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

4.31 MB PDF

> [2/2]
And as for the Trimonti case, that's all on Joseph, not you.

"Now stop fucking the rest of the office and do some fucking work for a change!"

Ok, now THAT was out of line, even for him. Sure, you're a flirter and playboy, but you've been trying really hard to keep it in check ever since you saved Elizabeth, and other than some witty comments and double entandre, you haven't had anything more intimate than a hand shake with anyone in months.

> Stay silent and go back to your office
> Call him out on that last comment
> Use Spirit Sight to take a quick peak at his soul
> Other

--------------

Meta post:
> Previous Quest: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/36957923/
> 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/
> ask.fm link: http://ask.fm/MageQM

It's now early spring, near the end of March, from when we last saw Michael. You have 13 exp. available. The resource document is still up-to-date.

File: suits_profiles_hero_harvey.jpg (54 KB, 760x879)

54 KB JPG

And for those who don't remember, pic related is what Joseph looks like, as we met him back in quest 6.

>>37089989
> Use Spirit Sight to take a quick peak at his soul

Eh. Sure, why not?

Oh, and if you have any other questions about what happened in-game between the last quest and now, let me know. As it's a bit of a time skip and these are things Michael knows but not you as players.

>> Use Spirit Sight to take a quick peak at his soul
I've got the distinct feeling this isn't all that's eating at him.

>>37090103
What happened with the little boy? Is his mom okay now?

>>37089989
> Use Spirit Sight to take a quick peak at his soul

Watch its him whos fucking the office.

>>37089989
> Call him out on that last comment

>>37090164
The kid is fine after you did some legal bullshitting after landing to not have him get arrested. And his mom is fully healed and will never have those types of medical issues again (she had congenital heart failure, but Garen used Life magic to repair her fully and fix her genes so that won't happen again).

The kid Awoke too, and you gave him your number to call if he needs any help. Liz is helping teach him some basics of Magic in her Library.

You click on your Spirit Sight, keeping it rather weak and focusing it only on Joseph. His soul is still normal-looking (gray like every other Sleeper), but the tumultuous broiling it has right now makes it seem like he's angry over something else.

> Approach him as a friend, ask what's wrong
> Be more aggressive on the call-out now
> Stay silent and go back to your office
> Other

>>37090380

> Approach him as a friend, ask what's wrong

>>37090380
> Approach him as a friend, ask what's wrong

> Approach him as a friend, ask what's wrong
Always best to be a bro when possible.

>>37090380
>Approach him as a friend, ask what's wrong

"Hey man, that's uncalled for," you say, putting on a rather hurt, disappointed face. "Yeah, I messed up in the courtroom just now, but you brought me in on this literally 12 hours ago, and expect me to get caught up on nearly 8 weeks worth of work in that short a timeframe? I'm just a man, not a miracle worker." At least, not in the religious sense.

At that, Joseph sighs, rubbing the brow of his forehead in frustration. "No, I get you, I'm just angry about something else and taking it out on you." He stops, looking back at you, a rather apologetic look on his face. "It doesn't help that this Trimonti case is really irking me."

"How so?"

"I get the whole buying up old buildings and land with the intent of flipping the neighborhood and real estate for profit in a few years, like what the city did with the Projects buildings a few years back, but these guys seem to care more about the real estate itself and not the buildings." He does have a point; the courtroom debacle just now was over whether certain neighborhoods that the Trimonti were pursuing were within their bounds of remodeling and land grab even if they didn't get every signature from all the people in the neighborhood to allow such things to begin with.

> Pursue the point about the Trimonti case
> Ask about the other thing pissing him off
> Other

>>37090696
>> Ask about the other thing pissing him off

>>37090696
> Ask about the other thing pissing him off

> Ask about the other thing pissing him off

>>37090696

>Pursue the point about the Trimonti Case

Might help him get his anger off his mind.

>>37090696
> Ask about the other thing pissing him off

>>37090696
> Other
"ok tell me about the case but when were done for the day you and me are going to hit the bar later."

"And the other thing pissing you off?"

At that, he just glances at the photo of Henry, before looking away from you. "I'd rather not talk about it. Keep the personal separate from the business, remember?"

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that he's having issues at home. And apparently it's something pretty big, if it's got his feathers ruffled like this.

"Well, when your personal stuff affects your business and my job, I think it's pretty important. So spill."

He pauses for a long moment before sighing and leaning back in the chair.

"I think Henry's cheating on me."

> What makes you think that?
> That's rough... Want to have a drink?
> Flirt
> Other

>>37090968
>What makes you think that?
Let's stick to facts.

>>37090968
> What makes you think that?

>>37090968
>What makes you think that?

>>37090968
>> That's rough... Want to have a drink?
time to bro it up.

>>37090968

> What makes you think that?

>>37090968
> What makes you think that?
So this is where we break the "always flirt" rule, it seems

>>37091078
Bro-ing before ho-ing I guess?

That's certainly surprising. You've met Henry a few times at the company parties that you and Liz get invited to, and he certainly seems like a very loyal person, especially after Liz gave the go-ahead to flirt with him a little bit. Though this was a while ago, back when you were a Sleeper.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, he's been keeping odd hours lately, and he's been doing a fair bit of withdrawals from our shared account."

"Maybe he's trying to surprise you with something special?"

"Henry's not creative like that. He's more of a workhorse than an innovator." And assuming he's still in as good a shape as last time, that certainly sounds true. "And it's just... I dunno, my gut's telling me something is off, and I don't know what, and it's pissing me off."

> Listen, it's 5 o'clock (somewhere) now, want to go get a drink?
> Want me to do a bit of digging?
> Well, good luck with that
> Other

>>37091534
> Listen, it's 5 o'clock (somewhere) now, want to go get a drink?

>>37091534
>Listen, it's 5 o'clock (somewhere) now, want to go get a drink?

