fadethecat dashes in from the Gaming Floor. fadethecat has made fadethecat's local name Draco The GM says, "'lo." The GM says, "Is 'dash' a command that sends you to one room via all the intervening rooms, or just something you emoted?" Jesdyn materializes out of thin air. Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local name Neil The GM says, "Hoi." Draco says, "You can set your move-between-rooms verbs, in your @messages." Jesdyn waves at William! William is waved at! Draco says, "'dash' is just what I used for mine." fadethecat dashes to the Lobby. fadethecat dashes in from the Gaming Floor. The GM says, "Aah." The GM says, "Since Steven's downstairs and will presumably be coming up shortly, it's good to see everybody's clocks were set correctly. :^)" William slices open the box containing Ultra-Tech, blinks at the goodie inside. A card with the Blocking spells on it. StevenE materializes in a burst of blackness as he teleports in from elsewhere in the MOO. Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local description Younger than the oldest humans, Neil's still trying to understand the Symphony and his place in it. God made him a Mercurian and Dominic charged him with upholding Judgement in the corporeal world... but then the assignment changed. StevenE has made StevenE's local name Ekur William [to Jesdyn]: Actually, the wording was thus: ----------------------------------William-------------------------------- -- Dominic says, "All of you are wise enough to know that betrayal is a constant threat when dealing with Hell. Remember that the association is useful only insofar as his presence is required to assist your investigation, and make the angelic and human presence in this Domain your priority." Dominic says, "For the duration of this mission, Draco of Trade, Ekur of Dreams, I deputize thee as members, with Neil, of a Judgment triad for purposes of dealing with angels you may find consorting with demons... other than under these orders. My servant will instruct you on the basic forms and the standing orders for such missions." ---------------------------------finished-------------------------------- -- Done @pasting. Jesdyn [to William]: No, I was talking in the more general form of the assignment to Civis. The GM says, "Considering that there's still an angelic and an as-yet-unlocated human presence in the Domain... ah, that." The GM says, "The bigger mission. ;^)" The GM says, "To all, let me guesstimate about 10 XP for the previous half an arc." Neil . o O ( YES -- should be able to afford Reputation /and/ Ofanite of Judgment by the end of this arc. ) The GM says, "There are some things that can't be purchased here in media res, but the Tsayadim do have enchanters, Songmasters, and stores of relics. Alternatively, you might boost skill for anything you employed during the arc by a level, or consider that your missions have been gradually building up your Force potential until a new one is about to manifest (Force = 10 points; convenient, that)." William [to Ekur]: You're building up quite the store of points, and of course, it *is* part of your character that you've been seesawing up and down the Force count scale for some 20 millenia... Draco blinks. "...I hadn't realized I never got around to spending Draco's CP so far. He now has about 23. Huh. Maybe at this rate I'll be able to buy him something Nifty." StevenE [to William]: You happen to know how many I have? I've lost track. William [to Ekur]: I'm looking at 12 unspent previously for a total of 22 unspent now. Neil is now at 23 unspent as well. Ekur nods. Neil says, "Unless the Big D is going to show or the platonic ideal of Mr. Pulitzer happens by, I'm not spending anything." William [to Draco]: Back in Log 33 we were talking about CelTongues for you, and the possibility of a relic. Of course, tricky to pick that up at this juncture. fadethecat [to William]: Right. Don't think he's done enough for the Tsayadim lately that they'd just have something hanging around of that type. Neil considers investing in Will shackles. StevenE [to William]: Yeah. I'll take a third Celestial Force as life insurance, and let the other 12 CP roll over again. fadethecat [to William]: How much does a Force cost--wait, no, that doesn't increase Essence storage. Never mind. Neil says, "Cel Forces increse skill on Celestial songs, right?" William [to fadethecat]: If it's extra Essence Control you want, that's just 1 point per level. GURPS theoretically caps it at 2/3 HT. William [to Neil]: Yep. Jesdyn [to William]: Wait, extra Essence is /one point/ per level? Jesdyn [to William]: I'll take 23, please. d: fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Plus buying your HT up. The GM says, "To a maximum of 2/3 HT, yes." Neil says, "Ohhhhh. Phooey." fadethecat [to William]: I'm really not interested in buying that damn much HT, unfortunately. Maybe I'll look into investing in some reliquaries. The GM says, "Mwaha, another reason not to make HT a dump stat for a Marches game!" Neil says, "Mine's a 14!" Neil says, "Fleas /die/ when they bite me." The GM says, "Oh, and by the by, I figured out my little Charm problem without having to change any rules." fadethecat [to William]: Actually, I just consider it one more way in which the GURPS conversion is flawed, because it makes no sense that a character should require a /physical/ stat to store Essence. What do angels who never go to the corporeal do, just not have any? The GM says, "Simplest solution ever. The reason it's not constantly done? Most ethereals aren't stupid enough to go around challenging the Far Marches *alone*." William [to fadethecat]: Well, I know what the reason is meta-wise... tying it to Forces would mean mundanes wouldn't have anything for Impudites to snack on. fadethecat [to William]: But...that's canon! Humans are only /supposed/ to have a few Essence in them at a time. Neil says, "2/3 HT still means most humans have WAY TOO MUCH Essence capacity, though." Neil says, "Well, I guess they could just not buy the extra capacity." Draco says, "I just don't find rules conversions that change how a setting /works/ very convincing." Neil says, "Although if this is intelligent design God has a lot to answer for." Neil reminds himself to ask Jean about that. fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Given that in IN creation was pretty much designed by a committee of Archangels, it's amazing it turned out this well. fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: We're probably lucky the rest of 'em voted down David's plan to give everyone shells. The GM says, "The shells are, however, to be available once Jean starts releasing the biomods." The GM says, "(Anybody else suddenly recall the TMNT movie coming