(PRP TH) - Treasure Hunt!

[Belle]

Belle inwardly grumbles; treasure hunts were simplest when there was just one party involved. Now they had two. And Corn doesn't seem to recognize this guy, nor the other way around. But at least he wasn't trying to 'BAMF' his way past them, so he was in the Mages' sights. ​If something goes sideways, Aurora's got our...backs?

She doesn't bother turning around or looking for the Shaman. That would tell their guest that he had an even more unfair advantage and might make him desperate enough to call for help. So she'd try and help smooth things over up front. "Let me guess, you heard from a guy named Crypto? Figured he'd make it open season for whatever was down here. We're local, so we kinda got finders keepers." There's just a bit of temper in that last statement. Whoever this guy was, he was on their turf. And as far as she was concerned, it was better to have Roxie's Choker but somewhere safe and close than far away and possibly safe.

She tries to read the man's voice and posture to see if he takes the bait. If he recognizes Crypto, that could be a good cue to get him to leave. If he WAS Crypto in some cockamamie disguise, then that was a definite cue to get up in his face. If none of the above, maybe some extra hands could be useful.

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-11-03 01:03:03	Belle rolls 5 to Read Reaction (Wits + Empathy) (10 Again)	8, 3, 1, 5, 10, 10, 1	3 successes

[Aeolus]

It was frustrating indeed: Aurora couldn't quite bring her Imago to life. Was fraying her pattern earlier a blessing in disguise? Maybe this expedition would prove more Mana-intensive than she'd thought.
On the other hand, maybe it was this burning in her muscles that distracted her in the first place. Corn and Belle seemed to occupy the attention of the invader though, so maybe she could continue to work unnoticed.

Corn felt nimble enough in trying to hide his weapon. The darkness would surely cover what his dexterity couldn't. Maybe.
"What if I told you I'm a free agent?" He stopped and looked between Corn and Belle. Calculating his chances, perhaps.
Scrutinizing the man, the Moros could make out at least two spells woven into his pattern. He couldn't quite tell how many exactly, or what kind of Arcana were used - they were just too introcate and intertwined to untangle in the short amount of time he had so far.

When his gaze landed on Corn again the guy seemed to tense up a bit. A mirthless sound only losely related to a laugh escaped his lips. "So that's how it's going to be? Whatever happened to teamwork and hospitality?"

When Belle brought up the name of their contact, the attention shifted again. "You think you're the only locals around?" Another chuckle, not a bit less bitter than the last one. "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."
His voice was dripping with the tired sense of duty that probably came with years of work and experience. She'd heard the kind before, in old mentors and wannabe-Masters. While he didn't answer her question about Crypto, the name didn't seem to surprise him. It was probably safe to say who led him here. Who knew how many more would arrive.. or how many had been here before.
He was either damn good at lying or was truthful in what little he said so far, and while he seemed tense, it didn't seem like he was tense enough to strike out of the blue.

The guy made a careful step towards Belle and Corn, squinting his eyes slightly.

[Aurora]

Well fuck.

Just what they needed, someone else showing up. Between her failing her spells and an unknown, this was quickly going downhill.

An idea popped into her mind, but she quickly pushed it aside. There was no need for such a drastic step unless forced. Would she do it? If it meant protecting her friends and being successful in this mission? In a heartbeat.

So she tries to block out the talking, focusing on the task at hand. Getting the fuck up there and seeing if the necklace was there. And even if she does, she knows it’s going to be painful getting back down.

Once again, she reaches out, touching her bracelet, but this time, the universe bit back. Gritting her teeth, she feels the pain of the backlash, knowing her nose was bleeding, but not letting it stop her. Her breath shaky as she begins to cast again, calling upon Life to transform her human body into one of a hawk. Once again, like before, when there had been fish.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-11-05 17:30:31	Aurora rolls 2 to Paradox(2 dice)-1 Dedicated Magic Tool+1 Vulgar (10 Again)	1, 9	1 success

6 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-11-05 17:33:23	Aurora rolls 7 to Greater Shapechanging(Gno+Life)-1 Size-1 Dox (10 Again)	1, 2, 1, 2, 10, 10, 10, 9, 8, 9	6 successes

Active Spells: 5/6
Pulse of the Living World[POT 6]
Organic Resilience[POT 6]
Shadow Sculpting
Transform Self (Cat Eyes)
Greater Shapechanging (Hawk)

