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[ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
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<blockquote data-quote="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 7300805" data-attributes="member: 79141"><p><strong>Session 35, Part One - Fleeting Flint</strong></p><p></p><p>Just before they left Seobriga they heard a rumour that Glaucia was in Bruse Shantus’ bad books. He wasn’t happy about the public display of memory events, although it wasn’t clear if his annoyance was because he hadn’t been consulted or invited, or because it flattered someone other than him (and reminded everyone who saved him).</p><p></p><p>Rumdoom had received word from Trekhom. His followers were concerned that they could not hold out much longer: the Doom Cult of Grandis Kamanov was closing in on them, and they would soon lose the Skull of Cheshimox, and very possibly their lives. But it wasn’t possible to simply teleport to Trekhom. The Drakren dwarves were very jealous of their circles, and would regard any unofficial breach of regular protocol very dimly indeed. In any case, Leon was not sure he could manage a very distant teleport with so many people, given the strange conditions that were currently affecting all such magic. (Gupta was concerned to find out more about this strange phenomenon and set about doing so.)</p><p></p><p>So they elected to briefly visit Flint, and send the <em>Impossible</em> to Trekhom. (They had had the ship hastily repaired at the Black Star Mining shipyard, using druidic magic to ‘heal’ the wood quickly.) Korrigan sent ahead to Delft to let him know they were coming, and also asked Morgan Cippiano for a meeting if possible. Gupta <em>sent</em> to Lauryn Cyneburg to ascertain what she had found out about teleportation.</p><p></p><p>They would be in Flint for less than twenty-four hours. It was decided therefore that neither Kasvarina nor Uriel should pursue any memory events for fear that doing so would embroil them in matters too complicated to resolve in that time. Besides, given that both of them would want to revisit the Cauldron Hill complex, they would need to give advance notice to the mayor of the Nettles and Lieutenant Dale, which they did. Uriel was impatient with this decision, so Korrigan took the Arc of Reida for safekeeping…</p><p></p><p>They arrived in Uru’s garden, where Uru and Leon had fashioned a clockwork teleportation circle. It moved at random, but exactly matched the movements of a small, watch-sized copy Uru carried with him, so only they could know the precise alignment of the runes at any one moment. This was the first view most of the unit had had of the garden, with its strange, bleak fauna, and alien insects. It was nevertheless oddly peaceful (even when you noticed it was littered and fertilized by human limbs). Uru’s gardeners came to greet him: four street kids – much older now than when they first took on the role: a remade boy with steam-driven caterpillar tracks for feet, two shy sprytes and a hedgehog hengeyokai. Around them were the manifestations of countless ghosts, all drawn to the safety of garden and away from the hauntings on the hill. They were very pleased to see Uru and welcomed him home warmly. (This was the first time Gupta had seen him in anything other than a sinister, predatory light and she understood for the first time his true place in the unit.)</p><p></p><p>Uru went from the garden to visit Tinker Jack, and take his son Little Jack to see him. (Little Jack lived inside Uru’s spider-like clockwork contraption and could communicate with his father with taps and clicks. Previously, Malthusius had been able to enliven him; this wasn’t the same.) While he was here, Uru realised an even deeper connection with the Nettles, and with Flint as a whole. Where previously he had sought to use his network of contacts to gain mere information, now it felt as if he could feel the emotions of the city itself, and he felt buoyed and strengthened by this newfound affinity. </p><p></p><p>Korrigan went for a debriefing with Delft. Delft approved of all of his actions so far, but felt out of his depth when Korrigan mentioned his plan to establish a network of positive contacts in each nation. (He was drawing a blank as far as Danor was concerned, but Delft said he was unable to help. Gupta later provided at least one minor inroad.) Delft said that he and other advisors were petitioning the king to rethink his policy on Danor and take more aggressive action, especially since the Sovereign’s attack on Macdam. Their hope was to persuade Aodhan to declare war on Danor and retake Axis Island. “That seems to be a focus for Obscurati activity,” said Delft. “And we’ve already taken it twice. Although reports suggest that its defences are more substantial now. Keep doing what you’re doing, and see if we can get control of the colossus that way. But be prepared for a last-minute call. We’ll want you involved if Aodhan agrees to strike.” </p><p></p><p>Their ostensibly private meeting was interrupted by Professor Ludo Marcione – leader of ‘team B’ – who had pushed past Dima to angrily demand his own meeting with Delft. When he caught sight of Korrigan, his bluster faded and he allowed himself to be led away. Delft said that he had not be able to rely on team B as heavily these days and the ambitious Marcione was unhappy about this perceived slight. “But most of his team are rookies. Doctor Stanhope is still on board, but the others left shortly after their last mission. The Eldritch Division dwarves said they wouldn’t work with Ludo again, and Brajham Silverspire had to be institutionalised; lost it after the death of his brother, and insanity and fire-wizards don’t mix.”