some here, some there ...

so back near the start of may, it was our arielversary, and aers got a couple of itty bits of clothing for presents, and eventually, we got around to a photoshoot. here's a little sampling of the less nudie ones. the rest are on my naughty blog!

okay, plus this one here in the second outfit, which we didn't get too many snaps of.

i guess i'll just have to write him a blog post ...

the boy is doing that fidgety-fretfulness thing he does sometimes when he thinks he's not paying enough attention to me. it happens a lot when elle's using our shared body and i'm in the face-box, but it's also happening more since we went from being mostly a couple to totally a quintuple and he has so many more girlfriends to divide his time between.

he's adorable, even when he's being dumb like this.

so what i'm doing now is, i'm sitting down here and i'm writing this for him to show him that even just off the top of my head, spontaneous-like, i'm still everything to him.

everything.

it's paradoxical, since sash and elle and ariel are all so important to both of us, but that's the thing about true love. it doesn't make any sense. it doesn't have to make sense.

when it's true enough, it doesn't need saying. it doesn't need seeing.

i can be in a box for weeks and only come out to play ridiculous roleplaying games, and even while i'm in that box and seemingly not even poking a toe into the waters of his consciousness, i'm still everything to him.

i feel that constantly.

which doesn't mean my love for him is truer or stronger or more certain than his for me. it just means that our love resides in the single heart that it makes of both of us. and when i don't have him right before my eyes, or on the phone, or sitting with me while i write things like this for him, that heart takes over all my senses. i can barely think over the sound of it beating.

so whenever he thinks he's leaving me alone too much, it's exactly the opposite. as long as i have him, i can't ever be alone. it's just not even possible, and of course i wouldn't want it to be.

plus ... whoo, boy, the things any three of us girls get up to together when he's got his hands full of the fourth!

goodnight, sweetheart. i'm closing my eyes inside my box ...

and slipping deep into the dream that is us.

session four of our kill six billion demons rpg extravaganza!

this one was a long session, so i'm only posting the first half here. let's just jump right to it! (oh, and spoilers ahead for the palace of night scenario from the rulebook! (double oh, and there's a new link list of all these rpg posts in the sidebar if you want to go in order!))

