"MAGEDATA" By Vigilance99 (https://pastebin.com/u/Vigilance99) URL: https://pastebin.com/u9W8jEzx Created on: Sunday 10th of February 2019 08:36:46 PM CDT Retrieved on: Sunday 25 of October 2020 10:10:35 AM UTC ARCS: Session 1-4: Night at the Museum Session 5-6: Trip to the Observatory Session 7-8: Camelot Session 9-11: John introduced/Felix meets with Hermetics/Himiko and Raico notdate Session 12-19: Breaking Bad Session 20-28: Undersea Base Session 29-32: Isle of Avalon Session 33-36: Return to Camelot/Preparing to search for Artifacts Session 37-42: Queen Himiko/Hades Session 43-54: Old Cao Session 55-67: Raiders of the Lost Ark FACTIONS: -Arthurian: Arthur, Sir Kay, Lancelot, Galahad, Laoban Cao Cao, Daisuke, Mahmoud, Rashid, Abdullah -Hermetic: Ahriman, Enkidu, Imamu bani Tytalus, Congressman Jonathan bani Quasitor, John Dee -Chorister: Sister Jubilee -Technocratic: Agent Jonas Jones -Etherite: Elaine Rocketry, Jack Rocketry -Ummu: Nicolas, Ennoia, Ummu-Hubur, Mephistopheles -NA: Merlin, Vivian, Ethan Goldberg, Selina of Bucharest -Party: Alexander, Himiko, Raico, John, Queen Himiko, Huitzilopochtli, Xipe Totec, Moon Prince, Bartholemew, Rhonabwy, Suihoshi, Cerberus, Santana, Chihiro, Hiroshi, Yusuke Fudo, Joe SESSION SUMMARIES: Session 1: Last time on Mage the party was gathered to the house of Ahriman, a powerful Hermetic wizard. After a brief meeting with a middle-eastern youth named Enkidu apparently staying with the magus, the PCs were ferried inside and told of the reason he had called them. Stealing a powerful magical artifact from the city museum before hostile factions such as the Technocratic Union or the drug lord El Diablo los Santander do. Raico, handling things remarkably well, took the PCs to the museum in his truck, where they found several men dressed as gangsters [loose clothing, bandanas, jewelry, etc] standing around outside. Meanwhile Alexander Felix used his magic to produce a scrying image of the inside of the storage room, which is apparently housing a magic sword the mages believe to be Caliburn, the sword in the stone. The current situation is as follows: -There is 6 gangsters standing outside the museum in the parking lot under a street light, debating amongst themselves presumably how to break in. -Alexander Felix can see inside the mostly empty storage room using his scrying scroll. -Himiko and Felix can also see outside the museum numerous spirits, such as hundreds of angels circling the building like carrion birds, demons fighting and gambling in the streets with other spirits, ghosts wandering around confused [on foot], and a massively built red man dressed as an Aztec nobleman standing outside, looking up at the building near the gangsters [but unoticed]. Only Himiko and Felix can see this. -Himiko tries to enter the Umbra but failed, nothing seeming to happen when she tries to cross the Gauntlet. -The image of a Moth on the floating drone suddenly shorts out and goes dead, the drone falling to the ground. Session 2: Last time on Mage the players spoke briefly to a strange red spirit, who warned them they were wasting time, as the tears of Avalon had flooded the museum. Armed with that cryptic warning they proceeded through the wall, turning it to candy, before finding Technocrats inside. Himiko tried to raise a stegosaurus' spirit, but her paradoxal energies instead awakened its body. A firefight broke out between the Technocrats, the Mages, and the dinosaur, resulting in the undead's death and the capture of Himiko and Raico. Meanwhile Professor Felix slipped into the Umbra, where the museum was completely underwater. He managed to acquire what he believes to be Caliburn, but not before seeing a strange spirit swim very quickly into the ancient history exhibit. The situation is as follows: Raico/Himiko: -You are talking to Agent M of the Technocratic Union. He is with 4 other Men in Black, as well as two mortal security guards [who do not seem to be armed]. The guards count as Sleepers, and thus vulgar magick triggers Paradox in their perceptions. ): -You two do NOT see the water-spirit yet. Alexander Felix: -You are holding the magic sword, swimming in the Near Umbra. The spirit you glimpsed just swam into the ancient history exhibit, moving swiftly near the ceiling. -You see the six gangsters from before [mostly hispanic] in the main entrance, holding base-ball bats with nails, crowbars, and other melee weapons. Note: -Raico soaks lethal and is hasted -Felix is in the Near Umbra -Himiko has taken 4 wounds, Raico has taken 2, one of the MiB has taken 2 -Raico has 5 Paradox, if someone sees him soak lethal damage he takes 2 more. -Felix has 0 Paradox, but if anyone sees Raico move very quickly he takes 3, and if anyone sees him 'levitating' the sword, he takes 2. -Himiko has 0 Paradox. -Everyone is synced up timewise again, and is still telepathically linked. Session 3: Last time on Mage, the PCs found themselves captured by the Technocratic Union. With some quick thinking on the behalf of Alexander and Raico, the MiBs were defeated and the party managed to escape with the sword. Unfortunately, in the escape a strange powerful spirit possessed Himiko. They drove back to the Shinto Shrine, hoping to find someone who could help, where they found a young japanese man in an untucked disorganized suit standing at the door. Meanwhile, in Himiko's mind, she continued confronting the spirit, hoping to calm her, before unleashing all her psychic energies and prayers, hoping to purify the grief-mad umbrood. Session 4: Last time on Mage, the party tended to Himiko's possession, before ultimately returning to Ahriman. Himiko learned that the spirit who possessed her was Vivian, the lady of the Lake, who told her of the cause of her insanity, the destruction of her sacred lake for the sake of development. She warned her not to trust the sword to a wizard, but didn't move to stop her. Felix and Raico spoke to Himiko's brother, but ultimately disregarded his offer of safe haven at the shrine, leaving him and his soon-to-be arriving Yakuza buddies hanging. Callahan regained power, and upon investigating the museum found