Re: The Mirror Man, Nicolai's Plans and The Grimoire IC Thread 11

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded to Adley in quick greeting before ushering everyone through.
He breathed a quick sigh of relief as the portal closed, and quickly tapped out a message to Adjan, "Shit hit fan; all clear?"
He nodded to Joakim, "The others are bringing the cars back - as well as the Mercere Deacon's chickens, and disposing of a vampire on the way. Last I saw, they were already in motion."
He rubbed at the small of his back, "Damn, I think I'm getting too old for extended weekends like this..."

((OOC: Actually, I think colin's Avatar could only convince other Avatars to join him on an adventure if it was a logical progression of events. ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

He breathed a quick sigh of relief as the portal closed, and quickly tapped out a message to Adjan, "Shit hit fan; all clear?"

You get a reply back from Adjan.
"Yes we are all clear and are ok, how about on your end?"

He nodded to Joakim, "The others are bringing the cars back - as well as the Mercere Deacon's chickens, and disposing of a vampire on the way. Last I saw, they were already in motion."

"Good so they are safe then."
Joakim said and sounded relieved then he raised an eyebrow.
"Disposing of a vampire?"
He asked.

He rubbed at the small of his back, "Damn, I think I'm getting too old for extended weekends like this..."

"You are younger than most of my apprentices Mr Wainwright, I am sure you have some fight left in you."
The Security Chief said sounding amused.
"Very well then I will give everyone a few moments to catch their breath and then I want to rapport on what the hell have gone down at the Post Office."
He ordered.
"As it seams the legions of hell will not be descending on us just yet, I will be in my office."
He said and waited before leaving to see if anyone had anything to say before he left the group to get their wits about them after the evacuation.

(OOC: True true.)

[Warpmind]

Colin smiled and sent a message back, "All clear, safe and sound - waiting for you."
He nodded to Joakim, "Quite so... At least, I think it was a vampire. He was unconscious, to be placed somewhere else, and seemed to look like the vampire that was defenestrated and staked before we went in the first time..."
He thought back, "Er, yes, best get things in the proper order..."
He stretched and grimaced, "Oh, there's plenty of fight left in me, Sir, it just seems like I've been through five days since Friday. And it's still Sunday, isn't it?"
He shook his head, "Ah, nevermind me, I'm just starting to miss my own bed... Right, er... might be more practical if the gathered Mercere sort out their report on what happened before the rescue team arrived, while the rescue team gets started with the combat report, and we take it from there?"

[Adley]

"Hello, is everything alright? Can I help you with anything?"

"Yes, please," he said, glad to hear his voice. It meant home and he felt as if he had not heard it in a long time, saw his own home in many years. But he did wish that once he would have something to say to him besides 'I need help.' His voice betrayed that something was going down, there was no time to lose and the situation was precarious. "Confirm where you found me when I was lost." He waited for the man to tell him Worcester, before continuing onwards quickly and succinctly.

"No it's language is twisted, a mockery of our holy words, ugly...destructive, displeasing, we can can not understand it's intent."
Alassor said

He gave them a brief acknowledgement. He could only assume whatever it was, it was 'telling' on them and there wasn't anything to be done but hurry.

"Be well you who carry the Beacon within." The Umbrood said before you passed through the portal.

"Thank you friend, beware that entity and those that brought it."

"That was to close." He muttered as he worked. "Far to close."

He glanced back at Mr Harris. "Thank you, sir," he said, nodding to him. "Yes, it was close but we are here. You did it."

Six of them...six more Nephandi. It was a shit sort of week when one could look forward to a strike team of Technocrats to hit a chantry, even if that chantry was full of Nephandi. Still, they'd made it through the portal - but he was not ready to count the chickens until everyone in the cars had made it back. He was about to try to contact them when he saw Colin on his phone.

"Good so they are safe then." Joakim said and sounded relieved then he raised an eyebrow. "Disposing of a vampire?

"He was not a Tremere - we wiped his memory and decided to dump him. They are not quite out of the woods yet, they need to get back but they should have cleared the area." He realised that the man probably had wondered if they'd died, for his own part he was still worried something could happen to any of them.

He rubbed at the small of his back, "Damn, I think I'm getting too old for extended weekends like this..."

He looked over at Colin, relief evident that he was alright but also a bit of anger or frustration around the edges. He reached out with one hand and put it on his arm. "I am glad you are well, amicus and for all your help. But shit. You drive me crazy, you know..." He gave a sudden laugh. "I don't think I'd have it another way, you are amazing. And infuriating. I will let your girlfriend punish you for the latter," he teased and then remembered that she'd nearly died. Close, all around. "Please tell me she is alright?" He let him go and got himself together, allowing himself a breath. Things were hardly through yet, after all.

"Very well then I will give everyone a few moments to catch their breath and then I want to rapport on what the hell have gone down at the Post Office." He ordered. "As it seams the legions of hell will not be descending on us just yet, I will be in my office."

He shook his head, "Ah, nevermind me, I'm just starting to miss my own bed... Right, er... might be more practical if the gathered Mercere sort out their report on what happened before the rescue team arrived, while the rescue team gets started with the combat report, and we take it from there?"

"Yes sir, your office. " In fact he was already set to motion following him. He took a few steps, then waited for Colin, digging out the stones in his shoes with a wince. He looked at them a moment and hoped that the two elementals had managed to escape and put them into his pocket.

// closed time loop involving parties ; )

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin smiled and sent a message back, "All clear, safe and sound - waiting for you."

You get a message back that reads.
"Good to hear, I will see you in a little under an hour then."

He nodded to Joakim, "Quite so... At least, I think it was a vampire. He was unconscious, to be placed somewhere else, and seemed to look like the vampire that was defenestrated and staked before we went in the first time..."

"Yes it was a vampire Sir."
The blond woman with the braids said.
"A vampire thar where working with the Nephandi? Did any of you get any information out of him and what are you planning on doing with him? Letting him go?"
Joakim asked.

He thought back, "Er, yes, best get things in the proper order..."

The old hedge wizard nodded at that.

He stretched and grimaced, "Oh, there's plenty of fight left in me, Sir, it just seems like I've been through five days since Friday. And it's still Sunday, isn't it?"

"It is still Saturday for a few more hours Mr Wainwright."
Joakim said and checked his old fashioned, gold pocket watch.
"Around three more hours to be exact."

He shook his head, "Ah, nevermind me, I'm just starting to miss my own bed...

"Well then let us hope we can get all of this mess sorted out so we can get you back to it soon then my good man."
Joakim said with a bit of a smile.
"Yes I have heard you have had quite a week over in Boston."

Right, er... might be more practical if the gathered Mercere sort out their report on what happened before the rescue team arrived, while the rescue team gets started with the combat report, and we take it from there?"

"Very well Sir I will talk with the others...well the others that are well enough for the task that is."
Jones said and Joakim nodded.
"Good that do sound like a plan, for the rescue team then, my office in five minutes."

"Yes, please," he said, glad to hear his voice. It meant home and he felt as if he had not heard it in a long time, saw his own home in many years. But he did wish that once he would have something to say to him besides 'I need help.' His voice betrayed that something was going down, there was no time to lose and the situation was precarious. "Confirm where you found me when I was lost." He waited for the man to tell him Worcester, before continuing onwards quickly and succinctly.

"Running outside liquor store in Worcester..."
Narim said, he suddenly sounded worried as he heard the tone in your voice but he did not ask any questions, whatever you where doing might be time sensitive, there was clear concern in his warm voice.

He gave them a brief acknowledgement. He could only assume whatever it was, it was 'telling' on them and there wasn't anything to be done but hurry.

You could feel that the elementals where disgusted, well as close to it as they could feel, over the language the other spirit used, it hurt the sensitivities of these noble, static guardians.

"Thank you friend, beware that entity and those that brought it."

"We will be careful, we will leave as you have instructed once you and the others ones with those we can not touch, and the two static ones with power, and the very static one and the talisman user have left, we will go back our our plane and rest."
Allassor declared.
"We have completed our task."

He glanced back at Mr Harris. "Thank you, sir," he said, nodding to him. "Yes, it was close but we are here. You did it."

Harris nodded and gave you a smile though he pressed a few keys on his computer in irritation as a bit of Paradox messed with his files, no sleepers had seen his portal, well Jones but he was a True Believer, but there was always some Dox when one worked such magick, it was unavoidable.
"Well Mr Roth Hicks I just opened a portal, it seams you did a good job in leading the group to get their tasks done and get out safely in time."
He said and smiles again.

"He was not a Tremere - we wiped his memory and decided to dump him. They are not quite out of the woods yet, they need to get back but they should have cleared the area." He realised that the man probably had wondered if they'd died, for his own part he was still worried something could happen to any of them.

"That do seam reasonable, the last thing we need is to create more hostility with the vampires."
Joakim then he nodded.
"Good, let us hope they make it back safely."

"Yes sir, your office. " In fact he was already set to motion following him. He took a few steps, then waited for Colin, digging out the stones in his shoes with a wince. He looked at them a moment and hoped that the two elementals had managed to escape and put them into his pocket.

Joakim nodded he lead the way towards his office, you notice that the man's two apprentices follow, they to was eager to get the rapport done, the more time was saved the better. The Security Chief entered his office and indicated that you, Colin and his students could enter.
"Well if you need no time to gather your wits, let us hear what happened then, but first I am putting on a pot of coffee, do anyone else want any?"
He asked an pulled and old, well used coffee maker out of a cupboard.
"I usually prefer tea but it seams this will be a coffee sort of evening."

