We had our first session last night, and I typed up some actual play notes... it was great fun! 

Player (pseudonyms to protect the guilty) :
Character Ron : Rugo, a spy, singer, and playwright
Steven : Ardl, a living Adonis actor and Senator
Sara : Tulia, a Darkened Path adept and Rugo's older sister
Ed : Hulcion, a giant (Gift of the Rhino) Uldish singer and merchant

A City of Knives and Whispers, Notes on Session 1:
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Plot Synopsis by Scene:

__An Alley Fight Ensues__
While returning from a night of Hedonistic excess[1], Rugo was waylaid by a group of hoodlums in a dark alley. Rugo's profoundly loud voice and proficiency with his dagger held them at bay while his compatriots joined the fray. The fray was short-lived, with Ardl scaring away some of the men while Hulcion really demonstrated why giants are scary folk [2]. The ringleader had his legs unfortunately broken [3], and Tulia sicced a zombie rat after him to find out the where he retreated-- the turf of the Trafficker's Guild. Tulia tried to follow the tracks in, but was noticed by private guards and let the issue drop for the time being.

Comments:
[1] I thought about giving Rugo a -1d penalty to represent drunkenness, fatigue, and whatnot. But Ron was already kind enough to take the brunt of the opening scene, and I felt bad about double-hosing his character.
[2] I was surprised how combat effective our characters were, though the system clearly advantages offense, as Tulia's later wounding demonstrated. Overall, I was quite happy with the "declare-everyone rolls-resolve" mechanic and the speed of the system.
[3] Here we start seeing our first characterization-- Ardl and Rugo wanting to appear legitimate, Tulia displaying her inner darkness, and the brother/sister dynamic between Tulia and Rugo (which, in my opinion, would only benefit from being played up even more). Good stuff.

__An Interlude with Fools__
Back in their theatre, Ardl and Rugo are met by their elderly apprentice Rolf [1], who gets them up to speed about some lazy workers, upcoming Senate meetings, and other gossip. Ardl is inspired to action by this, and spends several hours the next day confronting, inspiring, and properly motivating his underlings [2]. In fact, this shameful display, the uncertainty in the city, and his own brilliance has inspired Rugo to compose a new epic, perhaps his grandest yet conceived-- with over Fifty speaking roles![3]. The Guild as a whole senses the fervor and sets itself to inspire new loyalty and employ new tradesfolk, with Hulcion spending his days singing (literally) the praises of the Guild throughout the town [4]. This strategy may yet yield results, though the rush of new support has thus far been limited [5].

Comments:
[1] I needed a mouthpiece, and the image of an old, loyal man who (would that there was nobility) have been a court jester was inspiring to me.
[2] It was good to give Steven a chance to scheme and emote, and to see the first use of Company-level mechanics in play.
[3] I liked the focus a magnificent new play gave to our Company actions, and it will help direct the plot for some time-- while secret scheming goes on, the overt scheming of arranging a gala will be going on as well. Great stuff.
[4] Ed is the first to try and get the Company a bonus on the roll through action, which is good stuff. The image of the singing giant is dear to me-- I wish I had artistic skill to sketch the images in my brain. I can see that keeping track of what actions you can do to help the Company rolls will become increasingly important.
[5] The first Company roll failed-- which is okay, I think. Steven and Ed bumped it up a bit, but it was still only a 70% chance of success. It shows that Company dice pools are limited, and getting all the characters working to improve the odds is desirable.

