Magus Operandi

Subject: Magus Operandi Mon Mar 16, 2009 6:06 pm

Auburn is unusually busy tonight; people roam the streets, seemingly moving from one bar to the next. Looking at your comm, you see it is almost 7. Where is this blasted magic shop?! The map your fixer sent is only mildly helpful as there is massive amount of construction at the moment ((OOC: Ignore that bit if you're not driving Razz

)).

You eventually find the street you're looking for, and you've even got a couple minutes to spare.

The shop is part of a pretty non-descript building with a fast food place to the left, and what appears to be a store selling everything from virtual pets to your run-of-the mill applications for homes and comms.

All of the surrounding stores seem to have other stores above them except the magic shop. Could it really be THAT big?

Upon entering the shop, you find yourself in a rather small and unimpressive room. Straight ahead of you (maybe 20 meters) is the counter and shop keeper, and surrounding you are many shelves with magical things on them.

((Anyone with any backgrounds dealing with magic or, you know, mages, would notice that the stuff on the shelves is rather ordinary and pretty useless. Stuff sold to non-awakened people who just wish they did magic. OOC: It's basically a new age store you'd find in the real world today.))

You can't help but wonder where the rest of the shop is, and how to get to it as there doesn't appear to be any other rooms attached to this one. ((OOC: Think cartoons when they enter a small building and it's huge inside... this is the opposite))

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Wed Mar 18, 2009 3:32 pm

Using his dodge scoot to slide gently down the back roads of the city, Anton simply followed the mapsoft that had been sent to him, these things were rarely completely accurate. Then again, with all the constant construction in the city, how could they be. He eventually rolled up to the shop, checked the address and shut down his dodge scoot. Feeling throughout the local trix, Anton felt the digital pressence of his drones, smiling that they had indeed followed him along the roof tops, Two on the right roof tops, two on the left rooftops. His new toys were becoming quite trustworthy, too bad they weren't battle tested yet. Opening up a series of AR windows he had the two on the right set up along the roofs and touch down, keeping an eye directly over the front of the shop. The other two were to land and set-up facing the opposite direction, creating an overlapping field of fire, just in case. "And i shall trust that you shall watch over me my friends." He closed all but two windows connected to his drones, So he could keep an eye out with them.

Opening the door way and entering the shop, Father Anton was quite amazed by all the magical doodads in the shop, Even Genevieve and her sister didn't have this collection yet. "Hi i was told to come here, a friend of mine said you were Looking for help?" Showing the shop keeper the message on his commlink. Keeping a proverbial eye on the clock he realized that he was only five minutes early.

Decidedly impatient, Anton decided to take 1 minute and run a search on the trix to see what he could find on this store while he waited.

(Client: Magical Emporium) Data Search 3 + Browse 4 + Logic 5 = 12 = 8 hits ((OOC: Am i supposed to use logic?))

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Wed Mar 18, 2009 5:31 pm

((OOC: Most Search actions are handled as an Extended Test using your Data Search skill + Browse program. Th e gamemaster sets the threshold and interval based on how easy or difficult he wants the information to be, as suggested on the Search Table. So nope, no logic, just data search + browse))

%%% ANTON %%%

You enter the shop, and begin to approach the counter while flipping open the AR window for your outgoing search. The man behind the counter watches you, but it doesn't seem to be out of suspicion or anything like that; he simply looks bored.

As you show him your comm screen, he smiles slightly. "Please, have a seat" he says as he motions toward a black plush leather couch to the left of the counter. "Someone will be with you shortly." As he finishes his sentence, he reaches under the counter momentarily. To your relief, he is not holding a weapon when his hand comes back up to rest on the counter.

Subject: Magus Operandi Wed Mar 18, 2009 9:11 pm

(OOC been hecktic week will post tommorow, promise)

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:08 pm

Outside the shop, a sleek Suzuki Mirage pulls up, an elven woman getting off it. She's dressed in what appears to be a black bodysuit, with a bow and quiver strapped to her back, and several pouches on her belt. As she walks through the door, the woman looks around, nodding as she did so. She knew there had to be a trick somewhere. But then again, she wasn't the kind of adept that really focused on things like that.