it a total bloodbath of degenerate vampires. His drone fled, and returned to the others [after managing to find a truly obscene number of personal details about the other willworkers] Session 5: Last time on Mage the willworkers spoke to Ahriman over their retrieval of the sword in the stone. After some initial thoughts, and a strange vision by the Professor, it was decided Ahriman would ask around the Order while the others went to see one of the sons of Ether, a Master Scientist living in the Observatory out in the desert. Early the next day, after a few detours, the Mages gathered into Raico's truck and headed out to the site. Upon arrival they found the observatory, along with its parking lot, hanger, runway, etc, and saw the front entrance had been broken into. Deciding to investigate, they went inside to find a young girl hiding behind a crate, while a 1950s robot did battle with a seven foot tall knight, the latter easily defeating the former. Upon speaking with him and giving him their wellwishes regarding the sword, hostilities seem to be dying down. Session 6: Last time on Mage the party managed to talk down Sir Kay, agreeing to accompany him to Camelot as soon as they had finished analysing the sword. They went down into the sublab to have Elaine, the daughter of the Etherite they came to visit, examine the weapon using a super-computer. Meanwhile Callahan did some snooping around, and managed to steal large quantities of information and blueprints, getting out unscathed. Session 7: Last time, the PCs finished talking to Elaine, who explained to them her theory on why Caliburn and Excalibur seemed to have fused, as well as how the fusion seems to have rendered them inert. They then joined Lancelot and Sir Kay to travel into the Deep Umbra to Camelot, where they were met by a host of spirits, including fairie, angels, djinn, and more, as well as a large number of automaton knights. Upon travelling inside they found Boss Cao, a ruthless gang-leader from the asianic slums, and Mahmoud ibn Hamas, Arthur's new vizier and master of the djinn that rebuilt Camelot. Now they find themselves granted an audience at last with the King, Arthur Pendragon. Session 8: Last time on Mage the party finally met King Arthur, and discussed with him the risk posed by the Technocracy, as well as their own reservations. After heavy deliberation, it was decided that they would be allowed to leave with the sword, on condition that they would try and restore it. Meanwhile, Himiko spoke briefly with Boss Cao, who informed her she was not the same kind of woman her mother was. The party has just left Camelot and is driving through the desert on the long drive back into the city. Session 9: Last time Himiko met with her mom and Felix met with other Hermetics. Session 10: Last time on Mage, Alexander finally finished his meeting with the Order of Hermes,resolving to restore the sword and take it to Doissetep. Meanwhile, Raico and Himiko started an enjoyable 'definitely not a date' at Disney World. Along the way Himiko opened Raico's eyes to the world of spirits, and showed him the many fae creatures that inhabited the invisible Disney Land. They also met a strange older man, who Raico thinks may be suspicious. Session 11: Last time on Mage, Alexander finally finished his meeting with the Order of Hermes,resolving to restore the sword and take it to Doissetep. Meanwhile, Raico and Himiko started an enjoyable 'definitely not a date' at Disney World. Along the way Himiko opened Raico's eyes to the world of spirits, and showed him the many fae creatures that inhabited the invisible Disney Land. They also met a strange older man, who Raico thinks may be suspicious. Session 12: Last time on Mage, John met with the Nosferatu, who told him many things about being a vampire, as well as the threat of Nicolas, a cartel drug lord who had become a powerful vampire, who hated those of Clan Nosferatu for refusing to yield to him. The former being useless, as John was not a vampire. Also we lost Tom. Meanwhile Himiko and Raico continued their date, which will be finished at a later date. They got onboard the Haunted Mansion, and were met by the apparent ghost of Walt Disney. Session 13: Last time on Mage, the four players were finally reunited. Raico and Alexander returned to Himiko's shrine to find her sick, but after a bit of magic crackers on Raico's part she became much better. Meanwhile John Phillips, following a lead from his new friends in the sewers, has arrived at the shrine seeking answers. Session 14: Last time on Mage, the willworkers decided to delay going to Avalon, to instead investigate the strange artifact supposedly held by the drug lord Nicolas. Alexander studied many new spells for the occasion, while Himiko and Raico dug through their respective connections and knowledge for possible leads. Session 15: Last time on Mage, the party arrived at the burger joint where El Diablo's goons were known for making exchanges, and began to stake it out ultimately discovering two goons inside whom they overhear discussing drugs, Adrian their supplier, and Vitae, the mystical vampiric word for blood. Session 16: Last time on Mage the willworkers continued their investigation into the gang of Nicolas, otherwise known as El Diablo Los Santander. Felix, Himiko, and Raico managed to track one of the two gangsters they found down to a friend's house, where Himiko was able to enter his mind and learn what all he knew. Which was sadly, not much. She did however learn the identities of a few people who might know more, highest on the list being Adrian, a great fat hispanic man known as the largest supplier and distributor in LS. Meanwhile John chased down the other gangster, beat him unconscious, stole his car and gun, and imprisoned him in the sewer. Session 17: Last time on Mage, the PCs met at Himiko's shrine to discuss what to do about Adrian, Nicolas' most profitable supplier, as well as a powerful vampire. After some deliberation, a plan was wrote up, and the party drove out to Adrian's house on the beach. A teleportation malfunction however results in their losing the element of