Aeneas, Angel of Rolling Ladders: quarry number 3.
Ares, god of war: an ethereal of ambiguous motivations.
Asmodeus ("Ulla"), Angel of the Game: quarry number 2.
Dominic, Archangel of Judgment: a shade under the weather.
Eli, Archangel of Creation: putting on weight.
Elnathan, Angel of the Hat, Cherub of Creation: quarry number 1.
Ethan Howe, Seraph of Trade: Seneschal at Jack's House.
Falendric, Malakite Master of War: handy to have around.
Gabriel, Archangel of Fire: she doesn't have to be there to cause trouble.
Gerar, Malakite of the Sword: PC.
Irijah, Ofanite of War: PC.
Jeremiah, Balseraph of Theft: an old enemy returned.
Kobal, Prince of Dark Humor: the man who isn't there.
Kronos, Prince of Fate: no big fan of ice cream.
Laurence, Archangel of the Sword: a man, a plan, a canal - Armageddon!
Leshem, Seraph Friend of Stone, Seneschal of Overlook Castle Above: wasn't he dead?
Lou: a truck driver.
Lucy, Pekinese of Creation: Elnathan's dog.
Malphas, Prince of Factions: mean hand with a cotton candy machine.
Marc 2.0, Archangel of Trade: conspicuous in his absence, much like Kobal.
Maven, Lilim of Theft, Seneschal of Overlook Castle Catacombs: a dealer and wheeler.
Meander, Djinn of Theft: a knife fighter.
Michael, Archangel of War: a decent chap, all in all.
Midian, Malakite of Creation: PC.
Pimpernel, Malakite of Trade: horseman and trader.
Sakyamuni Buddha, Archangel of Perception: the valorous Buddha. He will be missed.
Shelley, Malakite of War: has a slight Calabite problem. (See Chains.)
Tob-adonijah: demon with a sickle.
Triam, Malakite of Trade: the man with the burning hands.
Yves, Archangel of Destiny: sometimes a player in those Destinies ...
Yves 2.0, Archangel of Destiny: he squashes mechs, he shoots giant guns - what more could you want?
Zeeb, Angel of Wolves: one of Jordi's folk.
Zephaniah, Elohite of Lightning: one of Jean's folk.
Unnamed angels, demons, humans, military armament, mooks, relievers, street rats, and VPs of Marketing.
Gerar: a fairly straightforward Malakite sworn to give challenge before making an attack and never to lie for his own sake only.
Irijah: a freewheeling gun-fu Ofanite.
Midian: one of the hapless Malakim Eli appointed to conduct Dominic's inquisition of him.
Durendal: a holy relic of great strength.
Endless Blade: a dagger that keeps doing damage long after it hits.
Everfull Guns: who needs bullets?
Green Glow: it's eeevil!
Lightning Guns: okay, so they've just got a high Power.
Midian's Paper Bag: its eldritch potence is as yet unknown.
[Due to miscommunication, Gerar is not present for the first part of the session. Ergo, he is being debriefed by Laurence.]
Midian turns a corner and walks into an unexpected bar, where Eli is drinking. (He appears a bit out of it, although he claims later to be drinking ginger ale.) Eli has put on some weight, for which Midian chides him, and informs him that he must watch his cholesterol. Eli points out that Midian is not "the boss of [him]" and explains Midian's assignment. Evidently, Dominic has officially presented charges against Eli and is now gathering witnesses. Eli, as an Archangel, has a right to have observers present at the various stages of this inquest, and has appointed Midian to observe (and assist, as appropriate) one part thereof. Midian then leaves, after another exchange regarding unhealthy eating habits, and finds himself in the Laurentine Cathedral in London. Because Midian is now a faceless Dominican inquisitor, he acquires a paper bag (with two holes cut out, and a cross drawn on it) to wear over his head. This attracts Irijah's attention, and Irijah begins to orbit Midian. Midian interrupts him with an arm and they make introductions. At around this point, both sense a Superior manifestation. They head over to the nook in the Church whence the disturbance originates, and find a candle; the shadow of the candle has taken the shape of the Seraphim symbol and is growing. When it reaches the proper size, it begins to speak. Evidently, this is Dominic. After some restrained heckling regarding Superiors who sin in the very heart of Heaven, Dominic presents the PCs with their assigned targets (described in a sheaf of documents that falls out of the shadow.) Then he dissolves back into a normal candle flicker.
Irijah and Midian go outside and read through the papers.
