File: mage quest resource document.pdf (4.31 MB, PDF)

4.31 MB PDF

Some of the werewolves come up, large duffle bags slung onto their backs. They toss them to the ground, as the nude, human-form werewolves unzip them, revealing more clothing, possibly their own clothing they had worn before changing shape. It takes a small bit of convincing, but they agree to share some of the clothes after seeing the nude Thyrsus Mages huddling together, as Jemma begins to magic up a small fire to try and keep them warm. Liz pulls Tali and another werewolf aside (probably Tobi) and begins to talk to them, probably reparations and favors owed to the werewolves.

The Thyrsus Mages (now partially clothed) split off into two groups: two head over and make sure the unconscious Forces Mage is bound, gagged, and still alive. The other 5 return to the unconscious Acamoth, reinforcing their wards and bindings on the demon, making sure it can't somehow escape. You glance around for a moment, noticing a person missing. You finally realize who:

Jemma.

You turn around, seeing her kneeling next to Sarah's unconscious body, one hand magically scanning Sarah's body, the other gently brushing aside loose hairs on her sister's face. If you didn't know any better, you wouldn't think they were related: Jemma has rather short, brown hair, a rather small, yet stocky frame, due to the physicality of both her police work and her Mage hobby. Sarah, on the other hand, has long, raven black hair, and aside from ample cleavage and wide hips, looks particularly malnourished, and is barely clothed, especially after the Acamoth's punch left her with barely any top to cover herself, and literal rags of a skirt for covering her nether regions.

'Not now,' you think to yourself, a noticeable tingle growing in your pants.

> Check in on Liz and the werewolves
> Check in with the Thyrsus Mages and the Acamoth
> Check in on Jemma and Sarah
> Other

> Previous Quest: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/36702656/
> Quest Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=MtA%20Quest
> QM Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MageQM
> Previous Q&A Thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/36531585/

The resource document is up-to-date, with 15 of our 17 exp. spent on getting Spirit 5.

I did a second Q&A thread yesterday, you can find that here: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/36803719/

>>36838061
> Check in on Liz and the werewolves

>>36838061
> Check in on Liz and the werewolves

>>36838061
>Check in with the Thyrsus Mages and the Acamoth.

Can we kill it now?

>>36838061
>Check in on Liz and the werewolves

>the demon
wait what? It's a demon? As in a fallen servant of the god-machine?

>>36838154
Gee, what was that about committing acts of Hubris again?

>>36838295
Michael says demon, because it's his only apt description of the Acamoth.

It's a creature from the Abyss, not something from the God-Machine.

Also, writing.

>>36838338
really need to get that dot in occult

You mull it over for a second, then decide to check in on Elizabeth, maybe see if you can help her out at all with these negotiations. After all, you deal with multi-billion dollar corporations for the day job, how hard can making a deal with some supernatural creatures can be?

"Congratulations on your hunt," the other werewolf growls out, seeing you walk up to them. You're pretty sure it's Tobi, as compared to all the other werewolves here, he's the only one still standing tall, chest puffed out. Then again, he's gotta be over 8 feet tall in this form, and he was tall already. Tali gives you a slight nod, wearing her signature trenchcoat, as you know from experience that she has nothing at all on underneath it.

> Brag about it
> Be humble
> Insist it was teamwork
> Other

>>36838432
>Insist it was teamwork
>try not to think about naked Tali

>>36838432
> Insist it was teamwork

>>36838432
>Other
"I am sorry for calling you to partake in it, it was mere luck we managed the situation as it was. Thank you for agreeing to aid us once again."

>>36838061
>two head over and make sure the unconscious Forces Mage is bound, gagged, and still alive
can we look at his spirit and see if he is possessed or mind controlled?

>>36838432
> Insist it was teamwork

>>36838467
I don't like this phrasing really.

"All I did was exorcise the spirit from the woman's body; it was the other Thyrsus Mages who helped subdue him, the Mystic helping heal the mage's physical wounds, Gemini stopping the snowstorm ritual, and your pack's aid in all the scouting and information gathering leading to this point. It's a victory for all of us." You glance over at Liz, hoping your sweet talking is good enough.

She grins, nodding in approval. "Indeed. And I know it was rather difficult for you all, especially after we found out that the ritual was occurring today. I apologize again for that; it didn't occur to us that the Acamoth might have been working with another until it was almost too late."

"It's ok," Tali says, placing a comforting hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "I'll admit that our knowledge of this spirit isn't as detailed as yours, but from everything the local spirits told us, the being spent most of its time being alone or making sure it was left alone." She removes the hand upon seeing Tobi's judging glare at her. The threatening growl might also have had something to do with it.

"So, are the reparations and favors we discussed agreeable," Elizabeth says, ignoring (or not acknowledging the growl) and looking back at Tobi.

The werewolf is silent for a moment, before nodding. "The terms are acceptable. I will send Tali over to your Library tomorrow to collect the physical payments. As for the favors, I will call upon you when the pack needs your aid."

Suddenly, a loud screech pierces your ears, as everyone flinches and looks around to where the noise is coming from.

All the Thyrsus Mages are busy doing... Something, as the Acamoth begins to thrash and struggle against his spiritual bindings.

> Investigate what they are doing
> Turn on Spirit Sight, see what's going on (1 Mana used, 2 left)
> Tell them to stop whatever it is they're doing
> Other

>>36838697

> Investigate what they are doing
> Turn on Spirit Sight, see what's going on

>>36838697
> Investigate what they are doing

>>36838697
>Investigate what they are doing

>>36838697
> Investigate what they are doing
> Turn on Spirit Sight, see what's going on (1 Mana used, 2 left)

also, this reminds me something that came up in previous thread.
Spirit sight, like most spells from spirit, has a base mana cost of 0. someone mentioned there is a 1 mana surcharge for casting a spell spontanously instead of as a rote. However, that surcharge is not supposed to apply to your ruling arcanas.
I mean, if you want this to be a houserule, that is fine. Just letting you know about that little tidbit.

>>36838697
> Investigate what they are doing
> Turn on Spirit Sight, see what's going on

Something might be helping it escape maybe?

>>36838959
As has been pointed out previously, when Michael turns on Spirit Sight (as he calls it), it's not actually the Spirit 1 spell 'Second Sight,' but is the Spirit 2 Peer Across the Gauntlet.

You are still right though, so the Spirit Sight is free to cast, my mistake.

Also, writing.

File: Peer Across the Gauntlet.png (102 KB, 315x835)

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>>36839051
>As has been pointed out previously, when Michael turns on Spirit Sight (as he calls it), it's not actually the Spirit 1 spell 'Second Sight,' but is the Spirit 2 Peer Across the Gauntlet.
Peer Across the Gauntlet costs 0 mana to cast

File: Mana Cost.png (95 KB, 426x647)

95 KB PNG

>>36839135
And it doesn't fall across any of the "surcharge" rules either

>>36839051
>You are still right though, so the Spirit Sight is free to cast, my mistake.
oh oops, I posted >>36839135 >>36839151
without fully reading your post. my apologies

>>36839151
No, I agree with you, I'm just saying that when Michael says Spirit Sight, he means Peer Across the Gauntlet.

You hurry over to see what they are doing, turning on your Spirit Sight as you move. You see them all doing something to the Acamoth, as their souls are humming in sync to some unheard tune, but you cannot determine what. "Hey, what's going on?"

The Acamoth's writhing in pain, as their hands all glow various colors, trying to rip itself free of the spiritual chains latching its body to the ground. Even more chains appear, wrapping the body entirely in spiritual energy. Slowly, the body begins to shrink, as it swirls in energy and will into one of the soul gems that the Mages had their souls bound in. Finally, the Acamoth disappears, the gem on the ground pulsing in black-red light.

