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(Cortez) The Trail...

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  1. #1
    Cayce's Avatar


    Outside the Hotel:
    The Cortez is a rather unassuming hotel on the edge of downtown. A tall, square, grey building with a small sign above the front doors that read:

    WELCOME
    TO THE
    CORTEZ HOTEL


    A smaller VACANCY glared in red neon from one of the front windows, but otherwise, the hotel sat silent as a tombstone. Cars filled about half of the lot attached to the side of the hotel, though no one came in or out...

    Inside the Hotel:
    The Cortez has clearly been remolded and redecorated in recent years. The floors are covered with carpet decorated with grey and black geometric designs, the desks are blocks of onyx, the sofas and chairs are all made of black leather and stainless steel, and the tables are all shining glass and gleaming metal. Dull paintings and sculptures, all soulless pieces that range from pure splashes of color on blank backgrounds to sanitized geometric portrayals of...nothing, add the only hint of color in an otherwise monochromatic existence.

    The lobby is pristine, and empty. There is no one at the desk. The computers are asleep. The phone's voicemail indicator blinks...

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  3. #2
    Winter's Avatar
    Winter
    Presence
    (Stoic)
    Education
    (West Point Grad)
    Occultation
    Winter

    Nimbus

    Dark shadows scatter in ordered symmetrical patterns traversed by a crackling pallid silver light that wraps Winter in a pleasantly numbing and icy coldness.
    When vulgar magic is cast, the frequency of the oscillation of the dark fluid surges until the shadows arrange themselves in a solid black halo around Winter's head, the white light darkens into a fiery black sunlight and his eyes are set ablaze with vivid incandescence.
    Stats

    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor: 1(General)/2(Ballistic)
    Defense: 3

    Active Spells: 1/6
    Personal Spells: 1/3
    Incognito Presence (Mind 2) Rote, Scene, Pot[1]

    1
    OCC
    2
    PRE

    The car crawled to a stop, hollow pops ringing under its weight as tires scratched concrete. Winter craned his neck so he could get a better look at the small sign, red lights casting shadows that bled down the side of his face. He slumped down and relaxed, his mind racing over the supernal, whipping out glyphs at the tune of an arcane beat.
    He pulled the handle of the door and it popped open a crack. A noisy beep later and the car was locked for good.

    The Cortez - Winter reassured himself - looked anonymous, and that, really, was all. Unless you include, as one must, its interior, for just from the lobby one could call it a decent establishment, shaped by the trendy style that most modern designers seemed to favor, which reveals a circumstance that the appearance on the outside otherwise camouflaged: that the people who spent the night there weren't just looking for a place to crash but for an appealing and possibly hygienical place to rest.


    At the time of his entrance not a soul in the sleeping motel seemed to hear him. A blinking light the sole sign of life in the otherwise sombre lobby.
    "Hmm, anybody?" He said as he reached for the check-in desk.


      1 success
    Date Action Roll Result
    2018-04-21 18:36:00 Winter rolls 6 to Unseen Shield Improvised (Gnosis + Forces + HS) (10 Again) 2, 4, 6, 4, 8, 2 1 success
      3 successes
    Date Action Roll Result
    2018-04-21 18:40:50 Winter rolls 6 to Supernal Vision(Improv) to Gnosis + Prime + HS2 (10 Again) 8, 9, 4, 8, 2, 3 3 successes



    Supernal vision 3 suxx, Unseen shield 1suxx


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  5. #3
    Campanella's Avatar
    Campanella
    Allies (City Hall)
    Allies (Criminal)
    Allies (Culture)
    Allies (Finance)
    Occult Skill
    Campanella
    Campanella
    Campanella's Scenes
    Stats

    Clock

    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 0
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +1
    Active Spells: 3/5
    Personal Spells: 3/1

    [2R] Analyze Artefact (Deep Scrutiny of Artefacts, Prolonged, 1 scene)
    [4R] Dark Matter (Matter Sight, Prolonged, 1 scene)
    [2R] One Mind, Two Thoughts (Prolonged, 1 scene)

    Tangled Threads

    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 4
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +1
    Active Spells: 3/5
    Personal Spells: 1/3


    [4] Aura Perception (Concentration, 1 scene)

    [5] Third Eye (Mind Sight, Prolonged, 1 scene)

    [2R] Unseen Aegis (Armor, 1 scene)

    2
    PRE

    Campanella arrives shortly having taken a rather depressing detour through the open spaces at the edge of the city; the green fields had been reassuring but the lack of people and the rustic neglect of the broken tarmac and monotonous power poles marching ever onward had left him feeling faintly sad and oppressed.

