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>The Schools of Magic
Within the Esoteric College of Tucson are the Five Schools of Magic
The Fools, also known as Witches, see into the past, future, and destiny of all things. Often caught in their own meta-narrative stories, they can bless a meeting or melee to go their way, or else hex their opposition. Their Icons are the Wheel of Fortune tarot, dice, games of chance, or watches and timepieces.

The Devils, also known as Warlocks, see the magical connections between all things, the sympathies, and mental dispositions of people around them. Other magi are naturally suspicious of rivals that can find your weaknesses and secrets. Their Icons are Temperance tarot, chains, other restraints and even handcuffs.

The Necromancers, also known as Alchemists, see the material composition of the world and the natural decay of everything around them. A grim bunch, they can converse with the dead, pull shadows to do their bidding, and change water into wine… or poison. Their Icons are the World tarot, stone, coins, or other memento mori.

The Thaumaturges, also known as Wizards, see the forces of creation and power all around them. Filled with positively divine purpose, they can conjure fire and electricity from nothing and bring down fortresses with hurricane force winds. Their Icons are the Strength tarot, magical wands, and other symbols of control.

The Shamans, also known as Ecstatics, see the living primal energy pulsing through every living thing. The power of healing, sickness, and beastial control are theirs to grab ahold of. They often live closer to the natural world they keenly understand. They speak to the spirit of things. Their Icons are the Moon tarot, cups, wood, and other placations to nature.

The Others
Not much is known about the other creatures that go bump in the night. Encounters are rare but heavily documented by the Magi that encounter them. Nocturnal Leeches, aka Vampires, appear to be animated corpses that feed on the living. Interviews are short lived and they desire nothing more than to pass through the state towards Nevada or California. The Shapeshifters, aka Werewolves, are also a troubling bunch, obsessed with their claims of people and places, not even allowing the most basic of observations.

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>Character Creation
New players fill out details in their character sheet and post them in their application post. Accepting people as they come. That policy may change according to the number of players.

1) Character Basics.
Name and Concept, simple and easy to understand. You're a mundie that was gifted with magic now enrolled in the Esoteric Collage of Tucson.

2) Favored Attributes.
Choose 2 Attributes that you are naturally more talented in.

3) Knowledges, Skills.
Choose 2 standard Knowledges and 2 standard Skills.

4) School, Icons.
Your school determines what magic styles come easier to you based on the availability of teachers, and background training. School Icons are already determined, however Personal Icons can be anything you desire. At the onset, please choose a primary School, 1 School Icon, and 1 Personal Icon.


Character Sheet
Name:
Concept/Fluff:
Attributes:
Knowledges:
Skills:
School:
Icons:

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>Spellcasting and Magic
Getting anything done with magic is often the most difficult and arduous way of succeeding at a task. However sometimes it's the only way to do the impossible. The ease of any effect that your character wishes to perform is determined by your base Mana, School, relevant Icons, and mundane Knowledges and Skills. There are two methods of spellcasting. The Fire Flinging Evocation. And the ritualistic Thaumaturgy.

Evocation does not require physical Icons however most Mages use them as a tool to focus their will on the universe. The casting time for Evocation only lasts a moment and their effects are usually instant. The limitations for Evocation are that its effects only last for as long as the mage concentrates on it and can only affect targets in line of sight.

Thaumaturgy on the other hand is a slow and meticulous art that heavily relies on Icons. The casting time of these rituals usually lasts at least a few minutes with the more potent spells requiring hours to prepare and cast. On the plus side, their effects are longer lasting and they can incorporate Icons, Knowledges and Skills into the casting roll.

The Schools of magic train their members to observe and manipulate phenomenon of the School's general Craft. A Witch is able to witness small changes of probability within the very near future or very recent past. A Shaman is able to keep their finger on the pulse of a creature's vitals as well as observe the great debate of rain clouds. Whereas a Devil is able to fetter out another person's true emotional aura.

The Target Number of Magical Effects is determined based on the aspect of the Gift being evoked as well as the accompanying modifiers of School, Icon, Skills, and Knowledges. The aspect of Oberservation is the simplest often not requiring a roll unless specific details are queried at a TN of 15. Manipulation is somewhat more tricky requiring a TN of 10. Minor manipulations only require a Minor Success, things such as directing the flow of water or the wind. Major manipulations require a Major Success, things such as knitting flesh back together(or tearing it apart). The apex of most magical effects is Creation which requires a TN of 5 to gain the slimmest of results. The greater the degree of success the more potent and longer lasting the Creation usually is.

>Basic Mechanics
Rolling Mechanics
Actions are resolved using a d20. You want your stats high and your rolls low. Every Action has a Target number that you increase with your own stats such as the Strength Attribute, or Atheltics Skill. Rolling under your Target Number and the amount under determines the relative success of the Action. Rolling your Target Number or 5 less than grants a Minor Success. Rolling 5 to 10 under your Target Number grants a Major Success. While rolling 15 less than your Target Number grants a Great Success.

Failure(rolling over your Target Number) will result in a simple miss. An attempt was made, there is a negligible change, or you might be able to retry again based on the circumstances of the Action at a more difficult TN. Rolling higher by 5 or more may grant penalties and difficulties.

>Anchor Post for Character Applications

>>5070771
Name: Alice Mason
Concept/Fluff: Beautiful high school drop out, runaway, power-hungry thief, only parent is a deadbeat drunkard and social worker. Relies on magic and thievery to get by, offers services for favours in kind. Goals are increasing her knowledge in magic, both applied and theoretical, having fun, gaining friends she can trust and rely on on, avoiding being stuck in coercive relationships or hierarchies at least not for any longer than is necessary to get what she wants.
Attributes: Dexterity and Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, (magical) Larceny.
Skills: Firearms, Persuasion.
School: Witch.
Icons: Dice and bundles of sage which are lit on fire when used.

Is this character sheet alright?

What kind of story do we have here?

>>5070771

Character Sheet
Name: Danny Carter
Concept/Fluff: The son of a vetinerian Danny was naturally raised with a love for animals and while he can't stand to see living creatures in pain he understands that it is necessary and that sometimes a painless death can be a great kindness. Ever since discovering his magic he is committed to becoming a shaman so he can heal both people and animals but he won't deny also being curious about necromancy.
Attributes: Stamina and wits
Knowledges: Investigation, Crafts
Skills: Athletics, Empathy
School: Shaman
Icons: School icon: Moon. Personal icon: two large eyes with vertical pupils (based on both the eyes of owls and cats.)

>>5070761
Alright, question time.
What kind of age range are we looking at ? 16-18, 18-21, 21-25 ?
What kind of rythm will this quest have ?(time in between posts)
And lastly, what kind of school would most corespond to someone speccing into anti-magic wards ? Thinking area denial and protection circles, mostly.

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>>5071144
>Registered
Name: Alice Mason
Attributes: Dexterity, Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, Larceny
Skills: Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: Dice, Sage

Current Soundtrack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s86K-p089R8&ab_channel=BonJoviVEVO

The day was a like blur and like molasses for Mason. Memories between slipping out of bed to walking between stalls at a garage sale were just less focused. The ability to let go what truly doesn't matter is a lost art. What came as a clear incandescent image was the key she held in her hand. There was a profound sense of significance and revelation that separated it from the knick-knacks she'd discovered it in. The rest of the scene pieced itself together from the weight of that iron key.

It's noonday and the temperature is picking up. Mason is standing in a communal parking lot of an apartment block. A dozen or so residents as well as strangers wander between the stalking hawking the secondhand goods. One bright and enthusiastic man is walking away with several plastic packs of collectable cards. Some have illustrations of major baseball league players, others have cartoon monsters, both inundated with numbers and statistics. Even without pulling on that thread, you can tell he's found his blessing.

Mason's business today is light. She made a small promise to visit her contact either today or next. There's nothing lost in delaying that visit, either is anything gained from making it a priority. Her contact is an Old Fool, that remains a child at heart. The rest of the Witches know him as a storm chaser that will show you the footage from inside a tornado if you let him. Returning to the significant key in hand, there are two threads Mason could follow. She could divine its past or predict its future.

>Storm Chaser, Key to the Past, Key to the Future?

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>>5071358
>Registered
Name: Danny Carter
Attributes: Stamina, Wits
Knowledges: Investigation, Crafts
Skills: Athletics, Empathy
School: Shaman
Icons: Moon tarot, Cat's Eye

Current Soundtrack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLxpNiF0YKs&ab_channel=remhq

Carter finds himself wandering down a stretch of highway in the dead of night. It's just a few hours after dark and yet the desert chill is dropping the temperature right quick. Clear skies tonight and for the rest of the week as far as the weatherman's concerned. Carter's ears are attuned preternaturally to the hissing of rattlers in the brush and the blaring of diesel engines blazing down the highway. In the air he smells the dense dispel of the sixteen wheeler truck.

It rushes past, leaving behind a wake of chilling desert wind. Reflected in the moonlight is the spiritual reflection of the sixteen wheeler. It's spirit is a huge roaring lion. The Lion Truck claims these highways as its hunting grounds, stalking the minivan and sedan herds. As the Lion Truck pounces on its latest prey, a wounded minivan with a 'baby on board' sticker separated from the pack, Carter finds himself at a crossroad.

The road ahead leads further into the Green Valley. A well respected member of the Shamans lives further up that road. She's something of a Exorcist, devouring meddlesome spirits that have no business messing up the material world with their blind, idiot hunger. Behind him is another, valid path. He was once a Plumber, a sensible vocation, before discovering the primal magic of the Moon. Now he resides in the concrete jungle with bestial allies in the form of wild, mangy dogs.

Either could advise or assist him with his trouble. Every night for the past few weeks, a pack of coyote's have gathered outside of his father's clinic. They have howled and maintained their distance. But they seemed stirred up, and may pose a threat or warning you've yet discerned.

>Exorcist, Plumber, Other?

>>5071362
As to the age question. Characters ought to be +18. There is no upper limit in age to discovering magic. Most characters discover it when they come of age, or when they experience a life changing event.

As to the speccing question. All schools of magic instruct their students in shielding and defense against mundane threats and their own aspect of magic. However the Wizards have a unique command of dispelling, counter-spelling, and creating protective charms.

As far as post frequency, the goal is daily during the week.


>>5071301
Magical mysteries await. Modern, Urban fantasy set in a flyover state.

>>5070771
>>5071362
>Character Sheet
>Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
>Concept/Fluff:
Grandson of french expats who mingled with locals, he had always considered magic as something only found in fantasy books he liked reading, and knew for a fact that no such thing existed in this world. That certitude was shattered in his 21st year. Two years later, after a lot of introspection and re-evaluation of personal philosophy, he is now a Wizard student at the ECT. His personal focus has been inspired by those same fantasy books, as he experiments using thaumaturgy to "imbue" items with the forces of creation and destruction. Nearly always carrying a backpack containing his Icons, among other things.

>Attributes: Intelligence, Wits
>Knowledges: Academics, Investigation
>Skills: Firearms, Intimidation.
>School: Wizard
>Icons:
School: A small wooden wand with a semi-precious stone embedded on top.
Personal: A bundle of red hemp rope used either as an impromptu ritual circle or elementally charged whip.

>>5071565
How do you want us to post? Equivalent write-ups to yours? Just choosing one of the greentext prompts you offered? A few lines describing what we do, our intent, and our thoughts?

>>5071636
Take your time with your post. The greentext prompts are there to give some direction. You may choose another direction if you wish.

As far as length, I would like a enough length to describe actions and what evocations and thaumaturgy look like. I do appreciate an understandable intent. Be as much or as little creative as you wish.

>>5071563
>Exorcist
Danny still wasn't used to seeing the spirits of everything but he at least didn't freak about it any more.

Part of him wanted to turn back so that he didn't have to the many gruesome spirits of the city, even if that meant he lost the ability to see the good as well.

But he doubted the coyote's were sticking close to the clinic due to natural reasons and he knew that if someone got hurt because he ignored his suspicions he wouldn't forgive himself so he continued on the path to where the Exorcist lived

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>>5071556
Alice stared up at the noonday sun through the gaps in her fingers, the world threatening to blur again as she lost herself in thought. The key or knowledge? The key; being a busybody wouldn't pay, her contact would be there tomorrow and she still had to earn dinner.

Flopping backwards onto the hood of someone's car she lay down, her eyes closed. Now, how would she do this? The dice were no good, they were mostly good for evocation unless used in some sort of game as part of a ritual. Envisioning the attention she would garner if she lit up her bundles of sage in the middle of the parking lot ruled using them, at least here. Swinging her legs lazily over the edge of the hood, she yawned.

The sound of someone clearing their throat took her from her reverie, she opened her eyes to see an upside down middle aged man frowning at her through the windshield sitting in the drivers seat. Giving him an apologetic smile she got up, the sun was making the car too hot for her anyways.

She got up, stared at the key, memorized the grooves in its head, then walked out of the lot around a corner into an alley. Taking some putty out of her bag she shaped it in the image of the key to the best of her ability. Next she took out one of her bundles of sage and a match. Lighting up the bundle she quickly dropped it, then she dropped the makeshift key onto the flaming flowers. As quickly as she could she spoke the requisite words, moving through the motions she was taught. The words slowly carries her mind away, aligning thought, bringing the now and then together, determining reality. This was self-hypnosis, language controlling thought, motion determining time and distance, allowing her to manipulate the energies she did. Stopping her dance she took one last look around to make sure no one was watching and crouched and leaned over, dipping her head into the smoke.

There in the interstitial dream-space between reality and possibility she fell. Colours rushed by, blindingly red, then blue, then a kaleidoscope went by showing her the future.

>Attempt to divine the Key's future with a thaumaturgical Seeing ritual

>pic is Alice's current attire

>>5071795
*ruled out using them

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>>5071608
>Registered
Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
Attributes: Intelligence, Wits
Knowledges: Academics, Investigation
Skills: Firearms, Intimidation.
School: Wizard
Icons: Wooden Wand, Red Hemp Rope

Mister Commons finds himself in an awkward disadvantage. Since discovering magic and being initiated into the mysteries of the Esoteric College, every interaction he's engaged with elder Wizards have been pleasant if not enlightening. He seemed to be favored by an older Wizard, and the first circles of the Seeing Aspect washed cleanly over him. Riding public transit, he could trace the humming power of traffic to their transformers, and street after street he felt the dragon lights as clear as a speed bump.

A few weeks ago, the elder Wizard disappeared leaving a message that they would be away for the season and that Mister Commons should seek out another member of the Esoteric College to further his education. By shadow name and address he was sent to see the Jailer.

All the optimistic enlightenment he'd gathered since discovering magic seemed to disappear in an instant. Across a narrow desk, the man opposite fiendishly sneered. The walk from the corridor to this man's office seemed designed to tapper against a person's shoulder's until they inadvertently hitched them upwards. He spoke the in deepest, ominous baritone each syllable dripping with ruin. This man was a Warlock in every sense of the word. Knowing this, the illusionary stuffiness was alleviated. Despite the ominous tone, the Jailer voiced the obvious potential Mister Commons possessed and wished to test it. There was a Truth to be discovered.

The University of Phoenix was a questionable institution lacking popularity or integrity, yet their enrollment numbers seemed to be rising. What, or whom, is causing this abnormal behavior? Alternatively the University of Arizona is researching telescopic images of Martian volcanos. What if any occult significance does this mean?

>Phoenix, Arizona, other?

>>5071795
roll Divining the Key's Future
TN 17 = 15(Seeing) +1(Witch Thaumaturgy), +1(Sage Icon)

>>5071685
roll Stamina Athletics
TN 17 = 15(Easy) +1(Stamina), +1(Athletics)

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>5072032

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>5072032

>>5072031
>Phoenix
Almost by habit, Peter started with ordinary parameters first. If he was being asked to do it magically, then the answer wouldn't be found by non-magic means, but it helped paint a clearer picture.
Phoenix U was only a couple hours' drive away from Tuscon. And the University of Arizona. Maybe the two questions were related ?
He needed info. He looked up the student numbers, their growth, how many were from out of state, how many from within. How many came from Tucson. How many were coming to Phoenix U from another University, in or out of state ?
Surely the increase would not correlate with the population growth in the State during that time.
Of what percentage was the increase, and since when has it been happening ?
Is that percentage increase and its start date similar to the increased growth of mage numbers in the state ?
What statistic from the student numbers held the Truth he was looking for ?
So many questions, so many parameters.
Thaumaturgy time.
Peter put his backpack down and took his wand in his right hand, using his phone with the left. He was no Witch, but discerning truth within numbers was within his abilities, or so he liked to believe. Focusing through the wand, he did his best to feel out which of his theories resonated best.

are you still taking characters? this seems a bit interesting if very complicated.

>>5072513
He hasn't said anything after I got registered, so I say go for it. I'm not clear on what I'm doing either, if that reassures you.

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>>5072054
>Great Success
>Gain the [Charmed] condition. While you pursue this thread of fate, you have a special option after rolling. You may choose to remove this condition and roll again, accepting the better outcome.

Name: Alice Mason [Charmed]
Attributes: Dexterity, Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, Larceny
Skills: Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: Dice, Sage

Mason's consciousness is bombarded with kaleidoscopic colours. Each stream of colour another alternative thread of fate. The iron key hangs in the center of her vision while the rest of the world wheels around at a dizzying pace. At first it's thrown into a purse to be forgotten, occasionally brought out, and in those few flashes of daylight are street names. Red Street, to First Street, to East Haven. It is easy enough to mentally take notes of this key's passage across the city.

The next few flashes are less distinct, as if these threads have yet to weave themselves together. The key comes across a lock that it doesn't fit. It's an outdoor shed outside, Mason is pretty sure is in the Catalina Foothills. The red-faced cliffside lit by the an evening sun. There's the thunderous sound of gunfire and then silence. The key is withdrawn and slotted into a safe. The key turns, the safe is open. And inside is a stack of cash and an antique revolver.

The sage that burned heavily throughout these revelations slowly but surely exhausts itself. A plume of smoke snakes itself from scorched desert flowers.

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>>5072221
>Success

Name: Danny Carter
Attributes: Stamina, Wits
Knowledges: Investigation, Crafts
Skills: Athletics, Empathy
School: Shaman
Icons: Moon tarot, Cat's Eye

The trek out to Green Valley took a good amount of time. Taking the exit, the highway gave way to streets, gave way to gravel, until Carter finally crossed into an abandoned lot. There was prairie land and tall grass that spread in every direction. And in the center of the lot was a broken down RV, radio whining into the aether. Potent totems marked this territory. A wolf's skull leered down into Carter's soul, he heard their howling call in the spirit.

As if it was a signal, after the howl the RV rattled and the back door swung open. In its wake stood a woman, not so old but worn down by life. Dark circles hung under her eyes and a certain madness sprung from them. She wears flannel and denim with a leather jacket that hangs off her shoulders. The Exorcist shuts the back door behind herself and stares Carter down, much like the wolf skull.

In scrutinizing Carter, she answers whatever question she had in her head and softens. The feral edge disappears and civility returns. She offers you a cold water bottle and asks, "Can I help you?" Carter's stamina remains resilient. He may be parched, but he isn't exhausted from the late night hike.

>>5072373
roll Gathering Stats
TN 17 = 15(Easy) +1(Intelligence), +1(Academics)

>>5072513
The thread is still open for characters.

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>5072596

>>5072595

Danny didn't know where he expected an exorcist to live but an RV wasn't it. If it weren't for the totems and the wolf's skull in particular he would have assumed he was either in the wrong place or dealing with a scammer. Hearing a wolf howl in his mind was still a bit unsettling but he didn't doubt that the exorcist heard it too and knew exactly what it meant. As such he wasn't totally surprised when the door of the RV opened.

He didn't expect that he would be inspected again but Danny could tell from the mad look in her eyes fading away that he had passed, just as the mad look told him she would have had no qualms seriously hurting him if she felt she had too.

The trek to this place wasn't exactly a fun little walk and the offered water more than welcome but Danny decided to answer her question before drinking. "Thanks. I'm gonna be direct if you don't mind. For weeks now coyotes have been gathering around my father veterinary clinic and while they kept their distance and so far no one's been hurt I can't help but worry their reasons are not natural." As soon as he was done talking he opened the bottle and took a swig of the cold water and waited for an answer.

My post will be late tonight and possibly quite short, I have some stuff I have to take care. Sorry.

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>>5072612
>Success
So many questions to ask, so little time, so much work. Mister Commons' phone rest on the desk collecting to itself an array of data. Databases were queried at Mister Common's conscious and unconscious instructions. The Truth with these databases past the Wizard's scrutiny. Nothing had been altered or falsified, intentionally or unintentionally. Through the lens where all falsehoods are dispelled, these seem to be genuine enrollments. Yet even as that revelation came to light, another layer of the mystery materialized, one which required an academic approach to data analysis.

The Jailer walked past the eager mage towards the door. Without facing the mage still deep within his Thaumaturgic ritual and in that deep voice that spoke of ruin, he offered the work desk and computer. The Jailer then left the office and shut the door with a certain incontrovertible conclusion. Mister Commons heard no cell door lock nor rattling chain, even if the Jailer's countenance implied it. Transferring the data from the phone to the computer was simple enough. The computer had several programs useful for statistical data analysis and an advanced graph program.

