Session 81

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 10

BethE: Knock and Laz: Is there any _good_ reasons for Murder?
lazarus: Murder?
lazarus: *brain shifts gears, pops the clutch, fails to find a final gear, shreds itself in the process*
BethE: Sorry, brain misdirect.
Knockwood: depends on who you're murdering.
Knockwood: Imagine going back in time and killing Hitler as a kid.
BethE: I was thinking about how the Most Ancient Lord (Imp,. of the 1st Age) outlived his Age. Heck, he made it into the 3rd one. But that's probably because he had other estates that kept him going. Just trying to think of ways to thought-block Barakiel.
BethE: It would kill all of the kids from GIs from the war.
Knockwood: or, popping the leader of the enemy forces the night vefore the battle.
Knockwood: *before
Knockwood: apparently it's Type Like a Doofus Day
Knockwood: last session was on Talk Like a Pirate Day. :)
BethE: :) I wonder if there has been created a Noble of Internet Memes. It would be Wild. And easily distracted.
Knockwood: that's Snow's other job
BethE: Yes, we should tell Sara that she is now the Noble of lolcats!
Knockwood: if she'd stop chasing them, sure...
BethE: That's what makes them funny...
BethE: I wonder why Ananda let it be known that he has the Estate of Murder.
Knockwood: she does get to star in the occasional 'OMG TRAIN!!1!!' poster...
Knockwood: to let people know he _can't_ be killed in the usual way
BethE: THe thing is...besides Excrucians, how many Imperators/Nobles would be able to go through with killing an Imperator? (Okay, so the Troy guys did it; extreme SPARTA! example). Yes, people think about killing Entropy, but that's a hobby.
Random_Nerd: Be able to go through with it in the moral "I'd be weakening the world" way, or in the "Imperators are almost as tough as a full family of Nobles" way?
BethE: The latter.
Knockwood: well... if you had one guy with a weapon domain, a few with fundamental forces, and/or prior experience fighting, say, shards...
BethE: *thinks*
BethE: You mean, like...the Nobles of Chancel Amyra?
BethE: And had some way of getting _them_ to do it?
Random_Nerd: Killing Imperators is hard, but possible, for Nobles.
Random_Nerd: Imperators can kill one another nearly as easily as humans can kill other humans.
Random_Nerd: Also, Imperators and full Excrucians are similarly on a peer relationship, minus the huge social custom against Imperators killing Imperators.
BethE: How powerful _is_ Ananda? I mean, he _is_ on the Council, but still. We don't even know what the other two Council people are like.
Knockwood: They --the hypothetical group asked to do this--would need to know their target fairly well.
BethE: (Or is one of them the Third Age Chick?)
Random_Nerd: Powerful politically, in a fight, or what?
Random_Nerd: (You don't know who's in the cabal intending to take down Ananda, other than Barakiel.)
BethE: Powerful in a fight, I guess. He's got tons of power politcially from being on the Council and the Imp. of the 4th age.
Random_Nerd: Unknown. But he is the Imperator of Murder.
Random_Nerd: So that implies at least some ability with violence.
Random_Nerd: But he isn't on the front lines of the War, so his personal prowess isn't fully known.
Knockwood: That's actually another strike against Barakiel's plan... you'd need loads of political clout to bring down Ananda, and if that exists, he's probably already moving against it.
Random_Nerd: Well, Barakiel's idea is that all they really need is the Council of Four, and he thinks he can get Entropy on his side.
BethE: Loads of political clout to _survive_ killing Ananda. Because there would be scalping of tickets to the Locust Court for that one.
Random_Nerd: If he can get Entropy and Ha-Qadosh on his side, and Ananda doesn't vote against Entropy, he can win it in a vote.
Random_Nerd: But, yes. That would be the harder part.
Random_Nerd: His stance on that seems to be "well, if it works, everyone will be grateful. And if not... well, let's just hope it works."
BethE: So..he's wanting to ask for the Council's _permission_ to kill Ananda. In front of Ananda.
BethE: (Are we sure he's not Wild?)
Random_Nerd: Not just in front of Ananda. Ananda's one of the people he'd be asking!
BethE: Oh, yes, good point.
BethE: (Still sure he's not Wild?)
Random_Nerd: You don't have to be Wild to be crazy, but it helps.
Knockwood: Actually... are we sure he's not Fallen?
Random_Nerd: Define "Fallen."
BethE: Wouldn't he be in a lot more trouble for being out of Hell thattaway?
Random_Nerd: Barakiel would argue that he's fallen, but not Fallen.
Knockwood: He had a fundamental disagreement with God & Heaven and wound up in Hell.
Knockwood: that sounds ... familiar.
Knockwood: and an Imperator's Chancel tends to reflect on the Imperator, which is why the Kaerkoven Times has been delivered by flying pig the last couple of weeks.
BethE: But the Grigori were before the Fall. And wait, if he was kicked out, how was he supposedly 'counciling' for peace?
BethE: Yeah, but B's chancel is reflecting both Heaven and Hell.
Random_Nerd: Well, the Grigori thing was after the Fall. But that wasn't the first time he was kicked out.
Knockwood: (the raccoon fell off his bike. I had Samuel send a get well card.)
BethE: Can't you only get kicked out once?
Knockwood: I was thinking he fell and redeemed at least twice
Knockwood: then wound up here.
lazarus: ok, my first batch is in the oven :)
Random_Nerd: Okay. Everyone ready to start?

