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the channeling

THE CHANNELING

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WEALTH WHISPERS

Assignment: the Merchant fears that Matthias, alleged father of the undead Brotherhood, might be the ‘merchant’ who was due to receive dark water-infused grains by sea from the Hand. Chasing information, the Merchant routes party members towards the docks-side underworld district of Tibras, in the outskirts of Ephes. The Hand keeps grain warehouses nearby.

In Tibras, short and decayed houses are like parasitic growths toppling each other, plaster peels falling into rivulets of bloodshed. Tension thrives. Petrified, natives overwhelmingly number beggars, pleasure workers, crude bounty hunters and thieves, who look to cut throats or purse strings. Occasional bodies drift by the docks.

■ Just outside of Tibras is the abode of the merchants’ syndicate — a ring of warehouses, private clubs and houses of currency. Merchants here are protected via steep fees and travel freely. Inside the syndicate house, doorways are barred by inextinguishable living fire — which you can cross unharmed, if you rearrange the runes marked N, W, S, E on a nearby wall in a cardinal-point formation. You can also pretend to be a servant, a merchant or quality inspector to get to the Hand warehouses. Ask a clue.

Alternatively, the Merchant forewarns that a notable guest will join the syndicate for three nights: Captain Maximilian Hawk of the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company, which deals in magical artefacts. Hold him at knifepoint, seduce him, do your worst for knowledge!

■ By the entrance to Tibras is the shop of Apollonius, noted collector of supernatural artefacts and information broker. Crafty and sly, he will cooperate, in exchange for a pair of ‘eyes’ from the ghost Tykhe, who haunts the nearby anonymous burial grounds. Come midnight, Tykhe’s spirit — whose sight was gouged — appears and picks out and bewitches a pair of marbles, buttons or stones to act as her ‘eyes.’ With them in hand, she searches the graveyard for her dead sister, Cassandra. You can steal the orbs, or she’ll give them freely, if you escort her from tomb to tomb to reunite with the mute ghost of Cassandra. Return to Apollonius.

■ Deeper within Tibras is a gambling nest of sailors who were cursed by a scorned sea witch to assume the appearance of sea creatures. Led by the giant octopus Crassus, they charge protection fees from commercial merchant ships and even intimidate pirates, gleaning information from sailors and recovering drowned bodies. This illustrious group adores games of chance — as long as you can cover your losses.

You can decide or RNG how many tries it takes for your character to win — submit a finished thread to get a question! The higher the stakes, the better the information.

— a scantly informed junior goldfish throws dice. Lose, and you must share a highly embarrassing secret.

— a moderately informed catfish, offering Baccarat. Lose, and he steals your good luck for 24 hours.

— a composed, well-informed whale plays roulette. Lose, and you must share one of your most precious memories.

— a highly-knowledgeable shark, Aurelius Longus, plays a mean hand of poker. Lose, and he asks blood or a pledge to save his life one day.

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THE FLOORS

Senate leader Caius Justus exits his seclusion, ending weeks of prayer to convey the message of Ephes’ divine patron, the Chained God of chaos. And he says in a public speech:

Friends, Ephesians, countrymen…

”Friends, Ephesians, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to speak for the Chained Father, not to praise him. The victory men reap lives after them; but cowardice is often buried with their bones. So let it be with Ephes. The noble Senate tells you, the Chained Father wishes only Ephes’ destruction. If it were so, it is a grievous fault, and grievously has the Father answered for it. Here, under leave of Messalina and the Senate – for Messalina is an honourable speaker; so they are all, all honourable speakers – come I to speak of the Chained Father’s wishes. He was my maker, faithful and just to us: but Messalina says, turn away from him. And Messalina is an honourable speaker. He has brought many territories under the heel of Ephes. In his name did the Hand rise: did this in the Chained Father seem unworthy? When now you weep asking empire, the Chained Father answers: tells you to be made of sterner stuff. Yet Messalina says the Father is unworthy. And Messalina is an honourable speaker. You all did see that I withdrew to his temple, where he spoke to me: Ephes, seize your path alone — was that unworthy? Yet Messalina says to turn away from him. And sure, Messalina is an honourable speak. I speak not to disprove what Messalina spoke, but here I am to speak what I do know: you are all children of Chaos, not without cause. What cause withholds you, then, to use the Hand yourselves? O, ambition! You have fled to brutish citadels. And men have lost their courage. Bear with me: my heart is in the temple, there with the Chained God, and I must pause and beg the Senate to vote against Messalina, til it comes back to me. ”