Briefing #600-153-32(A)
Subject: Elnathan (Nathan Ford), Cherub of Creation, Angel of the Hat
Shaped October 15th, 1792, to bodyguard mortals with great creative potential. Assigned to France.
Involved romantically with Claude Lorraine, manufacturer of unusual hats, from March 1823 through December 1837.
Primarily responsible for the Redemption of Hadassah, previously a Calabite of Fire, February 1844.
Commendation for bravery issued on July 10th, 1852 for events relating to a fire in Paris.
Second prize in the Creation Fashion Fair, February 1881.
Petitions Seraphim Council for the Word of "the Hat" in June 1896.
Elnathan's competitors cannot resist purchasing hats of Elnathan's design (August and September 1896.)
Word of the Hat awarded.
Elnathan relocates to England November 12, 1898.
Elnathan promotes the concept of hats and variety within hat fashions for approximately 1 century.
According to the records of the "Dominic" construct,
Elnathan has respectfully resigned from Heaven's service, claiming that the War is "totally bogus" and the Archangels are "flippin' authority freaks". Further, if I come around again, he will "take [my] cloak and stuff it up [my] nose so far [I] will have Truth coming out my ears." The Truth behind his words was shielded. I marked an appointment for him for next week.
One week later,
Artists can be so terribly sensitive! I returned to Elnathan (Angel of the Hat) today for a follow-up interview and he tried to stuff my cloak into my nose. When this failed, he replaced himself with a small and yappy dog and attempted to sneak away. Fortunately, while I am blind, I am not entirely witless, and his deception was soon unmasked.
Since Elnathan was proving difficult, I examined him carefully for signs of Falling or diabolical influence. The first determination was easy, and he was most distinctly an angel. The second determination was more difficult. I did note a faint whiff of Calabite stench clinging to his aura. My conclusion is that Elnathan has befriended a demon -- most likely of Death -- and seeks to separate himself from Heaven to avoid having to betray him. At this point in my reasoning, Elnathan began beating me over the head with his hat and shouting, "Get thee hence, horrific snake-Judgment thing!"
Recommendation to self: continue mild observation. Do not brace Elnathan personally.
Appearance: (see attached photographs)
Habits:
Maintains an apartment and hat shop at 1212 Miller St., London.
Regularly visits the Merriwether Gallery at 5198 Cooter Rd., London.
Weekly poetry readings at "the Chop Shop" vegetarian restaurant, 110 Avenue Blvd.
(Between 10pm and 11pm Tuesdays.)
Other Identifying Traits: Keeps a Pekinese named "Lucy."
Attunements: Cherub of Creation, Kyriotate of Creation, Abracadabra, Transubstantiation.
Briefing #600-153-32(B)
Subject: Ulla (Jem Gardner), Malakite Friend of Fire, Angel of the Game
Shaped 328 BC. Purpose: cleanse roads of bandits, occasionally strike demons dead.
Killed 785 demons (110 soul-killed), Redeemed 31, slew innumerable cruel mortals.
Met current romantic interest, Toi (Ofanite of Stone) in 1553 AD. (4th relationship.)
Highly Sensitive Information:
Given the Word of the Game during a closed session of the Seraphim Council during the Saminga crisis. Appointed to impersonate Asmodeus and maintain order in Eli's "Hell." (See attached documentation. Creation's "Hell" evidently built to give damned souls a last chance at redemption while maintaining the appearance and function of Hell.)
Clearance 0 Information -- NEED-TO-KNOW ONLY:
Ulla evidently corrupted by the Word of the Game.
Ulla attempts coup in Creation's Hell; Toah (Angel of the Media) leads a coalition of "Princes" against her.
Ulla goes into hiding.
Warning (also Clearance 0):
Ulla may be a Warlock. If you encounter evidence of her using a non-Malakite resonance, notify an Archangel immediately.
Appearance: (see attached photographs; note additional Vessels resembling Asmodean forms.)
Habits:
Precise in appearance and dress. Fondness for cigarettes.
Neurotically organized. Possessive. (qualifications?)
Legendary appreciation for the opera, fondness for track events.
Other Identifying Traits: Stigmata Discord.
Attunements: 7 Gabrielite Choir Attunements, Smite, Dance of the Atoms, Friend of the Divine Spark, "Humanity," "Baron of Justice".
Briefing #600-153-32(C)
Subject: Aeneas, Ofanite Vassal of the Wind, Angel of Rolling Ladders
Shaped 1886 AD. Original purpose: not described.
