Session Start: Tue Dec 14 19:04:43 2004 Session Ident: #ethresh * Logging #ethresh to 'C:\Documents and Settings\Dave\My Documents\Exalted\Abyssal\Logs\AB-12-13-2004' yes? the "special edition" of Return of the King just came out, making me remember that the special edition of the trilogy has like, 2 hours of extra footage yep, it's like 12 hours total. so if it's acceptable, i would like to change my christmas list, heh Sounds like a good day to pull the blinds shut and spend some quality time with the couch so if possible, Special Edition of LoTR trilogy gotcha oh yes, and i saw "Earthsea" last night doh, forgot about that i dunno how much TV you've seen recently, but it's been in commercials NON-STOP on almost every channel yeah, I went to see national treasure and it had a 5 minutes spot in the beginning sci-fi really advertises the hell out of its mini-series so i thought, why not, i'll give it a watch. Turns out supersaturation of the advertising market can't do anything but help cause i literally only watched it because i had to see what sci-fi had sunk so much cash into and lemme tell ya i want a refund for that time ouch the story is just so inescapably trite a miraculously uber powerful random kid becomes a miraculously uber powerful wizard in like, two das *days remember "The Last Starfighter" *sobs* and he's got to confront an uber evil king who wants to unearth an uber evil god to grant himself immortality the acting was very, very good though the atmosphere was great too special effects were severely lacking, but it did have a decent spin plus it was obvious they crammed too much into too little like, the siege of the wizard academy could have been so much fucking cooler i definitly wanted to see more than just a quarter of a second of ships being blasted off the water seems to be going places tho what happens is, this uber wizard is really, really arrogant. He's a great character because he is so headstrong, he thinks he can do anything. The problem is, he can. hmm, a shame they skimped on the special-effects. Battlestar was so packed it was astonisting. Farscape too. indeed it's tight tho, he gets into an arguement with this even more arrogant aristocratic wizard, a bully in schoo the bully says the hero can't summon a dead spirit (carter from SG-1) which is SO FORBIDDEN by the laws of sorcery yeah, except, uh, the kid fucking does. In like, a minute. Problem is, he doesn't summon a dead spirit, he summons a dead god of darkness the Nameless Ones sounds kinda cool. you sure you hated it that much? thing is, he kinda surpassed the combined magical power of an entire order of priestesses to do it. Now the new high priest seeks his head cause she thinks he's an evil and uncontrollably powerful wizard heh, nah. I'm gonna watch the second part tonight it only got interesting towards the end tho I think I'll just download them later on, like farscape up until then it was like watching Lord of the Rings meets Harry potter except both at -4 dice for entertainment they do have an interesting magic system tho well, it is just a miniseries kinda reminded me of exalted like, every soul has a true name and if you know somebodys true name, you have power over them in one scene he turned a pebble into diamonds but then they turned back, because he couldn't change anything without having power over it, and to do that he needed to know the pebbles true name interesting problem was, if he found out the true name of the pebble, that might be the true name of...rocks. So when he turns it into a diamond, he turns the entire planet into a diamond hence, knowing true names can be vewy, vewy bad kinda cool the end of the first episode was awesome, definitly going to watch tonight good deal, I was hoping it would be okay plus battlestar is coming in early 2005 you know what's funny? they already are airing the ads ? apparently it's already been played apparently in the UK it's already been aired seriously? i guess i forget where i saw that now that's odd. could probably find it online if that was true i'd think but apparently it already aired in the UK, but they are doing this big advertising campaign to fight against bootleggers heh indeed oh well looks pretty damned good sci-fi is all pumped up good stuff i like the fact that my two favorite channels, comedy central and sci-fi, are finally getting their dues comedy central is pumping out some shitty shows, but the secret stash thing is fucking awesome you can see really, really funny movies uncensored like every weekend i can't wait till they get "The Hebrew Hammer" in secret stash heh yeah that was a messed up movie you saw it!? score! i loved the stereotype detector grid in santas workshop yeah, dan and I like a year ago "So, if you were to dribble a basketball, say the word Dog, but spelled D-A-W-G, or maybe eat watermelon, it'd go off" I didn't laugh as much as dan, apparently most of the in-jokes are for jews only man there were in-jokes i didn't get? Dude, how many stereotypes do jewish people have? a ton apparently. hilariously nobody except jews care about them i thought i got most of em dan was telling me about some and saying how terrible it is that people make fun of jews for that. rofl and i'm just sitting there thinking, "Dude, ain't nobody that interested in jews." but it was made by jewish comedians exactly i think Andy Dick is jewish I think so i usually hate him but in that movie he was pretty funny