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<blockquote data-quote="Lylandra" data-source="post: 9262060" data-attributes="member: 6816692"><p><strong>Episode 61</strong></p><p><strong><em>Breaking Bad</em></strong></p><p></p><p>We are surprised to find that “the Berans” who came to Axis Island are actually Brakken and his crew. Brakken is surprised as well to see us here. He congratulates us on our new titles and explains that his ship was struck by the Kraken and they are now stranded on the island. Fortunately, he was able to mentally shield his people when the Hivemind was formed with the Danorans, and explains that a certain “Team 1” of the RHC must also be roaming around somewhere out here.</p><p></p><p>We thank Brakken for this good news as we feared that our dear colleagues might have died on duty. And while the Ambassador himself, being the mental titan that he is, appears to be quite unaffected by the widespread mental influence of the Obs, his loyal soldiers are far from immune. We get that fact pretty quickly as they appear to be wary and outright suspicious to our presence.</p><p></p><p>We use some persuasion to free the Beran sailors from the Obs' spell and explain the whole situation to Brakken. The minotaur tells us that he already felt that something was odd, but he couldn't put his finger on it until now. It doesn't take us too much time to find Team 1 and reunite with them. And they are just as happy to see us come to their rescue as we are seeing them again. We update them on the newest events and they swear loyalty to their new King Gabriel</p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">(they missed the coronation ceremony... and I guess they were pretty proud to see one of their fellow RHC agents truly become King of Risur)</span></p><p></p><p>Finally, we bring Brakken, the Berans and Team 1 to the airship before flying to the destroyed ritual site. There, we see the remains of the destroyed Borne buried under a massive gold plate. The whole area is still scarred by massive eruptions of planar energy, and we can only dare look around with pretty strong protection and antimagic.</p><p></p><p>On the ground, we find several bunkers that show signs of detonations that happened not too long ago. On a closer examination, we see that the explosions were fueled by using fey and nature magic, resulting most likely in the death of the ritual mages and the loss of control over the ritual's energies. We gather as much evidence as we can and also take a look at the rest of the ritual site. There we discover several shafts, each containing petrified trees with planar essences from the corresponding planes, including planets with moons. We connect what we see right in front of us with the knowledge we gained from Lieshi and are thus able to get quite a good picture of the mechanisms of the ritual.</p><p></p><p>In the end, we have to admit that we won't be able to hold the island once the full Danoran fleet arrives and decide to retreat with a heavy heart. Just as we are discussing this, we are visited by El Extrano, who tells us of said approaching Danoran fleet. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">(Now... where did that one come from again? He is both a useful ally and creepy at the same time)</span></p><p></p><p>The kobold also tells us that his people in Cherage have managed to used a rat hivemind to get more information. We are very concerned by this, but El Extrano is positive that this one is totally safe and stable and won't expand to humanoids. He also tells us about the Obs' conference (which we already knew about), but can also tell us about the construction project for a second Colossus and a hidden divination ward that is protecting Obs officers from all kinds of divination. And he hints that he could place more than just Obscurati names there...</p><p></p><p>Brakken takes this as an opportunity to tell us that his psychic abilities have become stronger and that he can now create a temporary link with another mind so that they can see through his eyes. He offers to go to the Obs' Conference, have himself inscribed on the divination ward, and let us see through him and interact with him at the same time. We think this is a clever plan, but Auryn hints that she would like to attend the meeting in person as an emissary of the Unseen Court. This way, Brakken would not be as strained and could focus entirely on Gabriel, who is in turn more adapt at forming mental links. </p><p></p><p>As the airship is about to take off again and leave the island, Auryn approaches Fordren who is busy checking several mechanical parts.</p><p></p><p>“Do you have a moment to spare? There is something I'd like to share in private.”, she says, pointing towards a more secluded space. </p><p></p><p>Fordren is of course intrigued as prior to this Auryn had always done her best to not be “in private” with him, so he follows her lead with curiosity. </p><p></p><p>“And what would be so 'private' that you wouldn't share it in front of your friends, my dear?”