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

Jesdyn materializes out of thin air.

Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local name Neil

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.

fadethecat has made fadethecat's local name Draco

fadethecat has made fadethecat's local description Atypically, a 
silver-furred mongoose wearing prescription sunglasses.

Draco says, "People are analyzing potential purchases?"

The GM says, "At the moment, it seems people are banking up, possibly for 
large purchases later."

Draco isn't sure. "I know that it won't make sense for Draco to get a 
Distinction anytime soon, not unless he does something Awesome, given how 
recently redeemed he is. Hasn't impressed any other Words (yet) beyond 
Dreams and Trade. So I'm pondering potential big purchases."

Draco says, "I don't suppose anyone has suggestions?"

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Favors, Allies, Contacts...

The GM says, "Just what I was about to suggest.  Draco's whole purpose in 
being in Civis was to get in touch with the economy and do some of that 
research for Marc."

The GM says, "He'd probably develop some Anthropology(Ethereals) in the 
process."

Draco oo, that's a good one. "I would like to start building a 
Favors/Contacts web, though I'm not sure on Allies yet. (Given that 
interaction with Civis locals has been fairly off-screen.)"

Draco makes a note. "Given how unlikely it is for those to come up this 
session, I think I'll stick a point in Anthropology (Ethereals), and then 
work out some contract-buying later on."

William nods.  Contacts would be handy.  Between CelTongues -- say, 
there's something you could buy.

The GM says, "Didn't notice you didn't have that.  An angel without his 
cel phone?"

Draco says, "Oo, that's good point. I'll drop a point in CelTongues, 
too--or, hrm. Actually, how much would it cost to get a cell phone that 
works as a 1-point CelTongues relic, that stores one Essence as a 
reliquary? Especially if it's not a /dedicated/ reliquary."

Jesdyn [to William]: What's the Reputation base constant for "servants of 
an Angelic word"?

Draco says, "Double-especially if incoming CelTongues messages can have 
the Essence stored there, in case one comes in when Draco's already 
full."

Draco ponders. "Actually, that'd work really well if it were a cheap 
reliquary that regains Essence really, really slowly. Mostly used for the 
storage space."

The GM says, "Err...  *thinks momentarily* ... let's work that out after 
session, shall we?  I'll keep the notes on it."

fadethecat [to William]: Keen. In that case, I'll stick to the Anthro for 
now. What kind of mental skill is that? Average or Hard?

"Hard.

The GM says, "Hard."

Draco says, "So one point is IQ-2?"

"Yeah.

The GM says, "Yeah."

Draco remembers the 4e ones, but has completely forgotten the 3e tables. 
"Thanks."

William realizes that in order for the celphone to work like that, people 
would have to intend to communicate with *it*, not you.  Which is fine, 
you'd just have to give people your relic's True Name as your 'number.'

The GM says, "Dude.  That's *totally* handy.  It could be a recent 
Lightning idea."

fadethecat [to William]: ...that could be spiffy. When a call comes 
through on the phone, you know it's important.

fadethecat [to William]: Especially if it can /record/ messages for 
playback. You don't have to write it down or count on memory.

fadethecat [to William]: ...Seraph of Lightning is /obscenely/ expensive, 
isn't it?

Draco figures if he keeps getting relics to test out for 'em, he's 
probably doing enough favors for that Word that eventually he can make 
big eyes at Jean. Not that big Seraphy eyes work on Elohim, but, you 
know. Worth a try.

William nods.  And the Vapulan copy can cram in more words than typical 
CelTongues, but uv ga2 txtspk, c?

Draco eeks. Yeah.

William [to fadethecat]: Yeah.  Most of it's for perfect Eidetic Memory, 
which was dialed way down in 4e.

fadethecat [to William]: Sigh. I don't even care about any cost reduction 
on buying skills; I just like the idea of perfect memory!

fadethecat [to William]: 50 points or so, I'd guess?

The GM says, "Something like that."

Jesdyn [to William]: Can you price out a aural-only form of Eidetic 
Memory?

Draco can maybe put 4-5 points of this chunk into contacts and favors, 
and start saving up. Slowly. Especially if the favors get matched with 
owed favors to buy some more, to represent the general "getting into the 
community" thing.

Jesdyn [to William]: Without the skill bonus?

Jesdyn [to William]: That might be close enough for what Fade's after.

William [to Jesdyn]: That's basically what 4e costs at 5 or 15 points.  
I'd rather not make a hasty decision on it, though.

Jesdyn [to William]: Perfect memory of things spoken, coupled with 
Draco's absurd IQ to fill in the details... sure, no problem.

The GM says, "Though hang on a twitch...  *digs out GURPS Cabal*"

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Of course, SoL also includes the "display a 
perfect recording of any memory for one Essence in an awesome floaty 
screen" ability. Which is, admittedly, cool on its own.

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Bet they have a real problem getting second 
dates, though.

Neil is pretty sure most human relationships wouldn't survive SoL.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Snerk. That actually came up in a story I wrote, 
once. A Malakite of Lightning discussing the difficulties of dating a 
Seraph of the same Word...

Neil says, "Hah."

The GM says, "Right.  Remind me later to also mention the possibility of 
Great Art of Memory, which is a learnable skill.  Ekur, it's related to 
Skaldic Lore, so you might get a kick out of it too."

The GM says, "(Essentially a conscious attempt to construct a 
near-eidetic memory of a given situation.  The notion of memory palaces 
intrigues me, as well -- shades of possibilities for Ethereal Domains.)"

The GM says, "Right then.  To recap:"

The GM says, "The three of you, accompanied by Wrinth and carrying Thais 
in a vest pocket, have passed through Frontier, picking up a bit of 
Primordial Clay on the way, and arrived at Utgard.  Ekur and 
Neil-carrying-Thais were dragged to Wrinth's Utgard Stone, while Draco 
broke off and headed for his own, arriving there separately."

The GM says, "You have joined each other in the unaligned between-spaces 
of Utgard, below the towering mountain range of Utgard Stones beyond 
which you cannot see.  The mountains waver with more that merely shadowy 
mist, and wind whips around you carrying snow.  To Ekur and Neil, the 
snow is dirty and ashen, the air smoggy; to Draco, the snow seems fresh 
and clean, fallen from a great height of thick clouds."

Arc 7, Part 3: Forgotten Stories

Draco conjures up a tiny knit cap and scarf for himself. "Lovely 
weather," he says, in complete Seraphic honesty of opinion. "Where to 
from here?"