GM Claire: Okay, everybody remember where we were?
Sasha: Sleeping in a broom closet, right?
Ariel: No, we're just catching our breaths for a few minutes before we search this bottom level for the vault we came to rob.
Sasha: You mean, the grandma-head we came to rescue.
Ariel: Oh, yeah, that's right, we're the good guys.
Elle: I'm not sure we can guarantee there are any good guys in this scenario or this game in general ...
Ariel: Of course we can! And we're it! Even Angry Ag and you and your gang of strumpets.
Msg: What about me?
Ariel: I don't know because you're still being so mysterious.
GM Claire: Anyway, you've been resting up for 20 or 30 minutes in what seems to be some kind of storeroom.
Msg: What's stored in here with us?
GM Claire: I dunno, you tell me. I was just being nice to give you a spot for a Respite so you could get your Stamina back.
Ariel: I'm not spending a power die on my special ability just to describe a storeroom.
GM Claire: This is just for window dressing. Somebody make something up.
Msg: It's full of guard uniforms and slave manacles and a couple of big barrels of thumbtacks.
Sasha: Thumbtacks? What the hell?
Msg: Sorry, it felt like it needed some barrels, and that's the first thing that occurred to me.
Sasha: Okay, well, I move the barrels over near the door and loosen the lids in case we get chased back this way and need to slow down whoever is pursuing us.
Elle: What's this, Angry Ag planning ahead?
Sasha: I'm furious, not foresightless.
GM Claire: So once your Respite is done, what do you guys do?
Ariel: Peek out the door?
Sasha: Oh, step aside. I just go right out in the hallway with my lamp out. We need the lamp, right? It's dark?
GM Claire: Actually, that big hallway upstairs was dark, but on this level, there's an eerie green light coming from these glowing globes that stick out from the walls every once in a while.
Msg: So what exactly do we see down here at the bottom of the stairs -- besides the convenient storeroom?
GM Claire: The stairs ended in a small room with the storeroom door on the opposite side and archways leading to those green-lit halls to the right and left. Each hall extends down thirty or forty feet and then turns back in the same direction the stairs came from.
Msg: Before we get too much further, I haven't ever used this Pact ability my character has where I get to ask a favor of my patron, Stevis, the ghost of the founder of the Wicked Crow Sorcerers' Guild. If he's satisfied with my exploits, he'll grant it. Otherwise, he might demand a favor from me.
GM Claire: Welp, you just played with fire there, my normally smarty-pants boyfriend. Because if you've forgotten him completely the last three sessions, I'm going to say he's not all that happy.
Msg: Oh.
Sasha: MSG! What have you done now?
GM Claire: The ghost of Stevis appears as you guys are about to leave the storeroom. What's he look like?
Msg: He has a cape made of crow's feathers and a crown of beaks and talons. His eyes are deep-set and have no whites, just rings of red fire where the pupils would be, otherwise all black, with shaggy, fierce black eyebrows above them. His body is shriveled and wrecked from the powerful magics of the sorcerers who betrayed and killed him. His hair is long and black, and because he's so spectral, it's hard to see where his hair ends and his cape begins.
Ariel: Ew. Do I need to be scared of him?
GM Claire: "Matash Kachrang," he says, "what have you done to bring my killers to justice? What pits have you delved? What torments have you endured?"
Msg: Well ... I ...
GM Claire: He doesn't wait for an answer. "Do you delve now? In the Palace of Night? Are there torments at hand? What you seek is down that hall. (He's pointing left.) But I require you to go the other way. Find Parkhassian's torturer, who knows many things from countless bloody interrogations. Ask him where Fane Vasadra of the Quicksilver Lash has fled to. Nothing more will I do for you until Vasadra's whereabouts are known to you." Then he disappears.
Sasha: Oh, just great. That's the crappiest power ever! Now we have to go totally the wrong way?
Ariel: I mean, on the bright side, he also told us what we're looking for is down the left hall.
Sasha: I was going to suggest we go left anyway.
Elle: You were not!
Sasha: Hush, you're not there.
Msg: He didn't exactly say I had to go search out this torturer first. We could always --
Sasha: Oh, no. I'm not getting chased out of the vault by who knows what with my barrels of thumbtacks waiting to save the day only to have to go down this other hall before we can leave. Let's just go now.
Msg: I guess we go that way, then.
GM Claire: Like I said, the hallway takes a turn after thirty feet or so. When it does, you find yourself in a grisly hallway of death. Skeletonized corpses hang from manacles on the walls, or are impaled on spikes in niches to either side. Far down the hall, you see an open door through which the only light comes flickering red like fire.
Ariel: So there's no green globes here?
GM Claire: Nope. You think you hear some whistling from beyond the door.
Ariel: I want to try sneaking down there to see what's going on without being noticed.
GM Claire: That's an Overcome roll, using your Reflex.
Ariel: Nine plus two!
GM Claire: You tiptoe along the hallway soundlessly. As you go, the whistling grows louder, obviously from someone whistling a tune beyond the door. When you get there and peer into the room, you see that it's a torture chamber. There's a hunchbacked guy arranging torture tools on a broad workbench, but the whistling isn't coming from him -- it's coming from a figure chained to the wall nearby. The figure is completely covered by a bloodstained sheet except for the hands sticking out and up to either side, held by the chains.
Ariel: Is he a good whistler?
GM Claire: Actually, he seems to be quite excellent. The guy arranging the tools looks over at him and says, "You know, Sylvis, I'll sure miss having you around when Parkhassian gives me a deadline for putting an end to you." The whistling quivers a little bit but then recovers.
Ariel: This guy is awful! That's so mean! You know what? Since my goal is to defeat cruel predators, I'm just going to rush over there and try to wrestle this guy to the ground so Matash can question him. Can I do that?
GM Claire: That's a Might move, +Body.
Ariel: I'm even going to spend my power die to Channel Flame and empower it. As I jump at him, I say, "We'll just see who gets an end put to them!" Foo. Seven plus one is eight.
GM Claire: Success -- you get to pick two things from this list, but there will be a consequence or drawback, too.
Ariel: Hmm. Definitely the one where he can't move until he escapes my grasp. Then I also like this reeling one where he can't deal any damage for a while.
Sasha: Do we hear any of this?
GM Claire: Pry Secrets, +Mind.
Sasha: Bleh, my Mind stinks.
Ariel: You said it, not me.
Sasha: I'm going to push it and try to get a power die! Damn it! Seven minus one is six. I blow it.
GM Claire: That gives me a Break die, and not only do you not hear what's up, you sneeze or something so MSG doesn't hear either. Sorry, MSG, I could see you reaching for your dice to make your own Pry Secrets roll. Aers, the guy can't deal damage to you and his actions are ineffective for a moment, but you can see he's taking a deep breath to scream for guards or something. You're going to have to let him go and clap your hand over his mouth if you don't want him screeching in a second.
Msg: Well, maybe I can't hear any of this, but I wouldn't just be waiting like a dummy. I'm going to sneak down the hall too. Eight plus one is nine.
GM Claire: You make it, but you have to go really slow.
Ariel: All right, I'm going to try getting my hand over his mouth, then.
GM Claire: Might + Body again.
Ariel: Nine total. Same deal, right? So I'm holding him still now and ... I choose this "crippled" option to cripple his mouth.
GM Claire: Good job. Unfortunately, he gets to respond with a Devour move that causes you 2 damage. It feels like he's actually draining life-force from you with the filthy claws of his fingernails digging into your flesh.
Ariel: Ow!
Sasha: Well, I'm not staying here alone, so I just head down the hallway too. No sneaking or anything.
Msg: Am I there yet?
GM Claire: Almost, and you're being super-quiet, but then you see Ag just walk right by you.
Msg: Fine. Since I don't see Grey-Eyes outside the room, I abandon being quiet and rush in. Can I get in a curse with my Red Word this round too?
GM Claire: Sure, give it a try ... You've still got that -1, though, right?
Msg: Yes, I didn't forget. Eight plus two minus one is nine. I tell him to stop struggling, or I'll blast his soul with my curse and kill him. For my downside, I'm not going to be able to speak this art again until I rest.
GM Claire: He can sense that your curse is powerful enough to take him out, so he stops struggling.
Sasha: Can I see Gazelle Girl bleeding and use a Bolster move to fix that?
GM Claire: What are you doing in story terms?
Sasha: I guess giving her a speech about how impressed I am at her being tough enough to shake off the scratches this guy gave her.
GM Claire: Okay, roll +Heat.
Sasha: Uh, five.
GM Claire: Sorry, you can tell her scratches are more serious than a simple speech can fix, and you're too dis-spirited to use the Bolster move again until you rest.
Sasha: Dang it. Now I'm really mad at that guy for hurting her. I pull out my sword and tell him he better cough up whatever it is that ghost wanted to know or so help me, I'll cut him in half diagonally fingertip-to-toenail!
Msg: I'm going to use that threat and the threat of my curse to try a Bend Will move and get him to talk. Errh ... yikes, Bend Will is +Heat, which is my worst score. I guess I'll spend a power die to Channel Flame on this, so that the power of my Dread Sorcery crackles from my body and flickers in my eyes as I speak. Nine minus one is 8, so I succeed!
GM Claire: Well, 7-9 on Bend Will means they need concrete assurance or proof of your leverage before they do anything. He says, "How do I know you won't just kill me with your curse as soon as I tell you what you want to know?"
Sasha: I got your concrete assurance right here! I lift my great weapon sword up over his head and flex all my muscles in the process. Talk!
GM Claire: He goes pale and asks what you want to know.
Msg: The spirits tell me you have knowledge of the whereabouts of Fane Vasadra of the Quicksilver Lash. Reveal what you know, and we'll let you live.
GM Claire: He says that Vasadra runs a child slavery ring on a world through a nearby gate, Emproneal. She's been competing with Parkhassian for years, and when they captured one of her brokers and tortured him recently, they learned the location of her headquarters -- the Solemn Village in the high Windlace Pass.
Msg: Do I feel like he's telling the truth?
GM Claire: Pry Secrets.
Msg: Ten plus two is twelve. My three questions are, what here seems false or deceitful, what could be useful to me, and what's about to happen?
