[Secrets of the Bureau] To Kill A Child

[Shru]

Shanna, at home


Shanna reads through the assignment twice, committing the details of the necessary adjustment, then sets it down on a nearby table. A slight twinge of sadness glances across her consciousness and is gone almost before it appears. Not every life made such a difference in its passing.


She wanders toward her library, trying to recall the telltale signs for such a death. Apyrosia, apyrosia...


-----


Doing just that -- Int + Medicine?

 

[Tikor]

Shanna, her Manse, Seed of Polished Stone


Shanna scans the library of her Manse, but it is dominated by tomes on the art of winemaking, not the practice of medicine. Few medical texts exist and those that do are general and practical. The servant who tends the sand garden is no help either, he seems to have a hard time hearing you over the falling sand noises he says 'follow him about' after decades of service.


----------------


Roll Intelligence + higher of Lore/Medicine, plus a 1 die stunt bonus. A mundane disease specialty would apply. The difficulty is 2 to understand and be able to diagnose apyrosia, but you are at a -2 external penalty in this library. Perhaps your connections at the Bureau of Destiny could lead you to a more appropriate set of sources in the Manse of Forbidding Ivy?

 

[Shru]

Shanna, knee-deep in bookshelves


Shanna loses several minutes as she skims through some of her books and scrolls, re-shelving a few that seem to have gotten out of order all on their own. A large tome on disease catches her eye in the middle of her collection of folk poetry, and she takes it for inspection later. This certainly doesn't belong here... Is it even mine? The book is significantly older than most of the rest of her books, but well-made and heavy with knowledge. I'll have to figure out who to return it to, later.


After a few more fruitless minutes of searching for more volumes, she carries the solitary tome over to a small study desk and starts to leaf through it. Though the table of contents seems to be worthless, the index is meticulously laid out. A subsection on apyrosia jumps out at her, and she quickly leafs to the indicated page.


-----


[4,8,2,7,7,1,10] = 5 successes - 2 (external penalty) = 3 successes @ 2 difficulty.


Int(3)+Lore(3)+Stunt(1) Diagnose Disease in a crappy library (7d10=39)


I... was not expecting that to work. Was going to hit up the Manse next, and spit a secretary if I couldn't find it there. O.o


Also, I reallyreally like that Manse name. >.> Can I steal it?

 

[Tikor]

Shanna's unlikely book of Medicine


Apyrosia is a disease where the subject appears to have no energy or passion for life to the degree where the subject drifts in and out of incapacitation until they fall into a sleep so deep they fail to wake again. Exalted do not suffer from it, and it is not communicable. It is thought to originate when the ambition of the mortal reaches a very low point. Common remedies are to force the subject during their bouts of conciousness to partake in a diet of extreme spices, a regimine of intense exercise, and/or combat training. But few can even diagnose it so these remedies are rarely used, and thus unstudied in thier curative effects. I hypothesize that the Fire Chakra is subdued or inactive in subjects, but have not had both a case and the tools onhand to confirm my suspicion.


- Ragara Bhagwei


-------


Yes, you can have the Manse name. I re-read your background description, but didn't see a name for your Manse; consider it yours.

 

[Shru]

Shanna, in her library


No energy... Shanna closes the tome, her mind wrapping around the symptom presentation. Perhaps a poison? Or...


Focusing pure essence between her lips, Shanna spits a small contingent of tiny, green patternspiders into her hands. "What are the names of the people whose lives are most affected by Sheal Honeycomb of Lookshy?"


She absently grabs her writing supplies and some notebooks on her way out to the garden to wait for their return.


Shanna, with sand between her toes


The encompassing feel of the soft sand between her toes calms the Sidereal as she combs and levels a circle of sand. She traces subdivisions into the image, clearing her mind of her extraneous thoughts as she does so. One segment for each college; at the wide end of each wedge, a small depiction of the constellation.


After her mind has cleared and calmed sufficiently, she loops the worn black leather bag from around her neck. She claps rhythmically for a moment, shaking the bag and focusing her thoughts on Sheal Honeycomb. She releases the bones into the circle, noting where each one lands and its orientation in a notebook, along with the associated meanings and intimations.


Reading and annotating the bones for all the important members of Sheal's story takes a full day, and she stares blankly at the notebooks when she is finished. Now to write it all up...


------


Ramping up for another prayer roll -- emphasis on effect points, this time, thus the destiny planning. Not entirely certain how many people will be most affected by the girl's sudden change in destiny. Is five reasonable? (Parents, spouse, siblings was the thought for that...) Let me know and I'll update my essence expenditure as appropriate.


