Shyft

16:10] <@Clarence_Mage> Five days since Soul sent his letter to The Guild, and all is progressing however slowly. By the second day, The Guild has bought a surprisingly spare two-storied house in the Temple District of Chaya. Shi & Soul start moving their stuff in, but unfortunately Shi called top bunk and has the entire second storie to himself. Kris, finally recovering from her mehssive hangover starts socialising aroun
[16:10] <@Clarence_Mage> d Chaya. No-one bar Guildmembers seem interested in Kris, and through some bits and pieces pieced together, Kris learns that Chayans are mildly xenophobic. Setting up permanent shop in their homeland as foreigners would most likely send whispers around town. Kris's actions around the Guildsmen however have greatly reduced trading prices, so Soul & Shi can get regular supplies for a fraction of the
[16:10] <@Clarence_Mage> cost.
[16:10] <@Clarence_Mage> Violet & Gandr, for near five days straight have been battling it out in contests. One's a rich girl from high society, one's a tribesman from the deep east. I smell a sitcom.
[16:12] <@Clarence_Mage> Relain has only recovered on the fourth day, and has been discussing the course of action with the Guild Tribunal. On the fifth day, the Tribunal summons Soul.
[16:15] <@Clarence_Mage> They apologise for the delay, and inform soul that Relain has provided vast insight to the situation at hand. The Guild has finally decided, and after much deliberation, they are fortifying Mo Ha as the front line, and garissoning mercenaries in to defend in case of an attack. The political officials of Mo Ha are uneasy, but endorse this endeavor by giving their support. If Soul's group wishes, they can go bargain with the
[16:15] <@Clarence_Mage> If Soul's group wishes, they can go bargain with the Fair Folk, or continue their previous assignment.
[16:16] <@Clarence_Mage> The group are currently outside their new cozy home.
[16:16] <@Clarence_Mage> And... ACTION.
03[16:16] * Clarence_Mage is now known as Clarence_ST
06[16:16] * Kris stretches
01[16:17] <Kris> "So gentle, men, where do we stand?"
[16:17] <Soul> "Well, we have a forward base of operations, in the front line of an impending war."
[16:18] <Gandr> "It's not really a war."
06[16:18] * Gandr slurs a little bit.
[16:18] <Gandr> "It's more like a slaughter."
[16:18] <Soul> "Maybe."
[16:19] <Soul> "In the meantime, what's the status on our favourite Death Cult? Kris?"
[16:20] <Gandr> "Favorite target practice."
06[16:21] * Kris rolls forward, hands on the soft grass, throwing her feet into the air in a handstand. She lowers herself, then pushes up, exersizing. Stopping for a moment to turn around to face Soul, still upside down, she resumes her training. "The Death Cult is underneath a massive bureaucratic stanction."
06[16:21] * Gandr is more agitated than normals.
[16:21] <Soul> "But nobody's caught their leaders yet?"
06[16:22] * Kris would shrug if her arms weren't occupied. "Not that I've heard of, I've been moving through the sociopolotical circles for almost five days, I hear lots of things, but nothing like that."
[16:22] <Soul> "I see...then we still have a problem."
[16:22] <Gandr> "So  .... they've gone to ground ?"
06[16:23] * Kris lowers herself until her forehead brushes the grass before letting her left leg hang out to the side, she then pushes herself up, much more slowly, with her right arm.
01[16:23] <Kris> Her left arm is out at the side.
[16:24] <Soul> "The Guild wanted to interrogate the leaders of this cult...and if we do in fact fear their allies of the underworld, than any information they might have would be useful..."
06[16:24] * Gandr admires the musclework. Going into and out of work like that takes skill, effort and dedication to the craft.
[16:25] <Soul> "I think the sooner we dig up this cult's roots and examine them, the better."
06[16:25] * Kris switches arms and turns her head to Soul. "Agreed."
[16:25] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "What do you suppose we do?"
[16:25] <Violet> "Why don't we try and infiltrate them?"
[16:25] <Violet> "Sabotage."
[16:25] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "I mean, how do we go around DOING that."
06[16:26] * Soul sorta looks around
06[16:26] * Kris turns to Lemy. "The only one if us who even has a remote chance of passing for a death cultist is You, Lemy, and I really don't think you're cut out for it."
[16:26] <Gandr> "It's nice to have a plan on how to deal with them - but we don't even know where they are. How they operate."
[16:26] <Soul> "Yeah, no offense, but you don't exactly seem the death cult type...obvious affiliation aside."
[16:27] <Soul> "Besides, I think I'll need you here with me and Shi-and I need to negogtiate some damn space upstairs..."
[16:27] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: >:I
01[16:27] <Kris> "This is a situation where we simply do not have the skills needed to be subtle.... I suppose I could charm a cultist into giving up information, but we'd need to find one first."
[16:27] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "I've been an effective death cultist for the first years of my exaltation. I'm SURE I can pass off as some of them."
[16:28] <Soul> "Well, if YOU were a death cultist in a town that's turned against you...where would YOU hide?"
[16:28] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "Hell, I'm sure they'd bow at my feet and start worshipping me the moment I flash my caste mark."
[16:28] <Gandr> "Aren't they aware that you're hanging with us now ?"
06[16:28] * Kris gives Lemy a Look. And then to Gandr. "You took the words right out of my mouth."
[16:28] <Soul> "Yeah, that's a chance we can't take."
[16:28] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "I'm... Uh... Kindof disguised."
[16:28] <Gandr> "Or are they dumb enough to accept a triple-cross explanation ?"
[16:29] <Soul> "There's a chance they KNOW, and will take you in just to capture you."
[16:29] <Gandr> "Kind of ?"
[16:29] <Gandr> "Kind of how ?"
[16:29] <Soul> "And I don't think we can take that chance. You're sort of mission critical."
[16:29] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "The I-ripped-someone's-face-off-and-applied-it-to-my-own kind..."
06[16:29] * Kris blinks rapidly.
[16:29] <Gandr> "I like this kid."
[16:29] <Gandr> "Whose face ?"
[16:29] <Soul> "...I had forgotten your friend in the shadowlands mentioned that..."
[16:29] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "I'd rather not talk about it."
[16:30] <Gandr> "Whose face ?"
[16:30] <Soul> "But the point is, SINCE then you still look the same."
06[16:30] * Gandr stares pointedly.
[16:30] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "Some poor kid who was practically begging for death."
[16:30] <Gandr> "Hm. Hmmm. So what DO you look like ?"
01[16:30] <Kris> "The point is moot, Your current face is recognizable, thus it is a risk."
[16:30] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "You don't want to know, Gandr."
[16:30] <Gandr> "Says the boy who can't face up to his own death. Come on."
06[16:31] * Gandr doesn't seem to take it seriously at all.
06[16:31] * Soul knees Gandr in the chest as soon as he says 'face up'
[16:31] <Soul> err
06[16:31] * Soul ELBOWS, sorry
[16:31] <Gandr> "Ouph."
06[16:31] * Gandr accepts the knee for his PUN-ishment.
[16:31] <Soul> "Can we PLEASE stay focused? Kris, ideas. Death cult, where hide, ideas now."
[16:32] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "Thanks for that, Soul."
06[16:32] * Kris thinks a bit, she hops up and lands on her feet, her face red from the handstanding. "Hmm..."
[16:32] <Violet> "What about a crypt?"
[16:32] <Soul> "Hmm...What DO the Chayans do with their dead? I had heard they immolated them."
01[16:32] <Kris> "Any place of worship, really... hmm..."
[16:32] <Violet> "If I worshiped death, I'd stay near the dead."
06[16:33] * Soul has no idea if they immolate their dead, it's just a stereotype that may or may not be true
[16:33] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "Violet has the right idea. But..."
01[16:33] <Kris> "I wouldn't know personally, Soul, but I may have a way to find out."
[16:33] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "Chaya DOES immolate their dead."
[16:33] <Soul> "And what do they do with the ashes?"
06[16:33] * Kris pushes her hair back.
[16:33] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "They pack 'em up in jars."
[16:34] <Soul> "So, where do they keep the jars?"
[16:34] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "Mausoleums in the Temple District."
06[16:34] * Violet and Violet seem to be discussing something.
[16:34] <Violet> drr
[16:34] <Soul> "I think we have our answer then."
[16:34] <Violet> Lilly*
01[16:35] <Kris> "Soul, not to dissuade you from your option, but there may be another way... I could ask someone who knows."
