StevenE materializes in a burst of blackness as he teleports in from elsewhere in the MOO. William [to StevenE]: 'lo. StevenE has made StevenE's local name Ekur Jesdyn materializes out of thin air. Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local name Neil Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local description A snake in the grass. StevenE [to William]: Yep. The GM says, "Good, good." [ snip some random table talk ] fadethecat swings into the room on a bit of rigging. fadethecat has made fadethecat's local name Draco William dims the lights, turns the wind machine on full blast, and calls for the prop forest. fadethecat has made fadethecat's local description An adorable silver-furred ferret wearing tiny spectacles, and a knit hat and scarf. Isn't that just too cute? fadethecat has made fadethecat's local name Draco The GM says, "To recap, you're all on the darker side of the Domain now. Wrinth knows about Thais, who has promised to stay put and keep quiet. Draco and Neil are riding shoulders, and Ekur is following behind in full arms and armor." Arc 7, Part 4: Forgotten Lives The GM says, "As you make your way deeper into the Domain, Wrinth gives you the basic rundown on the layout." Wrinth says, "There's a wild part of the Domain with forests and lakes. The lakes are poisonous. Monsters, too, although they seem to fear demons. As you go further in, there's a slick mountain range that doesn't seem to lead anywhere interesting. There's a pass through it with a masonry wall across it and a castle behind it. Hard to see the castle through the fog and snow that constantly surrounds it. The wall is guarded; I never got in there. There's a collection of buildings out front, mostly basic brickwork stuff. Most people that live there seem to have business with the castle; there are a very few demons that kept their heads down and didn't do much that I could tell." Wrinth says, "I never heard anything about a Tower or a connected Domain, so I presume they're keeping any deeper connections a secret behind the wall." roll 3d6 On 3d6, you rolled 9. William [to Draco]: As Wrinth heads deeper into the Domain, you get the feeling that where you're headed is analogous to the pass where the Tsayadite camp was on the other side. The GM says, "Trooping along, the forest suddenly thins out in front of you and you pause by the edge of a wide, frozen lake. A peculiar bungalow sits on the shore next to where you've come out; the wind scrapes snow along the ice quickly, and visibility is wide enough to see someone on the lake cutting a hole in the ice." The GM says, "On the far side of the shore, a dim steady glow of electric lights probably marks the settlement (Draco: it's in about the right place)." Neil says, "Thought you said the lakes were poisonous..." Wrinth pauses. "They are," he says quietly. "I have no idea what he's doing." Wrinth says, "Still, this could be an opportunity. A native alone, in an isolated spot... this could be a valuable source of information. We could rough him up easy." Neil says, "I should object, but -- Judgment. Demons. Go to." "Or simply ask questions," Draco suggests, from one shoulder. "...does this make me the good shoulder angel? I'm a little worried by that." Wrinth looks over at Ekur. "Tiebreaker vote?" he asks quietly. The GM says, "The guy on the ice is steadily sawing away at the hole." Ekur says, "Start by just asking questions, I think." Wrinth rolls his eyes. "Allright, we'll try friendly." Ekur focuses his resonance on the demon on the ice. Reaction to being approached and asked questions. Neil pings the guy while they're still a good distance away. Neil rolled 8 versus 18 and succeeded by 10. fadethecat [to William]: Presumably the uber-truth has worn off by now, and it's time for a reroll? William [to Ekur]: He's alert and aware of your presence, even though pretending not to be, and is prepared to respond to attack. He doesn't particularly want to answer anybody's questions; he came here to be left alone. Draco rolled 9 versus 22 and succeeded by 13. Ekur says, "He's alert, he's aware of us, he's ready to respond to attack. He doesn't want to respond to questions, so be ready to to go to plan B." William [to Neil]: The dude's name is Pirrek, he's originally from Tartarus and now considers himself to be from here. The only relationships he particularly gives a damn about are the occasional trades of information he makes with fellow researchers in town and in the castle. He answers to Mahuya when she demands something of him, but he resents having to do so. William [to Neil]: Most deviant act was capturing a dreamshade