The events in week 7 of the Mage: the Ascension chronicle: Duplicity (#DPLCTY), between 09/15/2019 to 09/21/2019.
Clay Hellstrom, Sitri Lovelace & Jonas Carter (Continuing scene from Week 6)
Mage Storyteller:
Kai face is twisted into a grimace of confusion, “This shits getting
too weird for me man, I’m about ready to fuck the hell out of here.”
Sitri, Clay, you see this odd newcomer approaching the group of
feather-gatherers. Do you interfere?
Sitri Lovelace:
[Ive jumped down from my perch and am huddled close to kai.] “Look It’s been
nice talking to you but with All this going on and Harry Potter showing up I
think it’s time for us all to split”.
Mage Storyteller:
Allison, who has began to shake slightly from anxiety, pipes up and says
“Clay, I think I agree with the stoners. Let’s get out of here.”
Clay Hellstrom:
“Yeah… look I’m going to stick around. Could you maybe wait for Des, point
him this way? He’s kind of familiar with weird shit and can help. He ought to
be coming in here the way we did. If not, I’ll catch up with you later. Cheap
dinner, my pull.”
Mage Storyteller:
[@LovelaceSitri] As you move
away from the scene of chaos behind you, Kai & Allison are visibly less
tense. After a few moments of silence Allison says “Hobbyists, Am I right?
People will obsess over anything”, to which Kai emphatically agrees. The
shock and confusion is fading.
Sitri Lovelace:
“Y..ya hobbyist…hey Is your friend going to be ok?”
Clay Hellstrom:
To Sitri: Yeah, see you around.
To the newcomer: Hey! Hey! Trust me here you do not want to get near those.
They’re… um…
… psychoactive… I’ve got… a…containment guy on the way.”
Jonas Carter:
I walk closer to clay and give him a good
look up an down “Psychoactive? And how did you reach that conclusion” as I say
that I subtlety start moving my fingers around to cast a spell to read surface
thoughts [Mind 2]
Clay Hellstrom:
“Look at how the people around this bird have been
acting. You have another more acceptable explanation?” [I would extend my
senses periodically].
Jonas Carter:
“More acceptable? I suppose not. More True? Now that
depends.” I look Clay in the eyes, trying to read his response to my next
words. “One could see this as a more supernatural, more magickal, phenomena.
Hypothetically of course.”
Clay Hellstrom:
“Yes… if one were so inclinded. Few are, so caution is
needed.”
Jonas Carter:
“Too true, one must be careful when discussing such
alternative, though one could say they are the more Traditional
explanations.”
Clay Hellstrom:
[I’m wary now] “Yeah
one could, if one were a subscriber to Tradition.”
Jonas Carter:
“Ah I see.” I lower my voice, trying to keep my
words between the two of us. “Let us drop pretenses, shall we. I don’t
care if you want to remain independent, so long as you aren’t with the Union we
can work together, and there is no time to lose.”
Clay Hellstrom:
“As long as you aren’t Euthanitos we might get along. Clay
Hellstrom, unaffiliated, freelance newbie.”
Jonas Carter:
I chuckle. “Hardly, I am Jonas Carter Hermetic Mage of
the 6th Degree. The issue before us Clay, is that this is not just some simple
effect that attacks the mind, it also is doing something to the soul of those
afflicted.”
Clay Hellstrom:
“Jesus.” [I double
check to ensure Allison has gone to meet Des]
Jonas Carter:
“Exactly. So look, we need to get those sleepers away
from whatever the source of this effect is. Then we can work to neutralize the
source. Unfortunately I’m not well versed in the Ars Potentiae or Ars Spirtuum.
But there may be something we can do.”
Clay Hellstrom:
“So far, I can only sense magic and not do magic. Dealing
with them will be touchy, they’re driven by a sort of mania. I only just
resisted it. First to simply obsessively observe, it exploded, now to possess a
feather. And not just any feather, but THE perfect one.”
“I called a guy who understands about this sort thing, he
ought to be underway here too. Three heads might be better than JUST one
experienced head and one amatuer one.”
“Hermes, huh? You aren’t tight with anyone from Baltimore
are you?”
Jonas Carter:
“Hmm, that makes this more tricky. If they are that
obsessed they could easily hurt us or each other. Maybe some kind of
distraction…Not particularly, no. Is there someone up there you’re looking to
get in contact with?”
Clay Hellstrom:
“No, more like stay out of touch with. Long story. But I had
the same concerns. I have a medical background and have know the mindset these
people are in is dangerous to them and anyone else around. Another reason I
didn’t call this in to EMS. Done wrong… eeesh.”
