[PF-Homebrew] Post-Modern Mysticism {IC}

[Wuff]

Post-Modern Mysticism


"That's not how it happened!"

The park is buzzing with activity, snippets of other conversations drift in from all around. Summer started well, but recently, there's been a tense atmosphere. Things are changing slowly. Politics are heating up, and the police are becoming a more common sight all around. The people all around are relaxing though. School has broken. Kids always lighten up the atmosphere even if they are annoying, loud or otherwise just happening to be in the way. Picnics are laid out on the grass throughout, families gathered. It's idealistic.

Perhaps, just a little too idealistic. Although the park is full of the unveiled, a fey presence has settled. It's influence amplifies the emotions here, draws more people into it. Some rumours in the unveiled community say that the entirety of this little impromptu gathering was an act of the fey nobles. Little more is known than that though. People are too scared to dig into things. The world of the unveiled is often reflected in the world of the veiled, and vice versa. Political events, no matter how mundane, can potentially shake the foundations of the already unstable awakened population. A slight increase in prices could disrupt relationships between factions.

"I swear it by Lady Veritas."

A group of eight have gathered about a table in the centre of the place. The fey aura seems to recoil away a little as a collective foreign force overpowers it. The group, in comparison to most of the others gathered here, look a bit out of place.

"Perhaps this conversation would be held better elsewhere?"

The dragon stands, setting an example for the three others on her side. She's a lot less imposing in her human form, wearing a fashionable summer dress which shines shades the colour of her scales. Standing up next is a bardess, who looks like she should be busking with her wooden guitar and country-clothes, not discussing ritualistic murders.

"There's no reason for me to lie about any of this, the powers that be would smite me down where I stood if I lied in their name," the Pagan found his feet, the t-shirt and jeans would make him seem far less significant, if they weren't covered in symbols of worship, as was his body.

A fourth figure simply shuffled off of the bench. It had other things to pay attention to. It's eyes hadn't left that of the four people perched across from it, making things slightly uncomfortable.

On the other side of the table sat four relative strangers. They'd been invited here to discuss a serious matter, an introduction into the unveiled community at last. A way of making a name for themselves, making some money and learning more about how to grow and protect themselves in this new world they'd all been thrust into.

"I very much hope this is the truth, eating your kind isn't worth the trouble..."

[Hazuki]

The sun had stripped away Tomasa's outermost layers of clothing and left her attending the park considerably more naked than usual. She tugged at the neck of her tank top while she listened to the tall tales of the people on the opposite side of the table and her eyes flicked to and fro as she tried to figure out her real purpose here. Then they're standing up, and it takes her a second to realize she probably should too.

"Oh, we're walking, are we?" Tomasa flashed a smile that she hoped would show all of her enthusiasm and none of her confusion. "Cool, that's cool. I didn't get your names, but I'm Tomasa Benito!" She looks between all other seven people present, to make sure that, yes, they'd heard her.

[Bansheexero]

Jacob

Jacob draws back a puff on his cigarette while idly flipping through his notepad. He regards the dragon, taking keen note of her body language and how the others regard her.

Sense Motive
Knowledge (Factions)[roll]1d20+1d6+8
I would like to see if I can see any traces of deception in any of them as well

Jacob then addresses the dragon.

"Madam, I recognize this must be an upsetting matter for all of you, but it would help if you are able to relay the events back to us as clearly as you can. Any detail may help us find those who committed this heinous act. I realize this must be very trying for you, but the sooner we have our information, the sooner we can get started and be on our way."

Diplomacy [roll1]

[Bansheexero]

Since I cannot auto add inspiration, I guess I have to do 2 separate rolls.
Knowledge (Factions) [roll0] + [roll1]

[Wuff]

The Bardess smiles at Tomasa in a friendly manner, then moves to settle a hand on her arm. "We didn't tell you our names because we don't want you interrupting our real lives. Pagan boy here can tell you his name if he wants, but I'm sure he feels the same way. Dragon, on the other hand, doesn't have a personal life for us to spoil. She'll tell you how to contact her in time."

She pauses, glancing at the darker figure, her free hand reaching to pull something out of her pocket. "That thing doesn't have a name. Not a personal name, or a family name. It's with Dragon. She controls it. Like an attack dog or something. I don't even have the name of a species to give you for it. It's from another plane." She looks slightly nervous, very openly considering the dark figure, it acts completely oblivious.

"Since you were kind enough to tell me your name though, let me give you mine. It has my number and name on it, call me if you need help. I know how it feels to be new to this world." A piece of card slips into Tomasa's hand. The Bardess then looks up, not withdrawing her hand, and smiles again.

Meanwhile, Dragon turns her attentions to Jacob, along with Pagan.

"You're quite right in saying that this is upsetting! I have other duties to be getting to than this." She looks genuinely frustrated by the fact that she has to investigate gory murders, to an extent that it might make someone wonder the severity of her usual jobs.

"But that's why I've called you here. I wanted to give you a chance to prove yourselves, to introduce yourselves into society properly." She offers a wry smirk.

"As for the details... I sensed that there had potentially been a catastrophic planar breach, did some investigating, and found that these two had been involved in some sort of ritualistic sacrifice. Neither of them can fully remember what happened, but neither of them were involved in the murder either. It's very strange, and very, very below my attentions. I'd like you to take over this case. I have a massive pile of paperwork back to fill out, and many, many other cases ahead. This will be good for you, you'll build up a solid reputation if you do this for me! You'll also have my favour."

It's hard to read Dragon, but she does her best to show her emotions on her face. The Bardess openly expresses herself, she's easily the most relaxed of the group, and seems to be enjoying teasing the Pagan, but even her carefree nature quails away from the fourth figure. She looks to consider Dragon a friend, and the Dragon does look to have some fondness for her in return. The Pagan looks like he's caught halfway between stress and exasperation. He shows no signs of lying or misleading anyone, but Dragon persists in questioning and doubting him. The fourth figure is impossible to read. It follows Dragon constantly, even tilting what seems to be a head towards her speech. Looking at it for too long instils a sense of growing unease.

Dragon is no doubt the most superior figure here. Jacob has heard some stories about how she acts and the jobs she takes out. Dragon doesn't normally deal with matters on this plane, so it's strange that she would have this case in particular brought to her. Her work relies primarily on dealing with planar incursions and various eldritch entities. In matters between two powerful people, she is the one to step in and deal with it. She is known for her intelligence and ability to deal with situations and puzzles, but has no aversion to brute-forcing issues if need be. These murders are very much below her pay-grade. Dragon is part of a vague and loosely tied organisation of Unveiled Law Enforcers. She holds a high position in unveiled society, being slightly below divine entities and planar lords. Her presence here makes no sense whatsoever. She doesn't have a real name, but she's normally called Lady Ralia by non-dragons.

The Bardess doesn't hold much authority, but she commands respect and adoration. She's commonly called in to perform for all sorts of rituals, including some more mundane ones, such as weddings or funerals. Her magic is based on words, music and art. She's known for her mastery of a number of different musical magick styles, and is at the forefront of innovation regarding music and natural magic. In unveiled society, she's known typically as Songstress or by some other title within the many organisations she has a hand in.

The Pagan is known mostly among circles of worshippers and doesn't have much to say about politics. Pagan is a term for someone who doesn't worship mainstream gods or any known divine entities within unveiled society. The Church and existing divine entities decided that such people were not allowed to name themselves priests or use many other types of religious terminology. This pagan is known for his dabbling in multiple Pantheons and powerful connections to many different idols. Like Songstress, he is frequently called in to attend on rituals, and has developed a certain relationship with her over time, though not an always friendly one. One of his most common titles and names is Supplicant.

[Hazuki]

Tomasa listens carefully through the Bardess' explanation of the social dynamics at play and regards the dark figure along with her, although only for a few moments. Staring at people is all well and good, but staring at attack dogs was likely to result in somebody's face being bitten off. Besides, why would she look at that when she could look at the kind woman who's taking the time to introduce herself?

"Thanks, beautiful!" She smiles a too-wide smile at the Bardess and clasps the card between her fingers, then discreetly uses her sleight of hand to slip it into her pocket. "I'll call if I need you. Or if you want to grab ice cream? There's this great van that goes around and they'll give you two flakes if you ask nicely." She's perfectly content with the hand on her arm. She's just glad that the sun isn't making her sweat, unlike so many of the locals.

