gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Session 37, Part Two - Waiting for Uriel
Malthusius’ rooms had been repurposed many years ago, but the RHC were able to requisition them. No one was sure when Uriel would return so they determined to wait until he did – wary of further Ob attack. Meanwhile, individual team members were able to talk to their various contacts and run an errand or two:
Nathan Jierre came up with the goods first so they went to Cherage. Nathan asked to come with them, to see his home at long last.
Malthusius’ rooms had been repurposed many years ago, but the RHC were able to requisition them. No one was sure when Uriel would return so they determined to wait until he did – wary of further Ob attack. Meanwhile, individual team members were able to talk to their various contacts and run an errand or two:
- Leon wanted to know more about the sprite Festoon and contacted the Unseen Court and the Vekeshi. (He already recognised her as a kind of sprite related to an old ally of his, Etiotek Ekiokiet.) Etiotek’s folk were humanoid but a cross between insect and plant in nature/form. The Old Stag responded at once: he was very keen to meet Kasvarina, and asked for Leon to bring Gupta along too, once Leon had vouched for her. They had a long and cordial meeting. The Old Stag was certain that his wing of the Vekeshi movement had not been pursuing a pro-Ob agenda, unlike Gupta’s parents. Gupta was asked if she wanted to join the Mystics but she was uncertain now. (What she had learned about her parents had sullied the idea.) She impressed the Old Stag by recounting Vekesh’s famous oratory and song. For his part, the Stag was unable to tell them much about the sprite. But both she and her partner were immune to divination.
- Once again, Delft proved his worth: having initially demurred when Korrigan asked if he could help establish diplomatic contacts in Danor, Delft now came up with the goods. He suggested that Korrigan meet with Nathan Jierre. Korrigan learned from Nathan that he and Geoff Massarde – another Danoran defector – were in contact with a faction in Cherage who were opposed to Han Jierre. Not only would they prove to be likely allies in the long-term, they would be able to arrange for the unit to teleport into the city and avoid the authorities while they hunted for memory events. It would be risky, but they were prepared to do anything they could to help.
- Ken Don contacted Korrigan, having unearthed some interesting facts about William Miller. [Borrowed wholesale from Hirou's post, above - including the very useful life story document which I used to sum up what they already knew.]
- Heward Sechim suggested that they go and speak to the Clockwork Count. They had called on Heward and asked that he take over from Stanfield in the business of helping the ‘underfolk’ as the Count had long ago requested. They were concerned that the Count would stop helping the RHC if matters did not rapidly improve. At Heward’s urging they arranged to do so, and found that the Count was currently working at in an artillery range in the bayou not far from the Battalion. They were surprised to find him in his true form. The erudite and dapper mechanical man who strode the halls of the RHC was merely the ‘public face’ of the Count. Here, he was an artificial brain in a reinforced glass jar, around the neck of a brain-damaged formorian with a clockwork skullcap on its head. The formorian was able to lug the huge artillery pieces about easily. Doing all the fine, dextrous work was a team of halfling wererats, who were handily immune to any accidental explosions! The Count was grateful for their visit and for their efforts to improve the lot of his people. He said he had no intention of stopping his research work, and regarded it as his duty, not a favour that had to be returned. Korrigan asked him if he could reproduce Benedict Pemberton’s duplicant technology. (Korrigan wondered if the unit could use the duplicants themselves in certain situations.) The Count said that he could, if they could supply him with a functioning prototype. He would get on to it as soon as his ‘advanced explosive research’ was done. As they left, he asked them for one small favour: he was tired of his moniker – a nickname given to him long ago – and asked for the unit to give him a name. He was happy to wait for them to come up with a good one.
- Leon asked Kasvarina out on a date! Something more than friendship had been blossoming between them, or so he hoped, and he decided to be direct and declare his admiration. Kasvarina said that her mind was not entirely her own right now. She confided in Leon that, during those early memory events featuring Nicodemus, she had felt very strongly that she must once have been in love with the man, whatever her feelings were now. That was confusing enough without feeling herself drawn to another mortal. She smiled and Leon smiled too at this not-so-subtle confession. Kasvarina said that she felt that she had known Leon for a very long time. Leon replied that he had missing memories too, so that was entirely possible. She agreed to spend an evening with him on the condition that they agreed not to complicate matters. They dined at a fancy restaurant in Stray River (under an illusory disguise, of course) and then at Kasvarina’s insistence, visited the Clunge – an unfortunate local name for the furthest rock of the Ayres, where at night, strange fey creatures provided a beautiful display of light, a remarkable sight which Kasvarina had long wished to see. There, as they sat on the beach, they drew very close, but kept their earlier promise.
- On the third day, Uriel rose again, in accordance with his promise: in Malthusius’ old chambers. It was a strange thing to witness a deva suddenly appear out of nowhere, naked and poised as if receiving unction from above. They were tense, expecting an Ob attack, but none came. Uriel asked them who he was. Korrigan was tempted to answer, ‘Malthusius’. Uriel was more annoying, and he wanted his old friend back. But he answered ‘Uriel’ to avoid confusion. They returned his belongings and Uriel said to Gupta, “Can’t you help me speed this process along?” Gupta used her charms to remind Uriel of his old ideals. The group noticed that Uriel seemed a lot softer and nicer now that he had reconnected with Malthusius.
- Hoping to visit Alais Primos before they went to Cherage, Korrigan contacted Morgan Cippiano again and asked him if he had been able to arrange to smoothe over their passage with the clergy. Cippiano said there had been no movement as yet and asked how Korrigan was doing with the El Primo matter. Korrigan said he didn’t have time to deal with the matter personally and had left it with Delft. Cippiano said he too had left the matter with others, and that they would both just have to wait. Korrigan got the message and passed it on to Delft, who said his officers were drawing a blank. Uriel took a look at the case file and used Malthusius’ old trick of memorising them for later study.
Nathan Jierre came up with the goods first so they went to Cherage. Nathan asked to come with them, to see his home at long last.
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