[Ace of Wands] Gameplay

July 2, 2019

The weather in Las Vegas for the next few days is forecast to however around the 100'F mark. When you check your mail that morning, each character finds that they have received a letter, printed on marigold sheet of paper and delivered via regular 1st Class U.S. Mail. The letters are addressed to "Resident" with the address where your character is staying. For some of you, that is likely eyebrow-raising in itself.GM Prompt: Each of you should find a reason to plan on attending this event.

Let's introduce our characters to each other with a paragraph or so that includes a description and some idea of their planned routine. If you are planning on doing any research about this celebration in advance, tell me what that looks like.

Esther Quinn, as was her custom, did not get out of bed until mid afternoon. Her magic act at the Cabana, a small hotel in downtown Vegas, had come to its final night, after a successful two-week run. It was an intimate show this time, lounge-style, in their Xtr Showroom, which meant she could perform up close and personal with her audience. Last night's was particularly boisterous; a number of tourists from the Middle East were very appreciative of her craft.

She didn't have a new show booked for the national holiday though. Hotels wanted more celebratory, crowd-pleasing revues, not quite her niche. It meant she was going to have the long weekend off. There was not much she needed to prepare for tonight, the stage was already set, her assistant Taurus would take care of the stage/sound check, and he had already dropped off her 'Incredible Ishtar' costume freshly laundered, and also this letter with no addressee but her specific hotel room address. Strange.

The mention of old North Vegas brought back some unpleasant memories of her teenage years. She grew up with first hand involvement in the vice and crime ridden neighbourhoods of the 90s, and in her later years made it a point never to look back north of New Fremont. That was reason enough to want to make her toss the invitation into the bin. But she was not the same young girl then. She had conquered her demons, and this serendipitious letter was an occasion to do likewise. She made up her mind to go, but it'd had to be entirely on her own terms.

Esther looked up the number for North Vegas Community Center, and asked for the organisers of the carnival. 'Ishtar the Immortal', fortune teller, crystal reader, celebrity psychic, will require a booth for her grand appearance, and will not take no for an answer!

Wow, had this been an email it would go straight into the spam folder. "Dear Lucky Resident", dear scam victim more likely.... bla bla bla Natalie Dormer! Now there is a hotty that didn't have to knock too long on my door. See you on the 4th Nat!
Strange that they mention "Consolidex Worldwide", who are they?

Wiki flips open a leather cover on her wrist and type in a few commands. A web crawler has been deployed to learn more about Consolidex Worldwide. She could take a shower while it worked its magic.

With a Bye Sis... and the sound of a door being slammed, she is now alone in her parents' house... well Wiki and her brother's house. Their parents got divorced and both moved out and the paperwork for the house got stuck in redtape. Wiki would know as it was her that hacked the principality and the bank, making it possible for her and her brother to keep the house. Its not always easy living with a big brother who is a cop, but they have divided the house and made it work.

Well a quick shower to cool down and then a deep dive into Consolidex Worldwide

Glenda's seen flyers like this before, seems like someone's always looking to develop the downtown area and then the money usually dries up. She knows some people who live around the area, wonder how they feel about this new development. Glenda is having a cup of tea and some lentils for breakfast before she puts on her morning yoga DVD and gets dressed for work.

There might be some dispensary owners in the future development crowd, Glenda thinks she might as well go. She can size up what the so-called "investment specialists" have in mind for the area. Plus some free wine is always a treat, hope they have a nice red. There is no way she is going near a sports mascot, a sports drink, or anything called a Chaos Bar.

Glenda will do some checking around on the celebration, just looking on social media to see if other people are talking about it. Really, she just wants to make sure the celebration is legit before she wastes her time going.

The Office/Apartment Conner has been staying in hasn't gotten much mail. Hopeful for a job, he was slightly disappointed but every chance to get his name out there is a good chance. Besides he isn't the most well connected with the community right now anyway, and this could be the chance to meet some friends its been lonely his first week in Las Vegas, with little to occupy his time but going through his old books, some Netflix, and more drinking then probably should be healthy.

While in the shower Wiki has become more and more curious about this invitation letter. All toweled up, she checks on the web crawler, but seeing it's just finishing up, she whips off a quick SMS.


Hi Conner. This is your friendly neighborhood tech-support. Is everything up and running? Mail, phone and the accounts I created for you? Remember to change the default password, to a passphrase. Like "Wik1IsTheBest1nfosecIHaveEverM33t" ;)

Yours
Wiki


Then she starts digging into Consolidex Worldwide investment

Conner's phone goes off with three short buzzes. Going over he reads Wiki's text, and sends one back.

Sup Wiki, thanks for the advice, everything seems set up. Looking into jobs, or other opportunities. Gonna check out this "New Fremont District Celebration" know anything bout it???

Wiki text back to Conner

You also got a "Dear Lucky Resident,...." invitation? I don't know anything about it. I think that "Consolidex Worldwide investment" firm is a bit odd. I did a web search, but I'm not really happy with the result. But no matter. I'll swing by and check it out. Especially Natalie Dormer ;)

Mind if I tag along? Kinda wanna check out these black jack tables. Meet some people as well.

Wiki text back to Connor
I don't mind. I ordered this shirt online, and you will recognise me by the shirt and red hair.

You got it, wanna meet outside?
Conner puts on his favorite hoodie and heads off to call an uber on the street corner. Wondering if this will be worth it all in the long run. Definitely different than London, sure is fucking hotter.

I'll see you there in two days

Well, better get some work done before...

Mordecai sits in the living room of his small apartment, reading the invitation and furrowing his brows. The room is an office space cluttered with all manner of materials evincing Jewish scholarship: piles of Qabbalistic texts, religious paraphernalia, rabbinical commentaries, cosmological diagrams, and written formulae for apotropaic talismans. The windows are closed and shuddered, leaving stray beams of sunshine as the only source of light.

The rabbi is dressed in his usual prescribed Hasidic garb: black frock coat, black trousers, white collared shirt, and a black suede fedora currently resting on his lap. He frowns as he considers the invitation. It’s unlikely that there would be much at this gala that’d appeal to his Orthodox sensibilities. Religious wisdom dictated avoiding more contact with goyim than is necessary, but since living on his own, Mordecai has been forced to soften his position on the matter.

From behind the rabbi, the sound of heavy footsteps approaches; a massive figure looms over him. Mordecai sighs and looks at the stone humanoid as it silently waits... staring at him with expressionless eyes.

"Let us see if I can bring a +1..."

Not really happy with her own result with Consolidex Worldwide, she asks on the IllumiNaughty hacker forum. She then researches the other interesting name Endron International

Research rolls

- Ishtar makes contact with the Community Center, who organizes the volunteers and acts. They are she busy, but after requesting a head shot and audition video, readily accept her offer. A prominent booth is made available, and she is asked to come a day early for the safety briefing and a very basic orientation.

