fadethecat has made fadethecat's local name Draco Asher arrives. fadethecat has made fadethecat's local description Generic Bodyguard #1. Asher has made Asher's local name Neil William (#2330) has changed the GM of this room to William (#2330). StevenE materializes in a burst of blackness as he teleports in from elsewhere in the MOO. StevenE has made StevenE's local name Ekur --------------------Arc the Last, Session 50: Isaiah 42-------------------- ----------------------------------William-------------------------------- -- 4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. 5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. ---------------------------------finished-------------------------------- -- Amen. The GM says, "We rejoin Neil and Draco in the Panopticon, where they have just dispatched two of the more aggressive prisoners. There is still the sound of affray from all across the Prison, competing with the insistent electric guitar being broadcast from somewhere." Draco [to William]: Can I track the electric guitar? After the halo stunt, I'm pretty sure Neil can handle these guys. The GM says, "Rick and two guards are here, assisting Dorotea's watchful Cherub in protecting her, for it seems to be her they were after. She emerges from her sanctum disheveled but unharmed, at the same moment Yazz bursts in behind you." Neil turns to Yazz, hanging on to the halo an ethereal hangs limply from. "Hey." William [to Draco]: Per roll. Also, we assumed you two quickly neutralized the immediate threat in the vicinity. Draco rolled 14 versus 28 and succeeded by 14. William [to Draco]: You're pretty sure it's coming from the side of the Prison opposite Selkirk and the entrance. Off in the distant parts you haven't been to yet. Yazz looks over the subdued troublemakers, nods. "Right. A bit more of that and this will be settled." He pulls his sidearm, which decides to become his old axe again. "It's time we put an end to this nonsense." Draco tells Neil, "I'm going after the source," and looks for a decent route towards the direction of the music. Oh, the times he can wish for being an Ofanite... Neil says, "Right. Let me just..." Neil shakes his halo free and mounts it back on his head. "Aaron, you okay here? We gotta go." Rick looks over at Draco, and includes him in the report he gives to Yazz. "We've secured this wing. They're still having trouble over in the more-populated areas." He nods down the halls of the Panopticon. "We caught everyone making trouble here pretty fast. You need to know, when we were organizing we realized we were missing a guard. And two of the elephant guns." Aaron nods to Neil. "I think it would be best if we left this place," he says to Dorotea. "No way!" she replies. "I've got to re-establish control. They need my help." Draco [to William]: If I go for an animal form, I'm going to start having problems in this Domain, right? William [to Draco]: Right. Except your celestial form, probably. Yazz says, "Any ammo?" Rick nods. "One clip for each. 12 total." Yazz swears. Draco [to William]: I'll just run for now, then. Neil says, "How many of those does it take to drop your average spirit?" Yazz replies, "We use them on the tough guys. 2, maybe 3 if you're lucky, before they start Force-stripping. They hit the core." Asher [to William]: Wow. That's a fortune. The GM says, "It is. This is an expensive theft." Neil pulls the riot shield that isn't on his back off his back. Asher [to William]: Dunno how much something that isn't a relic will do, but Neil's got points spent in the skill. Asher [to William]: Want a roll? The GM says, "Sure." Neil rolled 11 versus 20 and succeeded by 9. Yazz lets it happen. He says, "You'll need more reality than that to stop relic bullets, though. Got anything real on you?" Neil shakes his head. "We're a little light on priceless relic armor." Asher [to William]: What do your notes say my Essence is at? I've got an uncertain four. William [to Neil]: That's about right. You can probably top off before heading out, though. Dorotea says, "Do you have anything at all? I might be able to at least jury-rig a one-off, alchemically." She digs out a maze stone from a pocket somewhere. Neil looks interested. "Is it something you could work out in, hypothetically, the next ten seonds?" Neil draws in Judgement's sigil on the shield, with an indentation for the maze stone Dorotea's hefting. Dorotea says, "Depends on your supplies. The maze stone is just an alchemical focus. Do you have anything I could reshape with it? Something that could get in between you and somebody's attack." Neil looks to see if Draco wants to try for his notebook instead, and if he isn't intersted hands over the shield. Draco is gone, man. Asher [to fadethecat]: Wasn't sure if he was still in earshot. Dorotea looks up at you, and shrugs. "I can't work with nothing." Yazz says, "We'll take control here." He means that in more ways than one, apparently. The Panopticon starts extending, reshaping the other parts of the Prison. Yazz seems not to be consciously aware of it. "You join your friend, and go take out that demon." Neil says, "Got any Essence to spare? Sidestepping gunshots takes a lot out of you." Neil stops, and snaps his fingers. "WAIT a minute." Rick nods. "Water cooler's a big reliquary. Be our guest." Neil digs in his pockets, pulling out a crossword, a pair of handcuffs, a copy of Eri's dress he borrowed for a template, and... ah hah! Neil tosses Dorotea one unit of genuine Primordial Clay. William I was waiting for you to hit on that. :^) Neil says, "You wouldn't believe where I picked that up." Asher [to William]: I was focused on the wrong part of my sheet. Dorotea eyes it curiously. "Oh? Where? And what is it?" The GM says, "She presses the clay to the maze stone, and watches in fascination as the intricate tracery embeds itself and starts extending organically." Neil says, "Remember when we were at Utgard, at the bottom of a hill between us and the Unknown?" Neil says, "We were a little farther out." Neil says, "... at least, that's what I think." Dorotea looks up at you, a light in her eyes. "A favor, Neil. After I make this shield for you, and we come out of this in one piece, you tell me that story." Neil waggles a finger. "Well, it's a little hazy, but what I remember... I'll tell you what -- I'll tell you as much of the story as Aaron will let me.² Asher [to William]: Do I remember enough to make a deal in good faith? Asher [to William]: I know it went hazy. Dorotea says, "Done." She presses the clay to the shield, and breaks off the tip of the wand she is carrying to embed it in the center of the knotwork of lines now spreading across both clay and Judgment's sigil. There is a flare of flame where they touch, and the clay hardens to the surface, spreaing flat. "It'll take at least one hit," she says. "I don't know about after that. Watch yourself." Neil hefts it experimentally. William [to Neil]: You picked up the Clay in Frontier, well before hitting Utgard proper, so yeah, that part you remember. Asher [to William]: I assume the temporary nature of it isn't requiring XP to bond to me? William [to Neil]: Right. It has alchemical reality, which is real but typically temporary. The GM says, "You fill up and dash after Draco at this point?" Asher [to William]: After Neil glances around for a dolly. The GM says, "...?" Asher [to William]: For the watercooler. (: Asher [to William]: I fill up and dash off, yes. But I looked. The GM says, "Right. Draco. Following your best guess, you're headed out past Death Row." Draco [to William]: I can recheck Perception as I get closer for a better idea of direction/distance, presumably? The GM says, "You can. Now, if you wish." Draco rolled 12 