[CLOSED] Meeting Darwin's Friends with Ken - MAGE [1-15-2026]
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Darwin looked like a ghost, face pale and breathing shallow.
The Blue haired girl scooted over to him and put an arm around him comfortingly, pulling him up close to her. This seemed to help calm him a little, even if it made him blush horribly.
She leaned in to whisper something to the shaken mage. It didn’t sound comforting. She seemed upset at him for having endangered himself.
The dark skinned man leaned back against the van side, looking over at Blue Hair. The two met eyes, he gave a small nod, and then he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
She took a deep breath and turned to Chance and the other mages.
“Nova. This is my brother Elijah. We’re what’s left of our crew. Those were scouts for their screaming masters. The one with the knife; he was a boss. One of the local leaders. Don’t know how many there are, but we’ve met him a couple times. I’ve seen what he leaves behind. They’re…intent on killing us. Any of the People who come into the city.”
She pauses, gives Darwin a little squeeze. A soft breeze picks up inside the van. She glares at…it…and gives a little hiss like a person scolding a cat. The breeze dies down.
“There were six of us who came looking for the Lost Ones. Now, we are two.’ The breeze again. “Three. We are three.” She corrects herself.
“Darwin here has been texting me for a couple of weeks. He was supposed to send a messenger to meet with me and bring me to him, not come in person. I told him it would be too dangerous. He wasn’t even supposed to be in the city itself.”
Darwin seems to have somewhat collected himself. He makes out a few words, ”I wanted to surprise you. I am braver than you think, and I can handle some myself.”
She gives him a dark look.
“Being dead doesn’t help anyone.” She chides softly, before continuing, “I didn’t know there were so many wizards in the city. I thought they might be hunting you too, and wanted to see if we could connect, maybe work together to stay alive and figure out what is going on.”
She shifts in her seat, readjusting herself, and takes a moment to study the three mages in more detail.
"Ken, you aren't supposed to be here." She looks at Ken, her eyes softening, worried, and says it matter of factly.
Chance, now with some time to actually look, can see a complex web of Time wrapping in and around the girl, so intricate and ornate it is either the work of a master mage or something powerful. Of particular note, Chance could see NOTHING on Elijah. It seemed contained to Nova, and it was connected to Ken by strands and strings, softly wrapping into his pattern. It was like nothing he had seen before; truly a work of magical art.
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• Ken(Hideki Takashi)
Dice Pool: presence(2)+ Persuasion(-1) + willpower(3)=4
Action: try to discern what Nova was doing there.
Health: 2 empty and 6 lethal
Mana/Vitae: 12/14
Willpower: 3/7
Conditions:
Description
Ken pushed himself off the side of the van, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Do I know you?""No," she says, "not yet." She says somewhat uncertainly.
He shrugs, easy but tired. He turns toward Darwin. “Darwin what type of shit did you get yourself into."
Nova turns to Darwin, clearly thinking the same thing.
Turning back to Nova “Which actually brings me to my question.”
Looking back at him, she leans her head back, waiting for it.
“What were you doing out here?” Ken asked. “I mean spirits ambushing us, a creepy guy wearing a flesh mask built like a brick shithouse. Who just so happens to have one of the nastiest knifes I have ever seen.”
She glanced at Darwin instinctively, giving his arm another reassuring squeeze.Ken folds his arms and gives both Nova and Darwin a cold stare. "I need Darwin alive so the next time you to plan on kicking up a hornets nest give me a call.
The van fell into a brief silence, broken only by Darwin’s breathing and the distant hum of the city outside. -
Nova half smiles, clearly thinking about an answer.
Darwin interjects, like a child stepping between parents fighting.
"This was my idea. I wanted to see her face to face for once. We've only ever texted, and some short phone calls. I'd never seen her or actually met her and I couldn't wait. I thought I'd surprise her, and with Ken there, we'd be pretty safe." He says it in a rush, like he has to get it out before someone stops him.
His color has returned and he's scooched over so he can turn in his seat to see both Nova and Ken.
She gives him a sideways glance, before continuing from his bit.
"I was trying to connect with a wizard. We need some help if we can get it, and thought we'd offer in return." She looks over at Darwin, "but I asked Darwin to send someone who could handle themselves, as the Choir of Pain have been on the hunt."
Turning back to Ken, "Looks like our friend Darwin has been marked by them. Probably happened awhile ago." She shakes off his hurt look, "wasn't intentional on your part Darwin. They probably had you spotted and marked you at a grocer or while walking the street. They've been following you, waiting for something. They must have decided us together was worth springing their trap." She gives Ken a few minutes to process this, and waits for the next inevitable question.
