Editing Session 93

Scurve: And I appreciate your patience all this time. I've wanted to play with you guys since I was introduced to Nobilis by reading your AP thread on RPGnet like a year and a half ago.<br>
Theresa: And I'm glad you're not upset.  I'm sorry I didn't make the surgery thing clearer.<br>
Scurve: Don't even worry about it. It probably happened during a disconnect or one of my Damn This Connection temper tantrums.<br>
Random_Nerd: Ah, that makes sense./<br>
Scurve: I am not the most careful reader.<br>
* Scurve at least still has his PbP Nobilis game. :)<br>
lazarus: we introduced you to Nobilis?  cool!<br>
Scurve: Well, I had only heard of it.<br>
Scurve: Like, you play a Concept? You're a god or something.<br>
Scurve: And there are people trying to kill you by making your Concept not exist? Awesome!<br>
Scurve: And /then/ I read your AP thread :)<br>
Random_Nerd: And then you squinted and thought we were insane.<br>
Theresa: No, dear, he just thought I was insane for posting it.<br>
Knockwood: Aren't you? :)<br>
Theresa: *shifty look*<br>
Scurve: I was ridiculously confused up until I realized the two of you were an RL item, too.<br>
Random_Nerd: Oh?  How so?<br>
Theresa: Slightly.  I went back to working on the AP posting while I'm recuping and...man, those are long.  I get tired!<br>
Scurve: It's been a long time since I read the AP, but I remember the occasional OOC remark making little sense.<br>
Theresa: Ahh.  :)  Sorry, I should have put in that RN and I have been dating since 2003 and got married..hmm..actually, the current spot in that thread is about when we got married.<br>
Knockwood: also worth mentioning that I became Wiki Czar at some point... so the occasional point about 'Damn spammers!' is me replying to some idiot putting junk on the Wiki<br>
Theresa: RN's the one who got me into Nobilis and got me to GM a Buffy game as well.<br>
Scurve: Sadly, I was broke when I first heard of Nobilis. By the time I had the money for it, it was really tough to find.<br>
Scurve: I paid through the nose for a scuffled copy, and for those of you who Scream at Dogeared Pages (my Native American name), you'll understand I'm still looking for a nice copy to keep pretty on the bookshelf.<br>
Theresa: :)  Bah!  A perfect book is an unused and unloved book!<br>
lazarus: :eek:<br>
lazarus: I'm careful to avoid using my Nobilis book too much to avoid ruining the pristine-ness :p<br>
lazarus: (hence why I ask for stuff to be looked up for me ;)  I only have the one book ... could never afford the other copy the FLGS had had)<br>
Scurve: I remember reading a thread about Annotating One's RPG Books<br>
Scurve: I was one among a multitude of cringers.<br>
Random_Nerd: Heh.<br>
lazarus: ah!  but there's Hope for things happening for Nobilis in the future :)<br>
lazarus: (and annotations in any book are evil)<br>
lazarus: (and wrong)<br>
lazarus: (and heresy, and must be purged with fire)<br>
Random_Nerd: RSB did say that there might be a new printing soon.<br>
Scurve: I saw that.<br>
Knockwood: or a new ... something<br>
lazarus: I'm not sure what she said, 'cause it sounded like she couldn't get the art, and the dimensions weren't helping<br>
*** Scurve has signed off IRC (Connection reset by peer).<br>
Knockwood: Maybe she'll do it along with Society of Flowers<br>
lazarus: mmm, Society of Flowers.<br>
Knockwood: good grief<br>
*** Scurve has joined #nobilis.<br>
Scurve: [21:05] <Scurve> I saw that.<br>
Scurve: [21:05] <Knockwood> or a new ... something<br>
Scurve: [21:05] <Scurve> And I decided that my soul was going to be making some tough decisions over the next two to six weeks.<br>
Scurve: [21:05] * Disconnected<br>
lazarus: Hopefully, though, I'll be getting a job soon ... so I can get back into the consumer thing :p<br>
lazarus: "The next word is very hard to type on Human keyboards" -- RSB.<br>
Random_Nerd: *shrug*  I guess I should at least make a wiki page on the Dionyl and send RSB a link.<br>
lazarus: well, something so we don't lose all notes again when half or more of our computers all go poof at the same time again.<br>
Random_Nerd: Yes.<br>
Theresa: Heaven forbid.<br>
lazarus: which reminds me >_<  My laptop's fan is still broke.<br>
Scurve: I saw that lazarus, and laughed loudly enough to draw my girlfriend's attention.<br>
Theresa: While the Wild, of course, just says 'cheese!'<br>
lazarus: idiots replaced the frakin' hard drive, and left the fan alone >_<<br>
Scurve: I then provided some context and read the quote to her. She stared as if waiting for the punchline.<br>
lazarus: non-gamer?<br>
Scurve: It was a difficult time for our relationship!<br>
Random_Nerd: "And that's when I shot her, your honor."<br>
Scurve: She is a gamer. She just has very specific tastes.<br>
lazarus: oh.<br>
Theresa: Must just not be a Rebecca fan.  They exist.  The Balance to the Force and so forth.<br>
lazarus: ... I decided I need to write "mystery story timing mechanics" ... with the complete issue that I'm not sure what I look for in mystery story pacing :p<br>
lazarus: Tokezo Tenken, for instance, has a gut negative reaction to anything Borgstrom :p<br>
lazarus: he and I have fought over that issue before :p<br>
Random_Nerd: And so he must be purged with fire of his heresy.<br>
Theresa: I hear there are yogurts for that now...<br>
Scurve: She likes Unknown Armies and World of Darkness. I've sold her on a game of Monsters & Other Childish Things, but other genres--particularly the mythic--do nothing for her.<br>
Theresa: Jailbreak from UC rocks.<br>
lazarus: hee, Monsters!  One of my favourite games I've ever read<br>
Scurve: !<br>
Scurve: I idle in #indierpgs here on MagicStar these days. Nobody there's read it!<br>
lazarus: (Tokezo Hime, on the other hand, is open to any kind of gaming.  Except for the fact that she doesn't think she can make our time, she'd be interested in the game)<br>
Scurve: I got okayed by Shane Ivey a few weeks ago to write a supplement, and there was very little response.<br>
lazarus: ... there's an indie games channel?<br>
Scurve: Long story.<br>
* lazarus is an ORE whore.<br>
lazarus: I /would/ have Reign, but for UPS being stupid.<br>
lazarus: I would have Godlike, but for the copies in my FLGS being unusably warped.<br>
Scurve: It's the IRC channel for a Yahoo! Group, indie-netgaming<br>
lazarus: I would have Wild Talents, but for being unemployed.<br>
Random_Nerd: Oh, that reminds me.  I did have a few ideas about people who might be interested in joining the group, since it seems that Scurve can't.<br>
Scurve: Except now it holds some folks from #rpgnet, and some folks from Knife Fight, and some folks from Story-Games...<br>
lazarus: I will admit that I can't stand some indie style mechanics, but absolutely adore others.  (Dogs, for instance, is in the field of love)<br>
Scurve: I can't get through it! I've got it. I keep getting bogged down in the mechanics.<br>
lazarus: Dogs?  Bogged down in the mechanics?  ....<br>
Scurve: I do own Godlike and M&OCT (first edition) and love them, though, as well as other ORE.<br>
lazarus: it's ...<br>
lazarus: (yeah, first ed Monsters, here, too.  None of this flashy colour, or setting descriptions, or any of that :p)<br>
lazarus: I like the ORE it runs on.  Nice, simple, no simpler than necessary, and no more complex than necessary.<br>
lazarus: that they "upgraded" for the Deluxe version makes me ... hesitant.<br>
* Scurve is like 80% done with his M&OCT space opera hack.<br>
lazarus: hee<br>
Scurve: Well, it *is* like 100 pages more.<br>
lazarus: to be fair, that's not hard with the original pagecount :p<br>
Scurve: Which, compared to an original (I think) 48, is a pretty good percentage.<br>
* Knockwood has games from Aberrant to World of Darkness around here somewhere...<br>
lazarus: don't have Aberrant.  Would love someday.  That and Adventure!<br>
lazarus: ... Nobilis is kinda on the "indie" scale, isn't it?<br>
Knockwood: ayep.<br>
Knockwood: Granted, it's last printing was by GoO...<br>
Random_Nerd: Still, it's creator-owned, right?<br>
Random_Nerd: Not that I consider that to be a meaningful characteristic for games, but still.<br>
