2020-03-12 Alchemical Investigation

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## Log

> **K. Malcolm Lawson**Lionsgate Apartments - 17th Floor, Apartment 17C - 1:54 AM
> Malcolm Lawson couldn't sleep.
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> Not that this was particularly unusual. A night owl by nature who seldom required much more than half a night's sleep to function, the late night hours he found particularly productive for all sorts of purposes, but most especially for occult research.
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> And a question of occult research definitely vexed him tonight. Two days before, he had witnessed what he was reasonably certain was the aftermath of an Awakening, but he could not manage to convince the frightened young woman to let him escort her anywhere to explain the situation. In hindsight, it was a rather creepy proposition he had made, and he would have realized it if he'd been thinking about it at all, and like many of his social failures, he'd been ruminating on it since it happened. But that wasn't the only thing that had him vexed.
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> In the aftermath of the situation, he'd gone in the company of another strange magus named Tati to explore the location where the events took place. While they were there, they had found a hidden door into a secret alchemical laboratory in the basement. Malcolm had taken his time and photographed the whole setup in detail to study later, and had pocketed a shard of the glass with particularly strong resonance, having thrown the one with obvious blood on it down the gutter but pocketing the other shard when his companion was distracted. He was going to bring the whole thing up with his Mentor, Nicholas, later that day, but wanted to find out all he could about the setup first.
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> To do that, he would have to do some research, and quickly, and for that, Malcolm needed to empower his mental faculties for the task ahead.
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> Removing a rug in his study that covered an occult circle with runes of mental power all around it, Malcolm sat in the lotus position, and began to clear his mind . . .
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> /r 6d10>=4f1**SidekickBOT**@K. Malcolm Lawson: 6d10>=4f1 = (4 1 5 3 4 3, 2 successes) = 2**K. Malcolm Lawson**(Damn 1's, but it'll do for a 1 dot boost to Wits for a few minutes to quickly sort through his own materials.)**Janothar**He can feel his thinking become quicker, and he can tell it will be fleeting, he only has a short time with that benefit.**K. Malcolm Lawson**Quickly turning to his personal library of occult materials, Malcolm flipped through the contents, quickly sorting what materials would be most likely to contain references to the practices that might have been at work in the old alchemical lab he and Tati had uncovered the night before.
> (Rolling Wits+Research, modified by Library 3, ST specify Difficulty)**Janothar**Difficulty will be 8**K. Malcolm Lawson**/r 9d10>&61;8f1**SidekickBOT**@K. Malcolm Lawson: 9d10>&61;8f1 &61; (7 9 2 8 1 6 8 7 4, 2 successes) &61; 2**Janothar**He can only find hints, this is far more esoteric than anything that the Columbia library has publicly, but based on his best work, there's a couple of books that might have SOMETHING relevant to him.**K. Malcolm Lawson**Taking out of his personal collection the few books that might have some relevance on the question, Malcolm poured through them, skimming the material for references that he could research further in a better appointed library. Malcolm knew that only a few of his personal materials concerned the mystical science of alchemy directly, but he did know someone who did, and before digging in too deeply, he fired off a text message to Albina Venenatus, the Hermetic teacher who first noted his potential, not really expecting an answer at this hour, but it wouldn't surprise him.
> (Rolling Intelligence+Research to work through the information he has found for insights, if only to name more potential sources. 1 Specialty, ST specify Difficulty)**Janothar**Difficulty is again 8**K. Malcolm Lawson**/r 8d10>&61;8f1**SidekickBOT**@K. Malcolm Lawson: 8d10>&61;8f1 &61; (6 4 8 5 10 3 4 10, 3 successes) &61; 3**K. Malcolm Lawson**(I'm not certain if his Brilliant Specialty would apply, but that is 2 10's)**Janothar**The number one takeaway he has from this is that that lab wasn't set up for use by an alchemist. At least, not any normal sort of alchemist. From what was left of the glassware, it had some other purpose. Unfortunately, as he knows, his library just doesn't have finely detailed alchemical information in it. But very few laboratories include glassware with the sigils of the Nine Spheres on them, most that use them as alchemical symbols don't use all of the symbols, as several have the same meaning to alchemists.**K. Malcolm Lawson**"This was definitely an Awakened Magus operating this laboratory, just as I suspected." Malcolm muttered to himself as he made notes of the places where the symbols of the Nine Spheres overlapped with the notations of 'normal' alchemy, eliminating the common elements but still feeling the inescapable conclusion that there was something more going on here than met the eye.