• • • lazarus is now known as Brian.
      
    • You are now known as Theresa.
      

Random_Nerd: It's been more than twice, but I haven't worked out precisely how many times.

• • • Knockwood is now known as DanteE.
      

Brian: (I haven't done any backreading yet, so I have no idea what you talked to :p)
Theresa: (We haven't been in character yet, Laz. We just pondered about killing Ananda.)
Brian: (*nod*)
DanteE: (or Barakiel)
Random_Nerd: Now, shall we go back to you guys planning, or do you have a different scene in mind?
DanteE: (did we agree on anything? We could talk to Conseq again)
Brian: um. I'm still going to be a bit afkey, so, something that sort of tangentially involves me - talking to Conseq. again works
Theresa: (I don't think we agreed on anything. Although Brian destroyed 4 in the room.)
Random_Nerd: (You didn't really agree on anything.)
DanteE: (so, the usual)
Theresa: (Yep. Might as well go talk to Conseq. Get the low-down on what all they've thought of.)
Theresa: "Come to think of it...they might just trust us a bit..because how many people are you going to let know that you want to have Ananda dead as a doornail?"
Theresa: (Ah, sorry. I'll wait till we have a scene.)
Random_Nerd: (Barring player ideas, we're back to you guys in your suite.)
Theresa: (I vote to go visit Conseq.)
DanteE: (we have several reasons why his plan won't work. We need to know how to sell it to Barakiel)
Theresa: (Best to ask his Noble.)
Random_Nerd: (Works for me. How will you send for Consequences?)
Theresa: (Room service?)
Theresa: (The guy who was hanging outside of the door, last time?)
DanteE: (ask one of the imps running around to get him)
Random_Nerd: (Fair enough. Cut to 8 minutes after you send the guards near your door for Consequences?)

• Theresa will feel a little embarassed. After all, we could have went to him, but still...
  

Theresa: (Is Brian refoured?)
Brian: (refoured? oh, yes)
Random_Nerd: __________START______________
Theresa: "Hello, Consequences. We survived!" *smile*
Brian: "so far, at least"
Theresa: (Sorry, jumped the gun. Retcon, please?)
Random_Nerd: (Okay, then since you're already talking to him, I'll say the guards have brought you to where Consequences and Shadows are.)
Theresa: (Ah, thank you.)
DanteE: (Long as he doesn't do it in public... four-nication is a sin, remember. :D )
Random_Nerd: (You're some way off from the parts of the chancel where you were, in the part where some human/demons live. Consequences and Shadows are looking over a guy strapped to a table.)
Theresa: (*blink*)
Theresa: (What does the guy look like?)
Random_Nerd: (Depends which view you take. Either he's a human, dressed in a grey suit with gold buttons, or he's a demon wearing tattered rags. Either way, he looks frightened and confused.)
Random_Nerd: C, to the guard who showed you to them: "You can go."
Random_Nerd: S: "Oh, hello."
Theresa: "Hi...sorry to interupt...something happening?"
Random_Nerd: C: "This guy had a good, long, conversation with a voice coming from the other end of a drain."
Random_Nerd: S: "We're trying to see if there's anything salvagable left."

• DanteE does a Div-Courage on the guy...
  

