The Descent of the Circle

[Winter]

He pushed and pushed. Yet, the air itself was conspiring against him, as if some chthonian power was trying to pull a practical joke on him by inflating his lungs with its vile miasma. Good luck with that strategy, against a chain smoker nonetheless.

He'd been right; whoever had created the circle had deemed the sewers worthy of his protection, for the forces barring his step were not part of the Lie.
Halting his advance, he opted to study the room instead. Little did his flashlight reveal other than a feast of rodents, their shadows on the wall a mocking reflection of those in Plato's cave. Disgusting critters, undeserving of supernal aegis.

Sighing in defeat, he finally turned to the comforts of the Aether, finding solace among the phonemes of the lost idiom of the Spires.
"Yes", a hedge of thorns blocking his way, the magic had finally taken substance. With his resolve bolstered by the winds of Pandemonium, he finally moved on the puzzle.

But he was biting more than he could chew.

  failure

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-07-31 19:43:18		Winter rolls 6 to Making Sense of the Ban (Int+Occult+WP[3+2 zeal]-3) (10 Again, WillPower)		2, 3, 4, 2, 2, 6		failure

  2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-07-31 19:33:05		Winter rolls 7 to Zeal Rote (Manip + Exp + Mind + HS) (10 Again)		1, 7, 4, 8, 9, 4, 4		2 successes

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-07-31 19:24:32		Winter rolls 6 to Supernal Vision Imp (Gnosis + Prime + HS) (10 Again)		7, 9, 3, 1, 6, 4		1 success

  failure

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-07-31 19:00:35		Winter rolls 6 to perception (Wits + Composure) (10 Again)		4, 6, 6, 3, 5, 3		failure

1e Unseen shield[Pot3], G.Skill Occult[+2], Supernal Vision[Pot1], Zeal[Pot2](1 use left)
Health: 8
Mana: 3, Willpower: 4
Armor: 2, Defense: 3
Spell Tolerance: 3, Active Spells: 4
Spent 1 WP and 1 Mana this turn, so down to 4WP and 3Mana

[Langdon]

It takes a long moment or two..or three before Langdon finally falls silent as his feet hit solid..something. "Winter is exploring the other door." Langdon says to no one and every one after taking a breath. The rest of the situation is left unsaid as he takes in the room.

"Woahh" More doors, and everyone is exploring. "Where should I look?" The question is asked openly, everyone seems to be investigating something. Might as well get told what hasn't been looked into.

[Cayce]

Winter

Winter might have Banished his doubts and bolstered his resolve in a disturbing echo of the methodology used by the servants of the Exarchs, but the Ban still held. He is unable to pass without the conditions of the Ban's Key being met. And, as for what those conditions are...he wasn't able to say. Perhaps if there had been another set of eyes with him...

The Guardian Stones

Those imperious slabs of monolithic stone, whose very presence defied all geological definition, also resisted the Magical Analysis that Weavebreaker focused upon them. The spell was working, but the complex magical constructs woven into the stones did not match any schema which Weavebreaker had ever seen before, and even for a young Master of Prime, these complex works were baffling. However, it was clear that these stones were, to some degree, sentient, and were linked to Pandemonium itself.

Weave did not get enough successes!

[Banshee]

Final Sight

Death

view the last image a body saw

  Concentration

Weavebreaker knew nothing, a pity.

Banshee turns to the bones of the Preacher, "Do not interrupt me. I need to concentrate." she cautions the others, praying that his bones and his place of death will be enough, before calling upon Stygia. Glyphs form around her fingers, where she traces eyeless sockets. Praying to wrests control of their final vision.

Active Spells: Ritual Grim Sight, Ritual 2E Death Armour, Speak with the Dead, Final Sight

  3 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-08-01 19:20:13		Banshee rolls 8 to Final Sight (Death 3 + Gnosis 2 + 3E.Aff) (10 Again)		9, 1, 8, 10, 3, 7, 4, 1, 5		3 successes

[Weavebreaker]

Weavebreaker shook her head softly. "I couldn't unravel everything." She admitted. "They seem to be linked to Pandemonium and they also seem to be able to perceive and feel things."

"I think you may be on to something, though..." Weavebreaker glances to Alastor. "If that is dried blood. Blood may be an aspect of activation." Weavebreaker gave a soft shrug, as all it was all a guess at the end of the day.

"We could have everyone work together to try to understand the workings. It would not be hard to place this spell on others." Weavebreaker looked between the stones. "Maybe with boosted knowledge..."

"I don't know. What do you guys think?"