[16:35] <Gandr> "Temple district."
[16:36] <Soul> "And who would that be?"
06[16:36] * Kris looks a bit sheepish. "I could ask the local gods."
[16:36] <Gandr> "Lotta temples. Temples are usually incredibly crooked kind of structures ... lots of hidy-holes. Finding them as we are now is going to be hell."
06[16:36] * Soul raises his eyebrow. "Hmm. A new tactic for me, but such experiences are good I suppose."
02[16:37] * Gandr (Book@96E4ED4C.9308BEC7.138A7FAC.IP) Quit (Quit: Gandr)
06[16:37] * Kris thinks. "I've never actually 'done this' before, mind you, but I... Know, for lack of a better term, what to do."
03[16:37] * Book (Book@96E4ED4C.9308BEC7.138A7FAC.IP) has joined #clarencexaltedic
03[16:37] * Book is now known as Gandr
[16:38] <Soul> "Same here. Never 'met' a god of any sort, but I 'know' more or less..."
[16:38] <Violet> "Is that really safe?"
06[16:39] * Kris looks at the group. "I think I'll need a sacrifice..." She takes on an evil smile and looks at Violet... "Just Kidding!"
[16:39] <Violet> "That's not funny."
[16:40] <Gandr> "Yeah, who'd want Violet ?"
[16:40] <Gandr> "Sorry. Sorry ..."
06[16:40] * Soul clears his throat. "Maybe we'd better give us some time. Kris, see if you can ask around as to what gods we should be consulting. I have to remind Shi that we need more space than he's alloting us, the greedy sap."
[16:40] <Violet> "It's alright." She frowns, and Lilly glares at him.
06[16:41] * Kris nods. "If any of you can come up with a suitable sacrifice, please do so."
[16:41] <Gandr> "Can you proimse a sacrifice ? For later ?"
06[16:41] * Kris heads off into town to persue her various channels and contacts, they ought to know 'who's who' of the gods around here'
[16:41] <Gandr> "Because if so, we can promise them death cultists. A whole lot of them"
[16:42] <Soul> "I don't think it works that way..."
[16:42] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "It does."
[16:42] <Violet> "Can't we just burn some incense?"
[16:42] <Gandr> "You mean we aren't going to be killing cultists left and right ?"
[16:42] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "Now THAT doesn't work that way, Violet."
[16:42] <Violet> "No?"
[16:42] <Soul> "I MEAN, I think if they want a sacrifice they'll want it up front."
[16:42] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "Unless it was incense made of people."
[16:42] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy scratches his chin.
[16:43] <Gandr> "... I don't have any experience in that. But I'm game."
06[16:43] * Gandr scratches Lemy's chin."
[16:43] <Violet> "I'd really rather not have to kill anyone..."
[16:44] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy bats Gandr's hand away. "What the hell, man?"
[16:44] <Soul> "I don't want to be the one to point out the IRONY in that statement, Violet, but..."
[16:44] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "We'd be doing them a favour, Violet."
[16:44] <Violet> "What irony?"
[16:44] <Soul> "Well...y'know..."
[16:44] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "I'm serious. They worship the idea of death."
[16:44] <Gandr> "Violet, Violet... you've already proven you're no good at killing - you wouldn't be doing any of it."
[16:44] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "Of the eternal abyss beyond the void."
[16:44] <Gandr> "Just leave it to us."
06[16:44] * Gandr is pretty clearly enjoying a very crude joke.
[16:45] <Soul> "Maybe if we sacrificed them ALIVE? Turned them over to the gods as slaves?"
[16:45] <Soul> "Deny them the very thing they WANT?"
[16:45] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "Sacrificing them alive would earn us brownie points most significant."
[16:45] <Gandr> "Brownie poinst with WHO ?"
[16:45] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "The God we're sacrificing these idiots to."
[16:46] <Gandr> "You mean THEIR OWN GODS."
[16:46] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy sighs.
[16:46] <Gandr> "Who we are fighting against."
[16:46] <Gandr> "And whose agenda we are resisting."
[16:46] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "We are not sacrificing them to their own Gods, gandr."
[16:47] <Gandr> "But you just said ---...."
06[16:47] * Soul nudges Lemy. "Don't...don't entertain him too much, he's still..."
06[16:47] * Gandr is confus
06[16:47] * Soul makes a slurred drinking motion, hopefully Gandr can't see
[16:47] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "Ahh."
[16:47] <Gandr> "Uhh."
[16:49] <Soul> "Anyway, this line of thinking is a bit silly. We'd need to find one of these cultists FIRST, and that's the reason we're trying to FIND these gods, is to find THEM."
06[16:49] * Gandr makes a hopeful motion leftward, but stops.
06[16:50] * Gandr makes a hopeful motion rightwards, but stops again ...
[16:50] <Soul> "So unless we get LUCKY and find a cultist we can use, or the gods agree to help us without a sacrificial cultist..."
[16:50] <Gandr> "But ... so ... what ARE we doing ?"
[16:50] <Soul> "Right now? Nothing. Unless any of you have any better ideas, I'm going upstairs and offering a sacrifice to Shi Xa, the god of taking up too much space."
06[16:51] * Kris returns, smiling hugely. "I found the god to pray to, some guy by name of Altair, God of the Hidden."
[16:51] <Soul> "Good timing. And good work."
01[16:51] <Kris> "His temple is in a bell tower, in the Temple District, not too far from here."
[16:54] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "You work quick."
06[16:54] * Kris puts a finger to her lips. "I think a meat animal of some kind, a cow, would be a sufficient sacrifice, would you bring one to the temple? I'll be waiting outside."
[16:54] <@Clarence_ST> Shi rapells down from the second storie of the building on a piece of purple satin to join up with the group.
06[16:54] * Gandr displays obvious surprise at this ... "rapelling".
[16:54] <Gandr> "Wut."
06[16:55] * Soul sort of facepalms
[16:55] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "Good morning, Gentlemen."
06[16:55] * Soul attempts to engage Shi in conversation in re: we have FIVE MORE PEOPLE COMING IN YOU CAN'T TAKE THE ENTIRE SECOND STORY TO YOURSELF
[16:56] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "They can sleep in my bed. I have enough comfortable pillows."
[16:56] <@Clarence_ST> Shi's bed is, in fact, ridiculously large.
06[16:56] * Soul D:/
[16:56] <Violet> "I'm not going to sleep in the same bed with another man!"
[16:56] <Violet> "That's just undignified."
[16:56] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "And you never will."
[16:56] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy awaits a high-five.
[16:56] <Soul> "Actually, often times my apprentices HAVE had to share beds..."
[16:57] <Soul> "...but often it ended awkwardly..."
[16:57] <Gandr> "And with cameras."
06[16:57] * Violet is clearly uncomfortable with this subject
[16:57] <Gandr> "I have one right here !"
[16:57] <@Clarence_ST> Shi just stares at Lemy. "That really was uncalled for."
[16:57] <Violet> "Can we not talk about this."
[16:57] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "Can we not talk about cameras?"
06[16:57] * Gandr pulls out a single-chained, very slim device of dubious but obviously violent origin.
06[16:57] * Soul gives Lemy the high-five he deserves, albiet on the sly
[16:58] <Gandr> "This is a great camera."
[16:58] <Soul> "Look, sorry doctor, but you're GOING to have to make SOME room. There's not enough room for..."
[16:58] <Gandr> "A camera."
06[16:58] * Soul counts on his fingers. Soul, Gandr, Kris, Violet, and five apprentices- "NINE people on the first floor."
[16:58] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "Let's get a move on, Altair won't pray to himself, you know."
[16:58] <@Clarence_ST> a
[16:59] <@Clarence_ST> Lilly: "Ten!"
06[16:59] * Soul blinks. "Right, ten, sorry."
[16:59] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "My bed is plenty of room."
[16:59] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "CAN WE ALL JUST GET A MOVE ON!?"
[17:00] <Violet> "Well, I don't mind sharing with Lilly, but..."
[17:00] <Soul> "Y'know what? Fine. You can have all five of my apprentices in your bed. They could use the discipline anyway."
[17:00] <@Clarence_ST> Shi grins.
[17:00] <@Clarence_ST> "I'm going to quote you on that."
[17:00] <Soul> "I assume Lemy will be staying up there with you too, I didn't include him in my count."