Moving over to the counter, she nods to the person behind the counter. "I was told that you were hiring for a job?" She looks over to the other person in the store, sizing him up. Didn't look like much, but then looks could be deceiving.

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:48 am

The man points you toward the sofa as well.

"I'm sure Mr. Johnson will be right up." His hand again goes under the counter for a second or two.

Subject: Magus Operandi Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:37 pm

Blast pulls up on his scoot (ooc deja vu?) and does a data search on both the magic shop and any incidents that may have occurred on the street that the data shop is on. His Elven grace allows him to move swiftly over to counter.

Die roll for Blast
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1988098/
Rolled on: 2009-03-20 14:32:13.569330
1d6 → [1] = (1)
1d6 → [1] = (1)
1d6 → [6] = (6)
1d6 → [4] = (4)
1d6 → [1] = (1)
1d6 → [1] = (1)
Computer + Data search?
well drek, must be some heavy duty cover up soft

He walks in and adjusts his sunglasses, then shows the message he received to the front desk man.

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:26 pm

As Blast walks into the shop, the man behind the counter again reaches under the counter, looking quite annoyed at this point.

Before Blast has a chance to join the other two on the couch, a small portion of the back wall slides open and an average-size human walks out and toward the counter.

The shop keeper looks toward the man and frowns slightly with dissapointment. "It appears as though your host is otherwise occupied. Please follow this man and he'll take you down to the meeting room."

The newly arrived man walks over to the counter and lifts up a small portion of it to allow you to pass through. He is quite pale, but is dressed in a fine suit that looks to be quite expensive. Around his neck he wears a thin golden chain and a small golden amulet with some sort of red gem set into it rests just below his neck line.

He motions for you to follow him.

As you get toward the door you can feel a slight draft coming from beyond. Just behind the door is a stone staircase that spirals downward. The way is lit by several torches in sconces along the way.

When you reach the bottom of the staircase you notice that the room you are in has several plush leather chairs and a small table. The man motions toward the chairs and goes to stand behind the table.

He pulls a small wooden box off of a shelf built into the wall and sets it upon the table.

The box is covered in glowing runes made of some sort of metal that seems to be changing colors.

Subject: Magus Operandi Fri Mar 20, 2009 10:33 pm

Blast looks at the box inquisitively and says
"If I might ask: what is that for?"

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Fri Mar 20, 2009 10:36 pm

As Anton entered the basement with his group he kept in mind the results of his searches and archived them into his comm link for later storage. Walking with deft and assured steps he would stand behind one leather chairs, "I'm sorry but i prefer to stand if you don't mind" A soft bit of his russian accent would peak through his voice as he closed his eyes and waited for whatever may come. Actually he was watching the AR windows that he still had tied to his two drones and made sure that no other surprises were abound. The clunk of the box on the desk brought his attention back to his other reality. Cocking his head as he looked to the box, "What is that, if i may ask?"

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:10 pm

Walking down to the basement with the others, the Nightingale looked around at the setting. Interesting setup. Hidden passages were a time-honored tradition, but it was always nice to see some of the old cliches in action. Passing into the basement room, Nightingale sits in on of the offered chairs, watching the other three people in the room all the while, a practiced eye reading their moves. She might not be the best negotiator around, but she was well schooled in the art of psychological warfare. Reading a foe was key to breaking them. Looking at the man, she crossed her legs, and leaned back in her chair, not getting too close to the box with the glowing runes. Nothing ever good came from a box with glowing runes on it.

Subject: Magus Operandi Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:34 am

Ryu parked his Doble Revolution and set down the kickstand (more out of habit than necessity). Pulling Arachne out of his coat, Ryu let the small drone take flight beside him, a faithful companion if there ever was one.

"Is this the place?"

Ryu double checked the mapsoft given him by his fixer, overlaying it on his personal Seattle-soft.
"well, it's not perfect, but this must be the place. Better follow Sensei's instructions" The memory of his master's first teachings sprung to his minds, hearing the words like he was there "WHAT THE F***??? WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!!!". Maybe not the most eloquent of teachings, but the meaning still held true. Ryu knew where he was, now he needed to learn as much as he could about where he was going.

