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

[Warpmind]

[Basement]

"You can not just keep me here!"
Flavian declared in an outraged tone of voice.
"You have no right I am an Adept of the Traditions I demand that you let me go back to my Chantrymates upstairs!
The angry Hermetic shouted and Crexia gave him a stern look.

"You are demanding the Lady and appointed proxy for the Security Head of our chantry to let you go despite the fact you are part of an ongoing investigation?"

Colin just shook his head.

Flavian sigh and shook his head.
"No...not exactly that but...I..."
He hesitated then ran a hand through his dark hair.
"I was apprenticed to a Tytalus at seven, I went through the degrees and picked up linear magic quickly, but I never Awakened, when I was 23 I was still on the Third Degree and many was pressuring my Mentor to give up and initiate me as a Third Degree or get me a linear teacher to take me further in that direction. My teacher could not deal with one of his apprentices ending up as a hedge wizard so he contacted...contacted something that his lineage had served for centuries. There was a ritual, and I was sold into the service of this being, I felt a terrible pain in my lower back and when I woke up...I was Awakened and I shot through the ranks, developing my Sphere Magick into becoming an Adept in just a few years but there are...payments to be made and I feel the hold that...that...thing have over me every single second of my life. And despite being an Adept now...I have never had a single Seeking...not one..."
The Tytalus admitted. Crexia muttered something about the fucking demonic corruption of her House under the breath she did not have.

He had already suspected that he had investments, but not the why of it. That something could actually force an awakening was horrific, that he had a chunk of his soul sold for magick worse, and the fact that it seems his mentor had not learned from what happened to the Tremere. And to add insult to injury, sworn in with the Code. Adley looked furious, and similarly to when he was with Colin at Bergen's door, he had gone very, very quiet.

He frowned, "Well, you should have some very solid grounds for suing for a refund of tuition, then..."

"Okey...okey but listen I actually can't say anything...that thing that owns my soul will not let me."
Flavian said in a desperate tone of voice.
"I am loyal to the Traditions I am...but it demand things at times and I have to obey it...I have no choice do you understand I have no choice."

It took him a moment to gather himself, but he finally said, "You may not have had any choice when you were an apprentice. But you did afterward, and this is where following that path has brought you. You still have a choice, right now. It is one you don't want to make, but if you truly value the Traditions or the Order, you would put them above your own ambition."

He paused, "You said the small of your back... Hum, your lacking an Awakened Avatar, then, could spare you a lot of the discomfort of scrubbing out the... tramp stamp. Then again, the traumatic experience could conceivably force your Avatar to Awaken, too..."
He looked up at Crexia, pocketing the phone again, "Very well, I'll not disturb Master Steelhaven for now. Milady, you're the senior ranking member of House Tytalus; I would guess that gives you the most direct authority over the internal concerns regarding Adeptus Flavian's Mentor."
He fished out three more sachets of sand from his pocket, "Well, that's the last I'd prepared, anyway; might be enough for a single mark... So, Flavian, the easy but unpleasant way would be to lie down on the table and let us try to separate you from the contract that was forced on you. The hard way... you get incarcerated for knowingly aiding and abetting two Fallen infiltrators, and end up on trial for Infernalism as well. I guess you do have quite the choice to make..."

((OOC: Bleh, seems I've caught a head cold. It sucks. On the bright side, there's no respiratory distress...))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Basement]

"You are demanding the Lady and appointed proxy for the Security Head of our chantry to let you go despite the fact you are part of an ongoing investigation?"

"Yes I am. I have not done anything wrong."
Flavian tried again.

He had already suspected that he had investments, but not the why of it. That something could actually force an awakening was horrific, that he had a chunk of his soul sold for magick worse, and the fact that it seems his mentor had not learned from what happened to the Tremere. And to add insult to injury, sworn in with the Code. Adley looked furious, and similarly to when he was with Colin at Bergen's door, he had gone very, very quiet.

Adeptus Flavian looked at Adley and how the other Hermetic's expression changed and he seamed to decided that now was not the time to say anything so he just stepped a few steps away and said nothing.

It took him a moment to gather himself, but he finally said, "You may not have had any choice when you were an apprentice. But you did afterward, and this is where following that path has brought you. You still have a choice, right now. It is one you don't want to make, but if you truly value the Traditions or the Order, you would put them above your own ambition."

"I but...I..."
The Tytalus begun then he sigh and nodded.
"Ok...ok...I will cooperate...But that thing I serve will keep me from talking in that I have no choice and there is not that much that I know."

He frowned, "Well, you should have some very solid grounds for suing for a refund of tuition, then..."

Flavian just gave you a dark look over this comment.

He paused, "You said the small of your back... Hum, your lacking an Awakened Avatar, then, could spare you a lot of the discomfort of scrubbing out the... tramp stamp. Then again, the traumatic experience could conceivably force your Avatar to Awaken, too..."

"Yes my lower back but please...do not call it that and I don't know what I got. I have magick, I can use Nodes but I have enver had a Seeking or communicated with...what I got."
The Hermetic said sourly and he shivered slightly.
"That bad eh?"

He looked up at Crexia, pocketing the phone again, "Very well, I'll not disturb Master Steelhaven for now. Milady, you're the senior ranking member of House Tytalus; I would guess that gives you the most direct authority over the internal concerns regarding Adeptus Flavian's Mentor."

"The man will be reported to the Quesitors and arrested at once, I suspect the man will pay with his life at the very least."
Crexia said darkly and this was the only thing in the entire conversation which made Flavian smile.

He fished out three more sachets of sand from his pocket, "Well, that's the last I'd prepared, anyway; might be enough for a single mark... So, Flavian, the easy but unpleasant way would be to lie down on the table and let us try to separate you from the contract that was forced on you. The hard way... you get incarcerated for knowingly aiding and abetting two Fallen infiltrators, and end up on trial for Infernalism as well. I guess you do have quite the choice to make..."

"I suspect I would be put on trial regardless, but if I am to face execution or a Wizard's March I would prefer to do so as myself and not as the slave of some thing."
Adeptus Flavian said and he begun to remove his nice, gray suit jacket, then the vest and lastly the white silk shirt, undoing the silver cuff links first and neatly folding up the clothing and putting them on the shelf before he hesitating for just a moment before he got up onto the table. The man's upper body bore witness to House Tytalus' enthusiastic training method for their apprentices. Towards the small of his back was a scar that looked like a scratch made by a claw, and up form that like some twisted flowers where long lines of twisted text and swirled around one another to make a sort of lotus shape on the man's thin back, the text was impossible to read but seamed just wrong.
"Well you have my informed consent...just...just get...on with it."
Flavian muttered.
Crexia pulled a stick wrapped with leather out of thin air and offered it to the younger Hermetic.
"Bite down on this?"
"No...ehm...my Lady I do not need it."
"Yes you do Adeptus."
"Shit..."

[Kyle's Room]

"Booo, strategy." Serge said jokingly. "I just pick the characters I like the look of. Let's just randomize the stages."

"Randomize the stage that works."
Stephen said and you got the stage that was in every game to float going down a river.
"Ok let us see who win then."
The young Flambeau said as the announcer declared "Fight."

[Warpmind]

[Basement]

"Yes I am. I have not done anything wrong."
Flavian tried again.

Colin shook his head, "Unfortunately, your own admissions of knowing about the infiltrators before you were told by us indicates that is... incorrect, or at least questionable."

"I but...I..."
The Tytalus begun then he sigh and nodded.
"Ok...ok...I will cooperate...But that thing I serve will keep me from talking in that I have no choice and there is not that much that I know."

He nodded.

"Yes my lower back but please...do not call it that and I don't know what I got. I have magick, I can use Nodes but I have enver had a Seeking or communicated with...what I got."
The Hermetic said sourly and he shivered slightly.
"That bad eh?"

He nodded, "Well, look on the bright side, it's not going to leave you looking like you took modern military rocketry to the face... there's a chance whatever you received has suppressed what true talent you've possessed, rather than replacing it like what vampirism would have done."

"The man will be reported to the Quesitors and arrested at once, I suspect the man will pay with his life at the very least."
Crexia said darkly and this was the only thing in the entire conversation which made Flavian smile.

He arched an eyebrow at Flavian's expression, "Ah, that famous Tytalus affection between Mentor and apprentice... What is his name, by the way? I'm curious..."

"I suspect I would be put on trial regardless, but if I am to face execution or a Wizard's March I would prefer to do so as myself and not as the slave of some thing."
Adeptus Flavian said and he begun to remove his nice, gray suit jacket, then the vest and lastly the white silk shirt, undoing the silver cuff links first and neatly folding up the clothing and putting them on the shelf before he hesitating for just a moment before he got up onto the table. The man's upper body bore witness to House Tytalus' enthusiastic training method for their apprentices. Towards the small of his back was a scar that looked like a scratch made by a claw, and up form that like some twisted flowers where long lines of twisted text and swirled around one another to make a sort of lotus shape on the man's thin back, the text was impossible to read but seamed just wrong.
"Well you have my informed consent...just...just get...on with it."
Flavian muttered.
Crexia pulled a stick wrapped with leather out of thin air and offered it to the younger Hermetic.
"Bite down on this?"
"No...ehm...my Lady I do not need it."
"Yes you do Adeptus."
"Shit..."

