Nazareth Awakened - Chapter 02: Wives of Solomon

[Rubberneck]

Law has been out voted. He nods his head in compliance,

"Alright we'll wait till the weekend to go grave robbing. Let's head back to Nazareth and find Agnasci so we can let him in on recent events."

Law heads for Nazareth.

 

[TillForPie]

Chance, Harper, and Law

The mages feel the buzz of magic as Harper casts his spell, analyzing the man on his way into the 7-11. Nothing magical as far as Harper can tell. The man wears a tiny pair of glasses that seem to barely fit on his face and he has his hair buzzed nearly bald, leaving only a thin layer of fuzz - before Harper can get too much more of a look at him he's disappeared into the 7-11. He waddles with surprising speed.

Law backs the Tahoe out of his space and pulls off onto the empty streets to make his way back to Nazareth.

Harper keeps his spirit arcanum's mage sight up for a while - there's something different about this place, this city. Everything here has a density to it that he can detect with the spell. Given the arcanum he's using he assumes it's the Gauntlet he's detecting: The barrier between the physical world and the Shadow. He's noticed before that it's thinner out on the edges of Nazareth, growing thicker near the town's center. Here it's almost smothering. He supposes that the more urban an area is the stronger the Gauntlet is. Interesting.

Law hits the button for the radio and the local news comes on. " - of Christ Church still plans on picketing the funeral of a Valley native veteran, killed in Afghanistan earlier this month. Church leader Augustus Patton said in a recent online statement 'Until the people of this forsaken country accepts God back into their lives, He'll keep sending their boys back in boxes.' The Tempe group No Hate has announced a counter-protest to take place at the same time tomorrow afternoon." Is that why Magellan suggested they wait? Surely it'd all be over by the dead of night? It could just be coincidence.

The group is cruising down Main Street in Nazareth by 10:20 PM, Wednesday the 8th.

Agnasci

"I can't tell you, until I know you won't hurt anyone," Agnasci says.

"Ain't none of us getting through this unscathed." He gets to his feet. "SWISS!" A few seconds later the basement door opens and the Dog of War with the long platinum-blond hair comes down the stairs. "Have BR bring down a chair and the little TV for you. You're watching him." Swiss nods and heads back up the stairs, Mad Dog going up behind him.

 

[Rubberneck]

Law turns to his passengers,

"Headed to see Penrose, hopefully he can help us locate Agnasci."

Law is more concerned now. Agnasci has been out of contact all day and there's no reason for that.

 

[Shayuri]

"Always runnin' to Penrose when we need somethin'," Chance grumps. "Can't we do this ourselves? Look, if we can find where he was, I can look back and see what happened. We just got to get on his trail. Where's the last place we KNOW where he was?"

 

[GlassEye]

Harper, Thyrsus mage

[section]

Harper is caught up in studying the Gauntlet. He's never seen it quite like this before and he can't resist looking at it, like being unable to stop picking at a scab or avoid looking at an accident. He watches it change as they head back towards Nazareth and notes the marked difference between city and country. He'll have to ask Penrose about it even though the man has avoided his questions about it up til now.

The radio story briefly catches his attention and raises his ire. That was probably Augustus Patton, a suitably fat name for an obnoxious personality, at the 7-11. If he'd realized it all then he would have done something (not that he would have had any idea what). The families didn't deserve that kind of bull particularly during this trying time and Harper almost tried to convince Law to go back before he came to his senses and realized that the van and its misguided pastor Patton would be long gone from the convenience store.

Harper turns his attention from the street to Chance. "I haven't seen him since our lesson with Penrose three days ago but that's not unusual." Harper scowls feeling annoyed at Agnasci for flaking out on them like this, or maybe it is annoyance at feeling useless in this situation when he feels like he should be able to do something.
​

[/section]

 

[Rubberneck]

Harper turns his attention from the street to Chance. "I haven't seen him since our lesson with Penrose three days ago but that's not unusual."

"Neither have I, so either way we are headed to the bookstore, and no offense but Penrose might be a quicker option since we would have to trace his steps over 3 days."

 

[TillForPie]

Law, dismissing poor Chance's outside-the-box thinking for the second time since her idea to call the real estate agent, pulls into one of the Nazareth Secondhand Books parking spaces. Faye is inside at her usual post.

 

[Rubberneck]

Law stops short considering the group's choices. On one hand the find Agnasci quicker, on the other they keep Penrose oblivious in case Agnasci has gotten himself into trouble.

"If you think we could find him on our own we best get started. This was the last place we saw him so who has ideas?"

 

[GlassEye]

Harper, Thyrsus mage

[section]

Harper stares out the backseat window of the Tahoe idly looking across at the bar as he ponders his options. His breath makes a fog on the window until he turns his head away to face Law and Chance in the front seat.

"I can send out Crow. Do we have anything that belongs to Agnasci?" Harper frowns and falls silent.

​

[/section]

 

[TillForPie]

Agnasci

Agnasci has had his eyes locked on a cardboard box on the bookstore counter for at least an hour.

"Staring a hole into the side of it won't make it any easier." Penrose doesn't look up from the book he's reading. Agnasci makes a disgruntled noise and Penrose snaps his book shut in response. "Faye, are you still going to the supermarket tonight?" She nods. "Head out early. And take this." Penrose pushes the box closer to her.

Faye sighs and calls Harper out from the storage room he's been staying in. She usually takes him with her when she's doing chores for Penrose. Her way of making him earn his keep. She takes the box in her arms and the two of them head out to her Tundra.

"Now how am I supposed to do it?" Agnasci is frustrated.

"I could mail the box to Thailand and it wouldn't make a difference." Penrose stands and heads to the Employees Only door to return to his sanctum. "You stay there until you've done it."

Agnasci was there all night until Faye finally told him to beat it. He'd never managed to find out what was in the box.

Agnasci now has Space 2. He may spend a point of Mana in order to cast spells sympathetically (see pg 114 of the Mage: The Awakening rulebook). Keep in mind that sympathetic magic targeting a person is considered two degrees of sympathy lower if you don't know their true name. Agnasci doesn't know Penrose, Chance, Law, or Harper's real names... but there's Faye. Faye Dunham.

Agnasci wakes from his short sleep to the sound of laughter. BR and Buddha-man are both in chairs on the other side of the basement, watching Super Troopers on a small television. It's very dark, probably in the dead of night.