In the World of Darkness, individuals of a certain enlightenment exist, Mages, Enlightened, Geniuses. Whatever you want to call them, this is the story of one such person and their life!
It's a frigid autumn midnight, snow coating streets and ice sheets slithering over sidewalks. The thrum of humanity continues ever onwards despite such things, cars running hot to beat back the cold as establishments cry out for customers, declaring their need in metal, paper and neon.
Beneath the skin of life hides the turgid internals of the city, filled to the brim with suffering mundane and unnatural, the drug-addled addicts scrambling desperately in alleys for their momentary reprieves. Nightclubs vibrating with the sheer power of speakers, inciting the commons to new heights of exhilaration and frenzied celebration at the behest of wealthy dilettante owners.
Within those darkened places of modernity lie creatures, feeding off, enjoying or simply existing inside the burgeoning energy and life of humanity. Sharp, gleaming eyes coming from cold, dead bodies to follow pulsating life. Intermixed with them are primal beings of ancient days, formed into human shape and melding into the crowd. And the odd ones out, seemingly human, but something more about them, rendering them mortal yet separate.
And in the bowels of that city, inside an alley littered with trash, the vague scent of humanity emanating from it, a chase is taking place, frenetic motion carrying bodies, human or inhuman, towards their goal.
But what is chasing, what sort of inhuman thing has made its goal a life?
[X] A creature of myth, Vampire, slighted in days, months or even years past, now they abound with all the fury and hate an immortal is capable of, its resources are marshalled as the city seems to turn against its target, mortals being driven to chase as more unnatural resources begin to respond.
[X] A creature of primaeval fury, Werewolf, fur and fang and fury incited somehow to chase and hound, slipping in and out of sight with supernatural grace and inhuman speed, seeking life and limb.
[X] Nearly a ton of metal, myomer and synthetic skin with perfection in its bones and targeting parameters that brook no failure. A Hyper-Intelligence Technologies Mark V. It can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear, and it absolutely will not stop until you are dead.
And then, of course, the quarry itself. What poor sod has ended up hunted like a dog in the streets.
[X] Winston Lyons, or at least that's the name they go by now. What they were originally no one, not even they know. Before Winston, there was Julian Smith, a cover name for his duty. As an agent of the New World Order, he did work many others would consider dirty, vile or downright inhuman. Eventually, it caught up with him, one too many assassinations for the greater good, one too many smear jobs on otherwise decent people broke him down beyond his loyalty. Using his years of training and experience, cutting all ties and remaking a life somewhere far away was doable and more than that, necessary. Now away from all that, life still doesn't stop hounding him. (New World Order, imagine Jason Bourne meets John Wick. Hyper-Lethal is an accurate description, with an Arete rating of 2 and the Spheres of Entropy, Mind and Life all at 2, this turns him from a simple hyper-lethal vector into a near-WMD of personal scale combat.)
[X] Maria Douglas, a woman born in Liverpool, moved to Seattle at the ripe old age of 18 on a scholarship and then completely fell out of her studies. Like a bad anti-drug commercial, a dash of acid turned into a life of debauchery for poor, innocent Maria. After burning out, crashing out of college and into a blur, it's only recently she came out of it, a burning realization at the end of a violent high sending her spiralling into days of rabid hallucinations and cosmic realization, coming back to reality dozens of kilometres outside of the city in the woods. Having turned 24 last August, she was exploring new skeins of the world, finding friends whilst doing it when a misspoken word got her into a world of hurt. Just another day in her life. (Cult of Ecstasy, specializing in altered perceptions and twisted states of reality in addition to her own personal charisma and magnetism. Imagine a mix of druggie and Doctor Strange. With an Arete rating of 3 to represent the rawness of her Awakening, she commands the spheres of Time and Correspondence at 3, allowing her to play with Space and Time with the right focus.)
[X] Aubrey Gray, born in San Francisco, was a model child, teen and then adult, high grades, good behaviour, excellent job as a surgical resident and then, a new interest arose. Occultism, a little bit of internet grade idiocy to start quickly followed by the real stuff. Now, the real stuff was books that cost far too much from websites that were far too shady. Then a strange man came into his life, gave no name or anything identifiable, and then dragged Aubrey kicking and screaming into a hell of their design. The revelations shattered their personality, twisting a high-functioning and successful adult into a barely functional wreck, carried by momentum and magick, very, very powerful magick. (Orphan, an independent magician taught dark secrets and powerful magic at the cost of their sanity, a mix between a wizard and a madman-whoops, tautology! With an Arete rating of 3 per their violent awakening, they command the Spheres of Forces, Matter and Prime all at 3, substantial might and control over the physical realm.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey hey hey! Welcome to a little experimental thing of mine in hopes of finding Sufficient Velocity a hospitable home for a Mage The Ascension quest!
If you are unfamiliar with MTA, that's excellent! You can learn along the way, if you are already familiar, I hope I can provide a reasonable Mage experience for you.
As for credentials, I have run Mage the Ascension in its table-top format for just a bit over a decade now and am generally considered skilled in running it on a voice basis. Text is somewhat newer, but I am not in-experienced running quests.
Now, finally, let us get to the nitty-gritty in the next few posts! Thanks for reading thus far!
Feet pounding against concrete, a group of grizzled men, hardened and deadly, chase in the winding alleys for a rapidly tiring young man. Trash parts to stumbling feet and laboured breathing as Aubrey nearly trips over himself from a quick turn into another slippery, icy alley.
"Why did I listen to you?!" He nearly shouts, restrained to a bare hiss at the last moment, towards a strange thing, it seemingly being a fidgeting shadow twisting in the air, all vague head and gleaming purple eyes on an otherwise horror movie-worthy silhouette. From everywhere yet nowhere, the thing responds, "Because, Gray, I usually give excellent advice." The sound of its voice is sent ricocheting around the alley, grating on the souls of everyone who hears it, bringing a flinch to Aubrey's young face.
Crashing boots become audible, sending ice crunching and water splashing just around the corner, announcing the oncoming presence of danger and sending sharp sparks of fear and panic up Aubrey's spine.
"Found em! Hey, stop fuckin running, starting to piss me off, kid!" Roars the head hunter, exhaustion overcoming the adrenaline in their quarry and allowing them to catch up. They motion their weapons at Aubrey, cold gunmetal glimmering under nearby lights and soft rain.
"Please help!" His mind cries out towards the shadow, desperate and needy. "With pleasure." It whispers sibilant and sweet as knowledge filters through their bond, providing a way out.
