Re: Before Going To Horizon-Downtime Scenes IC Thread

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

I'll see what other stuff they got on here." Serge said now taking the mouse and beginning to give a cursory exploration of the contents of the computer.

He mainly checked for documents similar to budgeting form but for different dates, which would likely all be stored together in the same folder. The Nephandi of this labyrinth seemed pretty entrenched and likely had their tendrils in a bunch of different locations. Exploring where there money went would help connect them to other evil doers in the area.

There was several budgets for several years, this included allot of the same things, as well as payments for bribes, supporting politicians, pocket money for the Nephandi living there, paying to get people kidnapped, murdered and getting sacrifices, the same man seamed to be used for the sacrifices each time. In 2010 the Labyrinth had bought two truck loads of scrap steel.

Other than that the computer contained a folder named Spells and Rituals and one marked with characters you had no idea what was. There was also some games, a few office programs, someone's unfinished novel and a few hundred downloaded movies.

"Anything kid?"
Marian asked glancing over at the computer.

[Warpmind]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

"I know I know we deal with allot of different Awakened, most of them look human most of the time though seeing a baby that is a well ehm...what do you call that a spidercentur...how did that happen?"
Dion asked.
"Well with werewolves I hear that some of them are born in their war form I suspect it is the same thing."
Marian chimed in.
"It was the right choice to let the two werspiders go."
The death magus said and Dion reluctantly nodded her agreement.

Colin nodded, "It was right, for the child, if not the mother... The child was indeed born in its hybrid form."

"Well the computer did belong to Nephandi."
Marian commented with a sigh.
"Fucking Nephandi."

"I'll see what other stuff they got on here." Serge said now taking the mouse and beginning to give a cursory exploration of the contents of the computer.

He gave Serge a nod, "Good, carry on. Leave the cobwebbed computer alone for now - a werespider might have some fancy custom security systems running; best have the VAs take care of it."

Then he moved on to check the next room.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Colin nodded, "It was right, for the child, if not the mother... The child was indeed born in its hybrid form."

"Well the mother worked for the Nephandi...come to think of it did not Alessa's sister also work for the Nephandi? Is this a problem with Ananasi?"
Dion asked.
"I think Alessa said her sister was Kumo, still a werspider but not Ananasi...I am not sure what that mean though."
Marion chimed in.

Then he moved on to check the next room.

Anna checked the room then nodded. You got into another bedroom, a couple seamed to have lived here, there was a double bed, a desk, a TV in front of a sofa and a table, a ritual area, a door to a small bathroom and a closet and a book shelf. Everything looked fairly normal other than the heart growing out of the wall, and chains hanging from the roof in the bathroom as well as a shelf of torture tools among the towels and other bathroom stuff. The ritual area held a little figurine of Lord Steel the Duke of Hate as well as miniature metal weapons from toys and such in a offering bowl along with candles, ritual daggers and other things ritualistic might need. The mini weapons was full of corrupted Tass.

[Warpmind]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

"Well the mother worked for the Nephandi...come to think of it did not Alessa's sister also work for the Nephandi? Is this a problem with Ananasi?"
Dion asked.
"I think Alessa said her sister was Kumo, still a werspider but not Ananasi...I am not sure what that mean though."
Marion chimed in.

Colin frowned, "I think it's a matter of rather... extreme religious differences. As I understand it, Ananasi worship Anansi, and take mortal offense to their kin, hm, converting. I'm not sure if the Kumo are their equivalent of Fallen, maybe more along the lines of the difference between the Traditions and the Technocracy - in any case, the Ananasi hunt the Kumo mercilessly."

Anna checked the room then nodded. You got into another bedroom, a couple seamed to have lived here, there was a double bed, a desk, a TV in front of a sofa and a table, a ritual area, a door to a small bathroom and a closet and a book shelf. Everything looked fairly normal other than the heart growing out of the wall, and chains hanging from the roof in the bathroom as well as a shelf of torture tools among the towels and other bathroom stuff. The ritual area held a little figurine of Lord Steel the Duke of Hate as well as miniature metal weapons from toys and such in a offering bowl along with candles, ritual daggers and other things ritualistic might need. The mini weapons was full of corrupted Tass.

He wrinkled his nose at the sight, then gestured for Anna to get away, "There's a lot of dirty Tass here, I'll have to look a bit closer at it, but it might be suitable for feeding Toby. Get Master Morgan, I need his counsel on disposing of something dangerous..."

