[X] Invite Dan out with you to investigate the freelance mages of this city
Time to play the I'm no one special game against someone VERY suspicious of us!
Hilariously, I'm pretty sure our performance is a lot closer to 'wanna-be in over her head.' then 'Deidre, Legendary Last Elf.'
Admittedly we did manage to make the barrier hold in the end so…
Haven't decided how to vote, but isn't asking Dan a fairly major step towards just getting the lot of them involved directly? I mean, it was coincidence we ran into Amina and we can write it off as such. But between involving ourselves with Dan extensively and crossing paths with Amina, which one of them already found suspicious, that seems like we're pressing our luck a bit much if we don't want that.
Of course, a case can be made either way whether involving the newbie adventurers is good or not.
[x] Invite Dan out with you to investigate the freelance mages of this city
Id take the risk of his prodding, I dont think we can do much against possible magical cult members if we were this helpless against the none magical ones (while in mundane clothes, of course)
Haven't decided how to vote, but isn't asking Dan a fairly major step towards just getting the lot of them involved directly? I mean, it was coincidence we ran into Amina and we can write it off as such. But between involving ourselves with Dan extensively and crossing paths with Amina, which one of them already found suspicious, that seems like we're pressing our luck a bit much if we don't want that.
Of course, a case can be made either way whether involving the newbie adventurers is good or not.
Good question. If it helps, I'll lay out the timeline and reasonable assumptions Deirdre has on the situation:
-You end up approaching the supposed adventurers the second time you see them after getting a little drunk - not too suspicious you think, and they seem to welcome it.
-Dan pauses when he is fiddling with a magic exercise and suddenly asks your name. You assume he probably sensed something off with you. You give a fake name and due to their newness and novelty of the situation, Rowan "jokes" about your importance.
-Amina calls you up and asks whether you want to do a commission with her, presumably as an excuse to hang out. You agree to.
-When you discover that your suspicions about the job are correct, you decide to tell Amina about the weapons and parts of the investigation, subtly leaving out your involvement in it.
-You cast a large magic barrier, and even if it sucked, that's something that most people can't do with raw magic.
It's not entirely damning enough yet for them to call you out, but the coincidences are piling on.
Part of the reason for hiding your identity is giving them a sort of a plausible deniability for a while. Revealing it immediately probably would have gotten them on board very quickly and may or may not have had various consequences. The cult is aware of them now somewhat, but between the hacker being taken down, the various institutions of the Light investing a lot of resources, parts of the police working with them, potentially the Advocates jumping in, and you very visibly shutting down one of their operations the day before, it's not too crazy to think they probably have bigger things on their plate. One more potential coincidental encounter with the cultists probably won't change it either, though the ponit of no return will come.
Then comes the question. It's fun to interact with a group like this, but how far does Deirdre want to take it? Remember, even Dan is crazy enough to agree on coming along with a group acting as adventurers, so it's not like you'll be forcing them into anything they don't want to do. Deirdre already chose to involve Amina as well. Things will be getting more dangerous though, and I think I can say that their potential involvement will start escalating more and more after the mages. Not to mention the doubts Deirdre still has about even befriending them in the first place. There's a mixture of motivations and doubts at play here, and it'll be up to all of you to ultimately decide whether to further draw the adventurer group in, even if the decisions have been relatively one-sided so far aha.
I should probably add that they won't suddenly disappear if you don't involve them, though they'll obviously appear less. This may or may not include getting into dangerous situations themselves though, considering that is part of what they're trying to do. Amina did find that job entirely without your influence after all. I won't say whether that would've resulted in anything especially bad for her, but food for thought.
Id take the risk of his prodding, I dont think we can do much against possible magical cult members if we were this helpless against the none magical ones (while in mundane clothes, of course)
Even in her disguise and without her bow, she probably could've defeated the entire ambush without too much trouble if she didn't have to worry about the workers with her, so don't worry about her much in a fight unless the dice rolls a 1 1 1, which is surely an impossibility this soon... ahem. While you may still be sort of in disguise if you go to the mages with Dan, he's seen your bow before. You'll be carrying that with you at least since it doesn't matter as much whether anyone calls attention to it there.
Well, since it will make all the difference, I suppose I owe it to the quest to contribute.
[X] Invite Dan out with you to investigate the freelance mages of this city
It's a good point that they decided to be adventurers and take chances of their own free will. And from a practical standpoint, it's nice to have a separate source of backup in case our relationship with the Church turns sour for some weird reason. Besides, why pass up an opportunity to help guide the next generation?
