Re: Horrible Options, Unexpected Help and Hidded Passages IC Thread 17

[Adley]

"I do actually." Olamide said and gently pulled colorful, ceramic beads of some of her braids, being careful to inspect them for any stray hairs or anything else that would be a good arcane connection to her before handing them over. "Will these do?"She asked.

Crexia nodded."Placing the focus of the hung spell withing a bead and then having it activate as the bead itself is crushed and a word is spoken to activate it, sounds reasonable enough, and yes Adepta those beads will do fine I think." She said and took one of the other Tytalus' hair beads and inspected them."They should be easy enough to break."

"Thank you," he said to her.

"I think they should work Mr Roth Hicks, they will not give the biggest jolt but it should hopefully be enough to get the things attention once we enchant them to affect spirits." Crexia said and nodded as she examined one of the fly swatters. "Though it is certainly...unconventional."

He nodded at that. It was...but it was going to do the job. And it was not only easier to procure but would be easier to carry around or explain than an actual cattle prod. He couldn't wait to see what Colin thought of them. In the end though, he hoped they didn't have to use them and they managed to get rid of the problem before it got that close. But if they had to at least they would have something. He couldn't expect he'd be right next to Colin, after all.

"Modern form words and old system gestures, we might as well use the first spiritual banishing found on page nineteen of the Horned Book." Martin said and Crexia nodded. "Do that work for everyone?"

Adley nodded, then as Helen asked about the forms he watched attentively as Crexia showed Helen the necessary ones. Then he mentally went over the working from the Horned Book, to refresh his memory.

"There is no need to apologize if your reasoning is sound Mr Roth Hicks, we will do our work first then and we will find out what is going out later." The old, quite practical minded maga said and nodded in agreement.

He gave a tilt of a shoulder and then quickly walked up to her to show her the message on his phone, mining anyone else. She was a Deacon and knew what was going on in the Chief's office so he saw no harm. Her awareness of the timing issues might help them, being a someone with that art at her disposal. He took the  phone back back after she was done to fall into the circle wherever there was a spot for him at the Primus's prompting.

"Very well, when you are ready then Mr Roth Hicks." She agreed.

He nodded, took the phone out and brought the screen up that had Cita's application icon and pressed it, put it back in his pocket, then quickly assumed the initial starting position for the working described on page 19.

// John Hurt is awesome. Hm, Amr Waked from Lucy (with longer hair) could also be at the casting call for Morgan. Emily Browning for Bee. I should pop up a thread somewhere for fun to compare our takes, for fun.

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin:

Colin sighed, "I believe the appropriate phrase is 'join the club'. It's... there's nothing good to this thermos, just a desperate last resort..."

"No there is nothing good about it..."
Min muttered and looked at the thermos.
"And I hope Miss Carlyle...that other means can be used to deal with her."

He nodded, "It's literally the worst fate I can conceive of for a Mage... and no, it was not. I regret having the idea in the first place, and even more so suggesting it to him, but for want of any other viable options at the time - this was something I realized was a possibility only after the ambush team returned in tatters - it was necessary, and it did give us a bit of much-needed impetus to seek other, better options... several of which we're preparing now. Unfortunately, all those methods share one dangerous trait: they're experimental, owing to miss Carlyle's unique Avatar. If nothing else works... it's the absolutely last resort, and I expect I'll hate myself for the rest of my more or less natural life for it."

"It is about the worst thing that can happen to a mage..."
Min agreed then he sigh.
"Something have to be done with Miss Carlyle we can not let her run loose to rampage around...and if it is the last resort then it is necessary."
He said and shook his head.
"If there is no other option Mr Wainwright please do not let it eat away at you, I know from experience how a horrible...deed one is forced to do can burn away like acid on one's mind."
He added softly.

He nodded and accepted the thermos back, "Thank you, that should be abundant... and yes, damn the Fallen for the twisted things they do, forcing us to escalate."

"Yes...I dislike the Union but at least there is some sense to it when we fight them, it is a war of ideology, and do not get me wrong they can be brutal bastards but at least...they are not this twisted."
Min muttered darkly.

He pondered for a moment, "You know, there's one hope remaining, should the plans currently in the works fail... My future self has been interfering in the present quite a bit this weekend; it's not impossible I'll keep researching the means to deal with miss Carlyle in a less unethical fashion for some time, airing the conundrum before various academics on Horizon over the years and decades to come - if all else fails, perhaps Future Me can send Present Me the necessary tool to save the day, and damn the Paradox..."

"Hum...interesting I have heard of some Cultists having such visions. Well I hope your future self can think of a better solution then if all else fails and that he do not destroy himself with Paradox in the process."
The old Quesitor said then he shook his head.
"Still vision have a tendency not to come when we need them the worst, when only horrible options are left, options that will taint us for the rest of our lives."

Adley:

"Thank you," he said to her.

Olamide just gave you a smile and nodded at that.

He gave a tilt of a shoulder and then quickly walked up to her to show her the message on his phone, mining anyone else. She was a Deacon and knew what was going on in the Chief's office so he saw no harm. Her awareness of the timing issues might help them, being a someone with that art at her disposal. He took the phone back back after she was done to fall into the circle wherever there was a spot for him at the Primus's prompting.

Crexia read the message, nothing showed on her face but there was a sense of relief about her and she nodded.
"Well then let us get our work done ladies and gentlemen, time is off the essence."
She said as she guided everyone to where they needed to be, though no one really needed to be guided much they knew how to work together, one of the benefits of working with other members of the same Tradition.

He nodded, took the phone out and brought the screen up that had Cita's application icon and pressed it, put it back in his pocket, then quickly assumed the initial starting position for the working described on page 19.

You felt the same feeling you get when out in the rain and then finally getting a hold of a umbrella or getting into a warm car, as if there was something there, something soft and warm and wrapped around you to protect you from the elements as you pressed that icon for Cita's app.

Crexia took on the role of leading the ritual. It was a simple one not that dissimilar from a grater banishing ritual, which might seam complex unless one knew all the components by heart, then one could go through it quickly and it based itself on finding a balance in one's own power, intoning names of higher powers and the gestures of closing the veil, though it used the old Hermetic had gestures rather than newer ones and was more concise.

There was a feeling of enormous power in the room as the large group of Hermetics worked together for the same purpose, many voices joining as one for the words in Latin, many souls spinning in the power for the workings. You could feel your Avatar getting...exitited, this was fun for her, whatever else she was, she was a piece of pure Primal energies, she was one with the Quintessence Pool and this much raw Quintessence swirling around made her feel...at home. Power vibrated through the walls, it felt as if your skin, your flesh and your bones where made of vis, and it all vibrated with the words spoken like waves in some faraway ocean, the power of words nevermore clear as you became your intent and the words you spoke to express it, the gestures of your hands becoming movements of the massive Quintessence flow itself and time ceased to be, there was only power, will and movement.

(OOC: Would you like me to make the rolls for the ritual or do you want to do so, or not to have any rolls for that many magi to work on simple banishmings I am assuming the chance of them not pulling it of to be minimal.)

(OOC 2: Yes a younger Hohn Hurt with weary old eyes work for Joakim. Emily Browning with short hair works for Beatrice. Waked for Jeffry Morgan works but again with longer, grayer hair and looking more old and worn. Yes such a thread might be fun. So might be a thread about what music would fit for each character. )

[Warpmind]

"It is about the worst thing that can happen to a mage..."
Min agreed then he sigh.
"Something have to be done with Miss Carlyle we can not let her run loose to rampage around...and if it is the last resort then it is necessary."
He said and shook his head.
"If there is no other option Mr Wainwright please do not let it eat away at you, I know from experience how a horrible...deed one is forced to do can burn away like acid on one's mind."
He added softly.

Colin nodded, "There are attempts to trap miss Carlyle and her Avatar in the works - I'm cautiously optimistic about those; we have Master Telar working on it; if anyone can ensnare the thing, even temporarily, it's her..."

"Yes...I dislike the Union but at least there is some sense to it when we fight them, it is a war of ideology, and do not get me wrong they can be brutal bastards but at least...they are not this twisted."
Min muttered darkly.

He frowned, "Yes, the Union, at least, is fundamentally in agreement with us that the battlefield needs to be kept as intact as possible. That makes them... easier to negotiate, after a fashion; you know they'll be less likely to deploy WMDs in public places, since that would be detrimental to the world we're fighting over..."

"Hum...interesting I have heard of some Cultists having such visions. Well I hope your future self can think of a better solution then if all else fails and that he do not destroy himself with Paradox in the process."
The old Quesitor said then he shook his head.
"Still vision have a tendency not to come when we need them the worst, when only horrible options are left, options that will taint us for the rest of our lives."

He shrugged, "Actually, according to Master Steelhaven, there seems to be a travel component to the visions I've had, directly implying it's not just visions, meaning there's a sufficient chance my future self can send back some talisman or similar macguffin, and frankly, the Paradox would probably be bloody worth it if I can avoid creating a vampire like this..."

((OOC: Hm, other characters... I'm thinking perhaps Dame Maggie Smith for Hildegard Gottschalk. Adjan Terach... Jude Law, perhaps? Amadeus Nassa, hm, Sir Ian McKellen? I could probably go on. ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "There are attempts to trap miss Carlyle and her Avatar in the works - I'm cautiously optimistic about those; we have Master Telar working on it; if anyone can ensnare the thing, even temporarily, it's her..."

"If anyone can do it it is Master Telar, she is said to be the best."
The Quesitor said and nodded.
"I hope it is possible to trap that thing hopefully the last resort will not be needed."

He frowned, "Yes, the Union, at least, is fundamentally in agreement with us that the battlefield needs to be kept as intact as possible. That makes them... easier to negotiate, after a fashion; you know they'll be less likely to deploy WMDs in public places, since that would be detrimental to the world we're fighting over..."

"Yes the Union they...have good intentions. I do not agree with them in most thing and would fight to the death to avoid the cold static world with no magick they dream of, but at least they want to protect the sleepers, originally that is why they where formed as the Order of Reason to protect the sleepers from the supernatural horrors that all to often threatened their lives."
He said and nodded.
"Or to put it into other words I would not want any of the other factions to win but if I had to choose between the Technocracy and the Nephandi there really are no doubt about who I will choose."

He shrugged, "Actually, according to Master Steelhaven, there seems to be a travel component to the visions I've had, directly implying it's not just visions, meaning there's a sufficient chance my future self can send back some talisman or similar macguffin, and frankly, the Paradox would probably be bloody worth it if I can avoid creating a vampire like this..."

"That is quite fascinating, well there is always hoping Mr Wainwright, and if your future self can really send a solution back, perhaps that would be worth it not to have such a stain on your soul, then again all of us who is going along with it will share that stain, it would be a horrible thing if...the last resort will have to be used..."
He said and sigh then he nodded.
"Well at least we will be able to end her pain quickly after it was done, not that it makes it very much better."

(OOC: Yes she works for Hildegard quite well. For Adjan I am not sure he is tall and unhealthily thin with sharp gray eyes and long dark blond hair that hang to his shoulders wearing a long gray coat and simple clothing, with a sharp, angular face and sharp features.)

[Warpmind]

"Yes the Union they...have good intentions. I do not agree with them in most thing and would fight to the death to avoid the cold static world with no magick they dream of, but at least they want to protect the sleepers, originally that is why they where formed as the Order of Reason to protect the sleepers from the supernatural horrors that all to often threatened their lives."
He said and nodded.
"Or to put it into other words I would not want any of the other factions to win but if I had to choose between the Technocracy and the Nephandi there really are no doubt about who I will choose."

Colin frowned, "The enemy that can be reasoned with about the right way to protect the world, or the enemy that wants to unravel existence... I've met more Technocrats that could be reasoned with than Nephandi. For that matter, the Technocracy has the benefit of being possible to... convert to our side. Not as a whole, but individual members and even entire factions. I'd like to see the Void Engineers change their allegiance, for certain. They have excellent equipment and a less unpleasant disposition on the whole than the rest of the Union... Sun Tzu would approve of that; an enemy won over is a far greater victory than one obliterated."

"That is quite fascinating, well there is always hoping Mr Wainwright, and if your future self can really send a solution back, perhaps that would be worth it not to have such a stain on your soul, then again all of us who is going along with it will share that stain, it would be a horrible thing if...the last resort will have to be used..."
He said and sigh then he nodded.
"Well at least we will be able to end her pain quickly after it was done, not that it makes it very much better."

He nodded darkly, "It would open a can of worms that could nevermore be closed. A Pandora's Box, except without hope at the bottom..."

((OOC: Ah, not Jude Law, then. Starve Adam Driver for a few weeks? ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin frowned, "The enemy that can be reasoned with about the right way to protect the world, or the enemy that wants to unravel existence... I've met more Technocrats that could be reasoned with than Nephandi. For that matter, the Technocracy has the benefit of being possible to... convert to our side. Not as a whole, but individual members and even entire factions.

"You are very right about that Mr Wainwright, with the Technocracy we have a conflict as to how to protect reality and what Paradigm should be prevalent, they think a uncontrollable world filled with magick is dangerous, we do to but we think it is worth the risk. The Nephandi though want nothing more than to end existence before it begun...one we can reason with the other we can only pity as we destroy them."
Min said sternly.

I'd like to see the Void Engineers change their allegiance, for certain. They have excellent equipment and a less unpleasant disposition on the whole than the rest of the Union... Sun Tzu would approve of that; an enemy won over is a far greater victory than one obliterated."

"That would be most beneficial, it would rob the Union of a chunk of their numbers, and make them less effective in the Umbra, and we would gain a powerful new Tradition. I would welcome the Void Engineers to our ranks if they could ever be convinced to switch sides."
The Quesitor said and nodded approvingly.