[17:01] <Soul> "Anyway, my apprentices won't be bringing any furniture with them, not the beds anyway, so..."
[17:01] <Violet> "You know, why don't Lilly and I just spend the night at an inn nearby, I'll pay for it."
[17:01] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP"
[17:01] <@Clarence_ST> Shi takes a huff from his pipe and WHOOOOOAAATIMESKIP
[17:02] <Gandr> "Best drink I ever had.2
[17:02] <@Clarence_ST> The entire fabric of reality seems to seep like a Final Fantasy random encounter, and everyone appears in Altair's sanctum.
06[17:02] * Soul informs Violet during the timeskip that, no, everyone's staying at their headquarters until further notice, so there
06[17:05] * Kris takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, the knife borrowed from Soul in her hand. She looks at the trussed up cow and gives it a solemn look. Without further delay, she drives the knife into and through the animal's skull.
01[17:05] <Kris> It's cooling carcass, set out on an altar-turned-pyre, awaits a touch of flame. Soul brings a torch to the oil-soaked wood. It bursts into flame and begins to eagerly consume the offering.
01[17:05] <Kris> As it fills the air with the scent of burning hair and flesh, Kris pulls out her fans and begins to dance. She rocks her hips from side to side. Gandr stands pat on a drum, giving her a beat to dance to. Streamers of essence rise from her shoulders, overwhelming the light of the fire.
01[17:05] <Kris> She isn't sure how long she's dancing, minutes, hours, the sun crawls across the horizon as the offering continues to burn down to it's bones, smoke rising out of a hole cut in the cieling for that purpose. Finally, as the fire dies to hot coals and crackling embers, Kris sags to her knees.
02[17:07] * Gandr (Book@96E4ED4C.9308BEC7.138A7FAC.IP) Quit (Quit: Gandr)
03[17:10] * Book (Book@96E4ED4C.9308BEC7.138A7FAC.IP) has joined #clarencexaltedic
03[17:10] * Book is now known as Gandr
[17:13] <@Clarence_ST> "An ordinary offering by an extraordinary woman. Who is it that calls me here?" Whisps of white essence spiral from the bell in the tower into the form of a hooded man, who stands impossibly perched ontop of a ledge on the opposite side of the tower, the sun silhouetting his magnificence.
06[17:15] * Kris smiles weakly at the god. "We call you, sir. We would like your help finding something." She turns to Soul, giving him a look that says 'You're up'.
06[17:15] * Soul nods, and beofr doing anything, touches his fingers to his forehead, causing his caste mark to glitter
06[17:16] * Soul clears his throat and steps forward. "Oh great Altair, protector of this place...I would ask that you hear us out. We have a matter of something hidden that needs to be exposed."
06[17:18] * Soul is waiting to gauge Altair's mood
[17:19] <@Clarence_ST> If you could see him past the blackness of his silhouette, you'd see him smiling at the Oh Great Altair. "Spare the formalities, Child of the Sun. The Priest put on far too good a show to still be sucking up."
[17:20] <Soul> "Yes, well...*ahem* I hope that you are aware of the death cult that has permeated this city for at least a week now."
[17:21] <@Clarence_ST> "Yes. I know of their presence and of many more who wish to hide from the light. May I be correct in assuming you want me to retract their safety from the burning justice of the Lawgivers?"
[17:22] <Soul> "That is correct. Their 'safety' means harm to this city, for THEY mean great harm to this city, and all that would be alive."
03[17:24] * Gandr is now known as Garlic
03[17:24] * Garlic is now known as Book
[17:25] <@Clarence_ST> Altair steps down from the ledge, and makes his way inside the bell tower. He runs his hand along the bell, stops halfway, and looks at it. "I'm afraid I cannot help you there. I protect those in the shadows, and uprooting them would be like tearing the heart out of a sleeping babe."
[17:26] <Soul> "That may be...but did these cultists not serve as an affront to you? We only learned of them BECAUSE they were so brazenly open in their blasphemy. Had they sought your wisdom from the start, we would not know that they existed to seek out, and would not be approaching you."
03[17:26] * Book is now known as Gandr
[17:28] <@Clarence_ST> "This is true. Their brazen advertisement was unwise."
[17:29] <Soul> "Furthermore...if this city should fall, what will happen to you? Where will you hide? Where will you hide if there is no place left to hide in creation?"
[17:31] <@Clarence_ST> "True again, your case is strong."
06[17:31] * Gandr shuffles his feet a little. The god, Altair, has created a quiet in the locale that, to Gandr, is nothing short of outright disturbing - no birds, no bees, no nothing. It's not natural.
[17:32] <@Clarence_ST> "However..."
[17:32] <@Clarence_ST> "My help isn't cheap."
[17:33] <Soul> "That's what I'm here for, is it not? Negogtiation. I have to add value to anything I have to offer. And let me point out the value in castigating these cultists."
[17:34] <@Clarence_ST> Altair turns to another ledge and looks out over the city while he listens to Soul.
[17:34] <Soul> "You said their brazen showy affair was unwise. As a god of that which hides, this offended you, did it not? Does it not set a bad example for all others?"
[17:36] <@Clarence_ST> Altair remains silent.
06[17:36] * Kris , in as unobtrusive a matter as possible, squirms along the floor towards a wall out of sight and dozes off, utterly drained.
[17:37] <Soul> "...You could make an example of them. A brief stepping out into the public, to make a point. That those who would stand out in the open, without concern for that which gazes down upon them, cannot simply retreat into the shadows."
[17:39] <@Clarence_ST> "Me? Step out into the public?"
[17:40] <@Clarence_ST> "I would be committing the same heinous act that they themselves have committed!"
[17:40] <Soul> "Not YOU, neccesarily. Just your message."
[17:40] <Soul> "Sometimes there is value in NOT hiding something. Sometimes it makes it easier to hide other things."
[17:41] <@Clarence_ST> Altair turns around and starts walking towards soul. "I will HAVE you know, that to be rid of a threat you do NOT stoop to the same level as what you are hunting." Altair starts pointing  at Soul to emphasise his point. "If you do that, what you have done will be for nothing."
06[17:42] * Soul waves his hands as if to say STOP. "There is no need for YOU to step out into the sun, metaphorically, yourself. Surely there are OTHER ways to get your message known."
06[17:42] * Gandr eyes this god of nothing honorable with vary eyes, noting the single, sleekly-curved sword at his side, the lack of armor, the heavy cloth and the hood ... and the many daggers. To Gandr, a single dagger can be a tool, a useful thing to have. But put into a weapon's role, put into a warrior's hand, they are nothing but a coward's shortcut.
06[17:42] * Gandr lowers his eyes and flares his nostrils. The sooner this is over, the better.
[17:43] <@Clarence_ST> "The quickest message understandable is death."
[17:43] <Gandr> "Not necessarily."
06[17:43] * Gandr thinks, 'whoops'
[17:43] <Gandr> "Uh."
[17:43] <@Clarence_ST> Altair looks at Gandr, and intimidatingly walks right up to him.
06[17:43] * Soul looks over to Gandr with a /:| face
[17:44] <Gandr> "Uh ... a dead body can be interpreted many ways."
06[17:44] * Gandr steps back.
06[17:44] * Gandr ONCE.
[17:44] <Gandr> "But a message, hard and cold and final - that leaves no room for wandering minds."
06[17:44] * Gandr "uuhs" a little.
[17:44] <@Clarence_ST> Altair smiles at Gandr's correction.
[17:44] <@Clarence_ST> "Indeed."
[17:45] <@Clarence_ST> "Which is why I wish to give all of you a job."
[17:45] <Gandr> "Look at what you just did - you strode up to me. That can't be misunderstood. I can't do anything about that but be threatened."
[17:45] <Gandr> "A job ?"
06[17:45] * Gandr thinks "hey, maybe we'll get to do something I'm good at, for once."
06[17:45] * Soul clears his throat. "A job. Yes, of course. State your price."
[17:46] <@Clarence_ST> Altair extends his forearm, and an eagle cries as it flies onto his forearm.
[17:46] <@Clarence_ST> The eagle shakes, and five feathers drop from the eagle, and it flies off again.
[17:47] <@Clarence_ST> Altair picks up the five feathers, and walks infront of the party.
[17:48] <@Clarence_ST> "Extend your hands."
06[17:49] * Soul does as he's told, this time.
06[17:49] * Gandr doesn't really feel up to threatening a god of shadow-black death.
