(1904) Gathering at Dusk

[Phoenyx]

Phoenyx nods at the Life Master. "I understand, more than most might. I am here, if you wish to talk. I still owe you. More than you know."

The Arrow tenses, unused to being the focus of so many faces and questions. She takes a deep breath before looking around at the assembled mages. She rises from the seat next to Aurora and takes a few steps away so she can see all the mages that asked questions.

"There were two articfacts - a jade disk and a paired statue. As far as we could tell, the disk imbued the Arcana of Mind, Space, and an unusual form of Matter, based on a similar method of Life and designed to probably control Automata. As a pair of Obromi we were not ideally suited to unlocking such. The mind spell was for controlling beasts. Cosmo suspected the Space arcana was for a portal." She pauses, thinking back. "The statue spoke in many tongues offering wisdom to the student that could fig them. We suspected the diska nd statue were the first test."

Phoenyx looks to Judis. "Do you mean the artifacts we found, of the one from the Seer sanctum? The former are held by Magus Winter. The latter... I am not sure. It was certainly a focus of great power. Where did it get placed?" She looks to Aurora and Alastor.

[Winter]

The vein in his neck fills thicker, the pulse in his jaw grows restless. Why couldn't they understand that one bite sized chunk of Truth? That every act of will has a cost. In a world with no free lunches, every act of magic carried the seed of unreality. Teetering on the brink, facing the Abyss, the gaping maws of unbeing was smelling the feast. But it wasn't just the metaphysical motive that animated the Guardian, it was the occupational hazards she was invoking, flirting with, even. The lack of concern for their security, that was damning.

"No, it's not. It was a rhetorical question", he says looking at woman, before his stern gaze settles upon Shodan. "Some people in this Consilium have been a bit too cozy around Sleepers. As some of you might already know, the FBI has acquired advanced reconnaissance capabilities not even this place can defend ourselves from. Until the issue is settled, please refrain from mindlessly employing your... talents, even inside those walls"
Luckily, Phoenyx's debriefing interrupts him. The Seers had been close, close enough to show again to every one of them that the Circle wasn't a safe-house. However, the Arrows had disposed of the threat, he's perplexed by the inclusion of Master Aurora in the strike team. So that was what the smell of fish had been about?
"Yes", he says, "the Guardians have funded the acquisition and claim ownership of both artifacts. If any of you of sufficient skill is willing to lend his talents to assist in the investigation, feel welcome to join us", cutting the Guaordian Knot before anybody might entertain any strange idea, "we couldn't get past the space component of the pattern".

[Kaze]

Kaze enters, smiling quietly. He moves over to where Phoenyx is standing, just standing near to her. He's got on his usual ensemble, a brown, leather jacket over a solid, black shirt and black trousers and shoes.

He listens to the talk among the Awakened, and watches amiably enough, not saying anything.

[Langdon]

Langdon nods to Shodan as the man makes his entrance and then almost looks giddy as Pheonyx describes the two articles. Winter's somber, though apt warning, and claiming of the artifacts puts a damper on the Mystagogues cheer.

Then Alastor speaks.

"Wait. I think I missed something. Archmastery? I mean, it would explain this place because its just about unexplainable. And would explain the underground because ya that place was its own world. What do you mean though about two archmasters fighting?" Then Langdon remembers Winter's hook and looks to the Guardian. "I have some knowledge of Space and Matter which may help."

[Campanella]

The Hierarch shifts in his seat. Both his eye brows shoot up as the First Arrow describes what has occurred. A hand rises and dabs at his temples while Campanella masters himself.


Before he gets chance to speak, Langdon has added his voice to the conclave.

[Winter]

Alastor moves the discussion into the unfamiliar shores of Archmastery. That the clock was supernal in origin, it was a given, that Sacramento would be swept between the diatribes of the Masters above however, was problematic. Not only it was a topic the Awakened rarely breached, but the definition of what lied beyond Mastery was muddy itself. A quarrel between such wills could shake the pattern of reality.
"My hypothesis is the artifact wasn't complete until we retrieved the heart. It is not the work of a single maker, our contact back in London mentioned 3 other people that could have been involved and that might or might not be still alive in this timeline", he looked at Aurora, right now she was the only link, "the preliminary analysis we conducted in the caves beneath has shown us there are different layers to the construction, from different eras"

"With the approval of the Consilium, I propose another expedition beneath. Before that however, there's the matter of identifying the names the Londinian master mentioned", a pause, "by tapping the artifact and Master's Aurora Sympathetic links to those strangers and transferring them to myself with the help of the First Talon, we might be able to perform a post-cognition ritual".

"And then there's the issue of the FBI. Which I'm afraid, we have quite underestimated", he added solemnly.