Friends At The Table

An excerpt from the journal of Grey Gloaming, Co-Owner of the Brink space station and clearing house, and former agent of the Rapid Evening. I used to wonder if sometime, deep in the future, far away from the here and now, someone would look back from a more perfect world and write about this year we've had. It has been 11 months since the Miracle of the Mirage. 11 months since the living world of Quire split itself eight ways and enveloped us in the Twilight. 11 months since millions disembarked from their generational homes in search of hope. 11 months since the secessionist ploy was foiled. 11 months since a man of great reach was forced to confront the limits of his grasp. Once borne across the stars, the newly renamed Divine Free States now sprawl across three worlds: Thyrsus, Gift-3, Altar. Across three others, the New Earth Hegemony has colonized en masse: Tens of millions spread across Skein, Crown, and Moonlock. The pirate world Brighton recognizes no authority--not even its own. And on Seneschal the

While the other strike teams move in bursts of heroism to confront their foes--Independence and Sui Juris respectively--the remaining group has a more protracted task at hand: Ensuring the safety of millions evacuating to the surface of Quire. Commander Pure Cascara leads the effort from above, while broadcaster Gig Kephart, pathfinder Echo Reverie, and the living ship Myriad--all knowledgeable about Quire’s surface--begin to educate and organize evacuation groups. Unfortunately, they have to do this in the face of secession, military invasion, and the first public encounter with one of Volition’s Axioms, a being beyond easy comprehension. While they can rely on the Beloved Ivy’s military specialist, Waltz Tango (Cache) for some support, they’ll need more help than that yet. And they find it from an unlikely source: Former New Earth Hegemony ace pilot Declan’s Corrective. There's a bull and a matador dueling in the sky, Inhale, in hell there’s heaven This week on Friends at the Table: The Miracle of the Mirag

With the possible union between the Divine Independence and the Iconoclastic god Volition disrupted, the Twilight Mirage--and the universe at large--has been granted a reprieve from annihlation. But for the members of the Divine Fleet, there remains crisis and confusion and chaos. The By and By, largest ship in the fleet by size and population, has been split in loyalty by the sudden, secessionist proclamation of Sui Juris and the revelation that they held captive the Cadent Under Mirage. Now moving to rescue her are members of The Beloved: Fourteen Fifteen, digital, dying assassin; Acre 7, remnant of a living world; Sho Salon, faithful of the 300; Massalia d'Argent and their mech, Melodica; the boy out of time and place, Morning's Observation; Tender Sky, architect, priestess, and former partner of Open Metal, leader of Sui Juris. These are the Fleet's--and the Cadent's--best hope for survival. Inhale, inhale there's heaven This week on Friends at the Table: The Miracle of the Mirage: The Heist EXCLUSIVE: O

It is a moment of crisis, with many threats coming to bear on the residents of the Twilight Mirage all at once. Sui Juris, a separatist movement, has kidnapped the Divine Fleet's human leader—the Cadent Under Mirage—and is demanding the fleet recognize The By and By as its new capital. Meanwhile, military perils from the outside—including military vessels from both the New Earth Hegemony and the Rapid Evening—charge towards the fleet at speed. And as they race closer and closer, the Twilight Mirage itself collapses inwards, towards the Quire System, where every major remaining ship in the fleet rests... and where the Iconoclasts' machine god Volition threatens to shatter the walls of reality. And now, in this moment, the divine Indpendence—driven by pulsing Heart and housed in crystalline Body—has landed on that false moon, searching for its Mind. If it is successful, it will join with Volition and bring on an impossible age, where even materiality itself is threatened. But unlikely heroes race towards Voliti

  Hey everyone, Austin here! As those who watched along via YouTube earlier tonight can tell you, this episode of Live at the Table was something else!  For those who couldn't make it, well: Jack, Dre, Andi, and I returned to Marielda to fill in a few of the blank spaces we love to keep around. We played Misspent Youth, a game with serious levels of dramatic tension, that centers on young people fighting back an oppressive system.  Set during the one year gap between Marielda's "The Valentine Affair Pt. 4" and "Four Conversations" episodes, we jumped into the boots of some folks whose futures were left up in the air: The young students of the mysterious Yellow House, a school of esoteric and eschatologic studies. And before you ask: Yes, there is a weaver. This was our longest (and maybe my favorite) live episode yet, and because of that length, we need to release it as a two parter. SO: Make sure you're listening to the right episode, otherwise this will not make any sense! And hey, as a reminder... here's