"I don't want to kill them!" Aubrey shouts, confusing the gunmen for a moment, the shade then responds "But they want to kill you, make a choice."
It's a long moment as the lead hunter opens his mouth to speak, demanding a quiet surrender, promising a quick end. Then Aubrey retorts,
"I'm sorry.Frigidum adhibeo!" A soft apology turns into a cosmic roar, shuddering the ground where it is spoken and sending invisible power forth. In a moment the living grow cold the heat in their bodies torn away with spellwork, frozen in place and welded to the ground they stay posed, some with mouths open, some pointing guns already burning holes in their frigid bodies with waste heat, yet providing no threat now.
Aubrey stares in horror, and then heaves onto the ground, a trail of vomit leaving his mouth and splashing onto the concrete of the alley, nearly immediately beginning to chill and freeze providing its own stark reminder.
"Run boy, lest you incite another incident of self-defence." It suggests, driving Aubrey back to action, twisting and turning down a maze of alleys, finally escaping his primary persecutors.
Eventually, he arrives at home, a small, dingy apartment in a small, dingy part of the town, pale lights spread by nearby porch-lamps and windows, the street lights gasp with life as they struggle with lack of maintenance.
Near collapsing through the front door, Mr Fredericks says something inane about rent, entering through one ear and exiting out the other in the exhausted frenzy of a survivor. The stairs seem to last barely a moment before the door presents its challenges, shaking fingers barely keeping purchase on an ice-cold key. After a few tries, it enters the keyhole, a twist causes the sweet sound of opening to click out, granting entrance to the bliss of a radiator-heated room.
Crashing onto the couch, Aubrey shudders on the spot, soft whines of panic and fear coming off him as the night crashes down, pushing off dreary remnants of adrenaline to leave only devastating pressure.
The entity seems to flicker out, leaving him alone to face whatever is happening.
—————————————————————————————————————————— Earlier That Night
"What the hell do you mean you won't teach me to turn things to gold?" Aubrey screams, indignant at the shade, which seems to smugly stare back, even if it doesn't have any of the appropriate features for that gesture.
"Because, mortal, you start selling gold wall chips to pay for your rent, you are going to get yourself killed... at best." It whispers, seeming to slide from one ear to another just as focus emerges. "You need a stable income source, and you can't hold a normal job." It gets cut off by Aubrey, "Yeah, and whose fault is that?" But a smooth response is forthcoming, "Yours, ingrate, it's your fault you can't bear the simplest facets of interaction or civilization simply because a bit of knowledge- cracked you open!" Cutting deep and silencing Aubrey as always, it continues, "I have an inkling where someone who would appreciate a personage of your talent may be, so get walking, I'll lead you to them."
"Can't we just fly?" Aubrey asks, attempting to avoid the exertion sure to come in the future, "I said get walking, Now." The shade commands, inciting Aubrey to a walk, if a bit stiff.
It's a blur of imagery around him, first a stairwell, another shout from Mr Fredericks about rent, third time this week, and then the cool air of the outside, a light rain seeming to be brewing.
The shade leads Aubrey down street after street, slowly coming towards a skyscraper, shining gloriously in the skyline, lights up and down it granting it an almost mystical regality in comparison to the detritus and decay around it, one of the seemingly clean portions of the world, but the Shade does no clean business so even here must be somehow tainted.
Nervously walking up to the front door Aubrey passes through it, a huge automated glass thing, easily 10 feet tall and dripping with minimalist modern opulence, all gleaming metal and futuristic silence.
Following whispered instructions, Aubrey walks towards the receptionist, a stunning young woman with curling blonde hair trailing loosely down her shoulders, accentuating the just barely modest button-down shirt she is wearing, the first two buttons left undone.
She greets Aubrey with a smile full of gleaming white teeth, glittering and bubbly before speaking in a pleasant, friendly voice "Hi sir, how can I help you tonight?"
It's a brief second of stark fascination, Aubrey staring at her openly, words lost in a slack-jawed moment before he stumbles for a recovery, "Hello-um, hi, I'm here to speak to-um," Aubrey swallows, pushing a hand through short black hair, "Mister Damien?" It comes out more question than confident assertion, but the receptionist takes it in stride, responding "Do you have an appointment? If so, I can slot you right in!"
Aubrey blinks, looks around nervously for a moment before saying "Uh, I don't-I mean I don't have an appointment. But if you tell Mr Damien that-um, my name is Aubrey by the way, if you tell Mister Damien that I have come to collect on ancient favours from his line." Finally getting it out, she stares at you for a moment, before slowly reaching towards her landline telephone and typing a message you can't see.
She says "Just a moment Aubrey! I'll get right back to you." All placating smiles and gentle motions.
It's a bare few seconds before she blinks, looking at the telephone with surprise in her eyes, "Mister Damien requests your presence, well." She pauses for a moment before continuing, "Alright, please just go up the elevator to the left of this booth, it's the top floor. Thank you for visiting Damien Ironworks!"
Aubrey gives her a shaky nod before standing awkwardly, suddenly realizing he has to move, he jolts into motion towards the elevator. Entering it, he turns around and presses the top button, it simply dings in response, the doors closing.
A minute of motion, a minute which leaves Aubrey alone with his thoughts, fragmented as they are. He begins in hushed tones "Okay, so I say that in exchange for….the events of 1688, I am to be fairly judged and measured for the honoured position of court wizard?" The sentence again comes out as a question, but there is no time for a response as the doors open.
Standing with his back turned to Aubrey is a large man, straight-backed and well-dressed in a high fashion suit. He speaks without turning, "Who are you to ask such things?"
Aubrey jolts again, starkly aware that he isn't ready for anything social. "Um, yes-I mean, I am someo-uh. Okay, my name is Aubrey, I-uh, know the Shadow, and he s-" Aubrey is suddenly cut off as the man-no, monster, turns. Too pale skin shows veins like brightly colourized webbing underneath the skin, skin drawn inwards to give an aristocratic veneer as his fanged maw makes that image turn dark.
"How dare you speak of that name here." The monster spits in an almost snarl, "You, a mortal with barely two decades on you dare to insult me so, tell me Aubrey, what sort of idiotic fervor would bring you here with that news?" It demands no answer, seemingly already knowing it. "For our bargain upheld, I allow you to leave my haven, tell your master-" A smashing furnace blast of indignation pulses through you as he says that, but is smothered by a burst of will. "That I have suffered it's presence long enough, consider this your final courtesy, our next meeting will be your end."
