Session 77

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 10

Carrie: I'd like to plan a bit before we talk to Barakiel. Demonboxing is a risk, but I prefer that to rabbitunboxing.
Brian: some crazy-ass thing. Although, sadly, I don't have anything like that :(
Theresa: Talk for plans and go from there. If Brian wants to go crazy, he can find a bowl of water and see if it talks to him?  :)
Brian: :-P
Brian: we DO have a big giant bunny sitting outside..
DanteE: we have a basic plan, ne? We could run parts of that by Cons and Shadows and see what they think
Theresa: We already know the bunny will talk to you. <G>
Theresa: Dante - yep. And we can tailor it a bit depending on how quickly they back away.
Carrie: Well, Consequences has said already that telling Barakiel that it's our job to talk him out of his current position is *probably* not the best idea.
Carrie: Want to take the planning IC, though?
Brian: sounds like fun.
DanteE: (how much have we already done IC?)
Random_Nerd: Sounds good. That acceptable to all?
Random_Nerd: (How much what?)
Theresa: (Not really any discussion of what we're doing IC. Mostly talk about the different viewpoints.)
Theresa: Soudns acceptable.
DanteE: (planning. Been a while., :)
Random_Nerd: ______________START_____________
Brian: (ah yes, we'd just got to our room, right?)
Theresa: (About how fast is the rate of 'normalizing' the room happening?)
Carrie: (Basically.)
Random_Nerd: The place looks, more or less, like a rather expensive hotel suite. Rather than looking like, for instance, Hell.
Random_Nerd: (It's pretty much at the stage of being the same in both worlds.)
Brian: "So, guys, what's our approach? I mean, we're pretty well to say 'Barakiel, you're wrong. Do the opposite.'"
Brian: "But I don't think he'd take kindly to that..."
DanteE: (Where are the folks (et al.) we brought with us?
Theresa: (Sam is Guarding the Rabbit. Along with Snow.)
Random_Nerd: (William's there. You left Samuel with the bunny.)
Theresa: (Will is with us, along with Lesson.)
DanteE: "Well... if we get a handle on what his current position is...
Brian: "I don't think even his minions know what his current position is. Hell, I don't know if he knows we're here yet ..."
DanteE: "we may be able to change it without mentioning why.
Random_Nerd: (Chaos Butterly Persuasion Technique!)
DanteE: "As it stands...
DanteE: (we know the options WRT the millennium's end IC, right?)
Brian: (Remind me what the options are?)
Random_Nerd: (You have some theories.)
Theresa: ("Yay, humans!" "Boo, humans!" "Cheese." "Boom!"
Theresa: )
DanteE: (I think we'd figured Bara was going to 'stop the clock' somehow)
Random_Nerd: (Assume everything will be fine. Plan for the worst. Flip out and kill everyone. Make a truce with the Excrucians. Find Time and the Phoenix Family and smash their faces in with a brick so that the age won't turn. Stuff like that.)
Brian: "What do we know of Barakiel? How's he likely to view things?"

• Carrie comments idly, staring off in no particular direction. "Whatever we might know, it would only lead us to supposition after supposition. I think we are most likely to find out if we ask him personally, though indirectly."
  

Theresa: "Well, he's an Angel. He likes to Watch. He got pardoned?"
DanteE: "Oddly enough, our resident Wildlord is actually a little more predictable here...
Brian: "As an Imperator, he's likely to see through any 'subtle' plans of ours."
Theresa: "Plus the fact that we don't do subtle well?"
Brian: "Hence the audible quotes around 'subtle' ^_^"
Random_Nerd: William: "Let's see. He's old and angelic, which would tilt him in the direction of being conservative. He's known a bit for attempting to conciliate between Heaven and Hell, which would make it plausible for him to want to make peace with the Enemy. And he's known for doing strange and extreme things, which could mean anything."
Theresa: "Ahh, I need to adjust my hearing aid." *smile*
DanteE: "Kudzu embodies Hope, Courage and Numbers. Given that, it's a good bet that he'd want to let Humanity face whatever's coming."

• Carrie twists her hair around a finger. "Then perhaps we can be open, but the point is not to put him in a situation where telling us would wound his pride."
  