lazarus: oh, hell, I remember having an argument about it on RPGnet, with someone claiming that it was definitely not indie, as RSB did not self-publish the game, and that I wanted to seem "cool" by calling it "indie" rather than "trad" (despite that it's more conflict resolutiony, and definitely the diceless is a more story-driven mechanic, which is what puts it in "indie" for me, not the creator-owned)<br>
*** Scurv3 has joined #nobilis.<br>
Scurv3: [21:17] <Scurve> Which, compared to an original (I think) 48, is a pretty good percentage.<br>
Scurv3: [21:17] <lazarus> to be fair, that's not hard with the original pagecount :p<br>
Scurv3: [21:19] * Disconnected<br>
Theresa: Is a sign of indie or nonindie how much fuss can be made by the fans arguing about it, or is that just a sign of something liked by the geek/nerd hordes?  (Myself being one.)<br>
lazarus: (10:15:38 PM) ***Knockwood has games from Aberrant to World of Darkness around here somewhere...<br>
lazarus: (10:15:52 PM) lazarus: don't have Aberrant.  Would love someday.  That and Adventure!<br>
lazarus: (10:16:02 PM) lazarus: ... Nobilis is kinda on the "indie" scale, isn't it?<br>
lazarus: (10:16:20 PM) Knockwood: ayep.<br>
lazarus: (10:16:35 PM) Knockwood: Granted, it's last printing was by GoO...<br>
lazarus: (10:16:54 PM) Random_Nerd: Still, it's creator-owned, right?<br>
lazarus: (10:17:06 PM) Random_Nerd: Not that I consider that to be a meaningful characteristic for games, but still.<br>
lazarus: (10:17:24 PM) lazarus: oh, hell, I remember having an argument about it on RPGnet, with someone claiming that it was definitely not indie, as RSB did not self-publish the game, and that I wanted to seem "cool" by calling it "indie" rather than "trad" (despite that it's more conflict resolutiony, and definitely the diceless is a more story-driven mechanic, which is what puts it in "indie" for me, not the creator-owned)<br>
lazarus: Beth: no, that's more how much of an RPGnet darling it is :p<br>
*** Scurve has signed off IRC (Ping timeout).<br>
Scurv3: Man.<br>
Theresa: trad?<br>
Scurv3: The phrase RPGnet darling always makes me feel like such a hooker for loving Nobilis, UA, and SotC.<br>
Random_Nerd: I thought that the issue for "indie" was who owned the IP, not who published it.<br>
Knockwood: you could argue 'indie' is anything not White Wolf or WotC.<br>
Random_Nerd: I mostly just think in terms of "games that suck" and "games that are awesome."<br>
lazarus: T: "trad" = "traditional", i.e., D&D-a-like (task-resolution, stats, skills, weapon charts, the whole thing)<br>
Theresa: I found it interesting that Buffy RPG made a list of 'signs you're an internet/geek weird' but I think D&D didn't.<br>
Theresa: Ahhh...<br>
lazarus: "indie" is a horridly defined term.  Some say "creator-owned", others "self-published", and yet others, in the game world, mean "experimental" (a la Nobilis, Dogs, Godlike, Sorcerer, et al)<br>
Random_Nerd: Dividing games into "indie" and "trad" is like dividing animals into "Ones with fur" and "ones with four legs."<br>
Random_Nerd: Plenty of games are either, both, or neither.<br>
Scurv3: I really can't be a part of those arguments, considering that anything more complicated than UA is too crunchy for me.<br>
Random_Nerd: So, are you guys in favor of having at least a short game session tonight?<br>
Theresa: (Ah, yes, the '20 pop-cultural obcessions even geekier than Monty Python' that's what I was thinking of.)<br>
Theresa: (Bad spelling.)<br>
Scurv3: Agh! I've been chatting you up overmuch!<br>
Knockwood: oddest game you own?<br>
Theresa: Short session is okay with me.<br>
*** Scurv3 is now known as Scurve.<br>
Random_Nerd: Hmm.  Oddest game I own...  Maybe Everway?<br>
lazarus: UA is still more "trad" in style, given that it's d% roll-under task-resolution with hit points and sanity points.  It's kind of Call of Cthulhu-like :p<br>
lazarus: ooo, you own Everway?<br>
lazarus: *envy* :p<br>
Random_Nerd: Yeah, why?<br>
Random_Nerd: I've even got the deck somewhere on the crowded surface of my desk.<br>
lazarus: it's one that I've heard is kinda neat, that, well, was before I was capable of buying RPGs.<br>
Random_Nerd: Ah, there it is.<br>
Scurve: Well, I do have a PDF of Wuthering Heights RPG...<br>
Random_Nerd: It's not bad, but I don't think it works as well as it could.<br>
Scurve: But I don't "own" that, though it's definitely very odd<br>
Knockwood: I have Everway...<br>
Knockwood: Also: 2 variants of Albedo, and around here somewhere, Starchildren.<br>
lazarus: for a very early (if not the first) use of cards in an RPG, I've heard it didn't do too bad for itself.<br>
lazarus: ... I once intentionally bought the Lawnmower Man RPG, because it's ... not a very good game :p<br>
Scurve: ...<br>
Scurve: The very /existence/...<br>
lazarus: (if you though characters in WFRP were pretty incompetent, you should see Leading Edge Games' system!  a 10% chance of learning a skill to basic ability!)<br>
lazarus: (if you're lucky, you might have a 12% chance)<br>
Knockwood: I've got that too. :)<br>
Knockwood: It was in a bargain bin<br>
lazarus: same.<br>
lazarus: there's another copy at my FLGS I was considering buying and sending out as a prize to some contest or other I'd run on RPGnet :p<br>
lazarus: "You've won a nice brand new RPG that was still in packaging!  ... it's Lawnmower Man, though, I hope you don't mind"<br>
lazarus: I can say this for LWM: it's got dozens of pages of guns with pictures.<br>
lazarus: it's a total gunbunny RPG :p<br>
lazarus: (*waits a second for everyone to consider the source material*)<br>
Theresa: I don't get it.  :)<br>
lazarus: Lawnmower Man is ... the polar opposite of gunbunny.<br>
Knockwood: there aren't that many guns in LWM the movie<br>
lazarus: (less in the story, I'm told)<br>
lazarus: it's a game primarily about virtual reality, but it comes off as Robocop<br>
Scurve: I saw the movie when I was maybe nine?<br>
lazarus: *never seen the movie.  Nor read the story.*<br>
Random_Nerd: Well, given the movie, you'd think that making a crappy adaptation with no real relationship to source material is, in its own ironic way, actually more faithful than doing it right.<br>
lazarus: hee ^_^<br>
lazarus: I think that one gets the title of "oddest game I own".<br>
lazarus: (unless you count, like, Alternity for having a really cool but very non-standard mechanic)<br>
Random_Nerd: So, anyway.  Any questions or thoughts about the game, before we start back up?<br>
Theresa: IOU might be the oddest game I own, which isn't all _that_ odd.<br>
lazarus: (now, my brother's collection?  WFRP2, Tekumel, and SOAP)<br>
Theresa: We'd left off with the giant being the son of an Angel, righto?<br>
Knockwood: Soap?<br>
* lazarus hopes the nick change will hold ...<br>
*** lazarus is now known as Brian.<br>
*** Knockwood is now known as DanteE.<br>
Brian: (SOAP: the game of Soap Opera mayhem)<br>
Random_Nerd: (I still would like to do a game of The Drones some time.)<br>
Brian: (GMless, kind of like a murder mystery game, but without anyone dying.  Well, withough anyone dying and not coming back to life)<br>
Scurve: (I don't want to clutter up the game with my disconnects. I'm gonna take off now, but would you mind terribly if I stopped by every now and again? )<br>
Brian: (I wouldn't mind)<br>
Brian: (... actually, SOAP is kind of like a backstabbing, meaner Baron Munchausen)<br>
DanteE: (and, hey, if you get your connection together, come back)<br>
Scurve: (like, based on the TV show, Brian? O.O )<br>
Brian: (... based on the genre of tv show)<br>
Theresa: I would be happy to have you stop back in any time, Scurve.  :)  Thank you for wanting to play with us.<br>
*** Scurve has signed off IRC (Connection reset by peer).<br>
*** Scurve has joined #nobilis.<br>
Random_Nerd: Oh, yes, that's where we left off.<br>
Random_Nerd: Let me see here...<br>
Scurve: [21:38] <Theresa> I would be happy to have you stop back in any time, Scurve.  :)  Thank you for wanting to play with us.<br>
Scurve: [21:40] <Scurve> (I liked Soap a lot. Anyhow, I'm gonna take off now. See you folks around!)<br>
Scurve: [21:40] * Disconnected<br>
Scurve: Later folks!<br>
*** Scurve has left #nobilis.<br>
Theresa: *sigh*  Too bad.<br>
