Story Four- Pieces Of Ygg, Part Four

<RandBrittain> Good evening.

<Benhimself> Heyo.

<Uqbarian> Hello!

<RandBrittain> Hm, still waiting on two more.

<RandBrittain> I don't have the logs yet, but we didn't destroy the world last week.

<RandBrittain> We did kinda park it in the Chancel, though.

<Uqbarian> Is it doing okay?

<Benhimself> That's what we're going to find out, presumably.

<Benhimself> So did that count as a story, or are we going to deal with the immediate parked-in-chancel consequences first?

<RandBrittain> I think we've finished another story, yes.

<RandBrittain> So I guess we've done four.

<RandBrittain> I haven't kept proper track of CP or DP.

<Benhimself> Yeah, neither have I. I had been hoping we had done five, but ah well.

<Uqbarian> Any major events last week?

<Benhimself> Besides landing a world in our chancel?

<Uqbarian> Yeah, besides that. :)

<Benhimself> Oh, and significant dramatic tension over whether Ebba was going to try to destroy earth?

<Uqbarian> Wasn't that the week before last?

<RandBrittain> Pretty much, yeah.

<Benhimself> Ebba took a bit more talking down.

<Uqbarian> Ah.

<Benhimself> And comforting. Over womanly emotional issues.

  • Benhimself just kids, kind of.

<Uqbarian> Oh. I'm sorry I missed it!

<RandBrittain> Where is everybody, anyway?

<Uqbarian> (Alexa does have a nurturing streak.)

<Uqbarian> Well, I'm here. Ben's over that way *points*. And you're somewhere in America, I think. :p

<RandBrittain> True, but possibly not helpful.

<Uqbarian> I could make up a more helpful answer, but then it might not be true.

<RandBrittain> I cannot deny this.

<RandBrittain> Hm, twenty minutes, yet it is still just us.

<RandBrittain> Nobody called in sick beforehand…

<RandBrittain> Explain yourselves!

  • Disconnected (Connection timed out).

<RandBritain> I'm thinking the backup game might be a good idea.

-ChanServ- Welcome to #rpgnet! The rules: (1) No politics. (2) No religion. (3) No flaming. (4) Keep the language kid-friendly. (5) Enjoy! :)

<RandBrittan> Hey, look! It's raining Rands!

<RandBritain> no, I'm sparticus!

<RandBrittan> I know you are, but what am I?

<RandBritain> Rand, obviously.

<RandBrittan> Oh, that's right. Thanks!

<RandBrittain> Now I'm somewhat confused.

<RandBrittan> It's quite simple. Ryan has been nominated to replace Entropy on the Council of Four and is undergoing the test of the ferrets.

<RandBrittan> Meanwhile, Dallas has found the photos revealing that Trixie is in fact Bobby's missing ex-wife, Laura.

<RandBrittain> If you say so, it must be true, Rand!

<RandBritain> who is a deciever.

<RandBrittan> And the dog was working for the FBI all along!

<RandBritain> also a deceiver.

<RandBrittan> We're not sure who *isn't* a deceiver at this point.

<Benhimself> In fact, finding that out has been the main thrust of the campaign.

<RandBritain> Scorn, probably, on basis of being dead.

<RandBrittan> Possibly. I'm not convinced. Scorn might be faking it.

<RandBrittain> I am sick and tired of all these Cneph-damned Deceivers on this Cneph-damned plane of existence.

<RandBrittain> Why would Scorn bother?

<RandBrittan> Because she's a deceiver! Do try to keep up.

<Benhimself> It says something that I didn't even notice the third Rand showing up.

<RandBrittan> :D

<crusher_bob> it has always been here

<RandBrittan> The gripping Rand, as it were.

<Benhimself> Anyway, after I'm kicked out of Heaven by Firstborn, I undertake the Ritual of Second Skins to become him.

<Benhimself> Whooo, angel of meaning and existence! And I think it's time for some /greater destructions/.

<RandBrittan> To become Rand?

<RandBrittan> Oh, *Firstborn*.

<Benhimself> Actually, it's probably better to just be the HG, yeah.

<RandBritain> so, yes, Rand.

<RandBrittan> Tree falls, everybody dies.

  • Benhimself is now known as RandBritttain
  • You are now known as HollyhockGod

<RandBritttain> RAR HG Fiat!

  • RandBritttain is now known as RyanSherbrig

-NickServ- Password accepted - you are now recognized.

<RyanSherbrig> (But seriously)

  • RandBritain is now known as Fiona
  • RandBrittan is now known as Pandora

<Fiona> ha.

  • Pandora is now known as Alexa

<RyanSherbrig> Oh, good.

<Alexa> (Quick change artist!)

<RyanSherbrig> (I was thinking I had horribly gotten who was playing what wrong.)

<Fiona> crusher might be still making coffee.

<Alexa> He would have been thrilled to come back to see four Rands.

* crusher_bob is now known as Ebba

<HollyhockGod> Don't be deceived by fancy imitations.

<HollyhockGod> There is only Zuul.

<RyanSherbrig> (We've secretly replaced this game's hollyhock god with the rest of the PCs. Let's see if the audience notices!)

<HollyhockGod> So, anyway.

<HollyhockGod> It's tomorrow.

