Scion: Hero (IC)

[Justanotherhero]

Driving home with Zahir, the atmosphere is one of quiet determination. Upon arrival, Julian sets up his workspace, surrounded by the old archives left by his father—a treasure trove of knowledge that feels both comforting and imposing. He begins his research methodically, of the fraternities do all of them use Greek letters? Do some use Egyptian letters? Do some fraternities use a different language as a base? He starts looking up the websites and pictures of the houses on social media. After that diving first into the depths of Egyptian lore, navigating through ancient texts and scrolls that whisper secrets of the past. His search is thorough, leaving no stone unturned as he sifts through English, then Swedish, and finally Spanish sources, casting a wide net over the global pool of mythological understanding.

His Father Osiris, the god often associated with the ram, is central to Julian's investigation. He delves into Osiris's history with fervor, examining every document, every myth, every connection that might hint at a relationship between his father and the titanspawn goat men. The distinction between the ram and the goat becomes a critical point of focus, a symbolic divergence that Julian hopes will clear Osiris of any unintended associations.

After confirming that these creatures bear no relation to Osiris, Julian expands his research to other mythologies, looking for any leads that could explain the origins and intentions of the goat men. The potential for a public relations disaster looms in his mind—the idea that Osiris could be blamed for the actions of these titanspawn is unacceptable.

Throughout this intense period of research, Zahir proves to be an indispensable ally. Whether fetching additional resources, offering insights, or simply providing silent support, his presence is a constant reassurance.

Julian's dedication to his task is unwavering, driven by a commitment to his father's legacy.

[Kaworu]

Mateusz and Helena went out of the meeting place and to flat that Mateusz was living in.

- What do you think? A kingdom for your thoughts – Mateusz said to his friend during the commute back home.

- It’s good that you will have access to the Stars Purviews, that’s for sure – answered she.

- And beyond that?

- We might be searching for a bladeof King Artur, we know very little right now and we have yet to assess how dangerous and sly these goat-men can be… - she sighed – I know you are a godly being, but not the whole world is. Plus your focus is mind, not body. I’m simply worried for you, is all – she did not look him in the eye, though.

- And…? - Mateusz sensed she wanted to say something else.

- You see… - began Helena – If this is truly the sword in the stone, things might get nasty. I know you aren't completely undefensive, but there are still scions… and beings… more powerful than you. Also, I know pretty well this isn’t the quiet, meditative life you always strived for. That’s unfair.

- Oh, Helenka – he looked as she in an affeccionate way – This is true, but you know very well it is not the complete truth. Yes, I wanted to lead a scientist’s life instead of jumping to America in order to fight gods-know-what monstrosities. But there is also beauty, honor and joy in what we have to do. I mean, I am still in a better situation than, let’s say, Warsavians during the Second World War, right?

- Eh… - was all Helena had to say – Maybe. But a war is a war. Even if you get nice gifts as an incentive.

~*~

In flat of Mateusz, they turned on their laptops and started Google-ing all the things that could be useful – including a list of books to get later at a local library.

Of course, they also had tasty tea and some snacks to go with it.

Helena was a common quest at the home of Mateusz and had even her own desk and chair just in case they should do something together – exactly like right now. Helena, though, had her own apartament not many paces from Mateusz’s.

[Justanotherhero]

Julian, having completed a portion of his research, decides it's time to share his findings and strategize the next steps with the team. He composes a message to the group while those who did not leave a means for text communication get a polite call with pretty much the same content :

—————-

Hello,

Do we want to meet at Café M in Savannah, 128 E bay St. , tomorrow afternoon 3 PM to discuss our findings?

Best,
J. Eldridge

P.S. Please let me know if you'll be able to make it, so I can arrange the accommodations at the café.
———

He reserves seats for everyone before sending the message.

Edit:

If possible from that day on he rents a Toyota Proace Combi from a car rental place. If not he picks another 9 seater.

[Benoojian]

Max sends a quick affirmative to the e-mail, and shows up at the cafe a little early.

