Imperium Rising (IC, MT, FanT, Warning! Sensitive Content)

[The Magus Imperium]

Monday, May 27th, 2013

New York, United States

A group of hooded figures gathered in an abandoned warehouse located on the outskirts of the city. A symbol had been sprayed on the shutter-door earlier that day, only those familiar with the true history of the world able to recognize this symbol. Twelve men and women gathered, the remaining light-bulbs illuminated, despite the fact this warehouse wasn't on the power grid anymore.

"Is this it?" One of the mysterious figures asked, another nodding in confirmation.

They all removed the hoods on their coats, seemingly average men and women, though they were far from average.

"We couldn't risk sending word out to all of us across the city. The Church has spies everywhere, Julian." One of them replied, explaining the absence of many of their people.

"Understood..." The man named Julian replied, looking over the other Eleven. "Right, well; as we're all here, there's something we should know. A hunter we captured from the Church last week informed us that the church knows of another... Phenomena."

The attention of the others was wholly diverted to Julian as he mentioned a Phenomena, which would have made no sense to other, but to them, it meant another Mage, capable of learning and mastering all forms of Magic had recently been found; an event that could tip the balance of the war between the Imperium Remnants and the Church forever.

"We need the word spread. The Intelligence we've gathered suggests the Phenomena is living here in the United States, somewhere. Inform as many among our ranks as you can. Good luck, comrades, and remember; the church owns this country, you are to trust no stranger." Julian said, the brief meeting coming to a close as the twelve scattered, the lights dying as the energy powering them was no longer being focused on powering them.

-----

Meanwhile, at the Vatican City, Rome, Italy...

A young man stood outside in the gardens, an older Cardinal making his way towards him, having returned from a personal audience with the Pope.

"So it's true... Another Phenomena, then?" The young man asked, when the Cardinal was within earshot.

"Indeed it is, Christianus." The old man replied, sitting down on a bench while the younger man stood, taking this recent development in. "To make matters worse; the Imperium knows about this. A group of hunters was ambushed, most killed. They took one captive, tortured him for the information, no doubt."

The young man seemed angry at this. "Fools... Don't they realize we're trying to protect the world from men and women like them!?" He asked, the Cardinal stopping him by holding up his hand.

"The Imperium was once very powerful, Christianus. They crave the same power they had, and though we've kept the existence of your kind a close secret for now, I fear if the Imperium finds the Phenomena, it will all be over for us. That is why the Pope has chosen you to lead a group to America, where we believe the Phenomena is residing. You are responsible for retrieving it and returning it to us safely, lest the Imperium recover it first and risk destroying us all." The Cardinal said, lowering his hand.

"... I understand." Christianus said, bowing his head respectfully, turning to leave and gather a group of Church-Controlled Mages and Mage-Hunters.

"God be with you." The Cardinal said, sitting in relative peace and quiet after the young mage had left his presence.

-----

San Francisco, California

A young woman stood alone on a dock early in the morning, noticing a Jellyfish floating near the surface of the water. Carefully, she pulled the water out in a sort of sphere, her hand extending outwards, as if she were pulling it up without touching it. She smiled as she looked at the Jellyfish floating in the ball of water above the ocean; gently setting the creature and water back in the ocean. She sighed, closing her eyes and relaxing as the sun rose behind her, turning and beginning the walk back to her house. She debated whether or not she'd let her mother know, for some time now she'd been able to do strange things, things she couldn't explain. It was all very fascinating, and a little concerning as well, but she hadn't hurt anyone or anything so far, so she had nothing to worry about.

"And where have you been, Diana?" The girls mother asked as she slipped in the back door, hoping she'd go unnoticed.

"Oh... Nowhere, really... Just the harbor." She said, shutting the door and cursing her luck.

"At this hour? What's troubling you?" Diana's mother asked, knowing by now she usually only went there when she had a lot on her mind.

"It's... It's nothing, mom, really." Diana replied, not looking her mother in the eye.

Her mother sighed, knowing her daughter would eventually come around to telling her. "Alright, then. Well, would you like some breakfast?" She asked, curious.

