Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Crossover Fantasy
Yeah, you are right I should have closed it off then. I had hoped Vegas would be quicker to resolve, but it did not turn out that way.
Ah adventure creep my old friend.
Vote closed.
This is functionally just as disruptive in a lot of ways and puts our people through a trial by fire with understanding earth. They could do it, but I suspect they would have issues and gain a negative impression of earth in the process.
Arc 11 Post 68: Man in the Stacks
Man in the Stacks
13th of January 2007 A.D.
Lydia pokes her head in the bathroom door, nose crinkling at the reek of bleach. "Food's delivered. Anything?" You count off on your fingers "The Reds got mauled taking the tunnels, but the Dragon's probably alive, just crippled." Another finger."We definitely need to talk to Charon." Ring finger. "Big Corey is going to Hawaii, ASAP." Pinky "And Fortunato's people have done a runner."
At the last one Lydia's eyebrows rise."Wanderland has done a runner? I didnt think it could even leave Vegas."
All you can do it shrug "News to me too."
"Law of Sympathy," Tiffany calls from the couch, by the sounds of it she had already started digging in to her food. "There's enough other places that are alike to Vegas that Fortunato might be able to up stakes and move there. My bet is the gamblers of Monte Carlo or Macao will start having luck that's strange as it is hopeful in the days and weeks to come. No doubt that will get the Wyldfae into a fight with locals defending their territory, but it's a better outcome than they would get in Vegas if we don't manage to right the apple cart."
"We will, we have to," Harry does not shout, but your ears are sharpened enough to hear him just the same.
Hope he's right, you think as you dial Harrowmont's number. The call goes long, five rings before groggy man on the other end picks up. "Hello, who's there?" Even in his present state there's a very cut-glass English accent that reminds you of nothing so much as Matthew Macfadyen playing Mr. Darcy.
So you launch into a fundamentally true if slightly more flattering account of what Arlene had said about him when she gave you his number, emphasizing that this is an investigation grave as it is urgent aimed at those who are a threat to all within the city. It's when you toss in the word Lawbreaker that you really get his attention though.
"So the Council has requires my skills," the words 'at last' aren't spoken, but they might as well be shouted given the relish with which he speaks. "Far be it from me to impede the protectors of mankind, but given how protective the Wardens are of 'official business' I think it would be prudent to offer some recognition wouldn't you say so Ms Carpenter?"
Chip on his shoulder the size of Mount Everest, annoyed at the Council. Wanted to be a wizard, didn't make the cut, tried to study his way out of a lack of talent, ended up broadening instead of deepening his gift. At the back of your mind Usum is chuckling darkly and you do not even have to ask why. In the marketplace of souls Alexander Harrowmont's would be at a Black Friday discount for anyone paying in the proper coin, the question is if any buyer's gotten to him yet.
"I'm sure we can work something out," you agree, which is to say if needs be Harry can give him an 'official' White Council gold star or something. "What I would like to ask you is if you know anything about the present disposition of the Red Court or their attack earlier this year on the illusionist known as Orpheus. I also have a picture for you to look over to tell me if you recognize the woman in it as well as a general account of things in Vegas since this summer. Shifts in power, politically and magically, people acting unusually, going missing."
"One of the grad students at UNLV where I work, Patricia Ruiz-Borges died of an overdose. At least that is how the LVPD ruled it, but I am quite certain it was murder. She was looking into corruption and human trafficking though McCarran International Airport. I tried to warn her that she would find far more than merely human wickedness at play, but she was convinced she would crack the whole network wide open, spread it all over the press, too far and too fast for a cover up."
"Did she sound like someone put her up to it?" you ask, thinking of how easy someone like that would be to turn into a catspaw.