he had a pretty funny fake-reality tv show it was some kind of apprentise rip-off, he had a funny insane king thing going on is this where he got to hunt the people trying out for sport? perhaps, I only saw like 2 halves of an episode, so I dunno. I don't like reality tv, except drawn together. i only saw one episode of drawn together wasn't bad sadly the jokes are coming farther and farther apart in the most recent episodes. I fear a pittering out i like the pig though, he's great well the best parts are the random family guy-esque jokes like when the princess is talking about how she should've let foxxxy die when she had the chance the princesses father the king is hilarious and then it flashes to foxxxy hanging off a ledge dangling over a lava pool, princess yelling "GIVE ME THE RING!" princess: "Daddy, I think something's missing in my life?" King: "Did you check the colored girl's room?" hahahahahahahahahah nice I missed one or two of them, but I recommend it excellent oh yes, and i couldn't figure out what i wanted my level 3 artifact to be i read up on level 3's in S&S, and damn, they can do some wicked shit once you hit level 3 you can start doing things beside just boosting attributes and abilities S&S? an example was a scepter that makes all animals of a specific type do your bidding until sundown. Not appropriate for my character, but that is so badass! Savant And Sorcerer it's just Book of Three Circles v2.0 ah my fall back is some variety of bracer or belt or something that improves strength by 2, dex by 2 it'd be helpful for combat, and i could use the help well, you can always decide later i would rather it be something more creative not just a bonus booster like the memory shanking hand. That's cool, that's useful. yeah. you always have xp for that. I don't know how many more totally free hearthstone/artifacts you'll be getting if it's cool with you, i'll just have to put it on the back burner till i can think of something worthy not a problem ready to get started? yar (Feel free to pose, getting a drink) Design smiles as you take the (insert essence device here) and put it to good use. "I'm sure that'll come in handy." He leans back in the large oak chair and props open a rather large tome. "Like I was saying before, what we need now is direction. We've all the been the unfortunate pawns in a global game of power. You were right to point out that in this game, we're dwarfed by ancient ghosts, behemoths, and Deathlords." He grins, "What we need now is focus. If we contine to react without thought we will constantly be at the whims of fate. I'm not a huge fan of fate." "So, I propose we start shifting the field to our favor. Everybody is after this Mirrored Abyss thing, but nobody knows where it is. Lets not waste our time like The Lion and Setesh and clumsily search the entire continent, lets find someone who knows where she's going." "That person is of course Crimson Tears of Regret. Of course she could never divine the location better than Setesh, but she must have put some vital peice of the puzzel together after visiting The Thousand. Something which we all - Deathlords included - missed. She currently heading with purpose to the island of Blue Haven." "My recommendation is to intercept her on your journey to Blue Haven to negotiate the Fae document. Easy enough eh?"* (Snowball is so fickle, geez) "Indeed. I suppose I won't behead her on the spot if she can afford us important information. So will you be staying here then Design? I know you would not fit in spectacularly well in Creation, but it is still your choice."* "I think it would be for the best. I can be of more assistance to you here." He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "In the time since we last talked of it, my Liege's position has become more and more unstable. Though it would have be unthinkable to say such a thing three months ago, I must now consider that I can better serve the Abyss on my own. For now I'll stay here. Haumphantine knows better than to mess with me, mess with me, and I'll not cause trouble in Felharbor." "I'm not so certain about Shadow though, she may not want to leave the Bodhissatva's side in this time of trouble."* * Echo loses the sickly whimsical smirk that almost always accompanies his arrogant voice. "Shadow is...worrisome. I think something has happened to her, Design. I am concerned of her safety here..." With that, Echo looks around cautiously. Shadow may have followed him here, and she may even now lurk in the library, eager to learn more of Echos position. (May i do a roll to give the place a quick once-over?) (you may, rolling perception + awareness) (1 success) (*shrugs* One of these days i'll boost my awareness) Design notices your attempt to casually look around the room. He chuckles politely. "I wouldn't worry about it. You're right, something has subtly changed about Shadow. If she were here you certainly would not know about it Echo." He rubs his chin. "In fact once you are gone I think I'll rig this entire library with tell-tales. I don't need any snoops." "One more word of warning about Shadow. Did you notice her artifacts and hearthstones? They've changed slightly too. It's almost like her body... harmonized." He shrugs and smiles nervously, "But what do I know."