The Traitor, Conflicts and Foiling the Nephandi's Plans IC Thread 6

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

(OOC: This is a continuation from IC thread 5. Adley and Colin are in Narim's office discussing the possible traitor at Lux Itineris. Tane is at Jeffry Morgan's office discussing Lily Gray. Happy gaming everyone.)

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Narim drank the last of his tea then he stood and went to the shelf where he had a water boiler and his boxes of fine quality tea, busying himself with making some more of the spicy, flavor rich tea while he listened to his two guests talk, chances where Adley would know more about Hermetic law and whatever or not such a scan of the entire Chantry as Colin suggested could be made legal than he himself did. He off course could do the rote, but this was a primarily Hermetic Chantry so it would create issues, and it would create issues for the three Hermetic Deacons to sanction such a action. The Virtual Adept sigh, nothing was ever easy.

[Adley]

Narim glanced at Colin and decided to answer this. "No Mr Wainwright they are not constructs. A construct would be someone like the Matriarch, the ruler of the slave camps at Mecha, an Awakened artificial intelligence, or the oh so famous Frankenstein's Monster. A Rebis is a perfect alchemical hermaphrodite...Narim glanced at Colin and decided to answer this. alchemists revere them as the Child of the Egg, one of their most powerful symbols, but others int he Traditions distrust them since Heylel Teomim Thoabath was one such creature and violence against rebi are not uncommon."

"Ah, that is why Master Nassa called her Egg."

"I am not an expert on Alchemy but I do think it is the third or forth refinement process in the Great Work which is symbolized by the hermaphrodite and then again at the final one. Some Solificati have just taken the symbolism very literally it seams, but then Miss Marcov is not a Solificati now is she?"

He was hardly an expert on alchemy either. He knew the basics and symbols and the methods directed towards inner perfection, but he had never met anyone like Nico before. He shook his head at Narim; Nico was of the Order but he didn't feel like expounding on House complications at the moment.

"In his way Master Tolle is honorable, though he is not an easy man to like."

"He believes in the law and abiding it, as far as his actions have been...well, neutral. Though after doing what he has done for so long..." He remembered what his pater had said about not wanting to be like him, and he could see why.

"I would like one of the written accounts that the Primus can create, just for the record." Narim said then he added. "If it is not a to uncomfortable prospect Adley, I do know you value your privacy, if possibly we should have one of Miss Marcov as well if she remember what happens once she wakes up, such statements are better documentation of an event than mere words

"I would never put my privacy above the safety of the Chantry or helping another, or in such cases like this, where a witness is needed, so long as it did not compromise my Code."

"There are strong evidence that Miss Florentine did indeed cleanse her Avatar. I have not seen her before and after scans but I know Cita Telar and there is no one better at what do do in the Traditions, if she say the woman was cleansed I believe her...and if a method to cleanse the Fallen where known then that would be a greater weapon again the Nephandi than any fireball...

Adley nodded in agreement here. Though he was still unsure if the timing of it was right...still it might explain why Raymond, Beatrice, or Susanna were targeted. Perhaps. "Would it be possible to see if Mr Bachmeir is safe? He was briefly without his papers under protection of his mentor but I we sent them back as quickly as we could by a Mercere courier. If they are still in need of these rare few, I believe Antonio said there were five...then he might be at risk. I'm not sure if this is a tangent or something we should pursue though if we can at least get confirmation he is going about his normal business..."

"Not just twins if rumor is to be believed Adley, twin souls, many think the D'Angelos share an Avatar or that their Avatars are conjoined, it is not confirmed but it means they are very close and are not likely to need a physical medium to communicate with one another, if it is true off course."

He sighed. "Well, if that is true then like Hannah, if you hurt one then you will harm the other." He glanced at Colin. "I don't know if you were awake when we found out that Hannah's avatar and that of her brother are linked. Her brother was...used to make the caul, and she has said that if she was harmed, if it came to that, it might destroy him, as he is weak."

He leaned back in his chair, "Hmmm... Considering Lux Itineris apparently is infiltrated to an unknown extent, we should not simply assume it is made possible by some sloppy security work there. We should acknowledge that it might be the case here, as well. I propose a temporary lockdown of Chantry Steelhaven Hall, with a systematic examination of everyone."

"I agree then at least we can be reasonably sure on whatever or not we to have a traitor amongst us. I can not make the decision for such a lock down alone though, the Council have to decide together, that or the Deacon Primus. Also such examinations should probably be done by two different people for each person to limit the chance that the examiner himself is corrupted."

"This could tip off that we know that Lux Iternis is infiltrated, though if there is someone they might be able to get off a message. But yes it's possible that there is a leak somewhere, either without someone's knowledge or by design. Perhaps if we frame it as a measure to protect against the ritual it will go over better than looking at our own members as if they are the enemy."

"...As an alternative to individual examinations... is it possible to perform a resonance scan of the whole building, top to bottom, to check for anything above trace levels of the relevant resonance?"

"Yes it is possible however I dare bet that all three of the Chakravanti have Jhor in their system, almost all of their Tradition do, we might end up with some false positives and it is not necessary for a Fallen to have Jhor, I doubt Miss Alexander do for example."
Narim said and sipped his tea.

"Aside from the issues brought with scrying there is one problem that I can think of. How is one to check another's pocket realms or spaces? If no-one says that they have one, how would we know to check? And pressing might begin to feel like an interrogation," he said, trying to figure out if he could think of any loopholes. "Sanctums are considered inviolate by the Code and there is a prohibition against using ars mentis to read a mage's mind, to boot."

Colin nodded, "What do you think, Adley? Is there an emergency bylaw or somesuch loophole you're aware of that can be immediately applied without conferring with the others?"

"As Narim said, the Code is subject to complicated interpretations while being rather simple in Wording. I am not the best at judging the fine edge that one can walk in such matters," he admitted. "Just like other systems, it has built upon itself a system of precedent in the Peripheral Corrigenda, a record of the Tribunal's rulings. But I am hardly an expert on such, things have been ruled and overruled for hundreds of years, as we're seeing with Beatrice, even a simple Word can be turned. Plus, now we have more complicated Tradition Law as a whole, though it's based on the same foundation. I would ask Master Steelhaven." He then went on, "I know that in order to find Mrs Marcov, the Chief used the ars fati on himself in order to prevent such a complication. He said that it was within the law but very close to the edge of it and that was applying a working to himself to find another in a life or death situation.