"No thanks, I'm fine." Diana replied, heading up to her room to get ready for the day. School had only recently been dismissed, after all, and there was a lot she was planning to do this summer. Unfortunately for her, she had no clue how important she really was, nor did she recognize the danger posed to her by two groups actively searching for her as she readied herself for her day...


(Alright, here's the IC Thread. Interested? Sign up here; viewtopic.php?f=5&t=243413)

[The Magus Imperium]

Several hours after the discovery of the Phenomena

The group of Mages and Mage Hunters deployed by the Church had arrived in New York City, discreetly, the corrupt United States government controlled primarily by Church puppets helping to skip past all the formalities that would have plagued anyone trying to get into the country otherwise. Intelligence was limited, and the Church was still trying to isolate the location of the Phenomena. The group of Church-Loyal mages and hunters found themselves in Times Square, unknowingly about to witness the move that would change the world forever.

-

A small group of four Imperium Mages walked through Times Square, deciding now was as good a time as any to reveal the truth to the people of the world; the Church unable to stop them from doing so. They stuck out like sore thumbs; carrying wooden crates with them, with which they made a makeshift platform to stand upon. They certainly attracted quite a bit of attention, hundreds of eyes casting glances at them or staring in silent amusement as it began.

One raised his right hand, then his left; drawing power from the many neon signs and lights surrounding him, electric charges running through him as all eyes nearby turned to watch in silent amazement as this event was happening, some recording this for youtube.

"What in gods name is that fool doing!?" One of the Mage-Hunters asked, Christianus watching in horror as mage-kind was exposed to Humanity for the first time in almost two thousand years.

The mage who was drawing power from the electricity then released the power, lowering his left while all the power was channeled through his right; an astounding display put on for the people of times square, who couldn't help but watch as it was like a reverse-lightning strike, the electrical energy dissipating into the night sky, leaving its first impression on the people.

One of the Mage hunters quickly produced a pistol, opening fire on the young man who had exposed the truth about magic to the world. The Mage was struck several times, the crowd thrown into a panic as one of the other three mages, infuriated by this; altered the contents of the air around the general direction of the shooter, the next shot causing an explosion killing the hunter and severely burning and injuring over a dozen others.

The Police quickly arrived, under orders to arrest the Mages, the wounded among their number healed by a healer in their group. The electricity-mage, Healer, Pyromancer, and water-mage all got down among the crowd, fleeing from the pursuing hunters, law enforcement officers, and Church Mages, the Pyromancer causing several police vehicles to explode into a fiery heap of metal in order to buy them some time, both parties causing some collateral damage as they fled the scene, using the crowd as cover.

It was utter chaos, though to allow his comrades to escape, the Pyromancer stayed behind, ordering his fellow mages to flee, which they did so reluctantly.

"Freeze!" A police Officer said, the young man surrounded by Police Officers and the Churches team, Christianus heading to the front of the group.

"Why? Why did you do it? All these deaths could have been avoided..." Christianus said, about to pin the blame for this tragedy on the Imperium.

"Had your man not opened fire first, Christian dogs!" The Pyromancer replied, goading his enemies, though Christianus kept them from firing for the time being.

"You don't understand. We only want to protect the people from those who would abuse their abilities..." Christianus said, trying to reason with the mage, who merely laughed.

"You're telling me your church is trying to do what the Imperium had done for so many years before the ascendance of your 'Messiah'? Bullshit; you want us all dead, I've seen too many of my people killed by you and your ilk, I've read about the Crusades, Inquisitions, the Witch-Burnings. Though you may not be able to get away with such direct and brutal methods anymore in the modern Era, the message is quite clear; you want us dead. The time for words is done; Church dog. Now it's time to settle this through test of skill." The young Imperium Pyromancer said, wind swirling around as the air itself lit on fire around him, a tempest of flame growing.

"Everyone run!" Christianus yelled, the Hunters, Mages, and Law Enforcement officers fleeing for cover, just before a massive explosion of fire engulfed part of the Square, those unfortunate enough to have been caught out of cover incinerated entirely by the blast, while those safe from the blasts effects, but exposed to the fires igniting subsequently, were left at the mercy of the flames, some trying to escape and others panicking, praying the approaching sirens were Fire Department vehicles and rescue crews.

