Session 89

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 11

Random_Nerd: So, anything before we start?
Theresa: I think I'm ready. Do we have a time-set for how much has passed since the end of the last Chapter?
DanteE: you saw I bumped my Aspect & Blades, right?
Brian: I don't have anything I care to have done, I don't think.
Random_Nerd: We can start it right after, or a week later, or whatever.
DanteE: actually... how long before we need to renegotiate our aides' contracts?
Random_Nerd: I... great. Notes lost. Let me check how long you had.
Brian: um. Did we actually ever sign them on for the contract, 'cause I thought we had them for a month probationary before signing, and I don't remember that part.
Random_Nerd: One month.
Theresa: What sort of in-game stuff would be needed for a Domain going from 4 to 5?
Random_Nerd: And it's almost, but not quite, been a month.
Random_Nerd: In-character... eh. Nothing big. Theresa would just be getting closer to that bit of her soulshard.
Random_Nerd: Makes sense, after all, she does a lot of Domain miracle.s
Random_Nerd: Miracles.
Brian: she's more tree than human, now.
Brian: (/Ben Kenobi)
Random_Nerd: I figure the Aides' month will end about at the same time as this storyline.
DanteE: OK
Theresa: Hmm...(trying to decide tween 3 more MPs in Domain or an extra level in Domain...)
DanteE: could go Aspect...
Theresa: But every kind of Miracle gets shafted around Cults.  :)
DanteE: not Aspect
Random_Nerd: Yeah. Aspect's safe.
Random_Nerd: And the other kind /work/, they just do other things as well.
Theresa: What level is Aspect 3? Superhuman?
Random_Nerd: Batman.
DanteE: I'm Batman?
Brian: so, just super?
Brian: with bat-shark repellant?
Theresa: If I calculated correctly, I have 10 character points to spend. (Spent 1 for the Noble-hole-spotting gift.)
Random_Nerd: If Batman could get away with doing it in a comic that contained the rest of the Justice League, it's probably Aspect 3.
Theresa: And if ti's lesser than that, it's in millibats?
Brian: what about Hawkeye/Green Arrow?
Random_Nerd: And Aspect 4 is "It's just possible that the greatest human at this who ever lived, on a really good day, might have been able to do that."
Brian: (Manticore would have Aspect 4. Damn CoX comic writers x_x)
Theresa: Okay, I have chosen. Theresa will have spent her week in seclusion, training her mind and body to try and work with the amputations that she has accepted upon herself. A montage may be envolved. And when she emerges, she comes out with an Aspect 3 and Domain of 5, Hollyhock willing.
Random_Nerd: Batplants!
DanteE: that's Inhuman Aspect & Regal/Majestic Domain.
Theresa: Weedkillers are a cowardly and superstitious lot...
DanteE: and RN forgot the Nanananananananananana...
Brian: in M&M2, you can, as a gadgeteer, spend a Hero Point to have Bat Shark Repellant on you if you need it.
Theresa: Well, the losing fingers goes into Inhuman anyhow. And she's not very high-Realm status. I think Theresa subconciously doesn't _want_ to be high-powered in her homeland. It feels too weird to her. And that she hasn't earned it yet.
Random_Nerd: Oh, and before we go... we all agreed that this'll be a PC-initiated storyline rather than one of those ones where some NPC hits you over the head with the Plot Stick, right?
Theresa: Indeed.
DanteE: ayep
Brian: well, Brian's about to get things organized for importing large amounts of machinery and stuff
Brian: and, well, reconnecting This World to That World.
DanteE: (start with the connection to RPG.net. :)
Brian: (also, I'm morbidly curious as to what would happen if it gets out that Brian believes that since Amyra is not Earth, Entropy's rules do not apply to us ...)
Theresa: *facepalm*
Random_Nerd: He'd find a supercollidor's head in his bead.
Random_Nerd: Err, bed.
Random_Nerd: I am make words good!
Brian: better keep that one a secret, then.
Theresa: What does Brian think we are then?
Brian: at least until I'm sure it's actually his belief, and not Sadistic Player Syndrome.
Brian: we're in some demiplane thing. As far as he can tell, it's theoretically possible for us to have "tunnels" to Dionyl.