Random_Nerd: (He's frightened, and very angry, but the relative values of those two emotions vary from moment to moment, so that either could be winning at any particular time you check.)
Theresa: "Was he expecting a plumber?"
Random_Nerd: C: "I don't know. The rules are very clear."
DanteE: "Do you ever wonder about this place, or have you just ... accepted it?"
Theresa: "What's the punishment if part of him survived?"
Random_Nerd: C: "Well, it's not so much that there's a /punishment/. It's just that if you interact improperly with the things Shadows brings out, things like this happen."
Random_Nerd: S: "Wonder about what about this place?"
DanteE: "Voices you don't dare listen to, imagery from hell in a place run by an angel, that sort of thing."
Random_Nerd: S: "Unlike a place with an extra moon, a giant rabbit, a big broken part of town caused by said rabbit, and the Holy Grail?"
DanteE: "For that matter, do you know for sure that pulling those things from beyond isn't helping the Excrucians?"
Random_Nerd: S: "Know for sure? No. But do you know for sure that you wearing pants doesn't help them?"
Brian: "Dante, 'cause we don't know what the Excrucians are after, so..."
Theresa: "The Holy Grail was there beforehand. It was part of the lease."
DanteE: (I'm going to avoid the potential overly-macho joke there... :) )
Random_Nerd: C: "I mean... after all, you guys have a being from Outside that's /far/ larger than the ones we have."
Theresa: (But Theresa's wearing a dress!)
Random_Nerd: (Err, that was Shadows.)
DanteE: ( and ... ack, I just got an image of 'The Todd' with Noble abilities. Ick. Ick...)
Theresa: (Who's the Todd?)
DanteE: (character on 'Scrubs', which is playing in the background...)
Theresa: "True. We call him Boss and I'm sure that there are some people out there who thinks he's probably a Mimic, is completely untrustworthy and that he faked the landing on the moon."
Random_Nerd: S: "Still... yes, this place is odd. But it's a Chancel, that's how they are. And I have no reason to believe that careful and responsible High Summoning is a danger to Creation."
DanteE: "I don't mean helping them symbolically or politically, I mean helping them by putting a _hole_ in the Weirding Wall."
Theresa: (But there are always holes in the Wall.)
Random_Nerd: S: "I think you misunderstand. The holes are already there."
DanteE: "They are?"
Random_Nerd: S: "Yes. There are holes. How else would the Excrucians and their shards get in?"
Random_Nerd: S: "There are eight big ones, that even full Excrucians or Imperators can fit through. Those are really well-guarded, at least on our side."
DanteE: (hm... y'know, that could be the 'something dramatic' that has to happen... close up the Wall and you could get rid of the few Exs here fairly easily)
Random_Nerd: S: "Then there are smaller ones they can slip a Shard through, and even tinier gaps only a little thing like my invokees can get in."
Theresa: "Do we know what it takes to close them?"
Random_Nerd: (This isn't /precisely/ how the Wall works in the default setting, but it's how it works in this game.)
DanteE: "Yeah, but couldn't your summonings widen that gap over time?
Random_Nerd: C: "None of us know how to work with the Weirding Wall. Even the Angels don't do that, or the Serpents. It was there before them."
Random_Nerd: S: "As far as we can tell, nothing Nobles can do has affected the Wall in a way we can recognize. And we suspect that even the Outsiders can't just rip holes in it, otherwise they'd be all over."
Theresa: "So it's more a matter of finding the right size hole for the job you need to do?"
DanteE: (Hm. Make a note to explore the nature of the Weirding Wall.)
Random_Nerd: S: "The right sized hole, in a place nearby, with the right sort of thing drifting near it. At least for these little ones."
Random_Nerd: S: "Sometimes it's done differently for bigger things, the ones more like big mythic spirits. But we don't use them often."
DanteE: "Anyway... we're not here to argue with you. We're here to argue with your boss.
Brian: "Are the ways out close by?"
Random_Nerd: C: "Ah, yes. He's curious what you think of his plan."
Brian: "His plan, with all due respect, sucks."
DanteE: "What do _you_ think of his plan?"
Random_Nerd: S: "Ways out for little things, sure. Fewer for some that a Noble could go through. Although there are a lot more of those near Earth than most places. We think that's one reason it's a major enemy target."
Brian: (/me checks self to ensure he hasn't spontaneously combusted)
Random_Nerd: C: "I think that it's probably better than any alternative I can think of."
Theresa: "What are the different plans that you have rejected?"
DanteE: "But his plan _can't_ work. There are too many people involved in the changing of the age... not just Ananda, but the Phoenix family, powers like History and Prophecy--even Brian and Carrie. Er, Eve."
Random_Nerd: C: "Dozens. Do nothing. Try to create a /different/ Imperator of the Fourth Age. Kill the Imperator of the Third Age to see if that stops the war..."
Random_Nerd: C: "Could you explain why you think it can't work?"
DanteE: "There are many things that still exist even without a Noble or Imperator guarding them.
Random_Nerd: C: "Things that aren't part of /any/ Estate? Like what?"
DanteE: "Even the important things... surely things don't disappear when a Noble or Imperator leaves, is defeated, or disappears.
Brian: "Well, the important thing is that there's so much invested in the turning of the Age, and the Fourth Age, that does not depend on Ananda."
Random_Nerd: C: "Uh. Yes. Things that are no longer a part of any Estate cease to exist."
Random_Nerd: C: "I've seen it happen."
DanteE: "There's a gap in between their departure and someone else taking over.
Theresa: "I..don't think so, Dante..." *mkulls it over*
DanteE: "And as for 'overlap'... Brian, Eve, History, Prophecy, and their Imperators all have a stake in the turning of the age. Does Barakiel intend to go on a murder spree to stop the age?"
Theresa: "I think..that yeah, some things can be taken over but there are some things that don't get to come back."
