Mar 6, 2026 11:53 pm
Joe waits for (his sister) Emily once he’s shuffled out of the gym himself.
1 - Joe Noakes
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Mar 9, 2026 3:12 pm
"It was crazy! Did you feel it? I don't know what that was all about." Emily Noakes was meant to have experienced the fun of orientation activities and the energy of joining a new school, but all she could babble on about when she finally met Joe was about the incident. Joe could see she was a little green in the face, she youthful vigor supressing some of the nervousness. "Was school anything like this last year?" Joe himself wouldn't have known that much more, for he only joined last year.
Mar 10, 2026 12:47 pm
"No, no power failures, no mass gatherings, but then I was only there for a week and a bit, and everything was winding down for the end of term. A bit relaxed, a bit ‘demob happy’, that’s all. I think the teachers were hoping to ease everyone back into ‘school thinking’ today; nobody planned for this and it threw everyone for a loop. Nice to find most of the seniors are quite mature about it all though. Did you get to sign up for anything?"
Joe isn’t sure if Emily knows anything about her namesake’s disappearance, and isn’t going to bring the subject up unless she does; he doesn’t want her worrying unduly. Later that evening he will try to describe the day’s real events to his father if he can, but only once Emily is asleep or thoroughly distracted. Overnight of course, he is sure to discuss this with Lady Shrouded Mountain.
Joe isn’t sure if Emily knows anything about her namesake’s disappearance, and isn’t going to bring the subject up unless she does; he doesn’t want her worrying unduly. Later that evening he will try to describe the day’s real events to his father if he can, but only once Emily is asleep or thoroughly distracted. Overnight of course, he is sure to discuss this with Lady Shrouded Mountain.
Mar 10, 2026 1:50 pm
"I put my name down for Track and Field. I thought I was just going to try out a couple of sprints, but they asked me to try the jumps and I didn't do too badly." Emily was glad that Joe asked, it made for cheery conversation on the journey home. "One of the athletics seniors recognised my surname, said she was classmates with you, Korean girl with a chill vibe, I forget her name."
Dinner was on their own that night. Their father, Alan Noakes, had guiltly needed to work late, and had also hinted that he might need to make a short out of town trip. Joe really wanted to speak to his dad about the events of the day, but between waiting until Emily was bundled in bed, and how tired his father looked when he reached home, Joe figured he would retreat into his own room as well. Perhaps the dreamscape would offer him hints of the answers he sought.
Dinner was on their own that night. Their father, Alan Noakes, had guiltly needed to work late, and had also hinted that he might need to make a short out of town trip. Joe really wanted to speak to his dad about the events of the day, but between waiting until Emily was bundled in bed, and how tired his father looked when he reached home, Joe figured he would retreat into his own room as well. Perhaps the dreamscape would offer him hints of the answers he sought.
OOC:
Tell me a bit more about what Joe's Avatar seems like. In the spirit realm, I can see some degree of interaction between the avatar and the Lady. I'm going to postpone the Joe and dad convo a bit.Mar 11, 2026 12:23 am
OOC:
With an Avatar of 2 I didn’t think Joe’s "inner other" is likely to manifest a terribly detailed personality, certainly outside of exceptional circumstances like a seeking. I think it’d be quite Spirit-oriented, and I’d assumed that the avatar’s previous incarnation(s) would also have been mediums; if I were to infer how the burning Aura would figure into this, it’s not that the avatar is especially powerful, so maybe it’s very noticeable to a certain kind of sight. Maybe his avatar just likes dealing with other spirits, perhaps of a certain type, or maybe it has other motivations and this is all side-effects. Yes, I was looking at the Spirit Magnet flaw but eventually decided that being perpetually haunted by unpleasant spirits was a bit too much for a neophyte mage. I did consider that his parents might have opted for an urban school for the sake of a high gauntlet to reduce his chances of stepping sideways etc. by accident! You once implied that the school would have been a deliberate choice by the Noakeses, that’s my starting pitch for this possibility!No problem postponing a conversation with his father for a while. Need to think about how to deal with such a conversation, because I can see it could be a terrible deus ex machina and/or a lot of work for both of us.
