Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
EN Publishing
[ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 7154623" data-attributes="member: 79141"><p><strong>Session 19 (142) - Part Two: Blue Banquet</strong></p><p></p><p>When two more murders were discovered the following morning, the mood of the convocation darkened even further and tensions rose considerably. Leyander Colt was distraught and sat sobbing in the west lounge. During breakfast, a fist-fight broke out between the two Beran minotaurs. Barro Bangristo, a colossus supporter, loudly accused the Panarchist faction of having a hand in Dame Constance’s murder – everyone knew that tiefling magic had caused her demise. Trevio Addaz wasn’t even a Panarchist, but his objection and counter-accusation was equally forthright, and the two soon came to blows, knocking officers and furniture to the floor and landing on poor Gran Guiscard, who had to be helped to his feet and revived with a sip of Bruce McDruid’s whiskey. ‘Xavier Sangria’ made sure he investigated both murders to keep up appearances. Xambria spent a lot of time in conversation with Gardienne du Cherage, whom she appeared to get along very well with. Otherwise, the unit laid low – things were running just a bit too smoothly:</p><p></p><p>Their combined talents had made rescuing the clergy Godhand an absolute cinch. They waited for the right moment, bluffed their way past the guards, extracted him by damaging the portal frame just as Macbannin had instructed, placed him in the <em>absurdist web </em>before he could react, then erased the guards’ memories on the way out. They met Macbannin in a secluded corner of the mansion and reported their success. He then handed over the heavy, head-sized explosive device that had been retrieved from the duplicant. It bore all the hallmarks of Pemberton’s handiwork. That went in the absurdist web too, and they parted company. One thing Macbannin emphasised before he left was the importance of the lighthouse. If they wanted to escape without timing things to the minute, the lighthouse would provide the means to do so, rendering the whole area coterminous with the real world. (They would also find a variety of planar oils for use in a wayfarer lantern.) His final word of advice if things went pear-shaped: “Don’t surrender. Amielle Latimer told me that Nicodemus can be ruthlessly efficient about once a century, and according to her he’s long overdue.”</p><p></p><p>All morning officers could be found huddled in small groups, horse-trading and scheming. They buzzed around the undecided like philosophical flies and were in and out of each other’s bedrooms like the players in a Danoran farce. It emerged that a rival to the M.A.P. proposal had been formulated by Catherine Romana. At lunchtime, her entrance caused a loud and angry debate to break out, which she appeared to ignore, choosing instead to feed her cat morsels from her plate. Suddenly, her magically enhanced voice rang out throughout the hall, calling for silence. Then she said: </p><p></p><p>“Who trusts anyone else here? We don’t know each other. I barely trust the people who say they’re on my side to actually vote as they claim they will. So why in the world are you trusting our gentle leader Nicodemus? He keeps hinting that all he wants is peace, that he values the ideology of some writer who’s been dead for five centuries, but I’ve known plenty of politicians.</p><p></p><p>“You can’t trust words. All you can trust is that people are afraid of losing power. We’ve gotten here because we’ve been ruthless. Let’s not pretty it up. I tell you this, if you idiots vote to give up the authority that we have earned over this world, you’ll be showing yourselves as weak. And this man, this conspiracy? It doesn’t need weak people.”</p><p></p><p>She went back to feeding her cat and the debate raged on around her, until Vicemi Terio arrived. His sinister presence caused an unnatural hush to descend, whereupon he announced that a second vote would now take place and ordered everyone into the main hall.</p><p></p><p>Security measures had been altered: The bookpin guards were gone and only ghost counsellors were now on hand as they made their way into the hall and took their seats. Perhaps the ‘escape’ of Vitus Sigismund had been noticed? The Godhand had introduced himself last night, once they had extracted him from the web and healed him up a bit. He was able to meditate and heal himself too. Soon the badly burned, foetal figure they had delivered from the prison plane was poised, focused and impassive. He waited for them to speak first. They introduced themselves and explained their situation. Vitus told them he had stumbled upon this conspiracy after the city of Vendricce was disrupted by foreign fighters four years ago. Conflict had broken out in the rail enclave, and tieflings were rumoured to have been involved. (The unit recognised this account, but kept it to themselves.) Vitus investigated, looking for evidence of demonic influence. He found instead a far more insidious, man-made plot, one he knew he could not simply fight into submission. So he arranged to take the place of one of the conspirators, Monsignor Dexlano, whose involvement caused him real offence – as did the involvement of other clergy. But his plan