aluminiumtrioxid

Around the end of Rank 3. Those who have written a really compelling backstory and were present at each session might have begun Rank 4. Edit: I'll post character sheets once the actual story is over and no player forbids me from doing so.

Yeah. Constantine's supposed to be a con-man, trickster and probability warper, not an exorcist. Edit: also, there's the issue of making him straight and non-smoking because REASONS.

First episode has been available since forever. It sucked.

Outside of exam periods, I'm free pretty much whenever. As for character concept, I'm thinking of playing a Mlox Jack Who Rides The Lightning.

Arnold K. returns with more awesomeness than ever. Seriously, this is some Morrowind-level cool weirdness.

Our group uses Skype text chat with a dice roller plugin. It works pretty well. When I was recruiting (here), multiple people have expressed interest; I believe they'd still be up for a game.

Ooh, ooh, I've always wanted to try nChangeling. Also, there is a not-insignificant number of people on these forums (me included) interested in playing Numenera.

Sadly, after his mysterious disappearance in the middle of our last session, Lazarus’ player didn’t show up, forcing the party to soldier on without the assistance of an assassin. Too bad, I’ve enjoyed his contributions immensely and think his presence added something of value to the game, but mysterious disappearances are beyond my power to address. Regardless, we put on Solomon’s theme, and continue where we left off. Kationa has slinked in quietly and looks around. "What's going on?", she whispers to the others. "Father Solomon was just telling us about his visions regarding the mutant problem", Mordecai explains to the new arrival. "It seems the Emperor himself warns him of the dangers to come.” “It must be an otherworldly experience to be sure", he adds, straight faced, hoping our resident psykers catch the drift. Meanwhile, Kaylee’s looking at the texts lying on the table with a mixed expression. Even a cursory glance let her determine that it was probably written in a cipher she’s unfamiliar with. Despite her inability to read it, a -10 Scrutiny test (well, base difficulty -20, +10 synergy bonus from having Literacy +10) would’ve let her glean some insights into the writer’s emotional state at the time of the writing, but unfortunately, she botched that roll. Kelegh is watching Redbeard and Solomon very suspiciously. “Can you tell me about the visions you have, Father?”, Kaylee asks quietly, trying to steer the conversation towards subjects relevant to her investigation. The old man eyes her up suspiciously. “They are a transcendent experience... I'm not exactly sure words could do it justice...”, he responds hesitantly. Kaylee responds with a stern look of her own. “There could’ve been signs hidden in them, hinting at an even greater truth… I dare not to hope we can understand the totality of your experiences, but maybe you should try to describe what you saw.” “Could you please be a bit more specific regarding the nature of these... signs?” – Solomon "Do you summon those visions purposefully, or do they just appear to you?" – Mordecai, cutting in. “The visions... sometimes they come and go as they will. Other times, I can induce them by castigating myself and praying. There is no true, reliable way to communicate with the divine”, Solomon turns his attention to the arbitrator. He leans back, getting tired, and glances at Kationa to see if she's sensing anything. Kationa seems to get the hint and casts her gaze across the room, her eyes rolling slightly upward as she looks into the warp. Rolling 12 on her Psyniscience check, she gets 4 successes, after taking the +10 bonus from average difficulty into account. Her stare pauses on Solomon for a moment, noticing the unusual brightness of his soul, a telltale sign of latent psychic power. Then she starts to move on, but her focus suddenly snaps back to him and her eyes widen in brief horror when she realizes that subtle traces of corrupting warp influence hang onto him, hinting at some sort of daemonic entity establishing repeated contact in the last few weeks. She even had the option to further scrutinize the marks left by the daemon, but knowing that too much curiosity in such matters tends not to lead one to a long and happy life, she wisely declined. "No..." she whispers, staggering slightly back against the others as she breaks the connection to the warp hurriedly. Mordecai gets up and walks over to her, checking if she's alright, trying simultaneously to cover her from prying eyes and discreetly inquire if she’s seen anything. “Visions of divine origin are often accompanied by symbols of the holy. Many sacred texts on the subject point out that uncovering their hidden meaning can be a source of great wisdom, if interpreted correctly”, Kaylee explains to Solomon, which handily serves to divert his attention from the scene. Redbeard’s not so easily misdirected, however, entitling him to a -20 Awareness check to make out what our heroes are whispering about – which he aces with a 01. Our Acolytes are about to get into a fair amount of trouble… Kationa calms down and whispers back. "Latent psyker. He's been touched by dark powers... repeatedly and recently..." “Excuse me?”, Redbeard cuts in, sounding pissed. Solomon, having no clue of what has transpired, shoots him a confused look. Kat quickly shuts up and glances around. "Uhh, nothing," she says. "Just a personal matter." “A personal matter of spreading vile allegations about a holy man? I fail to see the ‘personal’ part there”, the butler hisses, stepping closer to the group. Kelegh stands between him and the others, trying to look threatening. "Mind your place!", he barks at Redbeard. "My place is making sure nobody endangers our community - by besmirching the name of our leader, for example", the other man shouts back, prompting Kaylee to touch her firearm absent-mindedly, wondering whether it’s time to start shooting. Fortunately, there is no need for such ugliness; Kationa gazes deeply in the man’s eye, and calls upon the powers of the Warp to suppress his memories of her. She’s using Forget Me, a power I’d personally never would have picked up due to its limited applicability (ironically, even though I’d have prioritized powers like Healer or Fearful Aura over it due to their broader usefulness, so far no situation has presented itself in the game where any of those would’ve come in handy). The threshold is only 6, meaning she’s almost guaranteed to succeed using only PR 1 (which would have a lower chance of invoking Psychic Phenomena), yet she decides to use her full psychic might (possibly to make absolutely sure it goes off, or maybe to get a little extra oomph with Overbleed). Scoring a 2 and a 7, she achieves a total of 13, granting her 1 level of Overbleed, which she might use either to affect an additional target, make the resistance roll one step harder, or extend the duration with 1d10 minutes. She chooses the latter, letting her suppress Redbeard’s memories for 2d10 (in our case, 8 ) minutes after he predictably fails his roll to resist. "So, about the signs...”, Kaylee injects, drawing Solomon’s attention away from the commotion. He bites. "Ah yes, the signs... well, there are no signs to speak of, really. Just an immense golden blaze of glory and comforting, warming calm. And above all, His voice, resonating with power and promises of Mankind's glory", the preacher summarizes. Meanwhile, Redbeard's expression changes to that of gentle confusion. He obviously doesn’t understand how Kat’s gotten in there, but doesn’t press the issue, choosing to concentrate on the unfolding conversation instead. "Since when have you been receiving your visions, Father?", the arbitrator inquires. "Since about the time the