surprise. Himiko and Raico are just outside Adrian's bedroom, having taken heavy damage [Himiko breaking a rib after having Raico thrown at her and the two of them tearing through a wooden door]. Alexander is outside, by the road on the beach, viewing the whole situation in a scrying pool. John rushed out to help, and can see the two security personnel [but they don't see him]. Session 18: Last time on Mage, the party managed to bounce back from the botched teleportation, and accidentally killed Adrian. They are now returning to the shrine via Felix's teleportation spell. Session 19: Last time on Mage, the players arrived back at the Kamiya Shrine after killing Adrian, Nicolas' right hand man. With him dead, Raico met with the Fifth Sun, patron of the Mexica, who listened intently as Raico explained the visions he was having, before reminding him the needs of the people came before all other concerns. Afterwards, Himiko called up Adrian's soul from Hell, and with some persuasion learned that Boss Cao and El Diablo are working together, that Cao is working with someone on some major project [obviously Arthur], that Nicolas DOES have Avalon, the sheath to Excalibur/Caliburn, and that he has a phone number he uses to get into contact with Nicolas on his laptop. After freeing John's prisoner and using precussive maintence to make sure he didn't realize who his captors were, the party decides to call it a night and resume things in the morning. Session 20: Last time on Mage the party gathered intelligence on Nicolas, finding he was taking refuge in an abandoned Technocratic undersea base of some kind, with at least 20 vampiric guards and sorcerers down there with him. The bottom floors are immune to scrying, heavily secured from the higher floors and have had the power to them cut. They met to discuss what to do about it, as Himiko recalls the events of this morning. Session 21: Last time on Mage the party met with Sister Jubilee, who agreed to join them against Nicolas on the condition that they replace him with one of the Nosferatu, and that she be part of the discussion on what to do with Avalon once it is obtained. Having also obtained the aid of super-scientist Elaine Rocketry [who lends them a submarine], Joe the Nosferatu [who agrees to take Nicolas place], and the Moon Prince [Himiko's childhood imaginary friend, now tulpa] they descend quietly into the murky depths. Session 22: Last time on Mage the party descended into the Technocratic Union's undersea base, abandoned decades ago but since taken up by Nicolas and his gang. After some brief exploration, in which they discovered [but did not investigate] strange large whale lice, they made their way down a floor and came across Nicolas and his men eating dinner where Himiko was captured. Session 23: Last night on Mage the party continued investigating Nicolas in the Void Engineer base, abandoned decades ago for unknown reasons. They came across the vampire in his dining hall and managed to put him to flight, fleeing beyond the range of Alexander's scrying down the stairwell towards his room, where Avalon supposedly awaits. Meanwhile Alexander found himself transported to the future, where he met a mysterious Stranger. Himiko, Raico, Jubilee, Moon Prince, and Joe are in the dining room which is stained in blood and vampiric ash, as well as a few corpses. The Moon Prince's wings are missing many feathers, and stained in silver blood [-5 Wounds]. The two sorcerers have thrown up their hands and offered a surrender. Meanwhile John races down the stairway after Alexander, coming into Nicolas' bedroom. Inside is a small bed, a wooden wardrobe, a bookshelf, a desk covered in papers and opened books, an altar covered in blood with a pentagram hanging over it, and dominating the back wall an enormous sealed vault door with a keypad next to it. Session 24: Last time on Mage the party met back up in the upper levels after John accidentally triggered the base's lockdown sequence. After a brief meeting with a supposed Man in Black, it was revealed that the lower levels of the base are infested with a shapeshifting scientific research project called Experimental Lifeform #1, designed to test rapid evolutionary adaptations. They are now alone in the dark in Nicolas's room, the vault freshly resealed but the chute remaining open, to continue deliberating what to do now. Nicolas has supposedly fled into the lower levels with Avalon, and the submarine out has exploded. Felix is aware that Coorespondance effects cannot penetrate the divide between the lower and upper levels. Anything in Nicolas' room or beyond cannot be teleported into or out of, nor the outside or inside scryed unless you're in that area [note that light levels also severely limit scrying within the lower levels] Continue deliberations and begin Session 25: Last time on Mage, the party continued exploring the abandoned Pan-Pacific Joint-Research Aquatic Base, in search of the vampire Nicolas. As they explored deeper into the facility they found their worst fears realized, the lower levels are the domain of a Marauder, which is evidently causing the arrangement of the facility to shift in semi-random fashion, rendering maps of the facility useless. After exploring the storage room, they headed to cryogenics where they were met by a Soviet Technocrat, claiming to have been head of security when Experimental Lifeform #1 broke containment. Session 26: Last time on Mage, the party continued further and further, deep into the belly of the Void Engineer Base, before finding near its bottom a great room, once the storage location of a pool of water, and now a single vast Experiment, covering the walls and ceilings, as well as the pool itself. From the way they came, the mysterious high source of 'chi' Himiko and Jubilee sense is walking slowly down the hall, not yet visible. The party has elected to flee, rushing across the bridge only to be attacked by the horrid shapeshifter. The room is pitch black, save for the lights of the flashlights held in everyone's hands, as they run across the long metal bridge, unable to even see the opposite side from