Random_Nerd: Basically, my view on that is that theoretically Entropy asserts authority over even stuff happening in chancels on Earth, but practically he doesn't have spies in chancels looking for stuff unless he specifically has it in for you.
Random_Nerd: And yes, that'd be possible. Difficult, and it'd almost surely take an Imperator to set it up, but possible.
DanteE: well, didn't the enChanceling specifically separate Amyra from Earth?
Theresa: To me, we are still 'connected' to Earth through most (if not all) of our
Random_Nerd: Depends on what you mena by separate it from Earth.
Random_Nerd: On the one hand, you can't just directly walk in and out.
Theresa: 'tunnels' leading out. We're not elsewhere on the Tree. hence, Entropy's the main dick.
Brian: Chancels are connected to where they used to be, but they aren't any longer "part" of that place.
Random_Nerd: But on the other... I mean, there's still 1g of gravity. There's still a Prosaic-Mythic divide, and so on.
Theresa: Ooo, good point.
Brian: however, the splits can be tinkered with.
Theresa: We;re (Earth) the only place to have that, right?
Random_Nerd: Pretty much, unless you count Dionyl, which has something vaguely similar.
Brian: I think the Dionyl was mentioned to have two, but not mythic/prosaic, but ... like, colour/sound.
Brian: (dun remember what)
Random_Nerd: But that's a weirdness of Earth. Most places just work like Earth's mythic world.
Random_Nerd: Dionyl has different realities based on the wills of specific people.
DanteE: well, if all it takes are similar local physics, that'd mean Barakiel's place is still Hell
Random_Nerd: It's more organic and more fragmented.
Random_Nerd: Barakiel's place is weird, in that it basically counts as if it's in Hell /and/ as if it's on Earth.
Random_Nerd: It's not implausible that Barakiel deliberately rigged this weirdness to give himself legal loopholes of this sort.
Brian: so, basically, the Rules of the Chancels can be messed with.
Brian: hence, not Earth. Quite.
Brian: but not quite its own world, either.
Random_Nerd: Well, let's put it this way. Chancels count as part of their parent planet unless you do something weirder than just messing with the physics.
Random_Nerd: Well, "world" instead of "planet."
Random_Nerd: Lots of worlds aren't planets.
Brian: lots of planets aren't worlds.
Random_Nerd: And for instance Mars still counts as Earth for these purposes.
Random_Nerd: Yeah.
Brian: so, shall we start digging our graves yet?
DanteE: we did that when we took the job
Theresa: I'm ready to come out of my seclusion. Will we get to meet Dante's sister in person?  :)
Random_Nerd: Ready to start the new storyline?
Brian: sure.
DanteE: suuuuuuure.
Random_Nerd: Will Brian hit on her?
Brian: no, that's just T, really.
Brian: *waits for the "START"*
Random_Nerd: Shall we start in the Clock Tower, then?
Brian: I was envisioning Brian in his office as we open.
DanteE: where is that?
Random_Nerd: Works for me, and the others happened to be walking by?
Brian: whatever works
Theresa: Sure!  :)
Brian: (Dante: one of the rooms off the board room)
DanteE: oh, so it's next to mine
Brian: just not Magical in any way. Just an ordinary room with a computer.
Random_Nerd: _____________START_____________________
Theresa: *to Dante* "..and I think if I work a bit hard at it, I should be able to knit one-handed in a couple of days."
Brian: (possibly a magical computer, but the room's ordinary)
Brian: (Anchorspeak) "Jim, can you set up a meeting with the supercollider committee for me? I want to meet them, find out what they need done on our end and so on."
DanteE: "Considering it's yarn, do you even need to knit? You can grow your vines into the knit path.
Random_Nerd: <Jim>: "I can do that. We've got about half a dozen guys so far, and I'm making progress on a few more."
Brian: (A) "Thanks. I'm especially interested in talking with the construction team, to find out how I can help things along"
Theresa: "Well, wool's a bit out of my range. Although most of the yarns are synthetic these days. I used to knit for relaxation and I think having a hobby other than popping into genetic seed labs and saying hi might be nice."
