and shall always be true."

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: JESUS. You're wielding the language like a knife 
over there. Wow.

fadethecat [to StevenE]: Yes, I'm sitting here in awe.

Neil . o O ( I show up with a crossword and a debate about EtherKinkos, 
and he comes out with -- wow. Neil's outclassed. Of course, Ekur's about 
twelve times older than dirt. Dirt's grandpa, even. )

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Yeah, we're allowed to be okay with Ekur 
outclassing us. He's so much older!

Wrinth says, "Of course you tell stories where your side wins.  Here is a 
story mine win: the Fall.  The first, of the angels.  The second, of 
humanity.  Ours is the natural end of the order of things."  He puts his 
hand down, and the image disappears.  "You pitch wrongly if you think 
prophecies of Armageddon will impress the people of Ragnarok.  In these 
icy lands, things aren't so clear-cut."

Ekur <OOC> is blushing and laughing with delight.

Ekur spends an Essence each on summoning his sword and shield.  "If you 
wish things to be clear-cut, Wrinth, I can oblige you.  Again."

Ekur . o O ( IIRC, I'm at 6 essence now, after the dawn gain and elf 
gift. )

Wrinth looks at Utgard-Loki, who shrugs slightly.  "Whet our appetites 
for the competition," says the king.  Wrinth nods and draws his rapier.

Giants hastily clear tables and chairs from around you, leaving a wide 
open space.

Ekur . o O ( Ooooh, boy.  I hope this works. )

Thais wonders if it would be dishonorable to place bets, and decides not 
to risk it in this case.

Neil pings Wrinth and the room. Relative social standing?

Wrinth says, "I've been waiting to take you on, you smarmy con man."

Thais . o O ( Especially because Elohim are likely to do something like 
deliberately lose in a really objective manner. )

Ekur just smiles at Wrinth, and prepares for combat.

William  <ooc> Tracks 10 - 12 are fight music; 9 through 12 if you're in 
the mood for Rocky.

William  <ooc> And, one sec, gotta take care of something here...

Thais <ooc> cues up the fight songs!

Neil murmurs to Thais, "Can I borrow a few notes of Essence? I've got a 
Plan B..."

Thais nods, and passes Neil the Essence he's requested. "Go for it," she 
murmurs. "I'll watch for now." You never know when someone might try 
something on the sidelines that's outside of the rules.

----- BATTLE SYNOPSIS -----

     Wrinth tries to get the drop on Ekur, but the Elohite gets in the 
first swing.  Wrinth keeps calm, deflecting the blow and responding with 
a solid left hook.  When Ekur attempts to reply, Wrinth continues 
controlling the pace, staying untouched.

     Wrinth says, "I don't know why you picked this fight, angel, but I'm 
happy to finish it."  He invokes Art of War, a flurry of blows coming in 
and landing another solid punch.  Ekur backs off and tries to heal, 
managing only to stay even as Wrinth takes advantage of the moment to 
lunge with his rapier.

     Sensing that the end of the fight is near, both combatants bust into 
a blur of motion, swords flickering in the firelight.  At the end of a 
shocking moment of aggression, both are blurring at the edges, trying to 
stay conscious.  They back off a moment to gather their wits; Neil heals 
Ekur, while Wrinth heals himself.

     Neil steps forward and attempts to shoot Wrinth, burning a stack of 
Essence to make it hurt; it whispers in Wrinth's ear as it goes by, but 
he manages to dodge.

-------------------------------------

Wrinth staggers to his feet.  "I claim the victory!"  He points his sword 
at the disguised Neil.  "The angel was assisted!"

Utgard-Loki shrugs and responds, "As far as I know, nothing was at 
stake..."

Ekur says, "Elijah had assistance from the Lord.  The servants of Baal 
did not.  Did you miss that, too?"

Neil rolls his eyes and drops the gun. Drops his seeming, too, if he can 
reform as a free action for dramatic effect.

Thais watches more alertly than before, but nothing is really striking 
her as a cue, so...let Wrinth wonder where the obligatory Malakite is. 
Maybe it'll be distracting.