"Here is the full wording, Colin, as it is not exactly a secret and is relevant: 'I shall not spy by any means or manner upon another Order mage’s private works, nor read an Order mage’s mind, nor invade or observe an Order mage’s Sanctum, save to guard against a clear, direct, forceful and imminent threat to the safety of the Order.' The balancing act is that we have quite a few suspicions, but the argument I would imagine would be is that we do not necessarily have a 'clear, forceful and imminent threat' picked out yet, not within our own ranks or within Lux Iternis, which is why we would be using such methodology, to determine who is the fox in the henhouse, as it were. There are exceptions made for Quaesitorii who are investigating a crime and no doubt this has been interpreted both in the most broad way in order to cover actions and the most narrow, in order to prevent them. Part of the issue is that we're looking at faults within those that enforce the law - I would expect them to make use of any weaknesses in order to slow us down or further tie our hands, especially if it took several important Order magii and cast doubt on their actions." He scratched at his beard, falling silent to see what the others would say.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Ah, that is why Master Nassa called her Egg."

"Yes I would suppose so. Often in Alchemical books the Holy Hermaphrodite are represented by an egg and they are also like I said referred to as the Child of the Egg."
Narim commented as he sipped his tea.

"He believes in the law and abiding it, as far as his actions have been...well, neutral. Though after doing what he has done for so long..." He remembered what his pater had said about not wanting to be like him, and he could see why.

"There is consequences to performing a Gilgul, there is a reason why those who have done so are called Soulrenders and according to Master Telar you can actually see the Resonance of the deed in their Avatars. Some say a Soulrender loose a part of themselves for each Avatar they destroy, I am more inclined to think however that to inflict that degree of pain and suffering on another person do something with you, even when it is the only option available. Also often it do lead to conflict between an Avatar and it's host. My mentor said it is like if you where a gun used to destroy other guns, then you might have a problem with your wielder and wonder what is up. In either case I do not know if this is Master Tolle's problem or if he is just the stereotype of the Traditionalist faction of the Quaesitores, the ones who care about the letter of the law and nothing else. Well in either case the good Master Tolle is certainly an unnerving man, but I do think he is honorable."

"I would never put my privacy above the safety of the Chantry or helping another, or in such cases like this, where a witness is needed, so long as it did not compromise my Code."

Narim give you a warm smile.
"Thank you Adley, will you make an appointment with Master Steelhaven to have a transcript made then?"
The Virtual Adept asked.

Adley nodded in agreement here. Though he was still unsure if the timing of it was right...still it might explain why Raymond, Beatrice, or Susanna were targeted. Perhaps. "Would it be possible to see if Mr Bachmeir is safe? He was briefly without his papers under protection of his mentor but I we sent them back as quickly as we could by a Mercere courier. If they are still in need of these rare few, I believe Antonio said there were five...then he might be at risk. I'm not sure if this is a tangent or something we should pursue though if we can at least get confirmation he is going about his normal business..."

"I can send a AI through the Digital Web up to Horizon to inquire about Mr Backmeier, but since I do not know the man it might be wiser to have Master Telar contact him as she do as far as I am aware know both Mr Backmeier and his mentor well."
Narim suggested.
"Well since we know the Nephandi are looking for widderslainte, checking up on Mr Backmeier is a good idea, it might also be wise to send a Mercere to Cerberus to warn Master Senex that his apprentice might be in danger, but then as I doubt anyone can get to Cerberus without the Old Man's knowledge and consent Miss Amanda are probably safe and sound. However better safe than sorry I say."

He sighed. "Well, if that is true then like Hannah, if you hurt one then you will harm the other." He glanced at Colin. "I don't know if you were awake when we found out that Hannah's avatar and that of her brother are linked. Her brother was...used to make the caul, and she has said that if she was harmed, if it came to that, it might destroy him, as he is weak."

"My mentor Dante once told me that Twin Souls have incredible power when they are together as their Avatars draw from the Quintessence pool in unison as if they where one massive soul rather than two, so in working in concert they truly do work as one, however their weakness yes is that if something happen to one it also will harm the other, that is true."
Narim said then he frowned.
"Yes I head that Larson sacrificed her own son, to make a Caul then you say. That woman truly are a blight on this world. I do not wish ill on many people but I will surly rest easier once that abomination is dealt with."
The Virtual Adept said angrily then he added.
"Her daughter though are showing remarkable courage if she gave you that information on how to kill the Caul if all else fails. I do hope it will not come to that though as she sound like a remarkable woman and she would do well in the Traditions I think if she got a good mentor to guide her."

"This could tip off that we know that Lux Iternis is infiltrated, though if there is someone they might be able to get off a message. But yes it's possible that there is a leak somewhere, either without someone's knowledge or by design. Perhaps if we frame it as a measure to protect against the ritual it will go over better than looking at our own members as if they are the enemy."

"Hum...it would not be out place for us to set up protections against the effects of whatever the Nephandi are planning, phrasing it like that might not tip off a traitor. But again it do present the problem of scrying. The Virtual Adepts and the Verbena have no laws against such, but the Order of Hermes do, so while I an Amadeus would be unaffected, Jeffry, Master Steelhaven and Lady Mara would end up in legal problems and also scrying on our Chantrymates might create some distrust and anger, especially amongst the Hermetic population.

"Aside from the issues brought with scrying there is one problem that I can think of. How is one to check another's pocket realms or spaces? If no-one says that they have one,

"If those realms and pockets are connected to anything physical or energetic in this building or on the owner's person they can be detected by magick."
Narim said.

And pressing might begin to feel like an interrogation," he said, trying to figure out if he could think of any loopholes. "Sanctums are considered inviolate by the Code and there is a prohibition against using ars mentis to read a mage's mind, to boot."

"The Virtual Adepts can scry, but mind reading without consent is considered a magickal attack on another Traditionalist by my Tradition and are not legal."
Narim explained.

