[nobilis] PerrySimm says, "Log on."
[nobilis] GM says, "good morning"
[nobilis] GM says, "veek mailed me to say gunther's not coming, but I assume Lucian & Sara will be, so"
[nobilis] Raul says (to GM), "Will you need me for this excursion? I didn't know how you wanted to handle time between the sessions."
Davey arrives, looking for booty.
Davey says, "hey"
[nobilis] Alison asks, "Did anything happen in yesterday's session that we should know about?"
[nobilis] Raul says, "Not really."
[nobilis] Davey says, "Chancel Vs. Punk"
[nobilis] GM says, "I think I'd prefer playing out the search for the gateway, so since we didn't get to it yesterday we could do it in this session if you're amenable"
[whiz-games] Whizzard says, "Ok. That seems to be the only threat currently."
[nobilis] Raul says, "Sure."
[nobilis] Raul says, "I warn you, I'm in the grip of some cold/flu thing and may not be consistently coherent"
[nobilis] GM says, "good, good. just right for the mythic world."
[nobilis] Raul says, "'s what I thought as well."
[whiz-games] Whizzard says, "Still, I wish it wasn't dragons. They want to sell 3000 copies of this book and I'm dreading that it's going to be released into a flooded market."
[nobilis] Alison asks, "So are we picking up in the middle of things from where stuff ended two weeks ago, or did some time pass?"
[nobilis] GM says, "some time passed as Raul & Lo did research"
[whiz-games] Jota nods. "I assume your folks have already released schedules, and aren't in a position to swap the order around?"
[nobilis] Alison asks, "Would my rite research fit into that time frame too?"
[nobilis] Gerry says, "Whoa.  Starting time."
[nobilis] GM asks (of Alison), "so, let's see, you were interested in the rite of holy fire, yes?"
[nobilis] Alison says, "Yeah. And any other noble rites I could get leads on."
[nobilis] GM asks, "so what's your spirit? 3?"
[nobilis] Alison says, "Right."
Stella walks the plank to adventure. Arr!
Stella arrives, looking for booty.
Chaz walks the plank to adventure. Arr!
Chaz arrives, looking for booty.
Chaz exclaims, "Arr!"
[nobilis] GM says, "so the rite of holy fire, at that level, would need to be renewed every three months, and would protect against nuclear explosions, avalanches, machine guns, forest fires, normal guns, and attacks from magical creatures"
[nobilis] GM says, "it never protects against miraculous attacks"
[nobilis] Davey says, "I'll do that rite too. Better than nothing, though my spirit is only 2"
[nobilis] Alison asks, "Cool. Is that serious wounds and up, or deadly wounds and up?"
[nobilis] Davey says, "what with all the uslelessness at the mystical stuff"
[nobilis] GM says, "hmm, the description says deadly force, so I assume the latter"
[nobilis] Alison asks, "What do I need to do to perform it?"
[nobilis] GM says (to Davey), "you're welcome to do it also, although for you it won't protect against the last two, and will need to be performed every month"
[Crows-Nest] Chaz says, "As long as everyone else has the stuff available, I should do it too (also level 2)"
[nobilis] Chaz says, "As long as everyone else has the stuff available, I should do it too (also level 2)"
[nobilis] GM says, "there is chanting in the True Tongue of the World, there are candles, there is lying out under the stars for the night"
Alison exclaims, "Oooh, camping!"
[nobilis] Davey says, "I don't see a downside to being safe from machine guns"
[nobilis] Gerry has Spirit 1 and doubts it will be worth it.
[nobilis] GM says, "for spirit 1 it needs to be renewed every two weeks and would only protect against nuclear explosion/avalanche-level stuff"
Alison runs around collecting candles and practicing chants and stuff, and will explain what she's doing to anyone who asks. Unless they're a bad guy.
[nobilis] Davey says, "I'll probably boost either Aspect or Spirit when I can afford to. I ought to try to come up with some useful rites. Turning into stuff is cool but not often that useful"
[nobilis] Alison asks, "For Spirit 0, you have to hope any physical attacks against you are accompanied by thermonuclear weaponry?"
[nobilis] Gerry remembers not to go skiing during WWIII.
[nobilis] Chaz says (to Davey), "It's come in handy several times, I thought."
[nobilis] Stella says, "Sure, I'll join in on rites et al."
[nobilis] Chaz says (to Alison), "Heh."
[nobilis] Davey says (to Chaz), "I guess. But sooner or later I'm just going to be this confused guy in a leather vest"
Alison says, "OK, now everyone together, repeat after me! Owah... Tafuh... Lamai..."
[nobilis] Davey is starting to get a catch-up-with-Duke-of-Joneses complex
[nobilis] Raul says, "You should hook up with the Power of Self-Improvement"
Davey asks, "hey, so...do you think Shagapir sent us to diddle that safe just to get that Anchor killed?"
Davey says, "That's been bugging me."
Davey says, "I mean, he was just an Anchor and everything"
Gerry says (to Davey), "It's been niggling at me too."
Alison says, "Nuh-uh. Shagapir wouldn't do that."
Chaz says (to Alison), "I taught that to *you*, kid.  Not gonna get me back..."
[nobilis] Chaz says, "(grr lag)"
Davey says, "and we gotta do what the man wants, but..."
Gerry says (to Davey), "If Shagapir is involved in high-level intrigue, then the invasion may have been a reaction to something he did previously."
Davey asks, "when he said 'this'll teach her not to fool with my Nobles' what'd that mean?"
Davey asks, "did he have Nobles before us?"
Stella says, "I think some other person may have interfered to kill that guy, and pin the blame on our imperator."
Chaz says (to Davey), "He said something about them messing with 'his nobilis' first, but I don't know what that means, and he didn't say."
Stella says, "Nardly bastards."
Chaz says, "Yeah, that."
Alison exclaims (at Stella), "Yeah!"
Chaz says, "We could check out the scrying pools, maybe."
Stella asks, "Anyone know who might have 'issues' with Shagapir?"
Davey asks, "this Chancel started when we got superpowers, right? So no sense asking the folks about Shaggy?"
Alison asks, "Who ya gonna look at?"
Chaz says (to Davey), "I thought so."
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "apologies. i was afk on an international call"
Stella says (to Davey), "They may not know now, but they could look into it."
Davey says, "speaking of chancels, I'm gonna check on the prisoners from Astara"
Chaz asks (of wind), "Hey, Henderson!  You busy?"
Alison says, "A-star-a... Sounds like A-toch-a."
Davey asks, "this is another thing. If they die, fine. But if they don't, what'll we do with 'em?"
Alison says, "Prob'ly doesn't mean anything, though."
Gerry says (to Alison), "Co-incid-ence.  I think."
Stella says, "I say we let them live here, should they prove harmless."
Davey says, "they're not responsible, they're all brainwashed. But if we don't punish them we're breaking one of the big rules"
GM says, ""... Yesss? ..." Henderson flickers into visibility"
Alison asks (of Davey), "We put them in a cage, didn't we?"
Alison exclaims (at Henderson), "Hi!"
Davey says, "and maybe the assman that sent'em will drag us to court for it"
Stella says, "Confining them to the Chancel for the remainder of their existance could be seen as punishment."
Alison asks (of Davey), "Isn't that like jail?"
Davey says, "I suppose"
Gerry says (to Stella), "Not a very good one."
Davey says, "They can stay, but NO TILTAWHIRL"
Stella asks (of Gerry), "How about if we chop their arms off first?"
[nobilis] Alison says, "So now we've got an undead mage. That's excellent."
Aisleen asks (of chaz), "you called?"
[nobilis] Alison says, "And undead mage with a red rubber nose."
Chaz asks (of Henderson), "Hi!  Can we use the scrying pools to see the past?"
Alison says (to Stella), "That sounds mean."
Alison looks over toward the cage. "But they did shoot at us. That's mean too."
Stella says (to Alison), "That *is* the idea."
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "(reads scrollback) count me in on the rites too"
Stella asks (of Alison), "And I wasn't serious.  Punishment is all very well, but that's going a bit far, don't you think?"
Gerry says (to Stella), "I think that Tyoka might be the best one to devise and execute an appropriate punishment."
[nobilis] Alison says, "(Was the rite performed, then, or do we need to RP it during the session?)"
GM says, "Henderson strokes his (translucent) chin thoughtfully. "It's possible, I think .. although the glimpses you get are likely to be more shadowy than if you were viewing the present, and there have been stories about people seeing a past that never existed at all""
Alison exclaims (at Stella), "Yeah!"
[nobilis] Aisleen asks (of gm), "also, did we ever get around to giving the scraps of paper in the study to the paper-guy in the other chancel and find out what it was?"
Aisleen asks (of henderson), "how can we view a past that never existed?"
[nobilis] GM says, "I think we'll gloss over the rite for now; and no, you didn't get the ashes to Franklin"
GM says, "He shrugs. "When you explore backwards into the past, it is possible to lose your way""
Chaz exclaims, "Cool.  Let's try it!"
[nobilis] GM says, "hee hee"
Stella says, "Is there any possibility of seeing other pasts?  I don't care to see 'might have beens' in my own history."
[Crows-Nest] Gerry says, "IRTA 'seeing other pasta'"
[nobilis] Alison asks, "What's the shape of the highway? Are our regular folk able to handle all the general chancel repairs without our direct supervision?"
[nobilis] GM says, "I think so, yeah"
[whiz-games] Whizzard says, "Back from breakfast, sorry."
Chaz says (to Henderson), "Let's try to look at what Shagapir was doing before the group of us got ennobled."
[nobilis] GM says, "assuming you guys were spending some time working on it it is probably mostly repaired by now"
[whiz-games] Whizzard says, "No, can't swap the schedule or change the name: Draconic Lore."
Stella says, "Then I would rather not view the past myself, though I have no objections to others doing it.  I prefer to leave my past in the past, and not revisit it."
Aisleen asks (of stella), "well, if we are looking at Shagapir's past, we will not necessarily be seeing our own, right?"
[nobilis] Chaz asks, "And it's been a couple weeks since the last session?"
Gerry asks (of Stella), "Is Chancel Astara mentioned in your 'Who's Who'?"
[nobilis] GM says, "yeah"
[nobilis] Stella says (to Aisleen), "GM mentioned possibility of seeing other pasts, and I don't want to view mine by accident."
Alison asks, "Do we still have the ashes?"
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "ah right"
Aisleen asks (of alison), "of the paper in the study? or some other ashes?"
Davey says, "even though I brought it up, finding out who's behind the invasion is probably more important"
Alison says (to Aisleen), "Yeah, that one."
[nobilis] Chaz asks (of GM), "Oh, and was I able to make my board fly yet?"
Alison asks, "Can I see it?"
[nobilis] Stella says, "Its a character thing - Stella wouldn't want to, but Amber might."
Davey says, "If we wanna hit back, with Raul's help I can probably make a road there"
[nobilis] GM says (to Chaz), "yeah, I think so"
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Excellent."
Aisleen hands Alison the envelope containing the ashes
Davey says, "but that vision of towers gave me the heebie-jeebies"
Aisleen says (to alison), "careful. We need to get this to Franklin eventually"
Chaz says (to Alison), "Hey, try talking to the ashes.  The envelope was pretty responsive to your inquiries."
Alison peers inside, shaking up the ashes just a little bit to look through them.
Aisleen says (to chaz), "good point"
[nobilis] Alison says, "I'd like to try a Minor Divination of Realm to see what used to be there before the paper was burned."
[nobilis] GM says, "let's see"
[nobilis] GM says, "papers ... handwritten ... covered in calculations"
Alison says, "Anyone have any paper? Less burned paper, I mean."