Through the lens where all falsehoods are dispelled, Mister Commons saw the frame of the mystery on the monitor. The rate of enrollment had increased in a small localized area within Tucson. This cluster of data points pointed to the University of Phoenix Nursing program, and the Prime Med Uni Inc. PMUI was a name that Mister Commons was familiar with if only for their obnoxious advertisements on video sharing and social media platforms. Their online video clip always advertised their open offices and open phone lines to schedule appointment with a 'career counselor.'

The black spot of the mystery where one needed to drill down was now plain and obvious. Whomever or whatever people were making an appointment with was not a 'career counselor.' This falsehood was laid bare, but the Truth had not yet been revealed. Mister Commons' eyes squinted and blinked away a tired strain. Some time had past at least a few hours.

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>>5072628
The Exorcist leaned back into the RV trailer and produced a few trinkets, occulted items certainly. She crouched down on the ground and laid several items down. On her left was a single mason jar filled with white gaseous vapor. On her right were two mason jars, one of which held the tiny bones of a rabbit, the other held a cracked and broken skull of a big cat. With the stillness of the night, Carter's hears strained to hear her soft spoken words.

"Here is what I may offer you," she said gesturing to the occulted items, "On my left is a spirit bottle. It can be used to capture weaken spirits. They become yours to bind or to make a pact. On my right is the essence of a snowshoe hare and red lynx. These may be used to lure the meddlesome spirit out of your pack of coyotes and drive it away. I will offer you two of these boons. The boon you leave behind will determine your struggle. I will ask a favor in exchange, at some point..." Carter's conditional survival was left implied rather than stated.

>Take two of: Spirit Bottle, Essence of Lynx, Essence of Hare

>>5072972
No worries, there is no rush.

>>5073073
Danny pondered his option, depending on how long the capturing lasted the first jar sounded like it could be helpful for a long time, but on the other hand he didn't know what spirit he would need or how to weaken it. The other two jars were more directly helpful but he feared he might be helpless against whatever was affecting the spirits.

Despite his indecision he didn't ask the Exorcist for advice as he doubted he would get any. Eventually he made up his mind, the possible long term benefits were too great. "I'll take the capturing jars, thanks. If I ever get the chance I'll be sure to return this favor."

This still open or nah?

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>>5073071
I'm assuming I need to post what I'm going to do, since it has been a few hours.
Also, it doesn't matter too much, but I saw the wand as something like pic related, but the size of the wand you posted.

Somewhat satisfied, Peter allowed himself a 10 minute pose, spent listening to music and writing on the sheet of paper he had had by his side for the past few hours. The top part was covered in scribbled pencil notes, theories, data, ideas, results, all interlinked with arrows, most of which now pointed at either a dead end or a certain counselor.

Satisfied, Peter went back to work. He didn't have anything else planned for today, and it was still light outside. Going back to the computer, he oriented his research towards social media. With such an aggressive media campaign, tracking down websites related to PMUI would be trivial. An organizational chart should be easy to find and provide some insight, but what he really needed was to track down the professional, then the private social media accounts of the "career counselor". Whoever or whatever had this role seemed central to the phenomenon. Once more he took hold of his wand Icon and got back to work on a Thaumaturgic ritual. no need to change a working method, after all.

>>5072593
Alice lifted her head from the smoke coughing, with her off-hand she waved the smoke away and blinked the her tears as away as the colours retreated from the corners of her vision. 'That went as well as it could have.' she thought. Now hanging in her vision was a red thread of fate coming from the key in her bag leading off into the distance to the north.

What had she seen? Was she to understand that the key could open any lock, or simply that it opened a particular safe? Tapping her foot she again looked up at the sun, it was noon now and evening in her vision. Her mind made up she decided to walk, it would take a couple of hours to reach the Catalina Foothills by foot. She'd take a few stops for shade and to see if there was anything else that caught her eye while we was passing by, otherwise she had everything she needed to scope the place out or get in should the opportunity present itself.

Starting with a spring in her step she set off. She shook her hands out to rid herself of the sudden oncoming of anticipation and anxiety that ran through her. The stack of money looked like it could be somewhere between $10,000 or $100,000 based on the colour of the strap around it and the size, but it was the antique revolver that intrigued her. She couldn't tell through the vision but she sensed that luck may have come her way if the power she suspected the revolver possessed was real. What a lucky break!

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>>5073195
>Gain items [Spirit Bottle], [Essence of Hare]

Name: Danny Carter
Attributes: Stamina, Wits
Knowledges: Investigation, Crafts
Skills: Athletics, Empathy
School: Shaman
Icons: Moon tarot, Cat's Eye
Extra: [Spirit Bottle], [Essence of Hare]

The Exorcist nods in acknowledgement. Picking up the Spirit Bottle, she unscrews the jar with a quick flick of the wrist. A stream of white vapor escaped into the air between the Shamans. The Exorcist took a heavy breath which greedily inhaled the white vapor. Once she had consumed the contents of the Spirit Bottle, she tapped the glass bottom of the mason jar on a nearby cabinet. Afterwards she became quite animate, her own stores of vitality invigorated. Ringing out the knots in her neck and stretching her arms, she humored a small chuckle, "Good Hunting."

Carter was left to his own devices to prepare. He could expect the pack of Coyotes to haunt his father's clinic tonight and over the next few days. Most of the day would be his while at night the pack would descend from the highlands like alien creatures from another world. He could spend his day scouting the prairie outside the clinic, or else check within. Driving off the meddlesome spirit riding the pack would cease the danger, however there might already some damage from the spiritual siege within the clinic. Anxiousness over a potential crisis might be overly cautious or extremely wise.

>Clinic, Prairie, other?

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>>5073286
Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
Attributes: Intelligence, Wits
Knowledges: Academics, Investigation
Skills: Firearms, Intimidation.
School: Wizard
Icons: Wooden Wand, Red Hemp Rope

PMUI was a organization easy enough to track down. They had a professionally made if cookie cutter website. From their information page they proport to be a "career accelerating platform" where young professionals are recruited and placed in unique positions to maximize their success. No inch of the page was wasted with aggressive slogans talking about an applicates future slipping away. The founder of the organization published several paragraphs of his obligations to give back to the Tucson community.

Most of the website could be described as high selling the program with varying degrees of truthfulness. Switching out to the testimonials, there were dozens of reports from applicates to the program about how they felt the program benefited them. How they felt was extremely hopeful. With a flash of the wand, the words of the testimonials flashed gold to reflect the hidden truth. The feelings of hope became dark and depressing. Consoling sessions were expensive. Due to the agreement PMUI had with University of Phoenix and the state, some of that cost could be reimbursed into the applicates tuition. That seemed a less certain process.

Drilling down to the actual listed staff, they seemed more paper than real. There was little information on the PMUI's social media accounts. There were many threads of testimonials and eager applicates. But this seemed to be a carefully curated front facing page. The repeated message was: contact now and set up your appointment today.

Mister Commons started to feel as if he'd exhausted both the day and the investigation from the external. Money seemed to flow from desperate people into a program that might not even benefit them. The few conclusions he'd reach warranted a more eyes on site approach. But the approach was his to determine. Weather to approach as an interested client won over by testimonials, a burglar for a quick smash and grab, or something else.

>Become a Client, a Burglar, other?

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>>5073309
Name: Alice Mason
Attributes: Dexterity, Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, Larceny
Skills: Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: Dice, Sage
Extra: [Charmed]

The red string unfurled itself speeding off along the city streets, occasionally it would spin and twirl around people and objects, one would guess subtle influences of the key's holder. At times it would jump into a waiting bus which was easy enough to jump on. Only for the string to dash out the bus at the next stop. At times the street becomes crowded with bodies sweating in the afternoon heat.

Making it just outside Tucson city limits, Mason takes a small brake in the shade of a gas station awning. There a vending machine older than most people's mothers stands waiting to take quarters for soda. The road north is terminates in a heat haze that distorts the air. And yet that red string of fate remains a clear flag to your destination. A few more minutes to reach maybe less than an hour. The heat might even diminish as evening comes around.

As Mason made these mental calculations, she interrupted by the loud engine roaring into the station. The car driving the loud engine was a classic automobile with a teal paint job, and probably a man working through some inadequacies. The young man that stepped out wore cock-sure sunglasses and wasn't unattractive. Mason knew the kind of attention she was receiving the instant he looked in her direction.

As with many things during the hot afternoon, the red string spun around the classic car as much as it sped northward without it. Witches tend to have a sense of actors in a story that have yet to play their role. They enjoy casting and acting in their own stories, all apart of their meta-narrative. Besides all that, riding in a car with A/C seemed tempting.

>Become a Casting Coach, walk as a Lone Ranger, steal a car, other?

>>5073242
hit the anchor post for character apps

For players, if you could post your sheets when you post, that would help me. As well as posting an action summary at the end, I'd appreciate it.

Example:

Character Sheet

Body of Post

>Action Summary

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>>5073941
Aight just wanted to confirm before posting a sheet.

>>5070771
Name: Fred Ward

Concept/Fluff: A dry and pessimistic individual, Fred is born a witch but hated the concept of fate and fortune. His hatred of the concept of fate stemmed from his upbringing in a poor family with numerous siblings he had to take care and before coming to the Esoteric College of Tuscon greatest wish was to study engineering to provide for his family.

Learning he was a mage only barely changed that wish, with his focus from physics turning into a passion for magic and although born naturally a Witch, he finds Necromancy a much more practical school to combine magic and machine... to make lots of money.

Is trying to figure out how to make a zombie-powered generator using permanently animated corpses and a windmill-like machine.

Attributes: Intelligence and Wits

Knowledge: Physics, Biology

Skills: Mechanical Engineering, Surgery

School: Witch, wants to be an Alchemist

Icons: Pet primordial elemental made from his shadow. Looks like a Raven he calls Diquad

>Action path, Find a way to study Necromantic rituals and magic so that I can actively pursue this School as a Witch.

>End Goal: Gain Necromancy Knowledge Skill and Ritual Active Skill?

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>>5073977
Diquad the Shadow Bird

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>>5070771
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne

Concept/Fluff: Dannie was born and raised in the Oxford countryside from a long line of noble mages whose blood has intermingled with the Fey giving them ruby colored eyes.

Her ancestors were some of the first monster hunters of England, starting out as a rabble of mundanes fed up with the terrors of the night but at some point, magic was introduced into the first hunting families' bloodline. Something they took advantage of greatly.

She was sent to Tuscan after her family received an oracle that told of a great disaster possibly happening in the United States. She's only a single hunter sent across the US to investigate the sudden influx of magic and most of her superiors don't expect much from the fledgling Hunter, focusing their resources instead in other more major states and cities to investigate.

Attributes: Dexterity and Charisma

Knowledges: Academics (Monsters), French.

Skills: Blade, Athletics

School: Shaman (Martial/Self Buffing Focus)

Icons: An engraved and ornamental but functional shortsword that she received from her family when she began her training. The handle is stylized with the Symbol of house White Byrne a silver Raven with ruby eyes.

>>5073941
What's the Masquerade like self-correcting or is the magical community actively covering it up?

>>5074005
Ohh forgot action

>Track down magical phenomenon especially malevolent monsters.

Ohh also is the Academics (Monster) too broad? I'd be fine to shrink it down to cryptids/feral physical monsters if it is.

>>5073977
>Character Not Registered
Re: Character does not follow creation guidelines
Note: Mages are not born into schools. Mages choose a school once they discover magic.
Note: Thaumaturgy covers most ritual activities

>>5074005
>Character Not Registered
Re: Please pick a school Icon
Note: The Masquerade is mostly self-correcting. Within the local setting there has not been a immediate need to actively cover things up. The Magi have a "clean up after yourself attitude."
Note: I won't require Academics to cover a specific field. Blades will be covered in Melee.

>>5074021
Gotcha I misunderstood the cross-disciplinary part lemme try again then

>>5070771

Name: Fred Ward

Concept/Fluff: A dry and pessimistic individual, Fred is somebody that greatly dislikes the concept of fate opting to plan for everything and reduce chance as much as possible. His hatred of the concept of fate stemmed from his upbringing in a poor family with numerous siblings he had to take care and before coming to the Esoteric College of Tuscon greatest wish was to study engineering to provide for his family.

Learning he was a mage only barely changed that wish, with his focus from physics turning into a passion for magic, he finds Necromancy the most practical school to combine magic and machine... as well the best school to make lots of money.

Is trying to figure out how to make a zombie-powered generator using permanently animated corpses and a windmill-like machine.

Attributes: Intelligence and Wits

Knowledge: Physics, Biology

Skills: Engineering, Surgery

School: Alchemist/Necromancer

Personal Icon: Pet primordial elemental made from his shadow. Looks like a Raven he calls Diquad

School Icon: Ancient Coin

>>5074021
Regarding Thaumaturgy can I learn more about how spellcasting works and get the skill through play? I know there's a basic description on the spell casting section but I think it'd be kinda fun getting into the specifics and science of ritual casting, especially the Esoteric College of Tuscon seems like it's important.

Sorry if I'm being annoying, I'll take any plot hook you want really.

>>5074021
Just wanna make sure is

>School Icon: A wineskin made from wolf leather.

Fine for my school Icon? I don't wanna carry around a cup and the iconography of the moon is usually two wolves or a wolf and dog howling at the moon.

>>5074027
This is progress.
For character creation: Take a look at the below standard knowledges and skills and pick two of each. Through play you will be able to increase these abilities or discover new advanced knowledges and skills.

Your ideas of thaumaturgy have a good basis. As your character gains proficiency in knowledge and skills, your character will be able to perform greater manipulations easier. You may even develop Icons that further improve your characters abilities in more difficult rituals. Many Magi have 'great works' which can only be finished with Creation level Icons.

Standard Knowledges:
Academics, Computers, Crafts, Investigation, Larceny, Streetwise
Standard Skills:
Athletics, Melee, Firearms, Empathy, Intimidation, Persuasion

>>5074032
This is a good for a School Icon. I approve. One thing I missed is that French isn't a standard knowledge. I have no issue with your character being bilingual without such a knowledge.

>>5074045

Alright third times the Charm. Just kinda weird that somebody can just be knowledgeable in all academics and I wanted to specialize so I guess it didn't register to me very well.

Seems hard to make an out-of-shape and socially awkward character.

>>5070771

Name: Fred Ward

Concept/Fluff: A dry and pessimistic individual, Fred is somebody that greatly dislikes the concept of fate opting to plan for everything and reduce chance as much as possible. His hatred of the concept of fate stemmed from his upbringing in a poor family with numerous siblings he had to take care and before coming to the Esoteric College of Tuscon greatest wish was to study engineering to provide for his family.

Learning he was a mage only barely changed that wish, with his focus from physics turning into a passion for magic, he finds Necromancy the most practical school to combine magic and machine... as well the best school to make lots of money.

Is trying to figure out how to make a zombie-powered generator using permanently animated corpses and a windmill-like machine.

Attributes: Intelligence and Wits

Knowledge Skills: Academics, Craft

Active Skills: Empathy, Persuasion

School: Alchemist/Necromancer

Personal Icon: Pet primordial elemental made from his shadow. Looks like a Raven he calls Diquad

School Icon: Ancient Coin

>>5073938
You could vanish into the heat distortion ahead almost as if vanishing between the space between reality Alice visited from time to time. She didn't have to roll her dice to know that she did not want to walk ahead through that haze on her lonesome.

It is a good thing she bought this spare water bottle and refilled her main one. 'I'd need an icebreaker, then he could do the rest once I've done the hard part for him,' she mused to herself, 'Oh, I know just the thing!' Taking the plastic water bottle she just bought, she took a sip and then dumped half of it over her head and shirt. "Good thing this isn't silk." she muttered quietly to herself.

Stalking over to where the man was filling up his car she quietly sat down on the hood of his car, tilted her legs and crossed her ankles and rolled her dice on the hood of his car. 'Please no snake-eyes, please no snake-eyes.' she prayed. Without pausing to look at the result she swiped them back into her bag and adopted a curious smirk.

"Wow, is this a 1958 Chevrolet Impala?" she called to the man's back as he was fumbling with his wallet and fiddling with the gas pump. He turned to look at her, startled. Her smirk turned to a grin as she stroked the hood of his car.

>Attempt to bless this interaction with a quick Evocation

>Attempt to befriend/seduce/whatever the owner of the teal car and get a ride to where she is going.

>In other words become a casting coach.

>>5074159
Name: Alice Mason
Attributes: Dexterity, Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, Larceny
Skills: Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: Dice, Sage
Extra: [Charmed] While I pursue this thread of fate, I have a special option after rolling. I may choose to remove this condition and roll again, accepting the better outcome.


My character sheet, for reference.

>>5073933
Name: Danny Carter
Attributes: Stamina, Wits
Knowledges: Investigation, Crafts
Skills: Athletics, Empathy
School: Shaman
Icons: Moon tarot, Cat's Eye
Extra: [Spirit Bottle], [Essence of Hare]

With the two bottles in hand Danny began the journey back to the clinic. As he did he thought about his options. In the end he decided that he would deal with the coyotes first and see if the clinic had any other spiritual issues later, dealing with the cause was better than treating symptoms after all.

>Danny decided to check out the prairie

>>5073937
Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
Attributes: Intelligence, Wits
Knowledges: Academics, Investigation
Skills: Firearms, Intimidation.
School: Wizard
Icons: Wooden Wand, Red Hemp Rope

Falsehoods, placeholders and shell accounts. Disappointing, if not somewhat expected. It looked like it was time to go there in person. Before leaving the room, he left a copy of his preliminary findings on the Jailer's desk, as well as a note on his intent to both get an appointment tomorrow and maybe scope out the location tonight, provided it was close enough.

>Inform Jailer of findings and plan, directly or via notes.
>Get appointment at PMUI for tomorrow.
>If close enough and not too late in the night, check out the place before going home.
>Go back home and prepare.

>>5074159
roll Evocation
TN 12 = 10(Manipulation) +1(Witch Evocation), +1(Dice)

follow up with Charisma Persuasion
TN 12 = 10(Normal) +1(Charisma), +1(Persuasion)

>>5074369
roll Wits Investigation
TN 17 = 15(Easy) +1(Wits), +1(Investigation)

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>5074661

>>5074045
Wait if the skills are limited to what you put down how are people supposed to specialize? Are they just Omnidisciplinary on everything related to their skill?

And what about bows, throwing weapons, the ability to lie, first aid/medicine? Making medicine might be craft but how about administering it?

Also survival skills, sure you can know what plants and animals are using academics but how about actually being able to survive out in the wilderness with lots of things that could happen.

>>5074768
The skills and knowledges are meant to be generalized and not an exhaustive list. Their function is narrative and descriptive. I mostly work with the fluff and content given to me. Players will be able to enhance these abilities, or develop a more specialized but also more descriptive skill set through character advancement. For example increasing Dexterity to give a +2, increasing an Icon bonus, or taking Survival as a skill.

Again, to sort of set expectations, I assume characters are component at what they attempt to do based on the fluff I'm given. And these ability numbers are a means to gamify it into dice rolls.

>>5070771
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne

Concept/Fluff: Dannie was born and raised in the Oxford countryside from a long line of noble mages whose blood has intermingled with the Fey giving them ruby colored eyes.

Her ancestors were some of the first monster hunters of England, starting out as a rabble of mundanes fed up with the terrors of the night but at some point, magic was introduced into the first hunting families' bloodline. Something they took advantage of greatly.

She was sent to Tuscan after her family received an oracle that told of a great disaster possibly happening in the United States. She's only a single hunter sent across the US to investigate the sudden influx of magic and most of her superiors don't expect much from the fledgling Hunter, focusing their resources instead in other more major states and cities to investigate.

Attributes: Dexterity and Charisma

Knowledges: Academics, Investigation.

Skills: Melee, Athletics

School: Shaman (Martial/Self Buffing Focus)

Icons: An engraved and ornamental but functional shortsword that she received from her family when she began her training. The handle is stylized with the Symbol of house White Byrne a silver Raven with ruby eyes.

School Icon: Wineskin made from wolfskin

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>>5074053
>Character Registered
Name: Fred Ward
Attributes: Intelligence and Wits
Knowledges: Academics, Craft
Skills: Empathy, Persuasion
School: Alchemist
Icons: Shadow Raven, Ancient Coin

Sand kicked up along the Christian crosses of the historical graveyard of The Fort. Walking between these stones was like walking into the cultural heritage of these 1800s settlers. The remains interned here had long ago decayed away back into the dirt. But their memory is preserved in sites like these. And those crosses cast long shadows. Ward finds himself here not as a gravedigger, but out of curiosity. Specificity he wanders the pauper's lot where those without means were buried.

His hand goes to his pocket where that ancient coin sits. Focusing on the Alchemist Coin, the decayed and broken head stones were refurbished in bright shadows. There he could read the names and dates of these poor settlers. Occasionally the residue of their death left a lasting impression of sickness and violence. Ectoplasmic blood and bile pooled in their shallow graves. This was a place where one could call into the abyss of yesteryear and get a response.

Today however, Ward had secured a tour of the Airplane Boneyard, personal and private tour with the assistance of patrons from the Esoteric College. The Boneyard held defunct military equipment of airplanes from the second world war onwards. There was a machine, an engine perhaps, that had caught his attention. But there was no penalty for delay. Much like the bones that laid in The Fort, those steel beasts would not fly away.

