Strange question for the Pagan folks on my friendslist

[matrixrefugee]

Okay... I'm writing a side piece for my RP in the Matrix Online (we've got a mini-epic storyline going on and I need a little input for a fake newspaper article I'm writing for it), and I need to ask a probably hare-brained question about a scenario in that news item:

Say you're having a Beltaine ritual in a park somewhere and a bunch of terrified cultist/gang hoodlums (Exile programs) come running through your ritual circle, trying to get away from the insane-looking girl (another Exile) who looks like she's some kind of odd manifestation of the Morrigan. How would you react to this and try to minimize the sheer wierdness of the interruption, beyond trying to continue with the ritual? Any ideas on some sort of witty comment on the interlopers? Any suggestions are welcome.

:: Reminds self the first rule of writing: write what you know::

Comments

[crowdog66.livejournal.com]

People charging through the sacred space would well and truly destroy the integrity of the circle -- continuing would be well-nigh impossible, without recleansing and reconsecrating the space and starting the ritual from the beginning.

The most likely reaction would be everybody doing their best goldfish impression: :-0. People would be slow to react -- after all, they'd just gotten their heads into "sacred space" and it would take a few moments for them to come back to mundane reality.

Witty comments? Unlikely. Remember that a sacred rite has just been harshly interrupted and sacred consciousness badly disrupted. A much more likely reaction would be the High Priest and High Priestess trying to restore order and ease the shock by calling the people in the circle close to the altar and discussing with them whether or not to (re)continue the ritual, and indeed whether it was safe to do so.

It would probably be assumed that the people who ran through the circle were roleplayers (since there's a fair amount of crossover between the Pagan community and RPGers) and that the Morrigan-like girl was in a very good costume. Someone might use their cellphone to call the police if weapons had been brandished. Park security would probably be contacted. In fact, if weapons were visible at all among the interlopers, the HP and HPS would likely elect to send everyone home for their own safety after getting their names and phone numbers in case the police wanted to talk to them. Then, the HP and HPS, possibly along with the other members of the ritual team, would wait for the police to arrive and give their reports of the incident.

This is assuming that your characters run THROUGH the circle. If they stop IN the circle, that's a whole different story. At the very least they would be challenged by the HP and/or HPS... let me know if you need to RP this out and I'll see what I can do about getting on AIM with you.