PRP DYLF: Taking stock and making plans

[Philip Crosen]

Library of Time

Time

half Research roll time

  Prolonged

Philip acknowledged Corn`s need to suddenly leave with a brief.
"Oh........? Well, you do you, I guess. Take as much time as you need. I`ll get you up to speed on the latest leads on blue jeans guy later, and we can check it out whenever you have time in the coming days. Though I`d still like your insight on the ashes I got at some point, at your convenience. So, see you around, I guess. And thanks for coming."
he said, seeing him out like a proper host and reassuring him that everything was fine. He did not have to make excuses that he`d be back after an hour, though he appreciated it. The only thing that slightly annoyed him was that he still didn`t get a review of Mothisa`s ashes from the Death arcanum. Nevertheless, as soon as he was alone again, Philip busied himself by honing in on the contacts Mr. Rockwell had discussed his findings about Mothisa with on his internet forums. Perhaps one of them was driving the van that got away? he thought, hoping this would lead to somewhere even if he couldn`t locate the van itself. So he cast Library of Time on himself again to assist with yet another research grind, quietly uttering words of power this time as he imagined his will into being. Let`s see how much I can get done while he`s away. And if he doesn`t come back today, what more I can get done today...? he thought, encouraged by his research successes so far, briefly letting his mind drift towards the opportunities, but also boxes that still needed checking. Like the taxi driver and shopkeeper. But for the time being, info on Mr. Rockwell`s internet contacts was more important to him.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-04-30 16:26:12	Philip Crosen rolls 8 to Library of Time (Gnosis 3 + Time 3 + High Speech 2) (10 Again)	10, 4, 3, 1, 3, 5, 10, 6, 7, 2	2 successes

Although the exit had somewhat disrupted him, he was already somewhat settled into a rhythm after all. So he gave another brief glance at the time before throwing himself into his work yet again.

7 suxx, 2/6 rolls, 30 mins elapsed

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-04-30 16:27:52	[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)	9, 3, 4, 4, 9, 6, 9, 3, 2, 7	3 successes
2024-04-30 16:27:52	[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)	1, 1, 3, 3, 9, 10, 2, 1, 1, 7, 10, 8	4 successes

Not getting enough, he prepared to re-cast Library of Time yet again, after feeling the spell weaken. He was being incredibly competitive at the moment, pushing himself to see what he could get done in as short a time as possible. This was a taxxing streak he normally didn`t have to this extent. Nevertheless, he uttered the ancient words of power quietly again as he imagined his will into being.

4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-04-30 16:31:22	Philip Crosen rolls 8 to Library of Time (Gnosis 3 + Time 3 + High Speech 2) (10 Again)	3, 5, 8, 5, 9, 6, 10, 5, 8	4 successes

And with that said and done, he went back to his studies for yet another hour. If Corn came back, good. If he didn`t, there was always the next day, and Philip didn`t care. There was always more to know and bigger fish to fry. And with an at least somewhat arrogant, but yesterday evening surprisingly helpful Mystagogue that always demanded knowledge for knowledge, he knew he`d have to continue putting his best foot forward.

11 more suxx, 18 total, 6/6 rolls, 90 mins total elapsed

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-04-30 16:34:09	[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)	2, 1, 9, 9, 6, 9, 8, 8, 4, 2	5 successes
2024-04-30 16:34:09	[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)	8, 2, 4, 1, 8, 7, 3, 2, 9, 5	3 successes
2024-04-30 16:34:09	[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)	6, 5, 10, 5, 3, 2, 4, 6, 2, 5, 2	1 success
2024-04-30 16:34:09	[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)	7, 5, 3, 5, 1, 5, 9, 9, 1, 4	2 successes

spells , effects and gear

Armor 0, Speed 10, Init +6, Defense(also vs firearms because FP): 7 (3+4), Spells active: 1/6([4]Library of Time), Spell tolerance: 1/2, Vulgar spells: 0 Health: , Mana: Willpower: (max WP/scene 2, 1 left to spend) Gear: wallet: with car and apartment keys, no cash, various mundane ID`s and membership cards, lighter and order-tool-slash-phone in his pocket, generally unloaded shotgun very close at hand and fast to load, all other tools and equipment he posseses, like ashes of Mothisa, second laptop, fire extinguisher, and a number of 2 and 4 TB SSDs and (that can be weaponized on short notice): his katana, kitchen knives and cans of hairspray and deodorant, his rifle or crossbow would take considerably longer to ready in car parked in Philip`s parking slot at his home: additional first aid kit.

[ReubanBrightwood]

Philip continues to prod, poke and search his way through reams of internet data, forums, chats and social sites. And manages to corelate the following.

XNightHawk623X --- Real name Jacob Grentheme works in IT repairs (both hardware and software) Place of work, and home address.