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Dice Pool: Wits(3) + Empathy(2)=5 (3 successes)
Ken would like to add 1 merit dot to ally Nova (Success)
Chance and DosBox can do the same if they want to connect with her in a downtime or another scene without going through Ken.
Nova casually reaches behind the seats and opens a bag of gummies, popping them into her mouth like fruit snacks. She tosses some at Elijah, giggling a little as they bounce off his face. He grunts, picks them off the floor and pops them into his mouth, his eyes still closed. She grabs another bag, waves them at DosBox as if asking 'can I just?', and then starts into those.
Ken shifts in his seat. “About what’s been tailing us,” Ken says.
Nova’s eyes stay on him. “Nothing is tailing us.” She says flatly. "They've learned not to chase us."“Those things that attacked us though,” he replies evenly. “They're hunting us.”
"I don't know if they are hunting you yet. That might have changed." She says it sadly, as if feeling guilty for dragging the mages into the horror of her world. It is without a doubt that it was something she was trying to avoid this very outcome.
Ken continues, voice low. “But it’s hunting all of us. Me. You. Anyone who was in that lot.”"It was using our friend to set an ambush. They didn't attack until I arrived. How can you be so sure they are hunting you?"
“I don’t know for sure,” Ken answers without missing a beat. “But I trust the math. Alone, we’re easier prey.”
Nova considers that, eyes flicking to the dark window like she expects something to be pacing them just out of sight.
“Temporary,” she says. “I bring more trouble with me than I can offer in help. We figure out what happened and how to keep the Choir from killing all of you, then we separate. I can't drag all of you into our war here.”
“Temporary,” Ken agrees. “We share intel. No sabotage. No feeding each other to them.”
A corner of her mouth twitches. “Low bar. Might be too low. If they are hunting you.” she pauses.
"The Choir. They're...we're not entirely sure, but we're fairly certain they are a group of werewolf packs working together. I'm pretty sure that the Flenser is one of the leaders, but not THE leader. The leader might be a spirit lord, as there are always strong spirits with them, willing to fight, spy, defend."Ken gives a small nod. “We don’t have to like each other. We just have to survive the same problem.”
That seems to hurt Nova, but she covers it quickly. "Sure, okay. That sounds fine. So, can I stay with you for a few nights?"
She suddenly hears what she said and blushes heavily, "I mean like, stay at a safe place with your crew, and Elijah." She points to him, still quiet in the back of the van. "I'm not sure they have our new bolthole found, but if they do, it'll be a death trap...and they have our blood scent now. They can track us unless we cleanse it."
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Chance Meridian
Action: Drive the group to a temporary safe house, using Fate magic to tell him where they'll be safe for 24hrs until a more permanent solution can be found.
Description
Chance didn’t slow down until the city’s pulse eased—until the lights stopped stuttering and started breathing in long, predictable intervals. That was how he knew they were clear. Not safe, exactly. But out of the immediate blast radius.
He kept one hand on the wheel and let the other rest loosely against the dash, thumb tracing an idle circle as he focused—not on the road ahead, but on all the roads he wasn’t taking. He didn’t look for answers so much as he listened for the quiet tug that said this way. The city answered like it always did: not with certainty, but with alignment. A turn here. A light caught just right. A block that shouldn’t be empty, but was.
The van followed the thread.
They ended up a few neighborhoods west, tucked into a stretch of old brick walk-ups pressed shoulder-to-shoulder like conspirators. The building he pulled in front of had once been a union office—long defunct, now quietly repurposed. No obvious cameras. No foot traffic at this hour. The kind of place people passed every day without ever really seeing.
Chance cut the engine.
“This should hold,” he said, finally turning in his seat. His tone was calm, professional—reassuring without promising more than he could deliver. “At least a day. Maybe two, if no one does anything loud.”
He reached into his jacket and produced a simple white card, handing it first to Nova, then nodding to Elijah. Caleb Sheridan was printed in clean black type. A phone number. An email. No symbols. No tells.
“If anything goes sideways,” Chance continued, “or if you just need doors opened that don’t respond to force—call. I can usually make bureaucracy behave. Or at least trip over itself in useful ways.”
He didn’t linger. Didn’t push for gratitude or assurances. Bridges held better when you didn’t test them under load.
“I’ve got paperwork to handle,” he added, already stepping out into the night air. “And a city that likes its stories neat.”