for his experiments a while back, but it's gone now. Dude preferred letting go and descending to Hell after a few of Pirrek's ministrations. Pirrek stops sawing and straightens up. He speaks in Helltongue, still looking away from you. Only Draco and Wrinth understand him. Neil murmurs to Wrinth, "Pirrek, another Tartarus transplant. Wants us to go away. Jumps when Mahuya says 'frog'." Pirrek says, Wrinth pauses on the ice. Pirrek starts to say something, and Wrinth cuts over him. William [to Draco]: This is probably the first time you've heard lies uttered in Helltongue with your Seraph resonance. Your head feels unpleasantly itchy. Wrinth says, "And speak English. I don't know why either, but these ethereals are to be kept informed while we go, so talk where they can hear." Draco twitches an ear, and listens. Pirrek gets an incredulous look and looks the three of you over. "English. Why you three so bloody important?" Neil sibilantly laughs at Pirrek. Ekur stands still, saying nothing. William [to Ekur]: His pride has been wounded. What's with Mahuya giving any sort of responsibility to stupid ethereals? Why's he being called in? Wrinth waits for you to say something, then fills in. "Yeah. They don't talk to me either." Ekur moves to emphasize to his relic sword and shield. Pirrek eyes them. "Look, I've got important research going on. I've got a witch ethereal anchored in that house who's going to get out of Trauma any day now, and I need to be there when she does. I can't just up and leave my lab without a decent reason." Neil pings Pirrek again looking for his relationship to the witch. Neil rolled 14 versus 18 and succeeded by 4. William [to Neil]: No such person. William [to Draco]: But he doesn't think he's lying. He just doesn't yet know that she dispersed in the last round of Trauma he inflicted. Happened a couple of weeks ago. Neil ostentatiously curves around the back of Wrinth's head, to whisper in the opposite ear, "He lies." Ekur walks around Pirrek, to get Pirrek between himself and Wrinth. Jesdyn [to William]: Hold on a second. Pirrek lets himself be flanked but openly pulls out a flask of some bubbling green liquid. Jesdyn [to William]: I can't see dead people in resonances? Or I can't do it on a margin of four? William [to Neil]: The latter, basically. I would say it might come up as an 'item of interest' on CD 3, since he's currently interested in the project, or on CD 5 as something he perceives important. CD 6, or crit, would get the actual history of the relationship. Draco adds, in Wrinth's either ear, "He doesn't know it yet, though." Wrinth quirks a brow. "Well, I hate to interrupt important research. Why don't we go take a look at the state of your studies? Perhaps I can get Mahuya to see reason." The GM says, "He grins." [ snip rolling; Wrinth critically succeeds on resonance, and Pirrek fails resistance. ] Jesdyn [to William]: Just out of curiosity, which Intervention is bad news for Wrinth right now? One, both, or neither? William [to Ekur]: Pirrek relaxes quite a bit, and you can tell that it's externally imposed. Pirrek says, "Sure, sure." He puts away the flask. "Good that you understand the value of research. Come on, this way." He heads back to the hut. William [to Neil]: If you don't know, I don't think I'm telling. :^) Ekur follows him into the hut. Wrinth whispers to Draco and Neil, "I resonated him, but it's a close thing that isn't going to last for long on a Habbalite. Stay sharp, he may get pissed if he notices when it wears off." Neil was just about to note he was keeping an eye on Pirrek, looking for signs Wrinth's prod was about to wear off. Neil looks at Pirrek again, trying to see what tipped Wrinth off about Pirrek's Band. William [to Neil]: I never got around to physically describing him, but as all demons are supposed to be in this Domain, he's in celestial form. Neil says, "Oh. Right." The GM says, "The hut is an honest-to-evilness gingerbread hut. It is trimmed with peppermint and lollipops. There are two rooms, both packed top to bottom with chemistry equipment: distillers, Bunsen burners, fume hoods, mixers, and flasks and tubes with various foul-smelling or colored liquids. The only pieces of furniture out of place are a chair in the back room with restraint straps, and an old-style potbellied stove. Pirrek points to the stove. "She's anchored there," he says. "Presumably where the kids shoved her in the story. Crawls out whenever she comes out of Trauma."" Pirrek says, "She exhibits the most intriguing reactions to effluent from the lake in various fractional distillations. Whatever thoughts the Technological