Brian: "Indeed."
Theresa: "On one hand, it would be hard to hurt his pride with even a howitzer. On the other, it probably cracks like an egg."
Carrie: "Our Lord gave the impression that he didn't even know the Jovian Angel's position specifically."
Random_Nerd: William: "Which is strange. It makes it sound like Lord Kudzu mistrusts his enemy's position even more than he trusts his own."
DanteE: "wildlords doing something strange? :)"
Theresa: "Well, it's possible that Barakiel has more, what is it called, 'pull' than Kudzu? The Boss can account for his moves, but other people's not so much."
Theresa: (One moment, RN's keyboard just went weird. He has to unplug it for a moment.)
Theresa: (Well, we can go on, but he can't say anything yet.)
Brian: "So. What do we do now?"
DanteE: "Carrie, when you did that Hope divination, how far back did you place Kudzu's appearance?
Brian: "I say we go say hello to Barakiel, say something like 'Our lord is concerned about the coming Age turn, and we've come to seek your opinion on the matter.'"
Random_Nerd: `16D432
Theresa: (RN:
Carrie: (I think if I remember clearly that it wasn't all that clear?)
Carrie: (That is, the divination was fuzzy on the exact timing of it, but sometime in, was it the Second Age?)
DanteE: "It may just be experience... if Barakiel and Kudzu kept ending up on opposite sides of votes the last few times it came up."
Theresa: Keyboard not working perfectly yet. He agrees on the Second Age. )
Carrie: (Thanks.)
Brian: (... you know, that's sort of a reasonable answer from the GM based on "when is?" in Nobilis ...)
DanteE: (Should we call a time out while RN gives his computer a swift kick?)
Theresa: (Kudzu was one of the early Wildlords. He was kinda foreshadowed by protoHope and so forth.)
Brian: (we can)
Carrie: "At some point in the Second Age, but it was vague enough that I couldn't tell you with any more detail than that."
Theresa: (Sure, if you guys want. He's cleaning soda out of it.  :P )
Brian: (...)
Brian: (we're that bad?)
DanteE: -------TIME OUT-------
Brian: (or was that your Weapons of the Gods game that caused him to soda pop his keyboard? ;))
DanteE: BTW... I actually managed to find ... a 2nd copy of the GWB
Brian: woo. My FLGS has a copy of the GWB, too
DanteE: you do know they're going for $100 online, right?
Carrie: (Hey, I'll have you know that last session was just a bunch of number crunching! And we beat up some cultists in the course of said mechanics playing out.)
Brian: and I just watched muskets take down an aircraft. Of course, it's Civ1 on SNES...
Carrie: $100? Maybe I should sell my second copy. <.<
Brian: and yes, I know the GWB is going for astronomically huge numbers. Unfortunately, I don't have the cash to sink into it :(
Theresa: (The last Weapons game was awesome.  :) No, he just had a cup on his desk that slopped over by accident.()
Carrie: (That's what they all say.)
DanteE: Brian: IIRC, militia with pitchforks have a small but nonzero chance of taking out a battleship. :)
Brian: yep :)
Brian: my brother's got almost all the Wonders.
Theresa: (Nah, RN's the type of guy that if we were playing poorly, he would be pacing. Although, we did get a larger apartment for pacing room... *ponders*)
Brian: one of his cities is producing 29 shields in excess of upkeep.
Carrie: Let me guess, he missed the Eiffel Tower?
DanteE: I got my 2nd GWB for less that cover price. Woo. :)
Brian: I want a 2nd GWB :(
Brian: Beth: I'm surprised that you don't have extra keyboards.
Carrie: I got my second copy because my first copy had a printing error. My plan is to wait until copies with the printing error become valued in the thosands of dollars and then sell that one.
DanteE: what kind of error?
Brian: what's the error?
Carrie: The blurb at the beginning is missing and there are two table of contents.
Brian: huh
DanteE: you mean "At The Shore"?
Theresa: (RN says he almost has the keyboard recleaned and dried...)
Carrie: That's the one, I think. Where the guy becomes the Dominus of the Wave?
DanteE: (using your hairdryer Beth? :) )
Carrie: I never saw that until I got my second copy.
Brian: oh man, I just got an image of a guy getting a power over the arena Wave.
Random_Nerd: o$KAY, LET'S SEEE IDF THIDS...
Theresa: (We were going to do so, but we can't find where the dryer is at the moment. Haven't unpacked it.)
Random_Nerd: `o$...
Random_Nerd: `1o$KA4Y,6 GIDVE ME A4 MO4MENT.
Theresa: Eth - red bookmark or gold?
Carrie: Of course.
Carrie: Let me check.
Brian: RN: I don't think that works yet ... :-P
DanteE: RN: great Kudzu imitation! :)
Carrie: Gold.
Carrie: My other copy, the one with "At the Shore," has a red bookmark.
Brian: huh. I don't think The Wave has a wiki article.
Theresa: RN:: Our copy is worth basically nothing because it is well-worn through gaming.
Brian: my copy is barely read, so probably can be worth something
DanteE: I have been thinking of putting it on eBay... though you guys get first crack, of course. (Not to mention gotta brag a bit. :D )
Theresa: RN: And anyway they can't have my GWB, it is..precious...to me.
Brian: (Link: http://cgi.ebay.ca/NOBILIS-Role-Playing-Game-by-R-Sean-Borgstrom-RARE-NEW_W0QQitemZ320136644934QQihZ011QQcategoryZ44111QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem)http://cgi.ebay.ca/NOBILIS-Role-Playing-Game-by-R-Sean-Borgstrom-RARE-NEW_W0QQitemZ320136644934QQihZ011QQcategoryZ44111QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem ... wow, 150 USD.
DanteE: any chance that's Canadian dollars? It is eBay.ca, after all
Brian: nono, 150 USD. 160 CAD.
DanteE: I thought the exchange rate was more than that....