Random_Nerd: Infodump coming...<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Theresa> (Does it sound like anything in particular?  Like the building moaning or people?)<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> "Hold on.  Let's go in quietly.  Then we can punch bad guys into dust instead."<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Brian> "We should maybe see what's up?"<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> (If it's the building, it's a very humanlike sound for a building.  If it's a person, they're very large and probably have vocal cords like a string bass.)<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Theresa> (It's possible.)<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> "Let's do it...<br>
Random_Nerd: * DanteE heads for the door.<br>
Random_Nerd: * @Theresa will follow.<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Brian> "I'll let one of you guys go in first this time ..."<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Brian> (break here so next week we start with ACTION!?)<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Brian> (and 'cause it's 12:35?)<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> (Almost to the cliffhanger...)<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> (I take it you kick in the door?)<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> (More like _open_ the door...<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> Inside, it looks mostly like an old abandoned factory.  However, there are three noteworthy things in sight.<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> (I may be a brick, but I'm not dumb. :) )<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> First, there's an immense and weird-looking kiln, pouring out huge amounts of smoke.<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> Second, there are about 80 crazy-looking people, many with sharp tools in their hands.<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> Third, and perhaps most noteworthy, there's a nine-foot tall man made of what looks like very dark bronze, bound to a stone pillar with chains that pass through his arms, legs, and torso.<br>
Random_Nerd: <Scurve> (I love it when you actually bother using the word "weird".)<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> Also, his arms seem to be bleeding quite heavily, into what seems almost like a little moat of blood around his pillar.<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> He looks up at you with tortured eyes.<br>
Brian: (err, we had the fight?)<br>
Random_Nerd: Oh, wait, is that the wrong one?<br>
DanteE: That's one session back<br>
Random_Nerd: Oh, yes.<br>
Theresa: *listens to RN make happy brick noises*  *is concerned*<br>
Random_Nerd: Oh, yes.<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> The cells of blood and flesh in the cloud ignore Brian, and continue to dissipate.<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Brian> "ok.  NOW I'm mad >_<"<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Theresa> (Are there any containers nearby?)<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Brian> (but can I think of a way to do anything about it? nope.)<br>
Random_Nerd: * DanteE cell-phones Samuel in the car.<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> (Hmm.  Not really.  There's a bag by the bricks.)<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Theresa> (What's in the bag?)<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> Samuel picks up the other end.<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> (Dirt and tiny bits of brick.)<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> "Samuel--Dante.  Need you to look a few things up...<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> "Starting with the name 'Sueridus'.  Ring any bells?"<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> Samuel: "Uh, not really.  What's the context?"<br>
Random_Nerd: * @Brian will listen to the Library for Sueridus.  Also Sudireus.<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> "Last words of an ex-cultist who just melted.<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> (The word is not mentioned in the library a single time.)<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> "Also... we've got a 7-foot hair�<br>
Random_Nerd: ...<br>
Brian: that looks like it<br>
DanteE: I've got a 7 foot hair?<br>
Random_Nerd: asked about it they don't tell us what it means.  It's one of our standing mysteries."<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> "Context?"<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Brian> "Remind me to set up NobleWiki at some point ..."<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> S: "The one who heard it didn't feel that it was right to give the Imperator's name, given that it was something he seemed to want to hide."<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> S: "It's listed anonymously."<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> "Thanks Samuel... (click)"<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Theresa> "Maybe Kudzu knows the word."<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> S: "And it was something that the Imperator in question said to one of his Nobles, and the Aide thinks it was the name of a person, place, or group."<br>
Theresa: hairy I think.<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> "It sounds Latin to me."<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Theresa> (...great, I now have a Schoolhouse Rock song stuck in my head.)<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Brian> (request to wrap up soon?)<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> Giant: "I don't want you to think that I'm some kind of monster.  But these people kept me here for a long time in very great pain, and I consider myself only very partially avenged."<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> (so, it's a Mystery Noun?)<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> (Pretty much.)<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> Giant: "Squealing little animals pretending to be humans."<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> "When we find whoever's behind this... that will be taken care of."<br>
Random_Nerd: <DanteE> "... just out of curiousity, who was your father?"<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> Giant: "Whatever, child of animals."<br>
Random_Nerd: <@Random_Nerd> Giant: "The angel Azazel."�<br>
Theresa: (So we have a secret word and a ticked off child of an Imperator.  Peachy.)<br>
Brian: (aye)<br>
Random_Nerd: As a rule, children of Imperators are stronger than mortals, but weaker than Nobles.<br>
Theresa: And this one shows little to no respect but doesn't fall under the Entropy laws.<br>
Random_Nerd: Yeah, you've seen him do his best to kill and eat people.<br>
Random_Nerd: So, if you want to kill and/or eat him, you're fine.<br>
Random_Nerd: Eating him would make the cultists happier, too!<br>
Theresa: What's left of them.<br>
DanteE: There's a few left...<br>
Theresa: Oh and we found out that past-Blades told the cultists to do this.  Can we get more info on Blades' history from the Library or Aides?<br>
DanteE: plus... my heal miracle still got screwed up, so the cult influence is still here<br>
Brian: we /suspect/ that past-Blades told them.<br>
Random_Nerd: What with the place being full of cultists and all.<br>
Random_Nerd: And more than half are still alive.<br>
DanteE: well, wait... didn't their leader say he personally experienced 'my' advice?<br>
Random_Nerd: You guys just killed the crazies, and some cultist bystanders got hurt or killed as well.<br>
Random_Nerd: Yes, yes he did.<br>
Random_Nerd: He said that all of you had personally sent him visions and dreams.<br>
Brian: yeah, it's the "all of us" thing that twings at me<br>
Random_Nerd: And that he wasn't sure how he knew it was you, but he just could tell.<br>
Theresa: *sigh*  Next time, ask for ID!<br>
Random_Nerd: Heh.  That was actually an important part of being a prophet, back in the day.<br>
Random_Nerd: S'not enough to get visions and omens, you have to be able to tell who they're from.<br>
Brian: indeed<br>
