fadethecat appears on the other side of a new smoking hole in the wall.

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

fadethecat has made fadethecat's local name Draco

Draco tries, yet again, to remember what last session's desc was.

William ponders flavors.  Vanilla Chai, French Vanilla, or Cinnamon 
Stick?

Draco says, "Since I think I redesced about four times between standard 
ferret and what I finally settled on."

Draco drools. That sounds tasty.

The GM says, 
"http://earl.of.sandwich.net/In_Nomine/Civis_Game_Logs/Session_046_Nov18_
07.txt is the last log.  Let's see..."

Asher arrives.

Neil waggles an arm, experimentally.

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

fadethecat has made fadethecat's local description A bodyguard so 
generic-looking there's probably a plain white T-shirt with a barcode on 
it beneath his black jacket.

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

Done @pasting.

William sees the waggle.

Neil says, "Just checking if I needed to @ln again. Looks like last 
month's held."

The GM says, "Gaming rooms must not be used much.  I'll try to remember 
to clean up this time."

Total: 9 players, 7 of whom have been active recently.

Draco says, "Thanks!"

fadethecat has made fadethecat's local description A bodyguard so 
generic-looking there's probably a plain white T-shirt with a barcode on 
it beneath his black jacket.

StevenE materializes in a burst of blackness as he teleports in from 
elsewhere in the MOO.

StevenE has made StevenE's local name Ekur

Asher has made Asher's local description A man in light blue scrubs, who 
cares about helping you... or at least, hopes you'll die on someone 
else's shift. Same thing, right?

The GM says, "Okay, recap:"

----------------------------------William--------------------------------
--
Problems in play:

     The demon Mephibosheth, last you knew a Knight of Nightmares, is 
messing around in the Domain, and needs to be stopped.  He has access to 
human dreamscapes to influence there.

     One of the guards under Rick (the ex-air pirate captain) in the 
violent-offenders wing is untrustworthy, and has reported at least one 
prisoner in their cell after lights-out, when this was false.  Rick 
himself doesn't seem to be on the best terms with his former crewmates.

     A guard in the nonviolent-offender wing was nervous when he saw the 
angels.

     Dr. Zebulon of the hospital has managed to stabilize a Fading 
patient, a rarity.  The patient is said to be an anime character.  Ekur 
and Neil have both expressed interest in speaking to him, and Draco in 
generally following the others' lead and resonating everything said.
---------------------------------finished--------------------------------
--

The GM says, "Well.  And the general 'pit of horror' Mephibosheth is 
building over in Death Row, going under the heading of 'needs to be 
stopped.'"

The GM says, "Since we spent a lot of time with Ekur and Draco last 
session, why don't we start off with the next day (tot up another Essence 
there) and Neil in the hospital?"

Neil remembers picking a V-name, but not which.

The GM says, "Voorhees."

fadethecat [to William]: Quick check: we're pretty sure it's Meph that 
Ekur tossed out of a dream while in Death Row, right?

Neil says, "Right, thanks."

William [to fadethecat]: Very.  When he popped out of the dreamscape and 
faded to wakefulness, you recognized his celestial shadow on the exit.

The GM says, "Hmm... actually..."

[snip roll Perception; announce succeeded.]

William [to fadethecat]: It may be a minor thing -- a lot of demons have 
them -- but on that celestial form, you did manage to catch a glimpse of 
an active Geas or two.  Might be immediately relevant, might be a red 
herring of an old debt.

fadethecat [to William]: Oo. So noted.

-------------------- Session 47 Start ----------------------------

The GM says, "It is the next morning after your meeting.  Guards make the 
rounds of cells, waking up prisoners from dispersal and collecting the 
midnight Essence.  ("They're kept empty," Yazz explains, "for safety."  
Various staff members collect the stuff, pay debts in town and elsewhere, 
and so forth.)  Neil, you and the rest of the doctors are topped off, 
with the expectation that if you need to do a lot of Healing more is 
available.  Ekur, you aren't but have a 'credit line' should it be 
necessary."

Asher [to William]: Meant to ask -- what precisely IS "salary" here? 

Asher [to William]: Not that I'm terribly interested in collecting it, 
but what beyond safety can a place like this offer me?

Neil says, "Or. Well. Offer Voorhees."

William [to Asher]: The Essence, including a research budget if you were 
so inclined, and an anchor if you needed one.  The work you do would have 
been noted as credit in the Marches favor-exchange system.

William [to fadethecat]: Come to think of it, since you insisted on truth 
you signed an actual contract and will be accruing such a favor account.  
:^)

fadethecat [to William]: Woo!

fadethecat [to William]: Though presumably a bodyguard draws less pay 
than a doctor.

The GM says, "Yes.  How much is very vague, though.  Barter of labor 
hours is quite a primitive means of Trade."

Draco makes notes for future reference about instituting a Heaven-backed 
currency for use in the Marches, to allow more sophisticated methods of 
Trade.

Asher [to William]: Alright, well, I'm waiting for a line. I could talk 
to Zebulon and see if I could get away with seeing his patient, or treat 
people as they come through -- there was a riot, wasn't there?

