Re: The Aswadim, Hope and Despair IC Thread 5

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"It seams we all have allot to do at the moment Tane."
Cita said with a tired smile.
"A newly Awakened one you should take that up with the Chief before you bring the person to Steelhaven, also remember when talking with other Chantries to be careful about what you say when it comes to this one."
She said.
"Hum...Coawa that was your shapeshifter friend was it not? It seams like it will get lively around here. Well I shall not keep you, you go take care of what you need to get done, you know where to find me."
Cita said and nodded.
"And take care out there, it is not safe for magi to move around the city alone right now."

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded to Adley, "Take your time; I need to catch my breath and try to get the world back in proper order anyway. Hm, there's a relief, though, it seems my stomach does not go through its usual repercussions of combat situations..."
He gave a sour glance to Diego as he stirred, "Well, yes, we happened; it's your own damned fault for coming after us, isn't it? Consider yourself lucky for not becoming fertilizer like your companions. Or don't; frankly, at this point I'm too tired to give a shit."
He slowly walked a bit away from the tree, and stopped next to Hannah, "By the way, Miss Larson, that locket is a very nice piece. I'd like to offer to do some restoration work on it, if you wish; the outer layer seemed a bit worn down."
He then stumbled off to lean on a tree a little away from the Life Tree itself, casually shining the flashlight into the darkness to look for movement, not really expecting more than an owl or two.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

He gave a sour glance to Diego as he stirred, "Well, yes, we happened; it's your own damned fault for coming after us, isn't it? Consider yourself lucky for not becoming fertilizer like your companions. Or don't; frankly, at this point I'm too tired to give a shit."

"When my superiors get their hands on your Traditionalist they will make you scream until your throat bleed enough to drown you."
Diego spat at Colin and he continued to struggle against the plants holding him.

He slowly walked a bit away from the tree, and stopped next to Hannah, "By the way, Miss Larson, that locket is a very nice piece. I'd like to offer to do some restoration work on it, if you wish; the outer layer seemed a bit worn down."

"I well..ehm..."
Hannah muttered and looked away.
"I do not really like to let it out of my sight, the man who gave that to me was very dear to me...the only reason I handed it to you earlier was that if I had not I am not sure if I would have been able to continue walking..."
The Orphan said then she sigh.
"Thank you for the offer though...thank you, I will consider it."

He then stumbled off to lean on a tree a little away from the Life Tree itself, casually shining the flashlight into the darkness to look for movement, not really expecting more than an owl or two.

Well there where more than an owl or two, there where five, as you shine your flashlight into the darkness you see it reflected in five, large round eyes and she the outline of brown, round bodies sitting in the trees around the glade. Duncan's children was keeping watch it seamed.

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded to Hannah, "Naturally, which is why I merely offer rather than insist... I do suspect, at least, that the hinge pin ought to be replaced - a procedure that would take a few seconds at the register; it would not even have to leave your sight."
Looking out at the owls, he smiled, "Awww."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"I guess replacing the hinge pin would be ok."
Hannah said and nodded in agreement.
"The locket is not worth much and was probably not expensive, it is not the best quality but it was the best a sixteen year old kid could get for his girlfriend."
The young woman said and she eyed Adley nervously as the Hermetic examined her necklace.

Duncan looks in your direction when you comment on his owls.
"Beautiful are they not?"
The healer said in a proud tone of voice.
"I guess it is odd to you that I would take a mate that is not human, but you have to understand I am not merely changing shape, I can do that as well, I can choose any form roughly my own body mass, but it is different with my owl form. I have a heart beast, I am both an owl and a human being, I am not a man in a animal form, when I am an owl, I am an owl...so I have an mate."
The Verbena explained.

[Tane Karyak]

I'll take care, but i've already talked with master Narim and he told me to bring her and we should conduct tests in her before giving her entry. Give me a call when you need me, i't won't be so occupied to not be able to give a hand. Tane said.

WHen he left her, Tane went over to Master narim's chambers and in the way, he called the newly awakened girl.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Well it is not my business, like I said I am not a member of Steelhaven and if you have cleared it with one of the Deacons I am sure that is ok."
Cita said and nodded.
"I will do that, thank you Tane."
She said and gave the Dreamspeaker a smile before he left.

You leave Cita and Tobias and walk towards Narim Sharaya's chambers and call Lily Gray, the young woman answered the call after a few rings.
"Yeah this is Lily..."
She says over the phone, you can hear a dog barking in the background.

