Doomsby 2023/07/28(Fri)15:53 No. 1069177 ID: 462d8c
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Night has fallen over this average commercial district and things are quiet. A gentle breeze moves through silently, having very little trees to rustles. An ebb and flow of the noise of tires on asphalt pulses in and out as cars drive in the distance. Occasionally, the headlights of said cars manage to break past all the buildings but does little to disturb the peace.

”Shit.”

The Monus Financial building stands as silently as the rest, and yet a bit more so. A newcomer to this commercial plaza, it’s missing the high hum of it’s exterior florescents and it’s soft security lights fail to escape from it’s windows. Even it’s AC units fail to join in with the whirring of it’s fellow structures.

Shit... Fuck! Shit!”

Doomsby 2023/07/28(Fri)15:54 No. 1069178 ID: 462d8c
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Like a firework, suddenly light and sound return in an instant. The letters on the building glow once more and a faint light returns to the office windows. A loud alarm can be heard coming through the glass and a flickering red light can be seen. With a crash and a clang, a silhouette of a rat tries to kick open one of the doors. That one is still locked. Just as quick the kick open the other to better results.

“Shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!”

Doomsby 2023/07/28(Fri)15:54 No. 1069179 ID: 462d8c
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“Don’t lose your head. Think about where you need to go.” My familiar, Beveleure, tells me. Their voice is calm but raised to be heard over my panic. “What even happened?”

I don’t answer them, but a shady scripter is what happened. I paid good cash for a 15 minute scroll of burglary and maybe got 6. Who knows in what other ways it failed. Where the cameras even affected? Shit, I hope so. My mind is a whirlwind of thoughts as I blindly run through alleyways and side streets. Sirens pick up in the distance and in mere moments I can start to see the glow of red and blue lights. Instinctively, I reach for the wand tucked into my waistband.

“No magic!” Bev snaps at me. “Whatever jail these mundanes will put you in will be a vacation compared to what a tribune would do if you broke the veil!”

They’re right, but even a simple mundane sentence would ruin me. My brain is buzzing. I’m not sure what to do.

1.) Don’t do magic. You’re distracted and only see two possible routes of escape.
a.) Duck into a nearby parkade.
b.) Cut through a nearby park.
2.) Do some magic. In your panic you can only remember two spells.
c.) Transform Familiar Req.: Incantation
Your familiar changes into something of your choice. Lasts for a few hours or until you choose. otherwise.
d.) Blast Fog Req.: Incantation, Implement
You erupt forth a cool, wet fog that envelopes everything in front of you.

Transform Familiar, form of: Ferrari!

only use magic as a last resort though, so keep things simple and cut through a nearby park. The parkade might trap you if any coppers follow you there.

1b - cut through the park but only do that if there's trees and ways to break line of sight. That way you can do magic out of sight, it's also dark and night, which means that fog spell could be cast reasonably, only be *kind of weird* and not be seen as overt magic. Win Win and actual escape so long as no ones around

Cut through the park but refresh your memory on the limits of what you can and can't turn Bev into. You might need that in a pinch and it may not be as obvious as a sudden fog cloud.

1). b.)
Going somewhere cars can't enter will guarantee a few moments unobserved while the officers leave their vehicles. Hopefully that will be enough to safely use a spell.

D. Blast fog. Mundanes won't know it's a magic fog so the veil will be safe.

>Faulty Stealth Scroll
Assholes. See, this is why rookie freelancers can't trust the criminal underworld: all they need to do is sabotage their own wares, sucker you into buying it at full price or more, and then laugh as you get caught by the cops.

Your loot's a dead giveaway. You need to ditch most of it. Head to the parkade and distribute the loot in Easter-egg fashion. Keep the stuff with a high value-weight ratio. You can try to come back for it later.

1b: The parkade has cameras, and your priority should be in not even becoming a suspect in this case for the long-term.

Doomsby 2023/07/29(Sat)16:02 No. 1069276 ID: 462d8c
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>Transform Familiar, form of: Ferrari!
I don’t know how to drive!
>refresh your memory on the limits of what you can and can't turn Bev into
Pretty much anything? Or at least, any thing reasonable. You couldn’t turn them into a building, or into a crowd of people. The line between reasonable and unreasonable is incredibly fuzzy and I don’t have the patience or time to figure it out. Especially when most things work for my purposes. Oh, food should be avoided too!

>1.b) Cut through the park
With a quick turn on my heel I dart across the street and into the nearby park. It’s about the size of the block, with trees and shrubs. A fence surrounds it but it’s more decorative than actually meant to keep people out. Almost immediately there are some bushes within my path that I leap behind. The wooden mulch crackles beneath me as I take my next steps.

