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.

[Corn]

Corn graciously accepted the Pizza although his mind was pre-occupied (probably understandable) with the task at hand, worries about Darren and whomever is behind this. When Philip asked, Corn absentmindedly said "I had to buy a few things for Jason and Maria and then drop them by the house. I am also considering life insurance now that I have a baby and checking my options. My wife is aware but she's not aware that I have already decided; she thinks I am meeting with agents at the moment. Anyway, In short, I had to do everyday things. The things that give life meaning beyond my ability to see past the Lie."

The news about the group that kidnapped Daren were taken badly. Corn took a sharp breath as he read, closed his head and hissed.
"Hunters. Fucking Hunters. Why do I always end up against them?" This was probably the first time Philip heard Corn use the F-word.
With a sigh, he turned to Philip.
"That seems like an amateur Hunter Cell. Conspiracy theorists and those that believe in the supernatural despite not able to touch it or see past the Lie. Idiots, traumatized souls, people with mental issues as well-meaning naive and gullible people can all be drawn to such things. I had... encounters with them in the past. That encounter didn't end well. I have told an Arrow in Sacramento, as well as Aurora , about that encounter, and the Arrow explained some things to me that those that sent me there had not.
When preparing for a fight, you don't just need to stack up spells and defenses. At least as far as the Arrow told me, it is also being prepared to do what needs to be done. And I don't want to kill Sleepers, Philip. We can kill them, since you tracked them down, and not with great effort as those seem run-of-the-mill thugs and conspiracy theorists.

I want to save Daren and I want to help Mothisha, of course. And I am not going to let Tim slit my throat.
The problem is that if we leave them behind, assuming we could save Daren without confrontation, is that this group managed to get their hands on the supernatural. The moment Mothisha possesses one of them, it will be the point of no return. Even if we liberate Daren without the group noticing, they will again take that as confirmation of their suspicion. The hunters need to be dealt with.

That also leaves the other part of the issue: Mothisha the ghost and her agent. There is a reason Mothisha became a ghost instead of moving on. And that reason may be that her agent pushed her too far and ignored her mental plight. She may want revenge. Or, she may be attached to Daren as the ring seems to be her anchor or one of her anchors.

Do you think that Agent may have contacted these idiots? In my not-great experience, such groups often have sponsors. If that agent is the sponsor, instead of say, a guardian of the Veil or Seer or some other Supernatural, that is the good scenario that ties all these together nicely.
But if her agent is a different problem, then we have two things to deal with. Can you hack in their computers, or send a spirit to watch them, to see if they are connected to the Agent somehow? Or something else? The last thing we need is for what I assume to be an "amateur cell" to be the front for a full-fledged hunter or supernatural group. Then we may well find ourselves tracked by 12 people with assault rifles and sniper scopes. "
Corn is not aware that someone or something tried to hack into Philip's computer.


While Philip researched more, Corn took the time to look for life insurance options - despite his claims that he has decided. It was not that he lied but he could check more things. As he was trying to balance his mage life with his Sleeper duties, Corn indeed leaned towards an option that seemed OK even if it was probably not the best- he doesn't plan to die anyway - but with more time, he did what he has told his wife he would do and dug deeper in his choices.

Prompted by his search and Philip's prodding, he did the Moros thing to do and started talking about his post-death plans. "So, speaking of life insurance. If I die in a way that leaves no body - or should not leave a body - or if I completely lose my mind or something eats my soul and drops me in Temporal Purgatory, Dimensional Detention, a Void Enclave or worse, an Abyssal Spike, I would like a body to be left behind for the Sleeper world to take my passing. I don't want my family to forever wonder what happened to me. Something not too horrible like a sudden heart attack or a car accident.
Also, honestly, if I end up mad in an Enclave or corrupt and mad in an Abyssal Spike, just kill me. It will be a mercy.

Similarly, if the Hunters kill me don't let my family find me with a bunch of bullet holes and wonder while the loving, risk-adverse, friendly and peaceful father got in what could pass as a gang-fight."

[Philip Crosen]

Library of Time

Time

half Research roll time

  Prolonged

Philip was pleased with Corn accepting his pizza. But he gave him a disappointed frown when Corn failed to contain his response about the possible hunter cell to words, mentioning the potential for murder, as well as Arrows and Aurora. But he kept that to himself until after he was done with his research on the taxi driver, when he turned back to him fully.

So he answered him, typing rapidly on his desktop-replacement laptop, once he was done with his research about the taxi driver, still remembering most of their earlier discussion.

