Nazareth Awakened - Chapter 02: Wives of Solomon

TillForPie

First Post
Chance, Harper, and Law[sblock=Law's Wisdom Degeneration Roll]Wisdom 4 Sin: 3 dice = Failure with 0 successes
New Wisdom: 6 dice = Success with 1 success
Law fails his degeneration roll and loses a point of Wisdom. He passes his derangement roll and does not gain a derangement[/sblock]Law is the first PC to lose Wisdom. He's now at Wisdom 6. He does not gain a derangement.

By the time the group has arrived at Nazareth Secondhand Books the rain has slowed to a trickle. The three mages get out of the Tahoe and make their way to the front door - only to find it locked. It's the first time it's been locked to any of them. Faye is inside, at her place behind the counter, her eyes on the television in the corner. She glances over at the sound of Penrose's students trying to come in, and gestures with one finger to tell them to wait a minute. In the next moment she's turned off the television and disappeared through the back door, apparently to fetch Penrose. Crow lands in Harper's hood amid a flurry of flapping wings while they wait.

A few seconds later Faye is back with Penrose, who makes his way to the doors and unlocks one. He pushes the door open and seems to consider speaking to them from the threshold, but he eventually steps aside to let them in. "They've found a body," he begins as his students step inside, tired and angry eyes boring into each of them in turn as they pass. He closes the door behind the last one in. "Where the hell is Agnasci?" he barks when he realizes there's only three of them there. It's the first time any of them have really seen him angry.


Agnasci

Given that Agnasci's theft of the cash is pretty much the exact same crime, against the same person, on the same night (and indeed within five minutes) as his theft of the bike I'm not going to require a second Wisdom degeneration roll. Similar to how if he were to shoplift a bunch of things from a store I wouldn't require a separate roll for each item.

BR's apartment is dark and empty. Agnasci pushes the bed aside and pilfers the hidden cache.

Agnasci has gained about $11,000. Exact amounts of money aren't important in World of Darkness. It's assumed most characters are constantly spending money on various things such as bills, food, clothes, miscellaneous household goods, gas, etc. Agnasci could presumably use some of this cash to get a vehicle and a place to stay, should he so choose. In general I'd rule that this cash could support a pretty poor lifestyle for eight months or so, or a much better lifestyle for significantly less - that kind of thing. I'm not interested in keeping track of dollar amounts and I trust you'll play it appropriately.

"Nice knowing you." And in a few minutes he's on his way through sleepy neighborhoods, heading on foot in the direction of the bookstore.
 
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GlassEye

Adventurer
Harper, Thyrsus mage

[section]
Their reception at the bookstore is disturbing to Harper as it implies, fairly strongly, that they are no longer welcome. Penrose seems to want to distance himself from the three, and Agnasci, and Harper shifts uncomfortably and glances to Law before looking back at Penrose. He shrugs.

"Who knows? We pulled him out of the house, and that was crazy with water flying everywhere and gravity all messed up, and then he hopped on a motorcycle and took off. I tried to talk to him but he was gone before I could really stop him."

Harper's voice is tight as if he is holding down his anger at Agnasci.

[/section]
 

Shayuri

First Post
"The body isn't the problem," Chance says quietly. If Penrose was this mad over the relatively accidental death of a biker, he was going to love this. "The problem is that we didn't save Agnasci. Someone else did. We got there, and like Harper said, gravity was all messed up in the bathroom. I took a good look at that spell, and it was way past what any of us could do."

She pauses, and adds, "And I include you in that statement. This made every other spell I've ever seen, yours included, look like something you'd get instructions on how to do in a box of cereal. I have no idea who cast that spell, but I'm pretty sure I'd recognize his or her work again if I saw it."

"Add to that, there was no one else there but the bikers, and Agnasci. So that spell must've been cast through some kinda scrying, or something...so that'd make it even harder to pull off."

With that, Chance hesitates and unloads her last bomb. "One other thing...that body they found. He was Awakening before he died. One minute, lyin' there with the universe opening over his head, and the next...jes' gone."

She looks away at that, and her fist tightens around something in her jacket pocket.

"What is goin' on here?"
 
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Rubberneck

First Post
Chance and Harper pretty much summed up everything that needed to be said. Law simply stands there completely quiet, waiting for the verbal ass whoopin' to commence.
 

TillForPie

First Post
]"Who knows? We pulled him out of the house, and that was crazy with water flying everywhere and gravity all messed up, and then he hopped on a motorcycle and took off. I tried to talk to him but he was gone before I could really stop him."
Penrose isn't pleased.

"The problem is that we didn't save Agnasci. Someone else did. We got there, and like Harper said, gravity was all messed up in the bathroom. I took a good look at that spell, and it was way past what any of us could do."

She pauses, and adds, "And I include you in that statement. This made every other spell I've ever seen, yours included, look like something you'd get instructions on how to do in a box of cereal. I have no idea who cast that spell, but I'm pretty sure I'd recognize his or her work again if I saw it."