-Glenda did find social media activity. A few mentions of the event, and even one asking about the lucky ticket, but no responses to that.

- Wiki's research into Consolidex turns up little more than assorted references. As an investment brokerage, they mainly track as mentions in finance blogs, but nothing earth shattering catches her eye.

- Mordecai and Wiki both find that Endron, a well known global energy player that dates back a century, was most recently involved in a large oil spill in Scotland that was caused by an explosion. The company has taken some PR hits because of that.

Any more research, finance, or investigating activity?

Wiki places her invitation in the middle of a bulletin board. Then she adds the information she has about Endron and Consolidex. As an afterthought, she also adds a post-it with Conner's and her own name to the board



She looks at her murder board and is about to do some magic when she remembers a promise she made.

Text to Glenda
Hey Glenda, I promised to show you next time I did my murder board magic. I got this strange "Dear Lucky Resident" invitation that me and a new guy got.
Wanna join me?

Return text to Wiki
Oh shit, I got the same invite. Seems legit, from what I can figure out. YES, I want to see your murder board! :D

I'll be right over. Anything you want me to pick up on the way?

Text to Glenda
a bottle of red wine would be nice ;)
And the invitation

Text to Wiki
You drive a hard bargain :) I'll bring them both.

Glenda puts the invitation in her backpack, along with a Zinfandel. Wiki's place is close enough to bike to, so Glenda puts on her helmet and gets out her beat-up used 10-speed.

Glenda loves to bicycle when she can. She can feel the breath going in and out of her nose, her lungs and heart working together, and her muscles working to move her. She can feel the life all around her outside, from people walking on the street to birds and insects flying through the air. She feels alive, part of Life itself.

Conner will go out to to the location, and attempt to feel any supernatural presences in the area. In particularly wraiths or ghosts, its unlikely but better safe then sorry he thinks to himself.

With all the gathered information Wiki works her murder board, finding hidden connections. She takes it slow and explains to Glenda how with knowledge of the world, science and tech, every mystery devived by mortal men, can be solved with a cunning mind

Conner

Conner does not find any unusual concentrations of spirits in the area. He does make contact with a ghost named Ponty, who appreciates the company and promises to keep an eye on trouble.

Wiki and Glenda

Wiki, with Glenda's assistance is able to discern that the 'lucky' letters were intended for your addresses. There are a few too many steps to unravel, but you feel the intent, aimed not at you as individuals but at your locations.

Wiki looks at her murder board, with a lot of post-it notes with ?-marks on them.
So... I don't see a connection between us, Connor, you and me, in regards to the letter. But where the letters are delivered is connected to this, she points at a purple post-it with a big ? on it. I am tempted to name this one "master plan". But that would introduce bias

She takes her glass of red wine. I think the best thing to do now, is to drink wine and wait for the party.

Mordecai finishes his morning prayers and contemplates the invitation again. Consolidex? Endron? Large companies made the rabbi a little nervous. He knew that if you looked hard enough into the biggest businesses, behind the suits and boardrooms, one would inevitably uncover the presence of the Amalekites - what the gentiles called the Technocratic Union. The age-old enemy. Their hands were in and around everything, slowly squeezing the wonder out of HaShem’s creations, soiling His good works.

The invitation, as innocuous as it seems, leaves the rabbi with a nagging doubt. But rather than kvetching about it, he phones an Uber. The old man goes to find Schlomo; as usual, the golem is standing motionlessly in the corner, staring at nothing. Mordecai checks the integrity of the inscription on its forehead, and then retrieves a strip of vellum. Taking a moment to prepare himself and achieve the proper breathing, he carefully scrawls one of the Lord’s names on the paper.

Names have power; all Qabbalists know this. In the Book of Genesis, Adam literally brought things into existence by naming them. The inherent power of names, especially G-d’s names, was not something to be taken lightly. It was for this reason that observant Jews avoided using the holy names of G-d, instead using respectful substitutes such as Adonai ("The Lord") and HaShem ("The Name"). That same care was also shown in the written word, which was why Jews didn’t spell out the Lord’s full name, preferring to write "G-d".

Mordecai takes his time; his eyes following the lines of each mystical Hebrew character. It’s about more than just writing the words. It’s also about reaching kavanah - a state of pure intent invoked by contemplating the spiritual permutations and secret meanings of the Divine Name. To reach that point at which one connected with the Lord’s higher mysteries, well... it isn’t easy; Mordecai could do quickly now, but it had taken him decades of painstaking practice and devotion.

As Mordecai’s senses transcend the boundaries of Malkuth and touch upon the sephirot beyond, he experiences a warm rush of ecstatic energy. It’s euphoric and deeply moving to draw miracles into the world. The rabbi can’t help but wonder if this is what the Prophet Moses felt like when he parted the Red Sea.

The euphoria receding, Mordecai rolls up the vellum and places it into the golem’s mouth - little more than a narrow slot on a vaguely human-like stone face. The mouth seals shut and Schlomo’s eyes suddenly move. It’s body shifts as though waking from a nap. The rabbi gingerly smiles and wipes his brow with a handkerchief.

"Time to go, little one."

Glenda thoughtfully sips her wine, taking in the terroir, the characteristics of the land where the grapes were grown and which affect the flavor. The warm rush of the wine flows through her.

"Agreed. I’ll put together a traveling kit, just in case things get weird." As Glenda well knew, things have a habit of getting weird fast.

Because this is coincidental magic, Conner should roll Arete, difficulty 5 (highest sphere used +3). You'll need a few successes.

Conner writes some runes and sigils on a slip of paper and then goes to the phone booth outside his apartment. Dialing as if letting his fingers move on instinct. But it wasn't instinct it was something else.

It's not a botch, as you had at least one success before the 1s, but the tenuous chance you're reaching for eludes you elusively.

After dialing a wrong number, Conner crumples up the paper and tosses it into a gutter. still don't got this shit down. He walks up into the apartment, and crashes on the couch slamming the door behind him.

July 3, 2019

The day before, Ishtar receives an email invitation and itinery for her orientation tour. When she arrives, she finds a haggard volunteer manning a check in desk, a folding table on the street. Chaos reigns, as volunteers rush about with tools, decorations, and clipboards, arranging the myriad of details a street festival entails.

When she approaches the desk, she finds a few ID tags in as box and a list of performers on a sheet. About half have been checked off.