As soon as people show up he blurts out, "I wasn't sure how to bring this up, but I can smell lies, and everything the employer said was the god's honest truth. I was a little suspicious of the way she tiptoed around the word titanspawn but it wasn't a lie. Liliana on the other hand, I think knows something about the sword she didn't share in front of Elena" He looks nervous even to be questioning her now

[DeTess]

Liliana had arrived fairly early as well, carrying a folder containing the results of her research. At Max accusation, however, she raised an eyebrow. "Your ability must be incredibly limited if that's your conclusion. During the meeting, I've told you everything I knew at the time about the blade." She held his gaze as she spoke, making sure that the consequences of what she just said got through. "If I am completely honest, I feel a little insulted that you're calling me out in this way, several days after the fact, rather than brining your worries up during or shortly after the meeting itself. In the future, don't hesitate to bring up your worries immediately. It's the only way we can work together, after all." She gave him a stern glance, but quickly let the mask fall away, replaced by a quick sly grin. She knew that he knew, after all.

"In all seriousness though, I will not benefit in any way if any of you come to harm." The grin had disappeared again, replaced by a serious look. "Like most humans I'll speak plenty of little lies, but I'll only do so for the best of..." She stopped herself, another quick grin crossing her face. She honestly enjoyed the challenge imposed by Max's ability. "I'm really going to have to watch my words around you to avoid a potentially fatal misunderstanding, won't I? I lie whenever I believe it necessary to attain my goals, and right now my goal is to complete miss Kessler's commission. That should mean I share that goal with all of you. If you think I'm hiding something important just because your ability Indicated I was being less than truthful, don't hesitate to speak up. I'll be sure to set you right. And if you want to have some practice discerning the reasons behind lies, I'll make sure to give you plenty of practice material."

Spoiler: OOC only for poetically, benoojian

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italics is a lie, everything else is the true as far as your abilities are concerned.

[Benoojian]

Max is relieved by the lie somehow, "I will try to call out only the lies that seem relevant, since you do seem to so enjoy getting away with them."

[Kaworu]

- Everybody lies form time to time. It's only natural. As long as these are white lies or just something casual, we should not be worrying about that - Mateusz deemed it the right moment to butt in. Just like the others, he got invited to the cafe - Maybe we should forgot about that and share the results of our research. I'm sure not only me and Helena got to make some queries, isn't it? - he raised his eyebrow, looking at his companions.

[Justanotherhero]

Julian did not really know what to do with the conversation happening around him. He did not have enough contact with Scions to have a lot of reference points to assess wether this was a common occurrence. But some people can detect lies so.

„Detecting lies sounds like a very useful ability and one we might want to use our..“

Julian sort of struggled for a description. These where enemy combatants? Distant relatives to allies? With the last mission father gave him it was all a bit clearer. Dead people should not be harassing the living. Are these beings committing crimes? Probably why else would they be allied with titans?

„Suspects.“ He settled after a bit. While bringing a basket of croissants.
„The staff was kind enough to give us this section. I do not know if that will be enough privacy but it is something I believe. We should probably at some time look for a more appropriate location this was just a first idea.“

„ My own results are well limited.“ he takes a seat and fills his cup with coffee. „Our suspects are apparently ex employees of the Greek branch. And used to be part of the local family business but then decided to switch to our competitor company. The reasons I do not know. I think it is reasonable to suspect that since they run a subsidiary now they are doing something in that subsidiary. Personally I would love to know more about them.“

[PoeticallyPsyco]

At this point, Brandon shows up and takes a seat.

"Pardon my lateness; I managed to miss the connecting bus. I caught the tail end of your conversation, though. Do we have a lead on our... historical allies, current competitors, I believe you were saying?"

Brand scans the QR code on the corner of the table to pull up the online menu on his phone, and orders a meal at random, throwing in an Elvis Twist (smoothie with banana, peanut butter, & chocolate) for good measure.

[DeTess]

"I have a lead, yes." Liliana announced, before handing around some papers form the folder she'd brought. "These contain the results from my investigations so far." The papers contained an overview of what she knew about Satyrs, notes on the general lack of unusual incidents surrounding the fraternities, and information on the one likely suspect she had identified.

"Allow me to give you all a short summary. I started by looking into any unusual incidents surrounding the fraternities. This is often a good way to track down the supernatural, but this time around I didn't run into anything unusual. There where some incidents of course, but it's the usual stuff. Drunken altercations, parties getting out of hand and the like. Nothing that stood out as anything but the normal workings of a university town."