had failed, as they could see. The last thing he remembered was the ‘terrifying eyes of that unholy serpent’. </p><p></p><p>The unit filled him in on the nature if the convocation and the true purpose of the Obscurati. He asked for a few minutes to consider the ramifications. Then he said it was every individual’s challenge in life to improve him or herself. “The purpose of life is to prevail over adversity, and in making the world a ‘better place’, I fear that the meaning of life will be lost.” He agreed to fight alongside his rescuers if need be, and to reside within the absurdist web to avoid detection. </p><p></p><p>The web was now in Xambria’s possession. She had argued that was best, as it would be possible for her to retrieve the occupants faster than Leon: getting out her own simulacrum first and over-clocking to extract the others. Leon vacillated but eventually acquiesced. </p><p></p><p>Now the unit took their places for the second vote and listened to the speeches of the new faction leaders:</p><p></p><p>Leyander Colt took Dame Constance’s place and spoke for M.A.P. The compromise, devised by the late Dame Constance, combined Miller’s Pyre, Arboretum, and the Panarchists, while also appeasing the Trekkers, Long Now, Mortal Mind, and Sky League. It shuffled some planes about, added a few new ones, and managed to satisfy most of the needs of those groups. Crucially, it abandoned the Pyre’s Empathy focus. It also kept the Dreaming and Bleak Gate and would leave the world with no seal against extra-planar incursion. </p><p></p><p>Catherine Romana unveiled the Colossal Congress. Based on Livia Hatsfield’s research into Risur’s rites of rulership, this proposal granted the powers of the Colossus proposal to the Obscurati initially, but required each member to undertake a ritual of affirmation every year. Each member of this colossus congress would have a geographic region where he would need the approval of at least half the residents. The Ob would still be able to solve issues with their mighty powers, but the people could reject leaders they no longer approve of. This proposal satisfied the Weapon-Mongers and the Economists, both of whom favoured the inherent competition. </p><p></p><p>Finally, Amielle Latimer spoke for the re-tuned Watchmaker Watchmen (although she seemed to know that she had already lost, filling her speech with self-deprecating humour to that effect). This novel proposal brought in a new habitable world where the Ob leadership, allies, and descendants could live with free will, able to watch over the real world which would have had its free will removed per the Watchmaker proposal. It would be possible to reopen the seal and restore free will if something went wrong, but doing so would be such an ordeal that it could not be undertaken lightly. This proposal pleased Aegis, since it protected both worlds from extra-planar incursion.</p><p></p><p>After these final speeches were delivered, Nicodemus took to the stage one again, cigarette in hand: “We all have different ideals,” he said, “but before we vote I want you to understand what led me to found our organization and pursue this long, grand work. It wasn’t a desire to gain power myself, or to punish those who had abused their power. I started down this path because I’d seen that intellect, wisdom, and good intentions were feeble weapons in the face of propaganda and fear.</p><p></p><p>“The problem with this world is that the dreamers and poets are blind to its real face. It’s easy to mock as childish those who grow upset when the world isn’t ‘fair’. The habit of accepting injustice as the way of the world has become too familiar, and while I shed my innocence long ago, I never fooled myself into thinking it is good that I’ve had to do these foul things.</p><p></p><p>“I do think any of these proposals would result in a materially better world. And I will support whichever wins, as will the Ghost Council. But only one of them will make a world good enough to balance out the evil we’ll create to get there.”</p><p></p><p>Then the officers began to vote. Amielle Latimer was pleasantly surprised by a welcome, albeit futile, surge in support for Watchmaker Watchmen, as Ken Don, Gran Guiscard and Xambria Meredith switched their votes. Bruce McDruid and Oscan Ligurio stuck with M.A.P. Kiov Hetman stubbornly abstained, and Xavier Sangria joined him. Perhaps these changes were out of a desire to sow more dissent, or throw off suspicion, or maybe to prevent the clear victory of a proposal they all secretly supported? Still, despite some success for Colossal Congress the narrow winner was nonetheless the relatively benign M.A.P – by 21 votes to 19. (‘Xavier’ sighed and whispered, “By the end of all this maybe I will join the Ob. Again…”)</p><p></p><p>With the votes in, a slight hubbub arose, but nothing like the vicious arguments that had raged previously. Han Jierre and Bert Facie both rose and, with a nod to Nicodemus, excused themselves. Nicodemus asked Vicemi to verify the final count, then bestowed a charismatic smile upon the assembly and thanked everyone for participating in one of the greatest moments in history. He was truly glad, he said, that everyone felt comfortable voting with their conscience, and he hoped that that they could all work together