"Dealing with the Acamoth," Yang says, hands no longer glowing. He bends down and picks the gem up, showing it to you. You have to shield yourself from the blazing rage and evil inside of the gem, as your Sight reveals the Acamoth's true face to you. Now you understand why killing it would have been a bad idea: it is pure Abyssal energy, the antithesis of all magical energy. At best, if you killed it on the Material World it would've just corrupted this area, making magic harder to work in the area. At worst, it might've killed you, Elizabeth, and Sarah, as the explosion of its Abyssal blood and guts onto you, Liz, and Sarah would've corrupted your souls and potentially blinked all your souls out of existance.

> These things are pure Abyss? And it's considered a lackey?
> I'd have helped if you guys asked
> Other

>>36839307
These things are pure Abyss? And it's considered a lackey?

Let's find out more about the Abyss if possible.

>>36839307
>So what are you going to do with the gem?

>>36839307

>>36839390
>So what are you going to do with the gem?

>>36839307

> These things are pure Abyss? And it's considered a lackey?

>>36839390
And this.

>>36839307
>At best, if you killed it on the Material World it would've just corrupted this area, making magic harder to work in the area. At worst, it might've killed you
FUCKING CALLED IT. I WARNED YOU, FAGGOTS, BUT DID YOU LISTEN?!

>So what are you going to do with the gem?
>And how about "thanks"?

>>36839614
Um, enough agreed for it to not happen. Calm yourself.

>>36839661
I'm calm, it's faggots like >>36838154 that piss me off.

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>>36839681
I was wanting to ask if we could kill it and if it would be safe to do so. Geez, some people take these things way to seriously, calm down man. You'll live longer.

"These things are pure Abyss? And it's considered a lackey?" You watch as Yang hands the gem to Hally, who wraps it in a piece of the torn off bedsheet she had draped over her soulless body not even 5 minutes ago. "And what're you gonna do with the gem?"

"There's no real safe place to store an Acamoth, as given enough time it can find ways to seep it's influence out of the gem and into some pour soul's mind, lure them to its prison and free it. The few Acamoth's that have been captured are usually studied, as we try to discern more about the Abyss and ways to close it. And yes, it is pure Abyssal energy, but if we banish it back to the Abyss it returns as energy, and will eventually be reborn as another Acamoth, only it will not possess the knowledge and powers of what it has gained over it's previous lifetime," Yang says, turning to face you.

"It's sort of like it reincarnates," Hally says, pocketing the gem. "Where it's essence never dissipates, but all prior knowledge and experience in its previous life or lives is lost, or very, very hard to regain. If we destroy it, we just spread more Abyssal corruption into the Fallen Realm, widening the gap between the Fallen Realm and the Supernal Realm, making it harder and harder for us to cast magic."

You nod in agreement, trying to process everything they've just told you. It certainly seems to make sense, as the only time you ever saw the Abyss was when you Awoke, before the searchlight from the Watchtower pulled you free of it's eternal void. Now that you think about it, you can't recall ever hearing of a name for your Tower, or a Path like the Thyrsus Mages have, or Obrimos like Jemma.

> Ask them about your Watchtower
> Who are you going to give the Gem to?
> Check in on Jemma and Sarah
> Other

>>36839805
>> Check in on Jemma and Sarah

>>36839805
>Check in on Jemma and Sarah

>>36839805
> Ask them about your Watchtower
Nope, don't do that. We'd better find some people we can trust and ask them. Yes, we saved them, but they most certainly have their own agendas. And we surely don't want to draw the attention of Gibson and his gang of killers.

> Check in on Jemma and Sarah
Flir~

>>36839805

> Who are you going to give the Gem to?
> Check in on Jemma and Sarah

>>36839805
>Check in on Jemma and Sarah
>Flirt

Wherever we are, we must also flirt.

>>36839805
>Check in on Jemma and Sarah
>Flirt

always flirt

>>36839805
So, why didn't you just tell me this earlier? when you were telling me not to blast it that is.

Also, can't its energy be slowly unmade via application of magic ritual and local energy?

Or can't it be used as a carrier for a "corruption" of our own when being sent into the abyss, to "corrupt" the abyss with the fallen world? Or just make the energies not usable for the forces of the abyss?

>>36839961
>>36839888
>>36839861
>Flirt
With Jemma, not Sarah. If we do something like that she'll slap us. And she's a Forces mage, her slaps can pierce heavens.

Writing.

>>36839994
>If we do something like that she'll slap us.
why do you think that? We know nothing about her personality

>>36840051
>Frilt with some person's half-dead sister who was mind-raped and forced to partake in heinous acts for years
>We totally don't know what this person is going to do

>>36839973
This is semi-meta knowledge, but whatever.

The Abyss is the aftermath of whenever a Sleeper sees Magic and Disbelieves in it's existence. It quite literally is Reality's radioactive waste saying "No, magic isn't real," only over millennia it's grown from a puddle into an ocean. In the past it was easier to cross, but over time the gap's grown wider, and wider, and wider.

And yes, given enough time, magical energy and ritual, you can cleanse the Abyssal energy. But you can't just drop a clean tear of water into a radioactive waste dump and expect it to cleanse the dump.

>>36840116
I wasn't expecting it to cleanse the dump, but to disrupt it forming sentient dump monsters. Surely a being of "pure abyss" need to actually BE pure abyss and not 99% abyss with some bit of non abyss in there.
That being said, if the energies lose cohesion than it won't matter and counter corruption wouldn't work.

>The Abyss is the aftermath of whenever a Sleeper sees Magic and Disbelieves in it's existence
>And yes, given enough time, magical energy and ritual, you can cleanse the Abyssal energy.
Well, good to know. I guess this is something to work on... we don't even have to fully do it ourselves, just make sure that we clean up a little more abyss than we create. And convince other mages to do the same... why, eventually we could get it to slowly shrink.

You nod in agreement, thinking it better to leave the gem in their possession instead of yours. After exchanging some chit-chat with them, you leave and head over to Jemma, who is still kneeling next to her sister, trying to make her as comfortable as she can in the freezing air and falling snow.

"She looks rather peaceful, don't you think," she says, head turned away from you. "Like she hasn't had a good night's rest in years."

You have to agree; Sarah's face is rather still, a slight smile on her face, all muscles relaxed and loose. Her entire body seems rather at peace, sinking deeply into the ground, the slight rise and fall of her chest the only indication she is still alive and breathing. Her soul, on the other hand, is greatly troubled. The violet light is small, dim, twisted and pulled into every direction imaginable. She is barely hanging on, spiritually speaking, and even if you could repair this damage, the twists and turns are too tightly bound; you can restore her soul's mass, but not it's health. This isn't like with Liz's soul, with temporary, forced ailments. These twists and wounds are self-inflicted over the nearly 20 years the Acamoth had control over her body, mind, and soul. These are things she will have to do.

Knowing Jemma, she'll be there every step of the way.

> Tell Jemma the condition of Sarah's soul
> Lie to her
> Comfort her
> Other

>>36840281
> Tell Jemma the condition of Sarah's soul
Tell her, she'll need all the support and suicide prevention counseling she could get. Offer her your help because we're a paladin now.