up?)" Neil heh. Only now that you mention it. Draco hee. Yes. The GM says, "...dude. Of course. That's *totally* what David's Cherub form needs to have been. It's slow, it's wise, it's protective, and it's a house that he made himself and carries with him. Of *course* David would have been a tortoise." Neil says, "Hey, I saw a horrible thing posted online somewhere. It's now been as long between now and the end of ST: TNG as it was between the end of ST: TOS and the beginning of TNG." Neil says, "Feel old?" The GM says, "The shell would probably even have been stone. Maybe even metal and/or gemstone in some parts." Draco says, "Having never seen TOS, and only having watched TNG on tape... nope!" fadethecat [to William]: Makes sense to me! Neil says, "Cool! A shell worth thousands of GP! That means I can put David on the encounter charts." Neil pencils in "David, Archangel of Stone" as 95-97 on the Synnibar underground encounter table. The GM says, "... and we need to get to game soon, but this seriously means I need to make a quick note about writing up a Superior Relic: David's Castoff Shell. Which got left behind when he turned Malakite." William goes to grab soda. Last log is up for people to recall where we're at. Draco eyes her enormous bookmark list. "Someone relink me?" Neil says, "Ack, laptop still in work mode. Foxmarks transform!" Neil | http://earl.of.sandwich.net/In_Nomine/Civis_Game_Logs/ Draco says, "So we've topped off Essence /before/ heading off into the next part of the arc, it looks like?" The GM says, "Do you? How so? The Tsayadim might be convinceable, but they do have their own priorities at the moment." Draco says, "I thought were going to pretty much hang out for a few days to regen. And use any Rites available to build up that way." Neil hmms. "We don't know if Wrinth's dead." Neil says, "Although -- is Thais still around?" The GM says, "She left for Heaven with the biographies." Draco nods. "We got her offscreen to deliver stuff." Neil CelTongues Thais, asking if she knows if she still has a tag on Wrinth. Draco says, "And we don't know, though we can give the Tsayadim a few notes about demons left behind that we were personally aware of." Neil rolled 10 versus 14 and succeeded by 4. Neil says, "And I'm at zero unless she replies." The GM says, "Ekur can recharge daily with Blandine's meditation Rite, for 2/day, while Neil has none usable and Draco would have to be doing mercantile things with the Tsayadim." Draco is more than happy to sell things back in Civis to Neil for IOUs, at that... Draco . o O ( Though that is, perhaps, cheating. ) StevenE [to William]: 3/day. I also have the daydreaming rite. William [to Neil]: She replies, "Link's dead, which means he probably is. Has *occasionally* been known to get disrupted. Not common." William [to Ekur]: Ah yeah. fadethecat [to William]: Actually, that reminds me; if there are any interesting Trade Rites floating about that you'd recommend, would you send those to me? I don't recall how much they cost in G:IN, but they could be nifty. fadethecat [to William]: Er. Not this instant, but just, in general. Since Trade doesn't have an expanded writeup yet, it's whatever you would find reasonable. The GM says, "2/Rite, but, alas, we have no extended writeup for Marc yet..." fadethecat [to William]: Or if you'd prefer, I can dig up a few suggestions and email them to you between sessions. I do not mean to hang up game right now. The GM says, "'k." Neil says, "SOMEONE we don't want to see is going to come here, sooner or later -- Game probe team, Vapulan research team, Media vultures. Maybe even Dorotea." The GM says, "How long do you intend to spend recharging before you explore?" Neil says, "And if we stay to recover our Essence, at some point that's going to end up with Dominic asking me why I'm getting a tan in the middle of a Tsayadim encampment." The GM says, "(Assume game discussion is now on.)" Jesdyn [to William]: How close is dawn? Ekur says, "I suggest we talk to the Tsayadim about getting some Essence, and if we have to hang around a few days, I'll start topping you guys off." Draco says, "I used up nearly all my Essence on those Charms. If I want to be able to do the same again, I'm going to need to build up some more." William [to Neil]: Let's see... you spent several hours traveling from Civis to Frontier, Frontier to Utgard, trompign around outside the castle, working the castle, the fight was pretty short... most of a day already, so dawn is reasonably happening right about... William waves his wand. The GM says, "...now." Draco turns to Neil. "I don't suppose you happen to have an item worth ten million dollars or so on you at the moment?" The GM says, "The sky over the Heaven-side fragment of the Domain brightens noticeably, as do the angels inside it." Neil hands Draco Loki's crossword. William [to Ekur]: Meditating, I suppose? Draco [to William]: Will that qualify for the Rite? StevenE [to William]: :nods. William [to Draco]: I'm afraid not. There's no buyer, at least not at that level. It was last traded for a job. Neil says, "Loki was challenged by a barbarianne to a crossword puzzle. He solved it and rewrote it -- flawlessly, I'm told -- in idiomatic Futhark. If you can't get ten million dollars for it on the Corporeal, you're not trying. Although if you do, I'll -- err -- have to arrest you." Draco hands it back. "Given the lack of a potential corporeal buyer, I don't believe it qualifies. But it's closer than I expected to get." The GM says, "After spending the requisite time meditating without entering Beleth's realm, Ekur picks up an Essence. The Tsayadim have respectfully left him alone, but have asked the other two for as detailed a report as you'd care to give on what exactly had been going on and what happened during your trip; what all would you reply?" Jesdyn [to William]: Composing. Draco would defer to Neil as the actual Judgment Servitor first, though he'd be willing to give a highly detailed account of what happened, complete with transcripts of various conversations, if the Mercurian doesn't object. William [to Ekur]: Also, your time in the Far Marches appears to be an enriching and interesting experience. You feel an old familiar vitality of the soul coming back to you, a little, after the events of the past few days. (I.e., the Celestial Force decided to manifest fully during the meditation.) Neil replies, "A hungry demon was following the Supernova tether that blasted by here on the way to nowhere. He needed help getting in to the Hellside domain, Dominic gave it the okay -- we found Mariel's lost Cathedral and a Balseraph who was choking on apothesis. William [to Neil]: You enjoy doing that, don't you. Neil says, "We killed her, installed