Brian: not anymore.
DanteE: so how's RNs keyboard coming?
Theresa: Almost done. He had to take it apart a second time after the Kudzu impersonation.
Theresa: And he apologizes for the delay.
DanteE: take it apart?
Carrie: To clean inside, I'd imagine.
Random_Nerd: Okay, let's try this again...
Random_Nerd: Ah, good.
DanteE: WB RN
Brian: hey! We have keyboard!
Random_Nerd: This should work.
Random_Nerd: Okay, ready to start back up?
Theresa: Ready!
DanteE: OK, then...
Random_Nerd: Oh, and yes. Kudzu came in in the Second Age, with the other Wildlords.
DanteE: ------------TIME IN-------------
Brian: x_x the Mass Transit System in Civ1 builds outside the city walls x_x
Random_Nerd: (Hope was in Creation beforehand to some degree, as a sort of metaphysical foreshadowing, which happens with Wildlords.)
Brian: "Shall we ask for an audience with B?"
DanteE: "So... that would mean Kudzu has seen how many turns of millennia?
Theresa: "One? Coming up on two?"
Random_Nerd: W: "Correct."
Theresa: "They grow up _so_ fast..."
Random_Nerd: W: "Unless he saw some from Outside, and has forgotten them."
DanteE: "... oh, wait... they're sure to have met at other times
Carrie: "Aren't the Ages longer than millennia?"
Brian: "For some definition of 'longer', yes"
DanteE: "It may be just that Kudzu and Barakiel keep finding themselves on opposite sides"
DanteE: "We should talk with Consequences and Shadows, to maybe confirm Barakiel's position and decide on a strategy."
Random_Nerd: W: "The first age lasted for a period before Time, and then a thousand years of celestial time."
Random_Nerd: W: "The second lasted two thousand years of celestial time, although there was a major event at the end of the first thousand."
Brian: "They won't know"
DanteE: "They'd know better than we would."
Random_Nerd: W: "The current age began at 2001 After Fall, or 1 Age of Pain, the current reckoning."
Brian: "Didn't we already ask our guide if he knew?"
Random_Nerd: W: "It is now the five thousandth year of the Age of Pain."
Theresa: "Good grief."
Brian: "How do we know when ages change?"
Random_Nerd: W: "By the astrologers, the age will end presently."
Theresa: "The Phoenix dies."
Random_Nerd: W: "And it is known by the death and rebirth of the Phoenix family."
Brian: "And, can the next Age be, I don't know, the age of kittens?"
Brian: "or something?"
Random_Nerd: W: "Well, as I understand it, that's partly what we're here to try to decide."
Brian: "I vote on age of Kittens. Pain sounds so ... painful."
Random_Nerd: W: "Something major will happen, as big as the Falls and the Valde Bellum, and bigger than the Flood."
Theresa: "That's...a reasonable yardstick."
DanteE: "So, Kudzu has seen ... 3 millennia?"
Random_Nerd: W: "But, as I understand Time, it is not yet foreordained what, save that it involve Murder and the Infinite."
Theresa: "Killing Time would work.?"
Random_Nerd: W:
Random_Nerd: "I don't know."
Brian: "That would usher in the new Age before we had a chance to complete our mission, no?"
Random_Nerd: W: "Nobody has ever killed Time before."
Brian: "Not literally, no"
Brian: "But I assure you, everyone has metaphorically before"
DanteE: "Ah... hold on.
Random_Nerd: William spreads his hands.
Random_Nerd: W: "These are things we know only secondhand."
DanteE: "It's not up to us to usher in the Age.
Random_Nerd: W: "Our organization is very young, in celestial time."
DanteE: "Let's not talk about killing anything and concentrate on our immediate task."
Random_Nerd: W: "Very well, sir."
Brian: "And I still say we should talk to Barakiel himself"
Theresa: "Okay, sure. What do you guys want to do in the meantime since we'll have to wait for his downtime."
DanteE: "We will. We just need to know how."
Brian: "We say 'hi'?"
DanteE: "Yeah, but then what? :) "
Brian: "Our Lord is concerned about the change of the Age and would like Your input?"
Theresa: "We try to look innocent and harmle...wow, i can't even say that with a straight face." *smile*
Random_Nerd: Lesson sits up, restless.
Brian: "Lesson, what do you think?"
DanteE: "That's right... you know Barakiel."
Theresa: (*twitch*)
Random_Nerd: L: "Best to kill him. Probably not possible. So, appease."
Brian: "By 'him', you mean Barakiel, or Time?"
Brian: "Or, just generally?"
Random_Nerd: Lesson shrugs. "Barakiel. Not sure about time."
Random_Nerd: L: "Ages have been more bad than good, yes?"
Theresa: "We didn't really bring any gifts for Barakiel. If we don't give him Monty."
Random_Nerd: L: "Hell. War. Something happening to humans that I don't understand."
Random_Nerd: W: "I would suggest not offering gifts. It would have a... strange tone, coming from a strongly Wild chancel."
Brian: "Best we can offer is a gift in kind - meetings with us when need."
Theresa: "Oh, yes. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of 'guest' than Wild."
DanteE: "We should talk to the people who know him.
Theresa: "Hmm..there's a thought. What good _has_ come out of the Age-changings? Any?"
DanteE: "We met Shadows at the party, right?"
Random_Nerd: William thinks.
Random_Nerd: (Yes, you did.)
Brian: (Haven't we met their entire Family?"
Random_Nerd: W: "Some argue that the War has been a good thing in some ways, driving the Imperators to action rather than restfulness. And it certainly has united them."
Theresa: "Yep. Teenager. Trenchcoat. Liked the Ark series by Spieldburg.""
Random_Nerd: W: "But on the other hand, I know of few advocates of the Fall who are not of Hell."
DanteE: "Oh yeah, didn't we give him the original Indy trilogy?
Brian: "Indeed."
DanteE: "Let's talk with them. We barely know what we're getting into as is."

