Mercury's Atlas of Mysterious Places IC

[horus42]

Record snowfall hit Boston this year, but no one cared. The entire city is talking about only one thing: the most peculiar bank robbery in the city's history. No sign of forced entry. The security footage suddenly cuts to static. And most curiously of all, no witnesses. Those who were present at the time of the robbery adamantly refuse to speak about what they saw. Many of them are being held for questioning at the nearby precinct.

Because of the obvious Supernatural nature of the crime, the local occult community is abuzz with concerns and accusations. Some are afraid of exposure. Others think the whole thing will blow over. But the movers and shakers fall into the first camp. Luckily, they have someone to turn to; a group of unlikely allies who have a reputation for achieving the impossible. A group that finds themselves in Copley Place, near the waterfall in the center of the mall.

As people bustle about, finishing up their Christmas shopping, the group is approached by a mountain of a man. Nearly seven feet tall, with a barrel chest and heavy beer belly, the man was a stranger to all but one of the group. Zoe would recognize those bright eyes and long white beard anywhere. Klaus the Toymaker, the Winter King. He sits down across from the group on one of the benches, setting his heavy red winter coat aside.

"I assume you've all heard about the bank robbery by now, at least the basic details." His voice is a deep rumble, but tinged with a friendly warmth. "You all have a knack for getting into impossible places. Do you think you could figure out how they did it, and who they were? This whole affair needs to be swept under the rug as soon as possible. The culprits need to be caught before they strike again. If you can do this, I'll owe each of you a favor."

Among Changelings and other Fae creatures, owing a favor is a big deal. Klaus must be truly desperate.

[josienoms]

Zoe sits on the bench as her mentor approaches. To mortal eyes, she runs her fingers through her hair. Those who can see her Mien see her fingers consumed in the blue flames that flicker about her head.

As Klaus sits across from her, she fidgets a little. He didn't know about the book, nor did she feel comfortable keeping it from him. It was for the best, though. If people know about the book, everybody would be trying to steal it from them, all the time. So she simply nods as he speaks.

"I think we can get it done, sir. Are there any leads we can follow?"

A small smile flickers across her face.

[JonRG]

István bites back a growl, trying to keep his temper in check. It wasn't Tuesday, but the Boss had cajoled him into tagging along anyhow. Guy had a point. What was he gonna do instead? Besides, if Noble got himself stabbed, then who was gonna free him from the curse? István sighs as he meets the others' gaze. Oh goody. The Book Club. More magical garbage that had forced its way into his life. He manages a smile in Umma's direction. She at least understood. Zoe was nice too. István stays on his guard around the guys. "If the witnesses actually don't know anything, then the bank'll be our best shot, but we can't rule out the possibility they're just afraid to talk."

[Tome]

Umma stares off into the distance, quietly talking into her cell. It's just a prop, but it hides who she's really talking to. A trick Natalia taught her. "No, look, you have to go back across" she mumbles. "Yes, I know there are predators but there's ones here too... yes, I mean the Uratha. No, don't go bother him - he'll bite you. If you're that worried I'll take you to somewhere safer and you can cross over there. Yes, I know somewhere you'll like. Okay? Okay. Just wait a bit while I finish what I'm doing".

She growls a little bit in annoyance herself as she puts the phone away. Gafflings.

Spirit dealt with for now, her attention turns back to the group in time to catch István's smile. Did he notice? Does he approve? She nervously returns the smile and gives a slight shrug. What can you do?

Who's this talking to them? Something about catching a culprit and owing them a favour? She sniffs, and rubs her nose to hide it as just some sign of an oncoming cold, but the only scents are ones she already knew. Not a spirit then. Is he talking about that bank thing? István's reply confirms it. Definitely the bank then.

"I can probably take a look at the witnesses. See what's messing with their heads. Be surprised if someone else hasn't already".

Rolling for the spells Umma has active. She'll have simply tried again if she failed.

Ephemeral Armour, cast in Hallow for day log duration and using High Speech: [roll0]
Spirit Tongue: [roll1]
Second Sight: [roll2]

[Kell_tamer]

What a famous hollywood actor was doing here might have raised eyebrows. However he seemed rather nonplussed about the situation. "I can get us into the crime scene if we need to do some snooping." He pulls out a cigarette from his breast pocket and lights it. "Might be able to get some better information that way."

[JonRG]

"Calm down. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for why she's talkin' about you to some guy on the phone. Don't wolf out." István tries to keep his eyes off the mage, thinking those three words like a mantra. Eventually, the anger fades. It never really went away, but there were times when it didn't consume his thoughts. He manages not to growl, at the very least. They would have to talk about it. Later.

[ChaosArchon]

A young man in long brown coat, messy blonde hair, and sapphire blue eyes looks out across the mall. As the being speaks to them, Thomas wonders what kind of supernatural being their new employer even is. He clearly was powerful to be speaking with them on behalf of the supernatural community in Boston so obviously a big player in the political games here. It would be best to figure out exactly what he was dealing with. "Now whether to see through the lense of time or fate, hmmm." he thinks as he draws upon the higher reality of Arcadia and coaxes time to reveal the correct path to him.

View through the sight of the prophet

Using the knowledge gleaned by his shaping of the eternal, he Opens his eyes to causality. "Free will is an illusion, all follow the path of cosmos whether they know it or not. Only a willworker can twist the tapestry of the stars, but before I do so; first I must look upon the loom of fate with my eyes." thinks the mage of destiny as he begins to view the cause and effect of nature and its paths towards the future.

ok so time for my rolls,

casting Momentary Flux to know which mage sight to use (Time or Fate), Eligos will cast it until he does so successfully (Time (3)+Gnosis(1):[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

then casting Sight of the Sybil, as Tome told me Fate Sight would let me find out Klaus was a Changeling, given the link between fate, Arcadia, and changelings. again casting until successful (Fate(1)+Gnosis(1)):[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]

also I had cast Temporal Dodge in the morning in the Hallow using High Speech (Time(3)+Gnosis(1)+High Speech(2)): [roll7]
1/2 towards Stamina limit

I think these are all covert and part of my Path Arcanum so no Paradox rolls but if I'm wrong just ask. If I did anything wrong sorry, first time playing a Mage

[Obscurejones]

Looking around the small motley that he's found himself more or less forced into, Noble can't help but call to mind a line from his favorite film of the year.
Bunch of jackasses standing in a circle.
Looking from Istvan to Umma and back again he makes note of his bodyguard's tension. Tapping his cane against the werewolf's shin he leans over to whisper a bit of helpful advice.
"Settle down, Spot. You can hump her leg on your own time. Eyes on the prize while you're on the clock."
Stepping forward he offers a small critique of the request.
"It's a crap shoot. Every supernatural in the game's got some sort of sneak crap they can pull. A leech might have snuck in and pulled a mindwipe, a hedgefresh might have been testing out their latest contract, hell even one of these nerds could probably do it, though from what I hear it'd be hard in front of all those normals. How they did it is negligible. What should worry us is that they did it loud. They left a big damn wake that anyone could point to and go 'That's a big damn boat'. They wanted people to see where they couldn't be seen. That means they're not afraid of the mask, or the masquerade, or the grand poo bah illusion. So they're either powerful enough to risk the entire supernatural community, or reckless enough to do so. Neither of which sounds like something we should stick our noses into."

