Session 118

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 13

Angelo: Is something changed with Obama as president now?
Angelo: Someone go to see the "ritual"?
Random_Nerd: Well, it gives some explanation as to what the Power of Hope has been up to other than keeping the horses safe?
BethE: *grin* Has Carrie been seeing the Power of Change?
Angelo: but the to power aren't in a liason?
Angelo: two
Knockwood: yeah, it's kinda like that one line in the ZP review of the E3 trailers...
Random_Nerd: I don't recall that one.
Angelo: @Knock: ?__? you lost me... one link please?
Angelo: herbert? will came?
Knockwood: Concerning Duke Nukem Forever: "I just hope that 3D Realms understands that if this game doesn't turn out to be history's greatest contribution to human culture and the cure for at least one type of cancer, then I and every other reviewer on earth are going to saw its bollocks off."
Random_Nerd: Heh.
Angelo: eh!
Random_Nerd: At this point, if Obama doesn't actually run around hitting babies with rocks, I'll still call it an improvement.
Angelo: A game my wife love
Angelo: =:-O
Random_Nerd: Wait, Duke Nukem Forever exists?
Random_Nerd: Or the rock baby thing?
Knockwood: you're probably thinking of an earlier Duke Nukem
Angelo: no I was refering to duke nukem
Angelo: =:-O for the rock
Random_Nerd: Oh, yeah, the 2d ones were good.
Knockwood: Duke Nukem Forever is perpetual vaporware
Random_Nerd: Never played the 3d one.
Angelo: I was refering to the 3d one... never know that there was early ones
Angelo: ... maybe I'm noy the older person here... :-P
BethE: I've seen more references to Obama being some type of Exalted than being a Noble or Anchor.
Random_Nerd: Duke Nukem Forever has been "in development" for, what, eleven years? Twelve?
Angelo: but there wasn't a for console only duke nukem forever?
Knockwood: Beth: Exalted had more sales & more hype than Nobilis
BethE: Very true. And it's easier to imagine an Exalted with a shiny sword (not counting Dante).
Angelo: never player at exalted but I've read one review.... for first ed
Random_Nerd: Exalted's cool, but I prefer Nobilis.
Random_Nerd: I still want to get a Fair Folk game running, though, but I doubt I ever will.
Angelo: and... is not easy found exalted player that noblilis one?
Knockwood: heh... with a few temporary exceptions the only sword I've wielded is the one that looks like a cane
Angelo: is not more easy .... even
BethE: But Dante could LC a nice sword. Heck, you could get a Hanzo sword.
Angelo: but this swor is rarely in use
Random_Nerd: I have never seen the appeal of sword-canes. If I was going to get jumped by some uncouth ruffian, I'd rather have a solid hardwood stick than a thin and fragile rapier.
Angelo: right the falchion's appeal!
Knockwood: the appeal is, they don't know you're armed until there's metal through their gut
BethE: But you'd have to unsheath it.
Angelo: also you are a NOBLE!
Random_Nerd: Well, of course you're armed. You're carrying around a three-foot-long chunk of hardwood at least an inch thick, probably with a heavy metal handle.
Angelo: you can you don need weapon
Knockwood: my sword-cane isn't like that... remember, early on I just gave my cane the properties of a sword except appearance. So, basically, it's a sword.
Random_Nerd: Well, it's fine for Dante.
Random_Nerd: But he's... special circumstances.
Knockwood: heh
Knockwood: Dante's been 'special' a bit too often for my taste... :/
BethE: Oh?
Angelo: well in 3 year + of play ther eare special possibilities
Knockwood: In fact, I should ask... does Dante come across as a) reasonably intelligent, and b) not just a copy of me?
Knockwood: (Nice tough question for you to play with. >:> )
Random_Nerd: I sincerely and deeply hope that Dante is not a copy of you. I doubt acting like Dante would work for anyone without supernatural powers.
Random_Nerd: And he comes across as smart, but impatient.

• Knockwood hides his knives, swords and sharp things collection...
  