Draco rolled 8 versus 26 and critically succeeded by 18.

Wrinth points to a deeper bank of smog, where the winds blow stronger.  
"There's the Domain I came to last time.  Come on."

Neil perches on Wrinth's shoulder, wrapping a coil around waist.

Wrinth shifts into his celestial form.  "Hop on, and mind the wings."

Wrinth looks much the same in celestial form.  The wings are immaculately 
groomed and bear a pattern of shiny red and black scales.  The horns are 
small, backswept, and apparently polished.

Draco takes a seat on Wrinth's opposite shoulder, adjusting his 
sunglasses (which look a bit more like mirrored ski goggles at the 
moment). "Minding the wings, check."

Ekur stands directly behind Wrinth, prepared to follow.

Wrinth sets out for the Domain.

William [to Draco]: You're headed for what appears to be a lull in the 
weather, where the light brightens.

The GM says, "After a few minutes of travel, in fact, you're rather sure 
that you're headed for some place lit with the Light of Heaven."

Neil whispers, "Wrinth, on a hunch, what do you see right now?"

The GM says, "Ekur, Neil... it's getting darker.  And starting to smell a 
bit nasty.  Sulfur and petroleum byproducts, probably."

Jesdyn [to William]: Oh! Redact that, sorry.

Jesdyn [to William]: That wasn't to me.

The GM says, "Ah.  Yeah."

Draco blinks a few times, and leans in towards Wrinth's ear. "You're 
quite sure this is the same place?" he asks quietly.

Wrinth looks over at Draco.  "Of course.  It wasn't snowing this hard the 
last time, but the smell's familiar.  So's the mental feel of the 
Domain."

Draco sniffs at the air. "It doesn't seem much like a fog bank to me, but 
perhaps we're working at cross purposes, syntactically."

Wrinth says, "Not sure what you mean."

Wrinth stops, apparently just outside the border.  "If something's up, I 
don't want to walk into a surprise."

Neil looks around. "Seems foggy to me."

Draco scratches underneath his cap. "What, exactly, are you smelling? And 
seeing? Because what I see is brightly lit, to begin with."

Ekur nods.  "And a definite smell of brimstone."

Draco [to William]: Am I getting any scent at all?

Neil says, "... bright? Seems dark to me. High contrast."

William [to fadethecat]: Nothing.  The pure 'scent' of new-fallen snow.

Draco shifts about on Wrinth's shoulder, and then scampers over to take a 
look from where Neil's sitting, just in case it looks different from 
there. "But I'm not seeing that at all. Or smelling that. Possibly 
because I arrived on my own, rather than coming directly with Wrinth, but 
that suggests all sorts of unexpected things about the place ahead of 
us."

Wrinth says, "Ah.  I didn't drag you with the other two.  So they're with 
me, and you're... approaching things from a different angle."

Draco nods, settling back onto his usual shoulder position. "Pinning down 
reality can be difficult at the best of times, in the Marches. This looks 
to be...quite interesting. Do continue!"

Ekur says, "So, I'm seeing this all from a demon's perspective?  
Interesting.  I wonder what an ethereal would see.  And Draco, I insist 
that you give us a detailed account when we're back at Civis."

Draco pulls out his notebook, and scribbles down a few notes. "Barring 
unforeseen complications, I'll do that."

Neil is quietly considering this.

Wrinth says, "Looks like bringing you guys along has already paid off 
with new information.  But as you say, let us continue..."  He steps 
forward.

Ekur follows.

The GM says, "As you cross the Domain's boundary, for Ekur and Neil the 
darkness deepens to become a Domain's night.  Snow flurries sting the 
skin and in the distance ahead of you fitful firelight and the sounds of 
metal on metal punctuate the shadow.  Draco, you arrive in an area that 
is indeed experiencing the Light of Heaven, albeit dimly.  There is an 
open plain of frost-rimed grass sitting before a mountain range that 
rises up into gray clouds for miles ahead, save where it is cut at one 
point by a deep pass."

The GM says, "As you pass the border, Draco and Wrinth become mutually 
intangible, as if one were celestial and the other corporeal.  In fact, 
you two are invisible to each other.  Ekur and Neil can still see both of 
them, though Wrinth is solid and Draco is in a half-perceived state 
similar to celestial form."

Draco drops to the ground, and blinks repeatedly. "More oddness. Now 
isn't that peculiar."

Wrinth looks around.  "Well.  This could get annoying.  I wonder where he 
is."

Neil says, "Something's forked up."

Ekur says, "He's right here, just . . . well, celestial, almost.  The 
dualism here is rather strange."

William [to Draco]: I should also clarify that you can see Ekur and Neil 
in a similar celestial-like state.

Draco peers up at Ekur. "Is he? You're looking rather odd to me, as well, 
and I can't see Wrinth at all. How /very/ interesting."

Draco takes more notes. "I wonder how much of the present state of 
perception has to do with my arrival method, and how much has to do with 
my own nature. Pity we don't have more people here, to experiment with 
the matter."

Ekur looks down to Draco.  "Actually, I was answering Wrinth.  He's solid 
to me.  You're the one who looks celestialish."

Draco blinks, and makes another note. "The two of you look oddly 
insubstantial to me, and I can't see Wrinth at all. Well. I wonder if 
there's likely to be anyone I can see that you can't, at this rate, or if 
you've found a perfect intermediate spot where you can interact with 
everyone."

The GM says, "As Draco speaks of more people, more people arrive.  The 
sound of feet is heard tromping through the thick snow, and a pair of 
Djinn show up in front of the group with Wrinth.  One is a mad-looking 
wolf, the other an asymmetrical razorbeaked raptor flapping along on one 
too many sets of batwings.  They see you three and turn toward you."

Neil resonates them.

Neil rolled 8 versus 18 and succeeded by 10.

Neil rolled 7 versus 18 and succeeded by 11.

Ekur steps forward, in front of Wrinth, like the bodyguard he's appearing 
to be.  And resonates them.

Draco ...can't see them?

William [to Draco]: That's correct.  And they can't seem to see you, 
either.  The trio's attention appears to be focused on something on their 
side of reality.

Wrinth straightens up and instantly grows another three degrees of ego.  
He snaps to Ekur and Neil, "And remember to mind your manners in front of 
your betters, spirits."

Draco peers at the blank space where he can't see anything. Then shrugs, 
and begins whistling a Christmas carol as he pokes about the frosted 
grass.

Neil cringes away.

