Risk Assessment

[Cosmo]

Cosmo places his order for his waffle and waits. The waitress returns promptly with drinks, and once she leaves he begins to chant in high speech as he reaches out to his Watchtower....

...and nothing happens.

The Obrimos froze for a second, his eyes looking around at the other mages. In the few seconds he looked about it almost seemed like he might blush from the embarrassment, but sure enough he cleared his throat and tried again. Something stuck, and a Golden glyph wrapped itself around the table of mages to bend sound back into it.

"So yeah, basically that." Cosmo continued from within the safety of his sound bubble. "I invited Campanella because the new system seemed as surprising and unwelcome to him as it did to me, and Winter is here because Phoenyx told me if I didn't settle down the Sentinel would remember me. I figure if someone's name is worth invoking as a veiled threat about a matter he should be welcome to the discussion that invoked him."

"So yeah, the big brother vibe of the cameras bugs me. Recording and storing our meetings and conversations at the Circle is creepy and invasive. I get that stuff happened, but when we spoke at the Circle no one could come up with a single event that happened at the Circle that would have been made more secure with cameras. Also there's the whole thing where I can name eight arcana that have ways of spying on us that nothing that was installed can stop or affect."

The Ladder paused, sipping from his tea for a second.

"Also I think that wiring is a fire hazard I'm not straining my pattern over. Just saying."

hands go up in faux surrender as he leans back in his seat.

  Pot 3 on second casting

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-10-01 18:04:16		Cosmo rolls 6 to Imp Influence Sound (Gno+Forces+HS-retry) (10 Again)		4, 9, 10, 3, 3, 8, 3		3 successes
2019-10-01 18:03:58		Cosmo rolls 7 to Imp Influence Sound (Gno+Forces+HS) (10 Again)		4, 6, 2, 5, 3, 1, 4		failure

[Campanella]

Campanella was still looking at his wrap as if he expected it to crawl away somewhere and die of shame.

Cosmo's last comment and faux surrender caught the Hierarch's attention and bought a shy smile to his lips.

"I agree. For the moment I am thinking of letting it stay. Simply to see what happens of course. I can understand the reason for putting up security - especially at the time it was done, but as you point out, there are plenty of other Arcana that could be used for spying and security purposes without putting up something so... mundane."

He sipped his coffee and blinked, rather than make a face.

"And there are no doubt risks, which the Sentinel will no doubt elaborate soon enough."

He turned slightly toward Phoenyx. "Other topics?"

[Winter]

Normally he would have been bemused by the younger man's antics. Right now though, amusement was superseded by wonder. Wonder at how somebody could put forth an argument in a sentence and just proceed to dismantle it all by himself within the span of a breath.
He couldn't fault them for not knowing the basics of counterintelligence, or for not being privy to the real reasons behind his choice. This kind of things could fly so far above most people's heads that they could intercept a cruising 747.
He sips his tea, his innermost thoughts concealed behind the cup. "And here I thought we were going to discuss something important", he gulps another sip.
"your words contradict themselves. As you've said, there are plenty of methods of avoidance. Necessity is the mother of invention after all, I'm sure you will find a way to protect your privacy", the Guardian intentionally leaves things vague. There's nothing mystical about lip-reading, and as Cosmo should be well aware of, the city outside the Circle could turn into a warzone in a heartbeat. In the world of the Awakened, even walls could spurt eyes, or worse you could have some pesky Acanthus randomly stumbling into your leftover resonance, and fuck shit up just because they could, "but yet, you're brazenly discussing things here", he taps his index against the table. "which doesn't lend much credibility to your risk assessment", he exchanges a look with Phoenyx and Campanella before he dives in again.
"But let me shed some light on my decision. Security serves a triple purpose. The first is information collection. Ideally, you'd want to map hostiles frequenting those premises not directly protected by the *enclosure* surrounding your compound, especially those who're not part of our little game. The second, obvious purpose is deterrence. Each action costs resources and is prone to mistakes, even if the system is perfectly hackable. This is why you want a home with a door, despite doors being unequivocally compromisable. The third one is tactical, it buys you time in a bind", it wasn't over, "and then there's another reason, the real deal. Setting the members of our little community on a common task has shown me that they can somewhat work together. I'd rather avoid another trench-coat and katanas accident", he gave Phoenyx a knowing look. "Rest assured nobody is going to spy on whatever you do on the back benches. Either way, the data is getting reviewed and deleted every day. I think my explanation was exhaustive enough. Anything else?"

