C O D Epilogue: Session 08 -- Night's End on Chenaga

I have always had one foot in one camp and one in the other. Not always by choice. Onetime allies can turn out to be quite different than I expect, making me have to shift weight to the other foot. I wouldn’t like to be called a ‘fence-sitter’, ask Count Eginald of Orthwaite about how that goes! I’m just built to appeal to a wide variety of people. As for me, I tend to make snap judgements. They don’t work out to my benefit every time is all. I guess you might say I run hot and cold. Just don’t say I run away, full stop...

So I get to a point in Day’s journey when I’m in a camp site. The militaristic of you out there might call it a bivouac. Trust the military to fancy up a dreary thing with a name like that. Temporary living quarters for leaders and men, where the pit-crappers are likely to be the only sign left behind that they were ever there. That’s if they aren’t ambushed in the middle of the night. Then you’d have the usual assortment of bodies and belongings left behind, once the carrion, both the animal-kind and people-kind have taken what they need.

The others had made their way to the mountain mines, where they dug for ice, of all things. This was because fresh water wasn’t readily available and the underground cool had retained a frozen supply of water deposited from before the Cadavivva had swarmed. When they returned they were a little shook. Not from anything they met as much as what they learned while they were there. Darkness has always been able to create the sense of dread in mortal races. More than this though was the news that a machine thought merely capable of destroying a world had proved its designers weren’t boasting. A world had been ruined. All living things were likely obliterated. Arcithia had been destroyed. Its burnt-out, shattered core glowed in the Zomb-Rahn sky, bright enough to read by at night.

Before I could get a sense of its brightness in the daylight, the others, especially Tuan Zi decided that the only course was to leave Zomb-Rahn for Chenaga. In this action he showed his need to empower others. The reasoning was that his companion, Tar Kiln would need to gather his fellow Drowse as quickly as possible. There was a sense of some urgency about this as the Drowse on Chenaga have less leadership than they might. It seemed to make sense so Mifooney, who is an adroit enough traveler, made with his Red caste power and took them there. I went along, although not with Mifooney’s assistance, preferring my own means. I kept a studied distance from them on arriving on Chenaga. This was simple. The twilight of Chenaga is brighter than I’d like much of the time but it is still twilight, yes? I ambled along hidden and behind, as they moved toward where I knew they would come to the vane-town of the Forge Isle Drowse. Being competent they saw it for what it was straight off. What they didn’t immediately grasp was that the glow in the sky above wasn’t the after-effect of Arcithia’s destruction. Instead it was the machine. I was shocked by this. They were unaware and went quickly below ground to the town of Drowse before they saw what was what more clearly.
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Few of Chenaga had ever seen the source of warmth for their world. Hidden permanently behind a distant, ringed atmosphere, Chenaga’s sun had to be content with providing heat but not much in the way of light. The seven Lunar Worlds went some way in making up for the obscured energy of Chenaga’s sun. Luckily for me there was still a point in time where this sun rose and set, even if most would be unsure when this occurred. The sun of this world set rather slower than some I’ve been under. Like those other suns, the period of dusk is what some humans call ‘magic time’. In their case they are being poetic about the sunset’s quality of light. It gives someone who’s ready, a chance to achieve some interesting tricks in image capture. So not real magic — not for them generally speaking. As you might have guessed, I mention it because for me it is actually magic time. As nightfall comes sliding around Day’s corner, I get a brief taste of what it’s like to be a god.

