Rodrigo (to Vares and Octavian)
Fine. You two stay here and duke it out. As for me, duty comes before pride and what others may think of my honor. I am going through the mirror. See you on the other side.
And then he is gone.
[color=red]Look, your cute and sweet. But stop treating me like some mundane noblewoman. I am a Hermetic Maga, a Flambeau. My pater was Antonio Perez, my father. My mentor is the infamous Pietro of Flambeau in the Alps. I have had to fight and kill several times in my career. I am the one who slew the dragon of Vergeeth Swamp. I had the old school gauntlet of the Flambeau, where they used to drop you off somewhere in the wolrd unequipped and unaware of your location, and you had to find your way back home on your own. If he looks at me the wrong way, I'll poke his eye out or fry him with lightning bolts.
Having said these bold words to soothe her pride, she will still demure to you naturally and let you do the talking.
"I would never have thought a Tremere would make excuses to avoid Certamen. If your accusations were true, you would wish them vindicated, openly. Instead, you devise illusions and imprecations to avoid my challenge." Nothing of Octavian's gaze unsettles Vares. "No symmetry? I offer you the chance to have your accusations of my intent and conduct proven before the Covenant and Quaesitores under truth-scrying. I think you fear that it would, in fact, reveal that you are in error--or worse. And you do not even have the Will to exert surety of the authority which you claim."
His voice low and clear, he informs Octavian, "Persist in defaming me, persist in avoiding a challenge for satisfaction, and I will be the one to hold you to account. One way or another. Now, either acknowledge my challenge--daring to venture some counter-terms, if you have the substance--or leave off your unfounded, unsupported accusations and make no further claims of authority over me! I will accept a delay until we have returned to the mortal realm, but the terms of the challenge will be stipulated and agreed upon if you dare meet me at all in Certamen."
(OOC: Sorry, but piercing gaze does unsettle. If you want to go ahead and ignore my merits, fine. I'll ignore your merits too).
"Does the King pay heed to the accusations of a peasant? Should a Tremere accept terms that are without merit or gain?" He answers cryptically. "Master Vares, you offer nothing of substance and disobey the orders of your own acknowledged superiors." He motions with a hand to the departing Rodrigo. "There is no need for further evidence. If you are unhappy with the commands of a knight of Seneca whom holds higher rank in that Order, I would suggest you renounce your affiliation with them. Otherwise, instruction has been given to where best to focus your talents."
OOC Oh boy, Esteban is twice as hot for Carmen as he was a minute ago!
"My apologies ..." (here Esteban attempts his most charming smile) "sodalis.
"So the plan is, we get him talking, and if he tries any funny business, I hold him down and you poke his eye out. Simple, basic, effective. Shall we?"
[color=red]Indeed, let us proceed
The two of you head out into the courtyard to meet Metron. Upon seeing you, the Flaming Shadow raises his arms in surrender and drops to his knees
[color=red]I have no wish to challenge or fight you. I now realize my errors and I surrender to your authority. All I seek is to escape from this accursed realm, much the same as you. I have managed to protect myself from Abaddons mental manipulations thus far, but you have not been so fortunate. We have already been through this scenario seven times. Each time I am bbested, we all fail to escape. Abaddon erases your memory and the cycle starts over again. However, this time we have an advantage. A few of your sodales have now entered the cycle, and united we can defeat the angel of the abyss and overthrow his domination once and for all!
Perhaps it would read better of he wrote "Though Octavian's gaze is unsettling, Vares struggles and maintains his composure, revealing no external reaction".
OOC: I need to check something before I reply in full. I thought I recalled that Piercing Gaze didn't affect Magi, Fey, or a number of other supernatural beings. Hence my stated response. I wasn't ignoring it; I was basing my reply on what I remember about the Virtue. I'll also have to check to compare the 5th Ed. version versus the previous editions, which is what I tend to base my assumptions on (yes, I know that there have been changes in places, but the essence of many remain the same).
"All right, I'll accept your surrender on behalf of the Order of Hermes and the Tribunal of Iberia. To prove your sincerity, you must lower your Parma Magica and voluntarily submit to some magical questioning from me."
Assuming Metron does so, Esteban casts on Metron the following spells:
- Perception of the Conflicting Motives
- Posing the Silent Question: "Are you currently in a pact with a demon?"
- Posing the Silent Question: "What is the biggest threat to you right now?"
All these are formulaics in Esteban's repertoire so unless you want to check for a botch, I shouldn't need to roll.
[color=green]Carmen: [color=red]Metron is a tricky bastard, be careful!
The results are as follows...
1). His motives appear to be sincere
2). Not at all, never in my life! (note that Metron is known to be delusional, and believes that everything Rasus taught him was the gospel truth. Having said that, he does not believe that he has ever been in league with a demon nor is he right now)
3). Abaddon of Tytalus
"All right Metron, before we join forces I want you to know that as soon we are back in the mundane realm I am going to hand you over to the Quaesitors. If you really are innocent then you can look forward to a fair trial. However if you try to betray me or run off or in any way resist arrest, you better hope the Hoplites get to you before I do. You got that, chump?"
Intimidation, spending a Confidence point:
invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2617893/ = 1
invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2617896/ = 4
=8 +2 Pre + 4 Leadership + 3 Confidence = 17. That oughta rattle him a bit. 
[color=red]Grrrrr...
Fine, fine. I agree to your terms.
