• The Cast of Characters
• Session One: Janurary 25th, 2006
• Session Two: February 1st, 2006
• Session Three: February 8th, 2006
• Session Four: Februrary 15th, 2006
• Session Five: Februrary 22nd, 2006
• Blue Rose One-Shot! WittConIII, March 18, 2006
• Back to the heroes in the mansion of Lucretia…

Session One: Janurary 25th, 2006

As run by Rachael Horcher, with the same cast as the first Blue Rose game, minus Torvic and Ursula and adding:
• Mithos the male sea folk seer scout
• Inzilbęth the female nightperson animist (and her bat)

Those from the previous campaign were sent out to various parts of the world for six months. They returned from their away missions just before the winter solstice, which they either spent in festivals or not celebrating. Captain Sigourney Donavan called all of the Sovereign’s Finest in the area to come back so that she could speak to them about recent events, so a huge crowd of Sovereign’s Finest of every shape and size gather around the lawn. Danäe is there, Ken and Mordecai with Ken’s elbow on Mordecai’s head, Bethany chattering, Krin, Sheila (a vata’sha from Krin’s party) and Deanna (a griffon rider). They mill around chatting as a light snow begins to fall. Arianna runs up and jumps and hugs Tobs, asking him “Where’s my wife?” (Meaning Spivak, of course). Krin looks at Arianna, crumples her face, and nods in greeting. Arianna: “Did you punish Jonah?” Krin: “He’s not in my group anymore.” Kharlan runs over, and Krin excuses herself. Mithos lounges in the water. Inzilbęth is there with her bat. Derris the owl lands on Arianna’s head. She pretends to bite his head off and then grabs him and walks over towards the water. Tobs laughs and calls Spivak over to watch. Kharlan tries to get Derris back. Inzilbęth objects to the torture of animals and swoops down on her; Arianna goes between her legs. Tobs is now rolling on the ground laughing. Derris gets free and flies out of her grasp. Inzilbęth puts a grey clawed hand on her shoulder: “What were you trying to do with that animal?” Derris drops a dead mouse on Arianna’s head. She plays with it. Deanna is also laughing; Sheila: “Poor bird.” Inzilbęth eats the mouse whole. Arianna now wants to eat a mouse. Deanna to Tobs: “You have the best group ever! Krin is such a stick in the mud.” Inzilbęth to Arianna: “Are you in training to be an animist?” She disbelieves that Arianna is a member of the Sovereign’s Finest (Arianna is, after all, the youngest member ever). Kharlan tells everyone that his son is now a squire in the Sovereign’s Finest.

Sigourney comes up on a balcony and waves a bit; the crowd is still loud, so Danäe sends up fire (the crowd quiets). After the crowd has settled down, Sigourney addresses everyone: “Ah, it’s good to see so many of you back, especially as we’ve had hard times lately. Welcome home; I’d like to think everyone considers this place their home. Thanks for being back in our time of need. The Queen has made mostly a full recovery. We’ve been taking care of problems well. All of you know about the incident of the midsummer festival…” She nods at Torvic, standing to one side of her, for helping with the recovery of the Queen. “There has been some unrest in the body politic, rumors of things going about…the situation is not entirely stable, although I assure everyone that things have gone fine and are smoothing out.” Then she announces a Sovereign’s Finest tournament to be held in a few days and asks that everyone participate, as it is a celebration of Aldis and the seasons. The nation is beginning to possibly look at a war with Kern, and this tournament would honor their skills as warriors. She continues to ramble on for a bit and then steps down.

As the crowd begins to clear out, she makes her way towards the six, smiling a bit. Sigourney: “Good to see all of you back here; how did your missions go?” Kharlan: “Kinda creepy.” Sigourney: “Come and speak with me in my office to tell what you have done and seen. I may have a request for all of you.” She looks at Mithos and Inzilbęth: “You two come as well.” Arianna goes over to Torvic: “Child.” Arianna: “Well…goodbye.” They follow Sigourney into the Sovereign’s Finest building, down a long hallway with decorations, and into well-furnished office of sorts, where they sit at a table with her at the head. All ask “Where’s Jaylynn?” Sigourney: “She will be along soon enough.” She then asks all to describe their missions. Arianna: “I watched people die. I went to the Veran Marsh.” Sigourney mutters “Shouldn’t have sent the child” Arianna: “I watched what happens when shaping goes bad. People die. They go away and they don’t come back.” She mentions a rhyden puppy. Inzilbęth: “I’ve heard the marshes aren’t kind to those who use magic.” Arianna: “Oh, they like me.” Jonah comes out with a notebook to take notes. Spivak and the others greet him. He’s wearing a uniform of the Sovereign’s Finest (he finally made it in!). He immediately asks for Jaylynn. Mithos flirts with him, much to Jonah’s embarrassment. Kharlan points out that Derris has random colored paint on him because of his children’s artistic endeavors. Arianna to Jonah: “Did you go insane?” Jonah looks affronted. “No, I came back and was healed for awhile, took care of my brother…he’s still very sick.” Jonah looks guilty. Kharlan: “Oh, you’re sad because you’re girlfriend isn’t here. Jonah: “I don’t have a girlfriend!” He proudly says “I made it this time” as he rubs back of head and pats his badge. Kharlan: “Now you’ll get all the chicks!” Jonah: “You think so?” Arianna: “I can be a chick.” Jonah: “I think I like older women because I’m weird like that.” He sits down and focuses intently on his notes. Arianna: “I’m not done yet! You have to send shapers to Davin Broderic; I’m not good enough, he doesn’t like me any more.” Sigourney: “You’ll have to speak to Danäe about that. I’m sure she’ll be estatic to see you. That’ll be a first, as she doesn’t like little kids, which is why they haven’t adopted...” She trails off and turns to Inzilbęth: “So, what’s going on in Kern?” Inzilbęth: “If only more of my brethren could be liberated and brought to this country…it was a difficult mission, and many of us did not manage to survive. I was shot in the shoulder – fortunately the arrow was not poisoned. I was worried that the Winter solstice would bring the Lich King out of silence, but war looks to be coming soon. We ran into vampires last summer, but fortunately all were defeated, sadly at a great lost of life on our side.” The others learn that their old companion Ursula is now learning Arcanum in the Adept Dome. Mithos: “I think Arianna should study something to calm her down.” She waves fiery hands in his direction, and he flinches back, freaked out. Sigourney: “No fire indoors. There’s a strict rule against that.” Arianna: “So how come Torvic can do ice inside?” Sigourney: “Ice doesn’t catch other things on ice.” Kharlan is the next to report: “I went northeast, checking out people in towns, but there was a strange thing – sometimes we’d go to a town but there’d be nobody there. It looked like it had been abandoned for years, all dusty and overgrown, and other towns around didn’t know about it.” Sigourney looks concerned and has Jonah note it down. Kharlan: “I knew it couldn’t be my talking because I haven’t been there yet.” Sigourney then turns to Mithos: “You were on the coast?” Mithos: “I went to a port town called Garnet. And found a civilization comparable to ours, but with matriarchal dictatorship that distains men.” Arianna: “I’m a princess.” Inzilbęth: “Did you pass as a woman? Mithos: “They couldn’t tell, so I didn’t put forth any effort.” Kharlan doesn’t understand the hatred of men part – how could anyone hate men? Tobs shrugs at him, equally confused. Mithos continues: “They have different uses for technology and arcana, and they worship Selene in a different way, but over all it went well.” Tobs meanwhile had spent his six months with Krin, Sheila, and Deanna (a griffon rider) in Pavin Weald, where they spent their time erasing the vampire’s influence from the woods and watching the people of Bashti’s Ford repair their village. Krin wanted to stay longer; Tobs, however, is quite happy to be back. Arianna wants to meet Deanna because she wants to ride a griffon; Jonah says that he can introduce her.

After everyone has spoken about their missions, it’s Sigourney’s turn: “One or two things need to be addressed in near future. There’s trouble in town, especially with rumors…the city we are in was partially built on Old Kingdom ruins, and there are reports from other Sovereign’s Finest teams that something unusual happened in the tunnels underneath the city. I ask that you assemble and look at it for me. There is also the matter of Kern with the potential for war rising, so we need to send more teams up north. I would like a decision from you of one or the other.” Tobs: “Like the tunnels under Garnet? Sigourney: “No, there’s no water.” Tobs: “Aw, I look hot in a wetsuit.” Mithos hits on him. Sigourney leaves, and the others ask Jonah about the upcoming competition. Jonah: “It’s more like a trying to hit each other tournament.” Arianna: “Like this?” She punches Inzilbęth. Jonah: “No, that’s not quite it. There’s also magic. No no no, not right now!” (As Arianna spurts of flame…) Mithos ducks fire. Inzilbęth smiles a tusky smile. After things calm down a bit, Jonah continues: “You compete in groups of three in team combat against other teams. You can fight however you want. We’re using the Old Kingdom stadium; the magic users are doing something special with the field. I don’t like mages when they say things are interesting…” Jonah doesn’t know if he’s participating; he says he might end up refereeing. The rest asks him what he does now: “Sometimes I follow the Captain around and take notes. Last month I went on a mission, and it went pretty well, I only flooded one…bridge…” Arianna gives him a flower. Tobs asks about his brother, and Jonah curls in on himself. Kharlan suggests that his son Yuan follow him around. Jonah struggles with pronunciation of Yuan. Kharlan: “He looks just like me and acts like me too. I’m sure he’ll love your brother.” Jonah: “My brother is not seeing anyone except for me.” Arianna: “Are you killing him? He is shocked. Tobs tries to teach her about tact, Inzilbęth and Mithos help: “Sometimes you look pretty rather than speak words.” Mithos tosses his hair. Arianna imitates him. Kharlan tricks Jonah and says that he saw Jaylynn outside; Jonah quickly says that he needs to go file notes and leaves. Spivak goes with Jonah to help find Jaylynn.

