Session I

"A glittering battlefield."

Players Involved: Shrike, Lokar, Ent, Silence

Return to Ascension Isle: Legacy

"Well it should be a fun party." Alice says. "I mean I heard all sorts of fashionable people will be there. The creme of our lovely land."

A ball is being held in the Governor's palace of CZ Central's Unity district, to honour the fifth wedding anniversary of Governor Armiger Archangeli and the Lady Aster Emerald-Archangeli. The high nobility of CZ Central has been invited, along with several other notable residents of the city. This guest list apparently does not include the rogue Thamatechnician, Gregorio Arhyna, who is nevertheless helped past the guards at the gates to the Unity District by the passing noblewoman Alice Samelrand, dressed in an eye catching red and black three piece ensemble complete with checkerboard tie, and on her way to join Jonas Flavius at his manor. Alice recognizes the "Clockmaker"; the former protege of the City's Chief Thaumatech, and expects to receive a valuable favour in return some day.

The dingy iron and brick of the Wards gives way to the towering silver and glass of the Unity District. The architecture is a mix of futuristic skyscrapers and office towers with an over the top classicalism. There are marble statues and glass foyers everywhere, flowing fountains, with heated water, and all the street lights still lit. A carriage clops up, its body the converted shell of an autocar for which there is no longer any fuel, pulled instead by an animated horse construct. The driver is one of Jonas' men. "Flavius sends his regards my Lady, and a carriage to his house."

On arriving at the stately (although largely empty) Flavius Manor, Alice is led to the prayer room, where she finds Jonas, Lilly, Loran and Chrysanth waiting. Alice lights up at the sight of the Cordinal in his foppish finery best, then frowns at the sight of this new purple haired hussy, sitting near Jonas and listening silently to his amusing anecdotes.

"I'm sure you remember my niece, Lilly?" Jonas says.

Lilly nods, a bit curtly. "Samelrand." Her flat tone leaves the "What's SHE doing here," unsaid.

"Lady Emeraldine," Alice bows, "You look adorable as ever, I must know your stylist"

Alice turns back to Jonas "Cordinal. I ran into the Clockmaker"

Chrysanth looks up. "Will there be a Harlequin to go with the Ticktockman?"

"Perhaps!" Jonas laughs, "Who can tell at these balls. Would certainly be more entertaining than the last one!"

"Maybe somebody will get shot," Alice adds, "Its been too long since there been a proper duel at one these things. . ."

Jonas frowns at Alice, and Lilly's eyes flash. Lilly's mother, Hazel Emeraldine was the most celebrated duelist of her day, before she became. . . well. . . serially inebriated.

Jonas coughs, "And this is Lilly's cousin. . . Miss Chrysanth. She's come a great distance."

"I greet you in the name of the Chosen." Says Chrysanth, an uncommon greeting indeed in Jonas' social circle.

"And I," Says another voice, as a woman glides into the room, "Am Moira Clementine, and the one who called you all here this night."

Moira Clementine, a former Priestess of Zadkiel and the Heir and Defender of House Clementine enters. She has her hair piled up in a complex of silver curls and braids, lit with flickering internal lights that throw rainbow colours through it. A woman in her 50s, through the power of Thaumatechnology she has the looks of a woman in the 30s, and will likely continue to do so for the next half century. As she walks into the prayer room she draws an Empyrean Monstrance from beneath her white fur coat and touches it to the head of the seated Chrysanth. The crystal within the Monstrance immediately blazes to life, indicating the presence of one of the Chosen.

Moira quickly explains to the stunned gathering that the girl they know as Chrysanth de Caritas is in fact an annointed vessel of the Chosen Zadkiel. Chrysanth is not yet the Chosen herself, but is a possible candidate for the return of her soul. She tells them that House Clementine is sworn to defend the annointed of Zadkiel, and requests their help in doing so. This is not a ceremonial task, she cautions. The young cornet Loran rescued Chrysanth from a clone archive of Zadkiel, which the Lord General Marianne Saint-Just recently had destroyed.

