Re: Battle at an Abandoned Hospital, Rituals and the Tree in the Street IC Thread 45

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Waltham]

Anja's Post:

Nicole nodded to this, then handed over her cell phone after checking the radar app was still running.

Anja's Post:

'Okay, put up your hand if you ain't been assigned to a team yet...' planning to quickly divvy out the remaining people...

[Just 'auto-assign' the others, Great One. We covered melee, traps, medics and comms.]

[Or the fact that males are much more likely to have genetic visual defects, such as colour-blindness.]

[In the UK milk has a 'Use By', not a 'Sell By' or 'Best Before'. I think a combination of it being from the centre of the transport trolley, being refrigerated immediately and it having a very low fat content extended it's shelf-life.]

[Retired medical staff being recalled to work, unemployment ballooning, economy contracting by 1.5% *a week*, it took me three hours to buy six eggs and 100g of rice last night and UKGov is led by a true barking buffoon who's going his 'charming eccentric' act where he's doing the 'it'll be alright in the end' crap. If they don't pull their fingers out today, it's going to start getting *very* nasty...]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Waltham]

Nicole nodded to this, then handed over her cell phone after checking the radar app was still running.

Alicia accepted the phone and looked at it and nodded.

'Okay, put up your hand if you ain't been assigned to a team yet...' planning to quickly divvy out the remaining people...

The groups was mostly assigned like Axel had earlier suggested with most of the mages from Steelhaven on one team, Alicia was on this team which would be theCoawa and Strawberry was also on this team. Fran and Ty as well as the mages from Worchester was on the clean up team. Garda made ready to climb up to the roof to deal with the sniper once you got closer.
"Are we then ready?"
Jeffry asked.
"In which case let us get going."

[Casa Wainwright]

Colin nodded, "I know the how and the when - I have not and will not share that freely, but I will keep an eye on things, and try to keep the equivalent of an ER team on hand when the day comes; I think it might be possible to save his life, but he'll have to make a willing sacrifice of it first..."

"I am not an expert on vampires Mr Wainwright so I really can not say."
Cita replied.
"Hopefully things will work out for the young man."

He nodded thoughtfully, "So, a long shot even if we were to get all the pieces to the puzzle."

"A very long shot indeed, it might be possible but will not be easy to do."
The Spirit Healer replied.

He frowned, "Hum, I could think of one man offhand, actually, who would most certainly fit that last description; Wolfgang, the old Deacon Primus of the Chicago Mercere Chantry. His Avatar left him of its own accord; some Geas that he was forced to violate... Not that I would rush the old man with the idea in his fragile state; he was rather ill-treated during the last troubles, and is only now properly recovering..."

"Someone who's Avatar abandoned them due to a Geas would be an ideal candidate for such a working, but I am not sure I would be comfortable experimenting on one of the Mercere...it would be better, if we are doing this to find one of the prisoners, one that we can afford to have some degree of magick, as him or her consent and tend I can try to make sure the six ritualists are as gentle as possible when they...well you know. Now if I can make it work to create such a Phylactery for a prisoner then, and only then should we suggest the possibility to the Deacon of the Post Office."
Cita said and she sipped her tea.
"To make sure we do not get his hopes up and then it ends up not working."

[Warpmind]

[Casa Wainwright]

"Someone who's Avatar abandoned them due to a Geas would be an ideal candidate for such a working, but I am not sure I would be comfortable experimenting on one of the Mercere...it would be better, if we are doing this to find one of the prisoners, one that we can afford to have some degree of magick, as him or her consent and tend I can try to make sure the six ritualists are as gentle as possible when they...well you know. Now if I can make it work to create such a Phylactery for a prisoner then, and only then should we suggest the possibility to the Deacon of the Post Office."
Cita said and she sipped her tea.
"To make sure we do not get his hopes up and then it ends up not working."

Colin pondered for a bit, "The one who wants to Descend into nothingness, but wants the world to carry on for the sake of his reincarnated apprentices, the one who has accepted his end as his Avatar is old and tired of everything, or the blind one who is so broken as to have regressed into childhood, and was muttering nursery rhymes in the Dragon Tongue to himself... or perhaps the one who is still unconscious after I lodged one of the glass bullets up his nostril in an undignified grappling maneuver... I don't think he'll be in a much better mental state than the poor blinded fellow... I'm afraid the ones we have on hand are not going to be... willing or able to offer their informed consent."

He sighed, then took the strainer out of his cup and put it on the saucer he'd brought for that purpose, "Well, I suppose we're going to get a few more prisoners, in any case... But it is a grim notion, all the same."

He sipped his tea, "I do hope I get a few solid leads as to how Mia might manage to unwring the inverted shards soon, though; while getting the approximate gist of intent behind the Fallen's statements can be tactically beneficial, it's nevertheless a little disturbing."

((OOC: Yeah, you could do with a new, say, Neville Chamberlain right about now... :/ ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Casa Wainwright]

Colin pondered for a bit, "The one who wants to Descend into nothingness, but wants the world to carry on for the sake of his reincarnated apprentices, the one who has accepted his end as his Avatar is old and tired of everything, or the blind one who is so broken as to have regressed into childhood, and was muttering nursery rhymes in the Dragon Tongue to himself... or perhaps the one who is still unconscious after I lodged one of the glass bullets up his nostril in an undignified grappling maneuver... I don't think he'll be in a much better mental state than the poor blinded fellow... I'm afraid the ones we have on hand are not going to be... willing or able to offer their informed consent."

"The two who are broken, and let me say it is disturbing they will still be tried and...well you know, even in their condition, but for me at least they will not be in any condition to offer informed consent for human experimentation, it would not be ethical to use them. The one you say who have accepted his end might...not be to motivated to take part in such an experiment but the first one you mentioned, the one who want the world to carry on for his reincarnated apprentices...perhaps, depending on how dangerous he is."
Cita said as she mulled over the options.

