Chapter 1a: __________ is Magic (Epilogue)

Magic is Real.

We fly over oceans, hold the sum of all recorded knowledge in our hands, and speak with relatives halfway across the world without leaving our chairs. Magic isn't just flying on broomsticks or calling down fire from the Heavens. Magic is limited only by your Imagination, and your Will to make it manifest. There's a battle going on over the nature of Reality and Mankind itself. Pretend it isn't there, or get involved and forge the Future you envision.

Welcome to the Ascension War.

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Chapter 1a: __________ is Magic (Epilogue)

Post by ManWithDoor » Thu Nov 26, 2020 7:44 am

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die ... a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance ... a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." - KJV Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8


Night passes. The slight noise of the city is ever-present - cars driving by, the knocking of the heater as it warms up the apartment, occasion voices from surrounding apartments - along with a periodic clicking from the computer as Autumn maintains her vigil. Despite the discomfort of sharing a small space with so many people, it is restful enough.

Morning comes. The sound of traffic and honking ramps up steadily, many people getting up early to go about their business. Each person wakes up at their own pace, or never went to sleep in the first place. Pixel's apartment wasn't made for housing so many people, so amenities such as bathroom and shower time is limited. For those looking to notice, Autumn is starting to look uncomfortable as the sun continues to rise, the sunlight seeming to perhaps hurt her eyes.

Before anyone heads out, there is a knock on the door out of nowhere. Geyser's friend almost falls out of her chair, quickly cycling through the cameras, finding no evidence of someone having approached or somehow being at the door. The knock repeats, and then a man appears instantly in the hallway. "Don't worry, I am only here to make sure you're all safe. May I please enter?" His face is shrouded, but still recognizable as Master Robertson. Though he is the Primus of the Council, he makes neither demand nor order. Instead his voice is soft and kind, respect and concern being clearly communicated even through so few words.
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Welcome to the Epilogue of Chapter 1. This will not take long, just a wrap-up of this particular Adventure.

If you wish to have done / talked about something before he knocks, feel free.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Chapter 1a: __________ is Magic (Epilogue)

Post by Muskrat » Thu Nov 26, 2020 5:45 pm

Pixel stands there for a moment with her mouth hanging open--even by the standards of mages, this was a bit unexpected. She looks around at the others, realizes this is her apartment, then says as she opens the door, "Ah, yes, please do come in. Thank you for checking in on us. Would you like some tea?"

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Chapter 1a: __________ is Magic (Epilogue)

Post by RorytheRomulan » Fri Nov 27, 2020 5:19 am

Geyser doesn't wake up again during the night. Autumn must have had no problems to communicate. He wakes up at dawn, convenient for his flatmate. He lets the tea warm up while he takes a brisk cold shower, grabs a slice of pizza to go with it, and that's breakfast. After a bite and a few sips, he slowly and methodically advances through some yoga poses, with a look of contemplation.

Robertson's knocking startles Geyser in the middle of a handstand, and he catches himself with his feet. "I made it from green tea leaves."

//Cantonese//
After chiming in, he says something to Autumn, who stares the Primus with an uneasy stillness. "We'll drive back to the flat after we've spoken to our visitor. He's a friend."

She nods and returns to squinting at the cameras.

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Chapter 1a: __________ is Magic (Epilogue)

Post by Karstil » Sun Nov 29, 2020 4:14 pm

Ulrich also was an early riser. He did his best to not disturb anyone, after a short shower the priest takes a place out of the way of the others where he builds a little shrine with his bible, rosary and cross, and holds his morning prayers and lauds.

As the others, he is surprised at the appearance of the Primus at the door of the apartment. He just watches as Pixel let him in and offers tea. He bits his tong before he can start asking questions about the other council members and Jade Dragons status. First, he will wait and let Master Robertson or Pixel start the conversation.

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Chapter 1a: __________ is Magic (Epilogue)

Post by ManWithDoor » Wed Dec 02, 2020 5:15 am

The elder mage graciously accepts the invitation to enter, and the cup of tea as well. He looks tired, and when he pushes his hood back you can see clear signs of paradox backlash. One of his eyes is enlarged, and the pupil has morphed to the shape of an hourglass. His features don't look perfectly settled into place, as though either they were moving by themselves, or at least not moving in normal concert.

