AGWW Online - Log 2003/05/26

Mage - Adventures in the Digital Web

Prelude: Mark Hassan, Part 2

This page was last modified: 2003/05/20

Stayka's World of Darkness Stuff | Digital Web Campaign | Online Games Overview

 A.C.Newton (Sons of Ether) - played by Stayka
 Kevin Grey (NWO) - played by Stayka
 Mark Hassan (Alh-I-Batin) - played by Tariq Kamal

 ST - Stayka

<KevinGrey> Well, Marv is somewhat depressing at times but otherwise okay

<T-Boy> I just hope Mark doesn't get annoyed with him the way he occasionally gets with Asmo.

<KevinGrey> Well, this all happens...

KevinGrey gets along pretty well with ASmodai

<T-Boy> Mark doesn't. I think it's that address trick. I might need to transfer, at any rate. Perhaps to Montreal.

<T-Boy> At least I've got friends there.

<T-Boy> Tsk. He's got friends there. Character leakage.

<KevinGrey> Well, if you think this is a good idea?

<T-Boy> Been weighted down too much by possessions in New York. too many ties.

<KevinGrey> The Union knows why they discourage agents to keep close ties among the mundanes

<T-Boy> geez, I dunno. I will miss the kosher food.

<T-Boy> he will miss the Kosher food. bah!

T-Boy switches on his character.

T-Boy is now known as Mark_Hussein

Mark_Hussein is now known as Mark_Hassan

KevinGrey smiles noncommittally

<Mark_Hassan> Mark Hussein is T-Boy's gf's bro-in-law. I get confused with the both of 'em.

<KevinGrey> Heh

<KevinGrey> What is "kosher" food anyway?

<Mark_Hassan> a couple of months to move from NY to Montreal, I think.

KevinGrey eats what he finds tasty

Mark_Hassan raises his eyebrows at Kevin

<Mark_Hassan> You don't know what Kosher is? Where in England did you stay again?

<KevinGrey> Near Manchester

<Mark_Hassan> I'm sure you have some sort of a Jewish community is Manchester.

<KevinGrey> Well, I never got into contact with any

<Mark_Hassan> kosher law is the dietary law most Orthodox Jews follow. It prohibits a number of things, such as the consumption of pork, shellfish and also the mixing of dairy products and red meat.

<Mark_Hassan> when we talk about kosher food, however, it means the kind of cuisine that evolved from such dietary edicts.

<KevinGrey> Well, I only heard that "kosher" means you can't eat lots of things. I never bothered to check what exactly

<KevinGrey> You know I'm not really a religious person

<Mark_Hassan> Yeah. in a way, "Halal" is the muslim equivalent for it, except that we're less restrictive,

<Mark_Hassan> anyway. when you go down to London, I recommend you try their salt beef sandwiches. They're quite good.

<KevinGrey> So are you a MUslim or a Jew then?

<Mark_Hassan> A Muslim.

<KevinGrey> And you can eat kosher food, too?

<Mark_Hassan> Ahh. THAT is a point of contention between Muslims.

<KevinGrey> So kosher is a superset of what your diet encompasses?

<Mark_Hassan> One side says that Muslims can eat only meat slaughtered Islamically.

<KevinGrey> This means?

<AC_Newton> Well, I prefer food from the food synthetisizer anyway

<Mark_Hassan> I take the argument that meat slaughtered by the people of the Covenant (which include Jews, but not Christians).

<Mark_Hassan> can be eaten by Muslims.

<Mark_Hassan> in practise, however, I just make sure I don't eat any pork or pork products.

<AC_Newton> What's "the Covenant"?

AC_Newton looks at Mark curiously

<Mark_Hassan> Hmm. You wanna do the History lesson, Kev?

<KevinGrey> Hm. I'm sorry, I told you i'm not very religious

<KevinGrey> I managed to skip those classes successfully...

<Mark_Hassan> sigh. AC, do you know of a Biblical character named Abraham?

KevinGrey grins

<KevinGrey> I still got pretty good marks as the teachers never noticed...

<AC_Newton> Well, actually now

Mark_Hassan snorts a little amusedly

<AC_Newton> You know, I was raised by my Dad on the Moon

<AC_Newton> He taught me in everything a Scientist needs to know

<Mark_Hassan> and that didn't include Biblical figures, presumably.

<AC_Newton> Not really

<Mark_Hassan> sigh. Let's see...

<AC_Newton> I know all natural sciences at high university levels...

