Friends At The Table

After returning from their meeting with Advent and the Concretetown Particulars, the Notion discusses the complexity of the situation over dinner. When a new offer is made, the group prepares for their largest operation yet: The piercing of a powerful storm and a confrontation against an Axiomatic foe. Even digs for information, Signet reaches out for Divine aid, and Echo returns a gift. This week on Twilight Mirage: No Value in a Closed Door We don't talk much or nothin' But when we talkin' about something We have good discussion 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) 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

Having agreed to help a group of young runaways that go by the name the Sailors of the Ark, the Notion begin to gather information for their mission.   Fourteen Fifteen, Grand Magnificent, and Tender Sky head toward Big Garage’s terrestrial transport center to secure passage onto the floating city ship, only to find things more complicated (and tightly scheduled) than they’d hope. Gig Kep-Hart and the sentient Torch Unit named Yam, meanwhile, visit with members of the Ark to piece together clues about Big Garage’s layout.   But preparation is always only preparation, and when the team finally takes to the skies, they run into a few unexpected surprises...   This week on Twilight Mirage: Like What We Used To Do   Piece in my hands worth twice than a friend And two limbs over shoulder, carried away     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_we

Having confirmed the location of the stitch connecting Gift-3 to Brighton, the Notion prepares to undergo their mission to transport a small group of refugees. While Signet checks in on the local church, Even and Echo meet up with an old friend to gather information. Finally, the group sets off... with a very unorthodox plan.  This week on Twilight Mirage: Staying Neutral I believe there's heaven, I believe in war 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) 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!

  Inside of a laboratory on 29th floor of Big Garage Co-Working Tower #12, Gig Kep-hart performs an experimental robotic surgery alongside the brash (and presumed missing) teenager, Orellia Ject. Meanwhile, 28 floors below, Tender Sky, Grand Magnificent, and Fourteen Fifteen work to stall a ticking clock as authorities draw ever closer. Whether it counts down or not, this half of the Notion is about to come face to face with someone who has their own bold vision of the future.    This week on Twilight Mirage: The Good Decision   Clearly this isn't all that there is  Can't take what's been given  But we're so okay here, we're doing fine…   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) Episode description by Austin Walker Music by Jack de Quidt A transcription is available for this episode her

Deep in the Crashyards of Gift-3, Signet, Even, and Echo have been sent by Cascara and Seneschal's Brace to locate and secure a "stitch" in space, a place where two of the Nine Idylls of the Quire system connect as if by magic. Once secured, they are to lead a small group of refugees through that stitch, beginning the long and necessary effort of reconnecting the broken Tides of Harmony. But before they can lead anyone anywhere, they need to get back from their reconnaissance mission… and the drones of Advent Discovery & Salvage and the strange mechanical beasts of Gift-3’s wilds aren’t going to make it easy. This week on Twilight Mirage: Along A Route Two mopeds racing through the forest Making dirt clouds on a path, on a path   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) Episode description by Austin Walker Music by Jack de

Newly unified as “The Notion,” the crew of The World Without End has arrived to Gift-3. While half of the group is busy working on their (semi-)official assignment, the team of Tender Sky, Fourteen Fifteen, Gig Kephart, and Grand Magnificent have their own work to attend to. At the request of Grand’s local contact, a small-time transporter named Alabaster Went whose niece, Winchester, has gone missing, the crew heads into the Mandati capital of Big Garage to investigate a case of runaway teens. Is it an NEH plot? Could some technological marvel (or monster) kidnapped them? Or is Quire itself interfering, yet again? This week on Twilight Mirage: Every Bad Idea That's a pretty fucking fast year flew by That's a pretty long third gear in this car 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) Episode desc

From a certain perspective, the Twilight seemed to rest perfectly at peace, an etheric coastline: The Nine Idylls--even Volition--in close, harmonious orbit within a sea made of light and color, and tidal rhythms drawn by the pleasant waving of the distant asteroid belt that encircled the Quire System. But unfortunately for Keen Forester Gloaming, Chief Intercessor of the Rapid Evening’s newly formed Mirage Division, that perspective wasn’t visible from the bridge of the Welkin Absolute, flagship of his humble task force. As the long, ribbon-like frigate flittered through the Shore like a wind-up toy or a tapeworm, Gloaming looked beyond the rocks and towards the only thing that Crystal Palace feared: Possibility. “K-Upside Transmission 328, Record MD-Gloaming Crystal Palace, As we approach the one year anniversary of our incursion into the Quire System, Dovetail synopsis confirms that the last 11 months have been aligned with guaranteed events. As predicted, the two largest operators inside of the Mirage are

