(Matriarch) I Spy

[Xander]

Piled into the minivan the mages moved from the Circle of Creation to UC Davis's campus. Parking was a bit sparse in the early afternoon but the group manages to get to the campus nonetheless.

Nothing strikes the mages immediately. Foot traffic was low but not nothing as classes were clearly in session. Scattered benches line the walkways and signs indicate directions to important locations. It was mostly what you'd expect from a public university, including the few campus security guards that walk around the campus. Students were missing, and though the guards weren't exactly numerous they were still around. Certainly a complication for the mages of Sacramento.

[Phoenyx]

It had been a long time since the Arrow had been a passenger. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, forfeiting her motorcycle for a place in the minivan. What if they needed a pursuit? That sounded exciting. Still... Their aim was to gather intelligence, not to start a fight through the campus. And they had to stick together.

Phoenyx pulled her longcoat around her to better conceal her weapons. "Alright. Security is high, so we need to be discrete. Let's look for the alley where the body was deposited. We should stay together. If we do get separated, you all have my number." The Arrow had handed it out on the trip over.

She gets out of the minivan and starts leading towards the back of the campus.

[Belle]

As uneventful as the drive over is, Belle can't help but feel an undercurrent of electric tension in the air as the Magi approach UC Davis. This is unlike the last investigation she was with: there wasn't the threat of discovery or life and limb. And she doubts that anyone they encounter will be as forgiving as Nursiae and the Sancta Trinitas.
​"Give me a second once we park. I'll be setting up a little sneak-prep before we arrive. If I'm hard to keep track of, just text me."

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-12-27 00:09:44	Belle rolls 4 to Improv Casting: Incognito Presence (Mind + Gnosis) (10 Again)	2, 6, 8, 2	1 success

She looks for a parking spot out of the way of security cameras, which adds a little time as she circles like a soccer mom looking to expunge her eager athletes. As they finally pull into a parking spot, Belle lets everyone else out while she weaves a little Mind around herself to appear less bright and bouncy and more plain Jane. The words are rushed, but there's the satisfying sensation of her Will sheltering her from all but the more perceptive viewers.
She exits the van, falling in line with Phoenyx but letting Moira and Apollo flank her. Let the faces do the talking while she observes...

[Apollo]

Apollo stepped out of the Mini-Van and took a quick look around. "One moment" He closed his eyes for a moment whilst Belle was doing her thing in the van. He concentrated, being able to see Spirits may come in useful, it may not. Sometimes they had information that was of use.

"I am ready when you all are"

Spirit Tongue

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-12-29 07:05:17	Apollo rolls 6 to Presence + Socialize + Spirit (10 Again)	10, 7, 1, 3, 8, 2, 4	2 successes

[Moira]

Moira was nervous and before getting out of the van went ahead and cast a simple forces rote to control sound. Her hands moved as she focused, the spell forming in her mind, and was quickly active. Just a handy spell if you needed to say something just to one person so no one else could hear, or bring the sound of a conversation within eye sight to herself. Great for being a sneaky bitch, and frankly about the only manner of stealth she posessed.

Influence Sound

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-01-02 09:25:29	Moira rolls 6 to Inteligence + Occult (10 Again)	1, 3, 4, 10, 8, 2, 9	3 successes

[Xander]

The mages began their investigation, with Phoenix leading the way. While their group was larger then most of the individuals or pairs finding their way they proceeded unmolested. None of them looked out of place, and a group of three young people on a college campus didn't exactly stir suspicion.

Belle feels the connection to her watchtower form as the glyph sparks into being. Her head down, eyes sharp, she proceeds as the least remarkable thing in an already unremarkable group.

Apollo likewise visualizes his imago and connects to the higher realms. His eyes open to the state of the local twilight, and he sees little activity to speak of. Hazy and indistinct humanoid shapes slowly lumber along the walk ways in an eerily silent march. Solitary yet comparatively numerous compared to the rest of the city, Apollo remains vaguely aware yet completely deaf to the happenings of the local shades. The spirits themselves were fairly sparse. Artificial spirits of several vehicles were looking about the parking lots, and some small nature spirits watched what green spaces could be found on the campus. The mages were on the other side of the campus from the hospital, and in the more emotionally sterile research and academic portions of the campus whatever noteworthy spirit activity was about seemed to remain in the shadow or indoors.

