Mysterium meeting VII faces old and new

[Corn]

Sidereology? Teratology? Another language? Aurora's pursuits and accomplishments are a balm.
"Another language and you don't mention linguistics as your exoteric studies. Is it ... how many languages now, Aurora? I swear, I live for the day that Aurora in a random meeting will answer someone saying how hard it was to progress in their mastery with 'I found double mastery challenging, but becoming an archmaster was much more difficult. Anyone wants more tea?' It is not boasting to mention your achievements once a while, Aurora, to an order that values knowledge. " he says with a chuckle.
Chambers mentions interesting avenues to explore especially for someone interested in Sidereology. "Finding a hallow that strong should require us to also have means to guard it. And with just three Mystagogues, I don't see that as easy. Everything we can do, other mages can do. Such a hallow would be coveted by Pentacle mages; we won't have to deal with Seers and scelesti. Perhaps making a Demense would be easier. " At the cost of part of your being being outside your soul and into the fallen world.

"Oh, and that reminds me. The Sancta Trinitas were after a scelestus those years ago. They may have succeeded or failed, but not so long ago there were active scelesti in Sacramento, if we believe these Bible-thumbing apostates. " That is not a small 'if'. They were seeing evil everywhere.


Chambers mentioned talking to ghosts from Atlantis, "I don't think it is as easy. We would probably need an atlantean artifact for such a connection. We could borrow one from the order with enough Guanxi, but it is indeed a long road. As for the offer to make a gate, we thought of that. Once we have a disciple of death we can discuss about it to find a fair exchange. Seeking the Anima, you could do what I did: Go to San Francisco. If you have not been there, they are much more prompt and proper than our laid back group. We have some Guanxi with them and they have included my papers in their Athenaum. Of course, if you have different preferences for any reason, go with that. I just offered a suggestion. "

Corn reaches out and takes the key from Chambers' hand. "Wait, how will you get in till I get this back to you? " he says. "Well, I will duplicate it with matter. Does anyone object if I cast a spell here to save us time? " He doesn't expect anyone to object, but he doesn't know if Chambers is jumpy around things like that.

[Aurora]

“In all my years in Sacramento, I have never once heard of any wing of the Circle getting broken into and things taken.” She wasn’t happy about it. "But should anyone hear who may have done it, please direct me to them." there was something, dark, in her eyes as she said that.

“Access to it?” a shake of her head, “I would need a large Hallow, and I haven’t come across one, well, anywhere. My own personal one isn’t close to the size we would need.” It was a good size, just not, a huge size. “Now you want the Shadow Realem and the Gauntlet, then I can do that all day.” At a cost.

A long look to Corn, “You seem to keep mistaking me for someone who needs praise and a pat on the back. I do what I do because I enjoy it, not to be held up on some stupid pedestal.” And it always sounded like he was trying to put her on one. “You’re correct, it’s not boosting, but I don’t have the need to hang everything I do and accomplish out there for all to see and ohh and ahh over. No thanks.” hadn't they already had this discussion? Like, a little while ago.

[Chambers]

The intensity in Aurora's , request? no demand was noted and Chambers simply nods in the affirmative.

Inspite of Aurora humble protests the term archmaster does get raised eyebrows and he looks to her. ''You'll have to excuse me but I've never met an actual archmaster before.'' Heard about of course. ''They always seemed kind of like the awakened equivalent of an urban legend. Everyone knows someone who knows some who was either friends with or studied under an archmaster that kind of thing but no has never actually met one themselves.'' That doesn't mean it wasn't real, awareness of the truth makes all things possible but still. ''Are you able, to willing even to talk about how that came about?'' Right knowledge would say no I have nothing remotely close to trade for it. But Curiosity had the better of him in the moment.