He sighed, then took the strainer out of his cup and put it on the saucer he'd brought for that purpose, "Well, I suppose we're going to get a few more prisoners, in any case... But it is a grim notion, all the same."

"There is a good chance there will be more prisoners, and yes I realize human experimentation, especially when it is on someone in a desperate situation is not ethical...but it might give us valuable insight and we are giving the one we work with a chance they would not otherwise have...preferably it should be someone fairly young who we can get over on our side after...it is all said and done and who might adjust better."
The Spirit Healer said as she sipped her tea.
"But yes it is a grim thing to consider."

He sipped his tea, "I do hope I get a few solid leads as to how Mia might manage to unwring the inverted shards soon, though; while getting the approximate gist of intent behind the Fallen's statements can be tactically beneficial, it's nevertheless a little disturbing."

"Yes I can imagine so, now I can help you keep an eye on your progression but I can not really help you in cleansing the shards unfortunately. Like I said your best bet is talking with Master Ir of Morningstar Chantry, he might be able to offer some insights that I just don't have."
Cita said softly.

[Warpmind]

[Casa Wainwright]

"The two who are broken, and let me say it is disturbing they will still be tried and...well you know, even in their condition, but for me at least they will not be in any condition to offer informed consent for human experimentation, it would not be ethical to use them. The one you say who have accepted his end might...not be to motivated to take part in such an experiment but the first one you mentioned, the one who want the world to carry on for his reincarnated apprentices...perhaps, depending on how dangerous he is."
Cita said as she mulled over the options.

Colin shook his head, "I don't think he'll be too keen - he Fell as a... natural course of action, as it were; he reached such a low point after his apprentices died, that a natural Caul found him, and he entered willingly. I don't believe he'll be too dangerous, as such, but he might be inclined to... prematurely bring things to an end in any case. Even if unable to Fall once more, I doubt he would be willing to persist with a new Avatar."

"There is a good chance there will be more prisoners, and yes I realize human experimentation, especially when it is on someone in a desperate situation is not ethical...but it might give us valuable insight and we are giving the one we work with a chance they would not otherwise have...preferably it should be someone fairly young who we can get over on our side after...it is all said and done and who might adjust better."
The Spirit Healer said as she sipped her tea.
"But yes it is a grim thing to consider."

He nodded, "Well, the ethical boundaries for human experimentation have always been somewhat... flexible. Is it ethical or unethical to give someone a rope to cling to when they're about to fall into a chasm, when if the rope comes with a price? Especially if there's a genuine chance, however slim, that they might get something out of it beyond merely surviving? Should volunteers be turned back because they are desperate for a small payoff? Should one only accept willing test subjects who do it out of curiosity, and not for a need to cover living expenses in college, or gain extracurricular credits for a class?"
He paused, "With a little luck, we can give Miss Florentine her new Avatar shortly; it... might be possible that Mr. Gregario would be willing to volunteer, once he no longer needs to care for his ward - he might crave a new focus to keep himself living."

"Yes I can imagine so, now I can help you keep an eye on your progression but I can not really help you in cleansing the shards unfortunately. Like I said your best bet is talking with Master Ir of Morningstar Chantry, he might be able to offer some insights that I just don't have."
Cita said softly.

He smiled wryly, "Good thing I am a friend of his family, then; his wife and children, as well as his father. And I'll even get to meet his mother someday, too. That'll be an interesting situation, I'm sure..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Casa Wainwright]

Colin shook his head, "I don't think he'll be too keen - he Fell as a... natural course of action, as it were; he reached such a low point after his apprentices died, that a natural Caul found him, and he entered willingly. I don't believe he'll be too dangerous, as such, but he might be inclined to... prematurely bring things to an end in any case. Even if unable to Fall once more, I doubt he would be willing to persist with a new Avatar."

"That is understandable, many would not even be able to imagine getting over such a loss, and it would be traumatic for the shard cluster if the new host die before it can fully form...hum so not this prisoner then, we will see who else are captured."
Cita agreed with a nod.
"Now keep in mind I do not know how much magick the shard cluster will be able to give it's host, most of those I treated never got above the apprentice degree though a few made initiate...and then there is you who I suspect can very well reach Master one day."
The Spirit Healer said and she sipped her tea again with a slight smile.
"Off course we will reach Mastery I am Mia de Napoli, I grew up in the streets, taught myself Alchemy and became a Master in my own right while peddling sand stones and other alchemical trinkets and sleeping with men who would pay me, I did that all on my own, I can certainly lead you to the same excellence!"
Mia declared proudly from your soul.

He nodded, "Well, the ethical boundaries for human experimentation have always been somewhat... flexible. Is it ethical or unethical to give someone a rope to cling to when they're about to fall into a chasm, when if the rope comes with a price? Especially if there's a genuine chance, however slim, that they might get something out of it beyond merely surviving? Should volunteers be turned back because they are desperate for a small payoff? Should one only accept willing test subjects who do it out of curiosity, and not for a need to cover living expenses in college, or gain extracurricular credits for a class?"
He paused, "With a little luck, we can give Miss Florentine her new Avatar shortly; it... might be possible that Mr. Gregario would be willing to volunteer, once he no longer needs to care for his ward - he might crave a new focus to keep himself living."