Draco . o O ( Do you see what I see, said the shepherd to the little 
lamb. Do you hear what I hear... Ha! )

William [to Neil]: You get a pair of far-too-fricative Helltongue names.  
These Djinn don't really care about status, except that they've got a 
steady job where people don't bother them.  Being border patrol means 
they get to keep people from bothering them if they look like trouble, 
which is what mainly interests them.  Originally they both hailed from 
Tartarus; now, if asked, they'd hail from here.  The work relationships 
they maintain have been narrowing but oddly intensifying, growing layers 
of unaccustomed nuance recently.  There's some sort of personal drama in 
their lives, and they don't like it.

William [to Ekur]: They're annoyed at having a quiet patrol day 
disturbed.  You three, personally, are annoying them, and the wolf on the 
left is particularly irritated that a pissant little Ethereal is giving 
him sass.

The GM says, "("pissant little Ethereal" = you)"

Ekur steps back at Wrinth's 'command'.  "As you wish."

Jesdyn [to William]: What's a margin-10 result? CD 4 or 5?

William [to Neil]: 5.  Oh, and raptor's most deviant act recently has 
been a slow-hatching plot to kill and eat his friend.  No particular 
reason.  But he's been bored, and for some reason the urge has been 
crossing his mind.  

William [to Neil]: The wolf's mainly a slacker.

The wolf growls in Helltongue to Wrinth for the course of several 
sentences.  Wrinth snaps something back, and makes a dismissive gesture.  
The wolf growls, looks at Ekur and Neil, and sniffs them.  He says 
something to Wrinth, who replies, "English."  The wolf turns to you two 
and says, "If you get found without a demonic escort it's summary 
execution, you hear?"

Neil nods frantically and wraps around Wrinth's waist a little tighter.

Ekur makes a shallow nod.

Draco watches Ekur and Neil with some fascination. "I am /so/ asking you 
about this once you're done talking to whoever," he says.

The wolf heads off.  The raptor hangs around for a minute, eyeing Wrinth.  
It flaps up to him, brushes a wingtip against him, and then flaps off 
after the other one.

Neil takes a moment to flick a tail-tip at Draco, trusting his resonance 
to make the message clear.

Draco [to William]: Suppose Draco really should have his resonance on, on 
general principle (and for catching deliberate lies because the other two 
are trying to pass on messages, if necessary.)

Wrinth waits until they're out of sight.  "So what did those Gestapo 
resonances of yours pick up from the Keystone Kops there?"  He shakes his 
head.  "Damn... a Seraph would have been the most useful of you lot.  
Need to find a way to get him over here."

Draco rolled 11 versus 23 and succeeded by 12.

Draco [to William]: Oops, wrong TN.

Draco rolled 6 versus 22 and critically succeeded by 16.

fadethecat [to William]: ...er. I guess Draco's really truthy, right now.


William [to Draco]: Yes, Actual Truth level.  For whatever message Neil 
was attempting to convey.

Neil hisses, aggrieved, "They weren't lying, they were truthful. Just a 
couple border guards. They like hurting people -- they're from Tartarus.

fadethecat [to William]: Let me know when it wears off, to reroll?

William [to Draco]: Will do.

Jesdyn [to William]: Wait a second, I just flipped off a Seraph and God 
stepped in to make sure I got the point across?

William [to Neil]: It was just at critical, not a DI.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Well, it's not a DI yet.

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: But Draco appreciates the full and complete Truth 
of being flipped off.

Ekur says, "They're annoyed we interrupted their patrol."

William [to Neil]: What *were* you trying to convey?  "I'll talk with you 
in a second, busy now."?

Jesdyn [to William]: Well, it's embarassing to burrow into a demon's 
clothes in terror.

Wrinth says, "Tartarus.  Come to think of it, I didn't see any Calabim 
here.  Hadn't noticed."

Wrinth says, "Let's move further in, before another border patrol stops 
by to get friendly.  We can find a quiet place to talk in the forest."

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Hey, Draco admires the skill with which you 
feigned terror and submission!

The GM says, "So saying, Wrinth heads deeper in to the Domain.  There is 
not much of a path, but he winds his way between leafless, ice-flecked 
trees toward the distant firelight."

William [to Draco]: You see Neil floating forward and Ekur following, 
occasionally meandering around unseen obstacles.  All is clear and smooth 
on your side of the world.

Draco lopes along behind. "Are they still there? Are you following 
someone? Give me something to resonate, here!"

Neil flicks his tail up for yes answers, down for no.

William [to Draco]: Per roll (which will be penalized, so a 'success' is 
not automatically a success here.

Draco wrinkles his nose. "Okay, so, yes or no question: does it look like 
Wrinth is actually walking around stuff to you? Is it people? Inanimate 
objects?"

fadethecat [to William]: Am I rolling with the usual bonus for being in 
the Marches, before the penalty?

William [to Draco]: Oh, yes.

Draco rolled 16 versus 28 and succeeded by 12.

Draco [to William]: Given that roll, it's a good thing, too.

The GM says, "Given what you were contesting, it's not enough for 
forewarning, either... these guys have had practice."

fadethecat [to William]: Well, darn.

The GM says, "The first you hear of it is three sets of feet crunching 
down into the frosted grass around you.  A voice says in Angelic, 
'Surrender at once, ethereal!'"

The GM says, "From the feel of the wind as they land, it's apparent that 
they just dropped from a great height.  Three swords are pointed at you."


Jesdyn [to William]: Can we see or feel this?

Draco blinks. Says, "Well, /bother/," and reverts to his celestial image. 
(If still wearing a knit cap, scarf, and sunglasses. Three neat pairs of 
sunglasses, now.) He beams at the sword-wielders. "Lovely day, isn't it?"


Draco rolled 12 versus 26 and succeeded by 14.

fadethecat [to William]: Not that reverting to celestial image is likely 
to be /hard/, but figured keeping the accessories might require a roll.

William [to Neil]: Not a bit of it.  You can tell that Draco has stopped 
and has reverted to celestial image.

Ekur grabs Wrinth's arm.  "Draco has stopped moving for some reason."

Draco swings his head back towards Ekur for a moment. "If I may 
reiterate, do you see what I see?"

William [to Draco]: They are three Malakim, garments of unstained white 
and Oath-chains of shining silver.  At your change, they step back in 
surprise.  "Seraph!" says the one in front of you.

Draco fluffs his wings a touch nervously, but smiles back at them. "You 
noticed!" He peers over three sets of sunglasses at the three Malakim. 
"You stopped me, image of an ethereal walking alone, but not /them/." 
With a tail pointing towards Ekur and Neil. "Why?"

