Elizabeth Tower

London is a large enough area to warrant its own Consilium, and as such the highest and most powerful Magi gather within the Elizabeth Tower, sharing it with the world-famous Big Ben, the small spire magically altered to be home to not only the meeting room and halls of the Consilium but a massive Awakened library to boot, all enabled by powerful Space magics. The Consilium rules over the scores of cabals that make their homes in London, and is by no means the only gathering of Magi in the city. It is, however, one of the largest, and a place most advanced scholars of the Mysteries would be familiar with, for one reason or another.

The Tower is accessible via a number of routes, but all paths terminate at the top of the tower, within a bubble of space many times larger than what should be accommodated by the brickwork. The Library, the Council Chambers and the Meeting Rooms are all present, but in addition portals to major cabal meeting grounds, food and drink services and large tass reserves condensed from the major leyline beneath the tower make the place a haven for magi who are admitted.

The council itself is staffed by one member from each Order, with the Hierarch, being a member of the Adamantine arrow. The councilors and their Hierarch, however, spend little time in the company of their fellow Magi, maintaining their aloof and distant position which they believe warranted them by their mastery of multiple mysteries.

The council, however, is only the very top of the magical hierarchy, and beneath them dozens of magi can be found at the Tower, learning or training or prowling the archives for ancient knowledge.  Discussions of import ring through the cavernous halls, but meetings of friends or partners are just as common, the great and good of magical society gathering in this neutral ground to go about their business. The Tower is a font of ancient knowledge, powerful magi and gateways to higher realms, a collection of learning unmatched anywhere in the city.

Lawrence Durand sat at the library table, head rested in his hands. He glared down at the book in front of him, it was no help. He had his Alchemy term paper due soon, and he needed a few more sources. He knew what he wanted to put in his paper, he knew the answer, the reasoning behind it. But he couldn't find the damn book to corroborate his thoughts. He knew he was right, why should he slow down for the lowest denominator? He wished he was still working with Prof. Bell, Bell understood him, and his eccentricities.

Lawrence knew that Bell knew that Lawrence was brilliant. But Bell was dead, and his apprentice was quietly shunted over to another master.

'A suckier one,' Lawrence commented in the safety of his own mind, still glaring at the damn book. So now Lawrence was stuck writing Apprentice level papers with guys nearing thirty because the top guys in the Mysterium couldn't be bothered to just make him a damn Daduchos already. He had been out in the field, done the whole Indiana Jones treasure hunting thing, and it sucked. Lawrence hated Arabia, it was hot and sandy, and although he didn't speak the language, he was pretty sure the locals were laughing at him. Being an Acquisitor sucked, Lawrence much rather preferred his nice, cool apartment, with his nice books, and his nice alchemy lab.

But, if he ever wanted to make master, he'd have to get some accomplishments to his name, something cool, something flashy. Like, rescue a princess? Does anyone even have princesses anymore, Lawrence pondered. Maybe save a city from disaster. Not London though, no sir. Anything that threatens all of London would bring every Master of every Order in the Tower down on its head. Which would be bad, for everyone. Maybe York, nobody really cares about York.

He sighed, and went back to his book.

No sooner had you turned the first page than you heard someone crash onto the seat across from you. Such an action surely broke at least three rules of the library, and any mage worth his salt knows that masters rarely tolerate those who disrespect libraries. Looking up, comprehension dawns on you. A short, vaguely asian-looking woman sits across from you, auburn hair discheveled and what no doubt started as a fashionable suit covering her frame, covered in burn marks, stains, and wrinkles aplenty. She tossed a newspaper onto the table, and breaking her composure for a brief second to look for incoming rebukes, assumed a casual posture and spoke with a clear, heavily-South-London-accented voice.

"Why the long face, mate?"

You knew her, of course. Sunday. Recently the talk of the tower after her rapid promotion to minuteman after completing some important mission, which if gossip was to be believed was anything from banishing an Elder God to slaying five demons and saving the Prime Minister. Most likely those rumors were started by her. You only know her distantly, having seen her around the tower and spoken a few times. It is then rather odd she is initiating conversation so purposefully.

"I hear you're looking for a way out of these books, and I need a partner to do some sleuthing. How does stopping a magical serial killer sound? I bet it sounds better than reading... whatever that is".

