Friends at the Table

For those who live under tyranny, the exhaustion and fear is such that it can be hard to even imagine or recognize what escape or progress or revolution look like. But when Icebreaker Prime came over the horizon, the citizens of Cruciat, beaten down by generations of chic, high-minded Kesh terror, knew exactly what they were looking at. Millennium Break. Cruciat was all but undefended, with the bulk of Kesh's forces engaged with Motion her Apostlosian forces to the west--an attack they would not have anticipated if not for late coming intelligence from an Apostolosian traitor. Now, the revolution had to make a final decision in this first stretch of what would surely be a decades long campaign: Was it time to make a definitive strike. To take not just any city, but the city a Princept sometimes calls home. The city where the prisoners turned radicals of the Rapid Evening were once held. Where knowledge is locked away from those that need it most. Where hierarchy is woven into the streets themselves. The question on everyone's minds wasn't what the cost would be if Millennium Break took Cruciat. It was what it would be if they didn't. This week on PARTIZAN: The Storm Over Cruciat ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ The Curtain of Divinity: Though Kesh is technically governed through an elaborate parliamentary democracy, the truth is that The Curtain of Divinity, a secretive organization inside of the Stel (and with agents across all of the Principality), serves as the actual power behind the throne. Knowledge of the Curtain is carefully guarded, and its membership is even further protected. Was originally established to rein in the Principality's most tyrannical institutions and encourage growth and equity over generations, while hiding the truth of what lied beyond the Scutum-Centaurus Portcullis. Over time, their more noble aims were eroded, and only this final goal remained, along with a much more selfish goal of controlling the state. Is currently in a covert war against the Pact of Necessary Venture. The Pact of Necessary Venture: Though they trace their lineage back to an exploratory committee founded in the late 14th century of the Perfect Millenium, the Pact was not made in earnest until five years ago in 1418 PM, soon after hostilities began between Kesh and Apostolos. It's original leadership committee, Plumeria, Gallica, Myosotis, Rye, and Hyacinth determined that to ensure the future stability of the Principality, the Pact would establish a power base in the Scutum–Centaurus arm, amass a vast fleet using the unexploited resources there, and sweep both princepts out of power, replacing the role with a five-part council representing each Stel equally. Each was an elect: Plumeria the elect of Past, Gallica of Present, Myosotis of Future, Rye of Space, and Hyacinth of Motion. Plumeria and Myosotis were killed during Gur Sevraq's theft of the Divine Future. Plumeria's successor, Cymbidium, was killed when Past crashed into the sands of the Prophet's Path. Hyacinth was killed in combat by the Rapid Evening, but has already been replaced. 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. It was originally part of the Exemplar. Millennium Break: Dissidents, idealogues, rebels, and mercenaries launch a revolution from a state-of-the-art mobile fortress. They agree on little, except this: It is time for a new Millennium. 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. The backbone of the private comms network used by Millennium Break. Lambic House: A group of beer-brewing monks who both operate a brewery and manage a sizable civilian settlement deep in the mountains of the Pique Ridge. Part of the Shepherd's Crook. 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 Mysteries Metronomica/ "Metronomica"/"The Cult of Perennial": Guided by the paradoxical belief in historical cycles and radical freedom, the Isles of Logos offers this faith of the Adversary, Perennial, perhaps the only safe ground in the entire galaxy. The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they're utilized by their commanding officer, Tes'ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation. The Sable Court: Some say that on dark nights, they have seen these Ashen witches on the eastern edge of Lake Timea, horns and antlers glit

However the Summer Passage of Arms--a yearly competition of strength, skill, acumen, and style--began, it has followed in the fate of many similar comptetitons prior and become a proxy for nationalistic fervor. On the Isle of Summer in the Prophet's Sea, all five Great Stels gather to test each other in a host of events. Commenters often say that the games bring out "the best of the Principality." This is true, though perhaps more true--and obvious through its omission--it is the case that the Passage serves to hide the worst of the Principality, too. The winner earns glory, but each Stel--even those currently at war with each other--also seeks something else through their simple presence at the games: To convince the world that this is what 'civilization' looks like. At home, the Stels drive their boots into the backs of their most vulnerable citizens. But here on the beautiful Isle of Summer, they gather in the name of fair and even conflict on an agreed upon battleground to see who is the noblest of them all. This week on PARTIZAN: She Said, "To Win We Must Play!" ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ The Summer Passage of Arms: The Summer Passage is as much an event as an organization, a committee that holds a yearly competition of athletics, martial prowess, cultural acumen, and all else expected in a hero of the Divine Principality. As such, each Stel serves as patron to an official team, though smaller organizations (Progressive Asterist churches,Stel Orion corporations, Columnar regional funds, etc.) are known to send their own teams. As Partizan is the rare place where all five Stels meet, the event is held on the moon yearly, with results shared (albeit slowly) across the whole of the Principality. Though key events change from Summer to Summer, they often include an element of hollow proficiency. In this year's event, sponsored teams are required to compete across hollow wrestling, synchronized sharp shooting, poetry, the biathlon, and the Divine Providence, a race and obstacle course that tests each competitors endurance and agility. Though they are not official events, patrons are also encouraged to participate through a general display of style, and a non-ranked demonstration of spear technique. 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. It was originally part of the Exemplar. Millennium Break: Dissidents, idealogues, rebels, and mercenaries launch a revolution from a state-of-the-art mobile fortress. They agree on little, except this: It is time for a new Millennium. 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. Lambic House: A group of beer-brewing monks who both operate a brewery and manage a sizable civilian settlement deep in the mountains of the Pique Ridge. Part of the Shepherd's Crook. 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 Mysteries Metronomica/ "Metronomica"/"The Cult of Perennial": Guided by the paradoxical belief in historical cycles and radical freedom, the Isles of Logos offers this faith of the Adversary, Perennial, perhaps the only safe ground in the entire galaxy. The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they're utilized by their commanding officer, Tes'ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation. The Sable Court: Some say that on dark nights, they have seen these Ashen witches on the eastern edge of Lake Timea, horns and antlers glittering in the light of Girandole. Some even say that a former elect walks among them. Heresy, all of it. Company of the Spade: A veteran mercenary unit founded by space miners who learned how to pilot Hollows in the most dangerous of settings. They've been brought to Partizan to combine both types of expertise. The Oxblood Clan: What started as a group of orphans turned into a labor guild and criminal enterprise with connections across Partizan. Occasionally run rough-and-tumble military ops for extra cash. Allies with SBBR. //People\\ The Peaceful Princept (he/him): Born Cynosure Whitestar-Kesh, The Peaceful Princept is one of two current pretenders to the title. He was not meant to inherit the position, but instead was thrust into it as part of Stel Kesh's attempt to hold onto the title after Dahlia defected to Stel Apostolos. When he was still "only" Cynosure Kesh, he was a mediocre negotiator of economi

With its internal threats sorted, at least for now, Millennium Break's de facto leaders shift the bulk of their attention outward. As rebellion is sparked across Partizan, a new question takes center stage: If Millennium Break wants to lead this revolutionary moment, does it need to step out into the light of day? Who can they save if they take this risk? And who do they put in harms way if they refuse to rise to the challenge? As a dire situation develops in the Memoria Teardrop, it becomes clear that these are not hypothetical questions. A decision must be made. This week on PARTIZAN: Breaking Vigil ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ The Vigil City Equiaxed Commune: Across Columnar space, the Equiaxed--a culture of people who augment their synthetic frames with living, organic materials for a variety of reasons--are persecuted, outlawed, arrested, and even experimented on. One way that this vulnerable and targeted group has found some peace is to live together in communal living spaces, where they can support each other emotionally and materially, sharing skills, resources, and information. One such group is the Commune at Vigil City, which is located towards the Northern edge of the city's reaches. There is a massive cavern underneath a dreary office park, and the structures that stretch above also delve below. It is a vertically-hanging housing project, each tower a stalactite filled with lives. And around it all, shimmering memoria like one thousand thousand eyes in the dark: A resource that Stel Columnar would do anything to get hold of. 301st Appraisal Unit: Before the Columnar commits the resources necessary to take something for their own, this small reconnaissance unit comprised of soldiers, engineers, and academics needs to find it 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. It was originally part of the Exemplar. Millennium Break: Dissidents, idealogues, rebels, and mercenaries launch a revolution from a state-of-the-art mobile fortress. They agree on little, except this: It is time for a new Millennium. 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. Lambic House: A group of beer-brewing monks who both operate a brewery and manage a sizable civilian settlement deep in the mountains of the Pique Ridge. Part of the Shepherd's Crook. 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 Mysteries Metronomica/ "Metronomica"/"The Cult of Perennial": Guided by the paradoxical belief in historical cycles and radical freedom, the Isles of Logos offers this faith of the Adversary, Perennial, perhaps the only safe ground in the entire galaxy. The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they're utilized by their commanding officer, Tes'ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation. The Sable Court: Some say that on dark nights, they have seen these Ashen witches on the eastern edge of Lake Timea, horns and antlers glittering in the light of Girandole. Some even say that a former elect walks among them. Heresy, all of it. Company of the Spade: A veteran mercenary unit founded by space miners who learned how to pilot Hollows in the most dangerous of settings. They've been brought to Partizan to combine both types of expertise. The Oxblood Clan: What started as a group of orphans turned into a labor guild and criminal enterprise with connections across Partizan. Occasionally run rough-and-tumble military ops for extra cash. Allies with SBBR. //People\\ Kenzington "Kenzi" Be (she/her): Commanding Officer of the Columnar 301st Appraisal Unit. Has legs that can fold down into tank treds--in some ways, she looks like the humanoid version of Broun's mech, the Three Cheers! Has a long oval torso and a totally spherical head with dozens of cameras on it that sort of extends from her torso. Quintessence "Tessence" Rey (he/him): A young member of the secret Equiaxed commune in Vigil City, Tessence is the community's only remaining military defender. In his custom Kosmos unit, he has helped defend his family and friends from Columnar aggression numerous times. He did, however, have a card up his sleeve: An EDICT system, kept in operating condition since the time of the Divine Clash, through a combination of cleverness, effort, and good luck. Apparatus Aperitif (they/them): Logos City, the largest

A week away from the moon of Partizan, a vessel rare in its luxury and power orbited the Portcullis which connects this provincial system to the rest of the empire. Inside, the living leaders of the Pact of Necessary Venture conferred with the sort of secrecy afforded only to the truly powerful. Their question: What was to be done about Millennium Break? On paper, the two groups had great reason to despise each other: Gur Sevraq had robbed the Pact of a Divine, killing its elect and a former elect of Past in the process. The Pact had attacked Valence's homeworld, and disregarded the authority of the True Divine. Motion had been bested by the Rapid Evening, and found herself a rival in Ver'Million Blue--a rivalry felt in the jealous heart of Motion's new elect, a young, yet intuitive Apostolosian commander known to be attentive and authoritative in equal measure. And yet, it was clear that the group was a potential ally in the struggle against the Princepts' endless war and the Principality's outmoded system of governance. But should the Pact offer quiet support? Should they go public and join the Break in the trenches? Perhaps they should simply infiltrate the group and help shape them towards the Pact's needs. It was Gallica, elect of Present, who determined the plan of action, and Gallica, thus, who would deliver the offer. The only question was whether Millennium Break understood the precarious position they rested in well enough to make the right decision. This week on PARTIZAN: Courage in the Shadow of Opportunity ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ The Pact of Necessary Venture: Though they trace their lineage back to an exploratory committee founded in the late 14th century of the Perfect Millenium, the Pact was not made in earnest until five years ago in 1418 PM, soon after hostilities began between Kesh and Apostolos. It's original leadership committee, Plumeria, Gallica, Myosotis, Rye, and Hyacinth determined that to ensure the future stability of the Principality, the Pact would establish a power base in the Scutum–Centaurus arm, amass a vast fleet using the unexploited resources there, and sweep both princepts out of power, replacing the role with a five-part council representing each Stel equally. Each was an elect: Plumeria the elect of Past, Gallica of Present, Myosotis of Future, Rye of Space, and Hyacinth of Motion. Plumeria and Myosotis were killed during Gur Sevraq's theft of the Divine Future. Plumeria's successor, Cymbidium, was killed when Past crashed into the sands of the Prophet's Path. Hyacinth was killed in combat by the Rapid Evening, but has already been replaced. 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. It was originally part of the Exemplar. Millennium Break: Dissidents, idealogues, rebels, and mercenaries launch a revolution from a state-of-the-art mobile fortress. They agree on little, except this: It is time for a new Millennium. 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. Lambic House: A group of beer-brewing monks who both operate a brewery and manage a sizable civilian settlement deep in the mountains of the Pique Ridge. Part of the Shepherd's Crook. 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 Mysteries Metronomica/ "Metronomica"/"The Cult of Perennial": Guided by the paradoxical belief in historical cycles and radical freedom, the Isles of Logos offers this faith of the Adversary, Perennial, perhaps the only safe ground in the entire galaxy. The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they're utilized by their commanding officer, Tes'ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation. The Sable Court: Some say that on dark nights, they have seen these Ashen witches on the eastern edge of Lake Timea, horns and antlers glittering in the light of Girandole. Some even say that a former elect walks among them. Heresy, all of it. Company of the Spade: A veteran mercenary unit founded by space miners who learned how to pilot Hollows in the most dangerous of settings. They've been brought to Partizan to combine both types of expertise. The Oxblood Clan: What started as a group of orphans turned into a labor guild and criminal enterprise with connections across Partizan. Occasionally run rough-and-tumble military ops for extra cash. Allies with SB

One might think that, with elections behind them, Millennium Break would turn its full attention outwards, towards the world it was trying to change. Instead, like an athlete determined to operate at peak performance, it turned further inward. Bringing democracy onboard Icebreaker was all well and good. A solid first step. But what was to be done about Clementine Kesh? What was to be done about those who would send fellow revolutionaries to die instead of stand with their comrades? What would be done about those who abetted the reactionaries? They set the world on fire in the name of justice only to ask: What might justice look like? This week on PARTIZAN: Millennium Break: The First and Second Arrests of Clementine Kesh ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ 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. It was originally part of the Exemplar. Millennium Break: Dissidents, idealogues, rebels, and mercenaries launch a revolution from a state-of-the-art mobile fortress. They agree on little, except this: It is time for a new Millennium. 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. Lambic House: A group of beer-brewing monks who both operate a brewery and manage a sizable civilian settlement deep in the mountains of the Pique Ridge. Part of the Shepherd's Crook. 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 Mysteries Metronomica/ "Metronomica"/"The Cult of Perennial": Guided by the paradoxical belief in historical cycles and radical freedom, the Isles of Logos offers this faith of the Adversary, Perennial, perhaps the only safe ground in the entire galaxy. The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they're utilized by their commanding officer, Tes'ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation. The Sable Court: Some say that on dark nights, they have seen these Ashen witches on the eastern edge of Lake Timea, horns and antlers glittering in the light of Girandole. Some even say that a former elect walks among them. Heresy, all of it. Company of the Spade: A veteran mercenary unit founded by space miners who learned how to pilot Hollows in the most dangerous of settings. They've been brought to Partizan to combine both types of expertise. The Oxblood Clan: What started as a group of orphans turned into a labor guild and criminal enterprise with connections across Partizan. Occasionally run rough-and-tumble military ops for extra cash. Allies with SBBR. //People\\ Sloe Uplight (he/him): His business card says "Private Historian," his parlor rooms' security system says "information broker," and his grinning mouth says "no difference." A Kesh academic turned freelance fixer. Now, his attention has turned to Millennium Break. Quintessence "Tessence" Rey (he/him): A young member of the secret Equiaxed commune in Vigil City, Tessence is the community's only remaining military defender. In his custom Kosmos unit, he has helped defend his family and friends from Columnar aggression numerous times. He did, however, have a card up his sleeve. Jesset City (he/him): Previously worked for Adamant Arms and Manufacturing, Jesset became full time Oxblood Clan lieutenant (and rising star) after his participation in the fateful mission in Obelle, and solidified his status as a leader after the assault on Orzen. Expert technician, rapidly developing hollow pilot, and Cipher Certified by Stel Nideo. Utilizes prostheses on his right arm, switching between an affordable myoelectric model with grip hooks and a custom model specifically designed for interfacing with a hollow cockpit. 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. Representative of the Mysteries Metronomica onboard Icebreaker Prime. Gur Sevraq (he/them): Leader of the Church of the Resin Heart. Miracle worker. Currently on board Icebreaker Prime. Has possession of the Divine Future, which gives them startling prescience and the ability to imagine futures outside of the confines of the hegemonic and imperialist world around him. Si'dra Balos (Si/Si's, they/them): During their time in a communications division of the Apostolosian Navy, Si'dra saw the cost o

