2020-03-21 Joining the Order

Summary
At last, Malcolm is able to convince Shiloh Young to meet with his Mentor Nicholas Perandus and their fellow Hermetic Magus Michael Aurelius at his apartment in Manhattan. The four of them agreed to meet about 9 PM Saturday evening, where Malcolm hosted.

The night's discussion began with talk of the events in Urban Exploration, which resulted in the Awakening of Shiloh Young and Nathan Triggs. Shiloh had since learned that Nathan had come to the attention of the Technocratic Union during a different encounter with Nektaria Spyros, who offered Shiloh the possibility of meeting with Nathan at a later date. Malcolm had already cautioned Shiloh about the Technocrats, sentiments echoed by the other Hermetics. Options for what to do about Nathan's situation were briefly discussed before Nicholas turned the focus of the meeting back to Shiloh herself.

Nicholas asks what the group can do for Shiloh, who in turn says that she wants help using her powers. A brief discussion of magical perspectives followed, coming back around to something Malcolm had said to her the night before, that the Codex Hermeticum prohibits the training of those outside of the Order.

Then Shiloh asked what she would need to do to join their 'little club'.

That set wheels in motion. All three of the Hermetics present knew that joining the Order of Hermes was as simple as finding a mentor willing to teach the prospective student. Of the three Hermetics present, two, Nicholas and Michael, were of the appropriate rank to take an apprentice, but Nicholas already had an apprentice in Malcolm, and Michael did not feel up to taking on an apprentice of his own and demurred. Then Nicholas hit upon the idea of asking Albina Junia Venenatus, the teacher who first instructed Malcolm in matters of Hermeticism, if she was finished with her latest apprentice and was willing to take on another, and made a phone call to see if it could be arranged. In a stroke of luck for the aspiring Alchemist, Albina's apprentice had recently attained the Fourth Rank, and she was willing to consider another. Albina spoke with Shiloh briefly over the phone, and arrangements were made for Albina to travel to join them and meet with Shiloh in person.

The four Magi continued to speak about their methods and beliefs, trying to get a feel for each other's practices and how they could best assist Shiloh. The conversation is interrupted when Albina appears in the center of the room in a plume of purple smoke. Albina had a few more questions for her new potential apprentice, and delivered a warning that Shiloh would be starting at the bottom of the Hermetic Hierarchy, below even some unawakened initates. Shiloh indicated that she would persevere, which satisfied Albina, who gave Shiloh leave to call herself an Apprentice of the Order of Hermes. The other three welcomed her as a Magus of the Order of Hermes, and the group parted ways shortly thereafter.