Random_Nerd: Or this happens!<br>
Random_Nerd: And you get et by a giant.<br>
Random_Nerd: Or melt.<br>
Random_Nerd: (Now, Dante /could/ bring him back, but with how the bone went, I would suggest looking away unless you have a strong stomach.)<br>
Theresa: Yes, make sure that the prophecy is from _our_ God and not the God of the next valley over who got lost on his way from the heavens where mead flows like water!<br>
Theresa: (Hmm..how strong of stomach?  *looks at stats*)<br>
Theresa: (Just kidding.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (At least Aspect 3?)<br>
Brian: there's a heaven where mead flows as water?<br>
Random_Nerd: If there isn't, you could totally make one.<br>
Theresa: You could make one.  It isn't _the_ Heaven but...what he said.<br>
Brian: why are we here again? :p<br>
DanteE: OK, so the Aides don't have jack on our current situation...<br>
DanteE: though they should have some info on Azazel<br>
Brian: we should know of hom<br>
Brian: him*<br>
DanteE: yeah, but teh Aides would know if he had a kid<br>
Random_Nerd: Yeah, they'll know about Azazel.<br>
Theresa: We're here because we've got a cult, we've got deaths and we have a cranky probably-Immortal.  Who wants to kill the humans.  And snarks at us.  <br>
Random_Nerd: Perhaps not everything, but he's an Imperator with some mythological mojo.<br>
Brian: I want to be far away from the cranky giant.  Preferably in a place where mead flows like water<br>
DanteE: still need to figure out why the Cult's influence is still going<br>
Brian: they're still here?<br>
DanteE: my miracle went awry<br>
Random_Nerd: Ready to start?<br>
Brian: yeah.  'cause they're still here...<br>
Brian: *nod*<br>
Random_Nerd: (And you had the Aides wait out in the car, I believe.)<br>
Brian: aye<br>
Theresa: Ready.<br>
DanteE: (how long can we play?)<br>
Theresa: (How are you feeling, Laz?)<br>
Brian: (I'm good for now ... possibly in 1.5 hours I'll have revised that)<br>
Random_Nerd: Okay, let's go.<br>
Random_Nerd: _______________________START___________________<br>
Theresa: (At least an hour, if not more, I think., then, Knock.)<br>
Random_Nerd: The giant flips you guys off.<br>
Random_Nerd: (Incidentially, his hands and face are normally proportioned, unlike those of humans with growth hormone problems.)<br>
Theresa: "What can we call you?"<br>
* Brian will listen in to the Library about Azazel, and the protocol for dealing with children of Imperators<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "How about 'sir'?"<br>
DanteE: (Hm... what are those gigantic angels?)<br>
Random_Nerd: (Which ones?)<br>
DanteE: "What is your Domain, then?"<br>
* Theresa eyes the giant.  "Only in a sense of politeness and not really in any sense of your superiority."<br>
DanteE: (Grigori)<br>
Random_Nerd: Library: "Azazel is an Angel, currently residing in Heaven.  One of the Watchers, by some accounts their leader.  Angel of Cosmetics and Goats.  Formerly Angel of Knives."<br>
Random_Nerd: (He was one of them.)<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Domain?"<br>
Brian: (Watchers?  Also, Former Angel of Knives?)<br>
* Brian will RH that to the others<br>
DanteE: "The aspect of reality we can control and manipulate at will."<br>
Random_Nerd: (Grigori, watchers, same thing.)<br>
Theresa: *to Dante*  "I don't think being the kid of an Imperator necessarily makes you a Noble.  Good grief, think of what kids ours would have."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Don't need that."<br>
Brian: (and etiquette?)<br>
DanteE: "Hm.  We have that."<br>
Random_Nerd: (Mmm?)<br>
Brian: (and the protocol for dealing with children of Imperators)<br>
Random_Nerd: (Ah.  They legally fall under the same category as humans.  But their parents may be displeased if they're mistreated, depends from parent to parent.)<br>
Brian: (alright)<br>
Brian: (Azazel's temperament seems to be?  Unstated? :p)<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Any weapon turned against me fails, no 'human' can defeat me unarmed, and I live forever."<br>
Theresa: (Nice Gifts.)<br>
Brian: "Ah, classic Greek hero stuff.  You know they're all dead, right?"<br>
DanteE: "Me too!"<br>
DanteE: "Well, don't know about the 'live forever' thing yet."<br>
Theresa: "That's quite encompassing.  No weapons can hurt you but no one unarmed can either."<br>
Random_Nerd: Library: "Azazel is in some human myths associated with Lucifer or considered to be the same person, but this does not seem to be the case.  Like all Angels, and particularly the Watchers, Azazel is touchy and quite concerned with his own status.  Unlike most angels, but like the other Watchers, Azazel was not denied the right to Pride."<br>
Brian: "Now, now, he said no human.  Not no one."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "A real human probably could.  Haven't seen one of those in a long time."<br>
DanteE: "... how did they capture you, anyway?"<br>
Theresa: "Yeah, but that's some quibbles.  After all, we know that he got caught and chained already, so someone more powerful than him had to do it."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "I'm not certain.  Some kind of angel or god put his will on me, and when I woke, I was here."<br>
Theresa: (Huh, didn't know that about the Pride thing.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (Now, that's only canon in this game, of course.)<br>
Theresa: (Makes total complete sense with Barakiel...wait, if Angels don't have pride, why are they so snooty?)<br>
Random_Nerd: (But in this game's canon, Lucifer's ruling was only applied to those angels not currently under exile.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (That's only a dozen or so angels tops, but still.)<br>
DanteE: (Is there any visible manifestation of the cult's influence?)<br>
Random_Nerd: (They're snooty because according to their Code, it's right and proper that they receive respect, and they take that as a substitute for being able to feel it for themselves.)<br>
Theresa: (And cult-humans don't count as 'human' apparently, if he didn't see them as such.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (No visible manifestation unless you count the distorted leg.)<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Do you deny me the right to take vengeance over those who imprisoned me?"<br>
DanteE: "I wonder if the 'angel or god' was an Excrucian."<br>
Theresa: "How much more vengence?"<br>
Brian: "Vengeance, you may have.  Violence, you may not."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "I intend to kill them all, crack their bones, suck the marrow from them, and pile all that remains of their flesh in a great heap, and bring animals here to defecate on it."<br>
Brian: "That?  I can't let you do that."<br>
DanteE: "These were dupes, misled long ago... possibly by whatever started this cult in the first place."<br>
Random_Nerd: Cult-people: *cower*<br>
Theresa: "Hmm, how about we get you a ride home and let you snark at us on the way?"<br>
DanteE: "We're looking for him.  Or it.  Whatever."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "They held me prisoner and took my blood.  And worse, they distort the blessing I have from my father, so that they can raise arms against me.  This cannot be permitted."<br>
DanteE: "If we find that, not only can you do that, we'll provide the ketchup."<br>
Theresa: "How did they distort it?"<br>
Random_Nerd: The giant bellows.<br>
Brian: "... I will not have violence enacted upon even poorly misguided humans.  The ones who are no longer human, you may have."<br>
Random_Nerd: "I don't know!  But they brought knives and cut me, and spears to poke me, and it worked."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Yeah.  Humans."<br>
Random_Nerd: He snorts.<br>
Brian: "Maybe your daddy's angry with you and revoked his blessing."<br>
Brian: (I'm not helping, am I?  :p)<br>
Theresa: (Probably not.)<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "He's never chosen to do that in the time that I've been alive.  And the continents were a different shape in the days that I was born, and all the things that existed were alive."<br>
Theresa: "You said before that you haven't seen humans in a long time.  Is that because since these people can hurt you, they can't be human?"<br>