Closing his eyes, Ryu reached out with his mind, searching for what his eyes couldn't see

ASense+Intuition for anything out of the ordinary: 1d6=2, 1d6=4, 1d6=6, 1d6=6, 1d6=4, 1d6=4

"Well, here goes nothing" Ryu headed into the building as Arachne landed on his shoulder, looking like a large, metallic Tarantuala.

Looking around, Ryu noticed the array of seemingly useless New Age paraphanalia. "Baka Hitsuji" Translation "Stupid Sheep"Walking to the counter "I'm here about the job" Ryu showed the message to the man at the counter.
While the man at the counter looks over the message, Ryu does a quick astral scan of the interior mainly for magic or astral beings. Assense 3 hits : 1d6=1, 1d6=5, 1d6=5, 1d6=2, 1d6=5, 1d6=2

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:40 pm

The pale man is standing behind the table silent and motionless, his eyes seem to be peering into your very soul. Without taking his eyes from you, the man reaches down toward the box and touches it gently on the top.

The runes on the box glow gently brighter and the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end every so slightly as, what is very obviously magic, courses through the box.

The pale man takes a step back and leans against the wall as the lid of the box opens to reveal a small crystal suspended from the lid by thin thread. With the light from the outside of the box, it is very hard to spot the thread, but you can see it if you look very hard.

After a couple of seconds to allow the room to settle, the crystal seems to start speaking!

"I'm terribly sorry for the wait everyone. I am Mr. Johnson and I've called you all here." The crystal seems to be flashing in time with Johnson's words.

"Anyway, I'm sure you're all wondering why I've called you here. I am in need of some assistance. I've been working very hard for the better part of the past year on preparing something for a client, and it's recently been stolen. That is all I am able to tell you before you've accepted the mission."

The crystal stops flashing as if to wait for your responses.

Subject: Magus Operandi Sun Mar 22, 2009 5:58 pm

Ryu came in and sat down just in time to see the box opened. Not sure he wanted to see the true nature of the crystal, or how far it's link might extend, Ryu shifted his senses away from the astral.

After listening to the very brief overview, Ryu began to reconsider the job. Unfortunately, he needed the money.
"I believe my services may be hired for such a task, assuming the pay is commensurate. What details can you give?"

Ryu relaxed in his chair, letting Arachne crawl down to his lap. He tried to relax, but simple retrieval missions are never simple, and this was shaping up to be a complicated retrieval.

Subject: Magus Operandi Sun Mar 22, 2009 6:07 pm

A little freaked out by the man stitched closed Blast wonders if its actually him talking instead of the Johnson.

huh...a Johnson-in-a-box

What has been stolen...uh Mr. Johnson?

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Mon Mar 23, 2009 2:29 pm

"Ok, since it looks like everyone is pretty much in I'll fill you in the rest of the details" says the crystal.

"My brothers and sisters of the Hermetic Order of the Sun have been preparing a spirit vessel for almost a year now. The vessel required some very delicate and rare ingredients and so we have had to take our time and work very carefully. Last night our vessel was taken. We fear it has been taken by those who wish ill of our client. Unfortunately, I cannot release our client's identity for obvious reasons. We've captured an image of one of the men who stole the vessel and it will be given to you along with a 2,500 NuYen each as an up front payment. We fear that the vessel may be sold on the black market, and that gives you a window of only a couple days to retrieve it."

The crystal goes dark for a moment to let the information sink in.

"We've informed our client that the preparation for the vessel will be delayed, but that it shall be delivered in one piece. The payment to my order for this vessel will ensure that we're able to remain an Order and operate for centuries to come, and so we would be very interested in the vessel not being harmed."

"You'll be taking this crystal along with you in order to help you find the vessel. It's been attuned to the vessel's magic and will glow brightly in the vessel's presence. I will also be able to update you on the vessel's location by speaking to you through the crystal. Unfortunately, my scrying magic won't last forever. As the vessel gets further and further away, the magic begins to die and I can see less and less."

"Upon return of the vessel in one piece, you will be paid another 5,000 NuYen each for a total of 7,500 NuYen for each of you. There is also the possibility of more work either for my Order directly, or for our client in they're impressed by your work."

The crystal again fades to dark.