</p><p></p><p>“Your family. It appears that we have met another daughter of yours not so long ago. She was born in the Dreaming. And she was quite interested in knowing more about her father.”</p><p></p><p>Now this seems to be real news for Fordren, who falls completely silent for a long moment. The n he raises his eyebrows and urges Auryn to go on with her information. She tells him that the name of his daughter is Alluriel, and that she is a guardian of the Fey. However, and she states this with a fair amount of irony, Alluriel is no friend of technology as she wants to save the Fey from its corruption that leaks from the Waking to the Dreaming and that's driving the Fey on the other side mad. Fordren thanks Auryn for sharing this news with him, and he appears to withdraw into his thoughts afterward. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">(She approached him for two reasons: First, it felt as if they met on common ground for once, and Gradiax genuinely cared for his child, so it would be fair to not withhold info on the other daughter. Second, Auryn knew that the Dreaming was off limits now, and in grave danger on top of that. Which would give Gradiax/Fordren a very good reason to try and save the Dreaming as well. And it would be quite the asset to have that ancient dragon be on the same road.)</span></p><p></p><p>The Danoran fleet follows our airship after takeoff and fires at us with harpoons as soon as they come into firing range. Since Fordren wants to continue to be our eyes and ears in the Danoran War Council, he decides to jump from the ship and be “rescued” by his countrymen. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">(So no cinematic dragon revealing escape scene. Which, to be honest, would have been really cool. If one had to reveal that dragons still existed, this would have been the perfect time. But there wasn't much need for it and Fordren staying in his Danoran persona would be more of an asset for us. On top of that, this would have politically been a really bad time to connect Risur to the Tyrants of old.) </span></p><p></p><p>We flee to Risur with our newly captured airship and hand over the plans to our technicians to make more ships airworthy sooner or later.</p><p></p><p>For our trip to Cherage, we agree that Brakken and "Barn Owl", the herald of the Unseen Court, will take the train from Sid Minos to Cherage, while the rest of the group will take the secret route by airship. Brakken tells us that if he is close enough to Gabriel, he will be able to connect with him, so no further physical meeting will be necessary.</p><p></p><p>Once on the train, Brakken and Barn Owl, who has donned her Unseen Mask and is wearing robes and a coat made of feathers, meet King Vardanis' envoy, Finduliel, who is accompanied by three Feladrin. She seems rather snooty and we ignore her at first. Gradually, other Symposium participants join us, including Kulp from Nalaam and Sagu Jacksdottir from the Malice Lands.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">(Magically transforming clothes, yay <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> Also, I think I forgot to mention that Auryn's mask got a lightning-shaped mark during her encounter with the raging spirit of Old Stag.)</span></p><p></p><p>When we cross the border to Danor, we realize that the nation is hermetically sealed, at least for strangers, and Brakken needs to give quite the explanation that "Barn Owl" is his official companion. But after a while, the Danoran guards agree to have an invited guest bring another representative from a foreign group that isn't Risur. So, although we are being watched, we are able to enter Cherage and the parliament building where the Forward Symposium is being held.</p><p></p><p>We take a look around and find out which guests have been invited besides Brakken and see them arrive one by one: In addition to the obvious candidates Nicodemus and Han Jierre, there is the Chancellor of Drakr, Dmitra Takhenova, Eloise Duffet of Danor, Tito Banderosso of Crisillyir, and some who are considered more oppositional. We also see that the Obscurati are acting now openly, using their own signet. Regarding Drakr, we hear that the Chancellor is about to be re-elected and is therefore eager to present any results to her nation. Instead of Han Jierre, his wife Jelsy arrives, as Han is currently being "on a mission", which obviously means being part of the fleet that's trying to “liberate” Axis Island.