<Mark_Hassan> that's all right. let me see if I can wing this.

<AC_Newton> And I'm pretty good in Engineering, HyperTech and research..

Mark_Hassan didn't do very well in religious class, but he learned. Oh, well.

KevinGrey has to admit he managed to convince the teachers of the classes he wasn't really interested in that he didn't need to attend to get good marks

<Mark_Hassan> right. As Kevin might know, the Biblical Abraham was considered a pivotal figure within the Bible, as one of the first people to... hmm. What's a good word for it. Ah, well, 'make a deal' would suffice. He was one of the first people who made a deal with a being he called El. El, of course, at that time, was a High God.

<Mark_Hassan> The whole deal at it is complicated, but it can be simplified into several simple clauses. Abraham would worship El, and make El his protector.

<KevinGrey> Hm... Maybe Abraham was one of the first Syndicate members

Mark_Hassan laughs.

<Mark_Hassan> perhaps.

<KevinGrey> Well, it does sound like their modus operandi

KevinGrey grins

<Mark_Hassan> Anyway. El agreed to protect El wherever he went. This is important; before Abraham, no other civilised race had worshipped only one god.

<KevinGrey> Yes, I think before that we mainly had polytheism

AC_Newton listens with fascination

<Mark_Hassan> there was another example. Akhenaton, who was the father, possibly, of Tutankhamen.

<Mark_Hassan> Anyway.

AC_Newton wonders if this God might have been some Alien from Deep Space

<Mark_Hassan> A Chorister would disagree, AC.

<Mark_Hassan> A Chorister would say, for one, that God was merely the reflection of the One.

<AC_Newton> WEll, Choristers are somewhat weird anyway

<Mark_Hassan> And they consider you weird. So think about that.

AC_Newton doesn't understand the Choristers any more than Dreamspeakers or Verbena

<Mark_Hassan> Anyway. The deal Abraham made is called the Covenant; and the three religions that sprang from it -- Islam, Judaism and Christianity, recognize this deal.

<AC_Newton> THey seems to hold a totally alien Paradigm

<AC_Newton> Ah. I see

<AC_Newton> THank you for the explanation

<Mark_Hassan> well, Allah, they say, likes variety. it's the way things go.

<AC_Newton> "Allah" almost sounds like "Alien"

<Mark_Hassan> heh. actually, it's a gender-neutral term, which probably had roots with the word 'Elohim'

<Mark_Hassan> Elohim was masculine, of course.

<AC_Newton> Hah.

<Mark_Hassan> Allah is the name all Muslims and many Arabs give to God. It simply means, "the God".

<AC_Newton> Even more male chauvinists at worlk! Just like those old guys from my TRadition

<Mark_Hassan> there were plenty. male chauvanism seems to be the byproduct of a civilization leaving a hunter-gather existence and entering an agricultural one.

<Mark_Hassan> in some cases, cultures may hold on to such beliefs because of the fear of how letting go such beliefs would destabilize their culture.

<AC_Newton> Well, we female SCientists try for decades to get our TRadition renamed - nothing yet!

<Mark_Hassan> it is rather unfortunate.

<Mark_Hassan> it's the same in a lot of places, really.

AC_Newton sighs

<Mark_Hassan> up until recently, daughters who had a 'manly countenance' were seen as a threat.

<Mark_Hassan> ironically, sons who displayed 'womanly charms' are still seen as a threat.

Mark_Hassan smiles wryly

<AC_Newton> WEll, the Etherites always accepted women - but they needed to be twice as good as the male SCientists.

<Mark_Hassan> sometimes, a bigger threat than a tomboy

Mark_Hassan nods.

<Mark_Hassan> I think the Technocrats call it a 'glass ceiling'

<KevinGrey> Well, it's true - the Union is pretty much male dominated, too

<KevinGrey> The Voiders and the Progenitors are the exception

<Mark_Hassan> surely not. not Iteration X?

<KevinGrey> Well, have you ever seen a female HIT Mark?

Mark_Hassan has been doing some reading on the DW

<Mark_Hassan> I wouldn't know. Never seen one.

<KevinGrey> There aren't many female cyborgs either

<Mark_Hassan> are you sure?

<KevinGrey> Pretty much.

<Mark_Hassan> mmm. how are your Conventions, then?

<KevinGrey> Only nowadays there seem to be some female scientists entering the ranks...

<Mark_Hassan> in your Convention?

<KevinGrey> Well, there is a reason why we have *Men* in Black...