"Hard to tell really, there was no touch of the occult about her, no charms and hexes, but a word in the right ear can often do more harm than any enchantment. One thing I can say for certain is that she went down into the tunnels where Orpheus used to dwell, looking for eyewitness testimony, people who had managed to get away from the..." disdain enters his voice. "Blood trade. To be honest I counted her death the work of the Red Court, it fits their particular brand of... well I hesitate to call it humor, but they might find such character assassination amusing."
You nod to yourself, that does sound like something they would do with no outside prodding. "Alright, sending the picture over now..."
The answer is as instant as it is electrifying: "Oh, I know her, that's Sandra Marling, she's a freshman enrolled this year. How is she mixed up in all this?"
"You know the Laws yes?" You do not give him time to answer. "There are those who break them in ignorance, those who break them in folly and arrogance and there are those who walk into the Pit with their eyes open, she had broken the Seventh Law, she is a willing servant of Those Beyond the Outer Gates."
"Higher Demons? No there are too many books on..." he cuts himself off, not wanting to spread his reading habits to someone associated with the Council.
"The most common term for them is Outsider, it is not very useful as far as morphological description goes, but it also does not risk drawing the wrong kind of attention. Can you tell me what Sandra has been doing, what social circles she's been moving in? Names, addresses?"
"Ms Carpenter I am an archivist, certain serialized depictions of the job aside I do not socialize with the students. Marling struck me as a reasonably well liked young lady, I have not seen her in the stacks that often, but she generally came as part of a group. On that note I know of a way to enhance my own memory to recall their names, but it will take a few hours..." he cuts himself off. "I could certainly give you her list of courses and of course all of her professors, you could probably work your way out from there, though of course tomorrow is Sunday. It would probably be best to work this out on Monday..."
"I am afraid we do not have the time to wait on that." The city of Las Vegas does not have the time. "If she spent time at the university it was for some nefarious purpose."
"I wonder..." Harrowmont hmms very dramatically. "There have been an unusual number of young people having breakdowns before the midterms. I mean you always get one or two, fainting spells especially, students these days do not know how to take care of their bodies. We have had one young lady get the shakes, another fellow started hearing voices, three cases of narcolepsy. There has been a lot of blaming of certain illicit substances among the staff, I was not paying that much attention. A oneiric vector perhaps? I do have some small skill in that regard."
Dreams again... you think, then muse aloud. "Did you know Orpheus? Could he have been involved? What was he involved in?"
"We've met a time or two," he temporizes, badly. "He was a gentle soul, in his own way quitecontent to live among his dreams, help others share in their dreams around. Some would liken him to just another dealer in a city filled with them, but I do not think he acted out of greed, more a belief that reality is a cruel place and it is better to dwell in the land of dreams as long as one is able. I have no idea what he could have doen to anger the Red Court unless it was that they came to see him as competition or they simply desired his talents. Orpheus would have rather died than join them, like any sensibile person who saw beneath the mask of stolen humanity. If in the process of dealing with Marling you should see fit to rid the city of that blight many would be greatful for the deed."
As he speaks your mind is already wondering elsewhere, to Harry's talents. After all your Crown can tell you where Sandra is at any given moment but his could provide an continous path. "If Sandra has been around campus can you think of any place where she might have mispalced hair or anything else that could serve as a thaumaturgic focus. She would naturally be weary of such things, but that does not mean she's always perfect."
He thinks a moment "Chemistry labs perhaps? I recall she's taking an organic chemistry course at least. Students do often have to wear head protection, it would not take much to lose a few stray hairs." A sigh comes from the other end of the call, not all that sincere you would judge, more the attitude Harrowmont thinks is expected of him. "Do you want me to get you onto the campus. I only have the keys to the library and the archives, but I imagine you will not have much trouble breaking in the buildings, there is naught but mundane locks in the way."
Regained 1 Essence (CSR) -> Now at 7/15
What do you reply?
[] Agree, if Sandra has been around the UNLV campus you want to know what she's been doing there
[] Refuse, you still need to heal, just wait for Harrowmont to give you the course list and the list of students he had seem with Sandra
[] Write in
OOC: And there we are Alexander Harrowmont. The scene's now done so you guys are going to have to refresh your excelencies and other charms.
