Jesdyn materializes out of thin air.

Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local name Neil

@setgm me

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

fadethecat swings into the room on a bit of rigging.

Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local description Mercurian by nature and 
Kyriotate by scheduling; Neil walks to a different drummer, but he's got 
half the Marches for a beat.

fadethecat has made fadethecat's local name Draco

fadethecat [to William]: Are we currently in Heaven or Marches descs?

The GM says, "Marches.  There will be a long post about current news and 
the results of the investigations described to begin with."

fadethecat has made fadethecat's local description A silver ferret 
wearing spectacles. He's happy to see you! Awww.

Arc 6: Fire in the Sky ; Part 4, Fire in the Hole

The GM says, "News while you were out:"

The GM says, "The city has cleared out somewhat; apparently a significant 
fraction of the locals are leery about exposing themselves to Gabrielite 
perceptions.  The old Angels' Quarter is more populated, since angels of 
Fire are helping out with patrols presently; on the other hand, the old 
Ethereals' Quarter has a number of empty buildings."

The GM says, "Some of those buildings have temporary new residents; 
fire-strand elementals and religious pilgrims squatting in other peoples' 
apartments and hoping something spiritual is on its way.  There are 
several preachers in the streets developing congregations.  Bloom and 
some of his Subsumer disciples have decided to take advantage of the 
opportunity as well.  Priest hasn't."

The GM says, "Human dreamscapes are starting to outnumber ethereals."

The GM says, "Another attack occurred.  Less *obviously* destructive, but 
unsettling; it ran around the Bounding Range cutting chunks out of the 
mountains until a patrol of Fire angels caught up, jumped in and sliced a 
Force or two off the Shedite.  The mountains are presently being repaired 
by angels of Stone."

The GM says, "And a long paste on the results of your investigatory 
feelers:"

----------------------------------William--------------------------------
--

Over the next few days, those of your investigations with definite 
answers available return the following information:

(1) No space-borne Tethers exist  in the right direction away from Earth, 
either of celestial or ethereal flavor, to place a Saint or dreamshade to 
intercept Sanduleak's light.  Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto never had 
Tethers, Saturn's is dead, and Jupiter and the inner planets aren't in 
position.

(2) The recommended nations are Spanish-speakers on the west coast of S. 
America (Chile, Peru, Ecuador); if you want an English-speaking place, 
there's a Tether on Rapa Nui.  The Moai are dead and little remembered, 
but the Tsayadim keep an eye on top locus of the weak Tether.  Ekur 
speaks Spanish, and over the next two months standard channels to Marc 
and Dominic can get you a point or two in Spanish instilled (against 
future XP if you don't have it), or a point of owed Favor to an ethereal 
enchanter in Civis will purchase a talisman providing the language at IQ.


(3) Anna sends back a collection of prophecies that might have something 
to do with supernovae, or the Supernova Tether.  There is much 
monologuing on new light and day stars and enlightenment, none of which 
is, ironically, much enlightening in your current situation.

(4) What's known about the Black Order: you all know the basics, which is 
that they're Hatiphas' pet project, the longest-lasting, 
widest-recruiting group of Sorcerors in the world.  You're sort of 
automatically a member if you're Hellsworn, and they'll do their level 
best to recruit any other Sorceror they find that isn't shouting 
Scripture at them with Malakim at his back.

As for current events: naturally, they keep themselves hidden.  If Marc 
has a mole, he's in deep cover.  The best information on *Earth* comes 
from tracking their finances.  Draco's colleagues report that ecent 
activity has lots of small transactions going to new places at about the 
level of cost of living: analysis suggests they are sending low-ranking 
members of the Order to numerous locations around the world, a few 
thousand miles apart, in both Northern and Southern hemispheres.  (You'll 
recall that's what they did with Kepler's Supernova.)

In the Marches, tracking is notably different.  We'll work on that for 
part of today.

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

The GM says, "Poit me when you're done."

Draco poings. Er, poits.

Ekur poits.

Neil poits.

The GM says, "Awesome."

The GM says, "As we open, the three of you are in a meeting in City Hall 
with Jack Mann and Matthias, having discussed all this.  The general 
topic is the defense of Civis, with Neil's suggestion of an evacuation 
plan and Draco's discussion of locating the Black Order in the Marches 
vicinity in particular."

Jack says, "Interesting times.  There's no such thing as bad publicity, 
but there are such things as bad residents: and these new guys are 
nontaxpayers costing the city staff time and effort.  You say this'll 
keep going until February?"

Draco looks up from his notebook. "You know, if they're not providing a 
reasonable level of support to civic structures to justify the expenses 
they're causing the city, a moderate tax assessment wouldn't be 
unreasonable. Though they might object. Servitors of Fire can be..." He 
searches for a diplomatic term. "...hot-headed, sometimes."

Neil says, "If you want to invoice Gabriel, go right ahead."

Jack says, "What?  Oh no no no, the Fire angels are... more than 
welcome," he says after a momentary hesitation.  "I'm talking about the 
squatters."

Neil ponders. "Well, let's look at it. Are they damaging Civis or just 
not profiting it?"

Jack says, "They're not here to buy or sell anything, they're not 
interested in becoming residents, hell, a fair chunk of 'em think the 
world's going to end soon."

Neil says, "Can we make a big cathedral and shove them all in with a few 
angels of Fire to tend them?"

Draco scratches behind one ear. "Assessing city rents for properties 
occupied by temporary residents who aren't contributing to the economy 
might work. Or fee-based licensing for street preaching from 
non-residents, though depending on how wedded one is to USian notions of 
free speech, that might not fly well."

Neil says, "If we can convince them that they WANT to sit quietly until 
February, it's not like they've got needs going unmet..."

Matthias hmms at Neil.  "A pilgrim's city of sorts.  That might work."

Jack says to Draco, "People pay me rent for those properties and they 
expect me to be able to enforce non-trespassing laws.  That's pretty 
basic to being the Master of a Domain."

Neil says, "So we round up the squatters and offer to either minister to 
them or bounce them out on their ears."

Jack says, "If we know it's going to be temporary, I've no objection to a 
tent city in Wilderness.  No landscape changes, though."  He frowns.  
"Lot of the attacks have been coming in through there.  Less population 
to catch them before they get inside."

Draco blinks rapidly. "Yes, if they're literal squatters, it's a matter 
of enforcing the legal code. Much simpler. My apologies, I misunderstood 
the original objection." He looks thoughtful for a moment. "I really 
ought to look into what the local tourism industry is like, and how it's 
being developed..."

Neil turns to Draco. "Booming right now, since a lot of people think it's 
the last chance to see the landmarks before the Black Order blows them 
all up."

Ekur sits quietly, present but not coming up with anything to add.

Matthias says, "On which note let us consider our assailants.  Draco's 
colleagues have provided us with the best possible report on their 
Earthly activities.  Any ideas for sifting them out here in Civis?"

