Amyra:Chapter 4

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Chancel_Amyra

[Knockwood] Deciding whether to run or not... we were thinking having an OOC session to finish off the aides storyline
[Knockwood] I mean, it'll basically be "OK, move that wall there... put a nice place there... and oh yeah, I want a pony."
[BethL] Hmm..ponies...that would be a Realm miracle.
[BethL] "A...pony? What is this...pony you speak of?"
[Knockwood] "Long story, Samuel...”
[Knockwood] "Basically, it's a draft animal that has strange appeal to the female of our species.”
[BethL] (Bah! I was never a ponyphile nor a unicornmaniac....I like dragons.)
[Knockwood] (Any chance you have a deviantArt account?
[BethL] (Nope. I can't draw for love, money nor naked pictures of Johnny Depp.)
[Knockwood] (One of my favorite artists in there draw a goofy-looking dragon-girl, but I can't access it now cuz of the adult block)

[lazarus] I had some thought about something weird ... something to call Samuel ... oh yes. Coatdancer.
[Random_Nerd] Dances With Scarves.
[lazarus] coatdance was one RPGNet troll.
[lazarus] Brian doesn't like Scarfguy.
[Knockwood] Is there anything under Samuel's scarves?
[Random_Nerd] You haven't seen it, if there is. Based on the shape, it /looks/ like there's a humanoid shape there. But it's not been shown, if there is. Do /you/ want to ask?
[Knockwood] Not particularly.
[BethL] No, it would be impolite. Besides, Theresa's planning on sunfeeding in the Diplomacy Grove, so she figures she has no stones to throw.
[lazarus] Sunfeeding?
[Knockwood] Lying around nekkid.
[lazarus] Oh.
[lazarus] ..
[lazarus] (Brian) "Can I watch?"
[lazarus] (B) "Wait, that was my outside voice again, wasn't it?"
[BethL] I said nothing about naked...just green-skinned at least.... ;P
[lazarus] Point still holds
[BethL] Dude, you have Realm 2. You can probably Divine it onto a projector screen in your office.
[lazarus] ... good point
[lazarus] But I'm sure Theresa would smack Brian for that.
[BethL] If you charge people to watch, she'll want a cut of the profit... She's not the type to smack friends around. She'd just look _sad_.
[Random_Nerd] Be aware, Divinations can't reveal anything about Nobles (or Anchors) other than their location.
[lazarus] Not even image?
[Random_Nerd] Not without employing cunning.
[BethL] Ahh, safe from the "Nobles Gone Wild" series... Not that she'd be doing anything. Maybe reading a book. *yawn*
[lazarus] Aw, too bad.

[lazarus] I'm really interested in the Noble Party
[BethL] Would we just invite Consequences and his Family or throw it open?
[Knockwood] If we throw it ope,n there's a chance of you-know-who coming.
[Knockwood] (Beth, look over & see if RN's smirking or drooling)
[BethL] (Knock - I can't. He's been back in South Carolina since the end of August. I'm here in IL...)
[Knockwood] (Nuts)
[Random_Nerd] (Yes.)
[lazarus] Open! Open! I want to meet people!
[BethL] Bah, like_ he_ mooches around parties, nibbling on a tiny weenie...
[Random_Nerd] The Party idea could be interesting.
[lazarus] I vote that be our next storyline.
[Knockwood] Groovy, I'll bring all my 8-tracks!
[BethL] I could make the punch...vodka is potato based, right? [G]
[Knockwood]Then again these guys probably put pure grain alcohol on their cornflakes...
[BethL] True...LSD then?