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> "Nothing in the school library comes close to this. I had a feeling I started in the right place, but where to go from here?" Malcolm mused, used to talking to himself when he was vexed with a problem.
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> "The Chantry would definitely have more resources on this, but I can't go there by myself. If only Nicholas were awake."**Janothar**He gets a text back from Albina What's up?**K. Malcolm Lawson**The phone buzzing interrupted his reverie, but he was grateful to see Albina had texted back. She would probably know at a glance what he was looking at, or at least hazard a much better guess. He quickly texted back.
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> Bit of late night research, hit a dead end, kind of a long story to explain by text. Can we meet at the RKR Rendezvous? I'd like to use their resources, and I'd love to hear your take on the problem.**Janothar**She texts back a moment later Sure, come right to my lab, I'm in the middle of something, but maybe I'll spot something**K. Malcolm Lawson**Malcolm smiled. He always enjoyed Albina's company, and whatever she was up to would certainly be interesting. He texted back.
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> That'll work. Be there in 20 if the metro's on time. Thanks a lot, see you in a bit.
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> Setting the books back in their rightful places except for Verandus' Alchemical Primer, which he tucked in his messenger bag, Malcolm sat back down in the circle, centering himself and attempting once again to call forth the magic of the Mind Unleashed. He would need all his wits and then some to keep up with Albina.
> (Rolling for the Rote "The Mind Unleashed", Intelligence + Meditation, Level 1 Sphere Rote, No Sleeper Witnesses.)
> /r 6d10>&61;4f1**SidekickBOT**@K. Malcolm Lawson: 6d10>&61;4f1 &61; (6 9 6 3 9 10, 5 successes) &61; 5**Janothar**(You want this to last for the scene? If so, that costs 2, leaving 3 for other things...and so you can pick up one dot)**K. Malcolm Lawson**(I would allocate 3 dots of bonus to Wits, and 2 to duration, unless the 10 counted double, in which case 3 to duration, though I'm not sure how you'd apply specialties to Rotes)**Janothar**(ah, one per success, my bad, you have three dots to distribute)**K. Malcolm Lawson**(I really like your alternative Rotes system, makes me actually feel like it's worth it.)**Janothar**(I don't believe that Brilliant applies here, so you have Wits 5 for the remainder of the scene)**K. Malcolm Lawson**(Works for me)
> Heading out into the city, Malcolm made for the nearest metro station and headed for Albina Venanatus's Lab.
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> (Scene shifts to Venenatus's Lab.)**Janothar**Traveling, he notices that even though it's late at night, it seems dead. The City that Never Sleeps feels horrifically empty, and train cars are empty without anything horrible in them. It's unprecedented, and disturbing. The City is trying to take precautions now, and he has a moment of worrying that he's doing something stupid by being outside at all. But eventually, he arrives at the Covenant.**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Man, this Coronavirus business must really have everyone spooked. It's not usually exciting at this hour, but I've never seen the city this empty." Malcolm quietly mused to himself getting out of the subway.
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> "It's definitely spooky, but with so few people out, at least I won't be seen getting to the rendezvous." Malcolm made his way there, unseen by sleeper or Awakened, and disappeared.
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> (Continued in Red King's Revenge)**K. Malcolm Lawson**Malcolm enters Red King's Revenge from the Rendez-vous point, noting to the handlers he has a meeting with Albina Venenatus. Apprentices aren't usually allowed on Chantry grounds, but seeing as he was meeting with a Hermetic known to be one of his teachers, an exception is made.