Moira follows suit with her own act of will, though her spell is quickly left behind at the vehicle. The space defined when she visualized her imago, it remained by the car as the mages departed.

The campus itself was large and open. While 'the alley' was of little help in downtown the campus was open enough that few places could fit that description. A quick look at a campus map and they find several research facilities close together nearby. As they approach they find it still had enough space for sidewalks and several trees to be planted in the grass, but the smell of the dumpsters didn't exactly leave much desire to walk through. It was the closest match to what the officers described in their report, and as the mages approached they could recognize it from the coverage on tv and in the bee.

Perception checks please!
Matt pisces - Please note whether the spell is rote or improvised, the spell being cast, and the full dice formula in your roll. This is the friendly reminder, any subsequent rolls not noted accordingly will be treated as failures. See Belle's post for a good example!

[Phoenyx]

Phoenyx looked up and down the Alleyway. It certainly looked similar to some of Puck's research, which certainly provided credence to the Acanthus' intelligence-gathering (or possibly that of his colleague).

"This looks like the place," she said to the others in a low voice. "Let's be quick."

With no signs of remaining police presence it was unlikely there was going to be a serious issue with them being here, but it wasn't a great look - four random twenty-somethings skulking around a crime scene. Phoenyx trusted her potent Supernal Sight would show any remnants of spells as she made her way forwards, trying to spot anything useful.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-01-05 10:10:26	Phoenyx rolls 5 to Perseption - Wits2 + Comp3 (10 Again)	3, 5, 10, 6, 3, 1	1 success

[Belle]

Belle remembers being a college student once upon a time. The whole routine had been comforting to her: the 7AM dash to get ready for the 7:30AM lecture, followed by the 9:30AM lab, and so on. She’d made a few friends, but none who she could talk to about the REALLY juicy stuff she was learning at home from her family about Magic. Still, it was a good mundane anchor and got her the knowledge she needed to help with other aspects of life.
Keeping unusually quiet (which for Belle meant not chatting the party up every few yards), Belle goes with the group and looks around for anything of note as the buildings begin to coalesce around the ‘alley’ they were looking for. Wierd. I figured we’d have been stopped by campus security by now. I guess we do blend in.

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-01-05 21:40:14	Belle rolls 4 to Scan the Alley (Wits + Comp) (10 Again)	5, 2, 4, 2	failure

[Apollo]

Apollo followed along with the group, sticking close to Moira as he knew she had a penchant for getting into trouble. He tried his best to blend in, although him blending in when he stuck out was a challenge. Hopefully people would think they were either staff or mature students. As he walked he observed the spirits in the area, the spirit world around the area seemed boring, lifeless, sterile... but the focus of the area they were in was academics and research and boring and sterile came with the territory. Deep down he hoped he would not have to speak to some research or academics based spirit, he was struggling slightly with college as it was and he didn't want to struggle talking to one of them at least not in front of the others.

As they arrived at the alley or what was described his focus shifted. Observing the alley for a few moments, maybe he would pick up on something before his focus shifted to keeping an eye out for signs of trouble.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-01-06 17:13:59	Apollo rolls 5 to Wits + Comp (10 Again)	4, 8, 3, 1, 3	1 success

[Moira]

Moira walked along with her head on swivel, and even glancing to her fellow awakened, just in case they had an 'AHA!' moment. She felt paranoid enough that the little hairs on her body even felt alive to the surroundings. A therapist once called it 'hyper vigilence." Here's to hoping it would serve her now, and not just do enough to make her jump out of her skin at a trash panda or something.

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-01-10 11:37:28	Moira rolls 6 to Perception Roll: Wits 3+ Composure 3 (10 Again)	8, 10, 7, 7, 10, 7, 5, 6	3 successes