"Hey gorgeous, looks like a whirlwind here. I'll just pick up my ID, you can check me off and point me to where I can set up. It's Esther Quinn. Ishtar." Esther smiled her warmest smile at the busy volunteer. It was a thing she was able to do, make harried people calm down a little in her presence, make them instinctively like her and welcome her. It wasn't just that Esther seemed to look appropriately attractive to whomever she was speaking to, or that what she wore, in this case a tight sleeveless top and shorts, accentuated her figure in the right way. It was just something, inexplicable.

The volunteer looks up, a smile of recognition on her face. "It is you! Come on, I'll show you." She grabs the ID badge and scratches Ester off the list. "It's just over her. I missed your shows. I had a ticket but my stupid live in partner decided to totally flake and we missed it. When I saw your name, I felt like my karma boomerang was finally coming home. Yay!"

The booth is a bare wood stage with a cloth overhang and a table in front. "There are decorations over in that trailer. There is a large size printer in the tech truck beside it, and a pair of graphic artists to help. Take what you need. My shift at the table ends in 45 minutes and I'll come see if you need any help then. Umm, food and water are over there, bathrooms just inside the community center there, and here's your itinerary for tomorrow."

How do you setup and decorate your booth?

Fortune Telling Booth

Table Layout

"You're an absolute dear!" Esther gave the girl a hug and a peck on her cheek. "I have a new show next week, call my assistant, he'll comp you two tickets. That's him, Taurus!" Behind her, a tanned, well-built young man in wife beater and jeans came forward, hefting a big box. "We brought some things to set up as well. Catch you in a bit then!"

Esther worked her friendly charms on the graphic artists as well, getting them to print her name Ishtar the Immortal, and an ornate signage to go on an easel next to the table: She knows you more than you know yourself. Fortunes told. Crystals read. Lives changed.

Together with whomever else she managed to cajole, they managed to rig a simple tent-like drape around her table, and Esther whipped up a throw rug and tassled cushions, as if from nowhere. The net effect was transformative - a cosy, lamp-lit booth that looked the part for tomorrow's event.

Very cool.

With her deft minor magicks, Esther didn't take too long to set herself up for the event. She spent the evening walking around the streets of North Vegas where she grew up, but didn't hang around late enough for the seedier side of the night to surface.

Back in the hotel for one last night, she was all packed and ready to check out the next morning. The hotel was teeming with families on holiday, people were generally eating and drinking and gambling. She had wanted a swim in the pool, but that was too crowded as well. Esther gave up finding any peace and quiet, and decided to head back to the Community Center. No harm being early. I didn't get a chance to meet the organisers, maybe find out why I was invited.

Glenda does her normal morning routine: breakfast, a yoga dvd, and puttering in her backyard herb garden. She gets her traveling pack ready, showers, and heads for work. While she's at work, she grabs some business cards and postcards for the dispensary to hand out to people.

By the time she gets to the Community Center after work, it'll be about half past 4. Not too late, and the food should be ready.

Conner wakes up, knowing today is the day. He prepares a ritual for himself for some good luck today, making some of his Bad luck from the previous day into a good force. Lighting some candles and drawing some staves onto his back with a henna brush, it is a decent part of his day, hoping that the spell should bring him so good luck or cards at any of the tables today.

After that he reaches out to his usual patron, You coming along for this one Jack? could probably use the help! he waits patiently for any kind of answer. Hoping the spirit may want to cause some shenanigans at the event.

July 4

You arrive at the festival when you do. There is a small line up to get in, and the crowd grows as the day advances. The New Fremont District seems to be attracting a lot of interest, and the investment booths have no shortage of people willing to gamble their savings on a new entertainment district in LV. Mainly, people are here for the carnival, games, and open air gambling.

The kids fall all over the GHN mascots, Gordon the Gecko and Gnash the Gator, and get hopped up on the free Lizard-Leap sports drinks and high energy Chaos Bars. Their screams of ... well, a love for screaming, become a constant.

Ishtar's booth gains consistent attention, with many sight seers claiming to have decided to come at the last minute just to see such as headliner. The biggest draw is, as advertised, acclaimed actress from the Hunger Games and Game of Thrones, Natalie Dormer, who tours the district, stopping to speak with people and sign autographs.

Later in the day, after the afternoon glaring heat passes, announcements start going out for the big prizes available on the Wheel of Fortune, by special invitation only. Volunteers walk through the crowd with invitation samples sent "to randomly selected households in the greater Las Vegas area". Lucky holders of such tickets are invited to proceed to the indoor center to take their turn at spinning to win the big prizes.

---

Conner: Stingy Jack comes and while you manage to exact some hijinks, they're not overly profitable.

---

What do you do?

Waiting outside the convention center I text wiki,

Wiki glances at her wrist computer and returns the message.

A few minutes later Wiki parks her bike at the convention and unzips her leather jacket, revealing the promised T-shirt

Esther enjoyed the popularity of her booth. Many of the visitors seemed genuinely enthusiastic to meet her and get their fortunes told, something which she did easily with hardly any use of her actual powers. One or two of the gentlemen callers were particularly tenacious, but a warm hug and peck on the cheek, and a selfie kept them happy.

She had to admit she was pleased with the turnout on behalf of the community's efforts. Perhaps her old hood might just see some improvement in the years to come. Still, in the back of her mind, nothing explained why she received the invitation. Perhaps some divining later might shed some light. She planned a break from her own booth, intending to tour the entire carnival to see if she could sense anything at all. The Wheel of Fortune lucky draw caught her attention.

Mordecai’s Uber pulls up to the community center. He steps out of the vehicle wearing his usual outfit: black suit, black shoes, white dress shirt, and a black suede fedora on his head. They aren’t just clothes to him; as far as he is concerned, they are a religious uniform. In keeping with his people’s tradition, the rabbi has a robust beard, whitened by age, and long sidecurls. Although he looks to be in his 60s, maybe even 70s, he moves with the alacrity of someone much younger.

Behind Mordecai, Schlomo exits the vehicle; the undercarriage of the car raises by a few inches as he steps out. The other man is noticeably large, easily standing at seven feet, with the countenance of a professional wrestler. He is perhaps half of the rabbi’s age; his hair and sidecurls still dark brown. He is dressed in similar Hasidic fashion to the rabbi, but unlike Mordecai, has no facial hair and wears a yarmulke in place of a fedora. Schlomo’s face is stolid and expressionless; the definition of a poker face.

Amidst the crowds of people gathered at the gala, the Hasidic pair undoubtedly stand out: an old man of small stature and his massive companion. Mordecai sizes up his surroundings, frowns, and walks toward the festivities, waving for his consort to follow. Schlomo marches obediently behind him. His strides are long and purposeful, and his posture perfect. People begin gawking at them the way locals are wont to do; Mordecai is used to it. Some stare outright, while others at least attempt to be polite and restrict their staring to sidelong glances. However, despite his height, most sleepers don’t seem to pay Schlomo much mind. They take in his sheer size for a few seconds, but then shift their scrutiny to the rabbi. Even without trying, attention slides off of Schlomo like water on Teflon.