“It’s a text on gaseous transmutations,” Lawrence mumbled, his mind suddenly a thousand miles away. This, this is just what he needed! A serial killer, wonderful! If he could catch the killer, he’d surely be promoted to Daduchos, and he’d get a nice, cushy research budget. Oh yeah, that’s the life.

He leapt to his feet, banging his knee on the table brutally. The librarian fired off a stern glance at him, Lawrence smiled sheepishly through the pain. His watering eyes darted across the table, meeting the amused expression on Sunday’s face, he blushed.

He cleared his throat, ready to accept her offer, when the words died in his throat. He barely knew this girl, he’d spoken to her twice, at most, and now she wanted him to help her hunt down a serial killer. A magic serial killer! Was the serial killer magic, or did he only kill mages? He knew next to nothing about slashers, only they sometimes had supernatural powers, was this one of those? Isn’t there some Hunter group keeping them in check?

And what was she getting out of this? She was a minuteman from the Free Council, and allegedly a grade A badass. What did she want with some nobody Mysterium alchemist? Surely there was someone better for the job?

‘This is your big break Lawrence, don’t let it slip by because of your fear.’ A small voice in his head spoke up, it sounded like Bell, his old master. Unbidden, his hand slid down to his pocket, his fingers seeking comfort in the cool, familiar metal of his master’s lighter. Prof. Bell always used to joke about it. It was his first enhanced item, and it was nearly useless.

The lighter was a simple, spotless silver box, with a stylized flame engraved on one side. The only mystical property it possessed was slightly enhanced durability. A completely mundane, if durable, lighter. It was a reminder. A reminder of better times, of dusty tomes and sterile chemistry textbooks. It reminded him of his master, it reminded him of how far he had to go, it reminded him of the path ahead.
It gave him the strength to stay the course.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go hunt us a serial killer.”

A smile sprung onto her face just as the librarian's rebuke. Schadenfreude clearly was no stranger to her, and the grin only widened after Lawrence's response. She sprung up, her knees cautiously avoiding the table, grabbed the ignored newspaper and began striding purposefully towards one of the many portals to the streets below.

She looked back for a second, her smile not yet gone: "Good! Come on, there's no time to waste."

She didn't wait for you to catch up, and clearly enjoying her role as Holmes to your Watson, began explaining the case in some detail. "The Times ran a story on it" she points dramatically at the paper, not bothering to check if you've managed to catch up "Apparently, the Met are saying they're murders, and while the Masters were happy to let some other forces deal with it, apparently no-one's working fast enough. The Arrow's sent some of their grunts out to try and apprehend whoever's doing this, but not only do I think they need to be taught some humility, but I'd rather Camden Town not become a smoking crater."

"The killer's been killing with machi-" She warped through the portal mid sentence, the hall from the library no longer filled with her high pitched and excited speech, certainly continuing unabated among the sleepers on Westminster Bridge

Lawrence watched as Sunday marched along, talking to thin air while he gathered his books and papers, haphazardly shoveling them into his messenger bag. He raced after her as she vanished into the portal, steeling his stomach as he went.

Ignoring the librarians potent glare, he followed the madwoman through the portal, mind set on catching a magic serial killer.

'Life is funny sometimes,' he mused.

His eyes slid shut as he took the final step through the spatial door, and into the unknown.

Westminster Bridge was packed. At some point day had turned to evening, and evening to night, and with the sun plunged below the horizon, Sleepers made their way back from their professions in herds, all filing out of the city and towards their homes. The Tower and the Houses of Parliament were visible behind, on one end of the bridge the portal apparently led. The exact exit was right in the middle of the bridge, off to the side of one of the bulges in the bridge, right on top of one of the supports. The portal exit was about a foot off the ground, likely to accommodate for the stone and metal expanding due to heat, or some other natural phenomena.

The Sleepers paid no mind to the forms that emerged from what looked like thin air to them, and only seemed to notice you after a few seconds after your arrival, and even then just barely, the emerged forms just looking like another part of the river of Sleeping humanity. Sunday could be seen a few feet from the portal, her monologue continued unabated.

