PART 1: The End is Only the Beginning

When we began, I set the scene for the players:

“Our story begins on a Thursday evening in early April as the Consilium meets for the first time since the signing of the new charter. It is a cool evening, the Autumn showers rhythmically beating against the cold, hard concrete of the city. Everything seems relatively peaceful in the big city.

Jess and Malibu sit in heavy traffic as they make their way towards the University of Sydney Library, the designated location for tonight's meeting, already running twenty minutes late.

Elsewhere, Beacon (representing the Wardens), Circle (representing the Guardians), and their protégé, Tyr, pull into the garage of an apartment building on a mission for the Consilium. Their goal is simple; investigate the recent disappearances of various local awakened. Tonight they are examining the residence of an awakened they knew personally, Infinitus, for possible clues of his whereabouts.”

And thus we began season two of the Sydney chronicles. Subsequently, the trio investigating the disappearances broke into Infinitus’ apartment (one of the missing mages), with Circle picking the lock whilst the others kept watch. Inside, they found evidence that Infinitus was still living there. Strangely, Circle found Infinitus’ grimore and magical implements destroyed and discard in the trash bin near the door. Even more interestingly, upon searching the bathroom Beacon found medication for anxiety, insomnia and paranoia, all made out to a Jonathan Matthews.

Meanwhile, back in the car, Jess, Malibu, and Traveller (a friend of Tanuwa’s, who was incidentally out of the country at the moment) discuss the upcoming meeting, until there here some rather disturbing news over the radio, which prompts them to turn it up.

"An update on the swine flu situation. Authorities inform us that there has been a serious swine flu outbreak within the University of Sydney's library building, with all those inside quarantined. Apparent symptoms include, in addition to the usual symptoms, memory loss, incoherency, and disassociation."

This prompts the group to begin further discussion while they sit in the ever heavy peak hour traffic.

Back at the apartment, Circle gets a call from another Guardian via Beacon’s phone, as Circle has yet to get one for himself. After a rather one sided conversation, Circle hangs up and tells the others that they have to get to the Consilium meeting immediately, informing them of the details as they go.

Fifteen minutes later, the whole group is standing together outside the library, taking in with some awe at the scale of what was occurring. The library, known as the largest library in the southern hemisphere, was completely sealed in a thick plastic film as CDC personnel in hazmat suits moved around the scene. Helicopters circled overhead as police kept the public at a safe distance with security barriers. Coupled with the beating rain, Jess commented it was almost something like out of a horror movie.

Beacon then receives a call from Wolf’s phone. Having called the senior warden some ten minutes prior but with no reply, he promptly picks up and answers, asking what the situation is. Surprisingly, it is Willow who answers, and she sounds exhausted. She explains that she and Wolf, who is now unconscious are hiding with the quarantine zone and need help getting out before the CDC officers find them. She has tried healing Wolf, but it seems to only drain her further and have no affect on his condition.

Thinking quickly, Beacon and Circle move to sneak through into the quarantine, with Circle replying to the others that they may only follow if they are sure not to get caught. Trav, confident of his abilities, follows, as does Malibu. Thanks to Beacon using his forces magic to literally see when a guard was approaching (through seeing their radio signals), the group encounters little resistance as they pass through. However, about two-thirds of the way through, Malibu was spotted slipping into some bushes.

While the others go ahead, Malibu uses his mind magic to make himself appear as one of the CDC guards in a hazmat suit, in addition to smelling and sounding like one. Malibu tells him he is delivering a message, which makes the guard suspicious, as all the CDC personnel have radios on their suits. Letting Malibu move on, the guard follows.

Meanwhile Tyr, under directions from Circle, stayed back to search the area around the Library for clues, and Jess joined him. Although the heavy rain made the task difficult, Tyr discovered fresh skid marks outside the Library, theorising that somewhat likely made a quick exit after what happened here. He quickly took a sample of the rubber with his pocket knife and wrapped it in a handkerchief, moments before Beacon called him and asked him to bring the truck around.

Back in the quarantine zone, the guard stumbles upon Beacon, Circle, Trav and Malibu, who still appears as a CDC guard to the man, as well as the unconscious forms of Willow and Wolf. As the man begins to demand to know what was going on, Malibu responds by saying that these are the people that the message was for, and that they needed help getting them out. This doesn’t go down well, for the reason for instigating a quarantine was to prevent people entering or leaving, not helping possible infected out to infect the rest of the populace. The man reaches for his radio, only to have Beacon at his throat with a katana before the man can blink.