"It depends I would say. I am skeptical in USA where there are so weak worker's rights, education cost so much and there are no universal healthcare. Someone being willing to take part in a medical experiment for money I think is fine, if they have a real choice, if they do it to be able to afford a house when they can well live in a rented apartment that is fine but if they do it to pay of their kid's medical bills that is something else. I see homeless people donating blood well beyond what is safe just to be paid to eat, that is wrong, but I do not think paying someone for blood is wrong in and of itself is it is an incentive to get something extra and not something needed to live. Or to put it elsewhere. One of my Cabalmates is a Hagalaz, a sub Tradition of the Cult of Ecstasy, now he is from Norway and he have a condition where his body make far to much blood so every month he have to shed some or he will eventually die. Now in Norway the blood bank, while they need more blood will not accept his blood since he have to donate to survive they consider it unethical to accept it so it is just wasted, all donations should be for altruistic reasons not for money or even a side effect of a medical need, that to me is going to far there is no reaosn not to put his blood to good use. However when you have a situation where people take part in medical experiments or donations due to not having the money to eat that is not Ethical."
The Virtual Adept said with a frown.
"When that is said, when we are talking about a patient who will go to hardships, horrible hardships anyway and offering them a tiny chance of something better that I think is acceptable."
She added then she sigh.
"Again I can not say to much due to doctor, patient confidentiality but having one's Avatar ravaged and consumed by the Island Creatures do horrible damage to the soul itself. Mr Gregario is not a candidate for the discussed experiment I fear."
Cita said then she nodded.
"Yes hopefully we can help Miss Florentine...I found her in the hallway right outside Master Nazza's room today, she is attracted to the Lady in White and the new Avatar is drawn towards her, they are ready for the implantation."

He smiled wryly, "Good thing I am a friend of his family, then; his wife and children, as well as his father. And I'll even get to meet his mother someday, too. That'll be an interesting situation, I'm sure..."

"You have interesting friends my good man. But yes Master Ir are surprisingly kind considering what he is...but his mother what I have heard is that she left Earth long ago, she might be an Oracle herself or a God, or if she is not then the difference hardly matter with her age and power."
Cita said and she looked at you over her tea cup looking surprised.

[Warpmind]

[Casa Wainwright]

"That is understandable, many would not even be able to imagine getting over such a loss, and it would be traumatic for the shard cluster if the new host die before it can fully form...hum so not this prisoner then, we will see who else are captured."
Cita agreed with a nod.
"Now keep in mind I do not know how much magick the shard cluster will be able to give it's host, most of those I treated never got above the apprentice degree though a few made initiate...and then there is you who I suspect can very well reach Master one day."
The Spirit Healer said and she sipped her tea again with a slight smile.
"Off course we will reach Mastery I am Mia de Napoli, I grew up in the streets, taught myself Alchemy and became a Master in my own right while peddling sand stones and other alchemical trinkets and sleeping with men who would pay me, I did that all on my own, I can certainly lead you to the same excellence!"
Mia declared proudly from your soul.

Colin grinned, "Mia insists she'll make a Master out of me yet, like she herself made it back in the day - and a vision of a meeting of the Council of Nine ten years hence would agree. Though I should prefer not to have to sleep with men who would pay me for it along the path. Personal preference and all that."

"It depends I would say. I am skeptical in USA where there are so weak worker's rights, education cost so much and there are no universal healthcare. Someone being willing to take part in a medical experiment for money I think is fine, if they have a real choice, if they do it to be able to afford a house when they can well live in a rented apartment that is fine but if they do it to pay of their kid's medical bills that is something else. I see homeless people donating blood well beyond what is safe just to be paid to eat, that is wrong, but I do not think paying someone for blood is wrong in and of itself is it is an incentive to get something extra and not something needed to live. Or to put it elsewhere. One of my Cabalmates is a Hagalaz, a sub Tradition of the Cult of Ecstasy, now he is from Norway and he have a condition where his body make far to much blood so every month he have to shed some or he will eventually die. Now in Norway the blood bank, while they need more blood will not accept his blood since he have to donate to survive they consider it unethical to accept it so it is just wasted, all donations should be for altruistic reasons not for money or even a side effect of a medical need, that to me is going to far there is no reaosn not to put his blood to good use. However when you have a situation where people take part in medical experiments or donations due to not having the money to eat that is not Ethical."
The Virtual Adept said with a frown.
"When that is said, when we are talking about a patient who will go to hardships, horrible hardships anyway and offering them a tiny chance of something better that I think is acceptable."
She added then she sigh.
"Again I can not say to much due to doctor, patient confidentiality but having one's Avatar ravaged and consumed by the Island Creatures do horrible damage to the soul itself. Mr Gregario is not a candidate for the discussed experiment I fear."
Cita said then she nodded.
"Yes hopefully we can help Miss Florentine...I found her in the hallway right outside Master Nazza's room today, she is attracted to the Lady in White and the new Avatar is drawn towards her, they are ready for the implantation."

He nodded, "Indeed; the lines are drawn in sand, not carved in stone - context matters. And I'm sorry to hear that the island creatures do so much collateral damage on top of everything... Hum, as a hypothetical, what of a case of someone being turned into a vampire, and then having their humanity restored again? Such a person would have lost their Avatar, it being replaced by a Beast, but on their redemption, would they be... too badly scarred, or would it be more like a smooth surface to work with?"
He smiled warmly, "And Miss Florentine... we'll get the Psychopomp Jace has tucked away, and with its help, we should be able to join the two safely. Hum, I think perhaps in another timeline, we might've rushed things a little more, though I don't know if that would have ultimately proved better or worse... It's good that she's quickening a little on her own, all the same."

"You have interesting friends my good man. But yes Master Ir are surprisingly kind considering what he is...but his mother what I have heard is that she left Earth long ago, she might be an Oracle herself or a God, or if she is not then the difference hardly matter with her age and power."
Cita said and she looked at you over her tea cup looking surprised.

He nodded, "She was a princess, back when Ir's father was but a potter's son... so he sold his soul for power to justify courting her. Apparently, she was none too pleased with the soul-selling part, though she still accepted him. Considering what I know of Egyptian religious beliefs - admittedly not much - I would hazard she ascended to divinity, not necessarily via the paths of a Mage... but that is idle speculation, and I'm sure Adley and I will find out soon enough."
He hesitated for a moment, "Not to press at patient confidentiality, though, but while on the subject of my Cabalmate, how is the, er... mother and child doing, as it were? He's looked a little... drawn of late, almost as though he's powering through a perpetual toothache. Just enough to make me a little concerned."