William [to Draco]: The one to your right turns to the translucent images 
of Ekur and Neil.  He peers into their vicinity, brow furrowing, and then 
appears to see.  "And sir..." he indicates them.  The apparent leader 
turns, and a look of consternation crosses his face.  "What transgression 
is this?"  He turns back to you.  "Are these angels too?  What is your 
Servitor status if so?"

Draco goes a bit Most Holy around the edges of his expression. "I asked 
first. Is there a particular reason you don't want to answer a Seraph's 
questions?"

The lead Malakite flushes.  "I am unaccustomed to greeting outsiders with 
manners here," he says, almost contritely.  It's quite true; almost 
nobody ever comes here, and the ones that do are usually Outcasts.  He's 
worried that he's forgetting civilized behavior.

Draco nods quickly. "My original question, then. Why did you stop me and 
not them?"

He says, "To answer your second question, we did not see them at first.  
You are clear to my sight, and our patrol saw you from far above; they 
are not so obvious."  Straightforwardly True.

Draco scribbles out a note in his notebook. "How interesting. Do you stop 
all ethereals you see alone, then? And if so, why?"

"Before I give information concerning my operations, my own question is 
also urgent.  Are you Outcast, or Servitor in good standing?"

Ekur peers, trying to see what's stopped Draco.

Draco says, "My business here isn't on behalf of my Superior. Is yours?"

Ekur reonates Draco, to see how much information he can extract on the 
situation.

Draco [to Ekur]: What does your current CD get you? I don't have my book 
handy.

The GM says, "(5)"

William [to Ekur]: Draco's the only thing you can see not apparently 
native to your current layer of reality.

William [to Draco]: I'm not sure what Draco's current mood and 
motivations are, so please fill in Ekur.

StevenE [to fadethecat]: Emotional state, two strongest emotions and 
motivations for them, and reaction to one action.  Skip the last.

The GM says, "Also, could someone with a standard-IN book tell me whether 
Mercurian of Dreams is limited to humans?  I think it is, but if it's not 
we might have an opportunity."

Draco [to Ekur]: Emotional state is one of urgency. His two strongest 
emotions are fear and excitement. The former because he's feeling 
threatened by his current situation, and the latter because he's been 
presented with a mystery he can't yet untangle. And a distinct sense that 
he's trying to /hurry/.

StevenE [to William]: It just says "dreamers".

The GM says, "Hmm.  We'll leave it, then."

The lead Malakite keeps his sword unsheathed.  "We are indeed following 
the last orders given to us by our Archangel.  If you are Outcast, you 
are unwelcome here..." he pauses... "And yet, I do not sense the stain on 
your honor that such a state would usually carry."

Draco shakes his head. "Not Outcast. But in something of a hurry. If 
you're satisfied, would you answer my questions?"

The Malakite nods.  "Yes."

Draco says, "Why are you stopping ethereals here? What is this place, and 
what is your purpose here?"

StevenE [to William]: In fact, Superiors 3 uses text idntical to G:IN.

He says, "This is a holy, powerful, and secret place.  We do not wish its 
existence to be made known to the Marches at large."  He's telling the 
truth, and there are *many* reasons for that -- there are valuable 
materials available here, it is indeed a sacred place (witness the 
Light), and it is a naturally secret part of a Domain very difficult to 
find and get to.  "It has no name that we know of.  Deep within it there 
is a Tower whose Mistress is strong enough to hold us off.  Our purpose 
is the same as the rest of the Tsayadim, to see that the Marches function 
cleanly and smoothly for their intended purpose, for humanity, free of 
parasites; and our particular duty here is to protect the resources of 
Primordial Clay that we Tsayadim need for repairing the occasional 
Vessel."

Draco scribbles out notes quickly. "I see. And what do you do when demons 
enter this Domain?"

Non-existant hair is prickling over Neil's image as he listens to Draco's 
conversation.

He says, "Demons never enter this fragment of the Domain.  They seem 
unable to.  If any did, I suspect the Light would deal with them.  We 
know of the existence of a similar demonic fragment that has attached 
itself in the same manner as this Heavenly fragment, albeit earlier; we 
have kept records of the Disturbances emanating from it for some time, 
and occasionally track ethereals that traffic with the demons here.  
However, we have not found a way to enter that layer."  He looks over to 
the fuzzy images.  "Have your friends?"

Wrinth studies his fingernai--claws.  "What's he fiddling with?"

Draco looks over to the two angels behind him. "That...is an interesting 
supposition that might well explain their current appearance, though at 
this time I am unable to confirm or deny the hypothesis. Further 
experimentation might reveal more useful data and answers." He adds, more 
to himself, "It would certainly explain a lot. Interesting. Very 
interesting."

Draco [to William]: *waits for the Truth or lack thereof of what the 
Malakite says*

Neil truthfully replies, "I think he's talking to a border patrol."

Ekur says, "I'm not sure, but it is making him feel both threatened and 
excited by a mystery."

Neil . o O ( Scooby? )

William [to Draco]: No demon has enterd to his knowledge.  (By the by, 
his motivation for saying all this is that he's honestly trying to be 
helpful to an angel in good standing.)  The Light could indeed deal with 
a demon that came here, albeit slowly enough that they could probably 
survive getting out.

Draco giggles quietly in a rather unSeraphic way as he makes notes. He 
folds one sheet of paper into a little paper airplane, and tosses it off 
in Ekur's direction. "You're being very helpful, thank you," he says. "Is 
there anything else of note about this Domain that you're willing to tell 
me at this time?

Draco [to Ekur]: The sheet of paper in question is a transcript of the 
conversation so far.

Ekur tries to catch the airplane.

Draco [to Ekur]: With a few helpful observational footnotes about what 
he's seeing at the moment.

William thinks about that for a second.

The GM says, "The airplane is uncatchable to Ekur, but readable where it 
falls."

The lead Malakite eyes Ekur and Neil's wavery images.  "Your friends are 
with an unseen third party," he observes.

Ekur kneels down and reads it.

Jesdyn [to William]: We're in a Domain, right?

William [to Neil]: You are in an unusually-behaving part of an 
unusually-behaving Domain in the Far Marches, so the answer to that is 
technically yes but possibly not very enlightening.

Draco nods. "We acquired information about a demonic Domain in the area," 
he says. "Entering to investigate proved...complicated, and I must admit, 
I was finding this place wholly unlike what I would expect of a 
demon-controlled Domain. If there is a sort of demonic fragment that 
mirrors this one, it would explain a great deal."