</p><p></p><p>Brakken introduces himself as Ber's emissary and independent observer, always trying to be the voice of wisdom and reason in all discussions, mentioning among other things that the king of Risur was apparently not even invited to the Symposium. He states that he knows the current monarch pretty well, and that King Gabriel is a people's servant, not a warmonger or a saboteur. But the “Big Three” in particular make no secret of their desire to wage war against Risur. Eventually Barn Owl raises her voice and throws in some random thought of hers:</p><p></p><p>“Lord Banderosso. If I am not mistaken, the nation of Crisillyir sees the reborn Deva as 'revered holy men'. Is the King of Risur not one of them? Wouldn't it make sense to try and bond over your shared beliefs?”. </p><p></p><p>Tito is not really impressed by this and states that not all Deva are on the path of righteousness, and that this individual in particular had even the audacity to affiliate with their ancient enemy of Elfaivar.</p><p></p><p>After a while, it becomes clear that War Minister Duffet does not want to wait for the official start of the Symposium to discuss the means of invading Risur. She invites the Chancellor and the Cardinal into a back room, where she presents them with prepared orders. Fortunately, Barn Owl catches wind of the plan in time to follow the trio while staying out of sight. Duffet suggests that they declare war on Risur together, and she discusses with them an ingenious (but absolutely poorly researched) strategy for bringing the enemy to its knees.</p><p></p><p>The other two sign the pre-written letters without much ado, and Auryn tells Brakken and Gabriel mentally what she has just seen. Brakken then arranges for the Beran Secret Service to intercept the letters directly via the rat network or, in case of doubt, via El Extrano. We agree that this “invasion plans” do not consider the Titans at all, or even the resolution of the right now very militant citizens of Flint, so we could easily form a defense strategy should the need arise.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Heid arrives at the meeting via teleport with Kvartiy as his bodyguard. Kvartiy and Heid seem unaffected by the Obs' mental influence. Instead, Heid allows himself to take a few jabs at the Chancellor, who obviously has a problem with the radical forces among the Eschatologists. Brakken and Gabriel talk to the philosopher for a while to assess him and his attitude, with Heid actually coming out of spiritual interest, not because he wants to join the witch-hunt against Risur. Kvartiy, on the other hand, feels a spiritual connection to the Obs' ideas, but also admits that the current leaders of Risur are actually nice people, and that he once accidentally shot one of their friends. He also apologizes to Brakken for his unknowing collaboration with Komanov's people. Barn Owl laughs at Kvartiy's tale and tells the dwarf that she has heard the story from his “victim” Rock Rackus in person. That guy is quite famous in the Dreaming, she adds. </p><p></p><p>At some point, Heid, Barn Owl, and Brakken also talk to Tito, who turns out to be an arrogant jerk who obviously looks down on the common workers and their work. To prove that he is superior and doesn't need craftsmen, he summons an actual angel just to buy him new shoes. Gabriel/Brakken and Barn Owl remind him that his god Triegenes was a fisherman himself, so he is actually being quite blasphemous there, but he doesn't seem to mind. Barn Owl also talks about the dangers of summoning beings from other planes, as not all visitors from outside are so easy to control.</p><p></p><p>After a while we notice that Nicodemus, in the form of one of the waiters, has mingled with the people, but obviously wants to remain unrecognized for the time being. After the informal preliminary discussions, we are finally called to the actual symposium, where Nicodemus - this time in his official persona - is to speak first.</p><p></p><p>Nicodemus begins by introducing himself and expressing his pleasure at the large number of participants and his wish that the Obs' actions will lead to better cooperation between the various rulers in the future. Even if they had to deliberately use deception to do so. He then stresses out that the Obs do not want to take over the world, but rather want to utilize the ongoing change for something positive. He admits to being the power who initiated the Ritual, but he tried to bring a better world for everyone.</p><p></p><p>Up to this point, we are actually positively surprised to see Nicodemus trying to actually bring these ragtag people together. Even though we know that most of the attendants might just have their own interests in mind. And though we do have the Convocation in mind, where matters started quite peacefully until Nic tried to murder half of his own people when things didn't went as he had in mind.</p><p></p><p>But Nicodemus then blames Risur for everything "bad" that happened: First and foremost the sabotage of his ritual, but he also mentions Risur being the aggressor against Danor in the Yerasol Wars. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">(that sly bastard... when it was actually him who wanted Danor to combat Risur in order to force them to progress their tech so he may build Borne.) </span></p><p></p><p>He mentions that Risur is also the only nation that would oppose the Obs, and their leader is obviously missing, so there won't be much to expect of them anyway. So this problem has to be taken care of first before we can fight together for a better world. He then lays out the same strange invasion plans as Duffet (apparently no ghost asked Romana for advice...) before returning to the actual topic of the Symposium: visions for the future. Here he asks for ideas on how to create a better life for all inhabitants of Lanjyr.</p><p></p><p>Gabriel-Brakken then raises his voice first:</p><p></p><p>“I am thankful for your invitation, Nicodemus. But as ambassador of Ber, and with my niece also being ambassador in Flint, I do have some diplomatic connections. And therefore, I find it strange that you do mention the missing leader of Risur when you have never actually invited him. Nor did you ask him for a statement on the matters of your ritual. On top of that, everyone who is adapt at divination magic...” - with these words he's looking at Banderosso - “...knows that the answer to questions is very much dependent on the exact question being asked. And while we are at it: I was in Flint more than a year ago, when that creature named 'Borne' emerged from Cauldron Hill. So I can see why Risur would be reserved to cooperate with those who let that monster trample their citizens... But to each their own.”</p><p></p><p>Nicodemus clears his throat at this remark, and asks if someone else has something to contribute. Unfortunately, the only people who appear to react visibly to Brakken's speech are Heid, Kvartiy, Kulp, and “Leone Quintal”. Tito turns out to be a classist thinker, because above all he wants a good future for those who make an appropriate contribution to society. He states that he would join the Obs and their war, but only if the could help him restore order in Crisillyir. Dmitra also likes the idea, but fears giving the workers too much power when their increased military expenditures would give them the idea that they are actually <em>needed</em> for their war effort.</p><p></p><p>Nicodemus points out that the aim should be to create more prosperity for everyone, which is why he and the Obs conducted the Ritual in the first place. </p><p></p><p>“So you mean redistribution, communal ownership and the like?”, Kulp asks with curiosity. </p><p></p><p>Finduliel rejects that idea, stating that her King Vardanis' people were only able to survive the Malice because they adapted and everyone contributed so their nation could prosper. </p><p></p><p>Jacksdottir interjects that she and the Malice cities urgently need help, even if she is glad that the magic is no longer going crazy. So she'd need people who are willing to contribute to their safety.</p><p></p><p>But apart from Brakken, who remarks that the "little ones" also need to be taken care of, and that those who are strong should support those who are weaker, so they might get strong someday, Jacksdottir is skillfully ignored. Gradually, the others ramp up their hatred of the poor and weak until "Leone", notices that the group is starting to talk more and more like a hivemind. Nicodemus explains that this is impossible, as they have now developed means of detecting and destroying emerging Hiveminds, but suddenly appearing tentacles prove that this is exactly the case.</p><p></p><p>Nicodemus is furious at the development of the discussion and curses those present for having created a new world for this catastrophe unfolding. He boasts that apparently he is the only one who is not corrupted by power and announces that he will have to resort to other means in the future, while shouting at the politicians that they are getting what they deserve. </p><p></p><p>“No, Nicodemus.”, the Barn Owl states, removing her mask and revealing her true self.</p><p></p><p>“Your fault was to invite the wrong people. You will seldom find any magnanimity from the powerful but corrupt. Instead, you chose to declare the only leader who truly wants prosperity for all to be the enemy without further ado.”</p><p></p><p>Nicodemus doesn't stay to debate her, as he and the rest of the Obs flee like rats from a sinking ship. We make haste to try to free as many of the attendants as possible before the Hivemind closes over us, and Gabriel tells Brakken and Auryn mentally that he will make haste to join us in person as quickly as possible. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">(That escalated quickly. And yep, Nicodemus has retained the same flaws he had during the Obscon. Even though this was a wholly different situation, and he did want to focus on prosperity. Still he does not know how to deal with those who basically want the same, but walk on different paths. He has some neat ideas, but is lacking in execution and is too delusional to see his own weaknesses. But... his good ideas can be adapted in the future <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> )</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lylandra, post: 9262060, member: 6816692"] [B]Episode 61 [I]Breaking Bad[/I][/B] We are surprised to find that “the Berans” who came to Axis Island are actually Brakken and his crew. Brakken is surprised as well to see us here. He congratulates us on our new titles and explains that his ship was struck by the Kraken and they are now stranded on the island. Fortunately, he was able to mentally shield his people when the Hivemind was formed with the Danorans, and explains that a certain “Team 1” of the RHC must also be roaming around somewhere out here. We thank Brakken for this good news as we feared that our dear colleagues might have died on duty. And while the Ambassador himself, being the mental titan that he is, appears to be quite unaffected by the widespread mental influence of the Obs, his loyal soldiers are far from immune. We get that fact pretty quickly as they appear to be wary and outright suspicious to our presence. We use some persuasion to free the Beran sailors from the Obs' spell and explain the whole situation to Brakken. The minotaur tells us that he already felt that something was odd, but he couldn't put his finger on it until now. It doesn't take us too much time to find Team 1 and reunite with them. And they are just as happy to see us come to their rescue as we are seeing them again. We update them on the newest events and they swear loyalty to their new King Gabriel [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)](they missed the coronation ceremony... and I guess they were pretty proud to see one of their fellow RHC agents truly become King of Risur)[/COLOR] Finally, we bring Brakken, the Berans and Team 1 to the airship before flying to the destroyed ritual site. There, we see the remains of the destroyed Borne buried under a massive gold plate. The whole area is still scarred by massive eruptions of planar energy, and we can only dare look around with pretty strong protection and antimagic. On the ground, we find several bunkers that show signs of detonations that happened not too long ago. On a closer examination, we see that the explosions were fueled by using fey and nature magic, resulting most likely in the death of the ritual mages and the loss of control over the ritual's energies. We gather as much evidence as we can and also take a look at the rest of the ritual site. There we discover several shafts, each containing petrified trees with planar essences from the corresponding planes, including planets with moons. We connect what we see right in front of us with the knowledge we gained from Lieshi and are thus able to get quite a good picture of the mechanisms of the ritual. In the end, we have to admit that we won't be able to hold the island once the full Danoran fleet arrives and decide to retreat with a heavy heart. Just as we are discussing this, we are visited by El Extrano, who tells us of said approaching Danoran fleet. [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)](Now... where did that one come from again? He is both a useful ally and creepy at the same time)[/COLOR] The kobold also tells us that his people in Cherage have managed to used a rat hivemind to get more information. We are very concerned by this, but El Extrano is positive that this one is totally safe and stable and won't expand to humanoids. He also tells us about the Obs' conference (which we already knew about), but can also tell us about the construction project for a second Colossus and a hidden divination ward that is protecting Obs officers from all kinds of divination. And he hints that he could place more than just Obscurati names there... Brakken takes this as an opportunity to tell us that his psychic abilities have become stronger and that he can now create a temporary link with another mind so that they can see through his eyes. He offers to go to the Obs' Conference, have himself inscribed on the divination ward, and let us see through him and interact with him at the same time. We think this is a clever plan, but Auryn hints that she would like to attend the meeting in person as an emissary of the Unseen Court. This way, Brakken would not be as strained and could focus entirely on Gabriel, who is in turn more adapt at forming mental links. As the airship is about to take off again and leave the island, Auryn approaches Fordren who is busy checking several mechanical parts. “Do you have a moment to spare? There is something I'd like to share in private.”, she