"Magic is painful. Magic is difficult. Magic is infuriating. Magic is unpredictable. Magic is despair. Magic is everything."
-Archmage Sofia
General Overview:
Magic is the manipulation of the forces and laws that exist in all life and things. It is not a vague feeling you push around and create a specific effect out of by simply thinking about it. There are many methodologies and cultural traditions surrounding the practice, but most will tentatively agree that there are two overarching philosophies that all studies of magic draw from. The first is "immersion" magic, the magic that one performs with a deeply-rooted connection or conception of the force they are trying to manipulate. The other is "calculative" magic, a magic that is done only by rigorous study of the mathematical and scientific formula involved in any given spell.
Immersion Magic:
Immersion magic, also known as impression magic, involves sorcerers and various cultural practices all over Orbis. Contrary to popular belief, these practitioners often require years of practice to achieve a basic mastery of their fields. While there may be some people able to produce magical effects without training, their use would be out of their control. They might use too much or too little, or their spells will simply stop working without them realizing why.
The reason why it is called immersion magic is that one must be utterly immersed in the specific magic field or concept that one is learning, mind and body. They can't just think about it and use it. They must genuinely feel it, know it, taste it, and be it. Immersion magic is often paired with exercises or various motions akin to a martial art as a way to formalize the process, with a student impressing the magic they are learning into every technique. Training can be so stringent and difficult that it has led many hopeful students to their deaths undergoing it.
People do not require specific bloodlines to use this type of magic, but finding the fields or aspects they match well with can be difficult and also potentially dangerous. Being able to actually cast anything can take years and being simply capable can take decades, and many people leave or quit in frustration with their lack of progress and often frustrating instructors. Adding even a single other field of immersion magic might take decades or simply be impossible, as they often conflict with each other.
Calculative Magic:
Calculative magic requires both a keen mind and strong work ethic. The simplest cantrip requires precise knowledge of its exact makeup, the trajectory, the effect of the environment, how it interacts with the caster, the proper flow of mana, and much more. People have compared it to the idea of having to manually handle every process in one's body. Technically, anyone can learn to do this. Practically, only a select few can even begin to seriously approach this.
New students have to undergo very difficult introductory periods in order to train their minds to properly process the information required to cast magic in this way, treating the brain and mind as a muscle that must constantly be trained and improved. It isn't uncommon for those learning to suffer from breakdowns or other debilitating states of mind in trying to reach mastery with this. While immersion magic can certainly be dangerous if misused, calculative magic can be truly unpredictable and catastrophic if done wrong. It is a demanding field that requires more than great knowledge or a talented mind.
The one caveat is that it is a field that grows and develops over time as magicians all over the world gradually add to the great libraries of knowledge. More efficient methods, clearly defined guidelines, countless experiments, and more have been pooled together for those studying calculative magic. For all its hardships, the possibilities are almost limitless for practitioners, and the greatest geniuses that achieved supreme mastery with calculative magic have always made their mark on history.
Hybridized Methods:
The two ways of understanding magic aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, though study of their pure forms often can be. The first elven mages in fact practiced their own specialized form of magic that combined elven symbolism, religion, and culture with clear methodologies and understanding of how magic actually works. It's widely accepted from historians that it was from this that these two fields were formed to identify what the elves were doing. Common hybrid applications that are still in use today include things such as runes, glyphs, circles, and rituals. While these are indeed symbolic methods reminiscent of immersion-based magic, they have a strict and repeatable methodology akin to calculative magic.
This layering of abstraction and metaphor serves as a fundamental concept in practicing magic, but relying on it too much limits understanding and flexibility of one's capability to use these forces. The more a mage actually understands what they are trying to manipulate, the greater the potency and versatility of their spells. Many general practitioners of magic often come up their own custom repertoire of magic that includes immersion, calculative, and hybrid-based magic encompassing their understanding of magic, the world, the Currents, and themselves. Some academies even require a magician to create their own grimoire that puts together everything they've learned and their own philosophy of magic into a single text. Such are the differing views of magic that even a well written paper can be completely useless to an aspiring mage trying to learn more.
Perception/Unlock:
One of the biggest barriers to practicing magic is being able to perceive it in the first place. While it is possible to use magic without visualizing Currents or related areas, it usually still requires someone who is a skilled magician anyways. Before the modern era, this difficulty in sensing magic was usually linked to inherited or genetic traits in some manner. After millennia of discrimination and superstition around this idea, it was finally proven that virtually anyone was able to tap into magic if they dedicate the time and effort to do so with the right tutors.
