Straw into Steel

Prelude

March 20, 2021 The sunrise creeps across the river to the wetlands. Orange light spills over highways and train tracks, flows past scrapyards and truck stops, filters through reeds and water, and finally drips down the side of an abandoned factory building. From the outside, the factory looks deserted, reclaimed by rust and moss. But…

1. Condor’s Intake

“Come in.” The Lady’s voice carries cleanly despite the dark heavy wood between her and Condor. Condor pushes open the doors and takes in the room: large, but not intimidatingly so. There’s a comfortable couch off to the side and hanging paper lanterns, as well as a wooden carving that appears to have some sort…

2. Justin’s Intake

Justin watches Condor walk into the Lady’s office and close the door. Left alone, he heads into the foyer again, takes a deep breath and turns on his Sight. The world shifts to black and white, as if drawn quickly in a value study; the darkest is near-solid black, with mid-values cross-hatched and white left…

3. The Lady of House Lim

Additional Context (Reddit) Every Practitioner has a different kind of Sight—but when viewing the Lady of House Lim, there is always one commonality.  There is some quality about her that is Blinding.  It’s her idealism, even fanaticism towards her goal. Creating Sanctuary. “This is not my time nor the time of any ancient Other.” The…

4. Meeting Mahalia

Condor has barely been in Manila for five minutes and they already have more questions than they can remember. Lady has promised answers, but only after this first important errand. She leads Justin and Condor through an alley with lights strung between the walls, then turns and knocks on a weathered wooden door. “Coming!” a…

5. Manila

The ‘limo’ (a white car, a little longer than a truck) was not austentatious. Few things were in the Philippines.  A country conquered many times, invaded by the Chinese and the Dutch; captured by the Spanish, the British, the Japanese, the States; the changing of hands was almost embedded into the culture. Such shaky foundations…

6. A Lesson in Humility

I won’t remember what I don’t want to. I don’t have to remember since I have yet to Awaken. I can make it through this, I can make it through this, I can… “Christine?” The voice was a gentle, soft sound, like chimes in the wind, and at one point she had thought of it…

7. Shadow of the Past

“Welcome home, Lady of House Lim,” greeted the Lord of Manila. “Thank you for that and for this warm welcome in your Court,” Lady responded. The ‘warmth’ was technically true. Manila was hot. The apparent feelings on both sides of the crowd however were the furthest from warm. Lady sensed frustrated tolerance and barely-hidden agitation…

8. Justin and Condor in Manila

Later in the day, they make it to their first appointment despite crowded streets and highways. Standing on the raised dais, surrounded by mirrors and flattering lighting, Justin stands still as the tailor takes an incredible number of measurements. His truly abused grey suit hangs on a rack next to a book of swatches of…

9. Resolutions

A day in Manila had come and gone.  The first day had mostly been about getting affairs settled—first meeting Mahalia for Justin and Condor’s translation and then to Diego’s Court for Lady’s long expected return. The three then split ways.  The two young Practitioners presumably had a taste of what the city had to offer…

10. The City of Pines

There are four roads that go up the mountain city of Baguio. Lady, Justin, and Condor took the second oldest one, Kennon Road. They were driven up in a modern SUV by a hired driver. An Innocent, so all three of them had to keep the conversation fairly mundane. The view was breathtaking. The road…

11. Four Become Two

Condor wakes from their half-sleep to Lady’s soft but urgent voice: “Trouble approaches.” They sit bolt upright; adrenaline already burning in their veins. They’d fallen asleep on Justin’s shoulder — what? When did that happen? Next to them, Justin scrambles to his pack, fumbling for sticky notes before his eyes are even properly open. The…

12. Carmine and Azure Trials

Content Warning: this chapter contains flashbacks (in blue) that depict graphic violence, death, and body-puppeting. Condor and Lady pick their way along a ridge, arched like the spine of some mountainous leviathan breaching the morning mist. As the two Practitioners climb above the cloud level, they gaze out across a wispy sea of white lit…

13. Justin’s Visions

The trail back toward Baguio felt like more than a trail. It had been a test, he thought, one that he’d failed. Justin had put on a brave face with Daiyu, because that had been the only thing to do when desperately stalling for time and trying to throw her off. He could still feel…

14. Sable and Alabaster Trials

Condor shows the paper to Handyong. “I have retrieved the echo, and its emotions are mine once more. You were right, Azure Dragon. I… didn’t realize how big a part of me was missing. Thank you.” The legendary figure smiles wide. “Christine and I discussed your story while you were gone. It seems your tale…

15. Epilogue

In a secluded section of Sanctuary’s garden, Condor sits cross-legged on a tarp. Their gloved fingers pull a needle delicately through moldering flesh. Thin red thread trails behind, securing skin to bone, tracing ligaments, knotting around knobby exposed joints. It’s not meant to be structural, not really. Just a trick to let the maggots that…

Demesne Ritual (one year later)

---

Demesne Ritual: Part 1

06:32 The sun rises upon Condor standing in the larger of the Factory’s two doors, the one that was originally a loading dock. Three symbols are drawn on the concrete in front of them in various substances: the catalysts for an Alchemical variant of the Demesne ritual Condor had stumbled upon a while back. At…

Demesne Ritual: Part 2

08:21(transcript of roleplay, with surprise guest star viceVersailes) A pickup truck rattles towards the Factory, leaving a trail of dust and dark exhaust fumes in its wake. Condor stands just inside the doorway, waiting for it to approach. Strong challengers, but at least these ones are expected. Planned for. The pickup trick crashes directly into…

Demesne Ritual: Part 3

09:14 Condor skips backwards as the lesser elemental swipes out with a tendril of quicksilver. The mass of soot and mud and liquid metal has taken a few forms over the course of the brief fight; the current one is a sort of rolling pincushion of lashing tendrils. Condor had been prepared for Boss Hackensack…

Demesne Ritual: Part 4

12:30 Condor hears another vehicle approaching and quickly turns around, leaving Landis Jr.’s charms only half-rewritten. They grab their Implement and stand at the entrance. But as the old dark green station wagon rounds the corner, they breathe a sigh of relief. The station wagon parks neatly next to the wreck of Condor’s car and…

Demesne Ritual: Part 5

16:44 This is it, Condor thinks as the Spirit-mist swirls, our most powerful Challenger, as implied by Christine’s augury. They glance around, making sure that the countermeasures for this specific Other are in place. They don’t know much about it: it’s big, it resides in the Spirit World, and it involves colorful thread and heavy…