(OOC: Counting chickens literary. Also yes Freddy will punish Colin he will be making her up to several sweet treats for this one to earn her forgiveness. All the best time loops have parties. )

[Warpmind]

Colin grinned to Adley and gave him a pat on the back, "I think Adjan has a point - I help pull you out of the box, while you anchor me from some of my... fancier flights of fancy."
He frowned, "Freddy is... recovering. Are you familiar with hysterical blindness? She's... temporarily sightless. It should pass, but... that was a close one. For both of us. I just recovered more quickly..."
He grimaced, then grinned sheepishly, "Well, more quickly... if she's back up before two days pass, she'll have me beat there, too, and I'm pretty certain she'll place her own sort of loving demands on my attention before the next week is through."
He frowned, "Still Saturday... Good God, I feel truncated."
He followed along to the office, "Coffee sounds exquisite right about now. Let me see, where to begin... Hopefully, the Mercere are sorting out a report on what happened before our arrival, but in any case, as you know, we first learned of the problem from Molly Aydogan, who had overheard her captor speak of the post office on the phone. Long story short, we made our way to the Mercere chantry at best speed, only stopping when someone fled the building and ran down the street. I managed to halt her flight and question her; turns out she's a vampire named Enrichtho, one of Nicolai's... underlings, for want of a better term. She had been ordered to aid the Fallen, against her better judgment - which is better than Nicolai's, it would seem - and had been forced to flee. What had happened was that the Fallen leader, Gabriel, had tortured the Deacon Primus of the Chantry, to make him open the vault. A Fallen called Tian protested, and Gabriel tried to force Enrichtho to... harm the Awakened Mercere in the way only vampires can. When she refused, Gabriel burned her hand, and Tian tried to fight Gabriel while the vampire escaped. As it turns out, Gabriel took his time bludgeoning Tian's face, giving us the time to sneak closer while Adley summoned the elementals. There was another vampire in the building, upstairs. It was elegantly defenestrated and staked before he could raise an alarm. When Gabriel was done beating Tian, we seized what remained of the opportunity and rushed the front door, fairly swiftly taking down the two guards while Gabriel defended the back door. In the process, Tian had me dead to rights with a prime bolt, but I convinced him to burn his bridges and run instead. Fortunately. While the ladies made their way downstairs, I... ended Gabriel. Down in the staircase, the Fallen had made some manner of air wall - an unnatural thing which Adley and I managed to... convince to be less solid. It's complicated, and I think we need to sit down and hammer out the underlying theory on paper. After that, things get a little blurry; we punched through the door, one of the Fallen in the cellar shot at us and hit miss Adelbloom in the head... I think i might have gone a teensy bit berserk at that point, and... I don't recall clearly what happened until after I woke up in a time bubble under Lady Crexia's care..."

((OOC: Ah, yes, it's the party that never ends. There's really only one guest, but he keeps hopping back to the beginning of the party. He doesn't dare to let it end, because he knows how much Paradox he'll have accrued by then...))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

He frowned, "Still Saturday... Good God, I feel truncated."

"Well you have been outside of the normal time flow Mr Wainwright, that do tend to have that effect on a person."
Joakim said and gave you a sympathetic smile.

He followed along to the office, "Coffee sounds exquisite right about now.

Joakim nodded he set up the coffee maker and filled the filter with ground beans before he muttered over the machine.
"Adhuc ego creo stilla limpidum lacum!"
His hands moving delicately and the water chamber filled before the hedge wizard flipped the switch and the coffee maker started brewing.
"Ah at times not having to worry about Paradox is quite practical."
He said with a content little grin.

Let me see, where to begin... Hopefully, the Mercere are sorting out a report on what happened before our arrival, but in any case, as you know, we first learned of the problem from Molly Aydogan, who had overheard her captor speak of the post office on the phone. Long story short, we made our way to the Mercere chantry at best speed, only stopping when someone fled the building and ran down the street. I managed to halt her flight and question her; turns out she's a vampire named Enrichtho, one of Nicolai's... underlings, for want of a better term. She had been ordered to aid the Fallen, against her better judgment - which is better than Nicolai's, it would seem - and had been forced to flee. What had happened was that the Fallen leader, Gabriel, had tortured the Deacon Primus of the Chantry, to make him open the vault. A Fallen called Tian protested, and Gabriel tried to force Enrichtho to... harm the Awakened Mercere in the way only vampires can. When she refused, Gabriel burned her hand, and Tian tried to fight Gabriel while the vampire escaped.

"Well thank the Founders that the vampire you speak of had some sense then or this could have ended in a tragedy."
The hedge wizard said as he sat down behind his desk.
"So this Tian...that is the same man you tried to apprehend Mr Horton's clinic right? Tried to defend the Mercere at least to some degree...hum...such compassion is rare among the Fallen."
He said as he flipped open a well used note book and made some notes.
"So there where two vampires involved, this fleeing girl, and the one the rest of your party is dropping of as we speak, correct?"
He asked

As it turns out, Gabriel took his time bludgeoning Tian's face, giving us the time to sneak closer while Adley summoned the elementals. There was another vampire in the building, upstairs. It was elegantly defenestrated and staked before he could raise an alarm. When Gabriel was done beating Tian, we seized what remained of the opportunity and rushed the front door, fairly swiftly taking down the two guards while Gabriel defended the back door. In the process, Tian had me dead to rights with a prime bolt, but I convinced him to burn his bridges and run instead.

"Hum...a lucky break then, it seams again this Tian have aided us."
Joakim muttered as he made some notes.
"So he let you go? Could this Fallen be convinced to give us some usable information if we can find him? If I remember it right it was about him I got a call that he had left his phone behind with the promise to make contact, and that trying to get something out of him with that where more important than capturing him, did he ever call you Mr Wainwright?"

Fortunately. While the ladies made their way downstairs, I... ended Gabriel. Down in the staircase, the Fallen had made some manner of air wall - an unnatural thing which Adley and I managed to... convince to be less solid. It's complicated, and I think we need to sit down and hammer out the underlying theory on paper.

"Hum...while you and your Cabalmate's working to overcome this security measure is most interesting and I would love to hear about it when time permits, it is not of the greatest importance right now, that you got through though where fortunate."

After that, things get a little blurry; we punched through the door, one of the Fallen in the cellar shot at us and hit miss Adelbloom in the head... I think i might have gone a teensy bit berserk at that point, and... I don't recall clearly what happened until after I woke up in a time bubble under Lady Crexia's care..."

"I see, well sometimes a lack of memory can be a blessing Mr Wainwright."
Joakim said sadly, then he glanced at Adley to see if he had anything to add before he stood and filled several porcelain mugs that he found on a shelf and handed one of them to Colin.
"The important thing is that you where not permanently harmed and that everyone was brought back alive...now what of the Post Office itself, what happened to it when you where there the second time?"
He asked.

(OOC: Well I can imagine that the backlash from that might just warrant a visit from Wrinkle himself.)

[Adley]

"Running outside liquor store in Worcester..."Narim said

He continued. "I need you to take something for me, keep it as safe as you can and unopened. I will explain as soon as I can." The way he talked about it, he may as well be telling Narim to take care of his future with this bit of the past, which he supposed in a way he was. Not just his, either.

"A vampire thar where working with the Nephandi? Did any of you get any information out of him and what are you planning on doing with him? Letting him go?"

"I will explain in a moment."

"Well Mr Roth Hicks I just opened a portal, it seams you did a good job in leading the group to get their tasks done and get out safely in time." He said and smiles again.

"Group effort," he said. "I would not be here if it were not for you."

Colin grinned to Adley and gave him a pat on the back, "I think Adjan has a point - I help pull you out of the box, while you anchor me from some of my... fancier flights of fancy."

He smiled. "Shouldn't it be the other way around?" he said with a wry look.  

He frowned, "Freddy is... recovering. Are you familiar with hysterical blindness? She's... temporarily sightless. It should pass, but... that was a close one. For both of us. I just recovered more quickly..." He grimaced, then grinned sheepishly, "Well, more quickly... if she's back up before two days pass, she'll have me beat there, too, and I'm pretty certain she'll place her own sort of loving demands on my attention before the next week is through."

"I have not heard of that before, no. I'm glad it's not permanent...that you are both alive and whole...I still don't know what you did. We'll talk about it later."

"That do seam reasonable, the last thing we need is to create more hostility with the vampires." Joakim then he nodded. "Good, let us hope they make it back safely."

"Agreed."

"Well if you need no time to gather your wits, let us hear what happened then, but first I am putting on a pot of coffee, do anyone else want any?"

"Not yet thank you. Water if you have it."

Joakim said sadly, then he glanced at Adley to see if he had anything to add before he stood and filled several porcelain mugs that he found on a shelf and handed one of them to Colin.

He listened as Colin described what had happened, then he nodded to the Chief, going over the main points. "I sent one of the elementals down to help the Mercere and one with us and was able to keep a line of contact with them which proved extremely useful. When I sensed one of them was taking a beating I sent the other to help him, so that we could get downstairs and it would not be killed. Thankfully, they managed to hold them off, combined with the internal conflict, and we got through the wall. When the door went down, one of the Nephandi used Correspondence ars to multiply their shots and volley us and not all of us were shielded. Freddy took the worst hits and Kristina immediately assisted her. Magda held a backdoor in case we needed to retreat. My cabalmate killed the man that had shot Freddy and then...another Nephandi woman stepped in. Things complicate here. She tried to make us surrender or she would gilgul him and had the rote at hand. I decided that neither of those options were ones I wanted to take and discovered that her own avatar...did not want to harm Colin's avatar. And Colin was...doing something, I am not sure what. I tried to harass her and help keep her from what she was trying to do. In the end it was a close thing. She cried out in sudden pain, fell to her knees and we killed her. Then, we freed the Mercere and saw to them, got the staked vampire from outside and started to clean up. Colin, Freddy and Kristina went back with the Mercere. You sent exquisite help, we talked to the vampire and eventually we got a message to Gabriel's phone requesting a check-in from his superior. I sent one back as a bluff and we stepped up vacating. The contents of that message, what the vampire told us and the parcel this whole mess is about, I would like to inform you privately with my cabalmate, sir. With all due respect."

