Anatomy of a Murder

Aug 22nd, 2016 08:20 AM

Only one who can use Space can understand how precise it makes things. A person may know where their house is or where they're going that evening, but with Space they know, to the highest possible level, where exactly something is. That's how Avis was at this moment. Her directions are better than any GPS or map could ever be, because to her she can see through the illusion that is 'reality' and cut through the distractions the world would throw in the team's way. When they arrive at the warehouse there's no question in her mind that this is the right place. Sandberg is here. Were one of them to ask it would be as if they asked Avis if she had three head. Obvious and insane to ask.

The exterior looked as unassuming as one would imagine when it came to a warehouse, and yet one entrance in particular seemed a little busy for a warehouse at night. Men in suits were carrying things out into a van before the van itself drove away and another took its place, only to be filled by more large boxes and containers. Clearly, they were going out of business (or at least moving locations) and everything must go.

**Truce** · Aug 23rd, 2016 10:05 AM

Despite having a Master of Space among them, Truce still must navigate around those illusions in their perceived reality of the Lie. Would that he could drive in a straight line, but traffic lights, vehicles, and finding an efficient route take some time. But Star and Avis look like they could use the extra rest. Truce idles at a generous distance from the warehouse itself, so as not to attract attention as a nosy motorist.

Spying the activity of the suits hard at work, Truce excitedly expresses, "There, they're on the move alright. Maybe we should look for another entrance. Or if we can get close enough I can try summoning the ghosts if there are any able to reach me."

The Necromancer parks, freeing his hands to work the rote mudras as he speaks the syllabic sounds of High Speech. His shield and altered perception in place upon his pattern, Truce turns in his seat to regard Star and Avis.

High Speechy Twilight Sight and Shield

**Star** · Aug 23rd, 2016 11:47 AM

Much. Better. Now.

We're. Stronger. Now.

Running around town dropping off the kids and then to the warehouse? Towersend. It's enough time for Abyss-ruptured discs and torn tendons to knit back together.

Did Moros like adorbs? Or at least Truce. Hope so.

Because the puppy-dog pile We made while napping was totally, unintentionally, adorbs. Even with the ultra-soft snoring of indeterminate origin. Snoring's a Lie, yo. The Angel blinked awake, disengaging himself from the sleepy tangle and pondered the large, wet spot of drool on one shoulder. That's right. Undercover professionals. Now with Extra! Drooling! Action!

"Hyawvee."

That's 'Hey, Avis' in Sleepy Cotton Mouth.

"Can you, like," A finger tapped the mop. The lopsided, flattened on one side, mop. "See how many?"

Thumbs up to Truce.

**Avis** · Aug 24th, 2016 10:58 PM

Avis came to without a word, one hand rubbing at her face before she seemed to fully come back to reality and looked through the windshield at the men emptying the warehouse.

Then, her face lost any trace of placidity from the few moments of sleep and her eyes turned flat and angry. There was a slight tremor in the air around her as Space itself began to warp around her body, stilling only when the myriad paths of misdirection were successfully woven.

"Why don't we try the same tactic we did last time?" she asked, turning to look at Truce. "If we go through your gate then we can get intel, and set up things to deal with the guards while we chase after Sandberg. Hell, I can even check Sandberg's internal books before he even knows something is wrong."

4 successes

**Truce** · Aug 25th, 2016 09:06 AM

"Mm, it's just that I'm concerned there may be several vengeful shades waiting in Twilight for someone to take their rage out on. And I'm not so confident that I can control several of them at once. That's why I'd like to call to them on this side. We may not even have to traverse the veil and I could arm one with a working to target Sandberg with. Perhaps have him fall into a false death. With their benefactor apparently deceased they may panic and scatter. Or at the very least I can learn how many of the dead we have to deal with first."

As he speaks, Truce navigates the car away from where the men are loading vans. If he spots another, perhaps unused entrance, he may park near there. Or if no easy entrance seems visible he will simple park close to the walls of the warehouse.

"It'll only take a moment," Truce promises as he exits the vehicle to stand near the warehouse wall. Concentrating on the Imago and speaking softly the High Speech, Truce forms old gestures of the mano pantea and mano fico, signs of conjuration and warding off evil. He sends out the call to any Ghosts nearby, hoping their anchors allowed them to reach him. If not then perhaps they could traverse the Gate once more without worrying about an immediate ambush.

Ghost Summons, 1sux before Resistence

**Star** · Aug 25th, 2016 12:18 PM

Good point, yo.