here. Himiko's spirits have been grasped and are being pulled helplessly to the ceiling by the Experiment, and a large blob of unshaped flesh had just bounced off Raico's shield in front of the party [it is not entirely blocking your path]. The glob quickly grows limbs and takes shape before Felix. Session 27: Last time on Mage the party made their way out of the room-Experiment's domain, meeting up with the youth Enkidu, who was revealed as the mysterious presence following them through the base. He didn't reveal his motives for being there, instead explaining that Nicolas was just beyond with the Experiment's true form, a massive mountain of flesh rising out of a seemingly bottomless pit containing the bodies of four Mages, mostly Technocrats. The party quickly launched an assault, seemingly killing Nicolas, but having no luck harming the Experiment in the least. Session 28: Last time, on Call of Pendragon in Little China: Stardust Crusaders, the party [mainly Raico, Enkidu, and MP] managed to kill the Marauder that had taken over the Void Engineer base, destroying its field and returning it to base reality. In addition, they finally obtained Avalon, the mystical sheath of Excalibur, which is seemingly in perfect working order. John, still recovering from being assimilated by the Experiment, is speaking with Enkidu over the threat represented by the figure of his dreams, which Enkidu claims eclipses every other power the party has thus far encountered. Ahriman meanwhile arrived, having been sent by a 'friend of Raicos', and is currently waiting in Nicolas' dining room. "[You all abandoned me to fight Gojira alone with no one to help me but Enkidu. Raico and your lice rushed off. I am the Moon Prince. Not the Nebula Prince. Not the Galaxy Prince. This entire day is beyond my pay grade!]" he says in an angry japanese rant. "Not quite as you are perhaps imagining. As I told you, when Experiment first Awakened, I sealed myself in room. They could not get me, but I had no food. I could not last forever. So I used Neuralizer on Experiment, and on self. Effecting mind of Marauder is same as effecting world of Marauder." "I was able to stay in room, even after it assimilated me. And when you killed Experiment, you killed me." He turns to Raico. "I...do not thinking so. I have family to find. I am hoping God has a place to put a good Technocrat." Enkidu looks to John. "[No one understands the threat. They think Arthur is the threat. They think the Technocracy is the threat. The only threat to Uruk is lying just out of sight.]" Session 29: Last time, the party returned home and dealt with a number of errands. John spends several days under the ocean in the ancient temple brooding and navigating his delusions before surfacing to find no one at his job remembers him. Raico spends the days dealing with personal business and strengthening his power, as well as dealing with Daisuke's missing arm. Himiko spends the days benefiting from all her armor training and hanging out with the Moon Prince, while Alexander studies Avalon, coming to a number of realizations. Then, on the fourth day, the party awakes to find Daisuke missing, and the Gauntlet extremely thinned over the city [not enough that spirits can cross at will, but still much thinner then normal in the modern age]. Ahriman calls for everyone to meet at Himiko's to discuss what's happened. Session 30: Last time on Wizard Animal Crossing, nothing happened. Ahriman said he was taking Enkidu to Horizon, a planet located in the Deep Umbra built by the Council of Nine [the ruling council of the Nine Mystickal Traditions which encompass most non-Technocratic magick on Earth] centuries ago, to tell them of recent developments, especially about the man in the future the party believes to be Merlin. Session 31: Last time on Mage, the party summoned Ryujin, dragon-god of storms, and had him ferry them through the Umbra to the isle of Avalon. Upon arriving they found that everything that draws breath is sound asleep. Session 32: Last time on Mage, the party continued on their journey to restore Excalibur, meeting with the enigmatic "Merlin", a Mage of unimaginable power. He explained to them that in order to restore Excalibur, they would have to bring him artifacts of power from each of the three mystical concepts that together formed Arthurian Britain and its ideal. Something holy to the one God, something of importance to the old gods, or to the Fae, and an item of incredible human Artifice, such as an advanced hypertech prototype. Session 33: Last time on Mage, the party rode Ryujin back towards the Kamiya Shrine while discussing what items to seek as part of their plan to restore Excalibur. They ultimately decided that Alexander would go to Ahriman and the Order of Hermes on Horizon, John would visit Sister Jubilee, and Himiko and Raico would see what Elaine knew. Enroute, Himiko was, unbeknownst to the others, temporarily abducted by the Technocratic Union, where a ranking Technocrat urged her to abandon her status as a shrine-maiden and join the Void Engineers. She refused, and received in turn a stern warning. Stay out of the way, or die. Session 34: Last time on Mage, the party continued their search for the three artifacts necessary to restore Excalibur. John met with Sister Jubilee, who informed him that any major holy relic would be held by various churches and thus difficult to acquire. She mentioned the locations of several, saying the largest piece of the Cross was in Greece, the Shroud was in Italy, and the Ark of the Covenant is in Ethiopia. Meanwhile Alexander went to Horizon, an artificial planet located on the edge of the solar system and home to the Council of Nine. There he met with the wizard Ahriman, who informed him that to find a heathen artifact he would have to somehow search the Order's libraries despite his ban from Doissetep, meet with Ethan Goldberg head of the monetary Exchange, or find Selina of Bucharest a witch living on the edge of the city of Horizon in a villa. She is supposedly an expert on European pagan lore, as well as fond of courting said divinities. Ahriman warned him