Session 248

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Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 35

=-= User mode for Angelo is now +ix

-->| YOU (Angelo) have joined #Nobilis

=-= Topic for #Nobilis is ``RandomNerd's Nobilis game!~

=-= Topic for #Nobilis was set by Etheric on 15 marzo 2013 02:29:53

<Etheric> If you were Haruhi Suzumiya, then even arriving early, I might be called late, so this game is quite low-stress by comparison.

<Angelo> hi all! :-)

<lazarus> does anyone know if Rankin/Bass ever did Return of the King?

<Etheric> Hey Angelo!

<lazarus> hey Angelo!

<Angelo> :-) at Eth & Laz

<Etheric> And, am I the only one here who has zero idea exactly what laz is talking about? <.<

<Angelo> me too Eth

<Etheric> Heh, okay.  :)

<Angelo> a public Thank You to Beth for her reminders eMails :-)

<Random_Nerd> Etheric, had you been here for the recent Amyra ones?

<BethE> Hi Angelo! *HUG*

  • Angelo counter hug

<BethE> Rnakin Bass did a Lord of the Rings cartoon.

<lazarus> Apparently they did actually do Return of the King.

<Etheric> So, does that mean that a Rinkin Bass is a type of fish that does cartoons, or what?

<Random_Nerd> Froooodooo, of the Niiiiine Fiiingers...

<Etheric> And as for the game, I was here when we broke down negotiations with the Deceiver or shard (whichever he is) and Dante got bombed.

<Etheric> I think I wasn't there for the full session though.

<lazarus> You left before we ended it, I think.

<lazarus> I don't /remember/ much beyond that, though.

<BethE> Well, the Deciver's buddies got bombed by Kite... after we had shook hands and wished him good luck and such. Theresa's fault, she mentioned a bomb earlier that night.

<Etheric> <.< Ah, enthusiastic, that Kite is.

<Angelo> there was an exchange of uneducated words then of uneducated punches & uneducated miracles

<lazarus> (Can't help it: "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!")

-->| Knockwood (~Knockwood@19721D2A.A17B8F87.DFE6B3CE.IP) has joined #Nobilis

<Knockwood> Hiyo

<lazarus> Hey kwd

<Angelo> Hiya Knock!

<Etheric> Hey Knockwood.

<Random_Nerd> Hey, Knock.

<Knockwood> So, what did I miss?

<Etheric> A brief, incomplete recap.

<Knockwood> of course.

<Etheric> Which left me less filled-in than confused, but that's normal with this group. <.<

<Random_Nerd> Any questions, Etheric?

<Angelo> :-P

<BethE> The recap was : BethE: Well, the Deciver's buddies got bombed by Kite... after we had shook hands and wished him good luck and such. Theresa's fault, she mentioned a bomb earlier that night.

<BethE> But this isn't fair! Kite started it! He's not even here yet!

<Knockwood> wished him good luck?

<Etheric> I don't really understand who actually got bombed with what when, but it might be simpler just to play it out.

<Random_Nerd> We don't really know why Kite decided that it was 'splosion time.

<lazarus> everyone got bombed.

<Knockwood> cuz we hadn't had one in a while?

<lazarus> and this keyboard doesn't want to work when I hold it that way.

<Etheric> So, "everyone," meaning the American troops and the PCs and some assorted Taliban and any theoretical innocent bystanders?

<Angelo> well kite planted a bomb in the deceiver helped soldier camp

<lazarus> pretty much, Eth.

<BethE> Knock - we parted on good terms, no swear of vengeance at the time.

<lazarus> three different bombs or so

<Etheric> And how big a bomb exactly?

<lazarus> (one of them was /technically/ a car)

<Knockwood> has the attack on me stopped?

<Etheric> No, it hasn't.

<Etheric> The Deceiver was polite and evidently had once been human and didn't really understand what he was doing to you except on an academic level, but he wasn't willing to call it off.

<BethE> Nope, we weren't getting anywhere with him. We decided to leave and regroup or such and on the way down the road at the checkpoint, there was a large kaboom.

<Etheric> So we ended negotiations in order to plan another line of attack, and then got car-bombed.

<Random_Nerd> Which was in response to Kite's thing.

<Knockwood> OK, I think I puzzled out the nature of the attack last time, but that was a while ago.

<Etheric> Ah, so I did miss a session.

<Random_Nerd> So, shall we start, and V gets here when he gets here?

<Etheric> Works for me.

<Knockwood> hold on...

<Knockwood> anyone remember the nature of the attack?

<Etheric> Um, the car-bomb attack?

<Etheric> I wasn't here for the aftermath.

<BethE> The attack on you was removing being afraid from courage.

<Random_Nerd> Which attack?

<Knockwood> Beth got it

<Etheric> Oh, that. Guess I didn't miss a session after all.

<Knockwood> one of my things is "Courage counters fear"

<Etheric> The Deceiver is teaching American soldiers some sort of technique that removes their ability to feel fear as an emotion.

<Knockwood> which means no need for Courage since there's nothing to counter

<Etheric> So they respond rationally and not emotionally, and if I followed it right, that's winning them battles.

  • Angelo nod nod

<Random_Nerd> And you defined Courage as having to be necessary.

<Etheric> The Taliban were also for some reason wasting their lives needlessly, which I think was related? Although I'm not clear on how the causation works.

<BethE> It also helps that the Deceiver has been messing with the natives as well to remove their fear and making them stupid.

<Etheric> Ah, that would be why.

<Random_Nerd> Ready to go?

<Etheric> So, for the soldiers, replacing fear with rational caution, and for the Afghans, replacing fear with blind ignorance.

<Etheric> I think that covers it, probably.

<Knockwood> OK, so, we stopped negotiations with the Chaplain-slash-Deceiver Shard to regroup, and then they got bombed by Kite?

<Angelo> yep

=-= BethE is now known as Theresa

=-= YOU are now known as Ftisk

=-= Etheric is now known as Carrie

=-= Knockwood is now known as DanteE

=-= lazarus is now known as Brian

<Brian> (oh right, I was going to get myself a Miracle chart! Oops!)

<Theresa> Yep while we were at the checkpoint. The Deceiver has sent an undying dude after us and he's coming in bird form.

<Brian> Does "the Party" count as a target for Auctoritas?

<Ftisk> raven if I remember well

<DanteE> What were you having Dante do while I wasn't here?

<Random_Nerd> As a target for auctoritas?

<Brian> Auct protects you or a target. I'm not sure what the intent of that was.

<Brian> I think we had "the room" before

<Theresa> You were guarding the Pillar of the Universe called Guarding the Horses.

<Carrie> Guarding the Horses is a Root of the World -- that explains so much!

<Random_Nerd> Oh, yes, you can do that on a group.

<DanteE> One thing: IC, does Dante know what Kite did?

<Brian> alright. Just double-checking these things :) It's been a while since we used them.

<Theresa> If you woke up while we were driving away, then yeah, we mentioned it and the incoming and the undying dude.

<Random_Nerd> The Excrucian mentioned it.

<Random_Nerd> And I /think/ Kite acknowledged it.

<DanteE> The Chaplain?

<Random_Nerd> Yeah.

<Theresa> I think it ended with a 'What Have You Done?!?'

<Random_Nerd> And those of you who took wounds or spent MPs have those recorded?

<Ftisk> yep in my mindchart

<Brian> I spent no MPs, but I believe I took a wound?

<DanteE> I did the miracle on the car...

<Random_Nerd> I believe so, but I don't have the level recorded.

<Theresa> Yeppers.

<DanteE> I think someone took a surface wound at one point

<Brian> I think it was a normal wound, RN. I don't remember what hurt me, though :(

<Random_Nerd> Well, let's get going.

<Random_Nerd> ____________________________start_________________

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain Rhinehart, currently in the form of a large and angry bird, approaches your vehicle.

<DanteE> (Why? We're not pigs!)

<Theresa> "Well, crap. I apologize for the mention I made of bombs back at that camp. I'm guessing talking will not work this time."