<Alexa> Already?

<HollyhockGod> There's a small worldlet floating gently around your Chancel.

<HollyhockGod> And you're in the boardroom listening to the Phoenix talk.

<Alexa> (Did we get in trouble from her?)

<RyanSherbrig> (Let's find out)

<Ebba> (aren't we about to find out?)

<HollyhockGod> You're not talking yourself, because it's really quite difficult to get the attention of an Imperial Firebird when she's excited.

<Alexa> (I guess so.)

<HollyhockGod> "I must say, I'm really very pleasantly excited by the possibilities offered here," she says, flitting around the conference room in ethereal form.

<Alexa> (Silly question, but what does she look like?)

<RyanSherbrig> (Giant bird made out of fire?)

  • RandBrittain (~PI.321.642.36|divaD#PI.321.642.36|divaD) has joined #childrenofeve

<HollyhockGod> Yes, but conference-room-sized.

  • You are now known as Deceiver
  • RandBrittain is now known as HollyhockGod

<Alexa> (Eek!)

<HollyhockGod> I seize control of this plot!

<RyanSherbrig> (We've been fooled all along!)

<HollyhockGod> Alexa, eject the interloper!

<Deceiver> Curse you!

<RyanSherbrig> (But how can we trust THIS HollyhockGod?)

  • Alexa presses the big red button.

<Deceiver> I will end your pitiful campaign with my LIES

<RyanSherbrig> (In the name of Rand Brittain, I command you to give me 7 CP!)

<Deceiver> …..okay.

<Deceiver> (That will destroy the campaign even faster than my first plan.)

<RyanSherbrig> (Sweet! Tempest and Viscount of Radiance in one go!)

<HollyhockGod> Don't accept tainted powers, Ryan.

<HollyhockGod> You know what happened to your sorcery tutor.

<RyanSherbrig> (Dude, High Summoner.)

<Ebba> (but you can only spend those CPs on excrutian powers…)

<RyanSherbrig> (Ew, fair point.)

<Alexa> The froghurt is also cursed.

<Ebba> (abhorrent kung-fu here we come!)

<RyanSherbrig> (Okay, so, actual game before it's 11 PM?)

<HollyhockGod> "I'm extremely pleased, yes. And yet, it's troublesome."

<Alexa> (Sure!)

<HollyhockGod> "I really have no idea which of the six-thousand-and-one ways to exploit this resource is best for us, and I really don't have the attention to spare to think about it."

<Alexa> "Er… 'exploit'?"

<HollyhockGod> "I'm sure you'll exploit it very gently."

<Alexa> "Yes, boss."

<RyanSherbrig> "As you say."

<HollyhockGod> "Specifically, you. I really don't want to end up being forced to share this when Lord Entropy finds out about it, so don't let him find out."

<Alexa> "Ooookay."

<HollyhockGod> "Which means keep it a secret until it's too late to do anything but what we were already going to do."

<HollyhockGod> "Whatever that is."

<Fiona> (because we've proved to be excellent at keeping secrets)

<RyanSherbrig> "Strictly speaking, he's just ruler of the earth, yes? We could declare it to be the equivalent of a foreign-soil embassy."

<Alexa> "It's not like anyone would have noticed a meteor shower that was grabbed by a giant tree and vanished, anyway."

<HollyhockGod> "Before yesterday, you were extremely bad at catching planets. Today, you are the world's experts!"

<HollyhockGod> "So I have faith in you."

<Alexa> "Thanks!"

<HollyhockGod> "Oh, faith is cheap. As opposed to Faith, who still hasn't been willing to… never mind. Not important."

<Alexa> "Good call, Ryan. There must be precedent for visitors from other fruits of the tree."

  • Alexa raises an eyebrow.

<RyanSherbrig> (The book gives examples of anchoring the spirits of things. I wonder if Ebba could anchor the worldlet.)

<HollyhockGod> "Honestly, Ryan, I'd prefer not having to hear about it- so just make sure it doesn't reach anyone's ears."

<HollyhockGod> Well, it's not like it can leave the Chancel on its own power.

<Alexa> (*imagines hooking a motor to it and going boating*)

<RyanSherbrig> "Right. Shall we discuss this matter elsewhere, then, Familia?""

<Alexa> "Yep. Anything else, boss?"

<HollyhockGod> "Please refrain from destroying the Earth in future. Otherwise I have no specific instructions."

<HollyhockGod> ("I know we've all been tempted…")

<RyanSherbrig> ("Maybe gone through the first few steps of summoning Ur-Nyx the Annihilator… wait, that's just Ryan.")

<Alexa> "Righto, we'll do that."

<RyanSherbrig> Cut to discussion on the floating island?

<HollyhockGod> "Dismissed."

<HollyhockGod> Sure, if you like.

  • Ebba sighs

<Ebba> "well siblings, please exploit me gently"

<RyanSherbrig> "We don't /have/ to use the Worldlet in that sort of way."

<Alexa> "Is it just me, or did she seem a bit brusquer than usual this morning?"

<RyanSherbrig> ("I maintain skepticism that this is, in fact, the real HG.")

<RyanSherbrig> "I noticed."

<Deceiver> I am the true HG! He's full of lies!