She's distracted from her lovely chat by a puff of smoke from Jacob's cigarette, drawing her back to the matter of the people that were murdered. "That's some grisly business, ma'm! I'm happy to help, but do why'd you pick me for it?" She wants to ask whether there are any existing notes on the investigation, other contacts she has, the date, the time, all manner of things...but it seems like the demon man has that handled and she doesn't want to overwhelm the already-frustrated dragon.

[Wuff]

Songstress arches her right eyebrow, tilting her head ever so slightly before saying in a slow, playful tone: "My, two entire flakes? I'll make it a date!" A soft, trilling laugh follows. "We could go shopping after, too! You don't look very well stocked up as a group."

More serious, Lady Ralia turns to Tomasa. "Sometimes, I just know things. Practically, I want to give you a chance, new ideas and people coming into the world is always nice to see. You could change the world if you really dig in."



Dragon's Organisations

Dragon Society
Interplanar Constabulary
Unveiled High Society
Italian Nobility (Not Italian)


Bardess' Organisations

Guild of Bards
Unveiled High Society
Institution of Musical Magicks
Collegium for Artistic and Naturalistic Magical Research



Pagan Organisations

The Church of Free Worship
Clergy of Hellenican Divinity
Clergy of Historical Roman Divinity
Institution of Cosmic and Celestial Exploration
Pagan Collective
Clergy of Celtic Pantheon and Druidic Association

[tonberryking]

Feeling nonplussed, the stout young lady who is apparently a mechanic (as she showed up to this meeting with half her jumpsuit belted at the waist, wearing a faded Dragon Force band shirt) just tries to keep abreast of the situation. Amelia wonders if she should have stayed in her garage with her ears plugged to this noise, but it's too late for that now...

"Would you back up a little, please, or start over?" she speaks, one finger rubbing the side of her cheek. Perhaps ignorance of the powers that be makes her brazen, but she tries to keep her voice pleasant. One by one she looks between the Bard and the pagan, in her palms she holds a largish phone with her thumbs on the screen keys. She opened, apparently, a digital notepad. "What were the two of you doing before the body was discovered? And why? I gather that while Ms. Dragon said 'ritual sacrifice' it ain't supposed to be something that usually goes this bad. What was the point of the ritual? Do we know who the dead person," she says this somewhat quietly,in case normies are eavesdropping,was and did the police already look into this? And um... wasstheword... Alibis? I don't mean to offend, but since we're having this conversation in this company, you two can easily prove that you didn't do it?"



Amelia is being...rather blunt, but she's also trying to be nice about it, so a diplomacy roll to keep tensions down may be in order: [roll0]

Also sense motives on the bard and pagan if they offer anything up: Bardess-[roll1] Pagan-[roll2]

[Wuff]

By now, the group have moved to a more secluded area in the park. The dragon motions to Bardess, who nods, withdrawing her hand before pressing her fingertips to the palm of the other. Pure sound emanates outwards from her, a single note which rings out visibly. A translucent pink sphere swirls around the opening that the group have found, and begins to fade into the background. The tinkling of notes become clearer, and the eyes of the Bardess glow momentarily with power. A few seconds later, the distinct sounds have merged into one soft background thrumming.

"There. We can speak as we want. The Magickally Deaf will find themselves not wanting to come here, and those that can hear will know not to interrupt."

Supplicant speaks first.

"I was tending to some of my temples when a friend called to hold a pretty common ritual, a celebration of summer. People often want someone with a touch of the divine to preside over rituals. It makes them just a bit more powerful. It started off pretty normal, and then I could feel something trying to rip into my mind. I didn't have a chance to retaliate, but by Mars... I was rearing to do so. When the assault ended, two of the ladies we'd been working with were dead, and Lady Ralia was standing over me. I have no idea how things got to that point. I could feel something that was tied to my power, but not quite. I believe it was a divine entity trying to strike at me, but Lady Ralia insists that it was a planar creature."

Lady Ralia nods. "I can prove their innocence if called to. If they carried out the murders then they did them while enchanted, but the bodies I found didn't hold any trace of their magic. They looked like they'd been mauled by some animal. There was a trace of something alien to me, but I'm sure some probing would tell you were it came from. I was writing up a contract that would have bolstered planar relations when a ward I'd set flared up to warn me that planar boundries had just been violated."

"The Magickally Deaf have no idea this has happened. They don't know about a lot of stuff that goes on. We made sure the bodies were subject to our own rituals, the two didn't wish to be raised if they died, so we laid them to rest and I sang the songs that would send their souls to the higher planes. We're the police when it comes to this case. Well... Dragon is, and you are. Us two are just witnesses really. Before we started the ritual, I was working on a composition for one of the many Fey Monarchs."

"Someone hijacked the ritual to empower one of their own. The ritual was supposed to be one that would fill a vessel with life and natural spirits. Instead, something came out of the vessel and tore apart two innocent women. There's no way that my gods would allow this to happen."



Diplomacy:
No one takes any offence, and all three are open and honest rather than defensive.

Supplicant
He is honest, but looks a little more shaken about what happened. There might be more to explore regarding his friend, and his relationship to those within the ritual. He clearly knows what he's talking about, and seems to be answering completely honestly. There's a sense that he feels guilty about what happened, or at least feels like he could have done more to stop it from happening.


Songstress
Songstress is a lot more open than Lady Ralia or Supplicant. However, she wants to present the image of being open and honest than she actually wants to be open and honest, it seems.

[tonberryking]

Amelia sits back, giving a studious look over the Pagan without saying anything but for a click of her tongue. Interesting...

"Well, I'm no detective unless it comes to figuring out how a car got wrecked, but I suppose we can rule out this being an attempt to frame you lot. But I'm more focused on th' fact you can raise the dead. Why didn't the two victims want to come back, 'specially since they were killed so violently? And why a monster? There're blokes around who'd want a big people murderin' monster like the one that got summoned? Doesn't seem like there's much gain in just bringing it around here but with no control over it, less that's the entire point to make a threat. But, uh... do you know where this thing went? It didn't just bugger off back where it came, did it?

[Wuff]

"Many people don't want to come back. There are a plethora of reasons why someone wouldn't want to be raised again. Some people find it against their beliefs, some people think that it's unnatural... We can't really say, but regardless, there is a great opposition against magic that can transcend life and death. It doesn't stop people who practice those magics, but there are objections, and we have to respect those objections." Supplicant shrugs his shoulders.

"I interact with a lot of clergy members. I know that most of them wouldn't want their own magic messing with their soul, never mind the magic of anybody else. Pagans take a pact to not use their holy magic against or even to aid other pagans unless absolutely necessary. It's as if we were undermining their faith. Normally this doesn't apply to healing or raising..." He looks forlorn, as if he almost resents this restriction.

"I could track whatever came through, I haven't done so. There are far bigger things for me to work against. You four should be able to manage it reasonably well as long as you treat it with care. Those taking part in the ritual were struck by a high concentration of planar energies. If it had been a fair fight, then we wouldn't be having this discussion." Lady Ralia glanced around, then peered up at the sun.

"Listen, I have a lot of stuff to be getting up to. I'd love to tell you about the intentions of the disruption, but I simply don't know, and I don't have the time to investigate such things. There are three possibilities. The ritual was sabotaged from the start, a malignant agent wanted to unleash chaos from this plane, another one or the outer planes and finally, There's a small chance that this beast broke through the planes by itself. Now... I must go! Best of luck!"

With that, she drew a blade from the folds of her dress, and made three swift motions with it. A crack opened up in the air, and in one step, she was gone. The crack sealed itself up behind her, a billow of hot air escaping it, the mysterious figure followed, leaving just Supplicant and Songstress.

"Huh."

[kjelfalconer]

Cador hadn't really said anything until now, mostly because he didn't have the faintest idea what was going on. In a plain tank top and board shorts, and with a pair of sunglasses perched in his hair, there wasn't a lot to mark him as even part of this conversation, aside from the markings on his neck occasionally twitching.

"So... basically... Like, something killed someone, and you need to find it? Sounds more like a job for magic than me, y'know, but I guess I do know how to track stuff..." He wasn't sure which of his friends had put him up for this, but when he found out he'd kick their ass. Assuming they even had the right person. Mind, the dragon lady did keep saying this wasn't worth her time before she left, so maybe it just wasn't anything hard. Maybe.

Ah to hell with it. Things'd work out, no sense worrying about it. "So where did it happen? Can't track without something to go off."

[Bansheexero]

Jacob listens intently and offers the dragon his business card to the dragon before she heads off. Turning to the others, he replies:

"Indeed, if you could be so kind as to take us to the location of this ritual, it may help immensely. Also, you mentioned a vessel, do you still have it? We might be able to find some clues if we examine it as well."