<Ftisk> "Stop! Why you are attaching us?"

<Theresa> (And we have the other guy coming?)

<Random_Nerd> The attempted car-bomber is crawling towards you, but he's not going to live much longer.

  • Theresa will tie him down with vines coming out of the ground. Hope it's far enough away from the nuclear bird.

  • DanteE checks out the bomber with the Sight.

<Random_Nerd> The birdscrutian caws at Theresa, and flicks out a Persona miracle at her. Lesser Sacrifice, to remove the ability to get things done in a productive fashion. What do you do?

<Brian> I want to set up an Auctoritas Magister on the Party. Spending 2 MPs to do so.

<Random_Nerd> (The bomber guy is definitely connected to Courage, more so than most things you've seen lately.)

<DanteE> "Brian, Theresa, you remember that thing we did in Mexico?"

<DanteE> (Connected how?)

<Random_Nerd> Okay, the miracle penetrates the Auctoritas, but it is successfully set up.

<Theresa> (Persona 2 myself, what would I have to spend to up the protection of it?)

<Brian> "Which thing when in Mexico? And I thought we agreed never to talk about that?"

<DanteE> "The _other_ thing. The shower of arrows."

<Random_Nerd> Theresa, what wound do you take?

<Ftisk> (wasn't here for the Mexico thing :-( )

<Brian> (I personally don't remember it)

<Random_Nerd> (Deadly Wound, affliction level 2.)

<DanteE> (Remember? Wood + Blades + Numbers conjunctive miracle=shower of arrows)

<Brian> (Ah, ok, yes, vaguely)

<Ftisk> (wow would have been cool)

<Brian> (I don't have a good tracker here, but I probably have enough MPs to make that happen)

<Ftisk> "Can we add a mechanical arrow launcher?"

<Ftisk> (I can add machinery :-) )

  • Theresa has trouble concentrating. "Ooo, shinny pebble..."

<DanteE> (Hold on. RN, is that possible in v3, and what would it do?)

<Random_Nerd> (What do you want to do?)

<Random_Nerd> (Oh, a conjunctive miracle?)

<Random_Nerd> (Those are no longer a thing.)

<DanteE> (Nail him with enough arrows to blot out the sun)

<DanteE> (urk)

<Ftisk> (damn!)

<DanteE> "So, we've moved from Carter-style negotiations to Kissinger style, or straight to Bruce Willis style?"

<Random_Nerd> "Well, you started this by blowing up my friends."

<DanteE> "No, you started this by attacking me."

<Random_Nerd> "I still don't even know what you mean by that."

<DanteE> "... you don't get that at all, do you?"

<Theresa> (We spent the whole time talking to him last session and no, he does not get it.)

<Random_Nerd> "Honestly, it all sounds rather insane, and right now I am not inclined to trust you on it."

<DanteE> (Would I still be protected if I flew up?)

<Theresa> "You're flying as a bird and you think we sound insane?"

  • DanteE flies up to get into his face. Beak.

<Random_Nerd> (You have to stay at least kinda near the other people in the Auctoritas for it to apply.)

<DanteE> (Well, I'll probably be back in a moment...)

<Random_Nerd> "You talk a bunch of what sounds like a made-up religion, we agree to disagree, then you kill some people I knew. Yes. You sound insane."

<DanteE> "You and I have been made 'special', Chaplain.

<Random_Nerd> (It'll apply again when you get close.)

<DanteE> "Fate has placed us on opposite sides...

<Random_Nerd> "Fate? Or your choices?"

<DanteE> "And considering we fight for the continued existence of Creation, that puts you on the _wrong_ side."

  • Ftisk fights the urge to shout "Creation is overrated!"

<Random_Nerd> "You still haven't given any reasons why that's a good thing... yeah."

<DanteE> (Let's see, it's assumed I go around with a ridiculous number of blades on me, right? :) )

  • Theresa works on polishing the left side mirror of Dante's car.

<Random_Nerd> (Sure.)

<Random_Nerd> "You talk a good game, but it seems like it's all about principles, and not at all about people."

<Random_Nerd> "I'm helping my friends. You're hurting them. And not in vague metaphysical ways, in literal fire and shrapnel ways."

<Random_Nerd> "And I don't know how to bring dead people back."

<Carrie> "Look who's talking. You can look straight at the person you're killing and claim that his pain is all metaphysics?"

<DanteE> "Never underestimate the forces of good, Shard. _I do._"

<Random_Nerd> "...how do you think you're the forces of good? You're the ones who did the unprovoked murders!"

<Random_Nerd> "You know you're the bad guys here, right?"

<DanteE> "Sit there and watch this."

  • DanteE flies down, grabs the bomber, and heals him.

  • Theresa mutters to Carrie. "It's my fault. I mentioned bombs earlier. And then something blows up..."

<DanteE> "You're not seeing Paradise today, creep."

<Random_Nerd> It works.

<Ftisk> "Yatta!"

<Random_Nerd> He hovers. A bird with his wingspan shouldn't be able to hover, but he manages in a way that seems vaguely impossible.

<DanteE> to bird: "You say Fear has no place? Watch me prove you wrong."

<Random_Nerd> The guy's clothing is still torn up, but his flesh patches back together.

<Random_Nerd> "So, it's a shakedown? I do what you want, and you heal some of the people you hurt?"

<DanteE> to Bomber: "You. You go back to your little hellhole and tell them we have workers of Miracles on our side.

<Random_Nerd> Bomber-dude sits there blinking.

<DanteE> (Here's where I'm going: Fear does have a place... in the ranks of the enemy.

<Carrie> (Ah, and then, Courage can still overcome fear!)

<DanteE> (Counter it in our troops, sow it in their troops, and the battle ends.)

<Ftisk> (clever!)

<Random_Nerd> (So, how does this counter the "Courage is unnecessary, there are better ways to get the same result" attack?)

<DanteE> (Because by _countering_ fear, you basically multiply it by -1, rather than leaving it at zero. High score wins. :) )

<Random_Nerd> (...I can't really parse that.)

<DanteE> (His thing is, if there's no need for courage, then you wind up with nothing, and status quo wins.

<Theresa> (Yeah, I'm not sure I get it, Knock. Can you reexplain for me?)

<Ftisk> (and me)

<Brian> (I think I vaguely get it, but I don't see that as his argument)

<Random_Nerd> (Yeah, that.)

<DanteE> (But, if you're countering a negative thing, by definition you have a positive thing.

<Random_Nerd> (You're making an argument in favor of countering fear. But that was never the issue.)

<Random_Nerd> (It's about methods by which one counters fear.)

<Brian> (What you really need to do is define "all ways of countering fear /are/ Courage")

<DanteE> (I'm going to prove that acting with courage just plain works better than acting with nothing, and therefore is necessary. QEB.)

<Carrie> (Okay, then this is to set up the demonstration?)

<Random_Nerd> (But you have to actually prove that. Like, is his thing actually a kind of courage? Or is courage better than his thing in some way?)

<Random_Nerd> (Either of those could be viable approaches.)

<DanteE> (Yep, he sows fear in his group--there's a guy there that can fly, and can prevent you from going to Paradise!

<DanteE> (We sow courage in our group so that they're motivated (Courage is motivating) to end this stalemate once and for all.)

<DanteE> (They meet, Creation wins.)

<Theresa> (But you can't do Courage on any of us.)

<Random_Nerd> "What you did for that guy... does it work on people who're recently dead? With no side effects?"

<DanteE> (I don't need to.)

<Carrie> (Hmm, the only problem I see with that is that it just avoids the specific case. It doesn't prove that Courage was truly needed, only that it can be helpful.)

<DanteE> "Yes. Yes it does."

<DanteE> (AH, but his plan means that Courage would have no value.)

<Random_Nerd> (No, just that it's second-best.)

<Random_Nerd> (Where your estate definition requires that it be the only game in town.)

<Carrie> (As I understand it, the attack is on the trait, "Courage is necessary.")

<Carrie> (So just showing that it can help would be insufficient.)

