Liaisons Surnaturelles

* William inspects the Aetherscope, Signe intently studies the notes they’ve gathered
* Martha cleans a bit more then says a prayer for everyone:
** Herself - Thanks for her new disguise, for her parents not to find her, for understanding she’s going to return the habit.
** Signe - Help with her murder board, and her skittishness around people.
** William - To find whatever he’s looking for in that bottle.
** Cyrus - For some nice spirits to talk to
** Wila - To grow up to be a good young lady
** Alec - To grow up to be a good young lady
* Alec compliments Martha’s contributions to the investigation so far:
** Martha wants to use the habit to gain access to church records around the timeframe of the Lycan Pact (1702), and look to see if the three Men Of Letter members had any interactions with the Church.
*** Étienne Broussard, Claudine Mercier, René Duvalier
* Cyrus looks like he’s talking to himself, but he’s really conversing with the spirits. 
** During the moments when he’s talking about what he gleaned from the Aetherscope, he becomes acutely aware of the sound before someone speaking. . . 
*** He knows someone is going to respond to him.
**** As he waits for this sound, he realizes it’s ingrained in his memory, like a child putting a seashell to their ear and hearing the roar of the ocean.
**** This sound gets louder, other spirits open their mouths and their voice joins this chorus of waves lapping; like the sea. 
**** Then the spirits go quiet. 
*** Cyrus blames the ley lines for this.
* He decides to focus his attention on the altar where the Aetherscope was found
** He notices wear on other symbols, which could represent more combinations that open up additional panels. 
*** All the symbols match those on the Aethersphere.
*** They are all mundane and esoteric in nature. 
** He starts randomly “pushing buttons” but then it occurs to him that without the correct combination, he could make things worse, so he gives up for now.
* Signe is trying to figure out where all these clues lead them next
** She tries sorting some of the clues around, like Gerrard’s journal, the info about the Aetherscope, Martha’s drawing of the symbols. . .
*** Her thoughts can’t move away from Cyrus!!
** Alec suggests going to the Crescent Observer but thinks we should wait until we have a good line of questioning.
* Signe tries to focus on the reason they were called to New Orleans:
** The information about the Aethercope does not fit; a coincidence they stumbled upon.
*** This also moves Gerrard’s journal aside. 
** The Map from the library of the bayou may be a dead end to finding the missing Tears of The Moon artifact.
*** Either someone already found it or it’s lost to time.
** Regarding the alchemical symbols:
*** There appears to be two types of killing:
**** Animalistic: Alec found info on the consummation of hearts to gain power
**** Ritualistic: The symbol carved on those bodies was the symbol for silver, could be a marked werewolf victim.
* There are symbols of protection around the city which could mean there is a divide between factions and not an all-out war.
** The murders are too subtle 
** Possibly a small group of people or a person.
* Lillian Gauthier could be a good person to talk to.
* As an Apothecarian, she’s in a unique position to possibly have contacts with both groups (witches, werewolves)
* Cyrus wonders who stands to gain from this perceived conflict?
** If it’s a third party, they could be using the Tears of The Moon artifact to manipulate things
*** It doesn’t sit well with him that there was a pact in place for so long and it’s apparently broken in such a small way. 
* The decision is made to go to see Lillian Gauthier.
* On her way past the altar, Martha glances at the symbols and asks Cyrus if any of the symbols remind him of the impression he got from the Aetherscope (crushing depth, burning desire, severance & death).
** She suggests they try pressing those on the altar.
** Cyrus presses them but nothing happens. . . 
*** Suddenly cold salt water starts pouring from the altar, along with all the sounds of the sea. . . and Cyrus feels like he’s at sea.
*** The water is pooling around his ankles
* No one else reacts and he blinks back to the real.
** He is pale and he says, “My god this can’t be happening again.”
* Cyrus’s growing agitation gets Signe’s attention and she looks at him fully for the first time all day. 
