To the Library 4: Research Strikes Back!

[Thirteen]

The Sacramento Public Library was as it was the last time Thirteen had been here: Big and full of books and helpful staff. Removing her sunglasses and letting her eyes adjust from the bright day outside, the Acanthus reviewed her goals for this day of digging through books and newspaper articles. She had two topics to study: The life of an S. Cartwright, and whatever details she could find on the Harringwood Community Centre.

Best to conquer them one at a time.

She decided to start with Cartwright. Heading for the periodicals section, she mentally went over what she already knew about him: Middle-aged white man, burnscars on face and hand(s?), hospitalised early last year, in the burn ward. It gave her a time period to start searching. Also, he was dead now, most likely, and she considered the possibility his body might turn up somewhere. That was assuming the Goldies had disposed of it in as sloppy a manner as they ran their meetings.

It'd be nice to have his first name, but the initial S was all she had to go on. Better than nothing, really. The Libertine also had to hope it was the late Seer's actual name and not a false identity he'd been using, like she had 'Violet Crawford' as an added layer of anonymity.

Cracking her knuckles, the redhead dove in.

9 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2026-05-12 14:43:37	[03] Thirteen rolls 5 to Research: Int + Academics + Library Card + Internet Access (10 Again)	9, 3, 6, 10, 4, 6	2 successes
2026-05-12 14:43:37	[02] Thirteen rolls 5 to Research: Int + Academics + Library Card + Internet Access (10 Again)	10, 8, 4, 1, 4, 8	3 successes
2026-05-12 14:43:37	[01] Thirteen rolls 5 to Research: Int + Academics + Library Card + Internet Access (10 Again)	10, 3, 8, 3, 8, 10, 1	4 successes

ReubanBrightwood

[ReubanBrightwood]

The enchantress might want to handle the topics separately but fate it seems has other plans as the two are intricately connected.

A Simon Cartwright is the longstanding manger of Harringwood community center. A help picture of a younger, not burned Cartwright in Military uniform makes it quite apparent that she is researching the right person.

Back in 2024 the community center had entered into some legal trouble as a Mr. Good win had tried to purchase it with the stated intention of tearing it down to put affordable housing up. Some social media conspiracy theorists claim that this is because the community center soccer team had beaten the team Goodwin's son played for by an incredible stroke of good luck. Looking into the the community center it and the various ventures associated it with like youth sports team (also managed by Simon Cartwright) had been seeing unusually large amounts of good fortune for a bought a year prior to that event.


The legal trouble lead to protests, zealous community members up in arms, Cartwright was something of a champion of the people, in front of the camera and off it he spent every waking moment fighting for his community. (pictures of the community center, with peoples names scratched, painted and spray painted onto it can be found in the news article. It has an eerie sense of distorted familiarity to Thirteen)) Until he was run off the road and his car set on fire by what some people claim was one of Goodwin's thugs. Others claim it was just a terrible stroke of bad luck. He recovered very quickly but was never the same, it is speculated the trauma of the event triggered some kind of PTSD from his tours in the sandbox.

In 2025 the sale went through, but the center has yet to be demolished, it even still functions in much of the same capacity as it did, if the without the fantastical runs of good fortune.

Later that year Simon Cartwright was once gain hospitalized for major burn injuries, this time his recovery was much slower, although about average for what you would expect of that kind of injury, the source of the burns ... is not reported or recorded ... not in public documents anyway. And word of his assumed death has yet to reach the public it would seem.

[Thirteen]

Thirteen was not an Acanthus that counted on good luck happening to her. Not unless she forced it. Still, she acknowledged that it was possible. Today seemed like such a slim chance coming true. Cartwright and Harringwood was far more connected than she had expected, and she had expected no connection at all.

Not one to turn down a boon when it presented itself, she made copious notes of her findings.

From what she read, it looked like Cartwright was a quite decent person. An upstanding member of his community, fighting for what was right. She could respect that. Too bad he threw it all away and became a Seer. Thirteen wondered briefly, if she had been around at the time, that she might have guided the man to a better path, like that of the Free Council. Wasted potential, it seemed.

This Goodwin, meanwhile, was looking more and more like the sort of rich, entitled douche nozzle she hated. At first, she dismissed the theory that he would be so petty as to destroy Harringwood just to avenge the fact his son sucked at football. But the super rich could be exactly that petty. Or maybe he just really wanted the land and Cartwright got in his way.

