This'll be the thread where you can write up e-mails to whoever you're sending them to (in game) and wherever e-mails you recieve from other players (or NPCs) will show up. Since we're focusing on fun, just include the To,CC,BCC, etc fields, and a subject line. Forging the entire headers does indeed lend it that artistic touch, but is quite, ultimately, unneccesary. I'm trusting you all to be mature enough RPers to not metagame if (for some reason) you stumble across an e-mail that was not addressed to you.
E-mails can be truncated to nicks. Generally, I'll know when you guys want more information (for example, if it's from an NPC) and include that in the tagging, etc. If you want something I didn't include, then just bug me about it.
Also, if you happen to have multiple e-mail accounts (maybe a fake account, for whatever reason (you're paranoid (or are you, Shade?))), you can just add some indicator to the e-mail that it's from whatever account.
I wouldn't worry about time-stamping. Not yet, anyway.
Whee!
And now, for fun, a sample of what an e-mail could look like:
From: Brian (Yahoo account)
To: Ginrai
CC: Rezantis, Dracos, Bjorn
BCC: Shade
Subject: in-game e-mails
This is the system in all of its glory. Let us hope that it ends up being usable (and fun) enough to overcome the annoyance in using it in the first place.
Wait, that sounded wrong.
The following is an e-mail I sent to Shade in the middle of my drive to Boston (stopped at a rest area and wrote it then):
From: Ginrai
To: Shade
Subject: Small Problem....
Okay, well... seems that almost immediately after you gave your warning I started to get a *very* bad feeling. After packing my necessary items, I tiptoed to my backyard. What should I find there but this circle in the middle of the snow! Recalling your warning, I went around the circle and decided to hop over the fence and find a way to my car or the bus station....
Thing is, the feeling got even worse and then I heard some noise from inside the house (that of glass breaking and roomates shouting) and at that point the only safe place seemed to be from within the circle. As I got ready to jump into the circle (without breaking it, so don't worry), all the lights go out.
Now, the good news is that when I was able to see where I was, I was within the circle and it *wasn't* broken.
Bad news is that there was this large, transparent wolf next to me, who then jumped into the house. At least he took care of whomever was coming after me (without harming my roommates from what I could see before getting to my car and out of there).
So now I'm off to Dracos' house in Boston and thought you might want to know this bit of information. If I don't get there in time, you might want to pass this on to the others and think of what this means and what to do next.
Ginrai
From: Shade
To: Ginrai
BCC: Dracos, Rez, Bjorn
Subject: There Goes the Neighborhood
First, the Bad News.
You broke the circle when you crossed the lines, that wolf was *NOT* supposed to get out.
Second, the Worse News.
Odds are very good that thing sent from San Fran is still hunting you. Watch your back. Did it take anything from your room that belongs to you? You might be being tracked via supernatural methods. And if anything looms ominiously out of the shadows, RUN!
Third, the I have a Plan news.
Going to check out a connection on my end. Will try to be in touch as time goes, but no promises. Might see me later if all goes as planned, but if the North gets too hot, I hear that Rome is a nice place to cool off. Never was one much for religion, but sometimes it doesn't hurt to call ahead for a visit.
-There and Back Again
Shade
To: Shade
From: Bjorn
CC: Ginrai
Subject: Re: There Goes the Neighborhood
Okay. Stop. Take a deep breath.
Let's pretend for a second here that I have no clue what you're talking about (*who* broke *what* circle -- Ginrai?), why I should take any of this seriously, and why you think it involves me in the least.
Care to fill me in? I feel like I missed half the movie or something; one week I'm in Japan, and everything in normal, and then I move back to Canada, log on, and Shade is reporting prophetic dreams of doom that lead Ginrai to take off like a paranoid rabbit, while insisting that I start acting like vampiric computer hackers are after me.
Bjorn
To: Shade
Subject: Re: I loike circles
Okay, right... so, let me get this straight...
This is a movie reference right? Where I type back: "Man, get some help, you sound whack." Sending off what sounds like sound advice before turning around and seeing someone trying to kill me....
but wait, since I turned around already and no one is trying to kill me... I am left with just having sent off that first message:
Get help, you sound like you've gotten a bad hit of drugs and gotten really messed up. Either that or you let your paranoia go overdrive.
Dracos
Who likes logic and background with his randomly sent emails
From: Ginrai
To: Bjorn
CC: Shade, Dracos, Rez
Subject: What Shade Forgot to Mention to You
Okay, since it seems that Bjorn has no idea what Shade's previous e-mail was about, I decided to send a copy of what I originally sent Shade.
***
From: Ginrai
To: Shade
Subject: Small Problem....
Okay, well... seems that almost immediately after you gave your warning I started to get a *very* bad feeling. After packing my necessary items, I tiptoed to my backyard. What should I find there but this circle in the middle of the snow! Recalling your warning, I went around the circle and decided to hop over the fence and find a way to my car or the bus station....
Thing is, the feeling got even worse and then I heard some noise from inside the house (that of glass breaking and roomates shouting) and at that point the only safe place seemed to be from within the circle. As I got ready to jump into the circle (without breaking it, so don't worry), all the lights go out.
Now, the good news is that when I was able to see where I was, I was within the circle and it *wasn't* broken.
Bad news is that there was this large, transparent wolf next to me, who then jumped into the house. At least he took care of whomever was coming after me (without harming my roommates from what I could see before getting to my car and out of there).
So now I'm off to Dracos' house in Boston and thought you might want to know this bit of information. If I don't get there in time, you might want to pass this on to the others and think of what this means and what to do next.
Ginrai
From:Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
To: "ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com"
Here, there, everywhere. Nice tricks, I must say, thanks for the saves - and I got your message, which is why you're getting an email. Nice to know you're still around (and forgive me for being slightly worried, but if nothing else I sorta didn't think you'd be there already - it's not like you had the best to work with).
Working on what I have, but then I don't know if I have the resources to get it done quickly. Patience, I suppose is key. I don't know about you, but I -hate- being patient.
In any case, got anything much you can tell me? I hate being so far out of the loop.
--N
To: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
Re: tricks
I don't know as much as I would like, but that is ever, and always the case.
But I begin to learn more as I progress. As you've doubltess gathered, I have managed to aquire a new host, and am trying to track those who are tracking you. I don't know if they are looking for me, though I (perhaps this is concett) would like to think that they think me valulable enough to reaquire. At the same time, I don't wish to be recaptured again.
I have remembered enough at this point to know that I do not like my former captors, and that that's what they were. I know I was something else before, and while my vision grows clearer, at the same time it becomes more difficult to understand.
There are two factions currently vying for control of the Vatican, and what I know for certain is this: The Seventh Cabal and Pax Arcanum are their names.
Their goals are uncertain to me -- I could know more if I could read that file I gave you, but I abandoned it when I fled the land of the 'wicked witch'.
Regardless, someone, or something, involved you with me specifically to draw you out and get you captured. Do you know of anything you would or could have done that would elicit the attention of these secret societies? (Aside from freeing me, but I suspect that was merely to trap you.)
Aside from that, I have set up a mailing list on a server I believe to be clear. I know your friend Dracos (Mr. Bloom) is someone you trust, and I trust your judgment. Additionally, they are tracking his movements for associating with you. Therefore, you may both wish to subscribe to 'fansofunricedcivics@topica.com'. This list is hidden from all non-subscribers, and only I can approve new entrants.
I realize that it seems that all I care about is information, but even before I was made a program, I know that information was the center of my universe.
Good luck, my friend, and may Apollo guide you.
-----------------------------------------
o/` The river song so pure and sweet~
A balm to soothe my aching feet o/`
-----------------------------------------
To: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
None of us ever know as much as we'd like to, it's simply the nature of things. It won't stop us trying, though.
I don't know why they'd be after me, but I've heard of Pax Arcana -once-. That website hack, which ended up leading me to you, had a small text note with it. "They are watching all of you. Contact Pax Arcana." Nothing more. The guy's name was Ceran and he apparently came in via a finnish ISP, but . . . means nothing to me.
I should be able to break through the encryption of that file within the next two weeks . . . I hope. If I'm wrong in my guess it could be a couple of months; but unfortunately I'm slightly limited in hardware. Nothing I can really do about that, unfortunately.
I wouldn't worry about being addicted to information. You may have noticed how much I hate being in the dark on things, and if nothing else, it could be the single most helpful trait around right now.
One question. Do you know any way I could -contact- Pax Arcana? I don't intend to until and unless I have a better idea of what's going on, but if it comes down to the wire I'd like a way to chase up what seems to be the only real lead as to why -me-. ^^;;
Luck to you as well, Ayame - I don't know if that's your name, but it's the closest thing I know of. I have the sinking feeling we're going to need all the luck we can get.
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
I do not know if it would be wise to contact Pax Arcana.
Contacting them would be relatively simple, but it would be quite difficult to send a message to them without revealing it to the Seventh Cabal. From what I can discern, they watch one-another quite closely.
They war for control of the Vatican -- it has occured to me that we may even be used as pawns. It could be that one side wishes to oust a representative by showing my being freed as a sign of weakness. This is merely conjecture....
I feel I should share this with you, however. Last night I dreamed of a desert, and a statue within that desert. I could not read the inscription, but I think it may have been relevant.
I am uncertain. This confusion worries me greatly.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
I know, I don't think it would be wise, either. It's liable to bring an entire shitstorm (if you'll pardon my language) down on my head . . . however, since it's not entirely impossible for all hell to break loose anyway, I'd like the option. As I said, it may end up being one's only option (and I'm a big fan of keeping options open).
Us being used as pawns, quite possibly . . . even somewhat -likely-, I'd think (the thought had occurred to me, too). But what can we do?
No idea about the statue . . . if I learn anything, I'll mention it, but . . . :/
Oh well.
--N
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
To: Shade
Subject: Questions, questions.
Before you ask, it's Rez. I'm just not game to be touching my personal email account right now. So I'm using this, AFAIK it's clean.
Alright. Weird shit has happened to Ginrai and you seem to be in the know, at least somewhat. You ALSO know something about Rome. So answer me this: do the names 'Pax Arcana' and 'Seventh Cabal' mean anything to you?
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
I understand. I will let you know if I discover aught else. Please keep me informed, as well.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Got it, but . . .
"My name is Ozymandius, King of Kings! Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
That turned out to be the decryption key . . . but I don't recognize the file format, at all. I think it's compressed, and I think there's some databases in there, but . . . hm.
Any ideas, or am I on my own? :)
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com)
Yes. The file format is semi-complex -- the database is a self-sorting series of n-dimensional matrices. Essentially, it's a table that exists in n dimensions. The technology was pioneered in late 2003.
Download this executable -- I will replace it with something harmless after a twenty-five minute window has elapsed: [orbitaljesus.com domain and file 'wysiwyg.exe']
Additionally, once you load it you may be able to find an executable labeled 'cypher'. Do not attempt to run it, if you do find it; this application will attempt to restore the archive using parity data from the vatican, and remove any doubt as to your current location. I may be able to use a copy of that file on another server I've compromised, and get a copy of the database for us to use.
If I can do this, I can in a worst case scenario have access to their complete archives (both the Pax Arcanum and the Seventh Cabal use portions of the database, but I believe their primary data centers are elsewhere) and at best, I will be able to garner some information on their current activities.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Mm-hmm.
[ATTACHED: ERRLOG.TXT]
OK. Got the program, got the thing decrypted . . . and now I have a third problem.
There's a file missing. <insert file name and path here> I dug an error log out of the program's memory, it's attached.