Returning to public life, Caius Justus advises the Senate to refuse Messalina’s proposal, but defers to a vote. Citing recent civil unrest, he imposes citadel-wide 10 p.m. curfews, bans congregations of more than eight people in the streets and sends the Hand to confiscate any visible weapons and to quiet or pre-empt unrest. Hand members — forced to present in large numbers — appear erratic, prone to violent outbursts and to taking out their anger on civilians. Hand leader Narula is excessively smug.

Newscasters are careful with their words, speeches decrying Messalina abound, and senators are‘escorted’ by Hand delegations, also for their protection. Caius Justus announces he will run again for Senate leadership — to begrudged murmurs among Senators, given his previous pledge to retire.

Assignment: lure Senators toward the position that the party supports. After Caius Justus’ return:

■ 51 Senators back Caius Justus to refuse Messalina’s proposal.

■ Maximus Faustus convinces 53 Senators to accept Messalina’s proposal

■ Caelius Silvanus persuades 47 Senators to vote to postpone a decision on Messalina’s proposal for another season.

Following the party’s previous interventions, Senators are open to considering Messalina’s cause. Many are skittish, fearing their careers or lives will end with disobeying Caius Justus. Optionally, party members previously assigned a political role might receive threats from Caius Justus’ supporters.

■ Persuade, bribe, threaten or blackmail a minor Senator to switch votes. Perhaps you can offer coin or rally supporters in the marketplace for their next election, or heal their donkey or get rid of that pesky boy mooning after their daughter. Or maybe prove their corruption streak, or place a polite knife at their throats. Hold the whole Senate floor hostage, if you want, of blockade Senators from entering the Senate on voting day!

■ Ask for a RNGed Senator if you want or submit threads of swaying votes. A final tally will be taken on 19 November

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INCENSE

Priests of the Chained God whisper that the god shows signs of awakening to trigger an apocalypse. Chained and warded twelve times to prevent the end of the world, the Chained God allegedly rests in the Halls of the Sleeper, in the underground belly of his main temple in Ephes. Above ground, the temple is silent, rife with milling priests, hummed prayers and cloying hallucinogenic incense that encourages lethargy. Access is unrestricted, but monitored.

To progress downstairs, you may need to convince guards that you are one of the groups of ferociously devout pilgrim worshippers, or a priest. Below, you feel overcome by creeping, paralysing dread.

■ You are haunted by sinister, saccharine voices murmuring intrusive thoughts only you hear, diminishing your worth and paranoically asking if your companion means you harm. You are more irritable and prone to violence.

■ The halls increasingly resemble narrow subterranean corridors with limited and overheated air reserves. You reach locked stone gates, covered in loose chains and crudely carved with the inscription, the Sleeper awakes. Instructions state the Chained God demands sacrifice and proof of chaos.

■ To enter the Sleeper’s Hall, instructions say, you must commit an act of betrayal, by: drawing your companion’s blood and smearing it over the inscription (lean into the corruption!), which prevents them from entering the halls with you; or chaining them to the door with the gate shackles, condemning them to watch as you enter; or pushing your companion away, verbally eviscerating or attacking them until they flee. With player approval, your character could get a sense of what theirs is emotionally or physically vulnerable to, then exploit it. Acts of betrayal cannot be faked.

■ The Sleeper’s Hall is narrow, nearly spherical and lit by thin rivers of flowing magma that cross cracked floors. Amid swelter, you hear the periodic gulps and quakes of stone trembling around you. The supernaturally sensitive feel the presence of great, if constrained power.

■ The black water previously associated with the undead also gushes from rifts in the ground. It has a cold, sinister aura.

■ Search the room for clues — and leave urgently, before corruption consumes you.

■ Towards the middle of the room is a large, nebulously shaped creature, fully fettered and covered in magical wards, chains and blood-painted runes. Anyone in the Chained God’s presence may feel overcome by emotional or physical agony, claustrophobia and bloodlust — but the divinity only speaks with the RNG winner.

