# Legacy of the Stone Assembly, Chapter I: The Cabal, The Quill, and the Concord



## Hella_Tellah (Nov 17, 2008)

*Legacy of the Stone Assembly*
Chapter I: The Cabal, The Quill, and the Concord​ 
_That which kept us Asleep was no great power, no deeply hidden secret.  It was the voice in the back of your mind that said, "Other people are taking care of me.  God will see to my needs.  The state will provide for me."  It is the child's acceptance of a mother's care.  Somehow, we all believed then that the power to take matters into one's own hands came with the knowledge to use it wisely.  We were children, playing at being God.

-Henry David Caranton 
_
8:00pm, 13 November, 2008​ 
Cormant House, a Victorian mansion in the "Painted Lady" style, lay a couple of miles outside Salem in a 2-acre woodlot. From the road, a rather dull wooden sign directed tourists to the site with a line art drawing of the house and the name in florid typeface.

The visitors were greeted at the door as they came in by a man in a wool jacket, about 5'8", with spiked hair and an eyebrow piercing, who introduced himself as "Arathnos" before directing them to wait in the antechamber.
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The antechamber had a front desk, uncomfortable benches, and framed pictures of historical buildings around Salem. Altogether, it had the air of a tourist trap for historians, the very elderly, and absolute completists.




			
				OOC said:
			
		

> You are now in the antechamber of Cormant House. First to post means first to arrive; feel free to socialize, investigate the room, or speak with Arathnos as you like--he won't speak unless spoken to.


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## Shayuri (Nov 18, 2008)

[sblock=Image]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



Juno "Thorn" Reyes[/sblock]

*8:00pm, 13 November, 2008
Cormant House
Salem, Massachusetts*

A dirty grey Camaro that had probably been a beaut about twenty years ago prowled up the road and into the small rustic parking lot of the Cormant House. Its front tires pressed against one of the logs that marked the end of the spot, then backed off. The car thrummed with drumbeats conducted through its frame, and the sound of heavy electric guitar playing could be heard muted from within. The sound of the engine was an afterthought, though it sounded meaty too. All of these things cut off sharply, and the headlights died out. A moment later the driver's side door opened and she emerged.

*7:00pm, 13 November, 2008
15362 Coolidge Ave
Cambridge Massachusetts*

Hector Reyes was eating breakfast when Juno slipped out of her room and made her way towards the front door...somehow managing to be both stealthy and nonchalant. He didn't even turn around.

"You done with your homework, _mija_?"

Juno froze in mid-step, then sighed. "It's not homework, dad. It's an application. I have like, another month to get it in." _Besides_, she added mentally,_ it's not like they teach what I'm into at State._

"You need to take this seriously," her father said firmly. "Or you can work with me all your life if you want. Wake up as the sun goes down and have dinner at dawn? Like a vampire."

That gave Juno a moment of curious pause. She'd never asked 'Papa Chango' about vampires. Huh. A moment later she gave voice to the first thing to come into her head, which was, "I dunno, you get to carry a gun around."

"Just makes me a bigger target," was his tired reply. But he quickly shot his daughter a sly look. "Besides, they play country music on the speakers sometimes."

Juno scowled. "I'll do the application, I promise. I'm just going out for a bit."

Now it was Hector's turn to scowl. The expression was very similar between them. "A guy?" There was a warning in his voice.

"Friends," Juno clarified. "A bunch of us. We'll be doing some heroin and some Russian Roulette but don't worry, no guys."

Hector nodded. "Okay then. But you know I'm working tonight, so you can't use..."

"...it's cool, Uncle Hugo's letting me use his," she quickly replied.

"Back by midnight," Juno's father said stubbornly.

"Always," Juno lied.

*8:00pm, 13 November, 2008
Cormant House
Salem, Massachusetts*

The radio had started playing 'Enter Sandman' as she'd driven up to the place. Seemed oddly appropriate to her. Oh, it was possible that some wizard had magicked her (oops, make that Uncle Hugo's) car stereo, but really..._why_? That'd been one thing her uncle had warned her about.

Once you knew, there was no going back. You couldn't unsee it, you couldn't forget that anything you might once have shrugged at and filed away under 'stuff happens,' now had to be scrutinized a bit harder. Even silly, stupid, or innocent coincidences might have a double meaning, or a purpose working behind them. 

Or it might just be a cool song by Metallica that a DJ wanted to hear.

Juno grinned at herself and shook her head. Wasn't she a deep vat of wisdom tonight? Well. A deep vat of _something_. She concentrated for a moment and checked her spells...obsessing over them momentarily like a performer might over her makeup before going on stage.

This was, after all, the first time someone other than Chango would be seeing them.

_Okay. Eyes up. Head straight. Shoulders square. Lets do this._

As Juno came to the front door, it opened to reveal a young-looking man within, who spoke his name to her. She blinked at 'Arathnos,' momentarily taken aback by how not-what-she'd-been-expecting he was.

"I'm Ju...Thorn. Just Thorn," she said when he introduced himself...nearly flubbing her Shadow Name. _Oh, that was smooth. Making a great impression so far 'Thorn.'_

Another surprise; no one else was here.

She wandered around the little vestibule then asked Arathnos, "There's more coming, right?"

(OOC - Forgot to list spells active: Second Sight (Spirit 1, Mage Sight plus Gauntlet strength), Ephemeral Armor (Spirit 2, 2 Armor, works against spirit or physical attacks), Sense Life (Life 1, can detect living things in area, establishes 'safe zone' where nothing living can approach without alerting mage).)


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 18, 2008)

"At least two more, that I know of," Arathnos responded.  Then, with a pompous, sly sort of grin, he asked, "Nervous?"

Juno was keenly aware that her surroundings teemed with life, but sensed no unseen, human presence in her vicinity.  The antechamber resonated with a feeling of purposeful detachment mixed with the ordered, comforting ritualism of an octogenarian, church-going widow.  She felt the spirit world close to her.



			
				OOC said:
			
		

> Gauntlet strength: 3


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## Shayuri (Nov 18, 2008)

Juno smiled back at him.

"Impatient," she corrected.

_So Arathnos may not know everyone who's coming. I wonder if he knew I was coming._

She eyed a bench, but it looked like the multiperson equivalent of a school desk seat. Hard and somehow crafted to precisely hit the thin line between 'comfortable enough to tolerate' and 'too painful to sit in,' leaving students hovering in a limbo of aching backs and stiff joints without ever quite giving them legitimate excuse enough to stand.

Instead she leaned against a wall where she could see the door and Arathnos, and studied him to see if she could sense any magic on or around him.

"So what's your story?" she asked, feeling a little emboldened by his apparent youth and informality. "You work for this...consilium?"


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## Annalist (Nov 18, 2008)

> OOC: Sorry, had a hectic day today. So I only have the first part of my post done. But I'll have the second part up later tonight hopefully.




*Part I - The Day Before*
*12 November, 2008*

Mitchell needed wheels. Cormant House was outside of Boston proper so local public transportation was out of the question. And that meant only one thing: Maggie. Scooping his cellphone up off of the coffee table, he speed-dialed his younger sister. When he had first moved to Cambridge from Carlisle, he had left his Jeep with her for safekeeping. A decision, he suspected, he might come to later regret.

She picked up on the second ring. "Ohmigod, Mitch is that you?!" she squealed.

"Heya squirt, how are you?" She was as easily excitable as he remembered. Which reminded him of exactly why he didn't call her as often as he could have. Because what came next was as inexorable as the Great Flood of Egypt.

Maggie's avalanche of words thundered down like a ton of bricks. "Ihavesomuchtotellyou! There'sthisguythatIthinklikesme. ButIdon'tknowifIlikehimback. AndIthinkhemightaskmetoRingDance. Ohmigod,ohmigod,ohmigod! WhatshouldIdo? 'CauseIkindoflikethisOTHERguy. ButIthinkhe'saskingLisatothedance. Andgawd,she'sSOgross. Ihatehersomuch. Soyeah,whatdoyouthinkIshoulddo?"

Mitchell desperately reached out a hand to steady himself against the wall of his brownstone apartment. "Whoa, slow down sis. First of all, take a breath. And second, I have no clue what you should do. I was just calling to see if you wanted to come down here tomorrow after school and stay over 'til Sunday. 'Cause I kind of need my Jeep. And anyway, Mom already said it'd be okay if you skipped classes on Friday. So, how about it? Hooky and some shopping with Linnie? And the two of you can talk about your boy problems."

Maggie shrieked in reply, loud enough that her brother was forced to yank his cellphone away from his ear.

He tentatively pulled the phone back and asked, "So uhh, is that a yes?"

"Yesyesyes! I'llbethere," she promised.

"Okay, good. I'll see you tomorrow then. Drive safe, 'kay?"

"Iwill. Bye,Mitch. Loveyou. Seeyoutomorrow!"

With the dial tone still buzzing in his ear, Mitchell started massaging the temples of his forehead with his free hand. He had survived yet another call with his teenage sister. And God forbid if she ever Awakened, because he knew for a fact that the Consilium would get rocked to its core.

[sblock=Jeep]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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## Annalist (Nov 18, 2008)

> OOC: The only active spell that Mitch has up is _Ephemeral Shield_. He is, understandably, a bit frazzled over his ride. So it hasn't occured to him to be casting anything else at the moment.




*Part II - Pimp My Ride*
*13 November, 2008*

Mitchell gasped in horror at the sight of his Jeep. "What have you done?!" he cried.

Maggie gave him a demure little smile. "A little bit of customizing. I made her so pretty. Don't you just love it?"

"There are Hello Kitty stickers all over my rollbars," he fumed.

"I know! Sooo cuuute!"

"...and Powerpuff Girl bobbleheads affixed to my dashboard! And a pink bowtie with ribbons tied to my radio antenna!"

Maggie clapped her hands together in self-congratulations as she declared, "I'm a car-fashion genius!" She quickly directed her brother's attention to the kaleidoscopic pinwheels attached to the front grill, and the blinking purple lights on each of his tire rims that formed the outline of a heart. "Don't forget these," she crowed.

Linda stood by on the sidewalk, doubled over in uncontrollable laughter, with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Mitchell ground his teeth together and glared at his girlfriend. "Not funny," he grumbled. Which only made her laugh even harder.

"So anyway, you can thank me later by taking me shopping and buying me something," Maggie informed him in all seriousness.

Between his sister's insanity and his girlfriend's hysteria, Mitchell found himself fighting the urge to laugh at the ridiculousness of his situation. He was going to have to drive to one of the most important meetings of his life in _this_.

---

_Later that evening..._

Despite tempting thoughts of parking somewhere deep in the woods and walking the rest of the way to the Cormant House, Mitchell decided to just suck it up and pull right into the gravel-strewn driveway. He rolled to an eventual stop right next to an evergreen which he devoutly prayed would obscure his vehicle from casual sight. Killing the lights and the engine, he got out and made his way towards the mansion's main entrance.

Arathnos greeted him at the door, standing laconically with a quizzical look on his face, and one brow arched. "Hey Gabriel, nice..."

Mitchell's crazed glare cut him short, the dangerous glint in his eyes daring him to complete his sentence. "Don't even say it," he warned.

"...stickers."


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## Solarious (Nov 18, 2008)

OOC said:
			
		

> Jeremiah, after much debate, decides to go with instant casts of Sybil's Sight and Mental Shield, leaving a 'flex' spot in his spell tolerance for something else: he'll put up a Incognito Presence up for now. Everything is to be cast with High Speech.




Jeremiah slips off his gloves, then puts them back on again with a nervous twitch of the hands. Sitting there for a moment, he slips them off again, steels himself, and gets out of the car. He glances at the mages milling about the entrance of the mansion, who don't appear to have seen him sitting in his car for the past 5 minutes, taking his his gloves on and off.

Not terribly surprising, considering he had made sure the casual onlooker wouldn't see it; the ability to emanate subtle waves of bland disinterest, an ability he was intimately familiar with. With his limited ability with the Matter arcanum, Jeremiah had expanded the quality to cover objects.



			
				OOC said:
			
		

> Basically, an Incognito Presence with a conjunctional Matter 1 component for material objects.




Armed with a similar shield of anonymity, he strides into the mansion right past the Herald and into the antechamber. Not seeing anyone else inside, Jeremiah double checks the area before bringing out a small crystal from his pocket, a small worrystone he had picked up from some curio store, and focusing intently on it.



			
				OOC said:
			
		

> If no one else shows up after he comes in, Jeremiah will begin scrutinizing the resonances of the Cormant House with the crystal for a +1 bonus on the scrutiny checks.
> 
> On second thought, Jeremiah will check twice: once with Sybil's Sight and once with Third Eye. He'll swap them out as necessary with High Speech castings, but he'll keep Sybil's Sight up for regular interaction.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 18, 2008)

"Gabriel, this is Thorn, who I understand is to be our new sister in the Consilium," said Arathnos.  "Thorn, this is Gabriel, one of the others I was telling you about."



Solarious said:


> Not seeing anyone else inside...





			
				OOC said:
			
		

> Jeremiah probably sees Thorn inside, speaking to Arathnos, who stands in the doorway.  Does he still want to scrutinize the resonance with the worrystone?  Although Jeremiah now appears to be just a tourist coming to learn about Salem's architectural history, fretting over the worrystone will attract Arathnos' attention, and probably that of Gabriel and Thorn.  The initial result of a cursory glance with Sybil's Sight follows.



Jeremiah, unnoticed by the three younger people standing in the doorway, felt a number of threads of fate entangling in the antechamber, but only a few intersected with his own.  The weightiest of these threads pulsed and thickened as Arathnos introduced Gabriel and Thorn.


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## Annalist (Nov 18, 2008)

Running a hand through his mussed hair, Mitchell inhaled a deep breath to center himself. Today had been quite an ordeal for him so far, and it wasn't over yet. Thoughts of meeting the Hierarch still gave him butterflies since Melchior's earlier advice had given him little comfort.

"The little one is the salad fork..." he muttered aloud to no one in particular.



			
				Hella_Tellah said:
			
		

> "Gabriel, this is Thorn, who I understand is to be our new sister in the Consilium," said Arathnos.




Mitchell shook himself out of his reverie at hearing the sound of his Shadow Name. _Huh, what?_ He glanced up, sparing a quick glare for Arathnos, and focused on the sight of a young Latina also standing around, waiting. "Oh, hey. Yeah, I'm Gabriel," he confirmed, a bit lamely. "Are you here for the dinner meeting too?"

He wasn't sure if he should shake her hand or just nod his head and act cool, so he just folded his arms across his chest and tried to look sagely, figuring that's how a mage should appear. Not exactly a look that he was any good at pulling off.


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## Shayuri (Nov 18, 2008)

Thorn nodded in greeting and gave Gabriel a little wave.

"Hey. Yeah."

For a second she felt herself stalling out. The guy was -old-. Like college old. What was she going to talk to him about? The answer came when she thought of his shadow name. Her father was, or had been, pretty Catholic, and had a certain fascination with angels.

"So...Gabriel as in the angel, or did you just like the name?"


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## Solarious (Nov 18, 2008)

OOC said:
			
		

> I've always had the impression that unless I was doing something rather obvious (at least, more so than fiddling with the worrystone), Incognito Presence would make people gloss over it.
> 
> However, I seem to have misjudged the situation. In which case...



Jeremiah notes the threads of Fate as they wove in and out of the Tapestry, vibrating in sympathy as the names Thorn and Gabriel were introduced. Making a quick deduction, the older man moves in closer, almost uncomfortably so, behind the two being introduced before making himself known.

"Jeremiah," he inturrupts, dropping the Incognito Presence as he does so. He smiles, but it's awkward, almost forced, as if he didn't have much reason to smile... or hasn't had much practice.


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## Solarious (Nov 18, 2008)

OOC said:
			
		

> Double Post!
> 
> Post 666 too... Now that's ominous.




There is nothing to add here.


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## Annalist (Nov 18, 2008)

Shayuri said:
			
		

> "So...Gabriel as in the angel, or did you just like the name?"




"Archangel, actually," he corrected her. _Great, sound pretentious much,_ he berated himself. This was like trying to have a conversation with his kid sister. But surprisingly, Mitchell found that he sort of missed her right now. At least with Maggie, he'd know what to say. Which consisted mostly of: _Will you please shut up?_ and _No, I will not take you shopping right now._

However, Thorn didn't strike him as the Hello Kitty type. "So..." he began.



			
				Solarious said:
			
		

> "Jeremiah," he interrupts, dropping the Incognito Presence as he does so.




Mitchell blinked. _Huh?_ The guy who he had pegged as a meandering tourist had just mistakenly called him Jeremiah. Or maybe he was talking to Thorn, but that didn't make any sense. Or was he trying to introduce himself? He shot Arathnos a questioning look for confirmation.

"Uhh, sorry. I'm Gabriel. Are you here for the dinner meeting too?" That seemed to be his patented question for the night. _And where the heck is the Hierarch anyway?_ he wondered.


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## BlueLotus (Nov 18, 2008)

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"Right here is good. I'll walk the rest of the way," Levanna said to her co-worker. She knew that asking for rides was not a favor you could keep abusing, at least not with friends and co-workers. She didn't have a car of her own. But she liked walking. It gave her time to think, time for herself. But there was a more pressing reason why she wanted to be dropped off short of her destination.

"You sure? We're not there yet."

"I can use the exercise," Levanna lied. She knew Vanessa didn't believe Sandra, the name she knew Levanna by. Vanessa was a few years younger than her and probably still clung to high school and college assumptions that the only reason you went to see people was related to "The Game." The overly dramatic obsession with destructive and nonsensical relationships.

 Vanessa had a look on her face that betrayed her thoughts. Levanna knew she was going to be the subject of heavy gossip back at the restaraunt. It might even make it to the managers. She had to admit that Sandra, going to a mansion after work with no explanations and clever deflections, dressed better than her typical eclectic pseudo goth dresses and accessories did not look good to their limited perspective.

She could have told them she was going somewhere nearby. Why didn't I? she thought.

After a brief exchange of parting pleasantries, Levanna started for the house. In the end it didn't matter. She would let them think whatever they wanted. She had more to worry about than their Sleeper assumptions, even if they did damage her reputation.

It was a mile walk to the house. Levanna walked right up to the door with no magical protections cast.


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## Shayuri (Nov 18, 2008)

"Hell!"

Gabriel was spared Juno's judgement of his correction by Jeremiah's timely appearance. So engrossed had she been in the two 'important' people in the room that she hadn't even registered his approach with her magically enhanced senses. 

She stepped quickly away and turned to give him a flat glare.

"This is a private..."

Then the truth dawned on her and she scowled as one who'd just figured out she'd been had.

Being a mage, it seemed, didn't mean you couldn't also be an ass. She'd have to remember that.

And watch her back better next time.

"So all right, that's three. Me, Gabriel, and the American Ninja here. Is that everyone or is anyone else coming?" Thorn asked Arathnos testily.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 18, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> "So all right, that's three. Me, Gabriel, and the American Ninja here. Is that everyone or is anyone else coming?" Thorn asked Arathnos testily.




"Well, I invited Gabriel," replied Arathnos, "But one of the Sentinels was supposed to invite an apostate, too.  He's a grad student; that's all they told me."

Just as Sandra was approaching the front door, a bell chimed from the back of the mansion.  Arathnos stopped short of introducing himself and merely waved her in.

"It sounds like the Heirarch is ready for you.  Go on back to the dining room, around the staircase over there and to the left.  A word of caution: he's in a good mood right now, but he _really_ hates it when people try to use little parlor tricks around him.  FYI."



			
				OOC said:
			
		

> The mansion is large enough that it probably takes you half a minute or so to get there.  Time enough to chat a little, if you like.


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## Solarious (Nov 18, 2008)

Acutely aware, at least more than usual, of his shortcomings, Jeremiah decides to do something about it. "Right then. Parlor tricks _now_." Before following the path to the dinning room, he chants softly in High Speech again and concentrates on bringing the Imago into sharp focus.



			
				OOC said:
			
		

> Spend 1 mana and cast Gain Skill with High Speech and Willpower. I think that's throwing 8 dice. Going for dots in a skill appropriate to the upcoming social encounter... probably Socialize, I think.


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## Shayuri (Nov 19, 2008)

"Sounds like the old man and me have something in common," Juno grumbles as they walk away from the front door. 

She glances at Sandra and says, "Hey, I'm..." she stumbles a little but quickly recovers, "Thorn. This is Gabriel and Ninjaboy. Don't let him get behind you."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 19, 2008)

[sblock=OOC]Ritually cast:
mind 2/prime 2
transform/alter aura to appear as a sleeper with a stuffy but bland aura.  To last for the scene.

Spontaneously cast:
Imbue Item (counterspell) 2 mana
First impressions: no mana
armor of the soul: no mana
supernal vision: no mana
Create Tass: 3 mana
mana left: 1
spells left: 3 i think
[/sblock]
Running late after the hurried ritual, Joseph barely remembers to put himself in order for a place that can afford raised print on its business cards.  Donning a hopefully inconspicuous black suit, he heads off quickly.

Arriving only a few minutes late, he spots the group quickly departing the atrium.  Taking a second to smooth himself, he steps out of the car and walks over, speeding up when they begin to file out of the atrium.
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[/sblock]
"Excuse me, but would this happen to be a tour of some sort?  I've heard of the beauty of the Cormant House, but this will be my first visit.  I must say, I'm surprised by both the tour and its attendence however.  Most do not take such an interest in such things, and for those who do, the pleasure is more personal in general.  However, I would not say no to an instruction of the finer points of this house.  The name is Prometheus; my mother was a classics scholar with an odd sense of humor.  And you are?"
He tips his hat to the most imposing one(Arathnos), assuming him to be in charge of the procession.
OOC:



Spoiler



I think some sort of check might be needed to fool Arathnos, or to convey the fact that he is actually a mage in the last section.


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## Annalist (Nov 19, 2008)

The Cormant House's antechamber began to fill rather quickly. Just as Mitchell was getting accustomed to Thorn's presence, Jeremiah had interjected himself into their little circle. And now another girl had arrived at the mansion. _Quite the party,_ he mused. The number of guests was growing higher than he'd expected, considering that they were all supposed to be mages ending their grace periods. Or so he'd surmised.




			
				Hella_Tellah said:
			
		

> "It sounds like the Hierarch is ready for you. Go on back to the dining room, around the staircase over there and to the left."



Slightly startled by the sonorous bell chime, Mitchell turned to follow the Consilium Herald's directions. His nervousness surged as he began walking. Casting a sidelong glance at Thorn who matched his stride, he idly wondered what she was thinking. She didn't look perturbed at all, which he envied.

With a resigned shrug, he murmured to the empty air, "Here we go. Moment of truth."



> OOC: I don't really have anything else to post, except for more fluff. So I'm good for now 'til the scene advances to the dining room.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 19, 2008)

Solarious said:


> "Right then. Parlor tricks _now_."




Arathnos rolled his eyes as Jeremiah cast his spell.  "Oh, you're going to be a _big_ hit, I can already tell."

[sblock=Jeremiah's Spell]Gain Skill: 8 dice, 6 successes.  Lacking a page reference to Gain Skill, I'm going to assume it functions like the Mind 3 Augment Mind (MtA 210), capping at your dots in Mind, so you gain 3 dots in Socialize for the scene.[/sblock] 


			
				magic_gathering2001 said:
			
		

> "Excuse me, but would this happen to be a tour of some sort?  I've heard of the beauty of the Cormant House, but this will be my first visit.  I must say, I'm surprised by both the tour and its attendence however.  Most do not take such an interest in such things, and for those who do, the pleasure is more personal in general.  However, I would not say no to an instruction of the finer points of this house.  The name is Prometheus; my mother was a classics scholar with an odd sense of humor.  And you are?"




[sblock=Prometheus' Spell]*First Impressions: 5 dice, 1 success.[/sblock]
"I'm afraid we're hosting a private event at the moment, _sir_," Arathnos testily spits, "So I'm afraid you'll have to come back tomorrow."

Arathnos catches himself, and seems to remember something.  "Unless you're the Prometheus that Anacoana invited.  Did a Haitian woman send you?"



			
				magic_gathering2001 said:
			
		

> I think some sort of check might be needed to fool Arathnos, or to convey the fact that he is actually a mage in the last section.




