Mage: The Awakening PbP - Nemesis

[Shayuri]

"Huh? Oh, no...thanks." Thessaly smiles at her, then looks back at the mask. "Do you know anything about this 'Red Rose Society' thing? Are they..."

She looks around hastily and lowers her voice.

"...you know...Awakened? Because this feels a little weird to me. And I'm used to weird things happening too. Plus, this mask is pretty, but sort of creepy too. Don't you think?"

Thessaly waves a hand at it, reluctant to touch it.

 

[Lichtenhart]

Daniel has just finished dusting the shelves, and carries back the small ladder he had to use. He has also managed to find another copy of the booklet on dreams Winnie gave him, and puts it away for Cymbeline. He looks at the mask with a surprised look, so he peeks at the letter that came with it. At the "Dear Thessaly" he rolls his eyes.

"Tess, dear, it looks to me you may soon be at the center of a bidding war. Starbuck would like me to insist and show you all the perks and finer points of being a Libertine. Which I'd rather not do. I'm no door-to-door seller, as belief and philosophy are not things you can buy. I value the freedom to follow one's own path, and I don't believe the world to be a place of utter darkness, with mere, flickering candles lighting scraps of a lost road. Those were, and still are, my main reasons for choosing the Free Council. But I'd want you to find your own reasons and your own path, rather than follow mine. I'll help you any way I can. But I digress.
I wouldn't be suprised to find out that this mask conceals an invitation to meet and eventually join the Guardians of the Veil. I wonder how many more offers of this kind you're going to receive. Maybe it is time for you to decide."

And if the Guardians of the Veil are involved, it won't hurt to check.
Daniel activates the Eye of the Magus rote, and opens his spiritual third eye to give the mask a good look.

 

[Tokiwong]

Daniel activates the rote with 8dice and gets 1 success. He scrutinizes the mask with 3 successes an Intelligence + Occult check.

Daniel opens his third eye to the Supernal and can see nothing. The mask is devoid of all resonance. Wiped clean it, the mask seems sterile. Simply put there is no resonance to it, and it seems ordinary if devoid of any connection to anything.

 

[Lichtenhart]

"Hehe. You should see it. They cut every single strand of resonance about it. How much more secretive can you get?"

 

[Aenion]

Not a salesman? Morrigan rolls her eyes, hiding it by taking a sip from her cup, as Daniel explains why he won't try to convert Thess, Quite the promotional speech... I hope Krishna didn't sent me here to recruit her. She's hardly Arrow material. She just doesn't have the right mindset. Good luck to the Guardians in that regard.

"The Guardians of the Veil were my first guess as well. It has a certain beauty," she studies the mask, attuning herself to the Sight beyond Life, welcoming the paleness and the sense of inevitability it casts on her surroundings, "You should choose carefully, accept this invitation and find out what they have to say."

 

[Tokiwong]

Morrigan rolls 8 dice on her rote and gets 2 successes. She gets 2 successes on 5 dice to unveil resonance.

Morrigan can see that just like Daniel said there is not touch upon it. It is clean of death, devoid of the absence of death, of any touch of the supernal upon it. Outside Officer Brady’s patrol car passes along the main avenue. Across the street students congregate at the coffee shop.

A young girl is skating down the sidewalk, passing in front of the windows of the Monkey’s Paw. It is cloudy outside and a breeze from the ocean gives the trees that line the main street a gentle sway to them.

Reflexive Wits + Composure roll for Daniel, he gets 1 success on 5 dice.

Daniel notices outside the window a young man, is looking at the store. He wears a loose jacket over faded blue t-shirt with ragged jeans. His skin is tanned and from he can see long curly hair, but cannot make out facial features.

Has he seen this youth before? For moment it seems as if perhaps there eyes meet and then the young man turns and walks away.

 

[Shayuri]

Thessaly gingerly touches the mask with a fingertip and traces along its smooth contour.

"You're right. I guess I'd better start thinking about how I want to fit into this whole...mage culture. It just feels so new. I feel like I'm just barely scratching the surface of magic in general, and now...but then again, an Order would be able to teach me more..."

She seems to warm to the idea at that notion.

"It'll be hard to decide though. It seems to me, from what Daniel's said, that all the Orders have vital roles in things." She sighs. "I need a list or something. What do these 'guardians' do again?"

 

[Tokiwong]

Eight months ago…

“Perhaps it is time to let others carry the fight, Gawain,” Winnie replies sipping her sweet tea. The room was quiet and it was just the two of them in her study. The man that sat across from her was in his late thirties, early forties perhaps. He was well dressed, with a handsome rugged face, going gray just behind the ears.

Gawain replies, “Winnie, I suppose you think I should just impose myself into seclusion like yourself?”

“Don’t be silly Gawain, but you are only tempting fate, two of your friends are dead. Is it really worth it?” Winnie replies cocking her head slightly.

“It must not fall back into their hands, the fight is that important. Winnie you of all people know how important this is to me. I have dedicated much of my life to this pursuit. If the legend is true…” Gawain sighs between healthy gulps a hot cup of coffee.

“If it is true, just like if Atlantis is true… legends become facts and facts become legends. I assure you Gawain you go down this path and you will suffer, but then you’re an enchanter, you already know what your future will bring,” Winnie smiles.

“You are always astute, Winnie. But I believe that I should not stay long… no that won’t do,” he puts the cup down. Gawain smiles standing.

Winnie sips her tea, “Leaving so soon, Gawain, we rarely catch up anymore. I always enjoy your stories.”

“You only enjoy the stories that we shared together,” he kisses her forehead, “but I should be going.”

Winnie shakes her head with a mirthful smile, but her eyes showed worry.

 

[Aenion]

"The Guardians..." Morrigan thinks for a moment, taking another sip from her coffee, "The Guardians hide the Supernal from the Sleepers and are willing to go very far in that. They are trying to protect the Sleepers and us from the Supernal."

"While the Guardians protect us from the unseen threats, we from the Adamantine Arrow prefer to take more direct action," she says, "We believe in dedicating our life to duty and protection. We live to protect other mages and the secrets of the Supernal from those who would abuse them."

"The ones we seem forced to protect most are the Mysterium, they are the ones who discover and study the secrets we protect ... and don't always take a look before rushing headlong for the price," she jokes.

"The Silver Ladder are politicians I guess, although you will find those in almost any order," she smiles her thin smile, "They are trying to rebuild the power and glory of Atlantis by giving Sleepers that little extra nudge they need to see the real world."

"I'll leave the Free Council to Daniel. I'll just say that last night was quite typical for them," she shrugs.

 

[Shayuri]

Thessaly considers that, and asks, "It sounds to me like the Guardians of the Veil and the Silver Ladder would be in almost direct opposition to each other. One trying to keep things secret, the other trying to get normal people to Awaken. How does that resolve itself?"