to beware of dangerous boyfriends. Session 35: Last time on Mage the party finally finished meeting with all their various sources in their search for the relics necessary to restore Excalibur. Himiko and Raico met with Elaine Rocketry, who told them they could find a high-tech prototype from the Etherites at the Arctic Geological and Oceanic Survey on Europa or the Subterranean City of Olympus Mons on Mars, and they could find one from the Technocrats either on the Moon, or at the Asimov Satellite orbitting the Sun. She mentioned the last would be viewed as a personal service to her as she had been meaning to investigate it. Meanwhile John met with Sister Jubilee in a confessional, who told him that they could find the relic of faith in the hands of various Churches, but warned him not to steal them. The largest piece of the Cross she says is in Greece, the Shroud in Italy, and the Ark of the Covenant is in Ethiopia. She told him not to hold himself accountable for things he doesn't have control over. Finally, Professor Felix met with Ahriman, catching the master wizard on his way to Doissetep to tell the Council about the Arthurian situation, before being told he could find information on heathen lore from Ethan Goldberg head of the Exchange, from the libraries of Doissetep from which he is currently banned, or from the witch Selena. Felix met with her present lover, the god Zeus, who was surprisingly casual, and upon being told his work would harm the Technocrats immediately agreed to lend him Hade's helmet should they visit him in the greek Underworld. As a reminder of various hanging plot threads. The Gauntlet has dropped two degrees over the city of Los Santander and noone knows why. Daisuke is currently training with Laoban Cao Cao for unknown reasons. Jonas has revoked Himiko's status in the Technocracy, telling her to stay out of the way or die. Nicolas' current whereabouts are unknown. Chihiro is still trying to locate Jonas. Joe is waiting for Nicolas' death to take over as Prince [head vampire]. Jubilee is waiting for the party to restore Excalibur, as they promised she would have a say in how it was ultimately used. And above it all, Ummu-Hubur still hovers as a hidden threat. Session 36: Last time on Mage, the party regathered to Kamiya Shrine, where they tenuously agreed their likely course of action. They would proceed to Camelot to meet with Arthur, then go to the greek Underworld to seek the Helmet of Hades, then seek either the Artifact of Man from Asimov Satellite or the Ark in Ethiopia. Session 37: Last time on Mage, the party arrived in Camelot, finding it overrun with Djinn and Chinese gangsters. Upon reaching the castle, they found Mahmoud, Arthur's Taftani Vizier, in the midst of an intense argument with two other Taftani. After resolving the argument, they headed further in where they met Arthur and Sir Galahad, who told them he had been watching them and already knew most of their report. Meanwhile, seeking to demonstrate his divine protection Arthur invited Raico to throw a knife at him, only for Raico to overpower the protection and injure him, leaving him shaken. Felix now stands alone with Arthur as the others join Mahmoud in the main room. Suihoshi is guarding the truck. Session 38: Last time on Mage, the party departed Camelot, and after a brief stop at the Kamiya Shrine left for the greek Underworld. After passing through the Ploutonion at Hierapolis, they arrived in a vast cavern lit by an all-pervading, sourceless grey-green light painting everything in a macabre tone. Nearby they saw a small village, which they immediately bypassed when Raico decided to deal with Cerberus the best way he knew how. By turning the fiercesome guardian of the Underworld into a small, light blue three-headed puppy, now leashed and collared. They now stand before the gates of Hades. Session 39: Last time on Mage the party entered Hades, hot on the trail of a mysterious oriental woman in elaborate yellow robes, who entered the Underworld not long ago with an invading army composed of four great red oni and thousands upon thousands of hungry ghosts. The party entered the gates to find Charon dead and his boat destroyed. To make matters worse, Himiko's magick is going haywire as Alexander explains someone else is somehow using her Avatar... Session 40: Last time on Mage the party continued their expedition into the heart of the Underworld. After spending some time navigating the Styx and Lethe, the party discovers that the mysterious woman has taken up residence in the house of Hades, having sealed the god himself into a wooden box sealed with kanji. They also come across the body of the god Hypnos, whom she murdered. After some deliberation, the party docked their ship on a rocky shore across from the temple, and sent John in alone to deal with her. Despite the woman's refusal to fight, John attacked her, quickly discovering she was in fact Himiko, or rather her previous incarnation. Queen Himiko attempts to explain to John that she is their friend as the others view the scene from a distance in Felix' watch. Session 41: Last time on Mage, the party confronted Queen Himiko, the first incarnation of Himiko's soul. The former Queen of Wa tells the party her theory, that the visions Alexander has been having, and his trip to the future represent a plot to destroy the Gauntlet, the metaphysical barrier that seperates Earth from all the spirit worlds and other planets of the universe. She also tells Himiko she thinks her brother Daisuke knows some of these things, about the future, and his own past incarnation, before telling Himiko she needs her body and is prepared to challenge her honorably for it. With great reluctance Himiko agrees... Session 42: Last time on Mage, John beat the shit out of Queen Himiko. It was brutal. Meanwhile Alexander lost Hades. Literally nothing else happened, so continuing as we were. Session 43: Last time on Mage some shit happened. You know what it was because you were here. Moving on: Session 44: Last time on Mage the party continued discussing plans for a new base of operations to better protect the Sword