    Good things to feel if one is a Moros on the Path of Doom and Scion of the Watchtower of the Leaden Coin.

    He sat in his car, focussing on the squat exterior of the Cortez. It was a perfect choice, really: soul blasted and minimal; even the sign was tiny, as if it did not want to announce its presence due to embarrassment or fear. The newly cleaned parking lot spoke of another kind of neglect: pot holes scrubbed away, new lines painted on the ground - and yet the faint outlines of old parking outlines remained, seemingly stronger in juxtaposition with the new. This was a place locked in its past, or maybe worse yet, a place where past, present, and future blur completely into one.

    Quickly running through his rotes, some strengthened with a few choice syllables of Atlantean, the Moros exited his vehicle and locked it with calm and unhurried movements. Taking further time, he adjusted the collar of his light coat and made for the building.

      
    Date Action Roll Result
    2018-04-21 18:54:19 Campanella to cast Dark Matter rote rolls 11 to Intelligence + Occult + Order Spec + Matter + HS - 1 Spell Tolerance (10 Again) 8, 2, 1, 10, 9, 5, 7, 7, 10, 8, 4, 3, 2 5 successes
    2018-04-21 18:52:51 Campanella to cast Unseen Aegis rote rolls 10 to Intelligence + Occult + Order Spec + Matter (10 Again) 5, 1, 3, 3, 2, 10, 4, 3, 7, 1, 6 1 success

    If anything the lobby was even more depressing than his drive. Not just empty: the place felt like there was an absence of people. His quick scan noted the blinking light on the foyer phone. Just how long had the front desk been left unattended.

    "Mr. Winter," Campanella intoned as he crossed the space to the desk.
    Campanella|Moros|Mysterium
    Gnosis: 4
    Occult Skill: 3

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  7. #4
    Aurora's Avatar
    Aurora
    Spells
    Striking Looks
    (Riveting)
    Presence
    (Confident)
    Fame
    (Entertainment)
    Madison Cross
    (Sleeper ID)
    Gnosis
    Aurora
    Aurora

    Dedicated Magical Tool

    Multicolored copper bracelet with intricate loops winding around her right wrist.
    Nimbus

    The sweet, fragrant smells of roses mixed with lilacs emanate from her as she casts magic. The scent intensifies, bordering on intoxicating, when Life magic is cast. When Aurora casts Vulgar magic, the scent takes a nasty turn, to the putrid, nauseating odor of a rotting corpse. The stronger the magic, the more those around want to retch at the smell.
    Monthly Spells

    Monthly spells done on character sheet.


    Pulse of the Living World[POT 6]
    Organic Resilience[POT 6]
    (PrP Treasure Hunt)

    Active Spells: 1/6
    [Detect Substance]Bone
    Personal Spells: 2/3
    Vulgar:
    Mana:6/8
    WP:3

    2
    FAME
    +1
    SL
    4
    PRE

    It had been such a waste of coffee back at the diner, she thinks as she drives to the hotel.

    Depressing really.

    But she was focused on the task at hand.

    They had a keycard, with a room number. And it could only go a couple of ways.

    The woman who cast the vulgar magic was in the room and ready to fight. Bad.

    She wasn’t in and they got to poke around in the room with someone as lookout. Not too bad.

    She had already moved on. Better.

    The GTO was parked and the Shaman gets out, walking into the lobby. Blue eyes look around, wasn’t the grossest she’d seen, but not the nicest.

    Shrugging, she walks up beside Campy,

    “Hey.” She greets, hands shoved into her leather jacket. Did they have a story yet?

    Monthly RITS, cell on silent, dedicated magic tool on wrist.

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  9. #5
    Hamia's Avatar

    Hamia
    Striking Looks
    (Appealing)
    Presence
    (Guarded)
    Hamia

    Nimbus:
    Vulgar magic causes Hamia's form to skip and stutter, as if each movement of each limb was recorded at a different time - then spliced back together.

    +1
    SL
    2
    PRE

    Fingers grip around a keycard, pressing so hard they leave an indent on her palms. The tension is palpable.

    She pockets it. Then she pockets the card.

      1 success
    Date Action Roll Result
    2018-04-21 22:15:52 Hamia rolls 4 to Gno + Time for Mage Armor (Time, 2E) (10 Again) 4, 5, 2, 8 1 success

    The Cortez is ominous in color, if not in mood. A headcount lands three of her recent compatriots. One of them is Campanella's smoking friend. He wouldn't be here if he wasn't... Aware of things.