[ChaosArchon]

After working his spells, Thomas realizes who quiet he's been in all of this so far and clears his throat,"Uh yes, well I think um, yes I think that if we can get into the crime scene I might be able to figure out what happened and if not then it still makes a small list of potential culprits. Yes that should work right Umma?" He thinks back to his training with Natalia and then nods,"Yeah I should definitely be able to do that at least. So I think we should, um, head towards the crime scene."

[JonRG]

István glares at his boss. It took so much effort to keep the wolf down, but Noble always had to tug on his leash. It'd come back to bite him one day. He manages a small nod and mutters, "Got it, boss." They could wait. "Figure we might as well try somethin'. These idiots out all of us, no one's gonna be happy."

[josienoms]

Zoe starts to bounce her leg, a nervous habit. She hadn't counted on there being so many people around. She forces a smile, putting on a brave face despite how uncomfortable she was beginning to feel.

"I feel like a poor hostess. I realize that I didn't introduce you, sir."

She clears her throat.

"Guys, this is Klaus, my mentor. He took me under his wing when I first came to Boston. He's a good man. Y'all are mostly good people. You'll get along."

The bare hints of her Southern twang seep into her voice.

"And much as I hate to say it, Noble's right. It's more important to stop them from revealing us all than it is to find out how they did it. Ain't nothing special, really."

[horus42]

Mage spells are active! For the moment, Eligos's Fate Sight will be more useful, and he can in fact see Klaus as he truly is.

Those who can see through the Mask can see the Mein beneath. Klaus is ancient. His eyes are lined with wrinkles, and hold a depth of experience beyond mortal ken. His skin is pale, deathly white, with the exception of his nose and cheeks, that appear ruddy from the cold. His breath fogs, despite the warmth of the courtyard. "Thank you for the introduction, Zoe. You all have very good points. Though the reason the higher ups and I want to find out how they do it is if they're doing something unique, we can find a way to stop that. But you're absolutely right. Sweeping it under the rug without exposing ourselves should be your highest priority. I'm not going back to Krampus..." The massive Changeling shudders involuntarily at the mention of his Keeper's name.

[Tome]

The shaman gives a small wave in greeting to the changeling. Good, no one had introduced him while she wasn't paying attention. That might have been embarrassing later. "Nu Bath Githul. We've all got reasons to see things stay quiet".

Umma crosses her arms, thinking to herself. Noble's got a point, it could be something too big to handle, if it really thinks it can handle being so blatant. "Mmm, could be what Noble says" she replies, before frowning and adding "Could also be they're young and stupid, heads full of power and no sense of their limits. Could be somewhere in between, and they're just that desperate. Could be something weirder that don't care about the rules. Should be able to tell which way once we see the trail. No harm in taking a look". She should be able to take a guess at what they're dealing with from looking at whatever magic was used on the witnesses. That, or Eligos could get something from his scrying, or at least from looking at whatever might keep him from scrying it properly. Gotta remind him to scrutinise it properly if he hits some sort of ward.

"Anyone know one of the witnesses?" she asks, looking to her menagerie of a cabal. "Want to get a look at them". No time like the present to make a start, she shouldn't need to be back at the practice for another few hours... she checks her phone, actually checks it, just to be sure.

[Obscurejones]

"Uuuuugh. You all suck and I hate you. Fine. If we're sticking our noses in this cluster cluck then I need to know what they took. No one's doing something this loud for cash. And if they took something interesting I can reach out to the local supernatural markets and see if someone's looking to sell something shiny."
Noble taps his cane on the tip of is boot impatiently as he grumbles.

[horus42]

Klaus smiles warmly, a definite note of approval in his voice. "You're asking the right questions now." He passes Umma a manila folder filled with files and photos. "You can find information on the witnesses in there. I'm very good with keeping records."

He looks to Noble after his question. "Several members of... our communities have Safe Deposit boxes with that bank. Many of them are missing now. I assume that's what the thieves were really after, and the cash was just a halfassed attempt to cover it up. You'll have to talk to them to find out what exactly was taken." He passes Noble a second manila folder.

[Obscurejones]

Noble waves the manila folder about at his minions friends reluctant allies.
"You heard the man. Who wants to talk to people? Or are we going to have me charm them? With my sparkling personality?"

[Tome]

"Thanks" Umma grunts. The shaman pages through the folder, just glancing at the pictures for now to see if any of them are familiar. Unlikely, but it'd be useful if they were.

"Be worth everyone looking first, start with anyone we might know already".

Intelligence+Composure to remember stuff, if I'm recalling correctly myself.
[roll0]

[ChaosArchon]

Thomas interjects,"I think I'll go to the crime scene while you guys investigate the witnesses, given that's the best place for me to start with my... talents."

[Tome]

"Who's babysitting?" Umma asks with a smirk, tossing her head in Eligos' direction.

"I'll check the witnesses, try to catch any traces of what made them forget" she announces, digging around in her pocket for keys. "Zoe? Micheal?".

[josienoms]

Zoe jumps at the opportunity to not be surrounded by people.

"I'll go with Eligos. The rest of y'all can handle the witnesses."

She offers him a good-natured smile as she gets up, ready to go. She spares one last look at Klaus, offering him her hand.

"Thanks for confidence in us, sir. I'll see you at the next Court meeting."

[JonRG]

István walks away, edging into Umma's personal space. "So, who was that on the phone?" There's an air of menace to the question.

[horus42]

Umma does in fact recognize one of the witnesses. One of the tellers lives down the street from her. His name is Jerry Sans, but beyond that, she doesn't remember much about him. Just because they're neighbors doesn't mean they're particularly close. He's not exactly the most friendly person in the world.

Despite not looking familiar, there are six other witnesses who aren't currently being detained, and another five who are.

Meanwhile, Klaus stands up, shakes Zoe's hand, and nods. "Good luck, all of you." He turns and starts to walk away, humming under his breath as he leaves.

