21:04 <Crion> In Canton, a bunch of nerds (vampires, changelings, mages, etc) and a cool wolf guy hang out in an alley. At a slightly different time, at UMBC, three prospective "students" wrap up their campus visit. And Tony's having a good time with the Flatbill Squire (Bill) in the Hedge. 21:06 <Crion> It's Gaunt Rose, Stewart, and Sobriquet (vampire), Sommelier (mage), Cuth (werewolf). Stewart's finished telling his story (or not, up to him) and now it's time to decide what to do. 21:07 <Crion> As for Tony, the Flatbill Squire seems to be expecting him to take the cap off of his head. 21:08 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart's described what he saw, and what he knows about the machine. "Also, they clocked your van, if you hadn't figured that out already." 21:09 <Crion> Gaunt Rose: "Told you!" 21:09 <Crion> Sobriquet waves a hand irritably. "They're nondescript. We can't be putting brands on them." 21:09 <CBN> Tony reaches out, and pauses. "Not to look a gift...hob in the...hat...but does it have to look like that? Hat-wise. I dunno if this is one of those things where it can magick up to whatever suits the wearer or what." 21:11 <Crion> Bill: "It'll fit ya's head, if that's what ya's asking. If ya's don't like brown, I seen't it charcoal and dark green before's." 21:11 <CBN> Tony: "Can it be a baseball cap?" 21:13 <CBN> Tony flexes his hand, inches from the hat. "Listen it's not a dealbreaker or anything but I'm learning to ask this stuff before I agree to weird bargains, you know?" 21:13 <Crion> Bill: "The fuck is a--" 21:13 <CBN> Tony: "Whatever we'll figure it out. He takes the hat. 21:13 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Everyone at Apex Oil went really hard, but they didn't seem especially wiped out or injured afterward, either. And now there's three of them." 21:14 <Crion> The Flatbill Squire immediately relaxes. And when the hat pops off his head into Tony's hand...hey, whatta ya know. Guy's got no eyes. 21:14 <Crion> It's not like, a horror movie or anything. They haven't been torn out. 21:14 <Crion> Just, no eyes. Smooth skin there instead. 21:15 <CBN> Tony pauses before putting it on his head. "Wha-hey. You good getting...home? Something? From here?" 21:16 <Crion> He nods, totally normally. "There ya's go. That's ya's seal of office! I'll be around if ya's need to ask about past business or the rules or something's, but most Barons, they's like their inde--" 21:16 <Crion> He frowns. "Ya's dang right I'm good! That hat gets ornery when it's not on a Baron!" 21:17 <Crion> Cuth shrugs. "We can probably take it." 21:17 <CBN> Tony: "You know where to find me if you ever need help, right? Since I guess if I'm doing this, you're one of my lil' guys now too." He puts on the hat and makes a really stupid pinched-up face, attempting to will it to look like a hat he would actually wear. 21:18 <Crion> Bill: "Ya's got that right! Just ask the hat and I'll's come running! Don't do it too much." 21:18 <CBN> Tony: "Oh! Cool beans. Well, nice meeting you Bill, I'll s---woof. I'm sure we'll run into each other soon!" Smooth. 21:19 <Crion> The hat sort of...well, it tries. It really wants to be a flatcap. But it gets most of the way to the 1976 Orioles hat Tony's thinking of...just a bit weird in the back. 21:19 <CBN> Party in the back. 21:22 <Crion> Stewart can tell that by 'we can probably take it,' Cuth probably actually means 'I don't think I'D die.' He doesn't seem blessed with much passive care for the well-being of others. 21:23 <Crion> And, well, as werewolf, he probably wouldn't? 21:23 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Take it where is the question. Like... what's the goal, here? What are you all trying to accomplish?" 21:25 <Crion> Sommelier: "We need them out of the city." 21:26 <Crion> Sobriquet: "The Court of Baltimore is willing to accept that, but we'd like remuneration for our lost kindred." 21:26 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Remuneration as in, of the eye-for-an-eye variety?" 