Commendations and Reprimands issued by Janus (details unknown):
Word of "Rolling Ladders" requested & assigned (1985).
Volunteered to "infiltrate" the Gaian Revolutionary Army, allowing himself to be captured.
Traced to the house of John Carthorse, attorney, London 1928 Gables.
Cherubic attunements to him broken at that point. Suspicion of Fate involvement.
John Carthorse's passport used for an international flight to Switzerland.
Appearance: (see attached photographs; note two-foot braided ponytail.)
Habits:
Carries a briefcase with miniature rolling ladders inside.
Appropriate level of Ofanite hyperactivity.
Lover of horses. Chews gum. Inveterate gambler.
Frequently carries other people's stuff on his person.
Other Identifying Traits: affects half-lens glasses.
Attunements: Ofanite of the Wind, Elohite of the Wind, Mercurian of the Wind, Passage, Vassal of the Wind, Angel of Rolling Ladders (can go up to 80mph on a rolling ladder.)
After the PCs discuss these things for a bit, Michael appears on a nearby park bench to answer any questions they have about the assignment. Evidently Dominic was unclear (see future logs for an explanation of Dominic's distraction), as the PCs first ask what they are actually supposed to do. Michael explains that they are to find the listed angels and bring them to Heaven - specifically the Council Spires. Evidently, Laurence has specifically requested that Dominic not pursue certain cases on his own behalf or via his Servitors. Thus, the assignment. Irijah wonders about the handwritten note, and Michael explains that the Switzerland problem has been corrected. Irijah, unable to contain himself, asks, "Switzerland is no longer a problem?"
[several seconds later in game time, a few minutes in real time] Michael explains that the angelic inability to get into Switzerland - during the crisis - has now been corrected. The PCs have no further questions, so Michael vanishes and his park bench falls over backwards.
Irijah and Midian decide that the next step is to visit Elnathan's home, and do so. This is a hat shop and an apartment over it, both of which are dark. The PCs approach and note that a Calabite or some other form of raw destruction has neatly cut out a section of door just large enough to sever the deadbolt and the latch. They push open the door and go in. Midian claims a chartreuse velvet top hat for his own. The PCs note that there are fewer specialty hats than one would expect for a specialty hat store. They then go upstairs. There are more signs upstairs that Elnathan cleaned out his stuff and left in a hurry. As they consider this, they hear a creak from a door opening downstairs. Irijah, although he hears only the possibility and not the actuality of danger, sneaks down like neenja and sees a woman with long hair and tasteful clothing studying various hats. He eventually challenges her, and she whirls around, sword hand coming out (empty) - and then relaxes, and the possibility of danger fades away. "You must be Irijah," she says.
This is Shelley, also found in the story Chains somewhere on this site, and various introductions are made. Evidently Michael sent her by to lend a hand if needed, and also to commiserate with Gerar. (Shelley, you see, has access to the Calabite resonance.) Gerar isn't there yet, however, so after Midian verifies that Shelley is fairly honorable - she is a Malakite - they hop a bus to the gallery Elnathan frequents. Well, Irijah and Shelley hop a bus, diving through Elnathan's window into seats on the upper deck, and Midian boards it normally.
As they walk the final few blocks towards the gallery, they see a big mysterious green glow approaching from the far distance. It looks eeevil. They go inside the museum and take a quick look around for Elnathan, and then go up to the roof to await the green glow. It slams directly into the gallery beneath them and the green celestial glow suffuses it. The Symphony speaks to Irijah, telling him of a future danger - perhaps twenty minutes away.
The PCs go back down into the gallery, and discover that someone has pulled a truck up in front of the gallery and dumped a load of mud in front of the entrance. Midian and Shelley resonate on the mud, which turns out to be morally ambiguous. As the PCs think this over, a group of protesters form a picket line in front of the gallery. Gerar, returning from his chat with Laurence to the street outside the gallery, is collared by a protester as the others emerge from the building; the protester earnestly explains how terrible it is that they have replaced the Latino art exhibit with a display of admittedly marvelous hats. Gerar claims to be from out of town, at which the protester rants about how it's always some excuse or other and how the last guy he tried to get an honest protest and maybe donation out of claimed to be an angel. Irijah zips up next to Gerar and stops, vibrating, on a dime, demanding to know where this was. The protester indicates that it was out back by the parking lot.
