PRP: DYLF: Philip's Sanctum

[ReubanBrightwood]

I responded to your PM about the scouring , Very descriptive I like the post, now what are you doing next? if your done with hacking would you like to change scenes or is there still a few things you want to do here?

As every free councillor knows information wants to be free, should be free ... except if its an e-mail with your fake Alias on it then that needs to be buried deep in the bowls of fragmented memory hopefully beyond the point of reconstruction. With that done and, research complete, hacking achieved and an unknown assailant held off Philip can rest easy for the moment knowing he has taken the measure he needs to in ensuring the veil has remained in tact and his involvement is harder then ever to tie to the affairs.

[Philip Crosen]

Philip Crosen, yet another scion of the Tower of the Lunargent Thorn, was no fool, despite his epitomy. At least, in the very rare occasions when he really tried and fate agreed with him. This was one of those times, or so he hoped. And so, gripped with purpose after his latest series of bungles, he now understood he`d need to call on Fate`s guiding hand to help him even more than he previously expected. Armed with this knowledge, he decided to scour his pattern for muscle mass again, to get an edge against the threats he was sure were arrayed against him. True to his epitomy regardless of course, he was standing when he should have been sitting, lying down comfortably or otherwise taking any of a number of precautions while scouring his pattern for the precious mana he knew he`d need going forward. The shearing pain hit him suddenly and unexpectedly and coarsed through his body. This time, he really had to struggle to not fall down and hurt himself. But fortunately for him, fate did in fact agree with him this time, and he was able to push through. So he was able to get to a chair without falling over, tripping or otherwise losing control from the sheer pain.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-03-18 16:08:34	Philip Crosen rolls 2 to not falling over from the pain(Stam, 2 + Resolve 2 -2 (2nd scouring this scene)) (10 Again)	8, 9	2 successes

And there he stayed seated for several hours organising his thoughts, mulling over Witch not being present in the Crematorium and his ounce of Mothisa`s ashes. He also debated with himself whether he wanted to meet Mothisa`s parents anyway, despite his mantra against involvement or connections to the investigation.
Could it be worth doing a search for any and all online pictures of the ring or type of ring Mothisa and the other guy were wearing in the pictures?

He also thought about the hacker again after another couple of hours. At that point, he glanced at his watch to find it was already 7 PM and his pain had become ever so slightly less, only partially replaced by the hunger his non-arcadian body parts required. This time, he`d treat himself to an oven- baked deep-frozen pizza he had in his freezer from some time ago, feeling apathetic like he always did after a scouring. Said and done, he put it in the oven and went over to his TV to watch netflix while it was in the oven. At 7:45 PM he was done slowly but absentmindedly cleaning up the kitchen after his dinner. And so he had to decide what he wanted to do that evening. He could go back to his research, but decided against it.

He was briefly gripped by paranoia after dinner though, and desperately needed to see if anything had happened while his computer had been off in the intervening hours. Had he genuinely weathered the storm? Had any of his work files or anything been compromised anyway? After briefly checking and confirming that if they were, he couldn`t find evidence of it, he made his decision. He would chill with netflix the rest of the evening and not care about anything while he was still wracked with muscle pains and so he quickly turned his computer off again, after his brief check to satisfy his paranoia. The next day, he`d do a search for all pictures on the internet of those weird golden rings he`d seen Darren and Mothisa wear and do home office work for much of the rest of that day while checking the entire time if his hacker friend would make a reappearance, baiting him into trying his luck once again. That is, unless fate wills me to do something different?, he mused.

It wasn`t out of laziness he was putting his quest for Mothisa briefly on hold. It was just that he would not leave the hacking threat unattended, knowing it could strike again at any time when he was away where he wouldn`t be in a position to respond like he was this time. Only after that would he go to a place where Darren was known to hang out at, at a time he wouldn`t be there, to do Postcognition spying on him and his associates based on his limited knowledge of his normal intinerary and routine in his files. Hopefully my brief glimpses into the past will yield some insights like they did with Mr. Vize and Mr. Hemmingway. he thought, as he was making himself comfy on his sofa.

[ReubanBrightwood]

The -2 is going to apply to the next dice you actually need to roll, there is no need to roll to stay standing up.

So Philip shores up his resources take an evening of self care and it looks like gets ready to do a little more research the next morning regarding the rings he noticed. (his files and computer show no signs of anything bad happening, they are has they have always been).