Draco tilts his head to one side. "If you're aware of the demonic 
shard... Are they aware of this one as well?"

The Malakite thinks, and says, "I find it likely, but to my knowledge 
they have attempted neither communication nor invasion."  He speaks as 
accurately as he knows.  Both have been attempted, but not where he knew 
of it.

The Malakite says, "The only place where the Domains reach the same place 
is the Tower itself, and within its walls the Empress is powerful enough 
to eject those who undertake combat.  Even those who do not cannot cross 
to the other shard, in my experience."  He's tried.

Draco nods, and makes a note of this. "Do you have any objections to my 
continued investigation as to the nature of this realm and its demonic 
counterpart? Or any suggestions as to how I might avoid causing you undue 
trouble as I do so?"

Ekur wells, after reading.  So they can see him, but he can't see them.  
Interesting.  "Neil, come down and read this."

Neil tries to pick it up with Lucid Dreaming, and then Jung Fu if it 
proves balky.

The Malakite shakes his head.  "*We*  were planning to try not to cause 
*you* trouble, Most Holy.  If you wish to bear our concerns in mind, we 
would prefer that the existence of this Domain, its nature, and our 
garrison here be classified as highly as possible.  We would secondarily 
try to use your presence, and the curious current state of your friends, 
to follow up on a thought I am now having, which is that they may be 
providing us with the link we needed to clear out the demonic infestation 
once and for all."

"As to fulfilling both of those requests, the decision doesn't rest in my 
coils," Draco says. "But I will convey your request on both points to 
those who do hold that power, as I am able."

Draco . o O ( Last I heard, Dominic doesn't like Tsayadim, but he's not 
real fond of demons, either. Maybe we can work something out. )

Draco inclines his head slightly to the Malakim. "If you will excuse me, 
now, I'd like to discuss the mission at hand with my companions, in light 
of this new information. Thank you for your assistance."

He bows and says, "I can see that the weapon your knightly friend bears 
is a relic.  If it is possible for him to leave this place and pass it to 
you, I think a Celestial Song of Affinity might do to allow you to 
navigate the Marches to him -- and as it happens, we possess several such 
relics that would allow you to navigate back here.  Thus, you -- and 
possibly passengers -- could pass between the two realms."  What he's 
talking about is an opportunity for an invasion force, of course.

Draco tilts down a pair of sunglasses to look at the Malakite directly, 
with glittering eyes. "What an /interesting/ idea. I will keep this 
possibility in mind."

He says, "If you desire further assistance from us, our main camp is 
located in the pass you can see in the distance.  Say that Godfrey 
recommended you for passage, for that is my name."  Truth, of course.  He 
gives a command to the other Tsayadim, and they fly off.

Draco slides back into ferret form, takes a moment to adjust his scarf 
and sunglasses. "Okay, we need to talk. I imagine Wrinth's impatient, so 
I can wait until we get to a place where he's ready to sit around and 
swap information. He's not getting some of this."

Wrinth is, of course, standing around tapping his foot and waiting for 
word from you two that Draco is no longer occupied.

Neil looks up from fiddling with the invisible nothing. "He's clear, but 
he needs to tell us what's going on. He did more listening than talking.

Jesdyn [to William]: Can I interact with Draco's note at all, LD, JF, or 
otherwise?

William [to Neil]: Just reading it.  It's as if it were in celform and 
you were corporeal.

Wrinth says, "Can he do it here?  I'm in no rush to get to more crowded 
places."

Neil says, "Sure, just wanted to give you a heads-up. Draco, what's it 
looking like over there?"

Draco holds up another set of notes for Ekur and Neil to read, with the 
last of the conversation on it. And, in his /other/ paw, holds up a 
helpful little: "Assist Tsayadim in a potential invasion? Y/N/Wait?" on 
it. "Oh, it's going marvelously here," he says. "The nice Malakim of, I 
believe, Purity, gave me all sorts of useful information, offered further 
assistance in certain areas, and have now returned to their own base of 
operations. Very honest folks, those. I have to appreciate that in a 
Malakite."

Draco will go through a set of sheets of paper as conversational 
flashcards, if necessary, to get the entire conversation (and his notes 
about the Truth of what was said) to Ekur and Neil.

Neil hmms. "Wrinth, looks like we're dealing with some sort of weird 
coterminal Tether, because Draco's side has the Light of Heaven, angels, 
and a strange place, ruled by "the Empress", where the two regions 
physically meet."

Neil says, "However strong the Empress is, she can convince a Malakite 
not to pound on a demon in only one attempt."

Wrinth hmms.  "I definitely hadn't found any place like that.  As you go 
further in, the guards restrict access."

Ekur reads, listens, and says, "I would be inclined, Draco, to provide 
assistance, but I'd like to have more data."

Draco nods. "That's my thoughts. So, should I tail along with you two on 
this side, or try to explore more of /this/ side, as it were? I'm not 
sure how much use I'll be in determining the truth of statements passed 
on second-hand. It tends to reduce the resonance's ability to dig out 
real truth from what people simply believe."

Neil turns to Ekur. "Hey, would talismans work the same way as relics for 
Celestial Attraction?"

<<GM>> Yes

Neil says, "Huh. Do I still have that..."

Ekur considers.  "I think we could learn more separated than together.  
And, yes, Neil, they would."

Neil rumages through his vest pockets for his old Savoir-Faire talisman. 
"Here it is!" 

He repockets it... in Thais' pocket.

Wrinth looks up.  "Celestial Attraction?  Hey, if you've found a way to 
get the Seraph over here -- or for us to meet up with him -- I came to 
you guys because I needed information as well as strength of numbers.  
We're unwieldy split up like this."

Wrinth says, "Frnakly I'd rather have the mongoose back where I can see 
him, anyway."

Wrinth looks at Ekur and says, "Unless you really, *really* think he's 
learning enough additional information to justify not having him on this 
side.  Even if he can't speak Helltongue, I can, and he can tell me which 
statements were lies."

Jesdyn [to William]: What? Last time I asked, you said the Seraph gets 
answers back in the language of the question.

William [to Neil]: Draco speaks Helltongue.  :^)

Jesdyn [to William]: And I thought Redeemed understood Helltongue anyways 
-- unless you know that and Wrinth doesn't... right.

The GM says, "Wrinth doesn't know Draco's redeemed."

