2020-05-29 Curios Curios - The Priest and the Coins
Curios Curios - The Priest and the Coins
Participants: Makana Sophia, Kenji Tanaka, Enyo Carver, Nash Smith, Clara Aguilar, Rhenzy
Storyteller: Makana
Location: The infirmary in the Ascension Lodge
Date and Time: May 29
Summary: The mysterious strange who appeared via the mirror portal is apparently the missing Chorister! A message from the Sphinx is also sent.
The previous evening had been eventful. After holding a several hour vigil over one of the new wonders frmom Durenmar,it seems that Makana's reflection came to life on it's own, separate from the chantry deacon's and brought out the blodied older man. Something was said about he would die if he didn't get treatment, and so after he popped out of the mirror, he was borught to the infirmary in the manor. Every magick school has one afterall.
And so there the older man sleeps. The sleeping spell and the life magicks used to heal him were slowly working. He was generally handsome, for someone in their 60s, having a boxer's build. He's now dressed in what looks like a makeshift hospital gown, but he clutches the crucifix worn around his neck, even as he rests.
Naturally, just like there was a vigil for the mirror, there's certainly a watch on him. As Henry was relieved of duty earlier, Makana was taking over, just watching the man sleep, while her apprentice went around trying to see who else might help.
His mission was two fold: 1) Find someone who speaks Spanish fluently to converse with the man, and 2) Inform another chantry deacon of what had happened the previous evening.
Given he knows no other deacons, Nash was the only choice as totally NOT Tom Holland shows up at the GTC, trying to get him over after explaining in expository fashion, what had taken place the preious night.
And what would a magical infirmary be without some herbs hanging around for any that might need it? Coincidentally, Rhenzy arrives with a basket full of greens from the garden and heads over towards the storage cabinets. But before he even reaches said cabinets, the man's step slows as attention drifts to the new figure occupying the bed. "Huh. Accident?" He asks, to perhaps nobody. But even with those few words, there's little hiding Rhenzy's Miami-roots.
Enyo is wearing a mostly white outfit under her bloodied lab coat covered with protective sigils and runes. She's wearing her non-prescription glasses and writing in a notebook as she looks to Makana. "How long do you think someone might survive on the mirror side?", she asks while biting her bottom lip nervously. "Not that I want to make any presumptions here. But with the man's age and likely being from Spain....", whispering to the Deacon. "... I wonder if by chance he might be the missing Chorister who went mad and burnt down the chantry?", trying to piece together the puzzle as she sighed. "Hopefully we can learn more when he wakes up. However, just to make sure you are feeling alright, would you humor me with some quick cognitive questions?", looking over the woman. "Can you tell me what year it is and who our current President might be?", trying to make sure the Makana in the room was not a mirrored imposter.
Clara happened to speak Spanish rather fluently so that was an easy find. Given her studies, it was a fairly well known fact. So as she wanders into the Athenaeum, she can't help but look at the enrobed fellow and look to his cross, "So.. how do we assume he speaks Spanish? Did he have documentation on him?" She was dressed fairly casually in a summer weight dress with a satchel slung over her shoulder likely carrying any number of instruments that might come of use. She gives a nod to Makana with her eyes flitting to Enyo. Curiosity, rather than objection, in her eyes.
Kenji stands nearby and watches as events unfold. The mage is dressed in a simple black, long sleeved cotton shirt with dark jeans and black leather athletic shoes. With his arms crossed lightly over his chest he lets his gaze move over the various mages as they go about their tasks. Intent for not it would seem to stand and watch while potentially keeping guard should the need arise.
Nash doesn't speak spanish, but he's still setting up lectures to fulfill his promise to Deacon Sophia, so he arrives, briefcase in hand. HEaring wind of things, he comes to see what the others are up to. "Good afternoon. Linguistic trouble?"
With the cluck of her tongue, Makana rolls her eyes a bit as she looks to Enyo. "No less than three times in the past day have I been tempted to burn you to a crisp. It is only because of my training within the Trianoma lineage..." and the hefty use of emotion stones to put those nasty thoughts and feelings as they arise away, "That you are still here." a beat. "Does tht confirm I am who I am?" Of course, maybe reflected Makana had a strong dislike for lack of orthodoxy as well.
