PALISADE 61: Above the Earth Pt. 5

Above the Earth Pt. 5
Episode information
Episode	61
Release Date	Aug 24, 2024
Length	1 hour 56 minutes
Content Warnings	Mental manipulation, body horror, death
Meta
Cast	Austin, Ali, Dre, Janine, Keith, Sylvi
Game	Armour Astir: Advent
Score	Nothing is Stationary
Episode guide
Previous	Above the Earth Pt. 4
Previous	Above the Earth Pt. 4
Next	Above the Earth Pt. 6
Next	Above the Earth Pt. 6
Previous Arc	Some New Thing Found in the Light, Or: A Year in Nine Parts
Previous Arc	Some New Thing Found in the Light, Or: A Year in Nine Parts
Next Arc	N/A
Next Arc	N/A
Links
Episode Page	friendsatthetable.net
Transcript	TBA

Episode description

Hours after defeating Artifice, and hours before Motion's flagship breaches the far end of the battlefield, an uncomfortable buzz runs through the air. Even with the reinforcements from Millennium Break and the Apostolosians loyal to Cas'alear Rizah, the defenders of Perennial are outnumbered. Worse: Great heroics on the battlefield might fell a Divine or rout a batallion, but how do you stop a machine god who exists across the whole galaxy, dormant in every particle of the Perennial Wave. Such a feat would require more than battlefield brilliance...

This week on PALISADE: Above the Earth Pt. 5

Damn, you look like you had a bad time / You look like you don't even know why

Dossier

People

Audacious Opportunity "A.O." Rooke (he/him): Once an Orion mercenary, then the commander of the Rapid Evening’s “toughs” squad, and now a unit leader for Millennium Break. K.O Rooke's son.
Kueen Overture "K.O" Rooke (she/her):  A long time dispatcher and operator of the Scrivener's Guild, KO has taken the role as a major commander in Millennium Break. Mother of A.O. Rooke.
Passiflora (she/her): Elect of the divine Artiface, naive but devoted to the vision promised to her by The Pact of Free States.
Xiphion, aka Zig’ell Barbos, aka The Red Roc (zig/zig’s, he/him): Elect of the Divine Valour and icon of the Apostolosian military. Zig’ell kept his Apostolosian name in personal use even after being chosen by Valour as its elect. Famed for zig's talent as a pilot and commander, zig spent years serving as Cas’alear Rizah’s confidant and lieutenant, before being promoted and transferred into service directly under the Divine Motion. In her absence, his profile only grew as he secured wins against the Bilateral Intercession. Now that Motion has revived, Zig'ell has returned to her service with optimism and loyalty--quieting any doubts through a commitment to the larger project of the Pact.

Organizations

The Pact of Free States: One of the two factions vying for leadership of the Principality, a joint operation by Stels Columnar and Apostolos. Before they were killed by Kalvin Brnine, they were led in name by the Glorious Princept, Dahlia (they/them), but were controlled in day-to-day matters by members of the original Pact of Necessary Venture, including Rye (he/him) and Gallica (she/her).  With all three dead, the Divine Motion has rushed to fill a vacuum many feel but can hardly give word to. Under her control, the long-held "reformist" goals of the Stel have been set aside for simple, metaphysical domination.

Places

Earth: Ancient home of humanity. Moved into orbit around the center of the galaxy by the Old Earth Cult, under guidance by a manipulative and influential divine called Independence.

Divines

The Divine Integrity (it/its): Sometimes appearing as an articulated staff or a metallic spine, Integrity integrates itself into its chosen user. Once the two are connected, Integrity becomes a powerful exoskeleton, and supports its user in matters of military and morale. Until being assassinated by Brnine, Dahlia, the Glorious Princept, was the elect of Integrity. Now, it has found a new home in Thisbe.
The Divine Motion (she/her): One of the founding members of the Pact, the necromantic Apostolosian divine once led its infamous retinue, the Black Century, on Partizan. They were defeated and dispersed, turned into part of Kalmeria, during Operation Shackled Sun. Now, she has returned to take control of the Pact of Free States, and has set her sights on Perennial at the heart of the galaxy.
The Divine Present (it/its): On first blush, Present might be confused for a small, if luxurious frigate. And sometimes, it is just that: Its oval structure houses living quarters, a humble armory, enough cargo space to hold a single hollow, and even a fully stocked bar. But at a snap of its elect’s fingers, it transforms into a humanoid war machine that serves its elect loyally, outclasses any Altar currently in operation, and is capable of holding its own against many other Divines in combat.
The Divine Commitment (it/its): A malleable divine made of inky black metal that has become one with the body of the Ekpyrosis, flagship of the Pact's fleet. Has historically required two pilots (both in a condition of ego death) in order to be operated, but currently operates alone, tethered by something like loyalty to the Divine Motion. How such obedience was garnered is unclear.
The Divine Valour: A machine the size of a large Hallow, Valour can transform between a vast, roc-like bird form and a more traditional humanoid model. Soldiers claim that serving under Valour gives them a noticeable boost to their morale, but it is unclear if this is a feature of their proximity to the Divine or to its elect.