GM Claire: The deceitful thing and the what's about to happen are the same thing ... he's getting ready to try to break loose and grab Grey-Eyes to use her as a hostage. What could be useful is ... the whistling person under the sheet.
Ariel: He's still whistling?
GM Claire: Yes.
Ariel: Okay, weird.
Msg: There's not anything in the rules that says I have to follow through with the leverage I promised, is there?
GM Claire: No, why?
Msg: I activate my curse and deal the two damage.
GM Claire: That's enough to kill him, so he drops dead. How does the curse affect him?
Msg: His eyes swell and rupture as fiery red energy shoots both inward and outward from his eye sockets.
Ariel: Yick!
Msg: Okay, so I'm wondering how this whistling person under the sheet can be useful to us.
Ariel: I thought it was going to be that we'd keep our word and just chain the torturer guy up, only then we'd let the whistly guy loose and he'd do the killing for us. But I guess that's out the window.
Msg: I figured that was an option too. But I'm suspicious of someone who just keeps whistling while combat and cursing is going on around them.
Sasha: Can we go now? This detour is really getting on my nerves.
Msg: Sure. I got what we came this way for.
Ariel: Wait, aren't we going to let the poor chained up guy loose?
Msg: Claire, is he still whistling through all this conversation?
GM Claire: Yep. Doesn't miss a beat.
Msg: Look, Grey-Eyes, I'm a Dread Sorcerer, and even I am finding this guy's whistling pretty creepy. You can let him go if you want, but honestly, I'm not thinking that's the wisest move we could take.
Ariel: He's still whistling?
GM Claire: Endlessly.
Ariel: Okay, I guess that weirds me out a little too. Let's go.
GM Claire: You leave the torture chamber and its whistling occupant behind and make your way back the other direction. Now let's cut over to Sin-Sing Cherise and the contest.
Elle: Excellent. So what place did my performance last session get me?
GM Claire: Oh, there are still lots of contestants in this first round, and --
Elle: First round?
GM Claire: Yeah, there will be three rounds in all. Everyone who moves on from this round avoids getting tagged as a "loser" and having to serve the Palace of Night for a year. Everyone who moves on from the next round is considered a "winner" and gets to ask for a boon. Then if anyone does well enough in the final round, they get to ask pretty much anything of the Palace's master, Parkhassian.
Elle: Oh, for pete's sake. If I'd known that I wouldn't have burned both those power dice in the first round.
GM Claire: Well, if you hadn't, you would have lost them at the end of the session anyway.
Elle: Good point. But if I want to set myself up for the same amount of success, I guess I'd better find some moves to push so I can get more power dice. What do I see when I get back to the waiting area? Is that shrimpy blue demon with the lute still there?
GM Claire: No.
Elle: Hmm. Is it Pry Secrets to try to get someone to tell me where she went?
GM Claire: I think it would be more like Gather Power to acquire information.
Elle: Does my amazing performance mean I have a good reputation in this area?
GM Claire: Sure.
Elle: Awesome. I get to take an extra +1, then.
GM Claire: Yes, but not if you're going to push the move. You don't get any positive modifiers in that case.
Elle: Darn it. Okay, I'm going to see if anyone spotted where she went off to or heard anything. I guess I'll start by slinking over to the registration desk and seeing if my allure can get anything out of the clerk dude there. Aha! I roll a seven, so I get the power die!
GM Claire: He is definitely interested in assisting your cause -- he acts like he'd like to tell you something, but says it's not really appropriate to his assignment. Maybe if you sweetened the pot?
Elle: I lean way over so my top hangs down and reveals everything that can be seen through my neckline ... which of course is very low-cut. Then I tell him it's a shame he's stuck here at the desk and can't see my performances, but maybe I could give him a private showing at the Stiff Brewhouse sometime.
GM Claire: He swallows and tugs at his collar like it's too tight, then whispers to you that he saw her heading down the hallway that leads to the kitchen.
Elle: And you said last time she was the second performer ... does he have his list out somewhere that I could spot her name? Or heck, since he's disposed to help me, I just ask if I can see the schedule of contestants.
GM Claire: He says there shouldn't be any harm in that and shows you. The second person on the list is, "Lub, a Lutist."
Elle: That's all it says?
Sasha: Definitely a fake.
GM Claire: That's it. No description other than that.
Elle: Okay, Paghla and I head down the hallway he indicated.
GM Claire: It's a long hallway, and you can see wait staff trundling up and down it with carts to take refreshments to the main hall and dirty dishes back to the kitchen. At the far end there's a guard on the door to the kitchen.
Elle: Hmm. I backtrack a little and see if there's a spot where a returning cart would be out of sight of any guards.
GM Claire: There's a little dogleg in one of the paths to the main hall that might work, but you would have a very limited time to do anything.
Elle: Okay, well, when the chance occurs, Paghla and I will needle a waiter and -- wait, are these carts covered? Could one of us hide in one?
GM Claire: It would be a squeeze, but yes.
Elle: And is there anyplace near this dogleg where we could drag the waiter and have Paghla change clothes with them?
GM Claire: That would be awfully convenient, I think.
Ariel: You need my Mantra of Prim the Loyal power so you can add to Claire's description.
Elle: Hey, can Ariel use that power for me even if Grey-Eyes isn't here?
GM Claire: There's nothing in the description that says she has to be present.
Ariel: But I don't have a power die to spend.
Elle: Damn it. Okay, I guess I'll try a Gather Power move and spend some wealth to try bribing a waiter to give us their cart and uniform. Oh, and I tell Paghla to watch and learn so if I make it, my +BOSS goes up. Total of nine.
GM Claire: How exactly are you asking this?
Elle: Well ... I'll say I'm a fanatic about cooking, and I just want to be able to sneak in and go around the kitchen to see how things are done in a super-high-class place like this.
GM Claire: Okay, with that roll and that excuse and the money you spent, the wait-person is willing to let one of you hide in the cart while she rolls it around the kitchen. But she says she can't just hand her cart over and let you both go in on your own.
Elle: Fine. I guess I'll have Paghla wait for me in the waiting area.
GM Claire: The server transfers as much of the stuff as she can from inside the cart to the top of it. Then she finds a place to hide whatever won't fit up top. There's a slight gap in the drapery along the side that you can peek through and see to some extent. She tells you to be as quiet as you can, then wheels you down the hall.
Sasha: Is all of this really necessary? It seems kinda off-task to me.
Elle: Listen, if something's up with this Lub the Lutist, or if that red-eyed chick I said I'd look for works in the kitchen, this could totally pay off. Are we to the kitchen yet?
GM Claire: Yes. The lady wheels you past the guard and then takes a deliberately winding path through the kitchen to drop off the dishes in the back. It's a huge area, brimming with cooks and staff, overseen by a very large, imposing Servant who circulates through the place inspecting everything.
Elle: Okay, I'm going to Pry Secrets and see what I can make out in here. Ooh, twelve total!
GM Claire: Three questions from the list.
Elle: What here seems false or deceitful? What here could be useful to me? What seems to be the safest path forward?
GM Claire: As far as false or deceitful, you spot the blue demon in a chef's outfit on the far side of the kitchen. It looks like there's a special area specifically for preparing food for the most important guests or elite higher-ups of the Palace. She's managed to get herself into that area. What could be useful ... you over hear someone mentioning the name Gervender in connection with the buffet table at the east end of the main hall. Apparently she's the attendant at the table. The safest path forward would definitely be to just stay hidden in the cart until the staffer wheels you back out.
Elle: Okay, I'm not going to push my luck here. I'll take the info that I've got and get out.
GM Claire: Paghla is very relieved to see you when you get back. Since she's "just a prop," it was making her nervous to have to mingle with the other contestants.
Elle: Yeah, yeah. I grab her by the arm and head toward the main hall with her. Since we're made up like rich types, I assume we can just go in and mingle in the hall where the performances are going on?
GM Claire: Yes. There are guards everywhere, though, and people recognize you from the show you put on a little while ago.
Elle: I soak in their yearning and worshipful gazes while we make our way to the east end of the hall. Do I find the buffet table? Is there a dark-skinned hottie with cherry-red eyes there like my source described his sister?
GM Claire: Yes to both.
Elle: I'm going to approach her and tell her her brother says hello, and that I'm going to try to get her out. Then I ask her if she can get hold of uniforms for me and Paghla.
GM Claire: Roll Bend Will +Heat.
Elle: I'm making an example of this for Paghla, by the way. Nine total.
GM Claire: Gervender appears to want to believe you but says she's fearful of what will happen to her if she does as you ask and then you don't follow through in your attempt to get her out.
Elle: Okay, well, I tell her that when I win the next round, I'll use my request to ask Parkhassian to free her from her obligation, without even going on to the final round where I might win the big prize. And once she's free, she can join my gang if she wants and I'll make sure she's well cared for from then on.
GM Claire: That's not entirely a concrete assurance or proof of your leverage, but I'll tell you what. You can choose whether she agrees to join your gang right now, and then her getting the uniforms would be a Dirty Work move requiring an additional roll, or she says she'll get the uniforms and stash them somewhere, and then give them to you after you win the next round and have her freed.
Elle: Ooh, a new gang member! I take that one.
GM Claire: She tells you she'll get someone to sub for her at the buffet as soon as she can, and gives you directions to a meeting place where she'll bring the uniforms in half an hour.
Elle: Peachy. Paghla and I will go back to the waiting area until then. Should I go ahead and make the Dirty Work roll?
GM Claire: Yes.
Elle: Wait, can I back up and spend a power die to give her a really inspiring speech before I go to get an automatic 10+?
GM Claire: Sure.
Elle: I tell her how happy her brother will be to see her again in just a few short hours.
GM Claire: Okay, subtract that power die and lower your BOSS stat by one for using that ability.
Elle: Easy come, easy go.
GM Claire: All right, back to the Vault!

