Session 142

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 16

[INFO] Now logging to [file:///C:/Users/Angelo/AppData/Roaming/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/vkdq2mtf.default/chatzilla/logs/irc2.magicstar.net/channels/%23nobilis.2009-09-18.log].
[INFO] Channel view for ``#nobilis opened.
=-= User mode for Angelo is now +ix
--]| YOU (Angelo) have joined #nobilis
[Angelo] HI!
[Angelo] Are you a Nobilis watcher?
[Verithe] Indeed!
[Angelo] Nice! ^^
[Verithe] I've been reading the logs for a few months, now. But I wanted to watch "in person".
[Angelo] well, at what session are you?
[Verithe] 141. I have a lot of time on my hands...].]
--]| Random_Nerd (~scree-fic@MagicStar-D88E7E90.hsd1.il.comcast.net) has joined #nobilis
[Angelo] HI RN!
[Random_Nerd] Hey.

• Angelo poke Verithe "we have a public today "
  

[Verithe] *waves*
[Angelo] ^^
--]| BethE (~BethL@MagicStar-D88E7E90.hsd1.il.comcast.net) has joined #nobilis
[Random_Nerd] So, what brings you to this channel tonight, Verithe?
[Angelo] Hi Beth!
[BethE] Hi Angelo! *HUG*
[BethE] And hi Verithe?
[Verithe] Hello! I've been reading the logs for a few months, and wanted to watch.
[Random_Nerd] That's fine. Any questions on the game?
[Verithe] Not that I can think of.
[BethE] Welcome!  :)
[Angelo] (pss pssss... ask RN if Kudzu is an Excru! And if Vulcan is one toooo)
[Random_Nerd] Vulcan is not an excrucian!
[Verithe] Hehe
[Angelo] ok a 50% is a too good answer! :-P
[Angelo] btw RN your answer imply that kudzu is?
[Random_Nerd] It is ambiguous!
[BethE] What do you like about the game, V?
[Verithe] Your game or Nobilis in general?
[BethE] Either.
[Verithe] Well, your game is entertaining. It also looks like you guys have a lot of fun, which makes for an entertaining read as well.
[BethE] We try.  :)
--]| Knockwood (~chatzilla@MagicStar-D7DAC294.dhcp.reno.nv.charter.com) has joined #nobilis
[BethE] Glad that you enjoy it!
[Angelo] I can certify on my side of fun!
[Knockwood] Hi guys, sorry I'm late
[Angelo] HI Knok!
[Knockwood] New player?
[Angelo] We gained a watcher but not like the Buffy type, I believe
[BethE] Hi Knock!
[Random_Nerd] Hey, Knock.
[Verithe] Nobilis in general...is just something that seems to fit all of the characters I ever try to make, anyway. Well, not really. But the "deeply identifying with an aspect of reality" sort of thing.
[Verithe] Hi! I'm just a watcher. :)
[Knockwood] Kewl. This is the session where we'll finally wipe out that goblin camp, I think.  :)
[BethE] I thought it was when we finally find the princess in the castle!
[Angelo] noo the goblin are too well guarded. We go to the princess sidequest
[Knockwood] come on, Beth, you know the princess is always in another castle.
[BethE] But we keep hitting castles. One of them _has_ to have her.
[Random_Nerd] It's bound to work. Process of elimination. There's at least one princess, but only so many castles.
[Random_Nerd] Heh, and now my brain's switched to thinking of Braid.
[Knockwood] well, duh, it's the one in a perpetual dark cloud surrounded by legions of hellspawn
[Random_Nerd] But that's a bit obscure, plotwise, even for Nobilis.
[Angelo] right RN, but a Noble of castles + a preservation of castle number....
[Knockwood] where else would you put a princess?
[Angelo] under a carpet?
[Random_Nerd] In the bread box.
[Angelo] in the fridge?
[Angelo] or at a lake fishing some trout?
[Random_Nerd] Clearly, princesses are sly and elusive creatures.
[Random_Nerd] At any rate, anything we need to discuss before we start our session?
[Angelo] well I must appoint that I'm a bit off tonight
[Knockwood] OK, now I'm wondering the best way to do Magic Missile as a gift...
[Angelo] too much festegiation and alcohol...
=-= BethE is now known as Theresa
=-= YOU are now known as Ftisk
=-= Knockwood is now known as DanteE
[Theresa] Theresa wants to know if the death of Norman Borlaug was an attack towards her.
[Random_Nerd] Lesser Destruction of The Darkness?
[DanteE] BTW, I've been reading through the past sessions as part of my Who's Who thing...
[Ftisk] and...
[DanteE] Some interesting quotes:
[DanteE] Jan ben Jan: "Interesting. If you can discover the nature of what is outside and why we cannot discover it, I will sell you one of my eyes for that knowledge."
[DanteE] Kudzu, talking about JBJ: "I think that heknowsthingsabouttheWildthateventheWilddoesnot know."

• Random_Nerd smiles mysteriously.
  