a hopefully more compassionate ethereal on the throne of the Snow Queen... and now we have to figure out what's gumming up the metaphysical works up yonder." William :^) Jesdyn [to William]: What do you mean? I like giving summaries in Neil's voice, yes. The GM says, "It's... true, but a bit opaque to someone not already versed in the details. I suppose between the two of you a complete account is given over the course of an hour or so." Draco has notes! He'll even draw adorable little diagrams of Angry Face Wrinth -> Stupid Face Wrinth to illustrate the high points of what happened. Jesdyn [to William]: Well, I was deliberately being opaque here -- that's pretty much what went on, but they're not getting more specifics unless *I* am. The GM says, "(Apotheosis, by the way, although choking on 'something very far from meaning', as apothesis would be translated, is ironically an excellent description of Mahuya's state of mind.)" William [to Neil]: Ahah. Okee. Jesdyn [to William]: I wanna know what they're doing, how many of them there are, how long they've been here, what they're doing with the clay, what their overall operations are, and I'll elaborate on /my/ side as much as they do on theirs. Jesdyn [to William]: Sides... Neil's a cop. /He'll/ ask the questions here. Draco [to Neil]: Does this mean I don't get to draw the Sad Mahuya In Ice picture? The GM says, "Actually, they are more than willing to trade information." Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Yes, as that will confuse them /even more/. Neil says, "Lucky we don't have Thais here. "Who I Killed On My Winter Vacation, by Thais, Angel Of The Sword, Age 8."" Jesdyn [to William]: Neat. Not wanting to subject you to a 45 minute Q&A, I'll just scribble down what I manage to get out of them in my notebook, if that's all right? Draco [to Neil]: Yes, but Thais would be as snippy as she gets, under the circumstances. She is pointedly not in favor of Tsayadim. Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: It'd be nice to have her agreeing with Neil again, at least. The GM says, "Sure thing. You get the full rundown of this base's purpose as part of the larger Tsayadim mission in the Marches, namely, to collect Primordial Clay from where it occasionally erupts in the Domain beyond this one, the one containing the Ivory Tower. The Tsayadim are prevented by the Mistress of that Tower from harming the (very few) ethereals there, and they'd never touch the humans anyway, so they simply look for the occasional unclaimed deposit. They use it mostly via alchemy to reconstruct Vessels that occasionally get lost, and enchant with it on occasion when they have a surplus." fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: You can commiserate with her when you get back to Civis, over a few beers. The GM says, "For a long while they were frustrated at not being able to enter the intervening Domain, but now they're talking about going out to where it's sitting in the Far Marches." The GM says, "As Ekur completes his first round of meditations, there is an eruption of Disturbance. Perception-minus-9 rolls, please." Ekur rolled 6 versus 9 and succeeded by 3. Draco rolled 9 versus 19 and succeeded by 10. William [to Draco]: skill 19 fadethecat [to William]: Thanks; I typoed 'skill' the first time, and got confused. William [to Neil]: You're rolling vs. 7 Jesdyn [to William]: No, I bought that off. The GM says, "...damn, I think I'm working with an old character sheet here. This doesn't have Jung Fu on it either." Neil rolled 11 versus 9 and failed by 2. Neil snaps his fingers. The GM says, "A'ight." Jesdyn [to William]: What's your email again? William [to Neil]: wjk150@email.psu.edu The GM says, "Danke." Draco . o O ( Total in-Marches Perception of 28, when not being used for resonance? Yeah, that works. ) The GM says, "Most of the Tsayadim note the disturbance. (The few who don't actually look rather sheepish.) Ekur and Draco also do. Ekur can tell it manifested from one of the bordering Domains. Draco can tell that it was the Hellside shard, it was relatively quiet, and it was a Song. Not one he knew, but it sounded aggressive." Draco frowns, tail twitching. "Someone's awake. Should we check that out?" Neil says, "There were lots of demons we didn't kill." Neil says, "I'm not sure finding out which one is a win for us." Neil turns to the Tsayadim. "We need to get going -- now. Would any of you gentlemen like to introduce yourselves over there, and generally distract them while we go on?" The Tsayad addressed -- by coincidence, perhaps, the one that had followed you into the Ice Queen's domain -- turns to Neil. "We've been unable to enter the Hellside shard. The Tower area, yes, but that's in the middle. You three came the closest we'd ever had, until I followed you there today. That *might* have changed..." he trails off thoughtfully. He turns to you. "Anyway, is there something we need to stop them killing each other off for?" Neil says, "No, but I don't think either of us want them doing it THERE. We soul-killed a Technologist, betrayed one of The War's most notable Marches operatives, and told everyone we were with the Game while we did it -- with Beleth wanting to kill us just on general principles, that's four Words who are going to be investigating, sooner or later." Neil says, "If you can run all those guys out of here, finding this place will be that much harder -- and if you sneak around like little mice when the teams DO come, they may never know the Heaven-side Domain exists at all." "A fair point," he admits. "And we don't want word of this place getting out -- but there still leaves the question of how we actually get over there." He eyes Draco. "Still have that Affinity compass we loaned you?" Draco nods, and holds it out. "Will you be able to get back there yourselves, now that you've followed someone once, or will you need more help? I don't think it's a good idea for the three of us to stay here much longer." He says, "I'll bring your input to my superiors first, to see what they have to say about our priorities defending this installation. If it's agreed to strike, then I'll try going across myself first, since I was able to follow you in; then a team can follow me, and repeat the process." He takes the relic appreciatively. Neil says, "Good luck. Can you let me know with a Tongues if you're not able to send a strike team? We'll need to know if someone's likely to be on our backtrail." He turns to Neil. "This I will do. Also... normally, descent to Hell is illegal without the permission of an Archangel; Tsayadim never pursue ethereals inside Beleth's Tower. May I ask your opinion on entering this fragment of a Principality, Servitor of Judgment?" Jesdyn [to William]: Case law check -- does my discretion extend this far? [ snip rolling Law_(Heavenly) ; announce failed ] Jesdyn [to William]: Failed at 16? Uh-oh. fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: I only have Contract Law, so...you're on your own. William [to Neil]: There are way too many variables running around Tsayadim for you to be able to render a confident answer. To hazard a guess... well, they're acting in pursuit of the last orders from their Archangel as they interpret them, so anything that furthers that mission could be said to fall under that aegis. William [to Neil]: But most dominantly, you're not confident of any answer. Ekur quietly ponders the situation, and consults what he knows of the law. StevenE [to William]: I've got a half-point in law, for skill 15. Neil murmurs... "Tricky, tricky..." William [to Ekur]: Which kind? Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Can I justify a second check at a penalty if Ekur can jog Neil's memory? Neil is rules lawyering. Hah, hah. The GM says, "Well as a triad the other two can outvote you if they come up with different answers." William [to Draco]: Areas other than your own are at -5 from your specialty. Ekur hmm. Didn't specify in the January 29, 2006 purchase. It was for doing things in Civis, though, so it would presumably be specialized for Civis. The GM says, "That's a default of your native realm, then -- Heavenly and would be Marches-oriented, so Tsayadim would probably be in the course. So, straight roll." Neil turns to the others. "This is tricky, and we'll need to answer for it. My hunch is that a quick smash-and-grab in a fragment of Hell so far away from the Obsidian Throne that you can't even find a Starbucks will end up working out. But it /might not/. It's to directly further our Triad's charter, though. Opinions?" William [to Neil]: You're also exceedingly lucky skill was 16. 17's a critfail if skill is 15 or lower. :^) Ekur rolled 12 versus 15 and succeeded by 3. fadethecat [to William]: I'll go ahead and see if I can come up with anything. Draco rolled 10 versus 16 and succeeded by 6. The GM says, "Ekur and Draco, perhaps being cautious in their interpretation, both would rather lean toward not doing so without more direct orders. Running after tricky personal interpretations of Archangelic orders that otherwise appear to flout Heavenly law is what makes Tsayadim in the first place, y'know." Jesdyn [to William]: I'm more lucky than that, then -- I was tempted to wave it off without a case law check. The GM says, "And the whole 'don't descend to Hell' thing is very important for young crusading Malakim. Also, well, young impulsive Ofanim, young idealistic Elohim, young infatuated Mercurians..." Jesdyn [to William]: Do the Tsayadim have young members? William [to Draco]: Plus, you know what the setting is likely to be *like* in a core part of a Principality, even if almost completely uninhabited... William [to Neil]: None whatsoever. What I mean by that is that it gets drilled into you from a young age. Neil says, "Ah." The GM says, "A few more Disturbances of Song ring out, and with the accumulating echoes everybody can hear what's going on. There's apparently a rather vigorous rearrangement of the org chart going on over there." Neil . o O ( Waiting for Ekur and Draco... ) Ekur says, "I would suggest that this pushes the line a bit far. The three of us, specially charged in this matter, can go in and find out what's going on, but the Tsayadim should remain here barring seriously exigent circumstances. Since the demons have been there a long time, this doesn't count. It'sd probably best if this Triad went over there now, though, since they are all clearly distracted." Neil hmms, turns to Draco. "One and one..." Jesdyn [to William]: Wait just a cotton-picking minute. Jesdyn [to William]: Weren't we concerned about them doing a bum rush into the domain using the affinity compass at the beginning of the arc? Didn't one of these clowns follow us into the domain? Draco finishes flipping back several pages in his notebook, and looks up. "I agree with Ekur. The legal ground under the circumstances is already complicated, and it would be best to err on the side of caution when it comes to dictates like those. Besides, even a disconnected fragment of a core piece of Hell is still...far too like Hell for entering it to be a good idea, under the circumstances." Jesdyn [to William]: I'm losing the thread -- did we only now finally establish it really was Hell? Neil says, "... and can I interpret this pause to mean I" William [to Neil]: There are four 'pieces' here. One is the bit you're standing in -- part of Raphael's old Cathedral. One is Hellside, part of Mariel's Principality. You haven't been there yet. One was the Ice Queen's domain, which you had been in, and which was faux-Tethered to the Hellside after Mahuya's manipulations -- which were unusual in their effects, nothing common. The fourth is the Domain of the Tower you've been near but not yet entered, which is where the Tsayadim have been getting their Clay. Jesdyn [to William]: Ah, okay, now I get it. Jesdyn [to William]: Complicated -- I didn't get that the Hellshard wasn't where we were before. The GM says, "Hence my desire to run a second arc, as there are enough plot threads left over to, as they say, knit a sweater. ;^)" Neil should get an audience with the Angel of Topography. Jesdyn [to William]: Mind if Neil belatedly realizes all that? The GM says, "And at any rate, standing operational procedure for Judgment is vindicated. Huzzah for the triad format. The Tsayadite listens to your input, bows, and goes off to talk to his superiors." William [to Neil]: Feel free. Jesdyn [to William]: That's what we're trying to /avoid/... Neil rounds on the two worthy Triad members. "What in Heaven's name are you basing that on? You both know about Kamaiel of the Waters, there's no way... you... huh." The GM says, "You are, at present, left alone, as the officers are collected in a tent and the rest of the troops are awaiting with some tension whatever new strategy this turn of events may bring." Neil says, "That Disturbance, it's not from a Domain of the Marches. Is it." Draco coughs politely into a wing. "Nope." Ekur says, "Sortof but not really? This is not the Marches as we know them out here." Neil says, "So. Guess we're down to three options -- sit here without making disturbance, go pick off the weakened victor in Hell, or head on to the Tower, optionally taking a Tsayadim scout and leaving them off the trail." The GM says, "(Waiting for you guys to pick an option...)" The GM says, "(I trust PCs never choose Option 1, but. ;^) )" Ekur pauses. "Let's see the Tower. We really don't have enough Essence to