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World of Darkness: Attrition - Those Who Hear The Call


SalmonMax

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Setting up a meeting for the magi of LA had been harder than Triessa had expected. They couldn't meet at any one of their houses or sanctums because that wasn't neutral ground, and they didn't know each other yet. And finding neutral ground in LA that wasn't too public to discuss mage matters, or too remote for folks to get to, or unappealing in its own special way (the dump would have been fine, except it was a dump), was a challenge worthy of Merlin. Then she had to call everyone, which was fine. But then she had to juggle everyone's schedules. And for mages, few of them really seemed to have their time well planned. There were several calls that came down to, "Wait, I can't do it that day after all, what about the week after?" And each of those meant calling everyone else to wrangle a new time.

Finally consensus had been reached between the mages who'd come to Lucien and Oneca's party...which Triessa still felt had marked some kind of cosmic alignment. Six mages, though one was still just a fledgeling.

Triessa. Lucien. Aradia. Astra. Thomas. Wakiki.

The gathering was to begin at sunset in one of the conference rooms in the university student union building. As for how she got the key despite not being a student, well...it helped that Triessa was on good terms with the groundskeeper. The room was isolated, but was also a place where six people in their late teens and early twenties wouldn't be a comment-worthy sight. It wouldn't be suitable for full ritual, or vulgar magic, but Triessa didn't see a problem there. They weren't a coven yet.

She started out by setting up the one thing vital for any get-together involving anything remotely human. Snacks. A tin of frosted brownies and 2 liter Coke along with a jug of green tea and some trail mix filled made sure sweet teeth and health nuts alike would be appeased.

Then, with flocks of butterflies in her stomach...she waited.

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Wakiki spun his keys around his forefinger as he got out of his car. He shouldn't have drove; parking on UCLA was a bitch. His grasp of fate wasn't strong enough to magic him up a spot. Besides, magic was a tool, not a crutch. If you started using it for everything, everyday, you started to see it as a hammer and saw everything as a nail. Wakiki preferred to keep an open mind. So he'd used his eyes and driving skills to find a parking spot instead of trying to use magic.

It was a decent walk to the building. Wakiki referred to the map he'd scrawled directions on, checking it occasionally against the signs around campus. The slim Japanese man had a computer bag slung over his shoulder; it didn't hold a laptop despite his mundane career. It held a notebook and a couple of books he was researching. Before he was halfway there, he wished he hadn't brought the bag; it dragged at him.

Once he found the building, he paused to shift his bag to relieve his aching shoulder. He could feel the cloth of his shirt wrinkling and he winced. Finding a bathroom, he took a few moments to straighten his shirt and make himself look presentable, if not desirable. It was a habit instilled by his mother: appearances mattered. While he may have tried to shed those teachings, he was vain enough to keep this one. He was also aware that it was true.

Confident that he didn't look wrinkled or frayed, Wakiki sauntered into the room. His entrance was ruined a little by Tree being the only person there, but Wakiki took it in stride. "Hey, Tree," he said casually, taking in the food. Easing his strap over his head, he dropped his bag into a chair. "Thanks for pulling this together," he said sincerely. He really was glad; he wanted to have a circle of associates with whom he could talk magic. He'd almost had that in Seattle; then his past had come out and almost everyone had shunned him. He was still debating how to handle that here; mages could be gossipy little bitches. So long as the local group didn't know people outside of the locals, he might be able to get away with not saying anything. But if he didn't say anything and they found out, he'd probably lose their trust. To tell or not to tell... that is the mind-fuck.

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Being one of the teachers at the university made this a lot easier for him, at least getting there was very easy, it was better that Trissa had picked out the room at least, he could have done so, but there would have had to be a reason and an explanation for the matter, this was easier for him at least. Finding a parking spot wasn't necessary at all, he already had one, he simply had to stay where he normally would have left for home, so here he was, knocking on the door and entering when invited in. He hoped that this would go well, developing a cabal was an important goal to him, a group of mages could achieve things that alone were simply impossible, and of course, it was good to have someone watching your back.

"Good evening." Thomas said as he entered the room, giving Triss and Wakki a smile as he entered the room, and adding some chips and salsa he had brought to the refreshments that were already there. So, he was the third one present, it was interesting that everyone involved had been to the party, it seemed to be a bit of a stretch in terms of coincidence.. of course, where mages were concerned, chance and luck were sometimes the difference between vulgar and subtle magic's, and fate was sometimes directly involved.

"Look's like I'm the third person here, that's about half of us, if what you said over the phone was correct?" He glanced questioningly at Triss who nodded in response.

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"Hey, guys," Triessa greeted with a grin. She waved them over to the table and gave Thomas a grateful smile for his contribution. "And yeah, just waiting on Aradia and Astra and Lucien now. And remember, Lucien is new, so don't start coming at him in Atlantean or anything. He knows literally nothing, except what Awakening showed him. Be nice."

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Triessa shrugged. "We can start now as long as you don't mind repeating yourself when others show up." She cleared her throat. "You know...if they show up."

She started it off with, "I go by Triessa...and I've joined the Free Council, though I haven't got any local contacts just yet."

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"Imriel, Adamantine Arrow," Wakiki said, popping a nut from the trail mix into his mouth. "I just moved here from Seattle, so I don't have any contacts here. Beyond Whisker."

"Oh?" Triessa asked, looking interested.

"Yes, she's here, too," Imriel replied, fetching a cup and filling it with green tea. His first sip made him wince; he could piss a better 'green tea' than what was in this jug. "She... followed, though that's not the complete truth." His friend had moved here to be close to him, in case he needed it. Her support touched him deeply; when no one else in the Arrow had been willing to trust him, she had. At Triessa's look, he shrugged with one shoulder. "It's complicated."