Well, maybe that’s pushing things a bit. Let’s say I change that to a minor god. I’d measure up alright against your run-of-the-mill demi-god or legend. Go ahead place a wager against me but make sure you get odds, okay? Then you won’t be able to say I didn’t warn you. Reminds me of a run-in I had once. Man alive, those guys were mad! Warned them too but they didn’t want to believe me... That’s money for you. It comes and it goes. It doesn’t love anything enough to stick around. Not enough to stay in one spot or with one person for long. A smart pushwad once named me ‘Money’ as a bit of a put down. I didn’t leave him wondering how much I disliked that nickname. I’ve got plenty of money and plenty of nicknames scattered all over the place. Hells, I even have names in places that have ceased to be. Money lost in those places too... Come to think of it, I’ve got names in some Hells as well. I get around. Names like; ‘Blackknife’, ‘Shatterlight’, the sarcastic Sir Seive, or my personal favourite ‘Crumple Eelskin’. That one still makes me laugh. I usually just tell people I meet for the first time to call me Jack, even though that can make some people think twice. Smart ones who are scholars or just students of crime? They might think thrice. See? There’s a poetic word, for you non-tech types out there. I haven’t forgotten you might be reading along.

The Chenagan sun had long ago figured out that this was the best time to do its daily disappearing act. Kind of set your watch by it, if you like. We were underground so we couldn’t see it set. That didn’t mstter to me. As it went away, I felt my strength increase. The chat around the room had ceased about the same time. ‘Lady Shadow’, armour black -- blacker than what you just imagined her armour was coloured -- sat slightly back at her ease.

She had decided.

Don’t ask me what she’d decided. My strength isn’t in the mind reading field of endeavour. My strength did allow me the first sense of an attack. Let me keep it simple. It came from the sky.


Technology or magic, it really doesn’t matter once you get to the top. ‘High-end’ magic or ‘out of this world’ technology and you’re talking about keeping your head down and your legs moving. In this case there was little need to decide between the two possible avenues of my escape. I didn’t need a getaway driver, I needed a miracle. That’s how it is when a doomsday machine sends destruction at a world. Everything dies unless it has got an insurance marker or knows somebody who likes them a lot. That’s when it’s good to be in tight with a god that knows which way the wind blows.

In this case I could see where it was going to strike again. That’s because the first strike was a little underpowered. Our chamber might have been the target but we were all still more or less alive. Lady Shadow was already on her feet. From my position at the epicentre it was obvious that the only star visible in the sky of Chenaga was the source. That’s because Chenaga’s sky doesn’t have stars so the unique thing, twinkling away up ‘on high’, had to be the machine that the Canticle had built. Seemed to be following my party around. That couldn’t be a good thing. I don’t want to sound too all knowing though. Another reason I felt the machine was up there was that the Black Lady set off into the sky in that direction. My sense of gallantry lit, my shadeform leapt after her. She was one of Shadow whereas I can only claim a deep affection for the stuff. I managed my best to keep up with her. When she veered away I was left to ponder for a sec. Which way to go? She’d vanished so that a tracking might by difficult. The destroying machine was close. It was an easy choice. The machine it had to be.

Inside I could hear the familiar rushing, whirring sounds of electronica and clacking mechanisms. The machine was a space station in technologic terminology. I had been on several. Most were far bigger than this one. Room for many and entertainments and lodgings for them besides. This station was far more utilitarian. There was little in the way of creature comforts. It was strictly business on this vessel. Drones both tethered and free moved on what appeared to by pre-planned duties about the station. The dull, flat arc-White lighting was severe and cold. I’ve always disliked these kinds of interiors. They provide very little in the way of the warmth of home. It was always a surprise to see some who seemed to thrive in such an environment. None here though. That was mainly because there didn’t seem to be any living souls aboard. I began to make discreet enquires of the automated sub-routines of the KES. That’s techy-talk for Kinetic Energy Station. A coldly clinical way to title a device that eradicated whole worlds! I was careful to avoid alerting the overmind that framed the working brain of the place. There might be attack drones set to defend the station. The system was designed to fling matter at a planet, asteroids, to use the scientific name for space boulders. You’d be shocked what a big rock can manage to do to a place if it gets moving quick enough. That’s where the station comes into its own. The station’s super- structure could spin, getting up to a rapidly generated pace, that via a force-cable could sling the asteroid at a world.