Shaking her head, she looks towards Nash as he enters and shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know what Henry told you, but one of the gifts we got from Durenmar apparently had a special surprise inside." she says, motioning towards the sleeping man.
"But it's entirely possible, he's the missing Spanish priest who went mad and burned down an entire village in Valencia." And she looks towards Kenji, as if giving him a signal in case the man wakes up and gets violent.
Just as she does so, the older man wakes up. He looks frantic and grasps onto Makana's hand as he sits up, wincing a bit. It's clear he's hurt, but there's clear panic in his voice. Staring at all those present, he says over and over again. "Esta detras de las monedas. El esta aqu?? Quienes son ustedes?!?"
Clara knits her forehead as the enmity between Enjo and Makana is made apparent. Or at least from Makana. It brings another glance towards the blue haired woman. Anything she might have said is derailed by the fitful waking of the old man. "He wants to know who we are. Where are the coins.. and where is he?" The last has Clara stepping close to the old man and looking at him with a curiosity but also a compassion. "Est?s a salvo aqu?. Somos amigas. ?A qui?n te refieres?" She puts a palm to her chest as if to at least refer to herself. Indicates Makana.
"Relaja, Padre. Relaja," Rhenzy offers as he takes a few steps towards the group looking at the mystery man, his voice low and hands held out as if trying to soothe a frightened animal. Or discomboluated patient. He nods a bit as Clara offers translation of his words, before adding to the man, "Estan Los Angeles. Estados Unidos, not..." The brujo points upwards to the sky or presumably heavens.
Nash puts down his briefcase and smiles to Makana. "Be careful about those X-Ray specs gifts you get in cereal boxes. They're usually fake. But this one time we slipped some real ones in, back in the 50s... it was a hoot." With a sigh, he gathers up closer with the others as they speak spanish.
Quirking a brow, Enyo shakes her head. "Regardless of your low opinion towards me; you were found in a compromised state. As the Deacon of this chantry it would be horrific if you were compromised by your doppelganger and we didn't use routine practices to remove any suspicion from you.", pausing and looking to Clara, Nash, Rhenzy and Kenji. "Hey, welcome.", eyeing her notebook, "It's not like I'm hassling you for the fun of it and I'd hate for the Lodge to undergo a tragedy because I was negligent in my duties . Especially with the big event coming up.", walking away to speak to Nash privately and whisper in his ear.
"If you want to pick a fight now, now is not the time, little girl." It's clear, she emphasizes little on that. Taking in a long and deep breath, she woosahs, as she looks back to the older man in front of her.
Blink. Blink. The olderman looks rather confused, when he finds out where he is though, he groans for a few moments, clutching at his chest. "?Qu? pas? con mi pueblo? ?sobrevivi? mi gente al fuego?" Then he squints for a few moments, as if he remembers his manners. Considering the sigils around the infirmary, and even the bickering between people can only mean one thing. Filthy Hermetics. He bows his head as she looks towards those gathered and places his hand over his chest, making his introduction. "Mi nombre es Padre Vegara, sacerdote del Coro Celestial."
Clara looks around at those gathered, "He's worried about his village. Whether they survived a fire. His name is Father Vegara and he is of the Celestial Chorus." She looks back to the fellow, "Mi nombre es Clara Aguillar de la Orden Herm?tica." As if he needed to be proven right in his guess. "?Cu?les son estas monedas de las que hablaste? ?Qui?n se los llev??" It would figure her attention would turn to the mysteries at play. There's a look between Makana and Enyo then a small sigh as she looks back to the priest.
Clara looks around at those gathered, "He's worried about his village. Whether they survived a fire. His name is Father Vegara and he is of the Celestial Chorus." She looks back to the fellow, "Mi nombre es Clara Aguillar de la Orden Hermetica." As if he needed to be proven right in his guess. "?Cuales son estas monedas de las que hablaste? ?Quien se los llevo?" It would figure her attention would turn to the mysteries at play. There's a look between Makana and Enyo then a small sigh as she looks back to the priest.
