Session 42

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 6

[BethL] What would people think if Theresa asked Kudzu for help?
[Knockwood] We'd think she had a death wish.
[Etheric] I think that's ill advised. Kudzu gave Monty to us to deal with.
[BethL] Knock - well, she's upset. And it's his damned rabbit.
[BethL] Oh and RN, you can take one of those points because she is definitely not At Peace.
[Knockwood] Dante would want to be there to yell at Kudzu himself...but we should put Monty somewhere first.
[Etheric] I still think we should make an island to put Monty on. If Brian or James still has the points for a level 6 Realm miracle I can supply a second one to bump it up to level 7.
[Knockwood] (Can we do cooperative Realm miracles?)
[Etheric] Yes, we can, Knock, RN mentioned it a few sessions ago.
[Random_Nerd] You can.
[Knockwood] I thought it'd have the same problem as cooperative Aspect miracles.
[Etheric] What's that?
[Knockwood] Too broad, basically.
[BethL] *had horrible horrible thought*
[BethL] RN, what kind of power would be needed to control Monty? Does he have enough of a mind left to control?
[Random_Nerd] Hmm. Control him in what way?
[BethL] As in make him stay in one place, as I doubt a command could stop his growing. (How I wish...)
[Random_Nerd] Hmm... How did you buy Irresistible?

• Random_Nerd goes to look at Beth's character sheet.
  

[Random_Nerd] Hmm. Beth, do you have a writeup of how we worked out your Irresistable in system terms?
[BethL] Uhh...I'm not sure how I bought it. It was there, along with Elemental.
[Random_Nerd] What do you mean by "it was there"?
[BethL] *finds the old log* I'll look it up, RN. I meant, it was there, as shorthand for 'I don't remember that far back, let me check the log.'
[Random_Nerd] Ah.
[Random_Nerd] Hmm. Looks like Minor Destruction, Simple, One Person, Limited Selection, Uncommon, right?
[Random_Nerd] If it's statted up the way I think it is, it'll probably only work on humans and psychologically humanish creatures.
[Knockwood] Hasn't she used it on groups in the past?
[Random_Nerd] Not as such. She's used Aspect to be persuasive, though, I believe. Or used Irresistible on the leader of a group.
[BethL] Yeah, I've only used it one-on-one.
[BethL] Lesser Destruction of Resistance.
[BethL] Yep, in humans.
[Knockwood] How about the guys at the clearing where Lesson was attacked?
[Knockwood] Remember, "Everybody look at that tree while Dante does his Lazarus move!"
[BethL] Oh, huh. *thinks*
[Random_Nerd] Wasn't that more that they were shell-shocked, and she sounded like she knew what she was doing?
[BethL] Good handwaving.
[Knockwood] I could see "Go home!" for that, but not "Look at a tree!"
[Random_Nerd] Fine, I'll go look at the log. One moment.
[Knockwood] Or at the Sears Tower. "Everybody enjoy your trip!"
[Knockwood] Then again, we could cut out the blatant Rule Zero Violations and get to the current situation...
[Random_Nerd] I call the "I'm tired and don't really care about minor issues twenty sessions ago" clause into effect.
[BethL] Basically, what I'm asking is...can Monty be Anchored?
[Random_Nerd] Ah, now /that/ is an interesting one.
[BethL] I could hear the GM steeple-hand move from here.
[Random_Nerd] You have to either love him or hate him. Do you?
[BethL] At the moment, she hates him. He's killed all of those people, caused all of that damage, has created a massive biohazard site of demon blood that's going to do Who-Knows-What and she feels so incredibly stupid right now, that anchoring Monty or yelling at Kudzu like he's a kid who forgot to put away his toys _sounds good_.
[Knockwood] Hmmmmmm.
[Random_Nerd] And, of course, it won't work if somebody happens to have /already/ anchored Monty.
[Knockwood] ...
[BethL] *at this GM tidbit* *silence and jaw-hanging open in rebuttal*
[Knockwood] (Is RN that much of a bastard? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?)
[BethL] (Yes. Yes. I dunno. [g])
[Random_Nerd] (Well... have you ever seen an occasion in which it seemed like a miraculous being seemed to control Monty?)
[BethL] (Can Imperators have Anchors?)
[Random_Nerd] (But of course.)
[Random_Nerd] (Lucifer has the Deluges, for example.)
[BethL] How much of a breach of etiquette is it to attempt to Anchor someone else's Anchor?
[Random_Nerd] I don't even think it works.
[Knockwood] They tried that in the example of play...
[Knockwood] Remember, Treachery tried to Anchor an Ex Anchor.
[BethL] Well, wait...if that doesn't work, then how could Luc have been anchored so many times?
[Random_Nerd] The Nobles that had anchored Luc died.
[Random_Nerd] Being Luc's boss does not have a high correlation with longevity, for whatever reason.

[BethL] What effect does demon blood have on Durant?
[Random_Nerd] Doesn't wash out of clothing, but doesn't eat your flesh.
[BethL] Does it corrupt in a body or only to non-living things?
[Random_Nerd] Depends on the body. Demons, for example, aren't corrupted by their own blood, because they've got corruption equilibrium within their own systems.
[Random_Nerd] A being that didn't have that sort of equilibrium might be corrupted, depending on what they were.
[BethL] Good. *ponders some more* How much of a walking biohazard are Dante and Theresa right now, due to Monty's blood?
[Random_Nerd] Demon blood isn't incredibly potent.
[Random_Nerd] It won't turn things evil with just a drop.
[Knockwood] I guised myself an intact outfit, though it's debatable what else that did.

[Knockwood] OK, hold the phone...

• Knockwood does a Realm LC of a phone to hold.
  