** She strongly recommends he stops doing what he’s doing.
*** He is clearly stressed about something, he tries to brush it off. 
*** She points out his demeanor shift since touching the Aetherscope, and how it seems to be getting worse as he investigates the symbols on the altar. 
** She looks more serious now than she’s ever been. 
* This stern countenance of Signe belies more than she’s putting on. Cyrus and William see past this facade.
** She’s put up a wall around herself.
** This wall is filtering her true feelings behind the reaction to Cyrus (Cyrus gets the impression it’s fear). 
** Is there something she’s not saying? Yes. 
* Cyrus agrees to leave it alone if she thinks it’s for the best.
** Him and Signe hold a gaze
** Alec notices this shared gaze lasts for 10 seconds.
* On their way to the Apothecary Cyrus approaches William and asks for his professional medical opinion on his well being.
** They ‘walk and talk’ about how Cyrus is feeling
*** Being in New Orleans, and specifically in the church, has the spirits chatter amplified. 
*** He’s also tired, having trouble focusing, etc.
* William knows the exact remedy!
** Cocaine!!
** He takes two pinches, one in each nostril, and feels better right away.
* William notes that Cyrus looks withered. 
** He is smaller, losing muscle mass.
*** This doesn’t coincide with his mental diagnosis or the decreased level of physical activity. 
** Cyrus thinks it could be the change of lifestyle.
*** William prescribes more exercise, a better diet, etc.
* While the men are chatting, Alec sidles up next to Signe who is walking purposefully down the boulevard.
** They say to her pedantically, “All mankind love a lover”, winks at her, then steps away. 
** Signe is confused but doesn’t say anything, but she hears the end of William’s diagnosis of Cyrus. 
* We arrive in the French Quarter, there is a huge eclectic gathering of people
** Martha straightens her habit, and with Eddie on her shoulder, she uses her opera glasses to look around.
*** She sees a young woman in her late 20’s, long wavy auburn hair and striking green eyes, a mixture of Alec and Cyrus in style, with a plethora of bangles and rings.
**** Practically Bohemian
**** This is Lillian Gauthier!
**** Her shop is the Verdant Veil
* We all step into her shop and make introductions.
** William asks if she has barbital, but she offers a sleeping draught instead.
** She does have coca leaf though! Phew, no worries about running out.
* Signe is looking to see if there are any books on spellcasting, two titles catch her eye: The Green Witch’s Grimoire, and Divine Divination: Using Nature’s Gifts.
** She’s trying to determine if the Verdant Veil is a place where a serious spellcaster would go for resources. 
** Any mentions of Spirit Mercury or the use of hearts
** The Green Witch’s Grimoire is a comprehensive guide to witchcraft and also talks about Spirit Mercury
*** Alchemical transformations and spirit alchemy
**** Described as a metaphysical concept used to denote the essence of life and magical potency
**** Vital for transmuting intentions into physical being.
**** There are details on how SM can be invoked during rituals to enhance the witch’s connection to the natural world, a method to refine and focus the magical energies from natural materials. 
* A cautious approach to hearts, can be used to strengthen spells on healing, binding, protection, as they are the center of the life force.
* A number of ethical concerns.
* Divine Divination talks about the art of divination through natural means such as leaves, stones, crystals, bones, etc.
** Spirit Mercury can be used to enhance divination practices
*** “Integrating” small amounts of mercury in rituals can sharpen the practitioners ability to see beyond the vale 
**** On blades, a mercury coated mirror, for example
** Hearts are a symbol of life and vitality.
Using symbols of hearts can help with healing and interpersonal connection.
* Signe is interested if the spirit or life essence of the witch themself has any bearing on the spell itself (as a spell component).
** She can infer from the information in the books that the hearts could have been removed to increase strength or life force in a ritual. 
*** It clicks for her: The witch’s hearts are being used to increase the power of something 
* She purchases these two books.
* Alec finds a book authored by a local witch
** Veins of The Vale, by Seraphina Debois.
*** There are no publication dates, it’s handwritten
*** It’s about the local ley lines!