He arched an eyebrow, "Is that... Dragon's Tongue in written form? It has the same wrongness to it..."
He shook his head and poured the three sachets onto the mark on Flavian's back, not much more than a pinch of sand in each, "I believe that would have been another stick, with a sponge on the end..."
Hanging his own jacket up on the door handle again, he continued, "This may hurt a lot... and by a lot, I mean you may pass out... if your, hm, patron lets you before the mark is gone..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Basement]

Colin shook his head, "Unfortunately, your own admissions of knowing about the infiltrators before you were told by us indicates that is... incorrect, or at least questionable."

Flavian just looked away and he did not answer.

He nodded, "Well, look on the bright side, it's not going to leave you looking like you took modern military rocketry to the face... there's a chance whatever you received has suppressed what true talent you've possessed, rather than replacing it like what vampirism would have done."

"Well thank the gods for small favors..."
The Adeptus grunted.
"Or I might be left with just my hedge magick and be right back to where I started."
He complained bitterly.
"Well I guess freedom have a price."

He arched an eyebrow at Flavian's expression, "Ah, that famous Tytalus affection between Mentor and apprentice... What is his name, by the way? I'm curious..."

"Yes well members of my house often have brutal apprenticeships."
The Tytalus said and Crexia grunted her displeasure at this fact.
"His name is Joshua Alamain, he is from a most prestigious lineage."
Flavian continued.
"And I love him with all my heart, words can not describe how much I adore this man."

He arched an eyebrow, "Is that... Dragon's Tongue in written form? It has the same wrongness to it...

"Yes I believe it might be...I can't read it."
Adeptus Flavian commented sourly.

He shook his head and poured the three sachets onto the mark on Flavian's back, not much more than a pinch of sand in each, "I believe that would have been another stick, with a sponge on the end..."

"I don't think I would bite on one of those sticks."
Flavian grunted before he took Crexia's advice and placed the leather wrapped stick in his mouth. Crexia seamed to be rather amused at your comment. Even the touch of the sand on the Investment mark made the Hermetic groan in pain though and it was soon clear that something to bite down on would indeed be very much needed.

Hanging his own jacket up on the door handle again, he continued, "This may hurt a lot... and by a lot, I mean you may pass out... if your, hm, patron lets you before the mark is gone..."

Flavian nodded with a pained groan and he gave you please jsut get it over with look before he bit down into the leather and looked stiffly ahead.

[Warpmind]

[Basement]

"Well thank the gods for small favors..."
The Adeptus grunted.
"Or I might be left with just my hedge magick and be right back to where I started."
He complained bitterly.
"Well I guess freedom have a price."

Colin nodded, "Eternal vigilance is not just a phrase..."

"Yes I believe it might be...I can't read it."
Adeptus Flavian commented sourly.

He frowned, "I suppose you're lucky in that regard... it's painful to look at."

Flavian nodded with a pained groan and he gave you please jsut get it over with look before he bit down into the leather and looked stiffly ahead.

He gave Crexia a small nod, then started carefully rubbing the sand into the awful, wrong lettering of the mark, relying on his own senses to determine whether the sand lost its potency at some point during the erasure, muttering softly to himself, "I really ought to ask Adept Markov about some sandpaper..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Basement]

Colin nodded, "Eternal vigilance is not just a phrase..."

"No I guess you are right, but the cost gets high at times."
Flavian said with a sigh.

He frowned, "I suppose you're lucky in that regard... it's painful to look at."

"Yeah it do not look to good no, did not feel very got when that creature burned it into my flesh either."
The Tytalus muttered bitterly.
"That hurt."

He gave Crexia a small nod, then started carefully rubbing the sand into the awful, wrong lettering of the mark, relying on his own senses to determine whether the sand lost its potency at some point during the erasure, muttering softly to himself, "I really ought to ask Adept Markov about some sandpaper..."

The sand seamed to do the job, the marks slowly got scraped of, though this also did considerably damage to Flavian's skin and probably would scar quite badly. The Hermetic first groaned, but then he started screaming, at one point he but through the letter wrapped stick as his body convulsed in pain, Crexia had to use magick to hold him down so the process could continue, after a white though, mercifully the man fainted and lay there limp as you finished rubbing the Investment Mark of his skin, there was a sense of something, releasing it's hold or breaking and then it was done. The sand did seam to loose it's potency when used but it did the job. Favian was still unconscious at this time he was bathed in sweat but at least he was breathing well, though he was still completely limp on the table.

[Warpmind]

[Basement]

"No I guess you are right, but the cost gets high at times."
Flavian said with a sigh.

Colin nodded, "High, true, but costlier still is not paying it..."

"Yeah it do not look to good no, did not feel very got when that creature burned it into my flesh either."
The Tytalus muttered bitterly.
"That hurt."

He nodded, "Well, best just... close your eyes and think warmly of your Mentor..."

The sand seamed to do the job, the marks slowly got scraped of, though this also did considerably damage to Flavian's skin and probably would scar quite badly. The Hermetic first groaned, but then he started screaming, at one point he but through the letter wrapped stick as his body convulsed in pain, Crexia had to use magick to hold him down so the process could continue, after a white though, mercifully the man fainted and lay there limp as you finished rubbing the Investment Mark of his skin, there was a sense of something, releasing it's hold or breaking and then it was done. The sand did seam to loose it's potency when used but it did the job. Favian was still unconscious at this time he was bathed in sweat but at least he was breathing well, though he was still completely limp on the table.

He worked meticulously, pushing his fingers almost to the point of bleeding, polishing away the layers of skin, then finally let out a breath of relief as he felt that sensation, like a rubber band snapping, "It... is done. The mark, and the contract, is broken, and I do not believe it will be able to reassert itself."

He frowned at the unconscious form of Flavian, "Lady Crexia, Amicus, would you be so kind as to inform our guests of Mr. Flavian's... condition, then Miss Mar and I can get him dressed and bring him upstairs to rest in a bed? I don't think we should bring him to the infirmary right now, but we do have beds to spare..."
He adjusted his glasses and carefully examined Flavian's unconscious form for magical traces, "I wonder if he'll be able to work Dynamically when he wakes up?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Basement]

Colin nodded, "High, true, but costlier still is not paying it..."

"Maybe so..."
Flavian muttered darkly.

He nodded, "Well, best just... close your eyes and think warmly of your Mentor..."

"Oh I will imagine him fondly, at a high place with a new decoration around his neck."
The Tytalus muttered darkly.

He worked meticulously, pushing his fingers almost to the point of bleeding, polishing away the layers of skin, then finally let out a breath of relief as he felt that sensation, like a rubber band snapping, "It... is done. The mark, and the contract, is broken, and I do not believe it will be able to reassert itself."

Crexia nodded at that.
"Good...it seams that sand just got even more valuable."
The archmaga said as she looked at the unconscious Hermetic on the table.

He frowned at the unconscious form of Flavian, "Lady Crexia, Amicus, would you be so kind as to inform our guests of Mr. Flavian's... condition, then Miss Mar and I can get him dressed and bring him upstairs to rest in a bed? I don't think we should bring him to the infirmary right now, but we do have beds to spare..."

"Very well, I will try to explain the situation for the man's Chantrymates."
Crexia agreed.
"His would need to be washed and bandaged though but there is no need to take him to the infirmary for that just getting some supplies should do."

He adjusted his glasses and carefully examined Flavian's unconscious form for magical traces, "I wonder if he'll be able to work Dynamically when he wakes up?"

You found traces of his Parma, it was still there and active. Other than that a silver and sapphire ring seamed to contain some Tass other than that there was nothing there right now, other than him clearly being a hedge wizard of great power and potential.
"We can always hope Mr Wainwright, if not then well there is no shame in being a linear mage either...if he now cooperate he might...and I stress might survive, the Tribunal might be inclined to show leniency giving his situation and that he consented to have the Investment Mark and contract removed, he will face a steep punishment though. Also as soon as he regains consciousness and is able to speak I want him interrogated,"
The old lich ordered.

(OOC: Bathing a cat...roll Dex.)

[Adley]

[Basement]

"I but...I..."
The Tytalus begun then he sigh and nodded.
"Ok...ok...I will cooperate...But that thing I serve will keep me from talking in that I have no choice and there is not that much that I know."

"You are not getting what I meant." He shook his head. "Is it the same being as the one that was attached to the woman's eyes?"

He paused, "You said the small of your back... Hum, your lacking an Awakened Avatar, then, could spare you a lot of the discomfort of scrubbing out the... tramp stamp. Then again, the traumatic experience could conceivably force your Avatar to Awaken, too..."

Yes my lower back but please...do not call it that and I don't know what I got. I have magick, I can use Nodes but I have enver had a Seeking or communicated with...what I got."
The Hermetic said sourly and he shivered slightly.
"That bad eh?"

"All this time and no one noticed." Then again he hadn't noticed Bee's peculiarities until she'd told him and he examined her magick at some later point. But if this thing had been using a whole lineage for who knows how long, then they'd hid it within the Order's more polite rules better than he could have expected. It explained why he'd had no Seekings - he never really Awakened. And all of this in context was why Flavian was such a bastard when it came to ranks and lineages, even.

He nodded, "Well, look on the bright side, it's not going to leave you looking like you took modern military rocketry to the face... there's a chance whatever you received has suppressed what true talent you've possessed, rather than replacing it like what vampirism would have done."

"Well thank the gods for small favors..."
The Adeptus grunted.
"Or I might be left with just my hedge magick and be right back to where I started."
He complained bitterly.
"Well I guess freedom have a price."

