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Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

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BronzeTongue said:
Wrong way around; this is rolling half your dice pool in 1s level botching. :V
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Normally you'd probably be right. With Molly it's not as clear-cut at all.


DragonParadox said:
  • It is 7 PM
  • That should work
  • Lydia is planning to literally flare her aura and draw the dead on campus like moths to the silver flame of quasi-material existence so 'very'. :V
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Ok. I can probably work with that. So, apparently Massachusets Hall is actually a working dormitory for 14 freshmen students, and an administrative building (it houses the office of the Harvard President).

Let's see. Can we quickly check if the president is still in office (i.e. if the lights are still on)?

I see three routes:
1) Use a technical room (boiler room for example) for the seance.
2) Talk some of the freshmen into letting us do the seance in their dorm room. Ideally check / see if there's a whampire youngling or a magically gifted freshman among them. We could roll over either of those.
3) Go to the President's office and either sneak in, or talk our way in, using the CEO persona.
 
[X] Plan Massachusets Hall
-[X] Call Harry and request Johann of Cleves casefile, if he can get a copy without too much hassle or attention (remind him that he has a camera in his mobile phone).
-[X] Using the mailing address, and a photo of the Massachusets Hall as a foci for the Crown, check the supernatural status of current residents (i.e. get a list of names and states, like "whampire", "wizard", "minor talent", "demigod", "mortal", etc).
--[X] If there's someone among students who is a supernatural being, go to them and request use of their dorm room for the seance. Preference goes to creatures of darkness
--[X[ Else, if Harvard President is still in office, go to him in the guise of Margret Carver CEO, and request a use of a room in the building to hold a seance, as a last wish of a departed friend. Provide a donation for the university for the use of the room.
---[X] Etiquette, Empathy excellencies as required
--[X] If he's not in the office already, sneak in and do the seance
--[X] Occult Excellency for the seance

Ok, Harry is for an additional focus. We need at least two - one for the reason the Well was made, and another to track down or learn how it was made . Harvard's President's office located in the oldest building of the university is ideal for a seance, mystically, I feel. It's the place of power and authority. Dorm rooms also work, if there's a supernatural whelp we can convince.

I'll think of a stunt in the morning.
 
Yog said:
[X] Plan Massachusets Hall
-[X] Call Harry and request Johann of Cleves casefile, if he can get a copy without too much hassle or attention (remind him that he has a camera in his mobile phone).
-[X] Using the mailing address, and a photo of the Massachusets Hall as a foci for the Crown, check the supernatural status of current residents (i.e. get a list of names and states, like "whampire", "wizard", "minor talent", "demigod", "mortal", etc).
--[X] If there's someone among students who is a supernatural being, go to them and request use of their dorm room for the seance. Preference goes to creatures of darkness
--[X[ Else, if Harvard President is still in office, go to him in the guise of Margret Carver CEO, and request a use of a room in the building to hold a seance, as a last wish of a departed friend. Provide a donation for the university for the use of the room.
---[X] Etiquette, Empathy excellencies as required
--[X] If he's not in the office already, sneak in and do the seance
--[X] Occult Excellency for the seance

Ok, Harry is for an additional focus. We need at least two - one for the reason the Well was made, and another to track down or learn how it was made . Harvard's President's office located in the oldest building of the university is ideal for a seance, mystically, I feel. It's the place of power and authority. Dorm rooms also work, if there's a supernatural whelp we can convince.

I'll think of a stunt in the morning.
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If we going to ask about Massachusetts Hall, why not ask about everyone on campus? We could use a 2006 yearbook or registry list as a Crown focus to get a full list, including any in Massachusetts Hall.
 
Yog said:
-[X] Using the mailing address, and a photo of the Massachusets Hall as a foci for the Crown, check the supernatural status of current residents (i.e. get a list of names and states, like "whampire", "wizard", "minor talent", "demigod", "mortal", etc).
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We don't need that we have Lydia has Supernatural Awareness with us able to sense the supernatural and Harvard is supposed to be mostly cleared out right now. Also we have Hellscry Charka for a more flexible COD detector then the crown.
 
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BronzeTongue said:
Since it appears to be a matter of convenience that you don't even bring up at all the times it would be this seems more like a virtue signal you hang off otherwise insufficient arguments to distract from that fact than anything else.
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No just countering half baked ethical arguments to not do anything. The practical reasons stand on their own.
BronzeTongue said:
This plays into my major issue here - leaving them almost wholly under his power.
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We could just tell it to act as the person's secretary or whatever other roles. Really the power balance is much more even than you seem to be implying. Now Clippy is a slave* who has to obey our every whim, but devils we hand to others have far more wiggle room to act in so long as they act in what they believe is in Molly's interests.