<RyanSherbrig> (

<HollyhockGod> Don't believe him. He's probably Nisarg or something.

<RyanSherbrig> "I suppose it's possible that, with her soul enmeshed in the chancel, introducing a significant foreign element into the system could have altered her personality."

<Alexa> (Nisarg would spontaneously combust if he entered a Nobilis game, wouldn't he?)

<RyanSherbrig> "We haven't really had that many long conversations with her in the first place, on the other hand. Or at least, I haven't."

<HollyhockGod> Anyway, she was too busy Elsewhere even to decide how to use a new planet to her advantage.

<HollyhockGod> That would apply to you, too, Ryan.

<Deceiver> Yes, that's why Ryan will obey the instructions I'm now sending him by PM- his nature has been altered by this intrusion into the Realm!

<Alexa> "True. She might just be distracted. And at least she doesn't want us to throw the worldlet back out."

<RyanSherbrig> (I HEAR AND OBEY)

<RyanSherbrig> "So Ebba, what do YOU want to do with this Worldlet?"

  • Alexa nods and looks at Ebba.

<RyanSherbrig> "Just let it develop naturally as it is? Hit it with a major creation of flowerings and see what happens?"

<RyanSherbrig> ("Hit it with a major creation of Fire and see what happens?")

<Deceiver> Oh, who cares what a girl thinks? Aside from everybody but you?

<Alexa> "Ah, we'd want a bit more room, wouldn't we?"

<Fiona> (man, deceiver is a dick.)

<HollyhockGod> Excrucians are twisted and evil!

<HollyhockGod> That's why you shouldn't trust his lies.

<Ebba> "If we want to keep it secret, we should consider what actions we should take to preserve that secrecy"

<Alexa> (Maybe that's just an act.)

<Ebba> "We could have visitors showing up"

<Fiona> "we could maybe throw a sheet over it?"

<Alexa> "Maybe we could throw a sheet over it?"

<Deceiver> I'm sure nobody will show up soon. After all, Cneph exists, and he loves and cares for you!

<Alexa> "Jinx!"

<RyanSherbrig> "Because we've had so many visitors."

<Alexa> "Well, how obvious *is* it?"

<Fiona> "I'm not actually sure how we could conceal it."

  • Alexa takes a long look at the worldlet.

<RyanSherbrig> "We do also have other floating islands. Needle in a haystack style of hiding."

<Fiona> (major destruction of visibility?)

<Alexa> "That's what I was thinking."

<HollyhockGod> Well, it's like ten miles or so across.

<RyanSherbrig> "Hmmmm…"

<HollyhockGod> And covered in unnatural flora!

<RyanSherbrig> ("Sorry, that's the FORBIDDEN floating island.")

<RyanSherbrig> ("Only losers want to go there.")

<HollyhockGod> And all your friends are nosy.

<Alexa> "Did we set up any quarantine process, or does that happen naturally?"

<Fiona> (we can cover the other islands with unnatural flora too)

<HollyhockGod> I will be kind and assume that Ryan has already done that somehow or other.

<Alexa> (Define 'unnatural'. :))

<RyanSherbrig> "Sure. If things get out of hand, we flood the entire place with lava and start from scratch."

<Fiona> (Ryan has high summoning. how unnatural do you want?)

<RyanSherbrig> "Sometimes this happens if things don't get out of hand, also."

<HollyhockGod> Unnatural: not natively found on Earth. Possibly unable to live on Earth. Possibly flooding the Earth with the nature of a vanished world, replacing the Earth-nature already present.

<Alexa> (Ayup.)

<Fiona> (Ebba's world-let versus High Summoning. Fight!)

<RyanSherbrig> "Back on the subject on hand. Assuming we don't want to return this to orbit and drop it on the Sable Gardens, we still need a plan."

<HollyhockGod> Oh, and in other news, Pandora never showed up for the meeting, but that probably isn't a major concern yet.

<HollyhockGod> Just so you know.

<RyanSherbrig> (She's probably off committing suicide to spare herself walking ten feet somewhere or something.)

<RyanSherbrig> (Nobilis is weird.)

<Alexa> "I think it's worth investigating whether we can graft it on to the Tree as a new world-fruit."

<Alexa> "To allow it to grow as a world in its own right."

<Ebba> wouldn't we need the help of the world shapers for that?

<RyanSherbrig> "Well, wouldn't that require someone like Ebba to act as the… is the term 'Root' or something like that?"

<Alexa> "Well, someone's help, sure. But weren't the Worldshapers working on smaller scales? Building miniworlds rather than genuinely independent ones?"

<RyanSherbrig> "Well, that was their ultimate goal."

<Alexa> "Ah. How far have they got?"

<RyanSherbrig> "Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't been knocking on the chancel door, after that message we sent them."

<RyanSherbrig> "That's… debatable."

<RyanSherbrig> "It depends on your opinions of the significant of Bissonomy."

<RyanSherbrig> (Significance, even.)

<HollyhockGod> I was going to give you five minutes to talk before someone knocked.

<Alexa> "And that might be a problem for secrecy."

<RyanSherbrig> "Secrecy, schmecrecy."

<RyanSherbrig> "We were told not to let Lord Entropy find out."