mutants appeared, I think. He must have sensed our plight and decided to choose me as the instrument of His will in purging this corruption." "We only have a few minutes", Kationa whispers to Mordecai. He nods and walks up to Solomon, lays a hand on his shoulder and gives it a discomforting squeeze. Him being the only one in the group who’s succeeded on the Scrutiny roll to notice that the old man was holding something back when discussing his visions. "And what is it you aren't telling us, Father? I thought you are a fervent servant of the Emperor? Don't hold anything back now." At my instruction, he rolls “something social”. Which in this case means Inquiry, perhaps the least applicable social skill out of the bunch. On the other hand, Inquiry is the skill of questioning people, which might be argued to encompass the ability to convince people to relinquish information they’re hesitant to, so it’s not really verisimilitude-breaking. (The ability to make up reasons on the fly why a character’s skills are applicable in a situation is an important player skill!) His roll of 69 fails, though. There’s only so far player skill can tip one’s hand. "Why would I lie to fellow servants of the Emperor, pray tell?", Solomon asks with feigned innocence. "So how long are we gonna waste time here?", Kelegh complains, not really seeing the point of following this line of inquiry. The idea of wasting time fills Kat’s heart with anxiety, so she decides to slink back outside and out of Redbeard's line of sight before his memory returns. She stays alert though for any need to rush back in and assist. The arbitrator sighs and squeezes the old man’s shoulder harder. "I do not expect a simple man to be well versed in every detail of Imperial Law, but you should know full well the consequences of lying to one of His lawkeepers. Especially for a man in a position such as yours, with a community that might take the fall with you, should your sermons be determined as heretical.” He lets it sink in. “Talk." Not waiting for the preacher’s answer, he turns to the others and points at Redbeard. "In the Emperor's name, restrain him. Unhurt, for now." "I'm not sure I can let you go ahead with that in good conscience", their target grunts, standing up, eyeing the group warily. Tension hangs in the air, but nobody makes a threatening move… yet. Time for Intimidate, a roll on which Mordecai receives +20 for having their enemy, a wizened old man, heavily outnumbered and outgunned at the moment. He achieves 3 successes. “What is the problem, officer?” - Kaylee "Our good father isn't completely honest with us, you see." - Mordecai "It's all right", Solomon sighs, caving in. "Sometimes, He sounds... strange. Speaking about how His will is betrayed by those who call themselves His servants, how there is a deep corruption even in His Most Holy Adepta... how change is necessary for Mankind to rule the stars against, as it is our birthright." He turns to Kaylee. "Also, there might be a sign of some sorts, a sign you've mentioned... His words are sometimes accompanied by a fluttering of thousands of wings, as if a host of angels were hovering around, encircling us, listening to Him..." HERESY! Everybody automatically knows that claiming a necessity to change the Emperor’s Most Holy Institutions is deeply heretical, but 2 successes on an Ordinary (+10) Forbidden Lore: Heresy roll also let Kaylee know that such suggestions often come from followers of the abominable warp entity widely alluded to as “The Lord of Change”, and its many foul brethren. The wing motif also serves to confirm her suspicions – such daemons are often birdlike in appearance. (Do notice the name “Tzeentch” getting no mention here. That’s what Daemonology is for. Also, speaking it aloud would net everyone present some insanity, perhaps corruption even, depending on the degrees of failure on a WP test.) “I see...”, Kaylee nods sagely. “And what did He say about your servant, this man who’s accompanying us even now?” "He didn't deem my humble companion worthy of His attention, I'm afraid." This is proof enough for her. "Can you keep the servant alive? ", she asks her companions. Mordecai ignores her and takes out a pair of magnacles. "I have bad news for you, Father. The woman outside is one of His sanctioned psykers and can sense the presence of another.... such as you. Not only that, but your mind seems to have been manipulated as well, that's why your visions may have been odd. Now, duty requires us to bring you in and send you on your way to Terra for sanctioning... but I doubt you'd survive the trip. However, since you have worked diligently to keep your community faithful, I offer you an alternative. Quick and painless execution. Your butler may pass on your farewells to your congregation and I'll grant you time for a final prayer, but I'm sure you know what danger a latent psyker would pose to the people you were protecting all this time. And I doubt they'd allow you to be taken if we'd linger. So the time to choose is now. Sanctioning or euthanization?" “May I object, officer? We have much greater concerns than an unsanctioned psyker. I have a particular feeling that these manipulations you mention are somehow related to the mutants on the streets. Actually, I’m surprised you didn’t consider this”, Kaylee voices her concerns, while eyeing Redbeard suspiciously for signs of hostile intent. Kelegh is also watching him intently, fiddling with his lasgun, ready to restrain the man if necessary. "I have, which is what clued me in. But unless you know when they'll send him new visions and know of a way to trace them, I doubt it would benefit us any more than it already did", Mordecai responds. "So you're... saying an unclean force of some sorts has... corrupted the Emperor's words?", Solomon asks, voice raw with emotion. "A force related to these mutants?" “I am sorry, preacher. I know your intentions were pure, but you’ve been misled by the Ruinous Powers. Had you received the education real members of the Ecclesiarchy have access to, you could’ve ascertained it yourself.” - Kaylee "But... what about my flock? They need me! Please! There has to be some other way. They need guidance. They're lost without me... how can I trust they will have the strength to stop this mutant horde when I've turned my back on them?", the old man asks, pleading. "That is why we are here, don't forget", Mordecai says, not unkind. "The mutant problem and whoever is behind it will be taken care of, I promise you that. As for their spiritual well being, I'm sure the Ecclesiarchy will see to that. Am I right, sister?" He looks at Kaylee for confirmation. “Sure. I am going to relay your plea to my superiors and I’m sure they’ll send someone competent in your stead.” - Kaylee "See, there's nothing to fear. Your congregation will be taken care of." - Mordecai Time to roll Charm. Earlier, he made a cool speech, and he’s assuaged almost all of Solomon’s doubts, but still, he’s asking the guy to go against basically everything he holds dear. We settle on a total modifier of +10 (-20 base difficulty, +20 from Cool Speech and reasonable arguments, +10 from attempting to deal with his misgivings). Despite the flimsy odds, rolling 03, he succeeds - unknowingly saving the party (and, in wider context, the Hive) from [REDACTED]. (Which would’ve been baaad.) Rose will be extremely pleased. “Very well. I will accompany you and agree to be sent to Holy Terra", Solomon lets out a resignated sigh. "Take care of them, Ignatio. Make sure their faith remains strong", he nods encouragingly to Redbeard, who looks positively heartbroken, but holds back his manly tears and nods rapidly. "I'm ready", the old man turns back to Mordecai, holding his arms out, waiting for the magnacles. The player reactions to this scene in private chat were entertainingly