says, pointing towards a more secluded space. Fordren is of course intrigued as prior to this Auryn had always done her best to not be “in private” with him, so he follows her lead with curiosity. “And what would be so 'private' that you wouldn't share it in front of your friends, my dear?” “Your family. It appears that we have met another daughter of yours not so long ago. She was born in the Dreaming. And she was quite interested in knowing more about her father.” Now this seems to be real news for Fordren, who falls completely silent for a long moment. The n he raises his eyebrows and urges Auryn to go on with her information. She tells him that the name of his daughter is Alluriel, and that she is a guardian of the Fey. However, and she states this with a fair amount of irony, Alluriel is no friend of technology as she wants to save the Fey from its corruption that leaks from the Waking to the Dreaming and that's driving the Fey on the other side mad. Fordren thanks Auryn for sharing this news with him, and he appears to withdraw into his thoughts afterward. [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)](She approached him for two reasons: First, it felt as if they met on common ground for once, and Gradiax genuinely cared for his child, so it would be fair to not withhold info on the other daughter. Second, Auryn knew that the Dreaming was off limits now, and in grave danger on top of that. Which would give Gradiax/Fordren a very good reason to try and save the Dreaming as well. And it would be quite the asset to have that ancient dragon be on the same road.)[/COLOR] The Danoran fleet follows our airship after takeoff and fires at us with harpoons as soon as they come into firing range. Since Fordren wants to continue to be our eyes and ears in the Danoran War Council, he decides to jump from the ship and be “rescued” by his countrymen. [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)](So no cinematic dragon revealing escape scene. Which, to be honest, would have been really cool. If one had to reveal that dragons still existed, this would have been the perfect time. But there wasn't much need for it and Fordren staying in his Danoran persona would be more of an asset for us. On top of that, this would have politically been a really bad time to connect Risur to the Tyrants of old.) [/COLOR] We flee to Risur with our newly captured airship and hand over the plans to our technicians to make more ships airworthy sooner or later. For our trip to Cherage, we agree that Brakken and "Barn Owl", the herald of the Unseen Court, will take the train from Sid Minos to Cherage, while the rest of the group will take the secret route by airship. Brakken tells us that if he is close enough to Gabriel, he will be able to connect with him, so no further physical meeting will be necessary. Once on the train, Brakken and Barn Owl, who has donned her Unseen Mask and is wearing robes and a coat made of feathers, meet King Vardanis' envoy, Finduliel, who is accompanied by three Feladrin. She seems rather snooty and we ignore her at first. Gradually, other Symposium participants join us, including Kulp from Nalaam and Sagu Jacksdottir from the Malice Lands. [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)](Magically transforming clothes, yay :) Also, I think I forgot to mention that Auryn's mask got a lightning-shaped mark during her encounter with the raging spirit of Old Stag.)[/COLOR] When we cross the border to Danor, we realize that the nation is hermetically sealed, at least for strangers, and Brakken needs to give quite the explanation that "Barn Owl" is his official companion. But after a while, the Danoran guards agree to have an invited guest bring another representative from a foreign group that isn't Risur. So, although we are being watched, we are able to enter Cherage and the parliament building where the Forward Symposium is being held. We take a look around and find out which guests have been invited besides Brakken and see them arrive one by one: In addition to the obvious candidates Nicodemus and Han Jierre, there is the Chancellor of Drakr, Dmitra Takhenova, Eloise Duffet of Danor, Tito Banderosso of Crisillyir, and some who are considered more oppositional. We also see that the Obscurati are acting now openly, using their own signet. Regarding Drakr, we hear that the Chancellor is about to be re-elected and is therefore eager to present any results to her nation. Instead of Han Jierre, his wife Jelsy arrives, as Han is currently being "on a mission", which obviously means being part of the fleet that's trying to “liberate” Axis Island. Brakken introduces himself as Ber's emissary and independent observer, always trying to be the voice of wisdom and reason in all discussions, mentioning among other things that the king of Risur was apparently not even invited to the Symposium. He states that he knows the current monarch pretty well, and that King Gabriel is a people's servant, not a warmonger or a saboteur. But the “Big Three” in particular make no secret of their desire to wage war against Risur. Eventually Barn Owl raises her voice and throws in some random thought of hers: “Lord Banderosso. If I am not mistaken, the nation of Crisillyir sees the reborn Deva as 'revered holy men'. Is the King of Risur not one of them? Wouldn't it make sense to try and bond over your shared beliefs?”