>The Fort, The Airplane Boneyard?

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>>5074208
Next day, the large field outside the clinic was actually quite breezy. Carter could pick up the scent of burrows hidden within the earth. Ever since discovering the Shaman's path, he'd exercised all his natural senses to fine points. He could spy the Cactus Wren swoop down to catch a tiny grasshopper for its early meal. With only a small bit of searching he found the tracks of the coyote pack. They didn't seem to gather all in one place.

Instead, Carter would discover the tracks of a pair here and then another set of a pair elsewhere. The more he searched for it, the more he discovered it. A pattern beaten into the tall grass by these nocturnal beasts, all centered around one sunken in burrow, a focus of this ritual activity. Across the whole of this field was the primal sign of transition and the moon. Carter's ear strained to hear some spiritual coyote's howl. The barrier between worlds had weaken significantly.

This discovery provided an opportunity that Carter hadn't considered before. He could further weaken the barrier so that he could physically interact with the spirits, fighting them on their own turf. Otherwise he could strengthen the barrier to keep himself safe and rely on the mason jar's the Exorcist had given him. He'd have to force the meddlesome spirit into the Spirit Jar some way, either mystically or his own strength.

>Strengthen, Weaken Barrier?

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>>5074369
Mister Commons finds himself just outside an office park in a quiet neighborhood of Tucson. Parking a rental car, he had himself a small stack-out. It wasn't a long affair, nor with a specific objective. But he was able to learn abit about the building and the staff movements from the large panel glass windows that spied into its corridors and offices. Commons decided to make the appointment while on stack-out and was surprised to see a receptionist pick up on the second floor. Pleasantries were exchanged, business was made, and then Commons saw It.

From the darkness of the PMUI offices, the shadows deepened. This thing shone with two pin points of red lights about eye-level. From its head sprung two branches of a mesmerizing auras. They bent lights from the hanging fixtures to create an undeniable halo around the creature's head. The reflected light from the creature's halo covered the receptionist's eyes. He did not balk, nor drop to his knees in reverence, nor cower in fear. It disappeared into a pair of elevator doors just as the receptionist wished Commons a good night.

Commons waited a few moments waiting to see if the creature reappeared in the elevator on the first floor, yet the doors slide open to reveal no such thing. Another layer of the mystery pulled back. One step closer to the Truth. But until Commons witnessed or at least understood the means by which PMUI preyed on people, that Truth would remain hidden. When he did eventually return home and rested, he found a voice message on his phone.

Even the Jailer's recorded voice carried that same deep, ominous forbearance, "I see you are well on your way to discovering your Truth on this manner. My general sense tells me you ought prepare to defend yourself from falsehoods and manipulations, less you fall to Ruin."

>Protections and Charms?

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>>5074957
>Character Registered
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne
Attributes: Dexterity and Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, Investigation.
Skills: Melee, Athletics
School: Shaman
Icons: Family Shortsword, Wolf Wineskin

On the other side of the wooden cabin door, the creature battered away shaking the frame and threatening to break it all down in a thunderous crash. Outside the horned beast of the deserts, or "Monty" as the Hermit had called it, stalked the cabin roaring balefire and nursing its own injuries. It had suffered silver buckshot from the Hermit's shotgun before cruelly striking him down. Monty's limp body still hung on the partition fence. The Hunt had been going so well.

A few days ago, Byrne had been contacted by a hunting associate of the family. The Hermit had been tracking a bestial creature haunting the Saguaro Park. Monty was a vicious goat eater that had wandered alittle too close to civilization for comfort. The Hermit hadn't been sure about tracking the beast down until he'd learn of its human victims, a small family that lived in the Oro Valley. The Hermit knew he was an older gentleman and needed some young blood to take Monty down.

In the present, Byrne was frantically securing the cabin's front and back doors with furniture. Monty was weak, she was strong, but she needed a few moments to slow down and think of a plan of attack. Out by the Hermit's feet that shotgun had one last shell loaded, and that might be enough to take the beast down. Her shortsword was ready at hand. Taking this thing on might be an option considering how its nursing its left arm where the silver shell pockmarked it.

>Go for the Gun, Stick with the Sword, Escape?

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>>5075022
>Name
Fred Ward
>Attributes
Intelligence and Wits
> Knowledge
Academics, Craft
>Skills
Empathy, Persuasion
>School
Alchemist
>Icons
Shadow Raven, Ancient Coin

Head lowered in solemn prayer, Ward muttered a few words of peace towards the countless dead that lay in this fort. He knew that one day he too might share the same fate of the forgotten dead so far from home. A chill ran down his spine and his chest ached of longing for the home he left behind to pursue his education.

The budding alchemist refused to linger too much of home for he knew that he had a purpose to fulfill. He knew that one day he'd see his family again but for the moment he had to make the most of his situation.

Raising his head, Ward felt the warm Tuscan wind kiss his face and scratched the underside of Diquad's face chitin making the raven-like creature purr in affection.

He then made his way towards the Airplane boneyard to meet whoever it was he told to meet. Ward wondered what type of person would be involved with the Esoteric Colleges. He had little idea of the reach and manpower of the mysterious group aside from rumors.

>Go to the Airplane Boneyard and meet the tour guide

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>5075039
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne
Attributes: Dexterity and Charisma
Knowledge: Academics, Investigation.
Skills: Melee, Athletics
School: Shaman
Icons: Family Shortsword, Wolf Wineskin

"Ahh fuck what a bloody mess this turned out to be" Dannie scrambled to take in her surrounding while the best frantically tried its best to break down the door.

Her eyes darted towards the old hermit wondering if he was still alive but she didn't have the luxury of time. Her eyes ogled the gun but couldn't trust her life on a single shell so instead, she sighed in defeat.

Calmly walking towards where Monty was breaking down the door she locked her eyes on the shaking barricade, seeing glimmers of the creature's form through the cracks it had made.

The young huntress flipped her shortsword into a reverse grip before taking her Wineskin in her other hand. She drew the wineskin to her lips and took a gulp from it to focus her magic, focusing her powers to strengthen herself. As she felt otherworldly powers permeate her body, her skin turned cold while her complexion became pale.

"Let's go you wanker, I'll show you how hard the White Byrne family are!" Dannie shouted watching the creature with great intent, waiting for the right moment. When the Monty was almost through, she sped towards it with her shoulder raised like a human battering ram.

>Evoke toughness and speed buffs
>Shoulder Tackler the Monty as it comes through the door.

>>5075176
Zealot Charge time

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>5074646

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>5074646
This is my Persuasion roll now.

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>5074646
I'll roll again and use my Charmed trait to take the next roll, unless the evocation is good enough to allow a success.

Jesus Christ, I know we don't do crit successes and fails, but what a contrast between my evocation roll and my persuasion rolls.

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>>5075219
>>5075222
Wew

Rolled 5, 15 = 20 (2d20)

>>5075176
Didn't realize we were doing multiple rolls here's two. One for the shoulder charge itself and if needed another to stab the Monty while it's down.

>>5075028
>Name: Danny Carter
>Attributes: Stamina, Wits
>Knowledges: Investigation, Crafts
>Skills: Athletics, Empathy
>School: Shaman
>Icons: Moon tarot, Cat's Eye
>Extra: [Spirit Bottle], [Essence of Hare]

Since he didn't know how important it might be Danny made sure to study and memorize the pattern of the coyote tracks, thankful for his heightened senses. It didn't take him long to recognize it as the sign for the moon since it was his school icon. He had no real evidence for it but part of him assumed he might be dealing with some of lycanthrope. Not wanting to get confirmation bias to get in the way of research he kept it in mind but kept looking for clues that might point in other directions, even using his own icon in hopes of noticing more. As he did so heard a coyote howl, at first Danny thought it was "real" but he quickly realized it was a spirit.

He was confused about it for a few seconds before coming to conclusion the barrier between worlds must have been weakened. After thinking it over he decided to strengthen it and use the jar for it's intended purpose, he didn't go for the exorcist for nothing after all.

>Danny studied and memorized the pattern created by the tracks and decided to strengthen the barrier

>>5075035
>Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
>Attributes: Intelligence, Wits
>Knowledges: Academics, Investigation
>Skills: Firearms, Intimidation.
>School: Wizard
>Icons: Wooden Wand, Red Hemp Rope

Note to self, take the stairs. Or maybe not...
Peter could feel the beginnings of a plan coalesce within his brain.

He'd have to go all in.
He opened the gun safe in his room, and took out his Glock 17 and three magazines, loading one in the gun after a few safety checks. He decided to go in with an open carry holster, rather than have to magically deal with metal detectors. If they didn't allow the gun, fine. But they might, and though lead was no silver, he would rather have options. And if had a gun to give up, they might not look for anything else.
Most of the prep work went to his rope Icon. He set up a thaumaturgy ritual he had already practiced in his room, designed to imbue the coil of rope with a protective aura against both magical and physical harm, which would grow into an area effect should the two ends of the coil be connected.

He then moved on to imbuing each end of the coil with a small self-contained spell. When holding the end of the coil, an Evocation against a target would cause the rope to lash out, coiling around the target, and delivering elemental damage. One end would inflict burns on contact, the other electric shocks. Painful, usually debilitating, but normally not lethal.

In the morning, he would "wear" the rope while at PMUI, starting with the "fire" end in his left arm, coiling down the arm, around the shoulders and chest, snaking down each leg in turn, and ending up with the "lightning" end in his right sleeve. A comforting, though not restricting presence he had grown used to over the months.

He would go up to the interview using stairs. Should the creature appear, he would be able to defend himself, If not, he planned to get into the elevator it went in, use a bit of magic to stop it between two floors and attract the thing, uncoil the rope into a ritual circle, and either stay inside or trap the creature in, then deal with it using his staff, or the gun as an emergency..

So that's some of what I envisioned the rope Icon could do. I'm not sure how much of it is possible within the system and at my character's current level. Feedback very much appreciated.

>>5075432
How would you like to cast this spell? You can jump to the top of the thread to read how spellcasting works. You'll need to decide an Icon and which method of spellcasting to use.

>>5075561
Imbuing the rope coils with a self-contained spell is a Creation effect that is beyond your ability. However since you are imbuing it with a protective aura, I would allow you making a Lasso Of Truth which would bind another creature's ability to cast magical effects. While you wear it you'll be protected, but once you cast it you'll lose the protection and the creature will be bound. Such an enchantment should last a day.
To cast the effect roll: Protection of the Hearth
TN 14 = 10(Manipulation) +1(Wizard Thaumaturgy), +1(Academics), +1(Intimidation), +1(Red Hemp Rope)

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>5075788

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>>5075219
>>5075220
>>5075222
12 - 1 = 11
12 - 18 = -6
11 + -6 = 5
>Minor Success
>[Charmed] condition removed.

Mason's immediate first impression comes across terribly. Impala, the young man working out some personal inadequacies, begins a long-winded reprimand over Mason's sitting on the hood of his car. Mason takes the scolding in stride, trusting things to work out in her favor, going so far as to recline on the against the windshield, which does increase Impala's frustration. After only a moment, Impala stops speaking and begins to apologize. Mason looks back at Impala to see him holding a car magazine. On the cover was a model with the similar appearance, dress, and pose as Mason.

Mason used the misunderstanding to her advantage and confirmed whatever story Impala implied. Obviously Mason was a model with a photo-shoot in the Catalina Foothills, and Impala would be glad to drive her. During the trip Impala spoke at length about cars. Mason had impressed him by citing the make, model, and year of his automobile. He wasn't a bad conversationalist, but outside of cars he wasn't exceptionally clever. A honest dialogue was somewhat difficult with the initial subterfuge.

The red string of fate continued down the road until it took a sharp turn into an old railyard. As Mason stepped out, Impala again apologized and even proposed a date. Mason didn't confirm plans, she had no idea if she'd still be walking around with two legs after discovering the hidden cache of money and weapons. Walking between old boxcars, the wind blew kicking up desert sand into her face. She through her hands up loosing sight of the red string, until turning the corner and discovering a boxcar standing separate the others on its own disconnected track.

Her final destination in sight, Mason walked around the boxcar and considered her options. The boxcar's sliding doors were chained and padlocked, which didn't match the iron key that had lead her here. Some lockpicks could be helpful. There was possibly access on the roof she couldn't spy from her angle on the ground. Some of the wooden planks seemed weaken by age, if she could find a prybar and some mad hidden strength that could be a way in.

>Gain access into the Boxcar, Try the Lock, Try the Roof, Try to Pry, other?

>>5075829
I'm genuinely confused on I got a success at all or how the math was done to combine my rolls. It seems to be my two target numbers minus my first two rolls and then combining the sum of each of those. But, isn't low rolls supposed to be good? So is the 12 - 1 good? And is the 5 supposed to be my final result thus being a minor success owning to it being 5 under my target number? But that can't be because my persuasion TN is 12, or is it combined to get my degree of how much I passed by thus in the way you've written it out higher would be better?

It seemed much easier to understand in the opening posts.

I dunno, maybe I'm just extremely dumb and can't do literally elementary school math. That, and I'm tired.

Anyways, writing. Sorry for getting these up so late in the day and being behind.

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Rolled 19, 6 = 25 (2d20)

>>5075829
Hope you don't mind me deciding that I have certain items with me already QM. I assume it is fine because I have Larceny as a skill.

Alice didn't confirm anything with her impromptu ride but she asked for his number anyways. Who knows, maybe he'd turn out alright? Absentmindedly she entered his number into one of her cheap Nokia knock-off throwaway phones that came a pre-paid plan. "Hey, stick around will you," she said waving around to the railyard, "The photoshoot will only take a few minutes. It's just a quick gig."

As she walked around, the desert blew some sand her way causing her to briefly lose sight of the red string. She threw up her hands and squinted, trying to blindly find her way around the corner. The wind died down just as she rounded a corner, there she discovered a boxcar all on its lonesome. 'What dramatic timing, I really am just playing a part in some grand story,' she thought walking around the orphaned compartment, 'No, not some grand story, my story.'

Taking out her torsion wrench and pickgun, she approached the lock and thought for a second. The pickgun was a tiny bit noisy, but no one else seemed around and it was much quicker than picking the lock herself. Her course of action decided, she rolled her dice to give herself a quick blessing, then she got to work.

>Bless my lockpicking with a quick evocation.

>Lockpick the lock with Larceny.

Here are a couple of rolls for the actions.

>>5075788
>I don't know if a roll/full post is required for this but since it's still day and it should be reasonably safe out I'm going with thaumaturgy

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>>5075112

Ward was met at the Boneyard by an aircraft technician that didn't seem mesmerized. She was cheerful and willing to give a detailed guided tour of the planes held in long-term storage. In an open jeep they drove between lanes of aircraft, dozen of these flying machines grounded together, inert. To the Alchemist eye there was unanimated potential dense within these bones. Engines, stripped away of crucial components and emptied of fuel reserves, looked like a huge compressed spring ready to burst out of its ghoulish grave.

As the tour continued, Ward would start picking up a few words here and there from the aircraft technician. Some of her words, weren't her own. She would give historical context of the boneyard and the many planes that had been retired, which were absolutely her own. Her jokes and analogies, how her duty shifts during the nights got abit creepy, were also her own. Yet it seemed as if a subtle mental influence was driving her and thus the jeep deeper into the Boneyard and towards a field of stripped down helicopters.

The air technician parked the jeep and stepped out inviting Ward to do likewise. They approached the stripped out cabin of a black helicopter, its windshields and windows replaced by aluminum foil sheets and duct tape. Spread out in front of the rotorcraft's nose were the component part of the radial rotors and tail rotors. Wires, pistons, sockets, laid out on the ground as a doctor would do during an autopsy. These parts engineered to work together and make that vehicle fly. And now Ward was given an offer.

The air technician, now fully mesmerized by a remote influence, made that offer. From these shattering of materials and components he could choose some to be personally delivered to whatever workshop he had. The parts would be reported damage beyond repair or lost in transit. This offer comes form the Ghost, a patron Necromancer of the Esoteric College, at no cost and can be declined but may not be offered again.

>Take some Electrical Components, Mechanical Components, or Decline the offer?

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>>5075176
I'm taking the first rolls I see.
TN 12 = 10(Manipulation) +1(Shaman Evocation), +1(Wolf Wineskin)
TN 11 = 10(Normal) +1(Melee)
12 - 6 = 6
11 - 5 = 6
6 + 6 = 12
>Great Success
> gain the [Vigor] condition. Once during a physical test before you roll, you may remove this condition to automatically succeed with a Major Success.

Whipping out of the stopper of the wineskin, Byrne already feel the adrenaline pumping blood into her already tense muscles. All her senses became hyperactive even as her thinking consciousness lagged behind. Monty battered the wooden framed door, once, twice, and then crashed with the full force that the beast could muster. Byrne was immediately assaulted by the smell of blood, sweat, and musk. Like a wildcat, Byrne pounced using wild instinct to guide her tackle. They collided in mid-air in the threshold of the cabin with Bryne's momentum slamming Monty against the cabin's porch.

Bringing up her other arm, she intended to cut the beast down while she had it pinned. Beneath her the wild beast screamed before chomping at the shoulder of the arm holding the blade. Monty gained leverage enough to struggle through the grapple but hadn't escaped nor controlled it yet. Byrne wrenched her shoulder free. But could already feel the muscles straining under the bruised and bleeding skin. It mattered not. The Vitality of her magic continued to replenish the spent blood. And the engine of her heart continued to power her body.

Once more she brought the sword backwards and thrusted. This time the blade found its mark and blood gushed from the wound spraying Bryne's swordarm with a fine mist. Monty finally found the leverage it needed and kicked Bryne off. But not before suffering another quick slash across the torso. The two separated. Monty had suffered a number of wound but refused to be defeated. By a thousand cuts its strength and stamina had been wilted down to one last desperate to kill or be killed.

Bryne had the advantage and control of this hunt. She could be aggressive and damn whatever retaliation Monty could ram back at her with its goring horns. She could be passive and use the last of Monty's momentum against itself. Either way she was determined to plant her shortsword into the beast's chest.

>Finish the Hunt, with Grace, with Power?

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>>5075561
TN 14 = 10(Manipulation) +1(Wizard Thaumaturgy), +1(Academics), +1(Intimidation), +1(Red Hemp Rope)
14 - 7 = 7
>Success
>Gain [Protection of the Hearth]
In the ceremonial chamber Commons practiced his craft as a Wizard ought to. With a command and precision required of the Wizard's craft he imbued his Icon with power. He chanted the verses quickly, spitting them like fire, and ended the ritual by chalking a blackboard with the proper sigil and extinguishing the candlelight. Mister Commons Red Hemp Rope now held the Protection of the Hearth which would deflect physical blows and magical effect.

Strapped with protection and a good cover story supported by faked documents provided by the Jailer, Mister Commons approaches the PMUI building confident and in control. Minimal security was present, a man with a phoneline to local law enforcement, but no other scrutiny. The Receptionist marks the appointment down and directs Commons to an office on the second floor. He received some disinterested glances from staffers as he emerged from the stairwell. But nothing of concern. In the daytime, these offices had lost much of its dread. He could smell coffee brewing from a break room and strong perfume from the bathrooms.

Directed to wait within the interview room, he entered to find something he would expect from a professors office. A bookshelf along the left world was full of academic journals. A desk of metal and opaque frosted glass sat opposite. Mister Commons took a moment to relax, either standing focused or reclining on a couch. It wasn't but for a moment that he realized that the outside offices had become quiet, abandoned even. He instinctually felt that he was alone on the second floor. Expect for the single pair of footfalls coming down the corridor.

The office door opened by inches, and the first few details of the Thing appeared, two antenna shrouded in a darkness that eat light and ended with two points of red lights drifted into the room. Following behind was a person with eyes replaced with the roots of the awful antenna. Mister Commons felt the magical influence of the antenna attempting to rest control of his memory and mind, however the Protection of the Hearth prevented such influence. "Mister Anderson?" the Thing asked.

>Keep up the subterfuge and corner the creature with accusations? KILLITWITHFIRE?

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>>5076551
Name: Alice Mason
Attributes: Dexterity, Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, Larceny
Skills: Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: Dice, Sage

TN 12 = 10(Manipulation) +1(Witch Evocation), +1(Dice)
TN 17 = 15(Easy) +1(Dexterity), +1(Larceny)
12 - 19 = -7
17 - 6 = 11
11 + -7 = 4
>Success
>Gain the [Snake Eyes] condition. A sense of dread lingers until removed.

The shadows of the railyard lengthen as the evening sun starts drifting towards the horizon. The temperature suddenly drops with a supernatural crash. Goosebumps spread over Mason's arms and legs. Looking down as the metal saucepan she'd cast her dice into, she stared at the Snake Eyes. The specter of bad luck coiled itself in the saucepan ready to strike with venomous fangs. With uncertain hands, Mason retrieved the dice and went to work on the ancient lock.

The rusty padlock had hung there for an untold number of years, decades even. Flakes of rust had eroded the fine metalwork outside, yet the internal tumblers still rolled with the thieves professional click. Several long moments lasted in tense silence with only the clicking of the pickgun to interrupt it. Mason felt a terrible fate in the silence, and the red string of fate now seemed like a nose around her neck threatening to straggle her. When the lock finally clicked free it tumbled across the wooden paneling and rusted metal tracks with a loud crashing that deafen the already tense Mason.

