Knives and I drop down into the ocean. I use a fun spiral slide to land quietly on the ocean’s surface. We descend into the water. I coat myself in mold to keep the salt out. We only wait a few minute before the pretend Bronze Man. He skids to a halt in the sand before us.

“In the name of ‘the bronze man’ I command you to surrender and reveal your plans.”

With a whoosh of water, a frightened bag person appears in the water. I foam him and let him bob to the surface before he drowns. (Where is the shipwrecked deceiver from the hotel? This wasn’t him and we didn’t see him in the battle. Did he play possum in the wreckage?”

Alejandro calls and says that Moonbeam is in trouble. She has arrested and they are afraid that she won’t make it. I leave the current situation to Knives and immediately translocate to the hospital. My arrival causes some fear in the local. “Get use to it.” I call out as I leave the room. I survey my estate and locate Moonbeam downstairs in the ER.

When I arrive I see a battle taking place. Red-faced warriors assail a village. The villagers defend as they can with hoes and sharp sticks. A damaged Moonbeam tries to direct the defense.

I throw myself into the battle. Old memories surface: Men with swords thinking that they can take anything they want because they can kill. They have lost their humanity. They are weeds that sprout in the fallow ground of adversity. But now they will be denied. I am The Graf and they will not take the village of Moonbeam. I call on the realm of the chancel and cause swords to catch fire and the grass and the very ground to grab at the offenders feet. I’m careful to protect the villagers, the ground under their feet is firm and their crude weapons are strong.

The attack is repelled and the villagers approach a bit dazed. I ask the villagers were the attackers came from. They look puzzled and say no. I ask them how frequent the attacks have been. They have been every half hour since the pumpkin. I send out my will and track down the attackers. They are all trapped and killed.

The villagers have made Moonbeam comfortable on the dais. They want to know what to do next. I set them to shoring up the defenses and clearing the village. The village Moonbeam is safe.

As I leave the ER a messenger from Cathetal arrives and asks me to join the family in the throne room. As I arrive, Punishment is leaving the throne room. She is downright chatty. She lets me know about Crime’s loss and I suggest that we move to a quieter place to catch up.

Go through the to do list

1) Missing Edgar Suit
2) False Guilt in DC
3) Trace of the Excrucian weapons via the construct description (Jaeger)

"Things have been busy. I have been sucked into issues at Lord Entropy’s Court."
“I try to avoid the court whenever possible.”
“I would like to help the family. I have a few things I need to wrap up…”
She starts to leave then turns back. “I was going to contact Mariska.”
“You got your ear-bud. Use that.”

Mariska asks if Punishment’s anchor could come to DC to help with the process. Deceivers can not read anchors same way that read nobles, so it is safer. An anchor of Conspiracy is with them. However they want someone with a high aspect to track the blood trail. Aspect miracles are hard to do through anchors. Electricity decides to just get/make a bloodhound from Storyville.

It looks like one of the buildings is the cornerstone of the blighted area. I suggest that we could plant toxic mold in the building. Guilt can arrange for a complaint to be filed and the building inspected. Thus we can get it condemned and destroyed in a mundane matter, destroying the keystone.

Electricity mentions that Amaciel wanted to know if anyone was wounded by blight gun. Justice was shot and I will take care of the helping him. The bullet needs to be removed.

Hi guys,
After consideration of things, I have decided to drop from the Nobilis campaign as a regular player. I have realized that the genre is not appealing to me (too close to "supers" I think- Amber is as close to that as I prefer to get). Having missed a couple sessions and realizing I kind of liked having an occasional Saturday free, I decided to keep things that way. I did enjoy playing Crime at times and would not mind popping in for an occasional guest appearance, but I don't think I care to commit to a regular schedule anymore. Best of luck to you all and keep smacking down those excrucian scum!

John

"He that climbs the tall tree has won right to the fruit."
-- Sir Walter Scott

Little thought for Sian. :)

View Uglified Map of Miami blast radius.

Okay, death toll is based off the rough blast radius I indicated (resulting in 320 square miles of affected terrain, then cut roughly in half due to the ocean taking up a good portion of the area), the population of Miami and the population density per square mile...

Rounding up... ~200,000 people dead. Initial estimates of half a million or more dead were (predictably) exaggerated, and the survival rate among the badly injured has been surprisingly high.

Aftermath.

Two hundred thousand people died. You can say the number over and over until it doesn't mean anything. I helped heal a woman of her grief, stopped her pain from flooding a city, and tracked down the no-man with the cloak of eyes to San Francisco. When I heard we healed Amaciel with the power we took from the invaders, I horrified myself, because it didn't mean anything to me.

Two hundred thousand people still died.

Scientists have created a new form of matter saying it could provide a new way to generate electricity.

I've been talking over on Random Encounters about making magic magical in an RPG and that touched on another discussion I've been meaning to have over here about the (missing) mythic elements within the Chrysalis campaign.

What I mean in saying this is that most of the sessions fail to have a mythic tone to them. Most of this lies squarely on me -- to have a mythic feel, I have to provide both a mythic storyline and mythic elements to the setting, and I'm not usually doing that.

Presuming (and PLEASE speak up if that's not the case), adding that sort of flavor to the game is something that you guys would find a more mythic tone 'good' (I'm guessing that's so, since Nobilis itself is that kind of game), I want to discuss some of the problems with what's going on and also mention a few things that I think might help change things a bit -- your thoughts on any portion are welcome... very nearly required, in point of fact.

Problems, Solutions

P1: Imagery (or: The Myths of Gen-X are, appropriately, sadly, and very nearly anagramatically, X-men)
For whatever reason (and I have some theories about that), my generation lacks a certain exposure to myths and fairy tales, so the sort of symbolism normally associated with mythic types of stories sometimes escapes me. For an example, take a look at the Miami fight, which should have been Merlin in the Hollow Hills and came out like Avengers Assemble.

S1: A concious effort on my part to create set pieces that evoke more of a mythic feel. As ***Dave pointed out, I'm hampered in this somewhat due to the places were a lot of stuff is taking place -- Miami, New Orleans, two fairly prosaic chancels... the Real World. I have a much more successful time with this when we're in strange locales (because it's easier and I'm lazy :). Still, no reason that Miami in the Mythic is any less mythic... it just doesn't immediately occur to me to present it that way.

I also think it would help to review some of the flores in the GWB that really captures the mythic-within-the-modern-world -- I might put together a collection of such fiction bits and mail them out to everyone as a way of creating a little bubble that contains a more helpful mindset.

P2: Actions and Activity (or: 9mm Berettas are not invited to Ragnarok)
Generally, very much of what we're doing in the game is grounded strongly in a Prosaic idiom. Not all of this is bad; in fact, for several people, the conflict between their mythic (noble) self and prosaic (human) self is part of the story that's Important and Should Be Told. That said, there isn't any homely charm to the prosaic events of a Noble life if there's nothing to contrast it to. Donner's ongoing... thing... with Gwen is interesting -- it (and his overarcing 'man trying to be a god trying to be man' story) is generally more interesting when contrasted with things which are not normal.

Yesterday, I asked Jackie why one of her characters she's played in Nobilis (Jasmine), tended to act more like a proper demi-god and the other (Macy) tended to act like like a bad-ass superhero. Her response had the succinctness that suggested I should have already guessed the answer:

Perception of who they were before they were more. Different people chosen for different reasons. Macy is a weapon and Jasmine is a tea shop owner - very different people.

So, back to one of ***Dave's comments, it's also true that some of Problem2 (and Problem1) comes from the nature of many of the characters: Sian hates the mythic and searches for her humanity. Donner works to retain his prosaic self and reality. Macy is very much as she was before her enNoblement. June is very connected to her earthly self. Et cetera.

P2 Corollary: It's hard to think in terms of the actions surrounding the myth when I'm constantly retranslating every damn action into Game Rule Terms.

S2: Lead by example. Simply put, Mythic actions (and by this I mean the lyrical or poetic description of a mythic event that one has caused, not the game-term 'miraculous action') demand Mythic response.