Word traveled fast: The Oxblood Clan had demanded elections, and whether they'd get them had become the talk of all Icebreaker. For the hundreds on board familiar with the guild's practices, Oxblood's insistence was no surprise. The group was famous for deciding on things "as a family," which meant a mix of extempore votes on the shop floor and regular elections for key decision-making roles throughout the organization. But the degree to which the entire fortress had been consumed with the question? That was a surprise. The scale of Oxblood's representation on board was part of that. In a crew of over a thousand, they made up a solid block of a few hundred, and that meant that a whisper was heard as a galewind. Within a day, a game of telephone (and the Oxblood reputation for drama) had transformed the election fliers into "fires," demands written in burning oil across the topdeck. But it was also due to the novelty. While many had brushed against lowercase D democracy in their daily lives--whether that was reading about the (mostly appointed) Kesh legislature's referendum votes or deciding which Zenith Fund research project to donate auxiliary processing hours to--many of those onboard had never even considered the possibility that their opinion should matter as much as anyone else's. But that novelty was a double edged sword. Stark and stolid hierarchies had extended the Principality for over 5,000 years. What if this voting thing was a little more than a fad? A small worm chewing away in the brain of the newly free. "You are not worth it," it says. "Return to the dirt." This week on PARTIZAN: Who Will Lead Millennium Break? ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ 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. It was originally part of the Exemplar. Millennium Break: Dissidents, idealogues, rebels, and mercenaries launch a revolution from a state-of-the-art mobile fortress. They agree on little, except this: It is time for a new Millennium. 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. Lambic House: A group of beer-brewing monks who both operate a brewery and manage a sizable civilian settlement deep in the mountains of the Pique Ridge. Part of the Shepherd's Crook. 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 Mysteries Metronomica/ "Metronomica"/"The Cult of Perennial": Guided by the paradoxical belief in historical cycles and radical freedom, the Isles of Logos offers this faith of the Adversary, Perennial, perhaps the only safe ground in the entire galaxy. Though colloquially referred to as "the cult of Perennial," a title that many group members accept with a sort of sardonic pride, the full name of the group is the Mysteries Metronomica, or simply Metronomica. Both Metronomica's theology and praxis center on the ideas of eternal recurrence, historical cycles (large and small), and the impossibility of stability. History will turn, and they will help it on its way. Their relationship with Perennial gives them a unique relationship to the Perennial Wave. The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they're utilized by their commanding officer, Tes'ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation. The Sable Court: Some say that on dark nights, they have seen these Ashen witches on the eastern edge of Lake Timea, horns and antlers glittering in the light of Girandole. Some even say that a former elect walks among them. Heresy, all of it. Company of the Spade: A veteran mercenary unit founded by space miners who learned how to pilot Hollows in the most dangerous of settings. They've been brought to Partizan to combine both types of expertise. The Oxblood Clan: What started as a group of orphans turned into a labor guild and criminal enterprise with connections across Partizan. Occasionally run rough-and-tumble military ops for extra cash. Allies with SBBR. //People\\ Jesset City (he/him): Previously worked for Adamant Arms and Manufacturing, Jesset became full time Oxblood Clan lieutenant (and rising star) after his participation in the fateful mission in Obelle, and solidified his status as a leader after the assault on Orzen. Expert technician, rapidly developing hollow pilot, and Cipher Certified by Stel Nideo. Utilizes prostheses on his right arm, switching between an affordable my

First off, a quick note of thanks to everyone who has already contributed to our fundraising efforts for Reclaim the Block, The Bail Project, BYP100, and The Marshall Project, which we announced last week. Thanks to your donations we've raised over $70,000 for these causes, which is INCREDIBLE. But the sale continues. You can go to friendsatthetable.itch.io to contribute. Let's push for $100k! At peak operating efficiency, Icebreaker Prime can comfortably house almost 10,000 soldiers, sailors, and service members, with plenty of room to train, work, and even relax. But here, in the middle of the Prophet's Sea, far from the Apostolosian supply lines for which it was built, and still badly damaged from Kesh's dramatic assault months prior, Icebreaker Prime is anything but operating at peak efficiency. From rations to rifles, the storehouses grow emptier by the day. Entire decks are off limits, flooded or worse. The technicians are still figuring out how the engine actually works--which means they're far from understanding how to totally fix it. The fortress is mighty, yet thin: a single attack could mean its end. And so, the revolutionaries of Millennium Break need to make a choice. Do they aim their weapons on the un- and underprotected vessels of the planet's richest Stels? Do they dare let loose the notorious pirate, Exeter Leap? Or do they scrimp and save, maintaining on what little they have, turning to violence only when absolutely necessary, or when safety is guaranteed.. This week on PARTIZAN: Forward, to Piracy (Sharp Tensions Across Tremulous Seas) ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ Stel Kesh: The oldest established power in the galaxy, built around a stuffy (and secretive) aristocracy. They are tied to the Past. History, knowledge, stubbornness. Stel Nideo: Created the largest faith in the empire, and used that influence to shape (and surveil) mass culture. They are tied to the Present. Faith, coercion, stability. Stel Orion: An industrial giant that controls more literal space than any other Stel, yet is also the most fragmented and unstable. They are tied to Space. Wealth, labor, expansion. Stel Columnar: A fence-sitting democracy, made up largely of synthetics on the cutting edge of technology, art, politics, and war. They are tied to the Future. Innovation, style, cowardice. Stel Apostolos: A dynamic and diverse military powerhouse, guided by an iconic, but controversial leader. They are tied to Motion. Speed, change, violence. Scrivener's Guild: An organization of (armed) clerks who mediate negotiations, draft contracts, and keep records of all industrial, commercial, and private business operations with Orion-aligned organizations. Unhappy with SBBR's performance. The Church of Received Asterism: The most widely practiced faith in the galaxy, and one of the earliest major organizations in the Divine Principality, created at the beginning of the Miraculous Millenium, over 3000 years ago. Teaches that Divines, the immortal machines and mechs that helped establish the Principality's hold on the galaxy, reflect the best aspects of the state itself. The divine Strength, in other words, is like a living flag of the Principality's own strength. Organized as a central church, led by a religious leader named a "Cycle," whose will is enacted across the Principality by their many "Songs," who rule worlds, star systems, or sometimes entire constellations. The Church of Progressive Asterism: Created as the teachings of the prophet Logos Kantel grew in popularity 1000 years ago, and made a secondary state religion in order to prevent a large schism. Teaches that Divines are true embodiments of their names, and that the citizens and states of the Principality should look to them as guiding stars. The Divine Strength, in other words, is a reflection of strength itself, or maybe "god's strength," and we should aspire to make our strength look like the divine's. Unlike Received Asterism, there is no single central church, but hundreds of smaller sects, schools, and cults, each devoted to individual Divines, grouped sub-pantheons, or otherwise adjusted beliefs. 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 core tenets and practices of the Disciples of Logos are built around aspiration, actualization, and "progression" from one's current self (or from society's current state) to a future one. To encourage that process of change, the Disciples of Logos offer services like tutoring, transport, medical aid, shelter, and counseling to those on their journeys. 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

Hey everyone, Austin here. Today's episode kicks off an eight episode run tracing the revolutionary movement on Partizan that formed at the end of the previous episode.We'll be playing (butchering?) the Kingdom 2nd Edition playtest by Ben Robbins. Below, you can find all the standard info that is in an episode dossier, but in lieu of a traditional description, I wanted to use this space to let you know about an initiative that we're kicking off today. As the themes of our show have probably illustrated, all of us on this show are deeply invested in issues of justice and equality. We all stand behind the protests that have emerged across the country and world demanding justice for the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Tayler, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless others who have been taken from us. It has given us a great deal of hope to see so many rally against a culture of white supremacy and cruel, violent, and negligent policing. To that end, we're donating $5,000 to a few groups, listed below, to help them in their fight against injustice. We'd love it if you could help us raise even more. To help encourage that, we've worked with the artists and organizers of all four of the previous Friends at the Table fan zines to get permission to offer digital copies of those zines to help raise money. It's an INCREDIBLE collection of work from over 100 artists, and you can get them all right here. We're also offering the three completed Friends at the Table Patreon postcard sets digitally for the first time ever, at a greatly reduced price from their original month-to-month cost. To check all of this out, just go to friendsatthetable.itch.io. You can pick up any of the zines for $10, each of the postcard sets for $50, or the entire bundle for a flat $150. Finally, if you're reading this today (June 5th, 2020), then that means that Bandcamp is waiving their fees on all purchases. And because of that, Jack will be donating any money from purchases of Friends at the Table soundtracks or anything else on their Bandcamp (notquitereal.bandcamp.com) today. So that's another way you can support this drive. About the Groups We're Supporting Reclaim the Block began in 2018 and organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city's budget that truly promote community health and safety. They believe health, safety and resiliency exist without police of any kind. They organize around policies that strengthen community-led safety initiatives and reduce reliance on police departments. They do not believe that increased regulation of or public engagement with the police will lead to safer communities, as community testimony and documented police conduct suggest otherwise. Black Youth Project 100 is a national, member-based organization of Black 18-35 year old activists and organizers, dedicated to creating justice and freedom for all Black people. They do this through building a network focused on transformative leadership development, direct action organizing, advocacy, and political education using a Black queer feminist lens. BYP100 has chapters in Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin. The Bail Project is a national nonprofit organization that provides free bail assistance and pre-trial support to thousands of low-income people every year while advocating for dramatic transformation of the current criminal justice system. The Marshall Project is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system. Again, you can support this initiative by going to friendsatthetable.itch.io. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this week's episode. ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ Stel Kesh: The oldest established power in the galaxy, built around a stuffy (and secretive) aristocracy. They are tied to the Past. History, knowledge, stubbornness. Stel Nideo: Created the largest faith in the empire, and used that influence to shape (and surveil) mass culture. They are tied to the Present. Faith, coercion, stability. Stel Orion: An industrial giant that controls more literal space than any other Stel, yet is also the most fragmented and unstable. They are tied to Space. Wealth, labor, expansion. Stel Columnar: A fence-sitting democracy, made up largely of synthetics on the cutting edge of technology, art, politics, and war. They are tied to the Future. Innovation, style, cowardice. Stel Apostolos: A dynamic and diverse military powerhouse, guided by an iconic, but controversial leader. They are tied to Motion. Speed, change, violence. Scrivener's Guild: An organization of (armed) clerks who mediate negotiations, draft contracts, and keep records of all industrial, commercial, and private business operations with Orion-aligned organizations. Unhappy with SBBR's performance. The Church of Received A

The town of Rezevi is quiet, most days. Five years ago, when the war with Kesh first kicked off, the sleepy fishing town's residents wondered if their lives would be shaken by the conflict. But as an Apostolosian town, the demands of war--mandatory service, expectation of quarter, junior and senior reserve duty--were already stitched into daily life. In reality, it simply meant that their assigned fishing quotas raised a bit. But over the last week, a shocking number of strangers have passed through Rezevi, offering high-tech military scrap in exchange for necessities like bedding, fuel, and chowder. What the citizens of Rezevi do not know, of course, is that the now-invisible Icebreaker Prime sits in the sea a few hours away, where the Rapid Evening licks its wounds and prepares to play host to rebels, revolutionaries, and radicals the likes of which Clementine Kesh could hardly imagine. This week on PARTIZAN: On the Eve of Revolution ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ 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. Lambic House: A group of beer-brewing monks who both operate a brewery and manage a sizable civilian settlement deep in the mountains of the Pique Ridge. Part of the Shepherd's Crook. The Shepherd's Crook: A sect inside of Received Asterism which began soon after the founding of the church as a collection of monks who provided safety and service to then-new colonies… in exchange for wealth and power. Though their extortionist tendencies (and military might) was reined in by the central church, they remain a group focused on local communities rather than central bureaucracy or dogma. They've also become the home of the Sovereign Immunities, an elite rank of political advisor which carries the freedom to speak directly when others would be censored and which is offered a high degree of diplomatic immunity. The Pact of Necessary Venture: Though they trace their lineage back to an exploratory committee founded in the late 14th century of the Perfect Millenium, the Pact was not made in earnest until five years ago in 1418 PM, soon after hostilities began between Kesh and Apostolos. It's original leadership committee, Plumeria, Gallica, Myosotis, Rye, and Hyacinth determined that to ensure the future stability of the Principality, the Pact would establish a power base in the Scutum–Centaurus arm, amass a vast fleet using the unexploited resources there, and sweep both princepts out of power, replacing the role with a five-part council representing each Stel equally. The Curtain of Divinity: Though Kesh is technically governed through an elaborate parliamentary democracy, the truth is that The Curtain of Divinity, a secretive organization inside of the Stel (and with agents across all of the Principality), serves as the actual power behind the throne. Knowledge of the Curtain is carefully guarded, and its membership is even further protected. Was originally established to rein in the Principality's most tyrannical institutions and encourage growth and equity over generations, while hiding the truth of what lied beyond the Scutum-Centaurus Portcullis. Over time, their more noble aims were eroded, and only this final goal remained, along with a much more selfish goal of controlling the state. Is currently in a silent war against the Pact of Necessary Venture. The Mysteries Metronomica/ "Metronomica"/"The Cult of Perennial": Guided by the paradoxical belief in historical cycles and radical freedom, the Isles of Logos offers this faith of the Adversary, Perennial, perhaps the only safe ground in the entire galaxy. Though colloquially referred to as "the cult of Perennial," a title that many group members accept with a sort of sardonic pride, the full name of the group is the Mysteries Metronomica, or simply Metronomica. Both Metronomica's theology and praxis center on the ideas of eternal recurrence, historical cycles (large and small), and the impossibility of stability. History will turn, and they will help it on its way. Their relationship with Perennial gives them a unique relationship to the Perennial Wave. The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they're utilized by their commanding officer, Tes'ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation. The Sable Court: Some say that on dark nights, they have seen these Ashen witches on the eastern edge of Lake Timea, horns and antlers glittering in the light of Girandole. Some even say that a former elect walks among them. Heresy, all of it. Company of the Spade: A veteran mercenary unit founded by space miners who learned how to pilot Hollows in the most dangerous of settings. They've been brought to Partizan to combine both types of expertise. The Oxblood Clan: What started as a group of orphans turned into a labor guild and criminal ente

After a stunning victory in Orzen, the Society of Banners and Bright Returns must now face the cold light of day. Bodies wounded, hollows damaged, and reputations scarred, Broun, Thisbe, and Valence recuperate as best they can. But as the war becomes ever more complicated, and as new expectations are placed on them, tensions raise from a simmer to a boil. This week on PARTIZAN: On the Edge of Fracture ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ Stel Kesh: The oldest established power in the galaxy, built around a stuffy (and secretive) aristocracy. They are tied to the Past. History, knowledge, stubbornness. Stel Nideo: Created the largest faith in the empire, and used that influence to shape (and surveil) mass culture. They are tied to the Present. Faith, coercion, stability. Stel Orion: An industrial giant that controls more literal space than any other Stel, yet is also the most fragmented and unstable. They are tied to Space. Wealth, labor, expansion. Stel Columnar: A fence-sitting democracy, made up largely of synthetics on the cutting edge of technology, art, politics, and war. They are tied to the Future. Innovation, style, cowardice. Stel Apostolos: A dynamic and diverse military powerhouse, guided by an iconic, but controversial leader. They are tied to Motion. Speed, change, violence. Scrivener's Guild: An organization of (armed) clerks who mediate negotiations, draft contracts, and keep records of all industrial, commercial, and private business operations with Orion-aligned organizations. Unhappy with SBBR's performance. The Oxblood Clan: What started as a group of orphans turned into a labor guild and criminal enterprise with connections across Partizan. Occasionally run rough-and-tumble military ops for extra cash. Allies with SBBR. The Curtain of Divinity: Though Kesh is technically governed through an elaborate parliamentary democracy, the truth is that The Curtain of Divinity, a secretive organization inside of the Stel (and with agents across all of the Principality), serves as the actual power behind the throne. Knowledge of the Curtain is carefully guarded, and its membership is even further protected. Was originally established to rein in the Principality's most tyrannical institutions and encourage growth and equity over generations, while hiding the truth of what lied beyond the Scutum-Centaurus Portcullis. Over time, their more noble aims were eroded, and only this final goal remained, along with a much more selfish goal of controlling the state. The Pact of Necessary Venture: Though they trace their lineage back to an exploratory committee founded in the late 14th century of the Perfect Millenium, the Pact was not made in earnest until five years ago in 1418 PM, soon after hostilities began between Kesh and Apostolos. It's original leadership committee, ████████, ███████, ████████, ███, and ████████ determined that to ensure the future stability of the Principality,the Pact would establish a power base in the Scutum–Centaurus arm, amass a vast fleet using the unexploited resources there, and sweep both princepts out of power, █████████ ███ ████ ████ █ █████████ ███████ ████████████ ████ ████ ███████. 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 by the Pact of Necessary Venture, though who specifically ordered the attack is still unknown. The majority of Nobel worship the same God as the Disciples of Logos, though the specifics of each faith remain unique. They are gaseous, telepathic beings who often use mechanical bodies in order to interact with other sorts of people. The Church of Received Asterism: The most widely practiced faith in the galaxy, and one of the earliest major organizations in the Divine Principality, created at the beginning of the Miraculous Millenium, over 3000 years ago. Teaches that Divines, the immortal machines and mechs that helped establish the Principality's hold on the galaxy, reflect the best aspects of the state itself. The divine Strength, in other words, is like a living flag of the Principality's own strength. Organized as a central church, led by a religious leader named a "Cycle," whose will is enacted across the Principality by their many "Songs," who rule worlds, star systems, or sometimes entire constellations. The Church of Progressive Asterism: Created as the teachings of the prophet Logos Kantel grew in popularity 1000 years ago, and made a secondary state religion in order to prevent a large schism. Teaches that Divines are true embodiments of their names, and that the citizens and states of the Principality should look to them as guiding stars. The Divine Strength, in other words, is a reflection of strength itself, or maybe "god's strength," and we should aspire to make our strength look like the divine's. Unlike Received Asterism, there is