[Wuff]

"That's pretty much what happened. I'm sure Dragon is more than capable of contacting you by herself if the need arises." Songstress allows the sphere she'd created to fall. The sounds of the park return slowly.

"As for the vessel and location, well... I can take you there when you're ready. We should get you some stuff, in case it comes back. Whatever sent it might be waiting. I assume you have some money to spend on stuff."

"I do have to say though, you're free to do mostly whatever you want. You need to get sleep, do all your veiled things, whatever you need to get out of the way. Investigations take a long time. We also have our own stuff, so you'll have to do some things by yourself. You'll want to develop your own skills and magical prowess, or just explore your unveiled nature more. Maybe get involved in some groups. Dragon trusted you do this. We think there's something else that she isn't telling us. Fate. Dragon intuition."

"I can find you any services you need, anyone you need to find. I can teach you things you need to know to. We have a personal connection to this, obviously. We kinda want you to treat this with some respect. At the same time, being undeveloped could hurt the investigation, or hurt you."

"This probably seems much bigger to you than it really is... Stuff like this. Murder isn't uncommon. You might not like the corpses. They were used to fuel something we still haven't worked out yet."

[Hazuki]

"Murder isn't uncommon?" Tomasa asks, having absorbed most of the conversation so far while thinking through things herself. The disappearance of the dragon had been unexpected, but the style of it couldn't be denied. "It sounds like all of this Unveiled stuff is in serious need of a governing body! But first, equipment, yes! Do you know where I can find some person-sized and bat-sized protection?" She tugs at one of the bands of her tank top. "If something made its way passed you lot, I don't think this flimsy thing will do."

[Wuff]

"Why are you so surprised? It's just like normal society, except we have magic to kill people more easily. We have far bigger issues to worry about, and we have a very difficult job of keeping records. Most of the unveiled are very individualistic and we have practically no real police force. Most of the unveiled don't hear our laws, the majority of magical creatures don't care about us or live on other planes that don't care about our laws. Then of course, we come to divine entities, who believe they are above our laws." Supplicant shakes his head and licks his lips, becoming less animated after a tiny outburst.

"He's right. As for protection... We don't wear a lot of it ourselves, it interrupts my magic, and he finds protection from elsewhere. We can take you to get your clothes enchanted if you wish, or we could get you some handy defensive devices. It's up to you. We'll be exploring a wide range of shops for you. You can pick and choose what you need. Just don't blow all your money in place. We'll pay you an income while you investigate, and you'll be able to get a steady income from requests made by other Unveiled or even the veiled. It's a bit like questing, except killing rats in basements is a bit easier in real life. Well, it's easier until they start screaming for mercy, that is." She looks around once more, and grabs up her guitar in her hand.

"I know a good businesswoman who has a very successful business in magical weaponry." The guitar shifts a little in her hand, becoming far more ornate than it first appeared. She strums once, building up some sort of aura about the instrument, then scores the earth with a powerful bolt of energy. Smoke rises from the point of impact, and when it clears, a musical note is carved out into the dirt.

"How about we visit her first?" Songstress smudges the symbol she'd made.

[Bansheexero]

Jacob takes out his Android and logs onto Facebook, going into his Alchemy group and makes a post asking for any tips on being able to sense Planar breaches, asking if the other members know of any good sources or where to find ingredients for it.

[Wuff]

Upon seeing Jacob drawing out his device, Songstress and Supplicant bring out their own mobiles. Songstress has something that looks sleek and stylish, but isn't identifiable by any brands or design. Musical notes adorn it, and it seems vaguely magical in nature. "We should swap numbers, and I should take you to a place that can Unveil your phone so you can get some of our apps and use other apps to greater effect." Her phone plinks softly as she taps it in rapid succession. The group would find their own phones repeating the same notes, and their contacts list would grow by two.

"I just added my business number to your contacts, and sent Supplicant's too." When Tomasa checks, she'd realise that she number she was given was distinctly different. Songstress' business number is unusual for a phone number, having just a few too many digits, among other things.

Supplicant makes similar motions on his phone, before raising the screen. "Unveiled Encyclopedia. Not incredibly useful in a fight, and it requires you to know a fair bunch about what you're dealing with anyway, but if you need to know about a specific person... Great. We also have modifications for certain apps that allow you to access secret features and magic that is inbuilt into the device. It all depends on what packages you go for. I don't use as many features as Songstress does, so I went for something cheaper. I have all I need though. Hermes would struggle to keep up with some of these delivery apps, and they're generally cheaper too." He offers a small, forced smile.

"I store a lot of my research on this, and some people store entire spellbooks in their cloud or something. Speaking of which, we get wifi practically anywhere, even on other planes. My phone has a special charging feature that relies on my power, Supplicant has his own way of charging his phone. If you have any experience with computers you could probably do some radical stuff with this. I've heard that there are those that have developed entire systems of magic and casting around phones and laptops and such."

"It's not really optional."

As soon as she finishes speaking, the Facebook notification sound pings up.

"Planar energies don't intersect with alchemy well. You can resist the influences and detect it for sure, but there's not going to be much research on it. If you want to learn more about the planes though, I'd suggest the following titles:

The Planes, a Travel Guide - Lord Nylarth
Planar Physics for DUMMIES - Enlightened Society Guides Collection
Planar Etiquette - Lady Ralia
Planar Nobility - Lady Ralia
Exploring the Outer Planes - Varmint
Alchemistry: Variances across Planar Boundries - Hawthorne

Best of luck ~ Hentforth"

[kjelfalconer]

"I mean, I don't really know how to use a weapon, but anything that helps me keep up with everyone can't hurt." Damn this was over his head. His friends had just been normal guys who could do a few tricks. Or they had damn good poker faces. "Hey, you think they can like, enchant wetsuits? Ah, what am I saying, 'course they can, right?"

[Bansheexero]

Jacob offers each of them his card with his business numbers in addition to his personal contact info. He then does an Amazon search for Alchemistry: Variances Across Planar Boundaries as well as Planar Physics for DUMMIES.

Then, he turns to the Bardess and Pagan and asks them, "Do you know any good spots to find alchemy supplies? I am not too sure about armor. I doubt on my current budget I can afford enchanted gear or even mundane Kevlar, and as for weaponry, well, for now my claws will do against any unveiled threat. Most of my current funds are tied up in business expenses, but I might as well see what the region has to offer."

[Wuff]

"Yes, we could get you an enchanted wetsuit if you wanted one. We could get you a bunch off stuff. We could grab you up a magical trident if you wanted to carry on that theme. We might have to have it hand-made or ordered. There's a load of stuff available. You could go with a plain firearm, obviously magicked up."

Supplicant reaches behind his back, where his T-shirt bulges just a little now that the attention is drawn them. From his jeans, he whips out some form of small pistol. "Slightly easier to use than Songstress' weapon. She has others of course. They're just hidden on her, somewhere. You can either disguise your weapons, get smaller weapons, get a magical focus or get weapons that are enchanted to be folded or something like that." Supplicant spins the gun once. It's a highly practiced move rather than a natural one. The weapon itself is adorned with as many symbols as Supplicant himself.

"It's all a matter of personal taste. A lot of people just use outright magic. There's this one fringe group that uses wands to focus their power. They call themselves Hogwarts. Don't ask too much about them, and don't even considering joining them."

Neither of Jacob's searches turn up any results.

Supplicant nods at his question.

"We can point you to some markets. I've heard that a lot of alchemical supplies are relatively mundane things. We unknowingly incorporate a lot of natural elements into our modern world. As for gear, we could get you some discounts, or you could buy some stuff on credit. A lot of the services people offer are pretty cheap, perhaps cheaper than buying stuff in the veiled world would be. If you're looking for books, we can get you apps for those once we've unveiled your stuff, or direct you to libraries if you prefer physical paper. I do, personally, but I draw my power from religious texts."

[Hazuki]

"Cabron!" Tomasa leaps out of her skin when Supplicant suddenly pulls a gun out of nowhere. "Watch what you're doing with that thing!"

[Wuff]

"Sorry, I forget that maybe you wouldn't be used to this. You might be carrying one of these yourself at the end of the day. Either way, this thing is unloaded. It doesn't go off unless I focus my power into and fire it. Allows me to customise what it does, a little bit. I'm not going to fire it, it's pretty loud, and I wouldn't want to scare you any more." He looks more mischievous than sorry, like a kid being told off, not a grown adult with a deadly weapon in a park full of children.