21:27 <Crion> Sobriquet shrugs. "It doesn't have to be so dramatic. But it doesn't look like they've got much else." 21:34 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Okay. So why do they like it here? Neither of them are from the area. They got chased here and they decided to make their stand. Whether or not you guys can take 'em, it's now very obvious that the direct threat of violence does not persuade them to leave." 21:34 <VoxPVoxD> "So you can either try to exterminate them - and here the risk isn't so much losing and dying as that they get away, go to ground, and begin sustained asymmetrical warfare to hurt you on purpose, instead of incidentally to help people - or you can figure out what they want and where besides Baltimore they can get it." 21:43 <Crion> Rose smiles hopefully at that, but the others don't look too convinced. Sommelier: "Perhaps that's an argument for negotiation...but it also might be one for indirect violence. To attempt to resolve this problem covertly and finally, in one blow." 21:43 <Crion> Cuth: "Borrrring." 21:44 <Crion> Sobriquet: "Oh god, not explosives again." 21:44 <Crion> Sommelier: "They wouldn't be mundane explosives." 21:46 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "That puts a lot of faith in your ability to evade detection. Their new ward, at a minimum, can see through magical invisibility and detect supernatural energy." 21:46 <VoxPVoxD> "Plus, they know you're after them already." 21:47 <Crion> The mage grimaces at that. "He was able to see through yours?" 21:47 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart nods. 21:47 <Crion> Sommelier sighs. "And changelings admittedly are best-in-class at that..." 21:47 <Crion> The vampire snorts. 21:49 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I just don't think violence gets you anywhere you want to go, to say nothing of the political consequences of another domestic terrorist attack - regular police and government agents aside, do any of you guys want DC's shadow cabinets to start thinking maybe we can't govern or defend ourselves again?" 21:54 <Crion> That question is much harder for Sommelier and Sobriquet to brush aside, though Cuth's response is mostly a blank stare. Werewolves don't much get involved in federal politics, one supposes. 21:54 <VoxPVoxD> The Park Rangers are federal, 21:54 <Crion> Well, that's not to say they're averse to taking a bite out of big government. 22:01 <Crion> Sobriquet: "You make...fair...points." He glances over at Rose. "Guess the Freehold sent its best talkers." 22:02 <Crion> "But we won't be negotiating from a place of strength if they know they can simply kill us." 22:02 <Crion> Cuth: "Hey!" 22:03 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "They'd probably think they could do that even if they couldn't. Not much you can do." 22:03 <VoxPVoxD> "Youth, you know?" 22:03 <Crion> Sobriquet: "If we died, you'd just get bored and leave." 22:03 <Crion> Cuth: "...Well," 22:03 <Crion> Sommelier sighs. "In that case, it seems you two would understand them best." 22:07 <Crion> Rose: "Are you asking the Freehold to take lead on this?" 22:07 <Crion> She glances at Stewart. Does he even want to take lead on this? 22:08 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart gives her a look back like, somebody's got to do it. "So long as the Task Force has an agreed-upon mandate and the blessing of their respective courts and consilia, we can get it done." 22:09 <VoxPVoxD> "We just need to know what kind of deal Baltimore is prepared to honor." 22:12 <Crion> Sommelier: "The Consilium merely wants them gone. We have no problem wishing them well on their way." 22:13 <Crion> Sobriquet: "The Court would like at the very least a formal apology to the Prince. In lieu of treasure, territory, or blood. Because we certainly don't want the van. After that, sure, on their way." 22:13 <Crion> Cuth: "Yeah that's cool. I mean, uh. That sounds cool." 22:14 <Crion> So the Consilium, Court, and Pack of Baltimore are all agreed. 