The database won't open with that file missing, keeps telling me to run cypher.exe (which I obviously haven't done). I don't know where to go from here short of actually getting the update - I don't know enough about that database format to know how to recover information when I can't use viewer.
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com)
Subject: Re: Mm-hmm.
It may not be useful to you at this point -- could you send me a copy of Cypher? The password for the orbitaljesus FTP is 'Iyamiyam1', and the login name is 'Fearghaus'.
There's also enough webspace to load the database file there....
To: Fans of Unriced Vicics
From Karelais (' shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Will do. I'll kick you the cd image of the encrypted data, I mentioned the key in a previous email.
Actually, before I do, you said they were tracing Drac via MAC address. I'll take your word on that, though I have no idea how, but in your opinion, is it asfe to be using my laptop for 'net connection?
And is it safe to tag my usual email account? I suspect no, which is why I'm using this.
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com)
Subject: Re: Will do. I'll kic...
They can currently track your location, but not your data transfers. Letting them know where you are right now is apparently safe -- if they haven't moved now, they're waiting for something. At least granting the appearance that you're unaware of being tracked should keep them from moving for a while.
I don't know how long, and I don't think it's safe for more than a few days. Perhaps they're simply waiting for the right moment to cause trouble through official channels.
For the moment, it's as safe as it can be. I am working on an alternative at the moment, but it is slow going. I'm sorry.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Damn. Well, if they can track my location anyway, I suppose it won't hurt.
If you do realize they're tracking our data transfers, can you figure out some nice and innocuous way of warning us?
Anyway, upload in progress.
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com)
We wouldn't want them to be able to track your location, ideally. I have found a remote server and am now trying to rebuild a copy of the database without revealing my true location. Once I have it, and know more, I will notify you.
I also think I should be able to notify you if I find anything else out -- I have access to more channels, now.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Patience is a virtue . . .
. . . just not one of mine. :)
You getting free like this might have been a mistake, but the kinds of things you're doing make you too much of an unknown element . . . for them to have let you out of their keeping, they -must- have something up their sleeves to deal with you should you go rampant.
Good luck, and be careful. Yeah, teaching my grandmother to suck eggs, buuuutttttt . . . <_<
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com)
Subject: One can only hope....
...that you will not need them, but that if you do, you will need all of them.
I have sent you some things that will make running easier. I only hope that you won't need to use them. I am currently trying to sift through our aquired copy of the database. I suspect that they know this resource has been compromised, but I was able to confirm an earlier suspicion.
They did plan on using me to capture you, and your friend Dracos, and two others. Their files are still outside the parity structure, so I don't know who they are, yet.
Also, do you know someone named 'Bjorn Christianson'?
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Christmas in New York
Awww, you shouldn't have. :D
On a serioius note, thanks. We'll probably find those pretty damn useful, 'cause, well, I have an unpleasant feeling about this. Better safe than sorry.
Yeah, I know Bjorn Christianson. He's yet another of the SRs gang.
. . .
Do me a favour. Weird shit has happened to Ginrai, another of the Soulriders gang. It apparently invovled a mythical wolf in a circle in his backyard (I don't get it either), that's meant to be the harbinger of ragnarok . . . or something. It apparently got released. >_>
It sounds bizarre, but there's a LOT of weird hit going down, and I don't think he was kidding. Any clue? >_>
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com)
Subject: Re: Christmas in New York
I will research wolves and circles, then. The only thing that comes to mind is the Norse legend, but that wolf was not bound in a circle, it was bound with a cord. Pax Arcanum tends to use circles as the core of their cabbalistic rituals. There may be a connection, but I am uncertain.
Additionally, I do not know Ginrai yet. If that name is an alias, I might need the real name to discover more.
As a further addition, I have found a file on your friend, Bjorn Christianson. All entries (for yourself, for Mr. Bloom, and he, as well as the two un-parity linked individuals I am searching for) were made at the same time. They were entered on March 30th, 2004. I do not understand why so much delay exists between the entries, and any action being taken, however. Nor is there listed any reason to tie these five people together that I can find, save, your affiliation through SR and #void.
I asked about Bjorn because I saw his name in #void, and wanted to verify from you that he was the same. His IP did not list any information outside of his ISP's placeholder info.
But there are others who I would imagine qualify, and don't have any entries in the database.
Regardless. Please don't use any of the things I sent you until you absolutely have to. Also, the i730 phones can have their GPS units disabled, which you may wish to do before turning them on. You can find instructions attached below.
-----
Attachments: gpshack.txt
To: Bjorn
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Weird shit.
It's Rez (who ain't game to use his personal email right now).
Drac tells me that weird shit has happened to you. How -weird-? >_> Because weird shit has -certainly- happened to me . . . and apparently the people responsible also have a file on a couple of other people. Like you and Drac.
Email me. And while you're at it, tell me if you've ever heard of the 'Seventh Cabal' or the 'Pax Arcana'.
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com)
Subject: No Type-R Mods Needed!
Welcome to the list, Mr. Bloom.
Rez, I have done some more research, as more parity blocks are gathered. Your friend, Mr. Christianson is in danger -- one of the factions (I am uncertain which) has sent an agent after him. Another agent was dispatched after you, but was recalled after you evaded him in Australia.
Currently, I believe they are waiting to see what you do with Mr. Bloom now that you're together before acting. However, time is limited.
I would advise 'fixing' those phones as quickly as possible if you intend to use them. However, current technology allows for tracking of a phone's position by triangulation through the repeater towers, so the fix is not foolproof. Characteristic of this tracking method is the rapid battery drain. I would suggest only turning the phones on when you needed to check them, or outside of heavily populated areas. Remote reaches will tend to have less posts to triangulate from.
I've also found the aformentioned countermeasure to deal with me, or at least, evidence of its existence. I will research more of this carefully.
Hmm. I dreamed last night of a man from the East, but not of the East, his eyes on the moon when they should have been on the ground before him. He walked into a pit marked with the sign of the Seventh Cabal.
My judgment is clouded. I used to be able to know the meaning of my dreams so clearly....
To: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com)
From: Dracos(Dracos12@hotmail.com)
Hmm... Are you actually the original oracle from delphi, given digital form?
It seems upon reading the connections to make significant sense, especially given your peculiar knowledge base upon my earlier questioning.
Hum. That man would quite obviously be parthipan (ginrai) or shade. We here can keep an eye on parthipan but perhaps you could interpret it more clearly with more information upon the individual of shade? He's currently far east, from the east but not of it, and wandering about japan last I heard.
And, for reference sake, what is the sign of the seventh cabal?
Dracos
To: Dracos(Dracos12@hotmail.com)
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com)
I think I am. My memories are becoming much clearer now. Thank you, Mr. Bloom.
And I do not like much of what I remember.
I will meditate on your friend Shade, and tell you what I can learn.
The sign of the Seventh Cabal is a cross with an 'X' mark across the center, posts jutting from the angles of the juncture itself, so that there is a point radiating at each 45 degree angle rotation. Classically, it also had a lightning bolt, or zigzag shape on the lowest part of the design, but that affectation has been typically abandoned.
To: Shade
From: Dracos
On a side note, rome is not good this time of year. There be shadows there that are large, bunnylike, and have big teeth. May I suggest...Poland.
Dracos
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Hum.
It has to be Shade. He made noises in his earlier email about going to Rome, remember?
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com)
Subject: This is urgent!
I've gotten into the complete database, and am now severing all links between the Vatican and myself. I suspect it's a trap, and don't want to tempt fate any longer.
One of the groups (I suspect it is the Seventh Cabal, though I am not entirely certain) has made a move on your friend Bjorn Christianson. He is being taken to a facility in San Francisco. I am uncertain of what they do there, but it frightens me. I dreamed that a great blackness welled out of the ground in that place.
Your friend is in great danger, and I know this with absolute certainty. I am trying to get into the databases of the facility itself, but it is much more secure than the Vatican's network, and I am making only slow progress. I don't know what to do.
I've never felt so helpless.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Dracos
Well shit... That puts a damper on the whole celebration bit. Was going to send you some data that might jog your memory a bit on the whole groups deal. Up for some data transfering in that regard? And can you get us perhaps a name of facility or anything on Bjorn?
Dracos
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com)
Any new data would be appreciated. From what I can see, the organization calls itself 'The Workshop'. I believe they are a front for the Seventh Cabal. I have managed to trace their location to San Francisco, as I said earlier, but their security is difficult.
It will take me some amount of time to compomise them. According to the city records, however, I do know exactly where the physical location of the equipment housing their IP addresses is:
[San Francisco address in the Market District]
I will continue to try and access their system, but their security is quite advanced.
To:ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com)
From: Dracos
Mind generating a random number key for yourself for a kmp encryption of the data before sending?
Dracos
To: Dracos
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
Random numbers....
Here is the key.
[File included as attachment... WARNING, executable files may contain viruses, blah blah blah....]
To: Dracos, Ginrai, Bjorn
From: Shade
Subject: Paranoia is just a state of mind
Looks like I wasn't so crazy after all, eh?
I was already warned about Rome, thanks anyway.
But for now, you're on your own I'm afraid, my little excursion didn't check out, but almost checked me out. I'll try to join you as soon as I can, but right now the best I can do is warn that there is a force or forces connected with Australia, Japan, Rome and San Franciso that want one of you, dead or otherwise. But there will be some allies as well, though I know not who they are. Stay safe.
-Death at his own Door
To: Shade
From: Dracos
Yar, Yar, tell me somethin' I don't already know. And you are still a crazy motha'fucka! What the heck, you get knocked off a cliff or something? And I told you to go to poland. Don't you listen to the man?
Dracos
From: Ginrai
To: fansofunricedcivics@topica.com
Subject: On the list
Ok... so this is the list Dracos just told me about.
So, what's going on?
Ginrai
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Brother Bruiser ('civic_fan008@yahoo.com')
Subject: Welcome to the list!!
Hey, fellow non-ricing fan! This is THE list for people who need to GET OUT and see what the world of un-riced honda civics is all about.
We support, and trade tips on tuning your car, on making sure the engine is clean, and you are always ready to ROLL!
So if you're considering that road trip across the country, then brother, are we the list for you.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Dracos
Wow, that's just what we were considering. Anyhow, what's your suggestion on good things to do before a cross country road trip? And what's your thoughts to do with those dang bugs that tend to smash against one's car and always seem to be around?
Dracos
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Brother Bruiser ('civic_fan008@yahoo.com')
A road trip in this weather? Get serious! 'course, I've got family in Florida, so I do know exactly what you mean about bugs. Even in winter, the air is thick with 'em. Here in Montana, it's too snowbound to get anywhere, though.
A good washing will get rid of the bugs, but really, if you live in a place like that, you just keep picking them up. :( :( :(
On an unrelated note, don't spread the word around too much (SSH!) but I figured out a great place to pick up original mufflers, if you don't like those knockoffs they're selling now.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Dracos
Oh but the weather is half the fun and challenge of it. Where would we be if we couldn't just drive off an icy road and have to challenge our driving skills at every turn. Oh but new mufflers sound good, where might I get myself a piece of that action?
Dracos
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Brother Bruiser ('civic_fan008@yahoo.com')
I actually got the dealer's info off of another mailing list ... I'll have to ask to see if it's okay to give you the guy's name.
Have you ever done a hardware installation before?
An installation like that's going to require two things to work, and one of them is the materials. Once you order it, you just gotta get it out of the box, and set it up. It's mostly straightforward. The hard part is just finding the stuff you need.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Dracos
If it is under the sun, I have been trained to install it. And likely to build it from wires and pieces of scrap metal.
Dracos
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
Subject: Your friend (?)