"Supplicant likes his weapons. He has a collection of them at home for every type of thing he'd need to kill. I'm still better at fighting though." She winks at Tomasa, laughing. She hadn't reacted to the trick or the drawing of the weapon at all.

"You'll get used to violence, never mind the instruments we use to carry them out. It's better that we teach you this stuff rather than have you come up against it with no idea what to do." When Songstress says instruments, it's probable that she means literal instruments.

While both young, barely in their twenties, Supplicant and Songstress both look like they've been forced to mature at a much younger age than the others in the group have.

[Hazuki]

"Can you put it away, please? Waving one of those around is like putting a knife to my throat!" Tomasa requests, a little angrlly, but mostly just not wanting a gun out in front of her any more.

Songstress' wink does do something for her nerves, but it's not quite bulletproof. "I have a tutor who's taught me some things already." She tells her. "I'm not creative with the magic yet, but I'll get there! Eventually! But if you both are so skilled, I don't know how we'll do with the beast." She knows that she doesn't own a collection of weapons.

[Bansheexero]

Jacob inquires about unveiling his phone.

"While I could certainly use the upgrade, I curious as to the structure of unveiled law enforcement. Do you have members in the standard police department, or are you more individually governed? I ask because I do consulting work for the veiled from time to time and I could definitely due with expanding my clientele. Regarding that, while I keep my work information on a separate device, if I am to convert this to unveiled usage, I have to inquire about security. It is a matter of confidentiality for the sake of professionalism."

[Wuff]

Supplicant slips his weapon back where it came from, nodding.

"We were told to leave you mostly alone when you were dealing with the monster. Lady Ralia made that very clear. She said that we wont be there for you forever, so you should learn to fight. She also said that she expects this to go deeper than she's letting on. We'll show you the ropes, but you need to learn some stuff for yourself."

"As for unveiling your phone... Well... I have the ability to do pretty much whatever I want to yours. You'd be far safer against any unveiled who wanted to steal information from you, and you'd find that anyone trying to access your phone via veiled methods would be very confused."

"If you want to know more about our police structure then you'd have to consult Lady Ralia. She's part of the Interplanar Constabulary, but she can put you in touch with many other organisations that work with enforcing some semblance of law. I'm sure you'd be able to find business by dealing with the issues of the Unveiled. There are quite a few impotent unveiled all over the world. Hogwarts frequently hire outside agents, but sometimes it's not worth the reputation you gain working for some organisations."

[Hazuki]

"Thanks." Tomasa says to Supplicant, then listens to the explanation about organizations and how they'll interact with them. It sounds like something for her to solve with a stretch of free time and a cup of coffee...and after she's had all of her devices protected from Veiled folk. Who knows what kind of viruses lurk on the magic internet? "Do these shops take pounds? I have some pounds, but not...aetherium, zeni, rupees, gold pieces..."

[Bansheexero]

Jacob considers his options, and agrees that he needs his phone unveiled. He then inquires,

"Aside from Lady Ralia's faction, are there any other major authoritative Factions in unveiled society? What about . . . less than legal organizations? It pays to have friends in both high and low places. Imports, both inter- and intraplanar would be possible starting points."

[Wuff]

"They take most forms of currency, but yes... You'll be able to shop from British shops in Britain using your British coin!" Songstress gives a soft little smile, then turns to ponder a tree for a moment.

"There are a number of small law enforcement organisations but nothing major or collected. The bigger factions are the ones that are ran by churches. Only a select few can join those. As for more illegal organisations... Of course there are those, but they're generally underground and don't really fall under my personal domain. There are a bunch of cults, many cults all around for everything."

Songstress turns back around, thoughtful looking. "A lot of Lady Ralia's work is on trade routes and such. I think she actually has some loose restrictions on planar relations. I can feel planar presences in some of you, and I'm sure Supplicant could identify each and every one of your heritages." She waves a hand dismissively.

"Like everyone else, you may as well do what you want. We try to get people to follow the rules but they just tend to ignore us when they need to. We're not going to chase you down unless you break something purposefully, and refuse to fix it."

[Bansheexero]

Jacob replies, "Well, I can't speak for the others, but let's go, I'm ready to see the shops, I figure alchemy supplies would be great for a start. Get my phone unveiled, and lead me to any contacts in any of the importing organizations under Ralia, and then perhaps swing by the ritual site after I prepare some extracts to help me examine it in greater detail."

[Hazuki]

"As long as I don't have to spend a Euro." Tomasa says with a heavy dose of irony. She nods with Jacob's insinuation that they should get to shopping ASAP.

[Wuff]

"If you're ready to go, then we'll do that. Supplicant, can you do it this time? I'm running a bit low, had to do some stuff earlier today. That tree should work for your magic, if I'm right." She motions towards the tree she'd been watching earlier.

Supplicant nods, and flips through some tabs on his phone, nodding after a moment. He moves closer to the tree, holds his free hand out, and begins to softly chant unintelligibly. After roughly a minute of this, he intones: "Janus, allow us passage through your mystical gateways, for something new begins!"

Supplicant's hand glows for a moment, his eyes close, and with a few steps forward he touches his hand to the wood of the tree. Power floods upwards from the roots of the tree, and it glows with an inner light, the leaves becoming a bit more green, and the branches crackling with newfound firmness. After a few seconds, the tree begins to open up, the formation of it becoming a sort of arboreal doorway. On the other side of the tree, a sort of street is visible.

"Phew... Through this way is the Unveiled Marketplace, though different people call it different things. This place is ran by the same people who maintain Glamur, so be on the watch for anything dangerous. Try to not taste too much food, and under no circumstances are you allowed to sign any sort of contracts from infernal OR celestial beings. They're both as bad as one another when you get down to it."

"First things first, we'll take you to get your phones unveiled so you can find what you want, but after that, feel free to explore!" Songstress walks over to the tree, turns around, and beckons playfully as she steps backwards into the doorway.

[Hazuki]

Tomasa watches with some wonder as the tree suddenly turns into a gateway to a magical marketplace. She's seen plenty of magic since her own Unveiling, but this is something that forces her to smile.

"Can anyone go there like that? How do they do it? What's Glamur?" She asks, entranced by the archway and following the Songstress' siren song into the gateway.

[kjelfalconer]

"Asking the wrong guy there," he said with a shrug, following through. The moment he did his phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Bro, ur in the marketplace? Damn it I wanted to take u"
"Soz bro just kinda happend
wait howd u no"
"tracker duh how else wud i no if the bogeyman got u
dont get too drunk w out me"
"nah work o smthin u creep l8r bro"

Okay, maybe he did need to get his phone looked at.

[Wuff]

"This is his way of getting there. I have my own way. You'll develop your own way. You'll have to use a mirror though, Supplicant just has stronger magic when it comes to this sort of stuff." Songstress whispers this, reaching her hand out to grasp Tomasa's as soon as she arrives on the other side.

"It's been a long time since I've had a proper shopping session. I mostly just come here to get stuff for the next mission these days. I can't wait! You can all sorts here. I shop here for all my clothes, hadn't had to wash anything once. Make-up is something I don't even need to think about anymore! More importantly though, I know an amazing place where you can get any weapon you want custom designed for you, everything I buy is from there. I can't wait to show you around!" She does genuinely seem excited, very excited.

"Oh and Glamur... Think half-nightclub half-brothel half-mall. It's bizarre. I tend to avoid it unless I need to go in."

When Songstress draws away, it's easier to take the place in. This place is geographically unidentifiable. It's night time, the architecture is vastly unfamiliar, and the area itself is a mixture of stalls and what appear to be high-street shops. It's somewhat bizarre. Everything is perfectly lit up perfectly, with the lights ranging from every colour on the spectrum, and some that only exist outside of the spectrum. It's somewhat quiet. A few people wander about, fairly normal looking. A group of shadows lounge around under a streetlight, playing like teens, just without the sound.

Someone steps out from the closest stall, a man, beaming, his arms wide open.

"Songstress! Where have you been? We haven't seen you for such a long time! Carla misses you. She's out buying some parts right now. Who's this?" His gaze falls on Tomasa. His arms fall to his side, and then after a moment he steps forward, lightly brushing his lips onto either side of Songstress' face, then glancing once more at Tomasa, as if questioning himself whether it'd be acceptable to do the same.

He settles with a simple "Nice to meet you, miss!"

Eventually, he notices Cador too, and the others emerging.