[Knockwood] When Monty seemed to react to me 'calling him out' (while still in his mouth), did that mean anything?
[Random_Nerd] It meant something.
[Random_Nerd] That is, you mean when he decided to digest you?
[Random_Nerd] And seemed to show more purpose than usual?
[Knockwood] Yep.
[Random_Nerd] Yes. That wasn't just arbitrary. It happened for a reason.
[Knockwood] (Oh, to heck with it...) Is Monty my Anchor now?
[Random_Nerd] For that matter, you guys probably have enough information to guess what the reason was, if you're lucky or intuitive.
[Random_Nerd] Monty isn't your Anchor.
[Random_Nerd] You can't accidentally anchor someone.
[Random_Nerd] It's a Rite.
[lazarus] My bet is he's that angel's anchor.
[Random_Nerd] But there's still a reason.
[BethL] I have a guess...
[Random_Nerd] Yes, Beth?
[Random_Nerd] (No matter what you say, I'll go "Hmm. Interesting. Maybe.")
[BethL] I guess that his warped bunny brain, which was brought into weirdness through cannibalism, sensed another chance at cannibalism and went "YUM."
[Random_Nerd] Hmm. Interesting. Maybe.
[Knockwood] (If that were true, he'd have done it when I first went in.)
[Knockwood] Wait, the Sight would say if someone's Anchored him, right?
[Etheric] Is it cannibalism for a rabbit to eat humans?
[Random_Nerd] Monty already looks weird to the Sight.
[Etheric] Or Nobles, as the case may be?
[Random_Nerd] He's a creation of Imperial magic, made partly out of the body of an Imperator.
[BethL] And Dante's part of an Imperator too.
[lazarus] (It's also plausible that if we come up with something better than what RN planned, than he'd pretend he was doing our thing instead :-P)
[Random_Nerd] (Or, alternatively, I may have planned for this since when the game was in single-digit numbers of sessions.)
[BethL] (Laz - of course. The First Rule of GMing...)
[Random_Nerd] (I sometimes do either one of those. And generally there's no way to tell which.)
[Random_Nerd] Dante is, in a different way.
[Etheric] Different Imperator, Beth.
[Random_Nerd] Well, I mentioned two Imperators.
[Random_Nerd] One, Kudzu, made Monty.
[Random_Nerd] The other, Barakiel, was part of the raw materials.
[Random_Nerd] He's also linked to Hell, though Lesson. And to Australia.
[Random_Nerd] Shall we take this in-character?
[lazarus] Eek! The bunny's becoming a new Imperator!
[Random_Nerd] That would be a scary thought, wouldn't it?
[Theresa] (But Imperator of _what_?!?)
[Brian] (Hell, heaven, and Australia)
[Carrie] (You'd better stick around, we need your Realm score. ;P )
[Brian] (IIRC, Brian's still off pouting )

• Theresa is still walking toward The Box, after making a deal with the Cams.
  
• DanteE is still Raising the Dead.
  

[DanteE] (How are the Bureau doing at getting people out of the wrecked cars & buildings.?)
[DanteE] (/me grabs a shotgun for the Typo Fairy)
[Random_Nerd] (They're trying, but there're a lot of people. It'll take hours and hours to get everyone, at the current rate.)
[Random_Nerd] (It'll be faster if they just yank people out without regard to harming them in the process, and then have Dante heal them up later.)
[Random_Nerd] (But that would be needlessly hurting people, and that violates their standing instructions.)

• Carrie is not there, but will pick an appropriate moment to show up.
  

[Carrie] (You know, NOW it occurs to me that I could have used Perfect Timing to show up at an opportune time last time, so I could have paid the Cams instead of Theresa.)
[Random_Nerd] (Heh. Well, at least that's something to remember for next time.)
[Theresa] (It's okay. Theresa feels guilty enough; making deals with the Cams is just the start of what she feels she needs to do as repayment.)

• DanteE helps the Bureau dig people out.
  
• Theresa will fix trees and plants along the destruction path as she walks.
  

[Random_Nerd] (Shall we have the PCs fix the stuff off-screen, now that what you're doing has been established?)
[DanteE] (Depends... what about the Bunny Inna Box?)
[Theresa] (Theresa was going to 'fix' Monty, but yeah, off-screen for the walk is fine. She'll fume at the box until the others show up.)
[Random_Nerd] (True. You should do something about Monty, first.)
[Carrie] (Come to think of it, since the Perfect Timing is based on a Creation of Good Fortune, maybe it wouldn't have let me take the obligation to the Cams. )
[Random_Nerd] (Do you have Lesser or Creater Perfect Timing?)
[Carrie] (Lesser. The 2-point version.)
[Random_Nerd] (Regrettably, no. Limited utility, alas.)
[DanteE] "So, decided what to do with Monty? ... _All the pieces, guys. Just put them together. And be careful with Ick..."
[Theresa] "I feel like throwing him into the Sun. Like shrinking the box till there's a quantum bunny hole inside it. I feel like yelling at the boss for wanting to _keep_ him!"

• Theresa paces around the box.
  
• Carrie puts a hand on Theresa's shoulder, having shown up at just the right time. "Peace. We will get through this, and we will get Amyra through this as well."
  

[DanteE] "Wait. Don't do anything rash, that's my job. Just convince these people they didn't just die."

• Theresa tries to calm down. "I'm...I'm just not feeling well. I hurt but I hurt more _inside_ because I feel like it's my fault. And I don't know what to do because just shunting Monty off to some other place means he'll just outgrow it. We could put him in orbit and we'd have dual tides in a month."
  

Monty's box tremors slightly.
[Carrie] "We're in a Chancel. Who says that what happens here has anything to do with what people think of as realistic? There is a way past this, we just have to think of it."

• Carrie glances at the box. "I could do a short-term fix -- put it in the ocean, maybe -- but that would drain me completely."
  

