Prologue: The Bon Festival

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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Muskrat
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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Muskrat » Tue Apr 04, 2017 5:51 pm

Pixel taps more numbers into her cell phone, altering the field she's created so Dexter's awareness of the snow woman's weaknesses are heightened.
Data/ Mind to buff Dexter.

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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Hayabusa » Tue Apr 11, 2017 12:30 pm

Yeah, sorry, I was thinking a lot on how to use June's spheres a bit more in offensive matters. No idea if that will work but you know... just tryyyyyyy.
"She won't be able to hold up much longer," June says with a sideway glance to no one in particular. "How else am I going to see if that works or not?" From within a pocket of her jacket the stage magician pulls a deck of cards. A moment later she removes a card from the stack and sends it flying in the wind towards the snow woman. The small pieces of paper have been with her for a long time and she's always been glad to use and practice with them and they are pretty much infused with her own, as she thinks positive essence.
Use Entropy to remove corruption. I do not know how exactly that would work but you know... purge evil, I think.
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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by ManWithDoor » Tue Apr 11, 2017 8:55 pm

The Virtual Adept continues to hack reality, focusing and reinforcing her supernatural enhancement of the Romani with the strange sword-cane. The Monk looks more than half-dead, and might not be able to stand, let alone fight.

June gets desperate, her mind running through ideas she has never thought of before, ways of using magic she has neither contemplated nor practiced. As a stage magician she has manipulated fate and chance, altering probabilities to amazing effect. But perhaps that mastery of disorder might be able to affect this spirit, this possible ghost from the long past. She takes a card and random, and flicks it towards the Snow Woman, trying to make a connection. It darts unerringly through the erratic wind, plastering itself on the creature's forehead, the red symbol of the Queen of Hearts showing up clearly on her pale skin.

The Yuki-Onna lets forth an unearthly scream, and glass in every direction shatters. June channels her own goodness and light into the beast, and she feels an ... undoing of sorts within the spirit. A dissolution as her own fierce love tears through the empty anger and hatred within. The Snow Woman's limbs elongate hideously, her porcelain skin brightening to a mirror hue, and her weapon now visibly rusts, and drips a black ichor. Wherever the fluid drips onto the ground, high-pitched screams emit from the violated earth.
Pixel: Reiterating the OOC -> 3 Successes. Dexter has -3 TN to Attack this next Round.

June: So ... Entropy 3 can affect matter/forces. Entropy 4 can affect Life, and Entropy 5 can affect Thought. However, Pg. 418 of M20 mentions that Entropy 3 / Prime 2 can directly harm Ghosts (rather than needing Spirit 3), although it causes some Bad Juju. So this is an interesting way to test if something is a standard Spirit, or an actual Ghost. And as luck would have it, Ghost time!
- So, I'm going to Rule that since you don't have Prime, you can't cause direct damage. But! But, I'll have you use a Willpower point to force Reality to make your Will do ... something. It will significantly pain the creature, which will have some negative side effects / debuffs you won't know until they get triggered.
- Roll (TN 6) - 3,6,7 = 2 Successes worth of Effect. :D

Now on to Karstil and Hermit!
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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Hermit » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:18 pm

Dexter is left staring dumbly at the ruinous visage hovering before them. Most, if not all, pretense of humanity of the specter had been discarded in the wake of June's gambit. Just then his immediate surroundings take on a familiar sharpness, once again plunging into his senses into an unearthly realm of perception. The prickling of gooseflesh all across his body reminds him all too well the horrid reality of this situation, and he need not turn his head to hear the labored breaths emitting from the wounded martial artist at his side. Some vestige in the corner of his psyche, which he recognizes to be common sense, screams for escape from this nightmarish scenario, and yet that plea sounds more distant with each passing heartbeat.