<Alexa> "Secrecy, schmimperator's explicit direction, you mean."

<Fiona> (remind me again why we let Ryan talk to people?)

<RyanSherbrig> "Unless Glorianna is secretly the Darkest Lord in drag."

<RyanSherbrig> (I'm not really sure, Fiona.)

<HollyhockGod> Two Familia may keep a secret, if one of them is dead.

<Alexa> "'Anyone's ears', she said."

<RyanSherbrig> (Besides the fact that I'm willing to do the talking?)

<RyanSherbrig> "Did she? Hmmm. All right."

<Fiona> (RaynSherbrig : because it's way more interesting this way)

<RyanSherbrig> (Exactly! I keep things moving!)

<Alexa> "Though she has left it to us, and I figure she allows us some room to move. For instance, the Chancelfolk obviously noticed something."

<Fiona> [disappearing for a few minutes]

<Alexa> (She's been abducted by the Deceiver!)

<Ebba> "so if we have no immediate ideas on how to conceal it; let us table that discussion"

<Ebba> "and move on to what we want to actually do"

  • RyanSherbrig starts making clouds and gentle breezes to waft them over towards the worldlet.

<Alexa> "Hang on. Concealmentwise, can't Ryan work his Realm magic?"

<Ebba> (isn't he still down alot of MP for getting the thing here?)

<RyanSherbrig> "Actually concealing something that large, especially from miraculously proficient observers, would require significant effort on my part."

<RyanSherbrig> (Yeah. Although if it is a new story, I'd have refreshed.)

<HollyhockGod> This is a new story, so everyone is refreshed.

<RyanSherbrig> "I could do it, but I'd like to wait until it becomes necessary, in case something else comes up."

<Alexa> "Righto."

* Alexa relaxes and lets someone else do the flying for a change.

<Alexa> (Wait, that didn't come out right. Oh well.)

<RyanSherbrig> ("Flying island! To the left!")

<Alexa> (Are the astronomers still up?)

<RyanSherbrig> (Given that they are clockwork, as long as the celestial monkeys keep winding the turnkeys, they're unstoppable!)

<HollyhockGod> Indeed.

<Alexa> (Hooray!)

<Fiona> [back]

<RyanSherbrig> "So. Any plans for infiltrating the Sable Gardens yet?"

<Fiona> [not a deceiver]

<Deceiver> She is mine now.

<Alexa> (Suuure you aren't.)

<RyanSherbrig> "Besides, well, summoning an army of transreality-horrors and storming the gates?"

<Deceiver> Destroy them from within, puppet!

<Alexa> "Um. No."

<Fiona> [pokes tongue out at Deceiver]

<Fiona> "I really don't have any ideas"

<Alexa> "We haven't even made any allies, yet. Not really."

<Deceiver> Yes, you must play at being independent.

<RyanSherbrig> "Well, what would have our allies do?"

<RyanSherbrig> "We'd want different friends for storming the gates than we would want with subverting them from the inside."

<RyanSherbrig> "Hmmm, some kind of antinatural parasite or something, maybe…"

  • RyanSherbrig mutters that last as an aside.

<HollyhockGod> I am sure this cannot possibly go wrong.

<RyanSherbrig> (My thoughts exactly!)

<Alexa> "Also, distractions. For instance, if they have a True King, it'd be nice if we could keep him outside and have some buddies lock him down."

<RyanSherbrig> "True."

<RyanSherbrig> "Maybe an attack on his or her estate?"

<Fiona> "we kind of need to keep the gardens for more than just a little bit, too. which kind of matters"

<Alexa> "We haven't even gathered any good info, have we?"

<HollyhockGod> It's so secret!

<RyanSherbrig> "Yes. I'm hoping the Phoenix will assist in keeping the actual Imperator down."

<RyanSherbrig> "The Almanac was long-windedly vague on the matter."

<HollyhockGod> Only the high-end Dark loyalists get into the Gardens proper, and they aren't telling.

<HollyhockGod> Of course you could ask.

<HollyhockGod> I don't recommend that tactic, however.

<RyanSherbrig> "We could just go over, throw some mojo at them, and see how they react."

<Alexa> "I wonder if we could meet some of them by convenient accident. Just to scope them out."

<Deceiver> I don't see why not. Honesty is the best policy.

<Alexa> "Or that, Ryan."

<HollyhockGod> Secret mojo?

<Alexa> "Though, much as I hate to say it, I think we should keep our cards close to our chests. As far as we know, no-one else knows about our goal, right?"

<RyanSherbrig> "Except for, well, a significant portion of the Light."

<RyanSherbrig> "Sort of."

<Alexa> "Do they?"

  • RyanSherbrig coughs.

<HollyhockGod> Unless for some reason they thought you were some kind of windbag.

<HollyhockGod> I cannot imagine why this would be.

<RyanSherbrig> "We were gathering allies! That presumes finding people who are willing to join your cause!"

<Alexa> "Ooh. The party I missed?"

<RyanSherbrig> "It's kind of hard to do that if they don't know what your cause is!"

<Ebba> (um giant worldlet?)

<Alexa> "There are ways. The flame can heat without being seen, Ryan."