After greeting Wiki when she arrives with a hand wave, so what you trying to see? personally I wanna see some of these games they have set up. But all of this is pretty overwhelming. He gestures around himself.

Let's go ogle Natalie from Game Of Thrones. Then see what these tickets are all about
Wiki has a mistievous grin on her face.

Glenda walks around, enjoying the music, the wine, and the food. She talks to some of the people, getting a general vibe of how they feel about the redevelopment and if they live in the area. She manages to get a photo with Dormer where they are both holding wine glasses, which makes Glenda squeal just a little. Glenda notices that Ishtar's booth is doing well, and gives her a little wave of encouragement when she walks past.

When they start announcing the Wheel of Fortune, Glenda shows her invitation. Might as well see what this is all about. She notices that the kids are being really loud. Curious, she decides to check out their Life patterns. Glenda takes a small eyedropper full of a specially-prepared herbal formula and puts a couple of drops into each eye. She blinks it in, and then looks over at the children.

You got it, Conner wanders around the center looking for signs of the actress.

...any woman with that smile and that look, can make me jump the fence.
Wiki is projecting confidence and girl power until it's their turn to greet Natalie Dormer. Wiki faulters to a shy 14 years old schoolgirl, that stutters through an autograph request.

When she 10 minutes later sees Glenda drinking wine with Natalie, she is torn between admiration and jealousy towards Glenda.
Ishtar is greeted with hugs and kisses and Wiki introduces Connor.
This man of the arts, is new to the city and thought the Black Pyramid I have set him up with the standard secure tech packet. Mail, phone, and all that. We both got a lucky invitation and going to check it out soon.

Hello Miss, Conner waves nervously to the others, his accent coming out just a tad heavier than usual. Clearing his throat he starts again, I apologize, not used to Las Vegas yet.

Esther was in the middle of a reading when Glenda walked past, so she could only wave at her and signal I'll catch up with you later. She frequented the pharmacy that Glenda worked at, and she half-suspected Glenda knew what she did with all the regular supplies she bought from her.

A while later, she was curious as to why the noise of the crowd in front of her booth quietened a little. With no customer at that time, she popped her head out of her tent to see two Hasidic Jews cross over, one elder, and a younger behind him. "Shalom aleikhem, tzadik!" She called out mischievously. In her semi-diaphanous, pagan, fortune-telling garb she expected the holy man to avert his eyes completely and ignore her.

"Wiki!" She hadn't seen Wiki for almost a year, and was glad to note that she looked happy and well. "And who's this handsome Irish farmboy?" Esther wrapped her arms around Conner effusively, almost too lingeringly. "Welcome to Vegas, we'll make a man out of you yet." She said with a wink.

Glenda's Life magic reveals nothing unusual about the children, other than being stimulated.

Mordecai walks around the festivities with nothing less than a look of stern disapproval plastered on his wrinkled face. He glowers as he watches people indulge in carnival games, gambling, and excessive alcohol. Not that it surprises him; the rabbi expected this kind of behavior and is accustomed to it - the price of living among gentiles in a city like Las Vegas. In an ideal world, Mordecai could isolate himself from such negative influences; surround himself only with those who keep the faith. But life has proven to be not so kind...

The rabbi looks back at Schlomo to make sure that his companion is navigating the crowd carefully and not barreling through those in its way. It had taken Mordecai some time to teach the golem how to act in public. Though the creature is veiled to look like a man and not stone, it is still a tool; albeit a miraculous, divinely inspired one. As a near-mindless extension of Adonai’s might, it needs to be commanded with the respect it deserves. Jewish legend is filled with examples of rabbis who had lost control of their golems, and the consequences of such irresponsibility are terrifying.

From a nearby tent, Mordecai catches a glimpse of a woman shouting and waving at him. He recognizes her clothing: it is Esther. Despite the strong Jewish name, she is an Awakened shiksa preoccupied with a certain ancient goddess of Mesopotamia. In principle, the rabbi finds many of her heathen practices offensive, but his sensibilities hadn’t stopped him from consulting with her in the past. She has a profound knowledge of Biblical era Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent, which has helped Mordecai on his research into potential missing fragments of the Zohar and other Qabbalistic writings. Years ago, it would’ve horrified him to consort with an Awakened pagan like her. Now, it is one of many compromises that the rabbi has made to survive.

Mordecai purses his lips and turns to approach Esther’s tent, with Schlomo in tow. "Shalom."

"What brings you here today rabbi? Not the beautiful Ms Dormer I think." Irreverent as she was, Esther resisted the urge to give Mordecai a welcome hug like she did all others, certain that were she to do so, he'd go into shock. Having had the chance to work with him before, she found him to be dedicated to his research and passion, and for that she respected him.

Being the socialite, Esther instead took the opportunity to introduce people to each other, "Rabbi Mordecai, meet Wiki, and Conner, who's new to Vegas. And also Glenda here."

Finally connecting the dots, "Everyone here received a similar invitation?"

yes, the dots I have connected so far, says that's it's something connected to our address, or location, more than the fact that we are... Awaken

The high tech girl, Wiki, pull's out a notepad, sketch out something looking like an ear, and traced her finger around it. She is feeling for minds that are paying attention to their little group

Wiki senses only the minds paying attention are those in the vicinity that are curious about the booth.

The rabbi enters the tent and greets the others, though he doesn’t shake any hands, if offered. Schlomo silently enters behind him. He looks at Wiki and the others; it’s been a while since he’s been in the presence of so many Awakened. Mordecai responds in his thick Yiddish accent. "So being invited here was not a coincidence?"

Esther fished out her copy of the invite and waved it at the others. "Only one way to find out Mordy," she twinkled affectionately. To the other mundanes hovering near the booth, she blew them a kiss, "Ishtar the Immortal will be back in a few minutes, darlings. She needs to go talk to some very naughty spirits!" And got ready to head to the invitation area.

To try and contact the spirit, make the same Arete roll as before.

Ponty?

Are you all heading to the Wheel of Fortune to redeem your special invitation? Do you go together or separately?

Wiki walks with Ishtar and Glenda, expecting Connor to follow. She has nothing against granddad, but... He's old

"Rabbi," Glenda responds to Mordechai after being introduced to him. She's not actually sure if there's a particular honoriffic you use with a Rabbi, as opposed to "Father" for a priest.

"No, definitely not a coincidence that we all got the invitation. At least, not a normal coincidence."

Glenda heads in with Wiki and her friends, following Esther.