The GM says, "(Sorry, typing.)"

Asher [to William]: Some ethereals will probably have some damage and 
they'd FEEL better if they get a sling for a while, maybe.

William [to Neil]: There was!  And during breakfast you get your first 
patient.  A guard from last night comes in, sporting a black eye.  It's a 
minor wound, which could wait for today's Essence to heal up.

William [to Neil]: Rules of the Domain are, Ethereal Healing needs 
pantomime of treatment.

Williams looks over at you.  "New guy should be able to handle this one, 
eh?"

Neil nods, and takes the file from Williams, flips it open.

Asher [to William]: Name? I'm saving my resonance for when I get a hand 
on him.

Draco <ooc> goes a little cross-eyed between William and Williams.

The GM says, "This guard has no long-standing medical problems.  It's a 
straightforward flesh wound, of a sort he's had before.  Guy's name is 
Guy, French pronunciation."

Asher [to William]: Actually, is there any mechanical reason to do that? 
Can I resonate once, then reroll with the touch bonus?

William [to Asher]: You could, yes.

Asher [to William]: I'll do so.

Neil rolled 10 versus 18 and succeeded by 8.

The GM says, "The other doctors are making the rounds of their own 
patients.  Xeno is muttering at some sickly-looking Ethereal on an IV, 
while Zebulon is deep in discussions with the longhaired pretty dude in 
the purple uniform."

Neil waves Guy into an office.

Asher [to William]: What DO you call the rooms a doctor sees you in?

The GM says, "Office is fine, though in this case it's a bed and 
curtains."

Draco [to Neil]: Examination rooms?

Asher [to fadethecat]: That sounds right, yes.

William [to Neil]: Guy is an immigrant currently anchored in the guard 
barracks with an unremarkable history of bumming around until he got a 
recruitment call from Jane and Yazz for bodies.  He's spent several years 
here doing this thing.  Most deviant act is taking out a bit more 
frustration on recalcitrant prisoners than he really ought to have, a 
time or two.

Neil motions for Guy to sit, and takes his head, turning it from side to 
side to make sure nothing's strained.

Neil rolled 9 versus 20 and succeeded by 11.

Neil . o O ( That was the second resonance. )

Neil says, "Nasty scrape there. Not the first time someone's landed a 
blow, is it? We can fix that right up."

The GM says, "Same as before, and you also get that he was starting to 
get a little restless about looking for a new job before these recent 
developments, which has made him close ranks with the other guards and 
want to stick it out to see what's going on."

Neil turns to putter around with medical supplies while he considers any 
response the guard might make.

Guy says, "Breaks of the job, I guess.  They don't tend to hit very hard 
-- throwing a Will-War every week or so leaves them pretty soft."

William goes to check Neil's charsheet, acks.

Neil turns, and starts the Song while he daubs at any scratches with 
disinfectant.

The GM says, "The backup must have archived the wrong folder or 
something.  :^(  Could everyone please send me your most current version 
of your character sheet?"

Asher [to William]: I've got Eth Healing, and was going to ask about the 
extra time rules. No hurry, is there?

Asher [to William]: 
https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dnftwm8_0dpk52n&hl=en

Asher [to William]: You've got editing rights on it.

Asher [to William]: None of those scores and skills are out-of-date, but 
the XP figure is still pending.

fadethecat [to William]: 
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=asgtqhsr3nm_bcjkvv5g5fp9k

fadethecat [to William]: I believe it should be up to date.

William bookmarks those.  Thanks.  And no, no rush.  There's no line for 
patients; most were seen last night.

The GM says, "As for extra time, a minute will get you... +2, I think?"

Asher [to William]: Hmm. Can I sandbag and cap my CD?

The GM says, "I don't know what that means so I suspect not.  It sounds 
like the kind of thing a Virtuoso might be able to do."

Asher [to William]: "Sandbagging" is a term for performing below your 
performance.

Asher [to William]: I just don't want to perform to angelic standards.

fadethecat [to Asher]: On a relatively small injury, I /suspect/ it 
wouldn't be apparent.

The GM says, "Oh, pulling a punch?  Hmm... no, Songs are pretty delicate 
things as it is.  That definitely sounds like a Virtuoso trick."

StevenE [to William]: Not sure how current the character sheet is, or how 
much XP I actually have to add to it, but emailed.

Asher [to fadethecat]: I know, but I want to lay the groundwork for what 
happens if I get a DI and I have to tell God to ixnay on the gelanay.

Asher [to William]: Ah, well, them's the breaks. Taking the extra time.

The GM says, "DIs theoretically should never work out unfavorably for 
you, regardless of circumstances.  :)"

Neil rolled 7 versus 18 and succeeded by 11.

The GM says, "And one on Physician -- which you'll be defaulting, so 
that'll be 13."

Asher [to William]: Bleah. Anything I can do to boost THAT one?

The GM says, "Hmm... come to think of it, yeah.  It's only for image's 
sake, so use Acting instead.  You're not a doctor, you just play one on 
TV."

