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 Jesdyn materializes out of thin air. fadethecat has made fadethecat's local description A silver ferret wearing spectacles and a scarf. Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local name Neil Jesdyn has made Jesdyn's local description A Mercurian of Judgment, the IST Dark Humor is omitted from professional privledge. They really /do/ get to make those kind of jokes on the job. Arc 7, Book 2, Chapter 2: Down Into the Gray Waste The GM says, "You find yourself, once again without knowing quite how the transition occurred, outside the flowerbud at the top of the Ivory Tower. There does not appear to be any anticipatory presence nearby." Neil says, "That was... unsettling." Draco closes his notebook. "But informative! ...somewhat." Neil says, "Alright, so before we take our little side trip to Hell, we need to talk to the humans in this place. There's no guarantee we'll find our way back here, and I want names and addresses if we have to -- forgive me -- ferret out details of this arrangement later." Draco frowns. "Do we have time for that? The deadline we've been given isn't one I'd like to miss because we were busy tracking down more information on this setup." The GM says, "The wind behind the veil of mist whistles weirdly as you descend the staircase back into the Tower, discussing..." Neil says, "Dominic said he wanted information about the interaction of humans and angels. We can make it quick, but I don't want to tell him we went to the Far Marches and /forgot/ to do it..." The GM says, "Several floors below, you can see Emily in the same room off the staircase. There are no other beings here at the moment, and she is sitting crosslegged on the floor in front of her desk. She appears to be engaged in a classical old Lucid Dreaming exercise, maneuvering a little point of light through intricate patterns in the air in front of her." Ekur says, "We can take a little time, but let's move quickly." Jesdyn [to William]: I can't find my logs bookmark... got it handy? Emily looks up and vanishes the dot, standing up. "Can I help you?" William [to Jesdyn]: http://earl.of.sandwich.net/In_Nomine/Civis_Game_Logs/ Neil resonates Emily much more thorughly than last time. Neil rolled 8 versus 18 and succeeded by 10. Ekur zaps Emily again. Emily [to Ekur]: "You don't need those in here, by the way," she says, nodding to your sword and shield. Ekur nods. "But I will where I'm going in a moment." Emily says, "Aah..." (Still calm. Introspective, in fact. Any action?) Draco is...probably still resonating! Draco [to William]: Would you like a fresh roll? William [to Draco]: Yeah, for CD's sake. Draco rolled 9 versus 22 and succeeded by 13. StevenE [to StevenE]: Reaction to saying humans should stop hanging out in the tower. William [to Neil]: In addition to the previous information, you get the complete name (Emily Baker), that she's primarily interested in academic questions of the nature of spirits, that she's fairly well socialized in her communities of work and hobby, with a nuclear family. She regards family as the most important connection. William [to Draco]: CD 5 William [to Neil]: MDA, she assisted a demon-summoning once. This was over a decade ago, and has not been repeated since. William [to Ekur]: She'd disagree, and consider you ill-informed. Jesdyn [to William]: Huh. Did I get an MDA on the Wossname Flower Lady? William [to Jesdyn]: Mondkind? Teeeeechnically, consorting with demons. This is very faint, simply due to the fact that they've existed in her Domain for any period of time. William [to Jesdyn]: You're aware of how tenuous that technicality would be, by the way. Neil says, "We just had some questions about your work here, Emily." Draco scrambles back up onto Neil's shoulder to take notes. Emily smiles wryly. "I've met those looks before. You're either the deal-making type of demon, in which case there's nothing I want from you, or the spirits who claim to be angels and can be quite perceptive." She sits back on the edge of the desk. "What do you want to know?" Neil says, "How long have you been commuting to the Ethereal Plane? And how did you first get here?" William [to Draco]: I trust that gives you a sense of the boundaries of her level of informedness on celestial typology. Draco [to William]: Mm, yes. William [to Ekur]: She grows a thread of suspicion. Emily says, cheerfully enough, "Since I was dreaming in the womb, I suppose." William [to Draco]: Persiflage. She knows what Neil is asking, but wants to make him say why. Draco admires the combination