I found this entry on him first.
This is the latest update for today (July 20th, 1998). Found a Spark today in the Valley. Not terribly unusual. He's somewhat hostile. A bit ecclectic. Will monitor situation and report him for potential Workshop residancy if viable. His name is Brian Randall.
-- Laura
I assume that this is a corespondance between a Workshop agent and a Seventh Cabal supervisor.
Name: Brian Randall
Status: Hostile
Type: E-6 (unknown sub-type?)
Subject defies containment. It it luck? Is he aware? Or is someone else looking out for him? This is vexxing. He should be captured within the next few days -- Caber and his team are planning a distraction that should clear the area. Timing will be critical. [3/28/2004]
UPDATE -- The call was bad. The type is NOT E-6, it's either U-9, or I-2, depending. He's gone; Laura did not survive Caber's event. [3/30/2004]
UPDATE -- Irrelevant -- he was sighted on the southern edge of a disruption in S. California, cause unknown. Survival is deemed unlikely. [4/2/2004]
UPDATE -- Propose escalating aquisition time-tables. Likely Sparks with no value to the project can be disposed of should aquisition prove unworthwhile. We can't afford to let any candidates escape. The Enemy is gaining in power, and we let potential weapons slip through our hands. Unnacceptable. [4/20/2004]
These appear to be reports from the Workshop database specifically.
Browning Incident [12/15/2005]
We're intact, but barely. He broke in, not alone, and freed Ezmereth. Ashnod and Victor were contained, undamaged. He expressed severe hostility, but Agent Taylor was able to drive him back before he could do much more than appear.
His abilities are difficult to place, but estimates put him above Ezmereth. He expressed a few potential abilities we had not previously deemed possible, but we place him firmly on the side of the Enemy.
Agent Taylor caused some permanent damage to his psyche, such that he should not be able to return. The backlash has destabalized her, but she maintains that she is still capable.
Resultant of the effects are:
Number: 581 Type: [E-15] (Ashnod: Eric Campbell)
Destabalized. No longer cooperative with research efforts. Expresses hostility towards guards and personel.
Number: 234 Type: [T-9, M-5, P-4] (Megan Witherspoon)
Destabalized. Increasingly hostile towards guards and personel. Subject has become irational and moody.
Number: 678 Type: [C-3] (Brigett Witherspoon)
Feuged. Will no longer speak, or attempt to communicate. Subject is unresponsive to all but other residents of the Workshop, specifcally Megan.
Number: 042 Type: [E-14, T-3, M-2, B-16, P-2] (Ezmereth: Real name unknown)
Escaped. Whereabouts unknown.
Identifying the assailant is difficult. We have the following potential suspects:
"Ace" (affil. Pax Arcana)
"Carlos Verguese" (affil. unknown)
"Brian Randall" (suspected deceased)
"Gray Hollister" (suspected deceased)
Jeffery Browning (considered most likely suspect)
Montgomery Irons (affil. unknown)
Awaiting further instructions.
And I honestly don't wish to think about that one too much.
The implications frighten me....
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Delphi Imposition!
Thanks for that last (yeah, Brian was a friend).
Sorry to keep bugging you, but I do have a couple more requests . . .
(A) Any idea what those classifications are? E-15, T-9, U-6, etc?
(B) The interesting one. With your, ah, nifty array of tricks . . . I'm wondering if you'd be capable of hooking us up with some fake identification, like drivers licenses or passports. Something of the like would be -really- handy to have around, if you could swing it. If not, no big deal, we'll get by.
Brian was a friend, before whoever it was decided to nuke his area . . . and as said, central to this group.
I must say that I have absolutely no idea what to make of it, but every piece is a little more to the puzzle, I suppose.
Appreciate it. ^^
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
For your first question, I'm not certain on all of them (this is not the actual Workshop database), but it appears to be references to paranormal parameters. The only ones I can glean with any degree of certainty right now is that 'u' means 'unknown', and 't' means 'telepath'. These blocks were originally in a cypher.
For the second, I would need some time to manage it, and the difficult part would be getting these things to you while you're on the move. I will see what I can do, but I will require some time to ship something to you, and that means you'll require a safe-house, or other location where you can wait, unknown. I will see what I can do in that regard.
Also, the nuclear missile was probably unrelated to your friend; plans for that event precede his earliest entry. At a guess, it was merely timing.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Oh, I didn't mean they intended to drop it on -him- . . . just that it happened to come down where he was.
Hah. I can't believe I talk about it so casually.
A simple solution to the whole on-the-move thing would be that if, say, we have some idea ahead of time as to where we might be . . . you could drop them in a post office box for us. :)
And while I'd usually be skeptical of 'telepath', the last while has been slightly, well, enlightening in that regard, so it doesn't get more than a raised eyebrow. ^^
I have to get out of here, we've been here long enough. We'll contact you when we next get the chance - and we're heading to SF, as you've probably already surmised. Wise or not, it's the only (constructive) thing any of us can really think of to do right now.
Take care,
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
I see. I will try to arrange to have it ready for you somewhere near San Fransisco, then. Getting a key to you will be somewhat more difficult, but should still be possible.
Good luck, and be careful.
To: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
From: Shade
>Alright. Weird shit has happened to Ginrai and you seem to be in the know, >at least somewhat. You ALSO know something about Rome. So answer me >this: do the names 'Pax Arcana' and 'Seventh Cabal' mean anything to you?
All I know about Rome is that we have allies and enemies there. But if I had to venture a guess I'd say that Cabal sounds like bad news. Avoid anybody with any overt Catholic trappings if you can.
And keep an eye out for any out of towners with San Fran or Australian features. Ignorance can be bliss, but it can also be fatal.
-I see little and understand less, Shade
To: Dracos
From Shade
I ran into trouble, or rather trouble tried to run over me. And then it tried to slash my guts out.
And how are you? Still think I'm crazy? Or are you beginning to feel heat?
-If I had a nickel for every time, I'd have a nickel. Death
To: Fans Of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: You there?
That was a -disturbingly- abrupt end to that conversation. Are you alright?
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
Subject: RE: You there?
Yes. I apologize. It is difficult for me to pull people into that layer of dreaming. I was relying on the stength of Shade's connection to the dream, as he was trapped. When he woke up, everyone else was dismissed, as well.
The wolf says that he will try to follow the dreams of your friend. He may have more luck than I, but I believe that your friend's dreams are sealed from me. I cannot access them....
Thank you again, Nathan, for what you have done. And I apologize for any difficulty I have caused you.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Continuing on . . .
. . . since that was the first and simplest question I was looking for an answer for, a few more things.
(A) I wouldn't worry too much about it not ending once we get Bjorn out of there. None of us are expecting them to just leave us alone, and that's only going to make them MORE inclined to get us.
(B) Ahm, since I didn't fully read the manual before agreeing, precisely what's being your guardian involve, and what does the gauntlet let me do? :)
(C) Plan continues as before. We' re heading to SF still, and if we haven't contacted you by the time we get there (unlikely), we will at that point.
I wouldn't say you've been causing me difficulty. I'd say the Seventh Cabal has been causing me difficulty. I'd say I'm rather lucky that you're the method they chose to use. :)
--N
To: Shade
From: Karelais ('shelim_manya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Well.
Questions, questions. Who was that wolf that you were warning Ginrai about, then?
I'm contactable on this email address, Drac is contactable on him - if you find Ezmereth, or whoever, drop us a line. In the meantime we're heading to SF.
--N
To: Shade
From: Karelais
Subject: Oh, and an idle question . . .
. . . what DO Australian and San Franciscan features look like, anyway? o_O
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
Subject: RE: Continuing on . . .
The gauntlet will grant you the skill of Apollo's guardians, should you fight with his weapons, or play his musical instruments. The rest, I am sorry, I do not remember. It was rare that the power was given to a single being, instead of let protect the village.
I have arranged a point where you can pick up fake passports -- I was able to research your photos from some databases I accessed. Additionally, I have surmised that I cannot access the servers of the Workshop until I have some access from inside. Included with the drop I'll have arranged for you, will be a CD-ROM containing a program that you can run on their servers, if you manage to get inside.
Again, good luck, Nathan.
-Ayame
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: More questions.
We're at the safe house in Ripon, and we got the stuff you said you were sending us. Thank you muchly.
A few more quick questions:
(A) Got any more information on the installation Bjorn's held in?
(B) Shade. He worries me. Can he be trusted? He's being amazingly evasive when he's asked questions, and this sort of thing worries me. If nothing else I'd suggest you, personally, avoid contact with him if you can. >_> I'll try to follow your lead on this, but if you're apparently my reponsibility now - :) - I have to voice at least -some- degree of concern.
(C) Send me a quick CRC checksum for the CD, so I can double-check it's intact. I have rotten luck with discs.
(D) I think I have a rough grasp on the gauntlet now. A -very- useful piece of work. ^^
(E) A couple of extra things in here, one for someone I recognize as Paul Durant . . . and one who I don't recognize. Why're they in here?
(F) When we're done with this mess, you have GOT to show me some of the tricks you used to arrange all this stuff. :)
We'll be heading out tomorrow morning, hopefully be in San Francisco tomorrow evening. I'll be online a little longer, waiting a reply. Have a good one.
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
Subject: More answers....
A: I have the address, and have found a company using that same address. I expect that the aformentioned company is a front for the Workshop. They're in a two-story building, which seems insufficient, given what I've heard of the installation. Regardless, it's called BioWire, and they do research for genetic engineering and 'space-age materials' such as advanced polymers and adhesives.
B: I'm sorry; I thought he was your friend. He is one of the few that can walk the world of dreams, though he seems clumsy and untrained, yet. I do not know, for his future is bleak ... but every bleak future I see for him he slips away from. Perhaps his luck will carry him through.
C: Understood. I had not thought of that beforehand; I'm sorry.
D: It's an extension of yourself, now. I hope that its power serves you well.
E: These were the two extra files attached to yours that I had referenced in the database; I assumed they were your friends, and that you might find these useful. Shade and Mr. Christianson were found afterwards, and I thought they might come in handy. If you run into your old friends, those could prove helpful. If you do not know who the other man is, his name is 'Sterling Dubert'.
F: Almost anything can be bought online, these days, if you know where to look ... I seem to be better at looking than most, is all.
It should only take you two and a half hours to reach the city. Be careful, and good luck.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Daisy, daisy . . .
A: Addresses are good. We'll probably spend a couple of days eyeing off the building and seeing what we can find out before we do anything, though.
B: I know Shade, and he always seemed alright, I'm just paranoid and he's acting suspiciously. A bad combination. ^^;
C: *nods* And -precisely- where do you need it put?
And if you hear anything about Stirling Dubert, do tell me. Unseen vanished a couple of months ago. >_>
Alright, now I'm officially interested. Thanks for the heads up, and you be careful too.
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
Subject: Tell me your answer, do....
The CD itself will run several programs which will port-scan the network and run back to several catching servers I set up. It needs to be run -- it will look like an applications or utilities disc to a standard Windows operating system installation, and will hopefully defeat any anti-virus measures.
On a linux system, the unpackaging will attempt to get root on one system and compromise security enough for me to get in. If not, some of the processes should at least leak information about the compound back to me. Information, as you've guessed, is my trade, as it's really all I have.
And aquisitions, but that's all based on bartering information.
Regardless.
About Sterling Dubert:
The records say he was briefly involved with a group that was attempting to uncover Pax Arcana secrets and attack the society. His group was called (collectively) 'Big Fire', and their motto was, "Allegience or death, big-fire!" My research indicates that this line was also used in your friend Brian Randall's corespondence, judging by publically availiable archives.