Things went a little smoother then. Wolf and Willow were loaded into the truck that Tyr brought around, and Jess promptly removes any memories of the group from the man’s mind. Not before Malibu pumped him full of enough positive energy (his attainment, a modification of emotional urging that channels either positive or negative emotions or ‘energies’) to make him giggle and find pleasure in the simplest things – even dancing in the rain.

Eventually the cabal arrives back at the sanctum and performs a more thorough examination of the pair of unconscious mages. Medically Willow was simply exhausted, although Wolf was running a light fever, an possibly had an infection of some sort. However, when examined with prime sight, Wolf’s aura was fluctuating between that of an awakened, a sleepwalker, and a sleeper, which quite rightfully had everyone both confused and frightened of the possible consequences. Could Wolf be de-awakening?

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

Next time, the cabal hunts down the source of the skid marks, and Willow tells them her story of what happened.

It’s been almost a year since I started my Mage: the Awakening campaign with three players. Since then, the group has grown to six, with another joining us for the new season. The end of last season saw the group defeat a rogue mage, Cael, who was inhabiting the body of a Dr. Sanders whilst his own body withered in a hospital bed in the very hospital the doctor was attending. Cael had stolen the Mask of Nightmares, an Faerie artefact with direct ties to the Autumn Court Fae simply known as the Hook, and planned to use its powers to channel the fear energies he had gathered to make his possession of Dr. Sanders permanent in addition to making himself immortal. After his final ritual was thwarted, Malphas, or rather the Fallen Angel inhabiting his body through a black denarius coin, subsequently appeared and dragged still living form of Malphas’ former mentor into depths unknown, but not before letting the cabal know that Chronos’ death was no mere coincidence, and that the mage was a valuable tool to possess.

Jump a little over one year later, and we find that mages in the region are suddenly disappearing of the radar for no apparent reason. Below you will find the introduction to the campaign as seen by my players.

Season Introduction:

Over the last few weeks a series of disappearances have rocked the mage community. It began with the suspicious disappearance of the Hierarch, Sylvias, with further investigation revealing inconclusive results. Potestas wastes no time in gathering support for himself as the next Hierarch, ascending to the position within a matter of days.

There is however much concern when the new Consilium charter is marked with an omen of death by Freya in her divinations of the future. Unwilling to speak of what she saw, Freya isolates herself from the community. In response to the omen, Potestas elects to no longer have the Consilium located in simply one location, informing those gathered that each Consilium meeting's location will be determined the day before the meeting to ensure the upmost secrecy.

The Consilium, now under the control of a Guardian Hierarch, begins to crack down heavily on vulgar magic usage. Many receive severe reprimands for only the simplest breaches of these new laws, and many mages grow displeased with the situation.

Within the week, Antheos, Menelaus, and Freya likewise go missing. Mundane authorities find nothing suspicious about the disappearances, and even the Wardens have difficulty discovering anything conclusive.

With the subsequent loss of Infinitus days later, the remaining members of Crucible cabal - a deeply concerned Prometheus and grief stricken Lera - inform Jessica and Malibu that they are leaving town and that they require their help to ensure that the Liberty continues to operate.

 Note: All dates are in game. 

 

Season 2:

Pilot Episode (April 9, 2009)
Session 1

As you recall last time, the group caused a number of fairly nasty, and painful as the case was with Chronos’ horns, paradoxes. Tanuwa had reduced his mind to that of a wolf’s thought processes, and subsequently caused an anomaly paradox as he shifted into an American timber wolf as wide eyed sleepers watched on in amazement. We continue now with the results of said anomaly, and trust me, it isn't pretty.

The session began with Terra and Jess madly attempting to get through the traffic to Sil to take him to the hospital. Tanuwa, in the mindset of protecting his pack mate, stood watch near Sil while several groups of people still happily recorded the whole mess on their phones, and uploading it to YouTube (oh the joys of the internet).

Of course, that’s when things went pear-shaped, like, deformed, mutated pear shaped.

Soon enough, a thick, grey fog literally bubbled forth from the nearby sewer pipes and manholes, and with it, anything electrical just ceased working, the air dropped several degrees, and everything just got darker. Within a short amount of time, the entire area was blanketed by this fog, which, along with it’s other effects, was enforcing a deep sense of fear and isolation on everyone, in addition to a undercurrent of, well, otherness. Fortunately, only Silverthorne and Chronos succumbed to the feelings of dread. Oh, and their getaway car had stopped dead in its tracks.