Christianus and a few others, mostly Church mages, survived by using their powers to create a sort of Arcane shield, which required more concentration to create, and even more effort to maintain, than most other spells. They were spared the horrors of the blast, but were left alone in the burned-out portion of Times Square, the burned corpses of Hunters, Police Officers, and common people scattered here and there, most having fled the scene prior to the brief, brutal engagement, though there were still plenty who fell victim to the Pyromancer's wrath, the mage in question nowhere to be found.

[The New Lowlands]

May 28th, 2013
Old District, Batavia, Java, The New Lowlands
It was a warm, sunny afternoon in Batavia. Birds chirped over the wide, open avenues and boulevards of the Old District, the only part of the city to have survived the late eighteenth century; referred to as either the 'Paris' or the 'Amsterdam' of the East, it was a nice place to be at this time of year, before the harsher rains set in. The bright street looked like it had jumped straight out of a catalogue.

Johan sipped thoughtfully at his coffee, sitting outside a quaint little terrace on the Eldersgracht, what used to be the heart of the immigrant community in Batavia. He glanced at his watch- it was quarter past twelve. As usual, Anna was late.

He frowned, glancing down at his coffee, opening a sachet, and pouring the white sugar inside out into his drink. He continued gazing down as he began to stir quietly, and a soft smile graced his features as he took another sip. He glanced up in the process.

"Hey," the dark-skinned young woman murmured, sitting down opposite him. "Sorry I'm late."

"You really should try harder to get here on time," Johan responded, his accent not sounding quite in tune with his black skin. One of the numerous hallmarks of being raised by Afrikaners. "The pastries taste better before twelve."

"Some of us have real jobs," Anna replied resentfully in impeccable Lowlandian, brushing a lock of brown hair out of her face.

"I suppose not all of us can be geniuses," Johan replied, smirking as he sipped his coffee.

"Isn't it genii?" Anna remarked, shooting him a glare.

"Nope, that's just in Latin." He answered, lowering the cup.

"Fuck."

Johan feigned a look of offense, frowning at her. "Those words are unbecoming of a woman of the faith, young lady!"

She snorted. "Please, I stopped reading the Qu'ran when I was eleven."

"Not all of us have the grace to be as cynical as you," he murmured, sipping his coffee and glancing down at the large envelope he had with him. "For you," he continued, sliding it towards her over the floral-patterned wrought iron table.

She examined it curiously as she spoke; "You know, you never told me how you reconcile being a Christian with what the Church really does."

"Having faith and going to Church are two different things," he pointed out softly, smiling as he leant back.

"So you're a Protestant?" She inquired, raising a brow.

He shook his head softly. "Roman Catholic. I just don't go to Church."

Anna blinked, then nodded, glancing down at the envelope's contents. "Some idiot did something stupid in New York?"

"Group of idiots," Johan responded. "Imperium mages. Kooks decided to give a demonstration."

She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Church sure as hell isn't going to clean it up. Looks like a job for us."

"Moenie gras onder je voete laat groei," Johan responded. "We've got a flight in three hours. Let's go."

---

Twenty-six hours later
New Lowlandian Consulate Office, San Francisco, California
"I hate you," Anna growled, as she glared at the forty-something consul. The official blinked, glancing at Johan.

"She's just a little cranky," Johan assured him, patting her shoulder. "Nervous flyer, you see."

"I am NOT a nervous flyer!" Anna groaned, rubbing her eyes. "The wings were suffering metal fatigue, I'm telling you!"

Johan rolled his eyes, and the Consul nodded. "You've got an internal flight to JFK in six hours. It's the earliest we could manage, I'm afraid. It's Air Batavia, though, so your luggage shouldn't be checked."

"We appreciate all your help." Johan spoke softly, conscious of the ticking migraine time-bomb next to him.

"You're both welcome," the Consul muttered, looking pointedly at Anna. She didn't seem to notice. "You can stay and rest at the consulate residences if you want."

"That's very kind, sir, but we'd prefer to see the sights for a bit."

"You understand that it's about 10 PM here?" the Consul replied, raising a brow, but Johan nodded simply, and he sighed, returning to his work.