Tobs says to Arianna: “Let’s go visit Mordecai!” On the way they discuss Ken and the letter and flaming…When they get to the library, the door is actually open, through which they can hear Mordecai’s voice and a more muted one. Mordecai and Ken are talking, and sunlight is streaming down through a hole in the roof. There is snow on the library floor, and Ken is trying to calm Mordecai down. As they all go in, Mordecai jumps. “AHH!! I remember you; don’t burn my books.” Ken: “I’m not hitting on him all the time.” Tobs gets a shovel for the snow. Inzilbęth inspects the library – some books are faded and worn, some brand new, on topics ranging from poetry and plants; it’s the biggest one in the country. Tobs leans against shovel and pants; no one else helped him clean up. Kharlan throws a snowball at Mordecai: “It was a ghost!” Mithos tries to comfort Mordecai. Inzilbęth ignores everything around her. Arianna tries to give Mordecai a flower, but he gets upset, as flowers stain books. Ken: “You can use it as a book mark!” Kharlan takes out a feather with paint and says that that would make a better bookmark. Mithos is touchy-feely with Mordecai. Mordecai looks up at him. Then he looks between Mithos and Ken: “Do you bud asexually?” Ken goes over to Mithos and puts a hand on his shoulder: “I always liked tall guys.” He puts his arm around Mithos’ waist. Mordecai sulks and looks jealous. Inzilbęth walks over to the fuming Mordecai. Inzilbęth: “Plant shaping?” Mordecai (irate): “That way!” Kharlan tries to tell Ken that Mithos is a girl, but Mithos lets Ken feel him up. Mordecai stomps off. Ken: “Well, I’m really kind of shallow.” He then goes around saying “He got jealous” in a sing- songy voice. Kharlan: “Strumpet.” Ken: “Why thank you! That’s a higher class whore. I’ll be a companion by the end of the month.” The bat climbs up on Inzilbęth’s shoulder and looks at her book. Ken: “I was going to ask him to be on my team – he’s a weather shaper, calls down big freaking huge lightning bolts.” Kharlan: “He might leave you.” Ken: “You think he’s got anybody else?” Mithos: “Feel love, go with the flow.” Ken: “What’s your name, handsome – Mithos, very nice name.” Arianna: “Mithos…me-toast.” She grins maniacally and creates fire. Mithos grips Ken closer and pets him: “Don’t hurt his face!” Arianna hold fire in his face. Tobs convinces Arianna to leave and go to the adept dome. Everyone else comes with them. Inzilbęth is still paying attention to her book. Tobs says bye to Mordecai. He glares. Tobs gets Inzilbęth. Derris said a haiku about strumpets to Mordecai. Outside it is snowing rather hard. Ken points to sheets that Arianna can psychically lift up and cover up the hole in the roof. Kharlan shouts back to Mordecai: “I’ve got a sister-in-law for you!” Silence.

They trundle off to the adept dome, Ken with Mithos in hand. It’s a big shiny building with a dome at the top. Unlike the Nean escapade, it’s not in disarray this time but very neatly kept. Spiral stairs go up with rows of records, and it seems bigger on the inside than outside. They see Danäe sitting at a desk off to the side looking at a shelf and pulling something down, a lunch tied with a pink handkerchief under her arm. Danäe: “I hope you aren’t bringing bad news this time.” Arianna asks after Nean. Danäe: “He’s doing much better.” Arianna: “Is he sucking people into his mind still?” Danäe: “He began to recover after the vampire attacks, so he should be fine for visitors.” She looks over at Ken and shakes her head. Mithos: “I like your pretty pink bandana.” Danäe: “My wife insists…cute is what she does, but I do not approve of cute.” Mithos: “How’s the sex?” Danäe (affronted): “You have no place to ask me about that, sir. How is it that your party attracts all the crazies and idiots?” Tobs looks puzzled. Inzilbęth is offended. There is lots of petting going on between Mithos and Ken. Tobs: “We’re distracting people.” He motions to Arianna. Arianna tells her she needs to send shapers to the marsh: “Cause they have a death wish.” Danäe: “I can think about it. That’s very responsible-ish of you.” Mithos offers to take her bandana, but she keeps the pink handkerchief, glares, and walks off.

Mithos and Ken turn their attention to Tobs: Threesome…foursome…Tobs runs after Arianna. Kharlan: “Stay away from my sisters-in-law.” He then proceeds to list them off. Inzilbęth listens intently and recites the history of her own family. As they make their way up to the dormitories, they hear scuffling coming from inside Nean’s room, accompanied by muffled cussing. Nean opens door; his hair is completely white now. He’s in white robes. Somebody is scuffling out the window. Arianna: “Was that your brother?” Nean: “Rohi, you can come back.” He lifts himself back over windowsill and sits there like that. Arianna: “Have you been stealing things? You promised me that if your brother got better you would stop.” He calls Arianna a bitch. Everyone is shocked. Kharlan backhands him. He falls out of window but manages to grab onto a rope. Kharlan: “That’s what you get!” as he slams the window shut. Arianna is crying, and Mithos gives her a one-handed hug so that he doesn’t have to let go of Ken. Nean apologizes for brother: “You didn’t have to hit him though, he’s my impulsive older brother.” Arianna reminds him that she was sucked into his mind. Nean: “I remember you. I couldn’t distinguish anything at the time, really. I’m better now, though, and I’m going to be competing in the tournament.” Arianna takes credit for saving him. He does earthshaping and shows the excitable Arianna, who has just found her new best friend. He settles himself into a pose and moves his body through patterns; the earth moves around, and it looks shiny. Arianna: “I just set things on fire.” She makes herself catch on fire. Nean is just as impressed with her as she is with him. Mithos backs away with Ken to a corner. Ken approves. Both Arianna and Nean wish that they could use the other’s talents. He tells her that his brother was a light shaper and was especially good at making himself invisible.

It’s beginning to get towards evening. Mithos and Ken talk about star marriages. Ken: “I’d love to see the sea.” Tobs goes off to freak out to Phaedrus, Kharlan goes home with his kid, and Nean and Arianna go to kitchen. Phaedrus and Tobs and Mithos and Ken also eventually go to the kitchen. Kharlan invites Inzilbęth to a party at his house and grabs and drags her along for a bit, but eventually she breaks free, telling him “Some other time.” The kitchen is full of life at the dinner hour; Hannah is bustling in and out, as is Linu, her assistant. Hannah comes over to them and is her usual talkative self: “It’s been so long – what’s going on? Have you seen my wife, she’s looking more beautiful everyday!” When they mention the handkerchief, she says that it’s a sign of true love. She turns to Mithos: “Ah, I see you picked up Ken there. Can I get you something to eat?” Linu comes over, a quiet poised young man. He brings food and sets it down. Ken digs into the food, quite hungry. Arianna eats like Torvic. Nean to Arianna: “Eating contest?” Arianna: “Yeah, more food!” Mithos looks afraid. Nean gets sick first: “Excuse me.” He stumbles off to puke. Tobs and Mithos to Arianna: “Yes, please stop.” It gets quiet again. Hannah does dishes, and Tobs helps. Phaedrus doesn’t. Arianna follows Tobs. Linu goes over to window on the sly. Rohi pokes head up, and Linu passes him bread. Tobs asks Linu about him. Linu looks startled and is slightly flustered: “Ah, he’s incorrigible, I can’t get through to him…but I don’t know him that well.” Arianna calls Rohi a poopyhead.