[sblock=OOC]It will be Manipulation+Subterfuge to fool him into thinking you aren't a mage (and thus not invited to the dinner) if that's what you'd like to do.  It will take a -3 penalty, because he knows your Shadow Name, and you just introduced yourself by it.  Or is there something else Prometheus wants to do?[/sblock]


Annalist said:


> With a resigned shrug, he murmured to the empty air, "Here we go. Moment of truth."




The door to the dining room swung open, salloon style, and a bearded man in a cooking apron walked in holding a caserole dish with two oven mitts.  He set the caserole dish down on a hot pad in the middle of the large, dining room table, removed the oven mitts, and pointed a small white remote at an iPod and speakers set up in the corner, which began playing a Jimmy Buffett Song..  He then extended his hand in greeting.







"It's good to finally meet you," he grumbled through decades of cigarette smoke.  "I'm the Nemean.  And you two must be Gabriel and Thorn.  Your mentors have a lot of good things to say about you two."

The Nemean looked less like a learned sage and leader among the Wise, and more like an aging biker holding a tailgate party at Sturgis.  Standing well over six feet tall, heavily muscled and with a large gut, The Nemean was physically imposing to say the least, and the apron did very little to soften that impression.

[sblock=OOC]The Nemean addressed Gabriel and Thorn because they're in the front; I'm guessing that Jeremiah and Prometheus are in the antechamber, and that Levanna is walking with Gabriel and Thorn, but I don't want to make any unwarranted assumptions.[/sblock]


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 19, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> "I'm afraid we're hosting a private event at the moment, _sir_," Arathnos testily spits, "So I'm afraid you'll have to come back tomorrow."
> 
> Arathnos catches himself, and seems to remember something.  "Unless you're the Prometheus that Anacoana invited.  Did a Haitian woman send you?"



OOC:



Spoiler



The scene played out in the way I wanted, so there's no need for any sort of check.


[sblock=picture]





[/sblock]
"I take it you are Arathnos then, Anacoana said you would see me in.  But who are these to be invited as well?  I was not informed that this would be a group gathering...  In any case I am here now, but next time let me know of such pertinent details beforehand." As Arathnos opens the door, he continues, whispering lowly, so as not to be heard by those inside, "How does one behave around the Nemean?"


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 19, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> ...  In any case I am here now, but next time let me know of such pertinent details beforehand."




Arathnos took on a look of extreme offense, shocked that _anyone_ would dare give _him_ directions.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 19, 2008)

OOC:



Spoiler



This should go immediately after the part just quoted, and replace the rest of the sentence...



"I beg your pardon, that was poorly phrased.  I should better watch my tongue in such high company.  I meant no reflection upon yourself with those words, which should have been directed at the one who sent me here."


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## Shayuri (Nov 19, 2008)

Thorn gives the Nemean an appraising look, then grins. Something about the burly man reminds her favorably of the older NCO's from when she lived on base. Men who had enough power and enough confidence that they honestly felt no need to prove it. Remembering Chango's advice, she kept in mind that just because she liked him so far didn't mean he wasn't dangerous, or that he was nice. Just worthy of respect.

She bobs her head. "Thorn," this time the shadow name rolls easily off of her tongue, making her wonder if and when she's start -thinking- of herself by that name. "Good to meet you. Hell, good to meet everyone," _Except maybe Ninja._ "I feel kinda like I've been in a cave, away from what's really going on."


----------



## Annalist (Nov 19, 2008)

The Nemean struck Mitchell as being both intimidating and strangely disarming at the same time. Maybe it was his apron and oven mitts, but for being the Hierarch of the whole Consilium, he seemed rather mundane. Certainly not the stereotypical majestic presence that he was half-expecting. Of course it might all just be a clever affectation that he used on new guests. If so, time would tell.



			
				Hella_Tellah said:
			
		

> He then extended his hand in greeting.



Mitchell automatically reached out and found his own hand engulfed by The Nemean's paw. He made sure that he kept his grip firm, but it was readily apparent that the other man's physical strength was prodigious. _Definitely not a guy to get into a tussle with,_ he thought.



			
				Hella_Tellah said:
			
		

> "It's good to finally meet you,"



The young Obrimos nearly guffawed at that, but fought hard to keep a straight face. After what Melchior had told him about his semi-antagonistic relationship with the Hierarch, he had assumed that the man would be just as content to crush his hand as he would to shake it.

"Nice to meet you too, sir," Mitchell hastily replied, thankful that The Nemean seemed to be in a good mood. _Okay, now make a good impression. Say something profound._

"Uhh, I like veal."

_D'oh!_


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Nov 19, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> "I beg your pardon, that was poorly phrased.  I should better watch my tongue in such high company.  I meant no reflection upon yourself with those words, which should have been directed at the one who sent me here."




"Giving orders to Aracoana would earn you a lot worse than anything I could do to you.  I may be the Consilium's Herald, but she's the top goddam _Sentinel_," Arathnos laughed.  "She would f*cking _eat_ you!"



			
				Annalist said:
			
		

> "Uhh, I like veal."




"You damn well better!" the Nemean chuckled, and clapped Gabriel on the shoulder.  Turning to Thorn, he said, "We keep people out of the loop during their apprenticeships for good reason.  Once you get an idea of what's really going on around here, you'll probably wish you _were _living in a cave.  Hell, I wish I was livin' in a cave, and I'm supposed to be in charge around here!"  He gave a knowing wink.

"You kids have a seat, and I'll grab the rest of the grub."  Hollering over his shoulder as he turned back to the kitchen area, he said, "Hope everyone's good with veal, baked ziti and salad!"

The dining room had most of the major features of a Victorian mansion--china cabinet, velvet-seated chairs, and a polished gold chandelier--but the plates, silverware, and centerpiece were more practical and basic.  The kitchen was separated from the dining room by a breakfast bar, so the Nemean remained in partial view as he pulled warm plates with veal cutlets from the oven.  It was the sort of dining room one might rent out for a meeting of the Daughters of the Confederacy, and had clearly been converted from a place people lived in and ate in daily to its current, commercial use.

[sblock=OOC]Apparently, this is a family board, and Arathnos' language is a bit salty for the filters  [/sblock]


----------



## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 19, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> "Giving orders to Aracoana would earn you a lot worse than anything I could do to you.  I may be the Consilium's Herald, but she's the top goddam _Sentinel_," Arathnos laughed.  "She would
> 
> 
> 
> ...





"It seems as though everyone I've gotten in over my head then, no?"  With these final words, Prometheus finally enters the room.  Unfortunately, the Nemean chooses that moment to bow out of the room, ridding him of any chance of introduction for now.  Deciding to let the other diners sit first, he asks, "So, I do not believe I ever had the pleasure of your names?"


----------



## BlueLotus (Nov 20, 2008)

Lingering near the back of the crowd, Sandra found it easy to hide a smirk behind her hand and a sideways glance. The whole exchange reaffirmed her choice of Orders. She felt less bad about disappointing her mentor.

"Levanna," she says simply, offering no more than that except for a smile for the room.


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## Solarious (Nov 20, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> Arathnos rolled his eyes as Jeremiah cast his spell.  "Oh, you're going to be a _big_ hit, I can already tell."
> 
> [sblock=Jeremiah's Spell]Gain Skill: 8 dice, 6 successes.  Lacking a page reference to Gain Skill, I'm going to assume it functions like the Mind 3 Augment Mind (MtA 210), capping at your dots in Mind, so you gain 3 dots in Socialize for the scene.[/sblock]



[sblock=OOC]Gain Skill is from Free Council 111, and limits the skill dots gained to a combined of total of 5, including the dots you already have; the Mind 4 version has no limits on the dots.

Incidentally, I have Mind 2, not Mind 3.[/sblock]
Opening his eyes, Jeremiah smiles at Aranthnos. "You know who I am. I'm not exactly a contender in a popularity contest. Until next time, Aranthnos." He turns and follows the path to the dining room.

_That could have probably gone better. The Nemean is probably going to ask us to do something for him... and judging by the number of people and the way Fate is intersecting, it looks like we might be working together for some time. A new Cabal ordained by the Heirarch? Not unprecedented, but... is that veal I smell?_

Entering the room and taking an empty chair, he introduces himself. "I am Jeremiah, as some of you already know," nodding at each of the mages arranged around the table in turn. "Gabriel, _Thorn_," reserving a reproving look for the Ninja nickname, "Prometheus, Levanna." Jeremiah pauses for a moment, looking around. "Where is the Heirarch?"


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Nov 20, 2008)

Solarious said:


> "Where is the Heirarch?"




"Right back here," replied The Nemean, pushing open the saloon-style door to the kitchen with his back and carrying a large salad bowl.

"We'll get down to brass tacks and business after supper," he continued, placing plates in front of each of the new mages.  "Meanwhile, why don't we all introduce ourselves, get to know one another?"

Sitting down, the Nemean continued speaking as he unfolded a napkin in his lap and began serving himself from the casserole dish full of baked pasta in the center of the table.  "As I said before, I'm called 'The Nemean', and I'm the Hierarch for the Boston Consilium.  That means it's my responsibility to keep all the Awakened around here from killing each other, and when people have disputes, they tend to come to me."  He passed the casserole dish off to his right, to Thorn.  "Careful with that now, it's pretty hot."

The Nemean took on a serious tone, looking over his tinted glasses as he spoke.  "I've been Awakened since the '60s, so I've seen plenty in my day.  I don't like bullsh*t, I don't like drama, and I don't like tattletales.  The less I hear my phone ring and your name gets mentioned, the happier we'll all be."

He laughed.  "But you'll probably hear enough about me by and by anyway.  Tell me about yourselves."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 20, 2008)

[sblock=picture]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/sblock]"Very good to meet you Nemean.  As for myself, I am recently Prometheus.  I awakened, as you call it, several years ago, but this conference will mark my first meeting with mages other than my late mentor.  As such, I hope you all will pardon any unfamiliarity with such events.  And, as you say, I hope for extremely infrequent need to call upon the one who prevents mages from killing eachother."


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## Annalist (Nov 21, 2008)

Sitting to The Nemean's immediate left and directly across from Thorn, Mitchell kept silent and still, allowing some of the other guests to speak first. He had already done enough damage to his own dignity with his earlier 'zeal for veal' incident. So his current plan was to shut up and listen; it seemed like a sensible enough course of action. And anyway, he needed time to figure out what he was going to say when it came around to his turn to introduce himself.

_Hi, I'm Gabriel and I'm a mana-holic. It's been exactly one month since my last vulgar spell, but I've been Paradox-free since. I enjoy moonlit walks on the beach and candlelight dinners--with veal of course. And I'm a Pisces._

In reality, he was a Cancer. But that was besides the point. The real question was: how much should he reveal about himself? For all intents and purposes, these people were complete strangers, including The Nemean. And right now the Hierarch was their sole point of commonality. It was like he was trapped in an ultra-surreal casting episode of MTV's The Real World.

_This is the true story... of five mages... picked to live in a house... work together and have their lives taped... to find out what happens... when mages stop being polite... and start getting real._

Hoping to go unnoticed, Mitchell decided to go with Plan B. But that would require keeping his mouth stuffed with food so that he wouldn't have to talk. And right now the casserole dish was still being passed around on the opposite side of the table. _C'mon, hurry people!_

Maybe he should of thought up of a Plan C.


----------



## Shayuri (Nov 21, 2008)

Thorn helps herself to the casserole dish's contents, spooning out a hearty helping before passing it on. She glances around at everyone, then shrugs; a bit self-conscious, but determined to stick it out.

She wriggled out of her jacket and draped it over the back of her chair. Her shirt was dark grey with a sunburst picture on it in yellow, sleeveless. Around her right bicep, close to the shoulder, was some kind of tribal type tattoo.

"You guys can call me Thorn. Not much to say, I guess. I give back what I get. If you're cool with me, I'll be cool with you. I'm pretty new to this stuff, but I'm giving it my all and I'm doing pretty good." She trailed off for a moment and finally shrugged again.

"I guess that's it for now."


----------



## Solarious (Nov 21, 2008)

As the Nemean walks into the dining room with a bowl of salad, Jeremiah starts slightly.

This was not the first time he had seen that face.

Jeremiah is certain that it wasn't the same person, and is dead certain that the other person isn't the Heirarch. For starters, the other one didn't look like he was stuffed into a tweed jacket a little too small for him, snapped and growled back at other people, nor did he have the general air of a baited bear. _Well, that's one more thing I won't be mentioning out loud._

Scooping out some pasta and passing the casserole dish along, Jeremiah starts eating. "The name is Jeremiah. I Awakened about a year ago, to the Watchtower of the Iron Gauntlet, and have been initiated into the methods of the Guardians of the Veil," he smiles pleasantly as he spears a piece of veal for his plate. "I believe that is all. Gabriel, you look like you want to say something."


----------



## Annalist (Nov 22, 2008)

Mitchell slunk down in his velvet-cushioned chair by just an inch, wishing that he could disappear, and shot Jeremiah a baleful glare through squinted eyes. _You just had to single me out didn't you?_ Clearing his throat, he sat back up and responded nonchalantly, "Oh no, I'm all good here. Just waiting for the _veal_." He subtly stressed the last word hoping to convey his growing impatience.

But it was now time to deflect. A quick verbal riposte would do. "Guardians of the Veil you say? How incredibly fascinating. I know so little about them. Please, tell us more."

_Two can play at this game,_ he smirked.


----------



## Solarious (Nov 22, 2008)

Replying calmly, "The name is _secret police_, as I'm sure you already know." Jeremiah pauses to chew his veal. "There isn't any need to pussyfoot around the open truth. Any more would be a secret, however. I'm sure you understand: I don't expect your name to actually be Gabriel."

"But enough unpleasant accusations. What of you? I'm sure you can tell me a little; I know nothing about you, and I've already said so much."


----------



## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 23, 2008)

Jeremiah said:
			
		

> "The name is _secret police_, as I'm sure you already know." Jeremiah pauses to chew his veal. "There isn't any need to pussyfoot around the open truth. Any more would be a secret, however. I'm sure you understand: I don't expect your name to actually be Gabriel."



[sblock=picture]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/sblock]
"An interesting organization, that.  You say its secret police, but prance about openly as a member?  Quite an interesting organization.  That being said, I think Gabriel may already be familiar to the Nemean, which would exempt from telling about himself, from their greetings earlier and his reluctance to do so now." he pauses with a look over to at the Nemean for a confirmation.


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Nov 23, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> "...I think Gabriel may already be familiar to the Nemean, which would exempt from telling about himself, from their greetings earlier and his reluctance to do so now." he pauses with a look over to at the Nemean for a confirmation.




"Right you are, Prometheus," the Nemean responded.  "Gabriel is already a member of the Consilium, and in good standing.  His mentor and I may not always have agreed on everything, but Melchior knows how important a strong community can be for a mage.  Gabriel is also a member of my Order, the Silver Ladder."

The Nemean turned his attention to the quiet young woman at the far end of the table.  "Levanna, is it?  They tell me you're a Free Council associate.  How is that suiting you?"


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## BlueLotus (Nov 23, 2008)

"It suits me quite well actually. I've always been the oddball of the group. You know, the one that didn't want to follow the crowd. The Free Council just seemed like a logical choice to me, though I know Mercurio disapproved." Levanna said as she took the casserole bowl and scooped a generous portion onto her plate before passing it on. Poking at it with a fork, she continued "They keep trying to get me to put my rotes on my cell phone or a computer. The problem is that those cost money. I usually have to ask: 'With what money?' That usually gets them to leave me alone about it for a couple of weeks."

Levanna cast subtle looks at Gabriel and Jeremiah, trying to see what they were doing with the momentary break in their verbal jabbing that she was providing for them. Were they sizing each other up? Avoiding eye contact?

"I dunno. I've been a mage for longer than I realized. My mentor certainly provided a helping boost in my learning, but I like working things out for myself. The Free Council lets me do that, encourages that. Works for me." she shrugged to deflect any misunderstanding or percieved passive aggression. She didn't want to sound arrogant.


----------



## Shayuri (Nov 23, 2008)

"I'm with the Arrow," Thorn chimes in abruptly. "No big story. My teacher is too, so..." she shrugs.


----------



## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 23, 2008)

"Better off that way"  Joseph mutters just loud enough to be heard by everyone with the shortest phrase he's used all night.  He looks towards the mage of the Veil out of the corner of his eye, judging the reaction of the one who seems most prone to broaching that which the other obviously intends not to.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 23, 2008)

Once everyone was introduced, The Nemean turned the conversation to light small talk--weather, sports, automotive repair, and other uncontroversial topics.
[sblock=OOC]Everyone gets a Presence+Socialize roll here to determine who is the most effective in conversation for the scene.  If you want to spend willpower to boost it, I'll just roll those dice on top of this result and update this box.[/sblock][sblock=rolls]
Gabriel: 4 dice, 0 successes
Jeremiah: 6/3
Levanna: 5/2
Prometheus: 4/1
Thorn: 4/2
[/sblock]
Surprisingly, Jeremiah led the conversation, holding court with easy, casual joviality.  The others at the table almost didn't notice that Jeremiah deftly avoided any train of discussion that would require him to reveal the barest scrap of information about himself.

The Nemean ate slowly, clearing off his plate last.  Wiping his mouth with the napkin he had lain in his lap, The Nemean cleared his throat.  "Now, let's talk about why I've asked you all here today.  Part of being a responsible member of the Awakened community is working with other legitimate mages when the need arises.  I need to know if you five can be counted on to play ball and get things done.

"So here's my offer: I want you to get something for me, and given your connections to Cambridge, you're all better suited to get it than anyone else I've got at the moment.  I want you to show me you can work with other mages, so this is a group assignment.  In return, I'm prepared to offer you a nice piece of property out near MIT, situated on a pretty decent Hallow.

"Before we discuss the details of that little plan, though, I want to see if your training's as good as your mentors say.  There's a spirit in Cormant House that doesn't belong here.  While I get these dishes cleaned up, I want you five to try to get the spirit to move along.  You're welcome to use any spells you like," he chuckled, "Just so long as you don't break anything."


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## Annalist (Nov 23, 2008)

Mitchell was excluded from much of the ebb and flow of casual conversation. But it was his own fault really for being anti-social. His obvious reluctance to join in and be chatty had hindered his participation. Instead, wily Jeremiah had claimed the spotlight and the majority of the table's attention. _Never trust a Guardian,_ he sulked.

However, The Nemean's after-dinner offer to grant their group a Hallow immediately sobered him up. _Whoa, that's major league action right there,_ he knew. But there was a catch. All of the mages invited tonight had to work together. _Ugh, just great._

That meant Mitchell needed to start assessing the others. Rocking back in his chair, he watched to see who the Type A personalities turned out to be. He could already imagine Jeremiah's voice doling out orders. _I wouldn't be surprised by that one bit,_ he scowled.

And to top everything off, the young Obrimos also wondered what ever happened to dessert.


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## Shayuri (Nov 23, 2008)

Thorn took the Nemean's words in and nodded. Seemed fairly straightforward to her. It was exactly the kind of thing Chango had been preparing her for, in theory at least.

"What kind of spirit is it?" she wants to know. With her left hand she makes a sort of 'winding' motion, asking for elaboration. "What kind of history does it have?"


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 23, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> "What kind of spirit is it?" she wants to know. With her left hand she makes a sort of 'winding' motion, asking for elaboration. "What kind of history does it have?"




The Nemean chuckled, "Oddly enough, it's a spirit _of history_.  Bit of a weird history, though.  Let's say it's a 'revisionist' spirit."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 23, 2008)

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow.  Well, I suppose I'll find out with everyone else upon encountering this spirit.  Do you perhaps know where it is, more specifically than in the Cormant House?"

At this point, Joseph will take a moment to study the resonace of the area around him, searching for both its nature and any characteristics (ie the things that the mind spell lets him search for).  At the same time, he'll check out each of his companions as subtly as possible (not going for the Nemean).


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## Annalist (Nov 24, 2008)

Surprisingly, Thorn was the first to react. Mitchell hadn't really expected that, but perhaps she was familiar with dealing with spirits. He tried to remember everything that she had revealed about herself over the course of dinner, but could only recall her mentioning The Adamantine Arrow and little else. If she turned out to be conversant with the Spirit Arcanum, then that'd be a good fact to know.

Anyway, while Spirit wasn't one of Mitchell's natural inclinations as an Obrimos, it did happen to be an area of study that he was knowledgeable in. _And The Nemean did say we could use whatever spells we wanted._ So he focused inward, regulated his breathing, and began chanting a melodic string of arcane syllables. The potent words spilled forth from his mouth, adding their power to the rote that he started casting. If the spirit that the Hierarch wanted found was in the immediate vicinity, then this would hopefully allow the young mage to see, hear, and speak with it.



> OOC: Casting _Spirit Tongue_ (as a Rote)
> Dice Pool = High Speech (2) + Presence (3) + Socialize (1) + Spirit (2)


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## Shayuri (Nov 24, 2008)

"Uh...okay," Thorn replies, giving Mitchell a glance as he babbles some spell or something. Didn't whatshisface at the door say this guy didn't like tricks? Oh well, not her problem.

"Anything..." _useful_ "specific you can tell us? Or is figuring that out part of the test? Just so I don't waste any time chasing shadows."


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 24, 2008)

[sblock=OOC]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> At this point, Joseph will take a moment to study the resonace of the area around him, searching for both its nature and any characteristics (ie the things that the mind spell lets him search for). At the same time, he'll check out each of his companions as subtly as possible (not going for the Nemean).



So, Prime 1 Supernal Vision with a conjunctional Mind 1 to add Aura Perception?
Gnosis+Prime: 6 dice, 0 successes [/sblock]

Joseph scanned the room, but his supernal senses were muddled.  He had never scanned a room full of mages before, and the sensation caught him off guard.

[sblock=OOC]







Annalist said:


> So he focused inward, regulated his breathing, and began chanting a melodic string of arcane syllables. The potent words spilled forth from his mouth, adding their power to the rote that he started casting. If the spirit that the Hierarch wanted found was in the immediate vicinity, then this would hopefully allow the young mage to see, hear, and speak with it.



Presence+Socialize+Spirit: 7/2
[/sblock]

Gabriel finished speaking, and looked up from the table.  The invisible realm of Twilight soaked into his vision like dye bleeding into cloth, and he waited as his mind adjusted to present the information in a form he could comprehend.  He heard shrieking cries in a bizarre mix of Arabic, Farsi, and Turkish directly behind him.  Gabriel turned around and looked over the breakfast nook, into the kitchen.  Tongues of flame jutted out from the oven, coalescing into the shape of a fanged man in chains.  He was screaming at The Nemean, who seemed, blithely, not to hear or care. The spirit turned with a confused look in his eye to stare at Gabriel.

"You-- you can see me?" it said.



Shayuri said:


> "Anything..." _useful_ "specific you can tell us? Or is figuring that out part of the test? Just so I don't waste any time chasing shadows."




"Good guess, again!" The Nemean replied, impressed.  "Figuring that out _is _part of the test. You have to know where to look. I will save you some time, though: we have more than one spirit in this house. You need to pick the right one.  And don't get rid of any of the other ones; I like those ones.  Figure out the spirit that _doesn't belong_.  You know: 'one of these things is not like the others...'"

He had a singing voice like Tom Waits gargling gravel.


----------



## Solarious (Nov 24, 2008)

_Wonderful. Spirits. One of the myriad areas where I'm told I'm woefully deficient._ "Well, I'm afraid I don't have a Compelling of Spirit to rub between my Knowing and my Unveiling, so I'm afraid I'll have to concede the initiative to those more qualified..."

[sblock=OOC]The Shadow is probably one of the areas Jeremiah won't be pontificating on very much... I do have an improvised spell I could use to help locate spirits in twilight, a conjunctional Space2/Mind2 version of Sense Consciousness and Spatial Map to pinpoint what I detect, with a duration of Concentration and the advanced area factors.

