"Well, as I'm still learning how to use the machinery, it seems likely that I'll be more of a problem than a help working with the Gatekeeper.  I'll join Immaculate Kestrel instead, and try to squash flat anybody who interferes with the job."  Dena decides, having thought it over.

Third smiles pleasantly, almost shyly as it reaches up, gently dabbing the trace of blood off the intimidating Abyssal. The strange being seems somehow familiar, and the pain, the hurt that radiates off of him like heat off of a raging inferno. And that aura moves around Third, leaving it as undisturbed as a glacier struck by a tidal wave, a moment of cool, icy calm surrounded by heat.

Its eyes move up again, meeting Eternal's without wavering, the Solar bowing once more. ' It does not offend me. It would take more than a spatter of blood to offend me' the Solar says softly, before turning, feeling a strange hot sensation in its cheeks... How curious. It turns once more, looking towards Eternal. ' Please... Be careful. I hope you will make it through these times... as intact as is possible.'

It approaches Higura and Perian. 'Eye remember something... Of Pasiap... of the truth behind who it is, and what he did to earn his place among the Immaculate Dragons... And it was not being a blind slave to his beliefs.' The Solar moves towards the walls to access the databases, but leaves a few parting words before beginning its searches. 'It will see the truth.'

OOC: You rolled 8 successes using 14d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 ((8,1,6,4,9,10,10,1,1,2,3,7,7,4)). Int+Lore+Specialty+PastLife.

"Thank you," Perian replies to Third's offer, "There's many the tale I know and feel to be true, but time, and many lives, have robbed many of their sense. I still recall them, and give them meaning, but their origin often escapes me - things I do not have the means to understand, here below."

"I believe I was once among the lords of this place, though - perhaps I shall recall more."

Nanaret and Higura's words also garner his attention, and he shows every sign of weighing them carefully. He nods thoughtfully, and responds in turn.

"You have experienced far more of the Gatekeeper's attentions than I, and the tales you have to tell would doubtless match mine. More voices and perspectives are essential, of course."

"As I said, my recollections of earlier times are fragmented at best. Still, the stories I recall concerning Pasiap do suggest that words are not impossible - and the Immaculates who have joined us show that the Texts need not be interpreted in ways that lead to destruction."

He examines Nanaret's weapon politely, but does not touch it. "My own martial skills are more defensive, and I was trained more to remove myself from conflict, possibly by removing the battleground, rather than face foes directly. So I may be able to hold a position for some time, but am not well suited to taking one."
This message was last edited by the player at 09:47, Sat 21 Nov 2009.

Broken Eternal did not respond immediately to Third, his blood red gaze merely staring at the strange Solar that had taken such an odd interest in him.  And perhaps not just in his dark energies, or his efficient slaughter, but interest in him.  In whoever Broken Eternal was supposed to be without the blades, without the malice and the hate.  It was a fools game, however--Eternal was nothing more than a weapon, an object sharpened and dulled again and again, beaten into a deadly edge and then finally thrown into the Monstrous Portion for the final touch of oblivion.

Still, Third's concern, though not understood or reciprocated, it did not go unnoticed.  "I am careful with my blades--none that face us shall remain living, of that you can be certain."  Eternal said to Third, before he bent down and began to polish his other sword.  As he did this, he spoke up--uncharacteristic of him, perhaps, but as the others were divining where their efforts would go, Eternal too was a piece on the board to be allocated.

"I belong with the bloodshed.  Whether attacking or defending, it makes no difference to me.  Point me to where you would have them fall, and I will reap them."

While the others finish deciding how to divide themselves to approach the Gatekeper, Third -- with Harmony's expert assistance -- manages to access a mid-level security account in the Gatekeeper of Earth's database. The access point is located on the third floor, embedded into the curved walls of the central column, upon which Earth Essence power lines glow in patterns inspired by mountains and cliff faces, crystal and gemstone facets, sinuous dragon scales. The light they emit is a pure blazing white, whiter even than the white jade and adamant alloy so predominant in the construction of the Inner Temple.