* DanteE looks around for one of those knives or spears<br>
Random_Nerd: (Sone scattered around him.  Pointy iron rods, and kitchen and utility knives.  Nothing weird-looking.)<br>
Brian: "Or, maybe your daddy's old Estate got absorbed by Dante here when Kudzu came to being)<br>
Brian: (ergh.  Came to Creation")<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "I don't even know what you mean."<br>
DanteE: "I am, among other things, the Power of Blades."<br>
Brian: "Azazel is former Lord of Knives.  No longer."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Piss.  If you were, you'd know who I am."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Are you telling me that my father is dead?"<br>
Theresa: (Can Dante do Divs on the knives to see if they're different?)<br>
Random_Nerd: (He can, but the divs might not be utterly reliable.)<br>
Random_Nerd: The giant bellows again, and starts hitting a wall with his fist.<br>
DanteE: (Actually, I'll do a Div on all blades in the building)<br>
Brian: "Not dead, to the best of my knowledge.  Just ... an aspect of him has changed."<br>
Random_Nerd: (All the blades seem normal other than the fact that they're filled with a deep and profound self-loathing.)<br>
Theresa: "No, we would have heard of his death.  All we know is that our Brother here is both Blades and Courage."<br>
Random_Nerd: When he hits the wall, he does it like a strong and durable but mundane being, so his fist is getting it worse than the wall is.<br>
Random_Nerd: He stops.  Blood runs down his knuckles.<br>
DanteE: (Anything from my Div?)<br>
DanteE: "I think we should talk to your father either way."<br>
Theresa: (*points up*)<br>
DanteE: (Oops)<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "If you are indeed Noble, then I must ask, when were you born?"<br>
DanteE: "Define 'born'"<br>
Theresa: "Human life or enNobled?"<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Human."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "If you like to call it that."<br>
DanteE: "COming up on 26 years ago."<br>
Brian: (I lost my character information >_<  I don't remember the number, but I think it was 25)<br>
Brian: (or 28?)<br>
Random_Nerd: He sighs.  "Well, it was worth a try."<br>
DanteE: (Aren't you a little older than me?)<br>
Brian: (I don't remember.  Grad student, late in studies, but younger than most ... so, yeah, mid-late 20s)<br>
DanteE: to Theresa, quietly: "Try to talk him down while I get more info<br>
Theresa: (I know I'm older than all of you.  :P )<br>
Theresa: "What year was it when you were last free?"<br>
* DanteE goes to a discreet remove and phones Samuel<br>
Random_Nerd: "This one.  It was summer then, and this is the closest it's gotten to winter since."<br>
Random_Nerd: Samuel picks up the phone.<br>
DanteE: quietly: "Samuel... the giant claims to be the son of Azazel.  Any record of a kid?"<br>
Random_Nerd: Sam: "Uh..."<br>
Random_Nerd: A few seconds pass.<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "We don't have any, but it makes sense, since he was a Watcher.  Some show up in human myth, of course, but that's not very reliable."<br>
DanteE: "Hm... think it's a good idea to let Dad know we found him?"<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "Plus, of course, if you read comic books, isn't Nightcrawler his son in the current continuity?"<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "Although I like the old ones better, where it was implied to be Mystique."<br>
Brian: (Isn't Mystique his mother?)<br>
DanteE: "Sam, you're a complete geek.  Focus."<br>
Theresa: "Hmm..how easily can you tell the change in temperature?  In the region you are in, currently, the temperature rarely gets below warm.  For us, it is (March, I think?) of the celestial time (Year Blah Blah Blah.)."<br>
Random_Nerd: (And, yes.  You know those American guys who're obsessed with every aspect of Japanese pop culture?  If they were Dionyl and obsessed with Earth, they would be Sam.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (There's a reason why he's on Earth.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (Mystique used to be his father, with some shapeshifting thing.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (I forget who was the mother in that version.)<br>
Theresa: (Mystique is his mother.  And a shapechanger.  And it's complicated, the writers did it.)<br>
Theresa: (Sam is our Hiro.  *facepalm*)<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "I can tell which season it is, cow."<br>
Brian: (Ah, I never heard that version of continuity)<br>
Brian: "Stop insulting us"<br>
Theresa: "And I know what part of Earth _I'm_ in."  *holds back the insulting name she was going to use*<br>
Random_Nerd: (Oh, and I checked, and in that version, Destiny was the mother.)<br>
Theresa: (Makes sense.)<br>
Theresa: *looks around the Mythic world*<br>
Brian: (... odd)<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Is telling the truth an insult?"<br>
Random_Nerd: (But they couldn't do more than hint at it, because of the CCA, of course.)<br>
Brian: (of course)<br>
Random_Nerd: G: "I don't know the details of your parentage, but it's likely enough."<br>
Random_Nerd: (Looking for anything particular, mythic-wise?)<br>
DanteE: (The CCA bought the farm a long time ago)<br>
Brian: "You know, I'd say I don't want to shoot you, but I really do."<br>
Theresa: (Darn it, I have more knowledge than my character about this!)<br>
DanteE: (And what else did Samuel say?)<br>
Random_Nerd: (Oh, let's see...)<br>
DanteE: (Focus, RN. :) )<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "So, if he does have a kid, it fits what we know, but we don't have any reliable details on him.  He'd be big, since his father was an angel, and he'd be immortal, if he's still around."<br>
Theresa: "It's okay, Brian."  *to the giant*  "I would appreciate it if you could explain your comment, please.  As I am Plants and thus being called a cow is innaccurate."<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "Oh, and he'd probably have a very short temper.  His kind usually do, but I don't know why."<br>
Theresa: (Breeding.)<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "You don't even know about the history of humanity?"<br>
DanteE: "Seems to work so far.  How do we talk to Dad?"<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "So, there was Adam and Eve.  And they were nearly gods.  Not quite, but nearly."<br>
Theresa: "Personally, no.  Haven't been enNobled for long, Wild Imperator so he's letting us find out _everything_ on our own.  We're working on the former Imperatoriality of Humanity as a spare project."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Even after that Serpent screwed things up, they were close.  But they didn't let their kids commit incest."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "So, they had sex with animals, and they produced kids that at least looked like humans."<br>
Random_Nerd: "Enough generations of that, and we got you guys, with the right body shape, and all the miraculous nature of a rock."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "I might only be half human, but it's a damn lot more than you guys are."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Got more /real/ human blood than everyone in this country put together, I figure."<br>
Theresa: "Interesting."<br>
Random_Nerd: "So, if I call you dogs, or cows, it's the plain truth."<br>
Theresa: "Maybe that was why they were bleeding you.  Would bastard be an accurate title for yourself?"<br>
Random_Nerd: "Fuck you.  My parents were married."<br>
Theresa: "Then it would not be accurate, thank you."  *wonders who performed the ceremony*<br>
DanteE: "Samuel, things are degenerating fast.  Can you get in touch with Azazel or not?"<br>
* Brian still looks like he wants to shoot the giant.<br>
Theresa: (It's just _words_.)<br>
Random_Nerd: Sam: "I can, but it'll take time.  Angels in Heaven are hard to get in touch with directly.  I can do it in between an hour and a day, by my best guess, if I can do it at all without calling in major favors."<br>