Various methods exist to help novice students. It's common for many academies to first start not too differently from any other school by instilling basic concepts about the various energies, forces, and laws related to magic in a way that eventually a student will slowly develop and connect their mind to the Currents around them. When that doesn't work, exposure to various magic phenomena in an instructive setting and manner is often tried next. Various mental tricks or even physical habits are also taught to get one in the mindset. As more research on the mind itself is performed, more and more ways to get someone to unlock their magical perception are developed.
Of course, while it technically is possible for anyone to perceive magic, there still exists a large number of people who simply cannot break that barrier even after spending years and even decades trying. Perhaps it is a difficulty in the process itself, of the disconnect from the material world being something a person's mind or body rejects. Devout adherents of various religions often have difficulty as well with this, with some theorizing that their fervor for a particular being or part of the Currents limits their perspective. Regardless, this difficult first step in an already treacherous staircase has sharply limited the number of mages in Orbis.
Science vs Magic:
The practice of magic can also be seen as painfully ironic. The rigorous nature of it and the constant need to study or improve one's understanding in turn improves everyone's general understanding of the world and various scientific fields. Through this, people invent and develop technologies that either are independent of magic or make use of the forces it manipulates in a much more efficient way. While this doesn't necessarily render mages obsolete, it has placed pressure on pure magicians as a whole to constantly improve, maintain, and adapt their skills, leading to further advancements for everyone.
What, then, separates a scientist from a mage specializing in calculation magic? The mentioned difficulty in perceiving magic is one factor, but it can't fully explain the many brilliant scientists that couldn't cast a cantrip. The answers to this question are usually blurry or skewed towards them being completely the same or entirely different. Mages have often been the driver of scientific advancement and development for much of history. Whether it be a mad wizard experimenting in his tower, a hedge witch discovering new concoctions in her forest, or a pyromancer having made some random discoveries while deepening their understanding near a volcano, users of magic have often sought new knowledge.
However, there exists many advancements as well from mundane inventors and scientists. For how many powerful and influential magicians that have existed in Orbis, they have been responsible for disproportionately fewer of the advancements that people attribute to the development of the modern era. Again, many theories are thrown about to explain why. The most common but still controversial reason are that magicians are largely concerned with the development of their own talents, abilities, and capabilities. In today's era especially, they memorize and internalize large amounts of information, formulas, and methods and focus on maintaining their skills in applying them. Normal scientists are usually the ones now coming up with new theories and concepts, and while they often make use of mage consultants, their perspective and motivation for pursuing knowledge is commonly viewed to lead to more innovation than a mage's.
Souls, Imprints, and Essence:
Most living beings have what is commonly referred to as a "soul" or spirit. The soul is what allows people to use magic, draw inspiration from faith, and accomplish physical feats beyond what the average person can do. It protects people from other magic and spiritual influences and works almost as a muscle. One doesn't need to be a mage to use aspects of one's soul for practical purposes, but it usually requires training and effort to actively use it. Many people perform certain cultural practices that provide a basic, passive defense against various spiritual threats without even realizing it.
What the soul isn't is "you". This was proven not too long after the Crusades by Archmage Sofia in her famous Experiment of the Soul where she siphoned off her own soul into a container and lived for a year without it. The body and mind don't need the energy or vitality of the soul to work. That said, it is incredibly inadvisable to tamper with the soul. It leaves one incredibly vulnerable to influences from the Currents, weakens the body, and can have any number of disastrous effects if done improperly. Soul sickness and illnesses are incredibly difficult to diagnose and treat as well. Archmage Sofia prepared a large, protected space beforehand where she could live in relative safety, along with items she carried that she could use without magic and people she trusted around her.
What is considered "someone" is still a subject of debate. Early theories after the Experiment of the Soul posit that it is a purely physical thing, but were proven wrong by the many experiments conducted to see what exactly happens when someone dies. There is something that leaves the body when one passes into the Currents. Some tentatively call it "essence", but due to the various difficulties in studying it, little is known about this mysterious part of someone despite extensive studies dedicated towards it.
The "imprint" of someone is more understood however, and has a deeper connection with the identity of someone than the soul. It is the mark a person leaves on the Currents, influenced by the way they have lived their life, their psychology, events they have gone through, connections to other people, and everything that tells the story or biography of a particular individual. It is an observable force connected to the soul but mostly categorized as its own aspect.
Imprints are often connected to various mental functions and mindscapes, often deeply influenced by one's mental state and various metaphors connected to their life somehow. It is connected to dreams and visions, with one's imprint often being an individual's sole connection to the Currents where such influences are common. Someone with an especially influential imprint often can make their sheer presence felt in Orbis as well, giving them the ability to induce various emotions in those around them.