Random_Nerd: C: "We don't believe that would be necessary."
DanteE: "While he's at it, can he go and make sure the Phoenix family survives No Mater What?"
DanteE: *Matter
Brian: "Consequences, have you proved that Ananda embodies the changing between the Third and Fourth ages? I've been thinking, and it sounds to me like Phoenix embodies that"
DanteE: "If _any_ of those factors go the way Barakiel doesn't expect, the Age still comes.
DanteE: "All eliminating Ananda would do is eliminate the small measure of control we have.
Random_Nerd: C: "The Phoenix family, while powerful mythic beings, are not Imperators. They don't have the metaphysical weight to embody an estate."
DanteE: "Ananda you could at least yell at.
Random_Nerd: (I have a question. Is Dante supposed to be weirdly overconfident based on the evidence at hand, here?)
Brian: "I don't believe you're right about that, C. Any being of mythical import theoretically could hold a pillar."
DanteE: (weirdly? We're arguing with fundamental forces to prevent an angel from advocating the execution of the coming age. Weird how?)
Random_Nerd: (Well, the evidence for both sides is pretty slim, and most of Dante's arguments seem a bit weak, and yet he seems absolutely sure.)
DanteE: (Comes with being Courage. :) )
Random_Nerd: C: "Hmm. I can't think of any examples of individuals who aren't either themselves Imperators or else empowered by Imperators who directly sustained reality in the way a Noble or Imperator does."
Brian: "That doesn't mean that it doesn't exist."
Random_Nerd: (Okay. Wasn't sure if it was deliberate, or if I'd been miscommunicating earlier.)
DanteE: (Oh, you probably were. It's a weird situation. :P )
Random_Nerd: S: "I think that the Tree might count as something similarly sustaining..."
Random_Nerd: C: "Hmm. Okay, conceeded. But I'd think of the Ash as a sort of super-Imperator, given that it gives birth to full Imperators."
Theresa: "Did it create the Tree in the Garden or was that someone else?"
DanteE: "I think the turning of the age is really out of anyone's hands."
Random_Nerd: C: "The one that produced the Light and the Dark?"
Theresa: "Yep, that Tree.)
Theresa: ( " )
Brian: "The Great One isn't around anymore. It is quite possible that he himself invested the Phoenix Family with the changing of the age."
DanteE: (Jackie Gleason or Wayne Gretsky? :) )
Brian: (:-P)
Brian: "The simple thing is we don't exactly know /what/ the Fourth Age Estate really means"
Random_Nerd: C: "That one, as far as I know, was made by the Angels, through some sort of complicated manipulation of the Spiritus Dei that I don't understand. But most accounts of back then are really sketchy."
Random_Nerd: C: "So, what do you advocate instead, doing nothing?"
DanteE: "I think there's nothing we can do..."
Brian: "Figure out exactly what we want to happen and figure out how to best make it go."
DanteE: "But we do believe Barakiel's plan will make things worse."
Theresa: "But that's what their plan is, Brian."
Brian: "In this case, it's not to stop the changing of the age, but to turn it to our advantage, specifically regarding the Valde Bellum" (Great War, I mean)
Random_Nerd: Shadows peers over the guy strapped to the table.
Random_Nerd: C: "Sure, but do you have a methodology in mind?"
Brian: "No clue at this point. There's adequate, I believe, evidence against killing Ananda, however."
Brian: "To turn the war to our advantage, however, we need to know what the Excrucians' final goal is, and how to finally foil them."
Random_Nerd: C: "We tried figuring that out. After nearly five thousand years, most of us have given up on it."
DanteE: "Or come up with something very dramatic that foils them by itself."
Random_Nerd: C: "Either they won't say and we can't make them tell us, or they don't know."
Theresa: "A small question...if I understand your Imperator correctly, he wishes to ask the Council to sanction Ananda's death...then who kills him?"
Brian: "Specifically, if we can look at the Wall, and figure out how to repair it"
Random_Nerd: C: "I don't believe he's specified. But I imagine he'd be executed by an agent of the Council."
Brian: (isn't there some, like, Death By Locusts or something?)
Random_Nerd: (That's more for Nobles.)
Brian: (ah, ok)
Random_Nerd: (Imperators get executed rarely enough that there isn't really a protocal.)
Theresa: "Is there a specific charge that will be brought up against Ananda?"
Random_Nerd: C: "As I understand the plan, they're less going to directly bring criminal charges against him, and more going to move that the Fourth Age be stopped by whatever means necessary, which would then imply that Ananda must die."
Random_Nerd: C: "We considered trying to get just the Estate, but we don't know how to do that. Only the Excrucians know, and I don't know if even they can do their rites and attacks on an estate that isn't instantiated yet."
Random_Nerd: S: "Okay, as far as I can tell, the outsider's completely detached itself from his mind, probably before we grabbed him, so it's likely still loose."
Theresa: "Do they get stronger after...feeing?"
Theresa: (feeding. Darn it.)
DanteE: "What's it look like?"
Brian: "Consequences, as I understand things, you can't see past any Noble or better intervention, correct? So, neither you nor your boss can figure out what will happen in any case, yes?"
Random_Nerd: S: "Well, what they do isn't really feeding. At least, that's not mainly what happened here, although it did feed on him a little too. It's that they make things with minds into escape vehicles."
Random_Nerd: S: "Like... lassoing a pair of sea turtles, except with more of an effect on the turtles."
Brian: "Could you do something like find out the Consequence of the lack of a Fourth Age, in general?"
Random_Nerd: C: "At best, we can get hints, visions, maybe omens. Nothing clear."
Random_Nerd: C: "To some degree. Testing hypotheticals does work, to a moderate degree. But we can't find out for sure."
DanteE: "Or even worse... if the concept of the Fourth Age gets hijacked by One Of Them.
Random_Nerd: C: "It's a useful information-gathering tool, but it isn't absolute."
Brian: "Could you do me a favour and see?"