The GM says, "(17)"

Neil rolled 11 versus 17 and succeeded by 6.

The GM says, "Right then.  This ointment here looks like a plausible 
candidate.  One cotton swab and a topical application later, with a 
minute or so of humming and gentle handling, and the swelling has gone 
down noticeably, with a confirmed sensation of the actual Mind Hit damage 
completely healed.  All is well."

[ snip rolling Perception ; announce succeeded. ]

You notice Xeno watching you.  He listens to the Song and nods his head, 
but otherwise makes no outward sign of approval or disapproval.  He goes 
to another patient.

Neil says, "That should do it. Now, for form's sake, the most important 
part of your visit..."

Guy quirks an eyebrow expectantly.

Neil pulls a crossword off the prescription pad in his pocket. "The 
paperwork. Please fill this out in triplicate and return it to the front 
office."

Neil waves him out. "Go on. And... be careful out there."

fadethecat [to Asher]: That...that's beautiful, man.

Guy looks at it, then looks up at you.  After a moment, he nods, takes 
it, and heads out quietly.

Zebulon chuckles after he leaves.  "I wonder what he's going to do with 
it.  Guy can't read."

The GM says, "Zeb seems to be out of patients at the moment, and is 
watching you.  The patient he was talking to earlier is now hooked up to 
an IV."

Neil spreads his hands. "Wouldn't feel right to heal someone without 
annoying paperwork. How's your patient?"

Asher [to William]: What skills apply to assessing the health of an 
ethereal form? Some Diagnosis variant, or something more metaphysical?

William [to Neil]: Diagnosis and Psychology come to mind first.

Asher [to William]: Huh. Psychology would require being able to talk to 
it... do I even have a Diagnosis default?

The GM says, "Other skills might be creatively applied, although as 
nothing jumps out at me from your skill list the defaults on those two -- 
yes, both have a default, IIRC -- will have to do."

William checks his 3e book.

The GM says, "Either is IQ-6, so 12 for you."

Neil rolled 10 versus 12 and succeeded by 2.

The GM says, "A successful Resonance roll should, I think, reasonably 
provide a bonus on the latter."

Neil rolled 8 versus 18 and succeeded by 10.

The GM says, "Who are you assessing?"

Asher [to William]: The patient, while I wait for Zebulon's reply to my 
question.

The GM says, "Ah, you've gone over there.  Okay."

Zebulon says, "Doing well."  He beams.  "Better than anyone thought, in 
fact," he adds pointedly.  "If we can find him an Image-appropriate 
anchor somewhere I believe he's indefinitely stabilized."

The GM says, "(typing)"

Neil . o O ( Please don't be Goku. Please don't be Goku. Please don't be 
Goku. )

The patient's name varies from addressor to addressor; at present, 
Nephrite is most accurate.  Native to Yume-Tokyo, he has rejected that 
society and is currently in disfavor with it.  After a brief stint as a 
well-known figure, he has fallen from popularity.  He has a powerful 
enemy that considers him worth only occasional efforts to address, 
especially as it looks like he might be dying.  Based on your analysis of 
his character, you suspect his severing of his roots contributed to his 
Fading, but it's hard to say what might really cure it.  Currently, he's 
on a stopgap measure.  MDA?  In Judgment's eyes, his creation -- as a 
favor to a kami for services rendered indirectly to Hell.

Draco [to William]: Woah. Judgment actually considers someone's creation 
on the part of someone else to be something /they're/ responsible for?

Asher [to William]: Wait, WHAT?

The GM says, "Ah, unclear.  The work he did advertising his Image."

The GM says, "Which was tied, mythologically, to a kami.  He's now 
independent of that kami, who is miffed by the loss of resources."

Asher [to William]: Well, the man can use Ethereal Motion on a *jumbo 
jet*. That's something.

The GM says, "That would be Jadeite.  :^)"

Neil says, "Darn it! I KNEW I was getting it wrong."

The GM says, "Though bully for spotting the source material."

Asher [to William]: Well, I'd rather deal with Beryl than Metallia.

Nephrite sits up in bed, and half-bows, greeting you in Japanese.

Asher [to William]: Neil speaks that.

The GM says, "He does."

Asher [to William]: Just checking.

Neil replies in the same language.

Nephrite brightens.  Zebulon frowns... he doesn't apparently.

Nephrite says, in Japanese, "A pleasure to hear my homeland's tongue 
again.  Are you from there?  I'd assume if you were an assassin you 
wouldn't have displayed your origin so soon."

Neil waves the thought away. "No, no, nothing like that. I just picked it 
up. Good way to get a favor from some otherwise scary customers.²

Neil says, "Have you had anyone translate for you since you arrived 
here?"

Asher [to William]: For that matter -- how DID he arrive here? I don't 
think I know that, yet.

William [to Asher]: That's right, you don't.  Presumably, he's a 
prisoner.