[Theresa] (Can I put airholes in the box as a lesser creation or would I have to do it the old fashioned way?)
[Random_Nerd] (A lesser creation of... airholes?)
[Random_Nerd] (Man, that would be a sucky domain.)
[Carrie] (I think she means with Plants. Might be wrong.)
[Random_Nerd] (By the way, I would like to remind you that if you guys need to do something big, you have your Dynasty Points to use.)
[Theresa] (Using plants, yes. Sorry, wasn't clear. )
[Random_Nerd] (I don't think you could do it with Plants without spending an MP. Destroying part of your estate doesn't come as easily as making more of it.)
[DanteE] (Can she do it with LD Plants?)
[Random_Nerd] (She could, with an LD.)
[Theresa] (But would it take out the whole box?)
[DanteE] (The box was a GC, I think you're safe)
[Theresa] (Is it possible with Aspect 2 to leap to the top of the box with little effort?)
[Random_Nerd] (Making breathing holes would take one MP, and would not destroy the whole box.)
[Carrie] (I need to collaborate with someone else with Realm 2 to do a Major Creation without a Word of Command. And if we use Words of Command we might as well do a Major Change.)
[DanteE] (That's either Brian or James...)
[Carrie] (Right. Both of whom are unavailable at the moment.)
[Theresa] (James might be available, kinda. I think he was with us in when the wall blew.)
[Carrie] (He was here, but his player isn't.)
[Random_Nerd] (Let's just say that he's Guarding The Horses for this session.)
[Random_Nerd] (It's a /big/ box. It's at least Aspect 4 to jump onto.)
[Random_Nerd] (Oh, and there's one more approach to making an island.)
[Random_Nerd] (You could ask Kudzu. He has Realm 5.)
[Theresa] (Killing the rabbit and using his body as the hunk of the island? No, wait, defeats the purpose...)
[DanteE] ([Theresa] Climb it?)
[Random_Nerd] (You could make handholds with Lesser Creations, and climb them.)
[Theresa] (Yeah, that's what I was thinking, Dante. Or just doing the miracle at the bottom.)
[Theresa] (So the box is too smooth for climbing?)
[Random_Nerd] (Well, you made it. Would you have made it with handholds?)
[Theresa] (Uhh, no, but it wouldn't have been perfectly smooth either. Ehh, I'll just do it at the bottom. I'm trying to think of all of the stuff Realm 5 can do. Kudzu would be able to make an island that could contain Monty better than the Room did.)
[DanteE] (Just put holes on the sides, near the top.)
[Random_Nerd] (For that matter, the box is wood. You can see it from any perspective you want and toss miracles wherever.)
[Carrie] (Question. Could a Major Change _both_ create a place for Monty to be, and restore everything broken in the 'Attack of the Rabbit of Unusual Size?')
[Carrie] (Or does it have to be one unified thing per Change miracle?)
[Random_Nerd] (No. Those are conceptually different things.)
[Random_Nerd] (Unless you come up with a /really/ clever reason otherwise.)
[Random_Nerd] (Which, you're welcome to try, of course.)
[Carrie] (Of course.)
[Random_Nerd] (Coming up with clever ideas the GM wouldn't have anticipated is one of the main functions of players.)
[Carrie] (I think that goes triple for Nobilis.)
[DanteE] (James wants the destruction to stay so he can harvest it, tho)
[Theresa] (How is Monty doing in his box?)
[Random_Nerd] (Monty's scared, and doing whatever the giant-rabbit-without-lungs equivilent of hyperventilating is.)
[DanteE] (? I threw him a LC Courage last time)
[Random_Nerd] (He still doesn't have air in there at the moment.)
[Brian] ("Rewind" time, and have the portal, instead of being put inside Monty and outside the room, teleport him to an area that now exists?)
[Random_Nerd] (A LC of Courage is enough to make him not try to break out...)
[Random_Nerd] (But not enough to go "Hmm. No air in here, and I just had a very traumatic experience. Weird.")
[Random_Nerd] (For the record, Monty's vital processes don't require air, but they still consume it.)
[Random_Nerd] (And he still has some rabbit instincts, so being without air is still unpleasant.)

[Theresa] *to the others* "What are some good reasons why I shouldn't ask the boss to manifest and fix this? Besides the fact that it's my-slash-our fault and so forth?"
[Carrie] "Because it is within our powers to deal with the situation, and because the Boss might decide to let Monty free before doing anything else."
[DanteE] "That, and he might eat you in a fit of pique."

• Theresa spends her current last MP and creates airholes.
  

[Theresa] "At the moment, the thought of being Appetizer of the WildLords doesn't really faze me. In fact, I would douse myself in ketchup and place the spring of parsley in my cleavage if it would make things better."
[Brian] (Beth: be glad Brian's not there for that comment. :-P)

• Carrie looks sympathetic.
  

[DanteE] (OH... what happened to the hoop I brought with me into Monty?)
[Random_Nerd] (You left it in there, I assume. Probably isn't much of it left, though.)
[Random_Nerd] (Do you want to go back in and look?)
[DanteE] (It's wood... Theresa can tell with a LDiv)
[Random_Nerd] (True. She can.)
[Theresa] (Dante can ask her to look...)
[DanteE] (We might be able to use it to send him wherever he needs to go, ne?)
[DanteE] "Theresa, do you still have the hoop I escaped through?"

• Theresa blinks for a moment. "The one I was holding onto when I lost most of my arm?"
  