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"I suppose repeating ourselves may happen a bit over the new few hours, very well, I go by Karus, short for Icarus, but I find, I prefer the shorter version of Karus. Mysterium, Obrimos." He looked at Imriel with a certain degree of interest as he spoke up, considering how the man made his own introduction. "Complicated..that could well be the description of life as one of the awakened, we see more complications then the sleeping dreamers out there, but we have more opportunities to complicate things anyway."

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The door opened and it was clear from he saw in a few faces that he was not the person they expected to see. From his appearance they might have mistaken him for a wayward student. Only Morrison reacted differently. Well, he was the one who had invited him after all. Too settle the matter of his nature, Randy said" I too have walked the Long Road" in High Speech.

Randy crossed the room in comfortable running shoes. His jeans weren't new, but not so old there were holes in them. His shirt was a neutral olive-tan mix that the military favored. His hair was like a tight cut allowed to grow ragged a month or so. His eyes were clear, and his stride strong. A dark-blue backpack was over his left shoulder.

As he drew close, he gave a short, but distinct bow to Thomas, "Brother."

Randy took a chair opposite Triessa.

"My apologies for being late. I'll not make it a habit."

He made eye contact with the other two magi. Finally he ended with Thomas, grinned and said,

"So, what have I missed?"

Thomas' look was a cipher, but he was a college teacher after all. Still, he got a quick update.

"Triessa - Free Council," he said, motioning toward the woman, "and Imriel - Adamantine Arrow. I am of course Mysterium, of the Obrimos Path."

Randy nodded.

'So the others withhold their information, to a degree, but my Elder offers more. Interesting.'

"I am Maeror, of the Mysterium Order, of the Moros Path," might as well raise the ante, "Disciple of Death."

His speechifying done, Randy reached across the table and took a brownie. He took a bite, liked it, and said as much, "Manks ... Mood Mounie."

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Randy was still dealing with crumbs when the door opened again, and an exotic-looking woman entered. She had clear gray eyes and dark hair, which was pulled back into a severe ponytail. Her features were cat-like; a small chin coupled with high cheekbones and big eyes invoked the image of a cat. Imriel grinned at the sight of her and her answering smile only accentuated that impression. She was dressed in jeans and a green top. "Imri," she said warmly before waving to Triessa. "Hey, Tree. How's LA treating you? Or has the meeting started?"

"Sorta," Imriel told his friend. "We're still doing introductions. This is Maeror and Icarus, both Mysterium. Everyone, this is Whisker, Thyrsus and Arrow."

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Triessa waved back and shrugged. "It's not really a formal thing, I just wanted to meet everyone...and have everyone else meet everyone...openly. It seems like there's a lot of us here...but maybe I'm just not used to these big metro areas. Lots of people all squished in, I guess it makes sense that there's more of us too."

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"I'm not nervous," Astra muttered, exhaling a fragrant plume of clove-scented smoke as she stamped out the remnants of her cigarette. It left a black smudge beneath her heel, but amid the multitude of other marks on the sidewalk, that small trace of her passing was almost invisible. "Just cautious." The knife in her boot echoed the sentiment with its reassuring solidity, and she knew the protection of Fate was woven invisibly around her through the aether. It wasn't exactly a bullet-proof vest, but sometimes being that much luckier than your opponent was all it took.

Triessa seemed sincere enough, and it was hard not to catch her enthusiasm, but Astra's hope was tempered by years of wariness; she gave the parking lot one last, slow scan before heading inside the student union building.

She hesitated outside the door to the meeting room, listening to the rise and fall of voices as, she assumed, people introduced themselves. Obviously, not everyone was a Banisher in disguise, but there was something about the prospect of openly identifying herself to a group of strangers that left her feeling uncomfortably exposed. Perhaps it was that half-conscious anxiety which had her dressed in black. In truth, she resembled a Moros more than her own Path, with black boots and jeans and a matching turtleneck, and her dark hair pulled back into a sleek chignon. Only the golden hoop in her ear, and its tiny green feathers, provided a visual break from the grim monochrome of her clothing. Shifting the strap of the messenger bag she carried cross-body, she exhaled and turned the knob, wondering what the cards held in store for the evening.

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"Elder would be pushing it, strongly.. Maeror, I may be more established within our order, but I much confess, I doubt my experience with the mysteries is any more established then yours, in that area we are students together, in fact, I'm not even versed in the death arcana yet, sense it is the inferior arcana within my path." He paused a moment then and looked over to the others.

He had extended the invitation to Randy to come, and now was wondering just how many mages were going to show up, a good strong cabal would be something to be desired, and joining with the other mages was not a bad thing. He looked at those present considering the fact that the lovely young woman who called them together was regrettably of the Free Council, while that wasn't as bad as being a Guardian of the Veil, and even a Guardian was preferred to one of the Seers, it was a minor regret. Not that he couldn't or wouldn't work with her, or even make friends, but it did make him slightly more reserved in some of his considerations.

Of course, having Imriel and Whiskers as the Arrows pleased him, in many ways, the Arrows and the Mysterium were mirrors of one another and often worked together well, though their focus was different, and so far, it looked like there was a good mix of orders and paths here already, hopefully they could join forces and build a cabal together.

He had been about to speak again when Astra entered the room and he smiled slightly, the shimmering of aura here was quite apparent, and he remembered her from the party before. "Good Evening, welcome to our gathering."