Random_Nerd: (And, okay, quotable version of the Aspect 3 Rule, for Beth: "It counts as Aspect 3 if, when someone asks you how in the world you can manage it, 'I'm Batman' is a sufficient explanation."
Random_Nerd: )
Theresa: (Thank you, dear. ^^ *adds to quote page*)
Theresa: "They haven't always been understanding of my presence. At least at first. *smile*"
DanteE: "You look like you're zoning out, Brian. Are you talking to an Anchor, or trying to finish Half-Life 2 right off the CD?"
Brian: "Both"
Random_Nerd: <Jim>: "Part of what helps is that there are poeople who're interested in a 'What kind of accelerator could you make if space, precision of construction, and material properties weren't issues' just as a theoretical problem."
Brian: "Took a long time to /find/ a Half-Life 2 CD here ..."
Random_Nerd: <Jim>: "And then if you can show them that you can actually /build/ it..."
DanteE: (Theresa could build a wooden one)
Brian: (A) "of course I can build it. Might actually take me a bit of effort though. Or I may be able to ask a favour from a friend of mine, goes by the title of Physics. He may be interested to see what happens, too."
Theresa: (CD or supercollider?)
DanteE: (Both)
Brian: (hm?)
Theresa: (Uhh, I wouldn't bet on the warrenty on that computer, though.)
Brian: (just because it says full warranty until the Twentieth Age?)
Random_Nerd: <Jim>: "So, in a week, at least half a dozen guys who I don't think would utterly freak out if they saw miracles, and some early sketches of a design?"
Brian: (A) "That would work. I think we might be able to preserve their sanity, though ... I can't quite remember how that's done, right now..."
DanteE: (Could I do it with a LPres Courage, or do you need Hope?)
Random_Nerd: (Hmm... I think it would take more than a Lesser Preservation of Courage.)
Brian: (I don't remember if it's even possible for us)
Random_Nerd: (You could certainly do it with a Lesser Change.)
Brian: ('cause, well, a Lesser Preservation of Sanity is still, in its essence, a Miracle...)
DanteE: (Yeah, but it's one without an obvious effect)
Random_Nerd: (It's possible to do it with miracles.)
Brian: (in-Chancel it's definitely doable, then)
Random_Nerd: (Nontrivial for most Estates, but not a canonical you-can't-do-that like doing destructions on Nobles.)
Random_Nerd: (Yes, Realm certainly makes it possible.)
Brian: (A) "I've yet to get a site picked out, though. Partly because I don't know how large the SCIENTISTS! are planning on making it"
DanteE: (well, Realm makes anything possible)
Brian: "Guys, what's the biggest free lot we have in-Chancel?
Brian: "
DanteE: "We have all of Amyra.
Random_Nerd: (And if you need more space, you can just /make/ more.)
Theresa: "We have desert. With freeways."
Brian: (point)
DanteE: "It could circle Mount Balthazar if you wanted"
Theresa: (We have Monty's moon..no, wait, Monty would squish it.)
Theresa: (Nice touch, D.)
Brian: (A) "... I just remembered size is actually not an issue. I can /make/ space. *pause* I'm going to have to make a lot of that, aren't I?"
DanteE: "Hell, it could loop around the equator of the new moon"
Random_Nerd: (Or you could just make a Zeno's Paradox sort of area where you have unlimited space in a particular direction.)
Brian: (hee)
Brian: (now you're thinking with Portals!)
DanteE: (And it would help with the shield. :) )
DanteE: (with Portals, you could put it in the hallway.)
Random_Nerd: (Wouldn't want it where Monty could hop onto it, though.)
Brian: (kablOOOOEY!)
Theresa: (Maybe you could color the particles so he could watch them zoom around and around...)
DanteE: (and that would make things more dangerous how?)
Brian: "Um, guys, do we have an ... I can PRAY! ... that's not as fun as a videophone. Dante, have you set up a videophone to other Chancels yet?"
Theresa: "Who ya gonna call?"
DanteE: "No, not yet. We'll have to take a real close look at our long-distance plan..."
Brian: "Ghostbust... wait, no, Physics. I'm not sure I told him of this plan yet"