Nephrite says, in English, "I speak some English.  We were planning on 
getting an American... umm... license, right... for the show."  He 
switches back to Japanese.  "If you're doing business with Yume-Tokyo, be 
advised that their masters are not the easiest beings to work for."

Neil says, "So I've heard."

Neil reaches towards the chart at the foot of Nephrite's bed, with an 
questioning quirk of his eyebrow towards Dr. Z. Assuming he gets a nod, 
he thumbs through it.

Neil says, "So how'd a nice boy like you end up in a place like this?"

Nephrite says, "The mistress of the city that houses this prison 
persuaded my masters to send me here instead of dismantling me when I 
grew aware and became independent of Zocho, the member of the Shitennou I 
was based on.  I think they harbor some hope that I would fade back in to 
him without a mythological root to hold me."  He nods at Zebulon, and 
switches to English.  "Dr. Zebulon has managed to hold off that fate, for 
now.  He holds my life in his hands, for which I am most grateful."

Asher [to William]: I'm not following your thinking. Should this be 
making sense to Neil? I figured the kami would tear him apart, end of 
story. Why did Jane go to bat for him -- and why are the kami PAYING for 
his stay here?

William [to Neil]: Jane's doing it because she gets paid for holding the 
prisoner.  She didn't know about him personally, she just signed 
contracts with the city.  The kami are doing it on the off chance that 
he'll fade out and re-merge with the spirit that spawned him, ending up 
controllable and useful rather than simply dead.

The GM says, "The payment is probably minor, per capita."

The GM says, "From Judgment's point of view, mind you, he's done nothing 
worth holding him prisoner for.  He deserted an army, but he never signed 
a contract to join it in the first place -- he was created as a member of 
that hierarchy."

Asher [to William]: That's what I was figuring. Looks like something I'll 
be taking care of. 

Neil . o O ( Probably, if historical trends hold true, with equal 
measures of violence, blackmail, and mercy. )

Neil says, "I'm impressed, Dr. Zebulon. I've never heard of anything like 
this."

William [to Neil]: According to the chart you're reading, Neph had been 
suffering some of the classic symptoms of Fading -- memory loss, Affinity 
reduction, and the like.  In the last few weeks, he has stabilized, 
albeit at a slightly less competent level than before, and is receiving 
diffuse Image Essence perhaps once a week in addition to his daily 
regeneration.

Asher [to William]: How is Lamont doing, back in Civis?

Zebulon nods, puffed up.  "We are most pleased with his response to 
treatment.  All it seems to have taken was a sufficiently accurate 
distillation of the appropriate diffuse Strand energies..." he goes into 
alchemic/medical speak.

Asher [to William]: I figure I'd have a professional reason to keep tabs 
on him, and if I've got an excuse to refer him for treatment...

William [to Asher]: Stable.  His invested image there, 'law enforcement,' 
is sufficiently close to his 'superpowered hero' Image to sustain him.

William [to Neil]: On the other hand, Nephrite's Image is nothing like 
'prisoner,' so that can't be it here.  Perhaps it's that Image Essence 
he's been getting, or perhaps Zeb's alchemy really is having an effect.

Asher [to William]: Wait, Fading can be stopped by Image adherence alone?


Asher [to William]: I thought it was an unavoidable consequence of losing 
human headspace.

The GM says, "Right.  The EPG goes into absolutely no detail on what 
stops Fading, but seems to assume it requires something external to the 
spirit.  When one is invested into a position in a Domain, the flufftext 
refers to it as 'the Domain began dreaming of me as [insert position 
here]', which I figure would go some way towards that."

The GM says, "The Domain is human headspace, and invested spirits of the 
Domain share that."

The GM says, "Not going to help if the invested position doesn't fit you, 
though"

Neil . o O ( Wonder if Civis could use a supervillian. The angel trainees 
need to learn how to *subtly* resolve injustices... )

Neil . o O ( Maybe not. I don't want anyone realizing *Neil* needs to 
learn how to do that, either. )

OOC What an Ethereal needs is a liferaft of reality to cling to.  Human 
contact and worship Essence is the most direct route.  Diffuse Image 
Essence is next best.  A position with a Domain, such as Mastery or 
investment, is probably pretty good.  Owning a relic or talisman might 
temporarily stave off ill effects.

Neil listens to Zebulon with half an ear -- maybe he can repeat all this 
to someone who could tell him if he's crazy or not.

You rolled 10 and Perception - succeeded by 8.

The GM says, "You'll be able to repeat the general theory, at least."

Dr. Zebulon runs out of steam as he gets called over to another patient.

The GM says, "(It's one of the other Faders... whatever the treatment is 
doesn't seem to be helping.)"

Neil says, "Well, Dr. Zebulon's treatment looks like it's helping, and I 
wouldn't want to give you anything to interfere with your treatment, 
but..."

Nephrite perks up with interest.

The GM says, "You saying this in English or Japanese, btw?"

Asher [to William]: Japanese.

The GM says, "'k.  Zeb looks over at his name but goes back to what he's 
doing."

Neil roots around in his lab coat and pulls out his old Japanese 
Savoir-Faire talisman.

