High above the Imperial Palace, there is a gaping wound in the sky through which New Black Ichor pours. Still yet unharvested by the Imperial Commission, rumours are rife that someone who could tap into this source would be in the considerable good graces of the Silent Regent. The Imperial Commission, meanwhile, hungers. Eyes are turning skyward, as the sky continues to drip its majestic bounty…

OPPORTUNITY FOR HONOURABLE CITIZENS

Master Commissioner Dmitri Romov of the Imperial Commission would be particularly grateful for citizens to volunteer with a job of utmost important to the Imperial Commission.

As the nature of the matter may honour volunteers with exposure to some of the workings of the Commission, external volunteers will be required to give their word not to disclose anything they discover of these workings before being admitted to the Commission.

The Master Commissioner seeks only 4 volunteers: in the very likely case that more than 4 honourable citizens apply, lottery will be used to select the lucky volunteers. Successful applicants will be contacted by the Imperial Commission.

• Commissioner Chance - Joe
• Alos Frond - George
• Nikolai - Alex
• Evarard Dirk - Dave

The party meet with Master Commissioner Romov who briefs them of the exciting developments in constructing a floating platform pumping station directly into the heart of the wound in the sky. Thanks to Commissioner Chance's past discovery of floatstone in Conflict, they've trained Conflict Weavers in the art of Ichorwerk (an experimental crossover referred to as Conflictwerking) in order to stably convert the necessary equipment into the Conflict-aligned floatstone. The slight snag is this generally causes the Conflict Weavers to go mad and explode. The party are asked to oversee this, and Evarard is sworn into a non-disclosure agreement.

After proving their mettle in ensuring people follow their instructions, the party make their way past the groaning and exploding pipes of the Commission to find a bloody hellscape where the last Conflictwerker has met an untimely end. They fight creatures that seem to be crossovers of monsters of Conflict and creations of Ichor, and Chance conducts a seance to confirm these monsters appeared due to the conjuction of Conflict and Ichor. Not perturbed, a new Conflictwerker arrives on the scene and they proceed to construct the platform. They fight off more works of Conflict and Ichor and the platform begins to rise, though not before being assaulted by a manifestation of what the Commission are coming to refer to as The Vulture, which the party beats back.

A short while later, while defending the platform high above the Commission, a Wheel Paladin sect arrives to attempt to break down the Commission's flight attempt, citing that they want the Ichor and adventure instead. The party fight them off, and then more supplies arrive. Tasked by Master Commissioner Alexis Telemova with connecting the Commission's pipes with the pumping station's pipes, the party find the Commission resistant to extension attempts, and find themselves fighting the will of the Commission for this. Nikolai is overcome by the Commission's will to not be changed, and in a similar state of incursion, Evarard's familiar breaks through to possess Evarard and seek to purify. Nikolai attempts to sabotage the project, which Chance thwarts, but midway through the chaos, a new Conflictwerker arrives to continue construction as the platform rises, and the party has no choice but to fight off more Conflict!Ichor creatures.

During the fight, Chance is enraged by a Conflict!Ichor creature and hurls Nikolai off the platform, killing him. This being his last death, Frond and Chance desperately seek ways to bring Nikolai back. Frond uses guided mutations and ichor to create an Animus which they seek to implant in Nikolai's body, but has to fight the Magos who has seized Nikolai's body to put its own Animus in - eventually striking an agreement to work together - while Chance implants Nikolai's dying mind in Buckler. Nikolai strikes an agreement with the Magos and Buckler is merged with Nikolai, transforming him into a storm elemental and giving him one least lease of life. Nikolai's body metamorphs into a new form, covered in moving butterflies and with swirling changing eyes, which appears to trigger a Connection conjunction whereupon the giant mole, Blind Adoration, insists that Frond's creation is their beloved, Katya. The party are confused and attempt to keep Blind Adoration at bay while Nikolai and the being that is now in Nikolai's old body come to terms with life.