Narim listened as Adley talked about the Code and nodded as he brought a fresh pot of tea back to the desk and refilled everyone's cups.
"As Adley say we are dealing with a Guernicus here and Vittoria D'Angelo are knowledgeable and respected. Mr Wainwright managed to give her a scrape at Beatrice's...in the ritual chamber but she is still held in high regard if we begin to move and she is the traitor then be sure she know every trick in the book, literary and will use them against us."
Narim said and sigh.
"Now when it comes to cross Tradition law generally if I where to commit a crime against another Virtual Adept then it would be handled internally in my Tradition unless I requested it be brought before a full Tribunal, if however I where to let us say scry on Adley here then things get complicated, by his laws it is illegal but not by mine. I suspect if it was just me doing so then a duel to settle things would be recommended but no action would be taken against me as I can not be held accountable to a Code I have not sworn on. However if we the Deacon Council of Steelhaven who do contain Hermetics where to scry on a member of the Order of Hermes then things get very complicated and I suspect a trial would be held to determine who if any where liable for criminal charges, it would be a red tape nightmare and would bog us down and cost us time we do not have at the moment."
The Virtual Adept commented.
"Sometimes I think the Traditions would work better if we had one unified law, but then we would never be able to agree to one, they are still arguing which Tradition's symbol should mark which coin unit on Horizon, imagine the Council of Nine working out a unified set of laws other than the Protocols."

[Warpmind]

Colin pondered, "I think... I think we can pull off the resonance scan under that excemption, as a matter of semantics, even without conferring with Master Steelhaven. As was already stated, a Fallen Mage need not have Jhor in their system, and we already know we have residents with that sort of resonance... So obviously, the scan would not be intended to explicitly seek them out. What the scan would be after, in short, is tainted tass. Since we know Deacon Dupuis has been dosed with it - and we can phrase that as a 'whether by accident or intent' sort of matter - it should be a fairly simple task to justify it as, well, tamper-proofing our reserves, to make sure nobody 'accidentally' has some bad tass stashed away, for our protection and theirs."
He considered a bit further, "Setting up the scan to account for extradimensional space without prying on the Magi themselves should be perfectly viable, should it not? I don't know if any of our members have a Sanctum on the premises; I for one have mine outside the Chantry proper, as you both know. You are, by the way, welcome to make a scan of that, too - there shouldn't be any tass present whatsoever, so I would really like to know if you find any. Even the prohibition against scrying on a fellow's workings could be justifiably ignored, since we'd be specifically looking for corrupted tass which would be... well, normally undesirable for anything short of an outright unethical weapon, really."
He leaned back, "In this case, with such a check, I suppose the 'fox in the henhouse' analogy would be less accurate than, say, isolating the rotting apple in the bunch."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"It is possible we could see searching for corrupted Tass as justifiable and have the law safely on our side Mr Wainwright. However like Adley say if someone have hidden something in their Sanctum, or in private pocket realms, well then we would need allot more justification to search those and without doing so all we would find out is if we have an infiltrator foolish enough to carry such Tass on their person or hidden in their chambers, that would not tell us to much I am afraid."
Narim said as he considered the problem.
"I do not know the Hermetic law when it comes to pocket realms however I think from what little I do know that such a magick resource would be considered part of their magickal power and as such part of their person legally so scrying on it would be illegal, but like I said I am not an expert on Hermetic law."
The Virtual Adept said and sigh.
"George have taught me some about how to run a Chantry, it is from him I have some knowledge but not allot."
Narim thought for a moment then he said.
"Mr King's workshop is registered as his Sanctum but no one else have a Sanctum on the Chantry grounds no."
The Virtual Adept sigh.
"My own Sanctum are in the Digital Web, I would not mind a scan of it either and would consent. Now however the problem is that by Hermetic law, even if one search for something illegal, it is still not legal to use scrying to find it if one is not a Enforcer involved in an investigation, so even if we where looking for an illegal substance it would still create legal issues for the Chantry. Also again any corrupted Tass a infiltrator might are more likely to be kept at their Sanctum or some secret location so again doing the scan only gets us so far unless we can find a candidate we suspect strongly enough that we want to contact an Enforcer about investigating that person."
Narim smile a little.
"Yes the rotten apple indeed."
He muttered.

[Adley]

Narim give you a warm smile. "Thank you Adley, will you make an appointment with Master Steelhaven to have a transcript made then?" The Virtual Adept asked.

"Certainly, though time has been such an issue...it should not take long, perhaps that should be done after we talk, I assume you will need to speak with him anyway."

"I can send a AI through the Digital Web up to Horizon to inquire about Mr Backmeier, but since I do not know the man it might be wiser to have Master Telar contact him as she do as far as I am aware know both Mr Backmeier and his mentor well." Narim suggested.

"That is a good idea. If you see Cita before me, will you please make the request?"

Colin pondered, "I think... I think we can pull off the resonance scan under that exception, as a matter of semantics, even without conferring with Master Steelhaven. As was already stated, a Fallen Mage need not have Jhor in their system, and we already know we have residents with that sort of resonance... So obviously, the scan would not be intended to explicitly seek them out. What the scan would be after, in short, is tainted tass. Since we know Deacon Dupuis has been dosed with it - and we can phrase that as a 'whether by accident or intent' sort of matter - it should be a fairly simple task to justify it as, well, tamper-proofing our reserves, to make sure nobody 'accidentally' has some bad tass stashed away, for our protection and theirs."

"Technically, we -strongly suspect- that Deacon Dupuis was affected by a tampered potion - my pater did not Name him, or anyone with regards to the resonated tass, nor did we examine the potion ourselves to be able to say for sure it was corrupted. We have a witness that, if she awakens well, can bear witness to what she saw, which I believe is enough to call suspicion. It might be enough to call for en Enforcer..." He shook his head. "I would also like to say that the trust of our Chantry members has been stretched as it is - while I don't disagree something should be done, I am concerned of the feelings of broken trust that may arise, it would be another Nephandi win if we should suddenly look at our own as enemies."

He looked thoughtful as he listened and then tilted his head. "Maybe we need to look at this another way. Instead of actively looking for entropic taint which is vague, or tass which is corrupted, or even for signs of qlippothic magick, a strong enough source would start to affect the other sources of prime, such as our main node. With the return of the node cleansers and the fact that nodes may be connected by primal unity, distributed throughout the lines, it would not probably go amiss to have our main node checked also nor to strengthen or tamper-proof our own wards, in the event the taint had begun to spread or leech. Perhaps we might see something indirectly then, as if our Chantry were encapsulated by our wards, to see what is being affected, like ripples on a pond." He added, "I was considering asking the small earth jagglings to see if they might be interested in preserving our current wards, though I do not wish to change them to be too static in nature...since spirits are sensitive to energies, so they might determine entropic areas as a weakess. Perhaps I should ask Cita...at any rate, if I am going to see Master Steelhaven, we could ask him what he thinks. I do not like considering that our members have been infiltrated but we can't ignore the possibility either. As it stands, we don't have proof we have been infiltrated directly - though we have been volunteering information to Lux Iternis and any of the hedge wizards or our guests may prove a point of weakness whether by intent or otherwise.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Certainly, though time has been such an issue...it should not take long, perhaps that should be done after we talk, I assume you will need to speak with him anyway."