A display glowed at me. It told of people entering the station. These were soon revealed by the discreet viewfinders to be some of my party. Mifooney of course, was the vessel that had brought Tuan Zi to the station-destroyer. No sign of the Drowse. They must have been left on the planet below. It was the work of men that the KES existed. It would be the work of men to disable or destroy it. I could have helped Zi and Mifooney but something told me this was a decidedly personal matter for the younger man. His was a life with much left to uncover. He didn’t need a man like me leaving him wondering if he’d been pushed into doing something he might not have wanted to do. Also, I could tell from his actions that he was quite at home on the station. An amusing sight! A barbaric looking warrior, attended by a swordsman, talking to a flying drone about the station’s operating procedures. He got on well enough. He seemed to guess at the layout of the place. He got to the point where in examining the data record of the station’s visitors, he discovered the presence of a ship in the docking bay. It hadn’t occurred to me to look for someone not detected as on the station because he was inside a ship within the station. Zi did well to manage to uncover it.

Starspan 'Intended Threat'


Zi went to look and sure enough a starspan was parked in the bay. It was a sleek, fast-looking ship. Lettering that was only seen when the light was hitting the ship’s plating in just the right way. The ‘Intended Threat’. Interesting name. Not worried about making people nervous. The man who emerged from it was dressed as a master-soldier of the UDA Canticle. The uniform was a utilitarian jumpsuit. Leather patches broke up the large areas of deep blue fabric. There were several spots on his chest and arms where electronic displays indicated rank insignias and decorations. To my surprise, Zi seemed not only acquainted with the man but didn’t seem at all worried that he was dealing with one in the Canticle’s colours. They spoke for a while. All very amicable, with this new man whom Zi called Mister, revealing that the Canticle’s engineering corps had taken control of the station. He continued with the news that he could pretty much guarantee that Darkness had some say in the matter. Zi had already learned of this. He’d seen another individual emerging from the starspan ship. This Mister fellow was shocked to hear this. Scanning wouldn’t reveal this ‘stowaway’. Technology is no match for magic defences. While this wasn’t any more worrying to hear about a second time in as many days, it did confirm that the old enemy is up to its usual tricks. He then went on to indicate that the station had been programmed to move to Chenaga after Arcithia’s destruction for the purpose of repeating its efforts. The Canticle and Darkness looked to be trying to make quick work of the worlds of the living…

Soldier of Darkness

Zi came to his decision quickly but even so the station was already warming to its pre-set task. The first attack that had landed on top of us had most likely been a warm-up. This Dark Stowaway must have been the technician in charge of the targeting and initiation of the weapon’s use. Now that he’d been discovered he moved sharply to make good on the KES’s potential. I could sense his movements. I caught up to him at the controls in the weapon engagement room. He managed to complete the firing sequence as I advanced on him. My bolt struck him in the neck. He reacted by enveloping the room in his chosen master’s, venomous smokes. He hit me where the sun don’t shine and I don’t mean the Chenagan sun. I cursed his ancestors, his offspring and promised to visit his best girlfriend to show her a good time. He made some snappy rejoinder about doubting I could manage that right now. So I cracked open a too old grenade leftover from a enlightened age’s campaigning and rolled it toward his stupid voice. I sprang away, through the doorway and hit the close panel. I stood waiting for the explosion. I had enough time to think over the wisdom I’d displayed in setting off an explosive in a space station. By then I realised the grenade had rotted and wasn’t going to go off. I re-entered the room. He’d gone. I swore again. I sent shades out to find him or a trace of his dark leave-taking. Sometimes the shades I summon are infuriatingly ineffective. This wasn’t that kind of time. They returned immediately. He’d returned to the ‘Intended Threat’. The noise from the station made me certain that the vessel was fully committed to the firing of the weapon system. I had no time to think about the two men onboard. I had to hope they were going to deal with the station or at least take care of themselves. I had to get after this dark Canticle servant or lose him. I raced to the starspan in the bay. My fear was that he’d leave in the vessel. As I reached the landing bay my worry proved real. The ‘Threat’s’ propulsion systems were already humming. With no time to think it over I took a chance on an old spell I invented to gain access to a brilliantly constructed chamber. The stones of this room had been so expertly laid that there were only the barest of seams between each one. Still, with a bright enough flash, shadows could be convinced to emerge between the stones. The skill was in moving through them within the time of the flash. I took a deep breath. This wouldn’t be a trick I could try more than once. I managed to remember the wording and as the glare erupted in the bay, I seeped through the tightly machined, hull panels. The starspan was already moving. I grinned. The pilot would have little idea of what stalked the ship’s corridors. It was like a horror story where the reader was rooting for the monster. I crept up on him. Hunched over the steering pylons, he never knew what hit him. It was my shadowloop if you must know. Messy I know but I couldn’t afford another chase.