[DanteE] Also: Night asked the Maple about the Grail
[Random_Nerd] I love it when a carefully-scattered set of plot seeds grows into delicious rows of Plot Corn.
[Random_Nerd] Now we shall harvest, ferment, and distill that corn, and get Plot Moonshine~!
[Random_Nerd] I can type, honest!
[DanteE] Tpyo luvz U
[DanteE] OBTW: what was that term you talked about in that one thread, the one you coined that now gets X thousand hits on Google?
[Random_Nerd] Borgstromancy.
[DanteE] You coined that?
[Random_Nerd] Yeah. It was new when I made it up in 2005, and I haven't seen any versions of it that predate it.
[Ftisk] really you coined that?
[DanteE] hm... pixelbitching gets 12,800 hits
[Random_Nerd] Heh. Sometimes, when a word gets made up, there's already a use for it.
[Random_Nerd] While I'm thinking about it... so, you guys really hadn't noticed that the weird stuff was just warmains?
[Ftisk] no, me not
[DanteE] It's not like we know too many Excrucians
[Random_Nerd] True.
[Theresa] Well, kinda. They're the closest to 'normal' Nobles.
[Theresa] Well, not counting Mimics.
[Theresa] Strats are just plain too weird.
[Random_Nerd] If all the Mimics freaked out... how would you be able to tell?
[Theresa] Quality of freakout? Direction of one?
[Verithe] (My wife left her lunch at home, so I have to deliver it. Maybe I'll be back in time to watch some more. Maybe I'll try again next week. *waves*)
[DanteE] ... the Aides, if properly prompted, would mention how certain familia were acting ... oddly
[Theresa] (Bye, V!)
[DanteE] (L8r, Verithe
[Random_Nerd] (Later.)
[Random_Nerd] That's a question. If there is a mimic-freakout, which Familias are suspect?
[Ftisk] (ciao V)
[DanteE] ours
[Theresa] Yep, ours. Probably a variety of Wild families.
[Random_Nerd] Yours, but what other Imperators have been acting oddly?
[DanteE] Define 'odd' WRT Imperators
[DanteE] Entropy, but he always acts odd
[Random_Nerd] Yeah, that's the hard part.
[Random_Nerd] Arguably, you could spot the Mimics because, by their code, they have to keep their heads down and act carefully.
[DanteE] Barakiel, but that has rationale behind it
[Random_Nerd] So, anyway. Shall we start?
[Ftisk] yep
[DanteE] OK
[DanteE] those goblins are TOAST...
[Random_Nerd] Okay. Roll initiative, monkeyboys!
[Theresa] Huh, that would be something. If Barakiel was a Mimic.
[Random_Nerd] __________________START___________________
[Random_Nerd] (Of course, if Barakiel /was/ a Mimic... what if he was still crazy?)
[DanteE] "Are you sure it's just Warmains acting odd? Well, odd-er?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "Well, Mimics, we don't know about, obviously."
[Theresa] "And how could you actually _tell_ with Strats?"
[DanteE] "Unless you've heard about trusted Imperators acting odd as well"
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "I kinda think the Deceivers and Strategists flipped out too, just in really weird and subtle ways."
[Random_Nerd] L: "But we have some confirmed Deceiver and Strategist contacts during that period, and they seemed to be acting normal."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "That's exactly what they /want/ us to think."
[DanteE] (any chance you've seen Airplane II, RN?)
[Random_Nerd] (Only the first one.)
[DanteE] (2 has Striker talked down by Shatner. :) )
[Random_Nerd] (Okay, I should see it.)
[DanteE] "Any idea what happened then? One of the things Ha-Qadosh wants us to do is figure that out."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "Shit hit the fan?"
[DanteE] "Well, they say whatever hits the fan is not evenly distributed."
[Random_Nerd] L: "I have no operating theories on the cause of the event. As near as I can guess, something happened out there."
[Theresa] "The fan of Outside is unbalanced."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "Interesting point. Are the Strategists going to freak out, too, in a week?"
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "We should be ready to exploit that if it happens."
[DanteE] (How long do we have before Whatever Happens Happens? And how long has it been since Breach Day?)

• Theresa ghosts up a copy of the letter that we got from Outside. The insulting one. "What do you make of this?"
  