Rhenzy ignores the bickering for now as he goes to pull up a chair next to the priest for Clara if she wants and snagging another for himself. Discussions go so much better when one doesn't loom over the person you're trying to talk to. "Donde esta usted pueblo? Y al fuego?" And after Clara introduces herself and where he is, he adds, "Y mi nombre es Rhenzy. De la Verbena."
Kenji gives a simple nod of his head in agreement to Makana as she looks to him to cover down incase there is any danger. With his eye on the man he lets his gaze move over the rest of the room and to each person in turn as they speak.
There's a bow of his bald head and he squirms a little, trying to get more comfortable in the bed. Father Vegara sits up and crosses himself, kissing the crucifix for a few moments as he sighs for a few moments. It's story time boys and girls as he looks to the others. <<The fire the other me started. He slipped out of the mirror and was looking for the silver coins of Judas.>> he says, <<The coins are very evil. They're artifacts of hell and have a strong resonance. I encountered one when I was exorcizing a child in Madrid. The demon inside him screamed out, and out of his body was a silver coin.>> a beat <<Allegedly, the coins are what was given to Judas after he betrayed Jesus. The other me was after them. It's why he said he would burn down the village if I didn't tell him where I kept it.>>
Nash doesn't speak spanish. But he does nod to Enyo. "Settling in here?" he asks quietly, stepping back from the group speaking spanish. "You do have options."
Enyo nods as she catches Nash up on the mirror and tries to answer him, but the mirror refugee is speaking. The young Xaos mage doesn't know Spanish and politely asks for a translator as she takes notes of what's being said. "Oh wow; is there any way to ask him how long he might of been stuck in that mirror?", eyes going wide. "I wonder if others might be stuck in that object. I'm not going inside it.", shaking her head.
Clara visibly pales as the Priest goes on about the coins. "This.. is not good." Taking a deep breath, she looks to Makana, "So the coins.. are the coins of Judas. The coins paid to Judas Iscariot. Obviously not something we want floating around. Apparently, the priest here was safeguarding one or more of them when a doppleganger of himself came along demanding them. Burned down the village to make his point." She looks back to the priest, <Is the coin safe? Is it still hidden? Is it just the one?> Yes, her tone is worried.
<<God... Sorry, Father, >> While taking the Lord's name in vain at the story may have been reflexive, Rhenzy went to enough masses with his mother to feel a bit of guilt for doing so in front of a preist. << So he's after thirty pieces of silver? Or just twenty nine? And where was your village? When did this happen? I don't recall hearing any news about entire towns burning down recently...>> And he turns back to the non-Spanish speakers. "Any of you know of Spanish towns burning down?"
"The file folder on the mirror says that it was found amongst the wreckage of the burned down village in 2016. It's consistent with the stories of the village burning and most of it's people moving around that time. Mostly the buildings were burned, people's homes and businesses were destroyed. Very few casualties. Apparently..." and Makana mtions towards el padre over there. "He's the prime suspect for the one doing it." a beat. "Or rather his doppelganger did."
Not understanding much English, Father Vegara just hrmms for a few moments, his brows quirked for a few moments. Looking to Clara. <<That I do not know. There are thirty coins in total, and it is said that they make themselves known through miraculous or demonic events unhappening. Where something dark or miraculous has occured, it is more likely because of the coin's magick.>>
Kenji gives a nod to the group and then says quietly to anyone listening as to not interrupt to much. "I'm going to go work on some things I have to take care of but if you need me, please call." With a light wave to the group he turns and slips out the door to head out.
Nash listens to the translations, the explanations. "A coin," he says softly to the group. "Was one found from the mirror? Could one have been transported here without someone noticing? Coins are small."
He then smiles to Enyo. "At a better time you'll have to fill me in on your latest projects."