The last word spirals into Aubrey, rendering him stunned into silence, not knowing what to do he simply turns to the elevator, presses the ground floor button and watches the doors close in silence.
"What do I do." He thinks to his companion, a shade which only now once again appears, "Run." It states simply, as simple as it's horrid, scratching volumes can get when there is no reason to be kind with its tone.
—————————————————————————————————————————— Seattle
1:22AM
The shuddering and whining has turned to soft rocking and mild whimpering in the time since arriving at relative safety, but even that's cut short by sudden noises, the sound of smashing wood sends Aubrey ramrod straight, dragged back to focus even with the tear tracks on his face. Not even a moment of consideration is allowed as harsh footsteps seem to be coming up the stairway with vigor.
"Wha-Oh fuck, why now!" Aubrey cries as he stumbles off the couch, moving sluggishly, unaware of where to go or what to do.
"Calm down, trust in our preparations." Shadow intones deep within Aubrey's ear. Aubrey seems to accept that, nodding for comfort as he settles down a bit, still worried but his heart hammering lighter in his ribcage.
What are those preparations?
[X] It took effort to get it past the landlord, but beneath the wallpaper of Aubrey's apartment, there are runes and sigils of a dark kind, suffusing fell energies into the walls, doors and windows. They reinforce and toughen them significantly, wood as hard as iron and dry-wall more like actual concrete. (Matter 2 Hardening)
[X] An amulet made of a human collarbone, getting that cost Aubrey his surgical residency, but it was well worth it as the amulet, once finished, provided a protective field of magic that could deflect and absorb impacts, it is however quite noticeable, if portable. (Forces 2 Shield)
[X] A carefully made tattoo on the underside of Aubrey's left arm, seeming to be in the shape of a horned western dragon, its mouth ends at the palm, left open as if yearning to breathe flame. That is to the untrained eye, in reality, the entire dragon is made of carefully interlaced symbols of flame and destruction, creating a matrix for a powerful blast of Hellfire, capable of melting most everything. It does however require significant power to use. (Forces 3/Prime 2 Quintessence-Charged Fire Beam, requires 1 Quintessence a use.)
——————————————————————————————————————————
Well, that was a doozy huh? Wrote this whole thing on my phone during a flight, coming fresh from Frankfurt instead of my usual locale! Hope you all enjoy it, however, before you go on ahead and vote, lemme lay out some rules.
FIRST, I declare a 3-hour voting hiatus from the time of this posting, this is to foster discussion.
SECOND, votes with argumentation for them will have greater weight, a single vote with no explanation will count as a single vote, if you include a few lines of your logic, it'll count as one and a half, if you give me a fairly reasoned idea on why this is the course of action to take, it'll count as two!
Nothing much else otherwise, feel free to settle in and enjoy Aubrey's journey!
——————————————————————————————————————————
Summoning Cold-Arete+Forces>6-1 (Personalized Instrument)=[6 5 1 8 3 5]4 Successes, 8 Lethal Damage+1 from Forces effect, 9 Lethal Damage. Instant death for targets.
Looking down at his left arm, Aubrey pushes up the sleeve of his soaked hoodie, revealing the carefully made and expensive tattoo overtop pale skin, the mouth seeming to lick forward with unrestrained desire to burn, the very air around it resonating with that destructive impulse.
Suddenly, Aubrey is dragged away from the observation as the wood of his front door cracks with another sharp impact, "Oh God, what do I do?" He whispers under his breath, taking care to not point the arm towards his body. "It's time to engage in pre-emptive self-defence, fire through the wall!" Shadow almost screeches the last bit, suddenly appearing beside Aubrey as the door itself begin to come off its hinges with repeated, violent smashes.
"I don't want to kill anyone!" Aubrey shouts to the vague fractal image of the Shadow before the door comes down and a man rushes into the room. He is a towering wall of muscle and rugged skin, seeming to be nearly a foot taller.
Rumbling with force, the stranger seems to smash across the room, trying to slam his fist into Aubrey who reacts with a bare, instinctual fear and falls back, causing the man to just skim past his face sending him reeling straight to the ground with a pulsing headache and pounding cheek.
In that second of blind panic, the young mage brings up his weaponized arm almost without thought, the symbols flaring with the motion, activating as power flows.
The mountain made flesh is quickly moving towards the prone boy, stomping over, he seems ready to pound Aubrey into dust, and then a bright, screaming ray of hellish light sends shimmering twinkles of burning heat and destructive force everywhere, strikes the man dead in the upper body, it's a detonation of gore which then vaporizes as the beam continues upwards, light and sound of the rushing flame dimmed by the person it tore through, piercing into the ceiling and stopping just shy of making a new entrance to the apartment above, content with simply stripping the dry-wall off the supports.
Aubrey lies on the ground breathing hard until the rigid legs, still standing divested of the upper body, seems to tumble forward threatening to fall upon him, causing an immediate rolling out of the way as the corpse slams into the ground, pouring what remained of its internals onto the ground with a horrid offal stench.
Scrambling away from it with wide eyes like a child, he dry-heaves once again but finds himself empty this time, unable to even feel that momentary release of the nauseous fear and anxiety seeming crushing him at every turn. "Shadow, help." A simple request, almost desperate in its quiet, demure nature. The shade stutters over, seemingly jaunting in and out of visible sight with shuddering motions, stopping next to the half-man, seeming to gaze into his innards. It then speaks. "You did what you had to. Now stand, it is no longer safe here." The warbling voice calms for a moment, providing a sense of stability to the situation. "Where do I go?" Aubrey asks, voice quiet and steady as shock overcomes emotion. "Follow my words. I know a place."
Rising from the ground and walking towards the door, thoughts racing, the boy falls into himself, descending into depths of empty nothing. The city blurs around him as awareness fades and it becomes a simple function of mechanics to put one foot in front of another, avoiding the crowd or the crowd avoiding him. Lights and smells and cold filling his senses, no details beyond the most basic necessities.
The sounds of soft, jazzy music fill Aubrey's ears as he nears a secreted away building in a lonely part of the city, sanity recovering as his feet take him into a bar of sorts. The soft melody continues, a feminine voice becoming clear as the darkened interior of this lounge reveals a singer in faux-Roaring Twenties dress, glimmering sequins flashing red in the cool lighting.
The rest of the lounge sits at ease, basking in the enjoyment provided, lured into a sense of ease. Aubrey gravitates towards a further away booth, slinking into it to peer out. The music seems to inflict itself on everyone, even he can feel it. Though rather than the anaesthetic peace it gives them, it merely cools Aubrey down, slashing away at anxiety and burning fear to be replaced with simple calm.