[nobilis] GM says, "some kind of notes about rites ... something about "procuring the item" and "making the link" ..."
[nobilis] GM says, ""to open the way and then receive my reward""
[nobilis] GM says, ""as it has been promised""
[nobilis] Chaz asks, "Oh, right--was a heart token missing from the stores?"
Aisleen rips a couple pages out of her notebook and hands it to Alison
Alison starts copying down the calculations she's seen glimpses of, as well as the other bits and pieces.
[nobilis] GM says, "yes"
Gerry has disconnected.
TableSaw arrives, looking for booty.
Alison says, "Item.. the link... reward..."
[nobilis] GM says, "the wards showing evidence, on inspection, of having been carefully slit open and then restored"
Chaz says (to Gerry), "That's a weird Guise."
[Crows-Nest] Raul says, "At last, Gerry's mask slips, and we see that he is nothing more than a machine shop tool"
[nobilis] TableSaw says, "Gerry's client just died."
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says, "hee hee"
Gerry has connected.
Alison says, "Huh." She looks at the stuff she just wrote down. "Weird.""
[nobilis] GM says (to Alison), "and then concluding with "..and he talks to me at night. Sometimes I wish he will stop talking; sometimes I fear he will""
Alison gives the envelope back to Aisleen. "OK, thank you!"
TableSaw disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again.
Davey says, "'He?'"
Stella says (to Alison), "That is very strange.  But definitely in keeping with the mind-control theme."
Davey says, "the guys I questioned talked about a 'She.'"
Alison, apparently, shows her notes to Davey. Et al. :)
Alison says, "I wonder what reward he got."
Gerry has disconnected.
Alison says, "We coulda given him money and free ride tickets and candy and stuff, so it's gotta be better than that."
[nobilis] Davey says, "sorry. at this point I feel like we're all looking over each others' shoulders at all times"
Aisleen says (to davey), "the voice I heard in the dreams might have been male"
Stella walks the plank to adventure. Arr!
Stella arrives, looking for booty.
Davey asks, "a fabulous Hawaiian vacation?"
[nobilis] Stella asks, "hello again, did I miss anything?"
Alison exclaims (at Gerry), "Not right now, we have important stuff to do!"
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "do we know if he is still alive and kicking in Hawaii?"
[nobilis] Alison says, "(Er, (to Davey))"
Aisleen asks, "Does anyone understand the calculations?"
Davey says, "I was kidding, but I mean, maybe that's why he went there. To get his reward"
Alison asks (of Henderson), "You still there?"
GM says, ""...Yesss?...""
Alison asks (of Henderson), "Do these mathy marks and stuff mean anything to you?"
[nobilis] Stella asks, "hello?"
[nobilis] Alison says (to Stella), "Hello -- don't think you missed anything yet."
[nobilis] Stella says, "weird, my computer is telling me I"m disconnected, yet here I be.  curiouser and curiouser."
GM says, "He frowns, and leans closer to the paper"
Alison holds it where he can see it.
GM says, ""This part is calculations for the ritual to steal the token, I think -- see, here he's analyzing the wards surrounding it and calculating where to strike to breach it""
Alison makes an unhappy face.
GM says, ""And this part is, hrm, I think using a token of that kind to seek out the Heart""
GM says, ""Hrm. Hrm hrm.""
Alison asks, "That's not good. Do we know if they still have the token?"
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Sigh, computer crashing--rebooting..."
[nobilis] Alison asks, "Actually, can I divine that, since it's a token of the heart of the chancel?"
[nobilis] GM says, "yes, and no, it doesn't seem to exist anymore"
GM says, ""And this is last is -- my.""
[nobilis] Alison asks, "In the sense of being destroyed (e.g. in the casting), or being out of my range (e.g. locked and warded outside the chancel)?"
GM says, ""This last appears to be some kind of ritual for speaking with spirits beyond the Wall.""
Davey says, "whoa"
[nobilis] GM says, "it almost certainly does not exist anywhere"
Alison asks, "The Wall?"
Alison looks around, at various nearby walls.
[nobilis] GM says, "or if it does, its connection to the heart has been warded very tightly"
Davey asks, "the Wall is the outside of the Universe, right?"
GM says, "Henderson gestures around. "Exactly.""
Davey says, "brr. So, Excrucians."
Alison exclaims, "Oh! *The Wall*!"
Alison stares accusingly at the paper.
GM says, ""Earth, and all the other places, hang from the world-tree, which is rooted in Hell, nourished by the rain of Heaven, and surrounded by the Wall.""
Chaz walks the plank to adventure. Arr!
Chaz arrives, looking for booty.
[nobilis] Chaz says, "There we go."
[nobilis] Alison (to Chaz) | GM says, ""This last appears to be some kind of ritual for speaking with spirits beyond the Wall.""
GM says, ""There are magicians who have sought to take counsel of the spirits of the outside -- it is said that they have a certain ... impartial perspective ... on reality""
Alison asks, "Is there anything else out there 'cept for the 'Scrucians?"
Gerry has connected.
[nobilis] Gerry says, "Copmuter go boom."
[Crows-Nest] Raul says, "If we're Locus Boring Library Research, y'all are evidently Locus Crappy Internet Connections"
[nobilis] Alison says, "Well, this could be who He is."
GM says, "Henderson shrugs. "Not that I know; but the number of people who have been out there and come back sane can be counted on -- well, insofar as I know, there arne't any.""
Stella walks the plank to adventure. Arr!
Stella arrives, looking for booty.
Chaz walks the plank to adventure. Arr!
Chaz arrives, looking for booty.
[Crows-Nest] Gerry says (to Raul), "Kiss my Tilt-A-Whirl."
Chaz Arr.
[nobilis] Stella says, "Sorry about that - Word crashed my computer."
[nobilis] Chaz asks, "Did someone ask what the wall was?"
[nobilis] Gerry asks, "What'd we miss?"
Alison asks, "Who would wanna talk to anything like that?"
[nobilis] Alison (to Chaz) | GM says, ""Earth, and all the other places, hang from the world-tree, which is rooted in Hell, nourished by the rain of Heaven, and surrounded by the Wall.""
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen has Pink Floyd stuck in the head now
[Crows-Nest] GM says, "ha"
GM says, "He shrugs again. "Sometimes they know things.""
[nobilis] Gerry asks, "Does perry do recaps?"
Chaz asks, "Oh, right--is that the wild?"
[nobilis] Alison says, "No, unfortunately -- he's not a Bot, just a player account."
GM says, ""But the Excrucians hate the universe and everything in it, and their advice will never lead to good in the long-term. And they are willing to wait a long time.""
Alison says (to Chaz), "I think we're the wild."
[Crows-Nest] Gerry asks, "So what's going on?  Why is Henderson explaining Nobilis cosmology?"
[Crows-Nest] Alison says, "He was explaining some of the stuff from Jensen's notes."
[Crows-Nest] Chaz says, "The burnt ashes from Jensen's lab had rituals on 'em to talk with spirits outside the wall."
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says, "cause we need to understand why the burnt paper from the study has rites on how to talk...timing. everyone is faster than i today"
[Crows-Nest] Alison asks (of Aisleen), "Running like the wind just isn't what it used to be?"
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says (to alison), "i dunno about you, but there is no wind where I be. it's too stiflingly hot and still"
Alison says, "I think we need a No Talking To Execrucians Without Permission rule."
GM says, ""We *have* that.""
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says (to alison), "Do Not Pass GO, Do Not Talk to Excrucians"
Alison nods, "Good work, Mr Henderson."
GM says, ""But magicians can be, ah, independent-minded at times in pursuit of knowledge.""
Chaz says, "Jensen was probably posessed by the confusion spirit he summoned."
Gerry asks (of Henderson), "While you're here, I was wondering.  Did Jensen request vacation before or after Stella's duel was announced?"
[nobilis] Alison asks, "Did anyone try to contact Drake or Mysterio?"
Aisleen is more curious if anyone has had any contact with Jensen after he left for Vacation. Has he checked in at all?
[nobilis] Chaz says, "I contacted Drake, and he said he'd get back to us."
[nobilis] Chaz asks (of GM), "I don't suppose he has, in the intervening weeks?"
Alison sits down to think for a bit.
GM says, "he applied about a week ago .. I think shortly after the duel"
[nobilis] GM says, "(no)"
Aisleen asks (of henderson), "has he checked in since?"
Alison sits down a little distance away from the hubbub, in fact -- around the back of a nearby trailer, in a nice patch of grass. Avoiding the litter.
GM says, ""Not that I am aware. It seems likely to me that he has left for good -- certainly, if he *does* show up again, we will have Words.""
Chaz chuckles.
DavidW focuses on his crystal and fades away into a silver haze in the light.
Alison says (to Dolly), "It looks like a bad person wanted to cut out our Heart. And that could make our chancel go away."
Chaz says, "Maybe we could track *his* activities via the scrying pool, too."
Chaz is trying not to look like he really wants to try this scrying thing, and failing.
Gerry says, "Well, right now our only concrete lead seems to be 'Chancel Astara.'"
Alison says (to Dolly), "And Mr Lo said that his chancel went away, too. So maybe the same people that wanted to hurt our chancel were the same people that hurt his chancel."
Aisleen gives Alison a Twizzler to cheer the kid up (awkardly)
Alison says (to Dolly), "Mr Henderson says that Mr Jensen wa -- oh, hi Aisleen. Thanks."
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "did Stella ever say if Astara is in the who'swho?"
[nobilis] GM says, "no, but it is, hang on"
[nobilis] Stella says, "GM said she was"
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "or would it be in who-used-to-be?"
Davey says, "they hurt somebody's. They've done this before"
Alison chews on it thoughtfully, and says (to Aisleen), "If Raul says that the bad people came from a Chancel called Astara, and Mr Henderson says that Mr Jensen was working for an Execrucian, does that mean that Chancel Astara is working with the Execrucians?"
Aisleen asks (of alison), "That's a frightening thought. But maybe not?"
[nobilis] Chaz asks, "Wait, so only Excrucians are beyond the wall?"
Aisleen asks (of alison), "Maybe it was just some people taken out of Astara and convinced to work with the Excrucian, not that the entire chancel is bad?"
[nobilis] Davey says, "that's a good point. I forgot about Wild folks"
Alison nods slowly. "Maybe."
[nobilis] Davey asks, "I don't understand some of this stuff too well. Wild folks are from 'outside.' Excrucians are from 'outside Creation.' Same thing?"
Gerry says, "So, perhaps, the Wild are invading chancels and claiming them for their own."
[nobilis] GM says, "yes"
[nobilis] GM says, "the wild powers have, mm, discovered themselves inside the wall one day"
[nobilis] Alison says, "I'm confused too. I thought that Wild was just one of the Affiliations."
[nobilis] Alison says, "(Also, is Shagapir a Wild One?)"
[nobilis] GM says, "they are regarded with a certain amount of suspicion but, generally, they are accepted"
[nobilis] Chaz says, "I think the wild is a place and an affiliation, just like heaven and hell."
[nobilis] GM says, "since they make their allegiance against the excrucians now"
[nobilis] GM says, "I don't remember if Shagapir is wild or not"
[nobilis] Alison says (to Chaz), "Ah."
GM says, "anyway"
[nobilis] Davey says, "maybe they were Excrucians who said, "you know, I like pizza. it can stay.""
[nobilis] Chaz laughs.
[nobilis] Davey says, "thus preserving the whole industrial-dairy complex"
[nobilis] Stella says, "mmh, pizza.  sounds good - reminds me I haven't had lunch."
[nobilis] Alison says, "I like any power who's dedicated to the presevervation of pizza."
[nobilis] Chaz says, "I had an industrial-dairy complex, but with the help of my psychologist, it's mostly gone."