"For all her professed faith, the Lord General has committed high crimes against vessels of the Chosen." Moira says sternly. "We must know why, and then we must punish her for it. And then we must return the light of the Chosen so Zadkiel can take her vessel and ascend her throne. I am telling you this Jonas because you are a just man, and one who is more than most people know." Moira casts a glance at Alice Samelrand, "I am willing to trust your faith in your companion to keep this secret."

"Feel free to shoot me if you wish to protect the secrect." Alice says, "If that's what the Cordinal thinks is best."

"Now, now." Jonas says, "There will be no need for that."

Chrysanth nods. "We are one, you and I, together we suffer, together exist and forever will recreate each other."

"Amaryllis Emeraldine," Moira says, "I charge you and your house with defending Chrysanth in my stead. With you and under your protection she will have freedom of action she would not otherwise possess."

"I have asked you to put your trust in me to bring a close to this era of apocalypse." Chrysanth adds. "Now I will put my trust in you."

While shocking truths are being revealed at Flavius Manor, Gregorio Arhyna arrives at the Governor's Palace. It's a new building of course. The Chosen Leliel flattened the whole of the city center five years ago during Nightfall. The new palace is a massive three spired cathedral of white stone and black glass, with glittering lights reflected off its mirrored surfaces. Gregorio thinks it looks kind of gaudy, but he can't do anything about it. . . For now. Security at the entrance is provided by a squad of Archangeli House Cadet Guards, standing at attention in their red uniforms, with a pair of Arch Autoclaires in parade trim nestled in alcoves behind them, the real local firepower. Dressed in a semi-fancy tailored suit with his normal rather unkempt appearance cleaned up for the engagement, Gregorio looks fancy enough to be admitted, but not important enough to be announced, and slips into the ballroom without fanfare.

The room is huge, at least 100m on a side, with a pair of chairs, almost thrones, on a raised velvet dias at the end, and food tables along the walls. A live band - almost a full orchestra - is playing lively tunes, the top of the pops in Jibril no doubt. Gregorio wonders for a moment how the crowd would react if someone instead started pumping in the latest Mikealan Techno. Maybe remind some of these turncoats what continent they're on. . . He files that on his to-do list if he can get away with it! The servers are even live waiters and waitresses rather than the far more economical, if disconcerting, Thaumatech constructs.

Peering through the crowd, Gregorio searches for his half-sister, Wren Aryhna, who he knows will be in attendance. He sees her draped over the Tellaren Lieutenant General Roald Janvier, in temporary command of Tellaren forces in the city during the absence of the Lord General Tiwas Hallow. Janvier sports one of those ridiculous handlebar mustaches that seem popular in southern Jibril, and Wren keeps trying to play with it. She's also giggling. A lot. Gregorio doesn't recall her being anywhere near this frivolous, so either his cousin has changed, or she's playing him. Maybe it's both?

"Excuse me, my lady, I must talk affairs of state with the Lieutenant General" A stern faced woman, shaved head, face all angles muscles in. Lord General Chesne Du Blessed, the Endruscarian commander.

She shoulders him away and Gregorio can here her hissing, ". . .Embarassing yourself Janvier!"

Wren makes a discrete, "tele me!" motion, finger to temple motion to the Lt Gen as he's dragged away.

Gregorio takes his cue, "Ah! Wren! There you are!"

Wren turns to see him. "Well, if it isn't little Greggo!" She's actually two years younger than Greg, she's just wearing heels. And a V-neck gown that's cut down to somewhere just above her pelvis. She's definitely filled out a lot since Grogorio last saw her. Her hair is done up in a stunning shade of auburn streaked with gold, all ringlets falling over her shoulders and back. They provide what little modesty her dress avoids. She's not QUITE the most scandalously dressed woman here, but she's close.

"You're staring, brother."

"I am!"

She taps out a little fan. "And it has accessories!" The fan is inscribed with prayers to the Chosen for modesty and propriety. She flutters it distractingly over her mostly exposed bosom. If the High Priestess saw her now she'd probably be summarily enlightened.