Destiny Planning: Int + Craft(Fate) = Int + College(Corpse*) = 3+1, difficulty 1 to plan for mortals?


*Assuming that this College is the same one I'm going to be shooting to get with my prayer.

 

[Tikor]

The Spider skitters back and responds "Her parents, Bea and Yosul Honeycomb and her physician, Burr Once-Metic are those most tangled with Sheal Honeycomb of Lookshy."


The bones shake out with an unusually clear Destiny for Sheal Honeycomb. Unlike the vast majority of mortals whose fates are the shake-out of more influential directions aimed at related but other things, this Destiny has received the attention of a god of Destiny, her mark is unmistakable. Sheal Honeycomb is planned to die of apyrosia.


-----------


Confusion cleared up, and so is this comment box.

 

[Shru]

Shanna, eyes deep in reports


Shanna nods distractedly at the tiny patternspider. The doctor's fate was already mapped out, of course, but with any luck, the loom spiders would appreciate the separate attention to the girl's parents' fates. She re-checked her wording as she transferred all the notes to a long scroll, to present as prayer at the Loom.


Only after the last stanza was written, rhymed, and balanced, did she pull out another scroll to inscribe the official request. She shook her hands and stretched her neck out to its fullest, trying to work out the expected kinks. Just one more...


-------


Writing up the petition to try for the resplendent destiny (Corpse constellation). Is it still OK to go on with this one, and may I count the planning for the girl's parents' destinies?


Hope you had a good weekend!

 

[Tikor]

-------------


Destiny planning successful, proceed.

 

[Shru]

-----


Planning Destiny: Int + College (Corpse) = 3 + 1 = 4 dice


[3,9,10,6] = 3 successes.


Petition: Wits + Craft (Calligraphy) = 4 + 3 = 7 dice


[6,2,5,5,2,6,1] = 0 successes.


Super-botch for the ugliest petition ever! . . . Am I still able to roll the prayer for this?

 

[Tikor]

-------------


Your botch will have the effect of doubling any Paradox dice from this roll, as the patternspiders are forced to read your offensive calligraphy again and again and again... provided this prayer succeeds. Shanna has no knowledge of this, and this the petition with the new avant-garde style is just as awesome, if not better, than her last.


Mechanically, you are now working without at petition, at +2 difficulty to the prayer roll (as detailed on page 206).


Do note that the prayer strips and astrological measurement devices, ect. costs are adding up. But since we're knee deep in mechanics anyway, I won't stress the point with any kind of roll.


The three successes on the precomputed horoscope will give you an extra effect roll die, should you succeed on the Prayer roll.

 

[Shru]

Shanna, setting up in the Dome, near midnight


Shanna spreads her blanket on the ground, taking care to smooth all the corners and edges. Sitting silently in the center, she focuses on the sounds around her: the soft, slippered tread of the few visitors wandering around the dome so late at night; the quiet whispering of cloud conveyances above; the open-shut clicks of a door; the faint clicking of the patternspiders at work.


She slowly feels the rhythm to all the noises of the nighttime wind together, her eyes opening and her fingers drifting across to pick up first her petition and then her prayerstrips. The notebook with her report waits patiently at her side. When the night's rhythm has seeped into her bones, she speaks -- slowly at first, then with growing urgency.


The longest part is detailing the new, fuller plans for Bea and Yosul Honeycomb, which slowly eats into the night. The rhythm of the night's sound forms becomes an essential part of the poetry, lends its force and its strength to the exacting (if occasionally imperfect) rhymes and meter of Shanna's spoken words. The sun has already begun its ascent by the time she finishes the recitation.


-----


Who doesn't like Beat poetry?


No bongos (because reading and playing at the same time would be ... unlikely, to say the least), so she'll have to make due with the ambient music to back her.


Prayer = Cha + Perform, Lengthy Prayer(6h = 2dice?) for difficulty 7.

 

[Tikor]

------------


Please take 2 stunt dice as well. so that makes your pool Charisma (3) + Performance (2) + Lengthy Prayer (2) + stunt (2) = 9 dice, 1 Willpower expenditure for a success I presume? difficulty 5 base + 2 no petition = 7. My apologies on the late reply, I wanted to be in the right setting to properly judge the stunt, and I thought I might catch you to talk about your plans OOC.