[Winter]

He looked attentively at the room, trying to shed light over whichever detail could have escaped his notice. At first glance he couldn't find any valuable hint, his surroundings provided little insight into the quandary; but you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, or so they say, so he kept looking.
The inescapable force blocked his path, unmovable like a stony wall. He took a deep breath and tried again.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-08-05 09:01:30		Winter rolls 6 to Making Sense of the Ban (Int+Occult+WP[3+2 zeal]-3) (10 Again, WillPower)		4, 7, 10, 7, 2, 3, 2		1 success

  5 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-08-05 09:00:41		Winter rolls 6 to perception (Wits + Composure) (10 Again)		10, 9, 8, 2, 8, 7, 9		5 successes

1e Unseen shield[Pot3], G.Skill Occult[+2], Supernal Vision[Pot1]
Health: 8
Mana: 3, Willpower:3
Armor: 2, Defense: 3
Spell Tolerance: 3, Active Spells: 3
Spent 1 WP, so down to 3WP

OOC

There are some mistakes in this post, as I've realized after the rolls (but before having submitted the post). But alea iacta est, I guess. For starters, I did another occult roll without knowing if I were allowed a repeat, furthermore I forgot to add the dice penalties to the repeated actions. Anyway, whether I substract dice from the left or the right, both actions would still net a suxx. So I'll refer to Cayce's judgement

[Cayce]

Winter

As winter examines the intricate weave of the Ban, he realizes that it is the equivalent of a magical key card. At his best guess, this tunnel leads to the Restricted Clearance section of the Circle, and that in order to pass, he has to get Clearance...How that is best done, unfortunately, it not entirely clear. Perhaps that's the purpose of the other path...

Ghosts

Ectoplasm, thick and viscous, streams from the eyes, pooling onto the ground and reflecting the last psychic impression carved into the skull as the soul fled the body, for all to see. Banshee sees the visage of a beautiful, elegant woman, looking dispassionately up at the impaled Preacher...

f84fb72a36d463ea6f0c551181d008ef--rachel-weisz-zima.jpg
Weavebreaker Banshee

Guardian Stones

Meanwhile, the droning groan of stone upon stone begins to intensify, until finally, the vision of the sole blank door began to waver and shift between its set of Guardian Stones, until, finally, another image appeared: the brick Undercroft that the Magi had first climbed down into. It seemed that the way out had finally been revealed. Perhaps it was set on a timer, should anyone enter the Garden and remain within...

Going to wrap the scene in 48 hours (it's been a little over a month). For those of you who would like to continue to explore below the circle, never fear! Go ahead and vote in this thread: http://nwod.org/forum/showthread.php?38590-Mage-Plots

[Banshee]

Drat!

She brought no papers nor pastels, but her mind is as sharp as ever. She takes her time. Examining the witch-women from all angles she can from this vision. An elegant women, perhaps one lovely enough that an Egyptian priest would steal away and use as a living vessel to revive his forbidden love....

Unravelling the spell that enables her to witness this final vision of the preacher, she stands.

"I have the face of the women who sacrificed these souls." she announces, sombre as the grave. "Once I have my paints I shall give glimpse to all of you. Perhaps she is known to one of us." though with out the use of Time Banshee held doubts, this place is old...but there was a modern, yet ancient pen and a cigarette in the 'lobby'.

Active Spells: Ritual Grim Sight, Ritual 2E Death Armour, Speak with the Dead

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2018-08-06 11:48:52		[05] Banshee rolls 5 to Memorise the face of [s]Tyria Primoria[/s] this chick (Int 2 + Composure 3) (10 Again)		6, 1, 2, 5, 4		failure
2018-08-06 11:48:52		[04] Banshee rolls 5 to Memorise the face of [s]Tyria Primoria[/s] this chick (Int 2 + Composure 3) (10 Again)		7, 3, 7, 8, 10, 5		2 successes
2018-08-06 11:48:52		[03] Banshee rolls 5 to Memorise the face of [s]Tyria Primoria[/s] this chick (Int 2 + Composure 3) (10 Again)		2, 6, 3, 8, 7		1 success
2018-08-06 11:48:52		[02] Banshee rolls 5 to Memorise the face of [s]Tyria Primoria[/s] this chick (Int 2 + Composure 3) (10 Again)		10, 9, 7, 9, 4, 8		4 successes
2018-08-06 11:48:52		[01] Banshee rolls 5 to Memorise the face of [s]Tyria Primoria[/s] this chick (Int 2 + Composure 3) (10 Again)		3, 2, 10, 1, 10, 5, 9		3 successes

[Cayce]

Eventually, the pangs of hunger and the inevitable mists of sleep begin to seep into the Magi, the Exit beckoning them back out into the fading sunlight, and the promise of the waiting mystery satisfying their curiosity for now...

Thank you everyone who participated! Remember to vote for what plot you want next!