(Circle) Meeting at the Athenaeum

[Epitaph]

"As Aurora is in your cabal, perhaps you should help guide her and I can help Neokoros Langdon refine his investigations as well," Epitaph suggested, looking to each of them to see what they might have to say.

[Langdon]

Death vs Matter. That could lead to interesting conversations and discussions. "I am not opposed to such a scenario." Langdon looks to Aurora then between Campanella and Epitaph. "I am sure that we can all contribute to each others work as well." The Stalker shifts against the hard edge of the window seat.

"I would like to look over more of town before putting together a preliminary idea as to how the Seer's actions could have impacted my Legacies interests." Langdon is sure that he has not been told everything about his Legacy but Knowledge Has a Price. Maybe putting forth work here will be that price.

[Campanella]

"That would appear a good choice. I am already working on Aurora's initiation." Campanella responded, head moving between his Cabal-mate and the gothic Necromancer. "It will take some time, however. The closest Caucus is that of the Golden Consilium in San Francisco, which is a... unorthodox Caucus to say the least." He hesitated over his choice of word; the Moros would have preferred to have said heretical but had struggled to ensure his own experiences did not colour their own views unnecessarily. "And as a result my guanxi is... limited... in that direction."

He paused.

"She has joined our Order, let me be clear on that."

He moved on to Langdon.

"Please do. I'd be interested in hearing about what you find."

[Epitaph]

"'Close' is not a concept that we have to obey," Epitaph replied pointedly. "Even if we do not have anything within the Consilium that knows enough to bridge the lie of Space, the possibility of purchasing a plane ticket always exists. Though, perhaps it is as you say. Perhaps the issue is not the distance, but rather the lack of Guanxi, something which I suspect is quite deficient for this Consilium.

"Do we have any strategies in mind for how to build more Guanxi with the other mages here, and with the Orders at large?"

[Aurora]

Looking to Langdon, “Are there specific places you’re looking for? I’ve been here for quite a few years, so if I can help with some insight, please let me know.”

That’s right, there was an initiation. She would be lying to herself is she said it didn’t concern her a bit. But there was also some excitement as well.

“Isn’t all guanxi built on the bases of trust? If so, then we need to find a way to build this with the Golden Consilium. The same with the Orders and other Awakened here.” She was probably speaking more than she should on the matter. “Is there anything I can personally do to reach out to the Golden Consilium? I haven’t had much experience with them in the past, perhaps I can use that to my advantage and see what I can do.” Was worth offering.

[Langdon]

Langdon bows his head as Campanella drives home the point that Aurora is part of the Mysterium. So more can be said. A frown grows as Langdon contemplates his own understanding of Space. It is more than sufficient to let Langdon study reality though clearly not enough. Something to work on.

"I am comfortable working alongside members of the other Orders and the Apostates. So nothing deliberate for myself? I am still learning the proper ways of doing so intentionally." The Stalker shifts against the concrete. "How.. different? Is the Golden Consilium?" Then he looks to the new member of their Order. "Anywhere with significance to the city's history I think? May we could find evidence of how they attacked the city as well."

[Campanella]

"I have no strategies as such. Work with our colleagues and partners - join Cabals and support the Consilium."

Campanella gave a gentle shrug.

To Langdon (but everyone else too): "The Golden Consilium is a rather... insular Consilium, bound up as they are with a great Mystery that warps everything about their community. I have only rumour and conjecture as to the full nature of this Mystery, suffice to say that there is something about Golden Gate Bridge that requires... sacrifice. That nature of this Mystery has twisted the Pentacle Orders, so that the Guardians and the Mysterium are considered one and the same. I am given to understand that the Silver Ladder is similarly conflated with the Free Council. The Arrows are noticeably absent from this... arrangement."

He huffed.

"This makes contacting them fraught with difficulty as one never knows who or what you will get when you reach out to them. I have managed to learn a number of rotes from them, but the cost was great."

Contact between characters and the Golden Consilium has always been done as a Glimpse, or series of Glimpses. I've done a couple myself in the past.

[Epitaph]

"Perhaps it is my inexperience that clouds my understanding, but as the Golden Consilium is increasingly problematic, I suggest that we construct a Chinese Wall, if you'll pardon my use of the term, and focus our attention on building Guanxi elsewhere. We all come from other Consilii, as do the other members of our Consilium. Perhaps that is the network that we should focus upon constructing, for it is about trust, but it is also about transaction, and given the presence of the Clock, I am positive we have very valuable information with which to transact," Epitaph countered."

[Aurora]

A brief nod, “I also have no issues working with anyone in the city. Working together is the only way to help try and ward off the Seer’s and whatever they’re trying to do.” She’d work with anyone who was competent. “I know this building has been of significance to the city and its history. A lot of Awakened have passed through its doors. Perhaps even the Clock itself will have something significant you can see.” If that’s what he was after, the Clock seemed logical.

What Campy was saying was making it sound like the Golden Consilium was rather difficult to work with, and maybe not worth the trouble.

“But are they worth the trouble we’d have to put into getting in touch and working with them?” was an honest question.

Looking to Epitaph, there was another nod, “That might be a good place to start. And I wish I had contacts to offer, but I’m afraid I stayed below the radar when passing through other Consilium in the past. I usually wasn’t in a city long enough to establish any real connections. But I am willing to do whatever I can to help the process.”

[Langdon]

Hands raise and Langdon nods his head. "I will avoid interacting with them for the time being. That sounds disturbing."
Though... something that extreme surely has caused further cracks along the Tapestry. Maybe... no.. no yet.

The Stalker looks up, surely imagining the clock in the building itself. "Thank you." He looks down back at Aurora. "I will have to start here."

Epitaph gets a look before Langdon fully parces what she had said. Then he nods his head in both understanding and apology. "Sounds like it might work. Do we know how far the Seers war impacted?"