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> (ST please describe location at destination.)**Janothar**The Covenant itself is an old, run-down mansion in Brooklyn. For those who haven't been initiated (and apprentices have been), the place is hard to notice particularly, it has something that must be similar to Arcane on it, but everyone inside knows that it has to be carefully maintained. This, undoubtedly, has done more to keep their location secret from the Union than anything else. The inside, however, is almost lavish. They've been in one spot for centuries, and you can accumulate quite a bit of wealth in that time. The styles change abruptly between rooms, with some being frozen looking like they were last redecorated two hundred years ago, and perhaps they were. The basement contains the laboratories, and it's been dug deeper over the years, with multiple underground levels to make room for all the equipment and materials that the various members have brought in. The Chantry's decline over the last few decades is shown by how few people actually use the lab space, and it's clear that though it generally seems like a busy place, it was once much busier and more crowded.
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> Albina's got the third laboratory in the first subbasement, and though it isn't big, she's packed all sorts of bizarre things into it. She only barely has room to move around, and Malcolm always feels the need to be extra careful when there**K. Malcolm Lawson**Sliding into the room, Malcolm steps carefully into view, making no sudden movements so as not to startle Albina while she's working. Malcolm has long since learned not to interrupt while she's mixing reagents, and instead marvels at the Alchemist at work until she reaches a point where the work can pause.**Janothar**There's a puff of weird, purple smoke when she fixes two reagents, and then sets a flash onto a hot plate, dropping in a magnetic stirrer. "So, what've you got?"**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Mater Albina, good to see you as always."
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> Malcolm carefully worked his way around the tables full of beakers and vials and bubbling fluids to be closer to his teacher, as he'd have to show her the photos on his phone to explain the whole story.
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> "As I said, bit of a long story. Early morning Tuesday I was locking up at the internship when I just knew something big had gone down nearby. Hairs on the back of the neck standing up and everything. I opened the All Seeing Eye like you taught me, and I saw the trail, which led to an old house downtown, it looked a bit out of place as the rest of the neighborhood had definitely been gentrified a lot, but I think it was marked for historical preservation."
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> "Anyway, no sooner do I get there than two people come running out the door, a young man fleeing like the devil himself is on his heels, and a young woman, dark hair, olive skin, glasses, is chasing after him, and she was just radiating power. I've never seen anything like it, not even when watching you or Nick work something big with the Third Eye open."
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> "Figuring she's the source of whatever's going down, I follow her into the Metro station, where her friend barrels through someone on the platform and into the next car, and the woman chasing him trips over the person the young man ran over and collapses in a heap. The man gets away on the train when it moves, and I tried to help the ladies get up, but they declined my assistance, and though I tried to get the young woman to come with me so I could figure out what happened, she didn't go for it, but I did get her name as Shiloh."
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> "I couldn't follow her without looking like a stalker, and as I was going to head back out, I saw the woman who got bowled over scrawling some sacred geometry on a columnnade, and with the eye still open, she lit up like a bonfire. She was definitely working some Ars Conjunctionis, my guess was scrying on Shiloh. And that's where things got interesting . . ."**Janothar**She nods, indicating for him to continue.**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Now, the other magus, who gave me her name as Tati, I don't know if that rings any bells for you, flags me down, wanting to dress me down over handling that situation. I may have put my foot in my mouth as only I can, but I was trying to help, but something told me this person might be helpful in getting to the bottom of the situation. She was stumbling around like she was drunk, which could have been true but I bet was more from her seeing two places at once, but she agreed to come with me and get in a touch of trouble investigating the source of the problem. Those two kids blasted out that door and left the house wide open, and it being nearly 4 in the morning with rumors of the next bubonic plague running through the streets, not a soul was around. I checked for obvious guards and cameras and put on gloves to keep from leaving forensics, and then we went into check the place out."
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> "I know a bit of light trespassing is not my usual M.O., but I had to know what was going on, and in the process of scoping out the house, we found a secret room in the basement, behind a heavily locked door opened from within and accessed by a secret passageway. Clearly a setup to avoid scrutiny. This place looked like it hadn't been used since the turn of the 20th century, judging by the thick layer of dust on everything, but we could clearly make out a very complex alchemical setup. I took photos, of course, for future reference."