In the valley where Juniper lies along a slight river, the Divine Motion has brought her enduring velocity to bear. In front of her, the vanguard of her Black Century, the tip of an endless spear. Behind her, the vast machinery of the greatest military power in the history of life itself. And in her sights, unworthy prey: The Rapid Evening, a group sent to die for an empire they don't believe in and fractured even in their seditious ambitions. This week on PARTIZAN: BITTER AIR - COMBUSTION ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they're utilized by their commanding officer, Tes'ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation. The Black Century: Infamous retinue of the Divine Motion. Each member of this 100-person company serves for 100 years. Motion guarantees them this service. House Whitestar: A generation ago, House Whitestar was a footnote: A noble house in name alone, with an ancient (and novel) connection to Apostolos. But then a scion of their house was elected as Princept. Now, they have a little weight to throw around and a chip on their shoulder. Home to the virtuoso strategist Lucia Whitestar. House Chasmata: The Chasmata family has governed Stel Kesh's holdings for as long as Kesh has had holdings on Partizan. But in the last century, the family seems more interested in an archeological dig in the northern ice cap than in managing its estates. This has not, unfortunately for Apostolos, limited the amount of military might that Chasmata can bring to bear in an emergency. The Pact of Necessary Venture: The Pact of Necessary Venture: Though they trace their lineage back to an exploratory committee founded in the late 14th century of the Perfect Millenium, the Pact was not made in earnest until five years ago in 1418 PM, soon after hostilities began between Kesh and Apostolos. It's original leadership committee, ████████, ███████, ████████, ███, and Hyacinth determined that to ensure the future stability of the Principality, ███ ████ █████ █████████ █ █████ ████ ██ ███ ████████████████ ███, █████ a vast fleet █████ ███ ███████████ █████████ █████, ███ █████ ████ ████████ ███ ██ █████, █████████ ███ ████ ████ █ █████████ ███████ ████████████ ████ ████ ███████. //People\\ Tes'ili Serikos (they/them, tes/tes'): This Apostolosian transport specialist, black marketeer, and Tes'ili Serikos can get just about anything just about anywhere, for a price. Short, round, fuzzy, and good natured… unless you screw tes over. A.O. Rooke (he/him): Former Stel Orion mercenary, now commander of the Rapid Evening's "toughs" squad. Hyacinth (they/them): Elect of Motion. Serving in their 99th year, Hyacinth is nearing the end of their tenure in the Black Century. Gur Sevraq (he/them): Leader of the Church of the Resin Heart. Reported miracle worker. Currently in Rapid Evening custody. Has possession of the Divine Future, which gives them startling prescience and the ability to imagine futures outside of the confines of the hegemonic and imperialist world around him. Lucia Whitestar (she/her): "Lady Whitestar" is Clementine's peer, emerging strategic genius, and eighth in line to the throne of Princept. Leading the operation to breach Fort Icebreaker. Alberz Chasmata (he/him): Lord Chasmata operates all of his house's military operations on Partizan. Given the house's military strength, that makes him among the moon's most influential people. //Places\\ Fort Icebreaker: Fort Icebreaker isn't a fort so much as what might be called the "main line of resistance" separating Kesh from Apostolos across a 500 mile stretch of Partizan. Despite its name, Fort Icebreaker comprises hundreds of military facilities, including watchtowers, artillery emplacements, anti-armor barriers, an array of advanced surveillance systems, and 12 major bases. That isn't to say that there isn't also A Fort Icebreaker, though: Icebreaker Prime is real and it is massive, an arsenal, garrison, airfield, and a firebase all rolled into one. Worse: It moves. Icebreaker Prime is a rumbling land carrier which prowls the tundra armed with innumerable weapons and housing over ten thousand of Apostolos' most skilled soldiers. And, worst of all, it does not only move across the ground, but below it, too. Point Juniper: One of the two central bases in Fort Icebreaker's long line, but also the weakest of them. Partially, that's because any base with a river running through it is going to be weaker by virtue of being a little more porous. But also because, as one of the central fortresses, it's also one of the most easily reinforced. Barranca: To the north of Obelle lies the Apostolosian province of Barranca, where mediterranian subtropical shores give way to a vast latticework of ravines and crags. There, military bases and civilian settlements sit in the crooks and alcoves, shaded by high canyon walls. Rising above it all is the famed Barra

At the northwest reaches of the extended defensive perimeter known as Fort Icebreaker, Kesh brigades engage in a feint so convincing that the graves have already been dug. To the southeast, the bulk of the Stel's might on Partizan waits for the signal to roll through the weakest point in Apostolos' line. And in the middle, as if the axle of a wheel, is the Rapid Evening, a river, and a bastion called Juniper. Here rests the fate of the early days of this new offensive. From the hills to the south, the fog begins to roll in. This week on PARTIZAN: BITTER AIR - THREECARD ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they're utilized by their commanding officer, Tes'ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation. The Black Century: Infamous retinue of the Divine Motion. Each member of this 100-person company serves for 100 years. Motion guarantees them this service. House Whitestar: A generation ago, House Whitestar was a footnote: A noble house in name alone, with an ancient (and novel) connection to Apostolos. But then a scion of their house was elected as Princept. Now, they have a little weight to throw around and a chip on their shoulder. Home to the virtuoso strategist Lucia Whitestar. House Chasmata: The Chasmata family has governed Stel Kesh's holdings for as long as Kesh has had holdings on Partizan. But in the last century, the family seems more interested in an archeological dig in the northern ice cap than in managing its estates. This has not, unfortunately for Apostolos, limited the amount of military might that Chasmata can bring to bear in an emergency. //People\\ Tes'ili Serikos (they/them, tes/tes'): This Apostolosian transport specialist, black marketeer, and Tes'ili Serikos can get just about anything just about anywhere, for a price. Short, round, fuzzy, and good natured… unless you screw tes over. A.O. Rooke (he/him): Former Stel Orion mercenary, now commander of the Rapid Evening's "toughs" squad. Hyacinth (they/them): Elect of Motion. Serving in their 99th year, Hyacinth is nearing the end of their tenure in the Black Century. Gur Sevraq (he/them): Leader of the Church of the Resin Heart. Reported miracle worker. Currently in Rapid Evening custody. Has possession of the Divine Future, which gives them startling prescience and the ability to imagine futures outside of the confines of the hegemonic and imperialist world around him. Lucia Whitestar (she/her): "Lady Whitestar" is Clementine's peer, emerging strategic genius, and eighth in line to the throne of Princept. Leading the operation to breach Fort Icebreaker. Alberz Chasmata (he/him): Lord Chasmata operates all of his house's military operations on Partizan. Given the house's military strength, that makes him among the moon's most influential people. //Places\\ Fort Icebreaker: Fort Icebreaker isn't a fort so much as what might be called the "main line of resistance" separating Kesh from Apostolos across a 500 mile stretch of Partizan. Despite its name, Fort Icebreaker comprises hundreds of military facilities, including watchtowers, artillery emplacements, anti-armor barriers, an array of advanced surveillance systems, and 12 major bases. That isn't to say that there isn't also A Fort Icebreaker, though: Icebreaker Prime is real and it is massive, an arsenal, garrison, airfield, and a firebase all rolled into one. Worse: It moves. Icebreaker Prime is a rumbling land carrier which prowls the tundra armed with innumerable weapons and housing over ten thousand of Apostolos' most skilled soldiers. And, worst of all, it does not only move across the ground, but below it, too. Point Juniper: One of the two central bases in Fort Icebreaker's long line, but also the weakest of them. Partially, that's because any base with a river running through it is going to be weaker by virtue of being a little more porous. But also because, as one of the central fortresses, it's also one of the most easily reinforced. Barranca: To the north of Obelle lies the Apostolosian province of Barranca, where mediterranian subtropical shores give way to a vast latticework of ravines and crags. There, military bases and civilian settlements sit in the crooks and alcoves, shaded by high canyon walls. Rising above it all is the famed Barranca Loop, a massive suspended cable system that runs up above the atmosphere like a giant bridge, and which allows Apostolos to launch ships and cargo into space. Heavily patrolled and under complete control of Stel Apostolos. The Verglaz Taiga: Wrapped around the northern latitudes of Partizan, the Verglaz is a beauty to take in, at least from the comfort of the palatial Kesh estates which dot its wooded expanses. From the smaller villages and towns, where feudal tenants huddle for warmth in the snow, whatever aesthetic pleasure the taiga may offer the rich is lost. In the south west, though, a new source of w

In the weeks since Kesh's new offensive into Apostolos territory, little has changed besides the quantity of weekly war casualties. Halting Kesh's push is Fort Icebreaker, a massive defensive line composed of a dozen smaller forts, an intricate tunnel system, and a massive moving fortress called Icebreaker Prime which stalks along the border, rejecting any intruders with overwhelming force. But that will change today, says Kesh leadership. Organized by tactical prodigy Lucia Whitestar, a complex ploy is put into action. House Chasmata, strongest of Kesh's noble families on Partizan, will lead their vast ground force in a feint maneuver to Icebreaker's northwest edge. Lucia, meanwhile, will lead the combined forces of the remaining houses at the Fort's opposite end in the southeast. It's an old plan, one that hasn't worked in five years of war, nor the occasional skirmish prior. But this time, there is a final twist: The Rapid Evening. Driven into the fray by A.O. Rooke's boisterous bragging, the group has been given a difficult task: Capture one of the smaller fortresses in the center of the defensive line and hold the returning Icebreaker Prime for long enough that Lucia's army can breach the southern defenses and finally secure a foothold deeper into Apostolosian territory. WIth the gravity of the task at hand, the members of the Rapid Evening look for any advantage they can get. Information. Family. Prayer. This week on PARTIZAN: BITTER AIR - BEHEST ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ Swordbreakers: Blessed by Commitment and led by Cas'alear Rizah, the adopted sibling of the Apokine & Princept, they're known across the war as legend killers who punch above their weight. Serpent's Head: Grand Admiral Phy'lon Antiphony and their fleet serves double duty as both naval powerhouse and lead diplomatic corp for Apostolos' forces on Partizan. They wear the name like a dare. House Whitestar: A generation ago, House Whitestar was a footnote: A noble house in name alone, with an ancient (and novel) connection to Apostolos. But then a scion of their house was elected as Princept. Now, they have a little weight to throw around and a chip on their shoulder. Home to the virtuoso strategist Lucia Whitestar. House Chasmata: The Chasmata family has governed Stel Kesh's holdings for as long as Kesh has had holdings on Partizan. But in the last century, the family seems more interested in an archeological dig in the northern ice cap than in managing its estates. This has not, unfortunately for Apostolos, limited the amount of military might that Chasmata can bring to bear in an emergency. The Curtain of Divinity: Though Kesh is technically governed through an elaborate parliamentary democracy, the truth is that The Curtain of Divinity, a secretive organization inside of the Stel (and with agents across all of the Principality), serves as the actual power behind the throne. Knowledge of the Curtain is carefully guarded, and its membership is even further protected. //People\\ Cas'alear Rizah (cas/cas', they/them): Leader of the Swordbreakers. Reputation as being beautiful and brave by allies, unflinching and unpredictable by foes. Pilots the notorious Ataraxia. Previously fought against the Oxblood Clan in Obelle and negotiated with Clementine Kesh during the recovery of Past. Crysanth Kesh (she/her): Clementine Kesh's mother. Third in line to the throne of Kesh. As Gabardine of the Curtain of Divinity, Crysanth is the highest ranking member of the Curtain on Partizan. Gur Sevraq (he/them): Leader of the Church of the Resin Heart. Reported miracle worker. Currently in Rapid Evening custody. Has possession of the Divine Future, which gives them startling prescience and the ability to imagine futures outside of the confines of the hegemonic and imperialist world around him. Lucia Whitestar (she/her): "Lady Whitestar" is Clementine's peer, emerging strategic genius, and eighth in line to the throne of Princept. Leading the operation to breach Fort Icebreaker. Alberz Chasmata (he/him): Lord Chasmata operates all of his house's military operations on Partizan. Given the house's military strength, that makes him among the moon's most influential people. //Places\\ Lion's Rest: A bustling seaside port town, housing hundreds of thousands of civilians along with the bulk of the Apostolosian navy and diplomatic forces. Fort Icebreaker: Fort Icebreaker isn't a fort so much as what might be called the "main line of resistance" separating Kesh from Apostolos across a 500 mile stretch of Partizan. Despite its name, Fort Icebreaker comprises hundreds of military facilities, including watchtowers, artillery emplacements, anti-armor barriers, an array of advanced surveillance systems, and 12 major bases. That isn't to say that there isn't also A Fort Icebreaker, though: Icebreaker Prime is real and it is massive, an arsenal, garrison, airfield, and a firebase all rolled into one. Worse: It moves. Icebreaker Prime is a rumbling land car

Content Warning: This episode features discussion of chemical warfare and suffocation. Deep in the Pique Ridge, at the back of a steephead valley, on the edge of the town of Orzen, under the Cathedral of Imperium is an archival facility filled with record of Partizan's greatest secrets. And in its halls, gunfire rings out as HORIZON leader Gucci Garantine, her bodyguard Thetonious, and their collaborator Valence attempt to breach the sanctum's innermost reaches. As below so above, as the ground shakes with the arrival of Orzen's noble defenders, Imperium's Plume, ready to drive HORIZON and their SBBR allies from the city. In the middle of it all, Jesset City and the Oxblood Clan, blooming radicals with a role assigned to them, and another they'd like to play. The stage is set. It is time to draw back the curtain. This week on PARTIZAN: A Revelation in Orzen ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ HORIZON: A radical-reformist group funded by Stel Kesh's House Brightline. Commanded on Partizan by Gucci Garantine. The Partizan Palace: The Palace provides citizens with authorized archival information, approved news reports, art, and entertainment determined to be canonical to the Divine Principality. Oxblood Clan: What started as a group of orphans turned into a labor guild and criminal enterprise with connections across Partizan. Occasionally run rough-and-tumble military ops for extra cash. Allies with SBBR. Imperium's Plume: A Hallow unit blessed by Imperium, one of the very first Divines of the Principality, tasked with inspiring support for Stel Nideo on Partizan by ensuring that even the home of Progressive Asterism remembers the strength of NIdeo's virtue. The Pact of Necessary Venture: Though they trace their lineage back to an exploratory committee founded in the late 14th century of the Perfect Millenium, the Pact was not made in earnest until five years ago in 1418 PM, soon after hostilities began between Kesh and Apostolos. It's original leadership committee, ████████, ███████, ████████, ███, and ████████ determined that to ensure the future stability of the Principality, ███ ████ █████ █████████ █ █████ ████ ██ ███ ████████████████ ███, █████ █ ████ █████ █████ ███ ███████████ █████████ █████, ███ █████ ████ ████████ ███ ██ █████, █████████ ███ ████ ████ █ █████████ ███████ ████████████ ████ ████ ███████. //People\\ Amber Haze (she/her): Leader of the Imperium's Plume rear guard unit. Wavy, blonde hair. Officer's uniform in the color of sunset, with a professional cut and adorned with medals awarded in service. Neck and jawline lined with metal. Pilots the Cadenza. Gucci Garantine (she/her): Leader of HORIZON's efforts on Partizan.. Jesset City (he/him): Oxblood Clan lieutenant, engineer, and pilot. Meridian Street (she/her) - Gucci Garantine's second in command in HORIZON. Dark lipstick, blue crewcut, expertise in matters logistical and military. Pilots a Yoke. Thetonious aka "Tone" (they/them) - Gucci's primary bodyguard, originally served in a Kesh military commando squad. Elite-class expertise in urban combat, infiltration, and rapid escalation tactics. //Places\\ Orzen: Deep in the mountains of the Pique Ridge, this city of 75,000 sits at the end of a box canyon. What started as a mining town grew to be a popular destination for both the religious and culturally inclined, as the city is home to a massive cathedral, Divine statuary, and one of the moon's largest theaters. //Divines\\ The Divine Imperium: One of the first Divines of the Principality. It has blessed its Hallowed with extended flight capabilities and, in some cases, a burning aura of authority. The Divine Cadence: There is a box on your desk. It is the same box as on hundreds of thousands of other desks across Partizan, regardless of Stel. When you press it, a smooth voice tells you tomorrow's weather, and then plays you a song. An old, familiar one, maybe. Or perhaps a new one, composed there and then, just for you. Your troubles leave your mind. //Things\\ The Portcullis System: Once, every 10 days, the Portcullis System activates. A hundred thousand of these massive structures, elongated, city-sized hexagons of stone and circuitry, shudder, shake, and howl all at once. And at the edge of every star system in the Divine Principality, a geyser of liquid energy, red and oppressive, explodes into darkness. Ships emerge from these crimson and white waves. Ships filled with medical supplies and mineral wealth, purveyors of faith and career politicians, censored information and refurbished war machines. The lifeblood of a vibrant, vicious empire. Zenith-N Cadenza: A prototype unit designed for Stel Nideo by the Columnar's Zenith Fund and now blessed by the Divine Imperium, this light Hallow moves with the sound of violins and strikes with the heat and violence of a volcanic eruption. The Cadenza was designed to harass units at midrange with its kusari-fundo-style, magnetic/propulsive chain whips for a long enough time that its shoul

