Aberrant: The Vatican Incident - TVI Saga IC

[infofiend]

January 09, Vatican City, Italy.

A beautiful morning in the old Roman city bodes well for the upcoming festivities. The Feast of the Blessed Welcoming is today - early this year to be sure, but this year something special has been planned.

With this years apology to Galileo and a full lunar eclipse this evening, the organizers are grateful for the clear conditions. It will be perfect for stargazing, and a fitting tribute to the famous astronomer that managed to expand our perceptions - even those of the church.

Guests are stirring from their slumber, and jet lag will keep recent arrivals from showing up too early. The great hall is quiet as preparations for the opening ceremony and lavish late brunch are underway. Luminary and Balthazar - two of the so-called 'Paladins' sit alone - leisurely sipping coffee that they will be unable to enjoy in the hectic hours to come. They chat in an archaic dialect of Latin unused by the church for centuries but recently a habit borne of interpreting old texts from the archives. Balthazar pours a fresh cup from the carafe and says

Marcus, I must again say that we are not suited for the task at hand. They should have hired out for security - maybe even DeVeers. What do I know of these things?

Have your visions not foretold the omens of misfortune and promise that play around this day? Are you not Balthazar, the seer? No Vinchenzo, you are well suited to what lays ahead. I could only hope to have your level of insight ... <chuckles> some of us have to live in the here and now. And some of us have to work security whether we want to hide in the archives or not.

At least I would invoke the host for protection - we may pray that they remain from the sight of the guest and villain alike. I have been making progress with the invocations.

Angels are beings of terrible power, not to be called upon lightly my friend. Despite what the scholars of Utopia say they are more than mere quantum ghosts conjured from the depths of our subconscious. They would shackle our faith, and all of the miracles of this age within a narrow scientific perspective that they cannot support. No, these beings are not under our control - they are our allies in faith.

Let's not get into this again - I believe you. There is no crisis of faith on my part - the ancient ways have been very rewarding. Though - it may be folly to ignore the ties between subconscious motivation and ritual in our considerations.

Luminary shifts uncomfortably - not accustomed to his baseline form - yet the workers would be distracted by his true nature. You must look beyond the reductionist approach lest your own beliefs become barriers to inner truth. I speak from experience - that way will turn you away from faith.

You are right of course. But we should have faith that the host would honour this congregation with their blessing. They would protect us by the grace of our Lord.

But protect us from what? Your visions are of God's plan, and they are very unclear. They do not show us what we guard against. We will gird ourselves for battle, and remain unseen. Our first duty is to the Pontiff. We might call upon the host for an oracle - one that would alert us to danger.

And should we be outmatched by whatever forces are arrayed against us? There is no harm in battle on equal terms.

Agreed - I will stand ready to invoke the legions of Michael and you, our seer, should call upon an oracle.

Balthazar smiles and finished the last of the coffee and grins. I should be off, as the sector chiefs need their security plans and comm codes. You are not so fleet of foot old man, so I shall make the rounds.

Jokingly Aren't you going to teleport? Woe that the mighty Balthazar should have to walk as a common man!

I say again that heating coffee is not a trivial use of my power. If you understood coffee you ... ah well - see you at the security station in about 45.

SETTING NOTE: The Paladins, headed by the well known nova Luminary, are a group of Roman Catholic mystics and scholars. Amoung them, Luminary and his seer Balthazar are known for their formal studies of the interrelationship between Faith, mysticism and Nova power. Luminary is known to be a powerful force in combat, able to utterly consume foes with heavenly fire. Little is known of the third Paladin, a recent addition to the group. It is no secret that this faithful trio capably defends the Vatican.