of truth and evasion in that answer, and writes it down anyway. Emily bats her eyes innocently at Neil. Neil hmms. "Hey, do you know much about the demons or the spirits who like to call themselves angels? If you recognize names, this conversation might go quicker." Emily says, "Some. The books disagree on the names and relative rankings of the orders of each. The ethereals give us listings, but they can be a bit skewed." Emily nods at Ekur. "I know that one's an angel, but I don't think I've got the name right. The spirits call them Elohim, which is a name of God." Emily [to Ekur]: You wouldn't be so obliging as to clear the matter up, would you? I'd be in your debt. Neil says, "Well, here's the score. Beleth -- the Demon Princess of Nightmares -- is on her way here. Since you're not screaming in the grip of a horror only death can break, we'll assume she hasn't made it yet." Emily frowns. "Her, I've heard of. The spirits don't like her one bit. Even the demons." Draco scratches his nose with his pen, and doesn't comment. Neil says, "We'd like to stop her -- we'll be happy to -- but that's not what we're actually here for. What we're here for is to learn about what humans are doing in this place. If it turns out that's going to take a while, then what I'm going to do is call Michael -- Archangel of War -- and let him know that there's a big juicy target out here Hell's frightfully close to claiming." William [to Ekur]: That worried her. Faith in Mondkind is one thing, but there are stories about a war, a long time ago, and an Archangel. Ekur says, "We do get called Elohim, in earthly speech. The more exact term would be [he says the name of the Choir in Angelic]." Neil says, "So what I need from you is a trifle -- just a brief outline of what you do here and where I can find you on the corporeal plane if I have some follow-up questions -- and we'll go get what Mondkind needs." Neil leans forward. "Or you can bat your eyes at Who Is Like God and see how that works out." William [to Ekur]: And now she's a little angry, because she thinks you three are pulling a Good Cop Bad Cop on her. Ekur puts his hand on Neil's shoulder. "Mercurian, are you sure you arenot letting your emotions run away with you?" Emily says to Neil, "So cards on the table about our operation or you'll turn the place into a war zone even the Empress might not be able to subdue, is that it?" She paces away, and spns back around. Emily says, "You don't belong here. Neither do demons. This is a place for humans and our creations." Draco: this is a matter of received belief for her, no word on whether it's actually Truth. "Call that Archangel here to fight with a Demon Princess and you'll make a mess worse than the last time a being of that order showed up. And we heard *he* got called on the carpet by the Archangel of Judgment." William [to Draco]: The latter part is legend among her group. Neil turns to Ekur. "Maybe, maybe not -- but we need something to take back to Dominic. And helping Mondkind sure looks important... but that's not what Judgment told us to do here." Emily says, "We're an order of dreamers. A few here, every hour of the night on Earth, keeping watch on this place and helping out the spirits who come here. That's what we do." Draco: received belief as well, and on the objective parts she is fairly well-informed as to the truth. Neil continues speaking to Ekur. "All we need is a good-faith offering from Emily, and we're on our way to go to /Hell/ to do Mondkind a favor." Emily says, "We don't mess with demons or angels -- if that's what you really are -- unless they mess with us. And the Tsayadim haven't messed with us for a long time. They come here for Clay, they can have it. There's more than we need." Ekur says, "Judgment did not say to try to intimidate answers out of humans with threats of war, either. Your approach has been unnecessarily harsh, and seems almost by design to cause discord. Re-evaluate your approach." William [to Draco]: There's a bit more to it on the demonic side -- Mondkind doesn't seem to be able to or care to stop the occasional Vapulan Shedite from possessing a human or a Lilim from getting a Geas-hook -- but the Order pulls together to try to solve those problems on its own. Draco is taking brisk notes, and staying /entirely/ out of this particular debate going on. Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: This would not be a bad time for you to broker some sort of... arrangement? Barter? Something like that. Exchange? fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Yeah, yeah. Lemme think. The GM says, "(Were those supposed to be IC or OOC?)" fadethecat [to William]: OOC. The GM says, "'k" Jesdyn [to William]: OOC, I finally got the dirsay to work right. After only a year. Ekur says, "In any case, ma'am, we are tasked with learning what you humans are doing here, and time we spend on that is time we are not acting in accord with the need and desire of your mistress, my sister. A breif but frank accounting would be immensely useful." Emily takes a deep breath. "I've *told* you what we do here. Humans dream up spirits. Occasionally, they come back here. Some of them are nice. Some of them aren't so nice. The Empress doesn't pick sides. That's not her job. The Order of the Ivory Tower, on the other hand, tries to keep the riffraff out of the human collective unconscious." William [to Draco]: So there's this whole story behind that last line, which starts with an image of that odd rectangular room in the hall at the bottom of the Tower and rapidly progresses toward fuzz from the ethereal god-mantle. There's some sort of transformational thing going on here that the humans keep an eye on. Draco sticks his pen behind one ear, and says, quietly, "Neil, is there any more that we specifically need at this moment? I think it would be wise to deal with the pressing matter and then return to questions later. We have gathered enough information to satisfy the basic requirements of the assignment at this point, and the other matter is more /pressing/." Neil turns his head. "That should be enough for now." Ekur nods to Emily. "I must say, it sounds a lot like my work in the Vale the last few millenia. I certainly would like much more detail later, if you would be so kind." "Good." Draco sweeps a tiny bow to Emily. "Thank you for your time. I would offer recompense for the trouble, but I believe the next item on our agenda should cover that and then some." Emily swallows, and nods politely. "I wish you luck on whatever mission Mondkind has given you." (She's deliberately not responding to Ekur's mention of more data later.) Neil speaks to... nobody in particular. "You know, if you actually prove to Heaven that humans are effectively managing the Ethereal Plane, I'd have an excuse to try to call off the Tsayadim, and get them back to fighting Hell instead of boogeymen." The GM says, "As you leave, several humans on the stairs outside part to let you pass. No one bothers you as you head to the bottom of the Tower." Neil . o O ( Is this a bad time to ask for a loan of Essence? ) The GM says, "Perhaps you could ask the Lilim standing next to a candle niche, regarding the structure in the middle of the main floor. Or, on second thought, not." The GM says, "(You saw no other demons on the way down, nor do there seem to be any in sight.)" Jesdyn [to William]: I'll ping her out of professional curiosity, but I don't think I'll bite that hook. Neil rolled 13 versus 18 and succeeded by 5. Ekur zaps the Lilim, too, en passant. Draco will...know if anything she happens to say in passing is the truth or not! The GM says, "She eyes you, tenses up, glances at your trio of sunglasses, then visibly makes an effort to ignore you and turns her attention back. All of these emotions are quite honest, and for the obvious reason." William [to Neil]: She's got a Helltongue name but gets called Chastity by her subordinates, of which there are a fair number. She's apparently an officer from the lab, presently reevaluating her social position. The GM says, "She does nothing untoward as you head out." Jesdyn [to William]: Hmm. The GM says, "(If nothing else for that encounter?)" Jesdyn [to William]: That's what I'm thinking. We could use a guide, but... The GM says, "Ah." The GM says, "If you stop and ponder, she'll turn and quietly eye you." Jesdyn [to William]: What's her MDA -- irredemably evil or something I can work with? William [to Neil]: Not awful, actually. She oversaw a factory in Tartarus for a while, with the typical regard of Hellish overseers for their soul-stock. Ran her portion of the lab somewhat similarly. She hasn't much dealt with humans. Neil . o O ( It's hard to believe I'm going to be nicer to the demon than I am the human... ) Neil murmurs to the angel on his left, "Someone broke our last guide... could we use another?" Draco eyes the Lilim. "You're the one who'd know if this were...appropriate." Ekur shrugs. "Might not hurt. Let the Trader negotiate the price?" Draco pokes Neil. "You revel in furthering those rumors about Judgment, don't you? But I'm willing to negotiate if you think it's appropriate." Neil says, "Let's see