(Spiders) Call to Arms

[Truce]

After making the announcement during the formal Consilium meeting about Crowley's death, Truce makes several requests from particular members of the community to aid their Cabal in tracking down this new and unexpected threat. The briefing would be held at the Sanctum of Temoins du Sud. It was in this neighborhood that Crowley suffered his demise and seems like the best staging point for their operation.

Among those invited are the new Mystagogue, Campanella, who Truce hopes to possess knowledge or at least take interest in the study of this unknown. Brother Rat, in case they had a medical need during their mission. And Star, an always reliable and talented Magus.

An address is provided along with the request for aid. Perhaps they would offer their services free of charge, but Truce is ready to offer favors in case they need incentive. After all, it wasn't their Cabalmate that had died.

As the Magi arrive, Truce greets them stoically, treating the gathering with a level of seriousness.

"Before you give me your questions, I will brief you on what is known and the circumstances of Magus Crowley's death. It began when our Cabal discovered the corpse of a local Sleeper in the open lot neighboring this apartment. The corpse was examined and revealed to have died some time ago but had continued to function unnaturally in a preserved state."

"A hole was found in the corpse's skull, and a postcog cast to learn more. It was determined that a creature burrowed either into or out of their skull and had been puppeteering the body. All that we were able to determine of that time was that the creature made a phone call in an unknown language. It was suspected that the language is that used by Spirits and we moved forward on that assumption."

"We investigated the home of the deceased and found an interesting phenomenon. The place seemed devoid of resonance, making it difficult for us to call down the Supernal. This characteristic matches certain qualities we found the corpse as well. It became most concentrated in the attic of the home which was encased in a barrier of unnaturally strong webbing. Since I could find no presence in Twilight or otherwise, I assumed that the creature had created a nest there until such a time that it was ready to inhabit the deceased and then abandoned."

"We left, unable to learn more from the nest itself. Crowley tracked the lines of Sympathy while I conducted research into Spider Spirits. What I found didn't match the evidence at all. In truth, I have no idea what this is, but it is not behaving as a Spirit would."

"One night Crowley called me, saying he had tracked down the cell phone of the deceased to a gutter outside an elderly woman's home, one advertising welcome notices to solicitors. I figured she was just a lonely old woman, but once inside she showed her true colors. Both her and an enormous spider attacked us. I'm not sure why the woman was helping it, but she claimed that the spiders were gods and that they must be fed. Perhaps they had some sort of hold over her. She had been luring people into her home for that very purpose. And while I only ever saw the one, I imagine there may be more."

"The woman is dead. The spider escaped before I could kill or capture it. It is my hope that you will all accompany me to the home of this woman to determine what is at work here and to eradicate or capture these creatures."

  Shielding(day)

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-09-22 14:42:27		Truce rolls 10 to cast improvised Entropic Guard(day) [Gno+Death+HS] (10 Again)		10, 4, 5, 8, 9, 2, 4, 6, 8, 1, 5		4 successes

-1 Mana for Shielding duration

[Star]

"Truce."

The Angel showed up in a neat slim-fit off-the-rack suit, complete with tapered legs and a skinny tie, and slicked back hair -- all which had the complete and unfortunate side effect of highlighting his angular face and long chin to the point of comical.

"Sorry about Crowley."

It's legit. If he'd thought the dead Mage only had flash-in-the-pan conviction, it had burned hot enough and long enough to die for it. And maybe, just maybe, that was the difference between the shadow-memory of an Acanthus versus the reality of an Obrimos.

Or maybe he'd just been wrong.

Either way? He'd just been getting to know the guy after two years over the assembly of a backboard. Studious greenish-eyes listened carefully, nodding here and there, eyes closing in long blinks while committing a few details to the House of Cards.

Spirits? Not really an Angel thing, yo. Some people are live an let live about anything that isn't a Lion, Tiger, or Bear. But that changes when an Awakened dies.

"So when do we start?"

Because Totally In.

[Campanella]

Camanella took a leisurely drive south from his lodgings near Sacramento's core that day. In part it was prudence, seeking to hide his motivations from any watching eyes - and who knew just what the Seers had conscripted into their war? It was also a desire to not appear eager: at present the Moros was a Solitary and a relative new comer; the Temoins du Sud might be an established Cabal and Truce might be a Hierarch elect but Campanella had not known Crowley, was not part of the TdS and, most importantly, was not a Thearch; appearances had to be maintained. Lastly, his drive was purely for the pleasure and the learning - still new to town, he had barely explored Downtown, let alone South Sacramento. He took an interest in the way the city's landscape shifted from high rise to low rise buildings of mixed provenance: South Sacramento was a place of suburban bliss, urban density living and light industry, all clashed together into a unique patchwork. And then there was the cemetery and the parks!

