PRP: DYLF: Mothisa's Apartment

[ReubanBrightwood]

With the keys proving unhelpful for the moment Witch calls upon Stygian truth to overcome this obstacle, directing the powers at her command to make truth reality ... it is unfortunate that in this dark age for magic truth can often be hard to find, is often over powered by the lie, as in this case, the door remains sealed. The supernatural awareness of her spell going off true enough just its effects failing to manifest in this fallen world.

Philip then takes his turn. Rather than a direct result he casts his wish into the ever mercurial streams of Arcadian winds and giving fate a nudge but not a hard and fast direction. A wish he feels fate grab and run off with it, to do as it wills.

(This part is not seen by the mages at the front door). Up upon the topmost floor a man in a silk shirt with the top two buttons undone and leather pants belted around a toned waist rushes through his apartment to the front door apparently late in heading out, not taking a moment to check and be sure, fingers go for the light switch, but in his haste he is half out the door already and reaches short instead clicking the main door entry switch for letting guests into the building. Cursing he pulls himself back around the door reaches again and this time the lights go out as he resumes rushing out and the door is pulled closed.

(The mages do experience this part) Shortly after Philip casts his spell and his wish is whisked off into the tangled threads of fate the electric door lock buzzes, indicating it is open.

Philip Crosen Shifting the odds has a mana cost please spend that in your next post.

[Witch]

Hearing the buzz, Witch reaches quickly for the door, pulling it open before the timer ticks down and locks them out again.

She didn't know what exactly Philip had done, but she gave him a nod. Coincidences around an acanthus? Suuuurrreee.

Stepping inside, she held the door open for Philip before taking a moment to call upon that which had already been useful so far.

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-12-31 07:52:55	Witch rolls 5 to Grim Sight (Arcana + Gnosis) (10 Again)	10, 1, 10, 8, 4, 1, 4	3 successes

Grim Sight

That done, she began to make her way to the apartment.

[Philip Crosen]

As Philip cast his spell, he felt the temporary feeling of hollowness he always felt when he drained his mana. He hadn`t really intended to go all-out, but the situation had warranted this action. He thanked his former associate inwardly for teaching him the rote as he recited the ancient symbols and gestures, feeling the equations and the enlightenment as the spell took effect. He hoped this action had helped the world to nudge just that tiny step closer towards enlightenment, and this hope filled him with contentment. He was thankful it was dark outside, but he knew it was a double-edged sword. Just the few lights from the apartments and some street lights in the distance illuminated the sorroundings. Nevertheless, he couldn`t avoid that briefest of moments when all wavelengths within 10 yards of him were briefly shifted to the middle of the electromagnetic spectrum like a flickering candle. The tiny green-gray shrubs and moss that had grown between the stones of the sidewalk briefly became ever so slightly sharper and more focused. Like gaslighting someone, this was always the case when he cast a spell in lower-light conditions, before going back to the way they were before. So he cursed himself because of his nimbus as he always did, hoping that no one noticed, and especially that Witch didn`t notice. But then, seconds later, it seemed fate had accepted his gift and wish and complied, opening the door with the oh-so-common metallic buzz sound of electric doors.

Now all the knowledge of Mothisa`s apartment will be revealed, and they will be mine!

he thought hopefully, arrogantly, and greedily, burying and forgetting about his concerns regarding his nimbus. Then, not hiding his immediate satisfaction, he gave Witch a brief smirk as if to say about the door:

Of course that was always gonna happen.

before going through the door Witch had caught and kept open for him. Deep down inside however, he knew better. Just because the door opened didn`t mean they were out of the woods yet, and he was expecting the unexpected as was always the case when he attempted to shift the odds in his favor.

They knew Mothisa`s was apartment number 12. Again taking no chances, he decided to cast Sybil`s Sight on himself again to take in the sorroundings. He was secretly hoping Witch would cast her own mage sight, so they could really cover some ground in the supernal department.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-01-02 09:57:49	Philip Crosen rolls 6 to Sybil`s Sight (Gnosis 3+Fate 3) (10 Again)	2, 1, 1, 5, 10, 9, 2	2 successes

Feeling the mage sight take effect and getting immersed in the sorroundings, he recognised the urgency to get to apartment 12, so he strode towards it with a fast pace up the stairs with his mage sight on, hoping Witch would follow him.

Forgot to use the expenditure icon last time, Philip should have 6 mana left after this expenditure.Hope I used the expenditure icon function appropriately as this is my first use of it.

[ReubanBrightwood]

Witch grabs the door pulling it open, ensuring both mages enter the building. Setting up their mage sights as they go shrouding their vision through the lenses of death and fate respectively.

The mages will note that each apartment has a locked letter box in the foyer, and Number 12's is slightly overflowing. Philip in addition to the the strands of fate he saw earlier, twisting slowly lethargically in the area will notice a thinner more translucent thread hanging from something in this post box.