With Darkness served, I set about a quick if incomplete clean-up of the controls. That done, I settled into the somewhat damp seat. The starspan had been heading away from Chenaga at a great rate. I soon had the ship turned about. I had a view of the KES in mid-swing. It had an asteroid sweeping around itself. In moments the massive space rock would be whipped toward the world of weres. A quickly requested calculation of the impact a thing that size would make, left me dry mouthed. So many lives. I sat back in the chair, feeling a bit defeated. There wasn’t much to do but stall the ship and watch what happened from a safe distance.

The Drowse! They’d be lost. Zi would be irritated or worse incensed. Who knows if he’d order some crazed revenge or simply lose all his fight. I bit my lip as the vessel made another calculation. The answer left me some wiggle room. Good enough for a contracted thief’s work so good enough for me. I willed the ship to move faster as it screamed downward through Chenaga’s soon to be vapourized atmosphere. It wasn’t a even a two point landing but the landing skids managed to remain unbuckled. The sky began to brighten despite the night having mere moments before setting in. The meteor was in the atmosphere, lighting up the darkening sky. The meteor brightened the sky as it streaked at its unmissable target.

I reached the bottom of the vane-town’s ramp. I raced to the building where I had left Kiln and Salamndys. No sign of them. Damn their killer’s eyes! Where could they be?




To be continued…





Night Falls on Chenaga.... continued




As the sunset truly took hold and Night’s subtle hand caressed my soul, my skills began their usual transformation. Time ended for Jack of Shadows and began for Shadowjack. You will sense in my language a suitably improved use, more elaborate and accurate, with less of the doggerel and gutter about it. This went for my skills as well. Timely as my need was not the acquisition of wealth nearly as much as it was the distribution of magic. Why? I shall tell you.

Chenaga, like Arcithia, was doomed. It only remained for me to try to and get some people out of harm’s way. The Drowse were the luckiest of the unlucky. They were in proximity to me, they were known to me and they were likely to need my help. They might be attuned to the ways of Shadow but this by itself would not save them. With the world physically fragmenting around them, they would perish like any others. I could manage at least twenty in the ‘Intended Threat’. Not much but better than less or nought.

Prior to my personal shift-ascension, I had landed the vessel at the entrance to the vane of the Drowse. I had been using my trained skills to try to find either their leader or Tar Kiln. I changed my efforts from the physical to the mental. Drawing upon shadownalia, I lifted my senses to the verge and sought for them.

Almost at once my search for Tar Kiln and Salamandys was rewarded.

I smiled at myself. He answered with an oath altogether rude but nothing I wasn’t used to.

My gaze had been drawn to a ruddy gleam. Kiln’s hardened form, which had been platinum silver before, was imbued with red, fiery substance. It was clearly a new thing. Akin to the emanations of the god, Anhur. The substance looked to shift across the Factor’s skin, bright in some places and dim in others. Everywhere, however, the Elemental stamp was present. The movement of this ‘nalia’ was slow but noticeable.