He nods. ''I know such hallows are rare and yes absolutely require defences. Which why I suggested below.'' He physically points down. ''I have not gone snooping around in any detail but I have noticed the order wing has access to some kind of labyrinth under the building proper, maybe something could be found down there?'' Which would put all of our defences for the The Athenaeum between it and the outside world, add in just not telling anyone if we find something and location wise it's pretty good, if anything can be found.

The talk of the abyssal servants was not as alarming as might have been expected, even if the thought of it does make the depths of the shadows seem darker in Chambers mind. ''We know they exist, we know they are out there somewhere and we.'' Giving a measure of trust in the plural inclusion. ''Remain vigilant for signs of them. Until we get wind of anything more concrete there is little else we can do but that and shore up our own defences.'' Sounding a little to much like Winter's continuous deflections for his own taste. But the Guardian is right on this what else can be but be ready for when that storm breaks.

His mood lightens somewhat as he gets to smirk, a master he might not be, powerful certainty not, but here it seems he has knowledge neither of these well accomplished mages does. ''Yes Corn that would be a way of going about it.'' And a way that had occurred to him. ''However some supernal artefacts appeared after the fall and were never touched by Atlantean hands and even those that were the sympathy is so old it is barely traceable if at all.'' Possible but unless you get very lucky you'd never a veritable treasure trove to find one that could be used. ''But no. Those of the my legacy, the stone scribes, have a way, a long winded way granted, around that particular problem.'' And it still requires more then a degree of good luck, almost endless diligence and immense skill.

Shaking his head. ''I have not been I'm afraid but that is good to know, thank you.'' And he does seem grateful for the tip. More immediately available order members friendly to us is a good thing to know about. ''However I myself as might be expected of one inducted into our order before joining the river city Consilium have Guanxi of my own, at least enough for this, with a few other places and would sooner return to those Athenaeum.'' And he seemed set on doing exactly that.

Chambers just nods. ''If you have the raw material you need to do what I think your going to do here and now I have no objections. If not you can take it and do so elsewhere and just give out the copies once that's been done.'' Three keys, three times the opportunity for something to go wrong. The measure of trust might seem small to Chambers it is a big deal.

[Corn]

Aurora seems as reluctant as in the past to be gently praised, so Corn says apologetically, "I don't praise you because I think you need praise and pats in the back, Aurora. I praise you because you are remarkable and I am proud of your accomplishments. We had this discussion in the past, I recall. It is no secret that I think someone from the order should assume leadership position in the Consilium and it is also not secret that I think you should be that person so mentioning your strengths and wisdom to others was a logical step. Unfortunately, I see that your aversion to politics and the bickering that comes with it has not abated. So I will reign in the praise to not make you uncomfortable, or give to others the impression that you seek praise and ooohs and aaaahs.
If I am wrong though, and you decide to go for a leadership position, please inform me so I will do some cheerleading. I don't promote you for leadership positions just because you're a Mystagogue, Aurora. I do believe you are the best person for such positions and one of the reasons is your aversion to such positions. It is hard to imagine someone that doesn't care about power abusing their power if they are given of it.
Sooo... are we cool?" I don't want to turn to a fish...

Then Chambers takes his jest as for Aurora already having attained archmastery and Corn bites his lips. He is very quick to raise his hands in surrender towards Aurora and mouth apologetically "I am sorry for causing confusion! "
Turning to Chambers he says "Ehh, my comment about archmastery was made in jest. " not that I am confident Aurora will tell us if she becomes an archmaster.

Then chambers mentions archmastery, and Corn looks to Aurora first before saying, in measured words, "When I first joined the Mysterium in Sacramento, the then leader of the Mysterium, Daduchos Campanella, mentioned encounters with archmasters. But this is not my story to tell." Not for free, anyway...

Then Chambers mentions the Labyrinth, which gets a thoughtful 'hmmm...' out of Corn, and his legacy. Stone Scribe that inscribes stones... not exactly a plot twist. Did he offer that as an exchange for the information we have on how the archmasters acted? Corn thought. Apparently, he thinks that is not enough, or wants to give Aurora the opportunity to fill in Chambers and build Guanxi herself.