[Tome]

Umma flinches slightly. István's angry? Not good. What's set him off? She really needs to figure that out. Quickly. "No one" she explains quickly, not quite looking him in the eye. Don't want to start a fight with an Uratha. "Was talking to a gaffling, trapped on this side. Sending it back to the hisil in a bit. Did... did you want to deal with it instead?".

[JonRG]

István frowns. Way to go, champ. You scared the nice lady. "No. You got it covered. Just heard you say... y'know, Uratha, and I thought you'd told somebody about me." He shakes his head. "I overreacted. Sorry. I... gotta work on that." István rubs his elbow awkwardly.

[Tome]

She releases the breath she was holding, relaxing a little. "It's... it's fine. It's fine. Figured you'd rather not have it bother you. From, you know, what you've said before".

Umma hesitates before adding "I wouldn't tell anyone. You asked me not to, right?".

[JonRG]

"Yeah. Thanks." István smiles at her. "Lemme see those pictures. I meet a lot of people through work and at BU." Their parties, anyway.

[Obscurejones]

Continuing his grumbling Nible flips through the files on whose deposit boxes got robbed. As Istvan and Umma convene he grins wickedly.
"Sorry about the pup, Umma. He gets so grumpy when he hasn't had a walk. Vet tells me I may have to have him nuetered to tamp down his aggression."

[josienoms]

Zoe looks to Eligos.

"So... You driving?"

[JonRG]

István bites down hard on his tongue. He can't kill Noble. Not until he fills his end of the bargain. Or... because murder was reprehensible. C'mon, István. You might be a freak, but you're still a decent person. Can't think stuff like that. Instead, he focuses on the pictures and tries to find a face that he knows.

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos reddens slightly,"Um...I don't know how to... maybe Michael has a ride? Or maybe we could walk, I mean it's not that far."

[josienoms]

"Well, I ain't opposed to hoofin' in. I never really learned to drive, seein' as how I spent my teenage years in a lamp."

She giggles, trying to make light of her past. It's better to be able to laugh about it than letting the fear rule her.

[ChaosArchon]

Thomas nods,"I am not opposed to walking. Shall we then?"

As he exits the mall, he flaps his coat a bit to make it flutter like a cape and grins. Even with all the power in the world, it's the small pleasures that make life enjoyable.

[josienoms]

Zoe follows him out, then goes off to the bank!

[JonRG]

"I know her." István taps one of the photographs. "She works at a coffee shop I go to. She's pretty nice. You wanna talk to your neighbor first?" he asks Umma.

[horus42]

The bank sits on the ground floor of an office building. The lobby is chic and modern, with lots of glass and stainless steel. The investigation has seemingly been halted, and normal business has more or less resumed. The lines at the three tellers aren't very long, with only two or three people in each.

And, of course, István remembers the stuff I mention in the OOC thread.

[Tome]

Umma shrugs. "Don't know him well, but it's a place to start".

She pointedly ignores the little voice in the back of her head pointing out that popping up out of the blue to question people she barely knows, but none the less will encounter regularly, might make things more awkward than approaching a stranger. That voice is stupid. Things are always awkward, why change that now.

"You drive here?" she asks István, having finally found which pocket she shoved the keys in.

[JonRG]

István shakes his head. "I don't have a car."

[Obscurejones]

"Just chase one down, boy."
Noble chuckles to himself. Decent run going here.

[JonRG]

István just rolls his eyes and "accidentally" steps on Noble's foot as he follows Umma to the car.

[Obscurejones]

"Hey! Now where did I leave that rolled up newspaper..."
Noble takes a parting shot as they walk away.
"Umma! If he acts up just try rubbing his nose in it. Fun for both of you!"

[Tome]

Shooting an annoyed glare at Noble, the prick, Umma stalks off. "Pickup's got two seats, should be in the car park down the street" she says to Istvan.

[JonRG]

"Cool." István walks behind her, hands buried in his pockets.

[Obscurejones]

"Hey Mike, you got a car?"
As the Demon nods his affirmative Noble grins.
"Awesome. You're already more useful then the mutt."

[Kell_tamer]

Michael pulls out his phone to call his driver and get the limo brought up. "Say what you will about actors, but we can get the hookup."

He ponders a moment. "We going to make use of the scotch in the back of the limo or no?"

[Obscurejones]

"We're about to meet with very important figures in the mythological and magical community. I'd be ashamed of us if we didn't show up three sheets to the wind."
Noble ponders for a moment before venturing a question.
"Do you have any bacon? I'm craving a bloody mary."

[Kell_tamer]

"Bacon cheeseburgers ok?" He opens the door for his fellows.

[Obscurejones]

Noble slips past the Demon and careens into the back of the limo.
"If you've got a long enough skewer I can garnish with a full turkey dinner."
Paging through the list of victims he selects the highest net worth.
"Here Bitterman! Take us to the lap of luxury. Drive as fast as the law will allow. I plan to get drunk quickly."

[josienoms]

Well, this ain't so bad. Only 12 people in here. I can handle 12. I mean, it's not that crowded. Not that crowded at all.

Zoe takes a few deep breaths to steady herself, standing close to Eligos.

"Should we get in line, or d'you got some kinda hoodoo that'll let you see what went down here?"

[Tome]

Umma shoves a couple of towels that were lying on the passenger set into the glove compartment as discreetly as she can. Hopefully Istvan doesn't comment on how her truck smells like sick animals.

As the werewolf climbs in, a thought occurs to her. "Not sure if my neighbour's in. Visit your coffee shop girl first?" she asks from the driver's seat.

[JonRG]

Umma's truck reeked, but István was used to the smell of animals. He nods. "She should be there now. Worst case, we can stop in and get coffee." István fidgets in his seat, suddenly very interested in the people outside his window.

[Tome]

Umma drives off in silence, save for when she has to ask directions.

She really wishes she'd remembered to clean the truck.

[horus42]

people move through the lines, until one of the tellers is free.

"Can I help you two?" She glances over, one eyebrow raised and seemingly... not suspicious, but perhaps a bit confused.

Driving is slow going, and the sun sets before you reach your destination. The Beacon Hill neighborhood is one of the oldest in the city, and home to the wealthiest of the wealthy. Businessmen, politicians, entrepreneurs, all make their home here. The limo pulls up to an upscale, brick colonial house, that might be as old as the city itself. The door is opened before you reach it, by a young woman in a simply black dress. "Oh, how lovely. You must have been sent by Klaus. Please come in, my master is waiting."