S2 Corollary: Something that's leeching the magical imagery out of the game is that I'm very focused on making sure everyone understands the rules right now because I'm trying to teach them, so that even when we DO describe something in very evocative terms, I then break it down from the subjective-immersive to the objective-non-immersive.

I'm considering simply removing that element from the games for awhile -- you describe the action and how badly you want it (not unlike a 'blind spend' in Amber) and I'll tally the miracle points and cost, describe how that feels and give tangible results, and we'll worry about the specific points only after/between games. If everyone trusts me to be fair and stick with the rules behind the curtain, I will do that in the future, though I'm ALWAYS willing to stop and explain the mechanics of something if someone requests it.

I had more luck doing some of this earlier in the campaign when I didn't really have time to worry about the rules I didn't know -- now that I believe I understand them, they tend to interfere more... or I tend to vocalize them more, which causes problems by codifying the miraculous, breaking the fourth wall, and letting the air out of the Belief Suspension Balloons.

There's more, but the rest I think might evolve out of comment-window discussion.

Wired News: Mystery Deaths on London Flights

A 19-year-old British woman died Monday on board a Virgin Atlantic flight from Miami to London's Heathrow Airport, the airline said. A day earlier, two passengers on a British Airways flight from Miami to Heathrow died

See, this is what happens when mortals encounter Excrucian Blight.

Macy goes to see her reporter friend [not an anchor]. The woman is not at her desk so Macy has to use the guy in the next cube, Jaimie, to find her -- using her Glory. Eventually, Macy has the entire office looking for Rebecca. She is located about 20 minutes later. They go to lunch at Balthazar's and discuss... things, as Macy is thinking about anchoring her. Rebecca, unfortunately, is working for Cities as an anchor. Still, there's no real reason to blow a good relationship -- they have lunch and chat for a spell.

Donner
Pulls out Punishment's flower to find out what's going on in Miami, but she doesn't answer. Marie LaFluer calls on everyone in the Chancel because the harvest needs to happen. Donner and June are going to do the harvest (Death offers to handle it so everyone else can head off to Miami that much sooner, but the familia thinks not).

Macy hears about this from the Familia and tells Rebecca, who calls Cities to let her know there is a problem in Miami.

Meanwhile, Pen Lo is prophesizing in tongues to Donner and June -- much doom and destructions, yadda yadda.

Death contacts Cerney to tell him about the break-through. Turns out Cerney was in the Miami area anyway and was on the way to the fight already, so now Death is going to go because Cerney is going -- he's got that pesky vow to make sure Cerney doesn't die.

Donner calls Doors to tell him about what's going on and Donner asks him if he will call Ada Willamette (inquisitor, Cerny's familia, and general badass) and also if he will pass along to Locus Entropy about Meon getting hurt.

June
During the havest ritual they hear a gong sound -- LaFluer's indicator that someone tried the currently blocked gate from Locus Noctis. After the ritual Bosou is back on duty again, which is good, since he'll be in statue form right next to that gate.

June checks with Guilt, Conspiracy and Eternity. She tries Guilt first. Mariska tells her that they have a problem and not to use the gateway right now. Guilt talks about someone -- someone bad -- going to Washington DC. It was a bad person who went through the gate and tried to come into our chancel, but they've taken a different gate now and the gate to Noctis should be safe to use now.

Donner tries Ada's emblem and she does answer -- which makes Edward's favor redundant, but oh well. He tells her about the break-through; she was aware of it but didn't think it was too bad -- Donner made the situation more clear and she determines to head that way. Conspiracy does not answer June, so she calls on Eternity. He answers and she tells him about the break through in Miami. He is vague about if he can make it.

Death, Donner, and June (with her anchor) arrive in Locus Noctis (in N. Miami) about the same time Macy drives into the city. The Noctis chancel is chaotic at best right now. There seems to be dust hanging in the air that won't settle.

Donner tells us to be careful around Guilt because she might be an excrucian double instead of the real Guilt. The chancel does not seem to be currently under attack. Macy stops to pick up her other familia as they exit the chancel into Miami members and burns rubber to the fight. As they close in, a huge explosion coming up on them encourages them to evacuate the escalade. Macy takes June's lackey into the air higher and throws him up higher to lessen the effects on him and the damage he takes, Death gates out of the blast area, Donner switches to elemental form, and June is simply to precious to be bothered by such things as explosions. At the fight, Crime and Fungus are staying back (they are both hurt, their power is used quite a bit, and they both have badly injured anchors). Punishment is in the midst of the fight -- she, Justice and Cerney are dealing with three Excrucian shards. No one seems to be fighting the guy on the horse who seems to be in charge (the shards are keeping the three aspect-people off of him).

Macy drops off the preacher on a pile of rubble and moves to another so she does not draw attention to him. She cocks her gun and aims it at the main guy's horse. Punishment hears the gun cocking, recognizes Macy from the sound, and is going to go after the horse as well. Fungus is going to attempt to lock the horse down. Donner summons Zeus's thunderbolt to his hand. Macy shoots the horse in the knee and it hits; a split second later Punishment rakes the underside of the horse and the creature tumbles down and Fungus's attack keeps the horse down. Tomas and Churney continue to fight the triplets. June bursts a water main under the leader to throw him even further from his mount. He rolls to his feet and hits Macy with his whip. Terrible pain rolls over her and hampers her mind and body.

Macy jumps down on one of the triplets and touches him -- a gift of Amaciel to his familia severs the shards connection to the warmain and he's just a plain old vagrant again. Punishment moves in an disarms the whip. Death is opens a gate to Entropy's chancel (the idea was to open a gate to a nearby chancel in Miami, but Death sees more opportunities if he's gated to Entropy). Donner sends the bolt back to its home in the chancel, because using it would be quite painful and its probably no longer necessary. June redirects the watermain to knock the big guy into the gate, except she knocks Punishment through the gate too. Cerney guts one of the triplets and Macy is able to release the third one as well. The gate opens into the throne room. "A gift to you" Punishment says to Entropy as she slides across the flagstones in a gush of water. Punishment calls her weapon to her. Donner enters the gate as well, since this seems a fine way to make his first impression on Entropy, and Death goes through the gate to make sure Entropy gets his gift.

Long story short it is not pretty for the big guy. Fungus and Macy take care of the horse and the whip. Cities provides transportation and the horse is taken to the Noctis's chancel per Entropy's instructions. June helps Imagination and Cities with the cover story for all the destruction. June nettles the excrucian for his failed -- in fact, utterly decimated -- plan and shows Crime how to do that simple ritual as well -- he does, and both chancels reap the rewards for the pains they suffered during the attack.

(Except: Guilt is still pursuing her doppleganger in D.C...)

Cool link to a video of a high-voltage power arc.

Re: The Miami Breakthrough

In considering the facts of this event, We find no noble at fault in the proceedings. The letter of the Code Fidelitatis was adhered to, likewise was the law of Sevenfold Vengeance and the salient points of the Edicts of Tal.

In Our official capacity, We note only that the written rules of the Nobilis have been observed.

- LORD ENTROPY

On a personal note:

The clearest unwritten rule of the Nobilis is this: to fight is to lose.

After reviewing the excreble manner in which the battle itself was conducted, I find the most cogent question to present itself is simply why. Why was there a need for a battle of any kind?

Foil, nettle, dismiss; I believe certain members of the Nobility require lessons in what it means to win, and what it is to lose. Thus, as a personal favor, I have dispatched instructors to affect that education.

Parenthetically, the following specific favors:
* Justice's Pawn assigned as lesser bailiff to the Locust Court to observe the exercise of good judgement. Service to begin immediately.
* Marquis Death to learn judgement in the use of specific Gifts. Lessons to begin immediately.

- E

Some personal notes:

Most of the goddamned Excrucians seem to be Immortal. Think of some indirect but effective ways to use the f**king thunderbolt, and my own powers for that matter.