Theresa: (Plus he might have a thing about being Honest, like Dante.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (Plus, he's in a really bad mood, and he has a superiority complex the size of a fully operational battle station.)<br>
DanteE: "Any record of Azazel marrying a pure-strain human?"<br>
Theresa: "What would be a reasonable exchange for your vengence?  These people are possibly tied to our own Imperator and we must unravel their disobidience."<br>
Random_Nerd: Sam: "Not that we have.  But that would be Ages ago, literally."<br>
Theresa: (That's no moon...)<br>
DanteE: "Keep trying..."<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "Well, one Age."<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "I'll try, but it'll take a long time.  Our records are solid for the last half of the Third Age, and not horrible for the first half.  But back that far, all we have is myth and legend."<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "About the closest we have to 'records' here is 'the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.' "<br>
Theresa: (Why not use a flower and talk to one of the other Nobles of the kid's dad?)<br>
DanteE: "I mean keep trying to get through to Azazel.  Or his staff, or whatever.  Tell 'em we found his kid.<br>
DanteE: "See you in a minute...<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "Ah, I'll get on that."<br>
DanteE: (click)<br>
DanteE: "All right... stop.<br>
DanteE: "We are looking for the heart of this cult.<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Fine, imprison them each here for a year, cut them and bleed them and poke them with sticks, and every time you do, give them evidence that their parents hate them or have become senile and weak."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "That would be fair.  In comparison, what I want is mercy."<br>
Theresa: (Crud, he used the bad word...)<br>
Random_Nerd: Cult: *huddle in the corner*<br>
Theresa: (And I see why he thinks his dad might be hurt..you'd have to be to lose a Noble.)<br>
DanteE: "If we do that... well, you can do your vengeance thing.<br>
DanteE: "These folks might even bow down and worship you."<br>
Random_Nerd: G: "Wouldn't be the first time."<br>
DanteE: "...and wouldn;t that be better then killing them?"<br>
Random_Nerd: G: "But I wouldn't accept these shabby wrecks as worshippers."<br>
Random_Nerd: G: "No.  Rather kill them in painful ways."<br>
DanteE: "...doesn't your father watch over them?"<br>
Random_Nerd: G: "Well, you could do this.  Torture them as I suggested, and I'd wager a cow that they'll say anything they know within a month."<br>
DanteE: "We know he's a Watcher.<br>
Random_Nerd: G: "My father has not been fond of humanity for a long, long time.  He loved them once, for what they were.  They became something else."<br>
Random_Nerd: G: "My father and his friends tried to make you into things like him.  Maybe they tried to push it a bit too hard.  But now, your kind are useless."<br>
DanteE: (Plan B...) "These people weren't the ones who started this...<br>
DanteE: "They were just following orders.<br>
Random_Nerd: G: "Oh.  That makes it okay, then.  Dog."<br>
DanteE: "If you just kill them, whoever did could come back.<br>
Random_Nerd: G: "In fact, I think I heard them say they were following /your/ orders."<br>
DanteE: "And catch you again.<br>
Theresa: (From the timeline that they gave us earlier, is it clear that the Nobles they were talking about weren't us?  As in before we were enNobled?)<br>
Random_Nerd: Dante, your phone rings.<br>
Brian: "They were following orders given before our enNoblement.  That were given to them in dreams."<br>
DanteE: "They weren't.  They were following someone powerful, who is impersonating us.<br>
Random_Nerd: (It seems that you weren't even Ennobled then, unless he was in a fast-time world or something.)<br>
DanteE: to Theresa: "Take it from here?"<br>
* DanteE answers the phone<br>
Brian: (RN: was it you with the fiery fiery fire-flame of fire?)<br>
Random_Nerd: Sam: "We dug up an old ritual to call up Azazel's voice, that we think will work.  It'll take about half an hour, if it still works."<br>
Random_Nerd: (In DF?  Yes.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (Random content generators do weird things at times.)<br>
DanteE: "His voice?"<br>
Brian: (part of me thinks that's the awesomest thing ever, and somehow must find its way into everything)<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "There's one to call up his actual presence, but we can't even do it this month, and it takes days just to set up and get the right implements."<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "Plus... Imperators can react unpredictably."<br>
DanteE: "Close enough.  Put a rush on it."<br>
Theresa: (Just get the voice mail and we'll work with it.  And don't we know that...)<br>
Theresa: "We have been enNobled for (amount of time here).  Which was after these people were given their instructions.  This is true as I know it, by the Tree."<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "I'll do that.  Let's see... our applied occultism team could maybe be persuaded to do it faster if you promise to personally make them ceremonial knives to their specifications, afterwards, and if you offer to pay us back for the goat."<br>
DanteE: ( I meant the voice)<br>
Random_Nerd: (Yeah, that's what he assumed.)<br>
DanteE: "Can't do knives here, we're still under Cult influence."<br>
Theresa: (The other one is _really_ complex.)<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "Well, you don't have to do it now, but if I can promise them you'll do it soon, then I bet they'll work faster.  I hear it's really a pain to keep a silver knife sharp, and if they didn't have to worry about that, it'd save them a lot of time."<br>
Theresa: (Bah, minor preservation.)<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "We're just lucky you want an Angel that has a body of ritual associated with him."<br>
DanteE: "Ah... no problem, we'll put together some ever-sharp silver knives immediately."<br>
Brian: "Hopefully not now immediately... ever-dull is more like it."<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "I'll tell them that."<br>
Random_Nerd: *sound of phone connection closing*<br>
DanteE: (click)<br>
Theresa: (How are the wounds on the giant?)<br>
Theresa: (How is the Wild with imprisonment as punishment?)<br>
Brian: (*shudders*)<br>
Random_Nerd: (On a normal human, they'd require emergency medical attention.  On you, they'd be painful annoyances.  Seems like he splits the difference.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (The Wild like that about as much as the Angels like people taking a dump on the Mona Lisa.)<br>
Theresa: (Bah, we all know the real Mona Lisa doesn't exist anymore...)<br>
Random_Nerd: (And the Angels aren't pleased about that, but Hugh has a powerful employer.)<br>
Theresa: "So, our current choices are to allow you to kill these people and desecrate their remains or to betray our Imperator's Code by imprisoning them."<br>
Brian: "Or, third, deny him vengeance, as he seems unreasonable about how to go about it."<br>
Random_Nerd: (Or tell the giant to attempt airborne copulation with a round pastry that has a degree of torque on a slope.)<br>
DanteE: "There's a fourth.<br>
Random_Nerd: (Put on a production of Springtime for Hitler?)<br>
Brian: (... rn, that's one of the more creative ones I've seen) (... Springtime for Hitler?  What was that?  Producers?)<br>
DanteE: "If we find the guy that started this--who told them to grab you, and somehow managed to enable them to do it...<br>
DanteE: "Would you leave them alone in favor of pounding _him_?"<br>
Random_Nerd: (I think Producers, yes.  That was the Mel Brooks one, right?)<br>
Theresa: (Yes.)<br>
Brian: (yeah)<br>
Random_Nerd: The giant thinks for a minute.<br>
Brian: (I've only seen the remake, which was painful in their trying to be Mel Brooks and the other guy)<br>
Brian: (and not succeeding >_>)<br>
Random_Nerd: "If you give me your promise that the one who put me in their hands, who I believe to be a god of some kind, to be placed into my hands to do what I wish with, yes, I will abandon my vengeance against these."<br>