06[17:49] * Kris is half asleep
[17:50] <@Clarence_ST> Altair glares at Gandr, Kris, Violet, and Shi.
[17:50] <@Clarence_ST> Holy hell those are four eagles glaring at each of them.
06[17:50] * Kris wakes up. And puts her hand out.
[17:51] <@Clarence_ST> Shi hurriedly puts his hand out.
06[17:51] * Gandr puts out.
06[17:51] * @Clarence_ST likes where this is going with gandr
[17:51] <Gandr> plz no hurt me.
06[17:51] * Soul doesn't
06[17:51] * Violet extends thy hand
[17:51] <@Clarence_ST> "Gandr Jormen."
[17:52] <@Clarence_ST> "Step Forward."
[17:52] <Gandr> "...h."
06[17:52] * Gandr steadies himself, and steps forward - into himself, so to speak.
[17:53] <@Clarence_ST> Altair puts a feather in Gandr's hand. "Bring me back the blood of the Faerie King, Dazzling of the Sapphire Domain."
06[17:54] * Gandr is all "what meh wut wut" at this, until the EXACT MOMENT "faerie" is mentioned.
06[17:54] * Gandr Something raw and hard and bloody DANGEROUS erupts inside Gandr.
[17:54] <@Clarence_ST> Altair puts a feather in the hand of Kris. "Bring me back the blood of Akeir Ragara, Realm Officer which will arrive on the shores of Chairoscuro in Three years time."
06[17:54] * Gandr It's clearly an order he'd obey from ANYONE.
[17:55] <@Clarence_ST> *one
[17:55] <@Clarence_ST> *not three
[17:55] <Violet> 'A whole year?'
[17:56] <@Clarence_ST> Altair puts a feather in Shi's hand. "Bring me back the blood of the Mask of Winters." Shi promptly wats. "I'm sorry, did you say the MASK of WINTERS?"
[17:56] <@Clarence_ST> Altair ignores Shi.
[17:57] <@Clarence_ST> Altair puts a feather in Violet's hand. "Bring me back the blood of Crimson Spoglini, bloodthristy assassin of the guild."
[17:57] <Violet> "Uh..."
[17:58] <@Clarence_ST> (thats yo dad)
06[17:58] * Soul blinks a little upon hearing that
[17:58] <Violet> "My dad isn't an assassin!"
[17:58] <Gandr> (his name's "Spoglini" ?)
[17:58] <@Clarence_ST> Altair ignores Violet.
[17:59] <@Clarence_ST> Altair puts a feather in Soul's hand. "Bring me back the blood of every death cultist that dared to step foot on my territory."
[18:00] <@Clarence_ST> "You will accept these tasks, and in return, I will be of assistance in one way or another in those endeavors."
[18:01] <Soul> "Question."
[18:01] <@Clarence_ST> "As long as you remain hidden from the eyes of the world, you will be safe."
[18:01] <Violet> "Do we have to /kill/ these people?"
[18:01] <@Clarence_ST> "Yes."
[18:02] <Violet> "Then I refuse."
[18:02] <Soul> "Umm...how, exactly, am I supposed to know when I've killed EVERY SINGLE PERSON that's entered this territory? What if some of them have left?"
[18:02] <@Clarence_ST> "You have five years to complete these tasks."
[18:02] <Soul> "What if some of them have hidden TOO well? Or will you reveal ALL of their locations to me?"
[18:03] <@Clarence_ST> "If any of you have not finished this by the end of the fifth year's calibration, it will be dire consequences."
[18:03] <@Clarence_ST> "Good Luck."
[18:03] <Violet> "How dire?"
[18:03] <@Clarence_ST> Altair dematerialises.
[18:04] <Violet> "I'm not going to kill my own father!"
[18:04] <Soul> "Umm...so...is that a NO, then...?
[18:04] <Gandr> "Who's your father ?"
06[18:04] * Soul sorta stands there, dumbfounded, like wtf.
06[18:04] * Gandr looks at Violet, genuine confus
[18:04] <Violet> 'Crimson' Paul Spoglini is my father."
[18:05] <Gandr> "And he's a, a what ? A Guild assassin ? There's a guild of assassins ?"
[18:05] <Violet> "No!"
06[18:05] * Soul steps forward. "Umm...hello? Altair?"
06[18:05] * Gandr is slightly less confus
[18:05] <Gandr> "No, what ? There's not a guild of assassins ?"
[18:05] <Violet> "He's a businessman for the guild."
06[18:05] * Soul isn't even aware of Violet's situation
[18:06] <Gandr> "You mean ... THE guild ? The guild we're working for ? They use assassins ?"
01[18:06] <Kris> "Gandr, everybody uses assassins."
[18:06] <@Clarence_ST> Altair's gone, bro
[18:06] <Violet> "I don't think so..."
06[18:06] * Gandr directly ignores Kris.
06[18:06] * Soul is just sort of looking around at emptiness
06[18:06] * Kris holds the feather up to her face and takes on a contemplative look.
[18:06] <Gandr> "You don't THINK so ? I can't really use that."
[18:07] <Soul> "...How the HELL am I supposed to do this if I don't even know who I'M LOOKING for?!"
06[18:07] * Soul is sort of yelling at this point
06[18:07] * Kris thnks
01[18:07] <Kris> "Soul... I think Altair may've revoked their hidding privleges."
[18:07] <Violet> "What have you gotten us into Kris!?"
[18:08] <Soul> "That's nice. And if some of them LEFT?"
[18:08] <Gandr> "Then ... they're no longer on his territory ?"
[18:08] <Gandr> "And thus no longer a target ?"
06[18:08] * Kris whirls, grabbing both Soul and Violet by the throat and slamming them both into the wall. "Both of you quit your bitching! This is not the time to while and complain about what we don't have!"
[18:09] <Soul> "He SAID anyone who stepped foot on his territory. he didn't say they were exempt once they left. In fact I think he's implying the OPPOSITE."
[18:09] <Soul> "Or WAS implying, whatever."
06[18:09] * Violet Lilly lashes her whip at Kris, trying to force her to drop Violet
[18:09] <Gandr> "I think you're overcomplicating things."
06[18:09] * Kris ignores the strike, even if it draws blood.
06[18:09] * Soul then gets grabbed, ow
06[18:09] * Gandr looks a bit relaxed - probably beacause his job is not only easy, but outright enjoyable.
[18:09] <Soul> "Fuck, what the hell, woman?!"
[18:10] <Gandr> "I mean ..."
[18:10] <Gandr> "Think."
[18:10] <Gandr> "There's no paper on this."
[18:10] <Gandr> "Only unbound words."
01[18:10] <Kris> "Listen up both of you, i don't give a flying fuck how hard the job is, you're both going to suck it up and do it, i know i'm going to do my part to help because i was the one who got the god to come here. But I'm not going to stand here and let you bitch and whine about how hard the task is!" (More)
[18:10] <Soul> "Gandr, if you'-can you get her to let me go?"
[18:10] <Gandr> "Sure."
06[18:11] * Soul grabs the hilt of his sword just in case
01[18:11] <Kris> "We're Solars, Chosen of the Unconquered Sun, and dammit, you're gonig to ACT LIKE IT."
06[18:11] * Gandr puts a gentle hand on Kris's shoulder.
[18:11] <Gandr> "Please calm down."
[18:11] <Violet> "It's not hard. But I'm not going to do it."
06[18:11] * Kris sighs and lets them go
[18:11] <Violet> "So please put me down."
[18:11] <Gandr> "We have no need to fight eachother.
[18:11] <Soul> "ach-you're-YOU'RE not acting like a solar. You're acting like a whining baby."
[18:12] <Soul> "Would you PLEASE put me down so I cachk-acan continue"
01[18:12] <Kris> "A solar gets shit done, whining about it doesn't get things done. Now if we're finished, we need to figure out how to keep all the cultists in the city to stay in the city."
[18:12] <Soul> "In that case..."
06[18:13] * Soul draws out his sword so as to hit Kris as hard as possible in the stoumach with the hilt
[18:13] <Violet> "A solar does not kill family in cold blood either."
06[18:13] * Gandr tries to intercept ?
06[18:13] * Soul is hitting her with the HILT, mind you. Not the blade. The sword stays in the scabbard, it just comes out partway.
06[18:14] * Kris pulls back and leans to the side, letting the strike pass by harmlessly.