Personal Spells: 2/3
Organic Resilience[POT 6]
Transform Self (Cat Eyes)
Greater Shapechanging (Hawk)


Vulgar: 3 (+1)
Mana:0/13
WP:3

[Corn]

"Let's keep our distance, buddy." Corn warned, not paying much attention to what the guy said as he kept scrutinizing him. As the man took a step forward, Corn held his ground.

scrutiny

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-11-05 23:46:32	Corn rolls 6 to Scrutiny: Intel + Occ (matter sight) (10 Again)	9, 7, 6, 5, 9, 3	2 successes

[Belle]

Belle's hackles rose, but it was more from the man's attitude than his general presence. So far he seemed to be 'on-the-level'. In a smug, bastardly, kind of way. "Free agent? Must be nice, running your own schedule." She softens up to a bite of a smile, though she's halfway more annoyed with Corn going all 'Good, Bad & Ugly'. She hated being the face. But, she could try in a pinch.

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-11-06 00:34:07	Belle rolls 5 to Pacify Wise Guy (Pres + Persuasion) (10 Again)	2, 6, 4, 6, 2	failure

Her smile comes off as perhaps a bit more catty than she would've wanted. But what the hell, he was kind of pissing her off. "Flying around? Sounds like whatever's down here has been stationary for quite some time. And might not be alone." She thinks of the cold presence she'd sensed in her Mind's eye, hoping that having the spell up will alert her if any spooky presences show up.

[Aeolus]

Aurora shook off whatever held her back moments before and tore open a connection through the Abbys to her Watchtower. She might have taken a hit to contain the Paradox within her Pattern and used up the last reserves of Mana for this, but the effect was impressive: in the blink of an eye the stench of decay fills the air, blasting off of her Nimbus like heat from a furnace and where the Shaman just stood a hawk threw off some articles of clothing and rose into the air in a graceful display of agility. Hawks don't hunt at night, but such trivial limitations mean nothing for the Thyrsus - with her cat's eyes she could see as well as before and the nook could be reached in mere seconds.

Corn continued his scrutiny, unraveling the things he saw thread by thread. One of the spells on the intruder's pattern was a rote, the sigil golden and sterile, missing the character the other one had. But after identifying the first one, the Moros was able to ignore the bright distraction of the rote: the second spell was subtle, a purplish glow embracing the man like a shroud.

He didn't seem particularly impressed by the Necromancer's words, nor by Belle 's attempt at deescalating the situation. Taking another step forward, he was just about to answer her when Aurora's Imago fully took form. "It didn't have to be like this." There was a tired regret in his voice, but they Mystagogues could see his form tense up.

Aurora with such an exceptional roll you don't have to worry about getting out of your clothes - you are free to act.
Everybody, roll initiative! And please remember to include your (updated) stats from now on in every post.

[Belle]

Initiative 10 (Dex + Comp + Initiative Roll)

stats

[2] Magic Shield

stats

[3] Matter Armor
[1R] Sense Consciousness
[2] Ward

Active Spells 4/5
Personal Spells 3/3
Vulgar Spells 0

Health:
Mana:
WP:
Armor: 4 (via Matter Armor)
Defense: 2

stats

[Aurora]

Int 6+ 8=Int 14

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-11-07 11:11:13	Aurora rolls 1 die for initiative	8

Stats

[6] Organic Resilience
[2] Transform Self (Cat eyes)
[6] Greater Shapeshifting
[1] Shadow Sculpting

Active Spells: 4/6
Personal Spells: 3/3
Vulgar Spells: 3 (+2 on Paradox rolls)
Pattern scoured: Dexterity

Health:
Mana:
WP:
Armor 6 (Organic Resilience +1 per dot of Life Arcana)
Defense 2

[Corn]

4+5=9

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-11-07 13:56:14	Corn rolls 1 die for initiative	4

stats

[4R] Gain Skill (+2 Athl) *
[3] Matter Armor *
[3] Sybil Sight *
[5] Armor Piercing (4) *
[5] Reconfigure

Active Spells: 5/6
Personal Spells: 3/3
Vulgar Spells: 2 (+1 on Paradox rolls)

Health:
Mana:
WP:
Armor 4
Defense 2

[Aeolus]

Initiative =13

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-11-07 14:06:22	TH ST rolls 1 die for initiative	7

Turn order: (14)Aurora - (13)Intruder - (10)Belle - (9)Corn
Aurora is up.