Cabal 0, Weird-ass Fog 1.

Meanwhile, Beacon was dealing with the grey, dwarf-like spirit that had formed before him from within the gathering mists. With a little help from Silverthorne, who lifted the spirit some six metres into the air before it fell back down whilst giving himself a Bedlam derangement (Melancholia, aka. really bad depression), Beacon took the thing down, but not before finding that the wounds that he had inflicted on the creature were mirroring themselves on himself – pain spirits are nasty like that.

Ok, an update on the condition of the group at the moment. Jess, Terra and Circle are uninjured; Beacon is injured slightly from the pain spirit (2 lethal); Chronos had taken 1 Bashing from his paradox earlier, and was now being influenced by the fog; Tanuwa hadn’t taken any injuries, but thought he was a wolf, and had created this whole mess in the first place; Finally, Silverthorne was bruised and beaten (1 bashing), had his hand mauled by Tanuwa’s jaws (2 lethal), and was currently under the effects of sever depression AND the effects of the fog, adding up to a –4 bonus to all his actions. Ok, now we’re all on the same page, back on with the show.

All around them, the group heard the screams of fear and terror as people died, cut down by malicious spirits that inhabited the area, brought into this world by Tanuwa’s paradox. One person jumped of a nearby building, overcome with depression and fear, promptly ending her life as she impacted a car parked on the side of the road. Whilst nearby, another man, ridden by a spirit of murder, went on a killing spree with a butcher’s cleaver.

Meanwhile, under the effects of his depression, Sil felt that he was better off suited going to a hospital, so he promptly exited the car that had since now been protecting him, and began walking deeper into the fog. Terra followed trying to stop him, and that’s when Sil noticed a tentacle dragging a now still body towards one of the sewer grates. He back tracked, a little taken aback from what he had seen, and bumped into Terra. She brought him to the side of a building and rested him against it, trying to tend to his wounds. By this time, Circle had returned from calling the Guardians, and was wondering why the hell everyone was still there, and healed up some of Silverthorne’s wounds.

That’s about when everything went dead quiet. No screaming, crying, calls for help. Nothing.

Then Terra’s car was tossed into the air, and into a nearby store front with the screeching of twisted metal. Yeah, the group was surprised as well. Fortunately no one was inside. When the group looked to where the car was, they saw another thick tentacle retracting into the sewers, this one about two feet in diameter. Of course, about then the cobblestone road erupted upwards, replaced by a large mass of writhing black tentacles of various shapes and sizes.

Whilst trying to work out what the hell that thing was, the group acted out a quick plan. Chronos opened a portal to his sanctum, going to the limit to make it an instant cast, which put a great deal of strain on his body as he tried to contain the paradox, giving him 3 Resistant Bashing for his troubles. Tanuwa dashed through the portal in his wolf form (AsaTJ was falling asleep at this point), whilst the others mounted an assault on the creature, except Sil, who was zoning out at this point, and Terra who was looking after Sil.

They defeated the spirit down relatively quickly, the only downside being that Chronos was almost dropped into the things huge gapping maw, having crushed to unconsciousness only moments before. His saving grace was Beacon quick swordsmanship, that removed two of the creature’s many tentacles, a few placed shots by Circle, and several well aimed strikes by Jess with her telekinetic strike. The spirit then decided it had had enough, dropped Chronos’ limp form onto the sidewalk, and retreated back down into the underground to consumed the bodies that it had managed to acquire during the chaos.

With the battle over, Jess tended to Chronos, and Circle had a quiet discussion with another Guardian about what had happened, after being informed that the area had been sealed off after reports of a biological terrorist attack on the area. The discussion ended soon after, and Circle left angered, while the other Guardian shook his head is disgust and likewise left.

Last time, you recall, Tanuwa, Sil and Malphas we're introduced to their new home away from home: their Sanctum. They also learned about awakened society as a whole, and met a few new faces, one of whom - Infinitus - helped them set a ward over their Sanctum.

This session began with some bad news for Terra that was broadcast on the morning news. It seemed that her brother and another man had been killed whilst in prison, and had been sent to the morgue. That wasn't the interesting bit. What was is the fact that the two corpses had been stolen, and the state coroner killed in the process.