He nodded darkly, "It would open a can of worms that could nevermore be closed. A Pandora's Box, except without hope at the bottom..."

"Yes it would be...a terrible thing, but at least if we have to do a thing like that at least it would be for the greater good, although that is an excuse all to often used by those committing unforgivable acts."
The old judge said and sigh.
"Let us just hope you never have to use the content of that thermos."

(OOC: Yes starving Driver and making him blond should do quite well for Adjan. )

[Warpmind]

"You are very right about that Mr Wainwright, with the Technocracy we have a conflict as to how to protect reality and what Paradigm should be prevalent, they think a uncontrollable world filled with magick is dangerous, we do to but we think it is worth the risk. The Nephandi though want nothing more than to end existence before it begun...one we can reason with the other we can only pity as we destroy them."
Min said sternly.

Colin nodded, "Liberty versus Autocracy. I know which I prefer; the latter may seem more stable, but it's generally far more conductive to dramatic and unpleasant change... Well, it's the bloody Cycle showing off, I suppose."

"That would be most beneficial, it would rob the Union of a chunk of their numbers, and make them less effective in the Umbra, and we would gain a powerful new Tradition. I would welcome the Void Engineers to our ranks if they could ever be convinced to switch sides."
The Quesitor said and nodded approvingly.

He grinned, "Yes, but I suppose there would be some amount of dispute between the Dreamspeakers, the Hollow Ones and the Void Engineers over seating... Recruit the Void Engineers and bring popcorn?"

"Yes it would be...a terrible thing, but at least if we have to do a thing like that at least it would be for the greater good, although that is an excuse all to often used by those committing unforgivable acts."
The old judge said and sigh.
"Let us just hope you never have to use the content of that thermos."

He sighed, "Well, if miss Carlyle is dealt with early in the assault, at least I can use the thermos as a bloody hand grenade - it should be a dram of tass in there that I can employ in that manner, and that should cleanse most of the resonances of it, too. A far more agreeable use of the stuff. Besides, I'll be buying miss Mirri a new thermos, anyway..."

He shook his head, "Enough about that... Shall we get on with things? I need to see miss Kelly about the possibility of using her Umbral ship, and if viable, retrieving the power cells from that vessel should take some time."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "Liberty versus Autocracy. I know which I prefer; the latter may seem more stable, but it's generally far more conductive to dramatic and unpleasant change... Well, it's the bloody Cycle showing off, I suppose."

"I prefer liberty as well, yes we all need some stability to grow and be happy but we do not need stagnation and what the Union are looking for is precisely that, stagnation and nothing more."
Min said and sigh.
"Yes it could be the Cycle, and sometimes we need dramatic and unpleasant change to develop further."

He grinned, "Yes, but I suppose there would be some amount of dispute between the Dreamspeakers, the Hollow Ones and the Void Engineers over seating... Recruit the Void Engineers and bring popcorn?"

"Yes recruiting the Void Engineers might lead to some disputes, hopefully that can be sorted out though, and getting another Tradition would be a serious boon, even if it would result in some debate and mess up the numerology a little, then again with the Hollow Ones that would make us eleven which is a powerful number in itself and reduce to two which is a number of cooperation and understanding."

He sighed, "Well, if miss Carlyle is dealt with early in the assault, at least I can use the thermos as a bloody hand grenade - it should be a dram of tass in there that I can employ in that manner, and that should cleanse most of the resonances of it, too. A far more agreeable use of the stuff. Besides, I'll be buying miss Mirri a new thermos, anyway..."

"But the Resonance of such Tass...ah that rote of yours...well yes that would be a better use of the stuff than to use it to...deal with Miss Carlyle."
The Quesitor said and nodded then he gave a slight smile.
"I am sure our cook will appreciate not getting a thermos that have been filled with massassa blood back, I for once am not sure I would drink from such a thing no matter how many time it had been washed."
He said and raised an eyebrow.

He shook his head, "Enough about that... Shall we get on with things? I need to see miss Kelly about the possibility of using her Umbral ship, and if viable, retrieving the power cells from that vessel should take some time."

"Off course, I imagine Miss Kelly is up on the third floor in the room at this time, number...ehm...308, but her ship it is filled with corrupted Quintessence."
Min said and raised an eyebrow.
"How can you use that safely?"
He asked as he stood.
"In either case yes let us get going there are no time to loose."

[Adley]

Snug...that wasn't something he had expected to feel after setting Cita's rote to work but that was how he could describe it. It was a pleasant, comforting feeling, a warm blanket around his soul. Well, that showed him about having certain ideas about how technomagic rotes should feel when applied, he supposed. He had expected it to feel far more utilitarian. There wasn't time to appreciate it more than that before starting to work. And that was another surprise. Much of what he'd done had been pretty hard grafting recently and he'd not expected anything else. He hadn't expected -fun.- There was a bigger danger to fun than to pain or intense need to concentrate; one slip and too much 'fun' could mean things getting out of control, of losing track of time and what the objective was for the magic. Becoming a Marauder. He had to keep focused, or he'd be washed away in the sea of vibrations that permeated everything...it was everywhere, it was him, the other magii, all radiant energy in all its permutations, from the moment the universe was conceived into being.

He tried to bring his awareness back into himself, paying attention to his hands and words that swam and joined the others, that he still had a body even if he felt vibrant with energy, overflowing like a fountain, a cup running over. And Crexia, for she was leading them and there needed to be an anchor.

//I don't have any preference - I'll go along with what you think is best regarding how much we roll for things just let me know what you'd like for me to do (how many rolls if any)

: ) Also, lol poor Adam Driver, everyone starving him. I'll stick up a thread for this and theme songs, should I put it in the Characters board or would somewhere else be better?

[Warpmind]

"Yes recruiting the Void Engineers might lead to some disputes, hopefully that can be sorted out though, and getting another Tradition would be a serious boon, even if it would result in some debate and mess up the numerology a little, then again with the Hollow Ones that would make us eleven which is a powerful number in itself and reduce to two which is a number of cooperation and understanding."

Colin shrugged, smiling faintly, "Numerology was never something I got that much into... I'll take your word for that. Hum... that does have some interesting implications for the Solificati Rebis, come to think of it..."

"But the Resonance of such Tass...ah that rote of yours...well yes that would be a better use of the stuff than to use it to...deal with Miss Carlyle."
The Quesitor said and nodded then he gave a slight smile.
"I am sure our cook will appreciate not getting a thermos that have been filled with massassa blood back, I for once am not sure I would drink from such a thing no matter how many time it had been washed."
He said and raised an eyebrow.

He nodded, almost smugly, "Yes, that rote of mine... I hope to teach the basics of it to a few of the others in the strike teams; if nothing else, it could help us deploy the Labyrinth's Nodes and Tass stores against them safely. As for the thermos, I'll even personalize the replacement for your good chef. I should be able to have it delivered over the course of next week, I think. No good to keep the cook waiting impatiently."

"Off course, I imagine Miss Kelly is up on the third floor in the room at this time, number...ehm...308, but her ship it is filled with corrupted Quintessence."
Min said and raised an eyebrow.
"How can you use that safely?"
He asked as he stood.
"In either case yes let us get going there are no time to loose."

He smiled thinly, "Again, my rote. Well, maybe. It depends a lot on how the ship stores said Quintessence. I do think, however, that I can help cleanse her entire ship at a later point, but that's a matter for more peaceful times..."
He rose and pocketed the thermos again, nodding briskly, "Right, Sir, let's be about it."
He gave Min a quick bow and strode back into the hallway, glancing around for miss Kelly and, if she wasn't there, headed upstairs toward her room.

((OOC: Ah, numerology... Funny thing, if you calculate my name - Marius Incognito Blomkvist - before and after the middle name was added, well... ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Adley:

The pulsating, powerful feeling continued as the combined will of the gathered Hermetics worked to create a wind...a command to force a spirit out of the vicinity. Whatever Cita's app was doing was working for the Umbrood shard did not stir at all, it felt perfectly safe. The simple ritual was performed, and completed and then Crexia stored it in a bead, then it was done again, like the ebb and flow of the tide as Quintessence flowed though you, taking with it some of your fatigue and weariness but also providing a dangerous temptation...it would be so plesant to float away on that steam of power, however your Mentor's words echo in your mind.
"Be steadfast and be stern, magick is there for you to control it, not the other way around. Yes though Resonance as you affect the world, it will also affect you, but you must be master and it servant as you work your will."
You remember that lesson once when you had let your imagination run off with you and produced a different result than what Jeffry had asked for, he had reminded you that the first quality of a magus was self control. Words...energy...power...the will to drive away that which did not belong...repeat it, for just one moment, a fleeting second you understood what Umbroods said when they declared they where fire or they where that fountain which they was a manifestation of or for the Brothers they where protectors...for right now you where the ritual being performed, where the flowing energies, where the intent and will behind it, it was your entire, being save that small part that kept you anchored, reminded you of your name, of who and what you where, and then...the final word fell, the last gesture was performed and Crexia elegantly made the sign of silence and the energies subsided and you where again a man standing in a large stone chamber, under a Chantry full of mages that depended on you and others to stop the Nephandi from making something horrible happen. In Crexia's hands where a bunch of the colorful beads, around you some of the other magi leaned against the wall to get their breath back after the combined ritual work.
"Well...that was something...do you think this is how the Masters feel it all the time when working magick?"
Helen asked ask she stood with her hands on her knees catching her breath.
"I do not work with others often...damn..."
She continued.

Colin:

Colin shrugged, smiling faintly, "Numerology was never something I got that much into... I'll take your word for that. Hum... that does have some interesting implications for the Solificati Rebis, come to think of it..."

"I find numerology to be a useful tool, though I am not as bound to it as some Hermetics, I do appreciate the symbolism of numbers though and you need an understanding of it to be able to understand some of the more important Hermetic texts."
Min said then he nodded.
"Hum...well yes you might be right Mr Wainwright, if two rather then nine become our most cherished and significant number that might help redeem the rebis, and that would be a good thing there are so few of them left now and fewer and fewer of them get born, it is almost only on Horizon and other such realms we still see rebis being born."

He nodded, almost smugly, "Yes, that rote of mine... I hope to teach the basics of it to a few of the others in the strike teams; if nothing else, it could help us deploy the Labyrinth's Nodes and Tass stores against them safely. As for the thermos, I'll even personalize the replacement for your good chef. I should be able to have it delivered over the course of next week, I think. No good to keep the cook waiting impatiently."

"If there is time to teach the strike teak that would be a boon Mr Wainwright but remember we do not have allot of that, and also do keep in mind to be credited for your work."
The Quesitor advised then he smiled and nodded.
"I am sure Mirri would appreciate that, the good lady do enjoy her hiking trips, and her hot coffee."

He smiled thinly, "Again, my rote. Well, maybe. It depends a lot on how the ship stores said Quintessence. I do think, however, that I can help cleanse her entire ship at a later point, but that's a matter for more peaceful times..."

"Quite a useful little rote you got there Mr Wainwright...and I am sure Miss Kelly would appreciate that, I know she intends to sell the ship if it is ever possible I am sure she will pay you for your efforts when she do, if you manage to pull it off. As for the ship's Tass stores, you are thinking of using your rote to detonate them then? That is not a bad idea actually."

He rose and pocketed the thermos again, nodding briskly, "Right, Sir, let's be about it."

"Indeed."
Master Min said and nodded.

He gave Min a quick bow and strode back into the hallway, glancing around for miss Kelly and, if she wasn't there, headed upstairs toward her room.

The Quesitor gave you a polite nod as you left. You see neither Miss Kelly or Joakim, though he was probably busy gathering mages for the strike team, you did see a steady steam of sleepy willworkers shambling towards the dining room for breakfast though and some of those had probably been roused by the Chief.

You get to Miss Kelly's room and knock on the door, soon a very tall, fit young woman opened the door, her fingers working on attaching small, pearl studs to her ears as she opened the door. Fine, metallic threads seamed to be woven into her skin all over what exposed flesh you saw, other than that she looked normal with short, curly blond hair, a pretty face with blue eyes, and wearing a white blouse, a light blue denim knee length skirt and white pumps as well as a plain silver heart around her neck. You remember having seen her during the rescue operation at the Post Office.
"Ah Mr Wainwright was it not? Please come in I was told you wanted to speak with me."
Samantha said and opened her door wider so you could enter her neat, ordered room.
"I do not believe we have officially met. I am Samantha Josephine Kelly bani Sons of Ether filia Dr Norton Kelly, what can I do for you?"
She asked and offered her hand in greeting as soon as she was done with her earring.

(OOC: I do not think a roll is needed with that many mages the chance of failing at something easy is near null. I rolled for Crexia's hanging spells and she did well.)

(OOC 2: The character section sounds good for such threads.)

(OOC 3: I love working with numerology and having some familiarity with it helps when reading the Tarot.)

(OOC 4: I might be a bit slow responding tonight as I am GMing for one of my gaming groups.)

[Warpmind]

"I find numerology to be a useful tool, though I am not as bound to it as some Hermetics, I do appreciate the symbolism of numbers though and you need an understanding of it to be able to understand some of the more important Hermetic texts."
Min said then he nodded.
"Hum...well yes you might be right Mr Wainwright, if two rather then nine become our most cherished and significant number that might help redeem the rebis, and that would be a good thing there are so few of them left now and fewer and fewer of them get born, it is almost only on Horizon and other such realms we still see rebis being born."

Colin nodded, "I should look into it. I think it could be an excellent medium to bridge the gap between Hermetics and Technomancers, for example."