[Warpmind]

Colin grinned wryly at Adley, "I don't know what happened after Freddy got shot, either. I have a vague memory of eviscerating someone, and then pain..."

He arched an eyebrow at the incantation, "Well, now I'm even more certain we've learned from the same Latin textbooks."
He nodded, "And yes, the very same Tian... short for Sebastian, though I don't know whether that's his first or last name. Yes, he did call us while we were en route to the post office - he did not have much information, outside of the package the Fallen wanted containing remnants of... a historical figure, though Tian doesn't know the significance of that, there being a six-man second strike team waiting in the proverbial rafters to retake the post office, and the Fallen being behind... a separate matter. Miss Dane had the presence of mind to record most of, if not the entire conversation; she said she would send me a copy of it, though I don't think I have received it yet. Also, Mr. Murai committed the salient points to paper. The two should be returning with the cars; they'll be able to fill in the exact details of the conversation then."
He took a deep breath and a swig of the coffee, "In any case, when we reached the post office, there were two Awakened individuals watching the place; we immediately pursued and convinced them to stop mostly by means of... crossbow diplomacy. Fortunately, nobody was harmed; we were able to handle it peacefully - the two were Technocrats; they introduced themselves as Primrose Lillian of the Syndicate, and Elias Jefferson of the Progenitors. I can only speculate as to their capacities, but the chap seems to have some pretty good dermal or subdermal armour, since his knee could withstand a crossbow bolt. The important thing, in any case, is that we agreed on a truce against the incoming Fallen; the two would... hm, Sir, if you would kindly sit down?"
He waited for Joakim to take a seat before proceeding, "I arranged for us to get five minutes before the Technocrats called the situation in and had a Hit-Mark strike team sent to the premises. The post office was essentially already a lost cause in any case, and we knew it was a matter of very little time before the Fallen would appear. I'm fully aware that a Tribunal is going to have a number of things to say, but I'm prepared to stand for my actions in the face of Nephandi. After that, Adley and I had some brief communication, I helped usher a few people out the door with poultry and a vampire, and Mr. Terach sent me down to assist Adley with the final evac while the cars took off, and with a warning that a small spirit Adley had warned us about was, in fact, a small probe from a very much larger being; one horrid enough to terrify a Euthanatos. After that... I tumbled downstairs, ushered the last few people ahead of me through the portal, and then we were here as the Nephandi and their stench popped into the cellars. I expect by now, the place is pretty much a smoking ruin..."
He reached into his pocket and handed over Tian's cell phone, "Also, Tian might call again if he finds something he thinks we need to know. He isn't driven by descent at this time, but by the desire to see his daughter grow up. He... had one request - that if he were taken alive and sent to Horizon, someone arrange a body to be found, so his wife and daughter have a grave to visit. It wouldn't have to be his body, so long as his family believed he had died in an accident, rather than thinking him a deadbeat dad who simply scarpered. I would have Master Harris or his apprentice check the phone for anything unsavory, of course."
He scratched his cheek, "As for precisely what I did while the Nephandi woman tried to, well... that... I don't know. In fact, if I were to guess, it was not I who did it, but my Avatar who intervened on my behalf... again. There are two incidents in my life, so far, where I've done something amazing while I was unable to function - the first was when i Awakened, immediately after taking a surface-to-air missile to the face, and I landed the helicopter without any harm to my copilot or passengers. The second time... was today, after I'd expended my last conscious energy assailing the fellow who dared shoot Freddy. I would hazard my Avatar steps in and uses my skills to the extremes when I am unable to protect us... as a result, it has molted like a spider or crustacean, and grew stronger. And bugger if I understand how."

((OOC: Yay, pressing "Send" just as someone else's post goes through, so I get to the "would you like to modify?" page, and the other response drastically changes mine. ))

[Adley]

Colin grinned wryly at Adley, "I don't know what happened after Freddy got shot, either. I have a vague memory of eviscerating someone, and then pain..."

"You certainly did kill them until they died from it, amicus," he agreed, remembering again how he'd turned into a veritable Ginsu machine. Then took another look around at the portal and everyone present to see of anything followed them somehow. He was feeling paranoid and didn't want a repeat performance of last time, just because they were home didn't mean they were necessarily safe.

He scratched his cheek, "As for precisely what I did while the Nephandi woman tried to, well... that... I don't know. In fact, if I were to guess, it was not I who did it, but my Avatar who intervened on my behalf... again. There are two incidents in my life, so far, where I've done something amazing while I was unable to function - the first was when i Awakened, immediately after taking a surface-to-air missile to the face, and I landed the helicopter without any harm to my copilot or passengers. The second time... was today, after I'd expended my last conscious energy assailing the fellow who dared shoot Freddy. I would hazard my Avatar steps in and uses my skills to the extremes when I am unable to protect us... as a result, it has molted like a spider or crustacean, and grew stronger. And bugger if I understand how."

Adley blinked at that. It was a sort of week where things that would have surprised him were not taking such a shock to his system any longer. Even so, hearing what had happened, he looked curious but then said, "You have a tenacious avatar. I'm glad that we did not try to mess with that spirit then, it might have given enough opportunity to come through the barrier." He frowned. "Mr Harris has items on his person that may have intel. We still don't know what else their leader had planned for the rest of her evening," he said with a frown.

// lol defenestrated, crossbow diplomacy xD

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

He continued. "I need you to take something for me, keep it as safe as you can and unopened. I will explain as soon as I can." The way he talked about it, he may as well be telling Narim to take care of his future with this bit of the past, which he supposed in a way he was. Not just his, either.

"It will be kept safe and unopened, you have my word."
Narim agreed without hesitating though you did hear from the sound of his voice that he was quite concerned about what was going on.
"Give me one moment to lock onto the signal of your phone."
He said and you heard his quick fingers dance over his keyboard.
"There, scan the item with the camera of the phone and I shall grab it, but just to be sure that it will be harder to track the item destroy the phone you are using, if at all possible once we are done talking."
The young Master of the Art instructed you.
"And my friend, please stay safe."

"I will explain in a moment."

"As you wish as long as I get an explanation later Mr Roth Hicks."
Joakim said as he gave the younger Hermetic a glance.

"Group effort," he said. "I would not be here if it were not for you."

Hans gave a bit of a smile and he nodded.
"Very well then a group effort then."
He agreed finally accepting your thanks and praise, he was a modest man though and not one to inflate his own ego or participation in something.

"Not yet thank you. Water if you have it."

Joakim nodded he took a water glass from the shelf and muttered the same Latin words over it as he had when he filled the coffee maker and the glass was filled with crystal clear water, probably from the still, clear pond he had been chanting about and he handed the glass to you.

He listened as Colin described what had happened, then he nodded to the Chief, going over the main points. "I sent one of the elementals down to help the Mercere and one with us and was able to keep a line of contact with them which proved extremely useful. When I sensed one of them was taking a beating I sent the other to help him, so that we could get downstairs and it would not be killed. Thankfully, they managed to hold them off, combined with the internal conflict, and we got through the wall.

"Ah I see, I am glad my noble friends where of use to you, they are quite a pair those two Umbroods."
Joakim said fondly.
"Since my contracts with them have not broken I take it that both brothers are well alive is not the right term but in existence?"
He asked sounding concerned.
"Your tactics with their aid do seam quite sound though Sodalis."

When the door went down, one of the Nephandi used Correspondence ars to multiply their shots and volley us and not all of us were shielded. Freddy took the worst hits and Kristina immediately assisted her. Magda held a backdoor in case we needed to retreat. My cabalmate killed the man that had shot Freddy and then...another Nephandi woman stepped in.

Joakim nodded and continued taking notes quickly marking down central points in the tale that might be important later.

Things complicate here. She tried to make us surrender or she would gilgul him and had the rote at hand. I decided that neither of those options were ones I wanted to take and discovered that her own avatar...did not want to harm Colin's avatar. And Colin was...doing something, I am not sure what. I tried to harass her and help keep her from what she was trying to do. In the end it was a close thing. She cried out in sudden pain, fell to her knees and we killed her.

"Hum...quite a serious matter..."
Joakim said and shuddered, he might not be Awakened but he could not imagine his life without his magic.
"I am glad this gambit worked out, yes I have heard that the Gilgul rite at time create a...disturbance between the caster and his or her Avatar, as if they do not like to be used to kill one of their own kind."
He said and nodded.
"Still it was not a pleasant situation the two of you ended up in."
The hedge wizard said sounding sympathetic.

Then, we freed the Mercere and saw to them, got the staked vampire from outside and started to clean up. Colin, Freddy and Kristina went back with the Mercere. You sent exquisite help, we talked to the vampire and eventually we got a message to Gabriel's phone requesting a check-in from his superior. I sent one back as a bluff and we stepped up vacating.

Joakim gave a bit of a proud smile of that, two of that help had been his own students and he gave the two other linear magi a fond smile before he nodded to the rest of what you had to say.
"It seams you managed to stall the Fallen with your bluff, at least for a while Mr Roth Hicks, for just long enough it seams."
He commented.

The contents of that message, what the vampire told us and the parcel this whole mess is about, I would like to inform you privately with my cabalmate, sir. With all due respect."

Joakim sigh, he gave the younger Hermetic a stern look.
"I assure you that I trust my apprentices with my life, they have served me, this Chantry and the Traditions since before you where born young man."
He said just to make it absolutely clear that he did not like any implication that they where not trustworthy enough to hear what was being said.
"It is alright pater, if it will make our guest more comfortable we can go and check on Thomas."
Johnson said said and he sounded unconcerned.
"I should like to check on my own student as well to make sure she is well this evening."
He continued and Joakim sigh then reluctantly he agreed.
"Very well, you two check on your brother and your own students and then I will deal with this meeting."
He said sounding apologetic but the two young hedge wizards simply nodded and rose, both gave Adley and Colin polite nods before they bowed to their mentor and left the room. Joakim turned his attention back to his guests.
"Now what was it that you wanted to say privately Mr Roth Hicks."
He said with a bit of displeasure in his voice, he was clearly quite protective of his two former apprentices.