The sliding boxcar door opened a crack, revealing the safe she'd seen in her vision, just within reach. A whole of of different artifacts and relics were stacked besides and atop the iron safe, making the whole boxcar a long neglected trash pile or time capsule. It smelled like old chapped leather and long forgotten tobacco. Before she could reach in to take her treasure, she heard the shouting of "Thief!"

Whipping her head in the direction of the shout, she saw a man holding an old gun and wearing the attire of a ranger or settler from Arizona's railroad boom. This man existed at two times at once, one foot in the past, the other in the present. The Man Out of Time cocked his six-shooter and fired twice punching the wooden paneling over Mason's head and pinging off the metal safe.

>Take the Treasure and Run? Take Cover and return Fire?

>>5076602
I'm going to assume using the Moon Tarot Icon
roll Strengthen the Barrier
TN 12 = 10(Manipulation) +1(Shaman Thaumaturgy), +1(Moon Tarot)

>>5077104
Peter fought down an instinctual urge to scream and run a way in terror, plastered a small smile on his face, and played into the abomination's hand.
"That would be me, yes."
As he went through the expected course of the meeting, he would study how the Thing tried to change his mind. He was confident in his protection, and knew that this was his best shot at understanding how the Thing twisted and concealed the Truth. Only when he understood this would he start dropping hints that things were off, assuming the creature did not grow frustrated before that.
>Keep up the subterfuge
>Study the influence. What parts of his mind and memory are being targeted? What shape do these attacks take? Are they familiar to him ?

Rolled 1, 3 = 4 (2d20)

>>5077101
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne
Attributes: Dexterity and Charisma
Knowledge: Academics, Investigation.
Skills: Melee, Athletics
School: Shaman
Icons: Family Shortsword, Wolf Wineskin
Bonus: [Vigor]

Byrne smiled a predatory smile seeing the damage she'd done to the Monty compared to what it had done to her. Her teeth flashed like a carnivore cornering its prey however her mind was clear as snow as to her next actions.

She gained a huge advantage by getting it off guard however right now she'd lost the element of surprise. Although she knew she would likely win, an extended fight could do some serious damage to her. The young hunter loosened her stance, Byrne's arms flopped to the side casually as if goading the monster. Telling it silently "come and get me" before spitting in its general direction.

Her mind raced, waiting for the creature to strike so that she might deliver the killing blow.

>Provoke the Monty
>Wait for a charge/heavy attack, dodge, and counterattack.

>>5077141
Monster hunter of the year.

>>5077141
Witnessed!

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>5077113
That was the plan, yeah

>>Name: Danny Carter
>>Attributes: Stamina, Wits
>>Knowledges: Investigation, Crafts
>>Skills: Athletics, Empathy
>>School: Shaman
>>Icons: Moon tarot, Cat's Eye
>>Extra: [Spirit Bottle], [Essence of Hare]

Given that he had some time before nightfall Danny decided to take the more time consuming option and go with a thaumaturgical spell. Since his own icon was more suited for observation than outright magic going with the moon made the most sense. Grabbing a stick he drew a large circle in the desert sand, to both act a stand in for the barrier and the full moon wanting to be sure it was recognized as the icon he intended it to be he also drew a crescent moon inside of it it. He sat down in the center closing his eyes and sent his power into the ground, doing his best to ensure it didn't leave the circle. After a few minutes while keeping his physical eyes closed he tried to "see" the spirit world and the barrier.

>>5077757
Sorry forgot the description
Danny drew a full moon with a crescent moon inside, sent into it and tried to see the barrier and whether or not he was successful

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Rolled 3, 4 = 7 (2d20)

>>5077108
A chill went down Alice's spine, her luck had run out it seemed. The sudden pressure differential accompanying the temperature crash kicked up a sudden violent windstorm, sending sand flying everywhere. Swallowing hard, she retrieved her dice and got to work on the lock with shaky hands.

The lock seemed to be decades old. Why did the red string of fate lead her here, in the middle of nowhere? Wasn't there supposed to be a shed here? She had looked into the future, hadn't she? Had she made a mistake, had she looked into the past? The air seemed suffocating all of a sudden, she could barely breath. With a final twist of her torsion wrench the lock suddenly clicked open and clattered to the ground with an inordinately loud metal clang. 'Easier than I thought it'd be, maybe I shouldn't use magic for things I don't have to.' She thought to herself, trying to keep herself calm.

Alice stood frozen, startled in place as the sliding door slid open a crack, beyond the threshold in the dying light she saw her prize among artifacts piled around from another time. The cry of "Thief!" caused her to whirl in place. Through the light of dusk and the whipping winds stepped out a Man Out of Time. Was she seeing things? She couldn't tell, sometimes she slipped out of the present and saw things from the past and future.

"Are you rea-aaaah!" her question turning into a scream of panic as the man let loose a pair of deafening shots that pinged loudly somewhere behind her. Raising both hands above her head, she ran around the boxcar yelling "Don't shoot, don't shoot!"

Pressing herself against the opposite side of the boxcar from the Man Out of Time she risked a peak around the corner. The man was still just standing there out in the open, stoic and seemingly unaffected by the whipping sands. She thought quickly, she could call her Impala buddy on her phone, maybe he could help after seeing her being attacked by this man. No, no, it'd be more trouble than it was worth, especially the aftermath, plus he was probably nearby anyways. A quick look scrounging around in her bag yielded another bundle of sage. "Uh, listen mister, I didn't know this was y-yours. If I'd known I-I'd have not gone lookin' where I wasn't supposed to!" she yelled out with genuine panic. While she was talking she feigned flailing about, her panicked motions disguising another evocation as lit up her sage bundle.

Turning the corner she locked eyes with the Man Out of Time. The wind caught the smoke and carried it towards him. Dropping the bundle she drew her gun; a Beretta Cougar D recently stolen from drunken mark. Taking a stance she fired a shot, then stepped back behind the corner while keeping one eye out around the corner to maintain her hex on him. He'd already spent two shots and she had a full magazine, she'd be cautious, exchange fire not intended to be accurate, and when he was out of ammo she'd move to wherever she needed to be to get a clear shot and incapacitate him.

>>5077781
Whew! Good rolls!

To be clear, my intent is...

>Take cover and evoke a Hex on the Man Out of Time with my Sage Icon.

Then...

>Exchange fire, hopefully have him waste his remaining four shots while I remain in cover only poking my arm out to shoot wildly to prevent him from walking up to me and getting around my cover and provoke him to return fire. Then when he is out of ammo, I go out and shoot him.

>>5077134
roll Profiling the Unknown
TN 12 = 10(Normal) +1(Wits), +1(Academics)

>>5077099
>Name
Fred Ward
>Attributes
Intelligence and Wits
> Knowledge
Academics, Craft
>Skills
Empathy, Persuasion
>School
Alchemist
>Icons
Shadow Raven, Ancient Coin

Ward looked at the possessed tour guided with great curiosity as his mind raced about the implications of magic.

"Strange is this pure necromancy? I didn't realize you could use necromancy for this sort of thing, it seems more like it'd involve a Devil's sympathetic magics or a modified version of a Shaman's bestial control."

"Perhaps this is the Shadow powers of necromancy I've heard about?"

He then walked over to the gutted aircraft but he didn't need to think long about what he wanted. "I'll take some electronics, I'll have more use for them at this very moment."

"That aside though, I'm curious if there are any rules I should follow as a budding necromancer. Both written laws from the Esoteric college I should never break as well as advice from a master alchemist about things that would make my life easier."

>Question The Ghost about how he's possessing/mind-controlling somebody
>Choose Electrical Components
>Question The Ghost about the rules of a magical society as well and certain dos and don'ts. Just in case things like forcing a zombie to move a wheel for the rest of it's like to make power or shoving a spirit into a makeshift computer to have a slave assistant is considered against the rules.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>5077965

>>5078350
shucks, just short.

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>>5078350
>gain [Misstep]. An oversight to be adverted.

The Thing reached out to a dimmer switch to lower the lights giving the excuse that they were hard on his eyes. Now in the dimness, the Thing sat at the glass desk its eye stalks scanning over the falsified documents like two nostrils bring up whatever scent it could. Behind the mystical protection, Commons could sense the influence of the Thing's presence attempting to occult his senses. Without his mystical protection, the Thing's face would be absent of any abnormal antenna.

The Thing would meet Commons gaze with its own eyestalks and begin selling the PMUI program. It would go on at length about the necessity of proper career and education planning. The PMUI had a good working relationship with the University. With such connections, Commons as Anderson could accelerate his career landing into a promising residence or nursing program later down the land. None of which was a complete lie. But it did occult the truth. Throughout the conversation the Thing was rhetorically and mystically building a blind spot in the client-to-be's cognition. The debt wasn't mentioned specifically, neither was the contact and the long-term commitments. When they were, the Thing suppressed the significance and consequences.

Commons, more focused on observing these phenomena than recalling information, failed to profile exactly what this creature could be classed into. From its mystical aura, it seemed to be a fae creature, possibly a pooka, a fairy that dealt in half-truths and lies. Such creatures sustained themselves on contracts, pacts, and laws that defined explanation.

By the end of the interview, the Thing seemed confused. It tilted its head raised its eyestalk. On the desk was a pen and a contract with the signature line towards Commons. The Thing expected Commons to sign without a second thought. The Thing gave an awkward cough, as if to tell its lover that this never happened before. The Thing ask if there was something he needed elaborated on, running down its stock script. Now Commons could feel the Protection of the Hearth starting to fray. He'd need to decide now whether to excuse and extract himself, or expose and coerce the fae creature into revealing the truth.

>Stop while Ahead, Push your Luck, BURNITWITHFIRE?

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>>5078043
Fred Ward
The tech doesn't answer Ward's queries, simply marks up the electronic component as scrap on her work orders and returns to the jeep. The tour resumes much to Ward's confusion. Once the tour ended, Ward would have been briefed on the dozen or so squads that had served as maintenance and reclamation officers and the fleet of planes retired in the Boneyard. As Ward made for the exit, he is handed a ringing throwaway phone, the caller id reading "The Ghost."

"You had questions?", a man on the other line asked. Ghost went onto explain the possession gave him the illusion of control. There are specters that can influence a person's mind and behavior. Controlling such specters are well within the Necromancer's Craft. Perhaps Ward wasn't quite attuned to sense the haunting, or that specter was just especially subtle. As far as laws, there were the precepts of Secrecy, Recognition, Protection, and Hubris to follow, which were more common sense than anything. However Ghost did have some words for the budding Necromancer.

"If you haven't already, secure yourself a laboratory, somewhere you can easily silence. Frankenstien had one for a reason. Spirits of the deceased aren't people. They are shadows that the soul leaves behind after death. Somewhere between hazardous waste and useful scrap. They can react and follow simple instructions like a robot. But some bite like wolves and bears, feeding on violence or misery. Those kinds are toxic, hazardous. You do all of us a favor with their destruction. Lastly, consider a Craft Name to protect yourself and make your magic a bit easier."

After a few more minutes of conversation, Ghost excuses himself to take care of business and encourages Ward to call again. Ward now free from the tour and having some of his questions answers, may act as he likes.

>What do?

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>>5077781
TN 12 = 10(Manipulation) +1(Witch Evocation), +1(Sage)
TN 7 = 5(Snake Eyes) +1(Dexterity), +1(Firearms)
12 - 3 = 9
7 - 4 = 3
9+3 = 12
>Success
>remove [Snake Eyes]
>gain [Pack of Stuff]

The smoke from the burning sage carried by the evening wind drifted into the eyes of the Man Out of Time. He rubbed his watering eyes as Mason took advantage of the distraction to squeeze a few shots in his direction. Ducking into cover of the broadside of the boxcar, he traded for a few shots of his own. Mason counted two more empty chambers in that old-style six-shooter. It would not be long before she could push her assault. She sprinted between the boxcar and the cover of an overturned handcar. She held her breath and heard the jackhammer of her chest, waiting for his six-shooter to fire the last of its ammunition.

One aimed shot, taking off some wood off the fringe of the handcar. And then with the last shot, Mason jumped out from behind cover and ran screaming like a banshee. As she covered the distance she level her firearm for a fatal shot. The Man Out of Time dropped the spent six-shooter and drew another fully loaded revolver from the inside of his coat. It leapt into Mason's vision, the fated viper to cut her down at the climatic moment. The gun battle ended with two simultaneous shots finding their mark. White hot burning lead and stinging pain flared across the side of Mason's torso. While the Man Out of Time central chest bleed, the bullets finding his vital organs.

The bullet wound in Mason's side might give her fake modeling career an interesting scar, but it wouldn't kill her. The bullet went right through catching fat and muscle, not rib or lung. The dying body before her drifted from material to insubstantial, the bits and pieces dissolving backwards in time. Returning to the safe, Mason easily slid the iron key into the lock. She pulled favoring that arm opposite the bullet wound. Inside she discovered stacks of cash, a few nuggets of yellow gold, and two semi-automatic pistols. This was very much different from her vision. Pondering her circumstances about the only thing about her visions that seemed definite was the loud gunshot, and the many that followed afterwards.

Perhaps she had seen just a possible future, perhaps she had changed her present by shooting that Man Out of Time down. Such questions were unbecoming of a Witch, this would be a story of secret treasures, gunfire at dusk, and blood on the sands. Her own it would seem. It was easy enough for Mason to stuff a pack with her treasure. As Mason shut the boxcar door as if nothing had ever happened, Impala came running, exclaiming that he heard the gun battle and seeing the wound, insisted on taking Mason to hospital.

>Resist Hospital, Trust Impala?

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>>5077757

Drawing the circle and crescent, Carter captured the vision of the barrier between worlds in his mind. He used the imagery of the Moon tarot. On one side barked the domesticated dog that represented the familiar material world, and on the other howled the feral wolf that represented the wild unknown world of spirits. Strengthen the barrier cast the feral wolf further and further away, the howling grew quieter while the barking grew louder. Opening his eyes he saw the world in clearer, more static focus. The phantom howls were distant but persistent.

Soon enough, afternoon became evening, became night. The moon rose cementing preparations. The Coyotes barked and rushed into the prairie. In the spiritual world the meddlesome spirit rode the Coyote's back, they hid behind the animal's eyes. Normally beasts like these would keep their distance, but the spirit infected them with murderous intent. As a pack they circled around Carter yipping and barking to break his confidence.

>What do?

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>>5077141
Daniella White Byrne
TN 11 = 10(Normal) +1(Melee)
11 - 1 = 10
>Success
>remove [Vigor]
>gain [Victory Cry]. Once while the thrill of victory remains, you may remove this condition and reroll any test again, accepting the better outcome.

Monty roared and Bryne's nose wrinkled with the stench of decay from Monty's maul. It mattered not since her mind was cleared of distractions. Monty stomped and scraped on the wooden porch with its hooves. Still favoring the arm free of silver buckshot, it grabbed a piece of paneling that had broken free in the struggle. It charged, swinging the paneling in a wide arc in order to smack Bryne into the ground. Opposite Monty, Bryne stood in a relaxed stance. She would answer the fiery, animalistic assault with cool, fluid flow.

As Monty brought the heavy wooden paneling overhead, Bryne stooped forward, readied her sword and thrusted upwards, catching the beast in the chest and using the force of the beast's charge against it. Without momentum, the wooden paneling dropped harmlessly. The beast while heavy was easy enough to push aside. It now laid dead. The horned beast of the desert was no more. Taking stock of everything around her, things looked like a disaster. The cabin had been wrecked but that could be excused as a wild animal attack. The Hermit still hung onto life. She could feel the faint pulse of life refusing to extinguish. But they were in serious trouble.

Turning the Hermit over she could see the bruised torso and supernaturally she could sense the broken ribs threatening to damage internal organs. If the Hermit died, she'd have to bring that sad news to the College. Reaching into the Hermit's pockets, Bryne found the keys to the jeep they taken. It was maybe a few ferocious minutes of rough road between here and the clinic friendly to the Hermit. The wineskin at her side and a decent ritual might heal these wounds, but time and uncertainty plagued either choice.

>Rush to Hospital, Perform a healing ritual, do final rites?

Rolled 3, 4, 2 = 9 (3d20)

>>5078634
The sound of Impala's cries of dismay took Alice from her thoughts of meta-narratives and the pistols that seemed just right for her. He was right, the Man Out of Time may not have given her a bizarre casuality defying death but her wound bled freely and could get infected. Could she trust him was the question, the strap of her treasure laden bag chafed against her shoulder. She'd have trouble resisting him if he tried to steal her bag while she was wounded, and even if she could trust him she could not trust the hospital not to become suspicious if they rooted through her bag.

Slipping her dice free she casually tossed them up into the air and locked eyes with Impala, with a spell-weaving flourish she reached up and caught her descending dice without looking. 'Can I trust him. Does he have an ulterior motive for helping me. Is he a mage.' Her eye fluttered behind now closed eyes, Seeing into the future.

Regardless of his trustworthiness, she still needed a ride. She opened her eyes and gave Impala a pained smile. "Sorry, just wishing for good luck,' she explained, "I guess I was tricked, there was no set, no crew, no photographer, nothing. This guy just suddenly came outta nowhere and tried to mug me. He ran off after I showed him why that wasn't going to happen." Impala waved off her explanations, pleading with her to come with him, that she didn't need to worry about getting blood on his upholstery and on and on and on.

"Listen -- ahh! -- I can't exactly afford a trip to the hospital, I don't have the cash for it. But, I know someone who can help stitch me up just as good as any doctor. Could you take me there instead?" she pleaded her case to him. What she needed was a Shaman, the Esoteric College could help her get back on her feet faster than any doctor and with less questions. It'd cost less too, not even a fraction of what was in bag. "Please? You'd really be helping me out."

>Do a quick evocation to See into her and Impala's future. Can she trust him. Does he have an ulterior motive for helping her. Is he a mage.

>Try and Persuade Impala to take her to the address of a Shaman Alice knows and trusts instead of the hospital. If he doesn't agree, Alice will nod and get in the car until they are back in town, then she'll tell him - or force him, if need be - to stop the car and make her own way to either her Shaman contact or just really any Shaman that can help.

1st die is for Seeing, 2nd is for Persuasion, 3rd is for Intimidation. (At gunpoint if need be.) Disregard the third roll if the persuasion succeeds.

>>5079021
Whew! I guess to speed things along you could use the third roll for Persuasion on the Shaman to treat me and give me a good deal and not screw around with my bag of treasure, depending on how far you want to write ahead. Though I understand if you don't want to take the roll after I changed what it might be for or if you want me to roll separately for that.

>>5078639
>>5077141
This isn't really relevant to me since I'm not involved, but wouldn't Daniella need a 1 or 2 to pass a healing ritual? Since the TN would be 10 for mending flesh, and Major Manipulations require passing the target number by 10. That's super dicey. Again, not that it is any of my business, Daniella can make her own choices, but if it were me; I'd rush to the Hospital. My situation and hers are worlds apart in terms of danger and consequence at the moment.

>>5078634
Name: Alice Mason
Attributes: Dexterity, Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, Larceny
Skills: Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: Dice, Sage

Forgot to type up my character sheet to help you out figuring out my bonuses and stuff.

>>5078636
>Name: Danny Carter
>Attributes: Stamina, Wits
>Knowledges: Investigation, Crafts
>>>Skills: Athletics, Empathy
>School: Shaman
>Icons: Moon tarot, Cat's Eye
>Extra: [Spirit Bottle], [Essence of Hare]

When the actual moon rose Danny began focusing on his Icon instead of the one he had drawn in the sand, the more he could see the better after all. The cat eyes tattooed on his shoulders were covered by his clothes but their power should still make it easier to see the spirit world even more clearly.

As he had expected the coyotes were being controlled by a foreign and hostile spirit. Not having the same time as he had before he sent his will into the mind of as many members of the pack as he could, hoping he could help the animals to drive the invader out.

>Danny first empowered his own icon to see more and is trying to enter the mind of several coyotes to try and drive the spirit out using Evocation

>>5078627
>Name
Fred Ward
>Attributes
Intelligence and Wits
> Knowledge
Academics, Craft
>Skills
Empathy, Persuasion
>School
Alchemist
>Icons
Shadow Raven, Ancient Coin

"Interesting, I'll keep that in mind thank you" Ward pondered what to do next. As much as he'd love to start experimenting with Necromancy, Ghost's advice made a lot of sense.

It would be almost impossible for him to conduct experiments without resources, information, and an area to conduct research in peace however the catch-20 was obvious. He could not normally get a lab without resources but he could not gain resources if he wasn't able to do his work.

Although they were accommodating, he had no idea how much help the Esoteric College was willing to give and he'd refuse to rely too much on them. Ward wasn't sure how common sense worked in the magical world so he'd decided to take a risk for his next action.

The newbie mage went around town, scouring for information about supernatural serial killers, rogue mages, or ancient ritualists long gone whose hideouts were never found. He knew that most of those places would probably have been cleaned out but Ward was banking on the chance that somewhere someplace had slipped through the cracks. He'd only need to get lucky once and the payoff would be worth it.