She leads you into the house, not speaking again as she takes you through the immaculate entryway, down a corridor, and into the sprawling living room. A man in a tailor-made dark grey Italian suit sits in a leather armchair. He sets a glass of wine on the end table at his side, and folds his hands in his lap. He speaks with a very slight German accent. "I've been expecting you, gentlemen. My name is Siegfried Hausler."

The name sounds familiar. He's a vampire, one of the ruling elite in Boston, and very, very old.

The coffee shop is nearly empty by the time you arrive. They haven't closed yet, but the employees have clearly already checked out. István recognizes Shelby from behind the counter, a short cury African-American girl with her long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. She has a bored expression on her face, and she adjusts the cap on her head, seemingly only to keep herself occupied.

[JonRG]

István flips up a hand in greeting and smiles as he approaches the counter. "Hey, Shel. Can I get a small latte?" It's all he can afford right now. While she makes his coffee, he leans on the counter and asks, "So, how's life been?"

[Tome]

Umma hangs back, hands shoved in her coat's pockets and doing her best to seem ignorable. Better to let Istvan do the talking, particularly since he knows the girl. She'll handle the next one, she tells herself. Probably.

Her hands shoved in her pockets, she traces the broken link of chain she keeps there, thumb following the contours of the twisted bit of metal. She looks for the girl's chains, the labyrinth of her mind. Hard to do it without looking like she's staring at the barista, but she tries her best.

Casting Umma's Third Eye rote. It's the Mind mage sight, useful for picking up on supernatural mojo that messes with minds.

[roll0]

[josienoms]

"Just a second, sugar!"

She punches Eligos lightly and playfully on the arm.

"Hurry up! We ain't got a lot of time."

[Kell_tamer]

Michael grins to the man before them. "Michael Tambor, actor provider of rides, and bacon to friends at your service." He gives a bit of a poncy flourishing bow. "And of course my associate.. " He gestures to Noble.

[Obscurejones]

"Et Nobiles Horrea. Collector and seller of rare books, and reluctant inquisitor. To that end, what was taken from you personally?"

[ChaosArchon]

Thomas once again is lost in his thoughts, although not of the arcane kind but just about whether the Doctor Who Christmas special would be good or not. Nick Frost was great and all but Thomas had a hard time picturing him as Santa, or even whether he'd fit in on a Doctor Who episode. As Zoe nudges him, he once again pays more attention,"Oh terribly sorry Zoe, right um yeah I have something that could work. If you don't mind I'm going to sit down in one of those nice chairs, will look less fishy. Maybe you can talk to the teller and ask her what she's heard. Or what her favorite band is, I dunno, just distract her." he says nervously.

He then sits down in one of the chic chairs in the lobby and focuses on the Truth, of how Time actually works in the Supernal rather than in this reality. Time really isn't a line, but something like an MMO, with scenes playing out simultaneously. Focusing on this insight, he views the events of the night before.

ok so casting Postcognition on the place, it's covert so no Paradox rolls and he's rolling til he views enough to get a good idea of what might have happened. Given I'm at Time 3, I see 1 minute per sux

Gnosis (1)+ Time (3):[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[horus42]

The teller makes small talk with Zoe, asking her about account options.

Eligos sees a man and a woman enter the bank. The man waves a wand, and the cameras die. The woman shouts, and everyone drops to the ground. The man fires a bolt of lighting from the wand, causing people to scream and the door of the vault to open. The woman strides to the door, and sees the secondary door of bars behind the vault door. She dissolves into a swarm of crawling insects and goes inside. Then, the vision ends.

"A pleasure to meet you both." Siegfried inclines his head respectfully. "What was taken from me were mostly files. Photographs. Documents. That sort of thing." He avoids the obvious, that it was blackmail material.

Shelby smiles at seeing a familiar face. "Hey! Always happy to see you around." She goes about making the latte, then hands it over. "Things are mostly okay. I was with my uncle during that bank robbery, though. Pretty spooky stuff..." She bites her lip, seeming to think she'd already said too much.

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos frowns as he views the scene and looks upon the scene through timeless eyes to discern what exactly that man did. Was he a Mage? If so he was anything but subtle, the Consilium would not be pleased if a rogue Mage was openly manifesting the Supernal in front of Sleepers. Regardless he analyzes the overt magical actions of the pair, the lady who turned into bugs as well, to try and figure just what kind of supernatural powers they used.

activating Temporal Eddies (Time Mage Sight):[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

once it is active, he'll scrutinize the lightning bolt, bug transformation, and shout to determine whether they're Supernal or just supernatural. if either ping Supernal he'll then scrutinize the user(s). Intelligence (4)+Occult (3) roll.
lightning bolt:[roll3]
bug transformation:[roll4]
shout:[roll5]
user 1 (man):[roll6]
user 2 (woman):[roll7]

[horus42]

Her mind has indeed been altered, though it's subtle work. A barely noticeable sheen of fear can be seen in her eyes, a manipulation to ensure that she doesn't speak about what she really saw.

None of the power being used is Supernal magic, these people aren't Mages. The shout wasn't even supernatural at all, it was just her screaming for people to get on the floor, because it's a robbery.

[JonRG]

István feigns surprise. "I read about it in the paper. That sucks. I'm so sorry that happened to you... Listen, you don't look too busy. How about you take a break and come sit with me? Might be good to get everything off of your chest, you know? Promise I won't judge." He smiles warmly at her.

Okay, I'm pretty sure that's pretty close to thirty seconds. Time to activate my Loose Tongue gift. I will spend a Willpower to make sure I don't screw up.

Manipulation + Subterfuge: [roll0]

[Tome]

Umma keeps her expression pleasantly neutral as she notices the twisting of the chains, though she's not sure whether she's hiding a grin or a grimace. They've found the magic at least, that's good. Eligos can likely use it to scry the perpetrators.

She tries to identify the power behind the spell, pin down what sort of being they're looking for. There should be some sign of whatever did this...

Umma is going to keep on scrutinising resonance, chiefly looking to identify what sort of power caused it. Supernal magic, vampiric discipline, changeling contract etc. She has a base pool of 5 dice, probably plus the +1 modifier for scrutinising spells instead of physical beings, and it's an extended action.

Rules say I should let the ST roll this, in case there are modifiers I'm not aware of.

[ChaosArchon]

After he reviews what happened, Thomas stands up and walks over to Zoe and taps he shoulder and whispers,"Um, so it was a man and lady who did it and neither of them was a Mage so we've got that going for us at least. The man shot lightning at the cameras and the vault and the woman turned into bugs to enter it."

[josienoms]

Zoe excuses herself from the teller and talks to Eligos in private.