* * Echo nods. "I concur entirely. I would reccomend avoiding her entirely in my absence. I do not doubt your skills as a warrior Design, but she is clever and dangerous. Having said that, I won't leave you unguarded. Although I realize it may be a practice in futility, I will attempt to convince Haumphantine to keep watch on Shadow." "He dislikes us Abyssals anyways, so perhaps it won't be too difficult. Still, he is far too incompetent to be reliable. I will leave you with control of some men."* (I'm giving Design command responsibility over my personal bodyguard. Although some of my men are currently in my Manse, I want him to take four war ghosts as personal bodyguards) "That would prove useful, I thank you for the aid Echo." (Leaving me with two for my adventure into creation) (very well. You can also exchange your war ghosts for humans of course. Both serve the deathlords.) (if you want 2 humans, they will be highly skilled, competant, and reliable.) (Unless I can give him more control, as the concept of Abyssal command background hinges on the idea of a Liege trusting his death knight. As there is no liege atm...dunno.) (Hmmm, ghosts can't go into daylight can they? Shazbot.) (we're going cult of personality here. the amorphous concept of power will lead the denzins of Felharbor. and you have much captial in this regard.) (Well for creation I'll take mortals all the same) (okay) (As for the total command i have at the moment, I'll appoint Design a personal guard from the Crimson uh...Claws? I forget their name) (Thats fine. The exact amount is unimportant. You can easily appoint Design enough bodyguards for himself and the library, as well as enough eyes and ears in the city. They are all quite loyal to you) "Do you remember Captain Thein, Design? He was the ghost who led that contingent of soldiers until we took them over in the villa. They still swear loyalty to me. I will lend you Captain Thein, and he shall then give you control of the force. They should prove enough to aid you in security, and in whatever endevours you see fit. For now however, I must take my leave of this place." "Although you seem to enjoy this place...I do not particularly..besides, I imagine I can find Haumphantine even at this hour. I do not suspect I will return until after I have completed my journey to the Fae Island." * Echo smiles and gives Design a bow. "Until next we meet, Design."* Design stands up and gives you a thoughtful nod, "You'll do just fine Echo. You've got a good head on your shoulders. Keep it that way." You exit the library, wary of lurking ghosts or Shadow, but find neither. You do however, quickly find Haumphantine in one of the lower audience chambers talking fevorishly to some deputies. He seems to be ordering about the rebuilding of the city and is quite cross. A number of the deputies are not confident the work can be completed within the time Haumphantine requires. He notices you enter and scowls. "Echoing Words... what do you want? Don't you humans sleep this time of night?"* * Echo chuckles for a moment. "Oh Old Ghost, for a moment I thought you were trying to be -witty-. How foolish of me. I come to you with a few simple requests. The first being, I will need transportation to the nearest controlled Shadowland- I am leaving for Bluehaven as soon as is possible. The second request being that I need you to keep an eye on Shadow for me." Echo says, a twinkle in his emerald eyes. "Shadow has been acting...strangely. I would ask you to keep a level head in this matter, but be wary of strange behavior. I'm sure a man of your endless wisdom can more than handle that."* Haumphantine seems taken aback at your request and doesn't say anything for a long minute. "You're leaving?" He says with disbelief. It appears he sincerely thought you would take this opportunity to claim Felharbor as your own, perhaps even overthrow the Bodhissatva. Clearly he does not know the events happening in the world are far more important that this coastal stronghold. He doesn't seem to care why you are leaving, but he is cautious about Shadow. "What do you mean she's acting wierd? You don't think she could turn violent do you?" Though an old ghost, Haumphantine is not martially focused. You realized early on that one of the reasons he disliked the Abyssals so much was that they could eclipse his physical might. A rogue Abyssal rampaging through the wounded city is that last thing he needs. * "Oh don't worry Old Ghost. I'll be back. Oh yes, I shall be back. And when I return, and the Bodhissatva is well, I shall put in the good word for you, eh? Doesn't that sound nice? Certainly it does." Echo maintains his always condescending smirk and continues, "As for Shadow, no, I don't believe she is violent. After her encounter with that strange magic, she has been acting less like Shadow than is typical." "But what do I know? She is a girl, her body goes through changes at her age and...whatnot. I have no idea. Just keep an eye on her, and -try- not to be -too- paranoid about it. If she wanted to disembowel you in your sleep, well, frankly, she would've by now." Echo grins, pushing his glasses back onto his brow. ... * Haumphantine smiles and sly smile and says in a calm voice, "Now then Echo. You'll be going to retrieve the Fae document the Bodhissatva spoke of yes? I overheard such talk, but would never thought the old fool to be desperate enough to try to claim it." Haumphantine clearly is letting leadership get to his head, such talk before the Bodhissatva would prove fatal at best. (rolling socialize + perception) (4 successes) (pwned) You easily read the face of the old ghost. You've know him long enough to know his goals and dreams. This was the chance he was waiting for. He will claim this city today, and tomorrow the world! And now he thinks you walk into certain death at the hands of the Fae. Christmas just came early for Haumphantine. "Very well then, I shall do as you ask. Good luck."