15[20:20] <VoxPVoxD> The Solars wake to silent streets, the sky darkened by rainclouds and cold iron. Elegba is quiet to the south behind his wailing wall, and the grisly stalemate grinds on in the river, with Cethleann now staring down the seemingly endless churn of living and dead. The blood and death chokes the river so thoroughly that the Dame in Yellow has been spotted at the battlefield in funeral 
15[20:20] <VoxPVoxD> garb, her face pallid with illness.
[20:20] <Crion> 14We'll have to do something about that eventually.
[20:20] <Crion> 14Were their dreams silent, at least?
15[20:21] <VoxPVoxD> For now; Nine Storms Fiend reports that through the storm and simple attrition the barrier is thinning one flake of thistledown at a time. If the storm sticks around it won't last the next night.
15[20:23] <VoxPVoxD> Keldar's troops are glum but steadfast in the rain. There's a sense of frustration at the way the battle ended yesterday, and Lookshy is not popular in the ranks of the Dawn Guard.
15[20:24] <VoxPVoxD> Xia Lan wakes up to Tsuka at her bedside. Relief shines past his exhaustion when she begins to stir.
[20:24] <Crion> 14Hh. Well, they do have one more charge, at least.
[20:25] <trenchfoot> "Mnnnh." 13She feels awful. "Tsuka?"
[20:25] <Ferrinus> 12Certainly not with Keldar, who makes no attempt at apologism for the sake of his men - if you ask him, and plenty have, those cowards and lunatics took the first excuse they could not to engage, and might well have been betting on Keldar to lose. Steps will have to be taken to make sure their guns are at our disposal, that's for sure.
15[20:30] <VoxPVoxD> Xu Sim and Seven are forced to part early in the morning as the Governor, whose expression has been alternately bitter and sour since Xu Sim saw him yesterday, pulls his Scion away from conference with their leader. Where does he go?
[20:33] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim makes his way back to the Circle's headquarters. 
15[20:33] <VoxPVoxD> Tsuka grabs Xia Lan's hands and holds them. "What happened?"
[20:34] <Crion> 14Stranger will check in with all the people he needs to check in with, from Sion: Fear Has Wings to Selin, and then find the Councilors. He wants a straw poll on the stomach everyone outside the Office of the Emissary and the Dawn Sergeant has for rocking the boat with Lookshy and Thorns right now.
[20:34] <Ferrinus> 12At the start of the next day, Keldar's back to making plans. What he needs most importantly is a full technical readout on the Lookshyan larboard cannons - how far they can fire, how often they can fire, and what they'll actually do to the Wall.
[20:34] <Crion> 14Especially given that Vuol Ballare seems comfortable dictating Nexus territorial restrictions on movement to the Mask of Winters without consulting anyone first.
15[20:35] <VoxPVoxD> Xu Sim sees Stranger making the rounds and joins up with him. Wow, that's convenient.
[20:36] <Crion> 14Indeed. "How's your woman?" 14he'll ask the sorcerer after greeting him. Then: "And how's her boss?"
[20:36] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar, personally, thinks Ballare has no say on who does or doesn't enter the city, and insofar as we're allied with Thorns there's technically nothing new or special about the Mask turning up on the front. That said, since the Mask is actually in charge, it'd be wise to also make him party to the sun-sanctified oath of joint defense.
[20:36] <trenchfoot> 13Xia Lan: "Bad engagement. Got surrounded, lost my cool, and-- froze up." 13It's a longer story than that, but that's a good start. She squeezes his hands back. "Took a few bad hits doing it. I'll heal up by tomorrow if they don't need me anywhere today."
[20:37] <mattbaby> "She's-" 5the ghost of a smile crosses his face for a moment, but he doesn't say anything else. "He's bad news."
[20:37] <Crion> 14Stranger can do that if the Mask is willing to agree to a Sun-sanctified oath. But while Lookshy overstepped their bounds, he finds it difficult to argue that they don't have a point.
[20:38] <Crion> 14To Xu Sim: "The Lookshyans have already said as much. They've banned him from the city. On their own authority. Without consulting us."
[20:38] <Crion> "Not good."
15[20:39] <VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "Do you need anything? Are they taking care of you? I have to get back out there but if you need something I can get somebody to get it."
[20:40] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar, through the codex: "What was that wording again? Maybe they just go to war on their own time after this is all over."
[20:41] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: "Xia Lan and I got in over our heads. We were trying to flank and break the nothern stalemate when we ended up in the Underworld. The Thorns leaders did... something. It caused our rescue but also the Mask's arrival."
[20:43] <trenchfoot> 13Xia Lan: "I'll be fine. Just... I'd say just a bruised ego, but, well." 13She gestures to the bandages. "Where are you going today? Somewhere safe not really in the cards, I assume."
[20:43] <Crion> 14Stranger, to the Codex: <The missive I received read " Personnel are in the midst of being redeployed to buttress the city against the Mask of Winters. Lookshy now regards Thorns as the primary threat. -V.B.">
[20:43] <Crion> <That sounds rather immediate.>
[20:44] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Saw that one too. Ask me, they saw an excuse for pulling out mid-fight in attempt to get me killed."