"Because I ran into a dead end on that line of inquiry I decided to instead look into the nature of our suspects directly. Julian already mentioned they are ex-employees of the greek branch. Specifically those working under former branch manager Pan. You can check page 3 and 4 for more information." The document skipped any and all euphemisms, giving a summary of the way Pan and the Satyrs had been treated before their exile, the acts they were known for and references to books one could read for further information on them.

"With this information in hand I took another look at the fraternities and one immediately stood out to me. The Phi Alpha Nu fraternity looks like a clear lead here. Apart from the obvious, they are known for holding the wildest parties on and off campus, which matches earlier descriptions of our suspects. However, I have found no leads on the more destructive excesses the suspects are known for. No allegations of SA, no signs that the fraternity has a poor reputation among female students or that they try to avoid the fraternity. Not a perfect lead then, but certainly the best we have at this time." Liliana took a sip of the coffee she had ordered, before moving on to her suggestion.

"The fraternity has a party planned three days from now, on friday. I suggest we ensure we have a presence there to check them out. Even if they end up not harboring our suspects, our suspects are still likely to show up at an event like that. Who among us feel confident in their ability to blend into a crowd like that?"

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Brand smiled, and spoke up again. "I should be ideally suited for such a venture. As a college student myself, albeit a couple of years older than the norm, I already fit the demographic well enough. I think I'll pose as a classics major who's had too much to drink, and is rambling about his thesis on King Arthur and his weapons. If anyone in my audience feels guilty on hearing that subject, or has taken steps to hide an activity related to it, I'll sense them immediately. If I'm very lucky, someone will lie to my face that they don't know a thing about the 'little white dagger', which I will also be able to detect. My stamina should be sufficient to prevent actually getting drunk no matter how much method acting I do, unless the drinks have been spiked with something considerably more potent... and perhaps even then."

Brand paused, thinking further. "Keen as my ability to detect lies and guilt are, my more mundane observational skills are... rather lacking," he said, accidently proving this by remaining completely oblivious to the expressions around the table when he mentioned that he too could detect lies. "Could anyone else blend in well enough and make up for that deficit?"

[DeTess]

"I shouldn't have too much trouble blending into that crowd. Or any crowd, for that matter." Liliana replied. "And I have some decent observational skills to complement your more supernatural abilities."

[Justanotherhero]

"I agree that retrieving the stolen property is without a doubt a goal. However, I'm generally interested in what's happening and if we might be facing a massive abuse of financial power. Does anyone have the technology skills to take a closer look at what's happening? If we had proper access to whom the opposition is contacting, we might be able to find out more.

My own technology skills are, I think, within ordinary parameters.

I had the idea of showing up with a party bus filled with a few people who were already partying and then heading in the general direction. But since you are taking care of contact, I will let you play it any way you are comfortable with. If all of you think it appropriate, I will be back up in case it is needed for some reason.

I think it would be nice to have some more local information before Friday. General campus layout, what the house looks like, maybe some forms of technology for information gathering.

I took the liberty of renting a spacious car, so no need to pack lightly. A trustworthy associate will help with transportation because I think being able to switch cars could be useful. Otherwise, I am ready when you are."

[Benoojian]

Max gestures to his caramel skin as if it wasn't obvious before. "Really depends on the type of fraternity whether I can blend in, some of them are still shockingly white. But if I can get in the door, I can drink any of those frat boys under the table. That usually earns some respect...I think that works on satyrs too." He orders a cheeseburger and a Coke. "If anyone thinks they've found the dagger, I've got an ability to check if it's magic so we don't steal a replica or something instead." Max was being perhaps a little forthright about his abilities but these were all Scions, right? They were supposed to generally be on the same side.

"But a frat with no issues whatsoever is weird, either someone powerful is covering for them, or something even stranger is going on. Do we know anything about what the dagger is actually supposed to do?"

[DeTess]

"I never said they didn't have any issues, just that they didn't stand out from the pack in that department." Liliana corrected Max' assumptions slightly. "They are tame by the standards of our suspects, not by the standards of fraternities. As for the dagger, I haven't had time to look into it in any more detail than what I remembered about it during the first meeting. It would stand to reason that it might be related to the fact that our suspects have been keeping a lower profile than expected, but that's just speculation on my part."