For what it’s worth, I was short of inspiration for Lady Shrouded Mountain. Her name was inspired by Mount Qaf (the former cosmic reference point which was implied to have been substantially replaced/reshaped as the Digital Web) and the Sphinx who may have lived there (in a previous edition…) which fitted with the unaging-source-of-gnomic-wisdom air I had in mind for her. Naturally it’s up to you whether there’s anything to that; I think that lore is mostly Batini and/or associated with a rumoured domain in the Web (somewhere), so it’s unlikely Joe or his father know anything about it. Did his mother? Again, up to you!
Last edited March 11, 2026 12:26 am
Mar 11, 2026 12:46 am
Assuming Joe makes it into his dreamscape tonight, he really needs to unburden himself of everything that happened, and to Lady Shrouded Mountain that happens quickly enough. He certainly has a problem with controlling his Avatar, he also doesn’t know who if anyone he can trust at school. The two new counsellors are particularly scary, because while he doesn’t know much about the NWO, that’s the vibe they give off, and if that’s who they are, one wrong word could be very serious trouble whatever stage the Ascension war is at now. Left to himself, if he can’t avoid them he might just have to play dumb.
He’s more or less certain that the staff know something however, simply because after the disappearance of a student there wasn’t so much as a single police car in evidence. Most of the kids forgot Emily Walsh; but the staff were flustered enough to break routine and clear the school early; yet they obviously didn’t call the police. So, he reasons, they were doing something about yesterday themselves.
He’s more or less certain that the staff know something however, simply because after the disappearance of a student there wasn’t so much as a single police car in evidence. Most of the kids forgot Emily Walsh; but the staff were flustered enough to break routine and clear the school early; yet they obviously didn’t call the police. So, he reasons, they were doing something about yesterday themselves.
Last edited March 11, 2026 12:51 am
Mar 11, 2026 11:23 am
Ok, the word "awakening" has entered the conversation IC. Joe (as I currently imagine him) has a huge advantage, in that he knows he’s a mage and is potentially in a position to inform the others of at least a few basics.
However I don’t know if I should. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and I’ve been assuming that Joe also knows a few scary things about the Technocracy. If he drops what I’ve been assuming into the game it’s liable to have a significant impact (whether they believe him or not).
Bottom line: I could do with some guidance on what Joe actually knows or has heard before I make an irretrievable mess, or reveal too much.
I know you didn’t basically plan for already-awakened PCs, nor necessarily other things in Joe’s background so I assume you already have a plan for getting these PCs over the hump of enlightenment, and I _really_ don’t want to derail your plans any more than I already have.
However I don’t know if I should. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and I’ve been assuming that Joe also knows a few scary things about the Technocracy. If he drops what I’ve been assuming into the game it’s liable to have a significant impact (whether they believe him or not).
Bottom line: I could do with some guidance on what Joe actually knows or has heard before I make an irretrievable mess, or reveal too much.
I know you didn’t basically plan for already-awakened PCs, nor necessarily other things in Joe’s background so I assume you already have a plan for getting these PCs over the hump of enlightenment, and I _really_ don’t want to derail your plans any more than I already have.
Mar 11, 2026 3:30 pm
OOC:
Thanks for the thoughtfulness, yeah I really wasn't intending for any PC to be ahead of the others in this game. Having an already awakened mage amongst the rest who are pre-awakened makes these starting chapters potentially less interesting for everyone concerned, because the awakened mage can simply explain everything going on, as opposed to the point of this early part of the game, which is to discover bit by bit who they are, and what is the larger world around them. Our PCs don't know what Traditions are, they don't know what is the Technocracy, heck some of them don't even know what's happening to them is magic. So I do appreciate you noticing how your PC's background would potentially be at odds with the central premises of how this game starts.