He attempts a weak smile, but he looks too hurt and tired to really manage it. He starts to speak, then abruptly stops as he notices that one of the rings on his right hand is glowing with a faint blue light. He blinks rapidly, then raises the hand palm outwards and sweeps it across the room. When it points to Autumn the light brightens, but only by a small amount. The mage's eyes narrow, but seeing Geyser calmly converse with his friend, the look turns more curious than hostile. He lets his hand drop, and speaks up in perfect Cantonese. "You pick strange friends, but the fact that you turned to her in your hour of need speaks volumes to her character."

Returning his gaze to the rest of the group, he clears his throat and continues in English. "Thank you for everything you did yesterday. And I feel that I need to explain a few things so we can be frank and honest with each other. You see, there were troubling signs and portents that something was very wrong in San Francisco. I had suspected a spy or infiltrator, or some agent of civil war, but I could not act openly without real information. I could only watch, wait, and make myself ready for an opportunity to present itself. And that's where you came in, after you interfered in the matter of Hash and Yossarian."

He reaches into his jacket and pulls out an amulet, some sort of pendant on a chain. Enochian runes swirl in complicated geometric forms on the pendant. Robertson speaks words of power, and the item begins to glow. He places the chain around his neck, and suddenly he looks like an entirely different person. A elderly caucasian man, with pure white hair, light blue shirt, dark blue tie, and a permanent myopic squint. Quinton Mason.
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Pulling off the necklace, he returns to his normal appearance. "I could not have managed to remain anonymous with the others, they have felt my aura far too often to remain undetected, even disguised as I was. That is why you only saw me upstairs, and never saw me speaking to anyone else." That also explains why he seemed eager to be helpful, even though theoretically he was supposed to be representing the opposite party.

"Whoever was the hostile agent would go to ground if they thought I was on their scent, but who would suspect a bunch of wide-eyed neophytes? Their impression and not mine, to be clear. I let you be my hunting hounds, forcing them into the light of day. The real work was yours, I only took the opportunity to help you along the way. And you succeeded beyond anything anyone could have expected of you." He looks regretful, not shamed. As though he wished another way was possible, but would not choose otherwise if he could do it all over again.

"And as you were the ones who had happened upon dangerous information on my behalf, albeit unknowingly, I was the one who stood up at the Council and made the accusation." He grunts, almost managing an ironic chuckle. "And then it all went sideways. Necessary, to have exposed the conspiracy. But so much was lost in the process that can never be recovered." He closes his eyes for a moment, grief breaking through his normally iron self-control.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Chapter 1a: __________ is Magic (Epilogue)

Post by RorytheRomulan » Wed Dec 02, 2020 3:15 pm

Geyser freezes, looking like a kid who just got caught coming back home very late at night. Autumn shoots him a look of confusion, and he shakes his head at her, waving off whatever she must be thinking - for now. He dips his head to the Primus and gives him a meek "thank you" in English. Air pockets bubble up again. The Avatar, watching with amusement.

The student stares a little longer than one should at the way Robertson's face morphs. He picks up on the grief, and when the Primus has finished, he asks, "How are the others recovering? Are they going to be okay?"

The image burned into his brain flashes, the howling terrors within blotted over, his mind resistant to their recollection seemingly innately by their forms and very nature. "Okay" and "not okay" could mean a lot of things.

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Chapter 1a: __________ is Magic (Epilogue)

Post by Muskrat » Wed Dec 02, 2020 7:29 pm

Pixel adds, "And do we have any more idea what it was that ... possessed Jade Dragon and why ... he? it? ... did so?"

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Post by ManWithDoor » Mon Dec 14, 2020 3:19 am

"We don't have a good headcount, and living through it doesn't mean they will be 'okay', as you asked." The tone is still calm and conversational, with no harsh sarcasm attached. "Some may have escaped on their own rather than with the group, but we'll see. There are at least a dozen casualties as of now, unsurprisingly heavily filled with apprentices and servants." He pinches the bridge of his nose, taking a long breath. "Jade Dragon has fallen into an akinetic catatonic state, perhaps even a Quiet. My best hypothesis is that the outside mental damage was a large factor." He looks over and meets Ulrich's eyes, his own empathetic. "Your actions may have saved lives, but inadvertently harmed hers. She had sworn long ago to do no harm, not even in self-defense. It was the core of her philosophy, and your inspiration drove her to violence. Hopefully she can come to peace with that, and return to us. In the meantime, she will be cared for as well as I do my own children."
Catatonia is a group of symptoms that usually involve a lack of movement and communication, and also can include agitation, confusion, and restlessness. Akinetic catatonia is the most common. Someone with akinetic catatonia often stares blankly and won’t respond when you speak to them. If they do respond, it may only be to repeat what you said. Sometimes they sit or lie in an unusual position and won’t move.