• DanteE looks for the whatsit...
  

Random_Nerd: S: "You know, there's a theory that that's what happened to the Third Age."
Theresa: (Sea turtles....)
Random_Nerd: (Shadows is established as liking adventure-type movies.)
DanteE: "The Third Age got taken by the Exs?"
Theresa: "What happened to the 3rd age?)
Theresa: "You mean why it's been going on for so long?"
Random_Nerd: S: "With the two Imperators of it. That the Wildlord one showed up and the Angel one died, about when the War started."
DanteE: "You know... that's an excellent argument for keeping Ananda alive. He at least is on our side, presumably."
DanteE: (also means there's a potential for a Rescue-the-Third-Age plot)
Brian: (RN: did you catch my request for the div from C?)
Theresa: (I thought the Third-Age one who 'died' went to dust. As in dustbunnies under some carpet in hell, dust.P)
Random_Nerd: (Yeah. He's thinking about how to do it.)
Brian: (Ok)
Random_Nerd: C: "How can we assume that?"

• DanteE more actively looks for the lost thingamajig, reviewing the room with The Sight
  

Brian: (Question: would a Ghost with Pen affect perceptions of Nobles, or would that require more wonky?)
Random_Nerd: (They'd be able to see it, but it wouldn't be something they couldn't ignore.)
Theresa: "True, we can't really assume that _any_ Imperator is on the side of the Earth, can we."
Random_Nerd: (The Sight wouldn't find it, particularly. Also, it's not in that room.)
DanteE: "He is on the Council, though."
Random_Nerd: C: "So... then, Lord Entropy is definitely on the side of good?"
DanteE: "shadows, I don't think that thing is in here."
Random_Nerd: S: "No, it isn't. But it was here. Right now I'm trying to see what kind of damage it did."
DanteE: "Well, if you stretch the definition of 'good'... while giving the Power of Words some serious roofies...
Random_Nerd: C: "And on the 'No Fourth Age' thing, I have two main conceptions of how it would go. The progression of the ages could stop but not be destroyed, leaving us in the Age of Pain. It could skip to the Fifth Age, if there is one. Or it could remove the cycle of the Ages entirely, leaving us outside of the domain of any of the Imperators of the Ages."
Random_Nerd: (Err, three main conceptions.)
DanteE: (Brian's messing with him. :)
Random_Nerd: C: "Each of these is internally consistant, but I can't tell if any of them would happen, or something else."
DanteE: "The first one means the War goes on forever, and the third means we have no control."
DanteE: "... and so does the second, technically, unless there's an Imperator of the Fifth Age."
Random_Nerd: C: "If we can slow the pace of Excrucian attack long enough, than we could turn it into a war that at least won't end everything. New Estates do come into being, although slowly."
Brian: "There's also the fourth possibility, I believe, of putting us in a Fourth Age with no qualifications."
Random_Nerd: C: "And I think I don't get what you mean by 'control'. To my mind, being able to do this sort of thing, and having it change how the change of Ages works, would demonstrate control>"
Theresa: (That'd be something. What if Barakiel or Kudzu was the Imp. of the 5th Age?)
Random_Nerd: C: "And it's not like we have control over this one now, even though we have a live Imperator of it."
DanteE: (Who is the Imperator of the 3rd age?)
Theresa: (Isn't it the Fallen Angel/Wildchick?)
Random_Nerd: (Ataris Ebrot Appeka.)
Random_Nerd: (Yeah.)
Random_Nerd: (Err, Attaris.)
DanteE: (what's his/her/its status?)
Random_Nerd: (Complicated.)
Random_Nerd: (Read the timeline.)
Random_Nerd: (But basically... there was an Angel, Ebrot Appeka, who was the Imperator of the Third Age, who Fell.)
Random_Nerd: (Then, during the Second Age, the Wildlords showed up, including one called Attaris.)