*Sarcasm to illustrate the point.
 
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mastigos said:
I mean, it's practically the seed of a nascent universe and I was half wondering if Molly-the-nascent-Primordial was going to be the one providing the "first jolt of motive power"
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Come to think of it ...
DragonParadox said:
"[Regret/unintended harm. Appreciation for sturdy/self-contained/trans-substantive pattern. Tools/echoes/evocations utilized/sung/spun beyond design/amplitude/scale]," she shoots back, making it sound like she's casting a spell and getting a look of wide eyed winder Harrowmont. He'd probably be less sanguine if he understood the words to be something like. 'Oops sorry, I'm using construction tools for fine sculpture.'
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Depending on how our investigation goes, we might want to hand this thing over to the only (other?) party member with a toolset for construction of worlds and vague memories of how to do so.
 
fictionfan said:
No just countering half baked ethical arguments to not do anything. The practical reasons stand on their own.
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Half baked?

You don't have to agree with my position but your tendency to treat any disagreement as inherently stupid or poorly thought out is grating.

To be frank, I don't see any value in your practical reasons. Why do we care about Karl's grades going up or life being easier when it's at best a coin flip if we'll ever talk to him again? Should we fill in the pot holes on his street so he doesn't end up late for class due to a flat tire too since we care about this now or is that too far?

We were in fact doing things in that scene; there is a significant amount of space between doing nothing and following every impulse that enters into your mind.

To be more direct than I was in the post you quoted:

If you're going to claim we must do something because it's an ethical responsibility that we do so then that's fine. If you're going to claim that it's a moral good but not a basic duty that's also fine.

But you can't seriously expect anyone to buy that it's a duty when you want to do it and not a duty when you don't.

fictionfan said:
We could just tell it to act as the person's secretary or whatever other roles. Really the power balance is much more even than you seem to be implying. Now Clippy is a slave* who has to obey our every whim, but devils we hand to others have far more wiggle room to act in so long as they act in what they believe is in Molly's interests.
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Yes we could do something different from what you wrote in. It almost sounds like my half baked argument highlighted something.
 
BronzeTongue said:
To be frank, I don't see any value in your practical reasons. Why do we care about Karl's grades going up or life being easier when it's at best a coin flip if we'll ever talk to him again?
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And that is kind of what I mean. Why should we do anything? Help anyone? The fact is that summoning up a cyber devil helper for him is basically costless for us and helps the cyber devil and Karl (even if it didn't actually happen which makes it even more costless). It's easy to come up with reasons to not do anything and moral reasons are the easiest because they can be based on feelings that don't need to be explained. Which is why I call them half baked.
BronzeTongue said:
Yes we could do something different from what you wrote in. It almost sounds like my half baked argument highlighted something.
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Only because you assumed the worst position for me. So highlighted a non-existent problem. When we give out Cyber devils they have always had a role. In this case the role would have been helping Karl for possible future recruiting. Of course if you want to see that as slavery then Clippy is a slave. And I can't argue that Clippy isn't definitional a slave in that he can't leave our service. But I just don't think Cyber devils should be looked at using those standards.
BronzeTongue said:
You don't have to agree with my position but your tendency to treat any disagreement as inherently stupid or poorly thought out is grating.
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I didn't used to do that. But after arguing with Uju32* for long time where he confidently declares his opinions as fact and that seems to get him support I have picked up the knack.

Unfortunately when trying to argue votes no one listens to you if you speak with proper accurately or uncertainty. Especially when the argument is about something subjective like morals. It sucks and I hate it, but seems to be the way the game has to be played to be taken seriously.

*Note: I disagree with @uju32 on just about everything, but I have to acknowledge that he puts really work behind his opinions even if he states them as fact too often and hate that it seems to be the way to go. If I didn't like the idea of Hell weaving so much I think that I would have voted for his Formor build.
 
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Goldfish said:
If we going to ask about Massachusetts Hall, why not ask about everyone on campus? We could use a 2006 yearbook or registry list as a Crown focus to get a full list, including any in Massachusetts Hall.
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That's at least two, possibly three questions - one for a list of supernatural statuses, another for where each person resides, possibly a third one to get the factual list of the people residing on campus in the first place. Still, that's an option, yes. And a good idea, if we are going to go "loud" with our seance. Also, are the yearbook and registry lists publicly available?