<Random_Nerd> "Are there side effects?"

<DanteE> (Are there?

<DanteE> (and I thought it was on "Courage counters fear")

<Random_Nerd> (Oh. No, not really.)

<Random_Nerd> (And no, there aren't side effects other than possible DA.)

<DanteE> "None that I know of."

<Random_Nerd> (But he can probably counter that.)

<Carrie> (Worst comes to worst, I can counter it.)

<Random_Nerd> "Then I propose a cease-fire. You come back, you bring back everyone who was hurt, as good as they were before. And then we see where we stand."

<DanteE> (Wait, is this an attack on "Courage counters fear" or something else?)

<Theresa> (I think it's on Courage counters fear. (Courage is Courage:

<Theresa> is motivating [2]

<Theresa> is inspiring [1]

<Theresa> counters fear [2]

<Theresa> is essential to (self-)sacrifice [1]

<Theresa> is essential to the truth

<Theresa> counters mindless fleeing or cowering [1] )

<Carrie> "Alright. Please accept my apology for our friend's unwise act."

<DanteE> ("He's a birdbrain sometimes. :) ")

<Ftisk> (biter that being a snailbrain :-P )

<Random_Nerd> (Well, it's kinda the intersection of that and the self-sacrifice and truth bits.)

<Random_Nerd> He flaps down, lands next to your vehicle, and turns back into a person.

<DanteE> (Though I would note I didn't put a point value by the Truth one)

<Random_Nerd> There isn't any moment of shapechanging, it just looks like it was done in video editing, where one frame he's a bird, and the next, a person.

<Theresa> (We shall punish Kite by sending him to guard the Pillar of Guarding the Horses.)

<DanteE> "Back to camp."

<Theresa> (Hey, all I have is what I get off of the website.  :) )

-->| Verithe (~chatzilla@MagicStar-846EFD68.lightspeed.livnmi.sbcglobal.net) has joined #Nobilis

<Random_Nerd> And so you go.

<Carrie> Correct me if I do this wrong since I still am not 100% sure I get what I can do with Persona, but I'd like to do a Lesser Enchantment to help Dante's demonstration thing along.

<Verithe> o.o

<Brian> (Hey V)

<Theresa> Speak of the demon bird!

=-= Verithe is now known as Kite

<Random_Nerd> (Okay. What estate property are you using?)

<Theresa> (Hi V!)

<Kite> (Hi!)

<Ftisk> (hi Verithe!)

<Theresa> (We've been maligning Kite in parentheses.)

<Kite> (Ohmai!)

<DanteE> (Quick question: what happens if a mundane sees me make a guy's wounds close?)

<Random_Nerd> (Potential DA.)

<Random_Nerd> (But if it happened to one of the guys who's been listening to his pep talks... less likely.)

<Random_Nerd> (Similar in effect, if not in means, to the way Carrie can block it.)

<Ftisk> (and if he proclaim to be the oiled by God and being able to bring back deaths?)

<DanteE> "Theresa, you still have that healing plant for the lesser wounds?)

<Carrie> Before the bomber leaves, Lesser Enchantment of Hope on the message he carries, so that it spreads throughout the group. "Hope sustains by connecting." The warning will connect with them and they will understand it to be something that will sustain, as in save, them if they need it.

<Carrie> Does that make sense?

<DanteE> (I like it!)

<Random_Nerd> (Okay, so it's not on him, it's on his narrative of these events?)

<Random_Nerd> (Yeah, that works.)

<Carrie> Right, his story.

<DanteE> (Remember that, I could use it a little later.)

<Random_Nerd> The bomb casualties are currently receiving medical attention, at least those that are still breathing, or recently so.

<Random_Nerd> Eight dead, about a dozen badly wounded.

<Theresa> Theresa looks away from the cord she was tying in knots. "Oh, the bullet plant? Only back in Amyra. I'm not even sure how well it would work outside of Amyra. I can try to move some here, if you want."

<DanteE> quietly: "Dammit Kite, you need to talk to us before you do something this drastic."

<Kite> "What?"

<Kite> "What did I do?"

<Brian> "Impressive blast though."

<Theresa> (You... uh... bombed them.)

<Kite> (But I never told anyone)

  • Ftisk punch Kite on head "Is not fair that I'm the responsible one atm! I'm not used to that!"

<Random_Nerd> (Yeah, but it was obviously one of you, and the rest knew it wasn't /them/...)

<Theresa> (And Ftisk wouldn't have been able to keep quiet about it..)

<Ftisk> (true true)

<DanteE> to Theresa and Carrie: "You help and distract the wounded."

<Random_Nerd> The chaplain watches as Dante heals some of the guys. "So, how does that work, exactly? How do you go about doing it?"

<Brian> "Magic."

<Ftisk> "Is a courage infusion, isn't it?"

<DanteE> "Easy. We fight on the side of Creation, we get benefits like this."

<Kite> "Courage magic."

<Random_Nerd> (I thought Dante was Honest.)

<Brian> (we keep talking over each other)

<Carrie> (Online game. Nature of the beast.)

<DanteE> (He is. He got the ability because he's a good soldier for Kudzu.)

<Carrie> As each one is healed, Carrie uses a Lesser Preservation on those present to prevent DA.

<Theresa> (So, given the healing plant of Amyra. I can move some of those leaves from there to here, but how well will they work outside of Amyra?)

<DanteE> (One day he figured having a healing ability would help there, and through hard work he got it. :) )

<Carrie> (Is it a Gift or a Courage miracle? Just out of curiosity.)

<DanteE> (Gift)

<Carrie> (Ah, okay.)

<Random_Nerd> (Well, an Excrucian could have the same Gift.)

<DanteE> (An Excrucian wouldn't _want_ the same gift.)

<Brian> (This guy would)

<Random_Nerd> (Some would, but probably less of them.)

<Ftisk> (there are excru and excru...)

<Carrie> (We don't necessarily know that about Excrucians.)

<DanteE> (This guy may not be 100% Ex.)

<Random_Nerd> (And this guy's new enough that he doesn't really know what he can and can't do, yet.)

<DanteE> (He doesn't know the nature of what happened to him.)

<Theresa> (An Excrucian would if it fit his personality/goals. They're not all raging pschyo hosebeast narcissists like some Excrucian Deceivers we may have seen pictures of.)

<Carrie> (If you're conjuring this from Amyra, wouldn't an included Lesser Preservation make it work here still? Or is that Change miracle territory?)

<DanteE> (Come to think of it... Carrie, your Connection thing. Imagine if you could re-connect him to Creation.)

<Random_Nerd> "So. To get back to earlier, you said that what I'm doing is hurting you. I still don't understand that. Can we work out a way that I can keep doing this, without causing that?"

<Theresa> (Carrie - checking what the plant originally did, it healed bullet wounds/stopped bleeding. This is major organ damage. I don't think the plant would help with this.)

<DanteE> "I could. I'm not sure you could, though."

<Theresa> (But I can make gauze like you wouldn't believe.)

<Ftisk> "Was what we were trying to do!"

<Kite> "If your way can co-exist with the existence of Courage, maybe."

<DanteE> "This is heavy-duty metaphysics that you've been caught up in, so I'm going to play fast and loose with some details...

<DanteE> "That being you saw? Something like a demon.

<Random_Nerd> "Being I saw?"

<Random_Nerd> "That wasn't how it was."

<Theresa> "Please be careful, Dante. Playing fast and loose got Brian in trouble with Physics, remember?"

<Random_Nerd> "It was... everything."

<DanteE> "I'll try, Theresa."

<Kite> "Can you describe everything in terms you think we'll understand?"

<Carrie> (It would probably go beyond what I can effect, given how Nobles and shards are beyond direct miracles. But I could maybe try with a Major Something-or-other)

<DanteE> "It was one view of everything...

<Theresa> "Rewriting reality at times crosses one's eyes."

<DanteE> (OK, trying to remember his account...)

<DanteE> "Did it seem to be a view from _outside_?"