Eager to refill their coffers, Kal'Mera Broun has brought SBBR to meet Kesh noble (and HORIZON commander) Gucci Garantine, who offers the group a daring opportunity to both make some money and get access--however temporary--to some Stel Nideo state secrets along the way. The target is a secure Palace facility in the canyon city of Orzen, where raw footage is given final review before being shipped off-world for permanent archival. But with Apostolos' Barranca Loop on lockdown, its harder than ever to get things off of Partizan, which means that more material than ever is available in the facility. Plus, with each Stel reinforcing their borders ahead of what feels like inevitable war, this city deep in the Pique Ridge has been left without its usual guards. Where once the noble hallows of Imperium's Plume guarded the people of Orzen (and the Palace staging facility hidden beneath the town), defense has now been contracted to a group of Oxblood Clan mercenaries. Oxblood clan mercenaries with motives and loyalties all their own... This week on PARTIZAN: Deception in the Canyon City ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ 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 Partizan Palace: Across Divinity, the Palace provides citizens with authorized archival information, approved news reports (kept up to date locally by the day, galactically by the week), and art and entertainment determined to be canonical to the Divine Principality. Oxblood Clan: What started as a group of orphans turned into a labor guild and criminal enterprise with connections across Partizan. Occasionally run rough-and-tumble military ops for extra cash. Allies with SBBR. Imperium's Plume: A Hallow unit blessed by Imperium, one of the very first Divines of the Principality, tasked with inspiring support for Stel Nideo on Partizan by ensuring that even the home of Progressive Asterism remembers the strength of NIdeo's virtue. //People\\ Gucci Garantine (she/her): AKA Saint Dawn. 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. Jesset City (he/him): Previously worked for Adamant Arms and Manufacturing, Jesset became full time Oxblood Clan lieutenant (and rising star) after his participation in the fateful mission in Obelle. Expert technician, rapidly developing hollow pilot, and Cipher Certified by Stel Nideo. Utilizes prostheses on his right arm, switching between an affordable myoelectric model with grip hooks and a custom model specifically designed for interfacing with a hollow cockpit. Pilots a Yoke. Meridian Street (she/her) - Gucci Garantine's second in command in HORIZON. Dark lipstick, blue crewcut, expertise in matters logistical and military. Pilots a Yoke. Thetonious aka "Tone" (they/them) - Gucci's bodyguard. Aram Nideo (he/him): Often called the "The Father of Asterism," Aram Nideo penned the "Many Stars Argument," which became the backbone not only for the Divine Principality's faith but also its governmental structure. Posthumously awarded Divine status. //Places\\ Pique Ridge: Territory controlled by Stel Nideo on Partizan. East of the Prophet's Sea, comprised of a mountain range which surrounds a vast, low bay. Orzen: Deep in the mountains of the Pique Ridge, this city of 75,000 sits at the end of a box canyon. What started as a mining town grew to be a popular destination for both the religious and culturally inclined, as the city is home to a massive cathedral, Divine statuary, and one of the moon's largest theaters. //Things\\ Perspective Bleeding: Once, before they were a Stel, the Columnar would collect and join together the thoughts of hundreds, thousands, or even millions, to arrive at policy decisions. This "Perspective Blending" was the heart of a democratic system that has been eradicated. In its place is the edgily-named "Perspective Bleeding," which offers a taste of that experience for just a few credits, if you know the right person. In Orzen, Gucci Garantine uses a Perspective Bleeding device not to relax or explore the consciousness of others, but to temporarily gain access to the skillset of someone else. Poetic Cipher: A security system used by Stel Nideo. Requires knowledge not only of up to date passcodes, but also a high level, intuitive understanding of poetic techniques, conventions, and history. Herd: Developed from the basic AdArm Troop design, the Herd's centaur like silhouette is famous to anyone who has faced off against Apostolos. The Troop's bipedal legs have been replaced with piston-driven, heavy quad legs that are able to shift betw

Content Warning: This episode features injury, surgery, and infection. With Gur Sevraq retrieved (and secreted away inside of the Winter Palace), the Rapid Evening ought to have earned themselves reprieve. But with the drums of war beating, an overeager member of the crew volunteers them for a difficult new mission. With this added pressure, Clementine Kesh pushes herself to get back on her feet as quickly as possible, while her crew uses what time they find to continue pursuing their own goals. This week on PARTIZAN: A Captive Audience ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ The Curtain of Divinity: Though Kesh is technically governed through an elaborate parliamentary democracy, the truth is that The Curtain of Divinity, a secretive organization inside of the Stel (and with agents across all of the Principality), serves as the actual power behind the throne. Knowledge of the Curtain is carefully guarded, and its membership is even further protected. It is unclear (even to the vast majority of the organization's members) how, when, and why the Curtain was founded, but its fundamental organizational hierarchy is a key part of one's induction into the society. The Curtain keeps a simple, cell-based hierarchy, with individual worlds reporting up to star sectors, which then report up to the highest tier of command. At each tier there may be countless operatives, but each reports to one of five key figures in their tier: The Silk: Minister in charge of Curtain diplomatic corps. Commands undercover agents who have infiltrated foreign governments. The Damask: Philosopher, theologian, and scientist whose purview is performing and obtaining heretical and otherwise forbidden material. The Lace: Marshall in command of the Curtain's military forces, including reconnaissance and martial saboteur units. The Linen: Steward, Quartermaster, Armorer, Bookkeeper. In charge of industrial espionage. The Gabardine: Chief spymaster, keeper of all information, and (traditionally) the executive who proposes large scale, cross-branch action. Each planet and/or sector has their own chief operatives in these roles, which roll up to the top, Divinity-wide tier. When referenced in speech or text, the operatives use only these titles, e.g. "The Lace of Partizan" or "The Gabardine of Divinity." House Brightline / 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. Secretly funded by Stel Kesh's House Brightline. Its Partizan branch is commanded by Gucci Garantine. The Church of the Resin Heart: A Disciples of Logos church on Partizan which claims to be the true inheritor of Logos Kantel'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. //People\\ Audacious Opportunity (A.O.) Rooke (he/him): Was a young freelance mercenary operating under Stel Orion charter before being captured by Stel Kesh on an assignment deep behind enemy lines. Now commands the Rapid Evening's infantry division. Figure A (they/them): A synthetic being that once worked inside of the Divine Past, working to make the data the Divine had available to it more understandable by other people. : Crysanth Kesh (she/her): Clementine Kesh's mother. Third in line to the throne of Kesh. As Gabardine of the Curtain of Divinity High ranking member of The Curtain, the highest such on Partizan itself. See The Curtain of Divinity above for more. The Winter Doctor (he/him): Dr. Schuyler has been making visits to the Winter Palace for decades. Now he does so for Clementine Kesh. //Places\\ Fort Icebreaker: A mobile fortress and battle station which patrols the northeastern border with Kesh. Moves between a dozen different smaller, subterranean bases, each of which is connected to a network of underground transport tunnels. In some sense, this entire system is "Fort Icebreaker." The Verglaz Taiga: Wrapped around the northern latitudes of Partizan, the Verglaz is a beauty to take in, at least from the comfort of the palatial Kesh estates which dot its wooded expanses. From the smaller villages and towns, where feudal tenants huddle for warmth in the snow, whatever aesthetic pleasure the taiga may offer the rich is lost. In the south west, though, a new source of warmth has made its presence known: The burning engine of the Apostolosian war machine, which melts the ice away with artillery barrage and crashed mech, both. Cruciat: The Jewel of Kesh's holdings on Partizan (and the home of the Stel's Winter Palace) sits on a cross shaped island in the northernmost reaches of the Prophet's Sea The Winter Palace: Owned and managed by House Kesh, but eternal "home" to the Princept, whether they choose to visit or not. Built for privacy and access, featuring both its own po

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 maneuver. 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. 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. 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. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) Episode description by Austin Walker Music by Jack de Quidt A transcription is available for this episode here. A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

From the midst of a sandstorm, hands burst through the tempest in search of a miracle worker. From the front, the reformed pirate Callister Drive Callister leads his forces—and the unnatural sands—towards the heart of Gur Sevraq's pilgrimage. From the rear, the head of Partizan's largest church, the Song Aleel Verdicate, seeks to employ subtler methods to capture her prey. And in the middle of it all is the Rapid Evening, declaring their presence—and their intentions—as loudly as any who have ever carried the name. This week on PARTIZAN: DESERT SQUIRE - SLEIGHT ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ House Callister: The newest house of Orion, whose status was earned through "heroism in battle..." which is to say state-sanctioned piracy. Led by and named for Callister Drive Callister (who was given his new surname simultaneously with his new House), a sometimes ally, sometimes rival of the dreaded Exeter Leap House Bittenbach: "Before all others." Technically, this is Bittenbach's motto because they were the very first noble house in Stel Orion, formed after their founder orchestrated a grand betrayal on behalf of the Principality. Today, though, it is quoted as evidence of the house's legendary hunger for wealth (and their willingness to break norms to satiate it.) The house's holdings on Partizan are operated by Burden Bittenbach. They were originally assigned to operate the Obelle mission in SBBR's place. Now, has sent House Callister to retrieve Gur Sevraq during the pilgrimage. The Wolfwings: This vanguard squad, led by ace pilot Cam'bage Elarune, ensures early-conflict air superiority and secure, long term reconnaissance capabilities for Stel Apostolos. //People\\ Aleel Verdicate (she/her): Current Song of Partizan, making her the de facto head of the Church of Received Asterism on the moon. Avar (they/them) and Ryrira (she/her): Gur Sevraq's chief of security and quartermaster, respectively. A-tek (she/her): Callister Drive's butler, bodyguard, and (unfortunately for him) House Bittenbach-assigned handler. There to ensure Drive gets results, and also that he doesn't consider taking the gifts given to him by Bittenbach and running elsewhere. Pilot of the Thaumaturge. //Places\\ Museum Row: Before the war struck, an emerging tourism industry had come to Cruciat, and so Kesh invested in dozens of niche museums in the city's commercial district. The North Gallery: Decades before Museum Row was an established destination, the North Gallery collected art about and ephemera from Kesh's original colonization of the Verglaz Taiga on Partizan. //Things\\ Thaumaturge: An Occult Project prototype hollow designed for long range engagements. Is able visually conceal itself through an experimental active camouflage. The visibility which is displaced will re-appear to the pilot 2-3 days after the end of engagement. If ocular aberrations continue for more than a week, seek counsel from a licensed practitioner. The Divine Vernacular: A Stel Nideo Divine which allows those loyal (and blessed) to communicate instantly, at distance. A power some say is more powerful than even the sharpest spearhead. The Rings of Vernacular: Disguised as rings, these devices allow the Song of Partizan to listen in to any use of Vernacular's network. Troop: A basic combat hollow designed by Adamant Arms and Artifice and distributed by Stel Orion across the Principality. The Church of the Resin Heart has two, bought from SBBR after the group stole them from Stel Apostolos in Obelle. //Additional Notes\\ Rapid Evening's Objective: Escort the pilgrims on their journey from the point of their start to the point of their seabound departure at the eastern coast of the Prophet's path. If Gur Sevraq's life comes into serious danger, rescue them and extract back to Cruciat. Secondary Objective, as delivered to Sovereign Immunity: Secure Gur Sevraq regardless of his condition. Rules of Engagement: Do not allow yourselves to be identified as members of Stel Kesh. Do no harm to the people of the Church, unless it is necessary in the securing of Gur Sevraq. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Sylvia Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), and Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here. A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

With their defense operation underway, the Rapid Evening have moved into position and identified a potential threat in the form of an unnaturally-moving sandstorm. As Sovereign Immunity and Clementine Kesh attempt to ingratiate themselves with the pilgrimage's leadership and re-route the convoy, Exeter Leap and Ver'Million Blue standby in overwatch position. And as the storm grows nearer, it becomes clear that are not alone in their ambitions. But the threats are not only in the sand… This week on PARTIZAN: DESERT SQUIRE - RIPOSTE ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ House Callister: The newest house of Orion, whose status was earned through "heroism in battle..." which is to say state-sanctioned piracy. Led by and named for Callister Drive Callister (who was given his new surname simultaneously with his new House), a sometimes ally, sometimes rival of the dreaded Exeter Leap House Bittenbach: "Before all others." Technically, this is Bittenbach's motto because they were the very first noble house in Stel Orion, formed after their founder orchestrated a grand betrayal on behalf of the Principality. Today, though, it is quoted as evidence of the house's legendary hunger for wealth (and their willingness to break norms to satiate it.) The house's holdings on Partizan are operated by Burden Bittenbach. They were originally assigned to operate the Obelle mission in SBBR's place. Now, has sent House Callister to retrieve Gur Sevraq during the pilgrimage. The Wolfwings: This vanguard squad, led by ace pilot Cam'bage Elarune, ensures early-conflict air superiority and secure, long term reconnaissance capabilities for Stel Apostolos. //People\\ Callister Drive Callister (he/him): The Columnar-born Callister Drive once preyed on the principality's shipping channels alongside infamous pirates like Exeter Leap. Now, in exchange for a noble title, he's decided to ply his trade on behalf of Stel Orion. Pilot of the Tempestarii. A-tek (she/her): Callister Drive's butler, bodyguard, and (unfortunately for him) House Bittenbach-assigned handler. There to ensure Drive gets results, and also that he doesn't consider taking the gifts given to him by Bittenbach and running elsewhere. Pilots the Thaumaturge. Swansea See (they/them): An old-school member of Callister's corsair crew. Thanks to Bittenbach technology, has been fully fused into their mech, the Conjurer. "The Farmer" (he/him): A popular sobriquet used for the Sovereign Immunity who sometimes goes by the name Byron, who supported an agrarian revolution 13 years ago. AO Rooke (he/him): Audacious Opportunity Rooke was a young Orion merc caught in a daring (and foolhardy) raid against Stel Kesh. Refused to give up his employer and is now paying the price in service to the Rapid Evening as leader of their cohort of toughs. Aleel Verdicate (she/her): Current Song of Partizan, making her the de facto head of the Church of Received Asterism on the moon. //Things\\ Tempestarii: A Zenith Fund developed prototype hollow that teems with electromagnetic power, which it can use to create limited, localized weather phenomena. Often seen in its jet from, it can also take a bipedal mode. Something inside of it rumbles with a distant light. One of the hollows "liberated" from the Zenith Fund's "Occult Project" by Callister Leap, before defecting. Side effects unknown. Conjurer: An stout and sturdy Occult Project prototype hollow designed for both assault and diversion missions. Wields mid-range weaponry and deploys large, hollow-scale hover mines which project duplicate Conjurer units, fooling both sight and sensors. Operation requires total and permanent "synchronization" of its pilot with the Conjurer's chassis. Thaumaturge: An Occult Project prototype hollow designed for long range engagements. Is able visually conceal itself through an experimental active camouflage. The visibility which is displaced will re-appear to the pilot 2-3 days after the end of engagement. If ocular aberrations continue for more than a week, seek counsel from a licensed practitioner. Troop: A basic combat hollow designed by Adamant Arms and Artifice and distributed by Stel Orion across the Principality. The Church of the Resin Heart has two, bought from SBBR after the group stole them from Stel Apostolos in Obelle. //Additional Notes\\ Rapid Evening's Objective: Escort the pilgrims on their journey from the point of their start to the point of their seabound departure at the eastern coast of the Prophet's path. If Gur Sevraq's life comes into serious danger, rescue them and extract back to Cruciat. Secondary Objective, as delivered to Sovereign Immunity: Secure Gur Sevraq regardless of his condition. Rules of Engagement: Do not allow yourselves to be identified as members of Stel Kesh. Do no harm to the people of the Church, unless it is necessary in the securing of Gur Sevraq. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Sylvia Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Qui

In a matter of weeks, thousands of Kesh hollows will slide down the icy hills of the Verglaz Taiga, weapons raised and spirits on fire, as they charge an Apostolosian line. It will be the start of a new, bloody offensive, a spark that will light the moon aflame, drawing every Stel on the moon into the sort of open conflict that has not been seen in this region since the Principality first conquered it. But that hasn't happened yet. Today, Clementine Kesh awakes in her bed, sun shining through her windows, with a choice to make. Where will she and her "team" of incarcerated soldiers go next? This week on PARTIZAN: DESERT SQUIRE - VANTAGE ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ The Church of Received Asterism: The most widely practiced faith in the galaxy, and one of the earliest major organizations in the Divine Principality, created at the beginning of the Miraculous Millenium, over 3000 years ago. Teaches that Divines, the immortal machines and mechs that helped establish the Principality's hold on the galaxy, reflect the best aspects of the state itself. The divine Strength, in other words, is like a living flag of the Principality's own strength. Organized as a central church, led by a religious leader named a "Cycle," whose will is enacted across the Principality by their many "Songs," who rule worlds, star systems, or sometimes entire constellations. The Church of Progressive Asterism: Created as the teachings of the prophet Logos Kantel grew in popularity 1000 years ago, and made a secondary state religion in order to prevent a large schism. Teaches that Divines are true embodiments of their names, and that the citizens and states of the Principality should look to them as guiding stars. The Divine Strength, in other words, is a reflection of strength itself, or maybe "god's strength," and we should aspire to make our strength look like the divine's. Unlike Received Asterism, there is no single central church, but hundreds of smaller sects, schools, and cults, each devoted to individual Divines, grouped sub-pantheons, or otherwise adjusted beliefs. 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. The Shepherd's Crook: A sect inside of Received Asterism which began soon after the founding of the church as a collection of monks who provided safety and service to then-new colonies… in exchange for wealth and power. Though their extortionist tendencies (and military might) was reined in by the central church, they remain a group focused on local communities rather than central bureaucracy or dogma. They've also become the home of the Sovereign Immunities, an elite rank of political advisor which carries the freedom to speak directly when others would be censored and which is offered a high degree of diplomatic immunity. Lambic House: A group of beer-brewing monks who both operate a brewery and manage a sizable civilian settlement deep in the mountains of the Pique Ridge. //People\\ Logos Kantel (they/them): The prophet who, it is said, brought life to the once barren moon of Partizan. Gur Sevraq (he/them): Current leader of the Church of the Resin Heart. Reported miracle worker. Secretly has possession of the Divine Future, which gives him startling prescience and the ability to imagine futures outside of the confines of the hegemonic and imperialist world around him. Leading the pilgrimage down the Prophet's Path. Alise Breka (she/her): Guest lecturer at Verglaz University and Author of popular Renegade Hearts pulp series, which tells stories of daring and romantic Hallow pilots. On Partizan to research her next book, partly by interviewing the imprisoned pirate Exeter Leap. Aleel Verdicate (she/her): Current Song of Partizan, making her the de facto head of the Church of Received Asterism on the moon. The Blossom (he/him): The Lambic House is just supposed to make beer, sell it around the world, and keep people happy. But with each keg delivered by the sect's Abbot of Provision, the Blossom also serves a short, p