From here the terminal Third sits in front of prints out a database command prompt in Old Realm pictographs. It is possible to search via keyword or, if one is skilled and confident enough in machine programming, attempt more complex commands and specific searches.

Some of these may require higher security clearances, of course, but Third has the proverbial foot in the door now.

---

OOC: For each search word or command entered, roll a Wits+Lore or Linguistics. The same bonuses from before still apply. Keep in mind a very low roll or botch could lead to unforeseen consequences. :)

Other PCs can feel free to offer Third some suggestions on what to search, instead.

Also, anyone who's not decided on a group by Monday will be assumed to be staying with the backup group. (Edited for clarification.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:40, Sun 22 Nov 2009.

Xurizu occupies himself with a search for Celestial Access Panels.  He has something of an idea of what to search for after his guidance through the maze to the Gatekeeper of Water.  He therefore searches for deeply recessed control conduits, lines which look like they've had no maintenance done in a long time, the telltale gleams of gold and silver amidst the shades of jade.  Anything which might indicate a hidden panel or control.

[Private to GM: 14:41, Today: Ledaal Xurizu rolled 6 successes using 13d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 1,2,9,4,9,8,10,6,5,6,6,8,5. Per + Awe + Per Ex.

Also, I have Eyes Of The Cat up, so if there any truly invisible access panels, I will see them :)]

Third hmmms. "Third has access to the search files. Does anyone have suggestions for what we should search for? Third is considering searching for details on the Gatekeeper and its brainwashing." The Exalt waits for the others to mention things they'd like to search for, considering what may be important to learn, before diving into the search.

"Cross reference that with 'Pasiap, recent history of.'" Dena suggests without turning away from her planning of how to defend the column. "If the Gatekeeper thinks it's Pasiap, it may have stored information on itself under that heading."

Kilani gasped as Nanaret brought her the Jade Powerbow. She bit her lip delicately, as she accepted it, holding it nervously in both hands. "Oh! Umm..." She blinked, then gazed up to the Lunar gently. "T-Thank you very much." She bowed her head gently, accepting it. Looking across to the others, she spoke up. "I'll... take this, then. And I and Ghibari will join the backup team."

The little mole rushed back to her, and scurried up her robes to rest on her shoulder. "If you need help, call us. Ghibari is strong and can dig through the earth, and I can heal." She bowed gently to the others. "If you have some means you might use to contact me, I could reach you easier."

(OOC: That other earpiece comm thing need committed motes?
Taking the Jade Powerbow, thank you :3
Also, Backup group for me.)

"Though it does not bear directly on the matter, there may be something of value in the health records for the District. Earth endures, surely, but the Imaculate Order has allowed much to fester and spoil. Enough to distress Pasiap, were the truth known. Enough to show the Gatekeeper that the tales it hears from its current masters are false - and lie about what matters to it."

Perian stretches, and after a moment's consideration removes the heavy leather gloves he was wearing. "No reason to begin the discussion from a hositle position," he murmurs.

"A pretty solid point" Danae agrees, settling back.  "I'll stay with the Assault team, my talents are best used there, hopefully we'll be able to keep things from getting particularly out of hand that way.  Of course, we should probably have a few stronger fighters escort the Negotiation group as well--I can try that, but I'll be frank, I'm not the best spokesperson in this group, and I'd rather not wind up clumsly ruining the debate for everyone."

Nanaret nods approvingly when Kilani takes the bow she offers. "You are welcome. Please use it well and be careful."

The business with the terminals and keyword searches are well beyond her, but she catches onto Danae's words. Turning her face slightly toward the shorter blond, she says, "I can go with negotiation, then. I can fight, but also, my words have some weight should we need to convince Gatekeeper of something hard to believe. I will help guard the others, and if we need aid one of us should have ear talking device, yes?"