06[18:15] * Soul trips and falls for no apparent reason, because he obviously wouldn't attack Kris now that she let him go
[18:16] <@Clarence_ST> Not only does he trip and fall, he stumbles and bumbles over to the ledge of the bell tower and trips over that, too. It looks like a VERY long way down
06[18:17] * Kris rushes after Soul, planting one foot on the windowsil and letting one to hook itself on the inside edge, she leans forward and out, bracing herself against her shin, giving her that extra, necessary reach and support to grab Soul on his way down and out.
06[18:19] * Kris grunts and pulls Soul back, Gandr helping. "I may not like your whining, Soul, but I do like you, and I'd rather you not die."
06[18:19] * Soul slaps Kris' hand away. "You've done enough touching for one day."
01[18:19] <Kris> "Fine, fine."
[18:19] <Soul> "And as I said before you STRANGLED ME to death, I'm not whining, I'm asking a valid fucking question."
[18:20] <Soul> "All I want's for him to answer. 'oh, hey, Soul, sorry I forgot, here's some magical thing to help you find all the cultists that might've left, now are we cool? 'yeah, sure, Altair'"
06[18:20] * Kris sighs. "The question we should be asking is 'how do we do this task?" The asnwer I came up with is "Keep the cultists HERE."
06[18:20] * Kris blinks
06[18:20] * Kris blinks again, her face clouding over with thought.
[18:20] <Soul> "That's not good enough. If so much as ONE of them left and I don't know where he went, I'm screwed."
01[18:21] <Kris> "We're looking at this the wrong way
[18:21] <Soul> "In this case, you did your job TOO well, in causing them to disperse."
[18:21] <Soul> "By the way, thanks Gandr."
01[18:21] <Kris> "We need to get them to come back."
[18:21] <Gandr> "No shoes, no shirt, no problem."
01[18:21] <Kris> "We need to draw them out and into a trap!" She slams a fist into her palm.
[18:21] <Soul> "uhh...?"
06[18:21] * Gandr brushes off some imaginary dust of Soul.
[18:21] <Soul> "...o...k."
06[18:22] * Soul looks a little confused at Gandr, but whatever.
[18:22] <Soul> "Right. Trap. Look, umm, while you're doing that-and yes, I'm putting entrapping them on YOUR docket, because you scared them off in the first place-I have a man to see about a mask."
06[18:22] * Soul walks over to Shi, who's probably still mystified at this point
06[18:22] * Kris starts talking to herself. "We need to convince, or at least fake convincngly, that this city is becoming a religious state, and that it wants to adopt death cultist worship, temporarily at least."
[18:23] <@Clarence_ST> Shi is definitely mystified
[18:23] <Soul> "So. Mask of Winters."
[18:23] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "Mask of Winters."
[18:23] <Gandr> "Mask of Winters !"
06[18:23] * Gandr does a little dramatic whoop-de-doo.
[18:23] <Violet> "If we're tough enough to kill the Mask of Winters, we should be tough enough to kill Altair."
[18:23] <Soul> "Need some help?"
[18:24] <Gandr> "I don't think we're tough enough to kill the Mask."
[18:24] <Violet> "Why don't we just spend the next five years preparing."
[18:24] <Gandr> "And I really don't think we should discuss killing Altair while we're on his turf."
[18:24] <Soul> "I didn't ask you guys. I asked the good doctor."
06[18:24] * Gandr looks sideways into the empty air.
06[18:24] * Soul turns to Shi again and offers him his hand up
[18:24] <Gandr> "No offense, Altair."
[18:25] <Violet> "Well, there is no way, no how, that I will ever kill my father. So we're going to have to deal with it somehow."
[18:25] <Gandr> "Kris, we don't need to go that far."
[18:25] <Gandr> "It's overcomplicating things."
01[18:25] <Kris> "Go how far?"
[18:25] <Gandr> "Point the first: we need to keep the cultists here."
01[18:26] <Kris> "Right."
[18:26] <Gandr> "How do we do that."
[18:26] <@Clarence_ST> "I definitely need some help."
[18:26] <Soul> "Is that a yes?"
[18:26] <Gandr> "We can either contain them - that is, not let them out - or we can convince them that they need to stay here."
[18:26] <@Clarence_ST> Shi nods.
06[18:26] * Soul is still offering his hand
[18:27] <Gandr> "Violet - can we wait a little bit with your father ? I think that's the least of our worries right now."
01[18:27] <Kris> "That's exactly my point, Gandr. I'm merely trying to think of how to do that. I'm assuming I won't be able to just ask them myself."
[18:27] <@Clarence_ST> Shi puts his hand into Soul's, & THEY SHAKE
[18:27] <Violet> "Alright."
[18:27] <Gandr> "Yes but turning this place into a religious nutplace - even a FAKE one - is too much work."
[18:27] <Gandr> "It's much easier to fake something else ... for example ..."
[18:27] <Soul> "The way I see it, we're opposing the Mask of Winters anyway, right? I mean, this whole campaign is to undo the damage he's already done, right?"
01[18:27] <Kris> "It is a bit complicated, but It's an idea."
06[18:28] * Gandr puts his hands on the small of his back, folded like a cage.
[18:28] <Soul> "Killing him is just the next step. Or a logical neccessity before we complete our task."
[18:28] <Violet> "Shouldn't we start with the easiest target?"
[18:28] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "Y...Yeah."
01[18:28] <Kris> "No, we should start with the target that's going to be the hardest to manage, the cultists in this city."
[18:29] <Gandr> "We have already rallied the leaders of this place against them - if we let these our leaders take one or two high-ranking cultists and then order them to back off, we'll send out signals that we aren't willing or able to follow through on this cultist hunt."
[18:29] <Gandr> "Think of it like taking a city, and then DELIBERATELY not following up on removing the countryside rebels."
01[18:29] <Kris> "Hmm... That's a sound plan, Gandr, might need a bit of tweaking, but it seems workable."
06[18:30] * Soul is too busy talking with Shi to be discussing his own plan with those two, unfortunately
06[18:30] * Kris makes a note to fill in Soul on their discussion, after she apologizes about the rough treatment."
[18:35] <@Clarence_ST> Shi talks with Soul, Kris talks with Gandr, Violet talks with Lilly
[18:37] <Soul> "Lemy's going to have a heart attack-assuming he still CAN-when he hears what you have to do..."
[18:38] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "Lemy has already had several. Living like this hasn't been nice on him."
[18:39] <Gandr> He's had severeal ... hearts ?
[18:39] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "Living like a normal person is antithetical to his nature. You have no idea what kind of recurring pain he's going through each day."
[18:39] <Soul> "Ich. Anyway, we'll discuss THAT when we get back home...Assuming there's no way to summon this guy again, there's nothing left for us here..."
[18:39] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "It'd be rude to summon him again."
[18:39] <Soul> "It was rude of him to leave my mission half-defined."
[18:40] <Soul> "Just because he's a GOD doesn't mean he gets to flout basic rules of order."
[18:40] <@Clarence_ST> Shi pats Soul on the shoulder. "Them's the breaks, kid."
[18:40] <Soul> "I'm not even sure how I'm gonna carry all that blood. Does he want just a drop, or...? Does he want it all SEPERATE, or is it OK if I put it all in one container?"
[18:41] <@Clarence_ST> Shi holds up the feather.
[18:41] <@Clarence_ST> "Collect the blood on your feather."
[18:41] <Soul> "He didn't say THAT."
[18:41] <@Clarence_ST> "Pfffft."
[18:41] <@Clarence_ST> "There's ALOT he didn't say."
[18:41] <@Clarence_ST> "You havn't dealt much with gods before, have you?"
[18:41] <Soul> "Well if he kills us all in five years because you were WRONG about the Feather thing..."
[18:42] <@Clarence_ST> "By all means, construct a pulley system to collect the blood of every cultist you blend into it."
[18:42] <Soul> "I'm just saying that I get to blame this all on you with my agonizingly dying breath if you were wrong."
[18:42] <Violet> "I can't kill anyone..."
[18:42] <Soul> "Also if the feather thing IS true, then we don't even have to kill these people. Just get them to draw a little blood."
[18:43] <@Clarence_ST> Shi slaps Soul.
[18:43] <Soul> "For all I know the cultists are INTO that."
[18:43] <@Clarence_ST> "This isn't the guild you're bargaining with.'