GM says, "Astara is listed in the who's who as a somewhat small, private world of forests and meadows, with a few entrances in various parts of England"
[nobilis] Stella says, "that and some really cool drugs."
GM says, "it has three recorded powers: Anse, Marchessa of Dew, Seldon, Baronet of Squirrels, and Tomas, Marquis of Infomercials"
[nobilis] Chaz exclaims, "Ha!"
[nobilis] Alison says, "(I think my computer might be about to crash -- if I suddenly go idle.)"
GM says, "the imperator, Kirkan-Mell, is recorded as being affiliated with the Light"
Chaz . o O (to anse) ( Hello?  This is )
[nobilis] Chaz says, "(arr)"
Chaz . o O (to anse) ( ..Whimsy.  Have you been having problems with your chancel?" )
[nobilis] Stella says, "so if we see some wet squirrel trying to sell us something, we know whom to blame."
GM says, "Anse does not respond"
Chaz thinks the same thing to Seldon and Tomas.
[nobilis] Gerry asks (of GM), "So are we just allowed to mentally contact any Noble we want?"
GM says, "nor do they"
Davey says, "the soldiers mentioned a time before and a time after the black towers came."
Davey says, "I think Astara got taken over"
[nobilis] Alison says, "Provided they're not too busy to reply, I think."
[nobilis] GM says, "yeah, although they don't have to respond"
[nobilis] Alison says, "If you're in battle or whatever, I think that listening to a prayer takes an action."
[nobilis] Stella says, "afk - diaper time."
Chaz nods.
Davey asks, "is there a way we can figure out if the Powers are alive?"
Chaz says, "But, like Lo, the powers might have escaped."
[nobilis] Gerry imagines the Duchess of Popularity's brain constantly being assaulted with requests for attention.
Alison asks, "But people can still pray to Lo, can't they?"
Chaz exclaims, "The scrying pool will tell all!"
Alison says (to Chaz), "I ahve an idea"
Davey says, "there are still squrrels, and dew, and infomercials..."
[nobilis] GM says, "hee hee hee"
Alison exclaims (at Chaz), "You can go look in the scrying pool!"
Chaz exclaims (at Alison), "Great idea!"
GM says, "clearly their estates still exist, yeah"
[nobilis] Alison says (to GM), "Yeah, but if they've decided to align with the bad guys, we can pretend they don't just to freak them out."
[nobilis] GM says, ""Squirrels? I see no squirrels.""
[nobilis] Alex says (to GM), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that squirrels are rodents that steal my cork nuts."
[nobilis] Alison says, "'My, it was dry out this morning, wasn't it!'"
[nobilis] Raul says, "As long as there are still chinchillas, I'm fine"
Chaz says (to Henderson), "OK, I'll need your help."
Chaz skates off to one of the pools.
[nobilis] Gerry says, "'I've never heard of this "Vacuuming Haircut Machine," and I certainly do not know how one owuld go about purchasing one.""
GM says, "Henderson tries to keep up, shrugs, and dematerializes instead."
Gerry follows to the pool.
Alison goes to look at the zeppelins, while they're scrying.
[nobilis] GM says, "(speaking of Raul, I should remind folks that he was going to be looking for a path to walk to Astara after he scouted out the place last time; y'all can play that bit out any time you like)"
[nobilis] Raul says, "(Hang on; I'm on fone for the next little bit)"
GM asks (of Chaz), "what are you scrying for?"
Chaz says, "Let's start with following Jensen after he left."
Alison imagines our zeppelin was totalled, but tries to figure out if the captured enemy zeppelins can be at all salvaged for our use.
GM says, "probably two can, with work"
GM says, "also, with time you can just buy some in the real world and ship them in"
[nobilis] Alison says, "Yeah, but they won't turn invisible."
Alison scouts them out, looking for any tracking devices, self-destruct mechanisms, overrides, or any other nasty surprises that may have been rigged to them.
Alison uses a divination for that, if necessary.
[nobilis] Raul says, "Okay, off fone and available whenever."
[nobilis] GM says, "ah, if that's the part you're interested in, you might be better off trying to have your mages doing investigation"
GM says, "the zeppelins look pretty standard-issue, insofar as there is a thing"
[nobilis] Alison says, "OK. I figured Chaz was probably using the mages right now, though."
GM says, "aside from being equipped to carry troops"
GM says, "meanwhile, back in the past, Jensen is leaving"
[nobilis] Chaz chuckles.
[nobilis] Alison says, "So I'll sic them on it when he's done with the scrying."
GM says, "you can't get a bead on him until he's out of his laboratory, carrying two suitcases"
GM says, "he waves to somebody as he passes them in the hall, then heads to the car lot by the highway"
GM says, "where he checks out a car and drives it onto the highway and out"
[Crows-Nest] Gerry says, "This isn't two weeks ago, this is his high school performance of Death of a Salesman!"
Chaz looks to see which exit he used.
GM says, "eventually he emerges on a highway in hawaii, where he heads to a nearby motel, checks in, and opens the suitcases to reveal a number of candles and similar ritual objects"
[Crows-Nest] Raul says, "Aloha of a Salesman"
Aisleen asks (of chaz), "is there a way to find out who he said hi to when he left?"
GM says, "he removes a print from the wall to make a bare space and then sketches in some kind of circle on the wall"
Aisleen asks, "or have we moved past that?"
GM says, "then he starts peforming the ritual and the circle darkens"
Chaz asks (of Henderson), "Any clue what he's doing?"
GM says, ""Some kind of summoning ceremony, looks like. Or a gateway.""
GM says, "He takes a step forward, towards the circle, and then drops to his knees and looks upward expectantly"
[Crows-Nest] Gerry says, "Our insane Satanist seems to be much more 'with it' than the other group's."
Chaz says (to Aisleen), "Try a realm divination."
Gerry says, "Oooh, this is the part where the Alien leaps out and grabs him, I think."
[Crows-Nest] Alison says, "Possibly since we have a magical chancel."
GM says, "an arm thrusts forth out of the circle, as black and glossy as the rest of the circle now is"
[Crows-Nest] Raul says, "Ours wasn't so much insane as duped"
Aisleen . o O (to Realm) ( who did Jensen wave goodbye to as he left? )
GM says, "it's holding a bag, which it drops into his lap"
[Crows-Nest] Alison says, "When it comes to technological attacks, we'll get someone on the metal level of The Mad Bomber What Bombs At Midnight."
Chaz says, "Woah."
[Crows-Nest] Alison says, "Er, mental."
[nobilis] GM says, "(he waved to the one of the mages, who you can talk to later if you want)"
Stella is off making rounds of the perimeter, performing the fire ritual, checking on her anchors, and doing other sundry tasks whilst y'all view the past.
GM says, "he looks grateful, then surprised, as he opens the bag and it's empty"
GM says, "then the hand gestures and the roof collapses"
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "the roof of the hotel?"
[nobilis] GM says, "(at least of the room)"
Alison is still playing with zeppelins, but will make Chaz fill her in later.
Chaz exclaims, "Ack!"
GM says, "the flames of the candles leap up and the vision fades"
Aisleen asks, "so is he dead?"
Gerry says, "Hm.  A crime scene in Hawaii."
Chaz says, "Could be."
Chaz says, "Like he was being paid for this actions."
Davey says, "hrrm"
[Crows-Nest] Raul says, "You could hire Magnum, N.I."
[Crows-Nest] Stella exclaims, "Ha!"
Gerry says, "Can we spot any of the Astara Nobles with these pools, or will their Auctoritas prevent it."
Chaz says, "We can try."
Davey says, "we could go there to check it out, claim the body if there is one. At least find out when it happened"
Chaz says, "I watched the group of you go to Home Depot a while back."
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen asks, "Not Investigator?"
Chaz says, "OK, let's see if I have the hang of this ritual..."
[Crows-Nest] Gerry says, "Nobilis Investigator."
GM says, "it won't prevent it; but the pool doesn't pick up anything on them"
Chaz wills the pool to show him the Power of Squirrels.
Chaz says, "Hmm."
Chaz tries to look at Astara, present day.
[Crows-Nest] Raul says, "what Gerry said"
GM says, "nor on that"
[Crows-Nest] Raul says, "I'm all about the outdated references from the 1980s"
Chaz tries Astara in the past.
Davey says, "I'm ready to find the way to Astara, if Raul is."
[nobilis] Alison says, "We were friends of the scryer... we may need some connection to Astara or their people to scry them."
[nobilis] Gerry asks (of Raul), "Are you with us or at your place?"
[nobilis] Alison says, "Like, if we had an item from their Heart, I bet we could scry them easily."
[nobilis] Raul says, "My place, but ready and available."
GM says, "there is, for the moment, a bit of greenery and a tower with a loudspeaker at the top, and then it fades"
Davey says, "We chould try for a bead on where it is, and then when we're armed and dangerous, and Tyoka's healed up, we can try a highway there"
Gerry . o O (to raul) ( We have a lead on the mysterious chancel.  Would you gare to join us? )
Chaz says, "Hmm."
Chaz says, "Well, hey, while I'm here..."
Raul says (to Gerry), "<zzzZZZzzz-snork-!>"
Raul says (to Gerry), "<Uh, yeah, be right there.>"
[nobilis] Alison wonders if Chaz is old enough to scry girls' locker rooms yet.
Chaz tries watching Shagapir in the few days before the deluge in Seattle.
[Crows-Nest] Gerry says, "That's why the pool looks all milky."
GM says, "he is deep in conversation with Vona; they seem to be arguing over something"
Chaz tries to lip-read.
Raul arrives, hair still wet. "'ey, everyone."
[nobilis] Chaz says, "(I assume we don't get sound)"
GM says, ""...sacrifice...all we planned...risky, but...""
Davey says, "hey, man"
Gerry says, "Thanks for coming."
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "is that what Vona says to Shaggy or the other way around?"
GM says, "then Shagapir pauses, and seems to look up at you. He reaches into his cloak and pulls out a sign that says "NICE TRY, CHAZ." Then the vision fades."
Raul exclaims, "Oh, hey, that looks like Vona--!"
Aisleen stifles a laugh
Gerry shows Raul the information from the Who's Who on Astara.
[nobilis] Alison exclaims (at GM), "Yes!"
Aisleen asks, "does that mean the past has changed?"
Davey says, "he's just that good."
[nobilis] GM says (to Aisleen), "those were from Vona, Vona, and Shagapir, respectively"
Chaz laughs.
Raul asks, "Infomercials? We need a power of those?"
Gerry says (to Raul), "Apparently, they ar ethe price we must pay for cute squirrels and glistening dew."
Alison finds her way to the others, eventually.
Raul asks, "Yeah, but *infomercials*? Mr. Popeil needs that much spiritual backing?"
Chaz tries to see Lo's chancel in the past, for the heck of it.
Alison exclaims (at Raul), "Hey, you don't live here!"
Gerry says (to Alison), "I asked him back for help finding Astara."
GM says, "Lo's chancel is equally shut off"
[nobilis] Chaz asks (of GM), "No glimpse from the past, like from Astara?"
Raul says (to Alison), "Just stopping by to lend a hand."
Davey says, "none can resist our cheese fries"
Aisleen says (to Raul), "we might as well as give you a temporary residence card"
Alison asks (of Raul), "You were that guy, who was with the other people, with the funny Latin book, right?"
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen tries to remember which visa that would be
Davey says, "or one of those POP wristbands"
Chaz says, "Get Out Of the Maze Free."
[nobilis] GM says, "no, but that may just be a failure of the pool ritual"
Raul says (to Alison), "Right. I mentioned the pages you definitely shouldn't have been reading."
