Unreal Estate [IC]

[Lone Star]

Warlock looked up at the old Frenchman. Now him he had heard of. The famous artist Rene DeSaens- in the flesh. He vaguely remembered his parents discussing his work in his youth.

"Mr. DeSaens- a pleasure to meet you. I'm a big fan of your work." Blake said, extending his hand to the man. "I'm Blake Salazar, or Warlock, if you prefer. I do ghostbusting around these parts."

[Aoiroo]

Etain took a few moment to size up the new arrivals, the man who was certianly aged was definitely not powerless. The boy that arrived via portal was a somewhat interesting variety of mage as well, though his artifacts were by far the most interesting things he held. Looking over to Rene De Saens she took a minute to properly construct the sentence in her head,

"Il fait très beau de vous rencontrer la plupart de Monsieur plus âgé respecté De Saens."

She wasn't fluent, nor could she really read or write in French, but she did better in it than her English classes since it was a Latin based language with less strange rules attached to sentence structure.

"And it is nice to meet you as well Evander. Mr. Cimitere had said this is a place to form ideas so we may help one another and others. Do you have any ideas?"

[trollthumper]

"Glad to see you made it, Rene," Nick said, shaking hands with the experienced magus. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Mercury. I see you take after Hermes Trismestigus in quite a few ways."

"Why are we here, anyhow? Just like a general meet and greet, or is there some sort of agenda?"

"Well, as Etain said, this is kind of a meet and greet for the city's mages and other arcane personalities. I attended one back in July, organized by Phantom -- who was acting at the bequest of Adrian Eldrich -- but a lot's changed since then. A lot of new practitioners have shown up, and some have stepped out of the public light -- at least for now." He took a seat at an empty table. "I also wanted to discuss the possibility of communal resources for the occult heroes of Freedom. Lending libraries, research labs... maybe even a shared sanctum, if the fancy takes us."

[Quinn]

Crow FINALLY came into the room, having spent a bit simply trundling through the house. He nodded at the few faces he recognized, then made a bee-line for the refreshment table with a gleam in his eye. He piled a plate pretty high, and looked at Warlock with a grin as he spoke.

"Who you gonna call, huh? Had a similar job back in Boston myself, under the name Crow. Sorry I took so long, Nick, this house is just fascinating."

He took a seat, munching on a sandwich, and looked at Nick Cimitere himself.

"Not sure how you talked that sidhe into delivering that note, but I'm glad you did. Establishing closer ties, sharing information, that kind of thing's crucial in this line of work, right?"

[Aoiroo]

"I do not have much of my own to give. I do have books purchased from Cross Roads. They are all in Latin, but the texts have a lot of good information for spells as well as bits of magic history throughout discussing there purpose. If I can have some help with moving them if we find a location for a group meeting I have no problem in storing them there."

She did like the sound of the idea as a whole, since her dorm room was getting really crowded.

"What locations did you have in mind?"

[Supercape]

"Oui, oui, I am interested" replied Nick, nodding at the people he wasn't so familiar with. He knew Nick, Marcus, Etain and now Mercury and Warlock. Crow was still unknown to him.

"There are, as I imagine you know, threats...from beyond... that threaten ze world and there are times we must pool our knowledge, wisdom, and strength to fight these threats. We should all act as one. " He chuckled, with just the hint of cackle. "Oh I know we are foolish sometimes, keeping our secrets to ourselves, hiding ourselves away in our dark secret chambers, our in sanctum's, castles, or other dimensions, and I know that will not change. But also, I know the strength of many is much greater than the strength of few."

[trollthumper]

"What locations did you have in mind?"

"Well, this place, for a start," Nick said. "But given the general reception and the history of the place, that probably wasn't my brightest idea. Fortunately, I brought backup."

He lay out the piece of folded paper on an empty table and unfolded it. And unfolded it. And unfolded it. Soon, a fully-detailed map of Freedom City lay on the table, outlined with a variety of mystic glyphs that glowed in a wide array of colors. "I borrowed it from Eldrich," he said. "One of his apprentices whipped in up in the late '90s before taking off to set up shop in San Francisco. He's been maintaining it ever since. It maps all the major places in Freedom touched by power, their current condition, and possible hazards."

[Quinn]

One moment Crow seemed to be in his chair, the next he was looking over the map with an absolutely fascinated expression, followed by a tinge of amusement.