22:19 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart's plan is for him and Rose to walk over to their place right now in full view and stick a note in their mailbox with the invitation, and a contact number for Rose and/or Stewart to let them know where and when. 22:19 <Crion> With the Freehold so empowered, the Absolute Boy and Girl's apartment is just down the street, so they can do that quite easily unless Stewart wants to go through the motions of trying to oathbind the task force members to their word. Surely they're good for it, though. 22:21 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart thinks that to some extent that what lubricates interentity relations is letting everyone fantasize in their own special way about how they'd totally get one over on all the other guys. Forcing vampires and wizards to be honest with others and themselves is a direct attack on that. No oath. 22:23 <Crion> The Absolute Kids live in a two-unit two-story, but both mailboxes are outside on the stoop in a concrete hutch...thing. Since it seems Stewart's not using Light-shy, as he opens the drop box for the second floor unit there's a whistle from the window upstairs. The Absolute Boy is peering down suspiciously at both Stewart and Rose. At some point it appears he took his shirt off. 22:24 <Crion> He looks more than a little bit suspicious. "You're the fairies." 22:24 <Crion> He pauses and reddens slightly. "Okay, that was the wrong way to phrase that." 22:24 <VoxPVoxD> God this is high school all over again 22:24 <Crion> "You're the. Uh." 22:24 <Crion> He's snapping his fingers. 22:25 <Crion> "What is it. Not changelings, they're the little fake babies left behind. I saw that movie." 22:27 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart looks chagrined. "Changeling works. We want to settle this. Just let us know when and where you're willing to talk, we can guarantee no violence." 22:27 <Crion> The Absolute Boy: "Oh. Well." 22:28 <Crion> "I mean, we've got all night, and two six-packs of beer." 22:28 <Crion> "If it's all the same to you we could just..." 22:28 <VoxPVoxD> "..." Stewart looks at Rose. What's her reaction to the offer? 22:28 <Crion> From inside the apartment, the Girl: "Don't you fuckin' say it." 22:29 <Crion> The Boy: "...have a chat?" 22:29 <Crion> Rose will give a slight nod; her reaction to the Boy is a bit frosty. 22:30 <VoxPVoxD> Very understandable. "Sure, okay. We'll come up." 22:30 <VoxPVoxD> "...is the Saint okay?" 22:30 <Crion> Everyone else is getting together back at the Wherehouse, presumably. There's still some work to do on this cult...thing?...that's taking over UMBC before Nels's favor to the Autumn Court is formally complete. 22:31 <Crion> The Boy: "Yyyeeah. I wouldn't call him that anymore. Call him...eh, don't call him anything, yet. He's thinking about him. Call him undeclared." 22:31 <Crion> "I'll buzz you in." 22:32 <Crion> He does; door upstairs is unlocked. 22:32 <VoxPVoxD> Excelsior! 22:33 <Crion> The apartment is abnormally hot for January; maybe something's up with the radiator? You're gonna be sweating. Makes the beers crispier, though. 22:34 <Crion> The Undeclared is sleeping on the couch...though every so often his eyes flicker (not flutter) open and his mouth moves silently before he slips back to sleep. 22:35 <Crion> "Yee-up," says the Boy, "He's been doing that." 22:35 <Crion> "I think they're like machines, you know? He's. I guess. Changing up his BIOS? I don't really 'get' computers." 22:36 <Crion> The Girl, more seriously: "So who are you two?" 22:37 <VoxPVoxD> Gross. But beer makes up for a lot. "My name's Stewart. This is Rose. We're-- our job is to try and help people in situations like ours understand each other." He looks at the fallen angel periodically, with apparent concern and fascination. 22:38 <Crion> Rose nods. "We're here on behalf of our people...but we're also representing the Court, the Consilium, and the Pack of Baltimore." 22:38 <Crion> The Boy looks blankly at her, then at Stewart. 22:40 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "The vampires, wizards, and werewolves." 