The PCs rush out back just in time to see the emergency door at the back of the building closing; Irijah remarkably botches his attempt to get there in time and gets a faceful of door. A young kid, whose worst sins involve petty vandalism, delivers a message to Irijah. This message, signed with the symbol of the Most Holy and the name Bryn, asks the PCs to come to an apartment near the gallery (and gives directions in a little map.) Irijah, however, is more interested in catching Elnathan. Fortunately, the emergency door can be opened, and the PCs rush inside. There is no obvious Elnathan; there is, however, an old lady carrying a Pekinese. Irijah calls, "Lucy!" and the Pekinese looks over. At this point, everyone jumps the old lady. As they knock her down and begin beating on her, the museum lights go out with a click and the long-looming danger begins to loom a bit faster. There is only dim light from the glass door way down the hall in the gallery's front. Irijah whips out his Numinous Corpus, a flaming "tail;" the old woman conjures a cubic yard of gasoline above everyone's head. Irijah vanishes the tail again in the nick of time, and they finish beating her unconscious. The PCs decide that Shelley will take the woman (presumably Elnathan) to Heaven while they deal with this "danger." She heads out the front, they head out the back to lurk in the parking lot and wait. (Irijah originally intended to wait it out inside, but Gerar pointed out that it might be better to attack the danger from a position of initial safety rather than being swallowed by it when it arrived.) Shelley breaks down the plexiglass door to the museum, which refused to open, without breaking stride. The PCs lurk out back as the danger rises to a peak. Gerar notices a roiling cloud of poisonous gas approaching from down the street. Five seconds to peak danger. The PCs prepare to jump up on top of cars after the danger peak but before the gas gets there. Boom! Something in the gallery explodes, raining fire and glass and metal and wood everywhere. Around this point, a Song goes off out front (Ethereal Attraction, which someone just tossed at poor Shelley); the PCs make Perception rolls to determine this. Gerar rolls Infernal Intervention and is blown backwards into the cloud of poisonous gas. He begins hallucinating vividly. Midian hauls him over his shoulder, and Gerar resonates on Irijah. Irijah's greatest virtue is tidiness and his worst sin is Twinkie consumption. He has the dark potential to become a Shedite of the Game, but, on the positive side, might one day become the Archangel Yves. Gerar croaks, "Evil! Evil!" but Midian ignores him. Since they heard a Song go off out front, they race around to see the burdened and love-struck Shelley squaring off against someone with a sickle. Midian kills this person with a sickle, which makes things simpler all around. At around that point, but not precisely at that point, the Symphony shakes with a long drawn out tone: Gabriel's Trumpet.
The PCs have no idea what to do about this, and Shelley cannot follow her temporary true love into Hell - since he went there via Trauma - so they all go to the Sword Tether. (Irijah does send Michael a Celestial Tongues reading, "Was that what I thought it was?" The answer, eventually, was "Yes.")
En route, the Symphony shakes with millions upon millions of points of property damage and death-based disturbance, racing back and forth from horizon to horizon, and through it all one long tone: the second blast of the Trumpet. The PCs expect that the Tether of the Sword will be intensely busy, but in fact it is nearly empty. They wake Elnathan up with a Healing Song, and he fumes about force being the tool of the imperialistic cryptofascist elite. Nevertheless, the shark Cherub accompanies them reasonably peacefully up the Tether and on to the Council Spires. The Cathedral of the Sword is genuinely busy, although it seems to be all planning and coordination types. Irijah sends Shelley to the Glade to let them know they will be coming. As the PCs shepherd Elnathan to the Spires, and turn him over to the Dominican guard, Gerar feels his second Heart (in Heaven 2.0) get jostled. It happens again on his way to the Groves. Once the PCs and Shelley are reunited, Gerar steps sideways ("transcends") to Heaven 2.0 and discovers - a pitched battle between a skeleton garrison of Laurentines and a group of demons in uniforms of the War. Gerar quickly transcends back to report.
The PCs quickly set about gathering an army to deal with the Baalite invasion. Laurentines and Michaelites simply can't be spared, for reasons not stated, but one by one our heroes find small forces to command: Gerar a group of wolf-souls and Malakim of Animals; Midian a group of Lightning angels and mecha; Shelley some Janusites; and Irijah a group of Traders. Along the way, they note that Gabriel's volcano is erupting, a sheet of celestial fire and smoke roaring upwards infinitely into the Heavens. Irijah meets with Marc's VP of Marketing ("Marceting", as he likes to call it) and gets a commitment of weapons; the troops he gathers just by yelling, "To arms! To arms!" above the Bazaar. A number of Traders rise to talk to him, hoping that this is their chance to find out information about Laurence's 12-step plan.
