westwhere | the channeling

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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( he's just being a pouty little bitch and he's not going to apologize.

besides, he's definitely going, he's just...being sulky. )

Going for the low blow, huh? I'm immune to those these days.

( what a child!!! )

What is so bad about this that you don’t want to come?

I'm coming!

( he pulls at the disguise and then huffs his disdain out before shaking his head. )

I'm just tired.

Really? That’s the excuse you’re going with?

( she’ll move to leave the alley they’ve been hidden in, keeping pace with him so it looks like they’re two servants on an errand. )

That’s the best you can come up with?

I'm tired.

( not just because he had a bad night's sleep for one night, it just feels...exhausting to be here, to be doing this, to be running around in circles. )

And yeah, that's the best excuse I got but I'm still going. Give me a break.

( it's on the tip of her tongue to quip back at him again, with some sort of sarcastic remark or cutting word. but he's .. there's something in his tone that is different this time, and natasha hesitates. pauses, turns and rests a hand on his arm to catch him before he leaves the alley. )

Hey. We don't have to do this, you know.

( a definite about-face from what she'd been set on before, but. that'd been before — )

It's been a rough couple months.

No, we're doing this.

( he was already dressed and he knows how he's acting. he's just gotten tired of this place over the past few weeks and tired of being stuck.

it feels like a cage that he can't get out of. )

I've been here for what feels like years, you know. I don't even know how long it's actually been. But it feels like this is the longest I've been in one place since I was a stupid kid.

Does it really count as one place if they keep moving us?

( it's a bad joke, the kind of deflection she's gotten used to with the rest of the avengers. but — she can understand what he's getting at. and why it's overwhelming. she'd never really been much of a person to settle down either. and now... )

We're going to get out of here.

( that, at least, means something for him. )

You can't guarantee that.

( though, he appreciates the sentiment. he knows a few people who've been here awhile and he himself feels like he's been here too long.

it's making him antsy. )

What if we don't get out of here?

You might not know this about me, but I keep my promises.

( to a fault, some might say. realizing she's still gripping his arm, she lets it drop, smoothing invisible wrinkles out of the ugly tunic she's wearing. )

That's not going to happen. You'll get home.

And what about you?

( she seems to be hyperfocused on him and his fate. )

You gonna stay here and live this life?

( the hyperfocus is intentional. they both know she has nothing to go back to — except, you know, whatever happens after you give your life on an alien planet in return for a mystical stone. )

I'll deal with that when I get there.

( no, she's not in denial, why would you say that? )

Nice avoidance.

( he has to make a comment about it but he's not going to press because it's not like he's one to face problems head on. )

You think you could stay here forever?

I don't know what my options will be. You and I both know there isn't anything for me to go back to.

( short, clipped. if it's a choice between an uncertain/unknown afterlife and .. whatever this place is, even with the insanity they've been through over the past six months — well. maybe this place won't be that bad. )

( probably not something he should push on. she's right, she's gone in their world. if she goes back, she goes back to being dead.

if she stays here, she at least gets to live. he sighs and rubs a hand over his face. )

And if you stay here, you get to see me in these ridiculous get ups. I don't mind a mission but I hate dressing up like a sack of potatoes.

You wouldn't go back?

( she can't hide the surprise in her voice; he's caught her off guard. it'd been assumed by natasha that bucky would be jumping at the chance to get back to their world, their time, all of it. (well, his time.) why wouldn't he? he at least had time.

she might not regret her choice but she can't imagine turning down a chance to get back home again. )

Sam could handle everything there.

( he shrugs. he's managed to work through some of his issues but a lot of them remain and he knows he's never going to be fully better.

he hates thinking that he's saddling sam with all his baggage. so, he shrugs. )

Wouldn't be the worst thing.

Did he tell you that, or is that a choice you're making for him?

( might be a little too on the nose, but she can't help it — he has a choice.

some of them don't. )

I know Sam and I know what he can do.

( his jaw tightens at the assertion and he shakes his head. )

He doesn't need me.

I don’t think that’s up to you.

( just because sam is capable, doesn’t mean he wouldn’t want the support — and she can’t imagine sam wilson, of all people, deciding that bucky barnes isn’t wroth having around. )

I can make my own choices, Natasha.

( he can feel himself getting defensive now, frustration starting to leak into his tone. )

Even if I end up back there, I could decide I don't wanna do it anymore. That's my choice.

No one said you had to do it. But don't stay here just because you think Sam wouldn't want you back. Make your choice based on facts.

( she says, fully aware that she isn't one to speak. she'd spent five years doing something that, by all accounts, probably didn't need to be done — stuck in slow motion, trying to make it fit together while also trying to figure out how to bring everyone back.

and then giving her life for that goal. in some ways, it's easier this way: she doesn't have to deal with the mess. everyone is back and she's gone. )

Don't think I'm going to let it go if you do stay.

I don't think I have a choice on staying or going from what I've seen.

( this place did what it wanted to do. he hadn't wanted to come here and if he doesn't want to leave, he can just see himself waking back up in his apartment tomorrow. )

This place does what it wants. If it makes me stay, you can't be on my case. Not like I'm petitioning those in charge to stick around.

( as far as she's concerned, she was summoned from whatever the afterlife was to this place — not exactly a great turn of events, though dying was ... probably not any better. )

Who knows. Maybe I'll make you regret it so much you'll go back. ( her smile indicates she's giving him a hard time, and she shrugs. ) Or I'll annoy Karsa until she begs you to go.

You think you can annoy me that much?

( he's old, natasha, he can tune you out. )

Would love to see you try.

( except don't because he's already grumpy as hell. )

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redhourglass - 2024-02-03 20:32 (UTC) - Expand

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