2020-09-24 Where to go next?
Where To Go Next?
Participants: Kwan Johan Norea Rick Tre
Location:
Date and Time: November 15th, 2020
Summary: Eager to catch up with the team, everyone gathers to consider where to go next.
It's past time for the Scooby Gang to meet up and compare notes and plot next steps in the investigation. Norea told Johan it was his turn to figure out the food and she hopes he either picks up something tasty, or arrives early to cook at her place. Kwan and Rick were also invited, as well as Tre, the newest member of the Lodge.
She has arranged to hang out and eat in the music room for reasons of her own which she will undoubtedly make clear soon! "Tre, welcome to my humble home. I'm not sure who you've met, or not, so I'll let Kwan handle introductions." Then Norea glances around at the group. "What can I get everyone to drink? Then we can started with updates!"
Kwan arrived early and she brought some baked goods from a small bakery and tea house in Koreatown. Hugs were exchanged with Norea before the Akashic found herself a seat. "I think the only one Tre hasn't met yet is your Mentor. Tre?" She is wearing one of her yellow summer dresses and carrying a large purse which she sets on the floor by her seat.
The Pater is cooking. What is he cooking? Some straight up Bachelor food. Pork Tenderlion, seasoned, stuffed with herbs and stuffing, then wrapped entirely in bacon and thrown in the oven while he makes gold mashed potatoes with a hint of garlic and, for texture, some green beans. Lightly burned and seared in bacon grease...because everything tastes better in bacon grease. So the kitchen smells like some home food while he whistles Whiskey in the Jar by Metallica. He comes out of the kitchen and after wringing his hands in a towel throws it over his shoulder. "Food shall be served momentarily." And since the number of people have multiplied, he waves. "Saluton, folks."
Tre was a little surprised at the invitation he recieved to meet Norea. Though honestly he needed to talk to her as the Chancellor stated he would need to. Having gotten directions, he makes his way to Norea's home. Though it was a pain, he really needs to get a car, honestly, this Uber crap sucks! He didn't take the Uber straight to her home, he had to walk a few blocks and such but he's made it.
Upon being let in, Tre makes his way inside and to the music room, he looks to those gathered and he smiles as he sees faces he recognizes. "Uhh...yeah." he says as he waves to Norea. "You and him." he points to Johan, "I'm Tre." he says and he moves to find a place to sit. Looking in the direction of the man who speaks to them, "Hello." he bows his head to them all.
Rick is last to arrive this evening, having come right from the sleeper office. So of course he's in his suit, though his tie has been removed and his top collar unbuttoned to appear a bit more casual, but he keeps the suit jacket on. Parking is always fun, but he arrives about two minutes after Tre does and knocks on the door. Being let in he follows Norea to the music room and gives everyone a wave. "Evening folks.", he says, then sniffs the air "What smells so good?" He finds a spot to sit down and crosses on leg over the other, getting comfortable. "Tre, good to see you. Settling in well I trust?"
Norea returns the hug from Kwan with warmth and a big smile, gushing with obvious delight over the baked goods and tea. "I haven't asked Johan what he's making for dinner but I can tell from the yummy aromas coming out of the kitchen that it's not ramen noodles in styrofoam cups." She says this perfectly deadpan, whether or not she means it is anyone's guess! Once she has admitted all her guests and shown them in she looks between Tre and Johan. "Tre, this is my mentor, Johan Langely, bani Fortunae. Johan, this is Tre, he belongs to the same Tradition as Kwan." A pleading look is directed at Kwan to fill in the details. "So, before we get down to serious business, I want to explain why we're in this room and not, you know, the dining room." A beat. "It's because I really wanna recruit some close friends to come over one night and play Rock Band!! Like, I know I'm not into pop music all that often, but hey, even I can let my hair down /once/ in a while. So whaddya say? In the near future, you all come back for some Rock Band?"
Johan waves to Tre. "Yo. Nice to meetcha." He says with a smile. "Don't mind me. I'm just a bureaucrat." He says. Obviously. Marjorie doesn't reference him. Which makes Johan super happy. Poor Norea and Rick. Getting all the attention. "Stuffed pork tenderloin and bacon with some poe-tatoes and green beans. Just waiting on the pork." Ding. "Aha." He looks over to Norea and smirks. He says nothing, but enters the kitchen to start plating food.