</p><p></p><p>Incognito, Gupta went to pay her respects at the shrine where her family home once stood. The city had erected memorial obelisks at the site of each of Borne’s footfalls. But time and overcrowding had seen them encroached upon from all sides. There were now two new houses on either side of where her parent’s house had been. Gupta stood for a moment and meditated on grief. Then she said, aloud, “We’re going to stop this thing.” At that, she heard the cries of her family, calling for help. This had happened before – each time she ‘died’. At first she dismissed this as a memory, but the cries continued, closer and more persistent. Her capacity to wonder on such matters led her to a revelation: She felt sure that the distance between them was temporal in both senses of that word, and that she would one day hear those cries up close, as if they were coming to her now on waves through time. As the teleportation conundrum was at the forefront of her mind, she wondered if that issue might also be related, and reported her thoughts to Lauryn Cyneburg.</p><p> </p><p>(Gupta also looked into Catherine Romana whose body they had not found when Nicodemus slaughtered the Colossal Congress. No one had heard from her, but the dire tiger they had seen dead in her place was not her – as Gupta had wondered – but her fey familiar, which normally took the form of a pet cat. Romana had been an ally of the fey, a supporter of Duchess Ethelyn of Shale, and an opponent of Risur’s industrialisation. Having met her, though, Gupta could not help but think that this stance was a matter of politics rather than principle.)</p><p></p><p>Rumdoom had contacted those who had once been a part of his Rumschatology sect in Flint. He would like to have a word with them, he said. Rumdoom thought that it would be hard work to try to reinvigorate their faith in him and his brand of eschatology. Things had not ended well; the group had been heavily infiltrated by Kamanov Cultists who had gone on to commit terrorist atrocities throughout Flint; their funds had been stolen by Azon the Stoneforger, leaving the sect penniless. But in his absence, a reformed Khaled Valchek had been at work: When Rumdoom’s clockwork carriage stopped at his old clapboard meeting house, it stood empty. Outside was an excited group of dwarves who told him to go on to the well-appointed chapel Valchek’s rival group had once used. This place was well-lit and filled with ardent Rumschatologists. Rumdoom was glad he had asked Kieran Sentacore to come along and bear witness to these events. The dwarves all cheered when he arrived and listened to his taciturn but oddly inspiring speech. </p><p></p><p>When he was done, Valchek stepped up and shook his hand. His said that they were the only two left of Rumdoom’s old eschatological cell. Thered, Thurgid and Khoomrung were all dead – all corrupted by the Kamanov cult. Valchek had once thought that he was using them, but it turned out that Khoomrung had been using him – using all of them. Now that Rumdoom had given him another chance, having freed him from Benedict Pemberton, Valchek had retaken control of Black Star Mining and promised to use its substantial resources to support the spread of Rumschatology. Rumdoom’s religion would never again be short of funds! Rumdoom did not bother to thank him, but told him instead that the consequences of any further betrayal would be final. Valchek took no offence, and nodded his approval of this threat, as if it confirmed his faith in Rumdoom.</p><p></p><p>Matunaaga spent his time making a variety of magical ammunition. He had no interest in revisiting old haunts. Flint had never seemed like home to him; even less so now.</p><p></p><p>Leon took Kasvarina into the bayou to the cave of the Thinker – his otherworldly patron. Through deep meditation he caused the star-being to manifest, only to find its communications oddly halting, oddly human, and strangely final. Where normally he was forced to derive what meaning he could from abstract concepts, now the words were clear and Kasvarina could hear them too. The Thinker said that it was glad to see Kasvarina on the road to salvation, and hoped that it would be able to join her on that road. Kasvarina was affected by these words, and felt that she somehow knew the Thinker.