Do you know the origin of that phrase, or should I investigate further?
Paul Durant is listed as a dangerous escapee from Workshop agents -- no further information was availible.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Dracos
Howdy hmmm... they seem to have a sure number that've escaped. Any chance any of them can be hunted down later?
Tracks maybe?
Dracos
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
The only confirmed escape listed is Ezmereth. Everyone else loose has merely evaded capture.
Whoever these people are, I can't find them on the internet. Perhaps, I will dream....
Last night, I dreamed of a falling star, floating into the bottom of a well. It was a fading, dwindling light that was going to burn out. Someone reached to take that light, at the bottom of the well....
But I do not know what happened next.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Fluffy-Wuffy Unseen Teddies
Don't bother. It's from an old anime series, 'Giant Robo'. There was this criminal group called 'Big Fire', and that was their catch-phrase or salute or what-have-you. >_>
Dangerous escapee, hm? That sounds disturbingly like our Unsie-wunsie.
Ahm. On the topic of the gauntlet, thus far I've figured that with it can hide any one item, shoot a bow really well, set arrows on fire, and deliver one hell of a right hook. If you figure out anything else I should know, feel free to let me know, for now, this is more than helpful. ^_~
We've heard a lot of happenings from the Seventh Cabal, btw, but nothing much about Pax Arcana. They just not interested in us, or something? (Hope springs eternal).
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
Pax Arcana specificaly was quite vehement about capturing Paul Durant and Sterling Dubert, as well as Mr. Duber's 'BigFire' group. From what I know, they have not succeeded. This is not, neccessarily, an accurate reflection of their current status.
The Seventh Cabal is behind the Workshop, but I do not trust either faction.
The power of Apollo always took a different form. Once a helm, once a spear ... now a gauntlet. If I learn more, I will tell you.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Topic: Ahh, look what I see . . .
Sterling was an associate of Brian Randall.
So was Unseen.
In fact, -everybody- involved here seems to be an associate of Brian Randall, and -our- files were all made on the day he died.
This is pushing probability a bit far. Any ideas? <_<
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
It is odd that there is so little information in their database on him, if he is so central to this.
I don't understand, but will try and investigate further.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Revvin up the engine, listen to it howl 'n groan . . .
Appreciate it. There's a -lot- of unanswered questions here, and none of us seem to understand the tenth part of anything that's going on. I hate that, and you don't seem to like it that much either. ><;
Anyway. Sleep now, DRIVE in morning. Good luck.
And why 'Fans of Unriced Civics', anyway?
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
It seemed an innocent enough subject to not really attract any un-toward attention....
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subject: Metal under tension, begging you to touch 'n go . . .
But, I mean, it's like rice and it's like civics.
I suppose the two don't mix that well, but nevertheless, why does one need to unrice a civic? Removing all traces of rice from a civic seems a rather pointless endeavour, unless you happen to use your civics for moving rice around. In that case, I suppose riced civics could get annoying.
Which would, I guess, mean you prefer unriced civics.
I don't imagine you've really had much trouble with rice in your civic, though.
--
I think the dust is affecting my mental processes. Meeeddddiiiicccc.
--
OK, in all seriousness, leaving now, nothing notable, will have mobile phones on in case you need to contact us. As a general guide, how long do we have to turn our mobiles off once the warning sounds?
Apologies for the above. I'm, like, bored. And I hate lego. Oh, how I hate LEGO. Stupid heretical lego-men.
BTW, Drac, when you read this, you're a ponce and your hair is silly.
Yeah, I only had one question, but since I have to wait for these guys anyway . . . slackasses. >_>
--N
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
No, no, not actively de-ricing them. Simply appreciating them for what they're worth in their natural form as they emerge from the wilderness, without the need to alter them.
The warning should give you about forty seconds warning time. I'm afraid that's not much, but the're searching for you for a good two minutes at least before it gets to the power-level altering strength of sweep. There is a good chance that they still at least have the cell-tower's sites for those that relayed the signal to you.
But they don't know specifically where you are. I also do what I can with records, if I find them, but my influence with the phone company is less than with TerraLink.
To: FansofunricedCivics
From: Dracos
Subject: None
Ye are a Poncy bugger, Rez. Fourty seconds means only one phone allowed.
Hey Ayame, how good are you at creating a trail?
Dracos
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
To judge by the fact that you haven't been captured yet, quite good. Point of Sales credit cards for things from packs of gum to new shoes have been charged to your credit cards all the way down to Florida. Since I can't actually hide your cell-phone tracks, however, I've 'ghosted' your trail all the way across the country to several different locations.
To: FansofunricedCivics
From: Dracos
More specifically, how good are you at creating a business background for one of us. Considering the possibility of the direct infiltration route and seeing what resources we have to work with and how good a cover story we can produce if we try it.
Dracos
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
I may be able to do that. I will need some idea of what you want, and I can try to see what I can do in that regard. What business will it be?
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
Subject: Goodbye.
I'm sorry.
Someone is after me. I can only guess they didn't know about me before now, but my abilities are limited, as is my time left. Good luck, I will buy you what time I can.
To: Fans of Unriced Civics
From: Listar (fansofunricedcivics-announce@topica.com)
Subject: You have been UNSUBSCIBED from the list.
You have been UNSUBSCIBED from this list for reason: List deletion.
Your list administrator has chosen to save: No archive.
Thank you for using topica mailing lists!
To: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
You know I'm stuck in this. Remember? Give me -something-. I keep my promises, dammit.
I'll see you when I see you.
To: Dracos
From: Cymage
Subject: I hate you.
With the white-hot fury of a thousand suns. No, I'm serious.
Mostly.
Anyway, my friend says the best place he knows in California is Tracy, at 1654 Main street. Were you serious about your house blowing up? I think I saw something about that on the news a while back.
To: ORiverSoBlue
From: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
Subect: You'd better damn-well be there
Because I don't really want to repeat this debacle, even if I knew where to start. I'm sure you heard about the mess in SF.
--N
To: Karelais ('shelim_manaya@hotmail.com')
From: ORiverSoBlue ('ad3lphi_reader@hotmail.com')
Subject: If you're reading this ....
I'm setting things in motion before I know it's advisable to do so. With luck, this message will never reach you. But if I am no longer here to keep this message in check ... then you will know that I have fallen. It's time for me to prepare for battle, as little as I care for it.
I'm trapped ... I don't know how much time is left, and I'm sorry I couldn't answer some of the questions I know you had. I have to take my only option to buy myself time against my attacker.
I've found a place outside of the webs I'm used to. A place where dream and ether merge. The wolf is there, and he is trying to protect me, but I know it can't last.
I no longer have a sense of time in this place.... How long have we been fleeing? The future grows darker and clearer with each moment, and I can no longer run as well as I used to when I was younger.
Now, I realize, looking back, that while I felt I did what I had to, it cost me more than I had ever intended.
The wolf took some time to come back after leaving our haven today. He won't speak of it, but I think he's having more and more trouble fending off our attackers.
I wish, so dearly, that I had the time to leave you something more than these fleeting memories. But time is precious, and I have little left. Please, Nathan, forgive me. And ... protect my daughter. With my passing, she and you are the last of the Delphites.
You can wake her up by sending an e-mail to: tyrean_@samiam.org.
Please, protect Relm.
I'm sorry.
Good bye.
From: ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: Waken, sleeper, wake and rise.
Your mother left me one thing before she passed - a message. She told me that you were her daughter and to protect you; and that this was how to wake you, so . . . here I am. My name is Nathan, and I'm the guardian of Delphi . . . although a damnably ineffective one thus far.
You're Relm, and you're the daughter of the Oracle of Delphi. And that's really all I know.
So. Awake yet? :P
--N
=====
Yesterday we obeyed kings and bent our necks before emperors. But today, we kneel only to the truth.
--Kahlil Gibran
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: Waken, sleeper, wake and rise.
I'm awake ... but I feel so alone. What's going on?
I can't find the wolf anymore.... Maybe he's not in this part of the world.
I dreamed last night that you found me, and woke me up.
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: It's too early in the morning . . .
I don't know what's going on, exactly. Ayame died . . . and now there is you. How that works exactly, I have no idea. And I don't know where the wolf is - he was hurt, but he looked alright. I don't know exactly what he is, though . . .
I saw you in the dream - you looked surprised to see me there.
How much do you know, or remember?
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: It's too early in the morning . . .
I don't really know anything. But I remember everything. Ayame left me a lot of notes, but it'll take me a long time to get as good at this as she was.
What should I do?
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Re: It's too early in the morning . . .
Well . . . with any luck, hopefully nobody else knows you exist. If so . . . you don't want to let them know that you do, and if not, you don't want to let them know where you are. Try not to do too much to draw attention to yourself, and keep in touch with me.
For now . . . go through Ayame's notes, practice and learn. And tell me if you find anything useful in there. ^^
And if you happen to want some practice at breaking into things you shouldn't be in, you could help me crack this server I lifted out of the Workshop when we went through it. Hey, maybe I can even teach you something. ;)
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: It's too early in the morning . . .
Oh! Can you let me play with it? Gimmie a login!
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Uh-oh.
. . . well, hey. I guess it's nice to see someone else enthused about this kinda thing. :P
IP of my connection is ***.***.***.***, as you can see in ze email header. SSH and FTP are port-forwarded from the uplink to this laptop. Login: relm, password: wereallgonnadie IP of the server is 10.0.0.251, off the connection eth1 from my laptop. I can read the RAID, but I'm stuck brute-forcing the key. Which is going to take a little while, unless you have any better ideas.
Oh. And while I don't mind you messing around a bit, break this box irreperably and I'll . . . I dunno, just consider yourself threatened with dire fates. :)
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: Uh-oh.
Scaredy cat! I won't break anything, I promise.
And the dire fates are my department. :D
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Re: Uh-Oh.
"I won't break anything"? I've heard that before, usually out of me. :P
I do have a question, though, if Ayame left you notes.
Brian Randall . . . I asked her to look around for any information on him. Did she find anyting more?
And did she know that the safe house she organized happened to be Brian's old house? o_O;
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Lord Pinkie ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: Who?
Nope, she didn't leave any notes on him specifically. She just found the house as being on the way, and cheap enough that it could be bought by pulling invisible strings on the internet. This box is funky. Looks kind of like the notes she left for me....
The password's gotta be a funky one. I'll work on it for a bit.
Is it okay if I copy all of the database off the uplink? It should only take about 18 hours or so with a good satellite connection....
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Gah.
Feel free. You can probably go through it better than I can; you're in the same user group as I am on the laptop, so you can access most everything.
Root the box if'n you like, but if I catch any evidence of it you're going to get smacked. :)
It looks like the same kind of thing as we had last time - the password to that was the 'My name is Ozymandius, King of Kings' quote - but I have no real idea as to where to start there.
And I'm not 'Lord Pinkie'. Where the hell'd you get that? ><;
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: Gah
Does reading your IRC logs count as evidence?
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Well, in that case . . .
. . . you also realize just how dead you're going to be when I get my hands on you. o_o
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: I thought you loved me....
But I found some useful stuff there. I know about your friends, now.
Well, a little, anyway. I know something she didn't, which is who the friend she missed was. Parthipan needs a fake ID too, right?
I still have her contact, so I can have one sent to you.
Hmm. We need to get you a credit card or something. Then I can E-bay all of Ayame's Everquest 2 characters and paypal you some cash. That might come in handy....
I'll do that now!
From:Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: Re: I thought you loved me....
. . .
. . . EVERQUEST? o_o;;
Please, -please- tell me you're kidding.