Other Information:
To go in-depth about magic in its entirety will take too long for this overview, so this section will contain shortened descriptions on other aspects of magic that are important but do not need to go in-depth yet.
Arcane vs Psionic Forces(tentative): Arcane force is often described as the energy and make-up of various magical elements/materials, while Psionic force is often thought up as what moves and directs this energy. Arcane has been linked conceptually to various fundamental forces, while Psionic has been linked to a sort of collective consciousness and thought. They are however not really completely separate concepts, and most mages accept that all magic is, essentially, just magic and energy in some way or form.
Material Magic vs Currents Magic(tentative): Beings from the currents often have extremely potent magic and are thought to almost use calculative magic as one would use immersion magic based on how they have been recorded to think and process information. They are often less flexible however and rarely develop novel ways of using magic, though that doesn't mean they are utterly unable to adapt or simply use their slightly less effective methods to still achieve something. Magic from material beings and mortals are often less potent or powerful, but they are often able to learn a large variety of spells and applications for their magic.
Immortality: Many mages have attempted to discover the secret to eternal life. All have failed in some way, though there have been some tentative successes and unrelated advancements magicians have made in the process of researching it. There do exist methods to extend one's life, but they are often both unable to be applied to other people or come with various debilitating side-effects. For the few mages who have undertaken this research and live to today, none can claim to not have some major scar or cost they have suffered in exchange for their prolonged lives.
Combat Magic: Despite perceptions of mages as frail and slow combatants that must be protected, most mages that train for combat are often deeply frustrating opponents that are extremely difficult to pin down and defeat. With the wide variety of options both defensively and offensively they can employ, combat mages are a force to be reckoned with. Even the basic strategy taught to all of forming barriers around one self and then launching barrages of arcane blasts from behind is something a normal combatant usually can't deal with. To defeat a skilled mage fighter, one must either catch them off guard or outlast them, as magic usually requires preparation and greatly taxes a mage both physically and mentally.
This is something I've had in my mind for a while, but never really been able to finalize. It still isn't as complete or detailed as I'd like, and there's so much I feel like I should talk about that isn't come to mind right now, but since we're about to deal with a lot of magic stuff soon, I thought it'd be best to release this as a primer beforehand. I'll add to it as time goes on. More magic stuff will be introduced next update, and I'll probably have something for magitech... way later.
For the few mages who have undertaken this research and live to today, none can claim to not have some major scar or cost they have suffered in exchange for their prolonged lives.
Technically the Directives that the elves are under counts as "cost" that is suffered for immortality. So yeah, the immortality blurb is correct if it doesn't include fae or others that live in the Currents.
I'll be closing the vote now. Next update might be later tonight, though there's a possibility I don't finish it until tomorrow. Got a little distracted during the times I write unfortunately. I'll be rolling some dice on this post though. Edit: I just realized I may have been counting the way the stat ranks work wrong the entire time... but it probably makes more sense doing it that way anyway. It didn't change the result of any rolls from what I can see. Will be editing some things.
[X] Invite Dan out with you to investigate the freelance mages of this city - 13 votes
[X] Investigate the freelance mages on your own - 2 votes
Amina was all too happy for the "great Lady Dee" to spend time with more of her friends, all but smushing you and Dan together as she dragged everyone to a bar after the authorities finished questioning everyone. The poor yuren endured the human drunkenly reciting the tale of confronting cultists many times as he sipped on his water. You stopped correcting her after the fifth time she claimed you cast a spell that split the realms in twain and cast the judgment of the gods on the wicked. It was… nice to spend time with a group like that.
What wasn't nice was the group recovering from their hangovers. When you saw Amina slumped over on a bench morosely munching on some fried plantains in a bag the next morning, you received perhaps the saddest and quietest "Lady Dee…" from her that you've heard yet. Kiran smiled ruefully at you as you patted her on the shoulder before telling you that he'll look after her.
This is how you find yourself now walking silently with Dan in the streets of Nokoyo, weaving past crowds of people going about their day. The air between the two of you isn't tense exactly, but the easy conversation you exchanged with the rest of the group fails to materialize itself with him. It feels as if he simultaneously wants to ask you various questions but holds himself back and sinks back into his thoughts.
You let him think. As someone who was distant and reluctant to speak with new people for much of her life, you were all too aware of the annoyance you feel when someone is too overbearing. You already asked him to go on this outing with you, now is the time to let him be the one to make the first step if he wishes.