"There was no shame in being what you truly are and cultivating the talent you had naturally. You may have awakened. Or perhaps you would have prepared what was there, nascent, for its next journey in another life."

He looked up at Crexia, pocketing the phone again, "Very well, I'll not disturb Master Steelhaven for now. Milady, you're the senior ranking member of House Tytalus; I would guess that gives you the most direct authority over the internal concerns regarding Adeptus Flavian's Mentor."

"The man will be reported to the Quesitors and arrested at once, I suspect the man will pay with his life at the very least."
Crexia said darkly and this was the only thing in the entire conversation which made Flavian smile.

He arched an eyebrow at Flavian's expression, "Ah, that famous Tytalus affection between Mentor and apprentice... What is his name, by the way? I'm curious..."

"Yes well members of my house often have brutal apprenticeships."
The Tytalus said and Crexia grunted her displeasure at this fact.
"His name is Joshua Alamain, he is from a most prestigious lineage."
Flavian continued.
"And I love him with all my heart, words can not describe how much I adore this man."

"Indeed, he seems beloved by you." He sifted through who he knew in the Order to see if Flavian's mentor rang any bells and if he had any other members in his lineage that might likewise be tainted.

"I suspect I would be put on trial regardless, but if I am to face execution or a Wizard's March I would prefer to do so as myself and not as the slave of some thing."
Adeptus Flavian said and he begun to remove his nice, gray suit jacket, then the vest and lastly the white silk shirt, undoing the silver cuff links first and neatly folding up the clothing and putting them on the shelf before he hesitating for just a moment before he got up onto the table. The man's upper body bore witness to House Tytalus' enthusiastic training method for their apprentices. Towards the small of his back was a scar that looked like a scratch made by a claw, and up form that like some twisted flowers where long lines of twisted text and swirled around one another to make a sort of lotus shape on the man's thin back, the text was impossible to read but seamed just wrong.
"Well you have my informed consent...just...just get...on with it."
Flavian muttered.
Crexia pulled a stick wrapped with leather out of thin air and offered it to the younger Hermetic.
"Bite down on this?"
"No...ehm...my Lady I do not need it."
"Yes you do Adeptus."
"Shit..."

Adley frowned and gave Colin a look before stepping back. He was not sure what this entailed, or even quite how it worked, or if there were unknown outcomes.

He arched an eyebrow, "Is that... Dragon's Tongue in written form? It has the same wrongness to it..."
He shook his head and poured the three sachets onto the mark on Flavian's back, not much more than a pinch of sand in each, "I believe that would have been another stick, with a sponge on the end..."
Hanging his own jacket up on the door handle again, he continued, "This may hurt a lot... and by a lot, I mean you may pass out... if your, hm, patron lets you before the mark is gone..."

"Yes I believe it might be...I can't read it."
Adeptus Flavian commented sourly.

He saw the marking and then looked away, the sight of it was bad enough he didn't want to look at it...an urge to do what his grandma did when she thought someone gave her the evil eye crossed his mind. If ever there was a case for vaskaynia, envy hurting others, this was one. And the dust a sort of layman's exorcism, without the necessity of a particular god. "It's good you can't read it."

he sand seamed to do the job, the marks slowly got scraped of, though this also did considerably damage to Flavian's skin and probably would scar quite badly. The Hermetic first groaned, but then he started screaming, at one point he but through the letter wrapped stick as his body convulsed in pain, Crexia had to use magick to hold him down so the process could continue, after a white though, mercifully the man fainted and lay there limp as you finished rubbing the Investment Mark of his skin, there was a sense of something, releasing it's hold or breaking and then it was done. The sand did seam to loose it's potency when used but it did the job. Favian was still unconscious at this time he was bathed in sweat but at least he was breathing well, though he was still completely limp on the table.

He worked meticulously, pushing his fingers almost to the point of bleeding, polishing away the layers of skin, then finally let out a breath of relief as he felt that sensation, like a rubber band snapping, "It... is done. The mark, and the contract, is broken, and I do not believe it will be able to reassert itself."

He frowned at the unconscious form of Flavian, "Lady Crexia, Amicus, would you be so kind as to inform our guests of Mr. Flavian's... condition, then Miss Mar and I can get him dressed and bring him upstairs to rest in a bed? I don't think we should bring him to the infirmary right now, but we do have beds to spare..."
He adjusted his glasses and carefully examined Flavian's unconscious form for magical traces, "I wonder if he'll be able to work Dynamically when he wakes up?"

"Very well, I will try to explain the situation for the man's Chantrymates."
Crexia agreed.
"His would need to be washed and bandaged though but there is no need to take him to the infirmary for that just getting some supplies should do."

He winced, the entire process seemed agonizing and it was probably for the best when he passed out. "Does he need medical help?" he asked, frowning. "I wonder if he'll be able to make sentences, amicus," he said with a frown at him. "I hope that got rid of his dark influence...yes, I will go with the Lady. I don't think they will like to hear the news from me, though."

// feel better Warp
ooc2: lol infernal tramp stamp

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Basement]

"You are not getting what I meant." He shook his head. "Is it the same being as the one that was attached to the woman's eyes?"

"No I do not think it is the same entity that Miss Jacobs serve."
Adeptus Favian said with a sigh.

"All this time and no one noticed." Then again he hadn't noticed Bee's peculiarities until she'd told him and he examined her magick at some later point. But if this thing had been using a whole lineage for who knows how long, then they'd hid it within the Order's more polite rules better than he could have expected. It explained why he'd had no Seekings - he never really Awakened. And all of this in context was why Flavian was such a bastard when it came to ranks and lineages, even.

"I do not really have a habit of getting undressed in public Sodalis."
The Tytalus replied flatly.

"There was no shame in being what you truly are and cultivating the talent you had naturally. You may have awakened. Or perhaps you would have prepared what was there, nascent, for its next journey in another life."

"Hedge wizards are second class citizens Sodalis and I do not want to prepare what is there for some future incarnation to enjoy, I want power in this life."
Flavian declared angrily.
"But I guess not at any cost."

"Indeed, he seems beloved by you." He sifted through who he knew in the Order to see if Flavian's mentor rang any bells and if he had any other members in his lineage that might likewise be tainted.

"Oh he is beloved, no student can love his Pater more."
The Tytalus declared bitterly. You where not sure about his Mentor's name though you seam to have hared it before but it was hard to say for sure.
(OOC: You can do a Int plus Mage Lore or Order of Hermes Lore to see if you know anything about the man's lineage.)

He saw the marking and then looked away, the sight of it was bad enough he didn't want to look at it...an urge to do what his grandma did when she thought someone gave her the evil eye crossed his mind. If ever there was a case for vaskaynia, envy hurting others, this was one. And the dust a sort of layman's exorcism, without the necessity of a particular god. "It's good you can't read it."

"Yes...I suppose so..."
Flavian agreed hesitantly.

He winced, the entire process seemed agonizing and it was probably for the best when he passed out. "Does he need medical help?" he asked, frowning.

"The wound need to be washed and bandaged at least. I do not know what condition he will be in when he wakes up, this have not been done before to my knowledge, he could be in agony or completely fine, but a healer should probably make sure he is physically sound at least."
Lady Crexia replied.

"I wonder if he'll be able to make sentences, amicus," he said with a frown at him. "I hope that got rid of his dark influence...yes, I will go with the Lady. I don't think they will like to hear the news from me, though."

"Hopefully he is not to traumatized, at least his breathing is even enough, hopefully he will be able to talk when he wakes up, but it is probably best to do the questioning in a gentle way non the less."
The Archmaga replied.
"I will inform Adeptus Flavian's Chantrymates, then we should check on Miss Alexander, your brother and Miss Wainwright just to be sure the presence of that foul thing that tried to get through the wards have not affected them, as for the former Adeptus...well I do believe the link to his dark master is broken completely, at least for now."

(OOC: Sell your soul to a demon, get an infernal tramp stamp.)

[Adley]

[Basement]

"I do not really have a habit of getting undressed in public Sodalis."
The Tytalus replied flatly.

"No, but the feeling of your magick...one can tell differences, but probably no one thought to look."

"Hedge wizards are second class citizens Sodalis and I do not want to prepare what is there for some future incarnation to enjoy, I want power in this life."
Flavian declared angrily.
"But I guess not at any cost."

"I know a Hedge Wizard that is a brave man and I respect him highly. It's about time you stopped looking down on people, and stop clinging to the weakest definition of what power truly is, or you will never attain real power for yourself. Assuming your avatar is a tiny slice, "

"Oh he is beloved, no student can love his Pater more."
The Tytalus declared bitterly. You where not sure about his Mentor's name though you seam to have hared it before but it was hard to say for sure.

He nodded.

I do not know what condition he will be in when he wakes up, this have not been done before to my knowledge, he could be in agony or completely fine, but a healer should probably make sure he is physically sound at least."
Lady Crexia replied.

"Very well, perhaps I can ask for assistance, discreetly."

Hopefully he is not to traumatized, at least his breathing is even enough, hopefully he will be able to talk when he wakes up, but it is probably best to do the questioning in a gentle way non the less."
The Archmaga replied.
"I will inform Adeptus Flavian's Chantrymates, then we should check on Miss Alexander, your brother and Miss Wainwright just to be sure the presence of that foul thing that tried to get through the wards have not affected them, as for the former Adeptus...well I do believe the link to his dark master is broken completely, at least for now."

"That's good. We have a lot to catch up on and a bit of damage control to do, though not as much as they probably think. We may have lost a few aces up our sleeves though." He frowned and glanced at Colin.