Theresa: (Huh, that must have been weird. To be in the 1st Age and know that you're the Imperator of something else.)
Random_Nerd: (Right before the end of the Second Age, Attaris went "Oh, hey, I'm actually Attaris Ebrot Appeka, the Imperator of the Third Age." And the Fallen-Angel-Ebrot crumbles to dust.)
Random_Nerd: (Well, part is that Imperators of ages that aren't there yet are ineffable. You can't tell their Estates with the Sight, and it's often hard to see what kind of Imperator they are.)
Brian: (and everyone goes, "oh, hey, Wildlord")
DanteE: (... then how do we know Ananda is Imp of the 4th?)
Random_Nerd: (No, everyone goes more "Dude, WTF... OHSHITEXCRUCIANS!")
Random_Nerd: (Ananda says he is. Plus, he's the only active Imperator who seems to be ineffable that way.)
Theresa: (Did anyone think that she took the Third Age from the F.Angel or just that it was legit?)
Random_Nerd: (So, he's clearly the Imperator of /an/ Age, at the least.)
Brian: (is there some Rite or something to determine all of an Imperator's Estates?)
Random_Nerd: (There are a lot of theories. Attaris isn't talking.)
DanteE: (Where is Attaris?)
Random_Nerd: (The Sight gives some clues about it, but even that doesn't work on Ananda.)
Brian: (could it be possible to develop such a Rite?)
Random_Nerd: (Attaris is not enchanceled. Also, people tend to leave her alone. She makes other Imperators nervous.)
Random_Nerd: (It might be possible, but even if it were, it probably wouldn't work in the particular case of Ananda and other imperators-of-ages-to-come, as the normal methods don't work at all.)
Brian: (honestly, I'm mostly interested in Kudzu :-P)
Random_Nerd: (Well, that you could probably do. Either with such a rite, or with careful observations with the Sight and research into the implications.)
Theresa: (I'm trying to think why Attaris makes Imperators nervous. Besides 'wildlord'.)
Brian: (Hon, "wildlord" always makes people nervous)
Random_Nerd: (She's the Imperator of the /current/ age, and has a really mysterious past.)
Random_Nerd: S: "Okay, I guess it's time to go looking for the escapee. You guys mind if I step out?"
Theresa: "No, it's okay. Good luck in finding him..it?"
Brian: (Also, I'd like to be able to look into the implications of a Domain, like, say, the implications of the Estate of an Age?)
DanteE: "Yell if you need help."
Random_Nerd: (What do you mean by the implications of a domain?)
Brian: (like, how it is capable of manifesting)
Random_Nerd: He reaches over, grabs the shadow of a nearby endtable, and cuts it off of the table with a gesture of his hand, then stretches it into a shape that looks like the shadow of a dog.)
Random_Nerd: (Best ways to do that would be looking at what's been done with it in the past.)
Theresa: (Cute with the shadow.)
Brian: (doesn't help in the case of Fourth Age)
DanteE: (OK, who had the 1st and 2nd ages?)
Random_Nerd: S, to the PCs: "The aespecti can't see shadows at /all/, so they're good for tracking and containing them. That's a big part of why it's my job."
Random_Nerd: (The Most Ancient Lord, and Jan Ben Jan, respectively.)
Random_Nerd: (The former is dead, the latter is alive.)
Brian: "We might want to talk to Jan Ben Jan."
Random_Nerd: (Oh, and for the record, some of the stuff on the Imperators of Ages is from the Nobilis book, and some is new for this campaign.)
Random_Nerd: Shadows follows his dog-shadow out into the hall.
DanteE: (Hm... question: why isn't Jan Ben Jan still in charge? The fact that Attaris took over would seem to indicate that the Imperators of the Ages can't prevent their age's end)
Random_Nerd: C: "Not a bad idea. Be careful, though. He's paranoid, now."
Random_Nerd: (Well, The Most Ancient Lord only died in the Third Age, too.)
Random_Nerd: (It could imply that they can't stop it, or just that none have wanted to.)

• Theresa murmurs, "Shadows is very good at his job..."
  