>do magic out of sight, it's also dark and night, which means that fog spell could be cast reasonably
I do a quick check to make sure no one is looking at me. While I can see the siren lights over all the greenery, it’s a bit difficult to gauge how far away they are. Still, there’s clearly no one nearby to observe me doing magic. I whip out my wand and cite the spell. In short order a thick, and I do mean thicc, fog settles over the park in front of me and I confidently step into it.

“I thought I said ‘no magic!’” Bev chastises me.
“Relax,” I say. “No one was around to seem me cast it, and no mundane is going to attribute local weather to magic,”
“The fog might not attract their attention,” Bev responds, “But someone shouting arcana certainly will.” Ah, right, the incantation part of the spell. Not going to dwell on that though, we need to take advantage of this situation while the mists last.

>Your loot's a dead giveaway
That’s a valid point. Walking around with a lumpy garbage bag is probably going to come across as suspicious. Not enough for people to report you, but certainly enough for people to remember it when the cops come asking around. What should I do with it then? It’s mainly loose 20s and 50s and the thicker looking deposit envelopes. I pretty much only got into the ATMs tonight before things went wrong.

Should I:
1.) Run on home.? The fog has given me enough cover that I could take most routes without being followed.
2.) Stash the loot somewhere? I don’t have any pre-planned spots to stash it, so I’d have to improvise one.

Current spells:
Transform Familiar -- Req.: Incantation
Blast Fog -- Req.: Incantation, Implement

1 run on home

Well if we hadn't used fog I might vote for 2. As it stands, 1.

You need to stash the loot. Think of it as a long term investment.

>$20 and $50 bills
Nice.

Stash half the money under your clothes and fatten your (empty) wallet. Slip the rest under doorways.
A little charity will increase your public opinion in case you get caught.

I know! Turn your familiar into an invisibility cloak and put it on. Be sure not to scream the incantation this time. And look both ways before crossing a street.

>>1069289

Yes! Cast the spell to transform your familiar into a spell you can't cast! wait

1, just book it. Maaaybe transform familiar into, like, a big suitcase to hide the money in on the way? Slightly less suspicious than a trash bag at least. Right?

>>1069438
Hiking backpack, look like a tourist

>>1069443
Sounds reasonable.

>>1069443
This

Also, go home, but prioritize stashing the money close to home.
you don't want the cops coming to your house and seeing your inconspicuous trashbag.

>>1069445
Hiking backpack sounds good I'll swap to that. But specifically about the cops here, it definitely makes more sense to bring the money inside their home. Since cops can't just search it without probable cause.

Doomsby 2023/08/06(Sun)21:19 No. 1069879 ID: 462d8c
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>run on home
Right, head straight on back. Less time out is less time to get caught.

>just book it. Maaaybe transform familiar into, like, a big suitcase to hide the money in on the way?
>Hiking backpack, look like a tourist
Not a bad idea. Should be enough to keep people from paying attention to me, at least. Not entirely sure what would make it a “hiker’s” backpack, so I’ll just go with a large one. With a quick command of arcane, I transform Bev into a backpack of sorts. For better or for worse, some of their personality seems to have transferred through. It happens sometimes.

>Be sure not to scream the incantation this time.
Sorry, it’s just easier to ɪˈnʌn siˌeɪt the needed arcane syllables with a raised voice, particularly in a high stress situation. I swear I can be sneakier than this.

>Turn your familiar into an invisibility cloak and put it on
Unfortunately, whatever Bev turns into will only have enchantments that they already have.

Doomsby 2023/08/06(Sun)21:19 No. 1069880 ID: 462d8c
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With an awkward mixture of sorta jogging and rushed walking, I eventually make it to my part of town. A quick shortcut and a hopped fence I get to the repurposed fire escape stairs and climb them to my apartment. I open the door and a wave of stuffy air greets me. Flick on the lights and a higher pitch hum starts up, matching the lower pitched hum that seems to permanently permeate throughout the building. Even at this time of night, I can hear someone talking loudly, though if it’s from inside the apartment complex or elsewhere on the street I can’t tell nor care.

I dump all of the cash out of Bev and sloppily kick it under the bed for now. Bev themselves I randomly toss somewhere. They’ll change back eventually, I’m too apathetic from exhaustion right now. I strip out of my clothes as the exhilaration of the heist slips out of my body. Turn off the lights and crawl under the sheets. Sleep hits me like a brick with a grudge.