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

There was several budgets for several years, this included allot of the same things, as well as payments for bribes, supporting politicians, pocket money for the Nephandi living there, paying to get people kidnapped, murdered and getting sacrifices, the same man seamed to be used for the sacrifices each time. In 2010 the Labyrinth had bought two truck loads of scrap steel.

Other than that the computer contained a folder named Spells and Rituals and one marked with characters you had no idea what was. There was also some games, a few office programs, someone's unfinished novel and a few hundred downloaded movies.

"Anything kid?"
Marian asked glancing over at the computer.

"Just lists of people the Nephandi were bribing. Payments made to kidnap people. More sacrifices from the same sacrifice guy. And for some reason they bought a bunch of scrap metal 5 years...what the hell. What were they building?" Serge said looking at that last purchase with a touch of confusion. "They also seems to have some information about the spells and rituals that they do here. As well as this weird folder that's marked with something I can't understand. Can any of you guys understand the characters here?" Serge said pointing to the folder with mysterious characters.

He gave Serge a nod, "Good, carry on. Leave the cobwebbed computer alone for now - a werespider might have some fancy custom security systems running; best have the VAs take care of it."

Then he moved on to check the next room.

"I'll join up in a bit. Once I figure out what this folders trying to say." Serge said giving an absent minded wave as his cabal leader left.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Colin frowned, "I think it's a matter of rather... extreme religious differences. As I understand it, Ananasi worship Anansi, and take mortal offense to their kin, hm, converting. I'm not sure if the Kumo are their equivalent of Fallen, maybe more along the lines of the difference between the Traditions and the Technocracy - in any case, the Ananasi hunt the Kumo mercilessly."

"Ah religious fanatics got to love them."
Dion said with a sigh, as a folk Catholic who did not necessarily follow what the Church said but rather folk practices tied in with African folk magick she had faced her share of fanatical Christians disapproving of her religious practice.
"Perhaps the Kumo are driven tot he Nephandi and other groups just to be protected from the other werspiders."
She said and Marian nodded.
"Yeah I mean Alessa bought Nick a car for shooting her sister in the head, that do not speak very much of tolerance to me."

He wrinkled his nose at the sight, then gestured for Anna to get away, "There's a lot of dirty Tass here, I'll have to look a bit closer at it, but it might be suitable for feeding Toby. Get Master Morgan, I need his counsel on disposing of something dangerous..."

"Ok dad."
Anna said and she ran back into the computer room to get Master Morgan, she returned a little later and the Master entered the room though Anna herself did not since it was important she not get into contact with the corrupted Tass due to legal reasons.
"What seam to be the problem Mr Wainwright."
Jeffry asked.

Just lists of people the Nephandi were bribing. Payments made to kidnap people. More sacrifices from the same sacrifice guy. And for some reason they bought a bunch of scrap metal 5 years...what the hell. What were they building?" Serge said looking at that last purchase with a touch of confusion. "They also seems to have some information about the spells and rituals that they do here. As well as this weird folder that's marked with something I can't understand. Can any of you guys understand the characters here?" Serge said pointing to the folder with mysterious characters.

"Me thinks we need to find this sacrifice guy and ehm...have a long talk with him and then put a bullet in his head."
Marian said darkly.
"As for the steel I suspect it was for what seam to be the patron of this Labyrinth, Lord Steel the Duke of Hate, sounds like a friendly guy, are associated with steel, the scrap metal might have been a gift for him...hum...rituals that might be useful to have a look at."
The death magus replied.

"I'll join up in a bit. Once I figure out what this folders trying to say." Serge said giving an absent minded wave as his cabal leader left.

"You might want to have Anna have a look at the folder you can't read it might be in the Nephandi language."
Marian offered.
"But ask Colin if it is ok first to ask for her help with that."

[Warpmind]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

"Ah religious fanatics got to love them."
Dion said with a sigh, as a folk Catholic who did not necessarily follow what the Church said but rather folk practices tied in with African folk magick she had faced her share of fanatical Christians disapproving of her religious practice.
"Perhaps the Kumo are driven tot he Nephandi and other groups just to be protected from the other werspiders."
She said and Marian nodded.
"Yeah I mean Alessa bought Nick a car for shooting her sister in the head, that do not speak very much of tolerance to me."

Colin gave Dion a wry smile, "I'm afraid you'll find that when it comes to religious fanaticism, it is largely all the same; militant fanaticism seasoned with different bits of scripture. A fanatical Muslim is not significantly different from a fanatical Catholic is not significantly different from a fanatical Buddhist is not significantly different from a fanatical Atheist... But yes, it would seem as though Kumo approach the Nephandi like everyone else did, back before the Nephandi turned to the Malfean ideology."