Brian: "Perhaps, Consequences, you'd like to come along, to help us figure out stuff about the Estate of the Age?"
Random_Nerd: (And also, remember that to an Imperator, the past ages aren't really gone. Imperators can still go to them.)
Random_Nerd: C: "Yes, he is good at his job. I think my Ymera made a very good choice in him."
Random_Nerd: C: "Young, but reliable, and he can do what he has to do."
Brian: (William is here, right?)
Random_Nerd: C: "And I'm sorry, but I can't go on big adventures now. I'm really busy."
Random_Nerd: (I don't believe so, but if you want to have taken him, we can retcon him into being there but just being really quiet.)

• Theresa nods absentmindedly at C.
  

Brian: "Do you have any questions with respect to the Estate of the Age?"
Random_Nerd: C: "There's the Chancel, and there's trying to get support for the Plan."
Theresa: "How soon do you think your Imperator will be wanting to try talking with us again?"
Random_Nerd: C: "I have lots of questions. Frankly, anything that you can find out, my Lord and his allies would be glad to have."
Random_Nerd: C: "And he doesn't want to rush you. He'd not have been sending for you yet for a few months, if you hadn't come on your own."
Brian: "Theresa, could you provide Consequences with one of my flowers as a prayer focus, in case something comes up?"
DanteE: "Might as well go with a Bouquet, actually"
Random_Nerd: (And, yes, you can totally do that, and even throw in a preservation if you like.)
Brian: (either directly, or through some walkie-talkie contraption) "William, are the Aides in contact with Jan Ben Jan? Could you set up an appointment for me?"

• Theresa LesserCreates an Amyran Family Bouquet and presents it to Consq.
  

Random_Nerd: William, praying to Brian: "Ymera Jan Ben Jan does not employ any Aides. This is due partly to the fact that he has no Nobles, and partly to the fact that he doesn't trust us."
Brian: (to William) "Is it possible to get an appointment set up, though? I need to talk with him."
DanteE: "Who besides us knows of your boss' plan?"
Brian: (I propose we split the party :-P)
Random_Nerd: W, to B:" We could call in favors from Imperators we're on favorable terms with who themselves are trusted by him, but it would take some time, and we'd need something to offer them."
Random_Nerd: C: "Let me see. I know, as does the rest of my family. The rest of the members of his celestial cabal know, although I don't know who all of them are. Some other Nobles and Imperators, and perhaps a few Anchors know, if he's sounded them out the way he did with you. And he may have told people I don't know about."
Random_Nerd: C: "I don't /believe/ Ananda knows, and I strongly suspect that Entropy does."
Brian: W: "Start on it, if you please. We'll decide on something to offer. We have until December, and I need to talk with him before that" (him, right?)
Random_Nerd: (Well, if you're going to split the party, does anyone want to take over Lesson, William, or Sam?)
Theresa: (I can take one of them over if Brian and Dante want to go poke at Jan.)
Brian: (My proposal is essentially half of us go talk with Jan Ben Jan, and the other half stay here. Carreve and Brian should not be in the same group, as they have an easy realtime way of talking to each other)
Random_Nerd: (Because, after all, splitting up the characters doesn't have to mean splitting up the players.)
DanteE: (Why split? Have I bugged you that much? :D )
Brian: (no, just that it's easier to have the two groups, in case we need to talk to both Imperators at once :D)
Theresa: (Any particular reason why to stay in Barakiel's Chancel? If he isn't going to want to talk to us for a couple of months anyhow?)
DanteE: (what were Kudzu's orders?)
Random_Nerd: (Well, he can talk to you sooner if you /want/, but he won't /insist/ on seeing you again for a while.)
Brian: (Mostly so we can keep in contact here if we need.)
Random_Nerd: (Shall we stop here?)
Theresa: (Might be a good idea. Brain, fried. In peanut oil.)
Brian: (it's 12:21 now)
Brian: (but I can keep going tonight ...)
DanteE: (Well, what can we accomplish in the next few minutes?(
Random_Nerd: (I figure this is as good a stopping point as any, but we can keep going if you have something you want to do or say.)
Theresa: (I think stop here and start back up split up?)
DanteE: (We could)
Random_Nerd: (Okay, nobody seems to have anything, so....)
Random_Nerd: ____________________STOP________________________

• • • You are now known as BethE.
      

BethE: Blarg.
DanteE: Actually, didn't Consequences get a bouquet after the party?

• • • DanteE is now known as Knockwood.
      
    • Brian is now known as Lazarus.
      