• DanteE thinks, for just a moment, that actually going Ghostbusting would be kinda kewl...
  
• Brian listens to the Library ramble on and on about Physics' floral design
  

DanteE: "So, you're planning on putting a supercollider somewhere in Amyra to ... why, again?
Brian: "To have SCIENTISTS! migrate in. And out. Also, internet."
Brian: "People deserve to know how the universe really works."
Random_Nerd: Library: "The current Power of Physics is a human whose original name is not currently known. He follows the Code of Heaven."
Theresa: "You mean tell them that the universe works because of beings with phenomonal cosmic powers and the attention span of cats?"
Random_Nerd: Library: "He is a Noble of the Angel Sariel."
DanteE: "Yeah, but considering the laws of physics and all the other sciences can change with a stray thought from the Boss, what would be the point?
Brian: "Well, we can change the physics of the area too, so?"
Brian: "There's still a baseline."
Random_Nerd: Library: "Either the Noble of Physics has at times been impersonated by Lord Entropy, or he has at times chosen to make it seem as though this is the case."
Brian: "Besides, SCIENTISTS! love using supercolliders."
DanteE: "Yeah, but what are they going to put in their papers?
Random_Nerd: A description of Physics' flowers follows.

• • • Vurdalok has joined #nobilis.
      

DanteE: "This experiment was done with the help of the inhabitants of a mystic otherrealm "
Brian: "Things are fucked up here. Come visit! It's cool!"

• • • Vurdalok has left #nobilis.
      

DanteE: (Hi Vurd)
Theresa: (Welcome back, Vurdalok.)
Theresa: (*rereads the stuff about Entropy* Uhh...)
DanteE: "... and I can't help but think Bad Things would result from knowledge of Amyra getting out into Earth."
Theresa: (Ah, never mind.)

• Brian prays to Physics "Hi, this is Numbers. I have a project on the go that I think you'd be interested in. Simply put: a supercollider of arbitrarily large size."
  

Brian: (I'm fairly sure it's trying to refer to things like when he visited us)
Random_Nerd: Physics: "Who are you, again?"
Random_Nerd: P: "Oh, yes, the party."
Brian: (phew :p)
Random_Nerd: P: "Do you just want to make some exotic particles? I have some spares if you want some."
Brian: (P) "I'm planning to empower Earth's scientists to be able to find what they want. My goal is to, normally, have normal Earth physics rules in that area"
Brian: (... have any Jumbonium?)
Random_Nerd: P: "Hmm. That's interesting. On the one hand, I don't really /need/ a particle accelerator. But on the other, I do like it when humans work on discovering things about physics..."
DanteE: "Physics hasn't actually been affected by the math-tweaking you did in Aniseed, has he?"
Random_Nerd: P: "But, of course, if I just /tell/ them, it takes the fun out of it."
Brian: (P) "Indeed."
Brian: "Um. Maybe?"
Brian: "Doubt it, though."
Random_Nerd: (He was. He mentioned this at the party, I believe.)
Theresa: (One of the reasons he was ticked.)
Brian: (oh, amend answer, then)
Random_Nerd: P: "So... huh. I guess I need to figure out where this falls, in the gap between no assistance and too much..."
Random_Nerd: P: "Huh. Give me a moment."
DanteE: "Come to think of it... any goofiness happening in Aniseed? That 'club' may still be active there."
Brian: (P) "They're designing it. I'm going to facilitate its construction ... mostly by doing all their digging for them. Or, well, having one of my Familia do that, anyway ..."
Theresa: (Can we hear this?)
Brian: (yes)
Random_Nerd: P: "Ah. So, if we're just giving them tools, I suppose that could be interesting..."
Brian: (at least, I imagine praying is a bit like a cell phone conversation. With gappy service)
Brian: (P) "especially as I don't think they've ever designed anything on this scale. It'll be amusing if anything goes not-quite-right."

• Theresa mutters, "I am not digging you a supercollider basement, Brian...the roto system would be big enough to choke Monty..."
  

Theresa: (Amusing?)
Brian: (it's not going to be anywhere important. I hope.)

• Theresa looks at Dante and mouths, "Amusing?"
  