versus 28 and succeeded by 16. The GM says, "The architecture of the Prison is changing as you run, making navigation a little tricky. The violent-offenders wing seems to have decided that everybody is now a violent offender, and the spokes of the Panopticon are absorbing the other buildings. This includes Death Row, a change which Ekur also notices from his vantage point within it; a hallway with a locked arch now connects you to the other parts of the Prison, and the exit door to the side is repositioned." William [to Draco]: The music is getting louder. You're definitely approaching the source, whatever it is. It does seem to be out past the walls and the guard towers, though. Draco swaps to his native form--no, not the ferret one--to acquire for himself some wings. Walls are only a problem when gravity is. The GM says, "In Seraph form, you launch sinuously over the Prison walls." William [to Ekur]: Huntington looks over to you. "What's with the redecorating?" Draco [to William]: By the way, I'm aiming to get /close/ to the music source, but not to just burst right in sans backup. Ekur looks to "his" Aaron. as things realign, and opens the door. "I'm not sure, but Yazz pretty much has to be doing it. Okay, here's what you need to do. First, find somewhere in here that's under relative control. Second, sit in a corner and think about . . well. You're on the outside, you have a penthouse apartment, and you've got a sexual partner or two or three -- whatever you like -- ready for you, right there, and things go from there. Okay? I'm going to hunt down the demon that's causing all this commotion." William [to Draco]: From the air, it becomes clear what the source of the music is. Half-hidden within a stand of trees, there is an array of speakers. Apparently simple ethereal equipment rather than relics, they include all the physical needs such as generators that such a system would require. There is a roofed booth in the middle of the stand. William [to Ekur]: Aaron says, "Out of here. Got it." Draco goes to lurk in the trees where he can see Ekur and Neil when they get closer. William [to Ekur]: Stepping outside, you see Draco in flight, headed south determinedly. ----------------------------------William-------------------------------- -- 1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. 2 He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. ---------------------------------finished-------------------------------- -- Done @pasting. Ekur chases Draco. It's a direction! The GM says, "Ekur needs to head out on foot, so it takes him a few minutes to find a gate, but this does finally happen. While he is making his way around the new architecture, Neil completes his preparations and comes out to join him. " The GM says, "This takes several minutes, during which time the Mephibosheth has apparently decided to switch out the heavy metal for mournful prison fare. It's rather astonishing how many songs humans seem to want to write about being locked up, awaiting execution, or similar situations." The GM says, "(Cue Tracks 10, 11, and 12, especially 11, if you've the CD.)" The GM says, "You all meet up outside, nearer the speaker setup. It's about 200 yards away from the wall. It *had* been pretty damned loud to carry that far... at least it's a bit quieter now." Draco waves a wing at Neil. "Could I borrow an Essence?" Neil smacks four into Draco's primaries. Neil says, "Ekur, Rick says they're packing elephant guns -- two of them -- with relic bullets." Ekur says, "Well, then, we'll have to take them down as quickly as possible." Neil nods. "Need any Essence? I've got a few yet." Draco [to William]: On Songs, do I get any proximity or contact bonus? I can't remember if that translated into GURPS. Draco [to William]: I mean, if I'm proximate or contacting. Ekur says, "I'm going to go in stabbing, so I'm good." William [to Draco]: I don't think so, no. Eyeshot or other symbolic connection is necessary, but beyond that I don't think there's a range for Songs. Most have ranges of effect built in. What are you looking at, Harmony? Draco [to William]: Nah, just good ol' EthCharm. Just checking to see if I could be more Charming while clawing someone's eyes out. Draco says, "I'll try to knock their brains down a few levels if I can get a good bead on them." The GM says, "Ah. Also, upon further reading, I do believe there's at least the basic -1 per yard to effective skill. Is that what you were looking at?" Draco [to William]: Ahah. Yes, probably. (Though I thought it was a bonus for proximity, in IN... Oh well.) The GM says, "Either way, closer is better. :^)" Draco looks to Ekur. "So, you start stabbing, and we'll follow you in. Sound like a plan?" Asher [to William]: Too bad I never spent points on Disarm. Ekur nods, and charges forward, shield and sword ready. The GM says, "Mephibosheth breaks into a solo rendition of 'Lonesome Valley.' He's... not as good a singer as he is a guitar player." The GM says, "The stage comes with a very handy staircase. The booth in the middle..." The GM says, "...contains a transceiver." The GM says, "The singing stops." Draco zips up into the sky to scout around. "Technology. Always /knew/ it would cause trouble." Ekur swears. Okay, rez on the transciever, and a perception roll, to see if he can get any sort of fix on the demon. Neil keeps an eye out while he tries to understand what's happened. "He does that, yeah," says Mephibosheth through the radio. "It's one of his more admirable qualities. Ekur rolled 13 versus 18 and succeeded by 5. William [to Ekur]: You get his emotional state, which is currently "I am in a fight, and out for blood." Motivations: hatred. Revenge. Fear of superior. Frustrated sexual/romantic desire. The glorious mess which is a demon of Nightmares on a power trip. No location, sorry. "Humph," he says, as you launch. "You're pretty fast flitting around today. Maybe you ought to settle down where I can get a decent bead on you? No? Didn't think so. Okay." William [to Draco]: One more Per roll. Draco rolled 9 versus 28 and succeeded by 19. The GM says, "It was very nice of Yazz to put a sun in the sky. It glints off the shifting position of a gun barrel in a guard tower." *bang* [snip roll, Guns ; announce failed] Neil . o O ( ... this could be good... or could be bad. ) Mephibosheth says, "I'm pretty sure you don't need a second invitation. Come a little closer, Boss." The GM says, "The shot missed, of course." Draco smiles toothily. "Mephy, baby. I am /so/ glad to meet up with you again." He zig-zags across the sky as he works his way in closer. Draco . o O ( Because if I never see you, I never get to kick your sorry ass. ) Asher [to William]: If I can figure out where Draco's target is, I'll collapse the tower *with my mind*. Asher [to William]: If I can't, I'll remain on guard. Asher [to William]: There were two guns, after all. Ekur runs for the tower! William [to Neil]: Draco is headed toward a specific tower, yes. [snip roll, Per ; announce succeeded] The GM says, "The one from which you heard the report, in fact." Asher [to William]: If I knock the legs of the tower out, gravity should take care of the rest. Lucid Dreaming 20, penalty? Mephibosheth shouts somebody's name, before the speaker system clicks over to another setting and cuts off. Neil, you recognize an ominous feedback hum, and are suddenly aware that you are standing amidst a giant set of speakers that has just started taking input from a microphone directly in front of one of the treble. William [to Neil]: Nasty. Mephibosheth will be resisting, in addition to the basic laws of the Domain. Roll against 10. Asher [to William]: Wait. I've never been allowed to resist a shaping. The GM says, "Sorry, contested, not