"Just lists of people the Nephandi were bribing. Payments made to kidnap people. More sacrifices from the same sacrifice guy. And for some reason they bought a bunch of scrap metal 5 years...what the hell. What were they building?" Serge said looking at that last purchase with a touch of confusion. "They also seems to have some information about the spells and rituals that they do here. As well as this weird folder that's marked with something I can't understand. Can any of you guys understand the characters here?" Serge said pointing to the folder with mysterious characters.

"Me thinks we need to find this sacrifice guy and ehm...have a long talk with him and then put a bullet in his head."
Marian said darkly.
"As for the steel I suspect it was for what seam to be the patron of this Labyrinth, Lord Steel the Duke of Hate, sounds like a friendly guy, are associated with steel, the scrap metal might have been a gift for him...hum...rituals that might be useful to have a look at."
The death magus replied.

He nodded, "Lord Steel is... well, I met him, and managed to persuade him to walk away. Unpleasant sort on a good day, but not beyond reasoning. I believe I am fairly high on his personal shit list though... hum, rather than a gift, the steel might have been used for summoning purposes - a large effigy or other sort of representative work, perhaps?"

"Ok dad."
Anna said and she ran back into the computer room to get Master Morgan, she returned a little later and the Master entered the room though Anna herself did not since it was important she not get into contact with the corrupted Tass due to legal reasons.
"What seam to be the problem Mr Wainwright."
Jeffry asked.

He pointed to the pile of Tass and the statuette, "The bowl of miniature weapons there, it's full of corrupted Tass. I should like to confiscate it and make some closer examinations to see if it will be suitable to feed Toby, as it will have few other... useful applications. And then there's the statuette there. Lord Steel already has a grudge, and I really want that statuette gone. I think cleansing the altar and disposing of the idol needs to receive high priority."

((OOC: Miniature weapons loaded with corrupted Tass... I think I understand a bit more about why some Warhammer (Fantasy/40K/Blood Bowl/whatever) players seem cursed whenever they try to roll the dice, and how disputes around the battlefield can arise...))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Colin gave Dion a wry smile, "I'm afraid you'll find that when it comes to religious fanaticism, it is largely all the same; militant fanaticism seasoned with different bits of scripture. A fanatical Muslim is not significantly different from a fanatical Catholic is not significantly different from a fanatical Buddhist is not significantly different from a fanatical Atheist... But yes, it would seem as though Kumo approach the Nephandi like everyone else did, back before the Nephandi turned to the Malfean ideology."

"Yeah that is true. Fanaticism is a problem, when you can tolerate no other world view than your own."
Dion said and she nodded.
"I spoke with Coawa once and he said that one of the reasons why the Ananasi are disliked is that they are not automatically tied to Dynamism the same way most other shapechangers are, and some of them embrace Entropy."
Marian chimed in.

He nodded, "Lord Steel is... well, I met him, and managed to persuade him to walk away. Unpleasant sort on a good day, but not beyond reasoning. I believe I am fairly high on his personal shit list though... hum, rather than a gift, the steel might have been used for summoning purposes - a large effigy or other sort of representative work, perhaps?"

"Yeah that is also possible. I guess if we find a huge steel statue of the dude then we will know for sure."
Marian said.
"Lord Steel, he is a Meajin Incarna right? A Nephandi Lord as they are nicknamed."

He pointed to the pile of Tass and the statuette, "The bowl of miniature weapons there, it's full of corrupted Tass. I should like to confiscate it and make some closer examinations to see if it will be suitable to feed Toby, as it will have few other... useful applications. And then there's the statuette there. Lord Steel already has a grudge, and I really want that statuette gone. I think cleansing the altar and disposing of the idol needs to receive high priority."

Jeffry nodded he reached into a pocket and produced a small cloth bag covered in sumbols neatly stitched into the fabric, you recognize Crezia's handiwork.
"I guessed we might find something, the corrupted Tass should be safe to transport in this, if you remove it then I will deal with the statuette."
Jeffry agreed as he handed the embroidered bag over.

(OOC: Well that is one way to spread a bit of malcontent, have mini weapons for warhammer figures dedicated to Lord Steel the Duke of Hate.

Also playing D&D our group found shield guardian that my character lovingly named Lord Steel, the GM who do not play much Mage did not react but Warp had a chuckle over it.)