"Councillor. You have posited a serious problem. I am at your disposal," Campanella said as he jogged up the steps to the TdS Sanctum. He'd parked the car in an adjoining street, close to the pleasant park he had spotted. "I must confess the spirit world is largely unknown to me, but a threat such as you described cannot go ignored... Star ?" The Moros inclined his head to the other mage present once he had entered. "Glad to have you with us," he added after a moment, not wishing to put off the enigmatic Guardian.

In contrast to the Obrimos, Campanella had shunned his customary suits in favour of an an eclectic ensemble that gave the impression of the eccentric (or the pastiche of the teacher stereotype of yesteryear, with his patched coat and drab clothing). The claret scarf added a touch of mystery and class.

He found a seat to wait while the others arrived.

"Yes. This cannot stand. As I was saying the nature of the spirit world is not my strength. Still, I believe I have some talents that can assist the investigation. I recall you spoke of a... lack of resonance?" He refrained from mentioning how Truce's exposition of the research - and the lack of evidence for this kind of cryptid beast had disturbed him the most. He felt he should be able to trust the research skills of a Hierarch elect, so the lack of evidence did not bode well. "Also, you mentioned research. Forgive me for being forward, but did you consider this creature might not be related to the spirit world at all?" If Truce had not considered such a thing, it might prove a viable avenue to explore.

He took his ease and waited.

Cast at home

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-09-23 18:27:07		Campanella to cast Shielding rote rolls 9 to Intelligence + Occult + speciality + Order Rote spec + Matter (10 Again)		8, 4, 1, 2, 2, 5, 3, 2, 2		1 success

[Aurora]

Faye had been there, in the background, leaning against a wall, listening. Her hands were crossed over her chest, which was clad in a black tank top. Black jeans and flat boots completed the look. But for some reason, it didn’t look Gothic or dark on her. Her hair was tied in a braid.

As it was told to those gathered about Crowley’s passing, her eyes turned away, focused on something beyond those present. Now was not the time for tears, they had a mission to do and a spider to exterminate.

“It’s no secret that I’m not really good at fighting. But what I am good at, is playing with the hands of Time and the strings Fate. I hope those will keep us safe in this matter.” Said the Enchantress, the usual cheer gone from her voice.

The new guy, Campanella, posed some interesting questions. Blue eyes look towards Truce for the answers.

[Benji]

Brother Rat came wearing the twin glyphs of Armor and Sight stamped on his aura for those with eyes to See, and a long sleeved olive green hensley, blue jeans and heavy black boots for everyone else. He thought, after being updated on the situation, the boots should be especially well suited to squashing spiders. He wasn't good with the whole death and what came after thing and he figured that any expression of sympathy would come off as less than genuine considering that he had never met Crowley. The pain in his Cabal-mates was clearly fresh enough to make him uncomfortable with saying anything.

"Just bec..." No that wasn't the best way to express what he wanted to say. "A Spirit with the appearance of a spider isn't necessarily a Spider Spirit." And he could think of probably a dozen spiritual aspects that might lend themselves to to a spider's shape, but Brother Rat wasn't there to show off how smart he thought he was. "Like, a Guardian Spirit and a Junkyard Spirit and a Loyalty Spirit might all look like dogs, but they aren't actually Dog Spirits."

"You said it burrowed into someone's skull to puppet it? Did you Spell the corpse to see if that killed the Sleeper or if it found a corpse of it's..." Brother Rat shakes his head to dismiss that line of questioning. "Know what? Doesn't matter. It's nested in the past, it will probably nest again. Let's burn it and it's nest any weird spider babies down to fucking ash." Because you know what? Brother Rat was a big fucking fan of eye for an eye responses. Someone pushes you, you push back twice as hard. You don't beg and bargain with spirits when one of them kills one of the Awakened, even a Libertine.

You draw a line in the sand with their god damn ashes and repeat the process until the Shadow understands that you don't mess with the Awakened Nation.