Quiet: Mages depend upon clear minds in order to do what they do. And yet they also inhabit a state of metaphysical insanity in which they choose to deny the “reality” that everyone else accepts. The Awakening is a sort of madness in which a person can no longer see or accept what passes for “reality” among most other people. And so, a mage occasionally loses track of reality altogether, drifting or plunging into the state often known as Quiet.

Essentially a state of disassociation and disconnection, Quiet sets a mage adrift from any reality except her own. At its lower levels, this leads to irrational actions and momentary delusions. At the higher end of the spectrum, this “wizard’s Twilight” manifests those delusions in forms that other people can see, or else drops the mage into a prison of her own mind’s making. At the extreme end of such disconnection, the mage becomes a Marauder, essentially oblivious to the world outside her head.

People often view Quiet as a single sort of malady, however, metaphysical un-sanity follows the choices made while “sane.” Like magick, Quiet is an extension of the mage.
He pauses a long time, allowing the news to sink in. "The Explorers would normally be our experts to call upon for investigating this threat, but Yacatecuhtli has been injured, and Doctor Electrik responds ... poorly to violent situations. He won't be able to pull himself together for quite a long time."

His eyes narrow and he looks at each of the group. "Which brings me to my ask. The various cabals had intended to try to recruit you, individually or collectively, but that was before last night's attack. We also know that at least one Master has been mentally compromised, and others may have been manipulated by the Entity as well. But as newcomers, and the ones that uncovered the conspiracy in the first place, you are the least suspect of all of us."

"So while I do not command nor demand, I request you form your own Cabal and spearhead investigating and countering this threat. I can provide resources, such as a Chantry and access to a Node. Support to get you one your feet, whatever I can reasonably provide. As for a name, traditionally the Cabals in this area went by a clear theme rather than symbolic labels, but you are not bound to that if it does not fit." He pauses and considers. "Perhaps it could come from the bonds you share. Names have power. And after all ... friendship is magic."
The party initially was heavily focused on the big-time friendship between Dexter and June, so I couldn't resist naming the Chapter and intending the name drop to occur. The party composition clearly got more complicated since then, but it could still apply if the relationships strengthen from just a working relationship to personal attachments.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Chapter 1a: __________ is Magic (Epilogue)

Post by Muskrat » Mon Dec 14, 2020 8:26 pm

Pixel takes in everything Master Roberts is saying, a worried frown on her face. When he gets to the part where he asks them to form a Cabal and spearhead the response to this threat, she finds that her jaw is hanging open. After several attempts to formulate a coherent answer, she eventually manages to articulate, "I, uh, appreciate the, ah, trust you're putting in us, but, ah, we're all pretty new at this. I'd like to help, but, ah, at the same time, I'm already feeling kind of in over my head."

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Chapter 1a: __________ is Magic (Epilogue)

Post by RorytheRomulan » Wed Dec 16, 2020 2:06 pm

After sharing a solemn moment for Jade Dragon, after Robertson makes his request, Geyser stifles a grin at the last bit, biting the inside of his lip to stay serious. Although corny, what Robertson said was still true.

"Well if enough of us here are up to it, then so am I. When I moved to Cali, I was considering a major in therapy. Then I ran into Somma at the Nine Hands, and here I am. If Sparrow came knocking instead of you and gave me something to do for the Militants, I'd be saying sayonara right now. Also, this was kind of a blow to, like, my first real circle of friends I had since I got here. You want me to fight the good fight? I'm in."
For a cabal name, Something-Something Fellowship maybe? This feels like a Fellowship moment. We would be "inquisitors", and another synonym would be "quester" if we want to add the adventuring angle.

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