@DragonParadox how many questions would it take to get a list of every Harvard student with their supernatural statuses (like "mortal", "whampire", "wizard", etc) attached?
fictionfan said:
We don't need that we have Lydia has Supernatural Awareness with us able to sense the supernatural and Harvard is supposed to be mostly cleared out right now. Also we have Hellscry Charka for a more flexible COD detector then the crown.
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Ok, sure. Modifying my vote.

[X] Plan Massachusets Hall
-[X] Call Harry and request Johann of Cleves casefile, if he can get a copy without too much hassle or attention (remind him that he has a camera in his mobile phone).
-[X] Use 2006 yearbook or registry list (whichever is easier to obtain) as a crown focus to learn supernatural status of everyone on campus
-[X] Lydia uses Supernatural Awareness, and Molly uses Hellscry chakra to check the supernatural status of current residents of Massachusets Hall
--[X] If there's someone among students who is a supernatural being, go to them and request use of their dorm room for the seance. Preference goes to creatures of darkness
--[X[ Else, if Harvard President is still in office, go to him in the guise of Margret Carver CEO, and request a use of a room in the building to hold a seance, as a last wish of a departed friend. Provide a donation for the university for the use of the room.
---[X] Etiquette, Empathy excellencies as required
--[X] If he's not in the office already, sneak in and do the seance
--[X] Occult Excellency for the seance
 
Yog said:
That's at least two, possibly three questions - one for a list of supernatural statuses, another for where each person resides, possibly a third one to get the factual list of the people residing on campus in the first place. Still, that's an option, yes. And a good idea, if we are going to go "loud" with our seance. Also, are the yearbook and registry lists publicly available?

@DragonParadox how many questions would it take to get a list of every Harvard student with their supernatural statuses (like "mortal", "whampire", "wizard", etc) attached?
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I am not sure you could do that, at least not in good time, you would need a question and a focus for every single type of being you want to check for.
 
DragonParadox said:
I am not sure you could do that, at least not in good time, you would need a question and a focus for every single type of being you want to check for.
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Why? When we asked for the membership of the Gorfel's brotherhood we got this:
DragonParadox said:
Dr. Hans Ulrich Speer, Bone Digger, Stone Breaker
Johann of Cleaves, Wizard, Pianist, Lover of Flames
Katrina Sigfriddotir, the Forsaken Sister
Lucian of Cephaloedium, the Thrice Betrayer, Namshiel's Bearer
Marcus Scribonius Libo Drusus, the Hollow Seer
Theodosius Cristos, the Broken Bridge
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In included the "supernatural type" in at least some descriptions. The question I want to ask is somewhat similar. Perhaps as two questions? One for "what is the list of people currently residing on campus?" and another for "what kind of supernatural beings are the people on campus?"? Something like this.
 
Yog said:
Why? When we asked for the membership of the Gorfel's brotherhood we got this:

In included the "supernatural type" in at least some descriptions. The question I want to ask is somewhat similar. Perhaps as two questions? One for "what is the list of people currently residing on campus?" and another for "what kind of supernatural beings are the people on campus?"? Something like this.
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I do kind of want to agree but those are identifying soubriquet. While they do identify in some cases Katrina's is literally The Forsaken daughter. Despite the fact of her being a valkyrie at one point. They had more to do with identity and who these people are you know Dresden despite being a pretty young guy almost certainly has Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, Wizard of Chicago, Starborn as that type of name if they don't consider magic or what type of Supernatural they are as a part of their identity they probably wouldn't show up on that type question.
 
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Yog said:
Why? When we asked for the membership of the Gorfel's brotherhood we got this:

In included the "supernatural type" in at least some descriptions. The question I want to ask is somewhat similar. Perhaps as two questions? One for "what is the list of people currently residing on campus?" and another for "what kind of supernatural beings are the people on campus?"? Something like this.
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Yes, but those were deeply magical people and you were using a sorcerer as your focus, they were as destiny counted them important. This is trying to look though thousands of students for the supernatural beings that might be there. It is the same reason why you cannot just make a list of all the supernatural beings with type and affiliation in the US or even the world.
 
DragonParadox said:
Yes, but those were deeply magical people and you were using a sorcerer as your focus, they were as destiny counted them important. This is trying to look though thousands of students for the supernatural beings that might be there. It is the same reason why you cannot just make a list of all the supernatural beings with type and affiliation in the US or even the world.
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Would "who among the people currently attending and working at Harvard, are supernatural?" work? Once we get that, we can cross-reference with records, and maybe use another question on "who lives where". Without typization, just supernatural status?
 
