[IC] [Mage: the Awakening 2E] The Supernal Suburbia

[Beans]

DR. ASPHODEL
No Spells Active
Conditions/Tilts: Poor Light (Visual Perception at -1, alleviated with flashlight [I think])

Viv frowns out the window, then scuttles back to her classroom. She raps her cane on the floor as she comes in, drawing attention as she holds her light to shine on herself so she's most visible. The quiver of her hand makes it look just a little eerie.
"A-A-Alright, everybody, we, uh---we're'na be heading t'th'groun' fl-floor. Everyone w-with a light of s-some kind, use it---'n'f y'got a spare, share w'whoever doesn' h-have any." She squints and peers through the room, light scanning over the students, tracking til her eyes land on Simon and Oscar. "Mr. C-Collins and... uh, M-Mr. Valewood, i-if you could h-hang back w'me an' hel'make sure th'room's s-s-s-secure once e-everyone's out. R-rest of you, single file, be careful, 'n d-d-do wh'th'other instructors tell y'out there. Gr-ground floor, sit tight."

She stands by the door, pointing her light at the floor there to help the students as they file out. Even in the darkness, her sharp green eyes glint as she peers at her TA and student---and, unless she's damnably wrong, her fellow... mages? Wizards? What are they, really?
Her fellow weirdos.

[Haberdasher]

RAGNAR
Active Spells: None
Conditions/Tilts: Inspired, Poor Lighting (-2 to vision-based Perception rolls)
Health: 8/8 WP: 4/4 Mana: 10/10

Ragnar feels rather pleased with himself. The spell went off better than he had anticipated, and within full sight of Oscar, who it seems did notice the spell with his Sight. Was that the first time Oscar saw something with magic? He feels a flash of deep satisfaction. I just taught somebody how to do something related to magic. And all of these students listened to me and did exactly what I asked them to. A thought enters his mind: what if this is what he is meant for? To teach others, to guide them, to lead them? The implications rattle Ragnar, but something about the idea feels so right. At the very least, he wants to be able to feel the joy he felt when Oscar followed his advice again. And something about the way that Oscar's hand lingered on his shoulder thrills him in a way that he hasn't felt in a while. Oscar...?

At Oscar's words about the girl- Mr. Collins? Ah jeez, that's my father, Oscar.- Ragnar turns serious again. The blond student in question looks innocent enough, if a little distracted by the storm, but Ragnar gets the feeling that Oscar is talking about the young woman in a magical sense.

"I'll take a look," he whispers to the Norwegian man. "Go back to your seat and play it cool. Just... stay on guard. I have a feeling this day could get a lot weirder."

Ragnar then turns his attention to the student. Okay, then. Let's take a look at you, miss. Focussing himself, Ragnar opens himself up to the stream of Time and the strands of Fate once more... but this time, he reaches out a bit more. Partly inspired by Oscar, Ragnar ponders that, just as all living things are bound to each other by threads of Fate, so too are they bound to each other by the web of Life... and where there is a stream of Time, that must also mean that there is a fabric of Space with which to make a universe. Opening himself to the realties of Fate and Life, Space and Time, Ragnar examines the blond student with his Sight.

I activate Active Mage Sight, spending two Mana to use both Life and Space, and examine the student. That puts me at 8 Mana.

At that moment, Dr. McCallister returns, and Ragnar's attention is diverted. Wait, why does she want Oscar and I to stay behind. Does she suspect?

[crapcarp]

Phoenix
Peripheral Sight | Active Spell(s): Nightvision
Health: BOOOOOO | WP: 5/5 | Mana: 10/10
Conditions: Grieving [Guilty], Inspired (Arcane Beat) | Tilts: None

Magic may be a powerful force, but an equally powerful will can control it. If only I Awakened sooner...

The mage sticks out like a sore thumb, but not in the way I expected. He doesn't shine outward with an inner light like mine, or even a magical aura like Moonstone's. No, his aura whispers to me through the connections that bind people and their thoughts together. It speaks of iron chains and the imperfections that keep them there, in a place that most would conceive to be Hell. Although, it wasn't Hell in the true sense, but more like Purgatory. He had a connection to the realm as strong as mine, so he's probably newly Awakened like me.

Before I can relay the info to Moonstone, he "hangs up" on me and opens the door himself. As he speaks to the other passengers, the words I hear cause my ears to heat up. He probably cast a spell on them, given their positive reactions.

Rolling to see if Phoenix notices any distress from Moonstone due to being afflicted with Paradox

Wits 3 + Empathy 2 = 5 dice → 1 success

Though his reaction isn't so positive. "You alright?" I ask concernedly.