• Theresa stands up and stretches. "Could always be fun. Although I like the calming effect this room has compared to the rest of the place."
  

Random_Nerd: Lesson: "Yes. Odd to find room like this here."
Brian: "If you'd look at the palacial accomodations, you wouldn't have that problem."
Brian: (Yes, I know I had typos)
DanteE: (Hi, Tpyo! wE MISSED YA!)
Random_Nerd: Nobody In Particular: "We can see you."
Theresa: "Yeah, but where's the fun in seeing marble all the time? I get the sudden urge for a sledgehammer."
Random_Nerd: "We can see you all. See inside."

• DanteE checks out the hell-view...
  

Brian: "Oh, those are the Voices we're supposed to ignore?"
Random_Nerd: William looks around nervously.
Random_Nerd: Lesson stands up in a weird crouch.
Theresa: Theresa, thinking, "And we are _gorgeous_! Except Lesson who has a turnip for a heart."
Random_Nerd: (Hell-view and palace-view are the same, here.)
Theresa: "Must be hard to get some privacy. So, we should summon a minion and go Chancel-sight-seeing till we find a Noble?"
DanteE: "Either that, or Shadows is spying on us."
DanteE: (assuming there's a shadow in the room somewhere)
Carrie: (One would expect so.)
Random_Nerd: L: "Is there danger, here? Am I to attempt to protect you? Does your man here count as chancelfolk?"
Random_Nerd: (There are shadows. Not a lot, but some.)

• DanteE checks the place with The Sight
  

Theresa: "He doesn't seem to be the type to use the royal 'we'. "
Brian: "No danger right now. Ignore the voices."
Theresa: "Lesson, I don't think there's danger at the moment. Protect William over us, as we can take the damage better than he can. And yes, he counts as Chancelfolk as long as he is under our employment."
DanteE: "And yes... protect William, _if_ necessary."
Random_Nerd: (There is a major miracle that seems to suffuse the dwelling, but no miraculous beings or anchors, other than you guys and Lesson.)
DanteE: (jinx)
Random_Nerd: L: "Very well. Being in Hell again makes me nervous. Bad things happen."
Brian: "We're only sort of in Hell."
DanteE: "That confuses me a bit... we're nowhere near the base of the tree."
Theresa: "Maybe it's a Hell you bring with you."
Random_Nerd: L: "Is Hell. This room, looks different. But the rest, Hell."
Brian: "Looks like, but isn't"
DanteE: "Technically, it's Barakiel's Own Little Corner of Hell."
DanteE: "Which means we definitely want a read on him before we meet."
Random_Nerd: W: "Very Mephistophelan, but I think the demon was speaking literally."
Brian: (also, is it wrong to remember the whole journey here as something out of Le Petit Prince?)
Random_Nerd: (Yes it is.)

• Theresa looks at Lesson. "If outside of this room is Hell, how would you describe our Chancel?"
  

