[rednblack]

Inanna takes exactly 12 steps up the hill before realizing that she is not at all dressed, or up for, this kind of running.  Come to a job, he says.  Just take the ferry.  No problem.  There'd better be a good reason why we couldn't do this from a nice, even a crummy, bar.  Inanna's boots threaten to stick in the mud, and she struggles to keep putting one foot in front of the other, almost exclusively looking down as she does so, when suddenly she feels herself lifting up, her feet leave the mud, and Inanna panics, thinking at first that she's falling.  But the sensation is just the opposite.  While she's no longer tethered to the side of the mountain, the direction Inanna is going is up, just a meter or so off the ground.  She looks around helplessly, to see Ivory Tower's smiling face, as she leads the way.  "Thanks, omae," she says softly, knowing that IT can't hear her, but scared to speak any louder for fear of what else it up here with them.

When the storm rolls in suddenly, Inanna pulls her jacket around close.  At least if she was walking, she could build up a little body heat, but still, the ride is much better than trying to navigate the path below on foot.  She seriously doubts her ability to keep up with the rest of the team should that be the case.  Still, the hail, the bitter wind, it chills Inanna to the bone as they make their trek upward.  When the storm clears, and they find themselves at the top, she's relieved when her feet touch the ground again, and Inanna cleans her boots off on a nearby rock. 

When she approaches the lake, Inanna literally has to catch her breath.  For a brief moment the cold, the storm, the elements of the climb, all leave her mind, and she stands transfixed.  Beautiful.  It takes a moment before she realizes that the old lady is talking to her, and somewhat numb, Inanna accepts the candle and mumbles a brief thank you.  When she does look down, she has a little trouble making sense of the flint and steel.  She flirts with the idea of asking James to light her candle for her, but something about the lake makes her want to do this herself.  She strikes once, twice, three times before she's able to get a good spark,but once she does, the candle gleams to life, and she feels immediately better.

[ScytheKnight]

The rest of the climb is utterly miserable for Yako, she was wishing she had changed into her armor jacket with its insulation. Panting from the exertion, augmented muscles aching, ears and tail drooping, for a while her world collapses into one foot in front of the other. She's visibly starting to sway a little when the reach the top, her eyes taking in the crater lake.

oh...

She stands, shivering in the cold and swaying, panting as she catches her breath. Her eyes take in the vista, her nose taking in the pure air and scents while her ears are untroubled by the noise and bustle of city life, the only thing missing is the void of where she's used to the Matrix being... but she's enough of a priestess to know she is standing on a sacred site, perhaps not to Shinto, or even any other religion, but sacred none the less and her perception shifts to the Astral almost without thought.

She receives the candle and instructions, giving their guide a slight, reverent bow, her body calming as it settles into the familiar pattern of ritual. Her steps are the most confidant they've been since she left Seoul before she stops, she knows she's in the right spot, her hands striking flint and tinder with practiced ease, sparks alighting perfectly on the first attempt. She lets her mind relax, breathing falling into a meditative pattern as she watches the disk being gently thrown into the lake.

[Csjarrat]

Kyoko makes the best of the climb, her light and wiry frame helping with the unsteady ground. The torrent of water really unsettled her, it was just too coincidental to not have been a test.
Her grip held firm under the onslaught and she swung an arm down to help retard the pace of the guide's slide as the murky half-illuminated figures of the climbers below grabbed her.
Flea wiped a muddy hand across her forehead to remove the strands of sodden hair from her eyes and continued the ascent, cursing herself for agreeing to such a cold, shitty day.
She hoped the job at the end of this would be worth it as the temperature plummeted and tried to coax some life into her frozen fingers to manipulate a flame onto the candle she was given, struggling but taking heart at the success of the others

[gilga]

The torch was warm and IT quickly regained her forces. She knew nothing about ritual spells and was excited to see how the summoning will work – how could a mundane summon a spirit? She thought to herself – there is so much I do not know.

Then again, the spirit summoned us without using magic just social connections. we got out of our way to this clearly hostile zone to just to answer the call – not knowing if we will even strike a deal. The spirit probably wanted to negotiate from a place of strength, someplace she felt comfortable. Inanna would have picked another place, but can we even begin to understand what is so attractive about this place?
 
We are not very different than spirits answering their summoned calls, but we hope to get some nuyen  to pay our bills – spirits generally find no use for nuyen ... perhaps I pay my spirits with a currency that is of no significance to me but is important to them - but with what?

The idea that summoning was slavery seemed absurd – there is no way I am strong enough to *force* spirits that are just as strong and just as smart as me to do my bidding.  Perhaps spirits cannot or will not break their word –  so they become slaves to their own agreements. Meta humans value actions more than words, talk is cheap. But spirits have no bodies, they may experience this plane like we experience a dream - this is not the *real* place for them. Like astral is not *real* to us. 