Lazarus: I don't remember, just need to ensure he has one.
Random_Nerd: And, yes, you gave everyone bouquets.
Lazarus: so ... does my plan have merit or am I just winging it in a very weird direction?  :p
Random_Nerd: Yes.
Lazarus: ... to which part? ;)
Knockwood: same question for Dante? :)
Random_Nerd: At least one of the two.
BethE: No, it's his GM 'Yes.'  :)
Random_Nerd: I'm not now entirely clear what Dante's plan is.
Lazarus: also, Brian would suggest that the teams be Brian, Theresa, and the Dionyl, and Dante, Carreve, and William.
Knockwood: Dante's plan is, try and avoid soiling himself ... no, wait, that's my plan. Dante's is try and convince Barakiel to abandon his plan, then wing it.
BethE: Might be better to take Dante than Theresa because Dante seems to follow Brian's plans better. I was having trouble following tonight because I thought the NPCs were bringing up good points against us.
Lazarus: Beth: I agree. Brian would fight it :p
Lazarus: (on the other hand, there's merit to splitting up the belligerent/Honest duo of Brian and Dante)

• Lazarus reminisces.
  

Random_Nerd: Anyone want to call dibs on any of the NPCs for their temporary-character if you split up?
BethE: No dibs on my part, I think I can at least wing that.  :)
Lazarus: I remember I bought Nobilis and then, like, the next day when I said "I have to play this!" RN and Beth said "we're starting a game... wanna play?" ... that was kinda cool ^_^
Random_Nerd: Or would you guys rather not play as them, but just sit by when you're characters aren't there?
Lazarus: and no dibs at the moment.
BethE: I get the feeling that if we tell B he's wrong, we have to have a better plan in place for as an alternative.
BethE: Laz - it's been over two years now.  :)
Lazarus: I'm perfectly willing to watch :)
Random_Nerd: Well, if you want to persuade him otherwise, you probably need either pretty solid proof his plan wouldn't work, or a better plan. Or extreme glibness, I guess.
Knockwood: we've kinda got 2 plans: stop Barakiel, and come up with a better plan.
Knockwood: #2 isn't too well defined...
Random_Nerd: Of course, you could abandon persuading him otherwise and just go tell Kudzu "Well, he has this plan, and he's pretty fixed on it, but you could really screw it up if you use your Wild conneections."
BethE: That would work if the command was just to tell B that he's wrong. I thought the other part was to change B's mind?
Random_Nerd: Oh, sure. I'm just saying you have other options.
Random_Nerd: Since Surolam and Ananda will almost certainly not vote for it, Barakiel and co. need Ha-Quadosch, and Kudzu has more pull with him than Barakiel does.
Knockwood: Alternatively, if we come up with a decent Plan B we might get Barakiel's help and his family's
BethE: Umm...stupid question..what if Ananda's Immortal?
Random_Nerd: Then they need an Abhorrent Weapon!
Random_Nerd: Probably a greater one.
BethE: This is not when we go next door to the neighbor and ask to borrow their Abhorrent Spatula!
Random_Nerd: Yeah, right now the main options seem to be "Work to stop Barakiel," "Persuade Barakiel to abandon the plan," "Persuade Barakiel to do something else entirely," "Go along with Barakiel" and "Do nothing."
Knockwood: hm... Abhorrent Weapons have been at 2 major events... the First Event, and the start of the War.
Random_Nerd: As well as stuff like "Stab Barakiel until he dies" or "Kill Ananda outselve so he can't."
Random_Nerd: True. At the First Event, Cneph sold them Colbrand, right?
Knockwood: Maybe. Fuzzy divination.
Random_Nerd: Yeah. But at least according to the Book of Questions.
Random_Nerd: And, let's see. The one at the start of the war was Briareos, right?
Knockwood: yep, Atrocity
Lazarus: I suppose I never did ask to see Consequence's divination, just what he got from it
Random_Nerd: Any questions before I head out?
Knockwood: did I dominate?
BethE: I think you did fine, Knock.
Knockwood: or otherwise screw up the game?
Lazarus: kwd: we're both kinda driving plot right now - part of why I think the split should be along Brian/Dante, is that we both drive plot in a bit different way
BethE: I had a little trouble following Dante's questioning line. but that's me.
Knockwood: what part?
BethE: It felt to me at times that Dante wasn't listening to what C was saying about what they were trying/had tried. Like with Estates that are Excruciated ceasing to exist.
Knockwood: well, I took a wild guess that there are things in creation that don't have an associated Noble or Imperator....
Knockwood: If there are, then killing Ananda does nothing.
Random_Nerd: The only such things are Nobles, Imperators, Anchors, Excrucians, or Shards.
Random_Nerd: And arguably the Tree.
Knockwood: I should have remembered the most powewrful Familia in Nobilis:
Knockwood: the Munchkinis.
Random_Nerd: Oh?
Knockwood: Th Powers of Things, People, Forces, Actions, and Butt-Kicking.
Random_Nerd: I thought the most powerful Familiar was Bullshit, Backstabbing, and Pretty Flowers.
Random_Nerd: (Err, Familia.)
Knockwood: The two Familia have been constant rivals...
Knockwood: the big problem is that, since government is manifest bullshit, he's constantly fighting with the Cammorrae.

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 10