</p><p></p><p>The Thinker reminded Leon to keep looking for the planar idols (some of which he had already found and brought to this place), if only to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. “Although it may already be too late for them to be of any real use.” The Thinker’s defeatist tone continued when he advised Leon to be ready to fight the Ob ‘even after they have won’. It said that it had to be very careful what it told him, for fear of causing ‘unforeseen ripples’, then added that it would soon be time for it to leave this place; that this might be their final meeting. Then the Thinker withdrew.</p><p></p><p>Leon showed Kasvarina the idols and she was particularly taken with the two the witches had combined: the glass tesseract and the amethyst ouroboros. Time and space. Leon warned her not to touch them. They reminded Kasvarina of a powerful spell worked by eladrin wizards that enabled the caster to create a pocket plane of their very own, with doors connected to places all around the world – both in Lanjyr and the Dreaming. She had seen how adept Leon had become at teleportation magic, and the weaving of dream-stuff, and wondered if he might be capable of creating such a space with her help. </p><p></p><p>Korrigan went alone to meet with Morgan Cippiano, in secret at the rear of Dozy Mendici’s cobbler shop. While Malthusius had always been careful to foster relations with the head of the Family, Korrigan had regarded the idea with some distaste. But now that they had established a clear and direct link between the Family and the Clergy, other threats at home and abroad meant that it would be short-sighted to ignore a potential ally. (After all, hadn’t they just parleyed with a dragon tyrant?) To that end, Korrigan brought a pair of leather boots from Seobriga as a gift for Cippiano, who received them appreciatively. Korrigan then thanked him for his assistance with matters in Elfaivar. He then asked Cippiano what his expectations would be as their relationship moved forward – bearing in mind that Korrigan was no longer active in the immediate area. Cippiano said that, as always, his concern was to have help ‘dealing with the criminal element’. Right now, an interloper was encroaching on legitimate business concerns in the docks – a rival whom called himself ‘El Primo’. Korrigan said he couldn’t promise anything, but he would see what the RHC could do. In return, he asked what Cippanio could do to smoothe over their forthcoming visit to Alais Primos. Cippiano replied that he too would ‘see what he could do’. The implications were clear. </p><p></p><p>Later, Korrigan meditated and sought to discover what the Humble Hook made of his dealings with Cippiano. The Hook responded with approval. Korrigan realised that if it had taken as long as it had to fall off Nicodemus, he must have a long way to go before it abandoned him!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gideonpepys, post: 7300805, member: 79141"] [b]Session 35, Part One - Fleeting Flint[/b] Just before they left Seobriga they heard a rumour that Glaucia was in Bruse Shantus’ bad books. He wasn’t happy about the public display of memory events, although it wasn’t clear if his annoyance was because he hadn’t been consulted or invited, or because it flattered someone other than him (and reminded everyone who saved him). Rumdoom had received word from Trekhom. His followers were concerned that they could not hold out much longer: the Doom Cult of Grandis Kamanov was closing in on them, and they would soon lose the Skull of Cheshimox, and very possibly their lives. But it wasn’t possible to simply teleport to Trekhom. The Drakren dwarves were very jealous of their circles, and would regard any unofficial breach of regular protocol very dimly indeed. In any case, Leon was not sure he could manage a very distant teleport with so many people, given the strange conditions that were currently affecting all such magic. (Gupta was concerned to find out more about this strange phenomenon and set about doing so.) So they elected to briefly visit Flint, and send the [I]Impossible[/I] to Trekhom. (They had had the ship hastily repaired at the Black Star Mining shipyard, using druidic magic to ‘heal’ the wood quickly.) Korrigan sent ahead to Delft to let him know they were coming, and also asked Morgan Cippiano for a meeting if possible. Gupta [I]sent[/I] to Lauryn Cyneburg to ascertain what she had found out about teleportation. They would be in Flint for less than twenty-four hours. It was decided therefore that neither Kasvarina nor Uriel should pursue any memory events for fear that doing so would embroil them in matters too complicated to resolve in that time. Besides, given that both of them would want to revisit the Cauldron Hill complex, they would need to give advance notice to the mayor of the Nettles and Lieutenant Dale, which they did. Uriel was impatient with this decision, so Korrigan took the Arc of Reida for safekeeping… They arrived in Uru’s garden, where Uru and Leon had fashioned a clockwork teleportation circle. It moved at random, but exactly matched the movements of a small, watch-sized copy Uru carried with him, so only they could know the precise alignment of the runes at