Brian: (P) "I should have a meeting set up with the design and construction committee some time next week - if you're interested in tagging along, just let me know"
DanteE: to T: "Well, they wouldn't create a design that didn't have some kind of containment."
Random_Nerd: Jim, to Brian: "Oh, by the way, now that I'm thinking about it... you're the one who's been dropping the weird bricks on my doorstep, right?"
Brian: (A) "um, what?"
Brian: (A) "Not that I remember"
Brian: (A) "Can you describe them?"
Brian: "Guys, have any of you been leaving ... 'weird bricks' ... on Jim's doorstep?
Brian: "
Random_Nerd: J: "Y'know. The ones with the cracks that look like weird little faces."
DanteE: "Sounds like the Boss..."
Brian: (A) "No, I don't know. Do you have any of them there so I can take a look?"
Theresa: *to Dante* "Uh_huh_...remember who's in charge of the building.." *blinks at Brian* "Uh, no, not that I know of. Bricks are a bit out of my range. Half-brick or whole? They might just have really poor throwing technique."
Brian: "Apparently with faces."
Random_Nerd: J: "I keep them in a pile out back, okay, let me go over there..."

• Brian will observe a brick
  

Random_Nerd: (Dropping into Jim's senses, or how?)
Brian: (yes, dropping in)
DanteE: (Maybe Jim won an Ignatz Award. :) )
Random_Nerd: Out in Jim's back yard, you see a pile of just under a dozen bricks. Jim bends over, picks one up, and looks at it.
Random_Nerd: In the surface irregularities and specks of different colors... yeah, it looks a little like a face.
Brian: (a recognizable face?)
Random_Nerd: A bit like a twisted angry old man, really. Nobody specific that you know.

• Brian pops back
  

Brian: (in general, to anyone who can hear) "weird"

• Brian will describe to the Familia
  

Theresa: "Same face on all or different faces?"
Brian: "Just saw the one." (Brian acts like a relay now)
DanteE: "Has he heard any more from that Set Theory Dialogue Club?"
Brian: (RN: Brian's relaying questions to Jim, either by allowing the senses to blend a bit, or by actually asking, then relaying the answer, whichever)
Random_Nerd: Jim: "Not that I know of... you think they'd be sending me weird bricks?"
Brian: "They could be."
DanteE: "Seen any of the guys in that club since our last visit?"
Random_Nerd: Jim: "Nope. The ones that didn't get killed when you guys came to town just... sort of stopped being around, you know?"
DanteE: "Brian, can you check and see if Miracles still behave oddly?"
Brian: "Um. Sure?" (A) "Jim, you ok with that? say Abrakadabra and a four will float in front of your eyes for a second or two"
Random_Nerd: "Uh. Sure. Abracadabra."
Brian: (Ghost miracle of a four)
Random_Nerd: The four shows up, but it looks... a little odd. Not quite properly four-ish. But not to a large degree.
Brian: "It's ... got a slight skew I wasn't expecting"
DanteE: "... do we really want to risk creating a supercollider when there's a possibility of that you-know-what messing with our work?"
Brian: "Well, we're building it here..."
DanteE: "Yeah... but they're still involved...
DanteE: "There are still cultists there. How do we know there won't be one on their team?"
Brian: "We'll tell them we have holographic imaging technology and use Ghost miracles?"
DanteE: "Hm...
DanteE: "come to think of it... Jim could bring a group here to use it that includes a cultist.
Random_Nerd: Jim: "Uh... huh. I don't /think/ any of 'em are whackos..."
DanteE: "Which means we'd have a little monkey wrench right in our Chancel."
Random_Nerd: Jim: "Well, at least by the standards of cutting-edge scientists."
Brian: "we meet cultists, we'll deal with them"
DanteE: "... we shouldn't have to.
Theresa: "I'd kind of not like to bring a cultist into the Chancel. If they could do that sort of stuff to what we can normally do, imagine what they could do hear...near the Boss...or the Ark?"
Brian: "we don't know if they're here already or not"

• DanteE Ghosts a letter opener into existence...
  