"-nery and malfunctioning Sleeper technology. I had a look at the most recent incident, and felt some sort of magic I was unfamiliar with. This, and the frequency and oddness of the events, have led me and the Strategoii to believe that something nefarious and magical is killing these sleepers. The killings have been irregularly timed and our only lead is their nucleation in Camden."

A tall man in a well-cut suit walked out from the crowd, apparently having been waiting nearby. He nods to Sunday and yourself, and without waiting a beat places his hands on both you and Sunday, and after a second of gut-wrenching apportation, you're just outside the gates of the closed London Zoo.

Sunday, still unperturbed, continues a moment later. "Sorry about that, I couldn't convince one of the masters to make a portal for me, but I really didn't feel like taking the tube. Hector was nice enough to shift us over, though I wish I had managed to convince him to fight the Paradox and open a portal for us. Apportation is a mug's game. So! How should we begin, partner?"

[scene change to Camden Town for Sunday and Lawrence]

Approaching the tower Dante took a sip form his hip flask not only to calm himself but he liked the taste of mead anyhow what difference did it make it was just a sip and luckily for a life mage no matter how much you drank if necessary you could sober up in a few seconds, Taking one more look up Dante paused to admire the tower it was impressive even when you didn't know about what lay within and that in itself was admirable the deception was grand, you had to give that to the Orders they may be fool enough to live in a tower something you'd thing they would have learnt to avoid by now but at least they had style. Chuckling at this revelation Dante, moved to one of the entrances and into the tower his destination?,the meeting hall's.

The phantasmal gate swallows you whole, and in an instant you are whisked from your place above the Thames and deposited on the lavish marble floor of the main hall of the Consilium. Several magi share the hall with you, most hurrying from one place to another. Some glance at you, likely wracking their memories to check if they have ever met you, or if you expect their respectful greeting.

One mage, a young, short man with a well-groomed black mustache approaches you, the badge of the Adamantine Arrow clearly emblazoning the right shoulder of his worn, slightly singed shirt. He stops a safe distance from you, and as he speaks you can feel the tingle of powerful magic surging around you. The supernal tide washes over you, checking your identity, while the man speaks in a high, authoritative voice.

"Welcome to the Consilium, Adept. Please state your name and affiliation, and your purpose here at the Tower."

Dante will look around at each of the Mages present before stating in a stable clear voice ''Thank you, I am Dante Falk of the Free council, My purpose here is complex I am looking for a representative of a cabal who would be willing to help Ward my sanctum in exchange for Tass and its use in times of need. I also am looking for a Master of life for a service the price negotiable and finally I wish to find a Prime Mage of some skill with an offer in exchange for a service that is yet negotiable''

The self-assured man noted down a few things on a small notepad before closing it and hiding it away in his pocket. He clears his throat, a welcome pause after the torrent of announcements, and after a pregnant pause speaks again, his voice carrying less gravitas and more friendliness.

"Well, Adept Falk, I wish you luck on your endeavors. The doors of the Consilium are open to you, have a good day."

The man strode off, his business with the new arrival apparently completed. He ducks down a small passageway and disappears from sight, leaving you temporarily alone with the echoing main hall of the magical sprawl.

Dante smiled as the arrow walked away, typical bureaucracy soon he'd might need there help but until then he had better chances with his own, assuming they didn't come to him in a community as intricate as the Magi's any news tended to spread fast.

Dante moved though the corridors feeling the subtle power emanating from the stones he walked on the Pentacel orders had spent a long time making this place years of work and improvement, the problem as ever was not the magic but the people wielding the magic. The iron rule of oligarchy was as strong here as it was anywhere else bureaucrats and elitists that was the typical member of the Pentacel orders, They only grudgingly respected the free council and those who belonged to it still that would change.

Soon enough Dante would earn there respect or possibly there ire depending on how they would react, These thoughts rushed though Dante's head as he strolled the corridors passing room after room some filled with books, others with ritual spaces.

He was looking for the one person who would definitely help him here the emissary of the free council Assembly to the Consilium, after a while Dante stopped and backtracked to the meeting rooms approaching the closest mage who wasn't engaged in conversation. ''Excuse me my name is Falk I'm new around here was wondering if you knew where I might find the emissary of the free council? I am also looking for Mage's to help me in a project of mutual benefit if you'd be interested, It involves Vampires''

The mage you question is an elderly woman, dressed in beige and leaning slightly on her cane. You ask her your questions as she apparently stares into the empty air, looking absently at the painted ceiling above her with unfocused eyes.