[Justanotherhero]

"If anyone thinks they've found the dagger, I've got an ability to check if it's magic so we don't steal a replica or something instead."

„The question is should we try mix missions, if the friend of Ms. Kessler is sick as she said retrieving the dagger before Friday would be the best solution.
Do we want to try to retrieve it one Friday?
Or is Friday only for reconnaissance?“

[DeTess]

"In my opinion, we should take this slow and use friday as reconnaissance. If a good opportunity to secure the dagger comes up we should take it, but I don't thin we should take unnecessary risks." Liliana suggested. "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast, as my butler would say." She'd looked up the origin of that little nugget of wisdom after Graham had said it the third time, though it had left her with more questions than answers regarding the man's background. He had always deflected attempts to inquire into his past, and Liliana for her part didn't want to pry too much.

[Kaworu]

- I just got an idea. Albeit it can be weird, you know - Mateusz decided to join the talk after some thought - Maybe we should ask, I dunno... archeology department professors, or specialists in ancient mythologies, about help with this stuff? You know, they are at the place, they have knowledge, they "feel" the university. Maybe this is a better way of working than trying to enter the uni social space from outside? We will stand out less that way, perhaps? -he asked, looking at his discussants.

- Just an idea, this is possible that I have said something really dumb. Sorry, I'm a scientist, not a private detective. I do not really know how we should be doing this whole investigation stuff.

[Justanotherhero]

- I just got an idea. Albeit it can be weird, you know - Mateusz decided to join the talk after some thought - Maybe we should ask, I dunno... archeology department professors, or specialists in ancient mythologies, about help with this stuff? You know, they are at the place, they have knowledge, they "feel" the university. Maybe this is a better way of working than trying to enter the uni social space from outside? We will stand out less that way, perhaps? -he asked, looking at his discussants.

„Hmm and possibly these professors are associated with our targets that would allow our great social talents to find out a lot without having to actually engage with the fraternity itself. I like it.“

Edit: Spelling

[DeTess]

"It's not a weird idea, but I see no reason not to do both." Liliana considered Mateusz suggestion a moment more. "The party is in the evening so let's say we reserve all of friday for preparation for visiting the party. That's probably more than we need, but better be on the safe side. That leaves about two days to chase down the academic angle."

[Justanotherhero]

„Two days academia and a day of party preparation. Sounds good. I would personally advise we depart tonight and look for a place that is just right to stay?“

[PoeticallyPsyco]

"Sounds like the beginnings of a plan. Who wants to speak to the professors? I'd hate to hog all the fun for myself." There were no lives on the line yet, with the possible exception of Ms. Kessler's friend, and she hadn't mentioned any sort of deadline on his 'affliction'. They were still in the 'harmless adventure' phase of things, and while that might not last, there was no sense in refusing to enjoy the ride.

"Also, do we want to find lodging as a group, or separately? The first would be safer in the event that we come under attack; the second would be easier to arrange and might deflect a little suspicion off of us if someone looks in that direction.

"On the subject of preparations, I'll see if I can rent a studio for training outside of the public's eye. I've had the damndest time actually exercising since becoming supernaturally strong - I've lost so much muscle mass since my Visitation, it's not even funny - but I'm sure I could figure something out. Or I could train others in the martial arts, and learn something that way." Brand was not yet desperate enough to admit to his geas's requirement; no matter how friendly these allies seemed, the tales of Cú Chulainn and Sampson had taught him that was a risk to be weighed very carefully indeed.

[Justanotherhero]

„From my side I would advise we lodge close to one another. I do not know how many members of the fraternity are suspects and I would not want for us to be overwhelmed by superior numbers.„

How many Scions where there anyway? Julian knows few children of Osiris. But Fathers case is somewhat different.

„Mr. Brand while we are preparing I would gladly take advantage of your protective magic offer if it still stands? Would it be ok if I take a look at it while it is being enacted?“

[PoeticallyPsyco]

"Of course. Let me know when you're ready, then concentrate on the point on your body where you'd like the mark to appear. I'd advise somewhere subtle, like between your shoulder blades or the bottom of your left foot, but to thine own self be true and all that."

Brand waited for his teammate to indicate readiness, then leaned across the table. Placing his fingers on Julian's temple, Brand concentrated himself, bending the webs of Fate to pull the Scion into his aegis of protection.