<Random_Nerd> "It's... it was a mystical experience. Real St. John of the Cross stuff. And you can't just explain that to someone who hasn't seen it. I tried, earlier, and it didn't work."

<Carrie> "What Dante means is that a demon has given you this vision... although admittedly "demon" is a misnomer. We call them the Dark Horsemen, and they come from outside All That Is."

  • Theresa will help Carrie as much as possible with gauze and stents and vines and oo, is that a bit of liver over there?

<Random_Nerd> "It wasn't the perspective, it was... seeing /through/ everything. To what it really was, under all the crap and glitter and distractions."

<Theresa> (St. John of the Cross? I know a dude, man, gooood mushrooms...)

<Random_Nerd> "All the stuff that just gets in the way."

<DanteE> (Remember, you may just need to cover the wounds up until I come along./)

<Brian> "And we must be clear: The Excrucians are only at odds with us because they want to unmake Creation, and not because they are fundamentally from Outside."

<Ftisk> "Not all of them"

<Carrie> "I believe I said before, peel away enough layers and you are left with no onion."

<Theresa> (My mistake. Wrong St. John.)

<Carrie> "For better or worse, Creation is like that."

<Carrie> "We have lost... far too much already."

<Kite> "And your army people....they are 'real' things?"

<Random_Nerd> "Then that would make me one of them, right? Because, all this stuff on top of what's really going on /does/ have to go."

<Random_Nerd> "I just want to work out a way to do that without hurting anyone."

<DanteE> "What did that experience say was under that facade?"

<DanteE> "What 'really was'?"

<Random_Nerd> "The way things really are. Well, people, at least."

<DanteE> "And what is that?"

<Random_Nerd> "Like... have you read Plato? Aristotle?"

<Random_Nerd> (..."MORONS!")

<Carrie> "Well, completing your vision 'without hurting anyone' may be tricky, given that the Estates themselves are alive. And their removal, or destruction, would slice apart the being of the gods we serve."

<DanteE> "A little bit."

<Brian> (RN: what was that? Doctor reference?)

<Kite> "I think I actually met them once...."

<Random_Nerd> (Princess Bride.)

<Kite> "Those memories are fuzzy, though...."

<Brian> (ah, right. Been a while since I watched it :))

<Random_Nerd> "So, you know the idea that any given thing has its essence, but then it's got the accidents too, right? The details?"

<Carrie> "The theory of forms. Humans can grasp the thing itself by first observing real things, then discovering the forms of which real things are shadows."

<Random_Nerd> "Like, with the whole transubstantiation idea, if you're Catholic. That the host looks like it's unleavened bread, but it's /really/ the flesh of Christ."

<Kite> "Blech. Really?"

<DanteE> "But... did you actually see what was underneath?"

<Carrie> "I do not personally believe that 'accidents' are in the theory Plato put forth. But as for one thing bearing the essence of another, like the bread... each of us lives that as truth."

<Random_Nerd> "Yeah. And it was better than all this."

<DanteE> "What was it?"

<Random_Nerd> "Reality... reality is like a homeless drug addict. The drugs, and the booze, and the living on the streets, and the personality damage stuff... that's all things that happened to the guy."

<Theresa> *to Kite* "Be careful talking about it, though. Some devout Catholics get very annoyed if you call them a cannibal. Or talk about zombies... just... yeah."

  • Ftisk raise hand "I'm hedonistic not catholic"

<Random_Nerd> "But the real guy is under there, somewhere. And with enough help, and enough time, maybe he has a shot at being what he used to be."

<Theresa> *to Carrie* "But...if you peel an onion away, there's an onion, even in the middle...."

<DanteE> "See, unless you can come up with something specific and say 'this is better than what we have' then all you really have is someone else's assurance that it's 'better'."

<Theresa> (Oo, that reminds me. Is Ftisk in parrot mode again?  :) )

<DanteE> "Let me tell you a little history lesson.

<Random_Nerd> "All this stuff... gravity, and light, and potatoes, and Thursday... that's just the stuff that's hurting everyone. Keeping them from being what they're supposed to be."

<Ftisk> (nope last time was a dragon then returned to a snail)

<Kite> (Oh, right....I'm still human)

=-= Kite is now known as Human-Kite

<Carrie> (Is there really? I never actually personally peeled an onion. But I thought it was layers all the way down.)

<DanteE> "You know who Schliemann is?"

<Random_Nerd> "Look, there's something pretty much everyone agrees about, right? That the nature of the world is suffering."

<DanteE> "Wrong."

<Random_Nerd> "Original sin, Dukkha, whatever you want to call it."

<Theresa> "Heh! Potatoes get a _bad rap_, especially since that one doctor came out against them and it's not _fair_, they didn't _ask_ to be high index..."

<Carrie> "Hardly everyone. And I in particular would disagree."

<Human-Kite> "The nature of the world /includes/ suffering."

<Ftisk> "Nature is a buffet of fuuuuun!"

<Theresa> (There's a middle that is kind of where the shoot grows out of for propagation, but this is mostly Theresa still being affected by the Serious Wound she took when birdboy took a shot.)

<Brian> "I think there's a Noble of Suffering. He's a bit of a bastard sometimes, but he means well."

<Theresa> (She is very flighty and scattered at the moment, and thus everything is catching her mind at the moment.)

<Human-Kite> "....."

<Random_Nerd> "Like, look at the world. Look at what the average person has to deal with. Have you seen the way that people around here live?"

<Theresa> "Which world?"

<DanteE> (Careful, going against Original Sin is going against the religious dogma he's built his life around.)

<Random_Nerd> "And this is better than a lot of places."

<Carrie> (Ah, alright. After this outing, Carrie can ask about the mysteries of onions offscreen.)

<Theresa> (Theresa can give you a bonsai onion. And a jar potato.)

<Random_Nerd> "Even in first world countries, most people lead lives that are only moderately tolerable. And they're the lucky ones."

<DanteE> "_This_ is better? ... ahem. Anyway."

  • Ftisk fly to a kitchen and return with some onion

<Human-Kite> "Which world is the first world?"

<Carrie> "To be honest, the cruelty that exists in the world could be avoided."

<Random_Nerd> "Yes. I'm working on that."

<Random_Nerd> "Give me five years, and we'll see."

<DanteE> "Schliemann was the guy who was out looking for the city of Troy. You remember the Iliad?"

  • Ftisk stat peeling down one ... and crying

<Random_Nerd> "So, I'm trying to peel away all this stuff. And you tell me, for all those things, there's a person who'll be hurt if it's dealt with."

<Theresa> "No, I mean, we've been to other worlds. Are you going to change a specific one or all of them?"

<Random_Nerd> "This is the only world I know."

<DanteE> "Calling his an 'archaeologist' is being generous, though. Treasure hunter would be better."

<Human-Kite> "Were one of you guys trying to look into making humans Imperial or something like that?"

  • Ftisk throw onion to the chaplain "peeling it down make you cry!"

<Carrie> "Yes. Another time, please, Kite?"

<Human-Kite> "Well, I was just thinking maybe you could recruit him to help."

<DanteE> "He found a likely site, dug, dug... blasted... destroyed stuff. Then when he found a few trinkets he claimed he found Mythical Troy."

<Random_Nerd> "And it's like... okay, so the terrorists are using human shields. In this case, the terrorists are reality-as-it-appears. The phenomenal world. Is there a way I can attack that false world, without hurting you or people like you?"

<DanteE> "Except... later on, when more qualified people looked, they figured what he'd found was from a city that was on the same site but earlier than Homer's Troy.

<Random_Nerd> "I really don't see where you're going with this."

<DanteE> "And since he'd been using indiscriminate digging and dynamite blasting to get to that, that meant the Troy everyone was looking for may have been destroyed."

<Carrie> "You would either end up hurting us, or killing the Ymerae, and the latter would simply drain the life from the world."

<DanteE> "The point is... which Troy were you seeing?

<Random_Nerd> "So, you're telling me that there's no way to do it without hurting people like you?"

<DanteE> "And how much would you destroy if you 'dug' to what you saw?"