Whether he should be comforted or disturbed by this mental defiance, the half-Romani finds himself immediately caring less and less about such trivialities, the adrenaline urging him to act now and think later. No sooner does the thought occur than Dexter springs into motion, spinning his cane in a whirling motion overhead as he beelines towards the Yuki-onna, leaving his defenses wide open in favor of a singular lunge aimed at the frozen shade's heart with deadly intent.
All-Out Attack on Yuki-Onna, all dice committed to the offensive
''At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.'' - Lao-Tzu

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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Karstil » Wed Apr 12, 2017 5:44 pm

Ulrich observes the heroic defence of the non-fighters trough the, to him, unknown man. As well as the unbridled attack of the winter spirit against this one.
Then things go fast, the women throws something on the spirit and it reacts. So much to subtlety. he thinks as he snaps shut the Bible in his left hand, with a sound in which finality resonates. Still keeping the mental struggle, the exorcism, up. The priest in him knows better, than to let the hold he has there go.

He sees that the other fighter, that one with the weapon, goes for another attack. And it doesn't look like he is holding anything back for defense.
The right hand, of the priest goes in a pocket and takes a lighter out of it. He sparks a flickering flame into existence. Not much, but it will have to do. With some fast steps he closes the distance to the spirit, tries to coordinate the timing of his spell withe the lunging blade on the other side of the entity and, with magic, presses the fire into the spirit
"In nomine domini, ut producat gladio Michaelis. Ut in flamma purgata emundare mundum et liberum maculae, cuius esses status"
Attack with; Forces (Fire) reinforced with Prime. Spending 1 Willpower for success and 3 Quintessenc for -3 TN

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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by ManWithDoor » Thu Apr 13, 2017 10:24 pm

Everything has come down to this. Whatever previous gentility has been evinced by the creature, her true nature stands revealed. Hatred, rage, and deadly corruption, bared to the world. Such a thing should not Be, not in this world. The Romani fully abandons his previous delaying action, sets his stance, and lunges at the Snow Woman. She is completely distracted by June's entropic assault, and her torso parts like water, until the Tsuba crashes against her sternum, driving her backwards.

With finality, the mysterious Priest snaps closed his Bible, as though closing the door to any mercy or reprieve. The evil deeds the Spirit has done are written in the Book of Life, and she now stands Judged. He holds forth a flame, speaks words of Power, and the fire fans out into a man-sized Cross, standing firmly against the Darkness. Dexter's assault drives her right onto the holy fire, and she is completely consumed.

A moment later, all that is left is Ulrich blinking at a Katana sitting only a couple inches from his face. The Snow Woman has been banished by the Sword and the Flame, and the Priest can feel the Gauntlet returning to normal. The bright energy of her presence is barely present, and the darkness of night is returning in full force. All of the street lights are broken, and few lights in the surrounding buildings are working either. The magical fog is thinning, but only slowly. This is San Francisco, and fog is a fact of life around here.

Jon still kneels protectively near the three Artists. He lays his hands on his chest and hunches in meditation. He clearly is attempting to heal himself, although all he manages to do is slightly slow his blood loss. He spent all he had on saving the lives of others, and now may not be able to save himself.
Dexter: Given your ALL-OUT comment, I'm also volunteering that you use a Willpower point for an Automatic Success!
- Attack Roll (5d10): 6,8,9,9,10 (+1 Auto) = 6 SUCCESSES!
- Damage Roll (2 Str + 3 Katana -1 Injuries +5 Excess Attack Roll -> 9d10) = (lots of dice) = 6 LETHAL!
- Soak Roll (Secret) = 0 Successes (ouch) -> so she takes all 6 LETHAL!

Ulrich - Forces 2 (Enhance Flame) + Prime 2 (Lethal to Aggravated Damage)
- Forces 2 (Vulgar) = TN 6 - 3 (Quintessence use) = 4,6,10 (3 Successes +1 Willpower = 4 Successes)
- Upgrading to Agg takes 1 Quinessence, so you've drained your whole pool
- 4 Successes on Forces Roll = 9 Damage Dice. (Lots of Rolls) = 7 Aggravated
- Soak Roll (Secret) = 3 Successes -> so she takes 4 AGGRAVATED!

SUPER DEAD!
- OOC, she has 6 Soak to any type of Damage. She lost 1 Soak to the partial Exorcism, and another 2 Soak to the Entropy attack that June did. Excellent thinking. Also, she took over 20 total Damage, which is significantly over her total Wounds. You messed her up. Damn!