[infofiend]

9:00 AM Sharp - A Grand Hall on the outskirts of the Holy See:

There are over three hundred people in this vast chamber - some file in from change rooms and some file out for a cigarette. People from all walks of life are sprinkled in amongst an august gathering of politicos, nobles, and VIPs (including a dozen or more Novas! or so goes the rumor that the guest list is wrong and shy Novas are hiding out, 'dorming down' and other such trendy/mysterious notions). A few guests who hadn’t filled out the hundred check box survey online hurriedly hand them to a priest who is making quick work of rounding the hall – apparently a bit winded. This is the only hint that the event’s preparation had been quite elaborate … otherwise the setting has a humble, deceptively simple yet rich feel to it. That … and perhaps the great assortment of ornate robes and towering hats worn by priests, cardinals, bishops, and other clergy in the background.

People are just starting to get seated at round tables that have place cards and a nice view the riser stage. The buffet tables are laid out with sumptuous but light delicacies - morning and fresh seem to be the themes of this cuisine. The coffee and tea are superb, and being enjoyed by a group of church functionaries - and an honest to goodness ANGEL - on the riser stage.

Standing seven feet tall, with a perfectly muscled yet lean physique, surrounded by an aura of radiant blue fire - with luminous wings the might be real or might be ephemeral - this is LUMINARY. He sets down his coffee and steps up to the podium:

In a voice that resonates with power and seems to speak in a language at once familiar yet foreign he begins:

"Welcome, honored guests of the Church. Today, as it has been for centuries, you will behold all of the Holy See. This is the heart of what we are … know that you are all welcome here on this day as you are welcome into the Kingdom of our Lord God on any day. Please, enjoy yourself, delight in the repast, and find a place” he smiles with divine grace “a guide will find you.”

At this point, he and two cardinals perform a ritual blessing and a choir arrayed at the back of the riser performs a beautify hymn for five minutes. A procession of well know clergy – at least in church circles – outlines the agenda for the day, and takes care of some last minute announcements (including the good news that a certain Mr. Paul Kleinbauer should accompany his guide to a communication room post haste – as his wife has just birthed a baby girl … the crowd cheers and applauds in congratulations).

The PCs are (after some milling about) all seated at a table, with an elderly guide by the name of Lorenzo and a comely young Japanese woman who introduces herself as Keiko Matsuhashi, Director of the Toyota Corp. Applied Robotics Division (Osaka). She politely asks “is this group fourteen?” of those assembled at the table and Lorenzo replies “Yes, welcome Ms. Matsuhashi. I am pleased that you could make it after all. In fact, I am honored to be here with you all on this special day”

(Small talk, character descriptions, intros, etc. GO!)

[infofiend]

REPOSTED FOR EASY ACCESS:

Feast of the Blessed Welcoming – Annual Vatican Event

This celebration is a church tradition that dates back to the days of feudalism – where European nobles and merchant princes had to be shown there were no secrets in the church and proper relations were essential. Over the centuries it has changed – now important people from around the world are invited, but also common people. Half of the spots are given out by lottery or sent directly to good souls who would not have the opportunity to travel – often impoverished individuals who are flown in and sheltered

free of charge.

- 9:00 – 9:30 Greeting & Refreshments: (also a fitting and emergency redress for those without attire) Cardinals from several major schools and orders will be in attendance. Schedules with a 100 check-box survey of suggested tour items are given out. The surveys allow small tour groups with common interests to be formed later in the day.

NOTE: The online PC's have more in common than the tabletop group did - so the event orgainzers were able to get the jump on forming a few groups - like the online PC party - earlier than the rest.

- 9:31 – 10:30 Brunch Buffet: a social brunch where everyone can meet each other and an opportunity to sample hundreds of the finest foods from Europe – the hall is rather austere, as is the church tradition of not wasting wealth on adornments, except for the glory of God.

-10:31 – 12:00 Central Procession: The entire group is lead into the heart of the Vatican, with groups formed during this time based on lists of interesting sights and rarely visited corners – from the “who wants to see what” surveys done earlier. This procession is also a main part of the tour, visiting areas that are often of interest to all.