She then stopped her thoughts - lets not get overly analytic about it now. Here and now, there is an angry water spirit that would ENJOY this ritual so much!  She projected her mind into the astral.  She was looking for the free water spirit Achim Angae:  thinking “You have to come and see it – I know you will enjoy it, Meta-humans summoned by a great spirit – it is starting now come quickly!”

Shortly after she returned to her body, stood up and waited for instructions, she was excited.

[Siren]

Ivory feels the familiar sense of bemusement she sensed before, during the beginning of the storm, but no acceptance of her invitation is obvious.

You each settle into your place as the wax from your candles melts, rolling down to the ground, then extending out into thin strands across the ground and into the lake where the metallic pendant somehow floats to the very center of the lake.  The green threads make their way across the glassy surface of the volcanic lake, each meeting with the orange disk in the center.

Astrally, the lake suddenly bursts into a magical florescence as a massive swirling vortex of magical wind coalesces over the strange object at the center of the lake.

In the material plane, the wind suddenly picks up in powerful, hurricane-gale gusts.  Curiously, the flames on your candles gently dance, but show no threat of being extinguished by the powerful winds.  The air is soon filled with the flying debris of dead leaves, fallen branches, thousands of suddenly trapped insects, and thick clouds of water vapor.  The various detritus converges at the center of the lake, forming a turbulent mosaic of a humanoid face.

Blasts of wind suddenly rush past each of you in powerful bursts.  You hear no voices, but are impressed with an unspoken understanding of the being before you.

Welcome, We apologize for the difficulties you have experienced on your way to meet me.  We regret we could not meet you in a more humanoid appropriate environment, but we are bound to this spot, and did not trust another to make this request of you.  We thank you greatly for coming.

We will be as transparent with you as possible.  We have a very unfortunate problem.  Our emissary to this world has been taken from us.  We know who has taken her, but due to her nature, there is little we can do to act against her.  We require the talents of those able to work across both spiritual and technological worlds.

Your target is called Sister Mary Helens. She is the leader of a group of Catholic nuns known as the Sisters of His Persistent Hand. Do not be taken off guard by her religion or position.  She and her sisters are awakened, powerful, and quite willing to resort to violence, seeing themselves as the direct hand of their god's more hostile whims.

Our emissary is called Kim Eun Ah.  We do not know exactly where either is, however, Mary Helens is attached to a Cathedral in the city you call Seoul, by the name of Constancy.  A direct attack on the Cathedral is not advised.  Helens is very powerful, and likely has the Cathedral guarded quite well.

Before the capture of our emissary, Helen's had already made herself known to us.  She works to eliminate the Shamanic traditions of this region, intending to replace them with the religion she follows.  Not long ago, we understand Helens' Order was excommunicated by the Vatican due to her extremist views and violent execution of her proselytization, during which time we had expected her influence to be diminished. Unfortunately, this has not been the case.

The primary mission we give you is to locate our emissary and return her to us, preferably alive.  For this, the shamans of our order will reward you with 2,000 units of your currency each.  A further boon of 500 will be rewarded if she is return to us unharmed.

Additionally, a further boon of 2,000 each will be rewarded if you are able to uncover evidence of the source of funding for her order in this land.  After their excommunication, it was expected that her order would fade, but it has instead grown more influential. There must be an explanation.


The winds calm for a moment as Yeong Hi rises, taking several small brown leather bags tied with string from her hiding spot.  She walks the perimeter of the lake, stopping to hand each of you one bag. Anyone observing astrally can sense a powerful healing magic radiating from inside the bag.

We are not ignorant of the danger we are asking you to expose yourselves to.  Should you find yourself grievously injured while carrying out our wishes, the powder contained within these bags will provide healing.

We do not offer merely currency in return for your service.  If all goes well, you will also be rewarded with our favor, a commodity that can be quite valuable in times of dire need. The woman you know as Yeong Hi is authorized to negotiate in our stead, as the effort of manifesting in this world has now exhausted us.  We await your decision with hope and optimism.

The collection of detritus collapses into the lake as the winds die down to a light breeze.  Anyone awakened can still feel the heavy presence of the immense spirit.

[Malevolence]

The remaining hike is pleasant once the hail stops and the wind dies down. The icy patches pose some difficulty, but one James is ready to meet. In time, the all make it to the top and participate in the ritual. Jaws is utterly silent throughout, perhaps awed as James is, or absent by some agreement between spirits.


When the spirit "departs", leaving them to hammer out the details with the old woman, James seeks out Inanna. He has no doubt that she will be taking the lead - even though he barely knows the others, he is sure she is the most seasoned negotiator present - and he wants to offer her any assistance he can. The pay out sure seems reasonable - 4500 nuyen in all - but it puts him short of his monthly obligations by nearly 700 nuyen. And that doesn't account for expenses.