It's a moment before Aubrey realizes he is staring towards the singer, blinking and looking away, catching the barest traces of her responding glance, the anxiety returning a hundredfold. "What are we doing here?" He whispers to the empty air. "We are here to meet her." Shadow says, his attention immediately shifts to the woman again, who is still glancing over at him between lyrical beats.
"Oh, okay." he whispers after a moment.
It is another minute or two of sweet trills until a climax arrives, the chanteuse putting her all into a resounding finish, a smooth thirty-second note that slithers like honey and warms like a fire, ending it off with a small smile at the audience. Twisting on the spot, she slides down the steps of the stage, seeming to almost float if not for the slit of her dress revealing heels.
Hazel eyes stare at Aubrey, intimidating to him as feelings start to flare. A silky, trained voice slides out of her, "Not often I see a lost duckling in here," The lady sits down next to him, and continues. "Now, are you an ugly one, or a shiny one?" She leans into a palm to look over at him, red hair trailing down smooth arms enticingly.
He's silent for a few seconds before the realization he needs to talk spurs mouth to motion, "I, um... h-hey, I think-I, don't know if I am?" Running another hand through his hair, an obvious nervous gesture. She smiles at that, causing ever more burgeoning feelings as she replies, "Just a cute one then. Say, your face seems familiar." Lips touch downwards a hint as she says that, before a realization hits her, "Oh, you are the one that Vincent is up in arms about." The frown deepens as she says that.
"I-uh, that's a problem?" Aubrey asks, a mix of panicked and confused now. "It's a problem alright, a problem for me now. Shit honey, this is a bad way to flirt." She quips, leaning off her arm and pulling a cigarette out of somewhere. Aubrey instinctually lights it from vague memories of proper manhood, a spark of flame sliding up to the cigarette tip as she puts it into her mouth.
She smiles around it, "Good recovery." Taking a long breath of nicotine, she releases it all in a plume before going on, "Let's talk options, you came here cause you need help, thankfully, I can't refuse people who need help." Crimson mouth moving with and between puffs of cigarette haze, she continues "So, you can stay here as long as you need. But, before you are out of here, you need a game plan. And no, staying here forever is not an option." A wave of relaxation resounds through him at that.
"Okay, um, do I just stay out here?" Aubrey questions, gesturing towards the common room itself, she rolls her eyes, "'Course not, I've got rooms downstairs." Standing up, she brushes down her sequined dress. "Just warm up, get some grub downstairs and think of what you want to do. I'll be here."
She begins sashaying away, "You forgot to ask my name." turning her head back after a few steps, "It's Sabrina." she purrs before gliding back to the stage.
"Starstruck, are we?" The Shadow bursts Aubrey out of his fugue, voice shifted into a teasing morass, almost friendly, spurring a series of refusals that are barely coherent before he just stands up and starts heading to the back edge of the stage where a stairway down peaks behind. "Get rest, we have a hell of a time ahead of us." It calms down to its normal style, a coruscating morass of noise.
Moving down a mere few seconds pass before he finds a door, conveniently marked with his name. Not caring enough past the physical exhaustion Aubrey collapses onto the bed, letting the rest of the velvet-covered, luxurious bedroom pass him by, merely craving rest.
Lying there on the covers, sleep finally claims him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Waking on his couch, Aubrey hears the door smash, stumbling off the couch, the same mountain of muscle slams through it, he is knocked down by the same strike.
He tries to bring his arm up, but it's ruthlessly grabbed by the man, unable to contest his strength, Aubrey can only watch as his own arm is pointed at him. A scream echoes forth as the blinding, killing flame pours towards him.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Slamming awake, Aubrey shudders for a moment, before looking around at the room, intaking the old wood, light whiskey smell and pleasing red nuances on all the furniture. Breathing out, he calms before looking around.
What to do now?
[X] Just calm down, rest, relax and let the world move on for a week, talk with Sabrina and whoever else shows up here. Otherwise, nothing much else. (Reduce Paradox by 1, start practising conversation, reduce stress. Mutually exclusive with leaving.)
[X] Listen to Shadow, work a spell to solve this problem. (Pick One Spell, can be done with either other option. If chosen, paradox does not reduce with the first option.)
-[X] Something protective. An idea he had of making your hoodie tougher, something about increasing the metaphysical importance of it with incantation? (Matter 3 hardening of the hoodie)
-[X] Make another instrument of power, an idea to create a wand, inscribing runes of force and strength on it. (Forces 3 Kinetic Blast, no quintessence needed as a secondary option.)
-[X] Something else? (Design own effect, I can help in the chat with specific instrumentation.)
[X] Do something crazy, Shadow said that hitting the vampire's tower during the daylight could work, but it would be dangerous. (Hit the vampire in the daylight, burn it out now. Mutually exclusive with staying.)
[X] Something entirely different? (Write-in)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post done, hope you all enjoyed! Aubrey is now at a semi-safe place and has some time to work something, or calm down.
Same 3 hour hiatus, and same vote weighing.
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Willpower to kill in cold blood-5d10>8=(2, 3, 5, 6, 3) FAIL
Initiative-Aubrey-(4)+6=10
Initiative-Man-(5)+6=11
Man wins, first action is his.
Clock Aubrey in the jaw-6d10>6=(6, 4, 10, 3, 3, 4) 2 Successes
Aubrey Soak-2d10>6=(2, 7) 1 Damage Soaked, Aubrey has taken two Bashing, he is Hurt.
Aubrey Panic Spell, using tattoo-6d10>7-1(Personalized Instrument)-1(Unique Instrument)=(9, 9, 4, 6, 5, 10) 5 Successes, Willpower Spent, 6 successes, 1 Quintessence, 12+1 Aggravated damage. Man annihilated, as is a chunk of your ceiling. Paradox taken.
Turning and shifting in bed, sleep is a lost and forgotten commodity, replaced by nightmares and twisted memories. It's a bare few hours of shut-eye before Aubrey pushes himself awake, sweating into the bedsheets.
"Wha-where-Oh." The young magician says, looking around to the red velvet room before suddenly feeling the sweat and exertion of yesterday set in. "Ugh, I think something is pulled in my leg Shadow." He groans out holding his calf, the entity seems to fade out from the sides of space, literally sliding into existence. "No Aubrey, you haven't run in your life, ever. That's why it hurts." The droning voice fills the room for a few moments, but then its source disappears as the door opens and the woman, Sabrina, comes in.
