All Roads/Session 12
ST: Saturday finally dawns and the cabal is woken exceptionally early for their 6:30 reservation at the library.
Isis: Isis wakes up precisely when she had detemined she would. Only with Mind magic has she been able to sleep restfully at all these last few days and compared to the difficulty of that making sure she wakes at a specific time is a parlor trick.
ST: The week had passed as normal, or at least as normally as it could. It might have seemed that things had gone back to the way they were, were it not for the impending trip hanging over the cabal.
Nebuchadnezzar: is still awake from the night before. Having slept the day before. The light under his study door visible throughout the night.
Isis: Even so not being able to do anything about the root of the problem until today has been hard to bear. Not knowing what exactly it is that is invading her memories and changing things from within her soul even more so. It would not occur to her but a Sleeper might feel like this waiting to learn whether their malign tumor is operable.
Kenan: Kenan wakes up grumbling, but after a strong coffee and a large piece of cheese wrapped in ham, he's ready to go
Isis: So it is with equal measures of trepidation and relief that Isis is ready to head out long before the others.
Nebuchadnezzar: For a man so scruffy in other ways his suit is clean and pressed. A marked difference for a man with two days stubble and bleary eyes.
ST: It is still dark outside, the sun only just beginning to threaten to rise.
ST: The trip down to the library would necessitate taking the tube, or perhaps being driven.
ST: It's not a lonely trip, however. Even on a Saturday the city wakes up early. While nowhere near as full as later in the day the streets still hold a quite a number of sleepers heading who knows where.
ST: By the time you arrive the sun is dawning. The library's entrance proper is rather underwhelming considering the vast repository hidden inside.
ST: A small service entrance in the side-street next to a business venue leads into a small entrance hall, where Neb had been but a few days before.
Isis: is wearing comfortable jeans and a black shirt, both with all markings carefully removed, and her pale green winter jacket.
ST: A short set of stairs take you up to an area with a desk just off to the left. It's manned, as always, by a sleepwalker porter. Neb notes it's the same one as before.
ST: A pane of glass separates you and him. On your side a book lies open, with a pen on top. "Sign in, please." He grunts.
ST: As Neb noted, it's all terribly mundane.
Virgil: nods in greeting and signs his name.
Isis: follows suit, signing her shadow name into the book under Neb's.
Kenan: forces a smile to appear on his face, and signs the book as well
ST: The only way onwards from here is a pair of narrow doors that lead to a lengthy staircase heading downwards.
Isis: Isis at most manages a curt nod, an air of nervous intensity about her.
ST: When you finally emerge you know that you have definately arrived at the library proper.
ST: You step out onto a short balcony of sorts with stairs leading down either side. From this vantage you look out over an immense collection of books, all set upon rows and rows of shelving that ranges from the ancient to thoroughly modern. A wide central aisle allows access to each section, and here and there are clearings with tables and desks.
ST: This place, you know, contains all the 'benign and mundane' literature the order has hoarded over the years. It's the lowest security wing of the huge, subterranian complex.
ST: A figure below that Neb would recognise as Malthus busies himself with a pile of books, glaring at the spine of each in turn and jotting notes in a ledger. He doesn't seem to have noticed you enter.
Isis: The Aldwych Library, even this first of many levels, is impressive as always but Isis is too distracted by what lies ahead to pay much attention.
Nebuchandnezzar: makes his way down towards Malthus, escorting the other two. Closing on the man he coughs politely to attract the fellow Mystagogues attention.
Kenan: looks around with some interest; he's been here before, but only in this area
ST: An aging man with thinning brown hair Malthus looks up suddenly as you approach. He's wearing a pair of reading glasses which he reaches up to remove. "The City and the Tower." He says somewhat bluntly, "Here for your appointment, I suppose?"
Kenan: nods, yawning
Isis: "Yes, that's why we're here," Isis says seriously.
ST: He checks his watch. "You're early." By five minutes. He doesn't make anything of it, perhaps considering it was a little ridiculous to even mention it in the first place. "Come on. I'll take you down."
Nebuchadnezzar: "We are." Neb ignores the bluntness. "And my thanks."
ST: With that he gestures for you to follow, and turns to walk down the main aisle towards a pair of imposingly large, oak doors at the far end.
Nebuchadnezzar: follows without further comment
ST: While always priding itself on being practical the Mysterium of London can't help but indulge somewhat in its rich history. The place is decorated quite tastefully, the walls accentuated with wooden panelling. The place is more like a museum than any library you've every seen. Art works, both rich and lacking in awakened significance, decorate the walls of the wide corridor you enter.
Isis: Normally Isis would be busy trying to look everywhere at once and trying to puzzle out everything in sight but today she barely looks left or right, following closely behind.
ST: He leads you a short way down and halts in front of an archaic elevator, heaving to pull open the ornate grating and ushering you inside.
ST: You descend a surprising distance, Malthus silent the whole while, before you are let out. The corridors arn't quite so fanciful down here. It's then a short walk before you enter the Locus, the Mysterium's shared demense.
ST: The room itself is large, and starkly bare. "The demense covers this room and the two adjoining." Your guide finally pipes up, pointing to two doors further ahead. "Astral journey wasn't it? You'll find some soft mats against the wall through the door on your left. We don't stock any meditation aides, though."
Kenan: appreciates the opportunity to see this famous place
Isis: "Thank you, Malthus," Isis says, heading for the room with the mats.