As the others didn't object, he took out two of his own keys, office keys he didn't expect to use presently, and spoke in high speech, for more than enough to give them time to activate mage sight if they wanted to see what he is doing. Then, he got out his medallion, a leaden coin and passed it over the keys that he had laid in front of him as he formed the imago in his mind.
The Abyss did not taint his spell as Corn sent his awakened will across it to superimpose the Fallen reality with his imago.
As his will takes effect, the keys to be converted momentarily turn to blank key shapes before becoming identical copies of the key Chambers gave them.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-03-24 06:43:26	Corn rolls 7 to Gnosis + Matter + 2 (HS) -2 (Combined) -2 (2 targets) (10 Again)	8, 6, 6, 1, 10, 2, 9, 3	3 successes
2024-03-24 06:37:51	Philip Crosen rolls 6 to Perception (Wits 3+Comp. 3) (10 Again)	1, 2, 10, 6, 1, 1, 7	1 success

Casted combo reconfigure & duplication, 2 targets. Reconfigured turned the already formed keys to key-shaped raw material and then Duplication to duplicate they key which is now lasting as the quality and shape of the material is the same with the key. 1 success allocated in reconfigure, 2 successes allocated for quality of duplication which should be sufficient.

Corn presents one key to Aurora and returns the original to Chambers.

[Aurora]

A shake of her head, “I am not an archmaster, but I could be, it is a possibility. But as of right now, I am not.” She still had a journey to go if she wanted that, “And to be honest, I don’t know if it’s something I plan to achieve yet. That path is going to require a lot more than just two Masteries.” Sure, she mastered her two main Arcanas, but past that? Getting what was needed to go beyond? Well, that was a whole other thing. “I Mastered Life and Spirit, that is all. And it came about because I am passionate about my Path and wanted to push myself, see if I could do it. It was a difficult thing to do, but it’s made me better able to protect those around me.” And that was what she wanted.

“I’ve heard tales of the labyrinth beneath us, but haven’t talked to anyone who has ventured there. I know I’m curious about and what secrets it may hold. If you guys want to plan a trip, count me in.” could be fun to finally see what was down there.

Another sigh, “I’ve said my peace on it in the past Corn, I suggest it gets dropped and not brought up again.” A strong suggestion. The rest of what he said just goes over her, and was ignored. Except one thing, “We are only good if you drop the subject.” She was not budging on this and was getting pushed to an edge he wouldn’t like.

[Chambers]

Chambers takes his key back he does not look amused by being misled, choosing not to cast the sight upon himself rather having just watched the spell take hold and Corn's Nimbus flare. ''Everyone knows someone who, knows someone.' 'He repeats. This Campanella may well have encountered one it, or he might not have. A more level look to Aurora. ''Even having it in sight places you among the most powerful mages I have met.'' He can appreciate her point about not having others hype her up given the confusion it had caused. The smell of damp earth at least is calming.

And the prospect of a little adventure however, is just what is needed to lighten his mood. ''I very much do plan to go down there and would welcome any company.'' Largely having not done so yet due to the issue of going into the dark alone and never coming back had seemed just a little to real. ''I can't shake the feeling there is a lot more this place has to offer then what just meets the eye.'' And it won't be understood by doing nothing.

As someone else who hasn't chased leadership he can relate but that doesn't mean the conversation can be put off indefinitely. ''Aurora your stance is perfectly understood and respected, rare is the member of our order who seeks power instead of knowledge.'' Leaning forward. ''So that leaves us in the interesting position of where do we stand regarding Consilium leadership?'' At the risk of sounding like a libertine. ''With so few mages are councillors really the best approach? we don't have all paths present and it would put more mages into power then not.'' Rather unnecessary if you ask me. ''But if we go for a single central figure of authority who should take it, with your withdrawal Aurora our options are: Corn.'' Nod to the Moros. ''Winter.'' My personal choice, guardian and all. ''Philip or myself.'' And well come on. It seems he is discounting Witch not having seen her for a few months now. Collectively the Consilium is just a moderately sized Cabal ... wait is that the answer? ''I do have an idea ... why not assign roles as we would in a cabal? The numbers are right and we can readdress if that ever changes but for what we have.'' He leaves it open for their contributions.