Wrinth snaps his fingers.  "This is no longer a duel, it's a melee.  
Boys!"  His bodyguards approach the site of combat.

Neil . o O ( Can't believe he managed to dodge that. )

Utgard-Loki stands.  "Enough!" he roars.

Neil . o O ( CRAP! He's gonna be ticked. If I'd gotten away with it, 
he'd've been fine. ): )

Utgard-Loki says, "This mess has gone far enough.  I enjoy a good 
skirmish as much as the next god, but right now there is business before 
this court.  Take your private grievances elsewhere."

Ekur sits on the floor, still rather dazed.

fadethecat [to StevenE]: Looks like you get to pull out your crossword 
puzzle after all.

StevenE [to fadethecat]: Well, Neil/Jesdyn does.

Utgard-Loki gets a crafty look and says, "Or at the very least, resolve 
them in good clean competition like sensible spirits."

fadethecat [to StevenE]: Er, right. Misdirected.

Jesdyn [to William]: Wrinth has succeeded on eighty-seven Control rolls, 
about a dozen parries, Will rolls, resonances, various Songs, a Will-War 
-- what's it gonna TAKE to dent him? I'll start enchanting an 
eighteen-wheeler if I have to. See how Selkirk likes Optimus Prime 
camping on its doorstep.

William [to Jesdyn]: I've got two levels of Angry says he's not 
unbeatable, just tough.  ;^)

Neil says, "Sounds good to me, sir."

Neil reforms as Neil.

Neil says, "I think a Riddle Game is more my speed, anyways."

Utgard-Loki sits down.  "A riddling, then.  Good, no more fighting for 
now.  The Disturbance is already loud enough to hear clean to Olympus."

Neil says, "In fact -- happens here I've got a riddle for you, 
Utgard-Loki. It's a riddle game as played on Earth; it's a pastime of 
mine."

Neil hands Loki his crossword.

Ekur says, relatively softly, "Well, that didn't work quite as I thought 
it would.  I expected Neil to step out and heal me, but I didn't think 
Wrinth would manage to heal himself.  Ah, well."

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

The crossword is as described; the header reads as follows:

A crossword's a riddle you /expect/ to be solved... with effort.
So I win if you manage to finish this... but only barely.
I lose if my riddles are either too hard or too easy.
I leave it to your honor to judge my riddle.

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

Utgard-Loki examines the crossword for a few seconds.  "This is in 
English, yes, yes..." *mutters* "...I see many numbered clues, and a grid 
with the numbers on it, but I don't know the rules of this riddle.  I can 
answer the clues, but how does the grid fit -- wait, expect to be solved?  
How odd..."

Neil says, "Take a look at "22-Down". "Bounces like rubber, rebels 
against YHVH", and it has to fit in a four-letter space, here."

William  <ooc> Yoyo?

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Heeee.

Neil says, "Wrinth, want to help us out?"

Wrinth says, "Baal."

Ekur . o O ( OOC note:  Ekur figured, if Wrinth reduced him to 0 Mind 
Hits first, he could make the Will roll and AoA Wrinth the next round to 
take him out.  Goal was to get Wrinth outta here one way or another.  If 
Neil or Thais were disguised in the crowd, it would help, but at least 
Wrinth's group would be leaderless. )

Neil says, "There you are. I'd actually be willing to buy you your own 
copy, but I seem to be a little low on Essence just now."

Thais figures she can get away with snickering, in this crowd. There are 
enough spectators that she's not going to stand out much...

Wrinth says, "It's called a crossword, king.  It's a riddle, of sorts. 
Many very easy riddles, whose answers fit together.  It's a human fad."

William  GMly notes that Ekur is going to be Confused until someone heals 
him up past 3 Mind Hits -- he's presently at 1.

Ekur . o O ( Of course, that's when I thought I'd be making Will rolls at 
18, but . . . . )

fadethecat [to William]: Oh, right. I forgot Neil was...quite that 
distracted.