varied. Player 1: I hope you're happy for making me feel **** about myself. Player 2: Heh, “manly tears”. *snicker* "....I don't think they'll be necessary." Mordecai puts the cuffs away and calls the Arbites to pick them up. "This is too much leeway for a warp-infected individual... don't you think?", Kelegh complains. "Even if he doesn’t want trouble, the daemon can influence his mind!" "That is true, but he's a strong one. And I'm sure our collegues will share your suspicions and restrain him. A few more minutes of freedom won't hurt him. Nor us." - Mordecai "Let us pray you're right..." - Kelegh While they are busy bickering, Kaylee unassumingly collects Solomon’s writing on the table. She’s not even very subtle about it, yet nobody seems to notice her. Given the fact that her precautions have proven unnecessary, and no firefights have erupted in the last few minutes, Kationa comes back in, curious as to what happened in her absence. "Got everything under control?" she whispers. The others (presumably Lazarus) fill her in quickly. Mordecai turns to Solomon. "I don't mean to twist the knife any further, but in light of these developments, how would you reinterpret your visions? Maybe they could help in identifying our perps now." "There isn't really that much to reinterpret about a heavenly voice urging one to take up arms against unholy mutants, is there?", he asks bitterly. “I think I know what or who it was... no need to make the life of Solomon any harder...”, Kaylee replies calmly. "Oh? Pray tell." – Mordecai, walking over to her. “Not here and not now. Certain names should not be spoken aloud, especially not in company such as this.” – Kaylee, being all mysterious and Kreia-like again. Kationa nods. "Let's hand him over and then we can have a private talk. I suspect we all have much to share." "Yes, I'm still curious about those blood tests", Mordecai agrees. "Maybe you could take a look at the mutants as well?" “I saw them burning outside.... not that much to see... it stank. I guess I can take a closer look?" Kat pulls a face. Considering the fact that she’s spent the last 10 minutes outside, breathing in the horrible burning mutant-stench, her reluctance is understandable. "Never know what we might find", the arbitrator shrugs. "I also think we should head to Thea's uncle's apartment next. Or should we go straight to the source?" “I actually have no idea what are you talking about, but I must report to the church now”, Kaylee excuses herself. "We can meet up there" - Mordecai, giving her the address. "Who is Thea's Uncle? Who is Thea?" – Kationa, confused. "....The orphan girl you saved?" - Mordecai, dismayed. "Ahh," Kat’s eyes alight with recognition. "I'm not sure I ever got her name." So cruel. Forgetting about NPCs and plot hooks is a sad reality of games where months pass between sessions. This is why APs and clue cheat sheets are important. Speaking of the latter, I should copy ours here. “So now the Arbites save orphan girls. How nice.” – Kaylee, voice kept studiously neutral. "The well-being of the citizens is just as much the wish of the Emperor as the death of xenos. Especially so when they're potentially helpful in solving cases of heretical shenanigans." - Mordecai "I still think we should all talk in private before we continue onwards?" says Kat, watching Kaylee with a frown. "Is she with us now?" “I am with the Echlesiarchy”, she responds before the others could, raising her eyebrow, then swiftly changes the subject. “May I ask you to refrain from harming Solomon or any in his flock? It would draw the ire of my superiors.” "It should we obvious we don't mean to. He'll be sent to Holy Terra to be sanctionized", Mordecai assures her before turning back to Kationa, just to find out she’s wandered off again. Sighing, he goes outside to search for her. Moments later, Kaylee follows suit, leaving Kelegh and Lazarus alone with the two heretics. The psyker decides his talents are better used searching for any forbidden artifacts that might have caused Solomon’s visions. He leaves Lazarus with strict instructions to watch the pair, and goes off exploring. Soon enough, he finds a cramped little chamber with zero amenities. There’s a blanket on the floor, a cheap-looking shrine in the middle of the room with a single candle sticking out of the middle, and a whip hanging from a hook in the wall. The door’s heavily reinforced and the room has no source of electricity as far as he can see. The shrine arouses Kelegh’s suspicions. Knowing that he can’t afford to be wrong here, he prepares for his psychic inspection as thoroughly as he can. He shuts the door behind himself, effectively turning the room into a sensory deprivation chamber, then cuts his palm with his psykana mercy blade. “Oh Emperor, seated on Holy Terra, hear my prayer. I am but a humble mortal in touch with the immaterial, begging for your help. Open my eyes to let me see the mirages cast by the daemonic burn away in the light of Your Glory. Open my ears to let me hear the insidious whispers of the daemonic for the lies they are, nothing but wind compared to Your Voice. Open my mind to let me recognize the work of the daemonic, and lend me the strength to destroy it in Your Name.” With the blood dripping from his palm, he traces the sign of the holy Aquila on his forehead, and opens his mind’s eye. As with the social rolls, cool descriptions go a long way to secure a bonus to the check (+10 in this case). It went above and beyond the standards of a cool description, however, earning Kelegh a temporary Fate point on top of the bonus. He wishes to ascertain whether any items in the room bear the taint of the Warp, a task that has a base difficulty of +20, bumped to +30 by the description bonus. His roll of 77 succeeds, but just barely. Colors soon return to the lightless room, bathing the objects present in the impossible radiance of the Warp – but none of them have the bright spark of items endowed with malignant powers. Disappointed, he heads outside. *** Mordecai finds Kat by the pyres, frowning in deep concentration. She’s scrutinizing the bodies with Psyniscience, as she was instructed. With an Ordinary (+10) Difficulty, she gets 4 successes. As she opens up her senses to the mind-bending vistas of the warp, she can’t help but sense that something’s… off. A metaphorical shadow is hanging over the locale, as if a storm was waiting to erupt. She dismisses the feelings and concentrates on the bodies, ascertaining that whatever energies have warped them into their current forms, they bear the same resonance as the presence that tainted Solomon’s mind. She reflexively makes the sign of the aquila across her chest. "Kationa, a word.” The arbitrator disrupts her meditation. "Yes?" "Good job on that blood test. And on Solomon. However..." he towers above her, giving a hard stare, his tone a low growl. "…I don't care how pampered and praised you were in the Hive Spires, when I give you an order, you obey it. Throwing tantrums and hissy fits is not only unprofessional, but endangers the rest of your team and we're not here to pat you on the back. UNDERSTOOD?" Kat narrows her eyes slightly at him, but then just shrugs and turns away. "You have no idea who I was," she says, sadly. "But I am sorry." Mordecai relaxes and smiles "Good. Now cheer up. You did do a good job." There’s a slight lull in the conversation before he changes the subject. "So, have you noticed anything peculiar about these things?" She nods and rubs at her face. "There is taint hanging over these bodies - it feels the same as what I sensed from Solomon. His... affliction and these mutants are connected." She then goes into what she learned from the blood test at the lab. "There's no genetic connection between the subjects. Each has completely normal human DNA. But their biological