<Ebba> "Ryan, can you make a small island that matches the conditions of the earth"

<Ebba> "and we can try exposing it to the worldlet, and see what happens"

<RyanSherbrig> "But one notices the increase in temperature. There are more senses than just sight."

<Alexa> "It was a *metaphor*."

<RyanSherbrig> "Most of the islands here are mostly earth-like conditions, I think. Magic aside."

<RyanSherbrig> "The analogy still holds, I think."

  • Alexa huffs.

<RyanSherbrig> "Anyway, I didn't give them an entirely accurate assessment of our ultimate goal."

<Alexa> "Oh?"

<RyanSherbrig> "Just that some of the steps would require infiltration of the Sable Gardens and a willingness to match wits with the First Dark Lord."

<RyanSherbrig> "And its Familia."

<Alexa> "Ah."

<RyanSherbrig> "Mmmm, I spun a tale about seeking the fruit of the tree of Immortality to render all humanity free from death's bleak reign."

<RyanSherbrig> "Honestly, I think that might even be worth pursuing as a /real/ goal."

<Alexa> (grudgingly) "Nice one."

<RyanSherbrig> (nods) "Thank you."

<Alexa> (gloomily) "Of course, if spies have penetrated the Chancel, they might have learned our goal just by overhearing us."

<RyanSherbrig> (HG, /would/ one of the existing islands do as far as controlled-exposure-experiment purposes go, or should I have to major-create another one?)

<HollyhockGod> I'm sure there's one that would serve as an Earth-equivalent with minimal effort.

<RyanSherbrig> "Well, our chancel is more secure than most."

<RyanSherbrig> "Our entrances are few, and pretty much only openably from the inside."

<RyanSherbrig> (Barring, you know, a 2 point gift.)

<HollyhockGod> Well, the rigth spell opens them as well.

<RyanSherbrig> (Yeah, and who have we given this spell to?)

<RyanSherbrig> (Hence "pretty much")

<HollyhockGod> Anna has probably already learned this month's spell, just because she could.

<Alexa> (Who's Anna?)

<HollyhockGod> Anna Beauregarde, Water's-Regal and cabana enthusiast.

<RyanSherbrig> (Hmmm. We need people with higher spirit to do the spell.)

<Alexa> (Ah.)

<Alexa> (Have we rebuilt her cabana yet?)

<RyanSherbrig> (No, we saved her from sky pirates, remember?)

<HollyhockGod> That doesn't technically help if your spell is audible from six feet away.

<Alexa> (Yeah, but we still promised to relocate her, didn't we?)

<HollyhockGod> You *brought down* the sky pirates by removing her magical foliage.

<RyanSherbrig> (Tsk, technicalities.)

<HollyhockGod> I don't really care, so if nobody has an interesting idea, feel free to assume you did.

<Alexa> (I'd like to chat to her, but it's not important.)

<Alexa> "So, Ebba, what's your idea with the island?"

<RyanSherbrig> (Maybe she'll drop by.)

<Ebba> "We expose it to an island,to get a better idea of what its effects on the earth would be"

<Ebba> (Ebba's original idea for the new holiday house was something like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater)

<HollyhockGod> Do they have cabana boys at places like that?

<RyanSherbrig> (There's nothing stopping them.)

<RyanSherbrig> "We should think of ways to gain more allies."

<Alexa> "Okay. Let's do that. Though you know I don't, um… let's see."

<RyanSherbrig> "I know! Throwing a party on our secret worldlet!"

  • RyanSherbrig grins.

<HollyhockGod> Well, obviously, houses are expected to come with cabana boys pre-installed.

<HollyhockGod> You have to consider your audience when doing Art.

<Alexa> "Ha!"

<HollyhockGod> "Ah expect mah summah retreat to come with hot and cold runnin' lifeguards."

<HollyhockGod> "Runnin' to me, with somethin' cold to drink."

<RyanSherbrig> (Oh god, that wasn't in OOC-parentheses.)

<RyanSherbrig> (We've been infiltrated!)

<RyanSherbrig> (Deciever!)

<Alexa> (My thoughts exactly!)

<Deceiver> I am in charge of security and should be blamed for this.

<RyanSherbrig> (You're a convenient scapegoat. When in doubt, confuse the electorate with a war.)

<HollyhockGod> That said, focus! Tiny, growing planet; what are you going to do with it?

<RyanSherbrig> (I'm not entirely convinced the Valde Bellum wasn't arranged by Lord Entropy himself.)

<Ebba> (lets get an island exposed and see what happens)

<RyanSherbrig> Stick some of it on an island and see what happens!

<RyanSherbrig> And then, I don't know, make a chancel-only moon and stick the worldlet behind it.

<RyanSherbrig> Oooh, or /inside/ of it.

<HollyhockGod> I'm not certain your sky extends that far.

<RyanSherbrig> "Hmmm, we'd need to extend the sky a little bit… this would be so much easier if I were a Tempest."

<Alexa> (We can do it with mirrors.)

<HollyhockGod> That said, planting Yggsgard flora on one of the Chancel islands results in it beginning to grow at unheard-of rates, doubling in mass about once a minute.

<Fiona> (alternativly, someone could burn a bunch of aspect and hide the worldlet in a teapot)

<RyanSherbrig> "Just clap my hands, do a hard miracle, and my that's growing quickly."