The door shut softly behind him.
Chance walked down the block, coat collar up, pace unhurried. After a few steps, he turned a corner—and then another—until the van, the building, and the moment itself dissolved into Chicago’s endless sprawl.
By the time anyone might think to look for him, he was already gone.
Edit:
Spellcast - Serendipity (Fate 1)
Gnosis (3) + Arcana (3) + High Speech (2) + Concentration (2) + Order Tool (a silver coin) (1)11 dice, 3 free reaches
Instant Casting, Advanced Duration"This spell grants the mage a momentary glimpse of all the potential roads her destiny may follow to her desired destina-
tion, which allows the mage to identify the next step she must take to accomplish a stated objective. Upon casting, the mage
receives a clear omen that suggests a course of action that will lead her closer to her goal."Chance is looking for "a place where Ken, Nova, and Elijah will be safe for at least 24hrs". And his knowledge of the city (thank you Threads) gives him a lot of good options, just needs to find which safe place Fate deems to be right.
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Ken(Hideki Takashi)
Dice Pool: life(3) + gnosis(3) + rote(empathy) 2 + high speech(2) + dedicated tool(omamori) +1=11
Reaches: heal lethal, instant
Action: finish conversation with Nova. Heal Dosbox if needed.
Health: 8/8
Mana/Vitae: 13
Willpower: 6/7
Conditions:
Description
Ken pauses, tilting his head as he listens to Himari. After a second, he nods.
“Yeah, that’s fine—so long as Elijah doesn’t mind the floor,” he says, glancing back with an apologetic shrug. “Sorry, big guy. I don’t exactly have a bed or a couch that could hold you.”
His gaze shifts to Dosbox. “You gonna be okay, or do you need me to try and knit you back together?”
Ken takes the time to heal Dosbox and and says he will walk and grab us some breakfast sandwhiches and coffee. Nova you want to join?
Hours later, Ken pulls out his phone. “I’ll grab us an Uber. Darwin, we can have them drop you off on the way, if you want. -
Richard "Ricky Dee" Davenport - DosBox
Dice Pool: Manipulation (3) + Subterfuge (1) = 4
Action: Lying through his teeth about being injuredMana Pool: 12 [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] (Spend 3/Turn) [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] Health: 7 [/] [/] [X] [X] [ ] [ ] [ ] Willpower: 5 [X] [X] [X] [ ] [ ] Conditions: NoneDescription: DosBox waves a hand dismissively as he scoffs in an exaggerated gesture, "I mean, I am probably fine. I can just, I dunno, stop by the hospital for a bit and say a dog bit me or something. Stuff like this will heal quick, and like, we don't have to use magic for EVERYTHING, right?"
It's true that the injury isn't really life threatening. It's certainly a lot better than it was before DosBox got into the car. Still, it also hurts like a bitch. DosBox is doing his best to look tough for his new friends, and his performance during the battle showed he's still a little green in more just the products for his business. (...because of the weed. Get it?) -
@JacktheCow The first step for keeping them safe seems to lead out of the city, and then some. Too far to drive this evening. The whole city seems to be dangerous, outside of owned bolt holes and secret places outside the effect of the spell. Some areas are more safe than others though, and that's as best a place to get out as any. The city can guide Chance back via train and bus to wherever he needs to go.
@greatsquiggy As it is DosBox's van, he can drop the rest of the crew off in a less dangerous area that doesn't scream RUN in Chance's head, which as best as he's going to get them to. Somewhere they won't immediately be hounded or hunted, but not an area, or any area, they can stay in.
@1l0velamp Ken would have a flat in the city that is in a high rise, and quite nice. Additionally there are Adamantine Arrow safehouses, but Ken would have decide if he wants to stash a werewolf there... that might not be safe for anyone else also trying to lay low or passing through. Many of the younger Arrows still stay there, a larger house that was probably a fraternity house at one time, with 10 bedrooms (all small, some obviously originally intended for other purposes, and including the attic and basement made into a pair of rooms each), and a large gym area in the basement as well. There are usually 3 or 4 Arrows staying there at a time, plus whoever has been set as the Watcher with their Cabal on stand by.
Ken can call a driver that works for the family, can go to his own car, can take an uber, use the L train, or hop on a bus with the two werewolves and Darwin. Darwin would mention coyly where he needs to go, and its an apartment complex on the Northwest side just outside the city itself. The L train goes really close by and he says he can take that if they walk him to the sub station nearby. He doesn't want to walk there himself.
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