"Oh, you here on business, Songstress?" He glances at Cador's phone, tilts his head as if listening, and then nods.

"I can help you with that if you want me to." He motions to the phone, then holds out an empty hand.

[tonberryking]

If Amelia was surprised by the display of a (magic gun) she doesn't show it, rubbing at her round cheeks again.

"Well... I wasn't really fond of strangling the last monster I had to put down, but I imagine I'd be better suited up close and personal against whatever it is we're hunting... Guns would just raise questions I'm not sure I'd want to answer if someone sees me with one. ...And I'm strapped for cash." she laughs at that lightly, as if it's her own joke, "Got anything a...aheh, well I suppose I'm a salamander but I'm not sure what salamanders ought to be swinging these days. Anything would be better than a wrench--and I need those for work."

[Hazuki]

Tomasa beams as Songstress takes her hand and squeezes it in turn. The idea of having to carry a mirror around is an odd one - and brings with it its own set of questions. Could she use it to escape a dangerous situation? Where did they end up where they left? Could she use any mirror? But these questions come too quickly, and she's distracted by her companion's explanation of all the shopping they can do and things they can buy. Yet more of her attention is stolen, as the eldritch nature of the marketplace forces her to figure out how it might have been built, how she'd get around. She was incredibly thankful that she had Songstress to guide her.

"And you! I'm Vashta." She introduces herself and pats the man's arm with her free hand. "What do you do, friend?"

[Wuff]

"There are a bunch of weapons you could use. I think Songstress has a conductor's baton which doubles as a beating stick. She's the one to ask about weapons. I mostly rely on my gun and magic. She deals with fighting a lot more, I deal more with rituals to banish things and such. You could use a hammer of some sort, or one of those long-measuring sticks. There are some mundane weapons you could grab and have enchanted for you. I remember a yo-yo phase that everyone went for. I know that there are energy weapons too. Imagine a light sabre, but not quite. You could get something custom made."

With that, he shrugs, and steps into his own gateway.

"It's been far too long, Tekkan! How is Carla? How's business?" Songstress seems to approve of Vashta, she gives a reassuring squeeze.

"Things are great here, Carla's on "holiday" in the Celestial planes." He physically makes the air quotes, then turns to Tomasa.

"As for what I do... Well, I mostly sell my services to unveil phones. I imagine that's why Songstress brought you to me. When I'm not doing that, I research how we can explore magic within electronic devices. I've developed a technique so finely tuned that I can hear and interpret signals at this point. It gets a bit dizzying sometimes but I'm working on that! I'm spearheading research for the apps that the unveiled have access to. Most recently I created a feature for mind reading spells that allowed casters to transfer information to their device. If you're interested in doing some of that then you just hit me up. We have an officially recognised organisation you could join if you're interested!"

Songstress nods. "Everything I know about computers comes from him and Carla. He's amazing."

[Bansheexero]

Jacob eyes the stranger offering unveiling services.

"An officially recognized group? I am curious, what is it called? Do you have a catalogue of services? I may have more business for you in the future. Do you have terms of service for these services? No offense, but we were cautioned against any contracts and while I am intrigued, I would also like to know more about who I am doing business with."

Diplomacy (to improve attitude)= [roll0]
Sense Motive = [roll1]

[kjelfalconer]

"Huh? We aren't supposed to trust him?" Cador asked, phone already in the man's hand. "I thought we were here to see him? Not gonna lie though, the nerd talk kind of went over my head."

[Hazuki]

"I'm handy with digital things, but not the magic way." Tomasa volunteers. "Do tools I use have to be Unveiled as well? Can I learn how to Unveil them myself? Can I get a discount on learning if I promise not to start a rival business?"

[tonberryking]

"Can vehicles, like cars be unveiled? Or for that matter get protection against magical stuff?" For someone who still feels a bit over her head, Amelia is trying to make the best of this...

"I need something heavy. Maybe a cutting tool, but it's important that I can fold it up and or hide it so it just looks like another tool in my belt or box rather than something clearly intended to slay monsters. ...Maybe a magical GPS or something too I could rig up in my van. We'll need my van if we're gonna be driving around, after all...

[Wuff]

"I can appreciate someone cautious, but I promise that you have nothing to worry about from me." Tekkan takes the phone in his hand and holds it up, allowing his magic to flicker through the device, unlocking new pathways and potentials, physically transforming the physical structure of the inside, and replacing some bits with magical power. The code within the phone begins to fold and unfold endlessly about the device. Strings of words and numbers dash across the screen of the device as it upgrades and updates all in a matter of seconds.

He places the phone back into Cador's hand. It feels a bit warm, and glows at his touch. The battery icon is missing now, as is the signal and phone network.

"I'm one of the founders of the Institute of Technomagical Research and Development. I actually work closely with some of Songstress' places of work and can often be found equipping Unveiled offices with their technology departments." He seems proud of himself.

"As for my services, they're pretty simple and I'll take most offers. I can do mostly anything with electrical or digital devices. I unveil things, I sell gadgets, I offer premium apps, upgrades, and so on. I'll give you this for free, completely free, no strings. You're a friend of Songstress and she's helped me out in some tough times. I think I do have a list of common services in the back but I rarely use it..."

He smiles at Tomasa. "Working unveiled stuff is like working veiled, stuff. It's possibly even easier, you can be far more literal with what you're trying to do. We'd love new members if you're asking. I'll teach you some basics for free, too. I can get you unveiling things in no time. We use the term unveiling, in reality, we're just making them transcend their normal usage. As for the tools you use, they only need to be unveiled if you're doing unveiled things with them, really..."

Meanwhile, Supplicant turns to Amelia. "We can enchant cars if you wanted." Supplicant shrugs.

"I'm sure we'd be able to get you a tool that works as a weapon. A measuring tape, maybe? As for the GPS, Tekkan could do that."

[Hazuki]

"That would be amazing, thank you!" Tomasa smiles at Tekkan. "When you've got a little bit of time to teach me, let me know! Right now we're going shopping for things, and then ice cream. Do they do ice cream here...?" She glances up at Songstress.

[Wuff]

"I'm pretty much always free! This is my job. I don't get many sales, most people just get unveiled phones. My research is the closest thing that we have to cutting edge developments in this sort of stuff. Anyway, I'll do the rest of your phones... Hold still." Tekkan reaches for a tablet looking thing from his stall, and taps a few times. He holds his palm over the tablet, and whispers something. The tablet glows, and an electrical chirrup comes from it. After a moment, the rest of the group would feel their phones beeping softly, and featuring the same changes that Cador's had.

"Awakening multiple things at once! A success!" He taps his tablet a few times, making a note of what he'd just achieved.

"Impressive stuff, Tekkan. We've got other places to head to, and also ice cream, so we can't stay all day." Tekkan smirks in response then waves towards the sky.

"There is no day in this place, ever."

[tonberryking]

Amelia blinks. "What, like a bladed measuring tape? I suppose, though, if we're being all imaginative, maybe a folding alan wrench set with different weapon heads I can fo--No. No no no..." the stout mechanic paces a bit. "You got anything like those collapsing nightsticks or a club that I can pocket? Just give me something heavy I stow away but can whack a monster right good with; I don't imagine I'd be the ideal wielder of a magic sword just yet."

[kjelfalconer]

"But if there's no day how do the plants grow?" There were, technically, stupider questions he could have asked. Technically. Like this one, most could have been answered with "Magic" and jazz hands. He frowned, as he gave up on testing out the potentially upgraded camera. The angles and lighting were great, but it kept making his gills pop, and who wanted that all over instagram?

"Wait where even are we?"

[Bansheexero]

"I am in need of some method of sensing planar instability and tracking such energy. Would I be wrong to assume there is an app for that? Additionally, aside from additional security, a good phone case would be nice, possibly one that could be weaponized. Maybe extending a blade into a shortsword of some sort. Concealment would be useful, and preferably one that is not connected to the phone's battery life if at all possible. How much would that run me?"

[Wuff]

"Whatever you feel comfortable with. You could go with a chainsaw but that may be hard for the veiled to understand. Find something you use often. One of your tools could most certainly work, you just need to take it to the right people." Supplicant waves a hand.

"You could get instruments like mine?"

"I've developed tasers that deliver deadly amounts of electricity instead of a little shock, if that's of any interest. I do a bunch of other things too..." Tekkan's hand sails through his hair.