[Benji]

  Int+ Occ 2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-09-24 09:55:50		Brother Rat rolls 4 to Arachnologist (Int 2 + Occult 2) (10 Again)		4, 8, 5, 8		2 successes

Forgot my spell rolls - Organic Resilience (pot 1), Second Sight (pot 1)

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-09-23 21:39:50		Brother Rat rolls 7 to Organic Resilience (Gno 1 + Life 3 + ExAff 3 + HS2 - 24hr Duration 2) (10 Again)		7, 5, 6, 1, 6, 7, 10, 1		1 success

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2016-09-23 21:37:02		Brother Rat rolls 6 to Second Sight (Gno 1 + Spirit 2 + ExAff 3 + HS 2 - 24hr Duration 2) (10 Again)		4, 4, 4, 2, 8, 4		1 success

[DrDog]

brother rat's knowledge

The fuck is this shit? You've never heard of something like this. Spirits don't physically burrow into people. Neither do spiders.

[Truce]

"Thank you, Star." Truce's voice hints at a deeper emotion that sinks back beneath the calm demeanor. If anything he appreciates the condolences.

He answer's him, "We start once any questions or doubts have been answered, though I've covered most of the facts as I know them. I will address your immediate concerns and then we shall travel to the home of the elderly woman. Or to the home of the initial victim, if you believe there is more information to gather there. It's been several weeks now since then. I'm not certain if either of the bodies have been discovered or everything is as it was left. I'd like us to assume the latter. Both addresses are only a few blocks away, so we can ride together or separately if you prefer."

He addresses Brother Rat next. "Yes, according to my what I learned from my working, the man died because his brain was slowly eaten away by something. It was Crowley's precognition that we were able to know of its being puppetted. I admit though, the hole itself had seemed much smaller than the spider I encountered."

Campanella raises a good point though. "Indeed, Magus Campanella. It may be that this is not related to a Spirit at all. Before Crowley and I encountered the creature he signaled to me that he had felt his senses triggered by something, though I had felt nothing. It could have been a working or Numena, I'm not sure. For now I wish to discover the true reason for this absence of resonance, and perhaps try to encounter the Ghost of the elderly woman. It's also possible the creature is still at its nest, perhaps with others. If so, then I recommend capturing one, if possible." It had killed Crowley, but simply squashing it would leave them with little answers.

[Benji]

"Okay. On one hand, that doesn't sound like any spirit or spider behavior I've heard of. On the other, you say it was speaking like a Spirit." Brother Rat chews at a thumbnail as he decides what suggestions might be useful and what might be dead ends.

"First. I know a spell that lets me understand the Spirit Tongue. If anyone," Brother Rat glances to Faye as the city's presumed authority on time magic, "can show me this phone call that the first victim made, it might give us something useful. Or it might just give us the spirit's side of a conversation with a dead woman. I can't imagine that would take much time."

"Second." Brother Rat starts ticking off his ideas on his fingers "The nest in the first victim's household. If whatever this thing is has a flesh and blood body, it probably has a reproductive system. I don't think we can rely on it reproducing like a spirit does, and if I was a spider I'd probably hide my eggs in or near an attic full of spiderwebs. Since webs catch food and babies tend to be hungry. That needs to be checked and cleaned out. I'm not sure about the wisdom of taking possible egg samples for storage in an Athenaeum," He gives a brief nod to Campanella, "but the webbing might be safe to study, if it has unusual properties."

"Although... huh." Brother Rat pauses, as if an idea had just occurred to him. "I get the impression that something prepared a nest for a baby in the first victim's home and left it to grow until it could catch it's victim. It might have started it's own reproductive cycle and done the same thing in the second home, with the plan being that it's offspring would puppet the second victim. How big was this enormous spider, Truce?" If they wanted to capture it, they needed to get something that could hold it.

Was it possible to hogtie a giant spider with duct tape?

[Campanella]

All through Truce's background description, Campanella listened. He remains attentive when Brother Rat takes up the conversation, muttering supportively when the Thrysus Thearch makes mention of the Athenaeum as a safe place to store away the evidence left by the creature. At this point, it was moot given the brief loss of the Order before his and Black Swan's arrival - but it was the thought that counted and boded well for the future.

"I can only speak for myself and my Cabal mate here..." Campanella began carefully. "But as an Apprentice of Matter I would dearly like to have a look at this webbing that you describe. It sounds like that might be the last piece of evidence we have to work with... You say you placed the body back in the victim's home, so I assume you have no samples for sympathetic working on hand, correct?"

The idea that the attic webbing could contain a nest for the creature only served to send a further chill down the Alchemist's spine.

"Perhaps we should all go together in group. I do not wish to appear timid, but one of our number has already perished so perhaps discretion is the better part of valour in this case."

After all, if the creature had any kind of sentience at all, it may well have established new traps, tricks and ambuscades if its home had been threatened once before. Most certainly, the creature had been given ample opportunity to do so. Assuming it had not fled to a new sanctuary. And assuming it had not left any nasty surprises behind.