I went to them. It was clear that they were worried by the rent in the cavern’s roof. I pointed out the solitary, starry light framed by the hole. Once I had explained that it was the source of the damage, Kiln elaborated on his present appearance by exuding the hot glow from his person, upward through the hole. He might not have been a notable caster prior to this Night, but it was evident in his reach that he was now. I need to describe the effect of his caste effort as I too am an employer of magicks. The effort he made was still most Drowsian in nature. The use of Shadow was plain. There was this and more, as the tendril he sent outward was laced equally with the energy of this new Element. If I were to name this, I would call it akin to fire but not knowing if there is already a terminology to be employed, I should wait to call it anything. Fire is to this Element, as water is to the Seas or soil is to Earth. Its strength was evident in the manner it bolstered the shadownalia that Kiln employed. The proof of this improvement was in the grand distance that the Factor’s searching tendril reached. As best as I could perceive, it stretched from him to near enough halfway to the vehicle, faraway above us all.
It might have been possible that kiln could have urged the tendril of ‘Fiernalia’, ‘Flammanalia’, ‘Inflamant’, or whatever it might best be named, further onward but he chose rather to stop its advance and flatten the tendril so that it became a kind of scrying lens-window, that allowed a closer inspection of the vessel above. Through this ‘lens’ we were able to perceive not only the vessel’s details but the long cable that was used to first attach to and then provide motive force to the large space boulders it was designed to project planetward. Unfortunately, our view of this was all too clear so that we were under no illusion as to the vessel’s current situation. It was in mid-projection. This was no less than I expected. It was now clearer to the others with me as well that the world was in dire danger.

For Kiln, it seemed no more than a moment before he had come to a mindful choice. He uttered a name by way of a summoning. This did not seem to be invoked by means of this fiery power. It was more a thing of Colour. I heard the word, ‘Sum’, though it’s likely this is not the word’s proper spelling as the resulting, summoned individual might well choose to mark it down differently. Here was a figure of a Spire of Violet hue. His manner was that of a spy or furtive warrior. I will not say the dread ‘A’ word as to call anyone by that title, usually is either reason for denial or taken as an insult.

There followed a request from Tar Kiln to save the world from this approaching projectile. To this, despite his willingness, Sum refused on the grounds that his powers did not permit him to do so. While he was able to manifest a demi-plane of his own creation about his person, this was a more localised effect. To encompass an entire world was beyond him. I for one, was rather reassured by this despite the present emergency. Sum called his demi-plane, Penumber. He brought it forth and it settled around us, extending well-far from sight. He indicated that it would encircle the vane-town and some area beyond. I thought of the few Human figures I had caught a glimpse of nearby, as I had descended to the town. Perhaps they would be the fortunate few who would be saved. I had no reason to think that these would be a concern for the Drowse. The Humans were likely to be nothing more to them than any wildlife hereabouts. I resolved to follow-up on these Humans should I get the opportunity... I have long since learned that today’s grateful wretch is tomorrow’s saviour. Many times I have been near a finality, only to be snatched from certain ends by the goodwill of an erstwhile charity case. I’m not heroic in the slightest. Who ever heard of a heroic wizard-thief?

With the Drowse of this vane-town secured, I took the chance to mention that other such settlements would be facing the same issue. Kiln was naturally concerned for all these unseen Drowse, whether they be roused or not. It was evident that he must do more to affect a greater providence or consign the majority of his kind to their unwarranted fate.

Kiln was brought to that point that only desperation or last good sense can achieve. In his personal case I presume this meant that he reached out to this new Element or perhaps, his god. Whatever the truth, he did seem to find some means to speak with at least a couple of the other Chenagan Droswse. There appeared to be some frustrations that ensued but not so much that the impediments were insurmountable. Given the scarcity of time available, it did seem that Kiln was perturbed by those he spoke to. It was as though the language he spoke was only somewhat understood, as with travelling to a distant continent once visited by one’s forefathers. At a point in all this, Kiln became aware of a voice that interrupted his attempts to communicate with the distant Drowse. Against his own mindfulness, Tar Kiln decided to answer this distant call. I believe he used the terminology of his people, in calling it the Keenpang. I have heard this term used in the Old Realm but I decided to keep my former dealings with his kind to myself until a more suitable setting might be found.