[Warpmind]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

"Yeah that is true. Fanaticism is a problem, when you can tolerate no other world view than your own."
Dion said and she nodded.
"I spoke with Coawa once and he said that one of the reasons why the Ananasi are disliked is that they are not automatically tied to Dynamism the same way most other shapechangers are, and some of them embrace Entropy."
Marian chimed in.

Colin pondered, "I can't be absolutely certain of this, but I have a vague impression the Ananasi are less inclined toward any one part of the Triune, and more inclined to be... balanced between the three."

"Yeah that is also possible. I guess if we find a huge steel statue of the dude then we will know for sure."
Marian said.
"Lord Steel, he is a Meajin Incarna right? A Nephandi Lord as they are nicknamed."

He nodded, "Quite, and a right bastard, to boot. But at least he seems to be sincere and direct, rather than deceitful."

Jeffry nodded he reached into a pocket and produced a small cloth bag covered in sumbols neatly stitched into the fabric, you recognize Crezia's handiwork.
"I guessed we might find something, the corrupted Tass should be safe to transport in this, if you remove it then I will deal with the statuette."
Jeffry agreed as he handed the embroidered bag over.

((OOC: *Gigglesnort* Lord Steel, in obedient servitude to a chubby little warlock. It's so... wrong... but so right...))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Colin pondered, "I can't be absolutely certain of this, but I have a vague impression the Ananasi are less inclined toward any one part of the Triune, and more inclined to be... balanced between the three."

Marian nodded at that.
"That is possible I don't know enough about them to know, Alessa might be able to answer that question though."

He nodded, "Quite, and a right bastard, to boot. But at least he seems to be sincere and direct, rather than deceitful."

"Well with the title Duke of Hate I did not expect him to be cuddly."
The Euthanathos said with a chuckle.

(OOC: Indeed and now that Warlock is also Celestial pacted unlike before when the group first found Lord Steel. Also I think the forum are your reply to Jeffry handing Colin the bag Crexia have made.)

[Warpmind]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

"Well with the title Duke of Hate I did not expect him to be cuddly."
The Euthanathos said with a chuckle.

Colin nodded, "True - but one could justify expecting him to be less... rational."

Jeffry nodded he reached into a pocket and produced a small cloth bag covered in sumbols neatly stitched into the fabric, you recognize Crezia's handiwork.
"I guessed we might find something, the corrupted Tass should be safe to transport in this, if you remove it then I will deal with the statuette."
Jeffry agreed as he handed the embroidered bag over.

He looked at the bag and nodded, "I know this handiwork. Yes, this should indeed be safe to carry the little bits of metal."

He carefully picked up the bowl and poured the contents into the bag, neatly tying the bag closed after setting the bowl back down, "I suppose the altar needs to be cleansed, as well, but the idol is probably the most urgent."

((OOC: Oopsie, must've been a bit rushed when I posted.))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Colin nodded, "True - but one could justify expecting him to be less... rational."

"Well being an agent of Entropy gone corrupt and out of balance do not mean he is stupid."
Marian said with a shrug.

He looked at the bag and nodded, "I know this handiwork. Yes, this should indeed be safe to carry the little bits of metal."

"Yes I traded for a few of those bags from the good Lady. They are quite effective."
Jeffry said with a nod.

He carefully picked up the bowl and poured the contents into the bag, neatly tying the bag closed after setting the bowl back down, "I suppose the altar needs to be cleansed, as well, but the idol is probably the most urgent."

Jeffry just nodded and begun chanting, his hands moving quickly and efficiently in sharp hand gestures and the altar and the figurine burned away to nothing in Flames of Purification that did not touch Toby's walls.
"There that should do it."
The Chief said with a satisfied smile.

[Warpmind]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

"Well being an agent of Entropy gone corrupt and out of balance do not mean he is stupid."
Marian said with a shrug.

Colin nodded, "True, but the title, 'Duke of Hate', does lend itself to a rather... shortsighted archetype."

"Yes I traded for a few of those bags from the good Lady. They are quite effective."
Jeffry said with a nod.

He chuckled, "Whatever you paid, you got a good bargain, I think."

Jeffry just nodded and begun chanting, his hands moving quickly and efficiently in sharp hand gestures and the altar and the figurine burned away to nothing in Flames of Purification that did not touch Toby's walls.
"There that should do it."
The Chief said with a satisfied smile.

He let out a soft, impressed whistle, "Neat and tidy, as always. I must admit, I look forward to figuring out that trick, myself - but I didn't think we could wait for that before getting rid of the figurine. That chap already dislikes me personally, after all..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Colin nodded, "True, but the title, 'Duke of Hate', does lend itself to a rather... shortsighted archetype."