"As for where we are... Welcome to the shadow plane! It's like a reflection of our world, but in darkness. There's a shadow version of every plane, in the same way that every plane has a fey version, and a normal mirror version. This isn't really my speciality but dragon has a lot of issues chasing people across planar boundaries because of this stuff."

"The plants here soak up darkness, and this place has such rich minerals all over it." The portal starts to close behind Supplicant.

Tekkan thinks for a moment about the question regarding planar instabilities. "I remember there being an app developed that could do stuff like that... Look for the Planar Utilities App, it'll cost about £10 from what I recall. Security is built in, and phone cases are less my style, especially weaponized ones. If you gave me the phone itself I could maybe rework it so that it could have a blade mode. It'll take me a few minutes and I'd want about £45 at least for it, possibly more if you want upgrades like flames or sparks of electricty and other nice addons!" At the mention of battery life, Tekkan chuckles a little.

"You can remove the phrase Battery Life from your vocabulary at this point."

[Hazuki]

Tomasa blinks at the explanation of the shadow world. "The plants soak up darkness? How does that work? Darkness is just the absence of light, or that's what they said in school, but they didn't know about here..." She stares off to the side in concentration, biting her lip. "Does this place reflect the real world, then cover the light in supernatural dark, so the light we're actually seeing is the reflected light from the real world and the darkness is native?"

[Wuff]

"There are many schools of thought and philosophers that have debated this sort of stuff. The discussion on the mirror planes and darkness planes is everlasting. Some even say that this could be the real plane, and we're just a light version of here. There is a sun, we just can't see it, and the plants here don't use it. Most of the light here comes from Unveiled influence. If you walk far enough, you can be surrounded by pitch black for miles. The same thing for for fae planes. They say that our real planes are just breakoffs from more primordial times of magic. Even with divination magic, we can only go back so far and find out so much about ourselves."

"It's magic." Tekkan waves his hand through the air, making a soft whoosh with his mouth.

[Hazuki]

"Oh, I am going to need at least...a baker's dozen of books about all of this!" Tomasa says, following a period of intense listening to Supplicant's explanation. "I don't think I've met any fairies yet. Are they like they are in the books? The old dark ones or the recent colorful ones? Oh, I'll find out. There's too much stuff to explore! Take me to an armorer?"

[Bansheexero]

"While I would like protection, I prefer it not be conspicuous. Is there a tailor that can offer protective garments? If I am to deal with clients, I'd rather not make them nervous with armor or some other imposing bulwark. Additionally, a simple extendable nightsticks would be useful, perhaps alloyed with some sort of bane material against supernatural creatures. Do they still have cold wrought iron? I doubt I could afford it to be silvered. Where could I find that? Oh, and additionally, it would be helpful to equip my phone with a camera that can see ethereal or invisible creatures. You never know when that could come in handy." Jacob continues to consider his options as he eyes the rest of the marketplace.

[Wuff]

"Faeries are...-" Supplicant pauses to find words, his brow creasing.

"Amazing!"
"Horrific."

Songstress laughs, while Tekkan makes a point of shaking his head.

"Capricious, is the word I'd use. If you treat them well then they'll treat you well, mostly. They're not all good, not all bad. Stuff only really gets wonky when you start exploring the shadow fey realm, or encounter creatures from there. It's twisted, planar energies are mixed up. Not my expertise, but that's my understanding of what goes on. It creates monsters. If you want to read more about Fey, there are books on folkore that have been selected by the unveiled community. Some of them are quite accurate but most stories about the fey will give you a rough idea on how to deal with them."

Songstress waits until Jacob is finished before speaking.

"I know of a few people who project magical force about themselves, you could go down that route. Otherwise, there are some pretty good enchanted clothes. I remember a particular leather coat range, or even some fae magic that can toughen your skin. As for dealing with the fey themselves, they're repelled by most manufactured objects. Concrete sickens them, silver and iron burn them, but they're strangely fine with gold and platinum, as well as most alloys. Weakens the impact." She shrugs.

"This place has everything from weapons to defensive items and such. You just need to look."

"I take it you're not into the phone-blade then? The camera has an upgrade for £15 that'd let you see invisible things, and as for ethereal things... Well... That's planar stuff. I haven't done too much research in that department. The planes tend to dissuade us from messing with them incredibly."

There is a line of shops visible, each offering different types of services:


Elia's Enchanting Emporium

Hogwart's Plane of Shadows Outlet

Magickal Arms and Armourer

Planar Goods & Supplies

Shoppery of the Free Church

The Wizard's Tower

The Satiated Satyr Bar

Fey Parlour

Infernal Bargains

High Street Arcana

Abrahamic Esoterica

FLUFF Trinkets and Charms

Ye Olde Gaming Shoppe

Collective of Awesomeness Retail

Assassin Fashions and Designs (+Monster Hunter Club)


Many more extend outward.

"I can take you anywhere you need to go! Magical leathers, Protective Charms, Hidden Weapons... Just ask!"

[Hazuki]

"Can you take me to the Enchanting Emporium?" Vashta asks Songstress, after absorbing all the new information on Fey. "New clothes would be nice - and you know all about looking cool. I'm really interested in finding something that will change between person and bat...and be stylish for both!"

[Bansheexero]

Jacob pays the man his £70 for the phone add-ons, thanks him for his service, and then proceeds towards the Magickal Arms and Armourer shop.

[tonberryking]

Magical Arms and Armor seems like the place for me, unless any of these joints sell autoparts and materials..." Amelia still seems a bit overwhelmed but has at least kept her priorities.

"Also, uh, given my propensity for ...fire and high impact fighting, it's probably a good idea not to offer me any fragile tech even if it's a weapon."

[Wuff]

Songstress turns to Vashta, nodding. She then spends a moment thinking, and makes a series of harmonious rhythmic humming noises. A number of pink orbs begin to gravitate around each of the group, lighting up their surroundings, each maintaining a constant tempo and speed.

"Don't go to far, grab the orb if you need me!" With that, she smiles, then speaks in a lower voice.

"The Emporium has some clothes. Fey Parlour and High Street Arcana have some nice stuff in stock at the moment, I'm sure they could either tailor something for you, or might have something in your fashion already, possibly Collective of Awesomeness Retail. If you're going for something a little more edgy you can try out the Assassin's Fashions and Designs. It all depends on what you're looking for. The Emporium will be pretty typical enchantments, Fey Parlour might have a touch of glamour or trickery, High Street Arcana are generally quite flashy and extravagant, Collective of Awesomeness are all about theatre and drama and if you want utility and magic designed to kill people, Assassin's Fashions might be your thing. You could obviously find some clothes in other places but... Do you really want to?"

Supplicant takes the second group to Magickal Arms and Armourer.

"This place is great for most of your typical weapons. If you want really good fire, I'd suggest you go to Planar Goods & Supplies, the Shoppery of the Free Church, Infernal Bargains, Abrahamic Esoterica or something similar." He pauses for a moment.

"Of course, weapons granted by the divine often have terms and conditions... Don't dismiss Infernal Bargains out of hand, and I'd probably avoid the Abrahamic Esoterica, personally. If you want holy fire, they're the place to go. Planar Goods & Supplies can get you elemental fire and you can probably guess what Infernal Bargains is going to give you. The Shoppery of the Free Church can get you a load of interesting stuff if you want it."


Elia's Enchanting Emporium Goods + Services

Clothing
Dreamwoven Scarf - £34
A silk scarf of shifting shades, wards against sleep magic and supposedly aids in casting the following spells: Waking Nightmare, Lucidity, Dream Wave.

Bottomless Handbag - £53
A fashionable bag which is marketed as bottomless. There is a warning to not climb inside the bag.

Belt of Icy Skin - £48
A number of belts which are inlaid with crystals. It is cold to the touch, and is said to provide an icy-sheen which protects from the cold and provides defence to the wearer.

Coat of Elemental Resistance - £43
A collection of coats of varying designs, ranging from plain and ordinary to the extravagant. Feathered and furred designs can be found. Each coat is resistant to environmental and elemental dangers.

Trinkets
Braclet of Protective Force - £34
A finely crafted bracelet available in various metals. Each has an inscription in different languages, from Latin to Cantonese.

Anklet of Timewalking - £84
An anklet decorated with symbols of time and order. A plaque explains that this anklet allows a person to store personal time for later use or temporal magic.

Starcrossed Crown - £65
Comes in a tiara design. The description is somewhat vague, but mentions manipulation of divination magic and backlash.

Fatalist's Gambit Coin Set - £50
A set of coins which allow the bearer some measure of control over their circumstances in exchange for an unknown currency.