>Look for information on possible supernatural criminals' hideouts or old mages' labs that were forgotten/never properly cleared.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>5079151
Probably a roll. Here's one in case it's needed.

>>5078624
>Push your Luck

He felt like he had gotten everything out of playing coy. Time to go on the offensive.It might get him more answers by getting a rise out of that Thing.

"Yes,one question. Don't you think hustling med students is a bit low for a fae of your caliber ? That and Phoenix U is a strange choice. Quite unattractive to your current prey. Close to Tucson too. That's no good, you know ? Plenty of people and things live there who notice things like your little operation, you see. Not all of them well-intentioned or well-mannered, mind you." *He flashes his best cocky smile at the creature.*

>Preach generalities to gain truth.
>Extend an olive branch of sorts, with some intimidation mixed in for better results.

(Before we maybe try and murder each other, is there a Fairy Court equivalent in the setting I ought to worry about ? If I start messing with a fey's plan, who do I piss off ?)

>>5079064
The creatures before Carter have no concept of what a spirit is. They are a bundle of instincts that have persisted since they began walking on four legs. More so at this point since they are hunting in a pack by that same instinct. Carter may choose to control that impulse to calm or stop them. Or he may spiritually reach into the creature to drive the spirit out. Decide and roll.

>>5079328
The existence of a fairy court maybe something that Commons read in a book. But the alien creature before him has given no signs of holding such allegiances or fealty. Such mysteries are beyond the scope of Commons' experiences or perceptions. Please post a character sheet and roll.

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>5078639
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne
Attributes: Dexterity and Charisma
Knowledge: Academics, Investigation.
Skills: Melee, Athletics
School: Shaman
Icons: Family Shortsword, Wolf Wineskin
Bonus: [Victory Cry]

Dannie kicked the Monty's lifeless corpse one last time "Wanker"

She rushed towards the nameless Hermit seeing the situation was bad she moved quickly. Taking out her phone, Dannie called 911(Or the Tuscon Magical Authorities if I have that) telling them of the Hermit's wounds before going to work.

The young Huntress had no delusions. Stitching together flesh and bone was an incredibly difficult thing to do both with magic or mundane so she focused on stabilization. She started drawing runes around the old man, using her own semi-magical blood from her wounded shoulder as paint to invoke the primal energies of life.

"Spirits of nature hear my call. A guardian of peace lay wounded in battle. Have mercy on this solemn protector, who's given his twilight to stem the inhuman darkness." Dannie gave a quick prayer to the spirits of the wild before spilling her wineskin on the Hermit's wounds.

>Call EMS (or maybe Emergency Magical Services if I know that Lol)
>Prepare and conduct a Thaumaturgy ritual to invoke nature spirits and stabilize the Hermit. Drawing runes with my blood and focusing the healing into my wineskin's water.

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>5079447
Anndddd Victory Cry
>Rolling again

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>5079441
>Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
>Attributes: Intelligence, Wits
>Knowledges: Academics, Investigation
>Skills: Firearms, Intimidation.
>School: Wizard
>Icons: Wooden Wand, Red Hemp Rope
>Weapons: Glock 17 (normal): 3 full mags.
>Bonus: [Protection of the Hearth] (fraying)
>Malus: [Misstep]. An oversight to be adverted.

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>>5079491
TN 11 = 10(Normal) +1(Intimidation)
11 - 5 = 6
>remove [Misstep]
>remove [Protection of the Hearth]
>Success

Mister Commons impressed on the Thing an air of authority and confidence. From across the table it was somewhat difficult to parse the mood and attitude of the Thing's face. So much is lost in the absence of eyes. Instead, the red dots of lights were arched towards Commons in attention. Eventually the left dot crossed the face at the nose, now pointed towards the bookshelf full of natural journals. The other drooped down towards the glass desk the Thing sat behind. It stood up and didn't approach Mister Commons directly, instead walking towards the bookshelf and withdrawing on of the many volumes.

When the Thing spoke, Commons couldn't see its mouth moving as it was facing away from him. Its voice seemed to now buzz like static in the air. Opening the volume, it recited from the encyclopedia, "Studies have found that light pollution has caused a severe decline in it Lepidoptera population. These are insects that are guided by the Moon when flying. Artificial lights become false Moons and they get lost flying in spiral patterns." Shutting the book, it dropped the leather bound tome behind Commons' chair. Without elaborating further it exited the office saying, "Goodbye, Mister Anderson."

The moment that the Thing shut the door, the overhead light of the office completely blacked out and in the darkness the office exploded in excitement. Large wings that bristled with invisible whiskers, batted across Commons' protective wards. The Protection of the Hearth, deflected the overwhelming force attacking Commons in the darkness. Rushing to the switch on the wall, he threw up the lights to banish the darkness and the phantom wings which had finally broken the magical wards, although thankfully after the danger had past. The office itself looked like it had weathered a disaster, the bookshelf had been blown down and the glass desk had been shattered.

Over the next few days, Commons' investigation would come to its natural end. He covered his ass removing himself from the PMUI offices. The Thing had disappeared to parts unknown. The PMUI would see less activity, its short-lived success drying up and returning to a small corner of niche and questionable financial practices. Commons could draw his own conclusions about the mystery. Was it a Pooka? Was it a Lepidoptera? Whatever report he produced would surely please the Jailer.

End
The Dark Case of Predatory Antenna

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>>5079447
TN 12 = 10(Manipulation) +1(Shaman Thaumaturgy), +1(Wolf Wineskin)
12 - 2 = 10
>Success
>remove [Victory Cry]

From the circle of primal runes came a wellspring of health and vitality. Raw and directionless it drifted into the air above the Hermit. Bryne caught that energy in her wineskin and poured it over the Hermit's open bleeding wounds. Through her efforts that spark of life was sustained. The Hermit's ribs snapped back into place leaving a small hairline fracture that would require a cast to heal properly. Still it was a great deal better than it puncturing the lungs or heart. Their condition would be stable by the time help would arrive.

Help arrived in the form of a hearse painted red and white, combining the ideas of emergency medical care and funerary services. At least they were covered if Bryne hadn't stabilized the Hermit's wounds. Bryne would recognize the driver as a man 'In the Know,' an assistant to mages that are reasonably trustworthy. He would give first aid and cover the circumstances of the wounds while the Hermit recovered. She would have to settle accounts with the Esoteric College, and make a separate offering to the spirits of nature. Bryne currently enjoyed a small boon since they'd been invoked. And they would require the proper respect.

As for Monty's corpse, it was wrapped in a bit of plastic sheeting to keep the front porch from looking like a slaughterhouse. It would be possible to butcher the creature, Monty had an impressive set of horns, like a ram or goat really. Otherwise driving the body out into the middle of the desert and letting the carrion pick it apart was an option. Bryne held the keys for the work shed and the keys to the jeep in her hands. Leaving the body where it lay, or burying it here, would only complicate the scene. All else fails, the Esoteric College had to have somebody that could do this dirty work.

>Dispose of Monty's Body, Contact the College, Pay respect to the Spirits?

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>>5079151

Ward does some gumshoe work over the next few days to uncover forgotten corners of Tucson. While trolling through a science and supernatural webarticle, he read a string of comments from Miner99. Miner99 claimed to have investigated a string of disappearances running all the way back to the 1920s. This seemed an interesting enough lead to dig into, so Ward reached out to grab a few more details. Miner99 was responsive to email gave his account through correspondence. Ward has no reason to believe that Miner99 was in the know, so presented himself as just curious about local Tucson weird history.

Somewhere around the 1980s in the Pontatoc Neighborhood people would sleepwalk towards the Pontatoc Ridge Mine. Family members would find their loved ones gone from their beds only to have them returned by police confused on the road further into the foothills where prospectors discovered silver. During the summer such stories increased in frequency. One woman was picked up three times during the summer of 1982, each time traveling little further down that silver road. She was reported missing and never found soon afterwards.

Not entirely confident in the site, Ward traced another lead. The Demon Hill Tunnel was also the center of strange behavior with more tragic endings. Far out of town, there was a rail line that ran under the mountainous terrain. It was discontinued due to underperformance and the alarming number of suicide victims that would use the poor visibility of the dark tunnel to throw themselves on the tracks. Interestingly enough he'd heard talk of the Demon Hill from some of the older members of the ECT, an Old Fool that went by the craft name Storm Chaser.

>Research Pontatoc Ridge Mine, research Demon Hill Tunnel, contact Storm Chaser?

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>>5079021
>gain [Baby Face]. You've become undeniable. Once while you suffer from your gunshot wound, you may automatically succeed on a social role with Major Success.

Tossing the dice into the air and closing her eyes Mason accurately estimates the possibilities and what fate may bring. There is very little to no possibility that Impala is mage, currently. No mage has been able to predict a persona discovering magic. There is also a high possibility that his motive includes Mason's positive wellbeing. And in a possible vision of the future, Mason sees Impala discover the contents of the pack of stuff before very quickly leaving it be. He seems to have no interest becoming a suspect in grand theft.

Putting on a prefect persona of a pure, pleading even pained expression, Impala readily acquiesces to taking Mason where she wishes. The drive would take abit, maybe an hour to run through town to the southside and eventually to Green Valley. Impala didn't just know cars, he knew how to drive cars. Since the word go, his foot was planted to the accelerator. The railyard disappeared in an instant in the rearview. He switched gears as smooth as some martial artists. Mason for her part braced against the dash and strapped herself tight in the safety belt. She felt the torque as the car drifted down the highway in wide easy curves.

Taking the loop and avoiding patrol stops, the trip took considerably less time, all the while the heavy engine muscled down the asphalt and kicked up gravel on the backwood roads. The journey ended in a grassy abandoned lot with nothing occupying it but a burned out campervan. Staring in utter contempt and wearing not much more than a flannel jacket and boots was the Exorcist. She was a Shaman worn down by a life chasing and banishing meddlesome spirits from the material. Her patience at the best of times was thin and she valued her solitude above all else.

The Exorcist wastes no time marching towards the classic muscle car, seeming to growl with each step. With a menacing stance and few words, the Exorcist told Impala to stay with his loud machine and for Mason to come with her into the camper. Inside, the Exorcist was less hostile and Mason convinced her to at least hear her story. "Please tell me why I must reset my howling wolf alarms because that man roared that machine into my lot," she said while pulling the tap of a domestic beer.

>>5079025
I will consider it as setting the mood with a good first impression.

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>5079441
>Name: Danny Carter
>Attributes: Stamina, Wits
>Knowledges: Investigation, Crafts
>>>Skills: Athletics, Empathy
>School: Shaman
>Icons: Moon tarot, Cat's Eye
>Extra: [Spirit Bottle], [Essence of Hare]

While surprised by the fact that the animals don't seem to know they are being controlled Danny decided to stick to hid plan of driving the spirit out. Just in case he placed a hand on the bottle containing the essence of hare.

>Danny still tries to rid the coyotes of the spirit
and prepares to use the Essence of Hare in case he needs a distraction

>>5080192
>Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
>Attributes: Intelligence, Wits
>Knowledges: Academics, Investigation
>Skills: Firearms, Intimidation.
>School: Wizard
>Icons: Wooden Wand, Red Hemp Rope


His report would contain both his theory of a Pooka-type fae and the creature's reference to Lepidoptera, with a note wondering whether the creature was referring to itself or the students it attracted, and be sent to the Jailer's office the next day.
He made sure to note that while the creature had been stopped, it had not been neutralized, included descriptions of it's modus operandi, what Truth it tried to mask, what attacks it had used and an estimate of their power.

>Make an after action report for the Jailer, containing among other things: Creature type. Not neutralized. Effect on Truth. Estimated power.
>Keep a copy in a folder.

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>>5080192
>>5080193
>>5080194
>>5080207

Just wanna say thank you QM, you're doing great work. It's been more than a week since this started and the consistency and quality of your updates is something even QMs for regular /qsts haven't been able to achieve in recent times.

You're doing wonderful work and I really appreciate the very fact you're doing this and haven't bailed after all this time. Thank you for the time you've spent on this

>>5080207
Alice decided to be straight forward. "I've got a bullet hole in my side from a gun out of time and an appointment to keep tomorrow, I don't like breaking appointments I make." Alice said while untucking her shirt and showing the The Exorcist her wound.

She was prepared to tell her everything about her day, the key she'd bought honestly, her vision, meeting Impala, her duel, writing her own story in blood and sand. Still, for now she'd wait until asked for more details, the Exorcist didn't seem like the kind to like long-winded explanations or getting caught up in Fool's business.

"I'm sorry about the noise, my...uh-" Alice thought for a moment, "-my acquaintance was worried about me and doesn't know how to step off the gas." she finished.

Glancing around the camper Alice took off her gloves and fished out a small roll of cash. She thought a tenth of the cash she took from the boxcar would be fair for this service, but she was prepared to offer up to half of it or half of the gold, though the guns were hers as far as she was concerned. Though she was a witch-thief and plenty greedy besides, she liked to think she was fair and generous.

"Listen, if you need something done or you'd like payment, I'm good for it." she said while offering the Exorcist the roll of cash.

>Glance around the camper briefly. Not really looking to use a roll for this, just interested.

>Explain myself, apologize, offer payment in kind or in cash for the healing. Use my Baby Face benefit.

Name: Alice Mason
Attributes: Dexterity, Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, Larceny
Skills: Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: Dice, Sage
Extra: [Baby Face]. You've become undeniable. Once while you suffer from your gunshot wound, you may automatically succeed on a social role with Major Success. [Pack of Stuff]

>>5080207
I'll second >>5080557

Thanks for your effort and devotion OP.

I wonder when we'll get to meet each other, the other players I mean. I know this is just the beginning but it feels odd to have a roleplay thread but mostly only just interact with the OP.

>>5080699
Well Fred and I seem to have wrapped up our minor intros at about the same time so I might hang out with him depending on how long this Monty Skinning and Bread and Milk offering takes.

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>5080194
>Name
Fred Ward
>Attributes
Intelligence and Wits
> Knowledge
Academics, Craft
>Skills
Empathy, Persuasion
>School
Alchemist
>Icons
Shadow Raven, Ancient Coin

Ward stretched his tired limbs and hummed in satisfaction from being able to move after hours of research. It was a difficult choice, especially because of the lack of proper information however his interest was kept by Pontatoc purely due to the mention of Silver.

He knew that the Pontatoc Ridge Mine was likely cleared out but the material value of Silver, as well as its symbolic ties to magic and the supernatural, buried itself in his head. It would be pretty foolish to go in blind though, especially as he wasn't the most physically capable person so Ward started preparing a precaution.

The neophyte alchemist took the electronic equipment that Ghost had so graciously given him and tried to create a miniature magitech device that would let him capture and store ethereal creatures. Incorporating radio equipment into the device too so that he might converse with any captured specters.

>Make a/some ghost trap(s) using the gained electronic equipment.

>>5080724
Sure we can hang out I have to prepare a bit to so at the very least I'm gonna need one post anyway. I wouldn't mind having muscle around to help me.

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>>5080765
Neat I hope I get some good equipment

>>5080724
I think I'm just about done too, this will probably be the end of my intro. I don't need to roll either thanks to my previous good roll.

Also, I think you've gotten your characters mixed up. Pete is the one who is finished, he's the wizard. Fred is just getting started and he's the alchemist. Danny is the other shaman and I think he's getting close to finishing up as well since he just rolled the best result he could've on his fight with the spirit.

Fred and I might meet if he contacts the Storm Chaser, since I'm supposed to meet him tomorrow in game. That, and I've also met the Exorcist who Danny knows. Plus anyone who heads back to the college tonight might end up meeting up.

>>5080557
>>5080699
What they said

>>5080766
We rolled both ones, so we should both get something good

>>5080769
Nah we both started about the same time and we're both finishing our tiny plots about now. Mine was the monster his was the plane graveyard. Dunno how long plots last though maybe I'll just finish this offering then be done but honestly feels like I can probably fit another quick plot immediately after this.

Might hang out with Danny though that'd be confusing. Maybe I'll change my spelling to Danny too, I choose that name to make it confusing in the first place kek.

Probably should be operating in teams of two to three in the near future though since it'd probably be a bit less work for QM.

Rolled 14, 8 = 22 (2d20)

>>5080193
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne
Attributes: Dexterity and Charisma
Knowledge: Academics, Investigation.
Skills: Melee, Athletics
School: Shaman
Icons: Family Shortsword, Wolf Wineskin
Bonus:

Dannie gave a sigh of relief that the whole situation was resolved so neatly even though it seemed a bit hairy for the old Hermit near the end.

She still felt fresh from the hunt, aside from a few minor cuts and bruises she didn't exactly feel fatigued but she had to deal with some minor post-hunt tasks.

Making COMPLETELY sure the Monty was dead, White Byrne gave the monster's corpse a slightly annoyed look and with a rough grunt lifted it over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. She carried the carcass to the Hermit's shed and borrowed some tools to properly disassemble the monster.

After some time passed and she had done all she could as well as cleaned the area as well as she could, Dannie took the monster's heart and wrapped it in a kitchen cloth to carry it with her. Along with the heart, her sword, some milk from the fridge mixed with a few drops of the Monty's blood before realizing her regular ritual probably wouldn't work too well in the desert.

"Hmm how do they usually give offerings to nature spirits in the desert? I could probably do the first part and most of the second huh. Nah no time, just the abridged version then"

She went to the backyard and stacked a few rocks atop each other as a makeshift altar before placing the bowl of milk mixed with blood and Monty's heart in front of the Altar. Muttering a quick prayer of thanks White Byrne lifts the bowl of milf to her lips then takes a sip while leaving most of the milk intact. Then she grasps the heart in both hands before taking a large bite from the rubbery organ. She chews for a scant few seconds then swallows once before placing it down and speaking.

"I thank you for a successful hunt spirits of the Desert. I offer these to you, may you watch over this solemn hunter and may we partake in more victorious hunts."

>Disassemble the Monty
>Give Offerings to the Nature spirit.

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>>5080312

Mister Commons left to his own devices wanders the various facilities available to him as the guest to the elder Wizard, The Eye of Providence aka The Eye or Providence for short. Providence was a kindly older gentleman wearing a greying bread. He was an older resident that had acquired wealth and knowledge and maintained an occult library to the benefit of the College.

By such an arrangement, Providence restricted access of these volumes and tomes to his select few. He could not deny a proper request from the community at large, but he made such to collect proper compensation. As Mister Commons already knew, Providence was listed as away for the season. So while much of Providence's power defaulted to the College, Commons maintained his privileged access to the occult library.

Walking down the stacks, Commons could not help thinking back to the old tales. Those old tales of comprehensible fae. Witches that eat children. Wolves that wore the skin of grandmothers. The Americans had their own tales of course, that of alien encounters, black-eyed children, or bigfoot. But the impossible machines were too often overlooked in the historical record. Lighting in a bottle. The temporal scope. And many other designs lingered here.

>Impossible Machines, Classical Tales, Modern Tales?

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>>5080265
>gain [The Edge]. The opponent has fumbled. Once while facing the meddlesome spirit, you may remove this condition and reroll, taking the better result.

The pack of coyotes circled Carter ready to pounce and rip out his throat. However Carter reached out into the spirit world and pushed the meddlesome spirit out of the pack. They immediately ceased their aggressive posturing, more confused and directionless. Without a focus of aggression, they wandered the yard digging into prairie holes and pushing over trash cans for thrown away leftovers.

The meddlesome spirit hung in the air appearing like an emaciated coyote, starving for food and burning in spiritual fire. Like a wild animal the spirit thrashed against the barrier between worlds to devour the meat of Carter's flesh. But the strengthened barrier kept its fangs from Carter's throat. Frustrated and angry it attempted to repossess the coyotes.

>Punch the coyote, Chase it away?

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>>5080696

The interior of the camper van was wide enough to contain a table with wise passenger benches covered in plastic with hidden belts for safety. On the table top was an ashtray and small collection of beer cans. A little more morbid were the shearing knives, needle, thread, and mason jars full of small bones. Mason herself couldn't figure the exact animal remains they were, but was more than content to leave it as non-human.

Closing her eyes and holding the wound in the palm of her name the Exorcist spoke, "No infection. Some lost of blood, which we will handle in a moment. No foreign matter. And it missed your stomach by an inch. Lucky, that's a slow death." In her own quarters, she seemed more at ease and willing to listen. But first she made to dress the wound. Telling, not asking, her to lift her arms and binding her torso in clean, sanitary bandages. The initial splash of disinfectant stung nearly as much as the bullet. But otherwise the cleaning was professionally handled. The stitching was also expertly if impersonally handled.

Washing her hands in a little sink basin, she asked her questions specifically why she avoided a hospital visit. She took the roll of cash, taking only enough to cover the spent material, before looking into Mason's pack. She dug around for a few moments, the little pieces of nugget clinking together, before withdrawing a chunk of raw ore. It obviously held less gold content than the nuggets, but the Exorcist stared at it like one would a diamond. "This," she explained, "is a piece of grandfather mountain. Essence from the base of an ancient spirit." The primal aspects of the discover weren't as significant as the implied age of the chunk. As old as the mountain, in a completely different geological era.

