[Ace of Wands] Gameplay

Esther noted that Glenda's coaster was turned over. "Aww honey, someone passed you their number? Looks like good times tonight." Wiki appeared to have had enough, and looked like she was making to leave. Esther considered what else Connor and Glenda might want to do, before mentally making her own plans.

Brilliant, with Wiki out Conner heads off back to his apartment sending a text to Esther.

Esther nursed her drink a while longer while the rest left one by one. She was waiting for later in the night, where she'd have more success when she hit the streets.

As they went their separate ways, Esther put her ears to the ground. A clever conversion of her costume, removing the heavy shawl, re-tying the lacy bandeau, left more skin showing on her body as she walked the seedier parts of the streets near the community centre. This was Vegas after all, and if anyone knew anything about what was going down, the streets should have some hearsay. She mingled with the nightlife, Taurus in tow, who looked like he could've been her pimp or her dealer, and chatted about the carnival earlier in the day, and whether they heard about the SWAT team raid, and how horrible it was, etc etc.

Wiki, get home and be careful. After she takes a deep drink of her water, Glenda reads the message on her coaster with a sly smile. Bidding Connor and Wiki adieu, she excuses herself from the table and heads outside, where the workers take their breaks.

More hearsay, but no real leads either. People thought it was strange, but it didn't seem that anyone understood what truly happened, was Esther's conclusion.

She found a quiet spot near the community centre again. "Alright Taurus, time for you to do your thing. See what you got."

The familiars are something like NPCs, so once you send him outside your awareness, no rolls or RP are necessary. When he returns, he can report his experience as best he can.

I'll work on that, but what are your specific instructions to him?

Esther reached for her tall, dark and handsome companion, "I need you to sound out who you know, whether mundane, or mystical. Use your ability to pop into the spirit world if you need to, see if you can find out what's anyone is saying about this incident. In particular, see if you hear anything about that mad mage, that -" here Esther lowered her voice, "marauder."

Wiki awakes the following morning with a nasty hangover. She disentangles her self from the bed and half removed clothes, takes a shower and feels marginally more human afterward.

She communicates with her brother using grunts over breakfast. Around 9 AM, she is heavily caffeinated, back from a morning run and operational again.

Before getting into her real work, she removes the ward on her gun safe. It was not supposed to stop her from getting her own gun. She checks the gun and the magazine but leaves it lying on the table. She missed it yesterday, not today.

The murder board is updated with all the intel they have gathered, including a picture of the mage.

Wiki: roll again please.

---

The next day you awake. The world seems smaller, darker. You've had a brush with the shadowy tendrils of the Technocracy, and their casual usage of human government apparatus. While this is to be expected, perhaps, their motivations are unclear, but shockingly callous and violent. The appearance of the mad mage and the paradox explosion tell you that even more trouble has arrived.

In a moment of clarity, perhaps serendipitously occurring to each of you, you recall the paper work you filled out in the room with the Wheel of Fortune - identifying paperwork. One of you is also out a free car for which the ownership was never transferred.

None of you have heard from Mordecai.

Esther had a particularly restless night. Taurus leaves on his assignment but has not yet returned.

It is morning. What do you do?

The hotel room she returned to downtown for the night seemed colder than she remembered. She woke alone, without the usual bustling of Taurus, who would bring her her clothes and food.

She sat up in her bed, and entered into a moment of meditation to center herself. Where the hell are you, you mangy cow? Her empathetic bond with her familiar belied her gruff words. She was concerned that he hadn't returned after what should've been a simple undertaking.

Esther should roll Manipulation + Subterfuge

Wiki works her murder board trying to string connections together with several question marks.

When she adds the card "paperwork" to the board, and see several strings wanting to connect to it, Wiki is pleased that she used a fake name.

Worse, if there was foul play, they could use Taurus to get back to her.