Gormenghast

[Yair]

This is the IC thread for the Gormenghast: The City That Is A Dream ArM campaign. Character sheets, information on the covenant, and other tidbits can be found at the campaign’s webpage. OOC discussion can be made in our OOC thread.

Try to post at least once per two days or so. I will be maintaining the character and covenant sheets and make rolls as needed, but you may make rolls and report them in your post (subject to me rewriting history if your assumptions are wrong, e.g. you use a wrong aura or so on). Feel free to take control of grogs and anticipate common NPC’s reactions, but again I may veto your call on controlling NPCs.
At different adventures the players may play different characters from the covenant. You may at any time construct companions and grogs for the covenant’s general “stables” or yourself (up to one companion of each, please). At a given adventure one player may control one major character (magus or companion). Grogs may generally be controlled by any and all players, unless you “reserve” some to be under your exclusive control.

I will post thoughts in italics, speech in red, and OOC text in gray. If I haven’t posted in two days, I am probably sick

Have fun now!

 

[Yair]

Prolegomena

By some inexplicable concurrence of happenstance none of you were required to attend the host of ceremonies that preceded and heralded the vernal equinox. It is with a mixture of trepidation and surprise that you saw the coming and passing of the celebration, or tribulation, of this august occasion without a single ostentatious duty to disturb your reverie.
Upon the next morning you receive a most peculiar letter. It is unusual in that it harbors no dictum or order, indeed no authority or custom is alluded to. Rather, it contains only the request of Andereine of Jerbiton that you attend a meeting he arranges, for he seeks your aid in some matter. Both the matter itself and the nature of your aid remain vague, but he seems very keen to meet you and his appreciation is alluded to. The meeting is to take place at the Coved Promenade, one hour past daybreak on the morrow.

OOC: All magus PCs get the note. This post is intended to basically allow you to talk or do anything you want before the actual game begins. Your characters have a day to do what you want. You can also talk to Andereine about any topic (except the point to the meeting, which he’ll only discuss once everyone is present). I’ll make another post in two days, giving his grand speech.
I intentionally write in a pompous style, as I attempt to convey a certain flavor. If you find my writing cumbersome/troubling/whatever, do say so and I will try to amend my ways.

The coved promenade is a marble balcony hedged by a small fence and protected from the weather by a half-dome the closes on it from above. The promenade is situated high upon the main complex, overlooking the western part of the village and surroundings.
Andereine of Jerbiton is a relatively young senior member of the covenant, or at least seems to be younger and less afflicted then most. He is adamant in pursuing plans to invigorate Gormenghast, but his plans and suggestions often fail for lack of support. You suspect that he is the driving force behind the recent acceptance of young magi (the PCs) to bolster the covenant.

 

[Ghostknight]

oocOk, ooc speech in gray, can I usefor my speech?

A ceremony without our participation. Thankfully! All we have done since we came to this morass of architecture is participate in the endless ceremonies. Still at least the laboratories seem to be in good condition

Getting up in the morning, Diamon quickly cast Preternatural growth on himself, going from tiny to merely small. Feeling more presentable, he looks at the letter from Andereine.

Wonder what he wants? Still, if I help him, perhaps he will help me in my quest to build this covenant back into greatness on the back of a tradition of teachiungs in corpus.

Wearing plain black robes he goes out, concentrating to find his way through the halls, looking for the library and its neighboring facilities.

 

[Yair]

Diamon: You find the library with little effort.
(assuming you go to the library?) The place is as it always is - crowded with books, but empty but for a few scribes toiling over their work. In one of the aisles two are arguing over some illustration scheme.
Three librarians are sitting near the doorway, and are alarmed by your entrance. They quickly tidy themelves into a line, and one steps forward, draws forth a scroll and starts reading. On this day aries 2 anno arietis 1279 I, Prasqulelluan, senior libraian as bornified by the head librarian etc. etc. etc., greet you in accordane to Custom. I hereby..."
Fortunately, the ceremony is fairly quick, though it demands your wizar'ds sigil [the physical one], and some formal declerations. When it's done Prasqulelluan looks down at you from his 1.70 m height. What is it, exactly, that you are looking for, eh... Daemon?

 

[Ghostknight]

Diamon looks up at Prasqulelluan.

I am looking for your books on corpus magic- the theory, applications, spells and derivations.

He steps back and tyakes another look at Prasqulelluan
One further issue, the name is Diamon, NOT Daemon. Please use my correct name or I will be forced to call you Pras.

He smiles

I would far rather work with you than challenge you

 

[Yair]

Prasqulelluan is clearly ashamed of getting your name wrong, but is slightly taken aback by your threat. Diamon, yes, of course. Ehm. Well, corpus now... His eyes close as he momentarily slips into what appears to be deep meditation. He holds his head as if it hurts, and shakes it irritably. There are hundreds of major tomes containing the word "corpus", this is giving me a headache. Hmm. Perhaps you would be interested in this one? It seems rather popular.
With this he guides his peers to a large tome, looking much like any other. The tome is carefully and slowly removed from its recess and ceremonially placed upon a reading stand. The other two men flip the pages under Prasqulelluan's guidance until he reaches the proper chapter. The title reads The Adamite Form in gold leaf, and an elaborate - though, you notice, inaccurate - drawing below demonstrates the humours and major organs. Even a short perusal of the text reveals it to be nothing but an elementary essay in Medicine, intended for a novice.
All of this took about half an hour.
OOC: We can do this all night... if you tell me the kind of books you are looking for, Pas could lead you more effectively. He has absolutely no understanding of what he reads, but a photographic memory is a requirement for the job. Either way, actually finding what you're looking for will take several hours at the very least, unless you're really lucky. Catalogs or indexes of any sort, including a total survey of the library, are against Custom.
Honestly, setting the covenant's library in stone is not good for anyone. If you want a certain spell, or a high-level summa, or something it is best to simply check for its existence. That way if it doesn't exist, other things can still exist.
Oh, and the covenant now has a level 1 Summa on medicine.

 

[Someone]

Chronius reads the letter and makes it dissapear in a puff or rotten ashes. I wonder what half-brained idea does he have concocted thinks. Anyway, it´s matter of following the crowd. Polishing some details, I´ll be able to craft that eighth magnitude spell I´ve been thinking on..."

While distracted with that thoughts, he thows the hood over his head and leaves the laboratory, closing it carefully. He too heads for the library...

 

[Yair]

Chronius: You arrive at the library soon enough. Upon entering, you find it is the usual mess: books everywhere, and a few scribes scattered around. What you don't find is a crew of librarians at your beck and call.
A couple of scribes are arguing over some color scheme in one of the isles, and you think you hear some more talking from one of the isles beyond it. You also spotted one more scribe toiling over some illustration. None seem to acknowledge your coming.

 

[Ghostknight]

Diamon looks at Prasqulelluan and smiles.

"I thank you for your efforts my friend. But I was hoping for something a bit more advanced. Lets see, have you any books written by magi on the magics of corpus? I am paricularly interested in texts written to enlighten other magi, teaching them the higher magics of corpus."

ooc: Is that clear enough for a summae or would magi actually refer to them as summae?

 

[Ghostknight]

DOUBLE POST!!!