He arched an eyebrow at the incantation, "Well, now I'm even more certain we've learned from the same Latin textbooks."

"A bastardized ritual really the words are modern Church Latin and the gestures from the old fifteen arts system, but they seam to work well together for this purpose Mr Wainwright though I preger classical Latin for speaking the language."
Joakim said and gave a faint smile.

He nodded, "And yes, the very same Tian... short for Sebastian, though I don't know whether that's his first or last name. Yes, he did call us while we were en route to the post office -

"Hum...Sebastian...there was a Sebastian in this Tribunal once, just a boy a Verbena apprentice, Sebastian Silverberg, he and his teacher vanished about twelve years ago, we found his teacher Alvin Serat dead a few days later, dumped in a ditch but the boy was never found."
Joakim mushed.
"If it is related however I do not know."

he did not have much information, outside of the package the Fallen wanted containing remnants of... a historical figure, though Tian doesn't know the significance of that, there being a six-man second strike team waiting in the proverbial rafters to retake the post office, and the Fallen being behind... a separate matter. Miss Dane had the presence of mind to record most of, if not the entire conversation; she said she would send me a copy of it, though I don't think I have received it yet. Also, Mr. Murai committed the salient points to paper. The two should be returning with the cars; they'll be able to fill in the exact details of the conversation then."

"I will have to ask Miss Dane and Mr Murai about that information when they return then."
Joakim said and nodded.
"Hum...a strike team of the Fallen, that is never good news, you are lucky that got out when you did then, but at least this Nephandus was willing to give us something, but I assume he was not willing to give up the location of the Labyrinth or where we might find Abigail?"

He took a deep breath and a swig of the coffee, "In any case, when we reached the post office, there were two Awakened individuals watching the place; we immediately pursued and convinced them to stop mostly by means of... crossbow diplomacy. Fortunately, nobody was harmed; we were able to handle it peacefully - the two were Technocrats; they introduced themselves as Primrose Lillian of the Syndicate, and Elias Jefferson of the Progenitors. I can only speculate as to their capacities, but the chap seems to have some pretty good dermal or subdermal armour, since his knee could withstand a crossbow bolt. The important thing, in any case, is that we agreed on a truce against the incoming Fallen; the two would... hm, Sir, if you would kindly sit down?"

"Two Technocrats...damnation."
Joakim muttered.
"Yes I have heard about operatives of the Progenitors having such abilities when it comes to modifying their own corpus, well it was probably for the best that it did not come to blows, right now I would rather focus on the Fallen than to drag the Union into it as well."
The hedge wizard said then he raised an eyebrow.
"I am sitting Mr Wainwright...I am not going to like what you are about to tell me am I?"
He asked sounding...skeptical.

He waited for Joakim to take a seat before proceeding, "I arranged for us to get five minutes before the Technocrats called the situation in and had a Hit-Mark strike team sent to the premises. The post office was essentially already a lost cause in any case, and we knew it was a matter of very little time before the Fallen would appear. I'm fully aware that a Tribunal is going to have a number of things to say, but I'm prepared to stand for my actions in the face of Nephandi. After that, Adley and I had some brief communication, I helped usher a few people out the door with poultry and a vampire, and Mr. Terach sent me down to assist Adley with the final evac while the cars took off, and with a warning that a small spirit Adley had warned us about was, in fact, a small probe from a very much larger being; one horrid enough to terrify a Euthanatos. After that... I tumbled downstairs, ushered the last few people ahead of me through the portal, and then we were here as the Nephandi and their stench popped into the cellars. I expect by now, the place is pretty much a smoking ruin..."

"Let me see if I got this right Mr Wainwright...you called in a HIT-Mark strike team on a Traditionalist Chantry?"
Joakim said and looked at the coffee he had been sipping as if to ensure himself there was nothing funny in the mix that could have messed with his hearing.
"You asked...two agents of the Technocracy...to send in...a Hit-Mark strike team...against a Traditionalist Chantry."
He said and blinked for a few moments as if he was not believing what he was hearing.
"I think perhaps it is good that you do not have a Mentor Mr Wainwright you would give the poor mage a heart attack. However I have to agree, this might have our enemies killing one another and that is something I can live with though yes, I do suspect a Tribunal will have a thing or two to say about your actions young man."
Joakim said and sigh.
"You seam to be a...frustrating man Mr Wainwright if you do not take offense to me saying so."
He muttered.

He reached into his pocket and handed over Tian's cell phone, "Also, Tian might call again if he finds something he thinks we need to know. He isn't driven by descent at this time, but by the desire to see his daughter grow up. He... had one request - that if he were taken alive and sent to Horizon, someone arrange a body to be found, so his wife and daughter have a grave to visit. It wouldn't have to be his body, so long as his family believed he had died in an accident, rather than thinking him a deadbeat dad who simply scarpered. I would have Master Harris or his apprentice check the phone for anything unsavory, of course."

"I will give this to Master Harris and also instruct him that the Nephandus might call again."
Joakim said then he nodded.
"Having a child can be a powerful motivator, even to those how have lost their footing, or perhaps especially to them."
He said and then he nodded.
"The request is quite reasonable and for his aid I will see to it that this Tian's request is honored if he get caught by us alive, it might be the only thing I can do for him but I can give his family a grave to visit."
The linear mage promised.

He scratched his cheek, "As for precisely what I did while the Nephandi woman tried to, well... that... I don't know. In fact, if I were to guess, it was not I who did it, but my Avatar who intervened on my behalf... again. There are two incidents in my life, so far, where I've done something amazing while I was unable to function - the first was when i Awakened, immediately after taking a surface-to-air missile to the face, and I landed the helicopter without any harm to my copilot or passengers. The second time... was today, after I'd expended my last conscious energy assailing the fellow who dared shoot Freddy. I would hazard my Avatar steps in and uses my skills to the extremes when I am unable to protect us... as a result, it has molted like a spider or crustacean, and grew stronger. And bugger if I understand how."

"I do not possess an Awakened Avatar Mr Wainwright, The Tremere...well let us not get into that, in either case I am not an expert on them, but I would say it seams that your soul to is a bit of a frustrating being young man, who walk paths others would not consider, in this instance though I am glad your Avatar is a bit out of the ordinary, now as to why it did what it did or how, I could not say, but I can however say I have never heard about it before."
The hedge wizard and and gave you a strange, unreadable look.
"It seams fortune favors you Mr Wainwright, it do indeed seam that fortune favors you."

Then took another look around at the portal and everyone present to see of anything followed them somehow. He was feeling paranoid and didn't want a repeat performance of last time, just because they were home didn't mean they were necessarily safe.

Everyone seamed to have gotten through safely and you felt nothing wrong though off course to be sure you would need to investigate further, that being said some of Chief Joakim's men seamed to be in the middle of some rotes, one of them drisseling ink onto a piece of parchment while he looked at where the portal had been, clearing looking for magick while Hans to where pressing keys on his computer, perhaps checking that is rote was ended properly.

He frowned. "Mr Harris has items on his person that may have intel. We still don't know what else their leader had planned for the rest of her evening," he said with a frown.

"Very well I will have to ask him as well once we are done here."
Joakim said.
"Also we need to know more about what the damned Nephandi are planning, I am getting tired of fumbling in the dark, we need to start capturing more of them alive for interrogation."
He declared firmly.

(OOC 1: I made a mistake Adley is off course not calling from his phone but from the burner of Narim would not know his number from the caller id...oops.)

(OOC 2: This turned out to be a very long post. )

(OOC 3: Of the current player characters only Richard have a normal Avatar, Adley's have a lodger and a few peculiarities, Colin's like to possess him and molt, Beatrice's are Fallen and well split in two and Tane's likes to manifest and show itself and have a chat with everyone, oh and is a God...quite a collection.)

[Warpmind]

Colin shook his head, "No, Sir, we are not implying that your apprentices are unreliable. We are suggesting they not hear this, as much for their own safety. It is... an extremely delicate matter. Two extremely delicate matters, in fact."
He looked up at the two apprentices, "Actually, if one of you could swing by the infirmary and inform young mr. Van Maaz that his Deacon Primus' chickens are safe and underway, I would greatly appreciate it. As would he."
He nodded thoughtfully, "A boy, twelve years ago... Yes, that could fit, time-wise. He did say he'd gone into the Caul as a boy."
He pondered for a moment, "Oh, yes, Adley, i trust the portal was a relatively simple thing to dispose of, per my suggestion?"
He shook his head, "No, he was unwilling to sell out his old friends - as he said, there were children there whom he wouldn't want to hear were caught alive by us because of what he gave away. I rather couldn't make myself press the issue further."
He nodded and grinned sheepishly, "Yes, I'm afraid you heard correctly. Well, technically, I called in a Union Hit-Mark strike on a forsaken building bereft of strategic value and infested with Nephandi - the precise timing was the only significant issue with the matter as such. It seemed like a pragmatic way to solve two problems at once."
He let out a brief chuckle, "Frustrating... I get that a lot these days, it seems. Both me and my Avatar. And I'm honestly not certain which is the bad influence on the other. I suspect the important part is that we both have methods to our madness, and madness to our methods."
He sighed, "Now, back to what the Fallen wanted... according to Tian, there was a package containing pieces of Heylel Teomim. He didn't know why his superiors wanted that package, nor who Teomim was. I did not elaborate on that. The second delicate thing he could tell us was that a few years ago, a Traditionalist widderslainte managed to cleanse her Avatar, but the Nephandi managed to deal with her. This is very disturbing, since the Traditionalist widderslainte in question is a known case... Susannah Florentine, gilguled by a kangaroo court on Horizon. If what Tian said is true, and I am afraid I don't have a good reason to doubt it, well... I'm sure you can imagine what that means..."
He glanced at Adley, suddenly looking a bit weary, "Do we tell him what the Fallen are planning in Boston now?"