"Heh. Figures Claremont'd be on here. I don't suppose you've got photographs of these spots?"

Mentally he tallied some of the locations. He was unfamiliar with Freedom City in and of itself, but his dad had told him plenty of times about various hot-spots he'd visited during his tenure here. The Freedom League's headquarters was one, obviously. And several other buildings here and there. Still, he hadn't just come here to gather information; if these folks were going to help him out, then he'd do his best to back them up too.

"If you're looking for supplies, a few of the Tuatha owe me some favors, and I know my dad's got books and data out the wazoo on the various pantheons. Don't know enough about the city to pick out a good sanctum, though...but I remember he bust up a couple of bad guy sorcerers while he was running as Red Hand. Here and...here, I think."

He pointed out two spots, one by Freedom City University, the second a closed-up library in the Fens.

[Griffalo]

Mercury stood over the map. He might have been a kid up until now, but at least in this he was as capable as the rest of them.

"I can't read these glyphs, but..." His hands skimmed just over the map, here and there before landing on certain ones. "I take it this one means 'haunted' or 'ghosts'..." He'd touched one over Lantern Hill, then another over a graveyard in the city and at Claremont.

He swept his hand in a line, mentally connecting the dots between a series of glyphs.

"These must be ley line convergences here."

He placed his hands on his hips, frowning at the map. "There's a few of these that seem like they'd be okay, but I don't really know the city. I could be looking at places that are right in the middle of really crappy neighbourhoods, f'rinstance."

[Aoiroo]

Etain cast her gaze on the map smiling at it's interancies,

"The place itself is more important than the neighborhood. If it is a badder part of town, than it is easy to find bad people quicker since we will be there already. Once the place is found, we can put an anchor there and put limited travel enchantments to go to that place to those allowed. In fact, I think I have a book about travel spells like that. Also, we will have to shield it well so those not allowed can not find it."

[Supercape]

"That may be to our advantage..." mumbled Rene. "Low rent, for starters..." he chuckled. In truth, his artistic talents and fame had made him a fairly rich man - certainly enough to pay for an excellent wine cellar and small art collection of his own.

"But if we are to choose a location, it is a momentous decision. I would suggest we ask for guidance beyond that of maps and mortal men. Perhaps the augury of Modrossos? the Ember Eye of Ios? or even..." he lowered his voice "the ritual of Abdul Alhazred?"

[Lone Star]

"That may be to our advantage..." mumbled Rene. "Low rent, for starters..." he chuckled. In truth, his artistic talents and fame had made him a fairly rich man - certainly enough to pay for an excellent wine cellar and small art collection of his own.

"But if we are to choose a location, it is a momentous decision. I would suggest we ask for guidance beyond that of maps and mortal men. Perhaps the augury of Modrossos? the Ember Eye of Ios? or even..." he lowered his voice "the ritual of Abdul Alhazred?"

Warlock's eyebrows raised at the name of the Mad Arab, and he snapped his fingers. A puff of gray smoke, and the Necronomicon appeared in his hands. "I've got ol' Abdul right here. It's harmless, no one panic. I put enchantments so that only those I want to read it can even get it open." He waved his hand over the book, and several powerful locking sigils glowed faintly. "I think it'd be best if we kept out of the deep dark stuff, to be honest."

[trollthumper]

"Yeah, I don't really trust any ritual by a guy who got ripped apart by invisible demons," Nick said. "If we do need to scry the location, I could always try invoking the eyes of Azrael. One of the benefits of having an eye for every man who has lived and ever will live is that you get to see everywhere."

He put his finger down on the map. "But, yeah, just keep in mind some of these places come with their own perils. Even beyond the ones that are already held by other hands or so corrupted only an idiot would try to claim them, there are some that'd require work to hold onto." He traced his finger over to a fading mark in Riverside, one that indicated "Resources." "This place, for instance. The Curio Shop. It's one of those places out of the fairy tales, the shop that sells you something special before miraculously 'going out of business' the next day. The owner apparently violated union rules, but around the time he was being downsized, the shop went on walkabout. It usually comes to Freedom once every new moon, but it's still unclaimed, because no one wants to try holding a shop that could end up in Cairo the next day."

[Griffalo]

"Yeah... don't think I'm really that comfortable with summoning anything that's even in the same book as 'dark stuff' right now."

