(1607) The Reality War

[West]

The more Mages look at it, the more it become clear the towers' faces aren't specific spells to be picked at and analyzed. But they are alive with resonance, that swirls and ripples.

For the Moros ( Wayland ), it's the wrenching of loss. Many will die; Souls will be claimed. And used. It's the sense of dark objects of power, wielded by the enemy, used to bring about the malaise.

The Acanthus ( Faye Tuesday ) know that Time is not the river that so many envision. It does not flow forward, it does not flow backwards. Like the true depiction of a Black Hole not being a hole -- but a sphere -- they know that Time simply is, and can be traversed in more than straight lines. Often, traversed with the guiding light of Fate. There's a foreboding, like the sense of a dark prophecy or Divination with momentum, approaching a point in the Time-Space where it will be Written. But they also feel, with their beautiful internal clocks, that there will be an intersection of opportunity -- in three weeks.

[Fisher]

Fisher finished her scrutiny of the sigils and frowned in irritation at the fact that she wasn't able to learn much. It was kind of disappointing, but it did give her a good feel for the magnitude of things and the fact that it was a warning made sense.

She felt others activating their own spells and at least thought that maybe one of them will see more of what she missed. Then when the others started flipping out she rolled her eyes despite her desire to be nice. She may be socially inept at times, but she wasn't an idiot and it irritated her to be treated like one.

"Look people this isn't the middle of Walmart on Black Friday...the church is protected so normal people can't find or even see this place or us here...so anyone standing on these steps is either friend or foe. I'm a member of the local militia, I'm not a flippin' idiot, and this is California do you really think some fruit-loop new-ager looking through a crystal is even weird around here? I could have a conversation about energy, feng shui, or whatever and everyone would just think I'm a Wiccan or Pagan...especially with my ethnicity. However, I don't plan on tempting fate so give me some credit. Now, I ain't inviting any unknowns in, but i agree getting out of the open so we can compare notes on what we detected and determine identities here is smart."

She looked around and then at Crowley and frowned, slightly hurt by his dismissal of her. Unless everyone else had their stuff cloaked when they arrived she was the only one that she felt any spells from at first, and before others started casting.

"That's messed up...unless all you guys are packin' concealed heat I was the only one that showed up with with any defense or my contacts in. I was the first one to actually look at the markings closely, unless I missed you all doing it before me, and then you say lets get a real person to take a look at things properly?! Not cool...not cool at all," she finished and opened the door the rest of the way for people to follow and entered the building while slowly shaking her head side to side.

[Arthur]

"Could just mean one of the nerds." A sip of coffee punctuates Arthur's words as he takes a sip of Thunder..coffee. The Theurgist comes to a stop and casts a raised eyebrow over the milling group of mages. "Sooo I forget something? I mean besides what I had planned to do today. I know I need to check something in the books but ya.." The coffee cups waves to indicate everyone. Then the wisps of Supernal play through Arthur's vision. Two neat snifters on a good desk high above the ground.

The eyebrowed look continues as Arthur notices the clocktower. When did that get detailed? An intent look at the tower ends the Theurgist's words.

  2 suxx for Forces Shield, 5 suxx Prime Sight, 7 suxx to Scrutiny the clocktower for Composition

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-07-13 00:29:12		[03] Arthur rolls 4 to Consilium-RW Scrutiny the Clocktower (Int+Occ=4) (10 Again)		4, 5, 9, 2		1 success
2016-07-13 00:29:12		[02] Arthur rolls 4 to Consilium-RW Scrutiny the Clocktower (Int+Occ=4) (10 Again)		1, 9, 10, 2, 8		3 successes
2016-07-13 00:29:12		[01] Arthur rolls 4 to Consilium-RW Scrutiny the Clocktower (Int+Occ=4) (10 Again)		6, 10, 8, 8, 2		3 successes
2016-07-13 00:24:42		Arthur rolls 4 to Consilium-RW Prime Sight (Gno+Prime=4) (10 Again)		8, 10, 10, 8, 1, 8		5 successes
2016-07-13 00:23:34		Arthur rolls 7 to Consilium-RW Forces Shield (Gno+Forces=7) (10 Again)		8, 1, 6, 5, 3, 7, 10, 5		2 successes

[Crowley]

Crowley can only provide a blank, uncomprehending stare at Fisher moves by him. Perhaps something dawns on him as his visage morphs into a "what did I say" look. Then a glimmer of comprehension and the Enchanter is trying to catch up to the Shaman.

"What? No... Looks, its started. We need to get the Counsellors and the Hier... ah fuck!" Arms flapping he gives up trying to excuse his faux pas.

Once everyone is inside, he attempts to address the group and while he does the fingers on his left hand curl and uncurl against his thigh:

"OK. I guess... I guess... Ah for those who don't know me, I'm Crowley... Enchanter at large... Not sure whats going on, but I reckon the bad guys have just made their opening move. Maybe." He looked toward Fisher. "I've been having weird dreams too. Like, I killed my best friend for power. Uh... and all my dreams came true with music... And I woke up this morning next to this tree, uh, where we'd built a tree house. Its gone now. The tree house, not the tree... And my timing is all fucked up. I'm guessing the rest of you have similar troubles?"

His tugged at his hair and stared over the Awakened.