Last edited:
Rolls
Lash makes a guess on Fey Matters
Midnight call vs Opposed Wits+Etiquette
Reading Harrowmont... like a book, not giving him an opposed roll, there is no way he can beat this
Harrowmont to remember stuff...Nope
Reading his relation to Orpheus... once again he cannot beat this
Thinking of where Sandra may have left hairs
Lash makes a guess on Fey Matters
Midnight call vs Opposed Wits+Etiquette
Reading Harrowmont... like a book, not giving him an opposed roll, there is no way he can beat this
Harrowmont to remember stuff...Nope
Reading his relation to Orpheus... once again he cannot beat this
Thinking of where Sandra may have left hairs
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
The chances for actually finding a useful bit of Sandra just laying around in a chemistry lab of all places are not worth the time investment. At least not right now when we're still so heavily injured.
[X] Refuse, you still need to heal, just wait for Harrowmont to give you the course list and the list of students he had seem with Sandra
[X] Refuse, you still need to heal, just wait for Harrowmont to give you the course list and the list of students he had seem with Sandra
Pretty sure all of us were thinking the same thing. Too bad we didn't take that soul trade option, or pick up VEE.
If he's a powerful sorcerer already it seems possible for us to stretch a wish far enough to bridge that last gap.
There should be enrollment papers. If she did biochemistry, she jad to sign safety course papers. There's the campus itself. That's from the top of my head.
Incidentally, what are the odds that Harry and Lydia pick up on Molly and Lash's reaction to him if they all meet up?
I'm envisioning something like a pair of cats tracking a baby rabbit with their eyes. They're not really hungry, but free food is free food.
Honestly, having Mister for so many years should give Harry a circumstance bonus to reading the two of them when they get like this; demons are basically a kind of cat with lots of spiritual power and time.
More seriously though, if we did get into the soul trade Vegas would be the place to do it. It's sobering to consider how many others have clearly noticed the same thing, and how simple it'd be to blow them all out of the water.
That's not even an exalted supremacy thing; the power of not being an asshole but still offering the sort of deals good factions won't give you makes her incredibly difficult to compete with given time to build a rep.
Edit: autocorrect error
I'm envisioning something like a pair of cats tracking a baby rabbit with their eyes. They're not really hungry, but free food is free food.
Honestly, having Mister for so many years should give Harry a circumstance bonus to reading the two of them when they get like this; demons are basically a kind of cat with lots of spiritual power and time.
More seriously though, if we did get into the soul trade Vegas would be the place to do it. It's sobering to consider how many others have clearly noticed the same thing, and how simple it'd be to blow them all out of the water.
That's not even an exalted supremacy thing; the power of not being an asshole but still offering the sort of deals good factions won't give you makes her incredibly difficult to compete with given time to build a rep.
Edit: autocorrect error
Last edited:
- Location
- Earth
[X] Agree, if Sandra has been around the UNLV campus you want to know what she's been doing there
-[X] Also have your cyberdevils search the UNLV social media for appearances of Sandra
While Sandra herself would not post pictures of herself, her "friends" are unlikely to be as paranoid.
-[X] Also have your cyberdevils search the UNLV social media for appearances of Sandra
While Sandra herself would not post pictures of herself, her "friends" are unlikely to be as paranoid.
[X] Write in - Send Harry without you. This is his wheelhouse. He can call if he needs backup.
-[X] Also have your cyberdevils search the UNLV social media for appearances of Sandra
This is literally what Harry does professionally and we can send Tiffany with him at minimum. We can heal up. He can find a hair.
-[X] Also have your cyberdevils search the UNLV social media for appearances of Sandra
This is literally what Harry does professionally and we can send Tiffany with him at minimum. We can heal up. He can find a hair.