Passing through the foyer for now, they also pass a mangers office with a fogged glass window in the top half of the door, and the light inside off, before ascending the stairs following signs to their destination. Once they reach the door to number 12 the mages are once, more confronted by a locked door. This time fitted with a mechanical lock. The key advertising 2 men and and a van is brass and looks to fit a mortice lock, while the lock on the door locks like steel, and requires a pin tumbler key. Clearly one is not made for the other.

[Witch]

Witch glanced to the letter box, and reaching out pulled what contents she could free without requiring a key to get to the remainder.

Absently tucking and tapping them into order, she fell in with Philip Crosen to reach the apartment.

Noting the lock type, she didn't bother reaching for the key in her pocket. Instead she hoped that this wouldn't be a case of third times a charm, but rather second.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-01-06 06:49:16	Witch rolls 6 to Loosen the Threads (Arcana + Gnosis) (10 Again)	7, 4, 10, 2, 6, 4, 1	1 success

Loosen the Threads

She felt the spell lock into place and twisting the handle, sought to see if the lock had, in reverse, unlocked.

[Philip Crosen]

Philip nodded to Witch. She managed to get them through the inner door without much trouble. And it was appreciated.

Now the investigation can finally begin in earnest.

he thought. So, he carefully entered Mothisa`s apartment while immersed in his mage sight. He wanted to start by getting a basic gist of whatever he saw in it and then study it more carefully later. He secretly hoped there`d be bigger strands of fate than the few whisps he saw in the mailbox or outside before they entered the main door. So he strode forward curiously, carefully, wound up and on guard.

If I`m reading the rules right, revelation is an instant roll of (fate arcana 3+gnosis 3-opacity x) (mta 2 p.92) where opacity is only known to the storyguide. Subsequently you`d have to roll revelation yourself for me or tell me the opacity amount for each individual potential mystery present, because I`d like to roll for revelation in this turn but I don`t know the opacity of any potential mysteries in and around the room of Mothisa`s.

[ReubanBrightwood]

Philip would note that as Witch grabs the most accessible letters pamphlets and magazines whatever is inside the post-box that matters enough to have snagged a little of fate itself has not come with that pile.

If you want to lever it out you can make a dex+larceny roll -2 for difficulty-1 for needing to improv a tool. Or use magic, or a combination of.

With a moment of focused will Witch's glyph forms over the lock, the golden form of a covert spell and is followed by a satisfying click of tumblers as the lock opens and the door then swings wide into a mercifully dark apartment. Mercifully because the wall length window would clearly show light and activity inside.

The apartment itself stretch's wide and barren before the mages straight into a living room/open plan kitchen now devoid of any furniture, the hum of electricity absent so the standing fridge freezer is either not plugged in, or the fuse for this apartment is off. No heat nor air conditioning is active the room holds an empty stillness the smell of lightly disturbed dust trickling forth. The light from the hall cuts a narrow beam through this gloom to show a corridor on the far side of this room leading further into the apartment, a door on either side and a third at the far end.

Under mage sight, the veneer of the lie if peeled back to show the room carries an equally still resonance, a malaise undisturbed and unmoving blanketing the space. It highlights particularly under Witch's Grim sight but seems muted, .. faded ... old it seems old.

[Philip Crosen]

Philip was disappointed. After all the trouble they went through to obtain access to Mothisa`s apartment, there wasn`t much to see. And he certainly wasn`t going to just let himself be resigned to this fate. After all, he was pretty decent at winding its` strings to do his bidding. So, he was certain if he put in just that little ounce of more work into his mage sight, he might have more luck. He simply wouldn`t accept that the room and indeed the entire building was as empty and devoid of fate and indeed anything noteworthy at all, at first glance, as it appeared. He still had his backup plan, going back and putting even the tiniest strands of fate he saw under the proverbial microscope, but he wasn`t that desperate yet.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-01-11 05:45:36	Philip Crosen rolls 6 to Revelation (Gnosis 3+Fate 3) (10 Again)	6, 5, 6, 3, 6, 10, 9	2 successes

[ReubanBrightwood]

I linked these in mage occ, and will again here. Scrutiny and resonance The brief summary is to do scrutiny you roll int+occult and you can roll a number of times equal to your gnosis per thing you want to scrutinize. It is very intently staring and clearly visible in a conversation that you are doing … something (it is an instant action per roll). Philip Crosen please post in again with the scrutiny rolls (you can roll as many times as you are able and put them all in the same post for this one)

[Witch]

"Remind me - this was her apartment," Witch said as she stepped into the apartment, her gaze scanning the interior, "But was there anything else notable...?"

It very possible she knew where the Two Men and a Truck had been used.

Clearing out a dead woman's apartment. Because that was what this was. An empty apartment.

But to be sure... she moved deeper in, intending to check all the rooms.

And closets of course. Best place for skeletons after all.