06[18:43] * Soul robs his cheek a little, that was unneccessary
[18:44] <@Clarence_ST> "Gods work on different rules
[18:44] <Soul> "No, but I'm STILL a negogtiater at heart. Which means I'm TRAINED to look for loopholes the other guy might use against me. That's what people DO."
[18:44] <Soul> "And frankly? A god as shady as this one? I'm hedging ALL my bets."
06[18:44] * Soul steps back in case another slap is incoming
[18:44] <Violet> "I'm sure he can be reasoned with."
[18:45] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "We just reasoned with him."
[18:45] <Violet> "What am I supposed to do?"
[18:45] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "Kill your father."
[18:45] <Violet> "Not happening.
[18:46] <Violet> "Don't even joke."
[18:46] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "You're going to have to kill your father within five years, Violet."
[18:46] <Violet> "I'm not doing it."
[18:46] <Soul> "Again, could just draw the blood..."
[18:46] <Soul> "...wait, does the Mask of Winters even HAVE blood???"
[18:47] <Gandr> "If your super plan relies on him having blood ..."
[18:47] <Soul> "I guess if HE doesn't then that's proof he was being metaphorical..."
[18:47] <Gandr> "I wouldn't count on it."
[18:47] <Violet> (brotipL he said we have to  kill them)
[18:47] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "Violet. Don't act as if you have the worst end of the dela."
[18:47] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "Deal."
[18:47] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "I don't know how much you know, but let me put it this way."
[18:47] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "I was entrusted to kill the Mask of Winters, a DEATH. LORD."
[18:48] <Soul> "If I were you, I'd be worried that your father would get killed before you even got to him. That might not count, and THEN you're screwed."
[18:48] <Gandr> "Look at it this way: if your dad's an assassin, he probably deserves it."
[18:48] <Soul> "Unless you can raise him, then kill him."
[18:48] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "All you have to do is kill your father."
[18:48] <Gandr> "If he's not, he doesn't fall under Altair's uh ..."
[18:48] <Gandr> "Uh ..."
[18:48] <Violet> "Don't say that!"
[18:48] <Soul> "Which I don't think is possible. So yeah. Screwed."
[18:48] <Gandr> "Altair's ... things."
06[18:48] * Soul turns to Shi and shrugs. "Unless that WOULD count, in which case, hey, you win."
[18:48] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "it's not nice, but I'm putting it in perspective."
[18:49] <Violet> "I'll face his judgment."
[18:49] <Gandr> "Wait, whoa ..."
[18:49] <Gandr> "Can we."
[18:49] <Gandr> "Can we go somewhere else ?
[18:49] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "If you don't do it, we ALL face judgement."
[18:49] <Gandr> "Somewhere that's NOT Altair's TEMPLE ?"
[18:49] <Violet> "Then we had better prepare."
[18:50] <@Clarence_ST> Shi rubs the bridge of his nose. "By Saturn's Rings..."
[18:50] <Soul> "Maybe we HAD better leave I guess..."
[18:50] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "Let's just go home, like Gandr said. It's getting cold out.
[18:52] <@Clarence_ST> -=TIMESKIP=-
[18:55] <Gandr> "Whoa."
06[18:56] * Gandr drinks from a convenient glass of Reya Meadows' Black.
[18:56] <@Clarence_ST> And so everyone relaxes at home
[18:56] <Soul> "Y'know, something occured to me..."
01[18:56] <Kris> "hmm?"
[18:56] <Soul> "We went to this god to ask for help rooting out a cult..."
[18:57] <Soul> "...and his instruction to ME, and in essence to all of us is, 'root out this cult'."
[18:57] <Soul> "...I'd say we got SCREWED."
[18:57] <@Clarence_ST> Shi plays with a pen. "Haha. You could say that."
01[18:57] <Kris> "Well, I'm under the impression that he plans on helping us with what we asked, re: 'rooting out this cult'."
[18:57] <Soul> "I'M under the impression said help will be as capricious as he is."
[18:57] <Gandr> "But as Soul said ..."
[18:57] <Soul> "In other words, SCREWED."
[18:58] <Gandr> "He offered us help on the condition that we ROOTED THIS CULT."
[18:58] <Gandr> "It's a bullshit deal."
06[18:58] * Violet is sitting outside, away from the rest of the party
[18:58] <Soul> "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe tomorrow he's gonna come by our house and drop off with me a magical detector."
[18:58] <Gandr> "On the other hand, the simple offer that he's not going to help them means a lot."
[18:58] <Soul> "In which case, I'm gonna have fun hunting."
[18:59] <Gandr> "No hiding places, no success with sneaky attacks, no support for backstabbing. For a hidden cult, that's most of their weapons gone, right there."
[18:59] <Soul> "...that WOULD be kinda interesting, actually...some sort of, I dunno, magical map that has little dots on it that show the location of every single offender in the realm..."
[18:59] <Gandr> "..."
[18:59] <Soul> "Would be nice if it had the other targets on it too..."
[18:59] <Gandr> "Seems a bit antithetical."
06[18:59] * Soul is sorta musing to himself
[18:59] <Gandr> "Whatever "antithetical" means."
06[18:59] * Gandr heard the word during the discussion with Altair.
[18:59] <Soul> "It means it's stupid. Yeah, I know. Just musing..."
01[19:00] <Kris> "Something like that would be very handy, Soul, I've heard of first-age tools that did similar things, only in passing, you see."
06[19:00] * Violet Lilly goes to Violet, worried
[19:00] <Soul> "I'm kind of hoping that HE has, too. I hope being a god hasn't deluded him into thinking we're as powerful as he is..."
06[19:01] * Kris shrugs. "It's a matter of longevity and experience. He's older than we are, thus he's more 'powerful.'"
[19:01] <Soul> "Right, I'm kind of hoping he realized that."
01[19:01] <Kris> "Anyway, Gandr has come up with a plan of sorts, assuming we do not get any direct support from Altair..."
06[19:02] * Soul attention
[19:02] <Gandr> "Uh."
[19:02] <Gandr> "Well."
06[19:03] * Kris crosses her legs and folds her hands over her knees. "Basically, we tell the leaders of this city, who are eating out of our hands, as far as listening to us goes, to take out a few of the higher ranking cultists... And then back off."
01[19:03] <Kris> "This shows that we can't follow up on our threats, and in turn, makes them bolder, more ready to approach the city and stay within it's borders.
[19:03] <@Clarence_ST> Shi: "...Crafty."
[19:03] <Soul> "That's...an OK idea...I guess..."
01[19:03] <Kris> "For that matter, we're not entirely sure of Altair's territory, everyone within one hundred miles of the city boundaries could still 'count'"
06[19:04] * Soul is visibly vexed. "Still, if even ONE of them doesn't take the bait, we all lose."
01[19:04] <Kris> "Right, so we need to be very, very thurough."
[19:04] <Soul> "It also occured to me he never specified a number. Right to the end we'll never know if we succeeded or failed."
01[19:05] <Kris> "I imagine he would do something god-ish to tell us we're on the right track, a sign or something. Honestly, I expected him to do something like set fire to their hiding places and flush them out. Not talk to us."
[19:06] <Gandr> "I imagine that he's playing us."
[19:06] <Gandr> "Think about it.
[19:06] <Gandr> "
[19:06] <Soul> "Honestly? He seemed like a bit of a DICK."
[19:06] <Gandr> "You're behaving like frightened cattle."
[19:06] <Soul> "I suspect he'll never tell us if we succeeded or not just to see us squirm when the five years comes up."
06[19:06] * Kris shrugs. "If you have a better plan Soul, I'm all ears, but complaining about what we don't have isn't helping. If we find out that what we need, we still don't have, we need to get it."
06[19:06] * Violet and Lilly come back into the room, it is obvious that Violet has been crying.
06[19:06] * Soul throws up his hands. "All right, all right, you both make a point. Make it happen. I've got bigger concerns anyway..."
06[19:07] * Soul looks to Shi as he says that
06[19:07] * Gandr shoots a look at Violent and Lilly, then pointedly ignores them. That ain't important ...
[19:07] <@Clarence_ST> Shi reaches for the Shisha pipe...
[19:08] <@Clarence_ST> Lilly's still comforting Violet, staying as close as possible
[19:08] <Gandr> "Let's look at some facts - it's not very possible to find every single person who's ever supported the cult."
[19:08] <Gandr> "We know this."
[19:08] <Gandr> "He knows this."