>>37091534

> Want me to do a bit of digging?

>>37091534
>> Listen, it's 5 o'clock (somewhere) now, want to go get a drink?

> Want me to do a bit of digging?
"If it's nothing, then it's better to know that it's nothing then continue to worry over nothing."

>>37091534
> Listen, it's 5 o'clock (somewhere) now, want to go get a drink?


>especially after Liz gave the go-ahead to flirt with him a little bit.
Does Liz like to see us flirt or something?

>>37091753
She has to approve of Michael flirting with specific people before he does it around her. It's not often but once in a while she lets you do so, mainly to see how successful you are.

It has led to some rather interesting nights for you, her, and the flirtted person.

>>37091534
>> Listen, it's 5 o'clock (somewhere) now, want to go get a drink?
>> Want me to do a bit of digging?
promise not to do anything more than keep an ear out for anything if it makes they'd preferwhile asking a spirit or two to check it out

>>37091818
>It has led to some rather interesting nights for you, her, and the flirtted person.
The path to the Jemma threesome has become clear

You shoot a glance over at the clock on the wall, noting how it's barely past 11 am. But Joseph certainly sounds like he could use a rather strong drink.

"Listen, somewhere right now it's 5 o'clock, lets go knock a few back, maybe unwind a bit and see if it helps at all."

He almost looks ready to jump at the opportunity, but shakes his head in disappointment. "I really wish I could, but I'm gonna have to take a rain check. This Trimonti bullshit is gonna take all day to fix, and I'd like my head on straight for it." He flips the folder open, pauses for a moment, then grabs a post-it note and starts scribbling something down on it. "If you want to do me a favor though, then do a bit of digging on Henry, see what the hell he's up to." He rips it off and hands it to you, revealing it to be an address. "This is where he normally works, shadow him for a bit and see what he's up to. And if you can figure out what he's spending the money on, that'd be fantastic."

> You got it (and go solo stalker him)
> Want me to get help on it?
> You got it (and send spirits to follow him)
> Politely decline
> Other

>>37091938
> You got it (and send spirits to follow him)

>>37091938
>> You got it (and send spirits to follow him)

>>37091938
>You got it (and send spirits to follow him)

>>37091938
>> You got it (and send spirits to follow him)
when a bro makes a request then you help no exceptions.

> You got it (and send spirits to follow him)
It's time for Mike to get shit done.

>>37091938
> You got it (and go solo stalker him)

>>37091938
>You got it (and send spirits to follow him)
Will we ever get an opportunity to do some long term projects?
I think someone mentioned the possibility of binding spirits to objects to get basically magical items that don't cause paradox, for example.

>>37092035
don't forget the tattoos with bound spirits in them.
Shooting fireballs from our hands without risking paradox

Writing.

>>37092035
Depends upon the long term projects you want. You do have some down time (per se) between the time skips, so if you guys want to suggest stuff go right ahead.

>>37092274
I'd like to suggest some glasses that will let us do spirit sight on command. It's one of our most used abilities, and we can avoid the glowy eye thing that happens this way.

"I'll keep an eye on him for you," you say as you turn and leave the office.

"Just try and not let him spot you. The last thing I need is him thinking you're tailing him for me and having him confront me over it."

"This isn't some spy mission Joseph, I seriously doubt he'll notice me following him."

------------------

You're really glad you decided to ask some local spirits for help on the tailing job, Henry's being the most paranoid jackass right now. He's barely spending time to look forward to see where he's walking, twitching and looking behind him, sweating profusely even though it's barely 50 degrees outside right now. If you didn't know any better, you'd think he's suffering from a withdrawal of some kind. You're over a block behind him and are considering dropping back even more.

Finally, he turns into a building, a five-story brick and mortar store of some kind. The spirits go to follow but suddenly look repelled back, as though something is stopping them from entering. They report back to you, mentioning how he looked rather frustrated and angry over something, before going back to the Shadow World.

> Follow him inside
> Wait outside for him
> Turn on Mage Sight to see if there's magic surrounding the building
> Other

>>37092274
>so if you guys want to suggest stuff go right ahead.
I'd like it if we introduced ourselves to the important local spirits so they know who we are and are more likely to help us in the future.
Help Jemma's sister heal if we can do anything for it.
Look for a familiar
Prepare some objects for Create Fetish and find suitable spirits so we can cast the spell when we need it, same with the tattoo version of the spell.

>>37092399
>Turn on Mage Sight to see if there's magic surrounding the building

Let me guess, he's a ghoul getting his blood

>>37092399
>> Turn on Mage Sight to see if there's magic surrounding the building

> Turn on Mage Sight to see if there's magic surrounding the building

>spirits being repelled
This can't be good.

>>37092399
>Turn on Mage Sight to see if there's magic surrounding the building
>Follow him inside

>>37092400

>I'd like it if we introduced ourselves to the important local spirits so they know who we are and are more likely to help us in the future.

After the Acamoth incident and the training you've done with the other Thyrsus Mages, all the local spirits know and respect you, so when you ask for a tiny favor they tend to go along with it. The larger ones know of you and consider you an ally, at least to the well-being of the Shadow World.

>Help Jemma's sister heal if we can do anything for it.
Most of her issues are mental. In game terms her Wisdom is 1 with several derangements, and most of the past few months have just been you, Liz, and Jemma trying as hard as you can to not have her slip over the deep end.

>Look for a familiar
You've found several spirits that would be willing to be a familiar, you just have to spend the exp. to get one.

>Prepare some objects for Create Fetish and find suitable spirits so we can cast the spell when we need it, same with the tattoo version of the spell.
Objects will be ok, depending upon the spell. Tattoos are another matter; they aren't allowed at all in Michael's workplace, at least for tattoos that might be visible.

