PRP: DYLF: Philip's Sanctum

**ReubanBrightwood** · Feb 29th, 2024 06:18 PM

Philip being to his knowledge the last of three mages that set out to solve this mystery still try to crack it has hit up against various avenue of enquiry, questions that need answers and phenomena that goes without explanation. A situation he is set to remedy.

The time: 9am. (morning after visiting the crematorium)

The location: Philip's Sanctum

We will take this one task at a time okay. List what it is you are doing/researching do the rolls for that I will narrate what Philip can work out/find out and keep track of time/fatigue.

You have your three mana from scourging but still need to take the penalty (-1) on the next roll you do.

Xisdor Philip Crosen

**Philip Crosen** · Mar 2nd, 2024 08:26 AM

Philip`s alarm woke him at 9 AM sharp with a terrible ache. His tiny apartment room was a mess, as it always was, with clothes haphazardly thrown on the floor all over the place. His weaponry collection, neatly stashed in one corner and always in top condition, and his desk, with notes about his clients, were among the few things he bothered to organise. He knew he needed to push through and prepare for his appointment at 10 AM. And he knew he needed to clean up his clothes and put them in the washing machine, at some point.

failure

Or, well, that`s what he would have done, if he wasn`t as lethargic and drained as he was from the scouring the previous afternoon. The pain in his joints hit him unexpectedly similar to but not quite like a hangover that morning. He simply didn`t have the strength to get up, still feeling the weakness in the body, and so he greeted the day with apathy.
Barely managing to reach his phone from his bed, although it was right next to his right arm on his nightstand, he knew he`d need to try rescheduling the appointment for later in the afternoon and hope his client would accept, so he could go back to bed till 11 AM. Otherwise, he`d be off to one lousy day, because he knew he desperately needed more sleep to get over his soreness.

1 success

Does he gain any willpower from the night`s sleep and achievement of having completed the crematorium investigation solo, gaining him precious info to hoard for its` own sake, per his vice(greed)? Or is this negated because of the scouring? And, is it scouring or scourging, or can these be used interchangeably? And I`m not sure if rescheduling the appointment counts as a longer drawn out negotiation, which he doesn`t have the strength for right now, so I hope it`s ok to be handled with one roll. Does he in your opinion, with his humanity of 7, need to make a degeneration check to come to terms with the level of bad luck he inadvertently cursed the secretary and the crematorium organisation with?

He pushed all his findings from the previous afternoon aside in his mind. In fact, they were the furthest anything could be from his thoughts at the moment, although the pain in his joints and his drained state constantly tried to remind him. The research about Mr. Vize and his oh-so-helpful guide `Ronald` would have to come later, as would hacking the security cameras of the crematorium to blank his presence, and any potential digital correspondence, if that could be found. And a return visit to the crematorium would come much, much later, and only after sorting through everything he managed to get and calming the situation down with the employees at the Crematorium who`d no doubt recognise him. Granted, he`d already gone throuhg part of his findings on his phone, but it had been a lot to take in. At the moment, he`d have to deal with his immediate professional problems, he figured.
Hopefully I can get him to agree to postpone it on such short notice. he thought anxiously.

**ReubanBrightwood** · Mar 2nd, 2024 08:51 AM

-Pattern scouring* that's on me but yes he has the mana from it.
-By the sounds of it he had a rough night sleep so no wp from that.
-He getting info to solve a mystery not for its own sake so no wp there
- I will give one for soloing a scene that was impactful. so + 1 wp
-If your not sure about a roll ask

I get back within 24 hours so its not really a hold up.
-I don't know what his job is so can't say how hard it would be to reschedule? Unless he is self employed it would probabaly have a difficulty penalty attached as he does not fully control his time. -- for sake of moving on we will say it stands but yeah never be afraid to ask

-No the effect didn't hurt anyone and didn't burn down the building it just triggered the smoke alarm and resulting responses.
-- so next step is: Tell me what he wants to research and when he starts

