Roleplaying
2004 Archive
2005 Archive
Seminars
| When: | 31 October 2004 ("Paradigm Shift: Peace to War" Plot Event) |
| Who: | Alexander, Bronwen, Elizabeth, Killian, Megumi, Oannes (GM) |
| What: | A number of Celestials have decided to explore the ruined Tombstone Arms and tame the wild Tether. |
East - Austin
There are 'problem areas,' and then there are 'urban wastelands.' Much of he East Side of Austin fits into the latter category. It runs from the Capitol all the way to the eastern city limits, walled in by the University and the Colorado River in the south and an invisible line known only to the street-smart in the north. A reasonably comfortable buffer zone in the east-central and around the highways keeps the worst part of the city from mingling with the best and most important, and it is there that Austin has its most ambitious revitalization projects. The further east one goes, however, the faster the city seems to take an ungraceful dive into vice and decay. The exact opposite of the West Side, much of the East is a true barrio. The streets are unabashedly dirty, littered with both material trash and people, sitting or standing or walking aimlessly by the wayside.
A shadowed figure moves down the desolate sidewalks towards the cordoned off area of the destroyed warehouse. From passing under the occasional (functioning) streetlight, other city dwellers would be able to see longish hair and an easy stride.
It's Halloween, and Elizabeth is walking down the street in costume as the Riddler, carrying a bag full of candy. Her walking stick clicks on the pavement, and her eyes are alert, peering about at the various trick-or-treaters and other passersby.
Killian was not in costume. So why was he out wandering the mean streets of east Austin with a digital camera? Easy, he was taking pictures of the dilapidated buildings for some reason or another. Maybe it was true that he was writing a book. Who knows? Footsteps on the filthy sidewalk were often punctuated by a flash of the camera as it was leveled at a building.
It was just a coincidence that he was about a block behind Elizabeth's route. Right? Just a coincidence. Or workings of some higher power.
Word has finally begun to spread throughout the Angelic networks in the city like wildfire: At the location of the battle at Tombstone Arms, a wild Tether is forming. However, its erratic behavior has grown similarly since the conflict, and has sent several pulses of disturbence across the Symphony, alerting others, especially the more perceptive and knowledgable Demons, to its presence. A valuable source of resources for either side in the War, it has yet to be claimed this Halloween night for either side.
Regarding Tombstone Arms: The majority of the building's front is blown out, and there's still rubble all over the place. The stairs up to the second floor are burned and look somewhat rickety, and a full corner of the second floor has collapsed onto the first. It can be repaired, but due to... 'circumstances', it has not been attended to yet. People have been avoiding the place for some time due to the reputation it has had, and nobody really wants to risk the possibility that something just might fall on their head.
The shadowy woman slows as she approaches the ruined building. Idly glancing up and down the portion of the street near the Tombstone Arms, she unobtrusively lifts the crime scene tape and passes underneath it.
Elizabeth walks the streets of the bad part of town, shamelessly accosting teenaged trick-or-treaters (the ones old enough to not be threatened by and adult woman) and swapping loot with them. Her overall goal seems to be to get rid of all of her chocolate bars with nuts, and to acquire as many fruit-flavored candies as possible. Her path seems to lead in the general direction of the former Tombstone Arms and surrounds.
This was actually the first time Killian had gotten a look at Tombstone Arms. He missed out on the chaos when the Superiors appeared and kicked the crap out of each other. Since then, he'd only heard about it, seeing the pictures of the destroyed building in the newspapers.
When Elizabeth's path closed on the wasted tenement, Killian's became more focused. He actively approached the building, camera in hand, looking like nothing more than, say, a photojournalist for some underground news outlet. He couldn't keep Elizabeth in sight now that he'd moved towards the building ruins, but she was close enough, he hoped, that he could reach her if something bad happened.
Even in this area, the children are still out and about, merrily participating in this gathering of treats and celebrating in their costumes of every shape and size.
But they avoid Tombstone Arms, the children cautioned to stay away from the dangerous place. And tonight, it might get a little more dangerous, depending on what happens next... In the background near the wrecked building, a faint pulse, a thrumming in the Symphony is apparent to those who know how to listen, but it is strange, out of tune, erratic.