Arianna and Tobs go off to find Ursula, and they drag Phaedrus along. Kharlan comes back. Inzilbęth goes to barracks. Mithos to Ken: “Let’s find some place warmer to go hang out, have a little fun.” He flips one side of his hair, and Ken does the other. Bethany greets the people at barracks; she’s her normal cheerful, perky, and destructive self. “Hi Ken, are you sleeping in the archery range or in a bunk?” Ken asks for a quiet place. Bethany: “Ah.” She makes a dirty hand gesture. Ken takes Mithos by arm and walks him off. Mithos gets it on with the horny archer dude. (He’s done what everyone else has done.) Bethany to Inzilbęth: “We don’t get many night people.” She talks awkwardly about them for a second and points to different rooms: “Depends on if you’re quiet.” Inzilbęth: “Do the rooms on the top floor have rafters? We’ll take those then.” She lets her bat out, and he goes up in the rafters. Arianna and Tobs meanwhile find Ursula. Arianna spews out long list of almost incomprehensible phrases. Ursula: “It’s been a long time! Where have you been?” Arianna: “In the marsh by Jarzon.” Ursula: “Don’t do that!” Tobs: “I got to hang out with Krin.” Ursula: “Well, at least this time you can’t make fun of Jonah. I’ve been studying contemplation arcana.” Arianna: “Look, look, fire!” Ursula: “No no no.” Spivak and Jonah come back, and a dejected Jonah goes home. Arianna describes Inzilbęth to Ursula: “Nightshaper, nightcrawler, it’s big and has tusks, and she’s mean.” Arianna makes Ursula feel guilty. “Well, when I have this body control technique down, I’ll be a great fighter and even go with you to the Veran Marshes.” Arianna: “Anyone who touches me can catch on fire.” Nean tries it. “Ow, fire hurts!” Phaedrus rolls his eyes. Ursula: “I think the only thing he likes to touch is Tobs.” Tobs turns red. The discussion turns to the evil chest that almost killed the Queen. Kharlan comes in and tells Ursula about the bitch incident. Nean says that Rohi and Linu are old friends; they used to be apprentices to Danäe, and they used to get in trouble all the time. Arianna suggest they get married. Nean: “Really?” They plot marriage for them and for Tobs and Phaedrus. Ursula joins in the plotting. Tobs and Phaedrus have long since left the room. Kharlan helps with the plotting too. Plan so far: brainwash, drunk…married! Kharlan suggests that Ursula marry a sister-in-law. Dead silence. Kharlan describes his marriage ceremony.

Nean’s going to be on a team with Ken. They’re trying to get Mordi for the last person on team. Kharlan asks Arianna to be on his team: “We can fight against them!” Arianna goes and attacks Bethany. “Have you killed people?” Bethany: “Yeah, I killed a lot of people.” Arianna: “Did you keep trophies?” She pulls toenails out of one of the bandolier pockets. “Don’t worry, this person was already dead, unless I was trying to torture them. I got lots of different ways that torture people.” Arianna: “Can you teach me?” Bethany: “Probably. You have to be twelve.” She bluffs that she is 13. Bethany: “After the tournament. If you beat Nean.” Arianna: “Can we torture a flower?” She pats her on the head. Everyone gets rooms; it is night. Inzilbęth cracks her door and lets her bat go out to eat. Derris goes after it and bothers: Bother bother you. Bother bother bother bother you. Oh bother bother.

Session Two: February 1st, 2006

Mithos wakes up about six in the morning when Ken is getting up. Ken: “I didn’t mean to wake you up; I’m going in early today. It was nice last night, I haven’t gotten some in awhile.” He kisses Mithos on the head, gathers his things, and goes out. Mithos goes back to sleep. The rest wake up around 9-10 o’clock, some in barracks, Jaylynn and Kharlan out in Aldis. There’s a light fall of snow on the ground. The day is clear and bright. Kharlan got up at seven and made ten snowmen with his kids. His wife comes out and scolds him for using household items. When those in the barracks go out, they hear the murmur of activity from main triangular square. Another crowd of Sovereign’s Finest has gathered, and everyone is milling around and talking. Some clump together in groups of three. Ken and Mordecai talking, Mordecai looking extremely angry. Jonah is talking to someone. Arianna goes over to talk to Nean, who looks like he’s talking to nothing (a.k.a. his invisible brother Rohi). She throws a rock and clips Rohi’s shoulder; Nean looks over and looks scared before he recognizes her. “Why’d you throw a rock…at…nothing?” Ariana: “Cause I wanted to throw a rock.” Nean: “Want to sit down next to nothing and me?” Arianna: “Yeah, that’s a good idea.” They talk about getting ready for the tournament. Nean: “Have three people for a team?” Arianna: “Spivak is! Spivak and I are going to get married.” They decide to have the tournament first and then have everyone get married. He tells her that Ken’s on his team, and they’re trying to get Mordecai. Arianna: “They’re having a tiff…Ken and Mordecai and the sea fairy we don’t like.” Nean is confused about the tiff. Arianna wants to get Ken and Mordecai married too. Arianna: “Bet you nothing made the hole.” Mordecai was so upset that he even forgot about the hole yesterday. Nean: “I should make sure nothing gets away safely and then talk to Ken about something.” Lots more talk about nothing and something. Nean stands up, grabs nothing’s shoulder, and drags nothing away. Arianna clocks nothing in the back of the head, and she hears cursing. (Much ado about nothing.) Derris drops a strange drawing on Tobs’ head that one of Kharlan’s kids drew of the snowmen. Tobs passes it around. Mithos walks over to Inzilbęth: “How was your night in the barracks?” Inzilbęth: “Fine. Relatively comfortable. And you, dare I ask?” Mithos: “Very comfortable indeed.” Jaylynn professionally lurks back to the barracks. Kharlan arrives. Inzilbęth notices Jaylynn: “Excuse me, are you from Kern?” Jaylynn backs away. Everyone else notices her and runs up and greets her. Jonah perks up on hearing people shout “Jaylynn!” and walks over, trying to not look excited. Mithos slips a hand around her waist. Jonah looks a little confused. “Jaylynn, it’s good to see you again. Do they scare you?” Inzilbęth: “I’m not from Kern; my family has been living here for generations.” She lists her impressive genealogy. Jonah: “It’s very good to see you again, Jaylynn.” Arianna: “We should make you get married too!” He turns red and starts stuttering. “No, no…have to talk about the tournament.” Jaylynn removes Mithos’ hand when he tells her that healers are attractive. Tobs settles things down a bit. Jonah is considerably flustered by now. “I’m supposed to take you to see the field, do have any questions? Preventing death? Ah, well, shapers have made the damage subdued so that it doesn’t kill anyone; it can knock them out but can’t kill or cause serious injury.” Arianna asks about cutting things off. He tells her that healers will be on hand. Jaylynn volunteers to heal on the side. She’s not one for fighting. Inzilbęth thinks that Jonah and Mithos will be trying to get hurt just so that they can be treated by Jaylynn. Jonah continues: “In the middle of each field is a relic, and the score for getting a relic is 6; knocking a member of the other team out is three, and you need to get to nine points to win, so the relic plus one or knocking out all three is a win. Rhy-bonds don’t count in the numbers.” Inzilbęth asks Arianna to be on a team; Mithos and Kharlan and Tobs form another. Arianna wants Bethany on their team. Jonah takes notes, nods, and heads off.

Back at the barracks, Bethany is back at her desk cleaning a torture device. Arianna: “Bethany Bethany Bethany, I need another person.” Bethany: “I’m not sure, torturing people is not good for a tournament.” Arianna almost hits the wrong chord but then Bethany nods: “I wasn’t planning to participate because there’s not much room for a torturer, but I think I can do it.” Arianna: “You can watch me catch sea fairies on fire!” Inzilbęth: “Do you have any other skills?” She has a shiny sword. Bethany tells them to meet at the field at seven tomorrow morning. (Half the stadium will be taken up by Kharlan’s family.) Bethany shows Arianna torture devices…certain points they poke, they bleed, and they die. Bethany: “I know how to not kill people by killing people.” Inzilbęth: “Hmm.” Mithos and Kharlan talk about sisters-in-law. The day goes along, people are drifting, and lots of threes are forming up: Mordecai, Ken, and Nean have formed a team, and Krin and Sheila and Deanna have formed another.

Jaylynn asks Jonah directly how his brother is doing. He looks guilty: “He got better, but he’s been really really sick lately, and I don’t know what to do with him.” Kharlan (referring to Winifred): “He’s lovesick.” Jonah (quite affronted): “No no no, not love, she had a hold on him!” Mithos: “Was the sex good?” Jonah twists his face and looks angry at him. Tobs explains the vampire bit. Kharlan asks if he misses being a thrall. “No! Can we not bring it up anymore? It’s kind of a sensitive topic. If you want to look at my brother, that would be really nice.” All of them follow Jonah out into the nice cobblestone streets of Aldis. They pass buildings of various shapes and sizes, Kharlan’s lawn with ten lumpy snowmen, and the Blue Rose square, where the Summer Festival was held last time; there are still decorations left over from the Winter Solstice. Jonah stops at a particular manor on the left made out of nice blue-tinted marble (quite a rich estate) and pokes head in the gatehouse. The gate opens through arcana, and he leads everyone in. The inside is not quite as spectacular, as it has fallen into disrepair in some spots, but it is still very comfortable with a roaring fire and deep soft rugs. They remove their shoes and go in and up the stairs. Along the walls are lots of different portraits of blond haired persons (Jonah’s esteemed pompous important ancestors). He points out things along the hallway. Derris makes a haiku about being sad about not being able to poop on the rug. They go up winding stairs to a tower area, warm and homey with a locked room at the top. Jonah opens it with a key. “Is it that serious?” “It’s for his own safety, just in case, he’s kind of paranoid…” Arianna: “Does it run in the family?” Jonah: “No, I’m not paranoid!” Arianna proves him wrong by playing with fire. The room beyond is very dark, lit only by a lamp. Jonah speaks in hushed tones and goes over to his brother softly. Kharlan: “Are you sure he’s not a vampire?” Jonah glares at him.