Kwan gestures toward Tre, "Aren't you going to introduce yourself, Brother? Other than Nariyoshi, Miles, and the Chancellor... this is about it for the Lodge, right? Or am I forgetting someone?"
"We now have a new librarian by the name of Catalina.", Rick replies to Kwan. "She's from Mexico City lodge of the Order and wanted to move to the US. I had to trade a fair amount of Sa to get her assigned to us. But yeah, other than Nariyoshi this is it for the lodge." He look back towards Johan as he lists off whats for dinner and grins. "That sounds really good. Everything is better with bacon." He then peers at Norea and arches a brow "Rock Band? I can't say I've ever played it. Do they have Led Zep songs?"
Tre takes a moment to look at everyone as they come in and speak, he looks to Kwan as she speaks to him. He nods, "Sup." he says to Johan, "Same here." he says. "My name is Tremaine Johnson of the Akashic Brotherhood of the Vajrapani, Bani Akashayana of the Ascension Lodge." he says in a more formal tone of voice, he balls a fist with his right hand and makes a sharp palm and brings his fist and palm together and he bows.
"Akashic Brotherhood of the Vajrapani," Norea repeats, making a mental note. "I'll remember next time, Tre, I promise. And I'm delighted to hear you have joined us at Ascension Lodge." She catches Johan's gaze before he heads back to the kitchen and simply returns the smirk.
Rick's news about the new librarian earns a look of pleased surprise from Norea. "Excellent! Because Kwan and I spend so much time in the library lately that I'm worried Marjorie will start charging us rent!" A playful, conspiratorial glance is directed at Kwan and then the Fortunae apprentice says, "Speaking of which, Kwan, would you like to share with the group our recent findings, related to the location of Gregory Temple?"
"Indeed my man. Everything is better with Bacon." Johan laughs from the kitchen. He then brings out plates, enough for everyone. "Guu ciujn!" He says after everyone gets a plate, then goes for the plate he made for himself and finds a place to sit. "Another Akashic? -Nice-." He takes his knife and fork and begins to carve up his meat. When Norea looks at him to fill in blanks he shakes his head. Sorry. Johan doesn't speak Akashese. He just sits and listens as the braindrain begins.
"Certainly. So..." Kwan quickly holds up a hand as she pauses to set a disclaimer, "...before I begin, let me just make sure everyone understands that I'm good at stretching and punching faces, so some of this is above my brain-waves." She shifts in her chair and crosses her legs before continuing. "So, we found an astrological ephemeris that had some of it's pencil notations erased, though they didn't do the best job. The coordinates were about the same time as the raid that took the telescope out of the Observatory. So, the running theory which I'm also leaning toward is that Chancellor Marjorie was looking for Temple when she was using the telescope the night before the raid took it away."
Rick takes his plate from Johan and thanks him with a bob of his head, then looks back to Norea and Kwan. "The first thing I want her to do is figure out the damn card catalog system. Finding _anything_ in there is a giant pain. I've jokingly mentioned to her that she should just bring in a sleeping bag and I'll be passing her sandwiches from time to time. She was horrified when she saw the place." He clicks his tongue with bemusement, then digs into the pork. "oh, this is good.", he says after a bite, then turns his attention back towards Norea and Kwan again. He hmmmms a bit as he hears what Kwan has to say, then says "Curious, that the night before the raid, which she knew was coming, she decided to look for him. I wonder if she was trying to get one last look at him before the telescope was siezed? Do we know exactly where she was looking, can we determine the realm?"
"She was looking into the Horizon," Norea answers that question straight-up. "Which makes Kwan and I wonder if this is the rumored Horizon Realm of the Lodge." She settles on the couch with her own plate and glass of iced tea on the coffee table and tucks in. "I imagine she was trying to get one last look at her husband, yeah," she adds with regards to that point. "But I'd like to hear any other ideas about it."
"Horizon?" Johan seems skeptical. "You sure?" He doesn't seem dismissive, more clarifying whether they truly believe it to be a Horizon realm. "That...makes things curiouser and curiouser." He rubs his chin. Time to jump in the Tank.