Doomsby 2023/08/06(Sun)21:20 No. 1069881 ID: 462d8c
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...



...


-/\-KRRZT/\-
Goooooooooooooooooooooooood morning! We! Are! Live! And back at it again! The sun is rising and, folks, it looks like it’s going to be beautiful one, at least for us topsiders. For you lovely peoples stuck in the dirt it looks like the influx of easterly tremors is going to start petering off, thank the tides for that. Experts in the area still haven’t made an official statement on the cause, but there has been plenty of speculation, I tell you what. They better say something soon or else people may start taking their ideas to the elders. Back up here where the sun shines it looks like we’ve got nothing but blue skies and rising temperatures to worry about. Well, that and Councillor Pathman seems keen to be making waves with his latest statement over the Garununb Enclave.

“But folks, I know what you’re tuning in for, and it’s not my luxurious voice...

Doomsby 2023/08/06(Sun)21:20 No. 1069882 ID: 462d8c
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”So without further yammering and warbling, here’s Madame Solapo with today’s tides of magic!”

“Thank you dear. You sure do know how to talk an old lady’s ears off. Just let me toss the crystals and I’ll tell you how the tides are feeling today.”

The old rabbit tosses a blue, triangular crystal into a worn but ornate box. It bounces a bit before settling, adding that tiny bit more of scratches already marked all over the wood. She takes a moment to gauge things.
”Oh, it seems the melancholic humors are in Flow today. A stark contrast to the heat, but the Purple Beggar never was one to be swayed by the weather. Makes for a good time to start writing a book, or to see a comedy show if you’re particularly sensitive.”
Magic is generally defined as several forces flowing and ebbing, one such set of forces are The Humors inside of us. When a force is in Flow all spells associated with it may be cast as long as you follow the appropriate requirements.

Madame Solapo tosses another crystal into the box, this time green. In a moment she announces the results.
”Aah, the spirits of anima are once again feeling feisty. Their tides are Gibbous today. A good fortune for you animal lovers out there. I myself may have a conversation with my quillfish.”
Forces that are Gibbous are considered to be in abundance, however this only affects spells which are already in Flow. The few spells that fulfill both of these conditions may be cast freely, without needing their requirements met. So they may be cast without an incantation or an implement. Spells that require ingredients, such as potions, will still need components but they will no longer need to be magical in nature to function.

Finally, the elderly host tosses one more crystal. A red one this time. She frowns as it comes to a stop.
”Oh dear, oh dear. It seems the sanguine humors are in Detriment for now. Longing for spring for now, I suppose.”
Forces that are in Detriment are limited during this tide. If a spell is normally in Flow but is in Detriment it may be cast normally but only once per that day. After that, you may not cast them until their tide flows again.

”Well, that’s todays reading, dearies. I hope to see you next time and may the tides turn in your favour.”


Our affected spells for today’s tidings:
In flow:
Brew Ill Potion Req.: Incantation, Ingredients Forces: Melonch, alchemaic
Create a potion of dubious purpose, such as poisons or liquid curses. Component: the potions ingredients
Dimming Shadows Req.: Incantation, Implement Forces: Melonch, strata
Artificial light becomes dim and shadows seem to become larger. Does not work on natural light
Ghost Aura Req.: Incantation, Ingredients Forces: Melonch, astrologic

Gibbous
Leaden Legs Req.: Incantation, Implement Forces: Melonch, anima
The chosen persons legs become stiff and heavy, either slowing them down or stopping them depending on their strength.

Detriment
None of our spells are in Detriment this tide.

Doomsby 2023/08/06(Sun)21:21 No. 1069883 ID: 462d8c
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I’m some manner of awake. Was only really able to get a few hours of sleep before the sun rose, but it should be enough to function for the day. Rising like a zombie I get of bed and wash for the day, get coffee going, the whole morning routine.

I’ve got a pile of cash now that I need to do something with. Most of it will go to rent and a backlog of bills. Frank never questions envelopes of cash for rent, but will probably will need to head to the bank for utilities and the like. Still leaves a not-insignificant portion of money left that I should probably hot potato sooner rather than later.

Let’s see...

A.) Head to Mauvelee Square
An arcane market hidden within one of the many office buildings downtown. Not many merchants there deal in mundane cash, but it would be the most direct way to get some of the stuff I would want.
B.) Take the LeyLine
Would be fairly easy to just head somewhere far enough away that the cash won’t be associated with my crime. Could take some fun detours along the way too.
C.) Go to a pawnshop of less repute
Mundanes got plenty of items that I could just straight up buy. I know a couple of places that won’t ask questions that they don’t need to.