Mercury looked among the others, smiling to himself. He definitely felt very comfortable here.

"That shop sounds pretty awesome, but... yeah. Wouldn't want to be in it when it goes out of range of home. For me, that's about five miles." He stood up, looking around the hotel.

"Seriously, what's wrong with this place again? It's got a reputation that keeps people away, it's plenty big enough and I bet it wouldn't cost a lot to buy... you know, when compared with other huge mansions. Plus did I mention it's a mansion?" He smiles at the others, evidently wondering why they hadn't already moved in.

[Supercape]

"Heh, oui, Monsieur Mercury. A Mansion is tres bon, is it not? I think we should consider it a possibility at the least. But... it has a history, does it not?"

He looked at Nick carefully. He trusted the man, but after two centuries of dealing with the arcane, trust was a relative thing and tempered with caution and wisdom. "And not one I am familiar with. Perhaps you could enlighten us Monsieur Cimitiere?"

[trollthumper]

"Hoo, boy." Nick leaned back against a table. "Okay, Parkhurst House started life as White Orchid, a mansion built by a railroad tycoon as a treasure for his wife. As construction began on the place, however, something happened -- a blood sacrifice. We don't know who the victim was or who carried it out; the house wasn't willing to tell us, and both parties seem to have moved on. The house became a nihil, a house that haunts, a twisted living necrotic entity that traps ghosts within and fools with people's heads. White Orchid was abandoned at the start of the 20th century after one of the tycoon's children died in a mysterious fire and his wife experienced a complete breakdown, but she wasn't the first death here.

"Around the Sixties, someone had the bright idea to make it into a hotel. That's how we know it as the Parkhurst House. The nihil was semi-dormant back then, so everyone got hints of hauntings. The place made a reputation of it. At least until the nihil woke up and took over a guest. The result was bloody enough that the hotel ended up closing down.

"Back in 2008, Adrian Eldrich brought me here as a lesson in the dangers of necromancy and the things that lurk in the undiscovered country. We found the nihil, learned something of its history, and managed to drive it out. In the time since then, the place has started to... well, it's started to bloom. The ghosts who were kept around as puppets for the nihil are free to do as they want; some have moved on, but some are working on restoring the mansion. This room?' Nick swept his arm over the ruined dining room. "Completely dust free, when I came in. It's therapy, for them. They're trying to rebuild."

[GranspearZX]

Marcus just listened quietly, stuffing his right hand into his pocket and tapping it against the small box of chalk he often carried with him. "...cleaning ghosts. Well, I guess that's not the weirdest thing..." The supernatural always did bother him. Psychics, more than anything, especially lately. Still, he was nothing if not open minded.

"That must've been one heck of a lesson."

He stood up, pacing around a little bit; the general feel of the place made it hard for him to sit still. Marcus definitely wasn't straying too far away from anyone though; he'd seen enough horror movies to know that people get snatched up rather easily like that. Mystic or no, it was hard for him to just dismiss those stereotypes.

[Quinn]

Crow nodded as he leaned on the table, pointing at the doorway.

"Figured. I took a look around the place before I came in, the joint's getting close to squeaky clean. They do good work."

He stepped away from the table, and abruptly appeared back in his seat, munching on his sandwich. He gave a small grin as he swallowed.

"Man, I love doing that. Spooky's never had much truck with me, so I've got no complaints about this place if you want to turn it into a sanctum. Only thing is, I'd rather know if the residents are alright with it. Whether it's ghosts, house fae, or spirits of any kind, you gotta make sure you respect 'em. Like leaving a dish of bread and milk in the corner of the basement. Anger them, and you're in for worlds of trouble..."

Morgan caught himself rambling and coughed, then shrugged.

"But yeah. I'm living on Claremont campus, but if there's a way to share knowledge and resources, I'm in."

[Supercape]

Rene shrugged. "Ghosts do not bother me any more than people do. That is to say...they bother me. Monsieur Nick, can you tell us what these Spirits remain in this world for? and how they would be disposed to us?"

"Or even better, can we meet them? a seance?"

"In any case, the mansion is full of fantastic scenery. Ze landscape is magnificent, if only I had a canvas!"

[Aoiroo]

"A seance is not nessicary if the ghosts already reside here, and I would not mind meeting them."