After their initial gambit found success, the members of SBBR have put Columnar's too-curious 301st Appraisal Unit off balance. Now, they seek to finish the deal--but to do so in such a way that will not draw more attention and ire towards the Sable Court, who has hired them. And if they can succeed, they may yet find that while the Great Stels of the Principality pay well, covens hidden in the woods offer more than simple currency in reward for loyalty. This week on PARTIZAN: Under the Boughs of the Court ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ 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. //People\\ Eiden Teak (he/him): Soldier and commander in the Sable Court. Wears the wounds of past fights on him with a distinct sort of pride, inherited from his time fighting as an Apostolosian soldier: He's missing right leg under the knee, and a number of his antlers have been snapped and broken. Wears loose olive drab fatigues, marked the occult insignia and wards of the Court. The Loess (she/her): The leader of the Sable Court stands with a the large, muscular body of a moose more than a deer, and her antlers are no different: wide and domineering, twinkling with not only the normal precious metal inlay used by members of the court, but also with shining, multi-colored gems--memoria--making them look almost more like brightly jeweled butterfly wings than antlers. Her base of operations is, on the outside, hidden by what you can only imagine is incredible advanced technology. You pass through some bushes and above you, a star chart flickers above you. Her voice, heavy, simple, but smart, welcomes you to the heart of the coven. //Things\\ The Strand: A technology once used by the ancient Hyphan people to travel, without Portcullis technology, from system to system. Clarified Memoria: The Sable Court has developed a process by which they "reveal" the truth of Memoria gems, which allows the already potent material to conjure and confer the miraculous. Zenith-A Kathēkon: Often affectionately called "Cathies" by Apostolosian pilots, these medium sized, humanoid mechs were originally designed to be the Zenith Fund's answer to the Troop. Specially built for Apostolosian needs (including night, underwater, and orbital combat), the Kathekon is a flexible fighting platform with fully articulating hands, advanced imaging, and jumpjets designed to allow low, fast horizontal hops. While the Troop still makes up the bulk of the Apostolosian hollow forces, you'll often find Cathies deployed on special ops missions or by unit commanders. Their dark green color, bulbous armor, and large orange "eyes" give them an amphibious look--which is (part of) the reason behind Kesh soldiers referring to their Apostolosian foes as "frogs." //Additional Notes\\ SBBR's Mission Objectives: Drive the 301st away from the the path towards the Sable Court. Secondary objective: Capture their equipment. Rules of Engagement: Do not trigger any of the Sable Wards which have been placed. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal, available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker and Andrew Lee Swan (Fable of the First Wolves) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here. A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

Before Cymbidium died, he asked the labor machine Thisbe, whose deerlike design drew from the form of his own people's, for a favor: Deliver a final message to Mourningbride, initiate of the occult group the Sable Court and former Elect. On hearing about this goal, Thisbe's squad members Broun and Valence encourage her to pursue it, and travel with her deep into Columnar territory to meet with the Hyphan witches of the forest. But when they arrive, they find a less welcoming host than expected... This week on PARTIZAN: Ambush in the Sand ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ Stel Columnar: A fence-sitting democracy, made up largely of synthetics on the cutting edge of technology, art, politics, and war. They are tied to the Future. Innovation, style, cowardice. The Sable Court: Some say that on dark nights, they have seen these Ashen witches on the eastern edge of Lake Timea, horns and antlers glittering in the light of Girandole. Some even say that a former elect walks among them. Heresy, all of it. 301st Appraisal Unit: Before the Columnar commits the resources necessary to take something for their own, this small reconnaissance unit comprised of soldiers, engineers, and academics needs to find it 21st Voluntary Composite Division: Unlike most other Stels, Columnar doesn't segregate Hallow and Hollow units, and instead assigns Hallow pilots to officer roles in combined arms divisions like this one. 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. //People\\ Mourningbride (she/her): An initiate in the Sable Court, and a former Elect. Cymbidium (he/him): The deceased Elect of the Divine Past. Gave Thisbe a message to deliver to Mourningbride. Kenzington "Kenzi" Be (she/her): Commanding Officer of the Columnar 301st Appraisal Unit. Has legs that can fold down into tank treds--in some ways, she looks like the humanoid version of Broun's mech, the Three Cheers! Has a long oval torso and a totally spherical head with dozens of cameras on it that sort of extends from her torso. Cobra Junction (he/him): Humanoid pilot in a flashy, vinyl bomber jacket with gold stripes and is often "smoking" synthetic cigars. This facade reflects an insecurity, as Cobra's initial assignment was due to his geological expertise, not his aptitude as a pilot. Dina Dash (they/them): Wheeled synthetic who carries a clipboard and has magnification lenses that can independently move lower in front of their optics. //Places\\ The Memoria Teardrop: A range of mountains and high plains, dense with mineral resources. Named for "memoria," a rare precious material with a high, natural storage capacity. Vigil City: The capital city of of Columnar on Partizan. Sits on the southern end of the "Teardrop" on a high plateau. The densest city on Partizan, Vigil City is also the most automated city on the moon. Lake Timea: A small lake to the north of the Memoria Teardrop, surrounded on the north side by a dense forest. Home to the Sable Court. Red Soil: A small beach on the northern side of Lake Timea //Things\\ The Perennial Wave: Invisible to the naked eye, the Perennial Wave is made up of a seemingly endless amount of nanomachines which flow out from the center of the galaxy and which deactivate or destroy complex machines and electronics. At any moment, the Wave can be at various degrees of density, which are colloquially referred to as "high tide" and "low tide." Bing 32: Broun's floating, cat sized drone able to use a variety of tools. Sable Wards: Through a combination of Memoria and control over the Perennial Wave, the Sable Court is able to create simple, seemingly-invisible wards that alert them of intruders. Zenith-A Kathēkon: Often affectionately called "Cathies" by Apostolosian pilots, these medium sized, humanoid mechs were originally designed to be the Zenith Fund's answer to the Troop. Specially built for Apostolosian needs (including night, underwater, and orbital combat), the Kathekon is a flexible fighting platform with fully articulating hands, advanced imaging, and jumpjets designed to allow low, fast horizontal hops. While the Troop still makes up the bulk of the Apostolosian hollow forces, you'll often find Cathies deployed on special ops missions or by unit commanders. Their dark green color, bulbous armor, and large orange "eyes" give them an amphibious look--which is (part of) the reason behind Kesh soldiers referring to their Apostolosian foes as "frogs." Zenith-C Wedge: Kathekons recolored in the dark blue and gold of Stel Columnar, and maintained with much higher quality (and experimental) materials. Unlike the Kathekon for Apostolos, the Wedge does make up the bulk of the "frontline" hollow squads, and provide security for more vulnerable hollows (and support for more powerful ones). These have flexible armaments. In this case: One wields a flamethrower and an electro-net launcher and one

After a successful mission retrieving key remnants of the Divine Past and the body of the Elect Cymbidium, the Rapid Evening has returned to Cruciat, Kesh's capital on Partizan. While the city mourns the loss of an Elect, the crew's members are busy resupplying, repairing their vehicles, and pursuing their own ends. While Clementine Kesh deals with the emotional aftershock of her first command, Sovereign Immunity, Exeter Leap, and Ver'Million Blue test the constraints of their imprisonment and take next steps towards their goals. And then there is the matter of the funeral…. This week on PARTIZAN: A Palace During a Wake ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ The Curtain: Though Kesh is technically governed through an elaborate parliamentary democracy, the truth is that The Curtain, a secretive organization inside of the Stel, serves as the actual power behind the throne. Knowledge of the Curtain is carefully guarded, and its membership is even further protected. //Places\\ Cruciat: The jewel of Kesh's holdings on Partizan (and the home of the Stel's Winter Palace) is this city on a cross shaped island in the northernmost reaches of the Prophet's Sea. Its cruciform shape made the city easily divisible into districts. The long southern arm is given to government, first to miles of civil bureaucracy and then to noble homes along the waterside, and finally to the famous, icelike Winter Palace. To the east, and across some of the nearby islands that dot the coast, the large proletariat cram into homes. On the west, Kesh's military marches in formation and launches naval vessels to probe at Apostolos' borders. The north is industrial, situated so that it can more quickly intake both incoming supplies and outgoing shipments directly from the continent. Finally, the center is a bustling downtown, filled with music, food, shopping, and pleasure of all kinds. It's never quite night time in Cruciat, partly because of its place north on the moon, and partly because the gas lamps saturate the northern fog with white-blue light. It's a color matched by the stonework buildings, whose light grey facades grow darker as you move north, towards the factories. Horses carry nobles whose homes are worth a thousand thousand times the laborers they pass. And the smell of warm stew is in the air. The Winter Palace: Owned and managed by House Kesh, but eternal "home" to the Princept, whether they choose to visit or not. Beyond the throne room, there are countless spaces for receiving and entertaining, a lovely and vast garden, and a number of ballrooms for major events. Built for privacy and access, featuring both its own port and trainyard. //Things\\ Robotic Utilities and Navigation Tool (RUNT): A floating, coffin-shaped, well-programed hunter-killer robot. Obeys Milli's commands, anticipates her actions, carries her sniper rifle, and wields its own smaller weapons. //Additional Notes\\ Mission Reward Math: 4 Supply from 3d6 supply roll (Target's Tier = 3, Employer Faction Status = 0 ), +1 extra personnel and +1trust (from Kesh's government type, Oligarchy/Crytpocracy), +1 materiel from Leap's scavenging Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Sylvia Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), and Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here. A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

The events in Obelle were disastrous for many, yet for the Society of Banners and Bright Returns, the nighttime raid on the seaside town went down in the book as a win. Now, they return to their home in the heavily stratified metropolis of Oxbridge in the heart of Stel Orion territory. After getting paid and tending to an unforeseen entanglement, the crew spends some time following leads, satiating their curiosity, and shoring up their reputation around town. This is the first session featuring what Forged in the Dark games call "downtime," a phase of the game that is focused on what the characters do between missions. Because it's the first downtime of the season, we spend a little more time than usual going over the rules of play so that everyone can follow along. In the future, we'll summarize as much of the bookkeeping as possible so that we can stay focused on the drama and decision making that makes these sessions sing! This Week on PARTIZAN: Profit and Loss ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ House Bittenbach: "Before all others." Technically, this is Bittenbach's motto because they were the very first noble house in Stel Orion, formed after their founder orchestrated a grand betrayal on behalf of the Principality. Today, though, it is quoted as evidence of the house's legendary hunger for wealth (and their willingness to break norms to satiate it.) The house's holdings on Partizan are operated by Burden Bittenbach. They were originally assigned to operate the Obelle mission in SBBR's place. Carrion Collections: A low ranking scavengers squad with a handful of hollows that operates out of Stel Orion. Called shameless, even (especially) by those who employ them. Has a tense with SBBR due to a dispute over workshop materials. The Isles of Logos: An independent nation built by the original followers of the prophet Logos Kantel's around their very first church, though it has since become a secular and independent state—something largely unheard of inside of Principality space. Though only a small handful of islands in the Prophet's Sea, the Isles keep a standing defense force that rivals any individual squad the Major Stels could throw at them. The Church of the Resin Heart: Among all the sects under the wide umbrella of Progressive Asterism, one group—the Disciples of Logos—is dedicated to the teachings of the movement's supposed founder, the Prophet Logos Kantel. Though there are a handful of Logos-aligned houses faith across the reaches of the Principality, none is as well organized or important as the Church of the Resin Heart, named for the uncanny, 3-foot tall heart that was recovered from the prophet's sea many years ago. The Church, also named the Friends of Gur Sevraq in honor of their enigmatic and charismatic leader, are gaining followers as quickly as their leader can perform miracles. They claim the True God is coming, and seek to spread the word as far as they possibly can. The Sable Court: Some say that on dark nights, they have seen Ashen witches on the eastern edge of Lake Timea, horns and antlers glittering in the light of Girandole. Some even say that a former elect walks among them, though whether she is the one they call the Loess, no one knows. It does not matter. Heresy, all of it. //People\\ Midnite Matinee (she/her): The Leporine leader of Carrion Collections knows she's destined for more. She and her trusty Pack-model light AutoHollow Popcorn (she/her) are going to take what they can get, even if it means stepping on people to get it. Gur Sevraq (he/they): The enigmatic leader of the Church of the Resin Heart. "Liberated" the divine Future from Stel Columnar. Has performed a number of seemingly-verified miracles in recent months. Mourningbride (she/her): An Ashen born to a high ranking family, Mourningbride was once an elect, but left her post and journeyed to the Sable Court after learning about her people's ancient history. With his final act, Cymbidum requested that Thisbe deliver a message to Mourningbride. //Places\\ The Low Slate: At its most welcoming, Orion's territory on Partizan is a large, lowland plain covered with warm riverlands. At its most hostile, these are lunar lowlands, as the cratered and barren southern pole of the moon, the one place untouched by the prophet's gift and the life that followed. Across the two is everything that makes Orion what it is: the control of vast spaces, agricultural and mineral wealth, a sense of prideful competition between aligned-yet-dueling city-states. Oxbridge: Most bridges connect land to land, but the enormous Bridge of the Ox connects ocean ports to the docks of largest freshwater lake on the moon. Under this massive bridge rests Oxbridge, a dense city of canals and crimson light, and the first large scale Principality settlement to come to the moon, nearly 1000 years ago. Oxbridge is split into three regions: Brightsky West, Underbridge, and Brightsky East. To the East and West, merchants, nobles, and the ever-upward

Northwest of the seaside town of Obelle, there is a crater. Inside of that crater are the remains of the Divine Past, and those who wish to claim them: On one side, there are the members of the nascent special operations group the Rapid Evening. On the other, GLORY, a special Apostolosian unit which seeks to resurrect the culture's greatest heroes as supersoldiers. But as everyone on the holy moon of Partizan knows, there are always more than two sides. This week on PARTIZAN: SHORESIDE RECOVERY - BLACKGLOVES ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ GLORY: With the help of advanced Columnar cloning science, the Glory Project (or simply GLORY), claims to have resurrected (and made immortal) heroes of the nation's past called Eidolons. On Partizan, they field Kleos, Cassander, Vervain, and the squad's leader: Apothesa, original Eidolon of construction, military action, and history. Interested in Past's records chiefly because it might allow them to "better recreate Apostolosian eidolons." The Zenith Fund: A public institution of Stel Columnar that incubates, defends, and offers testing for teams pursuing cutting edge projects in a wide range of fields including medicine, environmental science, infrastructure, culture, and emerging military hardware. Aids with major projects across every other Stel, including Apostolos' Glory Project. 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. //People\\ Dr. Cardiff Reach (he/him): Columnar researcher from the Zenith Fund who has been assigned to Apostolos' GLORY project. Quad legged, with four spindly metal legs. Wears a lab coat, independently-moving telescoping eyes, etc. "Saint Dawn" (she/her): Commander of Horizon's forces on all of Partizan. The pseudonym of Gucci Garantine, who hides her identity with metallic, golden face paint forming a "major sector" geometrical pattern on her face, covering her eyes, forehead, and cheeks. Figure A (they/them): A synthetic being that once worked inside of the Divine Past, working to make the data the Divine had available to it more understandable by other people. Kleos (they/them): Soldier of GLORY. Genetic clone of the Apostolosian hero and eidolon of the same name. Skin is an iridescent maroon color. Wears a bright red cloak wrapped around their neck and hanging back like a cape, totally topless otherwise, revealing firm, muscular torso. Khaki fatigue-capris. A spear slung over their back, and a heavy sidearm at their waist. //Places\\ Barranca: To the north of Obelle lies the Apostolosian province of Barranca, where mediterranian subtropical shores give way to a vast latticework of ravines and crags. There, military bases and civilian settlements sit in the crooks and alcoves, shaded by high canyon walls. Rising above it all is the famed Barranca Loop, a massive suspended cable system that runs up above the atmosphere like a giant bridge, and which allows Apostolos to launch ships and cargo into space. Heavily patrolled and under complete control of Stel Apostolos. //Things\\ Transgress Oblige: The hollow of Gucci Garantine, and a chief symbol of the terrorist organization Horizon. Whitesmoke color body, with the torso, shoulders, and upper arms covered in a sort of secondary armor layer that is blue with gold flourishes. Carries a bazooka and a pair of beam partizan (with a golden beam blade) which can retract into a beam saber. Below the blue armor layer is a secondary core, made of some sort of rare crystal: When revealed, those that see it are struck by the power and magnificence of humanity itself. Panther: Clementine's hollow, an ancient mech piloted by a near mythological hero of a war barely remembered. Medium sized, black, humanoid, angular, and birdlike in some elements of its design. In another life, it could split itself up into independently flying microwings, each of which could serve as a flanking weapon. Its current pilot can not conceive of using it in this way. Stray Dog: Million's hollow, a Zenith-A Project Katalepsis prototype model, stolen when she went AWOL from GLORY. Medium-sized and humanoid in base shape, but able to rearrange its body to accommodate the rail gun built into the torso and left arm. Each limb is double jointed with sleek black and silver plating. There is only one glowing eye on the head, which houses the Stray Dog's aiming systems and pilot. Heads Up: Exeter Leap's hollow, a re-fitted Emergentec Rapid Response Type III Breaching Ambulance which he has converted for criminal purposes. Large cylindrical legs taper upwards towards the head. Armored fists and a back mounted mortar. Epoché: The prototype hollow of Kleos, leader of GLORY, developed by the Columnar's Zenith Fund. Deep brown, triangular head, hum