22:40 <VoxPVoxD> "The dudes in the van." 22:40 <Crion> Understanding dawns. "Ohhhh. Cool!" 22:41 <Crion> The Girl: "It's good everyone in this city has their shit together enough they can do that." 22:41 <Crion> The Boy: "I'm guessing the vampires aren't too happy with us." 22:43 <VoxPVoxD> "Keeping our shit together is an ongoing process," he says to the Girl. To the Boy: "Vampires don't always agree on a lot, but they all react pretty much the same way to danger. Obviously, you guys are pretty dangerous. What should we call you, by the way?" 22:44 <Crion> Boy: "I'm Trent, that's--" Girl: "Nicki." 22:44 <Crion> Boy: "No last names." 22:45 <VoxPVoxD> "What brought you two to Baltimore?" 22:46 <Crion> The Boy: "We were looking for something. Didn't find it." 22:47 <Crion> The Girl: "We're private people, most of the time. We like to keep it that way when we can." 22:48 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "And having not found it, are you planning to move on?" 22:49 <Crion> The Girl: "We don't particularly have a choice. Not after...well, you were there." 22:49 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Yeah. Is there any way we can help?" 22:50 <Crion> The Boy: "Question's mainly where, but we keep our own...uh...we keep...we keep it to ourselves." 22:50 <Crion> The Girl: "'Counsel,' babe." 22:50 <Crion> "Right." 22:51 <Crion> To Stewart's question: "We're on a month to month lease here, and even if we weren't we'd just, skedaddle tonight. The angels or whatever the hell claimed they'd set up checkpoints on I-95 and I-83 out of town, though." 22:54 <VoxPVoxD> "I'm guessing airport security is also a problem." 22:54 <Crion> The Boy snorts. "We're not leaving the van." 22:55 <Crion> The Girl: "Our plan is to wait until like, 3 AM, with no one on the road, and make a run for it." 22:55 <Crion> The Boy: "If it's a fight, it's a fight." 22:55 <Crion> "Plus, by then I'll be sober again." 22:55 <VoxPVoxD> "With the Undeclared in the back." 22:56 <Crion> The Boy: "There's no way to go home and he cannot under any circumstances stay here. So. Yeah." 22:58 <VoxPVoxD> "Okay. I think we can help you, a little at least - a good luck charm to ease your passage. I hear Denver's nice. We just need one favor before you go." 22:58 <Crion> The Boy: "Shoot." 23:00 <VoxPVoxD> "We'd like to draft a letter of apology to the Prince of Baltimore - the head vampire - and have you guys sign it. That, you know, you acted out of passion and you're sorry for the damage and the loss of life." 23:01 <Crion> The Boy screws up his face. "I'm not, though." 23:01 <Crion> The Girl: "You're gonna sign it." 23:01 <Crion> The Boy: "But I'm not sorry!" 23:01 <Crion> "And vampires aren't alive!" 23:02 <Crion> The Girl, to Stewart: "He'll sign it." 23:02 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "They know you're not sorry. It's a pride thing. Obviously not going to be used as a legal confession or anything." 23:03 <Crion> The Boy: "Just make sure the letter points out that I completely wrecked them. Wasn't a challenge. Maybe I could give them some pointers." The Girl is shaking her head 'no.' 23:06 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Cool. It'll just take us a few minutes to work out the language..." 23:12 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart and Rose go back and forth a little and present the duo with the finished letter on a legal pad, and a pen. 23:13 <Crion> The Girl is impressed with it; the Boy grumbles but as long as it doesn't actually require him to like, Facetime Lister and fake a smile, he can stomach the bureaucratic L. He already got the IRL W. 23:14 <VoxPVoxD> Taking the L is such an important life skill. 23:14 <Crion> He spent the downtime getting the van packed and ready; there really wasn't much to move once it was clear they were leaving the furniture. 23:15 <Crion> As they sign, the Undeclared sits bolt upright, freezes in place, and then something kicks in and he yawns and stretches like a perfectly normal human. 23:15 <Crion> His features have built around him into a different person; he's now a slightly older, slightly shorter Hispanic man who looks like he works in a physical trade like construction or landscaping -- but still has excellent hair. 23:17 <Crion> He blinks. "Ah. You two." 23:17 <Crion> The Absolute Boy and Girl start, but he shakes his head. "No, the OTHER two." 23:17 <Crion> "Hello." 