Honestly, if you're open to the idea, I'd rather we dial back Joe's awakening. ie, he barely knows all these things himself, as opposed to that he's been coached for months or even longer on all the ways of magehood. He's barely gotten to know the Lady, who's barely begun to tell him anything. He doesn't have all this background knowledge. He's only just started to dream, and these dreams are disturbingly interesting because they reveal things that don't gel with his perceived reality. (I intend to use your Demense and Dream to help move things along, ie Joe learns some things through them, and then he can decide how to use the info to help the rest of the team.)
Also, the other premise of this game are the largely absent parents; there's a plot reason for that, so I'm assuming no one's been brought up as a mage to have nightly mage conversations at the dinner table, but they might have picked up hints.
Shall we try to align your PC a bit more instead, since we now have some breathing space to do so?
Mar 11, 2026 8:57 pm
Hm. Joe has to have had some guidance because he’s first tried not to use magick in the assembly (because he’d been warned not to reveal himself) then deliberately did so (sensing Emily Walsh’s life pattern). His spirit mentor explicitly cannot teach spheres, but we were content that she could guide him in using what he already has.
How’s this; we remove the dots in Mentor. Alan Noakes is now a Sleeper and occultist. He does know magick exists but doesn’t know Joe has awakened, nor does he know any other mages, so he hasn’t discussed anything with him. One or both of the dots goes instead into Library to reflect a cache his mother left for him - a thought construct in the Demesne which Lady Shrouded Mountain can reveal when the time is right?
Joe now awakened more recently than originally conceived, in a series of dreams over the course of the summer. He knows only what Lady Shrouded Mountain has told him, so he no longer knows about the other Traditions nor the Technocracy or the Ascension War. His reaction to Necht and Nixon remains, but just because they creep him out.
How’s this; we remove the dots in Mentor. Alan Noakes is now a Sleeper and occultist. He does know magick exists but doesn’t know Joe has awakened, nor does he know any other mages, so he hasn’t discussed anything with him. One or both of the dots goes instead into Library to reflect a cache his mother left for him - a thought construct in the Demesne which Lady Shrouded Mountain can reveal when the time is right?
Joe now awakened more recently than originally conceived, in a series of dreams over the course of the summer. He knows only what Lady Shrouded Mountain has told him, so he no longer knows about the other Traditions nor the Technocracy or the Ascension War. His reaction to Necht and Nixon remains, but just because they creep him out.
Mar 12, 2026 2:27 pm
OOC:
Great suggestions! And thanks, I don't mean to need you to swing in the opposite direction entirely. Joe certainly knows some stuff and has had guidance, we're just dialing back a little, he's still reasonably aware. I do like the parental love between an occultist and a mage, nice! I can use that. Mar 12, 2026 7:42 pm
OOC:
It’s a conceptually limited change which leaves most of the character unchanged but deals with the biggest problems. It does have a few implications; for example, Joe’s mother must have been the one to establish the Demesne now; that suggests that Lady Shrouded Mountain’s first task was to introduce Joe into it. It also suggests that Penny probably established and used the Demesne herself as a mental workspace and it’s now effectively bequeathed to Joe. So, as well as being useful he is now likely to have an emotional connection to it once he knows (which he may or may not already; my original assumption was that Lady Shrouded Mountain created it as a training space for him, and for now he may still be assuming that it’s hers rather than his). This also opens the door to his mother having left other clues to her life and work besides her Library there; if you ever want to introduce clues about what happened to her there’s one way of doing it.
Thinking about it, the Library probably includes Alan’s mundane collection for the Occult and esoterica; it’s just what limited magical material Penny could assemble that would be kept safe in the Demesne where no interloper would be able to find it.
Edit: Updated backstory in case anyone looks.