"Hate comes in many forms."
Marian commented.

He chuckled, "Whatever you paid, you got a good bargain, I think."

"Oh indeed so."
Jeffry said with a smile.

He let out a soft, impressed whistle, "Neat and tidy, as always. I must admit, I look forward to figuring out that trick, myself - but I didn't think we could wait for that before getting rid of the figurine. That chap already dislikes me personally, after all..."

The old Hermetic gave a slightly smug smile.
"Well I do pride myself on finesse in my Art Mr Wainwright but thank you. Yes indeed The Flames of Purification can be most useful when something just have to go and a effergy to Lord Steel the Duke of Hate is one of those things that just have to go."

[Warpmind]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

"Hate comes in many forms."
Marian commented.

Colin nodded, "True... but I find it often causes a sort of... blindness."

The old Hermetic gave a slightly smug smile.
"Well I do pride myself on finesse in my Art Mr Wainwright but thank you. Yes indeed The Flames of Purification can be most useful when something just have to go and a effergy to Lord Steel the Duke of Hate is one of those things that just have to go."

He grinned, "Normally I would point out that there is a fair bit of scripture regarding pride... but you're hardly unjustified. And yes, the Duke has got to go. Thank you."

He proceeded to scan the room for other important clues as to who lived here or any Fallen plans for the Boston area...

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Colin nodded, "True... but I find it often causes a sort of... blindness."

"Yeah you are right about that man."
Marian said with a nod.

He grinned, "Normally I would point out that there is a fair bit of scripture regarding pride... but you're hardly unjustified. And yes, the Duke has got to go. Thank you."

"I am not Christian so what Christian scripture say is irrelevant for me, it is a religion meant to keep the masses in line and keep the subservient, there is nothing wrong with pride in a skill you have worked hard to attain, there is a difference between pride and hubris after all."
Jeffry replied.
"I am proud of my skills and not apologetic about it. But I do not believe them to be infallible."

He proceeded to scan the room for other important clues as to who lived here or any Fallen plans for the Boston area...

You found a picture on the desk showing a pretty Asian woman of about 50 and a white man of about the same age, they did not show obvious mutations or deformities and smiled to you from what looked like a mountain road.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Nicole's Apartment, Monday Evening]

Colin's Post:

Nicole gave a shrug to this. Perhaps the woman might be more responsive once she'd had time to calm down and reflect on the events of the last hour or so. Or perhaps not...

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Anja's Post:

Nicole didn't answer to this. Or anything she didn't have to. She'd already gone too far, and that was out of pity for the killed man. After all, they can't hang you for doing what you are told to do and otherwise being silent. Well they could, but at that point she'd simply bail entirely.

Simply went about her task of assembling the various boxes into more transportable cargoes; putting as many as possible into a bedsheet-wrapped collection, secured with duct tape. Once one had been filled, she'd go off to find another large sheet; presumably double-backing on herself to get another off a bed, then to rinse and repeat until all the cargoes were ready for transport.

While she was working, a nagging thought was in the back of her head, like the boxes reminded her of something... tip of the tongue.

Anja's Posts:

Having finished her task with the boxes, she stuck RFID labels on each of the collections and was moving to collect her rucksack when Anna called. Silently, got her gear and went off to take a look at the room. 'That's it... Auschwitz. Them big piles of glasses, suitcases and shit.' she said to herself, finally working out what the collection of boxes had been giving her deja vu on, before giving a nod to Anna and cautiously entering the room.

Silently took a look at what was on the screens, concluding that chances were it was simply units to access the server, and thus could be dealt with by a data-mine of said server.

Anja's Post:

Nicole's ears pricked up at this. She knew enough about that topic to at least theorise on the production of such... offspring. That being assuming it was under the same principles as rats...

Anja's Post:

Silently, Nicole waited in the hallway again, keeping watch and monitoring her radar-app for threats.

[There, caught up. Though the slightly sad thing is that nothing was really lost from Nick's non-activity in this scene.]

[Warpmind]

[Nicole's Apartment, Monday Evening]

Nicole gave a shrug to this. Perhaps the woman might be more responsive once she'd had time to calm down and reflect on the events of the last hour or so. Or perhaps not...

Colin nodded, "Very well, then... well, I have other matters to attend to. See you tomorrow, for the Labyrinth investigation?"