[Random_Nerd] L: "But that just lets them fake us out, if they pretend it."
[Random_Nerd] (Until Attaris starts stuff? She gave you a time range, not an exact date, but I think it's at least six weeks away.)
[DanteE] "I seem to recall that you put together a History of the Valde Bellum. Any idea on what's happening now?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "This is from what you told the Council about?"
[Theresa] "Yep. The one that we got back when we sent a letter out with Ftisk's Anchor."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Yes, I did. But I don't know. My research was based almost entirely on our own side, although I did interview a couple Warmains. But that was years ago."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "One mimic, remember!"
[DanteE] "And that's odd enough, because it means there's a Domain active on both sides."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Well, yes. But I didn't know that at the time."
[Random_Nerd] L: "As far as I know, that can't happen."
[DanteE] "Apparently it can, that's a copy of the proof."
[Theresa] "It could be that the new Age might mean that estates can exist on both sides."
[Random_Nerd] L: "But as I understand the process, the Outside cannot be said to be in any particular Age."
[DanteE] "Of course, that would mean both sides also have... ah ...
[Ftisk] "If true This can lead to a end of hostilities"
[DanteE] "The Truth of the Name, and Deodands."
[Random_Nerd] L: "I don't know. Even if this can be arranged, in general, there's a lot of ill-feeling."
[Random_Nerd] L: "That's like saying hostilities in the Middle East can end now, because Israel and Palestine can agree to share the land evenly between them."
[DanteE] "Did Samuel tell you about our talking with that Shard?"
[Theresa] "Oh, yeah, sure. The fighting has been going on for so long, it's not like the new Age will come and everyone will join hands and sing."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Which shard?"
[DanteE] "WE spoke with one in New York. According to him, the Excrucians want Cneph's head on a platter for taking all the Estates."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "But that assumes things not in evidence. If the Excrucians really thought like we did, sure, it would be like that. But they don't, except when they're here."
[Random_Nerd] L, to E&C: "But if we could somehow share all the Estates, then they /would/ think like us. More like us, at least."
[DanteE] "Good point... presumably there's a Power of Rationale around somewhere."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Ah, no. I had not heard about that. Did he mention their god-figure at all, in that context?"
[DanteE] "They have one?"
[Theresa] "Well, someone had to have the authority to make the deal with Cneph."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Harumaph."
[Random_Nerd] L: "But I don't think they know much more about him than we do about Cneph. That, or they aren't telling us."
[DanteE] "Oh, right. I heard the name but never did get the context."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "Of course, some people think that /is/ Cneph. Or, like, his goatee-wearing evil twin."
[DanteE] "Do we know anything about Harumaph?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "The Excrucians are sometimes talked about as his 'children', but we don't think it's in a literal biological sense."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "If it does exist, it's as something above full Excrucians."
[Random_Nerd] L: "I disagree. Sometimes it's spoken of as a mindless principle."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "Sure, by Strategists..."
[Theresa] "But it could be both at the same time."
[Random_Nerd] E&C waves a metallic hand by his abstract head, in the "Crazy" signal.
[Theresa] (Is that crazy toward me or Strats?)
[DanteE] "Well... concepts we could relate it to are on this side of the Wall."
[Random_Nerd] (Ambiguous!)
[Random_Nerd] L: "The whole gnostic thing, you mean?"
[DanteE] "Or even Parentage."
[Random_Nerd] L: "And here we have the problem. Pretty much by definition, any analogy we make is going to be a bad one."
[DanteE] (Oddly enough, Analogies is over here too! :) )
[DanteE] "How did all the Estates wind up in one area anyway?"
[Theresa] (They're not.)
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "Damned if I know."
[Theresa] (Just most of them.)
[Random_Nerd] L: "That's the metaphysical equivalent of the antimatter question. It pretty clearly /is/ the case, but we don't know /why/."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "I'm pretty sure that /they/ don't. And not just because 'knowing why' is probably one of the things they don't have."
[Theresa] (Are there more humans or more Dionyl in the universe?)
[Random_Nerd] (Humans.)
[Theresa] "Maybe it's because of the thing about humans that we saw in that vision of Hope's..."