Of course, unless someone tells poor, suspicious Jeremiah that Spirits intruders exist in twilight, he won't be using that particular spell.[/sblock]


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## Annalist (Nov 24, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:
			
		

> The spirit turned with a confused look in his eye to stare at Gabriel.
> 
> "You-- you can see me?" it said.



"Unfortunately," Mitchell mumbled under his breath. "Er, yeah I can see you and I can definitely hear you too. What's with all the screaming? It's rather excessive, dontcha think?" He had met some loud spirits before but this one took the cake. "Hey, you don't happen to be a spirit of _history_ by any chance?" It was a shot in the dark but he figured that it couldn't hurt. "'Cause I'm looking for one that hangs out around here in this mansion. Maybe you've seen it?"

Mitchell caught a few of the other mages giving him funny looks. To them, he appeared to be talking to thin air. "There's a spirit here. It's a screamer," he explained. That only drew blank stares. "No, really."

Melchior was so right. Mediums really were a very misunderstood bunch.


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## Shayuri (Nov 24, 2008)

Thorn brightens at Michael's revelation, and nods.

"You can see spirits too? Great! That makes this easier."

She looks around at the others.

"I figure what we should do is break into two teams...no wait! Three! Yeah. Gabriel can go with one, I'll go with another. We'll both sweep the house from top to bottom and find all the spirits. Then when we meet, we'll make a list of all the ones we found so that we can see which one doesn't fit in."

"And someone else can go around and read all the little...signs and things they have in these tourist houses. They talk about the history of everything, so there's probably something we can use on some of them. Then, once we know the history, and we know what spirit, we just go find it again and kick its ectoplasmic rear end outta here."


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 24, 2008)

Annalist said:


> "Unfortunately," Mitchell mumbled under his breath. "Er, yeah I can see you and I can definitely hear you too. What's with all the screaming? It's rather excessive, dontcha think?" He had met some loud spirits before but this one took the cake. "Hey, you don't happen to be a spirit of _history_ by any chance?" It was a shot in the dark but he figured that it couldn't hurt. "'Cause I'm looking for one that hangs out around here in this mansion. Maybe you've seen it?"




"Please," the spirit shrieked pitifully, "You've got to help me!  The bearded one has been keeping me prisoner here for _so long_.  Please, set me free!  I'll tell you anything you want if you just set me free!"


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## BlueLotus (Nov 24, 2008)

Levanna had to consciously close her gaping jaw. "Gabriel... while your bluntness is a refreshing change from the usual politically correct nonsense all around us, don't you think that this task would require a bit more than asking them 'Hey! Are you the bad guy?'" she asked, a bit more rudely than she intended. Later, she would regret it. She thought the whole test was a bit silly, but she didn't have to take it out on a peer.

She drew her Athame, her ritual dagger, stood, and retreated to an open corner of the room. She chanted softly to herself and began to ceremoniously mark her circle of power with the point of the blade sweeping the air around her. She invoked the Wardens of the East, North, South, and West, and projected her conscious to the unseen. She opened her senses to the room again, searching for the spirits the others had mentioned.

[sblock=ooc]For now, Levanna is going to use Spirit to open her senses to the spirits in the house. [/sblock]


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## Annalist (Nov 25, 2008)

_A ha!_ Mitchell had guessed right about Thorn. _She does know about spirits and stuff,_ he concluded. And she had even come up with a nice plan to scour the house for their target. Stepping in closer to the milling group, he turned to the young girl and nodded his approval, "Sounds good to me. Do you want me to start from the top or the bottom?"



			
				Hella_Tellah said:
			
		

> "Please," the spirit shrieked pitifully, "You've got to help me! The bearded one has been keeping me prisoner here for so long. Please, set me free! I'll tell you anything you want if you just set me free!"



Holding his index finger up to his lips, Mitchell growled, "Shhh. I'm trying to hear what Thorn is saying. Gimme a sec." _Sheesh,_ he thought, _this thing's a pain in the keister. Wonder why the Hierarch hasn't just banished it already. Oh well, he probably has his reasons._



			
				BlueLotus said:
			
		

> "Gabriel... while your bluntness is a refreshing change from the usual politically correct nonsense all around us, don't you think that this task would require a bit more than asking them 'Hey! Are you the bad guy?'" she asked, a bit more rudely than she intended.



Levanna hadn't said much throughout the night, so it surprised him when she spoke. Mitchell shrugged and indicated The Nemean with a quick tilt of his head. "He wasn't at all what I was expecting. So who knows, maybe his task might not be either. Maybe it'll be as simple as asking a direct question. Or maybe it's as complicated as you seem to think."

"Regardless," he continued, "I'm starting to regret talking to this particular spirit." He shot it a simmering glare as it wailed away in the background. _Man, this is worse than spending a whole day alone with Maggie,_ he realized.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 25, 2008)

[sblock=ooc]







BlueLotus said:


> For now, Levanna is going to use Spirit to open her senses to the spirits in the house.



Spirit Tongue: Gnosis (1) + Spirit (3) = 4 dice, 2 successes
[/sblock]
Levanna's senses bloomed like a poppy flower opening in spring, and the Twilight blossomed into view.  She heard, then saw, a fiery spirit haranguing Gabriel and The Nemean.



Annalist said:


> He shot it a simmering glare as it wailed away in the background.



The spirit caught Gabriel's glare.  It paused, pouted like a five-year-old child, then continued wailing to be set free.  All the while, the Nemean continued calmly washing the dishes, deaf to the spirit's cries.


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## Solarious (Nov 26, 2008)

"So, the consensus to scan the House with Spirit Unveilings, and catalog what types we have, while someone else will search the mundane surroundings for clues on what the spirit itself represents. It's supposed to be a spirit of revisionist history, an aberration between perceived history and actual history? Pinpointing what history it changes will help in pinpointing the spirit itself."

Jeremiah pulls out a thin notepad and takes a quick glance at his watch. "Why don't we split up, and we meet back here in... say, ten minutes? I can scour the House for clues on our spirit while the rest of you check out the spirits."

[sblock=OOC]Assuming everyone goes through with Thorn's plan, Jeremiah will go off to find a nice, deserted corridor, double check for anyone else following him, then carefully drop his Mental Shield. He will then cast his shiny new Synchronicity spell (2 Dex + 2 Occult + 1 Fate + 2 High Speech = 7 die), and let Fate guide him to an auspicious exhibit.

After Synchronicity runs it's course, Jeremiah will cast Correspondence and continue examining the remaining exhibits, checking significant connections that trigger his Sybil's Sight. Ah, House of Ariadne, your divination methods the Guardians embrace so. [/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Nov 26, 2008)

"Better make it twenty," Thorn suggests. "It's a big house, and we want to check every room. Uh...Gabriel, you start at the basement and work up, I'll go to the attic and go down. When we meet on the ground we'll do left and right, I guess. Or..."

She glances at the Hierarch. "Don't suppose there's a map, is there? Even a cheesy tourist one would work."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 26, 2008)

"Splitting into groups seems sound, but can we without such sight do in such a group.  Perhaps I could be more of use searching the house for odd resonance which could tell us about the character of the out of place spirit?  Regardless, before you set out to scour we should really determine who goes in which group."


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## Shayuri (Nov 26, 2008)

"I just think we should work in no less than pairs," Thorn opines. "The underworld's close here. Never know what might set a spirit off, or what else might be sleeping in an old place like this. If you guys who can't see spirits want to do other stuff, that's fine...but you could do that while you're with one of us, right? I mean, why all search separately when we all have to cover the same ground anyway?""


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 26, 2008)

"That seems true enough, but the grouping together still remains.  Since we apparently choose our own groups, I believe I'll accompany you to the upper floors.  Will anyone else be joining us, or shall we be off?"


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 26, 2008)

Solarious said:


> Assuming everyone goes through with Thorn's plan, Jeremiah will go off to find a nice, deserted corridor, double check for anyone else following him, then carefully drop his Mental Shield.




Jeremiah walked discreetly out of the dining room, past the staircase, and into the antechamber.  Outside, he saw Arathnos having a cigarette, shivering in the cold New England November.  Lucky break.  He ducked into the gift shop, and pulled a cherry wood cylinder out of his jacket pocket.

[sblock=OOC]







Solarious said:


> He will then cast his shiny new Synchronicity spell (2 Dex + 2 Occult + 1 Fate + 2 High Speech = 7 die), and let Fate guide him to an auspicious exhibit.



4 successes.[/sblock]
Jeremiah shook the cylinder, moaning arcane formulae in the ancient tongue.  A strip of bamboo fell out of the slit in the bottom of the cylinder, into his palm.  Carved in a florid, gold-inlayed strip, it read:
"When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had and never will have." -Edgar Watson Howe



Shayuri said:


> "Better make it twenty," Thorn suggests. "It's a big house, and we want to check every room. Uh...Gabriel, you start at the basement and work up, I'll go to the attic and go down. When we meet on the ground we'll do left and right, I guess. Or..."
> 
> She glances at the Hierarch. "Don't suppose there's a map, is there? Even a cheesy tourist one would work."




"Not really," the Nemean answered.  "You'll find your way around easy enough.  Now that I think of it, though, you'd be better off if you didn't examine the spirits in the cellar."

[sblock=OOC]Wits+Empathy rolls:


Gabriel: 4/2
Levanna: 2/1
Prometheus: 1/0
Thorn: 2/0
[/sblock]
Gabriel and Levanna took his meaning.  The Nemean was clearly capable of entrapping powerful spirits, and whatever he was keeping under Cormant House, it probably wasn't pretty.


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## Annalist (Nov 26, 2008)

"Yeah, I think we'll skip the cellar for now," Mitchell agreed. "C'mon Levanna, let's go take a look around." With a parting nod to Thorn and Prometheus, he announced, "We'll take the ground floor."

Turning, he made his way out of the dining room and into the hallway back towards the antechamber. "Keep your eyes and ears peeled," he advised, hoping that Levanna was following right behind him and that he wasn't talking to himself. "Oh yeah, holler if you happen to spot a bathroom. 'Cause I kind of drank a lot of water during dinner."

_Okay, now if I was a spirit of history, where would I be hanging out?_ he wondered. _Probably in a musty museum area._



> OOC: Mitch is gonna check out the museums on the ground floor.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 26, 2008)

[sblock=Dice roll]







Annalist said:


> OOC: Mitch is gonna check out the museums on the ground floor.



Wits (2) + Investigation (2) = 4 dice, Extended action (4 rolls), 5 successes
[/sblock]

The floorboards creaked as Gabriel stepped into the quiet, drafty sitting room that served as the first gallery of Cormant House's museum.  There was an old upright piano with handwritten sheet music laid out in front of it on the opposite side of the room, with a swivel stool sitting in front of it.  On top of the piano were a book of matches and a candle.  Three display cabinets were arranged around the room, and a braided rug covered much of the floor.  An open doorway on Gabriel's left led into the next room of the museum.  The room was dark, lit only by the antique lamps in the adjoining antechamber, so he took the book of matches from the top of the piano, struck one, and lit the candle.  He then used the candle to light the four oil lamps on each of the walls.

Once the room was lit, Gabriel examined each of the room's features.  The rug looked fairly new.  The red and gold dye hadn't yet faded, and it had little in the way of staining from foot traffic and spills.  The display case nearest to the entryway, on Gabriel's left, contained scale models of old houses, with little placards near them: "Example of Colonial Style," "Example of Painted Lady Style," "Example of Gingerbread Style," etc.  To his right was a larger cabinet full of plaques, awards, and photographs, and they formed a sort of narrative of the major achievements of construction in Salem since the 1800s.  The far wall's display cabinet held a mannequin dressed in faded overalls, boots, and gloves, with a small sign on the case that said, "Typical Construction Outfit, 1890."  The piano was a Steinway, with yellowed ivory keys, a scuffed wood body, and a handful of handwritten sheetmusic in the stand.  The piece was entitled, "My Dear Old Home at Howard's Rock."  The top of the piano, which one might open to tune it, was locked shut with a small padlock.

As Gabriel examined the sheet music, he felt oddly compelled to add onto it, but suppressed the urge.


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## Annalist (Nov 27, 2008)

Mitchell quietly examined the gallery, walking its circumference at a slow and deliberate pace. He scanned the room and peered into the various displays, allowing his intuition, _unseen sense_, and _spirit tongue_ to do their work. Eventually, one of placards caught his eye. So he read it aloud, "Example of Gingerbread Style." He turned to study the scale model that it corresponded to. Unfortunately, it didn't look edible at all. _Needs more chocolate,_ was his professional opinion.

Stifling a bored yawn, he made his way over to the opposite side of the gallery. A piano sat there looking like it hadn't been played in decades. _Too bad I never took lessons._ And though he was tempted to press a key to see if the darn thing still worked, he didn't. It was the disastrous mental image of the piano falling to pieces at his touch that had dissuaded him. _The last thing I need to do right now is break The Nemean's stuff._

Slowly backing away, Mitchell prepared to move on to the next room to continue his investigation, but halted when some of the sheet music caught his attention. _That's odd,_ he thought. He couldn't read a note of music to save his life and yet he felt a strangely insistent urge to finish the piece that was laying there.

Shaking his head clear, he turned and shouted back towards the dining room, "Hey guys, come take a look at this!"


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## Shayuri (Nov 28, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> "That seems true enough, but the grouping together still remains.  Since we apparently choose our own groups, I believe I'll accompany you to the upper floors.  Will anyone else be joining us, or shall we be off?"




Thorn nods and gets up to go over towards the entrance to the dining room.

"Hold on a sec."

She produces a small, intricately ornamental dagger made entirely of what looks like brass or bronze...maybe even copper. The images graven into it look distinctively mesoamerican...Incan, maybe, or Mayan. With a quick grimace, she murmurs a spell and pricks the tip of her finger with the knife's end.

Then Thorn nods at Prometheus and tucks the thing away in her back pocket again.

"Alright, lets go."

(Heading upstairs with Prometheus. )


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 29, 2008)

[sblock=OOC]







Shayuri said:


> With a quick grimace, she murmurs a spell and pricks the tip of her finger with the knife's end.



Spirit Tongue with a Death 1 option?
Gnosis (2) + Spirit (2) + High Speech (2) = 6 dice, 2 successes[/sblock]
 As Thorn ascended the staircase, everything took on a deeper, more significant edge.  Peering into the Twilight, she saw two realms at once, and her mind reeled a few seconds before she could reconcile the two images into one.  At the top of the stairs, she began to hear a child softly sobbing in the bedroom to her right.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 30, 2008)

Having moved to a location with less magical noise, Prometheus will attempt drop his sight, and attempt to reweave it to help detect any unusual emotion in the resonance.  After a quick pause and a nimbus flare or two, he will follow Thorn up the stairs.  Unsure what to expect from the spirits, he sticks fairly close to Thorn, always within sight distance, and usually within reach.  Unless prompted, he'll examine the resonance of any item that Thorn stops near, and continue to search it until she leaves.

[sblock=rolls]
Casting Prime 1/Mind 1 conjunctional Supernal Vision until he succeeds 
6 dice

Analyzing Resonance
Int + Occult + Density
8 +/- Density Dice
[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 30, 2008)

[sblock=rolls]


magic_gathering2001 said:


> Casting Prime 1/Mind 1 conjunctional Supernal Vision until he succeeds
> 6 dice



4 successes


> Analyzing Resonance
> Int + Occult + Density
> 8 +/- Density Dice



I'm going to go ahead and roll scrutinize as an extended action until you get enough successes to analyze at least 1 Quality.
3 Int + 5  Occult -2 Density = 6 dice, 3 rolls, 6 successes.
[/sblock]
Prometheus rewove his spell of unveiling, and felt the emotions of the house rush into him.  He gasped, as a wave of shrieking fear rose up out of the staircase.  He doubled over, staring down at the carpeted staircase, and a trail of pure terror stretched out at his feet.  He traced it with his eyes, up to the top of the staircase, and into the bedroom to their right.


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## Shayuri (Nov 30, 2008)

"Mmm," Thorn said as she paused. "Spirit in the bedroom over there," she jerked a thumb towards the right. "Sounds like a crying kid. I'm gonna try to talk to it."

She glances at Prometheus and raises a quizzical eyebrow on seeing him react to nothing she could sense.

"Uh. You okay?"


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## magic_gathering2001 (Nov 30, 2008)

Standing back up, and attempting to remain steady, Prometheus glances back to the fear once more, and quickly averts his gaze.

"I will be fine, there is just such strong emotion in this place.  Maybe the fear on these stairs and the bedroom could have something to do with your ghost therein.  In any case, I would advise caution, for anything that could cause such strong emotion may be powerful in its own right."

Having regained his calm at this point, he'll follow the trail of fear and attempt to locate its source, from a safe position of behind the spirit seer.


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## Hella_Tellah (Nov 30, 2008)

Thorn and Prometheus crept carefully toward the bedroom on the right.  The door was slightly ajar, and Thorn pushed it open, her body poised and ready to act.  Inside, moonlight shone in through the window on the right, making a square shaft of light in the dust hanging in the air.  To the left was a twin sized bed, about the right size for a ten-year-old kid, and a dresser stood under the window, to the right.  Thorn heard a child's sniffling, shuddering breathing from behind the closed, sliding closet doors.

Prometheus heard nothing, but saw the trail of brilliant orange terror wind through the center of the room and back into the closet.


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## BlueLotus (Dec 1, 2008)

Levanna fell into step behind Mitchel. Despite her snooty attitude that she came into the house with, she was grateful that Mitchel was taking the lead and inwardly sighed with relief. With her spirit sense she was afraid that the other mages were going to be looking to her to be some kind of leader, or something.

Holding onto her second sight, she tried to ignore the old artifacts and art objects they passed, no matter how appealing they were. She instead focused on the "Spirit World," as she knew the Twilight.

[sblock=ooc]Levanna will assist Mitchell however she can. =)[/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Dec 2, 2008)

Thorn warily approached the closet, mindful of her companion's warning.

"Stay back a bit," she says to Prometheus. "I've got protections against spirits going."

Then she turns her attention to the closet door...which she knocks on softly.

"Hey in there," Thorn calls through the door in a slightly higher pitched voice, speaking slowly as if to a child. "What's the matter? Are you lost? Do you need help?"


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 2, 2008)

BlueLotus said:


> Holding onto her second sight, she tried to ignore the old artifacts and art objects they passed, no matter how appealing they were. She instead focused on the "Spirit World," as she knew the Twilight.




As Levanna approached the piano, she noticed that it's Twilight form was shaking slightly.  On closer inspection, it appeared that something was struggling to open the lid, rattling the lock on the front.  She felt something inside the piano reach out to her weakly, whispers in her mind that vanished without effect.



Shayuri said:


> "Hey in there," Thorn calls through the door in a slightly higher pitched voice, speaking slowly as if to a child. "What's the matter? Are you lost? Do you need help?"




"I'm s-sorry, momma!" returned a child's voice, audible only to Thorn.  "We didn't mean to see.  We were just p-p-playing!"

As Thorn leaned in to hear the voice, Prometheus felt the fear wash over him again, mixed with confusion and regret.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 2, 2008)

"Wait, it seems that when you move closer it becomes much more agitated.  Perhaps it would be better to attempt to calm it from farther away.  Actually, there is no anger at present, only confusion and regret, so perhaps you may safely approach it."

Racking his mind for a spell that could be of use in the situation but finding none, Prometheus will begin to search for other resonance patterns in the area, while ensuring that he maintains focus on the current one.

[sblock=rolls]only taking one action this time, just in case something comes up.  He'll likely take another, but if he does, I'll repost.
3 Int + 5  Occult -2 Density = 6 dice[/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Dec 3, 2008)

Thorn makes a face.

"This just got to a whole new level of creepy," she declares to Prometheus. "Ghost, I think. Sounds like a little kid." 

_Alone and scared out of his wits...for God only knows how long. And they say there's no hell._

She shakes her head. "Lets keep moving for now. Just get the inventory. We can decide our next move when we've got that."

For a moment, her gaze lingers on the closet door full of pity and some regret...

_Stay focused, Jun...sorry kid._

Then she heads for the bedroom door, meaning to complete the sweep of the upstairs before going on to the attic.


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## BlueLotus (Dec 3, 2008)

"Hold up Mitchell. There's one... um.. I think inside this piano," Levanna said hesitantly. Unsure of what sort of horrors she could loose on this or other worlds, she didn't touch the latch.

"Uh... hi Mr. Ghost. Or Mrs. You having trouble?" She felt positively stupid.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 3, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> Prometheus will begin to search for other resonance patterns in the area, while ensuring that he maintains focus on the current one.



[sblock=rolls]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> Only taking one action this time, just in case something comes up.  He'll likely take another, but if he does, I'll repost.
> 3 Int + 5  Occult -2 Density = 6 dice



3 successes.  Enough to identify the resonance, but needs 2 more successes to get a Quality.[/sblock]

Prometheus examined the child's room, scanning its resonance.  The room was filled with the aura of fear, confusion and regret that was radiating out from the closet, but was strongest along a trail from the door to the closet.  He also noted another potent resonance, related but distinct.



Shayuri said:


> Then she heads for the bedroom door, meaning to complete the sweep of the upstairs before going on to the attic.




Thorn stood in the doorway to the child's room.  Directly across the hallway, the door to the bathroom was ajar.  She saw an old clawfoot bathtub with a vinyl curtain around it, and a sink with a mirror over it just to the right of the bathtub.  Down the hall on her right were three more doors, all of them open.  At the far end of the hallway, a cord dangled from the ceiling for pulling down the stairs to the attic; she figured she could just barely grab it if she stood on her tiptoes.
 


BlueLotus said:


> "Uh... hi Mr. Ghost. Or Mrs. You having trouble?" She felt positively stupid.




"I seem to be trapped within this piano, I'm afraid," came the reply from inside the piano.  The voice was that of an older man, warm and full, and it was accompanied by a smell of musky cologne and pipe tobacco.  "The Council then decided that these homes must be preserved.  When asked about the location of the pendant, he merely replied, 'neither above the earth, nor below it.'  Do take notes, please.  They resolved, therefore, to leave their daggers behind.  Ever cautious, Lucretia made no mention of her apprentice."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 3, 2008)

"Hang on Thorn, I think I found another.  It may simply be fear like the first, but I will need a moment to examine its resonance trail.  In either case, it seems worth getting close, as sight will tell us more about it than any amount of the examination of nearby patterns."

He'll motion Thorn toward the origin of this new resonance, while analyzing it further for its most prominent quality.

rolls: same as before


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 4, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> He'll motion Thorn toward the origin of this new resonance, while analyzing it further for its most prominent quality.



[sblock=Scrutinize Resonance]6 dice, 3 successes[/sblock]
Prometheus focused intently upon the child's bed, from which a strong, tainted resonance pulsated.  Flecks of shimmering gold clung to the pillow, and an overwhelming hunger emanated out from the center of the bed.  Prometheus recognized the sensation; it felt much like resonance from the operating table his mentor, Charles, kept in his study.  Charles had used that table for just one purpose: ripping the souls out of his sacrifices.

A Tremere had used this bed.


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## Shayuri (Dec 4, 2008)

Thorn sighed and leaned against the doorframe, but waved a hand acquiescently at Prometheus. As he stared intently at the bed, her mind wandered and she looked over at the pullrope to the attic, then at the clawed brass foot of the bathtub. 

_Wonder if there's a spell to make that thing walk around on those. Hm._

She glanced back at her 'buddy,' then.

"Done yet?"


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 5, 2008)

As Thorn catches Prometheus' eyes, his entire face hardens noticeably as the foul resonance of Charles' kind floods his arcane senses.  He begins in a somewhat light tone, but his expression remains hard throughout his words.  Some feelings are to vivid to squash completely.

"It seems the resonance I picked up was just that of another mage who passed here earlier, although I would recommend against touching the bed.  It seems some rather seedy activities have taken place there somewhat recently.  That child is most definitely a ghost."