Jon (because why not) - Heal Self. 1 Success, which unfortunately is 0 Damage healed. Still sitting at Crippled. (He isn't in danger of dying immediately, but either he needs help healing himself, or outside medical care)

Combat Over! Nothing immediately shows up, but seriously, you're in the middle of a major city where serious nastiness just went down. There is property damage, multiple casualties (but thanks to you, NO fatalities!), and total weirdness. So, just saying, you might want to make and execute a Plan quick-like. Before someone or something else acts first.
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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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Muskrat » Fri Apr 14, 2017 6:51 pm

Pixel looks around and says, "Oh, wow! Oh, wow!" Then she shakes her head, pulling herself together, and says, "Oh, shit. We're gonna have cops and ambulances here soon aren't we? I mean the ambulances will be a good thing, but the cops won't be. They never are and they're going to have all sorts of questions we don't want to answer--or if we do, they'll think we're completely bat shit insane." She looks back and forth, saying, "I feel like we should bug out--but I don't want to leave these folks here until we know they're getting proper medical care." She then turns her attention to the priest and says, "Oh, sorry, hi! Thanks for helping us out. I'm Pixel." She holds out a hand to shake.

She has a sudden thought. "Maybe I can divert the police, but not the ambulances--at least long enough to make sure everyone gets medical care, but leaving us enough time before we have to answer the cops' questions." She begins punching keys on her cell phone, tapping into the emergency communications system, which appears like a map in her AR goggles.
Use Data to send false information to the police in order to prevent or delay their arrival, while making sure the EMTs have accurate information and ambulances arrive soon.

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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by ManWithDoor » Mon Apr 17, 2017 8:32 pm

Pixel tunes into the emergency response frequencies, and quickly visualizes a map of San Francisco, with the various emergency service vehicles highlighted and labeled. There are of course various calls and responses going on throughout the city, from the mundane to the horrifying. She is grateful that she doesn't have to experience them through emotion or reliving the calls, just nice, clean Data. No emotional baggage, just pure Information. There are some security Protocols that she has to bypass, but so far she has no difficulty doing so.

There have been active requests sent out from the area, although they are panicked and inconsistent. Most are reporting some assumed severe weather event, or maybe an earthquake. Very few report any deliberate violence, even from those that scattered from the area when the Snow Woman manifested. Perhaps they simply thought they wouldn't be believed, or are denying the reality of what they saw. Perhaps their calls have been ... edited out of the primary active calls.

Regardless, Pixel is able to make her Will manifest. She controls the information going to the ambulances and fire EMTs, making sure they get the most accurate information and urgency. The police data stream receives a series of destination errors, even re-routing closer cruisers to different, more distant 911 calls. For now, it seems like law enforcement isn't going to be showing up soon.
Pixel: Data roll passes. Your plan is working.
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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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Hayabusa » Tue Apr 18, 2017 12:23 pm

"Wow, that was intense!" June says with a big smile to Dexter before realizing that others have been harmed and they need to do something about that and as Pixel said, be gone as soon as possible. She quickly makes her way over to Jon, kneeling and bleeding. She's far from able to help him aside from untrained basic first aid. Which will not be too much of a thing to do.

"That looks not great. You should see a doctor. Or you tell me how to quickly take care of this but wee need to be on our way quick." The stage magician glances over their field of battle. While Jon is apparently the worst off, she knows that aid should be here sooner than later. And the last thing they need for the EMTs to arrive is anything that delays them. In fact, their should be here soon anyway but perhaps they can be here even faster... so she looks beyond the veil of the sleepers of the threads that lead to Jon and the others.
Maybe a bit of a longshot... but I'd like to try to affect a pattern here, using control over random events to make them happen sooner rather than later. Maybe a medic has an easier time to pass through traffic, find a bit of free space or a quicker way through the crowds and towards them...
Entropy!
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Re: Prologue: The Bon Festival

Post by Muskrat » Tue Apr 18, 2017 6:02 pm

Pixel says, "The cops won't be arriving here any time soon--just the EMTs. Hopefully, they'll be more focused on helping the injured than asking awkward questions." She kneels beside Jon and says, "The question is, do you want to go in ambulance or do you want us to get you to some of the other folks in your Tradition for treatment?"

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