BethE: Hmm...I know you mostly through the game so it's hard to tell if he's a copy. Dante is quite impatient and I get the feeling he doesn't think things through when stuff gets moving.
Knockwood: (That's, arguably, from me. Then again, I'm working on it.)
Random_Nerd: But I'd say that Dante's personality works well with his circumstances.
BethE: It's easy to jump headfirst into something when you're Sanc.  :)
BethE: So, it looks like no Herb?
Knockwood: Is kinda fun playing someone who could respond to a tank round hit with "That's cute. Now stop it or I whup your ass."
Random_Nerd: Yeah.
Random_Nerd: But I'm fine with starting without it.
Knockwood: it?
BethE: I just remind that I'm not going to be on my top game.  :) (I'm sick, Angelo. Flu.  :P P)
Random_Nerd: Err, him. Sorry, mind wandered.
Random_Nerd: Braaaaaaiiiiins?
Random_Nerd: Herb is, as we all know, /not/ a turing-test-passing AI that I work on in my copious free time.
Angelo: Here we have the Brasilian flu
Angelo: this year
Knockwood: ick
BethE: How did the Brasillian Flu get to Italy?
Random_Nerd: The Power of Contagion thought it'd be funny.
Angelo: well the seem to random schoose a new flu's name each year... also I have a kid in the kindergarden (4yr) so the Power is a close friend... :-(
BethE: Ah, the fun of all of the new sicknesses a child in school can bring into a household.
Angelo: I don't know the brasilian flu come here maybe they give this name to the local yearly flu

• • • You are now known as Theresa.
      

Random_Nerd: Ready to go?

• • • Knockwood is now known as DanteE.
      

Angelo: I close my lips
Random_Nerd: _________________START____________________
Theresa: (I do have a weird question. What was Dante's purpose in making the fake spear?)
Random_Nerd: (The Indy Plan, I figured.)
DanteE: (There were a few... seeing how Aaron would react, trying to impress him with his authority, et cetera)
DanteE: (That too.)
Theresa: (My only problem with it is that he would have had to spend years with the Treasures and thus would know them better than we do.)
DanteE: (Well, we're noble)
Random_Nerd: (And you did find out the sort of thing he's most afraid of, in the process.)
DanteE: (Which is?)
Random_Nerd: (Death by some sort of random bad luck.)
Random_Nerd: (Like the stroke, with him. Or heart attacks, stuff like that.
Random_Nerd: )
Random_Nerd: (He's pretty confident about his ability to protect himself from danger, and he'll even take a confident attitude with you at times, but he's afraid of the sort of thing that could get him no matter how well he fought, ran, or schmoozed.)
DanteE: (That's me! :) )
Random_Nerd: (Plus, you know that he's part of your Estate, which'll probably help.)
DanteE: (Nobody here is more than mortal, right?)
Theresa: (He's afraid of Random Death. Heart attacks and cats falling from the sky and the odd gopher mauling.)
Random_Nerd: (They're all baseline humans.)
Random_Nerd: (Rather tough, paranoid, and so on, but nothing supernatural.)
Random_Nerd: (The fact that some of them survived wounds in Hell that would kill a live human was a fact of Hell, not of them.)
DanteE: (So they don't have super-bodies?)
Random_Nerd: (Nope.)
Angelo: (but they know? or after some enturies in hell they think they have?)
Angelo: (centuries even)
DanteE: (Good question! After all, all they know is they may or may not be out of hell, and they were zap-healed)
Random_Nerd: (Hmm. They probably know, or at least suspect. But they'll have habits and reflexes that assume bodies that are more durable than they have.)
Theresa: *They might still think they're in Hell.)
Random_Nerd: (Yeah.)
Random_Nerd: (And even the ones that are sure they aren't there will still have gut-level responses that are keyed for Hell.)
Random_Nerd: (So, shall we cut to you guys still with Aaron, or outside his room?)
DanteE: (Still with Aaron, I think.
Theresa: (WIth Aaron is fine.)
DanteE: (Let's see, I completely forgot about the Dolorous Stroke part, and he picked up on that...)
DanteE: (and I was stopping him from leaving...)
Random_Nerd: (That, plus he doesn't think a dirty prole like you can handle it, even if you have supernatural powers.)
Random_Nerd: (That's not entirely mythically accurate. But it fits the sort of thing he thinks.)
Theresa: "Look...what would you accept in return for not harming this Chancel?"
Random_Nerd: (To Aaron?)
Theresa: (Yep.)
DanteE: (Accept no beast as your lord!)
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Harm it? I'm an old man with no weapons, and only a couple followers."
Random_Nerd: (He looks to be a well-preserved forty, who keeps in shape but has some scars and old injuries that make it so he doesn't move as smoothly as a younger man.)

• DanteE does a Realm Div of "What is Aaron planning to do?"
  