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Waltham]

Anja's Post:

'If everyone's ready and knows what we're doing... time to head off.' Nicole replied, moving towards the driver's seat of the Victoria. 'Shall I lead?'

[God no. He was one of the "masterminds" behind the Austerity cutbacks in '31 which exacerbated the Great Depression.]

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Waltham]

'If everyone's ready and knows what we're doing... time to head off.' Nicole replied, moving towards the driver's seat of the Victoria. 'Shall I lead?'

"For the drive up to the building yes please do so Miss Bouchard, I will lead the assault itself but right now I have to focus on making sure our cloaking spells and shields remain in good condition."
Jeffry said and he tossed the keys to his car to Antonio and got into the passenger seat of his own car. Everyone else got into cars as well. You ended up sitting next to Coawa who had the two Ratkin in their rat forms on his lap.
"Gerda says to let her know when you want her to jump out and start climbing."
The Rokea said.

[Casa Wainwright]

Colin grinned, "Mia insists she'll make a Master out of me yet, like she herself made it back in the day - and a vision of a meeting of the Council of Nine ten years hence would agree. Though I should prefer not to have to sleep with men who would pay me for it along the path. Personal preference and all that."

"It is a honest living, and I was never the slave of some bordello madam, I choose my own clients."
Mia commented. Cita raised an eyebrow.
"Ah yes, the history books do say Mia de Napoli was a courtesan along with being a street alchemist."
She replied.
"I wish you good luck along the path Mr Wainwright...regardless of how you end up...getting there."

He nodded, "Indeed; the lines are drawn in sand, not carved in stone - context matters. And I'm sorry to hear that the island creatures do so much collateral damage on top of everything... Hum, as a hypothetical, what of a case of someone being turned into a vampire, and then having their humanity restored again? Such a person would have lost their Avatar, it being replaced by a Beast, but on their redemption, would they be... too badly scarred, or would it be more like a smooth surface to work with?"

"The Island Creatures are horrors, we should wipe them from the face of Horizon!"
Cita declared darkly.
"Hum...that is the strange thing about it, the soul of a vampirism victim are usually unharmed, this have led some to speculate that the Avatar of a mage turned vampire do not in fact shatter but becomes what they cal the Beast. This is substantiated by the birth of some young magi with the need to consume life energy of others, and with memories of being vampires. However others state that it is clear that upon becoming such a create the Avatar shatters and is destroyed, it is hard to know the truth but to answer your question yes, a former vampire would be a prime candidate for the type of Phylactery you propose."

He smiled warmly, "And Miss Florentine... we'll get the Psychopomp Jace has tucked away, and with its help, we should be able to join the two safely. Hum, I think perhaps in another timeline, we might've rushed things a little more, though I don't know if that would have ultimately proved better or worse... It's good that she's quickening a little on her own, all the same."

"I have never myself led and Avatar from one Host to another, but in my educated guess we do not need a Psycopomp to do this transferal between Master Nassa and Miss Florentine. His secondary soul want to be incarnated into Miss Florentine and she feel it's presence, I believe I should be able to perform such magick myself and lead the way so to speak."
The Spirit Healer said.
"But if we are close to recovering a Psycopomp then asking it's help for this would be safer, after all it is their job to be guides for Avatars."

He nodded, "She was a princess, back when Ir's father was but a potter's son... so he sold his soul for power to justify courting her. Apparently, she was none too pleased with the soul-selling part, though she still accepted him. Considering what I know of Egyptian religious beliefs - admittedly not much - I would hazard she ascended to divinity, not necessarily via the paths of a Mage... but that is idle speculation, and I'm sure Adley and I will find out soon enough."

Cita nodded at that.
"Hum...a romance gone wrong eh? Well then again if they have loved one another this long, the princess and the potter's son...there is something to be said for that even if one of them ended up Fallen."

He hesitated for a moment, "Not to press at patient confidentiality, though, but while on the subject of my Cabalmate, how is the, er... mother and child doing, as it were? He's looked a little... drawn of late, almost as though he's powering through a perpetual toothache. Just enough to make me a little concerned."

"I am afraid Mr Wainwright that I can not discuss a specific patient with anyone but that patient so you will have to ask your Cabalmate about that."
The Spirit Healer said firmly before sipping her tea again.

[Adley]

[Hobby room]

"Ah..." he said, and then began to fold up the table and push it up as far against a wall out of the way as possible. It might be a tighter fit than a chamber that was already given to have space for such a thing but it would hopefully suffice now. Then he dug out some of his own chalk to mark the floor appropriately.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Hobby room]

Once he realized what you where doing Darrian came over to help you fold up the table and move it against the wall. Andrew snatched his tablet of the table before it was folded up.
"That looks like the stuff they have in anime when summoning spirits and such."
Thomas said as he watched you work.
"Is it going to glow? They always glow in the animes."

[Adley]

[Hobby room]

He smiled a bit. "Perhaps in spirit or energetic sight it would indeed glow, in a sort of way..." he said, then finished up each aspect of the circle. Next he set up the book where he could access the part he needed to read, and put something on the page so it wouldn't blow over. He gave a look over everything to make sure they were ready before nodding to his sodalis.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Hobby room]

"I am not going to see that with these cuffs on...ehm eh...not that I am able to do so without using a device off course, that would be Deviancy."
Thomas declared.
"So I should just sit here and shut up then?"
He asked as Darrian and Crexia got into position. The arch maga nodded to you that they where ready. Andrew took up position by the door to watch your backs but he was quite interested in the ritual and seeing the arch mage Crexia do magick.

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Kyle's Room]

"You have to tell us about that Sir."
Kyle said looking surprised.
"Are you a Master of Spirit Sir?"
Stephen asked also looking rather suprised.