[DanteE] "Yes... I just wonder if we can use it to help us fix this."
[Theresa] "In...what way?"
[Random_Nerd] (Now, the hoop is no longer operative. James stopped sustaining the miracle when the manure hit the windmill.)
[Carrie] (Assuming we could get him to the ocean, the Major Creation of Hope is enough to get him to go down there even though he thinks he has to breathe, right?)
[Random_Nerd] (Correct. That miracle still holds.)
[Random_Nerd] (He'll go for the ocean, given a chance.)
[Random_Nerd] (Even though he can't swim. But he can probably /wade/, I guess.)
[DanteE] (Yeah, but then what? Having a rabbit peer out of the ocean periodically would cause people's minds to pop)
[Carrie] (Probably for the best. Swimming GreaterBunny = tidal waves?)
[Random_Nerd] (Just tell them he's a tourist attraction.)
[Random_Nerd] (And if they say "What tourists? We're isolated from the entire world...")
[Random_Nerd] (Well, just turn them into toads.)
[Brian] (]_[)
[Carrie] (Toadzapping is a pricey Realm miracle. Too much effort.)
[Random_Nerd] (Every self-respecting Noble should have toadzapping as a Simple Gift.)
[Theresa] (The Power of Toads would like to say that it's thanks to GMs like you that he is still wonderful.)
[Random_Nerd] (I mean, is it mere coincidence that "Turning a guy into a frog" is one of the very few miracles that specific rulings are given on?)
[Random_Nerd] (I think not.)
[Brian] (RN: it's interesting, because the entire workings of Miracles can be extrapolated from the turning someone into a frog example)
[Random_Nerd] (Yep. Amphibification is one of the fundamental principles of Nobilis.)
[DanteE] "Well... is the other end still in his mouth?"
[DanteE] "Imagine what would happen if it grew to his size...”
[DanteE] "It would pop out of his mouth...”
[DanteE] "Hit the box wall...”
[Brian] (And explode!)
[Theresa] "And dissolve the box wall, letting him out?"
[DanteE] "No, it'd wind up facing him.”
[DanteE] "Then, if you re-establish the tunnel, he'd see a way out, and jump through it."
[DanteE] "We just need to get this hoop somewhere good first."
[Carrie] "We don't need the hoop for that."
[Theresa] "Hmm...that could work. It's back at the Tower, though. If you can spare one of the minions from pulling people out of wreckage, he can bring the hoop back while we find someplace to put the stupid big carrot muncher."
[DanteE] (What's between Monty and the sea?)
[Random_Nerd] (About two miles of city, and a bit of sand.)
[Random_Nerd] (The part close to the ocean is rather densely populated, as Kaerkoven was once a costal trading city.)
[Carrie] (Indeed. This ranks up there as Carrie's biggest Major Screw-Up to date.)
[Random_Nerd] (Well, you're /Noble/.)
[Random_Nerd] (If you're going to screw up, screw up /big/.)
[DanteE] (And wouldn't doing that bring water up here?)
[Carrie] "I could make that portal again, but it would be just as hard as it would be to turn the inside of one of the box walls into a portal to the bottom of the ocean."
[DanteE] "Wouldn't the fact that we already did it help?"
[Carrie] "Not at all. The first miracle is spent."
[Random_Nerd] (And believe me, it is a /good/ thing that the portal stopped being active.)
[Carrie] (With a Lesser Change, I can make it one-way if I want.)
[Random_Nerd] (You can indeed.)
[Theresa] "Would it help any if I got rid of the box in your way, Carrie? On the way to the bottom of the ocean? Do rabbits float?"
[DanteE] "Well, wait... if we're doing that, we should decide on a destination first."
[Carrie] "Keep the box. I can make a gate, but if you got rid of the box he might decide to go elsewhere."
[Theresa] "Good point."
[DanteE] "Hm...
[DanteE] "You know what's Monty's size and more...”
[DanteE] "...clouds.

• Theresa raises an eyebrow at Dante.
  

[Theresa] "They aren't as heavy, though."
[DanteE] "They can be."
[DanteE] "Well, not _heavy_, but solid.”
[Carrie] "It's beyond my power to make a solid cloud on Monty's scale."
[DanteE] (Is it? Greater Preservation of Integrity.)
[Carrie] (Can you preserve what's not there to begin with? As in, the holding-stuff-up-ness of a cloud?)
[Random_Nerd] (That'd take a Creation.)
[Carrie] (Thought so.)
[Random_Nerd] (Etheric's right, Preservations only work with what's already there.)
[Random_Nerd] (I guess you could do a lesser change and then a greater preservation, as separate miracles.)
[Brian] (Greater change to provide a "floor" to the sky?)
[DanteE] (OK, then... where does he go? Come up with a place before RN decides on a new way to screw us.
[DanteE] (Or worse, before _we_ come up with a new way to screw us...
[Random_Nerd] (I don't really even need to bother.)
[Random_Nerd] (It is the natural state of a group of PCs to be screwed, and all PC groups seek that balance.)
[Theresa] (Ground state.)
[Carrie] (Is that the real explanation of "restoring balance to the force" in Star Wars? No wonder the Jedi Order died.)
[Brian] (Carrie- it was balanced to 1 master + 1 student on both sides. Not that that's what they meant, apparently ...)
[DanteE] (Random Nerd's First Rule of PC Screwage? Want to put that in the Lexicon?
[Random_Nerd] (You can, if you want.)
[DanteE] (I'm still trying to put together a decent definition for "Guarding the horses".)
[Random_Nerd] (When a player is not at the game, and the GM and players don't feel like proxying that character, the character is Guarding The Horses.)
[Random_Nerd] (Even, and perhaps especially, if there are no horses.)
[Carrie] "Maybe we could make a home for Monty underneath the ocean?"
[Carrie] "The problem is that I don't have the power to *make* anything that big on my own. I might be able to do so if I were assisted."
[Theresa] "It would take a while for him to peek out of the ocean. And he's not that absorbent. We'd just have to make him able to not need air. And hope he doesn't like fish or the industry's down the drain."
[DanteE] "I thought you wanted to make a Skull Island?"
[Carrie] "That's another possibility, but I'm worrying about him outgrowing it."
[Carrie] (Lesser Realm Divination of Rabbits -- does Monty need air?)
[Random_Nerd] (He doesn't need it, but he gets frightened if he doesn't have it.)
[Random_Nerd] (He /thinks/ he needs it.)
[Carrie] "Monty doesn't need air, I think, but he's not used to acting without it. So he gets scared."
[Theresa] "Explains how he reacted to the box."
[DanteE] (Hm... maybe we're going about this the wrong way.)
[DanteE] (Maybe we can convince him he doesn't _need_ to smash stuff.)
[Carrie] (Even if he didn't want to smash stuff, would he have a choice? He's pretty big.)
[DanteE] (Come to think of it... why isn't he asleep? He was in the AoE of the Night miracle... )
[Random_Nerd] (That miracle was calibrated for humans.)
[Carrie] (Probably specified humans. After all, Lesson was in the AoE too.)
The woodgrains in the side of the box facing you start shifting.
[DanteE] (Uhoh.)
They begin to form what looks a bit like a face, although a face as drawn by a drunken Picasso.
The face begins to project out from the wood, firsts as a slight texture, and then like someone made of wood is pushing his way out.

• Theresa frowns at the woodthing. It's not her doing, which means...
  