Roll by Elizabeth: (2) (1) (5)
Roll by Bronwen: (5) (5) (5)
Roll by Killian: (5) (6) (3)
The unknown female picks her way around the larger debris leading up to the new -- but rather large -- front 'door' of the Arms. Hesitating for barely a second, she crosses over the threshold without a backward glance.
Elizabeth follows the thready, off-key sound of the Disturbance, trying to track it back to its source. Not being entirely stupid, she makes some effort at subtlety, trying to look like she's just wandering around randomly, poking at the damaged building and surrounds out of morbid mortal curiosity.
Killian, unlike the shadowy shape he completely failed to notice even existed, stayed on the far side of the police tape, mindlessly snapping pictures of the torched out building. Why was he taking pictures here? Mostly because he knew what this place was, and he wanted to know about it before petitioning anything to anyone. Especially his Boss. He knew of something he could do, but he didn't know how to. Yet.
As Elizabeth gets closer, the nature of the Tether becomes more clear. A mash of conflicting martial rhythms, drums, voices, and the clash of sword on shield, of the roar of flame. The song is erratic and divided, but surges louder for this moment, seeming to emanate from the second floor.
Roll by Killian: (4) (1) (1)
Roll by Bronwen: (1) (6) (1)
The mysterious woman moves farther into the ruined building but remains on the ground floor. Stopping at an area that has the least amount of large rubble, she cocks her head to one side. "There you are," she remarks softly as she treads towards the rickety staircase, reaching over her shoulder to reach into the back collar of her jacket.
Elizabeth glances around, and furtively crosses the police line, slipping through the rubble to enter the remains of the building. Why no, she doesn't have any applicable sneaky skills.
Killian looked distracted for a few moments before shaking his head. He heard something vibrating across the Symphony, and it was coming inside. It must have been the Tether. Or something. Looking around for a moment, he slipped inside the tape, heading inside the trashed structure, doing his beast to move quietly. He was merely mediocre at it, though.
Roll by Killian: (6) (5) (2)
Some stray rubble shifts, clattering a bit as Killian enters. Though it's quickly apparent he's not alone, as other noises are coming from inside. The entire room looks mussed, chunks of rock and glass littering the floor. It also appears to have been thoroughly picked over in terms of anything you might find in an arms warehouse. Looks like the scanvengers beat those here to it. However, the guns and explosives here were likely not the real treasure to be found... Which is upstairs.
And speaking of upstairs, the steps look like they've been damaged in the ruckus. Anyone going up them is going to want to be very careful.
The unknown person eyes the rickety staircase and sighs. "Apparently the building inspector was not high on the to-call list," she grumbles under her breath and starts to climb up the section closest to the wall. Each step gets a quick weight test with the leading foot before being climbed upon. The hand at the nape of her neck remains there for the moment.
Roll by Oannes: (2) (6) (1)
One of the steps that Bronwen places her foot on creaks distressingly. She /might/ want to skip that one.
Elizabeth's eyes narrow as she watches the unknown figure climb the stairs. Carefully, she waits for the other person to clear the stairs first, watching for which spots hold weight and which tremble before heading for those stairs herself. She cleverly skips the step that creaked under Bronwen (or at least tries to -it's tricky to tell which one it was in the dark) and hugs the wall in her best supervillain fashion, as befits her costume.
So he wasn't so good at being sneaky. Not like it mattered. If there was anyone else here, they'd have heard him eventually.
Oh well.
Looking about, Killian moved farther into the ruins, pausing every so often to take a picture of something seemingly random. Who knows? It might be important at some point. Slipping through, he caught wind of someone going up, but he was too late to see anyone. With a bit of a grunt, he headed towards the rickety stairs and started up, being as careful as possible.
With his past performance, it wasn't too careful.
Roll by Oannes: (3) (5) (2)
Roll by Oannes: (6) (3) (4)
Bronwen and Elizabeth make it up the stairs to the second floor without incident, though there are a lot of distressing creaks and squeaks to deal with. It'll be extremely hard for anyone to get up without making noise if they take the stairs. The second floor had been similarly scavenged by now, not much in the way of the former wares stored here left. The rest are twisted, wrecked lumps of metal from the explosion that rocked theis building. One corner of the room has collapsed, leaving a gaping hole. Near it, there's a significant amount of blood splattered about... And it is near that this area that the sound seems to surge and waver the most, clashing potential stirring the Symphony in the background.