<HollyhockGod> After about half an hour, the entire island is on the verge of being overrun.

<Ebba> "I'm not normally that violently competitive"

<RyanSherbrig> "Yes, I think we'd have noticed."

<HollyhockGod> The naturally growing plants are transforming into the Yggsgard varieties, and living creatures seem to be transforming as well, but more slowly.

<Alexa> (What does Yssgarde life look like?)

<HollyhockGod> Well, it's like a plant, but more Norse. Burly, lots of thorny excrescences.

<HollyhockGod> Also lots of grey.

<RyanSherbrig> (Little squirrelmen.)

<HollyhockGod> And probably with its doom already decreed by the Fates.

<RyanSherbrig> "Hmmm."

<HollyhockGod> Sure, talking squirrels, why not?

  • RyanSherbrig begins considering methods of gently exploiting this interesting property.

<Alexa> "Ebb, does it *look* how you'd expect?"

<Ebba> "Perhaps a bit thornier than I remember"

<HollyhockGod> The 90s were not kind to it.

<HollyhockGod> "We are EDGY and HARDCORE now."

<RyanSherbrig> (Obviously space has purged away all warm and compassionate about the worldlet shards.)

<HollyhockGod> Well, I mean, it's full of squirrels.

<HollyhockGod> Thorny squirrels, but still squirrels.

<RyanSherbrig> "You know, back on our earlier topic, our speculation about Anna's potential insights into our chancel's defenses gives me an idea."

<Alexa> "Hmm?"

<RyanSherbrig> "Can any of you regals tell anything through our estates about the Sable Gardens? I'd imagine they have flowers there still, at the very least."

<RyanSherbrig> (your estates, even.)

<Fiona> (can we?)

<Alexa> "Oh. I thought divination didn't work that way."

<HollyhockGod> Sure, you can look into Chancels.

<RyanSherbrig> "Well, not on their nobles directly."

<HollyhockGod> I mean, they might have protections up.

<HollyhockGod> But you can try.

<Alexa> (Can they look back?)

<HollyhockGod> Yes!

<RyanSherbrig> (Wave!)

<RyanSherbrig> (As long as we don't have shame, suicide, or the Id in our chancel.)

<RyanSherbrig> (That last one might be tricky.)

<HollyhockGod> Yes, that.

<RyanSherbrig> (Major destructions for all!)

<HollyhockGod> You guys don't count, so you're good.

<RyanSherbrig> (Hold still guys.)

<Alexa> (Crap! :))

<Fiona> (this is why you make all diviniations from space)

<RyanSherbrig> (To the worldlet!)

<RyanSherbrig> ("They're on… well, obviously not /earth/!")

<RyanSherbrig> "That's actually not a bad idea."

<RyanSherbrig> (Retroactive deparenthesizing!)

<HollyhockGod> Well, you can't sense divinations aimed at you.

<HollyhockGod> So they don't know to look back.

<HollyhockGod> And, as Ryan mentioned, they don't have the correct Estates for wide-ranging reconnaisance.

<Ebba> Ebba will start singing to the worldlet bits, and try to get them somewaht calmed down, and less <edgy and hardcore>

<Fiona> (in that case, I'll try out some divination)

<HollyhockGod> Ebba acts out the scene from Snow White where she sings in harmony with the birds and forest creatures.

<Fiona> (hmm. actually, do divination miracles leave a trace on the area being divined?)

<HollyhockGod> Um, Fiona looks out into the Sable Gardens.

<RyanSherbrig> (Let's find out together!)

<HollyhockGod> Um, probably, but not one that lasts long.

<HollyhockGod> And it's simple for you, so even less long.

<RyanSherbrig> (As a simple miracle… yeah.)

<Fiona> (becasue if they do, I'll run it through a flower of inquistiveness)

<HollyhockGod> That works too.

<HollyhockGod> Um, the Sable Gardens are… difficult to describe, because they seem to change quite fast.

* Fiona always has the correct flower on hand)

<HollyhockGod> As you watch, you can see a pure white tree, like a piece of silver filagree, grow from the ground, become an adult over the course of ten minutes, and then show a crack and begin to shake itself to pieces.

<HollyhockGod> And the whole place is like that: life is born, it grows to maturity, and then it starts to show flaws and destroy itself.

<HollyhockGod> As far as you can see, there are no buildings, structures, or humanesque inhabitants.

<Alexa> "You know, another reason we'll need allies is to deal with the aftermath. If the place stops being a Chancel and reappears, it'll need protecting."

<RyanSherbrig> (Have to go in a few minutes, guys.)

<RyanSherbrig> "Given what we intend to do it with, I would like to think that all the Light and all Humanity will be our allies in that case."

<RyanSherbrig> "But yes, proactive recruitment wouldn't hurt."

<Alexa> "Yeah, exactly."

<Alexa> "How's it going there, Ebba?"

* Fiona describes the Sable Gardens

<HollyhockGod> Ebba is covered in thorny squirrels, like the pigeon lady.

<Fiona> (onlt covered in a different sort of rat?)

<Ebba> "Things seem to be calming down"

<Alexa> "Sounds unpleasant, Fi."

<Fiona> "Fiona."

<Alexa> "Yeah?"