[Phoenyx]

The failed spell does not go unnoticed. A small smirk touches the Obrimos’ lips, but is quickly forced down. Her eyes follow the sigil of the Spell as it eventually takes shape, before returning to the group.

Phoenyx listens to the issues that Cosmo has. They seem naïve to her, but that is why they are here. To discuss, and resolve. That Campenella also seems wary is disappointing, but he has many views to measure. Fortunately, the Sentinel puts forward the argument with a concise set of words the Arrow has come to expect from Winter. A smile touches the Arrow’s lips as he explains.

“I did not make any veiled threats. I was referring to when we located the arcane item and the two of you began trying to outbid one another." She still has a hint of a smile on her face, which then becomes serious. "Sentinel Winter has described the same reasons I would give.” She looks between Campenella and Cosmo neutrally. “You both have great faith in the occultation of the Circle. It is a strong defense. However, the argument of something never happening because it has not previously, is an error of judgement. We were but five when the measures were agreed, and though the Arcana can do most anything, we did not have all arcana at our disposal - nor do we now. The measures are not about spying. They are about protecting our seat of magical power as best we can, by means both mundane and arcane, using the former to overcome the gaps in the latter.”

The First Talon looks to the Hierarch. “As for other topics, I did not realise he had invited Winter and yourself, so these were things more between Cosmo and I. He had claimed that I had “paranoid delusions”. I wanted to know what evidence he had to cast suspicion upon my mental state.” She is completely innocent in her phrasing. “We also appear to have taken very different lessons from philosophical works, something I enjoy discussing, and I want to try and understand his stance a little more.” She looks at Cosmo. “I have not spent much time with any of the Silver Ladder. I wanted to see if your views were of your own devising or something more common to your order. You are dismissive to mundane methods, for example, which is bizarre to me. I may have misunderstood your point, and hope to educate myself.”

[Cosmo]

Contradiction? That was going around.

"My objection is to the cameras watching us inside, as they add nothing to the notion of security, but to surveillance. How exactly does a camera, in a building that's been occulted to be unnoticed and unknown, deter someone? And if they are being reviewed at a later time how do they expedite response to this so far theoretical incident? Or buy time?"

The Ladder sighed, sipping quickly from his drink before turning his attention more to the group then just Winter.

"I picked this spot because by your definition, it's not secure. Yet when we finish, we'll all walk out in one piece and I won't even have to cast an armor spell unless one of you prompts me to. It maybe true that the Seers and what have you are out there but they aren't everywhere. They aren't here and they aren't at the Circle. So why is it necessary to be surveilling the entire compound twenty four seven inside and out?"

As Phoenyx expressed her views Cosmo listened. Paranoid delusions might have been excessive, but it didn't feel any more excessive then the constant doom saying that went around the concilium. And then there was the philosophical discussion, a conversation Cosmo found himself never quite prepared for.

"I said paranoid delusions because I sincerely believe that the need to watch the Circle twenty four seven as you implied was necessary is paranoid. Nothing happened in or to the Circle, so I don't see why baby sitting the place is necessary. As for philosophy, I'm better equipped for political science but I can try and start wherever you want to."

[Winter]

"The cameras cover only a subsection of the building, as we don't have the resource for whatever Echelon conspiracy you're raving about. The entrance and the perimeter of the Headquarter need to be monitored daily, it's the only way to spot scouts around the neighborhood and avoid another indirect attack. Either way, as you said, the scrutiny is perfectly avoidable", his hand was balled in a fist, "The first step in an engagement maneuver is the impairment of your target's security. A security system, no matter how primitive it is, shaves off precious seconds from an attacking strike team", he took another sip of his tea and listened attentively to the Ladder's words "what you believe is inconsequential. On this board votes are weighted, not counted. Three out of the four people sitting at this table have earned theirs. So much that there wouldn't even be a corporate headquarter if not for our paranoid ways. You simply... haven't. And this meeting, at this place and at this time, just reinforces my conviction that you don't know what you're talking about", he stares at the wall, seemingly remember something, "people far more careful than you, have lost their life because they assumed safety when there was none. If you want an obit on the SacBee, be my guest but jumping off the Tower Bridge is both faster and doesn't expose the company to the backslash", on his part, the topic was concluded. Still, the Guardian was disconcerted at how liberally they had been discussing such issues in public and in a place that was far from sanitized.