>>36840281
>> Tell Jemma the condition of Sarah's soul

>>36840356
>>36840281
This

>>36840281
> Tell Jemma the condition of Sarah's soul
she needs to know
> Comfort her
it can be healed. and we will all be there for her.
> Other
Consult with the other spirit mages about sarah's condition.
ask if restoring her soul mass is a good idea now, or if we should start off with the non magical emotional healing

>>36840281
>Tell Jemma the condition of Sarah's soul
> Comfort her

>>36840281
Tell her and comfort her. This is gonna take a long time to undo and she needs to hear it while having a shoulder to cry on.

>>36840281
> Other
Instead of telling her, show her. (we can grant vision spell after all)

>>36840356
Seconding

>>36840281
>>36840399
This.

>>36840356
Speaking of, I am thinking that sarah should be kept unconscious via life magic for now... as we prepare.
The preparation would be to get her
1. properly clothed
2. in a comfortable bed.
3. in jemma's home
4. with people there for her as soon as she wakes up.
5. nothing sharp around
6. good home cooked food and warm a mug of warm chocolate milk.

its manipulative but for a good cause. Basically, as idellic as possible. And then talking can occur. Spirit sight is really invaluable tool for therapy, invasive, yes... but invaluable.

>>36840556
sounds like a good idea

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>>36840556
I approve, but why does this situation reminds me of something?

Writing.

>>36840618
This is... Beyond creepy.

"Jemma..." You go to place your hand on her shoulder, but she shrugs it off her.

"How bad is it?"

"Pardon?" You know what she means though.

"Her soul."

You sigh, kneeling down next to her. "Do you want me to show you?"

She nods in agreement. You bring your fingers to her forehead, and grant her the same vision as you have. For a moment, she says nothing. Not moving, not breathing, just... Staring.

"I can give her soul back some of it's mass, but this level of damage is-"

"She's family, Michael," she turns to look at you directly, eyes blazing white under the affect of your Sight, not a tear or streak of one on her face. She is accepting of the situation, and determined in some course of action. "And I'll be damned if I don't help her get better. Especially after what happened the last time." You thought she might need comforting, after seeing her sister like this, after so many years. Now, you're afraid of what'll happen if she can't get help for Sarah.

> We can ask the other Thyrsus Mages for help
> What about your job?
> Want me to heal the missing soul mass?
> Other

>>36840863
> Other
"And we'll help, we'll all help."
> We can ask the other Thyrsus Mages for help

>>36840863

> We can ask the other Thyrsus Mages for help
> Want me to heal the missing soul mass?

>>36840863
this>>36840911

>>36840911
this >>36840911

>>36840912
> Want me to heal the missing soul mass?
Of course she fucking wants it. Let's just do it. And maybe ask other mages to oversee the process, they owe us so MUCH it would count as a 1/1000000 of their debt.

>>36840953
>Of course she fucking wants it. Let's just do it
Well, personally I think we should consult with the other thrysus mages before doing it since for all we know doing so prematurely might hinder the healing otherwise.

"Well, after saving seven fairly strong Thyrsus Mages, including Garen, I'm sure we can convince them to help Sarah out as much as they can." You grin at her, trying to cheer her up a bit. She smiles, dispelling the Spirit Sight you gave her, the glowing white eyes fading back to her normal sky blue color.

"Yeah... I'm gonna wait next to her though, see if she wakes up. I want her to see a familiar face if-" From beside her, Sarah groans, eyes twitching slightly. Instantly Jemma grabs onto Sarah's hand, trying to comfort her. "Sarah?"

"Gnn... Go away, you aren't real," she moans out, weakly pulling her hand free of Jemma's grasp. "This... This is just another trick, you can't fool me Zz'kula, I know your tricks..." She sits up, eyes open, amber eyes staring at the both of you. "T... This isn't real..."

> Be honest with Sarah
> Ask her what she thinks is going on
> Get the other Thyrsus Mages
> Be quiet and observe
> Other

>>36841485
>Get the other Thyrsus Mages

>>36841485
> Be honest with Sarah
this means to tell her that it is real?

we will get the other mages, later. right now let this play out

>>36841485
>Get the other Thyrsus Mages
Actually, maybe there are mind mages among them? We need some magical help because we can't just say "NAH IT'S FOR REAL THIS TIME TRUST ME", Acamoth probably said it thousands of times.

>>36841578
Also, how about some form of soft restraining or at least safety protocols? Now that we know that she could fling anti-matter spheres and she's free to do it?

>>36841485
>Write in
Call someone over to get the Thyrsus mages

>Other
"How about we have Jemma tell you a secret only she could know then?"
"Or do you have another way in which we can convince you?"

>>36841485
>Other
Give her spirit sight

>>36841627
>"How about we have Jemma tell you a secret only she could know then?"
That won't work, the acamoth could read her mind, anything that sarah knows that jemma knows the acamoth knew.

>>36841627
>"How about we have Jemma tell you a secret only she could know then?"
Whatever Sarah knew, Acamoth knew as well, including those secrets.

>>36841652
Suddenly, it's not such a bad idea. Still, beware of anti-matter spheres.

>>36841652
>>36841627
guys, she is a thyrsus mage, she can cast spirit sight herself.
The issue is that with the acamoth in control over her actual powers it could twist what she sees presumably.

also, getting the other mages to cast on her might spook her and cause her to bolt or fight us. undesirable result

To clarify:

Is a big group of half-naked people standing in the centre of some park without people around? What's the scenery around us?

Writing.

>>36841767
It's a clearing in a park center, approx. two dozen werewolves (some in wolf form, some human, Tobi's in werewolf form), the 7 half-dressed Thyrsus Mages, Elizabeth, you, Jemma, Sarah, and an unconscious Forces Mage. It's been about 45 minutes since you left the Guardians van with Jemma and Liz to fly here.

It's still snowing, but the pace at which it was falling has slowed considerably, now that there's no Forces Mage summoning up the snowstorm. It's night time as well, last Michael checked it was almost 8 PM.

we should probably get inside soon.

"Sarah?" Jemma grabs onto her hand, trying to calm her. "It's Jacklynn, do you know where you are?"

Her head shakes slightly, bottom lip trembling. "No... You aren't real, this is just another trick..." Her hand begins to glow violet, and Jemma lets go, her hand withered and dry. "Stay away from me, you won't fool me again, Zz'kula!" She begins scuttling across the ground, the few straps of her clothing finally ripping. She takes off nude towards the nearby treeline, as her body begins to glow violet. God damnit, you just got all of these nudist people clothed. And that tingle from before? Well, you're definitely at full mast now.

"Sarah, wait!" Jemma chases after her, one hand glowing green as it heals the damage from whatever spell Sarah just cast to make her gripped hand look like it belonged on a mummy.

"Hey, Mages, we could use some help," you yell over, as Liz, Garen and the others look on in mild curiosity.

> Chase after them both
> Catch the Thyrsus Mages up on the state of Sarah's soul
> Wait for Jemma to get Sarah
> Other

>>36842013
> Chase after them both
Aaaand we did nothing

>>36842061
You were distracted by dat ass.

>>36842074
Time to go tap it then

>>36842013
> Chase after them both

>>36842013
> Chase after them both
Also, tell Liz that it would be a good time to stop time.

>>36842013
>Chase after them both

>>36842090
No tapping of any ass except for our wife, who we tap every night we can, though we will flirt with each and every pretty girl we see.

>>36842013
> Catch the Thyrsus Mages up on the state of Sarah's soul

>>36842093
I agree about asking liz for some extra time.

>>36842013
Yell "If it all happens in your head, then it's useless to run. But IT'S FUCKING NOT. I AM PENISLORD RAGUEL THE ANGEL OF JUSTICE AND I HAVE BANISHED THE DARKNESS INSIDE YOU. COME TO ME AND CLEANSE YOUR SINS" let's use our pathetic forces 2 to amplify the sound.