Jaylynn is allowed the closest to Aaron, who is lying in bed, looking pale and unconscious. He looks feverish, his hair is in disarray…he looks very sick. Jaylynn takes a look at him. She does a good reading, as during her stay in Aldis she looked up diseases. Aaron has something particularly nasty although not contagious brought on by supreme stress. It strikes very slowly and can take a couple months for symptoms to show; a couple more months is death. In other words, not good. Jaylynn manages to soothe away some of the fever. At this stage, with a disease like this, there is a point past which healing magic puts more strain on the body…Aaron needs outside medicine, although he is not quite sure what it is. Jaylynn asks Jonah what his brother does to relax. Jonah reads to him, but mostly he sleeps a lot. “Before this,” Jonah thinks for awhile, “I really don’t know; we weren’t on good terms. The servants might know. I wasn’t in the house until a couple of months ago. I’m not a person of high renown in this family.” Jaylynn goes asking around and then leads everyone back out. Talking to the servants, they find that he was fond of going out to plays. He was also fond of the arts and liked politics and going to meetings. Jaylynn prescribes Jonah to read newspaper to him. Kharlan says that his sister- in-law Abby has an advice column in the paper.

Then Jonah offers to take them to the tournament field. Kharlan: “Going on a field trip!” He takes them to a coliseum, an old kingdom artifact with lots of seats, lots of activity, and lots of mages moving about in various parts of the field. The field is rectangular, 100 by 150 feet, with raised metallic platforms and ordinary cobbled stone. The magic users shift things about; sand then converts back to stone. Others are working with water, and healers off to the side are doing damage dampening, as they don’t want to loose any of the Sovereign’s Finest. Tobs and Arianna dance, Arianna mimicking Tobs. There are no animals anywhere. The stones themselves are strange: really old stuff, some magic past what anything can do in this day and age. Arianna lights a fire on a stone, but it doesn’t affect it. They’re impervious to just about everything. Jonah doesn’t know why it’s like that. They said something about changing shape, but he doesn’t know how. Jaylynn senses that it is in how they are interlocked and can shift. Jonah pokes around…Tobs quickly intercedes: “Don’t try to shape anything!” He looks a little guilty. “I’m getting better at it, really!” Arianna wants to see what happens. He concentrates and with unusual skill he gathers water, lifts it up, and shoves it down at the stone, where it splats. Mithos’ hair goes sparkle sparkle with water droplets. Tobs applauds. Arianna: “Go Jonah go!”

Then the mages shoo them out. Kharlan explores like a small child. There are lots of small rooms, things being set up, the kitchen staff (including Hannah) working on food for tomorrow, more rooms for resting; in the infirmary, Jaylynn counts beds. People are starting to move in one particular direction, and they hear voices from one end (to the right). A female voice is speaking, along with the murmur of people. Sigourney stands by the side of the Queen, walking down the hallway. Queen Jaellin still looks a little pale and not completely at full health, but a lot better. There are also some nobles with her – members of the Sovereign’s Council, talking concernedly about something. Jonah starts and drops into a bow. The tail end of their conversation is about Kern – Jaellin is debating with one of her advisors, and the main argument is whether or not to send people into Kern now. She doesn’t want to do it, as there are things to mop up here to protect Aldis; Lord Sayvin wants to send an army in quickly, and he already has a leader (Torvic). Inzilbęth pays close attention and waits for an opportunity. Sigourney nods at the group; Arianna follows them, Tobs follows her, and Inzilbęth trails after as well. Jonah: “What are you doing?” Jaylynn lurks back to barracks to research, and Jonah goes back with her. Kharlan and Mithos go have a party, but Kharlan sends Derris with the three.

Sigourney glances back as Lord Sayvin speaks of the necessity of a preemptive strike on Kern. An older woman turns and addresses the three: “Can I help you?” Arianna: “I have an idea: you should send a scouting party in.” Inzilbęth agrees with her. Arianna: “You’re not very nice, you interrupted!” Inzilbęth thinks an immediate attack may be unwise; Arianna suggests a small group of about six people, which has been Sigourney’s advice. Lord Sayvin shakes his head: “Are you mad?” Arianna: “Yes!” “Who would be mad enough to volunteer for this sort of mission; the probability of coming back is almost nonexistent. Are you volunteering?” He looks to Sigourney. “Well, I will consider this feasible. Are you participating in the tournament? The top two groups combine, and we’ll send them on the mission. If they volunteer, we’ll consider it.” The Rhydan agrees. Arianna and Sayvin argue about meaningless death. Then he and Inzilbęth argue, and he walks away. Jaellin shakes her head a bit and beckons to entourage.

Kharlan and Mithos go to an Aldean bar, which is cleaner and nicer than other bars but still a bar. Some of the Sovereign’s Finest are there, including Ken, who has his arms around yet another guy. Deanna the griffon rider is at the bar, very noisy and drunk out of her mind. The bartender is their old sailor friend Burly. Spivak immediately comes (6th Burly sense), and he cleans glasses with Spivak on his shoulder. Kharlan: “Hi Burly, I’m drunk.” “I know, I served you five of those drinks.” He looks very focused on this one glass: “It’s dirty, my goldfish was in it. The goldfish is in a better place now.” He points at it in a big bowl. “Fish like beer.” Mithos scans the room for attractive people and locks eyes with the goldfish. He’s the most beautiful aquatic firefly you’ve ever seen. After another beer, he tries again, realizing that the shiny thing was not hair but fish. Mostly the Sovereign’s Finest are pretty. There are lots of different people for Mithos to choose from. He goes after Deanna. “Kinda remember you…I remember you? Can I have another one?” Burly shakes his head.

Mithos buys, she drinks: “You’re a great man or woman, doesn’t matter at this point. What’s your story, I’ve got a sob-story, I’m not the bartender, let’s not be lonely, I don’t like cats…” Their conversation makes drunken sense. “We should go hang out somewhere.” “I’m Mithos.” “That’s a pretty name, reminds me of my mom’s name…Sarah.” “Deanna’s a pretty name too, almost as pretty as you are.” “Ooo…That’s a pickup line, want to do something? I’ve got a place in the barracks. I can lead you back there, not that far.” She wobbles quite heavily…”Over there, no over there.” Spivak helps them back to the barracks. They open the door to Sheila lying on bed reading a book. (Jaylynn is meanwhile studying…herbs and spices…not the Colonel’s blend). “Deanna, what did I say about bringing home strange men? I’m not good at threesomes, and I don’t want one tonight.” Mithos: “I’m here for her.” “I’m busy on the bed, you’ll have to go someplace else.” The roommates argue about the bed. Sheila looks annoyed, like this happens every time they come back. Deanna waves a bit, and they go to Mithos’ room. Mithos gets laid again.

Spivak goes off to find Tobs. Inzilbęth goes into history of her people, etc. etc. Spivak to Tobs: “Burly’s here!” Tobs and Arianna: “Let’s go see Burly!” Burly pets Spivak as he polishes the same glass. Tobs asks Burly how he got off the stormwrecked ship: “Uh, water shapers, island, kind of good, seafolk and stuff, stayed there awhile, real tropical, lots of seashells (points to pretty pink seashell on shelf), spent a couple months in a grass skirt, that was kind of fun, went back, no problem.” Arianna asks about Cleo and is told she is back in Garnet. He says it’s a custom to wear grass skirts in area. Inzilbęth notes that it is good to blend in. The goldfish is named Susan. She bobs up, and Arianna feeds her with a small shot glass of alcohol. Kharlan: “Small children should not drink alcohol,” he lectures while he drinks. Fish: “Glub glub glub.” Kharlan: “Know where that one guy and the griffon rider went?” Arianna: “It’s not fair, Mithos is going to get to ride a griffon before me.” Kharlan calls Burly emo. Arianna wants to beat Mithos at riding a griffon. Burly: “Bit young.” Tobs is oblivious to the innuendos. Burly tries to explain the birds and the bees to her; then Inzilbęth tries. Kharlan talks to a potted plant, which he thinks is Jaylynn. Tobs listens to the girls. Arianna: “Children come from storks which come from cabbage plants.” (Back at the barracks, Deanna tops.” Arianna goes on a long explanation. Tobs gets alcohol: “I think I need alcohol.” Kharlan: “I don’t remember that happening, and I have three of them.” He holds up two fingers. Kharlan takes over explaining. Burly serves Arianna some food. Kharlan: “My wife didn’t know where babies came from and she did fine.” Arianna goes back to the barracks to talk to Bethany before the others tell her about sex. Kharlan stumbles home, and falls to the ground; his sisters-in-law drag him in. The others sleep.