pollutants are made of, the various essences, or Einzenkrgph..." he slips into a Helltongue dissertation on elements of thought and ethereal nature. Ekur, with head turned to Winth, says, "I still don't see why anyone trusts angels with important research. The Habbalah are probably all leaking their results to the other side." Neil cranes his neck around... and keeps craning it, rippling a twist down his body instead of turning back around. William [to Draco]: Your resonance rapidly gives you the rundown. So *that*'s what the syringes are for. Draco adjusts his scarf, and eyes the equipment in the hut. "Now that brings back memories," he says mildly. Pirrek pauses in his speech and waves his hands dismissively at Ekur. "Pfft, you know nothing. Heaven has no appreciation for proper research. All Habbalah are aware that the Princes of our Choir are among the keenest intellects in the Symphony. They alone have the perspicacity to grasp our insights." Wrinth looks mildly at the stove. "And Mahuya, yes?" Pirrek rolls his eyes. "Mahuya has gone mad. Slaying the Ice Queen was perfectly justified -- the woman was far too restrictive of research parameters -- but taking her place was stupid." William [to Ekur]: That rings a bell. You've heard of celestials trying to become Masters of Domains before. It never works, and the closest it ever gets is psychological damage, usually when the Domain has some Intrusive feature. Wrinth says in Helltongue, William [to Ekur]: You don't know why, but Pirrek has an old paranoia reflex triggered and hastily moves to protect himself. Pirrek says, William [to Draco]: "Research safety" is a code word that Tartarans spit on. He expects Wrinth to respond in kind, quickly. Wrinth says, "All right then." Pirrek frowns. William [to Ekur]: And grows a strand of suspicion. Draco [to William]: ...oh, I didn't realize /Wrinth/ wouldn't know that. [ snip msg'ing ] Pirrek says, "Well. At any rate, I believe I've described my research in sufficient detail. It's obvious I can't leave her here to escape when she re-forms, yes?" The GM says, "He looks to you three, especially Ekur, eyeing the weaponry again." William [to Ekur]: His motivation now is "get you out of here and report possible interlopers." Ekur says, "Well, are we done playing this game with this one? /You/ may be inclined to do that, demon, but I'd rather we finish what we were sent here for. He's insulted his direct superior in front of us, and that's enough of a charge to drag him off for a more thorough questioning." Ekur emphasizes the word "game" above. William [to Ekur]: Intriguing. Intimidation roll, to see if the nuance gets across. Draco looks to Neil. "Upon further reflection, I begin to approve of the plan originally outlined." Ekur rolled 13 versus 18 and succeeded by 5. Neil mentally flexes. Pinning someone without arms or legs will be a... feat. Pirrek jumps, startled. "Game?!" He looks at the three of you, counts heads, and connects the dots. "A Game triad? Oh, shit, it's going down, isn't it?" William [to Draco]: That is, he thinks the lab's jig is up, and the Game is about to shut the place down hard. Jesdyn [to William]: Which three did he count? The three ethereals? The GM says, "Yeah. The three 'ethereals' he apparently thinks are a Game triad." Neil . o O ( Hah hah. Vapulans adding two and two and getting three. ) fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Well, a demon he knows about brought in three disguised strangers... It almost makes sense! Neil lashes out and throws Pirrek to the floor. William [to Neil]: Jung Fu roll. Neil rolled 11 versus 19 and succeeded by 8. The GM says, "Pirrek is thrown to the floor by invisible hands and held there. Shocked, he does not try to resist." Pirrek cries out in Helltongue, (Draco: well, of course what he cares about is himself, but that's what you're supposed to say to the Game.) Neil coils up over Pirrek, and informs him he as been arrested in the name of Prince Asmodeus of the Game. Neil . o O ( Arguably, this really /is/ something Asmodeus would want done. ) Draco peers down at the demon on the floor. "I don't believe you," he says, "but I'll leave the resolution of this to my companions' judgment." William [to Ekur]: Pirrek believes his suspicions have been thoroughly resolved, and is deeply afraid he's going to have to answer a lot of questions about the whole mess out here. William [to Draco]: In English or, Helltongue? fadethecat [to William]: Remind me: can I speak in Helltongue without dissonance so long as it's not a lie? William [to Draco]: Correct. Otoh, to your knowledge Wrinth doesn't know you speak Helltongue