    She clears her throat - loudly - to announce her presence to the others. It doesn't look like anyone else is here to greet them, but she still has trouble finding words. The blinking light catches the Enchantress' eye, feeling even more ominous than the decor. It's too quiet. Her brow furrows as she looks for the evidence of... interference.

      2 successes
    Date Action Roll Result
    2018-04-21 22:29:09 Hamia rolls 4 to 4 to Gno + Time for Temporal Eddies (10 Again) 3, 6, 9, 10, 4 2 successes

    Time Armor 2E effects (when active): +3 Defense (works against firearms)/+0 Armor

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  11. #6
    V
    Vauban

    A battered second hand sedan finally found a parking spot in the dreary parking lot. As he studied the area, the song Hotel California started to play in the back of his mind. The darker end of the lyrics ringing like an alarm bell. He took out his phone and focused his will. Formulae and equations that helped form the Rote played out before him. His whispering voice filled with the eerie cadence brought on by strange, arcane words of High Speech.

      6 successes
    Date Action Roll Result
    2018-04-21 22:53:15 Vauban rolls 10 to Dark Matter (Intelligence+Science+Matter+Rote Spec)+High Speech (10 Again) 6, 1, 10, 4, 8, 8, 7, 4, 10, 9, 7, 9 6 successes
      4 successes
    Date Action Roll Result
    2018-04-21 22:55:05 Vauban rolls 10 to Unseen Aegis (Intelligence+Science+Matter+Rote Spec+High Speech) (10 Again) 9, 8, 2, 8, 1, 5, 6, 8, 7, 3 4 successes


    Protections formed around the libertine, he got out of the car and headed towards the main building. While he was not sure these women were seers, they were playing havoc on sleepers. Scarring souls with trauma and fear. Making the Lie all the more omnipresent. He was certain the third tenant applied here.

    He stepped into the lobby. He was struck by the dark minimalism of the place and how empty it felt, even with the other mages around. The song felt even more apt now. "Hey." He said with a small wave to the others as he looked around for anything that might seem amiss.

    Vaubans smartphone (and magic tool) is on silent

  12. #7
    Winter's Avatar
    Winter
    Presence
    (Stoic)
    Education
    (West Point Grad)
    Occultation
    Winter

    Nimbus

    Dark shadows scatter in ordered symmetrical patterns traversed by a crackling pallid silver light that wraps Winter in a pleasantly numbing and icy coldness.
    When vulgar magic is cast, the frequency of the oscillation of the dark fluid surges until the shadows arrange themselves in a solid black halo around Winter's head, the white light darkens into a fiery black sunlight and his eyes are set ablaze with vivid incandescence.
    Stats

    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor: 1(General)/2(Ballistic)
    Defense: 3

    Active Spells: 1/6
    Personal Spells: 1/3
    Incognito Presence (Mind 2) Rote, Scene, Pot[1]

    1
    OCC
    2
    PRE

    "Mr. Campanella". He called him, laconic.

    A coughing sound drew his attention. Facing up to the new arrivals, he met them with a squarejawed nod. "Good e...vening?". A rather prosaic and meager dispensation of courtesy before shuffling again his attention from the newcomers and to the lobby. The day had been a tiring one.

    The spartane exterior of the building painted a strong justaxposition against its interior, contending between the austere appearance of the outside and the prosperous albeit dull beneficence of the lobby.
    The architect had proven himself to be sensible and sedate, if not notably decorative and impersonal, for the large resounding floor was covered with carpets upholstered in nubby fabric and furnished with modernistic paraphernalia, livingroom couches covered in shiny leather, glass chairs and desks interwoven with glittery strands of silvery steel. The minimalist artwork should have been expensive, he assessed. He didn't quite understand which kind of social circle this place could draw upon. Was this the mundane craft of a trendy designer, or darker forces were at work? He didn't know yet, but so far it looked professional and he liked it, he decided.


    The renovation must have been a financial endeavor plagued by setbacks - he pondered with merrily amusement - for only an overextended budget or poor entrepreneurship could have justified the marketing mishap that was the outside. Still, the owner deserved some sympathy, if nothing else, for the kind of unpleased clientele he had the bad luck of attracting. Assuming Campanella was right, and this wasn't a trap.


    His left ring finger traced over the contour of the receptionist desk stopping short of the phone, the pallid white of gold and platinum of a plain wedding band against the black of onyx.
    Pristine and not a speck of dust; everything was so unnervingly aseptic. They needed to know at least the date of the first untended call, sufficiently unfearful of the absentee receptionist, he closed on the blinking light pressing the button.