Now, with Sil away (Ryeran couldn't make the session), and Malphas off busy with his sister (we'll cover that later), Tanuwa felt  somehow obligated to check it out by himself. Hindsight would prove otherwise, and re-enforce the 'bring-a-friend' idea.

So, Tanuwa took a Taxi ride down to the morgue - and expensive ride at that - and walked in, asking to see some dead bodies. The security guard just looked at him, as would most people I think. Yes, Tanuwa is a Thyrsus, not a Moros, he hasn't suddenly gone rogue on us... yet. Anyway, the guard asked for ID, and right before he handed it over, Tanuwa thought better of it, and suddenly faked getting a phone call and went outside. Back to square one it seemed.

A little strapped for ideas, Tanuwa then went about thinking out of the box... in a very big way. He called upon his knowledge of Life magic and commanded a pigeon to fly into the entrance of the morgue and distract the guard whilst Tanuwa attempted to sneak past. Unfortunately the guard caught him and demanded to know what he was doing. Tanuwa freaked out, and gave the pigeon fangs. Like a Snake. Yes, a fanged pigeon.

Now it was the guard's turn to go crazy, trying to get away from this freaking fang bird. Meanwhile, Tanuwa attempted to break through one of the doors into the morgue proper. It was locked. So, using his quick thinking, he turned his arms in giant, furry gorilla arms. At this point, I will remind our audience that yes, the morgue does have security cameras, and yes, Tanuwa currently looked like something that should belong in a zoo. That point aside, Tanuwa began smashing through all the doors that stood between him, and the main examination rooms. There were a quite few.

Once he got there, leaving a path of destruction behind him, Tanuwa investigated the room, and after finding very little, looked into twilight. That's when he met Final Death. Now, Final Death was the spirit of Sydney Morgue, and had been around for quite some time, but fortunately for Tanuwa, had very little interest in anything living. He preferred his meals, well, dead. After a short, somewhat tense discussion, Tanuwa brokered a deal with the spirit - Final Death wanted Tanuwa to find a place where there was ample death to support the spirit, and in return, he would tell Tanuwa what happened in the morgue, and more specifically, the bodies of the two convicts.

Tanuwa accepted, got a scalpel to summon the spirit later, and left the morgue ASAP, before the sirens that he could now hear in the distance got any closer. Before he left, he made sure to take the DVDs recording the security footage. And ended up succeeding in his Wisdom check for stealing the disks. He then ran back to the sanctum. Yes, ran, a whole 14 km. Damn Thrysus....

That's all for now. Next time, we'll see what Malphas was up to with his sister.

Early August last year, some of my friends and I got together over skype and began playing a Mage: the Awakening Chronicle, with myself as the Storyteller. Now, this was my first real campaign beyond a few small d20 Modern games I had run a few years before on the Wizard of the Coast forums, and it was most certianly my first true WoD game. It is still going strong, seven months later, and our player base has more than doubled over that time. The following links will take you through the events that took place in our game. I actually got the idea to do this for my game after reading Matt’s (innocent_man) awesome campaigns posted elsewhere on this site.

Once I have finally got this all up to date, I intend to keep it updated fortnightly, if not weekly (I’m aiming for weekly, but life tends to get the better of me sometimes).

Anyway, I’ll stop talking… err.. typing now, and let you read our story.

Note: All dates are in game. 

 

Season 1: Nothing to Fear, but Fear itself

Cast

Pilot Episode (July 22, 2007)
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3

Episode 1: Matters of the Spirit (August 6 - 24, 2007)
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6

Episode 2: Of Masks and Men (August 24 - 25, 2007)
Session 7
Session 8
Session 9
Session 10
Session 11

Episode 3: The Spider Queen (August 25 - 26 2007)
Session 12
Session 13

Intermission 1: The Consilium and the High Council (August 28, 2007)
Session 14

Episode 4: From High Hopes To Lowly Spirits (September 27 - 28, 2007)
Session 15
Session 16

Episode 5: The Liberty (October 3 - 5, 2007)
Session 17
Session 18
Session 19
Session 20
Session 21

Episode 6: The Cold Iron Truth (October 5, 2007)
Session 22
Session 23
Session 24

Episode 7: Sins of a Brother (October 6, 2007)
Session 25

Intermission 2: The Sixth Day Accepted, A Task Force Formed (October 26, 2007)
Session 26
Session 27

Episode 8: Following a Lead (November 3, 2007)
Session 28
Session 29

This ‘pilot episode’ post is a lot longer than what I will usually write for these posts, as it is in fact three sessions put together. So, without further ado, let the festivities begin!