[Caladriu]

Moonstone
Active Sight: Mind/Space. Active Spells: Emotional Urging [Potency 3]
Conditions: Spooked, Poor Light, Abyssal Nimbus
Health: BOOOOO | Willpower: 5/8 | Mana: 10/10

The creatures behind the door are laughing. Laughing at him.They see him, and they are going to hurt him, and everyone else inside the train, even the other magicians. The divination has gone horribly wrong, it only drew their attention, They are inside him, he wasn't strong enough to keep Them out and They are in his magic. And on top of all that, he has a piercing migraine behind his left eye- he clenches his teeth and puts a palm over his forehead.

But he has to keep his focus, or the magic will die. He maintains his concentration on the Imago, continuing to imagine himself as capable and strong and in command, and making the other people imagine him that way too. The other magician shows concern, and Moonstone quickly answers back, clearly scared and in pain: "Yes. I'm fine. Nothing is wrong. But we need to go now."

He raises his bandaged-and-gloved hands theatrically for the people in the car. "This is the plan. It's safer for everyone to stay in here for now. We're going outside to fix this. Watch each other."

He finds that he can't say anything more detailed or inspirational, or the Imago will slip and all will be lost. If Phoenix says anything more, Moonstone hears him, but says: "No time. I'm going. Catch up." And turns around and rushes out alone onto the platform in the black hailstorm, pulling his ballcap back down over his eyes and clutching his bag close. He keeps concentrating on the Imago to keep the passengers calm, and opens his third eye to Pandemonium again, this time for good. He's going all the way down to the door to look it in the eye, he has to. And hopefully, whatever else Phoenix has to do, Moonstone won't be alone for long.

Spending 1 Willpower to activate Mind and Space Sight for the remainder of the scene. That's a reflexive action so my Concentration spell stays active for now, but if I take an instant action or take any damage, the spell will end. Moonstone is going across the street to where the shadowy door is, and I plan to scrutinize it when I get there.

Does running off alone into a nightmare hailstorm to investigate the door count as resolving the Spooked condition? And does taking initiative like this in general count for my Bold virtue?

[Kvitebjørn Kong Valemon]

LYNX

Active Sight: None
Active Spells: Heightened Senses (Life 2; Potency 1, 1 week duration: +1 to Perception rolls)
Willpower: 3/5. Mana: 9/10
Conditions/Tilts: Poor Light (Visual-based Perception rolls at -1)

"Mr. C-Collins and... uh, M-Mr. Valewood-"

As he's walking to his seat, when Dr. McCallister calls his name, he turns his head to look at her.

"i-if you could h-hang back w'me an' hel'make sure th'room's s-s-s-secure once e-everyone's out-"

Oscar frowns momentarily, not breaking his stride. He grabs his bag, snaking between the gathering students, and then moves to the outskirts of the crowd.

I get Mr. Collins staying behind, but... why me? Did she overhear our conversation...?

Wordlessly, Oscar watches his fellow students slowly flow out of the room, patiently waiting for the three of them to be alone.

[rwknoll]

Ragnar
You feel a rush of excitement again as your Mage Sight opens once more. You again see the swirling tides of Fate and Time around the storm and the outdoors as you did previously, but now your Supernal vision is a kaleidoscope of sensations, feelings, and colors. You sense yourself expend some energy inside of you that you didn't notice before, but it's clear to you now.

Even through the darkness, you can see -- no, feel -- the life sustained within the plants and trees outside the building. The hail has no effect on the flora outside, showing that it must only be draining electricity where it strikes. But with your newly opened Space Sight, your vision settles on something unsettling: at a distance away from you that you can instantly judge, down on the ground floor along the wall of an academic building across the sidewalk, you see what you can only describe as a doorway of shadow. It seems half closed, and it's naked to your mundane vision, although that might just be because it's dark outside.

At Oscar's urging, you turn your sight to study the girl, all four Arcana blending together.

Fate and Time come to you most naturally, but reveal few things that seem noteworthy. She has no exotic destiny or doom hanging over her, nor telltale signs of any odd flow in the current of time surrounding her and everyone near her. You know a split-second before anyone else what she's about to do as she turns and calmly walks out of the room with the other students. Your Space Sight allows you to know exactly how long her stride is, but even your mundane vision would tell you that she's athletic and probably a fast walker.

To your Life Sight, though, you do perceive an odd quality about her. You feel an aura of energy pulsing around her that makes your heart skip a beat and echoes in your blood. She isn't just healthy or devoid of illness; she is so full of life that it makes you want to take a step back. Otherwise, she seems like any other college girl.

Holding your Sight active like this begins to drain on you. You sense that keeping it up much longer will take significant effort.