what kind of a deal we can get. We can always walk away..." Chastity says, "If you're going to mutter about me, I'd be happy to provide any information you require for an appropriate price." Draco flashes a bright, bright smile. "Marvelous. Let's deal." William [to Ekur]: Chastity is surprised but quickly relaxes into the familiar. "Allright. What would you be looking for?" "We could use a guide through a place you may be familiar with," says Draco. "And I do mean a guide, not a sketched out map. Interested?" Chastity quirks an eyebrow. "The caverns we all fell into when Mahuya bit it. Yeah, I've been there a few times before. I'm willing... but I'm not going to fight any of my old subordinates for you. And, of course, if I'm going to be consorting with angels it'll have to be worth Hell's while." Neil says, "Is that loyalty I hear, or are they just bigger than you?" The GM says, "The latter, hon. No such thing as loyalty." "Wouldn't dream of asking you to fight for us," says Draco cheerfully. "That never goes well. Worth Hell's while, or worth your while? With the recent shakeup in the area, I imagine there's an opportune moment for re-evaluating your priorities. Tell me, babe, how can we help /you/?" Chastity smiles at Draco. "You're fun," she says. "Allright, let's talk hard Geases. We've got a serious danger premium what with me running around with three angels at my side, not to mention that we've seen weird things happening in the deep parts of the caverns..." "Sad to say, hard Geases are out, unless they're pre-defined with some clear rules," says Draco, apologetically. "Regulations and all that. If we're dealing, it's going to have to be for something spelled out ahead of time. And I note that when it comes to weird things in the caverns, having three people with you is an asset. We're not asking you to do this as a one-person run with a single Mercurian tagging along. Guide, not bodyguard." Chastity says, "Conditional Geases, huh? Well, you know the deal with those, the self-geas will last you six months tops, so you'd have to call in sooner. Since that defrays my value, we can talk relics instead." Chastity eyes Ekur's equipment, and adds... "...depending on what kind of loot we find that hasn't been picked over yet. That'll require heading into the deep areas, though." Neil eyes Chastity thoughtfully. "How close are you to Free? I think I might have a letter of introduction stashed away around here somewhere..." "If you want a percentage of finds, that can be arranged, with a few caveats," says Draco. "I can't guarantee we're heading in deep, but I'd give it excellent odds." William [to Draco]: Seraph of Trade's telling you that if it's Geases, they'll have to be *something* Dominic wouldn't like in order for her to consider it worth her while. Allowing her to bond to a sufficiently valuable relic would be acceptable, with you being Geased to make up the difference if you don't find the kind of loot she'd want. In out-of-game terms, she'll settle -- with bargaining -- for 10 CP worth of relics, 15 if she takes any injury in the course of the work. That's in-game, something like "three enchanter-years" to "five." William [to Draco]: In Geas terms, a Geas/5 she'd be willing to split into three Geas/4, but the conditions would have be light. "No killing" is probably as far as she'd go. Draco [to William]: Hmm. Okay. Draco [to William]: Problem here is that Draco has no way of knowing what's actually going to be found along the way. What's the reading on her taking percentage of loot, given that we don't know how much it will be? Or 'up to 15CP, picking first from finds, with caveats'? Jesdyn [to fadethecat]: Of course, I /can/ absolve you of guilt from Choir Dissonance. (: Not that Draco would think that was a good idea. fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: Yeeeah, not so much. William [to Draco]: You simply insure that if what's found isn't up to snuff, you purchase sufficient gear later and fork it over. Of course, you'll want to keep first pick -- what Mondkind's sending you after may *be* a relic. Draco [to William]: I suppose it might help in actually divvying things that Elohite of Trade should let Draco appraise things fairly, at that. And, hmm, that works. Jesdyn [to William]: Out of curiosity, if we say no and take it on our own, can we claim relics we find without paying CP cost? William [to Draco]: As rates in Hell go, both your personal experience and EoT are comfortable with the terms she's offering. Jesdyn [to William]: 'Cause if we'd have to pay CP, we might as well buy 'em retail, and