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You each find yourself floating in total blackness - alone.  No breeze touches your skin.  No scent touches your nostrals.  You're neither warm nor cold.  You just exist.  You're not sure how long you're there floating.  It might have been seconds.  Maybe it was hours.  Suddenly you feel a voice rumble through you.  And it's definitely felt, rather than heard.  The sound almost seems to eminate from within your very bones.

You seek power/knowledge/wisdom/guidance and so agree to be BOUND.

You are BOUND to secrecy.  You shall tell no-one of this group, what it does or the power you derive from it.

You are BOUND to fraternity.  You shall aid one another in time of need as you would a family member or loved one.

You are BOUND to exclusivity.  This shall be your only magical group from now until your last breadth

You are BOUND by material link.  You accept the vulnerability of that that linkage provides

Once made, violation of these BINDINGS will result in CONSEQUENCE.

DO YOU ACCEPT?

"power/knowledge/wisdom/guidance" are all said simultaneously, though one word is louder than the others.  You sense the voice is speaking to all of you at once, but the louder word was directed at you.  Each time the voice refers to 'binding', you feel a portion of your body locked in place - immobile as you continue to float in nothingness.  The word 'consequence' comes with a seering pain that penetrates every nerve ending.  The onset is overwhelming and instantaneous, then just as suddenly, it is gone.

The voice appears to be waiting for a response.

"I accept." Says Duck, pale eyes calmly on the trickster that interrupted the initial ritual, vigilantly eyeing him with suspicion as the world swirls around him, eyeing the space he was in when the rest of the world faded off.

"I accept," Caduceus said, echoing White Duck.  He did not like being BOUND to anything, but in some instances the reward was greater than the drawbacks.  The last two times he was BOUND in such a way, he ended up having zero regrets.  He could only hope he would be so lucky a third time.

Sure, I accept. said Koby in reply.

I guess there's no turning back now!

PM

You didn't hear each other's responses.  There was a brief pause after you'd given your responses, then a seering agony almost as though something was being inscribed on your very bones.  You tried to thrash, but whatever bonds were holding you in place were unforgiving and totally effective.  Then suddenly they were gone and you found yourselves falling through the blackness - spinning and tumbling with no visual reference to tell how quickly or where.  And then suddenly you were back in the store again.

The air had cleared.  Down here in the Underground, there was no sun to see, but you sensed that many hours had passed.  Your insides felt like jelly and you saw after-images of the astral whenever you moved your heads.  Most of you quickly decided that moving wasn't a hot idea just then.

As you started to recover a bit, you noticed that the dagger Julia had stuck into the middle of the floor was glowing with a bluish light, though the glow was fading.  Sitting a couple feet away was a dog, squatting on its haunches.

It was a dirty greyish-white bulldog with probably a few other things mixed in.  It pushed itself up into a walking position and stretched, then ambled over to the dagger.  Positioning itself, it raised a rear leg.

The dagger sizzled and the glow disappears entirely as a puddle formed around it.  The dog padded back to where he'd started from and did a quick survey of the room before squatting again.

Julia was the first to open her mouth.  "What the..."

She was interrupted as the group of you heard a voice in your heads, though it was a different one than before.

Congrats.  Condolences.  Whatever.

You made it.  You're officially a magical lodge, group, coven 'er some such dreck.  The eight of you are now bound.  Ready to learn the mysteries of the planes or die tryin'.  Best 'o luck on the former.  I'll be seein' ya around.

The dog got up and started padding towards the door.  He was about half-way there when Kate piped up "Hey, where's Noda?"

The rest of your heads swiveled to find that sararyman's cushion was empty.

The Jap?  He wimped out.  Decided the "bound" thing wasn't for him.  He's sleeping it off in a dumpster about six blocks from here.  Won't remember a thing.  He'll be fine...

Pickup's not 'til tomorrow, right?"

The dog turned to continue toward the door but was interrupted again, this time by Julia.  "You said 'eight'.  There are only seven of us.  How can there be eight if Noda declined?"

The dog scanned the room again, nodding his head as he looked at each of you, then turned to face the shaman.

Math ain't your strong-point chica.  There's 8 in the room.  Eight with their blood on the dagger.  Eight that made the journey.  Eight that made the oaths.  So eight it is.

The dog wrinkled it's nose in Hairy's direction.  'Course that one ain't got more talent than a doornail.  However, the spirits say yer gonna need 'im, so I guess he's in.  Looks like a bit of a loose cannon, ya ask me.  Might wanna give 'im a job er somethin so ya kin keep an eye on 'im.  Oh, an maybe loosen up on the ropes an' gag.  I hear first impressions are important...

The dog turned back to the closed door and walked right through.  The voice continued in your heads.

Good luck.  Yer gonna need it.

Congratulations!  You're now all members of one of the first magical groups in the 6th world...

Duck seems a bit confused with the talking dog at first, takes a moment to realize he's just tripping balls, then gets eerily quiet when he realizes other people seem to notice the talking dog too. He narrows his eyes at what the talking dog has to say, then looks to Hairy. He slowly rises to a slightly wobbled stand, then moves over to Hairy, taking out one of those left-handed cigarettes instead, lighting it and taking a drag.