He'll take a bit more time to fully analyze the resonance, and to memorise the signature of the lich for future reference, even if it means momentarily abandoning his spirit seer.  However, once he finishes, he'll quickly catch up with her if he's left behind.
[sblock=rolls]I hope you don't mind too much, but I rolled myself for the subterfuge check here (no successes).  I figured it wasn't like it would make all that much of a difference, and it helps me with roleplaying.  If its ok, let me know.[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 5, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> He'll take a bit more time to fully analyze the resonance, and to memorise the signature of the lich for future reference, even if it means momentarily abandoning his spirit seer.




Although he didn't recognize the Lich who had performed the foul rite by resonance, Prometheus was certain he'd never forget this particular mixture of soulless evil and passionate hunger.

[sblock=rolls]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> I hope you don't mind too much, but I rolled myself for the subterfuge check here (no successes).  I figured it wasn't like it would make all that much of a difference, and it helps me with roleplaying.  If its ok, let me know.



 No problem.  I've been rolling stuff for people because A) I can demonstrate a readable format for writing out rolls and B) putting out the math in full lets us correct errors from playres and ST alike.  I'm not worried about cheating on rolls, I just want uniformity for reading back later.[/sblock]


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## Annalist (Dec 5, 2008)

BlueLotus said:


> "Hold up Mitchell. There's one... um.. I think inside this piano," Levanna said hesitantly.



Mitchell sighed. Apparently, no one had heard his shout. Glancing back at the foreboding sheet music, he wondered what to do about it. Instinct cautioned him to keep his distance. "I think we better get the others and start comparing notes before we go any further," he suggested to Levanna. The hesitancy in his voice was unmistakable. The young Obrimos was wary of messing with things beyond his ability to properly handle.

Making his way over to the foot of the staircase, he yelled up to Thorn and Prometheus, "You guys find anything yet?! Got some weird stuff down here!"


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 5, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> Jeremiah shook the cylinder, moaning arcane formulae in the ancient tongue.  A strip of bamboo fell out of the slit in the bottom of the cylinder, into his palm.  Carved in a florid, gold-inlayed strip, it read:
> "When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had and never will have." -Edgar Watson Howe




Jeremiah meandered nonchalantly into the antechamber, and cleared his throat to get Gabriel's attention.

"My investigation so far points to music as an important element in finding the spirit.  May have something to do with homesickness, as well.  I heard Levanna say something about a piano--do you think these clues might be related?"


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 6, 2008)

Prometheus calls back down the stairs, "We have found naught but a fearful ghost so far, but it seems as though we must find all of these spirits to determine of which the Nemean desires to rid himself.  But what of this weird stuff you have found?  Have you found a spirit, which resembles the spirit of revisionist history we seek?"


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## Shayuri (Dec 6, 2008)

"Oh my god," Thorn mutters. "Do you _always_ talk like that?"

She shakes her head and strolls across the hall to poke her head into the bathroom and take a peek. From there, assuming she doesn't see anything interesting, she tries each door in the hallway as she goes down it towards the end with the pull rope.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 6, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> She shakes her head and strolls across the hall to poke her head into the bathroom and take a peek. From there, assuming she doesn't see anything interesting, she tries each door in the hallway as she goes down it towards the end with the pull rope.




The bathroom and two other, smaller bedrooms were still, clean, and a bit dusty.  Nothing lurked in the insubstantial Twilight of those rooms; as far as Thorn could see, they hadn't been used, or visited, in some time.  The master bedroom had a strange, lingering odor to it--musky, with a cloying after effect of lavender-scented candles.  In the material realm, everything seemed very still.  Perring into the Twilight, though, Thorn saw a tomboyish young woman in heavy eye makeup lazily stretch and sit up on the bed.







"Mmmmm.  Hi there," she growled in a sultry, yet girlish soprano.  "Have you come to keep me company?"


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## Shayuri (Dec 6, 2008)

"I, uh...what?" Thorn asks, taken completely off guard for a second. Then she catches up with events and chuckles, shaking her head. 

"Sorry, lady. You're a bit dead for my tastes. So..." she looks around the room briefly. "Seems like a nice place. How come you're hanging around? Who are you?"


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 6, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> "I, uh...what?" Thorn asks, taken completely off guard for a second. Then she catches up with events and chuckles, shaking her head.
> 
> "Sorry, lady. You're a bit dead for my tastes. So..." she looks around the room briefly. "Seems like a nice place. How come you're hanging around? Who are you?"




The woman on the bed gasped.  "I am not _dead!_" she cried.  "I'm very much alive, thank you.  I've been good, so daddy is letting me stay on this side of the Gauntlet."

She appeared to think of something she thought was rather clever. "I'm cold, though.  If you'll come over here and warm me up, I'll make myself a solid body you can play with.  I can even make it a boy body, if you like boy bodies.  Some of the people I play with like boy bodies."

[sblock=rolls]Seeing what Thorn knows about this creature: Intelligence (2) + Occult (3) + Spirit (2) = 7 dice, 2 successes[/sblock]
From the way the woman spoke, Thorn could tell this was a spirit of some kind.  Ghosts usually didn't realize that they were trapped in the Twilight--they usually just tried to go about finishing their business on earth.  This creature knew what it was, and it wanted something.  And from what Papa Chango had taught her, spirits usually only want one thing: essence to feed on.


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## Shayuri (Dec 6, 2008)

Thorn's cheeks color slightly even under her tan coloration and she smirks. One of _those_ spirits. She felt fairly safe in assuming this one probably wasn't the one The Nemean wanted disposed of.

"I'll let your 'daddy' know you're cold," she tells the spirit. Then she pauses. "Hey, do you know anything about the little kid in the closet a couple of bedrooms over?"


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 6, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> Thorn's cheeks color slightly even under her tan coloration and she smirks. One of _those_ spirits. She felt fairly safe in assuming this one probably wasn't the one The Nemean wanted disposed of.
> 
> "I'll let your 'daddy' know you're cold," she tells the spirit. Then she pauses. "Hey, do you know anything about the little kid in the closet a couple of bedrooms over?"




The spirit sighed in resignation, then laid down flat on her back.  "Nope.  I've never been anywhere on this side of the Gauntlet, 'cept for this room.  But whatever it is, it's either trapped, or not a spirit.  Daddy says I'm the only spirit in the whole house that gets to go to the Other Side whenever I want.  All the other ones are stuck."

The spirit sat up, and tried her best to readopt the coy pout she had put on before.

"I'll be here for a while, if you decide you want to cuddle," she solicited, with a puckish bite of her lip.  "Or if you know anyone else who wants to cuddle."


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## Annalist (Dec 6, 2008)

Hella_Tellah said:


> "My investigation so far points to music as an important element in finding the spirit. May have something to do with homesickness, as well. I heard Levanna say something about a piano--do you think these clues might be related?"



Mitchell shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine," he replied. "But yeah, there's a piano in the next room if you want to check it out."

"Be careful of its sheet music though. It has some kind of compulsion," he warned.



magic_gathering2001 said:


> "But what of this weird stuff you have found? Have you found a spirit, which resembles the spirit of revisionist history we seek?"



"Uhh, yeah we found it!" Mitchell shouted back, feeling a bit guilty for the semi-lie. He wasn't actually sure what he and Levanna had found, but he knew that he'd feel more comfortable if the mages investigated it together. Pooling all of their resources seemed like the safest bet in this particular instance.

"Jeremiah and Levanna are looking things over as we speak, if you want to join us."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 6, 2008)

"Actually, it looks as though my partner has found something else of interest.  Perhaps when we finish up here, we will come down to assist, but for now it seems as though there are other spirits about, and your promising lead may end in futility."

Prometheus will head off in the direction Thorn went, trying to find her.


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## Annalist (Dec 6, 2008)

"..."

_So much for solidarity,_ Mitchell mused. _Well, whatever._ These were the kind of people he was going to be stuck in a cabal with. Possibly. _Great, just great._ He spun on his heel and steered himself back towards the gallery, rejoining Levanna.

"Find anything else out?" he asked. "Jeremiah thinks we might be on the right track. The spirit we're looking for is tied to music and maybe homesickness." _I wouldn't mind going home myself,_ he thought. _I did promise Lin I wouldn't be out all night, especially with her stuck taking care of Mags._

Turning to Jeremiah, he hesitantly probed, "Hey, aren't you versed in the Mind Arcanum? Maybe you can scrutinize the sheet music and tell me if I was right about its weird urging. Or if I was just imagining things."

He _knew_ that he wasn't imagining things. But having some kind of confirmation would be nice. Though having to ask Jeremiah for his help stung a little. Wounded pride. _Get over yourself, Mitch,_ he grimaced. _Let's just find the damn thing and get out of here._


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Dec 7, 2008)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> Prometheus will head off in the direction Thorn went, trying to find her.




Prometheus joined Thorn in the master bedroom's doorway.  He didn't see anything particularly out of the ordinary--burnt-down candles, a bed with a crimson comforter and black satin pillows, and a lingering smell of incense.

The spirit looked up at him with an excited grin.  "Oooooh!" she exclaimed with a shivering shimmy.  "He must be your cuddle-buddy!"

[sblock=rolls]Spirit: Compulsion Numen, 7 dice, 2 successes.  Prometheus: Resolve (2) + Composure (5) = 7, 3 successes.[/sblock]
She licked her lips and made a "come hither" motion with her finger toward Prometheus.  Prometheus felt a small tingling in his loins, but it dissipated as rapidly as it came.

"Oh, poo!" the spirit pouted.



Annalist said:


> Turning to Jeremiah, he hesitantly probed, "Hey, aren't you versed in the Mind Arcanum? Maybe you can scrutinize the sheet music and tell me if I was right about its weird urging. Or if I was just imagining things."




"Cautious minds think alike," Jeremiah replied.  He walked into the sitting room and muttered a few words of pseudo-latin formulae while closing his eyes.  He re-opened them, and scanned the sheet music for evidence of mental compulsions.
[sblock=rolls]Mind Mage Sight: Gnosis (1) + Mind (2) + High Speech (2) = 5 dice, 3 successes.
Scrutinize Resonance: Intelligence (3) + Occult (2) + Density (1) = 6 dice, 2 rolls, 5 successes.[/sblock]
With the combined power of his Mind and Fate sights active, Jeremiah examined the sheet music.  He saw no evidence that the music had been affected by any spell of the Mind arcanum, nor any spell, for that matter.  It was subject to supernatural forces, of that he was certain, but he couldn't say just what it was.  Its resonance had an odd quality; it felt as though this music did not belong in this world, that it was out of place.  With Sybil's Sight, he noted that this music had a powerful destiny as part of something grand and world-altering.

He looked back at Gabriel, removing his round eyeglasses significantly.  "It's no mental compulsion, of that I'm certain.  In fact, I doubt it's a spell at all--although I'm ashamed to admit I'm not sure what else it could be.  We can be certain of one thing, though: it's supernatural, and it's part of something very, very important."


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## Shayuri (Dec 7, 2008)

Thorn snickered, though privately she was rather impressed that Prometheus had resisted the spirit's power.

"This isn't the spirit we're looking for," she tells Prometheus. "I think that's it for this floor. Attic's next. What were the others yelling about anyway? I couldn't make it out from here."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 7, 2008)

"Hm... It appears as though I can see this one.  Thorn, what--" Prometheus begins as he enters the room, but stops once he hears the spirit speak.  He manages to keep the slight confusion off of his face, along with the other much less welcome urges, which he mistakenly associates with the statement itself, instead of any form of compulsion, "Actually, we are nothing of the sort.  So, what manner of spirit is this?"



Shayuri said:


> "This isn't the spirit we're looking for," she tells Prometheus. "I think that's it for this floor. Attic's next. What were the others yelling about anyway? I couldn't make it out from here."




"Oh, yes.  The others believe they have found the spirit, and called for our assistance on the main floor.  I think that if we have no further business here, we should return to them."


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## Shayuri (Dec 7, 2008)

"What? Why didn't you say something?" Thorn demands. "Come on!"

She heads back out into the hallway, then glances back at her search buddy with an amused look.

"Unless you want to cuddle with the succubus a little? I'm sure she wouldn't mind."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 7, 2008)

"I said something the very moment I came in, but what is this about a succubus?  Is that the nature of the spirit herein?  If so perhaps we should leave quickly, before it attempts some mischief."


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## Shayuri (Dec 7, 2008)

"It's already 'attempted mischief,'" Thorn tells Prometheus impishly, making little scare marks in the air around the last two words. "And I dunno if it's really a succubus, but it's definitely some kind of sex spirit."

_Not that I'm any kind of expert on THOSE,_ she almost adds, but bites her tongue. That'd definitely fall into the 'TMI' category.

She lingers in the hallway, waiting for Prometheus to catch up before moving on to rejoin the others.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 7, 2008)

"Oh, that could possibly explain the..." Seeing that Thorn has left, Prometheus trails off and follows her.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 7, 2008)

When Thorn and Prometheus reached the bottom of the stairs, Jeremiah was just finishing explaining his findings to Gabriel.

"I was just telling Gabriel here that, although the pages of sheet music you see over on the piano, yonder, have not been subject to any spells, they have been...ahh..._subjected_ to some supernatural force.  I'm afraid it's beyond my arts to say just what, but I'm now quite certain that the pages are both highly important and related to our search.  Would you like to have a go at them?"

He set his glasses back on the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, then gave a small bowed gesture of welcome, like a waiter showing his patrons to their table.


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## Shayuri (Dec 7, 2008)

Thorn suppresses the urge to roll her eyes and strolls over to look the sheet music over, then the piano itself.

After a second she says, "It's locked shut." Then she adds, "Where's the spirit?"

(Can seeing into the twilight look past material obstacles?)


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## Annalist (Dec 8, 2008)

Everyone was here now. _Finally._ Mitchell rubbed his tired eyes. "I think it's _in_ the piano," he replied.

_What would Melchior do in this situation?_ he wondered. The older man had such a way with spirits. They actually did what he asked or commanded. Which was a heck of a lot more than what Mitch was able to accomplish on his own. The thought of the thing wailing back in the kitchen still set him on edge. _Some exorcist I'm gonna be,_ he snarked.

"Jeremiah thinks we might be on the right track," he repeated, like a broken record. "I figured that we should all be in this together, if this happens to be the spirit we're searching for. I've got a feeling we're close though."

"So, who's good at picking locks?"


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## Shayuri (Dec 9, 2008)

"Huh," Thorn hmphed to herself. "Before we let it out..."

She leaned over and knocked her knuckles on the wood of the piano. 

"Hey in there! What are you doing? Who are you?"


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 9, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> "Huh," Thorn hmphed to herself. "Before we let it out..."
> 
> She leaned over and knocked her knuckles on the wood of the piano.
> 
> "Hey in there! What are you doing? Who are you?"




"I am a catalog of the events of The Alpha," replied the voice of a warm, kindly old man.
[sblock=rolls]Spirit: 7 dice, 1 success.  Thorn: Resolve (2) + Composure (3) = 5 dice, 1 success.[/sblock]
Briefly, Thorn considered picking up the pen on the piano and taking notes on what the spirit was saying, using the sheet music as a notepad.  She decided instead to leave the papers alone.

"It boasts the first National Historic Site designated by Congress, Salem Maritime National Historic Site, which protects Salem's historic waterfront.  Born in Salem, Massachusetts to housewright Joseph McIntire and Sarah (Ruck), he was a woodcarver by trade who grew into the practice of architecture.  The Bowditch House is significant both architecturally and historically."



			
				OOC said:
			
		

> The preceding was heard only by those who have some method of hearing creatures in Twilight, which I believe includes Gabriel, Thorn, and Levanna.


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## Shayuri (Dec 9, 2008)

Thorn frowns and stands up again.

"It said it was the catalog of the events of 'the alpha,'" she reports with a confused shake of her head. "That makes no sense. And then it just starts jabbering like a tour guide, talking about historical sites."

She looks at the sheet music curiously, then picks it up to get a closer look, wondering if anyone else had actually used the thing as note paper for the whole diatribe.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 9, 2008)

Shayuri said:


> Thorn frowns and stands up again.
> 
> "It said it was the catalog of the events of 'the alpha,'" she reports with a confused shake of her head. "That makes no sense. And then it just starts jabbering like a tour guide, talking about historical sites."
> 
> She looks at the sheet music curiously, then picks it up to get a closer look, wondering if anyone else had actually used the thing as note paper for the whole diatribe.




[sblock=rolls]Thorn. music theory: Intelligence (2) + Academics (1) = 3 dice, 0 successes.[/sblock]
The sheet music had two sets of bars, one with a kind of giant apostrophe, and one with kind of a weird "G" at the front.  In between, words were written, probably lyrics.  They were strangely specific; they described three houses in the small coastal village of Howard's Rock, Massachusetts.

[sblock=rolls]Knowing what "Alpha" means: Intelligence + Occult + (Undisclosed difficulty factor)
Gabriel: Failure
Jeremiah: 1 success
Levanna: 1 success
Thorn: Failure
Prometheus: 2 successes (you will receive a PM)[/sblock]
"Alpha--that's kind of weird," said Levanna.  "There's this pamphlet I read a few months ago, a bunch of Sleeper mythology, that divided everything into Alpha and Beta.  Like, part of the world is Alpha, and part is Beta, and only really enlightened people know the difference."

"I believe that pamphlet was an excerpt from R. Davisson's _A World Divided_," said Jeremiah.  "Claptrap, if you ask me."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 10, 2008)

"It reminds me of a certain novel by Kilgore Trout, I read as a youth.  The plot left much to be desired, but 'alpha' was a term used to refer to an alien planet that much resembled our own earth.  I do not think that qualifies as sleeper mythology per se, but I fail to see how it pertains to the spirit in the piano.  It may impliy that we must do something in a world that much resembles our own, possibly the realm of the spirits."


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## Shayuri (Dec 10, 2008)

Thorn frowns as she reads the sheet music. Weird.

She looks up at the others, having caught only a portion of what they'd been saying.

"So it's what, like a parallel dimension?" the young mage asks. "A world where things happened like ours, but with differences?"

She considers that.

"It'd explain why he's 'revisionist,' I guess. The history he's talking about would be different from ours, so anyone here would think he was making it up."

Thorn then waves the sheet music. "Maybe this is from The Alpha. Can anyone play the piano?"


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 10, 2008)

"Did you say something about historical sites earlier?  If the spirit did mention the Cormant House, then perhaps we must find the difference between the true Cormant House, and the one described by the Spirit.  That said, I do not believe I have the talent to play anything beyond a rudimentary level."


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## Shayuri (Dec 12, 2008)

When no one else steps up to the plate, Thorn rolls her eyes and puts the sheet music on the little stand on the piano...and takes a seat.

She squints at the page, trying to remember how this went from her muzzy memories of taking some music lessons when she was twelve. It hadn't lasted long, but in theory it was still in there somewhere...

(Trying to play the piece, Wits 3 + Expression 2)


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 12, 2008)

[sblock=Playing the Piano]







Shayuri said:


> (Trying to play the piece, Wits 3 + Expression 2)



 1 success[/sblock]
Haltingly, Thorn picked out the tune from the sheet music.  It had all the dull, 3/4 dreariness of an Episcopalian hymnal, without the sweepingly grandiose lyrics.

Gabriel recognized the tune as "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus."


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 14, 2008)

Levanna took a long, hard look at the piano, and especially at the lock, which extended into the Twilight.

[sblock=Rolls]Scrutinize, Intelligence (2) + Occult (4) + Density (1) = 7 dice, 3 rolls, 5 successes[/sblock]
"It looks to me like a Master of Spirit bound this spirit into the piano, and did so permanently," Levanna said.  "If this were a normal case of the spirit inhabiting the object willingly, I could perform a simple exorcism and we'd be on our way.  Unfortunately, it looks like we'll need to dispel the binding in order to remove the spirit entirely.  We'll need someone with an understanding of Prime and Spirit to accomplish that--or we'll have to form a casting circle.  Luckily, the spell isn't all that potent, so it should be pretty simple to break."

"That does leave the question of what we'll do with the spirit once it's released, doesn't it?" Jeremiah remarked.  "After all, we're tasked with sending this spirit on its way."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 16, 2008)

"Although I boast some small mastery of the Prime, I know my skill in matters of the Spirit to be lacking indeed.  Thorn, we seem to have worked well together thus far, would you be so kind as to assist me in unweaving the binding?"

[sblock=rolls
Gnosis 3 + Prime 3 = 6
I'm not really sure how circle casting works, but I'll assume for now that Prometheus uses Prime, and Thorn uses Spirit
[/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Dec 16, 2008)

"Uh...whoa there," Thorn urges, looking up from the music. "This is all mysterious and everything...but are we SURE this is the right one? We haven't even -looked- in the attic yet. And if it IS the right one, undoing the binding won't necessarily make it leave. I don't know enough to just exorcise it yet, so we'll need to figure out why it's here and what it wants. Which could be harder if it's free to run around."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 16, 2008)

"That point is sound; we know not for sure whether this spirit is the correct one.  The Nemean did say we were not to break anything, so it may be best that we ensure the Nemean did intend us to search for this spirit."


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## Solarious (Dec 16, 2008)

Jeremiah harrumphs a little and frowns at the piano and the music sheet.

"My own divination into the subject leads towards music and the sensation of longing for something that wasn't. The music's resonance is odd, as if it was disjointed somehow, not of this world. And the sheet itself... it is fated somehow, and powerfully so. I don't believe in coincidences, especially if destiny has something to do with it."

"Time to see where the threads lead." Mumbling softly in a nonsense language of High Speech, the Guardian cups his hand over his mouth, as if transmitting some secret, and willed the invisible connections of the world to reveal themselves.

[sblock=OOC]Jeremiah will cast _Correspondence_ (Gnosis 1 + Space 2 + High Speech 2 = 5), and examine the sympathetic connections of both the piano and the sheet of music separately, with both Sybil's Sight and Third Eye. Assume he drops Gain Skill.

He will also utilize Third Eye's ability to see what went into the creation of the resonance of 'not belonging' of the music sheet.

Also, might was well, can you roll to see what Jeremiah knows about Spirits in Twilight?[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 16, 2008)

Solarious said:


> Jeremiah will cast _Correspondence_






Solarious said:


> (Gnosis 1 + Space 2 + High Speech 2 = 5), and examine the sympathetic connections of both the piano and the sheet of music separately, with both Sybil's Sight and Third Eye. Assume he drops Gain Skill.



2 successes on each.

Jeremiah called to the piano to whisper its connections, and felt it speak an image into his mind of a worn stage in a very small theater.  Jeremiah felt as though a woman's long, thin, calloused fingers had played across his keys for thirty-three years.  Then, arthritic and liver-spotted, the hands could no longer play more than the slowest adaggio, and finally stopped short in the middle of Faure's _Requiem_.
The sheet music spoke of three longed-for homes on the coast of Massachussets that had never existed.  It also dreamt of a large, multi-volume encyclopedia, which enveloped it all around.  Imagining himself as part of the encyclopedia, Jeremiah remembered being swaddled in infancy, and felt the most profound sense of belonging.



Solarious said:


> He will also utilize Third Eye's ability to see what went into the creation of the resonance of 'not belonging' of the music sheet.



Scrutinize Resonance: Intelligence (3) + Occult (2) + Density (0) = 5 dice, 5 rolls, 2 successes.[/quote]
Tearing his attention away from the sensations projected from the piano and the sheet music, Jeremiah examined the sheet music's emotional emanations at length.  He felt that the resonance in this sheet music was the result of an overwhelming longing for something that is not and cannot be.  It was such an absolute, single-minded obsession that so utterly consumed the creator that, feeling momentary sympathy with the creator, Jeremiah felt that he was nothing more than that feeling--no skin, no bone, no muscle or sinew, but pure obsession to the core.



			
				Solarious said:
			
		

> Also, might was well, can you roll to see what Jeremiah knows about Spirits in Twilight?



Intelligence (3) + Occult (2) + Difficulty (untrained in Spirit, -2) = 3 dice, 0 successes. Unfortunately, Jeremiah knows no more about spirits in Twilight than the average Sleeper. Although he is less likely to believe the outright fabrications present in Sleeper myth, he has little, if any, actual knowledge of the workings of Twilight beings.



			
				OOC said:
			
		

> Try as I might, I can't make this post look pretty.  I am straight up ready to strangle something over this dang thing.