Early the next morning there are two knocks at Mithos’ door. “What is it?” They hear Krin’s voice “You have Deanna in there? Deanna? What time is it? You’re late. What are you doing in there?” Deanna: “Oh, I have to go, forgot the tournament. We should do this again some time. Next time you can top.” Both Sheila and Krin glare at her. They go off to prepare. Arianna to Bethany: “I was telling people where babies come from, but they know nothing.” Bethany points Mithos to a sea-folk pool. Roland comes to get Jaylynn, and they go to the infirmary. Jonah falls down the stairs. And he comes in to the infirmary to get his ankle treated. Kharlan stumbles in. All go over to the field. Everyone drew on Kharlan’s face while asleep, so he has battle makeup. Mithos has battle hickies.

The boy’s team (Kharlan, Mithos, and Tobs) is led out on the field and up onto a metal platform. The stands are filled with lots of people; it seems that most of the city turned out to see the tournaments. The Queen herself announces: “Here is the competition of our finest warriors who uphold the realm etc. etc.” When she finishes, the field begins to change. They feel a lot of magic in the air as the stones reshape themselves. The temperature increases dramatically, large stones rise up, some stepping stones come out, and those stones fall out and fill with something like water. Tobs is scared. They can’t even see opponents, or relic that is supposedly in the middle. Everything except the stepping stones is lava. Derris flies up and looks down. The field is mirrored on the other side, and facing them are Krin, Deanna, and Sheila. Mithos and Tobs groan. Derris also sees the relic in the middle. Kharlan jumps two stones. Mithos goes up the up the path. There are curious markings on one side of a stone. They hear Deanna almost falls into the lava, but Krin moves up, as does Sheila. Spivak flies up to the cup and guards it. Tobs dexterously goes out to the other side. Kharlan feels a rush of magic well up, and heat radiates out in an arc: Mithos is covered, Tobs dodges it, and Kharlan shakes it up. Krin and Sheila do just fine, but Deanna is knocked right off and disqualified. Healers come up, and the stone goes back to normal where they walk; they take her to the infirmary. Kharlan tries to move two and does, and Derris goes to bother Krin. Krin is very bothered and gets engaged in swatting Derris. Mithos makes another jump up the middle. He struggles a bit but clings on and hauls himself up. Sheila has a bird on her shoulder, a great big eagle hawk. The hawk goes after Derris, hits, and rakes into his wings; Derris is hurt. Tobs jumps another one, but it crumbles underneath him, so he jumps and lands near Spivak, slightly hurt. Kharlan jumps two more. Mithos jumps up to the next one, the rock kind of depresses, and the wave of heat is disarmed. Krin leaps and jumps forward, the rock shifts, and she is back where Tobs used to be. Sheila’s bird goes at Derris but doesn’t hit. Sheila moves two. Tobs picks up the cup and puts it in his backpack. The other side emits heat again; Derris swoops around on the hot air and makes a haiku about how hot it is. Kharlan jumps twice and is now next to Tobs. Mithos jumps down, flipping while his hair sparkles, and lands next to them. Krin jumps bravely and brilliantly and attacks Tobs with her shortsword. She doesn’t hit. The eagle owl attempts to attack Derris and fails. Sheila jumps closer. Tobs moves back and shoots at Sheila. Kharlan swipes at Krin and hits her pretty good. Mithos also attacks Krin with his rapier and scores another good hit on her, and she falls back, almost out of it. Krin attacks Mithos and hits, hurting him. Sheila’s hawk is hitting the owl, Derris is hurting pretty bad. Sheila stays put. Spivak goes to help Derris. Tobs shoots Sheila pretty good. Derris flies away, withdrawing. Kharlan knocks Krin out. That’s the end. The field goes back to normal, the relic disappears, and medics come out and heal everyone. Tobs and Mithos do a victory dance.

Next the three girls, Inzilbęth, Arianna, and Bethany, come out. The crowd cheers, and the field rises up as stairs and a wooden catwalk, ladder, net, thin rope, wall…everything else is empty space with an endless drop below. Inzilbęth’s bat comes out. Tobs cheers them on from the sidelines. Mithos does too. Kharlan asks Jaylynn about the bar (you were talking to a plant, silly). The other team gets to go first. Bethany walks out onto the rickety steps and balances beautifully, moving slowly. Inzilbęth’s bat goes up and scopes stuff out. There are arches with the relic in the middle. They’re fighting Nean, Ken, and Mordecai. Arianna tries to go on out as well. She takes ten and slowly progresses as it sways. Wind is picking up. Nean does an exceptionally awesome job at moving himself, and he progresses along nets and catwalks. Bethany has some trouble getting up the ladder, as she has too much stuff in the bandolier. Ken also progresses up. Inzilbęth enhances her dexterity. Wind picks up even more, as Mordecai is in particular concentration. Arianna attempts to mentally contact Mordecai, and they grapple with each other. Nean is being amazing tonight and maneuvers himself along a slim line and leaps across. Bethany crawls up the ladder and onto the next layer, pulling out a long range weapon. Ken proceeds along. He fires a shot at Arianna, and she reels back but is not knocked out. Inzilbęth moves out onto the catwalk. Arianna tries to psychically pin Mr. Mordecai; he is pinned and immobile, and the wind dies down a bit. Nean goes up closer to the dais with the relic. Bethany shoots at him with her crossbow and clips him a bit. Ken takes another shot at Arianna, but she’s fine, it bounces off. Inzilbęth shoots at Nean, but he’s not really that hurt. Mordecai psychic grapples back but is unsuccessful. Arianna tries to make him stop with the wind, and the wind slows down again. Nean jumps down and gets the relic. Arianna yells to get Mordecai. Bethany moves, jumps long, and lands on the high wall. Ken shoots at Arianna again, and she is hurt. Inzilbęth moves out and jumps beautifully. Mordecai breaks contact with Arianna. She lobs a fireball at Ken, who looks singed. He staggers back. Nean is the most agile little sucker ever (direct quote from Rachael). He’s looking irritated because there is no earth to shape. Bethany moves to attack Nean, but they swipe at each other in mid-air. Ken shoots at Inzilbęth, but she shoots at Ken and hits him. Mordecai starts up the wind again; Arianna gets pushed back. Nean attacks Bethany but doesn’t hit her. Bethany hits him back with a self-assembled sword. Ken shoots Inzilbęth again but fails to hit. Inzilbęth shoots Nean with her crossbow. Mordecai maintains concentration on the wind. Arianna attacks Ken with a fireball, but it doesn’t hit. Nean almost crits on Bethany, but she crits back. Ken fires at Inzilbęth again. He hits and hurts her. She shoots Nean but doesn’t hit. Mordecai keeps concentrating. Ken staggers and almost falls off. Arianna tries to grapple Nean but doesn’t make it. Bethany hits Nean, but not too hard. Ken fires at Inzilbęth and crits on her, wounding her. Inzilbęth feels nightpeople rage against Ken and fires at him but doesn’t hit. Mordecai concentrates on the wind again. Ken stumbles and is off balance. Arianna psychic grapples Nean and pins him. He’s immobile. Bethany crits on him, and he falls backwards. (Dan – we don’t kill fuckable NPCs). Inzilbęth tries shooting again. Mordecai tries again with the wind, and Ken falls off. Inzilbęth and Arianna are knocked back to the edge. Bethany makes a flying leap down into where Nean is, and she knocks him out and grabs the cup. They win!

The next morning, they are ordered to meet in front of the palace at nine o’clock. The palace is nice Old Kingdom architecture: lots of trees and flowering things, despite it being winter (eternal blossoms). Queen Jaellin, Lord Sayvin, and Sigourney are standing there. Griffons fly down out of the sky, and snow is fresh on their wings. Deanna is among them, and they line up in front of the Queen. The griffons bow, and Jaellin steps up and addresses them all. Hannah tucks handkerchiefs into everyone’s collars. Lots of Sovereign’s Finest are there, and Kharlan’s family, and Phaedrus. Danäe and Hannah hug Nean, and he gets on Deanna’s griffon…and there seems to be extra space there for Nothing. Inzilbęth’s on one with a nightperson. They all say goodbye to Jonah. They wave and fly off. They travel for most of the day, and they toss bundles of food back and forth. Kharlan wears pink fuzzy mittens and a scarf made by his family. Kharlan’s talking about his family causes him to shift riders frequently.