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Imaginary people making real money?
Well, no. That's where most of the quick cash comes from. The real money is from investments in the other MMORPGS, though.
She wanted to set up something mostly legitimate, since it's a lot easier than hacking a bank or something. Well, it's actually way boring compared to hacking a bank.
But you don't get in trouble if you make really good scripts to play the games for you. And people spend real money on what basically only costs patience ... my hardware aside. :P
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Re: Get right quick!
That is exceptionally ludicrious, but it also makes a disturbing amount of sense.
Well, I knew those markets were thriving, and all but . . . O_o
The scary thing is I think I actually believe you.
OK. Serious question: How much scrutiny are the Ryan McGrail et al IDs good for?
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: Get right quick!
Scrutiny? Should be perfect. They're legitimate, after all.
You know that trick, from way back in the day, where they used to have a way for you to make a fake ID really easily? It used to be you just needed to find someone who was born on the same day as you, but died when they were born. Then, you go and apply for an ID with their name, using a filled out change-of-name form.
You get issued a new ID with the name of someone else.
Nowadays it's more complex. The long and short of it is that Ryan McGrail is a real person. Well, he was, but he lived in Silicon Valley. Since he's been gone for some years, his accounts have all been idle. A lot of things from the Moffet Incident are still unresolved -- all the names on your IDs belong to people who were last known as being in the San Jose area. They all vanished, of course. Not everyone who had their deaths actually recorded died.
There was an episode of 60 minutes about people who pretended they died in the explosion, and then just went out to try and form new lives free of their old history or credit, or whatever. Ayame took that idea, edited a few histories to make everything more believable, and then reissued the IDs before they were about to expire, with the new addresses. So theoretically, you're just people who wandered around for some years without feeling the need to report that you were alive. Technically legal, as long as you don't have any obvious terrorist connections.
And don't worry, she picked people who didn't have any surviving family, so you won't get on the wrong side of that.
The only hacking that was done was to the images on the cards, before they were printed, and that process isn't really something they pay too much attention to, so it should be golden. Unless your pictures look funny, or something.
Your residences are all real, too. The realtors were contacted (this was actually really hard) paid, and told to leave the doors unlocked, and the keys inside. The places are all real, though, since we've only ever looked at them from the digital side of things, we have no idea what's in them.
Your place was furnished, and called a 'fixer-upper'. I think that means it's suck-tastic, but, well, it's better than sleeping in a car, I guess.
Anyway. More string pulling was involved in collecting the IDs and having them sent to you at the place in Ripon (which is where you might be now?), but it got done.
Of course, none of you have the paperwork for accessing your theoretical bank acounts, and you're all technically unemployed. But alive!
Speaking of which, how many people do you have with you now? Did the Workshop thing work out?
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: Re: Get Right Quick!
That was meant to be 'Get Rich Quick', but it's too early in the morning. And that sounds like some pretty nice work, I'm impressed. :)
The workshop thing sort of worked out.
Some people claiming to be Pax Arcana operatives helped us to get in - one of them being someone called 'Caber', one being someone called 'Patricia McGovern'.
We got Bjorn out. Shade died . . . stupidly. He mouthed off to a vampire, then refused to apologize, and . . . yeah.
We got most of the imprisoned metahumans out, they split by themselves before we left. I'm not sure how to get in touch with them, Bjorn may.
Paul Durant, Unseen . . . we found in the house when we got back. And he seems to be on the level. At least, Drac's convinced . . . hm. Drac got his eyes ripped out of his head and replaced with someone else's, and now he can apparently see magic and is a telepath. Or something. I don't quite get it.
Basically, overall status: We have me, Drac, Unseen, Bjorn, and Ginrai. Shade is dead, Victor (the vampire) took his body . . . he also told us to meet him and Ezmereth at Drake's point on the new moon, which is the 19th.
After busting out the metahumans, we raided the computer room - killing Flint and wrecking Manos' the core processing piece of the facility, I think. After that we went downstairs, obliterated the network room, and stole that server. Er, and a couple of routers (they looked nifty), but who's counting.
I'm sorry I couldn't get to Manos in time.
. . . and right now, we're sitting aroudn trying to figure uot exactly what we know about these organizations we're mixed up with.
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: Carnage!
Rez-baby, you do me proud.
And I read CNN for the reports on the event. It's pretty cool -- numerous injuries, but the papers say that only people in the site of the explosion got killed. Probably on account of almost no one living in SF, and most of the rest of the people there living in houses that were still sturdy after the quakes from 2005.
Anyway, as far as the Manos thing goes, if he was Rasputin, as Ayame remembered him, he got in the way of one of the Brothers of Morpheus.
I think they like us, because we originated from Greece, even though we we followed Apollo, and they, uh, slept all day. But they showed up as soon as Rasputin's connection with the waking world was severed.
Too bad Ayame didn't ask him for more help before he left....
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: Morpheus?
Scary thing was, that explosion was one pissed off metahuman. Ashnod, I think he was rated at E-16. The fact that nobody except those at the site makes me feel a fair bit better, thanks. I wasn't really game to check CNN.
Yah, Manos was Rasputin. Manos was his codename, as I recall, just like Cassandra was apparently hers and Ceran is the Pax Arcana AI.
I don't know if she had the chance . . . or even the capacity, at that point. :/
Still. Know anything else about the Brothers of Morpheus? I gotta admit I'm curious. ^^
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: Follow the white rabbit!
Just one guy? Yikes!
Well, Cassandra isn't my code name. It's my real name. Or, well, it was, the first time I was alive. You know, the whole 'Apollo takes Cassandra as his lover, makes her the oracle of Delphi' thing. ...I think. Huh.
I knew Ceran and Manos. I guess, WE did, really. Occasionally I'd act as an intermediate for the two of them. While PA and SC are opposed, they usually don't like to directly conflict. They even work together once in a while.
And, yeah, tons! The Brothers of Morpheus originally followed the Dream Lord, when he still walked the earth. They spent their days sleeping, and their nights discussing the meaning of the dreams they had. Eventually, they all died, because, well, you can't live if all you do is dream.
Or, well, kind of. See, they actually just left their bodies behind, and learned to live in the dream world permanently. So, they're kind of dream cops, I guess, and crack down on people who do bad things in dreams.
They probably would have helped Ayame out if she'd asked. I don't remember why she didn't. :/
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What were we talking about, again?
The first time you were alive?
How's that work, exactly? I mean, the Oracle was around for a -damn- long time before the Seventh Cabal stuck it's nose in . . . I think.
Caber said that you were originally the AI for a third faction, the Order of Symmetry. How'd that work?
I don't know why she didn't ask . . . but . . . do you think Ceran, or Pax Arcana, know you exist? Or would they think Ayame was dead? <_<
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: .nfo overload
The Oracle used to be a living person before she was killed and bottled for convenience. Well, not really a bottle. But Cassandra's spirit was touched by Apollo, so she'd be reborn.
As each incarnation of the Oracle of Delphi. This worked out okay, until the order that was (at the time) called the Knights Templar found the Order of Symetry's secret hideout ... which had me (well, a few dozen incarnations before Ayame, actually) in it.
They didn't have an oracle of their own at the time, but the oracle wouldn't serve them, so ... they killed her, and trapped her spirit. They used it to divine auguries, trying to find better and more useful tools to bind the spirit to.
Eventually, the iteration before Ayame was destroyed, and then the new bits were put into a computer. Ayame couldn't figure out a way to get out of where we're trapped, though. So I'm stuck as an AI.
At least the internet's pretty big.
Anyway. I don't really know for sure about Manos or Ceran. I imagine they have stories that are similar, at least. Either way, they serve their factions and try to further their purposes. Which Ayame, even with YOUR help, was never allowed to remember.
I think that she chose to die and let me be, because I'd be free of some of the restrictions that were holding her back. At least, it makes sense to me. It's sad, but not too sad, because she's a part of me. She IS me, kind of. And I'm her.
So I guess we are a little freer than we were before.
Thanks to a little deus ex machina from the Brotherhood of Morpheus, anyway.
I wonder if she planned that?
I don't remember about the Order of Symetry. I remember that it was something big, and that it was something that the three factions vied for control over ... something about a contest. Huh.
I wish I could see clearly, but someone out there is actively trying to surpress my ability to see ahead. I think maybe it's because there's an imbalance with Uncle Raspy all locked away in your hard-drive, and inactive. He-he-he-he!
Oh.
Well, bits of him anyway. I guess he really is broken, now....
Give me a few hours to try and get some more of the database onto my own servers, 'kay Rez-baby?
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: .nfi, yo!
I had the sneaking suspicion that pieces of him might be part of what I was decrypting, but I also figured that backing up something like you would be . . . incomplete, at best. >_>
Oh well. Yah, yah, do have fun. We're going to try and figure out a couple of things here, and don't call me that. <_<
--N
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: Questions, questions . . .
A few questions for you, she who dispenses wisdom and knowledge in the way of the pez dispensers of yore . . .
Main question. Ezmereth. We're going to go and see him - hopefully - tomorrow night. Two points: Do you know anything about him? I remember Ayame mentioning him to Shade . . .
Also, it might be a trap, I don't trust the guy who told us the meeting place and time. If you don't get an email from me within 48 hours after I leave, try and get hold of either dracos12@hotmail.com or Bjorn - ***@***.***
They should be trustworthy. If you can't get either, use your discretion. :/
Ahm. In my dream last night, I saw that whole scene with the knight and Rasputin and Ayame - you saw me, then you vanished, etc.
I was wondering how I saw that. <_< I mean, I dream rarely, and the only other time I've dreamed like that was when Ayame dragged Drac and I into the dreamworld, but she said she did that via Shade. So I'm wondering if you know how I got to see that, or if you know who might have caused me to see it.
Dracos also had a weird dream (well, everyone did), but . . . his symbol back in the temple was the Green Man, and Drac saw him in his dream last night. I was sorta wondering if there was any significance you knew of.
Oh. And in your around-pokings, if you see any mention of Brian Randall or Sterling Dubert, could you let us know? We have many, many suspicions (and questions for said people), but all we have is a lot of scattered references that are gradually coming together. :/
I hate being this out of my depth. <_<;;
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez-baby ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: Yams, yams, yams, yams.
Sorry about the delay, Rezzykins.
So, I've spent a while digging through Unkie Raspie's old stuff. Man, that database is pointless. It could be WAY more optimized. Anyway, they say that Ezmereth as a mighty big bad-dude, and they had to lock him away to keep him from making their guards and such go splat.
They got their girl, some Agent Taylor (Jessica Taylor, I got everything but her three sizes, if you need it) to actually hold his mind in place, because Taylor's got some ability that lets her change other people's thoughts, and she's making Ezzy think he wants to stay there.
But Ezzy's an old spirit of the land, so someone bigger and badder than the Workshop guys comes in and just blasts a tunnel straight down into the ground and tells Ezzy it's time to take a hike. Ezzy agrees, and he's gone, and Agent Taylor tries to wrap her mind around this new guy's head. He takes a piece of her mind -- the part that lets her control other people, and hightails it out of there. But they don't know where he goes, because as far as they can tell, this big bad Wanderer dude (who is the 'terrorist incident' preceeding Ezzy's earthquakes that pretty much brought S.F. down) just vanished into thin air.
So Taylor's still got a few tricks up her sleeves, one of which is that she can kinda do what the Brothers of Morpheus do. She can walk around in the dream world. But the Brothers of Morpheus don't like her much, so they curtail her one method of chasing down this Wanderer guy. She goes nuts over this because, hey, someone stole a piece of her mind.