Brian: (but not altogether inaccurate ;))
Random_Nerd: (Still, wrong.)
Random_Nerd: L: "Cold. Strange scents. Large open spaces. Not many people.?"
Brian: (beb)
Brian: (brb*)
Random_Nerd: (err, remove the ?)
Theresa: "Does it feel better than Hell?"
DanteE: (What time is it IC?)
Random_Nerd: L: "Not speaking with metaphor. As far as I can tell, this place actually is Hell. I know some of these places. Have seen those gates, and that hall, and that drain. Know where they are."
Theresa: (And makes sense that it feels cold. Maybe we should get Lesson his own furnace.)
Random_Nerd: (In what sense? You're not really on Earth. It's about three or four there, I think.)
Theresa: "Where they are in Hell's landscape?"
Random_Nerd: L: "In the Fief of Barakiel. Near Acheron."
DanteE: (did we establish that Lesson saw the actual Hell?)
Random_Nerd: (Hmm. I don't believe you've checked to see if he was there. He certainly thinks he was, and Consequences spoke as though he was.)
Theresa: (Darn it, I need the Triple-A map of Hell...)
Brian: (b)
Random_Nerd: L "Maybe I am wrong. Angels very good at deceiving. But these seem like places I have seen before, or heard of."
Brian: "Barakiel moved out of Hell, but maybe he liked the scenery?"
Random_Nerd: William: "I don't know. It would make sense."
Theresa: "Can Chancels move around?"
DanteE: "Remind me... what prompted Barakiel to leave Heaven?"
Theresa: (He was Kicked Out.)
Brian: "Wasn't Barakiel tossed out? Then later Pardoned?"
Random_Nerd: W: "Not as far as I know. It would be unusual. An Imperator could probably do it if he had need, but I imagine it would be much harder than making a normal one."
Random_Nerd: William touches the silver sphere in his ear.
Random_Nerd: W: "No, I was wrong. There have been mobile chancels before. They require an enchanceling rite performed on two or more locations at the same time."
Random_Nerd: W: "As far as we know, Barakiel was never permanently cast our of Heaven."
Random_Nerd: W: "But he has been thrown out for years or centuries on many occasions."
Random_Nerd: W: "As I understand it, he is not normally actually compelled to go to Hell, but tends to, to have the company of other exiles."
Random_Nerd: L: "Makes them mad."
Random_Nerd: W: "Beg pardon?"
Random_Nerd: L: "Other angels. Many of them hate him."
Theresa: "Hmm..do either of you two know why that would be?"
Random_Nerd: W: "I would imagine that it would be that he would only be there for a set period, and they forever."
Random_Nerd: L: "Prisoners hate the company of those treated better than they. Often used that to break up humans that seemed to be organizing."
Random_Nerd: L: "Pick a few humans. Some random, some ones that the others respect. Give them special treatment."
Random_Nerd: William has the "You keep him around /why/?" look.
Random_Nerd: L: "Angels do the same with some of us."
Random_Nerd: L: "And though angels more powerful and importand than humans, demons, don't think they're always less petty."
Theresa: "Because a common denominator of sentience is jealousy and petty."
Random_Nerd: L: "Mistrust, too. People who get treated better look like collaborators. People who go among prisoners and then back to better treatment look like spies."
Random_Nerd: W: "That's odd. As I understand it, Barakiel has a high degree of prestige among the Fallen, even with... their leader."
Random_Nerd: Lesson shrugs.
Theresa: "Hmm..would it be feasible that Heaven would want to take out Hell? Even with the War going on?"
Random_Nerd: W: "Want to? Probably, at least some of them. But I don't know if they'd try."

• • • DanteE has signed off IRC (Connection reset by peer).
      
    • DanteE has joined #Nobilis.
      

Theresa: (re Knock!)
DanteE: (connection glitch...)
Theresa: "Spying never been one of my stronger points. Too many lies become hard to keep track of. Better to just keep it simple."
DanteE: (did I miss anything?
Random_Nerd: (What did you last see?)
DanteE: (I said
DanteE: ("Take out Hell and the tree falls")
Random_Nerd: (Didn't see you say that. Don't think it got across.)
Brian: (... I don't see that)
Random_Nerd: (What was said before you said it?)
DanteE: Theresa>"Hmm..would it be feasible that Heaven would want to take out Hell? Even with the War going on?"

• • • Mode change "+o DanteE" for channel #Nobilis by Theresa.
      

DanteE: (ah, just the one line)
Theresa: (to the tree falls) "Well, what if you just empty out Hell? The tree stays that way. Then again, anything that would take out even just that whole part of the tree would probably kill the whole Universe off too."
DanteE: "I think you need a Hell to balance out Heaven anyway."
Random_Nerd: L: "Well, when empty Hell... kill everyone, or let them go somewhere else?"
Random_Nerd: L: "Besides, if Hell is Hell, there will be demons."
Theresa: "Guessing at Angels..probably kill them all." *sigh* "Can't litter the landscape."
Theresa: (Shall we move on?)
DanteE: (yeah)
Random_Nerd: W: "That would break the truce between Heaven and Hell. The fallen angels surrendered."
Random_Nerd: (Sure. What do you want to move on to?)
Random_Nerd: (New scene, or new topic?)
Random_Nerd: W: "And if even Heaven couldn't be trusted to keep their word..."
Theresa: (Maybe a new scene? Maybe it's just me, but I'm feeling a bit stuck-in-a-rut at the moment. If others want to keep up this conversation, that'd be fine.)
Theresa: "Well, they're huma..oh, wrong phrase. They have their honor too."
Brian: (I'm starting to lose focus here a bit)
DanteE: (yeah, new scene...)
Random_Nerd: (Okay. What will your characters be doing in the new scene?)
Brian: (not dying?)
Brian: (preferably not losing, or being yelled at, or otherwise screwing up, either :-P)
Theresa: (Looking for Shadows or Conseq?)
DanteE: (That works)
Brian: (sure)
Random_Nerd: (There's a guard/servant stationed in the hall not too far outside your door. Shall we say you send him for Shadows, or that you get directions to where Shadows is?)
Theresa: (Sounds good. We can skip the cringing.  :) )
Brian: (let's go for going to Shadows. Less waiting that way)
DanteE: (OK)
Random_Nerd: Shadows, when you go to him, appears to be shaping some sort of complex polygon, while frequently checking a book of notes.
Random_Nerd: In his wing of the castle/his series of tunnels carved into the rock, the servants appear in both worlds to be shadows on the ground with no one to cast them.
Random_Nerd: The room he's in has faintly metallic walls, ceiling, and floor, covered in tiny writing. However, it appears that some of the things there are out of place.
Random_Nerd: There's also a big comfy-looking chair, and a refridgerator, and a messy desk.
Brian: "Shadows?"
Random_Nerd: As he sees you come in, he completes a change to the shape he's working on, and then waves.
DanteE: (what's the writing say?)
Random_Nerd: (It looks like a mixture between strange names you don't recognize and a bunch of calculations.)
Random_Nerd: (Each name seems to be associated with a number of carefully-defined shapes and sounds.)
Theresa: "Sorry to interupt your work."