__A Profound Sense of Unease in the Forest__
Throughout the week of bolstering support, Tulia was troubled by strange feelings of fleeting magic coming from the nearby arcane wood of Tiefuld every dusk. Finally, she shared her feelings with the group, and despite a difficulty in pinpointing the source of the magic, they gear up and set off into the darkening woods [1]. Before they find the source, though, they find Tulia's hideout-- which is a place of death and darkness that worries Rugo [2,3]. There they find strange scorched footprints that lead them to a clearing in the wood, with a ring of smoking fires and a group of shrouded figures. Tulia tries to sneak in to investigate, but a spear-wielding guard obstructs her-- and stabs his spear through the very flesh of her arm [4]! Rushing to her aid [5], our band of miscreants tears through and frightens away the group of guards, and just in time to stop and restrain a Flame Dancer who was busy setting Hulcion on fire. After some threats, cajoling, and finally offers of amnesty, the Mage reveals that his group is from the Sage's Guild and is performing experiments to map out the goings-on of the city in great detail. He guards the map jealously, but not quickly enough for the master of the word, Rugo, to start composed a mnemonic ditty to keep the knowledge fresh in his brain [5]. That matter resolved for now, our band retreated from the wood to heal their injuries and prepare for the day's Senate meeting.

Comments:
[1] I really want to make Tiefuld creepy and uneasy, even for mages like Tulia-- what force is preserving it? But I didn't want to belabor the point too much in the first session, so I mostly brushed it aside.
[2] Luckily, Tulia's magic is itself creepy enough to help me recover that mood, and the possibilities for sibling interplay are great. On a side note, maybe this comes from Ron's improv training, but his "concerned/horrified" face he makes when making comments like "I check in the hut, and I'm not happy about it!" just makes me laugh every time.
[3] Here we start seeing that dabbling in magic can pay off. Steven has a good selection of spells, giving him a generalist nature that the other characters don't really have. I regret I didn't give him any interesting info or lowered difficulty for seeing perfectly in the dark night and fighting. Remind me next time, Steven.
[4] As I mentioned above, combat can quickly be very deadly. If, as was my plan, the Flame Dancer had focused on Tulia instead of Hulcion, she could have been in deep trouble. Then again, a huge giant lumbering out of the shadows might break anyone's focus.
[5] Great unorthodox use of a skill.

__A Sunny Senate Day__
While Hulcion and Tulia sleep off their injuries, Ardl heads back into Tiefuld along the path he traced, and comes back to the tower of Smokemass in the clearing. At dawn, the Sun flares brightly, and Senator Satavo of the Sage's Guild, descends in all his naked glory. Quickly settling into political repartee with Ardl [1], Satavo plays down any unease he might feel about his followers being scattered, his secret discovered, or his naked glowing flesh. He borrows some suitable (not bloodied) clothing from Ardl, and accompanies him to the Senate. Given the circumstances, how could he turn down Ardl's suggestion that Ardl himself welcome Satavo into the Senate [2]? At the Senate, their is a commotion about Senator Ogoro of the Trafficker's bringing a pale Ob-Lob advisor with him, but to the surprise of many senators, Ardl (advised by a murmering Rugo [3]) supports her continued presence. The meeting proceeds, and a conflict between the Miners, Merchants, and Traffickers becomes apparent, concerning a gold and gem mine and Dindavaran trade arrangements. It is clear that the Cultivators Guild thinks the Merchants are overstepping their bounds, and retaliatory acts may be soon in coming... Meanwhile, some deft wordplay by Ardl postpones discussion of the upstart Performers to another day. Which is good, because the Guild has reason to believe that several Trafficker spies have infiltrated their ranks, and the leaders need time to decide what to do about it [4].

Comments:
[1] It's nice for Steven to get a chance to chew the political scenery, and I _really_ like Satavo as a continuing character. Trying to make him a savvy and worthy opponent is going to be hard- Steven tends to play the political games well.
[2] Again, more scene-chewing and some nice maneuvering that will come into play later... I wonder if the other Sage's were annoyed that he spurned their introductions for a Musician's?
[3] Great way to throw yourself into the scene and provide some color, Ron.
[4] A successful roll at gathering information, and some Company decisions to be made. Good stuff.


General Comments:
* I'm liking the system. It's fast, relatively straightforward, and there's been few times yet where I've felt that the rules are constraining my creativity.
* I think our premise for the game is good, and I think we're all filling in the blanks. Next session, I'd love a few scenes of player-player interaction to get the relationships more established.