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"You're sure this is the right building?"

"Yes, I'm sure! Would you quit asking me that already?"

"Well, you said you were sure about the last two buildings, so you'll forgive my hesitation."

"Yeah, yeah - okay. It's not like I know this place very well yet. I don't have any classes anywhere over here! But I figured the map out right this time, I promise."

Lucien gave her a dubious look, but she smiled at him so earnestly that it was kind of hard not to laugh. She was so.. cute. In that way that short, energetic girls usually are. That is, when she wasn't being bossy or bitchy. Lucien had already gotten a good dose of both of those from the perky mage during their "Awakened 101" cram sessions. She had admitted early on that she wasn't much of a teacher - she hadn't agreed to be his mentor, only to teach him what she knew until she could find him a "real mentor", so that hopefully he wouldn't - and these were her words - "blow himself or the cosmos up first".

Fortunately, Triessa's call had saved Aradia that search. After her initial surprise - no, she really hadn't noticed how many people at the party were supernaturals - well, I didn't know it was normal to go around mage-sighting everyone, I'm used to being around the same people twenty four hours a day, okay! - she was thrilled at the idea. So excited was she that she didn't have to find this fledgling mage a mentor (at least, assuming these people weren't total crackpots or something), she had, for the moment at least, forgotten that she had been trying to avoid immersing herself in mage society.

Lucien swung his fancy car into a parking spot, drawing the attention of several passing students.. many of whom had only dared to dream of a ride as sweet as this one. Taking the opportunity, Aradia rolled down the window and caught the attention of a slightly nerdy but cute looking guy who was one of the several gawkers.

"Hey, is this the student union building?"

The poor boy, unable to cope with the combined fantasy of dream wheels and a hot chick, accidentally let one of his textbooks slip out of his grasp. Aradia shot Lucien an amused look, then opened the car door and picked up the book, holding it out to him. That was enough to snap him out of the daze, though he couldn't escape a slight blush of embarrassment.

"Wh - huh? I mean - oh. Um.. yeah. Yeah! Yeah, this is it."

"Good, thanks. We've been looking everywhere!"

It was then that nerdy boy noticed the hot male model climbing out of the other side of the car. Making several incorrect assumptions, he colored some more as if he'd been caught hitting on Lucien's girl (instead of just answering her question), and started to back away. He muttered something incoherent, then cleared this throat slightly and managed to compliment the intimidatingly gorgeous Lucien on his wheels before practically fleeing the scene. Aradia watched him go, shaking her head slightly. They made it inside, and started down a hallway, both of them searching door numbers as they walked.

"It must be you. Or the car. Guys notice me and shit, but I don't normally send them into a state of paralysis."

"I am perfectly friendly and approachable."

"You are disgustingly movie-star like in appearance, and you drive something worth enough money to feed a small third world country for a week. You scared the shit out of him, don't deny it. Ah - here it is!"

Aradia stopped outside a door, double checking it against the info Triessa had given her, before opening the door and sailing in casually, eyes skimming lightly over the crowd even as she absorbed details about them and their auras through the supernatural vision she was gifted with. She was determined this time not to be caught off-guard again, she'd already made an idiot out of herself once in front of Triessa.

"Sorry we're late guys - we got super lost!" She paused, catching Lucien's icy glare, before shrugging sheepishly and flashing him a grin. "Okay. I got us super lost. So what'd we miss?"

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Brittney, his house keeper, was one hell of a stunning woman and a damn good house cleaner. She only worked for him part-time while trying to pursue her acting career (of course) but Lucien really didn't mind considering how terrific her work ethic was. Now was a prime example of how thoroughly she performed her duties and Lucien sure wasn't complaining.

Bent over the counter top she rhythmically thrust into Lucien who'd barely managed to get his pants off. He'd caught her in the middle of washing dishes and as Lucien was fond of saying 'one thing sorta led to another. Lucien barely heard his cell vibrating on the counter top over her moaning and repetitious requests for him to... well, you get the idea.

"This is Lucien." He said with the tone of a man in the middle of a work out. He didn't bother to stop and she didn't seem to want to either. "What can I do you for?"

"Do I even want to know what you're doing?" Aradia asked, trying not to think to hard about why it sounded like he was running a marathon. Knowing he'd forget about the meeting, like most things that didn't involve women, sex, his school work or his business, she decided to call and remind him.

"Aradia, hey." He smiled even though she couldn't see him. Brittney flexed on his manhood causing him to wince in order to hold back an ecstatic moan. I'm just, uh, putting a load in the dishwasher, what's up?"

Rolling her eyes at the double entendre that was Lucienese she decided it would be safer for her Mind's Eye if she just got on with it. "Meeting. Tonight. Remember?"

"Meetnig, oh... yeah." He had totally forgot. "Uh, shit. Lemme uh, yeah, I'll be there in twenty minutes, kay?" Brittney turned her head about and half scowling and half pouting squeezed the cash n' prizes again. "Uh, y'know what... gimme an hour. I have something here that needs to be done properly before I go. See ya soon."

1 hour and 27 minutes and 1 being incredibly lost, later...

Like he and Wakikooky went to the same school for cool kids Lucien spun his keys over his index finger as he took in the surroundings. "Nice digs, Triessa." He was nervous, and when he was nervous and surrounded by a ton of people who were no doubt scrutinizing him, Lucien had a tenancy to be a bit of a dick. He looked at the table of brownies and trail mix with the cola and green tea and his mouth momentarily overloaded his ass. "Wow, trail mix and brownies, yummy." His schoolboyish sarcasm wasn't lost on the group at all. "Do we get to make shrinky dinks later or is that reserved for the more advanced wizard meetings."