• Theresa smiles.
  

Random_Nerd: S: "I heard you were coming here. I'm almost done here, so, pardon me if I occasionally take a moment to complete it."
Random_Nerd: (Did you bring Lesson and William?)
DanteE: (probably...)
Theresa: (Hmm. Toss up on that. What do you guys think?)
Theresa: (He probably won't show off his stuff if they're here.)
Brian: (likely)
Brian: (they're likely to go insane without us around)
Theresa: (Not if they stay in the room. And don't kill each other.)
DanteE: (hm...)
Brian: (Brian's likely to not actually care, provided they're safe)
Theresa: (Draw a line down the center of the room, limit snarking to one from each per five minutes and we don't stay away from them for more than 6 hours. <g>)
DanteE: (OK, they stayed behind. :) )
Random_Nerd: (Okay, that works.)

• Theresa appreciates a messy desk. A sterile desk would feel out of place to her. Messy shows progress!
  

Random_Nerd: Shadows fiddles with a ring on his vague hand, and makes a slight change in the soccer-ball-sized shape on the ground.
Brian: "What can you tell us of your boss?"
DanteE: "Did Consequences mention why we're here?"

• Theresa peers at the soccer-ball-thing. (If it's a really large dice...that would be rather cool.)
  

Random_Nerd: S: "Haven't known him for that long. Doesn't spend much time with me. Seems very busy. Don't really get him."
Random_Nerd: S: "And no, he didn't. He said that you were going to be coming, and it had something to do with your Imperator, but I didn't get any details."
Random_Nerd: Shadows makes a note on a pad of paper on the desk.
Random_Nerd: He looks at you again.
Theresa: "We left our rabbit parked outside your gate."
Random_Nerd: S: "You seem to have gotten the attention of one of the mirror-dwellers. Want me to send it away from you?"
DanteE: "Are those the voices?"
Brian: "We're here to talk to your boss about the turning of the Age"
Brian: "Mirror dweller?"
Random_Nerd: S: "Yes, most likely. They're useful, but they can be a hassle."
Random_Nerd: "The things we call over from the other side of the mirror."
Brian: "What are they and what do they do?"
Random_Nerd: "They're things from Outside. They have a lot of different functions, depending on what kind you get and how you use them."
Brian: "Outside ... the Wall?"
Random_Nerd: "Yeah."
Theresa: "Wow, I didn't know they could be useful."
Random_Nerd: He rummages around on the desk for a moment, and then pulls out a shiny metal wand.
Brian: "Isn't that dangerous?"
Random_Nerd: He waves it in an elaborate pattern in the air.
Random_Nerd: "Not if we use them right. And they can come in handy. These are the ones that we use to teach people to see different worlds."
DanteE: (hm... would that help out our aides?
Random_Nerd: (It could, at least William.)
Random_Nerd: "They're a sort of creature that comes from a place where space works a lot differently, and they can't see properly here."
Theresa: "Like the duel-worldviews available here?"
Brian: (tangent: wtf? (Link: http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/welcome)http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/welcome )
Random_Nerd: "If they're here and they're wild, they'll just find something with a big enough brain and rewire it until it works the way theirs do, so they can use it to see a way back."
Random_Nerd: "But if you train them properly, they can do other kinds of perceptual surgery."
Random_Nerd: "That's a big part of what I do in the chancel, work out ways to catch and train these things."
Random_Nerd: "Not just that kind, all the kinds."
Brian: "So, they know ways back to the Outside?"
Random_Nerd: "They can see them, if they have someone with eyes and brain that work in Creation."

• • • Knockwood has joined #Nobilis.
      

Theresa: "Would he feedback between the two perceptions fry out the neural pathways?"
Theresa: (re Knock!)
Knockwood: (odd... what did I miss?)
Theresa: (What was the last you saw?)
Knockwood: ("Not just that kind, all kinds"

• • • DanteE has signed off IRC (Ping timeout).
      