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## BlueLotus (Dec 16, 2008)

With her voice low to not disturb Jeremiah as he worked his magic, Levanna voiced her opinion as well. "I'm hesitant to break the ward as well," she said. Her cheeks colored a little. "I've.... had some uh.. bad experiences in my Spirit studies. I'd rather be sure of what we're going to do before we do it."


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## Shayuri (Dec 17, 2008)

Thorn nods at Levanna approvingly.

"Still, it does sound like this is pretty unique," she admits. "It's probably the one. It fits all the..." She flips a hand vaguely, "...you know. Demands."

"So okay...it tried to get me to write down what it was saying...and it's locked in the piano." 

For a moment she watches Jeremiah, then says, "You know, it's probably in there because it keeps trying to force people to write stuff on this music sheet or something. And the big guy doesn't approve."


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## Solarious (Dec 18, 2008)

For the second time that night, Jeremiah removes his glasses and rubs the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he does so. "The resonances I detected on the sheet are fairly indicative of what spirit the Heirarch wants us to remove. The source of the dissonance is an obsession, overwhelming, single-minded, and fleshless, almost as if it never had a body in the first place, or ever had to deal with one. Spirits are... disembodied, aren't they?"

He sighs and replaces the glasses, grumbling softly about his ignorance. "I also followed the sympathetic connections, and I wager that whatever architecture the sheet describes, it doesn't exist. Three houses on the coast of Massachussets, I believe. However, the oddest sensation was that of a series of volumes of encyclopedias, enveloping, and belonging, all at the same time..."

"The spirit is bound here deliberately, by a fairly powerful mage. That means, it is here deliberately. But the spell itself is weak, and easy to dispel. I believe it has been placed here by the Heirarch, as a test. The only thing left to do is to dispel the fettering and force it to move on. I don't have Prime or Spirit, so I can't help in that regard. Unless one of you could give me a quick rundown in Spirits 101... I don't know much besides they are something Sleepers aren't fully capable of comprehending."

[sblock=OOC]Dispelling this is going to take someone with both Spirit and Prime; you can't combine Arcana in a spell unless both casters have a 5 dot merit that lets them do so. We're going to need Gabriel for this... maybe we should try encouraging Annalist to rejoin us? We're together, interacting, and not subjecting him to NPC-interaction doom now, not to mention I'm finally finished my finals and BlueLotus is also back. Jeremiah can finally psudo-antagonize Gabriel now. 

Also, a PM to Tellah about radically changing my Arcanum choices for Jeremiah[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 18, 2008)

Solarious said:


> "The spirit is bound here deliberately, by a fairly powerful mage. That means, it is here deliberately. But the spell itself is weak, and easy to dispel. I believe it has been placed here by the Heirarch, as a test. The only thing left to do is to dispel the fettering and force it to move on. I don't have Prime or Spirit, so I can't help in that regard. Unless one of you could give me a quick rundown in Spirits 101... I don't know much besides they are something Sleepers aren't fully capable of comprehending."




Gabriel took a few seconds to examine the piano.

"I think I could dispel that without too much trouble," he said.  "If Thorn or Levanna could stand by ready to command the spirit to leave, I'll take care of the dispelling."


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## Shayuri (Dec 18, 2008)

Thorn stood up and glanced at Levanna.

"We could both try. It doesn't always work, so two might be better than one."

(OOC - Is 2 dots in Spirit enough to 'command it to leave'? Don't have my book here, sadly.  )


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## Solarious (Dec 18, 2008)

[sblock=OOC]2 dots in Spirit isn't enough to make spirits do anything - 3 dots are required to command it, exorcise it, or to harm it with spells.

2 dots, however, lets you summon weaker spirits, analyze them for strengths/powers/weaknesses, discover their Ban (which is useful in compelling it anyways, as Spirits can't violate their Ban for any reason), and even lets you give them a good punch while they exist in Twilight. The last one is Vulgar, however.

You can only use Teamwork rules if everyone involved can cast the spell in question. A 3 dot merit lets you contribute what Arcana ratings you have to a spell, or just Gnosis even if you don't have any. 5 dots then grants you the ability to cross-pollinate your Arcana to cast spells no one in the group can cast alone. Everyone needs the merit for this to work, though.

I also encourage you to use this post as an easy reference to basic spells a person can cast with dots in a certain Arcana. It is by no means comprehensive, and doesn't list the more complicated spells, but it does form a great starting point to understand what you're capable of.[/sblock]


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 18, 2008)

Deciding that this task will be accomplished equally well without his help, Prometheus will begin to scrutinize the auras of those close to him.  Beginning with his earlier companion, he will attempt to locate how these new allies feel when put under the stress of capturing the ghost, when their guard will be the weakest.  Endevoring to do so as quickly and subtly as possible, so as not to alert their suspicions.

[sblock=rolls]What is the density of a mage, I know it was a bonus, but I forget how much.

3 Gnosis + 3 Prime + Density

Delegate 1 success to each of the other mages, to recognize their aura later, and put the rest of the successes into analyzing an emotion from each of them.  If all aren't affected evenly, the order would be: Thorn, Jeremiah, Levanna, Gabriel.[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 18, 2008)

[sblock=rolls]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> What is the density of a mage, I know it was a bonus, but I forget how much.
> 
> 3 Gnosis + 3 Prime + Density
> 
> Delegate 1 success to each of the other mages, to recognize their aura later, and put the rest of the successes into analyzing an emotion from each of them.  If all aren't affected evenly, the order would be: Thorn, Jeremiah, Levanna, Gabriel.



It's actually Intelligence + Occult + Density, as it's a special instance of scrutinizing resonance using your existing Mage Sight.  Good news for you, because that works out to Int (3) + Occ (5) + Density (1) = 9 dice!  I rolled it four times for you, since it's an extended action, with 2 successes, then 2, then 1, then *8* successes, for an exceptional success!  This takes 12 seconds of in-game time.
As far as doing it quickly and subtly, that sounds like a Composure + Subterfuge roll to me.  You aren't casting a spell, so it isn't pinging the other mages' Unseen Senses, but you are staring at them.
Composure (5) + Subterfuge (2) = 7 dice, 2 successes.[/sblock]
Prometheus' eyes flitted about the room, scanning the resonance of each of the mages in the room.  He noted the unique way each of their auras shimmered with mana, and kept a mental record of the way magic radiated off of their patterns for future reference.

[sblock=Important information for the other mages in the room]What does your aura denote about your emotional state?  Please use page 206 of the core book for reference and post the color of your aura here.  You're also getting a Wits+Empathy to see if you notice Prometheus scanning your aura; you'll need to meet or beat his 2 successes (defenders win).
Gabriel: Wits (2) + Empathy (2) = 4 dice, 1 success.  Does not notice.
Jeremiah: Wits (3) + Empathy (1) = 4 dice, 1 success.  Does not notice.
Levanna: Wits (3) + Empathy (-1, untrainted) = 2 dice, 1 success.  Does not notice.
Thorn: Wits (3) + Empathy (-1, untrainted) = 2 dice, failure.  Does not notice.[/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Dec 19, 2008)

In the brief lull, Thorn glances at the piano, trying to decide what the best course of action is from here... If the ward was easily unmade, that suggested it was -intended- to be unmade. Surely The Nemean was capable of better.

But once undone...then what? She wasn't quite at the level where she could just banish it. But maybe there were other, less direct routes to take.

(OOC - Thanks Solarious! That's a great post. Very helpful.   Is it possible to use Analyze Spirit and/or Read Spirit through the piano, or do I need to wait until I can actually see it?)

[sblock=Thorn's Aura]Mottled, with patches of light blue and purple, all suffased with bright sparks of light that twinkle like stars.[/sblock]


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## BlueLotus (Dec 20, 2008)

Too busy preparing for her magic and talking to the others, Levanna failed to notice Prometheus' scrutiny [sblock=aura]dark blue that seems to want to bleed into orange, but the orange keeps getting swallowed up. lots of sparklies of an awakened as well.[/sblock]

"So I guess you guys are sure you want to do this. Okay.." she said, mildly annoyed. "We sure put a lot of thought into this decision." she added sarcastically and unnecessarily. 

Levanna nodded at Thorn's suggestion. "If we're gonna do it, then yes, we should work together."

She closed her eyes and drew her athame again. She swept the blade around her with an extended arm while muttering her invocations. Then, while imagining a solid mystical barrier descending upon her body and melding into her skin, she pulled her arms close, crossed over her chest in a protective gesture. [sblock=spell]Levanna casts Ephemeral Shield, p. 246[/sblock]

"I don't have the power yet to keep a spirit in place preemptively. So when the wards are broken, we either have to act very fast... or hope it wants to play nicely," she said with unease creeping into her voice

"Thorn, it might be a good idea to grant everyone the Second Sight that can't do it on their own. If we mess up or this spirit is too strong, I think that everyone should at least be able to see what's happening," Levanna said. "What do you think? in the mean time I can start preparing to break the wards," she said, producing a half melted candle wrapped in a velvet cloth from her purse. She carefully set it upon the piano. It was apparently required for her to work this sort of spirit magic.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 22, 2008)

[sblock=spell]







BlueLotus said:


> Levanna casts Ephemeral Shield, p. 246



Gnosis (1) + Spirit (3) + High Speech (2) = 6 dice, 4 successes[/sblock]
Ghostly tendrils, visible only to those peering into the Twilight, coalesced into a protective, writhing globe around Levanna.

"I can grant Spirit Tongue to Jeremiah and Prometheus," said Gabriel.  "My mentor taught me a rote."

[sblock=spell]Presence (3) + Socialize (1) + Spirit (2) + High Speech (2) - Extra target (2) = 6 dice, 3 successes[/sblock]
Gabriel muttered a short prayer in a pseudo-Latin form of Atlantean speech, and touched Jeremiah and Prometheus' foreheads.  Twilight figures faded into their view, and they saw the piano appear to overlap itself as it extended into the Twilight and material world.

"I can dispel the entrapment as soon as we're all ready," he said.  "I think we should try to command it to leave first.  Failing that, we should determine its ban."


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## Solarious (Dec 22, 2008)

[sblock=Aura]Light blue veined with light green, with hints of dark green and dark blue, shimmering with the telltale signs of an Awakened individual.[/sblock]
Jeremiah feels the twilight world flow into view, the strange double-displacement of the piano-spirit giving the room a disquieting effect. Feeling the burden of multiple spells interfering with his Pattern, he dismisses all his own active spells and brings up his own protections.
[sblock=Armor Up]Casting:
Misperception: Mind 2 + Gnosis 1 + High Speech 2 = 5 dice
Mental Shield: Mind 2 + Gnosis 1 + High Speech 2 = 5 dice[/sblock]
As he finishes, the obsessive nature the Guardian had perceived in the spirit sparks some inspiration about their nature.

"I just had a thought. Spirits seem to be representative of something, aren't they, of one concept or thing to the exclusion of all else. When I analyzed the resonances it had imbued into the sheet of music, it was entirely focused on emotions of longing and belonging."
"... I hypothesize that with the use of the Mind arcanum, we can repel or banish it by projecting emotions antithetical to it's existence. Specifically, I would imagine emotions of ostracism or loneliness would be most effective."
[sblock=OOC]For your question, Shayuri, you can probably target it since you can see it in twilight with Spirit Sight. Go ahead and rip out it's secrets to your heart's content.

On the other hand, using Emotional Urging on spirits is an established tactic against spirits, particularly the Conceptual Courts, and is especially true of the Emotional Choir. Effects can range from being drained of Essence to dealing a point or two of bashing damage and negating Influences.

Ultimately, the effects are up to Tellah. Different spirits react somewhat laterally to spells outside of the Spirit Arcanum.[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 22, 2008)

[sblock=Armor Up]







Solarious said:


> Casting:
> Misperception: Mind 2 + Gnosis 1 + High Speech 2 = 5 dice
> Mental Shield: Mind 2 + Gnosis 1 + High Speech 2 = 5 dice



2 successes and 3 successes, respectively.[/sblock]
[sblock=OOC]







			
				Solarious said:
			
		

> For your question, Shayuri, you can probably target it since you can see it in twilight with Spirit Sight. Go ahead and rip out it's secrets to your heart's content.



The piano is blocking everyone's view of the spirit, unfortunately--and his view of you.  Docking some dice for an area effect or using Sympathetic magic would work, as would many spells of the Knowing practice, since they're often not dependent upon the senses.


			
				Solarious said:
			
		

> On the other hand, using Emotional Urging on spirits is an established tactic against spirits, particularly the Conceptual Courts, and is especially true of the Emotional Choir. Effects can range from being drained of Essence to dealing a point or two of bashing damage and negating Influences.



Without giving away too much: I like the cut of your jib.  That's a clever solution![/sblock]
"That's a solid plan, Jeremiah," said Gabriel.  "I'll wait to free the spirit until you've had a chance to pollute the area with negative emotions." 
[sblock=Gabriel's Aura]Gabriel's aura had a deep basis of yellow and gold, with a mottled, shifting veneer of colors featuring dark green flecks.  The Awakened sparkles in his aura, if focuses on long enough, appeared to flutter upward in slow, wing-flapping motions, then dive rapidly.[/sblock]


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 22, 2008)

"Before we pollute the area, and possibly aggravate a harmless spirit into attacking us, we should consider using emotions to draw the spirit closer to the area, instead of giving it extra incentive to flee.  After all, a peaceable solution may be much easier to attain here, and much less destructive to the house.  A better plan may be to alter the surrounding rooms, the floor and the ceiling, so as to inhibit the spirit from leaving.  That way, should we need to catch the spirit, we will have a much lesser area to search through.  In either case, I would gladly help you reweave the surrounding area."


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## Shayuri (Dec 22, 2008)

"But we -want- the spirit to leave," Thorn points out. "That's the whole thing we're doing here."

She nods at the others and grabs the sheet music off the piano's stand. "Once you let it out, I'll see if I can figure out what it can and can't do."

(readying action to cast the Ban-detecty spell on the spirit once the piano's ward is dispelled)


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## magic_gathering2001 (Dec 22, 2008)

"We want it to leave the house permanently and entirely, not to simply move it to another room or out for a week.  Still, it does make little sense to trap a spirit in order to force it to leave."

[sblock=spells]
will recast prime 3/mind 2 conj in order to appear as a lonely sleepwalker.  Ensuring to cast the new spell before letting go the old one.

Preparing to cast Celestial Fire if the spirit turns hostile

Dice for both: Gnosis 3 + Prime 3
[/sblock]

[sblock=OOC]
btw, when I went to look up resonance, it says that anyone who got a single success would realise their patter was under scrutiny, but not by who[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 23, 2008)

[sblock=spells]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> will recast prime 3/mind 2 conj in order to appear as a lonely sleepwalker.  Ensuring to cast the new spell before letting go the old one.
> Gnosis 3 + Prime 3



Failure.  Figuring that you'd roll again, I rolled it again, and Prometheus got 1 success.[/sblock]
As Prometheus reconfigured his aura, the other mages felt a twinge of the supernatural.



			
				OOC said:
			
		

> Mages who are not Prometheus: your Unseen Senses went off, but there's no indication of why.




[sblock=OOC]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> btw, when I went to look up resonance, it says that anyone who got a single success would realise their patter was under scrutiny, but not by who



My mistake.  You get away with it without being noticed...this time.[/sblock]


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## Solarious (Dec 24, 2008)

"Who what where?"

Jeremiah mutters harshly in High Speech, unlocking new perceptions to his senses, and scans the area, searching for scrying conduits. 

[sblock=Spell]Casting Spatial Awareness: Gnosis 1 + Space 1 + High Speech 2 = 4 dice

Taking on the burden on exceeding Spell Tolerance.[/sblock]
[sblock=OOC]Another uncommonly known rule of spellcasting: sensory casting doesn't necessarily mean line of sight. Sensory range means you have to be about 200 yards, and have some way of perceiving the location of your target. Seeing isn't really necessary. It does form the best conditions for casting, but it is also possible to make do with hearing, or other methods, possibly granted through spells or other supernatural means. Don't quote me on the last part though: I'm not sure if spell-granted perceptions always count, or count at all.

Casting this way always imposes penalties though as opposed to seeing your target, and the harder it is for you to tell where your target is, the greater the penalties levied. For example, you are in a shootout with a Seer, and she has stopped to reload. You can hear that action clearly, so you take the opportunity to fry the her brain with a Psychic Assault, but it is done at a -2 penalty. Hearing soft footsteps from somewhere in your Sanctum in the middle of the night is a great deal harder to pinpoint, and may induce penalties of -8 or greater.[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 29, 2008)

[sblock=Spell]







Solarious said:


> Casting Spatial Awareness: Gnosis 1 + Space 1 + High Speech 2 = 4 dice



2 successes.[/sblock]

Jeremiah tuned his vision to detect spatial anomalies in the area, and immediately noticed that the area was enveloped in a powerful spell, which vibrated and buzzed like a swarm of locusts through every wall, floor, and ceiling he could see.

[sblock=Scrutinize]Operating on the assumption that Jeremiah will want to scrutinize the spell, at least a little, here's one (of a possible 9) roll to scrutinize:
Int3+Occ2+Dens1+Bonus2+Equipment1=9 dice, 2 successes.[/sblock]

He produced a crystal from his pocket and, squinting through it, read the intensity of the spell for clues.  It was an apprentice-level Space spell meant to block out other applications of the Space arcanum, and it hissed with an overwhelming intensity, the power of twenty-three simple castings.


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## Hella_Tellah (Dec 31, 2008)

"Here goes nothing..." muttered Gabriel, and began a High Speech incantation.  "_Prekiniti ta duh klavir!_"

The assembled mages watched as the piano's Twilight expression cracked, splintered, and shattered into shards of ephemera, which fell onto the floor, liquefied, and seeped into the cracks in the floorboards.  A small man hobbled out through the front of the piano, supporting himself on a cane.

A foot tall, pale and bearded, the little man looked profoundly unreal.  He seemed to flicker and freeze periodically, like a TV signal being blocked out, and appeared as a two-dimensional projection.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 1, 2009)

Speaking softly to Thorn, "I had thought the spirits to manifest in a manner with more substance.  Although this method may provide a certain insight into importance."

[sblock=OOC]I think there were spells that people wanted to cast as soon as the spirit became visible.[/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Jan 1, 2009)

"Yeah," Thorn replies thoughtfully. "This isn't how they usually look..."

She steps forward and puts a hand out over the spirit, a little like a cat pinning a mouse to the floor under its paw. Then she closes her eyes, leans forward, and inhales deeply through her nose.

The vision of the spirit was how the spirit -chose- to appear...that's what Hugo had taught her. It might be true, or a lie. But the truth of the spirits essence could be found by those who knew the trick of it.

She opens her eyes after taking in the spirit's scent, and some trick of the light makes her pupils look widely dilated; a stalking feline's eyes.

"Who are you?" she asks it.

(trying to suss out the spirit's bans and whatever other info can be learned)


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 2, 2009)

Shayuri said:


> "Who are you?" she asks it.
> 
> (trying to suss out the spirit's bans and whatever other info can be learned)




[sblock=OOC]Sounds like an advanced application of the Knowing practice to me!  Gnosis (2) + Spirit (2) - Resistance (?) = ? dice, 0 successes.[/sblock]
"I am a fragment of the events of the Alpha, my dear," the spirit replied.  "Built by Henry Hobson Richardson, the F.L. Higginson House is a perfect example of the Richardsonian style wrought in bearing masonry.  Charles Bulfinch was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first native-born American to practice architecture as a profession.  During the period when Thompson was with TAC, he also started a business called 'Design Research' which specialized in the design of accessory products."

His words matched to the movement of his lips only poorly.  Thorn was reminded of Clint Eastwood in "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly"; it was as though the spirit's voice had been dubbed over in some other language and then re-dubbed in english.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 5, 2009)

"Spirit, this world is beta.  None of the people that you encountered or store information on from alpha exist here."

[sblock=ooc]Poking around for the ban.

Edit: I tried to put this up a while ago, but apparently it didn't come up.[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 5, 2009)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> "Spirit, this world is beta.  None of the people that you encountered or store information on from alpha exist here."




"Silly boy," the spirit answered, "This world hasn't gone entirely over to beta--not yet, anyway.  She skipped along the rocks leading into her grandmother's kitchen, a fine, old-world home that spoke of Howard's Rock's tradition and small-town comforts.  'The fire won't die down,' shouted the fire marshal.  Julianna had neither the patience nor energy to argue with Robert, so she simply rocked back and forth in the chair her grandfather carved."


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## Shayuri (Jan 6, 2009)

Thorn put a hand to her forehead and sighed. This alpha beta stuff was starting to piss her off.

"Keep talking to it. I wanna go get...some...like brochure or something that shows what's really here. Maybe if we can prove it's wrong, it'll go away."

She turns and starts grabbing leaflets and brochures and little packets of info from other rooms in the house.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 6, 2009)

"Spirit, I am quite sure in fact that alpha has not been present in this world for some time.  Should you seek to spout such useless information, I would request you do it elsewhere.  In fact, beta boasts several offices of information which would simply adore your presence should you boast of alpha within their premises."


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 6, 2009)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> "Spirit, I am quite sure in fact that alpha has not been present in this world for some time.  Should you seek to spout such useless information, I would request you do it elsewhere.  In fact, beta boasts several offices of information which would simply adore your presence should you boast of alpha within their premises."




The spirit laughed.  "Certainly, I imagine you'd notice if you were, at this moment, living in the city of Broken Eyes!  There was a crash, and the wrecking ball tore through the side of the old church.  Mr. Davies truly believed his plans were accurate--not without justification.  Given the materials available, who could construct a better office building than Sylas?
"Now, could one of you fine people kindly direct me to the recording studio of mister--" he referenced a set of notes in his breast pocket "Steven Tyler?  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Sunnyvale, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for commercial and consumer markets. From its 2007 acquisition of 100 percent ownership of H3C Technologies Co., Limited -- what was initially a joint venture with China-based Huawei Technologies -- 3Com today has a leading market presence in China, and a significant networking market share in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.  The company's first store was opened in Brighton, Massachusetts in 1986."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 6, 2009)

"Simply playing different recordings from the memory preprogrammed into you will not help you here spirit.  Even though your words express meaning enough, their preconstruction is quickly as obvious as your own world's absence."

[sblock=ooc]Analyze Resonance again Int 3 + Occult 5 + Density 2 = 10 dice. Looking first to see if he recognizes the spirit's resonance, then to identify the most powerful feeling it resonates.

Also, not sure what the check is, but something to see if Prometheus' talking is phasing the spirit at all, or if the spirit even responds directly to him.[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 6, 2009)

[sblock=ooc]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> Analyze Resonance again Int 3 + Occult 5 + Density 2 = 10 dice. Looking first to see if he recognizes the spirit's resonance, then to identify the most powerful feeling it resonates.



6 successes in 2 rolls (8 rolls left).[/sblock]
Prometheus scanned the spirit.  More than any other emotion, the spirit resonated with loneliness and longing.  Prometheus felt that the being deeply wanted to belong to something much larger than himself, and was utterly consumed in the desire--so much so that Prometheus wondered if the creature had any substance at all beyond that one overwhelming urge.

[sblock=ooc]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> Also, not sure what the check is, but something to see if Prometheus' talking is phasing the spirit at all, or if the spirit even responds directly to him.



 Wits (2) + Empathy (-1 for untrained) = 1 die, 1 success.[/sblock]
The spirit's gibbering started to make a little sense to him.  There was definitely a pattern to the way it spoke.  It was as though it struggled to keep its train of thought for more than a single thought, and had to meander about for a few sentences before coming back into the moment.  It had been talking to him when it called him a "silly boy," so it at least acknowledged Prometheus' presence.




			
				Shayuri said:
			
		

> She turns and starts grabbing leaflets and brochures and little packets of info from other rooms in the house.




Thorn found a stand full of brochures near the front desk.  It was the sort of thing you might find in a hotel lobby: pamphlets for tourist traps and water parks.  There were, however, a selection of maps of interesting architectural and historical sites on the top shelf.


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 7, 2009)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> "Simply playing different recordings from the memory preprogrammed into you will not help you here spirit.  Even though your words express meaning enough, their preconstruction is quickly as obvious as your own world's absence."