take on the Hell fragment, and it's somewhat questionable how legal it would be for us to even go there." Neil says, "I agree." Jesdyn [to William]: Can I belatedly claim the two Essence from the demon-smashing Rite, or is it a little late? Draco nods. "I'm curious, now that it's come up. We may find something useful in that direction." Neil says, "Dawn /has/ passed..." Neil . o O ( "Where's my Essence?" "Dunno. God's laggy today." ) William [to Neil]: Yah, it's a little late. Suppose Mahuya was just too out of it at the time to make it mystically satisfying. StevenE [to Jesdyn]: Probably DST. Neil snickers. Neil says, "Divine Savings Time?" Neil huhs. "Now THERE's a concept -- we adopt worldwide DST, and human belief and custom is strong enough to affect even /divine/ Essence flows." The GM says, "<> Totally had a thought about that. Suppose you could get groups of 24 angels together who went through Spring forward, and by consensus one of them could get an extra essence from the collective day they all skipped..." The GM says, "Anyway. To the Tower." Neil says, "Anyways, yeah, let's go tell the Tsayadim we're heading out, and if anybody wants to camp our backtrail we'd take it as a favor." The GM says, "This is noted. They mention that there's a guard on the rear of the campsite, which they're fairly sure is in sight of the parallel track in from the Hellside shard." Draco thanks the Tsayadim nicely for the artifact loan, before heading out. Sure, they were getting something out of the deal too, but it was useful. Good business relations and all. Ekur hmms. "I wonder if taking the parallel track from the Tower would allow angels to get into the Hellside shard easily. Or, vice-versa." The GM says, "As you exit the gap in the low stone balustrade at the rear of the campsite (ethereal images, please?), you see the two Tsayadim in question stationed on the inside of the Ethereal border. They are apparently oblivious to what you *can* see, which is a wrecked wrought-iron fence, with high spikes, its brass gate crumpled and wide open, off to your right. The paths from both gates converge on a trail through a mountain pass, which slowly curves up toward a wide saddle." Neil says, "Human, navy blue sport coat, slacks, white shirt, tie." Neil . o O ( Very tempted to stop and carve off a piece of the gates of Hell, but I /know/ that'd come back to bite me. ) Ekur How does one set your local desc, again? Jesdyn [to StevenE]: @ld me as fadethecat [to StevenE]: @ld me as StevenE has made StevenE's local description A heavenly Elohite in a crisp white linen suit, with powder-blue shirt and string tie. The shield and sword in his hands are a bit incongruous. The GM says, "In the middle of this is a sight to rival the Towers of Dreams or Nightmares: it appears to be a lotus carved of moonstone or ivory, wide petals open toward the sky, light by bright lights from plazas within the outer leaves, which reflect in pink and yellow dawn-and-sunset colors off the thin mist of the Marches. In the middle of this, like a stem and blossom, rises a tall, thin tower, rod-straight, blazing with light, and topped by a smaller carved flower, with terraces of leaves and petals." fadethecat has made fadethecat's local description Your average silver-furred shoulder ferret, wearing a knit cap and scarf. It's cold out. Ekur kept trying "is" instead of "as: . . The GM says, "The local Symphony has a most peculiar tone to it. Not at all unpleasant, but nor is it Heavenly, precisely. Mysterious. Tracks 2 and 11 on the Civis Mix CD, if you still have that. (Or the shortest and fifth-longest tracks, if my count is off.)" Neil mutters, "Lotus. Anyone up on Hindu mythology?" Draco shakes his head. "Only the edges of it, as it applies to ethereals and the Marches. I must confess, I've neglected the deeper study of corporeal cultures." Ekur tries an occultism roll, a theology roll, a Hidden Lore (Ethereal) roll, and a Literature roll. Ekur rolled 11 versus 18 and succeeded by 7. Ekur rolled 17 versus 18 and succeeded by 1. Ekur rolled 13 versus 18 and succeeded by 5. Ekur rolled 7 versus 18 and succeeded by 11. fadethecat [to William]: Is it worth trying Anthropology (Ethereals)? The GM says, "Sure, try anything you feel might work." Jesdyn [to StevenE]: Maybe I should let YOU write the crosswords? Draco rolled 12 versus 19 and succeeded by 7. Ekur says, "Oh, yeah. Anth(Eth), too." Ekur rolled 12 versus 18 and succeeded by 6. The GM says, "Okay, one sec, typing..." Ekur says, "Oh, and an AK:Marches, just in case." Ekur rolled 5 versus 19 and critically succeeded by 14. Neil tries Area Knowledge (Marches), which is LIKE all of the above. Draco tries it too, since everyone else is. Neil rolled 13 versus 17 and succeeded by 4. Draco rolled 16 versus 23 and succeeded by 7. Draco . o O ( Behold the group of highly skilled angels contemplating the lotus blossom. ) Ekur says, "Um. One last, a History (Marches)" Ekur rolled 6 versus 18 and critically succeeded by 12. Neil OOCly laughs out loud at Draco. ----------------------------------William-------------------------------- -- Ekur: Occultism: you are aware of the significance of the ivory tower as a metaphor for intellectual isolation. A brief analysis of the flower imagery suggests that it's merely decorative, actually; doesn't remind you of anything seriously related to plant-strand spirits. Almost more like Flower angels, except they'd have made the place a lot greener. Theology: nothing coming to mind. HL(Ethereal): This place is striking chords with what you have heard in one story and another about Repose of Midnight. The usual story about that place is that it's a transformational site where ethereals gain power, although other stories say it's where the universe was made, or where they come from when they're born and return when they die, etc. History (Marches): Quests for Repose of Midnight are a recurring theme in Ethereal society. The stories that get told are usually about people that *don't* find it... plenty of spirits disappear on the quest. Anthro(Ethereals) (Draco and Ekur): insufficient evidence to draw any firm conclusions about whoever constructed it, if it is at all constructed. It's awfully big to be anything but the Domain of someone on the level of a god. AK(Marches)(everybody): nothing relevant you didn't already know. It 'feels' like a place on the opposite end of the Symphony from the Volcano. (Ekur, additional): Long experience pulls a little thread at you. The entire structure is designed to draw the eye to the top. What's at the bottom? Finally, everyone also notes that the place is an ethereal Domain, not at all connected to any celestial object, and that as physics go, it seems to be notably permissive of