"So," he says suddenly. "I noticed you got out of questioning quickly last night."
You look over to him, "I did. The officers seemed mostly concerned with the actions of the cultists than my usage of magic."
Dan nods, "Same with me, I guess. People usually get on my case about magic even though I'm licensed, but they only asked to see it when I brought it up. Kind of weird."
"Perhaps they are more concerned about demonic cultists than the public has been led to believe," you offer. "You've brought up your license a few times. What do you mean by that? I assume you've studied in Tarshish or Avista, but we're currently in Sumeri…"
"Avista, yeah. Psionics is one of the few fields we might be better than the Tarshies at. Basically, there's academies in every country, and they need to be certified by and connected to the Magi Society, the international regulating body for mages. It only really gained influence and legitimacy in recent years though. You don't need a license from the Magi Society in your own country, but it helps internationally and most mages try to get one anyways even if they don't travel for better image."
You think on his explanation for a short while, considering it. There have been several groups like this "Magi Society" that have tried to organize magicians into a more palatable part of civilization, but the reality of what mages usually are like as people usually doomed such endeavors to failure. Not that they necessarily are more evil or malicious, but the simple fact of dedicating large portions of their life to studying and training their skills leaves most woefully unable in maneuvering around politics and the interactions needed to establish such a group in the long-term. The United Peoples must have a hand in the maintenance of the Magi Society.
"What is the process for obtaining a license? Do you need to have graduated from an academy?" You ask, curiosity piqued.
Dan groans, "Annoying. There's branches in all nations, but they're all mostly staffed by people from Tarshish academies. I had my examination delayed for weeks before I finally got an appointment, and then had the snobbiest lizard ever overseeing it."
The yuren's mouth shifted into a grin, "Passed it with flying colors though, despite the crap he was giving me. But no, you don't need to have graduated from an academy, though it helps streamline the process. I know there's some stuff for those immersion guys, and there's still a few private mentorships from what I hear."
"... why do you ask?" He asks after a moment, looking at you with a side-on gaze.
"I'm wondering if I should try to gain one for myself," you say truthfully.
He chews on that, clearly dissatisfied with your answer, "Amina said you're from Avista? Maybe there's a few mages back home that might take on an apprentice, but I never heard of you. Or your accent."
You shrug, "The net is a wealth of information, and not every book on magic is banned from the general public."
"You expect me to believe you watched some hacks on YourVid and learned how to make a barrier that can cover over twenty people? It sucked, but don't think I don't know you can do more than that. Magic isn't something you can teach yourself so easily," he shoots back.
"I am unsure what you wish for me to say," you respond. "I have never attended an academy or been an apprentice to a mage."
Dan leans back, taking in what you said. You lower your defenses a smidgen and allow him to perform whatever spells he wishes to assuage his suspicion. Determining the truth with magic isn't nearly as certain as it is with the Light, but the yuren must've seen something from your posture along with his magic as he sighs and looks away.
"Fine, whatever. I can maybe leave it if it's just that, but it isn't. You're an investigator or something, aren't you? Just so happened to meet up with us, discover signs of demonic fucking cultists the first time you went out with Amina, and now you're dragging me to go check on something else," he runs a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm not totally against helping out. The others would find a way to get involved somehow, and I'm grateful you were there for Amina. But give me something at least that lets me know a little of what's going on."
You sigh internally. Keeping your identity a secret has already shown its benefits, and it's still better to maintain your anonymity with them currently. It often causes complicated situations like this however and didn't sit well with you. Transparency and honesty are the cornerstones of any good relations with other people. The best you can do now is tell him as much as you can.
"I have been involved with the investigation surrounding the increased cultist activity here, yes," you say carefully. "I am not what you would consider an investigator, and I did not approach you and the others with the intention of investigating all of you. Amina's commission did seem fairly suspicious to me, so I went along with her to see if it was truly something more sinister in nature."
Dan looks away, thinking over your words. You take the chance to look around the area as the two of you near your destination.
You've been watching the area around you ever since you started walking with Dan, and you feel that someone's been following you. You eventually catch sight of a hooded figure one too many times hovering a few meters away from you looking down on their tablet. Taking care not to make any sudden movements, you look around their position for a few moments as if you just decided to turn that way before looking away. Perhaps you might've dismissed it or brought it up with the yuren, but your sharp eyes catch the fur from what is visible from the face and hands of the stalker. Aya, you realize. She must've decided to follow you two.
Keeping any outward signs of your discovery to yourself, you manage to not clue in either Dan or Aya to you finding them out. It makes sense for them to try this, and you don't begrudge them for it. You're unsure if it'll potentially lead to any complications or be helpful, but at least you know of her presence and can keep her in mind.