**Philip Crosen** · Mar 3rd, 2024 04:21 PM

Excellent, he accepted. were Philip`s last thoughts, about his client, before drifting to sleep at 9:10, sleeping till 11:30. Refreshed, but still somewhat sore, he then got up and had his cereal and organised his room.
The meeting at 3:30 PM went smoothly and without any incident. The only thing of note was that his client once again brought up the Mothisa situation once. Fortunately it didn`t have any adverse effect on the proceedings that time. What it did do, was fill Philip with even more determination to get more info about it as soon as the meeting was over at 4:30. As soon as it was over, he took the precaution of this time making sure to more thoroughly check that he had the next three days free from any further work-related surprises. Hopefully fate can leave me alone to think about this in peace! I`ll get to the bottom of this and avoid any more disturbances from this incident for my work. It`s just too important!
Then, he was back to thinking about the day before after having done his best to get it out of his head all day until that point.
So now, what to do?
he thought, his options before him. There was the precinct, Mothisa`s former place they already visited, and the Crematorium he was just at.
And speaking of the crematorium, I have to blitz my presence there from their cameras and internal correspondence. he thought, as that was yet another thing on his to-do list for that day. He`d also love to get in contact with Witch about her own findings at the club and Mothisa`s apartment to compare notes, but so far she hadn`t responded. His one ounce of captured ashes would have to be analysed at some point.
And he also always kept coming back to the two people: Mothisa`s treacherous former manager at the modeling agency, Mr. Josh Vize and the weak and greedy guide `Reginald` from the crematorium. They`d have to be researched asap. So he centered himself and prepared his own version of Library of Time to set himself up for the long research grind he knew would follow.

3 successes

So he turned on his VPN and desktop-replacement laptop again at 4:40 after accidentally turning them off after his conference with his client, and started his research. Obviously it was about Mr. Vize, his company, and `Reginald`. Any place they usually hung out that could be seen in social media, and advertisements, and facebook and other internet pages from users completely unrelated to them, to see anything unusual that popped up about his targets. He wanted everything there was to know. If he was constrained by noise and working from his phone last time, he had no such limitations now.

From all social media to any locations, such as any places or servers he could visit or hack that might tell him even more about them and their activites. After all, now he had knowledge of their little scheme and some knowledge of their company from his earlier cursory search, so he knew to dig deeper. And he suspected he might even have to hack their servers next, but everything until right before that point was fair game now and he wanted to know which servers he`d need to hack next too. But while dedicated hacking would come later, he held his eyes open for any passwords and adresses accidentally spread on social media by employees at Mr. Vize`s company and the crematorium as well as anywhere and anyone else that might help him access hidden doors. So he spent hours obsessing for hours over the smallest details in a furious quest to obtain just that tiny scrap of extra info about these individuals.

4 successes

failure

1 success

failure

2 successes

5 successes

**ReubanBrightwood** · Mar 5th, 2024 02:22 PM

Okay having sorted out the topic you want these rolls to focus on you get the following:

Cast Images -- The website. Which includes contact details and a location, and several pictures of the inside of the building covering the generally accessible areas and photo rooms.

-- Using the address you can get a floor plan. Combining this with the wealth of pictures and videos from social media, past shoots and what not you can deduce where these areas are in the building which does leave some unknown space but narrows the search for offices and less public, such as server rooms, security etc. spaces by a lot.

-- User names and logins are available on the black web, for a small fee of course, and Philip finds them, it just depends if he wants to buy them or not.

-- Looking at public declaration and financial records he can determine steadily increasing profit margins as the business booms and expands. With 12 suxx you do manage to find the VPN and antivirus security they are subscribed to but they out source serious computer work so they do not have an in house system administrator. (meaning hacking will against a set target number)

-- This is not the first scandal the company has been involved in the fast pace and pressure on models to adhere to extreme standards has caught them negative press in the past but their PR team has always managed to smooth it over.

-- Further study of social media for the models, checking their friend lists and activity, people caught in photos Philip is able to identify at least 7 separate security personal. 4 seem to keep the building itself under constant observation, 2 by day 2 by night. The other three are in and out escorting models to shoots.

**Philip Crosen** · Mar 5th, 2024 03:56 PM

And then the `buy` screen popped up. Let`s be strategic about this. he thought, greedily pondering his options as he was wrapping up his research on the agency. He did what he could to minimize his risk, setting up a dummy account and paying in bitcoin. But in the end, he greedily pressed `accept`. In addition to the passwords he`d found a lot: the floor plan, he`d highlighted potential areas where info could be located and the number and places of security guards.
Too bad you outsource your IT. And what a shame about your scandals. he thought, before loudly cackling to himself like an evil maniac in his at that point almost man-cave like sanctum.
Then again, you`ve always mysteriously managed to clean up your PR-messes is seems, so can`t completely underestimate... he thought, slightly sobered up at the thought that that bordered on the uncanny.
After compiling and recollecting everything he found out, he moved on.
Ok, good to know but lots more to research. Like that guy. `Reginald` I think he said his name was? Let`s find out everything there is to know about him. But first, dinner.