"Nah, I'm not an anything of Spirit. I don't know the proper hermetic definition for Umbral world so I'm not sure if what I have qualifies or not." he said sheepishly, realizing how little he knew about the umbral side of the world. "I do wanna show you guys one day. But I seriously doubt your mentors would let me. They may trust me, but not that much."

"I think I get it...it is like with foci right, I know it is possible to just ignore the need for them and just work magick at will I know one can but it is not as easy to actually do?"
Kyle asked and Stephen nodded.

Serge nodded, "It takes a fair bit of time to do so. A major component to ignoring foci is to truly believe that you don't need it. That's a lot harder than most people think. They spent their whole lives working magick with those foci, so ignoring them would be like saying good bye to a close friend. I don't think I could ever get rid of my art, even if I gained the ability to think anything into existence."

"Well...I guess that could...be useful in a fight Sir, if you are skilled with for example Martial Arts, but even so the action of throwing someone will tip the enemy off so it would be better to teleport without a visual cue and beside throwing something takes time, your enemies will have moved by the time you throw something and you teleporting. It seams like something that would look great in an anime but not be the most practical in real life."
Stephen said sounding a bit skeptical about the tactical use of such a focus.

"This spell is more for my own personal amusement rather than for any practical purpose. I can already blink short distances instantaneously without having to do anything like this." he said, beginning to draw runic symbols on the paper wrapped around the pencil.

"It's also an excuse to practice casting magick really quickly. You guys probably have noticed, but I take a lot of time with any spell that I cast. A spell like this, where you need to throw and teleport to an object instantaneously, needs to happen really fast. While the object is still in the air. Its a good way to force me to act in the now rather than taking my time."

[Warpmind]

[Casa Wainwright]

"It is a honest living, and I was never the slave of some bordello madam, I choose my own clients."
Mia commented. Cita raised an eyebrow.
"Ah yes, the history books do say Mia de Napoli was a courtesan along with being a street alchemist."
She replied.
"I wish you good luck along the path Mr Wainwright...regardless of how you end up...getting there."

Colin sipped his tea, thinking inward to Mia, 'I said personal preference, my dear; I've never found men interesting in that way, and besides, I think Freddy would be a bit upset.'

"The Island Creatures are horrors, we should wipe them from the face of Horizon!"
Cita declared darkly.
"Hum...that is the strange thing about it, the soul of a vampirism victim are usually unharmed, this have led some to speculate that the Avatar of a mage turned vampire do not in fact shatter but becomes what they cal the Beast. This is substantiated by the birth of some young magi with the need to consume life energy of others, and with memories of being vampires. However others state that it is clear that upon becoming such a create the Avatar shatters and is destroyed, it is hard to know the truth but to answer your question yes, a former vampire would be a prime candidate for the type of Phylactery you propose."

He pondered for a bit, "That's... hm, so not the death of an Avatar, but rather a different kind of inversion? A highly Static corruption, as opposed to that of the Nephandi?"
He frowned, "That... is a disturbing notion, then; if becoming a Fallen turns an Avatar into an Entropically twisted form of itself, and vampirism turns it into a Statically twisted form, what would be a Dynamic counterpart?"

"I have never myself led and Avatar from one Host to another, but in my educated guess we do not need a Psycopomp to do this transferal between Master Nassa and Miss Florentine. His secondary soul want to be incarnated into Miss Florentine and she feel it's presence, I believe I should be able to perform such magick myself and lead the way so to speak."
The Spirit Healer said.
"But if we are close to recovering a Psycopomp then asking it's help for this would be safer, after all it is their job to be guides for Avatars."

He smiled wryly, "Normally, you would be the best at it, but in this case, there is, in fact, someone better to do this particular bit of Avatar work?"

"I am afraid Mr Wainwright that I can not discuss a specific patient with anyone but that patient so you will have to ask your Cabalmate about that."
The Spirit Healer said firmly before sipping her tea again.

He nodded, "I suspected as much. Well, I'll just have to ask him, then, though he's... usually not so quick to share."

He glanced at his (still-ruined) wristwatch, "Hum, Mr. King should be coming by soon, too..."

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Waltham]

Anja's Post:

'As soon as we all get out. We'll try to push upwards as quickly as possible so your ass ain't left hanging for long...' Nicole replied. 'Now, who in this car is to deal with the traps in the road?' looking around.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Kyle's Room]

"Nah, I'm not an anything of Spirit. I don't know the proper hermetic definition for Umbral world so I'm not sure if what I have qualifies or not." he said sheepishly, realizing how little he knew about the umbral side of the world. "I do wanna show you guys one day. But I seriously doubt your mentors would let me. They may trust me, but not that much."

"I am not sure what you mean Sir, if you created a realm in the spirit world then that is Mastery of Spirit."
Stephen said sounding confused.
"No I think perhaps Mr Yager is talking about creating a mental landscape, like the memory palace exercises we are given."
Kyle said and he gave you a questioning look to see if he was right.
"If so then that is not the same thing, making a mental construct that you can visit at will or take others into your own illusion is not an Umbral realm, though imagination can create a realm, for example almost all major pop cultures have realms in the Umbra, the collective interest in them have created realms for them."
The young Flambeau explained.

Serge nodded, "It takes a fair bit of time to do so. A major component to ignoring foci is to truly believe that you don't need it. That's a lot harder than most people think. They spent their whole lives working magick with those foci, so ignoring them would be like saying good bye to a close friend. I don't think I could ever get rid of my art, even if I gained the ability to think anything into existence."

"You can still work with your art even if you are able to work work without it as well, many magi who can work without foci still use them as it still makes their magick easier to do, even if it is possible to do without."
Kyle said.
"I can make fire without my hand gestures and words but I usually prefer to use them."