"My dear boy," the spirit replied, hotly, "I'm afraid that, in this instance, your notions are as incorrect as your tone is rude.  You may take this all for granted--take the mortar, block and glass--and you forget the speech that moved the stone.  Well, it's just a coffeehouse, made out of wood, but espresso coffee tastes mighty good!  Six stories, brick and mortar, the lighthouse lit Howard's Rock's nights like a flickering candle over a medieval scholar's papers."


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## Shayuri (Jan 7, 2009)

_That looks promising,_ Thorn decides, and grabs the whole stack from the top shelf. Carrying it across her chest like a schoolgirl would carry her books, she heads back to the piano room and sets the pile down on the top of the old grand hard enough to make the strings inside hum discordantly.

"Did you ask him about the music yet?" she asks briskly as she starts going through the papers, looking for anything related to the spirit's mania.


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## BlueLotus (Jan 7, 2009)

Her brain still trying to make sense of the alpha and beta nonsense that the spirit referred to made Levanna lose track of the conversation. Rather than open her mouth and appear dull witted, she went to Thorn's side and asked "uh... Want some help with that?" while scratching nervously at the back of her head.

At least this spirit was amiable. It could have been a lot worse, she thought darkly.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 7, 2009)

"Fair enough I suppose it, to say that Alpha survives in the product of its thoughts as many civilizations native to beta have done." Pausing his speech to move over to the sheet music, Prometheus will grab the pile and move next to the spirit, holding the sheet where both can see it, "What import does this particular item have to the fragment of memory which alpha deemed fit with which to impart you?"


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 7, 2009)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> "Fair enough I suppose it, to say that Alpha survives in the product of its thoughts as many civilizations native to beta have done." Pausing his speech to move over to the sheet music, Prometheus will grab the pile and move next to the spirit, holding the sheet where both can see it, "What import does this particular item have to the fragment of memory which alpha deemed fit with which to impart you?"




"Oh, that's very important indeed, and I do hope you'll see that it joins its brothers in the Tome of Ages.  The structural definition of the word _skyscraper_ was refined later by architectural historians, based on engineering developments of the 1880s that had enabled construction of tall multi-storey buildings. வானளாவிகளின் பாரம் தாங்கும் கூறுகளும், குறிப்பிடத்தக்க அளவு ஏனைய கட்டிடங்களில் இருந்து வேறுபடுகின்றன. El primer edifici que podria ser considerat gratacel és el _Home Insurance Building_, dissenyat pel nord-americà William Li Baron Jenney."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 8, 2009)

"I would quite like to oblige you and return these notes to the Tome, however my knowledge of these things remains imperfect, and I have in fact no reference by which to identify the Tome, nor inclination as to where to look.  Could you help me in these regards spirit?"

[sblock=ooc]Does Prometheus speak any of those languages, and if he does, could you translate it?[/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Jan 8, 2009)

BlueLotus said:


> Her brain still trying to make sense of the alpha and beta nonsense that the spirit referred to made Levanna lose track of the conversation. Rather than open her mouth and appear dull witted, she went to Thorn's side and asked "uh... Want some help with that?" while scratching nervously at the back of her head.
> 
> At least this spirit was amiable. It could have been a lot worse, she thought darkly.




"Sure," Thorn said amiably. "I'm just sort of looking through all this stuff...seeing if anything he's talking about is in here. Figure maybe if we can show him proof..."

She shrugs and offers Levanna half of the stack she'd liberated.

"Mostly I'm just looking busy. I'm at the point where I'm ready to just grab his head and haul him out of the house with my bare hands."


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 8, 2009)

magic_gathering2001 said:


> "I would quite like to oblige you and return these notes to the Tome, however my knowledge of these things remains imperfect, and I have in fact no reference by which to identify the Tome, nor inclination as to where to look.  Could you help me in these regards spirit?"




"Ah, yes, I had the gentleman of Cathay append the address of a house in Howard's Rock, Massachussetts to the sheet music.  Blister steel, produced by the cementation process, was first made in Italy in the early 16th century and soon after introduced to England. Cement plaster is a mixture of suitable plaster, sand, portland cement and water which is normally applied to masonry interiors and exteriors to achieve a smooth surface.  Hydraulic cements are materials that set and harden after being combined with water, as a result of chemical reactions with the mixing water, and that, after hardening, retain strength and stability even under water.

"If you would please be so kind as to deliver that set of sheet music to the address listed upon its final page, and insert it into the Tome of Ages, I would be forever indebted to you, and you'd be doing history a great service.  Storeys within a building need not be all the same height — often the lobby is quite spacious, for example. They are powered by electric motors that either drive traction cables and counterweights a pulley, or pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical piston.In addition to rods placed at regular intervals on the highest portions of a structure, a lightning protection system typically includes a rooftop network of conductors, multiple conductive paths from the roof to the ground, bonding connections to metallic objects within the structure and a grounding network."
 
[sblock=ooc]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> Does Prometheus speak any of those languages, and if he does, could you translate it?



[I'm afraid Prometheus only speaks English, lacking the merits for others.  He spoke in Thai and Catalan, if you're curious.  I promise you aren't missing anything important.[/sblock]


Shayuri said:


> "Sure," Thorn said amiably. "I'm just sort of looking through all this stuff...seeing if anything he's talking about is in here. Figure maybe if we can show him proof..."
> 
> She shrugs and offers Levanna half of the stack she'd liberated.




There were a number of dull pamphlets on local museums and tourist attractions, but one in particular caught Thorn's eye: Colonial Villages of the Massachussetts Coastline.  It was full of photographs of seafront property and quaint old-timey main streets in a smattering of small towns along the coast.  One photograph's caption seemed relevant:





Howard's Rock.  Recommended for adventurous travellers.  Fine cuisine.​
Wasn't that the same town mentioned in the sheet music?
 


Shayuri said:


> "Mostly I'm just looking busy. I'm at the point where I'm ready to just grab his head and haul him out of the house with my bare hands."




The spirit turned to address Thorn with a look of sincere contrition.  "I apologize, my dear, if I've offended you in some manner.  The word _hotel_ is derived from the French _hôtel_ (coming from _hôte_ meaning _host_), which referred to a French version of a townhouse or any other building seeing frequent visitors, rather than a place offering accommodation. It has been proposed that the term is a throwback to the age of the shrine cults, the name being retained because all major Zoroastrian rituals were solemnized between sunrise and noon, the time of day especially under Mithra's protection.  The early European dollhouses were each unique, constructed on a custom basis by individual craftsmen."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 8, 2009)

"So, what think you all on the idea of traveling to the place mentioned in this music?  The Nemean never denied that we should leave the house to complete this task, but simultaneously did not seem to think the task a particularly long one.  In either case, some should remain with the spirit and ensure that he does not hide himself elsewhere inside the house."


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## Shayuri (Jan 12, 2009)

"Well wait," Thorn says. "Just going there ourselves won't solve anything. We'd need to bring him with us...or maybe..."

She slaps the photograph of Howard's Rock down near the spirit.

"Check this out," Thorn instructs it. "This is a picture of Howard's Rock. What do you think?"


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 12, 2009)

Shayuri said:


> She slaps the photograph of Howard's Rock down near the spirit.
> 
> "Check this out," Thorn instructs it. "This is a picture of Howard's Rock. What do you think?"




The spirit stares long and hard at the picture, and begins to shake and grit its teeth.  Its skin turns bright red, and it lets out a hideous roar of raging hatred, its lower law stretching out nearly two feet, showing a fearsome maw filled with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth.  A rush of wind swirls through the room, putting out the oil lamps lighting it and sending loose papers flying.  The spirit's roar grows louder, and in a bright flash of light, he disappears.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 12, 2009)

"It seems the spirit reacted poorly to those pictures, but I think it not vanquished yet.  While I would greatly prefer to consider the spirit vanquished and our task complete, it seems unlikely that the spirit would vanish permanently at the sight of a simple picture.  It would reflect poorly should we report our mission complete to the Nemean before the spirit had not fully and permanently left."


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## Shayuri (Jan 13, 2009)

Thorn gives Prometheus a quizzical look, then shrugs and looks around.

"I dunno...I mean, where would it have gone? I'm thinking this picture could be a ban of its, you know? Proof that it's wrong. One look at that, and it has to retreat. Like Dracula and the cross."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 14, 2009)

"I suppose that your statement could have merit, however it would look poorly on ourselves should we approach the Nemean without first vanquishing the spirit entirely.  I do confess a lack of knowledge on the subject, so I concede to your will in this matter."


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 15, 2009)

The Nemean walked in drying his hands on a towel.  He untied his apron and tossed it over on the piano stool, letting the wind-blown sheet music flutter away beneath it.






 

"Well, you got rid of him," he said.  "Not bad.  You're probably going to see a bunch of those little buggers around town these days, so it's good you got some experience dealing with one."

As he spoke, the Nemean slowly circled about the room, looking each of the new mages directly in the eye, gauging their reactions.  His manner suggested a graying old lion circling around wounded gazelles.

"Now that I know you're up to it, I want to strike a deal with you kids.  The Consilium's been looking for ways to get into some of the old archives of the Stone Assembly, a Cabal that once controlled all the goings-on in Massachussets' Awakened community.  Our records of the Stone Assembly go back to the founding of Boston, but every last one of those old fogeys disappeared back in 1923.  From what we've gathered, these stuffy old guys had enough artifacts and grimoires to choke an Exarch, but we can't find hide nor hair of 'em.

"Previous efforts to dig up any of the Stone Assembly's libraries didn't pan out too well.  We had this third-level Master out of the Mysterium looking into it, but she went off to Benefit and hasn't been heard from since.  I figure siccing a more diverse team on the case will get us better results.

"Now, here's what's in it for you: we've set you up a decent Sanctum over in Cambridge to use as a base of operations.  Quiet neighborhood, active Hallow--everything a new Cabal needs to get to work.  Do a little work for the Consilium, and you've got yourself a quiet place to cast and a nice source of free-flowing mana.

"Whaddaya say?  You kids got the stones for some real wizardry?"


----------



## BlueLotus (Jan 17, 2009)

As the Nemian spoke, Levanna folded her arms across her chest. Her expression changed to a disapproving frown as he talked of sending the fledgling cabal off to who knows where. At least the old man was being blunt about it though, rather than trying to talk it up with appeals to higher callings or misdirection as far as she could tell.

Her expression changed and her arms fell back to her sides as her eyebrows arched and her lips pursed in a gesture of "not a bad deal." She said as much aloud.

"Sounds fair to me," Levanna said, imagining herself cackle with glee the next time she balances her checkbook and there's not a rent expense. "Though of course I'd like to know as much as possible before ultimately commiting to it. Are there any theories or educated guesses as to what might have happened to them?" she asked to start.


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 18, 2009)

BlueLotus said:


> "Sounds fair to me," Levanna said, imagining herself cackle with glee the next time she balances her checkbook and there's not a rent expense. "Though of course I'd like to know as much as possible before ultimately commiting to it. Are there any theories or educated guesses as to what might have happened to them?" she asked to start.




"Well, there weren't any bodies, for starters," The Nemean began. "Course, that's not saying much when it's sorcery involved.  I bet each of you could hide a body a dozen ways so 'the heat' couldn't find it.  I did some searching myself, over in the Shadow Realms--hell, that's where _I'd_ stash a body--but I didn't find a damned thing.  Miss Jane might know more than that, but like I said, she's off at Benefit livin' the commune life.

"So as far as a lead goes, I was thinkin' you all might have some luck tryin' to get a good, solid sympathetic connection.  Over at Harvard, they've got a bunch of personal effects and papers from turn-of-the-century business leaders.  I'd bet you dollars to donuts you could find some of Caranton's stuff in there--H. D. Caranton being the last Heirarch of the Stone Assembly, you understand.  If you could bring me something of his, we could work off of that sympathetic bond, maybe get some kind of a temporal connection out of it."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 18, 2009)

"I believe myself to know someone who could grant us access to the facilities there should we choose to accept.  For myself, I feel inclined to agree to your terms Nemean; to research the mysteries of the occult has long interested me, and to sate my hobby for a reward certainly seems agreeable."

[sblock=ooc]Academics check to discover anything that a non-mage could possibly know about the old Heirarch.

3 int + 3 Academics +1 history = 7 dice[/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Jan 18, 2009)

Thorn glances around at the others, wondering if they saw in this what she saw.

The last person to try this...a 'third level master'...wound up ditching the job. Now they wanted a gang of fresh newbies to try.  They were willing to offer a really sweet deal for it.

Call her cynical, but Thorn had this idea that they weren't really expected to find the artifacts, nor use the sanctum and Hallow for very long. It was more like...they were expected not to have the sense to quit that the experienced mage had. They'd keep digging, trigger some kind of response, and the Nemean and his gang would learn what to expect. Then they'd round up another bunch of kids, give them the same offer, and tell them how to avoid that first problem. Then they'd see how far those new kids got.

Like sending monkeys into a minefield.

Then, when the last set of monkeys got across safely, they'd come in, grab all the goods, say thank you... Well, they might let that last bunch keep the sanctum and hallow. What were those things compared to limitless wealth of magic power from an earlier age?

So, the way Thorn saw it, they really only had one way to 'win' this. They had to make sure that THEY were the monkeys that got to the end. Or they could cut their losses and bow out of the game.

Or...if they were really good...maybe they could secure a piece of that pie at the end for themselves. Hm? 

Thorn nodded to herself, then repeated that gesture at the Nemean. 

"Count me in."


----------



## Hella_Tellah (Jan 19, 2009)

* * * * *​ They followed Arathnos' kitted-out Honda Civic to a two-story house in a tree-lined neighborhood in Cambridge.  It was painted with a slightly chipped coat of white paint, with a sloped, wooden-shingled roof, accessible from a second-story bedroom window.  The front lawn was patched with a few clumps of snow from the recent cold-snap, and a pair of tall oak trees dangled over the stone walkway up to the front door.  A tire swing dangled from a low-hanging branch, twisting in the stiff, biting November breeze.

As they stepped out of their cars into the darkness of the unlit street, Arathnos lit a Menthol cigarette and asked, "Well, what do you think?"


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## Shayuri (Jan 19, 2009)

Thorn went over to the tire swing, kicking at a patch of snow absently as she passed it. She pushed the swing, then caught it when it came back.

"It's rustic," she decided. "I'm pretty sure I saw this place on a postcard somewhere."

The young mage looked around, trying to assess how close the nearest neighbors were.

"Looks big enough for all of us," she adds approvingly. "How's it work moneywise? We pay rent? Utilities? Can we renovate?"


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 19, 2009)

"I find myself more concerned with its mystical implications.  Does this place also contain resident spirits with which we will cohabitate? Also, where, and of what strength is the hallow? And about security, does the house have any standing protections against mystical interference, or must provide them ourselves?"


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 20, 2009)

"Spirits?  I seriously doubt it," Arathnos said with a wry smirk.  "Miss Jane got pretty paranoid about that kind of thing.  You may have heard about the rote she designed--strengthens the Gauntlet everywhere she goes.  We took down all the other wards she had up, but I bet you'd still have a hell of a time trying to summon anything around this place.  The hallow's down in the basement.  I can't speak to the resonance coming off of it, but I'd put a little time into altering its wavelength.

"Don't worry about making rent or anything like that.  This place is owned under one of the Consilium's phony business licenses, so there'd be no one to give the money to.  On paper it's rented out to somebody, I'm sure, but you won't have to worry about electricity, gas or water.  No trash service, though.  There's a dumpster in the back, but nobody's going to come collect it.  We try not to have any regular visits from Sleepers to Consilium properties.

"That's all Sleeper law, though.  As far as the Lex is concerned, this place is yours.  Under the Right of Sanctuary, the Consilium backs anything you want to do in the event of theft or damage."


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## Shayuri (Jan 22, 2009)

Thorn glanced over at the dumpster and frowned slightly.

_I give it a week before they start wanting to dump it in the Shadow instead of taking it to the dump._

"Well, sounds cool. Thanks." She looked back at Arachnos. 

"Hey, I'm curious. What's this Benefit thing Miss Jane's supposed to be at? Figured we might want to look her up before we stick our necks too far out."


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 23, 2009)

Shayuri said:


> "Hey, I'm curious. What's this Benefit thing Miss Jane's supposed to be at? Figured we might want to look her up before we stick our necks too far out."




"Heh, yeah, Benefit." Arathnos gestured to Levanna. "Hippie chick over there might get a kick out of it.  It's a commune out near Waltham run by an Awakened couple; they've got a farm, schoolhouse, creepy bonfires with drum circles, and all that crap.  I've got no idea why Miss Jane's holed up there.  I don't think anybody does, to be honest.

"Anyway, here's the key to the place.  Enjoy, I guess."

As Arathnos was walking back to his car, his phone started buzzing with a "Ridin' Dirty" ringtone.  He turned away from the group and talked in hushed tones, then turned back to the group, covering the mouth piece.

"Jeremiah, Gabriel?  You'd better come back to Cormant House."  He looked genuinely frightened.


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 23, 2009)

"I don't suppose saying 'no' is an option," Jeremiah grumbled.  "What the hell is this about?"

Arathnos handed his phone off to Jeremiah.  As Jeremiah listened to Arathnos' ridiculous, diamond-studded iPhone, his expression gradually changed from annoyance to somber acceptance.

"I understand.  Yes, I agree.  The Concord _does_ take precedence.  Why us?  *@#&$!  Alright.  I'll tell him."  Jeremiah hung up the phone and handed it back to Arathnos.

"Gabriel, we'd better get going.  I'll explain on the way."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 25, 2009)

Unwilling to directly query the leaving mages, Prometheus will put the conversation to memory for later investigation.  After all, anything that managed to upset the wonderful tour guide would likely have enough importance to affect the rest of them at a later date.

_Jeremiah and Gabriel were called back alone.  Either they have some connection to the concord that the rest of us lack, or they simply have more mystical power.  In either case, looking into it can wait for now._

After the others leave, Prometheus will turn to Thorn,

"Well, I guess that leaves it to us to explore this place.  Shall we begin?"

Barely managing to mask the worry from his face, Prometheus almost cannot keep it from his speech.  Only by shortening his words, does he manage.


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## Shayuri (Jan 26, 2009)

Thorn watches the proceedings with an eyebrow raised. She glances at Prometheus, then calls, "Hey...guys, catch you back here later, right?"

When Prometheus makes his suggestion she nods, then waves Levanna over and unlocks the door.

"Yeah, lets check it out."


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 26, 2009)

Shayuri said:


> "Hey...guys, catch you back here later, right?"




"Uhh, yeah, see you guys later," said Gabriel.  Jeremiah just shrugged.

* * * * *
​
[sblock=Making an assumption here]For brevity's sake, I'm going to assume you guys want to look around the house, so I'm going to go ahead and describe things in a general, anyone-looking-casaully-would-notice-this way.[/sblock]
Inside, the house smelled faintly of mold, charcoal and incense, coupled with the stuffy, settled smell of a place left abandoned for many weeks.  Couches with cat-scratches in the sides dating back to the 1970s slouched against the walls, and a stained mattress lay in the center of the room, surrounded by melted-down candles.  The wind shook the windows, covered over with black garbage-bag plastic, with a muffled rattle.  A scratched wooden table teetered on uneven legs in the dining room, surrounded by dusty, mismatched folding chairs.

The mold smell, they soon learned, came from the kitchen, where unwashed dishes sat in cloudy, stagnant water.  A tan and green pile of something that once was food grew out of a paper plate next to it.  The cupboards contained just three things: a ceramic bowl, a promotional coffee cup from Cambridge Realty (_"The Name You Know and Trust"_) and enough packages of Cup o' Noodles to feed an army of grad students for a month.  The drawers were empty but for a phone book and a ritual athame, superficially similar to the one Levanna carried.  The avacado-colored refrigerator was empty, and surprisingly clean.

A hallway connected the kitchen, living room, and master bedroom, with a bathroom along the way.  The bathroom flickered under a yellow fluorescent light that magnified its sparse utilitarianism.  It consisted of a bathtub with a steel showerhead and no curtain, a toilet without a seat or lid, and a sink beneath an open medicine cabinet.  The mirror had been removed.  Further down the hall, the master bedroom was completely empty of any furnishings whatsoever, although it did boast an ample closet.

A stairway from the living room led up to the second floor, where two more empty bedrooms lay waiting.  One had a Disney Princesses poster and scratch marks on the wall, while the other had a window giving access to the roof.  Another, larger bathroom between those rooms had a bright pink shower curtain, but no mirror.

The cellar doors out back were nothing more than plywood with rusty metal handles, chained up and locked with a simple padlock opened by one of the keys on the Snoopy keychain Arathnos had given them.  The basement was all concrete, ductwork and wooden beams, without walls dividing it into smaller rooms.  The young mages felt the hair on their arms stand up as they moved about the center of the room, where a single 100 watt lightbulb shone through five crystals, which created dazzling prismatic effects on the walls with the breeze generated by people walking about.

[sblock=OOC]You're now in the basement.  Discuss and explore at will, and if you want to make changes to the Sanctum, we'll have that happen "off camera" over the course of a few weeks.  No need to have you roll Dexterity + Crafts every time you want to swing a hammer [/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Jan 27, 2009)

Double post due to slooooooooooooowness


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## Shayuri (Jan 27, 2009)

Thorn flops heavily into one of the folding chairs by the scratched table once the tour's complete.

"This is some creepy *stuff, right here," she declares.

After a moment of silently contemplating the mattress surrounded by candles, the young mage adds, "We have to talk to her before we do _anything _else on this."

(curse you Enwoooooooorld!)

* - Expletive was Smilied by Enworld, so I toned it down. Thorn would normally swear more.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 27, 2009)

Prometheus will recast his faded mage sight, and examine the mess in front of him.

"Agreed, Mage's seem to have odd taste when it comes to protecting their abodes, and it would not do to explain to the returning cabal members the reason for our suspension in mid air of some other oddity."

[sblock=rolls]
Conjunctional Mind 1/Prime 1
Gnosis 3 + Prime 3 = 6 dice (recast if fails up to 3 times)

Examine Resonance (assuming nothing completely important and obvious)
Intelligence 3 +Occult 5 + Resonance 1 +/-Density ? = 9+/-
[/sblock]


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## BlueLotus (Jan 29, 2009)

Levanna followed the others around the house in relative silence, glad to have made it this far and not become involved with the mage politicking so far... as far as she knew.

"Nothing a bit of elbow grease won't take care of," she said in response to Thorn's declaration. "Gods... I may have to use some Life magic to deal with some of that mold though. Magic anomalies and mage cloak and dagger stuff aside, we have another pressing concern - like who gets what room. I prefer the one with the roof access, for escaping from knife weilding attackers who may have a hockey mask," she joked. But then, more seriously she added "Three rooms is not enough for all of us to have one privately. And roommate choices are serious business."


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## Shayuri (Jan 29, 2009)

Thorn looked at Levanna, then at Prometheus, then down at the table where she ran her fingertips over the deep-etched scratches in its surface.

"We really need to talk to whats-her-face," she repeats. "Not because of traps. I mean, look around. All the mirrors gone. Living off Cups O Soup. Mattress is downstairs surrounded by ritual candles. Before she ran off, there was some serious *stuff happening here. Whatever it was will probably happen again, so we should find out what it was so we'll be ready for it."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 29, 2009)

Prometheus ponders how Thorn would view his own abode, well former anyway, with enough instant ramen to feed a grad student for a year, various antiquities under scrutiny, and a rectangle of empty flooring for a bed.

"Certainly it takes a different sort to turn to one of these magic convents this Miss Jane took to, although I can understand that not all mages live the life of a graduate student."

[sblock=ooc]Could we get a map of this place.  I don't really do well with verbal-ish descriptions.