He thought, and finally got up from his computer to cook dinner. It was time for spaghetti with tomato sauce and a big bowl of salad. Said and done, he started the long process of preparing dinner, eating and cleaning up, really taking his time though and getting everything research and Mothisa-related out of his head. But towards the end of cleaning up, he was again reminded of his research by his phone turning off from lack of power which immediately reminded him of his experience in the cellar of the mortuary and of the guide. So he plugged it into its` charger and got back to his computer and turned it on somewhat frustrated, but refreshed from dinner.
He had his face and name, but he needed know who his pathetic guide from the place was. His head exploded with questions:
Where does he live? What`s his full name? Family? Places he hangs out at? What`s his digital profile, what email does he use? By now, a part of him genuinely wanted to avenge the injustices done to Mothisa, while another part of him wanted to cover up any digital correspondence about himself the guide might have. Can I get his login data too and delete his email? he thought, mischieviously.

And with that he cast his version of Library of Time again to assist him with his next research grind.

3 successes

This time, internet is included in the research roll after the mistake of not including it last time.

Looking at the clock, he saw it was 8:30 PM when he started his second research marathon of the day and he expected this one would take him far into the night. He also spared brief thought that what he was doing was essentially stalking that poor guide. But he justified it by telling himself:
Oh boy, that guide probably has all the juicy deets I`m looking for. If I find the right buttons to push. And besides, he`s a criminal anyway so who cares.
With that, he again immersed himself, letting the hours, and web pages, fly by.

2 successes

5 successes

6 successes

3 successes

4 successes

2 successes

**ReubanBrightwood** · Mar 5th, 2024 04:25 PM

By looking up the crematorium, its reviews and interactions. 'Ronald Hemmingway.' Usher at all faith crematorium.

-- age. (check)
-- address (check)
-- personal details including bank numbers, passwords etc (dark web, needs to be purchased but accessible)
-- employment history (check)
-- social media accounts (check)
-- places he frequents/ hobbies (check)
-- Family (Check) + all the same details for them as Ronald
-- School reports (check)
-- List of prior criminal offences (needs hacking its in the police data base, but exists) (papers do make mention of armed robbery)
-- allergies and medical conditions (check)
-- shoe size, favourite colour and food (check)
-- Marriage, divorce and birth certificates, blood type, nationality, drivers licence (check)

------The story is of a quiet, divorced, sad man who has to pay to help raise 2 daughters he only gets to see every six months (something about a criminal record). He lives in a one room studio in a rough neighbourhood. He can't afford to socialise much so spends his free time walking in the park or attending community outreach projects.

**Philip Crosen** · Mar 6th, 2024 10:10 AM

Once he was done, late at night, he felt bad about the guy he`d researched.
I mean, he is a criminal, but now I kinda feel bad. I mean, I`d probably do a lot too to get cash to survive if I was as poor as he was.
But he did need to know what he`d been up to on his computer and what illegal transactions he`d done on his account, so he pressed accept again for the passwords after taking all the precautions of preventing his transaction of being traced back to him like earlier. He knew he`d have to hack the IP and several other things from all the individuals he got the login details from anyway, to prevent any knowledge of getting traced back to him. So, after taking a few minutes to reflect on everything he`d found out that day, he turned off his computer and went to bed by 11 PM. This time, he was able to get a much better night`s sleep, slowly forgetting the joint pains.

Waking up the next morning at 9 AM again, he did a short jog before having breakfast at 10 AM. After that, he got to work. That morning he wanted to know everything about Mr. Vize. Like in the evening with Mr. Hemmingway, his head exploded with many of the same questions he had about him, but some new ones too.
What friends does he have? Business associates? Enemies? Like mafia, police, journalists, investigators besides me? Family? Addresses? Hobbies? Secret passwords and bank accounts, where does he take notes? And most importantly, what was his relationship with Mothisa, besides obviously being her manager? And is there anything that could explain the cover-up I saw in my vision?
As he did several times in the past days, he cast his version of Library of Time to assist with his research grind.