"This spell is more for my own personal amusement rather than for any practical purpose. I can already blink short distances instantaneously without having to do anything like this." he said, beginning to draw runic symbols on the paper wrapped around the pencil.

"Well it is perfectly fine to use magick just for enjoyment Sir."
Stephen said with a nod.
"What I am wondering about Sir is how...you use drawings as a focus for magick."
Kyle said as he tried to steer the demonstrations back to the originally promised material.

"It's also an excuse to practice casting magick really quickly. You guys probably have noticed, but I take a lot of time with any spell that I cast. A spell like this, where you need to throw and teleport to an object instantaneously, needs to happen really fast. While the object is still in the air. Its a good way to force me to act in the now rather than taking my time."

"Well yes that is a good point Sir."
Stephen agreed.
"Practice is always nice."

[Casa Wainwright]

Colin sipped his tea, thinking inward to Mia, 'I said personal preference, my dear; I've never found men interesting in that way, and besides, I think Freddy would be a bit upset.'

"Women pay for such services as well, but yes it might not be for you. I never particularly minded, I never saw it as demeaning, I was beautiful and I could earn good money on that beauty."
Mia replied.
"But you must walk your own way."

He pondered for a bit, "That's... hm, so not the death of an Avatar, but rather a different kind of inversion? A highly Static corruption, as opposed to that of the Nephandi?"
He frowned, "That... is a disturbing notion, then; if becoming a Fallen turns an Avatar into an Entropically twisted form of itself, and vampirism turns it into a Statically twisted form, what would be a Dynamic counterpart?"

"Static...and Entropic actually, the Beast of a vampire is both. The interesting thing is that a vampire who loose their Beast become depressed and lethargic, very much like a mage who loose their soul, however some still say the creation of a vampire shatters an Avatar, and I have not studied the matter enough to say for sure. If you are interested I Hollowever I know who have memories of dying in Chicago...of all things on top of a skyscraper, you might want to speak with her."
The Virtual Adept said.

He smiled wryly, "Normally, you would be the best at it, but in this case, there is, in fact, someone better to do this particular bit of Avatar work?"

"I think that yes in this case, Master Ir's personal experience make him more knowledgeable than me when it comes to cleansing souls and how to avoid getting corrupted by your shards Mr Wainwright."
The Spirit Healer agreed.

He nodded, "I suspected as much. Well, I'll just have to ask him, then, though he's... usually not so quick to share."

"Mr Roth Hicks is a very private person."
Cita agreed.
"But yes I can not talk about my patients I hope you do understand."

He glanced at his (still-ruined) wristwatch, "Hum, Mr. King should be coming by soon, too..."

"Ah that is nice Mr Wainwright."
Cita said, and at that time Anna opened the door slightly and peeked inside.
"Dad! Mr King is here!"
She called.
"Should I just let him in?"
The Spirit Healer smiled a little.
"Right on time it seams Mr Wainwright."

[Waltham]

'As soon as we all get out. We'll try to push upwards as quickly as possible so your ass ain't left hanging for long...' Nicole replied. 'Now, who in this car is to deal with the traps in the road?' looking around.

The Gerda rat chittered it's consent to this plan to you. In her rat form she was a large, brown rat with a white belly and a few white spots down her back. Marian spoke up.
"That would be me."
The death magus replied.
"I am ready to go with that."
He commented as he took a small mirror out of his picket and put a bag of what looked like dirt on top of it.

[Adley]

[Hobby room]

"I am not going to see that with these cuffs on...ehm eh...not that I am able to do so without using a device off course, that would be Deviancy."
Thomas declared.
"So I should just sit here and shut up then?"
He asked as Darrian and Crexia got into position. The arch maga nodded to you that they where ready. Andrew took up position by the door to watch your backs but he was quite interested in the ritual and seeing the arch mage Crexia do magick.

"Sorry but it's not likely you would see it, given the cuffs..." he said, giving him a side-eye. He obviously didn't believe that he needed a device to 'see' but didn't comment. He put the chalk away. "It could be helpful to meditate or think about what makes you you, in whatever way makes sense for you to do that," he suggested. "I might further suggest thinking the same of your how do you call it? Genius, but that I suppose may be deviancy." He waited to see if Thomas had anything to say before falling into place to start the ritual.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Waltham]

Anja's Post:

'Cool.' Nicole replied. 'Hold, please...' passing her old carbine and rucksack over to Coawa. 'Okay... what's my max safe speed so you can still detect any traps and shit?'

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Hobby room]

"Sorry but it's not likely you would see it, given the cuffs..." he said, giving him a side-eye. He obviously didn't believe that he needed a device to 'see' but didn't comment.

"Ah yes...those...they are annoying."
The young Void Engineer muttered sourly and he twisted his hands a little and winced.
"Really annoying."

He put the chalk away. "It could be helpful to meditate or think about what makes you you, in whatever way makes sense for you to do that," he suggested. "I might further suggest thinking the same of your how do you call it? Genius, but that I suppose may be deviancy." He waited to see if Thomas had anything to say before falling into place to start the ritual.

"I can do that...and yes it might be Deviancy but I won't tell if you don't."
Thomas said with a bit of a wry grin.
"Ok meditating, not something I have done allot but I can think about what makes me me and about my Genius?"
He offered.

[Waltham]

'Cool.' Nicole replied. 'Hold, please...' passing her old carbine and rucksack over to Coawa. 'Okay... what's my max safe speed so you can still detect any traps and shit?'

"I will hold."
Coawa agreed and he held your gear making place for it on his lap being careful not to squash the rats with it.
"You can drive normally. I have checked now there are no traps or active spells between here and the building but I will keep my working active to keep an eye on things non the less."
Marian said.
"I have not scanned the last five feet around the building not to trigger anything there so be careful when we get close."
The Euthanathos added.

