(2502) Sanctuary

[Chambers]

Circle of creation

The Circle of Creation is the gathering hub for all Pentacle mages in the Sacramento Concilium, with chapter houses for all five Orders inside.

Located east of Sacramento and far outside the prying eyes of the inner city, the Circle of Creation awaits the mages of Sacramento. Despite being a replica of the Westminster Abbey, the sleepers who come by never seem to notice it. The wards built into the structure have made sure of this. To all but the Pentacle the Circle is essentially invisible, ensuring the safety of those who enter and engage with one another. Whether it had always been here for the Awakened was hard to say now, but it was the site that the Awakened gather to mingle and discuss official matters.



It is a time for simply for mingling among the Awakened. The common area is large and open, but over the course of the month it's inevitable that people may bump into each other. The official concerns of the Consilium are put on hold as a more lighthearted experience is shared among this community of the Wise. Ultimately, this is the opportunity to let the proverbial hair down. How much so is up to them.

This is the opening post for Sanctuary. Please read this for information on Sanctuary, Consilium, and the difference the two. Come here to be recognized!



Also a reminder, Sanctuary threads are not official Consilium threads. Those under an incarceration sentence may not attend a Sanctuary thread.



Sancturary is not a single event, or formal Consilium. It's a compression of time to represent the comings, goings, and intersections of Awakened throughout the month at the Cirlce.

[Chambers]

The Moros Councillor walks into the circle with purpose after the recent events he had needed to put in motion the mechanisms to course correct the apathy that was taking root and the announcement he added to the corkboard in his usual tidying and updating would do that.

The books of updated meeting minutes are added to the bookshelf for what they were, an honest record. Today for the first time no food or cooking, no offering. His mind had been to focused turning over the maze he would soon have to navigate.

[Thirteen]

As she had essentially promised, Thirteen was here. After walking around the hallways on the massive edifice in wonderment, the recently arrived Acanthus was standing at the corkboard. Arms crossed over her chest, reading the various postings and records. Doing her homework, so to speak.

Dressed similarly to how she had previously, with her leather jacket and scarf, blue jeans and sneakers, she grumbled under her breath occasionally as she read some baffling or annoying. On the floor at her feet rested her backpack and motorcycle helmet. "Is he daft?" she muttered, eyeing the most recent Consilium meeting notes.

[Corn]

Corn, appears from deeper in the circle. His demeanor is different than it was in the past few times for Chambers that knows him, he has not been the same since he woke up from the trip to his own soul, and he still feels the marks. Corn seems ... not completely in his own mind. He seems much more accepting of the horrors he endures and at the same time he seems to feel them more keenly. He has lost weight. There are cuts on his hands as his nails often dig in his palms and his lips as his teeth dig in his flesh. He doesn't seem to care.

"Greetings, Councilor." he says to Chambers . He notices the newcomer. Another pretty woman, he notices absentmindedly.
"I am Corn. Moros, Mystagogue, lost. Dangerous to be around." he introduces himself simply without his usual flair. The naming of his order jolts him to something and he addresses Chambers.
"The trip, you know which one. Winter was there. There are things... I will write them down. I will use cypher. These experiences are not for everyone. It changes you. Dangers I didn't expect. I plan to go back and I take steps towards it. I deserve the pain, all of it. Perhaps I deserve to lose my mind in the sea of the human conscious. At least, I would get something back that way, for the rest of you." A sea of contradictions and half-words, unfinished thoughts and structures.
And this is a man that can summon a nuclear bomb.

"Oh and congrats on becoming Hierarch. I don't know if I will be around when it happens, but we both know it will. I found out you were right; Path can be represented by the Hierarch."

[Aurora]

After the bombshell of last month, it was important she be early for this month. Shit needed to get done quickly, and she wasn’t in the mood to deal with minor bullshit.

And she certainly wasn’t in the mood for the cold weather, warmer weather was more her thing, but what can you do. Dressed for the chill in the air, she walks in, nods offered as she checks the board before looking to Chambers.