Neil 's Bible-sense twitches. "About a 'temporary' tent-city in the 
Wilderness populated entirely by religious fanatics -- let's try to find 
some other solutions."

Matthias says, "Oh?"

Neil says, "Well, they tried that one on Earth. 'Palestine'. Didn't go 
well."

Draco says, "And here I was thinking of the book of Exodus. The point is 
well-taken, though."

Neil says, "Probably still our best bet -- I suppose Israel would've had 
less trouble if they had guys with Divine Logic -- still... we want to be 
careful."

Neil piously intones, "People who get too concerned with religion to see 
the day-to-day realities often have unrealistic expectations."

<OOC> Sorry, retcon edit.  Divine Logic doesn't exist in this game.  :^)

Draco waves a pen, dismissing his own comment. "In any case, on the 
subject of sifting them out of Civis, the first solution that springs to 
mind is, unfortunately, time and personnel intensive. A rather thorough 
city-sweep by Mercurians, focusing on new residents and possibly backed 
by Malakim. Then we compile all the information and work through it for 
those little knots that begin to show up when you have enough data." He 
goes a little dreamy on this last point. "It'll require a lot of work, 
but we could turn up all /sorts/ of interesting information. Have I 
mentioned how much I like angelic resonances?"

Jesdyn [to William]: ***AWESOME***.

fadethecat [to William]: Yay!

Jesdyn [to William]: No Balseraph of Yves for you, huh?

fadethecat [to William]: If the Humanity attunement also doesn't exist, I 
will love you FOREVER.

The GM says, "Damn straight.  Also no Coffins of Undeath.  I kinda like 
Humanity, though, I figure I can make the plethora of necessary calls."

The GM says, "(Unwilling undead?  No thank you.)"

Jesdyn [to William]: Awesome^2!

Matthias says to Draco, "Given that we have a couple of months and a 
large number of new angels suddenly handy, I rather like that notion, in 
fact."

Neil says, "I've had a good excuse to resonate most of the long-term 
citizens. I haven't had a chance to keep up with the recent short-timers, 
we've been stepping out to Heaven so often..."

Jack says, "The bulk of them are squatting in the old Ethereals' Quarter 
residential section -- that's where they hang out when they're listening 
to street preaching too -- so you might be able to clear out a large 
chunk of them going there a time or two.  Depending on how well the crowd 
reacts."

Draco jots down a few notes. "We could even ask for volunteers--whether 
personally volunteering or volunteered by their Superiors--among very new 
Mercurians. It'll be a good chance to practice information collation 
among a semi-fixed population with a goal in mind, and if we mostly need 
their resonance, not other skills, it's a chance for otherwise 
inexperienced angels to make themselves useful."

Draco chippers at Jack. "Crowd reactions? There's no reason to send in 
waves in an obvious 'and now we resonate you' fashion. If we really feel 
like making the young work at this a little, let them come up with 
interesting and educational public performances to give while doing the 
resonating. It's a way to draw in a crowd, at that."

Neil laughs. "How... inspired."

Draco scratches behind a leg with his pen. "Call it an opportunity to 
develop their dreamshaping skills and general ability to deal with large 
groups of non-angelic types. Very valuable for Mercurians, especially 
those of Dreams or the Sword. And if we can work in a little gentle 
propoganda, all the better. Where better than in the Marches to do our 
fighting with concepts?"

Jack furrows his brow for a moment then says, "Ah.  We're talking about 
finding the Black Order now, not the relocation program."

Jack says, "Yes, I imagine that will work fine.  I leave it up to you."

Draco says, "I imagine there's going to be some cross-purposing between 
the two, so far as potential Black Order infiltration or minions in Civis 
might be a problem. But for the Marches in general, the mass application 
of the Mercurian resonance upon suspected contacts seems like a good 
idea. I'm sure we have the addresses of a /few/ still kicking 
Hell-aligned sorcerers out there."

William <OOC> ... excuse me for a moment.  There is, ISYN, a man pitching 
a tent in my backyard.  BRB.

Neil . o O ( Great, now all of William's adventures are going to center 
around the Swedish Bikini Team. )

<OOC> Fade wonders how metaphorical that tent-pitching might be.

<OOC> Fade says, "Because I'm not sure which version would disturb me 
more."

<OOC> While the cross-connect between fantasy and reality amused me too 
momentarily, it was in fact an upstairs neighbor I didn't yet know well, 
and a guest of his who required accomodations for a while.  So all is 
well.  Carry on!

Neil idly wonders, "If we've got Divine Fire holding down the fort here, 
I wonder..."

Neil says, "I think it would be a fine thing if Stone decided to crack 
down on all the Sorcerers in -- say -- Stalingrad."

Neil says, "Yes, Stalingrad sounds good. Big splash, heat up the War over 
there."

Draco tilts his head at the Mercurian. "I'm not sure if I'm precisely 
following, though I have a sneaking suspicion I may know where you're 
going with this. Please continue."

Matthias quirks an eyebrow and listens.

Neil innocents. "I'd just like it to be very clear to Hell and its 
adjuncts that we'd find Sorcerous activity in the Eastern hemisphere to 
be profoundly unwelcome."

Matthias says, "Ah.  A reverse red herring."

Neil says, "I'm not sure it's reversed, quite."

Matthias says, "The point is, attract the Order's attention where we know 
they will not be successful.

Neil says, "Right. We're not going to win this with injudicious 
head-cracking anyways, and if Fire's going to support us here Stone might 
help us decoy the Black Order out."

[ snip msg'ing ]

Matthias says, "An intriguing adjunct to the plan.  Not really in Stone's 
nature to strike sparks itself, but I think Michael has a strong presence 
in that region and could be amenable."

Matthias says, "In the meantime, sussing out the Black Order here and 
clearing away some of the crowds seems to be a combination of useful 
activities that would assist us in preparing our ground.  See to that for 
now."

Draco . o O ( I actually have a good excuse to requisition a bunch of 
Mercurians to hang out in Civis? /Score/. )

Neil nods.

Ekur says, "Hmmm.  Stalingrad is nice, but I'd suggest Grozny.  Closer to 
the Baskan neutrino detector, which makes the play more plausible, and 
some telescopic observatories in Caucasus mountains."

Neil says, "Oooh. Even better. I just picked a name from at random -- 
somewhere cold."

Neil says, "If you're going to try to drag humanity kicking and screaming 
to its Fate, you shouldn't get to get a tan while you're doing it."

Draco says, "We're sending demons and sorcerers off to deal with 
Stone...in Grozny...in the mid-winter?"

Draco says, "As justice goes, that's downright poetic."

Draco flings a salute at Ekur. "I admire the way you think, good Power."

Matthias says, "I will pass along word of the suggestion while you see to 
the operations here.  Is there anything further that needs immediate 
discussion?"