Kinda freaky, too. Picturing a dozen gladiator-dead raeg-shades? Yeah that could totally be awkward. Scratch The Coliseum off the Frommer's Guide To The Dead Zone. Maybe Sympathy wasn't the only thing was creepy.

While Truce did his thang, the Angel went through his backpack, checking all the goodies and flat black metal of the sidearm he carried.

Nice gat. Right, Omar?

**Avis** · Aug 25th, 2016 12:59 PM

"Christ. Hopefully not. The simplest thing to do would be to ghost on in, then I could look through Sandberg's mind, and also tie myself to the warehouse so I could portal us inside. Otherwise, we might as well use the van to ram them and try and punch our way inside. We could maybe muffle the sound outside? Silence our first attack? Shut off their cell and radio service? Maybe?" Avis suggested, or questioned, more accurately. Star was capable of some amazing things, but she wasn't quite sure how much he could do when it came to the physics side of the world.

Aug 25th, 2016 01:35 PM

After the explosion at the cells, security had been stepped up at the site of the fights. While guards were cleaning the place out through one entrance, the others had two guards each standing as security. Strange enough, both of the guards appeared to have some type of semi-automatic rifle in their hands. They were taking the situation quite seriously to say the least. While circling the building in a subtle way Truce was able to find a side with no entrances or guards. Why protect an empty wall?

If sleepers could know what a mage could do, they may see them as modern demi-gods. And just like demi-gods, their powers vary in different and dramatic ways. While Avis formed her protections and Star checked his gun, Truce was seeing the world in a much different way. Just like before, Truce could see the world through an Insta-mage filter, and that filter could reveal the restless spectres left behind by the games themselves, though he couldn't see any yet.

With the call sent out to those nearby, the closest ghost drifted through the wall and turned towards Truce to wait for what he wanted. After a moment he would recognize that the ghost girl in front of him was another on the long list of young adults kidnapped Perrett had pictures of. Another clear victim of the games the powerful play. She had one arm and a deep wound in her chest of where a sword or axe must have once been. Unlike the last ghost, she did not take her own life.

I'll say she's curious and didn't resist the call. That doesn't mean she won't resist other things.

**Truce** · Aug 25th, 2016 02:04 PM

"Hello," Truce says as he sees the Ghost girl arrive. So his assumption appeared correct, at least for her case. "My name is Truce and I'd like your help with something. May I ask you a few questions?" he asks, starting with a friendly greeting in hopes that she still possessed a fraction of her mind.

If she seems willing to answer, or at least willing to hear him out he continues, "We're here to help punish the man responsible for your current state. Do you remember who you are, and are there others like yourself inside?"

Hopefully she has not ended up like the man who took his own life in his cell, but rarely does one leave a shade without some baggage behind. After all, the shade is the baggage left behind.

Aug 25th, 2016 02:48 PM

As Truce speaks, The Girl doesn't move. Ghost are severely affected by how they died. The ghost at the cell was despondent and angry, because they took their life in despair, for their was no escape for them. The Girl though was killed in a battle for her very life. A battle she had prayed would never happen up until the very last moment. She prayed for help that never came, and now a strange man was asking for her help, and that made her resentful. "Where were you when I fought for my life," she said bluntly. "Where were you when I needed help."

Ghosts don't live in realms of logic. Part of the reason some believe they are just shades of people, and not the person themselves. Because while the prisoners wanted revenge against Sandberg, this girl was resentful that her savior never came. That the man in front of her asking for help with revenge was too late. "Who cares about revenge when you let me die!" It would seem Truce was now the focus of her resentment.

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2016-08-23 10:02:18	Truce rolls 9 to cast improvised Entropic Guard on self [Gno+Death+HS] (10 Again)	8, 2, 5, 3, 10, 2, 5, 5, 9, 4	3 successes
2016-08-23 10:01:41	Truce rolls 11 to cast Speak w/Dead rote [WIT+Occ+Death+HS] (10 Again)	5, 10, 9, 8, 6, 5, 5, 4, 6, 2, 7, 1	3 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-08-24 22:51:35		Avis rolls 8 to Untouchable (shield, gnos 3+ space 5) (10 Again)		7, 2, 9, 2, 9, 7, 9, 8		4 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-08-25 09:04:46		Truce rolls 9 to cast Ghost Summons [Gno+Death+HS] (10 Again)		3, 3, 2, 5, 1, 7, 7, 1, 9		1 success

Anatomy of a Murder

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