"I am planning to go and see George after our talk have concluded yes, and get the other Deacons gathered as well to discuss this topic."
Narim said and nodded.

"That is a good idea. If you see Cita before me, will you please make the request?"

"Yes I will do so and I do have a appointment with her later this morning. Master Telar say she have patients that need treatment but who are in better condition than her two charges here and so she want to invite them to visit Steelhaven until Beatrice and Tobias are well enough that she dare leave them. Her patients would for the most part only stay a few hours but it still need to be discussed, especially now when there are some serious safety concerns both for them and for us."
Narim said.
"I will mention your request when I go to talk with her about it."

"Technically, we -strongly suspect- that Deacon Dupuis was affected by a tampered potion - my pater did not Name him, or anyone with regards to the resonated tass, nor did we examine the potion ourselves to be able to say for sure it was corrupted. We have a witness that, if she awakens well, can bear witness to what she saw, which I believe is enough to call suspicion. It might be enough to call for en Enforcer..."

"You might be right about that Adley."
Narim said and nodded.
"The question is if it is wise to bring this to the attention of any Tradition's Enforcers, that might root out the problems at our allied Chantry but at the same time it will tell the traitor who fester there loud and clear that we know."

He shook his head. "I would also like to say that the trust of our Chantry members has been stretched as it is - while I don't disagree something should be done, I am concerned of the feelings of broken trust that may arise, it would be another Nephandi win if we should suddenly look at our own as enemies."

Narim nodded he got a serious, worried look on his face and he sigh.
"Yes you are right, there is a limit to how far we can push our Chantry's population and still have them trust us, and if they loose trust in the Council then I and the others will have to step down, you can not run a Chantry without trust and this would be the worst time for such a change in leadership, our enemies are sure to take advantage of the confusion and use it against us."

He looked thoughtful as he listened and then tilted his head. "Maybe we need to look at this another way. Instead of actively looking for entropic taint which is vague, or tass which is corrupted, or even for signs of qlippothic magick, a strong enough source would start to affect the other sources of prime, such as our main node. With the return of the node cleansers and the fact that nodes may be connected by primal unity, distributed throughout the lines, it would not probably go amiss to have our main node checked also nor to strengthen or tamper-proof our own wards, in the event the taint had begun to spread or leech. Perhaps we might see something indirectly then, as if our Chantry were encapsulated by our wards, to see what is being affected, like ripples on a pond." He added,

Narim tapped the side of his teacup as he listened to Adley speak, then he nodded.
"Yes absolutely, corrupted tass would leave an imprint on our Node, and examining it would just be good housekeeping, and while we might not pinpoint the source of corruption if we find any in our main Node we should certainly be able to find out if there are any there. We have a couple of magi who are recognized as Masters of Prime at Steelhaven, including myself. I shall see if I can arrange for a couple of us to do individual examinations of the Node. Also when Father Shelly and his Node Cleansers arrive later today surly we can ask them the small favor of having a look at our main Node and the corresponding laylines, just to be sure."
The young Master of the Art said as he considered the possibilities.
"We could find valuable information that way."

He added, "I was considering asking the small earth jagglings to see if they might be interested in preserving our current wards, though I do not wish to change them to be too static in nature...since spirits are sensitive to energies, so they might determine entropic areas as a weakess. Perhaps I should ask Cita...

"I am not extremely good at working with Spirits Adley, however I know a little and I think that is a good idea. I think that it do not matter if wards get static, they have a pretty static function so it should only strengthen them, and yes I agree if you are talking about the little spider Umbroods then yes they might indeed see highly Entropic areas as a weakness. I think asking them to do such a task would be fine but Master Telar of course know far more about Spirits than me so asking her opinion might be wise anyway."

at any rate, if I am going to see Master Steelhaven, we could ask him what he thinks. I do not like considering that our members have been infiltrated but we can't ignore the possibility either.

"Well George is a Master of Spirit he would be able to give good counsel on the matter yes. And I agree we can not ignore the possibility but we have to step lightly and not loose our heads in the process as well."

As it stands, we don't have proof we have been infiltrated directly - though we have been volunteering information to Lux Iternis and any of the hedge wizards or our guests may prove a point of weakness whether by intent or otherwise.

"Yes you are correct about that Adley but right now, until the villa Node is cleansed we need the hedge wizards to help protect it and also I do not think we can just kick out any of the ones we have as guests at the Chantry presently. It is a tricky situation."
Narim said and sigh.
"A tricky situation indeed."

[Warpmind]

Colin pondered, "Points well made; keeping up trust is integral at this time. Asking those spider spirits for a little help, though, sounds like a plan. I understand there's quite a lot of them, so their presence in reinforcing the defenses should be a fairly impressive spectacle, if perhaps a touch creepy for the, hm, spiritually inclined."
He frowned, and pulled his little box of monocles from his inner pocket, looking at the one with the small Prime-oriented engravings on the rim. "Master Narim, would you object to my performing a small experiment? I think I have an idea, but I'll have to test it first. Nothing overt whatsoever, I think I might have figured out how to refine one of my observational rotes a little further..."

((OOC: Yes, Colin means to try to see if he can clearly pick out resonances in his field of vision with Prime 1 - a variant on Watch the Weaving, basically.))

[Adley]

"Yes I will do so and I do have a appointment with her later this morning. Master Telar say she have patients that need treatment but who are in better condition than her two charges here and so she want to invite them to visit Steelhaven until Beatrice and Tobias are well enough that she dare leave them. Her patients would for the most part only stay a few hours but it still need to be discussed, especially now when there are some serious safety concerns both for them and for us." Narim said. "I will mention your request when I go to talk with her about it."

Adley frowned a little. "Under normal circumstances guests are welcome but this is a bad time to visit even for treatment. I hope things will work out there." It was hard to turn away people that needed help, especially if it was your chantry that had taken away their careperson. He scrubbed a hand through is hair; there were just too many people, all non-combatants, people injured and others that were prisoners or needed guards.