"If there is time to teach the strike teak that would be a boon Mr Wainwright but remember we do not have allot of that, and also do keep in mind to be credited for your work."
The Quesitor advised then he smiled and nodded.
"I am sure Mirri would appreciate that, the good lady do enjoy her hiking trips, and her hot coffee."

He smiled, "Oh, I'll ask confidentiality from each person I try to give instruction to beforehand... Of course, after the rote is formally registered and published, they'll have my blessing to pass it on."

"Quite a useful little rote you got there Mr Wainwright...and I am sure Miss Kelly would appreciate that, I know she intends to sell the ship if it is ever possible I am sure she will pay you for your efforts when she do, if you manage to pull it off. As for the ship's Tass stores, you are thinking of using your rote to detonate them then? That is not a bad idea actually."

He grinned, "The rote itself is just a simple trick, it's what it fuels that makes it so brilliant, with no shred of false modesty. The day I figure out how to make fire and lightning... But, I don't necessarily mean to detonate the quintessence batteries; it could possibly be better employed to overpower the Aegis I expect the Labyrinth enjoys. I might not be able to break such a ward myself, but I expect I could help provide one hell of a boost to whoever does rip it apart, and safely to boot."

You get to Miss Kelly's room and knock on the door, soon a very tall, fit young woman opened the door, her fingers working on attaching small, pearl studs to her ears as she opened the door. Fine, metallic threads seamed to be woven into her skin all over what exposed flesh you saw, other than that she looked normal with short, curly blond hair, a pretty face with blue eyes, and wearing a white blouse, a light blue denim knee length skirt and white pumps as well as a plain silver heart around her neck. You remember having seen her during the rescue operation at the Post Office.
"Ah Mr Wainwright was it not? Please come in I was told you wanted to speak with me."
Samantha said and opened her door wider so you could enter her neat, ordered room.
"I do not believe we have officially met. I am Samantha Josephine Kelly bani Sons of Ether filia Dr Norton Kelly, what can I do for you?"
She asked and offered her hand in greeting as soon as she was done with her earring.

Colin bowed and shook her hand, "Yes, miss, Colin Wainwright, Orphan of Steelhaven Hall, at your service. I believe I saw you during the affair with the Mercere Chantry earlier"
He shook his head as he followed her inside, "Ah, sorry, time is of the essence... I've been informed you are in possession of an Umbral vessel which is currently... unusable due to highly resonated Quintessence in the engines? I'm quite interested in that - I believe we might be able to help one another out, in fact... Tell me, are you familiar with the ship's design, in particular the Quintessence batteries and whether or not they are easily man-portable?"

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Colin nodded, "I should look into it. I think it could be an excellent medium to bridge the gap between Hermetics and Technomancers, for example."

"It might be, however I am not so sure that there are that many similarities between programming a computer  and numerology, but perhaps some bridge could be made."
Min said sounding doubtful.

He smiled, "Oh, I'll ask confidentiality from each person I try to give instruction to beforehand... Of course, after the rote is formally registered and published, they'll have my blessing to pass it on."

"That sound sensible enough Mr Wainwright, I just want to make sure you earn something on your invention, it is often not that easy for those with no Tradition backing them to make a name for themselves and you would not want to squander this opportunity."
The old Quesitor said and nodded.

He grinned, "The rote itself is just a simple trick, it's what it fuels that makes it so brilliant, with no shred of false modesty. The day I figure out how to make fire and lightning... But, I don't necessarily mean to detonate the quintessence batteries; it could possibly be better employed to overpower the Aegis I expect the Labyrinth enjoys. I might not be able to break such a ward myself, but I expect I could help provide one hell of a boost to whoever does rip it apart, and safely to boot."

"Well something simple can be very useful Mr Wainwright."
Min said and and glanced over at you.
"Hum...well taking a part a ward can be delicate work unless you are planning on doing it with brute force, would your rote work for that, delicate work and not just burning of undesirable Quintessence.
He asked as he regarded you.

Colin bowed and shook her hand, "Yes, miss, Colin Wainwright, Orphan of Steelhaven Hall, at your service. I believe I saw you during the affair with the Mercere Chantry earlier"

"It is nice to meet you Mr Wainwright, that is correct I was part of a group that was sent to the Mercere Post Office when the rescue team called in for backup...I believe you where wounded in the same operation? I am glad to see you are well now Sir."
Samantha said politely.

He shook his head as he followed her inside, "Ah, sorry, time is of the essence... I've been informed you are in possession of an Umbral vessel which is currently... unusable due to highly resonated Quintessence in the engines?

Samantha nodded as she lead you inside, her room was simple with a desk, a bed, a table and a few chairs, all of them white, there where two large brown book cases, and pictures on the walls, several of them of the handsome man in his 50's which might be her unfortunate father, The walls in the small room was gray and there was a colorful rug on the floor in blue and sea green. There where white lace curtains and on the table you see several issues of the Paradigma and some other magazines about transhumanism and cybernetics. The young mage's whole demeanor changed when you mentioned her father's ship and she looked down sadly.
"Yes...that is correct."
Was all she said in a low tone of voice.

I'm quite interested in that - I believe we might be able to help one another out, in fact... Tell me, are you familiar with the ship's design, in particular the Quintessence batteries and whether or not they are easily man-portable?"

"I...more or less grew up on that ship...I knew every aspect of her design...the batteries can be removed and carried yes but they would not be wise for any mage to use unless he or she desired to attract Jhor, that Quintessence if foul, no one should touch it."
The Etherite muttered and shook her head to underline her point.

(OOC: Do you want Jhor? For that is how you get Jhor. )

[Adley]

He didn't quite understand fully all the feelings he had about the shard - or, no maybe he did, more than he wanted to ponder about it at the moment. But he was glad it was safe, snug where it was for the moment and not affected by the rising spiritual wind they were creating. It was powerful, the simplicity of it was misleading. These were going to have some pretty strong kick. When the chamber was silent, the rotes sealed in time, it was almost as if it still echoed with voices for some while...or in his mind and spirit, as he grounded himself. Finally he opened his eyes and glanced around, still a bit dizzy and did another grounding exercise while everyone else cooled down. Helen's comments made him chuckle suddenly, still giddy. Oh, when this was over he would need to eat something. That would help. For now, though he worked on letting his vibrations settle back to their normal state before they went on to work on the flyswatters.

// have fun at your game, Anja

[Warpmind]

"It might be, however I am not so sure that there are that many similarities between programming a computer and numerology, but perhaps some bridge could be made."
Min said sounding doubtful.

Colin smiled, "It's... a hack job, to be sure, but I was on to something earlier; the two share an odd, underlying logic of sorts... Granted, my understanding of both is shallow, but I did find something in both that had a similar echo, in a manner of speaking."

"That sound sensible enough Mr Wainwright, I just want to make sure you earn something on your invention, it is often not that easy for those with no Tradition backing them to make a name for themselves and you would not want to squander this opportunity."
The old Quesitor said and nodded.

He nodded, "For that rote... it's too important for the Traditions to have a safe means to dispose of heavily resonated Tass - corrupted Tass in particular - for me to worry about immediate monetary returns. I do believe the academic acknowledgment and indeed the PR benefits will outweigh the cash value, to use so crass a term, for the rote itself, though I expect I'll be able to leverage some compensation for direct instruction, even if I get the rote itself published in the Paradigma before Christmas. Well, as an example means of distribution. I suspect the newletter would pay handsomely for first publishing rights for something like that."

"Well something simple can be very useful Mr Wainwright."
Min said and and glanced over at you.
"Hum...well taking a part a ward can be delicate work unless you are planning on doing it with brute force, would your rote work for that, delicate work and not just burning of undesirable Quintessence.
He asked as he regarded you.

He grinned, "Someone less charitable than me might see that as a backhanded compliment, but yes, the world is full of simple things everyone finds useful yet never thinks about - like the paper clip or rubber band... As for employing that Quintessence to dismantling an Aegis, that would be a matter of how finely tuned the insertion of Quintessence into the spell would be... though, it would probably be most aptly suited for the brute force approach."

"It is nice to meet you Mr Wainwright, that is correct I was part of a group that was sent to the Mercere Post Office when the rescue team called in for backup...I believe you where wounded in the same operation? I am glad to see you are well now Sir."
Samantha said politely.

Colin nodded, slightly cautiously, "Eh, wounded is... perhaps slightly inaccurate; I suffered no actual injury of any kind, I just had my Avatar... sandpapered, so to speak. No harm done, but the Fallen's miscalculation turned out painful for me and fatal for her."

Samantha nodded as she lead you inside, her room was simple with a desk, a bed, a table and a few chairs, all of them white, there where two large brown book cases, and pictures on the walls, several of them of the handsome man in his 50's which might be her unfortunate father, The walls in the small room was gray and there was a colorful rug on the floor in blue and sea green. There where white lace curtains and on the table you see several issues of the Paradigma and some other magazines about transhumanism and cybernetics. The young mage's whole demeanor changed when you mentioned her father's ship and she looked down sadly.
"Yes...that is correct."
Was all she said in a low tone of voice.

He lowered his gaze, "I'm sorry to bring up any painful memories, I understand your father was... lost with the ship, so to speak, due to the trauma he suffered in the incident. My condolences."

"I...more or less grew up on that ship...I knew every aspect of her design...the batteries can be removed and carried yes but they would not be wise for any mage to use unless he or she desired to attract Jhor, that Quintessence if foul, no one should touch it."
The Etherite muttered and shook her head to underline her point.

He nodded, "Excellent, you see, I have recently devised a novel Rote which renders concern over heavily resonated Quintessence an almost moot point. Almost. I can put Tass and other forms of readily available Quintessence to direct use without... taking it into myself; what purpose to put it toward is a separate matter, but whatever it is used for gets flavoured by the Quintessence, and the Resonance essentially eaten up by the use. I have, in fact, enjoyed some success with weaponizing sachets of corrupted Tass as makeshift hand grenades without any side effects to the environment or the people around, excepting the people who were, well, hit by the flying shards of primal energy, that is. Directly interacting with the Quintessence would be a great no-no indeed, but I can do so safely, by proxy. All I need is permission to bring it to the battlefield."
He paused, "I'd be honoured to try to help cleanse your ship at a later date, if that is of interest to you, but for now, any supply of Tass normally deemed too dangerous to use is a mighty resource against the Fallen."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Adley:

Grounding yourself helped, you found as you calmed your energies though that some had remained in your Avatar, perhaps one or two drams worth, just from the swirl of powers in the room during the ritual work. Yes eating would help but for now there where little time for that.

Helen took a few moments then she sat down on the ground and pulled the cork of a felt tip pen.
"Ready."
She said and she sounded at the same time scared of the overwhelmingly strong forces the group had worked with and eager to feel them again. Crexia nodded.
"This time will be a little different."
She said waiting for everyone to look at her before she continued to be sure she had their attention.
"Miss Valve will be doing the working, we will generate power, and fill her working with that, assisting her. We will be using Rego and Vim, hum...since all we need are to generate energy and send out will to our Sodalis let us use the Middle Pillar ritual but with old hand gestures, it is a modern rite but quite effective for that kind of work and less likely to color the magick as we work it beyond directing it to what Miss Valve are doing."
She instructed.
"Any questions?"
The archmaga asked and looked around to see if anyone had something to add but it did not seam like anyone did."

Colin:

Colin smiled, "It's... a hack job, to be sure, but I was on to something earlier; the two share an odd, underlying logic of sorts... Granted, my understanding of both is shallow, but I did find something in both that had a similar echo, in a manner of speaking."

"Most interesting, I would love to hear about what your idea around this was when we have more time to discuss such matters Mr Wainwright, if you can find a way for some technomancers and Hermetics to work together that would certainly be a boon, perhaps learning more about both Paradigms might be an idea for you then?"
Min suggested and gave you a interested look.

He nodded, "For that rote... it's too important for the Traditions to have a safe means to dispose of heavily resonated Tass - corrupted Tass in particular - for me to worry about immediate monetary returns. I do believe the academic acknowledgment and indeed the PR benefits will outweigh the cash value, to use so crass a term, for the rote itself, though I expect I'll be able to leverage some compensation for direct instruction, even if I get the rote itself published in the Paradigma before Christmas. Well, as an example means of distribution. I suspect the newletter would pay handsomely for first publishing rights for something like that."

"That is a very altruistic way to look at it my good man."
The old Enforcer said with an approving nod.
"Yes indeed such a rote might garter you quite a bit of fame and recognition among the Traditions and you are probably right that the Paradigma might pay quite well to be the first to publish and article about it...and interesting strategy to earn from your accomplishment, but not a bad one."

He grinned, "Someone less charitable than me might see that as a backhanded compliment,

"I assure you Mr Wainwright I meant no insult nor a backhanded compliment at your character."
Min said with an apologetic gesture.

but yes, the world is full of simple things everyone finds useful yet never thinks about - like the paper clip or rubber band...

The old Hermetic nodded at that.

As for employing that Quintessence to dismantling an Aegis, that would be a matter of how finely tuned the insertion of Quintessence into the spell would be... though, it would probably be most aptly suited for the brute force approach."

"So you can also insert Quintessence into a pre existing pattern with this rote of yours? Not just burn Quintessence out of a pattern?"
Master Min asked.
"Yes I suspect brute force might be a more...reliable application unless your rote is very precise."

Colin nodded, slightly cautiously, "Eh, wounded is... perhaps slightly inaccurate; I suffered no actual injury of any kind, I just had my Avatar... sandpapered, so to speak. No harm done, but the Fallen's miscalculation turned out painful for me and fatal for her."

Samantha visibly flinched at the description, she might not be needing breakfast after all this morning.
"Oh my that sounds quite...dreadful...I hope your Avatar...is alright?"
She asked sounding horrified and concerned and Mia all but groaned inside of your soul at one more question to whatever or not she was alright.
"So the responsible Nephandus is dead? Well that is a relief, one of those...we found on the floor of the Post Office then."
Samantha asked though she still looked queasy.