"Gross. But that's better than the nothin' we had before. What do we know of that can do those things?"

[horus42]

"Well, I really don't wanna talk about it. And it's not like you'd believe me if I did, anyway. I think I hit my head, or something. I was seeing things..." She shifts uncomfortably, but does agree to take her break. She moves to a table, letting the two of you sit with her.

Umma can tell that it isn't Supernal magic, but something more like Spirit Gifts. Not one of those commonly known by Uratha, however.

Eligos remembers that the lightning could be any number of things. A relic or artifact, a fetish bound with a spirit, the focus of a hedge sorcerer, or perhaps something even stranger.

the shapeshifting is something more uncommon. Some skinwalkers can take a swarm shape, as can Life Mages (though this was not one of them), and certain demons can do the same. Not Unchained, like Michael, but demons of the Inferno. There are also certain Spirits who can, or the Azlu, though they are relegated simply to spiders, and not the cockroaches seen in the vision.

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos thinks for a moment then says,"Well nearly anybody could shoot lightning, all it would require is a fetish, relic, artifact, or a focus for a hedge sorcerer. Hell maybe something else entirely. The shapeshifting is alot rarer but still doesn't narrow it down too much; a Life Mage could have done it, but um she wasn't a Mage. Some skinwalkers can turn into a swarm, as can some Infernal demons, some spirits can too, and it could be an Azlu but they're mostly," he shivers,"spiders, rather than cockroaches. So... yeah we still have lot more to learn."

[Obscurejones]

"You or a third party? Who would have had knowledge of where you kept the documents?"

[JonRG]

"Well, you'll never know unless you try, so... tell me what you think happened. How did they make their entrance? Did they enter like they were customers, or did they bust the door down?" István waves a little, gesturing for Umma to give them some privacy.

[Tome]

A familiar ache rises in Umma's scar as István talks to the barista. Probably something to try and punch through the spell, she guess. When he indicates a need for room to work she backs off gladly. Interrogations aren't exactly her strong suit anyway. "Need to make a call" she explains for the girl's benefit, "give me a shout when you're done István".

Might as well follow through on that, she figures as she steps outside. Her phone is fished out of it's pocket as she dials Eligos. Hopefully the dork actually had his turned on and with him for once.

She keeps an sidelong glance on the conversation through the window as the phone rings. Spirits. She can do spirits.

Casting Second Sight, the Spirit Mage Sight, and continuing to scrutinise the resonance. She'll try to better identify the source of the magical effect, or failing that just work toward memorising their Resonance for Eligos to Scry with later.

[ChaosArchon]

As Eligos finishes, he feels his phone buzzing and pulls it out,"It's Umma," he tells Zoe while walking out of the bank,"Hey Umma, what's up?"

[horus42]

"I knew, as did my ghoul. It's possible that one of the employees at the bank sold me out. I had put a compulsion on him to keep quiet, but if the thieves had a way to break that, he could have told them everything."

Shelby closes her eyes and shakes her head. When she opens them, the fear has faded, replaced with embarrassment and nervousness. "Well, ok. Here's what happened. I was just there with my uncle, he was going to cash a check, when these two people came in, a man and a woman. They just walked through the door like customers, they didn't burst in or anything. When they got through, the woman shouted for everyone to get on the ground, so we did. I was so scared... I just closed my eyes and prayed it'd be over soon. Then there was... this light. I could see it even though my eyes were closed, and there was thunder, like... inside! My ears were ringing, I couldn't hear anything. I thought they set off a bomb or something. I risked opening my eyes then, and I saw that vault door had been blasted open. And then the woman... she... she..." She shudders and closes her eyes again. "She just.. melted. Into a swarm of cockroaches, and went through the second door of the vault. She turned back into a human on the other side and opened he door, then the two of them started carrying out cash and safe deposit boxes. There was a van pulled up to the door, and these other guys helped them get it all in. They didn't look right, though. Something was off about them. Like... their movements. Their joints looked too angular. They were like... bugs. And then, the woman waved her hand, and said something in a language I didn't recognize. Then we were all too scared to talk to anyone about what happened until now, no matter what the police tried to do." She gulps, then tries to force a laugh. "You've gotta think I'm crazy, right?"

Meanwhile, Umma is able to decipher the Resonance of the magic used on Shelby. It's a Spirit Gift, for certain. Not only a spirit of fear, but one of filth, disease, and rot. An insect spirit. A cockroach spirit.

[Obscurejones]

"Who were the documents pertaining to? And is the target aware of them?"

[Tome]

Checking to make sure no one is listening in, Umma relays her findings. "Found spirit resonance on the witnesses. Fear and filth, I'm guessing cockroach spirit. Should be enough to scry for" she explains tersely. "Progress on your end?".

[JonRG]

Hell. He hadn't thought that far ahead. What could he tell her that would make her feel better that wouldn't jeopardize the supernatural community? István places a hand on hers. "Hey, no one thinks you're crazy. Least of all me. Same time, you probably did see some stuff. Combination of stress and a concussion from the flashbang. My boss looks into this kinda stuff. We'll check it out." He nods.

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos lowers his voice,"Yeah two people robbed the bank, a man and woman. The man shot a lightning bolt at the cameras and bank vault, while the woman turned into a swarm of cockroaches. The woman might be your spirit, I don't know what the man was beyond not being a Mage."

[horus42]

"Who else do you think? Political rivals; my fellow Primogen. I'm sure many of them had their suspicions that I held such sensitive information, but I do not know if any of them knew, and I certainly doubt they knew where I would keep said information."

"Y-yeah. Like I said, I probably hit my head. Hallucinated it or something. Thanks for believing me, crazy as it sounds. Just... mind if I give you a call sometime? In case something else weird turns up?"

[JonRG]

"Uh... yeah, totally." István gestures for her phone. Once she hands it over, he types his number in and saves the contact, wacky á and all. "There. Call me any time." István scratches the back of his neck. "Could I get your number? Yanno, in case I find anything out?"

[Tome]

Umma nods to herself. "It fits together. Woman you saw is probably some sort of hithimu, maybe a shartha".

"Man's a different matter. We'll need to take another look, see if we can pin down the woman. Did yo get a good look at her face?".

[horus42]

Shelby nods and smiles. "Yeah, sure. Give me a second." She saves her number in István's phone. "That'll do it. Thanks again." She looks at the time. "My break's over, so I gotta get back to work, ok? See you around." She winks at him, then goes back to the counter.

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos shakes his head before remembering Umma can't see him,"Um sorry Umma... they had masks on so I have no clue what they look like, just what they could do. So any ideas how Noble and Michael are doing? Where should we go from here?"