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  14. #8
    Cayce's Avatar


    Though the weather in Sacramento was not particularly warm, the quiet hum of the ventilation could be heard, chill spilling out into the lobby, the temperature hovering just below comfortable. Harsh sunlight spilled in through the front windows and harsh florescents sanitized the room of all shadow, leaving the Magi as the only trace of life in the entire lobby. Harsh steel, cool glass, and inanimate fabric surrounded. Bits of red and purple glared out at them from within picture frames, malevolent eyes watching their every move.

    It was almost as if the lobby were a gallery, and the Magi were what was on display...

    Nevertheless, the enlightened senses granted by the Watchtowers saw no hint of magic and no trace of Abyssal taint. The room was simply empty. The keycard now sitting in Hamia's pocket had the room number. All they would have to do was take the stairs, or the elevator, and walk to the room...

    Or, the vacant reception desk sat, with its blinking phone and slumbering computers...

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  16. #9
    Campanella's Avatar
    Campanella
    Allies (City Hall)
    Allies (Criminal)
    Allies (Culture)
    Allies (Finance)
    Occult Skill
    Campanella
    Campanella
    Campanella's Scenes
    Stats

    Clock

    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 0
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +1
    Active Spells: 3/5
    Personal Spells: 3/1

    [2R] Analyze Artefact (Deep Scrutiny of Artefacts, Prolonged, 1 scene)
    [4R] Dark Matter (Matter Sight, Prolonged, 1 scene)
    [2R] One Mind, Two Thoughts (Prolonged, 1 scene)

    Tangled Threads

    Health:
    Mana:
    WP:
    Armor 4
    Defense 2

    Vulgar +1
    Active Spells: 3/5
    Personal Spells: 1/3


    [4] Aura Perception (Concentration, 1 scene)

    [5] Third Eye (Mind Sight, Prolonged, 1 scene)

    [2R] Unseen Aegis (Armor, 1 scene)

    2
    PRE

    Campanella turned from the desk and acknowledged the others as they arrived: Hamia and Aurora and Vauban.

    "So. What now? I take you had more than address."

    He turned his attention back the the receptionist's phone and its angry, pleading, light.

    "Does anyone else feel as though we have arrived too late?" He asked calmly, a little sadly.

    With a sigh he checked over the reception desk, looking for some tissues. "Anyone going to answer the phone?"
    Campanella|Moros|Mysterium
    Gnosis: 4
    Occult Skill: 3

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  18. #10
    Aurora's Avatar
    Aurora
    Spells
    Striking Looks
    (Riveting)
    Presence
    (Confident)
    Fame
    (Entertainment)
    Madison Cross
    (Sleeper ID)
    Gnosis
    Aurora
    Aurora

    Dedicated Magical Tool

    Multicolored copper bracelet with intricate loops winding around her right wrist.
    Nimbus

    The sweet, fragrant smells of roses mixed with lilacs emanate from her as she casts magic. The scent intensifies, bordering on intoxicating, when Life magic is cast. When Aurora casts Vulgar magic, the scent takes a nasty turn, to the putrid, nauseating odor of a rotting corpse. The stronger the magic, the more those around want to retch at the smell.
    Monthly Spells

    Monthly spells done on character sheet.


    Pulse of the Living World[POT 6]
    Organic Resilience[POT 6]
    (PrP Treasure Hunt)

    Active Spells: 1/6
    [Detect Substance]Bone
    Personal Spells: 2/3
    Vulgar:
    Mana:6/8
    WP:3

    2
    FAME
    +1
    SL
    4
    PRE

    Hearing the noise, Aurora looks and offers a small smile to Hamia. Seemed nearly all the Awakened were going to show up. Least they had some numbers.

    Then one of the new guys, he gets a nod and smile as well.

    Mr Campanella? Sounded so formal. But how would he feel about the use of his Shadow name?

    Giving her attention to Campy as he spoke up, she shrugged.

    “I don’t know. But perhaps some of us can go to the room, assuming it hasn’t been rented back out and some can check the phone? I offer to go to the room because I have a few tricks to help handle any, uh, mess they might have left there.”
    She sounded unsure of her words, but she wasn’t about to say she could help erase physical evidence in a hotel lobby. Cause if that chick was quick to throw around vulgar magic in a diner, who knows what she'd do in a hotel room? “But we also don’t know if our, friends, are still there.” Meaning it could be a fight.

    “My two cents.”

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