. Tito is not really impressed by this and states that not all Deva are on the path of righteousness, and that this individual in particular had even the audacity to affiliate with their ancient enemy of Elfaivar. After a while, it becomes clear that War Minister Duffet does not want to wait for the official start of the Symposium to discuss the means of invading Risur. She invites the Chancellor and the Cardinal into a back room, where she presents them with prepared orders. Fortunately, Barn Owl catches wind of the plan in time to follow the trio while staying out of sight. Duffet suggests that they declare war on Risur together, and she discusses with them an ingenious (but absolutely poorly researched) strategy for bringing the enemy to its knees. The other two sign the pre-written letters without much ado, and Auryn tells Brakken and Gabriel mentally what she has just seen. Brakken then arranges for the Beran Secret Service to intercept the letters directly via the rat network or, in case of doubt, via El Extrano. We agree that this “invasion plans” do not consider the Titans at all, or even the resolution of the right now very militant citizens of Flint, so we could easily form a defense strategy should the need arise. Meanwhile, Heid arrives at the meeting via teleport with Kvartiy as his bodyguard. Kvartiy and Heid seem unaffected by the Obs' mental influence. Instead, Heid allows himself to take a few jabs at the Chancellor, who obviously has a problem with the radical forces among the Eschatologists. Brakken and Gabriel talk to the philosopher for a while to assess him and his attitude, with Heid actually coming out of spiritual interest, not because he wants to join the witch-hunt against Risur. Kvartiy, on the other hand, feels a spiritual connection to the Obs' ideas, but also admits that the current leaders of Risur are actually nice people, and that he once accidentally shot one of their friends. He also apologizes to Brakken for his unknowing collaboration with Komanov's people. Barn Owl laughs at Kvartiy's tale and tells the dwarf that she has heard the story from his “victim” Rock Rackus in person. That guy is quite famous in the Dreaming, she adds. At some point, Heid, Barn Owl, and Brakken also talk to Tito, who turns out to be an arrogant jerk who obviously looks down on the common workers and their work. To prove that he is superior and doesn't need craftsmen, he summons an actual angel just to buy him new shoes. Gabriel/Brakken and Barn Owl remind him that his god Triegenes was a fisherman himself, so he is actually being quite blasphemous there, but he doesn't seem to mind. Barn Owl also talks about the dangers of summoning beings from other planes, as not all visitors from outside are so easy to control. After a while we notice that Nicodemus, in the form of one of the waiters, has mingled with the people, but obviously wants to remain unrecognized for the time being. After the informal preliminary discussions, we are finally called to the actual symposium, where Nicodemus - this time in his official persona - is to speak first. Nicodemus begins by introducing himself and expressing his pleasure at the large number of participants and his wish that the Obs' actions will lead to better cooperation between the various rulers in the future. Even if they had to deliberately use deception to do so. He then stresses out that the Obs do not want to take over the world, but rather want to utilize the ongoing change for something positive. He admits to being the power who initiated the Ritual, but he tried to bring a better world for everyone. Up to this point, we are actually positively surprised to see Nicodemus trying to actually bring these ragtag people together. Even though we know that most of the attendants might just have their own interests in mind. And though we do have the Convocation in mind, where matters started quite peacefully until Nic tried to murder half of his own people when things didn't went as he had in mind. But Nicodemus then blames Risur for everything "bad" that happened: First and foremost the sabotage of his ritual, but he also mentions Risur being the aggressor against Danor in the Yerasol Wars. [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)](that sly bastard... when it was actually him who wanted Danor to combat Risur in order to force them to progress