"Okay," Dan finally says. "Fine, I'm game. It'll probably be good to know some other mages here anyways while I'm doing stuff in this city. Figuring out if any of them are demonic cultists just seems like good sense. Just… alright. I was going to give you a whole spiel, but I've already given enough of those today. Let's just do this already."
You nod and look forward, "Let's. I won't betray your trust, Dan."
The building the mage consultants did business in is relatively nondescript all things considered. It was little different from any of the others around it, and they seemed to be one of many groups renting space in it. After entering and taking an elevator up to the floor Jasiri told you they lived on, you and Dan stand outside their office room and stretch your senses to find if there is anything off.
DC 18:
Deirdre Insight Roll: 3d6: 5+2+3 = 10 (10+(6(Extraordinary Insight)+3(Good Magic) / 2 = 4.5) + 1 (Fae Exposure) = 15.5 or 16) Slight Failure
Testing a new mechanic here, won't matter now though.
The buzz and tingling you receive in response indicates that there is something magical in nature, but you can't sense any demonic taint.
"I don't sense anything," you admit. "Do you?"
Dan shakes his head, "No. Most mages are taught to detect demonic energies, but I never really focused on that kind of stuff."
After a brief pause, you take a step forward and knock on the door. The nearby plaque proclaimed this to be the "Good Cauldron", a strange name for a business offering many services beyond alchemy. Almost immediately you hear yelling and the sounds of things falling. Sharing a look with Dan, the two of you watch the door open to reveal a myconid wearing quite possibly one of the largest wizard hats you've seen… on top of the mushroom cap on his head.
He bows without hesitation and nearly yells out, "Greetings, dear customers! Welcome to the Good Cauldron. I am the humble alchemist Iyanu Cagliostro. Come in, come in. The Good Cauldron is here to resolve any issues you may be having."
"Thank you," you reply as you step into the very disorderly room. "Unfortunately, I don't believe we need the services of an alchemist currently."
Studiously ignoring the various notes, books, and various components strewn across the floor, you and Dan step gingerly past the chaos as you follow the myconid into a room with several other people inside. The office isn't a complete disaster as you can tell there has been an effort to at least keep things clean and sanitized. An important thing to do somewhere where people are practicing magic.
Iyanu shakes his head, "I find that there's always a need for someone to consult an alchemist! Have you felt any aches or sores recently? Pains that you can't explain? I have potions that can help with that. Everyone always has a string of bad luck, but a single potion from yours truly can make them go away forever! Of course, I also have a few potions, that, well, can be ingested for a dreamlike experience—"
"A mage requires a license for the manufacture and distribution of recreational substances," Dan cuts in. "Additionally, they must receive official recognition from the Magi Society in offering services pertaining to the enhancement and manipulation of 'conceptual' forces. May I see proof that you hold these?"
The alchemist stumbles, "U-um, well, my friend, I most certainly have been accredited by the esteemed Magi Society! But, ah, I believe I misplaced my papers. Please, rest assured that I will have them to present to you in a few day's notice!"
Dan narrows his eyes, "There isn't any official recognition by the Magi Society for 'conceptual' forces. You're a damn fraud."
"Why, dear patron," Iyanu says as he whips around to glare at him. "You are quite free to leave if—"
Another voice cuts in, "My, my. You seemed stressed young man. Would you like a free consultation? I can help foresee a fortuitous future for you and your lovely girlfriend."
Dan splutters, turning to the human wearing a strange fedora who spoke up, "She isn't my girlfriend!"
The human covers her mouth with widened eyes, "Oh dear, I apologize for my misunderstanding. Perhaps you'll like some help in seeing if you two match well together?"
Watching Dan's protestations is amusing, and you're almost tempted to jump in and tease him. You hold back though. There's no reason to risk souring the tentative connection between the two of you, and you're here on business.
"We've come here for a specific purpose, if you'll allow me to elaborate," you say, interrupting before the situation spirals out of control.
"Oh! Do you two need someone to give a magic show at your wedding?" Another voice pipes up cheekily.
"You damn pus—"
You turn to the miu wearing a traditional looking green magician's robe and hood and interject with, "No. He is a mage that I've brought to add another perspective to an issue I'm concerned about. You see, he, some friends of ours, and I have recently been the victims of an attempted sacrificial ritual performed by demonic cultists in this city. We decided to investigate on our own and see what we could turn up."