yet -- not catching his 'research safety' phrase earlier actually preserved that, I think. Wrinth smiles in satisfied superiority. He dreamshapes himself a metal chair and sits down in it. Neil winds himself into a tight, circle on top of Pirrek, slowly slithering over his Celestial form. Draco [to William]: So, yes, English for the time being. I'll mark it if it's Helltongue. William [to Draco]: Righty-o. The GM says, "Over the course of the next hour Pirrek will spill his guts on what he knows -- general passwords to get past the guards on the outer wall, the keycodes to enter the chemistry labs in the castle, and the increasingly erratic behavior of the lab director Mahuya after this Vapulan lab group took over the Ice Queen's Domain. He seems to be unaware that the Domain has slipped into Utgard; there was always very little traffic with the world outside. Nor does it seem to have been a topic of conversation, not that he was privy to most social circles in the group since he left the slowly-maddening court." Ekur says, to Pirrek's first words, in Angelic, "In Angelic. That way we know you aren't lying." Neil says, "TIME OUT!" Neil says, "Are we working with some radically different language rules here?" Ekur says, "According to G:IN, speaking Angelic defaults to Helltongue-4." The GM says, "Demons can speak Angelic, at a penalty." Neil says, "My understanding was that angels can't speak Helltongue without one point of Dissonance per utterance, and that demons can't speak Angelic at /all/." Neil says, "Wow." Neil says, "Okay. I must've totally misread... everything." The GM says, "Angels take a point of Dissonance to *learn* Helltongue. They thereafter take a point of Dissonance if they *lie* with it -- two, of course, if they're a Seraph." The GM says, "There is, however, a subtlety of which Draco, having dealt with the Game for millenia, would be aware." Neil, corrected, calls time-in. William [to Draco]: That's a rookie thing to demand of somebody. Angelic is a mark of the enemy. Unless interrogations are mind-breakingly desperate, a Gamester won't demand that, and he'll deal with the consequences himself. That rule is broken sometimes, too -- but it's the exception. Neil . o O ( Hmm. If I can claim to know that, I've got an effective response. ) The GM says, "Of course, you can also choose to let Ekur's demand stand and see how it plays out." William [to Neil]: Lemme poke at your sheet to see what you know about the Game... Draco gives Ekur an extremely arch look, and clears his throat. Jesdyn [to William]: Not a lot, I was hoping Dominic offered courses on it under his general Earth-duty education. The GM says, "Default at best. I'll roll..." [ sbip rolling; announce SF(Game)_Default failed ] William [to Neil]: Nah, it's not a subtlety you're aware of. William [to Neil]: You work with Seraphim all the time, demanding truth of people seems perfectly normal. :^) Pirrek looks up from the floor, glances between Ekur and Draco, hesitates. [snip rolling; announce Acting_Wrinth succeeded ] Wrinth says, affecting impatience, "Just do it, unless your accent sucks." Pirrek puts his head back down and attempts it. [snip rolling; announce Pirrek_Angelic succeeded ] The GM says, "He stutters on a few notes, dropping into Helltongue to describe the passwords and a few of the more intricate political strategems played out in court, but he manages it." Draco takes notes. Draco . o O ( Hey, how come the Judgment angel pretending to be from the Game isn't the one with the notebook, here? ) Ekur looks archly back at Draco, and says in English, "Yeah, you demons don't like to demand Angelic. As the one Ethereal here, though, I kinda like to hear it. And, after all, he does claim to be an angel, so it's fitting." William [to Draco]: By the way, despite the slips into Helltongue, he's still telling the truth in those parts. fadethecat [to William]: Good to know. Neil . o O ( You take names. I kick ass. What's the problem? ) Draco tilts his fuzzy knit cap back. "Did you hear me object?" he asks, with a little ferrety shrug. The GM says, "After the interrogation seems to have usefully subsided, Wrinth says to Pirrek, 'Allright, stay there. We'll decide what this is worth to your sentence. Don't try anything stupid with the ethereal, he's the one with the weaponry.' He nods to Neil and Draco. 