>>37092763
>You've found several spirits that would be willing to be a familiar, you just have to spend the exp. to get one.
list of choices?
>Tattoos are another matter; they aren't allowed at all in Michael's workplace, at least for tattoos that might be visible.
considering we wear a suit that gives us some wiggle room on the whole can't be visible thing

You turn on your Mage Sight, seeing if this is one of the new Mage political organizations' doing, but all you can discern about the building is it seems to be protected from intrusions through, from, or by the Shadow World denizens. It's certainly supernatural in nature, you just don't know what sort of protection it is. Not knowing what else to do, you decide to walk in, trying to appear as normal as you can.

The store itself is rather nice. The first floor is a grocery store by in large, with a mix of fresh grown foods and some of the more popular name brands on the shelves. Second floor is a mix of more stable, less perishable goods, like canned foods and their ilk.

The third floor is rather interesting. Several shelves are shoved to the side, looking like the floor is meant to be used for furniture and small appliances. Now, a row of tables and chairs set up for some event. A nearby sign says that a blood drive is going on here, and encourages people to come donate. You glance down the chairs and see Henry donating blood, the pale complexion now gone, as another person (you guess a nurse or doctor of some kind) having an IV tube attached to the blood vein in his arm.

> Wait for him
> Continue exploring the remaining two floors
> Turn on Life Sight (uses 1 Mana, 12 left)
> Other

> Turn on Life Sight (uses 1 Mana, 12 left)
And here we go.

>>37092908
>> Turn on Life Sight (uses 1 Mana, 12 left)
please tell me the vampire we punched is not here.

>>37092837
One would equate to a three-dot Familiar in terms of merit points, the other two would equate to a four-dot Familiar in terms of merit points.

The three-dot one is a wind spirit, a bubbly personality and very cheerful demeanor.

One of the four-dots is a fox spirit, and would materialize as such.

The other four-dot is a hawk spirit, and would materialize as such.

Also, eating dinner, back in 20-30 minutes. I'll post when I get back.

>>37092908
>Turn on Life Sight (uses 1 Mana, 12 left)
Leeches, in OUR town?
At least they're not sucking people dry, the blood drive is a pretty nice way of getting blood, but I think they're influencing people to come donate, based on his behavior.

>>37092994
>One of the four-dots is a fox spirit, and would materialize as such.
since we're a city mage a fox would fit in better than a hawk

>>37092994
I like the fox, what's his (her?) personality?

>>37092908
> Turn on Life Sight

>>37092994
I like the idea of a hawk spirit.

Can we name it Harvey?

>>37092994
i like the hawk my self flying around the city seems cool.

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59 KB JPG

>>37093121
I like the way you think.

>>37093121
>not naming him Avenger
>not buying him a suit and desk next to ours
>not using him to take the courtroom by storm

>>37092994
Can familiars go into the Twilight/Shadow?
If so, the hawk sounds cool (if only to avoid the inevitable "what does the fox say" jokes).
If not, the air spirit sounds like a better choice

>>37092994
honestly both the fox and hawk sound awesome

Back from dinner, writing. WIll also answer the familiar questions after I get the next scene posted.

File: president of freedom inc (...).gif (3.58 MB, 370x233)

3.58 MB GIF

>>37093121
>>37093288
>>37093367

I hope the fox is female and has a foxgirl form it can take.
all the flirting, all the time

You turn on your Life Sight, and notice immediately that everyone on the floor is alive, but all giving off a rather odd glow. Admittedly you don't use this nearly as much as your other magical forms of vision, not to mention Liz or Jemma run around with it on, but you get the feeling that these guys are under the influence of something. You can't tell if it's a drug or some sort of mental compulsion, but it's not a normal, healthy glow.

One of the blood drive nurses walks up to you, a polite, cordial smile. "Hello, is there something I can help you with? Or were you looking to possibly donate some blood?"

> Sure, I'll donate some blood
> Actually, just waiting for a friend
> Nah, was just curious what was going on
> Other

>>37093726
>Nah, was just curious what was going on
we're in the building now and the protection only stops spirits from entering or leaving, right? Can we use a spirit already in here to scout for us?

>>37093726
>Nah, was just curious what was going on

The fox spirit has a rather playful, mischievous personality that likes to snoop around. And it's a he.

The hawk is rather aggressive, definitely a warrior's mentality. And it's a girl.

Three-dot familiars have to spend Numira (similar to Mana) to interact with things in the Material World, though it can talk and interact with us as normal (and visa versa).

Four-dot familiars normally reside in the Material World and don't have that Numira issue, but can cross over to the Shadow World.

>>37093726
>> Nah, was just curious what was going on

>>37093763
If you can find one, you can certainly ask. You haven't been on the lookout for a spirit in the building proper though.

>>37093726
>Nah, I can't actually donate blood, bad transfusion years ago, but I know a few people at work who go out of their way whenever there's a blood drive. So do you guys have a pamphlet, extra flyer or something because I'm horrible with addresses?

"Oh, uhh... No, sorry. I was just curious as to what was going on." You try to sound apologetic and sorry over it, and she gives a polite, knowing nod.

"Oh, it's ok. We're gonna be here for a couple more days," she hands you a pamphlet, outlining the organization and the other things they do. You take it and pocket it. "if you change your mind."

"Well, thanks." You give a polite nod to her and walk away, heading up to the fourth floor, which is full of mostly electronic goods. You double-check and make sure no one else is following you, then turn towards the bathroom on this floor, one to get out of sight, the other to actually relieve yourself.

> Wait for Henry to finish up then continue tailing him
> Try and snoop on Henry from the Shadow World side (enter into the Shadow World and snoop on him)
> Call Elizabeth and check in on her
> Other

>>37094185
>> Wait for Henry to finish up then continue tailing him

>>37094185
>Try and snoop on Henry from the Shadow World side (enter into the Shadow World and snoop on him)

>>37094185

> Wait for Henry to finish up then continue tailing him
While we're doing that,
> Call Elizabeth and check in on her

>>37094185
> Try and snoop on Henry from the Shadow World side (enter into the Shadow World and snoop on him)

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Rolling as we're tied. 1 for waiting, 2 for Shadow World snooping.