At Nanaret's words, Higura nods silently in her direction, as if giving her an unspoken agreement. Something seems to pass between them, although only for a short period of time - merely a breath later, it is gone, and the doctor focuses his thoughts on the question Third asked, and the contributions the others have made to the topic.

"All of these are very good ideas and lines of inquiry - I believe this should give us a much-needed advantage during the talks and negotiations. The more we know about the Gatekeeper and its... current condition, the more of an edge we will get during our talk with it."

"Following Mister Perian's thought, I would advise to try to look into any transcripts of investigative reports on the Earth District and its Gatekeeper. The Terrestrials do not completely trust the Gatekeepers, mostly because they represent an age that the Dragon Blooded did not create and technology they do not possibly understand. As such, my guess is that it is very likely that at least semi-regular investigations are conducted, to assess whether or not the Gatekeeper remains completely under the control of its masters, and possible directives to ensure that it stays in such a condition."

"If such transcripts exist, then they would be stored in an area of the system the Gatekeeper cannot reach, on an area where it has been convinced not to concern itself with. If we can find traces of such an occurrence, this might go a long way in proving the duplicity of the Coils Administration."

After Dashu takes a moment to cool down from the fighting he decides he'll give Xurizu a hand.  Nodding a confirmation that he understood Harmony's message, he started looking for the circuitry described.

Searching the column

Xurizu's unnaturally keen senses, blessed by Luna unseen, allows him to catch a distinct glimmer of moonsilver along the fourth floor wall of the central column. Further exploration of the fourth floor reveals two more such panels, unsurprisingly showing traces of orichalcum and starmetal, respectively. Only Xurizu is able to point out their location clearly; those who cannot pierce the illusion would see only a blank wall panel. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: +1 stunt, for +1 success!][Private to Peleps Dashu: Whoops, crossposted. I'll edit this to reflect what you end up finding.]

Group organization

The assault group may proceed up the stairs to the B21 Control Floor whenever they are ready to take on the guards above, providing a distraction so that the others may search or negotiate unhindered: link to a message in this game

Once the negotiation group is prepared to move (whether Third delays its entrance or not due to its database manipulation), they may ascend via elevator to the Gatekeeper of Earth Central Core: link to a message in this game [Private to Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge: You can either ask Perian, Higura and Nanaret to wait for you, or tell them to go on ahead and you'll join 'em later. Either way, start posting your database queries when you're ready!]

Dashu, Kilani and Xurizu remain in the Central Column, keeping track of the situation above via communicators. [Private to Kilani Sorune: Both Dashu and Xurizu already have communicators, actually. So it might be better to give the spare to someone else, though if you really would rather keep it that's also fine. :) I believe it only has a 1m commitment.]

Veldygar's decision

Finally, Garnet Cog gazes expectantly at Veldygar, and says sharply, "Veldygar, I truly hope you have not lost your nerve now. This is too crucial a time to remain silent or indecisive. A shame, Sharia showed much more initiative than you have so far." The Eclipse Caste's mentor makes her disappointment clear, though she lacks the facial expressions to convey it. [Private to Veldygar Arhandor: You're the last to decide on a group. :) Don't mind Cog, she's just impatient.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:51, Thu 26 Nov 2009.

Third looks towards the others. " Third requests we delay for a moment, to be properly fortified with knowledge before attacking the Gatekeeper, but if you wish to move on, Third will join you after obtaining the requested knowledge."

It begins to type. Words flow from its fingers as it thinks out its responses, typing quickly, as it works along the concepts thrown out to it. First, the straightforward method of attack- Asking for records on the Gatekeeper of Earth, what they may contain. Moving on from there to the more unusual avenue, searching for recent history of Pasiap. Quickly, the Solar then scans through the medical records for the Earth District.

The final task is rather more complex, and the Solar breathes in, committing a portion of its personal essence to this task, as it searches through the database for any signs of dissatisfaction with the Gatekeeper- Cross-referencing Gatekeeper, Pasiap, Madness, and Concerns, hoping to find something.

