<div align="center">(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GJjSt_QBH3U/UZHoB-9sI9I/AAAAAAAACOc/ug0BoCrMSvM/s1600/tumblr_lqcabx3uVu1r140opo1_500.jpg)<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Elvira Blackcrest</span><br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">Handle-Name: <span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: courier;">ELLY</span></span></div>The Blackcrest compound stood on the outskirts of Crimson Grove, surrounded by dense forest and, on its far side, a sheer cliff down to the ocean. Most people only saw the main house, an imposing mansion dating back longer than anyone was really comfortable mentioning, but the compound actually included several buildings, as well as open clearings from the forest, suitable for rituals, and even a few carefully-cultivated fairy rings.<br/><br/>Elly had claimed one of the outbuildings (formerly a barn) to convert into her own little playground. She'd installed computer hardware, run power and telecommunications lines, and set up her own workspace. At the urging of her family, she'd surrounded the entire building with strong protective magics, even going so far as to etch protective circles into the bedrock. Short of a major demon, nothing was getting out of this building unless she (and the family matrons) wanted it to.<br/><br/>Of course, even these protections wouldn't stand a chance if she actually succeeded at her hairbrained schemes. Witchcraft was an old tradition (or group of traditions, rather), and a lot of things were still done by the old ways for good reasons. Still, she'd had success so far, although most of what she'd done was simply encode a few old grimoires into digital formats to make searching and cross-referencing easier. Her real sights were set on higher goals. Tonight, she sat cross-legged on an old office chair, the dim light of the room doing little to soften the harsh glare of the bank of monitors in front of her as she worked. She was logged into an old (by internet standards) discussion board, frequented by a group of eccentrics with an interest in computer-based magic. Most of them were kids who had no idea that magic was real at all, but they were good technical resources, and Elly had found them quite useful on a number of occasions (although she was always careful to include carefully-placed errors in any magical procedures she posted about to make sure none of them would accidentally invoke something they shouldn't). She typed:<br/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: courier;">Glyphs on circuit board?<br/><br/>Hey all. Since, as we all know, a lot of rituals draw their power from repeated tracing of certain specific glyphs or patterns (rosaries also work on this principle), has anyone ever attempted etching one into circuit board? Even though the mystical power generated by a single electron is almost immeasurable, the combined forces of even a small current should produce dramatic results, no? Would anyone have techniques or advice for achieving the necessary precision in circuit fabrication?</span><br/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 10pt;"><br/><br/><strong>Location::.</strong> Blackcrest outbuildings || <strong>Talking To::.</strong> the internet || <strong>Feeling::.</strong> Dangerous || <strong>Wearing::.</strong> synthetic fibers and tight clothes<br/></span></div>