any one moment. This was the first view most of the unit had had of the garden, with its strange, bleak fauna, and alien insects. It was nevertheless oddly peaceful (even when you noticed it was littered and fertilized by human limbs). Uru’s gardeners came to greet him: four street kids – much older now than when they first took on the role: a remade boy with steam-driven caterpillar tracks for feet, two shy sprytes and a hedgehog hengeyokai. Around them were the manifestations of countless ghosts, all drawn to the safety of garden and away from the hauntings on the hill. They were very pleased to see Uru and welcomed him home warmly. (This was the first time Gupta had seen him in anything other than a sinister, predatory light and she understood for the first time his true place in the unit.) Uru went from the garden to visit Tinker Jack, and take his son Little Jack to see him. (Little Jack lived inside Uru’s spider-like clockwork contraption and could communicate with his father with taps and clicks. Previously, Malthusius had been able to enliven him; this wasn’t the same.) While he was here, Uru realised an even deeper connection with the Nettles, and with Flint as a whole. Where previously he had sought to use his network of contacts to gain mere information, now it felt as if he could feel the emotions of the city itself, and he felt buoyed and strengthened by this newfound affinity. Korrigan went for a debriefing with Delft. Delft approved of all of his actions so far, but felt out of his depth when Korrigan mentioned his plan to establish a network of positive contacts in each nation. (He was drawing a blank as far as Danor was concerned, but Delft said he was unable to help. Gupta later provided at least one minor inroad.) Delft said that he and other advisors were petitioning the king to rethink his policy on Danor and take more aggressive action, especially since the Sovereign’s attack on Macdam. Their hope was to persuade Aodhan to declare war on Danor and retake Axis Island. “That seems to be a focus for Obscurati activity,” said Delft. “And we’ve already taken it twice. Although reports suggest that its defences are more substantial now. Keep doing what you’re doing, and see if we can get control of the colossus that way. But be prepared for a last-minute call. We’ll want you involved if Aodhan agrees to strike.” Their ostensibly private meeting was interrupted by Professor Ludo Marcione – leader of ‘team B’ – who had pushed past Dima to angrily demand his own meeting with Delft. When he caught sight of Korrigan, his bluster faded and he allowed himself to be led away. Delft said that he had not be able to rely on team B as heavily these days and the ambitious Marcione was unhappy about this perceived slight. “But most of his team are rookies. Doctor Stanhope is still on board, but the others left shortly after their last mission. The Eldritch Division dwarves said they wouldn’t work with Ludo again, and Brajham Silverspire had to be institutionalised; lost it after the death of his brother, and insanity and fire-wizards don’t mix.” Incognito, Gupta went to pay her respects at the shrine where her family home once stood. The city had erected memorial obelisks at the site of each of Borne’s footfalls. But time and overcrowding had seen them encroached upon from all sides. There were now two new houses on either side of where her parent’s house had been. Gupta stood for a moment and meditated on grief. Then she said, aloud, “We’re going to stop this thing.” At that, she heard the cries of her family, calling for help. This had happened before – each time she ‘died’. At first she dismissed this as a memory, but the cries continued, closer and more persistent. Her capacity to wonder on such matters led her to a revelation: She felt sure that the distance between them was temporal in both senses of that word, and that she would one day hear those cries up close, as if they were coming to her now on waves through time. As the teleportation conundrum was at the forefront of her mind, she wondered if that issue might also be related, and reported her thoughts to Lauryn Cyneburg. (Gupta also looked into Catherine Romana whose body they had not found when Nicodemus slaughtered the Colossal Congress. No one had heard from her, but the dire tiger they had seen dead in her place was not her – as Gupta had wondered – but her fey familiar, which normally took the form of a pet cat. Romana had been an ally of the fey, a supporter of Duchess Ethelyn of Shale, and an opponent of Risur’s industrialisation. Having met her, though, Gupta could not help but think that this stance was a matter of politics rather than principle.) Rumdoom had contacted those who had once been a part of his Rumschatology sect in Flint. He would like to have a word with them, he said. Rumdoom thought that it would be hard work to try to reinvigorate their faith in him and his brand of eschatology. Things had not ended well; the group had been heavily infiltrated by Kamanov Cultists who had gone on to commit terrorist atrocities throughout Flint; their funds