Please don`t mention that sort of stuff you said before out loud in my place, stuff about the club, or open discussions of murder. And is there no way besides `taking care` of the hunter cell? Because I don`t need to tell you, I`m not too thrilled about that, at all. And that`s putting it VERY mildly. Can`t we `just` use their paranoia against them? You said we need more than spells, obviously we have to play it smart here. Perhaps we could find some way without breaching the veil to get Ms. Simmons` and Mr. Grentheme`s families to turn against them and get the police involved? As far as I see it, they need an asylum or the inside of a prison cell. A bullet between the eyes seems overkill to me, or whatever else you had in mind with `taking care` of them. But you`re right, I did get quite a bit of info, so if we really need to go down that route, we absolutely could. Though I`d still prefer to help them using mundane systems designed for such deluded folk. And speaking of info, found the name of the taxi driver. Poor guy. Might help him later. And he was nice enough to fix me up after getting shot, so he still has some bonus points with me. As for hacking, I can do some general research about Mr. Vize, the guy who from my research best fits the description of this `sponsor` you speak of. All about his potential connections to this cell, sure. But I don`t know about hacking into their servers anymore. I didn`t tell you this earlier, but during my earlier attempts at finding things out about Mr. Hemmingway, my `guide` from the morgue, Mr. Vize, whose agency seemingly led to the maltreatment of Mothisa, his agency itself, and Ms. Sudarata herself, I almost got hacked. Well, after I hacked into Ms. Sudarata`s and the agency`s e-mail servers. It was really bad. I only barely avoided a catastrophe with sheer grit and some willworking. Didn`t have any chance to get the IP of the guy who tried either, assuming it is a guy. Now I think about it, I guess it could have been Mr. Grentheme. But it could just as well be anyone else on the internet too, so I think it`s too early to be certain. Although that would be one hell of a coincidence if it was him, definitely worth checking out. But hacking him wouldn`t be the answer and would only tip `em off we`re on to them, if it actually was him. But if it is him, at some point I really need to wipe his hard drive and steal the computer he used in his attempt to hack me, because can`t let him loose having my IP adress or whatever he has on me that let him hack me. IF it was him. As for your body. Let`s just hope it doesn`t come to that. But I will certainly keep your wish in mind and fulfil it to my best ability if needed. Again, please don`t speak too loudly about your double life in my Sanctum. And as for twelve people with sniper scopes. Yeah, let`s hope it doesn`t come to that. If all of these four are hunters, we will need to approach this very cautiously even with the info we have right now. As you say, a front for an even bigger operation, as if this wasn`t big enough, if true, would spell serious trouble. And that might merit bringing this up with our friends.

With that text, he went back to speaking and being reasonably certain what he was proposing would be his last research session for the night.
"So, I`d like to research everything I can about what I said. But I`m glad you like the pizza."
Corn`s talk of life insurance he took with a shrug, although the triple entendre was not lost on him. But, as with the other things, he wasn`t thrilled Corn was saying these things out loud, openly talking about his double-life like he was doing.

With that said, Philip decided to cast Library of Time again after ending his previous casting for his next mission, to fulfil Corn`s wish and uncover everything he could about any connections between Mr. Vize and the cell he`d discovered, so they`d have one problem less. This time without words, to bring his point in his text home that Corn had overstepped with his words, hoping his imago would form, which it fortunately did.

4 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-05-04 08:59:32	Philip Crosen rolls 6 to Library of Time (Gnosis 3 + Time 3) (10 Again)	10, 9, 9, 6, 6, 10, 6, 3	4 successes

7 suxx, 4/6 rolls, 60 mins elapsed

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-05-04 09:03:20	[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)	3, 9, 4, 4, 2, 2, 4, 5, 2, 9	2 successes
2024-05-04 09:03:20	[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)	7, 2, 1, 5, 10, 1, 5, 8, 1, 4, 10, 2	3 successes
2024-05-04 09:03:20	[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, 5, 4, 1, 9, 8, 6, 5, 2, 4	2 successes
2024-05-04 09:03:20	[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)	6, 4, 4, 5, 4, 1, 7, 1, 4, 6	failure

As soon as he was done with that, he turned back towards Corn.
"So anyway, what did you find out about the ashes?"

spells , effects and gear

Armor 0, Speed 10, Init +6, Defense: 3 (no FP), Spells active: 1/6([4]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.

[Corn]

Corn takes the chastiment in stride and bites his lips. "You are absolutely right. I lost my mind here... talking about such things when talking about conspiracy theorists. That kind of thing is what gets us in trouble with these groups. "

THen, he takes out his phone and types

I am not sure they are more connected than a group of madmen like those that go lone-wolf shooters. But - thankfully few- conspiracy theorists have been turning innocents to victims for a long time. And Tim's group did kidnapped a man just on a hunch, so they are clearly dangerous. Involving the police would be somewhat problematic, as it will expose our identities to a group of people. They can't be the only ones in those forums. If their similarly wacko friends read in the news that their internet buddies were grabbed by 'the evil oppressive system' and find the police records or, if there is a trial, read who was involved, they may get our identities. Do you want your record to be up for wannabe-hunters to find at the press of a few buttons? I don't. I think you are on the right track; gather information and then see how we can disseminate it to the police or the right authorities. I may reach my contacts but I will owe them a favor. And they will need something to go on with, something that doesn't involve a possessed person and a ghost. So far, a man kidnapping a cross-dressing man can perhaps work; given the profile of these people the police can fill in the rest. But we need someone to pass that info along. And perhaps the cameras from the store, or the club or any such video, if it exists. My report to the police was vague enough. I could say I was mistaken in the darkness if asked why I said a woman. Then, there's this thing about the ashes: it is a bane. Probably for the ghost herself. I am reluctant to carry them around, but if you or I get possessed they could come in handy in an abjuration. Assuming we find someone to do that abjuration. They are indeed from Mothisha and she did die from starvation, the poor thing. What information, open and accessible, do you have on Mr Vize? Any reason to suspect he is anything more than a ruthless agent? Could he be an occultist, a hunter or something worse?