<Brian> "Possibly. You'd have to find a register to see who is in charge of what. To know if you'd hurt anyone."

<Random_Nerd> "It's not a matter of discovering the truth, though. I already saw it. It's about removing the stuff that's been piled on the truth's back."

<Carrie> "Only if you limit your definition of 'person' artificially, and even then it would be unwise."

<DanteE> "The things that empowered you are the ones who want to metaphorically dig everything down to bedrock and leave nothing behind."

<Carrie> "As I said, the Estates are alive, and intelligent, more so than any human."

<Random_Nerd> "Nothing empowered me, other than myself."

<Random_Nerd> "That isn't how it was."

<Ftisk> "look at the onion ... see? no onion all the layers gone, the truth is -no peoples-, all the layer are gone if you do your plan"

<Random_Nerd> "Nobody came to me and told me this, gave me these powers. I saw something, and now I can do things. That's all."

<DanteE> "OK... then where did the Fear-is-worthless thing come from?"

<Random_Nerd> "There would still be people. Take away the matter, the flesh, the bone, the pants and hats and bicycles... people would still be people."

<DanteE> "_No there wouldn't_"

<Random_Nerd> "It /is/ worthless. Can't you see? It's just obvious."

<Carrie> "To be honest, this is the first I heard of a Deceiver who was once human. But I do know the nature of the vision you saw, and it is something they all believe."

<Random_Nerd> "Surely you of all people understand that."

<Brian> "I'm not so sure that's true. But I haven't seen that yet."

<Ftisk> "... I like pants, for a time liked being Dante" *point to Dante* "pants"

<Random_Nerd> "'Decevier'?"

<Carrie> "It is obvious to you because you have been transformed by this truth, which I say is illusion."

<Brian> "A moniker"

<DanteE> "No, it isn't worthless. It can end this battle. It can stop the killing. And I can prove it."

  • Theresa shakes my head. "No, I don't understand that. Because that would mean that I am worthless or I am not a person. So, no."

  • Theresa will make Ftisk another onion and toss it to him.

<Brian> "Actually, hang on. I have a though. Um. Give me a second. Oh, yes. Without, say, me, there would be no people."

<Random_Nerd> "I don't think we would even /have/ this battle, if not for fear."

<DanteE> "Soldiers! Gather around!"

<Brian> "Because you wouldn't be able to distinguish many from none"

<DanteE> (Aspect 3 I Am In Command aura. :) )

<Carrie> "'Deceiver' is the name we give those who claim that the forms are lies, and that they wish to free us from them. That is, principally, because they wield miracles of deception and impersonation. I have not observed those in you, however."

<Ftisk> *smile* *thumbs up* to T.

<Random_Nerd> A few people wander in.

<Random_Nerd> "That's a rather ironic name, isn't it? Someone comes and tells you that they've been outside the cave, and seen that the world that you live in is a lie, a trick that's been played on you."

<Random_Nerd> "And you, naturally, call him a liar."

<DanteE> "Who among you wants to put an end to this constant fighting horseshit and do something you can tell your grandkids about?"

<Carrie> "We call them liars, mainly, because they can pretend to be us, and in so doing steal our powers."

<Random_Nerd> Guy #2, near the back. "Don't have any grandkids."

<Random_Nerd> Guy #57: "Who are you?"

<Ftisk> "But you want to have a day!"

<Human-Kite> "There are others who come from outside the cave and want what we have for themselves."

<Random_Nerd> Girl #28: "We don't need any, we already have enough."

<Theresa> (If they ask for women to have sex with to make kids who will then have grandkids, I am out of here...)

<Ftisk> (But sex is fun!)

<DanteE> (Hm... did they already get drained?)

<Carrie> "It is also true that our philosophies are at odds, and inconsistent, but that is not the reason for the name."

<Carrie> "Consider that you are telling us that what we hold dear all amounts to an illness or a deceit."

<DanteE> (And would a Create-Courage to get things rolling be cheating?)

<Random_Nerd> "Yes. I may be /wrong/, although I don't think I am. But I'm not being dishonest."

<Random_Nerd> (What do you want it to do?)

<DanteE> (Start that big battle we talked about earlier... our courage vs. their fear.)

<Human-Kite> "We can change the name, then. At least among our group, and call you Missionaries."

<Random_Nerd> (But nobody here is afraid, particularly.)

<Random_Nerd> (Bored, or annoyed, or the like. But not afraid.)

<Random_Nerd> (That's the whole problem, in a way.)

<DanteE> (Remind me of the level of a GC-Courage?)

<Random_Nerd> "Do you know where any others like me are, then, so I could talk to one?"

<Random_Nerd> (8.)

<Random_Nerd> (Wait... 7?)

<Random_Nerd> (7.)

<Human-Kite> "Not....not any living Missionaries, no."

<Carrie> To Kite. "Not a bad idea, provisionally." To the chaplain. "Forgive me. I know of them, but you are the first I have met. However, I do know someone who would know others."

<Theresa> "We haven't met anyone just like you. We've met a different type of a similar group... those folks fight more and they take the appearance of worthy enemies that they have defeated. That's how Ftisk got his starry-eye."

  • Ftisk nod nod

<DanteE> "You know how you end fights?

<Random_Nerd> Guy #23: "Violence!"

<Ftisk> "YAY!"

<DanteE> "More fundamental than that, soldier.

<Brian> "A fight is normally made of violence"

<Brian> "Ending it is ceasing violence."

<Brian> (muttermutter)

<DanteE> "You make the other guy go away!

<Random_Nerd> #24: "I find that violence is quite fundamental enough for me"

<Random_Nerd> #31: "Genius! Okay. Go away. Or else dance for our amusement."

<DanteE> "You can only shoot a few of 'em. But you know how to make them all go away?

<Carrie> (Probably linking this guy up with Conrad is more prudent than leaving him, even if my Bad Idea Sense is tingling.)

<DanteE> "You scare the shit out of 'em that's how!

<Ftisk> "Yay yay!"

<Theresa> (Well, it might work better than trying to get Conrad to meet with a Strategist. Warmains hate those guys.)

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "So, how did you come to represent these things? Courage, or whatever."

<DanteE> (Dumb luck.)

<Theresa> "Chosen by a god-like being. Don't know why, it was his choice."

<Random_Nerd> #23: "No, violence works much better than scaring them."

<DanteE> (Oh, Carrie... can you trace that miracle you did earlier so we know where to send these guys?)

<Random_Nerd> #24: "Yeah, that's why we have guns instead of scary masks."

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "And these beings... do they have your best interests at heart?"

<Ftisk> "I was custom made by the paternal loving and uncanny Vulcan, the Greek god not the star trek race"

<Carrie> (Ah, sure. Consider it done, retroactively, if that works.)

<Theresa> "Well, which 'your' do you mean? The me me or the Plants me or the part of me that _is_ part of that god-like being?"

<Carrie> (Lesser Div of Hope to see who all has heard the news.)

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "The part of you that's just some person who got chosen."

<Brian> "Not really existing anymore."

<DanteE> "What do you mean, you don't have scary masks?

<Random_Nerd> (Which news?)

<Random_Nerd> #24: "Just the regular comedy and tragedy ones. Why? Have you come to sell us scary masks?"

<DanteE> (Are these guys Marines?)

<Random_Nerd> (Some are.)

<Theresa> "Oh." *thinks*

<Ftisk> "custom made :-)"

<DanteE> "You are U.S. Soldiers! YOU DO NOT NEED SCARY MASKS!

<Carrie> "I would say that they have the interest of the universe at heart, and that it is in my own best interest to live in a world made rich by the existence of cities and plants and Hope. With no cities, for one thing, I personally would likely not have been born."

<DanteE> (Also, using Guising to sound 100% American. :) )

<Human-Kite> (I thought they were mixed-forces)

<Random_Nerd> #24: "So, what you're saying is you /want/ to sell us scary masks, but you're all out?"

<DanteE> (OK, what the hell are these walking testosterone factories doing being sensible? :p )

<Carrie> (Wow, are these guys for real?)