((OOC: Sounds like an average gaming group to me. ))

[Tane Karyak]

Friday:

You don't want to see it. It's not painful... but it sure looks like it.

Saturday:

Great actually. I've helped a lady with something... and i belive i have found some people that might be interested in mentoring you.Would you like to come on monday afternoon so we talk with the people that might teach you?

[Adley]

"It will be kept safe and unopened, you have my word." Narim agreed without hesitating though you did hear from the sound of his voice that he was quite concerned about what was going on. "Give me one moment to lock onto the signal of your phone..."And my friend, please stay safe."

"Thank you," he said, sounding greateful and waiting for the next bit of instructions. When he got them, he followed them to the letter, scanning the box so he could take it and keeping it in the working that his Housemate had made for them. "I can break the phone," he said. "Working on the latter, you do the same." Then he hung up once the call cleared and busted the burner phone on the ground.

Everyone seamed to have gotten through safely and you felt nothing wrong though off course to be sure you would need to investigate further, that being said some of Chief Joakim's men seamed to be in the middle of some rotes, one of them drisseling ink onto a piece of parchment while he looked at where the portal had been, clearing looking for magick while Hans to where pressing keys on his computer, perhaps checking that is rote was ended properly

He tried to give himself the once over, but nothing seemed to come of it. The magick that had been under his control when he needed it seemed to be faltering now. He glanced at the others and asked, "Are we clean?" It struck him that he possibly was having a post-battle moment where he wanted to assure himself that they were really okay. Alive. Not gilguled or dead or captured. It had been that close.

"Ah I see, I am glad my noble friends where of use to you, they are quite a pair those two Umbroods." Joakim said fondly. "Since my contracts with them have not broken I take it that both brothers are well alive is not the right term but in existence?" He asked sounding concerned.

"They should be. I sent one to cover those moving to the car and then said that one's task was done when they left, to beware the incoming and to clear the strengthened section of gauntlet. The other I had watch us through the gate and had him leave when we were through, same instructions."

"I am glad this gambit worked out, yes I have heard that the Gilgul rite at time create a...disturbance between the caster and his or her Avatar, as if they do not like to be used to kill one of their own kind." He said and nodded. "Still it was not a pleasant situation the two of you ended up in." The hedge wizard said sounding sympathetic.

"It was not. My bit of counterspell and trying to help the avatar disrupt what the woman wanted to accomplish was enough for Colin to...do whatever it was that he did. Or his avatar did, but he was still hurt, and was knocked out for the rest of the battle."

"Hum...Sebastian...there was a Sebastian in this Tribunal once, just a boy a Verbena apprentice, Sebastian Silverberg, he and his teacher vanished about twelve years ago, we found his teacher Alvin Serat dead a few days later, dumped in a ditch but the boy was never found." Joakim mushed. "If it is related however I do not know."

Adley quietly filed away the information just in case it became relevant.

"Let me see if I got this right Mr Wainwright...you called in a HIT-Mark strike team on a Traditionalist Chantry?" Joakim said and looked at the coffee he had been sipping as if to ensure himself there was nothing funny in the mix that could have messed with his hearing. "You asked...two agents of the Technocracy...to send in...a Hit-Mark strike team...against a Traditionalist Chantry.

Adley grimaced but waited it out. It didn't sound any better hearing it from someone else, especially as the Chief had to repeat himself and was looking at his mug as if someone had dumped a potion in it when he wasn't looking.

"Very well I will have to ask him as well once we are done here." Joakim said

"I feel like something is still going to happen with the node tonight," he frowned. "If we can find Abigail...or what the vampires are up to..."

"Also we need to know more about what the damned Nephandi are planning, I am getting tired of fumbling in the dark, we need to start capturing more of them alive for interrogation." He declared firmly.

"Unfortunately, that was not quite possible in this battle."

He pondered for a moment, "Oh, yes, Adley, i trust the portal was a relatively simple thing to dispose of, per my suggestion?"

'It worked out most excellently, I wish we'd thought of it earlier. Though there is someone rolling in their grave as their work has become one with the Earth."

"I assure you that I trust my apprentices with my life, they have served me, this Chantry and the Traditions since before you where born young man."

Colin shook his head, "No, Sir, we are not implying that your apprentices are unreliable. We are suggesting they not hear this, as much for their own safety. It is... an extremely delicate matter. Two extremely delicate matters, in fact."

"As my cabal mate says, it is not lack of trust, it is to protect them. You will find out if it is something you wish to share with them. Sometimes information is as deadly as any other weapon." He gave the two men each a respectful nod. "Thank you both for your help," he said to them as they departed.

He glanced at Adley, suddenly looking a bit weary, "Do we tell him what the Fallen are planning in Boston now?"

"I have something to add first," he said. "The vampire did not seem to know very much, he was not a Tremere or part of the other clans but was being used by the Tremere to be allowed to stay in the city in exchange for doing this job. He overheard about what was in the box and gave Heylel's name. On Gabriel's phone is a message from Abigail regarding the nature of the package they wanted to collect, that it was necessary for finding and attaining the grimoire.

"When Mr Jones came to take the mail, we went into the vault and he found it for me. I confiscated it under the old Hermetic law and placed it in the care of someone to keep safe for the time being. The Mercere network is compromised to some degree. The Nephandi must have known where it was coming from and going to to make the logistics of picking it up work out for them. It is not a jump that a team from here would bring the package here or try to attack us to recapture it. It is that important. Many of the tactics the Nephandi have used have been used by terrorists for ages. Our predictable maneuvers were being used against us. I could not allow the package to follow a predictable course and allow another easy opportunity on it. I will explain the facts to the Tribunal; that what I did was to keep the package, the Order and the Traditions safe, getting a retroactive court order as necessary. I do hope you can see why we wanted to tread lightly not out of lack of trust but what the ramifications could mean...and this is only part of it."

//primescan - 2,4,2 - nope, not seeing anything...
ooc2- well I'm sure Narim figured it out pretty quick - and lol, all the weird avatars.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Tane:

Friday:

"So they have between from?"
Lily asked sounding amazed. Coawa nodded.
"Yes, they are used for fighting. I also have a huge prehistoric shark form, also used for fighting those who would be foolish enough to face me in the sea."
He said proudly. Lily nodded.
"You know I would kind of want to see that..."
She said and Alessa grinned.
"Would you now child..."
She said and stook, her body begun to elongate and more legs shot out of her sides, short, dark brown hairs begun to cover her body and her eyes became faceted. Eventually a eight feet tall monstrosity stood where the pretty Italian Lady had stood, unlike other werecreatures that clearly where a mix between human and their animal form, this looked like something you would find in a nightmare, her shape was human, but now she had four arms and an extra set of legs, she was naked and covered in hairs and her skin was gray, her face had her mandibles and large, black faceted eyes, six og them and her hair now reached her tights, beginning black but ending in fine white silk threads. Lily gasped and took a step back.
"Holy shit!"
She muttered.

Saturday:

"Sure Monday should be good."
Lily said over the phone.
"What about around three in the afternoon? And where should I meet you or should I drop by...ehm Steelhaven that is what the place was called right?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin shook his head, "No, Sir, we are not implying that your apprentices are unreliable. We are suggesting they not hear this, as much for their own safety. It is... an extremely delicate matter. Two extremely delicate matters, in fact."

"My apprentices are of House Flambeau Mr Wainwright, if there is one thing they can handle it is danger."
Joakim said and gave you a stern look then he sigh and turned back to his two students.
"Vincent, Derrick I will see you later."
He muttered, he agree to talking alone but he was not pleased about having to ask his apprentices to leave.

He looked up at the two apprentices, "Actually, if one of you could swing by the infirmary and inform young mr. Van Maaz that his Deacon Primus' chickens are safe and underway, I would greatly appreciate it. As would he."

The tall, gray haired man you had heard others call Johnson and now Joakim called him Derrick nodded.
"Yes sure I can do that."
He said then gave you an apologetic look the situation had not allowed for the regular politeness of introductions. Joakim though gave you and even sterner look over first asking his apprentices that still was far older and more experienced that you where to leave and then sending them on errands, it did not please him, it did not please him one little bit. The two hedge wizards still left though.

He nodded thoughtfully, "A boy, twelve years ago... Yes, that could fit, time-wise. He did say he'd gone into the Caul as a boy."

"Hum...no less disturbing but it would tie up a loose end."
Joakim said and made a note of it in his book.

He shook his head, "No, he was unwilling to sell out his old friends - as he said, there were children there whom he wouldn't want to hear were caught alive by us because of what he gave away. I rather couldn't make myself press the issue further."

"Well yes...Fallen children would not be spared, the law do not open for it, perhaps it would be done in private and not on display for all of Horizon to see but that is as much mercy as would be shown, I can understand not wanting that to happen, even so though we need information."
Joakim said and sigh.
"And if we can catch this boy, even if he might be less of a threat than the rest of them, he might be easier to get information out of than Miss Jerkins down in the basement."

He nodded and grinned sheepishly, "Yes, I'm afraid you heard correctly. Well, technically, I called in a Union Hit-Mark strike on a forsaken building bereft of strategic value and infested with Nephandi - the precise timing was the only significant issue with the matter as such. It seemed like a pragmatic way to solve two problems at once."

"Even so Mr Wainwright, that is skirting dangerously close to conspiring with enemies of the Asuncion, though I do not think it crosses that line."
The linear mage sigh again and too a good swing of his coffee.
"Well let us hope the Union and the Fallen take a good bite out of each other's asses, the more they waste their resources and manpower on eachother the better it will be for us."