[20:44] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim, to Stranger outside the Codex: "Why do they think that? The Mask looks north, not south. How did they know he arrived?"
[20:44] <Crion> 14To Xu Sim: "I'm sure he was just looking for an excuse to show himself, in fairness. And perhaps Octavian will act as something of a check on him?"
[20:44] <Crion> 14He shakes his head. Right. Octavian.
15[20:44] <VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "The sorcerers from the sea are at the eastern gate. Xu Sim put them under our command."
[20:45] <Crion> 14To Xu Sim: "They mistrust Thorns enough to have eyes on them at all times, I assume."
[20:45] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: "But the primary threat?"
[20:45] <Crion> "And they certainly know what the Mask looks like."
[20:45] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: "But the primary threat?"
[20:47] <Crion> 14He sighs. "I attempted to unite the feuding Lookshyan internal factions by convincing them Thorns would have them in pieces if they weren't made whole. At the time, that was true. I wasn't counting on the Mask showing up."
[20:47] <Crion> "It appears I succeeded too well."
[20:48] <trenchfoot> 13Xia Lan: "Well, stay behind them if you can help it. And... don't trust river crossings?" 13Ugh. Her head hurts. "I don't know what I'm going to do when I heal up," 13she says.
[20:48] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "You saw him, right - is he blighting the earth with every step or anything? Maybe we don't want him tracking mud inside."
[20:48] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim blinks a few times.
[20:49] <Crion> 14To Keldar: <Perhaps. Though we did our job against the Wall without them. I don't care if they play defense, but I'd prefer they do it against the raksha instead of Thorns.>
[20:50] <Crion> 14On the subject of Mask: <We absolutely do not. But we also don't want to commit defenses to it.>
[20:50] <Crion> <And then there's the Council to consider.>
15[20:50] <VoxPVoxD> Octavian hasn't been seen in the city since he emerged from the sewers some time overnight. One wonders how such a massive creature can hide, but no one's got an eye on the Quarter-Prince.
15[20:51] <VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "You'll rejoin the fight! There's a lot of things you can help us with that won't see you get surrounded."
[20:51] <Crion> 14To all Emissaries and the Dawn Sergeant on Codex: <One thing I want a sign-off on now: we use the last blast of thistledown to reinforce the iron dome. For better or worse, we have enough heavy-hitters lurking around that it's best to spend that resource keeping Cethleann from trying to manifest in the city through our own people.>
[20:52] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: <How much longer will the last blast take us?>
[20:52] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: <Makes sense to me.>
[20:54] <Crion> 14Stranger: <We'll need to refresh it tonight. Could get away with waiting towards the end; might be better to play it safe, as attrition is weakening it so long as this storm holds.>
[20:54] <Crion> 14What is the state of the other Councilors?
15[20:54] <VoxPVoxD> The sorcerers' best guess is that with fair winds another blast of thistledown will give you another three or four days.
[20:55] <trenchfoot> 13Xia Lan: <Noted.> 13Back to Tsuka: "Is that really the best use of me? I saw how people reacted to me getting carted back here, but..." 13She blows a stray hair from her eyes. "I'm moping and it's not helpful."
15[20:55] <VoxPVoxD> The Council of Entities, save its Dawn Sergeant and its Emissaries, are overseeing the administration of the emergency government in the Undercity.
[20:55] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: <The Mask is doing something to interfere with sorcery around his body. And he's doing something else now, something sorcerous that I can't understand.>
15[20:55] <VoxPVoxD> In what's either a very good sign or a very bad sign, there's not a peep of infighting or complaint from any of them.
[20:56] <Crion> 14Ominous.
[20:57] <Crion> 14Especially as he'd hoped for a fiery protest from the Council against Lookshy's new edict as a springboard to "mediate" to something more reasonable.
[20:57] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: <Anyway, Lookshy's pointed half their cannons at the Wailing Wall and the other half at the city, so you better explain to them it's in their best interest to leave the Mask to us before they start wasting ammo I'm gonna need.>
[20:57] <Crion> 14Then again, Ballare probably isn't his biggest fan now or ever.
[20:58] <Crion> 14Stranger: <I'll head that way and take Xu Sim with me. I think they still like him over there.>
[20:58] <Crion> <Some of them, at least.>
15[21:00] <VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "We'll figure it out. Just focus on getting better. We need you."
[21:01] <Crion> 14To Tsuka, but conferencing Xia Lan in for transparency: <How is she?>
15[21:01] <VoxPVoxD> Tsuka: "Still healing. She'll be okay."
[21:02] <trenchfoot> 13Xia Lan: <I will be.>
[21:03] <Crion> <Excellent.> 14Now to Xia Lan: <You're on bed rest until Xu Sim clears you or the raksha breach the wall.>
[21:03] <trenchfoot> 13Xia Lan: <Yes, dad.>
[21:05] <Crion> 14Stranger's silent for a moment, and Xu Sim might see startlement and something else pass across his face. <Alright. We'll be in touch once we've spoken to Ballare.>
[21:06] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: <Bed rest is unecessary. Xia Lan, you're cleared for everything but another suicide mission behind enemy lines.>
[21:06] <Crion> 14To Xia Lan, privately this time: <If you do find yourself up and about...within reason...it would be good to know what Vladok plans, and where Octavian has gone.>
[21:07] <Crion> 14Stranger, grumpily, out loud: "Physician, heal thyself."