[JonRG]

István waves, then takes his latte outside. He smiles at Umma, in an oddly good mood for the first time since... well, since he moved out here.

[Obscurejones]

"Wundabar. I think that's all we need to know."
Noble glances around the room and a little of his bravado evaporates as he realizes his bushiness here is concluded.

[Tome]

"Expected. I'll call them to meet up, we need to talk. Bye" Umma answers the other mage, putting the phone down before he can reply.

Istvan seems happy, she notices. It went well, she guesses with uneasy hesitation. "Learned some things. Mind magic was put there by a hithim, a cockroach spirit wearing a woman's body. Her accomplice was a man, could throw lightning from a wand but wasn't awakened. You?".

[JonRG]

István rubs his elbow nervously. No matter how he distracted himself, he couldn't escape the supernatural. "She... she saw pretty much the same thing. There were two people, a loud noise and a bright light. Then the woman melted into cockroaches and let the other into the vault. A bunch of other guys rolled up in a van to help carry stuff out. She said their joints were angular, like a bug's or something." He shakes his head. "Least it's a lead, right?"

[Tome]

Umma's frown breaks into a grin for just a brief instant. "More than a lead. Got their trail, and faster than expected".

She glances at her phone, still in her hand, then back to Istvan. "You want to call Noble, or should I?".

[JonRG]

"Guy doesn't have a cell phone. I can call Mike, though." István punches in some numbers. "Hey, it's István. Umma's got a lead. Where do you wanna meet up?"

[Kell_tamer]

Mike picks up his cell phone. "You want public or private Izzy?" Mike knew the benefits and drawbacks to each. He was thinking it was probably going to be requested to be private which was fine with him.

[JonRG]

István groans. "Private, ideally... Can you put the boss on?"

[Kell_tamer]

Mike flips the phone over to Noble. "it's for you"

[Obscurejones]

Noble frowns and gingerly plucks the phone from Mike's grip.
"Who dis? Dis big Izzy?"

[JonRG]

István bites back a groan. "Uh, yeah. What have you two found out so far?"

[Obscurejones]

"Nothing of such severity that I'd be indiscreet enough to mention it over the phone."

[JonRG]

"You did. Rad. So did we. So where can we meet up and exchange info?" An actual, civil conversation with Noble. Today was going really well.

[Obscurejones]

"Wanna go to the park, boy? Throw the tennis ball around?"

[JonRG]

István smiles. "Hey, man, I got a hot girl's number. You can't ruin my day."

[Obscurejones]

"Could too. You keep mouthing off and we're going to the vet to get you fixed."

[JonRG]

"A repeat so soon? You need more material, guy."

[josienoms]

Zoe fidgets slightly with her hair, trying to focus on the here and now. Just on her and Eligos, ignore the others, they don't matter.

"What'd Umma have t'say? She figure anythin' out?"

[Tome]

Umma coughs politely. "Meeting place?" she suggests.

Noble's apparently decided to harangue Istvan again over the phone. The temptation to set some minor gaffling on him once again rears it's ugly head.

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos nods,"Um yeah, a cockroach spirit also affected the mind of at least one of the suspects Umma investigated. Seems likely that she was the cockroach woman I saw in the vault. Other than that it just seems to confirm what I found. So how was it chatting up the bank teller? She looked cute."

[JonRG]

István shifts awkwardly. "So, where're we meeting? Mike have any idea yet?"

[Obscurejones]

"Library. Nice. Public, quiet, defendable if assaulted."

[JonRG]

"Cool. We'll see you there." István hangs up and turns to Umma. "We're gonna meet up at Boston Public Library. It's not too far from here." He smiles a bit. The library held a lot of memories for him. Noble too, come to think.

[Tome]

Umma nods in acknowledgement, tapping out a text message to Eligos.

Meeting. Boston public library. Be quiet.

"I've let Eligos know. You want to make any stops along the way?" the shaman asks, making her way back to the pickup.

[ChaosArchon]

As they walk, Eligos' phone goes off with a text notification.EERrwWwoooooSHHHhEERrwWwoooooSHHHhEER rwWwoooooSHHHh. He grabs his phone and says out loud,"Meeting. Boston library. Be quiet. Eligos for president 2016. Well looks like we're headed to the library Zoe."

[josienoms]

The library? That ought to be easy enough. Nice and quiet, doubtfully crowded in this weather. She could handle it.

"Sounds great! Let 'em know we'll meet 'em there soon."

She smiles and heads off towards the library.

[horus42]

You're all able to find a nice, quiet table in the library, isolated by the position of the shelves. It seems that there's no one around to listen in, and there's only one way into the little enclave, so you'd be able to see if anyone was coming.

[Tome]

Umma glances around at the rest of her... cabal? Pack? Loose circle of assorted acquaintances of the supernatural persuasion? She listens for the pulse of life and, hearing only her allies' heartbeats nearby, relaxes a little, leaning back in her chair.

"Roach spirit messing with minds. Probably. Your findings?" she offers, breaking the silence.

Casting Sense Life to check for eavesdroppers. Gonna repeat it until it goes off.
[roll0]

Also casting Spirit Tongue for the same reasons. Really, Umma just has his going unless she has a reason not to.
[roll1]

[josienoms]

"Pretty much the same. Eligos saw it all, usin' that hoodoo of his. I just kept the tellers occupied while he poked 'round. He said, what was it, again? This woman melted into a swarm o' roaches?"

She raises one eyebrow, trying not to look concerned. It was disgusting, but she had seen worse. Roaches just gave her the creeps, even more so that people.

[JonRG]

István fidgets in his seat next to Umma. "Yeah, and she's got some other bug people workin' for her, so... this is gonna be interestin', to say the least." His gaze flicks to Noble. "What'd you guys figure out?"

[ChaosArchon]

As they sit down Eligos listens to his friends while also watching the rest of library as best he can from his seat. He was pretty sure nobody was watching them, but he didn't have to settle with "pretty sure," he was the Doctor incarnate a Time Mage. He opens his ears to the whispers of the universe as he voices his query to the shifting sands on reality, as the grains of truth filter towards his ear while also opening his eyes to survey the passing moments through their own eyes.

"Is the group currently being surveyed by another party?"

casting Divination, any success beyond the first will allow me to ask subsequent questions. also burning a point of temporary point of WP (4/5 now) to guarantee at least one success. Gnosis (1)+Time (3):[roll0]

also casting Temporal Eddies (Time magic sight). Gnosis (1)+Time (3):[roll1]

[Obscurejones]

"The rich are both surprisingly boring and terrifying. And I would wager a guess that this wasn't internal, but that's mostly my gut combined with the sparsest of data. Our VIP didn't seem to think his stash's location was well known. So, the odds that it's some sort of rogue operator and not a powerplay from one of the city operators goes up."

