7/29/2004 ---------------- Dworkin, Hamster Dworkin, Mistress Janice and the Spiral-initiated Cobalteans are in the Spiral room. Also their somewhat transparent colleague, Gentleman Suhuy. (Who has a definitely ectoplasmic sidekick.) Giving Cagliostro a guided primer on the Spiral - lifted the net, ready to drop it if necessary. Answering any question, assuming the Cagliostro will walk it. Variations in power levels, etc. Cagliostro is skeptical, his daughter even more so - but about whether Cagliostro -can- walk it, not should. The Cobalteans didn't build it - has been here as long as memory. Perhaps Aurelia built it? (No one has seen her since they evacuated Cobalt.) Still beyond capacity to measure, but not as bad as trying to measure Caelin. (Explode slower! - but it could be a Caelin feedback effect.) Can't tap it until you've walked it, but once you've walked it you can tap it from almost anywhere. Explain power sources - all things generate some power. Some things generate magical power. The Spiral generates magical power; it must get it from somewhere (occassionally it gets broken) but people who have walked the Spiral can get power from it. (They tell Cagliostro that if he walked the Spiral, he could put enough power into his monitors to protect them.) Cobaltean illustrates a slow-motion connection, drain during creation, creating a monitor off the same specs - slightly different, though. But it measures the scale of the Spiral. Discusses drawing power - blind leading the blind, because they always know it - but Mistress Janice is able to explain it (helpfully). Translation spell cast by Ilk is imperfect; idiom is not coming across. (Clued when he could understand demons talking to each other.) Younger person - Spiral is semi-sentient, helps its friends. Older people - skeptical of animism, walk the spiral before a major working, proximity and animism. After a circular discussion, Cagliostro realizes they have no clue why non-initiates can't tap it. They had cured the spiral of the current connection, but the individual could re-establish that connection. Human guards get distracted, so watching the spiral all the time, the net is safer. Can't put a filter on the connection to the Spiral - because they can't control the power source. Can tap it when the net is down, but couldn't walk it when the net is down. (Theory from the young guy - the Spiral thinks that the net is an example of overly soliticious care.) Sometimes the spiral goes down, sometimes it comes back up. Nobody knows why. (Cagliostro is quietly horrified at how little they understand this particular major power source.) Cagliostro declines to walk the Spiral, to the surprise of the Cobalteans (and the disappointment of his daughter). Chats with the spiral animist - heads up, gets a report from Caelin "Weird rebels exist in hills. Beware of them; well armed. PS - when you finish whatever with the Spiral, if you can inform Caelin back at his House so he can begin his projects." Amberites are no longer around - going into the Fractal Realms to explore and familiarize themselves. Absalom returns - looking almost smug, but not quite. Bows to the senior most member of the group (workmanlike, not good.) "We have found Erica." (Mistress Janice gets in a good dig at Cagliostro - "See, they put effort searching for their missing relatives.) Erica is holed up in a castle - beseiged by Amberites. Absalom, as junior, was sent back. Everyone except the Dworkins, Suhuy, and his sidekick leave to go help. (Or at least watch 'blessed Benedict' in action.) Absalom expresses confusion about Caelin's note and the existence and rebels. --------------------- Signs of a battle before entering the Fractal Realms - static river of small, round, marblish things. "A great evil visited upon us." Asked to take a look at them - their powers are not helping them. "Don't touch them - they're contagious." Not magical at all - but the lens is showing too many individual things in the space. (Looking through a keyhole and, instead of seeing a room, seeing the entire history of the universe.) The Cobalteans don't seem to notice anything unusual (or anything at all?) through the lens. Suddenly under attack - arrows, crossbows from nowhere. Knock out one group, arrows coming from a different group. Cagliostro conjures a ninja to capture one of the leaders. One cobaltean shooting back, pretty decently skilled - but very fast. Absalom goes up, throws a kid back - Cagliostro conjures a guard to catch him, but the kid is caught before the guard is finished. Kid is 16 years old - sure that his life goal is to kill anyone who comes near the marbles. (His entire family was eaten by same.) Leave a note commending them on their industry, head up. Ninja returns with officer - same motivations, more knowledge. Move note to him, continue on. Agreed that these are less of a problem than the marbles, and hence definitely less than Erica. ----- Head up over the hill into the fractal realms (Mandlebrot set) Different pocket worlds off a main branch - smaller worlds off of them, etc. Absalom seems somewhat unsure of which way he's going, makes a misstep once. No visible population, only animal is cattle Absalom gets frustrated and announces he can't find it. Cobalteans doing a warmer/colder thing. Absalom can navigate, but doesn't seem to grasp the underlying concept. Cagliostro and his daughter are getting to the same place in different ways (different order). Mistress Janice tries something, that works. Absalom describes the location - Janice says "That's easy!" and goes off at a 45 degree angle. It's not clear to Cagliostro how they're _moving_ from one place to another. They bring people toward Erica.