Neil says, "Knew it was in here somewhere."

Neil says, "Gift from a teacher. It's peculiarly well-suited for you, I 
think."

Neil hands it over. "Consider it a loan until we get you back on your 
feet."

Nephrite takes it, astonished.  "This... this is a great favor.  I owe 
you a debt."  He smiles wryly.  "I owe many debts these days, but for 
what it is worth, I owe you."

Neil smiles. "Don't worry about it."

Neil takes his leave.

The GM says, "Nephrite tucks the talisman away.  Nothing astonishing 
happens over the course of the remaining day.  Ekur receives a few 
requests for visits, some of them simply curious about what he's here 
for.  Oddly enough, there's a message from town as well, asking if you'll 
be setting up any practice outside the Prison and if you have any formal 
training."

The GM says, "This gives you all several hours during which it would be 
entirely possible to slip away casually to one part of the Prison or 
another, should that be an opportunity you wish to take advantage of."

Draco intends to stick close to Ekur unless some good reason to do 
otherwise comes up.

Asher [to William]: I'm interested in rezzing any guards I missed when I 
ducked out of the tour; I also want to see the lack of expression on 
Ekur's face when I tell him I picked up another stray.

The GM says, "That's a good chunk of the guard population, in fact."

[snip 5 Resonance rolls; announce one critical success, 4 successes ]

Ekur . o O ( <OOC> There's got to be something in the Judgment rulebook 
against taunting Elohim. )

The GM says, "Most of them are straightforward rezzes; the MDA for the 
Civis-prisoner guards is often whatever sentenced them in the first 
place.  I'll be nice -- pick who your crit is on.  :^)"

William [to Draco]: And give me a couple of ambient rolls, as well.

Asher [to William]: In a perfect world, I'd've critted on that twitchy 
guard under Rick.

Asher [to William]: I don't know too much about the other guards; I don't 
want to use the crit on Bob or Guy, and that's all the guards I really 
know.

Draco rolled 14 versus 22 and succeeded by 8.

Draco rolled 13 versus 22 and succeeded by 9.

William [to Neil]: Dan doesn't *want* to be telling lies to Rick.  He was 
a good captain and he's still a decent commander.  But when you owe a 
Lilim for getting you out of the brain-eating zombie-movie Domain you 
were born in and she calls in the hook, and then provides you with an 
eensy little favor to keep him from noticing as you do just a little work 
passing her messages along...

Asher [to William]: I'll also follow up with whoever's asking about me, 
if possible, although it's a low priority.

Asher [to William]: Really. Looks like I better schedule a chat with Ekur 
and Draco.

Neil . o O ( Don't think Rick knows we're here right now. )

The GM says, "Not yet, no."

The GM says, "Evening falls.  The farm 'laborers' come back in and settle 
in for another evening of boredom after dinner.  The klieg lights go on 
and Death Row turns darker than it should again.  You three have a spare 
moment to meet with each other."

StevenE [to William]: Hrmm.  So we're not going to play any of my day as 
a psychologist?  Are we assuming that it was uneventful and 
uninformative?

Ekur . o O ( Or is this the day we played two weeks ago? )

Draco [to Ekur]: Believe it is.

Neil says, "Four weeks ago, wasn't it?"

Neil says, "Did I miss a session?"

William [to StevenE]: Well, you did want to meet Nephrite, but we did 
just cover a lot of that ground.

Draco [to Neil]: Four weeks, right.

StevenE [to William]: Okay.

William thinks about what an Elohite and a Seraph might add to that...

The GM says, "Psychologically, Nephrite is very isolated.  He was born 
with a prewritten history of serving and betraying his Prince, and during 
his core story served and betrayed his Queen.  He has a soft spot for 
humans that developed in the course of this, and given his makeup it's 
perhaps not surprising that he decided to turn tail on the masters of 
Yume-Tokyo when he got the chance.  He's a decent fellow, but by 
temperament not at all a reliable one.  Know what he'd really like?  A 
Naru.  Fat chance of that, though."

Neil notes that hooking sentient beings up with Naru Narusegawa probably 
violates his dissonance conditions. BOTH SETS.

The GM says, "Your medical skillset and Seraph resonance suggest Zeb is 
deluding himself about the efficacy of his treatment.  Nephrite owes his 
life to the machinations of a third party, who could, at present, choose 
to withhold those efforts.  He's not stable, just held in place."

William [to Ekur]: Specifically, whoever's arranging it so that Nephrite 
is reaping Image essence is most likely his benefactor at the moment.  
But he doesn't know such a being exists.

The GM says, "That's your read on him, at any rate.  Anything in 
particular you were looking to ask him?"

Ekur can't think of anything specific at the moment, no.

The GM says, "Okay.  Then, evening time.  And, btw... *checks calendar*  
FYI, Dominic is probably due in any day now.  Just so you know that's in 
the offing.  Also on the calendar, Dorotea's weekly visit is scheduled 
for two days away, with a rotation of the prisoners being readied for 
processing."