[Random_Nerd] (Dionyl has less than a third as many people as Earth, for one thing. Plus, Dionyl haven't spread as widely, most likely because they don't have a Light going around putting its eggs in many baskets.)
[Random_Nerd] L: "What thing is that?"
[DanteE] "What do the Aides know about us now?"
[Theresa] "That humanity was going to be Imperators but then the Fall happened and the whole plan to have Dionyl and humans be Imperators had to be scrapped."
[Theresa] "The concentration of Estates on Earth might just be a by-product of humanity's possiblities."
[Random_Nerd] L: "I'm sure they have a whole file on you. But regrettably, my memory is not perfect, and it's got a lot of stuff going around in it already."
[Theresa] (And there's a word I want to use but I can't think of the exact word I want. I think it starts with a p and it means possibility.)
[Random_Nerd] L: "Disadvantage of living a long time while still being just human."
[Theresa] (potential! That's it, thank you dear...)
[DanteE] "Guess that explains the library you've written... :)"
[Random_Nerd] L: "I see that as more due to the War. Earth has no more True Gods than the next world of similar size."
[Theresa] "It could also be that the Wild and/or the Excrucians were caused by the fact that humans and Dionyl weren't there to take the slack but that may just be crazy-talk."
[Random_Nerd] L: "But it's a major battlefront, so many Imperators have made their Chancels there."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "You know, I wonder. What would it be like, if there was just one kind of Imperator, but combining in some way the traits of Light, Dark, and those freaky Dionyl ones."
[DanteE] "... are there other worlds that have seen as much fighting?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "A few. Some are not as congenial to enchanceling as Earth is. Joutunheim, for instance."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "I think they just get by with as little as they have because joutun Nobles are hardcore."
[Theresa] (Great. I blame RN because I am now picturing Kenpachi from the Bleach anime as a Joutunheim Imperator.)
[Random_Nerd] L: "And, of course, there are a lot of attacks near the bottom of the Tree, but they mostly get by with Fallen Nobles moving over from Hell."
[Verithe] (Back!)
[Theresa] "Hmm..what if this is just a signal that only Warmains are switching sides? What would that get us?"
[Theresa] (Welcome back!)
[DanteE] (HIya Verithe)
[Random_Nerd] L: "If they genuinely were switching sides, and we believed them? We would win."
[DanteE] "Well, they'd still have Strategists and Mimics"
[Random_Nerd] L: "I mean, that'd mean that one side has the Angels /and/ the Warmains."
[Random_Nerd] L: "And while Strategists are really good at what they do... they still need Warmains to actually do most of the one-on-one fighting."
[Theresa] "That gift that took out John's throat...yeah, that's serious offensive power."
[DanteE] "Has our 'report' on the effects of the Wall been propagated?"
[Theresa] (Retcon my line. Wrong Gift.)
[Random_Nerd] L: "Not against Nobles. It wouldn't even work on me."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "It totally would, just... not directly."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Okay, granted. But it's still more a tool than a direct weapon, when they're fighting Nobles."
[DanteE] "Let's see, if Warmains were motivated to cross, and their memories got eaten...
[Random_Nerd] L: "I would argue, rather, that they don't /have/ memories as we would understand the term."
[DanteE] "They might just revert to the behaviors they know, which means fighting."
[DanteE] "Then again, we only know of 2 beings that crossed the Wall... one fought with Jeris, and the other was Suebi/Sakharoth.
[Random_Nerd] L: "I think it's a little more involved than that."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Uh, and all the Wildlords, and that one crazy Magister of the Light..."
[DanteE] "Oh, reminds me, did he get an Aide from you guys?"
[DanteE] "... what Magister of the Light?"
[Ftisk] (barakiel?)
[DanteE] (No, he's Heaven & Hell, not Light)
[Random_Nerd] L: "One of the ones that crossed over, trying to look for a place for humans to live Out There. I gather it didn't work, but one of 'em made it back alive."
[Theresa] "He made it back? Wow!"
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "No surprise. That's about how things work when They come Here."
[Theresa] "What's the story behind that one?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "Well... part of him did. He was in pretty bad shape."
[DanteE] "... wait. He went crazy right as all the breaches opened?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "Not that I know of... huh. Do you have one of your Aides handy?"
[DanteE] "They have phones..."
[DanteE] "William or Samuel?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "I don't think my phone is likely to work here, could one of you call them?"