Random_Nerd: It works properly.
DanteE: "Well, none in the tower...
DanteE: "But ... I just don't _like_ having to allow for a Cult Against Reality screwing with our abilities."
Theresa: (Do we know the range of how close you have to be to be affected by a Cultist?)
Brian: "It is, actually, kind of our duty to get rid of them..."
Theresa: 'Then why don't we have a meeting place set up Out There, meet them, ghost a bit behind their backs and smack anyone that causes a disruption?"
Random_Nerd: (Farther than in the same city, closer than on the same planet.)
Random_Nerd: (Probably depends on the number of cultists and what they're doing.)
Brian: "That's a good idea, too"
DanteE: "Hold on... might as well do the whole war-council thing. Let's meet in the main conference room...
Brian: "where we actually /do/ have holoimaging stuff?"
Random_Nerd: (You don't actually /have/ holoimaging, do you? I thought you just used Ghost Miracles of Realm to cheat.)
Brian: (well, yes)
DanteE: (Well, we have the Trek-inspired viewing screen hooked to the phone system. :)
Brian: (I suppose "use" rather than "have" is a more accurate statement)
DanteE: "I'll grab our Aides...
Brian: "The meeting is next week... probably."
DanteE: "Hey, seen Hope lately?"
Brian: "No, I haven't. I've been working at this computer for the past ... two weeks?"
Theresa: "Week, Brian. It's only been a week."
Theresa: "She may have been sent out on another assignment, like to see the giants. Or was it the Serpents?"
DanteE: "Serpents, I think."
Random_Nerd: Jim: "Next week. Okay."
Theresa: "I think I heard something about some sort of Horse People?"
Random_Nerd: Jim: "But you're freaking me out with the cult stuff. I mean, should I be worried?"
Brian: "No. Let me know if there's anything mystically wrong and I'll help fix it. Probably."
Brian: "Probably fix it, I mean."

• DanteE calls our Aides to the conference room...
  