most of what we find will be Helltainted anyways. William [to Jesdyn]: Unbonded relics differ in their usability. A relic sword, yah. A Force Catcher won't work. Draco considers. "Given the hazards involved, I believe we can offer three enchanter-years worth of artifacts found along the way, though we'd get first pick. If we don't encounter that much to offer you in there, we can pay you the remainder within six months. Another year for significant damage taken if necessary. Fair?" Chastity says, "Could be some unique stuff in there, especially if any of it's demon-only. Make it two for injury, and we include Discord or anything that futzes with my head in that. This ain't a Vessel I'm wearing, after all." Chastity says, "And you get first pick, but I get second." "Reasonable," Draco says. "If we end up making up the difference afterwards, you have to come pick up the artifacts yourself, but we'll choose neutral ground with a no-combat clause." He writes out the terms of the deal on a piece of paper, and rips it from his notebook. "I'll need your signature, for my records." The GM says, "The paper gives Chastity pause, but she nods and signs it." Chastity clicks the pen and vanishes it. "And I'll need yours. Glasses off, look me in the eye, and promise to stick to the terms of the deal." The GM says, "She looks at all three of you for that one." Draco taps his sunglasses, and they shade back to clear spectacles. "I swear to abide by the terms of this agreement, so far as I am able," he says. Jesdyn [to William]: What game mechnicals are in play here? William [to Jesdyn]: You will be willingly failing to resist the settlement of an active Geas in the negative sense, promising not to break contract. The Geas will be at level 4; no points need be otherwise noted, since it is temporary and will vanish when the terms are fulfilled, essentially when payment is made for services rendered. Ekur's sunglasses disappear, and says, "I agree to the terms, as negotiated and signed, and will fulfill them as best I am able." Neil gives the same wording -- her getting loot versus other agents of Hell getting loot is neutral in Heaven's eyes. Chastity does the same, with the wording, "I will guide you accurately and safely to the best of my knowledge." The GM says, "Uncontested, but jut in case of Interventions..." [ snip three Res_Rolls ; all succeeded, none critically ] The GM says, "Aw, no attention from On High at the moment." Chastity says brightly, "Well. This should be /interesting/." [ snip Lucid_Dreaming roll ; success reported ] Draco taps his glasses back to sunglasses. "I believe it should. Lead on, babe. Unless there's anything else we absolutely have to do before we head out?" Chastity dreamshapes herself into a nondescript human male form. "Nothing that I know of. Although if we meet any of my old buddies, let's not mention who I am unless we have to, mmkay?" She heads out. Ekur has his sunglasses appear back where they were. "Why shouldn't we mention a nice, helpful ethereal spirit we met? We're wearing sunglasses, which clearly shows we wish to have no dealings with Lilim of any kind." "Much obliged." On the road outside, Chastity describes the upper levels of the caverns. "Just beyond the gate there's an antechamber with several tunnels branching off. It's all paved with rough stone, I dunno, Mariel seems to have gotten a kick out of doing as little to the native rock as possible. There's a ring of chambers around the antechamber. We picked those clean of relics. One of 'em brainblasted a couple of demons before we figured it was broken and threw it back. A couple of times we delved further, but we heard quakes, so we figured the place was unstable. I never heard of anyone that got all the way to the bottom." Neil . o O ( Awesome. We're playing Nethack for Jesus. ) She waves her hands generally. "Opposite the gate there's a tunnel that leads down into a pool, looks like a remnant of the Styx that doesn't flow anywhere now. Not sure if there are caverns beneath. Damn thing's black as Lucifer's eyes and freezing, I tell you what. There's some kind of barracks off to the left..." She quiets down. You are approaching the end of the road, with the two gates. The Malakim guards who were on the side of the Heaven fence have planted themselves in front of the Hellgate, facing a human who is regarding the vista. Neil stops at the gates of Hell. "Daniel, Hutriel, you're looking a little short these days." William [to Ekur]: The human is *afire* with curiosity, but is also not an idiot. "Just making sure this human, who can apparently see the Hellgate, doesn't act on any stupid ideas," says the Cherub Tsayad. Neil is now much more interested in the human, and resonates him. Neil rolled 12 versus 18 and succeeded by 6. Draco [to William]: Incidentally, let me know whenever you want a resonance reroll. The GM says, "The human is another, low-ranking member of the Order. He turns to Neil and shakes his head wryly. 