resisted. You both want to control this specific item." The GM says, "The 10 is you, straight up. If it works, Meph will try to recover." Asher [to William]: Okay. Just to be sure -- is he spending his turn to contest it? Draco [to William]: Can I try for a dream-shaping roll, while I'm on my way over? Neil rolls anyways, since the answer doesn't matter. The GM says, "One sec." Neil rolled 9 versus 20 and succeeded by 11. Asher [to William]: Err. That shoulda been a ten, for sucess by one. Neil is about to get knocked primaries over pinfeathers when this feedback bomb goes off. Such is life. The GM says, "Right. And we're going in to combat rounds. Order is Draco, Ekur, Neil, Meph, Flunkie." William [to Draco]: What are you trying? Draco [to William]: Fill the inside of the tower with foam. Mostly a vision and movement nuisance, but it should be within the plausibility boundaries for the realm. Just harassing them until I get close enough to sing. Draco [to William]: If I'm close enough to do singing sans penalty, of course, I wouldn't give it up for that. William [to Draco]: Roll, lemme see your margin. Neil's also trying to affect the tower as well. Draco rolled 14 versus 26 and succeeded by 12. The GM says, "You're a bit too far away to visualize that clearly while flying and zigzagging." Draco [to William]: Fair enough. The GM says, "Had this been a more pliable Domain, it might have worked." William [to Neil]: So you knocked a couple of legs from under the tower, correct? Asher [to William]: Well, all of them for preference, but a margin of one doesn't give me a lot of leverage. The GM says, "Okay. Before the tower starts keeling over, a second gunshot rips out." [snip roll, Guns ; critically succeeded] On 2d6, you rolled 7. Ekur . o O ( DI! DI! DI! C'mon, DI! ) The GM says, "Alas, yet another 4." William attempts Neil's passive D for him... On 3d6, you rolled 11. Asher [to William]: Oh! I didn't know he was shooting at me. The GM says, "Oh, do recall that in addition to the guns going missing, a guard did as well." Asher [to William]: Ah, 'kay. Asher [to Asher]: Seven Soul Hits for me? Asher [to William]: Err. The GM says, "And where he's standing on the platform, Neil takes a nasty hit to the lungs (symbolic of the pneuma, the breath or spirit). There is the fiery agony of embodied aggression bleeding into his soul, as he takes the damage in Soul Hits." William [to Neil]: You might want to attempt not to cry out... The GM says, "(Will roll, at -7 makes 11)" Asher [to William]: Better idea. I'm in the ethereal version of my celestial form. The GM says, "Okay?" Asher [to William]: Mmm. Trying to figure just how solid the buffeting sound will be. Asher [to William]: I'm already overextended in the lucid dreaming department -- I'm trying to figure out if I could spread my wings and get airborne, mitigating the damage. Asher [to William]: If it isn't likely, I'll just take the 11. I've made worse. The GM says, "We're just concluding the first round right now. More complex actions will be next round." Asher [to William]: Neil rolled 15 versus 11 and failed by 4. Asher [to William]: Oddly enough, I've made worse rolls... but I can't recall a *Will* roll I've made at all. Asher [to William]: Alright, let's see how bad this is. The GM says, "That *hurts*. A cry escapes your lips... is caught... is magnified..." On 3d6, you rolled 11. The GM says, "The speakers ramp up from a buzz to an ear-shattering screech that rattles windows in the Prison hundreds of yards away." [Type lines of input; use `.' to end or `@abort' to abort the command.] ----------------------------------William-------------------------------- -- 14 I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. 15 I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. ---------------------------------finished-------------------------------- -- Done @pasting. On 3d6, you rolled 9. On 3d6, you rolled 9. The GM says, "Neil manages to keep from being mentally damaged by the sonic assault, though his ears will be ringing for a while, probably bad enough to interfere with Song use." The GM says, "Ekur, Draco, HT rolls to avoid same." The GM says, "The speakers hit their operational capacity and short out, going dead quiet." StevenE [to William]: HT-HT, or IQ-as-HT-in-Marches? Draco [to William]: What he said. The GM says, "Right, right. IQ-as-HT." Ekur rolled 8 versus 18 and succeeded by 10. Draco [to William]: Is that based on Perception, Will, or plain IQ? The GM says, "Plain." Draco rolled 11 versus 21 and succeeded by 10. The GM says, "Both of you shake it off. New round!" Draco [to William]: How long is it going to take me to get close enough to chew on their faces and sing them stupid? Assuming flying in evasively. The GM says, "The tower creaks and begins leaning forward. From what you can see, the shooting is put on hold for a moment as you close in. Draco, in flight, is covering about 20 yards a second, and will close to melee range in 10. Ekur, on foot, is going about half that. Neil is still back at the speaker stand." Draco [to William]: 10 rounds? The GM says, "One of the two figures in the tower attempts to bail; the other grabs it metaphysically and tries to stabilize it." Asher [to William]: Before you make that roll. Asher [to William]: He will be facing the same -10 penalty, right? William [to Draco]: yeah. William [to Neil]: Yes. Asher [to William]: 'Kay. The GM says, "Here, transparency:" On 3d6, you rolled 12. Asher [to William]: No need; we trust you, just making sure we're on the same page rules-wise. The GM says, "He doesn't make it, and the tower continues its arc forward. (Cutting, indeed, about 10 yards off the closing distance, or one round each!)" Ekur . o O ( And it's not like you can't fudge his dreaming skill anyway! :P ) Draco helpfully works on creating a nasty sludge pond of extremely sticky swamp mud right around where that tower is going to fall. Draco [to William]: Penalty? The GM says, "Basic -10." [snip roll Flunky_Acrobatics_Default; announce succeeded] Draco [to William]: Are all changes going to take the same penalty? I'm trying to stay within the Domain framework to slide changes in more easily, but I may as well go for a pit of flaming lava instead if the penalty doesn't change. The GM says, "No, -10 is the basic for changing anything. Changing something out of character for the Domain would, indeed, be worse." Draco rolled 15 versus 16 and succeeded by 1. The GM says, "The landing point of the guard tower becomes a pool of noisome mud. The guy that jumped from the tower keeps his feet, but sinks to the knees in the suddenly soft ground. Meanwhile, Mephibosheth was inside when it hit... no immediate sign what happened to him." On 2d6, you rolled 12. The GM says, "Neil, anything you're doing this round? Ekur, anything other than closing?" Asher [to William]: How far away am I? Asher [to William]: (Been waiting my turn.) William [to Neil]: 200 yards; you're still at the speaker stand, with a couple of rather bothersome injuries. Ekur says, "No, just closing." Asher [to William]: That's a long way. Can I even SEE the melee? The GM says, "The guard tower is less visible now that it's on the ground, if that's what you mean. You can make out a human figure and the slightly-wrecked roof facing you." Asher [to William]: What penalty is Jung Fu from this distance? William [to Neil]: At 200 yards? -12, standard range penalty. Neil says, "Hmm. -12 range penalty, -7 shock penalty, this isn't looking favorable." Draco [to Neil]: Jog. Gingerly. The GM says, "Yeah, this round's probably a wash for you. I agree, getting closer is probably best." Neil says, "If I spend one Essence, I can get a target of 3, which justifies a