<Mark_Hassan> mmm. Why the ubiquitous uniform? doesn't it stick out?

<KevinGrey> I think the number of female operatives is around 7-10%

<Mark_Hassan> I'd think that you'd probably be less noticed if you were Men in Plaid, or something like that.

<KevinGrey> In the Ivory Tower, there are more women, because this methodology is more about Eduucation

<KevinGrey> Well, and the SYndicate is very male dominated, too.

<KevinGrey> The ruling board consists only of men, and most brokers etc are men, too

<Mark_Hassan> there must be one or two, at the very least.

<KevinGrey> One or two for sure

<KevinGrey> Well, the Union discovered that about half of the Awakened are female after all...

<Mark_Hassan> bah. they didn't know that until NOW?

<KevinGrey> So now they try not to neglect those, of they might run to the Traditions

<KevinGrey> Well, many of the Traditions ignore women, too

<Mark_Hassan> hmm. The Verbena don't.

<KevinGrey> That's one...

<Mark_Hassan> certainly not the Euthanatos

<AC_Newton> Well, the Hermetics are a bunch of mainly old men, too

<Mark_Hassan> Mmm. Holdovers from a previous era, I believe. Some Masters seem really old.

<AC_Newton> THe Choristers don't have many women in positions of power either

<Mark_Hassan> and you know what they say about old people in high posts.

<Mark_Hassan> like will promote like.

<Mark_Hassan> The Cultists of Ecstasy aren't.

<AC_Newton> Well, the Etherites are called "Old Boys Club" for a reason, too

<Mark_Hassan> heh. Don't think the VAs have too much overt sexism.

<AC_Newton> Well, whjat about the Akashic *Brother*hood?

<Mark_Hassan> hmm. it depends.

<AC_Newton> Don't the women there object to the name, too?

<Mark_Hassan> I seem to recall a number of famous Buddhist nuns, especially Zen ones.

<Mark_Hassan> I think they laugh at the concept of 'names'

<AC_Newton> Hm? Why that?

<AC_Newton> I only met one Akashic so far, but he was somewqhat scary

<Mark_Hassan> unlike the Hermetics, the Akashic Brotherhood seek to transcend the idea of self.

<Mark_Hassan> mainly because of the Buddhist realization that life is suffering, and that the cause of that suffering is desire.

<Mark_Hassan> so their elimination of Ego is essential to transcend their desires.

<AC_Newton> Yoiu know a lot about them!

<Mark_Hassan> I read a lot about Buddhism.

<Mark_Hassan> among other things.

<AC_Newton> Well, obviously

<Mark_Hassan> I've spoken to a few in my meat-existence, so I gathered that their philosophy was similar enough.

<AC_Newton> I only know the things important to do Science properly...

<Mark_Hassan> the Akashics have an impressive control over their bodies.

<Mark_Hassan> learnt a few tricks from them.

<AC_Newton> I heard of that

<Mark_Hassan> mm-hmm

<Mark_Hassan> met a few Ecstatics, too,

<AC_Newton> REally? I heard they are very ... well, into vcarnal desires only

<Mark_Hassan> tsk.

<Mark_Hassan> that what a lot of people think.

<Mark_Hassan> I heard from someone that many join the Cult for the sole purpose of 'getting some', but soon leave. do you know why?

<AC_Newton> Well, my Dad told me some things about the other Traditions, but he kept it all brief. Told me I should better get on with my research and experimewnts

<Mark_Hassan> mmm. Well, here's what I found out. The Cult isn't about carnal experiences after all.

<Mark_Hassan> carnal experience, according to them, is a tool.

<AC_Newton> A Tool?

<Mark_Hassan> the clue itself is in their name. The Cult of *Ecstasy*

<AC_Newton> Hm... I understand something different about "tools"

KevinGrey looks somewhat thoughtful at this...

KevinGrey has the feeling some of this sounds more familiar to him than it should rightfully be

<Mark_Hassan> the origin of the word ecstasy, in it self, is from the Greek word that meant 'out of the senses'

AC_Newton listens

<Mark_Hassan> this described not only the penultimate sense of pleasure, but a state of mind that can be induced from it. the Ecstatic trance.

<Mark_Hassan> that it in itself tells you something. Ecstatics don't get high because they like it, but because it allows them to reach this trance. I've heard that Master Cultists can get into this trance without any help, although they might still occasionally participate in those actions, because of force of habit.

<AC_Newton> I think I would find it somewhat frightening to let go of all ratio tzhat way

<Mark_Hassan> Kevin, have you read of any research about the brain under the Alpha state?