Random_Nerd: They arrive shortly.
Theresa: "Anyone for some sun and fun in California, USA?"
DanteE: (Hm... Lesson too?)
Random_Nerd: (*shrug*)
Theresa: (We would have to guise him.)
Theresa: (Oh, on the meeting. Up to you.)
Random_Nerd: (So... Lesson or no Lesson?)
DanteE: (Sure, why not. :) )
Random_Nerd: Lesson and the Aides arrive.
Random_Nerd: William: "So... California. Certainly, although the mention of 'sun and fun' makes me fear for horribly ironic sun-themed dangers."
DanteE: "William, Samuel... there's a little quirk about our Boss that I don't think we've mentioned...
DanteE: "He apparently has a corrupted Cult out there somewhere.
DanteE: "What can you guys tell us about Corrupt Cults?"
Random_Nerd: W: "Ah, let's see. Most of you rely rather heavily on your Estates for power, correct?"
Brian: "Primarily, yes"
DanteE: "You could say that."
Theresa: "A wee bit."
Random_Nerd: W: "Then I suggest bringing a good deal of mundane assistance of one form or another."
Theresa: (Hey Brian, what's your Domain?)
Brian: (um? 4? Lesser Creation for free)
Random_Nerd: W: "Soldiers, cops, even the demon and his people, and probably some kind of weaponry for those of you with merely human bodies."
Theresa: (Thank you. ^^ )
Brian: (why?)
Theresa: (Quote page. I thought it was funny.)
Random_Nerd: W: "Because a corrupt cult means three things. First, you can't count on anything fancier than your own bodies, miraculously. Secondly, we know there are humans with at least minor magical powers. And third, there's a good chance of meeting at least Shards or Excrucian Anchors."
Random_Nerd: W: "I don't want to lecture, but this is pretty much standard Aides policy to give this warning."
Theresa: "Standard Operating Procedures mean that they are useful and time/effort-saving. Lecture away."
Random_Nerd: S: "Partly because /we/ don't want to be at ground zero of botched miracles."
Brian: "Most of us could probably survive it. I suspect you guys would go splat. Yes, good to keep in mind."
DanteE: "How accurate is the term 'Cult'?"
Theresa: "Ways to break them or break the corruptedness?"
Random_Nerd: S: "Really, I think you should bring the demon, and maybe the weird corpse-thing your boss made, if you have a good way to cover them. The corpse-thing's probably expendible, and the demon's at least an anchor, so he's somewhat safe."
Random_Nerd: L: " 'The demon' does not appreciate being spoken of as if is not present. 'The demon' has claws and sharp teeth."
Random_Nerd: W: "Point taken."
DanteE: (That, and the corpse-thing came from there.)
Random_Nerd: W: "And, let's see. They usually are a small religion that hides from the outside... so, yes. A cult, but with actual metaphysical forces behind it."
DanteE: "Similar hierarchical nature and isolation?"
Random_Nerd: W: "And as to how to deal with them... fixing them is harder than getting rid of them. It's tough to convert fanatical humans when you can't count on just brainwashing them with Noble power, and they probably have Excrucian anchors among their numbers."
Random_Nerd: W: "Let's see. Heirarchy usually is either based on the former structure before the corruption, or if they've been that way for longer, on whoever has the most connection to whatever enemy forces have corrupted them."
Random_Nerd: S: "A bit like you guys have here, really. Nobles on top, then direct servants like us and the de... Lesson, and then everyone else below them."
Random_Nerd: W: "But most of them don't have direct guidance from the enemy most of the time. Shards or sometimes full Excrucians will corrupt them and set them up, and then mostly leave them alone until they're needed."
DanteE: "Is there any way to fire off an unaffected miracle?"
Random_Nerd: W: "Let's see... Miracles of your bodies and minds still work fine. Miracles that you do a long way away work. Ah... I think that's mostly it."
Theresa: "How far away? Are we talking city blocks, counties or continents?"
Random_Nerd: S: "There's a reason that Excrucians take the time to maintain these. Well, that plus the usefulness of human cannon fodder that they can boobytrap with miracles."
Random_Nerd: W: "We don't actually know. It seems to vary, and situations involving corrupt cults tend not to be conducive to reliable experiments."
DanteE: "Let's figure out where they came from...
DanteE: "Do the Aides have any record of Kudzu having an un-corrupted cult?"
Brian: (quarter after midnight here)
Random_Nerd: William thinks for a moment. "No, don't think so. That means it would have been before the last hundred or two hundred years, probably."
Random_Nerd: S: "Great. A multi-generational cult."
Random_Nerd: L: "Still die like other humans?"
DanteE: "Do you need a cult to corrupt, or could this cult be an Excrucian creation?"
Random_Nerd: S: "Uh... yeah. Yeah, they do, mostly."
Random_Nerd: W: "As I understand it, the cult has to be pre-existing, as the Excrucians can't create that kind of connection with an Imperator, only corrupt it once it exists."
Random_Nerd: S: "I guess they could probably make a cult to /them/, and give them some of the same powers, but that wouldn't give them the advantages that mess with the Nobles of that cult."
DanteE: "Hm...
DanteE: "So, Kudzu had a cult at least 200 years before his known enChanceling that was lost to the bad guys...
DanteE: "Don't you need Nobles to build a Cult?"
Theresa: "What advantages do cults give Imperators?"
Random_Nerd: S: "Nah. The cults are usually devoted to the Imperators anyway. Nobles are important figures to them, but they don't /have/ to exist to make one."
Random_Nerd: W: "Let's see. The big one is having a bunch of humans who ask how high when you tell them to jump. That can be useful for Imperators who don't want to handle everything personally."
DanteE: "Yeah, but the other way would require Imperators appearing on the Earth, which would result in more than a cult...
Random_Nerd: S: "Sometimes they have powers, too."
Random_Nerd: W: "Yeah, Imperators can give minor magical powers to their cults. Nothing on the level of what you guys can do, but useful when dealing with other humans."
Random_Nerd: S: "The stored miracle thing, too."
Random_Nerd: W: "No, mostly Nobles use that."
Theresa: "Footnotes, please?"
Random_Nerd: W: "With some cultists, a Noble can put a miracle in them, and have it go off when some specified circumstances are met."
Random_Nerd: S: "And if the Scruchies take over, they can do the same thing."
Theresa: "Urk."
Brian: (read that as Scrunchies, and now picture Exrucians as being human-shaped hair elastics x_x)
Random_Nerd: W: "Yes, but it's not like the cultists have the same sort of power a Noble does. At most, they can have one miracle ready, and that's if the Other Guys took the trouble to set that up and they knew what to plan for."
Random_Nerd: L: "Can do it if they're dead?"
Random_Nerd: W: "Ah... no. Dead cultists can't do any of the annoying things they do."
Theresa: "I think I see a pattern in your thinking, Lesson.:
Brian: "Well, truthfully, I was thinking kind of the same thing"
Brian: "Also, it would be easier to decorrupt if we know how and why they were corrupted in the first place"
Random_Nerd: L: "Then deal with it mundanely. Find the city where you know they are, block it off, divide up all the people, find ones that in cult, kill them, leave."
DanteE: "Well... how 'innocent' is a Cultist, with regards to you-know-who's laws?"
Brian: "... for once, Lesson has a better plan than mine." (whispers) "nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
Random_Nerd: W: "Well... if they attack you, or do anything to harm your estate, they're fair game. But they in theory count the same way as regular humans."
Random_Nerd: S: "Or if they sass you."
Random_Nerd: W: "Ah... yes. Showing a lack of respect, of course, also makes humans fair targets for violence."
DanteE: "That's just it... by existing they screw over our estate, sort of.
DanteE: "or at least miracles thereof.
Brian: "I find it disrespectable for my four to not have a perfect 45 degree angle in it"
DanteE: "Any precedent for this kind of thing?"