[Approximate transcript]
Irijah: 12-step plan?
Trader: To redress the balance that may have shifted during Saminga's occupation. Rumor says it involves nukes and assassinations and a miracle.
Irijah (sarcastically): What, a miracle? Out of Heaven?
Trader (looking skyward): I understand he talked to ...
Irijah: The big guy?
Trader: Yeah.
Irijah: Any answer?
Trader: I don't know. But Laurence seems confident....
[End approximate transcript]
[Random Player Quote, re: the volcano] Armageddon must be a busy time for Fire.
Fortunately, when Irijah explains the actual situation, the Traders still agree to come - it's their Hearts at potential risk, too. So our heroes lead teams across into the other Heaven, and battle is joined.
Gerar's fight is fairly straightforward, tooth and claw versus knife and sword. The only particularly scary moment is when the sweep of battle cut him off from his troops and left him to face three Servitors of the War on his own. He took some substantial damage before managing to lead their battle sideways into the heart of the wolfish army.
Irijah has a hard fight ahead of him, because he only has Traders to work with, although they have cool guns. On the other hand, he can very clearly not see Marc 2.0 approaching in the distance, and Marc 2.0 looks like he won't be there in a couple minutes at most. With inspired leadership, he manages to hold off the enemy, even reducing their numbers, and then - in a brilliant tactical display - drive them into where Marc isn't, whereupon they also aren't. Marc continues to not billow inwards, his own troops disappearing - doubtless back to Heaven 1.0, or perhaps to some reward.
Midian stomps all over the enemy with her mecha, but notices something strange - the enemy has its dress uniforms reversed, with the coat cut in exactly the wrong way. Other strange things include Yves 2.0's chariot descending from the sky amid a chorus of Hallelujahs and accidentally crushing several mecha (they reinflated later) and Janus 2.0 swooping down to rescue her and her mech, carrying them high into the sky. Once all this was resolved, however, her Lightning troops managed to not only drive off the enemy but come up with a prisoner, bound in Lightning bondage gear. A quick interrogation reveals that this group of enemy, at least, serves Dark Humor, and came up to Heaven 2.0 following their lord (!) to distract the angels from Baal's troops. Lightning carts the demon back to the Halls of Order and takes out his brain for a fuller reading. Oddly enough, they cannot get a good "readout" on the image of Kobal leading the troops, even though presumably the demon saw him in some comprehensible form - just a blank.
Irijah continues to look smug even when the last of the Traders are gone, until suddenly - with Marc 2.0 a few inches from his face - he makes a Perception roll instead of failing it with a CD 5 or 6. He realizes that there is an enormous demon alarm ringing from right where Marc is(n't). He discharges both of his guns in that direction and then - is in Limbo.
He descends to his Vessel on Earth, after a moment of shock, and discovers himself naked - all relics gone as well. The Seneschal of the Laurentine Cathedral offers him some clothing and a sword. Irijah explains that he doesn't know how to use a sword. The Seneschal is completely unable to respond for several seconds, and then departs silently. He returns with some clothes, some guns, and a toy light saber that Irijah can use "for practice." Irijah attempts to ascend to the part of Heaven 2.0 he left, and bounces back to Limbo. He transcends to his Heart in one Heaven or another and gets together with the others. They begin to plot and scheme.
Lightning, since they're in the Halls of Order, updates them on the situation; evidently Commerce Park is no longer in Heaven 2.0. They summon Eli, who takes the poor Kobalites' brain. Dominic's shadow begins to grow on the far wall. Irijah Ofanites his presentation of the facts, explaining the situation about 5x as fast as any other angel could, and Eli nods and says it's complicated and takes off with his new brain. Dominic's shadow, thwarted, vanishes again. The PCs also get an update on the status of the second-order Superiors. David 2.0, evidently, assimilated David 1.0 and was taken over from the inside, whereupon the collective dissolved. Sakyamuni Buddha did not survive taking into himself all the energy of the bomb that hit him and Overlook Castle at the battle there. Dominic destroyed Dominic 2.0. Jean 2.0 has recovered and returned from his Saminga experience. Jordi is, for some reason, not offended by Jordi 2.0; the PCs are warned not to underestimate him, as he was in charge of neutralizing Baal during the crisis. Michael 2.0 has peaceably settled into a role as one of Michael's "Servitors" (he's an artifact, thus the quotes.) The others have little exciting news about them (but see below.)