My -- our -- education regarding how to fight Excrucians is sadly lacking. Maybe there's something useful in our portion of Pen Lo's library. Maybe Pen Lo's head itself will answer questions on that subject.

Attack the toys.

Never jump through a portal without knowing where it leads to.

Amaciel is my God. Amaciel works for a monster, Lord Entropy --- but he's our monster. Dame Necessity is a bitch no matter who or what you are.

Don't stand too close to Terminus.

La Fleur probably won't reciprocate professionalism, but no matter.

This blight crap has got to go.

"So there we were, Lord Entropy, his nobles Desecration, Destruction, Scorn, a bunch of ogres, Death, Electricity, and, of course, me."

"And the Excrucian?"

"Spread out over about ten square meters and stapled firmly in place to the stone."

"Ouch."

"Indeed."

"You want some more of these chocolate-covered butterflies? I can't eat another bite."

"No, thanks. But you can pour me some more of that champagne. I've decided I really like champagne cocktails."

"We'll make a girl of you yet. Oh, okay, sorry, don't give me the fish-eye or anything. Sheesh. You want the Midori, or the Rum Raisin, or the Blue Stuff in there?"

"Whichever."

"I said don't get all huffy. So you were there, the Excrucian was there, whole bunch of people were there. Including Meon. Was he watching you?"

"How the hell should I know? I wasn't watching him."

"Not even a little?"

"Even if, through some cosmic fluke, my line of sight might happen to briefly rest upon him under ordinary circumstances, at this point, he was the least of my concerns. I'd dropped in, unannounced, to Lord Entropy's realm, to his very throne room, with an Excrucian, whom it had taken everyone dog-piling on to deal with. I was a bit more concerned with what L.E. was thinking about me right that moment."

"L.E. Limp Extrusion. Ladies Exfoliate. Lawful Evil. Lucky Engineer."

"I was thinking more about Legal Execution."

"Hey, that's good."

"Right. So he started asking for explanations of me, right off, given that I had not yet brought the fruit he'd tasked me to bring. So I had to give him the whole story about the Excrucian breakthrough and the call for help and all that. It was, of course, my duty to respond to that. He could hardly question the matter. Particularly since I have a reputation for being just, which most folks interpret as being honest."

"But it's not."

"Usually it is. But not always. Which means people assume honesty from me."

"Handy."

"Well, it keeps me out of court politics most of the time, for one thing. And it gives me a little necessary leeway now and again."

"Was Languid Emperor satisfied?"

"Well, he made a point to tell Desecration, who was the one in charge of the investigation of our chancel, that we were 'useful, dedicated, if somewhat impetuous Inquisitors,' and that should be taken into account in the inquiry. Plus, it should be given more weight that the bribe Meon had received."

"Ouch."

"Aye. Donner looked properly confused by all this talk about quests and fruit, and tried to hit me up about it afterward, but I made it clear it wasn't a topic I wanted to discuss."

"You're good at that."

"Stop it. Hand me some of those -- spongeballs."

"The toffee taffy, or the marinara mango?"

"Toffee taffy."

"Lord Entropy seemed positively sanguine and mellow. He told me to finish up my quest anon, and that if I could have the fruit brought there, I could keep the spear. If I left, I'd have to leave it behind."

"So, of course, you stayed there. You and your stick."

"A comment that was tiresome well before its two hundredth repetition from my brethren, I assure you."

"Sorry. But you do, um, wave it around a bit."

"Well, hellfire, the damn thing makes me twice the warrior I ordinarily am, it grants me flight, and it gives me the Look to cow offenders. Do you wonder, then?"

"No, it makes sense. But it's an easy target for double entendres. I know, I'm pretty good at them. For example --"

"So it was about then I tried to pray to you, but you were pretty busy."

"Miami was kind of a mess."

"And I wasn't sure I wanted you to try to get the apples to me anyway, or somehow travel to Entropy's chancel on your own with them. What?"

"Oh. I just don't like him very much. He makes me feel all -- ooky."

"I'd think he was a very imaginative sort."

"Yeah, but the thinks he imagine. Icky."

"Well, I got interrupted anyway. Lord Entropy wanted my professional opinion on something."

"Uh-oh."

"Right. He wanted to know whether it was just that -- how did he put it? -- those who had seen 'fit to leave with the run of my demesne' the Excrucian they'd been pursuing -- Meon and Terminus -- whether it was just for them to be the ones to track the guy down."

"Ouch. Sounds like Large Exomorph to me."

"So I had to tell him that I had faced that same Excrucian --"

"You didn't."

"-- and that I'd let him get away from me, or that I'd let Meon take over the fight with him, so I could respond to the call for help from my brethren."

"And he said --"

"Well, I wasn't done talking yet."

"Oh, Sian."

"I know, but I had to. And, to be sure, I did feel some guilt over it. And Terminus had a big slash across his chest, and Meon was not looking all that hot, either."

"Oh, so you did look at him. And sometimes you think he looks hot?"

"Please. Let's just say that if there were any dashing qualities to him ordinarily that might make him attractive to someone, he was not displaying them at that moment."

"But you'd been in battle, too."

"I always look sharp."

"Ah. So you kept talking."

"I noted to him that justice was not necessarily the best way to determine who should track the Excrucian down, and that the success of that mission might be more important than that it mete out some just punishment."

"You, of all people."

"Well, hell, Haley, it's the truth. Poetic justice is fine in poetry and if you can make it fit into real life, but sometimes you need unpoetic justice and a dash of pragmatism. Getting the Excrucian was more vital than that Meon or Death or even I got nailed for not stopping him in the first place."

"I'm sure Lugubrious Ectoplasm loved that."

"No, he did not. He advised me that I should have a care to note that he was asking for the justice of his decision, not its wisdom."

"Ouch. Again."

"But he also agreed with me --"

"Which probably didn't improve his temper."

"So he assigned Death and myself to the hunt, but he told me I could join Death at my convenience."

"Great googly-moogly, he was mellow."

"Well, either that, or hungry."

"Ah. The apples. Right."

"So since Donner and Terminus were on their way back to Miami through the gate Death had made -- and Entropy was a lot snarkier about that than about what I'd done -- I decided to go along to."

"Without the spear."

"Well, I wouldn't have dreamt of trying to take it after Entropy's command, and it let me establish my faithfulness by leaving it there. 'We anticipate your imminent return,' was all he said."

"Which was when you got back here."

"Right. After all, I had to track you down, and then there was that third apple, and I knew I could find a boat to get back to Entropy's chancel."

"But what you didn't know was that --"

"Right. Urg. Pass the champagne again ..."

That was the story of how Punishment lost her stick and this is the story of how Punishment got her stick back.

Doyce: Lord Entropy is sanguine.
Stan: So an Excrucian nailed to the floor puts him in a good mood.
Margie: That and Punishment’s fruit for dessert

Lord Entropy directs Punishment to retrieve her fruit.
Randy: Come to me, my fruit
Doyce: Apples assemble
Dave: It’s cobblering time.

Death confesses to the creation of the gate into Lord Entropy’s Throne Room.
Randy: “That’s good, Donner didn’t want to fink him out, but would have.”

Electricity: So, it looks just like you.
Guilt: But I’m better dressed.

Lust: Use me as you need.

Lust, Knives and I carry the horse and the whip to the Chancel for protection. Lust gets a prayer from Guilt. Guilt has tracked the false Guilt to the Watergate Hotel. That is where there was an Excrucian flower rite in the 1970s that left a zone of blight.

We plan as we drive the van to the chancel. With Lust driving that’s quick planning. I know that I can locate the trajectory of the Deceiver because he was covered with mold. We will track his current location using a giant metal detector built into a modified AWACS plane. I create it in the chancel using my realm control and it will function outside for at least a day.

Have a big fight with Alejandro about locking down the fairy rings so the other Guilt can not return. He is too busy to do it and I’m darned if I’ll spend the time now with so much else to do. I swear, if anything comes through that shouldn’t, I will string him up next to Pen Lo’s body and leave him to rot.