    • Knockwood is now known as DanteE.
      

DanteE: (there we go)
Random_Nerd: "Not if they do it right. And although it takes some training for the altered person, it's not nearly as much as it would take to learn shamanism from scratch, and not as traumatic as having your perceptive faculties smashed to bits by a miracle."

• • • Mode change "+o DanteE" for channel #Nobilis by Theresa.
      

Brian: "How dangerous is it to have one attempt to rewire your brain to see Outside, if you're Noble? Can it be done?"
Theresa: "Would they then be immune from DE?"
DanteE: (you mean DA, or me? :) )
Theresa: (DA. Too much Warcraft.  :) )
Random_Nerd: "Between the surgery and the training, they'd be at least very resistant."
Random_Nerd: "At least as much so as one of those Dionyl."
Theresa: "Interesting. What do they want out of the deal? To go back Outside and that's it?"
Brian: (RN, my question above about Nobles and brain surgery?)
Random_Nerd: (Ah.)
Random_Nerd: "Well, what would be the point, Brian? We can see whichever world we want anyway. Comes with the turf."
Brian: "I'm interested in seeing their paths back to Outside"
Random_Nerd: "Ah. Well, that takes a fair amount of study. Took me close to a year."
Brian: "So, you know a way Out?"
Random_Nerd: "The tough part isn't being able to see them, it's being able to see them, and still see normal things, and be able to understand what you're seeing."
Brian: "ahhh"
Random_Nerd: "Normal people, if it happens to them, just go crazy. Or like really autistic people who can't even understand what language is."
Random_Nerd: "There are ways out. They're not safe. Even the Light hasn't found a safe place out there yet."
Random_Nerd: He touches his ring again and adjusts one of the angles on the polygon.
DanteE: "... those ways out aren't also ways in, are they?"
Random_Nerd: He makes another note on his pad, and then does some calculations.
Theresa: "Hmm. Maybe the Wildlords and the Excrucians were running away from something."
Random_Nerd: "Some of them are. The ways the Enemy sends their shards in."
Random_Nerd: "But most of the ones these little guys" *he waves a hand at the empty air* "use aren't big enough for even a shard."
Random_Nerd: "Just like the enemy can fit their shards in through holes they can't get in themselves."
Brian: "I can't see him"
Random_Nerd: "Okay, let me pull him in a bit farther."
Random_Nerd: He takes his wand again, squints, and then gestures as if he's using an invisible hook at the end of it to snag something."
Random_Nerd: (err, remove the ")
Random_Nerd: Something that looks a bit like the distortions in the air over a hot stove, but angular instead of fluid, fades into sight.

• • • You have been disconnected. Wed Aug 15 23:19:46 2007.
      
    • Automatically rejoining channel...
      
    • Channel re-joined successfully.
      
    • #Nobilis: Theresa @DanteE @Brian @Random_Nerd @Carrie
      
    • #Nobilis was created on Wed Aug 15 20:28:31 2007.
      

DanteE: (WB Beth)
Random_Nerd: (So, how much longer do you guys want to go?)
Theresa: (re. We both lost our connection.)
Brian: (whenever)
Theresa: (Oh, it was just me.  :P )
Random_Nerd: (We're moving pretty slow now, but I can go longer if you want.)
Theresa: (I'm good with calling it whenever. I find the Shadows/thing from outside/names/sounds thing interesting, though.)
DanteE: (Well, what's Shadows doing with the whatsis?)
Random_Nerd: (He was just pulling it "closer" enough that you could see it.)
Random_Nerd: "See?"
Brian: "Barely"
Brian: "A shimmer"
DanteE: "So, what do you do with these guys again?"
Random_Nerd: "Yeah, that's about all there is. They're just critters made of space, mind, and some kind of essence from Outside."
Random_Nerd: "I teach them, right now."
Theresa: "The stuff on the walls are their names?"
Random_Nerd: "Some of those."
Random_Nerd: "Some are other things."
Random_Nerd: "But this is the workshop for the little creatures. Not exactly the way I'd have designed it, but it works."
Brian: "I'm interested to see what Outside looks like"
Random_Nerd: "I would be too. But I've never been there, and these things can't explain it very well."
Theresa: "Reminds me that I still need to work on some plant creatures for the Chancel whenever I have the spare time."
Random_Nerd: "If they could, the Wild would be all over us."
Theresa: "It'd be like their Home Movies?"
Random_Nerd: "Yeah... and maybe maps, to get back."

• • • Brian has signed off IRC (Connection reset by peer).
      

Theresa: (Wow, we all have it tonight.)
Theresa: "Hmm...if we found ways back, though...would they or the Excrucians go back?"
DanteE: (hrm.
Random_Nerd: "Ways to find the right way to think, too."
Random_Nerd: "In some ways, your Kudzu might be a bit like one of these guys that I've trained. It doesn't think like a thing of Outside, any more."
Random_Nerd: "I don't know. I still don't know why the Excrucians /or/ the Wildlords are here."