Binding Silks - £20
A length of silk which promises to bind anything tied in place, and can act as a focus for magic which restricts a person.

Wands

Wand of Starfire - £57
A wand which promises to burn foes and dazzle them. Recharging guidance mentions exposure to starlight or astral energy.

Wardstone Wand £95
A wand which offers protection for allies. Recharging guidance mentions ley-lines and caches of natural mystical power.

Wand of Stasis - £105
A wand which promises to put a hold on all of your issues. Recharging guidance mentions being temporal energies and areas of time-keeping.

Staves

Rod of Aeonic Mastery - £154
A tool necessary for deeper exploration into time-magic. It is worthy enough as a weapon, and can be sharpened or otherwise modified on request.

Baton of Aural Harmonics - £128
Required for advanced magickal music compositions. An accreditation from Songstress and her institution are noted.

Staff of the Sphere Watcher - £165
A sphere topped with a shifting globe which depicts some sort of solar system. Powerful astral, divination and destiny magic can be performed with the aid of this.

Enchantments

Star-Blessing - £80
Gain an innate knowledge regarding shifts of power within Astrology, delving into multiple Zodiac, Constellation and Celestial magics.

Resonance - £60
Increase sensitivity to sound, art and life, allowing the bearer to develop a finer affinity with magick.

Symbolic Retribution - £100
A protective enchantment which allows the user to conserve force and strike back with it.

Books

On Enchanting - £21
A primer on the natural forces in the world and how to manipulate or call upon them.

The Spheres - £24
Explores Astrology and astral magic.

Aeon - £28
Explains the nature of time, and time magic.

Simple Hexes and Jinxes for the Aspiring Enchanter - £15
Contains a number of offensive and hindering spells for an Enchanter.

Simple Charms and Invocations for the Novice Enchanter - £19
Contains a number of useful and defensive spells for an Enchanter.

Profane Runes for Beginners - £23
Teaches the reader a number of runes for everyday use.



Magickal Arms and Armourer

Weapons

Twin Pistols - £50 and Extras per firearm.
1d3 Elemental Damage on a Ranged Touch Attack, +2 to attack with the second hit if the first lands, each attack grants 2 firearm attacks with the same BAB.

(Bouncing - Projectile has a 50% chance to hit another target - £12)
(Explosive - Projectiles have a 50% chance to explode on impact, dealing damage to adjacent targets - £15)
(Sonic - Projectiles are bursts of sonic energy which deafen enemies - £10 )
(Quickshot - A second projectile can be shot as a free action whenever an attack is made - £20)
(Silencing - A projectile shot by this weapon cancels aural magic around the target and prevents verbal casting - £10)

Swords - £35
1d6 Damage if simple or light or 1d8 if not, an empty off-hand allows for parrying, acting as a +2 shield.

(Greatsword - Deal damage one size larger - £25)
(Velocity - Light and increases successive attack rolls by +2 - £20)
(Backlash - Total damage dealt is halved then applied again to targets - £35)
(Alive - Sword is possessed by a protective spirit, which lashes out upon avoiding an attack - £50)
(Dancing - Sword can be dropped and attack with or without direction - £65)
(Singing - Provides a random aural benefit to the bearer randomly - £60)

Longbows £45
1d8 piercing magical damage longbow (10ft-60ft), 1d10 if greatbow. (25ft-75ft)

(Spirited - Bow fires air spirits to harass enemies, flanking them on a successful hit and dealing 1d3 electrical damage - £35)
(Blazing - Bow sets targets on fire - £45)
(Focus - Full-round action attacks increase attack rolls and damage by +3 - £20)
(Headshot - 16-20 critical chance, damage dice tripled - £40)
(Pierce - Ethereal arrows pass through targets and armour - £45)

Slinky £50
3d2 damage on a ranged touch attack (20ft), 25% chance to entangle.

(Oscillating - Deals 6 magic piercing damage to entangled targets - £20)
(Swing - Swing entangled targets to attack another, potentially entangling it too; damage is dealt to all entangled and targeted enemies - £62)
(Yank - Pull entangled enemies to within 5 ft of you - £45)
(Tangled - 50% chance to entangle - £45)
(Spring - Throw entangled targets into the sky, height based on damage dealt that round - £60)

Doll £45
Build a link between the doll and a target, link target as a move action with sight or an item, unleash devastating combinations of torture techniques. Willpower OR Fortitude. (Used for spells.)

(Stabbing (Magical Piercing) - Head; 1d6 damage. Hand; 1d4, drop item. Foot; 1d4, stagger enemy, staggered enemies are prone. Eye; 1d4 damage, dazzle, dazzled enemies are blind. £15)
(Burning (Magical Fire) - Singe; 1d6 damage. Ignite; Target catches fire. Muscles; 1d4, -2 to damage rolls. Nerves; 1d4, -2 to attack rolls. - £20)
(Anatomy - Lungs; Target begins to suffocate. Stomach; Target is nauseated. Brain; Target cannot cast. Ears; Target is deafened. - £40)

Protection

Rune of Armouring - £30, 60, 90, 120, 150.
Hardens clothes, granting +1 Armour AC for every £30 spent.

Rune of Endurance - £40, 80, 120, 160, 200.
Hardens body, granting 1 DR/Magic for every £40 spent.

Rune of Mind - £60, 120, 180.
Quickens mind, granting +1 to will saves per £60.

Rune of Speed - £60, 120, 180.
Quickens body, granting +1 to reflex saves per £60.

Rune of Body - £60, 120, 180.
Quickens organs, granting +1 to fortitude saves per £60.

[Hazuki]

"I will!" Tomasa informs the Songstress, then goes on a hunt for magical items that will protect and help her in the days to come. When she eventually emerges from the Magickal Arms and Armorer, it's with...one visible new earring that's the exact same as her old one, but runed. The other three, on her pinky finger, pinky toe, and a piercing in her navel, are particularly less visible. A fact she rather likes, and something that means they won't need further enchantments to fit her bat form.

With the last of her money, she decides to pay a visit to FLUFF, just in case there's something she can buy to help her bite people more better, thanks.

[Bansheexero]

Jacob considers his options in the Arms shop and purchases a pair of twin pistols with a silencing enchantment. "Here is £60, do these require ammunition, or am I to assume they are magically armed?" After determining any further details, he heads to the Enchanting Emporium, to receive a Star-Blessing and pick up copies of Aeon, On Enchanting, and The Spheres to aid in his investigation for the case, spending another £173. Finally, he heads over to Assassin's Fashions to look into lining his clothes with protection, for a more subtle appearance.

[Wuff]

Money and equipment is exchanged. Elia seems particularly pleased to have visitors, and thanks Jacob profusely for his patronage, while the burly magicksmith in Magickal Arms and Armourer confirms Jacob's assumptions. Handing over the weapons, one of which is strangely silent.



Darkness

Assassin's Path: Midnight Hawker - £25
A manuscript describing the methods and techniques used to harry and bully the senseless victims of the Assassin.

Sightsnatching Marked Insignia - £30
An insignia which aids Mark spells and allows the bearer to steal senses from the victim, and make use of them.

Shaded Marking - £20
An insignia which aids in obscuring the senses of others. Protects from and aids in casting shadow magic and stealth based actions.

Midnight Hawk £45
Half-Familiar, half-mark, the shadow-hawk can be sent to harass enemies from afar.


Death

Assassin's Path: Soul Reaper - £35
An Assassin's Path based on harming and killing enemies, then manipulating the souls of those claimed.

Shattering Marked Insignia - £30
A mark which makes enemies more vulnerable to attack and opens them up to soul-harming magic.

Fatal Marking - £30
Used to hit the most vital spots of an enemy and funnel death into them.

Soul Alembic - £25
Contains and manipulates souls outside of the body.

Soul Stealing Steel - £40
Harms enemies on a deeper level, tempting even their soul out of the body as fuel.


Silence

Assassin's Path: Hushed Shikari - £35
A manual detailing the deadly efficient hunting techniques of the Hushed Shikari path, focused on ambush and sudden strikes.

Muffling Marked Insignia - £25
Aids in avoiding notice, protecting from divination and dulling extra senses.

Predator Marking - £30
Allows the Assassin to ruthlessly and quickly eliminate foes.

Shikari Set - £45
Provides bonuses to hunting and trapping foes, as well as survival in the wild.


Monster Hunter

Hunter's Crossbow - £35
A crossbow which allows the wielder to fire on enemies with ease, dealing minor bits of damage and aiding in setting and triggering marks.