Objects

The Ekpyrosis: Flagship of the Pact’s fleet, a transforming, beautiful monstrosity designed to casually destroy worlds while simultaneously supporting life in a vacuum. In the time since Commitment's takeover, though, it has changed dramatically.
Columnar Altars: Though Exenceaster March took his research with him when he defected from Columnar and the Zenith Fund he once led, those engineers who remained loyal to their Stel had learned enough to develop their own rival machine, powered not only by Kalmeria, but also by upscaled (and stolen) Equiaxed designs. The result: The ZFC-Wizard. Central to this design is the modularity and iconic visual design that has been core to Columnar technology for generations. The stock Wizard is rarely seen as-is. Instead, it is used as a frame for a number of other variants. The ZFC-TOME is the workhorse model of the Wizard, able to hold its ground defensively with a massive claymore and an arcane "breath" weapon. The ZFC-STAVE is a designated marksman unit, while the CLOAK was designed to operate behind enemy lines without being caught. Two commander class units were created as well. The ORB houses the Wizard frame inside of a sphere, which projects a directed energy field to its allies, serving as a shield. The TALISMAN, with its swarm of hard-to-control drones, was designed especially for ace pilots who lead from the front with near-impossible acumen.
Apostolosian Altars: In the age of Kalmeria, Apostolosian culture became fascinated with mastery over (and blending with) the natural and elemental. As such, it is no surprise to see that their Altars (designed in collaboration with Columnar's Zenith Fund), reflect those new interests. The ZFA-FANG is a new version of an old classic: A Hypercat model with mounted freeze cannons and the ability to skate on ice it creates. The ZFA-TALON offers air supremacy, firing powerful, flaming beams and dropping dense explosive salvos. Both operate with greater efficiency when deployed directly alongside their allies. Operating as an on field commander, the ZFA-TUSK is a defensive powerhouse that can chase down enemies with incredible, wind-driven speeds.

Mysteries

Perennial (she/her):  The Principality's so-called 'adversary,' who lives at the center of the galaxy and whose chaotic whims spread through her "Perennial Wave," an ever-present nanoparticle that has bonded with elements of Autonomy Itself and the Divine Motion to create Kalmeria.
Arbor: The result of Thisbe's year of research of Divines, Axioms, and plant life--all three of which have homes in her own body. A growing organism with unknown powers.

Contents

Opening

“

It has been about 90 minutes since you defeated Artifice, broadcast Cas'alear's message, and took control of the most important shard of the station that Perennial calls home. Reinforcements have arrived, and barring one sniper and a handful of nanobeasts skittering in the dark, all threats have been accounted for. But try as you might, you cannot find a moment of rest.

Maybe you close your eyes or shift your sensors into passive mode or simply turn to old reliable techniques: breathing deep, fidgeting with cards, smoking, listening to music. None of it works. Not for you, not for anyone here preparing for what's to come. And it isn't nerves; after all, some of you don't have nerves.

It's her. It's the fleet. It's the Ekpyrosis drawing nearer, emitting a steady stream of her. It's Motion, molecular; she's in the air here; she is the air here, and even with Brnine's jury-rigged device keeping everyone safe, you nevertheless have a preview of what's to come. Not just for those near Motion, but for those all across the galaxy if she can succeed at rewriting the Perennial Wave, reshaping Kalmeria in her image.

There will be no rest in Motion's world. Not as some distant relatives of hers might have wanted it: a world of endless work or a world built for its profit. Simply a world without quiet stillness. A world where the only division between day and night is the colour of the sky. A world with no wasted time, no wandering thoughts, no shower stall epiphanies, no staring up at the constellations, man-made or otherwise—and of course, a world without death too.

A world where consciousness might dim, but never go dark. And, you learn in the most troubling of ways, a world where what was once death becomes, instead, her domain. The first time it happens is with Passiflora, the naive and obstinate elect of Artifice, the divine which was building the Portcullis until you stepped in. She crawls from the wreckage, re-knit by Motion's black molecules, scars and burns repaired by a mesh of what looks like fluctuating, living carbon fiber. Alone, she was not a threat. She was, however, a puppet given direction by Motion, high sorceresses of death. Even now, even locked away, she mumbles Motion's words: "I'm not...coming for you. I'm...already...here."

And now you know what you face. You see plainly what Motion will deliver if she can get the power terminal and rip control away from Perennial. The so-called Adversary has been an agent of chaos in the galaxy for thousands of years and, as the Figure once learned, for countless cycles thereof. But Motion? Motion will be a more active goddess, fanning a stellar wind that will turn the wheel, unbroken, forever.”

Cast

• Austin Walker (GM)
• Ali Acampora (Kalvin Brnine)
• Andrew Lee Swan (Levitation Cascabel-Gardner)
• Janine Hawkins (Thisbe)
• Keith J. Carberry (Exeter Leap)
• Sylvi Bullet (Coriolis Sunset)

Other Characters

• Asepsis
• Cas'alear Rizah
• Commitment
• Hunting Tomorrow
• Motion
• Present
• Passiflora
• Valour
• Zig'ell Barbos