[Knockwood] Slightly more serious... could invite Mathematics et al.
[Random_Nerd] Hmm. I don't think that Mathematics exists as such.
[Random_Nerd] If he did, we'd have to rearrange Brian's estate a bit too much.
[BethL] Like Flowers doesn't exist?
[lazarus] Mathematics follows from Numbers in this view.
[BethL] Hmm. Wonder if the Power of Rabbits knows about Monty?
[Random_Nerd] If Rabbits doesn't, he probably has a very low Domain score.
[lazarus] Then again, the Power of Physics would exist - physics just uses (and drives, sometimes) math.
[Random_Nerd] Physics would, as I imagine would Geometry and Logic and Formal Systems.
[Knockwood] You guys should meet, then.
[Knockwood] And there's Nobles I should meet. Valor, Weapons...
[Knockwood] Let's see... Ananda is the Power of Cities, right?
[Random_Nerd] I thought he was Murder, the Infinite, and the Fourth Age. He just /likes/ cities.
[Knockwood] Who runs Cityback?
[Random_Nerd] Him and his minions.
[Knockwood] I was thinking the Power of Cities would want to meet James.
[Random_Nerd] Which would be good if we /had/ a James... Any of you know a candidate for Replacement Noble?
[Knockwood] Could be anybody if you run a story around that one rite.
[Random_Nerd] Redtooth Rite, you mean?
[Knockwood] More like the Rite of Rescue.
[Random_Nerd] Hmm. How so? That would provide another Noble, but not explain James' absence.
[Knockwood] Come to think of it... those 'lost' Nobles who Anchored Luc. We don't know if they're dead, but if they're lost, that'd mean there's no contact through an imperator, ne?
[Random_Nerd] At least one of them was definitely dead, as his successor also appears on the list.
[Knockwood] Art.
[Random_Nerd] And as for the others, they're at least in the "missing & presumed dead" club.
[Random_Nerd] Do you want to make investigating them part of a future plotline?
[BethL] Yep. It'd be nice. Something that doesn't really have anything to do with us, but we are Nobles and Bored.
[Knockwood] Here we go: “The Power of Hounds was slain by the Excrucians. The Power of Shadows died in a duel with the Power of the Arts. The Power of the Arts (first) was executed by the Locust Court. The Power of the Arts (second) fell in battle while defending a key point of the Spirit World."
[Knockwood] [Hollyhock] "The fates of the Powers of Silver, Dance, and the Ocean are currently unknown”.
[lazarus] The world shudders when Nobles are Bored
[Random_Nerd] Oh, yes. I thought that I'd put the former Art in the mysterious group.
[lazarus] "Today, I shall make a Katamari"
[lazarus] ... what Power would have made Katamari Damacy?
[lazarus] The Power of Weird Shit?
[Knockwood] Delirium.
[Knockwood] "anD YouU juSt roLL eVErytHinG intTO a bAll and gIve iTTo the KinGanD it All BecOmES a STAR!"
[BethL] Huh, wonder why Art #1 was executed.
[Random_Nerd] Research could reveal that information. I'm sure the Locust Court keeps excellent records.
[lazarus]This is, in part, why I want to see more Nobilis supplements - who are these other people? What happened to them?
[lazarus] At least, RSB's view on who these people are.
[Random_Nerd] Other than Luc, all of those characters are noncanon.
[BethL] I would like Luc's biography in my hot little hands...
[Random_Nerd] You could ask him for it...
[BethL] *snort* Not like it'd be _true_...
[Knockwood] Well, you'd get the PR version.
[lazarus] No, I really can't ask Luc for it. Brian could. But then _I_ wouldn't have it.
[Random_Nerd] For that matter, my Luc differs from Official Luc in a number of ways.
[lazarus] Luc seems sometimes to be the kind of guy who would maneuver his Nobles into getting executed
[Random_Nerd] You can prove nothink, Noble dogski!
[BethL] I can see some Nobles clamoring to Anchor him for the prestige. And other Nobles muttering they wouldn't Anchor him with a Ash-sized pole...

[Knockwood] You know of a web site with flower meanings compatible with Nobilis?
[Random_Nerd] Compatible with? Bah. Pick a site, point at it, say "That thar is compatible with Nobilis."
[Random_Nerd] I've got a list from somewhere that I keep on my PDA for planning, I could post it to the wiki if you want.
[lazarus] Eh, just use the "flower-creation rules" in the GWB :-P
[Knockwood] OK, my flower is the squirting flower.
[lazarus] Um. Ew. This is NOT Wraeththu.
[Knockwood] I meant the plastic flower of the old gag. You know, the one you can get from Johnson Smith?
[Knockwood] Get yer mind out of the gutter and away from MHLD (Mr. Happy Looks Different) the RPG.
[Random_Nerd] Really, if symbolising something yourself, either make up your own flowers with the system in the book, or just say "I shall employ the [insert flower] which /so totally/ means [whatever."
[Random_Nerd] If attempting to research floral clues in game, either ask William, ask the Whispering Library, or refer to Nobilis.

[DanteE] "And here's our main conference room...”
[DanteE] "That's my 'office' right over there.”

  • DanteE grabs a seat. "So, how do you like us so far?"

William: "The arrangements seem adequate enough, sir."
[Theresa] "I believe that there is the matter of payment and then we can transport you to your residences?"
[DanteE] "Now, here's a map of the city..."

  • Carrie will do a Divination with included Ghost Miracle to display the map.