23:17 <Crion> Rose frowns. "Hello. Have we met?" 23:17 <VoxPVoxD> Are these angels Huntsmen of a kind? Stewart has to study the Machine more deeply... but this chapter is closing. He and Rose can be proud of the work they did. If the Machine is watching, and Stewart believes in his soul it is, so can it. "Glad you're doing better." 23:19 <Crion> To Rose: "I asked you for the time on the corner outside three days ago. I was guised as an aging day-laborer. Perhaps not too different from this. Details are fuzzy." To Stewart: "Thank you." 23:19 <Crion> The Boy: "Well get a spring in it, big guy. We are leaving the great city of Baltimore." He says this as he signs the letter with a flourish. 23:20 <Crion> The Undeclared: "You are taking me with you?" 23:20 <Crion> The Girl: "That was the deal." 23:20 <Crion> He nods. 23:20 <Crion> He stands. "When?" 23:20 <Crion> The Boy: "Like right fuckin' now." 23:20 <Crion> He glances at Stewart. "Right?" 23:21 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart nods. "The three of you are free and clear, at least as far as we're concerned." 23:21 <Crion> The Boy: "Booyahhh" 23:21 <Crion> The Undeclared: "Then I will wait in the van. Stewart, it was good to see you again." 23:22 <VoxPVoxD> "You too. Good luck." 23:22 <Crion> The Girl: "So, what kind of mojo you have for us?" 23:25 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Smoothing out the wrinkles of the Wyrd. Just a minute--" 23:26 <Crion> Back at the Wherehouse, what direction are Nels, Maggie, and presumably the newly-minted Baron taking on the motley's investigation of "the Church of the Center of the Sun, or something like that," as reported by Claire of UMBC Undergraduate Admissions? 23:27 <dammitwho> Perhaps Google dot com search has some results on the subject? 23:27 <trenchfoot> After Nels gives a brief overview - missing persons on UMBC campus, we know the names of two of them but not where, why, or how, and we did a campus tour with Melanie - Nels asks: "Have you heard of that, Tony? Because I don't think any of us had." 23:28 <Crion> Sadly Google does not return anything on "Church of the Center of the Sun." 23:28 <dammitwho> "NICE HAT BY THE WAY," Maggie calls from her room. 23:28 <dammitwho> Oh. Well, this thing is just useless. 23:28 <trenchfoot> Two of the three, that is, and one of the street preachers had gone missing, also. 23:29 <dammitwho> simply buy a pitching machine and shoot the balls back at the students 23:29 <dammitwho> whoops 23:29 <trenchfoot> I don't see how that will help our current predicament, but it's a good thing to keep in mind. 23:29 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Well, the computer doesn't know anything about them. I'm no detective." 23:34 <CBN> Tony: "Doesn't ring any bells off the top of my head, which, thank you yes, is covered by this amazing new hat." 23:35 <Crion> Steve walks in, sees the hat, and immediate HONKS loudly and proudly...then bows and spreads his wings. 23:35 <Crion> This is almost certainly literally the first time you've seen the lil guy genuflect. 23:36 <CBN> Tony: "So we're looking for some missing persons, and I don't mean to sound like a hammer looking for nails here---hey Steve, thank you, thank you---but if I can get something important that belonged to one of them, I could drop the same whammy I did to find Gary." 23:37 <CBN> Tony: "But that carries with it the risk of running in blind if we don't know what this Sun thing is, so. Up to you guys!" 23:37 <Crion> The hat is amazing, by the way. It still doesn't really know what a baseball cap is supposed to look like, so the front of it is almost a batting helmet -- because that's what Tony's remembering, a batting helmet from a baseball card or something -- and then it softens and gathers into a weird white back-of-a-flattop-cap at the back. 23:38 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart shuts his eyes and concentrates, muttering about the principle of Royalty, of prince and princess and solemn knight-errant, of the day late and the dollar short, of racing the sunset west to catch it at the spine of the continent. The two of them are enveloped briefly in a swirl of autumn embers, wishing them peace and beauty, and the wishing makes it so. The skin-crackly static 23:38 <VoxPVoxD> electricity feeling of power in the room builds and dissipates like a breath of air. 23:39 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart opens his eyes slowly. "Okay, you're good." 23:39 <Crion> The Girl whistles low. The Boy says: "Fuckin' gnarly." 