[Warpmind]

Colin shrugged at Duncan's comment, "I read a lot of Fantasy - a shapeshifting mage taking mates of the species they change into is hardly the strangest coupling I've encountered. And that's even without getting into the less... shall we say family friendly segment of the genre. And yes, you do have a cute family."
He carefully extended an arm toward the nearest owl.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Duncan did not blush but he did look away.
"Well yes let us not discuss those parts."
He muttered.
"But thank you. I am quite proud of them."
The shapeshifter said before he grabbed one of the dead Nephandi and begun to drag him towards the life tree with some difficulty. Duncan Ackermann was not a large man and he was panting with the effort by the time he had gotten the corpse where he wanted it and went to get the other man as well.

The owl looks at you for a time then it jumped out of the tree it was sitting in and landed on your arm, it's claws did dig into your skin a bit, there where a reason why protective gear was generally used when handling birds of prey, but the animal did look at you with curious eyes and settled down.

(OOC: And if anyone are wondering this are the kind of owl we are talking about:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_owl )

[Warpmind]

Colin visibly relaxed a little, gently petting the owl.



((OOC: Well, a few clawmarks in the jacket are probably not going to be much of a problem, compared to the, y'know, bullet hole, anyway. ))

[Tane Karyak]

And this is Tane. How are you, dear? Tane asked I'm the guy from the beach, remember? I call you now because i've been given permission to introduce you to the people here at the chantry. How is it in your end?

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Tane;

"Ah yes the guy I met on the beach...I am well how are you?"
Lily said she sounded glad to hear from you and she shushed on the barking dog in the room with her.
"So I get to meet others who can do strange things? Like I can see spirits? Sure that would be great."
The young woman replied.
"Where do I meet you?"

Colin:

The owl first seamed a bit skeptical to being petted, while it was used to humans it was not a pet, but after a while it seamed to relax and enjoy the attention, his feathers feeling smooth and soft under your fingers.

[Adley]

"I will examine them as good as I can under the circumstances." Duncan said as he studied the patterns the dirt he had poured on the bodies made across their chests. "There is nothing here though, this one was a Technocrat once, he had a DEI in his head once, but it have long since been removed but the scar where the date port once where are still there." The shapeshifter said and his voice was filled with disgust at the thought of putting machines in one's body. "Other than that there is little I can say about them, I can tell you their physical age and health condition but as for anything useful no.

Wonderful, an ex-Iterator barabbus, just what they needed. Two of his least favourite things combined into one, even less palatable one. Still, the information proved useful later when he was looking over the man's items, making him leery of his phone and whatever that strange calculator-thing was that looked as if it might be a tool but was most assuredly magickal.

"Very well, and make sure he is secured when you are at it." Jeffry said and nodded.

He nodded, quickly taking off his coat, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off. He put his coat back on over his undershirt, the cool air making him wake up a bit more. As quickly as he could, he stripped up the button-down with his knife to tie Diego up with for transport and enhance the hold the plants currently had on him. Who ever said Boy Scouts weren't useful?

"Yes I do need to sleep but right now the Chantry needs unity...but I can do nothing for him before I have dealt with the situation around Beatrice and possibly gained enough trust for the Chantry to let me help him."

He nodded at that. "Very well." He knew it was true and that he'd made his decision and it was not one that he found fault with, just one that he did not like the implications of for his mentor's well being. But there was no use spending more time or energy on it, at present. He put his efforts into tying up Diego and checking the items, finding that he was tired. His magick just didn't seem to work as well as he thought it should and he could chalk it up to cumulative exhaustion. "This phone and...calculation thing is probably the Technocratic barabbus' focii...there is magick there...might have a rote hanging on it or some other kind of device," he said as warning.

He then divvied up the things into the ones he had to work on further. The wand was of course tricky, one's focii would always hold resonance of its user, but he thought perhaps it could be temporarily masked if she knew how to do that. The technomagickal devices he treated warily, unsure how much progress he might make at rending those strands or even knowing what they were, or could do. But the locket was first, pulling at the strings of prime that might be used to find Hannah, using the Words that he had just learned before they'd left the Chantry.

Colin nodded to Adley, "Take your time; I need to catch my breath and try to get the world back in proper order anyway. Hm, there's a relief, though, it seems my stomach does not go through its usual repercussions of combat situations..."

"Some good news," he said as he went towards Diego.

As you begin to examine him Diego begin to stir, he groan then he open his eyes. The Nephandus is of slightly below average weight, he have short, dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, his face is rounded with thin lips and a sharp nose, he looks to be of Spanish or Mexican decent.

He didn't give the man much time to make more of his brand of 'deep' conversation with Colin before Adley stepped behind him and tried to put him in a sleeper hold and knock him back out again. He wasn't in the mood for conversation with the man who had just summoned a  spirit that had filled his mind with thoughts about his dead brother right now. "Duncan can you keep this guy asleep?"