Wrinth says, "Admittedly, just the fact of another layer's existence is 
news to me... as is having it populated.  Guess that's where the Song of 
Faith disturbance I heard came from."  He shrugs.  "Draco," he says 
loudly, "you're the one who signed the contract, and you're Trade.  I 
think you're more valuable to me over here.  How you interpret your best 
service to this mission is up to you, though."

William [to Draco]: By the by, how much time did you carve out for game?

Ekur considers.  "We could go back out of the domain, hand Draco my 
shield, and then have Draco use my shield and the Song of Attraction to 
follow us when we return here."

fadethecat [to William]: Much as I need.

fadethecat [to William]: Dinner tonight is grab-your-own, so I can go up 
until...probably whenever the person who has this room wants to go to 
bed, which is unlikely to be before 2am Eastern.

The GM says, "Ah, well, let's make it another hour then.  I do have other 
chores to do today.  :^)"

Draco tilts his head up at Ekur. "I don't know that particular Song. Does 
anyone have an artifact for it handy?"

skill 21 IQ_roll

You rolled 8 and IQ_roll - succeeded by 13.

Jesdyn [to William]: We know, we know, Thais knows it.

The GM says, "No, pointing out to Draco that such relics were what 
Godfrey was offering."

Jesdyn [to William]: Oh. Makes sense.

fadethecat [to William]: Ohhh. Right.

Draco pauses. "Though if you give me half an hour, I believe I can /get/ 
one. Meet me back here?"

Ekur says, "Okay, sounds like a plan."

Neil says, "Draco's on his way, should be here in half an hour."

Draco sighs to himself. "When in Rome," he says, and returns to celestial 
form. After a quick arrangment of scarf around wings so that the fabric 
won't flutter too much, he darts into the air to go ask the nice Malakim 
for an artifact loan.

Wrinth settles back.  "Good then."

"We focus the camera on Draco for a time.

The GM says, "We focus the camera on Draco for a time."

Draco . o O ( Malakim make me nervous, I'm a Servitor of Trade... Of 
/course/ I would be the one who has to go ask the nice Tsayadim for an 
artifact to borrow, which they'll probably use to instigate an invasion 
of another Domain if I hang onto it too long. )

Ekur . o O ( And with Draco having the Cel Attr. artifact, the Tsaydim 
can use the same song to follow him, if they like. )

Draco [to Ekur]: Twisty minds think alike.

The GM says, "The divine side of the fragment remains smooth and flat 
below as Draco flies toward the pass.  From the air, a pattern manifests 
itself on the ground, of what appear to be paved walkways and garden 
plots interspersed with the outlines of foundations of buildings.  
Whatever the nature of the place is, it appears to have once been a 
populated, built-up region.  Now it is bare -- clean, but apparently 
unoccupied, save for the very occasional patrol."

Draco nearly hesitates, the curiosity drawing him to find out /why/ it's 
that way. But he did almost-promise a time limit, and has a Mission.

Draco . o O ( I can take notes. And I can always ask later. )

The GM says, "The land begins to slope up toward the Utgard range, and 
the pass between the Stones comes in to sharper relief.  Here the winds 
grow colder in the air and the clouds lower, until only just above the 
ground is there visibility.  Around the mouth of the pass is arranged a 
campsite on the ground, a number of angels flying to and fro above it and 
a neatly aligned collection of military tents pitched inside.  Beyond it, 
the mists are thick, but from within the pass a warm light glows -- now 
pink, now yellow, now pearly white.  You come to the border of the 
campsite on the ground."

Draco pauses at the border, and looks for a patrol to meet, hovering with 
his wings doing a hummingbird imitation about him. He wouldn't want to 
appear as if he were trying to avoid one, were such a thing even possible 
this close to the camp.

The GM says, "A pair of Cherubim at a gate, bear and bull, eye your 
approach and call out.  'Stranger,' the bull calls, 'state your 
business.'"

"Godfrey recommended me for passage," Draco states, trying to look 
somewhat dignified as a Seraph ought. "Is he by any chance in camp now?"

Neil . o O ( A Trader accosted by a bear and a bull? You'd think we were 
walking around in a metaphorical realm of purest whimsy. )

The bear looks into camp.  Godfrey looks out of a tent a few ranks down.  
He turns to someone inside and sings a quick comment; the tent flap is 
lifted aside and you are regarded anonymously by an angel in 
all-concealing full plate.  They hold a quick, sotto voce conversation, 
and the full plate nods.  Godfrey sketches a quick salute and comes out.  
"It seems you made your decision quickly," he says.  "Shall I fetch an 
Affinity relic?"

Draco . o O ( In retrospect, the fuzzy knit cap with the bobble on top is 
probably not helping with the dignity thing. )

Draco tilts a wing. "We still need to evaluate the situation," he says, 
"but the majority of our--" He hiccups short of calling it a triad. 
"--group is currently in favor of your proposition. If you can provide 
the relic, I'll join them in the other realm, and see if the situation 
warrants the plan you suggested. Whether or not it does, I will endeavor 
to return to you word of our decision and the loaned artifact, barring my 
inability or command from an Archangel otherwise. Do you find this a 
suitable arrangement?"

William [to Draco]: Your resonance faded on the way here, by the way.  
Reroll or go with the trust?

Draco rolled 10 versus 22 and succeeded by 12.

fadethecat [to William]: Reroll.

fadethecat [to William]: Draco doesn't /do/ negotiations without his 
resonance on. It seems...unwise.

Godfrey thinks about this for a moment.

Godfrey says, "Yes."

William [to Draco]: He's pretty much telling the truth.  He does have one 
thing up his sleeve, though, in hopes of getting more of out it without 
your cooperation.

Godfrey says, "Follow me, please.  We keep the artifacts in a secure 
store near the middle of camp."  He turns and heads in.

Draco follows, and adds, politely, "Are you willing to wait for this 
response before attempting to follow this artifact? Or shall we set up an 
appropriate time limit for such a thing?"

Godfrey says, "I trust you to return it as soon as you would no longer 
find it honorable to retain.  And if that happens to be indefinitely, 
well, so be it."  Truth, literally and completely.  Material things 
aren't that important to him.  Their artificers can make another.  "Would 
it be terribly inconvenient for you to be able to write that agreement 
down on a page in that handy notebook I saw you use?"

"Not at all." Draco pulls out his notebook. "But within this agreement, I 
would like some discussion of the matter as to whether or not you'll use 
the loan to follow us into the other Domain, regardless of our decision 
there. I find it unlikely that we'd decide against your proposal, but for 
the sake of the orders I was given I need to be able to account for what 
would happen should we do so."