Kwan accepts her own plate or gets up to fix it herself before returning to her seat. She falls silent for now as the others speak and wisely uses the time to shovel mouthfuls of food into her mouth. She's barely keeping good table manners in place. Scarfing sounds are to a minimum.
Rick sort of shudders at something when 'Horizon' is mentioned, and he goes a little pale. He looks down at his plate for a moment, then up again. "Where....exactly in Horizon, do you happen to know?", he asks quietly.
Tre has gone quiet but when the food is brought out he smiles and he looks to Norea, "Thank you." he says to her. "I will remember you as well Norea." he says to her. He looks around and well his stomach grumbles and with that, he walks over to where Johan is, he will bow hsi head, "This smells pretty good." he says as he looks to Johan. When they begin speaking about research and library searches, Tre just finds a place to sit and eat.
"I'm sure," Norea nods to Johan, not at all bothered that he would seek to confirm he correctly understood her. "You've taught me well, Obi-wan - my cosmology is pretty damn solid. I am positive the astrological coordinates point to somewhere in the Horizon. And to add to your hands-on lessons I've been researching Umbra travel in the library. And what is in the Horizon? Horizon Realms, right?" She glances at Rick, going silent a moment. "We haven't quite pinpointed it yet, but we're closing in on it, don't you think, Kwan?" Norea glances at her research partner a moment, then at Johan. She recognizes that look when he's "in the tank," so she simply waits on him to surface and share his thoughts.
Kwan's gaze flicks to Rick, "Now that's the look of a man asking a question for a reason. What's on your mind, Rick?" She promptly begins to scarf down more of her meal as she waits for the man's reply.
Rick takes a minute to answer, and he says softly "Well, lots of bad things are rumored to be out there now. The avatar storm, the loss of the Horizon Chantry and Doissetep with the Ascension Warrior..." He goes quiet again as he thinks. "Temple has been out there a long time since the raid. What, mid 1970s? He would have been that far out during all the...turmoil of the turn of the Millenium. I wonder if he was involved in some sort of way."
Johan looks up at Tre and gives him a smile. "Why thank you! I had to learn how to cook myself, otherwise it was cafeteria food. And that is the -worst-." He blehs. He taps his chin as he continues his Tanking, looking to Norea. "He wouldn't have been punted to Horizon. He could just leave it, and thus Marjorie would have no clue where he was. It would have to be a Horizon Realm if he remained there long enough for Marjorie to monitor him." He scratches his chin. "Chantries prior to the Avatar Storm had their own Horizon Realms. Basically mythic versions of the Chantry themselves. That would be the likeliest candidate. Everyone would need to know where to go, and what to do, to have access in order to punt him. and Horizon realms are notoriously difficult to crack and track, which is why there could be hundreds back in the day but you never stumbled across any of them." He hmmms.
"Yes, dinner is delicious Johan, thank you," Norea smiles at her mentor, then quiets to hear what he has to say on the matter of Horizon Realms. "Well...Harold Montague helped with the 'punting,' and he had been a member of the Lodge, before bolting with the Node. In fact, I've been looking over the books and his name is in there, he made entries during a span of ten years. That's long enough to have been trusted with the location of the chantry Horizon Realm, don't you imagine?"
Tre smirks, "Same here." he says about having to learn how to cook, "I've even had to learn to cook fast and for a lot of people all at one time. That sucked." he says to Johan. He then goes quiet as everyone begins speaking about the current situation. This is a lot as he's not been here during all of the planning set forth, so he sits there just taking in what he can.
Kwan's expression twists for a moment, though it's unlikely that her change of face is caused by Johan's cooking. "I still think we should all just ask Chancellor Marjorie directly. All this investigating behind her back... either we trust our chancellor and should clue her in or we don't."
Johan arches a brow to Kwan. "Behind her back? She knows we're investigating." He says. "If you want to ask her feel free." He waves a hand. "It isn't like we're doing anything wrong."
Rick looks to Kwan a moment, then glances at Tre. "Perhaps we need to go over everything we know so far, both to get Tre up to speed as well as make sure we are all on the same page.". He looks around "Anyone want to volunteer?"
