> Click Clack remembers... there is a dim memory of Beverlea
standing at the helm. There is a dim memory of her laughing
with him. There is a dim memory of a fresh‐eyed cadet just
joining the crew for the first time. There is a memory of
her screaming in fear as the barge is hit by the fire of en‐
emy guns. A lot of those memories are not clear anymore.
There is a dim memory of trust and comradeship with
her, but also resentment and anger. Beverlea joined the
service when Click Clack already was in the service for a
long time. He was the one who trained her as a pilot and
protected her after a few mistakes she made in the service.
She did better over time and rose in ranks soon enough. She
also was the one who made him quit though. He does not re‐
member why though. Just the memory of shame and regret as he
was made to leave the barge for the last time.
∴
Click Clack, the soulless Thinking Engine, regards the memories
of feelings and emotions stirred by the mention of [4mHeaven’s[24m [4mFren‐[0m
[4mzied[24m [4mStare[24m. Is there perhaps an all too human heart, long for‐
gotten, buried deep inside all those circuits and wires and tran‐
sistors?
Atos said that the Golden Barge is currently docked for re‐
fueling and repair. It is possible that Beverlea is with the
ship right now. Or at least somewhere in Plandra. The mooring
mast is in fact on the palace grounds. Plenty close enough for
you to go check it out and be back long before you’re missed.
While Law has retreated to its meditations, and Quack is out
on his errands, you are left mostly to your own devices in the
palace. What do you do?
∴
> Quack takes a bath. He just steps into the pond, getting his
robes all soaked and dotted with duckweed. He takes a few
minutes to tell the journeys options to the toad and the
goose, trying to interpret their stares for an answer. Then
he bows and moves on ...
∴
You take a bath. The water is cool and refreshing. Your robes
cling to you as you exit the pond, hugging you tight.
You tell the goose and the toad of your imminent journey and
consult with them about the method of travel. They seem to con‐
sider the options in careful, deliberate silence. The goose
stands, takes a few running steps and, flapping its wings, as‐
cends into the air and flies away. The giant toad, meanwhile,
wallows and wiggles, and sinks a little deeper into the mud until
its feet and legs are buried. Just its head and the upper half
of its round body are visible. It croaks at you.
∴
> Quack’s eyelids shine with pain. Then he seems to see
clearer. He remembers how he and Angela used to study an‐
cient fairy tales in the clean garden of her parents. There
was never any dirt or mud. All of a sudden the memory is
gone. He opens his eyes. Bloody tears run down his cheeks,
but he is ready to go.
Quack returns to where he left his comrades two hours
later.
OOC: I rolled a 5, but my Luck score is 12, so auto‐
matic success and Luck down to 11.
∴
When you close your eyes you can still see the sigil of Konsu
branded on the inside of your eyelids. A cross with a dotted zig
zag at the top such that it looks like a bird’s beak and eye.
The bottom bar terminated in a sideways 8. Left and right bars
looping and curving to look like a whip and a scythe.
With this marking, no nightmare or other interloper will be
able to visit you or scry on you while you are sleeping without
you knowing about it. It should also grant you fleeting glimpses
of Ephemeris, the ocean of dreams; and, perhaps most importantly,
the ability to remember those visions upon awakening.
A modicum of safety and protection. And all it cost you was
a cherished memory of your Angela. You can no longer even con‐
sider whether it was too steep a price to pay, so thoroughly has
the memory been erased.
You return to DeCorticus’s palace two hours after you left
to go on your errands.
∴
> At first, all goes well. So many trails! First die is a 5.
But there are distractions! Second die is a 1. Training pre‐
vails. There is that familiar scent again. A total of 6 is
less than 8.
∴
The Law studies the trails intently. Just as they start to coa‐
lesce into a shape, a coherent image, a chambermaid enters and
sets down a tea service, nearly shattering its concentration, de‐
spite its explicit instructions to not be interrupted under any
circumstances.
The chambermaid leaves and shuts the door behind her, and
the demon hunter grasps at the trails once more, quickly trying
to re‐enter that mental state of calm readiness. Of effort with‐
out trying. Of being tightly wound like a coiled spring but also
completely relaxed.
The tapestry is overwhelmed by threads of dissent, sedition,
and turmoil. Some party or parties from far away are sowing the
seeds of resentment and suspicion in Plandra. Distributing the
pamphlets written in dark green ink on lime green paper. Creat‐
ing the fertile ground in which grows a neighbor’s hatred for
their neighbor. Setting the stage for violence and terror in
this city. Attacks in broad daylight. It all originates from
somewhere far to the south.
You follow one of these threads back to Atos, the Duke’s
most trusted advisor. You can say with no certainty that he is
involved in the conspiracy. But you can also not eliminate the
possibility. He could be a distributor or even an author of the
treasonous papers. Or perhaps he has merely been reading them,
the better to stay abreast of the political state of the city.
∴
Although just a few hours have passed, it is evening by the time
the three of your are gathered once more in DeCorticus’s palace.
Atos has given you the use of an entire wing of the palace
during your stay. You have your own bedrooms, and a private
drawing room lined with bookshelves where you may gather and dis‐
cuss things in privacy.
In the drawing room there is a card on the table by the
fireplace. A hand written invitation to join Duke DeCorticus for
dinner tonight.
∴
What do you do?
☞ Fine dining with DeCorticus?
☞ Fast forward two days and begin your journey on the Golden
Barge?
☞ Choose to leave sooner via Silt Loper?
☞ Something else?