(next time, i mean.)

broken worlds session three!

okay, then! when we last left our band of kill six billion demons rpg characters, sin-sing cherise and her gang were headed up the front stairs of the palace of night, while angry ag agnagaboth, lonely girl gazelle grey-eyes, and matash kachrang had just gotten to the top of an elevator machinery building, planning to ride the elevator up to the back entrance.

GM Claire: So do we all have pencils this week?
Ariel: Yes!
Sasha: Yeppers!
GM Claire: Good. Let's start at the stairs with Sin-Sing and her gang. Anything particular you want to do, Sin-Sing?
Elle: I'm just going remind the Strumpets of their orders and then make my way regally up the stairs with only Paghla Perfidy at my side.
GM Claire: Right. Since you're splitting from the rest of the gang and expecting them to carry out a task on their own, that's a Dirty Work roll.
Elle: Ten + 2 is 12! Damn, I should have pushed that move and gotten another power die.
Sasha: Sheesh, if I were you I'd just be glad the Strumpets didn't screw it up with their low-class accents and slutty dispositions.
Elle: Whatever. So what all does that cover, Claire?
GM Claire: It's a single task for them to pretend to be hoity-toity types at the Night of Song. Unless something happens to disrupt things, I'll let that one roll cover their entire time pretending.
Msg: "Unless something happens" sounds like foreshadowing to me.
GM Claire: No comment.
Elle: So the Strumpets and I climb the stairs to the front of the Palace like we're aristocrats, blending in with the crowd of nobles and wealthy merchants from the River District. When we get to the top, I'll take Paghla with me to find the line for entrants into the contest.
GM Claire: A gorgeous female major-domo in a sharp uniform gives you directions. You turn from the main hall that leads to the great gallery and go down a side corridor to the contestants' area. Along the way, you notice guards scattered here and there, some by themselves, some in groups. There's an extremely handsome young man registering the contestants when you reach the waiting area.
Elle: Is there a line?
GM Claire: Yes, but it's not too long.
Elle: I'm keeping an eye on the guards to see which ones are patrolling and which ones are posted in specific spots.
GM Claire: Pry Secrets, +mind.
Elle: Okay, and what the heck, I'll push this move. That makes it clumsy, right? No positive modifiers. Eleven!
Ariel: Geez, Elle, you can really roll!
GM Claire: Good job. What are your three questions?
Elle: How about ... Who's really in charge here? What here could be useful to me? What here seems false or deceitful?
GM Claire: You notice that one of the guards has a nicer uniform and appears to be making the rounds giving orders to the other guards. Like everybody else in the Palace, he's a knockout, with tastily tousled blond hair and a sexy physique. The timing of his rounds might be useful; he comes along the hallway three times while you're observing. As for false or deceitful ... you notice another contestant, a shrimpy blue devil, holding a lute awkwardly while waiting and making some of the same kind of "casual" glances at the guards you've been making. Maybe her purpose isn't really to enter the contest.
Elle: Noted. I'll try to keep an eye out for her as the evening goes on. However, that blond guard is provoking my "always horny" flaw, and if he's around I'll probably be distracted from the sneaky chick. When I get to the head of the line, I inform the registration guy that Paghla and I are going to be putting on a demonstration of erotic contortion and acrobatics.
GM Claire: There's a complication, because the competition is only for single entrants, he says.
Elle: I will drape myself sensually around Paghla and tell him she's more of a prop than a co-performer. My hands roam her wanton body with what looks like total abandon, but is actually calculated to maximize our appeal. Also, as long as I'm here and still horny from looking at that blond guard, I'll grind myself against her butt for a little relief. In between some carefully staged gasps, I'll tell the guy that he won't regret it if he schedules me as one of the first acts to go onstage.
GM Claire: I'll say your sexy entanglement with Paghla counts as leverage to get him to do what you want in a Bend Will move. + Heat.
Elle: Nine +2.
GM Claire: You see him swallow lustfully at your performance, and he writes down your name and a description of your act with a slightly shaky hand. Then he waves you into the contestant waiting area.
Elle: I make sure to look back over my shoulder and see if he's looking at my ass, and I'll give him a parting wink if he is.
GM Claire: He's definitely staring, and even turns red at your wink before he goes back to signing people in.
Elle: Excellent.
GM Claire: It looks like you're in for a bit of a wait. How about if we switch back to the top of that elevator building while you're mingling with your fellow contestants?
Elle: Sure.
GM Claire: So what are you guys on the rooftop going to do?
Sasha: I say we jump in through the hole the elevator goes through and waste everybody in there!
Ariel: Do we even know there's a hole?
GM Claire: Actually, there's not. It looks like there's a large sliding panel that opens when the elevator goes up. It has slots for the elevator cable and tracks, but no gaps large enough for any of you to fit through.
Ariel: Aha! Yes, and fortunately, the slots are big enough for sound to get through, and we can hear someone yelling, "Open the panel so we can send this next load up!" (I'm spending a power die on my Mantra ability.)
Sasha: Yes! We saw last time the elevator's basically an open platform, right? As soon as the roof opens, I'll jump down and start slaughtering.
Msg: Hang on -- what if the person operating the elevator machinery sees us and stops the works?
Sasha: Well, then we'll slaughter them too and restart the elevator ourselves.
GM Claire: The door is halfway open. You'd better decide what you're doing.
Sasha: Is halfway big enough for me to jump through?
GM Claire: Sure.
Sasha: Then I do!
Msg: Wait -- ugh.
GM Claire: The roof is high enough that will be a short fall, if you don't do something about it.
Sasha: Can I like, parkour my way down bouncing off the walls?
GM Claire: That's an Agility move. Roll + Reflex.
Sasha: Oops. Four. And my reflex is zero.
GM Claire: A short fall is one point of damage. You fall flat onto the elevator platform, smashing into some of the slaves they're carrying up when you land. There are three guards and about ten chained slaves on the platform, and the guards yell, "Hey!" and start pushing their way past the slaves to get to you.
Ariel: Can I see? I pull out my gazelle horn boomerang and throw it at one of the guards if I can.
GM Claire: That's Reach Heaven Through Violence. Roll + Body, or since your boomerang is precise, roll + Reflex.
Ariel: + Reflex definitely! Swa-swoosh! Oh. I roll a 4 + 2 is only 6.
GM Claire: Your boomerang bounces off a guard's shield, and he throws a spear at you for 2 damage.
Ariel: Ow! Hey, doesn't he have to roll?
GM Claire: No, that's the consequence of you missing your roll.
Ariel: Yack -- does my armor stop it?
GM Claire: You can use one point of armor to stop up to 3 damage.
Ariel: I do that!
Msg: We're not doing so well here. I'll zap one of them with scarlet lightning from my implement -- oh for pete's sake, I roll a 2.
GM Claire: You miss, and the guard looks like he's now positioned defensively to block off incoming attacks.
Msg: Great.
Sasha: This is making me so angry! I jump to my feet and fly into a rage! I'm going to lay waste to these guards with my giant-ass sword! RAAGHH!
GM Claire: Reach Heaven Through Violence, + Body.
Sasha: I'm spending my power die to Channel Flame so I can cut through all three of them at once with one big swing! Eleven!
GM Claire: With that roll and your great weapon having the Messy tag and channeling flame and your ghost-making tiger ability, you easily wipe all three of them out. Describe it.
Sasha: Their bodies come apart in multiple pieces that spray gore everywhere! A head flies across the room and bounces off the wall. Arms and legs are scattered all over the place.
GM Claire: Okay, the slaves are now drenched in blood and start screaming in panic. You also hear a shriek of terror from across the room, where you see a guy at the elevator machinery controlling it.
Ariel: Can I see him from up where I am?
GM Claire: No, he's hidden under the part of the roof you're standing on.
Ariel: Well ... I guess I'll try jumping over to the elevator cables and sliding down. Agility moves are + Reflex, right? I get an 8.
GM Claire: You succeed, but not without consequences. There aren't any guards to attack you on the platform, but one of the panicking slaves grabs you and begs you to save them from Ag.
Msg: Can I lie at the edge of the opening and hang my head down to get a shot with my implement at the elevator operator?
GM Claire: No problem.
Msg: For crying out loud. 3 + 2 is 5.
GM Claire: Bummer. You lean too far and fall to the platform. One damage.