"Biblical...", Enyo states biting her bottom lip, "I haven't read the good book in awhile.", her tongue prodding her braces as she looks over to Nash. "Yeah, I have a few ideas I'm sure you'll enjoy, Mr. Smith.", writing in her notebook. Turning to Clara, "Thank you for translating.", and offering a worried smile back to the father. Shaking her head, "No, I haven't seen any silver pieces. Probably whip out a metal detector and enhance it for different dimensional realities. But I'd still like to get a local Chorister involved. Due to the subject matter. Out of my depth.", running a hand through her blew hair.
Clara is, for the moment, almost a little shell shocked. Sure, she's looking back and and forth to those speaking but then she at last settles on looking at the priest. <For now.. rest here. We will see about contacting your Order so they know you are alive but.. some time.. has passed. Since this happened. I suspect your doppleganger has used it to good effect.> She takes a breath then looks to Makana, "I'd like to use him as a focal point of scrying. Preferably with every mirror in the house covered. Just in case. See.. what I see. There's a danger in such things so if we have someone with some talent in the arcana of mind to monitor me that would make me feel better."
"Also, once we find one coin, still got twenty nine more to worry about," Rhenzy's arms are crossed as he considers the problem in front of them. "But find one, easier to find the rest without just waiting for something dark and demonic to happen our way."
"I'll go and contact the Chorus then." It's her job as deacon of the chantry and all. "ANd I should probably tlel the folks at Durenmar as well. They'd want to know and perhaps investigate further into the mirror and where it goes." Makana says sa she eases on up. "I'll let you stay with Father Vegara. I believe Dr. Smith has adequate command of mind to watch you." With that, she heads off to do her administration duties, like contacting the Chorus.
Meanwhile, Father Vegara stretches his arm and leans back in the stretcher a bit. <<As long as the people are okay, but you must find the coins. Fate plays in mysterious ways. I can see the threads of kismet now around this place.>> a beat. <<One of the coins will appear soon.>>
Clara looks at the priest like the man just cursed her and points a finger at him. <Don't say things like that! Gods above.. those coins are bad enough that you don't have to wish them upon us.> She takes a deep breath then nods to Makana, "Fine. Just.. we'll need some food and.. well.. at some point I'll want to take him to my study space for the scrying. Once we know the coin isn't in the chapterhouse." 'Know'.
Clara looks at the priest like the man just cursed her and points a finger at him. <Don't say things like that! Gods above.. those coins are bad enough that you don't have to wish them upon us.> She takes a deep breath then nods to Makana, "Fine. Just.. we'll need some food and.. well.. at some point I'll want to take him to my study space for the scrying. Once we know the coin isn't in the chapterhouse." 'Know'. <re for Enyo>
Nash looks at the priest, and to the others. After the translation, he instructs "So we're talking about a silver coin I presume. Elemental details like that are usually kept correct when talking about old, legendary objects. We need someone to watch the mirror. Keep watch at all times. With a phone, ready to alert."
Rhenzy shivers a bit at the priest's prediction. << If it shows up, we'll just have to be ready for it. At least we have warning... >> He also turns his attention to Nash, nodding. "Probably at least two somebodies each. Don't want someone taken out by their own evil twin when they were watching for the coin."
Clara blinks. Looks slowly over at Nash, "Magus.. these aren't just old legendary objects. It was as if someone had found one of the original skulls of Hun-Batz and was using it for nefarious ends. I mean.. would you call the Lance of Longinus or the Holy Grail just another old legendary object?" She's not apoplectic but dumbfounded. "They're only legends because people refuse to believe they're real. Well.." She lifts a palm, indicates, him, herself, everyone else in the room. Then drops her hand. "So yes. Real silver. With impurities. Stamped with the face of Augustus Caesar. Probably tarnished. Worn edges. Feels like pure evil and betrayal when you get near it." Or maybe not. The last bit was pure embellishment to let out fear and frustration. "Can't miss it."
Nash turns to Clara, and consdieers a moment. "By legendary I mean old and imbued with cultural significance. If it were not noteworthy, it would not be legendary." He nods, and goes to his brieface. Putting it on a table, unlatching it.