[Tome]

"Fits. None of these sorts of intruders in the community. Lots of enemies, make terrible minions, not strong enough to be major players" Umma supplies. "Eligos mentioned someone else too, a man with a wand, threw lightning but wasn't awakened. Mortal occultist maybe".

"We've got clues on the who. Any ideas for why?".

[horus42]

Neither Umma nor Eligos determines that anyone is watching you. As far as they both can tell, you're alone for now.

[ChaosArchon]

Sensing the potency of his divination, Eligos continues to press the line of questioning until the spell wears off. "When will the group come in contact with those who we are hunting? Where will we come in contact with them?"

After receiving the answers to his gaze into the future, Eligos silently warps the truth of the space around them until those who would gaze upon them with Awakened eyes cannot, or at least not as easily.

I gained 2 extra successes for Divination so I can ask 2 additional questions, which I do so now

casting Ward (Space 2) on the area surrounding the group, Space (2)+Gnosis (1):[roll0]
-1 mana, 6/10 mana remaining

[josienoms]

"Well, they took blackmail material, right? Maybe it's some kinda revenge thing?"

[Tome]

Umma gives an apathetic shrug. "Could be. It'd mean the spirit's not the one in charge. Blackmail's not what I'd expect from a roach spirit".

She throws a glance at her fellow mage. "You good to scry for it this evening?". He'll probably want to do it sooner - most pups aren't as overenthusiastic about their food as Eligos is about magic - but the Hallow's in her practice. No way she's letting the dork stumble around during opening hours.

[JonRG]

"Money'd be my guess," István chimes in with a shrug.

[horus42]

Eligos receives his answer from beyond space and time: Tonight at 1:26 A.M. Fenway Park. This is, of course, assuming nothing changes from the current paths of destiny.

[Tome]

Another shake of the head from Umma. "Spirits don't usually get money. Not unless they've already got something to do with it. Spirits of banks, poverty, bills, wealth, something like that. Roaches? Doesn't fit. If it's money, someone else controls the spirit. But you'd have to be fairly crazy to think robbing a bank like that would be a good way to make money when you've got spirits on call".

[Obscurejones]

"So not money. Or at least, not mundane money. They stole wealth."

[Tome]

Umma nods. "Something valuable".

"Anyone else have plans for finding them?".

[josienoms]

"It's not like we have any leads."

Zoe shrugs.

"If we had some kinda clue, maybe we could get somethin' done. But far as I'm concerned, we got nothin' to go on. Stealin' wealth is fine and all, but it don't tell us who they are. And if we ain't got a clue, then what can we do? I'm stumped."

If only a member of the party had something useful to tell us...!

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos blushes, once again having been rather awkwardly silent while the others talked, although at least with good reason this time. "So anyone in the mood for checking the site of America's favorite pasttime at say... 1:26AM. I used a little magic which suggests we might find the thieves... provided I didn't change the future by telling you guys."

[JonRG]

István clenches his jaw. "Great. So what, we sit around for hours, and then try to break into one of the most popular locations in the city so we can get arrested and maybe, only maybe, actually find who we're looking for? Way to go."

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos shrugs,"I don't decide the future, I just report what I see. That being said, I'm sure between the six of us we must have some way of getting into the ballpark without... you know, getting arrested."

[Tome]

"Plenty of options" comments the Shaman in a neutral tone, "could turn us invisible or travel there in the Hisil. Should be other ways".

"Which one do we use?".

[JonRG]

"Invisible. Please." István pulls his arms a little tighter around himself, trying to hide his discomfort.

[Tome]

"It's a mental thing, makes people ignore us" Umma clarifies, gesturing to her head.

She gives the rest of the group a pointed look. "Anyone else got an invisibility trick? Probably not gonna be able to cover all of us".

[josienoms]

"I got somethin'. Ain't invisibility, but it'll keep all but one of us hidden. We can use my Lamp. I'll pull all y'all in, and Umma can carry it while she's doin' her invisibility thing. Once she gets us where we need to go, I can get y'all back out again."

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos' eyes look like a child who just got what he wanted for Christmas, full of glee and excitement,"I...I vote djinn lamp."

[Tome]

"It's a plan then" Umma agrees. "Meet outside that bar just down the road from the stadium at midnight? Give us time to get in".

"Plan B is scrying, plan C is back to asking questions.".

[horus42]

Mostly to make up for being a fairly absent ST during this scene, I'll pick up the pace a little and we'll assume that everyone has their preparations ready.

At midnight, you're all at the Boston Beer Works, which sits directly across the street from the main gate of Fenway. Empty bottles of their famous Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale litter the tables of the otherwise clean bar. There's not a huge crowd tonight, what with the weather and all, but a few of the more devout regulars have come out for the night.

The snow has finally stopped falling, but it's still bitterly cold, and the bar provides the only warm spot on the block that's still open to the public. A few more people walk in, wiping their boots on the welcome mat before sitting down at the bar and making their orders.

[josienoms]

Zoe sits down at the table, her lamp stashed in the pocket of her coat.

"I brought what I needed. We got a plan?"

The bar's small enough and not too crowded. She relaxes, knowing she can breathe easy here. No wide, empty space. No huge crowd. She can just be herself.

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos thinks,"Um... perhaps we should have gotten into the lamp before coming to the pub. It's alot less likely we would be seen vanishing in our flats than it is that we would be in a pub... but I suppose a dark alley outside could work...maybe?"

[JonRG]

István scowls over his pint of Sam Adams. He wasn't twenty-one yet, but he looked it. Plus, throw a little scratch to the copy shop guy on Chauncy Street, and he could get a beer most places in the city. "Most bars have a back room, dude. Just chill out."

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos sighs, it looks like he had angered István, fantastic... another reminder that sometimes people were alot more confusing than the vagaries of time and space. "Um...I'm not freaking out... was just saying, we need some place to vanish unseen. Oh and Zoe, any chance your lamp has fezzes we could wear while in it," he says beaming excitedly.

[Kell_tamer]

Michael dusts the snow off his pea-coat. He sits at the bar. "Blueberry ale." He glances at the barkeep and immediately begins formulating what pieces of information he could partake from them to make a patch job.

[Tome]

Umma arrives late, still in her work clothes and smelling of bleach. "Sorry" she mutters as she takes her seat, "had a callout".

The shaman glances around and asks "We good to go?".