<Fiona> "it doesn't look like anywhere you'd want to linger, no."

<RyanSherbrig> "Interesting."

<Fiona> "it does have flowering in relative abundance, though"

<Alexa> "Hmm. We might be able to work with that."

<RyanSherbrig> "I suggest we take some time to come up with individual strategies both for the short-term goal of gaining allies and the long-term goal of our eventual plans, and reconvene to discuss them later?"

<Fiona> "I'm not sure what would have happened if we'd decided to drop the worldlet on it, though."

<RyanSherbrig> (IE, gotta go, thanks all, I had fun!)

<Ebba> byebye

<RyanSherbrig> "Probably something disastrous, honestly."

<Alexa> (Seeya!)

* RyanSherbrig (ten.tsacmoc.tc.1dsh.DEA3025-ratScigaM|_#ten.tsacmoc.tc.1dsh.DEA3025-ratScigaM|_) has left #childrenofeve

<Fiona> (one Rand gone, 4 remain)

<HollyhockGod> I was actually intending to have it kill the First Lord and all his powers and result in all Magisters of Light and Dark sublime into nothing leaving only their Powers behind.

<HollyhockGod> But, you know.

<Alexa> (Srsly?)

<Fiona> I guess Yssgard has a kind of anti-immortality thing going on.

<Alexa> (That would be impressive!)

<HollyhockGod> Well, it's just so large!

<HollyhockGod> I mean, immortal, yes, but it's so big!

<HollyhockGod> And round!

<Alexa> (It's only multiple miles across.)

<HollyhockGod> But roooooound

<Alexa> (Does the First Lord have vulnerability (round) 100?

<Fiona> no. vulnerability rooound.

<Ebba> so did everyone send the game toawrd other stuff because they aren't really interested in the worldlet, or just because they have no idea what to do with it?

<Fiona> the latter, for me, anyway.

<Alexa> The latter for me too.

<HollyhockGod> Boil it for soup.

<Fiona> Rand, are you planning on putting the logs of the last few sessions up anywhere?

<Alexa> We don't have a big enough bowl.

<Fiona> I wonder what happens if we try and sneak some of it into the Sable Gardens?

<Ebba> sigh

<Ebba> this is why I was asking for an above table discussion last game, about the worldlet

<Ebba> I wanted everyone to come up with a 'wouldn't it be awesome if…"

<Ebba> so if we all agreed that it would be awesome if the dropped a big rock on lord entropy's head, and rand didn't have a problem with it

<Ebba> then we could direct the game in that direction

<HollyhockGod> Yes, I just need to get my other laptop back.

<Alexa> I thought we had that discussion and agreed to stash the worldlet for now.

<Ebba> but how is that awesome?

<Ebba> if no one is really interested in having it effect the story, then it can just be a cool floating ball of rock that stays in our chancel

<Alexa> But it is affecting the story — we're trying to figure out what to do with it.

<HollyhockGod> If you'd come to a decsion faster, I was going to have people start knocking on the door.

<HollyhockGod> But we only got about an hour of play in.

<Ebba> I think part of the problem, in part, is an IC vs OOC one

<Ebba> I am asking about OOC stuff

<Ebba> for example, if, at the begning of the last game

<Ebba> we had OOC dediced that dropping a worldlet on lord entorys head was a good idea

* Alexa is now known as Uqbarian

* Fiona is now known as borogove

<Ebba> then the game could have been about ebba's maddness and how you failed to stop her, or how you though it would be a good idea IC yourself, or whatever

<Ebba> but we would have all been steering the story toward the rock getting dropped on lord entropys head

<HollyhockGod> I think you have a point.

<Ebba> but without that discussion, if Ebba had just decided by herself, to drop the rock on lord entropys head

<Ebba> things wouldn't have gone very well

* Ebba is now known as crusher_bob

<crusher_bob> so, the problem with just stashing the worldlet is saying either:

<Uqbarian> Sure. But there was discussion of that sort of thing, IIRC.

<crusher_bob> from what I remember, we didn't get very far

<Uqbarian> No.

<Uqbarian> That's true.

  • HollyhockGod is now known as RandBrittain

<RandBrittain> So, what sounds like fun, then?

<RandBrittain> Start your own planet out in Space?

<Uqbarian> Are we also running up against different playstyles/expectations?

<RandBrittain> Mebbe?

<crusher_bob> will try a few:

<RandBrittain> I'm perfectly happy to let events be shaped by your desires and expectations.

<crusher_bob> we could try dumping the worldlet on the earth where the world breakers hand was used

<RandBrittain> Especially where the First Lord is concerned, because I don't have a strong concept there.

<crusher_bob> somewhere in lybia, wasn't it?

<crusher_bob> to patch the hole on the earth

<crusher_bob> and it will sort of re-create the garden of eden on earth

<Uqbarian> For instance, I'm the sort of player who tends to sit back and let events, i.e. the GM, drive the story. I'm not good at taking narrative control as a player.

<crusher_bob> (basically a 'come out and fight' to the other side)

<borogove> (I'm pretty much the same as uqbarian, here)

<Uqbarian> And there's also a timing or pacing issue.

<Uqbarian> The way I see it, we're only in the early stages of a campaign, nowhere near ready to throw down with the other side.