Also, did the results for Prometheus' Academics check on the Heirarch come in?  I don't think I got them. ( 7 dice).[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Jan 29, 2009)

[sblock=rolls]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> Conjunctional Mind 1/Prime 1
> Gnosis 3 + Prime 3 = 6 dice (recast if fails up to 3 times)



3 successes.


magic_gathering2001 said:


> Examine Resonance (assuming nothing completely important and obvious)
> Intelligence 3 +Occult 5 + Resonance 1 +/-Density ? = 9+/-



7 successes in 3 rolls.[/sblock]
Prometheus's supernatural senses rushed into him like a gust of winter wind through an open door.  All around him, the walls of the house shot out in a crystalline structure of sharp spikes, dripping with unreasoning fear.  He sensed this was a conjunctional spell of Space and Spirit, a ward that would keep out all but the most powerful beings of the intangible world.

[sblock=ooc]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> Could we get a map of this place.  I don't really do well with verbal-ish descriptions.




How about a bullet-point list?  There's no need for you to visualize a detailed map of the place; knowing what rooms exist should be sufficient.


Living room with two couches and a stained mattress
Kitchen
Two bathrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs, both without mirrors
One large-ish master bedroom downstairs
Two kids' rooms upstairs
A cellar accessible from the back yard (this is where the hallow is)



magic_gathering2001 said:


> Also, did the results for Prometheus' Academics check on the Heirarch come in?  I don't think I got them. ( 7 dice).




Sorry about that!  As you've probably noticed, my spare time for posting has dropped off recently, and I'm missing things here and there.  I'll try to be more observant of rolls.

3 successes[/sblock]
Henry David Caranton was a bachelor (some say homosexual) playwright and poet, most prolific around the turn of the century.  He went missing in 1922, and a year later a widely-attended funeral was held_, _although no body was ever found.


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## Shayuri (Jan 29, 2009)

"No, you're not..." Thorn blew air out her nose, frustrated at her inability to get her point across. Verbosity had never been her strong point.

"Alright, it's...everything fits together, okay?" she tries again. "The Nemean's test. Miss Jane. The Stone Assembly. The house and how we found it. They're all like...points..."

She taps a finger in midair, describing four little dots in a row.

"...in one of those connect the dots things. And when you draw in the lines..." Thorn stopped here, not sure how to phrase what was in her head.

_This house was a castle, a castle under siege. Spirits of the Alpha roared and raged outside, giving her no peace, even though her spells and the gauntlet kept them out. She even had to ward her dreams at night. But the mirrors. Why the..._

"They were doors," she said, appropos of nothing. "Alpha, beta...two worlds like reflections." Then her eyes focused on Prometheus. "I will bet you these spirits can use mirrors as doors into our world. I will bet you a _car._"


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 30, 2009)

"I somewhat understand what you mean, a ward such as this one would not have been constructed for no reason, and the connection to the Nemean's test leaves little doubt about the importance of spirits to the Heirarch.  The connection to that old novel seems tenuous at best though, although the visit to Mrs Jane will certainly show one way or the other.  Although if that particular book does bear influence, it would make an excellent place to begin our search.  In any case, I will certainly not bet you to be wrong at present, but I should like to further examine the property itself.  No, that can wait, especially if what you say is true."


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## Shayuri (Jan 30, 2009)

"Book?" Thorn asks, frowning. "What are you talking about?"


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 30, 2009)

"The original inspiration for dealing with the spirit came from a novel I had read previously, one that discussed in detail the story of alpha and beta."


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## Shayuri (Jan 30, 2009)

Thorn frowned and shook her head. She vaguely recalled him mentioning something like that, but it wasn't the crucial point.

"I don't know about a book, I just know that the spirit called itself a spirit of the alpha, and it was talking about stuff that wasn't real. Now Un...my teacher taught me that most spirits don't really have imaginations, you know? So it's not like this spirit was making stuff up. So it's either the spirit of something that's wrong, like a delusion or a lie...or it's the spirit of something that's real, but it's in the wrong world."

She paused at that.

"Which is kind of weird when you think about it."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Jan 30, 2009)

"Weird does seem the appropriate word to describe a spirit of something in the wrong world.  As for the book, perhaps it would produce better results to think of it as its mirror, showing the worlds of alpha and beta as seen by the first mage to look into them after they passed from memory.  Possibly, instead of an interpretive science fiction novel, the story of alpha and beta represent another mages journey after the heirarch, although this too seems unlikely.  Still, these things can wait until we begin to research the Heirarch and the Stone Assembly."


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## Shayuri (Feb 4, 2009)

Thorn shrugs, not really wanting to get into it any farther.

"Alright, so what's the next step? Talk to Jane? Head over to Ikea?"


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## magic_gathering2001 (Feb 6, 2009)

"I would prioritize visiting Mrs Jane over repairing the house, for she could posses information vital to the maintenance of the house, including the foci of the permanent magical effects."


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## Shayuri (Feb 7, 2009)

Thorn stares at Prometheus for a long moment, then looks away and covers her mouth as she laughs.

"Alright then," she says after a second. "Guess we'd better find this commune thing. Anyone got an iPhone or something with Google on it?"


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## magic_gathering2001 (Feb 7, 2009)

"What, did I say something amusing, or is there something hillarious behind my back?"  Prometheus looks slightly confused, but his words come out sarcastically.  WHen he continues, it is with a more appropriate voice, "I have no such device, for as graduate students I have little spending money."


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## Shayuri (Feb 10, 2009)

Thorn shrugs. "Guess we're hitting a library then. Go free wifi."

She goes to the door, then looks back at Prometheus.

"You don't talk like a normal person," she tells him. "People don't say 'prioritize over repairing the house,' usually. You're all...stiff and formal and it seems like you're trying to impress everyone with how smart you are."

"Coming?"


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 4, 2009)

"Yes, although, because Arathnos drove the rest of us to this house, we will need to get some manner of transport first.  I have no qualms about procuring public transportation, but it would require less money should you already have a vehicle."

Prometheus begins to follow Thorn towards wherever.


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## Walking Dad (Mar 6, 2009)

[sblock=Hella]I think a possible connection to the other characters could be my mentor knows another ones'mentor.

If they return to the chantry, they should see a nice green metallic American Sedan badly in need of a wash standing on the other side of the chantry. DJ sits in it and drinks from his  Thermos jug. [/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Mar 6, 2009)

"No qualms about procuring...oh, right. You don't mind taking the bus," Thorn translates informatively. "See, it says the same thing, only without making everyone near you want to punch you."

She softens the words with a grin, then heads out to the driveway.

"Anyway, it's cool. I brought wheels."

(OOC - Not sure if this would require a retcon, but I was assuming Thorn had followed Arachnos here in her borrowed car. No way she'd leave her dad's car alone like that. )


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## Hella_Tellah (Mar 6, 2009)

[FONT=&quot]They took the Concord Turnpike out past Yankee Division Highway, an hour and a half out of Cambridge. Thorn began to feel a pulse of buzzing sensations that seemed to radiate out from the center of her brainstem, a marker to the Awakened that she had been trained to heed. She took the nearest exit, then turned down a gravel road that passed through a wall of snow-topped trees. They passed a sign on their right.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
BENEFIT
_Our family is your family_[/FONT]​  [FONT=&quot]
They pulled into a parking space in front of an idyllic, bright-red barn, and an owl perched up on a high windowsill directed a quizical stare down at them. There were two other cars sharing the dark, icy parking lot: an old Chevy pickup with frosted-over windows, and a dirty, metallic green sedan. The sedan's windows were cleared off, and backlit by the glow of the farmhouse behind it, they saw the silhouette of a long, thin face with an aquiline nose.

[/FONT][sblock=OOC]That nose belongs to you, WD! 



Shayuri said:


> Not sure if this would require a retcon, but I was assuming Thorn had followed Arachnos here in her borrowed car. No way she'd leave her dad's car alone like that.



 No worries, I was picturing the same thing. And even if you hadn't mentioned the borrowed car (good detail, by the way) I generally assume that, unless they say otherwise, any character in WoD can afford a place to live, a basic car, food, etc. Now, my Warhammer Fantasy games--those are a different story!  [/sblock]


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 6, 2009)

"You have a good sense of direction, although this is one of the most unusual libraries I have ever encountered." Prometheus smiles as he gets out of the car.  He'll turn to the unknown figure, "Hello, my," he stumbles over the word a bit, "acquaintance, and I heard that we might find Ms Jane here, would that be correct?"


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## Shayuri (Mar 7, 2009)

(OOC - Hee, we can assume they got the address by calling Arachnos or someone...maybe her Mentor )

Thorn gets out of her dad's car and leans against the hood while watching Prometheus and the stranger in the other vehicle carefully. She wasn't really expecting trouble at this point, but then again, that was the trouble that hit the hardest, right? The kind you weren't expecting.


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## Walking Dad (Mar 9, 2009)

The man in the sedan slowly closes his open thermos jug and looks up to you: "Maybe, depends on who you are and what you seek." He wears a grey suit that was expansive one-day, but is now a bit out of style.


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## Hella_Tellah (Mar 9, 2009)

The New England winter air bit at their throats as they spoke, and a light dusting of snow fell down around them onto the pure white of the parking lot. There were only two sets of tracks through the snow--Thorns, and those of the mysterious, thin man's weathered sedan.

The farmhouse at the end of the parking lot stood squat and proud as a well-dressed dowager, a masterpiece of colonial craftsmanship covered over with a blanket of snow. Light shone out over the parking lot through the big bay windows into the large, homey kitchen. Nothing seemed to move in the house, no wind blew, and all was still but for the slow fall of large snowflakes.

The mages felt the sharp tingle of a supernatural presence.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 9, 2009)

Looking around for someone else, Prometheus attempts to subtly activate his mage sight.  "We had been told that Ms. Jane lives here at the benefit, can you verify that?" Prometheus tries slightly harder to get his attention this time, wondering who his other remark was directed towards.


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## Walking Dad (Mar 10, 2009)

The man in the sedan suddenly looks around: "Ok, no games then. Has you felt this, too? You can call me Chopesh by the way, Prometheus."

The man concentrates shortly. On Mage Sight, it is obvious he invokes Mage Sight himself. There is also some kind of armor spell surrounding him, but from an arcana the others haven't knowledge.

"Now let me get out of this car. We have common 'friends'".

[sblock=Picture]






[/sblock]
[sblock=ooc] 'Chopesh' means 'Seeker' in English. Activates Prime Mage Sight (trying up to 3 times ). Already has a space armor rote active.[/sblock]


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 10, 2009)

Prometheus tenses at the mention of common friends.  He begins sizing up the other, with his mage sight if he casts it sucessfully.  He deigns not to continue speaking, and instead focuses on the slender tass wand in his coat pocket, ready to disrupt the first sign of hostile magic.


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## Hella_Tellah (Mar 10, 2009)

[sblock=Prometheus casts Supernal Vision]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> Looking around for someone else, Prometheus attempts to subtly activate his mage sight.



6 dice, 1 success.[/sblock]

Prometheus' vision shifted to perceive the supernatural in much the same way his eyes might adjust to see in the dark: his pupils widened, he breathed more deeply, and reached out with all his senses into the unseen world. The man before him appeared awash with a galaxy of shimmering sparks--the sorcerer's mark.

[sblock=Chopesh casts Supernal Vision]







Walking Dad said:


> Activates Prime Mage Sight.



7 dice, 3 successes.[/sblock]

Chopesh traced in his mind over Chok'Mah, the sephirot of wisdom, and heard the council of the heavenly host announce the thrilling beauty and magic all around him.

[sblock=Prometheus scrutinizes Chopesh]







magic_gathering2001 said:


> He begins sizing up the other, with his mage sight if he casts it sucessfully.



9 dice, 2 successes.[/sblock]

Prometheus noted two spells active on the thin man. He was enveloped in some sort of spacial anomaly, and his eyes burned with supernatural comprehension.

They both sensed a presence, like a burning torch in a cloud of fog, suspended in midair ten feet above them.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 10, 2009)

Seeing the other's spells to be defensive in nature, Prometheus looks up still wary of his lack of protection, but deciding knowing what he's facing to be more important.  That said, he still keeps the thin man within eye sight, even going so far as to walk several steps back to keep him in sight.


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## Shayuri (Mar 11, 2009)

Thorn watches the two other mages metaphorically sniff each other's butts for a few seconds, then lowers her sunglasses down her nose to peer over the rims. Something was close.

She didn't bother with Mage Sight...she had a hunch this presence was probably a spirit of some kind. With her wickedly curved brass ritual dagger, she cut a thin line down her palm, murmuring an invocation under her breath. The welling blood evaporated, and the veils around Thorn parted to let her see...

(Using the spirit sight spell...the one to see spirits...)


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## Walking Dad (Mar 11, 2009)

_This has to be a spirit!_

Chopesh gropes for the seal of solomon he wears around his neck. It was a gift by his mentor. While it had no power on it's own, it was the very same symbol, King David used to bind the fiendish spirits in ancient times. This and it seven prongs made it the perfect tool to invoke the sight of Netzach, the non khabbalists call the arcana of spirit.

[sblock=Picture]





[/sblock]
[sblock=ooc] 'Chopesh' means 'Seeker' in English. Tries to activates Spirit Mage Sight (trying up to 3 times ). Already has a space armor rote active.Dismisses the prime sight, if successful.[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Mar 11, 2009)

[sblock=Thorn casts Spirit Tongue]







Shayuri said:


> Using the spirit sight spell...the one to see spirits...)



4 dice, 1 success.[/sblock]

Thorn looked up into the clouded winter sky, but couldn't see any sort of spirit dangling in the air where she had felt the presence of a supernatural energy. The owl that had perched on the barn flew overhead, and as it did so Thorn noticed a slack silver chain tied around one of the owl's talon, leading into the farmhouse. The owl swooped down onto the awning over the farmhouse porch, and watched Thorn, twisting its head curiously.

[sblock=Chopesh casts Second Sight]Tries to activates Spirit Mage Sight (trying up to 3 times ). Already has a space armor rote active.Dismisses the prime sight, if successful.[/quote]_Second Sight_ or _Solomon's Sight_, is good for detecting loci, spirits' powers, werewolf powers, and a few other things, but it doesn't actually let you see or interact with Twilight spirits, like _Spirit Tongue_ does. I'm not sure which you'd prefer, but casting _Second Sight_ gets you different information than what Thorn got, so it suits my purposes to assume you want that.  You can dismiss your spells as a reflexive action (basically freely) so you're better off leaving _Supernal Vision_ up, since you have a spare spell slot.
2 dice, 1 success[/sblock]

Chopesh looked up into the night sky at the warm, glowing presence above him. The sight of Netzach revealed nothing more to him than the existence of a magical force, but through the invokation of Chok'Mah, the power over Awakened magic, he saw a circle, three feet in diameter, which glowed with the power of an Awakened soul's will.

[sblock=OOC]_Second Sight_ tells you that this is not the presence of a spirit, while _Supernal Vision_ reveals it to be an act of Awakened magic. You can learn more about the spell, perhaps identifying the arcana involved or the strength of its caster, by scrutinizing the spell with Intelligence + Occult as an extended action.[/sblock]


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## Thondor (Mar 13, 2009)

[sblock=Hella]
Before coming out to greet them, Goliath casts a few quick spells, because you can never be too cautious. [/sblock]

A huge man exits the main buildings nearest door, and moves surprisingly quietly across the parking lot. The darkening night makes it harder to immediately pick out the details. As he comes closer, you see he stands over 7ft tall! He sports a short red beard, and is wearing a dark leather coat against the nights growing cold. 
He smiles and says in a surprisingly soft voice, "_Hello, welcome to Benefit. Are you done examining the spell in the sky now_?" He looks the group over critically, not quite sure what to make of them. "_Can I help you? Who are you?_" He says it politely as his eyes keep scanning the group.

[sblock=Active spells and other rolls]
Fate 1, Interconnections p. 148 -- Trying to see any interesting connections between the group, himself and the Benefit buildings. Roll Wits+Empathy+Fate (2+1+2=5)
Fate 1, The Sybils Sight p.149
Matter 2, Useen Aegis p. 197,  armour 3 + kevlar vest (under clothes) 4/5

Goliath is looking them over to seeing if their carrying anything that might be a weapon. Its simply instinct. Wits+Composure? (5 dice)
[/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Mar 13, 2009)

Thorn blinks at the huge man, more than a bit taken aback. She'd seen big men before, but this was ridiculous! She couldn't help wondering if this was some kind of spell enhancing his physique...but figured that'd be pretty impolite to ask.

"Hey," she said in a friendly tone, pushing her sunglasses back up her nose. "We're just looking to talk to Jane."

She glanced up at the owl. The silver cord didn't lead to the big guy, so she figured it might be Jane's.

"We've been asked to look after the house, by the Consilium. We want to talk to her about what happened there."


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## Thondor (Mar 13, 2009)

"Hmmm, I don't know any Jane." He pauses, "but you never know I havn't been here that long. Maybe Sandro will know something about this." 

He extends a huge rough hand to the young women in front of him, "I'm called Goliath. Not hard to see why. And you are?"

After she introduces herself he says, "Simple name I like it. The whole shadow name can be sort of pretentious at times can't it?" He suddenly looks embarrassed and stiffens up and takes a step backwards. Great use a word your not even sure is right, great way to make a good impression, he thinks to himself. Why do I care what they think anyway?

"And your friends are?" He crosses his arms, and turns his gaze on the others. A flicker of recognition crosses his face when he sees 'Chopesh'

[sblock=OOC]
Uh, is Levanna here at all? or did she drop out for the moment. If she is I've probably heard or her anyway seeing as we are both pretty new Free Council.
Chopesh, back in your days as a cop, did you ever work in Roxbury? I'd like Goliath to have run into you during his brief, youthful gang life. That'd be about ten years ago.

Goliath's in his mid-twenties.
[/sblock]


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 13, 2009)

"Speaking of pretentious names, Shadow Names, mine is Prometheus." Prometheus' reply is quite sarcastic, "Goliath fits you both in size and thought."  After speaking, he shakes his head several times, quickly enough to cut off any response, "Sorry fellow mage, but I have yet to become aquainted with dealing with our kind friendly, so I hope you shall forgive me for my sudden unreasonable outburst.  Initially, I thought you unfriendly, and some residual readiness for battle carried through to my words.  So, though I know it to be highly unlikely, I ask that you forgive my rudeness, and let us become aquainted before judgements are passed."


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## Thondor (Mar 13, 2009)

Goliath scowls at Prometheus initial outburst. "_Better to be slow in speaking, then to put your foot in your mouth. I'm not much of a talker, true, doesn't mean I'm an idiot. Or fool enough to deliberatly cause trouble._" He jaw twitches, "_Didn't mean my comment as an insult. Now that were done trying to impress each other, lets forget about it Prometheus_."
He tries to smile to break the tension.

He looks toward Levanna, remembers having seen her at an informal Free Council thing, but can't bring up a name. He simply nods and says "_Hello, again_." 
Then turns to the man near the sedan.
(OOC went ahead and rolled to see if i spotted any weapons, 3 successes) 

"_You should probably leave that gun in your car. Unless you got a license or something . . . Do I know you? You look familiar._"

Damn, I should be better at this kind of thing. I bet Sandro is watching the whole thing too, scratch that I know he is.


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## Shayuri (Mar 14, 2009)

"Prometheus likes to talk," Thorn says with a grin. "A lot. But yeah, the shadow name thing is kind of lame...even if it's something you have to do."

She shrugs.

"So yeah, Miss Jane. She used to work for Consilium. They had her in this old house, working on a problem about spirits from the alpha? Ring any bells?"

Thorn glances up at the owl. "Anything?"


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## Thondor (Mar 14, 2009)

Goliath thinks for a moment, "_Nope,_" he says shaking his head. Then he leans forwardand says in a low conspiratorial tone to Thorn, "_but mages like to keep secrets_." 

Then loudly to the group, "_No point in standing here in the snow. Sandro might know something, let's head inside._" He turns to walk away and then stops.  

His gaze falls on the man near the sedan (Chopesh) and he says "_He's not really part of your group is he_? _Seems like you just met._" 

(OOC: I think my Interconnections Fate 1, spell would let me know that, if not lets call it luck.)

"_Why are you here?_"


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## Shayuri (Mar 15, 2009)

"Our group? I thought he was native."

Thorn looks over at the car, then back at the towering Goliath.

"I can't speak for the guy in the car. Prometheus and me are here to find this ex-Consilium mage, like I've been saying. We sort of inherited her house, and her old job, and we're trying to figure out what went wrong the first time that made her come out here."


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 15, 2009)

Biting his tongue for once, Prometheus chooses not to speak up, instead improving his spirit sight, and going back to aura reading.

[sblock=OOC]Casting the other sight, not supernal vision, but the mind one that I can't recall the name of atm. Gnosis 3 + Mind 2.  Then studying aura.  First Chopesh, since he already started on him, then goliath.  Still trying to remain undetected.
Int 3 + Occult 5 + Resonance 1 + Density 2= 11 Dice
Don't remember the check for hiding that it was Prometheus.
[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Mar 16, 2009)

[sblock=Goliath's Interconnections and Weapon Spotting]







			
				Thondor said:
			
		

> went ahead and rolled to see if i spotted any weapons, 3 successes





			
				Thondor said:
			
		

> Fate 1, Interconnections p. 148 -- Trying to see any interesting connections between the group, himself and the Benefit buildings. Roll Wits+Empathy+Fate (2+1+2=5)



3 successes.[/sblock]

Goliath noticed the hilt of a rather large dagger sunk into a leather sheath, tied with a leather thong around Levanna's waste. Her over-sized Alpaca sweatshirt nearly covered it, but not entirely. Gazing through the lense of Fate, he saw nascent, but powerful threads connecting himself to the other four mages in the parking lot, and from them to the farmhouse and to a building out past the wood pile. This last thread, leading into a far-off, unimpressive barn that Goliath had never visited, vibrated with a sense of frayed, imperiled destiny--one he felt was tied to his own.

[sblock=Prometheus casts Aura Perception, then Scrutinizes]







			
				magic_gathering2001 said:
			
		

> Casting the other sight, not supernal vision, but the mind one that I can't recall the name of atm. Gnosis 3 + Mind 2. Then studying aura. First Chopesh, since he already started on him, then goliath. Still trying to remain undetected.
> Int 3 + Occult 5 + Resonance 1 + Density 2= 11 Dice
> Don't remember the check for hiding that it was Prometheus.



 His casting of Aura Perception fails, but he can try again with 4 dice. 1 success scrutinizing with the existing Supernal Vision. Tough luck there, that was a bad couple of rolls for Prometheus .[/sblock]

[sblock=Information for Chopesh and Goliath]Prometheus has scrutinized your resonance with Supernal Vision. That means that he can identify any spell you cast as yours henceforth, and he can see your nimbus right now. What does your nimbus look like? See pages 90-91 for details.[/sblock]


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 16, 2009)

Hella_Tellah said:


> [sblock=Prometheus casts Aura Perception, then Scrutinizes] His casting of Aura Perception fails, but he can try again with 4 dice. 1 success scrutinizing with the existing Supernal Vision. Tough luck there, that was a bad couple of rolls for Prometheus .[/sblock]



[sblock=OOC]Well then, that's just like him... 11 dice and a single success... Someone needs some fate arcana.  Well, I'll just have him try again until he's succeeded on the spell, and then focus on scrutinizing until he needs to focus elsewhere.[/sblock]
Prometheus' face hardens momentarily, the only sign of his failed spell.  Manipulating magical energies around others who can seems much harder.  Maybe he'll get used to it with time.  He shakes his head slightly and attempts to enhance his sight again.


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## Thondor (Mar 17, 2009)

(OOC: Nimbus: "mechanical" sometimes  accompanied by haunting or lighthearted music depending on the nature of spells active/under scrutiny.)  

After Chopesh intorduces himself and gives him some sort of reason for his presence, Goliath leads them all through the gathering snow to the main door. 
"_Let's get in out of the cold shall we_?"

He ducks through the door, doffs his coat and indicates where the others can place their outer-garments if they want. He quickly steps out of his massive workboots (they weren't tied up) and says "_Wait here a moment, I'm sure Sandro will want to see you._"

(Hella hopefully I'm not overstepping myself here.)

If anyone wants to 'catch up' with Goliath on the short walk over, they can grab a 'private' word. His leaving you at the entryway also gives you a chance to talk without him hearing.