[Philip Crosen]

After chilling late into the evening, Philip snuggled off to bed at 11:15 PM. It wasn`t a kind sleep, however. Much like a couple nights prior, his joint pains and muscle weakness were grueling to sleep through. At 9 AM he woke to the sound of his alarm kinda groggy after a long but otherwise not really fulfilling sleep, or more accurately, time in bed. He knew his agenda for the day. And it was first of all, to get the research about any pictures or records of golden rings that matched the description of the ones on Mothisa and Darren. Then, he`d take it easy and do some light home-office work while keeping an eye out for his hacker `friend`.
Hopefully he makes a reappearance today. He`ll get what`s coming to him, I hope.

But first of all, he was on to the first order of business for the day. And that was researching the things about the golden rings ideally before he got hacked again. Despite having clear purpose, he was still groggy from the scouring the day before. He`d have to reach deep and he knew it. After reassuring himself he couldn`t be heard he started chanting in High Speech in as loud a whisper as he dared, struggling through his groggyness and soreness in order to cast his version of Library of Time with as much awakened will he could muster. Again, this was with the clear goal to attempt to speed up his research process and hopefully finish before his `friend` got interested in him.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-03-19 17:18:25	Philip Crosen rolls 5 to Library of Time (Gnosis 3 + Time 2 + High Speech 2 -2 (2nd scouring in same scene))) (10 Again)	8, 3, 10, 3, 6, 4	2 successes

It is my understanding that the previous roll last post from Philip, to remain standing and not fall over and hurt himself, at -2 penalty (because of 2nd Scouring this scene also last post) was partially invalidated. So this (Library of Time) roll now stands as the roll at -2 penalty because of 2nd Scouring. I just wanted to make sure this is understood to avoid any confusion, although this has already been covered in private chat.

The brief effect from his nimbus didn`t bother him at all this time, and he breathed a sigh of relief, unlike his fail the day before.Glad to see I still got it. I will get my follow-up pictures of the golden rings with the Ohm symbol if Fate wills it so. he thought, reassuring himself. So with Library of Time cast to his satisfaction, he got to work on his computer, sparing a brief glance at the clock, which said 9:30 AM before letting the time (and web pages) fly by.

20 suxx

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-03-19 17:30:08	[06] Philip Crosen rolls 10 to Research (Int 3 + Acad. 3 +1 research spec. +3 desktop-replacement laptop +1 keywords +1 internet -2 obscure topic) (10 Again)	7, 3, 1, 6, 2, 7, 9, 4, 9, 8	3 successes
2024-03-19 17:30:08	[05] Philip Crosen rolls 10 to Research (Int 3 + Acad. 3 +1 research spec. +3 desktop-replacement laptop +1 keywords +1 internet -2 obscure topic) (10 Again)	3, 7, 9, 3, 9, 4, 5, 4, 9, 4	3 successes
2024-03-19 17:30:08	[04] Philip Crosen rolls 10 to Research (Int 3 + Acad. 3 +1 research spec. +3 desktop-replacement laptop +1 keywords +1 internet -2 obscure topic) (10 Again)	6, 7, 5, 4, 8, 9, 8, 7, 9, 6	4 successes
2024-03-19 17:30:08	[03] Philip Crosen rolls 10 to Research (Int 3 + Acad. 3 +1 research spec. +3 desktop-replacement laptop +1 keywords +1 internet -2 obscure topic) (10 Again)	1, 9, 2, 7, 8, 6, 9, 6, 4, 10, 5	4 successes
2024-03-19 17:30:08	[02] Philip Crosen rolls 10 to Research (Int 3 + Acad. 3 +1 research spec. +3 desktop-replacement laptop +1 keywords +1 internet -2 obscure topic) (10 Again)	7, 1, 8, 3, 5, 10, 7, 2, 9, 4, 5	3 successes
2024-03-19 17:30:08	[01] Philip Crosen rolls 10 to Research (Int 3 + Acad. 3 +1 research spec. +3 desktop-replacement laptop +1 keywords +1 internet -2 obscure topic) (10 Again)	9, 9, 2, 3, 8, 1, 3, 2, 7, 1	3 successes

[ReubanBrightwood]

Scouring be dammed Philip is able to force through Arcadian truth to guide his hand and help make good use of his hours.

The Ohm or Om symbol is the holy symbol of Hinduism, often vocally expressed during prayer or meditation it is believed to be the simplest sound someone can make and underpins/ in part of all creation.

The symbol itself is used to represent the universe or ultimate reality.

It's use on flags, jewellery or as a painted symbol in art is not uncommon, however it is one of many highly symbol images related to the Hindu faith. From what Philips research shows Mothisa was a practicing Hindu (although her faith seemed to take back seat as she pushed to pursue her career) and her family still are.