<Uqbarian> But bob, you seem to be saying you are ready for that.

<borogove> (I feel like we're somewhere in the middle, personally)

<RandBrittain> I don't think Yggsgarde is the same sort of place that Eden was.

<RandBrittain> If you don't want to start the End of Days anytime soon, that's fine with me.

<crusher_bob> note that major changes on the earth don't have to signal them end of days

<RandBrittain> They do alter the campaign mode, though.

<crusher_bob> yes

<crusher_bob> that's why you have the ooc discussion first

<crusher_bob> because basically every character in nobilis has the power to really screw the world up

<crusher_bob> you need more table talk

<Uqbarian> Yes, but talk about what?

<Uqbarian> We seem to have at least three different issues on the table.

<Uqbarian> 1) Whether to play more aggressively in terms of actions with large-scale effects on the setting;

<Uqbarian> 2) Whether we're ready to confront our enemies directly (though that's kind of 1);

<Uqbarian> 3) Whether to tie everything in to the Sable Gardens goal or have multiple distinct goals at once.

<Uqbarian> (2 and 3 also bear on the question of where we think we are at in a campaign arc.)

<Uqbarian> And there's very probably stuff I'm missing.

<RandBrittain> It seems to be the general will that we don't move too fast, so the general shape of the next few stories are likely to be "do various things for various reasons, while interacting with various Light and Dark NPCs and developing relationships with them"

<borogove> seems good to me.

<Uqbarian> Yep.

<Deceiver> What about me?

<Uqbarian> Quiet, you!

<RandBrittain> Hush, you! There are no Deceivers in this campaign!

<RandBrittain> If there were, they'd be clearly labelled as such.

<borogove> so, just ryan then?

<Deceiver> Hahahahahaha!

<Deceiver> Seriously though, Sherbrig is clearly not subtle enough to be One of Us.

<Uqbarian> Unless that's part of his cover.

<Uqbarian> Bob?

<crusher_bob> hmm?

<Deceiver> Pretending to be incompetent is work.

<Uqbarian> What other things could we be doing differently?

<crusher_bob> part of the problem I'm sorta having it that we have great powers to change stuff, but aren't really doing anything with them

<crusher_bob> the powers we are fighint are vast, terrible, etc

<crusher_bob> the fact that we've done stome stuff to change the setting will not necessarily effect them too much

<RandBrittain> That's sort of part of the Nobilis idiom.

<crusher_bob> in a sense, both subverting a power of the dark butler might have just as much effect on them

<RandBrittain> No matter how many terrarists you kill, you can't abolish Strife.

<crusher_bob> as re-creating a city that they have destroyed

<crusher_bob> (or whatever)

<crusher_bob> but in most games, re-creating the city is impossible

<RandBrittain> Right now, I think you need more allies.

<crusher_bob> so everyone tends to go for the small stuff like subverting his butler

<Uqbarian> And where I'm coming from is partly that Alexa's currently pro-status-quo, and partly that changing the setting does involve the Familia in conflicts with other Powers that would distract from our primary goal.

<RandBrittain> So the question comes out of the book: what sorts of people are appealing to you as friends?

<borogove> death, words etc.

<RandBrittain> No, I mean, what *sort* of people.

<RandBrittain> What qualities do the PCs find superbly attractive.

<crusher_bob> the mountain, the tickler, the hounds, raff the sweeting, etc? :D

<borogove> hmm. I'm actually not sure.

<RandBrittain> Imagine that I am giving you the opportunity to create an NPC character with whom you shall establish a deep bond, yea, as did David and Jonathan.

<Uqbarian> I've got some vague ideas that haven't really formed yet.

<crusher_bob> and on the other hand, how far are you willing tobend your ideals to have allies?

<Uqbarian> In Ryan's case, he's obviously flexible. :p

<Uqbarian> (Should have been a ;) :))

<RandBrittain> Well, I do like eccentric gods, but some of the NPCs I have in mind are somewhat noble.

<RandBrittain> I mean, you don't really have to compromise your ideas to be friends with Dana.

<RandBrittain> Now, you might have to change your PLANS, to whatever she happens to want to do, but that's different!

<RandBrittain> Anna has at least one Sibling who's extremely noble-hearted as well. Possibly too much so.

<Uqbarian> Are these folks in the wiki?

<RandBrittain> I think Marley has given indications that she has a generally benevolent attitude, in spite of being Death.

<RandBrittain> Their appearances are in the logs.

<RandBrittain> Except for Anna's Sibling, who hasn't appeared yet.

<Uqbarian> Uhuh.

<crusher_bob> from what I remember of the people we've seen

<crusher_bob> only death may have been idealisically allied with us

<crusher_bob> the power of water will be friendly, but probably is not interested in a crusade

<crusher_bob> vesper, I'm not sure

<crusher_bob> depends on what he actually does

<borogove> I should disappear now. hopefully we'll get some more play-time in next week.

<crusher_bob> will assume fromt ehfact that his siblings seem toget along with him just fine, that his heart is in the right place

  • borogove has quit (Disintegrated: borogove)

<Uqbarian> Seeya, 'gove!

<crusher_bob> byebye

<Uqbarian> I'd better shoot, too. See you next week!

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