(AGToO) A General Theory of Oblivion

[Campanella]

Campanella clicked his tongue.

"I stand corrected. Guardian. I should attend more of our meetings."

With that he turned his attention fully to what Eurydice had to say. There was a flicker of recognition in his eyes* and that was when the Guardian knew she had the Moros Councillor hooked.

"That is... unheard of. And concerning. You were right to bring this to me."

For a moment he considered why she hadn't handed this off to Winter. Desperation to be on her way, perhaps? Either way, the Mystogogue was going to take the offered investigation (and its warning) in both hands.

"And I will indeed be following this up. Of that you must have no fear."

The theft of the singular painting alone had his interest. The possibility of Awakened interference bought a thrill to Campanella, a churn in his stomach like he had not experienced since his forays into the time war and the confusion in the diner where Winter and the nefarious duo Shrike and Crane made their appearance.

ST NOTE: Campanella has Academics 3 and a speciality in Art History

[Eurydice]

A glint of relief decorated the Moros' face as Campanella agreed to take on the mission.

Granting a soft sigh, Eurydice rose, slinging her now empty messenger bag over her shoulder.

"I'm confident the mystery will soon be solved then," she offered, "I have doubts that some among the Consilium would listen to the words of the Guardians. Prejudice and misinformation tends to plague our order and its no secret some here do not hold it in the best regard... but I think they'll listen to you."

Campanella was a respected Councilor and a veteran of previous battles that had faced Sacramento. This was known to the Awakened of Sacramento. If they did not listen to him, they were plainly fools. Or so thought the Cleaner. Moreover, there were some Winter chafed with that Campanella did not.

After a long pause, the Moros would finally stretch out her hand, offering it for her Councilor to shake.

"Thank you, Campanella," she said, her usual measured nature giving way to genuine gratitude as a small smile crossed her face, "And good luck."

[Campanella]

Campanella blinked. Set in his sombre face, his flashing eyes were an approximation of a nod.

He rose when Eurydice did and accepted the hand she offered.

"No, Eurydice. Thank you."

A flash of concern, feigned or not.

"Are you sure I cannot offer you anything?"

Did you have anything further to add Stray ?
Vincent - shall I post Campanella's preliminary investigation here or wait for the next thread where we bring in the wider team?

[Eurydice]

Eurydice offered a small smile, shaking the man's hand briefly before releasing it.

"Well wishes will have to do," she said, her tone leaning towards humor in an attempt to add some levity to the solemn moment, "Don't worry about me, I've already made arrangements to secure my return to Burlington. I doubt my departure here will draw much concern from the SPD. The investigation is on a back log. Nonetheless, I'll be shedding my public identity prior to my arrival. Should they look for me, they'll find Yuri Solberg to be just another ghost."

She moved for the door, stopping as she touched the handle to turn to face Campanella one last time.

"If you do need an in with the police, Detective Julius Luther seemed to have a passing interest in solving the case as well. He sent me the documents," she added, "He works at Central, so perhaps he can be in a position to offer some aid now or in the future."

With that, Eurydice offered a final nod before exiting the Councilor's home and closing the door behind her. Beyond, the sound of her car quietly pulling away announced Eurydice's departure.

The Cleaner was gone.

Nah, thanks for the scene! Good luck with the plot!

[Campanella]

Campanella closed the door on the Guardian as she left. His well appointed home was quiet and warm in the depths of the night. Peaceful. He was wide awake now (well... one part of him was sound asleep) and so he took the opportunity to investigate the hard drive itself.

Campanella had his own computer of course - a small device, run-of-the mill. It was not particularly suited to delving into the mysteries of the hard drive; and he learned little more than what Eurydice had told him. That done, he turned to his own research materials - Campanella was an Art dealer himself; information on Eisenduller, however, was scanty and fragmentary. Having spent a few fruitless hours, he retired to bed.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-01-04 21:19:12		Campy for general research rolls 7 to Intelligence + Academics + Specialty (Art History) (10 Again)		7, 2, 5, 8, 4, 2, 1		1 success
2019-01-04 21:18:23		Campy to inspect the drive rolls 5 to Intelligence + Computer (10 Again)		3, 6, 7, 2, 3		failure

The next few days stretched into a flurry of carefully managed activity:-

He leaves some notes at the Circle, alerting the other mages to what he knows.

Campanella had friends among the cultured elite of the city. He started with them - wining and dining while he gently picked their brains about Eisenduller and his daughter. The process took a few days; and then a few more days while the seeds he had planted bore fruit and the results of his enquiries came back to him.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-01-04 21:21:25		Campy for social networking rolls 8 to Manipulation + Socialise + Culture (10 Again)		9, 8, 7, 9, 9, 4, 9, 9		6 successes

While he was waiting for his allies in the cultural elite, Campanella slipped into the seamier underbelly of the art world. He knew where the black markets were and the shady fences (like him) held court. A few discrete enquiries, some drinks, a box of cigars, and a few quiet chats, were enough to dredge up further information on Eisenduller and his dealings. And of course, uncovering what was known of the singular theft of his daughter's painting.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-01-04 21:22:25		Campy works the black market rolls 5 to Manipulation + Persuasion + Allies (Criminal) (10 Again)		9, 3, 5, 8, 9		3 successes