Neil shakes his head. "We got it, Matthias. We'll get Civis cleaned up 
and see if we can shake some new leads out."

The GM says, "The meeting adjourns."

Neil says, "Alright, let's get cracking. I need to resonate... gosh, 
everybody. Again. I thought I was through with this the FIRST time we 
founded Civis. I always get such a headache when I try and resonate more 
than two hundred or so people..."

William idly wonders how big a group a Mercurian can meaningfully res.  
Could you sit in a cafe and get any sort of useful information by 
watching passersby and resonating 'all humanity as a whole'?

Draco leaps up to Neil's shoulder. "No, no, it's time to recruit a /lot/ 
of Mercurians. Start with the ones willing to volunteer on their own, 
then branch out to suggesting to various educational programs that 
teachers helpfully volunteer young Mercurians for the job as a learning 
experience. Lots and /lots/ of Mercurians. And house-trained Malakim who 
can be depended on not to do hasty stabbing, as time allows."

Jesdyn [to William]: If I set there with my res on passive and spent a 
whole day nailing the passerby, I'd expect I could manage to come out 
with the city painted in broad strokes.

Neil ponders. "The Mercurians we can handle, especially if we make them 
put on -- hmm. Morality plays. Oughta appeal to the passerby.

Neil says, "Not sure about the Malakim, though. Only one I know 
especially well was quickly coming to grips with Hasty Stabbing."

Neil says, "So we're looking for... what, advance scouts-slash-forward 
observers of the Black Order"

Draco hmms. "Malakim of Flowers? They don't seem to get a lot of chance 
to wander. Maybe they'd appreciate the opportunity to travel."

Draco says, "I believe that's the case. Once we have Civis investigations 
well underway, we can start poking at Earth, and apply information 
acquired here to our investigations there. I have a few lingering leads 
that might be useful."

Draco pauses, and coughs. "Assuming that any of the sorcerers I once had 
contact with have not met pointy ends since then. There may be a few."

William [to Ekur]: From a sheer resource standpoint, bear in mind that 
the Mercurians available to you are the permanent staff of the city, and 
the newly-assigned Mercurians of Fire...

Neil says, "Alright. Let's get some names with the Word liasons in Civis, 
and then it's back to Heaven for a recruitment drive."

Ekur says, "I'll head down to my office, get the mercurians already in 
town on the job."

<OOC> StevenE says, "Apologies, I just can't seem to concentrate today.  
I'll keep trying."

Draco beams. "I volunteer to assist in the recruitment drive! Especially 
as my own resonance, while very useful in matters of establishing the 
truth of acquired data, is less useful for passive data-collection. Not 
unless I can eavesdrop on relevant conversations."

Jesdyn [to William]: Quick question about languages -- you said I could 
get a "point or two". Neil's IQ is foolishly high, of course, but what 
will one or two points buy me in terms of fluency and accent?

<OOC> As I just pointed out to Ekur, you don't really have Mercurians 
from Heaven available to you.  You're pretty special city staff, but it's 
the city's personnel you have assignment control over.  Hence the mention 
of the recent temporary influx of Fire angels to your roster.

William [to Jesdyn]: 2 points buys language at IQ, which is what a native 
would speak.  More than that is an educated native.

Jesdyn [to William]: Right.

Neil says, "Okay, let's go see some of our new friends."

fadethecat [to William]: Ah, I was hoping we'd eventually be able to get 
some other temporary assignments, from younger Mercurians needing Marches 
experience and the like. But starting with locals, right.

Neil stops on the way from Matthias' office to see where (and who) the 
Mercurians are, then heads off to meet them.

fadethecat [to William]: Not long-term or massive personnel resources, of 
course.

Draco takes advantage of someone else doing the walking, and lounges on 
Neil's shoulder, making notes about future strategy and ways to analyze 
acquired data.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: And do let me know if Neil gets annoyed with 
having a, er, shoulder angel, at some point. Draco can walk if the 
Mercurian objects.

The GM says, "The Ethereals' quarter is at least presently still in 
decent repair, if a bit tense with strangers walking around both as 
pilgrims and as policemen.  Flames are a fashion statement now, from hair 
to fins."

The GM says, "There's a human-sized copy of Burning Man holding forth on 
a street corner about the Third Ascension bringing forth the Reign of 
Fire from the current Age of Air.  Bloom, much more quietly, is speaking 
to a much smaller group of listeners in a parklet about transcending 
desire and becoming one with the light of True Reality."

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Nah.

Neil reminds himself to stage an alarming series of mishaps in front of 
the most shiny-eyed of Bloom's devotees. Being an angel isn't all it's 
cracked up to be, some days.

The GM says, "The newcomers are annoyingly clueless about the courtesies 
of Essence expenditure in a city-sized Domain, and there are echoes from 
all around the place."

Bloom looks up and waves to Neil and Draco.  Draco, don't think you've 
met Bloom yt.

Neil walks up and greets Bloom with... by Jove, a hearty handshake.

The GM says, "Jove thanks you for the essence and calls for a roll, 
assuming you're resonating him."

The GM says, "(The essence part is a straight-faced joke, of course.)"

Jesdyn [to William]: Yeah, just had to check my sheet real quick.

Neil rolled 10 versus 18 and succeeded by 8.

Draco waves from Neil's shoulder pleasantly, and waits for introductions, 
as it seems Neil knows this particular ethereal. ...but then, he rather 
expects a Mercurian would know anyone of note in a city this size after 
being here for any stretch of time.

The GM says, "Bloom is noticeably humbler than he used to be, 
corresponding with an increase in the respect accorded him by a growing 
group of students.  He doesn't know it, but his reputation as a Subsumer 
philosopher is beginning to spread.  This, and a few angelic friendships, 
is the network of relationships presently the most important to him."

Bloom says, "Neil.  Always good to see you, especially when one allows 
for circumstances."

Neil tries to work out if Neil is himself the circumstances, but discards 
the train of thought.

Neil says, "Good to see you too. Things seem a little tense out here -- 
we've been out of town for a while. "

Neil says, "Oh! Bloom, this is Draco, an angel of Trade. Draco, this is 
Dr. Bloom, an ethereal who's been of great help to us in Civis."

Bloom says, "Yes, we've assembled quite a cast of pilgrims.  It's a most 
exciting opportuni... Draco, you say?"  He pauses.  "Not Draco of Libya, 
by any chance?"

Draco bows from his position on Neil's shoulder. "Libya?  I don't believe 
so. I've only recently been out of Heaven since I've had this name, and 
not yet to Earth with it. Pleased to meet you."

<OOC> Oh, that's right, you took the name Draco on redeeming.  Bloom 
obviously confused you with someone else, then.

fadethecat [to William]: Though it's entirely possible they /did/ meet 
some years back under other circumstances. Draco avoids his celestial 
form while in the Marches for more than whimsy.