You can leave Active Sight on for maybe a few more seconds, and then you'll need to spend WP to keep it active for the rest of the scene if desired.

Lynx, Ragnar, and Dr. Asphodel
The last few undergraduate students gather their belongings and trail out of the room. They have confused looks about why you're not coming with them, but don't stop to ask -- most just want to get out of the room and back to their dorm rooms or homes. The door closes behind them, and the three of you are alone in the room. The darkness is back in full force.

Poor Light tilt is back to -2 now that everyone is gone. A few phone lights isn't enough to brighten the room like 40 did.

Moonstone
You're glad that you're able to put on a good enough face to keep the passengers feeling comforted, but you're definitely feeling the stress of this moment. You are painfully aware that now would be the time that Hakim would comfort you and use Mind magic to ease your emotional distress. His absence is tangible.

Your vision is again filtered through the Supernal; this time you push with your mind more forcefully, and you know that your Sight will stay open. The darkness of the Highstorm takes on an even more ominous quality when viewed from the Path to Pandemonium. You think you hear faint whispers from the edge of your hearing, but when you look around, you only see shadows.

As soon as you step onto the platform, the black ice starts to hit you. And where it does, you hear a soft hiss and feel like hands are clawing at you, pulling energy away from you. Although you can cross the platform to an awning and get partway down the covered stairs in a matter of seconds, it feels like an eternity. There are a few people huddled together under the awning complaining about the storm, but otherwise the platform is empty at the moment.

I think being Spooked and Bold are too incompatible to gain both at the same time, and I don't think taking a few steps before Phoenix (who is probably inclined to follow you) is a meaningful enough action to regain all WP from your Virtue. But I think it's in the spirit of the Spooked condition. So, it resolves and you gain a Beat -- so you can still gain an Arcane Beat from resolving a magical Condition this scene, but otherwise no more from mundane Conditions.

Can you put the new persistent condition in your posts to remind me to keep an eye on whether it's active/passive or invoke it if needed?

In addition, you lose 1 mana as the black hail strikes you. Roll Wits + Occult.

[Caladriu]

Moonstone
Active Sight: Mind/Space. Active Spells: Emotional Urging [Potency 3]
Conditions: Divergent (passive), Poor Light, Abyssal Nimbus
Health: BOOOOO | Willpower: 5/8 | Mana: 9/10

Keep it together keep it together keep it together.

Wits 2+Occult 4, 6 dice, 1 success

[rwknoll]

Moonstone
You have a sinking suspicion that the hail carries an Abyssal quality. Something about the way the Abyss is worming its way into your nimbus might be causing the hail to affect you more directly. Of course, it could be simply the effect of the hail striking any mage; it's hard to guess on your own.

[Caladriu]

Moonstone
Active Sight: Mind/Space. Active Spells: Emotional Urging [Potency 3]
Conditions: Divergent (passive), Poor Light, Abyssal Nimbus
Health: BOOOOO | Willpower: 5/8 | Mana: 9/10

It would make sense. The Abyss is the death of magic and all that's worth protecting in the Fallen world, including the very Mana stored in his Pattern. Also, not a lot of black hail coming from totally mundane sources.

He rests against the awning for a second, catching his breath. Can he see the shadowy door from here well enough to scrutinize it?

[rwknoll]

Moonstone

No, you can't see it from this angle. You need to finish going down the stairs (which have a covered awning overhead) down to the ground floor, and then to the left of that building and part way down the block. After you leave the stairs, the sidewalk is only covered sporadically, so you'd have to risk more hail.

[crapcarp]

Phoenix

Peripheral Sight | Active Spell(s): Nightvision
Health: BOOOOOO | WP: 5/5 | Mana: 10/10
Conditions: Grieving [Guilty], Inspired (Arcane Beat) | Tilts: None

Moonstone suddenly bolts out, almost like he’s running away from something. I wonder if the Abyss stuff has anything to do with it. Guess I’ll find out soon, for I pursue him. He finally stops to catch his breath over at the awning of the platform.

“You don’t look fine,” I state once I’ve caught up to him, “Does this have something to do with what you talked about on the street below?”

[rwknoll]

Phoenix
Your nightvision magic makes it easy to follow Moonstone across the platform and part way down the stairs despite the unnatural darkness at this time in the afternoon. The hail hurts a little because of how large it is, but you manage to make it to the awning quickly enough that it's mostly just a nuisance.

[Caladriu]

Moonstone
Active Sight: Mind/Space. Active Spells: Emotional Urging [Potency 3]
Conditions: Divergent (passive), Poor Light, Abyssal Nimbus
Health: BOOOOO | Willpower: 5/8 | Mana: 9/10

He's breathing hard, still trying to hold the Imago in his mind, clutching his bag for dear life, and just nods when the other magician comes under the awning. "Yes. Maybe."