Had Atlas, his mentor been here he would have punched the smart-ass in the side and told him to take a seat. It was rather funny how Fate had a way with things... as Aradia slugged him in the side hard enoughto make him wince and immediately rub it. "Knock it off, okay? This is serious stuff and I know you're a bit out of your element, but quit being an ass."

Rubbing his side Lucien looked at her with a measure of surprise, damn the girl could hit! "Okay, chill Barbarella, damn." The scene was more amusing than Lucien's wit at the moment, but it did serve to help him relax. It was nice to have Aradia with him, facing things like this meeting without friends probably would have led to him not showing up at all. "I'm uh, Lucien, guys. Hey."

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Despite the sting of his words Triessa was relieved when Aradian dragged Lucien across the doorway. In a very real way, he was the guest of honor at this little shin-dig. Without him, they only had the mundane matters of magic to discuss between them.

"Astra, hi...you'll be glad to know we were just swapping introductions. Aradia and Lucien, welcome, both of you." She grinned a little nervously at Lucien's words. "I guess it's not what you were expecting...but that's kind of the point. You probably have all kinds of wild expectations, and we're going to help you with that."

"Now, the first thing you should know is that names have power. A person's name is tied to the person, it can sometimes be used as a substitute you for rituals and spells...many of which you'd not want to be there for, even just in substitute. Triessa isn't my 'real' name, it's what's called my Shadow Name. Willworkers like us generally only share our real names with people we trust, though some of us choose not to have a Shadow Name at all. But before you make that choice be sure you understand the risks."

"With that in mind, I'm Triessa." She grinned. "Thanks, everyone for coming"

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For now, Randy kept an eye on Morrison to gauge his own reactions. From the look of it, no one had done this kind of thing before, which was somewhat a relief, and a worry. If no one knew ...

Best to think of other things. Thyrus - Arrow, Arrow - ( ), ( ) - Free Council, Obrimos - Mysterium, Unknown, and Unknown. That was a whole lot of nothing. If everyone was planning on keeping things so close to their vests, why the hell were they all here? Was he wasting a night better spent studying? He hoped not. In a moment of introspection, he knew there was something to be gleamed from this no matter the outcome. He would see more of his kind. His knowledge would grow by a small degree. He would have a few more interesting things to put into his journal.

"Hey Lucien. I'm Randal, but I go by the name Maeror."

Right then Triessa brought the meeting to some kind of order.

'I wonder what the odds are of this coming out good?'

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"Great, I go by the name 'Lucien'. Sometimes I just use 'Lu' to mix it up a bit." He was still being sarcastic, just not enough to earn him another elbow. "Look guys, to be fair I had a guy stop in after a really bad series of dreams about six months ago, he chilled at my place for a few days, ate my food, drank my beer, he was an okay guy, but the things he passed on to me didn't mean shit to me then and, as you can expect after six months, really doesn't mean shit to me now." He paused and pondered something. "And that was the longest run on sentence used in my life to date."

With a jingle his key looped once more over his index finger before finding a home in his pocket. "So for right now let me make this pretty straight forward: can skip the small lessons that are better taught in a few minutes and skip to where someone can explain how a bad acid trip dream can be blamed on me calling down bolts of lightning in my back yard? Because you guys say 'magic' my heart says 'magic' but seriously, my mind says 'bullshit'." He picked up a cup of green tea on the table and sipped it, whetting his pallet. "Oh, wow, this is some damn good tea."

Wakiki rolled his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose, and thought it best to let the boy continue, the tea debate could wait. "Anyway, yeah, I've heard belief plays a big part in all this, so how come I can do it when I hardly believe it myself?"

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Triessa beamed even more. "We've all been through what you have, Lucien. Not the specifics, necessarily, but the experience always has some of the same things in it. We'll explain what happened to you, and how magic works. All I ask is that you bear with us. You skipped past some basic lessons, and we have to catch you up on them or nothing that builds on that will make any sense. It's like you're trying to learn to multiply without knowing how to add first."

She took a deep breath to gather her thoughts. "Lets skip the Atlantis and Ladder stuff for now and just start with the Watchtowers."

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Wakiki nodded to Astra when she entered, glad to see that the tattoos had been another Mage expressing herself rather than a college bimbette getting lucky with her choices in ink. "Welcome," he murmured softly, but didn't have the chance for more when the girl from the party entered. Remembering the ties of Fate that bound her to him, he smiled warmly at her - only to have that smile disappear when he saw the hot guy she brought with her - his one-time boss, Lucien.

Who was a mage.

And a model.

And rich.

And a mage.

Fate was an unfair bitch.

He listened quietly to the banter, not sure if they were dating or just good friends. There was no way to tell short of asking, and Wakiki wasn't up to that kind of drama tonight. Besides, he had other sorts of drama to attend to right now.

"Let's not cover the Watchtowers," he said, speaking up before anyone could start the damned lecture. "This is a meeting, not a prep class. If 'Lu' needs a mentor, we'll find one for him. But if you think that's what we should do here, you're wasting our time."

"Well, what do you think we should be doing?" Triessa asked after a beat, with a remarkable amount of patience.

"What's always done at meetings," Imriel said with a touch of impatience. "Talk about dangers to the city. Discuss issues that affect us all, like the selection of a mentor for someone who has been woefully under-educated about his new life. That," he added to Lucien, "is not your fault, before you think I'm insulting you. The fact you've gone this long without the Consilium finding a mentor for you is shameful. Or would be, if LA had a consilium. As they don't, it's not surprising that things like this happen."