and themselves from their increasingly numerous and powerful enemies. Ultimately it was decided they would expand their existing subspace and relocate it into the distant future. They also expanded it by adding a fucking planet into the sky near the palace. With that project done and much magical resources expended, they decided to head to the future and continue their surveying only to find a most unexpected squatter.... Session 45: Last time on Mage, the party continued their meeting with Old Cao, who told them he had been expecting their arrival for some time. Hoping to convince them to abandon their drive to change the future and undo his life's work, the apparently repentent Cao told them the story of the War for Reality through newspaper clippings and spoken word. The stories confirmed what they already suspected. Someone uses the Sword in the very near-future to shatter the Gauntlet, thus heavily shifting the Consensus and causing an open war between the Traditions and the Technocracy. This is followed by years of mass death, upheavel, and destruction that ultimately results in the destruction of the Technocracy and the scattering of Mankind to every corner of the Umbra. They also learned that in their absence, Cao and Daisuke had forged a strong connection, and together with Ahriman had battled for decades across the wartorn world earning fame and infamy for themselves, before ultimately Daisuke perished fighting an undescribed threat that had something to do with the sea. John derided the accomplishments, saying that the victories over the Technocracy caused billions of deaths and resulted in a world far more dangerous then the one under the Technocracy and should therefore be prevented. When the party seemed to agree, Cao lamented that he had no choice but to stop them to protect his life's work, and attacked. Session 47: Last time on Mage, Raico and John fought Cao to a standstill, before trapping him in an endless nightmare of John's creation. The strange red locals met with the party, thanking them for defeating him, as Cao had evidently been killing and devouring the nuisances. Overjoyed, they agreed to gather their people at the shrine to help the party in their endeavors... Session 48: Last time on Mage the party decided to stay the night in the Future so that time wouldn't progress further in the Present. Himiko designed a magical talisman to ward off evil and gave it to Raico, and John learned more about the strange creature haunting his dreams. He managed to bring back the nameplate of a Sumerian idol named Ennoia, which Felix noted was the same name as one of the Antidiluvians, the mythical progenitors of vampires. Upon scrying for her current location, the party was met with an unexpected visage... Session 49: Last time on Mage the party scried out the location of Ennoia the Antidiluvian, accidentally stumbling upon the location of Nicolas. Theorizing that he somehow devoured her, a process known as diablerie, didn't last long as the vampire somehow detected their scrying and controlled Felix. Himiko drove out his influence while Raico destroyed Felix's prized pocket watch, as well as many of the enchantments engraved into it. Afterwards the party decided to split, Himiko, John, and Raico to enter the mind of Cao, and Felix to head to Ahriman's. While there, Felix was met by a most curious spirit... Session 50: Last time on Mage, Himiko, Raico, and John continued their journey through Cao's memories, along with QH. Within they learned many of the events of his past, and began to speculate on his motivations concerning Daisuke and in general. They are currently seated in the hideout of the Five Rings, an old Chinese Gang, when the Yakuza breaks in. Meanwhile Professor Felix and his sorcerous cohort Bartholemew [or 'Sorcerer Knuckles'] have been combing the timelines to see what they can learn, and have made a startling discovery. Every single timeline they have checked [so far] that involves the party in any capacity is ending in catastrophe for the world at large and the party in particular. A cause has yet to be determined... Session 51: Last time on Dragonball Super, Felix looked deep into the distant future to try and discern which member of the party would be the best god-king, seeming to lean towards 'himself' as the answer. He also discovered that John seems to cause the rise of several impossibly massive abominations in multiple timelines. Meanwhile, Himiko, Raico, and John continue to watch Cao's life proceed vision to vision, watching the death of Huangse, the slaughter of many Yakuza, and the formation of the Yellow Dragons. Session 52: Last time on Mage the Ascension, Professor Felix continued to investigate the various futures, seeking the 'best of all possible worlds'. In further pursuit of this mission he took the Knux Sorcerer Bartholomew to Horizon, then traveled alone to the 2800s to visit his future self in search of answers. Meanwhile Himiko, Himiko, John, and Raico continued viewing Cao's memories seeking the source of his malady. After some crude humor at Himiko's expense, the group finds their way into the site of Cao's greatest sin... Session 53: Last time on Mage, Professor Felix continued his conversation with his future self, who told him his path was the best of all possible futures, and that it might be wise to diversify the timelines he pulls from lest that timeline become a constant feature of his existence and start crossing over to his world. He also told Felix the tragedy of John, and warned him heavily against keeping him as an ally. Meanwhile the others finally saw Chihiro's encounter with Cao. After berating the warlord incessantly, the arrogant martial artist killed her with a single blow, before throwing her out in the rain. Seemingly unphased by this, her spirit stood up and wandered beyond the bounds of the memory, insisting that death was only an illusion... Session 54: Last time on Mage, literally nothing happened. Felix spoke to a version of himself in Quiet, narrowly escaping him to end up back in Horizon, and the dream city completely flooded and Himiko was devoured. Session 55: Previously on the Walking Dead, those in Cao's mind continued their battle with the enormous serpent that had devoured Himiko. After a short underwater duel, Raico was able to kill the large babylonian beast by shattering apart its teeth and ripping his way out of the top of its skull. However they discovered afterward that Himiko, contrary to her previous claims of immortality, had died. Alexander Felix meanwhile continued his exploration of Horizon before returning to Ahriman's home to prepare several powerful spells, spending several subjective days a week in the future to do so. Afterwards, accompanied by Bartholemew, he headed even further in the future, where he spent the next year perfecting his magick with the aid of his future selves. Session 56: Last time on Mage, Himiko met with her past lives, who tried to demonstrate by various means that they were not 'ghosts haunting her mind', but rather simply her memories and past experiences personified, and that she should stop resisting them. Meanwhile Raico, John, and Alexander [mostly Alexander] dealt with the heavy blow of Himiko's death, before John was led aside by Alexander to discuss his findings... Session 57: Last time on Mage the party continued to mourn the loss of Himiko, John and Felix discussing the former's history and telling John that he was responsible for the ruination of countless timelines through being the hapless pawn of the Leviathan. Meanwhile Raico attempted to negotiate with Cao, only to be met with bitter scorn. Himiko completed her conversation with her past lives, before Queen Himiko demanded they proceed back to the world of the living, noting that over nine hours had passed. Felix, grieving terribly, throws himself into his work, creating a variety of mystical trinkets over the following day, leaving the others to their own affairs. John, torn over the revelation, decides to wander the ruined waste of his former city, finding himself growing forlorn to the familiar yet increasingly distant landscape [Prime 4 unlocked]. Raico, ever-confident that Himiko would return, spends the day upbeat, dealing with the Knux and negotiating that a portion of them stay at the shrine and pocket dimension to guard the Sword/Sheath when they are moved here, in exchange for residency at the shrine and fancy uniforms and equipment which Raico spends a few hours making for them. The majority of the Knux leave after a few hours, leaving only a small detachment who go about moving into the pocket dimension's vast palace, while Raico gets to work on a collection of brightly colored canine figurines, protective talismans against enemy attack [Prime 3/Contact 1: Knux unlocked] Himiko summons a magical bird spirit to fly her down to the planet below, finding no Gauntlet to slow her descent into the pitch black. As she soars down to the city below she finds its skyline alien, pitch black without electrical lighting and eery. She thinks she sees a great swarm of bats fly between buildings, but continues on to the shrine before landing outside [Spirit 4 unlocked]. Session 58: Last time on Mage the party reunited with Himiko after her revival from the dead, and Alexander investigated the supposed location of the Ark of the Covenant. He found there was a secret tunnel-complex beneath the church in Ethiopia, and that the vampire Nicolas, along with certain new allies, have killed the guardian and taken the building. Session 59: Last time on Raico's Bizarre Adventure, the party continued their discussion on their divergent Paradigms and goals for the Sword, trying to reconcile their diverse worldviews. Felix's attempts to hide some of the more unsavory elements of his plans causes some tension. Session 60: Last time on Flimflim's Bizarre a Blimblimbs the party continued talking about their various paradigms and plans for the future. Raico shared his vision of a cosmos of united planets, each ruled by a separate paradigm, and Felix divined the futures such a possibility presented. The result was more palatable to other Traditions then Felix's Hermetic despotism, but at the cost of a much higher death toll that left the matter in dispute. Ultimately Bartholemew the Sorcerer butts into the conversation to berate the party for aiming for the impossible and utopian instead of a practical future, and the party agrees simply to shelf the issue until the Sword was closer to completion and after a very long day decided to sleep once more in the future. Session 61: Last time on Mage the Ascension, the party awoke and began their investigations into the tunnel-complex beneath the St Mary Chapel in Ethiopia, hoping to find the Ark of the Covenant. Within they found a sprawling network of tunnels filled to the brim with over a hundred armed guerilla fighters, a werewolf, a black goat-like demon in the Near-Umbra, and the vampire Nicolas. After further investigations [and a strange vision by John] they discovered that the vampire Ennoia was sealed in a black sarcophagus just beneath the Ark, and the many protections on the room were just as much to keep her in as raiders of the Ark out. Seeking to find a way past, Himiko called up the shade of Menelik I who first moved the Ark to Ethiopia. Session 62: Last time on Mage the Ascension, the party talked to king Menelik about his defenses on the Ark, and when he proved uncooperative Himiko opted to instead read his mind. Afterwards the others begin several hours more of preparations before going to Ethiopia. Session 63: Last time on Mage's Bizarre Ascension, the party finally made their way into the St Mary Church in Ethiopia, seeking the mysterious Ark of the Covenant. John snuck inside alone to detonate the party's plan, a cannister of knockout gas large enough to fill the entire facility, but unknown to them the werewolf Mbamba had borrowed the power of a powerful spiritual patron called Anansi. With its power he had replaced the facility with an exact duplicate. When the party sprung the trap, it dispersed leaving them surrounded by Sleepers, as well as the triumphant Nicolas and Mbamba. Luckily, in a stroke of genius, Raico was able to use his powers to knock