Midway through this, a Conflict conjunction erupts, perhaps due to the change that Buckler is going through, and the Lord of Fire and Tremors and Lady of Storms fight around the party, with fury. Frond, having had an existential crisis about the nature of the blessing mark, attempts to rationalise all this, while Chance strikes a deal to return Katya to her body and contact Blind Adoration through themselves when this happens. Frond and Evarard fend off the Conflict Lieges, and Nikolai comes to realise his body is marked by both of the powerful planar denizens.

Back in the mundane, the party have little time to think as the pipes of the Commission connect with the wound in the sky and the New Ichor starts to be pumped. In retaliation, butterflies and moths of the Magos swarm out of the wound to attack the platform. Frond, refusing to hurt the party or the Magos, creates a concoction which they corrupt Pipeline #9 with which prevents the Magos's Ichor from being refined in any way, and this mollifies the butterflies who make the platform their new home. Chance is concerned by this, but with the task complete, new Commission guards arrive to relieve the party from their duties.

On the ground, Chance investigates the pipelines and determines what's happened to them, though does not know how this happened. They all debrief with Master Commissioner Romov who is thrilled and answers their questions about why the Commission might have been resisting expansion, and as to who Katya is. Katya is explained to be Katya Rastova, chief Architect of the Commission, and this makes a deal of sense to the party, who explain that something that seems to be a bit like Katya has been created and is in contact with Frond.

Chance expresses concerns about the pipelines, which Romov says the Mystikos is looking into personally, and Nikolai expresses existential angst about his new form, which Romov doesn't particularly care about. The party receives the Commission's especial gratitude and are sent on their way.

Frond debriefs further with Master Commissioner Romov and expresses their sincere concerns about the blessed turning people into Eggs for some strange entity. Romov is not entirely without unsurprise about this, but suggests to Frond that since the things that they're describing Imperially do not exist, neither does any of this information. Frond acknowledges this and heads on their way to have a chat with the Magos, whereupon they ask about becoming a godlike being like the Magos, due to their ability to create Life. The Magos notes to Frond that all of the “gods” can create life - or, Animuses - so that in itself isn't a special ability, but if Frond manages to create life (without their own aid, it adds) and give it a particular purpose, then they may well be on their way. Frond dedicates vast periods of time in their laboratory attempting to make things change without using the Magos or Ichor, in order to start training for this. Katya returns to Frond and hangs outside their house since it seems to be a safe place for her.

Nikolai returns to the Imperial Bureaucracy whereupon their discoveries are of great interest and concern to the Honourable Companions who take down a detailed account (noting that there is some confusion about how Frond could be involved since Frond was seen causing chaos in the Barrens at the same time). Nikolai debriefs fully, and also mentions Frond's theories about Eggs, which the Companions tell Nikolai is Imperially not true. They are grateful for a thorough debrief, and Nikolai then heads to the Circle of the Enlightened Mind to find out what the heck they are. Through various experiments and prodding and invitation of Shapers and Commissioner Chance, they determine that Nikolai is a person embodying a shaped item which is itself a different form of a different shaped item which was once a Conflict denizen. This will, no doubt, be confusing. They suggest that Nikolai may wish to avoid dying in Conflict lest they become an immortal servant of the Lord of Fire.

Chance debriefs with the Mystikos who reveals they are pumping the Magos's blood directly into their veins. They reveal their grand plan to have them and their cult ascend to become beings of pure Change on this plane, to become Change Weavers! Chance is shaken by this and makes his excuses. Evarard and Chance meet up to perform a Perfection and Ichor ritual (which becomes more of a Perfection of an Ichor Concoction, due to the risks involved), and manage to crystalise a Concoction that Chance creates in order to subvert the manifest change that Pipeline #9 is pumping into the Mystikos's pool, which he then promptly jams into Pipeline #9. The consequences are immediate, and the entire Imperial Commission trembles with the fury of the Mystikos as whatever Chance has done takes hold. Pipeline #9 becomes inoperative, and over a day, all the pipelines in Commission reroute to the Mystikos's chambers. Nobody knows what is happening, not even Romov, but the Commission appears to be on an ongoing temporary shutdown. Chance slinks away, hoping nobody saw it was him.