Last edited March 13, 2026 11:58 am
Mar 13, 2026 2:40 pm
"Have a seat." Despite the serious formality of the title of Doctor, Veritas was generally regarded as a motherly figure amongst the staff, more youthful in appearance than one might guess her true age to be, though her chopped bob and bangs, slightly streaked in grey, gave her some kindly gravitas to match.
The counselling room was furnished with soft armchairs and a table for the counsellor, carpeted but enclosed with no natural light. A small shelf sat to one side with a tray of glasses and a water flask.
Today though the shelf was partially blocked by a third person in the room."Ms Nixon will join us today as well, as part of the school's efforts to improve our care programme." The woman looked as proper as she did yesterday, again in nearly the same shade of grey suit. In her hand was a tablet and stylus.
"How are you doing at the moment Joe? I hope Emily's first day with us was a good one." Veritas meant Joe's sister, of course, but the mention of the similar name shook him slightly.
"I am concerned about what you may have experienced at yesterday's blackout. Can you tell me a bit about what's going on with you right now? I'm ready to listen if you're willing to share." So that’s what the school was calling it, a blackout.
Her tone was gentle, but nonetheless probing..
The counselling room was furnished with soft armchairs and a table for the counsellor, carpeted but enclosed with no natural light. A small shelf sat to one side with a tray of glasses and a water flask.
Today though the shelf was partially blocked by a third person in the room."Ms Nixon will join us today as well, as part of the school's efforts to improve our care programme." The woman looked as proper as she did yesterday, again in nearly the same shade of grey suit. In her hand was a tablet and stylus.
"How are you doing at the moment Joe? I hope Emily's first day with us was a good one." Veritas meant Joe's sister, of course, but the mention of the similar name shook him slightly.
"I am concerned about what you may have experienced at yesterday's blackout. Can you tell me a bit about what's going on with you right now? I'm ready to listen if you're willing to share." So that’s what the school was calling it, a blackout.
Her tone was gentle, but nonetheless probing..
OOC:
As mentioned, this is your individual scene within the main thread, where you have to see the counsellor. The overall conversation in the waiting room was and is still ongoing, and when you leave this session the other six are still outside talking. (I’m running this simultaneously across all threads so we don’t hold up the main thread too much.)Mar 14, 2026 12:30 pm
"Thanks for asking, Doctor, it was a bit of a surprise, but I suppose power cuts can happen anywhere. Strange that there was no natural light or emergency lights, though. Emily was a bit hyper afterwards, but that’s my kid sister; she managed to sign up for track and field, I think she said, before everything went strange. I signed up for running myself, never made it to the Library or the - someone said there was a history and politics club, I might try and have a word with them during the take-down of the stalls, or I suppose they’ll still accept sign-ups for a while, especially after what happened."
Joe watches both women for their reactions.
Joe watches both women for their reactions.
Mar 19, 2026 1:13 am
The same disconcerting feeling Joe had yesterday as his eyes darted to Nixon even as he recounted his version of the affair was amplified, for the guidance counsellor from the Board of Education revealed no expression throughout, save for the occasional scribing on her tablet. This was regardless of what Joe said or how he said it, nothing seemed to garner a response.
Veritas was in contrast warmer and much more assuring in her manner. "Stress can sometimes make events feel distorted. I am glad you handled the situation so well Joe, and for looking out for your sister. Did you talk to her about it? I trust you were able to allay her concerns."
But there it was. All savvy teens were alike, able to give an account to an adult to get out of trouble. The question was whether Joe had been able to successfully redirect the conversation towards talking about his signups. Also did Veritas pick up the topic of his sister in order to summon Emily as well? It seemed to matter whether Joe and Emily had spoken about this.
Joe had the feeling though that the version of the story he chose to tell was somehow important to himself personally. That it would shape how he dealt with his newly experienced reality in some way.
Veritas was in contrast warmer and much more assuring in her manner. "Stress can sometimes make events feel distorted. I am glad you handled the situation so well Joe, and for looking out for your sister. Did you talk to her about it? I trust you were able to allay her concerns."