[DanteE] (Does it look like Kudzu?)
[Random_Nerd] (Kudzu tends not to look the same from one appearance to another. To that extent, it does.)
"Did you put my rabbit in a wooden box?"
[Theresa] (How big is it compared to us?)
[Random_Nerd] (...says the wood. It's a face about three feet tall.)
[Random_Nerd] (So, smaller than you, but larger than your faces.)
[Theresa] *steps forward* "Yes, sir. To prevent the city from being destroyed."
"Oh?" The face looks around.
"Why were you destroying the city? I thought you rather liked it."
[Theresa] "Wasn't our idea. It was a combo between Monty and Monty's feet."
[DanteE] "We're debating where to put him now...”
"Oh, yes. Isn't he something?"
The face pauses. "Is something wrong?"
[Theresa] "_Yes_." *biting her lips so hard as to cause bleeding to keep from yelling*
[DanteE] "He's a bit too big to control."
"Control? Why would you want to /control/ him?" The face ponders.
[DanteE] "Just enough so he doesn't do this (indicates) again."
"It's the dead humans, isn't it?"
[DanteE] "And the destroyed city. I'm working on the humans..."
[Carrie] "Milord, I request a boon, if it please you. Make a place for Monty to stay, where all his needs will be provided. Make it change to fit his changing size. And make it divorced from the normal land of Amyra, so that the people here will be able to follow their natures freely without undue friction."
"I suppose I could do that. Sure, why not?"
"Oh, and for the dead humans, I'll just make some more."
[DanteE] "A question, if I may?"
"Yes?"
Random people start popping into existence near the face.
When they appear, they start to wander off at random.
[DanteE] "What exactly do you intend to _do_ with him?"
"Oh, I hadn't fully decided on that one yet. But he might come in handy eventually, and even if he doesn't, he's quite a magnificent beast. Don't you think?"

• Theresa nods, agreeing with one of those words at least.
  

Random pedestrians keep appearing, one at a time.
[DanteE] "Ah.. STOP! With the people! We can just fix the ones we've got! I'm working on that!"
People stop appearing.
"What?"
[Carrie] (Lesser Realm Div to figure out if Kudzu's moved Monty yet.)
[Random_Nerd] (Monty's still in there.)
Another face starts emerging, a little smaller, below the other and to the right of it.

• DanteE raises the existing dead people a little faster...
  

[Theresa] "What would these new people do? Do they have lives or are they just...fakes?"
"They'll do whatever they want to, Plants. Same as the rest."
"What do you mean, 'fakes'?"
[Carrie] "I believe my Sister was curious if they fit into the history of this country, with families, homes, and the like."
[Theresa] "Not...real. Without a history. Without a soul. I...like a clone or a cutting or..." *founders*
"They're just humans. I... yeah, I gave them memories and all that. They'll be fine, don't worry."
[DanteE] "Including homes?"
"Good idea. If I give them enough money, they can get homes of their own, right? That way we won't have to worry about stretching the ground to make room for more houses."
[DanteE] "Uh... yes ...”
The second face finishes emerging, and continues to crawl out up to about shoulder height, and then stops.
First Face *furrows brow for a moment* "There, done."
The second face starts staring at an ant colony on the ground.
[Theresa] "Th..thank you, boss."
[Theresa] "Will we have access to where Monty will be?"
[Carrie] (Quick check on Monty to see if he's there or not.)
[Random_Nerd] (Monty's still there. You haven't asked Kudzu to move him yet.)
[DanteE] (How many people did Kudzu create?)
[Random_Nerd] (About a dozen or so.)
"I haven't decided what sort of place he'd like yet. Any ideas?"
[Carrie] "A plain with lots of grass that's his size?"
"And separate from here..."
[DanteE] "Considering that 'his size' will change..."
"I know."
[Theresa] *quietly adds in* "He liked the plants in his room in the Tower."
[DanteE] to [Theresa] "Did he use the shelter you made?"
[Theresa] (LessDiv of whether Monty used the hutch we had created.)
[Random_Nerd] (He spent a fair amount of his time in there.)
[Theresa] *stutters at Dante* "Yeah, he spent a lot of time in his hutch in the Tower. I could grow him one, if you think that would be okay for him."
The big face concentrates again a moment, and a greenish moon appears in the sky. The second figure sticks an arm out of the wood, and pokes an ant.
[Theresa] (Wait a...oh, wait! Imperator miracles don't cause DA!)
[Random_Nerd] (Correct. DA is caused because Nobles can't straddle both worlds at the same time.)
[DanteE] (In today’s news, the Crowns beat the Magi 3-2, the new tax bill is stuck in committee, and a new moon with a wandering rabbit has appeared in the sky. Film at 11.)

• Carrie glances at the moon, and nods. "Would you like me to move him there?"
  

"Oh, sure, if you want."
The ant-poking Kudzu starts making little rabbits with butterfly wings appear. They flutter around.

• Carrie concentrates, and creates a gate inside of the box which, for as long as she sustains the miracle, will lead to the surface of that moon. (Lesser Realm Change of Gates.)
  

[Random_Nerd] (This moon's much smaller than the other one, but a lot closer. Anyone with at least Aspect 2 vision can see Monty as a little speck on the moon.)
[DanteE] (Yeah, but every telescope in Amyra will be looking at it.)
[Random_Nerd] (Indeed.)
The rabbitflies flutter around more.

• DanteE points to the smaller face. "Is that you, by the way?"
  

The big face looks down at the smaller figure. "Oh! Hmm... yeah, I guess it is."
Big face: "Right?"
Small face: "I suppose so."
The smaller figure seems to grow a little bored with the rabbitflies, and makes a largish snake with a rabbit head and six wings.
[DanteE] (Six wings...)
The rabbitsnake flies off.

• Theresa pets one of the butterabbits if it comes near her.
  

[DanteE] "Do you know Barakiel, by the way?"
Big face: "Barakiel?"
Small face: "One of the original Watchers, wasn't he?"
[DanteE] "Yes, he's the one we got your feather from.”
Large face: "OH, yes. I suppose we've met. Why?"
[Theresa] "We think that he had a 'thing' against Lesson and when their body essences combined in Monty, it created a giant thundering bloodstorm of violence inside of him."
The smaller figure waves a hand at the ant hill, and it shapes itself into a six-inch high figure. The figure looks vaguely humanoid, moderately serpentine, with six wings and many many eyes.
[DanteE] "... is that what you were looking for?"
Big face: "Oh, yes, the storm of blood. Interesting, isn't it?"
"Reminds me of the Red Spot on that other world you guys have. The big one."
[DanteE] "Interesting. Yes. That works."
[Theresa] "The planet Jupiter?"
Big face: "I think so."
The smaller figure starts flicking a finger at ants, and turning them into tiny ant-scale Barakiels. The big face looks over, and rolls its wooden eyes.
[Theresa] ( ... Didn't someone recently mention something about being in charge of Jupiter? Or ruling Jupiter?)
[Random_Nerd] (Oh, and by the way, Barakiel is the angel of Jupiter.)
[Random_Nerd] (It's not one of his Estates. It's more of a title.)
[Theresa] (Thank you, RN. Some things are becoming...less obscured.)
[Random_Nerd] (There's not really a Domain of Jupiter, given that there's only the one Jupiter.)
Lesson and Ick are off in the distance, doing rescue work.
The big face then leans over and bites off the head and shoulders of the smaller figure, and chews noisily.
A human-scale face starts to appear in the big face's forehead.
[DanteE] ( O_O )
The flying rabbitsnake flies back, and coils around Dante's neck, making purring sounds.
[Random_Nerd] (Not choking, just wrapped around loosely.)
[DanteE] (Good thing I'm Courage or my brain would have exploded a long time ago.)