Conner is hugging tight to Wiki, looking at his my Special invitation with the most interest, but looking at the rest of the group. Wondering what this was about to turn into.

As you approach the Community Center, and outta long lines for the indoor bathrooms, you are directed to a smallish hallway that leads to a meeting room. Decorations proclaim the Wheel of Fortune within the room. As you enter, you see the Wheel with a garish Vegas showgirl to the side, and behind her, a police officer in full response gear (vest, utility belt, shoulder cam, gun, etc.)

A bored clerk brings you all inside and the door closes behind you as the clerk examines each of your invitations, and checks against a clip board with a list. The list has a couple dozen entries, and does not fill the page.

"Welcome to the Wheel of Fortune! Each of you will get one spin at the Wheel. The rest of you please line up and stay behind the red line on the floor. Approach the Wheel to the right, cheap the legs and pull down sharply to spin. The Wheel must make two complete revolutions to count. Every spin will win a prize, and once you're prize is determined, please proceed with officer Sharps to the finance room where your prize will be awarded. The live camera here will show the results and you have the right to ask for a review if your understanding differs from the financiers." She checks her instruction list and rereads it quickly, tapping each point with her pen. "Oh yeah, you need to sign before you spin. And my name is Linda Danato. Best of luck!"

---

GM instructions: Describe your approach to the Wheel, then roll a 1d30. You'll then proceed individually to the finance room.

The prizes (all courtesy of local business partners) are as follows:

1-9: New iPhone
10-14: $1000 shopping sprees
15-19: Vacation packages
20-24: Spa packages
25-29: Casino packages
30: New Car - 2019 Chevrolet Volt

Since the invitation was location-based and not directed at a person, Wiki is very curious about what the clerk checks on his clipboard.

Wiki is even more suspicious now, but she plays along. Signing her name as Alex Dalton (ooc: its a fake but plausible name). While she waits for her turn to spin the wheel, she is sensing for connections. Is the wheel gathering DNA or something else?
Wiki lets Connor go before her and while he is spinning, she is on high alert. As he continues into the finance room, she is trying to keep a connection him. Actually, she is trying to ensure that the connection she has to Connor, Isthar, and Gelda is the only connections that are formed while they are inside.

"Why this is almost unfair for Ishtar the Immortal!" Esther sashayed up to the Wheel of Fortune, but didn't spin it. She looked directly at the live camera, Is this thing on and broadcasting? Or is it just to make sure the spin is fair and legit?" She blew a kiss at the camera. "I'd best go last, otherwise my psychic powers might just let me win the top prize!"

Conner walks up, hoping the luck spell he put on himself earlier might give him a little edge at this game, but gives the wheel a hefty shove. As it goes he looks back at Wiki and the others, with a kind of half hearted smile on his face.

Glenda patiently waits her turn at the wheel. She notices Wiki is concentrating and presumes she's doing some sort of perception work, but when Connor's spin comes up, she can't help but yell out in excitement for him. She signs her name on the sheet, doing a quick peek as to what is listed on the clipboard. When it's her turn, she walks up to the wheel as instructed and gives it a nice, solid pull.

At the squeal from Glenda Conner gives her a thumbs up, and then upon seeing her results gives a polite applaud for her as well, unsure how she will respond to it, trying to come off more polite than a dick.

Wiki steps up to the wheel and gives it a spin, and follows Glenda out to collect her iPhone-soon-to-be-spare-parts-for-the-next-project

Conner does the same for Wiki thinking to himself, Maybe that luck spell really did work.

You each take a spin, with Linda then taking a photograph with you beside the ta-da girl, and you're escorted to the finance room where your given a couple pages of tax forms to fill out, as an IRS agent looks on.

Mordecai's huge associate is asked to wait in the hallway to protect the confidentiality of the other winners.

As you're completing this inane but necessary bureaucratic task, Ponty whispers to Conner.

All of you are in the same room, filling out forms at a long table, probably a few paces apart.

Someone's coming and its not good news to any of us.

Wiki whispers back
Thought as much...

Wiki is still focused on the "jamming" she has running on her friends. But it does not seem like there were some strange effects on the wheel

Conner begins zipping up his hoodie, preparing to jump in front of wiki if it is necessary. thanks Ponty, he whispers to his new ghostly companion.

Mordecai tells Schlomo to stand outside the room. He then stares down the wheel like he’s trying to intimidate it.

He considers the matter of gambling for a moment. Depending on one’s interpretation of certain prohibitions in the Mishnah, gambling might be permissible or might not. Even lottery tickets and raffles could be problematic according to some of the stricter rabbinical commentaries. Then again, this entire gala was intended to be for a good cause, which some could argue lifts any type of halakhic ban.

With some hesitation, Mordecai finally approaches. He need not keep whatever prize he wins; it can go to charity. Afterwards he fills out the necessary paperwork while grumbling to himself in Yiddish.

"May the gods of Fortune bless us!" Esther stood on the other side of the wheel from the ta da girl, and raised her arms melodramatically in her over the top showmanship. With a flourish she spun the wheel.

Perfect, Esther wins the Chevrolet Volt!

"Oh my! I did win the car! Ishtar sees all, tells all!" The Vegas performer hugged the ta-da girl excitedly, and turned to make a curtsy and a bow to the camera. "I do hope it's green, or gold even."

She saw Connor whisper to the others; something seemed up. So she continued being the loud distraction and misdirection that she was good at.

Would like to attempt to see where the bootjacks are coming from. Just trying to keep the others on alert.

I think it'd be best if we came back for the rewards later, he grabs wiki by the wrist, they have our names on we can comeback later for them, something has come up, grandma fell and she can't get up. It's a bad lie, hoping bad enough that he hopes wiki and the others pick up on it, but anyone else listening may believe it.

Seeing Conner move more anxiously, Esther also wanted to try to pick up what the ongoing threat might be. Pretending to go into a dramatic trance after spinning the wheel, "Oh I do hope it's a green car, I can see it with my inner eye now...". she closed her eyes as if in happiness.

Note: you've moved from the wheel room to the finance room. Sorry to skip over the winning spin bit. Linda and the tada girl are both bounce-in-place squealing ecstatic. And the car is fully loaded in your choice of color.

Glenda, seeing that something is happening, gets herself up and tries to follow along with Connor's excuse.

Teamwork: each participant can roll and your successes are added. To assist Conner's ruse, Glenda should say something and roll an appropriate Manipulation + Subterfuge or similar check.

Wiki follows Connors lead, and with a quick tab on her leather-covered oversized smartwatchA few seconds later Wiki's and Rabbi Mordecai's phone rings. A pleasant voice tells them both, its a conference call, that it is time to leave before trouble shows up.
While on the phone, she waves off the tax-guy. When he insists, she flips him off, telling him: Do I look like a iSheep? Give it to the bimbo by the wheel! She continues her fake phone call, telling her Virtual Assistant (OCC a several generations ahead version of Alexa/Siri ) that she will be there as soon as she can.
She makes to leave without filing any paperwork.