Theresa: (This isn't accepting lords, this is negotiating.)
Theresa: "You have been king here. That's a hard thing to give up. And you stayed king for many years. You are used to power.)
Theresa: "
Random_Nerd: Aaron is planning to test your limits, and the limits of Lesson, to see the ways in which you both can be manipulated. He then plans to either take advantage of your "weakness", or set you and Lesson at odds and try to take his place.
DanteE: (Where's Lesson now?)
Theresa: (Oh, sure take Lesson's place. I'm sure that he can point out the best bars in the Chancel to get drunk in...)
Random_Nerd: (Outside, talking with his intern.)
Random_Nerd: (Aaron doesn't get how unpleasant is is to be Lesson.)
DanteE: (Actually... where was he going?)
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Health, wealth, a long life, and freedom for me and my servants."
DanteE: (Aaron, not Lesson)
Random_Nerd: (He was less trying to go somewhere specific, and more trying to make an exit.)
DanteE: "That, and trying to manipulate your way back to the throne."
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Give me those things, and I will renounce my claim to legal authority over this kingdom, as long as the ruler is a man of my bloodline."
DanteE: "Lesson is, for all his faults, on _our_ side."
Theresa: "What do you consider freedom?"
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "My movements and actions will be constrained no more than those of the ordinary people of Amyra."
Theresa: "And the ruler is of your bloodline. There has been no break in that. Your blood is always there for Amyra."
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Does he look like me?"
DanteE: (Is he? The current line's through his nephew...)
Random_Nerd: (Mot really.)
Random_Nerd: (That, to the looking.)
Random_Nerd: (John would qualify, in the way that Aaron is thinking.)
Random_Nerd: (Aaron knows he didn't have any kids of his own that could inherit.)
Theresa: (There hasn't been a break where one not of the blood is on the throne. Cousins are still the same blood.)

• Theresa gazes at Aaron. "The skin is different but there is some resemblance."
  

Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Good."
DanteE: "John the 23rd is a direct descendant of the brother you almost had killed."
Theresa: "I cannot give wealth as what you consider such and what I consider, vary. But I can make sure that a random accident will not take your life again as long as you abide in Amyra."
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "There's one other thing that I want. Part of the deal. I want you to make it so I can have children of my own blood. I will renounce their claim, as well as my own, to this kingdom."
DanteE: "Wait...
Random_Nerd: He waits.
DanteE: "Wealth on par with what you had is not a problem.
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "I'm not asking for the moon..."
Random_Nerd: He stops.
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Were there two?"
DanteE: "The standard of living has progressed so far that you can get that just by owning a condo and a filled refrigerator."
Theresa: "We added the new one. There's a giant rabbit on the new one. You don't want to meet him."
Random_Nerd: Aaron doesn't respond.
DanteE: (What kind of living quarters do they have now?)
Theresa: (How much would a Realm Div of Aaron be for my Realm 0-ness? To see if there's anything wrong with the reproductive system?)
Random_Nerd: (Two realm MPs.)
Random_Nerd: (What Herb made is clean and pleasant, but not really regal.)
DanteE: "Come here a second...."

• DanteE heads to the kitchen.
  

Theresa: *to Aaron* "Did you have any troubles getting children while you were alive?"
DanteE: (If he did, he'd be the line rather than his nephew.)
DanteE: (er, didn't)
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "I never fathered any. I suspect the flaw was in me, for neither my wife nor my mistresses gave me children."
Theresa: (Well, no, it could be that he got women pregnant but the kids didn't survive.)

• DanteE opens the (I assume full) fridge...
  

