Angeline L1-3 Through a Glass Darkly

Divination: 'Through a Glass Darkly'
Level 1-3 Initiate
Element Air
Requirements: Intoxication, must be smoked. Must be attempted at night.
Duration: as long as the one attempting the scrying can maintain focus
Material: Blackened mirror,
Chant: No chant required. Effect is gained through forced of will, or intent
Example

Angeline carried her satchel as she left the manor, picking her way carefully through the graveyard as she made her way towards the obelisk. It was late, too late for any to be out wandering. Even so, she still checked to make sure she would be alone.

She walked around the obelisk, choosing to sit with her back against the cold stone facing away from the St Magdalene's. Certain she was not to be disturbed she undid the latches, opening her satchel. She removed the necessary items for this evening ritual work. One black mirror, a crystal glass, a small flask of water from the River Wyvern and copious amount of opium, to push her to the dreaming state.
Angeline had abstained from smoking her usual amount of opium during the week, in a attempt to lower her tolerances before undertaking the scrying ritual. Settling into her seat she placed the mirror in her lap, angled so that it would reflect the night sky. The glass went to her left and was filled with a small amount of water. Eager for the drugs and to begin her ritual she forgoes casting her protective circle. Taking a long draw off her pipe she relaxed, emptying her mind, willing it to silence as she worked at getting high.

It only took her three of four pipes to begin to feel loose mentally, slightly detached from herself. The sound of crickets stirring her into movement. Dipping the index finger of her left hand in the glass of water she began to trace the rim. Moving clockwise along the edge triggers a vibration in the crystal. An eerie reverb of harmonics sang and echoed in her head. She exhaled, staring down into the mirror of dark starlight. Sinking into countless stars. The crystal's harmonics flowed and changed in pitch. focusing her awareness past the wall of glass pushing through to the beyond. Time, place seemed to slip away as she stared deeper and deep into the dark beyond.

The cricket's song had worked it's way into her awareness and added a strange music to her mental push. Encouraging her to look deeper than human were meant to see. Mentally swimming though a cosmic soup watching stars collapse and universes born she drifted. The cricket song grew louder, urging her further, a driving need to know.
Stars swirled and darkened into nothing. It was that nothing that caught her attention, drawing her awareness closer. As she focused on at the dying starlight a figure obstructed her view. Her first thought was that it should not be there. It was out of place is the vast sea of stars.

She tried to focus on the...the... creature before her inner sight. The thing before her put Bosch's chimera to shame. It had a long limbed, almost gangling thin body, free of hair, genitals and navel. While the body echoed feelings of grotesque, the head...it's head instilled a terror that froze her in place, unable to look away. Where a man's head should have been on the strange body there was what could best be described as a humanoid avian mix. A wide yellowed beak darkened to a brownish black hooked bill. She was close enough to see the dark hairline cracks that covered the beak. A mane of navy feathers framed it's face,drawing her attention to it's eyes. Pupil-less and dark she looked into them, pulled into a darkness colder and more timeless than space. In that instant she knew it was aware, and that it was aware of her. In that eternity, she felt rather than saw it's slick pale blue tongue lick along the back of her mind. Cold terror flooded her to the core and she knew she walked the edge of madness. Inner barriers could not hold against the otherworldly presence that lapped along her conscious and subconscious alike. It chittered and she could feel her grasp on sanity weaken. She drew on her awareness to push herself away from the creature desperate to tear away. At the same time she gave her mental push she rocked her head back, cracking it against the cold marble, knocking herself out, severing the link.

When she came to the first thing she noticed was the throbbing pain along the back of her skull. She winced as she touched her bloody scalp. The second thing she noticed was the silence. No night birds called, no crickets sang now. She was confused and unable to recall her scrying results.. She groaned as she sat forward, slowly beginning the gather her magickal supplies. She caught her reflection in the blackened mirror and paused, her breath caught in her throat. She quickly dug through the satchel and withdrew a small compact mirror, holding it to her face. She raised a shaking hand to tug at a few brown locks that had turned white. Touching the white hair triggered the memory of the deep scrying, causing her to heave and retch from the latent fear. As she packed up her gear she tried to think of what had gone wrong. She moved to scuff out her protective ward and blinked as she realized she never set one to beginning with.
Angeline felt her world tilt and she sat down quickly taking deep breathes, repeating to herself that she would not faint, while cursing herself for making such a foolish mistake. She slowly made her way back towards the Manor, having the intense desire to drink herself into a state of numbness.