Oh my God, you were just telling me about her. Oh no. Glenda says as she starts trying to push past the people to get to Conner and help him get away from the crowd. I'm sorry, he needs to go. I'll sign whatever later.

Esther planted a full-on kiss on the ta-da girl's lips, "I need an assistant for my next show, look me up." And winked.

"We're all winners, let's celebrate! I'm taking everyone out for a joyride! Yes that includes you too Mordy. Let's go, no time like the present!" As frivolous as it all sounded, Esther had the same premonition of disaster that Conner appeared to have, and not only was she aiding in Conner's cover, she was trying to find a plausible reason to get them all out of there, fast.

The finance people are, like, tots astonished, okay? They look back at forth and one another then one says, "We'd have the photos for ID later." to which another responds, "Leaving now, you may not get anything, if we can't prove you're who you say you are. Or were."

The multi-boot stomping in the hallway is now audible to everyone.

There is an inside door. It may lead to a closet, or to a mechanical room, or to another hallway; it isn't labeled. The one labeled EXIT is the one the boots are about to stomp through.

Well here goes nothing, leading Wiki to the door Conner swings it open.

The car isn't nearby (it's at the dealership), and none of you have finished the tax forms yet so you haven't been given those prizes.

Which door does Conner go through?

"Darlings, you already have our names and videos. I'll have my assistant come pick up these forms, fill them in, and bring them back to you, how about that? Top prize, I can't wait to celebrate!" Esther kept talking to the two finance people while the rest made for the inner door. She also whipped out her phone, on the pretext of messaging her assistant Taurus about this, but in reality to warn him. "Leave this place now. Will meet up when safe."

Conner yanks open the inner door and finds access to a small maintenance hallway leading directly inward. You see some janitorial supplies and then another door 20 feet in where the hallway stops.

Who else is entering? And what about Schlomo who is outside the outer door?

Wiki follows Connor into the maintenance hallway.
Conner, what is going on? I have followed your lead, so fare, but...

Esther headed for the maintenance hallway door as well, and waited for the rest to come. Once they closed the door behind them, Esther dropped her Vegas showgirl demeanor, and became all business-like and focussed, "I'll seal the room. And see if I can sense who or what they are." She didn't want to do it in thr presence of the people in the other room, but had no qualms with the awakened.

Just trust me, he looks at Wiki with the sternest look he can muster, unless you're trying to learn if you have an allergy to tiny pieces of metal at high velocities.

Glenda is definitely following along into the hallway.

The bunch of you rush into the hallway, Mordecai yelling something in Yiddish over his shoulder. As the door closes behind you, the other door bursts open, and authoritative yelling commences. The finance people start yelling that you went in there and surrendering faster then France when EuroDisney opened with a fireworks display.

Once everyone was safely behind the door, Esther placed her hands on the door and its frame, and willed it to strengthen and thicken the wood and metal, sealing the door to the frame to prevent entry.

Wiki is worried about gun-happy idiots that could be nearby if Connor is to be lived. She pulls out big smartphone and does a google search* for high-density bullet shapes items, packed close together, within 100 meters**

Wiki fails to find the results for which she is searching.

Placing his ear to the door Connor attempts to listen for what is outside the door, using Forces to increase the sound leading towards him.

Mordecai is initially confused by what's going on; he doesn't quite understand what Wiki's text means by "trouble." And then he hears the sound of boots and his eyes widen. Amalekites!

As everyone rushes into the hallway, the rabbi gets pulled along with them. He begins yelling loudly in Yiddish for Schlomo. Unless anyone attempts to stop him, the old Jewish man tries to re-enter the room before Esther completes her Matter ritual.

"Ikh ken nit lozn im hinter!!!"

The door bursts open, and a half dozen SWAT swarm into the room. They're weapons, small, futuristic submachineguns, are strapped on and aim where they look as they secure the room. Two take down the finance clerks, "Down, on the floor, hands to the side." but the other four move to surround Mordecai.

Initiative rolls please.

They were too slow! Esther thought to herself, barely able to make it to the hallway before the SWAT-like officers arrived.

Glenda searches her brain for something to maybe help the group out of this situation.

Conner and Wiki, what do you do?

Initiative Order
Conner 11
Wiki 9
SWAT 9
Glenda, Mordecai 8
Esther 7

With knowledge of the world, I can change the world!
This fundamental mantra is repeated over and over, while Wiki is typing equation into her device. Exchanging gunpowder with sand in the SWART guys guns, would keep everyone safe.

Relying on the magic his old mentor taught him for this particular situation, breaking a small stick with a rune for the number 8 in his hoodie. He makes eye contact with one of the shooters, and attempts to latch onto a bullet in the chamber, and change any kinetic energy into heat, hopefully causing the weapon to misfire or worse.

@BedzoneII: Precisely so.

The SWAT, while not sure what you are doing, move and two surround Mordecai, while three move rapidly toward the door, and one covers the finance people. "Freeze, deviants! Hands out!"

Each of you may act, first the three who haven't acted, then the two who have.

"Don't shoot, officers!" Esther's practiced damsel-in-distress spiel kicked in effortlessly. She screamed in mock panic and crouched into a squat with her arms raised. Doing so gave her a moment to get closer to the floor, and in that action focussed on dispelling all the friction on the section of the floor that the SWAT team was running on towards Mordecai and towards them.

Mordecai immediately puts his hands in the air. As he does, he starts to call for Schlomo in Hebrew, hoping that his companion can hear him.

Glenda fixes her attention on that other door in the hallway. Even if there's no way out, perhaps getting behind that door will giver her half a second of time to grab a couple of vials out of her pack and do something with them. She does a quick duck and turn, and launches herself at the door.

After the others have made their own adjustments, Conner steps to take any incoming fire to Wiki if possible.

Glenda runs down the hallway and skidding to a stop, yanks the door open. She finds an industrial stairwell, leading both up (for at least three floors) and down (at least two).

Stairs!, Glenda shouts as she sees what's behind the door. She ducks into the stairwell and grabs a couple of special oils, getting ready to help get everyone get clear of the hallway.

Conner and Wiki are up.

Still unsure of what is going on, Wiki is frustrated with the situation. Part of her is ready to deal peacefully with the SWAT guys as they haven't done anything wrong. But hearing Glenda's shout forces her into action.
She runs! She runs into the stairway and heads down to the first landing. There she starts to program a small program. One designed to place a suggestion in the targets mind, that they went up

What is the meaning of this!? Conner yells at the SWAT, Seems a poor way to handle your winners!