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Having finished her task with the boxes, she stuck RFID labels on each of the collections and was moving to collect her rucksack when Anna called. Silently, got her gear and went off to take a look at the room. 'That's it... Auschwitz. Them big piles of glasses, suitcases and shit.' she said to herself, finally working out what the collection of boxes had been giving her deja vu on, before giving a nod to Anna and cautiously entering the room.

He frowned at Nicole, "The similarity is... not incorrect. Much smaller scale, though. We'd have noticed if the Nephandi did their shit with such industrial efficiency..."

"I am not Christian so what Christian scripture say is irrelevant for me, it is a religion meant to keep the masses in line and keep the subservient, there is nothing wrong with pride in a skill you have worked hard to attain, there is a difference between pride and hubris after all."
Jeffry replied.
"I am proud of my skills and not apologetic about it. But I do not believe them to be infallible."

He grinned, "Not just Christian scripture, Sir, but yes, there's an immense gap between pride and hubris. Well, depending on translation, at least."

You found a picture on the desk showing a pretty Asian woman of about 50 and a white man of about the same age, they did not show obvious mutations or deformities and smiled to you from what looked like a mountain road.

He frowned at the photo, showing it to Jeffry, "What do you make of this, Sir - residents, or parents thereof, you think?"

[Jeremy Silverstein]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

"Me thinks we need to find this sacrifice guy and ehm...have a long talk with him and then put a bullet in his head."
Marian said darkly.
"As for the steel I suspect it was for what seam to be the patron of this Labyrinth, Lord Steel the Duke of Hate, sounds like a friendly guy, are associated with steel, the scrap metal might have been a gift for him...hum...rituals that might be useful to have a look at."
The death magus replied.

He nodded, "Lord Steel is... well, I met him, and managed to persuade him to walk away. Unpleasant sort on a good day, but not beyond reasoning. I believe I am fairly high on his personal shit list though... hum, rather than a gift, the steel might have been used for summoning purposes - a large effigy or other sort of representative work, perhaps?"

"Yeah that is also possible. I guess if we find a huge steel statue of the dude then we will know for sure."
Marian said.
"Lord Steel, he is a Meajin Incarna right? A Nephandi Lord as they are nicknamed."

He nodded, "Quite, and a right bastard, to boot. But at least he seems to be sincere and direct, rather than deceitful."

"Well with the title Duke of Hate I did not expect him to be cuddly."
The Euthanathos said with a chuckle.

Colin nodded, "True - but one could justify expecting him to be less... rational."

"Well being an agent of Entropy gone corrupt and out of balance do not mean he is stupid."
Marian said with a shrug.

Colin nodded, "True, but the title, 'Duke of Hate', does lend itself to a rather... shortsighted archetype."

"Hate comes in many forms."
Marian commented.

"That fits nicely. We might find a giant statue of this Lord Steel somewhere in here. WIth everything I'm hearing about him that statue better be metal as fuck. He better have giant spikes of scrap metal plunged through his eyes otherwise he isn't living up to his title." Serge said chuckling to himself.

"You might want to have Anna have a look at the folder you can't read it might be in the Nephandi language."
Marian offered.
"But ask Colin if it is ok first to ask for her help with that."

You found a picture on the desk showing a pretty Asian woman of about 50 and a white man of about the same age, they did not show obvious mutations or deformities and smiled to you from what looked like a mountain road.

He frowned at the photo, showing it to Jeffry, "What do you make of this, Sir - residents, or parents thereof, you think?"

"But then I'll have to go to the other room and get caught up in what ever there doing there." Serge said standing up despite his protests.

He walked over to the room where his cabal leader went to. Seeing him inspecting the photo he walked over and said, "Hey Mr. Wainwright you mind if I borrow Anna....wait what are you looking at?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Nicole didn't answer to this. Or anything she didn't have to. She'd already gone too far, and that was out of pity for the killed man. After all, they can't hang you for doing what you are told to do and otherwise being silent. Well they could, but at that point she'd simply bail entirely.

Simply went about her task of assembling the various boxes into more transportable cargoes; putting as many as possible into a bedsheet-wrapped collection, secured with duct tape. Once one had been filled, she'd go off to find another large sheet; presumably double-backing on herself to get another off a bed, then to rinse and repeat until all the cargoes were ready for transport.

Marian gave Nicole a bit of a odd look but then he just continued with his tasks, tending to the dead man.

Having finished her task with the boxes, she stuck RFID labels on each of the collections and was moving to collect her rucksack when Anna called. Silently, got her gear and went off to take a look at the room. 'That's it... Auschwitz. Them big piles of glasses, suitcases and shit.' she said to herself, finally working out what the collection of boxes had been giving her deja vu on, before giving a nod to Anna and cautiously entering the room.