"I tried that already," Norea says, glancing from Johan to Kwan with a small sigh. "I found it distasteful to investigate without telling her about it, so I did. And she claimed it was a good thing for the new, young members of Ascension Lodge to know its history and proclaimed herself to be, 'an open book.' And so I asked her fairly direct questions and she proceeded to give fairly vague answers. All she would say is that it was all the fault of House Bonisagus -- whatever 'it' was. She never would talk about /what/ happened that resulted in a tribunal, or /why/ it happened. Just blame it on a political rival and spew bitterness." A beat. "Since that conversation, there have been accusations of foul play. So, me personally, I'm not inclined to go back to her and ask her about /that/. I don't assume she's guilty, either. I'm just committed to finding out the truth." Norea looks at Rick and she gives a dry laugh. "I agree that we need to do that. But who's going to volunteer for /that/ is the question...."
Johan gestures to Norea. "See?" He says. "Case and point." After which he sighs. And decides to jump back in the Tank. Best go over what he knows and put the Horizon into perspective...until Rick asks for a volunteer. He opens his eyes. "Well..since I started this whole thing I might as well do it."
When needing to inform people, it is best to start at the top. "When we first came to the Ascension Lodge it looked...worse for wear. Esepcially the Astronomy Tower. The Lodge had been raided by Hermetic Quaesitors years back. However, the place was left in shambles - something that is not really their style. So Luu, Rick, myself and Norea investigated the Observatory. We discovered that at the time of the raid, the Chantry burned dozens of documents to hide them from the Quaesitori and! There was a powerful Wonder, a Telescope, at the top - which was confiscated. The observatory had a guardian spirit, an angel, who is still there at the top of the tower. However the entire orrery is depicted with sexualized astrological figures - everything is hypersexual. Obviously, there was a cover-up. So I decided to learn the truth about what happened. Luu, Norea, Rick and myself all agreed to do so."
"The next step was figuring out just -what- everyone was so closed mouth about. While Rick and Luu investigated the Angel, myself and Norea took to figuring out just what transpired. What we learned, through a collection of interviews, was that prior to the raid Marjorie had her husband here, Temple, along with several others. The Lodge was a sex den, orgies a plenty. They were using the LA fad of sex among the elite to conduct sexual magic to generate quintessence, since Harold Montegue - the sponsor of the Glendale Tool Company, supposedly "swiped" the Lodge's Node. They did so to charge their Wonders, such as the Telescope. At some point, Marjorie and Temple became enamoured with some sort of umbrood known only as 'The Conquering Child'. And they sought to birth it through a Ritual of the same name."
"At that point things start to get murky. The Rite of the Conquering Child, both myself and Norea assert, is the central event that everything hinges upon. Evidence suggests, that the Ritual was performed. Whatever it was supposed to do, it supposedly turned Temple Maurader - forcing Montegue and others to jettison him to the Umbra. After that, Marjorie, who just lost her husband, has been walking around willy nilly keeping tabs on him, supposedly, in the Umbra up until the raid occurred. The raid confiscated the Telescope and several key magical texts. After which Marjorie was put on Tribunal for everything from Infernalism to zigging instead of zagging. The Tribunal confiscated all of the Wonders of the Lodge and basically put the entire Chantry in it's defunct status, with Marjorie politically unscathed...due according to word, to her political acumen - the same acumen that makes her, and everyone else when asked, chain up and go quiet whenever the Rite of the Conquering Child is spoken of. Which is why we need to figure it out for ourselves." He looks to Kwan, specifically.
"Our current running theory is that the Ritual was performed, and whatever the effects of the Ritual were, is what led to Temple's madness. I have a theory that suggests that Temple is not a Maurader, but is instead possessed by this 'Conquering Child', whatever it is, given that one of the key texts they were using in their sexualized magic? Involved a very intricate binding ritual. It would further explain why Marjorie is both nonchalant with the fact that her husband has been punt-kicked into the Umbra without so much as a quivering lip, but also why she was initially invested in keeping tabs on him."
"Therefore we have several routes of Inquiry that we have not explored that we are working on. Kwan and Norea have been looking into Temple specifically, hence the discussion regarding Horizon. Rick, Luu and Jinny I believe? Are preparing to head to the Quaesitori to get access to their Tribunal records and see what was presented and covered and get the full "official story" as it were. I have spoken to the Vice-Chancellor and believe I have what I need in preparation to head to Durenmar, the Chantry where the Wonders were confiscated, in an effort to get a look at them or, better yet, retrieve some of them."