KevinGrey nods

<KevinGrey> Sure

<KevinGrey> It is said that people with a creative genius usually exist within a constant alpha state

<Mark_Hassan> When it is in that state, the Mind seems to be under an 'Open' state. Things become clearer and understanding can develop, because you've let go of not only your rationality and fears, but also because you let go of your limits.

<Mark_Hassan> and that's why Ecstatics go do what they do.

<KevinGrey> Well, I do understand that reasoning

KevinGrey sounds a bit surprised at himself fort that

<Mark_Hassan> and the Cultists aren't the only ones who do it. there is a muslim sect, a mystical one, called the Sufis. They perform it as well, through a manner of ways: meditation, dance and music. Have you heard of the Sufi Qawwali music?

AC_Newton frowns somewhat. Letting go of rationality is not really the SCientific way

<KevinGrey> I'm afraid not

AC_Newton shakes her head as well

<Mark_Hassan> I'll send you a music clip when I can find one. but here's the thing: the Choristers have a few people who do that, I hear: generally adepts of Prime. I don't understand it myself, but Ecstatic trances seem to help in channeling Prime, for some reason.

<AC_Newton> But aren't the Cultists the Time Masters of the Traditions?

<AC_Newton> Prime is the Choristers domain

<Mark_Hassan> ahhh... AC. Have you experienced real fear? Real, gut fear?

<AC_Newton> Well, sure. Whenever I encounter spiders

<Mark_Hassan> hmm. that's not what I meant. I mean, real gut fear that for some reason, will *slow time down*.

<AC_Newton> Well, it's that way when I see those monsters

<Mark_Hassan> like in a rollercoaster, or a crashing ship, or when you're falling.

AC_Newton shudders

<AC_Newton> Her hand goes down to her proton pistol, to assure herself

<Mark_Hassan> that period of time when... well, everything slows down. come on. Kev? You?

<Mark_Hassan> you've heard of this, I'm sure. "My life was flashing before my eyes"

<KevinGrey> Well, during my training I had some close xcalls, yeah

<Mark_Hassan> well, fear is another way to get into the Ecstatic trance. not a popular one, but still a way. And the Cultists have perfected a way that allows them to unthether themselves from physical time using ecstasy

<AC_Newton> Well, I don't think I would like that!

<Mark_Hassan> of course not. there are other ways to do it. dance is once. drugs is another. sex, if course, very popular.

AC_Newton shudders again and goes to Kev for comfort

<Mark_Hassan> get a copy of tantric sex. see if you can understand what it tries to tell you, after you cut through the verbiage.

KevinGrey puts his arms around her and smiles

<Mark_Hassan> I hear it's pretty good.

Mark_Hassan winks at Kev.

KevinGrey grins.

<KevinGrey> Well, I think it might be a fun idea

<Mark_Hassan> well, you can get a copy of the Kama Sutra almost anywhere. try and get one that's annotated -- the language can be a little dry at times.

<Mark_Hassan> and of course, if you talk to some Cultists, they might give you a few pointers. who knows, you might end up gaining control of Time.

<KevinGrey> I think I might even have that in my files

<Mark_Hassan> ah, you rogue! :)

<KevinGrey> Well, you see, I had to research a little about the nine Traditions...

<Mark_Hassan> uh huh...

<KevinGrey> You think any Cultist would teach a Technocrat Spheres?

KevinGrey shakes his head in amusement

<Mark_Hassan> well, certainly not.

<Mark_Hassan> well, you'll have to experiment together, then. Lucky you, all I can say.

KevinGrey grins

<KevinGrey> Well, fortunately I have a very curious spacegirl here

AC_Newton blushes

<Mark_Hassan> of course. consider it an adventure into Inner Space.

Mark_Hassan winks at AC.

<AC_Newton> Well, you know, there were quite some things my Dad thought were not necedssary to know for a future Scientist...

AC_Newton blushes again

<Mark_Hassan> you poor girl.

<AC_Newton> Well, Kev was so nice to volunteer as my teacher..

KevinGrey chuckles

Mark_Hassan nudges Kev

<Mark_Hassan> you rogue!

KevinGrey grins

<Mark_Hassan> hmm. I should get going. I'll leave you to your... explorations.

Mark_Hassan winks at the both of them, and waves goodbye.

<KevinGrey> Sounds like a wise move

KevinGrey nods at him

AC_Newton waves happily at Mark

-- To Be Continued --

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