[Warpmind]

[Casa Wainwright]

"Women pay for such services as well, but yes it might not be for you. I never particularly minded, I never saw it as demeaning, I was beautiful and I could earn good money on that beauty."
Mia replied.
"But you must walk your own way."

Colin chuckled softly, thinking back, 'We both know that however graceful you are, my looks are quite literally those of a man who had his face separated from his head, and then stitched back on. I have no ill will toward the service professions, I just lack the personal inclination and the... necessary good looks for it. Even though some have found my scars handsome.'

"Static...and Entropic actually, the Beast of a vampire is both. The interesting thing is that a vampire who loose their Beast become depressed and lethargic, very much like a mage who loose their soul, however some still say the creation of a vampire shatters an Avatar, and I have not studied the matter enough to say for sure. If you are interested I Hollowever I know who have memories of dying in Chicago...of all things on top of a skyscraper, you might want to speak with her."
The Virtual Adept said.

He arched an eyebrow, "On top of a Chicago skyscraper, is it? Hm, I could easily imagine which one... Certainly, I'd like a word with her some day."

"I think that yes in this case, Master Ir's personal experience make him more knowledgeable than me when it comes to cleansing souls and how to avoid getting corrupted by your shards Mr Wainwright."
The Spirit Healer agreed.

He smiled wryly, "Ah, I meant the Psychopomp, for the... transplant. Though perhaps Miss Florentine, once she's recovered, will be a far better guide, in any case. And Miss Alexander has taken her first few steps on that path, as well, casting a Dynamic spell today."

"Mr Roth Hicks is a very private person."
Cita agreed.
"But yes I can not talk about my patients I hope you do understand."

He nodded, "Of course, patient confidentiality is a sacred thing, even when talking with, er, family, in a roundabout way. Hum, on that note, I believe as Anna's Mentor and adoptive father, I am yet privy to pertinent information while she is underage - but where would you draw the line for that? At a certain age, or at the end of her apprenticeship?"

"Ah that is nice Mr Wainwright."
Cita said, and at that time Anna opened the door slightly and peeked inside.
"Dad! Mr King is here!"
She called.
"Should I just let him in?"
The Spirit Healer smiled a little.
"Right on time it seams Mr Wainwright."

He grinned and showed Cita the watch, "Quite so, it seems Master Steelhaven is leaving me his odd little quirks as well as his recipe book."
He got up and headed to the kitchen, looking over his shoulder toward the door, "Certainly, show him in, I've got everything ready."

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Kyle's Room]

"I am not sure what you mean Sir, if you created a realm in the spirit world then that is Mastery of Spirit."
Stephen said sounding confused.
"No I think perhaps Mr Yager is talking about creating a mental landscape, like the memory palace exercises we are given."
Kyle said and he gave you a questioning look to see if he was right.
"If so then that is not the same thing, making a mental construct that you can visit at will or take others into your own illusion is not an Umbral realm, though imagination can create a realm, for example almost all major pop cultures have realms in the Umbra, the collective interest in them have created realms for them."
The young Flambeau explained.

"Ahhh, I knew I was over exaggerating. Sorry about that." Serge said with a chuckle, nodding in agreement to Kyle's assessment. "Shame....still it's a cool place though. Although those pop culture realms sound pretty neat. I've heard of those myself, although I don't know much about them. I really wanna to explore those places."

"Well it is perfectly fine to use magick just for enjoyment Sir."
Stephen said with a nod.
"What I am wondering about Sir is how...you use drawings as a focus for magick."
Kyle said as he tried to steer the demonstrations back to the originally promised material.

"In this instance, it's mostly just symbols. And the meanings behind them. The power of art is in what it means, what it represents, and how it makes you feel. Both on the surface level and beyond. That is the root most artistic magick. Although it would be pretty restrictive to say that all artistic magick functions similarly." Serge said showing Kyle the symbols he had drawn on his pencil.

The symbols were various simple drawings. Puzzle pieces fitting together, Yin and Yang, a couple embracing one another, and many more. The drawings clearly represented connections, and the idea of pieces coming together.

"Going beyond that, for this spell I also focus on the idea that my drawings are a part of me. Each and every single one, a piece of me taken from my mind and brought into reality. Thus all of my drawings are connected to me, stronger than most other things. And through that connection I can bring myself to the piece of me embedded within the art. No matter where it is."

"Well yes that is a good point Sir."
Stephen agreed.
"Practice is always nice."

"I practiced this earlier today and completely messed it up. Ended up just chucking a pencil against the wall." he said with a smile. "Let's see if I can do better this. How about we do this demonstration in the hall? Some more space could be nice."

[Adley]

[Hobby room]

"Ah yes...those...they are annoying."
The young Void Engineer muttered sourly and he twisted his hands a little and winced.
"Really annoying."

It was useless to apologize, however he did seem slightly apologetic. Yet, he was watching that everything held all the same. Having him run off mid-chant would be more annoying than he thought the cuffs were. Annoying and dangerous.

"I can do that...and yes it might be Deviancy but I won't tell if you don't."
Thomas said with a bit of a wry grin.
"Ok meditating, not something I have done allot but I can think about what makes me me and about my Genius?"
He offered.

"Concentrating, if you prefer. Yes, those qualities which are you and that unique ah...Genius that is with you in your life."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Hobby room]

It was useless to apologize, however he did seem slightly apologetic. Yet, he was watching that everything held all the same. Having him run off mid-chant would be more annoying than he thought the cuffs were. Annoying and dangerous.

"It is okey...they don't hurt they are just annoying."
Thomas said with a sigh.

"Concentrating, if you prefer. Yes, those qualities which are you and that unique ah...Genius that is with you in your life."

"Sure okey...I can do that."
The young Void Engineer said with a nod.

[Kyle's Room]

"Ahhh, I knew I was over exaggerating. Sorry about that." Serge said with a chuckle, nodding in agreement to Kyle's assessment. "Shame....still it's a cool place though. Although those pop culture realms sound pretty neat. I've heard of those myself, although I don't know much about them. I really wanna to explore those places."