flight. ---------------------------------finished-------------------------------- -- The GM says, "Mra. Skipped the lit roll, which is the big one." William [to Ekur]: There was a book out a few years ago which had Dreams rather intrigued for its interpretation of what seemed like the Marches at large, which it called 'Fantasia' -- 'The Neverending Story.' This looks a great deal like the Tower described in that book. Neil breaks the silence. "I... think we found the wall." Jesdyn [to William]: What's beyond the Tower? Ekur recounts the knowledge above to Neil and Draco. skill 18 Neil_IQ You rolled 11 and Neil_IQ - succeeded by 7. Ekur does this while looking at the bottom of the tower. "My," says Draco, admiringly. "I wonder how close it'll let us come." William [to Neil]: Light-reflecting mist obscures your view of what might be beyond the Tower. As you look, the mist roils slightly. You've seen Force-printers; it looks like what you get out of those, in this case from the Disturbance you're hearing from the Hellside shard. William [to Draco]: In fact, you're approaching its foot. The path is becoming a flagstone road, with stairs at the end to where the lotus petals join the base of the Tower. Neil says, "I wonder how long the Tsayadim have been keeping the Ethereals from getting here... hey, look at that. The mist is twitching when the Disturbance from Hell's first democracy hits it. Like one of those Force-printers I saw in the lab at the Tribunal." "The Tsayadim have not been preventing Ethereals from coming here at all," says a voice from the top of the steps. "The Mistress prevents them from bringing anyone to harm." Neil glances upstairs and resonates the speaker. The GM says, "Where you look, there is no visible presence. There is, however, a presence. It's simply not visible. Have you ever had a dream in which you were certain there was someone there, but you couldn't find them or see them? This is the archetype of that being." Ekur throws his resonance into the chorus. skill 18 Resonance You rolled 11 and Resonance - succeeded by 7. Draco turns his resonance back on, on general principles. Draco rolled 9 versus 22 and succeeded by 13. William [to Neil]: This being is named exactly in the fashion I just described; its presence *is* how it is regarded, and is the summary of its being. You may address it as 'Presence,' if you wish to be familiar, or 'Unseen Presence' to differentiate it from its brothers. The only relationship it cares about is duty to the Mistress of the Tower. It is from the Tower and has never left these grounds. William [to Neil]: It has never committed a deviant act. William [to Ekur]: The speaker is a spirit with a mix of emotional strands involving anticipation and worry. It does not personally feel these emotions at present, however, being motivated entirely by duty. Care to know a reaction? StevenE [to William]: Nah, not yet. Neil says, "That's good to know, Unseen Presence. Can you tell us where we've found ourselves?" William [to Draco]: He speaks truth insofar as he knows it, which is pretty far. He spoke to you not so much to convey this information, however -- he is fairly sure the Tsayadim *cannot* do anything about the nature of this place, not that way -- as to alert you to his presence. "If you have found yourselves," says the Unseen Presence, "you are very fortunate indeed. Many do find themselves here, which is the Ivory Tower, or the Tower of Becoming and Unbecoming, or the Place Where Thought is Distilled, or Repose of Midnight, or many other names." William [to Draco]: Of primary interest might be that 'many' is an understatement. Somehow, this place constantly needs renaming. "I have been sent," says the Unseen Presence, "to bring you to the Mistress. Have you any worries about this I may allay, or shall we proceed?" "Fascinating," says Draco, and glances at the other two. "I have no objections." Ekur says, "Let's go ahead." Neil says, "We're ready." The GM says, "The spirit walk... err... flies... err... telepo... The spirit shifts its position, and you get the sense that you are anticipated within an antechamber a short distance around the base of the Tower." Ekur heads for the antechamber. The GM says, "Within, there is a great hollow space surrounded by arches. The entire place is much less lit than the outside. Instead, what candles and lamps there are seem mostly to accentuate the depth of the shadows in the complex niches. There's a sense of closeness and warmth in the place, like burrowing under the covers on a cold night." The GM says, "In the enclosed plaza there is a small crowd, but of what it is hard to say in the dim light. There is also a structure in the middle, a very peculiar structure barely the size of a single room: rectangular, pillared, a dome above it. It has an entrance in front, apparently previously blocked with a stone that now sits off to the side." The GM says, "There is a great spiral staircase winding around the open space, and up this the Unseen Presence goes." Draco bounds off Neil's shoulder to follow on his own four paws, up the staircase. Ekur follows the ferret. Neil ambles on behind. The GM says, "The stairs go up past the roof of the dark room and pass by better-lit quarters. There are humanoid beings apparently meditating, praying, or drawing on the floors of various rooms. Some of them remain absorbed in their activities; some turn to watch you. They are of a variety of races, genders, and ages, though when they speak quietly it tends to be in English with an American accent, or Portuguese with a Brazilian accent." The GM says, "In one room you see two demons threatening a woman behind a desk -- they are sporting the Vapulan rayguns you saw back in the Ice Queen's domain." The GM says, "She seems exceedingly calm about the affair." Draco hesitates at the doorway. "What's this?" Neil stops, and quietly observes. "Since you asked about allaying fears..." Ekur rezzes each in turn, and their reaction to Ekur stepping in and asking if there's a problem. Neil resonates the lady and the group of demons-and-lady. Neil rolled 7 versus 18 and succeeded by 11. Neil rolled 14 versus 18 and succeeded by 4. William [to Ekur]: The lady is quite calm and slightly amused and irritated by the demons' behavior. She feels very safe. She would thank you for your concern and tell you not to worry, and anyway, you had best follow the Presence, who must have been sent by the Empress. The demons are both trying to figure out how they ended up arguing with a flunky and have just about had enough of this. They'd tell you to sod off. Ekur puts his hand on Neil's shoulder, and gestures with his head to indicate we should follow Mr. Presence, then continues following. William [to Neil]: The lady's name is Emily, though mostly around here she is called Teacher, respectfully, or Emily with fondness by her superiors. She considers herself a competent part of a small but important group with a duty to perform. She's from Miami. The GM says, "One of the demons attempts to unload on the woman. He instantly vanishes with a small pop. 