I trace the flight of the Deceiver and we fly a slow spiral out from that point. We get a strong signal traveling north along the Atlantic shelf. Since it is unlikely that the Bronze Man has/had a way of tracking an Excrucian and the Deceiver would not have know where the Excrucian with the gun was headed, since he claimed to have just tagged along for the ride, into our world., then it is likely that the Deceiver is no longer under Judgments geas.

Now the question is do we want him dead or alive to question? And do we have questions for the Bronze Man, whose memories he holds? Should we battle him here, under the sea, where there are fewer opportunities for escape and even fewer people to frighten, or is there a better location for the battle?

They find me a dumpster in the warehouse district. Crime is there, his anchor called him, and Tomas, too. The hood arrives to hang with Crime. Moonbeam is there a sight for sore eyes. I get the scoop from Crime. This is where Moonbeam has tracked the Excrucian from the ship. He is probably doing something bad because the whole area is heavy with power. A large ray of light explodes from the warehouse and pierces the sky.

Crime and I discuss what to do. Do we really have to go in? Why not collapse the building? Crime uses his domain and the whole building collapses. All except an area right by the front door, whence an Excrucian rides out astride a dead white horse, hooves ringing like bells, dressed like a centurion, wearing a six-shooter, a cloak of eyeballs, a tan sash. His beautiful voice calls out.

“I am not part of this. I only wish to pass. I use the opening to search for something else. Your argument is clearly with these others. I have no need to kill you. Let me pass.”

Tomas knows who he is and call him out. The horseman is very powerful. He shrugged off a level 7 miracle. He instantly healed when we attacked together to damage him. Clearly he did not want to be here. When the chance arose he left.

The Excrucian with the whip was defeated by killing his horse, taking his whip, and tossing him into Lord Entropy’s throne room.

The Deceiver impersonating the Bronze Man was dumped in the bay after being commanded by Tomas.

The shard where expelled by Lust and Electricity.

Punishment, Knives, Tomas, Cities, Reality, Death, Lust, and Electricity all came to help. The cost was great. Moonbeam and Crime’s anchor were gravely wounded. Tomas took several deadly wounds. Most of the Nobles tapped their reserves of miracle points.

Guilt
Dinner with Ofra: As we left the party, Mariska was eating the heaviest most caloric entree. She discovers that Noah doesn’t scan. This disturbs her. Crime uses the new communication device to lets Mariska know that there is a situation in Miami, “maybe an Excrucian breakthrough, partly because I don’t know what that means…”

Mariska continues dinner:
“So, how did you meet Noah?”

“Where are you?” Alejandra yells in Mariska’s ear.
“I’m at a nice French restaurant in New York.”
“Well I just saw you on film leveling the Sheriff’s building.”
“Well, I’m here and not there.”
“Well your body is here, causing an amazing amount of damage.”

“I’m sorry, my service just went off.” Guilt excuses herself.

She calls Christopher. “What’s going on?”
“Why are you talking to me like that, no offense?”
“Like what?”
“Well, you are right in front of me.”
“NO, I’m in New York.”
“Then who is in front of me?” Christopher asks in sotto voce.
“I would imagine that it is some kind of Excrucian doppelganger.”

Through Christopher, Mariska causes a large pickup swerves off the road and clips the faux Mariska. Someone looking a lot like Billy Bob Carlos goes flying through the pickup windshield as the truck wraps around the faux Mariska.

Faux Mariska creates a whirlwind to lift her from the street.

Christopher pulls his gun and starts firing. After the first shoot the bullets are lost to the wind.

The faux Mariska solidifies the dust in the whirlwind and flees the battlefield.

Crime calls out to Mariska from Miami, “We are not at the ‘Oh my Jesus’ part yet, but do you know how to get a hold of Punishment. She’s not responding and I don’t think she has an ear thing yet. Do we know any of her anchors?” “No, try praying.”

There is percussion from the caves, where the fairy rings are. It sounds like a ward exploding where Mariska didn’t know there was one.

Mariska begs off of the dinner party with Ofra. Goes to deal with the fake Mariska situation, and how the Excrucian in the jail was handled. Talks with Christopher and then head to D.C.

Fungus, Crime, Punishment and Session 14A
Warehouse district. Crime is there – Leon called him – and Tomas, too. Leon gets ready to depart. Lots of gang members arrive giving Crime deference. Moonbeam is there, out of place. Galumph over to Crime. Believe it’s an Excrucian from the ship doing something bad. Have to go in? Why not collapse the building? Creation of Crime: Retroactive Violation of Building Codes. The whole building collapses. All except an area right by the front door, whence an Excrucian rides out astride a dead white horse, hooves ringing like bells, dressed like a centurion, wearing a six-shooter, a cloak of eyeballs, a tan sash.

“I am not part of this. I only wish to pass. I use the opening to search for something else. Your argument is clearly with these others. I have no need to kill you. Let me pass.”

Is he a Shard, about the same power level or an Imperator equivalent? Well, he shrugged off a Level 7 Miracle … and Tomas knows who he is. Tomas – “None shall pass!”

Quick battle: The guy is clearly out of their class – but when they use the true name of the Bronze Man to sic that Fragment on him, and Knives arrives as well –

Tomas takes a Deadly Wound.

Then the others crawl from the rubble – one with a Pain Whip that strikes Fungus. One Shard tosses Tomas away, while two others throw the Bronze Man to about the continental shelf. Fungus sends a cloud of spores into the air to obscure the area from onlookers.

The main Excrucian tosses off Knives, and leaps to a rooftop – straight to where Punishment is arriving (having finally responded to her Prayer).

The Excrucian with the whip sends a shock wave through the area, tumbling buildings and killing all of the gang members. Fungus shields Leon and Moonbeam from the blast, but they are badly injured. Crime pulls them out and heads out of the combat zone.

Death, Lust, Reality and Electricity arrive. They heard what was going on and came through the gate to our chancel as fast as they could. They join the fray Reality bursting pipes, Lust and Death wading in and Electricity calling for Thor’s hammer.

City arrives and attacks with rebar.

The Excrucian with the whip call forth a horse and leaps from the rubble to flee the scene. There is a coordinated attack on horse. The horse goes down. Fungus immobilizes the horse. Lust gets attacked by the whip. Punishment disarms the Excrucian and Death opens a gate. All those still able, toss the Excrucian through the gate. Punishment, Death and Electricity follow through. They all end up in Lord Entropy’s throne room. “A gift for you.” They all say as they slide in.

The remaining battle is short. Crime and Reality use the whip and the horse to nettle the Excrucian. The members of the court finish what is left of the immortal. He is pinned to the floor, captive of Lord Entropy.

Reality, Lust, Fungus, Imagination, and Cities begin damage control and clean-up.

Lord Entropy’s Throne room:

Present - Meon, Ba’alhermon, Jaktan, Verious Ogres, Death, Donner, Punishment.

Miami - Cites, June, Hallee, Lust.

Approaching the Chancel - Tomas, Czerny, Crime, Fungus.

Washington D.C. - Mariska, and pretty boy disguised as Guilt.

-----

-Lord Entropy is not happy with the way things were done, and not happy with the explanation.

-Lord Entropy was wondering where Sian’s apples are.

-Discounts Meons offering/bribe because he thinks that the Excrusian is better.

-Entropy wants Sian’s apples and sends her for them. He is very mellow. Sian contacts Hallee about her apples. Hallee tells Sian that she’ll get them when she finds them all. Sian panics.

-Asks about the Gate, Death admits to doing it before Donner rats him out.

-Lord Entropy dresses down Death and Meon for losing the Excrusian.

-Lord Entropy grants Donner a boon and tells him that this does not count for his one free visit to the Locus Court.

-Lord Entropy talks some more about Death’s and Donner’s punishment: see Chancel A.

-Meon has to see to the dispute between Sian and Meon. It is Lord Entropy’s opinion that the other failed party is responsible to find the lost Excrusian. Punishment CYA’s her response. Sian does the right thing and takes on some culpability. Punishment gets dissed by Lord Entropy when she questions Lord Entropy’s wisdom.