[Campanella]

Campanella attempts to eat the wrap. He gives up in the end and lays it carefully down.

"I believe Cosmo has made our conversation secure," he said as the conversation flowed around him. Pointedly, he craned his head to examine the largely empty Denny's establishment around them.

"I apologise, Phoenyx, if we have intruded. I was under the impression this was an open meeting." He murmured as he turned back to the table and reached for his coffee.

He slipped into silence as the conversation turned back the arrangements at the Circle.

"We have been through incredibly testing times. Recovery will be slow, I think. Given time, perhaps we can ease off on the... baby-sitting." He added carefully between sips.

As he spoke, he did drop his gaze onto the lone Guardian, leanding him (or hoping he leant him) some silent support. The Sentinel was only doing his job considering these matters to the fatalistic extent he had.

[Phoenyx]

Phoenyx watches as Winter covers most of the question. "The point of them is to capture the image of people that breach the concillium. If you are so concerned with Privacy, there is a whole city of places you could have those conversations that are not the key site of the Pentacle in this city."

She shrugs. "As I said before. Just because it has never happened does not mean it never will. You are not a Master - that does not mean you never will be. The only people guarding the Circle, to my knowledge, do not have Time or Space to watch the area. All we can do is be vigilant."

The Arrow nods to the Hierarch. "Sir, I have no issue with your presence. It was just unexpected."

A shrug, and Phoenyx turns back to Cosmo. "When I mentioned Hume arguing against Kant, and accepting the world as it was in order to function, you took that to mean that I fully accept the objectives of the Seers of the Throne. What I in fact meant was his explanation that even if the world around is a lie, if we do not eat, or sleep, we die and achieve nothing. By extension, even though the world is a lie, we still use transport to travel, or the internet and books to study and surpass the limits hey propose. Using technology to overcome weaknesses of our magic is not a failing, nor and acceptance of the Lie." She shrugs. "Political science it not something I understand, so I would be ill-placed to critique your use of it's arguments." She offers a small smile.

[Winter]

Eventually he'd have to arrange for a demonstration, something that would show the rest of them why foolproof security wasn't a thing.
Still, he took the cue from the Hierarch. Unless Cosmo intended to press the issue further, the matter - at least according to him - was settled. Before he could change the topic though, Phoenyx had interceded, bringing to the table the abstract field of political philosophy. Something he wasn't all that equipped to discuss, at least not tonight.
For all his faults however, Cosmo's invitation had been forthright, the Guardian had been informed of the presence of the other two guests, and he doubted Cosmo had extended him a treatment of favour over the rest of his guests. "I hate to interrupt the Symposium, but other than matters of security, is there any other topic you wished to discuss?", he was a straight shooter after all.

[Cosmo]

Cosmo simply stared in wonder as Wiinter displayed his casual dismissal, but while Cosmo strongly disagreed with the Guardian's appraisal the conversation was moving forward.

"I did mention at concilium the possibility of inviting the Sentinel and Heirarch." He shrugged, sipping from his tea once again. "And I mentioned it again in the letters I left at the Circle."

"I feel like we're talking in circles. You aren't convincing me of this inevitable intrusion by outsiders, and I'm not convincing you of the pointlessness of these protocols. You point out the time it buys and I ask how that could be if you aren't reviewing the footage in real time. I ask for examples of how these ways brought us here and you provide nebulous nonanswers about general attacks from the past. So no, I think we can close the conversation on security measures as neither side seems willing to budge on the issue."

The Theurgist sighed, but did take solace in the Heirarch's desire to ween people off the paranoia.

"So philosophy. I don't know much about the subject because I focused more on political science in the few college classes I took as a born and raised Washingtonian. What you said in Concilium wasn't that specific. You spoke generally of accepting the world as it is, which I believe to be the goal of the Seers. Magic to most people is stagecraft and fairy tails, not the miracles of Atlantis. By pursuing a doctrine that emphasizes acceptance we risk the Pentacle growing complacent to the evils within the world. An Initiate of Death can see mental derangement and guide the person to seek help and recover before lashing out. An Initiate of Fate can bless someone with good fortune to help them through a rough day. Every Path has some little thing thing that can improve the quality of life for themselves or those around them. So how could it ever be okay to accept anything wrong with the world and watch while Sleepers are Lied to every single day simply because the Quintessence keeps them from knowing better?"