"However, we still don't know what the Chantry was hiding during the raid. The burned evidence is still a mystery, though Norea has suggested that their ledgers are seven-ways from f****. It might be a clue. Also, if this Chantry had a Horizon Realm, it would have a Gate somewhere on the grounds which we could find and potentially use to learn how to access it. Meanwhile the Rite of the Conquering Child has some mysteries too. The Aeon of Sun and Moon are Umbrood to which we assume are the "paternal" figures to the Conquering Child. Even learning of them would give us a clue as to the Ritual itself - as they may have to invoke them or even summon them in order to perform the ritual."
"Given the fact that whatever it was happened, people have died because of it and schisms have been created due to it. Whatever it was, it wasn't simple and it definitely wasn't clean."
Rick goes quiet for a long time as Johan recites the story for everyone's sakes. He nods at times, then furrows his brows at other times, glancing from Johan, to Kwan, to Norea and then to Tre as johan continues to speak. Finally when Johan is done he rubs his chin and says "I projected my mind into the astral realm and wandered the lodge grounds. It was...Pymander perfection. Well, almost. There are several key items that are preventing the lodge from being the pymanderistic perfection. One such item is the telescope, the other are several texts missing from the library. I am hoping our librarian can help identify them after she gets a handle of the card catalog. I wouldn't expect any updates from her on that any time soon." He chews on a piece of bacon, then says "I wonder if the gateway to the horizon realm, if one exists, is in the arboretum?"
Norea sits up straight and looks between Rick and Johan as the Quaesitor mentions his projection into the astral realm. "I wonder if the missing texts include ones mentioned by Prof. King?" Then, "I bet you're right Rick, about the solarium. Marjorie takes care of the plants herself. I wouldn't be surprised if the reason for is not just because she has a green thumb. Also..." She focuses on Johan. "What did we learn in our mapping project that would inform us on this point? About the location of the gateway, that is? Surely we've got clues to that in the paper we /just/ published?" Norea finally takes a moment to check on Tre. "Hey man. I know this is a lot. Can I get you anything? Do you have any questions you'd like to ask? Just speak up if you need to. My home is your home."
Tre was about to say something when Johan began speaking and speak he does. Tre is pretty much captured in what is being said, honestly a lot of this is over his head but thankfully with the information being given does allow him to be able to follow what's been going on. He leans back in his seat and he takes in the information given.
"Thank you for the information." he says. "Honestly, I'm more of a warrior then a scholar but I know that I will need to make that change. I will help where I can, though if we need certain individuals protected when going to these places, I will go with you to ensure your protection." he states. "Two key texts seem to be the Book of the Beast. That is the sex book that the binding ritual is in. The Vice-Chancellor is keen on getting it." He says. "The other is Ars Vitae, which I got confirmed was Marjorie's personal grimoire. It is likely the Rite of the Conquering Child is within it...however it is loaded with Masterese and I am sure some sort of Cypher." He considers.
Norea's question makes him cross his arms, still in the Tank. He rests his head on the headrest. "Unfortunately no. The Gematria used in the Chantry's construction was toward the manipulation of the grounds as a whole more than a particular point. All our study does is confirm that the gate conforms to the established pattern. Which means it is a relatively innocuous gate if one exists." To Tre he laughs. "We're all nerds, so the good thing is we have ass-kickers now. Cuz if someone comes in with a broadsword and nothing to lose I am all thumbs." Not entirely. He does have a big ass magnum now. "Both of those texts are in Durenmar. Which means I guess I will have to take Professor King up on his offer." He grumbles. Time to go into debt. x2. He pulls out his phone.
Rick gives a little smile to Norea and a nod. "It makes sense, but there could be other locations in the lodge too, so while its the logical place for the gate, it may not be the only one. I'm just speculating." He looks to Tre and gives him a thumbs up, then jerks said thumb towards what Johan said "That, that right there. If there is an actual fight I'm going to be in big trouble so...glad to have you aboard." He chuckles, then looks to Johan as he digs out his phone. "Good luck with Professor king. He's...not too friendly towards me for some reason." He snorts at that and shakes his head, then says with a sigh "But unfortunately I'm going to need to head out. I need to figure out whats going on with the trip to Germany, damn thing is getting delayed too much. When I leave I'll let you folks know, and I'll let you know when I get back."