The jovial mood of the room immediately dissipates as you utter those words. It seems that even they take matters related to the cults seriously. They look at each other uncertainly before the final member decides to step forward.
"I'm sorry, but we don't know anything," the miu wearing a normal light blue dress shirt admits. "I handle paranormal investigations here, but I'm really just the only one that can handle risks involved with that rather than someone good at finding out things."
You settle down on a chair and lean forward, "Have none of you found anything odd within the city?"
The miu with green robes floats up and plays around with three cube-like magic constructs in his hands as he speaks, "Well, we knew this guy who was hanging around here for a bit. We took him in since he seemed like a mage down in his dumps and we've all been there, but turns out he was a freaking cultist that killed like ten people during his time here."
You nod, having been told that much, "That sounds frightening. Did he seem suspicious at all?"
"No, not really," the second miu shakes her head. "A little snobby and defensive, but there's lots of people like him. We're really just small-time mages trying to get by. You'd probably best be served by heading to the police."
The fortune teller chimes in, "Well, maybe I can perform a divination for you? It's not a guarantee, but I can check if anything dangerous might happen in the near future."
You raise an eyebrow at her. Divination magic did exist, yes, but the efficacy of it has been... mixed, in your experience. There probably isn't too much harm in letting this human try at least.
"Very well, go ahead," you say, slapping down a large handful of credits you've prepared beforehand on a nearby surface. "Do we need to move someplace else for this?"
Iyanu's eyes boggle at the money you put down, and the human purses her lips before shaking her head and placing a tray with a mirror-like surface on the table she's sitting at.
"No need, please sit before me and wait for a moment. "
Sitting before her, you watch as she looks at you for a moment before closing her eyes. After muttering to herself, she casts a few glowing pebble-like constructs that she manifests with a gesture of her hand that then disappear with bright shimmers of light. Two glowing orbs are then revealed as she opens her eyes and peers at the tray before her, no doubt sifting through various visions. The mirror's surface is replaced with a swirling spiral that you can detect various fragmentary images forming in.
She looks for a few moments. Then a few moments more. The human remains in that focused position for almost a minute, unblinking and unmoving. You hear someone begin to nervously tap their foot on the floor as the hum of the divination spell continues to sound across the room with no sign of progress.
Iyanu begins to walk towards her, "She usually never takes that long…"
He hovers uncertainly near her for a few minutes more, not knowing if he should interrupt her or not. Eventually, the swirling effect on the mirror and her glowing eyes die down, but the human remains in that fixed position. Her eyes are wide and panicked, yet she remains unblinking as she stares off into nothing. The fedora-like hat atop her head tips over and falls off her, causing the others to move.
"Lolade? Lolade!?" Iyanu asks frantically, shaking her shoulder to no avail before whipping his head towards you. "What did you do to her? I swear, the two of you have been nothing but trouble since you've stepped in here!"
You hear Dan step in, "Excuse me? It isn't our fault that she did a divination spell with no prep like that. And if you recall, she was the one who volunteered to perform it!"
"You damn Society—"
"Enough," the investigative miu said. "Everyone else, stay and make sure Lolade is alright. Their request is in my wheelhouse anyways. I'll escort them to a different room."
Iyanu looks like he is about to curse her out too, but pulls his wizard hat over his face and waves all of you off. You stand up a little awkwardly, and knowing that any apologetic gesture will be taken badly at this point, leave with Dan and the miu quickly. Entering a smaller room and closing the door behind you all, the three of you take your seats and look at each other silently for a moment.
The miu speaks up first, "First off, I'd like to apologize for the improper conduct of the others and the treatment you've all been subjected to during this visit. They can all be a little crazy."
Dan leans back, "Well, thanks for being reasonable about all this. You know that Dee here wasn't at fault for that divination, right? There's a reason spells like that are only done by professionals."
Despite his words, you did feel at some fault and that there might've been something going on there with you and the spell, so you say, "Regardless of who is at fault, I hope that your friend is alright."
She smiles gently, "She will be. I think she's just suffering from some sort of shock. Anyways, while they might not all be certified by the Magi Society, I am."
The miu reaches her arm out to Dan and after a brief blue glow on the back of her hand, a symbol appears that you can't quite see from your position. Dan apparently recognizes it though and settles into his seat as he considers it.
"Glad to see that there's someone that seems put together here," he says, smiling for the first time today. "What did you study?"
"Mostly just combat courses. I punch things and shoot lasers," she admits with a laugh. "Paranormal investigation doesn't really require me to do anything in particular though. A lot of it is just normal investigative work that I occasionally need to blast things in. Or pretend to have gotten rid of ghosts."