[Crows-Nest] GM says, "H1B -- essential skills"
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen laughs
Alison asks (of Raul), "The ones with the donkey, you mean?"
Gerry says (to Raul), "The entrances appear to have been in England, but we doubt if any of those are still operating"
Raul says, "Yeah"
Raul says (to Gerry), "Oh? Hm."
Alison asks, "If someone is going to go to Astara, who's going to stay here to keep things safe?"
Lo materializes.
Davey says, "I'll go, to learn the way"
[Crows-Nest] Lo says, "hihi"
Gerry says, "Well, Tyoka and Stella can stay, but Tyoka's still pretty thrashed."
Raul asks (of Davey), "Good idea -- you do interstates, right?"
Davey says, "dunno if anyone else needs to go, but if we get into trouble, I wouldn't mind a good fighter with us"
Gerry says (to Alis), "You should probably stay too."
[Crows-Nest] GM says (to Lo), "folks are on the verge of heading to astara"
Davey says (to Raul), "yeahp"
Chaz exclaims, "I'll go!"
Gerry says, "I'll follow as well."
GM says, "(actually, Tyoka's about healed by now, since he spent the AMPs to heal faster)"
Davey asks (of Raul), "so, how do you do this? You walk?"
Alison says, "Yeah, I'm gonna stay here. But don't forget to tell me about all the cool stuff that happens when it happens and stuff."
Alison asks, "'K?"
[Crows-Nest] Lo says, "we need to give Alex ESP so we can use him for quick rundowns"
[Crows-Nest] Alison asks, "Extra-Sensory Parroting?"
Stella says, "I'll go to Astara.  I have an urge to see drenched squirrels selling things, for the humor value if nothing else."
Raul says (to Davey), "Some walking, some wandering. This is the first time I've tried to find a path to someplace with a nebulous location."
[Crows-Nest] Lo exclaims, "Awwk! That's the wavy-line card! Give me a corknut!"
[Crows-Nest] Alex awwwks. "Want cork nut!"
Davey says, "I hope my mojo even works outside America"
Davey says, "I figure I can do Germany, dunno about the bucolic hills of England"
[nobilis] Raul asks (of GM), "Can I narrow the possible locations any? Other than the 'start in England' bit?"
[nobilis] Alison exclaims, "Stonehenge!"
Aisleen asks, "i think i will stay with Alison. You will be able to let us know if you need us, anyway, right?"
Chaz says (to Aisleen), "Should be.  Just make sure you know the way."
[nobilis] Alison says, "That's always the place to go for mysterious mystical stuff from other planes that's linked to someplace in the English countryside."
Chaz says, "We'll keep you updated."
[nobilis] GM says, "I think as a divination of Paths, you'll be able to get a better idea once you're over in england"
[nobilis] Lo says, "If this is linked up to crop circles somehow I'm going to laugh"
[nobilis] Raul asks (of Lo), "I'm being sponsored by Disney, didn't you know?"
Gerry says, "Well, there are highways in England."
Stella says, "I think I'll go elemental.  If nothing else, we'll be able to see."
Chaz says (to Raul), "Hey, can we borrow some of your guns before we go?  We should take a few of our own confusions spells and the like, too."
Stella asks, "Can someone carry a flower for me?"
[nobilis] Lo asks, "So I take it there was a lot of talking in the last hour?"
Davey says, "okay"
Raul says (to Chaz), "That seems reasonable. How were you planning on getting to England? If we want, we can detour through my chancel and emerge in a library over there."
Stella hands Davey a China Rose.
[nobilis] Davey says, "yeah, and scrying, and lonely, confused soliloquies from yours truly"
[nobilis] Chaz asks, "Since we've mentioned them before, can we go invisible and some blink spells, too?"
[nobilis] Gerry says, "We learned some things and decided to find a lost chancel."
Alison asks (of Raul), "Wouldn't that mean that you'd have to get from our chancel to your chancel?"
[nobilis] GM says (to Chaz), "sure"
[nobilis] Lo asks, "I would gather Lo would want to go along, where did he end up?"
Raul says (to Alison), "Yeah, but by now I've found a good route between the two."
[nobilis] GM says (to Lo), "here is fine; there's been some intervening time"
Raul says, "Thirty minutes walking, no hard hills."
[nobilis] Alison wonders what cool amusement locale we have an exit in over there.
Lo pops in and taps Raul on the shoulder.
Gerry says, "Actually, I think I'll stay home."
[nobilis] Davey says, "some rotting Brighton amusement park, probably"
Raul says (to Lo), "Ah, hello."
[nobilis] Gerry says, "I have to leave."
Gerry says, "Have a good time."
Gerry has disconnected.
[nobilis] GM says, "byebye"
[nobilis] Alison aws, wavs to Gerry.
[nobilis] Raul says, "Bye Gerry"
Alison asks (of Lo), "Where'd you come from?"
Chaz asks (of Aisleen), "Well, since Gerry's staying, you wanna come?"
[nobilis] Alison asks, "What is with all these people who can pop into our chancel willy-nilly, without even the sentries noticing them and alerting us?"
[nobilis] Davey says, "we invited Raul"
[nobilis] Davey says, "dunno about Lo"
Lo says (to Alison), "Sorry, last minute ethics tweak in France that had to be attended to."
[nobilis] Raul says (to Alison), "See? My hand's been stamped."
Davey says (to Raul), "so, when we start in England, if you wanna drive I can make a car"
[nobilis] GM says, "for narrative convenience, I'm assuming folks from Vona's chancel + Lo have been okayed for entrance; if you'd like to change that, that's fine"
[nobilis] Davey says, "all kids like Lo"
[nobilis] Alison says, "I'm not against Chancel BLR being allowed in; I'd just like the sentries to do some announcing and stuff."
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Sure; just wanted to make sure other nobilis couldn't do the same thing."
[nobilis] Alison says, "And, yeah, what Chaz said."
Raul says (to Davey), "I think that will help greatly, especially if you're able to handle their backwards driving"
[nobilis] GM says, "alrighty"
[nobilis] Lo says, "Besides, um, I would think lost chancel hunting would be in Lo's interest"
Aisleen says (to chaz), "sure"
Davey says, "shouldn't be hard"
[nobilis] Alison says, "An imperious announcement and fanfare, 'Arriving... Lo, Power of Philosophy, from the Lost Chancel. <honk honk honk>'"
[nobilis] Chaz laughs.
[nobilis] Lo says, "Oh, definitely need the honks in there"
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "heh"
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "maybe more honks for more important personages?"
Aisleen asks, "shall we get going?"
Chaz hands out the invisibility spell and blink spell components, explains how to use 'em.
[nobilis] Alison says (to Aisleen), "It'll be like noon in a clockmaker's shop when Shaggy gets home."
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Let's say 2 each."
Stella reads the instructions carefully, though she's not sure she'll need them.
Raul says, "Oh, neat."
[nobilis] Aisleen says (to alison), "heh"
GM says, "(this invisibility spell requires a fair amount of concentration to use, by the way)"
Lo gives a few tips
[nobilis] Chaz asks, "What's a reasonable limitation for the blink spells?  Anywhere in sight?  Anywhere within X radius?"
[nobilis] GM asks, "sight or 100 yards, whichever is shorter?"
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Sounds OK to me."
[nobilis] Alison says, "Hope for keyhols."
Raul says, "What kind of weapons are people interested in? We have stun guns and the like for more nonviolent people."
Davey says, "I gotta shotgun around here somewhere"
Alison asks, "Do you have cream pie launchers?"
Stella asks (of Raul), "Do you have sleepy gas grenades?"
Lo says (to Raul), "I'll just use my forehead."
Davey chuckles
Raul says, "Yes to the sleepy gas grenades, no to the cream pie launchers."
Stella says (to Alison), "You might try one of the carny tents."
Chaz says, "If we kill these people, their soul just goes back to where they came from, and they're being used by...whoever it is that controls them.  I say stun guns."
Raul says, "Though the tangly grenades might be close."
Davey says, "we really are Comedy Central Chancel"
Stella says (to Raul), "I'll take both."
Chaz takes a stun grenade, tangle grenade, and a stun gun.
[Crows-Nest] Alison says, "I think I've determined one of the important differences between our two chancels."
Aisleen says, "hand me a stun gun"
Raul picks up something that looks like a flashlight. "I've been meaning to see how this light dazzler works."
Aisleen says, "my father made sure i learn to shoot"
[Crows-Nest] Alison says, "Just about everyone from *our* chancel *likes* each other :)"
Raul says, "Oh, and little lasers. Can't forget the little lasers."
[Crows-Nest] Chaz chuckles.
[Crows-Nest] Davey says, "oh, BLR like each other. One day Kori and Michel are going to level the place with their sheer passion"
[Crows-Nest] Davey says, "whereas we will have a fun slumber party and get toothaches"
Chaz says, "Stella *is* a laser."
[Crows-Nest] GM says, "hee hee"
[Crows-Nest] Alison says, "I think Gaston could do the 'level the place with [] sheer passion' on his own."
Raul says, "Yes, but I don't think she'd want to ride in my pocket."
Aisleen says, "i will just remember to create windstorms or something"
Stella grins, but says nothing.
Raul says, "We might as well start from the British Library."
Stella asks (of Raul), "I assume the grenades just get tossed in the general direction of where we want the affect, and they go off?  What is their radius?"
Davey says, "got it"
GM says, "right then"
Stella says (to Raul), "How are they triggered?  I missed ROTC in college."
Lo says (to Raul), "Do the London Library. More public, and they're used to weirdness."
Raul asks (of Stella), "About twenty, thirty feet in diameter?"
Davey tries to Guise appropriately, probably looks like an idiot
Stella says, "So if I want target precision, drop one where I want it, then beam away."
Raul says (to Stella), "Yank the pin *hard*, then throw the body of the grenade. Make sure you're holding on the lever when you pull out the pin."
Raul says (to Lo), "Good enough. This way."
Aisleen keeps track of the instructions
Raul pauses.
Raul says, "No, now it's *this* way."
GM says, "you emerge from a small back-room in the library"
Raul tromp tromp tromp.
Alison exclaims, "Good luck! Don't forget to write! I mean, think! I mean, pray! Something!"
Stella fumbles somewhat clumsily with the grenade.  (to Raul)  Kind of like this?
Aisleen says (to stella), "careful. you don't want to blow us up"
Raul exclaims, "Aie!"
Davey gets away from Stella
Raul says, "I mean, uh, yeah, but do watch the lever."
Aisleen . o O (to alison) ( this good enough to keep in touch? :) )
Raul says, "When the lever flips up and off the body, the grenade is armed. The pin's what keeps the lever in place."
Stella hands the grenade back to Raul.  Why don't you show the first time, and then I'll try it.
GM says, "normally chancel entrances exist both in the mythical realm as well as the physical one -- but exotic paths like this need to be sought out in the mythical realm"
Alison . o O (to Aisleen) ( Works for me! )
Raul nods.
GM says, "so we'll be doing everything as mythical unless you say differently"
Davey says, "gotcha"
Alison asks (of Tyoka, Gerry, Mages), "OK, they're gone. Let's go check out the blimps. You mage guys can check for traps and figure out the invisibleness and all that, right?"
GM says, "London is, of course, bustling with spirits"
GM says, "but the path stretches outside the city, into green hills"
GM says, "(I need hardly add that the path is wide here and made of yellow bricks)"
Raul says (to Davey), "Why don't you start driving us, and I'll be lookout."