OOC
[Private to GM: 05:25, Today: Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge rolled 8 successes using 17d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 7,1,9,8,5,7,2,6,3,10,6,5,4,2,8,9,6. Wits+Lore+Specialty+Past Lifes+Excel.
05:25, Today: Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge rolled 5 successes using 12d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,8,2,6,3,9,2,5,9,8,7,3. Wits+Lore+Specialty+Past Lifes.
05:25, Today: Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge rolled 5 successes using 12d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,5,3,8,6,9,6,10,1,5,7,4. Wits+Lore+Specialty+Past Lifes.
05:25, Today: Third Beneficiary of Orderly Knowledge rolled 6 successes using 12d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,1,10,2,4,5,9,10,6,2,3,8. Wits+Lore+Specialty.

Accidentally rolled with the smaller pool one too many times, so disregarded it. ;^_^ Hopefully these successes are enough to avoid triggering any meltdowns... Currently at 10/19 Personal Essence, I believe.]

"I think I've found something," Xurizu says, pointing to the various wall panels he has noticed for Dashu's benefit.  "Hamony said they might be trapped, but they're already quite invisible, so that could be all the defences they have.  Let's just check though ..."  Xurizu carefully approaches the Moonsilver edged panel, looking about for obvious (and not so obvious) signs that it could be trapped or might otherwise make life unpleasant for a user.

If he can assure himself there are no problems, he reaches forward and touches the panel, offering it a silver toned mote to open it up.
[Private to GM: Today: Ledaal Xurizu rolled 9 successes using 13d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 7,1,6,10,10,7,5,8,6,2,8,2,9. Search for traps!

In addition to that, Eyes is still up, so any genuinely invisible traps, he spots without roll]

Veldygar was dragged down from his reverie. "Sorry, I was... trying to remember what it was like. Long before. But this is all too vague. I will go with the group that will attempt negociation, see if I can get closer to the Gatekeeper..."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:21, Mon 23 Nov 2009.

While Xurizu is preoccupied with the fourth floor panels, Dashu starts his own search from the bottom floor of the central column. He manages to find a fourth hidden panel, but this one on Level 1 and hidden manually rather than via illusion, requiring tools or strength to pry open. It is made of white jade, with no trace of Celestial material.

Xurizu, looking at the moonsilver-edged panel, sees nothing he would constitute as a trap. However, as his keen mind processes all his senses discover, he finds himself considering an uncomfortable possibility: what may lurk to trap him with this panel may well be part of its inherent design. Without knowing what it is for, attempting to manipulate any part of it would be folly. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: In other words you may want not to channel anything into the panel until you've figured out exactly what it does. I could think of many rolls that may apply here, but I'd mostly be looking for Int+Lore. If you can stunt a different option you may.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:35, Tue 24 Nov 2009.

Meanwhile, Third becomes engrossed in the task of querying the Central Column's database. (It can be assumed Third shares this information with the others.)

Researching on the Gatekeeper of Earth, it finds the topic to be quite broad. Among other things, the database actually keeps track of the Gatekeeper's maintenance records, though they show little more than dates and basic descriptions. Of note are periodic 'evaluations' by a certain Ledaal Kes, who seems to have been deeply involved with the Gatekeeper since the Usurpers' occupation, though his visits eventually taper off into yearly checkups by RY 832. Third also finds that entries preceding RY 800 concerning the Gatekeeper are either classified or not to be found, while afterward there are a multitude of entries related to the Gatekeeper's activities overseeing the District, covering everything from life support to security systems to 'cultivating faith'.

Researching on Pasiap, Third finds the entirety of Immaculate Texts related to the Immaculate Dragon of Earth, articles about Temples to Pasiap in the Earth District, and finally a potentially damning piece of information. It is a history entered about RY 802, which gives an account of how Pasiap descended with them personally, guiding his people there in a time when strength, solidarity and faith were most needed. He settled into the District of Earth, and afterward are periodic entries of how Pasiap has 'benevolently' visited the District, ensuring they are working industriously and faithful to the Immaculate Philosophy.