Jesdyn [to William]: If Thais finds an excuse to brush up against me, and 
hand it off, I'll heal him myself.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: You're off by the king right now; let me know if 
you're back closer to the crowd again.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Distracted nothing, I burned five Essence on a 
shot that didn't connect. I'm tapped. ):

William [to Ekur]: I allow time for skill with Songs, by the way.  It's 
one way humans can actually use the darn things on Earth.

Jesdyn [to StevenE]: If /you/ have any Essence left, hand it off and I'll 
brush you up.

William [to Ekur]: Give it a minute of quiet Singing, you'll be at +4 if 
I recall the Liber Canticorum correctly.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: I have plenty of Essence, I just don't have an 
inconspicuous way to pass it off, and Thais is a little reluctant to let 
Wrinth spot all three angels in the crowd. Though it's not a major 
concern, if need be.

Ekur has three essence, but is too confused by the sudden change from 
combat to crosswords to give Neil any.  Will trade time for skill, 
though.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Right.

William [to Ekur]: Sing for a minute and roll vs. 15 then.

Ekur rolled 7 versus 15 and succeeded by 8.

Neil addresses Loki. "I'd planned to stay and compete, but -- well, 
demons. Heaven's never had a lot of choice."

William [to Ekur]: And you're on your feet.

Neil laughs a little. "Demons call us automatons and robots, and 
sometimes they're not far off. We see a threat to humanity... we smite. 
That's what God wanted us to do. That's what we are."

Utgard-Loki considers this.  "So it is a riddle, of sorts.  Well, if the 
challenger accepts the format I have no objections.  But what would the 
stakes be?"

Neil replies, "Stakes? No stakes, really. Call it a gift. I happen to 
enjoy writing these, and believe others will enjoy solving them. If I 
hear warriors howling in frustration before finally breaking through to 
the answer, that's payment enough."

Ekur stands up, sheathes his sword, slings the shield to his back, stands 
back while Neil talks.

Neil says, "I could make tougher ones with stakes attached -- announce 
that those who couldn't solve my riddles were less than I -- but that's 
not really the point."

Neil says, "It's just a series of riddles that fosters mental ingenuity 
and flexibility. "

Utgard-Loki says, "Oh.  I thought you were proposing this as a substitute 
means of resolving whatever your point of argument with the demon is."  
He puts the paper down.  "But if it's merely that he is a servant of 
Lucifer, then that is another story entirely.  If it is about humanity, I 
don't think it has much to do with me -- my discussions with the demon 
have not touched but tangentially on humanity.  Only on matters of the 
Marches."

Neil nods. "That's what we've learned. There's... I'll be blunt, there's 
a problem."

Utgard-Loki quirks an eyebrow and motions for you to continue.

Thais makes her way towards Ekur, to see if she can pass over a few notes 
of Essence. He's more likely to need some in the near future than she is.


Neil says, "As it stands, Heaven doesn't like the presence of the Norse 
pantheon on Earth, and every time they hear about it the Seraphim Council 
quails, and shakes his pinfeathers in wrath, and sends some people to try 
and disrupt it."

Ekur looks over at Wrinth.

William [to Ekur]: Wrinth is paying attention to Neil and the king.

Neil says, "But -- come on here. You're LOKI. You've outwitted them and 
taken what the Norse need. You'll continue to do so. That's not the 
problem."

Neil says, "It's probably not GOOD that you're doing that... but you're a 
child of Humanity as God intended it to be."

Thais taps Ekur's hand from behind. "Need a refill?" she murmurs, keeping 
an eye on Wrinth as well.

Ekur turns and looks at the horned-helmed adventurer who just tapped his 
hand.

Neil says, "The problem is alliance with Hell. Because if you're in an 
alliance with Hell... well, wind up the angelbots. Because if you're 
harming humans -- not just "doing things we don't like", but actually 
aiding Hell... we'll come and kill you. We don't have a choice. We don't 
really want to do it. We won't even succeed, at first."

Thais grins a very familiar cheerful grin. "What with all that 
demon-fighting and everything," she says.