// Arete: P2 rote:  5,8 on Hannah's necklace
  Str+brawl: 5,2,7,8 (to make Diego take a nap without crushing his windpipe)

Also, n'aw that gif of the owl = )

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

He nodded, quickly taking off his coat, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off. He put his coat back on over his undershirt, the cool air making him wake up a bit more. As quickly as he could, he stripped up the button-down with his knife to tie Diego up with for transport and enhance the hold the plants currently had on him. Who ever said Boy Scouts weren't useful?

Diego glared at Adley when the Hermetic begun tying him up and he shouted profanities to the other mage promising to do things to his anatomy which would probably require quite advanced degrees of Life to be even possible. You notice as you work that each finger is broken in several places but he do not seam to feel anything bellow his elbows. The Nephandus was pretty out of it though so while he shouted and protested he did not manage to resist much.

"This phone and...calculation thing is probably the Technocratic barabbus' focii...there is magick there...might have a rote hanging on it or some other kind of device," he said as warning.

Your mentor looked at the items with wary eyes, he did not like the Technocracy nor their magick.
"I would like to know the information on that phone, however my instinct say to destroy it, you never know what wards might be on that. I can examine it but as it is magick so alien from my own I might miss something."
The old Hermetic said as he seamed to consider the risk versus reward of checking the content of the Nephandus' phone or just destroying it.
"I should examine it in either case."
He said and walked over to the two devices and his hands moved elegantly into Hermetic hand signs as he muttered a few Latin lines under his breath.
"Yeah...it do look like a focus and that there are not magick in it in itself...I think we will take the chance but turn it off for now, we do not want to risk leading anyone here, I will put the phone in my pocket realm and then examine it at a safe location later, the other device though we destroy."
The Flambeau ordered.

But the locket was first, pulling at the strings of prime that might be used to find Hannah, using the Words that he had just learned before they'd left the Chantry.

Your words fill the glade as you work on the locket, the magick did seam to work though, you feel the energetic ties between Hannah and the necklace severing, making it impossible to use it to find her, there are no visual cues nor do anything look different about the locket but you feel that it have worked.

He didn't give the man much time to make more of his brand of 'deep' conversation with Colin before Adley stepped behind him and tried to put him in a sleeper hold and knock him back out again. He wasn't in the mood for conversation with the man who had just summoned a spirit that had filled his mind with thoughts about his dead brother right now.

Diego grunt and fight you but he is still weak as a kitten and quickly go limp in your grip, it do not seam like you have harmed him though, he is just unconscious.

"Duncan can you keep this guy asleep?"

"I can do that."
The Verbena said he was covered in blood now and was panting as he was done arranging the two dead mages under the tree.
"Give me one moment to take care of this first and I will be right over."
The small man said as he knelt and dug his fingers into the ground again, and the two dead Nephandi begun sinking into the ground, it was as if the earth itself consumed them until there was nothing left. Duncan looked around at the blood on the ground, well as much of it that he could see in the dark, and it two begun to soak into the ground and vanishing.
"Ah much better."
Duncan said before he stood and walked over to Adley and Diego.
"Let me see what I can do."
The Verbena said and shuddered slightly as the Paradox from what he had just done hit him, it was not much, but there was always a bit of Dox for doing something so...alien to the Consensus.

Duncan grabbed a handful of dirt and poured it over the sleeping Nephandus' head while he begun to mutter words in German, Diegos breath evened and he seamed to go from being unconscious to being in a very deep sleep.
"He should be out for a few hours at least."
The Verbena said and wiped his hands on his pants.

[Adley]

I think we will take the chance but turn it off for now, we do not want to risk leading anyone here, I will put the phone in my pocket realm and then examine it at a safe location later, the other device though we destroy."

"As you wish. If it's turned off it might alert someone, say if there was a tracker on it and it disappeared suddenly when you put it away," he said thoughtfully. He picked up the wand. "If we can mask the resonance on it somehow, would that be sufficient?" he asked his pater. "There is also this notebook...do you want me to check all of the rest of this so we can bring it? The knife, for example," he said regarding the other smaller items.

He turned his attention to working on the necklace. His eyes narrowed as he worked, though there wasn't exactly anything specific to see, it was more like a feeling...or maybe a sound...a vibration - but when he was done he gave a satisfied nod of his head.  When he was as sure as he could be the items he'd checked were safe to carry he gave them back, keeping any he wasn't sure of the pile of things to deal with in a moment. "It should be safe for you to carry now," he said. At least until the threads had re-woven, given time and energy, he figured.