On the other hand, that sounds incredibly silly. Disregard that, let's just chase her.

>>36842153
I'm feeling like some sexual healing will do Sarah some good.

File: Mind Rape.jpg (1.01 MB, 1442x1614)

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>>36842215
Errr... she probably won't want any sex anytime soon. You just know being gangraped by a horde of betenticled horrors was a staple torture for that acamoth. She'll have issues there, as she will pretty much everywhere. That she's still able to form coherent sentences instead of mad gibberish is actually surprising as she was mind raped for 20 years. Most psyches can't handle that.

>>36842296
>You just know being gangraped by a horde of betenticled horrors was a staple torture for that acamoth
Really? Where was that confirmed?

>>36842296
All the more reason to teach her to love sex again.

>>36842344
"Acamoth" means "Gang Rape" in Abyssal. That's what those creatures do. That's one of the reasons why MtAw is more "streamlined" and less complex fluffwise than MtAs, Abyssals are Bad Guys with the capital B, no negotiating with them. They can rape you, they will. And they did.

>>36842344
I said "you just know", meaning it would make sense if that happened. After all man, it's pretty much standard to torture people at your mercy with some form of rape. It's one of the best ways to break someone in a bad way.

That she was possessed as a child makes it even more likely, they break really, really fast if you do that to them. Acamoth would know that and do it. They're pretty much pure evil man.

>>36842401
Dis nigga gets it.

"Liz, can I get a bit of extra time please," you yell to her as you take off after Sarah and Jemma.

"Got it," she yells back, hands glowing blue. You feel a small bubble of time envelop you, and as things slow down around you, you notice several flashing lights in the distance, in the direction of which Sarah is running.

'Shit, it must be the local police,' you think to yourself. Jemma did say she'd called them in, with the bluff of it being a bomb threat. And if the local police see Sarah, all nude and glowing like a radioactive glow stick, that's gonna cause a lot of problems for everyone. You quickly catch up to Sarah, and you grab onto her, your hands glowing white in an attempt to shield yourself from whatever magic she's casting. You begin to try and heal her soul, at least with what you can.

Instantly that little fuel on her soul catches and balloons, quickly bellowing out of her body and enveloping you. You see the twisted knots, the torture wounds, the bindings and chains upon her soul. You almost recoil in shock at the sight before you, realizing just how bad of a situation this is:

Her magical powers vastly outweigh anyone else's you know, including Elizabeth's.

"Sarah, listen." You grip her tighter, not enough to hurt her, but to keep her locked in place. Time returns to normal around you, as the others catch up to you both. She struggles in place, your glowing hands the only thing keeping you from losing them.

> This is real, the Acamoth is banished, I got rid of him
> I want you to do me one final favor, before I leave (pretend to be the Acamoth)
> Look at me; look at my soul, do I look like Zz'kula?
> Other

>>36842401
That's one of the reasons why God-Machine just doesn't mix with other stuff very well. G-M is not malevolent, it's terrifyingly indifferent, its only function is itself, its only purpose is status quo. Abyssals are there to destroy the world as we know it. Yes, they are the classical bad guys.

>>36842587
>Other
"There's one very easy way to demonstrate you're not in Acamoth-land."
"And that would be Paradox."

>>36842587
> This is real, the Acamoth is banished, I got rid of him
> Look at me; look at my soul, do I look like Zz'kula?

>>36842587
>> Look at me; look at my soul, do I look like Zz'kula?

>>36842587
That's a hard decision. Otherwise I would say "cast Summon Dragon" but we need 5 Prime for it.
I fear that this faggot >>36842730 is right. Let's start with "DO I LOOK LIKE A BITCH?" and then as it inevitably fails follow with "DO YOU ACTUALLY WANT ANOTHER FUCKING MANIFESTATION PARADOX TO HAPPEN TO YOU? TO YOUR SISTER? THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP AND GET SOME CLOTHES ON."

>>36842730
This
+
>>36842587
> Look at me; look at my soul, do I look like Zz'kula?

>>36842730
Yeah, fuck it. Let's summon paradox on ourselves to demonstrate. For justice and willpower restoration.

>>36842587
>> Look at me; look at my soul, do I look like Zz'kula?

>>36842587
I would like to remind everyone that we still have her true name.

>>36842730
This

>>36842902
What does that do again?

>>36842972
It gives a little more "kick" to spells targeted at her when invoked. Also, allows easy sympathetic magic. That last one is why mages are so intent on it not being leaked out to anyone, especially other mages.

>>36842972
Allows us to affect her through strong sympathetic magic.

>>36842766
This plus looking at our soul. It's pretty much our only shot to calm her down before she calls down yet another manifestation on us.

>>36842587
> Look at me; look at my soul, do I look like Zz'kula?

>>36842730
Summoning paradox on purpose is a terrible idea.
Especially because minor paradox usually manifests in temporary insanity and the last thing we want is for her to get a bout of paranoia

>>36843386
It's already been 40 minutes faggot, voting's long over

Ok, so you guys want to invoke Paradox. How do you want to go about doing that?

>>36843436
How do we invoke it without people around?

Can't Elizabeth turn back time?

>>36843430
Was eating dinner and didn't get the post up in time, sorry.

>>36843436
I don't think that has a majority

>>36843455
Well, there's a squad of cop cars approaching...

>>36843436
I don't want to invoke a paradox, I want her to look at our soul while we try and drill into her head that if she keeps this up she'll summon another acamoth and we sure as hell don't want to have to banish and fight another one. We did that today already, we don't want to have to do it again.

>>36843436
Dear god why! This is so damn stupid!

>>36843436
See: >>36843502

Also say if she really wants to double-check it, then we'll leave her to do that after she takes some clothes and a phone

>>36843436
Can we not do that please?

>>36843436
How about we try to convince her with those arguments first?
>>36842766
>>36843502
Then we could, I don't know, theoretically materialise a spirit in front of the cops or something. No that it's a good idea, just a last resort scenario, because when cops arrive paradox pretty much is not going to ask to call for itself, it'll just wreck our shit.

>>36843517
>>36843469
Geez guys, >>36842730 didn't say shit about actually invoking paradox

I mean, as I count it, there's several votes that seem to support it. The main point (that being of having Sarah look at our soul) is going to happen, that's a majority.

But >>36842730 , >>36842775 , >>36842861 , and >>36842904 all think invoking one upon ourselves (and NOT Sarah) is the only way to prove that to her that this is real.

So, hey, guys, how's that christmas picnic with our wife is go~

Well, SHEEEEEIIIT.

>>36843571
Since when did any of them aside from >>36842861 say anything about inducing Paradox on anyone?

>>36843571
there are also a bunch of votes explicitly against it. Can we do a final destination then?

>>36843604
Sup final destination fag, how's those lies and misinformation about it actually working and preventing anything?

Oh wait, you just want to samefag so the thing you don't like doesn't win!

File: paradox derangement.png (26 KB, 424x196)

26 KB PNG

>>36843603
basic english, its clearly say that we should do a paradox
it is also retarded because
>I am gonna prove to you that i am not a being of pure sapient paradox... by invoking paradox!
>Also, said paradox will either summon a demon, unmake our soul, or cause derangement (See chart).
>Because inflicting insanity on someone is the best way to get them to calm down and act rational
all the facepalms in the world

>>36843604
Sup final destination fag, how's those lies and misinformation about it actually working and preventing anything?

Oh wait, you just want to samefag so the thing you don't like doesn't win!

>>36843604
Sup final destination fag, how's those lies and misinformation about it actually working and preventing anything?