[ReubanBrightwood]

Philips efforts prove one thing ... if Mr. Vize is behind this he uses proxies to find his intel because he can confirm with all the confidence of his skill nothing openly available on the internet connect the manager to this group or forum. --- And yes it lingers in his mind ... that post cognition clarity the truth of the matter in the crematorium ... Mr. Vize did his bribery in person behind closed doors, in a place that demanded respect for privacy. --- He Is very capable of under handed transactions but is he capable of the jump from supressing information to active kidnapping?

Corn relays his information while forming plans of his own. Experience and wisdom proving invaluable as he lays out the risks and avenue open to them in how to deal with what seems to be a particularly violent version of the scooby gang hunting ghosts. And a man of his clear Occult knowledge could not doubt find several uses for an object distinguished as a bane ... perhaps even attempting to understand why her ashes have become so could unlock new avenues, he does know beyond doubt usually this is not the case for ghosts.

[Philip Crosen]

Now Philip was getting genuinely annoyed with Corn. Having stated his rules at the start when he first entered his Sanctum and having reminded him in writing, Corn had the audacity to immediately afterwards apologise out loud for his mistake, after being called out. As if he hadn`t understood a word Philip had just written. And the way he said it all but admitted they`d continued the conspiratorial discussion Corn had started in other media, such as by text. If anyone had overheard them, Philip would be the one exposed in his Sanctum. And he knew from his Sanctum`s registration it wasn`t very far till one found his birth-name. So Corn had turned into an unexpected risk. Granted it was exceedingly unlikely someone overheard them, but it would be a grave risk to him if it had been the case anyway. He would not forget this as he turned to research Mr. Vize`s seeming lack of connections to the cell he`d discovered, fulfilling Corn`s wish. Once he was done with said research he ended Library of Time and turned back to Corn, but his features had changed from welcoming to a disappointed frown into now a shimmer of hostility and fury. While he outwardly calmly and for anyone potentially listening stated:
"Conspiracy whackos really will believe the nine yards."
,he was typing rapidly and quietly on his desktop-replacement laptop, before showing it to Corn:

Your verbal apology was exactly the type of thing I wanted to avoid with my typing. Now anyone listening can make the connection we continued our conspiracy in writing and that I took your words for more than just rambling. At least an hour has passed since. But anything problematic will get back to me since this is my Sanctum, so I hope it doesn`t come to that. I actually briefly considered attempting to erase part of your apology from the timestream with a vulgar Time casting. Because in the highly unlikely event that someone overheard both, it would actually be quite damning. As you say, that kind of stuff is exactly what gets us in trouble with these groups. So please do keep in mind for future reference that I will do whatever willworking I think is necessary in my Sanctum to protect my guests, myself and the veil. As you likely do too. And I ask you to respect that. Anyway and with that said, fortunately or unfortunately for us I was unable to find anything linking Mr. Vize directly to this group. So if he`s involved he`d be going through intermediaries I couldn`t find. But I still can`t rule it out for sure. So as far as I know he`s `just` the ruthless owner of a modeling agency, but there`s also the Postcognitive glance that potentially painted another picture, too. Fate showed me this for a reason, it cannot just be mere chance. As for the ashes, your results are pretty much the same as mine. I found the `bane` resonance as well quite clearly when I scrutinized `em in the crematorium but I didn`t make the connection that the ashes were a bane for a ghost. And your info on her cause of death seems to confirm the mundane analysis of Mothisa`s passing. As for an abjuration, don`t know who could perform it either but it`s an interesting idea. And as for your thoughts about hunters ID`ing us, keep in mind we`re already quite involved with this. Mr. Rockwell saw both of us when he played his part in the kidnapping of Darren-slash-Mothisa. So I`m sure they could already find out quite bit about us from that one interaction if they really tried. Any move we make against them, Mr. Rockwell will recognise us and they can piece quite a bit together if they haven`t already. And the guy who hacked me clearly has to have something about me, too. With that said, we obviously need to cover our tracks extremely well here to prevent hunter cells using this against us. But if we manage to cover our tracks, using mundane means and your contacts like you suggested seems like the way to go. And as for friends, I was considering if this does turn into being about a larger hunter group, to get some of our other friends from the club up to speed on this. What do you think?

As for favors, Philip considered owing Corn one for involving his contacts. But he figured Corn owed him for risking his Sanctum with his conspiratorial talk, so he figured in such a case they`d merely be even at best. But he didn`t feel like mentioning this, considering it obvious.

spells , effects and gear

Armor 0, Speed 10, Init +6, Defense: 3 (no FP), Spells active: 0/6(), 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.