The GM says, "You're all in Ekur's office.  Dinner has passed, so far no 
riot."

Neil kicks back. "Busy day. We churned through the Songs today. Medical 
ward was quite a racket for a while.²

Draco scratches the back of his head. "I spent the day standing around 
listening," he says, "except for the parts where I was walking around and 
listening, or occasionally looking threatening. Picked up a few 
interesting notes, at least."

Neil says, "One of Rick's boys -- Dan -- had a Lilim get her hooks into 
him; he's passing messages for somebody while she distracts Rick."

You rolled 8 and IQ - succeeded by 10.

Neil says, "That doctor who thinks he beat Fading -- you know, Zebulon? 
Got him to give a short dissertation on his technique. Maybe one of you 
can make more sense of it than I could."

William coughs.  You realize, of course, a Lilim has to get a message to 
someone to activate her hooks.

Ekur says, "Nephrite doesn't, to me, seem to be cured.  There's some 
outside force stabilizing him, not Zeb's treatment.  At least that's what 
it seems like to me."

Draco says, "A Lilim? That explains the earlier quirk with that report. 
It's probably Meph on one end or another of those messages, or one of his 
minions."

Asher [to William]: Oh. Of course. She's triggering more hooks, isn't 
she.

Neil says, "I'm going to have to spring Nephrite, I think. Flipping the 
bird to the kami doesn't warrant imprisonment."

William [to Asher]: That would be a likely explanation for that 
collection of facts.

Ekur pauses.  "Or she could be using CelTongues.  Hmmm, no, /that/ would 
be gifting him with Essence, and a Lilim would want to avoid that, 
wouldn't she?"

Neil continues. "That Lilim... has a good racket going. The original hook 
was for getting the ethereal out of an especially nasty dream before he 
got his brains eaten.

Neil says, "You could rack up a lot of hooks like that, over time. 
Ethereal created in a nasty Domain -- you get the mark out of the Domain 
-- you sell the hook."

William [to Ekur]: There are a few Domains like that on Beleth's side of 
the Marches.  Handy source for expendable troops and time bombs.  They're 
"born" owing you for their escape into the Marches at large.

Neil ponders sneaking a Bright Lilim into one and doing the same thing. 
No way anybody'd ever get approval for that stunt.

Ekur says, "Springing Neph strikes me as a risk.  If he is being 
sustained by an outside entity, it could either be a death sentence or 
result in his being recruited by whatever it is.  Let's investigate the 
situation further first.  And that Domain recruitment thing is a 
relatively routine trick of Nightmares; they've got a few pet nightmare 
factories on their side of the Vale.  I got hurt pretty bad raiding one a 
few centuries back."

Neil says, "Yeah, Nephrite can wait a little while. I loaned him that 
Savoir-Faire talisman we picked up during the Supernova Tether business."


Ekur says, "Well.  Looks like two leads here -- Nephrite and Rick.  Then 
there's the running sore of Death Row.  Hell's insidious tentacles seem 
to get everywhere."

The GM says, "A dreamscape bobs into the room.  It's rather crowded."

Neil nods. "Spend tonight clearing it out again? Every little bit should 
help."

The GM says, "It bobs out again, heading for Death Row."

Neil says, "Nuh-uh."

Ekur follows the dreamscape.  "Yep.  And this looks like the time to do 
it."

Neil tries, just for the novelty, dreaming up a canvas harness and 
wrapping it around the dreamscape. Can they be restrained effectively?

Neil rolled 16 versus 20 and succeeded by 4.

You rolled 12 and Will - succeeded by 6.

The GM says, "Your attempt to do so runs up against resistance from the 
Master of the Domain.  No magicking things up."

Draco follows Ekur, turning on his resonance as usual in case anybody's 
about to start shouting things of dubious veracity.

Draco rolled 11 versus 22 and succeeded by 11.

The GM says, "Yazz shows up shortly thereafter.  'Who's futzing with the 
rules?'  He eyes the dreamscape you're following, which is still 
meandering... obviously hesitant, as one could well understand."

Neil says, "Huh. Apparently the "Man" is keeping me down. Not a 
frustration I ever thought I'd share..."

Ekur starts zapping anything he can see in the dreamscape with his 
auto-resonance.

Neil says, "Sorry, Yazz, that was me. Trying to wrangle this dreamscape."


William [to Ekur]: The opalescent dreamscape is shot through with fear, 
naturally.  But, oddly enough, it has a driving purpose.

William [to Ekur]: The dreamer is strongly motivated by that fear, and 
has a very clear goal in mind, though what that is is not something your 
resonance accesses.

Asher [to William]: I can't imagine I can get a reading on it, but on the 
off-chance I can...

William [to Neil]: Not until you can see someone, nah

Asher [to William]: Figured.

The GM says, "It ignores the wall and floats into Death Row."

The GM says, "Yazz sighs and produces his key.  'I assume you're going in 
after him.'"

Neil says, ""

Ekur says, "I'd like to head in to clear out the place as much as 
possible in any case, but, yeah, I'm especially interested in following 
him.  A very purposeful dream."