Oh wait, you just want to samefag so the thing you don't like doesn't win!

I'm writing as-is without us invoking Paradox, but it'll be an option in the next post I make.

>>36843642
You're a bit of a nutter, aren't you?

>>36843656
Just include talk ABOUT Paradox in your post, as >>36843502 says? Because that's all we want

>>36843641
Narcissism doesn't sound that bad. Also, obsession with Justice is a professional quality in some knightly orders.

"Look at me; look at my soul, do I look like Zz'kula?" You're best guess is that's the Acamoth's true name, which she'd probably have learned over these years. It takes her a second, but her eyes go white. She immediately turns away, as if in pain.

"Bright..." She stops struggling, but is still glowing violet. You can hear the sirens approaching closer, and you glance back and see the police cars getting closer and closer. You aren't certain what else you can do to prove to her that this is all real.

"Sarah Jessica Pennington!" You look behind Sarah and see Jemma, steam bellowing out of her mouth as she breathes deeply. Sarah glances back, looking at her sister. "You have to believe us, this is real. The Acamoth's been exorcised from your body. We sealed it in a fucking soul gem for Christ's sake! Please, stop running, just calm down, we can talk this out."

> Wait for the others to catch up
> Show Sarah the soul gem
> Invoke Paradox on yourself to prove that this is real and it won't affect her
> Other

>>36843689

Amend the 'Invoke Paradox' upon yourself option to:

> Invoke Paradox on yourself to prove that this is real and it won't affect her (meta discussion on how to do so)

>>36843689
> Wait for the others to catch up
We should not show her the soul gem, as fucked as she is she might destroy it in rage which would harm her further (wisdom loss) and possibly all of us.

>>36843689
>Other
go back to the others, get in the van and get away before the police arrives

>>36843689
>Other
"I'm going to let you go."
"Just stop glowing and using magic, or you'll bring down another Acamoth on us."

>>36843689
> Other
Your sister needs you sarah, look at her

>>36843689
> Show Sarah the soul gem
>Be sure to say don't destroy him, that will kill us all

>>36843689
I thought the soul gem is being held by the other spirit mages, not by us.

>>36843689
Say: >>36843731 or/and >>36843502 or/and >>36842766

>>36843758
This

Just FYI - Sleeper witnesses don't cause Paradox for ongoing spells, only ones cast in front of them

>>36843865
True, but disbelief will eventually undo the effects (e.g. if a sleeper sees a monster made out of a dog with life magic it'll eventually turn back into a normal dog).

>>36843865
even ongoing spells that turn cover you in purple fire?
serious question, I know fuck all about this setting.

"Sarah, your sister needs you to be safe. She's spent a long, long time beating herself up over what she did to you on that day," you say to her, as tears start streaming down her face. "She's done everything she could to free you of it's hold on you, and she just wants you to get better." Her bottom lip begins quivering again, and she starts to grow weak in your grip. "Hey, listen to me."

Her head snaps at attention, looking at you, eyes wide. She's terrified of all this, of you, of Jemma, and especially the Acamoth. Even now, it controls her every action. Not directly, but from pure fear and terror she has inflicted upon this poor girl. You glance down at your hands, realizing how this grip is just another form of control the Acamoth has; it's his hands holding her, not yours.

"I'm going to let you go now, Sarah. In return, can you do a favor for me?"

She still looks terrified, but nods her head in agreement ever so slightly.

"Just stop glowing and using magic, ok?" You let go, and immediately she drops to the ground, crying loudly, in pain and frustration and anguish. Jemma moves to comfort her, but you bring your hand up and stop her. "Let this play out." For 10 minutes straight she cries, as Elizabeth and the others provide a suitable distraction to not let the police get a clear view of what's going on deep in the forest of the park. Finally, she stops crying, and as she does, the glowing stops. She looks up at you and Jemma, sniffling up a trail of snot leaking out of her nose.

"He never let me cry," she moans out, a look of relief on her face. "Said it hurt his soul, the innocence scratching him like fire ants." She stays on the ground, but looks around, eyes still glowing white. "This... I'm free? Truly free?"

> Yes, Sarah, you're free of its influence
> You won't truly be free, all that he did to you will still linger... But for today, yes, you're free
> No, you're just free of its influence
> Other

>>36844060
>Yes, Sarah, you're free of its influence

>>36844060
>he never let me cry

How is that even possible after everything he... Oh right, magic, just block out the parts of the brain that allow one to cry and presto, you can suffer the most horrifying things without a single tear being shed!

Anyway, she needs to hear she's free right now, so tell her so. I'd prefer to do the second one, but her mind is so fragile right now I'm scared to try it.

>>36844060
> Yes, Sarah, you're free of its influence

>>36844060
> Other
Slap Jemma on the back and tell he to get moving

>>36844060
> Yes, Sarah, you're free of its influence
indirect emotional trauma stuff doesn't count.

>>36844060

> Yes, Sarah, you're free of its influence

>>36844060
>> No, you're just free of its influence

Writing. It'll take a while, so give me a few.

>>36843920
Quick primer then - Magic effects come in 3 flavors:
>Covert - subtle enough not to draw attention
>Vulgar - obviously magical
>Improbable - the grey area between Covert and Vulgar
Abusing covert magic (like manipulating fate to grant you a fortune or lighting striking one guy a dozen times in the middle of a forest) will make the spells Improbable and subject to Disbelief and Paradox when observed by Sleepers.

Paradox happens on the moment of casting and is basically reality going "No, fuck off" and smacking you in the face. Sleepers witnessing Improbable or Vulgar magic being cast make Paradox worse. In the case of Improbable castings, it's fine without sleeper witnesses. Vulgar magic always causes Paradox, but the ongoing effects it creates can sometimes be disguised or hidden to make Sleepers think they're not Improbable.

Disbelief happens to ongoing magic when reality goes "No, no, that's not right" and makes the spell unravel. Sleepers observing Improbable magic (whether it's a poorly hidden Vulgar spell or a crass Covert spell) cause it to unravel at varying rates and multiple Sleepers triggering Disbelief will speed the process up greatly.

Purple Fire would likely cause Disbelief but people are more suggestible to the idea of special effects and might think it's a movie rather than a warping of reality. In the case of >>36843917's dog, if all the Sleepers that see it think it's a movie prop and it plays the part, the magic will hold, but if any of them get it in their heads that it's more than that, it will start to unravel. If any of them see you turning the dog into a monster as you cast the spell, it would cause a hefty Paradox (or would make it much worse if the spell was already Vulgar).

>>36844060
> Yes, Sarah, you're free of its influence
>other
"We'll help you work though what you've been through"

Is there like a Possession Host Anonymous?

>>36844692
>Sleepers witnessing Improbable or Vulgar magic being cast make Paradox worse.
very slightly worse
just 1 die penalty if you do it on-screen during the superbowl

>>36844692
Most people possessed by an Acamoth are killed, the Mages assuming their minds are too far gone to be worth the time and effort to heal them.

>>36844692
wait so Vulgar spells always cause a paradox, even when not witnessed by sleepers?

>>36844799
>just 1 die penalty if you do it on-screen during the superbowl
>>36844810
>wait so Vulgar spells always cause a paradox, even when not witnessed by sleepers?
Paradox comes in different degrees. A minor paradox can give you 10 minutes of paraonis
A top tier paradox causes you to wink out of existance, unravels your soul, or get possessed by an abyssal like the acamoth.
So, you want to keep your paradox as low as possible, oh, and your wisdom as high as possible as it greatly affects the severity of your paradoxes

>>36844857
>Paradox comes in different degrees
the degrees are dependent upon the dicepool for the spell, not the amount of viewers (which, one or one billion, only gives a 1 die penalty)

>>36844857
that doesn't answer my question.