moving forward. </p><p></p><p>As he spoke, the gas lamps around the hall started to turn a soothing blue…</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gideonpepys, post: 7154623, member: 79141"] [b]Session 19 (142) - Part Two: Blue Banquet[/b] When two more murders were discovered the following morning, the mood of the convocation darkened even further and tensions rose considerably. Leyander Colt was distraught and sat sobbing in the west lounge. During breakfast, a fist-fight broke out between the two Beran minotaurs. Barro Bangristo, a colossus supporter, loudly accused the Panarchist faction of having a hand in Dame Constance’s murder – everyone knew that tiefling magic had caused her demise. Trevio Addaz wasn’t even a Panarchist, but his objection and counter-accusation was equally forthright, and the two soon came to blows, knocking officers and furniture to the floor and landing on poor Gran Guiscard, who had to be helped to his feet and revived with a sip of Bruce McDruid’s whiskey. ‘Xavier Sangria’ made sure he investigated both murders to keep up appearances. Xambria spent a lot of time in conversation with Gardienne du Cherage, whom she appeared to get along very well with. Otherwise, the unit laid low – things were running just a bit too smoothly: Their combined talents had made rescuing the clergy Godhand an absolute cinch. They waited for the right moment, bluffed their way past the guards, extracted him by damaging the portal frame just as Macbannin had instructed, placed him in the [I]absurdist web [/I]before he could react, then erased the guards’ memories on the way out. They met Macbannin in a secluded corner of the mansion and reported their success. He then handed over the heavy, head-sized explosive device that had been retrieved from the duplicant. It bore all the hallmarks of Pemberton’s handiwork. That went in the absurdist web too, and they parted company. One thing Macbannin emphasised before he left was the importance of the lighthouse. If they wanted to escape without timing things to the minute, the lighthouse would provide the means to do so, rendering the whole area coterminous with the real world. (They would also find a variety of planar oils for use in a wayfarer lantern.) His final word of advice if things went pear-shaped: “Don’t surrender. Amielle Latimer told me that Nicodemus can be ruthlessly efficient about once a century, and according to her he’s long overdue.” All morning officers could be found huddled in small groups, horse-trading and scheming. They buzzed around the undecided like philosophical flies and were in and out of each other’s bedrooms like the players in a Danoran farce. It emerged that a rival to the M.A.P. proposal had been formulated by Catherine Romana. At lunchtime, her entrance caused a loud and angry debate to break out, which she appeared to ignore, choosing instead to feed her cat morsels from her plate. Suddenly, her magically enhanced voice rang out throughout the hall, calling for silence. Then she said: “Who trusts anyone else here? We don’t know each other. I barely trust the people who say they’re on my side to actually vote as they claim they will. So why in the world are you trusting our gentle leader Nicodemus? He keeps hinting that all he wants is peace, that he values the ideology of some writer who’s been dead for five centuries, but I’ve known plenty of politicians. “You can’t trust words. All you can trust is that people are afraid of losing power. We’ve gotten here because we’ve been ruthless. Let’s not pretty it up. I tell you this, if you idiots vote to give up the authority that we have earned over this world, you’ll be showing yourselves as weak. And this man, this conspiracy? It doesn’t need weak people.” She went back to feeding her cat and the debate raged on around her, until Vicemi Terio arrived. His sinister presence caused an unnatural hush to descend, whereupon he announced that a second vote would now take place and ordered everyone into the main hall. Security measures had been altered: The bookpin guards were gone and only ghost counsellors were now on hand as they made their way into the hall and took their seats. Perhaps the ‘escape’ of Vitus Sigismund had been noticed? The Godhand had introduced himself last night, once they had extracted him from the web and healed him up a bit. He was able to meditate and heal himself too. Soon the badly burned, foetal figure they had delivered from the prison plane was poised, focused and impassive. He waited for them to speak first. They introduced themselves and explained their situation. Vitus told them he had stumbled upon this conspiracy after the city of Vendricce was disrupted by foreign fighters four years ago. Conflict had broken out in the rail enclave, and tieflings were rumoured to have been involved. (The unit recognised this account, but kept it to themselves.) Vitus investigated, looking for evidence of demonic influence. He found instead a far more insidious, man-made plot, one he knew he could not simply fight into submission. So he arranged to take the place of one of the conspirators, Monsignor Dexlano, whose involvement caused him real offence – as did the involvement of other clergy. But his plan had failed, as they could see. The last thing he remembered was the ‘terrifying eyes of that unholy serpent’. The unit filled him in on the nature if the convocation and the true purpose of the Obscurati. He asked for a few minutes to consider the ramifications. Then he said it was every individual’s challenge in life to improve him or herself. “The purpose of life is to prevail over adversity, and in making the world a ‘better place’, I fear that the meaning of life will be lost.” He agreed to fight alongside his rescuers if need be, and to reside within the absurdist web to avoid detection. The web was now in Xambria’s possession. She had argued that was best, as it would be possible for her to retrieve the occupants faster than Leon: getting out her own simulacrum first and over-clocking to extract the others. Leon vacillated but eventually acquiesced. Now the unit took their places for the second vote and listened to the speeches of the new faction leaders: Leyander Colt took Dame Constance’s place and spoke for M.A.P. The compromise, devised by the late Dame Constance, combined Miller’s Pyre, Arboretum, and the Panarchists, while also appeasing the Trekkers, Long Now, Mortal Mind, and Sky League. It shuffled some planes about, added a few new ones, and managed to satisfy most of the needs of those groups. Crucially, it abandoned the Pyre’s Empathy focus. It also kept the Dreaming and Bleak Gate and would leave the world with no seal against extra-planar incursion. Catherine Romana unveiled the Colossal Congress. Based on Livia Hatsfield’s research into Risur’s rites of rulership, this proposal granted the powers of the Colossus proposal to the Obscurati initially, but required each member to undertake a ritual of affirmation every year. Each member of this colossus congress would have a geographic region where he would need the approval of at least half the residents. The Ob would still be able to solve issues with their mighty powers, but the people could reject leaders they no longer approve of. This proposal satisfied the Weapon-Mongers and the Economists, both of whom favoured the inherent competition. Finally, Amielle Latimer spoke for the re-tuned Watchmaker Watchmen (although she seemed to know that she had already lost, filling her speech with self-deprecating humour to that effect). This novel proposal brought in a new habitable world where the Ob leadership, allies, and descendants could live with free will, able to watch over the real world which would have had its free will removed per the Watchmaker proposal. It would be possible to reopen the seal and restore free will if something went wrong, but doing so would be such an ordeal that it could not be undertaken lightly. This proposal pleased Aegis, since it protected both worlds from extra-planar incursion. After these final speeches were delivered, Nicodemus took to the stage one again, cigarette in hand: “We all have different ideals,” he said, “but before we vote I want you to understand what led me to found our organization and pursue this long, grand work. It wasn’t a desire to gain power myself, or to punish those who had abused their power. I started down this path because I’d seen that intellect, wisdom, and good intentions were feeble weapons in the face of propaganda and fear. “The problem with this world is that the dreamers and poets are blind to its real face. It’s easy to mock as childish those who grow upset when the world isn’t ‘fair’. The habit of accepting injustice as the way of the world has become too familiar, and while I shed my innocence long ago, I never fooled myself into thinking it is good that I’ve had to do these foul things. “I do think any of these proposals would result in a materially better world. And I will support whichever wins, as will the Ghost Council. But only one of them will make a world good enough to balance out the evil we’ll create to get there.” Then the officers began to vote. Amielle Latimer was pleasantly surprised by a welcome, albeit futile, surge in support for Watchmaker Watchmen, as Ken Don, Gran Guiscard and Xambria Meredith switched their votes. Bruce McDruid and Oscan Ligurio stuck with M.A.P. Kiov Hetman stubbornly abstained, and Xavier Sangria joined him. Perhaps these changes were out of a desire to sow more dissent, or throw off suspicion, or maybe to prevent the clear victory of a proposal they all secretly supported? Still, despite some success for Colossal Congress the narrow winner was nonetheless the relatively benign M.A.P – by 21 votes to 19. (‘Xavier’ sighed and whispered, “By the end of all this maybe I will join the Ob. Again…”) With the votes in, a slight hubbub arose, but nothing like the vicious arguments that had raged previously. Han Jierre and Bert Facie both rose and, with a nod to Nicodemus, excused themselves. Nicodemus asked Vicemi to verify the final count, then bestowed a charismatic smile upon the assembly and thanked everyone for participating in one of the greatest moments in history. He was truly glad, he said, that everyone felt comfortable voting with their conscience, and he hoped that that they could all work together moving forward. As he spoke, the gas lamps around the hall started to turn a soothing blue… [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
EN Publishing
[ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
Top