"I have no idea what you just said," Lucien said, blinking rapidly. "Like, I got some of the words, but the rest where just... not even English."

"What I said, in plain English, was that we have bigger things to do than teach a newb. We have a city to put in order."

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Triessa pursed her lips and nodded.

"Okay. You're right, this isn't a classroom. Lucien, stick around after we adjourn and I'll explain the whole thing. Until then, just bear with us and if someone says something too weird, I'll explain to you as we go, okay?"

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"Hrrmmmm ... protecting the uninitiated is part of our job, Imriel. Unless some one has some experience in this, and I don't, we should let him choose. After the meeting. That's only fair."

"To business, what are the threats to the city? Have any Banishers been suspected of operating in the area?"

To Lucien, "Banishers are magi, like us, who hate what they are, who hunt down and kill all manner of supernatural creatures - us included. They are usually loners."

"Is there any sign of Seer activity? This would be more troubling due to our lack of structure in the city. Are we going to formulate a plan tonight for dealing with the possibility?"

To Lucien, "Simple version: Seers of the Throne are an Order of Magi who want to enslave, or kill other magi - which covers everyone here in this room, you included. They rarely operate alone."

"Lastly, is there any trouble from the Others? Is there any Were- activity that deserves attention? What of the Vampires; Changlings, Demons?"

"What have I missed?"

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Triessa winced and said quietly to Lucien, "Basically what it boils down to is that people like us, who've gained the insight into higher realities that lets us work magic, have fallen into camps just like the rest of humanity. The people in this room represent what we call 'The Atlantean Orders,' because our magical traditions date back to the fallen city-state of Atlantis." She smiled. "Or so the legends say. The important part is that we were all called by one of the five Watchtowers, and we each joined one of the five Orders when we were done with our apprenticeships. There are other magical traditions, but two of them especially are considered dangerous. The Banishers, like he said, are mages who are called by a Watchtower...but the experience is so traumatic that they reject it all, and become convinced that magic is evil and must be abolished. They're not really an organzation...just a classification."

"The Seers...are more complicated. I'll tell you more when I explain the history of magic. For now, the Seers are protecting a status quo that we seek to upset. That's pretty much the basics."

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"Come, Randel, some basic history to the newcomer is in order, though I am somewhat surprised that neither the orders nor the seers have initiated any contact with you, and you are lucky not to have met any banishers yet. As a teacher in history and literature, as well as a student of the occult, I can't stand by and allow him to sit here ignorant of what we are discussing, furthermore, the principles of our order begin with the concept that knowledge is power. To allow him to remain ignorant while we discuss matters of such importance is not merely irresponsible, it is wrong, and unworthy of our calling."

He paused for a moment, to let the others take his words in. "Now, if you wish to discuss matters of greater importance, I'm all for it, but I find it difficult to imagine what is more important then imparting knowledge to one of the awakened before the Seers get a hand on them, or the Banisher's try to kill them... Later, I will take the young mage aside for a very basic introduction in the mysteries, if he agrees. I will save the more complicated explanations, such as the 10 arcana and the 13 practices for then, but a basic introduction in the history of magic and the orders is necessary now, so that he is not completely lost our discussions. After all, he is one of our number, and as such has the right to the most basic knowledge."

Looking around for a moment he turned to Lucian. "You can call me Karus, short for Icarus, a hint of both promise and warning.. to myself actually.."

"So, basic history.. understand, that there are plenty of suggestions that this is allegorical or not entirely correct, but in the investigations of the orders, this is as close as we have managed to get to the truth.

"Ages ago, we think, long enough that biblical times have no real meaning, magic was much more free, and the awakened were much more common, gathering in what was to become called Atlantis by now, a center of learning and magic unparalleled before or sense, the library of congress and the lost libraries of Alexandra were but shadows compared to the knowledge and power that became centered in Atlantis. There's a lot more too it, but basically, in the end, power corrupted, as it always did.. some of the mages of Atlantis, who we now call Exarchs, attempted to make themselves as Gods... absolute power beyond all mortal imagination.. They built a celestial ladder to the heavens, and stole magic from the world.. and that would have been the end, you would never had awakened, had they won completely.. but the Oracles fought them, and each of them built one of the Five Watchtowers, bridges between the Supernal and the Natural, and you were touched by one of them when you awakened, without the watchtowers, humanity would sleep forever, which was the goal of the Exarch's as we understand it. More on this later, but that is a very basic's history, or allegory of what happened..

"As to why this is important to us now, the Seers of the Throne live to serve the Exarchs, as their agents, who would enslave humanity utterly, that they might sleep forever. The five orders, who we believe, save with one exception, and I leave that instruction to members of the Free Council, came from the 4 orders of Atlantis itself, and seek a different path, to enlighten and guard humanity, and to oppose the Abyss, the darkness that came with the fall of Atlantis.. we represent the Orders, and that's part what we're gathered here to discuss."

He paused. "Now, that should clarify some of the background.. we can discuss the details, in a question and answer session after this meeting, if you like."

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Wakiki tried to open his mouth to stop Icarus, but there really was no stopping a Mysterium from lecturing others. Interesting. The other guy is named Randall, he mused, more to keep himself from falling asleep while basic history was covered. It wasn't helpful. It was too much to process all at once; Lucien wasn't going to get it from a two-minute lecture, particularly if he wasn't inclined to embrace any of this anyway. Wakiki glanced at the girl again, wondering what her story was.