In answer to his keening, he was granted a visitation though I don’t know if it was as he might have expected. There seemed to be something of the new Element in influencing all this. Again, this is only my estimation of these events and I stand very much to be corrected in these particulars.

What appeared from his supplication of the god or Element was a feminine Drowse of the ancient type. Kin if you will, to Kiln. He viewed her with some apprehension but her evident pain from long incarceration soon had his mind set on aiding her. Her name, she said, was Reish Afynn. This meant nothing to Kiln and that in itself was a reason for some doubt. Her armour was much like his own in that it was aflame with the new Element. She claimed that it had been with her for a long period. I sensed that Kiln found this both intriguing and a worry. Still, Afynn made statements to the effect that she could well-assist him, once her strength was restored. Kiln asked her to only prove her identity as a Drowse before putting aside his doubts as to her truthfulness. She made to reveal her less hardened form by way of revealing this truth. The Factor took great pains to avoid watching her ‘disrobe’, which I did my gentlemanly best to avoid smiling at. I was under no compunction or racial convention to absent my gaze from her as she transformed. I watched carefully as she took her softer, almost Human guise. She was… quite lovely. I have in my more roguish shape had many occasions to run both, fair of beautiful women and foul of some watchful partners. I can safely attest to Afynn’s comeliness. A red head of hair fell about her face and set afire her complexion lending it a hint of rose about her cheeks and throat. Her brows were arched wings and surmounted a pair of eyes that were clear and lightest grey. They were the eyes of a mind most sharp, or at least I felt this was the case. Her face and that fiery wreath of hair was overcast by a black hooded cape. Her garb was a dress all in red save for the detailed stitchwork about the cuffs and neck. The hood was clasped shut by a golden jewel and this was also a setting for a brilliant gem of Orange. I took this to be significant as it matched her hair well and so too did it seem to embody her pact with the fiery Element. This gem had a sister-stone, which adorned her left hand. Of these two stones I fancy that only a clever worker of jewellery might be able to tell them apart. To my eye they were exact twins. Perhaps this was no accident and there was a grander design at play here? I saw more to my edification that she bore a scroll case on one well-formed hip. And my eye naturally travelled to her other side where I noted a chantried dagger sheath. Both of these resided along a belted set of golden disks, that in their simplicity, belied their obvious antiquity. All of her breathed of an older world. This was heightened by her knowing look which she employed almost constantly, as she forthrightly stared back at me. While my alter-ego might have had a questionable opening comment or scurrilous remark to make, I chose only to nod a welcome and inform Tar Kiln of the truth of her statement. Here was an elder Drowse of the Four Factorings. She seemed complimented that I did not hedge and resumed her hardened form.

Convinced, Kiln took her at face value – I wonder if this phrase stems from this double identity and practice of the Drowse – and applied to her his needs to make hasty steps to save as many of their kind as possible. Afynn was no less eager to comply. They seemed well-suited. I tempered my assessment with the fact that few would be otherwise in such perilous times.

It was decided that she would use her better experience with the Element to reach out to the sectors of Chenagan Drowse still under threat. Afynn was self-assured and gave no indication that she had any doubts as to her ability to secure a number of Drowse within the brief period available to her. Kiln indicated that the Drowse she managed to collect should be transported to a place of safety. He elected to make this the World of Conflict, namely Miranse. He had mentioned to me previously the need to take up the task set for him by Anhur. This mission was directed to take up with the Rakshahasan race, a dispute and thereby emerge with a telling advantage. I admit this is my own conceit, to speak of racial destruction in such abstracted words but I will leave the more cutthroat threats to my Daylight sidekick.

For Tar Kiln, he needed to gain the rest of the Drowse for their dispersal. I believe he intends to make this his priority. For myself, I will take the ‘Intended Threat’ to those Humans I can collect quickest and from that point head away to Miranse. That is, unless I am instructed to do otherwise but I don’t imagine that this will occur. Some of these Chenagan shape-changers deserve to survive. I feel a minor kind of kinship with them for obvious enough reasons. Hopefully at least one or two of those I find will be Weres worth saving.