Last edited:
[X] Refuse, you still need to heal, just wait for Harrowmont to give you the course list and the list of students he had seem with Sandra
BoredMan
Maintaining the Agenda is our top priority
We already have foci for Sandra. Healing is more important we may still end up with a boss fight later or several.
[X] Refuse, you still need to heal, just wait for Harrowmont to give you the course list and the list of students he had seem with Sandra
This is good too no reason for us to even have to go. We get the foci and actually get to fucking heal.
[X] Write in - Send Harry without you. This is his wheelhouse. He can call if he needs backup.
-[X] Also have your cyberdevils search the UNLV social media for appearances of Sandra
[X] Refuse, you still need to heal, just wait for Harrowmont to give you the course list and the list of students he had seem with Sandra
This is good too no reason for us to even have to go. We get the foci and actually get to fucking heal.
[X] Write in - Send Harry without you. This is his wheelhouse. He can call if he needs backup.
-[X] Also have your cyberdevils search the UNLV social media for appearances of Sandra
Last edited:
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
[X] Agree, if Sandra has been around the UNLV campus you want to know what she's been doing there
-[x] Have Harry go well you rest in a perfume bottle he carries
This isn't an either or. With RVD and teammates we can rest and be ready to jump out if needed.
-[x] Have Harry go well you rest in a perfume bottle he carries
This isn't an either or. With RVD and teammates we can rest and be ready to jump out if needed.
Small note, you have one more focus on Sandra, the recording of the attack.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Incidentally the perfume bottle thing means that enemies shouldn't be able to tell with team Molly is going with.
Another thought here; we don't necessarily need to use some categories of foci for the crown or tracking spells.
Harry isn't just good at blasting and investigation, he's good at high energy broad scale thaumaturgy. That's part of why he's a combat meathead compared to people unquestionably stronger than him and is still capable of pulling major rituals on his own or build stuff like little Chicago. His "build" is oriented around things at a different scale.
It also means that Dresden could really terrifying with curses if he wanted to be.
We also have from the ward raising that Molly and Lydia can contribute to workings that they don't necessarily have dots in the relevant active magical skill for, and that infernal essence is unsurprisingly good at curses.
So if we get a hair instead of using it for questions or following her how about we sit down and hit her with the worst curse a full wizard, infernal exalt, demigod of death, and the firstborn demon of flesh and longing can cook up that doesn't involve him personally breaking the laws of magic?
It's true that thresholds bleed off power from stuff like that, but they aren't perfect. Even with wards built on top of them a sufficiently powerful curse can still force its way in and either way you have to stay inside until the thing passes to keep the protection. Like that one entropy curse Dresden had to turn on his 24 hour super lockdown to block.
We could get "notice from out of state" levels of mean with the energy we have to throw around. Even if she does hide behind wards it'd still mess with her operations.
Harry isn't just good at blasting and investigation, he's good at high energy broad scale thaumaturgy. That's part of why he's a combat meathead compared to people unquestionably stronger than him and is still capable of pulling major rituals on his own or build stuff like little Chicago. His "build" is oriented around things at a different scale.
It also means that Dresden could really terrifying with curses if he wanted to be.
We also have from the ward raising that Molly and Lydia can contribute to workings that they don't necessarily have dots in the relevant active magical skill for, and that infernal essence is unsurprisingly good at curses.
So if we get a hair instead of using it for questions or following her how about we sit down and hit her with the worst curse a full wizard, infernal exalt, demigod of death, and the firstborn demon of flesh and longing can cook up that doesn't involve him personally breaking the laws of magic?
It's true that thresholds bleed off power from stuff like that, but they aren't perfect. Even with wards built on top of them a sufficiently powerful curse can still force its way in and either way you have to stay inside until the thing passes to keep the protection. Like that one entropy curse Dresden had to turn on his 24 hour super lockdown to block.
We could get "notice from out of state" levels of mean with the energy we have to throw around. Even if she does hide behind wards it'd still mess with her operations.