---

Washington D.C.

Mariska tracks down her clone to the Watergate hotel. It turns out to be a pit of death and destruction. She contacts Spender to get reinforcements. Next she prays to Lust to get information on what it could be. Lust educates Mariska on what it is, A Excrusian Flower right was done there in 1972. Donner prays to Mariska and he comes through to help. Donner contacts Conspiracy and she sends an Anchor. Donner does a miracle of creation to “page” the deceiver to the loading dock. It takes some penetration to accomplish this.

---

Lust and Fungus Approaching the Chancel. The horse, the whip, Czerny and bodies to the Chancel for Crime to take care of. Czerny wants to come along and find the Bronzeman. Discussion of how to deal with the Deceiver Guilt by locking down the Fairy rings. Make creation of Bronze WACS to search for the Deceiver Bronzeman off in the Ocean. Go to his location as he travels north along the bottom of the Ocean.

1. Networking.

They call it “networking” now, but we used to call it the prayer line. Come a funeral,
come a fire or flooded basement, you put out a call on the prayer line, and all the other
church ladies would arrive at your house, one after the other, usually with a casserole to
put in the deep freeze. Some things humans do better than angels, I guess.

I put out the call.

Mariska had her own troubles--well, she should have asked for help but she’s too proud
by half--others wouldn’t answer, and Eternity had to be bribed before he said he’d show
up, not that he made it on time. Honestly! At least the family all answered when it came
time; I’m proud of them.

2. Standing and falling.

We all met up in Miami, and Macy drove us down to the fighting. As she drove, some
kind of earthquake struck--Macy grabbed Jonathan and kind of flung him up in the air, the
others disappeared one way or another. I didn’t have anywhere to go, so I just stood.

Macy caught Jonathan and pitched him over to a warehouse rooftop where he could see.
I looked through his eyes, too (always gives me a headache; the horse’s patoot always
¹ Capitalizes his Thoughts and ² Declaimeth in Verse), and
saw an un-man on a horse. Made me dizzy to look at him, or else the building was
a-shakin’ still. I knew he was the one to deal with, even though there were other un-men
fighting, becuase Fungus laid on the ground in front of him and twitched. It’s time to
worry when an ageless mushroom collapses.

I needed some inspiration to be doing something, so when Jonathan decided that the Lord
his God would use him as a Vessel to Bring Forth the Waters of the Red Sea through the
Water Mains to Drown the Pharoah, I let him have his head. He Brought them Waters
Forth and knocked that un-man right off his horse. Well, it must have done some good;
the horse went down, anway, buried under flesh-eating mold and leaking innards from its
belly.

Next thing I know, there’s a big hole in the air leading somewhere else right behind the
un-man, with Death making melodramatic gestures that seem to be saying, “Push him
through it, you old fool.”

Hoping for the best and putting my faith in Amaciel, I let Jonathan Bring Forth the Flood
Waters again; happens Sian was standing right in front of the un-man, disarming him just
as I gave it a good push, and she flew through, too.

Long story short, everybody mostly went through Death’s gate to Lord Entropy’s realm
(not me, though, not me) and beat the stuffing out of the un-man. Macy cleaned up
everything else, and I helped save what people I could and come up with explanations for
all this. I made Jonathan help; he ended up just as caked with blood and dirt and tearstains
as me.

One time, he started feeling sorry for himself. “This is hell. This is my hell,” he
said.

I slapped him a good one. “This is somebody else’s hell,” I told him. “You’re not
man enough to rate going to hell.”

Then I made him lift half a wall off a couple of old men in washed-out undershirts
and pants, but it was too late.

Locus Noctis Chancel upgrade...

Name: Cathetel (upgraded)

Properties:

• Durant (1)
  
• Summonable (-1)
  
• Great Harvest (2)
  
• Cold (-1)
  
• TOTAL = 1

The only thing worse then having an ex-mother-in-law is have TWO ex-mothers-in-law using you to destroy each other. It was, as they say, an interesting day.

The day started normal enough; Mariska was on the rag about something and it involved Alejandro and the court house. She contacted me shortly after the court house dissolved into the ground. She was in quite the mood when she drug me out of the bar, and it did not improve when I got downtown.

We started off with some minor building destruction and then moved on to general destruction of blocks of buildings, and cars, and the streets. It was kind of fun, I hadn’t had this kind of rush since I killed that rat Furio Cardinellini back in New Jersey, or the time that I whacked the cop that Murdered my father, It was all good until something really odd happened. Mariska came into my mind to find out what was going on. I told her that she was standing right next to me.

This only made her angrier.

She told me that she was in New York City and that she was going to use me to stop the Excrusion. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph…I was standing next to an Excrusion.

Let me say that the rush that one feels when two powerful beings use you as the conduit to destroy each other is with out compare. Better than any Heroin on the Market.

The battle ended when the Excrusion fled to Washington…Not a popular place with the Power of Guilt.

On Death’s missing horse:
GM: What happened to the horse?
Donner (?): He got off his high horse.

Lust: Georgia, sweet Georgia...
GM: Lust is giving a hard time to all her anchors and looking for more people to piss off.

Lust: Okay, I’m all out of stuff to do.
GM: Go do some lust stuff.

Reality: All clothes are hooker clothes.
GM: What’s wrong with being a hooker?
Lust: I have better things to do.

Lust: I just want someone to buy me dinner, not to come.

Rebecca: Well, I believe that I wouldn’t believe it. But I am a reporter. You’d be
surprised what I can believe. [...] You kicked him? And he fell through a street?

On Rebecca starting to figure things out:
Reality: The little gerbils! They start running.

Rebecca: Are you greed?
Lust: No.
Reality: Just run down the list of seven deadly sins, you’ll get there.

Lust: I project my domain.
Donner: You don’t have a lot of domain to project.
Lust: I do have a lot of aspect -- I got a lot of kick-your-ass to project.

Rebecca: So you’re all hoo-wah! and stuff.

On Sisera’s death:
GM: Yeah, he “retired.” In the Sicilian sense. There’s a little voice in the back of your
head that says THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENED.

Reality: You could make him lust after office supplies.
Donner: My thtapler!

Lust: You have to learn to use your power for good, not evil.
GM: Like you’re one to talk.

On the Voodou phone:
Reality: Ding-a-ling-a-ling! This is June.

On the ritual that keeps Amaciel alive:
LeFleur: We need to do the ritual--
Death: I could do it--
Reality: No!

Justin’s paper airplane:
Look out, I’m everywhere! Muahahahahaha!

Reality: Our good news has been switched with Folger’s Excrucian crystals...let’s see if
she notices the switch!

On Lo Pan’s head:
GM: You need to get another head so they can talk to each other.

Just before the big fight:
Doors: If you feel a prayer and can’t pick it up, I won’t take it personally.

Guilt: Oh, I don’t think any help will be necessary, dear.
Reality: We’re just here to be helpful, dear.
GM: You can’t guilt June!

GM: Lust’s guns are always loaded!

Lust considers putting down her gun and using it to call June.
Reality: Just remember I have to eat whatever you put out, dear.

Thomas (a.k.a. Dave): Don’t sit there idle, throw the guy with the whip!

Lust: Am I a missle weapon?
Reality: Only if someone else throws you, dear.

GM: You’re going to kill his horse, take away his whip, and kick him through to
Entropy?
Lust (?): F--- yeah! I mean, yes, we are.

About Entropy’s realm:
Whose house? MY house!

On picking up excrucian weapons:
Reality: How about picking it up with a hate anchor? That I don’t like very much?

(?): It’s a dead horse, Macy.

To Dave and Margie:
GM: Sorry about interrupting your “Serenity.”

Obligatory stick joke:
(?): Punishment hasn’t had her spear in a while.
(?): There are a lot of things Punishment hasn’t had in a while.