Nebuchadnezzar: "Thank you Malthus." Neb says with a nod. "We brought some of our own aids." He subtly gives the man the appropriate gestures of respect from one Daduchos to another. "Were you to be the watcher or is another tasked with it?"
Nebuchadnezzar: He glances over to Isis, gesturing Kenan to follow her.
ST: As if on cue another person enters behind. A middle-aged woman with soft, but slightly weathered features. You might recognise her, though she is rarely seen outside the library. "Ah, this is Laurel." Malthus says after exchanging short words with her. "She'll be keeping an eye on you while you're here." She smiles a little, "Sorry about this." She says, gesturing outwardly.
Kenan: obediently follows Isis
Isis: "One for each of us, I think. Unless you want to have two?"
ST: The side room contains little in the way of equipment. There's the mats Malthus mentioned, as well as a foldaway table and some chairs. Empty shelves line the walls, perhaps speaking of a time when the order was more charitable.
Nebuchadnezzar: "An understandable and commendable precaution considering the Brewer Hall." Neb nods to Malthus and Laurel and acquires one of the mats.
ST: You notice that Laurel is holding a book. It looks more like a crime novel than research.
Isis: Isis gathers up one mat for herself and a second one for Neb.
ST: Malthus nods in parting, "I'll leave you to it, then. Remember, you've got it until 10." Then he leaves quite abruptly.
Nebuchadnezzar: "Now we today we are going to venture into the Astral. Exploring the Oneiros and possibly if we have time the Temenos." Neb puts on his lecturing voice. "I am also going to attempt some research, in both my own Oneiros and my own Temenos." He says sitting down.
Nebuchadnezzar: "Any questions before we begin?" He passes out the meditation aids he brought, a set of stress balls, a few candles, and some incense pulling each out of his coats pockets.
ST: In the background your watcher moves to get herself a chair and sets herself down. After a moment she seems to concentrate, performing a short physical mantra with one hand. Her eyes becomes pearly, with a slight nacre shimmer. Some sort of mage sight, no doubt.
Isis: puts down her mat and offers the other to Neb.
Kenan: sits down "not really"
Isis: "To find the way from your own Oneiros into another's requires a Dream Bridge," Isis explains quietly. She touches both her cabalmates on the shoulder she invokes a brief phrase in High Speech.
Isis: "To make use of it find the way to the oneiric realm corresponding to me and you will find a gate or path of same kind."
Isis: Then she sits down herself without taking one of the meditation aides offered by Neb.
Nebuchadnezzar: just nods in agreement, beginning to spin the ring on his finger, the only meditation aid he needs.
Kenan: takes out an old watch, and begins to stare at its hands to aid himself in entering a meditative state of mind
Isis: Although Isis has ample training in the meditation required her fears and the stress of this last week weigh heavily on her it takes her well over two hours to quieten her mind to the degree that she can progress past the waking dreamstate into the Oneiros.
Isis: Before Isis a mountain towers high into the sky, dominating the world all around which barely seems real compared to it. There is no path as such up the steep incline, merely bad places to go and worse. Yet up the mountain she must go, so Isis walks.
Isis: Bare footed every step on the hard and sharp-edged stones is painful, the footing is treacherous and even though she hardly seems to make progress the airs grows thin.
Isis: Eventually the stones grow sharp enough to pierce skin, every muscle in her body is screaming from the exertion and Isis can barely seem to breathe enough to avoid suffocation from moment to moment. To continue? It seems almost impossible.
ST: The mana she expends fills Isis with a renewed strength, and a will to continue. Her breath returns and the journey that was killing her a moment ago seems effortless. The path continues up sharply, but as she goes on she spies an opening into the vast mountain face. The rushing sound of traffic echoes within.
Isis: She could go on, Isis knows. Into the Temenos and the Dreamtime, but today her goal is the Oneiros. So she turns off the path to walk toward the opening instead.
ST: The cave extends into utter blackness, and a cold, stale breeze follows the sounds emanting from inside.
Isis: Isis walks on into the darkness, confident that this is the right path.
ST: The darkness is all-consuming but as you progress the rough stone floor of the cave begins to give way to something more level and smooth. A pinprick of light in the distance catches your attention and approaches at a pace far more swiftly than it should.
Isis: Isis continues walking, keeping her eyes on the light ahead.
ST: It grows and grows, until it's evident that it's a big, semi-circular exit of some sort. It emerges out into a city street. Something's not right here, however. It looks like London, but not anywhere you've been before. The sky is a leaden grey and a cold wind blows all around. The road on which you walk continues forward, in a line that seems to travel infinitely towards the horizon. It is flanked by buildings that look utterly washed of colour. Every curtain is drawn, and every shop is closed.
ST: Though you still hear traffic you can't see any.
ST: The place tugs at your memory, but you can't place it.
Isis: Isis steps into this London, shivering at the cold wind. Her astral self is wearing robust working clothes under a mantle of fine black cloth closed with silver buttons.
Isis: So this is her Hall of Arival? Isis considers for a moment. It didn't use to be like this, but then it's been over two years since her last Astral journey and that was before her Awakening ...
Isis: Certainly her first impression of London wasn't a very good one by any means, so that too is not all that strange.
Isis: Thinking about Neb and Kenan Isis almost automatically begins to walk in the direction where the cabal sanctum would be but quickly halts her steps. They had promised to help her face this malevolent intrusion, but if she goes there then they won't find her when they arrive in the realm of arrival.