Immediately recognizing a co-conspirator (with the aid of a little telepathy) Wren demands to know why Gregorio is really at the party. Wren knows of his turn as a street Thaumatech, and the last she heard he was holding court with the crows inside the crashed Stratodyne, Splendor Solis. Masked by telepathy, Grogorio lets his half-sister know about his encounter with Clive and the Nexlexi thugs that ruined his lab, although he carefully leaves out mention of his encounter with a Fey Princess. He now needs access to his old equipment, stored under the Arhyna Manor.

Wren sighs. "Here." She passes Greg a Praxis key, a silver sliver of metal. "That'll get you into the storehouse under the manor. Just don't let mother see you." She glances across the room to where the leader of the Nexlexi gang and CEO of its corporate facade, neXen, is talking to the head of House Samelrand. "But do be careful. I heard that Nexlexi is looking to bring someone over to Ward 6 in the near future. Someone important. Someone who doesn't want to go. It might be you."

"You're the best, sis!" Gregorio says half-teasingly.

"I am!" Wren leans forward and gives Greg a peck on the cheek that gives him a very non-sisterly view, then spins off. "Now, I have souls to corrupt."

At this point Jonas and his party arrive, and are announced at the door, the Count Jonas Flavius, and the Countess-heir Amaryllis Emeraldine. Loran, dressed in the white and blue of a Coreve Crusade Cornet follows, escorting the violet-haired Chrysanth de Caritas. Alice follows after, alone, and notices Greogrio furtively skirting the party and studiously avoiding the cluster around his former mentor, the CZ Central Chief Thaumatech Giannina Megus, now a key ally of the Lord General Marianne Saint-Just. Alice latches on to the Clockmaker and drags him over for an introduction to Jonas. Jonas tells Gregorio he could use a man of his skills, and hands him his card. . . leaving Greg to wonder, use for what exactly?

"Cordinal." Alice says, "This is the man I was talking about."

"Not Cordinal, Alice." Jonas sighs. "Just Jonas now."

Leaving Jonas and Gregorio to make acquaintances, Alice heads over to talk to her sibling, Ingria Samelrand, and her guest, a short woman with a mess of blonde hair, blinging it up in an outfit of gold leaf and chains, like a barbarian queen.

"Ah, Alice." Says Ingria. She rolls a thin stemmed glass between her fingers. "Frosty, meet my dead - I mean dear cousin, Alice, Alice, Alice Somebody. Goodbye now Alice."

Alice ignores Ingria and greets the other woman with a relaxed smile, "My Lady Frosty please to meet you" The other woman looks Alice up and down, then holds out a hand, in a common gesture not usually seen among the nobility. "Arlene Frost, neXen Corp."

"Are you involved in the Family business, Alice?" Asks Frost

"No, I am more of a freelancer these days." Alice says, "Dearest Ingria does a such a fine job policing the ward without the need of a triggerwomen of my skill afterall. . . Though I heard she been having a spot of elf trouble."

"You do look like you can handle yourself." Frost says. "Got the hands and the eyes. Look, if you're around Ward 6 next Gabrelday I could use-"

"Alice is NOT part of our venture." Interrupts Ingria.

A confrontation between Alice and Ingria rapidly escalates, with Alice resisting Ingria's attempts to dismiss her, until the Baronness of House Salemrand finally flings her wine glass at Alice. Despite a cut on her cheek from the glass, Alice only smiles; "Dearest cousin your hand slipped. I haven't drun from this yet so you can have my mine." Ingria flies into a fury. Re-directing her rage she nearly attacks the elven servant who arrives to clean up the mess, only being prevented at the last moment by Loran, who firmly escorts her away.

Meanwhile, Chrysanth follows Wren Arhyna and the Lieutenant General out into the palace garden. Using a little trick of deception, Chrysanth puts disapproving words into the mouths of a pair of guards and utterly ruins the mood. As the General tears a strip up one side and down the other of the two soldiers, Chrysanth appears to lead the heir to House Arhyna away for her own conference.