[Crows-Nest] Lo says, "NO SINGING"
Davey says, "okay, when we're out a little ways, I'll become a big car and off we go"
Davey says, "a big Brit car, with a horn that goes toot"
GM says, "you turn into a car and everyone piles in and off you go along the road"
GM says, "the sun beams cheerily down at you and the clouds doze lazily in the sky"
GM says, "and eventually you come to a bridge"
Davey says, "watch for trolls"
GM says, ""wait!" a voice calls as you try and cross the bridge"
GM says, "a smallish troll -- perhaps three feet high -- crawls out from under the bridge"
Raul says (to Davey), "(softly) Er, can the mystic realm respond to us? Because I think I heard someone shout "wait!" as we went across the bridge."
Davey stops
GM says, ""I demand a goat!" he says"
Davey asks, "uh, can we catch you on the way back?"
Davey says (to Raul), "sorry, I'll whisper next time"
GM says, "he waddles into the center of the road, and stands there, arms crossed. "I want a goat!""
Davey sizes the troll up
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says, "starts keeping track of how many nursery rhymes or fairly/folk tales we see"
Chaz asks (of Raul), "Do we need to go across the bridge, or can we just cross the river?"
GM says, "(he's three feet tall and somewhat burly, although not as burly as, say, you)"
Aisleen says, "i say we fly it"
Raul says, "I'm not sure."
Davey says, "okay, Mr. Troll, we'll go get a goat"
Davey backs up to let everyone out
[nobilis] Raul asks (of GM), "Can I tell what direction to head in?"
[nobilis] GM says, "over the bridge"
Raul says, "<So we could all get past him really fast and then yell back 'ha ha I guess *you're* the goat!>"
Lo says, "<Or we could just beat him up silly.>"
Davey says, "Let's just go find a damn goat. What can they cost? Stella can zip back to town and locate one"
[nobilis] GM says, "probably at least at the start you'd better keep near the path"
Davey says, "If we jsut smack him he might tell the Locust Court"
Davey is perhaps overly conscious of the Law at times
Lo says, "<But if we smack him *really* hard he won't even remember what happened.>"
Chaz switches to prosaic to see what the troll looks like.
Davey says, "<Hmm.>"
GM says, "(he's a police officer)"
Davey groans
Raul says, "<Wait, I thought they were pigs>"
[nobilis] Lo says, "Pfft. I didn't realize everyone was in mythic mode"
Davey says, "<what's he want in prosaic reality, I wonder?>"
Chaz walks back to the officer.
Chaz asks (of Officer), "Uh, sorry--what was it you said you wanted?"
Davey switches to prosaic and experimentally strolls down the bridge
[Crows-Nest] (from Raul) Officer says, "I wanted feta."
GM says, ""I said, the road's closed. There's construction ahead.""
Davey nods and heads back
Chaz says, "Ah, right, thanks."
Davey says, "okay, goating time"
Chaz peers ahead to look at the construction.
Davey tries to recall if we passed any farms
GM says, "(some kind of highway repair thing)"
Raul says, "Uh, here, goat goat goat goat goat. Here, goat goat goat goat goat.""
Chaz switches to mythic, looks again.
Lo heads out of sight and turns invisible.
Stella says, "Raul, I'll beam around some and see if I can find a goat."
GM says, "(in mythic) a man comes wandering along, playing his flute. "Did somebody request a goat? I am a poor wandering goatherd.""
Davey says, "how convenient"
[nobilis] Alison says, "This rocks."
GM says, ""aie! a troll!" he says"
GM says, "his herd of goats hides behind him"
Davey says, "What will you take in exchange for a goat? The troll won't bother you. We'll flatten him if he makes a move"
Chaz watches in prosaic.
Davey says, "<feh, we should bring mythic trinkets on these trips>"
[Crows-Nest] Chaz says (to GM), "Unless it's too hard to come up with stuff ;-)"
GM says, ""I am a poor goatherd, as I said -- do you have a coin of gold for me?""
Davey says, "umm, hmm."
Davey checks his pockets
Lo rolls his eyes
GM says, "(in prosaic, Davey is chatting to the road)"
Chaz looks over at Aisleen.
GM says (to Davey), "you have a pouch in there, with three shiny gold coins inside"
Davey says, "woo."
Davey looks at one of the coins, then hands it to the goatherd
GM says, ""Thank you, kind sir, here is your goat.""
[Crows-Nest] Davey asks, "why is the Universe playing with us?"
Davey says, "alrighty then."
[Crows-Nest] Raul asks, "We're more entertaining than what's on TV right now for it?"
[Crows-Nest] Stella exclaims (at Davey), "Because we are such fun!"
Davey says, "I'm sure this isn't over yet, but let's try this"
GM says, "He pulls out one of the goats from the herd with his staff and pushes it towards Davey"
Davey pets the goat
Davey secures it, switches to prosaic out of curosity
[Crows-Nest] Alison wonders what Davey just gave away.
[Crows-Nest] Davey says, "my soooouuul"
[Crows-Nest] Alison asks, "You've got three souls?"
[Crows-Nest] Alison says, "Er, had."
[Crows-Nest] Davey says, "maybe they come in thirds"
[Crows-Nest] Stella asks, "no one has a goat as an anchor, do they?"
GM says, "In prosaic there is the distant tooting of a horn"
[Crows-Nest] Lo says, "Pfft. Other chancel we would have been by this in seconds with a bop on the head. But it's so funny to watch Davey flounder ;)"
[Crows-Nest] Davey says, "You all are going to answer to Entropy one day"
[Crows-Nest] Lo asks, "For...?"
Davey says, "okay, Ex Machina Overdive engaged. Back in the car"
[Crows-Nest] Raul says (to Lo), "If nothing else, we would have turned Michel and Kori loose to bicker in front of the man until he passed out from exhaustion."
Davey says, "+r"
[Crows-Nest] Davey says, "bopping innocent trolls"
[Crows-Nest] Lo says, "It's just a light slumber"
GM says, ""Where's my goat?" says the troll, when you return"
Davey asks, "is this goat to your liking?"
GM says, "the troll's eyes light up. "Gimme!""
Davey . o O ( poor little goat )
Davey hands it over, if it hasn't evaporated
Lo walks to the other side of the bridge while this all is going on and watches in amusement.
Raul says, "I'm just glad one of the powers we may be visiting isn't the power of Goats."
Davey . o O ( all this frassum knowitall nobilis whats a workinman todo )
GM says, "the troll drags the goat by the ears and pulls it under the bridge. as he disappears, his voice drifts back briefly "Ok, now, Will isn't here today, so you'll be West. We're using Stayman, weak twos ...""
Davey says, "it's not my fault they're mythic currency"
Raul laughs.
[Crows-Nest] Raul says, "though I think the usual unit of currency for demon card games is kittens."
[Crows-Nest] Stella laughs.
[Crows-Nest] GM says, "mm ... kittens"
[Crows-Nest] katre says (to raul), "ym 'baby ducks'"
[Crows-Nest] katre says, "</sluggy>"
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says, "hee hee"
[Crows-Nest] Davey says, "augh, Bridge troll"
Aisleen wonders what we did to get past the police officer in reality?
[Crows-Nest] Chaz exclaims, "Aaagh!"
[Crows-Nest] Chaz says, "Oh, man."
[nobilis] Davey says, "I think we bought an event, not a thing"
[Crows-Nest] Alison asks, "The Power of Goats is from Dungeons and Hamsters, right?"
GM says, "Looking back in the prosaic world, you see a donut truck has arrived and the policeman is making a purchase as you sneak by"
[Crows-Nest] Raul says, "Mmm, donuts."
GM says, "and you keep on driving down the path"
GM says, "eventually coming to the banks of a large, furiously-rushing river"
GM says, "you see the path continuing on the other side"
Davey says, "now I guess it's flying time"
GM says, "a man is sleeping on the far bank"
Lo says (to Davey), "Either that, or you can demonstrate your stunt driving."
Stella beams over for a quick peak.
[nobilis] Stella says, "er, peek."
[nobilis] Chaz asks, "Not a fit of pique?"
GM says, "it takes a surprisingly long time to cross the river, although as you're going at light speed, this is relative"
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Ha ha relative."
GM says, "the man is dressed like a traveller with his hat pulled down low over his eyes and a backpack tucked up under his head as a crude pillow"
GM says, "(and the path heads off into the distance)"
Davey looks out across the river. How far is it?
[nobilis] Alison asks, "What is the speed of light in a mythic environment?"
Stella . o O (to group) ( <insert description of guy and scene>  Thoughts, guys? )
Raul flips to normal vision to look at the river.
Davey . o O ( wake him up, ask if he knows anything about this river or Astara? )
Lo flips to normal as well.
GM says, "(mm, 50 yards, maybe?)"
GM says, "it's a good-sized lake. there is a sign saying "FERRY 11am 1pm 3pm""
Davey asks, "can I create a span to cross it?"
GM says, "in prosaic? sure"
Lo asks, "If it's a lake, is there a path around the lake?"
Chaz says (to Davey), "Just don't scare the locals."
Davey says, "hrrm"
Chaz says (to Lo), "I think if we leave the path, we might not pick it up again."
Davey says, "I dunno if getting these in Prosaic will make us lose the path in mythic, is all"
Davey says, "yeah"
Chaz looks at the sun, tries to judge the time.
Davey says, "I bet the ferry costs a gold coin"
Stella extends a finger, and taps the man on the shoulder.
Stella says, "Excuse me, sir.""
[Crows-Nest] Raul exclaims (at Stella), "Not *that* finger! It's not polite!"
Davey looks at his remaining coins. Who's on them?
Raul says (to Davey), "Stella is on the other side in mystic; we should be able to find her again."
GM says, "the man snorts slightly in his sleep, says "huh? wuzzah?" and goes back to snoring faintly"
Raul says, "And if need be, I can go join her."
[Crows-Nest] Stella exclaims (at Raul), "thhbbbb!"
Chaz . o O (to stella) ( look for an alarm clock or something. )
[nobilis] Davey asks, "is Aisleen with us?"
Stella brightens considerably, and edges the man's hat from over his eyes.
[nobilis] Lo says, "I think Aisleen stayed behind."
[nobilis] Davey says, "ah well"
[nobilis] Alison asks, "I think Aisleen is with you, isn't she?"
[nobilis] Alison says, "Since Gerry was staying behind."
[nobilis] Chaz says, "She came when Gerry decided to stay."
[nobilis] Lo exclaims, "oh!"
GM says, ""eh whuh huzzah?""
Davey says (to Aisleen), "hey, could you see if he's dreaming? oh, forget it"
GM says, "He blinks his eyes open and looks around. "Whassa?""
GM says, "At almost the same moment, the river begins to calm"
Lo checks if it's the ferry coming
GM says, ""Oh ah zuh""
Stella asks, "Excuse me, sir, could you direct me to Astara?"
GM says, "The man's eyes slip shut again, and the waves kick up"
Davey says, "weird"
Chaz says (to Davey), "Hey, you became a hovercraft before."
[nobilis] Alison asks, "Can I make a suggestion?"
Stella . o O (to group) ( Looks like his dreaming is affecting the water. )
Davey says, "yeah, that might work. River's kinda rough though"
[Crows-Nest] Stella asks, "nobilis..Alison yes?"
[nobilis] Raul says, "Please do."
Lo says (to Davey), "Well..."
[nobilis] Alison says, "(Not having been informed IC, I wasn't sure.)"
[nobilis] Stella asks (of Alison), "yes?"
Lo turns Serenity on full blast.
[nobilis] Raul says, "I'd assumed you were listening in on us."
[nobilis] Alison says, "But I think you might want to ask this man to give you a ride."
[nobilis] Davey says, "he's on the wrong side"
Lo says (to Davey), "Won't cover the whole river at once."
Davey says, "well, hop aboard and we'll see if it helps"
[nobilis] Alison says (to Davey), "Right. I mean, Stella should ask him to go over to pick you up."