While at the jon, you mull over your options. You almost consider snooping up on Henry while in the Shadow World, but if the building is protected to prevent people from coming in, it might also have some other protection measures on the inside as well. So you zip up, flush, wash up and decide to wait by the stairs leading down to the third floor, seeing if you can spot him leaving.

After a couple minutes, you give Elizabeth a call to check in on her and see what she thinks of this. She can't get into it over the phone exactly, but recommends you visit her at the Library once you are done tailing Henry.

And sure enough, about 50 minutes later he leaves, looking rather refreshed and normal, devouring a large chocolate chip cookie.

> Continue tailing him (be solo)
> Leave and tail him with spirits following him
> Go visit Elizabeth
> Other

>>37094681
>Go visit Elizabeth but have a spirit follow him

>>37094681
this>>37094717

>>37094681
>>37094717
Seconded

>>37094681
>>37094717
This

Writing.

Sorry, still writing. Having trouble focusing and staying awake, may call it soon.

>>37095361
its cool i wasn't expecting you to run till after the new years.

After leaving, you summon up a couple spirits to follow Henry, telling them to just watch and follow, and if they feel in danger or if he's in danger to let you know. You head the other way, hailing a taxi and taking it towards the public library that Liz bases her Library out of. One short trip and cab fee later, you enter her Library and make your way past the occupied bookshelves, as unfamiliar Mages and their retainers mill about.

"Hey," you say to her as you enter her office/meeting room, as she looks up from a stack of papers and books. "How's things going?"

She throws her pen to the table in frustration, hands running through her hair. "See this? This bullshit is why I hated having the other Mage organizations in the area. The Arrows want training grounds for members on the south side, the Veil wants a couple warehouses in the old stockyards for God knows what, Free Council wants to begin doing outreach programs to look for potentially freshly Awoken kids, and now there's this group of techno-mages wanting to get some serious electrical power grid access. It's a fucking nuthouse now, I tell you." She ties her hair in a ponytail, cracking her neck in an attempt to stretch and relax. "So what's up with Henry?"

You fill her in on whats up with Joseph and Henry, and show her the pamphlet the nurse gave you. She pulls out a tablet and begins doing some Google searching on them. "Well, it certainly sounds like a rather large vampire cabal is back in town, if they've got a blood drive going."

"Well, isn't that a bad thing?"

> [1/2]

> [2/2]

"Eh... yes and no." She shows the tablet to you. "I mean, the organization seems pretty legit, and I don't know who their backer is. And if a vampire cabal is willing to be polite and respectful of the current supernaturals in the area, we can't just say no to them anyway because they're undead. And I don't know all the specifics with why they need blood, but other than getting it straight from the source-"

"You mean humans."

"Yeah. A blood drive does a decent enough job sating their hunger. And supposedly if they live long enough, they only way they can keep on living is by drinking the blood of other vampires."

At that, you whistle. "Man, sounds rough."

She shrugs. "It's definitely not as easy as it can be for us Mages, but they don't have to deal with Paradoxes whenever they flex their supernatural muscle."

> Roll 5d10 (Investigation + Wits) please, best of 5

Rolled 8, 1, 10, 2, 4 = 25 (5d10)

>>37095515
big money

Rolled 5, 8, 7, 3, 10 = 33 (5d10)

>>37095515

Rolled 10, 2, 8, 9, 10 = 39 (5d10)

>>37095515

>>37095618
i think we have a winner.

Rolled 2, 2, 9, 5, 1 = 19 (5d10)

>>37095515
we should introduce ourselves and explain the rules to see if they'll make good neighbors

Gotta say, I don't think we've had any failures on rolls since the quest began. Dice gods love you guys I think.

>>37095719
no the plane were we tired to fix the electronics we failed.

>>37095755
You weren't trying to fix the electronics. You were trying to not get shocked by the electronics of the plane. But yes, that Paradox would be considered a failure.

Rolled 9, 3, 6, 4, 3 = 25 (5d10)

>>37095719
Well, we are effectively getting 4 rerolls/quadruple advantage and 10s are worth double. I think most of our rolls have been exceptional successes.

Your eyes squint at the tablet screen, trying to look better at it. "Hey, lemme see that properly."

She slides it your way across the table. You snatch it and begin to browse through the organization's website. You almost miss it, but at the bottom, you notice that it is run by the Trimonti corporation. "Well... Shit. I think we got a problem." You run around to her side and show her the name. "This group's buying up a ton of land out in the slums and rundown areas of the city. In fat, we just got our asses handed to us in court by them a few hours ago."

At that, she scowls. "Well, shit indeed. That means they want to stay here for a long while, probably because it took them this long to realize the prior cabal is missing and probably dead. And as much as I am loathe to admit, this is a moral gray area."

"How-so?"

"I mean, we can only assume the vampires are buying up the land so they can use it to hunt, maybe even 'suggest' their building's tennants to donate blood. But legally speaking they own the land and if we try to interfere they can bring the Sleeper laws and attention onto us, which is bad." She pulls up a map of the city, throwing it into a photo-editing program on the device. "Show me the land they've bought up so far."

> [1/2]

> [2/2]
You circle the various areas and neighborhoods, and thankfully there's nothing even remotely hinting at a ritual circle of some kind, as this is probably the first thing she's looking for. After a few moments she shakes her head. "Yeah... I can't see a pattern in this type of purchasing. It just looks like they're buying up all the old lands the prior cabal left behind."

"Wait... Didn't Tobi and his werewolf gang get some of those old haunts too?"

She nods in agreement. "But those are still under his control." She circles some other areas further west of the city. "Those are the ones Tobi has control of. The ones here are closer to the city, in the slums and poverty-stricken sections of the city."