The destruction of a Divine, the killing of an Elect, and war on a new front: Any one of these could shift the balance of power on a moon like Partizan. So when all three occurred in Obelle, the great Stels began to analyze, strategize, and maneuver immediately. Squadrons were re-deployed, diplomats recalled, artists commissioned, and clergy and commentariat both called to weigh in. But for Stel Kesh, one matter was more important than any other: The safe and honorable recovery of the body of their lost Elect and the retrieval of enough of their ruined Divine so that they may begin the arduous process of revitalization, a task which required a great deal of knowledge, even more salvaged material, and the gumption to put the two together. To this end, the newly minted—and still clandestine—Rapid Evening are deployed across the sea, under the orders of erstwhile heiress and novice commander Clementine Kesh (Jack de Quidt). Can Clementine, along with former pirate Exeter Leap (Ketih J. Carberry), religious advisor Sovereign Immunity (Art Tebbel), and AWOL super soldier Ver'Million Blue (Andi Clare), secure acceptable terms with one of her Stel's most ardent foes? Or will negotiations break down under the weight of old enmity and new blood? This week on PARTIZAN: SHORESIDE RECOVERY - DINNERDATE ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ The Rapid Evening: A small, covert ops squad loyal to Stel Kesh and named for a now ancient unit of spies, saboteurs, and secret agents. The Curtain: Allegedly, the Curtain is the cryptocratic organization that pulls the levers of power in Stel Kesh. In reality ████████████. Silversky Salvage and Repair: Salvagers are a dime a dozen, but with chief engineer Sombre Sky in the pit, no one on Partizan is better at putting a machine back together. Dispatched to Obelle along with the Rapid Evening to ensure that the most important parts of Past are retrieved. //People\\ Clementine Kesh (she/her): Formerly sixth in line to the throne of Stel Kesh and the Principality writ large. Was assigned to "religious leave" in order to remove her from the line of succession and place her in comparative safety on the moon of Partizan. Now leads the Rapid Evening out of ambition and boredom. Dreams of ruling Stel Kesh. Sovereign Immunity (he/him): Member of the Shepherd's Crook, a sect of Received Asterism famous for placing high ranking members in advisory roles across many Stels (despite the sect's loyalty to Stel Nideo). Imprisoned for the crime of kidnapping of Dahlia years before they would declare themself the Glorious Princept, then reassigned to the Rapid Evening. He is also known as the Farmer and Byron. Dreams of being assigned to Clementine as her official Sovereign Immunity. Exeter Leap (he/him): A space pirate and one of the few remaining members of the Equiaxed culture in Stel Columnar space. Imprisoned for the aforementioned piracy before being assigned to the Rapid Evening. Dreams of escaping imprisonment. Ver'Million Blue (she/her): Created as part of an Apostolosian super soldier program, Million is an excellent sharpshooter who went AWOL (violently) and was eventually picked up as a POW by Stel Kesh. Recently deployed to Partizan as part of the Rapid Evening. Dreams of real freedom. Crysanth Kesh (she/her): Clementine Kesh's mother. Third in line to the throne of Kesh. Would likely be a ranking member of The Curtain, if such an organization existed. Audacious Opportunity (A.O.) Rooke (he/him): Was a young freelance mercenary operating under Stel Orion charter before being captured by Stel Kesh on an assignment deep behind enemy lines. Now deployed to the Rapid Evening. 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. Sombre Sky (she/her): Chief engineer at Silversky Recovery and Restoration, she stays out of politics except for when politicians bring her new gear to play with. Calendar Longyear (they/them): A young ship captain who has inherited their grandmother's vessel, the final asset of their house's once affluent estate. Eager to make something of themself, they just don't know what. Cas'alear Rizah (cas/cas', they/them): Leader of the Swordbreakers an elite Apostolosian Hallow unit. See entry in Dossier 01 for more details. //Places\\ The Verglaz Taiga: Wrapped around the northern latitudes of Partizan, the Verglaz is a beauty to take in, at least from the comfort of the palatial Kesh estates which dot its wooded expanses. From the smaller villages and towns, where feudal tenants huddle for warmth in the snow, whatever aesthetic pleasure the taiga may offer the rich is lost. In the south west, though, a new source of warmth has made its presence known: The burning engine of the Apostolosian war machine, which melts the ice away with artillery barrage and crashed mech, both. Cruciat: The Jewel of Kesh's

To the west of the small town of Obelle, the Oxblood Clan attempts to secure the landing zone for an inbound VIP. The plan is simple: Recover them and escape east across the sea. To aid them in that task, the Society of Banners and Bright Returns have been sent to take out the nearby Apostolosian militia's sensors, fuel reserves, and weapon platforms. So far, it's been light work for the team, with Kal'mera Broun's artillery-scale flashbang and Thisbe's powerful mechanical gorilla, Mow, being key to a smash-and-grab that's given the team control over the enemy's hollows. But now, as Valence is confronted by a member of an Apostolosian smuggling ring, chaos begins to seep into the mission... This week on PARTIZAN: Obelle, On Fire ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they're utilized by their commanding officer, Tes'ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation. The Partizan Palace: Across Divinity, the Palace provides citizens with authorized archival information, approved news reports (kept up to date locally by the day, galactically by the week), and art and entertainment determined to be canonical to the Divine Principality. House Whitestar: For generations, House Whitestar was among the smallest vassal families of Stel Kesh's most powerful noble House (itself called House Kesh). With modest holdings and minimal political influence, it seemed they'd inevitably fade into history. But after the Apostolosian leader Dahlia declared themselves the Glorious Princept, Stel Kesh announced that Cynosure Whitestar-Kesh, a mid-level diplomat, was the true Princept. With his rise, they've grown in importance and power. //People\\ Tes'ili Serikos (they/them, tes/tes'): This Apostolosian transport specialist, black marketeer, and Tes'ili Serikos can get just about anything just about anywhere, for a price. Short, round, fuzzy, and good natured… unless you screw tes over. Cymbidium (he/him): The elect of the Kesh-aligned divine Past. Cymbdium is an Ashen, the descendent culture of the ancient deer-like Hypha people. He is traveling to Partizan for mysterious reasons. Azyet Eyesgrene (she/her): Recorder for the Partizan Palace. (Name unspoken.) //Places\\ The Prophet's Path: An autonomous region of Partizan running from east from the barren edge of the desert, through the tropical coast, and through the Isles of Logos. Independent towns and cities like Obelle make up the bulk of its continental settlements. Believed to be the area through which the prophet Logos Kantel traveled on their miraculous journey one thousand years ago. //Things\\ The Divine Past: Part floating city, part living library. The Divine Past was built tens of thousands of years before the Divine Principality was created. It stores an untold amount of information about the cultures it has observed, including the Divine Principality itself. The only person who can access this information is its Elect, who wanders its endless halls and travels across Divinity as equal parts librarian, priest, ship captain, and diplomat. Cast: A mirror-coated, humanoid mech that appears like a four-winged angel, with loud jet engines hidden inside of its shiny, metallic wings. Just above its mouth, its head becomes an AWACS-esque flat sensor disc. Largely built for reconnaissance, and deployed by the Palace to gather information and recordings. Avoids conflict, though can defends or stabilize itself with a system of chains and hooks. Ataraxia: A white, purple, and yellow mantid-shaped machine blessed by the divine Commitment and developed by Stel Columnar's Zenith Fund. Each of its six curved limbs can light up its edges with energy beams. On the ground, it can dance in combat in such a way that any two limbs can be its temporary feet, and when it's in flight, it becomes a complete whirlwind of violence. Named for the philosophical concept key to ancient Stoicism. Herd: Developed from the basic AdArm Troop design, the Herd's centaur like silhouette is famous to anyone who has faced off against Apostolos. The Troop's bipedal legs have been replaced with piston-driven, heavy quad legs that are able to shift between two modes: Movement (with legs paired parallel like an ungulate, allowing for high speed traversal or charges) or combat (spread in a wide cross shape for stability in firing or traversal, moving like a spider). Armed with heavy shoulder cannon, and spears that can be used for both melee combat and as javelin-like explosive projectiles. (Name unspoken.) Yoke: The Oxblood Clan's unique, further customized Herds. Though they cannot transform into the Herd's "combat" mode, they have upgrades that allow them to serve a unique command and operations role when deployed in pairs. Their heads feature unique horn sensors which can generate battlefield map data and targeting assistance when two Yokes can provide complete data. Wields a giant f

It started with as basic a job as they come: The Society of Banners and Bright Returns (SBBR), a rookie outfit based in Oxbridge, was tapped for a contract as a support unit in a rescue op. There was a little town called Obelle on the border between the Apostolosian Barranca and the Prophet's Path, where damn near the only free folks in the Principality made their home. Some sort of VIP was making landfall just northwest of the spot, and while another crew was doing the pickup, SBBR (which was just the engineer Kal'mera Braun, the alien empath Valence, and that big goddamn robot, Thisbe at the time) had to tilt the scales in favor of a smooth getaway. Drop in, knock out a sensor dish, blow up some reserve fuel, and (if they were feeling especially confident) incap a couple of Troops before they could get up and moving. But SBBR wouldn't be SBBR if they didn't find a way to do a milk run in reverse... This week on PARTIZAN: The Seaside Town of Obelle ///Operation Dossier\\\ //Organizations\\ The Society of Banners and Bright Returns (SBBR): A daring mercenary outfit that takes on reconnaissance, espionage, sabotage, and theft missions. Independent, but operating under Stel Orion and the Scrivener's Guild. Scrivener's Guild: An organization of (armed) clerks who mediate negotiations, draft contracts, and keep records of all industrial, commercial, and private business operations with Orion-aligned organizations. Unhappy with SBBR's performance. The Oxblood Clan: What started as a group of orphans turned into a labor guild and criminal enterprise with connections across Partizan. Occasionally run rough-and-tumble military ops for extra cash. Allies with SBBR. The Swordbreakers: An Apostolosian squad blessed by the divine Commitment and led by Cas'alear Rizah, the adopted sibling of the Apokine and Princept Dahlia. They're known across the war as legend killers who punch above their weight. //People\\ Kal'Mera Broun (they/them, played by Alicia Acampora): SBBR's in-house technician with a focus in designing and deploying specialized artillery. Apostolosian born, Orion trained. Valence (they/them, played by Andrew Lee Swan): An empath from a culture beyond the Partizan gate, searching for allies for their culture, the Nobel. Serves as "face" for SBBR. Thisbe (she/her, played by Janine Hawkins): A large, humanoid labor robot whose design is based on the ancient Hypha people. Recently unearthed by farmers, and then traded between mercenary units until she wound up in SBBR's control. Kueen Overture Rooke (she/her): SBBR's contact at the Scrivener's Guild. A former ace pilot, lead mechanic, and battlefield commander, KO now uses her expertise to dispatch and guide mercenary units across Partizan. Anchor Afton (she/her): Commander of the Oxblood Clan unit deployed in Obelle. Upper middle age. Silver hair, weathered complexion. Dark eyes. Muscular as shit. Third generation Ox. Jesset City (he/him): On mission as support unit & on-site repairs for Oxblood. Young and eager to make friends. Doesn't know much about this mission. Pilots a Cloud unit, a "re-appropriated" Apostolosian recon model. Cas'alear Rizah (cas/cas', they/them): Leader of the Swordbreakers. Cas has brown skin with dark green hair up in a bun, with a few strands hanging down in front of their face (which is framed with similarly colored scales covering cas' jawline and neck. Broken sword tattoos under their eyes. Reputation as being beautiful and brave by allies, unflinching and unpredictable by foes. Pilots the notorious Hallow, Ataraxia. //Places\\ Obelle: A small, seaside town between Apostolos territory to the north and the independent lands of the Prophet's Path to the south. Sleepy agricultural town with tiny small tourist industry, as its often used as a resstop for those walking their pilgrimage down the Prophet's Path. Because it is far from Apostolos' northern border with Kesh, their military holdings here are diminished. //Things\\ Hallow/Hollow: The (often, but not always humanoid) mechs that serve as the backbone of Divine Principality military units. "Hallows" have received the direct, personal blessing of a Divine (and whatever benefits, material, social, or spiritual that come with that). "Hollows" have not. Both serve their purpose. Three Cheers!: Kal'mera Broun's hollow, a heavily modified Adamant Arms and Artifice (aka AdArm) machine. Humanoid with the ability to take a mobility form. Equipped for long range volleying. Easily removable/replaceable plates with non-standard rivets. Hippocampus: Valence's hollow, an AdArm Prototype Loveliness. A small, ovoid cockpit that has two "chicken legs" attached to it. Helicopter blades fold out from inside the cockpit and onto the top of the mech to give it basic flight. Mow: A recovered Zenith-A Project Eudaimonia prototype model. The build of a gorilla, quadrupedal & topheavy, a saddle horn-like addition on the back, battered but lovingly maintained. AdArm Troop: Designed by The de facto "grun

It is the year 1423 of the Perfect Millennium, and the galaxy has been conquered by the Divine Principality. At the center of this empire, the only place where its five Great Stels meet, there is a moon beating where a heart should be. The moon of Partizan. Abetted by immortal, machinic gods called Divines, and the legions of Hallowed mechs which extend their terrible reach, the Principality spent millennia sharpening itself on its rivals. What it could not devour it obliterated. What it could not obliterate, it simply outlived. It was an empire, unshakeable. Until now. For the first time in the Principality's long history, two of its five Stels have gone to war with one another, each guided by a ruler with sound claim to the title of Princept, leader of All Divinity. For five years, they have fought to a standstill, while equivacators and scavengers find profit in rubble. But historical crises do not only serve crass opportunists, they revive opportunity itself. Under the shadow of this war you find yourself wondering: For how long will there be empires? For as long as we breathe? Longer? Will the categories of our conquest outlast us, or could there come a day for something else. We once dreamt that breaking free from our ancient home in the cosmos would allow us to escape the mass and pull of tyranny and trauma. We failed then, but perennial chaos offers us another chance: Can we launch with such speed that we glide, graceful or imperfect, beyond war and pain? Or is the truth more damning that: Might we carry our own gravity with us? This week on PARTIZAN: The Divine Principality Welcome to the latest season of Friends at the Table: PARTIZAN. We'll be playing Beam Saber by Austin Ramsay, "a Forged In The Dark game about the pilots of powerful machines in a war that dominates every facet of life." Though this season takes place in the same universe COUNTER/Weight and Twilight Mirage, neither of those seasons is required listening for this new season, so if you've been curious about our show, this is totally a great place to hop on board. If today's episode all about world building and character creation is a little too slow for you, don't be afraid to hop back on for next week's episode, which will be action packed and full of great character moments. If you like what you've heard this episode, then please consider going to our Patreon, which is FILLED with bonus content. We've got a Patreon-only campaign called Bluff City, bonus live streams, a tips show, "Clapcasts" featuring some of the unrelated pre-show chatter, and even a special show called Drawing Maps where I talk through my prep and worldbuilding. To give you a little taste, we've made the first two episodes of Bluff City, a brand new Clapcast, and the first of the PARTIZAN Drawing Maps episodes free to everyone! Finally: Every episode this season is going to come with a little Dossier in the episode description. Think of this as a mix between a play's Dramatis Personae listing and a cheat sheet. It'll be a (pseudo-diegetic) list of important characters, organizations, places, vehicles, items, and concepts that come up for the first time (or for the first time in a long time) in the episode. For today's entry (which is non-diegetic) I've included the list of factions, religions, and major events that I sent to the players during the character creation process. Find this below, along with a maps of both the Divine Principality's view of the galaxy and of Partizan itself, both of which were done by the incredible Annie Johnston-Glick (@dancynrew on Twitter, commission her!) Thanks ALSO to to Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot on Twitter, commission him!) for another season of incredible art. You can also find the music from this and all of our seasons over on Jack's bandcamp. Thank you all for your support throughout 2019 and into the new year. This year, we wrapped up Hieron, started a new experiment with the Road to PARTIZAN, and are now picking up with our first "new" characters and setting in two years. We couldn't have done any of that without your support, and without your help in spreading the word about the show to others. So as a final appeal: If you like this episode, consider telling your friends about us! Thanks again, and happy holidays. Austin Walker GM & Co-Founder ------------------- The Divine Principality is a massive space empire led by a Princept and comprised of five major houses, called Stels. While the Principality is in a state of constant war with The Branched, a rival power extremely far from the small moon of Partizan, these Stels are also in various states of conflict (open and hidden) with each other. In brief, those Stels are: Stel Kesh: The oldest established power in the galaxy, built around a stuffy (and secretive) aristocracy. They are tied to the Past. History, knowledge, stubbornness. Stel Nideo: Created the largest faith in the empire, and used that influence to shape (and surveil) mass culture. They are tied to the P

Welcome to the final episode of the Road to PARTIZAN. This week, Dre, Jack, and Austin talk through and discuss through the entirely timeline of events, reflecting the events of the past 10 weeks of play and as outlined during the Microscope games from the past two weeks. For your convenience, we've added the Microscope timeline below to help you follow along. There are even a few new events added to round a few things out and fill in a few key details. Whether you're a new Friends at the Table fan listening for a quick snapshot of the lore leading to PARTIZAN, or if you're hoping to remind yourself of everything that happened on the way here, thanks for listening! I hope you're looking forward to next week's episode, PARTIZAN 00, as much as we are! This week on The Road to PARTIZAN 11: Summary & Recap ////PARTIZAN PALACE DATE ENTRY | 100 P.M. 03 43 \\\\ . . . ///OPERATION: CHOOSE SECTION: ANNOUNCEMENTS && PLATFORM | DISPLAY TOP RESULT\\\ . . . //WELCOME TO THE PALACE\\ . . . /OPERATION: EXTRACT KEY QUOTES | BULLET FORM\ The Palace offers all citizens of the Divine Principality access to verified news, information, and advice through any terminal device. Designed by Stel Columnar's most advanced technicians, built by the sharpest materials engineers in Stel Orion, spread through Divinity with speed only achievable by the fleets of Stel Apostolos, filled by Stel Kesh with the knowledge and history of countless generations, and operated by the firm and caring hand of Stel Nideo, the Palace represents the breadth of Divine ingenuity and aptitude. Information on The Palace will always be perfectly reliable, thanks to teams of researchers, recorders, and adjusters dispatched across the galaxy. Additional features include local almanac data, key scholarly texts, and a liturgical calendar. Whether you'd like to pursue a vocation with the Palace, submit a feature request, or want to report questionable material, simply travel to your local Palace office and administrators will be happy to assist. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000), and Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Edited by Austin Walker and produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