Silently took a look at what was on the screens, concluding that chances were it was simply units to access the server, and thus could be dealt with by a data-mine of said server.

You saw a game on one screen, some sort of budget or something that Serge was looking at on another. You do believe it is likely all the machines was connected to a server though, it seamed like it at least, though the brain in the center of the room made things look a bit odd.

Silently, Nicole waited in the hallway again, keeping watch and monitoring her radar-app for threats.

One of the spirits seamed to be drawing near, but whatever or not it was hostile was hard to say.

He grinned, "Not just Christian scripture, Sir, but yes, there's an immense gap between pride and hubris. Well, depending on translation, at least."

"Like I said there is a difference between justified pride in accomplishments and thinking you are infallible. Often hubris comes with a complete inability to accept new information or the notions that you might not know it all, that is where the problem lie, not in not adopting an attitude of false modesty."
Jeffry replied.

He frowned at the photo, showing it to Jeffry, "What do you make of this, Sir - residents, or parents thereof, you think?"

"Hard to say, I do not remember them but we can distribute the picture among the others that was part of the assault on the Labyrinth if they where seen fighting for the Nephandi they where likely the owners of this chamber."
The old Hermetic replied.

"That fits nicely. We might find a giant statue of this Lord Steel somewhere in here. WIth everything I'm hearing about him that statue better be metal as fuck. He better have giant spikes of scrap metal plunged through his eyes otherwise he isn't living up to his title." Serge said chuckling to himself.

"Well spikes in his eyes would be rather impractical...and painful."
Marian replied.
"But yeah from what I heard from those who saw him in the Labyrinth Lord Steel do appear like a man in a spiked plate mail so you are not far of."

"But then I'll have to go to the other room and get caught up in what ever there doing there." Serge said standing up despite his protests.

He walked over to the room where his cabal leader went to. Seeing him inspecting the photo he walked over and said, "Hey Mr. Wainwright you mind if I borrow Anna....wait what are you looking at?"

You got into a bedroom which looked pretty normal, other than the storure tools int he bathroom. Jeffry and Colin stood discussing a framed picture in the main part of the chambers. Jeffry gave the young cultist a slight nod.

[Nicole Bouchard]

[Nicole's Apartment, Monday Evening]

Colin's Post:

'S'pose so...'

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Colin's Post:

'You'd think that, right?' she replied, a little sourly.

Anja's Post:

Having established the presumed nature of the thing, she gave a little shrug. 'P'haps we should shut the computers down, at least?' wondering if the power-drain cost anything.

Anja's Post:

'We have incoming. One... 'spirit', moving fairly quick.' she'll call out, turning to look in the direction of the expected visitor.

[Warpmind]

[Nicole's Apartment, Monday Evening]

'S'pose so...'

Colin nodded and excused himself to head back to his own apartment to make his preparations for next morning.

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

"That fits nicely. We might find a giant statue of this Lord Steel somewhere in here. WIth everything I'm hearing about him that statue better be metal as fuck. He better have giant spikes of scrap metal plunged through his eyes otherwise he isn't living up to his title." Serge said chuckling to himself.

"Well spikes in his eyes would be rather impractical...and painful."
Marian replied.
"But yeah from what I heard from those who saw him in the Labyrinth Lord Steel do appear like a man in a spiked plate mail so you are not far of."

He frowned, "He appears like a medieval knight in a spiked jousting plate, with a huge iron lance... no spikes in his eyes, though."

'You'd think that, right?' she replied, a little sourly.

He nodded slowly, "I'd certainly hope so... I mean, this is bad enough, by magnitudes, but... well..."

"Like I said there is a difference between justified pride in accomplishments and thinking you are infallible. Often hubris comes with a complete inability to accept new information or the notions that you might not know it all, that is where the problem lie, not in not adopting an attitude of false modesty."
Jeffry replied.

He nodded, "So it is. And, of course, some times, the appearance of hubris may mask a gamble or bluff... Well, we're getting off on a tangent. My apologies."

"Hard to say, I do not remember them but we can distribute the picture among the others that was part of the assault on the Labyrinth if they where seen fighting for the Nephandi they where likely the owners of this chamber."
The old Hermetic replied.

He nodded, "I'm sure Master Sharaya could employ his mundane internet skills to look for them, as well."

He walked over to the room where his cabal leader went to. Seeing him inspecting the photo he walked over and said, "Hey Mr. Wainwright you mind if I borrow Anna....wait what are you looking at?"