When Rick mentions Professor King Norea fights really REALLY hard not to bust out laughing....and fails. She raises a hand to cover her mouth and laughs so hard she gets tears in her eyes. "G-g-g-good night, Rick....." After showing him out and returning to the music room, she seems to have recovered. Mostly. "Hey Tre? Don't sell yourself short. Kwan found key stuff in library that I did not. So score one for the ass-kickers vs. nerds." Then she looks at Johan and says, "I just thought of something, by the way: the fact that when I did the scrying in the observatory, I didn't see anything which would have led to the raid. But what if all that happened inside the Horizon Realm? Rather than the room the telescope used to be in. That would explain why I looked and looked but saw nothing of Gregory Temple and the moment he 'went mad' or was possessed, if your theory is correct, Johan." A beat. "If that is correct...how can I scry past events that happened in the Horizon Realm?"
Tre places his plate down beside him and he lets out a breath, when Rick takes his leave, he waves, and to Kwan as well. He watches them for a moment then looks back to Johan and Norea. "I feel like I have a lot more to catch up on, but I will do what I can and honestly Johan thanks for explaining things to me." he says. He rubs his forehead a little bit, "This is insane but if this is to help our Chantry, and the Chancellor, I'm down to help. We protect our own and if you're going this far, I will too."
"You would need Spiritual applications to do it, along with the coordinates or something from the Horizon Realm that would give you access. I don't think that is the proper course of action." Johan explains. "Scrying from afar also requires some Correspondence applications as well (Corr 2). In other words, a royal pain. I would look to see if we can find it's location first. Then if you find the Horizon Realm, a herculean feat of it's own accord, do it then." He suggests.
Tre thanking Johan gets a smile from the Fortunae. "No problem. A bunch of people say Marjorie is guilty of everything from Murder to infernalism, others not so. What matters is figuring out what happened and learning the truth so that way, we know what we're sitting on and we can move on." He nods a few times. "And the more to the scooby gang the merrier." Johan then takes his phone call and confirms a reservation flight to Germany. Then hangs up.
"I'll see what I can find in Durenmar, as I have a bucket list now. I would suggest our next step is following the bread crumbs and seeing if we can find that gateway or, at the very least, where it could have been. It may help us triangulate just where it is and maybe, if possible, reconstruct it so that it can open to get a person or two in and out."
"Okay, makes sense," Norea responds when Johan explains the complications of scrying the Umbra when you are outside of it. "I'll continue to focus my efforts on finding Temple - which now seems to be related to the goal of finding the gateway and opening it." She turns to Tre then and smiles. "It's good to meet people willing to commit to a cause and pledge their loyalty. As Johan says, what matters to us is finding out the truth. And to accomplish that, we're going to need someone watching our backs. At some point, I'd wager, someone will try to stop us."
Tre smirks, "You're welcome." he says to her. "Honestly I'm still trying to get caught up on what's going on, I feel this is just the tip of the iceberg." he chuckles. "I will watch one anothers back as long as someone watches my back." he says. He grins a little bit, he looks around for a moment taking in the music room and the now vacant seats. "Thanks for letting us meet up at your home Norea." he offers.
"I have an office right next to Kwan's at the Lodge," Norea mentions as she starts to walk Tre down the hallway toward the front door. "And so does Johan. And Rick of course. So it shouldn't be hard to find us, any time you're interested in learning more about the investigation, or if you just wanna hang out. Johan's right that we Hermetics tend to be nerds. But we're friendly nerds, I hope." She grins.
Seeing that he's being escorted out, he gets up and nods his head, "Alright, I will check in from time to time." he says as he looks to her and as they near the front door, he opens the door, "Nice meeting you Norea," he says to her. "Good I like friendly people." he smirks, "Have a good rest of your evening." he then places his hands into his pockets and heads down the steps and he moves with a subtle grace as he begins walking down the street.