[21:09] <trenchfoot> 13Xia Lan: <Noted, Xu Sim. I'll stay out of trouble. Mostly.>
[21:10] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim merely raises an eyebrow. "Who, me?" 5He'll produce and start taking drags on the steambreather.
15[21:12] <VoxPVoxD> Keldar's scouts send word back to command of a lone figure on emasback riding out from behind the wall across no-man's-land towards the Dawn Guard's position. They're not visibly armed, and fly a white flag of truce as they ride.
[21:13] <Crion> 14To Keldar: <We're on our way to the Lookshy command now. Will update you. Rather quickly, in fact, if they turn us away at the gangplank.>
[21:15] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: <They've been hiding in there since yesterday, so good luck to - someone's riding out from behind the Wall with a white flag. Let you know if it's a trap shortly.>
15[21:15] <VoxPVoxD> Stranger and Xu Sim make their wear to the heart of the Nexus district, where the Final Word has pulled into position taking up almost all of the downtown district's vast main thoroughfare, ordinarily a river of life running in parallel to the Yellow in one direction and the Grey in the other. The Lookshyan patrols and outposts thicken as they approach, but no one stops the two 
15[21:15] <VoxPVoxD> Emissaries until a pair of hulking gunzosha cross arms over the gangplank and a fried reverberating voice asks their business.
[21:16] <Crion> 14Stranger-Visits-Heaven: "We are the Emissaries of Nexus, and we come to discuss the Dragonlord's new security arrangements."
15[21:16] <VoxPVoxD> "One moment, sirs."
[21:18] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar's judged pretty well how close you have to get to the Wailing Wall for its screams to become painful rather than irritating. With that in mind, he makes a few arrangements with his soldiers and then strolls out on his own, shield and daiklave on his back. He'll go out to around twenty yalms from the end of the safe zone, cross his arms, and look out expectantly at the 
[21:18] <Ferrinus> 12approaching... emissary?
15[21:18] <VoxPVoxD> Emissary's probably the right word. How many of his men accompany him to the border?
[21:19] <Ferrinus> 12None, if the figure's also alone. Hell, it'd probably be none if the figure had a small phalanx behind it.
15[21:23] <VoxPVoxD> Then the rider and the general meet alone on the blasted fields across the river. "Parley! We ask parley for terms of truce!"
15[21:23] <VoxPVoxD> The word apparently comes down from the Word to let the Emissaries pass. The Gunzosha part and Stranger and Xu Sim are led up the gangplank by four Lookshyan infantry, two in front two behind.
[21:24] <Crion> 14Kind of annoying that Stranger keeps missing these parleys. Kind of concerning that the Lookshyans are putting armed infantry in their blindspots, even if it is only two of them.
[21:24] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Terms of truce? Lot of you rode up here across half Creation. What's stopping you from just turning around?"
15[21:29] <VoxPVoxD> Vuol Ballare meets them on the top deck, emerging from below flanked by jade-wearing soldiers. She points at Xu Sim. "What do you know about how they brought him here?"
[21:29] <trenchfoot> 13Once she's said her goodbyes to Tsuka - he's busy, he's got to be on the frontlines, and she pretends to need to rest. A few minutes later, a stranger slips out, wide-brimmed hat and a long coat hiding whatever bandages couldn't simply add to the effect if they were seen. Can't be a whole lot of reports of where Octavian's been without causing a panic, and Vladok's always been mercurial at best, so: if Dead Man's Hand were a 
[21:29] <trenchfoot> former bandit looking to hide something as huge as Octavian, where would he put it?
[21:29] <Crion> 14This is getting tense, but no less tense than he'd expect from an army of professionals just blindsided by Octavian and the Mask, while already staring down the raksha.
[21:29] <Crion> 14Well, she does just get right to it.
[21:30] <Crion> 14Stranger will raise an eyebrow, but look to Xu Sim; it's probably best just to let her know.
[21:31] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim folds his arms and shuffles his moustache.
15[21:31] <VoxPVoxD> Elegba's Emissary: "Honor and geas bend our dear leader's path, and our loyalty to him bids us follow. But his loyalty to Cethleann is not absolute. We petition to work together to seek some means beyond conquest to address the needs of the ancient pact that bids us forward."
[21:33] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar turns this over in his mind for a moment. "That so? Okay, so, what are the terms you're dealing with here?"
[21:36] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: "What do you know of it, Dragonlord? One group of Anathema, having subdued a Raksha lord and taken his host for themselves, rode east, then north, to flank the Anathema laying siege to the city. Through bad luck, they found themselves in the Underworld, cut off from their army and waylaid by Raksha and mad ghosts-
15[21:37] <VoxPVoxD> Elegba's Emissary: "We need to claim the eye and heart of the forgotten king, forsaken at the moment of his death, and retreat into the Wyld."
[21:37] <mattbaby> 5Continuing: "When all hope was lost, they accepted help from Anathema - not the same Anathema, mind - and were returned to the battle."