Neil charges heedlessly down the blind alley. "No, but tell us more about 
Draco of Libya." "Really, that's very interesting, we should go research 
him and his doings." "I have a complicated scheme involving Draco of 
Libya I will now implement over William's objections."

Neil . o O ( Erk. OOC. )

The GM says, "Heh."

Bloom says, "Likewise a pleasure.  Are you a young Reliever, then?"

Draco shakes his head. "No. Previously of other affiliations, I'm sorry 
to say. I had a very long misspent youth."

Neil . o O ( "No, she's a shoulder angel. I asked Dominic about a 
shoulder devil, but he just laughed and said I was doing fine without 
one." )

Draco . o O ( And by angelic reckoning, I /am/ still young. Relatively 
speaking. )

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Hee.

Bloom says contritely, "Ah, I see.  May I simply say, then, that your 
experience is an inspiration to us all.  If a demon can come to the 
Light, surely it is accessible to sincere ethereal seekers as well."  He 
grows more serious.  "But I imagine the two of you did not come out this 
way to discuss theology.  May we assist you in some way?"

Neil says, "Yes. I understand you're surrounded by fanatical seekers of 
the apocalypse; I know it sounds odd, but... have you seen anyone 
/unusual/ around lately?"

Neil says, "... interrogating witnesses was at least less embarassing on 
Earth."

Draco ponders how he feels about being an inspiration, rather than, say, 
a cautionary tale, and sits back to let Neil do the social networking and 
questioning.

Jesdyn [to William]: I can go on, or wait for a reply.

Bloom chuckles and says, "Hmm... let's see.  I suppose the preachers 
stand out the most.  There's Burning Man, myself of course, some bearded 
levitator yogi, an Agni devotee (note: Agni = Hindu god, fire 
portfolio)... one of the Fire angels is doing Pentecostalism in his off 
hours, and there are a few of the young loa walking around keeping an eye 
out for dreamshades in the crowd."

Neil hmms. "Loa? I wonder... may speak to 'em shortly. Alright, thanks. 
I'll let you get back to your work."

Bloom presses his palms together and bows.  "I am sure the city will be 
safe in your care."  He turns back to his students.

(Elsewhere, Ekur finishes up at the office with getting city Mercurians 
assigned to Ethereal-resonating duties, and handles some of the work of 
arranging patrols to help move squatters to the Wilderness.  When that's 
in hand, he heads out to rejoin Neil and Draco.)

Neil says, "Loa next? I've got a relationship of sorts with them."

Draco waits until Neil's moderately out of earshot of the ethereal, and 
pokes him on the shoulder. "By all means, but tell me more about Bloom. 
You said he's been of great help? Someone I should make particular note 
of, locally?"

Neil says, "Perhaps. He's a fair hand in a scrap, an accomplished healer, 
and he knows his way around the Marches."

Neil says, "He's most noted for being the most vocal of the "Subsumers", 
an Ethereal cult focused on aligning their Image with the Divine and 
being -- so the theory goes -- turned into angels."

Neil says, "If there's a plant in the pilgrims, he'll notice something 
off before we will."

Neil says, "Next, it looks like we're going to go talk to the loa. I 
think there's a chance a couple of my dear students are still here in 
Civis."

Draco frowns. "I've run into the Subsumers before. Ah. You /are/ aware 
that not all incline in the angelic direction, I hope?"

Draco adds, quickly, "Not to imply that this ethereal is other than what 
you say. Simply making a note on the movement as a whole, so far as any 
ethereal movement can be considered as a single unit."

Neil says, "Right. He helped us find a diabolical Subsumer; I ended up 
hiring him. You know, wouldn't be a bad idea to go pay a personal visit 
on him."

The GM says, "The minor loa that you find are 'in uniform', as suits 
staff from a pantheon with an established embassy in the city.  They are 
standing across the street from a group of ethereals camped outside a 
small apartment building, several of them in yogic poses and others 
chanting mantras.  And is one of them... why, yes, I do believe one of 
the pair is young Philippe.""

Draco traces pronoun antecedents. "Ahah. Yes, as we have time." Then 
settles down to examine the new group of ethereals.

Neil says, "Gentlemen! Philippe! How are you all doing, this fine 
afternoon?"

Philippe looks over, jerks slightly, then relaxes.  "Good afternoon, 
Neil, sir," he says in French-accented English.

A zig floats by.

Philippe and his comrade exchange a brief flurry of quiet French; his 
comrade gets an "Aaah" expression and regards Neil curiously.

Jesdyn [to William]: Err, that zig is moving, but I'm pretty sure /that/ 
meme is post-1985.

Draco curiouses amiably at this Philippe, and turns his resonance on for 
general information-gathering purposes.

<OOC> Yeah, I know.  Call it OOC.  :^)

Draco rolled 12 versus 22 and succeeded by 10.

William [to fadethecat]: Functioning at everything short of 'actual 
Truth' level.

Neil says, "Philippe, I heard that some of your associates have been on 
the look-out for dreamshades?"

Jesdyn [to William]: I imagine that after /that/ little incident we 
worked out the proper way for the loa to deal with dreamshades in Civis?

Neil pings Philippe as an afterthought.

Philippe nods.  "Just the usual work, yes.  We haven't found any, but 
don't worry, we know the rule in Civis, we'd report them to you.  Jean 
and I are hanging out here to see if this yogi might be one."

William [to Draco]: FYI, that's not just BS for the cop, he really would 
follow regs on the matter.

William [to Neil]: Roll'em.

Neil rolled 6 versus 18 and critically succeeded by 12.

William [to Neil]: Let me condense a lot of information to saying that 
Philippe has been doing fine for himself, maintaining roughly the same 
network of relationships but having moved up a step in the hierarchy to 
get the permanent embassy assignment he's now on.  He still works under 
Agau distantly, but his day-to-day work is the embassy staff.  His 
current assignment will return a negative -- but it's more important than 
that factoid would imply.

Neil says, "I appreciate it. I wanted to talk to you, since it's your 
business to be scouring the city. Have you noticed anyone -- maybe a 
dreamshade, maybe not -- acting unusually? We're on the lookout for a 
possibly long-term plant from Hell with sorcerous ties."

Philippe says, "Only sorcerers I've seen recently are legitimate 
houngans, and we still don't ask them to show up in Civis."  He thinks.  
"If he's a human sorceror, though, that would explain the yogi.  He only 
shows up a few hours a day, and always an aide walks in to the apartment, 
and then he walks out with the aide.  Maybe a pocket entry."

fadethecat [to William]: Has Ekur caught up with us yet?

The GM says, "Yeah, he's been with you since shortly before you found 
Philippe."

Jesdyn [to William]: "Pocket entry"?

William [to Ekur]: Sorry if I skipped making that clear.

Ekur autorezzes Phillipe; no reactions in mind.