In the short term, the excitement of the day would die down. The Shaman performed a small ritual to accelerate Mason's natural healing and restore her vitality. The scar she could choose to keep if she so desired. From here, Mason knew a few fences that operated during these hours. But more than anything, she felt hungry, a need to satisfy a primal urge with reckless abandon. Visiting a Shaman always has some kind of physiological effect.

End
The Fantastic Gunfight between Past and Present.

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>>5080765
>gain [Ethereal Sound Equipment]

Ward began work in a rented garage and self-storage facility. The unit was cold, bare like a marble mausoleum waiting for a delivery of coffins and cadavers. Bearing such genius and fantastical designs spurred him to create his ghoulish invention. First he rolled out his design on the bare cement floor, noting the various electrical switches and gates that made the internal logic of the machine. Adapting the speakers and resonators to take in different vibrations was a frustrating practice.

The design was inadequate to draw in a ghostly manifestation whole. That would require Creation of the ghostly anchor. However by manipulating the various settings of the resonator, he would gain the ability to drain ectoplasmic essence from the ghost. Thus weakening it and allowing other applications with the substance. This ectoplasmic essence could be sprayed on an object, allowing it to interact with the realm of the dead. Applying the ectoplasm to a bat, a knife, a shield were all possible. Applying it to ammo was also possible, but only on a single shell at a time. A single pump shotgun would be the most efficient firearm.

An additional function of the device would deflect and ward hostile manipulations. And lastly, Ward made sure to include a microphone and speaker system. Overall the design of the device was functional. The main component he could hold in one hand and worked like a cassette tape recorder. Of course the magnetic tape was sensitive to the speech and resonance of ghostly beings, but would also work as a filter for the ectoplasmic essence. The secondary component held a larger speaker to project vibrations, like a boombox. It would work as ward and reservoir of ghostly essence.

After the project was complete, Ward sat down pulling off the protective goggles which had already left behind wide impression marks over his face. He picked up his phone to check his messages to discover another email from Miner99. Seems like Miner99 uncovered some more recent history of the Pontatoc Ridge Mine. Some twenty years ago, sometime during the millennial bug scare a research group had license to set up their own project within the Mine. They were studying cosmic radiology and required their sensitive equipment to be operated underground. They like many others before, disappeared without a trace. The project was quietly shutdown with no mention of recovering that valuable equipment.

>What do?

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>>5080901
TN 11 = 10(Normal) +1(Dexterity)
TN 12 = 10(Normal) +1(Shaman Thaumaturgy), +1(Athletics)

The Butchery was inelegant work. The tools in the shed were unfamiliar to Bryne and there was no clear operating table. In order to break the sternum, Bryne brought the circular saw against the central chest and pressed hard. Thick, wet blood sprayed across the saw and up Bryne's arms. She grunted in frustration digging the metal teeth through muscle and bone before the sternum broke apart. Monty was built to last it would seem. Taking the horns or cutting through the base of the skull seemed impossible. A prybar and a few minutes screaming later, she snapped the ribcage and plundered the heart.

Comparatively, building an alter of standing stones was quick work. The cairn before Bryne vibrated with invisible energy. The primal forces of nature had been invoked and recognized. From behind the stones came a vicious rattle. Sliding on its scales with purpose, the snake crawled towards the offering. It unhinged its jaw revealing the double row of hidden fangs deep in its maw. Within a moment it sprung catching the heart in its huge mouth and proceeding to slowly shallow it piece by piece. The spirits would be satisfied with the offering.

Once the spirits were tended to, Bryne packed the rest of Monty in the back of the jeep and deposited it in the middle of the arid desert. Reaching out with her primal senses, she felt the various carrion birds and coyotes honing towards the body. The scent of dead prey was in the air. Vultures flew lazily in the blazing heat, just hanging their wings flapping only as necessary to keep flight. Much like she was lazily relaxing upwind of the corpse to not be overwhelmed with the smell.

Despite being a newcomer in Tucson, she had made a few judgement calls on the more established members of the Esoteric College. She needed to talk to one of two of them. The Jailer spoke with a voice that sounded like he'd been smoking since kindergarten. The first time Bryne had met him, she felt entrapped wanting to escape. His manners helped put her at ease. The Lawyer was a smaller woman that spoke with a fierce heart. Meeting her was like walking into a confessional and interrogation room.

>The Jailer, The Lawyer, ride off into the sunset?

>>5080557
I appreciate the kind words, and those that echo them.

>>5081362
>Name: Danny Carter
>Attributes: Stamina, Wits
>Knowledges: Investigation, Crafts
>>>Skills: Athletics, Empathy
>School: Shaman
>Icons: Moon tarot, Cat's Eye
>Extra: [Spirit Bottle], [Essence of Hare]
>[The Edge]. The opponent has fumbled. Once while facing the meddlesome spirit, you may remove this condition and reroll, taking the better result.

While Danny was surprised that the Spirit behind the coyotes' odd behavior was a coyote it self it did make sense. He considered just scaring it off, but then it might come back plus after meeting the Exorcist he had been planning on capturing a Spirit anyway. Hoping that the Barrier that was clearly preventing the coyote Spirit from biting him didn't work both ways Danny assumed a clearly amateuristic boxing pose and got ready to punch it on the snout.

Do I have to claim the edge before rolling or afterwards?

>>5081366
Alice listened with interest to The Exorcist's explanation of the gold ore before saying "Take it, it's all yours, or the spirits I guess, whichever." She looked away, eyes glazing over in thought while the Exorcist moved to store the ore. After a moment she looked up when the wise woman returned and asked "You said the essence was from the base of the spirit. Does that make a difference? I wasn't sure spirits had anatomy the way we do, I thought it was all homogeneous soul stuff almost like aether. And how does the age of the inhabited substance and the age of the spirit relate, can spirits of a certain age or power only inhabit substances of a similar age or something?"

When the worn down ecstatic gave her a judging look Alice held up her hands and said "Hey now, the college may say they consider spiritual knowledge part of any mage's core education but from what I've seen they mostly focus their favour within the Shaman and Necromancer's circles. Makes sense right? Doesn't mean I'm not interested though." Under the older woman's gaze Alice wilted. Why was she staring at her? Was she supposed to know this? She hardly considered herself a bad student, and from what she could tell neither did her teachers. Still, she hoped for an answer, any knowledge or instruction she could gain was useful no matter how trivial. Thinking of how the Man Out of Time vanished back into the past she mused on how little she really knew about the immaterial nature of spirits, though nature of these temporal oddities were more within her ballpark, and she supposed it was possible or even likely that the Man Out of Time wasn't a spirit at all. Eventually, the Exorcist answered and Alice listened.

As time wore on and light fled over the horizon the Shaman began a healing ritual for Alice. "I'll keep the scar, something to remember this chapter by. But heal the internal tissue completely, I'd rather not have to deal with flexibility issues or inflammation." she replied to the Shaman's question of aesthetics. Or perhaps the older woman was simply being thoughtful knowing it was likely a Fool like Alice would prefer keeping something to mark the chapters of her life with.

Taking her leave and offering her thanks and goodbyes once more Alice stepped out into the cooling night air and waved to Impala. 'I really ought to get his name, calling him Impala is getting old' she thought. He'd been a big help to her today. Walking over and getting in the passenger's seat she thanked him for taking her here and for waiting before asking him to drop her off nearby her home. Her stomach growled, she was famished and being in the Exorcist's presence made it hard to temper her desires. "Hey, do wanna have that date tonight? I just need to change out of this shirt and clean up" she asked while examining the dried blood on her hands that just this morning was flowing through her veins.

(1/2)

>>5081452
Why do I keep forgetting the description.

> Wanting to try and capture the spirit Danny prepares to punch it

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Rolled 16, 14, 10 = 40 (3d20)

>>5081366
>>5081511
Really she wanted to avoid cooking dinner herself as much as she wanted to reward Impala. That, and she needed to drop off and hide her loot, she'd distribute it so that if someone broke in she wouldn't lose it all in one go. The guns she'd keep on her, a warlock would be needed to See the nature of their power if they had any and she'd like to prepare a ritual to See into their past, but that could all come later tonight or early the next day. She didn't think she would fence any of the loot, she hadn't checked the bills to see whether they were newer bills with UV and RFID tags and a fabric rather than paper material base or whether the serial numbers were flagged to be associated with some crime, but it probably didn't matter; unless she spent a huge amount of it in one place or deposited all of it into a bank that tracked currency then having a few stolen bills didn't mean anything since no one knew she was the one who stole it. The gold could be exchanged legally for cash at any place that sold gold or a mint or pawnshop or something, it was almost certainly cheaper than fencing it too since anything illegal goods marked up the price by at least 20% and the middle men would want to take a cut.

With a plan in mind and her anxiety behind her Alice leaned back into her seat and relaxed. To pass the time she chatted idly with Impala, catching his name in the process. She tried to walk around asking the questions that would probably be more appropriate for their date, instead she tried to fish around for topics to bring up later to ease the problem of his awkwardness and single-minded devotion to cars. He had to have other things going on in his life, didn't he?

>Try and learn something, however minor, from the Exorcist using Academics. 1st roll.

>Chat with Impala, get his name, try and garner information about Impala to make our date go smoother. (That is if he even still wants to have a date.) 2nd roll.

>I intend to find a warlock to identify the magical power of my looted guns if they have any, that and I also want to perform a ritual to See into their past. But that can come later tonight or the next day. I don't know how far you want to write ahead with your next post, so you can use this 3rd roll for whatever you want. If you want the date to be roleplayed then this can just be another roll for the date and we can have a few back and forths, if you want to skip it then this can be a roll to either find a relevant warlock or persuade one to do this service for me. I'd offer a similar offer to the one I offered the Exorcist though I'd start with a higher initial offer. Or it could be the roll for the Seeing ritual, I'd ask to see their creation, the moment of any magical enchantment they went through, the meeting of any notable users they went through, any notable battles or kills they partook in, how they ended up in the safe, plus any general stuff I'd get from Seeing into their past.

>>5081562
Welp, you win some, you lose some. At least the 3rd roll went alright. Maybe I'll learn some trivia at least with the first two.

>>5081366
>>5081511
>>5081562
Forgot my character sheet.

Name: Alice Mason
Attributes: Dexterity, Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, Larceny
Skills: Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: Dice, Sage

Rolled 16, 7 = 23 (2d20)

>>5081358
>>Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
>>Attributes: Intelligence, Wits
>>Knowledges: Academics, Investigation
>>Skills: Firearms, Intimidation.
>>School: Wizard
>>Icons: Wooden Wand, Red Hemp Rope

First off I'm going to echo the others. This quest is quality stuff, and I'm glad you haven't flaked.

Peter had plenty of opportunities now, even with Providence absent. His first thought was to study the old fae in hopes of clarifying the last dark spots in his last case. But after a few days, he decided to peruse so books on Impossible Machines. He still couldn't use his rope Icon the way he envisioned, as a multi-function tool. Perhaps half-forgotten design could inspire him ? With that, he went to grapple with the library's search system.

>Spend a couple of days on Classical Tales (Fae) (perhaps more info on the Thing at MPUI) (1st roll for finding related creatures)
>Focus on Impossible Machines. (2nd roll for getting things through the library's search system)

The Fae research is a temporary fixation, I intend to pick the Machines, but Peter still feels like he's missing a few things, so he'll try Classical Tales for a few days at most.

Rolled 12, 3 = 15 (2d20)

>>5081369
>Name
Fred Ward
>Attributes
Intelligence and Wits
> Knowledge
Academics, Craft
>Skills
Empathy, Persuasion
>School
Alchemist
>Icons and Equipment
Shadow Raven, Ancient Coin,[Ethereal Sound Equipment]

Nodding in satisfaction, Ward got his equipment ready and started making his way towards Pontatoc. Before leaving the Garage, he sent Miner99 a message of thanks for the help and promise on more information about the mine in the near future.

He mussed whether to visit some of the old neighborhoods to learn more about the mines, however, he felt too impatient by his seeming lack of progress in learning about the supernatural. Ward arrived at the Pontatoc Silver mines then immediately set his equipment to work, trying to look for any magical energies as well as a hint as to what those might be.

The Necromancer ran his palm through his Pet Bird Diquad's feathers or at least what he assumes to be feathers he could swear the plumage would pulse and sharpen in the corners of his eyes.

"You're up next buddy"

Although he wasn't sure if this was Diabolism or Witchcraft, Fred tried to use Diquad as a focus to sense the surrounding area. Hoping that maybe it was a simple enough spell that he could do relatively well.

>Scan the Area using sound equipment (Investigation?)
>Scout the area using Diquad (Investigation+Spellcasting?)

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Saturday Morning Character Advancement

Currently registered characters are eligible for their first character advancement.

Process for First Character Advancement
1) Increase an Attribute that a character already has or add an additional Attribute.
2) Increase a Knowledge that a character already has or add an additional Knowledge.
3) Increase a Skill that a character already has or add an additional Skill.
4) Increase the rating of an Icon or create a new Icon.

Please give a small description of the new Icon. It should be a physical object that you can carry around or hold in hand. Determine which primary aspect of spellcasting the Icon provides, Seeing or Manipulation. Also determine if the Icon follows the primary school of the character or a different one.

Wizards are restricted from taking Necromancer Icons. Witches are restricted from taking Wizard Icons. Shamans are restricted from taking Warlock Icons. Necromancers are restricted from taking Shaman Icons. Warlocks are restricted from taking Necromancer Icons.

Further Character Advancements may remove some restrictions and may allow the creation of Creation Icons.

New Knowledges Available: Occult, Medicine
New Skills Available: Survival, Animal Ken

>>5082031
Anchor for First Character Advancement

>>5082031
If this applies for everyone I'm going for 4) and have Danny get a coyote's tooth which he normally wears as a hanger attached to a necklace, and have him use it as a shaman's icon for manipulation

>>5081375
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne
Attributes: Dexterity and Charisma
Knowledge: Academics, Investigation.
Skills: Melee, Athletics
School: Shaman
Icons: Family Shortsword, Wolf Wineskin
Bonus:

"Tch"

White Byrne clicked her tongue in annoyance. She felt like she still lacked too many things since coming to the USA like equipment, contacts and most importantly somebody to watch her back however she didn't have too many leads on any of those things. Even with her sword, part of her felt naked and underequipped so far from home.

Feeling like she didn't have much choice though, Dannie decided to pay the Jailor a visit. She mussed that he and the Lawyers were probably Devils and felt even more annoyed at her job. She sighed realizing that after the post-hunt adrenaline, her stress was getting to her.

Before meeting the Jailor she wanted to prepare as best she could. The feeling of absolute calm towards a complete stranger set off her instincts. Before visiting the Jailor, she decided to hide pins in her pockets and shoes as well as chew a half dozen Caffeine Pills.

>Prepare to visit the Jailor by hiding Pins and Needles in my person as well as chewing some Caffeine Pills
>Visit the Jailor

>>5082031
>>5082033
We allowed to take Thumaturgy and Evocation or is that for later?

>>5082048
Thaumaturgy and Evocation are spell casting methods. They have no rating.

>>5082031
>3) Increase a Skill that a character already has or add an additional Skill.

Maintaining a neutral face in from of the creature at PMUI was not something Peter thought himself capable of. Yet he did, and even managed to intimidate it somewhat .
At least he thought he did.
As a result, his overall ability to maintain control in discussions and persuade the opposition seems to have improved as a result of being tapped into.

>>5082061
Not the most efficient or meta upgrade, but probably the most appropriate given what happened.

>>5082042
Advancement not Registered
Re: Lack of comprehension.
Character unregistered.

>>5082061
Advancement not Registered
Re: Please follow the process for character advancement. Steps 1,2, and 4 must be followed.

>>5082065
Ohh wait do we get all four advancements?

>>5082031
>>5082068
>>Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
>>Attributes: Intelligence, Wits
>>Knowledges: Academics, Investigation
>>Skills: Firearms, Intimidation.
>>School: Wizard
>>Icons: Wooden Wand, Red Hemp Rope

Uh. Suspiciously generous.

>1)Increase Intelligence.
>2)Increase Investigation
>3)Increase Intimidation
>4)Red Hemp Rope + (Manipulation, if it wasn't already)

Maybe it was just an ego boost from getting compliments from the Jailer, but Peter still felt a bit smarter for figuring this whole thing out, even if his plan went unneeded in the end.

Some good research work like he hadn't done in a while. Solving an apparently mundane case. It felt both rewarding and refreshing. It had felt like something out of an old sleuth story.

Maintaining a neutral face in from of the creature at PMUI was not something Peter thought himself capable of. Yet he did, and even managed to intimidate it somewhat .
At least he thought he did.
As a result, his overall ability to maintain control in discussions and persuade the opposition seems to have improved as a result of being tapped into.

He'd gotten a lot of valuable data from casting the ritual and seeing how it frayed under psychic and physical pressure. How fascinating. He could already feel more attuned to the coil of rope.

>>5082033
Name: Alice Mason
Attributes: Dexterity, Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, Larceny
Skills: Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: Dice, Sage

>1) Increase Charisma
>2) Increase Larceny
>3) Increase Firearms
>4) Increase Dice Icon Rating

Are we also now required to determine which primary aspect of spellcasting the Icons we already possess provides? 'Cause deciding that now may end up causing some weird shenanigans with how I've been using my Icons up to this point, there may end up being some weird retcon issues. Or were we always supposed to have decided this and I just missed this somehow?

Anyways, if that is the case then here are my adjusted Icon aspects.

>Dice Icon aspect: Manipulation
>Sage Icon aspect: Seeing

>>5082126
I don't think it is overly generous, it took us 7-10 IRL days to get to our first level up, seems pretty decent timing.

It also lines up pretty well if you consider that our low bonuses make it so that we have trouble consistently doing the tasks that we should be good at, so I'd say having a increase to every aspect of our characters is welcome.

The only thing preventing us from being compared to say, DnD characters is that our Target Numbers are static and have less range and don't seem to adjust with the opposition we face, or at least our spellcasting TN's don't. So we will consistently get better and our TN's won't get higher, whereas if this were a TTRPG like DnD or something we'd be dealing with higher enemy Armour Class and Difficulty Checks for skills/knowledge to accompany our increasing skill.

I gotta say, with how character advancement works it seems like Fred's original character concept would've worked out fine had he started as a Witch, the only change he'd have to make is decide that his goals didn't match up with the school he chose and decide to start learning Necromancy instead of it being an issue of birth as in his original concept. >>5073977

>>5082031
Should we also mark the degree of advancement on our character sheets when we post them for your convenience? Like, should my Firearms say +2 now, for example?

>>5082031
>>5082033
>Name: Danny Carter
>Attributes: Stamina, Wits
>Knowledges: Investigation, Crafts
>Skills: Athletics, Empathy
>School: Shaman
>Icons: Moon tarot, Cat's Eye
>Extra: [Spirit Bottle], [Essence of Hare]
>[The Edge]. The opponent has fumbled. Once while facing the meddlesome spirit, you may remove this condition and reroll, taking the better result.

1 +1 stamina
2 + investigation
3 + intimidation
4 A coyote's tooth which he normally wears as a hanger attached to a necklace, used as a shaman's icon for manipulation

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>>5081562
>>5082377
>gain [Dramatic Reveal]. A Truth has been occulted, but will reveal itself in time. Remove this condition to succeed the Seeing ritual on the looted guns.

Name: Alice Mason
Attributes: Dexterity, +2 Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, +2 Larceny
Skills: +2 Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: +2 Dice, Sage

The nuances and details went over Mason's head. But to break it down to the basic level. Every thing has a spirit. The best way to understand a Shaman's spirit magic is Animism. If a thing exists in the material world than it as an animated spirit beyond the barrier. To hold a rabbit, is to hold the essence that bleeds into the spiritual world which becomes the rabbit spirit. That sympathetic tie is more than enough to call, summon, and barter with the spirit. Stronger Shaman's may command at their own discretion. Every person can leave a ghost. And Every thought can become a Demon. Or in other words, We make our own Angels and Demons. However these were topics that the Exorcist wasn't a expert in. Mason would have to pester an Alchemist or Warlock.

When Mason leaves the campervan, Impala is leaning against the driver's side door with the window rolled down and music gently sounding from the radio. It was a slower tune with guitar plucking at a steady rhythm. The singer rambled about a boy named sue. Impala's momma and dad did give him a name, Clare Mackichan. He trades the name as a matter of fact and doesn't linger on it. During the drive to drop Mason back home, conversation stalls until Mason asks after the music playing on the radio. Mackichan turns up the deep, calm bass-baritone voice while talking about old American rockabilly, that blend of western rhythm and blues. It was music that help him bond with his father. Another fact he just states, but doesn't linger on it.

Mason would be able to passively recognize which stated facts she could revisit later. The red-string of fate that had pulled them together, hadn't yet untangled itself. Ducking into her apartment, Mason efficiently stashed the goods, changed, and set out some some occult paraphyla in preparation of thaumaturgy at some point. Before heading out again, she scrutinized the two semi-automatic pistols and was reasonably assured they themselves had no magical power. They did however carry history and destiny. They were customized with ergonomic wood grips. In the middle of the grip were portraits of women. One dark-haired, the other fair-haired. One pistol used a custom slide, with the extractor and ejection port reversed. Custom made for the left hand it seems. Such a mystery would have to wait. Mason was hungry for Machaca, shredded beef, and the arms of an attractive young man.