> Roll 5d10 (Investigation + Wits) to see if you want to guess where their next purchase might be
> Shall we try to arrange a meeting with them? Lay down some ground rules?
> Want me to bring Joseph in on this? See if his legal expertise can help out?
> Do you think they're going after Henry for blackmail on Joseph?
> Other

Rolled 10, 7, 10, 8, 10 = 45 (5d10)

>>37096057
>> Roll 5d10 (Investigation + Wits) to see if you want to guess where their next purchase might be
lets see what we find.

>>37096057
>Shall we try to arrange a meeting with them? Lay down some ground rules?
we can drop the info that they are getting in a turf war with a pack of wolves and see how they react.

>>37096099
well im rolling like a boss today.

Rolled 7, 7, 8, 3, 5 = 30 (5d10)

>>37096057
> Roll 5d10 (Investigation + Wits) to see if you want to guess where their next purchase might be

Writing.

>>37096120
Which is good, as you needed that many successes to realize their plan.

>>37096099
>>37096120
>>37096417
We Fate Master now?

You stare at the map for a while, and soon the things Liz is saying fade into the background. You know there's a pattern here, some method to this madness. All of the locations are in or near the slums, all near rather busy roads or interesctions or other important places. And they all were previously owned by the vampire cabal. But with all the new groups and organizations in town also buying up land it-

Your eyes go wide as you look down at Elizabeth.

"What?"

"Show me where the new Mage groups are buying up their lands and getting leases and shit."

"Huh? What're you-"

"NOW!"

Her eyes go wide as you yell at her, hands digging through the paperwork. "You're scaring me Michael, what's going on?"

"Either I'm being super paranoid, or we're about to get fucked in the ass by a 20 foot long vampiric dick." She shows you the map, and you begin to compare it to the circles on her tablet. At each and every location, the building or land the Mages bought is either in the center of, next to, or surrounded by the land and buildings already owned by the Trimonti group. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!" You circle the next place on the map and run your hands through your hair in frustration. "The fucking vampires are going for this place next!"

She looks at the map on her tablet, then compares it to her physical one, as the color drains from her face. "Wha... What? But they can't know where-"

"I'm pretty sure they know. Because you have a mole. And we're next. You said the last cabal was unwilling to work with you, right?"

> [1/2]

> [2/2]

"Yeah..."

"And you're 100% sure you killed every last one of them?"

"As much as one can-"

You lift her out of the chair, arms grasping her tight. "Are you certain or not!?"

Her eyes are wide in shock, both from how hard you're latched onto her and the realization of what's about to occur running through her mind. "... No."

The vampires are going after this public library, and there's no way in Hell that Elizabeth will let them buy it, the land, or anything even remotely near it. Which means she just hit vampire enemy #1 on their "must kill" list.

"Like I said, 20 feet of vampiric dick, right up the ass." You let go and she flops into the chair, a bead of sweat running down from her hair. "Time to go vampire hunting."

> Quest End

6 exp. gained.

>>37096582
we are going to purge ever last fucking one of them if they think they are going to kill Liz let alone get close to her.

>>37096538
>>37096582
I feel like I'm missing something here. What's the significance of the vampires buying up property next to mage compounds? Staging grounds for assassinating all the mages in the city?

Everything from here-on out is meta discussion. I'll try to reply when I can, but I'm fading fast. So if I don't answer here, remember that I have Twitter and ask.fm place for you to ask me stuff, as I mentioned here: >>37089989

>>37096674
Correct.

>>37096696
Could we get more details on the familiars? Like what they can do and what they're good at.

Also, voting to use 10 of our 19 exp on a dot of Occult.

>>37096714
This seems like overkill, but also exactly what I'd do in their place, so I can't fault them for it.
Time to scrounge up some Moros mages and request their assistance with vampire wards.

Did we ever ask/investigate the weird auras the people at the store had?

>>37096696

Thanks for running.

>>37096714
could we hide our familiar on our person in like an item or tattoo.

>>37096745
The wind spirit one will generally be a scouting-type of one, and someone who could help out in certain situations (like summoning up a gust of wind in the Material World when you need one).

The fox spirit will be a knowledge and scouting familiar, though you won't be 100% sure on the knowledge he gives out, as you know it loves to play tricks on people.

The hawk spirit will be a scouting and attacking familiar, helping you give an aerial view of things and do divebomb, hit-and-run claw attacks when requested. It could also be used to deliver small, light packages (maybe 10-15 lbs. at most).

The weird auras thing Elizabeth thinks means they're under a sort of hypnosis/compulsion.

>>37096757
Eh... Yes and no.

The wind spirit would be ok with being bound to an object or tattoo, so long as it was temporary. The fox and hawk would prefer to remain free and mobile.

Oh, I also forgot to mention back in >>37096825

Vampires don't fuck around with Mages. Keep in mind that it was a 20-something Elizabeth that wiped out their last cabal in the city. By herself. Because they wouldn't follow the party line and play nice. And these guys obviously don't want to follow the party line.

>>37096754
No problem.

Looking to do the next quest on Friday at the "regular" time, but we'll see how things shake out.

I like the fox spirit

i say we up occult or save till we can up occult and brawl both.

and im liking the eagle just for the help in combat.

I think we should wait until next thread to spend it. More of the regular anons will probably be around then.

great thread thanks for running!

>>37096825
Eagle is sounding better and better, especially since the fox sounds like a dick.

I'd be down for wind spirit though as incorporeal help is always helpful and we might be able to smuggle it around in a tattoo (like a safe home).

>>37097003
I say we occult up now so we can actually know stuff without asking elizabeth every time and maybe start picking up rotes.

Why brawl though?

>>37097058
Also reasonable. But there's been a general push for getting a dot of Occult for a while now.

>>37096882
>Vampires don't fuck around with Mages.
As in they know they can't beat them in a fair fight and so rely on blitzing instead?