// int+ Hermetic lore: 7, 6, 1, 9, 3

[Warpmind]

[Basement]

"There was no shame in being what you truly are and cultivating the talent you had naturally. You may have awakened. Or perhaps you would have prepared what was there, nascent, for its next journey in another life."

"Hedge wizards are second class citizens Sodalis and I do not want to prepare what is there for some future incarnation to enjoy, I want power in this life."
Flavian declared angrily.
"But I guess not at any cost."

"I know a Hedge Wizard that is a brave man and I respect him highly. It's about time you stopped looking down on people, and stop clinging to the weakest definition of what power truly is, or you will never attain real power for yourself. Assuming your avatar is a tiny slice, "

Colin snorted softly, "Such definitions of first-class and second-class citizens are rather silly notions to begin with. Historically speaking, it's the sort of thing that leads to the rulers in their ivory towers making the sudden discovery that quantity is a quality, and farming implements are quite scary in large numbers..."

Crexia nodded at that.
"Good...it seams that sand just got even more valuable."
The archmaga said as she looked at the unconscious Hermetic on the table.

He nodded, "Anna will most certainly have a quite respectable nest egg when she's of age, yes... Well, assuming any of the sand is actually sold."

"Very well, I will try to explain the situation for the man's Chantrymates."
Crexia agreed.
"His would need to be washed and bandaged though but there is no need to take him to the infirmary for that just getting some supplies should do."

He nodded, "Washcloths and bandages are easily attained, but the infirmary beds should be reserved for more... demanding cases."

You found traces of his Parma, it was still there and active. Other than that a silver and sapphire ring seamed to contain some Tass other than that there was nothing there right now, other than him clearly being a hedge wizard of great power and potential.
"We can always hope Mr Wainwright, if not then well there is no shame in being a linear mage either...if he now cooperate he might...and I stress might survive, the Tribunal might be inclined to show leniency giving his situation and that he consented to have the Investment Mark and contract removed, he will face a steep punishment though. Also as soon as he regains consciousness and is able to speak I want him interrogated,"
The old lich ordered.

He nodded, "His Parma remains active, but I suppose it would last until sunrise again regardless of the source... and his ring contains some Tass. I... don't see the usual telltale signs of an Awakened Mage. I guess the fact that he neither asked for nor consented to having the investment mark branded onto him in the first place would count in his favour, too?"

He winced, the entire process seemed agonizing and it was probably for the best when he passed out. "Does he need medical help?" he asked, frowning. "I wonder if he'll be able to make sentences, amicus," he said with a frown at him. "I hope that got rid of his dark influence...yes, I will go with the Lady. I don't think they will like to hear the news from me, though."

"The wound need to be washed and bandaged at least. I do not know what condition he will be in when he wakes up, this have not been done before to my knowledge, he could be in agony or completely fine, but a healer should probably make sure he is physically sound at least."
Lady Crexia replied.

"Very well, perhaps I can ask for assistance, discreetly."

He shrugged, "I'll ask Dr. Lee to come down to see Flavian, once we've put him in a room and taken care of him, if only to check on his vitals... or, you know, I'm sure Master Nassa would be all too happy to make sure the sores won't kill him, or get infected, though I suspect there would be some amount of lording it over the patient. But better get him cleaned up properly in a room with running water than here... Might want to post a note that this room needs a bit of cleaning before next use, and that urgency kept us from tidying up properly."

"Hopefully he is not to traumatized, at least his breathing is even enough, hopefully he will be able to talk when he wakes up, but it is probably best to do the questioning in a gentle way non the less."
The Archmaga replied.
"I will inform Adeptus Flavian's Chantrymates, then we should check on Miss Alexander, your brother and Miss Wainwright just to be sure the presence of that foul thing that tried to get through the wards have not affected them, as for the former Adeptus...well I do believe the link to his dark master is broken completely, at least for now."

He nodded, "And Miss Sinclair. We should make sure she's not affected, too - the nature of her Investments are very different, but all the same, we should make sure. Anna should be in the common room, likely chatting with the young Cultist."

"That's good. We have a lot to catch up on and a bit of damage control to do, though not as much as they probably think. We may have lost a few aces up our sleeves though." He frowned and glanced at Colin.

He shrugged, "We managed to deal with some marked cards; I do not believe they would have counted as aces under any circumstances."

((OOC: Feeling a lot better; spicy tomato soup and a few extra hours of sleep worked wonders. ))

((OOC2: Bathing a cat is not a Dex roll, I think. More likely Stamina+Martial Arts. While bathing a dog would more likely be Strength+Subterfuge, depending on the dog's size. ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Basement]

"No, but the feeling of your magick...one can tell differences, but probably no one thought to look."

"My magick is perfectly Dynamic, there is nothing wrong with it for anyone to easily find out."
Flavian protested.

"I know a Hedge Wizard that is a brave man and I respect him highly. It's about time you stopped looking down on people, and stop clinging to the weakest definition of what power truly is, or you will never attain real power for yourself. Assuming your avatar is a tiny slice, "

"Hedge wizards are limited, they can only get so far they are only fit to be the servants of true mages, that is what my Mentor taught me!"
The Adeptus protested.
"I had real power, it seams I will be giving that up and I will be nothing."
He muttered bitterly.

"Very well, perhaps I can ask for assistance, discreetly."

"That might be wise Sosalis."
Crexia replied.

"That's good. We have a lot to catch up on and a bit of damage control to do, though not as much as they probably think. We may have lost a few aces up our sleeves though." He frowned and glanced at Colin.

"Indeed we do have some tasks to do so we should get at them Sodalis and yes our enemies have gotten some information we rather they not have, but we are going to have to play the hand we have been dealt and do the best of a bad situation."
The Archmaga said firmly.

Colin snorted softly, "Such definitions of first-class and second-class citizens are rather silly notions to begin with. Historically speaking, it's the sort of thing that leads to the rulers in their ivory towers making the sudden discovery that quantity is a quality, and farming implements are quite scary in large numbers..."

"Yes well I would still rather be a king than a number of faceless, meaningless pheasants with farming implements who decide to overthrow their betters."
Flavian replied in an arrogant tone of voice.

He nodded, "Anna will most certainly have a quite respectable nest egg when she's of age, yes... Well, assuming any of the sand is actually sold."

"That she will."
Crexia replied and nodded.
"You might also get offers to buy Anna herself to, many might want to apprentice the girl when they learn what the sand she will produce can do."

He nodded, "Washcloths and bandages are easily attained, but the infirmary beds should be reserved for more... demanding cases."

"Certainly, a bed in a guest room should do Mr Wainwright, as long as his wound is cared for."
The ancient lich agreed.

He nodded, "His Parma remains active, but I suppose it would last until sunrise again regardless of the source... and his ring contains some Tass. I... don't see the usual telltale signs of an Awakened Mage. I guess the fact that he neither asked for nor consented to having the investment mark branded onto him in the first place would count in his favour, too?"

"That he did not consent to enter that creature's service will indeed count in his favor Mr Wainwright, and yes a Parma will usually last until the next change of the sun, either setting or rising no matter the state of the caster...he is a linear mage again then you think?"
Crexia asked.
"Well regardless his trial will not be an easy one but his life may be spared."

He shrugged, "I'll ask Dr. Lee to come down to see Flavian, once we've put him in a room and taken care of him, if only to check on his vitals... or, you know, I'm sure Master Nassa would be all too happy to make sure the sores won't kill him, or get infected, though I suspect there would be some amount of lording it over the patient. But better get him cleaned up properly in a room with running water than here... Might want to post a note that this room needs a bit of cleaning before next use, and that urgency kept us from tidying up properly."

"Well first things first getting him to a room then Mr Wainwright."
Helena said.
"And get his shirt back on, we can ask Dr Lee's help but there might be healers among his own Chantrymates as well who can tend to him, if we trust them with that job, I mean if I where an infiltrator I would want this man dead before he could talk."
The ice maga said as she glanced at Flavian.

He nodded, "And Miss Sinclair. We should make sure she's not affected, too - the nature of her Investments are very different, but all the same, we should make sure. Anna should be in the common room, likely chatting with the young Cultist."

"I will add checking on Miss Sinclair to the list Mr Wainwright and I will check on Anna first then...ah the young Cultist of a fine, old lineage, most interesting that one."
Crexia said with a smile.

He shrugged, "We managed to deal with some marked cards; I do not believe they would have counted as aces under any circumstances."

"No...they probably would not though had they not been discovered they could have led to dangerous situations."
Crexia said with a frown.
"Well we will do damage control and we will still win, because we have to."
She said then she turned to Adley.
"Should we get on with our tasks then Sodalis?"
She asked before she headed towards the door to the ritual room.

(OOC: Adley know that Joshua Alamain is one of the Seat of Forces' apprentices.)

(OOC 2: I am glad you are feeling better Warp.)

(OOC 3: Well whatever the roll is I think Vervain rolled better than us. )

[Warpmind]

[Basement]

"Hedge wizards are limited, they can only get so far they are only fit to be the servants of true mages, that is what my Mentor taught me!"
The Adeptus protested.
"I had real power, it seams I will be giving that up and I will be nothing."
He muttered bitterly.

Colin shrugged, "Your Mentor also thought it was a good idea to sell your soul to save his own pride, so I'm honestly not sure how much his judgment should be trusted in that regard. Besides, there are no finer artificers, and they're not forced to deal with Paradox, so a few minor limitations in their working seems a quite fair trade-off."