"I can do that." The Verbena said he was covered in blood now and was panting as he was done arranging the two dead mages under the tree. "Give me one moment to take care of this first and I will be right over." The small man said as he knelt and dug his fingers into the ground again, and the two dead Nephandi begun sinking into the ground, it was as if the earth itself consumed them until there was nothing left. Duncan looked around at the blood on the ground, well as much of it that he could see in the dark, and it two begun to soak into the ground and vanishing.

"Ah much better." Duncan said before he stood and walked over to Adley and Diego. "Let me see what I can do."The Verbena said and shuddered slightly as the Paradox from what he had just done hit him, it was not much, but there was always a bit of Dox for doing something so...alien to the Consensus.

He frowned at the gruesome scene and again, more deeply, when he could see that the paradox had affected the Verbena. "Is it bad?" he asked, concerned. The man had come to help him with something fairly simple and had gotten pulled into this, just like Cita. Now he was helping to hide bodies.

Duncan grabbed a handful of dirt and poured it over the sleeping Nephandus' head while he begun to mutter words in German, Diegos breath evened and he seamed to go from being unconscious to being in a very deep sleep. "He should be out for a few hours at least."The Verbena said and wiped his hands on his pants

"Thank you for that, I'll be glad not to hear him mouth off again." For all of his disgusting comments, Adley was not very impressed by what Diego had had to say and was glad when he finally shut up. Not that it was of his own volition. To avoid a repeat performance he gagged him as well and then went back to deal with the phones and calculator so they could get the hell out of there.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"As you wish. If it's turned off right now though it might alert someone, say if there was a tracker on it and it disappeared when you put it away. I would do it when we're on our way out, with the other phone,"

Jeffry nodded in agreement to his apprentice.
"Well you know how these infernal machines function better than me mea filius so if you think it is best to turn it off when we are on our way out of here then that is what we will do."

He picked up the wand. "If we can mask the resonance on it somehow, would that be sufficient?" he asked his pater.

"Yes that would be sufficient. If you give it to me I can take care of it."
Jeffry Morgan said and held out his hand for the wand.

he asked his pater. "There is also this notebook..." The rest of the items he bundled together to remove from the area.

"If there do not appear to be magick in the notebook let us just take it with us and read what is in it once we get out of here."

"It should be safe for you to carry now," he said. At least until the threads had re-woven, given time and energy, he figured.

Hannah nodded she fastened the locket back around her neck.
"Thank you."
She muttered and let her fingers caress the worn surface of the piece, she seamed glad to have it back.

He frowned at the gruesome scene and again, more deeply, when he could see that the paradox had affected the Verbena. "Is it bad?" he asked, concerned. The man had come to help him with something fairly straightforward and had gotten pulled into this, just like Cita. Now he was helping to hide bodies.

Duncan shook his head.
"No it is not bad, it just feels a bit...well you know how it is."
The Vebena said and smiled.
"Do not worry about me I will be fine."

"Thank you for that, I'll be glad not to hear him mouth off again." For all of his disgusting comments, Adley was not very impressed by what Diego had had to say and was glad when he finally shut up. Not that it was of his own volition.

"Yes he do appear to be a most impolite young man, I wonder if he kiss his mother with that mouth."
Duncan said and gave Diego a displeased look.
"He did and far, far worse as well before he sacrificed her to the Gods he worship for more power."
Hannah informed from where she stood glancing out into the dark woods. Duncan raised an eyebrow.
"Ah yes Nephandi, just when you think nothing could be worse than the Technocracy."
He muttered sourly.

To avoid a repeat performance he gagged him as well and then went back to deal with the phone and calculator so they could get the hell out of there.

"That device we should probably just destroy."
Jeffry said and pointed to the calculator before he handed Hannah her wand back.
"Then if everything else is safe to bring along let us get out of here before we attract unwanted attention."

[Warpmind]

Colin half-reluctantly turned away from the owl and glanced over toward the calculator, "I don't suppose you think it might be wiser to temporarily disable the device - pull out the battery or something - and let Master Sharaya have a look at it? He might be able to more closely pinpoint the Labyrinth with it."
Turning back to the owl, he said softly, "Ah, you're a good kid, aren't you? A decent judge of people, or is that just because you were told we're decent folk, hmm?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Jeffry glanced at Colin.
"Are you so sure a Technomagickal device can be disabled by pulling out the battery Mr Wainwright?"
The old Hermetic asked.
"Do you even know what it is?"
The war mage considered then he nodded a bit reluctantly.
"You do have a point though Mr Wainwright it is possible Master Sharaya can get something out of it, but when we do not know what it do, it could be a bomb or some sort of tracking device."
The Hermetic said. Hanna glanced at the pile of personal belongings and replied.
"I think Anton used that thing to teleport with, but I am not sure."