• Theresa is getting used to that devouring thing. Hence the not being that scared of it back a bit ago. Still noisy, though.
  

The flock of rabbitflies soars overhead.
[Theresa] "Looks like you've found a pet, Dante."

• DanteE skritches the rabbitsnake.
  

It makes affectionate noises.
[Theresa] "Has any of our actions displeased you, Boss?"
"Nothing comes to mind. Would you like a rabbitsnake?"

• Carrie admires the rabbitflies flying around.
  
• Theresa thinks for a moment. "No thank you, boss. They are very beautiful, though."
  

[DanteE] "Are we helping you understand humans, by the way?"
"You're helping me understand /you/, at least."
"So, since you're humans, I guess that's a yes."
One of the rabbitflies lands on Carrie's shoulder. It's only about the size of a mouse, and has four-inch brightly-colored wings. Its little rabbity nose twitches.

• Carrie pets the rabbitfly with her pinkie finger, assuming it lets itself be petted.
  

It lets itself be petted.
[DanteE] (And it eats brains. But in a cute way.)
[Theresa] (I wouldn't be surprised.)
[Carrie] (Does anything cute _not_ eat brains?)
[Theresa] (*starts to raise hand, but lowers hand*)
[Random_Nerd] (Jewel Staite, maybe?)
[Theresa] (You have no proof.)
[Random_Nerd] (Hence the maybe.)
[Random_Nerd] (But surely if she ate brains, there'd be a forum thread on it.)
[Theresa] "A question, boss? What made you pick Amyra for a home?"
Kudzu: "Well, I've always liked it here. I used to always like stopping here, back when I was a boat. So I decided to make my home here."
[Carrie] "You used to be a boat?"
"For a while. I really recommend it. Great way to see the world."
[Theresa] (*ding!* Possible admittance of a former Kudzu chancel!)
"Want me to turn you into a boat, Hope?"
[Theresa] (*sings* "The Hooooope Boat...soon we'll be making another tour...")
[Carrie] "...I'll pass for the moment. I still have a lot I'd like to do as a girl."
"Oh? What's that like, being a girl?"

• Theresa actually cracks a smile at this.
  

One of the tiny Barakiels climbs Theresa's shoe, and sits there.

• Carrie appears slightly nervous. "It's... quite fulfilling, I would say. It's hard to answer because I don't have that much to compare it to, but I know there are many things I hope to do as a girl that I wouldn't be able to do otherwise."
  
• Theresa silently wonders what Lesson would do if he found the little miniAngels. Doesn't remove the thing from her shoe though.
  

[DanteE] (I did boost his courage when he first came...)
Kudzu: "Do you think I'd like it?"
[Carrie] "I'm not sure it's exactly your style."
[Theresa] "Have you been a man before?"
[Theresa] (Hey Carrie, sleepover and makeovers with the Boss? *grin*)
[DanteE] (Let's see, you can make over one face while talking with another...
[Brian] (Beth, I totally read that as "makeouts". ]_[)
[Theresa] (Brian - Noble of Gutters! *grin*)
Kudzu: "I think so. Not for very long, though. I never really /got/ the appeal of being human."
"...No offense, I'm sure it's plenty fulfilling for you guys."
[Theresa] "It's most of what we know, I think. I was going to spend some time as a full plant, somewhat soonish, I think."
[DanteE] "By the way... it's really the people here that make Kaerkoven and Amyra what it is.”
[DanteE] "Which is why I'm trying to undo some of the damage that Monty did...”
Kudzu: "From your perspective, maybe. I always liked the cities and the forests more."
[Theresa] "What about the cities if not the people?"
[DanteE] (Did James say IC what he intended to do WRT harvesting Urbanization?)
[Carrie] (I believe so. Not positive.)
[Theresa] (I think he was going to leave the rubble as is, not let it be rebuilt.)
[Random_Nerd] (He was going to maintain the damage as it is, as a permanent injury to Kaerkoven.)
Kudzu sticks an arm out of the wood, and waves at the city.
"Just... look at it.. It's people, but it's also buildings, and cars, and sounds, and radio transmissions."
He looks at the ants, and points at one that still looks like an ant. "See these little guys? They're not human, and they aren't remotely intelligent. But they still can make cities. See, although each one doesn't know how to build a nest, or keep aphids, or any of that..."

• Carrie looks at the anthill curiously.
  