“If we need a place to meet up, I can offer my loft, but if you have a place in mind, just let me know when and what time. We need to get this handled quickly.” From her tone, she wanted to get this handled quickly. "Oh, and hi," a small chuckle, "hope you've been well."

Finally, new face, smiling, “Hey, I’m Aurora, Shaman and member of the Mysterium, welcome to Sacramento.” Trying to be welcoming, because that’s what you do with new faces. “Did you just arrive?”

Looking to Corn, noticing his appearance, but not letting on because the pity train was not one she was on. Nope, that train had left a long ass time ago minus this Shaman, “Corn.” Any discomfort, pain, or anything else he was in was brought on by himself and she quite frankly did not care anymore.

[Chambers]

Well he wouldn't lie it was nice to see one using the library and notes. "I see you found place without to much trouble." Offering Thirteen a warm smile. "Although to answer your question I will first need to ask to which specifically do you refer?" A few instances game to mind and you know what they say about assumptions.

Corn moving from his residence in the cells to join them was initially given a nod. "Corn how are you ..." He was about to say. "Holding up." But the man seemed very off. "Corn I don't see how losing yourself in the sea of human consciousness will help anyone achieve anything." It is said gently the man seemed either on the edge or already off it. "Things are bleak but we are trying to solve this." If anyone beyond himself was at this point was questionable but it was still on this councillor radar of problems.

The other topic was an current so that's something. "Thank you but lets not count chickens before they hatch. If it does it is of little surprise I trust that I will support Witch to take the councillor seat so I am not just listening to my own advise." Having a separate councillor to offer differing points of perspective and help deal with Moros related issues would give him greater separation from his path mates and even the field as best as he could for each path to access the hierarch.

Aurora's arrival was to the point but that was no bad thing. Well that means she supports the meeting. "That's very good of you but the circle is neutral ground for all. Meeting here is best I think." A nod in agreement about the need for haste. "I've been busy trying to find solutions to get meetings to be faster, more relevant and more effective. I have a few and they start." Tapping the council meeting sign. "With this." Each time more had been needed he had risen to the challenge with solutions and this was no different. Each time they had been a risk and that to was no different.

[Thirteen]

She turned and gave Chambers a slight smile and a firm nod, "Kind of hard to miss, once you're able to see it. And I know Westminster when I see it. Went to the real thing on a school trip once." As to the subject of what she had been muttering about, the Acanthus started to say, "Oh, well, I was just reading about-"

And then Corn arrived and introduced himself. Speak of the devil. Hot on his heels came the lovely Shaman, "Thirteen. Acanthus of the Free Council. Hello, and thank ye for the welcome," she greeted them both.

An eyebrow rose at Corn's 'dangerous' self-description. "So it would seem, though I admit I'm lacking context. The notes of your meeting last month wasn't long on details." If Corn was in ill-health, Thirteen couldn't tell. This was the first time she'd ever seen the man.

Answering Aurora's question, she nodded, "Aye, a couple weeks ago. Got all settled in. Now just familiarizing myself with this place, and the recent goings-on."

Both eyebrows went up when Chambers was referred to as Hierarch. That was news to her. "Erm, congratulations?"

[Asclepius]

Deciding to make more of an effort to show his face around the Circle more. He arrived to with not much to hand except the handheld game that Skye had given him as a gift. He wore a simple outfit of jeans, Band T-shirt, Hoodie and some nice trainers for footwear. As he approached he could hear the sounds of voices letting him know where people gathered. He strolled in as he was putting his phone into his pocket and offered his greetings to people. “Greetings all, hope you are....” looks to at Corn. Oh good lord man. “...doing well.”

His vision brought to the Eye catching looks of the woman in the leather jacket. “Oh hello there, I don't believe we have met, either that or I am losing my memory. I am Asclepius, Shaman and a member of the Arrows. If you find yourself in any trouble feel free to get in touch. I work as an EMT so I have some knowledge on patching people up from their injuries. Should it be needed of course” A little over share, but if what is to be believe is true, people will need to start knowing. He holds out a hand towards the woman. “I hope the day finds you well.”