Stella sighs, and decides to partially materialize.
[nobilis] Alison says, "(Possibly pushing him into the water, if necessary, to get him awake and moving)"
Stella exclaims (at man), "Excuse me!!"
[nobilis] Lo says, "You're in mythic. He might not wake normally."
GM says, "the river calms a bit as Lo radiates serenity, and then much more as his eyes fly open when Stella shouts in his ear"
GM says, ""yie!""
Raul hops aboard. "Now seems like a good time to cross."
Davey does the hovercraft thing and tries to take a steady...oh, wait, let's see how this plays out
Davey resumes doing hovercraft thing, tries to cross
GM says, "folks pile onto Davey and start to cross the river"
Stella says, "Sir, my friends and I are seeking Astara, and I was wondering if you could assist us."
Alison, assuming the mages are making good progress on the zeppelins on their own, heads back to the scrying pool so that she can watch everyone else.
GM says, "the river's calm now, but it's slow going, somehow"
GM says, ""Astara, eh? You justzzzzz""
GM says, "his head droops onto his chest"
Davey asks, "old man river?"
GM says, "immediately the waves begin to crash against Davey's sides, getting larger and larger"
[nobilis] Alison says, "(He *might* need gasoline...)"
Davey says, "it's bigger than it looks"
Lo asks, "Do any of you have really high Aspect?"
Stella mutters under her breath, grabs the man by both shoulders, and shakes him.  "Sir! Waked Up!", she hollers in his ear.
GM says, ""Ah wuh! Buh!""
[nobilis] Davey says, "laughs"
Stella exclaims, "Wake up!"
Stella exclaims, "Wake up!"
Raul hops out and starts running across the waves towards Stella.
Stella exclaims, "Wake up!"
[nobilis] Davey says, "er, whatever"
GM says, "the waves drop off again"
Chaz has 3
GM says, "meanwhile, Raul is running across the water"
Davey has 1
GM says, "and the man's head is being shaken back and forth"
Davey says, "ugh, my stomach"
[nobilis] Alison says, "You're going to break it... him... it..."
GM says, "(but Davey's making better time)"
GM says, ""ok ok I'm awake""
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "i am with you all. sory, i was afk"
Stella exclaims, "Are you sure?!"
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "it's a bad day"
[nobilis] Chaz says, "'sokay."
GM says, ""Well I ah .. Astara, you said? Nobody's come this way for Astara in ages""
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "i should be okay for the rest of the session"
Stella carefully aims some light beams right in his eyes, to help him stay awake.
GM says, ""ageszzzz""
Stella exclaims, "Wake up!"
Stella exclaims, "Wake up!"
GM says, "(the waves start up again, just as Davey reaches the halfway point)"
Davey says, "get this man an espresso"
Aisleen asks, "dream time?"
Davey says, "or some crank"
Stella exclaims, "Where is it?!"
GM says, "the people on board are tossed back and forth"
Alison . o O ( Throw him in the river! )
Lo says, "<Chaz? Could you burn an aspect point, pick me up and throw me the rest of the way?>"
Stella exclaims, "Wake up!"
Stella exclaims, "Where is it?!"
GM says, ""I'm awake! Never asleep!""
Raul says, "Gah, I'd hoped to make better time than this."
[nobilis] Stella exclaims, "I am so laughing!"
GM says, ""My hat!""
GM says, "He looks around vaguely for his hat. "Astara, you were saying? It's just along that road there""
Stella points.  "There?!"
GM says, ""Watch out for the snoorrrre...""
Alison . o O ( Hmm. Will pulling his hat off hard enough get him started? )
Davey . o O ( Stella, ask him who he is )
GM says, "Davey's reached the three-quarters point when the waves rise"
Davey . o O ( I wanna know whose town to burn to the ground )
Davey says, "aagh"
GM says, "(his hat is actually off at the moment)"
Chaz picks up Lo, puts him on his shoulders, skates down Davey's front, and surfs the rest of the way across.
Stella . o O (to Davey) ( If I could shove a gallon of undiluted caffeine down his throat, I *might* get more than three words at a time.  Other than that, all bets are off. )
[nobilis] Chaz says, "(on his skateboard, natch)"
Lo says (to Chaz), "Thanks."
[nobilis] Lo says, "Excellent"
[nobilis] Lo says, "Forgot about his skateboard"
Stella shifts out of mystic, to see how rip van winkel is.
GM says, "Chaz and Lo skip across the river"
Davey says, "no, I need SERENITY NOW"
Aisleen closes her eyes and attempt to look in to his dreams
Davey exclaims, "SERENITY NOW!"
Aisleen asks, "is he dreaming?"
GM says, "(there's not actually anyone visible in prosaic)"
[nobilis] Alison says, "Hee hee hee."
Davey says, "he's the ferry"
Lo says, "<Davey, I'm close enough.>"
[nobilis] Raul asks, "Is there anyone else on Davey at this point?"
GM says, "oh yeah, his dreams"
Davey says, "Aisleen"
Lo says, "<My range is about half the size of the river.>"
Stella shifts back to mythic, and picks him up.
Lo blasts Sleeping Guy with Serenity
GM says, "Aisleen peeks into the man's dreams -- he's, hunh, talking to an old-style sorceror all in black with a moustache and goatee and wand"
Chaz asks (of Lo), "Won't that make him sleepier?"
GM says, "the wand is pointing at the man and he's toppling over asleep"
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says, "caoif!"
Stella . o O (to lo) ( The last thing this guy needs is more serenity!  He's so dang serene, he can't wake up! )
Aisleen . o O (to stella) ( Beaming description of the sorcerer )
Stella hefts the man a little higher, and eyes the river speculatively.
GM says, "Aisleen and Davey are feeling rather seasick -- well, insomuch as a hovercraft can"
Lo says (to Stella), "I'm guessing his dreams are not very serene"
GM says, "the man snores and tries to roll over in Stella's arms"
Lo says (to Stella), "Which is why the river is going crazy"
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen asks, "what does it mean to throw up in Davey/hovercraft?"
Stella hauls the man to the rivers edge, and splashes water on him.
[Crows-Nest] Davey says, "ew"
Aisleen says (to stella), "he seems to be under a spell"
Aisleen says (to stella), "keeping him asleep."
Davey says, "so we gotta free him"
GM says, "(in his dream, the sorceror then points the wand at the river, parts it, and walks across before bringing it back together. finally, he waves his wand and the man flies to the other side of the river, still asleep)"
GM says, ""ah! damp!'"
Stella says, "Since he and the river seem to reflect one another, I'm hoping him getting a little wet will help wake him up."
[Crows-Nest] Alison says, "I think it means he wants to turn back human before getting out of the river, to get a bath."
Tyoka has connected.
Tyoka walks the plank to adventure. Arr!
Tyoka arrives, looking for booty.
[Crows-Nest] Tyoka says, "just here for a few"
GM says, "this is a relief to Davey, who has reached 5/6ths of the way but it's been a struggle"
Aisleen . o O (to group) ( does the dream make sense to any of you? )
[Crows-Nest] Tyoka says, "too tired to actually play as we just returned from vienna"
[Crows-Nest] Tyoka says, "sorry 'bout that"
GM says, ""I'm all wet! Hey!""
[nobilis] Alison says, "Heya. You're at the chancel with me spectating anyway, so it's no problem."
Raul says (to Aisleen), "<Um. Not really.>"
[Crows-Nest] GM says, "veek sent me a heads-up, so"
[nobilis] Alison says, "(Watching the rest of the group via a scrying pool.)"
[nobilis] Tyoka asks, "spectating?"
Stella asks, "I'm glad to see you're awake.  How do you feel?"
[Crows-Nest] Tyoka says (to GM), "I know, I told her to"
GM says, ""Sleepy.""
Aisleen is jolted out of his dream adruptly
GM says, "his head droops down to his chest"
[nobilis] Alison says (to Tyoka), "Well, someone needed to stay behind to watch the chancel."
[nobilis] Lo says, "Tyoka is busy fighting off hordes of ninjas"
[Crows-Nest] Chaz says, "We're on a mythic quest, heading to Astara."
GM says, "but just as the waves begin to crash again, Davey reaches the shore"
[nobilis] Tyoka says, "hooray"
Aisleen hops out
Aisleen and is promptly seasick
GM says, "(and in prosaic, there is the foghorn of the arriving ferry)"
Aisleen says (to davey), "aren't you glad i managed to wait till i got out"
Stella checks the man over, to see if he looks unhealthy.
Davey says, "bah, I bet we coulda waited"
GM says, "just tired"
Davey says, "I thought the guy was a represtandation of the ferry. Now I dunno"
Davey says (to Aisleen), "thanks"
Lo checks back briefly in Reality Mode.
Davey goes human, if there are no mortals looking
Stella says, "He's clearly under some sort of spell.  I'm wondering if he's from Astara, and there's some sort of Sleeping Beauty affect going on over there."
Aisleen tries to enter the man's dream to follow the sorcerer
Raul finally arrives. "Well, that was a singularly stupid idea of mine."
Aisleen . o O (to stella) ( well he is no beauty )
GM says, "(his dream seems to be entirely the little plot I mentioned)"
[Crows-Nest] Tyoka says, "well, see you next sunday"
Aisleen asks (of sorcerer), "hey you. Who are you?"
Stella . o O (to Aisleen) ( I know, just sleeping.  He's certainly no work of art. )
Tyoka has disconnected.
[Crows-Nest] GM says, "actually, hang on"
[Crows-Nest] GM says, "oops"
GM says, ""I am a wicked sorcerer!" says the man. "I put innocent ferry-boat captains to sleep forever if they refuse to carry me across to Astara!""
Stella says, "I think he cannot help us more than he has, but perhaps freeing Astara will help him."
Alison . o O ( Maybe the ferry was stopped, and the man who was the captain was fired. )
Chaz says, "Well, two down.  Surely there's one more to go."
Lo says (to Chaz), "Well, this *is* mythic world."
Aisleen . o O (to stella) ( Beaming the conversation back )
Alison . o O ( That could make this man the job of 'ferry boat captain'. But since there's no one captaining the boat, the job is dor-- dormi--- sleeping. )
Aisleen asks (of sorcerer), "why do you wan to go to Astara?"
GM says, ""I think I am very mean! I probably want to do something bad to it!""
[nobilis] Alison says, "Hee. Nice that he has his priorities sorted out."
Davey says, "<er, this is the ferry captain's dream. This is his *impression* of the sorceror"
Davey says, "which may or may not be baloney>"
Raul says, "<it's entertaining, if nothing else>"
Aisleen asks (of sorcerer), "what if i tell you to wake him up or else?"
[nobilis] Lo asks, "by the way, what did the man turn out to be in Real Mode?"
[nobilis] Alison says, "There was no one there."
GM says, ""I am too evil and mean to do that! I said he would sleep as long as Astara would!""
[nobilis] GM says, "(well, nobody except the ferry)"
[nobilis] Lo says, "The ferry has some serious angst issues"
[nobilis] Alison says, "A*ha*."
[nobilis] Raul says, "There's an interesting turn of phrase"
Aisleen gets out of the dream
Aisleen asks, "astara is asleep?"
Davey says, "huh, maybe that's what happens when a Heart gets sealed off"
Chaz says, "Maybe if we could reconnect it to its heart, it would wake up."
Lo asks, "Onward, then?"
Davey says, "yeah"
Raul says, "Let's go"
Davey says, "brum"
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says, "now i have onward christian soldiers in my head"
GM says, "and you all head onwards"
Stella says, "So this bears out my sleeping beauty theory.  Hmm."
