Mistral brought the group back to the Ebon Pyramid... which had replaced a portion of the French Alps. Much had been lost and now they were further than ever from confronting the Earthbound... but there were much more immediate concerns than that. Many of the losses had been quite personal and Talion, who had still been recovering from the last incident, had been dealt another blow.

 Now only one question remained. What now?

He was still bracing to fall no matter the teleportation, at least he wasn't flopping over out of habit anymore. Noah was happy to be out of the princely territory, "Well that was fun."

He tried to cross his arms, failed, and settled for sitting down. "If I have your consent Mist, I'd like to hook your walls into the local leylines. It will warm the walls a bit. I think we can get up to 18 to 20 C on the regular in here." He raised his own internal temperature just to keep the cold at bay. "Going to need to tap the line anyway to get Grey back online."

"May need to steal some equipment to get a fabratory back up and running. Jitters is already back in action, I can get some of our people back, though not all." He frowned deeply, "It's gonna be rough."

When Fate went through the portal she felt the cold greet her. With her eyes closed she breathed in for a moment as if she could suck heat into her body. It was really just her steeling herself against the cold. Then she opened her eyes filled with disappointment and sadness and looked to her companions. "What can I help with? I know I'm no replacement, but perhaps there is something I can do?"

Michael waved goodbye to Nef as he walked through the portal into Mistal’s Alpine sanctuary. The cold greeted him immediately causing him to cross his arms over his chest to keep warm. “The times ahead will be rough, but I believe in the resolve and abilities of everyone here that we will make it through. I too am with Fate on how can I be of assistance?”

Noah sat down and pulled out the refractory dish that he had been using. Picking up a number of rocks he blew into his hands over and over until the rocks had become little better that red hot goo. He put the mass in the dish so it would cool much slower but still give heat.

"Well, my accounts are on lock until December so I will be working overtime to get us up on tech. On the other side we need to get some feet on the ground learning about the people under Carmilla. We need to make sure the hunt is done or we need to solve the problem entirely. We may need to tap some contacts with the vampires to see if they are moving."

"Outside of that, there are still people trying to learn about what we are doing from the ritual. The Ebon tower is visible, so check with any mage contacts are likely hungry for information."

"But given the tactics used, I think we need to make sure Carmilla's people are standing down or dead."

Micheal nodded to Fate. “Fate and I can certainly help with the last part. We just need to know where to start looking.”

“It was quite nearly a new disaster to add to our growing collection.  Merci, Michael, for persuading Nefertiti against throwing herself to the wolves.  Still they circle, I do not doubt.”



“Oui, s'il vous plaît.  I haven’t the means to make this structure habitable, so I would welcome your help.”  Mistral sounded weary as she gazed up at the colossal interior of the Ebon Pyramid.  She’d returned to the Fallen World with grand plans in mind, but there was very much that needed to be done first to pick up the pieces.


She looked to Noah and said, “You were granted ownership of Synthos, non?  Let us visit one of your synth fabrication centers.  You cannot steal what you own.”  The reminder of those they had lost was painful, and Mistral preferred to focus on what they could do right now.  She then said, “It would be wise to first take inventory of what we already have.  I have explored only a scant fraction of this structure, and it is possible Grey has provided… something.”  Mistral proceeded to project her sight outward to rapidly scan the structure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...sSrK00Dw&index=3

 As the group licked their wounds and made their plans, Jitters suddenly came flying out through a rent in space, using an overly large cat bed as a makeshift saddle atop a familiar invisible mount.

 Fluffy was speckled with globs of what might have been blood of some sort, leaving gooey footprints as he skidded to a halt, maw full of unrecognizable appendages. He then lay down, gnawing on them as Jitters slid off, also smeared with the unknown fluids. "I apologize for the delay. Fluffy took offense to some of the spirits we encountered. He gave chase and we found ourselves lost a few times... but we have finally returned, as you requested."

 He took off his feathered cap and gave a bow with a flourish, flecking drops of unknown fluid on the floor nearby.

"Thank you for bringing in the monday sir Jitters. Good to see you are well."

Noah blinked a bit, "I've been doing sneaky tech so long I forgot the academy was open. We could get Meep online fairly quick, as well as the good doctor. The specials will need Talions lab though."

"Thank you for reminding me."

He sat down and started his work. "Grey tech often is infused with arcane stints. If you look at that you could get a whole view." Noah took out a tiny hammer and tapped Mistral with it so the pulse would be tuned to her vision. "The boards veins she put in the wall has already made a low spot for mana to collect better. She just didn't get a chance to open the dam."

5 successes for the prime echolocation.

Noah rolled with the ritual to tap the leyline to get the building heated. It was going good, going ok, and then he opened up and it quickly turned into one of the most delicate castings he had ever done in his life. Luck itself was riding his back on this one. The little hammer he was using for casting crumbled to dust as a sacrament to burn in this jazz session of a minor ritual.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:38, Sat 25 Sept 2021.

 Noah set up his ritual and the walls pulsed with electrical gridwork before going dark again. It didn't generate any warmth, but the electrical grid was most definitely fortified.


 Michael, for his part, had been a vampire Hunter for some years. There were old friends and contacts he could likely get in touch with... if they hadn't been run out of town and if the Malleus Maleficarum hadn't gotten to them first.

Noah sighed, "Mothers love, Grey you are effecent."

He sat down fully. "We are going to need to get some panel heaters." He looked to Sal, Fate, and Michael. "Step one is to put ears to the ground. If you have any contacts, informants, or even if you want to go and check something; anyone who wants to off us, now is the time for them to move. Carmilla's people, the earthbound, and the hunters may be on the move as this is far to juicy a time to strike."