Self-destructive behaviour could be understood but was never something productive, he should know. If he really wants to help save his child why would he do this to himself. He needs strength, he needs to better himself and train. How is he to fight his foes if he is busy fighting himself. “Corn, I recognise this behaviour that I see evidenced upon yourself. Now I can't tell or do to you what my mentor did to me when explaining this, but I will say if you are going to hurt yourself in such a manner then do it productively. If its pain you want as a penance for what has happened, then I suggest you start forcing yourself to do sit-ups and push ups, nothing hurts more then exercise plus you get something out of it.” There was no pity in his words, he spoke in a manner of fact kind of way. Did he think Corn would take the advice? No, he assumed Corn would brush it off as a typical Arrow way of thinking.

He looked over to Aurora with a smile. “Hey Aurora, I see you are also feeling the cold. Can't wait till summer am I right? Course then I will be begging for the cold back with all the heat.”

He Looked to Chambers finally also greeted with a smile. “Chambers hello, Your contributions are always a blessing to us all, I hope to have another look at the last two gathering notes to go other some things before some upcoming events are to happen, of which I am always thankful for your note taking.”

[Guru]

Guru knew he had to have missed something in his time away. He'd needed to regain some perspective though and he'd spent his time recently at home or immersed in his projects. He'd lost sight of the bigger picture and needed a neutral party and to take a trip for his own well being. The Shaman bore no baked goods this evening, having to come more hat-in-hand after having missed the last meeting. He had some scruff coming in from the time away but that paled in comparison to how Corn was appearing. Guru himself was dressed simply for the cold with a gray pull-over hoodie, black slacks, and the out-of-place Adidas so he could go for a run after.

He scanned the room, offering smiles and hello's as he approached his Councilor first and foremost. "Sorry for missing the last meeting, I need to seek Re-Acknowledgement." It wasn't as forced as it might have been previously, his time away hopefully giving the Shaman some Wisdom into the Why things were handled the way they were. There was a tinge of embarrassment in the ask too, a nervous scratching at the back of his head and shifting of weight between his feet.


He knew he'd missed a lot and they'd been in a rush but Chamber's new title was met with mostly a raised brow in question and a look to the Moros in question. Though no question had been asked, "We could follow Par-Pro, maybe do a meeting for new business, one for old, alternate the two? Sorry." He added with a grimace, "not asked for." He couldn't help but do a double take at Thirteen, offering a smile and a wave. Though Asclepius received a concerned tilt of his head as he looked at Corn. "Going to agree on the fact it needs to be directed. First, I'd start with a good nights sleep. Actual, real, sleep though." A concerned look given to the shell that held Corn's consciousness or maybe it was what remained of it now?

[Corn]

To Chambers when he mentions that the consilium is 'trying to solve' something, Corn just shakes his head. "My Mistakes. My sins. My responsibility - or lack of thereof. My punishment."
He takes a breath. " I don't think I will be around for long. I took an oath, under God - and I do believe in God although I am in the minority among us - to my wife, till death do us apart. And I abandoned her. For her own good, but I did. The other sins I have done, as a faulty mage, you know of. Practically every word I have told my wife, my family, my friends was a lie to protect us, our community. I didn't protect them from us. There was not a single mage in those 11 years since my Awakening, not one, that has not told me that this was a dangerous and foolish idea."

Aurora reminds him of something. "I saw things, Aurora. In the Temenos. The Sancta Trinitas - the one of them, the Latino one, the one we called mad. He was right. I think he was right. When you said I was asking ... some life master to save the life of my unborn child against the Lex was Hubris on top of unwise, you were right. My unborn child told me so. I should have loved him for how he was, even if his life was so very very short. I shouldn't have tried to change the course by asking someone else to bear the Sins of my existence. I apologize. "
Are the Banishers, the Hunters really wrong to hunt him down? Just by his recklessness half a dozen Sleepers, all tied to him, are dead or suffering.
His nails dig deep in his palms as he shuts out greetings for the time. His teeth cut in his lips.