• Theresa calls Sam.
  

[Theresa] "Hey Sam, we have a quick research thing for you. Have a moment?"
[Random_Nerd] Sam: "Sure. What is it?"

• Theresa hands the phone over to Luc. "You know the details. If need be, we can also check the boss's Library."
  

[Random_Nerd] L: "You're authorized to make minor deals for the Society, right?"
[Random_Nerd] Sam: "I... guess. Who is this?"

• Theresa grins.
  

[Random_Nerd] L: "This is the old man. If the Society can get me an answer as to what happened to Ja Phon at the time that all the Warmains went weird, I can arrange for one lesser miracle to be performed by my boss."
[Random_Nerd] Sam: "Ah... I can do that. On it at once."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Excellent. They know how to reach me."
[Random_Nerd] Luc hangs up.
[Random_Nerd] Luc hands Theresa her phone back.
[Theresa] "Thank you."
[Theresa] "Hey Dante, you're connected to the Chancel more than I am...what does the Boss know about Ja Phon?"
[DanteE] "I'll check the Library,.,," (1 RMP, right?)
[Random_Nerd] (Whatever a Lesser Div costs you.)
[DanteE] (At Realm 1, I think that's it)
[Random_Nerd] "Ja Phon, formerly Ja Reh Phon. Magister of the Light, formerly a major leader in the Colonial faction of the Light. Was crippled in an attempt to explore outside the Weirding Wall, lost the Estate of Terapses while he was out there."
[DanteE] "... what are Terapses?"
[Theresa] (Colonial?)
[Random_Nerd] (The ones behind trying to spread humans to as many places as possible.)
[DanteE] (Guess: wants to find a place to settle Out There? :) )
[Theresa] (Ahhh. And of course we wouldn't know what terapses are.)
[Theresa] (And when did he go out there?)
[Random_Nerd] (About ten, fifteen years ago.)
[Theresa] (Ah, so it wasn't connected to the 500 year thingie.)
[DanteE] "There's a Library entry for Ja Phon, formerly Ja Reh Phon"
[DanteE] (Any word on what his Estates are?)
[Random_Nerd] (Ah, yes, that's there too.)
[DanteE] (While I'm at it, I'll listen for Terapses)
[Theresa] "Hmm, so he lost at least that part of himself to Outside."
[Random_Nerd] "Estates of Ja Phon are pneumantics and exploration."
[Random_Nerd] Terapses were a kind of device similar to a firearm, but they used compressed light as the propellant, rather than chemical reactions.
[DanteE] (a laser? Or a blaster?)
[Random_Nerd] The same technique was also used in space vessels, as it allowed for the breaking of the Rocket Equation, by making it possible to use massless "reaction mass."
[DanteE] (Also: pneumantics? Or pneumatics
[Random_Nerd] (More like... an airgun, but with light instead of air.)
[DanteE] ?)
[Random_Nerd] (e(pneumatics)
[Random_Nerd] (pneumatics even.)
[Random_Nerd] (Hello, Tpyo.)
[Theresa] (*looks up word*)
[Random_Nerd] "Losing Terapses is one of the reasons why the space colonies of Earth have not yet been rebuilt."
[Theresa] (Huh. Wonder if he just built a ship and flew through the Wall.)
[DanteE] "That sounds like a mix of a laser and an airgun. Airguns use pneumatics...
[DanteE] (Any contradictory word from the Library of what Ja Reh Phon's Domains were?)
[Random_Nerd] (That was from the library, sorry.)
[Random_Nerd] (I figure, as long as you keep your attention over there, you can listen for stuff as if you were there.)
[DanteE] (I'm still listening to the Library.
[Random_Nerd] (Listening for anything else?)
[DanteE] (Theresa, Ftisk, you see where I'm going, right?)
[Theresa] (Not really but then again I can't 'hear' the Library unless you tell me...)
[Ftisk] (me too)
[DanteE] (^ If Kudzu has been around for more than 10-15 years, and knew Ja Phon from before then, he might know different Estates)
[Theresa] (And even OOC, I don't think I get what you're going for. Unless the thought that if Kudzu is a mimic, he would know more about the Outside.)
[Theresa] (Well, Luc would know the missing Estate if he bothered to know and remember the guy.)
[Theresa] (But yeah, we can compare the Estate lists.)
[Random_Nerd] (Anyone who had been a Noble or Anchor back then, and lived on Earth, would remember terapses.)
[DanteE] (Logic: Whatever happened on Breach Day affected those with ties to outside. It affected Ja Phon. Which means Ja Phon has ties to Outside. Which he shouldn't... unless he's not the same Ja Phon)
[Theresa] (We don't know that he got affected _yet_. Sam's still researching.)
[DanteE] "Luc... what exactly do you mean by Ja Phon 'went crazy'?"
[Ftisk] (and with this logic all excru type will be affect not only warmains)
[Theresa] (We have a small Dionyl-shaped hourglass turning over and over.)
[DanteE] (Warmains and Wildlords, remember)
[Ftisk] (yes but no mimic or others)
[Random_Nerd] L: "Well, he stepped Outside. And this was /after/ about a half-dozen had done this before him, and none came back at all. And we kinda needed those Estates."
[DanteE] (Unless they just held it in better...)
[Random_Nerd] L: "That was what made the Light put that project on the back burner. They were losing too many that they needed."
[DanteE] "I mean on the day Jeris was attacked and Sakharoth reappeared."
[Random_Nerd] L: "So... crazy in the sense of someone who smokes in a gasoline refinery, while he's the only person alive who knows the secret formula to Coca Cola..."
[Random_Nerd] (If I said that he did, it was a misstatement. No one there knows either way. What are you talking about?)
[Theresa] (Luc said that the guy went crazy when he came back from Outside. We're looking up what he was doing on the Day of Weird.)
[Theresa] (He came back crazy. We're checking his crazy dipstick now.)
[Random_Nerd] L: "And he came back... not doing too well, mentally speaking."
[DanteE] "Just to be sure: on That Day, who all was acting weirder than usual? Wildlords and Warmains...
[Random_Nerd] Luc suddenly goes rigid, bends at a weird angle, and has his eyes roll back up into his head.
[Theresa] (Were Wildlords?)
[Random_Nerd] As Luc mutters gibberish, C&E says "Don't worry. This isn't anything to worry about."
[DanteE] (Kudzu was Dreaming, remember)
[Theresa] "Ah, good. I didn't want to have to explain to Will and Sam that we broke their boss."
[Theresa] (Ah, thank you, Dante.)
[DanteE] "Did we crash his brain?"\
[Random_Nerd] Luc gets off the floor, and pulls a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the spittle off his face.
[Random_Nerd] L: "Okay, so Ja Phon did not go crazier that day. Rather, for a series of several hours, he was actually quite lucid. Much more than usual."
[DanteE] "That ... is interesting."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Much more so than what I originally supposed, in fact."
[Theresa] "Hmm...it could be that he received back what he was missing."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Well, it didn't last. But, yes, for that time, he was much more functional."
[DanteE] "Did they check to make sure it was actually Ja Phon that came back?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "Well, he didn't have Nobles. But he certainly looked the same... at least, if you ignore the injuries. And he clearly was the Imperator of Pneumatics and Exploration."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "Besides, if they were going to slip in a ringer, wouldn't they make him seem like he did before?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "I don't know. If it were me, I might have made him seem changed in a way that makes sense, to cover any knowledge gaps."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "I suppose. Not how I'd do it, though."
[DanteE] (Did the Library have JP's Estates before his trip?)
[Random_Nerd] (Uh... in the sense of listing the one that was gone? Yes, if that.)
[DanteE] "Does he have Nobles now?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "No. He didn't before he went out, and since... he hasn't really been in any shape to do an Enchanceling. That's why, rather unusually, one of the members of the Society works for him directly."
[Random_Nerd] L: "A crippled and mentally diminished god has needs that most people are not equipped to supply."
[DanteE] (Damn. If he is a Mimic, exposing him loses those Estates.)