"I am Chrysanth de Caritas, latterly from the mainland. In the care of the Emeraldines during my stay in this fine city. I may prove finer company than your choice of companion. Walk with me."

Wren takes a deep breath, then shelves her obvious irritation. "Very well. A short walk. We'll see if you can provide me half the satisfaction he would have."

"There is no aphrodisiac like power." Chrysanth says, "Or do you prefer whiskey?"

Wren looks sharply at her. "I find Information is its own nectar. You look like someone who wants something, my young mainland lady."

"Probably, yes."

"Sit then. Let's hear what you have to say." Wren sits on a softly heated Thautech bench, and taps out a small incense stick, lighting it up with the flick of her fingers. She takes a deep breath and blows out a fragrant smoke ring.

Chrysanth sits across from her, eyes shimmering out of synch with the flickering - ambient! - light of the fake flames along the sides of the nearby paths.

Sitting in the artificially warmed palace gardens, with their magical greenery, Wren muses that all this will soon end. The giant Thaumic plants that power the city are failing, and no one knows how to re-light their massive geode cores. Chrysanth muses about the possibility of armed revolution, as the city's underclass revolt against rulers who can no longer maintain their own power.

"It will be a bloodbath, one without the Chosen to put an end to it on . . . . favorable terms." Says Chrysanth. "I doubt anyone could say who would win. Other than the carrion crows."

"Oh, I don't think there's any doubt who'd win." Says Wren.

Chrysanth leans forward. "Really."

Wren allows a long pause as she taps her incense. "Of course!" She says finally, with exaggerated cheerfulness, "After all, hasn't Jibril always won before?"

Chrysanth is certain that isn't what she meant at all.

Unwilling to say more to an unknown Jibrilite, Wren takes her leave. Deciding to adopt a different approach, Chrysanth uses her solinarch praxis to transform herself into a small cat, and re-enters the palace, seeking Ingria Samelrand, to judge the fallen noblewoman for herself. She finds the baroness confined to a drawing room in the Palace's southern wing by disgusted Coreve cadets in Archangeli colours, awaiting the attendance of her Lord General, who wishes to speak with Ingria Samelrand regarding the embarrassing scene she has created.

Back at the party, her half-brother Gregorio cruises through the guests, listening for conversations of note. He finds Gideon Taiani, the richest noble in the city through his dealings in Electrotech, in animated discussion with Solomon Dior, the richest man in the city, and a powerful if common-born Chancellor of the Merchant's Guild. Gregorio overhears part of their argument: "-I'm sorry Gideon," Dior says, "But that's my final offer. Copper cabling has gone through the roof. Someone's buying up all the stock. Someone with deeper pockets than even you."

Gideon stalks off in irritation, leaving Gregorio to introduce himself to Dior, who clearly recognizes the Clockmaker, and passes Gregorio his teleptex card, in case he is looking for future employment. On the matter of the copper cabling, Dior only knows that it is being purchased by neXen Corp, and for ridiculous prices, likely above even Frost's means. As copper cabling has no uses for Thaumatech, and is only useful for Electrotech, Dior has no idea what use it will be put to. Gregorio remembers some experiments he ran in the past on using an electric current to contain Ether without requiring an Archenium circuit, but he found it impractical to implement and gave up on the idea a couple of years ago, back when he was still working with the elves.

Jonas Flavius has migrated over to the martial corner of the room, to talk to an old friend of his, Stevan Var-Vistus. A lord of the cadet branch of House Sentonius, the lords of Epsilon Ward have not fared well under the occupation, and are continually abused by their Endruscarian occupiers, never forgiven for their role in the War. They technically have a house guard, but it is forbidden weapons and is used as an adjunct to the constabulary doing all the worst scut jobs.

"Stevan! Man good man! It's been too long!" Jonas moves to shake his hand.

"Jonas!" Stevan grabs Jonas' arm and pulls him into a back slapping bear hug.