- 12:01 – 2:00 The Unveiling: With individual tour guides each group may go to see whatever they desire. Often, guest may not touch or disturb items and work going on, but are welcome to observe and respectfully venture anywhere.

- 2:01 – 3:00 Coffee and Tea: With all the groups coming together for a break the finest pastries, dainties, bonbons and afternoon delicacies have been laid out. The pace may be tiring for the elderly at this point, as the brisk January weather usually keeps people moving. Hot cocoa is a specialty here this time of year.

- 3:01 – 4:00 Papal Audience: Pope John Paul II will see each person individually in a ceremony of audience. Though not a tradition followed by all Popes, he prepares for this by learning every name and a bit about the guest and selecting a memento from the Vatican as a gift. Though his health is failing, John Paul II has an incredible memory and rarely calls upon his assistant. Every person has a minute with the pope to receive blessings and talk quietly – but the small tour groups often pool their time for conversation with the great man.

- 4:01 – 5:30 Travel to the Monastery of the Madonna’s Sacred Heart: A Jesuit monastery, with simple but ancient splendours – awaits these years’ guests. A rare pleasure indeed. Most of the Monks are not bound to silence, but are engaged in chores.

- 5:31 – 6:30 Tours of the Monastery: Conducted again in small groups, this is a historical pleasure. The grounds are quite extensive – and it can be seen that the Jesuits here are great scholars – even scientists with some laboratory setups. An apiary, agricultural test facilities, and vast libraries are some of the interesting features here.

- 6:31 – 7:30 Dinner with the Monks: A hearty simple meal contrasts the richness of the earlier repasts – yet quality does not suffer. There is something for everyone from low-carb dieters to vegans or fruitarians.

- 7:31 – 10:00 Tribute to Galileo: With an original 10 foot refractor used by Galileo himself having been at the monastery – it is set up for stargazing. The courtyard of the monastery has been renovated for the event – and is one of the grandest features of the place with intricate renaissance era stonework and statuary. Each person is provided with a pinhole camera for a taste of ‘retro’ astronomy, and will have time with the telescope. The full Lunar eclipse at 8:20 is also much anticipated.

[infofiend]

A HOLY GRACE ...

The majestic hall is ancient, elegant in simplicty, and does not draw attention away from the remarkable assortment of guests and the segment of the event at hand (currently a wonderful brunch buffet and an assortment of announcements that somehow remain interesting ... perhaps by intervention from the marvelous chior and their hyms). Good event planning is one thing, but something else is at work here.

The setting has an element of 'holy grace' that puts one at ease. Novas with high taint, however, notice that this also applies to them. They can relate calmly and easily - even with baselines.

For those with appropriate senses (and the audience):

The great hall is filled with a holy presence - quatum attunement or high node will show animated signatures of great complexity (fuzzy and luminous angel outlines in form) or will ping where there is apparently nothing. Those that can penetrate basic invisibility will see silent, achingly beautiful angels. White Robes, wings, golden swords, scepters, and bodies of pure radiance. In all cases, these angels are not threatening in the least. They seem beinficent - a comforting presence. They skirt around guests - keeping their distance. Getting a count is difficult, as they sometimes move faster than sense or thought, but there are dozens.

[Alex Green]

Lex Stone was a powerfully built Caucasian man. Less than 6 foot tall, but a solid two hundred pounds. His physic branded him a nova only for those who knew what to look for. His “costume” branded him an elite and was a deep indigo, so deep it was unclear whether it was closer to black, blue, or purple. He’d bleached his hair blond a mission or two ago, but his eye brows remained brown and his eyes dark blue. Lex considered himself extremely fortunate with his eruption, the quantum genii had blessed him in many ways, not the least of which was raw power. Many of the people here would recognize him as "Exotic" a relatively "new" DVNTS elite. Most also knew that "new" wasn't exactly the right word.