06[19:08] * Kris nods.
[19:09] <Gandr> "He's going to take that and hang it over our heads like a noose if we let him."
[19:09] <Gandr> "So breaks to him."
[19:09] <Gandr> "We'll solve his little jobs on our terms. He wants blood ? We'll let the streets run red with it."
[19:09] <Soul> "That...gives me no comfort whatsoever."
06[19:10] * Gandr seems a little worked up all of a sudden.
[19:10] <@Clarence_ST> Lemy: "I like that course of action."
06[19:11] * Kris looks at Gandr. "I'll get them where they need to be, you take care of the rest."
[19:12] <Soul> "At least yours is more straightforward, if difficult. Also throws a wrench in any possible negogtiations with the Fae."
[19:12] <Soul> "But, sounds fun."
[19:12] <@Clarence_ST> It becomes apparent that the entire house is becoming flooded with smoke.
06[19:12] * Kris blinks. "What's burning?"
[19:13] <Gandr> "Did we ever WANT to talk with the faeries ?"
06[19:13] * Soul looks around. "Did Shim return?"
06[19:13] * Gandr didn't.
[19:13] <@Clarence_ST> The smoke is coming from upstairs.
[19:13] <Soul> D:
06[19:13] * Soul runs upstairs
06[19:13] * Kris heads up stairs to investigate
06[19:13] * Gandr is like, 'bitch wat'
[19:14] <@Clarence_ST> You see Shi's grotto, and Shi is completely buried under pillows, muttering & laughing about having to KILL the MASK of WINTERS
[19:14] <@Clarence_ST> The shisha broke and SOMEHOW
[19:14] <@Clarence_ST> A few pillows are on fire
06[19:14] * Kris rushes forward to flip some of the burning cushions over and stomp on them, putting them out!
06[19:14] * Soul starts panicing and racing to smother that shit
[19:15] <@Clarence_ST> Kris & Soul's efforts manage to put out the pillows, though they're pretty much ruined now
[19:15] <@Clarence_ST> Shi is still cackling about the impossible task that was set for him.
[19:15] <Soul> "...bloody hell, Shi, you managed to nearly ruin everything..."
06[19:15] * Kris sighs and takes a deep breath...
[19:15] <Soul> "..."
06[19:15] * Soul bitchslaps Shi in the same manner he was slapped
[19:16] <Soul> "PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER MAN!"
[19:16] <@Clarence_ST> Shi stops momentarily, goes quieter, and still giggles about it, disappearing under the pillows.
[19:16] <Soul> "FFffbl..."
06[19:16] * Kris shouts, bellows more accurately, in a manner befitting someone of Gandr's stature, at paint-peeling volume. "SHI! WHAT! IS! YOUR! MAJOR MAL-FUNC-TION!"
06[19:17] * Soul jumps back a bit, yikes
[19:18] <@Clarence_ST> Shi stops.
06[19:18] * Kris takes a deep breath and stares at the man.
[19:18] <@Clarence_ST> "Kris... Don't be so loud, Girl. I'm gonna punch out the Mask of Winters!"
[19:19] <@Clarence_ST> "AFTER ALL, I CAN DO THAT."
01[19:19] <Kris> "Oh great. He's high."
[19:19] <Soul> "...great. We'd better let him sleep it off, he'll be fine in the morning, trust me. Nothing I haven't seen before."
[19:19] <Soul> "...wait a minute...WHERE'S CHEI?"
[19:19] <@Clarence_ST> Shi throws a pillow at Kris, and dives under the covers of his bed
[19:19] <@Clarence_ST> Knock knock at the door
06[19:20] * Kris blocks it handily.
06[19:20] * Soul starts to gather up all the ruined pillows and any smoking paraphanalia Shi had, and takes it downstairs. CONFISCATED.
06[19:20] * Gandr does a lot of nothing.
[19:21] <Soul> "Everyone, we have a new r-"
[19:21] <Soul> "...Gandr, Violet, could somebody get the door?"
06[19:21] * Kris opens the door
06[19:21] * Soul has his hands full.
[19:21] <@Clarence_ST> It's Chei.
[19:22] <@Clarence_ST> He looks surprisingly not drunk.
[19:22] <Soul> (OF COURSE IT IS :#)
[19:22] <@Clarence_ST> "Good evening."
[19:22] <Soul> "Chei, good to see you...sober. Which beings me to our new rule:"
[19:22] <Soul> "NO. SMOKING."
[19:22] <@Clarence_ST> Chei: "...Jeez, what crawled up your ass and died?" he pushes his way in.
[19:22] <Soul> "Any fires should be solely for the purpose of cooking or for my apothecarian purposes, and should be strictly supervised by those knowledged in the art of doing si."
[19:23] <@Clarence_ST> "So this is the place we got, huh?"
[19:23] <Soul> "If you MUST smoke some sort of plant product, please do so a safe distance away from this, or for that matter, ANY other building."
06[19:23] * Gandr sits contemplative, doing nothing more.
06[19:23] * Soul still has the burnt pillows in his hands, it should be obvious why he's so anxious
[19:23] <@Clarence_ST> Chei sits at the table in the center of what is presumed to be the kitchen, and makes himself a cup of tea.
[19:23] <Soul> "So, yeah. We got a lot to disucss."
[19:24] <@Clarence_ST> He sips it. "Indeed. The Guild is getting it's feathers ruffled like you wouldn't believe with what's happening."
[19:24] <Soul> "I know they're planning on making a defensive stand here. But we...we've made some ENEMIES, sort of."
06[19:24] * Soul basically explains the whole damn thing to Chei
[19:25] <@Clarence_ST> "..."
[19:25] <@Clarence_ST> Chei starts slowly reaching for the liquor cabinet...
[19:25] <Gandr> "How do you.
[19:25] <Gandr> "
[19:25] <Gandr> "How do you SORT of make enemies ?"
[19:25] <Soul> "Chei, PLEASE, now is NOT the time to get drunk."
06[19:25] * Soul doesn't bother explaining his turn of phrase, not now...
06[19:26] * Gandr snaps his hand out once, not in an attack but in a gesture.
06[19:26] * Kris pushes her way in front of the liqour cabinet and leans against the door.
01[19:26] <Kris> "No drinky."
[19:26] <Gandr> "Explain before drinking."
[19:26] <@Clarence_ST> Chei accidentally gropes Kris.
[19:26] <Gandr> TEAMWORK
[19:26] <@Clarence_ST> Chei RECOILS.
[19:26] <Soul> D:
06[19:26] * Gandr probably also gropes Kris.
06[19:26] * Kris raises an eyebrow very. Very slowly.
06[19:26] * Gandr accidentally. Yeah.
06[19:26] * Soul backs off, NOT groping Kris
06[19:26] * Gandr wat.
06[19:26] * Gandr was trying to prevent Chei from drinking.
06[19:26] * Kris nods cooly at two men. "As you were, gentlemen."
[19:27] <Gandr> "It was for a good cause."
[19:27] <Soul> "OK, sit down boys..."
[19:28] <Gandr> "..."
06[19:28] * Gandr looks to the left.
06[19:28] * Gandr looks to the right.
[19:28] <@Clarence_ST> Chei: "I'm already sitting."
06[19:28] * Gandr looks very serious.
[19:28] <Gandr> "What's this about enemies, Chei ?
[19:29] <Soul> "So...Shi's smoked himself into a stupor, hence my rule...almost burnt the place down..."
[19:29] <Soul> "And, uhh...we have to kill..."
[19:29] <Soul> "...a LOT. of people."
[19:30] <@Clarence_ST> Chei: "How many people?"
01[19:30] <Kris> "We don't know."
01[19:30] <Kris> "Every death cultist in this city, basically."
[19:30] <Soul> "Yes, he didn't give us a number about the cultists. We're in the dark for now."
[19:31] <Gandr> "I think we all are."
[19:31] <Gandr> "Him included, I mean."
[19:31] <Soul> "We DO know that we have to kill some Faerie Princh, Violet's father, I forgot what Kris' was, and...the Mask of Winters."
[19:31] <Gandr> "Wwait, you don't know who we're talking about."
01[19:31] <Kris> "I have to kill a realm officer."
[19:31] <Soul> "...odd, completely slipped my mind...who was he again?"
[19:31] <Gandr> "We're talking about a god of hiding things - Altair - and a deal we made with him."