Looking towards Aubrey, red hair still present but the rest of her in a far more modern outfit, t-shirt in white with some text scrawled over it and jeans, lounging wear. "So, what was your name again?" She says, taking a few quick steps over and sitting down at the edge of the bed. "Uh, Aubrey, Gray, Aubrey Gray." The boy rapidly says, seemingly nervous. Sabrina rolls her eyes, "Alright Aubrey, take a while here, we have food upstairs." Sabrina speaks in a rolling, smooth fashion, each word having a time and place to be.
"Okay-We?" Aubrey asks, confused for a moment, "We, me and my staff. What, you thought I did everything in this place?" She says with a quirked lip as she stands up to leave. "Like I said, whenever you feel ready." With that, the door is opened and she exists, leaving Aubrey the sole occupant of the room.
He looks around for a bit, seemingly lost, before swinging his legs over to the side of the bed and after a moment, standing. A groan escapes him once again as pressure is put on strained muscles. It's a slower walk than normal which sees Aubrey go through the door, revealing the hallway that was paid bare attention the other night, wooden flooring and wallpapered walls creating an atmosphere of homeliness even as soft music pulses through the ceiling.
Going up the stairs, the slightly punkish rock starts to fill his ears, the club revealing itself to have entirely changed in the time he was down there, carefully placed lounges and soft lighting replaced with almost club-like atmosphere, flashing lights and pulsing beat driving a crowd of goth, casual and punk to dance.
As his feet make contact with the last step, a man to Aubrey's left speaks, "Mister Gray, I've been assigned to keep you safe." Turning to see who this is, a tall, fit man reveals himself, with sunglasses hiding his eyes, and a slight greying of his hair and beard showing a measure of age but betraying no other weakness. Currently, he is wearing a charcoal black suit that fits him well. "What's your name?" Aubrey asks after a moment of staring, not quite knowing what to do. "Call me Meerkat." The man replies, short and curt.
"Miss Schultz wanted to have you eat something before you did anything. Follow me." Meerkat says authoritatively, turning on the spot and walking towards a corner of the large chamber. Not knowing what else to do, Aubrey follows him.
It is a bare few moments of pushing through crowds, Meerkat providing the primary incentive for them to move until Aubrey is sat at a table with fresh bacon, eggs and sausage plated and prepared. His stomach grumbles immediately, demanding the bounty set before him.
He digs in, eating as much as possible, hunger driving speed.
After filling up, the boy asks, "So, am I supposed to just sit around?" Meerkat quickly responds, "No, there are video gaming consoles downstairs, food will be regularly delivered and Miss Schultz wishes to speak with you in four days, she is busy before then." A curt and professional sentence, seemingly practised.
"Okay, I'll just...laze around then." Aubrey slowly says, considering the situation, before just accepting it. Laying back into the chair, he lets the atmosphere and noise of the club overcome him.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The days begin to pass in a morass of noise as bruises heal up, Aubrey slowly becoming able to move freely, practising gaming skills but otherwise allowing himself to take a break. Stress fades and Meerkat becomes a fixture in daily life, one of the few he has.
The dreams don't stop, nightmares coursing through the night, making uninterrupted sleep a sought-after but never acquired hope.
But after four days, a calming session of a first-person shooter is interrupted by the entrance of someone, Meerkat is immediately taking a guarding position, showing his back to Aubrey and turning his body towards the door. It's a tense moment before a familiar face shows itself. Red hair and sharp features darkened by the black left eye. "You really have Vincent on a warpath, something about a Shadow?" She asks, moving into the room to sit on a nearby couch.
"I-uh, that's a friend of mine." Aubrey responds shakily, "Hell of a friend, you sure they are good company?" Sabrina says jokingly, reaching over to a drawer and pulling out a cigarette from it.
She lights it up with a match she pulls from the same drawer and strikes on the nightstand itself, as the cigarette smoke wafts up in large quantities, it obscures her and spreads across the room, nicotine fills everyone's nose and dulls the senses. It's a brief obscurity as eyesight fades and hearing turns dull.
When consciousness comes back in full, Sabrina no longer has a black eye and both men are seemingly far more comfortable. "Alright, now to business. We can't have you getting hunted, eventually, Vincent is going to be done with my shit and break the door down." She says, uncrossing her legs to better look at Aubrey. "Somehow, you gotta either make peace with him or figure out a way to defend yourself." Stopping after that, she just looks at Aubrey, waiting for a response.
He fumbles for a bit, before saying. "I, um, I dunno what to do?" Sabrina sighs in response to that, responding with "Yeah, I know, we are gonna get you into contact with someone who can help. So get a shower, get dressed and get out to the lounge." She finishes off by standing up and walking towards the door, turning for a moment just before she exits. "Meerkat, stay on him for a while longer, he'll need it." Finally leaving after that.
Aubrey sits for a moment, before realizing he does have to move. "Um, where do I get some clothes?"
Meerkat looks at him for a moment, still wearing sunglasses. "The dresser, where I put in clothes, 4 days ago." He deadpans, causing the other man to shrink a bit, "Yeah, um, thanks."
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Having exited downstairs with a fresher face and different attire, a khaki hoodie over a blue tee and grey sweatpants, Aubrey exits out to see Sabrina waiting at a booth. Meerkat follows close behind, still suited and ready for anything.
"So, um, where are we going?" He asks, looking around nervously at the crowd of people around, moving in time with the music, a more electronic, club-like mix. Sabrina puts the cigarette she has in an ashtray, tapping away the burnt section into it.
"You and him," She says, pointing towards Aubrey and Meerkat, "Are going to meet someone by the name of Andreas Sheridan, not a friend of mine, but an enemy of Vincent, the thing trying to kill you." Finishing the sentence off with another puff of the cigarette, she turns her face towards Meerkat, "Get to the intersection of Mercer and Warren, after that, you'll figure it out."
Meerkat gives a curt nod, waiting for the boy to get moving. Sabrina stays seated, waiting a few moments before just quirking an eyebrow and saying, "You can go Aubrey."
Blinking, he looks at Meerkat who is already moving towards the exit before quickly following him out.
Outside the club, the chilly night air hits Aubrey once again causing shivers to spread all across him, Meerkat, on the other hand, seems unaffected by the temperature. Both walk quickly, one with direction whilst the other just following all the way to a car, a black SUV of some brand or another, giving off an air of foreboding importance.