Hunter's Armwraps - £30
Protects from bleeding, poisons, diseases and other nature-based assailants.

Silent-Silk Seam
Can be placed onto weapons or clothing.

Weapon - £30, 60, 90, 120.
Reduces enemy dodge by 1-4, doesn't break stealth.

Armour - £30, 60, 90, 120, 150.
Increases dodge by 1-5, increases stealth by the same.

Heart Seeking Sigil - £40, 80, 120.
Aids in striking and taking full advantage of deadly strikes, automatically confirms critical strikes.


Books

Basics of Marks - £30
Allows the Marksman to begin learning the ways of marks.

Marksman's Mark - £25
Allows access to Marksman Techniques and marks, provides resistance to runes and sight-based magic like patterns.

Marks by Assassin's Path - £20
Provides a number of extra marks for each Assassin Path.

Hunting Techniques - £35
Teaches a number of hunting techniques and weaknesses of various creatures.



Assassin's Fashions stands out in the way it tries to be obscure. On either side, light and advertisements take up space, while this place is markedly humble, blending in slightly with the darkness.




Trinkets

Swift-Shifting Sash - £15
Allow for shifting almost instantaneously, comes in different colours and fashions.

Charm Rings - £30
Varied size rings that fit snugly anywhere, from a waist to an arm. Holds Animal Charms and benefits animal shifts.

Fur Wrap - £35
An irresistible fur wrap layered with magic to attract people and animals.

Scented Fan - £25
A fan which can be used to attract or deter people and animal alike, more effective on animals, and very effective on animals with scent.


Trophies

Pheonix Feather Garter - £45
A stylish garter made from pheonix feathers, provides healing based on the physical integrity of the wearer.

Manticore Mane Ruff - £35
Allows the wearer to sport their own mane, and grants resistance to fear and negative morale effects.

Sphinx Fur Gloves - £25
Graces the wearer with stability, balance and poise, allowing for more accurate attacks, acrobatic feats and resistance to unbalancing effects.


Animal Charms

Fang Charm - £20
Makes fangs more deadly, or grants fang attacks.

Wing Charm - £20
Makes wings more useful, or grants wings.

Eye Charm - £15
Betters eyes of the bearer.

Heart Charm - £15
Increases the attitude of animals and animalistic creatures.

Feather Charm - £15
Adds to the control of mobility of the bearer, protecting from falling, electricity and forced movement.

Paw Charm - £15
Allows for better mobility, increasing speed and access to movement.

Gill Charm - £20
Protects the bearer from suffocation and gas based attacks, as well as cold and water magic.


Books

Animal Charms and You - £30
A comprehensive guide to casting charms and basic animal magic, including calling.

Shifting Forms and Animal Spirits - £25
A guide to more effective shape shifting and animal spirits.

Mythological Beasts and Fables £32
An encyclopedia of mythological creatures and stories, as well as some mythological forms, spirits, charms and animal calling techniques.



Meanwhile, FLUFF Trinkets and Charms is covered in animalistic depictions, symbols and decorations.

[Hazuki]

Tomasa buys herself a charm ring and a fang charm to go with it, then goes in search of Songstress.

[Bansheexero]

Browsing the various Assassin wares, Jacob hands over his suit and requests the very best Silent-Silk Seam be woven into it. Additionally, he takes a look at the Assassin's Path: Hushed Shikari and Muffled Mark Insignia, considering how it may assist him in locating those he is investigating, deciding to add those to his reportoire as well, handing over £210 to pay for it all. He considers the books on basic marks and other skills, but decides to hold off on them until he acquires more money.

[kjelfalconer]

Cador had no clue what he was doing here. The whole plucking him up to solve a murder mystery was weird enough, but now he was wandering a magic high street for the simple reason that everyone had split up... and he had absolutely no idea how to leave. Unfortunately he hadn't thought to ask before everyone had split off, so now all he could really do was kill time until they met back up.

"Well hey there big boy. What's a guy like you doing all by yourself out here?" A guy was leaning casually against the doorway to a nearby building, and wow he was cute. Tanned, silver hair, toned but not too big. Just his type actually. To be fair a lot of things were his type, but this one got top marks.
"J-just killing time," he managed, not quite suppressing the slight stammer.
"Then kill it in here with me for a bit," the man said with a wink, before pulling Cador in with a surprisingly strong hand. One or two passers by gave him a quick glance of pity, but it wasn't their problem.

He wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed that it was just a pretty normal shop inside. He had no idea what any of the stuff was, but it all looked very impressive, during the small snippets of time he actually bothered to look around.
"I wasn't really looking to-" he tried, but he was cut off by hands around his bicep.
"You've got such amazing arms... It'd be a shame not to use them. While you're here at least give me a little show." The hand slid away, and it's owner slipped towards a side room, beckoning him to follow. He did.

It turned out what the man had in mind was a small rack of weapons.
"We don't have that many, but some of the clients like this sort of thing. But with your physique, I bet none of them would look as good with them as you. How about this one?" he said, pointing to a monstrously large sword as wide as Cador's torso and nearly as tall as him.
"I don't-"
"Come onnnn, you'll look so strong and manly with it..."
"I don't even know how to use one-"
"Just a few poses? For me?" The last two words were barely a whisper, right against Cador's ear. He broke, and reached for the blade. Said shopkeeper was quite glad Cador wasn't looking at him as he hefted the blade over his shoulder. It took him a moment to hide his look of surprise - that sword was made for a much bigger creature than a human, and he usually only made people try it for a laugh at them struggling.
"It's heavy, but it doesn't feel too bad? I dunno, how's a sword supposed to feel?"
"However you want it to. But you look amazing. Mind if I take some photos?"
"Uh, sure? But, uh, what's your name?"
"You can call me Kai. Now you just hold that pose..."

That camera app was one of the best things 'Kai' had ever bought. Everyone knew people would do anything any random guy with a camera told them, so it took surprisingly little magic to make people pose just a bit more... sexy. And this lump had the resistance of wet toilet roll. Cador was already flexing for the camera without realizing it, and they hadn't even gotten started. Cador for his part wasn't exactly sure when or why he'd taken his shirt off, but he was pretty sure he couldn't stay here all day, tempting as it was.
"I, uh, should probably get going," he said, unhooking his thumb from the waistband of his jeans. "I kind of needed to meet someone-"
"So soon? You know, you should take that sword with you. I'll even throw in a special discount, since it looks so good on you."
"I mean, it's nice, but like I said, I don't really know how to use it, and, like, where would I put it? I can't really carry it round."
"I can fix that for you. It wont take long, and it'll barely cost you any more. And you've got so much of this wonderful back for me to work with - I can make it look incredible." Cador shot him a confused look. "This old tattoo. I can use it, turn it into something majestic, and give you somewhere to sheathe that blade all in one fell swoop." Cador still wasn't sure, until he was caught off guard by hands rubbing his back, and he dumbly nodded his consent. "Perfect. I'll just need a few drops..."

Cador winced, as he felt something lightly stab the center of his back. Kai withdrew his claw, using the crimson coating the end of it to draw harsh runes and patterns on the blade. In lockstep, matching shapes appeared in dark ink on Cador's back, spreading from the base of his spine to the back of his neck, the blade's hilt stretching wide across his shoulders. With a kiss to the blade that sent a slight shiver down Cador's spine, Kai pressed the blade to Cador's back, metal melting into flesh, until only ink and muscle remained beneath his hands.

It was a lot, but Cador had to admit... it did look amazing. But damn was it big. "How do I, like, get it out then?"
"Just draw it babe. Hilt's right there."
He wasn't sure what he was doing, but somehow the blade appeared in his hand. It looked different - the blade was still the same matte black, but where the blood had touched now seemed to be etched in dark red, markings that extended across the hilt, which was now definitely the look and feel of bone. If he concentrated, the markings seemed to pulse slightly, eerily in time with his own heartbeat.
"Well then, looks like it went perfectly. Here, let me show you something. Close your eyes..." Cador did, but they jolted back open when he felt a strange sensation. Behind him, Kai smirked, his hands caressing the hilt of the sword."I made it a part of you. As strong and handsome as it's owner." He paused. "That'll be eighty five, by the way,"

He wasn't really sure what had happened, really. He kind of felt a little drunk, actually, and he definitely hadn't planned on buying a massive sword... tattoo... thing. Well, at least it was pretty cool, he thought, as he made his way to... wherever it was he was supposed to be meeting the others. Well. Crap.