But there it was. All savvy teens were alike, able to give an account to an adult to get out of trouble. The question was whether Joe had been able to successfully redirect the conversation towards talking about his signups. Also did Veritas pick up the topic of his sister in order to summon Emily as well? It seemed to matter whether Joe and Emily had spoken about this.
Joe had the feeling though that the version of the story he chose to tell was somehow important to himself personally. That it would shape how he dealt with his newly experienced reality in some way.
OOC:
Time for a Manipulation+Subterfuge roll, at difficulty 7, and you'll need 3 successes, representing the wisdom of the adults in the room when dealing with teens and their tales. Consider if the Short Fuse flaw might kick in because if Joe's protectiveness over his sister.Mar 19, 2026 11:34 am
OOC:
Joe has a 2 in Manipulation and nothing in Subterfuge; he's basically honest. That said, he’s recently acquired several reasons to want to mislead people about stuff. Would you mind him spending 3 of his (presumed, I don’t think you objected to any claims) xp to a first dot in Subterfuge?I have that flaw in mind. Neither subject it applies to is yet under any threat; Joe is more concerned about himself.
Do please also note that everything Joe said in this first speech was deliberately true; he is (so far) deflecting but not lying. He suspects that the counsellor wants to dig without actually mentioning the subject she wants to dig about, which gives her a problem… and he means to make her work.
Mar 20, 2026 9:10 am
OOC:
Happy for you to still move dots around, or spend then along the way. We've got some honest PCs along us, that's good! They can succeed by being forthright rather than through dissemblance. Yes I did pick up on Joe redirecting rather than lying.
As all counsellors go, they aren't going to prime the subject by saying what the thing is, (unless they have some stronger ulterior motive to do so, not that I'm saying Veritas doesn't.) Let's see where the conversation goes. It might come down to a resisted roll next if necessary.
Mar 20, 2026 10:28 am
OOC:
Done.OOC:
Well that’s never going to amount to three successes!Last edited March 20, 2026 10:29 am
Rolls
Manipulation + Subterfuge - (3d10)
(425) = 11
Mar 30, 2026 9:43 am
"I have the impression that there is something you would like to tell me, but you are unsure whether you ought to or not. Since talking about it might be difficult, tell me instead why you are hesitant. Is it hard for you to explain it in a way that you think it ought to be understood? Are you struggling with how it makes you feel right now? Or are you afraid of what might happen if you reveal it?" Veritas nudged Joe along with her usual gentle affirmative tone, which would have felt entirely safe were it not for the fact that Joe could not ignore the presence of Nixon still sitting in the periphery.
OOC:
As discussed, Joe can hardly succeed on this one, so no matter what, Veritas knows he's not revealing everything. Time to find some other words to weasel out so that she'll let him go!Mar 31, 2026 2:34 pm
"You have a point, Doctor, and frankly I’m surprised that you’re on a fishing expedition rather than conducting rumour control. Thank you for recognising my concern for my sister. She doesn’t seem to have been upset by the rumour mill going apeshi- sorry, pardon my French, going crazy - around here. I’m very surprised that you’re asking me about what I heard rather than announcing what actually happened. There are kids saying that one kid never turned up yesterday, and another vanished in that power cut. One kid off sick first day of term? Probably happens in half the schools in the country. But a kid disappeared? If someone had actually disappeared there’d have been police combing the grounds and probably the buildings as well, but yesterday? Nothing. This morning there’d be a missing persons announcement. But no, still nothing."
"Now I could picture someone deciding to run off and hide when the lights went out as a prank; but most likely only if they knew it was going to happen, else they’d be too surprised. So did they have an accomplice? Could some student kill the power across the building? How many students were not in the hall or the gym? How many students even know where the main switch is?"