"Shoulda let me ace this one, Jules. Now we got some ingrate with no appreciation for the arts bound to the same oath as us." he takes a knee, exhaling a plume of smoke as he reaches up to remove the gag.

"Welcome to the circle, jerk face." he grumbles, taking a bladed card and slicing Hairy free of his bonds in a few sweeping motions similar to the flashy sleight-of-hand that magicians often employ.

"You got a handle, omae? I think I'm just gonna call you Burning Man."

Of all the things Caduceus expected to see when he returned to reality, a talking dog was not one of them.  He kept his mouth shut, however, and merely observed as Julia interacted with it.  He was still a bit dumbfounded by the time the little canine ghosted through the door.  Not to mention confused.  The guy that attacked them had gotten tied up in the ritual with them?  That in and of itself wasn't overly surprising to Caduceus.  But what did surprise him was that the man had apparently agreed to the terms of the oath.

Caduceus grunted heavily as he tried to stand up, failed halfway, then redoubled his efforts and attempted to stand again.  "Whoa," he said as his vision steadied.  Then, approaching the bound man, he asked, "Is the guy even awakened?  Or awake, for that matter?"  The snake shaman leaned in close and began examining every stitch of the man's aura.  He wanted to learn as much as he could about this guy before he woke up and started causing trouble.

---

Caduceus is Assensing Hairy, using Aura Reading (Auras) as a companion skill.

11:28, Today: Caduceus rolled 6 successes using 6d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,5,4,(6+3)9,(6+2)8,4.  Assensing Hairy.

11:29, Today: Caduceus rolled 2 successes using 5d6 with the Shadowrun system with a target of 4 with rolls of 4,2,2,4,3.  Aura Reading (Auras) - Assensing complimentary skill.

That should be a total of 7 net successes.  Which should be enough to learn basically everything I can about him from his aura.

Julia, for once, seemed speechless - though it was clear from the look on her face that she's *not* happy.  Chuck and Martha seemed to take the situation in stride.  Martha got up to make a fresh pot of tea - carefully rinsing the pot first in the small sink and sealing the remains of the "special" variety away in its tin and back in a drawer.

Kate seemed to be distracted a bit by her shirt, which she was sniffing suspiciously.

After spending some time carefully scrutinizing the unconscious man on the astral, Caduceus stood up straight once again.  "Well, unless this guy does kids parties, he's not a magician in any sense of the word.  He's got loads of cyber throughout his body too.  I think he's a drug addict too.  Or at least a dealer.  It's not a recent habit either.  The only real silver lining I can see is that he doesn't appear to have the worst outlook on life, generally speaking.  He has some character to work with."  He looked skeptically around the room. "Should I try healing him?  I mean, he did willingly agree to be "one of us" after all.  We should probably at least find out if his name really is Burning Man." Doubtful.

"If it ain't, it is now. That, or Guinea Pig, as he's like to be the first one to face any consequences. Anyway, if he consented, he should know the rules." Duck blows a plume of smoke into the ork's face.

"He's also likely playin' possum." He pats the ork on the cheek.

"Soon as you 'come to' pal," He says with finger quotes, the joint captured between two fingers on one hand, the card the other. "...we've gotta hammer out some details. Could be good money in it."

Koby shook his head a couple times when he saw the talking dog.  He wasn't sure if what he had seen was real until he looked around the room.  The others seemed to have a similar reaction of noticing the pooch conversing with Julia.

Not long after the dog left, Koby decided to stretch out his legs and help himself to his feet.  As White Duck and Caduceus had begun loosening the ork's bindings as well as inspecting him, he walked up to Martha with the freshly brewed pot of tea and asked for some.

Hey Martha, could I get a couple cups of that?  I think we'll need them for everyone here, if we are truly to get along... said Koby as he indicated to the people in the room.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:30, Wed 26 Sept 2018.

Hairy slowly shakes off the last wisps of unrestful unconsciousness. He's looking about as confused as the rest of the crew.

"Hey guys... Listen uh... Thanks for loosening up the ropes. And for understanding about the whole fire thing. Nothin' personal, just a job, right? In fact, maybe we can circle back on my Johnson and burn him back. He said this place was some kinda trouble. Set me up to twist."

He thinks for a moment, before continuing. "Said there wouldn't be no magic either."

"Okay, so uhh... if we're sorted, I'll just... see myself out, ya know? Everything's forgiven between professionals, right?"

Duck reaches over and hands Hairy his joint.

“Well, seems like the J got you in over your head but you got yourself in even deeper with your persistence. Remember having some kinda dream where you took an oath, bub? If so, hate to tell ya, the dream was real. If not, hate to tell you, but you’re now bound by an oath, one with consequences likely more dire than I could muster from any interrogation at that.” Duck shrugs, then stands, moving back behind the front counter.

“Either way, welcome to Crane’s Comics. I’m Duck. Congrats on inadvertantly stepping in a pile of magical dogshit that is now perma-stuck to the soles of your shoes, omae.”
This message was last edited by the player at 01:32, Thu 04 Oct 2018.