He lowered his gaze, "I'm sorry to bring up any painful memories, I understand your father was... lost with the ship, so to speak, due to the trauma he suffered in the incident. My condolences."

"Yes he was...lost...his mind at least..."
The Etherite said and looked down at the carpet.
"I...it is ok, it is a sad thing to talk about but...well ehm what about the Serafina where you wondering about Mr Wainwright?"
She muttered very softly.

He nodded, "Excellent, you see, I have recently devised a novel Rote which renders concern over heavily resonated Quintessence an almost moot point. Almost. I can put Tass and other forms of readily available Quintessence to direct use without... taking it into myself; what purpose to put it toward is a separate matter, but whatever it is used for gets flavoured by the Quintessence, and the Resonance essentially eaten up by the use.

"I see...that is quite a rote Mr Wainwright such a thing would be immensely valuable for cleaning up corrupted and sanitized Nodes...perhaps it could even save my father's ship, see her flying again."
The technomancer said eagerly then she stopped herself from getting to worked up about it and asked cautiously.
"But are you sure that it works Sir? Corrupted Quintessence can be very dangerous."

I have, in fact, enjoyed some success with weaponizing sachets of corrupted Tass as makeshift hand grenades without any side effects to the environment or the people around, excepting the people who were, well, hit by the flying shards of primal energy, that is. Directly interacting with the Quintessence would be a great no-no indeed, but I can do so safely, by proxy. All I need is permission to bring it to the battlefield."

"Ehm...you want to use the Quintessence batteries in my father's ship as giant grenades against the Nephandi?"
The young Etherite asked, her mouth slightly agape with shock about what you where saying.
"I...well I guess I do not mind, it is not like I can use that damned juice, however I will only allow you to take those batteries if you can show me that your rote works...please forgive me Mr Wainwright I do not mean to doubt you, but I will not let that bloody Quintessence claim another life like it did my father and his crew."
She said with a sad but determined look in her sky blue eyes.

He paused, "I'd be honoured to try to help cleanse your ship at a later date, if that is of interest to you, but for now, any supply of Tass normally deemed too dangerous to use is a mighty resource against the Fallen."

"I would like that Mr Wainwright, my father would have liked the ship he built to fly again. I do not think I could bare to keep her though and if she could be restored I plan to sell her. I am not rich all I have of any great value is that ship but I am willing to give you twenty five percent of her selling price if you help me cleanse her...if your rote works so you are not putting yourself in any danger by doing so."
Samantha said and nodded eagerly.
"I see, well if that Quintessence can be used for any good...I think my father would have liked that. But I can not let you have it before I actually know you can handle it safely, I do hope you can understand."
She said apologetically, determined not to let anyone suffer her father's fate if she could help it.

(OOC: Thank you it was fun. A Bonisagus who loved two things in life books and booze and a Verbena who wanted to be a Nephandus but joined the Traditions to look after her baby sister trying to figure out who raided their Chantry's Node, how could that possibly go wrong. )

[Adley]

"This time will be a little different." She said waiting for everyone to look at her before she continued to be sure she had their attention. "Miss Valve will be doing the working, we will generate power, and fill her working with that, assisting her. We will be using Rego and Vim, hum...since all we need are to generate energy and send out will to our Sodalis let us use the Middle Pillar ritual but with old hand gestures, it is a modern rite but quite effective for that kind of work and less likely to color the magick as we work it beyond directing it to what Miss Valve are doing." She instructed. "Any questions?"

"Traditional formula, I assume?" After hearing some of the students outside that still used the Thelemic version, best to ask the obvious question. The versions had the same purpose but different words. He went over the work in his mind to further settle himself down from its previous rush, before they raised more energy again. Once ready to begin, he stood with his hands by his side in a neutral position, ready to start when the Lady Crexia began. His body was a temple, the pillars on each side of him. Ready.

// According to M20, if they're channeling quint, that'd be using P3 and Adley will act like an assistant in concert. If it's an enchanting rote, then that is P2 though. Also, let me know how many of Cita's banish-be-gonez get used up by the time they're done needing them, thanks. If it's appropriate for him to use them now, he will.

[Warpmind]

"Most interesting, I would love to hear about what your idea around this was when we have more time to discuss such matters Mr Wainwright, if you can find a way for some technomancers and Hermetics to work together that would certainly be a boon, perhaps learning more about both Paradigms might be an idea for you then?"
Min suggested and gave you a interested look.

Colin scratched his head, "Actually, the attempt earlier was to try to let Adley reach a... hypothetical recording based on the pinpointing miss Adelbloom had extrapolated from a phone's internal log... Not quite the tool for working in concert as such, more of a tool for a Hermetic to extricate information from a Virtual Adept's data package. You see, miss Adelbloom could find the information, but not turn it into sound, whereas Adley should be able to create the sound, but not... ah, I think you get the general idea. In the end, Adley and I had to run off, and miss Adelbloom managed to get the assistance of another Virtual Adept to get the conversation recorded properly in our absence. But yes, further study is going to be valuable - study of all the Paradigms. Including the Technocrats', though that one would probably be the most easily accessible without tutoring."

"That is a very altruistic way to look at it my good man."
The old Enforcer said with an approving nod.
"Yes indeed such a rote might garter you quite a bit of fame and recognition among the Traditions and you are probably right that the Paradigma might pay quite well to be the first to publish and article about it...and interesting strategy to earn from your accomplishment, but not a bad one."

He smiled thinly, "Altruistic and altruistic - I see it more like paying taxes to support public education; the world is both more comfortable and safer if everyone is able to read and follow basic written instructions; if that Rote can help the Traditions as a whole to more efficiently dispose of corrupted Tass without sending Masters into... well, you know... then that would make the world a safer and more comfortable place for me too."

"I assure you Mr Wainwright I meant no insult nor a backhanded compliment at your character."
Min said with an apologetic gesture.

His grin widened, "I did not think you did; just noted that someone less charitable might think the phrasing referred to themselves rather than their working. It was funny in the moment, though I did not mean to cause you any stress in the observation."

"So you can also insert Quintessence into a pre existing pattern with this rote of yours? Not just burn Quintessence out of a pattern?"
Master Min asked.
"Yes I suspect brute force might be a more...reliable application unless your rote is very precise."

"Not... on my own. It would be like when Chief Morgan tapped the Ball of Abysmal Flame in the Boston Umbral Port - once he opened it up, I could siphon away a steady flow of Quintessence. Alternatively, I could have pumped it even fuller, though I can't see why I would want to do that, but for now, opening a set pattern is slightly beyond my skill. Tapping out a spell as it is flung at me, that's different, since it's already bleeding Quintessence at that point, and I can use that to drain it faster, but a set pattern, no... I would have to do it in concert with whoever starts to unravel the wards, with their consent, of course. Or, yes, I could detonate the batteries to tear holes in a physical wall, if that would be a more convenient deployment. My rote is as precise as the caster can make it, but it does not create an appreciable effect of its own; it's like a power cable connected to an electrical outlet - you still need to have something attached to the other end of the cable to use the power."

Samantha visibly flinched at the description, she might not be needing breakfast after all this morning.
"Oh my that sounds quite...dreadful...I hope your Avatar...is alright?"
She asked sounding horrified and concerned and Mia all but groaned inside of your soul at one more question to whatever or not she was alright.
"So the responsible Nephandus is dead? Well that is a relief, one of those...we found on the floor of the Post Office then."
Samantha asked though she still looked queasy.

He smiled wryly and mentally sent Mia a 'There, there', before nodding to Samantha, "A little itchy, but better than ever. I was up and running around, getting back into the fray not an hour later; I was just temporarily knocked unconscious. And yes, our actions were not kind to the Fallen's numbers..."

"I see...that is quite a rote Mr Wainwright such a thing would be immensely valuable for cleaning up corrupted and sanitized Nodes...perhaps it could even save my father's ship, see her flying again."
The technomancer said eagerly then she stopped herself from getting to worked up about it and asked cautiously.
"But are you sure that it works Sir? Corrupted Quintessence can be very dangerous."

He nodded, "Corrupted Quintessence is indeed very dangerous - but if you would care to look at my personal resonances, and you are welcome to take a look, I believe you'll find I haven't got a touch of Jhor, even after helping drain a Ball of Abysmal Flame yesterday and turning half a dozen drams of tainted Tass into rapidly flaring shards of quite disgusting-looking primal fire. I am quite sure the rote works, but I might need some more information on your ship's batteries to know that I can drain them relatively safely and directly."

"Ehm...you want to use the Quintessence batteries in my father's ship as giant grenades against the Nephandi?"
The young Etherite asked, her mouth slightly agape with shock about what you where saying.
"I...well I guess I do not mind, it is not like I can use that damned juice, however I will only allow you to take those batteries if you can show me that your rote works...please forgive me Mr Wainwright I do not mean to doubt you, but I will not let that bloody Quintessence claim another life like it did my father and his crew."
She said with a sad but determined look in her sky blue eyes.

He nodded, then shrugged, "Preferably, I would use the Quintessence in the batteries to help take down the Labyrinth's defenses, or even fuel some manner of area denial setup in the corridors, rather than blow them up as a makeshift explosive; they seem to me to be a bit too... full of power to detonate in their entirety, but if needs must be... And I'd love to show you how it works, if you don't mind. I've..."
He reached for his pocket, then frowned, "Oh, right, I left the last of the captured corrupted Tass with Chief Joakim for safekeeping, while I visited your lovely Node a little while ago... but if you have a dram of Tass to spare, I would be glad to teach you how to do it for yourself - I'm sure you can find far less unpleasant applications for it than something as vulgar as a shard of primal fire. Just be warned, whatever effect you create will be far more coloured by the Quintessence you use than your own personal resonances - so I would obviously not want to use heavily resonated Tass for a healing spell, nor do I think for example highly Static Tass would be good for making plants grow faster, or Dynamic Tass for artificially aging an item..."

"I would like that Mr Wainwright, my father would have liked the ship he built to fly again. I do not think I could bare to keep her though and if she could be restored I plan to sell her. I am not rich all I have of any great value is that ship but I am willing to give you twenty five percent of her selling price if you help me cleanse her...if your rote works so you are not putting yourself in any danger by doing so."
Samantha said and nodded eagerly.
"I see, well if that Quintessence can be used for any good...I think my father would have liked that. But I can not let you have it before I actually know you can handle it safely, I do hope you can understand."
She said apologetically, determined not to let anyone suffer her father's fate if she could help it.

He arched an eyebrow and let out an impressed whistle, "A quarter of the selling price... That's a quite rich offer, miss Kelly. But yes, I'm fairly certain I could help cleanse your ship, though it will probably be too monumental a task for me alone... As for how my Rote works, are you ranked as at least an Initiate of Prime? It is, in and of itself, a simple manipulation, and it works like... hmm, you're an Etherite, so let's see if you can follow the mechanical logic of it here..."
He pulled out pen and paper, and rapidly jotted down a few notes and diagrams, trying to explain the basics in a simple manner relying on mostly the same terms he used when he taught Master Harris earlier...

((OOC: So, Int + Paradigm Translation: 2,4,5,6,9... That going to be enough? ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Adley:

"Traditional formula, I assume?" After hearing some of the students outside that still used the Thelemic version, best to ask the obvious question. The versions had the same purpose but different words.

"Yes standard version Mr Roth Hicks it should be the one we are all most familiar with."
Crexia confirmed and nodded.

He went over the work in his mind to further settle himself down from its previous rush, before they raised more energy again. Once ready to begin, he stood with his hands by his side in a neutral position, ready to start when the Lady Crexia began. His body was a temple, the pillars on each side of him. Ready.

Crexia took a deep breath, trough it was unclear whatever or not her kind needed actual air, and then begun her rote, her words clear, firm and demanding, the small stone room became a holy place, each participant became holy, became the golden path between mercy and severity, the link between the base, material world and the holy. Powerful energy begun to flow but it was calmer this time, it did not swirl as much but it was just as powerful. You felt your Avatar there inside of you very clearly now, she was so perfect, beautiful and she was you, she was an extension of the pillar and a part of it, the link between Yesod and Malkuth, and she was Kether between your own tree and a higher Malkuth, a shining crown of aspiration and in this powerful flow of energy her wings unfolded as she was magnificent, that if what you felt like, magnificent as the work went on and Crexia directed the ritual into the work Helen did with the flyswatters, the Verdititus where drawing runes on the cheap plastic things, but to your eyes now she was not using pens she was drawing the will of the collected group into those would be weapons, making them as holy as the rest, glowing with power as she worked.

(OOC: I think here there might be a difference between what Adley experience in game and what system are used. In game he probably will feel and experience this as channeling Quintessence and gathering energy, systemwise though they are doing an enchantment rote so Spirit 2 Prime 2. Do you want to make the roll for the group or should I? Cita's banishment lasted for the length of the banishment rituals but the effect are gone now though they should not be needed to enchant something to be useful against spirits.)

Colin:

Colin scratched his head, "Actually, the attempt earlier was to try to let Adley reach a... hypothetical recording based on the pinpointing miss Adelbloom had extrapolated from a phone's internal log... Not quite the tool for working in concert as such, more of a tool for a Hermetic to extricate information from a Virtual Adept's data package. You see, miss Adelbloom could find the information, but not turn it into sound, whereas Adley should be able to create the sound, but not... ah, I think you get the general idea. In the end, Adley and I had to run off, and miss Adelbloom managed to get the assistance of another Virtual Adept to get the conversation recorded properly in our absence. But yes, further study is going to be valuable - study of all the Paradigms. Including the Technocrats', though that one would probably be the most easily accessible without tutoring."