The owl looked at Colin with it's large round eyes the pressed it's head against his hand to be petted more. Duncan smiles a little.
"You are with me, so my children know you are friendly, but the little one there do seam to like you Mr Wainwright."

[Warpmind]

Colin shook his head slowly, so as to not spook the owl. "Of course I do not know for certain that it can be disabled by pulling out the battery. However, from what little I've seen, I'd hazard technomantic machinery is still forced to adhere to certain requirements, such as a power source and physical components. It would seem rather rational to presume that removing the power supply would render the electronics inert. However, there's a simpler answer to the question... call Master Sharaya and ask - HE would know for certain whether removing the battery is likely to suffice."
He gently scritched the owl's head, "Ah, I guess it's a pity my apartment at the Chantry is unsuited for such a fine feathered fellow; poor hunting grounds and little space to stretch his wings properly. I shall have to come visit the area and say hello on occasion instead, hmm?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin shook his head slowly, so as to not spook the owl. "Of course I do not know for certain that it can be disabled by pulling out the battery. However, from what little I've seen, I'd hazard technomantic machinery is still forced to adhere to certain requirements, such as a power source and physical components.

"Well...I guess you are right about that, the question is if it is worth the risk."
Jeffry Morgan said, he was quite skeptical of the technomagickal device.
"Damned Technocrats."
He muttered then he added.
"In this case literary."

It would seem rather rational to presume that removing the power supply would render the electronics inert. However, there's a simpler answer to the question... call Master Sharaya and ask - HE would know for certain whether removing the battery is likely to suffice."

"Hum...now that is a good idea. I will leave that to you then Mr Wainwright."
The old Hermetic said, glad to leave the infernal device in someone else's hands for the time being.

He gently scritched the owl's head, "Ah, I guess it's a pity my apartment at the Chantry is unsuited for such a fine feathered fellow; poor hunting grounds and little space to stretch his wings properly. I shall have to come visit the area and say hello on occasion instead, hmm?"

The owl half closed it's large eyes as you scratched it's head and seamed to be enjoying itself. Duncan smiled.
"Well they can not live in cages, they would not be happy that way, but he might follow you into the city, they do fly into Boston at times, and if he knows you he might land in your window sill, that one is quite social."

[Warpmind]

Colin sighed softly and tried to gesture for the owl to climb up to his shoulder instead as he trotted over to pick up the technomantic doohickey, and fished out his own phone, fixing the battery back in place before calling Narim. Kneeling down to examine the device in with his flashlight, he took note of any distinguishing features, panels and such on the chassis.

((OOC: The gizmo was pretty much a graphic calculator, right? Or did it have most of its bits exposed?))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

The large brown bird did climb up onto your shoulder and started to preen it's feathers. You pick up the calculator, yes it looked like a graphic calculator for the most part though it had a old fashioned radio antenna attached and a few extra buttons. After a few rings Narim answer the phone.
"Yes how may I help you?"
The young Master said kindly.

[Warpmind]

Colin turned over the gadget, "Ah, this is Wainwright... We have acquired a device which might be right up your alley from one of the, well, I'm sure you can guess, under the circumstances. It appears to be a modified graphic calculator with a few extra buttons and a radio antenna attached; I suspect you might be able to get some information from it... but do you think it can be rendered inert by removing its battery?"
He turned it around in his hand again, "Hm, there should be a panel on this thing, or... ah, I think I found the screws for the casing; I believe I can open it safely."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Ah you have run into problems again have you Mr Wainwright?"
Narim said then he added.
"I hope everyone are alright."
The Virtual Adept considered for a moment then he said.
"I think it should be rendered inert if you remove the batteries, but if you send me a picture of the thing I might be able to tell more, especially if you get the battery hatch open so I can have a look."
He said then he added in a concerned tone of voice.
"Just make sure you are careful in case the thing are booby-trapped in some way."

There are a normal battery hatch held in place with two screws on the underside of the device.

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "Yes, aside from some mental fatigue on my part, I believe we're all fine, unlike the problems who insisted on running into us. Pictures of... Right you are... I'll call you back in a moment."
He hung up and quickly sent a picture of the front of the gizmo to Narim, then fished out a Swiss Army knife and unscrewed the battery hatch. (Who the hell would booby trap the battery hatch of their personal electronics, after all? The casing itself, perhaps, but not the simple battery compartment...) Then, he fished out the batteries and sent a photo of that side of the device to Narim, as well.

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