Would it be possible to do Saturday's Chrysalis game on Sunday instead? Jackie have that Christmas raffle prize thing on Saturday.

From Nodwick.

[Dunno who was doing these for the game, so here are the two I made/wrote]

On strangely familiar advice to lob the attacking Excrucian into a neighboring chancel ...
Tomas: Don't be idle, throw the guy with the whip!

On pursuit of plans ...
Lust: Is the horse dead yet? 'Cause I want to ...
HG: The horse is dead!
Dave: You're beating a dead horse, Macy.

Thankyoo, thankyooverymuch. I'll be here all week ...

[Special guest star role, 5-Jan-04]

Damage to the city is more like a couple of miles in radius.

Jump into combat. Justice, Knives, Crime, Fungus, Reality, Death vs. an Excrucian (summoned horse) and three Shards. All except Excrucian look rocky and wounded.

Hear a gun/rifle being readied. On my side. Coordinate attack on the horse (burn AMP):
Run as though to attack E., then slide down under horse's belly, raking with needles.
Gunshot takes out horse's leg.
Horse down, fungus envelopes.

Macy (gunner) wracked with E's whip.

Move to attack him -- disarm whip with needles instead (lots of fancy twirling of them, rip whip away, sai-like).

Sudden attack on E. by rebar out of the ground. Power of Cities has arrived.

Simultaneously, blast of water from buried main, striking E. -- and me -- pushing through portal opened behind by Death --

Land in Lord Entropy's chamber. Think fast. "A gift for you, Lord Entropy."
Summon Spear to me. Oh, yeah!

(Others come through?)

Joktan, Entropy, Meon, all make short work of E. Can't kill -- immortal -- but can immobilize him ...

LE suggests our chancel take possession of the whip. Wrap around Penn Lo -- make him sweat a bit more ...

[Gift of Apples? Can call Imagination, have her bring the right ones, right, (wink-wink). Next time.]

Woman, 97, found alive in Iran quake ruins

BAM, Iran (CNN) -- Eight days after an earthquake devastated the ancient city of Bam, a 97-year-old woman was pulled alive from the rubble Saturday afternoon by rescue workers with Iran's Red Crescent Society.

Denis McClean, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said Mariska was "certainly in a weakened state, but she was remarkably serene" when she was brought to the emergency center established by the ranian Red Crescent. "Thank you so much for finally getting around to rescuing me," the elderly woman later told rescue workers. "I know you had important things to do while I was lying buried under the rubble, like setting up tents and ordering new letterhead."

"The first thing she said was, 'I am very cold. Can you please touch my head,'" McClean said. "And the volunteer stroked the back of her head. She then told the volunteer that his hands were like ice, and whatever happened to that nice pair of lampskin gloves his mother bought him last year? Or had he given them to that cheap floozie he was seeing in Tehran?

"Then she asked for a cup of tea and she complained that it was too hot and asked that it be spoon-fed to her. 'Or, if you're too busy,' she said, 'I can just sit here and tremble for a while longer. I've only been doing it for a week already, while you rescue workers were eating your nice warm meals and sleeping in your nice comfy sleeping bags.'"

I finished the first apple. Cathetel -- Amaciel -- had told me of the splitting of the chancels, splitting of our family, our memories, even our Imperator. And that there was something he wanted me to do. I wasn't sure why he was telling me this, unless it was because of the task. But ...

I bit into the second apple ...

Pieces clicked into place, even though none of them made sense. I had seen things, done things, part and parcel of the troubles that had faced us for some time -- and I didn't know why, or how. All I knew ...

Perhaps the third apple. I considered telling Haley, but decided I'd try the third. It might explain things, even though they defied explanation.

Then I heard the prayer -- and I knew it was from my brethren. An Excrucian incursion. In Miami

Even then, Haley looked at me, and she'd been told the same tale. I had to go -- and I besought her to watch the apples, even as I gathered she might be following. "I'll hide 'em," she said, and I was too preoccupied by the imminent threat -- and what I'd remembered -- to be disturbed by this.

Across the rooftops of Miami I danced. I was without my Spear, but -- well, I still had my knitting needles (it sounded ridiculous, but, then, there was sufficient whimsy left from my drinking with Haley to realize it didn't matter. What I looked like attacking Excrucians meant little. It was what I could do with the weapon that mattered, and though the needles were not (so far as I knew) so puissant in enchantment as the Spear, they would still do the job.

I leapt and skidded in shallow arcs from building to building. It was faster than ground level, not so obvious as high jumps. In the distance, I heard a mother scream, and a child die, and knew, somehow it was connected, but it was not where my brethren prayed my presence.

He landed upon the tin tenement rooftop ahead of me, upon a pale horse, garbed in horror, beautiful beyond words, an Excrucian of high state. He did not see me, as I raised the needles, and I called upon my powers of Aspect to speed my way, target my blow, faster than the wind --

-- a blow that never landed, as his Auctoritas slowed me beyond words, and he easily dodged the blow. I rolled past, came up at the ready.

"You would be well not to threaten me, little Noble," he said to me. "I wish only to pass. I am not the enemy you seek. There need not be conflict in this."

"Forgive me if I pay attention to my brothers before I take your word for it."

"I forgive very little. You would do well to remember that."

"That will not be necessary," I said.

It had been a long day or days. Humiliation before Lord Entropy. A long and pointless quest, confronting too many uncomfortable truths about myself. Worry about what I delivered back to Entropy, then still further self-examination and torment, then -- what I had learned. And, just as I was screwing myself to the sticking place in facing that -- then this interruption.

I screamed at him, with all the power I could muster, damaging myself even as I directed a tightly focused sound at him, a scream that could drill through stone, steel, and --

-- it tore the ear off the horse, and blasted a hole in the Excrucian's chest.

Even as, behind me, a terrible roar and rumble, like the world's end. I turned -- I couldn't not turn -- to see a shock wave demolishing blocks of warehouses and buildings behind me, like something out of London in the Blitz, or Berlin in '44, or Hanoi in '68 ...

Behind me, then, an echoing roar, and then I saw Meon, Desecration's Regal, collapsing the roof beneath the Excrucian.

"Go!" Meon said. "I will handle this. Go!"

I had to. My brethren were in the center of that destruction. And -- I saw the wound on the Excrucian healing, even as he tumbled, and knew I would be hard-pressed to stop him. And if my brothers were in trouble, they needed my help now.

As for Meon -- I knew not why he was here, save for word of the Excrucian incursion. He could handle himself -- I hoped.

I let my actions answer him, as I leapt toward the devastation.

On insider knowledge ...
Jackie: Our chancel knows what's going on in your chancel.
Dave: Right now, that's the least of my concerns.
Jackie: Would you write that down as a record you said that?

On uses of technology ...
Guilt: [Looking at her pager] My service is calling. I have to take this.
Jackie: Lust has her pager set on vibrate.
Doyce: Guilt has her pager set to noodge.

On silver linings ...
Stan: So the Extended Edition? Five hours, baby!
Dave, Doyce, Stan: Woot! Woot! Woot!
Margie: [Looking up from her Game Log work] It's a good thing we digress, because that's when I catch up.

On language use ...
Crime [Doyce]: I would say, "rent asunder," but I'd never say something like that.
Dave: You stole the line from someone.

On retribution ...
Fungus: [Recovering from a major zap] I'm screwing 'em all!
Dave: That sounds like Lust's job.

1. The Bouffant Line

You know you're in the South when women old enough to be grandmothers stop wearing matching sweatpants and embroidered sweatshirts and start wearing their hair wider than their bodies and drinking on Sundays.

We stopped in Memphis to take pictures of Graceland and get a drink on Beale St. The singer at the nightclub was half as old as I am, which is saying something for a woman with dyed platinum blonde hair. I wonder if she does it to cover up the gray. Whenever the old black sax player had a solo, she'd dance two steps, kick up her right foot, then step back again. Vera did us the favor of catching beads to wear around our necks. Hank's disappeared right after the second drink.