"I see, I see. Well, I'm down to meet up with another mage who knows what they're doing. Don't get to talk about this sort of stuff very often," he says before rising. "Is that everything then?"
Her easy smile falls, "I'm afraid not. You see, there's another reason I brought you two here alone. If you two are concerned about cultists… well. I'm not saying anyone working here is one, but I suspect that Iyanu might have some ties to them."
Dan stops short, "That hack alchemist?"
"While I doubt his credentials, he didn't show the typical behavior of a demonic worshiper," you say skeptically.
She raises her hands in the air, "Maybe he's not one right now, but I do know there's something going on in his home. When I went over for a visit once, he was preparing something in his room that he never allows anyone in. There was definitely something off in the mana there. Additionally… he was the one most supportive of helping out that cultist we told you of earlier, and he was very silent when you were asking about the cults, no?"
Dan begins nodding his head to her words, "Huh, when you put it like that… it does seem rather suspicious."
You're still skeptical, "Why are you telling us this?"
She looks into your eyes, "Dan here is a mage, and if that bow of yours isn't just for show, then you're two people that I can bring with me to investigate Iyanu's home. He'll probably be staying here for a while to tend to Lolade. If you two are looking to find out more about the cults, then I think this is a good lead. What do you think?"
You look over to Dan, who seems in favor of the proposal. He seems to be much more upbeat now that he's talking with someone that he feels he can relate with well. Rolling the idea in your mind, you find that it's not a terrible lead to follow. Independent mages are usually the ones most susceptible to recruitment from cults, and Iyanu seems like the perfect underperforming practitioner desperate for success and improvement. The pieces all fit together nicely when presented by the miu in the way she did, and you don't think it's wrong to suspect him.
Yet… the concern Iyanu showed to Lolade was real. You could tell. While it's unwise to paint cultists as all the same, they don't tend to show empathy and concern towards others like that. The initiation and conditioning they performed to join such organizations are meant to remove such traits from recruits. It didn't sit right for you to essentially go behind someone's back like this on the word of a person you only just met as well. Bringing the matter up with him might get at the truth without essentially breaking the law on hearsay from a stranger, but he's a little upset at you right now…
Choose One:
[] Leave and immediately go to investigate Iyanu's home
[] Question Iyanu away from others and see if the conversation sheds more light on his situation
AN:
This one took me a while and was a bit of struggle to write, but hope you'll all like it. This one might require a bit more of a careful read and for you to think on the scenario/choice presented to you.
Hrm.
We got a spell cast on us by Aya, and then the fortune teller looks at us and gets some kind of shock.
Mushroom dude felt more like a snake-oil salesman in his energy. An extra bad vibe given this is a world where magic is real so having that kind of vibe means he's not just dishonest but incompetent…
But the problem to me is him throwing the mana off via incompetence is just as likely as him being a cultist, and more importantly it's just as likely our third man telling us he finds mushroom man sus could be sus.
But again. Ava probably hit us with that Demon Vision spell or whatever right? Because we turned her group down, I presume, so they're jiggling our aim during this investigation…
Motive, and timing matches Ava doing it more-that divide in half debuff to our skill bonus appears after she's mentioned, and I can see that also doing whatever happened to Lolade.
Cross that with Lyanu being a hack or possibly that Miu being the Cultist insider…Well.
Trap now that the Cultists know our general position/got to select where we go and attempt an Ambush feels plausible.
Sooo Gambit pile-up potentially, with Lyanu doing one scheme that's more passive from what I saw of his actions versus the Miu who wants to investigate him who may be more aggressive versus Aya who's doing something sneaky and is the most likely to be hostile…
Lyanu feels like he did not have the time nor the skill to do anything to us, and it tracks to me the miu just might dislike his vibes, while Lyanu could be bad enough to get himself arrested for being bad at Alchemy which is kind of funny…
[X] Question Iyanu away from others and see if the conversation sheds more light on his situation
I think if he's bad at Alchemy we can just do more of what Dan did with that test about investigating conceptual forces or whatever and use that to shake something useful out.
Hmmph. Well, I think the guy's most likely just an idiot and a quack, and odds are he's probably just got tricked by a cultist into doing something stupid. If he cares enough about his buddies that he worries about them, then odds are they'll also be leverage into getting him to talk about what's going on. Something on the order of "If you go and get yourself killed or arrested, are you sure you won't take them down with you?" Plus, we can always break into his place later, if he runs a shop he must spend most of the day away from home anyway.
[X] Question Iyanu away from others and see if the conversation sheds more light on his situation