'Let's step outside, shall we?'" Neil slides off Pirrek and ambles out the door. Wrinth heads outside the hut and closes the door. "Okay, we got some useful info. Now we need to decide what to do with him. If we send him back to his Heart, he'll expect a pickup team ready to collect him." Neil says, "Either we knock all his Forces off or we scare him into hiding under his bed." Neil says, "Well, we could chuck him in the lake, I suppose. He might have an intriguing reaction." Draco smirks, but says, "It's a pity this isn't the corporeal. We could send him back to his Heart and he wouldn't know why there was no pickup team until he got around to waking from Trauma." Neil says, "We could just go back, go celestial, tell him how badly he's screwed up, and offer not to tell anyone if he hides under his bed until the Malakim come and send him to Trauma." Wrinth eyes Neil. "I was thinking you wouldn't welcome a good soul-killing, but hey, if that's a good option for you I'm completely up for it." Draco frowns. "I'd rather not head that direction if it can be avoided with some other method equally useful for our goals here." Neil says, "I filled in the blanks after his experimental subject didn't show up to my resonance. Judging people is my job. But I think it'll be too noisy to try -- especially if he goes all noble and gets a CelTongues off before he forgets how." Neil says, "So we need to make him want to sit down and shut up." Neil says, "Or hire him, I suppose." Wrinth hmms. "I think you're right." He frowns. "Be handy if he *did* have a Vessel. Maybe he does." Neil says, "Say, yeah. There's all that Clay floating around here." Wrinth says, "Though it still doesn't matter unless one of you three can descend to the Corporeal and have him follow you." Wrinth says, "Or get him there another way." Wrinth says, "Or... augh." Neil says, "If he's dreaming, we can discorporate him and knock him back into his Vessel." Jesdyn [to William]: "Go angelic and tell him to wait for the Malakim to murder him" is the best plan I've got right now. Does that sound workable, or do we need to brainstorm better? Wrinth says, "Unlikely. 's no good for long-term Marches operations. Your body's vulnerable. That's one reason why Soldiers and Sorcerers are rare here." skill 12 Tactics_Neil You rolled 9 and Tactics_Neil - succeeded by 3. William [to Neil]: Depends on how likely he is to refuse to play along and get off a message. Neil notes he still has Japanese Savior-Faire. skill 21 IQ_Draco You rolled 14 and IQ_Draco - succeeded by 7. skill 18 IQ_Neil You rolled 7 and IQ_Neil - succeeded by 11. Neil says, "I've got my Pokekite here." Neil says, "She could guard him. Seems a waste, though." The GM says, "Once you've ensured that Pirrek has a Vessel, you do have somebody on retainer who knows how to summon demons. And she's got a Cherub bodyguard." William suddenly worries that that was too heavy-handed a GM intervention. Jesdyn [to William]: That's what happens when we PASS an IQ roll? A throwdown with Wrinth after we chipped his CelForces off is a bad idea, but a summons against a totally random Habbalah is a good one? Aaron'll tear my throat out. Jesdyn [to William]: And then I'll have to Judge him, and then he'll /win/. The GM says, "Allright, so you want to go with the going-angelic plan?" Jesdyn [to William]: I think so. The chance of harm to Dorotea outweighs the possible gains. Neil turns to Wrinth. "We're going to have to scare him, I think." Neil says, "C'mon." Neil heads back into the hut. Wrinth says, "Not only is shooting him in the head probably the better plan, I have a feeling that's what this is going to end up as anyway..." he follows Neil in. Draco says, "For once, I'm in favor of the shooting in the head." Neil stops halfway to the hut. "Ethereal trauma won't cut it, he'll send a Tongues as soon as he hits the ground. Are you that sure even four of us can celestially kill someone without a note of Disturbance? Neil says, "Because I don't like the idea of Vapulan with nothing to lose." Draco shakes his head. "Lack of clarity. I would /prefer/ the other option, but I believe that, given our goals, the one you stated works best. My apologies for the delay." Wrinth makes tactical calculations in his head. "I suspect he'll get a defensive Song off. He might try to surrender -- it *is* 4 to 1 odds -- but that puts us back where we started." Neil says, "Right. I need an overwhelming threat /with an out/, and I've got nothing but "you just screwed this up, so sit there until you die and we'll cover for you"." Wrinth shrugs. "We'll try it your way. Like I said, I expect it'll end up my way anyway when he refuses." Neil goes back into the hut. "Pirrek! Thanks a lot for waiting. Good news and bad news." Neil cheerfully launches into his spiel, forgetting to warn Ekur of the change of plans. Neil says, "Good news is, you're not going to be tortured or interrogated any more than