Let's say you say that IC.  Philippe says, "Old Marches trick for getting 
past a guard, especially if it's an inside job."  He says a word to his 
friend, who nods.  He takes his friend's hand, and his friend dreamshapes 
himself into the appearance of a tortoise the size of Philippe's palm; 
Philippe tucks him into a pocket, and spreads his hands to demonstrate.  
"Two tickets for the price of one, unless you pat me down."

William [to Ekur]: Philippe is a little nervous about Neil, but 
knows/believes he's presently on the right side of the law and doing his 
job.  Long-term, he's only mildly worried about the implications of the 
impending event, whatever it may be; he figures it will be something 
anticlimactic and blow over.

Philippe takes his friend out of his pocket and lets him resume normal 
shape.  "Patrols resonate everybody who comes in, but they can't resonate 
somebody they don't see.  Probably how any demons make their way in."

Neil nods slowly. "So the yogi you're talking about could be the 
sorcerer, sneaking into the apartment so he looks like a local coming 
out."

Philippe nods.  "Makes it look like he's an ethereal with an anchor 
there."

Neil reaches for a notebook. "I think I'd better pay him a visit. Where's 
he living?"

Neil says, "And come to it, what name is he giving out?"

Draco frowns. "I wonder if it would be worth it to stick Seraphim at the 
gates and ask a few questions. 'Are you currently performing a service 
for a demon or demon-affiliated entities' should cover quite a few 
possibilities." He makes a note for future reference.

Jesdyn [to William]: If I recall our previous discussions, search 
warrants are for mortals.

William [to Neil]: The glories of Napoleonic justice.

<OOC> "Is Gabriel going to punk you when she finds out you're here" would 
be a question with fewer loopholes.

Philippe says, "They call him Shoko-sensei.  Japanese, long beard.  
Didn't think Japanese grew those..."

<OOC> Fade thinks that's a /marvelous/ point.

Ekur hmms.  "Mercurians might be able to notice relationships involving 
carriers and carried."

Neil says, "Elohim could detect fear of discovery, too... but we're 
getting off the subject. Philippe, thank you for your time. If you see 
anything else, please make a point of tracking me down as soon as you 
can."

Philippe says, "As you wish."

William [to Draco]: He'll actually probably report anything interesting 
to his superiors first, and then Neil assuming they okay it.

fadethecat [to William]: Superiors being the ethereals of the faction he 
belongs to, or local law enforcement superiors?

<OOC> Neil rues his decision not to buy the fear-based Reputation. Look 
at Philippe, hardly even cowering.

William [to Draco]: His immediate ethereal bosses.

Ekur says, "Anyway, it's something to make sure the guards are aware of.  
And now to investigate this Shoko."

The GM says, "As for which apartment, Philippe mentions, he's not sure.  
He's pretty sure 'Shoko' doesn't actually own whichever one he's been 
using, the building was full of fae and emptied within minutes of 
Gabriel's arrival."

The GM says, "Draco's enferreted, Ekur's in full Elohite uniform, and 
Neil's wearing the usual halo, right?"

Neil says, "Right."

The GM says, "'k.  Carry on."

Draco shall wait for the next opportune moment when moving on to 
investigate elsewhere to inform Neil of Philippe's reporting order.

Neil departs to the tenement.

The GM says, "Most of the crowd in front of the doors is busy with their 
devotions, though a few note your entry.  Inside there's a series of 
simple apartments, the first floor of which you can see from the lobby 
you're in.  There's no motion on this floor but one scowling redcap 
defending the door of his home holding a knife longer than he is."

Neil pings him, just for a change of pace.

Neil rolled 10 versus 18 and succeeded by 8.

Ekur auto-zaps the redcap.

William [to Neil]: This particular redcap was not on good terms with his 
fae pals since he'd actually managed to get away from randomly killing 
lesser spirits constantly, garnering a Celestial Force and enough wits to 
simply dreamshape a constantly-refreshed hat.  He stayed when the others 
left, since finding a home elsewhere would be a pain and he never liked 
the others much anyway.  His name's Pow.

Neil smiles but does not shake Pow's hand. "Hiya, Pow. Not a good day for 
you?"

William [to Ekur]: This is an atypical redcap who has somewhat improved 
on his innate Beast strand.  Presently motivated by keeping t'dam' 
foreigners outta'is house, and in a foul mood that seems pretty normal 
for him.

@emit Pow says to Neil, "Stay outta m'house y'damned hippie!" and waves 
his knife.

Pow says to Neil, "Stay outta m'house y'damned hippie!" and waves his 
knife.

Neil opens his hands and stays well away. "I'm not trying to go in your 
house. I'm all the way over here."

William [to Ekur]: By 'improved on,' I mean, 'overcome.'  Given his 
roots, he's a veritable saint.

Draco blinks several times at the redcap, and carefully makes a note with 
date and time of that quote, as it's the first time he's ever seen a 
known Servitor of Judgment referred to as a 'hippie'.

Pow says, "Good t'en.  Yer boss is in one'a'da basement rooms, go find 
'im playin' hide-and-seek down t'ere."

Neil subvocalizes and hopes Draco can catch it, "What does he Mean by 
'your boss'?"

fadethecat [to William]: Is my resonance still running, or did it need a 
refresh for this conversation? I'm a little fuzzy on how long it lasts at 
a time, in GURPS.

The GM says, "It lasts for 15 - (degree of success) minutes.  Checking 
back..."

The GM says, "You had five minutes on it, which should still be running.  
The redcap is assuming you're followers of the yogi."

Neil hmms. He might as well go a little bit undercover, and Pow did him a 
good turn...

Draco is conveniently located near Neil's ear. "The yogi," he murmurs 
back.

Neil wrenches his halo off his head with a twang. "Thanks a lot. Go ahead 
and keep this for me. If anyone actually manages to take your house from 
you, go ahead and let an angel know, and we'll get it back for you."

Neil rolled 11 versus 20 and succeeded by 9.

William [to Neil]: You give a halo to the redcap?

Jesdyn [to William]: I recognize virtue and a willingness to help his 
fellow man.

Draco [to William]: Hey, maybe it'll be morally uplifting.

Jesdyn [to William]: And if he's that stressed about squatters, maybe 
it'll calm him down a little.

The GM says, "Pow is now wearing Neil's halo, the light of which is 
reflecting off of fresh blood.  It seems comfortable there for the 
moment."

Neil waves to Pow and heads downstairs.

Ekur follows Neil.

The GM says, "Downstairs it is fairly clear which apartment the yogi is 
using: it is the one near the end of the hall with a pair of guards in 
front of it.  The rest of them are either unoccupied or casually 
occupied."

Jesdyn [to William]: Ping the guards as a group. Are the guards aware of 
me?

Neil rolled 11 versus 18 and succeeded by 7.

William [to Neil]: You-Neil-the-reputation, or 
you-the-guys-who-just-walked-down-the-stairs?