"Hum that is most interesting. No having one of my Tradition work with a Virtual Adept is not an easy task, even with House Thig that is not an easy link to make there, when there is time I would love to hear about what attempts you made on that. As for studying Paradigms, yes if what you want to do is learn to be a interpreter of sort, which is a very useful and needed occupation, we have a couple of mages in the Traditions who are good at that and they are in high demand...far more demand than they can cover, and while most with such an ability are Orphans like yourself they can basically choose what Chantry to live in, very few would refuse them."
Master Min said and nodded approvingly.
"As for learning from the Technocracy, remember that even among them there are more than one Paradigm, you generally have two options, go to one of the several turncoats we have among our ranks who have defected from the Union, or if your skill become useful enough you can probably negotiate with a Tribunal to be allowed to learn from a captured Technocrat."

He smiled thinly, "Altruistic and altruistic - I see it more like paying taxes to support public education; the world is both more comfortable and safer if everyone is able to read and follow basic written instructions; if that Rote can help the Traditions as a whole to more efficiently dispose of corrupted Tass without sending Masters into... well, you know... then that would make the world a safer and more comfortable place for me too."

"True enough Mr Wainwright though many would not look at it in such a reasonable way and rather focus on what they can benefit from themselves in the whole deal."
Min said then he smiled.
"You are a good man."

His grin widened, "I did not think you did; just noted that someone less charitable might think the phrasing referred to themselves rather than their working. It was funny in the moment, though I did not mean to cause you any stress in the observation."

"Off course a misunderstanding then."
Master Min said and nodded politely.

"Not... on my own. It would be like when Chief Morgan tapped the Ball of Abysmal Flame in the Boston Umbral Port - once he opened it up, I could siphon away a steady flow of Quintessence. Alternatively, I could have pumped it even fuller, though I can't see why I would want to do that, but for now, opening a set pattern is slightly beyond my skill. Tapping out a spell as it is flung at me, that's different, since it's already bleeding Quintessence at that point, and I can use that to drain it faster, but a set pattern, no... I would have to do it in concert with whoever starts to unravel the wards, with their consent, of course.

"I see Mr Wainwright, well that do make allot of sense, so once a pattern in open to you, then you can drain it...hum that is quite useful if you can do that and not bring it into your own system as most of us would, and yes there is a difference between a spell being created or flung at you as it is in the process of manifestation and a standing pattern, that is quite right."
The old judge said and nodded again.

Or, yes, I could detonate the batteries to tear holes in a physical wall, if that would be a more convenient deployment. My rote is as precise as the caster can make it, but it does not create an appreciable effect of its own; it's like a power cable connected to an electrical outlet - you still need to have something attached to the other end of the cable to use the power."

"I see so it is a tool to use Quintessence that have been Resonated to a degree where it would be inadvisable to use, one would still attract Resonance for the actions one do but not be painted by the vis used...quite clever, and it might also be able to help Chantries that are to small to afford to keep a proper Node so they might have one to Resonated that others might want them, Dynamic are the most usual for such Node, or they might have one the Union have Sanitized making it to static...it could open that Quintessence up for safe use."

He smiled wryly and mentally sent Mia a 'There, there', before nodding to Samantha, "A little itchy, but better than ever. I was up and running around, getting back into the fray not an hour later; I was just temporarily knocked unconscious. And yes, our actions were not kind to the Fallen's numbers..."

Mia settled down but her feathers where ruffled, she was a lady after all, she did not like all of these questions about her person. Samantha nodded and smiled.
"I am glad you where not serious harmed Mr Wainwright and yes indeed there are fewer Nephandi in the world today and that is good, hopefully we can get rid of a few more when we take on their Labyrinth."

He nodded, "Corrupted Quintessence is indeed very dangerous - but if you would care to look at my personal resonances, and you are welcome to take a look, I believe you'll find I haven't got a touch of Jhor, even after helping drain a Ball of Abysmal Flame yesterday and turning half a dozen drams of tainted Tass into rapidly flaring shards of quite disgusting-looking primal fire. I am quite sure the rote works, but I might need some more information on your ship's batteries to know that I can drain them relatively safely and directly."

"Very well I will take you up on that offer Mr Wainwright."
The Etherite said and she went to one of the book shelves and gathered two items, one was a thick folder that she flipped though, it turned out it was Mary's Serafina's manual and she flipped it to the pages about the batteries and handed the heavy manual to you. It seamed that physically they where two containers about the size of a overnight bag each and they functioned from what you could understand much like the fuel tank on a car, Quintessence was used in and then it flowed though tubing to keep the ship running. Samantha gave you two plugs attached to a device that looked exactly like what an electrician would use to measure a socket's voltage.
"If you could be bothered to hold these Mr Wainwright."
She asked.

He nodded, then shrugged, "Preferably, I would use the Quintessence in the batteries to help take down the Labyrinth's defenses, or even fuel some manner of area denial setup in the corridors, rather than blow them up as a makeshift explosive; they seem to me to be a bit too... full of power to detonate in their entirety, but if needs must be... And I'd love to show you how it works, if you don't mind. I've..."

"I see but would not corrupted Quintessence help a Labyrinth? Though I guess that if your rote do what you say Sir then it would not matter and it could be used to take down some of what the Nephandi have set up or as a straight up weapon, and there is a certain irony in slapping the Fallen in the face with their own favorite weapon."
Samantha said and nodded though she still seamed sad.
"I will find seeing how your rote works most interesting Mr Wainwright."
She agreed and nodded.

He reached for his pocket, then frowned, "Oh, right, I left the last of the captured corrupted Tass with Chief Joakim for safekeeping, while I visited your lovely Node a little while ago... but if you have a dram of Tass to spare, I would be glad to teach you how to do it for yourself - I'm sure you can find far less unpleasant applications for it than something as vulgar as a shard of primal fire. Just be warned, whatever effect you create will be far more coloured by the Quintessence you use than your own personal resonances - so I would obviously not want to use heavily resonated Tass for a healing spell, nor do I think for example highly Static Tass would be good for making plants grow faster, or Dynamic Tass for artificially aging an item..."

"I see, well that do make sense."
The young Etherite said as she went to her desk and took out what looked like your regular double A battery and handed it to you.
"I do not have allot of Tass but spending a dram to see this rote work might be worth it. this is fairly static though, if that works Sir?"

He arched an eyebrow and let out an impressed whistle, "A quarter of the selling price... That's a quite rich offer, miss Kelly.

"It seams fair enough to me, I can not sell the ship before that corrupted Quintessence is gone, I can not even work on needed repairs, so it can sit there and rot or if you can actually remove that Tass and cleanse the ship and I can repair it someone might be able to use it, it seams fair you get a good share of the selling price for the job."
She said and smiled.

But yes, I'm fairly certain I could help cleanse your ship, though it will probably be too monumental a task for me alone...

"I see, well we can discuss it when we are not in the middle of a crisis situation then Mr Wainwright and come to some solution."
Samantha said and nodded eagerly.
"She was such a fine ship once."

As for how my Rote works, are you ranked as at least an Initiate of Prime? It is, in and of itself, a simple manipulation, and it works like... hmm, you're an Etherite, so let's see if you can follow the mechanical logic of it here..."

"I am a Disciple of Prime."
The Etherinte confirmed.
"And yes I am a member of the Sons of Ether, I use machines and electricity mainly. My father who was also my Mentor was taught by the same man who instructed Admiral Alexis Hastings if you have heard about her, we would use similar Paradigms."
She explained.

He pulled out pen and paper, and rapidly jotted down a few notes and diagrams, trying to explain the basics in a simple manner relying on mostly the same terms he used when he taught Master Harris earlier...

Samantha looked at your notes and nodded.
"I see so you interrupt the current and direct the ether out of it without first routing it though your own Avatar...hum quite brilliant...I think I can do this."
She said and found another machine that looked like something you would measure a wall socket with and attached one wire to the battery filled with Tass and then pressed some buttons. The young Etherite did manage to pull your rote off and small, electrical discharges formed cubes and other electrical patterns that glowed in the air for a moment as she burned of the Tass in the battery, the forms where not unpleasant but they where clearly quite static.
"Quite impressive."
Samantha muttered.
"Well I am convinced..."

[Warpmind]

"Hum that is most interesting. No having one of my Tradition work with a Virtual Adept is not an easy task, even with House Thig that is not an easy link to make there, when there is time I would love to hear about what attempts you made on that. As for studying Paradigms, yes if what you want to do is learn to be a interpreter of sort, which is a very useful and needed occupation, we have a couple of mages in the Traditions who are good at that and they are in high demand...far more demand than they can cover, and while most with such an ability are Orphans like yourself they can basically choose what Chantry to live in, very few would refuse them."
Master Min said and nodded approvingly.
"As for learning from the Technocracy, remember that even among them there are more than one Paradigm, you generally have two options, go to one of the several turncoats we have among our ranks who have defected from the Union, or if your skill become useful enough you can probably negotiate with a Tribunal to be allowed to learn from a captured Technocrat."

He nodded thoughtfully, "For a diplomat between the Traditions to excel, an understanding of the different Paradigms would be incredibly valuable to aid in negotiations. As for the Technocracy's Paradigms - I think I should, by and large, be able to make do most excellently with basic scientific textbooks. That's their soft spot, I suppose: the bulk of their work is publicly available. Oh, not everything is commonly accessible, but enough to get the basics across. If it were a matter of getting a Union device to work, I'd probably ask a Virtual Adept or Etherite what they could divine from it, but to just participate meaningfully in, or at least follow the discussion? Surprisingly accessible."

"True enough Mr Wainwright though many would not look at it in such a reasonable way and rather focus on what they can benefit from themselves in the whole deal."
Min said then he smiled.
"You are a good man."

He frowned, "I try... And people keep telling me that, but then I come pup with something like... Plan V... I don't feel comfortable claiming that honorific, really... I try, but I feel there's some way to go yet..."

"I see Mr Wainwright, well that do make allot of sense, so once a pattern in open to you, then you can drain it...hum that is quite useful if you can do that and not bring it into your own system as most of us would, and yes there is a difference between a spell being created or flung at you as it is in the process of manifestation and a standing pattern, that is quite right."
The old judge said and nodded again.

He nodded, with a small grin, "I'm given to understand trying to unravel an already placed ward or the like is Disciple-level work? I barely reached Initiate yesterday, and haven't even been ranked yet, so I guess I have some ways to go to really dig in... But once I do? Oh, there'd be few things that could bar my way, I guess."

"I see so it is a tool to use Quintessence that have been Resonated to a degree where it would be inadvisable to use, one would still attract Resonance for the actions one do but not be painted by the vis used...quite clever, and it might also be able to help Chantries that are to small to afford to keep a proper Node so they might have one to Resonated that others might want them, Dynamic are the most usual for such Node, or they might have one the Union have Sanitized making it to static...it could open that Quintessence up for safe use."

He nodded, "It would be excellent for feeding Static Quintessence into the wards of a Chantry, for example, for increased strength, or to increase the Dynamic flavour of rapid plant growth, just remember that the Resonance of the Quintessence directly affects the spell it is used for - so Entropic or Corrupted Tass would probably not be advisable for healing..."

Mia settled down but her feathers where ruffled, she was a lady after all, she did not like all of these questions about her person. Samantha nodded and smiled.
"I am glad you where not serious harmed Mr Wainwright and yes indeed there are fewer Nephandi in the world today and that is good, hopefully we can get rid of a few more when we take on their Labyrinth."

Colin carefully rolled a couple of Joakim's beads between two fingers, feeling the faintly static resonance wash over himself and Mia, "Indeed; live captures would be the most favourable, obviously... in fact, one in particular would be highly sought after..."

"Very well I will take you up on that offer Mr Wainwright."
The Etherite said and she went to one of the book shelves and gathered two items, one was a thick folder that she flipped though, it turned out it was Mary's Serafina's manual and she flipped it to the pages about the batteries and handed the heavy manual to you. It seamed that physically they where two containers about the size of a overnight bag each and they functioned from what you could understand much like the fuel tank on a car, Quintessence was used in and then it flowed though tubing to keep the ship running. Samantha gave you two plugs attached to a device that looked exactly like what an electrician would use to measure a socket's voltage.
"If you could be bothered to hold these Mr Wainwright."
She asked.

He examined the description of the batteries, and pondered briefly, "Yes, I think I could quite feasibly lug these around and drain them as needed; either partly or completely... Hum, would that I had the ability to crystallize Tass, in case there's some left after... Well, no matter; I shall endeavour to bring the empties back."
He looked up at the little plugs, "Ah, an upgraded voltmeter? Certainly..."
He put the book carefully down and picked one plug up in each hand, "Like so?"

"I see but would not corrupted Quintessence help a Labyrinth? Though I guess that if your rote do what you say Sir then it would not matter and it could be used to take down some of what the Nephandi have set up or as a straight up weapon, and there is a certain irony in slapping the Fallen in the face with their own favorite weapon."
Samantha said and nodded though she still seamed sad.
"I will find seeing how your rote works most interesting Mr Wainwright."
She agreed and nodded.

He shrugged, "Using corrupted quintessence like that would probably help a Labyrinth about as much as a burning fuel truck at an oil refinery. If they can put out the fire, there might be a little for them to salvage, but if we can keep the blaze running..."

"I see, well that do make sense."
The young Etherite said as she went to her desk and took out what looked like your regular double A battery and handed it to you.
"I do not have allot of Tass but spending a dram to see this rote work might be worth it. this is fairly static though, if that works Sir?"