It takes two or three days before they are set down in a fortress up in the mountains. They can see down into the grey dull land of Kern. Mithos: “It’s ugly.” Jaylynn’s heart sinks slowly as emo snow falls around her. Renolls greets them. He looks at them from over the top of his scarf and nods at them. “I was not informed that we were getting reinforcements.” Deanna: “No, this is the suicide, I mean reconnaissance, group. I’m the reinforcement. They’re going into Kern.” He looks, nods: “I’ll send you a guide to get you through the rest of the mountains, but then you’ll be on your own. I would have preferred an army. We’ve had attacks from darkfiends at least twice in the last two months.” Renolls compliments Jaylynn on her bravery for going back into Kern, especially since she was born there. Tobs attempts to disguise the seafolk (hated in Kern) with a hat and scarf. Mithos looks unhappy. They go over to Sandy, who is intensely working with fire to shape armor. They ask her for disguises. Deanna pops up: “Sandy, oh, I didn’t know you’ve been assigned here! I’m so happy to see you again!” They’re sisters. Deanna picks up the fifteen year old and hugs her. Sandy: “Oh god, make it stop.” Deanna keeps babbling as Sandy analyzes who will need disguises. Points to Jaylynn’s amulet: “Take care of that. Don’t let on that you’re from Aldis.” She pulls out horrible looking burlap things to put over their clothes: the things that Kern laborers would wear. Nean looks saddened at the awful clothes, as do Mithos and Tobs. Mithos wants to be Jaylynn’s slave. Nightpeople are the ones that lead the labor gangs, however. Jaylynn tries to tell Inzilbęth that she speaks too nicely; Inzilbęth responds with a harsh Brooklyn accent. Mithos drags the still babbling Deanna away. Tobs talks to Lirael, a woman posted at the fortress, about what he can expect in Kern. She tells them to behave like they’re downtrodden. “Also, don’t show any weakness. There are no old people, because they kill them.” Tobs looks wide-eyed at all of this shocking news. Lirael lightshapes on Spivak’s wings to make her look like a normal cat. The owl and the bat should be fine. Kharlan says the bat’s name is Steve. Inzilbęth: “Animals don’t have names.” Kharlan tells a young man stories…the young man listens enthusiastically, as he has a young wife at home and wants to have lots of kids. Inzilbęth talks to Renolls about the nightfiend situation as his scarf flutters in the wind. “We’ve been attacked by shadows that come out of nowhere. My commander was one of those slain, which is why I’m now the leader here. They don’t seem to be from the Lich King, but acting on their own or by someone else’s orders.” Inzilbęth: “Either there is a shadowgate we don’t know of or someone else is sending nightfiends.” She sends her bat out to eat and scout. Mithos hits on Lirael. Lirael: “My girlfriend’s a griffon rider. We tried to get married, but I got sent out.” Next he tries Deanna, who is talking to her sister. Tobs takes Sandy away to talk, as she looks miserable at Deanna’s constant chattering and Mithos ruffling her hair. Deanna says her sister always seem to know that she has been sleeping with people. Mithos says she is just jealous. Mithos interrupts her talking with a kiss. He gets laid again. Tobs talks to Sandy, who sees no point in that sort of thing: “It’s messy. I’m going to go back to Aldis and getting a cat farm.” She’s happy to pet Spivak. Tobs says when they’re both old people, he’ll come visit her cat farm. Jaylynn dirties herself and scatters dirt on her party members. Kharlan throws a snowball at Tobs, who throws one back, and Spivak and Derris join in. Kharlan to Sandy: “You shouldn’t take life so seriously.” Sandy: “I want to live like this.” The night passes.

Lirael awakens them early the next morning. Kharlan throws snowballs in the tent with Mithos and Deanna and runs. Nean goes into a corner to fuss at Nothing. They say goodbye to Deanna, who says goodbye about ten different ways. “It’ll be cold and lonely without you…see, I’m pouting!” Lirael leads them along the mountain path. Poor Sandy is left with her sister. It is absolutely silent, and there is nothing. Downwards they see a dim entrance of a mine with people shuffling in and out. They stop on the slope around dinner and hear a faint noise above them. Spivak goes to fly up, but Tobs pulls her down by the tail: no flying for her in Kern. Derris and the bat fly up to check it out, and they see vague shadows. Tobs to Jaylynn: “So, what kinds of monsters are in Kern?” Jaylynn tries mind touch up there. Something is wrong, but they don’t know what it is. Kharlan suggests that Nothing go see what it is. They hear the slightest cursing. Kharlan thinks he hears aquatic fireflies. Jaylynn lurks. More stones come down. Lirael: “We should move.” She jumps to the side as a slide of rocks comes down, and everyone scrambles to get out of the way.

They surf down towards the village area, except Kharlan and Lirael, who manage to stay up at the top. Snow comes down in other spots and almost converges on the little village. Nightpeople yell and curse. They are more concerned about the snow that covered up the entrance to the mine. Some of them come over and order those at the bottom to clear out the snow, and Inzilbęth orders them around, blending in. Jaylynn fades back into the mountains as Tobs, Mithos, and Nean follow Inzilbęth on pain of death. Nean looks around for Nothing. Kharlan looks over the edge. Lirael: “Oh shit. You stay here, I’m going to go back for help.” Mithos fears castration after rumors he has heard about Kern. Everyone gets pushed around, and Inzilbęth does pushing herself. These peasant people are hard-looking, hunched over and working. Tobs gets flashbacks to shoveling snow in Mordecai’s library, and Nean does okay at shoveling as well. One of the nightpeople snaps a whip over Mithos’ head, and he screams. Some of the Kernish people look at him funny. Jaylynn lurks her way slowly and carefully back to the top.

“Get back to your houses, you’re working early tomorrow.” Spivak tries to mind touch Rohi, as Nean can’t find him or sense him. The few down there have a mental conference call. Inzilbęth tells them to sneak in and blend in as they go into the “town.” The huts are made of adobe or mud. Near the center of the town is a statue made out of mud of a woman with outstretched hands containing a healer’s badge. The Kernish people bow in reverence as they walk by it. Spivak darts in and out of the rubble, looking for Rohi. She senses something under the rocks and starts digging…a very dirty bloody Rohi clambers coughing out. Spivak licks his hand. He and Spivak gather rubble around themselves for the night.

Up on top of the mountain, Jaylynn mentally tries to find everyone to make sure they are all right. Derris tells Spivak where Kharlan and Jaylynn are. Jaylynn makes her way down to Rohi, as does Kharlan. The others see a woman shuffling in to a small adobe hut. They say that they were brought in by that nightperson, pointing to Inzilbęth. Tobs, Mithos, and Nean follow her in. Everyone is dirty, and children cough. Inzilbęth is confronted by another nightperson; she says she brought in three workers on their way to another town. That nightperson thinks that the Sovereign’s Finest caused these slides. He leads her to the only real building in the place: “We’ve got some good booze tonight.” Jaylynn and Kharlan see Rohi sitting there clutching his side. Jaylynn heals him; he had a broken rib, a dislocated shoulder, and lots of bleeding. The three boys in the hut eat a bowl of disgusting stew that the others pass them. Mithos: “Oh, this is good stew.” Tobs: “Yeah, much better than we had in the last town.” They keep bluffing, even when they are asked where they came from. The woman: “It’s not good here; I hope you can move on soon. Did you happen to get a healer to come this time? We’ve been waiting, they said they’d send one.” Tobs asks about the statue: “That’s Lucretia. There was a horrible malady that came through eight months ago, and it hurt our shoulders and a lot of us died, but she came and she healed us. I’ve never seen anyone so kind. We wanted her to stay, but she said she lived further in. We will never forget her kindness. However, it’s going around again.” It seems to be a different strain of what Jonah had. Tobs mentions he knows something about it; she grabs his shirt: “You’ve got to help us! They’re dying!” Tobs conveys this to Spivak, who tells Jaylynn. The town’s name is Falderan. The nightpeople keep Inzilbęth drinking. She hears a mishmash of things: “We’re going to get punished for the avalanche.” She learns that they are mining crystals. They joke about the statue: “It’s the greatest thing ever, the crazy peasants are all attached to it, they think it’s their savior, and it makes them not think about rebellion. She’s just one of the mages from up north, a servant of the Lich King.” Jaylynn works her way into town, and Kharlan sleeps at the bottom of the cliff with Rohi and Spivak. Jaylynn sees a nightperson walk up and grab someone else: “Don’t you know about curfew?” That person gets beaten. Jaylynn “suggests” that the nightperson go back and stop beating, and it eventually works. Jaylynn looks for her companions. She finds them as everyone lies down for the night, and she inspects a girl who has streaks on her chest; it seems to be a strain of last time’s: experimentations, not the finished product. Tobs sees Jaylynn and mentally talks with her. Jaylynn heals a few more people, as it’s not as strong as before.