9:30 am, Sunday 22nd July, 2007

As the game began, the characters were all at the Westpac Bank down the end of Martin Place, in Sydney’s CBD. Michael was just starting work, intending to look over a few documents before heading off to visit more clients. Kennith and Al were cashing a cheque that Kennith had, and Hawk was looking to exchange his currencies.

Around this time, several men burst into the bank from the front entrance and began waving firearms around. It was a bank heist. Everyone got down on the floor while the tellers began unloading their draws of the cash.
Then things started to get complicated. Hawk, trying to be the hero, swiped out at one of the robbers, but failed to trip him as he hoped. Instead, after a heated exchange (and a dramatic failure on a persuasion roll), Hawk was shot in the arm. This then lead to a sudden bout of shooting leaving the security guard at the front desk dead, and one of the robbers injured. Meanwhile in the back, Michael called the cops.

Hawk was dragged off to one side to keep him away from the other captives, and then began to see the walls crumble away to reveal bare stone, thus began his awakening in the form of a mystery play. He followed a hawk that emerged from a bronze plaque on the wall, and this eventually brought him to the top of a giant tree (really the roof of the bank), where he marked a stone book with his own blood and finished his awakening, subsequently subduing the robber that followed him (you can read the details here).

While this was going on, two of the robbers were searching around in the back rooms, and soon came across the locker room where Michael was hiding. Just before they found him, Michael began to see the walls contort and reshape themselves into a stone tunnel with a warm orange glow at the end of it. Pretty sure he was hallucinating, but with no other way of escape, he sprinted down the tunnel. Eventually he arrived at a forge (actually the old coal heater in the basement – he had distorted space into a direct passage there) where he re-forged his soul, thus awakening (the full thing can be found here).

At this moment, the cops busted in (after failed negotiations). But not before the lead robber dragged Kennith and Al through the back rooms and down to the vault basement. Unable to contend with both hostages, the robber threw Al to the ground and then tossed Kenneth into the vault, closing him inside. Al then attacked the robber in a fit of rage, and the resultant struggle left the man unconscious on the ground.

Inside the vault, Kennith, suffering from claustrophobia, laid on the ground, succumbing to the pressing darkness. The next thing he knew, he was aware of stale air, and he raised his hands to reach out, only to hit them against hard wood or some other material, just a few inches above him. He panicked momentarily before a strange sense of calm flooded him, and in a moment of clarity, he reached up and began to manipulate the material as if it were putty. He dived into the matter, swimming, climbing, or moving, his way through the earth, until he emerged in gray, mute world - dark and overcast. He eventually made his way to the base of a great tower, and made his way in. Inside, he found a great metal table signed with a myriad of unreadable runes and characters. He found a clear spot and sign his name, thus awakening (the full description can be found here).

Al, with the help of a detective, was soon able to get the vault door open, only to find the vault mutilated from the inside. Steel locker doors and miniature safes were all smeared and looked like they were made of putty, finger lines and fistfuls left imprinted in them. In the fair corner, Kennith stood completely calm, his hands clasped behind him.

 

10:30 am, Sunday 22nd July, 2007

Last time, as you recall, the characters were at the Westpac in Sydney’s CDB and were involved in a bank robbery. While this happened, the characters underwent their awakenings (save Al, who had become a sleepwalker). We left off with the police having just arrested/neutralised all the robbers, and the characters gathered in the bank’s lobby.

The two detectives that had met with the characters revealed themselves as mages, like the characters, and explained to them that they had just undergone their ‘awakenings’, although in Al’s case it was only a ‘partial awakening’. They then moved outside, encountering the media circus drawn by the robbery and watched as several of the robbers were taken away on stretches – with handcuffs of course. The lead detective motioned to a nearby SUV and the group got in.

Once inside the vehicle, the two detectives revealed their names, Prometheus (an Obrimos) and Antheos (an Acanthus), and mentioned that they weren’t detectives at all, but used magic to fool the police to get inside. They explained that these were not their real names, but shadow names used to protect themselves against sympathetic magic… which of course lead into a discussion on what that was. They also discussed about ‘evil mages’, the Exarchs, the Lie, sleepers, and the likes. They also mentioned Lera (a cabal-mate) and Seraph (Guardian of the Veil and a member of a rival cabal), whom they don’t have a very good relationship with (read: bitter rivals). This lead to a quick discussion on the five orders, until Kennith decided he was thirsty and wanted the sunscreen Michael found over in the trunk.