He nodded and smiled thinly, "Hold onto that; I'll show you how to do it for yourself - I've yet to develop a good array of visible phenomena to fuel like that, and I'd rather not be the one to swing a shard of primal flame in your apartment. And the rote has no preferences whatsoever on the resonance of Quintessence or Tass - that's part of the beauty of it..."

"It seams fair enough to me, I can not sell the ship before that corrupted Quintessence is gone, I can not even work on needed repairs, so it can sit there and rot or if you can actually remove that Tass and cleanse the ship and I can repair it someone might be able to use it, it seams fair you get a good share of the selling price for the job."
She said and smiled.

He nodded and extended a hand, "We have an accord. I should be able to come visit sometime over the coming month or so, most likely, and I'll lend a hand then, if it fits your schedule."

"I see, well we can discuss it when we are not in the middle of a crisis situation then Mr Wainwright and come to some solution."
Samantha said and nodded eagerly.
"She was such a fine ship once."

He smiled, "She still could be."

"I am a Disciple of Prime."
The Etherinte confirmed.
"And yes I am a member of the Sons of Ether, I use machines and electricity mainly. My father who was also my Mentor was taught by the same man who instructed Admiral Alexis Hastings if you have heard about her, we would use similar Paradigms."
She explained.

He smiled enigmatically, "Ah, yes, Admiral Hastings... I look forward to speaking with her again for the first time... St. Victoria's Blade is a magnificent ship in flight over Horizon, I remember seeing her gleam in the light of the two suns... Not that I've yet been to Horizon, or even more than walking distance from Earth proper..."

Samantha looked at your notes and nodded.
"I see so you interrupt the current and direct the ether out of it without first routing it though your own Avatar...hum quite brilliant...I think I can do this."
She said and found another machine that looked like something you would measure a wall socket with and attached one wire to the battery filled with Tass and then pressed some buttons. The young Etherite did manage to pull your rote off and small, electrical discharges formed cubes and other electrical patterns that glowed in the air for a moment as she burned of the Tass in the battery, the forms where not unpleasant but they where clearly quite static.
"Quite impressive."
Samantha muttered.
"Well I am convinced..."

He nodded, "Essentially, yes - I worked it out in the middle of an Epiphany yesterday. I expect there are several Magi with weak Avatars who would greatly appreciate this as a means to increase the amount of power they can pump into a spell quickly, too."
He nodded approvingly as the electric arcs sparked and glittered, "Very pretty. You are a commendably quick learner. Now, i must ask your confidence in this - please don't share it with others until I've had it formally registered and published. I hope to have it in the Paradigma for general distribution shortly, but until then, well... It's not that I don't trust you, but I don't know how much I could trust whoever you might teach it to before the necessary paperwork is filed."
He nodded, "Well, then, if you are convinced, might we make haste to retrieve those power cells? We should have about..." He checked his watch, "...forty-three minutes before we need to be back to coordinate with the strike teams. Possibly a little less."

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

He nodded thoughtfully, "For a diplomat between the Traditions to excel, an understanding of the different Paradigms would be incredibly valuable to aid in negotiations.

"I agree, that would be a boon when it comes to negotiating with the Traditions."
Min agreed and nodded.

As for the Technocracy's Paradigms - I think I should, by and large, be able to make do most excellently with basic scientific textbooks. That's their soft spot, I suppose: the bulk of their work is publicly available.

"The basis of it yes though with most Technocrats it go a little deeper than that, after all they do not publish all of their ideas to the general public."
The Quesitor said.
"So it might not be quite as easy as you think Mr Wainwright."

Oh, not everything is commonly accessible, but enough to get the basics across. If it were a matter of getting a Union device to work, I'd probably ask a Virtual Adept or Etherite what they could divine from it, but to just participate meaningfully in, or at least follow the discussion? Surprisingly accessible."

"The Adepts perhaps but the Sons of Ether started drifting apart from the rest of the Union long ago and left them right after they changed their name to the Technocracy so most of them would not know that much about modern Union magick, however you might be able to figure some things out."
The Hermetic said but he sounded a bit doubtful.

He frowned, "I try... And people keep telling me that, but then I come pup with something like... Plan V... I don't feel comfortable claiming that honorific, really... I try, but I feel there's some way to go yet..."

"None of us are perfect Mr Wainwright, but at least you try, many never even do that."
Master Min said softly.
"But yes I can see how the situation we are in could make you feel uncomfortable."
He added and sigh.

He nodded, with a small grin, "I'm given to understand trying to unravel an already placed ward or the like is Disciple-level work? I barely reached Initiate yesterday, and haven't even been ranked yet, so I guess I have some ways to go to really dig in... But once I do? Oh, there'd be few things that could bar my way, I guess."

"Being able to do so is part of the ranking requirement for a Disciple yes."
Min said and raised an eyebrow.
"You are going to become quite the powerful mage one day I recon."
He said sounding rather impressed.

He nodded, "It would be excellent for feeding Static Quintessence into the wards of a Chantry, for example, for increased strength, or to increase the Dynamic flavour of rapid plant growth, just remember that the Resonance of the Quintessence directly affects the spell it is used for - so Entropic or Corrupted Tass would probably not be advisable for healing..."

"I have been working magick for some years now you know Mr Wainwright I am aware of how Resonance works you know."
The Hermetic said and raised an eyebrow again.
"But yes at least your rote could be employed to get some use out of corrupted Tass instead of just letting it go to waste."

Colin carefully rolled a couple of Joakim's beads between two fingers, feeling the faintly static resonance wash over himself and Mia, "Indeed; live captures would be the most favourable, obviously... in fact, one in particular would be highly sought after..."

Your Avatar settled down as you rolled the mana between your fingers, calming down from the static Resonance in them. Samantha gave a grim nod.
"Yes off course we would want to take the Nephandi alive if we can so we do not end up with a munch of widderslainte children as that would be a tragedy and their leader off course we have to get alive to...deal with...but I will take a dead Nephandus to a alive and causing trouble one."
She said and frowned.

He examined the description of the batteries, and pondered briefly, "Yes, I think I could quite feasibly lug these around and drain them as needed; either partly or completely... Hum, would that I had the ability to crystallize Tass, in case there's some left after... Well, no matter; I shall endeavour to bring the empties back."

"Yes I would appreciate it if you brought the empties back as it is time consuming to create new ones."
Samantha said then she pointed to the drawing and explained.
"There is a valve here as you see, you can use that to get accsess to the Quintessence stored in the batteries."
She explained.

He looked up at the little plugs, "Ah, an upgraded voltmeter? Certainly..."
He put the book carefully down and picked one plug up in each hand, "Like so?"

"Yes it is precisely that Sir."
The Etherite said then she nodded.
"Yes that is perfect...now let me see..."
She muttered and looked down at the meter checking the reader.
"Well...ehm this is amazing it seams like you have creative Dynamic and slightly static preserving Resonance but all of it are perfectly healthy...with this Resonance are you a craftsman of some sort? It would be Resonance fitting for that profession, if you do not mind me asking Sir? I see no Jhor though."
The technomancer said and looked up from the meter.
"None of it and you said you had worked with corrupted Tass?"
She asked and sounded a bit doubtful...

He shrugged, "Using corrupted quintessence like that would probably help a Labyrinth about as much as a burning fuel truck at an oil refinery. If they can put out the fire, there might be a little for them to salvage, but if we can keep the blaze running..."

"You do have a point there Mr Wainwright."
Samantha said with a bit of a amused smile.

He nodded and smiled thinly, "Hold onto that; I'll show you how to do it for yourself - I've yet to develop a good array of visible phenomena to fuel like that, and I'd rather not be the one to swing a shard of primal flame in your apartment. And the rote has no preferences whatsoever on the resonance of Quintessence or Tass - that's part of the beauty of it..."

"Very well, and a primal flame in her might indeed be bad for the curtains."
The Etherite said sounding amused again.
"I would love to learn this rote for myself, but what price do you want for the instruction Sir?"
She asked.

He nodded and extended a hand, "We have an accord. I should be able to come visit sometime over the coming month or so, most likely, and I'll lend a hand then, if it fits your schedule."

"That works for me Mr Wainwright, thank you."
Samantha said and shook your hand firmly, the metal thread all over her body feeling slightly scratchy against your skin.

He smiled, "She still could be."

"I hope you are right Mr Wainwright...I hope you are right."

He smiled enigmatically, "Ah, yes, Admiral Hastings... I look forward to speaking with her again for the first time... St. Victoria's Blade is a magnificent ship in flight over Horizon, I remember seeing her gleam in the light of the two suns... Not that I've yet been to Horizon, or even more than walking distance from Earth proper..."

Samantha looked quite confused.
"But the...new flagship...the drawings are made and labor negotiated for but she is not even made yet..."
She said looking at you with wide eyes.
"Have you had a future vision? If you do not mind me asking Sir? Sothe ship will turn out alright then? Some of my father's last designs are in that ship."
She muttered proudly.

He nodded, "Essentially, yes - I worked it out in the middle of an Epiphany yesterday. I expect there are several Magi with weak Avatars who would greatly appreciate this as a means to increase the amount of power they can pump into a spell quickly, too."

"I am sure many would appreciate such a rote yes, for more powerful rotes the strength of one's Avatar is the greatest bottleneck, there are Masters of the Art with weak Avatars but their spellcasting are usually severely restricted."
Samantha said and nodded.

He nodded approvingly as the electric arcs sparked and glittered, "Very pretty. You are a commendably quick learner. Now, i must ask your confidence in this - please don't share it with others until I've had it formally registered and published. I hope to have it in the Paradigma for general distribution shortly, but until then, well... It's not that I don't trust you, but I don't know how much I could trust whoever you might teach it to before the necessary paperwork is filed."

"Thank you for your kind words Sir...I have been around magick all my life."
The young Etherite said and gave a shy smile then she nodded.
"Off course Sir, you have my word, if you wish you may record me giving it so you have proof, after all breaking ones word is a major breach of Protocol."
Samantha agreed and nodded.
"I understand completely and thank you for teaching me, this is a most useful little rote, it will be interesting to see what else you can create in the future Sir...as for the Paradigma, one of my brothers work for the magazine...magickal brother not biological one...I could set up a meeting."
She offered.

He nodded, "Well, then, if you are convinced, might we make haste to retrieve those power cells? We should have about..." He checked his watch, "...forty-three minutes before we need to be back to coordinate with the strike teams. Possibly a little less."

"I am convinced Mr Wainwright...the Serafina are docked at the Umbral port it will take a bit of time to get there during the morning rush though, we could go through the electrical lines though if you do not mind."
She said and nodded.
"That should get us there quite quickly."

[Warpmind]

"The basis of it yes though with most Technocrats it go a little deeper than that, after all they do not publish all of their ideas to the general public."
The Quesitor said.
"So it might not be quite as easy as you think Mr Wainwright."

Colin smiled, "One does not need to be a nuclear physicist to understand enough physics to follow the conversation on the dangers of radioactive waste. In the same manner, I do not need to internalize the Verbena Paradigm to understand the basics of drawing power through blood, for example. I just need a broad enough base to help me pick up the slack on the spot."

"The Adepts perhaps but the Sons of Ether started drifting apart from the rest of the Union long ago and left them right after they changed their name to the Technocracy so most of them would not know that much about modern Union magick, however you might be able to figure some things out."
The Hermetic said but he sounded a bit doubtful.

He inclined his head slightly to the side, "In any case, my research remains a work in progress, and likely will until the day I'm no longer here. I'd still wager the Etherites could figure out the workings of a physical machine better than you or I. Though yes, a Virtual Adept might be better at it still."

"Being able to do so is part of the ranking requirement for a Disciple yes."
Min said and raised an eyebrow.
"You are going to become quite the powerful mage one day I recon."
He said sounding rather impressed.

He grinned, "Well, growing in power, isn't that really what we all strive for, in one way or another?"

"I have been working magick for some years now you know Mr Wainwright I am aware of how Resonance works you know."
The Hermetic said and raised an eyebrow again.
"But yes at least your rote could be employed to get some use out of corrupted Tass instead of just letting it go to waste."

He nodded raising a hand in a disarming gesture, "Of course, no offense intended - just making sure we are on the same page. Well, at least that I've finished the relevant chapters; I'm sure you're far ahead of me in almost every book on the subjects."

Your Avatar settled down as you rolled the mana between your fingers, calming down from the static Resonance in them. Samantha gave a grim nod.
"Yes off course we would want to take the Nephandi alive if we can so we do not end up with a munch of widderslainte children as that would be a tragedy and their leader off course we have to get alive to...deal with...but I will take a dead Nephandus to a alive and causing trouble one."
She said and frowned.

He nodded, "Grisly business, and I don't know that I quite agree with the current standard procedure... but we don't presently have any alternatives to keep the Fallen from persisting."

"Yes I would appreciate it if you brought the empties back as it is time consuming to create new ones."
Samantha said then she pointed to the drawing and explained.
"There is a valve here as you see, you can use that to get accsess to the Quintessence stored in the batteries."
She explained.

He nodded, "Perfect. That valve should be most useful in helping modulate the quintessence flow, as well... My Rote might be a tad tricky to adjust in mid-flow, but if the battery can be adjusted on the fly... Excellent."

"Yes it is precisely that Sir."
The Etherite said then she nodded.
"Yes that is perfect...now let me see..."
She muttered and looked down at the meter checking the reader.
"Well...ehm this is amazing it seams like you have creative Dynamic and slightly static preserving Resonance but all of it are perfectly healthy...with this Resonance are you a craftsman of some sort? It would be Resonance fitting for that profession, if you do not mind me asking Sir? I see no Jhor though."
The technomancer said and looked up from the meter.
"None of it and you said you had worked with corrupted Tass?"
She asked and sounded a bit doubtful...