'I'm curious,' he says. 'Not foolhardy.' He perks up. 'Are you going in there? Would you be willing to send a message back?'" "Sure!" says Chastity. Neil says, "Shut up or I'll square the dissonance with Dominic." Neil sticks a thumb at Chastity. "Demon. She's with us, but try not to make any deals." Chastity pouts. "Spoilsport." [ snip Need_Reading roll ; annouce success ] Draco waves at the human. "What sort of message were you looking for?" The human eyes Draco. "Another Lilim? I, uh, think I'll take my leave now." He does so, dropping into his dreamscape and floating off towards the Marches mists. Neil . o O ( Another? ) Neil . o O ( Oh, right. ) William [to Jesdyn]: He thought Draco was another one. Draco settles back down on Neil's shoulder. "Onward?" Neil says, "Sounds good." The Cherub eyes Ekur and Neil and says, "..." ...no he doesn't. He bows, and steps out of the way. Chastity eyes the two Tsayadim as you pass... [ snip two Need_Reading rolls ; both announce passed ] "Boring Needs," she mutters. Ekur changes his appearance; his clothes go black-and-red, he suddenly sprouts black hair, and his face seems decidedly less pleasant. William [to Ekur]: So noted. (Easy roll, no need.) Neil takes the form of a featureless sphere. William [to Neil]: Of constant density? StevenE [to Jesdyn]: Frictionless? Draco eeks, as he's abruptly trying to walk on top of a sphere. He bounces over onto Chastity's shoulder. "If you don't mind?" Neil says, "Neil is neither dense nor smooth, so neither." "No charge," says Chastity as she walks through the gate to Hell... Neil . o O ( "OMG no charge Lilim DIZZONANZE, shouts the IN List." ) fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: You're lucky there's no fish command in this room. The GM says, "On the other side, the Symphony becomes a much quieter place. The gate creaks protestingly in its warped hinges and the sound falls dead. The stone walls curve up and close in; Chastity manifests first a bloody-red aura, then a staff with a glowing green stone atop it to light your way." Draco swaps out his sunglasses and knit cap for a yellow mining helmet and a pair of night-vision goggles. The GM says, "The cavern here is barely-worked, uncut pumice that crunches underfoot, gray and sharp. It catches sound and breath instantly. The Symphony is curiously muted; as if it were felt in the subsonics rather than heard." The GM says, "(Mechanically, you can recognize here that Perception is penalized for Symphonic purposes by -5. Draco, this isn't a general feature of Hell, but you vaguely recall it described for Mariel's Principality before Haagenti relocated it to Shal-Mari.)" The GM says, "As you turn another twist of the path, there is a flickering of red flame behind the opening to a cavern ahead, and the crunching of someone walking around on the stone." Neil bobs. As you round the corner, a Djinn with a flamethrower looks up at you. "I don't know any of you," he says. William [to Draco]: Reroll for CD? Ekur continues moving forward. "And you don't want to, either." Neil resonates. Neil rolled 10 versus 13 and succeeded by 3. Ekur zaps him. This still Marches enough, or do I need to roll? William [to Neil]: Low on the totem pole, and he doesn't care. MDA involves fun with zap guns and rebellious spirits to execute. Draco [to William]: Does the penalty apply to my resonance roll, when it comes to Symphonic purposes? William [to Draco]: Yep. William [to Ekur]: Hmm... nope! You're good! William [to Ekur]: He's debating... and falls on the side of sloth, since you don't seem to be marauding Malakim and there are, after all, four of you. Neil OOCly glares at Ekur. How come it's Hell enough for him to lose an argument about sending in Extra Mans, but Marches enough to let Mister Five off the hook? Draco rolled 6 versus 18 and critically succeeded by 12. Draco . o O ( Quick, talk about stuff we need to know! ) Draco taps Chastity on the shoulder as they pass the guard. "Tell me more about what's up ahead," he says. "As long as you're leading us that way." William [to Draco]: Wow, yeah, that'll last for the next fifteen minutes. And, hee. Draco [to William]: Hey, when you get the CD 6 Seraph resonance, you