"Um. For you new guys: Strix and... sorry, I don't know your name... Recently we received a prophetic warning about a Seer plot against this Consilium. I think we just been hit... Is... Is that what you think, Fisher? Is that what those markings are all about?" His gaze bounced to Fisher and then lazily across the group. "Normally I'd expect Aquinas the Hierarch to be here by now. I'm making a stab in the dark, but if this was the opening move, ah, I don't think he'll be joining us. Maybe."

Nerves jangling, the Enchanter folded into pensive silence, his face haggard and haunted, drained of energy. Stars' stinging comments echoed in his ear, mocking him. He hunched, defeated and deflated, more hounded animal than Wise.

[Strix]

What his Grim Sight revealed wasn't too strange for a place in general. Death was common enough everywhere, he would always find some sort of hint of it in the more public areas. Maybe not in a completely new building...unless it was build on top of some significant spot, but that was beside the point for the current situation. Strix dismissed his supernatural vision, purposefully not scrutinizing the clocks as there were a few other mages already doing so and they might as well share their findings inside the cathedral than him having to stare at the clock himself in a way that is anything but inconspicuous

Besides, he wasn't particularly fond of looking at the world through Death's lenses longer than was necessary.

With a non-committal sound leaving him, Strix followed the others up the stairs and into the cathedral. His hands were back inside his pockets as he leaned casually against one of the walls near where the Awakened gathered. He listened attentively to Crowley, who still seemed to have trouble focusing but didn't appear as high to Strix as he initially have believed him to be. Maybe there was something at works he didn't know about, and it really didn't matter at the moment.

"Seems like my previous comment about the end being nigh wasn't so far fetched." Not that anyone should want to be right about something like that.

When another man — obviously a mage, too, with how he joined in on sharing about dreams — joined, Strix gave a short chuckle at how this place seemed to be drawing them all here like honey did flies.

"Last night?" Strix snorted lightly. "Try the past days. Don't think I've been having the chance for a good night sleep for a week. One dream seemed kinda nightmare-ish, the other more on the disturbing side." Dreaming about a career he never really wanted but seemed to end up enjoying definitely counted as disturbing to him; the idea that he might end up dying going down in a fight sat with him much better, even if it wasn't exactly something he'd want to happen either.

When the cowboy spoke up, he nodded his way. "I'd be interested to know about that as well. As for the place's ground around here...it has seen death in the past, but nothing recent. Like...years in the past." He shrugged, offering up what he gathered.

[Truce]

  Shielding

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-07-13 09:37:57		Truce rolls 9 to cast improvised Entropic Guard [Gno+Death+HS] (10 Again)		3, 9, 3, 7, 8, 10, 4, 2, 6, 9		4 successes

Nightmares paired with fantasies, each bringing painful emotions to the forefront of his being. What could have been, what should not be. He felt split in half, one self running from an invisible threat while another is distracted by trivial pondering. He had looked for Chelsea this morning, only to find her still in Twilight. He wasn't sure if he were relieved or more saddened by this realization. The shield came up shortly afterwards. He isn't taking any chances with so much uncertainty.

Leaving his Sanctum and arriving at the Circle, Truce feels an odd sensation. It is like he isn't supposed to be here. But he clearly remembers that the Circle had always been their bastion, their sanctuary where their Orders met and took care of Awakened business. Yet, it felt, not wrong, per se, but fake as though he had just fallen into yet another dream.

He shakes his head, trying to clear whatever cobwebs were causing the confusion. I'm a Councilor, I shouldn't let them see me so troubled, he thinks as he takes a calming breath and opens the door.

There's already many here today. That was normal, right? He smiles softly, not letting them see his confusion and waves to those he knows with a "Good Day," as if it were just another day for them. But it doesn't take him long to recognize the expressions on their faces. They too were confused about something. Is he not the only one?

"What's going on?" he asks Crowley, a trusted member of his Cabal.

[Tuesday]

threeweeks.threeweeks.threeweeks.threeweeks. "Three Weeks." Tuesday blurts, as her bubbling thoughts spill forth. "Uh." she looks at the others, "Three weeks, and we'll have our season finale montage moment of Fix This." the Enchantress admits, after the growly chick says this place is protected.

"Tuesday." she points to herself. "Enchantress, because I have girl parts. So 'ress' instead of 'er'." the she tries to swallow the lump in her throat. "Dreams. Me too. Bad ones." even the good one. It was still a punch to the heart. There could have been a world where her mom didn't kill herself, to set them both free. "Since I came into town." she shakes her head, then rakes a hand through her hair, "With Prophecy surrounding Sacramento. A nexus of Fate or whatever. It makes more sense. Had no Dreams 'till I got here." she rolls her shoulders, "Well, I had dreams. little 'd'. but you know what I meant." she mutters as she follows the chick - Fisher? - into the Cathedral.

"Sorry." she says, as she catches up with the women. "Just...frazzled. Soo..ah-yeah...sorry." she says, punching her hands into her jacket pockets, "Enchantress, calling a do-over. Hi. I'm Tuesday. 'sup?"

[Aurora]

Ok, so suddenly it is like a flare went up and all kinds of new faces appeared.

"I pretty much saw the same thing. But whatever it is, it doesn't feel or appear good." had the Seer's finally made a move? Was this where they actually come together as a community and make a stand?

"Dreams? Oh, yeah, had those too. And they're, um, not something I personally want to talk about." if the others did, more power to them. But like her Awakening, it was personal and private.

Guess we're down to introductions and such,

"I'm Faye, Madison out in public and member of the Silver Ladder." a hand came up in a quick wave.