"My best subject is history, Doctor, which mostly comes down to two things; sources, and evidence. Confused sources create bad history. And right now there’s a different rumour for every student in the place about what happened yesterday, while the authoritative sources are not only silent, but actually resorting to asking what the rumours are. Not only does that seem like a strange course of action in the circumstances, but it suggests that whatever is known is being kept quiet. If it’s serious, that’s a problem, on several levels. If it’s trivial, why leave the rumours unchecked? If the sources and evidence don’t add up, a historian is left with theories. I’m trying to think rationally about this, and it’s been worrying me since last night. But I know a rumour mill when I hear one. And it’s humming all across the campus."
"So yes, I have concerns. What is going on, and is my sister safe in this school?"
"Now I could picture someone deciding to run off and hide when the lights went out as a prank; but most likely only if they knew it was going to happen, else they’d be too surprised. So did they have an accomplice? Could some student kill the power across the building? How many students were not in the hall or the gym? How many students even know where the main switch is?"
"My best subject is history, Doctor, which mostly comes down to two things; sources, and evidence. Confused sources create bad history. And right now there’s a different rumour for every student in the place about what happened yesterday, while the authoritative sources are not only silent, but actually resorting to asking what the rumours are. Not only does that seem like a strange course of action in the circumstances, but it suggests that whatever is known is being kept quiet. If it’s serious, that’s a problem, on several levels. If it’s trivial, why leave the rumours unchecked? If the sources and evidence don’t add up, a historian is left with theories. I’m trying to think rationally about this, and it’s been worrying me since last night. But I know a rumour mill when I hear one. And it’s humming all across the campus."
"So yes, I have concerns. What is going on, and is my sister safe in this school?"
OOC:
Flaw invoked, delicately for now. Truth, logic, and a touch of teenage arrogance, not to mention a whiff of misdirection under the counterattack.Last edited March 31, 2026 2:44 pm
Apr 1, 2026 2:45 pm
Veritas' expression ranged accordingly as Joe's spiel started and gained momentum, from her trademark patient attentiveness, to a slight furrow in her brow to project a soft concern, and then finally an aspirated outtake of breath as if to express shared solidarity with Joe's frustration. And all this while, the poker face of Nixon in the periphery.
Veritas' next words though, were nothing close to supporting Joe's view. It worries me that you're holding on to an interpretation that doesn't match objective evidence. I get that you are worried about your sister, good of you as a brother to want to make sure she adjusts well. But painting yesterday's blackout with such extreme observations, and making assumptions of what other students think, do you think that is appropriate? I am sensing a great deal of anxiety here."
It was beginning to be obvious to Joe that the official stance would be maintained. If he wanted to dig into the truth, he would have to actually talk with those who genuinely saw as he did and also wanted to get to the bottom of this. Here it seemed he needed to thread the line between saying his truth, but not get into trouble for it. Would he try to brings things to a close by saying what Veritas wanted to hear, or would he dig his heels in?
Veritas' next words though, were nothing close to supporting Joe's view. It worries me that you're holding on to an interpretation that doesn't match objective evidence. I get that you are worried about your sister, good of you as a brother to want to make sure she adjusts well. But painting yesterday's blackout with such extreme observations, and making assumptions of what other students think, do you think that is appropriate? I am sensing a great deal of anxiety here."
It was beginning to be obvious to Joe that the official stance would be maintained. If he wanted to dig into the truth, he would have to actually talk with those who genuinely saw as he did and also wanted to get to the bottom of this. Here it seemed he needed to thread the line between saying his truth, but not get into trouble for it. Would he try to brings things to a close by saying what Veritas wanted to hear, or would he dig his heels in?
OOC:
Nicely narrated. I didn't even need to ask for a Willpower check from you. Downside is Veritas knows where Joe stands, we'll see if he gets into trouble because of it. She's a counsellor, not the disciplinarian, so it's not like she'll be 'punishing' him for this (even if other potentially bad things happens). We can wrap this up? Unless you think Joe can get some more out of this. load next