[Corn]

With the discussion on Leadership, Corn shakes his head.
"The members of our order are also supposed to look for power, within the Lex. We don't have a hierophant, but that's their thing. I would certainly prefer to fill powerful offices with members of the Mysterium. With Aurora out, I would actually move to you, Chambers . Winter for me is certainly a "no". I certainly respect and trust him, but he is a Guardian of the Veil. Aside of the Seers, the Guardians and the Mysterium do not get along well. Half of the secrecy of the order is to root out Guardian infiltrators. On top of the order's issue with Guardians of the Evil, there's also - for me - a personal issue: while Winter is here for a long, long time and he has never given me a reason to suspect or mistrust him... he is a Guardian and I am a mage with relations to sleepers. I will be under the microscope.
Philip, I do not know but he is not one of us. Honestly, if none of the Order is interested, I would prefer to go without leadership.
Also, I forgot to say: I do not want a leadership position. It may sound hypocritical, " Well, it actually is hypocritical, no way around it " but it is certainly not something I would like to do. It is a big headache. While Hierarch of five mages doesn't sound like a lot of work, if shit hits the fan, it will be. We don't need a Hierarch that has to find a way to explain to his wife why he is late for dinner when he has to be discussing terms with consilia of other cities or with whatever group of entity requires an answer. Also, while I have been in the city for a couple of years, I am away for a year and a half. I have just returned.
You have shown remarkable initiative, Chambers, and I think you are a better fit for the position. Personally, I have no interest to hold such a position, I just want a Mystagogue in it - and not a Guardian. "

[Aurora]

Did she consider herself powerful? Maybe. But she didn’t feel it and just nods to Chambers.

“Do we know if there are any maps of it? I haven’t looked much into the history of the place, but I wonder if someone has tried to explore them and maybe got a map started.” Thinking, “If it is indeed a labyrinth, then we need to prepare accordingly with ways to mark our path and the way out.” Being extra cautious? Yes, because they didn’t know what was down there. "Also, did we want to see if anyone else wants to join us? After all, the Circle is home to all." and she didn't want to exclude anyone if they were curious. "I assume the labyrinth spans more then just our wing."

To leadership, she shrugs, “I don’t have an answer, I know Councilors is how it’s always been done. Now that doesn’t mean it’s the right way, but it certainly streamlines it. Until a Path isn’t represented, then we have a problem. If we went with one central figure, I would say Winter. He’s quiet, but he is wise and fair.”

To Corn, “Just because there is some weird ass thing about Orders not getting along with other Orders doesn’t mean it has to be a thing.” Like, she got it, she understood the differences in the Orders, “Ever think it’s just a you and Winter thing? Cause I’ve worked with him numerous times without issue. He is very capable, Guardian or not, I would trust my life with him. I have fought beside him, and I will do it again if asked, he’s a good man and a remarkable mage. And I would also trust the Circle to him, knowing in the end, he will do what is right.” Even if it meant making enemies. “As to you being under the microscope, I’m sorry Corn, but you will be. Having such a strong connection to Sleepers as you do is a risk, and should be watched.” Facts were facts. “To be fair, I wouldn’t vote for you in a position of power, I feel your judgement for the Awakened of Sacramento would be compromised by your Sleeper ties and emotions.” Plain and simple, he would put his family above all else.

“I, personally, don’t care what Order someone is in so long as they are dedicated to keeping us and our world safe. Perhaps having representation of each Order is what we need then. Orders will always bump heads for some bullshit reason, but at the end of the day, we all want the same thing. To be safe.” And she was willing to put stereotypes aside for that.