Neil says, "'We rush in', and all that."

Yazz hands you the key.  "You know what?  Here.  Make copies if you 
want."

The GM says, "He does this after opening the door."

The GM says, "The dreamscape bobs toward, and enters, the same cell from 
which you kicked out Mephibosheth last night."

The GM says, "Several of the cells you cleared out are now empty (though 
this is the first time Neil has seen the place); some have returned, and 
some are populated with new Ethereals or dreamers."

Draco mutters, "Deja vu," and waits outside the cell.

Draco . o O ( Maybe I'll finally get to kick Meph in the face personally! 
)

Neil is looking around, and is Not Happy.

William [to Neil]: No... as a Mercurian and as a servant of justice, one 
would imagine not.

Neil says, "You described it, but... no, this isn't going to stand."

The GM says, "The death chamber particularly seems to emanate 
repugnance."

Ekur takes the key.  "Thank you."  Upon getting inside, he hands it to 
Draco.  "I'm going to head into that 'scape, see what's going on."

The GM says, "Unnecessary.  The dreamscape collapses as you open the cell 
(the same key works).  The dreamer is the same teenager.  He looks 
around, wild-eyed, and sees Ekur, who he lunges for and grabs."

William [to Ekur]: Auto-rez says this isn't an attack.  He's trying to 
get your attention.

Neil snaps back into focus and resonates the kid.

Ekur says, "What's the matter?"

Neil rolled 12 versus 18 and succeeded by 6.

The teenager says, stuttering in panic, "He says to say Mephibosheth 
isn't that easy to kill.  Do you get it?  Are you the guy with the sword?  
He says to say exactly that, that Mephibosheth isn't that easy to kill!"

Ekur nods to the kid.  "Yes, I understand.  I get it.  Message delivered.  
Neil, get as much information about this kid as you can, and as much as 
you can get about Mephibosheth.  Maybe both the kid and Draco, if that 
angle could produce anything on Meph."

William [to Neil]: This is Aaron Huntingdon, a son of Ivory Coast 
immigrants living in Houston, Texas, whose affiliations and interests are 
largely gang-related.  His current 'home' is Huntsville Penitentiary.  
His most deviant act is grand theft auto.

Ekur pauses.  "Me and Meph, too, might come up with something.  I have 
interacted with him, after all."

Neil smiles. "I think the phrase is, "Fear Not".

Neil says, "Now, take my hand, please. "

The GM says, "Aaron looks at Neil, and backs off to the far wall of the 
cell."

Aaron says, "I know this is Death Row.  I didn't shoot nobody!"

The GM says, "An inmate across the way laughs uproariously and says, 
"Yeah, we all innocent in here!""

Asher [to William]: Can Angelic be automatically understood? I can't 
recall.

William [to Asher]: Yes.

Ekur says, "Don't worry.  Neil here, he's talked people out of Hell.  
He's on your side."

The GM says, "Aaron's eyes flick to Ekur and back to Neil.  'You a 
lawyer?'"

[OOC] Neil says, "This is revenge for the crack about strays, isn't it.

Neil nods. "Yes, Aaron, I am. And I know you didn't commit murder."

Aaron shakes his head.  "They said it was my gun, but it wasn't."

The GM says, "A gun appears in his hand, and flickers back out of 
existence at a twitch of the head from Yazz."

Neil says, "Really? Did it have your prints on it?"

Neil takes a chance, and steps forward with a businesslike air, taking 
his hand and looking at it before he processes it as an unreasonable act.


William [to Draco]: Semi-true.  The gun was group property.

[snip roll, DX ; announce succeeded]

The GM says, "You manage it before he dodges.  He winces."

Draco lifts his hand into the air and does a "yes and no" hand-wiggle, 
where Neil can see it and the kid can't.

Aaron's reply to Neil's last question was by the way, "They said there 
was."

Neil looks deeply into his palm, and resonates Aaron and Meph, and then 
follows Meph's threads to the group of Meph and Draco and Meph and Ekur.

Ekur . o O ( Mulch.  Meph's in a real prison, then.  Or otherwise 
associated with a real prisoner, who may well be on a real Death Row for 
a crime he didn't commit. )

Neil says, "Penalties?"

The GM says, "On a second remove?  Hmm... you only get info so far as 
Aaron's involved."

William ponders.

Asher [to William]: Well, Aaron WAS where Ekur and Meph fought.

Neil sniggers. "If you call that a fight.

[snip rolling Resonance ; announce succeeded]

Draco never gets to kick Meph in the head. Sad.

The GM says, "Aaron and Meph, you get.  Aaron doesn't attach that name to 
anyone, but there's a figure he knows that Draco and Ekur would call 
that.  It's an authority figure with substantial control over his life 
currently, one he deeply fears."

Neil . o O ( So, roadtrip to Texas, pry the Shedite out of the warden, 
come back through Heaven and sign out the Gomorrah Protocols, return to 
Selkirk, remove Death Row, treat Yazz for shock, go home. )

Neil releases Aaron, and pins him with a look, switching to Angelic. 