"When all of them act together, reacting to each other, they can make these things, even though the individuals are far too dim to understand. That, that is a city. That emergent /thing/ that all the little organic things make and embody."
He looks down at the ants a bit more.
[Theresa] (It explains why he just made more humans and sent them off. To the ants, there is no individual ant. Just the colony.)
To all appearances, he's forgotten that you're there, and his attention seems to be captivated by the anthill.
[DanteE] "We're actually a little more complex than that...”
The face in the forehead looks at Dante. "Yes, yes you are," it says.
"But that doesn't matter. Not to cities. They don't care about the individuals, or how smart or dim they are. Sure, an individual human's not too much dumber than a city like this. Much closer to it than the ants are. But what does the complexity of the citydwellers matter?"
[DanteE] "Here's how....”
[DanteE] "Nothing these ants do can come close to the ... artistry ... and energy of the buildings people create. Not just in terms of glass and steel... But in terms of the spirit and energy that becomes part of the city itself.”
[DanteE] "See, if the queen ant dies or leaves, this colony is essentially gone. But here... Kaerkoven has gone through innumerable changes of leadership...and grown stronger and greater in the process.”
"How do you know what the spirit and energy of an anthill are?"
Kudzu thinks for a moment. "Have you ever been to the New World, Courage?"
[DanteE] "... you mean America?"
"Yeah. The southern part, near where the City of Gold used to be."
[DanteE] "Haven't been there. We took a few minutes to see Chicago..."
[Theresa] "Some of the soldiers that went missing are near there, I think, Dante. We could visit."
"Do you know what happens, if we take these ants here at our feet, and move them there, expose them to that environment?"
[DanteE] "... they soon die?"
"They build immense colonies. Thousands of queens, millions of workers...They can make cities thousands of miles across, that can survive the loss of any one individual, even a breeder."
"What have humans done to match that, in spirit and energy?"
[DanteE] "...so, in theory, could any of the people here.”
"So, this city doesn't need any of the individual humans here?"
[DanteE] "I would ask you to undo the damage to the people here... and possibly their cars, just to be nice..."
"There's no human, the loss of which, would hurt the city in a real way?"
[DanteE] "Well, there are a few people who the city would mourn...”
[DanteE] "But no one like the colony's queen. The city would go on."
[Theresa] "Even King John."
"Then what's the difference? What makes human cities grander than ant cities?"
[Theresa] (Hmm, question for the group, are we still considered human enough that losing one of us would be important?)
[Random_Nerd] (Nobles are as human as they consider themselves to be.)
[DanteE] (We are now that we've introduced ourselves to Amyra.)
[DanteE] (Damn I wish James were here...)
[Random_Nerd] (Oh? What for?)
[Random_Nerd] (All of you still self-identify as human, right?)
[DanteE] (Except James, sure.)
[Carrie] "Human cities have artistry and culture. Ants may have something similar to that, but not on the same scale."
"And ants have exceedingly complicated pheromones, and selfless altruism of service. What's to say that the one is better than the other?"
Big Kudzu: "Oh, yes, how /is/ John doing these days?"
[Theresa] "Not too bad, boss. We visited him after talking to Parliament. Might poke around the treasures some time if we feel a death-wish coming on. He mentioned something unusual though...that he had another visitor with you when you asked him if he would be one of your Nobles."
Big Kudzu. "Oh, that must have been..."
Kudzu almost looks embarrassed, as much as abstract wood can.
Big Kudzu looks up at the new moon. "You know, that sure is a big rabbit."
Little Kudzu still looks at Dante.

• Theresa looks at the Big Kudzu. "Uh-huh. He is. Should we expect other Imperators to come visiting or looking for you, boss?"
  

[DanteE] "Here we go... if some horrific cataclysm were to destroy Kaerkoven, there would still be something left... Enough that even many years later, someone could come along, dig part of it up, and through that learn who and what we were. Not true of this anthill. The queen leaves, soon it's just dirt."
Little Kudzu: "Bah, the future. You humans spend too much time thinking of it, but you always get it wrong. I've seen entire human civilizations disappear in a moment, leaving not even a memory."
[DanteE] "Yeah, but we have the potential to get it right.”
LK: "You still haven't been back even to Mars, let alone the Far Colonies."
[DanteE] "Maybe one of these folks Monty stepped on could be the one who would do that.”

• Carrie blinks and makes a mental note to look up the Far Colonies in the Library.
  

LK: "Human things don't persist, not in this world."
LK: "The world changes a million times a day, and only we and our servants can even tell."
LK: "Usually it's small things, but tomorrow it may be another Deluge."
LK: "I like humans, I really do. But you never achieved your potential. The closest you've ever gotten is madnesses like the Light and the Dark. That damnable Serpent has part of the blame for that, I know. But a lot of the blame belongs to you, too."
LK: "At least you had an excuse. The Dionyl didn't even have that."
Little Kudzu has a sad look for a moment, and then crumbles.
Sawdust falls to the ground.
[Theresa] "What happened to them?"
Big Kudzu: "Happened to who?"

• DanteE gets back to raising people...
  

[Theresa] "The Dionyl?"

• Carrie looks at Kudzu, a bit confused and a bit intrigued.
  

Big Kudzu: "They never became Imperial, any more than you lot did."
[Theresa] "I didn't know we were supposed to."
"All their potential was squandered in their foolish wars of Splinter and Domination. As if that terrestrial perception even /mattered/. They had the chance to look on the Spirit World, itself, and they wasted it." It turns to Theresa: "They were. You were. Both races."
"You were supposed to be like the Serpents. Or the Gods of Earth. A naturally Imperial race."

• Carrie is surprised and awed. "We had the chance to be Imperial? And... we lost it?"
  

[Theresa] *like she's working it out in her head* "And..we..Fell."
[Theresa] (Kinda in a question tone but not quite a question.)
"First the Apple, and then the misbreeding."
"Everyone fell, Plants."
"As above, so below."
"The Falls happened, all of them, the great and the small."
"The Phoenix died for the first time, and the First Age ended."

• Theresa looks confused. "So..it's Lucifer's fault too?"
  

"Lucifer had nothing to do with your Fall. He had his own one, at the same time."
[DanteE] "... were we deliberately tested?"
"The test wasn't deliberate. That damn Serpent couldn't handle his madness, and he destroyed things that his betters had been working on since before Time. This is why experience with madness is so /important/. A lifetime of sanity leaves one soft and weak."
[Carrie] "...Can what was broken be restored?"

• DanteE blinks at Carrie.
  

Kudzu: "I don't know. If it is to be, it'll be up to you. The Angels aren't even trying at the Earth and Dionyl projects any more."
"But there's a new age coming, they say. Ananda has been manifest long enough, and will soon come into his own."
"If there's a change, now's the time to do it."

• Carrie nods and smiles, as a tear runs down her cheek.
  

[Brian] (Lovely ... at a time when Brian is off moping, this happens. :-P)
[Random_Nerd] (Have him show up now, having been in the background and hearing most of it?)
[Brian] (About how long has it been since they boxed the bunny?)
[Theresa] (He could Realm Div of it later too and replay it? I like the come in now better.)
[Random_Nerd] (Over an hour, I imagine.)
[Random_Nerd] (Plenty of time for a good sulk.)
[DanteE] (Not that it matters, now that Monty's on the moon.
[Brian] (At about 2 hours, he'd come back)
Big Kudzu looks at Carrie. "If you can do it, please do. The humans deserved better than what they got. Unless there's a way to fix them, we'll never see the things you lot might have made." His big wooden eyes seem to be watering, although with sticky sap rather than tears.
[Theresa] (Aww crap... *sniffle*)

• Carrie smiles at Kudzu. "I will do all I can to reawaken that Hope within Humanity."
  