• Ftisk mourmur "poor one..."
  

[Ftisk] (if he is a mimic the estates are already lost)
[DanteE] (Well, that'd mean Estates _close_ to those are lost.)
[Random_Nerd] L: "True. For all that I think it was an insane risk on his part, it does take guts to go outside. And an Imperator is going to get noticed almost at once, just like we spot any full Excrucians within the hour."
[DanteE] "Hm...
[Theresa] "There isn't really a sign for 'parley' or 'truce' or 'not the face!' in those situations, is there?"
[DanteE] "With this (the paper Theresa made), it took Summoning ability to forge the link.
[DanteE] "and if Ja Phon was more lucid during the breach...
[DanteE] "He may be able to recover some of his marbles if we do the same thing there."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "If a Strategist charged through a gap in the Wall, and you were an Angel, would /you/ put the flaming sword away just because he put his hands up?"
[DanteE] "We'll need Shadows' help..."
[Ftisk] (shadow isn’t out with his familia to party for the crown achievement?)
[Random_Nerd] L: "If it were my choice, I'd prefer to get a summoner of less suspect ties. But I suppose this doesn't really have much to do with Barakiel's hobby horses."
[Random_Nerd] (He is, in fact.)
[DanteE] (Rules question: does our Dim Warding affect 'Nobles' of Mimics?)
[Random_Nerd] (Nope.)
[Random_Nerd] (For all mechanical purposes, they are utterly normal Nobles.)
[Theresa] "A strategist, no. I figure that a good strat can make me think he's lying when he's telling the truth and possibly making insinuations about my mother, God bless her."
[Random_Nerd] L: "But I would suggest that you send a messenger to Locus Ja Phon. If he's in one of his more reasonable moods, he may be able to agree with it, or even provide some support."
[DanteE] "... then again, if it works there, it would work with our resident Outsider, wouldn't it?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "The one on Dionyl? While I have no power to compell you, please, don't try it."
[Random_Nerd] L: "He currently seems to be loyal to Creation, based on what you said. Best not to chance with it."
[DanteE] "The one _here_. Kudzu experienced something like a dream that day."
[DanteE] "Wait, that might be worse..."
[Random_Nerd] L: "If you're going to do that, please permit me time to leave the chancel."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "I, on the other hand, would totally like to see that."
[Random_Nerd] L: "That's because you aren't here!"
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "Point."
[DanteE] "... therefore the best one to try that on would be someone without a Chancel, who can be contained. Which means Ja Phon."
[Theresa] (I love you, dear.)
[DanteE] "What happened to his Chancel, by the way?"
[Theresa] (He didn't have one. Remember? No Nobles before he went out.)
[Random_Nerd] L: "He doesn't actually have a Chancel, technically. But one of the other Lightlords has provided him a place, and out of respect to a crippled veteran of the War, we refer to it as if it were his own."
[DanteE] (Doesn't mean no Chancel)
[Ftisk] (well channel and nobles are not necessarily connected)
[Ftisk] (jink Dante)
[Theresa] (Ah.)
[DanteE] "Did he have a Chancel before going Outside?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "No. That was partly why he volunteered."
[DanteE] "Is the expedition detailed in your book somewhere?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "Not in any of my books, although I did write a brief article on it."
[DanteE] "Any chance you have a Book Club?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "Most of my writings have a fairly limited circulation. There aren't all that many scholars of Noble society."
[Random_Nerd] L: "But I could have a copy of anything you want sent to you."
[Ftisk] "Yes please!"
[Theresa] *a little shyly* "I would like to read it."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Do you have a preferred format?"
[DanteE] "Well... your book on the War, and that article you mentioned, for starters."
[Random_Nerd] L: "I take it you want the most recent published edition of my History, and not the one still going through peer review?"
[Ftisk] "any digital one will be fine"
[Random_Nerd] L: "Should I have it delivered to you here, or in Locus Vulcan?"
[DanteE] "... actually, the latter sounds interesting, especially if there's new information in it."
[Ftisk] "here please"
[Random_Nerd] L: "There is, but it's not in a polished form."
[DanteE] "Neither are we. :) "
[Random_Nerd] L: "I will see to it, as soon as I return home. Do you give permission for a courier to cross your borders, to deliver these copies?"
[DanteE] "Certainly."
[DanteE] (Hm... if Ftisk uses his magic on a digital copy, could he spot potential Mimics?)
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "I can deliver Ftiskaaaahk Sn'Gnok's copy now, if you like."
[Theresa] (Wow, someone who can pronounce Ftisk's name!)
[Random_Nerd] (Eh... probably not. At least, unless you come up with an approach that I can't currently think of.)
[Ftisk] (how can I spot a mimic? with data domain?)
[Ftisk] (I'm awed too)
[Random_Nerd] (Well, maybe if you were able to go through a lot of information, and spot contradictions and so on.)
[Random_Nerd] (And bear in mind, "using miracles to check for mimics" /is/ part of peer review, for this sort of thing.)
[Theresa] (I think that should go on the quote page.)
[Ftisk] (then probably not)
[Ftisk] (@T: yes is quote worthy)
[Random_Nerd] (So... not because it's a bad idea, but because it's a good idea that other people have also had.)
[Ftisk] "Yes please Electricity and Copper deliver it now"
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "Is there a computer around that I may use?"
[DanteE] "What we could really use is an Imperator phone book..."

• Ftisk float up and down bursting with anticipation while he LC a computer
  

[Random_Nerd] E&C waves a hand of his copper puppet at the computer.
[Ftisk] "tha da! a computer!"
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "Done."

• Ftisk cursory scan the files
  

[Random_Nerd] E&C: "I have copies of most of these in internal storage, and it's a trivial exercise to manipulate the flow of electricity in that computer in such a way as to write it on the hard drive."
[Random_Nerd] He's put them in various file formats. It's a fair bit of text, one that would take quite a while to read if you weren't, y'know, the material embodiment of information.
[DanteE] (Lesser Creation of Cliff's Notes? :) )
[Ftisk] (lol)
[Random_Nerd] L: "And I will have bound books delivered here. Any preferences in the bindings, typefaces, or anything similar?"
[Ftisk] "thank you Electricity"
[DanteE] "Considering we're on a college campus I'm tempted to say pizza-proof..."
[Theresa] "I prefer a softbound copy, if it is available. Leatherbound just makes me want to leave it on a shelf so it doesn't get mussed."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Certainly. And you, Dante?"
[DanteE] "Another copy like hers, I think. And don't forget that article on Ja Phon's expedition."
[Random_Nerd] L: "I'll just also send a copy of the journal in which that appeared."
[DanteE] "Come to think of it, maybe we should just talk about prices for your help with the Big Questions we're supposed to figure out/."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Sadly, I am happy with my current employer. That said, if you were able to offer things of benefit to him, I'm sure a deal could be reached in return for my services in some matters not detrimental to his interests."
[Theresa] "We'll consider it."
[DanteE] "We'll ask our Aides about a deal with Bone."
[Theresa] "Are there any refreshments that either of you would like? Electricity, I know that your form probably doesn't need sustanance, but if there's something you'd like to bring back with you?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "Also, it is important to bear in mind that there is much I simply do not know."
[DanteE] "Actually, speaking of deals...
[Random_Nerd] L: "While I'm relatively well known, I am but one man, and merely human."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Yes?"
[DanteE] to the Maple: "What was that about the Grail?"
[DanteE] (Assuming at some point Theresa told me what she divined about what Night asked the Maple...)
[Random_Nerd] (Are you switching to the mythic perspective?)
[DanteE] (I try to firewall, really I do... :) )
[DanteE] (Yep)
[Random_Nerd] Maple: "Refresh my memory, please."
[DanteE] "When Night asked you about what you learned about Kudzu, he also asked you something about the Grail before he was interrupted..."
[Random_Nerd] Maple: "Ah, yes. While I've never actually seen it, I do hear things."
[Random_Nerd] M: "While there aren't any plants actually in the chamber with the Grail, our esteemed king does talk to his potted plants from time to time."
[Random_Nerd] M: "And word gets around."

• Theresa perks up. And thinks well of John talking to his plants.
  

