(1407) The Duel

[Samaritan]

Bishop looked up, when the one-armed mage approached him.
"Yes, Bishop it is. And you are Mr. Striker from the Arrow, if I recall correctly." he said, moving a little over, so Striker could have some space.
"I am afraid, I am as curious as you are. I have never witnessed any of these occasions, much less to say that I have seen politics to be conducted in such a manner."

He took a look around, but the contestants remained nowhere to be seen.
"I wonder, if this actually going down. I don't think that Avalon has anything to gain in here, except saving face probably."

[Jonokuchi]

When the wild haired Shaman addresses him, Jonokuchi is a little surprised. He only met her at the field day very briefly but it seems that she wanted to talk again.

"I am...well," he replied, pausing to think of a suitable word. "I have been settling in."

Another pause. More awkward.

"How are you, Idun?"

[Miach]

Miach had come to the Duel ready to rumble. He didn't know what to expect, but he wouldn't be caught unaware if he could help it. He was wearing his kevlar vest, fatigue pants, and army boots. In his backpack was a full basic medical kit, as well as a knife and some water. He didn't merely pass by Leo and Jonokuchi, though, and instead stopped to join Idun.

"Hello Idun" the Acanthus said to his Cabalmate with a smile.

"Hello Leo, Jonokuchi..." though he wasn't sure about the latter's name.

[Ariadne]

The transit ride over had been one full of thought. Today was either going to be a great day or a terrible one and it had nothing to do with who won the Duel. Instead it would all depend upon how the others reacted.

A crapshoot.

Entering the Circle Ariadne ignores the architecture and the scripts and the other mages. Instead she makes straight for Leo Xander . Her suit clean, pressed, and free of Pixel hair. Red hair tied in a bun and comfortable black though stylish shoes. No heels, those are terrible for running.

"So, how's things." She asks bluntly with a hint of sarcasm and a small smile.

  4 suxx to CloakedMiscperception/MindShield (at sanctum), 4 suxx to cloaked Supernal Vision (at door)

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-07-17 22:29:29		Ariadne rolls 8 to Prime Sight (8) (10 Again)		4, 2, 9, 7, 10, 10, 9, 6, 5, 4		4 successes
2014-07-17 22:25:55		Ariadne rolls 7 to Miscperception + Mind Shield Cloaked @ Hollow(Gno+Mind-combined+HS-AdvProl23hr(-2)=7) (10 Again)		1, 10, 6, 10, 9, 3, 1, 8, 1		4 successes

[TheMalkCat]

Geist wouldn't dream of being late for a revolution. Even if he's not too sure who the old boss is and who the new boss is going to be. He's dressed himself up in his Papa Legbe studded leather jacket over a black tee depicting a leering skull with one too many eyeholes, paired with the usual stretch denim jeans and steel toed boots. Smartphone fully charged just in case he needs to take pics. That he will delete shortly afterwards because he prefers his brain unfried by the Veil's Secret Police. His neat little S&W fits snugly in his waistband beneath the black leather.

Of course the safety's on.

  24 Hours Grim Sight (5 Pot), Entropic Shroud (4 Pot)

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-07-18 00:44:20		Geist rolls 9 to Entropic Shroud (Wits+Occult+Death+2HS-2 Advanced Prolongation 24 Hrs) (10 Again)		8, 1, 1, 3, 5, 10, 3, 7, 10, 4, 8		4 successes
2014-07-18 00:43:41		Geist rolls 9 to Grim Sight (Wits+Occult+Death+HS-2 for 24 Hours) (10 Again)		3, 6, 6, 10, 9, 9, 10, 6, 8, 3, 6		5 successes

Death hangs over the Moros with an especially potent caul settled on his shoulders and the pyre-light bright in his eyes. Free Councilors know best how messy things can get when someone's changing the guard. And this particular Freak of the Council is all too eager to have a San Francisco Guardian ousted from the highest seat in the Consilium. But beneath the buzz, the nagging suspicion of a fixed Duel haunts the Moros. Well the new guy's Silver Ladder. They could be playing us all and sharing power behind the scenes. Throw the fight, put a new guy in, everybody's happy but nothing changes. Wouldn't be the first time.