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "So, they mostly just help the universe, and any helping of people is as a side effect of that?"

<Theresa> *smiles* "I think so. I trust Kudzu and I know that I have my free will. That's very important. I make my choices." *creates and hands the Chap a lily* "I'm human that way, still, I guess. It's hard to think right now because of what you did to me."

<Brian> (Aiki chits to the GM)

<Carrie> "It pays dividends. A rising tide lifts all boats. But essentially, yes."

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "And what would happen to you, personally, if 'Kudzu' died?"

  • Carrie winces.

<Ftisk> "all ko-ed"

<DanteE> "You want to know who we are? We know where these motherfuckers are hiding!

<Carrie> "That's not strictly true, Ftisk..."

<Random_Nerd> #23: "Can we, like, put in a mail order or something? For the scary masks, I mean."

<Ftisk> "How many nobles have survived an imp death?"

<Human-Kite> "Yes."

<Random_Nerd> (And, yes, some of these guys are drunk.)

<Theresa> (RN has watched Generation Kill. There are intelligent highly-testoroned men in that show. Just watch out for someone of them on caffeine, lack of sleep and around your better looking livestock.)

<Brian> "How many scary masks do you want?"

<Random_Nerd> (It's not unheard of for Nobles to survive an Imperator's death.)

<DanteE> (Oops, did some of them get into Theresa's stash?)

<Random_Nerd> (Although usually an imperator doesn't die without something happening to the Nobles first, if only because they defend them.)

<Carrie> (If the Noble survives, though, the Estate survives.)

<Carrie> (And can be adopted.)

<Random_Nerd> #24: "Seventeen!"

<Random_Nerd> #83: "Fifty-seven!"

<Theresa> "If Kudzu died, that would mean that I'm already dead. And probably Plants have been destroyed throughout the universe."

<Carrie> (In theory the Noble could exist as a free agent, but if I recall correctly, the strong implication is that the Imperators don't tolerate those.)

<Brian> "Alright. We can do that."

<Theresa> "42, you degenerates!"

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "But you, personally, you'd be alive? Just, without being Plants?"

<Random_Nerd> The people are starting to wander off again.

<Carrie> "Actually, that can't happen."

<Human-Kite> "That is not an insurable condition."

<DanteE> to the others: "OK, suddenly what happened at my last thesis defense makes a lot more sense."

<Carrie> "If I ceased to be Hope, it would be like pulling out my heart. I would die. It wouldn't even be something I could survive like a transplant... more like... removing the DNA from all my cells?"

<Theresa> "No, I'd be _dead_. Because _I_ am _Plants_. You can't take that away without my life being taken away too and you can't take me away from Plants. Whomever becomes Plants after me will have that bit of me formed around the core of being Plants...like the layers of the onion.:

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "The people, who get picked, like you. Do any of them ever decide not to do the job?"

<Ftisk> "Sure, John"

<Theresa> "Yes! The king of our country actually turned it down." *smile* "He's a wonderful guy."

<Human-Kite> "Before or after they are given the job?"

  • Ftisk nod nod "but with a biting tongue sometimes"

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "After. When they're like you and me."

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "When the 'imperator' does whatever it is that they do."

<Brian> "Some try not to do the job."

<Theresa> "I'm glad that John turned it down. He has a very important job with the Treasures."

<Brian> "Then some Excrucian comes and makes life excruciating until they figure out how to make that stop."

<Theresa> "Well, we know a guy who hates his Imperator and his family and is dedicated only to his own interests and his Estate. Won't have anything to do with his boss."

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "But he still protects his Estate?"

<Carrie> "Even if you tried to decline, it's not something that you can choose. You'd stay a Noble unless your Imperator revoked it. At which point..." She makes an apologetic shrugging motion. "You'd die, and someone else would be chosen."

<Brian> "If you say the name Patterns in a pattern, you'll meet him."

<Carrie> "Mind you, I've never heard of that happening. More likely, the Imperator would bring you around."

<DanteE> "... oh, hell, I'm completely using the wrong approach."

  • DanteE goes back to the soldiers.

<Carrie> "Just like your vision, they can be quite convincing."

<DanteE> "Who wants to win this game?"

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "And they /always/ bring you around, don't they? Anyone who gets made like you, they decide to do their job."

<Theresa> "He protects his Estate because it's who he is. I think that some Imperators pick their people on a whim but others pick someone based on the Estate that needs them."

<Theresa> "One moment...I'll check my notes." *pulls out cell phone* *calls William*

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "Okay... I think I'm persuaded, at least as far as this current situation goes." *turns to Dante* "What do I have to change, to keep from hurting you further?"

<Carrie> "I don't think so. Understand, there's nowhere I can go to find "the records of all Nobles," and in theory, an Imperator could hide himself completely if he wanted to."

<Carrie> "So all I can tell you is that I, personally, have never heard of it being refused after Commencement."

<Random_Nerd> After a few rings, William picks up the phone. There's a weird sound, like he's in a wind tunnel or something.

<Theresa> (Oh yeah, the next section will be us playing the folks back at the Chancel..)

<DanteE> "I embody Courage, Chaplain. If you keep going around and telling people Fear doesn't exist, there might not be a need for me.

<Brian> (Has he joined the Avengers? By which I mean the Emma Peel version?)

<Theresa> "Hi William! Quick question: have there been any Nobles that have refused their Estate or enNobling after being EnNobled?"

<Random_Nerd> William: "What do you mean, refused?"

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "If I just stop here, then. Will that do it?"

<DanteE> "My 'thing' is to _counter_ fear. To know it exists, and go on despite it. The two of them together make us human.

<Theresa> "Uh, become a Noble of Something (William should be able to hear upper-case letters as a Gift, all Aides get it) but turned it down, didn't do the job, tried to give it back, etc?"

<DanteE> "You shouldn't be telling your charges to ignore fear. You should be encouraging them to beat it down like a little bitch."

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "I'm not interested in the argument at this time. I just need to know, what action that I can take will stop you from being hurt further?"

<Ftisk> (brb)

<DanteE> (Good question. What specifically is he doing that's attacking me?)

<Random_Nerd> William: "Hmm. Well, not all of them do a very good job..."

<Random_Nerd> William: "But... you mean who just don't do it at /all/? Don't even try?"

<DanteE> (Theresa: you want someone who _resigned_.)

<Theresa> "Yep. Or resigned, but I guess that would mean that they probably died on the spot."

<Random_Nerd> (Basically, what he's doing is putting conceptual strain on a weak point in your Estate. If he just stopped here, you'd still be hurting, but it wouldn't get any worse, and it'd gradually get better as your estate mends.)

<Random_Nerd> William: "I can't think of any. Even Nobles who seriously go rogue still always defend their Estates, as far as I know."

<Random_Nerd> William: "Take Pa... a particular Noble that you have spoken with in the past. I'm pretty sure he's plotting to kill his Imperator and all his siblings. But he still defends his Estate."

<Theresa> "Okay, I'll run with it. Thank you, William! Be well!"

<DanteE> (The weak spot being how essential it is?)

<Ftisk> (back)

<Brian> (It's late, and I'm falling asleep. Good night folks, and I'll see you next week!)

<DanteE> (G'night Brian)

|<-- Brian has left irc.magicstar.net (Disintegrated: Brian)

<Theresa> *to the Chap* "As of at this moment, our personal assistant cannot recall any Nobles who fit your request, but this was not a complete and exhaustive search. Just the memory of a very knowledgeable man."

<Random_Nerd> William: "You too."

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "Hmm. As I expected."

<DanteE> "Well, we were specifically chosen by a being that can look deep into our hearts."

<Random_Nerd> (Yeah, that. Right now, that weak spot is rubbed raw... but it can heal, if no further pressure is put on it.)

<DanteE> "For the most part."

<Random_Nerd> (Normally, this would be because the Excrucian doing it got ganked and his plan got blown up. But it would probably work if one just... stopped.)

<DanteE> to the Chaplain: "Here's the thing: Fear exists, it is a part of the world. Because of that, Courage must exist to counter it."