[josienoms]

"Eligos, man... I'm from Tennessee. Why would I have any fezzes?"

She giggles and sticks out her tongue.

"But yeah, I'm ready to go whenever y'all are."

[JonRG]

István glares at Eligos for a bit but looks at Umma when she speaks. "Gimme a sec to finish this." He hastily chugs the rest of his beer, then sets the glass down hard on the bar. "Arright, let's roll."

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos slouches a little to try and avoid István's glare and mutters,"Next time I'll remember to bring fezzes for everyone," and then nods while speaking up,"Yeah I'm ready too."

[Obscurejones]

Slipping into the bar, Noble avoids his allies at first, slipping up to the bar. A brief conversation with the bartender. A laugh. A quick game of rock paper scissors is played. a newspaper changes hands. Hunching over the bar, Noble hides his handiwork from his allies and then slinks over with his hands behind his back. He makes a beeline for Eligos.
"Alright, nerdling. Pick a hand. Left or right?"

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos sits up, grinning. He could cast a simple spell and know the answer but that would be cheating... which is wrong. "I think I'll go left."

[Obscurejones]

Shuffling the items behind his back Noble tosses Eligos a makeshift fez made of artfully folded newspaper. Attaches a little bowtie mad of the funny pages to his own neck.
"There. Properly dressed."

[Tome]

Umma groans quietly at Noble's antics. "Oh Luna, there's two of them now".

[josienoms]

"Right, let's just get this over with."

Zoe leads the way to the alley outside the bar, and after checking to make sure nobody's looking, she hands Umma the lamp.

"Alright, y'all. Take my hand. You're about to see that it's true what they say about Djinn. We've got PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER..."

Once everyone else is holding on to her, she touches her fingertip to the spout of the lamp. In a flash of smokeless, blue fire, they're all taken inside.

The inside of the lamp is composed of a small living room, with low couches that are rather comfy, and rugs and silks draped over the floor and walls. There are a few candles burning, and doors to the left and right that lead to the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. All in all, there's less space than the average one person apartment.

"And itty bitty living space."

[Tome]

With a shrug, Umma tucks the lamp under one arm and fishes a marker pen out of her pocket. A quick glance to check that she picked up the right one - she's not repeating that time she accidentally used a permanent marker for this - and she begins drawing a series of bizzare, layered symbols on herself. One on each cheek, another on her brow, and one on the back of each hand. It's somewhat awkward to do whilst juggling the lamp, so she sets it down while she works. A small, battered makeup mirror is also withdrawn from her pocket as she checks the runes.

Nodding in approval, mirror and pen go back into her pockets as she begins to chant incomprehensible syllables under her breath. Well, incomprehensible to anyone other than her and Eligos at least. She finishes the last, carefully pronounced syllable and with a mental twist, slides the imago of the Anonymous Stranger into place, anchored by the runes.

Umma is writing High Speech runes on herself for +1 Duration, then chanting them for +2 to her dice pool.

She then spends a point of mana to spontaneously cast Incognito, spending a Willpower for +3 dice on the roll.

Gnosis (1) + Mind (2) + High Speech (2) + Willpower (3) = 8 Dice
[roll0]

The spell will last for two hours.

[Tome]

Spell in place, Umma tucks the lamp under one arm again and whispers "Hope you've got some way of knowing when it's time to leave" as she makes her way to the stadium.

[horus42]

Umma successfully renders herself invisible, and is easily able to sneak into the stadium. She can hear footsteps coming from a staircase off to the left, leading down into the service areas beneath the ballpark itself.

[Tome]

Umma presses herself against the wall, quietly rapping one knuckle against her forehead. The imago flashes through her mind and down her spine, an impenetrable jargon of words written in lightning. New knowledge is left in it's wake, burnt into muscle memory.

"Almost time. Get ready" she whispers to the lamp, hoping the others can hear her. Carefully and quietly she makes her way down the stairs and towards the sounds.

Casting her Gain Skill rote for Stealth. Umma is now down to 5/10 Mana.

Wits (3) + Science (2) + Mind (2) = 7 dice = [roll0]

Then making a stealth check.

Dex (2) + Stealth (1) + Spell (2) = 3+2 dice = [roll1]

Other dice: [roll2]

[horus42]

Umma is able to hide from the two men coming up the stairs. As described by the witness, they have an awkward gait, as though their joints are slightly out of place. They talk amongst themselves in hushed whispers, but don't notice her there at all.

[Tome]

Umma tries to get closer to overhear their conversation, padding softly behind them with the lamp clutched under one arm.

She really hopes the others will be able to back her up if this goes south.

Dex (2) + Stealth (3) = 5 dice [roll0]

Spells currently active: (-1 penalty to further casting)
-Ephemeral Shield (+3 Armour)
-Second Sight (Spirit Mage Sight, also gauges Gauntlet strength)
-Incognito (+3 Difficulty to notice or remember Umma)
-Gain Skill (Stealth skill +2)

[ChaosArchon]

Eligos sits on a chair, paper fez in tow, and checks his phone, which amazingly still has service, and begins playing Final Fantasy 3 while he waits.

[horus42]

She she gets closer, she does overhear snippets of the conversation.

"Can you believe we're on this shift again?"

"I know, it sucks. But the boss lady knows something's up. Says somebody talked to the vampire."

"So what? He doesn't know what we took."

"And she thinks that the clues might lead them to us. Lots of people snooping. The Hive's not ready to withstand an attack yet!"

The first man shushes his companion. "Don't let her hear you say that. She'll kill you."

"Fine, fine. Let's just get the last box in, and get some goddamn sleep."

They then turn the corner, out of sight.

[JonRG]

István can't seem to get comfortable. He paces to the kitchen and opens the fridge. Nothing good. With a dull slam, the werewolf breezes back into the living room. Continues to fidget in the corner.

[Tome]

Umma taps on the bottle, whispering "found something, out, but keep quiet", before carefully setting it down on the ground.

She could keep sneaking around, try to overhear more... but honestly, if these guys are involved with spirits she'd rather just drag the answers out of them.

[horus42]

As she follows them, Umma's Mage Sight reveals them for what they really are. They're not Spirits. Neither Ridden, nor Claimed, and they aren't Hosts either. If anything, under the Mage Sight, they look very similar to the Uratha. Half Human, Half Spirit, and able to shift between human and animal forms. The only difference is, instead of Wolves, these creatures become Cockroaches.

Inside the lamp, Umma's words drift down, letting those inside know that it's time to leave.

[josienoms]

Zoe grins as she hears Umma.

"Time to go, y'all!"

The blue flame appears again, and she leads the others out of her lamp!