 

[Shru]

-----


I'd thought I'd get a chance to call you, too. ;___; Now isn't the time for my phone to be wonky, but it's another complication right now. =\ Definitely one willpower for a success -- have you ever seen a beat poet that Wasn't putting their all into the poetry?


Beat Poetry Prayer, difficulty 7 [6,10,6,9,6,7,7,1,2] = 5 successes + 1 WP = 6, Not Quite enough. (But better than I was expecting. O.o ) Paradox dice for pissing them off?

 

[Tikor]

---------


No Paradox, the Spiders simply ignore you. Your petition is still in your lap (or wherever).

 

[Shru]

Shanna, in the Dome


After a long moment of waiting for the intrinsic settling of her soul that signals the approval of the patternspiders, Shanna opens her eyes. Her scroll lies on the ground in front of her, its edges curling softly onto the slightly rumpled blanket. Obviously not the way I'm supposed to finish this off...


Carefully, she rolls the petition into a small cylinder and neatly folds the blanket, brushing off the stray dust and small insects that had taken harbor during her vigil. Wrapping the petition in the blanket, she heads off toward the Forbidding Manse of Ivy, more plans vying for space in her mind.


Shanna, the intimidating library


Shanna scans the entrance for one of the ever-present librarians. The soft shuffling of robes to her left alerts her that one has found her first.


"Welcome," the librarian quietly intones. "This one is able to assist the visitor, if required."


A faint smile plays across Shanna's lips as she turns to greet the librarian, but swiftly disappears in the heavy silence of the impressive surroundings. "I need to find information on poisons or maladies that cause extreme ennui in mortals."


-------


Asking for help, at the bastion of knowledge. Hoping someone here can direct her toward a more useful solution.

 

[Tikor]

---------


Roll Intelligence + Investigation, plus a 2 die stunt bonus + a 3 die bonus for the librarian's help, difficulty 2. This is the 'find the right book in this vast expanse of library' roll. Next do the Intelligence + higher of Lore/Medicine roll, which is the 'understand what you've found' roll. You're free to stunt reading once you've found the book.

 

[Shru]

Shanna, buried back in the stacks


Shanna nods gratefully as the librarian points out one of the shelves. A thick tome up on the shelf immediately draws her attention. A Short History of Poison? She reaches for the book, grunting quietly as she extracts it, knocking several smaller books and pamphlets to the floor.


The retreating librarian turns at the noise, hands making shushing motions. "Please do not disturb your fellow patrons."


Shanna cringes at the gentle reprimand, hastening to pick up the slender volumes. A handful of tiny pamphlets seem to be part of a series -- Deadly Plants and Their Effects. She taps her chin for a moment, then places the small green volumes (barely more than a few pages each!) atop the "Short" history. The rest of the books are replaced quickly, and she spirits her stack of books over to a small worktable.


Deadly Plants and Their Effects!


Hemlock


Plant Description: Small, lace-like leaves that grow as part of large, triangular clusters. Smooth stem, green along the length, occasionally red or purple spots and streaks toward the bottom...


Growth and Climate: Grows in soil, gravel, or clay. Requires temperate climate, but grows well when the air still retains slight chill. Thrives in poorly-draining areas...


Poison Source: Entire plant is poisonous...


Effects - Fresh: FATAL. Swiftly induced, short-lived paralysis...


Effects - Dried: Toxins are still active, effects similar to fresh effects, but greatly reduced...


Application: Ingestion required...


Shanna placed the Hemlock pamphlet in a separate pile. That might bear looking into later.


Deadly Plants and Their Effects!


Gunja


Plant Description: Small, lace-like leaves that grow as part of large, triangular clusters. Smooth stem, green along the length, occasionally red or purple spots and streaks toward the bottom...


Growth and Climate: Climbing vine, grows around bushes and shrubs. Grows best in tropical and sub-tropical climates...


Poison Source: Seeds only


Effects - Fresh: FATAL. Induces long, violent bouts of diarrhea...


Shanna shakes her head, placing the Gunja pamphlet into a different pile on her left. Violent, obvious symptoms were straight out. She combed through the Deadly Plant pamphlets, eyes focusing on the Effects section.


Hyacinth? FATAL. Nausea, diarrhea... Rejected.


Elephant Ear? Non-fatal. Swelli... Rejected.


Golden Chaintree? FATAL. Lethargy, coma... Shanna perks up, perusing the promising list. ... Nausea, violent convulsions... Rejected.


