[Renaissance Living] Disc 1: Track 2: Lepcis Magna

[Sarodinian]

The Animus


"Related Subjects located. Initiating multicast functions."


The view on the Animus device locks onto another signal, also in Nexus. The genius of the Animus device comes into full play here, as the second signal is broadcast seamlessly alongside the first, allowing Arcanix Darsonnia to have his full attention on both at exactly the same time.


The Animus's view shifts to a surprisingly small apartment in the Cinnibar district of the City of Nexus, considering that it is home to one Hunter Adelstad Pearce, master playwright and Solar extraordinare.


Said Solar is currently passed out on his bed amongst his collection of fine paintings and posh furniture, which clash ever so slightly with the relatively small size of this apartment. Sunlight filters in through the shades on one of the small windows of your apartment, and you stir.


It is currently Saturnday morning, on the 28th day of Descending Fire. Tomorrow is Calibration, and tomorrow a stage is set for you personally at the Calibration Festival at the Temple of Light.


Right now though, you're more than a slight bit hungover.


What dost thou do?


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Track Song:


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[Axelgear]

Pearce


A new day. A new dawn. A new promise of grandeur.


After luxuriating for a moment between the sheets, Pearce rises slowly to sit up. The day, as it must, has begun, and he has drawn as much pleasure as he can in that sleepy moment before the sun cuts through the blinds. He enjoys, for a moment, the delicate interplay of light and shadow on the folds of his bed sheets, tracing his fingers along the silky fabric, before he rises for the morning routine.


It is unfitting a god-king to have to shower in the morning, he had to admit. More so to smell horribly, though. Something about having to clean off one's daily grime, though, was somehow... Undignified. It didn't befit the concept of beauty the position held. Perhaps, at some point, he could change that.


For now, though, Pearce clung to his usual routine. Cleaning, dressing, making a dignified breakfast... He wished for the days when he had people to do this sort of thing for him. Such a time was brief, but it was pleasant; arising to the smell of a cooking breakfast was a sweet sort of delight. Still, it was true what they said; few things tasted as nice as a meal you make yourself.


And, with that, it was time to start the day.


Stepping outside his building, Pearce made his way towards the Temple. Immaculately dressed, a devilish smile, white gloves, hair styled... The day was just beginning. He thought of hiring a cab, but his pocket book strained at the idea. He would have to walk, take in the streets a little...


It still seemed undignified.

 

[Sarodinian]

The Animus:


You exit out of your apartment into the warm morning air. Judging by the past few days, it's gonna be yet another scorcher, followed by another day of warm temperatures on Calibration's Day of Fire. Your progress towards the temple is relatively unimpeded, very few people are up at this hour. The only slight bit of bad luck about your apartment's location, though aesthetically pleasing and quite reasonable in the rent department, is that the route between there and where you've been working takes you through a section of the Cinnibar District that tends to be a bit more loyal to the Immaculate Philosophy. The people you do encounter give you a wide berth, some reflexively cover their ears when they notice you. Posters with your likeness have been put up all around the City advertising your latest play, and a number of them in this area have been defaced, some with "Anathema", "Out of our city", and "Take your poisoned words elsewhere".


Judging by the fact that these posters just went up yesterday people involved in doing this are likely still out and about defacing more.

 

[Axelgear]

Pearce


No such thing as bad publicity, was there? Pearce had to admit, the posters did a good job of his likeness, enough that these people could recognize him. He takes his time on his morning stroll, pausing by a fruit merchant to buy a pear. He sits in a small public square as he eats it, staring at the posters and the venomous language written alongside them.


Once he's finished the fruit, Pearce rises to the poster. He takes a cloth from his pocket and dabs it in the still-moist paint. Alongside one of the slurs on his character, he simply writes "And on top of all that, I'm also a drunk." and signs his name.


If he is to be socially sniped at, who says they get to have all the fun?

Spoiler

(Making a written social attack against all who read it. Burning 13 motes, 1 wp, to garner +5 successes on the roll for Charisma + Socialize-based attack, using Wise-Eyed Courtier Method to influence the local populace. The message? That the Immaculate message is just way too silly and that Pearce is actually rather endearing.


Charisma + Socialize: 1,1,10,8,6,9,10,9,10,1 - 9 + 5 successes = 14 successes. There's an external penalty equal to half the group's Magnitude plus the MDV of the group's leader, the group targeted here being the local Immaculate worshipers. Hunter's effective Appearance for this is 5, though, so that'll affect that. If he gets even 1 success left, though, the attack succeeds.


For the record, 7 of the motes involved are Peripheral, so Pearce has a nice big golden disk on his brow, as a blatant fuck you to any Immaculates.)

 

[Sarodinian]

The Animus:


As you write on the poster, a few more people stroll past and look at you with a bit of awe. A number of people stop and clap and cheer as you write your rebuttal on one of the very posters your detractors defaced.


It's at about this time that you encounter one of the other perils of being famous: Rabid Stalkers.


You suddenly hear, "OHMIGODHESIGNEDIT!" and you see a throng of rabid fans running at you full steam, desperate to get the poster because their idol signed it.


You might want to get out of the way.


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Actually, as per the Scroll of Errata, page 27, Wise Eyed Courtier method functions as a social attack with an external penalty of just the magnitude of the group in question, but the difficulty isn't one, it's the MDV of the leader of the group.


Even still, a magnitude 3 group is only a +1 to the difficulty of this roll, so you succeed with 3 extra successes.


Whomever reads the poster will now have a nice sense that the Immaculates are just no fun and that their prudish ways have totally and utterly backfired.

 

[Axelgear]

Pearce


As nice as it is to be adored, there is a grand difference between smiling faces in high society and the screaming of the masses. Each has its place to be enjoyed, but morning when one's other pleasures await leaves little time or desire for either. Carrying on the way, Pearce doesn't bother to wait, making sure he is as best out of sight as possible by the time the crowd is done trying to grasp the poster off the wall or pressing their blouses to the wet paint.


He just hopes the stage is worth looking at...