06[19:32] * Soul thought he alredy explained all of this to Chei
[19:32] <@Clarence_ST> Chei: "...The mask of winters."
[19:32] <Soul> "Yeah, this guy isn't making it easy. We HAVE five years, but..."
[19:32] <@Clarence_ST> Chei: "I..."
[19:32] <@Clarence_ST> Chei: "I'm going to be out for a bit."
06[19:32] * Soul GRABS Chei by the shoulder
[19:32] <@Clarence_ST> Chei scoots out of his chair, and makes his way to the doo--
[19:32] <Soul> "OH NO YOU DON'T. YOU'R STAYING SOBER FOR THIS ONE."
[19:32] <@Clarence_ST> grabd
01[19:32] <Kris> "You're no good to us drunk."
01[19:33] <Kris> "We'll buy you a bar after this whole debacle, if that will make you happy, but we need you sober until the 'after'
[19:33] <@Clarence_ST> Chei whimpers. "What do you want ME to do?"
06[19:33] * Kris turns to Soul. "This is your show, Soul."
06[19:33] * Gandr what DO we want him to do
[19:34] <Soul> "Well...anything you can TELL us that might be relevant? Anything at all."
[19:34] <Soul> "For starters...about Violet's father..."
06[19:34] * Soul looks over to Violet who's been pretty quiet...
06[19:34] * Soul looks back. "Are we...ALLOWED...to...?"
[19:34] <Gandr> "Crimson Spoglini".
06[19:34] * Violet stares blankly at the wall
[19:34] <Gandr> "I think."
06[19:34] * Soul nods
[19:34] <@Clarence_ST> Chei: "Sweet Jesus, Crimson Spoglini, I'm surprised you hadn't heard the news."
[19:34] <@Clarence_ST> Chei: "He's gone missing."
06[19:34] * Soul eyebrow.jpg
[19:35] <Gandr> "He's already dead ?"
[19:35] <Gandr> "Hm."
[19:35] <Gandr> "Gone missing."
[19:35] <Soul> "...oh. Oh. Oh dear."
[19:35] <Gandr> "Missing."
[19:35] <Gandr> "from the local god of things that are hidden."
[19:35] <@Clarence_ST> Chei: "We have no clue where he is."
06[19:35] * Gandr disappoint.jpg
[19:35] <Soul> "...REALLY hope he gives us a tool now. REALLY hope."
01[19:35] <Kris> "Altair would know where he is."
01[19:35] <Kris> "Plus there are devices that can help us find people, or we can have one made."
[19:35] <Gandr> "Wait, wait, wait ... not important."
[19:35] <Gandr> "NOT IMPORTANT."
[19:35] <Gandr> "What's important is the cult."
[19:36] <Gandr> "Focus, people."
[19:36] <Gandr> "Please. Just ... just a little bit."
[19:36] <Soul> "Whatever, though, my POINT is, are we ALLOWED to kill off a fellow guild officer? I mean, they're just contracted, I'm Guild proper..."
[19:36] <Gandr> "Do we need a permission ?"
[19:36] <Soul> "I doubt the Guild would look favourably at one of its members assassinating another."
[19:37] <@Clarence_ST> Chei: "Any news about his wearabouts would be welcome, alive OR dead."
[19:37] <Soul> "Still...Gandr? Kris? This one's in your court. Violet obviously can't do it, and I'd really prefer not to cross that line if possible."
06[19:37] * Soul shrugs. "Sorry."
[19:39] <Gandr> "I'm okay with it, as is. Can't stomach backstabbing."
06[19:39] * Kris shrugs. "I can't do Violet's job for her."
[19:39] <Soul> "We don't have a choice. If ANY of these jobs goes undone, the implication was that we suffer."
01[19:40] <Kris> "Agreed, but I'm also under the impression that we're not supposed to do eachother's jobs for us. To be fair, I don't know if Altair would be any the wiser if we did so."
06[19:40] * Kris closes her eyes. "If necessary, I'll kill Crimson, and hope for the best."
[19:41] <Soul> "Another blurry line...ANOTHER thing that it would have been nice to have clarified..."
06[19:41] * Kris looks at Violet. "But that's YOUR job, and you better well make it 'not necessary'."
[19:41] <Soul> "...honestly, though, the Mask of Winters...that one's not worrying me so much."
06[19:41] * Violet seems to be in a state of shock, and silently stares at the wall
01[19:41] <Kris> "We have 5 years to challenge one of the most powerful beings in Creation... Sounds like a challenge."
[19:42] <Soul> "yes, but at least it's a little more straightforward. There's only ONE Mask of Winters. We kill him, objective completed."
06[19:42] * Soul mutters about stupid skullduggery cultists
06[19:42] * Kris nods. "Scale is an issue, yes."
06[19:42] * Gandr startles a little.
[19:42] <Gandr> "Hey, hey ... take a step back."
01[19:42] <Kris> "Yes, Gandr?"
[19:42] <Gandr> "Do we need to do these jobs ?"
06[19:42] * Kris blinks. "Technically... No."
06[19:42] * Soul hmms
[19:42] <Gandr> "I'm not saying whther or not we should - I'm saying we should consider our options more carefully."
01[19:43] <Kris> "Sure, we're under pain of 'consequences'..."
[19:43] <Soul> "...MAYBE, we could just tell Altair we refuse the deal. See if we're allowed to do that."
[19:43] <Gandr> "But what are those consequences ?"
06[19:43] * Kris shrugs.
[19:43] <Gandr> "He almost admitted to being impotent to solve the cultists problem on his own."
[19:43] <Soul> "We don't accomplish his tasks, he doesn't help us, we start over."
[19:43] <Gandr> "And he's done the classic threat-thing; he just left us to simmer in our own worries."
[19:43] <Soul> "Find some new angle to deal with the cultist problem."
[19:44] <Gandr> "I'm not saying we should start over ... but there's definetly something strange going on here."
06[19:44] * Kris nods. "That's a good point, Gandr.
[19:44] <Soul> "Strange, maybe...Let's just agree on this now."
[19:44] <Gandr> "Listen, ... let's just ..."
[19:44] <Soul> "I'm gonna assume Shi's answer will be yes judging on his behaviour..."
[19:44] <Soul> "
06[19:45] * Gandr straightens up and scratches his scalp.
[19:45] <Gandr> "Let's just sleep on this, okay ?"
[19:45] <Gandr> "Relax, get some rest."
[19:45] <Gandr> "Talk about this tomorrow."
06[19:45] * Kris nods.
01[19:45] <Kris> "That sounds like a plan, Gandr."
[19:45] <Soul> "All right...maybe we should think if we want to cancel this deal."
[19:45] <Soul> "If we can."
[19:45] <Gandr> "We're all under a lot of stress, and we're not thinking straight."
[19:45] <Gandr> "I agree, Soul."
[19:46] <Soul> "...wait, where's Lemy?"
06[19:46] * Violet blinks once and says, in a daze "I can try to convince him..."
[19:46] <Gandr> "I don't know a lot about gods, but the way I heard it, nothing was really AGREED to back there.
[19:46] <@Clarence_ST> LEMY IS MISS
[19:46] <Gandr> "He made an offer, and we didn't really take him up on it."
[19:46] <@Clarence_ST> TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR DRAGON BALLXALTED
06[19:46] * Gandr reloads Lemy.
01[19:46] <Kris> "He made us an offer but didn't let us refuse."
[19:46] <Soul> "...All right, let's just agree now, NO ONE tell him about the whole...Mask of Winters thing."
01[19:46] <Kris> "Agreed."
[19:46] <Gandr> "He let us assume that we WERE NOT IN A POSITION to refuse."
[19:46] <Gandr> "Agreed."
06[19:47] * Kris smiles at Gandr. "That's a good point."
01[19:47] <Kris> "Anyway, we should get some rest. Tommorow we can... Do something."
[19:47] <Gandr> "Yeah."
[19:47] <Soul> "All right...I'm going to go upstairs and make sure Shi doesn't KILL himself. And carve myself a sleeping niche out of there. The lab's up there anyway, it's only fair..."
[19:47] <Gandr> "Gods a-round, I'm hungry."
[19:47] <Soul> "You guys have fun deciding who sleeps where down here."
03[19:47] * Clarence_ST is now known as EliasMcNeal
06[19:47] * Soul shakes his head and walks upstairs
[19:47] <Gandr> "Who wants to go for some Mo-Ha chow ?"