form shouldn't function under normal human conditions." Hearing this, Kaylee, who stepped outside earlier but so far has conveniently remained out of sight, can’t help but smile faintly. "As expected. The Bishop will be delighted." Kat turns and glares at her. "What's so funny? Why would he be delighted?" "Because I haven't let him down. He trusted me and I’ve solved this mystery..." – Kaylee, sounding a bit smug. "You found out what made your ‘sister’ sick? Care to share so we can get done with this mess?" – Mordecai, calling her out on her earlier lie. "We can put it that way. All the clues are here, around us. Mutants who are not mutants, but humans robbed of the purity of their form; a misled preacher possessing heretical texts... sadly, I cannot share my conclusions with a simple Arbites officer." – Kaylee, without a hint of sadness. "Then share it with me." – Kat, voice cold with barely restrained anger. “Can I share them with her? I don't know her rank either”, Kaylee asks Mordecai. "We are all Intelligencers in the service of the Emperor. And what you are doing right now is obstruction of duty. I doubt your Bishop would be delighted about that", he responds sternly. Suddenly, the door to Solomon’s opens again, and Kelegh walks out, his left palm bleeding and a bloody symbol on his forehead. As it turns out, trying to paint an Aquila on your head with your own half-dried blood in complete darkness, without the assistance of a mirror can be a bit tricky. Mordecai's jaw drops as he spots Kelegh. "What the...?" Kat rushes to him. "What happened to you?" "I serve the Emperor myself, as a member of the Adepta Sororitas. This case is related to the Ruinous Powers. You should warn your superiors and inform the Inquisition." – Kaylee, unfazed by recent events. "I made sure there was nothing warp-touched in the father's room and personal belongings...”, Kelegh starts explaining. “Oh, the blood. I offered it to the Emperor for his help." It ain’t heresy if the players are doing it! Well, this might turn out to be especially cunning foreshadowing, considering certain details in his backstory, details I intend to build on. Details I’m fairly sure even his player has mostly forgotten about. "...Oh.” Kat’s apparently at a loss for words. “Did you find anything?" "No, everything in there is clean of the warp." "You haven't hurt them, have you?", Mordecai asks suspiciously, then turns his attention back to Kaylee. "As for the Inquisition, who do you think has enough clout to have four Intelligencers sent here for some crawling mutants?" She doesn’t seem convinced. "Fine, then we'll just confront whoever blindly, die and they'll continue unopposed. I'm sure that will make the Ecclesiarchy pleased." – Mordecai, sounding frustrated and passive-aggressive. “Well, if you put it that way…”, she buckles. “The one behind this is one of the vilest enemies of Mankind. Birds are his emissaries. I hope this will be enough help for now… maybe I’ll share more later.” Going by that description alone, those well-versed in calixian lore would probably first think of the Crow Father, making this statement less helpful than intended. Thankfully my players don’t really use OOC knowledge. A few Scholastic Lore: Occult rolls later, both psykers have a fairly good idea what she was alluding to. "...No, not particularly”, Mordecai confesses. Hailing from an Agri-world, he even takes pride in being ignorant in such matters. "What should we expect from it?" “...Everything.” – Kaylee, again with the probably-less-helpful-than-intended advice. "Is it that bad?” – Mordecai, unsure whether she was sarcastic or not. “Well, it’s really not my place to determine. But I suppose certain others in our position would take it very seriously, and make getting to the heart of this case a priority”, Kaylee states vaguely. “May I suggest simply locking Solomon away instead of putting him on a ship? We don't know how deeply he’s affected by the taint.” "The Black Ships should be more than capable of handling worse cases than Solomon", Mordecai assures her. His confidence would be a lot more inspiring if he wasn’t the least knowledgeable person on the subject at hand. "Trust me, I know they do", Kat supports him, slightly paling and shuddering at the memories. "…Right. The worse cases are now burning on the streets." – Kaylee, apparently unconvinced. Their conversation is interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Arbites backup they requested a few minutes ago. Well-armed people jump out of a black van bearing the insignia of the Adeptus Arbites, shout a lot, go inside the compound and soon return with a magnacled Solomon who is shoved into the back of the vehicle. "Shall we bring in the other one for questioning?", their leader asks, unsure of who to address. Mordecai steps up. "No need. Keep an eye on the old man. He volunteered for the sanctioning, but he could be unstable." "Okay. Need a ride?", she offers nonchalantly, while gestures for the rest of her men to chain down Solomon. They graciously accept, and are sat down in the back, accompanying Solomon. Of course, unlike him, they’re not cuffed to the seats. "What will happen to me now?", the old man blurts out after a few minutes of watching them nervously. "I hope you will be found clean enough to be deemed worthy of being transported to Holy Terra. Until your fate’s determined, you’ll be under custody, unharmed." - Kaylee “It'll be... horrible. Painful and humiliating and horrific in every way. It's... not too late to take the easier way out." – Kationa, after thinking on the issue for a few moments and deciding to be honest. "They will test you, and if you are found deserving, you will be a sanctioned psyker. If you fail, you will serve the Emperor with your soul. Both are glorious ends, albeit painful." - Kelegh "...My soul?" - Solomon, confused. "Your soul. Be proud of it." - Kelegh "You mean... he uses my soul... how?" We briefly debate whether the truthful “why, he drinks it dry; what did you expect of an undying corpse-god?” answer is something a sanctioned psyker might know or would Imperial authorities rather prefer to keep news of the Emperor’s “soul habit” under wraps. Ultimately, we settle on elegantly side-stepping the issue. "That's not important. The important thing is, you will be of help for the Empire and its billions of inhabitants. Don't worry about the details, just have faith. You know how to do that, don't you?" – Kelegh, putting an end to this line of questioning. "Ah. Serving not just my flock, but the whole of humanity... yes, I think I can live with that", the old man sighs, and leans back as far as his chains allow with a peaceful expression. The conversation lulls briefly. "Can you read, Solomon? ", Kaylee breaks the silence. "That is a skill that has always eluded me", he confesses. “Then who wrote down your texts?”, she asks, surprised. "The visions... they've shown me a writing of sorts, something I can use to preserve them after they've faded from my memory... but much to my dismay, as I've noticed later, this script is not one the Imperium at large is using. It looks like He wanted His secrets to stay secret.” "Uhh... can I see these papers?" asks Kat, feeling worried. "Maybe later, if your superiors approve" , she waves away her concern, and starts teaching prayers to Solomon who proves to be a quick learner, despite his advanced age. Kat glances over at Mordecai with a despairing gaze before turning back to Kaylee. "It may be important. Very important," she says, trying not to lose her patience again. Kaylee’s not happy to have her lesson interrupted by her pleas. "Not here. Please, be patient and keep in mind where we are.” "Some things are better left unknown, Kationa", Mordecai assures her with a firm ignorance that would make the Emperor proud. She gives him a