Narim said and nodded. "The question is if it is wise to bring this to the attention of any Tradition's Enforcers, that might root out the problems at our allied Chantry but at the same time it will tell the traitor who fester there loud and clear that we know."

"Unfortunately. With the ritual upcoming though they will make their move soon, we can't afford to be more bogged down than we already are."

Narim nodded he got a serious, worried look on his face and he sigh. "Yes you are right, there is a limit to how far we can push our Chantry's population and still have them trust us, and if they loose trust in the Council then I and the others will have to step down, you can not run a Chantry without trust and this would be the worst time for such a change in leadership, our enemies are sure to take advantage of the confusion and use it against us."

"I don't know if it's that bad yet - but we do need one another more than ever. Perhaps I am voicing some of my own concerns, I admit that I have felt shaken, though my faith in our Council remains strong."

The young Master of the Art said as he considered the possibilities. "We could find valuable information that way."

"It might not be the most direct way but if we work from within, out then we might at least find cause to investigate further, on our own without running aground on the other matters right away. Which reminds me, did you examine your phone? There is more than one way to cause troubles, form near or far."

I think asking them to do such a task would be fine but Master Telar of course know far more about Spirits than me so asking her opinion might be wise anyway."

He nodded. "I keep thinking to do this, then find there are three more things to do...I won't wish I could be in several places at once as you can, in the event that some of my less well thought out wishes comes true." He shook his head. "But yes, it might help..."

"Yes you are correct about that Adley but right now, until the villa Node is cleansed we need the hedge wizards to help protect it and also I do not think we can just kick out any of the ones we have as guests at the Chantry presently. It is a tricky situation." Narim said and sigh.

"No, it would look quite strange if we did that. At least though we need to be careful of who knows what. It might do to set up an emergency system like my pater and myself have set up. A coded series of words or numbers, whatever will work, in the event that we need to communicate something when we're not sure about our circumstances."

Colin pondered, "Points well made; keeping up trust is integral at this time. Asking those spider spirits for a little help, though, sounds like a plan. I understand there's quite a lot of them, so their presence in reinforcing the defenses should be a fairly impressive spectacle, if perhaps a touch creepy for the, hm, spiritually inclined."

"I have been assured by an expert, against the evidence of having scared one of the elders at Westchapel, that they are adorable," he said. "Anyway, as the spirits these Nephandi prefer so far have been entropic, it would not be a bad idea even if for that reason. We do not want one of them coming by for a visit. If I can get the brood to do so, they are not highly intelligent...if I could only get a few moments to see for myself..." He cast a curious look at Colin and then went over the list of things to do again.

[Warpmind]

Colin smiled wryly, "I'm sure they're quite cute in their way, I wouldn't know. As far as I can tell from the Sphere system, I am completely helpless with a full third of it - while I am fairly well able to understand people, on a mundane level, I can't seem to figure out the first thing magically about anything living, thinking or feeling. I can see the magnificent precision and value of Master Steelhaven's testimonial rote, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to even understand a fraction of how he does it, just like I don't understand the first thing about how one would communicate with Lux Itineris', hm, doorman. Hardly something I have reason to be ashamed of, of course, but I do feel like I'm missing out on something. On the other hand, I don't know what I would do if I went out for my morning run one day and found a large pack of dog-sized spiders milling about the building."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin pondered, "Points well made; keeping up trust is integral at this time. Asking those spider spirits for a little help, though, sounds like a plan. I understand there's quite a lot of them, so their presence in reinforcing the defenses should be a fairly impressive spectacle, if perhaps a touch creepy for the, hm, spiritually inclined."

"Hum...I wonder why spiders are seen as ehm...creepy by so many. But then with Umbrood spiders there are always those who will think they are pattern or metal spiders and that is never good creatures to be around for our kind."
Narim said then he nodded.
"Yes Mr Wainwright, we need to work on building trust back up between the general population of Steelhaven and the Deacon Council, not taking more of it away."

He frowned, and pulled his little box of monocles from his inner pocket, looking at the one with the small Prime-oriented engravings on the rim. "Master Narim, would you object to my performing a small experiment? I think I have an idea, but I'll have to test it first. Nothing overt whatsoever, I think I might have figured out how to refine one of my observational rotes a little further..."

Narim smiles a little.
"Not at all Mr Wainwright, what do I need to do for this experiment of yours?"
The Virtual Adept asked and he sounded quite curious about what you might have in mind.

Adley frowned a little. "Under normal circumstances guests are welcome but this is a bad time to visit even for treatment. I hope things will work out there." It was hard to turn away people that needed help, especially if it was your chantry that had taken away their careperson. He scrubbed a hand through is hair; there were just too many people, all non-combatants, people injured and others that were prisoners or needed guards.

"I do not think Master Telar meant for her patients to visit now before Sunday what whatever that brings, she have not said that any of these people need urgent care, but yes this is not a good time for guests as every person we do not know well is one more potential double agent or traitor, then again some of the people on Master Telar's list would be powerful allies in any fight so there are that consideration as well."

"Unfortunately. With the ritual upcoming though they will make their move soon, we can't afford to be more bogged down than we already are."

"No you are probably right about that Adley, we only have one more day to make our own move to foil this plot of the Nephandi, anyone working for them will not be sitting on their hands."
Narim said, he sigh and sipped his tea, the situation was grave indeed and time was running away from them.

"I don't know if it's that bad yet - but we do need one another more than ever. Perhaps I am voicing some of my own concerns, I admit that I have felt shaken, though my faith in our Council remains strong."

"I am grateful for that Adley and I think we are all shaken in one way or another by the events that have been taking place, and I do agree, we need one another now more than ever."
Narim said and gave a warm smile.
"We all do."

"It might not be the most direct way but if we work from within, out then we might at least find cause to investigate further, on our own without running aground on the other matters right away. Which reminds me, did you examine your phone? There is more than one way to cause troubles, form near or far."

Narim nodded.
"It is a good place to start."
He said then he looked concerned.
"As for my phone I do not get it and it is not the only part of my equipment that have been failing and yet I can not find any rote, Resonance or reason for it happening, it is most troubling."
The technomancer said and sigh, he was completely dependent on his tools for his magick like all of his kind.
"And to be quite honest also somewhat troubling, something is wrong with my equipment and I can not identify what it is."