'I *did* warn you about violence,' Emily says to the remaining demon. 'The Mistress has returned him outside the gate you entered. Now can we deal with your requests more politely?'" William [to Neil]: As for their interrelationship, the remaining demon is rapidly reevaluating who has the control presently. William [to Draco]: Emily was quite sure that's what has happened, because she has faith in the Empress. Also, your res is wearing off. You've been climbing for quite some time. Draco [to William]: Refresh time, then. Draco rolled 13 versus 22 and succeeded by 9. The GM says, "Neil, Draco -- following Ekur or doing anything to deal with the remaining demon?" Neil follows. Draco follows. The GM says, "The climb continues for some time. Perhaps the ruling deity here is the God Who Climbs. (1-XP ref)" fadethecat [to William]: The Blue Sword! William [to fadethecat]: Holy cow, nice. fadethecat [to William]: Or was it The Hero and the Crown? fadethecat [to William]: Well, they're awesome books. The GM says, "And 'twas The Hero and the Crown, yah." William [to Draco]: One of my first storybook crushes. Fell *madly* in love with Harimad-sol. Draco [to William]: I cannot blame you in the slightest. So /much/ awesome. The GM says, "You come out on the top of the blossoms you saw from down below. Something is visible here that wasn't from down that far...the cloud bank's ripples occasionally curve inward so far as to envelop the very top of the stem, which is itself carved in the shape of a closed rosebud, and large enough to contain a small room. There is a staircase rising to the base of this room, though it has no door." The GM says, "The Presence appears to anticipate that you will approach the doorless room." Draco bounds on up these stairs as well. Curiouser and curiouser. Neil . o O ( We've got something like 55, 60 points of Lucid Dreaming between us. This shouldn't be hard. ) Bet? The GM says, " Somebody never read The Neverending Story. :^)" Ekur has never read said book. Makes a Lit check. Ekur rolled 14 versus 18 and succeeded by 4. William [to Ekur]: You can't dreamshape yourself into this room. The last fifty feet of this trip always come as a gift. Ekur walks straight forward to where the door would be, and either into the wall or through it as may happen. Neil . o O ( Huh. A gift, an Empress, a place like Heavenly but as far away as it gets -- growth, flowering, ascension. ) Neil has added two and two; the fourness of that sum is yet to be proven. The GM says, "As you climb the steps, without knowing quite how the intervening transport happened, you find yourselves in the rosebud room. The ivory walls curve in and up, and in the middle, standing next to a bed and chair of white satin, stands what is apparently a human girl of perhaps 14." Mondkind says to you, "Welcome, angels who have come to this Tower through the darkness. Your arrival is most fortunate." Ekur tries resonating the girl, while bowing (respectfully, but not obsequiously) to her. Neil was guessing Eve; he'll bow-and-res as well. Draco stands on his hind legs, and doffs his hat. William [to Ekur]: A fascinating response. Mondkind has a deep and abiding certainty in... something... which steadies and calms her, in the face of looming disaster. Hope and fear in equal measures. Her current motivations and emotional motivations are the same (apparently, she understands herself quite well): both personal security and service to reality as a whole. These are aligned objectives. William [to Neil]: Your guess is both right and wrong. This girl, presently called Mondkind, or many other things, has no name, for she was born nameless and was later conceived as such; it was written so and thus it is, but since nothing nameless can exist in the Symphony she must always take new names freely given to her. She is known to very few people, who are deeply concerned with her welfare, and both of these things are as it should be. Both, however, have been changing of late. She has no close personal relationships, only necessary associations born of who she is and what she must do; the defining relationships of her life are primarily those with her mothers (*fuzz*) and her betrothed, Adam. William [to Draco]: And *you.* Oh you poor soul. William [to Draco]: We'll just get this out of the way: when Mondkind speaks, it is always in a key which in Angelic would read, "This is fiction, a story. However, it is meant to convey clear facts." Draco [to William]: Oh dear. Okay. Neil visibly pales. Mondkind spreads her hands wide and gestures, asking you please to sit. (There are chairs behind you now which have always been there.) Draco takes a seat as requested. Neil sits. Ekur folds into the chair. Mondkind says, "Thank you for coming. I have brought you here to ask you to leave." Neil . o O ( "ThankyouverymuchI'llbehappytogoodbye." ) Ekur maintains a polite expression for the moment. Mondkind says, "My understanding of things beyond my realm is limited, but as it affects the nature of this place I am fully informed. You bring a unique ability that has not before arisen, which I find myself constrained to request." Mondkind says, "To be specific, it is not before that there has come to me a servant of the Man of Letters who can reach the Inkspill that lies on my borders, possibly to remove it -- " she turns to Neil. "You seem somewhat peaked. Is everything well?" Neil says, "No -- nothing. Just thinking about something I just learned, Mondkind. I'm fine -- please, continue." Neil wonders how that came out to Draco. The GM says, "<> He's currently getting CD 5, so you tell us what you meant. :^)" Jesdyn [to William]: Everything but absolute truth? William [to Neil]: Yah. Jesdyn [to William]: Something along the lines of "Oh God and Barney Miller, what have we gotten ourselves into". Mondkind is a virtuoso of the polite fiction. She nods her head and continues. "You have seen that this Flower is currently intermittently within the Cloud. This is not the natural state of affairs. Nearly a millenium ago," and her tone becomes even more storyteller-like, "the natural functioning of this place was interrupted when two great tragedies occurred near-simultaneously, and the War came to the very threshold of this place. Knowing and unknowing are both part of Utgard, but in close proximity they contest and the strife redounds to the detriment of both." Jesdyn [to William]: "No, I'm