roll... (:" Asher [to William]: What will a Running roll buy me? Draco [to William]: I intend to continue dreamshaping harassment while getting closer. Will we be doing this round by round, or eliding until closer and they're shooting again? William [to Neil]: For a short sprint? Not much. Just move! Asher [to William]: I'll run in and close, shield at the ready. Asher [to William]: Next round I'll be more creative. And less bleedy. The GM says, "Right. If everybody's doing that for several rounds, that's agreeable to me. You *will* be taking fire while that goes on..." Asher [to William]: Not quite. William [to Draco]: Describe your adherence to the fundamental principles of Sun Tzu. I.e., what in fact are you doing to control the ground? :^) Asher [to William]: I'll just close *this* round because of that damn shock penalty. William [Asher.]: 'k. Then next? Asher [to William]: The next time I get a round *and* don't have a shock penalty, I'll reconsider an action. Asher [to William]: Do I have one now, or should I wait for gunfire to resolve? Draco [to William]: I'm focusing on movement and visibility control. They have ranged weapons, we're more powerful from close in, so I'm trying to keep them in one place and having difficulty seeing us. So long as we know /about/ where they are, we can deal with visibility once we're right close. Draco [to William]: To keep with the nature of the place, this is going to be in terms of sinkholes and quicksand and mud, swamp gas and mist and fog, that sort of thing. The GM says, "Okay. All of those will be reasonable. Give me one roll to cover it." Draco says, "-10 penalty?" Draco rolled 15 versus 16 and succeeded by 1. The GM says, "yeah." The GM says, "Watch yer step, Ekur. A chill wind's blowing in, and the ground's getting shifty." Draco says, "The dice /hate/ me." The GM says, "Let's see how they feel about Meph..." On 3d6, you rolled 7. The GM says, "Him, they like. The wind gets strong enough to blow away some of the fog. There's a visibility penalty, but enough time for the two of them to get off another couple of shots as you close." [snip roll, Guns_Flunky; announce succeeded] [snip roll, Guns_Meph; announce succeeded] The GM says, "The flunky struggles against the mud for a second and decides to focus on shooting. Meph, bleeding from apparent injuries taken in the fall, hauls himself up over the edge of the tower roof and braces his pistol on the edge. Both aim at Draco, who is closing fast and apparently the cause of their environmental misfortunes." Draco [to William]: Ethereal dodge, celestial dodge...? The GM says, "Ethereal, that being the setting." Draco rolled 12 versus 10 and failed by 2. Draco rolled 16 versus 10 and failed by 6. Draco says, "The dice /do/ hate me." The GM says, "Mm... hang on. There's also the fact that you're in flight. *pokes*" Neil . o O ( 4d6 celestial damage. That's not good. ) Draco [to Neil]: With my celestial dodge, one of those would've succeeded. Sigh. The GM says, "...I'm not sure. But I think I'll go with the 16 hitting and the 12 not. So you zig one, and zag into the other." On 2d6, you rolled 10. Draco [to William]: What's my total soul hits based on? The GM says, "Ow. It was Meph's bullet, and it rips into you with a *personal* sort of fury." The GM says, "Soul Hits = Will. You have 23." The GM says, "Well. 13 now." Draco ows, but is slightly over half, so, hey. The GM says, "That covers several more rounds. (They're aiming, not spraying, fortunately.) A few more and you'll be in arms' reach." The GM says, "Ekur, on foot, is now noticing that the muck intended to slow down your enemies, while possibly working for that purpose, is also making it tricky to pick a path. And Neil is well back. Actions for the next few rounds, or shall we repeat the same?" Asher [to William]: How far have I closed? William [to Asher]: About 40, 50 yards. You have a while to go yet. Asher [to William]: Hmm. Range penalty? Draco will abandon terrain control in favor of mucking up visibility. Ekur says, "I'll try dreamshaping myself a path. Say, textured-surface concrete stepping stones." The GM says, "Call it just inside the -10." Draco rolled 11 versus 16 and succeeded by 5. William [to Ekur]: Basic penalty. Ekur rolled 10 versus 8 and failed by 2. Asher [to William]: The flunky is shooting without anywhere to dodge, and Meph probably can't be shaken into trying to take cover. William [to Ekur]: The local nature seems to decide that concrete is out of place here. It'll take you a couple of extra seconds to close through the muck. William [to Neil]: Meph *is* under pretty good cover, inside the tower. The GM says, "(You fellows are assaulting a defended position, which is never easy.)" Draco [to William]: Since it's taking the others a while to catch up with me, can I swing about to be coming at this place from the opposite direction and arrive at about the same time? Going high up and over, that sort of thing. The GM says, "Sure." Asher [to William]: Do I suffer the range penalty for Lucid Dreaming? It doesn't seem to apply. William [to Neil]: Since I haven't been applying it for anything except direct combat (Jung Fu), presumably environmental effects don't count it, so no. Asher [to William]: Ah, why not. Jung Fu grapple on the flunky, with an eye towards a nice aim-destroying Arm Lock in the following rounds. Range penalty -10, so we're starting the contest off with effective skill 11. The GM says, "Meph shouts to the flunky to lay down cover against the incoming angel with the sword. He personally continues aiming at Draco." William [to Neil]: Allrighty. Roll it. Neil rolled 5 versus 11 and succeeded by 6. The GM says, "Crit!" The GM says, "Hmm. Wait, not against effective skill 11. Resistance..." Asher [to William]: Crit is powered off total skill and not effective skill? On 3d6, you rolled 10. William [to Neil]: Success! You dream up a grip on the flunky's arms. Asher [to William]: Hmm. I establish the grapple and /then/ got for the hold, right? The GM says, "Right. You have now established a grapple. He is at -4 (Marches) DX." Asher [to William]: I'm in error. My effective skill was 9; Judo is effective skill 9; the Arm Lock manuever would have been 11. The GM says, "Either way, you made it." [snip roll, Guns; announce failed] The GM says, "And his shot at Ekur goes wide." The GM says, "He doesn't seem to be familiar with Jung Fu... he's struggling, but appears unsure what he's trying to shrug off." The GM says, "Meph, meanwhile, has been tracking Draco circling above, and after a few seconds squeeze off another love note." [snip roll, Guns; announce succeeded] The GM says, "Use 14 as your effective Dodge in the air, fade." The GM says, "Ping" The GM says, "Pong?" Ekur says, "Table?" The GM says, "Okay, I'm still connected. Asher, fade?" Draco rolled 14 versus 14 and succeeded by 0. Neil says, "I'm here, sorry." Draco says, "Sorry, phone call suddenly came up." William [to Ekur]: Idly, I work at Drexel University, which just last week hosted the U.S. Olympic Team table tennis trials. The GM says, "Ah, okee." Neil says, "I thought the ping was fade-directed." William [to Draco]: the bullet whizzes by your wing with the malevolence of gossip. The GM says, "Let's take the next round by ones, as Neil is engaged with a foe. The flunky is trying to break the hold; Meph is aiming again." Draco continues his loop over the top to swing in from the other side. No reason to make it easy for them by grouping up in one directions. The GM says, "Draco is continuing to flank, Ekur is working to get past the environmental distractions and into swordplay distance, right?" Ekur says, "Yep." The GM says, "And Neil? Arm lock?" Asher [to William]: Yes. Have I brought