[Theresa] "About anything in particular?"
[Theresa] (And great, my Chancel is full of gossiping plants. ^^ )
[DanteE] "Night was asking you about something specific, though..."
[Ftisk] (btw: these info remembered by plants are under data?)
[Random_Nerd] Maple: "Well, nowadays, he still worries that something will go wrong again. He hasn't seen any signs of the chamber being invaded, but he still is a bit nervous each time he goes in. And that unsettles him, because he's worried that he'll be shaky enough that he gets some of the rituals wrong."
[DanteE] to Loc: "What have you heard about our Relics, by the way?"
[Random_Nerd] (No. The plants are not sentient beings. Well, other than the Maple himself.)
[Ftisk] (k)
[DanteE] *Luc
[Random_Nerd] L: "They're the real thing. And an Excrucian-shard tried to... do something with them, I wasn't clear on what, but you stabbed it with the Spear?"
[DanteE] "Not quite. The Spear stabbed it by itself."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Interesting."
[Theresa] "Aww, poor John. The whole thing must have spooked him rather good. And the whole losing his throat thing. But yeah, he takes his job so seriously. And plus he was so worried that even just us going in would set the Relics off."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Did it?"
[DanteE] "So we don't include her in our tally of 3 dead Shards and 1 driven off."
[Random_Nerd] L: "You should go visit Bone. He would like to share war stories, I imagine, and display the armor and weapons of his defeated enemies."
[DanteE] (should show him Ick. :) )
[Theresa] "Not that we know of. I did a lot of apologizing too. We tried to do the quick-time rituals for entering but also requested that the Treasures take out their vengeance on us instead of the Chancel or John if necessary."
[Random_Nerd] L: "I'm glad it worked well."
[DanteE] (Reminds me... we should look over Message in Mythic, see if any of those spider threads point to something substantial)
[Random_Nerd] (Well, now you know where he is, so it'll be easier.)
[DanteE] "No, if the Relics are mad they're mad at me. Rather not talk about that..."

• Ftisk enlong a stalk toward Dante with curious eyes
  

[Theresa] "But so far, so good on plagues and so forth."
[Random_Nerd] Maple: "Well, as long as it's not Dutch Elm Disease, I'm good..."
[DanteE] "Biggest plague on Amyra now is us."

• Ftisk laught "and me too!"
  

[Random_Nerd] (We should stop soon.)
[Theresa] (He's not an elm, though...)
[Ftisk] (Yeah! We should stop)
[DanteE] (OK, let's see how many more plot points we can squeeze out of Luc! :) )
[Random_Nerd] (Which is why he doesn't want to get it! I mean, if the word gets out on the sentient tree web pages that he consorts with elms...)
[Random_Nerd] (Huh. You guys have at least three sentient trees with speaking roles.)
[DanteE] "What's the latest on Sakharoth, by the way?"
[Random_Nerd] L: "I believe he prefers 'Caesar' now. I understand that this is, in some obscure way, your doing."
[DanteE] (and which tree's #3?)
[Random_Nerd] (Alan the Ash.)
[Theresa] (Triffid Boy!)
[Ftisk] (is a recurring theme... almost)
[Theresa] "He asked for a better name since the two he knew had connotations that he wasn't ready for yet."
[Theresa] (And Maple has net access? Huh... And now I'm thinking of Red Tweeting.)
[Random_Nerd] L: "That actually makes sense. Why Caesar, though? The whole 'conqueror' element makes me a bit nervous."
[DanteE] "That may be more 'great leader', though."
[Random_Nerd] L: "Fair enough."
[Theresa] (Hmm...I should ask Ftisk to see if any sentient trees or plant beings have web sites.)
[Ftisk] (will be an interesting query)
[DanteE] "Luc... thank you for coming, and talking to us."
[Theresa] (Amyra and then worldwide.)

• DanteE goes to shake his hand.
  

[Ftisk] (well I leave a week to RN to prepare the answer)
[Verithe] (I can just imagine blogs of transformed humans popping up all over the Amyran web.)
[Random_Nerd] Luc shakes Dante's hand.

• Ftisk pats on the shoulder E&C "Was a pleasure to meet you"
  