He let out a brief chuckle, "Frustrating... I get that a lot these days, it seems. Both me and my Avatar. And I'm honestly not certain which is the bad influence on the other. I suspect the important part is that we both have methods to our madness, and madness to our methods."

"Hum...yes well make sure you keep that mix even Mr Wainwright and do not get more madness than method to your actions or you and those around you will be in a world of problems."
The hedge wizard warned with a bit of amusement in his voice.

He sighed, "Now, back to what the Fallen wanted... according to Tian, there was a package containing pieces of Heylel Teomim. He didn't know why his superiors wanted that package, nor who Teomim was. I did not elaborate on that.

"They wanted pieces of the betrayer? Well yes good you did not elaborate on it but why would the fallen want remains of a long dead alchemist?"
He said and pondered.
"It can be they are looking for the stone, which they say the bastard found, he certainly was a Child of the Egg, and the only artificial Rebis we know of...I guess there could be some interesting magick in his remains, but it seams to be allot of effort to go to for a bit of flesh...also where not Heylel executed by instant incineration? I was not there I did not see what...happened to him I have never believed such things should be spectator sports but the common way of execution after...well that, if to simply rip every bit of a person apart, burning their very patterns to ash in the blink of an eye, there is nothing quicker...but that method do not leave remains, only a bit of ash or dust.

The second delicate thing he could tell us was that a few years ago, a Traditionalist widderslainte managed to cleanse her Avatar, but the Nephandi managed to deal with her. This is very disturbing, since the Traditionalist widderslainte in question is a known case... Susannah Florentine, gilguled by a kangaroo court on Horizon. If what Tian said is true, and I am afraid I don't have a good reason to doubt it, well... I'm sure you can imagine what that means..."

"Damnation!"
Joakim said and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a old but elegant silver flask with gold detailing in the same pattern as his pocket watch and took a swing at it before offering the flask to his guests.
"I read about the Florentine case, I knew her mentor, a highly skilled war mage who managed to reach quite far in our House despite being born deaf. Anyway this organization on Horizon that want to ban Gilgul and for the most part Branding published and article about how to few Primi was present for Miss Florentine's trial, but the publication was quickly stopped and the leader of the group was publicly flogged for...spreading rumors about her superiors...I got my hands on the article as a Chantry member is quite active in that protest group, so I have suspected that Miss Florentine's case was handled wrong but I always assumed it was a matter of leucocratic oversight, that since she was a widderslainte the conclusion to her trial was clear and so her trial was rushed and not done properly, now that would be a crime but at least a understandable one but what you are implying Mr Wainwright that one or more of the Primi...well...if that is true and can be proven it would shake the Traditions to it's core."

He glanced at Adley, suddenly looking a bit weary, "Do we tell him what the Fallen are planning in Boston now?"

"Yes indeed, do tell me what is going on in Boston Mr Wainwright, from how this evening is going I am sure it is going to help to keep the gray hairs of my scalp."
Joakim muttered sounding tired.

"Thank you," he said, sounding greateful and waiting for the next bit of instructions. When he got them, he followed them to the letter, scanning the box so he could take it and keeping it in the working that his Housemate had made for them. "I can break the phone," he said. "Working on the latter, you do the same." Then he hung up once the call cleared and busted the burner phone on the ground.

The small package vanished as you scanned it, to be kept safe by Narim.
"Good break the phone."
The Virtual Adept said, he sounded like there might be more he wanted to express but he left it at that, there would be time to talk later, but he was quite concerned about you in either case.

He tried to give himself the once over, but nothing seemed to come of it. The magick that had been under his control when he needed it seemed to be faltering now. He glanced at the others and asked, "Are we clean?" It struck him that he possibly was having a post-battle moment where he wanted to assure himself that they were really okay. Alive. Not gilguled or dead or captured. It had been that close.

"Yes everything seam to be clear, nothing followed you though."
The young man with the parchment said and Hans Harris nodded.
"The rote closed just fine Mr Roth Hicks we should be safe."
He said, at least their magick worked though yours right now did not, perhaps you where to mentally tired, or there where to much adrenaline in your system to focus properly but while you try to scan the area just nothing comes of it.

"They should be. I sent one to cover those moving to the car and then said that one's task was done when they left, to beware the incoming and to clear the strengthened section of gauntlet. The other I had watch us through the gate and had him leave when we were through, same instructions."

"Good...good, they are brave beings those two brothers, but I would hate to see anything happen to them. I would say they have served me well, but it is more of a partnership really, a mutually beneficial arrangement."
Joakim said and smiles.

"It was not. My bit of counterspell and trying to help the avatar disrupt what the woman wanted to accomplish was enough for Colin to...do whatever it was that he did. Or his avatar did, but he was still hurt, and was knocked out for the rest of the battle."

"I see, well I am glad Mr Wainwright have recovered if the woman had...well it would be a tragedy."
Joakim said and sigh.
"But this Nephandus that made that attempt, she is dead? Good then we do not need to worry about her for quite some years to come."
He declared.

"I feel like something is still going to happen with the node tonight," he frowned. "If we can find Abigail...or what the vampires are up to..."

"Yes, well it is finding her that seam to probe to be a problem, that and her pets' plans, all we have to go by is Jerkins and like I have said I doubt we will be able to torture the location of her teacher out of her...perhaps if we could catch this Tian though, he sounds like he deserves our sympathy but even so he might be easier to squeeze for information than the iron hearted bitch in our basement."

"Unfortunately, that was not quite possible in this battle."

"Yes unfortunately the Fallen are seldom easy to take down alive."

"As my cabal mate says, it is not lack of trust, it is to protect them. You will find out if it is something you wish to share with them. Sometimes information is as deadly as any other weapon." He gave the two men each a respectful nod. "Thank you both for your help," he said to them as they departed.

Joakim sigh, he still did not like it but he nodded. The two hedge wizards gave you a nod before they quietly left the room.

"I have something to add first," he said. "The vampire did not seem to know very much, he was not a Tremere or part of the other clans but was being used by the Tremere to be allowed to stay in the city in exchange for doing this job. He overheard about what was in the box and gave Heylel's name. On Gabriel's phone is a message from Abigail regarding the nature of the package they wanted to collect, that it was necessary for finding and attaining the grimoire.

"Hum...a Grimoire...now that is interesting..."
Joakim muttered.
"I remember when Heylel Teomim was arrested, they found all his tools and books in his laboratory but not his Grimoire, the Traditions knew he had one but it was never found, there was even a pretty hefty reward promised for it's recovery but that and his twin children was like swallowed by the earth itself and was never found again."
The hedge wizard mushed.
"Now as for the vampire, very well, it was good he was released then as it seams he had no great part to play in this whole mess."

"When Mr Jones came to take the mail, we went into the vault and he found it for me. I confiscated it under the old Hermetic law and placed it in the care of someone to keep safe for the time being. The Mercere network is compromised to some degree. The Nephandi must have known where it was coming from and going to to make the logistics of picking it up work out for them. It is not a jump that a team from here would bring the package here or try to attack us to recapture it. It is that important. Many of the tactics the Nephandi have used have been used by terrorists for ages. Our predictable maneuvers were being used against us. I could not allow the package to follow a predictable course and allow another easy opportunity on it. I will explain the facts to the Tribunal; that what I did was to keep the package, the Order and the Traditions safe, getting a retroactive court order as necessary. I do hope you can see why we wanted to tread lightly not out of lack of trust but what the ramifications could mean...and this is only part of it."

"Very well it is a sensible enough precaution Mr Roth Hicks and it do seam you are well versed in obscure Hermetic laws. I will leave you to fill out the paperwork and make sure that House Guernicus get what information they need about this."
Joakim said and he seamed to agree with your decision about the package.
"As long as the remains are kept safe I find it to be an acceptable solution."
He added then he nodded.
"It seams my anger over being asked to send away my apprentices might have been premature, these things you and your Cabalmate have been telling me, that is dangerous information to have, dangerous indeed."

[Warpmind]

Colin gave Joakim an apologetic smile, "If it helps, consider my asking to inform mr. Van Maaz as asking a personal favour from a peer or senior, rather than asking an apprentice to run an errand."
He sipped his coffee, "The chance that the two parties would take out a substantial chunk of each others'... assets was indeed part of the rationale, especially keeping in mind the Union would not know what was so special about the building, or what was kept there. Oh, they might eventually work out it was a Mercere Chantry, but I deem it unlikely they'll get much information out of those Nephandi beyond that one might get from an autopsy."
He accepted the flask, sniffed at it and took a tiny sip, one of his eyebrows twitching briefly, and passed it to Adley, "There's the rub... 'if it can be proven'... The most solid evidence we have is that recording - and it mentions no names. There's no solid proof beyond Nephandic hearsay, but the circumstantial evidence is... abundant."
He pondered, "As for the pieces of Teomim... Yes, as the story goes, he was immediately obliterated, but I would hazard the remnants were not from the execution. More likely, something like a lock of hair, or an extracted tooth, or possibly some fingernail clippings predating the execution itself."
He took a deep breath, "And what our infestation in Boston is up to... Their leader, Lisa Larson, is preparing to summon an Aswadim. I think I pronounced that right. She's been tearing apart widderslaintes like there's no tomorrow - figuratively and literally - to the point of tearing the Avatars from her allies' favoured apprentices. If Abigail were to find out what happened to Martha Cunningham..."
He grimaced, "Let's just say the word 'schism' would not suffice."
He snapped his fingers, "Oh, bugger, I almost forgot, Tian had a little bit of information regarding the Abigail/Nicolai situation... The two have a guest exchange, if you will, to ensure cooperation. Nicolai has Abigail's familiar, a cat whose name I don't know and couldn't pronounce in any case, while Abigail has one of Nicolai's... what do they call vampires they've created, anyway? In any case, Tian could tell me the vampire's name was DuSable, and that Nicolai probably is unaware the fellow is being kept staked. This information... might help sway Nicolai's eagerness to bargain with the Fallen, if we could get it to him."