"May I take my leave of you, Nobles? I have... things I wish to do, now."
[Carrie] "Of course."

• Theresa nods, sniffling herself.
  

"But I don't want to abandon my own, in your despair."
[Theresa] "We'll be okay. We'll heal."
[DanteE] "... could you undo the damage to the people Monty stomped, first? Or I can."
"I will do what I can."
You hear an immense sigh, coming from all around you. It's as if everyone in the city, as one, exhaled deeply.
Kudzu's face pulls back into the wood, leaving only a few drops of sap behind where it had been.

• DanteE scoops up a Kudzu-tear.
  
• Theresa will also collect a tear.
  

[Knockwood] Dante is looking over what looks like a ball of sap... glowing from within.
[Brian] Brian borrows a bit of Carrie's Perfect Timing, and arrives on scene
[Theresa] (He heard it all?)
[Brian] (No. He heard none :-P)
[Brian] "So, is everything taken care of, yet?"

[DanteE] (Ah, did he raise the dead, or do I have more work to do?
[Random_Nerd] (He raised the dead. The dead people, as well as the living ones, breathed out in that moment.)

[Random_Nerd] Okay, so, thoughts?
[Knockwood] Your Philosophy education showed through.
[BethL] It didn't feel like a Deus Ex Machina. And you're a jerk because she was _mad_ at him and now she's sniffly.
[Random_Nerd] Hmm. I didn't see how I was pulling out the Philosophy Major stuff, but then I guess I wouldn't. What of that was I doing?
[Random_Nerd] (Really, I noticed more of my Obscure Ant Trivia stuff showing through.)
[lazarus] I like the phil major stuff.
[lazarus] Nobilis is a far more interesting way to do philosophy than philosophy classes

[Etheric] Hum. I need to update the Dynasty points. Has anyone used any lately?
[Random_Nerd] You guys /never/ use those.
[Knockwood] Ah... for the creation and destruction of the box?
[Etheric] I'm thinking if Theresa uses them to Destroy the box just now, she’s the only one.
[BethL] The creation of the box was only 4 MPs.
[Etheric] Did you use a Greater Destruction to destroy it?
[Etheric] That's 4 DPs, if so.
[Random_Nerd] She would have, to do it all in one miracle.

[Etheric] That's a total of five new DP, for fifteen total.

[BethL] I liked how Kudzu opened up. And I like how Monty now has a place to be that has more of a chance of surviving. Disliked how Theresa was all mad and everything and now she's not anymore.
[Etheric] Best: Kudzu's attitude, especially the wistfulness regarding the loss of humanity's potential.
[BethL] Yeah, the whole "I want to see what you can _do_!".
[Knockwood] Didn't like: all the what-do-we-do-now arguing we did before Kudzu showed up. But I'm impatient anyway.
[Etheric] Least: Well, the deus ex machina aspect of it grated at first, although it quickly was eclipsed by the interestingness that came of Kudzu showing up.

[BethL] I would have to say the over-abundance of new fauna, I guess. Just how real are they? Are the angels really Angels?
[Random_Nerd] The ants are just funny-looking ants. The bunny-critters are real.

• Knockwood debates spooking Lesson with the 6-inch Barakiel...
  

[Random_Nerd] I mean, I really do want to receive criticism of what I do wrong. And I know that, given that I'm only human, I do screw up.
[Knockwood] You ARE?
[BethL] I know. Just having trouble picking out. How good of a solution is the moon? Will Monty fall off?
[BethL] Etheric - I really liked how you phrased Carrie's request.
[Etheric] Thanks, Beth. I put some thought into it.
[Random_Nerd] If he was going to fall off, he would have by now.
[lazarus] RN: I thought you were the Noble of HGing. At least.
[Random_Nerd] No, no, that's Rebecca Borgstrom. And I'm sure that Beth would get miffed if she even anchored me.
[BethL] Me? Get miffed at Rebecca? Would looking very very sad count?
[BethL] (And besides, Anchors can love. Wait, that would mean that Rebecca either loves or hates you...)
[Random_Nerd] (Hence.)
[BethL] On the good front, you dangled a few other plotleads out there. And was the boat thing an admittance to another Chancel and perhaps a tie-in to Dante's previous incarnation?
[Random_Nerd] Beth, dear, I don't say "By the way, this is a plot hint!"
[BethL] I know. Had to try. You sometimes confirm stuff.
[Random_Nerd] Rather, I plant them and wait until you've /almost/ forgotten them before using 'em.
[BethL] No, that Courage had a previous life before Dante. Kudzu Chanceled into a boat and enNobled someone as Courage, destroyed the Chancel, came to Amyra, Chanceled there and Nobled us.
[Random_Nerd] Okay, fine, I'll nonconfirm this. The boat thing has nothing to do with a previous enchanceling. It's just a tidbit from Kudzu's past.
[BethL] Oh. Never mind then. Thank you for keeping me from running us into another brick wall.
[Random_Nerd] So, you guys liked the portrayal of Kudzu this session.
[Random_Nerd] Anything in it that seemed off?
[Random_Nerd] It's a different mood than you've seen him in, so I wasn't sure if it'd ring true.
[BethL] He seemed softer this time around. Less likely to bite our heads off. And he got embarassed again.
[Knockwood] Well, we did buy off Demanding. Maybe he mellowed.
[Etheric] I think it fits Kudzu that he'd have moments of idle musing.
[BethL] He can't be annoying all of the time. I really liked getting a view into his dreams, his whimsies.
[Etheric] Oh -- what do the rest of you think of centering the next plotline around figuring how it might be possible to fix the divine spark of humanity?
[BethL] Sounds good. Were we going to find the soldiers first?
[Etheric] We can roll the two together.
[Knockwood] The divine spark may be too big for one story...
[BethL] Well, seeing if it is possible or getting good leads might be just right.
[Etheric] That's mostly what I meant.
[Etheric] I expect it'll be an ongoing plot thread.
[Etheric] But centering a story around it doesn't mean it'll be resolved in that one story.

End Chapter

Beth


Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 6