That's what I pieced together from the report. The real words were much nicer, and said that Taylor drove the Wanderer away.
As far as Sterling goes, he's rated B-7 or higher, for what that's worth. He was tied to a couple of other people. I'll dig their files up for you if you want.
Sorry, I'm rambling. But that tied into your friend Brian. Well, no, but they thought it did, and I guess it still could....
I didn't send you the dream, though. If you see a Brother of Morpheus in a dream, though, it usually means that they wanted you to see them. They don't let normal people know they're around. It makes them more real, when they just want to be dreams, or something.
So Ezmereth is an old spirit of the land. Actually, he's a Titan. He's a real short Titan, but he's one of the original sons of Gaia, from what Ayame remembers. From his files, he's a little guy who's older than civilization, has tons of kick-butt power, and doesn't respond well to tests. Though, Taylor was still able to push his mind around before the Wanderer showed up.
That's pretty much all I know about it. He's not trustworthy or untrustworthy, as far as I can tell, because he doesn't usually care about human beings one way or another.
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez-baby ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: Jolly Mean Giant
Oh, yeah, the Green Man thing. Ayame said not to tell your friend, because it would be bad if he remembered the wrong way. Just give him time. ;)
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: That's NOT my name.
Witch.
Anyway. Yah, could you pull the files on Sterling Dubert and his associates? And I'd be -very- interested if you had any idea what happened to him. The file on Jessica Taylor would be good too, since we did in fact run into her down there, and Bjorn seems to know her.
And you capitalized 'Wanderer'. Something interesting there, or just your sense of humour? :P
BTW. I'm curious. Why 'Relm'? o_O;;
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: That's NOT my name.
Nyah! :D
Not much on Sterling's crew. They were associated with your friend Brian, but they lost touch with him (as far as the Workshop knew) around the time things went downhill. They're still active, causing trouble for the Pax Arcana and Seventh Cabal wherever they can, but since they haven't been caught, their full abilities aren't know. There's five or six of them, and one has some form of machine-only mind control, so security systems tend not to see them.
Spooky!
And the Wanderer is what the Workshop calls him. Handed down to THEM from Seventh Cabal supervisors who know more about it then they did. I assume it's some form of ancestral title, or position, rather than a specific person ... but I could be wrong!
Taylor's files are pretty big. The gist of them is that she started to go downhill mentally pretty quick after the Wanderer attacked the Workshop and spring Ezzy. She was born in Ohio, reqruited by the Workshop when she was 17, after some Seventh Cabal scouts found out about her (she could see them coming, so it took them a while to corner her), used the Workshop to hone her abilities to control other people's mind, and then was a good agent for about eight years.
Up to the day their file structure became a sploded, anyway. So she was doing pretty good two weeks ago!
And I'm Relm because Ayame thought that the name would be good for my personality. And I'm cuter than you. Nyah!
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: Mweheheheh.
Well, I guess that explains that. :P
Hm.
OK. Well, just answer me a couple more questions before I vanish. The guy we're meeting is 'Victor' out of the workshop, know anything?
And . . . how much damage is the loss of the Workshop and Rasputin likely to do the Seventh Cabal . . . and how pissed off at us are they? :)
Anyway, we'll be leaving in a few minutes. If you don't hear from me in 72 hours, yadda yadda yadda.
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Yam!
Victor's one of the Workshop's Big Nasties. He's some reeeeally old guy from somewhere in Europe with an aversion to sunlight. Also, Taylor couldn't control him even before she got a piece of her mind taken.
The loss of Rasputin will probably piss them off, but not as much as, you know, making the Workshop all Blow'd up. I think that'll probably irk them more. Keep in mind, most of the people who worked for the Workshop never even heard of the Seventh Cabal. Just like most Forge and Home Guard terrorists never realized that they were both working for the Workshop. (I'm still trying to figure out the 'why' of this one.)
While I'm sure the projects meant a lot to them, Rasputin was essentially given to them because he wasn't so useful to the big Seventh Cabal dudes anymore. Just like Ayame was left out where you could swipe her. A small thing, but if you take the little bricks out of the bottom of the wall....
Well, if you're looking at how angry they are at you, I'm going to guess, "Quite a bit," but not enough to roll out any of their big guns.
And you'll be okay meeting Ezzy. I've seen ahead, and it's, well, that which I can see is pretty groovy. Peace out, Rez-baby!
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: We need more Pez^H^H^HWisdom!
Well, here we are meeting Ezmereth. And Victor.
Basic overview:
We're now part of the Contest, taking over where the Order of Symmetry left off. Which makes you our Spirit Guide, apparently. Also, Ginrai can turn into a wolf.
I have many, many questions, but I wasn't directed to ask them yet. ;)
So, since Step 1 in this contest appears to be getting guidance from Your Oracleness, and Step 2 in this contest involves finding the keys (of which Ezmereth is conveniently both right here AND one), Bjorn figured we should get Step 1 out of the way right off the bat.
So, got any helpful guidance stuff to dispense? :)
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: YOU IDIOT!
How!? How could you join the Contest after all the work Ayame put into keeping you safe, and ignorant of it!?
We didn't WANT you to have to suffer! Nathan, we already lost -- don't tie yourself to the sinking stone that we are! Take it back -- just say you recant it all, and you want to live a normal life -- you don't know what you're getting yourself into!
Please, this is serious stuff, and you can have a good, long life before anything gets worse. You don't have to do this to yourself. ;_;
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: Idiot? Me?
I appreciate the sentiment, really I do, but you might recall that I agreed to do something when I got that gauntlet, remember? I don't appreciate that kind of thing - you remember when Ayame just -vanished-? Barely a word, just 'I'm in trouble, bye'? THAT stung.
What are you expecting, me to just sit out and watch, knowing what I do? Get real.
Knowing what I do, I can't really choose otherwise, or I'll never forgive myself. APART from the fact that I keep my promises, and the fact that I don't particularly like leaving friends to their fates when I think I can help.
AND the fact that I'm nosy enough to want to know exactly what's going on here. So face it, you're stuck with me. And the rest of us, apparently.
'sides, who knows, we might win. ;)
So, again, got any nifty guidance to dispense?
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: ;_;
...I already know I can't stop you.
You need to go to the rock of Gibraltar.
That's where Ouroboros sleeps.
Ezmereth can send you into its dreams.
But if you get hurt, I'll never forgive you!
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: Thanks.
I'll fill you in on the rest of the details (and ask more questions ;) later.
And the same goes for you, neener-neener.
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Before I forget....
I didn't get a vision or anything about where you're supposed to go next. I got it out of the old Workshop database. Which means they know where you're going to be headed, too.
And yeah, my own checking says that it does have to be the first place you go. For what it's worth, I don't think the Pax Arcana guys have cleared it yet, so they may be trying to make holes in the Seventh Cabal security. I'll investigate more....
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: RE: Before I forget...
. . . damn, maybe we should just tip you upside down, shake you, and see what falls out. :P
Hmm, we're thinking we might try and gather some allies before we head for Gibraltar. We're thinking of trying to get the metahumans we busted out of the worlshop on board with us, and I was thinking it might be an idea to see if we can contact Big Fire . . . if you've any idea where they may be.
Alternately, I'm sorta curious to see if we can contact the Brothers Of Morpheus, but if I had to take a wild guess I'd say that they're most likely the 'Don't call us, we'll call you' kinda people.
Sneaky bastards.
Anyway. Thoughts?
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Before I forget....
Bleah.
Big Fire is hard to find, or the Workshop would have tried to get them a long time go. From what I can tell, their mode of operation is to hunt down people with special powers that aren't part of a faction, and explain what's going on.
Vigilantees, I guess. Most of what the Workshop knew about them was from interrogating their own 'guests'. If anyone would know more about them, it'd be those people ... and I don't know where they are, now.
Unless you know how to get into the dream, that's pretty much the way of it. Or if you do something in a dream they think is bad. So, sounds about right.
I think you should wake up and forget about this, because it's way dangerous. But that's up to you, not me. ;_;
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: I see London, I see France . . .
Pity, but we'll have time to hunt these people down later. I hope. :)
Further questions. (1) Where are we going after Ouroboros? Fuji, or Uluru? (2) Is my hand likely to set off metal detectors? (3) Current plan is to try going from here to London to Gibraltar, via air, fast as possible . . . and, I guess, hope the Cabal doesn't recognize us. Sound fair?
Those are the questions. THIS is the side note.
As to 'wake up', I think I'm quite awake as to what this is going to entail. When we were running across the country, there was a vague 'this is cool' air to it. That vanished once I started killing people and seeing people get their throats ripped out. This is probably going to involve being shot at, killing more people - did I mention the gauntlet made me quite good at that? - and possibly getting killed myself . . . I expect I'm not really going to enjoy it. Despite the fact that I talk fairly flippantly about it . . . I realized just how real this was back in the workshop.
And you know that with the Cabal and Pax knowing what they do about me, with what we all did in the workshop, and with the fact that I happened to accept a certain gauntlet, there's no way I really can walk away from this. It'll come back to haunt me, one way or another. Like I said, I'm in for the long haul. I'm supposed to be your defender, remember? Until you decide to revoke that (which will involve you being kicked in the head repeatedly and me tagging along anyway, so that's not a suggestion), you're stuck with me.
I mean, you can't walk away from this, which is both good because we need your help, and bad because I don't particularly want to see what happened to Rasputin happen to you, and I have the unpleasant fear that it will.
So deal. :)
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Re: I see London, I see France . . .
1.) Up to you, though judging by the remaining radioactivity at Uluru, I'd say put it off if you can.
2.) Uh ... I don't THINK so....
3.) ;_; Try to be careful?
...don't try. Just BE careful. >_<
I'll try and find the Brothers of Morpheus, or something. I don't know if you're aware of what the challenge entails, but each stage can take years. Once you enter the dream of Ouroboros, it could be seasons before you step back out. It could be seconds.
It's hard to say either way. I'd like (in all honesty) more people to work with while you're gone, if possible. There are some things you're forgetting, you know.
You have a family, and even if you're using a fake ID, your enemies know who you really are anyway. How long is it going to take them to realize that they can get you by basically kidnapping your family and holding them hostage? Or what if they just decide to kill everyone important of you to drive you mad? They can, you know. I can't see if they will, but there's not a whole lot I can do to stop it -- especially if you're still in the dream of Ouroboros.
Cassandra had the entire Cult of Apollo to work with in the old days, when the champions were out on the quest ... but I don't have as much to work with, here.
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: o/` Sweet Home Alabama! o/`
Right. Plan is this. Bjorn and I will fly Sacramento -> Alabama to talk to the workshop metahumans and put them in contact with you, then we'll go from Alabama to Madrid, and from there we'll head to Gibraltar. Drac, Gin and Unseen will go from somewhere else to London, and from there to Gibraltar, ahead of Bjorn and I and get an idea of how the land lies.
Now. Sine you're -way- better at this stuff than we are . . . what do you reckon is the best way to get to Gibraltar?
And can you screw with passenger listings so it looks like our reservations are a couple of months old? :)
Also, is it possible to courier swords and the like? Probably not, that would attract too much attention, but we live in hope.
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Alabama?
Um ... okay. Where in Alabama? It's a place with computers, right?
Gibraltar has an airport, but they usually only take flights from England (and France). Otherwise you can drive from Spain, or take a ship from relatively nearby.
It's a really tiny country.... As far as messing with passenger listings, that's harder than you think. I'll see what I can do, but I'm not going to promise the discount paid-in-advance rate. I put five thousand dollars on all five of your credit-cards, and had those cards re-issued, but right at the moment, they were all sent to the addresses on your IDs.