It was an open secret that Lex used to go under the name “Powerman” until he was unmasked by some Chinese elite whose named translated as “Fire Dragon”. He’d had no choice but to change his name since he been unable to recover his mask. That same mission one of his fellow elites had, to Lex's annoyance, given Mr. Dragon a bad case of Dead. “Secret” might not be the word for it, on his first public mission N! figured it out, mentioned it, and even introduced some old footage.

Lex glanced over the room and saw nothing amiss or unusual other than the "angels" which was expected. This mission was safe guarding a fellow nova from harm. Most of his previous “bodyguard” duties had been more oriented to saving his clients’ careers than their bodies. Starlets who wanted to appear in public with a nova who was fantastic looking, but who didn’t, quite, outshine themselves. For the most part, Lex played along and let them plant rumors of him sleeping with his clients. Sometimes that was even true.

[Nullifier]

At a table off in a corner of the room, seven very similiar looking people, obviously novas given the varied glowing auras that surround each of them, not to mention their disturbing mix of male and female characteristics, and their eyes changing color at different intervals, sit around a table. Six of them are quietly talking amongst themselves, while the seventh, the one with the bright white aura with swirling specks of color in it, sits perfectly still, staring straight ahead, and from the expression on its face doing a lot of intense thinking. Each of the seven has the same basic features, but it seems that all of them with the exception of the silent one have emphasized one gender to a certain extent or another, and they're all wearing different outfits. If one were to listen in on their conversation, it would be confusing at best. They seem to skip from topic to topic with little if any internal logic at times, frequetly answer unasked questions, and sometimes laughter breaks out in response to some unsaid, or at least hopelessly obscure joke. The Collective, as they called themselves, had noticed the angelic figures, and were in fact in the midst of a spirited and jovial debate as to their nature, function, and origin...

...Meanwhile, seated at the table with the rest of group fourteen is Lena Murphy, a stunningly beautiful blonde haired, blue eyed woman in her early twenties. In fact, she's so beautiful that it marks her out as an obvious nova. Those who bother to look at her closely, or who have enhanced senses, will notice that everything about her is disturbingly perfect. There's literally not a hair out of place, she moves with a grace not possibly human, and when she speaks her voice flows like honey and her words sound like poetry, no matter how mundane they are. Her dress, a beautiful blue off the shoulder number, always hangs on her just right, emphasizing her perfect figure. Looking in her eyes is a strange experience, as it always seems that something larger is watching out of them. Those from the Kenyan contingent recognize her as the 'personal liason' of the multi-person nova known as The Collective. No one is really sure quite what exactly is meant by that, but it's clear that one of her jobs is to stand in for them in certain social circumstances, and that she, like six of the seven members of The Collective, is a creature of pure quantum energy. She smiles around the table at the various members of their group, and waits for things to get started.

[Bahamut810]

Blair smiled as he moved through the crowd. He could feel the quantum surging through the area, and it felt good to him. He was incognito right now. He was a reporter, and he needed to have attention on what he was reporting, not himself (we cant all be Spiderman after all).

He smiled as he got into the spot that he had picked out the night before, and waited for everything to get started.

[phoenix]

At the same table as the others sits Imara Adeola, a black woman with a quiet authority in her dark eyes. She would be recognizable as a nova even if she were unknown, but her face is easily recognizable from news conferences and coverage of Utopia's exploits. The Kenyan woman is better known as Firebird, and was, until recently, the leader of Team Tomorrow: Africa/MidEast. She is known for fierce integrity that had extended beyond her, lending needed respectability to the organization itself.

Almost two weeks ago, however, she resigned from her position, making her the subject of even more media attention than usual. However, in a departure from a tradition of good relations with the media, she offered no explanation whatsoever for this decision.

She gives Lorenzo a nod and says,

"It is a pleasure to be here, Mr. Lorenzo."

[Guest]

A good looking man with a younger woman with him, starts to mingle in the the room. (ooc - anyone of note will get a card; Ricky Underwood). He is very animated and will talk to anyone about anything that they want.

::ultracool