You got into a bedroom which looked pretty normal, other than the storure tools int he bathroom. Jeffry and Colin stood discussing a framed picture in the main part of the chambers. Jeffry gave the young cultist a slight nod.

He tilted the photo for Serge to see, "The residents, or the parents of one of them, I suspect. Can't say I've seen them before... hum, what do you need Anna's help with?"

'We have incoming. One... 'spirit', moving fairly quick.' she'll call out, turning to look in the direction of the expected visitor.

He glanced to Nicole, then turned his head toward where she was looking.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Having established the presumed nature of the thing, she gave a little shrug. 'P'haps we should shut the computers down, at least?' wondering if the power-drain cost anything.

"Yeah that is a good idea, I mean for now we have just seen if we could find any good information on them."
Marian commented.

'We have incoming. One... 'spirit', moving fairly quick.' she'll call out, turning to look in the direction of the expected visitor.

Jeffry nodded and he moved up next to Nicole and started chanting and moving his fingers though complex gestures, soon you saw a figure up ahead, like a shadow down the hall your group came down through.
"Jaggerling...I am not sure what sort yet."
the old Hermetic muttered.

He frowned, "He appears like a medieval knight in a spiked jousting plate, with a huge iron lance... no spikes in his eyes, though."

"Well that fit his name pretty well."
Marian commented.

He nodded, "So it is. And, of course, some times, the appearance of hubris may mask a gamble or bluff... Well, we're getting off on a tangent. My apologies."

The old Hermetic just nodded at that.
Indeed so Mr Wainwright though it is a interesting topic of discussion for another time."

He nodded, "I'm sure Master Sharaya could employ his mundane internet skills to look for them, as well."

"I will leave it to you to find out what you may from what sources you may then Mr Wainwright."
The old war mage said with a nod.

He glanced to Nicole, then turned his head toward where she was looking.

There was a figure, a shadow heading towards your group, moving quickly down the corridor the mages had come from, it looked roughly like a human female form made out of black fog full of stars.
"Do you think it is hostile?"
Marian asked as he fished a bone out of his pocket and stood ready and Dion got her rosary ready, the other Steelhaven mages also got ready in case of trouble.

[Warpmind]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

The old Hermetic just nodded at that.
Indeed so Mr Wainwright though it is a interesting topic of discussion for another time."

Colin nodded, then smirked, "Oh, and just if it looks like I'm displaying hubris, it doesn't mean I actually am - I could be bluffing, or having something nasty up my sleeve... or I'm just willing to pay the price of trying. As our dearly beloved Senior Quaesitor discovered..."

"I will leave it to you to find out what you may from what sources you may then Mr Wainwright."
The old war mage said with a nod.

He nodded, "The VAs can do their digital magic, and I suppose Shimmer could be willing to say if she's seen them. If either of them does their cooking..."

Jeffry nodded and he moved up next to Nicole and started chanting and moving his fingers though complex gestures, soon you saw a figure up ahead, like a shadow down the hall your group came down through.
"Jaggerling...I am not sure what sort yet."
the old Hermetic muttered.

There was a figure, a shadow heading towards your group, moving quickly down the corridor the mages had come from, it looked roughly like a human female form made out of black fog full of stars.
"Do you think it is hostile?"
Marian asked as he fished a bone out of his pocket and stood ready and Dion got her rosary ready, the other Steelhaven mages also got ready in case of trouble.

He frowned, and stepped out ahead, "We'll find out soon enough... something oddly familiar about her appearance... Greetings, O Spirit. Can we help you?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

[Labyrinth, Tuesday Morning]

Colin nodded, then smirked, "Oh, and just if it looks like I'm displaying hubris, it doesn't mean I actually am - I could be bluffing, or having something nasty up my sleeve... or I'm just willing to pay the price of trying. As our dearly beloved Senior Quaesitor discovered..."

"Well you do tend to be reckless Mr Wainwright even if your schemes have worked out thus far."
Jeffry replied with a raised eyebrow.

He nodded, "The VAs can do their digital magic, and I suppose Shimmer could be willing to say if she's seen them. If either of them does their cooking..."

"I will leave the matter in your hands then my good man."
Jeffry replied.

He frowned, and stepped out ahead, "We'll find out soon enough... something oddly familiar about her appearance... Greetings, O Spirit. Can we help you?"

The spirit stopped and regarded Colin then she quickly fluttered closer.
"Oh hello how nice to see you again...a new body, how delightful...yes you can help me I am searching but I can not find what I am searching for."
She said in a friendly but very distant female voice

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