He nodded, "I used a few of the mundane versions in the RAF. Always good to know how the helicopter works, and how and why it might fail. Well, the mechanics appreciated my taking an interest in keeping the birds flying, at least."
He looked over at the meter with a smile, "Actually, I'm a silversmith. A fairly good one at that, or at least I like to think so. Though I'll admit, I do use a little bit of magic to steady my work, so I could probably be considered to be cheating a little. And I've worked with corrupted Tass far more than I like to think of; especially since we captured a whole bloody bag of the stuff from the Fallen we captured yesterday when we rescued a hostage. It's practical to apply in a tactical situation, but I'll be glad to dispose of the lot once the dust settles."

"Very well, and a primal flame in her might indeed be bad for the curtains."
The Etherite said sounding amused again.
"I would love to learn this rote for myself, but what price do you want for the instruction Sir?"
She asked.

He shrugged, "I'm not even certain what constitutes a fair price for instruction, to be honest; it's rather novel territory for me... but if it's alright by you, I can settle for an equivalent favour at some yet to be determined point in the future. Perhaps the opportunity to take the Serafima out - naturally chaperoned by someone you trust implicitly - on an exploratory expedition at some point prior to the presumed sale? An opportunity to make sure the ship is working as it should after it's been cleansed?"

Samantha looked quite confused.
"But the...new flagship...the drawings are made and labor negotiated for but she is not even made yet..."
She said looking at you with wide eyes.
"Have you had a future vision? If you do not mind me asking Sir? Sothe ship will turn out alright then? Some of my father's last designs are in that ship."
She muttered proudly.

He gave her a slightly sad smile, "Yes, a... vision. Twenty years down the road, a Nephandi attack on Horizon. Nasty business, but the Blade and the Heart stand firm, along with some carriers for the zeppeling fleet as well as a fleet of small personal fighter craft... The Admiral will be the last person with whom I speak before I crash into a polyp... and those things are no prettier inside than outside, I'm afraid..."

"Thank you for your kind words Sir...I have been around magick all my life."
The young Etherite said and gave a shy smile then she nodded.
"Off course Sir, you have my word, if you wish you may record me giving it so you have proof, after all breaking ones word is a major breach of Protocol."
Samantha agreed and nodded.
"I understand completely and thank you for teaching me, this is a most useful little rote, it will be interesting to see what else you can create in the future Sir...as for the Paradigma, one of my brothers work for the magazine...magickal brother not biological one...I could set up a meeting."
She offered.

He smiled, "I Awakened as my helicopter was shot down in Iraq, a quarter century ago... I've been learning ever since. Some things come easy, others... take a little more effort."
He looked her over quickly, then scanned the room, "No, i think your word will suffice... I know, and you know, and that's really all that's necessary; I don't think you would be liable to break that Protocol, even if you thought you could get away with it."
He arched an eyebrow, "Your brother works for... Ah, that would be excellent; I'll let you know when I have the article ready, then. That would indeed be a great boon."

"I am convinced Mr Wainwright...the Serafina are docked at the Umbral port it will take a bit of time to get there during the morning rush though, we could go through the electrical lines though if you do not mind."
She said and nodded.
"That should get us there quite quickly."

Colin's face didn't even twitch to betray the sheer amount if incredulity and surprise at that suggestion, but he nodded simply, "I have no current objections to that, though if the shock is too great, I reserve the right to suggest an alternate means of returning."

((OOC: She should have noticed perhaps a bit of Entropic Resonance, as well - I added a point after we played the other campaign last, when you mentioned the "One point per Arete after the first" bit, and I figured Entropy would be the most appropriate with the honestly callous and ruthless things Colin has made himself do or prepare to do lately. :/ ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Master Min's Office:

Colin smiled, "One does not need to be a nuclear physicist to understand enough physics to follow the conversation on the dangers of radioactive waste. In the same manner, I do not need to internalize the Verbena Paradigm to understand the basics of drawing power through blood, for example. I just need a broad enough base to help me pick up the slack on the spot."

"That is true, but I would imagine you need some more understanding of a blood witch's Paradigm than to know it is dangerous for her to bleed to death to be able to translate her magickal world view into something that can work with the magick of let us say a Cultist musician would you not Mr Wainwright?"
The Quesitor said still sounding a bit doubtful.

He inclined his head slightly to the side, "In any case, my research remains a work in progress, and likely will until the day I'm no longer here. I'd still wager the Etherites could figure out the workings of a physical machine better than you or I. Though yes, a Virtual Adept might be better at it still."

"Off course and the day we think we have nothing more to learn is the day it is time to let our Avatars go to the Well of Souls to find a new host to teach."
Master Min said and nodded.
"I agree though that the Etherites are more likely to understand how a magickal machine works than either of us, that is true...but the Adepts will have an easier time of understanding what makes a HIT-Mark tick."

He grinned, "Well, growing in power, isn't that really what we all strive for, in one way or another?"

"To a certain degree Mr Wainwright, though for me I...am fascinated by magick but I would prefer to cultivate greater wisdom than greater power at this point though the two go hand in hand really. I would like to get as close to Asencion as I can in this life, and perhaps teach someone else to give them a good start on the way as well..."
The old Enforcer said and smiled.

He nodded raising a hand in a disarming gesture, "Of course, no offense intended - just making sure we are on the same page. Well, at least that I've finished the relevant chapters; I'm sure you're far ahead of me in almost every book on the subjects."

Min looked at you for a moment then he nodded.
"Non taken Mr Wainwright...and perhaps I am but then again I was not able to create a rote like the one you have come up with, power and experience do not always trump ingenuity."

Samantha's room:

He nodded, "Grisly business, and I don't know that I quite agree with the current standard procedure... but we don't presently have any alternatives to keep the Fallen from persisting."

"It is a horrible...thing we must do to Nephandi we capture I...can not even imagine, I do not want to imagine it. However unless there is some other way to stop the Fallen Avatars from coming back I do not see there is any other choice. I mean not only do we then get a new Nephandus to contend with but that Fallen child is also a danger to his or her family and everyone around them...we have to do something."
Samantha said and shuddered.
"Well it is not a comfortable topic for discussion Mr Wainwright."

He nodded, "Perfect. That valve should be most useful in helping modulate the quintessence flow, as well... My Rote might be a tad tricky to adjust in mid-flow, but if the battery can be adjusted on the fly... Excellent."

"That are the intent behind the valves Mr Wainwright, a technomagickal ship's systems are sensitive there needs to be ways to modulate the Quintessence flow to keep them running as they should."
The Etherite said and nodded.

He nodded, "I used a few of the mundane versions in the RAF. Always good to know how the helicopter works, and how and why it might fail. Well, the mechanics appreciated my taking an interest in keeping the birds flying, at least."

"You can repair a helicopter then Sir? My father could fly one, he liked machines, he even designed a Umbral vessel based on one, though he never built it."
Samantha said and gave a bit of a sad smile as she thought of her father and glanced over at one of the pictures on the wall.

He looked over at the meter with a smile, "Actually, I'm a silversmith. A fairly good one at that, or at least I like to think so. Though I'll admit, I do use a little bit of magic to steady my work, so I could probably be considered to be cheating a little.

"A silversmith you say...that is not that common anymore for someone to specialize in one metal or another, and most of the trinkets you find in stores are machine made. I do not think magick is cheating it is a part of us after all, it is no different from any other talent one might use at one's work. Silverwork is important in ship construction, at least if you want to make Primium the old fashioned way."
She said and nodded in acknowledgement.

And I've worked with corrupted Tass far more than I like to think of; especially since we captured a whole bloody bag of the stuff from the Fallen we captured yesterday when we rescued a hostage. It's practical to apply in a tactical situation, but I'll be glad to dispose of the lot once the dust settles."

"Ah I see...but there is no Jhor here, there is a bit of Entropic Resonance that have not hardened into your system, the result of being around death or other horrible things I assume."
She muttered and glanced over at you.
"But really Sir your energetic system looks really healthy..."

He shrugged, "I'm not even certain what constitutes a fair price for instruction, to be honest; it's rather novel territory for me... but if it's alright by you, I can settle for an equivalent favour at some yet to be determined point in the future. Perhaps the opportunity to take the Serafima out - naturally chaperoned by someone you trust implicitly - on an exploratory expedition at some point prior to the presumed sale? An opportunity to make sure the ship is working as it should after it's been cleansed?"

"A favor owed and a chance to take the Serafina out, providing we cleanse her and restore her and can find two more to pilot her, she needs alt least tree Awakened magi to control her, before her sale is quite agreeable to me Sir."
Samantha said and nodded.
"Price of instruction really comes down to supply and demand, if you have knowledge others want you can take what they are willing to offer for it. Usually for instruction in rotes I think a few drams of Tass, a book or a favor owed are the most common price, though once I took on the job of washing down an apartment for a mage I wanted to learn a rote from so it can vary."

He gave her a slightly sad smile, "Yes, a... vision. Twenty years down the road, a Nephandi attack on Horizon. Nasty business, but the Blade and the Heart stand firm, along with some carriers for the zeppeling fleet as well as a fleet of small personal fighter craft... The Admiral will be the last person with whom I speak before I crash into a polyp... and those things are no prettier inside than outside, I'm afraid..."

"The Nephandi will be...attacking Horizon but..."
Samantha said and her eyes grew wide again.
"The Heart...I have never heard about that ship, there are rumors this Virtual Adept Spirit Master is creating something that have never been seen before...could it be that?"
She asked then she nodded.
"Yeah we need some carriers for the zepplins, but bureaucracy keeps clogging up construction, after all Umbral ships are expensive to make and few want to make some that do not give an immediate benefit...as for the polyps...I will be happy if I never see one so I hope you are able to avoid that future from manifesting Sir."

He smiled, "I Awakened as my helicopter was shot down in Iraq, a quarter century ago... I've been learning ever since. Some things come easy, others... take a little more effort."

"That is one hell of a way to Awaken Mr Wainwright."
The young mage said as she glanced over at you.
"It must have been terrifying. I just slipped Awaken while playing with a science kit for children at my parents kitchen table when I was seven, I was not even scared or surprised...it just happened."
She said and scratched her head.
"I guess I was luckier than you there."

He looked her over quickly, then scanned the room, "No, i think your word will suffice... I know, and you know, and that's really all that's necessary; I don't think you would be liable to break that Protocol, even if you thought you could get away with it."

"I would keep my word even if it was not a breach of Protocol to do otherwise Sir, I would keep my word since it is the right thing to do."
The young mage said proudly.
"Still thank you for your trust, I will not betray it."

He arched an eyebrow, "Your brother works for... Ah, that would be excellent; I'll let you know when I have the article ready, then. That would indeed be a great boon."

"I guess at times it is a good thing to be the nephew of the Admiral, not that Vin have not worked for his position as well, but yes he works for the Paradigma and I will be happy to set up a meeting once your article is ready."
She said and smiled a little.

Colin's face didn't even twitch to betray the sheer amount if incredulity and surprise at that suggestion, but he nodded simply, "I have no current objections to that, though if the shock is too great, I reserve the right to suggest an alternate means of returning."

"There should not be any discomfort Sir, not beyond the disorientation that can come with teleportation magick if you are not used to it. Well then if you are ready?"
Samantha asked as she took her vol meter and added a small black box to it and plugged that box into a wall socket.
"I am ready when you are Sir."

(OOC: Yes off course I have made Samantha comment on it, thank you for reminding me. No Colin have experienced some shit during this game. )

[Warpmind]

Min's Office:

"That is true, but I would imagine you need some more understanding of a blood witch's Paradigm than to know it is dangerous for her to bleed to death to be able to translate her magickal world view into something that can work with the magick of let us say a Cultist musician would you not Mr Wainwright?"
The Quesitor said still sounding a bit doubtful.

Colin nodded, "It is as you say, in-depth understanding will take quite a bit more. A base grasp will generally suffice for diplomacy, but for magical work, deeper comprehension is necessary. Still, some concepts are closer than others - such as numerology and programming, or for that matter programming and music. They are inherently expressions of language and mathematics, so there are base elements in common. The details, though, that's where the hard work enters the picture."

"Off course and the day we think we have nothing more to learn is the day it is time to let our Avatars go to the Well of Souls to find a new host to teach."
Master Min said and nodded.
"I agree though that the Etherites are more likely to understand how a magickal machine works than either of us, that is true...but the Adepts will have an easier time of understanding what makes a HIT-Mark tick."

He smiled, "Essentially, I suppose the whole issue would boil down to which Tradition has the most available member at the time I need such a device examined."

"To a certain degree Mr Wainwright, though for me I...am fascinated by magick but I would prefer to cultivate greater wisdom than greater power at this point though the two go hand in hand really. I would like to get as close to Asencion as I can in this life, and perhaps teach someone else to give them a good start on the way as well..."
The old Enforcer said and smiled.

He nodded, "The two go hand in hand, though it is quite possible to have more of one than the other... and in that regard, I would prefer the presence of those of greater wisdom and more modest power, to be honest."

Min looked at you for a moment then he nodded.
"Non taken Mr Wainwright...and perhaps I am but then again I was not able to create a rote like the one you have come up with, power and experience do not always trump ingenuity."

"No, but power and experience might make it easier to harvest the fruits of said ingenuity. You might not have invented it, but you could likely put it to hundreds of uses I can't yet even begin to grasp."

Samantha's Room:

"It is a horrible...thing we must do to Nephandi we capture I...can not even imagine, I do not want to imagine it. However unless there is some other way to stop the Fallen Avatars from coming back I do not see there is any other choice. I mean not only do we then get a new Nephandus to contend with but that Fallen child is also a danger to his or her family and everyone around them...we have to do something."
Samantha said and shuddered.
"Well it is not a comfortable topic for discussion Mr Wainwright."