Random_Nerd: Aaron: "And I spoke to a man, in Hell, who had been without issue, but that it was made so that he could have children. Something with drugs and surgeries that I did not understand. And he said that if I had lived when and where he did, I might have had children."
Random_Nerd: (It is indeed well-stocked.)
Random_Nerd: (Of the institutional, rather than family, size, and with enough food to feed a dozen hungry people for a month.)
DanteE: "Imagine... your choice of meals, any time, all year round."
Theresa: "Yes, there are various options now for the child-less. Using medicine, one can tell if it is the woman's eggs or the man's seed that is at fault, and techniques exist to cull the healthiest of such men and women to create children."
DanteE: "And without salting everything to keep it un-spoiled"
Theresa: (How much would it cost to do a Realm LPres of Aaron so that he is immune to random deaths and a Realm LC of good reproductive system for him?)
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "My present servants are not able to cook or clean well. I desire servants who can, horses and dogs and hunting equipment of my own, clothes of a conventional sort but high in quality."
DanteE: (Is Aaron literate?)
Random_Nerd: (For you, seven RMPs. Herb could do both for free.)
Random_Nerd: (He can read in the language he speaks, and a limited amount of church Latin.)
Random_Nerd: (But not quickly for either, by modern standards.)
Random_Nerd: (But by the standards of his day, he was educated.)
Theresa: (Hmm...can we assume Herb is here or that he had to take care of something else?)
Random_Nerd: (Yeah. Even though he isn't here, assume that the miracles can be taken care of off-camera.)
Theresa: (How popular is hunting in modern Amyra?)
Theresa: (Hmm...what do you think, Dante? I don't usually use Realm points, so I can make a show and do the miracles right here or handwave them off on Herb.)
DanteE: (Depends on what he's hunting. Pheasants are OK, peasants not so much.)
Random_Nerd: (He didn't hunt people. He was pragmatic and ruthless, not a sadist.)
DanteE: (I'll do another Div, this time of Aaron's general health)
Theresa: (I meant more, do you think I should do the Pres and LC miracles or have Herb handwave them.  :) )
Theresa: (So it;s probably about the same as hunting amounts in modern England?)
DanteE: (One thing you should do first... whomp up a contract saying he won't challenge the throne)
Random_Nerd: (And, let's see, hunting in modern Amyra. Country people do it. City people think it's a bit quaint. But there's some good hunting to be had.)
Random_Nerd: (More like hunting in the USA or Canada than in the UK, I'd say.)
Random_Nerd: (As for his general health...)
Random_Nerd: (HE'
DanteE: (HE WHAT? :) )
Random_Nerd: (He's presently in no danger, but he's got various injuries that have stuck with him.)
Theresa: "People can be hired to cook and clean. Hunting is not as popular in this time as your day but it is still done. You may wish to familiarize yourself with the changes in horses and dogs before making a decision on specifics."
DanteE: (And, reproductive health wise?)
Random_Nerd: (The scars, for instace, are tight and painful, and restrict some physical activity. One of his arms broke and didn't heal quite straight. Some damage to muscles and connective tissue.)
Theresa: (His sperm got no spice in them.)
Random_Nerd: (His reproductive problems are due to sperm that are somewhat sickly and malformed. Recessive trait that he drew bad genes on both sides for. Modern reproductive science couldn't fix it directly, but could probably cherrypick good sperm and use fertility drugs to increase the odds of retaining a pregnancy, and so on.)
Random_Nerd: (And, of course, a miracle could make it all better.)
DanteE: "Ah, there's the trouble...
DanteE: "How can I put this delicately...
DanteE: (OK, trying to remember what they knew about reproduction in the 1300s...)
Theresa: (I believe they knew that you had to have sex first...  :) )

• DanteE whispers what he learned from the Div to Theresa...
  

Theresa: "Your seed is not lively enough, Aaron. But we can fix this, if that is what you wish."
Random_Nerd: (They pretty much knew that men had sex with women, and then sometimes but not all the time babies would show up three seasons later. And that the women gave birth to the babies, not the men. And that eunuchs weren't going to be starting dynasties.)
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Then for that, and those other things I said, I will pass on my rule to the king who is of the line of my brother."
DanteE: "Mind signing a paper to that effect?"
Theresa: "I think it would be more appropriate to have him swear by the Treasures. As he knows what they do to oathbreakers."
DanteE: to T: "I'd like something I can show John."
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "I will sign my name to it, or say it in the hearing of witnesses, or swear it by Ark, Grail and Spear."
Theresa: "Okay, we'll have something written, you can handle that, Dante. Make it in Latin, so that Aaron can read it as well to his satisfaction. And the oath by the Treasures will secure it for me. For health, wealth and children."
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "And freedom, for myself and my followers."
DanteE: (Or, I could hand that off to the one who can POP PAPER OUT OF THIN AIR)
Angelo: (Question: if he choose a jaileg person as follower.. this man must be freed?)

• Theresa hands Dante a piece of paper and a pen.
  