>The date goes well enough. In the morning, what do?

>>5082377
Not required but helpful. Icons are supposed to be flexible and determining a primary aspect helps me understand what a new Icon does and how it should work. But dont let that restrict how a character uses Icon

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>>5081774
>>5082126

Peter Commons
Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
Attributes: +2 Intelligence, Wits
Knowledges: Academics, +2 Investigation
Skills: Firearms, +2 Intimidation
School: Wizard
Icons: Wooden Wand, +2 Red Hemp Rope

TN 13 = 10(Normal) +2(Intelligence), +1(Academics)
TN 13 = 10(Normal) +2(Intelligence), +1(Academics)
>Failure (16 > 13)
>Success (7 <= 13)

The Thing from PMUI had pulled out an article from a naturalist journal about the Lepidoptera, scientific classification of moths. The Thing walked boldly with large antenna, and Commons had felt the battering of wings in the dark. It is possible the creature was a Man-sized Moth hypnotizing young students into a pact. However the more Commons poured into the old lore of pixies riding moths or the ancient greek fable, the less certain and grounded were his investigations. Ultimately he put the query aside to refresh his intellect.

Cup of tea in hand, he wandered over to the window of the second story of Providence's manorhouse. The building was an old Spanish house with its own courtyard on an estate probably better used as a cattle ranch. When the house did entertain visitors, they were on College business and usually restricted their movements to the occult library. A woman with a humorless face and short bob-hair cut crossed the courtyard and entered the building opposite Commons. Having disappeared from view, Commons sipped his sweeten tea cup empty before seeing the woman again. She carried a parcel wrapped in brown kraft paper and locked the door behind her with an iron key.

That iron key set in his mind a legend of an American founding father. A man with a key tied to a kite during a rainstorm. Returning to the library he researched Impossible Machines and electrical conduction. Through some experimentation, he learned to change the conductivity of his Red Rope and isolate a charge into a knot. Then by way of his own power, discharge it into a target. He would have to limit the charge and number of knots, otherwise it would be like carrying a livewire. This enchantment was also incompatible with the Protection of the Hearth. He'd have to decide which he needed when performing the thaumaturgic ritual.

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>>5081965
>gain [Darkvision]

The entrance of the silver mine was framed in a wooden archway, old timber that had stood for a century. Finding the entrance required a trek through the wilderness of Mt Kimball. Ward had started in the afternoon, following the twin treads of vehicle tires that were flanked on all sides by arid desert dirt. The wild brushes offered little comfort, but the sun wasn't unbearable and the mountain breeze kept the temperature placid. Ward set the secondary component on the dirt ground before the archway with the speaker pointed into the mine.

Taking the Ancient Coin in head, he attuned his senses with the resonator as the soundwaves pitched deeper in the shaft. Outside he could sense the dirt, sand, and sediment that cradled the living brushes and hid the borrowing rabbits and rattlesnakes. Inside, somewhere further in, he could sense lead in work buckets the complex machinery of drills, the ground water leaking through rock somewhere deep below. Obvious landmarks, only surface deep. Embedded deep in the rock, seeping into the mine like ground water, was a mystery.

Calling up his Shadow Raven and sending him off, Diquad flew into the darkness of the archway, a shadow disappearing into shadow. The instant that raven hit the curtain of black, Ward's vision altered sliding downwards like an old film reel before snapping back in high contrast. Ward could see further without light. In the entrance chamber of the mine was one straight corridor broken up by wooden arches. Turning off to the left was what seemed to be a frigate elevator with its gearbox partially disassembled.

>Walk down the Corridor, Examine the Frigate Elevator?

>>5082033
If you haven't already make sure to hit the Character Advancement Anchor.

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>>5082044

Perhaps instead of pins and needles, a compass or map would have been more helpful. Wandering the campus, Bryne could feel herself being turning around in strange directions. Corridors seemed to tighten, becoming narrower as she walked past. Sound seemed distant and echoed even if the person speaking was right in front of her. Of course this was all an illusionary feeling, she wasn't being bewitched, instead feeling the aura of a mage's domain. She would power through these phantoms and reach her destination.

Bryne's finger hovered over the elevator call button, not understanding why her heart was beating in her chest. She entered the lift only to immediately want out at her destination. The walls of the lift were covered in a soft blue velvet. Holding onto the metal railing, she couldn't help but think of the interior of a coffin. How the decease were laid to rest on velvet cushions as they rode their own elevators six feet down.

Thankfully the Claustrophobic ride was the worst of the phantoms while on campus, and she now sat opposite the fiendish smile, of the Jailer. His voice seemed to boom much too deeply, reaching to Bryne's spine and threatening to shatter it. His eyes too scrutinizing, even if his words were gentle and cordial. He enthralled her attention and demanded focus, even within the caffeine pills in her system.

"I am extremely pleased you assisted our good friend, the Hermit. I do not doubt that without your intervention they would have died and that beastly creature would still haunt at our borders." The Jailer gave a chuckle that stripped the air of humor, "What can I provide you for your troubles?"

>He's such a gentleman. Isn't he?

>>5082033
If you haven't already make sure to hit the Character Advancement Anchor.

Rolled 13, 20 = 33 (2d20)

>>5082621
Alice got up just before light began to peak over the horizon. She sat up in bed and watched as sunbeams climbed over the horizon and through her curtains. Another day, another chapter, she'd visit the Stormchaser later in the day, noon at the latest.

Getting out of bed, she first unplugged the hazardous gas monitor out of one of her bedside outlets, then she took a stool and moved it under her smoke detector before fetching a screwdriver and climbing up to remove its battery, thankfully it was just high on the wall instead of on the ceiling. That taken care of she lit some incense by her shrine and took a moment to observe the photos. There, lit by the morning light, was almost everyone she ever hurt while on a job or pursuing her own selfish ends, or at least those she knew of. She was too proud to go back to her mother, too proud to attempt getting a normal job, too proud for sex work, or perhaps just too stupid. A criminal was all she was, but hopefully with time and under her School's guidance she'd be more. For now she was content to write her story in smoke, bullets, and the dismay of those she'd stolen from.

Her ritual done, Alice got on with the rest of her morning routines. As she was exiting the bathroom her eyes lingered on the occult paraphernalia she'd scattered about in preparation for Seeing ritual. Should she do it today? If she did, the temptation to follow the thread of fate could prove too strong and interfere with her ability to devote her full attention to the Stormchaser, or the ritual could wear off and her painstaking attention to detail with her preparations would be for nothing.

She decided to take the middle road and delay the ritual until tonight, but she could still get some light research done. After making a light breakfast she took an outdated copy of 'Researching Online for Dummies' and a couple of private investigation reference books that she'd once skimmed through and then never looked at again out of her bookshelf and brought it over to her desk. Snapping a few photos of her looted pistols she then looked them over for serial numbers or other revealing details. The PI books contained lists of useful databases and sites someone could use to enter various information in to search for association with crime and stuff like that, but the books were over a decade old and more than half the sites were now defunct. She'd start with an image search to see if the women in the portraits came up but she didn't get her hopes up, this simply wasn't her specialty.

>Investigate the guns by looking them over, what is the make and model, (I gotta get new magazines and bullets for them after all) any identifying manufacturing numbers or labels on them, does the barrel seem worn out and caked with powder, etc, etc?

>Look them up online, image search the portraits, look up any identifying info on databases, etc, etc. (Computer roll?)

>Not a roll, but I'll head over to Stormchaser right after this.

>>5082621
>>5082688
Well, that turned out to be pointless, maybe even detrimental.

Anyways, here's my character sheet for your convenience.

Name: Alice Mason
Attributes: Dexterity, +2 Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, +2 Larceny
Skills: +2 Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: +2 Dice, Sage
Boons: [Dramatic Reveal]. A Truth has been occulted, but will reveal itself in time. Remove this condition to succeed the Seeing ritual on the looted guns.

>>5082031
Current Stats

>Name
Fred Ward
>Attributes
Intelligence and Wits
> Knowledge
Academics, Craft
>Skills
Empathy, Persuasion
>School
Alchemist
>Icons and Equipment
Shadow Raven, Ancient Coin,[Ethereal Sound Equipment]

>1) Increase an Attribute that a character already has or add an additional Attribute.
Increase Wit

>2) Increase a Knowledge that a character already has or add an additional Knowledge.
Gain Occult

>3) Increase a Skill that a character already has or add an additional Skill.
Increase Empathy

>4) Increase the rating of an Icon or create a new Icon.
Increase Diquad's Rating

New Stats

>Name
Fred Ward
>Attributes
Intelligence and Wits+2
> Knowledge
Academics, Craft, Occult
>Skills
Empathy+2, Persuasion
>School
Alchemist
>Icons and Equipment
Shadow Raven+2, Ancient Coin,[Ethereal Sound Equipment]

==================
Inquire about replacing an icon next downtime. I assumed I would be quick casting by the seat of my pants at the beginning and would only use them for rituals so Ancient Coin was a quick pick.

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>5082623
>Name
Fred Ward
>Attributes
Intelligence and Wits+2
> Knowledge
Academics, Craft, Occult
>Skills
Empathy+2, Persuasion
>School
Alchemist
>Icons and Equipment
Shadow Raven+2, Ancient Coin,[Ethereal Sound Equipment]

Fred mussed whether it was a good idea to go without light because although he could see well enough, any creature he'd encounter would likely have an even bigger advantage. In the end he decided it was worth not using light as he'd glow like a beacon in the pitch black.

He felt like a rat walking into a trap as he realized the lack of mobility he'd have in this place but at the same time, he'd already gotten this far. Clearing his mind, he went towards the gearbox and went to work fixing it. Fred didn't plan on using it to descend but he wanted to leave himself another exit if worst comes to worst.

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>5082622
>>Peter Commons
>>Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
>>Attributes: +2 Intelligence, Wits
>>Knowledges: Academics, +2 Investigation
>>Skills: Firearms, +2 Intimidation
>>School: Wizard
>>Icons: Wooden Wand, +2 Red Hemp Rope

Mmm... Tea, silence, and books. Peter loved spending time in this library. It was an auspicious place for relaxation as well as research. That proved true again today, as his previous lack of results on getting clearer answers about the Things at PMUI was promptly swept away by a errant thought, which soon turned into new insight in manipulating his trusted rope. Knots used to stock an electric charge, allowing for spell-bound release. Not quite spell-slinging, and something that would almost certainly not allow for other spells to be put into the coil, but progress nonetheless
.
All that was left to do was to test it of course. Peter went back early to practice this new process, aiming at refining the casting and understanding its current limits by adding one knot after the other, but hopefully stopping short of anything too dangerous for him. Still, he would be wearing insulated gloves and boots he picked up in a shop on the way back. No point being careless.

>Experiment cautiously with the new method to figure out hard numbers for the charge and quantity of knots for safe use and storage.
>Leave one knot charged overnight to get a feel for energy depletion over time.

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>>5082624
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne
Attributes: Dexterity and Charisma
Knowledge: Academics, Investigation.
Skills: Melee, Athletics
School: Shaman
Icons: Family Shortsword, Wolf Wineskin
Bonus:

>"What can I provide you for your troubles?"

That threw her for a loop. She scrunched her eyebrows when she realized she didn't actually know why she'd visited the Jailor or how she even knew him. All Dannie knew was the fact she had two contacts it seemed like she had to meet and he seemed like the least shitty of the two.

"Pleased to meet you too" she give a confused curtsey the spoke

"Truth be told I'-" thinking on her feet, she shifted to the topic of her previous concerns " am looking for an armorer or at the very least a source of equipment. Being so new to Tuscon and immediately being given a hunt has given me little time to properly equip myself."

She ponders what exactly she wants for a moment then continues "Mundane equipment like firearms and barbed wire are a given but should be acquired easily enough so preferably I'd like to be introduced to a craftsman who can create specialized equipment by order."

"Truth be told costs are a little limiting as the main families are focusing resources elsewhere so I hope you can keep that in mind"

>Inquire about any budget craftsmen and equipment sources.

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>>5083358

The Jailer interlaced his fingers together and closed his eyes for a moment. "A hunter is a hunter it would seem." Without looking, he withdrew a plain vanilla folder. He laid the folder on the desk before Bryne with his hand covering it, "Would if a could, hand you the contact information of a glorious malefactor that could craft such wonders. But being on this side of heaven, this man will do." Opening the folder, the Jailer spread the mugshot and arrest record of a man with a retracted name. The photo was of a young man wearing a blue bandana and glasses. However Bryne would quickly note that this record was several years old making the man's year somewhat a mystery.

The Jailer removed the photograph and wrote down a number and address, both physical and email. He slid it over offering it freely. "This man we call Mayfly. You may question him why and he may answer. He is a man known for being unnoticed. However he has been reported missing by his place of mundane employment. A cover you see, since his true work must go unnoticed." The Jailer's smile widens has he amuses himself with some cruel internal joke. "Even my abilities have been superseded in this matter since I have lost all knowledge of his location. Yet I do know he had business south of the border. And that his business was in the wilderness."

Gesturing with his offhand, "This maybe a bit of a Man-hunt, but I hope you pursue it. I leave it in your hands, and will feel no offense if you decide your efforts are better spent elsewhere. One lead I will provide, he departed ways from his partner at a motel south of town. She should still be at the address provided." Sliding over a plastic card, "Prepaid for your expenses, should last a few days or pay for the preparations of another hunt. Again, I am glad the Hermit still breathes. You can't payback debts to a deadman."

>Start the Man-hunt with the SO, Start the Man-hunt at the motel, Take the Money and Run?

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>>5083030
>gain [With the Dawn] Once when you begin a new day, you may remove this condition and automatically succeed to imbue your Red Hemp Rope with [Protection of the Hearth] or [Voltage].

Within the Wizard's ceremonial chamber, Commons set about experimenting with his Icon. First he took his wand cast a simple cantrip to record the current and voltage from an ammeter onto his phone. Then he perform the ritual to charge his Red Hemp Rope into a highly conductive state. Already perfecting the ritual, he had no need for isolating gloves, the whip would discharge at his command. Casting the rope into the air, Commons saw the lightning arch from the tip of the whip into a metal rod he'd set up just for such purposes. His phone read out the numbers, 50k volts to initiate the arc dropping off significantly into an output of 2 miliamps. A taser in hand it would seem.

Over a few days of testing, Commons would learn another major principal in such a ritual. When he fell asleep, the knots in the rope would lose all of its charge. The change of conductivity did not persist when he escaped into dream. The magic required his attention and focus. More than that he realized that experimentation would only take him so far. For the brief time Commons was in intense study of magic underneath Providence, he had begrudgingly done menial tasks better fit for manservants or maids. Preparing meals, turning over the guest rooms, even gardening. In time while performing these simple tasks he'd mentally unlocked some meddlesome riddle and felt his craft grow.

It was the matter of doing labor which sharpened his craft. Providence himself was known to preform acts of charity. Beyond financially contributing to charitable causes, he would dress in plain clothes and volunteer his time to a Humanity project working as a simple carpenter. Lingering on such thoughts, Commons felt somewhat convicted. He could continue to commit himself to the ceremony chamber experimenting as he'd done for the last few days. Or he could attempt some labor. Neither path invalidated the other. And Providence's path to enlightenment might simply be his own. How would Commons weigh these concerns?

>What do?

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>>5082924
Fred Ward
TN 7 = 5(Hard) +1(Intelligence), +1(Crafts)
>Success

At first glance the gearbox looks more relic than machinery. The hoist system seemed forever locked and knotted while the electronics seemed dead and covered in the grime of leaking batteries. Ward however had the alchemist touch and could discern the use and purpose of the mechanical corpse before him. The frigate attached to the hoist was locked in place with safety structs. Instead of dismantling these structs, Ward opened up the service hatch to detached the gearbox and hoist system from the heavy platform. The gearbox itself had many components damaged by time. However a simple autopsy revealed which components were extraneous for his purposes.

Ward reached into the chest of the gearbox and messily ripped out its heart, the dead and leaking battery. Creating a shorter circuit with a secondary battery got the charge he required. By the end of the messily affair, Ward's hands were covered in grime which he quickly wiped away with a clean bandana. Grabbing onto the service hook attached to the chain that ran into the darkness below the hatch, Ward could ride the hoist to the very bottom. Looking down Ward's darkvision gave him the sight of a vertical shaft and the various stairs hewed into the rock walls. The further down he looked the heavier the spiritual residue seemed.

From the rock walls he heard the impossible mumblings of things long dead, as if the walls ran heavy with a vein of raw necromantic ore. There were whispers of falling into darkness, of falling into the floor or being violently pulled into the ceiling as if catch in a subterranean tornado. As Ward pondered these strange sensations, he felt something thick and wet drip onto his shoulder sleeve from above. Wiping it off he realized that it wasn't ground water leaking from some aqueduct, nor was it thick grime from a overhead electric lamp. Ward had wiped away blood with his bandana. A natural manifestation of bodily ectoplasma in the form of blood.

>Ride the Hoist down, Follow the Tunnel, RUNSCREAMING?

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>>5082688

TN 12 = 10(Normal) +2(Firearms)
TN 11 = 10(Normal) +1(Academics)
12 - 13 = -1
11 - 20 = -9
-1 + -9 = -10
>gain [Shatter Brained] Puzzling over riddles. The next roll to recall information results in failure if the number on the dice is even.

Mason puts on tremendous strain on her mind puzzling over the two weapons in her possession. From what she could tell at a glance they were M1911 pistols, the version standard for U.S. military. Somewhere between two or three million of these pistols were rotated in service from 1911 to 1985. The weapon being familiar did not make its customizations any easier to track down. It was easy enough to trace the weapon to the factory, but the service man that would have used it or the gunsmith that customized it, these feats of investigation were beyond her experience. A piece of toast and coffee for breakfast did not relieve that frustration, and she would keep puzzling over it all day.

As for the business of the day, the Stormchaser had returned from his tour across the Great Plains where tornado alley sits. Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and back to Arizona. The man in his late 40s, had picked up the habit of recording each and every trip to various detail. Never without his smartphone in pocket, or a conventional camera in hand. Most of the Esoteric College considered him mostly harmless, which is the impression that Mason gets while walking up to his modest one story ranch in a quiet neighborhood. There were two cars in the driveway, one of which Mason assumed to be a vistor since the other had their back windshield blown out and replaced with black plastic sheets. The tornado must have bitten him.

Inside wearing a tweed jacket over a white shirt, the Stormchaser was already playing host to a humorless woman with a short bob-hair cut. On one wall projected large were photos and videos of the Stormchasers run across the Great Plains. On screen huge cars with horrible gas mileage were pulled into the air by tremendous winds. From the speakers came the howling of wind and commentary from Stormchaser at the time of recording. The humorless woman seemed to just passively watch the spectacle more as tribute from the community at large than an interested observer. Mason quietly infers that if she'd had visited yesterday she'd be watching these same videos to appease the Stormchaser. The humorless woman glances over to Mason as if to say, you could have prevented this.

>Ask after the woman, Ask after the photos and videos, Escape?

Did you miss my posts QM? >>5081452 >>5081553

>>5085954
This Character is unregistered and ignored. Find another game.

>>5085678
Alice quietly sat down and took out her notebook and pen, she would observe the projections and note down anything relevant to her studies. Or, at least she'd try to, the riddle of those pistols was really weighing on her mind. Damn, she should've dealt with one thing at a time, her mind was racing with what little headway she'd gained, the time committed on unfamiliar territory was taking her focus away trying to solve investigatory work that was beyond her experience.

It seemed she'd arrived mid-presentation, she thought she was on time but perhaps the bored woman wasn't sure she was coming to represent the community and so came to make sure someone attended before the old Fool wandered off again in a few days. Normally, Alice handled this busywork, young people didn't often take interest in the community she was told. It was a good thing too, it allowed her to make lots of contacts. "Sorry I'm late." she murmured to no one in particular.

For now she'd take notes and then ask about the presented media when the Stormchaser was done playing host. Although, she wasn't sure what she should be seeing, meteorology wasn't something she was overly familiar with. It was once a temporary affectation of hers as part of a greater interest in ecology, before that too proved to be unable to hold her interest. It was probably something to do with the Witch's Craft ability to observe and manipulate probability based on the fact that the other Witches had said he would show her the inside of a tornado.

Done playing host, the old Fool turned to Alice. "Ah, had an exciting tour?" Alice said, giving him a wry smile and a nod out the door towards his blown out car. The Stormchaser cut a more modest figure compared to the larger than life image the other Witches had described, but if what she heard was true then he'd appreciate the levity.

>Quietly sit down and don't interrupt. Take notes of the presentation. When he is done playing host I will prod him to talk about his tour, and then hopefully without going down too many digressions we will eventually get to the footage of the inside of the tornado.

Name: Alice Mason
Attributes: Dexterity, +2 Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, +2 Larceny
Skills: +2 Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: +2 Dice, Sage
Boons: [Dramatic Reveal]. A Truth has been occulted, but will reveal itself in time. Remove this condition to succeed the Seeing ritual on the looted guns.
Maluses: [Shatter Brained] Puzzling over riddles. The next roll to recall information results in failure if the number on the dice is even.