• • • lazarus has joined #Nobilis.
      

lazarus: (gah, what did I miss?)
DanteE: (WB Laz)

• • • lazarus is now known as Brian.
      

Brian: (I didn't even notice that I'd disconnected x_x)
Random_Nerd: (What did you last see?)
Brian: (sent to Beth - hopefully she can update me :))
Theresa: "The pizza. You notice that pizza hasn't been taken out of the world yet."
Theresa: (Check your ICQ.  :) )
Random_Nerd: "Yeah, but fretlam has. Consequences really misses it."
DanteE: "...fretlam?"
Random_Nerd: "Some food. I don't know what it was like."
Random_Nerd: "Way before my time. But we lost it."
Theresa: "Darn. *sigh*"
DanteE: "How long have you been Shadows?"
Theresa: (Hundred years, I think?)
Random_Nerd: (Not nearly that long.)
Random_Nerd: "A few years, more or less."
DanteE: (Consequences is ~170, right?)
Theresa: (Ah, I must have been mixing them up. This is the Shadows right after the one that had Luc for an Anchor, though, right?)
Random_Nerd: (Older, I thought, but it's buried in my notes.)
DanteE: "Was this the work of the last Shadows?"
Random_Nerd: "Yeah. He made this room, and most of these tools."
Random_Nerd: "They picked me as the new one because they thought I'd be a decent replacement."
DanteE: "Hm. That'd mean the shadows of everything are written on these walls..."

• Theresa tries to think of what it's like knowing that you're the replacement for someone else...with a lot of responsiblity behind that history.
  

Random_Nerd: "I don't know what you mean."
DanteE: (y'know, there's a really good chance we are. :)
Random_Nerd: "Most of the shadows of everything are in lots of other places. I'd know."
DanteE: "Just a random thought, really."
Random_Nerd: "Oh, and I just wanted to say... I'm sorry if I seemed a bit... weird, or awkward, when we met. I don't usually go out with delegations."
Brian: "It's ok, we don't usually have delegations.."
Random_Nerd: "But my sister said she thought I needed to get away from my work for a while and relax, so I tried."
Theresa: (True, but if so, we don't know it yet. He has to deal with it from his family, maybe constantly. He's the baaaaaby.)
DanteE: (Good point)

• Theresa grins. "I think you did _fine_. Not often I get to argue the merits of the Spielburg works with someone who still knows the originals."
  

DanteE: "You still beat us in experience as a Noble, anyway."
Random_Nerd: "I'm not a
Random_Nerd: superhero or anything. Only been in a real Noble fight once. I'm just a kid who was in college early, and then who got Ennobled when the last guy died."

• DanteE hehs.
  

Random_Nerd: "Although, I will say this. It was a very good answer to the question of what I'd do with an art and math dual major."
Theresa: "Two fights with Shards on our end and one draw with a giant rabbit. The last shard fight had me out for weeks, I think. Hard to tell time sometimes."
Theresa: (Duel-weild?  :) )
DanteE: "4 fights, really. We got help with one."
DanteE: (Counting the 2 groups in Mexico as 2 fights)
Random_Nerd: "Still, at least you guys go out and do things like that. The only time Shadows was under attack, I mostly just stayed in the back and let the rest do the heavy work. My body's pretty much just human. Well, that's what you get with the Redtooth Rite, I guess."
Random_Nerd: "Oh, and if anyone suggests that you eat a human heart? Pass on it."
DanteE: "They fed you the heart of the last Shadows?"
Theresa: (Oh, yeah. Vault-girl.)
Random_Nerd: "Had to. Needed to be at full strength."
Theresa: (Well, Carrie's mostly human too. Still? Or did Eve change that? And Brian's not all that durable either, right?)
Brian: "I'm only human, in body, as well"
Random_Nerd: "Red-tooth's faster."
Random_Nerd: "Oh? How does that work out for you, in those miracle-fights?"
DanteE: "Wait... 'needed to be at full strength'? What happened?"
Brian: "Um. I mostly avoid being hit by the Miracles. Or rely on my Auctoritas ... which isn't the best way of defending myself, no..."
Random_Nerd: "My... the other shadows picked a bad time to die."
Random_Nerd: (err, Shadows.)
Random_Nerd: (You guys mind if we call it a night pretty soon?)
Brian: (sure)
DanteE: (Oh, Night's here? Let's say hi! :) )
Theresa: (*grin*)
Random_Nerd: (Anything else you guys wanted to do before it stops?)
Brian: (nope)
DanteE: (guess we'll talk to Consequences next week)
Theresa: (Sorry it was so slow. My brain was giving out.)
Random_Nerd: ________________STOP____________________

• • • Brian is now known as Lazarus.
      

Random_Nerd: So, thoughts?

• • • DanteE is now known as Knockwood.
      

Knockwood: good to be back... when I was back. (Damn glitches.)
Lazarus: pretty good ... we're actually getting going again ^_^
Theresa: I like Shadows. I liked him at the party and I'm liking him even better with him fleshed out. Poor kid.

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 10