Jesdyn [to William]: I didn't even think of asking for the former; either 
answer works.

fadethecat [to William]: Let me know when Draco needs to do a refresh 
roll. He's currently playing Cute Shoulder <s>Angel</s> Familiar.

The GM says, "They've just seen you come down; the hall has no blockages 
of views.  You do not show up in their array of relationships, even if 
you look for it.  Assuming you are desiring not to be recognized as 
angels, make Tactics rolls for someone to notice that Ekur ought to 
change so as not to blow your cover."

Ekur rolled 8 versus 17 and succeeded by 9.

The GM says, "That'll do.  :^)"

Ekur takes the image of an . . . insurance salesman.  Brown suit, blue 
shirt, yellow-and-black striped tie, mousy brown hair.

Draco [to Ekur]: ...I wonder if it's too early in the timeline to do Stan 
from the Monkey Island games.

William [to Neil]: So they've just seen two guys in nondescript suits 
come down the stairs, one of which has a ferret on his shoulder.  Not at 
all out of place as ethereals.

The GM says, "They're not particularly reactive presently."

Jesdyn [to William]: Alright, ping 'em individually for name, MDA, and 
the nature of their relationship with Shoko.

Neil rolled 9 versus 18 and succeeded by 9.

Neil rolled 8 versus 18 and succeeded by 10.

Ekur zaps them with auto-resonance, reaction if he announced they were 
angels looking for the yogi.

The GM says, "Guard #1: a dream-escaped Mork who is trying desperately to 
put his origins behind him, please call him Cromwell.  He came to Civis 
when he heard rumors that something big was going down, and fell in with 
the yogi when he heard him preach about the end times.  MDA, theft of 
some coin, a Theology(Shinto) talisman he's carrying."

Neil . o O ( You! Do you have the Buddha nature? Well, give it back! 
<whack> )

The GM says, "Guard #2: name is Seami, MDA is a typical life raiding the 
occasional Far Marches dreamscape for Essence before he came to Civis a 
few months ago out of curiosity, a few friendships built up in town.  
He's not sure what he's doing here.  Shoko-sensei was very persuasive 
when he spoke about enlightenment."

William [to Ekur]: Both are fairly bored.  The Caucasian-looking one is 
pleased with the assignment overall, and is motivated by religious 
fervor.  The Asian-looking one is grumpy and possibly under supernatural 
external influence.  Reaction to your pronouncement: Nobody gets in 
through the front door except the sensei's assistant Eri. 

The GM says, "They seem to be good at their jobs, even if simply by 
default.  None of the nearby apartments seem to be occupied either by 
permanent or temporary residents."

Ekur looks to the ethereals.  "We're here from Eri.  Please let us in."

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Oooh, ooh, you resonance goes off! That was a 
lie!

The two ethereals look at each other.  Cromwell says, "Sensei's orders 
were--" Seami interrupts, "Sensei sends Eri, though.  It can't hurt."  
Cromwell shakes his head.  "The order is the order."

William [to Ekur]: Stubborn zealotry rising on Cromwell's part.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Oh noes! Draco will have to...um...not say 
anything, as Seraphim often do.

Seami says, "What are you here for?"

Jesdyn [to William]: Lightning ping: Guards relationship to Eri.

Jesdyn [to William]: Two singular rolls.

Neil rolled 14 versus 18 and succeeded by 4.

Neil rolled 6 versus 18 and critically succeeded by 12.

Ekur says, "We know things only angels know about the event the sensei 
speaks of, things that mean we are required speak to the Sensei.  Things 
we may not tell you, only the sensei."

William [to Neil]: Both give the same result: subordinates, no personal 
interaction.  Neither knew Eri before sensei showed up with her a few 
days ago.  Seami doesn't much *like* her, he finds her creepy.

Ekur . o O ( True, true.  true, lie. )

William [to Neil]: Eri thinks Seami's not a *real* follower.

Draco looks cute and ferrety and bespectacled and says noooothing.

Cromwell says, "Then wait out here.  Sensei will return and will call for 
you when he is ready."

Neil . o O ( We could just say "sure" and camp out in an unoccupied room 
-- maybe even tunnel through the walls; Lucid Dreaming doesn't cause 
Disturbance... )

William [to Draco]: Cromwell, unlike most of the followers, knows Sensei 
isn't in there most of the time.  He's bright enough to realize the 
arrival trick.

William [to Neil]: The apartment next door appears presently unoccupied, 
if you want to go that route.

Ekur sighs.  "We have to go in.  Will you block us in our duty?"

Neil taps Ekur's shoulder before the guard can reply.

Neil says, "Now now, brother, we can afford to wait."

Neil says, "Will you call for us when he arrives? We'll wait right over 
there.""

Cromwell nods, satisfied in his little sphere of power.

Neil nods to Seami and -- Cromwell. "We shall commend your diligence to 
Sensei."

Ekur rolls acting:

Ekur rolled 14 versus 18 and succeeded by 4.

Ekur says, "We can wait, yes, but Eri said to wait beyond the door, and 
they are not letting us through!  Eri will not be pleased."

Neil says, "Eri would find a reason to be displeased regardless."

Neil says, "Come!"

Ekur sighs, and follow Neil.  "Let it be on your head."

Draco sits up as straight as a ferret can manage on Neil's shoulder, and 
looks down his nose at the two guards as the angels leave.

Neil heads into the apartment and closes the door to a crack.

From his expression, Seami empathizes with what he imagines Neil and Ekur 
going through.

Neil speaks in low tones. "Alright, we've got three good options -- 
ambush Eri, ambush Shoko, or slip through the wall and investigate the 
other apartment."

Ekur says, "Either of you pick up anything from them about Shoko or Eri?"


Draco says, "One of them's aware that the sensei isn't always in there. I 
didn't get much of use beyond that."

Neil says, "Cromwell and Seami, they're named. Seami doesn't like Eri, 
and Eri thinks Seami's "not a real follower". What's going on there?"

Draco considers. "It's been a while since I've had an excuse to create a 
good teleportation trick door in a stable Domain largely attached to 
standard laws of physics. How about we start with the investigation?"

Ekur says, "Well, that confirms the sensei isn't in there, which we 
didn't know for sure.  Neil, if you were to say which was the true 
believer, which one would you say was?"

Neil says, "Cromwell. Seami wasn't quite sure what was going on."

skill 18 Ekur_IQ

You rolled 14 and Ekur_IQ - succeeded by 4.

Neil says, "My plan was to widen a small crack near the floor and slide 
you through it."

William [to Ekur]: As a reminder, since you mentioned being a little 
unable to concentrate, in part of your resonance of Seami you felt a 
motivation reasonably identifiable as external supernatural influence.

Draco's whiskers droop. "Well, if we want to do it the /easy/ way..."