Alison . o O ( Huh. I bet I know why they attacked us while everybody was at home, now. )
Lo says, "<You think anyone at home would be asleep, too?>"
Chaz . o O ( 'Lis Hey, kid--can you ask Henderson and folks to research how to *break* the kind of spell the bad mages were trying to do to our chancel heart? )
Alison . o O ( Uh-huh. Like Dew and Squirrel and Infomercial. )
Stella says, "<And there may be wicked huge thorns growing about it, too.>"
[Crows-Nest] Raul says, "Marching as to...zzz"
GM says, "the road gets a more overgrown as you continue; some of the bricks are loose and weeds poke up in between them"
Alison . o O (to Chaz) ( Good idea! )
Aisleen . o O ( I wonder what the duke of infomercials dream of? )
Alison . o O ( I bet Lo is only still awake because he *wasn't* at home when his chancel goo sleeped, and they didn't want to make that mistake again with us. )
Chaz asks (of Aisleen), "Can you see if you can enter it?"
GM exclaims (at Davey), "ow! something punctured a tire!"
Raul says (to Aisleen), "<Record number of callers?>"
Davey says, "ow! I gotta stop."
Raul hops out to check Davey's tires.
Chaz hops out.
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "can i enter dreams even if the dreamer is not around?"
Davey carefully pulls over
Lo says, "<Actually, I think they knew it would happen. They must have mistimed.>"
Alison tells Henderson Chaz's suggestion about counter-rites.
[nobilis] GM says, "I dunno, can you? it seems like you'd have to know they're dreaming and so on"
Lo says, "<Remember, I only come to my chancel on rare occasions anyway, because my missions take so long.>"
Davey says, "there's a spare, but maybe we better walk now"
Lo says, "<But that does suggest it happened very recently, like they tried to attack when they thought I was coming back.>"
GM says (to Alison), ""I'll ask the mages to take a look into it, miss""
Raul asks (of Davey), "You want us to change your spare before you change back?"
Aisleen says, "ready to walk"
Raul asks (of Davey), "What happens to you if you change back with a flat tire?"
Davey says, "yeah, in case there's a hole in my foot now."
GM says, "there seems to be a small spur of bone poking up from between the bricks, impaling the tire"
Chaz . o O (to Alison) ( Any quick suggestions? )
Chaz asks (of bone), "Hi!  What are you doing here?"
Davey says, "bone? creepy."
Raul rummages in the trunk and finds the spare and the jack and goes to work changing the tire.
Alison . o O (to Chaz) ( Wear thick shoes? )
[nobilis] Lo asks, "So, if Davey has a spare tire, what is *that* analagous to?"
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "well i envision a corridor with doors leading me to various people's dreams (monsters, inc anyone?) so if I know who is sleeping, I envision being able to enter that dream by 'opening that door'"
[nobilis] Aisleen asks (of lo), "extra pair of shoes?"
GM says, ""click-clack-click I live between the brick""
Chaz . o O (to alison) ( Hee!  No, I meant from Henderson about breaking the spell. )
Chaz asks (of bone), "Did someone put you there?"
Alison . o O (to Chaz) ( Oh, he says he'll talk to the mages about it. I think figuring out magics and rituals and things takes a while. )
Davey changes back when the changing's done.
[nobilis] GM says, "reasonable enough"
Chaz . o O (to alison) ( OK, thanks. )
GM says, ""Bip-bap-bere I grew here""
Lo scrutinizes the bricks ahead and taps abit with his staff.
Stella says, "Hmm.  A small rhyming bone.  A heel-spur, as it were."
Raul asks (of bone), "You *grew* here? You weren't part of a person or animal?"
Aisleen . o O (to allgroup_regardless_of_where_they_are) ( okay, i am going to see if i can enter the dreams of one of the astara sleepers. any preferences on the squirrel, dew or infomercial? )
Chaz . o O (to aisleen) ( Do the Dew! )
Alison . o O ( I like squirrels. )
GM says (to Lo), "far in the distance, you see something white, and hear a faint clicking noise, carried by the breeze"
Raul says (to Aisleen), "<How about not infomercial?>"
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says, "gotta love that consensus"
[Crows-Nest] Raul says, "My suggestion fits with either of the other two."
Lo says, "I'm going to try to get a bead on whatever's out there if it's a creature, and if there's any underlying philosophy."
GM says, "(the bone seems to be out of rhymes)"
Alison goes to swipe a laptop from someplace, so she can surf the 'Net while scrying.
Stella asks, "Bone, where is home?"
[nobilis] GM says (to Alison), "hee hee"
GM says, ""flim-flam-fed it's up ahead""
Aisleen asks, "also, i am not sure I can walk physically while in the dreams. Chaz, can you keep me on your skateboard?"
Stella asks, "Up ahead?  What were you, before you were dead?"
Lo asks, "Do 'white towers' ring a bell to anyone?"
Davey says, "I was expecting black towers"
Raul frowns. "No. I saw black ones."
Stella asks, "Say there, bone, tell me of home.  We met a man who was a sleeping, can you tell me if the rest is dreaming?"
Alison searches for info on squirrels -- particularly, if anything bad seems to have happened to them in the last few decades (sudden population dropoff, anti-squireel legislation, reduction in squirrel-related merchandising...)
Lo says, "Through the white towers / Astaria lies: / minds sleeping, body awake."
Lo asks, "Mythic pairing of opposites, perhaps?"
[Crows-Nest] Lo asks, "squrrel-related merchandising?"
Stella asks (of Lo), "You think haiku might get more results?"
Chaz says (to Aisleen), "Sure thing."
GM says (to Alison), "well, the population seems to have levelled off or dropped in certain areas due to the incursion of non-native, more-aggressive species"
[Crows-Nest] Alison says, "Little stuffed squirrels, squirrel-based cartoon characters..."
Raul looks ahead in the normal world.
GM says (to Alison), "scientists are divided over whether this is due to human influence or natural cycles"
[nobilis] Alison asks (of GM), "What's the timing for when that started happening?"
[Crows-Nest] Lo says, "Also, the Deity of Squirrels in England would be rather upset because the American squirrel species took over the native one"
GM says, "in the prosaic world you guys have come off the highway and are picking your way through low hills"
GM says, "so what you see ahead is more hills"
Lo says (to Stella), "No, it's just how I scry philosophy."
Raul goes back to mystic. "Nothing ahead in the normal world."
[nobilis] GM says, "the report on it is relatively recent; they claim it became most noticeable six months to a year ago"
Alison takes notes on anything important, and saves them to show the others later.
Davey says, "let's go. Watch your steps."
Alison then plays Minesweeper.
Lo trudges
Raul leads the way, cautiously.
Aisleen enters Dew's dreams
[nobilis] Stella asks, "I take it the bone has silenced, despite my impressive poetic questions?"
Lo says, "<I'm going to go invisible again if you don't mind.>"
GM says, "either Anse isn't asleep, or something's blocking her off -- you don't see her anywhere nearby"
Aisleen tries the Squirrel
GM says, "and similarly for Seldon and Tomas"
Aisleen says, "sigh"
Aisleen hops off the skateboard. Thanks Chaz
GM says, "as you leave, the bone spur calls out to Stella. "'Ware up ahead unless you're dead!""
Alison . o O ( Oooh... Minesweeper's fun in Mythic! You guys gotta try it when you get back. )
GM says, "and you follow the road up over the hills, and the white thing and click noise become more apparent"
Chaz . o O (to 'Lis) ( Ha! )
GM says, "until they resolve themselves into a field full of bones, jutting forth from the ground"
GM says, "they rattle and click together as the wind blows over them"
Raul says, "Well, that's unusual."
Lo says (to Chaz), "This has to be number three."
GM says, "seemingly to curl ever-so-slightly"
[nobilis] Raul asks, "How closely spaced are they?"
Aisleen asks (of lo), "i am curious. that poem you said, 'minds sleeping , body awake' can that mean all those brainwashed people are not really brinawashed, but that their minds had been separated from their bodies?"
GM says, "the field stretches as far as you can see to either side, and straight on ahead -- the road seems to run into it"
Lo says (to Aisleen), "Quite possible."
[nobilis] GM says, "it varies between a yard and ten yards"
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says (to gm), "you have been watching the elephant graveyard scene in Lion King too often"
Davey asks, "do the bones look, er, anatomically possible, or are they just random shapes of menace?"
[Crows-Nest] Lo says, "hee hee"
[Crows-Nest] Lo says (to Aisleen), "actually, I think you've been watching it too much for making the analogy ;)"
[Crows-Nest] GM says, "I'll have you know I'm ripping off something else entirely"
GM says, "well"
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says (to lo), "erm"
[Crows-Nest] Chaz laughs.
GM says, "they would have to be the rib-cage of giants"
Lo says, "<Oh, of course. Had to be a giant in here somewhere. Wouldn't be a proper mythic journey otherwise.>"
GM says, "(the road, incidentally, continues to scatter some as you head in -- the bones seemingly having pushed up between the cobbles on the road)"
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "the giant from Vona's chancel ... where is he from?"
[nobilis] GM says, "Las Vegas"
[nobilis] Lo says, "Las Vegas"
Chaz asks (of bone), "Hey, did you grow here, too?"
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "is he from Vegas, or did he happen to be there when he was found?"
GM says, ""Click-click, click-clack ... trespassers! ... click-clack, click-click""
Lo says, "<And you knew *that* had to happen.>"
GM says, ""We grow and bar / we come so far / up from the ground / spread all around""
Gerry has connected.
Chaz says (to bone), "We're not trespassers.  We're supposed to be here."
[nobilis] Gerry says, "Yikes still playing."
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Heh."
Davey says, "oh, man"
Raul asks (of GM), "Any way around the bones? Or are we pretty much destined to have to get past them?"
[nobilis] Lo asks, "Hey Gerry. Want to help Alison play Minesweeper?"
Davey . o O ( I hope they can't move much )
GM says (to Raul), "hmm"
[nobilis] Aisleen says (to gerry), "in mythic mode no less"
[nobilis] Lo says, "Gerry probably can knock Expert mode down in mere seconds"
GM says (to Raul), "you can tell the path goes into the bones, but it doesn't seem to go out again"
Chaz says, "I can carry those who can't fly over them, but only one at a time."
[nobilis] Gerry says, "I'm great at minesweeper, assuming the game doesn't result in a probability problem."
Chaz asks (of Stella), "Can you check out if there's a place to rest on the other side?"
Raul says, "Uh, guys? The road sort of stops in there."
Chaz says, "Oh."
Chaz says, "Hmm."
Lo says, "<I have the impression they don't move, but some other bad nasty thing is waiting about that moves a great deal.>"
Raul walks a little ways into the bony path.
[nobilis] Chaz says, "(Stella's afk, but watching, feeding ellric)"
Lo says, "<Perhaps with sharp pointy teeth.>"
[nobilis] Gerry says, "I assume I'm in the Chancel, but am in touch by telepathy and scrying (for a little bit, at least)"
Alison says (to Gerry), "I never know where to click first when I start the game."
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Sure."
Davey asks, "hrrm. Into the breach, then?"
Davey asks, "this field just goes on and on?"
GM says, ""Set up here to guard Astara / from those who come from near and far, a / sorcerer's sacrifice upon the altar""
[Crows-Nest] Gerry asks, "Why are you playing Mythsweeper?"
Aisleen asks, "can we get another goat for the sacrifice?"
[nobilis] Alison says (to Gerry), "If you're with me, you're by the scrying pools. The mages are off doing various bits of research."
[nobilis] Raul asks (of GM), "Can I feel the entrance to the chancel around here?"
Chaz asks (of bones), "Who's this sorceror?"
Davey says, "sounds like theis field was created by the sorcerer too."
