Episode description
With the “kidnapping” of Gur Sevraq spread far and wide, each Stel on Partizan spins up for war—even though some have not yet decided who they will come to blows with. In the heat of this moment, the Isles of Logos have become more important than ever, with shipments passing through the port and transports stopping to refuel on route to some combat manoeuvrer.
But for the Disciples of Logos on the island, whose leader has seemingly vanished not once, but twice, these developments have earned even greater concern. Unsure of Sevraq’s location, the Church of the Resin Heart requests aid from the Society of Banners and Bright Returns, who use the trip to the isles to find their own relief… and profit.
This Week on PARTIZAN: A Call From an Island
///Operation Dossier\\\
//Organizations\\
The Isles of Logos: An independent nation built by the followers of the prophet Logos Kantel’s around their very first church. Though only a small handful of islands in the Prophet’s Sea, the Isles keep a standing defense force that rivals any individual unit of the Major Stels. Asterism: Split into two major sects (Received and Progressive), the state religion of the Divine Principality. The Disciples of Logos: A small sect, technically of Progressive Asterists, who believe that Progressive Asterism itself operates under a misunderstanding of the prophet Logos Kantel’s words. Membership spans Divinity, but remains miniscule in size compared to even other Progressive Asterist sects. The Church of the Resin Heart: A Disciples of Logos church on Partizan which claims to be the true inheritor of the prophet’s religious mission. The “resin heart” in question is a 3-foot large object pulled from the sea 400+ years ago and displayed as a relic by the Church. The Friends of Gur Sevraq: The name given to the current membership of the Church of the Resin heart, who follow the teachings of a new prophet, Gur Sevraq, who has reportedly performed a number of miracles. They teach the value of and need for open communication between regular members of the principality, and dream of a galactic-communications network which would allow people to send messages between worlds in a matter of seconds or minutes instead of days, weeks, or months. HORIZON: In the popular consciousness, HORIZON is a radical, anti-Principality terrorist organization. In actuality, they are a radical-reformist group, which seeks to drive out what it perceives as corruption in an empire that ought be pursuing noble (instead of selfish) ends. Rumored to be funded by Stel Kesh’s House Brightline. The Nobel: The people and culture from which Valence originates. They live beyond Partizan, in the Scutum-Centaurus arm of the Milky Way, which a past Princept declared was not to be colonized or even explored. But years ago they suffered an attack from someone from the Divine Principality. Valence seeks to answer how, who, and why. The Rapid Evening: Secret “protectors” of Gur Sevraq. //People\\
Avar (they/them) and Ryrira (she/her): Gur Sevraq’s chief of security and quartermaster, respectively. Have a child, M'reb. Apparatus Aperitif (they/them): Logos City, the largest independent city on Partizan, is known as a religious center, but its robotic night mayor ensures that everyone has a good time at the end of their time traveling the Prophet’s Path. Gucci Garantine (she/her): Vassal and political attache to House Brightline of Stel Kesh. She and House Brightline reportedly have ties to the “reformist” (read: terrorist) organization HORIZON. Rivals with Clementine Kesh, and contact of Kal’mera Broun. Kenzington “Kenzi” Be (she/her): Commanding Officer of the Columnar 301st Appraisal Unit. Previously a high ranking member of Columnar military, demoted after she refused an order. Was defeated by SBBR during their last deployment. //Places\\
Logos City: Capital of the Isles of Logos. //Things\\
The Strand: A technology once used by the ancient Hyphan people to travel, without Portcullis technology, from system to system. Strand Semaphore: Using ancient Hyphan technology, this messenger service is able to send text-based communications to anywhere on-moon, so long as they’ve built an outpost there.
Contents
Opening
“
With ease and peace, the prophet Gur Sevraq ambles down the endless halls of Kesh's Winter Palace in Cruciat. Though this is his prison, it also a library. A repository of information which they are uniquely suited to comb through. But as Sevraq pores over volumes of heterodoxy, as he traces routes across privileged maps with spindled claw, it is his erstwhile congregation which most clearly sees the future. Though they may not have their prophet's divine perspective, they have instead a view of the world only available from an island at its central sea.
From the top of the bell tower attached to the top of the Church of the Resin Heart, the coming weeks are as evident as the wake left behind the ships that the churn across Partizan's ocean.
A week ago, the Prophet's Sea was predictable and placid. Today the Stels prepare for war. Orion freighters arrive in logistical lines, hauling the raw materials of death: rough metal, unrefined fuel, uncut paper and unspilled ink. Columnar's sea-lifts arrive with dashed speed, each with some prototypical weapon and a scientist or two eager to see it used. Nidean airships, once a surprising sight, now land as daily punctuation, trading diplomats for spies, and spies for priests. All of that is to say nothing of the north sky, which tells its stories in bright flashes of violence, as Kesh and Apostolos battleships lob shells at each other across the curvature of the moon's horizon.
Caught by the terror of that sky, the Church sends a message to a new ally: the Society of Banners and Bright Returns.”
Plot
As the Society of Banners and Bright Returns recuperates from their last mission, a Scrivener's Guild courier gives Valence a message from Avar asking for them to come to the Isles in the wake of Gur’s disappearance. Avar meets them and takes them to eat dinner in their home in the residence hall off the church. Valence tries to make Thisbe comfortable during the meal and does the opposite; later they help her recharge.
Early the next morning, Broun goes for a walk with Thisbe and they end up at an open air market, where they meet Apparatus Aperitif. Meanwhile, Avar tells Valence what happened during the pilgrimage. Valence uses their powers to reach out to Gur, who assures them that he's fine for now in Cruciat, under the protection of the Rapid Evening. That night, Thisbe and Valence work on finding her planet at the observatory. At some point, Valence sends a message to Kenzi via a Strand Semaphore cafe; she doesn't really have any information for them but they chat.
A day after their visit, Gucci invites SBBR to a Horizon base on the island. At the warehouse, Broun salvages the broken mech parts they got from the Sable Court. Gucci upgrades and repairs SBBR's equipment and asks them to escort her on an upcoming mission.