Caduceus looked at Hairy with a look of scepticism. "Yeeeah, I think your Johnson lied to you.  Either that, or is completely incompetent.  Assuming the former, remember that oath of fraternity you just took? How we are supposed watch eachother like family?  Well, I think this situation applies.  Either someone took a hit out on one or all of us who gathered here, or they set you up for failure.  Either way, I think it is imperative that we know who your Johnson is, and ensure that this never happens again."

Caduceus squatted next to the cybered warrior.  So, who is your Johnson and where can we find 'em? All of us. Including you. And for that matter, who are you?"

"Wait, that's what you all do? You sell dreking comics?"

"Wow, and I thought hustling needed muscle. Okay, well... the name is Hairy, and I'm a pretty experienced salesman myself. So uhh... I guess I'll flip through some of these, get to know your wares, and start hawking to some contacts of mine. I guess 'burn man' is fine too, just not the initials, ya know?"

"The Johnson, yeah. Scraggy looking guy, nose ring, some tats. Real upstanding business-type. Met up at  the Chicken Pump. It's a piss pot I know."

Hairy scratches his head as he processes everything.

"Comics... Huh."

Koby sets the cups of tea on a tray and approaches the 3 men.

Drink up guys.  It might make you feel better.  So how are my new 'family' members doing?

Duck takes a few regular cards from the bargain bin and casually starts to flit them at various strategically placed standees and old collectibles throughout the store. Some bounce off, and some end up holding fast. He nods to Hairy.

"Shame on them, chummer, the ones that hired you. I sure as hell thought you were some kinda blood sacrifice, so you got real lucky there. Anyway, I sell the comics and Julia sells the drugs and magical stuff. I'm a regular staple of this little neighborhood... Might wanna know that there's kids in these tunnels too man. You wanna do some *real* work with us, you're gonna have to consider collateral. I don't want you trying to sell my comics though. Don't think your clientele would appreciate the value of some of em', but we run, so there's that, and you might be useful. Hell, provided you listen to decent advice, you might be *really* useful." he looks to Koby.

"You too." he takes a cup of tea and sips cautiously before adding a few packets of sugar.

"Provided y'all are willing to work with us, of course. Sizing the two of you up, not sure what skills you both bring to the table. I do the kicking and talking and punching and throwing shit and Cadeuces here does healing and other magic. Probably more useful than me, honestly. Koby, you strike me as a physad too. We'll have to spar sometime. Fight club's on Thursdays." He turns to Hairy.

"You though, aside from leaving me little presents and causing one hell of a diversion, what is it you can do exactly? You any good with guns? Decking? Rigging?"

Koby holds the tray on one hand and takes a cup in the other.  He sips it carefully to ensure that it wasn't too hot.

Let's not jump to conclusions here.  We might all play in the shadows, but I don't think I ever heard myself say that I want to be useful to you.  But now that we are in this bog together, we might make the most of it and give each other a hand....when they need it.  I'm not gonna be anybody's serf or slave.

Sure that the tea had cooled down sufficiently, Koby swigs the tea.

Chuck eased himself up off the floor.  "Well, not 'zactly what I 'spected.  But thanks.

Shift starts in 6." His tone was somewhat appoligetic, but it was pretty clear he just wanted to get clear of the whole place.

Kate seemed eager to bug out as well.

Martha, on the other hand was happy to accept a cup of tea and squatted back down on her cushion, studying the group, and Hairy in particular as she leaned against the wall.

Julia went to her desk and grabbed a pad of paper and scribbled something, then brought the paper over to Hairy.  "This look like one of his tats?"  The paper had a rough outline of a bat flying in front of a circle - presumably a moon.

The one Hairy had seen was a bit better drawn and the circle was tinted with orange, but it was definitely the same sort of image.  At the samaurai's confirmation, Julia frowned and tapped her finger absently against the picture.  "Tantarus.  This is not good.  Not good at all..."

Martha's eyebrows went up at the mention of the name, but she said nothing.  Finally Julia gave her head a bit of a shake.  "Nothing to do now.  I need to send out some feelers and find out what's going on.  For now, let's get things tidied up."

"You" - her finger pointed clearly at Hairy - "have some cleaning to do."

Anyone with knowledge skills related to gangs, the Ork Underground or related topics is free to roll to see what, if anything, they know about 'Tantarus'.  WD, you'll have a lower TN by 1.

Does criminal organizations count? What's the TN?

"I'm a businessman. Not totally independent, but, you know. Enough. And I know how to take care of myself. I run on the streets before. Could'a made tonight a lot worse, but the J didn't pay for murder and, yeah, collateral and all that. I got my stuff parked upstairs.

"Yeah, I seen that ink. That was the J. Tantarus, sure. I can draw you a picture if you want. I got that fragger's face burnt into my eyes now."

Hairy gives the broom a moment's look, but he's not unaccustomed to manual labor, so he'll get to sweeping up broken glass. Sorting trash from the Tibetan yak-hair fetishes and such is a little tougher, but he makes an honest effort.