In Hinduism Gold has a wide array of symbolism. Power and wealth of course, but it also has the power to purify anything it comes into contact with. Additional symbolism includes good health, prosperity and femininity.

Darren is not a practising Hindu or related to any. Darren's style is more bohemian and new age in appearance in which while the ring certainty does fit with that appearance as it does not fit conventional American ideals or ways of living he is also now to believe in the concept of chakras, spiritual energy and freedom of artistic expression over capitalistic gains.

From detailed research of the photos however Philip can confirm that this is not a case of wearing the same style ring, but the same ring. It is sized a little to small for Darren's fingers, has the same tiny imperfect in the join where the symbol meets the band.

[Philip Crosen]

Despite the religious symbolism partially clouding his search for arcane secrets, the fact that Darren and Mothisa were wearing the same ring was definitely relevant, especially since Darren didn`t seem to be a practicing Hindu. And after spending some time going over his research findings and reflecting on the situation, after he was done with his research he decided his plans to check out places Darren hung out at were still a go, but later.

With his research done without unauthorized interruptions, he decided to turn his attention to his clients for the rest of the day, getting in about an hour`s worth of work till he decided to have lunch at 1:30 PM. A couple chicken sandwiches later, and he was back to work at 1:45 PM already, being a busy bee. He didn`t need to make up lost ground. His schedule for the rest of the week had been blocked for the search for Mothisa`s fate. But he felt that working was the best thing he could do to bide his time until his `friend` made a reappearance. Might as well spend my time doing something productive. he thought, sighing to himself. So he looked over his latest client`s notes to give him the best service he could. Try as he did though, he couldn`t get his thoughts off the hacker, always periodically coming back to Mothisa and his adversary. So he let the hours fly by, a sense of uncharacteristic uncertainty hanging over him. Doubt knawed at him.

[ReubanBrightwood]

Philip chews away the hours catering to his mundane tasks, keeping the guise of his sleeper life in tact waiting ... waiting ... waiting .... by end of the day no new threat has appeared, not resurgence in attacks. Was it coincidental? was it a one time thing? is the he caught in a vicious stalemate of waiting as the Hacker tries to bluff him? Either way.

However comes 11pm something does ping his alerts, not security not an attack but Darren's Instagram has just had a new upload. A healthy dolled up looking Mothisa makes a face that must be a tik tok fad into the camera lens with the caption ready to party tonight! comments already poor in some appreciating her appearance others questioning the authenticity of the picture, still others making threats against Darren (it is his account after all) for being so disrespectful.

It seems this might end where it began as Mothisa is at the Ultra park lounge tonight!

[Philip Crosen]

After a day without his adversary hacking him, one last check on Darren`s Instagram gets Philip exactly what he wants right before he was going to call it quits and log off to go to bed. It was just past 11 PM and he almost couldn`t believe his eyes. An info purporting to show Mothisa post-death, alive and well that very same evening, and where her exact location would be for the coming hours. For Philip, this picture set off alarm bells for a different but very simple reason, it was simply too convenient. So convenient that even sleepers had picked up on this fact, judging from the comments and lack of respect towards Darren. Something tells me Darren should be on the list of hacker suspects now. he thought, quite concerned about this latest developent and he let out a loud "Hmmmmmm."

So if this info is true I know where she is now. And with the people there, unlikely I can ever get in there to cast Postcognition without setting off all sorts of problems. OK. So now what do I do? he thought, pondering his options. He knew he`d have to avoid problems, but he discarded the hacking idea because it would only reveal additional pictures and this time he heeded live proof. Last time there hadn`t been any problems, but that didn`t mean there wouldn`t be any this time. It could be a trap. he thought, but then he reassured himself: It should be fine as long as I`m careful. Fate must have handed me this convenient information for a reason. I`ll go to this party tonight and spring whatever traps there might be. And I`ll keep a lookout for this hacker tomorrow. he thought, turning off his computer and preparing to go to the party.

After freshening up and donning some party clothes: fresh jeans, an orange shirt and his gray jacket from his closet, he he took his backpack and put a spare water bottle in it in addition to his wallet and phone-slash-order tool. His SSD and desktop-replacement laptop he`d keep at home for safety`s sake for the time being. Although he took his hairspray, lighter and fake pack of cigarettes with him in addition to a first aid kit, just in case. He would have his hairspray flamethrower and his wits to keep him out of trouble that night. And with that, he took his car and left his apartment at 11:15, less than 15 minutes after seeing the Instagram post, to head to the Ultra Park Lounge again.

[ReubanBrightwood]

Okay so that means a new scene I'll get it up ASAP