[21:37] <trenchfoot> 13...unfortunately, it's a lot easier to hide a demon than it is a wagonload of crates. Dang, that would've been a nice trick. Maybe there's chatter in the Undercity, once he gets down there.
[21:38] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: "While I might consider it rude for others to use that language in reference to me or my friends, or my sworn allies - I believe it's not too offensive when I use it for myself. As for the Mask..." 5he frowns.
15[21:38] <VoxPVoxD> "However," the emissary licks his lips, "After searching our consciences and our files, we find no proviso demanding we retreat into the Wyld with the eye and the heart. Merely after claiming it."
[21:39] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Then what's 'claim' mean?"
[21:40] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: "The Mask must be handled with great care. As carefully as a scorpion wandering up the back of a sleeping child must be."
[21:40] <Crion> 14Stranger: "The Council is of one mind on that matter."
15[21:42] <VoxPVoxD> Elegba's Emissary: "...opinion is currently divided. We'd like to work with your legal scholars and sorcerers to interpret the boundaries of the geas, and then work within it to satisfy its obligations without further harm to anyone."
[21:44] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar scrapes at the side of his chin with a thumb. "Could work for me. Could work out great. You got, like, an official document? Detailed wording? Whatever else those guys might like to reference?"
[21:45] <Crion> 14Does Keldar have his Codex page broadcasting so that the rest of us can hear at least his side of the conversation?
15[21:45] <VoxPVoxD> Ballare: "What I'm getting from this is that you don't know how he got here."
[21:46] <Crion> 14Interesting how much more concerned Ballare is with the 'how' than the 'why.'
[21:46] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: "Go on."
15[21:48] <VoxPVoxD> Ballare: "What sorcery exists that could pull him a thousand malms from Thorns? Can he go back? Can he call up reinforcements from Thorns? Do we have a backdoor flapping open in the wind that we can't even find, much less shut?"
15[21:49] <VoxPVoxD> Elegba's Emissary: "Yes, although I don't have it with me. Elegba carries it on his person."
[21:49] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "How do you propose we get a look?"
15[21:50] <VoxPVoxD> Xia Lan catches a sight of old Selin weaving through the crowd, looking purposeful but unobtrusive. After working his way to a darker side alley she sees him standing near what looks like a shadow but on which her vision focuses to reveal it's a cloud of smoke.
15[21:52] <VoxPVoxD> Elegba's Emissary: "Are you prepared to come to the table to parley, without killing intent?"
[21:52] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim seems confused for an instant. "You mean - no, I don't know how the Mask arrived. I speculate he might have been waiting in the Underworld nearby. He's moving on to new plans of some kind here, I don't know what he's attempting."
[21:52] <Crion> 14Intent has it coming.
[21:54] <trenchfoot> 13Huh. How hard would it be to get closer, maybe eavesdrop a bit? Probably pretty hard.
[21:54] <trenchfoot> 13Let's go for it.
[21:54] <Crion> 14Stranger: "The Mask is a creature of considerable but not limitless power; the 'why' of his arrival seems to me more pressing than the 'how.' He is a butcher, and therefore butchery is to be expected -- but his Thorns do little besides poison the water for now."
[21:55] <Crion> 14To Xu Sim: "He is engaged in some strange ritual, is he not?"
[21:55] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "I'll need to ask my fellows - see if they think it's worth looking into. Personally I'm not too sure about the 'claim' thing." 12He looks back at the city, then at the wall, then at the diplomat. "But it's probably an idea worth entertaining. Tell me this - who put this geas on your master in the first place?"
15[21:55] <VoxPVoxD> "I don't know, sir."
[21:57] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: "He is. I don't know what he's doing. But I think, Dragonlord, you may have some devices that would give us an advantage in finding out the answer to that question. The late Dragonlord had in his possession a mask of white jade..."
[21:58] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Why're a bunch of humans taking the field for an ancient raksha, anyway? You don't sound like you've had your soul scooped out."
15[21:59] <VoxPVoxD> Elegba's Emissary: "He freed us. Helped us free ourselves."
[22:01] <trenchfoot> 13...they'd see him coming. Should've picked a different disguise. That's the trouble with getting yourself a good walking-around one, sooner or later you tie yourself to one and they've got their own friends and enemies and such. Best to nip that kinda thing in the bud. Friendly tip of the cap in the general direction of Selin then, as he sidles over towards the conversation.
15[22:02] <VoxPVoxD> Ballare: "...what of it?"
[22:02] <Crion> 14Stranger: "Personally, I am more interested in whether or not the Mask's actions represent a violation of our sanctified, sworn Oath -- or, more precisely, whether the Governor or any of his subordinates participating in such actions would represent a violation. The Mask is spending a lot of time alone out there, with little coordination to our eye. That's not good."
[22:02] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "What from?"
15[22:02] <VoxPVoxD> Selin looks up abruptly. "Afternoon," he says, somewhat cageily.
[22:03] <Crion> 14And the one person he is coordinating with, the Scion, is the one person in Thorns they don't wish branded oathbreaker.
[22:04] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: "From what I could discern of its function, it would let someone like Stranger speak with the Mask without the risk of divulging our strategy. I briefly conversed with him and it was unwholesome."
