(Threads of Blood) Sine Qua Non

May 4th, 2014 11:39 AM

The American River, Discovery Park, Continued from here

Spring was in full swing. The early morning sun was still climbing to its throne in the sky, reflecting off of the glass and concrete of the Sacramento City Core. A warm breeze carried the sweet green scent of growth and green and the American River flowed, lapping up at the banks of Discovery Park. A lone boat moved up the river lanes, passing beneath the black steel bridge that crossed the river. The bridge's crosshatching shadow reached out to the trees on the river bank. The pale green of its budding leaves bright against the light of the new day.

The park was near empty. The homeless who call this place home have already scurried off with first-light; either to brood in abandoned buildings or to find day-labor. The park itself has passed into the hands of the above board and an industrious jogger with their Nike-Dri Tech running clothes created his own bubble with his headphones. Rhythmic breathing and his footfalls passing over the sun-bleached dirt of the jogging trail.

The jogger passed a woman who stood with her hands held akimbo. Her ash blonde hair was short, her jaw was sharp, and her posture was adversarial. However, Euryale was completely at ease with her protege Spider watching her from afar and Euryale gave no sign that she knew. It was the way of things, it was the Tree of Eyes, and it was how they kept each other on their toes.

Chosen of the Queen of Mirrors, Euryale accepted the burden and danger that came with it. The Exarch whispered and she answered and while she watched the river flow in front of her, she considered the Guardian Epopt, Ariadne. Two sides of the same coin, they. Walkers of the Path of Scourging and yet they were so far apart that they could be one thing they couldn't with anyone else:

Honest.

Seers never recruited Guardians, it was policy.

Guardians who approached the Throne to defect were killed, immediately, as a security measure.

Both sides knew their propensity for lies and lying and so knew there was no point.

Euryale's jacket and briefcase sat on the ground near her, and the all important and hidden protective spells sung in the single, pure tone of a hammer striking an anvil.

If you have Mage Sight up you need to roll Perception-1 to have your unseen senses trigger. (Pretty much a Given Here)

Ariadne Kelreth

**Ariadne** · May 6th, 2014 01:17 PM

After the early morning run Ariadne had returned back to the sanctum for a shower and some breakfast. Making sure that Pixel had enough food for the day Ariadne took some time to set up her willworking near the hallow. Slipping from her grasp at first, she pulls on the supernal to wrap into her Pattern. Content with the cloaked willworking Ariadne gives Pixel a head scratch before heading out to the river.

Ariadne's trademark suit stands out against the joggers at the Park. This is business after all, have to dress the part. That tell tale feeling rolls over Ariadne as she moves further into the park. Blue eyes scan around before finding someone who fits the bill. That or is cocky enough to stand around like they own the place...or at least think they own the place.

Taking her time to approach the women. Ariadne looks around as she walks, wishing there was a martial Guardian nearby just in case. Eyeing the briefcase and hoping this women isn't suicidal, Ariadne approaches her from the front. Calm manners opposite of the women's aggression.

"Pleasant morning no?"

Mind Armor/Shield 4 suxx-Cloaked, SupernalVision 2 suxx-Cloaked, Perception 1 suxx

3 Cloaking attempts, 2 sucesses, 3 mana spent, 2 negated by Hallow, Ariadne's pool is at 10 for this scene..?

May 6th, 2014 01:55 PM

Euryale || Status: Seers of the Throne 3 (Janissary) || Status: Ministry of Panopticon 3 (Prelate) || Presence 2 || Occultation 2

“You must be Ariadne,” Euryale states plainly and without the tone that suggests it is a question. Steel blue eyes flicker through the park, the joggers, and the birds all declaring that their space, that branch, is theirs. The Seer didn't have to squawk, she simply stood still and head bobbed for Ariadne to join her. Euryale lowers her hands to her sides and looks back to the Guardian who just arrived and introduced herself, “I'm Euryale.”

“This affects both of our respective playgrounds,” the Janissary noted, not wasting time. “It's disappointing that it has been allowed to fester for so long, given the danger it poses to all of this.” The sentences are rather immaculately sculpted and simply stated. “The murders of your own? Our best guess is that it is leading up to a ritual. The sacrament? Their souls.”

Euryale silences and makes to move but stops asking, “May I reach for my phone?” It's only polite and with two spies meeting out in the cold, important to not have any misunderstandings.

Perception 1 Success

**Ariadne** · May 7th, 2014 11:49 PM

The Epopt nods, only mostly worried that the women knows her Shadow Name. Calm down. Red Phone remember. Ariadne takes a look around as the Seer glances around the park.

Ariadne nods again as the Seer introduces herself.

"Hmm. I was hoping it was something more...traditional?" Seers picking off lone mages is something Ariadne's come to expect in a perverse way. One of the reasons to keep the unaligned mages close enough to watch. But not to trust them explicitly.

"It has gone on for far too long .. have there been any loses on your end of the world? It would be symbolic in a way for two sides of the coin. If we are talking about the Malcontents." Blue eyes follow the Seer as she moves but stops herself. "Feel free too."

May 8th, 2014 01:37 PM

Euryale || Status: Seers of the Throne 3 (Janissary) || Status: Ministry of Panopticon 3 (Prelate) || Presence 2 || Occultation 2

“Traditional?” Euryale said with a note of gallows amusement in her tone, “The usual fight amongst yourselves or us?” Reaching into her pocket, she slipped out a phone. It was a sleek piece of electronics – the cutting edge.