<Theresa> (You have a Courage-blister on your soul. You need to get some nice mole-skin on it.)

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain, as if ticking items off a mental list: "And your Imperator's name is 'Kudzu', correct?"

<DanteE> (Uhoh. Did we just give Intel to the enemy?)

<Theresa> (It wouldn't take much to find out who the Imperator of Courage is.)

<Random_Nerd> (Eh, this information is available.)

<Theresa> "Yep! He's a Wildlord."

<Random_Nerd> (It's just that he happens to be really out of the loop.)

<Theresa> "They're high on free will and doing things your own way and sanity is a crutch..."

<Random_Nerd> (But, I mean, the Warmain Shard Trio knew exactly who to look for when they got sent over.)

<Human-Kite> "Which means he's also from outside the cave."

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "But they're part of the system, now. So they have those principles, but they also pick people to 'ennoble.'"

<DanteE> "It is entirely human nature to be scared of things. It is entirely rational to counsel them against irrational fears. But facing the rational fears is what I'm here for.

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain, to Dante: "Are you trying to persuade me? Because if you are, it's both unnecessary, and also not working."

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "I'm going to stop this, not because I agree with you, but because you're just a victim here too."

<DanteE> "Fear exists, and Courage has a place. Remember that as you do your work, and I think we can work together."

<DanteE> "Plus, we'll come back once we've done our urgent business and help you straighten it out."

<Random_Nerd> Chaplain: "No, I think I have an idea on how to do that."

<Theresa> (... if he's going to start preaching against Kudzu, then we're just going to be back here soon anyhow. Heck, he could start up an Anti-Kudzu cult.)

<Random_Nerd> He shouts, clearly using Aspect to do so. Given what you saw of him earlier, he's probably spending some MPs, too.

<Random_Nerd> "Everyone, you know who I am. You know what I've told you. I want you to forget about both. Forget about me, and forget about everything I've told you."

<Ftisk> "What?"

<DanteE> (He's using a Deceiver Miracle to help us)

<Human-Kite> "Not you, Ftisk."

<Ftisk> "Ah!"

<Random_Nerd> And everyone, you're at Ground Zero for a Greater Sacrifice miracle. Probably some strike on it, too. It's setting out to basically do what he said, make everyone forget, and it probably isn't specifically aimed at you. What do you do?

<Theresa> (Auctoritas with a strike of 4 would cost what?)

  • Ftisk let the miracle work

<Human-Kite> (Can I Aspect plug my ears?)

<Theresa> (I want to throw up an Auctoritas around all of us.)

<Random_Nerd> The voice isn't actually a carrier for this. He just thinks it is.

<Random_Nerd> It's the Persona miracle that's doing the actual work.

<DanteE> (Brian's is still up, isn’t it?)

<Human-Kite> (Oh, well....Auctoritas then.)

<Theresa> (That was out at the car in the desert, though.)

<Random_Nerd> That was a previous scene.

<Carrie> Let's see, Greater Preservation of Hope would still be below his miracle level unless I used a Word of Command.

<Random_Nerd> Or if you used a Bond or something to add Strike.

  • DanteE resists the effect on him while letting it go to the soldiers.

<Carrie> Would an Auctoritas block anything without Strike?

<Random_Nerd> So, you take a wound to resist it?

<Random_Nerd> Any Auctoritas would beat it if it has no strike.

<Random_Nerd> If it does, you need to beat the strike level.

<DanteE> (Then Theresa's should help us all?)

<DanteE> (Now, if that hits the soldiers it undoes the attack, right?)

<Random_Nerd> (Hmm. What's your Persona, Theresa?)

<Theresa> (2)

<Random_Nerd> (It should, yeah.)

<DanteE> (Er, if his thing hits them it undoes the attack on me)

<Random_Nerd> (Yeah, although it'll take you a day or two to fully heal.)

<DanteE> (I'm thinking, let it hit them, take him somewhere safe so we can get his intel.)

<Theresa> (We need to go take care of Ftisk, Dante.)

<DanteE> (He obviously hasn't bought into the Ex philosophy, but knows something about their methods.)

<Random_Nerd> Okay, Theresa puts up a level 2 auctoritas.

<DanteE> (I know. I mean after. Plus, if they forget about him he has no home.)

<Carrie> (Actually, I think he's bought it pretty solidly to a version of it.)

<Ftisk> (you can retold all what happened later to Ftisk)

<Theresa> (..we already have a Warmain.)

<Carrie> (Just with a lot more altruistic and humanistic motives than we're used to.)

<Random_Nerd> That's just barely enough to keep the effect from hitting you.

<DanteE> (But not a Deceiver. And we're running with the hypotheses that they're separate 'parties'.)

<Theresa> (We can't keep collecting excrucians! The Council will just need to wipe out our Chancel and be done with the war!)

<Ftisk> (you want to start an excru collection hobby?)

<Random_Nerd> Everyone suddenly starts returning to where they had previously been, with the group who were near you looking vaguely confused for a moment.

<Ftisk> (like the ccg :-P )

<Carrie> (Wouldn't work. Lands Beyond Creation follow no logic of Creation, after all.)

<Theresa> (This is not Pokemon! We do not have to catch them all!)

<Random_Nerd> And the Chaplain disappears.

<DanteE> (I'm not suggesting take him home, but we're obligated by the Kudzu code to help him now, and we're obligated by the war to find out more about him.)

<Random_Nerd> (You still remember him, though.)

<Carrie> (But it's fun!)

<Human-Kite> "Does this mean they won't be expecting masks?"

<Theresa> (It's only fun until you try and figure out how to get Baalhermon out of the little ball.)

<Ftisk> (does anyone have to retold thing to me (yay!) or I remember (boohhh!) ? )

<DanteE> "If they smoked what I think they smoked they'll be too busy counting their toes."

<Carrie> (Huh, he vanished, Might be a moot point, but...)

<Random_Nerd> (Anything before we stop the session?)

<Theresa> "And he's gone. Dude, you can get a ride with us at least."

<Human-Kite> "I was looking forward to making masks."

<Random_Nerd> __________________STOP____________________

  • Ftisk pat Kite "well, maybe next time kite..."

=-= YOU are now known as Angelo

=-= Carrie is now known as Etheric

<DanteE> so is he gone, or coming back later?

<Random_Nerd> So, that was not how I expected this to go. But this way is more interesting!

=-= DanteE is now known as Knockwood

=-= Human-Kite is now known as Verithe

<Random_Nerd> He will definitely appear again in the game.

<Etheric> That was fun! Mind you, I still want to use a miracle to find him.

<Angelo> :-)

<Knockwood> Well, priority goes to the attack on Ftisk now.

<Angelo> yeah, RN throws us rarely boring or dull "enemies"

<Angelo> nod nod

<Random_Nerd> You can, if you want.

<Etheric> Point, Knock. RN, is it okay to ask how you expected it to go?

<Random_Nerd> What miracle would you do?

<Random_Nerd> I expected that you would either persuade him that what he was doing was wrong, or stop him using violence.

<Etheric> Ah, I was thinking another persona one working off "sustains by connecting," to keep a connection to him.

<Random_Nerd> Hmm. You can do that.

<Angelo> you are relying too much on our logical power

<Random_Nerd> What thing would you be making "sustain by connecting?"

<Random_Nerd> Him, you, or something else?

<Theresa> Instead we showed him how pathetic we are and how once we were EnNobled, we care about our Estates but that's about it, at least.

=-= Theresa is now known as BethE

<Knockwood> So, what we did instead was impress him enough to put his plans on hold?

<Random_Nerd> Well, it's more that you got him to see you as civilian casualties that would result if he continued his plans as he had been.

<Etheric> I'm still not sure on that count.

<Etheric> Yeah, that was an interesting angle.

<Random_Nerd> And, like I said, not how I thought this would end. But it fits!

<Knockwood> ... we're too pathetic for him to hurt?

<Angelo> yep

<Random_Nerd> Not so much pathetic, as that...