Random_Nerd: (He's referring, specifically, to the two people from Hell who are currently deferring to him.)
Theresa: "Under the same restrictions that all others of the Chancel follow."
DanteE: OK, now to put together a contract in Latin...
Angelo: (ok, was not clear for me, I was thinkg to *Future* followers)
Random_Nerd: (Yeah, what he said was ambiguous. And he was vaguely hoping that you wouldn't notice that.)
Angelo: (ops sorry if I spoiled that)
Random_Nerd: (No, it's fine.)
DanteE: How's this: in return for renouncing all claims to the throne and any titles, as of this date, any and all previous crimes and offenses are hereby forgiven...

• Theresa looks at the followers (if they are in the room and asks them their names.
  

DanteE: (checking just what we promised him...)
Random_Nerd: They left at about the time Dante was waving a spear around.
DanteE: (yeah, I do that a lot. Really cuts down on lines at the grocery store. :D )

• Theresa will poke her head out the door and look for them.
  

Theresa: (Well, you don't have to tip, usually...)
Random_Nerd: They're out there, and you think you can pick out the Amyrans from the general hellish grab-bag.
DanteE: In return we shall endeavor to protect Aaron and his followers (name) and (name) from death and injury by random chance, and shall provide...

• Theresa points them out. "You two, what are your names?"
  

DanteE: (don't think you can really translate "luxuriant lifestyle" into 14th century Latin...)
Random_Nerd: They give names that if I were less tired I could plausibly come up with.
Random_Nerd: If they're important later, you'll know what their names are.
DanteE: (Bob & Steve Extra)
Angelo: (Noa & Stanley)
Random_Nerd: (Yeah, let's say they're Bob and Stan McNonspeakingrole.)
Random_Nerd: (Nah, Bob and Stan Placeholder.)
Theresa: (Perhaps the standards that he was accustomed to, adjusted for these times.)
Theresa: (Captain Placeholder! I want his autograph!)
DanteE: and shall provide for them as well as or better than they were accustomed to when they were first mortals living on Earth. Howzat?
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "I know that it seems odd, that I'm giving up now what I spend so much of my life to protect then. But what did that get me? These two, even when I found out they were my subjects, didn't even know who I was."
Theresa: "For many, the lives of royals pass by quickly."
DanteE: Writing that ^ a little bit better, in latin, so that it looks like an Illuminated Manuscript in the space of a few seconds. :)
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Got me sent to Hell, and it wasn't even worth the effort."
Random_Nerd: Dante, your manuscript is most beautifully drawn. Do you want to add any illustrations?
DanteE: Yes--images of the Bell, Book and Candle. Whoops, I mean, Spear, Ark and Grail... from memory. :)
DanteE: (Anything I screwed up in the 'contract' text?)
Random_Nerd: (Let's see. Looks like you have it all covered. And I don't see any obvious loopholes to exploit.)
Theresa: (I didn't think we were going to protect the followers from random chance. And there's no testicle subsection.)
DanteE: (Specifically, Death and Injury by random chance.
DanteE: (Someone can still try to kill them)
DanteE: (As for the nuts... )
DanteE: "Have a look at this."

• DanteE shows the contract to Aaron.
  

Random_Nerd: Aaron: "And my fertility will also be guaranteed?"
DanteE: "Well, you'll still need to find and attract potential mates on your own.
DanteE: "But..."
Theresa: "The problems with your seed will not be an issue. Do you wish us to confirm the fertility of any of your mates?"

• DanteE reaches over and touches Aaron on the forehead... and hits him with a Realm LD accumulated damage/LC Health/Vigor/Fertility. (Assuming that's close enough to be a conjunct miracle.)
  

Random_Nerd: Aaron: "I imagine that I can find fertile women. Or are the woman of this day not reliable in their fertility?"
Random_Nerd: (Yeah, I'd say that you can do that as a conjunctional miracle.)
Random_Nerd: Aaron sits up, and touches his side where the scar from the boar was.
DanteE: "When I said 'we control'... I was not kidding.
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "I will be permitted to say that I was once a king here, even though I am not one from the time I sign onward?"
Theresa: "Birth rates and infant survival are both up from your time."
Theresa: "I don't know how many people would believe you. And they may try to use you to tear down the current king."
DanteE: "Now... do you swear by the Spear, the Ark, and the Grail, by the Lord and Faith that they represent, and by the Royal Line that maintain them, that you will abide by the terms of this contract?"
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Do you swear by them that you will fufill your side of the bargain?"
DanteE: "Part of it I just did, so yes."
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Then I swear by the Spear, the Ark, and the Grail that I renounce my claim on the throne of Amyra, the title of king, and the other titles which I possessed, in favor of the descendant of my brother, and in exchange for those things that have been offered to me."
DanteE: "Sign this, then?"
Theresa: "So be it."