But for the sake of Hope and New Tomorrows and all the other FC buzzwords he's got shoved up his punk-ass, Geist is really hoping that things work out for the best. Seeing Lockheart, he gives his Cabal leader a lilt of the head in lieu of anything too loud. Boss-man's working and the Moros is not about to get in the way of that guy's work. Instead, he slips over to a growing crowd of Mages, catching sight of Jokonuchi Jonokuchi a head above the rest.

Geist drops by to shoot the breeze and finds even more familiar faces. Idun, Crowley, and Other-Guy-With-the-Kevlar are twiddling their collective thumbs too. Fun fun!

"Sup all. Place is looking squeaky clean (an acknowledging nod to the Sumo) and ready for--" The Necromancer claps his pentacle-gloved hands together. "--metaphysical debate. I'm psyched. Anyone else psyched?" He leans back on his heels with an easy grin perched on his face.

[Teeramus]

The shaman raised an eyebrow when Bishop referred to him as 'Mr Striker'. He hadn't been called that before, but it made sense.

"Striker, yeah."

He was disappointed to learn that Bishop couldn't comment on the workings of a duel. For some reason he expected the older man to be knowledgeable about all magical things. Maybe that was a leftover assumption from spending so much time in a consilium of old Mystagogs.

Nevertheless the old codger had some interesting opinions.
"Yeah well, she accepted the challenge so she's gotta show." That's a given right? Otherwise you lose by default and get known as a coward. "That'd be bloody frustrating though. Pulling us all together to not have a bloody duel. That's what I'm here to see, I don't care about the background shenanigans." the one armed mage replied to Bishop.

[Ermon]

No way in hell Ermon was gonna miss this. Avalon has been a sort of a useless hovering presence from his first day in the city. And now they knew why: a Golden Concillium spy. Whatever shitstorm they have on their hands now it would get a lot more fucked up if those assholes drove in to save the day.

Seriously, if Aquinas weren't a Ladder (and he didn't want to get in), Ermon would have brought cola and popcorn to watch the fight. Things being what they are he just walks in and goes to support a wall somewhere. This isn't a social event: today history is made.

At least he bothered to put on some of his best clothes which aren't shabby at all: white linen trousers and a shirt.

  Spellz

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-07-18 11:24:01		Ermon rolls 5 to Third Eye (Gno + Mind + HS - 2 24 hour duration) (10 Again)		3, 2, 4, 9, 9		2 successes
2014-07-18 11:23:46		Ermon rolls 7 to Misperception (Gno + Mind + HS using ambient Mana for 24 hour duration) (10 Again)		8, 4, 3, 9, 8, 2, 7		3 successes

[Samaritan]

Bishop shifted in his chair, this time to face Striker full on, giving him his complete attention.
"Mr. Striker, strictly speaking, there is no rule that stipulates the challenged party has to show. You win by default, yes." Bishop said, "Undoubtedly, you expect this fight to go down. Existance is war, is it not? But this right here is so much more. All war is deception. And Avalon is of the order of spies. Now tell me something. If you plan to destabilize a consilium so that another one can move in, but you expect resistance from the remainder of the pentacle in your target city, what would you do to get that opposition into one place, so no guerillias are left in town, when you hit it?"
He hesitated for a moment.
<Well, screw me sideways, did that just make some terrible sort of sense to me?>

Bishop continued, but his tone and voice suggested, his mind was suddenly somewhere else.
"For what it's worth, I'd expect Avalon to show, but were I in her place, I believe, I would not have even accepted the challenge. Her hand was called out, when Aquinas revealed her at the field-day."

[Anubite25]

Orobas is trying not to grin as he finds a seat to watch from. The Mastigos doesn't start up any conversations, he prefers his own council today.

After all, breaking stories like this hardly ever fell into his lap. It's not like he can ever publish the story, but the allure of something so big happening and him getting a chance to... hell, being invited to witness it is just too much. The journalist has his hat doffed as he goes through a few simple motions. The last thing he wants is to miss a thing.

  5 sux for Misperception, 3 for Third Eye

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-07-18 18:20:37		Orobas rolls 7 to cast Third Eye (10 Again)		7, 10, 6, 5, 2, 8, 4, 10, 6		3 successes
2014-07-18 18:20:25		Orobas rolls 7 to cast Misperception (10 Again)		8, 10, 4, 1, 7, 10, 2, 6, 10, 9		5 successes

The second last thing he wants is to get caught in the crossfire. Better safe then sorry!