had been stolen by Azon the Stoneforger, leaving the sect penniless. But in his absence, a reformed Khaled Valchek had been at work: When Rumdoom’s clockwork carriage stopped at his old clapboard meeting house, it stood empty. Outside was an excited group of dwarves who told him to go on to the well-appointed chapel Valchek’s rival group had once used. This place was well-lit and filled with ardent Rumschatologists. Rumdoom was glad he had asked Kieran Sentacore to come along and bear witness to these events. The dwarves all cheered when he arrived and listened to his taciturn but oddly inspiring speech. When he was done, Valchek stepped up and shook his hand. His said that they were the only two left of Rumdoom’s old eschatological cell. Thered, Thurgid and Khoomrung were all dead – all corrupted by the Kamanov cult. Valchek had once thought that he was using them, but it turned out that Khoomrung had been using him – using all of them. Now that Rumdoom had given him another chance, having freed him from Benedict Pemberton, Valchek had retaken control of Black Star Mining and promised to use its substantial resources to support the spread of Rumschatology. Rumdoom’s religion would never again be short of funds! Rumdoom did not bother to thank him, but told him instead that the consequences of any further betrayal would be final. Valchek took no offence, and nodded his approval of this threat, as if it confirmed his faith in Rumdoom. Matunaaga spent his time making a variety of magical ammunition. He had no interest in revisiting old haunts. Flint had never seemed like home to him; even less so now. Leon took Kasvarina into the bayou to the cave of the Thinker – his otherworldly patron. Through deep meditation he caused the star-being to manifest, only to find its communications oddly halting, oddly human, and strangely final. Where normally he was forced to derive what meaning he could from abstract concepts, now the words were clear and Kasvarina could hear them too. The Thinker said that it was glad to see Kasvarina on the road to salvation, and hoped that it would be able to join her on that road. Kasvarina was affected by these words, and felt that she somehow knew the Thinker. The Thinker reminded Leon to keep looking for the planar idols (some of which he had already found and brought to this place), if only to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. “Although it may already be too late for them to be of any real use.” The Thinker’s defeatist tone continued when he advised Leon to be ready to fight the Ob ‘even after they have won’. It said that it had to be very careful what it told him, for fear of causing ‘unforeseen ripples’, then added that it would soon be time for it to leave this place; that this might be their final meeting. Then the Thinker withdrew. Leon showed Kasvarina the idols and she was particularly taken with the two the witches had combined: the glass tesseract and the amethyst ouroboros. Time and space. Leon warned her not to touch them. They reminded Kasvarina of a powerful spell worked by eladrin wizards that enabled the caster to create a pocket plane of their very own, with doors connected to places all around the world – both in Lanjyr and the Dreaming. She had seen how adept Leon had become at teleportation magic, and the weaving of dream-stuff, and wondered if he might be capable of creating such a space with her help. Korrigan went alone to meet with Morgan Cippiano, in secret at the rear of Dozy Mendici’s cobbler shop. While Malthusius had always been careful to foster relations with the head of the Family, Korrigan had regarded the idea with some distaste. But now that they had established a clear and direct link between the Family and the Clergy, other threats at home and abroad meant that it would be short-sighted to ignore a potential ally. (After all, hadn’t they just parleyed with a dragon tyrant?) To that end, Korrigan brought a pair of leather boots from Seobriga as a gift for Cippiano, who received them appreciatively. Korrigan then thanked him for his assistance with matters in Elfaivar. He then asked Cippiano what his expectations would be as their relationship moved forward – bearing in mind that Korrigan was no longer active in the immediate area. Cippiano said that, as always, his concern was to have help ‘dealing with the criminal element’. Right now, an interloper was encroaching on legitimate business concerns in the docks – a rival whom called himself ‘El Primo’. Korrigan said he couldn’t promise anything, but he would see what the RHC could do. In return, he asked what Cippanio could do to smoothe over their forthcoming visit to Alais Primos. Cippiano replied that he too would ‘see what he could do’. The implications were clear. Later, Korrigan meditated and sought to discover what the Humble Hook made of his dealings with Cippiano. The Hook responded with approval. Korrigan realised that if it had taken as long as it had to fall off Nicodemus, he must have a long way to go before it abandoned him! [/QUOTE]
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