>>37097095
> As in they know they can't beat them in a fair fight and so rely on blitzing instead?

Unless a centuries or millenia-old vampire goes toe-to-toe against a Mage, basically that, yeah. Try and overwhelm with numbers and concede that some of their cabal is gonna die, but it's better to have a dead Mage than a really, really pissed off Mage after them.

>>37097340
or throw some mind controlled humans with guns at them
They still cause paradox, right?

>>37097095
brawl is what from of basic combat that Michel specialize in and we got magic brass knuckles up and not only that we can add spirit magic to our punches making us really dangerous.

>>37097371
That.... is a really good point.

>>37096696
Speaking of >>37097405, what was that spell Michael was trying out when he first got whammied by Paradox? It sounded like some sort of telekinesis, but with Spirit?

>>37097450
I think it was a forces spell with electricity to see what was wrong with the planes electronics systems.

>>37097489
Sorry, I meant the first time he was ever whammied. Back in the gym when his neighbor walked in on him practicing.

>>37097450
He was basically trying to re-create the spell he cast mid-dream to let himself find Elizabeth in the first place. That spell was basically him projecting his astral self out into the Shadow World and following the sympathetic link from him to Liz. When Chrom cut the link it took most of Elizabeth's remaining self-control to repair/reconnect it, hence why he gained so much control over her body in that short a time frame.

>>37097551
one last question from me how much does Tobias value Michael as "prey" as he put it becaues if its very hi i might have a plan that would help in the short term and be a pain in the ass in the long term.

>>37097617
Tobi sees Michael as a rather interesting Mage. Loyal to his friends and allies, and willing to throw down when the situation calls for it. Compared to all the other Mages he's met who have some sort of agenda and see themselves as better than all the others around them.

It's a sort of begrudging respect, like he doesn't want to say you're a good guy, but he won't immediately rip your throat out on sight anymore.

Which is saying a lot considering the first time they met, when Michael shocked and then kicked Tobi in the family jewels.

Was at work and missed the whole thread, but thanks for running. Always a great read even if I don't participate.

>>37097719
now im rethinking my original plan thanks for that info. im going to bed and before i forget thanks for running.

>>37096696
Thanks for running.
Out of curiosity, what did you have planned if we hadn't gotten 7 hits?

>>37098045
Elizabeth goes and attempts to heal Henry of whatever is messing with him from a physiological standpoint. Vampires jump you three with quest end being you about to throw down with some vampires next to Henry who is completely clueless.

>>37098093
Wow, not a good scene. 2 v 3 and needing to keep things Covert and Probable due to Sleeper witness.

Happy New Year, if you're on Eastern Time

QM, what happened to sarah's familiar now that she is rid of the acamoth? her familiar was pretty monsterous and seemed to have been some sort of minor paradox spirit I think

I think we should inform Joseph about magic. Aware sleepers are a thing and it would be nice to
1. not lie to him
2. be able to discuss what actually is going on with henry with him

>>37090333
What tower is the kid?

>>37099643
Aware sleepers are called Sleepwalkers and they're basically half-awakened; NOT informed sleepers.

Revealing aspects of magic in a convincing matter (ie, they don't just think you're a nutter) gets erased from Sleepers' minds by the Lie. Same thing happens when they trigger Disbelief; they'll keep staring at it, trying to figure it out, but then it goes away and they forget. Sleepers with high willpower remember snippets and those with very high willpower remember everything, but they still don't accept the reality of magic.

No one knows how to make Sleepwalkers, just as no one knows how to force Awakening, but they're valued as retainers and confidants because they don't trigger paradox or disbelief even though they lack gnosis.

>>37099495
Not QM, but iirc it was the Acamoth's familiar, rather than Sarah's.

>>37100712
>Revealing aspects of magic in a convincing matter (ie, they don't just think you're a nutter) gets erased from Sleepers' minds by the Lie.
so if we show him a werewolf or a spirit he will forget it? (because I didn't want to intentionally invoke paradox)
also, what is the lie?

>>37100712
>Not QM, but iirc it was the Acamoth's familiar, rather than Sarah's.
but the acamoth didn't have magic powers of his own, he was using the magic powers of sarah through the possession, a familiar is a magic power.

>No one knows how to make Sleepwalkers
sure you do, you expose sleepers to magic and see if they remember. This is like the old joke
>Man prays to god every day for winning the lottery
>God evnetually relents, tells gabriel to make him win
>Next day prayer happens again.
>God asks gabriel why he disobeyed him
>Gabriel: But he wont buy a ticket!

Basically, if we show it to him, he will either become a sleepwalker or forget. If we don't show him there is no chance of him becoming one.

>>37100768
The Lie is what keeps the Sleepers asleep. Disbelief is the Lie reinforcing itself and Paradox is the Lie protecting itself. It's exact definition, origin and cause is getting updated and is partially loose for GMs to tweak, but it's basically the gravity of the Abyss, weighing down souls and keeping them from Awakening.

Werewolves and spirits are where things get hinky in the lore because they're not technically magic. They're certainly supernatural, but they're not Supernal (the realm that Mages draw their power from). The Lie covers 'monsters' in a blanket term, so they might forget what they've seen or rationalize it as some sort of hallucination or derangement. Mechanics don't cross over very cleanly between splats, because each one focuses on a different style of storytelling.

I won't say it's a bad idea, but it is certainly a risky idea.

>>37100797
A familiar is a merit, obtainable through magic. I'm sure it was brought over by Sarah's power, but I doubt that it was ever 'her' familiar.

As for Sleepwalkers - pretty sure trying to force Awakenings, partial or full is an act of Hubris. Tinkering with whatever the setting defines as 'the natural order of things' tends to be Hubris, including enchanting animals and preventing Awakenings.

>askqu
As captcha insists, perhaps it's best to ask long term questions like these over on Ask.fm

>>37099495
It's the Acamoth's familiar, not Sarah's.