the range penalty down any? Asher [to William]: I'm not sure I remember how this works. He can use his turn to try to break the grapple, but does he also get to resist my attempt to go for the formal hold? The GM says, "Breaking the grapple is what he's attempting to do. Fixing an Arm Lock is a Quick Contest roll." The GM says, "So if you're attempting an Arm Lock, there are two contests this turn. One of ST (Will), to continue to hold him, and one of your Arm Lock skill, at range, vs. best of his applicable defenses." Asher [to William]: Do I suffer a range penalty on either contest? The GM says, "ST, no. Arm Lock, yes." William eyes the clock. We *will* finish tonight, given maybe another hour. I do need to grab a soda, though. Brb. The GM says, "B." The GM says, "So, Will roll first." [snip roll, Will - announce succeeded] The GM says, "Yours?" Neil rolled 10 versus 18 and succeeded by 8. The GM says, "As you might have expected competing against a standard-issue Ethereal, you are fully capable of maintaining your hold. Now, the more delicate lock attempt. Skill roll." Asher [to William]: Current range penalty? The GM says, "-10 from where you are." Neil rolled 12 versus 11 and failed by 1. Asher [to William]: Rats. Don't think it'll cost me the hold, though. The GM says, "You're not quite able to maneuver him around as handily as you'd like. Still have a hold on him, though." Asher [to William]: And keeping him from firing is a win in my book. The GM says, "Yes. He's paying attention to trying to shake out of this rather than shoot Ekur. Gimme another roll against each again, to cover the next few rounds, and Ekur will have closed." Neil rolled 8 versus 18 and succeeded by 10. Neil rolled 8 versus 11 and succeeded by 3. [snip roll, Will; announce succeeded] [snip roll, Will; announce succeeded] The GM says, "In neither case is his will sufficient to the task. You now have him locked and immobilized." The GM says, "He is no longer shooting. Meph gets off one more shot before Ekur charges over the wreckage..." [snip roll, Guns; announce critically succeeded] The GM says, "No Dodge." On 2d6, you rolled 8. Ekur . o O ( Me, or Draco? ) Meph roars in hatred. "Bleed, traitor!" The GM says, "Draco." Draco says, "Am I close enough to, well, close?" Draco says, "Oh, wait, that's a dodge you want." Draco rolled 6 versus 14 and succeeded by 8. The GM says, "No, no. Meph critically succeeded on that shot, meaning no Dodge." The GM says, "I've rolled more 4s this session, I swear..." Draco says, "Oh. Damn." Draco is down to 5 celhits. Will live, probably. The GM says, "This one takes you through an eye. You've got 5 more... one for each Soul Hit remaining... but it's horrifyingly personal in its sense of aggrievement." The GM says, "And yeah, it's closing time. (I've been accounting for the range penalties as you did.)" The GM says, "Neil, it's possible for you to walk in slowly, maintaining your hold on the other guy." Asher [to William]: I'll do so. Note that I now roll at 25 to maintain the hold. The GM says, "The fallen guard tower sits in a pool of mud. Mephibosheth apparently took injuries when it fell, and is braced against the wall which was once the roof of the tower, leg seemingly damaged. He still holds the relic pistol, and is continuing to pay attention to Draco. Both of you are in range." Draco [to William]: I'm probably at shock penalties if I try to sing this round, right? The GM says, "This round, yes." Ekur charges Meph, and makes an all-out Celestial attack. The GM says, "Neil and the flunky being occupied, relevant sequence of moves is Draco, Ekur, Meph. Meph quits aiming pretty and looks to start squeezing off rounds. Ekur, you're coming in from around his cover. Action?" The GM says, "Right." Draco zips in closer, flickering about in loops. "Meph! Imagine meeting you in a place like this! It's completely unlike old times." The GM says, "Kind of AoA?" Draco [to William]: All-Out Defense, in hopes that he'll be focusing on me. StevenE [to William]: Er . . . two attacks. The GM says, "Check. Ethereal or Celestial?" The GM says, "(The damage he took in the fall would be Ethereal.)" StevenE [to William]: Celestial. Which should be the same skill numbers as an Eth attack. The GM says, "Right. Roll 'em." Ekur rolled 16 versus 20 and succeeded by 4. Ekur rolled 7 versus 20 and critically succeeded by 13. [snip roll, IQ; announce succeeded] The GM says, "The first hits... damage..." The GM says, "(Roll damage, that is.)" [snip roll, Dodge; announce failed] StevenE [to William]: 3d6? The GM says, "...as does his surprised attempt to dodge the second blow from behind." The GM says, "Yeah, 3d6." Ekur rolled 3d6 and got 15. Ekur rolled 3d6 and got 9. On 1d3, you rolled 3. [snip seven rolls; 2 critical successes anf 5 successes] The GM says, "As per our rewrite of the Celestial Combat rules, he still auto-loses a Force." The GM says, "Your sword bites deep. On the second blow, the transparent outline of a bat-winged serpent glows in shadow for a moment about him, and fades just as suddenly into the background of the Symphony." Mephibosheth wails. "That's... " he pants... "...a little primitive, don't you think?" Ekur says, "As old as Fear, Meph. As old as Fear. Nightmares is a bad deal." The GM says, "(New round.)" Draco [to William]: Shock penalty gone now? The GM says, "Yep." Mephibosheth is attempting to pull away from Ekur at the moment. Draco says, brightly, "Now this is primitive," and swings in to chew on Meph's throat. Ekur tries a Celestial AOA, dual-attack again. Draco [to William]: Brawling, I assume? William [to Draco]: Yah Draco rolled 10 versus 23 and succeeded by 13. The GM says, "...hmm. Bite damage. Overlooked that one." The GM says, "Call it 2d-1." [snip roll, Dodge ; announce failed] fadethecat rolls 1d-1, and gets a 1. The GM says, "Yeah, Draco hits." Draco tries again. fadethecat rolls 2d-1, and gets a 3. Draco says, "Dice /hate/." William [to Ekur]: Roll 'em. Ekur rolled 13 versus 20 and succeeded by 7. Ekur rolled 12 versus 20 and succeeded by 8. Ekur says, "Surrender, and we'll take you to Blandine, and she can heal your soul. Choose to remain twisted, and we'll have to amputate." The GM says, "Yeah, those make even though Draco's (partially) in the way... serpents are linear." [snip roll, Dodge; announce succeeded] [snip roll, Dodge; announce failed] Ekur rolled 3d6 and got 12. The GM says, "He flails about, attempting to escape, and causes one of Ekur's stabs to miss, but the other hits." Asher [to William]: I don't know what actions I can take while maintaining a Jung Fu-based Arm Lock, but I see nothing so exciting I need to explore the question. William [to Neil]: Indeed, your target has largely stopped resisting. He sees his boss being pretty much eaten alive literally and figuratively, and has decided he's on the losing side today. Ekur says, "Look deep inside you. You're so angry at Draco, isn't that because you know you could take the same path? Isn't it jealousy? You can be an angel, and feel the joy of the light of Heaven. Wouldn't it be nice to be good?" Ekur . o O ( Sure, it's less-than-ideal circumstances, and it isn't likely to work, but . . . ) Mephibosheth manages to hang on to a Force under the assault. "Pollyanna, *do* shut up," he growls, and lurches toward Ekur. The GM says, "The reason for this odd-seeming maneuver? No more AoAs. You're in close combat now, all three of you." The GM says, "New round!" The GM says, "Meph pulls up his pistol and attempts to pop Draco at close range." Asher [to William]: How far have I approached? Ekur says, "Consider it selfishly. Even if you died during redemption, it would be a few more moments of life than dying on my sword." Ekur swings