[Adley]

The small package vanished as you scanned it, to be kept safe by Narim. "Good break the phone." The Virtual Adept said, he sounded like there might be more he wanted to express but he left it at that, there would be time to talk later, but he was quite concerned about you in either case.

He made sure it was broken, took the battery out and then snapped the SIM card in half. Any stray bits went with him.

"Yes everything seam to be clear, nothing followed you though."The young man with the parchment said and Hans Harris nodded. "The rote closed just fine Mr Roth Hicks we should be safe."

He took a deep breath in and let it out, nodding. "Good."

"But this Nephandus that made that attempt, she is dead? Good then we do not need to worry about her for quite some years to come."
He declared.

"Yes, she is dead."

"Yes, well it is finding her that seam to probe to be a problem, that and her pets' plans, all we have to go by is Jerkins and like I have said I doubt we will be able to torture the location of her teacher out of her...perhaps if we could catch this Tian though, he sounds like he deserves our sympathy but even so he might be easier to squeeze for information than the iron hearted bitch in our basement."

Adley frowned, nothing more of use at the moment on that score.

"Damnation!" Joakim said and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a old but elegant silver flask with gold detailing in the same pattern as his pocket watch and took a swing at it before offering the flask to his guests. "I read about the Florentine case, I knew her mentori...well...if that is true and can be proven it would shake the Traditions to it's core.

He accepted the flask, sniffed at it and took a tiny sip, one of his eyebrows twitching briefly, and passed it to Adley,

He put up a hand, with a shake of his head. "Save a bit," he said, and drank down the glass of water.

"Hum...a Grimoire...now that is interesting..." Joakim muttered."I remember when Heylel Teomim was arrested, they found all his tools and books in his laboratory but not his Grimoire, the Traditions knew he had one but it was never found, there was even a pretty hefty reward promised for it's recovery but that and his twin children was like swallowed by the earth itself and was never found again."

"Is that so?" He looked at him a moment and then started to turn the glass in his hands around and around."I doubt they're in it for the cash...but, I do believe I...have some insights over what is in the box, where it came from and what the grimoire relates to, with regards to why the Nephandi want it. And their furious experimentation that have come to light. You see, in light of what happened with Mrs Florentine, the Nephandi have apparently been trying to stop it from happening again...at least that is what it seemed like, with Molly's capture." He paused, and then looked at them both. "Before I went to the post office, I had a seeking in the time bubble that Mr Harris made for us. In this seeking all the realms were cut off and a storm of broken avatars prevented safe travel in the umbra; there was a great deal of destruction and the ship I was on was attacked by the Technocracy.

"Amidst me making my way on the remains of an umbral path home with evacuees there came a voice that was not part of my avatar that spoke of something called the grimoire, that it was something that I carried with me that allowed me to restore an avatar, not just heal it." He paused, realising this probably sounded absurd or fantastic, yet he remembered what the feeling had been like. One of the few pleasant ones in all that pain. A feeling of hope, someone being proud of him. "And once we were at the post office and I had the package in my hand, I received two flashes of insight. The first was, I believe, telling me the specific contents of the box. I saw them...Heylel Teomim handing a locket of hair to a robust but graceful woman. I felt a sense of knowing them and sadness. Then I saw Heyel being tortured..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin gave Joakim an apologetic smile, "If it helps, consider my asking to inform mr. Van Maaz as asking a personal favour from a peer or senior, rather than asking an apprentice to run an errand."

"Hum..."
Was all Joakim said but he clearly where still not to pleased about the situation, hedge wizards where often treated as lesser by Awakened mages and he was protective of his students.

He sipped his coffee, "The chance that the two parties would take out a substantial chunk of each others'... assets was indeed part of the rationale, especially keeping in mind the Union would not know what was so special about the building, or what was kept there. Oh, they might eventually work out it was a Mercere Chantry, but I deem it unlikely they'll get much information out of those Nephandi beyond that one might get from an autopsy."

"Well nothing would make me happier than our enemies tearing chunks of one another and being a general nuisance to to us this time but to each other."
Joakim said then he sigh.
"That the location is a Chantry though do create some problems, hopefully you all got anything sensitive out before you left so that not much is left to the survivors of that...conflict you created Mr Wainwright."

He accepted the flask, sniffed at it and took a tiny sip, one of his eyebrows twitching briefly, and passed it to Adley,

The flask contained good quality but strong and sharp tasting brandy.

"There's the rub... 'if it can be proven'... The most solid evidence we have is that recording - and it mentions no names. There's no solid proof beyond Nephandic hearsay, but the circumstantial evidence is... abundant."

"I see, well that is something you can not risk moving on before you do have solid evidence young man or you will only succeed in burying yourself and anyone else who know about it, if corruption reach that high into our society you can be damned sure those responsible do not want the matter to be revealed."
Joakim warned in a grim tone of voice.
"And the rest of the Traditions will fight you as well unless you can prove it, and probably even then, no one would want a scandal like this, it will shake us to our cores."

He pondered, "As for the pieces of Teomim... Yes, as the story goes, he was immediately obliterated, but I would hazard the remnants were not from the execution. More likely, something like a lock of hair, or an extracted tooth, or possibly some fingernail clippings predating the execution itself."

"Hum...well yes that would make sense and something like that could be in existence yes."
Joakim said and nodded.
"Very well that the Nephandi want these remains though to worry me, it worry me a great deal."

He took a deep breath, "And what our infestation in Boston is up to... Their leader, Lisa Larson, is preparing to summon an Aswadim. I think I pronounced that right.

The old, temperamental hedge wizard turned ashen pale.
"Oh damnation!"
He muttered softly followed by something even softer in Latin that was hard to hear about the Founders preserving your all.
"Are you sure that is what this woman is planning Mr Wainwright? Are you sure?"
Joakim said clearly hoping that the answer would be no.

She's been tearing apart widderslaintes like there's no tomorrow - figuratively and literally - to the point of tearing the Avatars from her allies' favoured apprentices. If Abigail were to find out what happened to Martha Cunningham..."
He grimaced, "Let's just say the word 'schism' would not suffice."

"Wait are you telling me that this Lisa Larson woman who you say are the leader of the Boston infestation, have Gilgulled her own ally's apprentice? Why on earth would she do something like that, the Nephandi are rotten to the core but they are not stupid."
Joakim smirked a little.
"Ah Schism War jokes, not to be made around Verbena, if you favor being able to breathe or not having plants grow in inconvenient places."
The cautioned.

He snapped his fingers, "Oh, bugger, I almost forgot, Tian had a little bit of information regarding the Abigail/Nicolai situation... The two have a guest exchange, if you will, to ensure cooperation. Nicolai has Abigail's familiar, a cat whose name I don't know and couldn't pronounce in any case, while Abigail has one of Nicolai's... what do they call vampires they've created, anyway?

"Hum...letting someone take your Familiar, this Abigail is quite serious about this alliance it seams, mages do not do that lightly."
Joakim said then his expression soured vampires where not his favorite thing on this planet it seamed.
"Childer they call them childer, just an archaic way to say child, just like with us they consider their supernatural offspring to be their children and them to be their parents."
He explained before he sipped his coffee again.

In any case, Tian could tell me the vampire's name was DuSable, and that Nicolai probably is unaware the fellow is being kept staked. This information... might help sway Nicolai's eagerness to bargain with the Fallen, if we could get it to him."

"Hum...yes indeed, vampires tend to react poorly to staking, it is quite physically painful and that is not the worst part of it, keeping a Masassa in such a condition over a long period of time is likely to cause them to go insane to a greater or lesser extent...hum...Miss Jarden might still know how to contact this Nicolai, I think we indeed need to get this information to him, nothing will please me more than to put a wrench in the plans of the Fallen.

(OOC: I will just post this and then continue with Adley's reply, just to avoid the chance the the forum will eat my post. Also make that joke to Amadeus Nassa I dare you. )

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

He made sure it was broken, took the battery out and then snapped the SIM card in half. Any stray bits went with him.

Well to completely avoid the chance it could be put back together again you would probably have to burn it.

He took a deep breath in and let it out, nodding. "Good."

The young man with the parchment gave you a bit of a smile.
"It seams things went well...this time, that could have gone a whole lot worse Sir."
He muttered.

"Yes, she is dead."

"Good the only good Nephandus is a dead Nephandus as they say."
Joakim muttered and frowned.

He put up a hand, with a shake of his head. "Save a bit," he said, and drank down the glass of water.

Joakim nodded and after Colin had revealed what Lisa Larson was planning he was glad to have some brandy left.

"Is that so?" He looked at him a moment and then started to turn the glass in his hands around and around."I doubt they're in it for the cash...but, I do believe I...have some insights over what is in the box, where it came from and what the grimoire relates to, with regards to why the Nephandi want it. And their furious experimentation that have come to light. You see, in light of what happened with Mrs Florentine, the Nephandi have apparently been trying to stop it from happening again...at least that is what it seemed like, with Molly's capture."

"Yes I was told they had experimented on the poor Cultist girl's Avatar, so you are telling me, a young woman managed to cleanse her Avatar and now the Nephandi are running scared over it? Wanting to ensure it do not happen again. Hum...well the Nephandi running scared to please me, what they might do to alleviate their fears though do not."
Joakim muttered and frowned.

He paused, and then looked at them both. "Before I went to the post office, I had a seeking in the time bubble that Mr Harris made for us. In this seeking all the realms were cut off and a storm of broken avatars prevented safe travel in the umbra; there was a great deal of destruction and the ship I was on was attacked by the Technocracy.