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## Walking Dad (Mar 18, 2009)

ooc: Sorry for the posting delay. I got sick with no online access at home.

Retconning:
Chopesh looks up at the tall figure, seeing not only his physical presence, but also the eldritch energies around him. He speaks up:

"Call me Chopesh. I'm here in behalf of my mentor. I will explain more in there... Don't I know you...
Roxbury!"

As he moves to the door, you can see him wearing a sandy brown trench coat and carrying an old school hat in his hand.

[sblock=Picture]






[/sblock]
[sblock=ooc] 
Hm, I think the nimbus should be something between holy and desert. Think of the place they found the grail in the Indiana Jones Films. Not old and stinky, but ancient. Light, but not holy light, but fire light, filtered through a thorn bush. The taste of smell between incense and oriental spices.

His weraring a pistol in a shoulder holster, BTW.[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Mar 18, 2009)

The entryway to the farmhouse was decorated in a folksy mixture of country handicrafts and hippie regalia. Many potted plants, now dormant, hung in macramé hammocks. A handmade wooden shoe shelf sat next to the door, half full with muddy work boots, snowshoes, and battered sneakers. Near it was a collection of beaded moccasins of various sizes, with a needlepoint sign above them that read, "House shoes for the house, please," with a little smiling teddy bear in the corner.

A coat rack stood on the other side of the doorway, with a collection of winter coats for men and women of various sizes. Near it was another needlepoint sign, with a cartoon-y picture of a sycamore tree. It read:

"Only when the last tree has died
and the last river has been poisoned
and the last fish has been caught
will we realize that we can't eat money.
--Cree proverb."

From the back of the house, the voice of a middle-aged man rang out in a friendly tone, "Come on back, we've been expecting you!"


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 18, 2009)

Slipping out of his own shoes, Prometheus looks discerningly at the moccasins, realizing that his spirit sight helps little for mundane tasks.  Of course, it does help him pick an unused pair.  He selects the pair that look wearable with the least heavy traces of resonance.  Slipping them on, he walks farther into the house, trying to locate the source of the voice, "Hello sir, although I do find it odd to have so many people predict our arrival when none other than Thorn and myself should have known.  Still, among such company one learns to expect it I guess."


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## Thondor (Mar 19, 2009)

Previously:
When Chopesh introduces himself and confirms the memory Goliaths jaw twitches and his eyes go hard. "_We should talk later, you an me, things have obviously changed, it's been a long time. . . Let's go inside_."

*******
Currently:
"_Spells in the sky will do that_." Goliath says with a smile in response to Prometheus' comment. "_I suppose proper introductions would be polite. This is my teacher Sandro, the head of Benefit. Sandro this is Thorn, Prometheus, and_," (something jogs his memory) "_Levanna. Levanna and I met at a coffeehouse a few months back. Their all looking for someone called Miss Jane. This is Chopesh, he hasn't said why he's here yet_."

Goliath is about to take a seat in a chair thats really to small for him, when a whistling begins in the kitchen. He shoots a quick look at Sandro, who raises an eyebrow at him. Goliath sighs, "_Who wants some tea_?"

We should be more careful, he thinks to himself, these people could still be dangerous. Not that the mages here at the commune couldn't handle it but still.

(OOC: Active spells: Matter 2, Useen Aegis p. 197,  armour 3 + kevlar vest (under clothes) 4/5 )


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## Hella_Tellah (Mar 19, 2009)

They passed through a bead curtain into the cozy, windowless back room. The air was thick with cannabis smoke, and a number of beanbag chairs and Japanese-style cushions sat around a small table with a purple hookah.

Sandro, a bearded man in his late thirties wearing an MIT sweatshirt, sat in a tan-colored papasan next to the table. Taking a pull from the hookah, he did his best Caterpillar impression:

"Whoooo are yooouuu?" he croaked, with a wide, squint-eyed grin.


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## Shayuri (Mar 19, 2009)

Thorn found it impossible to walk in the moccasins without compulsively wiggling her toes. The soft inner lining was comfortable, but seemed to demand that she move against it.

She shakes her head at Goliath, politely declining the tea.

The apparition behind the curtain has her waving a hand in front of her face and coughing a bit, both reacting to the smoke and concealing a startled laugh behind it. Mages, it seemed, didn't come in 'generic' packaging.

"S'cuse me, sorry about that," she said. "Like he said, I'm Thorn. Hi."

_Man, I hope I don't get pulled over on the way home. There's no way they wouldn't smell this on me._

(spells up: Spirit Tongue and the Spirit Mage Sight to detect magic and the gauntlet)


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 19, 2009)

"I am Prometheus, tasked by the Nemean with finding the remnants of the Stone Assembly, thinking to seek out Ms. Jane, the last tasked such, for advice." Prometheus breaks out coughing once or twice as he breathes in the smoke.  Still, he doesn't back down much, preferring to only stick his head into the hallway every so often for a fresh breath of air.


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## Thondor (Mar 20, 2009)

Goliath ducks back into the room carrying an old, simple clay teapot, and a tray with some mismatched cups. He places them on the low, and now crowded table. He pours a few cups. "_Help yourself, there's milk and sugar in the middle_."  Goliath takes the largest one for himself. "_Are you sure you don't want a cup Thorn? It's good stuff_." He takes a sip and pulls up a cushion.

If there's a bit of a lull, while everyone gets settled, Goliath will try to bring up his mage sight. And see if that reveals anything interesting.
(Dark Matter, p. 194, Gnosis+Matter, 4 dice)


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## Walking Dad (Mar 20, 2009)

"I'm called Chomesh. Thank you for the tea. I'm here in behalf of my mentor, known as the Lion of Zion. He is a higher ranking member of the consilium. One of his collagues spoke of someone very promising and his own divinations brought him to ask me to give them", he looks at the other guests, "a hand if they need them. I'm in no position to argue his wisdom."

While speaking, he sips on his tea, still wearing a light west after leaving hat and mantle at the entrance.
[sblock=Picture]





[/sblock]
[sblock=ooc] 
Hm, I think the nimbus should be something between holy and desert. Think of the place they found the grail in the Indiana Jones Films. Not old and stinky, but ancient. Light, but not holy light, but fire light, filtered through a thorn bush. The taste of smell between incense and oriental spices.

His weraring a pistol in a shoulder holster.

Active spells: Mage armor (space), mage sight (Prime)[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Mar 20, 2009)

Shayuri said:


> (spells up: Spirit Tongue and the Spirit Mage Sight to detect magic and the gauntlet)




Thorn felt the spirit realm close to her in this place. They weren't all that far from civilization out here, but she felt it wouldn't take much more that a small nudge to push something across the gauntlet, or to pull something through. There was a lingering presence of magic recently cast in the room, swirling around Sandro and hanging in the air.



Thondor said:


> (Dark Matter, p. 194, Gnosis+Matter, 4 dice)




Goliath's subconscious began to calculate the consistency of the smoke and the density of magic resonance in the room. The smoke itself, he realized, had been the sacrament for a spell Sandro had just finished. It was a spell Sandro had cast with some regularity. Sandro was rarely surprised by events at Benefit, and although Goliath's expertise didn't extend to the sorts of spells Sandro liked to cast, he new that this spell was the reason for it.

"Welcome to Benefit," Sandro began, putting down the mouthpiece to his hookah. "I figured that when Janey showed up a few months back, it wouldn't be too long before people showed up looking for her. Glad to see it wasn't a pylon of Seers this time!

"Janey came to us in a pretty bad state, as you'll see in a minute. She said she was being followed by all kinds of crazy things--spirits, Scelesti, something called 'the Prince'. She was real shook up, couldn't sleep, and had an arsenal of spells on her all the time. After a few days, she announced that she had to use the hallow. Well, I'm not about to deny something to my old cabal-mate, so I led her to it. She sat down on the floor and fell into a coma on the spot. Been that way ever since.

"We're keeping her fed intravenously and doing what we can to keep her body intact, but it's her mind I'm concerned about. From what I can tell, she sent her mind on an astral journey for some reason, and she's been trapped somewhere in the _Temenos_."

Sandro sat forward, and took another puff from the hookah. "If you need to talk to Janey, I'm afraid you'll have to go in after her."

[sblock=Rolling to know all those weird terms]
Chopesh, Thorn, and Goliath (1 success): You recognize the terms "Pylon" and "Seers." The Seers of the Throne are a group of semi-religious zealots who adamantly believe in the myth of Atlantis and the Exarchs, and are known to use intensely cruel forms of mind control. They have been at war with the mages of the pentacle for centuries.
Prometheus (6 successes): You're getting a private message. [/sblock]


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 20, 2009)

Prometheus looks particularly thoughtful as the tail progresses.  When Sandro comes to its end, he speaks almost immediately in a somewhat hushed tone to Thorn, "Temenos probably serves Jane as an escape from the Prince, somewhere he cannot reach, or send his servants.  Unless he imprisoned her within of his own volition, which speaks little of Jane's choice of sanctuary, we may assume her to still live, but fear to return.  Of the Prince himself, I know little, bits of lore paint him as a devil or demon, which makes him akin to a pestering spirit, albiet more powerful.  Should he have involvement, either the legends greatly exagerate his prowess, or we should certainly hope him to lead the other spirits, and the scelesti too if their name bears the root I believe it to bear.  Plural of scelestus, or wicked, a cult would have only named themselves such were they truly despicable, or more relevantly, the type to traffic with demons and their ilk."


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## Thondor (Mar 21, 2009)

Goliath, "_Hmmm, this seems rather complicated, and intriguing_". He takes a sip of tea, "_You seem to know a lot about these things Prometheus_." He pauses and looks at Sandro while he says "_I get the feeling that Miss Jane is probably in the small barn past the wood pile. If so this could be quite dangerous_. _Do you three really think your best course of action is to speak with Jane?_"


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## Thondor (Mar 25, 2009)

" _. . . Apparently that was the wrong thing to ask._" Goliath says, uncomfortable with the silence. "_My old mentor mentioned Temenos, its something to do with meditation and dreaming right? Can't you just shake her or something? And  . . . has anyone tried going in after her yet_?" Goliath frowns annoyed at having to show ignorance in front of Prometheus, but determined to learn something new.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 25, 2009)

"Sorry, I seem to have forgotten to give my thoughts voice, which seems oddly unusual, but the question does have merit.  Although your second question seems to take precedence for the moment.  Temenos may be a deep form of meditation, but some theories would have comas included there as well.  Some forms of meditation immerse one deeper than such mundane cares as shaking can penetrate.  Unfortunately, my knowledge of these matters lies strictly on the theoretical side, meaning that while I could possibly describe some features of Temenos in great length, I haven't attempted to go myself.  In truth, I should think that were the trip benign enough for amateurs to consider, Sandro himself would have sought Jane."  He finishes, looking for confirmation from Sandro.

[sblock=OOC]I'm sorry, I saw the post earlier, and then completely forgot to reply to it... My bad[/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Mar 25, 2009)

Thorn is quiet for a long moment, frowning to herself and letting the others talk between themselves.

"Maybe he just didn't have any reason to risk it," she says in answer to Prometheus' question to Sandor. "But we kinda do. That house was set up like a fortress, but it wasn't enough. Now I don't know about you guys, but I like to know what's in the log BEFORE I stick my hand in the hole."

"Otherwise we may be going after her anyway...but because we haven't got any choice left with an army of demons barking down our backs."

She looks at Sandor.

"Can we see her?"


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## Walking Dad (Mar 25, 2009)

Chomesh listens interested to the conversation. What had his mentor planned for him. How this will further the cause of the Mysterium? On a personal level, he really dislikes the seers, even as he hadn't a direct encounter with them, yet.
_Best I listen for their course of action and just moving with them. The ways of god are incomprehensible._

[sblock=Picture]






[/sblock]
[sblock=ooc] 
Hm, I think the nimbus should be something between holy and desert. Think of the place they found the grail in the Indiana Jones Films. Not old and stinky, but ancient. Light, but not holy light, but fire light, filtered through a thorn bush. The taste of smell between incense and oriental spices.

His weraring a pistol in a shoulder holster.

Active spells: Mage armor (space), mage sight (Prime)[/sblock]


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## Hella_Tellah (Mar 25, 2009)

Shayuri said:


> "Can we see her?"




"I suppose so," said Sandro, suspiciously. "Why, exactly, are you trying to speak with her so urgently? You mentioned that you need her advice--what is it you're working on?"

Sandro set the hookah's mouthpiece on the metal plate surrounding the shisha bowl, and removed the glowing coal from the top with a pair of tongs, setting it down in a ceramic bowl on the table.

"It's not that you don't all seem trustworthy, but you've got to understand that any mage worth his salt can look trustworthy for a first meeting. How do I know you aren't here to hurt her?"

Sandro stood and put on his house moccasins, beginning to lead them out.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Mar 26, 2009)

"Although I have no way of demonstrating it with certainty, my companion and myself have the same duties as Ms. Jane did previously, which leaves us the same enemies unless I miss my guess.  Furthermore, we know the location of her previous residence, and have bypassed all of its defenses.  Surely did we wish her harm, we would have harmed her before now, while she had no competent watcher.  Should that not suffice, I doubt we need physical proximity to reach her within her trance.  For these two, I cannot speak of the worth of their trust, having just met outside this very residence."  Prometheus motions to Chopesh and Goliath in turn.  He looks to Thorn to see if she has something to add, knowing she can be more... direct than he can.


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## Shayuri (Mar 26, 2009)

With a wry look at Prometheus, Thorn offers her take on it.

"I don't know how to prove we're -not- going to do something," Thorn says. "If it helps, I fully believe if we were going to hurt Jane here it'd probably be the last thing we do, and I'm really not ready to die if I can help it. But anyway, no...like Prometheus was saying, the head of the Consilium asked us to do the same thing he'd had Jane doing before she came to the Benefit. When we found the house she'd been using we came straight here because it's pretty obvious she'd been making that place into a fortress against spirits...and that makes us think we'd better find out what we're getting into before we keep getting into it."

"And right now, looks like the only way to do that is to find out what happened to her."


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## Walking Dad (Mar 26, 2009)

"May I offer you my assistance for your quest? While I'm a stranger to you, it sounds that you will need any help that you can get. And I can assure you, that your success is my own interest. My knowledge in spirits is limited, but I'm not without any experience." Chomesh says after hearing Thorns and Prometheus responses.

[sblock=Picture]





[/sblock]
[sblock=ooc] 
Hm, I think the nimbus should be something between holy and desert. Think of the place they found the grail in the Indiana Jones Films. Not old and stinky, but ancient. Light, but not holy light, but fire light, filtered through a thorn bush. The taste of smell between incense and oriental spices.

His wearing a pistol in a shoulder holster.

Active spells: Mage armor (space), mage sight (Prime)[/sblock]


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## Thondor (Mar 28, 2009)

Goliath stays fairly quiet. He follows them out, listening closely. "_What exactly does the consilium have you doing? It seems that at least two of it's members are interested in it. The Lion of Zion,_" he says looking at Chomesh, "_and the Nemean_," looking at the others.

Darryl Thomson wonders if Chomesh can remember his real name. Hopefully not. He strains but can't remember if the officer ever introduced himself. Alex might know but he hadn't talked to him in a couple of years.


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## Thondor (Apr 7, 2009)

*The Story Continues . . .*

*Benefit
Outskirts of Cambridge Massachusetts
11:55 PM, 13 of November, 2008*

Sandro strokes a hand through his beard. “Hmmmm, Perhaps I don’t want to become too embroiled in the Consilium’s affairs, I generally don’t have much use for them. After all Janey didn’t tell me anything about it. But I’ll be watching you all when you go into the Temenos, just keep in mind, ‘Miss Jane’ is under my protection. I’m sure it won’t come to that. How was the tea?” 

Sandro rises, and heads to the foyer. He slips his feet, moccasins and all into a pair of oversized green rubber boots. “Goliath, your prediction was right. She is in the old barn. Oldest building on this property.” He puts on what looks like a homemade deerskin jacket from the coat rack, and leads you out of the house and across a snow covered field. 
It’s a clear, night. The snowflakes almost glitter in the moonlight.


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## magic_gathering2001 (Apr 8, 2009)

Shivering slightly, as he is obviously not prepared for the temperature after sundown, Prometheus follows.  He pauses at the final question having set his teacup mostly full back on the tray Goliath carried without much thought.  With a wry grin obstructed by the night, he comments between chattering teeth "Does the escort you provide come with a tutorial, for, judging from his reaction," he points to Chopesh, "none of us have entered Temenos prior, and without a guide of sorts, will likely remain there far longer than you wish to survey us.  It would favor all groups would you deign to travel with us.


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## Thondor (Apr 9, 2009)

Sandro takes a bit of time to respond, he seems to be weighing options. 

"No.” Sandro shakes his head. “I won't accompany you because of the nature of Astral Journey's. Someone who knows what the danger signs of becoming trapped in the Temenos ought to stay with your bodies during the journey. I should be able to wake you if your likely to become permanently trapped.”
[sblock=Thorn]

Untrained empathy roll (3 successes - on 2 dice!) 
You realize that is not the full reason. You saw a brief flicker of fear, he also hastily changes the subject . . . perhaps he’s still suspicious of you all. 
(Everyone else failed.)[/sblock]

“Now as for a tutorial . . . In a way you have all been on an astral journey before: Your Awakening. In any case, there are five levels of meditation. The Temenos is the 4th, a kind of shared dream. It takes a Mana to cross into the Onerios, the previous level, of personal dreams. Magic functions normally in dreamtime, and vulgar magic doesn’t even risk paradox. In a way it’s all in your mind.”

You pass through an old rugged wooden fence. Ahead of you is a small barn, or large shed. It’s timbers are weathered with time. Moss grows in patches on it’s wooden shingles. You can see however that it’s beams are stout. It does not lean the way many uncared for barns in the region are prone too.

Goliath and Levanna trail at the rear. They were both listening intently but now seem to be catching up with each other, talking about the free council and mentors . . .


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## Shayuri (Apr 11, 2009)

Thorn gazes at Sandro for a second, then looks away. Unease was struggling in her gut, as if she'd swallowed a live seagull. 

"Sandro," she says, "Look, I know you have no reason to trust us...but this sounds like some serious...serious stuff we're getting into here. Is there anything you're not telling us?"


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## Thondor (Apr 13, 2009)

“Hmm, Perceptive. I suspect its nothing but my paranoia. I seriously doubt it would help you.”

Sandro pushes open the large door which creaks loudly, and steps over the threshold. It’s dark within. Sandro, lifts an old-fashioned lantern from a nearby table and lights it. It doesn’t light the whole room. You can see the dim outline of some old machinery in the far corner, and tools line the table and wall by the door. 

He leads you over to what a seemingly haphazard group of wooden boards, nailed to beams in a box-like shape. He hangs the lantern on a hook, ducks inside the ‘box’ and climbs up, switching sides as he goes. When he reaches the ceiling, his hand sketches a square on the solid seeming boards, suddenly light is pouring through a hole in the ceiling. He pauses, "Miss Jane is up here, give me a moment." He hauls himself up. 

You hear voices. After a few moments, his head pops out, his beard jutting almost comically through the hole. He blinks, “Well are you coming up?”


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## Walking Dad (Apr 15, 2009)

Chomesh waits for the others to make the first move. He accompanies them on their quest, not the other way. Still, there is an obvious curiousness in his eyes.

[sblock=Picture]





[/sblock]
[sblock=ooc] 
Hm, I think the nimbus should be something between holy and desert. Think of the place they found the grail in the Indiana Jones Films. Not old and stinky, but ancient. Light, but not holy light, but fire light, filtered through a thorn bush. The taste of smell between incense and oriental spices.

His wearing a pistol in a shoulder holster.

Active spells: Mage armor (space), mage sight (Prime)[/sblock]


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## Thondor (Apr 16, 2009)

Sandro's head disappears. His footsteps move off a ways and you can hear him talking with another man. 

Goliath seems to be studying the 'ladder' and 'hatch'. He mutters in high Atlantean and then looks again.


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## Shayuri (Apr 17, 2009)

(OOC - Hee...that's what I get for wanting to see what others do first )

"Sandro? Hey, who're you talking to up there?"

Thorn looks at the others, then up...then decides to risk it, and starts climbing up the ladder.

"I'm coming up. Don't...blast my head off or anything."


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## Thondor (Apr 20, 2009)

Thorn
It’s actually a rather awkward climb. Good thing your young and athletic. 

Assuming the others follow, Prometheus has the hardest time negotiating the “ladder”. 

The room isn’t what it would seem from outside. Two lanterns light the room. A brazier warms the room, which is far less drafty than it’s construction has any right to be. Still is cooler then a house would be. The timbers of the floor are polished with the tread of many feet. A number of hay bales are piled against the bay doors, at the south end. In the southwestern corner a number of herbs hang from the ceiling. Almost the whole western portion of the roof is transparent – which seems impossible, you saw the wooden shingles as you approached the barn. Through it you can see that it has stopped snowing, and the sky is clearing, revealing the glittering of the stars. A small circle of fieldstones, surrounded by a spiral of smaller, red stones is in the centre of the room. There are a couple of old fashioned trunks are at the north end. 

A youngish man, with long blond hair, stands next to Sandro. Just across the brazier from them you see a women lying on a low cot, an IV drip and feeding tube are attached to her.

“This is Alexander. He was taking care of Jane.” Sandro turns back to him. “It’ll be all right, you should try to get some rest. It’s late.”
Alexander nods, he gathers up a coat and a couple of books.

Goliath comes up last. He struggles to squeeze through the hole for a short time and then sighs. His head is through, as is one of his arms at an awkward angle. Sandro has been watching him for some time a huge smile on his face. 
“You could have made the opening a little bigger.” Goliath fumes.
“Where would be the fun in that?” Sandro chuckles. “Think of it as a little test. I want to see what you’ll do.”

Goliath frowns, then repositions himself. He curses a few times as he does so.

[sblock=OOC]
Please state what spells you have active in your next post, (along with any you wanted to cast before you climbing up). Let me know any particular features you want to look at and I’ll give you more info. 
[/sblock]


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## Shayuri (Apr 23, 2009)

Thorn glances back at Goliath and can't help but chuckle at his predicament. Even as she does, she thinks to herself of ways she might get out of it, should something like that happen to her.

"Seems like you guys love tests," she comments. "The Nemean tested us, and Pa...my teacher tested me compulsively...and now you guys."

She takes a breath then and looks over at Jane.

"So how's this going to work? And can we take spells with us? Protections and stuff? Or do we have to wait until we're already there?"

(Thorn has Spirit Speak, or...bah...that spell she uses to see and talk to spirits. That's all for now though. Depending on what they say, she may cast another one before going in. )


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## Thondor (Apr 28, 2009)

(Urgg i suppose I should have replied to this right away. Thought someone else might have something to say.)

[sblock=Thorn]
Keep in mind that Spirit Tongue lets you see and speak with spirits, but isn't a form of mage sight. Meaning you can't see resonances, and things like wether Alexander is a Mage or not.
There is in fact nothing here of note in the spirit realm except, that when you look at Miss Jane you get a feeling of great distance.
[/sblock]

Sandro in response to Thorn's initial comment, "Everybody loves test, how else would we assess a students progress." 
Goliath begins molding the wooden floorboards like putty. Broadening the hole around him. He almost seems to roll a few of them back, making the hole more circular. He then hauls himself up onto the the side he didn't work on. You can see large handprints in the now solid seeming wood.
He stands and takes an ironic bow. 
Sandro says "That was rather slopy." 
Goliath shrugs "It worked. Are you irritated that I got up so quickly or that I may have ruined your entrance?"
(OOC: the spell he used was Plasticity, matter 3)
Sandro chuckles. "We'll discuss that later."

Alexander moves past Goliath, tests the molded foorboards with his foot and then heads down the 'ladder' without a word.

Snadro turns to the gathered Mages. "The only spells you can take into astral journey with you are ones whose duration are significant, generally 24 hours or more. The rest you can cast was you reach the level you desire."
"Now, there's some meditation mats, blankets and incense in that blue trunk."

(please have a look at the OOC thread here )


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