MillieZapper --- Real name Millie Simmons, mythological and folklore podcaster, college dropout, name of her failing podcast (Darker then dark) , still lives with her parents (he has the address).

ZeustheOmega --- Hercules Brown (he legally changed it from Conner), Gym bro and semi professional rally racer. You have his team, the car he drives and the place he trains, strangely no known address seems to exist.

[Corn]

Corn returns, unaware that Philip has more or less exposed a group of amateur hunters of the supernatural.
"Hi Philip, sorry for my absence. Do you need more help with the research? Have you found anything juicy? Or should we proceed to the ashes?
I will take a look after you share any useful info." he picks out his cell phone

Mage Sight. If you want to 'tidy up' anything you don't want me to see, this is the time to do it. Later I will also use some knowing magic on the ashes.

After he gives time to Philip to tell him about what he found out and time to hide magic items, friendly ghosts, unfriendly ghosts, or whatever he may have to hide, Corn concentrates for a moment to bring the death sight.

Grim Sight

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-05-02 10:01:30	Corn rolls 6 to Death Sight (Gno+Dea) (10 Again)	10, 6, 9, 10, 7, 6, 3, 9	4 successes

If he is brought to Mothisha's ashes, the ashes of a human being that should be resting in peace but is trapped as a ghost, he will reverently make the sign of the cross, take out his cross and kiss it, and whisper a short prayer for Mothisha's soul.
"Lord extend your Love and Blessings towards your servant, Mothisha and help lead her soul in peace in Your arms and towards eternal rest. She may not believe in Your Son but she is one of Your myriad daughters. Show her Your endless Mercy. "


Then, Corn uses his special sight to pierce through the Lie and look, really look into Mothisa's ashes, beyond anything a non-mage can see. He takes more than a few seconds. He looks for anything peculiar and also, having seen Mothisha's ghost, he also tries to discern if the ashes share the same resonance with Mothisha or they belong to someone (something?) else.

scrutiny, 9 successes total

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-05-02 10:16:24	[03] Corn rolls 8 to Scrunity (Int+Occult+1 from sight) (10 Again)	3, 8, 9, 6, 10, 7, 7, 9, 8	5 successes
2024-05-02 10:16:24	[02] Corn rolls 8 to Scrunity (Int+Occult+1 from sight) (10 Again)	9, 1, 9, 1, 3, 8, 6, 2	3 successes
2024-05-02 10:16:24	[01] Corn rolls 8 to Scrunity (Int+Occult+1 from sight) (10 Again)	6, 8, 3, 4, 6, 7, 7, 7	1 success

Corn shares with Philip everything he found out.

Then, he says: "I will try some knowing. I need to speak to the old, old, old language. Since you are rightfully cautious, can you put up some music or something to cover it?"
After Philip uses music or anything to mask the sound, Corn softly speaks in High Speech.

Using his connection to Stygia, Corn tries to discern the cause of death, from the few ashes remaining of Mothisha - or of the person the ashes are from.

Forensic Gaze

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-05-02 10:26:38	Corn rolls 8 to Forensic Gaze (Gno+Dea) + 2 (HS) (10 Again)	2, 3, 10, 8, 4, 1, 6, 6, 2	2 successes

Corn steels himself before he enacts the spell, quite aware that he may find out a horrific cause of death. Not that starvation is not a bad way to die, but being burned alive is worse.

Corn is a Catholic, I am not so I am not sure of how Catholics approach everything. Corn is not a hardcore Catholic either so he may not know or follow everything from Catholicism. I apologize if I invertedly offended anyone's religious tenets by having my character praying for a non-Christian or a ghost. That was neither mine or Corn's intentions. I put that there to show that Corn feels ... human emotions about the dead young woman.

I took a +1 to scrutiny of the ashes from grim sight as I thought it is appropriate. If not, or if there are penalties, please re-adjust

I have no idea what the penalty for having less-than-a-full corpse is to Forensic gaze or how obscure or not the cause of death would be. Thus, I didn't take any penalties.

spells and effects

Armor 0
Spells active: 1/7
Spell Tolerance: 1/3
Vulgar spells: 0
Mana: 9


[4]Grim Sight


Cellphone
Lead Medallion (dedicated Tool)
Wallet, includes his ID, credit cards, some cash
His cross and his wedding ring
A bottle of water and a candy-bar
pack of hankerchiefs
pack of gum

[Philip Crosen]