"Since we're done with Magic History 101," Wakiki replied the second Icarus let someone else get a word in edgewise, "let's focus on something of importance. First, I'm Imriel, nice to meet you all. And yes, that is my Shadow name and the only one you're getting for now." He smiled to remove the sting - some newbies to the world of magic took it personally if you weren't 'friendly' enough to share at least a given name. "So on to business... And not the Orders - the Orders' business is their business. I have two questions for all of you, except Lucien, mostly because I'm sure his answer is 'no' and 'Why should I care?' respectively. How many of you have been members of a Consilium before?" He raised his hand and noted who had and hadn't raised theirs in the affirmative, then asked, "And how many of you want to build a Consilium here in LA?"

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He looked at Imriel, barely pondering his response before speaking.

"To answer your questions: No, and it depends on what this Consilium will stand for? I'm here to see what shape it takes."

Beating around the bushes was for those who felt they had all the time in the world. No one did. Randy knew that all too well. He waited to see if anyone else had figured out that simple lesson. If everyone kept dancing ... well Thomas was of the same Order. It was too early to judge the rest. The more they ponied up, the more likely they could be trusted. If people lied now, they were pretty worthless. Lying was for when it really mattered.

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"Consilium..." Lucien muttered just loud enough to be heard. "Counsilium..." He snapped his fingers a few times them pointed in Imriel's direction. "I know that one... 'The highest political body of the Awakened in a region. Councilors from various local cabals serve, making collective decisions as necessary than concern the Awakened as a whole.'" He squinted trying to remember one more thing but it seemed on the tip of his tongue. "Ugh, crap, their led by a guy, but I forget the dude's title."

"Impressive." Imriel offered Lucien a polite nod in the affirmative but remained ever calm.

Lucien offered a shrug, like it was no big deal. "Like I said, a guy, Atlas, stopped by and explained a lot of this stuff to me. Honestly, I just remember fragments, I've a good memory, but if I don't use it, I forget it."

Atlas is Mysterium and a rating 4 mentor. He's well known among Mysterium but has been missing for, well... about six months now. None of you know him, you only know of him.

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Thomas was about to respond to Randy, he wasn't entirely certain about them forming the local consortium, he'd just come looking to form a cabal and now they were hip deep in awakened politics. "I'm not sure we're ready to form the local consortium, is anyone here a Master.. or even an Adept? I'm a Disciple of Prime myself, but that's where my understanding of the mysteries is deepest.. " Then he paused as something Lucian said fully registered.

"Atlas was your initial teacher? He's been missing for months now, simply disappeared, I can't imagine him leaving a student without teaching him more, something rather drastic must have happened." He paused, that sounded strangely similar to the disappearance of his brother and sister a number of years ago now, which meant that it was something to be pursued. "I wonder.. " His voice faded slightly as his words turned to thought.

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Aradia had watched, and listened, and the only sign that she herself was a little overwhelmed by Icarus's spiel was a widening of the eyes - it reminded one a bit of a cat startled by a loud noise. She knew about half the shit that he had just rattled off, but the manner in which it had been delivered was enough to make her feel as if she'd been hit by an oncoming car herself. She couldn't imagine how Lucien must be processing it. The most she had gone over with him in a couple of their "Magic 101" studies, as she had referred to it, had been what her mentor had focused on the most with her. She'd covered the paths themselves - Acanthus, Mastigos, Moros, Obrimos, and Thyrsus, for she knew he'd need to know that for the meeting, in order to have a clue who he was talking to. She'd told him about the actual disciplines, or as her mentor had referred to them, "the Arcana". And she'd talked about paradox, since that had been the driving force behind their initial conversation, and she knew it was important. Some of what they'd talked about Atlas had already taught him, and Aradia's info was more like a refresher course. But that was really as far as they'd gotten, so she was glad that he seemed to have retained at least a little of the knowledge that this Atlas dude had given him. But now, here, she remembered why she had wanted to avoid other mages so badly. Politics.

"I, um.. no. Disciple of Life is as far as I've progressed. And I want to be honest here.. I haven't been involved in the politics much until now. I've never been in a cabal. I grew up in the circus, where I had a mentor named Nascha- a Thyrsus, like me. She told me that she saw my potential, and joined the circus while she waited for me to Awaken. She was our animal trainer. We didn't spend much time around other mages.. my education was focused on the practical, I suppose. And then she told me I had to leave, to go.. 'find my destiny'." Aradia paused, an irritated flicker crossing her face. "'Or else'. Anyway, I haven't been in town long - you're telling me L.A. doesn't have a Consilium? That's.. kind of nuts. I mean, this is a big area, with a lot of people. Surely there are a lot of other mages here, right? Oh yeah, sorry - I'm Calypso. Aradia is my real name." A couple people arched a brow at that, and she shrugged slightly.

"Yeah, I know - it sounds like a shadow name. I told you, I grew up in a circus. You think crazy-ass circus people name their kids boring shit like Mary or Jennifer? Anyway, just to be up front, I, um.. I haven't actually joined an order yet. Like I said, we were kind of like nomads."

You're not as intense as so many of our path, Aradia. We are a steady people, like shamans. You're light, and mercurial, like a nymph.. and a hot-headed one at that. Like Calypso, who dared even to rail at the gods.

It felt unusual to Aradia, to share her shadow name. Unlike many mages, she was used to it being a secret, to being surrounded by sleepers who had known her before her awakening. These were the first people she had ever revealed it to, other than Nascha. But she knew that's how things were done, and she knew that it would be Calypso that these people would care about. She hoped she wouldn't get a bunch of shit about not having chosen an order yet. She knew from Nascha that many mages set a big store by that sort of thing. Nascha hadn't really cared, and therefor hadn't trained Aradia to, either.