William: "Are any quarters available that adjoin this tower?"
[Carrie] "Not directly, but there are some that are relatively close..." *displays*
W: "Then one of those should suffice."
[DanteE] "And like I said... there are some fairly new 'luxury suites' right ... here.”
[DanteE] "See... not too far away, and right next to the river."
S: "That would do quite nicely, then. I assume that I can arrange for a transfer if the original place turns out to not work out?"
[DanteE] "Or we can change the place, of course. *smile*”
[Theresa] (Next on TLC: Trading Spaces: Noble Edition)
[DanteE] ("As you can see, we changed the curtains, the carpet, the gravity...")
[DanteE] to Samuel: "Now, what exactly would you need? We have no experience with Dionyl."
[Carrie] "Indeed."

  • Carrie studies Samuel, and attempts to divine what hopes he has for miraculous boons.

S: "I'll need a place to stay, more or less similar to what a human would require. I'll need ready access to running water or a good strong wind. I can supply my own wardrobe, within reason."
Samuel's currently not sure what the group of you are capable of doing for him, miracle-wise, and such has no strongly formed wishes.
[Carrie] "None of this should be difficult." (I do the same to William, then?)
[Hollyhock] (More or less the same. He's interested in the possibility of something to eliminate the need for sleep, and some sort of access-to-information power if you can grant it.)
[Hollyhock] (He seems to have thought through the issue somewhat more than Samuel.)
[DanteE] "Ready access? ... Can it be a few feet away? A ground-level suite right by the river we could give you right away."
[Carrie] "I'm not sure of the scale you mean, but arranging for a shower or a fan would not be difficult at all."
S, to Dante: "That should suffice, then. With a window opening to it?"
[DanteE] "Or a door. If there isn't one we can make you one."
S: "Of course. Now, as far as miracles... what can you do for us, in payment for our services?"
William slightly glares at S for bringing it up.

  • Theresa will look interested at the mention of payment.

[DanteE] "Oh, almost forgot..."
[DanteE] "Now, like I said, you'd be here... (star appears on map), and we're here. (star)”
[DanteE] "And the Cammorrae have their 'embassy' here (dark star)."
Anyone with Aspect 2 or better can see William almost completely repress a sneer.
[DanteE] "We are, of course, watching them like hawks..."
[Carrie] (We are?)
[Theresa] (While giving lovely tours and bartering cows.)
[DanteE] (Lesson is, certainly.
[Carrie] (True.)

  • Theresa coughs politely.

[DanteE] "Brian, I believe you have the cash? ... in electronic form, of course."
[Brian] "Indeed"
[DanteE] (Any ideas on what to call Amyran currency?
[Theresa] (I'm tempted to think 'kings' as slang...)
[DanteE] (Royals?)
[Theresa] (... And the term Johns takes on a whole new outlook...)
S turns his presumably-probably-a-head-under-the-scarves-maybe towards Theresa.
[Theresa] (to Sam) "What kind of miracles do you have in mind?"
S: "Well, you've not been around long enough for our files to have any records on what miracles you are and aren't capable of. What sort of thing can you offer me?"
[Carrie] "We can offer many things. I, for one, might create a potential in you that did not exist within you before."
W: "That idea interests me. What sort of potentials can you create?"

  • Theresa shrugs thoughtfully. "Don't know till I try, I guess. What do you think of plants, plant related things and possibly your own houseplant that never dies?"

[Theresa] "I can create any plant product or plant you can think of. And probably ones you can't."
[DanteE] (Could Theresa make a tree that produces those magic apples from Norse legend?)
[Theresa] (Which magic apples? There's a lot of magical fruit in these mythological parts. I do know that she'd have to spend mucho points to make one of the Garden Apples.)
[DanteE] (The immunity-to-aging apples, say)
[Hollyhock] (Lesser Change to create a tree that bears apples that forestall aging as long as you eat them regularly, Greater Change to make one where a single apple grants immortality, I say.)
[DanteE] (I think the myth apples were the former... remember, they got stolen and the gods started aging. Or was that a Greek myth?)
[Carrie] (Well, that's the Norse myth. The Hebrew myth was one apple giving immortality.)
[Brian] (Immortality fruit are common.)
[Hollyhock] (Can't throw a brick in mythology without hitting magic fruit.)
[Carrie] "For example, I could give you the potential to be a great artist. But that potential could only be realized by your own effort. The realization of potential is choice, not hope."
[DanteE] "And there's the basic stuff... the Aides office mentioned preserving energy, and possibly health.”
W: "How much of our time did you wish to be spent in-Chancel, Dominae?"
[DanteE] "Actually, I did wonder if you'd be willing to accompany us to Earth.
[DanteE] "Then again, the last time we went to Earth it was to fend off an attack...”
[DanteE] "You would be doing most of your work here, of course."
W: "Now, removing the need for sleep is traditional, but can you do it in a way that works out-of-Chancel, Powers?"