He shook his head, "No, it's not comfortable... At the very least, I can happily state I'm trying to help with the development of an alternative - cleansing might become viable within few years. It's enough to give cause for hope, at least."

"You can repair a helicopter then Sir? My father could fly one, he liked machines, he even designed a Umbral vessel based on one, though he never built it."
Samantha said and gave a bit of a sad smile as she thought of her father and glanced over at one of the pictures on the wall.

He scratched his neck, almost bashfully, "Ah, no, not beying extremely rudimentary fixes - duct tape and WD-40 and the like - but I know enough to assist the mechanics with diagnostics. I'm a pilot, and a bloody good one at that, but repairing engines or electronics are not my strong suit. Hum, and Umbral Ship based on a helicopter... Now there's something to write to Santa Clause for..."

"A silversmith you say...that is not that common anymore for someone to specialize in one metal or another, and most of the trinkets you find in stores are machine made. I do not think magick is cheating it is a part of us after all, it is no different from any other talent one might use at one's work. Silverwork is important in ship construction, at least if you want to make Primium the old fashioned way."
She said and nodded in acknowledgement.

He smiled, "Actually, you'd be surprised - I'm familiar with numerous goldsmiths who wouldn't touch silver with a pair of tongs and with a gun to their head... Exclusively silversmithing, though, that is a bit rarer. Though, I'll admit, I do work with other materials for highlighting or other elements - carefully chosen wooden grips for a silver sickle, for example. Primium, though... Perhaps someday, but I'm not good enough just yet."

"Ah I see...but there is no Jhor here, there is a bit of Entropic Resonance that have not hardened into your system, the result of being around death or other horrible things I assume."
She muttered and glanced over at you.
"But really Sir your energetic system looks really healthy..."

He smiled thinly, "Thank you for the clean bill of health, doctor. I've been forced to make a few... ruthless decisions of late, as well as some violent unpleasantness. There's a twelve-year-old Fallen girl in the infirmary because of me - that would probably be a significant part of that Entropic touch..."

"A favor owed and a chance to take the Serafina out, providing we cleanse her and restore her and can find two more to pilot her, she needs alt least tree Awakened magi to control her, before her sale is quite agreeable to me Sir."
Samantha said and nodded.
"Price of instruction really comes down to supply and demand, if you have knowledge others want you can take what they are willing to offer for it. Usually for instruction in rotes I think a few drams of Tass, a book or a favor owed are the most common price, though once I took on the job of washing down an apartment for a mage I wanted to learn a rote from so it can vary."

He smiled and extended a hand, "Sounds good to me. There are a few... hypothetical things I'd like to search for in due time; perhaps fixing up the Serafina would enable that a bit sooner."

"The Nephandi will be...attacking Horizon but..."
Samantha said and her eyes grew wide again.
"The Heart...I have never heard about that ship, there are rumors this Virtual Adept Spirit Master is creating something that have never been seen before...could it be that?"
She asked then she nodded.
"Yeah we need some carriers for the zepplins, but bureaucracy keeps clogging up construction, after all Umbral ships are expensive to make and few want to make some that do not give an immediate benefit...as for the polyps...I will be happy if I never see one so I hope you are able to avoid that future from manifesting Sir."

He nodded, "Unless the timeline can be drastically shifted, in twenty years' time, the Fallen will attack Horizon. But armed with that foreknowledge, I might be able to get a meeting with the Admiral and advise on what I saw and help develop a stronger tactical doctrine by then. Ah, I should specify - in that timeline, she'll have replaced your Dr. Spence as Primus and thus as the Seat of Matter..."
He smiled, "Yes, the Heart of Horizon is a beauty, too. A battleship with a living Avatar at its core, an artificial phylactery made to save the Mage who shall captain her. The rumours are true; in fact, Master Telar was surprised when I showed her the drawing I'd made of her ship..."
He shrugged, "I expect Admiral Hastings, in the position of Primi of the Children of Ether and Seat of Matter will manage to cut through a lot of that red tape swiftly. And yes, if i never see a great polyp again for the first time, it will still be too soon."

"That is one hell of a way to Awaken Mr Wainwright."
The young mage said as she glanced over at you.
"It must have been terrifying. I just slipped Awaken while playing with a science kit for children at my parents kitchen table when I was seven, I was not even scared or surprised...it just happened."
She said and scratched her head.
"I guess I was luckier than you there."

He nodded, "Actually, I mostly passed out when I got a faceful of Stinger missile... luckily, in the moment of Awakening, my Avatar took over the controls and managed to land the helicopter safely... Saved my copilot and passengers unscathed, and i got some bits of metal and ribbons for it, too. But yes, I would tend to agree you were luckier than me there; the whole affair did leave me with some... psychological issues for some time."
He smiled thinly, "Fortunately, there are Magi who are quite adept at isolating the trauma of a memory..."

"I would keep my word even if it was not a breach of Protocol to do otherwise Sir, I would keep my word since it is the right thing to do."
The young mage said proudly.
"Still thank you for your trust, I will not betray it."

He simply nodded; nothing more to add.

"There should not be any discomfort Sir, not beyond the disorientation that can come with teleportation magick if you are not used to it. Well then if you are ready?"
Samantha asked as she took her vol meter and added a small black box to it and plugged that box into a wall socket.
"I am ready when you are Sir."

He quickly took out the thermos and put it on the table, "Ah, do you mind if I just leave this here for the interim? It contains some... unpleasant substance I whould rather not bring with me into an Umbral Port. It won't leak, and it should in no manner affect the room, it's just... well, there are issues with it, though not legal ones."
He sighed, "Right, I am ready."

((OOC: Well, Sith happens. ))

[Anja Rebekka Schultze]

Master Min's Office

Colin nodded, "It is as you say, in-depth understanding will take quite a bit more. A base grasp will generally suffice for diplomacy, but for magical work, deeper comprehension is necessary. Still, some concepts are closer than others - such as numerology and programming, or for that matter programming and music. They are inherently expressions of language and mathematics, so there are base elements in common. The details, though, that's where the hard work enters the picture."

The old Hermetic nodded at that.
"It seams we are on the same page then Mr Wainwright and yes indeed for diplomacy a basic understanding should be enough but for helping someone be able to work in concert with one another, that is where it gets tricky."
He muttered.
"Well perhaps a topic to discuss when we are not on the clock as it where."

He smiled, "Essentially, I suppose the whole issue would boil down to which Tradition has the most available member at the time I need such a device examined."

"Hum...yes perhaps so, perhaps so."

He nodded, "The two go hand in hand, though it is quite possible to have more of one than the other... and in that regard, I would prefer the presence of those of greater wisdom and more modest power, to be honest."

"I tend to agree with you there my good man, someone who have much wisdom but little power can be wonderful teachers and calm minds to guide those around them, those who have much power and little wisdom becomes a liability to all those around them instead."
The Hermetic said and nodded in agreement.

"No, but power and experience might make it easier to harvest the fruits of said ingenuity. You might not have invented it, but you could likely put it to hundreds of uses I can't yet even begin to grasp."

"True enough, but you will get there eventually Mr Wainwright and then you will truly be a force to be reckoned with."
The Quesitor said and smiled warmly.

Samantha's Room:

He shook his head, "No, it's not comfortable... At the very least, I can happily state I'm trying to help with the development of an alternative - cleansing might become viable within few years. It's enough to give cause for hope, at least."

"I did not think such a thing was even possible Mr Wainwright, but if a way to cleanse an Avatar could be found then nothing would be better, nor more of a kick to the face of the Nephandi, and while those who have sold themselves to the Nephandi might deserve their punishment, those widderslainte kids do not so if they can be saved it would be wonderful."
Samantha said as she lead the way into her small room.

He scratched his neck, almost bashfully, "Ah, no, not beying extremely rudimentary fixes - duct tape and WD-40 and the like - but I know enough to assist the mechanics with diagnostics. I'm a pilot, and a bloody good one at that, but repairing engines or electronics are not my strong suit.

Samantha nodded at that.
"A combat pilot then Sir? That is quite interesting."

Hum, and Umbral Ship based on a helicopter... Now there's something to write to Santa Clause for..."

"The ships where never constructed I am afraid, they where intended to be pen, near and mid Umbra fighters, intended to defend realms, not as powerful as Horizon's zeppelins, but far more maneuverable. While I can not present you with the ships I would be happy to make a copy of my father's plans and send you if you wish."
The young technomancer offered.

He smiled, "Actually, you'd be surprised - I'm familiar with numerous goldsmiths who wouldn't touch silver with a pair of tongs and with a gun to their head... Exclusively silversmithing, though, that is a bit rarer. Though, I'll admit, I do work with other materials for highlighting or other elements - carefully chosen wooden grips for a silver sickle, for example. Primium, though... Perhaps someday, but I'm not good enough just yet."

"I see interesting, and wood inlays always end up pretty."
She said and nodded.
"I can not make Primium either, my father could though and he experimented with the formula to make conducting wires of refined, near Primium grade silver which could be enchanted."
She said and pulled the net of fine threads of her left hand to show you, her hand going completely limp as she did so. The fine threads did look like highly polished silver but on the underside you saw embedded micro circuitry.
"My father's work."
Samantha said proudly.

He smiled thinly, "Thank you for the clean bill of health, doctor. I've been forced to make a few... ruthless decisions of late, as well as some violent unpleasantness. There's a twelve-year-old Fallen girl in the infirmary because of me - that would probably be a significant part of that Entropic touch..."

The Etherinte gave a slight grin then it faded and she sigh.
"Yes I heard rumors of a captured Nephandi child, that is just tragic...will she be...I mean...I guess she will."
She said and looked down.
"Well in either case if you have to do...horrible things you have to right and the Nephandi have to be stopped."
She muttered.

He smiled and extended a hand, "Sounds good to me. There are a few... hypothetical things I'd like to search for in due time; perhaps fixing up the Serafina would enable that a bit sooner."

Samantha nodded and shook your hand firmly.
"I see, well perhaps, the Serafina is a research vessel after all, she is sort of designed to find things, so as long as we get her fixed and can find a crew, perhaps we can find what you are looking for Sir."
She said then she added curiously.
"May I ask what it is you are searching for?"

He nodded, "Unless the timeline can be drastically shifted, in twenty years' time, the Fallen will attack Horizon. But armed with that foreknowledge, I might be able to get a meeting with the Admiral and advise on what I saw and help develop a stronger tactical doctrine by then. Ah, I should specify - in that timeline, she'll have replaced your Dr. Spence as Primus and thus as the Seat of Matter..."

Samantha nodded at that.
"The Admiral becoming Prima do not surprise me, there are rumors among my Tradition that Primus Spence is getting tired and might retire in not to long, it is a scary prospect though, Horizon itself being under attack, I do hope something can be done."
She muttered and shook her head.
"Do you think that attack on Horizon in the future have anything to do with the trouble we are experiencing at the moment Mr Wainwright?"

He smiled, "Yes, the Heart of Horizon is a beauty, too. A battleship with a living Avatar at its core, an artificial phylactery made to save the Mage who shall captain her. The rumours are true; in fact, Master Telar was surprised when I showed her the drawing I'd made of her ship..."

"That is just...amazing."
The young Etherite said with stars in her eyes.
"I hope I get to see that ship when it is done...I am not much familiar with phylacteries but there is an Avatar in the ship? How is that possible?"

He shrugged, "I expect Admiral Hastings, in the position of Primi of the Children of Ether and Seat of Matter will manage to cut through a lot of that red tape swiftly. And yes, if i never see a great polyp again for the first time, it will still be too soon."

"Children of Ether...well it would be about bloody time,if you will excuse my language Sir."
Samantha said and grinned.
"Aunt Alexis would do it to, I am sure of it and much to the dismay of the old men who fill up so much of my Tradition, and yes hopefully she can cut through some red tape as well, especially if she know that an attack is coming."

He nodded, "Actually, I mostly passed out when I got a faceful of Stinger missile... luckily, in the moment of Awakening, my Avatar took over the controls and managed to land the helicopter safely... Saved my copilot and passengers unscathed, and i got some bits of metal and ribbons for it, too. But yes, I would tend to agree you were luckier than me there; the whole affair did leave me with some... psychological issues for some time."

"Crafty Avatar you got. I have heard about some of them being able to take over, but it is still quite rare."
The young mage said and nodded.
"It is good you survived though, and I can see how such a trauma can cause some issues...massive injury is not fun."
She muttered and looked down.

He smiled thinly, "Fortunately, there are Magi who are quite adept at isolating the trauma of a memory..."

"There are those that can do that yes and sometimes that helps, some trauma sit rather deep though."
Samantha muttered softly.

He quickly took out the thermos and put it on the table, "Ah, do you mind if I just leave this here for the interim? It contains some... unpleasant substance I whould rather not bring with me into an Umbral Port. It won't leak, and it should in no manner affect the room, it's just... well, there are issues with it, though not legal ones."

"No...that is perfectly ok no problem...."
Samantha said and eyed the Thermos.
"Ehm...should I even ask Mr Wainwright?"

He sighed, "Right, I am ready."

The Etherite turned some switches on her instruments, then she placed a careful hand on your shoulder and pushed a button. There was a flash of light, there where no pain or discomfort but for a while everything felt like a jumble, you could not feel your body and your mind was overflowing with impressions at lightening speed, it felt like you where everywhere at once...and then it was over and you where standing by a wall socket in an empty office room with only a brown carpet on the floor and a lamp overhead and no other furniture.
"Well then Mr Wainwright, we are here."
Samantha said as she put her meters and instruments into her bag.
"Are you alright?"

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