Brian: "That we can do.  Probably."<br>
Theresa: "Probably isn't good enough, Brian."<br>
DanteE: "You should know... he may be a powerful Enemy of Creation.  On par with a Noble, or more so."<br>
Brian: "Well, if it turns out to be a full Excrucian from Outside somehow snaking his influence in ... that'll be hard to do."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Probably isn't worth a lot.  Promise me you'll do it, and I'll accept that."<br>
Theresa: "We have to be willing to give anyone to this guy.  What if it was Blades-of-the-Past?  Would Dante then be liable?"<br>
Random_Nerd: "And if he's powerful, and you agree, that's your problem, not mine."<br>
Brian: "We will do what we can."<br>
Random_Nerd: Dante, your phone rings again.<br>
Brian: "Better to have you pounding on it while we watch..."<br>
DanteE: "And... we are also trying to contract your father.  Speaking of which...<br>
* DanteE answers.<br>
Brian: (are we nearing an ending point?  It's now after midnight here.  I'm fine for another 20-30 minutes, maybe)<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "Boss, it's almost ready, within a minute or so, I'm going to transfer you to a phone being held to the mouth of a possessed dead goat."<br>
Random_Nerd: (We can stop soon if you like.)<br>
Theresa: ...)<br>
DanteE: "One sec..."<br>
Random_Nerd: S: "I wanted to tell you in advance, because Imperators do not like to be kept waiting."<br>
* DanteE hands his phone to the giant.<br>
DanteE: "Your father's voice."<br>
DanteE: "uh.... don't smash it."<br>
Random_Nerd: The giant holds the phone between the tips of his thumb and index finger.<br>
Random_Nerd: Sam: "Okay.... now."  *click*<br>
Random_Nerd: Phone: "WHY HAVE YOU CALLED UPON ME, MORTALS?"<br>
DanteE: "you know how to use those, right?"<br>
Random_Nerd: The giant freezes.<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "..."<br>
Random_Nerd: G: "...father?"<br>
DanteE: (please let this be two-way...)<br>
Brian: (... we have no way of listening in to this, do we?  Grr...)<br>
Random_Nerd: Phone: "WHO SPEAKS TO ME IN THIS MANNER?"<br>
Theresa: (I get the feeling that Angels can only talk in one volume.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (Sure you do, the dead goat is shouting.)<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "I am your son.  I was born in Babylon, and my mother died in labor."<br>
Random_Nerd: A pause.<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "I don't remember the year.  You left the Earth not long after."<br>
DanteE: (Right now, RN's trying to come up with a Babylonian name...)<br>
Random_Nerd: Phone: "THEN WHY DO YOU CALL ON ME?"<br>
Brian: (Hammurabi?  Nebuchadnezzar?)<br>
DanteE: (Buford?  Cecil?)<br>
Theresa: (The babylonian equivalent of Bob.)<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "I have been taken by a god of some kind, and imprisoned by humans.  The blessings you have given me have failed in their presence.  I wish to know if I have lost your favor."<br>
Theresa: (*gets ready to dodge...*)<br>
Random_Nerd: Phone: "YOU MEAN AS MUCH OR AS LITTLE TO ME AS YOU DID A HUNDRED YEARS AGO.  NOTHING HAS CHANGED."<br>
Random_Nerd: The giant gulps.<br>
Brian: (Wow.  Indifference.  Sucks to be G.)<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Then why?"<br>
DanteE: "My kingdom for a non-dysfunctional family among the Pillars of Creation."<br>
Random_Nerd: Voice: "A PORTION OF MY POWER WAS TAKEN FROM ME, ONCE, BY A TREACHEROUS BEING FROM OUTSIDE REALITY.  THE BLESSING YOU HAVE AGAINST WEAPONS IS NOW SUBJECT TO HIS WHIMS AND LIMITATIONS."<br>
Brian: "What do you expect when a dad can't stop yelling?"<br>
Brian: "Also, ohshit."<br>
DanteE: "... that's either the Cult's founder or ..."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Who is this being, and how could he do this to you?"<br>
Theresa: (See, _this_ is why we think through the probably!)<br>
* Theresa is wishing for a direct-line to Kudzu nowish...<br>
Brian: (Hey, I /did/ say we will do what we can :p  Not /my/ fault if he heard "we will deliver at all costs" :p)<br>
DanteE: (you have one)<br>
Random_Nerd: Phone: "THAT IS MY AFFAIR, AND I WILL TAKE MY REVENGE IN DUE TIME.  BUT KNOW THAT I HAVE NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT YOU, SON, HAVE FAILED ME, AND THE JUDGEMENT ON YOU IS NOT BY MY HAND.  IF I EVER CHOOSE TO PUNISH YOU, I WILL DO IT MYSELF."<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant: "Thank you, Father."<br>
* Brian thinks very hard at Kudzu "Sir, do you know what happened to Azazel's Knives?"<br>
Theresa: (Theresa doesn't, unless you count Brian.  :) )<br>
Random_Nerd: Phone: *sound of a goat dying*<br>
Random_Nerd: Phone: "Uh... the eyes stopped glowing and the blood poured from its veins.  I hope you heard what you wanted to."<br>
Theresa: (Oh, that's just the ring tone.  Dead goat dying means that our accountant is on the other line.)<br>
Random_Nerd: Phone: *click*<br>
Brian: (I thought that was "flogged horse"?)<br>
Theresa: (No, that's the bookie.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (No, you don't have a horsephone.)<br>
* DanteE gently takes the phone back.<br>
DanteE: "Sam, you there?"<br>
* Theresa is keeping an eye on the giant as Brian and Dante communicate.<br>
Brian: (RN: you catch my question to Kudzu?)<br>
Random_Nerd: (The call is currently over.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (No, I hadn't.  Let me look up.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (Kudzu doesn't respond.)<br>
Brian: (alright)<br>
Brian: (also, can we wrap up?)<br>
* DanteE goes to the giant...<br>
DanteE: gently: "What is your name?"<br>
Random_Nerd: (I'm fine with stopping here.)<br>
DanteE: (One sec...)<br>
Random_Nerd: "I don't have one.  My mother died as I was being born, and my father never saw fit to give me one."<br>
Random_Nerd: "So, will you promise to give me my revenge, or shall I take it myself now on these people?"<br>
Theresa: "Then take one for yourself."<br>
Random_Nerd: (I take it you meant name and not revenge there.)<br>
Theresa: (Yeah.)<br>
DanteE: "You and I, and my brother and sister, shall hunt down the one who did this...<br>
Random_Nerd: "No, I choose not to.  I don't need one.  I shall have a name if my father ever changes his mind and gives me one."<br>
DanteE: "And you can take a name from his shattered corpse.<br>
Random_Nerd: "Do I have your promise, on the name of whatever god you serve?"<br>
DanteE: "In the name of Creation.  Let's find the bastard."<br>
Brian: "We seem to be hunting the source of this Cult anyway..."<br>
Theresa: (*mental facepalm*)<br>
Brian: (Don't worry, Beth, we'll kill the giant first.  At least, before he kills you and Dante.)<br>
Random_Nerd: "Okay, I'll accept your promise."<br>
Theresa: (But we promised.  We didn't say that he could beat up on Dante for an hour or two and all is nice again.  We hand Dante over and let the giant do what he wants, for as long as he wants.)<br>
DanteE: (Dante is and isn't the planning type anyway... :) )<br>
Theresa: (And Dante's Honest.  That would make his promises a bit more oomph, in my mind.)<br>
DanteE: (And what the heck are you talking about him beating me?  We're after the Excrucian)<br>
Random_Nerd: Giant, shouting, to the cult: "You have been freed from my revenge, then.  But I will pray to my father and any angels loyal to him that your next incarnations will be in a pit of degredation and shame."<br>
DanteE: "We'll get all the info and artifacts they have, first.<br>
Theresa: (Lesson can give directions.)<br>
Brian: (This seems like a reasonably good place to end?)<br>
Random_Nerd: (Lesson has been spending all this time staring at the giant, if you're curious.)<br>
Random_Nerd: (Stopping here sounds good.)<br>
DanteE: (Good stop point)<br>
Brian: (then, see you guys next week.)<br>
DanteE: (g'night Brian)<br>
Theresa: (Night, Laz.  *HUG*)<br>
*** Brian has signed off IRC (Disintegrated: Leaving.).<br>
Random_Nerd: ___________STOP____________<br>
Random_Nerd: So, what'd you think of that?<br>
*** DanteE is now known as Knockwood.<br>
Knockwood: Wouldn't be a Nobilis session if I didn't get us into trouble, ne?<br>