A second later, he leaned back into his seat. "All right, done. Should harm threaten to befall you, I'll sense it."

Brand knew that the symbol, wherever it was, took the form of the Ogham letter "Fearn", silver in color and about the size of a quarter. Depending on context, the letter could symbolize the color blood-red, a vanguard of warriors, or simply the letter "F". However, in this context the most appropriate symbolism was the alder-tree, and the shields traditionally built from its wood.

Spoiler: Fearn

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Brandon chuckled. "Traditionally, I should seal it with a kiss, but we don't know each other quite well enough for that."

[DeTess]

Liliana considered for a moment, then addressed Brand. "I'll have one of those as well, if possible. I'm not that good a fighter, so since I'm helping with checking out the fraternity I'd like to have a way to bring in the cavalry."

Following Brand's instructions to Julian she focussed on the backside if her left knee, then signalled he could do whatever he needed to.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

"Second verse, same as the first," Brandon hums, marking his well-dressed colleague as well. "A warning, though, for both of you: the Vigil Brand will only trigger for physical danger, and that is precisely as vague and hard to pin down as it sounds. A car chase, a gunman with no intention of pulling the trigger, a satyr with beguiling pan pipes; these things may or may not alert me unless the situation escalates."

[Justanotherhero]

Julian looks at Mr. brand at begins whispering:

„ Senetjer kha-ib, iri en Ma'at.“

For a moment it looks like his eyes glow faintly green.

Concentrating on the location interfered some what with Julian observing the for him new Magic. But he managed to focus on the left side of his hip and observed this rare Magic. This pantheon was mentioned during Julian’s education but historically to his knowledge very little contact existed between the two pantheons.

[Kaworu]

- I think I also would like the sigil - Mateusz has said. He concentrated on the underside of his left foot, for a lack of a better idea.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Mateusz was out of convenient reach, so Brandon had to get up for this one. He spotted the waitress coming with what was hopefully his meal, and so Brand pretended to be looking at something the European Scion was showing him on his phone, leaning over him and placing his hand on his companion's shoulder to deliver the Boon.

He thanked the waitress, then turned to the caramel-skinned Scion that moved like a fighter. Max, wasn't it? "Would you also like to get in on..." he struggled to think of a good euphemism, but failed "... this? I have enough gas left in the metaphorical tank for a handful more such marks."

As he snacked on his burger (which also apparently had peanut butter on it for some reason; America was truly a land for the strange and fantastical), he remembered one final thing.

"Ah, yes," he began, putting down the surprisingly good burger, bizarre peanut butter notwithstanding. "It's also possible that I'll receive a false positive, or that you'll have a genuinely threating situation in hand and not need assistance. I'll assume that any trigger is something that the group needs to respond to, but if I sense that you're in good condition, I'll also text you 'what kind of pizza would you like' without any capitalization or punctuation. If you're fine, include the word 'pineapple' in your response and I'll call off the cavalry. That system worked pretty well for my homeless and otherwise vulnerable friends in Dublin. We could even expand it into a whole code language if that becomes necessary."

[Justanotherhero]

Julian nodded towards Brand.

"Thank you for the insight."

Turning towards everyone: "If we plan to schedule meetings at the university, we go to Atlanta tonight at the latest. We have to hope that the relevant professors either have office hours scheduled or are teaching a class before Friday. This could be an effective way to present ourselves as visiting scholars.

I suggest we engage with the academics during the day and observe the bars by night. Before engaging with academia, we need to prepare the right questions and, of course, bring the appropriate academic 'equipment'—a notepad, tablet, or whatever suits best. From my end, I believe I could convincingly pose as someone working on a doctoral thesis idea. However, if others wish to initiate contact, that's perfectly fine with me. Ideally, one or maybe two people should approach the professors; any more might seem suspicious for such a specialized subject.

Does anyone here excel in technology? We need to continue our online research. Also, is anyone particularly skilled at discreet observation, so we wouldn't be noticed while scouting the fraternity house? Ideally, we should map out the building's layout before attempting to enter.

We could also visit local bars to acclimate ourselves to the area before Friday. Then, after our observations tomorrow night, we could reconvene to discuss our findings?"