B
Best put some distance between yourself and the crime scene. Local places might have heard about your exploits last night and if some strange guy comes in with a lot of money they might be able to put 2 and 2 together. Best go somewhere far enough away that the worst they’ll think of you is some tourist with more money than seance

LeyLine sounds fun if you're up for it. Worst comes to worst you can just stash the cash somewhere far away.

What would you want to get from Mauvelee Square?

You could use some spackle for that cracked drywall. Maybe a new bed. That one's up on cinder blocks. Replacement drawer would be nice, or at least a replacement handle.

How do you usually pay rent? I'm thinking you get about 2 weeks away from eviction then go rob a convenience store out of desperation? Some more stable income might be good.

What do you like to do for fun?

>>1069882
What's ghost aura do?

>>1069883
B, police generally assume ill-gotten cash will be used locally.

>>1069893
Aw dang, guess that didn't copy over for some reason. Sorry about that.

Ghost Aura Req.: Incantation, Ingredients Forces: Melonch, astrologic
Become sort of translucent, levitate slightly, and mildly glow. Animals and very weak-willed people will become afraid of you. Component: ectoplasm; or a scentless candle, grave dirt, and pure-white cloth

>>1069882
...Let me get this straight.
The public doesn't realize magic is real, so the weird fortune teller whose cover story is that she's the Tia of the news channel's shareholders gets to broadcast real magic advice while supposedly spouting fortune cookie 'tide' nonsense that on a semi-anti-level half the city buys up to fill the void in their purposeless lives?

Damn, the conspiracy is competent.

>>1069883
Yyyeah that's not going to cut it.
This little nest egg will be great as a fallback for insurance, especially for paying off the mafia. But you made a mess on this job, and local law enforcement has been looking for an excuse to maintain their unfairly excessive budget. The cops will pay special attention to serial numbers this time[/i].
On the magic side, you have no idea if you're screwed since you used like three spells in public.

[b]A. The magic world has taken great pains to enforcing the integrity of the masquerade's barrier. That means magical and mundane law enforcement are at each others' throats. They won't cooperate, and a competent Warden doesn't know ^&*( about tech fraud. You can start spending money there and it will literally have a paper trail that can only be explained with magic.

B just spend the money somewhere no one is looking for you

B seems good, but also give a homeless person or two a few 20s on your way to the Leyline, maybe stash a few 20s in your mattress too for like buying breakfast or something, most people dont find having a small bundle of 20s for food in the house to be weird if anyone were to ever investigate

>>1069897
I do think the sound of this komespiracy is extra funny though

Doomsby 2023/08/10(Thu)19:04 No. 1070041 ID: 462d8c
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>What would you want to get from Mauvelee Square?
Nothing specific. Looks like I could brew some potions this tide so grabbing some bits and bobs for that would be nice. Wouldn’t be opposed to grabbing some scrolls for those off days. It’s also fun to browse the crystal shops even if I tend not to use them. Could also find an odd job to do, though that’s certainly not a priority right now.

>How do you usually pay rent?
Mostly through ill gotten gains. It’s surprising how much shit you can get away with in the mundane world since they never consider magic as a possibility. Usually not heists though. Last night was an exception. Bev wasn’t lying that I want to avoid making too much noise.

>Best put some distance between yourself and the crime scene.
>LeyLine sounds fun if you're up for it.
Alright, LeyLine it is! One of the few parts of the arcane world that could be classified as “infrastructure” in a budget. The entrance, thankfully, isn’t too far from here; about a 30 minute jaunt. I grab a regular backpack from a corner and start moving the loose cash into it. Have to be a bit more organizational with it since it’s so much smaller than Bev was. Speaking of, I mentally send out a summon for my familiar who soon starts slithering out of a hole in the wall. I still don’t know what they do in there, but figure it’s more fun for them to have a secret.

“About to head out. You might want to stay in the bag this time.” I inform them. Bev gives me a quizzical look. “We’re taking the LeyLine.”
“Eugh!” They recoil. ”I might choose to not breath as well. And here I thought it was about keeping us from being identified.”
“Oh yeah... you were on the cameras too,” I say. “Welp, two birds with one stone, I guess.”
And with that, I start making my way to the LeyLine.

>give a homeless person or two a few 20s on your way to the Leyline
You people keep mentioning this and I do not understand. Are you trying to invoke some sort of karma thing? Cause quite frankly I’d rather not let these people know who I am and potentially decide that I’m a mark for the future.