Back in the car, Hank and Vera argued about all kinds of things without opening their mouths. Played with the radio. Pointed elbows at each other. Kept their eyes on the road, or didn't. Kids must have though I hadn't heard it before.

I looked through the bags for--items of coincedence, but I didn't find anything. Good. Not proof of anything one way or the other, but good.

We crossed into the chancel on a ferry-boat. I have got to get me one of those things; I could do it up right. Put a Memphis blues band on the deck.

2. Shush and give me a minute to think!

Griv met us on the other side with a horse and some kind of new-fangled two-seater carriage. I guess they must be all the rage with the tourists. It was both shiny and black, which fits well enough, I suppose. I should see if we can get a couple of fire-breathing pygmy rhinoceroses to pull a giant swan on rollers or something.

Vera excited herself to the point where I made her fall asleep. What I can take a from a toddler, I won’t tolerate a thirty-year old. Hank asked questions. That may have been worse.

For some reason the word “bucolic” kept running through my mind as the horses led us through the pouring rain. It doesn’t mean stomach trouble, but you’ll never be able to truly convince me it doesn’t.

Next thing you know, I ran into something in the middle of the street. The horse bucked the carriage over and dumped us out, fine as you please.

3. Even Death.

It was Death.

His body gaped open and he bled. The rain washed it onto the street.

I tried to push him back together, but it soaked through the bandages just as fast as if I’d not done a thing.

He’d done the same to the other guy, only that one’d got better.

As soon as he explained what was going on, I could feel it--the thing. It was like a hole in my memory that I could remember. Like pain, only worse.

I’m going to have to see it dead.

Great shit…. Say hey to Guilt. Odd family here – Apathy, Extinction and Autumn. Dinosaurs – cool! They are so Jurassic. We had some good weather then, nice and warm and moist and barracuda – ooooh it gives me the wiggles just thinking about it.

Like, I give the girl-powers the 911 on the sitch, including the lost pointies. Look at a hole in the beach. They can’t see the drop either. Bummer!

This Autumn is nice. We should get together sometime. Good season, moldy leave, damp weather, humidifiers kicking in after sitting full of water all summer, spreading there spores throughout the house. Yeah, good season Pumpkin.

Extinction is dark. A necessary evil, like Death, with out the fringe benefit of all that delicious organic matter. I wonder if she could or would help with the shelf fungus. Spoon!

Apathy is like whatever stegosaur.

Guilt brings up the tin men pretty boy saw. They don’t go in for that kind of thing. Not there beat. Something about Jodenines on the world tree. I have some friends to visit on the world tree. I left them there when I was looking for part of Amaciel or Cathetal or both. That whole trip is kind of foamy.

Moonbeam

I’m sitting in the hearse trying to get a feel for where the spook in the Edgar suit might be. I see anything unusual, but I feel a major magic eddy in town south of here. The priest, Father Leon, gets in the car and decides to call the chief of police, his nephew, to get some help. Neither one of them appears to want to call crime. Father Leon is going to bail when the fuzz arrives. I know we will need bigger guns than that. If they won’t call in Crime, I’ll have to bring in Fungus.

I can’t believe that I’m sitting in a hearse with a priest, a Catholic priest. How can I make this sound real, like a real traditional religion? It’s not like the Graf go in for a lot of pomp and ceremony. Ok, here I go. I assume a complex looking yoga position and chant. “Oh great and power Graf cover me with your mantel. Show me your wondrous gills. I, your humble servant, beseech you.” A slightly puzzled Graf answers my pray. I explain the sitch and ask for some help. My goddess is busy with Guilt in some distant land. As soon as she is able she will join us in Miami. The Graf suggests that we find a palm tree or a dumpster, so she can join us. Being Miami, I’m not surprised that we find a conveniently placed dumpster first. I’m glad that it doesn’t matter to the Graf, but we will need to stock up on pine-scented car air-freshener dealies.

[Yeesh. Never wait a month (6-Dec-03), including a major holiday season, and then expect to be able to figure out your rather cryptic notes in the hour before the game. I'm just going to transcribe what I have scribbled, though I'll add italics to lines I think were spoken by others ...]

Enter freely and of your own will ...
- Frolicking fairies ...

Reenacting scenes of my life.
Drawn into scene.
Victorian imagery.
On patrol, warning a lady off the street. Looks like Lust? Makes no sense.
No Dickens.
Sian, you have a most interesting life.
Hardly.
Studied your life. Had the opportunity since you gave me your name. The tree at the center of the garden. Name carved in side.
Garden fades.

Only torqued off crone.
I liked that part. That was great. The spiders were good, too. Not original, but ...
The garden was inspired.
An internal journey.

Garden particularly inspired.
Barry - Peter Pan.
Of course it would be.
Predictable. -- Humans. [Am I human?]
Hedge maze. Rose garden. Herbs.
You expected matters to be like this.

Basket by my bole. Gather up fruit, as those sent by Lord Entropy, & others.
Do others come here?
Others come for the fruit -- journeys of discovery.

Humans are good at this.
You made of things from material. Some plain & unadorned, like the me ...
Made a few fine dresses.

Fruit -- apple, but like fish eggs -- bits of my life inside.
Complete.
A collection of you. Experiences, memories.
Does not steal them [would that be bad?]
Why he cannot send his servants. Only once.

Why called the Tree of Triumph?
Entropy's appellation.

Need to pick ... all of them.
Having your memory fall and ferment and grow -- would have some interesting consequences. You've led a very ... bloody life.
Judicious culling expected.
[Eat something. Eat Anchoring [?]]

Well, thank you for ...
... My difficult, mystic, and irritating nature?
... an entertaining hike.
That's great. It's been very interesting. What could compare to the first time?
I've heard that.
Yes, I imagine you have. [Sounds like me. Projecting?]

Row back out the whirlpool.

Imagination. Need help vetting my life.
I can't trust my grethren.
- Fungus wouldn't understand.
- Guilt ... would understand all too well.
- Crime ... sh'yeah, right.

Haley, you have been ... friendly to me. I appreciate it.

Haley,

Oh, I'm in your neighborhood.
In Miami. Imagination stuff.
I would appreciate some advice.
You would?
About ...
What? I could think of a lot of things.
...
Couple of hours. (Row, row, row)
...
Miami. Contact. Get together at earliest convenience.
Bar at dock. Froofy drink.

Nice ... basket.
From the Tree of Triumph.
Oh, he is so cool.
(I've talked with him.)

Visiting my town.

Consume my past.
Could get around it. Refuse. Get another task. Hand lopped off.

[[ Insert previous journal entry here. ]]]

So I'm reluctant to turn over.
You ...
Various servants of Lord Entropy would appreciate.
Joktan.
You need my help?

Crime. Oh boy. Crime.

Nothing there I really need to dwell on.
I won't argue with you -- I don't have time.
...
Vulnerability if not eaten.
Plant them. What would happen if they grew?
Pruning.

Lord Entropy or me. I don't want either to engage with that.
Know what you're saying but ... tough. You need to decide who.

I offer her one.
[Sifts through memories.] Here. An unfortunate instance from the Crimea.
I await her reaction, impatiently. What will she think? WELL?!!
She ate it all, even the core, save the stem, which she tied into a knot with her tongue.
There's ... stuff there. We'll talk about it later.
Lord Entropy
All the more reason I don't give myself to him.
Things bothered by.
Need to avoid giving info on Anchors.

Sort info. Stuff with Entropy.
He may not want you. He may want something you know.
Sort it.
- Anchors - a few
- Entropy - Pile (cannot tell)
- Stuff not for Entropy. Squirmy. ("I try not to dwell in ...

? Three apples - Things I don't know.
Well, can keep as they are, put somewhere safe.
No. Need to face it.
Should I stay?

Eat first. Amaciel - Cathetel. Explaining plan to separate things -- 2 chancels, 2 families. My reaction to it.

Eat second. AAAAHHHHHHH

... Lord Entropy's name can be abbreviated as "LE"? Which, in my own personal lexicon means "Lawful Evil."