Very early, the nightpeople come to wake everyone up harshly. Nean looks young, so he’s allowed to stay behind. The rest have to go out to work at the mines. Mithos groans. The others stay hidden in the rubble. The mines are dark, and they are taken down in long shafts and rickety elevators. Nightpeople push the unseeing workers along. Tobs and Mithos fall and skin their knees. Inzilbęth grabs them both by the back of their necks and hisses at them. They see glowing minerals and people excavating them, something looking like spun silk in the rock. Jaylynn knows that it means that shaz crystals are around. Nightpeople are standing and looking nervous about something as they watch down the passageways. Tobs gets fatigued. Kharlan asks Rohi to become Nothing and go to town to look for his brother, and they argue about his previous slapping. Those working in the mines hear skittering. One of the nightpeople stops and tells everyone that work’s done for the day. The guards go first, putting the Kernish peasants in between them and whatever lurks back there in the darkness. Jaylynn sees a shadow with long legs moving up. They hear a high-pitched shriek as something pierces through one of the people and drags her back. There’s a sort of sparkle thread out, glowing like the crystal veins, and they pull the woman back. The creatures have some sort of magic: the handiwork of the same person as the disease.

They take the others back up. The people look shaken, but it seems to have happened before. “Tomorrow’s your day off. Don’t try to enjoy it too much. No food.” Lirael still hasn’t come back. Kharlan decides to wait until tomorrow morning. They talk to the same woman as last night. “They’ve been appearing since six or seven months ago…we call them rock spiders, and they just reach out and grab people sometimes, and the nightpeople just let us die.” Inzilbęth learns that they lose one or two every week. Jaylynn sneaks in again as everyone sleeps and cures a few more people. There are rumors of Lucretia coming back because of her sneaky healings. Mithos tries to scry but gets blackness. Inzilbęth meditates to learn the presence of unnatural animals in the area, and she notices that they came towards the end of the day, which is odd: “Why didn’t they attack at the beginning? If I cut the legs off, they would fall over and squished. They seemed pieced together slipshod, like a prototype.” The night passes uneventfully.

Dan, Maranda, and Martha (while the others are off talking):

“Mithos stares longingly at Rohi’s amazingly virile body. 
Kharlan tells Derris to peck Mithos on the head. He does 
so. Mithos bleeds. But he still can’t get the idea of a 
naked Rohi out of his head. He pulls Rohi behind a large 
boulder and forcibly takes off his clothing. Kharlan cou-
de-gras Mithos. Mithos DIES. Mithos possesses Nean’s body 
and continues to go after Rohi! Kharlan kills Nean. Mithos 
possesses Arianna and she proceeds to have her way with the 
dead bodies. DEATH MITES! Kharlan gives up and runs away 
and becomes a monk.

Meanwhile, Inzilbęth remains blissfully unaware. Later on, 
however, when she loses mind touch with everyone, she 
starts to become puzzled. Making excuses, she slips away, 
only to find Arianna humping Rohi, having finished with the 
corpses of Mithos and Nean. “WTF?!?!” screams Inzilbęth, 
and commits seppuku in horror. Tobs watches it all and is 
amused. Jaylynn cries and then lurks away to find her own 
brand of Kernish fun. Which involves hot lesbian sex. And 
by lesbian sex I mean tea. But it’s still hot. And reminds 
her of Jonah.”

Some of the servants take a meal into the study, and they hear a female voice. Rohi and Spivak poke their head in: “You know that invisibility is really rather tiresome.” Rohi jumps back. Inzilbęth opens the door, and she sees a woman that resembles the statue. “I was wondering when you’d come down here. I knew you were here the moment you walked in the door. It’s really funny when you lie.” Lucretia motions for them to sit down. Jaylynn puts an illusion of a smiley face on a servant, and she laughs. Tobs has already eaten a roll, so he digs in. The food is wonderful. Others eat it after Inzilbęth says it is not poisoned. Inzilbęth: “So, are you the servant of the Lich King or a savior of the people?” “Depends on the moment.” She says that nightpeople and humans are very straightforward. She wonders what Aldeans are doing here. Tobs: “I’m on vacation! I mean, look at all this good food.” Kharlan talks about his family and then shows her the star thing. She says that the disease marking the townspeople was something she cooked up. Inzilbęth is straightforward and tells it like it is. Lucretia: “Let’s just say that I like to have fun in my life.” She remembers Winifred, and it was she who taught her those particular skills. She just felt like it. She thought it was amusing to experiment on people and create new dangerous creatures. Lucretia has no concern for the people whose lives she is destroying. Inzilbęth: “I’m not going to leave until you tell me what you are.” “I’m not quite as powerful as an exarch…I’m more of a neutral party here.” Her predecessor’s name was Loki. “I can tell you what the Lich King is up to, and it’s something you can prevent. But for me to tell you, you have to win against me.” Is it chess? Kharlan: “Mithos gets to be queen!” It doesn’t matter to Lucretia who’s in power. There is one condition to the game: “If you lose, you don’t leave.” She tells them to take their time on their decision and rest in the guest rooms.

This session was run by the wonderful Rachael and played by:
• Ymir the healer (Maranda)
• Commodore Fluffy-Paws the rhy-wolf scout (Jess)
• Surnalli the rhy-cat shaper (Dedrick)
• Carteloise the sea folk swashbuckler (Anna)
• Caym the thief (Greyson)
• Ialdabode the vata’an psychic (Eric L.)
• Collibe the vata’sha ranger (Emily)

This story takes place back in Aldis among Sovereign’s Finest members who were not among those sent to Kern (oh darn, just not shiny enough to go fight a war). Danäe, however, asks that the seven of them accompany Jonah von Glenfelde and his ill noble brother Aaron to the Glenfelde’s summer home, as the countryside is becoming unsafe and there are those mysteriously abandoned towns along the way. They have an evening before they leave; some visit the kitchens and talk to Hannah, and Ialdabode and later Caym go to the library to subtly irate the already irritable short little librarian Mordecai. Carteloise makes a necklace while sitting in the fountain, and the rhy-cat Surnalli lounges nearby. Commodore Fluffy-Paws accompanies Collibe to the archery range, where they see Ken writing a horribly dirty sonnet. Collibe shoots for a while and then hesitantly tries to aid Ken with his sonnet writing before giving it up for a lost cause. Ymir emos because Ialdabode beat her at mind-touching and made her feel inadequate and unskilled. She meets Bethany in the barracks and emos more after she learns that Bethany taught a little girl how to torture people. They also see a tired annoyed Phaedrus being followed around by a very talkative energetic little red-headed boy named Harold. Poor, poor Phaedrus. Evil, evil Tobs.

Later all of them go out to Burly’s Bar. He’s feeding his fish Susan beer. Ymir mind-touches the fish [::glubb glubb…beer beer beer!!!::]. Burly pets the rhy-cat and misses Spivak. Commodore Fluffy-Paws feels left out, so Collibe pets her on the head. There aren’t very many Sovereign’s Finest in the bar, as most of them have gone north to Kern. Burly sadly polishes the same glass over and over again. Carteloise flirts with Burly. Ialdabode and Ymir instigate a karaoke night.

After they get back to the barracks, Collibe talks to Bethany, who is still piecing her weapon together. Collibe gingerly holds it to avoid the poison. Then he interrogates a worn-out Phaedrus carrying a sleeping Harold about what to expect on their trip. He hears mention of Mordecai’s father, Alexander Rhodes, who disappeared while studying the abandoned towns. Everyone they talk to warns them about Jonah’s wild and unpredictable water-shaping “skills” and the fact that he and his brother Aaron don’t get along very well at all. However, they are the last two left in the direct line of the long lineage of their noble family.

The next morning, Caym, who was sleeping in the library, shoots a crossbow bolt into a book, and Mordecai sparks lightning and chases him out. Jonah meets them all and haltingly introduces himself before leading them to his brother’s manor. Aaron is in a carriage, and all of the others (except the rhyden) ride horses. They follow the road out of the city and continue up alongside of the river, camping at night on the rolling plains of Aldis. Most watch carefully for any signs of Jonah trying to use arcana. He and his brother argue often, leaving Jonah sullen and depressed. Aaron is rather ungrateful and looks down on everyone.

On the second day, they reach one of the abandoned towns. Ymir remembers her relative Kharlan mentioning something about them. They seem to have been abandoned a long time, and a white dust covers everything. The fountain in the middle, however, seems to be from a different time. “It doesn’t fit,” says the rhy-wolf. Although they find some sort of trigger along the sides, the mechanism is no longer there. Slowly, however, all of them succumb to sleep. They try to flee the town, and only Ymir and Ialdabode remain awake long enough to escape. The sleepers strangely disappear and wake up to find themselves in a bright sunny place bustling with people and full of Old Kingdom buildings. Ymir and Ialdabode get panicked and later bored, so they return to the town, fall asleep, and join their comrades. Caym steals pie and ice cream. They find another fountain, but this one is modern and has mechanisms. Aaron shows off his superior water-shaping talent.

They hear word of Alexander Rhodes and go to visit him. His house, like his son’s library, is also filled with books, but he is far messier than the impeccably and anal-retentively neat Mordecai. They question him about what is going on, but he evades their questions and asks to speak to the eldest von Glenfelde brother, Aaron. Although they are very reluctant to let their charge out of their sight, Alexander is quite insistent and takes him off alone, although Ymir mind- touches Aaron first. A good thing she did, too, for although Collibe and Commodore Fluffy-Paws snuck after them, they teleported to another building.