"Some party." Jonas says, after they step back from each other, getting a look at his friend.

Stevan is a large man, getting a little thick around the middle in his middle age, wearing a sightly too bushy beard and muttonchops, making up for the balding patch on top. "For you, maybe." Stevan says I didn't get to come with the pretty little lady you did."

"Stevan! That's my neice!"

Stevan snorts. "Oh, that's what you're calling Alice now? What's the next excuse?"

Jonas blushes slightly has he realizes what Stevan just said. "She's a. . . Business associate."

Although saying that its safer that Jonas not tell him of his current activities, Stevan is willing to divulge some key information. He tells Jonas that he has heard Samelrand has nearly a brigade under arms, and is preparing for war, and not at the orders of Lord General Du Blessed. Ingria Samelrand has already initiated a low level proxy war across the Ward boundaries and spilling over into Yojimbo Avenue between street gangs loyal to Samelrand, and proxies of house Lentithe. Samelrand and Lentithe are now on the verge of an open war that could tear the Endrus District apart. In such an event, the Endruscarian Lord General Du Blessed would die before requesting the aid of her rival, the Coreven Lord General Saint-Just. The two women are hated rivals, and Du Blessed even believes Saint-Just is secretly plotting against her!

Further to Du Blessed's problems, out in the west of Endruscare's Occupation Zone, strange raiders with a full Battle Stratodyne have struck at the coastal city of Tremscare Point, and the 557th Brigade was badly mauled. Stevan does not know the identity of the attackers, or how they came by an operational stratodyne, particularly since all those in the Occupation Zones were crashed by the Zenith.

Deciding to follow up on Stevan's information, Jonas sights Aeternia Lentithe, the youngest daughter of the detached Eurinia Lentithe. Lentithe and Samelrand have a long running feud, going back to the days of the Republic and the Auraden Protectorate before that. Samelrand was admitted into the ranks of the Republic's Patrician families, and then used that power to block the suspect House Lentithe, which was forced to abandon its holdings and flee to the mainland. Lentithe thus survived the War intact, and was returned to its old possessions - but alongside those of House Samelrand. A situation guaranteed to cause friction, if not outright conflict.

Despite her short years, Aeternia has the looks and bearing of a blonde Valkyrie, and is the Defender and Knight Commander of House Lentithe, and leader of all its cadet forces - and a respected Autoclaire pilot besides. The two have a passing acquaintance, and it is clear that Aeternia knows Jonas is up to more than he admits, and is aware of the presence of the Ghosts within her Ward. Aeternia is also willing to momentarily set aside her general hatred of House Samlerand, or at least make an exception in Alice's case.

"Did you SEE it? Your Alice had her is SUCH a fury." Aeternia says with obvious relish. "Makes me glad I didn't shoot her when we last met."

"Yes Alice has her way." Jonas says "Especially with her cousin, though it doesn't take that much to set her off. Which one should be careful not to do."

"Comes from raising a generation to be nothing but mad dogs." Aeternia says.

Aeternia makes reference to House Samelrand's ill-advised project to breed a generation of super-soldiers to fight for the Republic. Both Alice and Ingria were products of this initiative, and both bear the scars in their own way. Aeternia also confirms Jonas' information about the growing conflict across the Ward 6/7 boundary, and seems intent on doing something - possibly a bit extreme - about it. Jonas gets the uncomfortable feeling that Aeternia has a little bit of hero worship for him, because of his past as a war hero. She also seems bitter that her own father and family never got to fight for the Republic and prove themselves in battle: "Good heroes win battles," Jonas says sadly. "Great heroes win battles and bring everyone home." He agrees to meet with her tomorrow at his house to discuss security matters.

At that point a bell tolls, and a crier steps forward, her voice amplified by thaumatech in her high priestess' collar. "All ye gathered, all ye gathered, here comes his excellency, Governor of the Corrected Zone. Give honour to the Divine Appointed Armiger Archangeli!"

Continued in Session II

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