disbelieving glare. "In our line of work, no", the psyker declares, but instead of protesting further, she just mutters some unknown curse in her native tongue under her breath, crosses her arms and fumes once more, not caring who reprimands her for it. "Perhaps, but my gut says it really is better if I don't know." – Mordecai, leaning back in his seat, declaring the matter closed as far as he’s concerned. After a few minutes - and a few new verses which Solomon enthusiastically recites on his shaking voice – their car stops. They've reached the hab-block they were looking for: a towering, dull grey monstrosity of a building, with an almost palpable aura of despair emanating from it. Many windows are broken, and at least a few centuries' worth of filth dots its outer surface. Mordecai whistles at the sheer unkemptness of it, Kat wrinkles her nose, while Kelegh just watches the place with indifference. "People live in places like this?" she says, still feeling grumpy and oblivious to her own sense of privileged upbringing. "So, about what you saw and some of what Kaylee knows: mind updating the rest of us?", the arbitrator asks while appraising his surroundings. "Depends. Will you get those papers out of her for me? As it's almost certainly connected…" - Kationa "Kaylee?" - Mordecai "One could say such curiosity is dangerous... but okay, I can show you a page", Kaylee relents, handing her a single sheet of paper full of unreadable scribbling. "Curiosity about such powers is basically my job and what I've been trained to do," the psyker says grouchily as she holds a hand out to receive. "See anything worthwhile? ", the sister inquires, carefully scrutinizing her expression for signs of recognition or understanding. "Hmmm...." She narrows her eyes and casts her warp sense over the paper. The strange symbols don’t make any more sense under her psychic sight. Clever idea, but that’s not how it works. As a consolation prize, however, she notices that the warp shadow she’s observed to be looming ahead of Solomon’s apartment and its surroundings is absent from here. Frustrated, she hands it back to Kaylee, who’s now off to report to her superiors. "Anything important?", Mordecai asks, taking a peek inside the building through the broken windows. A desolated apartment with scattered, broken furniture looks back at him. It's probably been abandoned decades ago. Kationa frowns. "The sister was speaking of one of the Ruinous Powers, one associated with the warp, change and mutation. That fits in with everything we have seen here - the mutants, what happened to Solomon and so on. Whatever is at the centre of this mess is powerful, with sorcery at its command. We'll need to be careful, but if it’s not stopped, the corruption will keep spreading." She looks at the paper again as she follows the others inside, and keeps talking. "As for this paper... I just don't know. The writing is... just gibberish." At the behest of their fearless leader, they head inside. Kat keeps her warp sense receptive as they enter the building. Knowing that their quarry is on the 23rd, they look for elevators. Miraculously, one seems to be in working order, even if the creeks it gives out while descending are far from reassuring. "No turbulence here. Not like at the last place", she expounds. "At Solomon's house?" – Mordecai, pushing the button for floor 23 after they’re all crammed in. "Yeah. It felt bad there. But not here. Despite..." Kationa sniffs and pulls a face. "Despite how bad this place looks." "How reassuring." - Mordecai The elevator finally starts moving upward, and only seems to die on them and leave the merry group alone in a frightening, dark metal coffin hanging hundreds of meters above ground three times during the ascent, so they arrive on the 23rd in short order. The corridor they end up in the middle of is quite long, with pale, flickering lights that seem to be out more often than they give light. There's a rhythmic thumping noise coming from farther along. In the short breaks while the lights are on, they can observe peeling paint on the walls, and flimsy, unwelcoming plastic doors leading to the individual apartments. "I think I'll take the slow route back down." – Mordecai, sneering at the elevator. "Oh. It's like being on a ship." - Kat, suddenly calming down. "I somehow doubt those noises come from a ship's engine though." (Abandoned Places theme) The arbitrator gets out his flashlight and takes a hard look at the corridor as they walk slowly to the apartment, looking for signs of struggle on the floor, blood, pieces of clothing, anything, to no avail. As he gets closer to the apartment, the rhythmic thumping seems to get louder, with intermittent creaking noises. The reason becomes apparent as soon as they can get a look at the door: it's been left open, and the draft has been hitting it against the frame repeatedly. They stop in the doorframe and take a peek. It’s dark, messy and dirty inside. No apparent signs of struggle, no threats either. Mordecai heads in and starts examining the crime scene by looking at what counts as a bedroom first. It's a rather miserable little chamber, with an average-sized mattress laid on the floor which takes up about half the available space. The rest is covered in dishes and - judging by the smell - dirty laundry. The mattress is partially covered by a single blanket that seems to have been hastily thrown aside by its owner. Something crunches underfoot as he walks inside. He carefully combs over everything, noting that there are no signs of struggle, the victim’s slippers are still at the side of the mattress, and remains of what looks like dinner are firmly embedded in the rug. Failing his Search check, he gets no help in interpreting these clues. Meanwhile, Kelegh pokes around in the corridor. He also fails his Search check, finding nothing. Mordecai goes back to the entrance and checks the door, trying to determine if the apartment was broken into. Another failure on Search. Man, this game is really good at relaying the progress and tension of investigation. It’s not, like, the core of the game or anything. He uncovers no sign of forced entry. When there is no time pressure on the players, I see no point in depriving them of clues. They’d just re-roll it anyway. "Kationa, see anything with warp-affected?" - Mordecai "I can look. If he was lured out by some kind of sorcery, there might be traces..." And she promptly fails Psyniscience. Her example is soon followed by Kelegh, who even blows the earlier temporary Fate he’s earned on a reroll, to no avail. Kat shakes her head at Mordecai. "I'm not getting anything. I'm sorry." "Let's keep looking then", he lets out a disappointed sigh, and goes off to search the living room, noting the pair of shoes on the shoerack. Finally, a success! Sadly, there’s not much to be found here. He notices that the victim had a rather well-kept collection of earlier HERETICS' HIDEOUT issues. Judging by the amount of dust covering them and the rest of his bookshelf, he probably flipped through them regularly. He finds no other obviously heretical items, but no items of devotion either. Suddenly our favorite nun returns! “Have you found anything yet?” – Kaylee "From what I've seen so far, he might as well have left willingly. Maybe after he received visions as well, judging from his lack of breakfast and legwear. Or he got inspired by that pamphlet." - Mordecai Thus end our third session, as we leave our heroes to ponder the mystery of the man whose apartment was not broken into, but who left said apartment, never to return, possibly at the middle of the night, without even dressing up. Everybody gains another 100 xp, and I’m left with the thankless task of updating their clue cheat sheets with the wealth of information they’ve gained this session. I’ll post it someday.