Killian, however, is not so lucky. As he steps about halfway up the stairway, one of the steps unexpectedly creaks... And then breaks, threatening to wedge the man painfully into the hole by one leg.
Bronwen frowns as she reaches the top of the stairs only to hear similar creaks still following. Her gaze quickly skims the room for one of the more open floor areas as she finally moves her hand away from the nape of her jacket... withdrawing from it a large battle-axe.
Alexander strides up the street, drawn by the pulsing of distubance coming from the unclaimed tether. Lacking transportation, and having a distance to come, he is behind the other celestials. His face is grim as he comes up the dark and ruined street, trailing smoke behind him from the cigarette clamped in his teeth. His lighter flicks from hand to hand, the bum moving with unusual purpose.
Elizabeth stops at the top of the stairs and stares at Bronwyn's battle axe. Those are getting awfully common in this town, it seems. At the snap, though, she turns and peers down the stairs at... "Killian?" she whispers incredulously at the mild-mannered history geek. "What the hell are you doing here? Are you stalking me or something?"
Roll by Elizabeth: (6) (1) (4)
Alexander reaches the doors of the Tombstone Arms - which at this point probably only hang by hinges. He presses both hands to one of them, and shoves it slightly wider - enough for him to slip inside in a curl of smoke. Tossing the cigarette aside, he moves to slip into the shadows - trying to stay out of sight until he can determine just who is here yet.
Roll by Alexander: (1) (5) (2)
Killian grunted as he was caught in a broken stair. "...Ow."
Then he was discovered by Elizabeth. "Huh? What are /you/ doing here?" He looked honestly surprised that she was here. This time he really /wasn't/ following her. Not that he didn't try. "Can I get a hand here, please?"
"This area is not safe," Bronwen replies as she glances over her shoulder towards the sound of the voice. "Do you have permission to be here?" At the sound of yet another voice, she heads back towards the top of the stairs. "Hasn't anyone ever heard of common sense and safety?" Axe? Why, that's nothing out of the ordinary.
Elizabeth backs away from Killian, incidentally heading towards Bronwen at an oblique angle. "Not until you explain what you're doing here, Killian," she says shakily. "I really don't like the thought of being stalked!" Nope, not answering Bronwen's question yet - she seems to be focusing on the man trapped on the stairs.
Roll by Elizabeth: (3) (2) (3)
Killian rolled his eyes irritatedly, tugging at his leg and trying to pull it out. "I'm not stalking you! I had no idea you were even here! I dunno why I came in here. Something...intrigued me. I had to investigate. I'm sorry if I scared you." He was sorry, but he was also kinda worried. As evidenced by his current predicament, this place wasn't safe....and where'd that other girl come from with an axe?
Especially since he left his at home.
"Did you need any help?" Bronwen calls down the stairs, not really moving from where she's stopped. Her gaze idly skims the second floor another time.
Elizabeth says tersely, "There's a man who seems to have gotten caught on the stairs, ma'am. It looks like one of the steps caved in under him." She moves out of the way so that Bronwyn can see Killian's situation, incidentally moving further out of killian's reach.
Killian grunted again, tugging his leg upwards and wincing as the wood scraped against his leg and likely ripped his pants and gouged at the flesh beneath. "I can get free myself, thanks." He said tersely, frowning at Elizabeth's new treatment of him. "There's something up there that's important," he said, pointing up the stairs. "It needs to be watched. Trust me."
Megumi is in costume. For a mask, she has the 'Comedia Del Arte' mask planted firmly on her face. The difference with the original being that it's a full on mask, and Megumi's hair is probably bound up in it somewhere. Wearing 'Peasant Garb' along with the mask, Megumi tops the outfit with leather jerkin shoes. She must have spent a lot on this costume! She slinks along towards the Tombstone Arms, twirling and dancing as she approaches. And sees..nobody else is there! Good! She hefts up her bag of candy and...
She slides to a stop for just a moment and decides to head in through the front door. Du de du.
"Oh, I plan on doing more than watching," Bronwen remarks to the man as she heads off to the open area she spotted. "If you'll pardon me I have something in the works." And with that, she places her axe head-down on the floor and kneels behind it, her head slightly bowed.