  • Carrie thinks.

[DanteE] (Would a Realm Preservation of Energy still work on Earth?)
[Hollyhock] (You'd need to dump RMPs into it to keep it functional out-of-Chancel. 1 per day, I believe.)
[Carrie] (I'm thinking I could create the ability to stay up safely with a Lesser Creation of Hope but it would take willpower to make use of that ability. That sound right to you, RN?)
[Carrie] (Maybe joint Creations of Hope and Courage would do it...)
[Hollyhock] (Hmm. A Lesser Change of Hope could remove the need for sleep. Lesser Creation would only help in the short term.)

  • Carrie frowns. "I could do so, but it would be quite an effort on my part. And there is still the payment to your organization to consider."

[Hollyhock] (Mundane hope can hold off the need for sleep and such, but not indefinitely. A Change could be used, however, to give the created Hope a property it could not normally have.)
S: "The organization can wait a bit for their miracles. For one thing, they want to get a better idea of what you can do."
[DanteE] (And joint Hope & Courage could help them create _and realize_ new potential. Or at least give it a shot.)
[Hollyhock] (Yep. Those two domains work well together.)
[Hollyhock] (Use of those on Lesson was a significant part (the other part being anchoring) of what turned him into his current self rather than a cringing smeagoloid.)
[Carrie] "All right. In that case... I can give one of you an enduring hope, that will remove the need to sleep, when you find it inconvenient, for the rest of your life. But I only have the energy to do this for one of you."
William reaches over to tap the sphere in his ear, and Samuel reaches into the scarves swirling around his head-area.
W: "Very well. I would like to request that, please."
[Carrie] (*OOCly glances at RN* We are talking rest of life, aren't we?)
[Hollyhock] (Yeah, unless someone throws a Major Destruction at it.)
[Hollyhock] (Which is quite unlikely unless William uses his spare time to create www.lordentropyisadick.com or something.)
[Theresa] (*whistles innocently while checking the Chancel netservers...*)

  • Carrie nods, and approaches William, placing her hand on his forehead as she inwardly performs the Rite of the Last Trump. "Be blessed, and let your hope carry you forward from this point on. (Lesser Change of Hope, 4 DMPs.)

William's posture shifts slightly, and his eyes suddenly look a little clearer and brighter.
W: "Thank you, Domina."
[DanteE] "Now... we can preserve your energy and health, for as long as you stay in Amyra...”
S: "Which would be useful if you'll only be using us in here, but my understanding is that you would have to renew that if you brought us outside, correct?"
[DanteE] "I think that's how it works...
[DanteE] (Quick question: if they bring somebody sick here and we do a Realm LD of Disease, would they stay healthy once they leave?)
[Hollyhock] (Mmm... yeah. The absence of the disease would be non-miraculous.)
[Hollyhock] (Likewise, if you used Realm miracles to remove the need for sleep by using Changes on them to alter their physiology, that would remain in effect outside.)
[DanteE] to the others: "They would be able to leave and come back, right?"
[Theresa] *ponders* "I can create a fruit that can give you, say, longer life, or perfect health, but at the moment, you'd have to keep eating the fruit."
William: "The idea is interesting. Would we retain access to the fruit should we leave your employ?"
Samuel: "Because, after all... having extended life, but only for a month, isn't all that useful, if you don't mind me saying."
W: "Incidentally, madame, I suspect that such an offer would be something the Organization would be interested in..."
[DanteE] (Could I use a Courage miracle to help them fight off aging and/or disease?)
[Hollyhock] (Lesser Change if it's more effective than mundane bravery.)
[DanteE] (How long would that last?)
[Hollyhock] (The Change? Indefinitely, unless trumped by greater magic.)
[Hollyhock] (Even a Creation would last indefinitely, although it'd have lesser effects. Included Pres, after all.)
[DanteE] (OK, would Aging & Illness be one or two miracles?)
[Hollyhock] (Mmm.... conceptually tied. One miracle.)
[DanteE] (And are we talking _Immunity_ to both?)
[Hollyhock] (For a change, yes, barring somebody using major miracles to screw with it.)
[Hollyhock] (For a creation, a fair degree of mitigation.)
[Theresa] "A month can mean a lot to someone who would have otherwise have had only a minute. *thinks somewhat* I believe that I could plant the tree in a specific plot. Also make it so that it didn't need water or sun. Maybe even have it in a barrel, although I'm sure it would complain about the lack of root space."
S: "Would we still be able to access this plot if we were to no longer be in your employ?"
[Theresa] "Well, if it's for your Organization, I would think that would be up to them. If it's for you personally, then I could go the barrel route and you would just have to move it to wherever you go next."
S: "Ah. Very well."
S: "How about sleeplessness for William, a tree for him, some other sort of agelessness for me, and one other miracle for myself?"
[Theresa] (Hmm, at 2MP a pop for a Magical Tree inna Bucket, I can do both the Sam tree and an ageless tree...)
[DanteE] "Now, as I think of it...
[DanteE] "I believe I can make your spirit hardier and stronger with a bolt of Courage...”
[DanteE] "Which would let you fend off the ravages of both age and disease, even outside of Amyra."
[DanteE] "Samuel, how would that sound?"
S: "That would do quite nicely, given the fact that I don't eat... apples."
[DanteE] "Excellent. Now, one quick bit of business...”
[DanteE] "We still need to create our sigils.”
[DanteE] "What flower would you say properly symbolizes Courage?"
S: "Could we, please, first resolve the issue of the last miracle?"