As you address her, she turns her eyes to you, though they never truly seem to look at you, rather at a point a meter behind you. Her eyes are dull and grey, the brown irises looking as beige as her conservative dress. She shakes her head when you proposition her for joining a project, but as you finish she begins walking along the corridors, gesturing for you to continue.

She is as silent during the walk as she was during your one-sided conversation, but within a minute she leads you to a rather small door leading to a rather small nook of an office, in which sits a balding, portly man, pouring over some small book, the bindings looking to be printed by modern sleepers than any ancient mage.

He looks up expectantly, and impatiently asks only "Yes?"

Dante will look the man over.
''You're free council, I'm in need of contacts among our Libertine brethren, Minutemen, citizen agents,Strategos anyone who would like to get in on a dangerous project with big payoff's. Something that might give us a edge over the rank and file out there'' he will say gesturing back to the door. ''something that will help the sleepers and gain us some more respect. Your an emissary you know the local assembly, our situation here who's who's and what's what, if your willing to tell me it would be a great help. And sorry for interrupting your reading''  Dante will say starring resolutely at the man.

The portly emissary looks surprised. His eyebrows raise slightly, his mouth hangs ever-so-slightly open, and you notice as he closes his book he forgets to mark the page with the set-aside bookmark.

"Well, that certainly is a broad order. Before I can help you with such matters, I am obligated to ask what this 'dangerous project with big payoffs' is, exactly. I'm sure you understand, and I am sorry to trouble you, but in my office certain procedures must be followed, you see."

Dante will clear his throat before beginning
‘‘If you want but this might take some time. Project Artemis is both a magical program of experiment, a tool for our political ascension and a necessary operation to rid the world of a threat to sleeper society form the local area. It consists of four stages Preparation, capture, experiment and execution. But before I go onto these sections let me talk about the threat I mentioned I am a life mage I believe and can perceive the pulse of this world but there are a number of creatures that transcend the purely natural cryptid’s for example, Magical beings that exist and hold abilities that are not effected by paradox. Most of these beings dwell in remote areas like the Mongolian death worm for example however not all of them are so hermit like.
The second thing about cryptid's is that they as magical beings that is to say they can be harvested for their mana and other bits of there beings a rare act nowadays but in the past it was more common. There exists a Cryptid not limited to the remote areas, in the past our group has done some light research on these begins but not much, they exist in a society of their own manipulating and feeding off the sleepers the people we are sworn to protect. The creature I am talking of is of course the vampire. These beings exist alongside us hidden hiding but they represent not just a foe to be vanquished but our salvation they represent a final solution to numerous problems. The vampires are an untapped source of Mana that is potentially infinite in its ability to give unlike a Hollow or sanctum we can gain unlimited amounts of Mana from these beings so long as we keep them alive and fed, durability being a trait they seem to possess in abundance. A vampire is a potentially infinite source of mana and if controlled a weapon that is immune to paradox that our enemy’s will not be expecting. You may be asking yourself is he mad? Where is he going with this? Well let me answer that for you.
In Stage one of Project Artemis I will develop a number of capture systems that will both be helpful in capturing these creatures and test their vulnerabilities, I will also be making a few spirit pacts allowing us to find the vampires though means they will not as far as I am aware have a means of countering. Finally I will give some thought to a final solution to the vampire menace however I cannot truly test my ideas until I have one of the beings.
Phase two capture is exactly as it is named upon finding a vampire and acquiring information on it, we will capture it inside its nest, move it to a secure sanctum and post watch over its nest. No doubt other members of its race or servants will be sent to look for it enabling us to potentially discover either more of their kind or their servants. Depending on a number of factors we could impersonate these people or kill them or capture them again.
From here we begin phase three experimentation we discover the mana concentration of these beings, how to hack their brains and minds, and what abilities they possess. And finally the final solution what kind of Virus or parasite must I engineer to deal with these creatures? You see it struck me from what we know of them they are more or less animated dead immune to most forms one would assume but not all of them. Flesh eating viruses would have a field day same as anyone I suspect, and certainly there are numerous diseases that cause behavioural shifts. These may have some effect as well; with some work we can build a virus with a trigger condition to mutate upon finding the precise Mana matrix that is the vampire blood. Or I will make a parasite a variety of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis the zombie fungus this time engineered specify for vampires and with some research I might be able to find one that already is tailored to them. Parasites are incredible efficient at controlling their hosts’ and infecting numerous and specific beings we could create one that sets about infecting its fellows, and then destroying its host. As I said this will only be known once I possess a vampire to test upon.
The final stage Execution will involve the purge of the vampires or the destabilisation of their population by our weaponry and will enable the capture of plenty more of them. By this time we will know how to mind wash them and with some alteration we could create truly impressive combat weapons form them for I suspect that permeant life alterations can be achieved with them once combined with death magic due to their static nature.
There are a number of specifies I require or would be of use but I can discuss those with the magi who agree to help should I get what I require it will go smoothly and without a problem. The sleepers will remain ignorant as to what occurred at worst a Bio-terrorist operation will have occurred or have been busted at best the vampires will don’t capture will spread diseases in vectors indicating something is up then the mortal hunters and authority’s will then take care of the vampires for us. As plague carriers we will have limited any recovery time for their population to a controllable level with the smallest loses and risks to our own as they won’t know they are under any serious attack till to it is too late.
This is my project and why I need help I can do it alone but with help from our comrades a huge victory for us will be within our grasp.’’ At that Dante will take a breath and stand nodding his head slightly watching the man’s reaction careful if he was not careful this could go wrong. At the worst the Guardians of the vail would come for him at best he would have quite a few friends quite quickly.