[gilga]

IT was unskilled in the social arts - far very far from where she wanted to be. In fact earlier today was the first time she negotiated in order to solve a problem. During a run that is. She walked to Inanna and casually touched her hand.

"Just work your magic – but remember that my equipment is very expensive and we may lose a drone or two – binding spirits is also very expensive and I may need to use their services for this job. The more we get, the more dedicated we can be with my equipment.  A well paid team is a well equipped one, and a well equipped one is a successful one. "

She could see that Inanna already felt the warm feeling of the spell sneaking into her. "Just do not get hooked", she whispered.

At this point IT did not even knew exactly how much money she had left – but she knew that at the end of the day, they’ll return to their life and she will need the nuyen to repair the drones, bind another spirit and pay rent.   Despite the practicality she was more interested in the experience to be gained. In the adventure itself – she felt comfortable to have one of the best negotiators do *social magic* for her.

[rednblack]

When the spirit, or was it sprits?  I can never tell, dissipates, Inanna approaches Yeong Hi, and says, "You honor us both with the journey, and the proposition.  If you will allow me a moment to confer with my team, I am certain we can come to an agreement amenable to all parties involved."

With that, Inanna steps backward, and forms an impromptu huddle with the other runners.  She nods knowingly when her teammates spell out their concerns.  2,400¥ is definitely light for this kind of work.  She presses a finger pensively to her lips as they talk, and thinks about lighting another smoke, but thinks better of it.  Too beautiful a place to pollute, if it wasn't necessary.  When they're finished, Inanna and the team approach Yeong Hi again.

"We take no offense at the price given, and we mean no offense by offering a counter, but I am afraid that 2,400¥, including bonuses, is too minimal a payment both for the quality of those you've assembled, and for the nature of the work.  We will require the use of spirits, most likely long-term, and that is an expensive proposition.  IT here," Inanna says gesturing to Ivory, "will be putting a lot of her drones to work on this project, some of which we will not expect to be salvageable at the job's completion.  You must also take into account, Yeong Hi, that what you are proposing is what we refer to in our line of work as an 'extraction.'  This is not a smash-and-grab, where the payload can fit on a data-chip.  This is not espionage, or decoy work, or a protection, or delivery run.  This is a combination of all the worse that the above have to offer, and the more working parts there are to a machine, the greater the likelihood of complications.  So, what I propose is a 3,500¥ base pay per runner, with 750¥ per runner bonus upon the safe return of Kim Eun Ah.  5,000¥ of this fee must be paid up-front, as I'm sure this is a job that will require a great deal of what we simply categorize as 'expenses.'  People will need to be paid off, equipment will need to be found and purchased, and none of it can happen outside the shadows.  Additionally, I ask that you provide our magical support with 40 drams of reagents, as I'm sure they are less costly, though no less sacred, to you and your order, than they are to those of us who live in the city.

"Yeong Hi, I have heard of these Sisters of His Persistent hand, and it would be a sleight to the business at hand if I didn't tell you that the prospect of this job brings me great pleasure.  I have heard whisperings in the shadows.  My hope is that we may find Kim Eun Ah in time."

[Siren]

Yeong Hi looks to the ground, apparently slightly embarrassed.

"I apologize, the spirits are unfamiliar with the realities of material economy.  This is why they have sent me to negotiate.  Of course, your terms are acceptable.  I can also guarantee replacement or repair of any lost drones."

She shuffles over yet again to the false stone under which so much is hidden, returning with three long thin sticks of dulled matte metal.

"Apologies, I didn't know the exact amount you would want, but these three should be 6,000 nuyen together.  Consider the extra 1,000 a bonus of good faith."

She pushes the credsticks into Innana's hands.  Anyone checking the amounts will find one with 2,500 nuyen, the second with 750, and the third containing 2,750.

"Reagents are no problem, however, unless one of you is mudang, you may find what we have on hand to be unsuitable.  We can arrange for their preparation by the next 12 hours.  I will be glad to have them delivered to any address you wish.

Her pleasant demeanor falters for just a moment, as she looks to be at the edge of tears.

Just... please catch them.  Stop them.  Chuseok is so close, and if they move to strike against our ancestors...

She sharply turns her back to you, crouching low on the ground.  You hear the familiar sound of faint sobs being swallowed.  She turns back, slightly red around the eyes.

My apologies; is there anything else you need?

[rednblack]

Yeong Hi looks to the ground, apparently slightly embarrassed.

"I apologize, the spirits are unfamiliar with the realities of material economy.  This is why they have sent me to negotiate.  Of course, your terms are acceptable.  I can also guarantee replacement or repair of any lost drones."