“If you’re going to start deciding if someone is useful or trustworthy based simply off their Order, then it’s going to be a difficult road for you.”

[Chambers]

Chambers nods to Corn. ''Yes as I said, rare. Hierophants are not a dime a dozen, and I certainly am not one.'' Stopping dead at Corn's suggestion clearly caught very off guard. ''Hang on. You want to make me Hierarch?'' Now hold on a minute. A pause to let everyone finish speaking before he addresses that rather out of left field assertion. ''Corn what initiative, do you think I have shown?'' This should be interesting. ''Realistically we have known each other very briefly, met only a handful of times.'' His tone is soft, gently evaluating Corn's though process. ''That aside you have no knowledge of my skill at magic, and I regret to inform you I could not hold of any serious challenge to the seat.'' Power was something he had valued when we first met lets see if he is still convinced after this.

He listening and the nods once slowly to Aurora. ''The issue with path or order representation is we have gaps in each.'' Meaning those who show up have no representation or become elevated to position of prominence by default. ''For the time a central leading figure seems best to me.'' If my idea of cabal roles is not even worth a discussion. ''And I would have to say Winter as well.'' For Chambers it really was no contest. He does not however elaborate on his reasoning as Aurora had.

He shrugs. ''I don't think so, no one has even mentioned what lies below. I found the access while clearing up in here. I don't even know if what we have is restricted access to just our wing, a smaller segment of larger whole.'' That would be preferable, less ways into the wing. ''Or if it connects to the wider structure that has other entry points. Until I know that I am hesitant to bring others from outside the order.'' Knowing what was down there first, and deciding if it should be known was step one.

[Corn]

Aurora gets a thoughtful nod. Corn spends a moment thinking and then says "I actually agree with everything you said on the hierarch and orders and myself, including that despite of my personal circumstances, if another married mage with a circle of sleepers walked in, I would want that person under more scrutiny. I will also say this for Winter: as far as Guardians go, he is the top of the list for me, no contention. I would also trust him, his judgement and him to have my back. There is no question that Winter could fill the job as he very quickly gets to the root of the matter with efficiency.
That said... there is only one real issue: Winter is sought-out and send to missions from his order as far as I understand; he leaves for months at a time. A Hierarch should be more local-oriented. "

To Chambers he says "We have an agenda board. I have tried to introduce the idea of having an agenda before heading to Consilium and it was not well received. We have actual questions for acknowledgement and a promise of mutual defense, instead of "Hi, welcome". You are results-oriented. Your personal prowess in magic is not as important as a good head to find solutions and... if winter does not want the job, I still think you are the best choice. Considering your own vote of confidence towards Winter, I don't think you will mind me saying that Winter seems a better choice, but you are not a bad choice either. As Winter very eloquently stated, we don't have the law of the jungle. There has been an issue, before my time, that a Duel Arcane lead to a Hierarch relinquishing the position but this is not our way. Again, as Winter said, the Duel Arcane is not traditionally used to replace leadership despite what I said when I was trying to find reasons to promote Aurora.
As a Mystagogue, I want a Hierarch that appreciates knowledge, understand interpersonal connections are important and seems level-headed. If Winter is not interested, you are not a bad choice, Chambers.

But I fully understand your reluctance to jump on the head of a ship that you just entered, before we have even figured where that ship is going to sail.

So, to surmise, my suggestion for the leadership would indeed be Winter. And if Winter doesn't want the position, then Chambers as a temporary leader that would step down in six months or a year - to be decided - to make room for anyone more experienced to become hierarch. A short term of leadership, till someone else arrives or returns and if not, then perhaps Chambers will feel confident to seek the position of the Hierarch. "

On the labyrinth Corn goes "I can actually see both your points, but I am going to slightly side with Aurora in this one. The circle is not ours, it is of all orders."