"Hum...there is a theory that destroyed Gifts are not gone but turn into shards, some experts including a Master Cita Telar have warned that what you describe could happen Mr Roth Hicks, given enough shards or enough of a calamity to stir them up, and that it would make the Umbra unsafe for the Awakened for quite some time if it should happen."
Joakim said and he looked quite concerned as he took another sip of his coffee to listen to your tale.

"Amidst me making my way on the remains of an umbral path home with evacuees there came a voice that was not part of my avatar that spoke of something called the grimoire, that it was something that I carried with me that allowed me to restore an avatar, not just heal it." He paused, realising this probably sounded absurd or fantastic, yet he remembered what the feeling had been like. One of the few pleasant ones in all that pain. A feeling of hope, someone being proud of him.

"Hum...some say Haylel Teomim had that ability, to restore a broken Gift, or change one in fantastical ways, it is no doubt he was a Master of the Art or even beyond that. Some also say that..."
The hedge wizard hesitated.
"He sent his Grimoire with his children, he had two young twins, a boy and a girl, his offspring with the Verbena representative to the First Cabal, and like I said they where never seen again, some believe he might have imprinted that Grimoire into his children in some way, into the immortal part of them that would be carried from life to life, so the knowledge would not be lost, but that it would not fall into the wrong hands...it is just old wives tales off course...or so I thought..."
The old hedge wizard said.
"All I know is that if you are connected to this in some way Mr Roth Hicks then you need to be careful for if the Nephandi want those remains, if they should get wind of what you have experienced they might want you as well, and trust me you do not want to be the...guest...of a Labyrinth."

"And once we were at the post office and I had the package in my hand, I received two flashes of insight. The first was, I believe, telling me the specific contents of the box. I saw them...Heylel Teomim handing a locket of hair to a robust but graceful woman.

"Ah the Lady Eloine a image of beauty and not the thin stick figures that it seams that society celebrate these days, she was Heylel's lover, the mother of his children, though every male mage wanted her, if you read the Fragile Path even Master Porthos himself was in love with Lady Eloine at one point..."
The old hedge wizard said in a tone of voice that said he had met the woman.

felt a sense of knowing them and sadness. Then I saw Heyel being tortured..."

"He was...tortured...the betrayer's treatment once he was captured was appalling, he was tortured and humiliated in every way the Council could think of, even before his trial, even now I can not see what happened to the man...well person...what the hell do you refer to a Rebis as...to be fair, but be that as it may, that you had these flashes of insight though Mr Roth Hicks are unexpected and I do not know if I want to call it fortunate as it can give us some information...or disturbing..."
Joakim said sounding quite serious he accepted his flask back from Colin and took another swing as it before putting it away in his west pocket again.

[Warpmind]

Colin nodded, "I have full confidence in Adley and the others in that regard - with the knowledge that there were more Nephandi incoming, I'm certain the rescue team and the reinforcements were quite able to clear out anything incriminating. I will come to take my proverbial licks, but I'm not worried about anything left behind to trouble us."
He grimaced, "Sir, I'll grladly make apocalypse jokes like there's no tomorrow, but the use of the word 'schism' was not intended as humorous or light-hearted. It was quite literal, keeping in mind every time the word has been applied, in Sleeper society as well as among Magi."
He sipped the coffee again, "Childer... Interesting name for it. It... makes some sense. Good to know."
He listened carefully to Adley's tale, then carefully put his cup down on the desk, "Dear God... I think I know where Teomim's twins are..."

((OOC: Yeah, no, that wasn't a joke. Amadeus might recognize the seriousness of the statement, actually; while Colin might make quips at the drop of a hat, using a phrase like that to describe the fallout between two powerful leaders would probably come off as too bloody accurate to be a joke. ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "I have full confidence in Adley and the others in that regard - with the knowledge that there were more Nephandi incoming, I'm certain the rescue team and the reinforcements were quite able to clear out anything incriminating. I will come to take my proverbial licks, but I'm not worried about anything left behind to trouble us."

"Good, that is good to hear Mr Wainwright."
Joakim said and glanced over at his fellow Hermetic to confirm it.
"Well I doubt you will be sentenced to anything Mr Wainwright but there will be allot of preaching about the dangers of your actions so I hope you have strong ears."
He added with a bit of a s smile.

He grimaced, "Sir, I'll grladly make apocalypse jokes like there's no tomorrow, but the use of the word 'schism' was not intended as humorous or light-hearted. It was quite literal, keeping in mind every time the word has been applied, in Sleeper society as well as among Magi."

"True, true Mr Wainwright and I might be to wrapped up in my own House's history."
The hedge wizard said and sigh.
"Well in either case, if this information about the fate of...what was her name? Martha Cunningham, could tear apart the cooperation between our two problem Labyrinths we need to find a way to make that happen."
He said with a bit of a grin.

He sipped the coffee again, "Childer... Interesting name for it. It... makes some sense. Good to know."

"It is the same as when I call my apprentices fili, my children."
Joakim said and nodded.

He listened carefully to Adley's tale, then carefully put his cup down on the desk, "Dear God... I think I know where Teomim's twins are..."

"And where exactly would that be Mr Wainwright and do keep in mind that it is about six hundred years since these children where born, not that I should comment to much on that since I am a hundred years their senior but it is not often a mage live that long and that is if the betrayer's offspring managed to Awaken. If you should be able to find them though the Verbena will be most pleased, the disappearance of Eloine's twins have been a thorn in their side, they went to war with the Solificati over it, for as you may know no one can hold a grudge quite like a gaggle of witches."
Joakim said and frowned.

((OCC: Ok )

[Warpmind]

Colin grinned, "I was in the mundane military. I've heard drill sergeants carry on. I think a few of them might be Linear Magi like yourself."
He nodded, "I have the means to let Abigail know... it's already been voted down as being too close to aiding the Enemies of Ascension, but I have the means to send a message. I doubt there would be a reply."
He took a deep breath, "We already know that some Avatars stay close together for incarnation after incarnation after incarnation, bound together in ways we cannot even fully fathom. The twins in the flesh are long dead, I'm certain, but I think they were here, seventy years ago, in the form of the Townsend siblings; Madame Rose's apprentice Dylan and his sister Claire... Today they would be better known as Adley Roth Hicks and Beatrice Alexander. It sounds insane and outlandish, I know, but... I don't buy that it's all a coincidence. In particular since Adley told us of that Seeking, and his reactions to touching the box of remains. The pieces fit together; there is enough to make out the pattern, and it's incredible..."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin grinned, "I was in the mundane military. I've heard drill sergeants carry on. I think a few of them might be Linear Magi like yourself."

Joakim gave a bit of a grin at that and he seamed quite amused.
"Well you might be reminded of the good old days the Mr Wainwright."

He nodded, "I have the means to let Abigail know... it's already been voted down as being too close to aiding the Enemies of Ascension, but I have the means to send a message. I doubt there would be a reply."

"Hum...so whoever send that message will be in a ton of legal problems, and if your Cabal is involved in doing something about Miss Florentine's sham trial it should not be one of you, but the cause might be important enough to take the risk."
The old hedge wizard said then he sigh.
"I would do it but I have a very fragile young apprentice, though his survival is doubtful, and all of our survival and more are in jeopardy if the Nephandi contact a Aswadim..."
He said sounding serious and thoughtful.

He took a deep breath, "We already know that some Avatars stay close together for incarnation after incarnation after incarnation, bound together in ways we cannot even fully fathom.

"Yes it is a rather common theory referred to as soul groups, the idea that Avatars travel through their incarnations together, ending up in different relations to one another but always together in some way and usually the hosts will be strongly connected in one way or another, though a wife in one incarnation can be a son in the next."
Joakim said and nodded.

The twins in the flesh are long dead, I'm certain, but I think they were here, seventy years ago, in the form of the Townsend siblings; Madame Rose's apprentice Dylan and his sister Claire... Today they would be better known as Adley Roth Hicks and Beatrice Alexander. It sounds insane and outlandish, I know, but... I don't buy that it's all a coincidence.

"Hum...well it certainly seam that allot of important events have been happening around your little group Mr Wainwright and Mr Roth Hicks story do seam to place your theory within the realm of possibility at least."
Joakim said and carefully studied Adley for a moment before he added.
"And if the Grimoire was made a part of the twins Avatars then there is a chance that it will become active out of a sense of self preservation if one part of the grand book feel that the other part need help and you did say that Miss Alexander's Avatar was badly injured...if the Grimoire contains the secrets on how to heal and restore an Avatar....hum there might be a reason for these events happenings as they do...if your theories are correct that is."

In particular since Adley told us of that Seeking, and his reactions to touching the box of remains. The pieces fit together; there is enough to make out the pattern, and it's incredible..."

"Well let us say this theory is correct...and the Nephandi want the Grimoire, that means they will be pretty desperate to get a hold of your two Cabalmates if they figure this information out...so may I suggest being rather tight lipped about this, for all of your safety."
The old linear mage said softly sounding cautious again he looked at Adley and seamed to see the Hermetic in a new light.

[Warpmind]

Colin grinned, "Perhaps I should sit down and watch Full Metal Jacket again - well, the parts with R. Lee Ermey in it, at least - before that Tribunal calls for me..."
Colin nodded, "The legal risk is substantial, hence why it was vetoed. However, the means of contact would be an anonymous posting on a floral forum on the internet. The equivalent of putting up a note on a bulletin board in a pub. I... can write up the message, as well as the forum address to which it would have to be posted. It's on the Sleeper part of the internet; perfectly mundane, but that doesn't mean it's entirely secure. I would, if possible, frame it as an attempt to drive a wedge between the Nephandi leaders, though who would be willing to run the risk of posting the message is... well, everyone involved runs a nasty risk."
He sighed, "It is a hypothesis. A strong one, corroborated with a surprising amount of circumstantial evidence, and yes, we had best keep this bit of insight as close to the chest as possible."

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