The SWAT team will try and take Mordecai and Conner down hard. However, this will require Athletics checks since the hardworking maintenance people readily went to town with the flow wax!

The two going for Conner wipe out and fall to the ground, but the three on Mordecai manage to keep their feet. However, their grapple checks with be hindered.

"Get down now!"

That's 2+2+1 successes vs 8 for the grapples on Mordecai.

You're all up, and how does Schlomo respond to this?

The thudding of Schlomo’s heavy set footsteps can be heard as he strides into the room. Mordecai shouts something in Hebrew as the SWAT start taking him down. Silently, the golem (looking like a giant Hasidic Jew) grabs one of the closest SWAT officers and attempts to throw him into one of the others.

Meanwhile, Mordecai doesn’t make any effort to physically resist the SWAT. He keeps his hands in the air and yells, "You are assaulting a rabbi! This is blasphemy! Take your hands off of me!"

The SWAT have acted and so cannot dodge. Roll damage, Strength plus five for the successes. This will be bashing damage rather than lethal.

The giant grabs one officer and slams him into another, and both crash to the ground in a sliding tangle of limbs. The other officers faced with a violent threat, release Mordecai and begin to resume.

While tumbled about, neither officer takes any damage.

As two of the SWAT personnel near Conner fall flat on their faces, and as Schlomo slammed two of those near Mordecai into each other, Esther took the opportunity of their collision and the fact that they all hit the ground hard with great force of impact to make some very subtle adjustments to their weapons to render them more harmless.

Conner, Wiki, and Glenda are up. Mordecai can act for his own self, as well.

Hold your breath and come this way! Glenda yells as she grabs a couple of vials out of her pack and tosses them out onto the hallway floor. She's blocking the door open with her leg for the others to come through.

Wiki is working on her devices, with astounding speed. ...then the behavior prediction software (mind 2) coupled with the door frame... A green laser quickly traces the outline of the doorframe. ... if I flip sink and source then...HA! A short laugh springs from her lips as she realizes that she is hacking her own software.
Finnaly, the trigger...carrying a weapon. That's it! She hits enterCome on, let's go down, but bloody hell, Glenda, don't yell that at them

Conner's accent comes out just a little thicker than usual as he runs back towards Glenda, Bloody hell she can yell all she likes if she gets us out of here don't'cha think?

Angrily Wiki jabs her finger down the stairs, while she with the other hand makes the "hush-be-silent-finger-on-lips" signal

While the SWAT are distracted by Schlomo, Mordecai rushes into the hallway where the others are located. He calls to the golem in Hebrew, telling it to follow him and act as cover.

The five of you run down the hallway and them, into the stairwell and down the stairs, Wiki and Glenda leading the way. Gunfire erupts behind you, but isn't directed at any of you. The huge golem blocks the door, attempting to follow.

You're out of sight of the SWAT. Where do you go?

Wiki is leading them to the parking garage, so they can get back to the festival grounds. But first a quiet corner where she can get some answers from Connor

Schlomo is bringing up the rear, yes. I think Glenda did enact the magic to barricade the door, and as soon as it shuts, the magic will compete. Will Schlomo know to close the door? Hmmmm.

As a further precaution to delay pursuit, Esther added a little delay effect at the head of the stairway to allow Schlomo to get a head start and put some distance from the SWAT gunmen. "Mordy, your golem better not be made of flesh and blood."
"Where do these stairs go anyway?" As she headed down she messaged her assistant Taurus. See if you can find a back entrance, I'll be exiting from there. Bring my 'Taurus'.

Mordecai rushes down the hall as fast as his elderly body allows, clutching his fedora to keep it from falling away. He responds to Esther as he runs, "Schlomo is anger and redemption... kneaded into shape by my own hands." It’s hard to tell if the rabbi is being poetic or literal. He looks back toward the golem.

Conner is tearing it down the hallway.

Glenda is following Wiki's lead, getting to the parking garage and trying to stay low and quiet. When Wiki gets to a quiet corner to talk to Conner, Glenda takes a deep breath to align her energies and concentrates on her perceptions, keeping herself alert for signs of anyone coming.

Conner, what the hell is going on? Are those guys after you???
Wiki is very agitated
Did you get the technocrats on our trail???

Wait why am I getting blamed for this? He is clearly in shock at this point, If it wasn't for me it could have gone a lot worse than it did.

Then how did you know? You knew that they would come with guns

just usual wardes and warnings, paranoid witch 101. He smiles at that, I figured you would understand that one.

Wiki deflates a bit.
Does anyone know what is going on?

Schlomo aside, you make it to the parking garage. A crowd is coming and going, as people arrive or leave the festival. You can easily sneak into a crowd and make your way to safety.

Glenda runs a quick ritual, and doesn't think anyone else is coming down the stairwell.

Where to?

I'm going home. I have some hacking and information gathering to do

"Not so fast honey. I want to know for whom and why the SWAT came. That means us sitting down somewhere and figuring this out between us." Esther eyed everyone who got out, all of whom were clearly mages. She wanted to know why they were being hunted.

Taurus her assistant arrived, a rugged man with a goatee, olive skinned in a smooth tan. He had packed her belongings from the exhibition and was ready to go.

well could be worse, and with that he follows Esther.

Ishtar, dear, my plan is to get to my gear, find information on the SWAT guys, and track their orders to figure out why they raided this..."event". Event is said with some scorn

You are very welcome to sit down in my house at figuring this out between us. My brother is working so he will not be in the way.... I could call him and ask if he knows anything, but that is plan C
Its almost like she is embarrassed to say it. He is a sleeper

Well, do you have a Soldering Iron at your place? Conner asks with genuine interest.

Wiki looks at Conner as if he is an idiot. Yes a full hardware workshop

Why Connor?

May I borrow the soldering iron? though he is clearly playing on looking dumb here, it is hard to not feel like this is going somewhere bad.

Sure, ok. Wiki smiles and relaxes.
What kind of tip do you need? What is the project..... Wiki is happily talking shop with Conner while they get into Ishtars car.

I really just need the soldering iron and this, with that he pulls out a zippo lighter from his hoodie pocket. Next time this happens they'll be in for a surprise.

Conner, Wiki, Ishtar, and Glenda seem to be off.

How about Mordecai, what does he do, given that a valuable pseudo-companion as been left behind?

Mordecai followed along with the others as they get into the parking garage and then disappear into the crowd. He then stops and waits to see if Schlomo is on his tail. After several minutes, when it becomes apparent that the golem didn’t follow, the rabbi wrings his hands in agitation and worry.

He looks at the others. "I can’t leave. Not without Schlomo. I’m not abandoning him to the Amalekites! I need to go back inside. This old Jew still has some tricks up his bekishe..."