They left the consulate quietly, heading out into the darkened city streets. Anna struggled; dark bags under her eyes showed the source of her discomfort as she walked beside Johan down the sidewalk of the street, the buildings, road, and stoop all colored yellow by the electrical lamps of the street-lights.

"Chin up, Ann. We're in... uh... what's the nickname for this place again?"

"The Golden City?" she responded half-heartedly, clutching his arm for support.

"Yeah. Sure, whatever."

"I really, really hope they have good shwarma."

[The Magus Imperium]

"... Behind me we can see the portion of Times Square that fell victim to what is believed to be a terrorist attack; the greatest tragedy on American soil since the tragic 9/11 attacks..." A News reporter said, firefighters still putting out fires ignited late last night. The Church had arranged for their surviving people to be brought to a hotel to be used as a safehouse for them in the city.

"So... How are we going to deal with this?" A Church Mage asked, the group watching the television coverage of the issue.

"I... Don't know." Christianus admitted. "The Church may order the American Government to cover it up as a terrorist attack, but I can tell other Imperium Mages will take this as a signal. This is it; what we were hoping to prevent from happening is unfolding right before us; another war."

An awkward silence came over the room, each feeling somewhat responsible for this incident, though none of the mages here were to blame. Still; they could tell the world was about to change, dramatically; whether for better or for worse, none could tell.

-----

And change was indeed occurring, faster than most would anticipate. Imperium Mages across the country took this opportunity to reveal themselves, some demonstrations ending peacefully, with people left in awe of the Imperium mages great skills and sympathetic to them upon hearing the tragic story they told, one of a better time when Magic existed, their kind could be open about their abilities and they would be respected for them, or feared, as the Old Imperium had no control of a Mage after they'd left the walls of an Imperium-sanctioned academy. A time when Mages aided humanity, and even ruled over them, though their days of arrogance, many Imperium-Mages claimed, were far behind them, their only purpose now to stop the Church from utterly destroying their kind.

Other demonstrations, meanwhile, ended on a less-than-happy note; those resulting in a stunning display of the other side of mage-kind; the destructive power each of these men and women contained. Hundreds of Law Enforcement Officers and Military Personnel found themselves killed by burning, all the moisture in their body drawn from them, or drowned without ever coming into contact with water; struck by lightning on a clear day or tricked into killing themselves. Whatever the case, a mage was often times responsible for these deaths, though some would argue it was in self-defense, as the Government and Church were desperately hunting Imperium Mages, trying still to prevent what was already happening.

-----

San Francisco, California

Diana took the scenic route home that night, tired after a long day of hanging out with friends, testing her powers, and studying into the matter, though most of her searching was fruitless. Her experiments had been far from so, however; Diana having discovered she could ignite air simply by altering the gas contents of a particular portion, she could make people see or hear things at will, and, at the pool earlier today, she discovered she could lift objects from afar, having saved a child from drowning by giving him the extra push he needed to grab hold of the pool wall, the overly-confident boy trying to swim in the deep end while only having limited knowledge on the art of swimming.

Now she found herself approaching the same common location as two Lowlandian Agents; an old church which, unknown to them, was under attack. As she and the Lowlandians approached, an explosion was heard from within, followed by the preacher being thrown out onto the street, bloodied and beaten while the church had been ignited, three other mages bursting out of the flaming building.

"I'm tired of playing games, Church-dog!" The leader of this group of mages, their tatoos suggesting they were Imperium Mages, said, grabbing the Preacher by the throat and holding him up in the air. "We know you know the location of the Phenomena, now tell me; where is it!?" She yelled angrily, the Preacher defiantly keeping his peace until noticing Diana, who was frozen in place by this sudden, violent act, she and the Imperium Mages unaware of the Lowlandian Presence.

The Imperium Mages looked in the direction the preacher was looking, the leader of their group smiling, sensing great, raw power coming from this young woman. "Lovely, and I was just starting to get bored. Now; how to dispose of you, old man?" The Imperium Mage asked, another in her group calling her name, drawing her attention to the Lowlandian Mage and her human companion.

[First Valerian Empire]

tagging for IC