...This site really needs some stricter banning policies.

And this is exactly why I don't see eye to eye with the SJW side of things. I believe in this handy thing called "Occam's Razor." I don't go looking for them, I figure the most logical and simplest explanation is correct. I'm just not sure suspecting a conspiracy behind the events you've described is either the most logical, or the simplest explanation there is, and this is where my point lies. What seems to be the most logical, or the simplest will vary from person to person depending on their existing knowledge, experiences and biases.

Except despite the fact that we're having this discussion, google news "Gamergate." Read the stories. It's almost universal support for the journalists and feminists, calling GamerGate nothing but a sexist outcry of trolls. That's exactly what I mean with disproportionate representation by a minority voice, as well as an example of how yes, they can gain power and influence. As for your analogy, the flaw is that guess what: that's still assault. The analogy doesn't need to be murder, it can be assault. Point is they acted and attempted to get something done. Something done that they shouldn't've. And sure enough, it's reasonable to suspect he'll ram you with the wheelchair again. That's exactly what I'm doing. Yeah, but as far as I'm aware, that has more to do with journalistic practices on what constitutes as a "reliable source" (the articles of the gaming journalists - yes, personal tumblrs/youtube videos/tweets - no), and the story not having enough relevance for the news sites to deem the issue worthy of doing original research about than any "media conspiracy". "Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by incompetence", etc. Or he's just lost control of his wheelchair-thingie and didn't intend to do you harm! Which is where the analogy falls apart, because the journalists were in full control of what they wrote, I'm just doubting there was any nefarious intention behind them writing said articles. But my point is, alternate explanations always exist if one is willing to look for them (and they're not necessarily less likely than the one you've originally came up with). The fact that she didn't play the majority of the games she's criticizing doesn't mean she couldn't have played other games, you know.