"Please, good sister, I mean no condescension.  For those unfamiliar with our work, your proposed sum would indeed seem adequate."

Inanna gracefully receives the credsticks, and passes them to James for safe keeping.  When the frail woman begins to falter, Inanna steps forward, embraces her, and gives her a brief kiss on the cheek. 

Just... please catch them.  Stop them.  Chuseok is so close, and if they move to strike against our ancestors...

"I can make no promises as to the outcome, but know there will be no rest until we've done as you ask."  With that Inanna releases the old woman, and asks Ivory to provide her with a suitable address for the reagents to be delivered.

Now, to get down.

[Malevolence]

James stands near Inanna while she talks, looking for an opportunity to back her or help redirect the conversation should it veer, but Inanna handles it flawlessly. Soon they have an agreement - an additional ¥1750 will allow James to meet his monthly obligation and pocket a little to use for some kit he'd had his eye on. He took the credsticks Inanna had offered, made sure everybody saw the amounts on them, then secreted them on his body. It seemed a dirty business to distribute the wealth here. When they established some base of operations and had a little time and privacy, they could divvy it up properly.


He took in the view from the clearing one last time, upset that he didn't have a parachute that he could use to base jump down, and turned to offer assistance to any of his teammates for the trip back to their vehicles.

[Sabato Kuroi]

Even spirits have to move with the times it seems.


Sabato put the candle down.This place was almost like a folktale come alive but if he had made any steps towards enlightment, he couldn't tell.Still, nuyen was nuyen, and a favor from a powerful spirit was not a small reward.

He prepared himself for the long descent.

[gilga]

Ivory watched at Inanna with admiration, she couldn’t have talked like that even if she was given days to prepare.

Wait guys… : we are probably in the most secure place that we will ever be. There is no matrix reception, high spirit activity and hostile conditions and we are all here. This is the ideal place to make our initial planning.

Koyko, isn’t it? I totally missed you in the ferry I apologize I am probably a bit rusty. I am Ivory nice to meet you. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Before we depart, let me suggest that we each go to Seoul separately, at our own time.  We should not be seen all together. Our enemies are powerful, and are probably expecting some sort of extraction operation. They may even be a step ahead of us let’s not make it easier. If no one knows what we are going to do, no one can betray us.

I am personally not going to talk to anyone until we are back. I plan to use my spirit to go down, watch you from above and make sure you made it safely and then head off to my business- Hopefully I can catch an earlier ferry. That way we’re not seen together. She eye Inanna – I can take you also – you probably have a lot of leg work to do. 

Since magicians can identify other awakened from a mile away so I suggest finding a safe house that is either underground or in a densely populated building.  Mages cannot project underground, and the only method we can remain hidden is within a large group of people. So a wine cellar of a busy restaurant should make an excellent hide out.

Also the sisters are awakened – they will probably have spirits to protect them. These are immune to regular weapons. So if things go south, you’ll either need a really massive damage dealer – or some sort of magical protection.  I know little of weapons – but if you use them you should know what weapons work the best in this case.

I can survey our magical options: The simple one is to bind spirits of our own– fight fire with fire. I already have a single spirit for long term service and I can always summon another one for a short service.  I can command a total of 4 spirits at a time, 3 bound and 1 summoned.  I should be able to bind a second spirit with the regents we get along with my own resources – I will definitely do it. 

If we want that 3rd bound spirit it will be a bit expensive – but I am putting it out there because one can never have too many spirits on their side and I will need to do it in advance so I can recover my strength before the action starts.
The cost is around 2500 nuyen, or 125 regents.

An interesting other option is a spirit horn – or a ‘Shofar’ in Hebrew.  These magical items are quite expensive but are able to force spirits back to the astral, and may distract them long enough for us to make the actual extraction. They are quite expensive and single use, and require a good Talismonger contact. The good stuff is that anyone can operate them. I believe a good one will cost around 5k nuyen. So they may be too expensive for us but they are be very effective at what they do.

One final thought – I’ll probably do some matrix searches to see what we can learn before we depart – if anyone is any good with technology and want to work with me I promise a nice dinner in a quiet place with heating and good alcohol. There is nothing I can do nothing about the company tough she giggles.

You do not have to decide now - but should definitely do so before we depart to Seoul. As I am more comfortable doing magic here rather than in a place where it might draw the wrong kind of attention.

[Sabato Kuroi]

Sabato's Korean are far from polished

"I agree that we need to be discreet.Going to Seoul separately is a good idea.But until we know about Cathedral's security measures we should avoid forming attack plans.For all we know the Sisters may be excellent banishers but they may lack   technical surveillance counter-measures"

[gilga]

I sometime get over excited - it is good to know our options tough. I definitely could use a drink, everything will look better tomorrow.