"Yes well I would still rather be a king than a number of faceless, meaningless pheasants with farming implements who decide to overthrow their betters."
Flavian replied in an arrogant tone of voice.

He shook his head, "And that's the precise attitude that has seen numerous kings overthrown by peasant revolts. Though I imagine your present Housemate here has seen a fair number of those kings in person, whether before or after said revolts..."

"That she will."
Crexia replied and nodded.
"You might also get offers to buy Anna herself to, many might want to apprentice the girl when they learn what the sand she will produce can do."

He grinned, "Well, won't those prospective buyers be disappointed then? There's only one person I will give Anna away to, and she's sleeping upstairs right now. And that is a few years away, in any case."

"That he did not consent to enter that creature's service will indeed count in his favor Mr Wainwright, and yes a Parma will usually last until the next change of the sun, either setting or rising no matter the state of the caster...he is a linear mage again then you think?"
Crexia asked.
"Well regardless his trial will not be an easy one but his life may be spared."

He nodded, "If he has any magical ability left, I believe it would be Linear, yes. Unless his faux-Dynamic magic has somehow purged his memory of how to do it, in which case he'll have to start from scratch."

"Well first things first getting him to a room then Mr Wainwright."
Helena said.
"And get his shirt back on, we can ask Dr Lee's help but there might be healers among his own Chantrymates as well who can tend to him, if we trust them with that job, I mean if I where an infiltrator I would want this man dead before he could talk."
The ice maga said as she glanced at Flavian.

He nodded, gently putting Flavian's shirt back on him, slipping the cuff links into the breast pocket of the suit jacket, before giving the jacket a magical once-over, too. No need to be careless, even now, "I think... we might want to hold off letting his Chantrymates see him. It seems there were some mixed feelings about his leadership, and right now... well, he's a vulnerable, cantankerous ass; we'd be potentially endangering him. Not that I would accuse anyone visiting of wanting to harm the man, but under the circumstances, I think no-one would begrudge us the precaution."

"I will add checking on Miss Sinclair to the list Mr Wainwright and I will check on Anna first then...ah the young Cultist of a fine, old lineage, most interesting that one."
Crexia said with a smile.

He grinned, "I'm sure they'd be happy to include you in their conversation."

"No...they probably would not though had they not been discovered they could have led to dangerous situations."
Crexia said with a frown.
"Well we will do damage control and we will still win, because we have to."
She said then she turned to Adley.
"Should we get on with our tasks then Sodalis?"
She asked before she headed towards the door to the ritual room.

He nodded and, putting on his own jacket, handed Helena Flavian's effects, "If you'll take these, then?"
Quickly picking Flavian up in a fireman's carry, he nodded to the door, "I believe apartment 106 is vacant and clean... if you would follow me?"

[Adley]

[Basement]

"My magick is perfectly Dynamic, there is nothing wrong with it for anyone to easily find out."
Flavian protested.

"Well, we're not going to have a demonstration to find out." He didn't seem to think that he couldn't tell, if he really looked - or, someone with better sensitivity than he had. But it was not a point to argue over.

Hedge wizards are limited, they can only get so far they are only fit to be the servants of true mages, that is what my Mentor taught me!"
The Adeptus protested.
"I had real power, it seams I will be giving that up and I will be nothing."
He muttered bitterly.

Colin shrugged, "Your Mentor also thought it was a good idea to sell your soul to save his own pride, so I'm honestly not sure how much his judgment should be trusted in that regard. Besides, there are no finer artificers, and they're not forced to deal with Paradox, so a few minor limitations in their working seems a quite fair trade-off."

"I think at this point, you may wish to reexamine what he taught you and sift through what you wish to keep."

He nodded, "His Parma remains active, but I suppose it would last until sunrise again regardless of the source... and his ring contains some Tass. I... don't see the usual telltale signs of an Awakened Mage. I guess the fact that he neither asked for nor consented to having the investment mark branded onto him in the first place would count in his favour, too?"

That he did not consent to enter that creature's service will indeed count in his favor Mr Wainwright, and yes a Parma will usually last until the next change of the sun, either setting or rising no matter the state of the caster...he is a linear mage again then you think?"
Crexia asked.
"Well regardless his trial will not be an easy one but his life may be spared."

"It is possible that he did not get a choice as an apprentice to be invested. But, after he passed his Gauntlet, he swore himself to the Code and that was a choice, to an extent. I imagine there would be a great deal of social pressure exerted, yet, he violated the Code at the same time he swore to it, and that will make things difficult for him within the Order itself if not with the rest of the Traditions. We shall see. I rather think what he is able to tell us will also matter."

He shrugged, "I'll ask Dr. Lee to come down to see Flavian, once we've put him in a room and taken care of him, if only to check on his vitals... or, you know, I'm sure Master Nassa would be all too happy to make sure the sores won't kill him, or get infected, though I suspect there would be some amount of lording it over the patient. But better get him cleaned up properly in a room with running water than here... Might want to post a note that this room needs a bit of cleaning before next use, and that urgency kept us from tidying up properly."

"Hopefully he is not to traumatized, at least his breathing is even enough, hopefully he will be able to talk when he wakes up, but it is probably best to do the questioning in a gentle way non the less."
The Archmaga replied.
"I will inform Adeptus Flavian's Chantrymates, then we should check on Miss Alexander, your brother and Miss Wainwright just to be sure the presence of that foul thing that tried to get through the wards have not affected them, as for the former Adeptus...well I do believe the link to his dark master is broken completely, at least for now."

He nodded, "And Miss Sinclair. We should make sure she's not affected, too - the nature of her Investments are very different, but all the same, we should make sure. Anna should be in the common room, likely chatting with the young Cultist."

"Very well, if you see the doctor, perhaps you can check in on our cabalmate upstairs, and I can see to my brother after we deliver the news."

"Well first things first getting him to a room then Mr Wainwright."
Helena said.
"And get his shirt back on, we can ask Dr Lee's help but there might be healers among his own Chantrymates as well who can tend to him, if we trust them with that job, I mean if I where an infiltrator I would want this man dead before he could talk."
The ice maga said as she glanced at Flavian.

He nodded, gently putting Flavian's shirt back on him, slipping the cuff links into the breast pocket of the suit jacket, before giving the jacket a magical once-over, too. No need to be careless, even now, "I think... we might want to hold off letting his Chantrymates see him. It seems there were some mixed feelings about his leadership, and right now... well, he's a vulnerable, cantankerous ass; we'd be potentially endangering him. Not that I would accuse anyone visiting of wanting to harm the man, but under the circumstances, I think no-one would begrudge us the precaution."

"That is a good point. A very good point and in fact we may wish to keep some of this discreet." Something had finally clicked, and for a second his expression shifted a bit. He took his tablet out and wrote a note on it for Colin: 'His lineage goes up to where his grndptr sits.' "That does seem most prudent," he said, waiting for him to be done attending to Flavian.

He shrugged, "We managed to deal with some marked cards; I do not believe they would have counted as aces under any circumstances."

"No...they probably would not though had they not been discovered they could have led to dangerous situations."
Crexia said with a frown.
"Well we will do damage control and we will still win, because we have to."
She said then she turned to Adley.
"Should we get on with our tasks then Sodalis?"
She asked before she headed towards the door to the ritual room.

"True. It does seem they knew of certain things in advance...above and beyond the reasons we've uncovered here. I do have some ideas though...there are a few people I need to talk with about them." He turned to Crexia, waiting for her to start back upstairs. "Yes, ma'am."

// Glad you are feeling better! Bathing my dog is a willpower roll vs puppy eyes, his Rank 1 gift
ooc 2: I didn't finish a sentence in my last post: Assuming your avatar is a tiny slice,  -- now, perhaps it could grow in time with proper nourishment at its own rate.
ooc3: I assume that Crexia already knows who he is, and Helena might too.

[Warpmind]

[Basement]

"It is possible that he did not get a choice as an apprentice to be invested. But, after he passed his Gauntlet, he swore himself to the Code and that was a choice, to an extent. I imagine there would be a great deal of social pressure exerted, yet, he violated the Code at the same time he swore to it, and that will make things difficult for him within the Order itself if not with the rest of the Traditions. We shall see. I rather think what he is able to tell us will also matter."

Colin nodded, "Hum, it does seem he's been under a pretty strong compulsion to not tell anyone who doesn't know about it, though... One could charitably describe his actions as deliberate slips that let us piece together things so we could ask him with pinpoint accuracy..."

"Very well, if you see the doctor, perhaps you can check in on our cabalmate upstairs, and I can see to my brother after we deliver the news."

He nodded, "Well, I can ask Dr. Lee to check in on her; if I call him down, I won't be making the trek up again."

"That is a good point. A very good point and in fact we may wish to keep some of this discreet." Something had finally clicked, and for a second his expression shifted a bit. He took his tablet out and wrote a note on it for Colin: 'His lineage goes up to where his grndptr sits.' "That does seem most prudent," he said, waiting for him to be done attending to Flavian.

He arched an eyebrow, "Well, that's rather common, isn't...", then his eyes darkened a bit, "Oh, him. Why am I not surprised? That man needs a surprise of your House's specialty under his, hm, seat, increasingly every day."

"True. It does seem they knew of certain things in advance...above and beyond the reasons we've uncovered here. I do have some ideas though...there are a few people I need to talk with about them." He turned to Crexia, waiting for her to start back upstairs. "Yes, ma'am."