>>36844912
>not the amount of viewers
i didn't say the quantity of viewers matters, i said you want to minimize paradox by having 0 viewers.

You can also pay to reduce paradox, IIRC.
Summoning an Acamoth is incredibly unlikely and pretty easy to avoid
.

"Yes, Sarah, you're free of its influence." You look up at Jemma and nod slightly. In an instant she's on her sister, hugging and grasping her, trying to comfort her as much as she can. For her part, Sarah just sits there, rather dumbfounded at all of the physical attention she's getting from her sister. To be perfectly honest it's a little odd too, but this major hurdle seems to have been surmounted.

"Jackie... Jackie..." Sarah pulls away from her sister, trying to stop her from smothering her. "Jackie, stop... Just... Just stop..." She dips her head down, as more tears start falling from her eyes. Only this time, it's tears of relief. You smile, and feel a pat on your back.

"She will need years of counseling," Elizabeth says, her coat on her sleeve. "We can try to do what we can, but all those mental scars will take lots of work to heal. The Guardians have arrived, and they're bluffing really hard to get the police to back off and let them handle it." She drapes the coat around Sarah, who clings to it tightly. "I'm a friend of your sisters... Do you want to get up off the ground, go somewhere warmer?"

She looks up at Elizabeth, a smile on her face. "Yeah... Snow's cold, isn't it?"

You shiver slightly, a cold wind whipping past you, but can't help but smile as wide as you can. You kept your promise to Jemma, and though it took more work than you were expecting, this... This moment. It's all worth it.

> [1/?]

>>36844810
Technically yeah, but the liklihood of it actually causing the paradox is pretty low for the first few vulgar spells in a scene.

You can spend mana to reduce the paradox die rolled, to the point of making it a chance die. Using rotes and a magic tool can reduce it as well. First spell is one die and another is added for every vulgar spell you cast after that. Sleeper witnesses automatically add +2 to the pool. More witnesses don't technically do more than that but the fluff makes it feel like casting vulgar spells in front of a crowd is suicide so the GM might house rule making the roll more nasty if a group or crowd sees us. Even if you get successes though, you can eat resistant bashing damage to contain the paradox and make it like it never happened. "Resistant" means it must heal naturally, so it can get dangerous to do so in a fight.

"You ready for the visit to your folks," Elizabeth bellows out from the bedroom, as you begin to wrap up the last few emails to work, the printer humming with activity as it prints off the plane tickets to Arizona. The past week's been rather hectic, with the Guardians all trying to assert grounds to arrest Sarah (one warning Lightning Bolt from Jemma told them otherwise). They were all too happy to arrest the Forces Mage though, so that was nice. The werewolves drained a fair bit of your bank account, as you and Elizabeth have financially repaid them for the destruction of their bar, and Jemma taking a temporary leave of absence from work to stay at home and take care of Sarah.

Yang, Hally, Garen, and the other Thyrsus Mages have been busy helping the werewolves restore the corrupted areas, and before you realized it, it was a few days before Christmas. "Yeah, are all the suitcases packed?"

"Yep!" She enters the room, her hair rather disheveled, not bothering to straighten it up after last night's festivities. "How long do we have until the plane takes off?"

You grab one of the boarding passes from the printer, double-checking the takeoff time. "A little over 4 hours." She saunters over, finger slowly trailing up your arm, as she leans down and begins to softly kiss your neck. "Though, maybe you can buy us some more time," you can't help but grin, and you begin to stand up from the desk when the doorbell rings. Your shoulders sag in disappointment as Elizabeth moans in disappointment.

"Ugh, god damnit, who is it this time?" She walks over to the door, quickly covering herself up with a bath robe to deal with whoever is at it. She returns a moment later, fingers ripping open a small package. "Did you order something?"

"No... You?"

She shakes her head in denial, tipping the package to her side and letting whatever is inside fall out. A phone lands in her outstretched hand, and immediately it begins to ring.

> Answer it
> Leave it alone
> Other

>>36845030
>Answer it
Plot hook ahoy!

>>36845030
>> Leave it alone

>>36845016
okay thanks.

>>36845030
> Answer it

>>36845030

> Answer it

>>36845030
>Answer it

>>36845030
> Answer it
can we first shield ourselves in case it is being used as a vector for an attack?

>>36845030
> Leave it alone

>>36844810
To quote the book exactly:
>A Paradox might occur in the following situations:
>The mage Casts a vulgar spell
>The mage casts a covert spell that a Sleeper witness believes is improbable

>>36844799
+2 paradox dice for Sleeper witness(es) with Vulgar magic, but you're right it doesn't scale. In 2e it will scale however with larger groups giving the Paradox pool 9-again/8-again/rote-quality.

>>36844967
It requires 5 successes, which is highly unlikely, but a paradox pool reduced to 0 dice is still a chance die, which means that every spell has at least a 0.0001% chance of a Manifestation

The Paradox pool also grows +1 for each Paradox roll after the first in a scene and that's not an independent counter for each mage but for all Paradox rolls in a scene.

>>36845030
Find a recording device, then
> Answer it

>>36845068
Also, if there are no witnesses and you're inside a demense, paradox never happens no matter how vulgar ya get with the spells. You need soul stones and 5 in an arcana to make one though, and making a soul stone causes a wisdom degeneration roll if it's high because your max gnosis goes down by 1 for each one you make and, well, cutting on your friggin' soul.

It also opens you up to a nasty possibility. If someone gets their hands on it they have an exceedingly powerful sympathetic link with you. It's even worse than if they got your true name and they don't even need that to get the full benefit. It's a piece of your fucking soul, doesn't get more intimately connected to you than that.

They're also quite sturdy, shrugs off most damage. But if it's being dealt aggravated damage outright it can be damaged and even destroyed. You can reabsorb your soulstone back into yourself at any time, but if it's destroyed it's gone for good and you'll never get that max gnosis back.

That said a mage in his demense is pretty much God, so mages tend to make them despite all that.

>>36845395
So, you make a soul stone, make a demense, and then reabsorb the soul stone?
Or does making the demense consume the soulstone?
Or does the stole stone have to remain inside the demense for it to remain a demense?

You shrug your shoulders, a sneaking suspicion of who is on the other line. "Go and answer it," you say. She accepts, clicking the speaker phone option on.

"Merry Christmas," the robotic tone echoes out, sounding exactly the same as it did on your phone at work those few months ago. "And congratulations on saving the world."

"You knew about that," Elizabeth says, trying hard to keep her voice even. "And didn't do anything to help us out?"

"I had faith that you guys could handle it," it replies. You swear you can hear the grin in his voice. "Besides, I was a little busy with some... Other things."

"So what are you calling us for," you say, walking closer to the phone to make it easier to hear what it's saying. "Just to gloat?"

"Gloat? Oh, Raguel, you have no idea just how humble I am. In fact, I am giving you a small bonus, as a token of my appreciation of all the work you and your dear wife have done for this city. You may ask me any question you would like an answer to. The only stipulation is this: you cannot ask for my name."

> Where are you right now?
> Why are you so interested in me and Liz?
> Why is my Watchtower so special?
> Ask for his name anyway
> Other (write-in)

>>36845395
that majority of what you just said went over my head.

>>36845483
Soul stone has to remain in the demense for it to continue being a demense. You can absorb that part of your soul back into your body at any time, so long as you have physical contact with the stone itself.