Library of Time

Time

half Research roll time

  Prolonged

It was evening and Philip ordered the extra large pizza he desired after his latest, exhaustive, research grind. So now I know who`s who. Some could be innocent, though. he thought, concerned. For good measure he got an extra in case Corn made a late-night re-appearance, although microwaved or oven re-heated, and the same type Philip had would have to do for him since he hadn`t stayed to be able to choose for himself.
Or he could put it in the freezer for later, although re-heated pizza was not good. Two somewhat spicy extra large mozzarella- and- mushroom pizzas. As he enjoyed his dinner by his computer, he thought about some of the things his research had yielded, writing down pertinent things that came to mind. If these were hunters, they certainly didn`t take the biggest of precautions to hide their true identities. But if I got lucky and actually got their true IDs, then this seems almost too easy. he thought, concerned, his hackles going up.
Well, for all except that one guy who legally changed his name and somehow manages to hide his current place of residence from the internet. And the woman with the failing mythological-slash-potentially-supernatural podcast. She could be a banisher or hunter trying to recruit others. Or not. Or at least, from what I gather so far …But I guess any one of `em, or all of `emm could be hunters… But some could still be innocent too…Oh, this is tricky…
Ms. Simmons` podcast was concerning, because it suggested at worst-case a potential Banisher or hunter, who was trying to recruit others to their fiendish cause. And Mr. Brown`s off-the-grid home, assuming he had one, would be the perfect place to interrogate or imprison Darren-slash-Mothisa. And that was definitely not lost on Philip. To get to his place, he figured, he`d have to catch him at the place where he trains and follow him by car to who knows where. Well, that besides the obvious basement-of-the-unassuming-parents-or-relatives trope he`d seen all-too-often in movies, using the family members` obliviousness as cover. Which, while incredibly cliché, still had to be considered, but would be much easier to check out.

In the middle of his musings, the buzz at the door interrupted his quiet, contemplative dinner thoughts. Checking who it was, and then letting Corn in again, he awaited him at his apartment`s door.
”Oh, hi. Hope you took care of everythin ya need. I was just having dinner, why don`t you join me. If you like a spicy mozzarella-and-mushrooms pizza, I got an extra just for you, just in case you decided to come back. I did promise pizza, after all.”
He said smiling, but also giving him a somewhat questioning look, curious if Corn was interested in his taste of pizza, or into telling him what he`d been up to.
Still, after closing the door he beckoned Corn to join him again at his retractable dinner table he still hadn`t put away, in case Corn came back. And so Philip got to work getting him up to speed, showing him his dossiers he`d collected so far on his desktop-replacement laptop. He unplugged it from his fancy setup and brought to the dinner table, just to show Corn what he`d found:

So, the thug I think you fought against is a Mr. Timothy Rockwell, middle-aged Sacramento construction worker with a spotty criminal record. [address] [place of work] On the surface he might seem like a regular thug. But on a hunch I looked at his internet connections, and it turns out he frequents some internet forums as `Roosevelt67`, where he apparently debates with some others about the Mothisa case as well. Whether it`s true or not, and different [plans of action] , proposals of what to do about it. And by the looks of things it seems they`re quite far along. There`s nothing to indicate an imminent attack, but still it`s a network that could likely produce extensive preparation through other means, networks, texts on their phones and such. Such a kidnapping is definitely not out of the realm of possibilities for them, if they wanted to. Especially given their research. Anyway, he has three internet companions who either knowingly or unknowingly conspired with him on said forums: Jacob Grentheme, IT repair worker for both hard- and software. [place of work] [home address] Goes by `XNightHawk623X`. The night reference in that username is somewhat interesting, otherwise don`t know that much more about him. But the two most interesting are: Millie Simmons, goes by `MillieZapper`. A college dropout. This might at least partially have been in order to start a career? as a failing podcaster of mythology and folklore. Possibly some of it is uncanny in her podcast `Darker then dark`, and possibly other forums as well. Still lives with her parents [address]. Could either be a banisher or hunter who decided to start recruiting others to her cause through her podcast, if we`re unlucky. Concerning, certainly, but not as much as this individual: Hercules, formerly Connor, Brown. Semi-professional rally racer and gym dude. NO KNOWN ADDRESS seems to exist about him, huge red flag in addition to his changed name. Still, got [his team], [where he trains] and [the car] he uses. Definitely want to check out Mr. Brown`s training place, and the Simmons` family home later. But not today.