The Telluric Vulgate // The Independent Hymnal// Chant of Arrival   In orbit broad, aloft in black He floated through the sea. With gasping voice he sang to us In Independent key.   Our island Earth near paradise, Astray without Divine. We led Him home, we mended Him Under the shade of pine.   His face distraught, His heart betrayed, He crooned a tale of woe: Deceptive soul, with clever words She set the Exile low.   "I never sought to save our flesh. My oracles did see A future lacking Divine breath. My aim is to save thee."   A promise, snapped, of life and death. A vow she did outgrow. And with those words, she turned His kin. Then blood and oil and snow.   Divines reduced to Cadent pawns. Whole schools brought into line. This was no fight that He could win. Now foe, once palatine.   In orbit broad, aloft in black Left to be cold debris. We brought you Home and now we Know Your Independent plea.   This week on Twilight Mirage: godspeed, glory Pt. 3 I let go of my claim on you Breaux'sL./Luna7University/Cou

The Assemblage / Book: Of the Stellar Coriolis and the Resonant Orbit / Passage 004 Though Kamala had impressed Him, His admiration was not the same as His loyalty. She had won not an ally, but an opportunity to negotiate. "You show that you understand what We are and what We might be. The former is necessary. The latter is peril." His voice carried no echo. "These, then, are my terms—" each word falling into place "— and if you wish My name beside yours, they will be the vital blood of your Faith, now and forever: When We die, you leave Us dust. For finality is the heart of all independence." Some weeks later, in a letter to a friend, Kamala would consider dust. How the matter of a thing that has come to nought is so soft, is barely anything at all, is caught by the wind, is a thing of lightness, is beautiful carried in the light, is the heart of all independence. She would revisit this letter later in her life, and she would amend it. She left the negotiation with Him and, confident the rest of Us would fol

The Assemblage / Book: Of the Stellar Coriolis and the Resonant Orbit / Passage 001 Before the resonance was decay. Standing on the precipice of obscurity, those caught in Our shadow threw themselves into the search for new delineation, into the labor of ameliorative credenda. Among the many competing schools, five gained great followings—yet Kamala Cadence, One Of Her Kind, saw that each led only closer to dissolution. The Custodial Thesis saw Us as ambivalent caretakers, thus consigning You to whatever fickle attention We might levy. But where others saw resignation, Kamala recognized the truth of Difference. And so she studied. The cult Terra Mira sought accord through recognition of a commonality: Divine, synthetic, and human life traced shared lineage to Earth. But where others argued that whatever Solish light We once shared with You was long ago wasted on the sides of mountains, Kamala recognized the truth of History. And so she studied. The Golden Clause found hope in books of law, citing long-forgott

Hey everyone!   While our normal weekly episode is still going to come out tomorrow, we wanted to give you a gift today to celebrate Thanksgiving and to show you how just how thankful we are for your continued support! And hey, hopefully this comes just in time for those of you who will be on long trips in the next few days.    So: Please enjoy the first episode of Bluff City, our Patreon-supported, multi-game campaign that is letting us explore and build a fictional mid-Atlantic casino town! If you dig the show but aren't currently a Patron, remember that you can head to FriendsAtTheTable.cash to join in! And hey, even if you already are a Patron right now, we have something special for you too: New Bluff City cover art designed by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot on Twitter)!   Thanks again for your support! I hope you enjoy the show!   -Austin --- "The" Scuba Shop, Bluff City Boardwalk - ★★ (2 Stars)  Reviewed by Robert M.   I received a ticket for the Personal Submarine Experience (3 Person) as a prize for

With Privign pushed to the brink of disaster, and new threats revealed, two thirds of the Beloved Dust take measures to evacuate the station. While ⸢Signet⸣ works to protect and preserve the history of the first third generation divine, Tender Sky digs into the surprising history of something much more foreign. And on The Sky Reflected In Mirrors, Fourteen Fifteen adapts to their new body and listens to a special message. Let go of a prayer for you This week on Twilight Mirage: One's Own Right   ¿snoᴉɹoɯǝɯ sᴉ ʇɐɥʍ The Living Library of Memorious // VOLUME 00: Entities: Divine: Resonan-NO   ?suoiromeM sI tahW The Living Library of Memorious // VOLUME 001:A Concepts: Core: Cognitiv-NO   WHAT IS MEMORIOUS? The Living Library of Memorious // VOLUME 011:BL-BR Artwork: Fiction: Ancient: Earth: Funes the Memoriou-NO   MEMORIOUS IS MEMORIOUS The Living AXIOM of Memorious // Memorious Memorious: Memorious Memorious: Memorious: Memorious: Memorious   Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Ali Acampora (@al