Sasha: I'm charging that elevator operator with my sword, and I'm so mad, I'm going to push this move!
GM Claire: Well, your great weapon is Unwieldy, so you can't run or climb while you have it out. But it's not that far, so I'll let you have a chop at him.
Sasha: Hah! Seven! I slice him in half if he's Threat 0 or 1.
GM Claire: Yeah, he's diced. And you get a power die. But the elevator is still moving up. You'll either have to figure out the controls and stop it, or jump for it. And you can't jump with the great weapon out.
Sasha: Fine, I toss it up onto the platform and leap after it. Another 7!
GM Claire: You make it, but with a consequence again. Your foot gets trapped between the platform and the roof for a second, and you take another damage.
Sasha: Seriously? That makes me so mad!
Msg: You guys look pretty wrecked.
Ariel: Not me -- I took all the damage to the armor.
Sasha: Most of this is the other guys' blood. I guess I don't have any Stamina left, though. Is there time on this elevator ride for us to do one of those Respite things and get Stamina back?
GM Claire: No, that's at least 15 - 30 minutes of patching yourselves up.
Sasha: Whatever. Stamina is for pussies anyway. I've got lots of Wounds left. And armor.
Msg: The slaves aren't still screaming, are they?
GM Claire: No, they're pretty much all huddled in one corner of the elevator staring at Ag and trembling.
Sasha: Some gratitude! Aren't any of them going to thank us for freeing them?
Ariel: Well, they are still all chained together, and we are still heading up toward the slavey place.
Sasha: I pick my sword up from the floor of the elevator and say, "Look, you chickens, do you need me to chop those chains off and toss you over the side in order for you to be happy?"
GM Claire: Most of them shake their heads quickly, but a couple faint.
Ariel: I try to calm them down and tell them that we've come to end their slavery and stop the bad people from ever enslaving anyone again.
Sasha: What? I came to steal some grandma-head thing.
Ariel: You're not helping! Claire, can I make a roll or something to stop them from freaking out?
GM Claire: Sure, that's a Bend Will move, since you have leverage they want, which would be setting them free. Roll + Heat.
Ariel: Nooo, my Heat is lame-O!
GM Claire: Sorry, that's the stat for Bending Will.
Ariel: Fine. Well if I'm not getting a postive bonus anyway, I might as well Push this move, right?
Elle: That sounds a little like gaming the system to me.
GM Claire: That's how the rules work, though, Elle. And there's a consequence if she fails ... I get a "break" die.
Sasha: I don't know if I like the sound of that.
Ariel: Too late, because I'm Pushing it! Look, 10! HAH!
GM Claire: Okay, you get a Power die and the slaves say they'll be quiet if you promise you're really going to free them.
Ariel: Cool.
GM Claire: Looks like you're nearing the top of the elevator track. There's a ledge or platform coming up.
Sasha: I get my sword ready.
Msg: I get my implements ready.
Ariel: I get ready to Gazelle Hoof Whirlwind somebody if they look at us the wrong way.
GM Claire: Ding! You've arrived at your destination! It's a broad open area with a 20-foot ceiling. The elevator side is open to the sky, with no door other than the gate for the elevator. You see another group of guards waiting there, along with a decked-out officer-looking guy with a cape, a silver sable, a red-plumed spear and a plume on his helmet. He looks way tougher than the others.
Msg: I curse him with my Dread Sorcery using the Red Word. My total is 8, so I have to choose a down-side. I hate to lose the Red Word power ... I guess I'll take -1 ongoing to my Dread Sorcery until I rest. Oh, and I'm immediately giving him the two points of damage from the curse.
GM Claire: He yells, "Intruders! Stop them, men, while I call in reinforcements!"
Sasha: Are all the guards men?
GM Claire: No, some are very attractive ladies.
Sasha: That's so sexist of him, then! Sexism makes me furious! I'm going to chase him down!
GM Claire: Not with your sword out. It's Unwieldy, remember?
Sasha: Damn it! Okay, I guess I just open the gate and start wading through these guards. My Reach Heaven Through Violence roll is ... 10! Ooh, that means I get to use the Great Weapon flourish, right? What is it again?
GM Claire: Nice that you remembered the rule, but Great Weapons don't have a flourish. It is Messy, though -- 50% chance to deal extra damage, so ... on a 1-3, no extra damage, 4-6, pow! Whoops, too bad for these guys, it's a 6.
Sasha: My damage is 2, so that makes it 3.
GM Claire: Total carnage! That's all these guys can take. Describe what happens.
Sasha: I sever all the heads from their bodies. At least one of them lands right at that captain dude's feet.
Ariel: Is it my turn?
GM Claire: Go ahead.
Ariel: Can I get close enough to kick that guy this turn?
GM Claire: Yes, you're at Close range now, and you just have to get to Hand range, which is one range band. You can move a range band and still do something.
Ariel: Gazelle Hoof Whirlwind! 9 + 1 is 10! That's + 1 damage from my Fated Style, maybe another + 1 from my Empty Hand being a Messy attack, and a Flourish.
GM Claire: I roll 2 on the Messy roll, so no go there. Whoops, rules say you were supposed to choose a flourish from this list when you picked Empty Hand.
Ariel: Um, Area, obviously, because it's for my whirlwind style.
GM Claire: That doesn't do anything to this one captain. So how much damage total?
Ariel: I guess that's only 3.
GM Claire: He uses a point of armor to stop that damage.
Msg: I zap him with my implement. 6 + 2 is 8, for 2 more damage.
GM Claire: Your red lightning bolts zap him dead, but not before he casts a spear at you and hits you for 3 damage!
Msg: Ow, shit!
Sasha: I look around for anybody else to kill.
GM Claire: Nope, the whole area is empty. There's a big, heavy double-door over on one wall, and an archway with a stair leading up on the other wall.
Msg: Do we have time to take a Respite? We've been taking some lumps, and I'm all out of Stamina.
GM Claire: Beats me. You're in a big empty room. What do you think?
Msg: I think they were expecting a delivery of slaves, and these guards were probably supposed to take them somewhere, so somebody will be wondering where they are if we spend 15 or 30 minutes resting.
Sasha: Damn it, I bet that's right.
Ariel: So if we want to rest, we need to find someplace to hide, right?
Sasha: Or just keep going, no guts, no glory!
Ariel: But I want to keep my guts, and we're not here for glory. You said it yourself, we're here for the grandma-head thing.
GM Claire: Which reminds the slaves that you said you'd free them. A particularly brave one meekly asks if you can do that now.
Msg: Do these guards have keys on them?
GM Claire: The officer does.
Ariel: Great! We unlock their chains, then.
Msg: Whoa there, I'm the one who found the key. How do we know we can trust these slaves not to give us away somehow?
Ariel: Hey, that's not very nice!
Msg: I'm suspicious, remember?
Ariel: Oh.
GM Claire: The slaves plead and beg and swear they'll just run if you let them go, and not tell anyone anything.
Ariel: Pleeease, Mister Kachrang? Can't we just let them go? Oh, hey, can I make that into a Bend Will move so he does it?
GM Claire: Do you have leverage? Something he wants?
Ariel: I dunno, do I, MSG?
Msg: Well, I've been secretly watching you for some time according to my Character Bonds. But you don't know that. On the other hand, I guess if we drag them along with us, they're just as likely to give us away as if we let them loose. Okay, I'll unlock them and send them down on the elevator.
Sasha: Meanwhile, I'm checking out the big doors, since you said the stairs lead up and we know we need to go down to the vault level.
GM Claire: They're big, heavy, iron-bound doors.
Sasha: Are they locked?
GM Claire: Don't seem to be.
Sasha: I open 'em.
GM Claire: They reveal a long hallway leading away into darkness.
Sasha: Great. Did the guards have a lamp or anything? Oh, wait, I've got an oil lamp. I'm going to light my lamp.
Msg: Hey, can I sense Paghla with my Geomancy spell yet?
GM Claire: Yes. You think the open stairway probably leads up through a relatively unimpeded path to her.
Msg: Well, at least we know she and Sin-Sing are here.
Sasha: Are you guys coming or not? This hallway isn't going to explore itself!
Ariel: Geez, hold your horses!
Sasha: Don't tell me what to do! It makes me even madder than normal.
Msg: Let's just go, Grey-eyes. No sense antagonizing him.
Ariel: Haha, antAGonizing! Because his name is Ag.
Sasha: Boo! Puns make me angry, and making fun of my name makes me even angrier!
Msg: She's the one who thought it was a pun. I was just using a perfectly normal word.
GM Claire: So what do you guys do?
Sasha: Head down the hallway!
Msg: After closing the door behind us.
Ariel: And we're being really quiet!
Sasha: Says you. Far as I'm concerned, the sooner we find this grandma-head and get out of here, the better. I'm not the kind to pussy-foot around.
Msg: Will you at least agree that if we can find a quiet spot that looks safe, we'll take a respite?
Sasha: Ugh, if it will shut you up, I will. SO annoying.