15[22:05] <VoxPVoxD> Elegba's Emissary: "The Cathak and Ragara viceroys and their traitor princelings who held us under their boots! We have cast off our oppressors like leaves on the wind. We choose our own fates now, and many of us chose to follow the hero who liberated us!"
15[22:05] <VoxPVoxD> "Our leader Elegba is peerless in his compassion, wisdom, and strength! He raised a riot into a revolution! He fought great Ahlat to a draw!"
[22:06] <trenchfoot> 13Dead Man's Hand: "Howdy. Was able to sneak out for a bit, wanted to check up. See if there was anything I could do to help."
15[22:07] <VoxPVoxD> Selin: "Haven't seen you around lately. Where've you been pitching in?"
[22:09] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Hmm, wonder if I could take Ahl- ...nah, look. I hear you. But here in Nexus, the Emissary did something like the same. His power's what's kept our city free in the face of every Realm house you could name. So you can see why I'm not about to let you carve the poor guy's heart out."
[22:09] <trenchfoot> 13Xia Lan adjusts her moustache and lets her real voice bleed through for a moment: "Went north. Didn't turn out very well."
[22:09] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "But like I said - I'll look into it. Anything else you wanna add?"
[22:09] <Crion> 14Stranger is mildly put out by the idea that he can't hold his own in diplomatic discourse with the Mask of Winters, but recognizes the value in being cautious. However, if they were both to approach the Mask, Stranger would suggest that Xu Sim take it.
15[22:10] <VoxPVoxD> Elegba's Emissary: "Only that we greatly appreciate your sensitivity and tact in taking this message in the spirit it was intended."
[22:10] <trenchfoot> 13Dead Man's Hand: "Sorry for the secrecy. Not in the mood for dealing with crowds on days off."
15[22:10] <VoxPVoxD> Ballare: "You want me to loan you an artifact that belonged to the general you stood next to and watched die?"
[22:11] <Crion> 14Oh, bother.
[22:11] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Eh? Oh, yeah, I got loads of those, famous for it. Let your boss know my people are deliberating." 12He'll move to return to his own lines, then, once Elegba's emissary has made whatever formal motions of farewell he wants to.
15[22:11] <VoxPVoxD> So the pair separate.
[22:14] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar returns to the Guard and informs them that the opposing general has put a diplomatic proposal before the Council, such that he's going to leave the front and return to the city briefly and that they should prepare for, but not immediately expect, some kind of attack. Then he takes one of the rowboats the Guard have been using to cross the river and, with a small detachment, 
[22:14] <Ferrinus> 12moves to return to the city. He wants to consult his own raksha folk hero before bringing this in front of the Circle proper, though, and that's why he'll try to find - or just call out for - the original Emissary once he's back on the city streets and able to wander around on his own.
15[22:15] <VoxPVoxD> Selin raises an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be resting?"
[22:15] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim speaks very softly. "Dragonlord Dorma was my friend, Vuol. I tried to help him vanquish a foe we both swore to destroy. When it was clear that wouldn't work, I tried to rescue him before he could be killed. When that didn't work, I stood by his body as the thistledown I built with his help prevented a rout."
[22:16] <mattbaby> 5Continuing, his voice lowering - "I didn't stand there and watch someone die. Though you were content to do just that, yesterday, when this one-" 5here, he gestures to Stranger- "and the Tiger of Nexus fought the enemy general and the Wailing Wall Akasha to a standstill. You withdrew and left the fighting to others. I am offering you the chance, right now, to do so again. I pray 
[22:16] <mattbaby> you take it."
[22:17] <trenchfoot> 13Dead Man's Hand: "Doctor says I'm cleared for anything but suicide missions. Another day off the battlefield and a night in bed, right as rain with no one the wiser."
15[22:22] <VoxPVoxD> Keldar finds the Emissary atop Sentinel Hill, sitting at the base of the shattered tower. Keldar's footsteps echo strangely as he approaches.
15[22:23] <VoxPVoxD> Selin looks from side to side. "We found something."
15[22:23] <VoxPVoxD> "Something I thought we'd lost ages ago."
[22:23] <trenchfoot> 13Dead Man's Hand: "What kind of something?"
15[22:24] <VoxPVoxD> Selin motions for Dead Man's Hand to join him and the smoke in the alley. "Have you ever heard of the Gates of Auspicious Passage?"
15[22:25] <VoxPVoxD> Ballare's eyes flash. "Are you calling me a coward?"
[22:25] <Ferrinus> "I just spoke with one of Elegba's people," 12says Keldar, by way of greeting. "The general seems to think he can wiggle out of his own oath - quote-unquote "claim" your eye and heart, but then just leave 'em behind while retreating into the Wyld." 12He pauses. "What do you think? Feasible? Safe for you, if we double-geas Elegba not to try anything? There'll still be Cethleann."
[22:28] <trenchfoot> 13Dead Man's Hand: "...not ringing any bells, no."
15[22:33] <VoxPVoxD> Selin: "From long ago, great arches that were erected all over the world, linked by powerful sorcery. Most of them are destroyed or beyond repair now. But back when Nexus was Hollow, it used to be a central junction point for the Gates, deep below the city. The dams align them. While repairing and clearing out the sewers we've rediscovered what I think is access to those Gates."