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NOTES:

■ Some players have asked about potentially ~~stabbing~~ ousting Caius Justus and Narula in a coup — everyone can plot and participate in that, and a plotting post will go up on 16 November.

■ NPC inbox, if you need anyone!

■ QUESTIONS

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( her scowl and that glare goes unnoticed. sorta. sure, they'd parted ways in a less than ideal manner, with him not apologizing about what he'd said to her and her walking away and him not following after, but he figures nami glaring at him today is just standard orange-haired girl behavior. she's pretty feisty. like telling him off about the safe, scolding him about that leak on the ship, that argument they had after being captured by buggy, that other big fight about his duel to the death with mihawk -- it's a whole list. )

Mm. Happy. ( it's a good thing he's not getting anything stronger than a cocktail because he's already had a lot of drinks handed to him all day. zoro might just be a little buzzed. when she heads off to the gambling tables, this time, he follows along, sort of dutifully, a hand resting on his trusty sword as he moves to stand beside her. )

Game of chance. You feeling lucky or something? ( whale guy seems to have a thing for collecting information about people. he's not sure he likes that. )

[ Nami takes her time getting to the roulette table, pulling her glasses out and settling them on her nose as they approach, her voice quiet when she speaks, trying to ensure only Zoro hears her. ]

I've watched for long enough. Eight, five, twenty-three, and twelve are what's hit the most at that table. You play one, I play another one, and we double our odds of getting it right so we can leave. [ Her gaze settles briefly on the bottle in Zoro's hand before she looks back at him, frowning over the rim of her glasses at him. ] I need a real drink.

( eighty five, twenty and what? he gets distracted by nami's demand for another drink and he lets out a slight shake of his head, the sharp angles of his face looking all the more prominent under the glare of the lights as he sucks in a deep breath. ) Last I checked, I'm not your manservant. ( he sets the bottle on the edge of the table and is about to tell her to take it or leave it when the drink gets switched out by a random lady passing by, who puts her hands on both of their shoulders and wishes them luck, leaving behind three shots of whiskey.

before they can get into another petty argument about who gets the third shot, the table gets set and they're being asked if they understand the rules of the game. lose and the whale's going to want a precious memory of theirs. )

Oh, we'll win. ( confident. because hey, the money queen said she's been watching the game, right? )

[ She's about to grab that bottle too before a woman bearing shots and well-wishes approves and almost knocks Nami off her groove of righteous indignation. Thankfully, where Zoro's concerned, that's a well that never seems to run dry. The shots take the heat out of it momentarily. After downing one of them, Nami weighs her odds of getting away with snatching the third when the whale speaks up, inviting them to place their bets.

Straightening up Nami takes a deep breath, settling a chip down on the square marked eight, longing for another drink as she waits for the wheel to get spun.

Fourteen says the whale managing to sound both passive and amused at the same time before he looks at Nami expectantly. Hating this on levels - because Zoro's seen her fail, and because now she'll have to provide a memory she'd deem as precious, she screws up her mouth for a moment before speaking in a rush. ] My mom taught me how to make pinwheels out of tangerine rinds.

( so much for winning. this is sort of reminding him of that drinking game they played back on the baratie, where they each tried to guess something about the other, except this time, he's getting information about her freely and all too easily. zoro pushes the remaining shot towards nami, letting her have it before he confidently puts his chip down on the square marked three. or wait, was it...

twenty three, the whale announces calmly as the wheel comes to a stop. well, fuck. too late now... zoro's keeping his gazed fixed on the damn wheel, refusing to glance over at the navigator because he knows he messed up there. unlike nami, it's gonna take him some time before he can come up with something to share here. somehow this feels like pulling teeth. he's tempted to get his blade out instead, his fingers hovering over the hilt of his sword as he feels everyone's eyes on him. )

What the hell am I supposed to say? ( is he asking for nami's help here? pretty much. )

[ The shot helps, though she doesn't look at Zoro after taking it, keeping her gaze level on the roulette table instead, wincing when he puts his money on the wrong number - an expression that gets all the more withering after his bet's wasted and now the whale's looking his way.