• Theresa raises a Serpent Code eyebrow.
  

Random_Nerd: William touches his ear-sphere."
Brian: (ok, now officially 12:30)
Random_Nerd: W: "Let's see... in past rulings, they're treated exactly the same way as humans who do the same things. And there's some suspicion that Entropy enjoys making things a bit hard for Nobles who have such a cult."
Random_Nerd: W: "But there are always a million ways for a Noble to entrap a human into harming or disrespecting him if he really wants to kill him."
Random_Nerd: L: "Could just send me and mine to deal with it. Then, oh no, foolish demon, he misunderstand rules, kill cultists. But not like you ordered me to. Just my own idea."
DanteE: "I kinda wonder what would entail 7-fold vengeance for screwing up a miracle.:
Brian: "..." (that's Brian's astonishment that Lesson's got clever)
Random_Nerd: S: "Ah... hmm! So, you could interfere with something /he's/ doing. And so you make him crash his car, or choke to death on his sandwich, or whatever."
Random_Nerd: (Shall we stop now, as it's getting late?)
DanteE: "Well... first thing we need to do is find these guys.
Brian: (I would like to stop as soon as we can, but figure the scene should be played out)
Theresa: (Anyone remember if we killed anyone last night with the cult? Besides the shard?)
DanteE: "Step 1 is, we know they're in Aniseed."
DanteE: (the feral mathematicians he was with)
Random_Nerd: W: "That helps. You could probably find them, get them to point you towards the other branches of the cult."
Random_Nerd: L: "Can help with that. Know how to make humans say things, do things. And allowed to do it to humans who hurt the Chancel. This rather like that?"
DanteE: "... Samuel, can Lesson borrow some of those special flowers Theresa gave you?"
Random_Nerd: (The disguise-pollen?)
DanteE: (yep)
Theresa: "Is there more of an excuse to this raid than just 'they looked at us funny'?"
Random_Nerd: S: "Uh... yeah, if you want me to do so, I suppose."
Theresa: "I can make more of the pollen."
DanteE: "Yes. It's a probable location of either a Shard or an Excrucian Anchor,"
Random_Nerd: L: "They enemies of creation and working for the Shiny Pretty People From Outside."
DanteE: "They've already facilitated one attack against us."
Theresa: "Wanted to check."
Random_Nerd: L: "So choke them to death with their own hearts."
Random_Nerd: S: "That's not a mental image I really wanted to have."
Random_Nerd: L: "Am allowed to do violent things as long as done to the right people, yes?"
Random_Nerd: (Should we just stop here? We seem to have slowed way down anyway, and it's late.)
Brian: (I was just considering calling it a night whether or not we did :p I think that's a good call to end)
Theresa: (I think so. Brainfried.)
DanteE: "Well... there's the problem that a witness might call the authorities, or interfere directly...
DanteE: (Yeah, this'll work)
Random_Nerd: _______________STOP_____________________
Random_Nerd: Man. More exposition than I like to have.
DanteE: we have the goofiest tendency to go off on tangents...

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

Theresa: Indeed. But thank you for the exposition anyhow, RN.

• • • You are now known as BethE.
      

Lazarus: we needed all this exposition
Lazarus: now we're set up for Action! next week
Lazarus: maybe
Knockwood: it's setting up the pins so we can knock 'em over.
Lazarus: we've got our set piece, we've got our opposition, we've got our information ... now we just need a plan that doesn't suck. Well, a plan, anyway :p
Knockwood: Lesson has one. Step one: Locate. Step two: VIOLENCE!
Lazarus: Mine was easier. Create nukes. Drop on Earth. Profit?
BethE: Only if you like nuclear winter.

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 11