[22:33] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim: "I'm giving you a chance to get it done clean, precise, and exact, by the best in the East."
15[22:34] <VoxPVoxD> Ballare: "Walk away, old man."
15[22:34] <VoxPVoxD> "As a matter of fact, I think you should run."
[22:35] <trenchfoot> 13Dead Man's Hand: "Do you know where else they could lead? What, if anything they could let in?"
[22:35] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim spins on his heel and walks off the bridge.
[22:37] <Crion> 14Stranger doesn't move, but does watch him go. "Well, that could have gone better. Forgive him; he's a sorcerer, not a diplomat. And he cared more for Nessun Dorma than he cares to show often."
15[22:38] <VoxPVoxD> Selin: "Not yet. We haven't accessed the chamber yet, we don't know if it's safe. We've got to inform the Council, but we think it should come from an Emissary. You or Stranger."
15[22:38] <VoxPVoxD> Ballare: "Is there something else?"
[22:40] <Crion> "I, of course, am well aware it was prudence, not cowardice, that has stayed your hand. Just as it was prudence that led you to give orders on the defense of Nexus without consulting the Council, the Emissaries, or the Dawn Sergeant; just as will be prudence that has you sending me to face the Mask of Winters and determine precisely what threat it is he poses to your men and this city. 
[22:40] <Crion> But given that you do have this white jade mask,  and you are not a coward, and you are an important player in this little drama, I was wondering if perhaps you might put it on instead and join me in parley with the Mask of Winters."
[22:41] <Crion> "Equal footing at the table. A chance to observe your enemy up close, while under my protection. It is an opportunity to consider."
[22:42] <trenchfoot> 13DMH: "Makes sense. Hmm... probably me, I think, Stranger's been running himself ragged. What more can you tell me about - what they're supposed to be? How much you know of what's left of them?"
[22:43] <mattbaby> 5For his part, Xu Sim storms off the Final Word without speaking another syllable.
15[22:44] <VoxPVoxD> The Emissary tilts his head upwards. "No... no, that won't work. It would be extremely painful for him to attempt to move the star. He's a waste anyway. You might as well ignore him."
15[22:46] <VoxPVoxD> Selin: "Little to nothing. They once pointed all over Creation, but with the dams in the state they are and all the time that's gone by I couldn't guess where they point or which of them work now."
[22:47] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Would if I could, but he's still got an army. And maybe he doesn't have to move anything, yeah? Just 'claim' it - and immediately relinquish it, or something. We mean to put lawyers on the question."
15[22:48] <VoxPVoxD> "Lawyers?"
[22:49] <Crion> 14Stranger's ears are burning.
[22:49] <Crion> 14However, this is literally what Nobu Whitefeather's department exists for.
[22:50] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "And sorcerers and historians and such. The point here is that Elegba's looking to weasel out of this and go away, and I figure we should help him if it's all the same to you. But that's the question - if we can make sure it's all the same to you."
[22:50] <trenchfoot> 13DMH: "Hrm." 13A pause. "Can I see where it is? Not to do anything rash, mind. Just to get a look at what we'd be working with."
15[22:50] <VoxPVoxD> Ballare looks at Xu Sim's retreating form for a long moment before saying, "When are you going out there?"
[22:52] <Crion> 14Stranger: "As soon as possible. There might be an issue to attend to at the actual Office of the Emissary itself -- Elegba is at least pretending to wish to negotiate terms, and I will need to have my people review the agreement. I will want to be at my fullest strength before attempting to engage the Mask in discovery or negotiation. That means an hour or two, at most."
15[22:52] <VoxPVoxD> Selin leads Dead Man's Hand out of the main tunnel, through a series of increasingly dark and damp alleys until they reach a comparatively well-lit area with signs of recent construction, one of them a recently scraped-clean stretch of wall that reveals an ancient sealed door covered in glyphs.
15[22:56] <VoxPVoxD> The door says that this way lies the Heart of the Hollow, a great crossroads where all may come and go. It lists the founders and builders of the city, from Pallas the Brave to Stranger Visits Heaven.
[22:57] <trenchfoot> 13Xia Lan: "This is -- I'm sorry?"
[22:57] <trenchfoot> 13She's squinting now, which looks foreign on the face of Dead Man's Hand. "I'm not reading that wrong, am I?"
15[22:57] <VoxPVoxD> The Emissary: "You'll be meeting him directly, I assume."
[22:58] <Crion> 14Given that Elegba hasn't submitted his proposal, however, it looks like Stranger will be meditating until rested and then heading out north of the walls with the Dragonlord.
[22:58] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "That's the idea. His idea, seemingly - he's got the actual document at hand and I suppose doesn't want to just send it over."
15[22:59] <VoxPVoxD> Emissary: "I'll attend the meeting."
15[22:59] <VoxPVoxD> "Bring him inside the city."
15[23:00] <VoxPVoxD> Selin: "I'm guessing that you're not."
[23:01] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Sounds good to me. He'll probably want various assurances of good will, though - not sure how to produce any, unless you want to swear to something in front of Stranger."