Welcome to the final part of the final game (but not the final episode) of the Road to PARTIZAN. Building on the foundation of everything that has come before, this week Andi, Austin, Dre, and Keith fill in more important gaps in the history of the Divine Principality. A fourth and fifth Stel rise. Ploys, plots, and backstabbings abound. A centuries-long war begins in earnest. And final, a fracture forms at the heart of Divinity. As mentioned above, this will not be the last update on the Road to PARTIZAN. Next week, Dre, Jack, and Austin will walk through the entire Microscope timeline, offering a recap of history from the end of Twilight Mirage to the beginning of PARTIZAN. Whether you're just jumping in or need a refresher, we hope that'll be useful to you. And one week after that, we'll be launching PARTIZAN in earnest with episode 00, where you'll be introduced to the player characters, squads, and starting situation. As a reminder, if you want more info on the world of PARTIZAN, check out our Patreon at FriendsAtTheTable.cash, where Austin has shown of tons of additional worldbuilding, including faction, region, NPC squad, and Mech creation! Speaking of things worth checking out: We've also rolled out some special seasonal merch! Go to FriendsAtTheTable.shop to pick up your very own Bluff City Zoo Winter Snowfari t-shirt, sweatshirt, or tote! This week on the Road to PARTIZAN: Microscope Pt. 2 ////DIVINE SPACE TRANSIT RECORD ///LOCATION: PARTIZAN | ASHEN STRAND 001.01 | 33550336.8128.496 ///DATE 03/44/413 PM ///PORTCULLIS STATUS: STANDARD ARRIVAL ///ARRIVALS: 1x Machine Parts | Destination: Girandole automated siphon station "Farmington" 1x Return Fuel Supply | Destination: Girandole automated siphon station "Farmington" 1x Waning Institute Trash Drone | Destination: Third moon of Girandole. (UNAUTHORIZED) Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000), and Keith J. Carberry (@keithjcarberry) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

Finally, the Road to PARTIZAN enters its final lap. Over the next two weeks, we'll be zooming the camera out to look at the 5,000+ years that have taken us from the end of the Twilight Mirage to the very moment PARTIZAN begins, and to do that we'll turn to Ben Robbins' excellent Microscope, a game which we used in part during COUNTER/Weight's "faction turns." In this first part, we'll look directly at the moon world of Partizan, where a religious prophet makes a dramatic claim, performs apparent miracles, and winds up caught in the machinations of an empire. Will this shake the religious foundations of the Principality? Or will this prophet be stomped out like so many other challenges to Divinity's rule… This Week on the Road to PARTIZAN: Microscope Pt. 1 ///YEAR:1418 PERFECT MILLENNIUM ////LOCATION: PARTIZAN | ASHEN STRAND 001.01 | ISLES OF LOGOS ///RECORD TYPE: AUDIOVISUAL This is a low-quality recording of a "Rededication Ceremony" at a temple or church. Across two dozens sequences, the footage follows members of this community as they prepare for, attend, and mingle after a religious ceremony. The footage leaps from scene to scene artlessly, offering only brief snatches of time as the camera operator inconsistently holds down the "record" button. Banners are hung. Seating is assigned. An orator speaks at a podium in front of a large, dark shape. They are in the middle of speaking, and the camera picks up the words "their war is our opportunity," before being cut off. Afterwards, food and drink is provided. Over the sound of backround chatter, an attendee offers the camera a friendly hand sign and a smile. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000), and Keith J. Carberry (@keithjcarberry) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

The Road to PARTIZAN continues, and it does so with Alex Roberts' and Evil Hat Productions' For the Queen, a card based storytelling game about the retinue of a leader on a critical journey through difficult territory. Today's game takes place about 500 years before the events of Partizan, at a moment where the Principality marches against two of the only remaining galactic powers not yet under the heel of the Divine Principality, each an echo of a past culture that fans of our second season, COUNTER/Weight, will know well. Now those two cultures join on this crucial mission to the heart of Divinity. From the Empire of Apostolos, the Apokine (our stand in for the game's titular Queen) has gathered around them a cadre of trusted companions: Eudora (Andrew Lee Swan), their adopted sibling, Antigone Gennadiy (Janine Hawkins), their former caretaker and a current soldier in their military, and Orbit Shard (Andi Clare), their bodyguard and most trusted fighter. They are joined by Modus Maria (Austin Walker) a member of the mysterious "Branched," a people who have transformed their bodies into something spectacular and free—only to have the threat of war force them to rebuild themselves as soldiers first and foremost. In this moment, the future is unwritten. Can the Apokine finish their journey and secure freedom for their people? Or will Apostolos be conquered by the Principality, as so many other people and places have been? This week on the Road to Partizan: For the Queen ////PARTIZAN PALACE DATE ENTRY | 1418 P.M. 09 01 \\\\ . . . ///OPERATION: CHOOSE SECTION: MILITARY ACTION && GALACTIC POLITICS: DISPLAY TOP ARTICLE\\\ . . . //APOSTOLOS STRIKES KESH, ESTABLISHES 'FORT ICEBREAKER' \\ . . . /OPERATION: GENERATE BULLETED PRECIS\ Hostilities begin on Partizan during fight between Kesh and Apostolos in the Verglaz Taiga Apostolosian forces led by elect of Motion, Hyacinth, who utilized wind and snow drift to disorient Kesh opposition and to misdirect their opposition long enough for Fort Icebreaker to come online. Brief description of Fort Icebreaker: "a mobile fortress," "network of tunnels," "treads and cannons" Neutral analysts from Orion and Columnar are quoted, citing the divine Motion's ability to extend operation time of Apostolosian hollows as a key aspect of this victory, though secondary to Hyacinth's strategy Melody Sefton East of the Church of Received Asterism calls for an end to hostilities. Additional context given re: current Kesh-Apostolosian hostilities across Divininty (see also: Princept (Dahlia), Princept (Cynosure Kesh) Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart), Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

The world of Grona is said to hold the key to ending the war between the ever-expanding Divine Principality and its rivals, the recently allied Orion Combine and the Divine Collaborate. But whatever secrets are held on its surface are locked behind a gate, a gate patrolled by the Divine Courage, defended by orbital cannons, and barricaded behind the constant gunfire and flame of a raging battle. Somehow, a squad comprised of superstar mechathlete Memphis Longhand, the brothers David and Smack Talk, and the Candidate Pigeon must breach this perimeter. And they have to do it while carrying a very big box. Today on The Road to PARTIZAN: Beam Saber Pt. 2 ////ASSET: FORMERLY HABITABLE WORLD, 'GRONA' ////LOCATION: Lagoon-N 1232 ///STATUS: ABANDONED | EXPENDED ///DESCRIPTION: From its initial colonization in the Miraculous Millennium, through its time as battlefield in the Victorious Millennium, and until the final days of the Perfect Millennium's first century, Grona was Class IV planet under the Lammer classification system. However, once hostilities settled after ██████████████████████████████████, Yes! Power, Better Brighter, and other firms were able to more fully utilize the planet's resource basin. With Orion's extractive mechanisms working at full capacity, Grona was elevated for two centuries from habitable world into a more a more comprehensive portfolio of bundled resources. No attempt should be made to recover. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), and Keith J. Carberry (@keithjcarberry) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

On today's entry of the Road to PARTIZAN, we pick up with the characters we made in Dusk to Midnight and zoom in to the climax of the Divine Clash by playing Beam Saber by Austin Ramsay. Months ago, the OriCom Logistics Division staged a strategic coup against the Divine Principality by successfully escorting Courageous to a rendezvous point where they opened a gate for OriCom's ally in the war, the Divine Collaborate, so that they could join OriCom's fleet with their own. In the time since, though, the fighting has been trying, the allies have lost many (including teammate Lunar Leson), and additional reinforcements are far away and moving more slowly than anticipated. Which is why Memphis Longhand, the Talk brothers, and their new Divine-piloting ally, Pigeon, are being sent on a secret mission. On the planet of Grona, in the city of Zibeline, fighting rages against the occupying Principality's forces. The resistance there is waiting desperately for a delivery that is supposed to change the war forever... This week on the Road to PARTIZAN: Beam Saber Pt. 1 ////ASSET: Dunlop-class Mobile Shipping Depot, 'Topmark' ////LOCATION: Lagoon-N 332 ///STATUS: ABANDONED | DECOMMISSIONED ///DESCRIPTION: Dunlop-class Mobile Shipping Depots were mobile logistics platforms designed for refuel and repair in the era before Stel Orion's formation. Able to house six frigate-class vessels at once, the Dunlop was an operational cornerstone for both Orion warfare and commerce. Once integration into the Principality was complete, these depots fell out of favor for both aesthetic and technical reasons. This particular vessel was decommissioned after ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████.No attempt should be made to recover. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), and Keith J. Carberry (@keithjcarberry) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

Welcome back to the Road to PARTIZAN. Today, we're moving into a new trio of episodes that explore an era of history that would come to be called The Divine Clash. For over a century, the ever-growing Divine Principality would throw its might against the allied forces of the Orion Combine and the Divine Collaborate, the distant successor states of two major nations featured in our COUNTER/Weight season. Next week and the week following, we'll see the climax of the Divine Clash via Austin Ramsay's Beam Saber. But first, we offer a pair of vignette one-shots via two games that were made for the Emotional Mecha Game Jam (which was organized by John R. Harness and Takuma Okada). First, in Role Over Play Dead's Ech0, we travel through the wreckage the war left behind, as children born over a generation after the war's end try to reunite the memory core of a long dead pilot with her machine. Then, in Riley Rethal's Dusk to Midnight, we define the early days of the Clash, and follow the careers (and the wavering resolve) of four of the pilots who would help to decide its outcome. A couple of extra notes: First of, because one of the player's files was totally corrupted, much of this episode had to be rebuilt via a backup recording. That means that there are a few times where you can hear breathing sounds heavier than normal. There are also moments where background noise is a bit more prevalent, and it was pretty impossible to untangle some crosstalk (especially since we were playing as children especially prone to crosstalk in Ech0). You'll might also notice that I say a few times up top that we want to play three of these vignettes. Due to time concerns, we couldn't make that happen, but for the record, the final vignette I'd planned was EPITAPH by Dante Douglas, which is metal as hell and rules. You should check it out. Finally, because Ech0 is such a visual experience, I've included a screenshot of the map we drew below. You can find close ups of all of our sketches at the Mapmaker tier over on our Patreon (with a quick caveat that we're currently catching up on much of our Patreon stuff, and we've been prioritizing new shows up rather than supporting material, but it's coming soon, I promise!) This week on the Road to PARTIZAN: Ech0 & Dusk to Midnight ////PARTIZAN PALACE DATE ENTRY | 1418 P.M. 05 22\\\\ . . . ///OPERATION: CHOOSE SECTION: CRIME AND DEVIANCE && OPERATION: DISPLAY TOP ARTICLE\\\ . . . //VERGLAZ UNIVERSITY ARCHAEOLOGY ANNALS RAIDED, HOUSE LESON INVESTIGATORS POINT TO HERETICAL GROUP\\ . . . /OPERATION: IDENTIFY KEY SUBJECTS: SUBJECT (ROLE | EVALUATION)\ ELET VALERA (VICTIM, SCHOLAR | TRUSTED) CARBIDE LESON (CHIEF INVESTIGATOR | TRUSTED) SLOE UPLIGHT (WITNESS, EXPERT IN FIELD | SUSPECT) "THE FRIENDS OF GUR SEVRAQ" (████████ , ██████████ | ANATHEMA, SEEK ACCESS APPROVAL FOR FURTHER INFORMATION) Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Edited by Austin Walker and Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

The crew of the Constellation-class Carrier Hellebore has breached the earliest defenses of the station which orbits the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Having dispatched the mercenary Barter and his crew of ConCons, pilots Cerise, Teasel, and Gold repair and rearm. Above them, Captain of the Ivory Prince (and secret leader of the rebel group known as Horizon) Briar Brightline watches over them.. But they are not alone. Beyond the next gate, something strange has made the station its roost. And behind them, out in black of space…. something new, but all too familiar, approaches. This week on the Road to Partizan: Armour Astir Pt. 2 ////PARTIZAN PALACE DATE ENTRY | 1423 P.M. 03 06 22\\\\ . . . ///OPERATION: CHOOSE SECTION: FAITH AND CULLLLLLLLLPRATION: DSPLTPPPPPP ARTICL\\\ . . . //\\//\\ PERENNIAL WAVE READINGS: HIGH. PALACE ACCESS DISRUPTED. PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER. //\\//\\ Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Edited by Austin Walker and Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot)

Join us in our second game on the Road to PARTIZAN, where we are playing Armour Astir: Advent by Briar Sovereign, a fantastic PbtA mech game that is equal parts Escaflowne and Mobile Suit Gundam. Today's episode starts with about 20 minutes of setup explaining the game and introducing the characters. If you want to skip all of that, then read the next couple of paragraphs and jump ahead to 22:45. Our game of Armour Astir takes place in a time of fables and magic, around 500-1000 years after our first Road to PARTIZAN game. As the Divine Principality spreads and grows in power, one small group inside of it tries to check its imperial ambition. That group is called Horizon, and it is funded and controlled by the powerful House Brightline of Stel Kesh, who are nostalgic for a better age--whether or not that age ever existed is, of course, up for debate. Horizon has heard word that Stel Nideo has located an incredible source of power at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, and is sending some sort of force to capture it. To stop Nideo, Horizon rushes ahead with a single ship to locate that device and to disable, destroy, or take it over for their own. The Ivory Prince, Horizon's ship, is blessed (and accompanied) by the mischievous divine Perennial, and captained by the noble Briar Brightline (Art Maritnez-Tebbel), an officer who loves it when a plan comes together. On board are three ace pilots: The Arcanist and Consul Cerise Sky (Andi Clare), a devotee of Perennial and high ranking magistrate in the Divine Principality. Teasel Mode (Janine Hawkins), an Ashen witch, who has bound herself tightly with Perennial in exchange for powerful gifts. And Vessel's Gold (Andrew Lee Swan), a cyborg mercenary from a culture left behind, who fights for a paycheck… and a good cause. As they land at the edge of a massive space station, can the crew come together to face down their foes and uncover the mysteries of the galactic core? This week on the Road to PARTIZAN 03: Armour Astir Pt. 1 ////PARTIZAN PALACE DATE ENTRY | 1423 P.M. 01 01 01\\\\ . . . ///OPERATION: CHOOSE SECTION: FAITH AND CULTURE && OPERATION: DISPLAY TOP ARTICLE\\\ . . . //PRESENT ELECT AND VERSE GALLICA DELIVERS SERMON AT PERENNIAL DAY SERVICE\\ . . . /OPERATION: HIGHLIGHT AND EXTRACT SUBJECT QUOTES\ "Twelve years ago, just after my election, ███ ██████ put our great House in jeopardy. I worried at first, I admit. But then, I remembered my lessons. I remembered the Constellation of the Adversary: Three thousand years ago, a misguided and treasonous group attempted to sabotage everything we had built. But as time has shown, Divinity will not, can not, crumble so easily. Ours is a culture of equilibrium, a balanced society which--though it may shake--cannot fall. The Principality is a star shining so brightly, that no matter how many foes surround it, its light exceeds. It is for this reason that, even in this time of trouble, I am confident in Stel Nideo's future." Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Edited by Austin Walker and Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

For millennia, three rules guided the Hypha as they traveled across the galaxy. First: Follow the light of the strand through the stars, stopping only on worlds marked by its color—and even then, only temporarily. Second: Never leave behind the bodies of our dead. And third: Protect at all costs the mystery of the Chorus Bond, that which connects us to each other, to the Strand, and perhaps to something even greater than that. But now, these rules—and the way of life they protect—have come under threat. The Divine Principality, a vast and hungry empire, has arrived. This week on Friends at the Table: The Road to Season 6: Dialect Pt. 2 ////YEAR: 850 MIRACULOUS MILLENNIUM ////LOCATION: PARTIZAN | ASHEN STRAND 001.01 | 33550336.8128.496 ///RECORD TYPE: AUDITORY The sound of an excavator's claw striking clay ground. Voices with Stel Kesh dialects discuss early findings at an archaeological site. [See Conversation 850MM.SK.ASHEN01]. Metal strikes metal, and the heft of something is raised from the ground. Near the microphone, there is the electronic beep of an incoming message, but none arrives. Then, from the distance but growing louder, the high pitched sound of resin shattering accompanied by human screams. Finally, the sound of a single pair hooves walking towards, and then past, the microphone, and the sound of the communications channel closing. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Text by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Edited by Austin Walker and Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