“Thirteenth” by Declan’s Corrective, Co-Governor of Seneschal, former Ace Pilot of the New Earth Hegemony Before these clinquant peaks And Quire-fashioned streets And shimmering cataract falls Before this was home Before Seneschal   There was me   Stiff shoulder muscle Knotted, bloody, scarred And chess table politics And cricket yard brawls And father’s frantic calls To lessons he’d swore I’d need To seed a future year With countless victories   Before we walked together gleaming Before Drifting, my reprise Before diarchy and comedy Before Cadent beaming: Me   Before Notion Before violence Before Vanguard, Apogee Before Evening Before promise Before vision from dark sea   I walked down courtyards, and looked to spheres And whispered treacherous dreams To peers who’d disappeared No schemers left to scheme Just me and castle Just me and hope Just me, naive, and mouth of soap   This is not apology This is dedication writ in flesh No more “fighting spirit” No more streets, bent No more “what I really meant” This

Feedback by Janus, Red Equity of the Golden Clause, on a term paper exploring the the emerging legal jurisdiction of the Quire System. Please Note: The grade you’ve received here reflects your successful ability to follow the assignment’s instructions, cite relevant academic and practical work, and build an argument supported by precedent. For that, you should be commended. But I am disappointed that you would take up this line of thought. As you’ve written politicians of certain persuasion point to moments of crisis, to freshly mapped worlds, to technological frontiers and say that the law does not apply in these places. That that those in power rule arbitrarily during these states of exception. But if you take one lesson from me or from this seminar, let it be this: There is no such thing as a lawless place or a time outside of jurisdiction. Deep below explicit legal precedent, unlisted in any codex, there lie unspoken rules by which society functions. They are fluid, yet bottled by the shape of culture. Fr

An entry from the journal of the former excerpt “To the prince, we offered twelve thousand flowers, Blooming in an untouched field,” leader of the Beloved Nights. How did I get here? How did I find this home? Pain. Pain was my guide. For the first half of the year each second was a dozen or more. I have buried my kin, my peers, and myself. I put my love to rest and lived in a marionette corpse for months. Yet I never knew a pain like this until I looked up from Volition’s surface and saw a beautiful new world with no place for me in it. I knelt before the so-called Cadent Under Mirage and waited for an answer. Where could I best serve her? Lacking her own answer, and without her advisor, the priestess, in sight, she deferred to a bureaucrat. I remember the ship they put me on. It smelled of bleach and rust. it was crowded with those who would I would manage. A cleanup operation. The remains of Privign Station, which Volition’s monstrous retainers had crushed into crumbs, and which the pull of the Mirage and b

A letter from Kent Brighton to the Lineage’s Matriarch, the Lady Lyme. Dearest Aunt, I hope this message finds you well. Our vessel has just now entered textual communication range, and though I could wait to see your face in just a few days, speed is of the essence. As you know, my ship, the Wakerobin, left New Independence a month ago to secure diplomatic relations with each of the new governments throughout Quire. The crew and I felt at home with the crooning of our ship’s hull as it settled.Though we moved through suntouched sky, it was familiar as the surging sea. But unlike Old Quire’s ocean, the aether offered us an opportunity unknown to the Lineage in generations: The chance to explore the uncharted! Each new port brought new discoveries: technologies yet unseen, delicacies fresh to my palate, songs, and theater, and friendship! Every diplomat, every merchant, every cleric, they were all charmed by our charisma and, of course, taken with the affability of our great ally, Gig Kephart. (And yes, our al

An excerpt from an address to the high council of the Qui Err Assembly by Annex Iota Pretense, reconstituted leader of her people.. I have heard the murmurs, and I have seen the images. They’re calling their bandits heroes. The bored rich like Joan-bee. Invaders like Templeton’s Faire. Soldiers like Echo Reverie. Do not misunderstand. We are the heroes of this story. Their talking heads will tell you that history is more complicated than that. That everyone is complicit in some misdeed. That by our own logic, what we call ours was the planet’s first. That we are colonizers, too. But do not misunderstand. We are Qui Err Vi Qi-Em, The Soil With Memory. Their petty historians hold matchsticks and think they wield the sun. Their propagandists will take our pain and twist it into lessons for their children, our struggle into entertainment for paying customers. They will turn sites of violence into souvenir shops, and in their little voices demand from us personalized baubles. Do not misunderstand. They will ask

Hey, It’s Cascabel. I know you’re probably zipping between planets in some sort of experimental ship right now bud, but once you get back just let me know you got this, okay? I wanted to let you know that I got back from Skein and some of your old colleagues wanted me to pass on a hello. And, I know it’s weird to have them be working with the NEH now and I know it can be hard to hear, but they’re doing good work, man. You should check in on them. Quire is bleeding and they’re the closest thing to medics. I’ve seen it across every world I’ve been on, but on Skein, it’s bad, man. There’s a gash that cuts down to the core. Deep in the jungle, about a day from Terncage… that big city by the beach. It’s a wound that pulses. It groans. With each new beat, it finds and and breaks a new reality. So.. I guess I’m just not surprised that it attracted every scientist in the sector. The Skein? The Garden? They were already deep into this stuff on Old Quire, man. And your people from the Ever Forward? From what I understa

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