When Zoro turns to face her again Nami finally meets his eye, brows raised skeptically at the question. ] How the hell am I supposed to know what's precious to you? Just - say something you care about being able to remember. Swords? Or...something. [ It's not like she has a wide reservoir of those to draw on, nor is she sure that that's exactly what the whale is looking for, but he'd seemed satisfied enough with her answer, so all Zoro has to do is give him the same. ]

( zoro makes some kind of a complaining sort of noise before his eyes fall on the empty glass and he picks it up. the woman from before returns to give them both a refill and as he's staring at the drink in his hand, he starts talking in a quiet sort of voice. )

I was training in a dojo and had just lost a fight. It had been raining all day and this lady comes over and offers me some hot sake. ( the whale guy leans forward in his seat, indicating a clear interest in hearing what zoro has to say next. ) I guess you never forget your first time. ( he downs the shot and puts the glass back on the table. ) Drinking alcohol, that is. ( or is it? he arches an eyebrow at the whale who gives him a stare down, but eventually decides that it's enough to let them continue on with the next round. )

[ It's the anonymous refill lady who's the true hero of the situation. Without a fresh shot to down Nami couldn't have guaranteed that she would have been able to keep her reaction to Zoro's coy little story at just the epically huge roll of her eyes she gives him. At least the whale's content to accept it, regardless of whether or not Nami feels like she could have gone her whole life not learning these personal details of her crewmate's life.

Still looking somewhat chagrined when she sets a chip down on another number, Nami tips her chin at the roulette wheel, indicating the whale should give it a spin when she calls her bet. ] Twelve.

[ One number off - lucky thirteen is the winner, and the result leaves her sucking her teeth and scowling, not looking at the whale or Zoro as she pays up. ] My idiot captain managed to get a safe out of a Marine base - by falling out a window, naturally, and then his idiot first mate carried it over his head back to my ship. Pretty impressive.

( it's zoro's turn to look at nami, managing to keep his expression neutral for the most part, but he's got his eyebrows raised slightly because what, that's a precious memory? he flicks his gaze back to the whale thinking there's no way the fella's gonna buy that, but then he's indicating it's zoro's turn once more, and he's a little surprised. then again, if it's to do with collecting any kind of treasure, of course it'd matter to the orange-haired berry hoarder. still, he doesn't appreciate being called an idiot. )

Seven. ( okay, yeah. he is kind of a dummy who can't remember the numbers nami mentioned earlier, but whatever. he might get lucky here. he's feeling it... up until the damn thing lands on a five. )

Hm. ( he sucks in a deep breath, needing yet another minute to consider what he wants to share, but clearly not giving it much thought when he simply blurts out: ) Fought a whole crew of fish men. Kicked their asses. Most fun I ever had in a while. ( there's silence around the table. the whale slips a pistol out of his jacket pocket, smiling wide and showing teeth before calmly laying the weapon on its side, aimed in zoro's direction. )

[ What a stupid fucking thing to say, and the way the whale across the table from them doesn't hesitate to set his pistol down in plain sight, aimed at Zoro ramifies that point. They are still stuck in a strange world, playing by rules they don't even know, and she should really mean it when her eyes dart sideways, blazing in Zoro's direction.

However...

Fuck those fishmen.

These aren't the same guys, she knows, but it doesn't change what he was talking about when he shared his memory with the whale, thus ensuring that when Nami does try glaring daggers at Zoro - and oh how she does - there's just a little too much amusement lurking at the corners of her eyes for it to land as threatening as she wants it to.

What an asshole. ]

Nineteen. [ Time to move the conversation along before the tension has too much time to hang in the air like it is. Nami springs into motion, setting her chips down and watching the whale set the wheel into motion. 'Nineteen' says the whale and Nami's shoulders sag with relief. ]

( the whale informs nami to head into the back room with him for that exchange of information. it's for her ears only. the moment zoro makes a move to follow along, he's stopped by two other fish types. he stares right back at them, expressionless for the most part, except his eyes tell a different story. like if looks could kill... but he doesn't make a move to push past, trusting nami can handle this. after all, she survived arlong. )

I'll wait for you by the bar. ( close enough for him to hear her if she gets into any trouble. zoro waits for some kind of a reassurance from nami first, needing to know she'll be fine doing this on her own before he's willing to step away and let them lead her to the back, past the red curtains into a smaller room where she'll be offered a drink and be told she has one opportunity to ask a single question, and that's it. if she wants more, she can try her hand with the shark who's always hungry for blood or maybe the catfish or perhaps another game of roulette. the whale will tell her he can sense her greed. )

[ Sent to a private room to hold court with fishmen in private? Not her favorite, and even less so when she catches Zoro being barred from joining her out of the corner of her eye. Fine. Great, not at all pressing on some fairly fresh wounds.