Yup, sunscreen. If you’re confused, so were all of the other characters.

Fortunately, he didn’t intend to drink it straight. First he wanted to try something. Concentrating on the bottle, he willed it to become water, but the result wasn’t what he was expecting – instead, we got the first paradox of the game and Kennith dropped the bottle, clutching his arm in pain (he adsorbed the paradox). Thus began the short lesson on paradox, at which point the group pulled out up outside a very elegant house and made their way inside.

But, Kennith being Kennith, wasn’t going anywhere. He picked up the bottle again, and after a fair bit of effort (and one spent willpower) he turned the bottle’s plastic clear and the sunscreen itself into water, which he then drunk, much to the disgust of Al.

Inside, the characters met Tyrus, an awakened socialite of sorts (and the Silver Ladder Deacon, and a Councilor. Of course, no one mentioned that) with a lot of connections. He talked with the characters a little, about their interests and what they’d like to learn, and told them that he’d ask around and see about getting them some mentors. Oh, he also gave them a sanctum, for free, but said he expected some favours in the future.

 

11:00 am, Sunday 22nd July, 2007

When we left our group, Tyrus, the Silver Ladder Deacon and Consilium Councilor, had just given them a sanctum that they could use. More than one of the characters asked what would happen to their old stuff, and Tyrus said they would be moved to their new residence. Michael said that he had a business that he couldn’t just leave, but Tyrus alleviated his concerns and told him that his boss had granted him paid leave for the next month while he worked out family issues, which left the characters a little confused, considering they had just met this guy, but Michael was somewhat thankful (as thankful as Michael can be, anyway).

Prometheus drove then the group to their new residence, and told them a little about sanctums and what you should do to protect them, and then left them so they could go out and get some lunch.

They went across the street to a pizza parlor, but after sitting down and looking over the menu a little, Michael heard someone whisper to him that ‘the pizza was poisoned’ (it was in fact Kennith screwing with him with some forces magic) and so he got the group to leave, instead ordering pizza in from the nearby Dominos Pizza joint.

Later that afternoon, Kennith got to work on making copies of the keys Prometheus had given them for the sanctum, but got distracted halfway through talking to Hawk (who had by now worked out his shadow name – Tanuwa) and left a malleable silver thorn sitting on the coffee table. Al came inside, found the thorn and after asking Michael about it, called Kennith down. After a curt exchange, Kennith moved over to the thorn and began playing with it again, leaving it as a deformed trinket. Al gave up, and moved up stairs.

The mages then got into a deep discussion about how they should use their new found abilities for good, with Tanuwa leading the discussion. Kennith agreed with him, but Michael was not so easily convinced, preferring to stay out of playing ‘superhero’. Michael then said how they could now live better than ordinary people, so why shouldn’t they? Tanuwa responded by telling him that they weren’t better, that, although they had amazing powers normal people don’t have, normal people also have the right to live god, full lives that they can now do. It was their DUTY to share their gifts, not lord over people with them. Michael passed it off, and simply said ‘it was his duty to enjoy what he has gained, and never regret wasting it on pointless moments of sacrifice.’ (It was a really great bit of roleplaying from everyone.)

While this all went on, Al had moved into the garage. After the heated discussion, Al cried out from the garage, and Tanuwa and Kennith went to see what was up. They found Al, standing in front of the glaring headlights of a jaguar sports coupe. They asked what happened, and she glared across at them, explaining that the car ‘appeared out of thin air.’

The driver, who introduced himself as Infinitus said that he was here to drop off some gear Tyrus had asked him to get (he also mentioned he was a member of Crucible, and Prometheus was his cabal-mate). He helped unload the gear, and after asking everyone for names, Kennith told him his new shadow name: Silverthorne. Silverthorne also noticed that the car had a disproportionally large trunk space.

Infinitus mentioned that there wasn’t anything stopping people teleporting into the group’s sanctum, and offered to help them out with that. So, after the car was unpacked, Infinitus set about working on a ward spell, with Michael assisting with the casting (so that he could learn for later). A Whole four hours later (half hour for inscribing some runes, half hour of chanting, and another three hours of casting) the group had a ward spell covering the sanctum that would last indefinitely unless something broke it down (potency 5, with 16 meter radius).