This post goes over quite a few days. Campanella goes the slow route in collecting information.
FYI - Campy can commit up to 4 resources to the investigation.
Naturally, his spells will fade out after 8 hours (not that it matters but it does bear noting)

[Vincent]

It had been a long search, one that eventually bore its fruits.
Eisenduller was a man known in town for his influence, philanthropy and refined tastes. What the shady constituency that trawled through the seedy underbelly of the art world was well aware of but escaped public notice, were certain appetites of his. A purveyor of all things eccentric through his youth, in his old age, almost out of stimuli, the man had steered his palate to more macabre appetites, artistic endeavors that rarely caught the attention of the Mysterium. The impulsion was only made stronger by the sudden disappearance of his heiress. For the Moros however, that was an addiction some of his more ruthless colleagues had been far too eager to satisfy. Profit is profit, and in his old age, Eisenduller wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between a genuine work and a replica. A fool and his money. At least, that's what people said. For once though, it was different.

We all dread that phone call in the dead of the night, this time it was no different. The phone rung his summons throughout the room, each shriek heavier and more burdensome than the previous. Those whose sight had been touched by Stygia would have noticed the hard drive laid on the teatable nearby, almost seeping with shadows

[Campanella]

A phone call.

The ringing - no! The tolling! - in the night.

Campanella knows a summons when he hears it; he knows the insistent call of the Supernal when he encounters it.

The Moros Councillor struggles from bed, slaps a mind enchantment down on himself (hard!). While one track of his mind grumbles and goes back to sleep, the other is wide awake.

Spells fly as the Alchemist shrugs into his dressing gown. Death Sight blooms as a purple hued Glyph settles onto his pattern. An armouring enchant follows, rote cast and backed by the weight of Holy Words to accomodate his fragile Pattern.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-01-07 02:58:34		Campanella to cast 1 Mind, 2 Thoughts rolls 4 to Wits + Investigation + Mind (10 Again)		9, 3, 6, 6		1 success

Armed and ready, the Moros Councillor takes the call...

"Yes?" Dead calm.

[Vincent]

Moving up slowly, inertia creeps, blooming into black flowers. He can inhale their smell clearly, the rusty stench of entropy.

"******", the voice at the other end of the receiver petitions. It's a colleague, of the mundane sort, who else would call him by that name? One of those people whose smile is almost always curved upwards for a reason or another. Not somebody who'd be justified to call at his hour, no matter the circumstances.

"I've heard you've been asking a lot of questions lately. My friend", he asks.

Deep within, something interferes with his sleep. He's alone, on the sandy shores of an immeasurable expanse of black tar. A chilly wind sweeps by, a malaise seething against his skin like thousands needles and his feet go numb against the obsidian bank.
He knows this place, he has read about it into his order's texts. Every awakened got a view one way or another. But it's strange, it feels different, like a replica. Call it professional instinct, but a dealer can always tell an original from its forgery.

Gimme an Int + Occult + (academics[art specialty applies]) - 2 roll. If no suxx, then roll perception

[Campanella]

"Yes. Too much noise in the rumour mill. Seeking some clarity."

Campanella pauses. He takes a breath...

Then answers as carefully as he can.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-01-10 03:45:36		Campy to know stuff rolls 4 to Intelligence + Occult + Academics Speciality - 2 (10 Again)		1, 8, 2, 7		1 success

And because I had forgot to post up my other spells...

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-01-07 03:01:00		Campanella to cast Matter Armor rote rolls 11 to Intelligence + Occult + Order Spec + Matter + HS - 2 Spell Tolerance (10 Again)		10, 5, 1, 9, 9, 8, 8, 3, 8, 7, 6, 9		7 successes
2019-01-07 03:00:01		Campanella to cast improv Death Sight rolls 7 to Gnosis + Death (10 Again)		9, 9, 7, 5, 7, 1, 10, 8		4 successes

I tracked them down and have added them here for convenience.

[Vincent]

These are not the shores of the Ocean of Oroboros. No crawling monstrosity is emerging from the black, oily waters, to seek succor from their prison of ignorant thought. Absent is the unending plight - chronicled by more than one narrator - of the Ecstatic Wind, the coil that scars away the soul. Eurydice was right, it was steganography. Two symbols superimposed unto each other to bury a truth. The Moros recognized both. He knew that if he turned around, a white precipitous cliff would be there, hemming a dense grove of tall, dark cypress trees. This was Arnold Böcklin's Isle of the Dead, or a twisted mockery of it at least, a reflection of it through the eyes of somebody who had seen Things That Weren't Supposed to Be.
A monotonous litany lures him to the grove. He could follow it or wait for the small rowboat that should be sailing from the horizon anytime soon.

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An audible click of tongue informed the Moros of his colleague's reaction. "Told him he should have accepted the money and be done with it, that blasted old fool. No matter how much he's willing to pay, he'll never match what they are offering for the whole collection. And it's not just about the money or the reputation. Those people will move mountains if they have to. Just stay away from it, trust me".