The larger man gets in the driver's seat whilst Aubrey wheels around to ride in the front passengers. As the car starts, Meerkat states matter of factly, "Put your seatbelt on, and watch your head." Causing Aubrey to look confused for a moment, still doing as he is told. "Can I ask why?" He asks, more confidently now that he has spent some time around the other man. He doesn't respond, the car crossing over onto the road lane proper from its position near the sidewalk. It's a few minutes of driving before enough bravery is worked up to ask again. "H-hey, did you not hear me?"
Just a moment after that, when they get onto a four-way intersection, Meerkat's head twists almost like the name-sake, just before he suddenly twists the car into a hard left turn, causing a sudden charge of a muscle car to turn into a skidding impact rather than a smashing t-bone. Aubrey is knocked around but the seatbelt keeps him intact enough, Meerkat on the other hand seems barely even affected, reaching towards the middle console, sliding it open and retrieving a handgun.
It is a split second of action as Meerkat smoothly slides the gun out, points it at the driver of the offending vehicle through his own window and sends the shot out. With seemingly pinpoint accuracy, it lands in one of the eyes of the assaulting man, killing him instantly with a spray of gore onto his seat. Aubrey's eyes widen in surprise and fear as he freezes up for a moment.
Meerkat pulls the SUV back into forward gear and slams the pedal to the metal, accelerating the beast of metal with all the power twelve cylinders can provide. Aubrey is rocketed back into his seat again as the other man calmly looks in the rearview mirror, watching gangsters stumble out of the car, covered in the viscera of their former companion.
"That's why." He finally says, sliding the gun back in the central console and then shutting it. Aubrey just looks at him askance, before asking. "You knew?" Shock clear in his voice.
Meerkat, for once shows a bit of emotion, a smirk of pride, "Good instincts." Before returning to a dull, focused face, eyes still hidden under sunglasses.
Aubrey just sits back in his seat, glancing about at the city but otherwise remaining quiet.
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After nearly a half-hour of driving, the car finally stops in between two commercial areas. Meerkat looks around before spotting something, he begins to get out, pulling the seatbelt off himself and pushing his door open prompting Aubrey to follow suit.
Getting out onto the sidewalk, the boy asks, "So, uh, what's the guy we're meeting." To which Meerkat replies, "Possible ally, a vampire with a bone to pick." Curt as always.
It's a short walk before someone comes into view, sitting at an outdoor cafe is an attractive, if rough-looking man with long black hair and a scarred face, he appears clean-shaven and turns to both of you with orange, glowing eyes that seem ringed with red. A southern, country accent comes out of him. "Welcome to this humble establishment, how may I help you two young soon to be friends!" A half-smile and open body language following this statement, Meerkat stands to the left of the one other seat, leaving it open for Aubrey to sit.
It's a second before he does, sitting there as the man stares at him, "Um, Sa-A friend of ours said you might be able to help me?" The boy says, a hopeful tone of voice present.
"Well-Oh damn it all!" He suddenly says, "I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Andreas, Andreas Sheridan." A slight incline of the head, almost a facsimile of a bow. "And indeed! I find myself to be of excellent and incredible service to you!Great trouble has come to your doorstep, on account of a misspoken word I hear." Throughout all of this, Andreas maintains a grand and emotive posture, moving his hands.
"I guess, can you? Help, I mean." Aubrey asks, somewhat confused by the energy of the man ahead.
"Indeed, but to do that, we have to know one thing." He says conspiratorially, looking towards Aubrey with piercing orange eyes. "How far are you willing to go?" The sentence comes out a sibilant whisper. "Wh-what do you, uh, mean?" The boy asks, nervous at the turn of the conversation.
It's a languid rumble that comes out of the vampire, "Well, he is trying to kill you, I feel we, together, should return the favour." Practically drilling holes into Aubrey with his stare.
Aubrey sits still, looking at Andreas, his glowing orange eyes gleaming in the dark, promising a way out.
What to do?
[X] Accept, go along with whatever plan he has. (Aubrey agrees to pre-meditated murder, keep that in mind going forward.)
[X] Refuse, don't pre-meditate a murder, even if your life is at risk. (Aubrey puts himself at risk, but doesn't pre-meditate a murder.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alright, this one took a little longer than I wanted it to, but I finally got it out. Thanks for waiting!
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The promise stands, a gleaming light at the end of the tunnel that the last week has been.
Aubrey stutters, stopping and starting for a moment trying to consider what to do, "Don't worry, it'll be easier than you think." The dulcet, calming tones of the vampire cross the table, a pleasant look on his face. The boy holds for a moment longer before finally saying, "O-okay, what do I do?" A look passed over him at that.
Leaning back into the chair, Andreas glances around the coffee shop, seeing the other patrons at this late hour, eyes lingering on the people as they drink, talk and live. The smell of fresh coffee, light hints of chocolate and the barest undertones of tea mixes into a heady aroma that Aubrey reacts to, the barest desires that quickly crumble forming.
"You strike back, but when I give the word." Turning to stare across the table, the vampire plants a hand firmly on it, adding weight to the statement. "Our mutual friend is a wily bastard, centuries of experience on em'. We gotta catch them when a moment of vulnerability appears." A final gesture, sliding his hand off the table, causing a lightening of the air.
"You still didn't answer." Aubrey promptly talks, seemingly before his brain realizes it, quickly widening his eyes and apologising. "Mmhm-," a tongue swipes nervously at his lower lip as he rephrases, "Sorry... I didn't mean it that way, insulting I mean." The boy seems to shrink into himself after that, clearly worried.
Andreas smiles, something small but genuine that shows the barest beginnings of fangs, glowing eyes catch Aubrey's own, a moment of contact passes that drives Aubrey deeper into nervous worry.
"Indeed, I did not." He says, drawl deepening, "I'll be keeping you at a safe place, off the grid. During which I'll be bringing a few friends in from out of town." Staying near-completely still as he speaks, a statuesque veneer portraying itself as human. "After that, we raise hell." Finishing off, the vampire seems to have a small smile, looking forward to whatever it means.
"Hell?" The boy asks, concerned and somewhat confused.
The response comes quickly enough, "Mhmm, hell! Burn out all the old bastards who want to strangle the life out of this city, strangle the life out of everything so they can keep playing their goddamned games until Judgement Day!" His languid frame animates at that, seemingly injected with life. "But we have to be cautious, we cannot afford any mistakes; mistakes mean death." Andreas finishes with a severe stare, instilling the aforementioned caution as much as possible.