[Crows-Nest] Lo says, "She's waiting for the mages to come up with How To Break The Spell"
[nobilis] Alison says (to Gerry), "Because they're all out having adventures, and we're just hanging out."
Davey says, "uncreating it, hmm."
[nobilis] GM says (to Raul), "it feels ... down"
[nobilis] Gerry says, "Ah. Um. OK."
[nobilis] Raul says, "Oh goody."
[nobilis] GM says (to Raul), "forward a bit, and then down, yeah"
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "hell?"
[nobilis] Alex says (to Aisleen), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that Hell is a really hot place of eternal damnation."
[nobilis] Aisleen says (to alex), "i knew you wouldn't let me down"
[nobilis] Alex exclaims (at Aisleen), "Awwwk! No parse found!"
Raul takes a few more steps.
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen asks, "or is this an underground world ala Narnia (The Silver Chair)?"
Davey unlimbers his gun to feel less creeped out, and enters the field behind Raul
Gerry says (to Alison), "In better versions of the game, the first click is guaranteed to not be a mine.  After that, there may be some probabilistic guessing.  Try anywhere."
[Crows-Nest] Lo says, "It'd help to know what source inky is ripping off from he refers to"
GM says, "the bones bend, slightly, leaning towards each other and clashing one bone against the next"
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "stella and i have yet to go on the path, right?"
[nobilis] GM says, "I assume"
[nobilis] GM says, "also Chaz"
Alison tries a dozen or so 'anywhere's in quick succession. Unfortunately, one goes boom.
Chaz asks (of Raul), "Want to scout above?"
Raul says, "Hm. Yeah, why don't you and Stella take a look above us while Davey and I stay down here."
GM says, "the clashing is taken up by other bones in the distance, like war-drums in old jungle movies"
Davey says, "brr"
Chaz says (to Raul), "If you go with me, you can tell us where the path goes underground."
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says, "we will have to ask inky for a complete list of all the places he ripped off from today"
Gerry says (to Alison), "A dozen is too many.  Try just one and see what you get."
Raul says, "Hm. Good point."
Raul asks, "Er, we're not going to fall doing this or anything, right?"
Chaz's eyes go big.  "What, me drop you?  Never!"
Chaz grins.
Alison says (to Gerry), "That's too slow... we need faster games."
Gerry says (to Alison), "I think you'd like Insaniquarium."
Raul says, "Uh huh. My cousins like to ride these things, coming in all the time with scraped elbows and knees."
Alison says, "Oooh."
GM asks, "so where is everyone? Stella and Chaz and Raul are flying up, Davey's a short distance into the bones, Aisleen is outside?"
Chaz says, "Pfaugh.  He doesn't have my skateboard."
[Crows-Nest] Lo gives Alison a copy of Naname de Magic
Chaz exclaims, "Let's go!"
Aisleen is flying alongside the others
[nobilis] Chaz says, "(yes, Stella's flying)"
Alison pops open google, does a quick search, and is feeding the fishies in no time.
[nobilis] GM says, "(man, this is chancel lots-of-people-can-fly)"
Lo is amongst the bones in case they get too rowdy and need a smackdown
[nobilis] Chaz laughs.
[nobilis] Raul says, "And Guest-Can-Cower-Along-Too"
GM says, "oh, yes, and Lo in the bones"
Gerry continues to give Alison tips...
Aisleen asks, "serenity on the bones?"
Lo says, "<Good idea.>"
GM says, "those in the bones hear a faint rattling noise, like dominoes falling"
Lo does so.
[nobilis] Gerry says, "...while I go to bed, eagerly anticipating the transcript."
Gerry has disconnected.
GM says, "(although it doesn't extend to the ones nearest Lo)"
GM says, "those up in the air see something growing in the distance"
GM says, "either getting closer or taller or both"
Lo says, "<There's our monster.>"
GM says, "rising up white from the bonefield"
Chaz skates up to it to see what it is.
Davey says, "brrr"
[nobilis] Alison asks, "Is there anyone in our chancel who can't either fly, or fake it using some other ability?"
[nobilis] Davey says, "I can't"
[nobilis] Alison asks, "How's that, Mr. Hovercraft?"
[nobilis] Lo says, "Davey is all about the open road."
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "tyoka i thought"
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "or is it that he can't swim?"
[nobilis] Davey says, "Hovers. On the surface."
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Tyoka can fly and breathe fire."
[nobilis] Alison says, "(OK, I guess that won't help if you're too far up, yeah.)"
Lo heads rapidly through the bones to face whatever the giant critter might be this time
GM says, "the skeletal giant whips at chaz with his whip made of femurs"
Chaz does an ollie over the whip.
Lo says, "<So, anyone know if skeletal giants have a weak spot?>"
GM says, "he seems quite tall -- the bones don't seem strong enough to support him, despite that they've gathered in great clusters to form his legs and arms and spine, so much so that the ground sinks slightly beneath his feet"
Raul exclaims, "!"
Chaz exclaims (at Raul), "Hang on!"
Aisleen . o O ( can a strong wind make the bones fly apart? )
GM says, "Chaz does a nice dodge and the whip cracks above him"
Raul says (to Lo), "<Try pulling him apart>"
Stella transmutes the light particles to the size of sand in a tightly controlled beam, and aims it at the giants legs.
Chaz throws an entangle grenade at the skeleton's hip.
Davey exclaims, "yaaaah!"
[nobilis] GM says (to Stella), "that'll be a level-6 change miracle, so 2 DMP or whatever"
Davey runs towards the feet and prepares to blast away
[nobilis] Stella asks, "once i've cast it, how long can I use it?"
Raul unlimbers one of the small lasers and tries it experimentally on the bone whip.
[nobilis] GM says, "I think you can probably get a good sustained blast"
Davey . o O ( what about those tangle grenades? Maybe we can tie its feet together? )
GM says, "so several things happen at once"
Chaz exclaims (at Davey), "That's what I'm trying!"
Davey . o O ( oh, never mind. Chaz is on it )
GM says, "Chaz hurls a grenade at the skeleton's leg, which bursts, covering the two legs with webbing"
Stella aims the light is zorro pattern in an attempt to break the giant into small bits.
GM says, "and Raul blasts at the whip, burning through the bones and sending it flying off into the bonefield"
GM says, "and then there is the crackle of snapping bones as suddenly-solid light streams past and through the giant's torso and legs"
GM says, "it sways mightily, struggling for balance (given that its legs are tied together)"
Raul says, "Uh oh."
Raul exclaims, "Everybody dodge!"
Aisleen whips up a wind in hopes of overbalancing the giant
Davey tried to get upwind of it
Lo says, "<Overbalance it *that way* not *this way*>"
Chaz exclaims (at Aisleen), "Good idea!"
[nobilis] GM says (to Aisleen), "that'll be a level-4 create miracle; I don't remember if that costs you any DMP"
[nobilis] Lo says, "It'd take 1"
GM says, "the giant sways more as the gale rushes towards it, rattling the bones in the field and Davey's hair"
GM says, "and then, arms swinging frantically, it crashes over backwards"
GM says, "bones fall like raindrops"
Lo performs various kung-fu chops on any that fall his way to keep them from bonking Davey
GM says, "hee hee"
[nobilis] Aisleen asks, "i am domain 3. how much DMP?"
GM says, "Lo deflects falling bones with his bare hands"
[nobilis] GM says, "1"
[nobilis] GM says, "(since it's level 4)"
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "ok"
Chaz says (to Raul), "Got another entangle?  We may need to pin it down."
[nobilis] Lo asks, "You didn't trust me, eh?"
Davey says, "wow"
GM says, "and the field is silent once more, not even the great bone spurs rattling any more"
Aisleen says (to davey), "I will get you to a hair dresser and fix your hair later"
Davey says, "let's get through before it reforms"
Chaz says, "Well, hey, that worked."
Chaz asks (of Raul), "So, where to?"
Raul says (to Chaz), "The ground, please. I'll figure out where from there."
Chaz skates over the now-quiet field, then drops off Raul.
Lo says (to Chaz), "Nice ollie."
Chaz exclaims (at Lo), "Thanks!"
Raul says, "I should have a path dowsing stick or something."
[nobilis] Raul says (to GM), "Okay, looking for the way down."
[nobilis] GM says, "it's -- below you. you'll need to find some way down, seems like"
Lo says, "<So, what's the best way to take down a sorceror?>"
[nobilis] Raul asks, "So actually in the ground?"
Davey says, "time for me to try Backhoe"
[nobilis] Alison says, "If you'd brought Michel, you could have him create a hole."
[nobilis] GM says, "below ground level, yeah"
Raul says, "It's down here somewhere."
Raul says, "If we can't find a grate or tunnel, we'll have to dig."
Lo watches as Davey converts to Caterpillar brand
Chaz switches back to prosaic, to see if there are any clues there.
Davey says, "ee ee ee. brummmm"
GM says, "whoah"
GM says, "in prosaic you're -- hmm, you must be underground someplace"
[Crows-Nest] Raul says (to Davey), "yay"
GM says, "a massive cavern filled with stalagmites and stalactites"
Raul looks for some less diggy way down.
GM says, "Davey rips open the ground with his shovel"
GM says, "revealing a short tunnel that terminates in stairs"
GM says, "above the stairs is a sign with the letters picked out in light: ASTARA"
[nobilis] Stella says, "hmm, terminator stairs."
Davey says, "well, now."
[nobilis] GM says, "and I think we'll end here"
[nobilis] Stella asks, "do they metally morph into something else?"
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Cool."
[nobilis] Davey says, "mmm, symbols"
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "long game"
[Crows-Nest] Aisleen says, "now that we are done, inky, tell us your sources :)"
[nobilis] Stella says, "I like the bones.  Nice touch."
[Crows-Nest] Alison says, "He dreamed the whole thing last night."
[nobilis] Raul says, "cool"
[Crows-Nest] Alison says, "(Yes, I just made that up.)"
[nobilis] GM says, "so it turns out that august is my busy month, and I've got something all day next sunday. would you folks be able to meet saturday at the same time? or would it work better to skip next week and play the following week (which'd normally be off)"
[nobilis] Lo asks, "Whoa, you'd do two in a row on Saturday?"
[Crows-Nest] GM says, "nah, I don't really have actual sources. but fields of bone are not uncommon, nor stuff rising from them"
[nobilis] Alison says, "I can handle playing Saturday instead of Sunday next week, if you can."
[nobilis] Stella says, "next saturday is fine, and especially good, since sunday is bad for us two."
[nobilis] Raul says, "wow, back to back Nobilis"
[nobilis] Raul says, "All Raul, All The Time"
[nobilis] Alison asks, "Still 1:30 Eastern?"
[nobilis] GM says, "can't do it on a regular basis, but I don't want to miss any more of these sessions than I have to"
[nobilis] GM says, "yeah, same time"
[nobilis] Lo says (to inky), "stock up on lots of cookies"
[nobilis] GM says, "mm, cookies"
[nobilis] Davey says, "I guess that works"
[nobilis] Stella says, "and coffee. :-) yay starbucks (or whatever)"
Lo goes home.
[nobilis] Alison asks, "Anything important before I close the log?"
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Let's just make sure TS knows."
[nobilis] GM says, "and Gunther, yeah"
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "can't play saturday"
[nobilis] Gunther asks, "arr?"
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Though since they're not with this group, it wouldn't matter so much."
[nobilis] Aisleen says, "anyway, off"
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Hmm."
Aisleen goes home.
[nobilis] GM says, "mm"
[nobilis] Jota says (to Gunther), "inky can't do next Sunday, but wants to offer Saturday instead."
[nobilis] Gunther asks, "don't know about saturday... when?"
[nobilis] Chaz says, "Same time."
[nobilis] Chaz says, "(as would have been sunday)"