She thought her days of putting on her war face like this were behind her, but Nami squares her shoulders, eyes narrowing, and suddenly all business when she gives the beckoning whale a nod of assent. Taking a step forward her eyes cut to Zoro, consoled by the sound of his voice and chagrined to have to feign confidence when their eyes meet. ] Have drinks waiting.

[ Not like he's not going to the bar to sit and wait without a bottle in his hand or anything.

Once in the back Nami talks about the only thing that's been weighing on her mind since her arrival - talk of a place called Old Ephes, and the interest in a map of the place by The Hand. What the whale imparts is interesting, though she'll wait until they're clear of this place to tell it to Zoro, and after a few minutes, Nami returns, finding Zoro by the bar and reaching for whatever glass he has waiting for her. ] Let's drink and get the hell out of here. I'm tired of these fish.

( a glass of whiskey for her and a bottle of rum for him which he holds tight in his hand. he's ready to go. ) Got all I need. ( he waits for her to down the shot before they both head back out into the streets. it's drizzling outside, so he'll direct them to a spot under some shade while they figure out their next move. )

I don't like this dark water stuff. ( he's looking at the puddle of rain on the ground. they'd talked a bit about what the whale told her just now. zoro doesn't really know what to make of the information except he's thinking they need to find the damn beacon and get the hell out. this isn't their war to fight. his concern lies with keeping the straw hats safe and helping luffy achieve his goal. )

You okay? ( because she's been drinking a lot. plus, those fish men... )

[ It won't take her long to reach for that bottle of his once they're out of this place, but for now Nami settles for taking the shot he had waiting her haste sending a few drops of whiskey out of the corner of her mouth in her haste. It gets lost in the rain a heartbeat later, Nami not paying much mind to the drizzle falling until Zoro directs them out of it. Rattled but not too much, she relays what the whale told him before leaning back against the wall of the building they're behind, crossing one arm over her chest as she reaches for his rum. ]

Yeah. [ She says it too quickly for it to sound that sincere and, catching herself tries again, a little gentler this time. ] Yeah. I don't like any of this. Undead people in the government? Buggy but no Usopp? It's all screwed up.

( yeah, he thought usopp would've shown up by now. he'd tried looking for their sharpshooter, even asking around if anyone might have seen him, but no luck. it seems like they can only hope usopp's fine back in their world. )

Nuh-uh-uh. ( standing beside her, he moves the bottle of rum out of her reach easily enough. ) Mine. ( she already had way more to drink back in the gambling den, so he's keeping this one for himself. besides, nami shouldn't be drinking too much. they need to get back to the house and let the others know about this dark water stuff. gotta see what luffy thinks about it. so much for trying to fix that crappy boat their captain found. no point in sailing off if they can't get very far. )

You wanna make a run for it? Or stay here? ( it's drizzling now, but the rain might get heavier the longer they wait. )

I'll risk it. [ She starts, straightening up from where she's been leaning against the building to keep herself out of the rain. ] There's booze back at the windmill I don't have to ask you for. [ A bonus of her and Buggy's criminal hunt for gold and fresh clothes.

Nami takes a few steps towards the street, more of a brisk walk than a run. She's not worried about the rain, if anything - between the shots and the fishmen - it'll probably clear her head. ] Good booze. [ She calls over her shoulder, knowing Zoro well enough to know that's likely all the invitation - and incentive - he needs to walk back with her.

Adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder she pushes her dampening hair out of her face, looking pensive as she stares at the street ahead of them, holding that quiet for a moment or two before– ] Hot sake? Really?

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the channeling

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rng gave me a loss, lol

not needing to depend on rng here cuz uh... oops

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