"Add to that, there was no one else there but the bikers, and Agnasci. So that spell must've been cast through some kinda scrying, or something...so that'd make it even harder to pull off."
Penrose snorts, eyes narrowing. "It was me." There's an awkward silence. Chance has never had the opportunity to scrutinize a spell of Penrose's - she'd failed at casting mage sight a few nights prior in her mentor's sanctum. But she's right about one thing: None of the students have ever seen Penrose use magic of this level. "I can't use magic outside sensory range on my own, but Agnasci's scrying window was here. I sent spells riding the line of sympathy back to the source."

Perhaps Penrose's strength has been underestimated.

The three students have picked up some potentially useful information. When a character or something in his or her immediate area has been targeted by sympathetic magic that character can cast sympathetic spells back to the source without needing Space 2 (see pg 116 of the Mage: The Awakening rulebook).


Shayuri said:
With that, Chance hesitates and unloads her last bomb. "One other thing...that body they found. He was Awakening before he died. One minute, lyin' there with the universe opening over his head, and the next...jes' gone."
"Mother of Christ." Penrose paces in the entryway of the bookstore, scratching desperately at the rash on the back of his hand.

"He was probably Obrimos," says Faye thoughtfully. Five new awakenings in Nazareth. Five paths.

Penrose snaps out of his daze. "None of it leaves this room. As far as we're concerned it was a sleeper who died." He looks to Law. "You'll probably be getting called in soon. Keep Faye updated. If the police find anything connecting any of you to the scene I need to know about it."

"In the meantime Agnasci needs to get his ass here." He punctuates this with a finger pointed to the floor. "I want to know what happened."
 


Mosier

First Post
It takes Agnasci an uncomfortably long time to get back to the bookstore. But finally, someone tries to turn the door handle. Finding it locked, Agnasci knocks on the door, saying "What gives? Let me in, it's me."

When Penrose opens the door and Agnasci enters, he can feel everyone glaring expectantly at him. Penrose seems angry. Harper seems...offended, maybe? Agnasci can see he has to put this fire out quickly.

"I told you I had loose ends to tie," Agnasci says to Harper. There's a hint of defensiveness in his tone. "I lived with Big Rich for almost a week. Had to make sure I didn't leave anything behind that could lead back to us."

Agnasci knows that explanation likely caused more confusion than it solved. Nobody here knew how close he had been to the Dogs of War. He can see the skeptical glares from everyone in the room. This wasn't going to be easy...

"I told you, all of you, that we shouldn't ignore the Dogs of War. The leader, the one who got away, he was Mad Dog. I just met him earlier today, and I swear to you, somehow this man can see the future. He carved a figure of Chance, without ever meeting her. He painted a picture of Crow. He recognized me. Not just recognized, he expected me!" There's an edge of hysteria creeping into Agnasci's voice, as he is no longer able to suppress the overwhelming mixture of awe, anger, and panic that has been building all night. "He knows all of us, and I think he's trying to kill us, to prevent something he knows is going to happen."

At the mention of Mad Dog's escape, Agnasci can see the others exchanging glances, as if they know something he doesn't.

"What happened?"
 

Rubberneck

First Post
At the mention of Mad Dog's escape, Agnasci can see the others exchanging glances, as if they know something he doesn't.

"What happened?"

"He's dead."

Law is pretty much blunt and straight to the point.

"Now Chance and I have his blood on our hands because of you."
 

Shayuri

First Post
"Well holy hell," Chance said softly. "That explains it. That explains it all."

She sat down heavily and rested her head in her hands.

"God, this is messing with my head so bad right now."
 

TillForPie

First Post
"I told you, all of you, that we shouldn't ignore the Dogs of War. The leader, the one who got away, he was Mad Dog. I just met him earlier today, and I swear to you, somehow this man can see the future. He carved a figure of Chance, without ever meeting her. He painted a picture of Crow. He recognized me. Not just recognized, he expected me!" There's an edge of hysteria creeping into Agnasci's voice, as he is no longer able to suppress the overwhelming mixture of awe, anger, and panic that has been building all night. "He knows all of us, and I think he's trying to kill us, to prevent something he knows is going to happen."
Penrose stares silently at Agnasci as his student talks, his anger visibly mounting. Though he seems disturbed by the supposedly prophetic biker, he's clearly more concerned with the mess that's fallen in his lap.

"Don't try to make yourself out to be the hero in all of this, Orlando." Penrose has in private used his students' birth names before, but this time it's clearly an insult. "If they were so dangerous it only makes you the more foolish for having done what you did. You think you're special because you know a few spells, but let me tell you, stupid mages are a dime a dozen."

He sighs. "There's always a biker gang." He's talking to all of them. "Or a vampire, or a rogue mage, or a violent spirit. More young, stupid mages have died thinking they could fight the world than I can count." He looks at Agnasci. "From what I can tell you nearly joined them. You owe these four," he gestures to Faye and his other students, "your lives. Maybe they should have let you die." Agnasci, still plagued by bedlam, isn't likely to take this well.
 

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