After that, he switched back to words and plugged his desktop-replacement laptop back into his other setup at his office desk.
”Anyway, it would be great if you could have a look at the ashes while I research the taxi driver.”
He said, giving Corn his plan of action for the time being after a long beat, enjoying the banter if Corn obliged him, getting Corn up to speed and enjoying the rest of his dinner. He was also anxious to hear what Corn did and also what he could discover from the ashes, which he eagerly handed to Corn to see what he could make of them.
He still felt guilty for the taxi driver and wanted to uplift him, that this crash could lead to something at least partially good for him. Somehow. But of course, this was also, perhaps even just as much, about Philip`s own guilty conscience. But in order help him, Philip would need everything there was to know about him first. He figured he could use an anonymous donation of about 30-40% of the total cost this affair had cost him to help him along again.
So, satisfied that he was fulfilling his duties as host adequately, he cast Library of Time on himself again after another beat, in order to ease his latest research, this time not bothering with words of power. But it seemed, the imago wouldn`t form as he was still too overly concerned about the friends of Mr. Rockwell and the potential ways in which they could be hunters, as well as the return of Corn and what he did while he`d been gone. After all, dealing with what could very well be an organised group of hunters, or a banisher allied with them even could be a very serious concern. And this weighed heavily on his mind even as his thoughts turned to the taxi driver.

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-05-02 05:32:00	Philip Crosen rolls 6 to Library of Time (Gnosis 3 + Time 3) (10 Again)	2, 5, 7, 1, 7, 7	failure

So he re-doubled his efforts and tried again after calming himself, despite being slightly annoyed by his failure. This time he quietly uttered words of power anyway, once he was reasonably certain it was ok, taking a few more minutes to center himself and have another couple of drinks of water. This time he was rewarded with success, feeling the imago form, imbued with ancient temporal power, as he forced truth into the fallen world.

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-05-02 05:36:17	Philip Crosen rolls 7 to Library of Time (Gnosis 3 + Time 3 -1 2nd try +2 High Speech) (10 Again)	7, 8, 9, 10, 6, 1, 4, 2	3 successes

Briefly looking at Corn questioningly to see if it was ok and then the time again, anxious to help the taxi driver in the future with this information and the picture of the plate he`d taken. He was hopeful he could trace everything back to him.

6 suxx, 3/6 rolls, 45 mins

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-05-02 05:40:21	[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)	6, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 3, 4, 2, 6	failure
2024-05-02 05:40:21	[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)	8, 6, 7, 8, 3, 2, 5, 1, 2, 8	3 successes
2024-05-02 05:40:21	[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)	8, 9, 4, 2, 7, 2, 5, 6, 9, 5	3 successes

But feeling Library of Time weaken after some time, he re-cast it for yet another umpteenth time, this time again uttering words of power quietly to strengthen his will.

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-05-02 14:39:29	Philip Crosen rolls 7 to Library of Time (Gnosis 3 + Time 3 -1(re-cast after success and 2nd try) High Speech 2) (10 Again)	7, 8, 3, 5, 3, 2, 2	1 success

Giving Corn an apologetic glance, he wanted to continue his research on the taxi driver at least a little bit longer before devoting his undivided attention to his guest again.

5 suxx, 11 suxx total, 4/6 rolls, 60 mins

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-05-02 14:40:14	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, 6, 10, 9, 9, 10, 6, 8, 3, 6, 2, 1	5 successes

So after another quarter of an hour and not wanting to waste the whole evening or being a worse host than he felt he could get away with, he stopped and turned to Corn with his findings about the taxi driver, and more banter about what he did. Granted he felt the taxi driver was his own mission. Corn didn`t need to know he was also doing that for his conscience, but still.
”So, what did you do this afternoon, and before you came here?”
He asked, trying to be a good host by starting a conversation and showing interest in his guest again.

spells , effects and gear

Armor 0, Speed 10, Init +6, Defense: 3 (no FP), Spells active: 1/6([1]Library of Time), Spell tolerance: 0/2, Vulgar spells: 0 Health: , Mana: Willpower: (max WP/scene 2, 1 left to spend) Gear: wallet: with car and apartment keys, no cash, various mundane ID`s and membership cards, lighter and order-tool-slash-phone in his pocket, generally unloaded shotgun very close at hand and fast to load, all other tools and equipment he posseses, like ashes of Mothisa, second laptop, fire extinguisher, and a number of 2 and 4 TB SSDs and (that can be weaponized on short notice): his katana, kitchen knives and cans of hairspray and deodorant, his rifle or crossbow would take considerably longer to ready in car parked in Philip`s parking slot at his home: additional first aid kit.

[ReubanBrightwood]

Corns return heralds an evening of deeper insight, supernal truth to piece the lies of this fallen world and the Moros beholds the ashes of the deceased the resonance under his death sight is palpable and active like flames, It oozes through his awareness the resonance carries the quality BANE. Further will working confirms perhaps what he hoped for that the creature died from starvation, a body unable to keep fuelling itself, having devoured as much of its own substance as it could, broke down and ceased to function.


Having the photo with a licence plate helps Philip run searches and and move through company listing. There are a decent amount of taxi drivers and even with his spell to help him it is a lot of superfluous and end information. Eventually he manages to track down a name he is fairly certain belongs to the guy in question. Harry Remus, 34, single lives in a rougher part of town.