He nodded. "I keep thinking to do this, then find there are three more things to do...I won't wish I could be in several places at once as you can, in the event that some of my less well thought out wishes comes true." He shook his head. "But yes, it might help..."

"Well yes the study of space opens up many possibilities."
Narim said and smiles.
"However you are quite talented or so your mentor say, I am quite sure that with time you will become a Master of several Spheres. As for right now though there do indeed seam to be quite a bit to do and more piling on every moment, hopefully once Sunday is over and done with then we can get a chance to catch our breath and rest before the next crisis hits us, if the Gods decide to be kind that is."
The Virtual Adept said and smiles.

"No, it would look quite strange if we did that. At least though we need to be careful of who knows what. It might do to set up an emergency system like my pater and myself have set up. A coded series of words or numbers, whatever will work, in the event that we need to communicate something when we're not sure about our circumstances."

"I agree we probably should set up such a system, and you two should probably also do so between yourself and other members of your Cabal, a way to drop in a simple message that someone listening in will not understand. I will have to start working on that. I do fear though that while I speak three languages I am not as talented a linguist as your mentor and setting up such systems do not flow as naturally to me as to him."

I can see the magnificent precision and value of Master Steelhaven's testimonial rote, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to even understand a fraction of how he does it, just like I don't understand the first thing about how one would communicate with Lux Itineris', hm, doorman. Hardly something I have reason to be ashamed of, of course, but I do feel like I'm missing out on something. On the other hand, I don't know what I would do if I went out for my morning run one day and found a large pack of dog-sized spiders milling about the building."

"The Umbra are quite full of strange and bizarre creatures Mr Wainwright and as for understanding that comes with time and study. I remember the first time I saw my mentor co locate, or create a dancing ball of flame to amuse me, I could not fathom how he could do such things, but I learned. The same now I can not understand how Master Nassa can knit flesh and bone back together and close wounds as if they never was, or make plants move and fight for him, or for that matter how Mr Ackermann can become a small owl at will and fly. However if I where to study those parts of reality then I would learn with time, though my understanding might not be the same as theirs. We call the Spheres by name but really it is just broad definitions and nothing more. Master Morgan can not hope to do what Master Telar can do with Avatars and she lack his understanding and finesse with Umbroods, and yet their official rank in Spirit are the same, but their understandings are not."
The technomancer said as he sipped his tea again.
"You have potential, I am sure one day you will become a powerful mage Mr Wainwright. Now let us see about that experiment of yours."

[Adley]

"I do not think Master Telar meant for her patients to visit now before Sunday what whatever that brings, she have not said that any of these people need urgent care, but yes this is not a good time for guests as every person we do not know well is one more potential double agent or traitor, then again some of the people on Master Telar's list would be powerful allies in any fight so there are that consideration as well."

"True enough."

"It is a good place to start." He said then he looked concerned.
"As for my phone I do not get it and it is not the only part of my equipment that have been failing and yet I can not find any rote, Resonance or reason for it happening, it is most troubling." The technomancer said and sigh, he was completely dependent on his tools for his magick like all of his kind. "And to be quite honest also somewhat troubling, something is wrong with my equipment and I can not identify what it is."

"Something to do between now and when the Chief awakens." Then he frowned. "That is not good...perhaps if you cannot identify it, what has happened is not within the scope of your understandings. I'm not trying to be rude, pardon, only that spirits are versatile. Strange as I find using a cell phone to do magick, less strange to me is using a spirit to break a cell phone. Or perhaps it is the ars fati, before I was half-joking and now I am half convinced. Colin, I don't suppose you can see if we've been, for intents and purposes, cursed?"

"Well yes the study of space opens up many possibilities." Narim said and smiles.

Adley looked at him and nodded and looked away. That had become apparent to him, though he didn't have a happy look on his face.

"However you are quite talented or so your mentor say, I am quite sure that with time you will become a Master of several Spheres. As for right now though there do indeed seam to be quite a bit to do and more piling on every moment, hopefully once Sunday is over and done with then we can get a chance to catch our breath and rest before the next crisis hits us, if the Gods decide to be kind that is."

With time...and the propensity to live, get up and keep going. Normally such a comment would make him feel pleased that they had faith in him but instead he just felt like pushing up the hill. No matter how steep the climb. And keep trying until their faith was not misplaced.

"I agree we probably should set up such a system, and you two should probably also do so between yourself and other members of your Cabal, a way to drop in a simple message that someone listening in will not understand. I will have to start working on that. I do fear though that while I speak three languages I am not as talented a linguist as your mentor and setting up such systems do not flow as naturally to me as to him."

"With time at hand, something simple could work best. Assign a number to something obscure and it would be hard for anyone to know that eight-eight meant retreat.

Colin smiled wryly, "I'm sure they're quite cute in their way, I wouldn't know. As far as I can tell from the Sphere system, I am completely helpless with a full third of it - while I am fairly well able to understand people, on a mundane level, I can't seem to figure out the first thing magically about anything living, thinking or feeling. I can see the magnificent precision and value of Master Steelhaven's testimonial rote, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to even understand a fraction of how he does it, just like I don't understand the first thing about how one would communicate with Lux Itineris', hm, doorman. Hardly something I have reason to be ashamed of, of course, but I do feel like I'm missing out on something. On the other hand, I don't know what I would do if I went out for my morning run one day and found a large pack of dog-sized spiders milling about the building."

Adley found some of his sense of humour from wherever it had hidden itself away. He looked at his friend with a small smile and said, "You mean to tell me, after your Seeking, you still don't know everything?" He continued, "At any rate, perhaps sometime I can show you what you're missing. Though if you looked to the umbral landscape now you might be off-put," he said. Then with more gravity, "Besides, sometimes you see things that you wish you didn't see...such as that outsider spirit. Not a friendly face to gaze upon."

[Warpmind]

Colin smiled and fitted the monocle in place, "Of course a lot of people find spiders disturbing, they have a wholly wrong number of limbs. Any number of limbs above four will always be unsettling to a substantial share of the population, magic or no magic. As for whether or not we've been cursed, I can take a look afterwards... first, I need to test a different analysis. Now, Master Sharaya, this should require no action on your part; all that is necessary is that I get this lens properly... focused."
Colin concentrated on the tiny pocket of unreality he opened in the center of the lens, activating and refining the "filter" he'd used many a time; "Regulae vides, attributiae distinguo," he recited, over and over, in a soft voice.