out all the lighting, covering the room in pitch blackness. Session 64: Last time on Mage, a month ago, the party had finally defeated Nicolas', finally killing the old vampire and absorbing him into Raico's body. Mbamba, Nicolas' werewolf was easily killed by the professor's quick thinking, and in the confusion the party managed to escape into the Umbra, and from there back to the future. They have gathered back at the shrine in the early evening, along with Bartholemew to discuss how to get rid of the remaining mooks [imitating Mbamba was suggested previously] as well as how to overcome the extremely numerous magickal defenses guarding the Ark itself. To make matters worse, Felix predicts they have at most four hours before the complex is completely crawling with police, Technocrats, and Choristers, giving them a very narrow timeframe. It should be noted the Demon never appeared when the party was attacking and is likely still in the Near Umbra nearby, Nicolas is known to be alive in the future [and an Antidiluvian at that], and all buffs should be considered expired excluding sensory buffs and Raico's recently declared soak/deal agg and stat boosts. Session 65: Last time on Mage the party sat around the shrine, discussing what to do about the wards shielding the Ark of the Covenant, debating several possibilities such as summoning Menelik again, calling up one of the archangels to tell them, briefly getting distracted with the possibility of challenging Ummu Hubur to a contest rather then face her directly. Ultimately, the party decided to spend the rest of the evening relaxing, before heading to Horizon in the morning. Session 66: Last time on Mage the party arrived on Horizon, stopping for breakfast at a little cafe Alexander knew of before proceeding to the Exchange. In the hundred years since the modern day a bustling open air market of curiosities and degenerate pleasures had opened up surrounding the old Exchange building, a modest office building that stretches on with a vastly expanded interior. After an ambigious cameo at the front desk the party boards the elevator and proceeds to Ethan Goldstein's office, hoping he knows a way to get through the Ark's defenses. Session 67: Previously on Battlestar Galactica, the party met with Ethan Goldstein, the head of the Exchange. He told them he could obtain the Ark for them, bypassing all remaining obstacles, in exchange for sixteen million yuan, in the form of one hundred quintessance. Lacking that quantity, they proceed one week into the future to refill from the shrine, as well as purchase a coterie of vampires from the slave markets of Horizon [also a dragon]. Professor Felix: -Quintessance: 3 -Paradox: 11 -Willpower: 3/6 -Full Wounds Himiko: -Quintessance: 0 [5 Talisman] [4 Staff] -Paradox: 6 -Willpower: 5/7 -Full Wounds Raico: -Quintessance: 7 [70 Omamori] -Paradox: 6 -Willpower: 5/10 [11] -Full Wounds John: -Quintessance: 0 [11 Idol Nameplate] -Paradox: 11 -Willpower: 5/5 -Full Wounds -Scrolls of Quintessance x1 [5 one] -If anyone sees Santana and realizes he's alive this causes Paradox Felix Hung Effects: --Car Flight [+5 Paradox] --Slow Others [+3 Paradox] --Snowglobe [+24 Paradox] --Snowglobe Teleport to Shrine [+9 Paradox] --Future Snowglobe to shrine [5 successes, +4 Paradox] --Win Initiatve [+3 Paradox] --Kabballic Nuke [+15 Paradox] --Death Beam [+2 Paradox] --Ultimate Time Stop [10 Successes, +21 Paradox] --Ultimate Time Stop [8 Successes, +9 Paradox] --Age to Dust [6 sucesses, +16 Paradox] --Banish to 2100 [7 successes, +16 Paradox] --Haste [2 Successes, +3 Paradox] x13 --Time Travel to 2100 [6 successes, +12 Paradox] --Passive Countermagick Time [6 Successes, Permament] John: -Heal Aggravated [1 successes, +3 Paradox, John] -Heal Aggravated [2 successes, +3 Paradox, John] -Heal Aggravated [2 successes, +3 Paradox, John] -Summon Hellscape [9 successes, +12 Paradox, John] -Countermagick [3 successes, +3 Paradox, John] -Passive Countermagick All [5 Successes, Permament] Himiko: -Summon Baku [3 successes, +3 Paradox, Himiko] x4 -Collapse Gauntlet [2 successes, +4 Paradox, Himiko] -Collapse Gauntlet [2 successes, +4 Paradox, Himiko] -Collapse Gauntlet [2 successes, +4 Paradox, Himiko] -Collapse Gauntlet [3 successes, +4 Paradox, Himiko] -Banish Spirit [8 successes, +12 Paradox, Himiko] -Countermagick [10 successes, +12 Paradox, Himiko] -Possession [7, 9, 10, 9, +3 Paradox, Himiko] -Revive Self [10 successes, +12 Paradox, Himiko] Raico: -Countermagick [7 Successes, +9 Paradox, Raico] -Countermagick [12 Successes, +12 Paradox, Raico] -Heal Agg Self [7 Successes, +6 Paradox, Raico] -STA+7 Scene [8 Successes, +4 Paradox, Raico] -DEX+3 Scene [4 Successes, +4 Paradox, Raico] -Passive Countermagick All [11 Successes, Permament] XP: Shima: 9/201 Autumn: 13/201 Felix: 28/198 Xen: 37/169 -Shima spent 6 XP on Resources 2 -Shima spent 3 XP on Contacts 1 [Technocracy] -Shima spent 6 XP on Ally, Mentor or Contacts 2 [Chihiro] -Shima spent 14 XP on Prime 2 -Shima spent 3 XP on Wonder 1 -Shima spent 9 XP on Ally 3 -Spend spent 21 XP on Prime 3 -Shima spent 10 XP on Life 1 -Shima spent 14 XP on Life 2 -Shima is refunded 3 XP on Contacts 1 [Technocracy] -Shima spent 21 XP on Life 3 -Shima spent 32 XP on Arete 4 -Shima spent 28 XP on Spirit 4 -Shima spent 28 XP on Life 4 -Autumn spent 32 XP on Arete 4 -Autumn spent 28 XP on Life 4 -Autumn spent 40 XP on Arete 5 -Autumn spent 3 XP on Arcane 1 -Autumn spent 10 XP on Prime 1 -Autumn spent 9 XP on Avatar 3 -Autumn spent 3 XP on Contacts 1 [Knux] -Autumn spent 14 XP on Prime 2 -Autumn spent 21 XP on Prime 3 -Autumn spent 28 XP on Prime 4 -Felix spent 21 XP on Coorespondance 3 -Felix spent 32 XP on Arete 4 -Felix spent 10 XP on Prime 1 -Felix spent 14 XP on Prime 2 -Felix spent 7 XP on Dodge 2 -Felix spent 28 XP on Time 4 -Felix spent 40 XP on Arete 5 -Felix spent 3 XP on Ally 1 -Felix spent 6 XP on Ally 2 -Felix spent 9 XP on Ally 3 -Xen spent 4 XP on Stealth 2 -Xen spent 4 XP on Firearm 2 -Xen spent 9 XP on Arcane 3 -Xen spent 12 XP on Arcane 4 -Xen spent 21 XP on Mind 3 -Xen spent 21 XP on Prime 3 -Xen spent 32 XP on Arete 4 -Xen spent 28 XP on Prime 4