"Well it is not Umbral realm making but it is still a neat things to do."
Kyle said with a nod.
"Hum...well pop culture realms would be cool...sort of some pop culture world though would be pretty dangerous. I mean take Pokemon, step wrong and boom you are eaten by a monster."

"In this instance, it's mostly just symbols. And the meanings behind them. The power of art is in what it means, what it represents, and how it makes you feel. Both on the surface level and beyond. That is the root most artistic magick. Although it would be pretty restrictive to say that all artistic magick functions similarly." Serge said showing Kyle the symbols he had drawn on his pencil.

Kyle paid close attention to what you where saying and he looked at the symbols you had drawn.
"Yes I get it sort of I think."
He said with a nod.
"So it is about emotions and symbolism Sir?"

The symbols were various simple drawings. Puzzle pieces fitting together, Yin and Yang, a couple embracing one another, and many more. The drawings clearly represented connections, and the idea of pieces coming together.

"Going beyond that, for this spell I also focus on the idea that my drawings are a part of me. Each and every single one, a piece of me taken from my mind and brought into reality. Thus all of my drawings are connected to me, stronger than most other things. And through that connection I can bring myself to the piece of me embedded within the art. No matter where it is."

"So your drawings become like mini magick in itself then Sir, they become manifestations of your will and then you use that to fuel other magick?"
The young Hermetic asked. Stephen nodded then he frowned.
"Sir if this is what you see your art as, are you not worried someone will get one of your drawings and use them as an Arcane connection against you?"

"I practiced this earlier today and completely messed it up. Ended up just chucking a pencil against the wall." he said with a smile. "Let's see if I can do better this. How about we do this demonstration in the hall? Some more space could be nice."

"Sure Sir but what if someone open their door and step out of their rooms just as you toss things around Sir, that would be a problem, are there not some larger, at this time unused area we can use?"
Stephen asked skeptically.

[Casa Wainwright]

Colin chuckled softly, thinking back, 'We both know that however graceful you are, my looks are quite literally those of a man who had his face separated from his head, and then stitched back on. I have no ill will toward the service professions, I just lack the personal inclination and the... necessary good looks for it. Even though some have found my scars handsome.'

"It is not a profession for everyone."
Mia said then she smiled and patted your arm fondly.
"Indeed you are as broken and patched back up as I am...and Freddy find you quite handsome do she not, not everyone mind your scars my dear host."

He arched an eyebrow, "On top of a Chicago skyscraper, is it? Hm, I could easily imagine which one... Certainly, I'd like a word with her some day."

"Yes apparently she have nightmares where she wake up in stark terror, she have had them since she was a child she says where she dreams she is completely helpless on top of a skyscraper awaiting her doom...you have heard of this before?"
Cita asked and she raised an eyebrow.
"I am sure the young Hollower would not mind if I give you her contact information Mr Wainwright."

He smiled wryly, "Ah, I meant the Psychopomp, for the... transplant. Though perhaps Miss Florentine, once she's recovered, will be a far better guide, in any case. And Miss Alexander has taken her first few steps on that path, as well, casting a Dynamic spell today."

"Yes Miss Florentine will be invaluable once she recovers enough to communicate. Hum...yes I was told that Miss Alexander had cast a Dynamic spell that is quite amazing, her Mentor was worried about her but I am sure her soul is fine. As for the Psycopomp yes it will be better at it's job than I am."
The Spirit Healer said with a bit of a smile.

He nodded, "Of course, patient confidentiality is a sacred thing, even when talking with, er, family, in a roundabout way. Hum, on that note, I believe as Anna's Mentor and adoptive father, I am yet privy to pertinent information while she is underage - but where would you draw the line for that? At a certain age, or at the end of her apprenticeship?"

"A Mentor would be privi to information about their apprentice until the end of the apprenticeship."
Cita confirmed with a nod.
"I like to work closely with both apprentice and Mentor when the apprentice is my patient."

He grinned and showed Cita the watch, "Quite so, it seems Master Steelhaven is leaving me his odd little quirks as well as his recipe book."

This made the Virtual Adept chuckle a little.

He got up and headed to the kitchen, looking over his shoulder toward the door, "Certainly, show him in, I've got everything ready."

Anna showed Bruce in and you heard him and Cita say hello to one another then he grunted in your direction.
"Hey Colin...am I disturbing your meeting?"
He asked.

[Adley]

[Hobby Room]

"Sure okey...I can do that."
The young Void Engineer said with a nod.

He nodded to Thomas and then gave a look to both his sodalis. "I will begin." It was both easier and harder to do a similar ritual. There was again a 'bunch of chanting,' and extra 'special effects' as his paradox flaw kicked in. And it was odd to know that someone was watching him, while tied to a chair, having an entirely other paradigm, technically an enemy but an enemy of his enemy. Harder as he was tiring, and easier since he was firm on what exactly would happen when and how, when to add quintessence, when to speak the Name. In this he was more guarded - his voice carried far and he mouthed the man's Name, while thinking of him as best that he knew him. Despite himself, he found that he liked him well enough. He was smart, and personable and did not seem hell bent on ending the world which was a very critical difference between Thomas and Jace, as well as the latter being formerly Fallen /and/ now a spirit. For whatever way he knew that some avatars were Fallen, and one could not be too careful, here he was careful in his wording as well in that he did not want to end up creating a hard to destroy shell for Jace to jump into, but very much the opposite. For Thomas to be himself, and his avatar (as he called it Genius) stay unFallen, and perhaps he would think twice the next time he was asked to bring prisoners to MECHA.

// same as before - as discussed this part has two rolls for Thomas, and will have two for Cava next, plus a quintessence each: 3, 2, 6, 3; 2, 8, 4, 9

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