• DanteE hands him a pen.
  

Random_Nerd: He takes it and looks at you expectantly.
DanteE: (Hasn't he been reading it?)
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Ink?"
DanteE: "already in that."
Random_Nerd: He writes his name with it on the contract.
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Almost makes me wish I had my signet, still, to mark it. But I suppose he has that now."
DanteE: "I'll ask him."

• DanteE checks to make sure he signed his real name... :)
  

Random_Nerd: (He did. Besides, in his mind, the spoken oath was the main thing, not the signature.)
Theresa: (A man's word is his honor."
Theresa: )
DanteE: "We should have a nice place for you to live in a few days. In the meantime, we'll be sending people in to get you acquainted with the 21st century."
DanteE: (Can't wait to see his Match.com ad... :D )
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "I have concluded that this is clearly not Hell. I will tell the others this."
Theresa: "Thank you."
DanteE: "Thank you."
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "I was persuaded when you made the mistake with the spear. I doubt that you could be so convincing in other ways and make a random mistake in a totally different direction. It could, of course, all be part of a larger act, but I do not think it is."
DanteE: (Even my screwups wind up good? Damn, I am Noble. :) )
Theresa: (*snort*)
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "I believe I shall go for a walk. I would like to see what has happened to m... to the kingdom of Amyra, as ruled by the descendant of my brother."
Theresa: "Would you like a guide?"
DanteE: "Should put on proper clothing first..."

• Theresa LC proper clothing for Aaron.
  

DanteE: "I need to do one thing first..."
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "Yes?"
DanteE: "I'll leave you in Theresa's hands."

• DanteE takes the contract and the fake spear to John.
  

Theresa: "If you;ll change into this clothing, Aaron, you should be able to go out in just a little bit."
Random_Nerd: Aaron: "I do not need a guide, I think. Do the people still speak a language I would understand?"
Random_Nerd: (Somewhat, but not to a great deal. He could make simple concepts understood, but no more.)
Theresa: "Not really. We can understand all languages but the current language of the land would not be very recognizable."
DanteE: (and text messaging is gonna be a real trick. )
Random_Nerd: Okay, Dante, you arrive at the room where John is. You're not that far, and Aspect is a hell of a thing.
DanteE: What's he doing?
Random_Nerd: (We should stop soon, I think. The game's slowing down.)
Theresa: "You were able to see some of the city on your way to this place. A guide might be better for you."
Random_Nerd: He's reading a history book.
DanteE: "King John?"
Random_Nerd: He looks up.
Random_Nerd: John: "Yes, Dante?"
DanteE: "Brought you some light reading and a party favor. :) "
Random_Nerd: John: "It's fake, I assume."
DanteE: "Damn, can't fool anybody with this thing. We were just talking with the ex-hellbound.
DanteE: "Aaron has renounced all royal claims. Have a look."
Random_Nerd: John: "Well, it's partly that the chamber with the real one is just down the hall, and we just had several new locks installed."

• DanteE hands over the contract.
  

Random_Nerd: He reads the document.
Random_Nerd: Specifically, he reads it with the air of a man who wishes he had a Latin lexicon within reach.
DanteE: "This spear did fool him for a moment--I put just enough of an 'aura' on it to look interesting."
DanteE: "Not for long, though, he remembered the real one."
Random_Nerd: John: "Okay, so, he's renounced any claim on the throne. That's good. I don't really want a succession struggle."
Random_Nerd: John: "Of course, even if he had it, I imagine he'd be a bit shocked at how it doesn't really work the same way as it used to. Parliament, and so forth."
DanteE: "As for this... this ought to be able to decoy anyone else. I think you can come up with a few dozen potential uses."

• DanteE hands over the spear.
  