Official medical records in the District of Earth show that the people of the Earth District are kept healthy with regular checkups and hospital care provided by Immaculate Monks with medical training. There are, now and then, records of patients moved down toward Water District, or up toward Wood District, where it is stated they will receive more focused medical care. Listed deaths are predominantly listed as a result of labor hazards (officially accidents), death by old age or death at or resulting from childbirth. Including in the recent deaths is the entire population of a mining facility led by Granite Creed, citing a 'gas leak.'

Third's final search is a difficult one, as there's no obvious way he can directly find a sign of dissatisfaction with the Gatekeeper. In fact, given how unsuccessful its queries are despite its best efforts, Third strongly suspects that such information is somehow being filtered and suppressed, which is quite unusual considering that the Gatekeepers are supposed to be omniscient in their domains. There is also the fact that commoners generally consider the Gatekeeper to be controlling autonomous function, but lacking any political power in name (something Gulda Marin made clear during the earlier Sector 5 meeting). So it's also popular the people of Earth never thought to be dissatisfied with the Gatekeeper, rather turning their wrath toward the Council.

There is, of course, records of rebellions being quelled, which have become noticeably more common as magitech production has increased in the past few decades. But the blame for these is always ultimately placed on the instigators -- even for the recent Operation Earthcalm, for which several names including labor leaders, Freerunners, Peace Force and Immaculate 'betrayers' and known Free Celestials are listed as dangerous criminals.

Xurizu is just about to push some essence into the console, when he suddenly reconsiders, deciding it might be better to study the device a little but more.  After all, even if he was completely unharmed by the activation, there were a lot of people who might be.  So he studies the console, applying what little knowledge he has of such devices as he does.  He could at least read any glyphs and warnings on the device...
[Private to GM: 23:31, Today: Ledaal Xurizu rolled 1 success using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,1,2,7,2,2,2,4. Int + Lore + 2 sux from excellency. 3 sux.  Failroll :(]

All this information is shared with the others as it comes- Most particularly, the interesting results on 'Pasiap'. It looks over towards the others, as it finishes. " Do we have further queries to direct to the computers, or shall we continue on and use the knowledge we have gained?" the Solar says politely, hands still resting at the computer.

"Hmmph..." Nanaret crosses her arms, considering the information Third has gleaned. As it's likely all spelled out in Old Realm (everything involving magitech is, to her experience) she has to ask for translations from the others who can read it.

Finally she says, "Seems to me Gatekeeper of Earth is also lied to. Or at least, truths hidden from him, for almost three hundred years. But Gatekeeper live much longer than that, yes? Somewhere... somehow, maybe he still remember."

"To convince was easier with Water Gatekeeper. She treat us well once she realize that Celestials have returned. This one, I do not know. Hardest part is to show Gatekeeper of Earth that he is deceived by Terrestrials, that we hold truth of things, despite what we are. Because what we are."

Nanaret folds her moonsilver serpent staff into a compact shape, returning it to the backsheath she had the builder bugs make for her. "Anyway, I have no more question. We should go sooner than later, this area not safe forever."

"I wonder, can these devices be convinced to allow the Gatekeepers to communicate? If Water were to vouch for the truth on matters where Earth has been lied to, then..." Perian trails off, not entirely comfortable with the layers of deception involved in the matter.

"Else, another matter worth raising might be the state of the mines. I know that my tales have served to refresh the hearts of many, and of the earth itself. But such facts are not comfortable, for the Order or for one who believes itself the incarnation of Earth." he seems satisfied to let the problem rest there, lacking the expertise to ascertain whether his suggestion has value, or if answers can be found in the system that Third has accessed.

Dashu gives the panel a quick once over for traps and then calls up to Xurizu and anyone else who can hear.  "I found a white jade panel.  Any idea what this is all about?"