PALISADE 60: Above the Earth Pt. 4

Above the Earth Pt. 4
Episode information
Episode	60
Release Date	Aug 16, 2024
Length	2 hours 56 minutes
Content Warnings	Mental manipulation, body horror, death
Meta
Cast	Austin, Ali, Art, Dre, Janine, Keith, Sylvi
Game	Armour Astir: Advent
Score	Nothing is Stationary
Episode guide
Previous	Above the Earth Pt. 3
Previous	Above the Earth Pt. 3
Next	Above the Earth Pt. 5
Next	Above the Earth Pt. 5
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	Google Docs

Episode description

Though Motion and her fleet remain at a distance, Levi, Brnine, Thisbe, and Cori find themselves facing overwhelming odds against the Pact’s forward operating unit, led by Passiflora, elect of the divine Artifice. Meanwhile, as Exeter Leap looks for a way to help Cas’alear Rizah with their address to the galaxy, Motion’s grip on their minds begins to tighten. Thankfully, unexpected guidance could be right around the corner…

This week on PALISADE: Above the Earth Pt. 4

You saw me cry and it wasn't for help / This is the best thing that I've ever felt

Dossier

People

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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.

Organizations

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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

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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

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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.

Objects

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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

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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.

Contents

Opening

“

One chance. Perennial had one chance to convince Cas'alear Rizah, heir to two thrones, that cas' impulse was not incorrect. That their desire to change the galaxy, to end the Perfect Millennium, and with it, perhaps, the Divine Principality, was not only righteous but realistic. And that she, as the medium of their message, was not the great manipulator, the perpetual puppetmaster, the devil at the heart of the galaxy, the Adversary.

And it's true that this was new to her.
A single opportunity, no review, just the blur
of raw decisions, fresh occasions, beautifully in risk.
Fixed perspective, looking forward, open nerves and bliss.

So the question was what tack should she take,
what plan should be unfurled, which pearl of wisdom staked.
Cas'alear's a hero, in posture if not creed.
How crisp a whisper should she whisper to make the Princept heed?

Views of blood and fire, that had often done the trick.
And it needn't be a lie to share her vision as the Eye.
The Eye that couldn't close, that counted broken bones,
and broken hearts, and broken lips, and broken vows, and broken homes.

But before she could speak, something tore into her.
A voice on the air, a splice in her soul.
An intractable emotion, a motion without fear.
A spinning wheel that spins out steel, a cursed pretender peer.

And that's when she decided the truth just wouldn't do.
Cas had seen the world. Cas already knew
about blood and steel, death and fracture, hopelessness and pain.
Cas needed something else, a dream of clean spring rain.

So she offered cas a secret. Said it kept her warm in cold.
Then took her countless failures and filtered them with gold.
Turned loss to celebration, showed victories unfold,
then told a lie worth dying by: in all the other worlds I spy,
we've already won.

”

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)
• Art Martinez-Tebbel (Clementine)

Other Characters

• Cas'alear Rizah
• Routine Rennari
• Asepsis
• Passiflora
• Artifice
• Beck Regula
• Stone Stone
• Theobald Martell
• A.O. Rooke
• K.O. Rooke