>>37100067
Michael's Tower, aka the Sixth Watchtower.

>>37101066
Attempting to force an Awakening is indeed an act of Hubris, and a pretty big one at that.

>>37090333
> Liz is helping teach him some basics of Magic in her Library.
Delicious /ss/

>>37101220
Trust me, she would NEVER do that to/with a kid.

>>37101448
Why?

>>37101452
She Awoke as a 5 year old when another, older Mage used Magic to rape her.

Said Mage is no longer alive, btw.

>>37101492
That's all the more reason for her TO do it actually.
Also, what the fuck man? Seems awfully grimderp for someone's backstory.

>>37101503
If people want me to explain how Elizabeth Awoke, let me know and I'll do a short story of it, because any more that I reveal will basically require me to do a semi-quest itself.

>>37101550
It's more of a "What's with these design choices?" than a "What the fuck happened there?"

>>37101561
Because everyone has skeletons in the closet (in a literal and figurative sense), some deep, dark secret they don't want anyone else to know.

Hers just happens to be rather grim. If she didn't Awake, the Mage was going to kill her after the act, in a sort of 'leave no witnesses' mentality. The Mage who did it was REALLY fucked up in the head.

>>37101582
I get that, but I don't know, kinda feels to me like it's drama for the sake of drama.

>>37101590
Not trying to have it be that way by any stretch of the imagination.

>>37101635
Never said you were. Just said what I was thinking

>>37101582
So, did she get raped first then awaken or did she awaken to the pre-rape then kill him the fuck back? It's ambiguous from the text

what's the stance on vampires when it comes werewolves? granted we shouldn't find much trouble getting help from mages when they find out the vampires have them on the menu but after missing out on the last big battle I'd hope Tobi and his pack wouldn't mind helping clear out a vampire coven trying to move in

>>37101768
Yup, that there's some forced drama alright

>>37101669
She Awoke mid-rape, once she realized that what he was doing (forcing her to levitate and use her body basically as an sex toy) was Magic. She escaped from him, and when he tried to kill her with a lightning bolt, another Mage showed up and Disintegrated him.

>>37101759
By in large, Werewolves hate vampires as they are undead abominations that corrupt the "perfect" balance in nature, vampires look down upon werewolves and sees them as animals to be slaughtered.

Also, going to bed now (took a 3 hr. nap and awoke to answer stuff here). If it's still up when I get some actual sleep I'll reply, otherwise shoot me questions on the ask.fm.

>>37101066
>I won't say it's a bad idea, but it is certainly a risky idea.
what is the risk? if he remembers, we got a sleepwalker buddy.
if he forgets he forgets, where is the risk? (so long as we show him a spirit rather than invoke paradox)

>>37101759
Aren't those specific vampires also specifically invading tobi's clan's territory without permission?

>>37101186
>Attempting to force an Awakening is indeed an act of Hubris, and a pretty big one at that.
No wonder mages are so fucked, every time they try to do something in their favor they get mechanically punished
Besides, giving someone the opportunity is not the same as forcing it. And is trying to teach a sleeper about the supernatural to make a sleepwalker actually really counted as "forcing awakening"? (since you aren't trying to make them into a mage)

>>37104376
yeah, seems pretty weird how trying to change things is an act of hubris when the current state of things sucks.

>>37104332
It's an act of Hubris, so every attempt has a high chance of costing us Wisdom (us slowly going crazy).
Also, he'll probably forget and there's a very, very slim chance that he awakens in some variety but also a chance that he remembers just enough to snap, but not enough to awaken.
From most to least likely: forget>>>>snap>>>awaken

>>37104376
1e morality meters were all pretty judgy, which is why in 2e they switched over to Integrity. 2e Wisdom is how much control you have over your magic. Either way, there has to be some mechanic that prevents every mage from using their power to simply take over the world. Even if you're ok with Hubris (and there's a spell that prevents Wisdom loss for a single specific act), experimenting with humans and Awakening is bound to attract the attention of other mages, the Seers of the Throne and other supernatural 3rd parties. There are a lot of things that you CAN do (like go on a killing spree or start an underworld empire), but a lot of things are dangerous or just plain stupid (like going on a killing spree in broad daylight or expanding a crime ring too quickly).

Trying to manipulate circumstances falls into the same bin as forcing it. Awakening is often traumatic or otherwise mindblowing. Either way YOU don't get to choose whether they Awaken partially or all the way, so you don't get off easy just because you're trying to wake them up "just a little".

>>37105557
can you use magic to prevent/remove insanity?

>>37105557
>snap
what do you mean by snap

>It's an act of Hubris
Repeating such a statement doesn't contribute anything to the discussion

>so every attempt has a high chance of costing us Wisdom (us slowly going crazy).
we all know what hubris is

>Awakening is often traumatic
This is akin to arguing that all sex is bad because rape is traumatic.
Awakening is very often traumatic,but exposing someone to the supernatural in a safe and comfortable manner is not the same as arranging for them to be assaulted by a vampire

>or otherwise mindblowing
There is nothing wrong with that, in fact it is extremely fulfilling

> experimenting with humans
nobody said anything about human experimentation, nobody said anything about "forcing them". You are completely mis representing what people actually suggested.

Also, look up proximi in MtA: The Silver Ladder (pg. 63).

>>37105688
>Also, look up proximi in MtA: The Silver Ladder (pg. 63).
ok nevermind, I seem to have been looking at a fan made modification to proximi, they are not actually relevant to the discussion as written in that actual sourcebook.

>>37105546
Hubris Magic is basically going into the system files and editing the values you don't like rather than changing the current state through world mechanics (and aiding yourself with a few cheat codes).

>>37105596
Up to the individual storyteller. Long term conditions are usually tied to degradation in morality/integrity and can only be patched up, rather than healed. Getting rid of them entirely requires raising their morality/integrity back up manually (ie through their exp). Which is why Sarah's 20 years of trauma haven't been erased in a fortnight.