* * Echo nods quietly. The ghost can have his victories now. Echo was already a hero, he needed only walk the streets to be regarded as such. When the Bodhissatva inevtiably returned, it would be Echo, not Haumphantine, who would fall into his good graces. Indeed, Echo would see the old ghost butchered before his 'reign' was over. )*inevitably) ()()()() * Echo takes his leave of Haumphantine for now. He had but two more stops before he would prepare to embark. The first would be one more stop off at the library before he left, the second would be to see the Bodhissatva once more.* The library is just a few floors down and is the easiest to reach, you get there quickly.* * Echo prepares to enter the library, but then thinks better of it. He was going to give Design the Howler In Darkness during his absence. Yet, there was a lingering lack of trust in Echos heart. He could trust no one but himself. The Howler In Darkness was an amazingly powerful weapon, to lose it would be...lethal, perhaps. Still, it would no doubt be safer here than in Creation. Also, Design was a superior swordsman...if need be he could wield the artifact to great ends. The lack of trust in his heart gives way to his own arrogance, his own determination that he is simply always right, no matter what he decides, and therefore, his first thought was the one that must be for the best. After contemplating his own amazing judgement for another few seconds Echo reassures himself of his own brilliance and proceeds inside to greet Design and tell him of his decision.* (remember, due to your explicitly selfless acts Design is a fully fledge 'ally', he will not betray you unless you provoke it. However others might come to claim the Howler...) (Better someone in the Underworld than in Creation. Besides, Design can protect it better in the library.) (Whereas I can barely protect myself) Design is still sitting at the massive wooden desk, pouring over a textbook with interest. He looks up at you in the pale candlelight, "Echo, what are you doing back here?"* * Echo smirks. "You know of the weapon of my Liege, the Howler In Darkness? I was going to take it with me into Creation, however, I thought better of it. Do I leave the weapon in the hands of an allie in the only safe city in the Underworld, or do I take it into the chaos that is Creation? Better to leave it in safety with you." "However. The Howler In Darkness is my Lieges great weapon. It must be your foremost concern while you stay here, Design. Never let it out of your sights. Never let another touch it. Never even let another know you possess it."* Design shrugs, clearly not interested in the amazing power the weapon could give him personally. "Sure. It'll give me a chance to examine it more closely, perhaps figure out a way to open its power. You know, the Deathlord's tools are no mere artifacts... the taint of the Malfeans is in that blade." He nods solemnly, "I shall keep it secret and safe. For my safety at the very least."* * Echo nods solemnly. "I shall bring it to you personally before I leave. Until then, I bid you adieu. I must take counsel with the Bodhissatva once again." Echo gives yet another quick bow, and exits. Hopefully the Howler will be safe here. If it is not...then there will be blood in the streets. Echo hopes it will not be his own. For now though, he had to go see his Liege one last time. Or, perhaps, see the gargoyle haunting the Bodhissatvas presence, Shadow.* You make your way up the dreary spiral starcase in utter silence. Though hundreds of guards line the hallways of the vast citadel, none breath, talk, or move. It is an eerie effect, even for one so used to death. The guards at the Bodhissatva's chamber bow and allow you entrance. You walk into the room and see the frozen statue of your Liege. But not Shadow.* * Echo assumed he wouldn't see Shadow, even if she were there waiting for him. One such as her was useful in the least...but in the end she was a disconcerting ally, or a terrible enemy. For now, Echo would content himself with the belief that she was the first. "My Liege. I have come to inform you that I will be embarking for Creation very shortly. Hopefully by tomorrow I will arrive in Bluehaven." (Earthsea, pt. 2 is on) (heh, ok lets call it a night then) (Heh, k, need one more pose though) "At which time I shall take my revenge on a betrayer. One of the betrayers I have encountered thus far. After which time I shall head to the isle of the Fae as you asked my lord. I shall return triumphant. I shall kill our enemies to the last." Receving only silence as a reply, Echo bows his head. He feels pitiful now, talking to this icy statue. Still, this was his vaunted Lord. "Always your faithful servant, my Liege." With that, Echo turns away from the frozen throne and moves towards the exit. He feels light begin to pour against him. It must be dawn in the Underworld...he has been moving about all night. This would be a pleasent day, Echo thought.* (good way to end. Enjoy the show. see you next time) (Alrighty) Session Close: Tue Dec 14 21:00:58 2004