He sighed, "We have to assume security breaches. The infiltrator was... unfortunately capable of bringing a few more details out than we might have wished, but from what we've seen so far, they are largely highly competent detail planners; I should say we have had the upper hand not from specific spells or powers, but from adaptability and on-the-fly work. Like how we dealt with the air wall at the post office in Chicago; that was a novel method that turned out more effective than we had any reason to expect - that sort of thing is something strict plans are terrible at preparing for... Their Chronomancer may be a bit of a nuisance, since we don't know how good he is, but...", he smirked, "I don't believe a certain Custos was mentioned in the spies' presence, was she?"

[Adley]

[Basement]

olin nodded, "Hum, it does seem he's been under a pretty strong compulsion to not tell anyone who doesn't know about it, though... One could charitably describe his actions as deliberate slips that let us piece together things so we could ask him with pinpoint accuracy..."

"That is also likely."

He nodded, "Well, I can ask Dr. Lee to check in on her; if I call him down, I won't be making the trek up again."

"Very well. Perhaps our Cultist cabalmate can help, if she's feeling out of sorts, if I can't be there..."

e arched an eyebrow, "Well, that's rather common, isn't...", then his eyes darkened a bit, "Oh, him. Why am I not surprised? That man needs a surprise of your House's specialty under his, hm, seat, increasingly every day."

"For now some things are best not shared aloud," he said, and then erased the tablet to put it back away.

"We have to assume security breaches. The infiltrator was... unfortunately capable of bringing a few more details out than we might have wished, but from what we've seen so far, they are largely highly competent detail planners; I should say we have had the upper hand not from specific spells or powers, but from adaptability and on-the-fly work. Like how we dealt with the air wall at the post office in Chicago; that was a novel method that turned out more effective than we had any reason to expect - that sort of thing is something strict plans are terrible at preparing for... Their Chronomancer may be a bit of a nuisance, since we don't know how good he is, but...", he smirked, "I don't believe a certain Custos was mentioned in the spies' presence, was she?"

"I think they were," he said with a frown, looking over at Helena.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Basement]

Colin shrugged, "Your Mentor also thought it was a good idea to sell your soul to save his own pride, so I'm honestly not sure how much his judgment should be trusted in that regard. Besides, there are no finer artificers, and they're not forced to deal with Paradox, so a few minor limitations in their working seems a quite fair trade-off."

"A hedge wizard will never know the pinnacle of power that a true mage can."
Flavian declared.
"But yes I guess my Mentor is not always the best source of advice for anything."

He shook his head, "And that's the precise attitude that has seen numerous kings overthrown by peasant revolts. Though I imagine your present Housemate here has seen a fair number of those kings in person, whether before or after said revolts..."

"Ah yes certainly so and many of them where fools, powerful fools but still fools."
Crexia said but Flavian just snorted. Crexia raised an eyebrow at that.

He grinned, "Well, won't those prospective buyers be disappointed then? There's only one person I will give Anna away to, and she's sleeping upstairs right now. And that is a few years away, in any case."

"Good...you treat the girl well Mr Wainwright."
The ancient lich replied with an approving nod.

He nodded, "If he has any magical ability left, I believe it would be Linear, yes. Unless his faux-Dynamic magic has somehow purged his memory of how to do it, in which case he'll have to start from scratch."

"Let us hope that he do, I fear that if he wakes up with no magical ability left then that will break him, and I want answers from the man."
Crexia replied coldly.

He nodded, gently putting Flavian's shirt back on him, slipping the cuff links into the breast pocket of the suit jacket, before giving the jacket a magical once-over, too. No need to be careless, even now, "I think... we might want to hold off letting his Chantrymates see him. It seems there were some mixed feelings about his leadership, and right now... well, he's a vulnerable, cantankerous ass; we'd be potentially endangering him. Not that I would accuse anyone visiting of wanting to harm the man, but under the circumstances, I think no-one would begrudge us the precaution."

"Well let us hope none of our guests see us as we exit the basement then Mr Wainwright."
Helena replied.
"I understand your meaning, but if it was me and one of my Chantrymates had been hurt and then was kept from me and the rest I would not be pleased and I would be more inclined towards hostility than understanding of the situation, even if this person was one I did not fully trust."

He grinned, "I'm sure they'd be happy to include you in their conversation."

Crexia nodded.
"Well for now I have to much to do for a pleasurable talk Mr Wainwright but perhaps later it would be a interesting conversation."

He nodded and, putting on his own jacket, handed Helena Flavian's effects, "If you'll take these, then?"
Quickly picking Flavian up in a fireman's carry, he nodded to the door, "I believe apartment 106 is vacant and clean... if you would follow me?"

The Flabeau took the items and nodded.
"Certainly Mr Wainwright."

Well, we're not going to have a demonstration to find out." He didn't seem to think that he couldn't tell, if he really looked - or, someone with better sensitivity than he had. But it was not a point to argue over.

"My magick is not for providing demonstrations for you Mr Roth Hicks. And especially not just for you to convince yourself you could tell there was something...wrong with it!"
Adeptus Flavian replied sharply.

"I think at this point, you may wish to reexamine what he taught you and sift through what you wish to keep."

"Perhaps so...perhaps I will have to reevaluate some things my Mentor taught me...perhaps."
The Tytalus agreed hesitantly

"It is possible that he did not get a choice as an apprentice to be invested. But, after he passed his Gauntlet, he swore himself to the Code and that was a choice, to an extent. I imagine there would be a great deal of social pressure exerted, yet, he violated the Code at the same time he swore to it, and that will make things difficult for him within the Order itself if not with the rest of the Traditions. We shall see. I rather think what he is able to tell us will also matter."

.

"I am not saying the man did not break the Code Mr Roth Hicks, nor that I approve of his actions, I am saying that given the circumstances a Tribunal might decide to show mercy and not execute him, he will be punished, most likely severely but he might get to keep his life."
Crexia replied calmly. Flavian looked rather nervous at that.

"Very well, if you see the doctor, perhaps you can check in on our cabalmate upstairs, and I can see to my brother after we deliver the news."

"We can probably arrange for that ys brother."
Helena agreed.

"That is a good point. A very good point and in fact we may wish to keep some of this discreet." Something had finally clicked, and for a second his expression shifted a bit. He took his tablet out and wrote a note on it for Colin: 'His lineage goes up to where his grndptr sits.' "That does seem most prudent," he said, waiting for him to be done attending to Flavian.

"We might indeed want to keep it secret for now but then again, imagine this brother, Mr Riez are taken away while you are visiting another Chantry and no one would tell you anything, would you and the rest of the members of Steelhaven visiting just sit there and accept that?"
Your sister said sounding a bit skeptical.

"True. It does seem they knew of certain things in advance...above and beyond the reasons we've uncovered here. I do have some ideas though...there are a few people I need to talk with about them." He turned to Crexia, waiting for her to start back upstairs. "Yes, ma'am."

"I guess we will figure it out eventually Sodalis but you have me interested now as to what you are referring to."
Crexia replied as she headed out of the basement and up towards the ground floor.
"But I guess it is something that can be discussed later."

Colin nodded, "Hum, it does seem he's been under a pretty strong compulsion to not tell anyone who doesn't know about it, though... One could charitably describe his actions as deliberate slips that let us piece together things so we could ask him with pinpoint accuracy..."

"We can find out if any of his slip ups was intentional when the man wakes up Mr Wainwright. However he did seam eager to get out his contract and that do speak to his benefit."
Crexia replied.

He nodded, "Well, I can ask Dr. Lee to check in on her; if I call him down, I won't be making the trek up again."

"I can run up stairs and check on Miss Alexander when we have gotten Flavian to a bed Mr Wainwright."
Helena offered.

He arched an eyebrow, "Well, that's rather common, isn't...", then his eyes darkened a bit, "Oh, him. Why am I not surprised? That man needs a surprise of your House's specialty under his, hm, seat, increasingly every day."

Crexia gave a knowing look at this but Helena looked a little confused.
"Who?"
She asked.
"Are we talking about the man's Mentor?"

He sighed, "We have to assume security breaches. The infiltrator was... unfortunately capable of bringing a few more details out than we might have wished, but from what we've seen so far, they are largely highly competent detail planners; I should say we have had the upper hand not from specific spells or powers, but from adaptability and on-the-fly work. Like how we dealt with the air wall at the post office in Chicago; that was a novel method that turned out more effective than we had any reason to expect - that sort of thing is something strict plans are terrible at preparing for... Their Chronomancer may be a bit of a nuisance, since we don't know how good he is, but...", he smirked, "I don't believe a certain Custos was mentioned in the spies' presence, was she?"

"We are going to have to try to shut down any security holes Mr Wainwright but yes it seams this Chantry have been good at creative..."
Helena said and she paused and she gave Colin a look that said and reckless.
"Methods to deal with the Nephandi's plans."
Then she considered for a while.
"Hum...it was mentioned that Gabby was injured in the common room so that could have been overheard and that she was injured with silver, but not more details than that."

"Very well. Perhaps our Cultist cabalmate can help, if she's feeling out of sorts, if I can't be there..."

"I can check on Miss Alexander if you want me to brother."
Your sister offered.

"For now some things are best not shared aloud," he said, and then erased the tablet to put it back away.

Helena nodded at that and she did not continue her inquiries about Flavian's Mentor for now.

"I think they were," he said with a frown, looking over at Helena.