The pictures of the names written into the community centre building... it reminded her of a Watchtower, the way newly Awakened added their names to the walls and connected their souls to the Supernal Realms. Did Cartwright inspire and encourage this? It was an interesting way to grow a sense of community, certainly.

The talk of streaks of good fortune... had Cartwright been Acanthus? If he'd been using his magic to help people more overtly than he should have, it was possible.

So, no public reports of why he was in the burn ward. That suggested a supernatural source, one best kept quiet. Had another Mage blasted him? Nothing about his demise, either.

Thirteen looked at her notes and thought. So this Goodwin owned Harringwood now, and Cartwright, who'd been fighting so hard to prevent this, was now out of the way. For good. And the Seers wanted to use this place as a way for the River City Consilium to communicate with them? Was Goodwin tied to the Seers? Was he a Seer himself? No way to tell here. Still, it might be wise to learn some more about the man while she had the chance.

Who was this prick? Time to find out.

5 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2026-05-12 15:49:17	[03] Thirteen rolls 5 to Research Goodwin: Int + Aca + Library + Internet (10 Again)	10, 3, 7, 10, 4, 8, 9	4 successes
2026-05-12 15:49:17	[02] Thirteen rolls 5 to Research Goodwin: Int + Aca + Library + Internet (10 Again)	8, 1, 1, 3, 5	1 success
2026-05-12 15:49:17	[01] Thirteen rolls 5 to Research Goodwin: Int + Aca + Library + Internet (10 Again)	4, 3, 1, 7, 2	failure

[ReubanBrightwood]

Arthur Goodwin owns and run Greywind marketing Incorporated, a business that operates in advertising and marketing. His business is self quoted as specializing in streamlining business practice and efficient marketing procedures maximize profits. The man himself has the pudgy look of someone who was born into money and has eaten well every day of his life, some of that could also be aged related as the man is clearly in the midst of middle life. He wears cashmere suits and a has driver take him around town in a high end if slightly ageing Mercedes.

Aged 45 happily married with three declared children Two sons, one daughter, Thirteen is even able to finds a home address from the parties and charity events he hosts. The reviews of his business are on the good to glowing side, a few dissatisfied customers of course but those are few and far between. His hobbies include golf, riverboat gambling trips and BBQing


His bad reviews come from other companies a few start ups, a few larger who have hired Goodwin's company for marketing advise and found his methods to be to cutthroat, or off brand for what the paying company is after some of these reviews are very clearly others trying to kick up a stink and get free stuff or clout.

Thirteen is also able to find public financial records, of various smaller business, pictures from attendance at galas includeing ones that show members of his family (a blonde smiling woman with two blonde smiling children (1 boy, 1 girl) and one brunette grinning young man wearing a brand new college jacket). He studied at Oberlin College in business. He does ampule and public good works events raising money for charity and supporting youth sports teams with business sponsorships.

Goodwins associates are many and varied they range from business he has been hired to help, to small time local politicians, to those attending his charity events. he is not what you would call a mover and shaker but he can turn the wheel ad get results. And that's just what's public.

However the court case with Harringwood is not the only mark on his record Thirteen can find other cases where he has brought out land of small businesses, competitors or those who would be considered competition, using it as leverage to come into ownership of those smaller business she noticed in the finical records. Harringwood is easily the most public however.

If he has associations to anything supernatural it is better hidden then Cartwright's own incredulous runs of good luck.

[Thirteen]

Okay, Goodwin was not the international billionaire she had been assuming. He wasn't that rich. Still, he was very wealthy and influential in this city, and not above going after anything he sees as a threat to his interests.

But why Harringwood? It was just a community centre. It wasn't a business rival to squash, and just buying it to put up housing made no sense. Why would a marketing firm suddenly dive into a case of real estate? Were the soccer rumors true? The Seers using the place now couldn't be a coincidence. Goodwin had to be dirty.

Unfortunately, there was no way to tell from all this. Unless Jaculus showed up in the background in one of these Goodwin family pictures, there was no connection to find in the public library.

Sighing, Thirteen packed it in. She'd been here long enough and Jinx was surely getting antsy outside. Time to head home.