Mordecai begins to move away from the crowd, looking for somewhere secluded nearby.

"That wasn't in doubt honey," Esther retorted, "You just sounded like you were going to scamper off on your own."

Empathetic to Mordecai's need to go back for Schlomo, Esther said to the rest, "If you three want to go ahead first and do the research, we'll catch up with you. But we're going to give Mordy a hand with his little Slow-Mo, aren't we?" She was addressing her assistant, who handed to her what must be the daintiest .25 caliber handgun ever made, in pink. "I carry a little Taurus in my purse too." She confessed in a peal of laughter.

Rabbi, do you really think your 'tricks' are up to four heavily armed men with combat training? Glenda spits. I'm sorry, but just blindly charging in is asking for a double scoop of trouble. With sprinkles on top.

With that, she furrows her brows a little.

Wiki, can you tell what the crowd inside is like? Are they getting restless, panicking, freezing up? If we can use the sleepers as a distraction, we can at least plan a little.

Hmm... If I can't do it from home, home must come to me. She starts to fiddle with her wristwatch, then she looks around for any sleeper witnesses. Seeing none she unzips the big side pocket in her jacket. She pulls out a laptop covered with stickers, and after some extra rumage around, with her hole arm inside the pocket, she pulls out a laptop messenger bag.She sits down with the laptop in her lap.
Right, let me get into the local wifi... to easy
Then into the system.... escalate privileges...pivot into security... aaaand.... there! I got security cams

Wiki turns the laptop around showing security feeds from the festival area.

Mordecai stops in mid stride when Esther interjects with her suggestion. He turns to her as she brandishes her sidearm. "I can step beyond this sephira and access the Hekelot to reach Schlomo..." The rabbi, somewhat frazzled, considers for a moment. "In goyish terms, I’ll step sideways into the Penumbra. Maybe we can surprise them..."

He then turns toward Glenda. His eyes narrow and he’s about to give this shiksa a piece of his mind until he hears Wiki speak. "Can you see inside?! Can you see Schlomo?!"

Holy shit! What happened?
The images show that the police and the 'financiers' in the room have been obliterated in some kind of non-physical explosion - the papers aren't scattered, but the bodies are shredded.

Wiki tries to cover her tracks before the issue the rewind command.

@Wiki: Int+computers makes sense, and I'll drop the DC from 8 for each success on a second Wits+Hypertech Roll

@Ester: without Correspondence, your Time Sight only works where you are. Note: the scene in the computer looks just like your previous use of Time Sight

Wiki runs some masking programs with strange symbology, but she is still the newest MAC address on the network

"Apart from going back for Slow-Mo, going back to investigate the scene might be the only way to get clues as to who's after one of us, or all of us."

Glenda looks in horror at the carnage made manifest. I- all. All those people. Those people. What- Who would DO that?

She looks away from the screen, wiping tears from her eyes.

Yeah. Who would DO such a thing? We have to find out.

Some one grabed Slow-Mo, but before the massive feedback loop exploded

She shows the video from after they left. There was a running gun battle in the hallway, but then the battle turns as a middle aged man walks in. The rearward cops turn and then Schlomo rushes to him. The flash of gunfire, a huge flash, ten seconds of No Signal, then the room as you saw it, viscera dripping. Pausing it and frame advancing, you see the man and the golem vanish a moment before a Paradox explosion.

Wiki saves a screenshot of the man, and discornet from the network. Do any of you recognize this man?

"I saw the same image earlier when we were in the room and I used my foresight to visualise what might happen. I may know better, but only if we return to the exact same spot." Esther confirmed what Wiki had retrieved from the cameras.

"Strange man stole your golem, Mordy. Whew, means he's still alive."

Wiki opens a new .txt document on her laptop, and sync it with her phone. She packs her laptop into her messengerbag, a moves towards the festival area with the rest of the group.

* Why did SWAT attack?
* Who is the old guy?
* Where did the old guy take Slow-Mo?

What other questions do we have? Do you have any ideas of where to get answers?

Wiki stars writing a e-mail to Ralph at The Black Pyramid Chantry, asking if they know the old guy. She attaches the screenshot to the email.

Mordecai looks at the screen in horror. "Schlomo’s been golem-napped?!" A string of agitated Yiddish escapes the rabbi’s mouth; it could be a series of expletives, or, more likely, a prayer. "What kind of kadokhes steals another man’s divine construct? Esther is correct. We need to investigate that room."

With the tools he gets at Wiki's Conner will burn some needed runs into his zippo lighter, and then follow wiki as best he can to any needed location.

Mordecai and Ester were maybe returning to the scene of the crime? Who is going with them?

Hearing that they want to go back in, Wiki repeat her deep pocket trick. After some rummaging, she pulls her hand out cursing her self.
I'm an idiot! The ward I wanted to try out on the gun safe works perfectly. I have locked myself out. CRAP!

Wait up guys, I'm coming with

"Hey handsome," Esther saw Conner fiddling with his lighter. "What are you trying to fix up? Maybe I can give it a wiggle. If it's a thing I can make it another thing, and I don't need a soldering iron to do it, if you catch my drift."

"I need to find somewhere private. I’ll be back in a moment." Mordecai starts moving away from the crowd again. He’s looking for anything that might provide him some privacy from the prying eyes of sleepers; perhaps a nearby public building.

Thanks I think I got it though, not sure how your magic works, but I'm interesting to see how you perform transmutation, it's obvious Conner doesn't seem to pick up on any subtle cues.

Returning the way you came, you quickly arrive through the maintenance corridor to the backway into room. Wiki has shown to you that the room is recorded by security camera.

What do you do?

Mordecai looks at the camera, mumbles to himself, and returns to the cabal.

"I need to get into the room where the man vanished. I want to check the Gauntlet. Maybe the stranger is using the Seder Hishtalshelus to move himself and Schlomo. If so, then we need to go somewhere private so that I may ride HaShem’s chariot to the hekhalot."

"Wiki, be a dear and do something with the security cameras before we re-enter? Don't fancy us caught on candid camera again."

Wiki's face is split in an evil grin. Open her laptop and target the security cameras and the recording server with a massive DDoS attack. The goal is to destroy the security camera system and the recorded video of a paradox explosion.

Wiki knows the backdoors, having already traced the protocols for the network. Not only that, but she had also traced the Technocracy's sniffers, so knows how to go around undetected. Erasing the files and disabling the cameras without leaving a digital footprint is accomplished easily. Leaving a DDOS trail is more time consuming but accomplished straightforwardly by leaving fake network activity data in the log files.Wiki can regain 3 Willpower for effecting this beneath the watching eyes of the Technocracy.