Euryale's thumb makes quick work of the menus, then turns the pictures towards Ariadne, “Have you seen this woman?” A beat, “Or this man?” The older woman still had some color to her thinning hair, though gray shocks made themselves right at home. Lines shadowed her face, but the eyes were sharp, crystal-clear, and filled with knowledge that couldn't be gained through a single lifetime. The man was far younger, bearded, with a dusky skin tone.

The pictures were taken outside of the warehouse Animus and his crew found the Triquetra bodies, “One of ours caught up with them, at about the same time as your Halo.”

Euryale's attention turned back to the river, “We've had some losses, yes.” The moment passes when Euryale turns her steel blue eyes back to the Epopt, “These are more than simple Malcontents. These are Accursed straight out of the Cruciatum.”

To know what the Cruciatum is, there are a few ways Ariadne could approach this: [Intelligence + Academics (Lex Magica, Consilia History, or Guardian History), Intelligence + Occult (Abyss Type Things), Intelligence + Politics (Consilia or Lex Stuff)]

**Ariadne** · May 8th, 2014 08:15 PM

"Either? Both?" Ariadne leans in only slightly to take a look at the phone as its offered. She looks at each picture intently.

"No." Disappointment slips through. We need to be more careful, and wary.

Ariadne nods in condolence as when Euryale admits that some of theirs have fallen as well. There's a fine line between hate and wishing that upon someone.

"Those two are part of this somehow then." Ariadne lets that thought float away. "A sacrament of souls, many Awakened souls, can only end with something neither of us want."

3 suxx for Cruciatum

May 9th, 2014 11:49 AM

Euryale || Status: Seers of the Throne 3 (Janissary) || Status: Ministry of Panopticon 3 (Prelate) || Presence 2 || Occultation 2

"Obsidian," Euryale points to the older woman, then to the younger man, "Ripper."

The Cruciatum, or more formally known as the Codex Cruciatum is a dangerous, if needful, book. In English, the title means 'Book of Torment' and has, since the fifteenth century, been an attempt by Magi the world over to understand those who serve their ultimate enemy: the Abyss.

From what Ariadne realizes while Euryale puts her phone away, stating that she'll get a copy of the images to Ariadne from clean locations, is that the Cruciatum is like a DSM on the Scelesti. It is filled with known legacies, practices, and suggested rulings against the Scelesti on the Tetragrammaton.

If there was one thing that the Seers of the Throne and the Pentacle can agree on, is that the Scelesti must be stopped.

“You are right,” Euryale confirms Ariadne's assessment of the two being part of it. “We do not know what their endgame might be. What their ritual is trying to achieve. But,” the Janissary warns, “if the Pentacle aren't up to this...” The unsaid threat hung in the air. If the Pentacle aren't up to it, the Seers will do what is necessary according to their paradigm.

**Ariadne** · May 9th, 2014 11:52 PM

"Shit." Ariadne breathes out quietly. Grade A crazy mages who apparently have some training in how to do something really stupid.

"We will take care of it. People have noticed the deaths and are moving on it. No need for our sides to cross paths on this." Ariadne says after a moment of thought. What's worse than mad Abyssal worshiping freaks? Crossing paths with Seers while you're trying not to die from the freaks.

She tilts her head to look at the Seer.

"Would you want one alive? I'm going to make sure none of them talk otherwise."

May 11th, 2014 12:07 PM

Euryale || Status: Seers of the Throne 3 (Janissary) || Status: Ministry of Panopticon 3 (Prelate) || Presence 2 || Occultation 2

“No,” Euryale's answer is staggering in how final it is. “For all I care,” the woman of the Panopticon states, “you can trap their souls in a piece of mirror and salt their Hallows.”

No gallows humor welled in the Seer's voice. For all the Epopt could tell, Euryale was deadly serious.

“If we find anything else,” Euryale assures, “I'll be sure to let you know.”

**Ariadne** · May 11th, 2014 09:35 PM

It takes a heart beat but Ariadne gives a small nod of understanding. The Wheel will always turn and one of those souls may prove to be the One. Their Hallows can be cleansed and re-purposed. But there's no way the Seers can ever learn of the Truth. Thus agreement.

"Once it is over I'll leave a drop under that bench." She gives a nod towards a nearby bench.

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2014-05-06 13:04:34	Ariadne rolls 4 to Perception Wits2+Comp3-1=4 (10 Again)	3, 8, 1, 7	1 success
2014-05-06 12:52:50	Ariadne rolls 7 to Supernal Vision Cloaked WIT + Occ + Prime 7 (10 Again)	1, 5, 7, 8, 8, 6, 7	2 successes
2014-05-06 12:52:34	Ariadne rolls 8 to Mind Shield + Mind Armor Cloaked (Gnosis4+Mind5-2combined+2HS-1repeat=8) (10 Again)	6, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 7, 9, 10, 5	4 successes
2014-05-06 12:22:02	Ariadne rolls 9 to Mind Shield + Mind Armor Cloaked (Gnosis4+Mind5-2combined+2HS=9) (10 Again)	7, 3, 7, 3, 6, 1, 6, 1, 4	failure

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-05-06 13:24:11		Euryale rolls 6 to Perception -1 (10 Again)		2, 3, 6, 8, 1, 5		1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-05-08 20:10:33		Ariadne rolls 6 to Cruciatium? Int3+Occ3=6 (10 Again)		10, 4, 5, 8, 9, 2, 4		3 successes

(Threads of Blood) Sine Qua Non

Members who have read this thread : 2

Similar Threads

(Threads of Blood) Shards

Circle (Threads of Blood) The Plan

Circle (Threads of Blood) So how was your day?

(Threads of Blood) The Unveiling

(Threads of Blood) Two Bodies