Chapter Text
And I asked her, "Why? Why would you be so cruel?"
And she told me, "Because it is in my nature."
I stared blankly at her for a while. Then I threw a shoe at her.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because it is in my nature," I replied.
She was not very amused.
- from the Thought-Record of Olive Biskli, Dominus of Wires
A while ago, people noticed that, while the Jennachat had an example of a game of Chuubo's, and even a few other systems besides, it was lacking an example game of Nobilis. A friend and I had been talking about playing Nobilis for ages, and this seemed like as good a place as any to start. At some point, I blocked out some time on Thursdays and started talking to people. I ended up with three players, a text chat channel, and the agreement that everyone wants to focus on Noble society.
Today was session 0 of a campaign that I am unilaterally deciding is called Between The Lights. (I made a comment referring to the leading members of Noble society as "luminaries" at one point. Also there is a Darklord involved.)
When I started the session, we discussed which Estates we were using, and some details of our Nobles. From Alienation, Metaphors, and Ice Cream, we collectively decided that a Darklord was involved, and then I prodded with a few questions until we had a description of who it was. Chancel-building started from the idea seed of "like those illegal gambling parlors from movies", and spiraled out from there.
Character sheets are not yet finalized, but I will be following up later this week and we should hopefully have sheets ready for session 1.
The Imperator
Kethredamen
- is shaped like a monster out of dreams
- has a form that is difficult to describe
- likes misunderstanding what you say
The Dark Magister Kethredamen, sometimes nicknamed “Keith”, is the Imperator of this game's Nobles. It is shaped like a monster that comes from human dreams. You can never quite pin down which monster it is, though. Every time you try to describe its appearance, it wriggles out from underneath your conceptual grasp. Keith amuses itself by misconstruing your statements, possibly maliciously. Perhaps it will tell you that what you just said is, in the land of Melethrim, a solicitation for twelve elephants to be delivered to the inside of your shoes. Or perhaps it will just demonstrate, instead.
Locus Kethredamen
Properties of Locus Kethredamen
- All are welcome here.
- It is slightly too cold for comfort.
- You are inside an endless maze.
- Everything you need is handled by the brass creatures.
To get into the Chancel, you find a generic restaurant front that for some reason never gets much in the way of foot traffic. There is a door marked “do not enter” in the back, which - well, if you enter a door that specifically says not to enter it, you’re most certainly a brave fool, and that’s exactly what a Dark Magister wants of you.
Inside, you are greeted by a blast of air conditioning and a swarm of activity.
The Chancel looks like an illicit gambling parlor, except it goes on forever. There are great opulent dining-halls. There are private rooms where the blackjack dealer will let you bet souls or dreams instead of coin. Belowdecks (as it were), there is an infinite labyrinth with walls made of books. That is where the waitstaff and servants live. The waitstaff and servants are scuttling brass automatons of every shape and size, except (notably) human. Some scuttle along the walls dusting the chandeliers. Some float along, bearing serving-trays atop their heads.
All are welcome here. Ordinary human gamblers are received warmly and given just enough currency for them to gamble their lives away. Nobles from across the Ash mix and mingle here. The Maiden of the Winter Solstice (one of the Ogdoad) frequents the establishment, trading pleasantries and drinks. A few Excrucian shards sometimes show up, and if they behave themselves, they are allowed to stay.
The Nobles
Sasha Konstanian, the newly minted Power of Alienation, has inherited the responsibilities of an ancient and powerful Noble that has held high power in the Robber’s Order for millennia. Her previous life as a disinterested 7-11 cashier has not prepared her for any of this.
Lionel Coin, the Power of Ice Cream, was once a corporate spy and now reigns in furs as Emperor. He has embraced the song of the Dark, making destructive habits more attractive to mortals so that they will desire them.
Sonja Aronsdottir, the Duchess of Metaphor, rose out of the pages of a young adult fiction book many years ago, and follows Heaven in direct defiance of her Imperator and all of her Noble siblings. She can incarnate in any book in the world, and possesses the power to turn a metaphor into a literal truth. (This is actually a Lesser Creation of Truth, not a Destruction of Metaphor; destroying something’s membership in one Estate does not let you control which category it will jump into instead. Miraculously destroying a Metaphor could easily turn it into an idiom, or a simile.)