Godfrey identifies himself and gives an order to an adjutant standing 
guard outside a stone structure, who salutes and goes in.  "As you may 
know, our primary goal is the purification of the Marches, and this 
battle has of necessity become independent of the strategy pursued by the 
present Commander of the Host against Hell.  Fighting demons is not our 
first priority..." he pauses and sighs.  "Forget justifications.  We 
would like to establish a beachhead there, yes.  An invasion may or may 
not be prudent given the larger scope of our orders."

The GM says, "The adjutant comes out with a handheld compass, and hands 
it to Godfrey, who turns to you.  'Do you want the artifact?'"

Draco sketches out a few notes for the contract he intends to write up. 
"My own politics aside, in this matter, I'm sympathetic to your 
intentions there. But I'm currently under obligations two Superiors deep, 
and following a particular set of orders, all of which mean there's a 
possibility that I won't be able to help you in this. If I can be given 
enough time to investigate the situation before assisting you, then I'll 
be happy to take the assistance. If I can't get that much of a guarantee, 
I'll have to regretfully decline, to avoid the potential for...crossed 
promises, as it were."

Godfrey says, "That, I can promise you.  We are mindful of our status, 
and will respectfully avoid harming any missions currently undertaken 
under the authority of the Seraphim Council.  Nothing will happen, at the 
very least, until you are done with your mission, and we will see what 
the ground is like then."

Draco considers this. "I think this should prove satisfactory, then. A 
moment, and I'll draw up a contract for you to hold." He begins 
scribbling out the terms of the agreement in a neat hand.

Draco [to William]: Contract Law roll?

William [to Draco]: Yep.

Draco rolled 11 versus 21 and succeeded by 10.

The GM says, "Terms accurate."

Neil . o O ( Just how bad would you have to screw up a contract to make a 
/Blackwing/ comfortable with hosing you over a mistake in wording? )

Draco [to Neil]: I believe that's what an II on Contract Law would result 
in...

Godfrey manifests a signet ring and stamps his seal on the signature 
line.

Draco writes out his own signature. "Thank you for your assistance, 
Virtue, once again. I hope that we'll be able to help you in this 
situation, through one means or another."

Neil . o O ( Infernal Interventions on all legal rolls made outside of 
Heaven are still critical successes. Lawyers suck, deal with it. )

The GM says, "Godfrey folds the contract to put away, and hands Draco the 
compass.  He escorts you back to the boundary of the campsite 
wordlessly."

Draco inclines his head politely to the Malakite when they reach the 
border. "May all your dealings be fair," he says, and takes to the sky 
again.

The GM says, "It has been roughly the half-hour when Draco gets back to 
Ekur and Neil where their images await him on the snow.  There are a pair 
of Tsayadim blackwings poking at them and wondering what's going on."

Jesdyn [to William]: We still can't see them, right?

The GM says, "Yep.  Totally oblivious."

Draco waves to the Tsayadim. "They can't see you," he explains. "You may 
ask Godfrey if you need any more details."

The GM says, "The blackwings look at Draco, see that he's obviously a 
stranger.  Both of them resonate him, then step back, incline their heads 
politely, and fly off."

Draco . o O ( It's times like these I'm glad I redeemed more than a year 
ago. )

The GM says, "Naturally, Ekur and Neil see Draco return."

Draco waves to Neil and Ekur. "We are, metaphorically, golden. I have an 
artifact to work with, and I'm ready when you are."

Neil says, "Wrinth, he's back. Let's leave the domain, and we can reenter 
it as a group."

Ekur nods.  "Okay, then.  Head back out of this domain, pass Draco my 
shield, have him follow us with Celestial Attraction, and come right back 
in."

Wrinth jumps up.  "Finally."  He heads back out.

Ekur dreamshapes a note that says, "Take the talisman to Heaven and 
inform them of what's been going on."  On the trip, he works out an 
occasion to put this note in the Thais-pocket of Neil's clothing.

William [to Ekur]: IQ

Ekur rolled 14 versus 18 and succeeded by 4.

The GM says, "For that margin, I'll now require Acting to boost it."

Ekur rolled 18 versus 18 and succeeded by 0.

The GM says, "...hee hee"

Ekur swears.

William [to Ekur]: Have you noticed you're getting most of the 
Interventions?

fadethecat [to William]: God loves Elohim.

The GM says, "Apparently, so does Lucifer."

fadethecat [to William]: Possibly so does Lucifer.

William [to Ekur]: You're walking behind Wrinth, just inside the border 
of the Domain, and have *almost* managed to slip the note in the vest 
pocket when Wrinth has an idea.  "By the way, Ekur," he says, and turns 
suddenly... dragging the pocket away from your hand.  And out with the 
note slips a tiny little beholder, who looks up at the lot of you with 
lots of little eyes.

Wrinth looks down at the beholder.

Wrinth looks at Neil.

Wrinth looks at Ekur.

Neil says, "Blame Dominic."

Draco perks a few ears. "Oo, what are we blaming Dominic for?"

Wrinth reads the note.

Wrinth says, "I respect backstabbing, but not if you get caught trying 
it.  New clause on the thrice-damned contract -- sparkly-girl stays right 
with us, in Neil's pocket, and doesn't go *anywhere* until we're done."

Jesdyn [to William]: Huh?

Wrinth says, "And if that means she has to suffer an evil to live, tell 
her to she can explain the circumstances to Laurence."

Jesdyn [to William]: How did he ID her?

fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Via II, I guess.

William [to Neil]: Guess it was just something about the eyes.  Perhaps 
the way the main one looked kind of big and innocent, and the others were 
all rainbow-colored.

A tiny rainbow-eyed beholder looks both defiant and sheepish.

Wrinth says, "I know Malakim can take short-term Oaths.  Do it, or I walk 
and you lot can invade this place without benefit of recon."

Ekur nods.  "Or we could just send her back without the talisman, 
knocking out the use of Cel Attraction to bring her here.  She hasn't 
seen much of anything.  And one less angel for you to have to worry 
about."

Wrinth says, "She still knows the place exists, and how to get here.  The 
agreement was supposed to be that we work out what's going on here 
together before anybody gets loose to get word to our Superiors.  I am 
*not* getting caught with my pants around my ankles if a flight of 
Malakim decides to show up here before we leave."

Draco . o O ( Gee, too bad for him about the whole Tsayadim thing, then. 
)

Jesdyn [to William]: Time out.

