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This episode carries content warnings for discussions of assassinations and death.

The star at the center of the Palisade system seemed to release a breath, and all at once across the Bilateral Intercession, the line between \\u201coutcome,\\u201d \\u201cconsequence,\\u201d and \\u201cblowback\\u201d became stunningly clear. Malicious action alone would have led to a great loss. But in negligent inaction, something worse has emerged: chaos. Now, something must be done. Blame must be assigned. Accountability must be achieved. Change must come to Palisade.

This week on PALISADE: Resentment and Frustration Pt 1\\xa0

Shadows of planes / Flying overhead

Dossier

People

Stargrave Elcessor (she/her): Leader of the Bilateral Interecession\\u2019s occupation of Palisade, assigned personally by Cynosure Whitestar-Kesh. As a Stargrave, she has been granted the means and \\u201cright\\u201d to detonate the star at the center of Palisade\\u2019s star system if she determines that those here are an existential threat to the Principality.

Connadine (he/him): Commander of the Bilateral Intelligence Service on Palisade. An expert in psychological operations and folklore. As a composer, his opus is the Adagio, a plan to get everyone on Palisade operating in ways not only predictable, but scripted. As a conductor, his orchestra now turns towards the second movement.

Occam Olio (they/them): Columnar member of the Frontier Syndicate and low level officer of Lock & Cross Security Services. Sharp the way a knife is. Made themself a hero among Palisade Bilats during Frontier Syndicate operation against Rose River.\\xa0

Crysanth Kesh (she/her): Mother of Clementine, a.k.a. The Witch in Glass. Once, third in line to the throne of Kesh and de facto leader of the Curtain of Divinity, the predecessor to the Bilateral Intelligence Service.\\xa0

Lucia Whitestar (she/her): The young \\u201cLady Whitestar\\u201d emerged as a strategic genius during the early conflict between Kesh and Apostolos on PARTIZAN five years ago. Seventh in line to the throne of Princept.\\xa0

Factions

Bilateral Intercession: One of two factions vying for leadership of the Principality, comprised by Stels Kesh and Nideo, and lead by the so-called Peaceful Princept, Cynosure Whitestar-Kesh (he/him), who took control of the faction from the Curtain, a secretive intelligence organization with roots in Kesh\\u2019s ancient spy operations. The \\u201cBilats\\u201d are a conservative and reactionary force, aiming to return the Principality to its roots both literally and figuratively. After a long campaign against the Pact of Free States, they managed to take control of Palisade.\\xa0

The Pact of Free States: One of the two factions vying for leadership of the Principality, a joint operation by Stels Columnar and Apostolos.

The New Asterism: What was once a schism between Received and Progressive Asterism has now been healed by the false prophet Gur Sevraq (he/they), or at least someone in his name and face. The New Asterism claims that to be a citizen of the Principality is to have an obligation to "better the world," in the sense that one invests in property or in the way that a settler \\u201crehabilitates\\u201d or \\u201cimproves\\u201d the places they claim by violence.\\xa0

The Branched: A post-human society of beings who have transformed their bodies into forms terrifying and spectacular and free\\u2014only to have the threat of war force them to rebuild themselves as soldiers first and foremost. After centuries of fighting a purely defensive war, the Branched have now begun to strike into the Principality\\u2019s territory.\\xa0

Places

Chimera\\u2019s Lantern: The second moon of Palisade, shaped oddly like a wasp\\u2019s nest or paper lantern. New arrivals to the world find its occasional glow unnatural and frightening. Thisbe and the Figure found evidence that it could be tied to driving the bulk of ancient Divine Principality forces off of Palisade. Home to the Chimeric Cadent (they/them, it/its), an amalgam of the ancient Excerpt \\u2e22Signet\\u2e23, the mysterious Waking Cadent, and the Divine Belgard. As one being, they protect the corpses of a number of Divines, including Sagacity, Dissent, Felicity, Barricade, and Bounty\\u2014its newest resident.

Objects

The Stellar Combustor: A weapon of immense destruction, capable of destroying countless star systems if deployed without a firebreak. Has been used in some form or another since the time of the earliest Divines. In current form they take the form of a twirling, 3-ringed space station that rotates around a system\\u2019s sun.\\xa0

Divines

Discernment (it/its): Able to see the whole of the galaxy for one moment a year, this massive Divine was stolen by Millennium Break in the years after Operation Shackled Sun.\\xa0

The Divine Crusade (they/them): Leads Stel Nideo\\u2019s occupation on Palisade along with their Elect, Gentian. Crusade is an enormous, bipedal machine covered (or perhaps made with) beautiful stained glass.

Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker)

Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart) Sylvi Bullet (@sylvibullet), 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\\xa0

Music by Jack de Quidt (available on bandcamp)

Text by Austin Walker

Cover Art by by aurahack (aurahack.jp)

With thanks to Arthur B., chocoube, DB, deepFlaw, Edwin Adelsberger, Emrys, Greg Cobb, huw, Ian O\'Dea, Ian Urbina, Irina A., Jack Shirai, K. Morris, Katie Diekhaus, Konisforce, Kristina Harris Esq, L Tantivy, Lawson Coleman, Mike & Ruby, Nich Maragos, Olive Perry, Patrick Murray, Robert Lasica, Shawn Hall, TeganEden, Thomas Whitney, viviridian, and Voi for their support

We are playing Armour Astir: Advent with additional playbooks from Strangers in the Night and 106th Astir Squadron. If you enjoy the show, consider supporting the TTRPG.\\xa0

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