The portly Emissary looks shocked. He face holds an interesting concoction of feelings: surprise, disgust, anger, confusion and not a small amount of fear. He wipes his brow with a hand, and makes to speak a few times. It seems he does not quite know where to start. Finally composing himself, he intones with a voice that is laced with almost gallows humor.

"Well. As a Free Council Emissary, I can only say that I cannot lend you support in this venture, since it has not been approved by Assembly. Though, I do not think you'll report me if I speak candidly." He does not wait for a response, and manages to keep his composure impressively.

"You wish to imprison powerful magical creatures to do research that has already been done and to harvest them for a resource that is plentiful elsewhere. That would be bad enough. Furthermore, you want to declare war upon them. I am bound to not repeat what you have said, unless for some reason you want me to, so count your blessings for that, but know that any mage worth their position will try to stop you in your insane rush towards an apocalyptic conflict that will kill not only Awakened, but billions of sleepers and thousands of other supernaturals whose only crime is a curse they mostly manage without violence."

His composure clearly has begun to crack, anger revealing itself beneath the facade. "Please remove yourself from your office and by providence drop this idiotic idea."

Seeing the Emissary demeanor change, Dante will bristle as he finish's. Dante did not take well to insults. His eye's will spark with anger and his chest will puff out  as his blood begins to heat. When he speak's his voice will carry loud as his rage grows. ‘’You wish me to drop my work? Well my Emissary I take offence at your words you call me mad? I am the verge of supremely great work, which your small minded mind will no doubt needlessly delay. You believe me mad? Very well I warn you now you will regret your decision. We will settle this the old way, the way that has worked for generations. By the laws of Lex Magica I Dante Falk demand satisfaction, I came here for your help and you INSULT ME, DANTE FALK OUTRAGEOUS. I demand the Duel Arcane you WILL apologize before our peers for I will not have your words rob me of allies against the predators that roam the night. But should I lose I will not set foot here again for I will not stand to walk in the same halls as one who has abandoned the fire that wrought our Free council for a job as a errand boy.''

The facade slips another inch, another small but noticeable crack in the mask of diplomatic friendliness.

"I do not believe you mad. Your plot would kill billions of innocent people, however. As for your demand for Duel Arcana, even if I were not able to participate while holding office, I would be in no way bound to such a thing. Go ahead and smear me all you like, I cannot stop you. I will not reveal your goals, as is my oath, but the Free Council and its governments are not in the business of punishing those who speak their minds. I would politely suggest you look inwards and decide whether or not the Council is the right place for you, Adept. No matter what course you pursue, you will have to do so out of my office. I have no obligation to let you sit here and spout your nonsense."

The man returns to his reading.