23:40 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Thanks for being so straight up with us." 23:41 <trenchfoot> It is a very nice cap, though not really what Nels thinks of as "a baseball cap." They used to be... lumpier. "If we can get something of theirs, that would be excellent... I'm worried about that cult though." She didn't find anything on the internet either. 23:41 <Crion> The Boy and Girl keep their goodbyes short -- they just take the last six-pack from the fridge ("We've got one in the van," says the Boy, confidently unconcerned with state and federal law) -- and soon they've locked up. 23:42 <Crion> Down in the alley, the Girl gets behind the wheel; the Boy's already sitting shotgun, fooling with an old iPod, feet up in flip-flops. Through the open window: "We appreciate you clearing the way. I'd like to say it'd be good to see you again, and it would, but..." She shrugs. 23:42 <Crion> Rose: "Yeah." 23:42 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart just nods. 23:43 <Crion> "But hey, if you're ever in Denver...or wherever we've been chased to after that..." 23:43 <Crion> She puts it in drive. "Seeya if we seeya." 23:43 <VoxPVoxD> When they're gone: "Fuuuuuuuuuuuucccccckkkkk." 23:43 <Crion> The Undeclared nods from his own window seat as the Absolute Van pulls out, and then it's gone down the street. 23:44 <Crion> Gaunt Rose: "I'm taking some vacation." 23:44 <Crion> "I think we get vacation." 23:44 <Crion> Steve, for his part, immediate turns the genuflection into snatching a beer from the fridge. 23:46 <CBN> Tony opens his hand up in the universal gesture of 'huck one of those bad boys this way' at Steve. 23:47 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "If we don't, we can unionize," 23:47 <Crion> Steve reaches into the fridge and with one smooth motion twists and hurls a longneck by that longneck into Tony's hand with a THWAP. It turns over perfectly once in the air. 23:48 <Crion> Rose: "Thanks again for your help on this one. I...probably could have gotten it done by myself. Probably." She smiles. "Much better to have help." 23:48 <Crion> "And make it certain." 23:48 <dammitwho> Baseball Steve...!!! 23:49 <CBN> Tony gives an air-cheers to Steve. "My man." And turns back to the group. "So, computer's out, anyone else know anyone who would know about...I dunno, 'cults' ?" 23:50 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Thanks for giving me a chance. I think we work really well together." 23:50 <Crion> Rose: "Yeah. Okay, I'd like to say we should grab something to eat, but I've got a thing I'm now an hour late for." 23:51 <Crion> "Say hi to Lauren for me; I'll see you at the office...whenever." 23:51 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Will do." 23:51 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Stewart?" 23:52 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Or one of the wizards?" 23:52 <VoxPVoxD> +0 dead bodies, +4 friends. Fucking scoreboard. The Machine simply cannot pose a fair challenge they cannot surpass. 23:52 <CBN> Tony: "Stewart first please, no offense to the wizards but once you get wizards into a thing, it's a wizard thing." 23:53 <Crion> Well the good news is that the narrator has released the temporal narrative freeze on Stewart keeping him in Canton...now. 23:55 <VoxPVoxD> After getting home late with beer on his breath, Stewart spends the morning recording a new video guide and then it's to the Wherehouse. He pushes his way in, arms weighed down by groceries. "Hey guys." 23:55 <Crion> HONK! Steve is in an excellent mood. He will not help with the groceries, however. 