"It was mentioned in the common room that my Custos was injured with silver, but not what kind of shapeshifter she is."
Your sister replied.
"If that was even overheard, but Flavian was there so he might have heard it."

(OOC: Yes Crexia would know who Flavian's Mentor is.)

[Warpmind]

[Basement]

"A hedge wizard will never know the pinnacle of power that a true mage can."
Flavian declared.
"But yes I guess my Mentor is not always the best source of advice for anything."

Colin shrugged, "If you're only focused on the pinnacle, you tend to lose track of the sights and encounters you find during the climb itself. Why rush to the finish line, when only the Grim Reaper is waiting there for you?"

"Perhaps so...perhaps I will have to reevaluate some things my Mentor taught me...perhaps."
The Tytalus agreed hesitantly

He pondered briefly, "I believe Lady Crexia has mentioned something about your House advocating learning from any source, not just your Mentor's methods, to improve flexibility to... well, show your affection."

"Good...you treat the girl well Mr Wainwright."
The ancient lich replied with an approving nod.

He smiled thinly, "I owe her as much... Her and the others... Everyone, really..."

"Let us hope that he do, I fear that if he wakes up with no magical ability left then that will break him, and I want answers from the man."
Crexia replied coldly.

He nodded, "Most likely, he won't have the... hole that Magi in similar situations have, not really having had that... conversation partner in the first place, just a simulacrum..."

"We can probably arrange for that ys brother."
Helena agreed.

"Very well. Perhaps our Cultist cabalmate can help, if she's feeling out of sorts, if I can't be there..."

"I can run up stairs and check on Miss Alexander when we have gotten Flavian to a bed Mr Wainwright."
Helena offered.

He nodded, "Very well, Miss Mar. I can wash the residual sand off his back and bandage the oversized bruise on my own; I doubt he will have more combative strength than a heavily sedated kitten right now, anyway."

"We might indeed want to keep it secret for now but then again, imagine this brother, Mr Riez are taken away while you are visiting another Chantry and no one would tell you anything, would you and the rest of the members of Steelhaven visiting just sit there and accept that?"
Your sister said sounding a bit skeptical.

"For now some things are best not shared aloud," he said, and then erased the tablet to put it back away.

Crexia gave a knowing look at this but Helena looked a little confused.
"Who?"
She asked.
"Are we talking about the man's Mentor?"

He shook his head, "Not his Mentor... this, too, goes all the way to the top."

"We are going to have to try to shut down any security holes Mr Wainwright but yes it seams this Chantry have been good at creative..."
Helena said and she paused and she gave Colin a look that said and reckless.
"Methods to deal with the Nephandi's plans."
Then she considered for a while.
"Hum...it was mentioned that Gabby was injured in the common room so that could have been overheard and that she was injured with silver, but not more details than that."

He chuckled at Helena's look, "Well, now, that look is at least partly undeserved... I do take the time to do a risk/benefit analysis before I do something extraordinary. And I've only done one thing that I agree in hindsight was plain reckless, and the just punishment for that is hanging upstairs, facing the entryway..."

"I think they were," he said with a frown, looking over at Helena.

"It was mentioned in the common room that my Custos was injured with silver, but not what kind of shapeshifter she is."
Your sister replied.
"If that was even overheard, but Flavian was there so he might have heard it."

He nodded, "Odds are they knew already, hence the attack - but if they think she's still out of commission from the injury, we should be no worse off."

"Well let us hope none of our guests see us as we exit the basement then Mr Wainwright."
Helena replied.
"I understand your meaning, but if it was me and one of my Chantrymates had been hurt and then was kept from me and the rest I would not be pleased and I would be more inclined towards hostility than understanding of the situation, even if this person was one I did not fully trust."

He shook his head, "That's partly why we're sending your brother and Lady Crexia up first, to draw the others out of our path. We can tell them that he was found to have advance knowledge about the infiltrators, and did not alert us to their presence, and is presently detained for further questioning by the Quaesitors; the details of the Mark, however, would not have to be disclosed... Let those in the know believe we're still unaware of that detail."

The Flabeau took the items and nodded.
"Certainly Mr Wainwright."

He smiled, hefting Flavian more securely, and left the room, "If you would scout ahead and make sure the coast is clear, and I'll be right behind you."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Basement]

Colin shrugged, "If you're only focused on the pinnacle, you tend to lose track of the sights and encounters you find during the climb itself. Why rush to the finish line, when only the Grim Reaper is waiting there for you?"

"What do it matter if I am powerful enough to make the Grim Reaper itself simply a captive spirit to fuel a fetish?"
Flavian replied confidently.

He pondered briefly, "I believe Lady Crexia has mentioned something about your House advocating learning from any source, not just your Mentor's methods, to improve flexibility to... well, show your affection."

"My House enjoys a challenge Mr Wainwright so yes it do not matter what methods we discover as long as it give the power to face the next challenge that face us down the road."
The Adeptus replied.
"And yes power to show my Pater my over flowing love for him in it's true glory would be nice."

He smiled thinly, "I owe her as much... Her and the others... Everyone, really..."

"You are a good man Mr Wainwright."
Crexia said with a faint smile.
"Or at least you try to be, which is more than what many do."

He nodded, "Most likely, he won't have the... hole that Magi in similar situations have, not really having had that... conversation partner in the first place, just a simulacrum..."

"A magus' spells are his life and he knows every one of them like a father knows his own children...Flabeau the Founder said that, and I am pretty sure that man never was able to speak with his Avatar as he likely had a Font. Yes Adeptus Flavian will not miss his Avatar, but he will miss the thrill and power and understanding that comes with magick, just as much as any mage who loose their abilities will...hopefully he will have something left to take the place of what he gave up."
The archmaga replied with a concerned frown.

He nodded, "Very well, Miss Mar. I can wash the residual sand off his back and bandage the oversized bruise on my own; I doubt he will have more combative strength than a heavily sedated kitten right now, anyway."

"Then what if I head up to the infirmary, check on Miss Alexander and get some things to treat his back and some bandages and return to...Room 106 was it?"
Helena suggested.
"I doubt he will give you much trouble and it might be the best way to utilize our time."

He shook his head, "Not his Mentor... this, too, goes all the way to the top."

"I see...so this is something better discussed in a well shielded room then...at a later time."
Helena commented with a frown.

He chuckled at Helena's look, "Well, now, that look is at least partly undeserved... I do take the time to do a risk/benefit analysis before I do something extraordinary. And I've only done one thing that I agree in hindsight was plain reckless, and the just punishment for that is hanging upstairs, facing the entryway..."

The ice mage was still giving you a bit of a look.
"You give both my brother and my Pater gray hairs Mr Wainwright!"
She declared sternly.
"That your gambits have a tendency to work out do nto make them any less reckless."

He nodded, "Odds are they knew already, hence the attack - but if they think she's still out of commission from the injury, we should be no worse off."

"Well all they heard was that Gabby was shot and was getting treatment in the infirmary so they might think the injury is serious even if it was really pretty minor as soon as the shard of silver that got stuck in her hand was removed.
"Still I do not appreciate my Custos getting shot."
The ice mage grumbled.

He shook his head, "That's partly why we're sending your brother and Lady Crexia up first, to draw the others out of our path. We can tell them that he was found to have advance knowledge about the infiltrators, and did not alert us to their presence, and is presently detained for further questioning by the Quaesitors; the details of the Mark, however, would not have to be disclosed... Let those in the know believe we're still unaware of that detail."

The Flambeau maga nodded at that.
"Hum...very well that would work Mr Wainwright, let us give Lady Crexia and my brother a few moments to get upstairs first then."

He smiled, hefting Flavian more securely, and left the room, "If you would scout ahead and make sure the coast is clear, and I'll be right behind you."

Helena nodded she gave Adley and Crexia a few minutes to get to the Common Room and explain things then she headed up the stairs, she creaked the door open when she got to the top of the stairs and peaked outside.
"Coast clear Mr Wainwright."
The ice mage said.
"But we should hurry upstairs."
And with that Helena proceeded to do so herself.

[Warpmind]

[Basement]

"What do it matter if I am powerful enough to make the Grim Reaper itself simply a captive spirit to fuel a fetish?"
Flavian replied confidently.

Colin paused for a moment, giving Flavian an evaluating stare, "Having personally faced an Aswadim, Old Man Wrinkle himself, and an old Celestial God only over the past couple of months, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that whatever fetishes you might indulge in aren't going to matter in the slightest when the day comes. Even Lady Crexia's power is like a drop in the ocean next to any of those - and it's a pretty large ocean, as oceans go."

"My House enjoys a challenge Mr Wainwright so yes it do not matter what methods we discover as long as it give the power to face the next challenge that face us down the road."
The Adeptus replied.
"And yes power to show my Pater my over flowing love for him in it's true glory would be nice."

He nodded, "Well, to paraphrase a House Janissary Master whose apprentice I've had the opportunity to speak with, he's more afraid of a weak but creative Adept than a predictable Master with the raw power to crush cities... Power is nice, but it's only a single piece of a very large puzzle."

"A magus' spells are his life and he knows every one of them like a father knows his own children...Flabeau the Founder said that, and I am pretty sure that man never was able to speak with his Avatar as he likely had a Font. Yes Adeptus Flavian will not miss his Avatar, but he will miss the thrill and power and understanding that comes with magick, just as much as any mage who loose their abilities will...hopefully he will have something left to take the place of what he gave up."
The archmaga replied with a concerned frown.