<Knockwood> goofy?

<Random_Nerd> Well, you know how Dante thought that this guy had been mind-whammied by an Excrucian into doing what he was doing?

<Random_Nerd> Well, now he thinks that of /you/.

  • Knockwood facepalms

<Random_Nerd> That you were just random people who Kudzu dragooned and mind-controlled into working for him.

<Angelo> lol cool

<Random_Nerd> And so he sees you as innocents in this struggle.

<Knockwood> we kinda are

<Angelo> Ftisk IS innocent!

<Random_Nerd> It's true... from a certain point of view.

<Etheric> Ah, I think it'd be myself, with 2 MP for a Greater Emulation.

<Random_Nerd> I mean, being Ennobled /does/ bring built-in loyalty for your estate.

<Knockwood> Did anyone get Destiny?

<BethE> But not necessarily for your Imperator.  :)

<Random_Nerd> Okay, so the miracle would be "Carrie sustains things by connecting?"

<Angelo> nope

<BethE> I need to get to bed. Night, all! *HUGS*

<Angelo> night Beth

<Etheric> Yeah, I think so. It allows me to influence exactly what that means, to a point, right?

|<-- BethE has left irc.magicstar.net (Disintegrated: All shall love me and despair?)

<Random_Nerd> Well, to specify what it means now.

<Knockwood> AHh!

<Random_Nerd> But not to control the implementation on the fly.

<Knockwood> I have "Be AWESOME!" in my Personal Development branch.

<Angelo> I too go to bed, see you in 2 weeks. Happy Chuboo next week :-)

<Random_Nerd> Oh, and a question. What do you guys think he was?

<Knockwood> This is either a squeaker victory or a hard fail there. :p

<Random_Nerd> Does... this count as a non-trivial failure?

<Etheric> Alright. I want to sustain the... I guess the best word is the mutual respect we had with him.

<Random_Nerd> I think this is a hard fail there. Which means more points!

<Random_Nerd> Okay. That is a viable miracle, Etheric.

<Knockwood> a n00b Shard?

<Random_Nerd> 5 destiny toward that branch, Knock.

<Etheric> I think he's probably a shard, somehow.

<Knockwood> On it.

<Knockwood> The bird thing is probably too much for an Anchor

<Random_Nerd> Well, as it turns out, he's a full Decevier. Just... a new one.

<Verithe> He did seem to have a pretty recent Breakthrough

<Etheric> They aren't usually born from humans, are they?

<Random_Nerd> Actually, they are.

<Knockwood> he's the equivalent of our side's new Serpent whose name I'm forgetting?

<Random_Nerd> Huh. Yeah, he kinda is the Excrucian equivalent of Jerren.

<Etheric> Huh, that's what's in the Antithesis book, then?

<Random_Nerd> Yep.

<Random_Nerd> Good book!

<Random_Nerd> Before it, I never really /got/ deceivers.

<Etheric> Would this be something that is generally known among Nobles but our crew managed to miss learning?

<Verithe> Awesome book. Every human should buy it.

<Random_Nerd> Eh...

<Etheric> It is currently in the Want to Buy Once I Have the $ List.

<Random_Nerd> I'm not sure.

<Knockwood> maybe if they deal with Deceivers often?

<Random_Nerd> For most Deceivers, it's just backstory.

<Verithe> Our crew is either new(ish) or out-of-touch.

<Etheric> True enough!

<Random_Nerd> If you're fighting Coriander Hasp, does it matter if he was once human, came in from Outside riding a horse, or sprung full-formed from the head of Zeus?

<Random_Nerd> It's just that this time, it mattered.

<Random_Nerd> Although the details of how this works are better explained in the book than I did here.

<Random_Nerd> Partially because he doesn't really understand it himself.

<Knockwood> OK, why the heck isn't that book on my iPad... I'll have to fix that

<Random_Nerd> So, next week is Chuubo. But after that...

<Random_Nerd> We have two things we can do.

<Random_Nerd> We can do Ftisk's estate attack.

<Random_Nerd> Or we can do the Aides And Assorted Minions game then.

<Random_Nerd> Which would you prefer?

<Etheric> I'm all for the Minions game.

<Knockwood> well, we don't want to leave Angelo hanging....

<Verithe> This can be Angelo's choice, if there's a possibility of the game focusing on Ftisk.

<Etheric> And I will probably play Carrie's mom, because the "She's been a contact point for the mortal government all this time" thing has grown on me.

<Knockwood> BTW, would my plan have worked?

<Random_Nerd> I wasn't really 100% clear on what your plan was.

<Random_Nerd> What was it, again?

<Etheric> There was a plan?

<Etheric> And here I thought we just muddled through.

<Knockwood> make it clear that Courage has value and Fear has a place by motivating the soldiers to end the stalemate

<Etheric> Oh, right, that.

<Etheric> Actually, we can still do that.

<Etheric> It's probably less urgent now, though.

<Knockwood> then again, artificially boosting their Courage was an option, but it felt like cheating. :)

<Verithe> I think the Chaplain just thinks Dante believes the lie.

<Etheric> Yeah, that seems to be his take.

<Random_Nerd> It might have worked, depending on the details of how you did it.

<Knockwood> but it's his side that's the lie. Trouble is he's living the lie. Literally.

<Knockwood> there's the Anakin option, where we try to reconnect with the good person inside...

<Verithe> So he's a Mormon and you're a Jehovah's Witness, in this situation.

<Verithe> Or....some analogy that works better.

<Knockwood> Well, we can put that off for a little while

<Knockwood> and enjoy the 5 Destiny.

<Knockwood> Which is kinda like turning that mortar hole into a fashionable skylight, but it works.

<Etheric> That reminds me -- I still need to write up Carrie's Project, for the human divinity thing.

<Random_Nerd> Heh. I'll have to dust off my plans for that!

<Etheric> And also, probably eventually, a Project for character advancement.

<Etheric> But I haven't even spent all of the ones I got from the third-ed conversion, so that's less urgent. <.<

<Etheric> the CP, I mean

<Random_Nerd> Well, I gotta go sleep.

<Random_Nerd> See you guys next session!

<Etheric> Night, RN!

<Knockwood> looks like I've got 1 stone 11 on my Personal branch

<Knockwood> g'night RN

<Random_Nerd> And this was a good, if weird one.

|<-- Random_Nerd has left irc.magicstar.net (Disintegrated: )

<Etheric> Now, what's this about a new Serpent? Can someone fill me in?

<Knockwood> while you were gone we met a newborn Aaron's Serpent, Jerren, Ymera of Impending Doom.

<Knockwood> And then later we antagonized him. Mainly me. As we do.

<Etheric> Heh!

<Etheric> Not a former human, though, right?

<Verithe> Kite helped!

<Verithe> No.

<Knockwood> No, born of the Tree.

<Etheric> I thought so, but wanted to ask to make sure how far the "He's the Deceiver Jerrin" goes.

<Verithe> The parallel we were drawing was that Jerren and the Chaplain were both brand new.

<Knockwood> what are his other estates?

<Verithe> Inevitable Betrayal was one, right?

<Knockwood> sounds right

<Verithe> I forget the third one....

<Knockwood> where the heck are the logs?

<Knockwood> oh well. See you guys for Cthulhu... I mean Chuubo next week.

|<-- Knockwood has left irc.magicstar.net (Disintegrated: Knockwood)

<Etheric> Later all!

|<-- Etheric has left irc.magicstar.net (Disintegrated: Destiny is choice.)

<Verithe> Take care, Angelo!

|<-- Verithe has left irc.magicstar.net (Disintegrated: ChatZilla 0.9.90 [Firefox 19.0.2/20130307023931])

<--| YOU (Angelo) have left #Nobilis

=-= User mode for Angelo is now +ix

-->| YOU (Angelo) have joined #Nobilis

[QUIT] Disconnected from irc://irc.magicstar.net/ (irc://irc.magicstar.net/). [[Reconnect][Reconnect to irc.magicstar.net][reconnect]]



Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 35