Rolled 19, 12 = 31 (2d20)

>>5085676
>Name
Fred Ward
>Attributes
Intelligence and Wits+2
> Knowledge
Academics, Craft, Occult
>Skills
Empathy+2, Persuasion
>School
Alchemist
>Icons and Equipment
Shadow Raven+2, Ancient Coin,[Ethereal Sound Equipment]

"Kaching!" Ward bumped his fist in triumph at finally finding material components he could actually use and possibly sell. The necromancer sent the lift to the very bottom but didn't get into it. Instead, while the metal cage flew downward, Ward started using his Ethereal Sound Equipment to start vacuuming the ectoplasm from all around the walls while he walked down the previous corridor.

While mindlessly scooping up what he assumed to be liquid gold and walking down the dark and damp mines, Ward tried keeping track of any fluctuations in spiritual residue. He used magic to channel any wayward spirits or echos through Diquad. The Raven familiar mimicking voices of those long past.

>Send the lift down but walk through the previous corridor.
>Start vacuuming the walls and ceiling using Ethereal Sound Equipment.
>Use Empathy and Magic to channel past voices and echoes through Diquad in case there's anything important.

>>5085676
Question about necromancy, how hard would it be to cut a limb off, turn it into an Icon then sew it back on in a functioning way? Or is the cutting-off part optional?

Yes I know Icons are supposed to be items but the definition of an item's pretty loose. What if I turn cut off my arm and turn it into technically an item then use magic to sew it back on as a prosthetic. Same with my tongue. Bones would be super easy to replace although a bit weird thematically since the easiest would probably be the hip. Just engrave runes into your bones then put them back in.

>>5086383
As far as necromancy
One of the powers of necromancy is the power and command cover decay and transmutation. It can 'kill' sound or heat. It can halt decomposition, or at least prevent the harmful effects. If you were to dismember a living body, the part separated from the living body begins to decay. Since that body part begins to decay, necromancy has power and command over it. With this perspective you could halt its decomposition with the hopes of reattaching it using medicine or healing magic. It would then becoming apart of the living body.

You could also choose just animate it like a crawling claw under your command. Combining a living body with an animate dead thing, would require Ecstatic teachings since they understand the living body. Finally, at the end of the day when the mage must revitalize themselves, the magic is disrupted and decomposition restarts in eagerness. Without a Creation level effect to 'kill' death, the dead thing attached to the living body would cause serve medical problems leading to the death of the mage.

>>5086559
*power and command over decay and transmutation.

>>5085674
>>Peter Commons
>>Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
>>Attributes: +2 Intelligence, Wits
>>Knowledges: Academics, +2 Investigation
>>Skills: Firearms, +2 Intimidation
>>School: Wizard
>>Icons: Wooden Wand, +2 Red Hemp Rope
>>Bonus: [With the Dawn] Once when you begin a new day, you may remove this condition and automatically succeed to imbue your Red Hemp Rope with [Protection of the Hearth] or [Voltage].

Maybe Providence had it right. Peter needed to let off some steam and take a break. So he did something he had not done in a while. He went to a local shooting range with his Glock. Part of the reason why was also to work out some of the lasting skittishness from the PMUI Thing. The encounter had rattled Commons more deeply than he had thought. He had hoped to gain closure in the library to stop seeing the damn thing's face every once in a while. Might as well put a few bullets though it for once. He'd earned that breaker.

>Go to the gun range.
>Shoot stuff and lower stress
>Who knows what might happen ?

Also, what's the deal with that character ?
>>5085964

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>>5086559
Aight so if I theoretically want to turn my hand into a pseudo hand of glory or spit liquid decay with an Icon tongue I'm probably gonna need a Shaman, a Cooler, and steady hands to sew it back on gotcha.

>>5085672
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne
Attributes: Dexterity and Charisma
Knowledge: Academics, Investigation.
Skills: Melee, Athletics
School: Shaman
Icons: Family Shortsword, Wolf Wineskin
Bonus:

"Aces, I'll work on it right away. And you really don't need to mention what happened with the Hermit I saved him of my own volition." Dannie was glad to be to finally be able to consolidate resources in Tuscon. Although a large part of her wanted to rest, for the moment there was too much work to be done.

After going home for a quick nap and some maintenance as well as a shower, Dannie made her way to the Motel feeling motivated and better than ever although the lack of equipment really nagged at her. White Byrne knew that she could give most beasts a run for their money, humans were a completely different beast. Even with magic facing a gun with just a sword was a dangerous affair.

>Go to the Motel to look for Mayfly's partner

Sorry feeling pretty sick right now so smaller post. Give me a sec to post advancements.

>>5082031
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne
Attributes: Dexterity and Charisma
Knowledge: Academics, Investigation.
Skills: Melee, Athletics
School: Shaman
Icons: Family Shortsword, Wolf Wineskin
Bonus:

>Add Toughness to Attribute
>Add Larceny to Knowledge Skills
>Upgrade Melee
>Gain new Icon, MP3 Player

An enchanted MP3 player with a pair of wireless earbuds and also a small speaker. The caster can choose which one to use however changing them in the heat of battle can be dangerous. Dannie uses bardic and primal music to induce a type of self-hypnosis during battle as well as just listen to chill music when she's bored or traveling.

The Icon is a manipulation-type personal Icon I'll be using to not just chug from the wineskin every fight.

[New Stats]
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne
Attributes: Dexterity, Toughness and Charisma
Knowledge: Academics, Investigation, Larceny.
Skills: Melee+2, Athletics
School: Shaman
Icons: Family Shortsword, Wolf Wineskin, MP3 Player
Bonus:

>>5086611
roll Firearms
TN 16 = 15(Easy), +1(Firearms)

>Also, what's the deal with that character ?
Nothing, just better to remove/ignore anons that aren't fun. Anon will find something else

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>5087159
Alright, so I have to gauge whether I'm fun enough. Good to know, I suppose.

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>>5086686
>>5086732
Character Advancement Registered

Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne
Attributes: Dexterity, Stamina, Charisma
Knowledge: Academics, Investigation, Larceny.
Skills: +2 Melee, Athletics
School: Shaman
Icons: Family Shortsword, Wolf Wineskin, MP3 Player

His muscular physique dominated the space behind the counter, yet his glasses framed anxious eyes which flicked between the open window and the open door. Outside a terribly impossible rain-storm thundered in the distance. Black clouds hung in the air as they causally floated overhead. Byrne had arrived at the Stranger 10 Motel only a few seconds before the storm caught up. She didn't look like a flooded possum shivering in the motel lobby, but she certainly felt like it. Through the open window, she could already see sheets of rain falling at an angle.

Above all of that, she could feel the whale sized creature beyond the barrier. The essence of the storm floated upwards and way out of reach. All that essence threaten to drench the landscape in spiritual waters. Byrne could hear the constant pattering of rain against the hood of her rented vehicle. It was a lonesome creature abandoned in the rain. But it wasn't the only one. At the far end of the small carpark was a paleblue covered truck with wide blacked out windows. Midway between either was a black sedan more welcomed by federal agents of the FBI than the rural people between Tucson and the border.

Looking back to the collection of keys hanging behind the attendant's dominating presence, Byrne could ten hooks, three of which were empty. The attendant exclaimed an expletive at the crack of sudden thunder, the the whale-sized spiritual beast gave a mighty croak. On the desk before the attendant was a wide red leather ledger, among the more recent guests was an alias of the Mayfly and presumably the woman that was his partner. They had rented the second room, Sunday afternoon. It was now Thursday and Mayfly's mundane employment counted him missing just yesterday.

>Question the Attendant, Rent a Room and Investigate, Drive out of this Storm?

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>>5086368

The service hook fell through the hole of the hatch and disappeared into the darkness of the shaft. It was an impressive display of mechanical genius, and Ward prided himself with the achievement. Walking back to the previous corridor, Ward set himself to work. One hand holding the Ancient Coin, he channeled his willpower to his assistant in shadow. Being a shadow it could not vocalize the voices of the dead audibly, but it did perch itself on Ward's wrist and peck the play button on the Ethereal Sound device's main component. Mentally Ward reconstructed two streams, one with the magnetic tape and the other in shadow. Both rang between Ward's ears.

There was a large reservoir of ghosts trapped behind the rockwalls. At the activation of the vacuum, they churned slightly while filling the device. The overflow splashed to the ground which Ward stepped in. As he walked down the corridor, he left behind footsteps glowing in ectoplasmic fluids. The faint murmurings became more distinct. A young man's voice recounted his mother's sleepwalking towards the Pontatoc mines. The family had resorted to locking the mother in her room, every night she'd scream and bang on the door. One night they'd been too defeated to lock her away. She disappeared. This obsession to disappear caught ahold of the young man, and soon he was locked behind bolts in his mother's room. The obsession to disappear won out in the end.

The corridor wound itself downwards. Ward past various tunnels drilled by machine and chunks of rock left scattered on the ground. The ceiling started hanging low enough that he needed to crouch to continue. Eventually Ward saw the exit to the man-tunnel he'd been traveling down for much longer than comfortable. He read the half sign that began, "Radio-." Still traveling down the man-tunnel, the smell of sulfur wafted up behind him. Daring to look over his shoulder, Ward saw the passage blocked ever encroaching wall of sludge and flesh. Within he could see ghostly and decayed faces, arms covered in blood violently reaching out towards the walls and floor of the man-tunnel to crawl evermore towards Ward.

>Run towards the Radio Wave Station, Resist the Ectoplasmic Sludge, Disappear?

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>>5086217

The Old Fool cracked up in good nature laughter while the humorless woman quietly groan in a frustrated sigh. Not wasting too much time, the Stormchaser navigated to a few videos on a laptop connected to the projector. He maybe in several ways younger than Bill Gates, but that made him no whizkid when it came to computers. A ten minute video clip started up. It was an over the shoulder view of the Stormchaser behind the wheel of a trunk. The speedometer dial towards the bottom of the screen flicked hard to the right as he accelerated to 80 mph. Ahead a vertical cylinder of dust and dirt dropped down to the ground destroying a rural barn abandoned off the road.

Turning on a dime, minus nine cents, the Stormchaser made a hard turn down a gravel road. The Stormchaser hit with his knuckle a pair of fuzzy pink dice hanging off his rearview mirror. Dust and dirt kicked up against the windshield and visibility evaporated. The camera was loosen from its mountings and violently thrown into the storm of debris. The video clip edged closer to its runtime with nothing but the howling winds on audio. Then the debris was swept away from the camera lens. On the wide projected image were huge walls of dust spinning in a cyclone. There was one point of clear blue sky and the light of the sun at the very top of the cylinder. More dust and howling before the camera tumbled back towards earth, a younger Stormchaser staring shocked and excited.

The humorless woman stood up and lightly tapped the spacebar on the laptop stopping the clip a few seconds before its end. She excused herself with the less amount of etiquette required, determined to get the business done and over with. The woman who seemed to bear no importance, suddenly took upon herself a mantle of nobility and significance. A certain divine providence now marked her actions, and her aura silenced all sound but her voice. There are a number of techniques taught within the different schools that could create this effect. The Wizard's Absolute Truth. The Witch's Charmed Awe. And even the Warlock's Chains of Dominance.

"Stormchaser, I as the Lawyer, invoke the old provisions of the Wren Cactus, that of the Precept of Protection," her declaration made, she dropped the mantle and the high tension of the moment evaporated. "I understand that you are eager to depart on another adventure, but there is a mystery that requires a Witch's divinations. Either yourself or a stand-in can work. There are also some within the College that would request you homestead abit more for the stability of the community."

>Intervene on the Stormchaser's behalf, Encourage the Stormchaser to work on this Mystery, Replay the clip to Annoy the Lawyer?

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>>5086611

Like a hardboiled detective, Commons enters the gunrange and squeezes off a few rounds down the shooting gallery. His mind became increasingly haunted by visions of the Thing. As time went on he remembered it less and less humanshaped. Red antennas, large dominating black wings. The next shoots landed square in the bullseye of the target paper. Yet Commons had to drop the gun as he started heaving. That's when an angel seemed to appear at his side. A young woman, not unattractive, asked in a sincere tone if he was alright.

>Something is wrong here. Is something wrong here?

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>5088282
>>Peter Commons
>>Name: Peter "Pete" Commons
>>Attributes: +2 Intelligence, Wits
>>Knowledges: Academics, +2 Investigation
>>Skills: Firearms, +2 Intimidation
>>School: Wizard
>>Icons: Wooden Wand, +2 Red Hemp Rope
>>Bonus: [With the Dawn]

So much for taking his minds off things. Hell, it was even worse than before!
While this felt like a run of the mill panic attack, something was clearly wrong beyond that. It was also clear that this was getting him noticed.
Peter tried his best to put on an amenable face and went to unload and secure his gun as he racked his mind for a good excuse that could get her off his back. She looked sincerely worried, so he at least tried to be nice about wanting to be left alone.
Unlike some hardboiled detective, Commons tried not to randomly be a jerk to people. Most of the time.

>Secure gun
>Recompose
>Come up with an excuse. (Tired ? Bad week at work ? Stressed ?)
>Try and be civil about it, at least.

Rolled 6, 12 = 18 (2d20)

>>5088279
>Name
Fred Ward
>Attributes
Intelligence and Wits+2
> Knowledge
Academics, Craft, Occult
>Skills
Empathy+2, Persuasion
>School
Alchemist
>Icons and Equipment
Shadow Raven+2, Ancient Coin,[Ethereal Sound Equipment]

Ward started running but towards the radio but his face was mostly impassive and his head still rang with ideas.

"Ectoplasm grenades, gonna need them for the future if I keep visiting these places. Can't break this spirit though a legion type will be useful in the future. Especially if I find the proper husk, some strong egos and create a One of Many"

Since Alchemists could turn water into poison, his mind naturally went to the Ectoplasm his equipment held. While running he started channeling a spell through his ancient coin and into the Ethereal Sound Equipment, trying to change the composition of the Ectoplasm held within to act as a sleeping drug for ghosts.

>Run towards the radio room
>Start turning the Ectoplasm I've collected into a sleeping drug for ghosts

>>5088281
Pink fuzzy dice swung in odd precise pendulum motions as dirt flared, then exploded in the background. They moved seemingly unaffected by the motion of the car, caught in spell-force invisibly emanating from the Stormchaser. Mores the pity Alice couldn't see the nature of the craft that went into that carefree spell, it was so clean; only a light rap with the knuckles and no audible verbal components. Alas, she was not a Warlock and hopefully never would be. For all the skill that went into that divinely inspired spell, the Stormchaser certainly seemed surprised to be alive only a few minutes later in the runtime. Alice let out a breath she wasn't conscious of holding, then looked down at her notebook, she'd forgotten to take notes.

Her annoyance at herself soon turned to annoyance at the mirthless woman as she stopped the clip seconds before it ended. 'What if there'd be something important that happened in those last few seconds' said some strange, obsessive part of the young witch's brain. Annoyance turned to confusion as the rude woman rudely excused herself, then took a few steps until she was positioned in full view of both the older Witch and Alice. Alice got halfway through her next thought before being cut off, 'What is she doin-.'

An imposing mantle of nobility came upon the woman, a esoteric phenomenon of fluttering clothes, perfectly choreographed bouncing hair, chiaroscuro lighting casting the left side of her face in gentle darkness, stardom and elan in a transient moment, charisma and command in a bottle. Alice was throw back violently into her seat, her knuckles white as her hands gripped the arm rests. Her throat was suddenly dry, she couldn't speak, only listen. It was like being in the presence of Galadriel resisting the One Ring.

A moment later the Lawyer's declaration ended and the tension vanished. Letting out a sigh and sitting forward, Alice tried to find the rhythm of her breath. The next words out of the Lawyer's mouth caused Alice's blood pressure to spike as she recalled her declaration just a breath ago, she immediately hated the older woman. 'Stupid tyrannical bitch, all coercion, no fun.' the witchlet ranted internally. Her being a Warlock made Alice want to pull her gun and blow her brains out and see what patterns it would make across the wall. Would her blood be red like the rest of hers? It was hard to tell, Warlock's barely seemed human. They were antithetical to Alice, mind-reading secret stealers who had an easy time learning other people's magic owing to their unique sight.

1/2

>>5088281
>>5089020
The Chains of Dominance in particular bothered Alice, anyone who'd read an introductory book on Power or took a politics class knew that power came from others and determining what people could and couldn't, should and shouldn't do. That what power was all about, at least for normal people, but mages were sovereigns unto themselves, they didn't play by normal rules. However, the Chains seemed more like mind-control than the softer charms of Witch's, all command, no charisma, bypassing the rational mind that internally debated with itself to hijack the final decision. Alice wondered if the Lawyer got off on throwing her weight around, no doubt she'd find a bush to shlick the moment she was done here and exited around a corner. Suddenly a thought thundered into her mind, 'I should probably stop thinking this shit right now, Warlocks can See emotional Auras, I didn't see her touch an Icon either, she probably has a couple magical items, which makes her a couple tiers above what I'm willing to tussle with.'

'Now, the Wren Cactus Council is interesting, I wonder what the order is worried about. Probably some world-ending shit.' Alice mused to herself, trying to change the tune of her thoughts. She looked around, snapping out of her raging internal world. The Stormchaser was hesitating, teetering on giving his answer. It'd be nice if the orders didn't have this kind of power in the community. They were in America weren't they, land of the free? Glancing at the now awkward-looking humourless bitch, she saw her raising her hand to cover her facing against the light of the projector... - the projector!

'Oh god, I forgot to take any notes! The whole point of coming here was to learn things to improve my Craft! I'm such a dumbfuck.' Alice beat herself up internally as she got up to replay the clip. Starting from when the Stormchaser tapped his dice, Alice skipped around, jotting down the effects of the cyclone, especially the part camera straight up through the eye of the storm. From behind her she heard frustrated huffing and puffing and an annoyed voice trying to get her attention, but she payed it no attention.

'There, all done!' Alice turned around, her decision regarding the current situation already made up. "I'll do your stupid divination, just tell me what needs Seeing." she blurted out. Really, she wanted the Devilish Lawyer - devil, lawyer, what's the difference - to know she hated her. Normally she wouldn't be so altruistic, but this wasn't really about that, the Stormchaser owing her a favour could only be a good thing, and getting in good with the cactus cunts could give her access to resources she may never have the chance to get, though she dearly hoped she wouldn't be tied down by obligations. Giving her best annoying faux-starlet smile Alice cut off the next thing out of the Lawyer's mouth with a question, "I'm getting paid for this, right?"

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>5088281
>>5089020
>>5089062
>Replay the clip to Annoy the Lawyer, the roll is to take notes of the inside of the cyclone for research purposes.

>Intervene on the Stormchaser's behalf

Name: Alice Mason
Attributes: Dexterity, +2 Charisma
Knowledges: Academics, +2 Larceny
Skills: +2 Firearms, Persuasion
School: Witch
Icons: +2 Dice, Sage
Boons: [Dramatic Reveal]. A Truth has been occulted, but will reveal itself in time. Remove this condition to succeed the Seeing ritual on the looted guns.
Maluses: [Shatter Brained] Puzzling over riddles. The next roll to recall information results in failure if the number on the dice is even.

>>5089066
roll Faux-Starlet Smile
TN 13 = 10(Normal) +2(Charisma), +1(Persuasion)

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>5089145

Rolled 12, 14 = 26 (2d20)

>>5088278
Name: Daniella "Dannie" White Byrne
Attributes: Dexterity, Stamina, Charisma
Knowledge: Academics, Investigation, Larceny.
Skills: +2 Melee, Athletics
School: Shaman
Icons: Family Shortsword, Wolf Wineskin, MP3 Player

Bryne mused for a second wondering whether playing Thunderstruck would be appropriate for this situation but laughed it off and straightened her face.

"Nice weather we're having tonight!" she said with a laugh as she greeted the attendant.

"Looking for a place to ride out the storm yeah? Also looking for this brainiac with a blue rag 'round his head too, wouldn't know anything about that would you?" The young hunter gave him a sly grin as she slipped a fifty across the desk towards him.

>Rent a room next to the second room
>Try to bribe the attendant to tell me anything he knows.

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>>5088799
>gain [Frown Upside Down] Focus on levity to find peace. Once while interacting with something completely divorced from Wizard Business, you may remove this condition to increase the TN of a roll by two.

The young woman introduced herself as a Magician. A performer of stage illusion and card reading. She demonstrated with some deft handiwork, discovering a quarter behind his ear. Of course it was a simple trick of misdirection, she was no wisewoman but she did put on a show. The Magician apologized for interrupting his shooting practice. More waif than menace, she proved to calm Mister Commons nerves. Perhaps it was the presence of a person not associated with the business of the Esoteric College. Her face seems quick to laugh and smile, contrasting sharply with the grim and serious business of Wizards. As it turns out, the Magician has a steady gig at a local restaurant and invites Commons to watch a show.

Turning back to his firearm, he went to store it more completely. He had safely removed the ammunition while talking to the Magician and considered his time at the range done and over with. Reaching into his pocket he withdrew his phone to see a few messages. None of them seem terribly urgent. Back at the Providence House, they were serving tea and dinner, more Wizard business. One of his contacts had forwarded an invitation from the Tucson History Society, Wizard adjacent business.

>Which Invitation to take?