Episode description
As Brnine and Phrygian attend to the mysteries (mundane and uncanny) on the Isle of the Broken Key, the pilots of the Blue Channel crew find themselves in an outright brawl against foes stronger than anticipated. Cori is reminded of her vows, the Figure in Bismuth pushes themself to the very brink, and Thisbe corners—and unmasks—the group’s target.
This week on PALISADE: The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 3
On the silent way, when do you get a calling?
Dossier
Organizations
Fabreal Duchy: When the Divine Principality left Palisade nearly 5,000 years ago, they left behind a Duke and his barons as caretakers. In the generations that followed, they ruled as petty tyrants, creating Delegates as their slaves, remaking their bodies into glass and oil, and extending their reach across Palisade’s continents. Violet Cove: The Dim Liturgy claim to have seen the Divine Devotion's arrival coming in their sacred text: A battered and corrupted backup of Crystal Palace's final predictions for the future. Now the two cults work together to oust the Bilats... and perhaps to do more intriguing things, as well. People
“Gem” (she/her): Codename given to the target of Operation Midnight Lapidary. Reported to be a major dealer in precious metals and stones from Stel Orion, here to attend the coronation of the returned Duchess Constantina Malady. Kenneth Marian Colver (he/him): Former member of the Curtain, now Kesh’s Viceroy on the world. Reports up to the Stargrave. Bread concerns have been replaced with violence concerns. Tenn Alpenglow (he/him): Bodyguard of Kenneth Marian Colver and Knight of the Fabreal Duchy. Resents his assignation to guard the cowardly Viceroy, but takes seriously his sworn oath to serve under the Duchy's The Lost Duchess, Constantina Malady (she/her): Just as it is said, she arrived on a black horse with white fetlocks. August Righteousness (he/they): Once, August served as the court chef of Joyous Guard. Now, he is the commander of Reunion, a Delegate resistance movement that is part of the Cause's Jade Kill unit. Gucci Garantine (she/her): A defector from Stel Kesh, who used the remaining wealth and power of House Brightline to help found Millennium Break. Currently a key member of the resistance efforts on Palisade, and the commander of Millennium Break forces there. Codename Watershed. General Tomorrow Mourning (she/her): Leader of the Qui'Err Coalition's forces en route to the Twilight Mirage. Marlon Styx a.k.a. “Em” (he/him): Undercover BIS agent assigned to infiltrate Violet Cove. Has become enamored with the Dim Liturgy’s holy text. Jesset City (he/him): After helping to kick off Millennium Break on Partizan, Jesset served as one of its major leaders during its expansion across the Principality. Now, he uses his talents in Hollow and Altar engineering, piloting, and cipher breaking on behalf of the Grey Pond unit of the cause. Still considers himself to be a member of the Party of the Wolf, though those designations have largely fallen from use. Places
Bontive Valley: Blessed by the departed divine Bounty, the Valley provides the Bilats with fruit that never rots and hyper-nutritional grain. Isle of the Broken Key: Home of the Dim Liturgy since its obscure creation thousands of years ago. Now serves as base for the entire Violet Cove unit of the Cause, including the Devotees and (most recently) additional support teams from the Twilight Mirage. Mysteries
Refrain a.k.a. Yesterday’s Reprise a.k.a. The Ghastly Chorus: An abandoned theater attended to by a spectral audience, which appears as if from nowhere, appended to the edge of a community. Upon the stage, a flickering projection of a person no one knows. Today, that person is the traveler named Lattice (they/them). Things
EF Vambrace: Created by House Evenfall Altarworks, the Vambrace is the unlikely workhorse of the Kesh Altar fleet. With four arms worth of melee weapons and a mounted missile launcher, the Vambrace is able to reach the enemy under self-provided cover fire, defend themselves in melee until an opportunity presents itself, and then deliver the final blow. AdArm Bouquet: Designed by Stel Orion’s Adamant Arms and Artifice as an Altar-era update to the classic Troop design. It’s still boxy (if a little trimmer) and it retains it’s wide, rectangular “eye” on its head. Gone are the heavy grip claws, replaced with traditional, five-fingered hands, allowing it more complex manipulations, including the operations of its distinctive Roundless Rifle, which seems convert raw Perennial Wave into ammunition. Additionally, the shoulder mount has ditched the heavy cannon in exchange for a close range, pneumatic lance that can devastate even the strongest armor. Roundless rifle looks like an H&K G11, and fires condensed Perennial Wave gathered from the atmosphere itself. AdArm Motion Engine: Core to all of Adamant Arms and Artifice’s new designs, the Motion Engine was derived from salvaged parts of the lost Divine of the same name, offering a reliable, long lasting, and flexible source of power.
Contents
Plot
Operation Midnight Lapidary
Tenn Alpenglow emerges from the enemy Vambrace and fires an emergency flare, but Figure shoots the flare down. The enemy Bouquet units regroup and begin to lay down fire at Cori and Figure. Cori protects herself with her shield while Figure charges at them to attack with his explosive chains. The attack backfires and ignites Figure's mech, triggering an explosion. Loud sirens, similar to an air raid warning, start blaring across the region.
Meanwhile, inside the train, Thisbe charges after Gem and finds her attempting to open a chest. Thisbe shoots her arm, which shatters, and as Gem is hit her skin and clothes retract inwards to reveal the glass body of Constantina Malady. Recognizing the supposed Lost Duchess, Kenneth Marian Colver jumps between the two of them to protect Gem from Thisbe, but Thisbe ignores him and grabs Gem.
As she lifts Gem up, small, thin tendrils start protruding all over Gem's body and whipping at Thisbe, and Gem herself starts to grow in Thisbe's hands. Gem speaks: "I was like mist held in evening's dark concrete. How could you think to contain me?"
Thisbe, unfazed, replies, "I do not think to contain you. I do contain you."
Masquerade Party
Back at the masquerade, Brnine describes their encounter with Lattice to Phrygian and Jesset City. Em still will not leave Phrygian's side. A string quartet starts playing shoegazey string noise music, and in order to shake Em, Brnine asks Phrygian to dance. Phrygian explains to Brnine that they think Em is a spy who is trying to get information out of them.
Gucci Garantine finally replies to the text Brnine sent her at the beginning of the party, but her reply is cryptic and ominous.[Note 1]
Cast
- Austin Walker (GM)
- Ali Acampora (Kalvin Brnine)
- Andrew Lee Swan (The Figure in Bismuth)
- Janine Hawkins (Thisbe)
- Sylvia Clare (Coriolis Sunset)
- Keith J. Carberry (Phrygian)
Other Characters
- Tenn Alpenglow
- Kenneth Marian Colver
- General Tomorrow Mourning
- Jesset City
- Marlon Styx, a.k.a. Em
- Gucci Garantine (via text messages)
- August Righteousness
This section contains spoilers for PALISADE 09: The Canvas of Dreams Pt. 4.
Click here to reveal.
Notes
- ↑ The text conversation is as follows:
GUCCI: I'm sorry.
BRNINE: ⁉️
GUCCI: 😬
GUCCI: they wouldn't let me tell you until it happened.