their tech so he may build Borne.) [/COLOR] He mentions that Risur is also the only nation that would oppose the Obs, and their leader is obviously missing, so there won't be much to expect of them anyway. So this problem has to be taken care of first before we can fight together for a better world. He then lays out the same strange invasion plans as Duffet (apparently no ghost asked Romana for advice...) before returning to the actual topic of the Symposium: visions for the future. Here he asks for ideas on how to create a better life for all inhabitants of Lanjyr. Gabriel-Brakken then raises his voice first: “I am thankful for your invitation, Nicodemus. But as ambassador of Ber, and with my niece also being ambassador in Flint, I do have some diplomatic connections. And therefore, I find it strange that you do mention the missing leader of Risur when you have never actually invited him. Nor did you ask him for a statement on the matters of your ritual. On top of that, everyone who is adapt at divination magic...” - with these words he's looking at Banderosso - “...knows that the answer to questions is very much dependent on the exact question being asked. And while we are at it: I was in Flint more than a year ago, when that creature named 'Borne' emerged from Cauldron Hill. So I can see why Risur would be reserved to cooperate with those who let that monster trample their citizens... But to each their own.” Nicodemus clears his throat at this remark, and asks if someone else has something to contribute. Unfortunately, the only people who appear to react visibly to Brakken's speech are Heid, Kvartiy, Kulp, and “Leone Quintal”. Tito turns out to be a classist thinker, because above all he wants a good future for those who make an appropriate contribution to society. He states that he would join the Obs and their war, but only if the could help him restore order in Crisillyir. Dmitra also likes the idea, but fears giving the workers too much power when their increased military expenditures would give them the idea that they are actually [I]needed[/I] for their war effort. Nicodemus points out that the aim should be to create more prosperity for everyone, which is why he and the Obs conducted the Ritual in the first place. “So you mean redistribution, communal ownership and the like?”, Kulp asks with curiosity. Finduliel rejects that idea, stating that her King Vardanis' people were only able to survive the Malice because they adapted and everyone contributed so their nation could prosper. Jacksdottir interjects that she and the Malice cities urgently need help, even if she is glad that the magic is no longer going crazy. So she'd need people who are willing to contribute to their safety. But apart from Brakken, who remarks that the "little ones" also need to be taken care of, and that those who are strong should support those who are weaker, so they might get strong someday, Jacksdottir is skillfully ignored. Gradually, the others ramp up their hatred of the poor and weak until "Leone", notices that the group is starting to talk more and more like a hivemind. Nicodemus explains that this is impossible, as they have now developed means of detecting and destroying emerging Hiveminds, but suddenly appearing tentacles prove that this is exactly the case. Nicodemus is furious at the development of the discussion and curses those present for having created a new world for this catastrophe unfolding. He boasts that apparently he is the only one who is not corrupted by power and announces that he will have to resort to other means in the future, while shouting at the politicians that they are getting what they deserve. “No, Nicodemus.”, the Barn Owl states, removing her mask and revealing her true self. “Your fault was to invite the wrong people. You will seldom find any magnanimity from the powerful but corrupt. Instead, you chose to declare the only leader who truly wants prosperity for all to be the enemy without further ado.” Nicodemus doesn't stay to debate her, as he and the rest of the Obs flee like rats from a sinking ship. We make haste to try to free as many of the attendants as possible before the Hivemind closes over us, and Gabriel tells Brakken and Auryn mentally that he will make haste to join us in person as quickly as possible. [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)](That escalated quickly. And yep, Nicodemus has retained the same flaws he had during the Obscon. Even though this was a wholly different situation, and he did want to focus on prosperity. Still he does not know how to deal with those who basically want the same, but walk on different paths. He has some neat ideas, but is lacking in execution and is too delusional to see his own weaknesses. But... his good ideas can be adapted in the future ;) )[/COLOR] [/QUOTE]
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