Makes reading one's journal kind of ... interesting? Enlightening? Scary?

On visiting the Chancel that includes the Power of Extinction
Fungus: Great shit! I haven't had dinosaur forever!

On cross-chancel visits
Margie: Autumn doesn't get to Florida much.
Dave: Extinction, on the other hand, does.
Doyce: Yeah, I guess she'd like it.
Dave: Lots of old fossils there.

On dialog
Crime: I sneer at Architecture.
Punishment: "I sneer at architecture." That's a good line.

On providing Guilt with far too many possible lines of attack.
Noah (Dave): Ofia's found a wonderful restarutant. It's got some of the most interesting food we've found!
Ofia (Margie): He's the Power of Not-Helping!

On fashion statements.
Fungus: If I don't need pockets, why should I wear clothes?

On parties
HG: Lust and Death are arranging the entertainment.
Dave: It's the Masque of the Red Death!
Jackie: Topless!

On anchors and offspring.
Noah: Ofia is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.
Crime: And I want to anchor her soon.

On cross-genre music.
Fungus: Every spore is sacred, every spore is great, / If a spore is wasted, Graf gets quite irate.

On too much information.
Punishment: I have a really bad yeast infection.
Fungus: [glares]
HG: [Recoiling] AAAAAHHHHH!

On unwanted access.
Imagination: So, you can give the backstory [fruit] to Lord Entropy, or you can give it to someone else.
Punishment: I don't want anyone to have the back end.

On lessons learned.
Imagination: [Sifting through Punishment's life] Hmmm. Oh. Hmmm. Interesting. Well, here's an unfortunate instance from the Crimea.
Stan: Crimea doesn't pay.

Lee: "I wonder if your cat is fatter than ours?"
Jackie: "Tom? Pick him up."
Lee: "Oof. Jesus, what do you feed him, bricks?"

HG to Lust: "You're pretty much either screwing something or killing someting aren't ya."
Death: "And then there's necrophilia."

(As Donner walks into the center of our firefly-filled chancel)
De (singing): "Donnnner is a firefly, his butt blinks on and oooff."

June (noticing that LeFleur is sitting in what's probably one of June's rocking chairs): "She better not leave any butt germs on that..."

HG to Jackie (with appropriate hand gestures of disturbed confusion): "You're helping Lee. Doesn't that make your DNA curl the wrong way or something?"

HG to group: "Sorry, I don't mean to digress, but I must."
Donner: "Famous not last words."
Group: (sniggers)

HG to Death: "How are you contacting Meon?"
Death: "I say it with flowers."

HG to Death: "You're going to give a painting showing the end of the universe to the man who's trying to prevent this."
Death: "Yes."
Lust: "Gee, I wonder what the next Death will be like."

Session C folks: please do not open up the extended entry until after your next gaming session. Spoilers ahead.

1. Rain.

Donner walks to the center of the chancel for the first time unaided. His path starts in an overgrown cemetery at dusk--the fireflies have just come out, casting glimmers of light on chiseled flowers and lush statuary. He walks into a crypt and from the crypt into a tunnel. Fireflies fill both--the "June effect" prevents him from knowing whether he sees the light at the end of the tunnel or just another firefly.

The tunnel opens onto the opulent grounds of a red brick, Southern-style mansion: LeFleur frowns at Donner from a rocking chair (probably one of June's) on the veranda. She leads him inside and shows him around the place. Icons, some covered with velvet cloths, representing members of the familia hang over the mantle in the parlor. The center icon is a carved jade dragon. Donner asks to speak to Amaciel; LeFleur leads him out to the hedge-labyrinth at the side of the house. "Amaciel's not well," she cautions him.

Donner walks right up to LeFleur and kisses her on the forehead. He disappears into the labyrinth.

At first, the hedges of the labyrinth appear neatly trimmed, but the edges become less defined and more complex as Donner walks among them. The leaves' edges split and groove into themselves until they appear to be feathers, moss, the velvet on antlers. In places, the velvet has scraped or shed away, and what lies underneath steams in the moist night heat.

The sound of breathing underlies all other sounds. Donner realizes that Amaciel is the maze. Amaciel is feverish and sick--as LeFleur said. Donner causes a misting rain to fall, to help keep his master cool. When he reaches the center of the maze, he kneels and plays a lullabye on his theramin. Amaciel wakes enough to tell Donner that it is good that one of the familia can reach him, Amaciel, unaided. Amaciel asks for the news; Donner tells him about the upcoming festival and duel, about trying to build a neutral ground, about all the work that he and the others have done. Amaciel seems to drift off. Rain hisses on Amaciel's burning skin.

Donner plays on.

2. Death commissions a Christmas gift. Or something.

Death commands his new apprentice, Estevan Alverado, to find the greatest living painter for him. Estevan suggests someone, a surreal Japanese artist whose work he admires, and Death gives Estevan permission to hire him to carry out Death's work: he wants to commission a picture of the End of the universe, meant as a gift for Lord Entropy.

Death means to have the image of the End large, visually overwhelming, but in the foreground will stand a small representation of Lord Entropy, his hands spread to hold back the coming chaos. "It will have several interpretations," Death comments. The painter begins his work under Estevan's instruction.

Death uses the flower of Lord Meon, a yellow lily, to contact him about their upcoming meeting in Miami. Meon requests that Death meet him at a certain location in the city; Death travels through the gates to Miami, then decides to take a cab from there.

The area is run down, the kind of place with too many empty warehouses, whores, and dog shit in the streets, and not nearly enough shiny skyscrapers and vending machines carrying the Wall Street Journal. Meon says, "If you wouldn't mind ducking--" from somewhere behind Death. Death does; something awful whizzes by his head.

A man on a horse with the bells from Notre Dame for hooves (or so it sounds)--well, a man: an Excrucian has been attacking Desecration but will gladly throw in Death for free. The Excrucian wears a Roman centurion-style robe with a half-cape of woven eyeballs.

The cabbie flees--without getting paid. People dressed as gang members do the Night of the Living Dead walk. Death takes offense and drops them. Meon courteously thanks Death for arriving--and so promptly, too.

Death calls for the seeds of the centurion's death out of its existence; he expends so much power that a gash, the twin of the one that erupts out of the centurion, bursts out of his own flesh, too. Unfortunately, it doesn't start healing the way the one on the centurion does. Meon commands the eyeballs on the Excrucian's cloak to crawl into the hole Death opened. The wound, although much more disgusting than it was a moment ago, continues to heal. Meon takes a wound similar to Death's.

Death says, "Let's go. Let's go now."

Meon flies away. Death rides his horse.

3. Oops.

Hank is still driving Vera and June back to Storyville. Hank and Vera are doing the relationship-with-an-asshole dance. June checks both their belongings for anything suspicious. She finds a lot of touristy souvenirs in Vera's bag, but nothing of unearthly origin.

Griv greets them at the chancel's entrance with a horse-drawn trap. Vera and Hank gape at the gargoyle--Vera becomes so upset that June eases her into sleep: "a lesser preservation of sanity."

June talks to Hank about the chancel as they pass a park filled with five hundred prostitutes promenenading the paths with books balanced on their heads. A few are trying to recite a Tennyson poem with cockney accents; one says something about a draining sprain that's mainly in pain. In the distance, Bossou bellers: "More rum! And a pig! Wait! Fill the pig with rum!"

The day is wet and rainy; as they ride (June holds the reins; Vera sleeps in Hank's arms), a shadowy figure appears on the street. They run over the figure, expecting it to move out of the way. The horse rears and tips the trap over. Everyone falls to the street.

The figure is Death, wet with rain and bleeding silver streams.

June bandages Death as he talks about the Excrucian attack in Miami. June speaks to the rest of the familia, and they all prepare to defend Miami. LeFleur gathers her defenses; Donner and June leave Gwen and Hank inside the chancel. Another of June's anchors, Jonathan, will travel with them.

Jun puts on her best hat and a string of bright and fancy beads: all dressed up and ready to go.