your filthy Prince would normally do so. The bad news is, we're not a triad of the Game, quite." Neil ascends to his celestial form, and says in Angelic, "We need to talk." Pirrek eyes Neil, then Ekur. Then he *eyes* Wrinth. Wrinth chirps, "I'm the real deal. You may properly now assume that you are involved in Legion-Level Deep Shit[tm]." The [tm] is audible. William [to Ekur]: Pirrek is nervous but is, oddly, thinking this is kind of cool. Neil says, "You just managed to betray your entire operation to what we're going to call "the Advance Guard". We'd really like to make sure you don't tell anybody. You'd really like to make sure we don't tell anybody who screwed up. I think we've got common ground." Neil . o O ( You know, one of these days I've got to stop making deals. ) Ekur . o O ( Dominic transfers Neil to Trade. ) Neil says, "Our options are, we either celestially murder you, or you hide under your bed until the Malakim come and discorporate you. Got a preference?" Neil . o O ( Trade laughs with a slightly hysterical edge and declines. ) Pirrek thinks faster than he's had to in a long while. Jesdyn [to William]: I'm not sure how much my Angelic is leaking, but I'm pretty sure I'm good here. I said we're going to /call/ ourselves the Advance Guard, not that we actually are one, and if that won't fly then I do know about the Tsayadim wanting to flood over here. William [to Neil]: You're fine. Pirrek says, "I comprehend your dilemma. Allow me to present a third option. I hold the dubious distinction of being one of the many researchers throughout the course of history to have uncovered the Corporeal Song of Limbo. Until this instant, I always thought the knowledge would be quite useless.... but it *will* keep me out of everybody's hair for at least a few weeks." Neil thinks about it, turns to everyone else. "Sounds good to me. If it isn't Limbo he's singing, he'll be dead before the chorus." Pirrek says, "Believe me, it's better than a four-on-one fight or waiting for a team of Malakim." Jesdyn [to William]: Do I know how much Disturbance CoL causes? William [to Draco]: He's really trying to get this option selected, and he fully intends to go through with it if allowed. Draco says, "I have no objections to this plan." William [to Neil]: Nope. It's a semi-mythical Song that promptly sends the singer to Limbo. It's not taught because it's regarded as practically a synonym for 'useless,' like many other Song research dead ends. (The Song of Turning Things Bright Yellow, f'r instance.) Ekur says, "I have no objection." Neil says, "Just how loud is this song?" Pirrek waves a hand vaguely. "I wasn't around to hear the disturbance at my departure point, I'm afraid. But when I got back it wasn't the disturbance they were yelling at me for, so it can't have been much. Probably no more than the Essence it took to power it.' Neil looks to Draco, and assuming he nods, voices his consent. Draco does indeed nod. Pirrek sits back, begins chanting a slow, quiet melody, spending a fair amount of time building up to the climax. It's obvious he hasn't practiced this Song much and is trying to give it a boost. After several minutes of syncopated rhythm, he decrescendoes to a drawn-out note, then holds a fermata'ed rest... [ snip rolling; announce Pirrek_Limbo succeeded ] Pirrek is wrapped in a sudden lacuna in your perceptions, which stitches itself shut with a quiet clink of a couple of notes of Disturbance of a wavery sort you've never heard before. Neil says, "The day I learn the version of that song that works on others is... the day before Dominic's weekly visit, likely as not."" Neil leaps to Wrinth's shoulder, shrinking to a snake as he does so. "We done here?" Neil rolled 8 versus 20 and succeeded by 12. William [to Neil]: Neil is sublimely enshouldered. Wrinth says, "I think so, yeah. Let's hit the castle and see if we can get past it to find out what the hell's going on in that connecting section." Neil snipes, "I thought you were here to find what Hell's not got going on here." Neil . o O ( English-19, ladies and gentlemen. ) ------------ Arc 7, Session 4 Close ------------- The GM says, "Alas, my titles for the last couple of sessions haven't been fulfilled by the time we got through the day's scenes. Hopefully we'll come across the reason for them next year." Neil winces, since he soaked up a good chunk of the time today. "Sorry." The GM says, "No, no. Games have been eventful, and if not in the way I planned, hey, that means we're all shaping the plot." Draco is having fun! "And with the amount of gabbing I did last session, happy to let someone else do the talking."