Jonas Carter:
“Agreed, but I worry about the spiritual damage they
may suffer if we do nothing. There is an effect I could do, but it worry that
it might mix with the aura of compulsion in unintended ways.”
Clay Hellstrom:
“That’s why I made a call to someone more experienced… too
bad that artist guy left. We could have used him to run a distraction: a bigger
better woodpecker… over there…” .
Jonas Carter:
@MageStoryteller “I might be able to nudge the obsession
into something else, but I’m not sure what that might cause…” [Is there
anything else nearby that I might be able to use Mind 2 to channel their
obsession onto?]
Mage Storyteller:
As the two of you are having this conversation the folks
continue to root around, growing more feverish. You see also, a small
coalescence — the creature, reforming. You could try to divert them to some of
the other, less exciting birds in the area but it won’t be easy.
Clay Hellstrom:
[I take off my shirt to throw it over top]
Jonas Carter:
[I’m going to use my wand and begin an extended cast to try
and channel the compulsion onto the other birds] “If this works, as soon as
they’re away cover it up as subtly as possible, even if this works it will be
tenuous.”
Clay Hellstrom:
[I stand back a bit to observe. Also put my shirt back on].
Mage Storyteller:
[To clarify your plan, Jonas you are going to try to use a
mind effect to redirect their compulsion to a mundane bird and if/when that
succeeds Clay you are going to try to cover up the reforming creature. Is that
correct?]
Clay Hellstrom:
[Not if covering it with my shirt interferes with his mojo]
“Hey, will me covering that thing with my shirt interfere?”
Jonas Carter:
“Not at all, just try to avoid them noticing.” [yes that is
my plan]
Clay Hellstrom:
[Starts re-removing shirt]
[starts remembering I actually have some talent in
misdirection. Hands shirt to Jonas to cover the thing up, and I will I try to
misdirect the crowd into following me to and *even* better woodpecker]
Mage Storyteller:
[Great the two of you will be working in conjunction, first
Jonas will try to peel them off of their obsession long enough for Clay to get
them clear.] Jonas, you reach out and feel their passions gripped in this
things talons. How do you approach freeing them?
Jonas Carter:
[I am envisioning
this compulsion as a chain pulling the victims towards the source, I am moving
my want as I mutter an incantation to redirect where the chain is pulling them
towards a bird in another tree]
Mage Storyteller:
[The effect is vulgar but the sleepers cannot currently
witness anything else. There’s also that small complication — that bit of this
effect outside the purview of the mind sphere. Roll Arete difficult 7.]
Jonas Carter:
[I will spend a point of willpower]
(3d10 Rolled: 8, 7 and 7. My work
here is done.) [4 successes with the willpower]
Mage Storyteller:
A resounding success. Is there any physical manifestation of
this effect or how does it take hold?
Jonas Carter:
[As I finish the spell there is a small flash at the end of
my wand and a crack in the air like a whip as the victims attention turns to
the new target of their obsession]
Mage Storyteller:
As their attention whips around the woodpecker finishes
forming and screeches in rage. The strength of your will keeps the people from
being torn away from you but you feel the entity fighting for control.
@HellstromMta what do you do?
Clay Hellstrom:
[Crap. Bird? People? Bird? People? I signal to “bag the
bird” then turn] “Hey! Look at that one over there! I’ve never seen one so
amazing! I’m going to get the perfect feather before anyone else can!” [start
running away from the area to another area with woods to keep the lking
“Oh my god, there it is again! What is it? No it’s fying that
way, we have to get to it!” [run harder]
Mage Storyteller:
[Roll Manipulation + Misdirection, difficulty 7 as they’re
in a state of magickal confusion]
Clay Hellstrom:
[Spend a willpower, or two, or three
as needed] (6d10 Rolled: 4, 7, 3, 10, 6 and 1.)
Tobias Washington (Continuing scene from Week 6)
Mage Storyteller:
The music is soothing and naive, some sort of folk music for
a new generation. It’s good enough to be slightly distracting from your book,
not able to fully hold your attention. What sort of book of is it?
Tobias Washington:
It’s an older printing of 1984.
Mage Storyteller:
You’re reading the passage with the great “Freedom is
slavery” quote, which you unfortunately saw tattoos on one of your
students bodies a few weeks ago, when the letters on the page begin to
rearrange themselves. You blink, uncertain, but sure enough the passage is
now…
interrupted by the short phrase “Hello Tobias. It’s
nice to see you getting to relax.”
Alesky (Continuing scene from Week 6)
Mage Storyteller:
What does your studying environment look like? What vice is
Aleksy prone to when in the throws of research?