Neil says, "I've done the teleportation thing in Civis, but I used a 
week's worth of Essence and had to have a lie down after."

[ snip msg'ing ]

"Spectator incoming.

The GM says, "Spectator incoming."

Ekur says, "I think Seami's being controlled somehow."

SuStel walks in from the Gaming Floor.

Neil hastily puts away his beanie.

William [to Neil]: You already gave it to the redcap, remember? ;^)

Draco wrinkles his nose. "Oh, right. I keep forgetting I don't hold as 
much Essence as I used to."

<OOC> Jesdyn waves to SuStel.

Ekur says, "So, let's try some crack-widening."

Neil looks for a suitable hole and works a bit of magic on it.

William [to Neil]: Dreaming at... *checks environmental penalties*  -3, 
since you're starting with a suggestive bit of the scenery.

Draco comments idly, "It might be easier to just become 
appropriately-sized to move through existing gaps. Modifying one's own 
image rather than that of the Domain."

Jesdyn [to William]: Can I take extra time -- perhaps a minute of slow, 
careful, and above all /silent/ work?

Neil nods as he concentrates. "I could, but you're forgetting one 
important point."

The GM says, "Sure.  Same roll (16), longer time."

Jesdyn [to William]: 17, my LD is 20.

StevenE [to Jesdyn]: But 17 autofails anyway.

Neil says, "Ah."

Neil rolled 11 versus 16 and succeeded by 5.

Neil says, "I already started doing it the other way."

The GM says, "Did I miss a skill on the last upgrade?  I think I did.  
And I do have the list here, 17 is right.  But anyway, the odds of 
failure were very low.  And it works."

Draco tucks his pen behind one ear. "Point. And, on reflection, it's less 
complicated to affect one piece of terrain than three separate images."

The GM says, "You've now got a cat-sized hole in the flooring in the 
corner of the back room that border's the yogi's apartment."

Ekur tries dreamshaping himself into a -- make it a kitten.

Draco drops down off Neil's shoulder to investigate the opening, being so 
conveniently sized for such a thing.

Ekur rolled 7 versus 18 and succeeded by 11.

Ekur (even at worst, a margin of 11 probably works) follows Draco.

Neil dream-shapes himself into /that/ kitten.

Neil rolled 12 versus 20 and succeeded by 8.

Draco [to Neil]: ...which kitten?

<OOC> Justinian.

<OOC> Dominic's kitten.

<OOC> This sounds more like a game of Cat!

Neil . o O ( The trouble with a kitten's that / it turns back into a 
group of nine-force angels and kicks everybody's ass. )

Jesdyn [to SuStel]: Yeah, not one of our proudest moments. Stick around, 
it gets exciting soon enough.

The GM says, "In the symmetrically-placed back room of the other 
apartment, there is no furniture but there are a series of diagrams, 
ethereally inscribed in chalk and ash, both geometric and alphanumeric.  
Ekur recognizes the kanji (the name Shoko is Japanese, but shares 
important words with Mandarin Chinese when written) talking about 
command, Draco recognizes the Helltongue talking about spirits, and Neil 
recognizes the mathematics describing several probability distributions.  
Gentlemen, put the pieces together."

Neil says, "My god, it's full of math."

Ekur says, "Bits in japanese.  There's a neutrino observatory in japan."

Jesdyn [to William]: Back-burner thought -- if this is an active ritual 
circle, can I hack the math to a different curve?

William [to Neil]: An intriguing thought, which would probably require 
knowing at least the theory of the underlying Sorcerous skill to apply.

Draco scampers over to the bits of Helltongue, and gives it a baleful 
glare. "...ew," he pronounces. Then adds, "The gist is about ethereal 
spirits, but I'd rather not translate the specifics unless it's 
necessary."

Ekur says, "We heard that in the Halls of Progress.  Neil, is the math 
the right type for supernovas, or neutrino detection, or anything like 
that?"

Draco pulls out notebook and pen, and offers it to one of the adorable 
kittens in the room. "If someone would like to make copies, I have plenty 
of page space. I would...rather not, myself."

The GM says, "Ah, there we go.  Ekur, Occultism roll. ... also Hidden 
Lore!"

Jesdyn [to William]: /Can/ I copy Helltongue without incurring 
Dissonance?

Ekur rolled 10 versus 18 and succeeded by 8.

Ekur rolled 10 versus 18 and succeeded by 8.

William [to Neil]: As long as you don't think too hard about what it 
means.

Ekur . o O ( I guess it doesn't matter which order I rolled those two in 
. . . )

Neil weighs the odds of incurring Dissonance from Helltongue versus the 
peril involved in bringing a Sorcerer here to make a physical 
examination. "Yeah, I'll do it."

SuStel has to leave.

SuStel barks an order into his communicator and is beamed away.

William [to Ekur]: Gathering the pieces your friends have discussed, this 
is what appears to be an updated version of that old standby classic of 
sorcery, Suggest.  (Implants a suggestion, but only if the ground has 
been prepared and it is nonharmful; affacts *anyone*, even angels.) It's 
definitely drawn from one of the Hellish traditions, probably via the 
kami.

fadethecat [to William]: Given that, so far as I know, Neil can't read 
Helltongue, I'd imagine not thinking about the meaning wouldn't be too 
hard...

Ekur says, "Guys?  What we have here is a version of Suggest, from a 
Hellish tradition of sorcery.  A mild form of mind control, and it will 
affect even angels."

Neil says, "Just great. More mind control. Remind me to go ask Thais 
where Wrinth is? Alright, I assume it's not active right now. Does it 
suggest something, or does the Sorcerer make the suggestion?"

Draco glowers. "I repeat: ew." And then, a brief sigh. "I'm sorry, that 
wasn't very helpful."

fadethecat [to William]: In retrospect, it would have made sense to give 
Draco some knowledge of the workings of sorcerery. As it stands, I'll 
assume he left the details of such mucky stuff to minions...

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: If you can't palm your work off to minions and 
steal the credit in Hell, where can you?

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Totally.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Who wants to deal with the arcane inner workings 
of sorcerery if you can make the cheap demonlings go get themselves 
commanded by idiot humans and spend your own time supporting a subtle 
campaign of creeping horror and despair?

William GMly says, "It can be contested with Will + Cel. Forces, so 
angels aren't *too* likely to be affected, but it could still work.  It's 
best on humans and minor ethereals.  The Sorcerer essentially gives 
someone a command which is at least nonharmful to their interests; the 
book example is 'could make a stranger sing "I'm a Little Teacup", but 
not give you his ATM card and PIN.'  If you talk to someone for a while 
and make them figure that a change career to, say, being a bodyguard, 
would be neutral to their overall interests..."

Ekur looks at stuff a bit more, seeing if he can puzzle more together.  
"Well, we know there's a sorcerer working here in Civis.  We know he's 
involved with Japan.  He probably put the influence on that one Ethereal 
at the door.  He's probably Black Order and working on this supernova 
stuff, and he's been running a preacher here in Civis.