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"I'm Thyrsus too," Triessa said with a smile for Aradia. Then, with a quick apologetic look at Lucien...though in a way she felt it was good that he learn what different mages were like regardless...she said, "To be honest, I don't know anything about putting together a Consilium. I just wanted to meet you all. I'm used to working by myself, or maybe with one or two others."

"I feel like we'd be better off starting smaller to begin with. No big pressure, no grand aspirations. Just learning about each other so we can work together. I'd like for us to become a circle of friends. There's enough of us here for a couple of cabals if we want to go that direction."

"Plus, I feel like Los Angeles has a lot going on, supernaturally speaking. The party had several entities...not just Awakened. Even allowing for the operation of Fate, that's a lot. So it does seem weird there's not a Consilium already active here. My guess is that there is one, but it may be so self-involved they've lost touch with the outside world...or that there was one, but something happened. Maybe our first job should be to find out for sure?"

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The rote introductions almost made her laugh, as if their path and order were the sum total of their identities. It was like some bizarre AA meeting, though she supposed it couldn't be helped. Hi, I'm Astra, and I'm a mage. Hi, Astra!

"I think it's a little early to be thinking about creating a new Consilium," Astra added, an undercurrent of dry amusement in her tone as she nodded at Triessa in agreement. "I'm going to go ahead and assume, given what I've heard, that even as a group we're not strong enough to hold on to whatever we'd try to make or grasp. Even if we somehow managed to forge one together, we don't have the pull or the power, mundane or otherwise, to keep it. Or," she amended after a sip from a weathered travel coffee mug, "to keep it together. May-" She faltered for the briefest of moments. "My mentor never said there wasn't one here already, but I got the impression it would probably take some digging to find them. LA's pretty crazy. And, yes," she continued gravely, nodding at Randy, "there are Banishers working their way into the area. Worse, they're apparently starting to organize. That's one of the reasons I'm here on campus."

She let that sink in for a moment, her eyes roving over the faces of the assembled will-workers and remembering the distinct sensation of active magic at the party, the feeling she hadn't been able to place. Now, she knew why.

"I'm Astra, by the way. Acanthus, Arrow. Apparently Fate enjoys alliteration," she finished with a grin that might have been rueful if it weren't quite so grim.

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"I suspect there must have been a Consilium in the area, I would have expected that Altas would be part of it, it seems odd that he would disappear and we would find nothing of such a group in the area.. in fact, what I think we should look at first, is forming a Cabal, if it eventually expands to become more, then that would make more sense then trying to force ourselves into a role I don't believe we are quite prepared for." He paused a moment. "It seems like we have a good mix of paths and orders here, and I would be willing to work with any of you to further increase our understanding of the mysteries, or strengthen the influence of the orders here in LA."

He paused a moment. "Also, the disappearances are important to me, I know of other people who have disappeared without a trace over the last decade or so, something supernatural must be involved in it, and if it took some of the mages that were around here, it must have been powerful."

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The only Kabal Lucien knew of was the guy in Mortal Kombat, and he rocked with him. Speaking of video games, as the mages all sort of delved into the discussions of cabals and politics and 'Banishers' -all stuff he knew very little about- he slumped into an over stuffed chair a ways away from everyone (as to not be in the way) and proceeded to play Kongregate on his phone.

"Riiiiiight..." He mumbled in a low whisper. "It must have been powerful... supernatural even... maybe they all just went to get new pointy hats."

He fell silent after rolling his eyes, engrossed in a game of 'Call of Gods'.

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'A recap:

There may or may not be a Consilium ... which hasn't bothered to contact anyone here (or so they admit), if they do exist.

Apparently though Astra KNOWS that Banishers are here and gathering (WTF - did I miss the webpage or blog when I googled Banisher?)

No one appears to be willing to step up and do anything.

Everyone here is as weak as me.

This is a waste of my time ... unless that horde of Banishers chose to single me out for attention. Get my gun.

I've offered up a great deal and generally been ignored. I don't even have any idea what anyone else can do.'

"If we aren't going to bother trading real information about ourselves, why don't we just enjoy the brownies and be on our way. If we know zip about each other, no one will have any idea if we have a chance of forming a Consilium that will last. If you're serious, ante up. If you don't, you need to ask yourself why you are here."

The voice was calm and dispassionate. The entire time Maeror gave the room a brief glance before drawing circles on the table in a bored fashion.

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Aradia blinked slightly at Randal's comments. She leveled a gaze at him, eyes narrowing in pissed-off annoyance. Then she reached down from where she had perched on the arm of the overstuffed chair next to Lucien, gaze still fixed on Adrian, and plucked the cell phone from Lucien's fingertips.

"Pay attention, Lucien. You might not know what's going on, but at least you're learn who's too much of an asshole to waste your time with."

She paused for a second, making sure she had Adrian's attention, before continuing.