>>37105688
>snap
Acquire psychological derangement preventing them from acting like a human being. Like Sarah's trauma has, although she was already Awake.

>Hubris
>what is the risk?
>we all know what hubris is

>Awakening
Neither awakening nor sex are bad. Forcing or manipulating people into them is.

>exposing someone to the supernatural in a safe and comfortable manner is not the same as arranging for them to be assaulted by a vampire
No, but the former is guaranteed to be forgotten, while the latter has a chance of success.

>experimenting with humans
>want to make sleepwalker
>don't know how
Any attempt at the goal can be categorized as experimentation. Wanting real hard doesn't make someone into a Sleepwalker, not to mention that not everyone would want to be a Sleepwalker. Making that choice for them would both be "forcing them" in the sense that they don't get to go back to sleeping even if they want to and "forcing them' in the sense that you'd be arranging an Awakening rather than waiting for whatever events would have to transpire for them to Awaken without interference.

>>37105783
Yeah, Proximi are just Sleepwalker++ with some lineage thrown in.

Out of curiosity, how did the fan mod differ?

>>37105933
>Neither awakening nor sex are bad. Forcing or manipulating people into them is.
and?
>Hey there good friend, there is some amazing stuff in the world, do you want to hear more?
>Yes
>Well, you see, magic is real, and I can show you if you want
>Heck yea I want to see
No manipulation or forcing involved. Fully consensual

>Out of curiosity, how did the fan mod differ?
http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/main-category/main-forum/the-new-world-of-darkness/mage-the-awakening/484-half-awake-awakened-magic-for-the-unawakened
via
>Proximi are the result of the Silver Ladder’s finest endeavors to regiment awakening.
looking at the source material, I am not seeing this at all, but rather that they are a natural occuring phenomenon that the silver ladder has no idea how to replicate and they are merely aiding the proximi rather then creating them.

>what is the risk?
ah oops, I thought you quoted another post.

>No, but the former is guaranteed to be forgotten, while the latter has a chance of success.
It seems obvious that trauamtic non consentual exposure is much harder to forget. But are you sure its 100% guarenteed to be forgotten?
regardless, nobody argued that we should engineer traumatic non consensual experiences for maximum chance of awakening. This is just something you are assuming despite people explicitly saying that is not what they want. You should have just argued from the beginning that what people suggested can't work

>>37105933
>Any attempt at the goal can be categorized as experimentation
You are stretching and twisting the meaning of the word. When someone say "human experiment" they don't refer to "everythging ever". By your stretched and baroque definition offering a friend a slice of cake that you baked because you think he might like its taste is "experimenting on humans"

>>37106900
>>37106920
All the happy, concentual, 'nothing wrong with this at all' methods are guaranteed to fail at awakening. This is my opinion, but my reasoning behind it is that if it could work, mages would be doing it all the time. Getting someone to wake up is a hefty reward and it doesn't make sense for there to be a near-zero-cost option without someone scaling it up.

Awakening's a mystery though and is left that way to give the storyteller room to maneuver and decide how things work. It's up to QM how to implement it, but imo any plans/actions with the intent to trigger an Awakening would be considered Hubris.

Prime's version of Mage Sight gets interesting with more dots. At 4 dots you can grant it to a sleeper and they don't Disbelieve it for the duration, but they'll still cause Paradox. The 2e version has been spoiled in the open dev blogs:
>The subject of this spell has the scales of the Lie removed from their eyes.
>Anyone subject to the spell, mage, Sleeper, or other supernatural being, gains Mage Sight attuned to the Aether in the manner of an Obrimos.
>Along with this gift comes temporary immunity to Quiescence and an instinctive knowledge of how to use Mage Sight.
>It does not, however, prepare the subject for how to interpret the visions received under Mage Sight, and the uninitiated are likely to suffer Breaking Points from the trauma of the Sight.
That last line is my personal source for associating the removal of the Lie with trauma.

>You should have just argued from the beginning that what people suggested can't work
I did, and then we got into the possibilities of suppressing or fixing mental trauma.


Anyway, instead of arguing about arguing, here's a summary:
>QM confirmed that forcing Awakening (methods which we have data on - all traumatic) is big Hubris
>Hubris is intent based, so regardless of method, tinkering with Awakening is probably Hubris
>No one knows the exact mechanics, so no idea is 100% (other than QMs ideas)

Surprised this is still going on...

I would like to mention one thing:

The kid Awoke because he met the REAL Santa Claus, which is not a traumatic experience per se, but something that is certainly supernatural in nature. Not every Mage that Awakens has it be a traumatic or supernatural event; some Mages in the setting (Garen, for example) Awoke without any external stimuli hinting at the supernatural.

In fact, Garen Awoke because he believed in Magic so hard his soul finally Awoke.

>>37109335
so if we make Joseph believe in magic, he might awaken?

Honestly guys, I don't think it's a good idea to purposely fuck with sleepers spiritual health. The kid awakening was a happy side effect of meeting the real Saint Nick.

We should just stick to doing good where we know we can do good while trying to make the situation in general less fucked up for everyone.

>>37109469
Garen believed in Magic as a kid, grew up into a doctor, still believing in Magic. He was almost 70 years old before he Awoke, but his "faith" was rewarded as he almost immediately mastered Life Magic and started extending his life out.

Remember, Garen's the oldest at 143.

>>37107423
>I did, and then we got into the possibilities of suppressing or fixing mental trauma.
I did not see any such mention, maybe I just missed it.

>>37109696
The purpose was never to game the system to produce more mages.
The idea was to inform joseph of the existance of the supernatural so that he could understand what is happening to his husband and to his friend (MC). Not to use him as some tool, or a powerup.

>>37111752
Informing him would be pointless because it would be erased from his mind by the Lie. Which is what launched this whole argument.