Irijah feels that the only solution is for everyone to get their Heart and break it, and demonstrates this by whipping off and getting his and (well) breaking it. This hurts and also gives him the Soundtrack/1 Discord. (Anyone can make Perception+1 rolls to detect him and very generally what he's up to, based on his soundtrack, no doubt at penalties based on range.) Gerar and Midian disagree strongly with this notion, but agree that getting Hearts out of Heaven 2.0 is a good idea - particularly since they've realized that that's not Marc 2.0 but Kobal. Gerar attempts to transcend while carrying his Heart, which works. In the take-charge manner of PCs everywhere, they organize the evacuation of New Heaven until Eli or someone can deal with the problem. Irijah acquires a pair of Lightning pistols for personal defense in case anything goes wrong. The evacuation goes reasonably well, since Kobal is not (not) expanding from Commerce Park. Gerar gets a Laurentine tactician to spare him a few moments to deal with the problem. The tactician thinks this over and then notifies Jean, who ships his one little indulgence in Vapulan thinking over to Heaven 2.0. At this point, Irijah feels the Halls of Order shake as twenty-five square blocks of gunnery station land on top of them. Irijah cannot resist dashing upwards to take over the guns for the remainder of the evacuation. During this period, the third Gabrielite Trumpet sounds. Finally, however, when everyone who's going is gone, Yves 2.0 shows up to take over. Evidently, Yves 2.0's Destiny is to defend Heaven 2.0 with a giant gun. Irijah cannot resist asking what his personal Destiny is, and Yves 2.0 explains calmly that it's fairly complicated and not yet entirely determined but has something to do with becoming a Cherub. Irijah flees.
The PCs, now fairly concerned about the impending Armageddon, take off for Yves' Library to find out what the other four triggers are (and what the three that already happened were.) Yves has, for the convenience of curious angels everywhere, put the seven signs of Armageddon on a huge gold plate above the doors of the library. These are the signs from The Final Trumpet, and the next one is "an ancient evil breaks its bonds." The PCs confer.
They conclude that there are only two courses: one is to hasten Armageddon and the other is to stop it. They might be able to stop it by bombing the hill (Armageddon) where the final battle is expected to take place - but - the only non-Malakite there serves War. So, they think, "how do we arrange for the fourth trumpet. What ancient evils can we loose from their bonds and then deal with without weakening Heaven?" (It is worth note, at this point, that the GM had no fourth trumpet scheduled for this session, although it was certainly one of the options for the next or later sessions.) J
The PCs develop a Plan. "We will free Malphas from the bondage of his Fallen state," they conclude. "But how?"
So they go to have a chat with Yves. There's a huge crowd around the library doors of people looking at the signs or trying to talk to Yves, but they convince a Seraph to take a message to him. (Angels get out of a Seraph's way.) Two relievers of Destiny come out and lead the PCs in to talk to Yves, who is reading the Big Book of Armageddon. He chides them gently for impatience and bloodlust, but admits that Redeeming Malphas is a good cause and currently within reach. Therefore, he will put them in contact with him. The PCs are shooed out and a reliever gives them a small computer as they reach the entrance. It provides - a chat session with Malphas.
The PCs and Malphas agree to meet outside the Freedom Foundation. Irijah will be wearing a red rose. Malphas will be wearing a plaid suit. Irijah instructs Malphas to bring Marx Brothers glasses. The PCs then go to the Jack's House Tether and descend. They chat for a moment with Ethan, who points Irijah at the tables for the rose he needs, and head out. Once they're outside, they notice that Kobal isn't eating the top of the office building and working his way downwards. They immediately let Ethan know about this via a pay phone and make tracks. As they go, they see Triam and Pimpernel heading skywards to combat this threat.
Tipping the taxi driver inordinately, as they cannot afford the time to make change, the PCs disembark at the Freedom Foundation. There is, in fact, a distinguished-looking old gentleman in a plaid suit leaning against the one intact piece of the building.
[Begin approximate transcript]
Irijah: You are a distinguished-looking gentleman wearing a plaid suit.
Malphas: You are a disheveled-looking gentleman wearing a red rose.
Irijah: Malphas?
Malphas: Yes.
Midian: (Grr.)