She stretches, then pores her attention back into the stack. This might take a while.


-----


Int (3) + Investigation (2) + Stunt (2) + Librarian (3) = 10 dice, difficulty 2:


[9,4,4,5,10,5,3,9,9,8] = 6 successes


Incoming reading stuffs, swear!


ED: Reading up! I did research off of this page: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/lawn ... oison.html, plus a little bit of light google-ing on interesting sounding poisons.


To understand and find something useful: Int (3) + Lore (3) = 6?

 

[Tikor]

Shanna, Endings Caste, alone in the Forbidding Manse


Among the cheery Wood-Aspected books chirping along about plants lies a book with a heavy coat of dust and mold growing along the entire top half. Whatever title it may have originally had has been reduced to "...~ of the Labyrinth". Shanna, bustling with efficiency, barely registers these facts until the book is open and the handwriting illuminates the unsound mind of the author. Your librarian assistant finds someplace else to be without your notice. The lights seem to dim, exacerbating the difficult typeset's legibility, as if the helpful fire elementals all happened to go on break.


A few pages read:


Ghosts abound in ---. Can't hide from them. They can see m~$#. They all want something.


Says I'm to be a 'necromancer'. Says I'm to keep writing, so I don't forget. How could I forg--!~ No one could forget.


The Fount of Mourning ---- can't escape ----


Among the ramblings are various 'recipes'. One is dubbed Labyrinth Coffee which needs a certain 'bean' that from the description comes out of the ground, not a plant. The effects of the concoction are described "Knocks 'em out. Drift off in sl---. Raises as a hungry ghost with a po, forever joined unlike most. Useful for corec---; they know they's body can be salted."


---------------


Congrats on your successes! Mechanically, because I can't seem to find Thaumaturgy in 1st ed, it is a 2nd ed Apprentice level Thaumaturgic ritual of the Art of the Dead (meaning you only need 1 dot in Occult to attempt it, no other prerequisites) as it relies more on the ingredients for power than the Thaumaturge. You might want to read up on Thaumaturgy on page 138 of 2nd Ed. Core, especially the part about substituting motes for ingredients.


Name: (Minimum Degree, Attribute, Difficulty, Casting Time)


Labyrinth Coffee: (0, Perception, 1, 15 minutes)


This recipe requires access to Labyrinth bean extract (Resources 1 in the Labyrinth (assuming anyone is sane enough for economic activity), Resources 2 in the Underworld, Resources 3 in Creation, other planes of existence don't seem to allow the ritual) or it automatically fails. Successfully completing the brewing ritual involving the bean extract, water and bark rot creates 1+threshold successes doses of Labyrinth Coffee, and consumes the materials. Each dose, when ingested, initiates a Stam+Resistance roll with [Essence] automatic successes, as their connection to Creation resists the potion. If the drinker gets 3 or fewer successes, they drift off to sleep and die within 25 hours. Once dead they are guaranteeing to rise as a hungry ghost, but they keep their po indefinitely, they don't lose it after 3 days. If instead the drinker achieves 4 or more successes they undergo the effects of ghost flower tea (Core page 378) as if they had taken [stamina+Resistance]X3 doses that season.

 

[Shru]

Shanna, Hiding in her thoughts


The salient passages cling to Shanna's mind, and she re-reads the book, eyes straining as she tries to pull extra information from the spotty words and faded ramblings of the obviously deranged wizard who penned the book. This could be exactly what she needed -- the effects would certainly be close enough to the symptoms she needed to synthesize.


Her eyes fell again on the necessary component, and she leaned back in her chair, nose wrinkling instinctively at the messy item. The mere thought of it made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Dirty thing could never be done up here, of course. Surely the family would never notice another servant... and slipping the girl some tea should be both discrete and effective enough...


She nods absently, jotting down relevant notes for the concoction. If memory served, a gate near Lookshy sat along the Adamant Wall. A quick look at a gate map would make sure she didn't end up somewhere unexpected.


-----


UghIsuckatlife. Sorry for the delay. Found the passage, read it, think I get it about the Thaumaturgy. What do I need to do before donning that created destiny?


FWIW, I've finally hit a bit of a stride at work. I should be able to post at least daily again. >_< Supersuper sorry. ;______;

 

[Tikor]

Shanna's tingling future sense


Shanna is correct that a gate exists near the Adamant Wall of Lookshy. A simple dragon boat across Yu-Shan should get her there. Donning the destiny is an act of will, nothing more.