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> Opening up his phone, he scrolls through his photos of the whole Alchemical setup, including all the jars with symbols for the spheres on them.
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> "I know from the copy of Verandus' Alchemical Primer you gave me that some of the symbols of the Spheres are used as Alchemical notation from time to time, but not all nine of them in one place at one time."**Janothar**She looks over the photos "It's a shame so much of the glassware was broken. That looks like quality equipment."**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Anyway, one of the jars was broken, and one of them - I'm not sure which one - cut themselves on it, and that's just not the sort of forensics you just leave lying around. I picked it up and another piece with a lot of resonance."**Janothar**"You have the blood?" she's definitely interested in that**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Unfortunately no, because my companion saw me pick it up and I couldn't quietly pocket it, so I made a show of disposing of it, show of good faith. Tati doesn't have a good impression of our Order, I get the impression she was a washout, and I didn't want her to think we were going to stalk the kids magically even though that was exactly what she was doing. But she didn't see me get the other sample, and this one has a fair amount of Resonance on it still."**Janothar**She's a bit disappointed, but nods**K. Malcolm Lawson**"None of the rest of the equipment was glowing nearly as much as these shards, so I assumed the impressions are fresh from the experience. I'm not sure, but I think the flare up was caused by one of the two - I think Shiloh - Awakening. Do you think the impressions could be strong enough to track using this?"
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> "And the other question I had is what sort of setup was this? What was the magus who put it together doing with it? And could this whole situation have done what I think it did, and Awaken this young woman Shiloh? If so, how do we find her, and how to we approach this time so she isn't scared off?"**Janothar**"Hand me the piece, and let me look over that setup..." she's frowning, which she does when she's thinking something over, and he's guessed in the past that it indicates that she knows something she isn't saying.**K. Malcolm Lawson**Secretiveness was the nature of Order Mages, and Malcolm hated it, because it meant he was always working with less than the full truth of any given situation, but he knew prying would get him nowhere, so he handed over the evidence and brought up the photos again, letting his Mater put the pieces together.**Janothar**She takes the shard of glass and drops it into a beaker, it dissolves and turns the liquid in it a dark blue color. "This resonance is at least 70 years old. I'm surprised you could feel anything from it."**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Damn. So the impression is from the equipment and not the people handling it."
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> "Still, it did retain that impression even after a very long time. Why would it still have such energies clinging to it after so much time spent in disuse?"**Janothar**"That's a very good question...and none of the explanations I can think of would make sense for it to be as fragile as that." she shakes her head "This glassware is definitely special though...I don't think I've seen quite anything like it." She pauses and looks off, thinking "Best guess I have is that it was a Wonder of some sort. If you can get your hands on another sample, it might be worth showing to your new Pater from House Verditius."**K. Malcolm Lawson**"Well, I know where the whole setup is, it's just a matter of getting in and out again without anyone noticing."
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> "Which leads me to the conclusion of the story, as it was getting near on to dawn, and I really didn't want those two getting in any more trouble, so at my suggestion, Tati and I closed up the place as we were on our way out, locking the doors from within and closing the one open window, but I didn't lock it, because I presumed the window is how they got in in the first place. I figured if the house didn't look broken into, and no one knew about the basement, no one would look into the matter, saving our lost friend at least the hassle of legal pursuit. But yes, Pater Nicholas would certainly appreciate the setup, if only we could get at it."**Janothar**"Sounds like an important problem that can be solved with some Antinomian Praxis."**K. Malcolm Lawson**Malcolm blanched at the suggestion. "That could be, I already dared that once, carefully covering my tracks. Twice might be pushing my luck, but I know where at least one open window is. I have a few other ideas of how to get into the place, though, that might merit trying first."
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> "Thank you, Mater, for your insight. I know more than I did, which was the purpose of coming to see you. This being our only lead on saving a potential Orphan, I think it may merit taking a few unorthodox risks, but only if all other possibilities are exhausted."
> (And speaking of exhausted, it is once again 5 AM over here on the East Coast, and I think that's a good spot to call it a scene.)**Janothar**She nods at that "Good luck, Malcolm. If I think of anything else, I will let you know."