He nodded, "He'll most likely retain his theoretical knowledge, at the very least..."

"Then what if I head up to the infirmary, check on Miss Alexander and get some things to treat his back and some bandages and return to...Room 106 was it?"
Helena suggested.
"I doubt he will give you much trouble and it might be the best way to utilize our time."

He nodded, "I believe that one is still vacant, yes."

"I see...so this is something better discussed in a well shielded room then...at a later time."
Helena commented with a frown.

He just nodded.

The ice mage was still giving you a bit of a look.
"You give both my brother and my Pater gray hairs Mr Wainwright!"
She declared sternly.
"That your gambits have a tendency to work out do nto make them any less reckless."

He gave her an innocent-ish look back, "Well, now, I will have you know I have procured tonics to ameliorate that for them both - and I dare say it's not reckless if the odds and consequences are considered and deemed acceptable beforehand. Some times, punching the hole in reality with your bare fist is the safest option for everyone."

"Well all they heard was that Gabby was shot and was getting treatment in the infirmary so they might think the injury is serious even if it was really pretty minor as soon as the shard of silver that got stuck in her hand was removed.
"Still I do not appreciate my Custos getting shot."
The ice mage grumbled.

He nodded, "I'm sure Gabby had her reservations about it, as well. But, she seemed to be in good health as soon as the fragment was out, and there were no lingering residues, so it's all good now."

Helena nodded she gave Adley and Crexia a few minutes to get to the Common Room and explain things then she headed up the stairs, she creaked the door open when she got to the top of the stairs and peaked outside.
"Coast clear Mr Wainwright."
The ice mage said.
"But we should hurry upstairs."
And with that Helena proceeded to do so herself.

He strode after Helena and rushed up the stairs as quick as he could - the grip was a good one for carrying someone steadily, after all, and as an added blessing, kept the pressure off Flavian's back, which was probably seeping just a little into his shirt...

((OOC: Colin NEVER does anything recklessly. He's always leaving recked things for the Nephandi! ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Basement]

Colin paused for a moment, giving Flavian an evaluating stare, "Having personally faced an Aswadim, Old Man Wrinkle himself, and an old Celestial God only over the past couple of months, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that whatever fetishes you might indulge in aren't going to matter in the slightest when the day comes. Even Lady Crexia's power is like a drop in the ocean next to any of those - and it's a pretty large ocean, as oceans go."

"Death is easier to defeat than an Aswadim or a powerful Paradox Spirit Mr Wainwright and perhaps easier than an Archmage like Lady Crexia as well."
Flavian replied.
"He might be right but even so there are many steps along the way that are just as important."
The ancient lich replied.

He nodded, "Well, to paraphrase a House Janissary Master whose apprentice I've had the opportunity to speak with, he's more afraid of a weak but creative Adept than a predictable Master with the raw power to crush cities... Power is nice, but it's only a single piece of a very large puzzle."

"Irrelevant, an Adept have power, I completely agree that being creative with what you got can overpower someone with greater raw ability however that is not the same as being a lowly pheasant, a nobody, a insignificant insect just living out his little insignificant life and then being one among many who rise up against his betters."
The Tytalus replied dismissively.

He nodded, "He'll most likely retain his theoretical knowledge, at the very least..."

"I do not think that have ever offered much comfort to any mage who have lost their ability to use Magick Mr Wainwright."
Crexia replied with a frown.

He nodded, "I believe that one is still vacant, yes."

Helena nodded at that.

He gave her an innocent-ish look back, "Well, now, I will have you know I have procured tonics to ameliorate that for them both - and I dare say it's not reckless if the odds and consequences are considered and deemed acceptable beforehand. Some times, punching the hole in reality with your bare fist is the safest option for everyone."

"Well...your insane plans have had a tendency to save the day so I can not argue about that but even so Mr Wainwright they are still pretty crazy plans and you have to admit that."
The ice mage replied still giving you a stern look.

He nodded, "I'm sure Gabby had her reservations about it, as well. But, she seemed to be in good health as soon as the fragment was out, and there were no lingering residues, so it's all good now."

"Yes she seamed to be doing when when I looked in on her, Gabby's hands where completely healed then, you and Dr Lee did a good job. Her kind heal remarkably fast as long as no silver remains in their bodies."
The young Flambeau maga said with a bit of a smile.

He strode after Helena and rushed up the stairs as quick as he could - the grip was a good one for carrying someone steadily, after all, and as an added blessing, kept the pressure off Flavian's back, which was probably seeping just a little into his shirt...

Flavian's back was bleeding a bit but not massively so. Helena led the way and you got up to room 106 without meeting anyone other than Mundi out on his rounds watching over the singing Guardian at his side, the spirit did not pay you any heed she just sung.
"Holy...holy...holy..."
In a beautiful, clear voice but the familiar wagged his tail to you and Helena though he gave Flavian a bit of a look.

(OOC: He really do. )

[Warpmind]

[Basement]

"Death is easier to defeat than an Aswadim or a powerful Paradox Spirit Mr Wainwright and perhaps easier than an Archmage like Lady Crexia as well."
Flavian replied.
"He might be right but even so there are many steps along the way that are just as important."
The ancient lich replied.

Colin shrugged, "Death can be eluded for so long, but... at the end, most no longer see Death as an enemy to be fought. Immortality isn't about living forever, man, it's about what you leave behind once you're gone... I may be young, for a Mage, but believe me, I know this better than most..."

"Irrelevant, an Adept have power, I completely agree that being creative with what you got can overpower someone with greater raw ability however that is not the same as being a lowly pheasant, a nobody, a insignificant insect just living out his little insignificant life and then being one among many who rise up against his betters."
The Tytalus replied dismissively.

He shrugged, "And yet, an Archmage could easily be killed by a lucky apprentice with a knack for marksmanship and a good rifle... It doesn't take infinite power, just enough."

"I do not think that have ever offered much comfort to any mage who have lost their ability to use Magick Mr Wainwright."
Crexia replied with a frown.

He nodded, "This is true... though, his case may be somewhat unique, all the same."

"Well...your insane plans have had a tendency to save the day so I can not argue about that but even so Mr Wainwright they are still pretty crazy plans and you have to admit that."
The ice mage replied still giving you a stern look.

He smiled thinly, "Crazy and reckless are not entirely synonymous, you know... but yes, I will admit that some of my plans have involved the knowledge that it would be quite painful... But if I have to choose between suffering pain and letting people - allies - die, it's hardly a choice, is it?"

Flavian's back was bleeding a bit but not massively so. Helena led the way and you got up to room 106 without meeting anyone other than Mundi out on his rounds watching over the singing Guardian at his side, the spirit did not pay you any heed she just sung.
"Holy...holy...holy..."
In a beautiful, clear voice but the familiar wagged his tail to you and Helena though he gave Flavian a bit of a look.

He nodded respectfully to the Guardian, and grinned to Mundi, "He's had a bit of a rough night; would you mind helping me keep an eye on him for a bit?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Basement]

Colin shrugged, "Death can be eluded for so long, but... at the end, most no longer see Death as an enemy to be fought. Immortality isn't about living forever, man, it's about what you leave behind once you're gone... I may be young, for a Mage, but believe me, I know this better than most..."

"Living is about attaining as much power as possible, the longer you live the more power."
Flavian protested.
"And what should I care what I leave behind when I am no longer there to enjoy it?"

He shrugged, "And yet, an Archmage could easily be killed by a lucky apprentice with a knack for marksmanship and a good rifle... It doesn't take infinite power, just enough."

"Sure there are ways to take down a stronger opponent, again that is not a argument for not seeking power."
The Tytalus protested.

He nodded, "This is true... though, his case may be somewhat unique, all the same."

"His case is unusual yes, but we still have the problem with someone who have lived on oatmeal in a plain room their entire lives, who have gotten out to see colors, bathe in the ocean and eat varied food for a while who now is back in a one room prison with nothing but dull, gray walls, eating unseasoned porridge for the rest of their lives, knowing what is out there but being unable to ever reach it again, or at least they have to start all from scratch again...that will not be an easy position to be in and especially not for someone who pride themselves on their power and magickal abilities."
Crexia warned.

He smiled thinly, "Crazy and reckless are not entirely synonymous, you know... but yes, I will admit that some of my plans have involved the knowledge that it would be quite painful... But if I have to choose between suffering pain and letting people - allies - die, it's hardly a choice, is it?"

"Well I can not deny that...they where brave choices...perhaps the right choices, but even so your methods Mr Wainwright...are quite, unconventional."
Helena replied sternly.

He nodded respectfully to the Guardian, and grinned to Mundi, "He's had a bit of a rough night; would you mind helping me keep an eye on him for a bit?"

Mundi could speak, though he seldom did, now you heard a male voice from...somewhere, deep and warm.
"I can not, the warrior with the flaming sword have asked me to walk with the Guardian and keep her safe, and my Master have not contradicted this request and I have agreed."
The voice said. As Mundi spoke Helena reached down to pet the large dog's head.

[Tane Karyak]

[Tane's Home]
I know most might be fanatical, but i'm also sure that you can have common enemies that could be best dealt together. I'm sure their sages know they need the spider too, so there's much to gain from that. I understand if you feel like it's a waste of time, though.
So, what do we know of your kin?

Tane caressed paula's hair and groomed her a bit before sitting back, so that she didn't eat any of it. SHould cut your hair short if you're not going to tie it down, Paulie. He said flashing her a smile

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