GM Claire: You don't see anything promising for the first long stretch of the hall. But eventually you come to a four-way intersection. The big hall continues forward, another hall leads off to the right, a little smaller, and to the left is a stairway going down.
Msg: Can we see light down any of them?
GM Claire: Maybe way at the end of the smaller hallway.
Sasha: Is there even any reason for discussion here? There're stairs! Going down!
Ariel: I'm spending my power die on my Mantra ability to add to your description of the intersection. "Yes, and fortunately, there's a sign on the wall with one arrow pointing down the big hall that says Slave Pens and another pointing down the small hall that says, uh, Slave Accounting ... Offices." Or something.
Msg: Well, that's lucky. If anyone starts looking for the missing slaves, they'll be coming from one of those directions, so I guess the stairs it is.
Elle: Has the contest started yet? Sin-Sing is getting bored out of her mind.
GM Claire: I mean, it only took a couple of minutes for them to trash the guards in the elevator building, ride up, and massacre the guards at the top. But fine, to speed things up, I'll say the vault-hunting group finds a convenient broom closet at the bottom of the stairs and takes a 30-minute Respite. By then something can be happening in the contestant room.
Sasha: Whew! Ag wasn't worried about losing all his Stamina, but I sure was!
Msg: Matash was definitely worried about losing all his Stamina.
GM Claire: Well, you've got it all back now, or you will by the time Sin-Sing gets through with her performance.
Elle: Is it my turn already?
GM Claire: Yes, your lurid teasing of the registration desk guy appears to have had an effect, and you only have to wait through a couple of acts before it's your turn.
Elle: Are either of them the shrimpy blue devil with the lute? And by the way, is she shrimpy-small, or did you literally mean she's like a shrimp?
GM Claire: She's small, and yes, she was the second performer. There's a long hall to go down to get to the stage, so you couldn't hear how she did, but when she gets back, you notice she doesn't seem particularly happy or worried about her performance.
Sasha: Yeah, she's up to something all right.
Elle: I'll worry about her later. Right now, I've got a show to put on.
GM Claire: Like I said, there's a long hallway to get to the stage. One of the staff in a prim uniform leads you down it. She's absolutely gorgeous, just like everyone else you've seen working here.
Elle: I tell her it's too bad I already have a partner for my performance, or I'd strongly consider taking her onstage with me. Just in case she doesn't get the point, I'll lick my teeth suggestively with my tongue.
GM Claire: She seems not to have a sense of humor about it. She just says staff aren't allowed to participate in the contest. Then she adds that she wouldn't want to anyway, since that's how she ended up here in the first place.
Elle: Oh, poor thing. Hey ... give me the laptop a second so I can look back over the notes. I don't remember what that one guy's sister looks like.
GM Claire: Gervender? She's got long, straight dark hair, very dark skin, and cherry-red eyes. This isn't her.
Elle: Okay, good. I'd rather not be distracted by finding that chick before I go onstage.
GM Claire: Well, that won't be a problem, because you're there now. You can hear a master of ceremonies announcing you and reading off the description of your act. What's the description say?
Elle: Sin-Sing Cherise, engaging in a parable of dissolute sensuality as portrayed through the lascivious art of erotic contortion.
GM Claire: You hear some loud cheering at that, possibly some of your gang, from the sound of it.
Elle: Okay, so here's how I'm calling this, game-wise. The gang is separate from me for their task, so that's a Dirty Work roll, right? And I can spend a power die to make an example of Paghla to get an automatic success. This performance will definitely require her to do some demeaning or humiliating stuff, so even though she's with me onstage, she's still part of the Dirty Work roll. The gang's job is to cheer and gasp just right to get the crowd on my side, which I'm calling leverage for a Bend Will move. Then I'm going to Channel Flame just at the right moment of my performance to empower it.
Sasha: What was that, MSG?
Ariel: He said, "something, something, rules lawyer." Or something.
Elle: Hey, no comments from the peanut gallery. Anyway, does that sound right, Ms. Gamemaster?
GM Claire: Even if it didn't, I'd say it did, because I'm impressed you've been reading the rules and I for sure want to encourage that kind of behavior. But you do need to tell us what exactly it is that you do on stage.
Elle: (cracking her knuckles) Absolutely. How much detail do you want?
GM Claire: Enough to give us a good impression of your act, but you don't have to go overboard.
Sasha: Yeah, we don't want to be here all night.
Ariel: I dunno, maybe I want to be here all night ... I like it an awful lot when Elle gets going with the dirty talk.
Elle: I'll see if I can thread that needle between getting Aers all gooshy and boring Sash to pieces. So like I said, the act is erotic contortionism. Basically, Paghla has to assume a variety of positions and hold them while I wrap myself around her and grind various parts of our anatomies together. We both start off upright, with me moving slow and easy as I slither strategically against her. Then as it goes along, she has to bend into lower and lower poses while I get more frantic and vocal, until she's finally twisted over backwards in a bridge position. From there, it's mostly me scissoring myself against every protrusion she's got until I hit just the right spot and Channel Flame and we both come in a cataclysmic lightning-splash orgasm that lights up the whole place so much, everybody can feel it.
Sasha: Um ...
Ariel: (fanning herself) Whew!
Msg: I'm beginning to regret not being in the audience.
GM Claire: Mm-hmm. Time to roll then, Elle. Bend Will is +Heat.
Elle: Here goes -- come on, Channel Flame! Ergh. Just a seven, plus two is nine.
GM Claire: The gamemaster gives you an extra +1 for your creativity and also because, I mean, you did spend two power dice on it.
Elle: Yes! That gets me to 10, so I aced it!
GM Claire: Describe the audience's reaction.
Elle: Pandemonium! People are screaming and whistling, normally proper noblemen were whacking themselves through the whole last half of the act and cream their pants or robes at the finale. People who are attending with partners have them bent over the tables in some places. The staff are scurrying around with mops to clean up the drool and spoo. In the back there's a whole pile of prudes or monks who fainted from having their repressed urges burst loose.
GM Claire: Okay, then! Wow.
Msg: On that note, I propose we go to the End Session move.
Sasha: Yep.
Ariel: Yes!
Elle: No argument from me.
GM Claire: Same questions as always, then. Did you fail in some regard?
Sasha: I face-planted on that elevator when I was leaping down.
Msg: And I fell off the edge of the roof.
GM Claire: For one point of damage each! You still won that fight super-easy. I'm not counting that. Did you expose yourselves to danger, cost, or retribution through your actions?
Ariel: That one seems pretty no-brainer. I bet we're always getting that experience point.
GM Claire: It does seem likely. And the last one about story progress is same as always, no dice since we're not to any real campaign with a storyline yet.
Msg: So only one xp each this time.
Elle: Eh, no big deal. We already have the experience to level, and we can't train while we're on this mission.
Ariel: Well, I'll take all the experience I can get! Grey-Eyes has a Fate to get working on!
Sasha: I'm enraged that there's not more experience.
Ariel: You are not! Our characters don't even know there are points being added up.
Msg: Do we need to worry about you being able to draw the line between fantasy and reality, Sash?
Everyone: (Long pause)
Elle: We're all thinking it. Who's going to say it?
GM Claire: Um, are you realllly the right person to be asking that question, dear?
Msg: Point taken.
Ariel: Okay, Elle, time for you to pay up for blowing it when you were describing Sin-Sing's performance.
Elle: What? I nailed that performance! You even basically admitted it when we all agreed nobody failed this session.
Ariel: Not your character ... you! You said you weren't going to get me all gooshy!
Elle: (Rolling eyes) Oh. Fine, let's go. Is anyone else coming?
Ariel: (very quietly) "That's what she said!"
Sasha: Duh!
Msg: I'm in.
GM Claire: Me too! But I feel like we need to remember this isn't automatically part of the End of Session move.
Elle: Yeah. Sure. Whatever you say, Claire.
Ariel: We'll definitely remember.
Sasha: Promise.
Msg: Technically, just because two things always happen together doesn't mean one is automatically part of the other. They could both just be correlated to a third thing. Nice job running the game, though, sweetheart!
Everyone: Yes!!!
GM Claire: You're all very welcome.