milk it for all it's worth! Jesdyn [to William]: That was a true crit? Wow. fadethecat [to Jesdyn]: 6 is a proper crit with skill 18, so. Chastity waves her staff with the glowy bit. "Well, now that depends on where 'ahead' is," she says as you leave the antechamber. "Here we're in the ring of chambers around the top. Directly ahead, there's that Styx pool I talked about." Which she's thought might connect to something, but has never been brave enough to dive into. It does. "Off to the left, there's a barracks down on the next level." It was for Mariel's Songmasters. "Down below that was some creepy bits, where light stopped working, you had to feel your way around." An experiment in sensory deprivation. "To the right below the main ring, not much..." Storage rooms, picked clean of usable relic materials, mostly small things like Lady Jane's Fingers, to her recollection. "No passages lead off of there." That she can see. In fact, there's a connection to Raphael's Cathedral-fragment that only angels can see. "Interesting," says Draco, taking notes briskly. "What is there further down? In the deep places." Chastity says, "I explored down past the chamber of darkness..." It's finite, there's one way out she found past the bottom, and more she didn't... "there's something in there that can injure you, by the way, I never found out what..." It's alive, but other than that she has no way of knowing what it is... "Hey, you're resonating me, aren't you? Trying to pump me, write it down, and then who needs me anymore?" The GM says, "Three Per rolls, please." Neil rolled 17 versus 13 and critically failed by 4. Neil sees /nothing/. Draco [to William]: Do I get the usual in-the-Marches bonus from Seraph of Dreams? William [to Draco]: Yeah, then the -5. Ekur rolled 7 versus 13 and succeeded by 6. Draco rolled 9 versus 23 and succeeded by 14. The GM says, "Oh, and..." [ snip Perception roll ; announce passed ] Draco sniffs indignantly. "After all the hassle of signing a contract and everything else, do you really think we'd try to ditch you? Better to have you with us than not, and what a pain it'd be to have to track you down to offer you the second choice. I'm looking for more information so that if something's about to jump out at us from the shadows, we're ready for it. I mean, I have to cough up more if you get injured, so I'm all in favor of avoiding /that/." The GM says, "Ekur and Chastity hear a note from a Song. Draco can hear it emanated from the Chamber behind them. Neil, you can hear it too, in fact it makes you jump!" roll 3d6 On 3d6, you rolled 12. Neil bobs frantically. Draco spins around on Chastity's shoulder. William [to Neil]: But fortunately, the only effect is to be harshly loud against the otherwise deadening silence of the Principality. You wobble, stunned, like a droplet of water in zero-g, for several seconds before you can catch your equilibrium. The GM says, "Hmm." [ snip Possibility roll ; announce passed ] Ekur does quietly say to Chastity, "Treason doth never prosper. What's the reason? When a Lilim has a Geas on you, you /have to/ pay up." William [to Draco]: You are able to make out a few Helltongue glyphs in the pattern of Neil's wobbles. "Party, "3 Ethereals," "Wizard," "familiar," "fighter," and something muddled. Draco frowns back to the sound. "Let's discuss it on the move, please." Chastity says, "Right, then... which way?" Neil . o O ( "Arf! Arf!" "What is it, Lassie? Blasphemous rituals at the Landry house?" "Arf arf arf!" "And I'm invited?! Awright! Black Shoggoth steed, arise!" ) "Deeper," says Draco. "The place past the chamber of darkness. We're not likely to find what we want in places that are visited often." Chastity turns to the left once Neil has settled down. "Stands to reason." Her staff clicks on the stone for a few beats. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me what we... you... are looking for." Ekur says, "I don't think we would be. Unless you're in the market for going Bright first?" "Depends on what you'd trade for the info," Draco says. "At the moment? Let's just keep an eye out for anything that interesting." Chastity says, "That price is a bit high, yah." She rounds the arc of the top-level ring and slows as the room you're approaching off to the left houses the sounds of electric hums, pulsing lights, and the sounds of several voices. "I'm pretty sure I hear the *big* generator we had hooked up to whatever they're setting up in there," she says. "I... don't think we're going to savvy our way past this one..." ------------------- Session End ----------------------