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:18 pm

Ugh. Spirits. Why did it always have to do with spirits when you dealt with the awakened types? Either it was someone trying to bind an insanely powerful spirit, or they were unleashing insect spirits somewhere, or some other insanity. Give her a nice, simple game of beating someone to death with her bare hands any day.

Sighing, the Nightingale nods her head slowly. "7500 nuyen goes a long way. I guess I'm in." Still, she'd rather not deal with such things. Looking over to the others, she says, "Don't suppose either of you know where to get started with such things?"

Subject: Magus Operandi Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:26 pm

Blast pulls out a cigar smells it and says:

"Very well, I shall take this job. But what exactly is a spirit vessel? How will we recognize it? Do you have a picture of it?"

And thinks:
Information is critical on this one. Should get as much as possible before decking in

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:24 am

The crystal comes back to life with lights, "This very crystal will glow brighter as you get closer to the vessel. Also, the vessel should be relatively easy to spot on the astral. That's two in, and the third?"

Subject: Magus Operandi Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:58 am

Ryu looks at the others, then back at the crystal.
"I guess I'm in too."
Ryu looks at the rest of the party. "I'm Ryu, a pleasure to meet you both. I know some of the art, and I place my skills at your disposal."
Ryu gives his commcode to his comrades. Then Ryu shifts his senses to the astral to memorize the aura's of his commrades. Also, he will take a glance at the crystal.

ASense to memorize auras first, then to scan the crystal

((OOC: Sorry if the forum posted rolls create too much clutter. Invisible Castle is down and I don't know any other sites. Embarassed

))

Subject: Magus Operandi Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:58 am

The member 'Talwyn' has done the following action : Dices roll

#1 'D6' : 6, 6, 2, 1, 4, 2

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

#2 'D6' : 4, 2, 6, 3, 2, 2

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:39 am

Anton didn't know much about how magic worked, what he did know came from second hand knowledge from the minor mages back at the cleric, but a glowing bbox defiently peaked his weird-drek-o-meter. "I'm in as well, i may not know much of magic, but i can definetly find things, especially if they have any form of a data trail."

And with that Anton would snap into action, spending the next few full minutes cycling through the matrix at top speed to find any loose infomation on a missing magical vessel, and if the culprits left any digital fingerprints that might be sniffed out:

Possible culprits = Data Search 3 + Browse 4 = 5
Digital evidence* = Data Search 3 + Browse 4 = 3
other purposes for Magical Vessels = evidence Data Search 3 + Browse 4 = 1
Local security = feeds Data Search 3 + Browse 4 = 4
link for hits
*evidence of comm traffic about the vessel, security tampering, etc.

Subject: Magus operandi Thu Mar 26, 2009 9:56 pm

Data Search + Computer: Information on what a Spirit Vessel is

cross referenced on

people who know how to handle and sell a spirit vessel

(OOC I assume we have the image of one of the men who was seen stealing it)

Cross Referenced on

Photo of man in General databases.

3 hits

Subject: Re: Magus Operandi Fri Mar 27, 2009 4:53 pm

The crystal again lights up.

"Alright then, it's settled. The man upstairs will see to your up front payment, and I'll let you be on your way. Feel free to use this room as long as you need to formulate a plan. However, the vessel is moving away from here at a pretty decent rate. It seems as if the culprits are heading toward due West. I will keep you up to date on their location for as long as I am able. My men have informed me that the breach was practically undetected, and I fear that you may be up against a team not unlike yourselves. If that is true, then I have no doubt that they were hired by someone else to steal the vessel from us. They will be heading to rendezvous with their employer. I would suggest getting to them before they reach whomever it is that wanted possession of the vessel. It may not be impossible after that point, but I can bet it will be quit a bit more difficult."

With that, the crystal fades and the man leaning against the wall removes it from the box. He walks over to Ryuu and hands it to him. He then walks back to the box, closes the lid and places it back onto the shelf he had removed it from.

Turning, he walks back up the stairs you all came down, leaving you alone.

Subject: Magus Operandi Sat Mar 28, 2009 7:05 pm

Blast looks around at the others and says
"Ok if we are going to do this together we should Introduce ourselves: you can call me Blast. I specialize in Matrix to reality sabotage and opportunistic combat"

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