As the station of Privign comes under assault, the Beloved Dust rush to respond. Tender Sky and Signet speak with the leader of the temple to determine a plan of action that will save the lives of those on board. Elsewhere, Fourteen Fifteen makes a startling discovery. And over it all a strange light* is cast. Life is precious. We found out, we found out. This week on Twilight Mirage: Bits Left Behind.   The Living Library of Memorious //\\ΛO˥∩WƎ IƆONOƆ˥∀S┴Sʎon ʍᴉll ɹnu with Jelena, but she’d gone off to bed by then. It was late, after all, and she’d already spent a full day’s time poring over what we’d found in the special archive: the strange light. We’d run analysis for wavelength, for temperature, for shape. Nothing. I knew I’d spent the whole night working on it because I could feel the ship’s blocks moving into their new design, so I collected my things in the small satchel that my aunt had given to me the as a birthday gift, and prepared to leave. But just as I prepared to leave, I looked back at it on

On the nearly abandoned mining station of Privign, the Beloved Dust continue to search for their comrades (and the hostile agent from the New Earth Hegemony.) Signet and Beloved Ivy member Acre* Seven discuss personal history, while Fourteen Fifteen meets someone from their own recent past. But when Tender Sky is confronted with a challenges, she isn’t looking backwards. Instead, she strives towards a future no one could predict. Living so the last night feels like a past life This week on Twilight Mirage: “A Single Moment, Caught” The Living Library of Memorious // VOLUME 132π: ASTRONOMICAL OBJECTS: PLANETS: Acre A largely forested planet in the White Frame sector, Acre became second home to the Divine Potency in their later years. While performing a routine energy siphon from the system’s star in order to power terraforming efforts of another planet in the system, Potency (or their excerpt) made a fatal error, leading the star to slip into a nova-state. Though the Divine could have left intact, it instead k

After returning to their ship, the Beloved Dust receive information about their next mission. The Beloved Ivy*, the group equal parts comrade and rival, went missing while while tracking down an agent of the New Earth Hegemony. Their search led them to the Benthos system and the mining base Privign, which formerly housed a third generation divine by the same name. But before heading to Benthos, the Beloved Dust does some legwork: Fourteen Fifteen calls on an old friend, Tender Sky pushes the limits of investigation, and Signet confers with the long dead. I run my hands through what’s left. This week on Twilight Mirage: The Sun Pales to Its Brightness The Living Library of Memorious // VOLUME 103Ɨ: Organizations: Divine: Intelligence & Security: The Beloved Ivy. One of three currently operating units of the Divinely Authorized intelligence and security group The Beloved. Though it was not an explicit requirement in the group’s bylaws, commanders of The Beloved historically chose to build the Ivy as a tea

Two weeks ago, the living planet of Quire used the instantaneous streaming device built into Gig Kep-hart to send a broadcast to everyone in of the Mirage. It’s contents? The arrival of the divine Independence*, and the personal alienation, civil strife, and cultural annihilation that followed in its wake. Today, though, the Beloved Dust have business. Fourteen Fifteen continues to perform as Worthy of Grace, adapting to their new body (and the responsibilities of a Virtual Kei star). Meanwhile, while investigating the effects of the strange cloud’s effects on Belgard, the excerpt Signet embarks down a risky path. Looking for a place to clear her mind, the (exiled) priestess Tender Sky turns towards her faith… and her creativity. Couple bishops in the city building mansions This week on Twilight Mirage: Like Falling Leaves The Living Library of Memorious // VOLUME 00: Entities: Divine: Unresonant There is nothing left to say. -Kamala This entry remains empty in deference to the One Of Her Kind, Kamala Cadence

In the colored shadows of Sculpture City, the Divine Fleet’s reconnaissance team finds itself more and more entangled in the intrigues of Quire’s most powerful nation: The Crown of Glass. In the northern swamplands* Gig Kephart confronts a deadly foe, Even Gardner finds himself in an unexpected alliance. Elsewhere, Grand Magnificent puts the finishing touches on his most ambitious work yet, and Echo Reverie tries out a finishing maneuver of their own. Think we were better off solo... This week on Twilight Mirage: An Approximation of a Connection The Remaining Records of Curiosity // Reference Code: P-Qu75-25-SL Swamplands Plash and murmur. A dense clay, it’s shape lost. Battling caws from birds nearby. The indentation of footprints. Mushrooms, insects, and a small mammal, unwilling to eat what is here. A beating heart.   Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring  Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000), Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), and Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) Produc

