Monday17

[[Mon 17]

Current status

Recap of events so far

An explanation of StratCo and Evan Cassenti’s involvement with the Damocles Experiments can be found at Talk20060312.

An explanation of Gaddelsmocks the StratCo and Magitech plot to ruin Deblin Gaddelsmocks can be found at Talk20051002.

Some old, largely obsolete notes on Pipwhistle, Davis and the Syndicate can be found on Monday04.

Further details

The white goo was discovered 20 years ago in an archeological dig by Pipwhistle’s father (he ran a robotic mining company – after being fired for embezzlement, he got a crappy job on Laboro, and was very recently assimilated by the Technofearful).

Pipwhistle recently completed his research with the juice, which was used to put the finishing touches on DEO. Evan Cassenti, though he was twisted by Mordred, still deployed the ship during the Deus rite to take down the Caretaker’s shield.

Along the way, Pipwhistle discovered many interesting properties of "the juice." In particular, necrophagic grafts of those infected with the juice do not die after a week. StratCo has made a deal with high-level UNF officials to augment the soldiers with improved necrophagic capabilities. To cut down on the massive replication of the juice, nanites are deployed to keep the juice’s numbers in check, and keep it from being transmitted to third parties.

Upon completing his research, Pipwhistle learned the truth about DEO and the planned deployment. He threatened to go to the press with the information, but StratCo preemptively retaliates by firing him on the grounds that he is a Brotherhood spy. A short time later, there is an accident at Nald’s house – terrified, he runs to Lensherr for protection.

Vondre Willowtree

Willowtree has been gathering information on Ariona and her weaknesses for years. Working with StratCo, Willowtree was involved in the abduction of Bernstein – not only for all the reasons already mentioned, but also to put Ariona out of a job.

Since then, she concentrated on Erica, managing to trap her in Baba Yaga’s book. (She recently got it back from Huntington as part of his power brokering deals during the war. She assisted him with his weapons deals, and also arranged for the book to fall into the Volokhovs’ hands, so that Huntington, disguised as the old man, could use it to make the false Crown to harm Ariona.)

Willowtree sends the book to Ariona (via a delivery droid emblazoned with WMG logo, who sets down the box upside-down cheerily), with a forged note from Bernstein saying, "Hello, Ariona. I ran across something in my research lately that puzzled me, and would greatly value your input, as I feel it may be very relevant to your area of expertise. Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rudolf." The book is black with blue trim, and titled, "The Blue Rose." It is locked with an ‘‘arcane lock’’ effect.

When the book is read, if your name has been inscribed within, the book automatically turns to that page, you read your own name, you get sucked in, and it creates a new chapter in the book about you.

Willowtree has prepared the book for instant summons back to her hand (her arcane mark is on the inside cover). Once Ariona has been sucked in, Willowtree recalls it to her hand. But unable to sense whether it has worked, she waits a good month before doing so.

One of the chapters in the book is about Baba Yaga. Thus, releasing everyone from the book might not be such a good idea. However, Baba Yaga is so tired of being in the book that she helps them unconditionally if they release her. But when they first talk to her, she screams for them to release her, alternating between begging, pleading, threats and insults.

For someone inside the book, she can only interact with the outside world (magically) if the book stays open to her chapter for ten minutes.

The book has a page missing (the one containing the instructions on how to extract people from the book’s clutches).

What’s next

Hopefully, someone will contact Bernstein to find out what the hell is up with the book. He vaguely recalls his assistant running off at the mouth about a "book of roses" and "incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands." Bernstein explains that Nald was recently for being a Brotherhood spy ("shame about him, I thought he was such a nice guy" – Bernstein has been totally brainwashed by StratCo and believes everything they say). If not a lot of time (or if Alex is too pissed off), Bernstein gives them the missing page of the book, saying he found it in Nald’s desk. Otherwise, Nald stole it before fleeing.

Hopefully Unity remembers his contact with Erik Lensherr and the party goes to visit him. The secretary says that Lensherr is currently in a meeting with Mr. Sinclair, but that it should be over soon. Bernard (formerly Blacksoul), as he is leaving, says "I implore you one last time, Mr. Lensherr – cease your association with these people, and admit the truth."

Lensherr brings in Pipwhistle and they all have a nice discussion (assuming they convince Lensherr they are trustworthy). Lensherr invites all of them to join his organization. If there is lots of time, they ask the party to bail out Gaddelsmocks from jail (Nald’s accounts have been frozen and they do not wish Nald’s or his mother’s ties to the Brotherhood to be any more obvious). If not enough time, the Brotherhood has already done it. Either way, Pipwhistle helps them by returning the lost page of the book, which contains instructions on how to free someone from the book (say her true name three times).

Assuming they also free Erica, she vows to find Willowtree and take her down once and for all.

But before they can run off to JUSTICE, the room darkens, and Void Echoes are heard!

The end of time

Jasmine contacts Nikolai, who hears her voice with the Void Echoes of his abilities. Nikolai hears her words at a primal level. "Nikolai… the Destroyer moves… Mars is next… we can stop it… no longer distracted from its true purpose… use your power… Deus Ex Machina."

No one else hears anything abnormal about the Echoes, except for Brice, who hears Jasmine crying, "Brice… I’m sorry… for everything… for abandoning you… forgive me… sob… Please… wait for me."

Nikolai, upon arriving at the Deus Ex Machina, sees a white vertical line within the archway, with light streaming out. Space and time feel broken here. Alfadir, Lilith and Io are here, but seem frozen and unmoving. How much time he has, if such a term even has meaning here, is unclear, if he wishes to pull Jasmine from the archway (which he knows he can do). He can hear the tentacles whispering in his mind, "Open it… Open it…" and is filled with a wonderful, terrible sense of both anticipation and apprehension unlike anything he could have ever imagined.

Meanwhile, in Netspace, Brice sees that the node where his death was written has transformed, and is now somehow connected to the Deus Ex Machina. It is a gateway between the digital and corporeal realms. He feels drawn to it. Two figures appear – a skinny trucker named Joe and a mysterious gnome named Myara.

Joe: "Soon, a portal will be opened to reality’s end." Myara: "It is not fated that you open this portal – but that you ‘‘are’’ the portal." Joe: "So it’s our sad duty to tell you that you’re now faced with a terrible choice." Myara: "Either end your life…" Joe: "Or become the means for the universe’s destruction." Myara: "You must act quickly."

They fade from view – Joe looks deeply saddened, while Myara’s expression is unfathomable but intense.

Brice does not to kill himself. He is inevitably drawn to the central node, where Nikolai and Jasmine (who Nikolai has pulled from the Void using his tentacles through the archway) are channeling Void energies into the archway. Brice is transformed within the archway, the portal is opened, and everyone (Brice included) is carried through to the end of time.