Aubrey intakes the information, frowning at the news. "Okay." The word comes out softly, nearly under his breath. Andreas stands up suddenly, looking from above at Aubrey, "It's time to make a decision, our time has just been suddenly shortened." Moving to the side of the table, he looks sharply into the younger man's eyes, "Yes or no, Aubrey." It's a long moment of eye contact, a sharp feeling entering Aubrey's chest, an effort of will pushes through it, giving the wherewithal to respond.
"Yes." A short response that brings a smile to the older man's face, he languishes a moment in that connection, lingering his eyes on the younger man's.
"I'll be waiting for you." Andreas says, moving away from the meeting space with a turn and a peculiar depth to his voice. Aubrey takes a moment to stand, looking around as Meerkat starts moving with purpose towards their vehicle, causing the young man to follow.
Both easily climb in, shutting their respective doors. Aubrey watches the vehicle that the vampire entered pull away from the cafe, a thousand thoughts passing through him.
The rumble of the engine starting passes through the SUV, jolting the Mage from his inner thoughts, turning his attention to the passing city. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Driving through the city, it's a morass of imagery. Still icy cold and snowing, the warm allure of the clubs and other establishments dedicated to joy remains. Neon multichrome provides the primary lighting in this part of Seattle.
The residents seem unbothered by the cold, outfitting themselves in trendy, fashionable outerwear that crosses the spectrum end to end, from vintage to neo-modern and everything in-between. Streets coated with a thin sheet of ice, alleyways piled on with trash and refuse.
It's a few more twists and turns before the leading car, Andreas', stops outside of a warehouse, lit up by a nearby streetlight that sends a cascade of intermittent light in soft orange, from the corners of the door behind him emanates dull light and rhythmic noise.
The vampire exits his own car ahead of them, sliding out of it in one smooth motion, slick like a viper, whilst Meerkat turns the key and kills the engine, working at the door to his side with a free hand. Aubrey moves to open his own door, the act of which blows cold air into the front seats and causes an involuntary shiver in him.
Quickly enough, both sets of feet meet pavement with the objective of Andreas, who stands just off to the side of the front entrance, staying incredibly still, the snow settling on his shoulders. As soon as the distance closes to conversational, he animates, speaking. "Welcome to this most humble abode. One of my Childer, bless their hearts, owns it." Opening the door for the group, he continues whilst walking. "Upon my request, she opened it for us to take shelter and residence."
Whilst the vampire leads, the truth of this place becomes clear, soft electronica pulses out as men and women in protective masks and goggles with aprons work carefully with chemicals and substances of various sorts. Aubrey jolts after a moment, faced with the sudden realization of what sort of place he is in, but only shifting eyes give away building worry.
Meerkat furrows his brow and wrinkles his nose, obviously discomforted by the smell, a clinical thing, almost like a freshly cleaned hospital room. "I wouldn't suggest botherin' the workers up here too much, they are performing quite precise activities, mistakes are occasionally dangerous." Andreas informs, reaching a wooden door near the back of the warehouse, a separated construction that stands alone, a good distance away from the work area.
Opening it, the vampire takes a step away from the door, gesturing for entrance, "Enjoy the place, at most you'll be here a day or two. Take care to prepare yourself however you wish." He announces, revealing the interior of the construction. A pleasant space with two fresh-looking beds and a large-high-quality television, the concrete flooring barely visible as it's mostly covered by beige-coloured carpet. A refrigerator stands in the back, near a table with two wooden chairs nearby it.
Aubrey looks at it, taking his time to familiarize himself with its structure, walking in after the cursory investigation. "A couple days, okay, that's fine." He says, running a hand across the mattress of one of the beds, soft and pliant, higher quality than what he had at the old apartment.
Meerkat follows, seemingly studying the vampire closely in the time it took Aubrey to investigate the room but breaking eye contact after he stopped.
The door is closed behind both of them, leaving the room quiet before Meerkat cuts in, "Seems to me we have more time to kill." A casual sentence that sets the boy at ease, familiarity breeding feelings of safety. "Yeah, what do you wanna do?" Aubrey responds, happy to get his mind off of the danger.
"Let's see what they have." As Meerkat starts inspecting what devices are near the television. The young Mage tries to help, eventually settling down into a session of gaming with the older man. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is a calm day, left alone and without interruption from the outside world. More hours spent gaming, at least training reflexes if nothing else.
The session is interrupted once again, just a bit after sundown, by the door opening. The same shifting movement from Meerkat, now recognized as protective by Aubrey. In the doorway, however, is a familiar face. Andreas smiles, showing the very tips of fangs.
"Hello there! It's been a little while!" He says, traipsing into the room with vigour, "I've brought a few friends here, all of them ready to help." The vampire trails off as three more of his kin enter,
The first is another man, tall and bulky, black skin twisting to an unhealthy shade with the deathly pallor present. "Yo, the name's Logan." He states casually in a booming bass that could make anything seem intimidating.
The next is a woman, of average height but a thin build, with shocking short purple hair being the primary distinctive attribute standing out incredibly against her pale skin. "Heya kiddo, Angelique. Here to help!" A higher, almost alarming voice releases a rapid-fire staccato of words.
And finally, a third man walks in, this one distinctly more formally dressed and with a careful step. "Hayden, good evening Mister Gray." He says, a light voice and focused stare seeming to dig into Aubrey with distinct interest.
Andreas starts talking as soon as the last man enters. "A pleasant and warm welcome to everyone who has found the time to attend." He moves into centre stage, taking a commanding presence in the room. "Tonight, we have an opportunity unlike any other. The stagnant aristocracy of this city has shown itself vulnerable." Taking in the eyes of the room as he speaks, gesturing sharply at the final word.
"Vincent Damien." Andreas says with finality, looks of curiosity in the other monsters faces abound, thoroughly caught in the show and artistry present. "For decades he has infested Seattle, being an instrument of oppression on every person, living and unliving, inside it." As he speaks, flourishes and turns to meet eyes with everyone in the room, including Aubrey upon whom he rests his gaze, continuing.
"This here is Aubrey Gray, a mystic whom the aforementioned kindred has, for some reason, seen fit to try and kill." Andreas is interrupted by Hayden who animates into motion, light voice coming out at a quick pace as he looks to Aubrey and Meerkat. "And you want to use the nervous wreck and the animal to kill him back." Whilst the interruption may have made a lesser speaker stumble, Andreas smoothly continues.
"Indeed, as we are forbidden to kill another of our kind, and not one of us wishes for the attention it would bring on them, instead we use a third-party." He raises a single finger, commanding close attention. "However, I will also need to assure the safety of our compatriots, thus, no one will speak of their identities or appearance outside this room, ever."