Alexander can hear the voices - one of which he definitely recognizes. Smiling faintly in the darkness, he pulls out another of his cigarettes and flicks his lighter open. With the small flare of flame, he steps out of the shadows in the rubble near the door, moving towards the stairs Elizabeth is on. He pitches his voice to carry somewhat better, responding to Killian's remark. "Yes, it does. Hello Elizabeth. You'll have t'introduce me once this 's over." Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he starts up.
Elizabeth startles at Alex's voice and quickly moves further away from the top of the stairs, trying to circle around to put Bronwyn between herself and Alex. "Hello, Alex," she says shakily. "Stay away from me."
Roll by Elizabeth: (3) (2) (2)
Killian blinked at the appearence of the smoking man and Elizabeth's reaction. Well. THat was interesting. He was, obviously, putting two and two together and...wasn't that the guy he saw talking to Tyrr at Fabos? Huh. There was more to this than met the eye. Carefully, he went the rest of the way up the stairs, looking to Elizabeth. "...That's the guy, huh?" He said simply, expecting her to know what he was talking about. Taking a moment to examine his leg, he pulled out a couple of the bigger splinters and brushed some dirt off of the scrapes with a wince.
"I don't think so, Elizabeth. You're between me and where I'm going." Alexander exhales out through his nose, the smoke pouring out as the bum smiles in draconian fashion. He inhales again, the tip of the cigarette glowing cherry red as he makes his way slowly up the stairs. "Of course, ye're welcome to stay out of MY way, if'n y'want. But that wouldn't be much fun, would it?" Killian gets a brief considering glance, but nothing more.
Bronwen doesn't seem to have noticed the more recent arrivals to the floor. Instead she's murmuring something under her breath -- to those close enough, it sounds like passages from various books on the treatises of war. Once complete the woman leans forward to place her forehead against the handle of her axe.
Roll by Bronwen: (2) (2) (5)
Megumi says, "Trick or treat...", softly as she sneaks towards the stairs. She tsks a little as she reaches the stairs, and cocks a head to see if others are here. "Hm... No explosions yet," she murmurs as she considers making her way upward. She doesn't have much reason to be here save for curiousity (which kills cats) but she makes her way up the stairs anyway. Slowly. Taking her time. She stops as she sees the broken step though. Someone -is- here. She considers. Probably Alexander, Zaman, or Elizabeth. She steps over the broken step carefully. Dudedu.
Elizabeth is out in the open area on the second floor, trying to hide from Alex behind Bronwen - when the other woman starts incanting. Her eyes widen. She shoots a sharp glance at Killian, and starts retreating away from both Alex and Bronwen in the only direction available: towards the gaping hole that used to be a wall.
Roll by Alexander: (1) (6) (2)
Roll by Killian: (2) (1) (6)
Roll by Elizabeth: (3) (4) (2)
Roll by Megumi: (3) (1) (3)
Alexander is still on the stairway, blocking it for those trying to pass up - particularly if they're trying to be sneaky. He exhales another cloud of smoke, although he does blink when he spots the woman with the axe. Now that's just plain odd. "Aw. C'mon Elizabeth..."
Killian glanced for a moment at Bronwen, having both a sinking sensation and a feeling of elation at the same time. He knew what she was doing. He hoped he'd show up, because, well, it'd been some time since he'd seen his Boss. This was going to be interesting. Peering from Elizabeth to Alexander, he moved backwards, away from the stairs and closer to Bronwen by lack of other places to go. He kept an eye on Elizabeth's retreat, idly wondering exactly where that hole went. He just didn't like what feeling that smoking guy gave him.
Bronwen remains in her kneeling position with her eyes closed and a loose grip on her battle-axe.
Elizabeth hesitates on the edge of the drop to the ground outside, finally answering Killian's question. "Yes, that's the guy, Killian. Now stay out of it! It's none of your business, and he's a dangerous man," she says shrilly. She keeps her eyes averted from Alex, not responding to him directly.
Megumi sees Alexander's butt and decides to stop advancing, in the meantime.
The Symphony rings with the force of the invocation, the words reaching up to Heaven...