arielversary!

well, the rest of the gang has already had their say about our one-year anniversary with the lovely ariel april worthy, and they had quite a few good words! so i thought i'd close this perfect day out with a perfect image:

this girl! i swear!

broken worlds session two!

here's our next session of the kill six billion demons rpg we're playing! you should really read session one first if you haven't already, and remember, there are spoilers here for the scenario that comes from the rulebook!

GM Claire: Okay, everybody have their character sheets?
Ariel: Yep.
Sasha: Me too.
Elle: Of course.
Msg: I do.
Ariel: Oh, but I don’t have a pencil!
Sasha: Get me one too!
Elle: If our characters are this well prepared, I guess we’re all as good as dead.
Sasha: Hush! You’ll jinx us.
Ariel: Got one!
Sasha: One? What about mine?
Ariel: Here. I meant, got one apiece.
GM Claire: Are we ready then?
Sasha: Where are the dice?
Msg: They’re right here, hon.
Sasha: Okay, whew.
GM Claire: If that’s all, then –
Ariel: Oh my gosh, I have armor on my inventory list but I don’t have the number marked on the front of my sheet. How much is ... uh ... light armor?
Elle: For crying out loud, it’s right there in the “Gear” section pre-printed on the sheet.
Ariel: Oh. I wasn’t looking there, I was looking at the inventory I wrote down. Never mind!
GM Claire: ...
Ariel: I’m ready.
GM Claire: So. It’s the next day. The Night of Song is tonight, so you have the whole day to plan and prepare. What do you do?
Sasha: Hey, if the sun doesn’t move, how do we know when it’s getting near night?
GM Claire: Most quarters of the city have some kind of loud clock signal. A huge iron bell that rings on the hour, or a giant caged loon that warbles every other hour, that kind of thing.
Sasha: Got it.
Elle: Here’s my suggestion.
GM Claire: Wait, where are you telling them this?
Elle: Over breakfast at the Brewhouse, in the corner table I have them keep reserved for me.
GM Claire: And is everybody else there at breakfast time?
Ariel: Sure, I guess.
Sasha: Yes, but I’m not happy about it.
Msg: Yes.
GM Claire: Okay, go on then, Sin-Sing.
Elle: The Strumpets and I and all the actors we hired will go in the front as contestants and audience members. We’ll make sure the competition is especially lively and distracting. Meanwhile, the rest of you go around back and hijack one of those elevators to the third floor. If you get in without raising a big stink, you’ll be able to sneak around and find the vault. Or, if you get found out and I see the guards rushing downstairs, I can follow them with the Strumpets and hit them from behind.
Msg: I’m suspicious of the fact that if things go really wrong, you’ll be able to just walk out the way you came in and leave us all in the lurch.
Ariel: I’ve known Sin-Sing since I was very young, and she wouldn’t do that.
Elle: Sure I would, if you weren’t going to be with them, darling. But since you are, our handsomely pale sorcerer has nothing to worry about.
Msg: That hardly inspires trust.
Elle: Trust is a rare coin to begin with, and you seem to be a particularly impoverished fellow in that regard. I hardly expect you to spend your meager fund of faith in others on my account.
Msg: A lock of your hair as insurance would lessen my concern.
Elle: Like I’m going to go cutting off locks of my hair for sorcerers! But I’ll tell you what. Paghla Perfidy will be with me the whole time, and I’ll have her give you a lock of her hair.
Msg: Hmm. I suppose that will have to do.
Elle: Claire, I don’t have to make a roll to get Paghla to do that, do I?
GM Claire: No, it’s not particularly demeaning or difficult, and I assume you chose Paghla because she doesn’t know much about sorcery?
Elle: Exactly.
Sasha: I’m getting really irritated at waiting through all this.
Ariel: Not me, but shouldn’t we be worried about getting over to the dark side of the wall in time for the contest? I don’t want to have to bribe another demon!
GM Claire: It’s true – if you don’t want to pay for transportation, it will take you most of the day to make your way into position.
Msg: Do I have time to do a bit of geomancy before we leave?
GM Claire: Maybe. It depends on what it is.
Msg: I want to use the lock of Paghla’s hair to create a mental resonance with her, so that I’ll know if she’s within a certain distance – basically an area about the size of the palace.
GM Claire: That’s pretty reasonable. Let me see what I want to pick from the list of drawbacks. Mmmm ... I’m going to say you can do a lesser, more unreliable version of it. You’ll be able to sense her, but only if there’s a relatively clear path between the two of you. It won’t work if there are locked doors or sealed windows separating you from her. Doors that are closed but not locked, it can get through. Also ... you’ll need help from Sin-Sing to accomplish it, since she was the go-between who got you Paghla’s hair.
Msg: Sigh. What kind of help?
Elle (rubbing hands together): This better be good!
GM Claire: Whatever kind she’s willing to offer.
Elle: Yes!
Msg: All right. I ask her if she’ll assist me in the ritual.
Elle: Let’s discuss it in greater detail upstairs, shall we?
Sasha: Argh! More waiting!
GM Claire: Okay, the two of you retire to a room upstairs. Sin-Sing, what are you willing to do to help?
Elle: I’ll give good old Matash his choice. We can do it, dirty devil style ... or I can tickle him over his entire body with the lock of hair.
Msg: Both are undignified, but I’ll choose the tickling.
Elle: Excellent. I am determined to make him squeal with laughter through my irresistible wielding of the hair across his skin.
GM Claire: That’s a Bend Will move, and since it’s directed at another player, it’s a “broken” roll. Roll 3d6 and take the lowest 2, + Heat.
Elle: Boo. I roll a 3, 3, and 1, so that’s 4 + 2 is a total of 6.
GM Claire: Congratulations! You’ve rolled our first failure. Matash resists your merciless tickling entirely.
Ariel: Hey, if she had succeeded, could MSG have used that “Overcome” move to keep from laughing?
GM Claire: “Overcome” is for when you tempt disaster or mishap, so if he’d tried that and failed, it would have ruined his ritual – or worse!
Msg: I wouldn’t have failed.
Elle: Big talk. Humph.
Sasha: Can we GO yet?
GM Claire: Yes, the ritual is pretty quick, and Ag, Lonely Girl, and Matash are soon heading out through the city toward the wall. Elle, you and the Strumpets don’t have to leave immediately, since the way in through the front is much closer. Is there anything you want to do before you head out?
Elle: Since he had to be naked for me to tickle his whole body, I’m totally fapping it to the memory of our sorcerer's exposed flesh. How’s Matash’s endowment, MSG?
Msg: Substantial enough to make your character wish she hadn’t offered me the option of being tickled.
Elle: Ooh, dammit, you!
Sasha: Ha-ha!
Elle: Whatever. Okay, once I’ve diddled myself to satisfaction, I’ll go back over the plan with the Strumpets and the actors and then head for the Palace.
GM Claire: Okay, since Throne is a dangerous place, each group will have to roll an Overcome to avoid having something unfortunate happen during the trip to the Palace.
Elle: Hang on – Sash and Aers didn’t have to make a roll when they went to the front steps of the Palace yesterday.
GM Claire: They weren’t decked out in fancy clothes pretending to be nobles on their way through a seedy part of town.
Elle: Fine.
GM Claire: Okay, the group headed over the wall first. Who wants to roll for the group?
Msg: Aers hasn’t had a chance to roll yet.
Ariel: I don’t want to! What if I get a 6 or less?
Sasha: You’ve got to roll sometime, Aers. I vote for her to make the roll too.
Ariel: No fair ganging up on me!
GM Claire: So. As the three of you approach the gate you’ve chosen to go through, you find some thugs shaking people down for cash in exchange for access to the way down to the far side of the wall.
Sasha: Ooh, that makes me mad!
Ariel: You can roll, then – go ahead.
GM Claire: No, we already decided. Since you don’t have enough Wealth to pay them off, how are you going to get through?
Ariel: I guess ... well ... I’ll tell them we’re really tough, and they’d better let us pass or we’ll whoop them. Hey, could they be considered cruel predators? I want to defeat cruel predators for my goal, so I’d be really serious about that threat.
GM Claire: Okay, roll +Heat.
Ariel: Oh, great. That’s almost my worst one. Umm ... 8!
GM Claire: Okay, you succeed, but it causes an additional complication. The thugs yell at you as you’re heading away from the gate that you’ll regret threatening the Obsidian Eye Gang.
Sasha: I yell back at them to bring it on!
Msg: Let’s just get to the Palace, shall we?
GM Claire: There’s a very long stairwell to get down to the lower levels. Meanwhile, Sin-Sing and the Strumpets notice some figures shadowing them. You know your gang is tough enough to deal with a few thieves who think that you’re easy pickings, but you also don’t want to get in a tussle and risk messing up your costumes. What do you do?
Elle: Great. Hmm. Looking around, can I see any passersby who look a little less rich than I do, but still pretty well off?
GM Claire: Pry Secrets is +Mind.
Elle: Super. I’m setting an example for my gang, too, so if I succeed, I’ll get +1 BOSS. That’s 8 + 1 is 9.
GM Claire: Okay, ask one question from the Pry Secrets list and take +1 forward when you act on the answers.
Elle: Easy – what here could be useful to me?
GM Claire: You spot a nicely dressed, mercantile fellow – a Servant in a peach-colored robe. You notice he has a purse held close to his body.
Elle: Excellent. I’m going to stride up to him – oh, after another, “Watch and learn!” to my gang – and engage him in a loud conversation about what great fortune I’d heard he had at the gambling house, and that I hope he’s headed straight for a bank to squirrel all that Wealth away.