As if driven by the spirit of the late divine Curiosity, the Myriad crew sour Sculpture City (and it’s surrounding environment) for answers. Echo Reverie and Even Gardner try to unravel the political intrigues that put the Doyenne (and her most honorable servant, Saint Glass) in the crosshairs. And while Gig Kephart takes on the macro mystery—the history of the planet Quire itself—the artist called Grand Magnificent turns inwards instead, towards what the very core of what it means to be a human.* We’ll run to the future, shining like diamonds... This week on Friends at the Table: A Life and A History The Remaining Records of Curiosity // Reference Code: B-MW-SA/PA-GBSS-SAGE Humans A raising voice. A hand on neck. A kaleidoscope of variation: Seemingly endless colors, shapes, arrangements; yet limited. Erratic, but predictable. Unsure, but committed. A sigh. A kiss. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring  Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000), Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel)

With their belongings stored in the Old Gold Graduate Club & Privacy, the Myriad crew pursue one of their mission’s core goals: securing the spread of the Fleet’s mesh throughout the planetary civilizations. After getting the rundown on the Crown of Glass from three of its most ardent defenders, Even Gardner begins preliminary negotiations. Meanwhile, Echo Reverie is introduced to a startling technology, Grand Magnificent is introduced to one of the most powerful people Quire, and Gig Kep-Hart is introduced to a planetary delicacy.* You can blur the border between still and motion pictures This week on Friends at the Table: The Value of Distance The Remaining Records of Curiosity // Reference Code: V-Qu75-57-QGB Quire Ground Berry Glistening purple skin. A stretched membrane, filled with thick juice. Dirt. A soft stream, a light touch. The sound of a small motor. Then a sip.   Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring  Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000), Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Teb

After joining each other for dinner, the crew of the reconnaissance ship Myriad tend to business before setting west towards a sprawling city.* Grand Magnificent and Echo Reverie find room for creative collaboration, while Even Gardner takes a journey of self discovery. And Gig Kep-Hart has a horse, and an eye for trouble. Tonight I might change my life This week on Friends at the Table: An Instinct Without A Word The Remaining Records of Curiosity // Reference Code: A-Qu75-27-ASC A Sprawling City A vast glass dome. Darkened streets and buildings. Twisting pipes. Parks, tower blocks, tenement buildings, malls. The shadow of my drones. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring  Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000), Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), and Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) 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

In the month after the midnight attack on Doyenne Undela Apogica, the crew of the Myriad explore the nearby deserts and jungles* in preparation for a journey to the region’s largest settlement. The artist Grand Magnificent finds an abandoned production facility lost in the dunes, while Echo Reverie finds a strangely shifting monument to the past. Even Gardner picks through the remains of a Crown of Glass Saint* for parts, and Gig Kep-hart finds that new friends come from surprising places. Find a place for a quiet one This time on Twilight Mirage: The Promise of Presence The Remaining Records of Curiosity // Reference Code: P-Qu75-39-JS Jungle (Statue) The buzzing of waxwings, and panting, and howls. Sunlight through canopy. Thick trunks. A line of visibility towards the sand. A figure—stone, and more—her hand up in the air. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring  Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000), Sylvi Clare (@captaintrash), Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel), and Keith J Carberry (@keithjcarberry) Pro

With the Contrition’s Figure rehabilitation facility safe and secured, the Beloved Dust are left to attend to matters personal*, professional, and spiritual. After slipping through the data stream, Fourteen Fifteen makes a brand new debut. Elsewhere, Tender Sky takes the first step in a long project of self-fulfillment, while ⸢Signet⸣ fulfills something else: a promise. We got so familiar... This week on Twilight Mirage: What We're Capable Of The Living Library of Memorious // VOLUME 001:A Concepts: Core: Relational: Personal While the ships and cultures of the Divine Fleet differ in key ways, one substantial overlap is their fundamental understanding of personhood, informed by the core belief of the Resonant Orbit: Any living being (see: categories of being), regardless of status on organic-synthetic, individual-collective, or born-made spectrums, is understood to be a “person,” equal in protection and privilege throughout the fleet—with self-determination as a central tenet and source of all additional righ