(1911) Duel Consilium II

[Campanella]

Campanella has finished his circuit when he finds himself approached by Star . Along the way he was able to give Shodan a passing nod.

The Hierarch gives a quiet, private, smile.

"Welcome back..."

Eyes widen in surprise.

"Now where...? How did...? I was starting to think I'd lost those. Thank you."

The precious objects are received and slipped away discretely.

"All is well with your House, I trust? I tried to leave it as I left it. It was - is - the House of the Veiled Threats. Nidhogg's Bane was simply a place holder waiting for your return."

For the most part, his eyes remain trained on the Illusionist, breaking contact only twice: once to note that Cosmo was moving to speak with Anima ; twice, to slide across to the entrance looking for Winter .

[Phoenyx]

Phoenyx moves swiftly from the Arrow Quarter, leather coat trailing behind her like the wings of a bat.

Slipping quietly into the Concilium, the First Talon inclines her head to the Hierarch and then works her way around the edge, eyes resting briefly on the unfamiliar faces before standing at "ease" against her usual wall.

[Winter]

The candles and the sweet scent of incense bring him back to the years of his youth, blinding him to the rest of the room. He didn't know whether the Hierarch was just overdoing it, was paying homage to the Golden key, or was just too deep down those occult magazines the Guardian had witnessed him perusing. Still, he appreciated the effort.
He casually drifts toward the altar, hands stuck in the pockets of his brown coat. What he thinks of Wizards in pointy hats battles is no secret; his clothing - blue jeans and a coat - and his demeanor or the fact that he's unshaven are telling: the Duel arcane is a convenient solution, but despite what self aggrandizing ladders might preach, every Guardian knows that practical solutions while preferable often lead just to approximations of the Truth.
If anything, what was worthy of this solemnity was the teaching experience attached to the duel. Plant the seeds of Wisdom and see what it sticks.
"So, everyone is here",nevermind that he's the last to arrive.

  failure

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-11-13 07:57:35		Winter rolls 6 to Perception (10 Again)		1, 1, 6, 5, 2, 3		failure

Note

Damn, really wanted to comment on the different outfits, but again, tyranny of the dice

Relevant ST stuff in the sheet

[Star]

"Our house was a seed," the Illusionist answered with a genuine smile. "And home is where the heart is."

Sure, there are memories, but they're also carried on the sound of roller skates through these hallowed halls, or the strum of a guitar. And if four people coming together for a Mana grab turned into something more? It's not an institution, yo. It's an inspiration.

We found love in a hopeless place.

"'Sup?" Long, gloved fingers give Campanella a final pat before waving to Cosmo. Look at this guy. All buttoned up and put together. That must be short for Cosmopolitan and not Cosmonaut. "Do we have 'HELLO MY NAME IS' badges? Star. Short for Starfighter. Starfighter, The Last. Although I'll answer to 'Hey you' more often than not because better safe than sorry, right? Unless you're shoplifting. Then 'Hey you' is never a good sign. Or if you think you're invisible. Then 'Hey you' is definitely a bad sign."

Lazy eyes slid over the other arrivals. Wow. There's a lot of pretty people. Fantastic. Because now he can be invisible.

[October]

An eyebrow raises at the guy who clearly needed to broadcast what he did. Thankfully, she was less flashy about her profession, and knew only a handful of people who knew what she did. Being flashy was just tacky in her eyes.

Spotting Kaze a small smile and nod were offered to him.

Sounded like the Hierarch knew the new guy, a returning face?

Another smile offered to Phoenyx as she entered. One of the few she actually knew.

As the others arrived, it dawned on her she really knew no one here. Names, faces and sometimes Paths, but that was about it.

Looking to Star as he spoke, another quick smile was offered, “Hi Star, I’m October, Acanthus. And I think we’re fresh out of those badges.” She jokes back. “And I like the name, was a great movie.” She was being serious, she’d seen it, years ago.

[Cosmo]

Faces continue to flow into the building, and Cosmo smiles politely as they do. A new face was always a welcome addition, and having both duelists present was surely going to make the duel go faster. Campanella's reaction to Star marks the new returning mage in Cosmo's mind. As The Last Starfighter speaks Cosmo's mouth folds into a thin crease and his eyebrows slowly arch up in amusement.

"Well it's nice to meet you Star."

It was the only answer he could think of for the man, not really sure he wanted to expand on the shoplifting or invisibility at this particular point in time. Besides, he had come with the explicit intention of keeping a low profile.

"So do we wait for Spark or...."

His words trailed off, and his eyes bounced from head to head before landing on Campanella.

[Campanella]

Campanella stirred, disengaging from Star with a quiet word.

"Spark contacted me earlier. He will not be joining us at this gathering*"

The Hierarch stepped forward.

"Friends and fellow Awakened on this here River City Consilium, the time has come."

"As you know will by now know, Magus Shodan issued a challenge to Magus Winter for the Duel Arcane and was accepted. This challenge was to prove and demonstrate Wisdom by force of arms and command of the Arcana."

That was, of course, the very short and succinct version. Nearly all those gathered there before him had witnessed the exchange and the Moros did not need to elaborate or expand further.

"In accordance with the laws we all share, they shall shortly step into the squared circle; there they shall battle to one yields and superior Wisdom is demonstrated."

He deliberately avoided the possibility that the challengers might end up pushing the Duel to the death; similarly, he was at pains to point out the place of the Duel in the rites of the Pentacle Orders - not just the Atlantean Diamond. He knew how strong the Free Council was becoming recently, and hoped his words might remain as a subtle reminder.

"And after that I have a few words..."

Now he let that hang in the air.

But was already moving, tracing out a space with movement and gesture for the Duel. It wasn't necessary and may have been a little overdone, but none could argue when the glyph flared to life with burning white Primal energy, tracing out the dimensions of the duelling space.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-11-14 04:27:06		Campanella to cast Squared Circle improv rolls 6 to Gnosis 4 + Prime 2 (10 Again)		8, 1, 10, 4, 8, 1, 1		3 successes

He finished off with a simple mudra; after all, he wanted to see the two Theurgist's Art as much as anyone else.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-11-14 04:28:43		Campy to cast Supernal Vision rote rolls 7 to Wits + Occult + Order Spec + Prime - 1 Tolerance (10 Again)		2, 3, 3, 3, 5, 9, 3		1 success

* I believe Spark is caught up with RL stuff

[Yumyumcrow]

To reiterate - rules for the Duel Arcane may be found p86-89 1st ed. Mage Corebook.

Before Shodan and Winter enter the duelling space, they engage in a Contest of Wills. Each player rolls either Presence + Intimidation or Manipulation + Subterfuge; the opponent's Composure acts as a penalty to this roll. The winner of the Contest gets the Edge, unsettles their opponent and gains aa +1 dice bonus for duration of the duel.