Random_Nerd: John: "Well, I don't know who it would work on. Anyone who hasn't seen the real thing doesn't even know what it looks like, really. And only eight living people or so, present company included, have seen the real thing."
DanteE: "Can you account for the other 5?"
DanteE: "... oops, 4?"
Random_Nerd: John: "And you and I know it's fake, so that rules out us. I imagine your siblings would know about it too, and you said my ancestor knew as well. Might fool my nephew."
DanteE: (Me, Theresa, Aaron, and John...)
Random_Nerd: (And the Excrucian. John's nephew. Probably one or two other family members being trained in the rituals and shown to the holy relics just in case the regular person drops dead.)
DanteE: (Excrucian's dead, ne?)
DanteE: (.....or did you just accidentally reveal a plot point? >:) )
Theresa: (Maybe John wasn't sure it was dead.)
DanteE: (It _melted_)
Theresa: (And his voicebox was melted. It got better.)
Random_Nerd: (John's not sure what to think of it.)
DanteE: "Well, keep it in case things go Horribly Wrong."
Random_Nerd: John: "He didn't have any children either, it turns out. I was reading about it. So I'm not really descended from him after all."
Random_Nerd: John: "And I suppose I can keep it in the vestibule, in case a fake ever comes in handy."
DanteE: "We know why now. Congenital infertility.
DanteE: "Then again, I just fixed that...
Random_Nerd: John: "Well, that's interesting. Be ironic if my dead grandgrandgrandgranduncle came back, and he immediately found a wife and had some kids."
DanteE: "So, if you see an ad for royal consorts on craigslist in a few weeks, don't panic."
Theresa: (Welcome to Nobilis.)
Theresa: (And I'm sure Parliment has an ad already there for John.)
Random_Nerd: John: "What's he like?"
DanteE: "On the _surface_... seems rational. Then again, he's dealt with Hell and us.
DanteE: "Underneath, though, he was planning to set us against one another to regain the throne. Before signing that, though. I think we persuaded him."
Random_Nerd: John: "I've been reading this, and he just sounds cold. Like he doesn't really care about most things, and that he'd do almost anything to get what he wanted."
DanteE: "It seems that what he wants is the lifestyle, and we're giving it to him"
DanteE: "Wants to go hunting and boss around servants, that kind of thing."
Random_Nerd: John: "Never really seen the appear of hunting. My father used to like it, but I was never much good at it."
Random_Nerd: John: "You know what I like most, about you guys coming in here and changing things? The fact that I'm the king isn't really a big deal to you."
DanteE: "14th century is long before decent guns, right?"
Theresa: (Isn't really a big deal?)
Random_Nerd: John: "Has to be. Did they even have crossbows?"
DanteE: "Social strata suddenly isn't as important when you have dominion over an aspect of reality. :) "
Random_Nerd: (Mind if we stop about now?)
DanteE: (Dang... the Chinese had pistol crossbows 2nd century BC. Wikipedia.)
Random_Nerd: (Yeah. And weren't there some really early Greek ones?)
Random_Nerd: (Not the sort of forged-steel military one you'd see later on, but at least some sort.)
DanteE: (5th c. AD)
Random_Nerd: (Not as early as I thought, then.)
DanteE: (oops... BC, not AD
DanteE: (From both China and Greece)
DanteE: (And stoppin is good)
Theresa: (Braaaains?)
Random_Nerd: (Okay, now I'm reading it too. Hmm. When was the stirrup-type invented?)
Random_Nerd: ______________STOP________________
Theresa: (Oh, great, now he won't get to bed for hours.  :) )
Random_Nerd: So, what'd you think?

• • • Angelo has signed off IRC (Ping timeout).
      
    • DanteE is now known as Knockwood.
      

Knockwood: We learned about crossbows! :)
Random_Nerd: Heh.

• • • You are now known as BethE.
      

BethE: I like that Aaron was reasonable. I'm sure it can be twisted to be bad for us, but at least it's started out okay.
Knockwood: I like that too...
Knockwood: though I was prepped for a big conflict, especially after how last session ended.
Random_Nerd: Yeah. He isn't fond of conflict for the sake of conflict.
Knockwood: Wonder what happened to Herb... networking glitches again?
Random_Nerd: He's just perfectly willing to hurt people if he thinks it's the best way to get what he wants.
Random_Nerd: Not sure.
Random_Nerd: And it was interesting how Dante's Indy-ploy with the spear ended up working out. I didn't intend to make it go that way, but it just made sense.
Knockwood: Reminds me: are his two 'followers' the other 2 Amyrans?
Random_Nerd: Yeah. And one of the other people seems to be sometimes deferring to him now, but Aaron doesn't think of that guy as one of his yet.
Knockwood: Next step is dealing with 'Bathory'
Random_Nerd: I doubt she has much of a claim on the throne.

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 13