Squinting her eyes slightly she had to blink away the house as she had taken another look to try and more thoroughly find signs of change. There were indeed places that had a more pleasant overall look, but two years of absense could not compete with what seemed like at least eighty years of the presence of a very dark force.

"I do not mind the place or the story, but I might require some accomedations to want to visit a place like this frequently. I have been thinking of this for a while, are any of you guys skilled in crafting artifacts? I am thinking I might want something to hold back my sense of magic, maybe some glasses."

[GranspearZX]

"Funny you should mention that... My active magic might not be all smoke and mirrors like his," he motioned at Warlock, smiling, "but that, I could pull off. I think it'd just be a matter of blocking your normal vision so that it's more like the average person's... After all, I did make this." He hefted his staff; normally he wasn't such a braggart, but this... was different. At least, that's the story he was sticking to.

"Seance? ...really?"

Marcus could easily say he was opposed to the idea from the start. Boundaries existed between worlds for a reason; he'd learned that lesson at least three times over in the past four months. Still, he didn't say anything against the idea. "...well, I suppose it couldn't hurt."

[Lone Star]

"I agree with Rene. Especially with our combined knowledge and arcane power- a seance should be a snap to do. We'll just tell the ghosts we mean no harm, and to stay out of our vehicles." Warlock had seen Christine. "And if nothing else, to allay our fears about them. We're all a little nervous, it seems, some of us more than others, about potentially living here. If we can actually make contact with these spirits, we'll know they're not so bad. Nick drove out the worst one, and the ghosts still here are cleaning the place up for us. Do we really need to be scared of them?"

[Griffalo]

Mercury tentatively nodded in agreement.

"They certainly haven't done us any harm while we've been here. Plus if we treat them kindly there'll always be someone here to watch over the place."

"Anyone got any idea how we contact them? I had one, but I don't know if it'd work..." He scuffed his foot. No magus liked admitting anything other than complete mastery. "Don't really know that much about ghosts." He looked around the room. "But I can get us into Tartarus. Not sure if ghosts even live in the same place as damned souls, though."

[trollthumper]

"I know a bit more about ghosts," said Nick. "And I've been down to Tartarus a few times myself. But I don't think we have to go that far." He pulled out a white candle and went to search for a holder in one of the distant cabinets. "Most of the afterlives aren't exactly keen to offer day passes. A few of the more lenient ones will offer visitations in times of crisis, chances to settle affairs, and so forth. But given the detail paid to this place, the ghosts are still on this plane of existence." He returned to the center table, set up the holder, and lit the candle. "And the house is their anchor. So with a small working of will..."

Nick muttered a few words under his breath. Slowly, a whipping wind began to pick up in the dining room -- not enough to disturb the food, but enough to stir the hair. Something began to form out of the shadows, pouring itself together out of half-formed light. It was joined by another form, and another, and another. Soon, the forms took on a human shape, and as the candle flickered, distinct features.

One was a pretty young woman in maid's dress, her hair tucked back and her hands held in front of her. Another was a young girl, no older than eight, in what must have been children's wear of an earlier century. A matronly figure held her hands, bearing a mother's kindly countenance with slight worry in her eyes. One figure was out of place -- a man in jeans and a work shirt, with a body built by hard labor.

"Who's there?" the mother said, her words curt and weighed with concern. "This house is ours, and if you wish it harm, then you will -- " She finally noticed Nick, and her expression softened. "I remember you. You drove that... thing from this place. Made it ours."

Nick gave a polite bow. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Astoria," he said. "And I'm glad to see you've made White Orchid yours again."

[Griffalo]

Mercury had become progressively more anxious as Nick had progressed his ritual - first a faint echo of concern across his brow, which had turned into a frown of consternation as the faint breeze caught at the edges of his tunic and cloak.

"Um, maybe this isn't..." He whirled around as the ghostly figures emerged. His hands were raised like a tiger waiting to strike with its claws, a spell about to form on his lips.

"Who's there?" the mother said, her words curt and weighed with concern. "This house is ours, and if you wish it harm, then you will -- " She finally noticed Nick, and her expression softened. "I remember you. You drove that... thing from this place. Made it ours."

He relaxed his stance, seeing that for now, the ghosts meant no harm. In fact, he apparently felt a little foolish judging from his rolled shoulders and fidgeting hands. He gave the ghosts a smile by way of apology.