"Alright, let's recap, shall we? You're Randal, also called Maeror, and you.. um.. let's see. Right, you haven't told me shit about yourself, other than that. I'm Aradia, also called Calypso. I'm an unaligned Thyrsus who grew in a fucking circus. I had a mentor named Nascha, which probably doesn't mean shit to anybody here, cause she was a loner, like one normally expects of a Thyrsus, and avoids a lot having to do with other mages. Gee, if all other Awakened are as nice as you are, I wonder why. I'm here because my mentor told me it was time for me to leave my circus, and go discover my fucking fate. Oh yeah, and Triessa here invited me because she met me at a party that had a whole bunch of supernatural people running around, and she thought that might not be a coincidence. This is Lucien, who knows almost jack shit about this stuff, and has come here looking for a teacher. While the idea of a Consilium has been discussed, there has also been mention of forming a cabal instead, since none of us seem to be powerful enough to hold onto a Consilium. Also, we're considering looking for an existing consilium, because there may have been one in the past, and they - along with other people - may be missing. I'm sorry if this all sounds repetitious, but you see, we've covered all this, in the ten minute time span since I've been involved in this meeting - a time period in which we've had loads of opportunities to share deep, dark secrets about ourselves. Now, if there's something else you want to know about me, you're gonna have to tell me, because I've never been to a meeting of the people before, and I don't know how to read - your - fucking - mind."

She tossed Lucien's cell phone onto his lap, and waited. The unaligned Thyrsus had just revealed something else about herself - apparently, she had a temper.

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"Since you arrived late, I'll add what you missed; there is Mysterium, and Disciple of Death ... you know, if anyone needs help with that Arcana?" Randy replied quietly. "I was thinking that something we could do for each other is ... train others in areas of interest, or provide insight if necessary."

"As for reading my fucking mind, that would actually be nice to know if you could. Mind Arcana is pretty tough."

"If we are dealing with a Consilium in LA, would it not be better to deal with it as a group?"

"If there isn't one, and there are organized Banishers in the area, shouldn't we do something?"

"If you don't like the speed at which I want things to go ... okay. I'm not married to the concept of having to be always right. I don't throw a tantrum when I don't get my way. Yes, I like to knock things out ... bam, bam, bam. That's who I am."

"Is it going to take an hour, or two, to decide that banishers are an actual threat? I hope not."

"Bacjk to the Consilium; I would like it, because I do believe this city is a dangerous place to be. Strength in numbers is good. Being able to cover each other's weaknesses is good, or so I believe."

Randy didn't seem angry at all at the verbal tongue lashing. He met Aradia's gaze without flinching too. He wasn't some school boy to be scolded, and he wasn't ashamed of his actions, unless they were counter-productive.

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"Okay, okay...lets cool off for a second," Triessa urged. "Randal, we're warming up to each other, but you have to give people the time they need. This meeting isn't a formal deal. It's just to get the process started. I think the general consensus is that we're not really up to trying to make a whole Consilium out of nothing...but I agree that we should look at forming one or two cabals because LA is a very active place. Lots of opportunities, but also some risks."

She took a breath and went on. "So there's a few items I guess. One is to find out what happened to the Consilium that was, or is, here. One is to investigate the reports," she nodded at Astra, "of Banisher activity in the area. Both of those sound like good ideas to me."

With a smile at Randall, Triessa added, "Oh, and I'm Thyrsus, and good at Life magic...big surprise, I know. I'm decent in Space too, because I like traveling, and I dabble in Spirit and Prime and Matter. I'm going to study up on Spirit because it seems like the Shadow must be active here too."

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The pretty acrobat seemed to have vented most of her temper through her outburst, and though she still seemed a bit annoyed, it was fading fast.

"I might be able to help you with that, though I haven't gotten much further than dabbling myself, so I probably don't know much more than you. We can talk, I guess. But, just to put it out there, I also know someone that's gone missing.. a close friend of mine. I hadn't really thought about it in terms of magic - she's not connected to the supernatural that I know of, though who the hell knows anything for sure - I was just concerned, you know? But.. I dunno. I left several messages, and finally got a call back from her Mom saying she's missing, and to let her know if I hear anything about her. That was several months ago, and I haven't heard anything since."

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He sighed. "My little brother and sister went missing a number of years ago, long enough that most people think they are dead, that may be so, but I was able to ascertain only that something supernatural was involved, maybe it's the same thing, maybe not, but I would be willing to work with anyone to try and find out what has happened to those who have vanished."

He looked around the table a moment, then continued "If we are going to go explain a few things about ourselves, in terms of the arcane, besides my ability with prime, I'm also an apprentice in spirit, and an initiate in mind and forces, and I wish to add the study the basics of life and space to that understanding, though I wish to master prime before all others, understanding the essence of mana first and foremost," He smiled slightly as he continued.

"To that goal, I follow the legacy of the Seekers, the Eyes of Ain Soph, for those of you who know them, if you do not, just allow that it makes it easier for me to see and find the nuaces of magic and well as the spirit world. I know about half a dozen rotes, mostly with regards to prime, and dealing with analyzing and dispelling magic, but should I need it, I also know the celestial fire rote. Besides that, I also have a rather deep knowledge of the world of occult phenomenon, if you find something you don't really understand or need details about I can certainly help there."

He then turned to Maeor/Randel. "We don't know enough to form anything other then a Cabal or two, to join our forces, taking any further steps then that at this point would be pretentious and dangerous... also, I'm not willing to jump hip deep into awakened politics before knowing more about the local situation then we do, and before my understanding of the arcana is deeper.. that is the lesson of Icarus.. you can reach high, but be wary of reaching higher then your capabilities... which is why I chose it as my shadow name."

He then shifted to look at the group as a whole. "I would suggest, if we chose form a cabal, to ether form it with everyone here, or if we form into two allied ones, to try and see that every path is represented between the two."

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"Lots of missing people," Triessa mused. "Well, if you guys have any old possessions of theirs, I can do sympathetic magic."

She looked at Lucien and added, "That goes for you too. Did Atlas leave you anything of his? Maybe a keepsake or something, to remember him by? There are ways magic can be used without regard to distance, if you have a physical link to the target."

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