I know this may sound like a radical idea, but have you ever thought of the possibility that they might have honestly been convinced by the points the "ideologues" have raised? If the points weren't so inane, yeah. There's a discussion to be had about representing a more diverse audience. I'm certain this comes from developers being lazy and publishers insisting on reliable formulas, not a patriarchal conspiracy. A good thing nobody attributed the bad stuff to a patriarchal conspiracy, but the developers being lazy and not thinking through what the tropes they use mean in a wider societal context

I also love how you seem to have missed me pointing out that the intent you mention completely hinges on their side being too stupid and/or blind to realize that they hold no power to make said intent into reality. According to who? Hence my analogy. You may say "oh Stephen Hawking wants to murder someone? No worries, he holds no power or capacity to do so" and dismiss it as case closed, I say "LOLNO we've got a problem that needs to be addressed." According to the fact that now we're having this debate instead of singing "oh those horrible gamers, they're all misogynysts and bastards who should die in a fire, I won't ever call myself a gamer again" in chorus. Way I see it, a more apt analogy would be you saying "Stephen Hawking has rammed into someone with his wheelchair thingie, which proves that he intended to kill that man, only lacked the capacity to do so! He should stand on trial for attempted murder!" while me being like "erm, actually, I think if you look at it objectively, there are other rational explanations which are no less likely than yours".

I don't agree with the Gamergate crowd, but this has some solid gold in it

Just so we're clear, even the SJW's themselves call themselves that. Hell, I think they coined the term. It's not a word with negative connotation assigned to them. I won't hold it against you, but I feel the need to point out that you're wrong on both accounts. "SJW" has originated as a dismissive term describing people interested in issues of social justice. Later on, there was an attempt on the part of socially conscious folks to "reclaim" the term (a practice I've never really understood the value of), but that doesn't change the fact that it wasn't coined by them and it has negative connotations associated with it.