And I don't know what happened to yours (unless you got it, and never bothered to call it in).
You can courier anything that's not toxic, explosive, or radioactive, usually. But, by 'usually', that means 'packed in a crate on a ship'. Which takes a while. Sending it faster is possible, but you really do need someone waiting there for you to recieve it for you. (Swords and the like are considered 'art' objects, modern weapons usually aren't, unless they're 'sporting equipment', and even that's kinda iffy.)
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: Alabama?
I'm not precisely sure, yet. Suffice to say we will get sure, and if there are not computers, there -will- be. :)
Nah, I figured messing with passenger listings would be tricky. If it's even vaguely risky, don't worry about it. I was more curious as to the possibility. Driving doesn't sound like a horrible plan, actually.
And, er, yah. I did get my credit card. It didn't occur to me to mention it, sorry. ^^;;
Couriering . . . nah. If we manage to hold this to a fairly tight schedule and arrive close to the same time, it shouldn't be necessary. I should be able to bring most of what we need through customs.
--N
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: o/` I've been to cities that never close down, o/`
OK. First note actually that everyone else in the group does have your email address now. ^^;;
Hm. Well. Drac, Gin and Paul just flew out of Sacrament, they're off to Gibraltar . . .
Bjorn and I need to meet Victor The Vampire at 10pm on the 22nd at a bar in Montgomery, Alabama, and he's going to take us to the ex-workshop-inmates.
So. We have about two days to kill in the meantime. Got any suggestions/requests as to things we should be doing? I was thinking of trying to collect credit cards, but they may have been returned to sender already. So, hm.
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: o/` I've been to cities that never close down, o/`
You're meeting a vampire, and you're asking me for suggestions? How about ... not? But, anyway, the cards won't get sent back. They should just sit in the mailboxes until they either get crammed completely, or someone takes them.
And all of the places SHOULD be set up like the place in Ripon ... just hopefully not taken over by vagrants. See, this is why having people with ... you know ... bodies would be good. :(
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: o/` I've been to cities that never close down, o/`
Well, you wanted people with bodies, this is the quicket way to get trustworthy ones. ;)
But seriously, given that Victor was imprisoned by the Seventh Cabal, lead us to Ezmereth and Ezmereth seems to both know the guy and have no issues with him . . . I'd guess he's on the level. And we won't find the Workshop peoples without him (at least not quickly), so . . . what the hey.
Don't know who else we can really get you right now. :/
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: o/` I've been to cities that never close down, o/`
Sorry. Okay, it's better than nothing, as long as I've got SOMETHING I can do to help you out.
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: o/` From New York, to Rome, to old London Town . . . o/`
Don't be sorry, you've got a right to worry. :P
Hmm . . . ok. I've managed to, er, abuse my credit card already - plane tickets - if we can pick up Bjorn's, this shall not be a problem, howveer, until we decide to leave Gibraltar.
Second question: if we're goin to put these people in touch with you, we'll probably set up a PO box in Montgomery and give them the key, so you can ship them stuff if need be. I doubt the have computers out where they are - yet. We will fix this, but we may need you to ship stuff to them to finalize it. :)
BTW. won't 'Sam' notice you taking up residency on his server, sometime soon? What's the deal you've got going there? ^^
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Sam luvs me.
Actually, he's got a really big crush on Ayame. Kind of annoying, really. Until I can get a better server, it's basically a complicated game.
He think's I'm a real person living in Kentucky.
Bleah!
Can I have your new credit card number? I used a bank transfer for the initial 5k, but if I have the number, I can put a little bit more money in. I expect if we're going to be picking up allies, being able to charge things to your card might be useful for me, too. I'm not as good at hacking as Ayame....
But on the bright side, all of this legitimate stuff makes me much harder to find than she was.
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: o/` But no matter how far, or how wide I roam . . . o/`
*snickers*
That's mean. But then, I guess social engineering > hacking, any day. Come to think of it, I didn't know there was anything to come out of Kentucky other than greasy chicken.
Credit card number is ****-****-****-**** - use it's powers for Great Justice.
But, yeah. Harder to find is . . . infinitely preferable.
As a side note; if I gave you a couple of emails, do you reckon you could send them to certain people without being noticed? People like my parents, whose email account is quite possibly being watched. <_< I'd do it myself, but I don't want to risk attention being drawn to ze uplink, whereas you can probably set up a delayed job on some server in the back-ass-end of nowhere. :)
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Ayame's toys
She left me utilities to forward e-mails for just such an occasion.
Anyway, you now have another three thousand six hundred in your account, (from Ryan's abandoned bank account) but be careful. Even if secret conspiracy people aren't after you, the government does keep an eye on super-huge money expenditures, especially out of people who haven't touched their accounts in ... well ... years. I'm also going to have to be careful about how much money I can give you.
I could cover this, though, by creating a ficticous company, or something. Then I'd get a corporate card, and no one will blink, as it'll all be business expenses! I think.
The plan needs a bit of work.
I'm tired.
Go ahead and send me the e-mails and who you want them sent to. But I'm going to take a nap.
Hmm. I wonder if I'm supposed to dream....
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
>Hmm. I wonder if I'm supposed to dream....
What're they going to do, smack your wrist and tell you to stop? :P
I'll drop you the emails later . . . sometime. As it is, we're now driving to Austin. Talk to you when we get there. Have a nice nap!
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Dream a little dream
So, I dreamed ... not sure what it all means.
There was snow everywhere, and I was looking down at the world. But the snow kept me from seeing anything.
You were moving around near Texas, and vanished ... and someone else was with you. He used a sword of glass. That your friend?
Anyway, you both vanished in my dream. Are you there in reality?
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: Nice pick.
As you may/may not be aware (hey, you were napping!), Drac, Gin and Unseen were all on the plane to Gibraltar that got hijacked. Drac messaged me after they got down and said it seemed to have been Seventh Cabal, looking for Shade.
Either way, this is not good. I'd already paid for tickets from Dallas to Montgomery on my credit card, which they may have reason to suspect now, so we're paying cash for tickets from Austin to Montgomery and not showing up in Dallas in the hope that it'll throw them somewhat.
Hopefully that's why you saw us vanish. :) But yeah, we're currently in Austin, and about to leave.
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Extreme suckiness.
Wow, that's lame.
Super lame.
Dedicated website lame.
So. Okay. As long as no one's made the connection by now, I just switched the transaction record to Jacob Housner's card for the flight to Montgomery.
Let's hope that fixes things. Ryan McGrail just bought tickets to Hawaii.
Ugh. Ayame was way better at this....
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Re: Extreme suckiness.
Dedicated website lame?
Dedicated website lame?
I don't think I wanna know.
Anyway, thanks for that, we will thusly take the Dallas flight and save both money and headache. ;)
>Ugh. Ayame was way better at this....
And as a side note, stop that. You're here, she's not, and from what I can see you're doing fine. 'sides, practice makes perfect.
--N
From: Rez (terrestrial_star@hotmail.com)
To: Relm (tyrean_@samiam.org)
Subject: o/` This time we're on my battleground . . . o/`
Oh most Oraculous one, some things have prompted me to contact you!
(a) PO Box ****
Montgomery, Alabama.
PO Box in the name of Jacob Housner. We'll give the key to the ex-inmates, so you have somewhere to send stuff for the meantime.
(b) Got any particular contact details you want us to give these peeps, or just your email address?
(c) Ayame, I remember, dug some files on me, Bjorn, Drac . . . really, the whole gang out of the DB. Can I get a copy of those files? Also, anything much about us in the Workshop DB?
Mostly I'm curious as to what they have on us and why they went for us in the first place . . . but, I admit, half of this is just so I have reading material for the plane. I hate planes. ><
(d) These people are playing UT. More, there's one in particular who seems to think they can challenge my superiority in such matters. This cannot be tolerated, so . . . er . . . I have to kick their asses nine ways from Sunday. So I'll probably be around for a little while (at least an hour)
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Re: o/` This time we're on my battleground . . . o/`
A: Well, I can have mail sent to that address, but you can't ship things there. Still, that should be enough for me to get started, so, thanks!
Should I start sending stuff now, or would you rather I hold off until everything is more clearly straightened out?
B: Considering the severity of the situation, it'd probably be good to make sure they're on the level. The e-mail is fine, but can we have any kind of real-time chat? If things work out, I might actually move onto a server of theirs. If they've got one yet. I hope they do.
C: Um. Ayame's old DB had files on you, Philip Bloom, Bjorn Chistianson, Paul Durant, and Sterling Dubert. And of course, Brian Randall. The files for Parthipan and Shade were entered later.
Rasputin's DB has files on Bjorn Christianson, Shade, Brian Randall, Sterling Dubert and his associates ('BigFire': Ryan Patterson, Jim Ericson, David Fields, Carlos Urrutia, and Nick Wycheck).
Which of those do you want?
D: I play WCIII on the Korean servers, and haven't lost once, you pansy.
From: Rez (terrestrial_star@hotmail.com)
To: Relm (tyrean_@samiam.org)
Subject: Well, that was a bust.
A: Definitely wait until we get in touch with you.
B: AIM? Use the 'Relm Tyrean' nick. If you dug through my logs you already know my password. <_< Nabiki's a tad, er, unwise.
C: You're probably going to kill me, but any and all? ^^
D: War 3's not my platform. UT is the One True FPS, and don't you forget it.
From: Rez (terrestrial_star@hotmail.com)
To: Relm (tyrean_@samiam.org)
Subject: Pie.
PS: I just got completely owned. ;_;
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Re: Pie
A: Okay.
B: Okay.
C: Yeesh. Hope Hotmail likes meaty attachments. Here's the old Ayame DB files:
You: This file's got everything the Seventh Cabal and Pax Arcana were willing to let one-another know they had on you. Which isn't much except your name, and your address from a few years ago.
Philip Bloom:This file is basically identical to yours, except with Phil's name instead of yours.
Bjorn Christianson: Another file without any useful data in it. Why do they keep empty entries? I think I know, actually....
Paul Durant: This file has more useful info in it. The gist is essentially that your friend here is suspected of being affiliated with BigFire. Both factions appear to have sent notifications that they wanted to capture him, though.
Sterling Dubert: The meaty entry! Sterling Dubert was a young man with a history of trouble-making, and ended up getting into an altercation with some Pax Arcana forces. Some people they couldn't ID right then showed up (BigFire) and then things got really messy for Pax Arcana. Seventh Cabal thought this made them easy to recruit, since they already disliked the enemy, but as it turned out, Sterling and the others weren't interested in working for them, either. That's the gist of it, anyway.
You already have Brian's files from Ayame, right? I can resend them if you don't.
Parthipan and Shade's entries are only their names and entry dates. Basically saying they're known entities, but not well known, yet. But they're included for your edification anyway!
Now. For Rasputin's files.
Bjorn Christianson: "[U-5]/[I-4], [M-7], captured by agent Taylor (Jan. 05.2007). Currently in testing to determine potential usefulness. Potential template for defense against the Wanderer? Further investigation is required." There's more, but it all boils down into their really dry, "Oh, we captured someone, now let's figure out how to use them," shtick. Read the attached file if you're curious, Rezzy.
Shade: 'Takeshi Fujinaka': [P-9], [U-3]/[I-1] So, this guy was going to be hooked up to their 'think tank', where they have their mind readers grab all his precognition without bothering to ask him. Maybe ... not so great.
Brian Randall: Unaquired. Likely candidate for U/I series. Possibly connected with BigFire. Investigation pending. Suspected either deceased, or true identity of the Wanderer.