Yog said:
Would "who among the people currently attending and working at Harvard, are supernatural?" work? Once we get that, we can cross-reference with records, and maybe use another question on "who lives where". Without typization, just supernatural status?
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Just supernatural and not? Yeah you could do that with a list, though it should be noted that Karl here did not b believe in magic until he saw a girl run across the room like the Flash and he would come up on that list.
 
DragonParadox said:
Just supernatural and not? Yeah you could do that with a list, though it should be noted that Karl here did not b believe in magic until he saw a girl run across the room like the Flash and he would come up on that list.
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And if we focus it back on the residents of the Massachusets Hall? With the question of "what are the supernatural creatures residing this building?"? That's 14 students, and possibly administration.
 
DragonParadox said:
That would work, yeah.
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Ok then. Going back to the original version, but clarifying the roles of everyone involved if we go with President's office.

[X] Plan Massachusets Hall
-[X] Call Harry and request Johann of Cleves casefile, if he can get a copy without too much hassle or attention (remind him that he has a camera in his mobile phone).
-[X] Using the mailing address, or a photo of the Massachusets Hall as a foci for the Crown, check the supernatural status of current residents (i.e. get a list of names and states, like "whampire", "wizard", "minor talent", "demigod", "mortal", etc).
--[X] If there's someone among students who is a supernatural being, go to them and request use of their dorm room for the seance. Preference goes to creatures of darkness
--[X[ Else, if Harvard President is still in office, go to him in the guise of Margret Carver CEO, and request a use of a room in the building to hold a seance, as a last wish of a departed friend. Provide a donation for the university for the use of the room.
---[X] Etiquette, Empathy excellencies as required
---[X] Molly acts as a lawyer / organizer, Lydia as the rich heir, and Olivia as the bodyguard
--[X] If he's not in the office already, sneak in and do the seance
--[X] Occult Excellency for the seance

Lydia with regal bearing should be able to easily pass a a rich heir. Molly with BMI as her representative, and Olivia works as a bodyguard.
 
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Yog said:
Ok then. Going back to the original version, but clarifying the roles of everyone involved if we go with President's office.

[X] Plan Massachusets Hall
-[X] Call Harry and request Johann of Cleves casefile, if he can get a copy without too much hassle or attention (remind him that he has a camera in his mobile phone).
-[X] Using the mailing address, and a photo of the Massachusets Hall as a foci for the Crown, check the supernatural status of current residents (i.e. get a list of names and states, like "whampire", "wizard", "minor talent", "demigod", "mortal", etc).
--[X] If there's someone among students who is a supernatural being, go to them and request use of their dorm room for the seance. Preference goes to creatures of darkness
--[X[ Else, if Harvard President is still in office, go to him in the guise of Margret Carver CEO, and request a use of a room in the building to hold a seance, as a last wish of a departed friend. Provide a donation for the university for the use of the room.
---[X] Etiquette, Empathy excellencies as required
---[X] Molly acts as a lawyer / organizer, Lydia as the rich heir, and Olivia as the bodyguard
--[X] If he's not in the office already, sneak in and do the seance
--[X] Occult Excellency for the seance

Lydia with regal bearing should be able to easily pass a a rich heir. Molly with BMI as her representative, and Olivia works as a bodyguard.
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You're overcomplicating this.

If you want to sneak around the last thing you want to be is interesting, it makes people pay attention, poke at the details, and potentially take action.

The place probably has a basement with utility space, or some study rooms that are supposed to be open to students but have lockable doors. Every dorm I stayed in did.

Our party is composed of three people who can at minimum put on a good show of being students. If the doors are unlocked just walk in and move around like we belong. If they're locked wait for someone to go in and then catch their attention while hustling to the door. 9/10 times they'll hold it for you.

That or stand out front with an annoyed look and pretend to be texting someone until you get let in. This isn't the pentagon, a few freshmen ish looking people who want into a freshman dorm isn't noteworthy.

Once we're in go in, find a room with no windows, lock the door behind us, and then summon the dead or whatever else. If we want to go the extra mile stick a piece of paper with a vague closed for cleaning message on the door before we start.

Hell, my school had reservable study rooms in the libraries. You needed a student account, but we have multiple ways to cheat that if we want to. It wouldn't surprise me if we could just do that and not even need to bother with any kind of act in the first place.
 
[X] Plan Quiet Visit
-[X] Take a moment to brush up your disguises; a handful of students minding their own business.
-[X] Walk in like we've been there a thousand times before and find a secluded room to lock up for the ritual.
-[X] Look up the floor plan online beforehand to help navigate quickly.
 
I really do see a need to talk to more people we already know the nature of the place, and I highly doubt any random mortal got to the nexus points that anchors the place.
 
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