>>36845489
> Why is my Watchtower so special?

>>36845489
> Why are you so interested in me and Liz?

>>36845489
>> Why are you so interested in me and Liz?
i dont like this fixation this guy has on both of us

>>36845489
>Why are you so interested in me and Liz?

>>36845511
wait, absorbing your soul back from the soulstone, does not ruin it? so the demense remains after you recover your soul?

>>36845489
>> Why is my Watchtower so special?

>>36845557
The demense collapses without the soul stone. You can have up to 5 to make a very large demesne, but as each is removed or reabsorbed it automatically shrinks.

>>36845580
can multiple people create soulstones to make one giant demesne?

>>36845489
>Why are you so interested in me and Liz?

I don't like being stalked without knowing why.

>>36845557
No, you need your soulstone to actually be a soulstone. The part of your soul in the stone is what "powers" the demense. Remove soul part by reabsorbing it, the demense has no "power" and thus stops being a demense.

Also, you need more stones if you want it bigger. A single stone can power one as big as a small house/2 bedroom apartment. If you want to convert an entire estate into one you're gonna need more than one. Usually a cabal splits the price, each mage making one stone to help power a demense the size of which they're comfortable working out of.

So why is making a place where you don't have to worry about Paradox an act of hubris?
Sounds like a very smart thing to do.

>>36845664
does every soul stone cost 1 gnosis?
how do you prevent people from sneaking into your demense and stealing your soulstone when you are not inside

>>36845648
Iirc, yes.

>>36845489
> Why are you so interested in me and Liz?

>>36845689
Because you're warping reality to make it more convenient for yourself and you're mutilating your own soul to do it. That said, all the 1e 'morality meters' were judgy in their own ways. The 2e Wisdom represents how much control you have over your magic, causing you to go Mad if it ever hits 0 and cast shit subconsciously and obsessively.

>>36845706
Making a soul stone does not reduce your current gnosis, but all of them reduce your max gnosis by 1.

You prevent people from nicking it the same way you prevent them from nicking anything else - obfuscation, wards, guards and counterinformation. Like all defenses, they can be breached with enough time and effort, so you'd best not make enemies of archmages.

File: Magic Circle.png (680 KB, 900x900)

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>>36845706
Each stone is one *max* gnosis. Max is ten, if you make one it's nine, two and it's 8, ect...

And magical booby traps and guards of course! Ain't you ever thought about being a mage who didn't have to worry about paradoxes anymore? A demense used as a sanctum would have all kinds of nasty things waiting for those who dared to enter uninvited.

You think about it for a moment, before speaking. "Why are you so interested in the both of us?"

"I would that that it's rather obvious. You two are rather anomalous when it comes to Mages; most tend to stick to their small, selfish world, only doing things to better themselves, to become more powerful, cross the Abyss, and walk amongst the True Mages in the Supernal Realm. However, you both are focused on not yourself, but the well-being and safety of the people you care about. You don't look down upon the Sleepers, or view your fellow Mages with contempt and hatred. Your first instinct upon hearing about Gemini's plight was to save her sister. And not to just kill her, like most others in your position would've done. No, you both agreed to exorcise the Acamoth inside her, and you succeeded."

"So what, you find us interesting because we're holding onto our desire to care for our fellow man, no matter what powers they have?"

"No, because I think you might be able to comprehend the Big Picture. Have a safe flight, we shall talk again... In time." At that, the phone clicks dead.

"Well... Are you as creeped out about this as I am," Elizabeth says, looking up at you.

> What did he mean by 'Big Picture?'
> Dude's obviously a whacko Mage, now we have to deal with him
> I dunno... I kinda like having a fanboy
> Other

>>36846023
>What did he mean by 'Big Picture?'

>>36846023

> What did he mean by 'Big Picture?'

>>36846023
>> What did he mean by 'Big Picture?

>>36846023
>Probably more
>What did he mean by 'Big Picture?'

>>36846023
>What did he mean by 'Big Picture?'

Calling it now, our "benefactor" is an archmage who is letting us do our thing because we'll eventually make/get a quintessence he needs to pull off one of his Imperial Rites.

Reason he's being mysterious? Other archmages, they love to foil each other's plans and if we don't know it, they can't know it so they won't move to stop him.

>>36846023
> I dunno... I kinda like having a fangirl

>>36846220
Voice has already been spoiled as belonging to a male.

>>36846255
oh neat!

>>36846023
> Other
He is a bit creepy. I am hoping he is as well intentioned as he implies.

Got distracted by the internet, as it is want to do. Writing.

>>36846255
Did I spoil it as being a male? I don't think I did, unless it was in one of the Q&A threads, my memory of those isn't as well as the quest threads.

>>36846023
> "Yes."
> What did he mean by 'Big Picture?'

"Yes... What do you think he meant by 'Big Picture?'" You look up at Elizabeth, who shrugs.

"I dunno... Archmages are all very weird with their terminology, maybe this is a guy who is one of them." She shrugs her shoulders and groans. "It could still be some kid with a voice modulator and he's just fucking with us. We can't worry about him though, so lets just continue on with our lives." She glances at the phone, noting the time is set to the local time. "We still have those 4 hours, and I'm sure I can buy us a little extra..."

You grin as she sets the phone down on the office table. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you are trying to seduce me, Mrs. Santos."

"Well don't tell my husband, it'll be our little secret," she says, pulling you in close. "He'd freak out if he found out."

"You never know, he might be kinky like that," you lean down and kiss her, as the bath robe falls to the floor, her pulling you into the bedroom.

> Quest End

6 exp. gained

From here-on out it's meta discussion. The next time I'm looking to run the quest will be on the 21st or 22nd, where it'll be a Christmas Edition quest. It'll just be Michael and Elizabeth visiting his parents in Arizona, and encountering something... interesting along the way. I'll tweet out when for certain I'll be running the quest though, so follow along there to find out more.

>>36846948
Thanks for running!

>>36846777
Not explicitly, but every time you used a pronoun it's been male.
>You swear you can hear the grin in HIS voice.
> What did HE mean by 'Big Picture?'
> Dude's obviously a whacko Mage, now we have to deal with HIM
> I dunno... I kinda like having a fanBOY
Not that it matters much in Mage because both sex and gender can be swapped out as needed with Life and Mind.


>>36846948
I don't do much traveling, but don't phones sync time by the service provider?
But they knew MC as Raguel, so they're either well informed, versed in Time/Fate/Mind or one of the local 78.

Thanks for running and I hope your irl issues don't plague you for much longer!

>>36846948
Thanks for running. Any way to increase the exp we get? I'm feeling mighty nervous without a few things as rotes.

>>36846948
Smut when?
Ask.fm when?

>>36847112
I use male pronouns because that's how Michael sees people, as logically he knows there's no difference between man and woman (in terms of hierarchy/rights) but it's how he phrases things; he uses the male terminology but doesn't mean to assign gender connotation with it, he uses it as an acknowledgement of existance.

And most smartphones do sync time, older flip phones sometimes need to be reset physically before they sync to the new time zone. The phone he sent was a smartphone.

>>36847206
Hopefully smut will be written this weekend. I'll tweet a pastebin link out for it when it's up.

And ask.fm is here:

> ask.fm/MageQM

>>36847204
I've been holding back on exp. as I was rather generous in the first few quests, especially after I converted to GMC exp. system.

In general though you guys have been pretty good with maximizing your exp. gain. You've missed out on... 5 points at most since quest began.

>>36847321
>>36847204
Keep in mind, we discovered that Ruling Arcana doesn't need Mana for Improvised Spells, so we're a lot more versatile than we thought.