He points down the block in the direction of the invisible portal. "The door is right over there. But when I ran through the hail, it burned me. Or, sapped me. It ate some of my-" would he know the word? "do you know what Mana is? Some of my energy. Did it eat yours, too? You would have felt it."

Moonstone lowered his voice, looked over his shoulder. Whispers at the edge of his perception. But Phoenix seemed trustworthy. He was one of the good ones. "Listen: when I said those words in the car, I uh- I let something in. From Outside. Only a little bit. Something smelled me. I didn't mean to! But it can see me, and I think the hail is attracted to that. I- we- need to get to that door before it comes through, or something comes through, but we have to get through the hail again to reach it. I've been trying to think- maybe I could try a working so that I'm only stepping in the right place at the right time, but I don't know- can you do anything to ward off bad weather?"

He rubbed his forehead, still nursing that migraine. "I don't know whether I'm thinking straight right now. I might be panicking. Sorry. But I know that door is connected to this storm, and if we get to it, we can try to keep something worse from happening. But I need protection from the hail to get there. Can you help me, uh- what is your Shadow Name?"

[rwknoll]

Binder
Everyone else on the train seems to take the man's words at face value, which maybe isn't so surprising. But your peripheral Sight tells you that something else magical happened, suggesting that his urging was magical. For a brief moment, you feel your emotions swirl inside you, and thoughts pop into your head that you should just follow along with everyone else. Be a part of the crowd. Heed the man's advice.

But you're a mage, and you're made of stronger stuff than that. The thoughts quickly fade, leaving you to act as you think best. Your Space spell trails after the two mages, telling you exactly where they are -- across the platform and part way down the covered stairwell.

I wanted to make it clear what was going on with you here. How would Binder act in this situation?

[crapcarp]

Phoenix
Peripheral Sight | Active Spell(s): Nightvision, Hail Bubble (CT)
Health: BBOOOOO | WP: 4/5 | Mana: 10/10
Conditions: Grieving [Guilty], Inspired (Arcane Beat) | Tilts: None

"The door is right over there. But when I ran through the hail, it burned me. Or, sapped me. It ate some of my...do you know what Mana is? Some of my energy. Did it eat yours, too? You would have felt it," Moonstone asked, heaving.

“Yeah, I know what that is,” I answered, “I’m not even surprised it would sap yours, this isn’t ordinary hail. I saw them as...sinkholes when I looked with my Sight, that’s the best way I can describe them. What I am surprised at is how it didn’t drain any from me, though.”

"Listen: when I said those words in the car, I uh- I let something in. From Outside. Only a little bit. Something smelled me. I didn't mean to! But it can see me, and I think the hail is attracted to that.” he explained.

That might explain why the hail’s draining him, but not me. If the hail’s being caused by the Abyss, and it’s seeped into him from before, it could be destroying his magic from the inside. Damn, the Abyss is dangerous!

“I- we- need to get to that door before it comes through, or something comes through, but we have to get through the hail again to reach it. I've been trying to think- maybe I could try a working so that I'm only stepping in the right place at the right time, but I don't know- can you do anything to ward off bad weather?" he requests, rubbing his forehead, "I don't know whether I'm thinking straight right now. I might be panicking. Sorry. But I know that door is connected to this storm, and if we get to it, we can try to keep something worse from happening. But I need protection from the hail to get there. Can you help me, uh- what is your Shadow Name?"

“Phoenix," I answer, "And I can certainly try, though I’d have to really push it.”

It’s a little risky, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. After placing my hand on his shoulder, I focus my mind’s eye on the spell, imagining a whirling bubble that diverts the hail away from him. I have to force the spell through the interference of my “magical night vision goggles”, so I use my free hand to “mime” the barrier around him.

Improv casting CT “Hail Bubble”, a Forces Shielding spell that protects Moonstone from the hail, making it flow around him kinda like what you see here, except with the hail. PSF Duration.

1 free Reach, spending 3 on spell above limit, instant casting, and Advanced Duration; No penalties, but Duration increased to 1 day; Using Dedicated Tool for -2 on Paradox; containing any Paradox

Paradox 2 - 2 Dedicated Tool = Chance die → 1 success (Of course it succeeds)

Wisdom 7 = 7 dice → 1 success (At least it’s contained)

Gnosis 1 + Forces 2 + 3 WP = 6 dice → 4 successes

So can I resolve Inspired for an exceptional success on the spellcasting roll?

Caladriu Does the color teal fit Moonstone as a character? It just seemed like it did to me, but I can always change the color if you feel like it should be different.