((OOC: You didn't give me a difficulty, so I'm going to guess at a difficulty of 7, using Focus and all that, and for an improvised spell, I should be capped at twice Arete in successes, I believe? Anyways, here goes the rolls... 1, 7, 9 - 5, 9, 10 - 3, 5, 9 - 1, 9, 9... Four rolls, and I think that makes a total of six successes? With a little luck now, Colin should be able to see not only the presence of Quintessence and/or the residue thereof, but also the resonance of it?))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Something to do between now and when the Chief awakens." Then he frowned. "That is not good...perhaps if you cannot identify it, what has happened is not within the scope of your understandings. I'm not trying to be rude, pardon, only that spirits are versatile. Strange as I find using a cell phone to do magick, less strange to me is using a spirit to break a cell phone. Or perhaps it is the ars fati, before I was half-joking and now I am half convinced. Colin, I don't suppose you can see if we've been, for intents and purposes, cursed?"

"You are not being rude. I do not know everything. Hum yes it could be spirits I am not good at seeing them. My knowledge of the Spirit Sphere tend to be limited to the Digital Web, examining my equipment for Umbrood activity could perhaps reveal something."
Narim said and nodded it was clear his malfunctioning equipment did bother him quite a bit, he prided himself with it being in perfect condition.
"I do know a bit of Entropy, I have made it a point to study it though I have no talent in that area I feel...a closeness to my mother when I do so, it was her favorite part of reality and she was so good at it."
The Virtual Adept said and glanced to the picture of the large, Indian family that hung on the wall where a pretty, dark haired woman in a Sari smiles to the photographer.
"Anyway I have not really found anything other than the natural Entrpy traces you will get when something breaks."
Narim explained.

Adley looked at him and nodded and looked away. That had become apparent to him, though he didn't have a happy look on his face.

Narim looked a bit uncertain.
"I do hope I did not insult you Adley."
He muttered apologetically.

"With time at hand, something simple could work best. Assign a number to something obscure and it would be hard for anyone to know that eight-eight meant retreat.

"Yes but something like that is not easy to slip into a conversation, the point must also be to be able to do so in a way that not everyone understand that a code is used, but then perhaps such a simple code will have to do for now."

Colin smiled and fitted the monocle in place, "Of course a lot of people find spiders disturbing, they have a wholly wrong number of limbs. Any number of limbs above four will always be unsettling to a substantial share of the population, magic or no magic.

"Then my good Mr Wainwright you might find a Hindu temple to be the wrong location for your tastes, for limbs are one thing our Gods seldom lack and abundance of."
Narim said and smiles, he was a faithful Hindu but was a believer in the idea that f one could not hae a bit of humor around one's religion then one was doing something wrong.

As for whether or not we've been cursed, I can take a look afterwards... first, I need to test a different analysis. Now, Master Sharaya, this should require no action on your part; all that is necessary is that I get this lens properly... focused."
Colin concentrated on the tiny pocket of unreality he opened in the center of the lens, activating and refining the "filter" he'd used many a time; "Regulae vides, attributiae distinguo," he recited, over and over, in a soft voice.

Narim watch you with interest as you prepare your lens, he patiently wait until you are done. As your rote activate what you see through your lens is that Narim himself is glowing with Quintessence, so are one of the memory sticks on his desk. The Quintessence in the memory stick seamed to be fairly clean of any Resonance but around Narim you see symbols like an aura, a rigid glass structure symbolizing stasis and growing flowers at his feet symbolizing creative dynamism. You in your non to expertly opinion would probably say that energetically Narim Sharaya is extremely healthy.

[Warpmind]

Colin arched an eyebrow, glancing around, "Yes, I think... this could work. I see no significant resonance in the charged memory stick on your desk there, but you yourself seem... a healthy mix of Static and Dynamic."
He glanced over at Adley, and then down at himself, "This is interesting... I see more detail than I used to be able to, though it seems outright manipulation remains slightly outside my present grasp..."

[Adley]

"Anyway I have not really found anything other than the natural Entrpy traces you will get when something breaks." Narim explained.

"It seems too much a coincidence it simply broke in a way that confounds you so."

Narim looked a bit uncertain. "I do hope I did not insult you Adley." He muttered apologetically.

He gave him a confused glance. "What? No, nothing you said was insulting, Narim don't worry."

He fell quiet as Colin set himself to his working, not wanting to interrupt his experiment. When he looked over at him and spoke, he raised an eyebrow back at him. "Could work for what purpose?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin arched an eyebrow, glancing around, "Yes, I think... this could work. I see no significant resonance in the charged memory stick on your desk there, but you yourself seem... a healthy mix of Static and Dynamic."

Narim nodded in agreement.
"That is what I am trying to maintain Mr Wainwright, however I am often more to the static side, that is fairly common in technomancers."
The Virtual Adept confirmed.

He glanced over at Adley, and then down at himself, "This is interesting... I see more detail than I used to be able to, though it seems outright manipulation remains slightly outside my present grasp...

"Learning do take time, even if you have gained a greater insight, learning how to put that into practical application might require further studies."
The young Master of the Art said and sipped his tea.

"It seems too much a coincidence it simply broke in a way that confounds you so."

"It is not just my battery, it is several things, a keyboard, a enchanted hard drive, two cabals and my radiator."
Narim said and pointed to the rather cold and dead heater under his office window.
"Yes it an not be coincidence, not so many things breaking at once and many of them protected to the best of my ability, and while that ability might not be the best I would say I should be able to do a simple rote to protect my own equipment."

He gave him a confused glance. "What? No, nothing you said was insulting, Narim don't worry."

"That is indeed good."
Narim said and smiles.
"I would not want to insult you."

[Warpmind]

Colin frowned and looked around the radiator, looking for any energy traces, "That's a disturbing number of items for a coincidence... Also, it does sound like you've been targeted by... wait... Were all those items in the same room? I think you need to have your electric wiring checked - it sounds like someone's been sneaky and dosed your gear through the electric grid; aside from your radiator, all your items require electricity, and someone subtle might be able to taint the power supply to a given apartment."

