Skyscraper Graveyard IC: Renaissance City

[the_druid_droid]

"And who's to finish?" Turing prompted, cautiously.

[Thanqol]

"Whoever's the last son of a bitch standing on the Iron Pyramid when I set it on fire," said Slade.

[the_druid_droid]

"I can respect that. I'm going to go make some breakfast. Come down if you can; you need food. If not, I'll bring something up." Turing actually felt a little relieved. Slade was clearly beyond fury, but the anger was directed at their enemies for the time being, and whether or not he liked it, Turing could work with it, at least until they had a better grasp on things.

Slowly, and still stiff, he headed for the elevators and the kitchen downstairs.

[Deadly]

Amun arrived down in the kitchen through some dark, inscrutable paths through the old skyscraper. "So what's the plan du jour?" he said and brushed some dust off his shoulder. "And how's our guest?"

[Anarion]

Tessen wakes up, stretches, feels drained from sucking her own stamina again, and goes back to sleep.

[Tiki Snakes]

"I have no idea. Haven't seen him yet today." Jack answered, without looking up.
"I have a plan. It's a terrible, brilliant plan that can only go horribly dangerously wrong and may be entirely made irrelevant depending on what state Slade actually is in, but that should go without saying at this point."

"So I guess the only concrete plan would be that we should find out what's going on with him and improvise from there?"

[the_druid_droid]

"So I guess the only concrete plan would be that we should find out what's going on with him and improvise from there?"

"I might be able to help with that." Turing appeared in the kitchen doorway. "He's awake and responsive now, but intense. I think he may also be mid-ritual, and it doesn't look like he's slept. From what he says, he wants to bring down the Throne in fire and death."

Turing crossed the kitchen and poured out a glass of orange juice before hunting for eggs. "Personally, I think it's kind of understandable."

[Deadly]

"I might be able to help with that." Turing appeared in the kitchen doorway. "He's awake and responsive now, but intense. I think he may also be mid-ritual, and it doesn't look like he's slept. From what he says, he wants to bring down the Throne in fire and death."

Turing crossed the kitchen and poured out a glass of orange juice before hunting for eggs. "Personally, I think it's kind of understandable."

"Understandable, perhaps, but potentially worrying isn't it?" Amun said and sat down. "What is he going to do, exactly? Does he have a plan, and where do we figure in it? That's what I'd want to know." Amun grumbled and leaned his arms on the table. "I'm sure I'd feel a little better knowing what he's up to, especially while he's around us and staying in our tower. What is this ritual you say he's doing?"

[Tiki Snakes]

"I think Amun is right. We're going to need to have a word with him sooner than later." Jack sighed, putting his notepad away. He stood up, looking serious despite the fluffy dressing gown.

"Probably best not to put this off."

[the_druid_droid]

"I think Amun is right. We're going to need to have a word with him sooner than later." Jack sighed, putting his notepad away. He stood up, looking serious despite the fluffy dressing gown.

"Probably best not to put this off."

"Probably not, but let me at least make some food first. A peace offering, if you will, before we grill him. Slade isn't in the most rational mood right now." Turing finally located his ingredients and began to hastily combine them into something resembling a breakfast.

"As far as what he's up to now, I'm not sure." Turing glanced toward Amun, "I could feel some heavy-duty spells rippling around, mostly Mind, I think. I don't have the Arcana to make it any clearer than that without asking him directly, though."

[Deadly]

"Fair enough," Amun said and got back up. "I suppose we should try to be civil for now. No need to make him an enemy if he could be an ally."

[Thanqol]

Slade was still where he'd been left, with much the same expression as before.

[the_druid_droid]

Turing set a plate containing a rushed version of bacon, eggs, and toast down on the table by the door. "Breakfast is here. And if you can spare a minute, I've got a question or two I'd like to ask while you're still around."

[Anarion]

At the smell of frying bacon, Tessen decides to get up and come downstairs, though she is still wearing a pink flannel nightgown and hasn't brushed her hair yet. "G'morning, what smells so good?" she says as she comes into the kitchen.

[Thanqol]

Turing set a plate containing a rushed version of bacon, eggs, and toast down on the table by the door. "Breakfast is here. And if you can spare a minute, I've got a question or two I'd like to ask while you're still around."

"Yes?" said Slade, not touching the food.

[the_druid_droid]

"First, I'm curious what sort of spell you're working on and how it relates to your plan to destroy the Throne. While you're with us, we need at least a vague sense of what you're up to - I can understand if you're not ready to lay out the play-by-play, but a few details would help." Turing tapped his cane thoughtfully on the floor. "Second, I wanted to ask if there was any information about the Seers you could start passing on to us. Overlord seemed pretty determined to shut you up, and personally I'd like to see the bastard fail at that as soon as possible. If you do tell us anything, we'll be sure to use it in whatever way hurts him most - you have my word on that one."