Malphas: Irijah?
Irijah: Yes.
[End approximate transcript.]
Malphas does not know where to find the Heart, since Valefor's hand protects the things his high-ranked Servitors steal. Therefore, Irijah explains that it is under Overlook Castle and gives directions. Malphas expresses faint worry about Kobal, who is evidently coming this way, and attempts a distraction. Reminded by the PCs about the Marx Brothers glasses - his clever disguise - Malphas casts them into the air, and everyone in Paris is now wearing a pair. This is unlikely to thwart Kobal, but it could produce a tripletake. Then the others reluctantly climb on Malphas' back and he blurs off at superspeed towards Overlook. Stopping out front, he says, warily, "This is David's place." Irijah explains the dual nature of the Tether, but agrees that this could be a problem. They decide that the PCs will go in and talk to David's people and Malphas will go make more distractions.
Leshem, although the PCs may remember seeing him dead on the ground, greets them, and does not say anything like "We are David." After a brief discussion, he agrees that he and all the Servitors will go stand in "that" tower and face "that" direction for a bit. The PCs go outside again to await Malphas. A large part of the city appears to have been buried in cotton candy. Then Malphas blurs up to them again. Our sundry heroes and villains descend into the catacombs; Malphas and Gerar wait at the edge of the Theft Tether while Irijah and Midian go in to clean out the Thieves.
The two kick Maven's door down. One wall has been conveniently lowered into the ground (it does that, evidently) to give the office more room; Maven is seated in her chair, and Jeremiah and Meander are hanging out in the opened area. Irijah bursts in and fires at Jeremiah, successfully distracting him from Midian. The shot misses, and Jeremiah whips a knife counterstrike Irijah's way; Irijah brings the other gun around, partially deflecting the strike, and fires again, but again does no damage. Midian leaps onto the desk and strikes downwards at Maven, who kicks her chair backwards and away across the room to dodge, a fiery crossbow in her hand coming into view as soon as the desk no longer shelters it. The fiery bolt blasts at Midian, who knocks it aside and follows up with another leap and strike, carving a big hole out of Maven with his katana. Meander cuts at Irijah, who manages to bring a gun around and, while he misses her, partially blinds her with the spark of a Lightning bullet going past her face. Her reflexive counterstrike rips across the skin of his forehead, dripping blood into his eyes. Irijah grazes Jeremiah with a bullet, who - being pathologically afraid of guns - at this point makes a run for it. Midian slashes at Maven, who catapults backwards out of her chair to avoid being cut in half, and barely misses Meander with a vicious backswing. Maven goes celestial and darts for a wall; Meander catches Midian's sleeve and tangles his arm, poking him with a knife. Irijah shoots Meander and Jeremiah squarely with one gun each and both fall, even as Maven reaches her arm through and closes her fist around something inside the wall. Midian and Irijah go celestial. Maven draws forth Durendal, sword of Roland, from the wall. Irijah skims a shot off Maven's celestial form as she begins to swing. Midian drives his fist into Maven's stomach and grabs the hilt with the other hand, neatly transferring the weapon into his ownership. Although sworn not to use weapons sullied by evil, Midian can't resist; he dissolves Maven into nothingness with a cut of the holy sword. (Midian made his Perception roll well, you see, and determined that this is a +9 weapon with double damage against diabolicals. It's one of the holy relics.) The GM rules that anything done with Durendal is honorable, or at least anything suitably paladinish, and Midian takes no dissonance.
Irijah and Midian race out to rejoin the others, and Malphas leads them to the point of descent. They assume celestial forms, those that haven't, and go down into Hell. They find themselves in one of Valefor's treasure caverns. Irijah hears intense danger, of course, but also deadly danger approximately thirty seconds off. Malphas walks over to a pedestal with a book on it, and looks puzzled. The PCs, a bit stressed, ask him to hurry. He opens the book, flips through the pages, and shows the PCs a picture of a Heart, with a faintly nauseated expression. "This is a Fate trick," he says. "I've seen it before. Give me a moment."
Irijah's soundtrack resolves into a steady ticking. His Malakite of War Attunement counts off the seconds.
"The Heart's in the story," Malphas explains.
"Do we have to go into the story?" Gerar asks.
"No," Malphas answers. "We have to tell it...."