All of them quickly chase after, pulling the directionally-challenged Collibe and Jonah along. When they enter the building, they are set on by four gargoyles. Caym runs up and picks the lock on the door while Commodore Fluffy-Paws bites a gargoyle. Carteloise swings with her scimitar, and Collibe shoots with his bow. Surnalli earth-shapes to turn one gargoyle’s wings into bunny ears, and she also crumples the wings of another. Ialdabode makes one apathetic about fighting, and it leaves. Jonah has quite a stroke of luck, and his water shaping explodes one. Ymir and Ialdabode make the remaining two malformed gargoyles hug each other to death.

Caym having picked the lock, they race into a round room with six stone flower petals. Alexander Rhodes is in the center with a knife held to Aaron, who looks somewhat distressed at his situation. They try to talk him down, but Rhodes insists that he needs the noble’s blood to ensure that the Old Kingdom and all of its knowledge can come back because of some deal that he made with someone. As he is persistent, they fight him. Caym sneaks up behind him with Ialdabode’s illusion help and stabs him in the back of the head with a short sword, and Commodore Fluffy-Paws bites his leg. Surnalli works on weakening the stone petals that correspond to the six abandoned towns. Collibe finally knocks him unconscious with an arrow.

Surnalli manages to destroy the stone petals one by one, and the continuous noon light fades to night again. When all of them are demolished, the building itself disappears, and they find themselves in an empty field. Despite Aaron’s objections, they decide to not continue on to his summer home and to instead return to Aldis with Rhodes and report what they have discovered. Papers on his unconscious form revealed that he had been working with/for Loki or Lucretia.

They are high in the Kernish mountains. Inzilbęth and Tobs investigate the library, and Tobs swings on the moving shelves. Inzilbęth looks for books on Kern, assisted by Tobs. One of the unseen servants trails after them and notes titles they have taken, helping them with their search. Tobs browses the poetry and finds a book of Faenarian poetry. However, there is nothing on Loki/Lucretia. There’s a table with a magical glowing thing and a chess set upon it, however. Arianna and Mithos go to the baths…hot springs! [It’s the prefects’ bathroom from Harry Potter in the Beauty and the Beast castle.] Mithos tries to teach Arianna proper bath etiquette: different sexes use different baths. Arianna: “But why?” She shampoos her hair into spikes; Mithos makes her go back in and wash it off. Kharlan meanwhile talks to Lucretia, and Jaylynn looks in the observatory. Arianna now has cold shaping. She freezes Mithos’s bath. Then she makes it warm. The unseen servants are not happy. Then she and Mithos make bubble ducks: “My duck will be king!” Then they play pool games. The unseen servants clean up their mess. Tobs goes to the hot springs as well; Arianna leaves, and Tobs leaves so as not to be alone with Mithos, who gets out naked and starts following him. Tobs goes to the observatory to read his book.

Nean and Rohi are banging out music (in an out of tune fashion) in the music room. Arianna looks at the locked door: it seems to be keyed to one person. She knocks on it and tries to open it but is arcanically recoiled. The unseen servants loom at her and shake their heads. She hunts down Lucretia: there’s a man sitting in her study with the same haircut. “Hello man Lucretia.” “Oh, you caught on quicker than the other guy. You can call me Loki in this form.” Arianna: “I want to change…I could be Aaron!” However, he tells her that she doesn’t want to go in the door. “It’s a secret.” He mentions places where he keeps creatures like the rock spiders. Arianna: “I’m ten. I don’t have to think.” “If you get in the door, you won’t be here anymore.” Arianna wants to play twenty questions. “It’s a game!” He looks tempted. “What are you risking?” “Mithos!” “Game accepted, then.”

Mithos, oblivious of Arianna’s plot, goes to the kitchen to try to flirt with things. He tries to flirt with the unseen servants; they stare at him. Mithos lounges around. Tobs sees that Mithos is gone and goes to the bath. Inzilbęth goes to the veranda to look at the gardens and watches the animals. The animals look happy and seem to be endangered species gathered from all over, so Inzilbęth forgives Lucretia a little. Jaylynn eats snacks given to her by the unseen servants. Kharlan thinks he wants a pen and some paper; an unseen servant brings some, and he and Derris write haikus.

Back to the game! Loki asks questions first. “Is it an animal?” “Yes.” “Is it sentient?” “What does that mean?” “They can think for themselves.” “Yes.” “Is it one of your party?” “Yes.” “Is it that lovely winged cat who came in with you?” “Damn you!” Then they switch. Arianna: “Is it alive?” “In a manner of speaking.” “That’s not a yes or a no.” “I’m sorry…yes and no.” “Is it magic?” “Yes.” “The first one doesn’t count because it was neither a yes or no.” “Ok.” “Is it in the mansion?” “Yes.” “Have I been to it yet?” “Not in the room with it.” “Is it inside the door?” “No. You can take that one back if you want.” Arianna makes mental contact with her party members to get the answer. Something blocks it off after the first person. She gets Inzilbęth, who is somewhat surprised that she is betting Mithos’s life. Arianna calls the Lich King the Lynch King; she thinks that behind the door might be something to defeat him. Inzilbęth goes over to Mithos and tells him the situation. “But there’s so many more people to have sex with than her!” Mithos looks for visions related to his situation: there’s no real peril either way. “Is it the rock spiders?” “Yes it is. That’s a tie; I guess neither of us win.” “Can we do a tie-breaker?” Inzilbęth loudly in her head: “NO!!!” Arianna tells her to invite people she knows. “I don’t know everybody.” “I’d like Cleo to watch me die. And Ursula.” “Alright.”

Rohi and Nean are abhorred by Kharlan and Derris’s bad poetry. Tobs continues to enjoy his bath and his poetry. The unseen servants escort everyone to the veranda, where there is a dinner table laid out. Spivak goes in the birdbath and splashes about. Unseen servants bring her a plate of food next to the birdbath. Loki comes out. Mithos: “Wow, you’re really hot.” Kharlan doesn’t recognize him/her. Loki says that Mithos is charming… “but, you don’t want to do that.” Inzilbęth mentions the animals: “Yes, I like to rescue things.” Mithos volunteers to play a game; apparently, he doesn’t do “that sort of thing” any more. Kharlan wants to play a card game. “I can make you something!” He pulls out a reed basket. Loki: “Have you considered my proposition yet?” Inzilbęth: “Well, this one can’t be completely evil…” Loki thinks he is being flattered. Kharlan: “Isn’t it Lucretia who offered the game?” He finally figures it out. Magical girl transformation sequence! “I learned it from someone who claimed to be from the moon.” Mithos wants to learn how to do that. He/She can also change his/her age. She now looks like Arianna’s age. If they lose…they are too interesting to turn into unseen servants.

“Who’s the leader?” Mithos volunteers. He is handed a book with a quill and a pen to be used to communicate with her. They have two attempts at it. She shows them an illusion of the chess set in the library and then sends them off to a room to prepare. Derris and Spivak are offered the chance to leave, but they decide to stay with their companions. They are teleported into a room with something that looks like a town with mismatched architectural buildings: some seem to be from Aldis, some from Jarzon, a tower from Kern…down the main street, there is a fountain and a very nice piece of Old Kingdom architecture. A guard is sitting, asleep. Mithos and Jaylynn sense that this is out of phase with the rest of the world. They also have the feeling that there are no fatigue checks. They look up and see books making up the sky. They are in the library, on the desk by the chess table. Mithos straddles the guard and tries to wake him up. He kisses him…he starts up. “New people…new people? Oh…there’s eight this time. You can’t come in without my permission. You should talk to the ruler here.” Inzilbęth thinks…I’m smaller…summon ants! Arianna: “How did you get here?” He has the symbols of the Sovereign’s Finest’s knights on his uniform. He’s quite excited to hear that they’re from Aldis. They are told to talk to Cordelia, as she’s the oldest one and in charge. Mithos wants to stay there. Inzilbęth: “Learn to lead with your brain, or what you are thinking with now shall be gone.” She smiles at him with her big fangs.

Queen Hulja had sent Peter there on reconnaissance…that was about fifty years ago. “There is one way to get out…one got out…Mordecai! That’s it. He was here, it was really kind of sad. He lucked out, only ten years. One of the heroes got him out…Ken. You are supposed to have the whole back row filled, and then if there aren’t eight, you can get replacements. But, that’s all right.” Poor Pete has a girl back in Aldis. He names Kharlan’s grandmother. Is he Kharlan’s grandfather? Seems dumb enough… “Well, I’m guarding, in case new people come in.” He bobs his head and looks tired. He was tired when he came in…it seems that one doesn’t change once one comes in. Arianna wants to find little kids. They go down the main road and see lots of hero types, Soverei