1 success

And with that, It`s off to the races. he thought with a smug grin as he turned on his computer and VPN and looked at the time.
Oh, it`s 10:30. he thought, right before immersing himself in his research.

4 successes

6 successes

1 success

4 successes

1 success

**ReubanBrightwood** · Mar 6th, 2024 11:44 AM

The next day rolls around and with a more restful night under his belt Philip feels refreshed buoyed by his successes

regain 1 wp

.

Josh Vize the next man in the enchanters site, and another whose online presence tells a great deal.

-- Username/passwords are dark net again (same deal as before)

The following information applies to him and all relevant family members:
-- Addresses, drivers licence, social security, birth certificate all social accounts, education level.

For Josh himself:
-- He runs the owns the company and manages what he describes a rare talents. (This included Mothisa)
--he is a gambler, many photos show him at casinos, races and sporting events.
-- He has accrued massive gambling debts, yet from pictures and a break down of his lifestyle persists in a high end, expensive existence.
-- There are reports that he encourages models, both female and male to confirm to extreme beauty standards, this includes dangerous levels of fat loss, cosmetic enhancements, and unusual diet fads. (these rumours have been largely quashed)
-- Additional rumours buried even deeper tell that he pressures models (both male and female) he works with to engage in shoots and promotions for adult content, bordering on pornographic, under the argument it makes more money.
-- He is unmarried, has no children, 2 brothers 1 sister, and visits his parents infrequently who disapprove of his life choices, wanting him to have a more stable and reliable job. He has had a series of quick relationships the general consensus for why they end seems to be his lack of attention to the partner of the week, that they felt more like a status symbol then someone he cares about.

**Philip Crosen** · Mar 6th, 2024 05:11 PM

So, Mr. Vize seems to be an interesting fellow. Definitely gonna get his passwords, too. he thought, before clicking accept after again having taken all precautions he could take. This latest search had taken a long time, so after the obligatory recollection, he decided to have lunch and take a break.
At 4 PM he continued his quest. This time, he wanted to go back to the roots and run a second, deeper search about Mothisa herself, anything that was unusual about her or even paranormal. Where she was last seen, her final interactions with anybody she knew, her family, and especially any details about her being alive after her supposed death and where she was last seen or heard from (even after her supposed death). After all, if these strange rumors were true, she`d shunned her old life, so he wanted to research her born-again life as well, pretending this was a different person. So, he did what he could. Only this time, he didn`t feel like Library of Time was very helpful, so mid-way through his research he impatiently cast it again, working through the afternoon and into the evening.

failure

1 success

2 successes

3 successes

5 successes

3 successes

5 successes

7 successes

Tried the "[dice]Rollcode-Rollcode[/dice]" because I typed "[dice]95525-95530[/dice]" but it didn`t work. Only giving [dice]95525-95530[/dice] instead of the condensed rolls as a result... so i had to hurry to insert the dice rolls.

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-03-02 07:32:27	Philip Crosen rolls 3 to gather himself despite being sore(Stamina 2 + Resolve 2 -1 scouring) (10 Again)	6, 6, 3	failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-03-02 07:37:56	Philip Crosen rolls 4 to attempt to reschedule (Wits 3 + Persuasion 1) (10 Again)	1, 8, 6, 4	1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-03-03 15:58:16	Philip Crosen rolls 5 to Library of Time (Gnosis 3 + Time 2) (10 Again)	10, 10, 2, 7, 10, 7, 6, 5	3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-03-03 16:10:16	[01] Philip Crosen rolls 9 to Research (Int 3 + Acad. 3 +1 research spec. +3 desktop-replacement laptop +1 keywords (internet is assumed a given with advanced computer) -2 obscure topic) (10 Again)	8, 9, 3, 4, 4, 9, 6, 9, 3	4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-03-03 16:10:16	[02] Philip Crosen rolls 9 to Research (Int 3 + Acad. 3 +1 research spec. +3 desktop-replacement laptop +1 keywords (internet is assumed a given with advanced computer) -2 obscure topic) (10 Again)	2, 7, 2, 5, 3, 5, 7, 5, 3	failure

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