"Good work." In a flash of light, the tall, powerful form of Michael appears, his battle-axe held in one hand. Both weapon and exposed skin shine with a thin glaze, the former possessing a red tinge... Looks like the Archangel of War was in a 'workout'. The piercing gaze of the Archangel sweeps over those present on the floor, and he nods. "We'll take control of this location, and I'll send some forces to shore up and reinforce the area."
Alexander didn't actually hear the arrival of Michael - but it's painfully obvious who the man appearing in a flash of light is. Particularly with the big ol' Axe. Knocking ash off his cigarette, the bum sighs faintly. "Figures." He tosses off a haphazard salute to the Archangel, and turns to glare at Elizabeth for a moment. "Some other time, Elizabeth. It'll be... fun." He grins nastily, and turns to head down the stairs, chuckling to himself. Only to spot Megumi. "Get outta' my way."
Killian reflexively bowed deeply to his Superior, it was a surprisingly formal gesture from the mousy looking man. Maybe he learned that in SCA. "If you have any orders for me, I'll take them." A bit of a pause as he hadds as an afterthought. "Sir." His voice changed tones from the usual meek sound to his 'business voice'. Sure, confidant and resonating with surety.
Quite the change.
"Thank you, Warlord," Bronwen says as she opens her eyes and gets back to her feet. "I apologize for interrupting your activities in such a manner. But this location was ideal for a Tether in your name." She also offers her Superior a bow.
Megumi tilts her head at Alexander. Good thing she has a mask on! She turns, stretches out her arms, and takes her bloody well time going down the stairs. She isn't hanging out to see which superior it is. She already has a good feeling that it isn't one of her friends. But she stays in the way of Alex as she goes down.
An expression of shock is briefly visible across Elizabeth's face at Killian's pronouncement - briefly, because she jumps out the gaping hole in the wall at Michael's arrival, and is in midair as Killian speaks. She tries to aim at a relatively clear spot for her landing on the street outside.
Roll by Elizabeth: (2) (2) (3)
Alexander doesn't seem to be in the mood to wait for some girl in a costume to get in his way. He reaches out and shoves her aside, pushing past in a rush to get down the stairs, taking them several at a time, completely uncaring about the kid in the mask. "Next time, move, y'little..." The rest of the curse is muffled as he rips open the door of the warehouse, trying to head out into the night before Michael bothers to notice him.
Roll by Alexander: (2) (3) (6)
Roll by Megumi: (5) (2) (6)
Megumi grunts as she's smashed aside. CLATTERCLUNGCLATTER. Well now, that was impolite. If he's running out, maybe it's Dominic, she reflects. All the same, she has no choice but to follow Alexander out anyway, clucking her tongue at him.
Elizabeth, thankfully, lands heavily, but without incident or damage.
Michael doesn't seem to be fazed by this, as he makes a short, cutting gesture with his free hand. "I don't have anything specific for you, Killian. As you were. And as for you, Bronwen, no need to apologize. This is an important resource for our future success." The commotion downstairs draws the Archangel's glance for a moment, but he shakes his head, before bowing it and beginning to sing in a resonant tone, the erratic noise of the wild Tether in the background resonating... And then shifting, folding in on itself as it stabilizes, becoming a steady, throbbing martial beat and rhythm. He looks up, nodding to the two servants of War before him. "I will send reinforcements soon. Any questions?"
"Only a minor one, sir," Bronwen replies, her hands resting on the butt of her axe. "Should one of us remain to act as a temporary Seneschal until one more suitable arrives, in order to protect the new Tether?"
Elizabeth lands in a crouch on a clear patch of pavement and absorbs the impact successfully with legs and hands. She pushes back up to her feet and starts running down the street, /away/ from the Tombstone Arms, the Archangel Michael, and a bum named Alex.
Killian shook his head, his tone still steady and resonant. "None for now, sir. If I catch wind of something important, I'll send word." Peering towards the hole, he resisted the temptation to go over and look out on Elizabeth. She was obviously not hurt badly enough to cause him pain up here, so he wasn't too worried. Though he'd probably have to explain things now. When Bronwen mentioned the duty of Seneschal, he slapped himself in the forehead. How could he forget that?
Megumi steps out of the Tether, just in time to hear the tone shift to...Aha. Megumi whistles as she departs. She sees Lizzy running off! She blinks, but lets her go, slinking off in her own direction.