OOC: Ok. I misremembered the exact text of the Piercing Gaze Virtue. It doesn't affect those of Faerie nor Demons. Nothing is said about it not affecting Magi (I may have been conflating it with numerous other things like the Tainted With Evil Flaw, which Magi tend to overlook).
According to the text, it causes discomfit in those who are guilty, lying, or uneasy. Vares is none of those. I will, however, assume that Octavian is using it for purposes of intimidation. With no counterbalancing roll given (Octavian didn't make any kind of Leadership+Presence roll, just "focused" his Piercing Gaze), this would translate out to a base "Scary" difficulty of 6 (for someone presumable of approximate equal power), modified by +3 for the Piercing Gaze Virtue to a difficulty of 9. Vares has Independent Thinker +2. As he is asserting his independence, this seems to be the most appropriate Personality Trait to check. He has a further +2 from his Mentem Art of 10, which offers benefits against nonmagical intimidation and coercion. Now his roll:
invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2618161/
a "1", followed by
invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2618165/
a "10"
Adjusted die roll in resisting the effects of Octavian's Piercing Gaze comes out to 24. At that level, he could stare straight into the eyes of the Angel of the Pit and not flinch. So...
IC: Undaunted and unaffected by Octavian's gaze, Vares meets and matches it without hesitation. He has beheld far more terrible and impressive things in his time than an obdurate, accusatory Tremere.
His reaction to Octavian's latest contemptuous dismissal is a slow smile that goes nowhere near his own unreadable eyes. "Not even counter-terms when offered. Only equating yourself to a sovereign monarch dealing with the basest peasant. How telling. If you will not answer me, then, I will have this refusal--and the comparison you just made--known. We will see how long your own reputation survives."
Without breaking the eyelock, he says, "I carry out my oath when I pass through the mirror. Rodrigo cannot pass authority of me to one who is not of the Knights of Seneca, and he cannot compel me to violate my own oaths. Perhaps I should not have expected you to know better than you do."
When Octavian moves to leave, Vares takes his own route, moving in an instant to the mirror room with the Arcane Connection he still possesses. He will meet Rodrigo there.
"Then you are now my prisoner. You may rise. I am honor bound to protect you. I give you my word as caballero, I shall overthrow Abbadon and return you safely to the mundane realm, or die in the attempt.
"Come now, let us speak of this enemy. Tell us what you know of him."
OOC Is Alexandro with us? If not can I send for him? I want him to hear about Abbadon as well.
Oops! I forgot about Alexandro. He is in the keep washing up after his fight with the trolls earlier
Metron: [color=red]Abaddon is a twisted fiend, a Necromancer, and a Master of Mentem barring none other. He is the one who trapped me here in the first place, and in that he is responsible for the circumstances leading to my transformation. But he did not know of my destiny, that I would become the embodyment of the Flaming Shadow, nor did he know that it is my fate to reveal the Lumina to the world, and that her light will cancel his darkness! Only one such as Carmen, an Apprentice of Antonio who is descended from the line of Delendos, may become the Lumina.
Carmen thinks to herself that there is another, one who had their Gift opened to rthe Arts by her father, and though not his apprentice she is now the apprentice of one who also fufills the condition of the prophocey, one whose fate had been much talked about previously...
OOC: Or the spell aura of rightful authority.
He seems unphased by the threat. "Master Vares, my reputation as a quaesitor precedes me as well as authority on a Wizard's March to rid the Order of Hermes of the renegade Metron. Yours remains only due to influence of another third party. Your attempts to goad into combat based on emotional responses or threat to reputation are doomed to failure."
When Vares states he will carry out his oath by passing through the mirror he adds. "Then, master Vares you are free to argue your case with your order. The matter does not concern my person. However, if you refuse to act along a course that is sensible out of selfish pride then by all means be prepared for the consequences. The circumstances of refusal are quite simple. You have proven that you only obey the letter and not the spirit of agreements or outright disobey so service is out of the question. As a quaesitor and member of House Tremere, resources are provided in the pursuit of duties and research. The information you have promised to divulge is already in possession or accessible without risk. If master Vares has something else to offer worth consideration then there is place for agreement on terms."
(OOC: wasn't your AC based on Carmen who is now within taglyn?)
"I have not sought combat, Octavian of Tremere. If I did, be sure, you would know it. But you exceed the bounds of Tremere and Quaesitor alike. The Order is composed of equals, not masters and servants--or slaves. As ever, your kind overreaches."
He scoffs, "I offered you a chance to make counterterms and you dismissed it with contempt. I offered to delay the settlement of the matter until after we have returned to the mortal world if the terms would be agreed upon now, and you discarded that offer as well. You have refused Certamen on a valid objection, and that is enough."
OOC: Different AC from the chamber. It's the one he used to teleport Alexandro & Co. into there to engage Metron and free Carmen. Carmen's AC is now inactive.
Guys, could you split your pissing contest off into another thread so I don't have to see it? Thanks.
Arawn and Octavian. I ask you both to please put your differences aside and move on. I know you guys have issues, and I think I know a way we can resolve everything peacefully. But you need to give me that chance. Just cross through the mirror, push through to quickly finish the story, and back at Andorra I will present my solutions.
No more instigating, no last words, no furid glances, nada. I will grant you each a point of Confidence if you comply.
OOC: Perfectly willing to move on through the mirror. The issues have been there for some time, and since there's no Certamen, they're going to persist, but Vares is ready to press on.