He lowers his finger, continuing. "In the pursuit of that, I will hold you all to your name and reputation as members of the Revolt, should any of you disrespect that, every soul in the Free States will know."
The vampires stiffen at that last threat, the first one to speak is Logan, a deep rumble cutting through the tension. "Alright, I wasn't gonna narc, means nothing to me. What's the plan?"
"Fantastic of you to ask." Andreas says, the discussion fully expanding into the myriad methods to complete this task.
What is the plan?
[X] A plan by Angelique, get a hold of a travel route that Vincent frequents, hit the car during its vulnerable point. This would require a sudden, powerful attack as the vehicle is likely armoured and the vampire himself is not easy to kill either.
[X] Logan and Andreas suggest the assault be a fair bit more personal, using a recent opening in the staff of his office building. Either Aubrey or Meerkat can go, but it would be tremendously dangerous if something goes sideways. If chosen, also vote. [X] Aubrey is sent or [X] Meerkat is sent.
[X] Hayden's plan, stay at a coffee shop and wait for his call. He refuses to expound further.
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So, it's been a hot minute since I posted, greatest apologies about that, but life came up hard and fast.
This post was a long time coming, and finally, it's out. After this vote is over, a second vote will immediately start, it'll be the mystic preparations that will take place! This will be your first time deeply engaging with the deeper mechanics of Mage.
I'll expound on those mechanics and the specifics of how magick works then!
The debate carries for well over an hour, seemingly without end as counterpoint after counterpoint is brought up, idea after idea is shot down and revised.
"An infiltration is, forgive my wording, fucking stupid. What sort of dumb crawled up your ass tonight, Andreas?" Angelique says, the conversation having worn down any pretence of civility or calmness. Andreas returns her glare, responding quickly. "Whilst it is indeed risky, the rewards could be immense, and I trust in the capability of our allies."
Logan nods, adding his two cents to the matter. "Yeah, and if we do it this way, it'll hopefully get done quick and quiet. Not turn into a running street battle." Gesturing vaguely at Angelique, he continues. "And by the looks of your plan? I'd say a gunfight is practically a given."
Angelique snarls at that, responding sharply. "If the guy fucks up, sure, but I hope Andreas didn't grab some shit-for-brains newbie that can't kill someone with all the advance warning in the world." Turning her eyes towards Andreas as the conversation tilted over to him.
He opens his mouth to respond, something acidic seeming ready to pour out, the higher voice of Hayden slips in, "Or, you could all listen to me and like always, win." The room shifts towards him at that. "I know a place, a pleasant little coffee shop that is right where we need it to be."
Andreas quickly responds, "You have failed before Hayden, and this is more important than some random hit." Words moving out to smother the other vampire. "Sure, but when it counts, I succeed." Hayden moves forward, an action which grabs and holds the room's attention. "I know things none of you do, none of you can, so rather than make it difficult with doubts and convincing, let me just say one thing." He clears his throat, taking an obviously assertive stance. "Vincent has a hobby, loves to sidle over to a, well, it's a Starbucks."
Gesturing with a hand and letting the room digest that for a moment. "I believe it is his last remaining living descendant, puts value on that. Him being old world and all." The room blinks at that, a surprise pervading it and everyone within it. Angelique is quick to ask, "How the fuck do you know that?" The response is accompanied by a cheeky smirk on Hayden's part. "Heard it on the waves."
Everyone groans at that, before Andreas states, "That's our best opportunity then, does it sound doable?" He looks to Aubrey at that, questioning with his gaze.
Aubrey starts at the glance, mind racing at the options put ahead, "The best option is the shop, it's not likely for him to bring guards and nothing obviously usable as a weapon." Is uttered quietly, causing the vampires to look somewhat surprised, the young Mage takes a moment to realize he is being stared at, "I, uh, like thinking about things." He bashfully says, finding his hands most interesting.
"I'll take that to mean yes. Let's get this done." Andreas's words set the other kindred into motion, some moving to make calls, others marking on maps and the like whilst preparations are made to carry out the task at hand.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alright folks, now comes the fun bit. You are going to design effects for Aubrey!
The first thing to know about how effects work is instruments, instruments are the tools via which magick is done! Imagine them like your wands, staves and ancient mystic languages.
To cast an effect, you first decide upon your goal, lets take making a Fireball to blast an opponent with, figure out the spheres needed, in this case, it is Forces 3, and then applying an instrument to it. This is where you decide how the fireball is made.
Aubrey has only three instruments thus far, they are as follows.
Invocations-Aubrey can invoke words of power sourced from Shadow to cast effects on the spot, this is less useful for longer-term rituals but can be used in the moment effectively so long as communication with Shadow or, though Aubrey has never tried this, other entities of a similar nature that can provide those words.
Symbology-Aubrey can ask for designs and symbols of meaning from the Shadow to cast effects in a somewhat slower fashion, the extra care and time does mean that it is possible to acquire more successes than usual via rolling more than once, useful for rituals. As an aside for those unfamiliar with Mage, an effect cannot currently be stored up, if the artwork is to be made, the effect can be cast upon completion of the artwork utilizing stored up successes, or the artwork can be used on the spot as an instrument of the moment.
Gestures-Aubrey can channel his magick through gestures and actions with mystic significance provided by the Shadow, or theoretically other things, this allows him to achieve effects at great speed, but is significantly more difficult to manage than just repeating words, though theoretically it could also be used in a more long-term fashion by creating entire strings of gestures.
Examples:
If a fireball was to be cast, Aubrey would attempt to use the instrument of Invocations by asking Shadow for a series of words that would have the intended result, and then repeat them at the opportune moment! This would trigger a die-roll to determine the effectiveness of the fireball.
Aubrey could also ask Shadow for a symbol or many symbols he could paint, engrave or otherwise mark a thing with, afterwards being able to use that thing as a casting implement upon the desire to do so, triggering a roll.
Finally, Aubrey could ask the Shadow to tutor him in a gesture or series of gestures that lead to the desired effect, allowing him to repeat those gestures and trigger the aforementioned roll.
Your job is to create an instrument for an effect that Aubrey will pre-prepare, learning a series of words that does this, or carving onto an object a symbol that does that! Whatever you can come up with.
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Alright folks, the post is up and the next one will come soon as consensus is reached, there will be a one-day voting hiatus from this post, you may make effects, but where you would normally put the X, just leave the [ ] as so.
Once again.
One Day Voting Hiatus.
Thanks for reading!