Oh, and thread's archived. So no worries of losing progression.

> Post an ask.fm for people to ask me stuff
> 2 out of 3 questions so far are about sex/smut stuff

Really guys (and//or gals), really? I don't think I write that many interesting, sexually desirable characters, and there's even a limit to how much lust Michael has.

>>36847530
tg is just hard up for any kind of lewd.

>>36847530
You'd be surprised.

>>36847353
Yeah, but rotes reduce paradox chances without even needing to spend mana. That's a very good thing. Gnosis and arcana are like your potential power, whereas number of rotes known is more like your actual power, the power you have reliable access to. Plus if you land the required fields in a rote spell you'll generally roll more dice on it than just gnosis+arcana, which is also good.

>>36847530
All fa/tg/uys have an addiction to smut. If they think they can get it many will even resort to samefagging in order to attain it. I like smut, but I like it to feel more natural, like it's something that would logically happen as the result of rational choices instead of straight up thinking with the D.

>>36846948
>She glances at the phone, noting the time is set to the local time
Phones actually are hardcoded to automatically update their time to local time from the surrounding cell towers.

>>36846948
>and encountering something... interesting along the way.
a mage acting out like santa claus?

>>36847614
>Yeah, but rotes reduce paradox chances
they also last longer, take longer to unravel when looked at by sleepers, harder for other mages to detect, if a mage does detect them they are harder to analyze for the purpose of determining who cast it and what it does.
that being said, a lot of those things don't matter to a lot of our spells

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>>36847688
But all you just said are all good things.

I also want to get Prime 2 ASAP despite the high cost. That enables the use of crystallized tass (i.e. mana crystals). We really want that, badly, as it's like combat rations for a mage. You *really* want to be able to restore your wares in the field and that's the best way to do it. A good mage *never* wants to run out, but gnosis only allows you to store so much. Crystallized tass is how you keep topped off.

Mana is a matter of life and death. You want as much as you can get, like water in a survival situation. In the end, dehydration is how people die in bad spots. Mana is our water, we *need* to be able use canteens of it.

>>36848960
>But all you just said are all good things.
I know. I wasn't arguing against you, i was pointing out benefits of rotes that you forgot to mention

>>36849123
And thanks for doing so. Just want a few more routes that I think we should aim for, and I really want them. We need to "route" any spell we think we will make frequent use of. Any and all shielding spells and our own "spirit blast" are at the top of the list.

And like I said, need Prime 2 ASAP despite it being our inferior arcanum. We really want a way to keep topped off. And our wife has claimed a hallow or two, in all those years she has to have gathered more than a few crystallized tass. She ain't a fool, she'd grab them the instant she saw them. We really want to pool our resources.

>>36849188
we still have unspent rote points from character. IIRC 4 dots worth of rotes

>>36849188
Frankly, if we need more than a single full tank of mana for an arc, we may have bigger issues.

>>36849214
Just 2. We get 6 and we spent 4.

Wow, that ended particularly well. We need to use dem rotes for something already.

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>>36852123
Since this is supposed to be a rote from character creation. It should be something we could get at character creation.
This limits us to 2 dots in spirit, 2 dots in forces, and 2 dots in life (which we retroactively has said to have applied at char creation)
As our ruling arcana, forces and spirit do not cost a 1 mana surcharge to cast without a rote.
Which means the main benefit of having a rote in such a case is the fact they are harder to detect, dispel, analyze, and resist sleepers better for both sleeper unraveling and paradox.
Aka they must be vulgar. Spirit has 1 vulgar 2 dot rote and its not something I would think we would want (and even then, if we used it it doesn't really benefit from being a rote).
But life, life is actually pretty damn useful, we use it very damn often (sex) and it actually DOES get the 1 mana per cast surcharge for not being a rote as it is not our ruling arcana.
Incidentally, if other mages notice us burning mana on life they are going to figure out that we are not thyrsus tower AND that we have spirit as a ruling. Meaning they will figure out we are from a 6th tower.
So it pays off to get some life rotes so we can do "life all day" and pretend to by thyrsus. Plus life spells are awesome.
So, here are pages showing the 1 and 2 dot life rotes.
I personally am really partial to Organic Resilience p183. As well as every single 1 dot rote in the life school.

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>>36854893
p180

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>>36854893
181

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>>36854893
183

>>36854893
>>36854908
>>36854922
>http://www.thesubnet.com/portal/wod2/mtaw/ArcanaL.html
Compilation of material from all/most of the books.

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>>36854893
184

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>>36854893
185

>>36854932
thank you

>>36854893
We got 2 Spirit, 2 Force, 1 Life and 1 Prime. Since then we've bumped gnosis twice and spirit 3 times.

>>36855035
oh, oops.
well then
>Sense life on p181
plan on using it all the time.
>Cleanse The Body ( Mage: The Awakening -- Page 180 )
the time where we most need to preserve mana is in combat, and this makes any poison purging free to cast. We should also cast it several times a day anyways to improve our health since it also works for toxins and drugs. (heavy metals in your drinking water? no problem! Mercury in your fish? no issue!)

>>36855169
That's hella niche. It'd be fitting if we smoked or something, but picking up a rote just in case it's useful in combat is kind of excessive.

>>36856349
Do keep in mind that this is a "character creation rote". that is, we were supposed to pick this at char creation. The ONLY choices we are allowed to make are forces 1, forces 2, spirit 1, spirit 2, and life 1 rotes.

Also, its not just combat, its something we should be casting on a daily basis. You might not smoke, but you still inhale toxins from the air, from pollution. how pure is your water? what happens when you travel to third world country and drink the water? (there is a lot of interesting stuff happening internationally), and besides, every loves seafood and mercury in seafood is a big bad.

>>36856666
>The ONLY choices we are allowed to make are forces 1, forces 2, spirit 1, spirit 2, and life 1 rotes.
Oh, and from those. forces and spirit options make little sense because all of those are free to cast anyways. so really, our choices are pretty much just life 1. of which there are like 5 rotes.

>>36856677
Also Prime 1, which has useful rotes for which we actually have the skills, unlike Life on which we'd be taking -3 on nearly everything

>>36857261
>Also Prime 1
wasn't prime 1 bought for XP afterwards?

>>36857377
Nope. Explicitly chargen dots because it's the most exp efficient

>>36857412
apparently you are right
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/36375069/#p36377353

So. this changes things. ok so the spells we can eliminate the 1 mana surcharge on with our 2 remaining dots for rotes from char creation are:

>Life
http://www.thesubnet.com/portal/wod2/mtaw/ArcanaL.html
Analyze Life ( Mage: The Awakening -- Page 180 )
Cleanse The Body ( Mage: The Awakening -- Page 180 )
Forgo Rest ( The Free Council -- Page 110 )
Healer's Trance ( Mage: The Awakening -- Page 181 )
Pulse Of The Living World ( Mage: The Awakening -- Page 181 )
Sense Life ( Mage: The Awakening -- Page 181 )

>Prime
http://www.thesubnet.com/portal/wod2/mtaw/ArcanaP.html
Analyze Enchanted Item ( Mage: The Awakening -- Page 219 )
Chronicle Resonance ( Tome Of The Mysteries -- Page 20 )
Detect Banisher ( Banishers -- Page 62 )
Discern Phantasm ( Mage: The Awakening -- Page 220 )
Dispel Magic ( Mage: The Awakening -- Page 220 )
Gauge Essence ( Summoners -- Page 210 )
Inscribe Grimoire ( Mage: The Awakening -- Page 220 )
Supernal Vision ( Mage: The Awakening -- Page 221 )