Session 10: 3/26/13

[BURNING AVARINE]

[CROW COLOR] Crow is resting on Lycelle's lap, and she strokes his beard. He says he's growing it in now that he's not Forged Lord, but he admits that it's really that his manservant has gone missing again.
[YVENNE COLOR] Yvenne is unpacking into her new office in the Painted Palace. Thalia checks in on her, and Yvenne says she needs to take another trip back to her old office.
[PHOENIX COLOR] Phoenix is recuperating. She and Raven are walking arm-in-arm in the garden. She tells him that she's ready to have a child.
[MARIS BUILDING (1)] Maris and Delphia manage to find the Inquisitor, Sister Priya. Maris begins to lay out her case against Lt. Quinn, and when Priya is dismissive, Maris and Delphia simultaneously realize she is Vaylen. They kill the connection.
[KESTREL BUILDING (1)] Kestrel catches a ship smuggling weapons and attacks it. It manages to evade capture, damaging the Leviathan's distortion drives. Lady Aruna is not pleased.
[YVENNE INTERSTITIAL] Yvenne blows up at Kestrel about the failure (Kestrel is blaming her crew). Yvenne yells at her to be subtle next time. They decide to spin this as Kestrel valiantly trying to interrupt a weapons supply to the slaves. They decide that Kestrel will make a speech asking the nobility to unite against the uprising. Kestrel sighs at the prospect of planning another gala.
[TORRENT COLOR] Torrent is dreaming of floating in the open water. He sees Maris on a cliff, looking down at him. Chains rise out of the water and pull him down, drowning as Maris watches. He wakes up, gasping and sweating.
[MARIS COLOR] Maris tells her Iron elite that the leadership of the Mundus is compromised by the Worm. They say they will stand with her.
[KESTREL BUILDING (2)] Meyers jumps into the middle of the marital bed, prompting a discussion on the subject of sleeping arrangements. Kestrel explains that there are two rooms and she will "visit" Meyers. He leaves, grudgingly, and pecks Yvenne awkwardly on the cheek. Then Thalia comes in, and says that she's not going to sleep down the hall since then she can't bodyguard. Thalia announces that she'll sleep in Meyers' room if she can't stay in Wren's room. Thalia says that she can sleep on a mat on the floor if the princess sister is too good for her. Kestrel promises to have another room built. Kestrel has a divider put in Wren's room, and Thalia starts smoking.
[PHOENIX INTERSTITIAL] Phoenix invites Kestrel for brunch. Phoenix suggests that they get started on an heir to House Tamar. Kestrel tells her to see the doctors. Phoenix gives a run-down on the mechanics. Making babies is so romantic!
[MARIS BUILDING (2)] Maris assaults Locke's ship. Quinn's forces try to take off, but Delphia blows the door and Maris and loyal Sodalis storm on. A sympathetic Sodalis points them to Locke's stateroom, where they find his life support capsule, which they take. As other Sodalis rush to the Cotar Fomas' presumptive defense, Maris briefly and sadly cradles Locke's lifeless body in her arms. She then smashes his skull on the ground and holds up the remnants of the Vaylen webbing for all to see.
[KESTREL BUILDING (3)] Kestrel gives an impassioned speech, inspiring the nobles to stand together against the slave uprising.
[TORRENT INTERSTITIAL] Torrent and Phoenix meet at Moon Under the Sea. Torrent says that the slaves are losing a lot of people in the fight against the Mundus. He asks for her help in crafting anti-Mundus propaganda.
[KESTREL COLOR] Kestrel is in the doctor's office, on the exam table, waiting for them to extract her eggs. Kestrel smiles affectionately at a text message from Meyers.
[MARIS BUILDING (3)] Maris stalks among the rioters, looking for Alix. She tears down an anti-Mundus poster as she searches. She finds Alix and tells him that she realizes that the Wheel demands reconciliation between the slaves and the nobles, and that House Tamar is standing in the way. She says she wants to bring them down, and make the Mundus a force to bring an end to the conflict on Avarine.
[YVENNE BUILDING] Yvenne addresses the Raven Brotherhood and tells them that she will always stand with them and protect them, but it's too risky for her to remain their leader; Thalia and Zabad will be taking over. They carry out a heist against gun smugglers, and equip Yvenne's Mercator with a nail launcher, prepared to run the Mundus blockade.

MANEUVER ROLL: Human FLAK vs. Vaylen INUNDATE: HUMANS END THE MOTHERFUCKING PHASE. The Raven Brotherhood finds routes through the Mundus arms embargo as slaves rise up again to throw their bodies against the gates!

PHASE EPILOGUE: Three and a half years pass. In that time, Avarine is plunged into civil war. The Sodality aligns itself with the the slaves as the Council of Dregutai remains indecisive and the seat of Archcotare goes unfilled. Kestrel rallies the nobles around her, galvanized now by the threat from the slave uprising. Phoenix bears her a child, a beautiful baby girl. The war grinds on. And meanwhile, crossing the vast interstellar gulfs, a Vaylen fleet inexorably advances, to shame Locke for his failures and ravish this weakened world...

Thanks +Rachel E.S. Walton , +Rachael Storey , and +Sara Williamson!