23:56 <CBN> Tony rushes over to help him with the groceries. "Stewart! I'm a Baron now! Let me help you with that." 23:56 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Oh shit! What are you Baron of?" 23:56 <dammitwho> "Stewart!" Maggie will help with the groceries also. Stewart's a bit scrawny, he shouldn't be carrying stuff like that. 23:57 <trenchfoot> ...if there's anything left to help with, Nels will too, but one assumes that three people can handle the groceries one person was bringing in. 23:58 <trenchfoot> Though, hey, he brought them all the way here, so she can at least take them the rest of the way. 23:59 <CBN> Tony: "Well officially 'the Lesser Ones' but that's rude, since it's about the hobs, so, 'the Lil' Guys' works better." 00:05 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "No one better qualified. Also, god tier hat." 00:06 <CBN> Tony: "Thank you! When you have a minute we all have a question about a cult. Maybe a cult?" 00:07 <Crion> It doesn't not sound like a cult. 00:08 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart grabs one of the beers that's cold in the fridge while making room for the new ones. "Like a demon cult or like Scientology?" 00:10 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Like what now?" 00:12 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I don't know what a period-appropriate analogy would be. Cults like that are very late-20th-century. There's also like, I dunno, Jonestown, the Moonies. Like basically there's cults that are secretive because they sacrifice virgins and cults that are secretive because they launder money for celebrities. Where on the spectrum are we?" 00:12 <trenchfoot> "Church of the Center of the Sun," Nels offers. "Is what they're actually called. We couldn't find anything about them and the campus tour guide didn't seem keen on sharing much more than the name." 00:13 <CBN> Tony: "...demon cult?" He's still about a half a mile back, hung up on that one. 00:13 <trenchfoot> "Santander asked me to look into some missing persons at UMBC. Lauren knew two of the names, but not the third - though one of the street preachers hasn't been seen in a bit so they might be #3?" 00:15 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Alright, let me see those names..." 00:21 <Crion> There's not much on Row -- really anything that Stewart is absolutely certain is him; it's not an incredibly common name but there are a few, and user accounts are an extremely fickle source of inference -- maybe this Michael simply rows as a sport. Barkeley was on a girls' lacrosse team that lost the state finals last year, and was on the UMBC team this year; it's a spring sport, which is 00:21 <Crion> why she showed up early in the Winter Session, for practices and such. 00:21 <Crion> Still, not much. 00:21 <Crion> The church, though... 00:21 <Crion> Well, first off, it's not really Claire's fault per se because how was she to know this was important? But it's not "The Church of the Center of the Sun." 00:22 <Crion> It's "The Church of Sun's Cinders." 00:22 <VoxPVoxD> Kind of strained: "Aah." 00:23 <Crion> And their website, adorned with a cracked solar emblem that seems to be burning off or dripping or something...if he had to guess, this is one of those sites where the landing page is for normies, and those who know have a link to a login page. 00:23 <VoxPVoxD> Anything in the front page's source code? 00:29 <Crion> There's one thing that's easy to find -- the login link is hidden in the sun emblem itself, which is clickable. More difficult is the FTP access, which is only findable by clicking a precise pixel in the margin of the page, and even then the only way to know it's there is through really getting elbow-deep into that stylesheet. This takes Stewart to a file directory where there is only one 00:29 <Crion> file: rejoice.brn. 00:29 <Crion> A quick search of what that file extension is shows it's used by propriety "BrainStorm" software, for organizing ideas...? 00:29 <Crion> Anyway, it seems like you could download it. 00:30 <Crion> Looks like it was last modified yesterday. 