not okay -- I'd be a lot calmer if your mothers weren't fuzzed, you weren't living in a Tower equidstant from two /other/ Towers of note, you weren't the girlfriend of Human Number One, and you weren't going all /mythic/ in the naming department." Jesdyn [to William]: That's the exact meaning, but I don't know how much translates to a Seraph. Mondkind pauses. Her brow furrows. "Though I honestly do not know why the Knowledge shard tarried long enough to conflict with that of Oblivion. Usually the transition is seamless," she says. Neil says, "We found and freed an Ethereal domain that was connecting the two. Cause or effect, I can't say, but the Domain has since moved on." Mondkind shakes her head. "That Domain came much later. I have not been renamed more than twice since it arrived, perhaps once. But what is is. Now knowledge of the Tower's existence spreads. My mothers both suspected, but today my dark mother stole a message flying through her domain to learn a sense of its whereabouts, and even now reads the liar/usurper to learn more. William [to Draco]: That is to say, underneath the layers of metaphor... remember the critical failure Wrinth pulled on an Invocation? Beleth got the memo. And as we sit here chatting, she's rending Mahuya Force from Force to learn details on where the Prodigal Daughter has got to. Ekur nods gravely. "We certainly need to correct the situation before my mother can reach this place." William [to Ekur]: Mondkind looks over at you, and blinks in surprise. "...we are siblings! We are, aren't we!" She giggles and hugs you. Draco oh dears quietly to himself, and makes a note in his book. "Complicated," he murmurs. Ekur hugs back, since it's presumably expected. "Half-siblings, really, though I now serve your other mother." Neil says, "So. Is there something cloaking your Tower we can fix, or do we need to move it? I've got a car..." Draco wonders if the Tower would fit in the trunk. It's a bit bigger than the usual helping-friends-move sort of situation. Mondkind nods grows serious again, standing up before you three. "A cloak is precisely what we need," she says. "And because you are the first servants of the Brightest Light that have come here capable of entering the shard of the Darkest Light, you are the first opportunity I have had to rectify the situation. From the feel of its presence on my border, I know the knowledge I need is there..." Mondkind says, "You must descend into the forgotten memory and find for me the power I sense there which will allow the Tower to be forgotten in the Marches." Ekur nods. "That would seem to be the wisest course of action." He looks to the other two, to see if they have any input. fadethecat [to William]: Any Seraphy clarification on 'forgotten memory'? Neil says, "Where are the humans from, and what services did the demons we saw seek here?" William [to Draco]: She also speaks metaphorically, in that the entire principality could be poetically referred to that way. She can't seem to help speaking metaphorically. Although there's a sense that it might be literal and she's not aware of it, though if so it would be more than a coincidence. Mondkind smiles fondly. "The humans serve the Marches. They sleep to wake here, and their order does its prayers, and attempts to assist my servants in keeping order within the Tower and its environs. I let them and do not direct them in any way." William [to Draco]: She honestly has no idea whether the humans are necessary or achieving anything. The concept that the Tower might fail completely seems to be something she can't conceptualize. Mondkind says, "Regarding the demons, they seem to regard whoever is in charge here responsible for their current predicament. They are in error on many counts... perhaps the humans will enlighten them." Neil says, "How long do you think you have before Beleth finds you?" Mondkind thinks. "Until it happens." Draco frowns over his notebook. "Then perhaps we had better begin on this before that happens. How do we descend into the forgotten memory?" William [to Draco]: The truth content of her last statement, by the way, is entirely encapsulated in its words. It's like things you've heard Yves say. Mondkind says, "I believe you passed the gate as you entered. If there is another way, I do not know it." Neil says, "Will we need to bring it back, or just release it to you?" Mondkind sits down. "You have reached the limit of my knowledge in the matter," she says. "My perceptions do not reach into the celestial realm." William [to Draco]: Enh... handwavey. She knows more than she thinks she does. But that's little help right now. Neil looks Mondkind straight in the eye. "We'll help, but we have to ask a price for it." The golden-eyed commander of wishes looks back at Neil. "And your price?" she asks. Draco . o O ( ...wait a minute, I'm supposed to be cutting deals around here! But then, he is a Mercurian, so it's okay. ) William [to Ekur]: . o O ("The presumption!") Neil says, "After we do this, if we ask it of you, you must expel the humans here, and not permit them to return. " Neil says, "Dominic sent us here to learn what contact humans, ethereals, angels, and demons were having in this place. We'll return with what you need, and then we'll find out what we need to know, and then -- we'll judge it." Neil says, "If Beleth herself wasn't after you, we wouldn't have to ask this of you -- we could afford to act more slowly." She quirks an eyebrow. "That you must convince the humans of, if you wish it. At present, I have no more power to command or expel these humans than they would have to summon you. They were the ones who built this Tower, not me -- and they circumscribe my abilities as much as my last Namer did." Neil . o O ( That's... not what I expected to hear. ) William [to Draco]: "They" built this in the metaphorical sense; ancient humans formed this place. Klaus Doldinger literally gave the Tower its most recent appearance and Mondkind's personality. William [to Ekur]: You, by the way, are reminded of the rebuilding of the Tower of Dreams after the First Fall. Humans built that one, too. Neil nods, slowly. "Alright. I'll want to talk to a couple of the humans on our way out, but if you'll allow us to return here, that will settle my duties to Heaven." Mondkind says, "That is easily done. If we are agreed, then?" Ekur resonates Draco, to see how he's reacting to whatever he's getting from Mondkind. Draco [to Ekur]: Curiosity and interest, with an undercurrent of excitement. Nothing to suggest he's leery of what she's said so far. Ekur nods to Mondkind's question, then. Draco says, "I do not object to this agreement." Mondkind stands. "Then let this story begin." --------------- End Session -------------------