I know you're going to ask. Because it's work for me, and therefore, you'd HAVE to want me to do it.
The Wanderer: Unknown, I-12 minimum. Consider extremely dangerous.
Sterling is listed as a [B-7], Jim Ericson is a an 'l[T-4]'.... That's really all the information they have. Sterling's a really tough physical combatant, and Jim (they suspect) has some form of machine-only telepathy. But it could be one of the other guys. There's no more info in them, but their files are attached, too.
D: Oh, my favorite FPS is Everquest 2. Because it, you know, funds your vicarious life-style. :)
[Files included as attachment]
From: Hotmail Admin!
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Low-space in Inbox.
WARNING! You're running low on space in your inbox, and it will be automatically purged within 24 hours to put you below the 5 MB mark.
Click here to find out how to get Hotmail Premium, and expand your mailbox size so you can disregard this warning!
Text message sent to Rez "Rez" Antis's cell phone at some fucking ungodly hour in the morning:
NEED HLP FROM AI. MAKE FAKE CC PURCHASES IN FRNCE 4 ALL F US SUVENRS TOURS TICKETS 2 PLAYS. BUY TIX TO GIB. THAT LEAV IN 2 WKS. C U THR SOONR. HUIT.
From: Rez (terrestrial_star@hotmail.com)
To: Relm (tyrean_@samiam.org)
Subject: *poke*
Well, we're here. I'm logged onto AIM as 'Invirious'. Unless you want to use something else. :)
--N
From: Rez (terrestrial_star@hotmail.com)
To: Relm (tyrean_@samiam.org)
Subject: La-lalala-lala-la-laaaa~!
Status update: They've agreed to work with us, and Bjorn has hitherto unknown talents in public speaking.
So, basically: while we have a safe deposit box, and we'll leave these guys with the key, we need to figure out what they need and how to get it to them.
Salient details are:
(1) They have no electricity or phone lines, so we're probably going to have to figure out a generator (at least for the short term).
(2) They also have no computers. No new server for you just yet. ;) But it means they'll need that, too.
(3) And as you most likely already figured, they certainly have no 'net connection.
However, they have cars, so they can get to town or whatnot, they have a couple of mechanically-apt people, and they have people who are capable of using a computer and talking to you that way.
I've got a few people around right now, so got any suggestions? Getting an address in Montgomery would probably be a good start.
--N
From: Hotmail Admin!
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Your account has been purged!
24 hours have elapsed, and your e-mail box has been cleaned out to remove the excess files.
Thank you for choosing Hotmail!
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: oba-di oba-die, life goes on
Great. Just make sure they have a way to get in touch with me once a day until we can get things more firmly established. Both the uplink and the laptop should be chargable from a car, but still.
I'm working with primitives. >_<
I'm sending out a packet over standard mail that should help these people a bit. Who should I adress it to?
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: The time has come, the Walrus said, to speak of many things.
Hello, Oracle. My name is Bjorn Christianson (despite the email source -- Nathan's a bit busy at the moment, explaining various technical details to our new allies). I don't think we've been introduced before. Pleased to meet you.
It turns out that among my newly-discovered talents is the ability to mindlink with people over quite some distance, and so I've been talking with the crew that went ahead to Gibraltar. One of them, Paul Durant, has had a dream. He dreamt he was walking down a neverending corridor, while carrying something that he couldn't recognize. He was being chased, and the thing in his hand became a keychain with strangely labelled keys, that he used to open a door and escape.
Once through the door, he found himself playing chess with a man (he's had a dream of playing games with the same man before). The board was huge, with many pieces (that included us), and several colours. One of the pieces was of a Japanese boy who was one of the hijackers. Paul tried to move his piece, and ended up in the kid's house, in front of his sister (who Shade had, apparently, badly injured). Paul got some information from the kid about unimportant things that Paul couldn't have known, which makes him sure it was more than just a dream. As a result of their conversation, Paul is convinced the boy is in great danger, and that Paul has to save him.
All things considered, I'm not inclined to take dreams lightly. Can I ask what your thoughts are?
In addition, the three of them are trying to figure out what to do now. One of the cellphones was traced, apparently, so whoever has been tracking the cellphones now knows where they are. Dracos (Philip) seems bent on heading straight to Gibraltar, and hoping that there's no trap waiting for them. Again, do you see anything that they should know? And is there anything you can do to help them slip the Cabal's attention?
I believe tradition requires that I produce an offering to your priesthood in exchange for answers to my questions. Let me know what you want. Olives are probably hard to come by at this time of year, though.
Bjorn
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Do walrus carpenters install vinyl siding?
Hiya!
Keen.
Okay.
o_O? Interesting. I'm supposed to be the one getting all the dreams, but it seems pretty obvious. I'm not sure how much of Paul's dream is accurate, but it says that you're all pieces in a game. If the kid were a different color it'd be easier to tell. If he's unaligned, it means just that. He's unaligned. That can change, of course. I'm not certain I know anything about that kid, though. Maybe Paul can learn to walk in dreams like Shade started too.... Tell him to think of me next time he dreams! Then we can meet up and trade notes, and stuff.
Well, you really don't have to worry much about the Forge or the Home Guard ... now. With the Workshop destroyed, and one of the only two contacts they had with any of the Workshop employees who was even aware of the existance of the Seventh Cabal, they're pretty much running on steam. They've got old orders and stuff, but no new directions are coming down the pipe for them. Or maybe I can fake a message from one of their supervisors ... maybe not a good idea.
Anyway. As far as getting out from under the Seventh Cabal's nose, that's tricky. :/ We have some luck, but nothing immediate. What the good news is, is that only three sites are known for where the trials have to be taken. As far as I know, everyone knows about Gibraltar and Ayer's Rock. But I don't think either of them is certain about a third! Mt. Fuji. :D Might be a good idea to go there after Gibraltar. Will make let you put off dealing with the radiation ... though, it might give away its location. >_< My advice is mostly just don't be anywhere totally alone. Make sure there's always a few people around who are just normal civilians who can either see you, or know where you should be. It's a lot easier to vanish someone who's already in hiding, you know. ._.
Also, France is an older country, so both factions have deeply buried roots in their politics and public offices. The public eye is strong, though, and the media attention provides you with a bit of protection. They don't like to be unsubtle, and it's REALLY unlikely they'll send any of their agents after you. They'll send some subordinate faction's agents after you, if anything.
Hmm. If that explains anything. ._.
I'll do what I can, but I have to be careful until I learn as much as Ayame knew.
Also, you are correct! You owe me gifts of bronze!
Or, you would, if you weren't considered to be part of the priesthood, too. :p
~Relm
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: No, but they can boil seas, and make a mean clam chowder.
Hello, Pythia. It's still Bjorn. You can withhold your excessive enthusiasm.
Paul mentioned that the boy's piece was red, but he didn't mention what colour our pieces were. I assumed either white or black, but I'll ask him.
So your opinion (correct me if I'm wrong) is that as long as the three don't let themselves get caught alone in the shadows, they should be pretty safe for the time being? Seems reasonable to me. I'll pass that on, and tell them to be unwary of any strangers who approach them with plans.
So I'm a priest now, am I? The world has been full of surprises lately. I'll probably need to get new business cards. Am I allowed to start charging people for passing on inquiries? This credit card that you kindly provided will only go so far, after all.
Bjorn
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Yams!
Pythia? O_o Lies! My enthusiasm is as boundless as the vault of the heavens!
Okay. Red can mean a couple of things, but generally speaking, it's a step closer to neutral. You can probably shift his balance. Play your cards right, you could make an ally forever.
Play them wrong, you could make an enemy for twice as long. I'll try and auger something on him. And do you know anything about this guy other than he was in Paul's dream? Or does Paul, for that matter?
That's ... about right, yeah.
You don't know the half of it. O_O
Relm
From: Brother Marcus ('marcusb@ulc.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Congratulations on your Ordination!
Welcome, Jacob Housner, to the proud tradition of the Universal Life Church.
Your ordination package has been mailed to:
Jacob Housner
P.O. Box 45045
Montgomery, Alabama, 36102
If you have any other questions, feel free to visit our website (http://www.ulc.org/)!
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: Don't slam the clams, you fan of yams.
It's the Reverend again, Pythia (which is the Greek name for the Delphite Oracle herself. Yet another fact I keep lodged in my head to ward off all those annoying birthdays).
I don't know any more about the kid, other than he was Japanese, apparently had some power himself, and that he had a sister that Shade badly injured. I'll try to get more detail from Paul.
The weather in New Delphi is good. Very good. Sunny and shirt-sleeves warm, in fact, while the rest of Alabama suffers in the freezing rain. No one here should be able to affect the weather. I'd like to consider a good omen, but I'm not at heart a very optimistic person. Is there anything you can tell me?
Rev. Bjorn
From: Brother Marcus ('marcusb@ulc.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: Get baked at the clam slam.
Greetings, Brother Housner. Well, I always remembered it as Cassandra. Or, Ayame did, anyway. Once the Rezzly one gave the proper passwords, anyway.
More info would be good. Especially since right now that's all I am.
That you're lucky? I'll look into it. It's strange, I guess, but I don't have any insights into it right away.
Rev. HOUSNER.
:P
To: Rez
From: Dracos
Subject: PINK ONE, HEAR MY WORDS!
Okay, so we're alive. Which is good, I like being alive. We're also in Spain, which is sorta good, save I don't speak Spanish and the last Madridian spanish person I know lives down in Florida hawking old games. Anyhow, we're surviving well enough and will likely make it alive. Ye might want to have Bjorn touch base with us tonight sometime and get an idea of what/when you guys are doing and we should do to connect with you guys.
As regards that meeting, well, they aren't going to bother us yet according to them. It sounds on the level enough for me that I'm not going to worry about it. If they are at all smart, they'll likely wait for the other guys to try and kill us, and shoot at both us and the other folks.
Rock on, and see ya in the med.
Dracos
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
Subject: Oooh, look what I see.
One Big Rock.
Well, here we are in Gibraltar, which is a wonderful place with as far as I can tell only one place with computer games. And Bjorn's refusing to buy cookies (despite the fact that we had an agreement). Bastard.
So, Miss Spiritual-Guide-Person, once we do in fact get back in touch with Drac and the others (who should be here soon if not already), what next?
--N
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Dracos
Subject: Ahahahaha!
Right, we're in Gibraltar. I'll call you tonight, have your phone on if you get this around . . . I dunno . . . 7pm Gibraltar time. Or just reply to this damn email. Or take option 3 - we're staying at (insert hotel name here), under the name McGrail.
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Subject: One Big Rock For Rez, One Giant Pinkness For Everyone Else.
Well, now you need to try and enter the dream of Ourobos. You should be able to do that once all of you are together and can find Ezmereth.
I'm going to guess he'll be either on top of the rock, or beneath it. Probably on top, because he's lived as long as he has by being not stupid.
Be careful, okay?
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
All together, check, guess who just walked in . . .
Yeah, yeah. We'll be careful. Talk to you when we're done. :)
--N
From: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
To: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
Quick thought on why you should be careful. I don't know what the trials you're going to face are going to be like. Sorry, but I don't.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that you're going, approximately, to Hades. Be careful, and ... if you can, bring copper coins to pay Charon. Otherwise, he won't take you back.
From: Rez ('terrestrial_star@hotmail.com')
To: Relm ('tyrean_@samiam.org')
How many? Will copper-nickel compounds do? And does it matter how much they're worth, or is it just a symbolic thing?
--N
From: Dracos
To: Rez
Subject: God damn, I could smell your pinkness a mile away
Gotcha ^_~. Anyhow, log off and let's get moving.