00:32 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart downloads it through the VPN. "I found a website for the Church of Sun's Cinders, and this file here hidden on that website." 00:33 <Crion> Opening it in a text editor gives you gibberish, which isn't exactly unexpected. 00:33 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Oh! Um, I guess she got the name wrong? And wow, that was fast." 00:34 <trenchfoot> "...name's still pretty ominous, though." 00:34 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart texts Lauren: <hey does the firm have a BrainStorm license. we got a secret cult file we need to open> 00:35 <Crion> Lauren: <lol no. but we will in 20 min, ill call santander> 00:36 <VoxPVoxD> <<3> "Okay, Lauren's gonna get us the program we need to open this file. How are you guys doing?" 00:36 <dammitwho> Maggie: "College is for the birds." 00:37 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Other than the disappearances thing, I'm doing well, actually! The tour was a nice way to confirm I'm doing the right thing." Even if it's not really in UMBC's area of expertise. 00:38 <VoxPVoxD> "Did you see all the buildings that are like weird forts?" 00:38 <trenchfoot> She makes a face. "Yes, well. It wasn't all roses." 00:40 <Crion> Lauren, momentarily: <uhhhhh https://www.brainstorminc.com/ these guys??> 00:40 <Crion> <santander wants to know why before spending 5 figs on an enterprise license. says call him> 00:41 <Crion> Checking the site, it seems you've stumbled across the proprietary software file belonging to a massive private consulting firm that works with transnational corporations and the United States government. 00:43 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I guess this cult has corporate enterprise software." 00:43 <VoxPVoxD> "I gotta call Santander. One sec." He dials. 00:43 <CBN> Tony: "Oh! So maybe it's the money laundering one after all." 00:43 <Crion> Picks up on the second ring. "HELLOOO!!! STEWART." 00:44 <Crion> "I wanted to CONGRATULATE you on the ISSUE WITH THE HERO CHILDREN!" 00:44 <Crion> "I HAD NOT YET DONE THAT!" 00:44 <Crion> "Why do you wish to buy a SINGLE NON-TRANSFERABLE LICENSE to some DIPSHIT TECH SCAM!!" 00:46 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Lord Sage! Thank you, I'm really proud of what Rose and I were able to do. So we're on this missing persons at UMBC thing, right? And we've tied a cult to it, or something with the trappings of a cult, called the Church of Sun's Cinders. I dig around, find their website. Dig around *on* their website, find a carefully hidden FTP access to a server with one file, which is 00:46 <VoxPVoxD> proprietary to the BrainStorm software. Getting the license was just the first thing that popped into my mind, I didn't research the cost or anything first." 00:46 <VoxPVoxD> "Any other ideas?" 00:47 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Maybe the cult part is just a scam to get people to buy the software." 00:48 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I don't think people would go for that?" 00:49 <trenchfoot> She's not actually sure, because this stuff seems really stupid, but they claim to have sold it to multiple real companies already. 00:50 <Crion> Santander: "AHA! THIS MAKES MORE SENSE. Technically, NEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSS should be repaying this favor! You WORK TOO HARD!" 00:50 <Crion> "If you must simply READ the file, I will task Ravens to STEAL THE SOFTWARE!" 00:51 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Excellent! Thank you so much!" 00:51 <Crion> "CHECK THE FTP IN ONE HOUR'S TIME. FAREWELL!!!!" 00:52 <Crion> He hangs up. 00:52 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Alright. They're going to pirate the software and we should be able to look at the file in an hour." 00:52 <VoxPVoxD> "Did you meet any cultists?" 00:53 <trenchfoot> Nels: "None that we were aware of. Just heard of them from our guide." 00:54 <trenchfoot> "She did say they came around in a bus, with only two people on it. Set up next to a fundamentalist preacher - I think he's disappearance #3, because they came back and he stopped."