"I am going to see about getting our allies resurrected. Sir Jitters, do you feel that your mount and yourself are up to watching my back? I'm half dead and this body won't self-heal. Mr. Wraith has had a bad day so I don't want to overtax him. Though I do have a wonderful knight in shining armor."

"Also, if any of you want a spell before you head out, now is the time. Once dawn fully hits back in new york I'll shed the mana I have now."

Michael considered what contacts he had left now that he had severed ties with the MM. That’s when he remembered a friend that might have possibly survived. He was a lot harder to kill than most realized. “I’ll see if I can find my friend Jay. He’s a werewolf with his own small pack. He at least might know the movements of the other werewolves in the area.”

"I guess it's about time I checked back in with the Mysterium and see if they have any knowledge about any possible enemies and their movements. Who knows if they even still consider me on their side after everything that's happened."

 Jitters paused and gave Fluffy the side-eye. "Must I bring him? It took a great deal of effort and multiple dismembered spirits to get him here. It seems almost a pity to simply bring him back."

Mistral was glad to see Jitters arrive mounted on Fluffy, although the gore was of some concern.  She gave a small bow to the knightly squirrel and offered greeting, “You are welcomed, Chevalier Jitters.  I am glad to see yourself and Fluffy well, after all that has happened.”


Noah performed a ritual to awaken the Ebon Pyramid’s supernal power grid, which Mistral observed while she herself remotely explored the structure with little luck.  Thankfully, Grey’s effortlessly brilliant engineering had built in a network via which this search could be simplified.  Why wander the wilderness when roads have already been built?  Mistral nodded to Noah at the news of this mana ‘low spot’ and said, “Grey did not create it, but she has empowered the caverneux hallow that I have utilized for some years.  You all may draw from it, if you will.”

OOC: the cave below is a 3-dot Hallow, as per the Mage merit


The ‘knight in shining armor’ remark elicited a scoff from Mistral, “Tch.  You must mean Jitters.  Nevertheless, I will aid in whatever work needs done to restore those we have lost.”

Michael and Fate each mentioned contacts of theirs that might offer aid or at least insight into the state of the situation, and so Mistral offered, “Just the same, if there is a place you would go, mes amies, you have only to name it.”


“Fluffy is welcome to remain here, though he should not wander far beyond this structure.  This location is remote, but not so remote as the amethyst isle.  Fluffy would remind locals of the Tarasque, a fearsome beast of French folklore.  Better they do not meet.”

Noah smiled and held out a hand for the knight. "If he is allowed to stay here all is well." He waved a hand about Jitters pulling the gore from him. Spirit blood was hard to clean without magic on the fallen world.

Noah smiled wide at Mistral. "Dame Mistral, such aid from thine hand shall be accounted a blessing." He nodded once. "I have the twins, the good doctor, meep, and the horsemen on cloud save. A number of them have special bodies though. Any others I will need to go through their remains. But I'll nee the facility."

"We may need to get a few bears to feed fluffy if we are to keep him here overlong."

"I would like to refuel my mana a bit if possible then I should be off to New York to see if any of my allies remain. It wouldn't hurt to check in with my order anyways, at least I hope not. Besides possible enemy movements is there anything I should ask them? Anything else we need to know?" Fate was both hesitant and eager to be on her way, she hadn't checked in with her order in a while.

Sal counted those present, and thinking of those unaccounted for, said, "How is Grey doing? You said she was hurt. Will she be okay? And what of Scar? Or Point Break, my double? I think he was still in my car when the island sank. By the way, is there any reason we can't contact our allies electronically? Teleporting back into the lion's mouth seems careless, if a message or a phone call can meet our needs."

"Pointbreak reported as present for Milo's party last I checked. If that was a false ping I will replace him, Ark gen Synths have a lifetime warranty."

"We can't really contact others until I can get a satellite dish out here. Cell reception in the Alps is very spotty but your slate will work if you can get down to one of the towns. Any synth can relay your calls."

"I did piss off the space station and attached a relay just after I got back from sealing Talion. But the upside is we have access to the network. I sent messages to Scar and the mayor as they had been the only ones still on the move. I set up a message board for them, I'll give you access, it's slow but it's unstoppable."

"Fate, you may ask them if they need anything from us. A show of ability should keep the cult guessing. Anything we can do to make them second guess what is going on will go massively in our favor."

"Understood. This outta be fun."

Mistral shook her head and sighed in the long-suffering way she so often did when Noah rhapsodized about her, though she couldn't help the hint of a smile that always came after.  On the matter of feeding Fluffy, Mistral said, "I have never provided feeding for une bête si exotique...  Dare I ask how he was fed prior?"

Seeing that travel was imminent, Mistral extended a hand toward the cavernous expanse of the Ebon Pyramid's 'foyer' and invited, "The hallow is this way.  Come, and I shall set us on our ways."  Mistral turned and began to walk briskly toward the top of the spiral stairs, which were presently at least a half-mile distant.  Once they started walking, however, they found themselves arriving at the stairs within a dozen paces and wondering why they'd seemed so far a moment ago.

She led the way down the spiral stairs of obsidian into the chilly cave of strangely-angular basalt stone, and led them all to the edge of the round pool.  Collections of synthetic parts were arranged along one wall in neat groupings, which Mistral looked at sadly.  She turned to Noah and said, "These remnants are all that I was able to recover from the isle... I hope they are of use in the restoration effort."

Once all had decided their destinations and had described them to Mistral, she set to work sending each upon their ways.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:44, Tue 28 Sept 2021.

Fate followed after Mistral.

Sal too, followed Mistral. He didn't need the Hallow at the moment, but figured it was a good idea to know his way around.