Welcome to the Road to PARTIZAN, an interlude connecting Twilight Mirage to PARTIZAN, our next full season (where we'll be playing Beam Saber by Austin Ramsay) which will begin later this year! On that note, please know that though there is one spoiler for the way a couple of Twilight Mirage factions end up, there are no spoilers about major Twilight Mirage characters or their arcs anywhere throughout these episodes. The Road to Season 6 started with a desire to try out new game systems before we committed to one for a full season, but after thinking about it for a bit, we realized that we could use a bunch of games to explore the history of the massive, fracturing empire that will be at the center of PARTIZAN. And to do that right, we needed to make sure to start outside of that empire. To that end, we kicked things off with Dialect: A Game About Language and How It Dies by Kathryn Hymes and Hakan Seyalioglu. In this episode, we develop a new culture of nomadic space deer, and watch as they encounter an empire which aims to obliterate time and space themselves. As a quick follow up: This episode (and the rest of the Road to Season 6) all began as episodes in our Live at the Table series, a collection of one shot streams that we do for all $5+ Patrons! That means that you can go watch or listen to every episode of the Road right now if you head to our Patreon! They won't have the intros (and they'll all be unedited, with a lot more dead air), but if you're desperate to know what comes next, you can learn that right now. If all this world building isn't your thing, and you'd rather skip these and rejoin us for the character driven drama and action of season six proper, then please know you can toatlly do that too. While these episodes will help fill in some blank spaces, they are not required listening for our next season! Either way, I hope you enjoy this series of episodes as much as we enjoyed making them. We'll see you in a couple of months, in the shadow of the giant Girandole, on the holy moon of Partizan... This week on Friends at the Table: The Road to Season 6: Dialect Pt. 1 ////YEAR: 174 ASCENDANT MILLENNIUM ////LOCATION: VALENCE 4 | HYPHAN STRAND 170.2 ///RECORD TYPE: VISUAL On a misted grassland running the length of the continental shelf, seventeen capital ships, 1223 rated vessels, and 340 personal vehicles are prepared for launch. A pilot boards a personal corvette, pausing to look at the sky above her. An aide whispers words of comfort to a pair in grief, then steps away to direct the transfer of remains and grave goods. The ghostlike projection of a heretical oracle flickers, antlers transparent yet reflecting the sun's light, and fades. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Text by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Edited by Austin Walker and Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

Hey everyone! Austin here. If you've already listened to the entire Spring in Hieron Post-Mortem or follow us closely via social media or our Patreon feed, then you have probably heard about a bunch of exciting Friends at the Table related things recently! But in case that doesn't describe you, I wanted to make sure that you were able to get thsoe updates too! So, enjoy this brief update on merch, music, and the updcoming season. (ALSO: While I forgot to mention it in this update, you can actually listen to the Road to Season 6 games right now by joining our Patreon at the $5 level.) I've included all the relevant links below! Hieron Cover Art Prints by Craig Sheldon Fall of Magic T-Shirt, Hoody, and Print by Simon Sweetman. Live at the Table Soundtrack The Friends at the Table Patreon PARTIZAN Trailer Beam Saber by Austin Ramsay A transcription is available for this episode here. A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

Thank you for joining us to say goodbye to Hieron.... From beginning... ...to end!! It's been quite a journey and we had a great time capping it off by answering some of your questions! We had such a wonderful outpouring of support and love the past week and it really means the most to us! We love doing this and we love that people enjoy listening to it. Over the next weeks, the friends behind Friends at the Table are going to take a short break before starting our sixth season: PARTIZAN, a story of war, politics, faith, and (yes) giant mechs. You can hear the trailer in this episode or by itself, right here, and you can check out the game we'll be playing in PARTIZAN, Austin Ramsay's Beam Saber, right here. But before we get there, to keep your podcast feed warm, we'll be sharing the Road to Season Six, an anthology of one-shots played in different systems that will bridge the Twilight Mirage and PARTIZAN seasons. The Road to Season Six isn't necessary listening if you want to hop on board PARTIZAN in a couple of months, but it definitely provides some big picture context for the stakes and history that lead us to this new setting! These episodes originated as Live at the Table games, available to watch live for all of our Patreon supporters, and if you want to check them out (unedited, without music) right now, you can actually do that! Just go to friendsatthetable.cash and become a $5 supporter to get access to all of the Live at the Table games, our bonus campaign, Bluff City, and both Tips at the Table and Drawing Maps, two shows that share our thoughts on playing and prepping games. For just $1, you can get years of "Clapcasts," collections of the all the chatter between us that happens before we get into the game proper. (Speaking of Live at the Table, most of the past Live at the Table music is NOW AVAILABLE over on Jack's bandcamp. Go check it out!) If you're already a patron, or if you're not looking for more podcast to listen to but want to support the show somehow, then guess what: We have TWO new pieces of merchandise to check out. First, we've teamed up with Heart of the Deernicorn (creator of Fall of Magic and BFF!) and the incredible artist Simon Sweetman to make this Fall of Magic t-shirt, hoody, and print, featuring characters from our very own playthrough of that game! Second, we've opened up our own online store at friendsatthetable.shop, where you can (FINALLY!) buy prints of the incredible Hieron cover art by artist Craig Sheldon! A single print is $15 USD, but you can get the entire set for just $35! A transcription is available for this episode here. A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

...took a new name: the Frost Shepherd. It was in trying to understand this act, its causes, and its consequences, that I first thought this second volume might be necessary. Even as it happened, I sensed a moment of diversion, of what an old mentor would have called a potential "rupture" in history. In the old Hieron, when such a thing was still possible, I studied and practiced as a semiotician of the New Archives. Because the Rhizome stretches as it does, and because we were so removed from the histories which precede us, you may not know what that means. In short: We collected the world so that we might better arrange it. This is how I fell in love with writing and with history. Towards the end of my studies, in some north campus basement, Semiotician Emeritus Uklan Tel delivered a guest lecture for a select group out of some technical obligation to the department. "The world unfolds according to systems and rules," he told us. "History, politics, war, society--they have velocity, they have force, they have momentum. But now and then there is a chance for great change." Any average evening would be followed by an equally average day, but a rupturous evening might bring a day like one we've never seen. But these moments only carried the potential for transformation, he told us. These moments of historical rupture, he said, offered opportunity for the systems and rules by which we organize ourselves to find a new route. But most of the time? That opportunity was wasted. Things returned to the status quo. The moons past over the edge of the world, the sun arose, and we'd be back to normal. I had the impression, as he started to speak, that he was trotting out an old lecture, something reliable, that even dead in his voice would impress on our young, eager psyches. But as he spoke, he found a startling rhythm, like an old workhorse building towards a colt's gait. It was as if something he'd seen, something recent, maybe, had given flesh to words that had only been bone. I could tell that he thought he wasn't just correct, but that he right. He told us, then, that we might not know it, but that we lived in a moment of rupture. And when I stood in that crowd and heard the Frost Shepherd speak, I recognized in my own blood, on my own skin, an echo of Tel's old confidence in recognizing a moment rupture. When Tel warned us about the future, he was, of course right--and only now do we know how ironic this warning was, considering his own role in the events of the years that followed that lecture. Which is excuse enough for me to extend his warning to you: In times like these, the rupture is not one night, it is ongoing, and we are all participants in whatever comes next. Pace yourselves. Recognize the way you touch the world. And travel accordingly. -An Excerpt from the Foreword to The Last Days The We Had: A Narrative Catalogue of Hieron, End Apparent, Pt. 2 by Alonzo Victor Devareaux van der Dawes This week on Spring in Hieron: The Second Spring Pt. 5 Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Text by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

...understandably caused us to doubt not only our relationship with them (albeit too late), but also with ourselves and our faculties. The world was large, larger not only than what we'd known before but larger than anything it had been before. And it was large in new ways. In the old Hieron, a big place was wide or it was tall. But we'd learned that this place was deep. We'd regularly find new creatures and cultures in the branches we already knew well. How could we trust that we had not missed something important in a place like this? For the adventurous sort, those who followed in the footsteps of those who founded the modern University settlement, this was a plus. But for those whose task was to catalog, study, and explain the Rhizome, this was an ache that never dulled. "It's made setting up our beat desks that much harder," said Marisol Sweetwater, then editor, now publisher of The New Current. "We have to constantly ask ourselves questions that back in Rosemerrow would've been given. What does 'Local News' mean in a place where a whole civilization can just show up under some giant petal you never flipped over?" The Rhizome was not simply vast, it was vasting, endlessly growing. And in the face of that, stability became the chief, communal referent. Even those who prefered the world this way, who were eager to turn leaves over for the rest of their lives, had their own exploits reframed in the popular rhetoric of cataloguing and mastery. One might take to the long branch to explore, but when their stories reached home, it was as proof that the Rhizome could be explored—routed, mapped, finally put to rest. Who knows why the discourse shifted like this. Some suggest it's because of a generic fear of the unknown. Maybe it was because it was what we already knew. Or, perhaps, it was because deep down we knew that there was only one way left for us to "settle" the world and make it knowable again, and we feared that possibility as much as we desired it. -An Excerpt from The Last Days The We Had: A Narrative Catalogue of Hieron, End Apparent, Pt. 2 by Alonzo Victor Devareaux van der Dawes This week on Spring in Hieron: The Second Spring Pt. 5 Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Text by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

…unexpected means of conveyance, but at that time, what ought have been reasonably expected at all? Perhaps such flippancy isn't well placed. Now, with the benefit of distance and context, it's simple to recognize the many ways that the Rhizome should have shaken loose our assumptions along with all that old Hieronic dirt. But by all retrospective accounts--including this historian's own limited recollection--no single question dominated our collective anxiety as much as this one: What can we expect? In a world of giant insects, endless growth, unearthed histories older than the Weaver King was long, how could we know what tomorrow would bring? Perhaps it was phrased differently, sometimes more specifically or with more sentimentality. But at core, it was this question--this fear--that led many to swear allegiance to the banners of Alcyon, the University, the Grey Duke. The words delivered to us by the Shepherd confirm that it was what motivated those who came to that fateful Understanding. And while this is admittedly conjecture, it is easy to believe that it is what made so many pray to Galenica, whose most authorial power was still grounded in the one bit of old Hieron still left in grand supply: us. Would tomorrow be worse than today? Would the suns ever find consistency, the pollen ever break? Would those who left us return? Would the threads of the world spiral further apart than they already had? Would 'normalcy' ever arrive? In the face of these things, how common a response fear is. After all, what more could we expect? -An Excerpt from The Last Days The We Had: A Narrative Catalogue of Hieron, End Apparent, Pt. 2 by Alonzo Victor Devareaux van der Dawes This week on Spring in Hieron: The Second Spring Pt. 4 Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

..alone would drive many settlements to resign themselves to his vassalage, as the Duke's medicinal stores separated him from many of the other warlords in that first year, when the pollen was so severe not only due to its density but to our own body's sluggish adaptation to it. But the University's leadership was not keen to submit to anyone, least of all a monarch who wouldn't even show his own face on the frontlines; whatever their differences, Corsica Neue and Lord Ephrim had in common a comfort with danger and a respect for those who would wade into it courageously. In hindsight, though, it has become clear that the Grey Duke's grand project—his attempt to re-order and organize the world around him and his territory—did not need others to kneel before him. They need only decide that facing him was a necessity to ensure his centrality in the new maps of the world. Which provides some context for the surprising, and not altogether unwelcome, tactics the Duke deployed... -An Excerpt from The Last Days The We Had: A Narrative Catalogue of Hieron, End Apparent, Pt. 2 by Alonzo Victor Devareaux van der Dawes This week on Spring in Hieron: The Second Spring Pt. 3 Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

...good a start as could be imagined, given the circumstances. But there was a confounding question still, which seemed to rent space in everyone's mind: Yes, the university had survived, but where was it? This was not a philosophical question. It was a simple matter of fact, a concrete concern. "Used to be three weeks, with cart, from Twinbrook," said one resident of the University, who operated a food cart both before and after the Second Spring. "Sure, [I] haven't made that trip in eight or nine years, not with everything going on. But [I] could count on it. Three weeks, with cart." The man tapped his temple three times, as if to emphasize the truth of the matter. While early efforts--DuCarte's map school, the Spider Silk Gondola to Alcyon, Feritas' road project--were progressing on schedule, there was the gnawing feeling among some in leadership roles that these moved too slowly. "If even our people, easy-tempered and well-calloused from the old life want to map this tangle out," wrote Corsica Neue in her journal, "then others, those chronically conditioned by control and ease, must be even more eager mappers than we." -An Excerpt from The Last Days The We Had: A Narrative Catalogue of Hieron, End Apparent, Pt. 2 by Alonzo Victor Devareaux van der Dawes This week on Spring in Hieron: The Second Spring Pt. 2 Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

…was standing there in the midst of utter chaos, I found strength in words uttered by the immortal warrior Red Jack (who you will become well acquainted with as you read on) only days before he led an assault on the being called the Advocate. "Heroism," he said, "is not such a unique thing." He was right. The heroes that day were not only those who faced down men worshipped as gods—or those that despised them. The heroes were the many whose names were not already known, who rallied their neighbors as the world around them crumbled, and ensured that even if the very body of Hieron itself vanished, Hieron, the collection of people, would not. The world, contrary to this book's title, did not end. All of which is to say that I am grateful that this text is being published in an incomplete state. The truth is that when I first began to write this volume, it wasn't a volume at all. It was just a book. An encyclopedia, collecting in one place stories from reliable (if not always honest) narrators, who together paint an image of the world as it was when it was still ending. As a writer and as an archivist, of course I knew a book like this could never be complete: Even if every fact I'd scribbled were true, even if I'd eradicated my bias—and I haven't—how could I be sure that some key detail was not lost in the telling? And so I am twice happy to be writing this foreword. First, because it means that the world and life (which frankly, I am very fond of) continues yet. Second, with our collective end seemingly deferred it gives me an excuse to begin a second volume, less focused on the apocalyptic end of everything, and more interested in all the minor endings we face as we find out what life even is here in the rhizome. For now, though, I hope that you find this volume insightful, and that if you do not, that you at least find it entertaining. A final note to that end: While you can read this text linearly from front to back, I advise simply opening to any page and reading the first full entry there, and following the references and footnotes there listed. If you absolutely must be given a defined starting place, though, I recommend entry A919: The Island of Eventide. Enjoy. -An Excerpt from the Foreword to The Last Days The We Had: A Narrative Catalogue of Hieron, End Apparent, Pt. 1 by Alonzo Victor Devareaux van der Dawes Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000), Slyvi Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), and Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) and Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot) Episode description by Austin Walker Music by Jack de Quidt A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!

Hiya everyone!! Instead of an episode this week, we have a few announcements, which you can either enjoy in audio form or text form or BOTH! -We're at Gen Con this week! We're doing a live show on Saturday, 6 PM!!! Tickets are still available!! W hoo ps ? You can get them here: https://www.gencon.com/events/151345 -We're having a fan meet up Friday, 1:30 at Hudnut Commons!! -Shut Up and Shut Down released our BFF video from SHUX 2019!! The link is https://youtu.be/5mnsV3NtRWg -There's a Twilight Mirage Zine! You can get more info at https://fundly.com/tmzine, or check out their twitter at @tm_zine -We're gonna have a bunch of new patreon content at our highest tier but if you haven't checked it out we have a TON of stuff over at friendsatthetable.cash

Across the long lawns below the central tower of the Last University, the grass defies itself. In the mind, a field is a million individual blades blending into one. But when Stars of the steppe arrive, they make mental category into physical reality, each blade blending with the next until the trembling, green pasture becomes blinding, fixed tract. But even this transformation, which spreads across the whole of one of the continent's densest settlements, is minute against what occurs above. A distraught god once promised that he would do anything to hold back the Heat and the Dark. Now, he proves his intent, yet wonders to himself if he can be stopped; if, perhaps, eradication might be better. This week on Spring in Hieron: See Where You're Standing Taken all at once, the unearned length of my life, it is easy to call this unavoidable. After all, before I could hold a chalice, I could only drink with tooth and maw, my thirst unsated, as blood stained the ground. Before I could store unfinished thoughts on a shelf, I could only think in agitation, plans and ideas twirling forever, unending in my focus, lest they be lost to distraction. Before I could hold my love, I coveted raw connection, dreamed an I into being even as I was sent to destroy identity itself. And so, I suspect, as the world becomes more real, more permanent, as those I swore to protect suffer in their sacrifice, even as I too dissolve and join the new firmament, I will have no champions. It will be easy to make sense of my decision this way: 'He was always a beast.' But that would be wrong. Writing these words is a selfish act of guilty conscience, I know. And yet I write them, because I must, because in writing them I am convinced of what must be done. I will not steep to the vulgarity of cruel maths, a list of how many we'd already killed, or how vast the future I build might be. The suffering is real. The suffering is, after all, the motive. And so that should be first. When my father told me what had been done, to the man I'd pinned to the bottom of the world, I saw opportunity. With His final ploy undone, the well of divinity had quietly been unblocked. I needed no clever stratagem. My adversarial source could be held back in the old way, a new strata. And so I began my work, drawing in detail for the first time in ages a new world. The ink flowed fresh, no rust to knock away, no lack of new ideas. I was born to steal words, but I lived for writing them. And then, in that vile cavern, I learned that my dreams were too humble. The ease with which I did it. Hadrian loved her as dear a companion as I did my Wizard. Perhaps, as ours in wisdom kind, theirs in strength. Thoughtless. Grotesque. If anything slithered in the Advocate's room, it was me. It was not only in what I did Death's Servant, though, it was that I so easily broke a promise I made to my aunt, and hid my strength from her, as I once did, so long ago. That is when I knew. That is I felt it, in my wounds, and in my heart, and in whatever motivates the void in the deep core of every living being into glorious motion. That is when I knew that I had to bring into being a world of consequence, of possibilities irrevertible, each moment concentrated justice in its inability to be undone. No second chances. No erasure. No reconfiguration. Immanence alone. A world without us. -An excerpt from the journals of Samot, the Unbroken Lord in Exile and Repose Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal), Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora (@ali_west) A transcription is available for this episode here.A full list of completed transcriptions is available here. Our transcriptions are provided by a fan-organized paid transcription project. If you'd like to join, you can get more information at https://twitter.com/transcript_fatt. Thank you to all of our transcribers!!