[23:03] <Crion> 14Stranger would object to bringing Elegba into the city on the strongest terms, but he's not there and currently resting.
[23:05] <trenchfoot> 13Xia Lan: "Well. I don't want to exactly -- spring that on him. I'll talk with him after... I'm back on bed rest, I guess." 13How big's the door? Passage for individuals, or armies?
15[23:07] <VoxPVoxD> Xia Lan guesses that this gate was meant to accomodate a lot of foot traffic but not, like, shipping or anything.
[23:12] <Crion> 14After Stranger wakes, he'll have some tea, then wrap up a serving table, a suitable number of cups, and his steadfast Lotus Blossom Kettle in a convenient bundle before heading out. As he walks, he'll try to ping Bubo on the Codex, more out of ritual and curiosity than expecting a response.
15[23:13] <VoxPVoxD> No word from Bubo, but that's normal.
[23:14] <Crion> 14Worth a shot.
[23:14] <Crion> 14He's likely the first to arrive at the northern gates, unless Ballare is quite impatient.
15[23:15] <VoxPVoxD> Keldar, Stranger, and Xu Sim meet a masked Vuol Ballare and her adjutants at the Northern Gate. Ballare arrives after Stranger, but not long after; Stranger suspects that they were waiting before him to get there before they rolled him.
15[23:15] <VoxPVoxD> *rolled up
[23:15] <Crion> 14Fair play.
[23:17] <trenchfoot> 13A way to surprise their foes would be welcome, as would an escape route, should it truly come to that. She'll look around for a few moments more, resist the temptation to try to clear off more of the glyphs. Then: "There was one more thing I came out to check, actually."
[23:17] <Crion> 14He has a little speech to give once everyone's there, but before they head out. "So. We are going out to meet with one of the most powerful creatures currently in Creation, and one of its most powerful enemies. By the imprimatur of the Unconquered Sun, we are protected by The Dialogue of Sun and Shadow. The Mask of Winters is forbidden from attacking us without just cause and 
[23:17] <Crion> must observe the common rules of hospitality. To that end I will be serving tea. However: he will be perfectly within his rights to attempt to goad, shame, cajole, and otherwise convince YOU into attacking HIM."
[23:17] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar meets the others there, and so he doesn't have the time to brief Stranger and Xu Sim on what he's been discussing with the raksha within and without the city. He does, however, raise a brow and then simply scoff as he espies Ballare's party approaching to rendevouz.
[23:18] <Crion> "And if you do that, all deals are off. We defend ourselves, flee, or die."
[23:19] <Crion> "None of you are restricted in what you can say or do within those rules. Ideally, we convince him to leave; if not that, then we get him to swear the same oath his governor swore. But all things being equal, I'll settle for just figuring out why he's here and walking away from the meeting."
[23:19] <Crion> "Unless there are any questions, let's do this."
[23:19] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar: "Pfft, we could take him." 12He lets that stand for a beat. "I'm just fucking with you, I know what we're dealing with here. I'll keep all that in mind."
[23:20] <Crion> 14Stranger's jaw tenses almost imperceptibly in the downbeat there, but then he nods.
15[23:21] <VoxPVoxD> Selin: "What's that?"
[23:21] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim is all nerves.
[23:23] <Crion> 14Stranger treats Ballare precisely the same as the other two Solars, neither lingering on her meaningfully as a source of conflict nor showing any sign that he expects any different of her when it comes to following his ground rules. For now, as far as he's concerned, she is part of the team.
[23:24] <trenchfoot> 13Xia Lan: "Do you happen to know where Vladok was heading? I lost track of him earlier."
15[23:25] <VoxPVoxD> Selin: "Aboveground, I think."
[23:27] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar's ready to go, either way. He's pretty sure that everyone wants the same thing here, and is mostly hoping that it'll turn out he never needed to show up.
[23:28] <Crion> 14Without further ado, he'll heft the wrapped cutlery and lead them out towards the Mask.
15[23:29] <VoxPVoxD> The stench of death is thick in the air above the river, as knights mounted on dragonflies do pitched battle with screaming spirits above and the Yellow churns with the dying and the dead.
[23:30] <Crion> 14Hrrrnh. Is the Deathlord still in the river itself? The table should float, at least.
[23:30] <trenchfoot> 13Xia Lan: "Then I'll head out. Thanks for the information, Selin -- I'll try and get in touch again soon about," 13she gestures to the gates.
15[23:30] <VoxPVoxD> Selin: "Take care."
15[23:32] <VoxPVoxD> Indeed, the deathlord is so deeply immersed in the river that only the rear-facing rictus of his helmet is visible above the water. Xu Sim knows that another, more beatific face is pointed ahead at Cethleann and her army.
[23:33] <trenchfoot> 13Dead Man's Hand's longcoat swirls around him as he strides back towards civilization, or what passes for that down here. Got to keep mindful of the time, too, wouldn't want the doctors to worry.
[23:33] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar speaks in a low voice to his compatriots as they approach the river. "What's, uh - has he said what he's doing?"
[23:34] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim scans around. Are the deathlords retainers joining in? Is the deathlord himself in the middle of casting sorcery or necromancy?