again. Standard attack. Draco chews gleefully on Meph's throat. Primitive, yet effective! William [to Neil]: You're well out of combat range. Perhaps 50 yards. William [to Draco]: If you're chewing on the same hold, might as well not worry about the attack. Damage! fadethecat rolls 2d-1, and gets a 6. The GM says, "Better." [snip roll, Guns; succeeded] Ekur rolled 13 versus 20 and succeeded by 7. On 1d3, you rolled 2. The GM says, "Wish there was a multiroll..." [snip seven rolls; all successes] The GM says, "*eyeroll* would also be useful occasionally." William [to Draco]: Give him credit for this, he's focused. The cold barrel of the pistol seeks your vitals. Dodge? Asher [to William]: The knowledge that he's gonna automatically lose a force is a soothing balm over watching those seven gimmies. Will indeed. Draco [to William]: Am I at basic Eth dodge, or any mods, now that I'm wrapped around him? The GM says, "Over a confused second or two, the assault peels off another layer of Mephibosheth's personality. This time, his Marches presence shudders, and seems to shatter and reform a little smaller." William [to Draco]: Hmm. Actually, yeah. Being involved in a grapple puts you at -4 "DX", which is -2 Celestial "Dodge," for an effective 12, I'd say. It's hard to dodge while trying to stay attached to someone, eh? Draco rolled 12 versus 12 and succeeded by 0. The GM says, "But you manage it." The GM says, "A serpentine coil flicks out of the way." "Allright," says Mephibosheth. "Allright! I surrender!² [snip roll, Per; announce succeeded] William [to Draco]: I trust you've got res up? Ekur has his autorez up, too, so . . . Draco [to William]: Yes, need a rol? Draco rolled 9 versus 23 and succeeded by 14. William [to Draco]: Yeah, it's obvious he's lying. Though he thinks of it as telling the truth tactically (surrendering with intent to continue the fight), that's really nothing more than a well-practiced rationalization. William [to Ekur]: He certainly doesn't *feel* repentant. Or even much afraid. Vengeance is still his overriding motive. Ekur . o O ( Though I'm tempted to put a hand on both Meph and Draco and invoke Vassal of Dreams on both of them. Can I do that? ) The GM says, "No. Neither is a sleeper." Draco mutters through a mouthful of scales, "I don't /think/ so." StevenE [to William]: Should we roll damage from my attack? William [to Ekur]: yah. Ekur rolled 3d6 and got 6. The GM says, "It hurts, but with all the afterimages he's throwing off it seems he's not due for another Force off yet." The GM says, "New round!" Draco gnaw gnaw gnaw. Ekur stab stab stab. fadethecat rolls 2d-1, and gets a 6. Neil period period period. Ekur rolled 12 versus 20 and succeeded by 8. Mephibosheth groans under the assault. "Just one damned slice of him, come on!" He attempts to jam the gun down Draco's throat. Wobbly and weak, he blows all his Essence attempting to position the weapon effectively... Ekur rolled 3d6 and got 13. [snip roll, Guns; annouce succeeded] Draco rolled 10 versus 12 and succeeded by 2. Draco attempts to not be shot, without letting go. The GM says, "That's a *lot* of Essence he blows. A dark current of energy seems to whistle in on the wind, bearing screams from afar off. It entwines his arm and Draco's head, and unites the two in unholy embrace. The bullet seems aimed surely... yet, when the shadows clear, it has passed somewhere harmlessly." Draco looks insufferably, seraphically smug. The GM says, "Empty of his vital energies, Mephibosheth suddenly has the fight go out of him." Mephibosheth mutters, "Dammit. I'd have really liked to get a piece of you.² He winces as you wrestle. "I'll take my sodding chances with my Forces. Go on. I've won in the long run anyway." The GM says, "He drops the pistol to the mud." William [to Draco]: He seems to think that last bit is telling the truth, too. Asher [to William]: Can I stroll up, yet? William [to Neil]: Yeah. Asher [to William]: I'll finally take this chance to resonate him directly, when I arrive. Neil rolled 10 versus 18 and succeeded by 8. Draco pries his teeth free long enough to say, "What makes you think that, Mephy?" William [to Neil]: What would you like to know? All the basics are as expected, although you might have been surprised by him carrying a torch for their former comrade. Ekur keeps an autorez on Mephibosheth. Is he offering to risk redemption? What would his reaction be to an attempt to Invoke Blandine? William [to Ekur]: No, nothing of the sort. He's waiting for you to off him and gambling that his Ethereal Forces will blow off before his Celestial ones do. Asher [to William]: Nothing really. Just looking for anything especially noteworthy. William [to Draco]: He bleeds at you, snarling. "Look behind us, Boss. That Prison? That's no dreamhouse. That's what the world is like when you step out of your private country club up there in Heaven. That's what people need. Terror. The iron fist. That's what runs a world. And you've gotten yourselves involved with it with that city project." StevenE [to William]: Hmm. Can I attempt to called-shot various forces? And if so, at what penalty? William [to Ekur]: Nope! Thais could... though only Ethereal. :^) Ekur . o O ( Oh, right. ) Draco shakes a wing at Meph. "You say this like I stepped into Heaven and suddenly forgot everything I'd seen before. Meph, baby, it's a bigger world than you realize, and there's a lot more color to it than you believe." The GM says, "The Prison behind you, in fact, has grown. The violent-offenders wing is now the entire thing; a domed Panopticon dominates it from the middle, spokes radiating outward to various chambers. Death Row has been absorbed and refurbished; the entire facility seems rather more modern and organized -- and quieter -- but also more imposing." Ekur says, "Fear was a Heavenly word long before Hell existed. So was Judgment. Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting, Mephibosheth." Ekur stabs. "Pretty ideals," he says. "I've seen how long they last." The GM says, "The process of tearing apart Meph's hold on the Marches isn't pretty, but it is considerably shorter now that he is no longer actively resisting." The GM says, "Forces peel off..." [snip a series of 7 1d3 rolls] Draco uncoils from Meph. "I'm a little sorry," he says. "But not very." Neil is tempted to shoot, just so he'll get ONE kill this campaign. The GM says, "It's nasty work. He's little more than a demonling by the time you're done with him... his body is stripped from him first, falling into the shadows somewhere, and then the last of his memories. His soul survives as he vanishes from the Marches... although a mentally deficient Balseraph is unlikely to be long for Hell, to be sure." The GM says, "The guard turns his head as the butchery ends, sure he is next." Neil drives him down, to his knees. "As for you..." Ekur says, "Maybe he'll survive. It would be nice someday to meet him again, and get through to him." The guard looks up. Neil says, "... forget it. I'm sick of this already." Ekur rezzes the Ethereal. Ekur says, "Now, you, I think you might be a case for Dorotea." Neil strips him of guns and ammo, and walks off back to the Prison. William [to Ekur]: Afraid, of course. He understands that it's justified, but he's very afraid. The guard says, "Ex-guards in prison... oh man." Asher [to William]: Neil isn't shirking Judgement, he's forgiving him. Is it really worth revealing the guy was Geased out like crazy? Asher [to William]: And the part where we tore a demon an unresisting demon to shreds was fairly disgusting. Neil aggros at incomplete revisions. William [to Neil]: I may have stepped on your options there. Did you see another possible resolution? Asher [to William]: No, not at all. I was wondering if YOU saw one we didn't, in fact. The GM says, "Not really, no." Asher [to William]: It was necessary, but still just Icky. So Neil just disarmed his catspaw and -- being the only one who took a hit from the jerk -- forgave him. The GM says, "There are nasty parts to war, judgment, and revenge. A bit of mercy in letting the guard run? Yeah, that could go a long ay." Ekur says, "Not prison. You were presumably acting under duress; we know a Lilim was involved. Mostly, I want to have you bound to reprot if you ever get geased again. Consider it a suspended sentence with parole." The GM says, "The guard quickly agrees." The GM says, "You head back to the Prison?" Asher [to William]: Yeah. Someone might want to grab Meph's toys, though. Draco can pick up the guns. Ekur says, "Yeah. Toward where Dorotea was." Draco is much more comfortable having them on him, at this point. Ow. The GM says, "There seems to be a new set of security measures involved in entering the Prison. You come in through the front, are checked in as if you hadn't been there for days, and the armaments are taken to be accounted." Asher [to William]: I don't surrender them. I'm an Angel of the Lord, and there's been some FORGETTING about what that means around here. William [to Neil]: You don't get in the Prison carrying relic weapons, if you don't. The GM says, "An intercom system clicks on and overrides the desk guard's pronouncement. It summons you to the Panopticon, where the security station has upgraded to a complete camera system and banks of monitors. Yazz holds court in the middle. Dorotea still has her Sorcerous binding room off to the side, and she is personally still present along with Aaron the Cherub... neither seems thrilled with the turn of events." The GM says, "The monitors show the entire Prison and, in turn, each of the cells." Asher [to William]: Resonate the relationship between Dorotea and Yazz, and then Yazz and myself. Neil rolled 18 versus 18 and succeeded by 0. Neil rolled 9 versus 18 and succeeded by 9. Neil . o O ( ... ) Draco peers at the monitors, flickering about from one to the other, and doesn't comment. The GM says, "Hell of a time for it." The GM says, "One sec, need to ponder." The GM says, "As you resonate Dorotea and Yazz, something seems to tilt in the Symphony. The relationship becomes very strong indeed... Yazz becomes the dominant partner in a Soul Link combined with a terminated Will-War, meaning that Dorotea is essentially his instrument of control now. This turn of events is regarded very favorably by him, and he fully expects you will appreciate it as well. Hands-on control will stop disturbances like all of this from happening in the future." Asher [to William]: ... Asher [to William]: So -- asking purely out of curiosity -- I assume that I kept a hold of the relic weaponry? The GM says, "Yep." Asher [to William]: And -- again purely because I take a note of such things -- I seem to recall making a point of Neil throwing his weight around coming in through the front gates. William [to Neil]: "A little parting gift from Mephibosheth," a quiet message says in your mind. "He'll no longer be able to make his points personally. But I do appreciate someone so dedicated to his purpose." William [to Neil]: Indeed. Asher [to William]: Well. The results of the second resonance, then? The GM says, "Yazz considers himself in a newly enhanced position of gainfully employed contractor. You three are, to his knowledge, responsible for much of this, so he feels warmly toward you. Though, of course, he would frown upon any attempt to degrade his position." Asher [to William]: The aggravating part is that I can't tell if Neil's getting another utterly crappy read and I'm about to regret the next few rounds, or if it's exactly as has been described and I'm about to regret the next few rounds. Neil swivels his head between Yazz and Dorotea. "What... what happened here?" Yazz says, "Feels like some capstone of whatever you did to finish off the threat. Cemented control." Draco [to William]: Let me know if I need to reroll rez. Neil says, "We sent the Lilim in Selkirk running and tore the demon here to shreds. The guard got away, though. Seems like you've made some changes around here." There is the tiniest modulation of a note of the echoing disturbance from the fight. "Children," whispers Blandine to each of you, "your true mission will be consummated in the next moments. Save your city from dystopia." Ekur is autorezzing everybody to keep an emotional barometer in the place, but not looking for anything in particular. William [to Ekur]: Dorotea is seriously disturbed. She knows what a lost Will-War feels like, and she's not sure how this one happened. Aaron senses a change in Dorotea's well-being and worrisome implications for the future that he's having trouble tracking down. Yazz is thoroughly satisfied with the resolution of events. The guards are calming down from the earlier panic, and are mostly bystanders. William [to Draco]: One to set the margin for the scene. Neil says, "Seems you had a little more excitement here than I thought, though. Looks like you bagged yourself a Sorcerer, Yazz." Yazz looks over at Dorotea, fondly. *cough* Rather possessively, almost. "Guess I did. Been a lot of changes made 'cause of all this." He waves his hand around the Panopticon. "We've updated, y'see." Draco rolled 8 versus 23 and succeeded by 15. Yazz says, "I shoulda done this a while back. This'll make us the premiere corrections-services provider in the modern Marches. We could keep a lid on Sodom and Gomorrah with this setup." Ekur says, "Perhaps you could. By turning it into East Berlin?" Neil smiles. "Yazz, I gotta tell you, I fibbed a little just now. The guard who got away... after murdering a distincted Demon of Nightmares, I just didn't feel like killing someone for making what amounted to a mistake. So I let him go.² Draco peers at Yazz, then returns his attention to the monitors. Neil drops into Angelic and levels the relic weapon. "You have sinned, Yazz." Yazz remains calm, and nods at Ekur. "If we have to. Of course, a population of average humans, well, they're a lot less challenging than a population of criminals -- Jiminy cricket!" Draco gives Neil a look, but doesn't say anything yet. The guards come to alertness. Rick, the only one currently with a sidearm, pulls it and turns to Neil. The GM says, "Dorotea, sensing the sides forming in the room, comes over to the side of the angels. Aaron hastily joins her, standing between her and Yazz' dais." Neil says, "Can you explain why you've trapped a human Sorcerer in a Will-War?" Yazz says, "I *didn't*. I don't know how it happened. It's a side effect of whatever all just happened." William [to Draco]: Truth, as far as he knows it. Though he's beginning to realize that Heaven might not like this so much. Draco says, "He doesn't know how, Neil." To Yazz, he adds, "As you may have gathered, this does not mean we're pleased with the change." Neil hmms, and raises the relic safely high. "Then I apologize, Yazz. I misjudged you. But... I believe we need to talk." William [to Draco]: Watching the monitors, you notice that several of the cells have human dreamscapes in them. Staying there. Possibly a result of what seem like near-subconscious Sorcerous inscriptions reflected in the glass walls, writing what you know to be Suggest ("Stay here.") No one else seems to have noticed this little tidbit yet. William [to Draco]: Herding dreamscapes, indeed. Rick does not lower his weapon, until Yazz signals him to do so. Draco says, "Ekur? Come take a look at this." And indicates one of the monitors with a trapped dreamscape with a wingtip. Yazz says