(Oh, and Michael didn’t really assist at all, of all the dice that were rolled, Michael didn’t get even one success.)

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

Next time, Tanuwa breaks into the city morgue and steals some bodies. Well, not exactly. He breaks in to find out what happened to a bunch of dead bodies that got stolen. What? Did you think he suddenly go Moros on us? Don’t be silly.

The Characters

Current Characters

Silverthorne (Kennith Ingram) played by Ryeran: Mysterium Obrimos (Forge Master). University student (from UTS) studying metallurgy, amongst other things. Childhood friend of Al. Parents split when he was younger, and he still has occasional contact with his mother. Whereabouts of his father are unknown.

• Update (4/3/09) – Silverthorne has since become a member of the Forge Masters legacy

Tanuwa (Hawk Anderson) played by AsaTJ: Adamantine Arrow Thyrsus (Orphan of Proteus). Native American that has come to Australia on a spiritual journey, at the behest of his one of his tribe’s elders. Father is dead, Mother is in prison on fraud charges, but may be let out on parole in a few years.

• Update (4/3/09) – Tanuwa has since become a member of the Orphans of Proteus, and become a Warden after Malphas, his former Cabal-mate, killed two of them in cold blood right before Tanuwa, and his mentor, Wolf.

Terra: Apostate Acanthus. Stumbled up to the cabal's front door, although she wasn't entirely sure why she was there. She has since taken Al's old room and developed a close relationship with Silverthorne.

• Update (4/3/09) - Terra is no longer an Apostate, having since joined the Mysterium, under the guidance of Silverthorne.

Circle's End played by Circle’s End: Guardian of the Veil Moros. Legally declared dead after the plane he was on crashed just outside Sydney, he awoke to find himself on the Coroner's examination table, who had a somewhat amused grin on his face. Joined the cabal at the behest of his mentor and the Guardians.

Jessica played by Spaxe: Apostate Acanthus. Awakened whilst playing in a band at the Liberty nightclub, an establishment owned and run by the Crucible cabal. She has since joined the Sixth Day cabal after suggestions given by Prometheus (leader of Crucible).

Chronos played by Theudis: Adamantine Arrow Mastigos. An adept of Space and Time magic, Chronos is also relatively skilled at Kung Fu after training under his father when he was younger. This strict life however lead him to rebel when he was older, his wanderlust taking him all over the world. During his travels he awakened, soon returning to his father for answers, where he met his companion, Beacon.

Beacon played by Puddledive: Adamantine Arrow Obrimos (Brotherhood of the Demonwind). Former US military, Beacon is a skilled swordsmen and member of the Brotherhood of the Demonwind, a group of awakened, modern day samurai originating in South East Asia. Whilst on a Tour-of-Duty of Japan, Beacon met an older Japanese man that befriended him, and soon taught him Japanese Kendo. Later, during his time in Iraq on another mission, Beacon awakened after witnessing a battle between a pair of mages. He later returned to Japan, and the old man – Chronos’ Father – taught Beacon of the Brotherhood, and inducted him into their ways. It is still unknown if Chronos’ father knew that Beacon was going to awaken all along, and was simply preparing him all that time ago when they first met.

Retired Characters

Malphas (Michael Williams) by Theudis: Silver Ladder Mastigos. 34 year-old business lawyer, with the Westpac bank in Martin Place, Sydney CBD one of his main clients. He also caters to a lot of other smaller businesses. His parents divorced when he was younger, his father winning custody over him and his sister. He regularly keeps in touch with his sister, who is a Doctor in North Shore Private. Somewhat arrogant, he tends to put himself before others, and won’t pass off an opportunity to boss people around.

• Update (4/3/09) – Malphas has since fallen under the influence of Uriel, the Destroyer, one of thirty fallen angels inhabiting ancient Roman Denarius coins. It is known that he has killed the Chamberlain of the Summer Court, and two Wardens. He may have other, yet unknown, victims.

Al Mullen: Sleepwalker. University Student (from UTS) studying Mechanical Engineering. Childhood friend of Kennith. Skilled mechanic, skills which she learned by herself. Of her three older brothers, one (the one closest in age to her) has been caught on the wrong side of the law a few times, and is currently serving time for various offences. She is very protective of Kennith.