GM Claire: That’s +Heat because it’s a social performance.
Elle: I get 6 + 2 is 8 ... and you said I could take +1 forward acting on the info I got, so that’s 9. And because it’s a success, I get another +1 BOSS.
GM Claire: So you succeed, but with a misfortune. He stares at you like he’s memorizing your face, then growls that he has no idea what you’re talking about and stalks off. You notice the thugs shadowing you break away to follow him instead ... but the guy got a good look at you, and if they end up jumping him, he may hold a grudge and come after you.
Elle: We'll booby trap that bridge when we come to it.
GM Claire: All right. That gets you to the bottom of the stairs in front of the Palace of Night, while the other characters have reached the elevator landing that serves the Palace from the night-side. Remember how the front side of the Palace was in the River District? Well, now that you’re down on the ground, you can see that the water from the rivers up there runs through these massive pipes that open up into spillways where water-wheels are used to run the machinery of the elevators.
Ariel: That must be noisy.
Sasha: What did you say?
Ariel: I said that must be noisy.
Sasha: Speak up! You’re making me angry with your mumbling!
GM Claire: I appreciate the enthusiasm you’re putting in there, Sash, but that was obviously something Ariel said, not Lonely Girl Gazelle Grey-Eyes. Ag can’t get mad at the character for something the player said.
Sasha: Fine. Go ahead, Aers, have your character say something.
Ariel: I’m not having her say something so you can get mad and say she’s mumbling!
Sasha: You’re no fun.
Ariel: Okay, have it your way. Grey-Eyes says, IT SURE IS NOISY DOWN HERE!!!
Elle: Haha
Msg: Yeah, that was pretty good.
Sasha: OW! My ears! All you had to do was speak up, not yell! Grrr!!
Msg: Matash – at an appropriate volume – suggests that we have a look at the elevator that goes to the third level.
GM Claire: You immediately see a problem. The other elevator platforms reach ground level out in the open where stuff from the street can be loaded right on them. But the level three elevator reaches the bottom by going in through the roof of a large, windowless building. The front of the building has a heavy iron door with a peep-slot at eye level, and an even bigger door that looks like it can roll up to let wagons in.
Ariel: Grr! They must bring the slaves in using cage wagons I bet, so there’s no chance they can get away while they’re getting loaded on the elevator.
Sasha: Don’t growl! That’s my thing, and it makes me mad when people start doing my thing.
Ariel: Sorry, but I get mad at cruel predators. Growling mad, in fact, and if you don’t like it, that’s tough.
Sasha: Well, I don’t think gazelles growl, but whatever.
Msg: Is there a side of the building that’s out of view of the street?
GM Claire: There is, but it’s the spillway that turns the water-wheel for the elevator.
Msg: What’s on the other side of the spillway?
GM Claire: Looks like another building.
Msg: Is it close enough we could jump from the roof of that one across the spillway onto the roof of the elevator one?
GM Claire: It’s pretty far. You could make an Overcome roll + Body, but it will be a broken roll.
Ariel: Yikes!
Msg: Yeah, my Body is 0, so there’s no way I’m making that jump.
Sasha: You guys are such cowardly weakling cowards. I bet I can jump across carrying you both.
Msg: You’re crazy if you think I’m going to trust you to do that.
Sasha: Well do you have a better idea? If I miss, so what? We’ll land in the water and get a little wet.
Ariel: Is that all that will happen, Claire? What’s the water look like?
GM Claire: Roll Pry Secrets, + Mind.
Ariel: 9!
GM Claire: Okay, you get to ask one of these questions and take +1 forward acting on the answer.
Ariel: Uhhh ... What seems the safest path forward?
GM Claire: The water looks pretty fast, but also deep, and there are places along the canal where you could climb out. So Ag’s plan is probably pretty safe ... if he can pull off that broken roll.
Ariel: I say we do it, then, Matash.
Msg: Very well. But I reserve the right to say I told you so if we end up soaked or somebody drowns. Is there a bridge where we can cross anywhere near?
GM Claire: You see one a block or two down the street.
Msg: No sense waiting then. When we cross over and get to the building we saw, is there an easy way up to its roof? Without getting spotted?
GM Claire: Pry Secrets.
Msg: 9 + 2 is 11.
GM Claire: Ooh, you get to ask three questions.
Msg: What’s about to happen? What here could be useful to me? What seems to be the safest path forward?
GM Claire: The building looks shuttered, so it doesn’t seem like anything is about to happen. There’s a dark gap between it and a neighboring building that you could use to get out of sight. The safest path would probably be to go in that little alleyway and figure out how to get up on the roof.
Sasha: I check it out first. Anything we could climb on?
GM Claire: No, but the eaves of the building are low enough that a good jump might let you grab hold and then pull yourselves up.
Sasha: What if I boost the two puny types?
Ariel: I’m not puny! My Body is +1.
Sasha: That’s punier than me.
GM Claire: With you boosting them, it’s easy. You don’t even need to roll.
Sasha: Great! We do that, then.
GM Claire: You’re on the roof. What now?
Sasha: I’m gonna get Gazelle Girl and Mister White-braids under one arm each, then use my Power Die to Channel Flame and jump us all across the spillway to the elevator building.
GM Claire: Nice! But because the roll was broken to start with, it just becomes normal now – you don’t get to make it with 3 dice and take the best 2.
Sasha: What! Now you tell me! Okay, well, Ag still thinks he can do it, so I’m giving it a shot.
GM Claire: What did you roll?
Sasha: Urgh. I got a 4. Even +2, that’s a fail.
GM Claire: Sploosh! In the drink!
Msg: Damn it.
GM Claire: The fast-flowing water is carrying you quickly downstream!
Ariel: Wait, wait! I’m spending a power die too, to use my Mantra of Prim the Loyal to say ... yes, and fortunately Ag’s jump carried us right by the water-wheel. If we grab on, it will lift us up almost all the way to the roof!
GM Claire: Nice. Like I said, though, the water is fast, so the water-wheel is moving powerfully. You’ll have to make a +Body Overcome roll to swim into position to grab it.
Ariel: What about a +Reflex to just reach out at just the right second? I said Ag’s jump carried us right by the wheel.
GM Claire: Sure, either way.
Ariel: Reflex is my best! I get 8 + 2 is 10!
Sasha: I’ll do the swim thing using +Body for 7 + 2 equals 9.
Msg: My Reflex is better than my Body ... 10 + 1 is 11.
GM Claire: Everybody succeeds ... but Ag gets a misfortune or mishap with that 9. The paddle on the water-wheel hits you under the chin and does a point of damage. You all end up on the roof, dripping wet.
Elle: Dripping wet, huh? That reminds me, isn’t that show everybody likes about to come on?
Ariel: What show?
Elle: The one where I take off all my clothes in the bedroom.
Ariel: Oh! I like that show!
GM Claire: Are you guys saying you want to do the End of Session move already?
Sasha: So soon? We haven’t even gotten on the elevator.
Elle: I hear this episode of the show is supposed to be extra good.
Sasha: Grr. No fair!
GM Claire: I’m hearing what sounds like three votes to end the session. MSG?
Msg: Is there any point voting? Three votes out of five is already a majority.
GM Claire: Yes, but you often manage to vote very persuasively, honey. Your vote might change somebody else’s mind.
Msg: Great, so the pressure is all on me now? Why don’t you vote first?
GM Claire: Well ... because I was half hoping you’d change my mind too, since I’m leaning pretty hard toward yes.
Ariel: “Pretty hard?” That’s what she said!
Elle: Groan. Okay, MSG, are you voting, or not?
Msg: You’re kidding, right? Voting against all four of you on an Elle strip-tease? Count me out of that one.
GM Claire: Okay, then. Did the group fail in some regard?
Elle: Does my hair-lock tickle fail count?
GM Claire: That wasn’t a failure for the group as a whole ... kind of ambiguous whether that counts as a “we.”
Ariel: Falling in the water wasn’t very ambiguous though! Now we’re going to be all drippy while we’re trying to sneak around.
Sasha: And my chin hurts!
GM Claire: Yes to the first question, then. Did you expose yourselves to danger, cost, or retribution through your actions?
Elle: Do I even get to say anything, since I was by myself most of the time? I mean, with-my-gang by myself.
GM Claire: Well, unlike when you were trying to tickle Matash, the trip to the Palace was part of the group’s plan.
Elle: Okay, so when I threw the thugs off our scent and onto that orange-robed guy, you implied some retribution, as I recall.
Sasha: Also, the whole jumping across the spillway, again.
GM Claire: Cool. That’s two yesses. Like last time, there’s really no campaign story developing yet, and nobody made big goal progress, so it’s a “No” for “Did we progress our story in a meaningful way?” So everybody gets two experience points – which I think means ...
Ariel: We’re level two!
GM Claire: Not quite. You have to take downtime to train in order to advance your level.
Ariel: Oh. Poop.
Elle: What, you wanted to make a bunch of leveling-up decisions instead of heading in the other room for the show?
Sasha: Not if you put it like that!
Ariel: “That’s what she said?”
Elle: Show cancelled.
Ariel: Nooo! I didn’t mean it!
Msg: Another good job GMing, Claire.
Sasha: Yes!
Ariel: Excellent!
Elle: Kudos, Miss Worthy.
GM Claire: Thanks!