Neil says, "Aaron Huntingdon, you are not guilty of murder... but you are 
guilty of other crimes, and it is through this guilt you suffer these 
accusations."

The inmate across the way pauses in astonishment.  "Sumbitch.  That's 
Angelic.  You're an angel."

Neil scratches his head under the halo that now appears there. "Yes, 
actually, but I didn't really think you'd recognize the accent."

Ekur says, "I told you he talked a guy out of Hell.  I wasn't being 
metaphorical."

Yazz eyes Neil.  "These inmates don't mix with the regular population, 
but you sure it's wise to blow your cover that way?"

Draco wanders over towards the inmate who spoke up, and asks, casually, 
"What're you in here for?"

Neil shrugs. "It's probably not a problem, Yazz. We're under cover mostly 
so you can continue operations. Meph knows he didn't tangle with a 
local."

Ekur er, doesn't say that.  Had his speakers mixed up.

Neil says, "And given Aaron saw through the "fear not" routine, finding 
out where he learned about that is more important than my cover."

William [to Draco]: The toothless hillbilly looks at you and grins a 
snaggledy grin.  "Makin' trouble."

William [to Draco]: True.  Sort of.  This ethereal delights in bringing 
grief to already-bad situations.  He finds the atmosphere here downright 
commodious.

Draco grins back at the hillbilly, a little too toothily. "Kind of 
trouble to make you worried about angels, or you just commenting on the 
scenery?"

Neil turns back to Aaron, and switches back to English. "Tell you what, I 
skip the lecture, and you tell me where you learned about Angelic.

The GM says, "Whoa, whoa, mixup.  It's the ethereal inmate across the way 
who recognized Angelic."

Asher [to William]: Whoops.

Asher [to William]: Err.

The GM says, "Aaron has given no sign that he knows anything's going on 
other than a bad dream."

Asher [to William]: Aw, heck.

Asher [to William]: ...

Asher [to William]: Huh. What a tangled web we weave, when we practice to 
eschew deception in all its forms.

William [to Draco]: "I like the scenery.  Snug as a bug in a rug, 
thankye.  You can't threaten me, I'm already a condemned man."  He is, 
too!  Made that way.

Draco asks, wounded voice, "Do I look like I'm trying to intimidate you?" 
Dark sunglasses, heavy frame, and all.

Yazz looks over at Draco and the ethereal.  "Bug allright.  Parasite.  
Some spirits just get satisfaction out of hanging around crapholes.  
Clearing 'em out can be a pain, too."

Asher [to William]: 'Kay. Rewinding to my reply to Yazz, "Well, 
Mephibosheth knows he didn't get brained by a local. He almost certainly 
knows we're here -- he's even got our address, fourth cell on the left.²

Aaron isn't following this at all.  He shakes his head.  "This is a bad 
dream.  This is a bad dream.  This is a bad dream..."  He eyes Neil.  
"Or... a good dream, but... just a dream, so that's bad..."

Neil excuses himself from his aside with Yazz and returns to Aaron.

Neil says, "Focus, Aaron. You won't remember much about this when you 
wake."

Aaron says, "I believe that."

Neil says, "Listen carefully. You are not guilty of what you were accused 
of, but you are guilty of lesser crimes, and your guilt was used as part 
of another's plan."

Aaron, blankly, says "...'k..."

Neil notes in passing that he *probably* can't shake sense into him.

Neil says, "Sorry. Try this one. You're a patsy, and you're going to keep 
being a patsy if you keep lifting cars and selling them for pennies."

Aaron says, "Man, I *wish* I was doin' time for GTA right now."

Neil says, "Now get some sleep, and remember that if you happen to see 
three people covered in blood and feathers, you owe them a favor."

Yazz says, "Uh, yeah.  It's past lights out.  Get in bed."

Ekur says, "Maybe not a bad dream or a good one so much as a weird one.  
But tell the guy who sent the message the message was received."

Aaron is visibly relieved by Ekur's last statement, and obediently climbs 
into bed.

Aaron mutters, "blood and feathers," and his dreamscape re-emerges.

The GM says, "A guard nervously ducks his head around the corner of Death 
Row.  "Boss?  Someone said Dr. Voorhees was over here with you all.""

The guard says, "Yeah, there's kind of a run on the clinic right now.  
Um... I wouldn't exactly call it a riot, but, uh..."

Ekur mutters.  He needs to follow up on the Lilim, and on the innocent on 
Death Row, and do psychological counseling of the people in here who 
won't leave if just pardoned.  And now . . .

Neil turns to Ekur. "Tell me you didn't tell them about Barsoom."

Neil . o O ( Never mind, that's not funny. )

Neil says, "Be right there."

Ekur blinks.  "Let's just get over there."  He pauses, and looks to Yazz.  
"If that's okay with you, Boss?"

Yazz says, "Yeah let's get the hell outta here."

The GM says, "And what do we see over at the clinic?  Tune in next time, 
for, it being 9 o'clock..."

---------------------- Session End ----------------------------