  • Theresa frowns at the apples comment, as tucking potpourri packets in and around Sam hadn't been her preferred method of miracle granting...

S: "Do you have any way to give me some form of Guising, or of unnoticeability, or otherwise making me less conspicuous to humans?"

  • Theresa ponders about the guising.

[Theresa] (I have these points from the other chapters. What would it cost me to give Sam a Gift of Guise? Those guise, these guise, whateveh..)
[Hollyhock] (Well, you could spend one of your character points to give him a one-point Focus, but that would be using non-renewable resources.)
[Hollyhock] (Alternatively, Changed pollen could be used to hang around him and distort the light that passes through it, for example.)
[Theresa] ( ... Sometimes you're ridiculously amazing, you know that? [g])
[Theresa] (to Sam) "How do you feel about pollen?"
S: "Plant sperm?"
S: "I've never really considered it much..."

  • Theresa grins. "Well, yes, but one not often leading to impeachment. What if I used pollen to change the refraction and reflection of light around you to give the appearance of someone less conspicuous?"
  • Theresa is deliberately avoiding the term 'floaty'.

S: "You can do that? That would work nicely."
[Theresa] (Would it be turn-off-able? Or would he have to come back to me for a new one whenever he wants to change?)
[Hollyhock] (Well, he could sweep it into a box or something for storage...)
[DanteE] (Or, you could give him a window box of those flowers, and he'll just pick one whenever he needs it.
[Hollyhock] (That could work too.)
[Theresa] (The window box idea, I think, works better as that way, the pollen is renewable and also you don't have to reign herd on plant sperm.)
W: (to Dante) "Did you wish to use an existing flower, or have me draft plans for the creation of a new one, sir?"
[DanteE] "Existing, I think"
W: "And what connotations do you wish to have?"
[DanteE] "Hm... the connotation of Challenging the Unknown, or Facing Adversity, I think.”

[Hollyhock] (William got Hope and Apples, Sam got Courage and Pollen.)
[DanteE] (Now, we owe how many to the Aides in general?)
[Hollyhock] (2 to the organization.)

[Knockwood] Beth is gonna have real trouble with her sigil...
[Knockwood] What plant represents _every_ plant?
[BethL] Knock - I know! *dramatic emo Noble pose* I'll probably have to create a flower that represents them all. Hmm, how much to create a flower that is usually only seen in Heaven?
[lazarus] Beth: for an actual flower for Brian, it would probably have to be created anyway.
[BethL] Creation's easy. [G] Hmm, maybe a Chinese magnolia for Love of Nature...
[Random_Nerd] The problem with the Language of Flowers is that it has an awful lot of ways to say "Hey, baby, how /you/ doin'?" but few to say "2+2=4."
[BethL] Oh, that reminds me...do any of you know the song by the Guess Who - "No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature"? I was thinking that would be Theresa's song.
[Etheric] I'm finding Snowdrop is supposed to symbolize hope, which fits well with Carrie's last name.. But I think I'll wait to finally decide until next week.
[Knockwood] Eth: there's a couple others, I think. In my case, you've got Edelweiss & Garlic.
[Knockwood] Eth, you've also got Iris, Pine, & Rose (Leaf)

[Random_Nerd] Any questions or comments before I go?
[BethL] *blink* You mean I could use a song as my sigil... Pardon me while I boggle... Would she have to pay royalties?
[lazarus] Yep
[Knockwood] Well, if you go that way, dibs on 'Hair of the Dog'.
[Random_Nerd] The other Nobles would think that it's a little weird, but not overwhelmingly so.
[BethL] RN - Sanity/Mundanity is a Crutch! [G]

Beth


Chancel_Amyra