((OOC: Presumably, Colin looked a bit on the Dynamic side, and Adley looked... how? ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Yes Mr Wainwright. All those items where in this room here when they malfunctioned, well all except one, my phone it failed when I was in m bed chambers sleeping."
Narim said and nodded.
"I have however checked my wiring, it is fine both from a mundane and a magickal point of view."
The Virtual Adept said and nodded.
"Also allot of this gear was never hooked up to the electrical grid, not that it makes them safe but still I have checked the grid, but off course there are areas of reality I am not competent to check for."

(Colin is pretty Dynamic and right now Adley is Dynamic as hell. Around his own hands and body Colin will see tools and the things he use in his trade for creative Dynamic Resonance. Adley you see with a shield and a sword, a protector and warrior ready to strike but some of that energy might be coming from his lodger that you have heard a bit about.)

[Adley]

"It is not just my battery, it is several things, a keyboard, a enchanted hard drive, two cabals and my radiator." Narim said and pointed to the rather cold and dead heater under his office window. "Yes it an not be coincidence, not so many things breaking at once and many of them protected to the best of my ability, and while that ability might not be the best I would say I should be able to do a simple rote to protect my own equipment."

"That's a disturbing number of items for a coincidence... Also, it does sound like you've been targeted by... wait... Were all those items in the same room? I think you need to have your electric wiring checked - it sounds like someone's been sneaky and dosed your gear through the electric grid; aside from your radiator, all your items require electricity, and someone subtle might be able to taint the power supply to a given apartment."

"..."Also allot of this gear was never hooked up to the electrical grid, not that it makes them safe but still I have checked the grid, but off course there are areas of reality I am not competent to check for."

"Definitely not a coincidence," he sighed, frowning at the radiator. "We have wards though if something came in with you then it should have been noted...though the Nephandi do have technomancers, yet the radiator seems an outlier. There was a device that was brought in," he remembered.

"That is indeed good." Narim said and smiles. "I would not want to insult you."

"Do not worry," he repeated again, faintly embarrassed for having made him think otherwise.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

"Definitely not a coincidence," he sighed, frowning at the radiator. "We have wards though if something came in with you then it should have been noted...though the Nephandi do have technomancers, yet the radiator seems an outlier. There was a device that was brought in," he remembered.

"From the fight near the Verbena Life Tree? Yes I remember I have examined it and while there are some nasty Resonance on it, the device itself was nothing to special, I have seen our own Etherites use similar devices it is a tool for measuring and altering the flow of Ether or as the rest of us like to call it, Quintessence. I am pretty sure the man who owned it was a Sons of Ether Barabbi, I do not think that the device itself could have done this I was careful and put wards on it before examining it."
Narim said and he seamed fairly puzzled.
"Yes we do have wards which should have stopped something coming with us into the Chantry, at least if it is on any frequency our wards are meant to detect and stop."

"Do not worry," he repeated again, faintly embarrassed for having made him think otherwise.

Narim just smiles to you then go back to playing with his teacup.

[Warpmind]

Colin frowned, "Then bugger if I can guess how it was done, unless someone came through your office with an AC-to-Ethernet adapter or something. In any case, my experiment seems to have been successful. I can, as it is, stroll through the Chantry and keep an eye open; I will, of course, not pry on any apartments or private workings, but I should be able to spot if someone is carrying tainted tass around; as a pretense, I just worked out the refinement to the rote, which is true, and I'd be using it to look at the Chantry in a new way after emerging from a Seeking, which would also be the literal truth... and I could take a look at any 'public' tass stores we have around the building, as well. Hm, best not stare into the Node itself, though - that might hurt my retina."
He smiled thinly, "And seeing as I am not a member of the Order of Hermes, and especially not in a position of command, why, it would hardly be a Council-level betrayal of trust if I were to walk around and spot something out of the ordinary as I wander around in a sort of bewildered bliss. Does that sound about correct, according to the letter and precedent of Hermetic law?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin frowned, "Then bugger if I can guess how it was done, unless someone came through your office with an AC-to-Ethernet adapter or something. In any case, my experiment seems to have been successful. I can, as it is, stroll through the Chantry and keep an eye open; I will, of course, not pry on any apartments or private workings, but I should be able to spot if someone is carrying tainted tass around; as a pretense, I just worked out the refinement to the rote, which is true, and I'd be using it to look at the Chantry in a new way after emerging from a Seeking, which would also be the literal truth...

"Yes well that at least should not raise to much of a suspicion Mr Wainwright though some might see it as a breach of privacy some do walk around with magickal senses active constantly so it should not be to far out of the norm as long as you do do not try to peer into anyone's affairs."
Narim said and nodded.
"You might mage a few of our members angry but other than that it should be fine and it is believable that it is not something done by the Deacon Council."
The young Master of the Art said and nodded.

and I could take a look at any 'public' tass stores we have around the building, as well. Hm, best not stare into the Node itself, though - that might hurt my retina."

"Next to the Node's chamber in the basement there is a small room we use to store Tass, talismans and other magickal resources, you can have a look in there if you wish Mr Wainwright, just be sure to lock up hen you leave. I will give you a token to get past the wards but bring that token back when you are done."
The Deacon said he went to his safe and opened it and took out a small, glass disc inscribed with a magick square and several Hebrew letters.
"You will need this to get into the Tass storage or you will set off alarms all over the Chantry and mark yourself as a tart for all of Master Morgan's Spirit friends who will rush to the room to defend it."
Narim said and in a warning tone of voice he repeated.
"Do not loose the token, for your safety an for ours."

He smiled thinly, "And seeing as I am not a member of the Order of Hermes, and especially not in a position of command, why, it would hardly be a Council-level betrayal of trust if I were to walk around and spot something out of the ordinary as I wander around in a sort of bewildered bliss. Does that sound about correct, according to the letter and precedent of Hermetic law?"

"If you where a Hermetic Mr Wainwright your plan would fall under the category of scrying, however like I said having magickal senses active around the Chantry is hardly unusual and many do not have a choice in the matter before they get their powers under control so I would say that such an action would be acceptable yes."

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded and carefully placed the token in the box with his monocles - the several layers of velvet should provide more than adequate padding - and placed the lot in his inner pocket. "Then after we are adjourned here, I shall wander slightly indirectly down to the tass reserve and give it a once-over before straying back here. Hm, come to think of it, this will be an endurance challenge for me, to boot - to see how long I can keep the spell going. Unrelated, Adley, have you ever considered joining the SCA? You look like a natural with sword and shield - and my apologies for prying."

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