-----------


You become free to post daily and I get out of the patternspider f5 habit! Hah! See you next weekend at the game. To be clear assuming a Destiny is a diceless miscellaneous action with a rate of 1.

 

[Shru]

Shanna, Journeying close to home


Shanna's eyes rests on the scenery, but it barely registers it as it rushes past. Things that need to be must come about; it is not your place to question why. Her eyes float across her fellow passengers, distracting herself from her own thoughts. A bulky figure off in the corner of the boat, drawing shadows that don't quite hide its presence. A child-like god with the head of a frog, staring at the rushing canal over the edge of the boat. A party of minor gods in the corner, their gruff and musical voices echoing snippets of conversation to the rest of the boat. Politics, of course. Is there any other thing worth talking about, really, in this place?


She sees the Adamant wall rising and gathers herself. A small purse, containing a few small coins for purchasing any necessities that she couldn't find in the house.


The boat docks a short walk from the Lookshy gate, and she disembarks with the rest of the passengers. She pauses for a moment, off to the side of the road, and reaches inward. Feeling about for the necessary thread in her soul. Finding it, she smiles, then resumes her trek. It's always worth double checking some things. Time enough to don it over the Threshold, though.


She strides toward the gate, her gait long and unhurried.


-----


Sorry for the late response.

 

[Tikor]

Gate 17 and 1/2: Lookshy


Marsday, 17th of Acendent Water, RY 768


Most of your fellow passengers disperse to their Yu-Shan environs. Two Lion dogs are on duty at the gate, which sees little traffic at this time of day. You can tell the time because the gate, being large enough for a small dragon-boat, is letting a light in that stands in stark contrast to the starless moonlight shining down from the firmament. They give you no trouble as you pass through, their gaze is focused outward, when it is wary at all. They seem bored, terminally so, with their guard duty.


On the other side you find yourself in a barley field with well-hidden defensive positions attempting to be grain silos. No one is immediately present. Looking backwards into the gate you see a simple painting on a barn of a golden gate and a stylized lion roaring within it. It appears solid.


It's pretty cold outside, for a temperate climate near the inner sea. 40's. All that's left on the field are stalks from the last harvest of grain.


The city of Lookshy appears more like a fort from this distance. The ramparts dominate the impression, and the evenly-spaced implosion cannons emphasize the military might of the place. It'll take you an hour or so to walk there.


----------


Your move.

 

[Shru]

Shanna, looking for some place to cast


Shanna rubs her hands together strides toward one of the grain silos toward the edge of the field, eyes and ears open to determine what, who, or whether the silo is occupied. Cold weather had the tendency to drive everybody inside, after all. The last thing she'd need is a lazy farmhand sneaking peaks... and it'd be far easier to concentrate without the chill wind on her face.


-----


On the up side, I'm bringing my laptop to do some work in any downtime we have this weekend. That means that if it's my turn to post (or... say... roll?), I should be able to do it on the spot.


Does donning a destiny change your appearance? Or only the way people react to you?

 

[Tikor]

--------------


It is a perfect disguise, but not in the conventional, Charm sense. The patternspiders actually change everything about you *in reality* and toss in nice "nothing to see here" signals to everyone around you as an added bonus. So a Solar rocking a perfect Awareness Charm would see you change, but would still see the changed you *for that is real*.

 

[Shru]

Shanna slips inside the door to the nearest grain silo, a quick glance confirming that no unexpected eyes are prying where they do not belong.


She sits still for a moment, reaching inward to tug that tiny thread of soul. With a brief shiver, destiny slides over her form. Her hair grows out and wraps itself into a tight bun. Her skin slackens, adding a couple decades of character to her features in an instant. She shrugs her shoulders once, feeling the new life animating her exterior, and steps out into the field.


The walk is pleasant enough, though quiet. Few people, it seems, are willing brave the early morning chill. As she leaves the field for the road, Shanna adopts a leisurely gait. Her ears perk up and her eyes sharpen at each farmer or traveler that she does encounter, looking for snippets of gossip and news of the city before she breaches the gates.


-----


Writing in present tense is still difficult for me. Sorry for the slips. CONSISTENT VOICE, I SUMMON THEE.


Anyway, perking up to keep an eye on trouble, ascertain her way, and pick up juicy bits of gossip that may or may not help out with her Young Widow disguise.


Stupid mechanics question, because the internets are failing me: Does using the destiny automatically make her a part of this family's retinue? Or does she need to try to talk her way in yet?