Neil says, "Alright, we're not ready to fool with this thing yet, so 
let's talk later. Time to wait for our appointment."

Ekur says, "Neil?  Can you tell anything from the math?"

Jesdyn [to William]: Can I?

William [to Neil]: That part was mostly color.  It's theoretical Sorcery 
stuff from a modern sort of tradition.  The kami like flashy+futuristic 
in their propaganda.

Jesdyn [to William]: Now that we know it's a Sorcery-powered Suggestion, 
I don't think it's telling me anything else... ah.

The GM says, "So you settle down to wait for your target?"

Jesdyn [to William]: In the other apartment, yes. I'm trying to figure 
out if we should post a sentry so we can bracket him between us on the 
stairs.

Draco can settle, yes.

The GM says, "Do you?  Post the sentry, that is."

Ekur says, "Here, I'll go out and wait at the front door, in that brown 
suit.  I'll tell the guard angels that I would rather wait outside if I 
can't wait where I'm supposed to.  That way, after they come in, I can 
stop a quick escape."

The GM says, "Okay."

Neil nods.

Draco pulls out his notebook in the other apartment, and flips to a 
half-complete angelic crossword puzzle based on subtle references to 
classic Heavenly poetry. "Hey, Neil. What's six words long and fits 'one 
hand clapping for Seraphim'?"

Neil shapes himself another halo while he waits, and hooks it on the back 
of his belt.

Neil replies, "But that doesn't make any sense".

Draco frowns at the crossword puzzle. "I'm not well-versed in the poetry 
this is being derived from. This is the reliever-level puzzle. Maybe they 
have it in little Creationer poetry primers... Does poetry have to make 
sense?"

The GM says, " Civis' night falls.  A few hours later, an anime-styled 
ethereal woman comes up to the crowd outside, who eagerly hail her 
presence.  She enters the building, gives Ekur a casual glance in the 
lobby, and heads down the stairs."

Ekur follows her about halfway down the stairs, where he stops.

Draco tucks away his notebook, having gotten exactly one more clue in. He 
needs to do more supplemental reading.

The GM says, "Outside the apartment downstairs, there is brief 
discussion.  A woman's voice saying, 'I didn't send anyone,' is clearly 
audible before silence falls."

Neil opens the door and smiles.

Neil says, "Hiya, lady. You're under arrest."

Draco leaps up to Neil's shoulder, adjusting his spectacles after the 
landing.

Eri looks Neil over quickly, notes the halo on the belt, and draws 
herself upright.  "On what charge?"

Neil says, "Let's open the door and find out."

Jesdyn [to William]: Position check -- I imagine that I'm /not/ blocking 
Eri from running yet.

Jesdyn [to William]: I'm encouraging her to put herself between myself 
and Ekur, with the guards beyond me on the end.

The GM says, "If you mean that you're still in the doorway of the 
next-to-last apartment, and she could run past you if she chose, that is 
the present state of affairs."

Ekur has his arms semi-casually spread to both sides of the stairwell, 
standing in the middle.

Neil stands up straight. "Gentlemen, I," he pauses to mount his halo, "am 
a sworn officer of Civis. Move aside and do not interfere in my search or 
be discorporated."

StevenE [to William]: This is downstairs from ground level, right?  
Underground?  So unless there's another stairway, she needs to use Other 
Means to get out, even if she runs around in the basement.

William [to Ekur]: Right.  You're the only way out but the ground-level 
windows.

Eri smiles and says, "Very well then.  Please come in."  She opens the 
door to the apartment the yogi's using, and walks in to the living room 
holding the door open for you.

<OOC> Fade notes that the coffee shop she's in will be closing in twenty 
minutes. She can get back online again from home, but it will be a break.


Neil strides through the door, holding the door open for the guards. 
"Come in, come in, gentlemen! I wouldn't want you to think the lady's in 
any danger."

<OOC> Noted.  We'll pull a dramatic rabbit out of a hat in a moment and 
call it an evening.

Eri says to Cromwell and Seami, "Ignore him.  You did the right thing and 
served the teacher well; continue to stand guard," and shuts the door.

Neil dissolves the door.

Neil rolled 5 versus 20 and critically succeeded by 15.

Neil says, "I insist, ma'am."

Jesdyn [to William]: My reasoning here is that I want Seami present for 
our review of the giant sorcerous mind-controlling diagram.

Jesdyn [to William]: And I can't believe I haven't pinged her yet!

Neil rolled 8 versus 18 and succeeded by 10.

<OOC> Neil shakes his head sadly. One little month-long hiatus and he's 
completely off his game.

William [to Neil]: Eri is a minor spirit under the kami who receives 
delivery of the sensei's miniaturized icon (he's in her purse) from a 
safely ignorant delivery middleman, and brings him here.  She knows 
perfectly well what he is.

The GM says, "The middleman's the one who crosses the border."

Eri says, "I believe, then, that we await the most important member of 
our party."

[ snip: rolling for Eri ]

The GM says, "Eri whips up a thick waft of mist to fill the room; it 
lasts only moments, but is sufficient smoke and mirrors.  When it 
disperses a few seconds later, there is a bearded Japanese man standing 
in the room regarding you all."

Neil pings the man.

fadethecat [to William]: And, refreshing the resonance just in case 
something is said...

Draco rolled 10 versus 22 and succeeded by 12.

Neil rolled 14 versus 18 and succeeded by 4.

Ekur is still up the stairs, to block getaways.

<OOC> Jesdyn says, "I was about five letters away from volunteering to be 
the one upstairs, but didn't want to take what I thought would be the 
most exciting spot. Eri's refusing to be stampeded.

<OOC> Adventure, excitement . . . an Elohite craves not such things.

The GM says, "Too bad, 'cuz he's about to get it..."

Eri says, "Sensei, you have heard what is happening.  These men wish to 
interfere.  I believe you have been informed on how to escape capture..."


He says, "Yes," and collapses his dreamscape.  This promptly begins 
floating out of the building.  Hi Ekur!

The GM says, "As fade is about to have to go, we'll kick off next session 
with the results of those resonances.  Remind me if I start up and miss 
them."

Neil says, "Noo! d:"

Neil says, "Alright, fine."

fadethecat has deleted all of their local references.

StevenE [to William]: Should I wait to vassal him at the beginning of 
next session, instead of hitting him now?

The GM says, "Might as well do it next time."

fadethecat still likes the idea of roving bands of resonating Mercurians 
doing morality plays in public spaces.

Ekur nods.  And might have another idea in the two weeks.

William [to Jesdyn]: Of all the times to get a 4.  5 or better plus 
hitting wikipedia would have told you exactly who we were dealing with 
here.

fadethecat wraps up to head back home. Back online in twenty minutes or 
so.

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