[23:35] <Crion> 14Stranger wades out to a respectful distance, finds a rock outcropping, and, gently whistling, swiftly assembles his tea party. He doesn't actually have to say this for the protections to take effect, but the first time the Mask acknowledges his presence or when he's got the water boiling, whichever comes first, he'll say, "I am Stranger-Visits-Heaven, and I invoke the Dialogue 
[23:35] <Crion> the Sun is due."
[23:35] <Crion> 14To Keldar, before that: "He has not. That is one of our goals here."
15[23:36] <VoxPVoxD> The water doesn't churn or even ripple as the mask turns around. The Mask's voice is smooth and cold. "Say that name again, please."
[23:36] <Crion> 14He pours foul, diseased river water directly into the Perfect Host without a care in the world, and out comes pure, healthy water.
[23:37] <Crion> 14He looks up from the tea. "Stranger-Visits-Heaven."
[23:38] <Crion> 14The 'range' of the Dialogue is more or less conversational; Keldar, Xu Sim, and Ballare should feel free to move around within reason.
15[23:39] <VoxPVoxD> "Huh. So you are." He begins to walk up to the riverbank, not a drop of water clinging to his flowing black robes or gleaming silver armor. 
15[23:39] <VoxPVoxD> "Who have you brought?" The mask turns to the others.
15[23:39] <VoxPVoxD> Ballare: "Dragonlord Vuol Ballare, of the General Staff of the Seventh Legion."
[23:40] <Crion> 14Stranger pours five cups, and lets the others introduce themselves.
[23:41] <Crion> 14Is he a little pale? It's hard to tell. Perhaps it's the river.
[23:42] <Ferrinus> 12Keldar takes up a position nearby Stranger. "Keldar, Dawn Sergeant of Nexus."
[23:43] <mattbaby> "And I," 5Xu Sim breathes, "you have already met."
[23:44] <Crion> 14Stranger: "Tea?"
[23:46] <Crion> 14The invitation is open to all. If declined, Stranger will simply drink his way through the cups he has poured.
15[23:47] <VoxPVoxD> The Mask emerges fully from the river now, drawing up to his full height which is fully twice Keldar's. "I'm afraid I have nowhere to put it. I hope you won't think me terribly rude for declining." A wave of his gauntleted hand and half a dozen skeletons shater and snap apart, locking back together with rapid clacks until they've formed the frame of a high-backed chair that the Mask 
15[23:47] <VoxPVoxD> seats himself in, looking out at the outcropping over the river where Stranger and the others stand. The Governor and Seven emerge from behind the throne and approach the tea party.
15[23:47] <VoxPVoxD> Seven casts a furtive, searching glance in Xu Sim's direction. Is he okay?
[23:47] <Crion> 14Accordingly, Stranger pours two more cups.
[23:47] <Crion> 14What's important is the effort.
[23:48] <Crion> 14Stranger: "Governor. Sevenfold Scion. Well met."
[23:49] <mattbaby> 5Xu Sim makes eye contact with Seven and, if she seems alright for the moment, then he is as well.
15[23:50] <VoxPVoxD> Undead servitors bring chairs for Seven and the Governor. "Would you like to sit down?" the Mask offers them.
[23:51] <Ferrinus> 12Well, Keldar hasn't got a seat. He'll take one if the Mask offers, but otherwise he'll be stuck drinking tea standing up, which is plenty more luxury than battlefields often afford.
[23:52] <Crion> 14Stranger bows his head at the Mask's graciousness, but responds: "If they are all made of bone, I sadly must decline. You honor with the thought."
15[23:52] <VoxPVoxD> "As you wish."
[23:52] <Crion> 14He sips his tea. "You've been in town--" 14Stranger pauses, looks about. "Well. 'In town' for almost a day now. How do you find it?"
15[23:58] <VoxPVoxD> The Mask: "I'd heard Nexus was a lively city and it does not disappoint. You've done wonders with the place in your time in power."
[00:00] <Crion> 14Stranger: "...We get by. I do not rule alone. As it stands, I mainly advise." 14He gestures at the Governor and Seven. "Your generals and servitors distinguish you."
15[00:04] <VoxPVoxD> "Well put. They serve with distinction."
[00:06] <Crion> 14Stranger: "And yet you take the field yourself, despite the distractions and the attentions such a thing might bring. I hope you did not come all this way on our account; that would be somewhat embarrassing."
[00:06] <Crion> 14He has moved on to the second cup.
15[00:07] <VoxPVoxD> The Mask: "I came because I was called. Part of having such able people under my command is trusting their judgment, and it was their judgment that I was needed to help stave off a mortal threat to Creation."
15[00:08] <VoxPVoxD> The air around them bubbles and pops, and another, deeper voice says, "So was I."
[00:08] <Crion> 14Is that...?
15[00:09] <VoxPVoxD> There he is, out of a sickening nowhere, almost as tall as the Mask and far more solidly build, leaking poison on the ground as he leans on a huge and wicked-looking staff.
15[00:09] <VoxPVoxD> NEXT TIME: The Chosen, the Tower, and the Mask
[00:09] <Crion> 14It's high past time he figured out just who the fuck Stranger-Visits-Heaven is.