The GM says, "Yeah?"

The GM says, "(Really, this is supposed to be a straightforward bit -- 
Infernal Intervention, you lose the failsafe phase of your plan with 
Thais, you go and collect Draco, all are together.)"

Jesdyn [to William]: Alright. Ready.

The GM says, "Time clicks on again."

Draco wrinkles his nose up at Ekur. "Oh, did he figure that one out? 
Pity."

[ snip msg'ing ]

The GM says, "(Oh, and Draco can see Thais too.)"

Ekur says, "All right, if you really want the complication of a Malakite 
hanging around with you, I guess we don't have much choice."

Thais peers dubiously at Wrinth with a few eyes, while turning the rest 
to Neil and Ekur. "I'm not particularly in favor of this arrangement," 
she says, "but if both of you believe it's the best solution, I'll go 
with your judgment on the matter."

Neil notes that he /is/ empowered to hear confessions.

Neil tells Thais, "Blame Dominic, he said we should use him."

Draco [to William]: What would be appropriate wording for the Oath 
requested, under the circumstances?

Ekur says, "Well, the only other idea I can think of is to kill Wrinth 
and then try to sneak around this place without him.  And as tempting as 
that is, I think it would be a bit precipitous.  I think Wrinth would 
agree."

Neil says, "Cheer up. Wrinth might slip up -- he even forgot to bring his 
rapier. You could probably shear his face right off."

William [to fadethecat]: For the duration of this mission, you swear not 
to leave Utgard until at least one of the other three angels has.

Ekur turns his head to Wrinth behind the visor.

Ekur resonantes Wrinth just to get a bead on the situation.

"But it's so much /fun/ to kill him," says Little Rainbow Beholder 
Malakite, and shrugs a few eyes. "Fine, I'll put the responsibility back 
on Dominic's mission. I swear that for the duration of this mission, I 
won't leave Utgard until at least one of the other three angels here has 
done so. Happy now?"

Wrinth says, "Satisfied."  He turns and leaves the demonic fragment.

Thais adds, hopefully, "As long as I'm in public /anyway/, can I ride 
somewhere that I can see better? I mean, if I'm going all Kyrio with the 
eyes, I might as well get a view out of it."

Neil makes one of his vest pockets transparent from the inside.

Ekur steps out, following Wrinth.

Jesdyn [to William]: Set a penalty for the LD roll?

The GM says, "Everyone can see everyone again."

Draco perks up as Wrinth appears again. "Oh, /there/ you are. I've had 
the most interesting time on the other side,  but given the nature of 
this place, I'd prefer to know what you're seeing from now on. I'm sure 
I've been missing out on all sorts of information."

Jesdyn [to William]: And you realize you've set yourself up for FOUR 
nuanced resonances on every man or beast we encounter henceforth? d:

William [to Neil]: Hmm.  One-way visibility cloth.  Tricky.  Effective 
skill, hmm, 10.

Neil rolled 16 versus 20 and succeeded by 4.

Neil says, "Rats. "

The GM says, "Yeah, that's a little hard to visualize."

Neil says, "Draco, want to take a try at this? Trying to give Thais a 
view out so we can get her resonance."

Draco [to Neil]: Maybe if you had mirrored pockets, and then made 'em 
one-way mirrors... Though that might look a bit odd on a snake.

fadethecat [to William]: What's the penalty on that one?

Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: He stuck me with a -10.

The GM says, "She doesn't have to be invisible.  She could be, say, a 
decoration on Ekur's helmet."

Ekur hands his shield to Draco.  "I figure Wrinth won't mind having three 
riding angels and one bodyguard.  Let Thais just roam free?"

"Sure, I'll give it a try." Draco scrambles back up to his position on 
Wrinth's shoulder. "Did you want to take over the riding angel bit, 
then?"

Jesdyn [to William]: You haven't been stuck in close quarters with her. 
Counting on her to stay motionless AND non-demon-smiting seems a lost 
cause.

Draco juggles the shield with one little ferrety paw. "No offense 
intended, but maybe the Malakite should be, well, in a position to have a 
barrier between impulse and action?"

Wrinth points out to Thais, "I do know you're not formally assigned to 
this mission, so keep it buttoned unless you find out something really 
interesting.  I already know honor isn't in big supply where we're 
going."

<<GM>> This by meta-game way of not making fade have to play two PCs at 
once.

Thais rolls several eyes. "Hey, if you're not interested in what people 
have been doing recently and how those actions stack up against what they 
think they /should/ have been doing, that's your call."

<<fade>> appreciates.

Draco tries for a transparent pocket.

Draco rolled 9 versus 16 and succeeded by 7.

Wrinth says, "Just..." he handwaves... "Stay in the Elohite's helmet or 
something.  There ought to be room.

Ekur says, "All right.  Let's see if this Cel Attraction trick works.  
Once more into the domain.""

The GM says, "Right then.  Thais in Draco's pocket, Wrinth nods in 
satisfaction and heads back into the fragment."

Thais clambers back into Neil's now-transparent pocket. "Tiny Malakite to 
the rescue," she mumbles, and disappears inside.

[ GM rolls vs artifact's Power; success announced ]

Draco [to Neil]: One-way-transparent, I note.

William [to Draco]: The compass swings for a bit and then points *away* 
from the Domain, which seems odd at first but one quickly realizes that 
you have to do funky things to space time -- such of either as exist here 
-- to get to the dimension where you're headed.  You get a sinking, 
familiar feeling as the winds get harsher and the sky gets darker, laced 
with biting snow and dank smells.  After a few minutes of walking, you 
look up and find yourself in the leafless forest, face to face with Ekur 
and the other two.

-------------- Arc 7, Session 3 Close -------------------

Draco sniffles. Doesn't /like/ hanging around demons. ...or Malakim, come 
to think of it, so this is sort of a lose-lose Domain situation. At least 
the other place smells better. "I am highly entertained. Parallel 
Domains! I was so not expecting that."

The GM says, "One problem solved, information gained, a dark minor chord 
as the concerto draws to a close, and only 45 minutes longer than 
intended.  Nice and normal."

fadethecat has deleted all of their local references.

fadethecat does the happy gaming dance.

fadethecat says, "Are we gaming again two weeks from now? The, um, 17th 
is it? 18th?"

fadethecat checks the dates. 17th.

The GM says, "I will still be in town.  Y'all?"

Neil says, "I should be."

fadethecat should be.

Ekur says, "Me, too."

The GM says, "Good, then game it is."

The GM says, "See you then!"