[Thanqol]

"Overlord -" Slade let in a sharp breath, "he has this thing he does, it's not a spell it's something else. He does something to your mind and just... turns off your conscience. While it's there you just don't... don't feel any guilt. At all. All of Overlord's close people have it, and they just don't have any inhibitions about what they do. They're all unhinged, they treat everything like a game, like a joke. Even their shadow names - Officer Down, Officer Andagentleman, Officer Longarm -"

The last name they'd actually know. Officer Longarm, the hero cop. The police sniper who was always getting some sort of medal awarded to him and giving cheesy speeches. The Officer Longarm who was beloved by the media, and who was considered the last, best hope to clean up Detroit. The Officer Longarm who had a movie of his life being made, along with action figures, t-shirts, coffee mugs, bumper stickers...

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And always the same catchphrase: "THE LONGARM OF THE LAW IS COMING FOR YOU"

[Tiki Snakes]

"You don't need magic to turn off someones conscience, Slade." Jack said quietly.

[Thanqol]

"You don't need magic to turn off someones conscience, Slade." Jack said quietly.

"He does something! All right!?" said Slade, raising his voice. "Fighting it off was why I quit in the first place - because then it all comes back to you."

[the_druid_droid]

"And if it's not a spell, it can't be dispelled?" Turing's thoughts flashed to Cyprus.

[Anarion]

Tessen wanders in at this point, munching on a spare piece of bacon that she found when she realized the kitchen was deserted.

"No, I don't think that's quite right. You'd need something special to dispel it though, some kind of prepared counter."

[Tiki Snakes]

"All those years of guilt built up, hitting you at once?" Jack asked for confirmation he understood.

"Slade, I have to ask. It's the only question that matters. What do you want?" he looked him straight in the eyes, his face neutral.

[Thanqol]

"And if it's not a spell, it can't be dispelled?" Turing's thoughts flashed to Cyprus.

"I was able to start picking at it as I got better with Mind," muttered Slade.

Tessen wanders in at this point, munching on a spare piece of bacon that she found when she realized the kitchen was deserted.

"No, I don't think that's quite right. You'd need something special to dispel it though, some kind of prepared counter."

"No! It wasn't Awakened magic! It was... like, some kind of tangled, messed-up Fallen World rule he'd come up with! I don't know how it works, and I had a real good look at it!"

"All those years of guilt built up, hitting you at once?" Jack asked for confirmation he understood.

"Slade, I have to ask. It's the only question that matters. What do you want?" he looked him straight in the eyes, his face neutral.

"Revenge would be nice," said Slade.

[Anarion]

"I was able to start picking at it as I got better with Mind," muttered Slade.



"No! It wasn't Awakened magic! It was... like, some kind of tangled, messed-up Fallen World rule he'd come up with! I don't know how it works, and I had a real good look at it!"

"So um, he um hypnotizes the other Seers, or something?"

[Thanqol]

"So um, he um hypnotizes the other Seers, or something?"

"Not just them. He's got this special SWAT team, Tango Squad, they're these... inhuman frackers with this creepy hivemind thing going, and they also use goddamn Fallen World loopholes to do their thing. By themselves they're scary but together they're murder, and they do whatever he says without even blinking."

[Anarion]

"I don't understand what you mean by fallen world loopholes. This is the world we've got, take it or leave it. If he's not using magic, then he's using some branch of science and mental conditioning. If he's brainwashing people, that's wrong and we'll stop him."

Inwardly, Tessen sighs to herself, however. She wanted to stop the abyss and figure out what the prophet meant about the sword of Damocles. Getting involved with all this inter-mage conflict wasn't what was really important here.

[Thanqol]

"It's like magic. It does stuff only magic should be able to. But you can't see it with Mage sight, and you can't counter it. I don't know what it is or how it works, but it does," stressed Slade.

[Tiki Snakes]

"Well, revenge almost goes without saying. What you mean by revenge is probably a little more important. If I'm going to help you, I'll need to know what your ultimate goal is and what you are and are not willing to do. I'm sure you understand."

Jack paused, considering Slade's description for a moment.

"You think it's possible that Overlord might not actually be a Mage? Some other kind of supernatural being perhaps?" Jack asked, not mentioning the other possibility. Somehow, the idea of Overlord being a vampire or some other kind of thing was easier to contemplate than the possibility that he was simply abyssally tainted.

[Thanqol]

"Well, revenge almost goes without saying. What you mean by revenge is probably a little more important. If I'm going to help you, I'll need to know what your ultimate goal is and what you are and are not willing to do. I'm sure you understand."

Jack paused, considering Slade's description for a moment.

"You think it's possible that Overlord might not actually be a Mage? Some other kind of supernatural being perhaps?" Jack asked, not mentioning the other possibility. Somehow, the idea of Overlord being a vampire or some other kind of thing was easier to contemplate than the possibility that he was simply abyssally tainted.

"He could be a brain in a jar for all I know. You never meet Overlord in person - it's always over the phone. Occasionally he takes over some random Sleeper standing near you and starts speaking through their mouth - but he only does that if you don't pick up your phone, and he's usually pissed about it. The only person who's consistently Overlord is this police accountant, who's some guy Overlord's worn so frequently he's hollowed out and basically a puppet in a suit -"

The image drifted from Slade's mind:

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[Anarion]

"Well, he sounds like a mind mage of some kind. If he possesses sleepers whenever he wants, maybe he has some kind of artifact? Do the Seers keep anything like that? Even his 'fallen world loophole' sounds to me like it's something magical. I've heard of mages that can make changes to their souls somehow, obtaining innate powers that work like magic."