Enyo turns to Nash, "Do you think we should focus on the mirror first or the pieces of silver?", shrugging. "Just ad hoc'ing the situation, we could maybe make a mirrored entity trap. A ghost busters device that checks for chirality* of a subject.", stopping to listen to Clara. "Another idea is a temporal resonance detector ... if the coins existed next to each other in the same bag at some point in time they'd share a similar time stamp. If we can fine tune a data point when they were all located together, we might be able to locate the missing silver. But that's merely theory, I haven't invented anything working towards either idea before.", chewing on her pen nervously.
Clara finds herself a seat and brings a hand to her forehead, "First.. I want to.. well.. see what the future holds. When you have items like this they always leave imprints. Flashes of crucial events. Sometimes they make sense. Sometimes.. not so much until you know more pieces of the puzzle.. but they always serve as warnings. But even if we find one of these, I'm not sure I want to use it as a focus in a spell. Not without a great many safeguards. As for mirrors. We should cover them. All of them. In the chapterhouse. At least until we know what we're dealing with. Whether they are windows or doors for these dopplegangers, I don't want to leave any of them open for them to see what we might be up to. Or to see that 'he' is here." She indicates the priest then her eyes draw towards Nash. Saying nothing but just looking at the fellow a moment. "But. You are right. If he just came through the window and is displaced.. well.. Makana mentioned the coin was recovered in the village. I think a little research into who found it and where it went is in order. But anything with his temporal resonance is definitely to be flagged if found."
"Mirror's easiest to focus on. You know where it is," Rhenzy points out as he turns his chair ever so slightly from Vegara towards the others, though still translating quietly to the main just so he doesn't feel completely lost in a foreign land even if he //is// lost in a foreign land.
Nash opens up his briefcase and pulls out a large, studry remote control. Pulling out the collapsing antenna. "If there is silver to find, I Can help find it. But if someone is hiding somewhere, and using a coin as a way of achieving telepresence, I might be able to detect that."
There's a faint tingling of magick that can be felt in the area. Suddenly, a cellphone rings and buzzes. It's Nash's.
Not too long afterwards, a message and an app is downloaded. THe cellphone continues to play by itself, as the symbol of the Sphinx can be seen for a few moments, with the message: Let enigma take you where dogma cannot..."
That's one of the common quotes of an incoming Sphinx message, at least Nash would surely know that.
It's then there's a video. It's a few minutes long. It's on Tikto, and the camera work is shaky. It plays like any other night. There's a central valley family doing central family things. It's supposed to be their one hundredth calf! Awww, cute.
ANd then the screams happen. The holder of the camera runs to look at a shocked veterinarian covered in viscera and gore. It's common during a pregnancy, but instead of pulling out a baby calf, she's holding a baby human that's connected to the cow.
"Madre de dios.." she says before the video cuts out.
Nash puts down the remote when his phone acts. He looks alarmed. Tapping at it, reading it. "Well that's something I haven't heard in... years," he mutters. Staring, lips going tight. "Okay, people. Apparently the Sphinx wants me to see a video of a cow giving birth to a human baby. Yes, that Sphinx. I know that's a controversial topic. Hell, we only went into it becuase we were still mourning our dead and we needed something to hang on to. But something's going on, everyone."
He pauses, and reads again. "Let enigma take you where dogma cannot."
Enyo blows some blue hair out of her face. "Two people guarding the mirror, cover all the mirrors and windows in the building.", humming to herself and thinking silently even as the cow birthing video is displayed. "Isn't that how the Minotaur was created?", shaking her head. "I still think we need a way to test people; that way we know if their doppelgangers or not.", pouting. "I kind of want to get back to my lab."
"Then go to your lab." That would be Makana as she enters the infirmary again. Her cheeks are pink, as she was hauling ass to get back, holding her iPhone. As she looks around, her gaze immediately falls to Nash. "You got the message then?" she asks curiously, as she steps back inside and sighs softly, as she looks towards the padre.
"You know if we got this, others did as well." she reminds her Etherite counterpart.
Rhenzy tenses when Nash mentions who the video is for and does his best to not scrowl while translating for the Father. "Enigmatic like always. How useful. Shouldn't be too hard to track down that family... if nobody else has found them first. I can take a shift on watching the mirror."