"You're wrong!! I made a highly irrelevant point that no one had called into question whatsoever and responded with such FOR NO APPARENT REASON! How DARE you accuse me of making a strawman argument! I was merely taking the opportunity to make an irrelevant point!!" I hope you are aware that you're arguing in bad faith. Your side is all about "SJW censorship". I point out that they have no way of enforcing the censorship you speak of, therefore calling it censorship is misguided at best, or a thin veneer on the attempt to silence them. I fail to see how it is not relevant to the debate. Also, bonus points for taking a perfectly calm and polite post and paraphrasing it as the ramblings of a frothing idiot. Very mature. I also love how you seem to have missed me pointing out that the intent you mention completely hinges on their side being too stupid and/or blind to realize that they hold no power to make said intent into reality. Or, an alternative interpretation of facts: they are perfectly aware of their powerlessness and have no insidious hidden agendas while expressing their opinions. I'd also be glad is some of you could provide links to the stories behind the examples you've mentioned (the Larian one I vaguely recall, the others are completely unfamiliar to me). I like "the MRAtheist-rationalist crowd", but people who overuse both SJW and straw man are fairly rare (even rarer outside said crowd, though).

I know this may sound like a radical idea, but have you ever thought of the possibility that they might have honestly been convinced by the points the "ideologues" have raised?

..... Let's walk through this, one step at a time, shall we? Please, I urge you to think things through one step at a time: Look, dude, I really appreciate the condescension, I honestly do, I'm just not sure it's as conducive to constructive debate as you might think it is. That said... Except I've never said you were saying that, I've just pointed out that freedom of speech also includes freedom to criticize, and the criticized party isn't bereft of their freedom of speech due to said criticism. If that wasn't clear, I apologize. Except I'm not seeing any realistic avenues for them to do so (and frankly, neither the crystal-clear intent you're speaking of). But whatever. Oh, and I've somehow failed to address this earlier point of yours: LOL R WE SRS RIGHT NOW???? "Collaborated effort to murder a man that ultimately fails is hardly what I'd call murder." There's a reason attempts at crime are also a crime. Here we're not talking actual court orders and crime, mind you, but yes the community has a VERY reasonable reason to be skeptical and wary of this particular group, because it's obvious the attempt is being made. As you've pointed out earlier, coercion occurs when a "person compels or induces another person to engage in conduct from which the other person has a legal right to abstain, or to abstain from engaging in conduct in which the other person has a legal right to engage" - therefore, if it has no effect, it's attempted coercion at most, if we're really unkind and assume the parties involved were somehow overlooking the fact that they lack the influence to actually be coercive. Or, alternatively, they knew precisely what little power they hold, and were merely expressing their honest opinion with said articles, as it is their right (see: freedom of speech).

I don't know, as Alexander likes to boast, the media is a megaphone, so their words often carry a bit more weight than large amounts of people 'crying' as you put it. Yeah, no, I don't buy it. Game journalists haven't really been considered as a way to get reliable information about games since... the last decade or so, maybe?

Except total artistic integrity simply doesn't exist in the world of commercial game development, so while I appreciate the sentiment, I feel it's rather misplaced. Or, to quote a developer asked to voice her opinion on the matter:

When was Quinn's game even brought up here ? Not sure it's really censorship to think her product isn't a game, but as you do. Yes, that's exactly my point. Giving a game bad reviews because the reviewer thinks the game has problems with diversity is censorship exactly as much as large amounts of people crying about how a game "isn't really a game", aka "not at all".

Where are you people getting that I have a problem with her voicing her opinion? I never stated that. I have a problem when her opinion unjustly holds a disproportional amount of influence over gaming media and the gaming industry. The very fact we're HAVING this GamerGate backlash suggests it's not the popular opinion. For better or worse, that's how it is, and you cannot force a group of people to like things you do and think the way you do. Please guys, I don't think these strawman arguments (criticiizing a flaw in an argument your opponent never made instead of attacking the ones they did) are intentional, but it's very hard to get ANYWHERE when I feel I'm not even being properly heard or responded to. Look, it's not a strawman to point out she doesn't really have a power to force her opinions on you, therefore complaints about her forcing her opinions on you are either misguided, or indeed pointing at the fact that your problem lies in her being able to voice her opinion.

Nah, "SJW" means "anybody whose opinions on social issues I don't agree with". I mean, they say it's not, but that's what it essentially boils down to. .....Right, and they have the freedom to not listen to you and not be persecuted or unjustly have a collaberated media backfire occur that doesn't even represent the majority opinion of the people, all just for having an opinion that differs from yours and not acting on your criticism. (...) The name of the game and the big issue is coercion. Collaborated media backfire in a medium essentially nobody views as having any sort of influence whatsoever is hardly what I'd call coercion.

Freedom of speech includes a freedom to tell others you think their work doesn't match your worldview, and you doing so doesn't infringe on their freedom of speech. Also, I don't remember any of you crying "CENSORSHIP!" when people (even on this forum) were dogpiling on Quinn's text-based game, being all like "THIS ISN'T EVEN A GAME!", which is, as you might notice, the same ****ing thing Sarkeesian is doing.

Morning Glories. A comic book of YA mind****. Right now, I'm more interested in Ellis' Supreme: Blue Rose, which is similar, minus the "centered on annoying teens" aspect, but given its release schedule, I sadly can't devour the whole thing at once (yet).