to you three, "What exactly is your beef? We've *won*. Hell, we came out of it *better*." On 3d6, you rolled 12. On 3d6, you rolled 14. William [to Ekur]: Two things. First, you realize that something in this setup manages to do what nobody thinks shold be doable, and it probably involves this tight linkage between the Domain Master and the Sorceress. William [to Ekur]: Second, as a matter of Dreams policy, you are absolutely certain that this should not be, that it should not be described to anyone who might be of a mind to replicate it, and that it should not be allowed to continue one minute longer than you can avoid. StevenE [to William]: Is it possible for him to cede control over Dorotea? William [to Ekur]: If it's anything like a normal Will-War, yes. He can simply voluntarily sever the link. Ekur looks, and flares up. "You are /detaining/ human dreamers! You are controlling a human with a major Destiny!" His sword twitches. "Release Dorotea, /now/!" Neil glances left, but doesn't pull the weapon down yet. StevenE [to William]: Yeah, I'd figured that out, I was just not sure exactly what I was going to demand of Yazz. Neil says, "Err, Yazz? Last time Ekur got this mad we sort of cast Lucifer from Heaven." Neil says, "Just saying." Yazz pauses. There is a palpable moment where he calculates odds. Then he nods. Neil . o O ( Don't know if the humor's appropriate, but it's True as far as that goes. ) Dorotea visibly relaxes. Aaron lets out a long sigh. William [to Draco]: The dreamscapes, one by one, bob out of the cells where you saw them. There is no longer any Sorcerous writing to be seen there. Draco looks around the room, and says, "Let's work something out so that this doesn't--so that this /can't/ happen again." Yazz says, "If we're going to be working on contract negotiations, what say we all hand over each other's armaments and go see Jane in her territory?" Neil nods, and tosses Yazz the gun. Yazz catches it. The act of good faith involved seems to mollify him a bit. Neil says, "Why do you even HAVE relic weapons?" Neil says, "What are you worried about? Godzilla?" Asher [to William]: Good faith nothing. I took it away from punk ethereal, I'm not scared of somebody who walked around wearing /a tire/. Yazz says, "Demons making trouble, of course." Ekur says, "I understand your role as Domain Master, and what your Domain has been used for, drive you. You are what you are. But I cannot allow it to damage humans. I think . . . I think I should take up a permanent position here. Heaven's interests really need to be represented, since this is almost a branch of Civis, and we need somebody to watch for Hell trying to subvert here again, and I can of course do some good as a psychologist while I'm here. I'll need formal permission from above, but that's what I think is best. You'll still run things, of course." William [to Draco]: Tsayadim, too, though he's not going to utter that at this delicate juncture. Ekur wills away his sword with a note of Essence. Draco pulls out his notebook, and begins scribbling out what's being said for use in preparing new contracts. The GM says, "As weapons vanish, tensions ease and negotiations can get under way." [snip msg'ing] The GM says, "(Typing)" The GM says, "Over the next day or so, the refurbished Prison gets its contracts with Civis renegotiated. Neil explains to Dorotea about Frontier and Primordial Clay, and she promptly fulfills her Destiny ("expand the boundaries" of human knowledge) following up this utterly fascinating concept. Neil remains posted in Civis as of 2008." The GM says, "Draco and Jane continue to improve their working relationship, and Selkirk gets a reputation as a suburb of Civis, not a place welcoming for demons. It's not an angel-city, but it's a decent place to live." The GM says, "Blandine is amenable to Ekur's request for a transfer, though he's posted to Selkirk and Roxburgh as a unit rather than the Prison alone, and runs a practice in the city as well. One can't spend all one's time on the inside. Between Neil's advocacy of Bill-of-Rights protections and Ekur's skills treating for rehabilitation rather than warehousing, the Panopticon becomes the Penitentiary, and lives up to the name; a proper facility for a Heaven-aligned city." The GM says, "As we close, the Civis project continues to extend Heaven's presence in the Marches." ---------------------------- Campaign End ---------------------------- Asher [to William]: Wow. Asher [to William]: That was a real close finish. The GM says, "I am amused. In session 1 and 50 we score an Infernal Intervention on the Mercurian Resonance." Asher [to William]: Heh. Draco says, "Poor Neil!" Asher [to William]: I rode that thing hard. Surprised it didn't blow up more, I guess. Asher [to William]: That was probably the most enjoyable campaign I've ever been in. Asher [to William]: Longest, too. Thank you. The GM says, "One of the lesson angels outside Heaven get taught -- Lucifer can't intervene in Heaven, so it's a new experience for them. They tend to overuse it.." The GM says, "Wow. Thank you. That means a lot to me." Draco says, "That was a pretty damn sweet campaign. I really enjoyed it." Draco says, "...so, what's your next one going to be?" Draco grins. The GM says, "I believe it's also the first time I've closed a campaign for a reason other than 'players/GM lost interest,' too." fadethecat has deleted all of their local references. Do you really want to clear all of the local names and descriptions? [Enter `yes' or `no'] All local names and descriptions have been cleared. Asher says, "That doesn't mean you're off the hook for XP!" Asher d:s at you. The GM says, "Will do, actually." The GM says, "I do sometimes move a character from one campaign to another, I understand." The GM says, "For next campaign, two comments." fadethecat tries to interpret that emoticon. Sideways baseball cap on a guy with half a mustache... StevenE says, "This was fun. Lots." William [to fadethecat]: Read right to left. Tongue-sticky. fadethecat says, "Ohhh, the 's' is verbing the emoticon. Check." Asher [to fadethecat]: Left-handed d: and conjugated into second-person form. fadethecat [to Asher]: Verbing weird emoticons, yeah. The GM says, "Something like Planescape/IW/multiplanar fantasy was what I'm in the mood for." Asher [to William]: Woo! Multiplanar! REvenge of Neil! Asher says, "Actually, /every/ game with Neil is the Revenge of Neil." Asher says, "Gotta find an unsuspecting GM." The GM says, "However, I'll be channeling that in a different direction than GMing for a while. I want to spend those same energies writing up a project of long standing of mine, Tomos, and submitting it to e23. I sent in a thumbnail sketch to Pyramid, where it was accepted and published to what seem to be good reviews." Asher [to William]: Neat. fadethecat says, "Nifty." The GM says, "You've all been magnificent players. Quick on the uptake for plot, expressive when it comes to the inherent drama." fadethecat says, "Ready to resonate NPCs at the drop of a hat!" The GM says, "Exercises my quick-sketch skills. :^)" Asher says, "Thanks. That means a lot." The GM says, "It's been a privilege, and if I GM on the PyraMOO again, I'll dangle an offer." StevenE [to William]: Oh, good. Sometimes I felt like we were being dense. fadethecat nods. "Do let us know if you GM here, because, well. Damn. That was fun." William [to StevenE]: Quite the opposite. I had to scramble to keep plots from being short-circuited sometimes. :^) Asher [to William]: You did a good job. It REALLY felt like you were constantly a step ahead. The GM says, "Much appreciated." fadethecat nods. "It was a challenge!" William turns off logging, officially heads back to the Lobby.