Evarard uses Chrysalis to catch up with Not-Katya and talks to her about who and what she is. She explains she knows she's her own person, but her heart appears to be someone else's - probably Katya's. Evarard offers to help her find a way to make her heart her own, which she is appreciative for as an offer, but asks for a little time to think about it while she works out how she fits into the world, noting that though her heart is someone else's, it is also intrinsically hers. Evarard keeps the offer open, and she expresses appreciation for this, and mulls it over.

• The Commission has been extended skyward by enormous pipes which feed directly from the wound in the sky above the Imperial Palace. The platform is made of Conflict-aligned floatstone, it is protected by Commission Guards and also butterflies of the Magos, and is tethered by an enormous chain that leads to the Commission.
• It is an Imperial Truth that the Commission's platform is not higher than the Imperial Palace, but it is higher than the Shapers Tower.
• All pumping and Ichor production activities have been unilaterally ceased by the Mystikos.
• All Ichor from refinement or production is being pumped directly into the Mystikos's chamber.
• The Mystikos has not spoken to anyone since.
• Access to Black Ichor is still possible due to surpluses, but the food shortages continue.

• 3 Favour from the Imperial Commission

• NDA with the Imperial Commission

• -1 Buckler

• Deal struck with the Magos to work together on Not Katya's form
• Not Katya is staying with Frond

• +1 Death
• Is now inhabiting the body of Buckler, which provides the following attributes:
  • Despite being a person, you are also a Shaped Item with the following Qualities:
    • Annoying
    • Inconvenient (once per adventure with Chance, you should be directly inconvenient to him, talk to the GM about this)
    • Haunted
      • Once per adventure, Buckler may summon the undead Lady of Tremors to do its bidding. This is a slow-moving servant who will follow instructions. She has 10 hits and upon being killed, or the encounter ending, will return to her prison inside Buckler
    • Talkative
  • Made of lightning
    • Gain 1 RESIST STUN
  • Planar - Conflict - You ping as a Conflict Denizen.
  • Branded by a Liege of Conflict - You are branded by a Liege of Conflict and as such are identifiably their servant while in Conflict. Actions you undertake in Conflict will metaphysically reflect back on your patron and particularly striking actions may have consequences. While you are in their Domain, you are IMMUNE FEAR. If you die while in the Plane of Conflict on the Lady of Storms's business, you will be returned to their Court and given the choice of returning by the Lady of Storms's power (at a potential cost), or of falling into the Void (at which point your regular Blessing would kick in if you are Blessed).
• Gains access to the Conflictwerker Epic Tree
• No more lives left

Through some means, you have become capable of wielding the power of the plane of Conflict simultaneously with the power of Ichor (which some may call the plane of Change). This is incredibly dangerous but incredibly rewarding.

You may gain Conflict Charge like a Conflict Weaver. All use of Ichorwerk requires you to spend 3 Conflict Charge to use it first. Once per Level you may purchase a Conflict Spell using XP, as if you were a Conflict Weaver.

• You are able to sense Conflict like you would sense Ichor, through scent.
• This allows you to sense the intrusion of any plane into the waking world.
• You can sense other Weavers and what alignment they are.
• You can sense if someone has a conflict affliction, its severity, and gain some insight into what it does.
• You can see and interact with familiars from your plane.

• Once per adventure you may conduct a Conflict/Change Ritual of moderate Power that combines elements of both Conflict Weaving and Ichorwerk. This is inherently dangerous, and if you do not take steps to prevent it, you will die at the end of the ritual in an explosion of Conflict.
• The Ritual will likely trigger incursions of Conflict/Change beings while the ritual is taking place.

3 Black Ichor

• You may attempt to brew unique Ichorwerk that has particularly Conflict-aligned abilities. This will be more potent and more dangerous than a usual Concoction, but allow you to imbue the Concoction with Planar effects.
• The GM will then decide what the new concoction does.

• Once per adventure you may conduct a Conflict/Change Ritual of Major Power that combines elements of both Conflict Weaving and Ichorwerk. This is inherently dangerous, and if you do not take steps to prevent it, you will die at the end of the ritual in an explosion of Conflict.
• The Ritual will likely trigger incursions of Conflict/Change beings while the ritual is taking place.