Alexander vanishes into the shadowed mouth of an alleyway soon after he's left the Tombstone Arms. Chasing after a teacher named Elizabeth. And running away from the Archanel Michael.
Michael shakes his head. "I have a Senseschal on the way. He'll be here shortly, so it won't be necessary." The Archangel steps forward to Bronwen, pulling a small brown box out from... Somewhere. The box is about a foot on each side, and sealed. "Take this, Bronwen. You'll know what to do with it."
Killian peered at the little box, a bit curious, but that was all. He was actually a bit relieved that he wouldn't be serving as Seneschal. That made his life easier. He could handle his Role and try to patch things up with Elizabeth. He didn't know what was up with her, but then again, most people would run if a big scary man with a bloody axe appeared out of thin air. He would have run too, if he wasn't his Servitor.
Bronwen offers another slight bow before accepting the box. "Understood, Warlord," she replies as she shifts it to the crook of one arm. The weight of the object doesn't seem to phase the woman in any way, so it could be as light as a feather or as heavy as a small boulder. "And thank you."
Michael nods, and gives a short salute to the pair. "You're welcome. Be at ease." At that, the Archangel vanishes as he came, in a quick flash of light.
Bronwen turns towards Killian and arches an eyebrow. "Well, seeing as how we are both Michaelites, I suppose we should introduce ourselves," she remarks with a quirk of her mouth. "I am Bronwen, but my name on this plane is Breanna York."
Killian visably relaxed a bit as Michael vanished. He turned to Bronwen, giving that box another look, his voice returning to its usual quasi-meek tone. "So...What's in the box?" Further relaxing, he shoved his hands in his pockets, forgitting totally that Elizabeth just jumped out of a hole in the newly steadied tether. He'd check on her later. Coming back to reality, he smiled winningly. "I had no idea there were any others in this place. Up top I'm Afriel. Down here I'm Killian Duran."
Coming down the street, a man in camo fatigues steps into the building, and steps up the damaged, creaking steps. There's a muttered curse as the sound of breaking wood is heard, but a second later, the man steps into sight. He's a tall, well-built man, seeming every inch an ex-Marine with the shaven face, buzz cut, steady movements, and piercing blue eyes. "So. You two are the ones that found the Tether?" He doesn't even wait for the two to answer before continuing. "Good. Name's Vaniel, the new Seneschal."
"I don't know, to tell you. It's got some weight to it but anything could be inside," Bronwen answers, bringing to mind the presentation of her own battle axe. The sound of another person approaching has her turning back towards the stairs and her grip shifting on her weapon -- just in case. "Well, the Warlord was not joking around when he said shortly. Nice to meet you, Vaniel. I'm Bronwen."
Killian tensed as he heard someone coming up the stairs, but he relaxed as the man introduced himself. "That was quick." he murmured slightly before clearing his throat. "Yeah. That's us." Sorta. "I'm Afriel. It's always good to meet another one of us." 'Us' was implied to mean servant of Michael. "I'm just glad I don't have to take care of this place. I've got a lot on my plate as is. It's good to have you aboard."
Vaniel gives a quick salute. "Good to see you both..." He grunts, glaring down at the stairway. "Man, this place is wrecked. It'll need a hell of a lot of work to get back up to our standards. I'll handle things from here, and start calling in people to rebuild the place. You two can go ahead and continue on any other projects you're working on. I'll take care of it from here. If anything comes up, I'll keep you two in mind, all right?"
Killian nodded once. "Yeah. The initial... uh... explosion kinda wrecked it." A bit of a grunt in irritation at missing the fight, and Killian started towards the wrecked stairs. "I'm gonna head back to my place. If you need a hand with anything, let me know, and I'll see what I can do, alright?" With a bit of a wave, he started down the stairs, avoiding the one he broke earlier, and started out. He wanted to get out of this side of Austin before something /else/ showed up.
Bronwen nods and hefts her axe onto her shoulder. "See you later then, Vaniel," she says as she picks her way down the stairs and out the front... hole. The fact that she's walking down the street with her weapon out in plain sight doesn't seem to concern her overly much at the moment. Maybe it's the fact that she can palm it off on Hallowe'en or simply because she's keeping to the shadows as she heads back towards the core of Austin.
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