Irijah lets him get no farther. He dashes over, grabs the book, and begins to read the story of Malphas' existence at 5x the celestially possible speed. Ten seconds. Five seconds. At three seconds, he's still two weeks back from the present, and the ticking resolves into a very clear pocketwatch sound, coming from a swinging gold pocketwatch in the air, and at the moment of greatest danger, Kronos arrives.
"As it be told," Kronos says, "so mote it be."
The Books of Fate unlock when the story in them is told - but they have another function. They can be used to rewrite a person's story, if the person is near. In their presence, words spoken turn to history, and stories told take on life. At Kronos' pronouncement, the pages riffle back, and the room shifts into an image of the early days. The first few words Irijah says at that point, before catching himself, play out in the image - and everyone realizes what's up. Unfortunately, by the nature of this process, Malphas is suspended, unable to speak - and Kronos is in full possession of his faculties. (This used, by the way, a variant on the game's cinematic combat rules.)
Irijah takes his turn first, finishing the set of the stage. Midian, as a Creationer, takes the first step away from the original story of the Fall, explaining how - after Falling into darkness - Malphas realized that the ice cream in Hell could not possibly compare with the ice cream in Heaven. (Cue visuals of angels taunting the Fallen with dove bars.) Kronos looks unimpressed. Gerar takes a more Laurentine tack, going with the truth - that eventually the Demon Prince of Factions was bound to realize that Falling was ultimately pointless. Kronos, still unimpressed and a little smug, offers the point that while there may be seeds of brightness in everything, the darkness is more satisfying - and, ultimately, everything Falls. Gerar has to shake himself to fight off the seductive spell of Kronos' voice.
Irijah attempts to elaborate on the ice cream thing, interrupted and distracted by a sudden coughing fit from Kronos. The same fate meets Midian's grandiloquent speech on the sheer sadness of a Hell where God's ice cream is lost. Kronos apologizes, wryly, excusing his actions as "a bit of chest congestion." Kronos adds, as an aside, that one sad consequence of the Fall is that an ordinary Prince exists at Lucifer's whim - and could be wiped from existence at that whim, should he choose to betray. Gerar answers that everything that is exists at God's sufferance. Irijah and Midian are still recovering their trains of thought, expertly disrupted by Kronos' well-timed cough.
Kronos sneeringly comments that, whatever God may be able to do, he does not take action, being "an ineffectual and effeminate figure of a deity." Gerar snaps back, "That would make you and all Hell's Princes the dark reflections of a spineless pansy?" Kronos enters a mild state of shock at this, and, while he reels, Irijah strikes hard with the triumphant proclamation that Hell's ice cream will never be more than the palest shadow of Heaven's glory - rolling a Divine Intervention.
Kronos, helplessly caught up in their story, is forced to admit, in heart-wrenching grief, that the PCs are right, and that he cannot hold back Malphas any longer. "Go!" he cries. "Be free!" And Malphas' Heart condenses out of the book into Malphas' hands, and the Demon Prince shatters it, and the PCs take his hand and yank him up to Heaven.
The PCs arrive in the Glade with an enormous Shedite, whereupon approximately five hundred blades are drawn at once. Malphas reflexively bristles. The demon alarm shrieks. Irijah shouts, "Hold! He's Redeeming!" Fortunately, at least one Seraph of import sees that this is true - and demands silence and weapons sheathed. (A Seraph can't see the heart of a Demon Prince, but he could see that Irijah started this whole thing with Yves' cooperation.) Assembling an (honor) guard, the angels of War lead Malphas off to the Library for Redemption. Yves meets them at the entrance, eyes bright and stern, and he takes Malphas' hands in his own; and in the light that follows, the slime boils away and leaves the new-forged Kyriotate golden.
Gabriel's Trumpet blows.
Laurence: This is a war. He is a soldier. He cannot go off on his own recognizance to try and start Armageddon - ignoring his orders, venturing into the heart of Hell, alerting Dark Humor to a potential victory of this magnitude.
Michael: Admittedly, no longer "potential."
Laurence: Admittedly.
Michael: Trade has a saying regarding troublesome and insubordinate personnel.
Laurence: Oh?
Michael: Move them to management.
Laurence: (wry look)
Michael: Kid, I'm not too thrilled on several counts, myself, but in addition to the tangible victory, this gives us a big morale boost. You send him back to boot-cleaning school for a few centuries, the ranks won't get it.
Laurence: We were considering them for Black Wing. Which would mean Vassal status eventually in any case....
Michael: Friend.
Laurence: (pained) Friend?
Michael: (firmly) Friend.