Neil says, "But where Hell can manage to spare... Wrinth, we've got three 
people with nothing better to do than follow him around and talk to him."


Ekur nods, and says, "Thank you."

Neil says, "Chilly neutrality with Heaven and Civis is fine. It's better 
than fine. It's more than I hoped for and probably better than we 
deserve."

Thais sends Ekur three notes of Essence, and slides back into the crowd 
again.

Neil says, "The whole 'killing off pretty much everybody in the Marches'? 
Yeah, that was us. Not me. But it was us. It's a horrible thing we did 
for reasons that still haven't been explained to me. But we could do it 
again. This isn't a threat. I don't want to do it. I'm telling you 
what'll make me do it. Because /we don't have a choice/, in this very 
narrow band."

Neil says, "If we think it hurts humans -- not "does not aid our 
political agenda" -- then we have to change it."

Wrinth says, "See?  Their threats don't even come with promises.  Obey 
Jehovah, or die.  Though somehow they haven't seemed to ever get around 
to pulling off those threats against Faerie or the kami.  Look, you and I 
have worked out what Asgard gets out of this deal, and Beleth's 
protection has proved itself."

Wrinth says, "So let's toss the angels out on their butts and get back to 
doing business."

Neil looks at Wrinth, and shrugs. "You're right, of course. Why, to 
fulfill our threats against the kami and Faerie, we'd need... a military 
outpost in the Marches with ethereal support staff."

Neil turns to Loki. "I should introduce myself -- I'm Neil, with the 
Civis Project, Heaven's city in the Marches.

Wrinth turns to Neil and says, "Gee, whatever will I do about lowering 
the effectiveness of something like that."

Neil says, "You haven't yet."

Neil says, "You might start today, of course. But -- you haven't yet."

Neil draws the conversation to a close. "I'm not the most diplomatic of 
angels, and I sincerely apologize for any insult or offense I've offered 
you."

Neil says, "We came here to learn what Wrinth intended, and we've done 
that.""

Neil says, "We've caused a lot of trouble, and we don't really want to 
put you in the middle of our disagreement with Hell."

Neil says, "If you'd like us to depart, we'll leave without trouble... 
but we'd like to stay for the competition."

Utgard-Loki mutters, "Everyone is already in the middle of this dispute."


Utgard-Loki raises his hands.  "Your war will not be resolved in five 
minutes, and I have a contest to run.  Guards, take the demon and his 
retainers to one guest chamber, and the two angels to another.  Both are 
free to move about and watch the competition, but only under guard.  I 
will consider their affair should they both be here when the challenges 
are concluded."

Ekur stands impassively on the sidelines.  He's trying to think of what 
to say, and can't think of anything helpful . . . .

Thais wonders if she really ought to step out at this point. ...but he 
did say the /two/ angels, and she hasn't tried to stab or shoot anyone 
here (yet), so possibly not.

William <ooc>It's 10 and we're at a scene change.  Time to draw the 
curtain tonight, I think.

Ekur nods to Wrinth.  "Excellent fight.  You acquitted yourself much more 
skillfully than last time."

fadethecat [to William]: Works for me.

Wrinth nods to Ekur.  "You were likewise of obviously differing skill 
level."

fadethecat [to William]: And if it's handier for the GM if Thais catches 
up with the rest, I'll do so; she's waffling on the decision right now.

Wrinth rolls his eyes as the guard leads him off.  "Not the best insult 
I've ever come up with, but you get the picture."

William [to Thais]: Your decision.  The guards are -- gently -- 
collecting Ekur and Neil right now.

fadethecat [to William]: I'll remain behind. You never know if Wrinth 
might have unrevealed cards left behind as well.

Neil . o O ( Ah well. I got to threaten to kill Loki and walked away. 
Even if I missed my chance to kill Wrinth -- AGAIN -- it's worth it. )

Ekur goes with the guards perfectly willingly.

Neil departs with the guards, as well.

The GM says, "Then we'll start from here next time.  Session close."