[Random_Nerd] L: "Nice meeting all of you."
[Theresa] (He's giving me answers here. Apparently Alan the Triffid has a blog...)
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "Yes, I'm glad to finally see you in person."
[Theresa] "It was good to meet the both of you as well." *smile*
[DanteE] "Thank you... but, would you consider making peace with Consequences?
[Ftisk] "Luc, you were enlightening"
[Ftisk] "Yes please, Electricity, Consequence is not a bad Noble"
[DanteE] "We need everyone on 'our side' communicating and cooperating."
[Random_Nerd] L: "I am willing to make a peace with Consequences. He'd just have to agree to my terms."
[Random_Nerd] E&C: "Like not plotting the murder of fundamental foundations of reality?"
[DanteE] (That was to E&C, not Luc)
[Random_Nerd] L: "Like that."
[Random_Nerd] (Luc assumed it was to him.)
[DanteE] (Do they know about Barakiel's new plan?)
[Random_Nerd] (Yes, and they both think it's nearly as stupid.)
[Random_Nerd] ____________STOP__________________
[DanteE] "Well... can you say with certainty that Attaris is 'on our side'?"
[DanteE] (oops)
=-= YOU are now known as Angelo
=-= Theresa is now known as BethE
=-= DanteE is now known as Knockwood
[Angelo] Nice session guys!
[BethE] Interesting session. New ways to head out and it was cool to meet Luc.  :)
[Angelo] I'm sorry may participation was really low...
[Random_Nerd] That's fine. Sometimes that's how it goes.
[Random_Nerd] And the session had a pretty good inertia, it wasn't dragging much.
[Angelo] right
[Random_Nerd] So, now that you've talked to him for a while, what do you guys think of Luc?
[Angelo] is too afraid for me
[Knockwood] keep forgetting he's only human
[Knockwood] granted, he's kinda _the_ human, but still... :)
[BethE] I think he's cool. And not Lucifer.
[Angelo] Yes definitely not lucifer or a weird lucifer or a brain washed lucifer
[Knockwood] are you _suuuuuure_? :)
[Random_Nerd] That's exactly what he wants you to think!
[Angelo] Yes definitely not lucifer or a weird lucifer or a brain washed luciferLuc sell to me his not luciferyness
[Angelo] :-P
[Knockwood] or... "That's just what they're expecting us to do!" [-that's the line from Airplane II
[Knockwood] ... come to think of it it's in Airplane! too, isn't it?
[Random_Nerd] It... sounds familiar.
[BethE] I can't help it that in this game we have multiple people maybe being multiple other people.
[Knockwood] except us
[Random_Nerd] Well, time to change that!
[Random_Nerd] Make a secret identity!
[Knockwood] he just wants us as confused as he gets
[BethE] We had those Excrucian-based versions of us.
[Angelo] Too many idetites sorry, 'm confused.. :-P
[Angelo] no extra/otherside of wall us
[Knockwood] BTW... you might consider putting together a Cliff's Notes of the campaign
[Angelo] what is a cliff note?
[BethE] (As was pointed out to me, there are three people who may or may not be Entropy...)
[Random_Nerd] Cliff Notes are a series of study aids sold to lazy high school students.
[Angelo] ah, we have cliff notes belts
[Random_Nerd] Don't want to read Moby Dick? Buy a pamphlet that summarizes the plot, characters, and themes.
[Angelo] with 3 layers
[Verithe] We were forbidden to touch Cliff's Notes at my high school. D:
[Knockwood] well, they're a little more substantial than that
[Knockwood] Verithe! Want to play a tree? :D
[Angelo] well then are "bignami": a summary + explaining on a subject
[Angelo] one? why one? all of them!
[Knockwood] Angelo: got those for literature?
[Verithe] A tree?

• Angelo look at theresa raction on the thought of someone touching *HER* maple
  

[Knockwood] ... is that a euphemism?  :)
[Angelo] A sentient one!
[Angelo] urgk... there is some subtext in my line?
[BethE] :) I have thought of making the Maple an Anchor, but making an unmoving Anchor kinda defeats the purpose of an Anchor.
[Knockwood] no, but 'touching her maple' sure sounds like one
[Angelo] well Major change can fix that
[Random_Nerd] The Maple doesn't want to be animate.
[Angelo] ohh my! :-(
[Random_Nerd] He wouldn't mind being able to speak, though.
[BethE] He's happy just being a Maple.  :)
[BethE] I can do that!
[Angelo] well then..
[Angelo] nevermind
[BethE] (Does he want to play 'freak the Mundanes' like Allan?  :) )
[Knockwood] OK, what's our next step?
[Verithe] :)
[Angelo] hey the sun just show off! Is a new Day!
[Angelo] (a least is here!)
[Angelo] btw again when do you have the dst hour change?
[Knockwood] BTW, do you stay up late or get up early for these?
[Knockwood] November, I think
[Angelo] then there is a bit of time before that
[Random_Nerd] Anyway, I need to sleep. I have classes tomorrow, and the professors are very insistent on me being awake for them.
[Random_Nerd] Good session, guys.
[Knockwood] RN: ha, lectures are better when asleep.
[Verithe] Sleep well!
[Angelo] really RN you must try that
[Angelo] :-P
[Angelo] Bye RN good night
[Knockwood] oyasumi-nasai
[Verithe] !
[BethE] Night, guys! Hope you enjoyed watching, V!  :)
[Angelo] Bye Beth night *Hug*
[Verithe] I did!
[Knockwood] Oh...
[Knockwood] almost forgot:
[Knockwood] I actually got that 2nd GWB copy I mentioned.
[Angelo] YAY!
[Random_Nerd] Cool. How much did it cost you?
[Knockwood] Now I'm deciding what to do with it.
[BethE] *HUGS*
[Angelo] sell it for 4000$
[Random_Nerd] Heh.
[Knockwood] ah, $66 + $21 S&H for the GWB and GoP
[Angelo] cash the gain go to some subtropical island for a bit
[Random_Nerd] Not too bad for both books.
[Angelo] simply!
|[-- BethE has left irc2.magicstar.net (Connection reset by peer)
[Random_Nerd] Anyway, see you next week.
|[-- Random_Nerd has left irc2.magicstar.net (Disintegrated: )
[Verithe] Oh, wow! That cheap?
[Angelo] really you are a eBay sniper1
[Knockwood] well, the price is going down since a new edition is supposedly coming...
[Angelo] here, in europe, go over 200€
[Angelo] well you trust GOO news
[Knockwood] Last one I got I sold to a guy in Rio for 300 real
[Verithe] I don't even know how much I could get it here....but definitely not that cheap.
[Knockwood] ~$162
[Angelo] well, there is always the lucky old store bin
[Angelo] or the locate someone, stab it take the GWB routine
[Verithe] If I can find a store that sells books in English...
[Angelo] where are you V?
[Verithe] Japan.
[Angelo] Oh a bit offhand
[Verithe] Yeah...
[Knockwood] heh... tempted to ask you for rare anime
[Knockwood] ... or H ...
[Angelo] well I must go. I've 2 kids to awake and prepare to kindergarten!
[Verithe] Take care, Angelo!
[Knockwood] good .. well, morning, Angelo
[Angelo] se you next week!
[Angelo] night Knock
[Angelo] ciao Verithe
[--| YOU (Angelo) have left #nobilis


Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 16