After a brief detour to Frank’s for rent, I soon make it to the entrance of the LeyLine. You first go down an unassuming alleyway. They say it’s charmed so that mundanes don’t notice it, but I don’t believe that. People just don’t pay attention to alleyways in the middle of the city. The morning sun casts some spooky shadows as I take a turn further in. And there it is in all it’s magical, mystical, arcanical, whimsical glory:

A drain hole and a puddle.

Doomsby 2023/08/10(Thu)19:05 No. 1070042 ID: 462d8c
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Obviously, it’s more than just a drain and a puddle, but all this need for secrecy and discretion really takes the grandeur out of things.

Using the portal is fairly easy though. First you step on the drain, then face towards the puddle. This has the added benefit of it forces you to make sure you weren’t followed.

And then you just

Steeeeee
ee
e
e
e
e
e
eeeep

And you’re now at the LeyLine!

Doomsby 2023/08/10(Thu)19:07 No. 1070043 ID: 462d8c
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If you’re seeing what I see, then we should be at an underground trolley station. You can just feel the arcane energies coursing through this place. It can be a bit nauseating to be though, as things start swimming at the edges of one’s vision. Plus, hanging around so much fey magic can be... not unhealthy but unwise, so to speak. There are the ghosts of other travellers about though don’t bother trying to interact with them. They are currently occupying their own reality of the LeyLine. For our purposes, we just need to enter the trolley and it’ll zoom us to where we need to go. We do need to decide that before hopping on.

A.) Visit sunny Lokkport
A seaside tourist town, so being a stranger with a backpack won’t be unusual. I’m quite unfamiliar with the town and I’m sure trying to find anything arcane will be a hassle with all the extra eyeballs about.
B.) Go down to Murkumdeep
A major city in the subterria. It’s fairly arcane adjacent so finding magic shops wouldn’t be hard, but finding someone to deal with mundane cash certainly will.
C.) Head to a shortball game.
Technically I’m banned from entering, but it’s super easy to sneak in. That does also mean I can’t make official bets, but could always find a fan in the crowd to make some gambles under the table. No idea who’s playing.
D.) Visit the Fairy Ring
It’s always dangerous to bargain with the fey. Still, I could always feel out a deal and not commit to anything. Would be the easiest way to learn some new spells.


[small]
b]Brew Ill Potion[/b] Req.: Incantation, Ingredients Forces: Melonch, alchemaic
Create a potion of dubious purpose, such as poisons or liquid curses. Component: the potions ingredients
Dimming Shadows Req.: Incantation, Implement Forces: Melonch, strata
Artificial light becomes dim and shadows seem to become larger. Does not work on natural light
Ghost Aura Req.: Incantation, Ingredients Forces: Melonch, astrologic
Become sort of translucent, levitate slightly, and mildly glow. Animals and very weak-willed people will become afraid of you. Component: ectoplasm; or a scentless candle, grave dirt, and pure-white cloth

Leaden Legs Req.: none Forces: Melonch, anima
The chosen persons legs become stiff and heavy, either slowing them down or stopping them depending on their strength.

A seems safest

Murkumdeep. You need to offload the loot quickly, but without being seen by the public or anyone whose enforcers can blink you into a wall.

Fairy Ring! I wanna bargain for high stakes!

Don't forget to do a Fornite dance in front of the other ghosts, the one where you make an L on your forehead.

Also, what's your name?

Fairy Ring
While it certainly is dangerous to bargain with Fey (what with their arrogant superiority and power) Actually managing to strike a deal with them will be able to let us live a MUCH easier life. What? Unbreakable contracts? Geas? What are those but means to a more interesting life. If we gain something from it all the better.

>>1070043
D. Perhaps you can make a simple deal to exchange your mundane currency for something more useful. Barring that, information on who might be able to help you with it.

I say B
surely there are things you could buy with in the mundane part of the city that would be valuable in the magical part that you can just sell to get magic currency... speaking of which what is magic currency or is it more or less a bartering system?

Why do the two worlds have separate currencies anyway? Seems inconvenient for all involved tbh

Can I un-vote for fairy ring? An anti-vote? It sounds like a reeeeeeeally bad idea, especially as unprepared as you are.

As for the cash, you already spent what you could of it on rent and stuff. So it's effectively about as much worth as kindling to you at the moment.

Mental note: avoid big heists until you have some place to stash the loot.

A) Go to Lokkport, see if any tourist trap shops sells expensive collector stuff you could resell on the internet. Laundering!

Yeah, Lokkport seems like the safest option; if nothing magical turns up in your search, you can always fall back on buying some expensive assets you can convert back into laundered money (of any denomination) elsewhere.

Go to the fairy ring, frolic with fey!