Knockwood: You two OK with this?<br>
Theresa: Interesting.  And messed up.  Felt a little bad for the giant with the dad issues but it makes sense.  Angels are...Angels.  Good parenting isn't about respect and beauty.<br>
Theresa: Hey, I'm along for the ride.  :)   Theresa tried giving her objections.<br>
Random_Nerd: Fine with me.<br>
Random_Nerd: If you guys never made things complicated and dangerous, you wouldn't be PCs.<br>
Theresa: And plus after Dante started on the ritual, the talking to the other Nobles of the Angel were much less impressive.<br>
Knockwood: Besides, in Dante's mind, this is a variant of Pascal's Wager.<br>
Theresa: And hey, it's not like you let a giant rabbit loose in the hometown, so peachy-keen.<br>
Random_Nerd: Also, you don't know this, but the Nobles of the Angel are dead.  He killed them around when he got really fed up with humanity.<br>
Theresa: O.O<br>
Knockwood: If the one who did this was Kudzu, we're fucked anyway.<br>
Theresa: Yep.<br>
Theresa: So he still impowers those Estates, just no Nobles of them?<br>
Knockwood: Maybe, maybe not.  There's always the chance he sub-contracts. :)<br>
Random_Nerd: And he lost an Estate, of course.<br>
Knockwood: so, Azazel was the Lord of Weapons?<br>
Random_Nerd: More or less, yeah.<br>
Random_Nerd: The Estate changed a bit in the transition between Imperators.<br>
Knockwood: did he lose Weapons, or just Blades?<br>
Random_Nerd: The whole thing.<br>
Knockwood: hm... maybe we should talk to Clubs, and possibly Guns<br>
Random_Nerd: Azazel's version covered armor, too.  But on the other hand, when Kudzu got it, part of it split off and made Courage its own estate.<br>
Random_Nerd: If Clubs is its own estate, it probably also covers stuff like symbolism of authority.<br>
Random_Nerd: Sceptres, maces of authority, swagger sticks, and so on.<br>
Random_Nerd: Probably throw in police batons there, too.<br>
Knockwood: well, I can't help but think Maces would be too 'small'<br>
Random_Nerd: And what do you think about how we provided backstory to your Estates?<br>
Random_Nerd: Well, I mean, those things would all be associations of Clubs.<br>
Knockwood: so, when Clubs split off, it grew?<br>
Random_Nerd: So, it'd cover connotations of both "blunt things to hit people with" and "things you carry around to show that you're the boss."<br>
Random_Nerd: I'd more say that Clubs didn't split off, it sprang up in the vacuum produced when Weaponry became Blades.<br>
Random_Nerd: But that's not game-canon yet, of course, since I haven't had time to think about it.<br>
Knockwood: speaking of which... Beth, what's the word on your health?<br>
Theresa: I go back tomorrow for the post-operation check up.  I get the word then whether I can go back to work or not.  And in over two months, I get to do this all over again.  :P<br>
Theresa: At the moment, I think I'm good for gaming.<br>
Knockwood: and you have props for CoC games! .... too gross?<br>
Knockwood: BTW, can any of you draw worth a damn?<br>
Theresa: I can't.<br>
Random_Nerd: Not even vaguely.<br>
Knockwood: I sent an idea for an April Fool's gag to ShannonA...<br>
Knockwood: Mascot-tans.<br>
Theresa: And I didn't get to keep any of the fibroids.  Although I did get a lovely souvineer polaroid of my surgery in progress.<br>
Knockwood: A whole fake contest to come up with a goofy character who'd adorn every page of the site...<br>
Knockwood: a few childishly drawn ones, some copies, the obligatory disturbing one (Yo: (Link: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/922854)http://www.furaffinity.net/full/922854 )<br>
Random_Nerd: Oh, I had two questions about the game for you guys.<br>
Random_Nerd: First, what do you think about the Giant as an NPC?<br>
Random_Nerd: And second, what do you think of the way the Society of Aides has been portrayed?<br>
Knockwood: Hm... well, most of what we saw of the giant was a) prisoner and b) big jerk...<br>
Knockwood: until the end.<br>
Theresa: I second the jerk.<br>
Theresa: And till the end but I was ready that he would lash out at us for showing him concern for his feelings.<br>
Knockwood: so I'd say 'needs to be expanded upon'<br>
Theresa: The Aides are awesome.  I'm also wondering how many favors were called in and what it's going to cost us.<br>
Knockwood: I do kinda wonder about their cost...<br>
Random_Nerd: Their cost is stuff that's huge to them, but a few MPs to you.<br>
Knockwood: mainly the miracle cost.  By now they should own the world.<br>
Random_Nerd: They would, but the Camorra got there first.<br>
Random_Nerd: And they have better contracts and are a lot more ruthless.<br>
Random_Nerd: Err, better contacts.<br>
Knockwood: ah yeah... what would the Cammorrae charge us for what WIlliam & Sam do?<br>
Random_Nerd: More.  But they could do more, too.<br>
Random_Nerd: They have better records, more people they can call in favors from, and they're a deliberate loophole in Entropy's Law.<br>
Knockwood: (BTW, the Mascot-tan contest would end with (Link: http://kamicheetah.deviantart.com/art/Clueiville-Slugger-3895044)http://kamicheetah.deviantart.com/art/Clueiville-Slugger-3895044 being names Tangency-Tan (Tan-Tan) to royally tweak the anti-furries. Muahhahhahhah. :D )<br>
Knockwood: (opinions on CoC-tan above?)<br>
Random_Nerd: (The Cthulhu-pinup one is weird.)<br>
Knockwood: (that's the idea)<br>
Random_Nerd: Really, the biggest thing the Cams can do is get your around Entropy's Laws.<br>
Theresa: (Skull pasties...brings to mind strange Punisher things.)<br>
Random_Nerd: If one of 'em says "Hey, I'll give you five bucks to blow up that city," and you do it, and they back you up, Entropy won't bat an eye.<br>
Knockwood: BTW, did we surprise you this session?<br>
Random_Nerd: Hmm.  Not more than usual.<br>
Random_Nerd: But then, I try to not go into situations expecting things to go a certain way.<br>
Knockwood: ... if you expect surprises, are they still surprises?<br>
Random_Nerd: I know who the NPCs are, what they want, what they know, and what they can do.<br>
Random_Nerd: It's a mystery to me how it'll play out until it happens.<br>
Knockwood: including the Big Bad of this storyline in extreme detail?<br>
Random_Nerd: I know who the Big Bad here is.<br>
Random_Nerd: And why he did this.<br>
Random_Nerd: Is that what you mean?<br>
Knockwood: yeah<br>
Random_Nerd: If I didn't know that, I wouldn't be able to have the situation here correct.  Things wouldn't be shaped the way they are, and I'd have to bend things to make them fit when I settled on something.<br>
Random_Nerd: Retcons are a lot of work to do right.<br>
Random_Nerd: Easier to just figure that stuff out ahead of time, saves effort in the long run.<br>
Knockwood: true<br>
Random_Nerd: Won't say I /never/ do that, but I try to avoid it whenever possible.<br>
Knockwood: next week then?<br>
Knockwood: and Get Well Soon, Beth<br>
Theresa: Thanks, Knock.  :)<br>
Theresa: And next week as far as I know.<br>
Random_Nerd: Yeah, see you next week.<br>
Random_Nerd: Oh, and I may invite a potential player or two to come.<br>
Knockwood: oh yeah<br>
Knockwood: any solid leads?<br>
Random_Nerd: Some people I think might be good to ask.<br>
Knockwood: come to think of it, what's the word on Sara?<br>
Random_Nerd: Hadn't asked them, though, since I just today learned that Scurve had given up.<br>
Random_Nerd: Haven't heard from Sara in a couple weeks.<br>
Theresa: Hadn't heard from Sara since I went into the hospital.<br>
Random_Nerd: Since the games I do with her were canceled largely due to Beth's being unable to be there.
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Chancel_Amyra]]<br>
-[[Amyra:Chapter_11|Chapter 11]]
-<br><br>
 Scurve: And I appreciate your patience all this time. I've wanted to play with you guys since I was introduced to Nobilis by reading your AP thread on RPGnet like a year and a half ago.<br>
 Theresa: And I'm glad you're not upset.  I'm sorry I didn't make the surgery thing clearer.<br>
@@ Line 809: / Line 806: @@
 Theresa: Hadn't heard from Sara since I went into the hospital.<br>
 Random_Nerd: Since the games I do with her were canceled largely due to Beth's being unable to be there.
-<br><br>
-[[Chancel_Amyra]]<br>
-[[Amyra:Chapter_11|Chapter 11]]