The valley, post-invasion; the ghost of Nakni Banna; all the King’s priests; more monsters to come; faster, Illuminata; the purchase of Phrederick; Here-priests; the Cow, the Crow, and the Here; the founding of Manus Cyaneus; the marriage of Honey and Hayapo; nothing else goes wrong; the return of Lætitia.
names
Laternarius [A88] (“lantern-bearer”) filius Volcanus of House Ægidius, played by Jake;
Torcular [T94] (“wine-press”) filius Quaquam of House Touccio, played by Kip;
Cudjoe (“Monday”), a Picardian necromancer, played by Matt;
Iilai, an Avreth warrior, played by Kip;
Dulce (“sweet”), a doe, Iphigenia’s familiar, played by Jake;
Fidelity (cont’d)
Palpebra finds a bundle wrapped in dirty cloth on his workbench: a piece of glass on a chain that’s hooked to a golden spiral.
Calvus and the Quintans discuss the political delicacy of the valley post-invasion and the invasion itself. Calvus mentions the destruction of the Judge was the result of several plans coming together. They agree it would be impolitic for Quintus Opacus to itself have a presence across the Lun. Luckily, Ferramenta Subtillior has the Indigo Hand ready to go.
Sonata and Calvus argue about whether anyone from Manus Cyaneus should be considered members of Quintus Opacus and thus bound by the stricture not to set foot in a valley covenant.
The Here’s been talking to the ghost of Nakni Banna, and asks him to speak with the Wolf-priest on its behalf. Nakni finds the Wolf-priest sipping his morning bowl of blood. They discuss how the dragon-wizards brought something in to fight the Judge and it swallowed the earth. Yes! says the Wolf-priest. But it’s not just the Judge: it’s all the King’s priests. Any priest that comes from the King, not just the moon-priests. It’s okay with its own priests: all the ones in the valley. The Wolf-priest asks about the Crow. The Crow is its child, just as you are, says the Here. The village-priests are subordinate to the moon-priests, and the moon-priests belong to it. It has moon-priests? says the Wolf-priest. The dragon-wizards, says Nakni. Is she making new moons? asks the Wolf-priest. Different than the King’s, says the Here. The Here through Nakni asks why the Wolf-priest kills the monsters. The monsters are her children just as you are. You are the priest between monsters and people. There will be more monsters for you to deal with soon. The Here warns the Wolves that they will become more between monster and man than they are. The Wolf-priest wants to go into the valley. Does it know we are rare? Yes, says the Here. —Nakni asks the Here for a body. In time, says the Here.
Sonata wants to go down and speak to the soi-disant dragon priest. Calvus explains to Gi a bit about what the Dragon is and how it can’t have a priest. The Dragon-priest is still sleeping down in the caves.
Constancy (cont’d)
The Here’s talking to Illuminata in her Twilight. What are you doing here? it wants to know. She’s got to go faster. Also what is she doing trapping one of the Here’s priests in here with her? Phrederick is surprised to learn Insomnium is a priest. I thought you were defrocked. Independently frocked, says Insomnium. I’m creating, says Illuminata. Do it faster! snaps the Here. You’re very peremptory, says Phrederick. I’m the land, says the Here. And we appreciate that, says Phrederick.
The Here wakes Gi and tells him to tell Calvus and Sonata to hurry.
Illuminata and Insomnium pull Nishoba into her Twilight to tell him to tell Sonata and Calvus to hurry and help her. Maybe they should draw Phrederick’s symbol. Some discussion of what Phrederick’s symbol would look like. A heart, it’s decided. But anatomically correct. And brightly colored. —They end up in Somnex’ court, where Illuminata negotiates the purchase of Phrederick. Phrederick is sad to learn that the war on the frontier is not going well.
Sonata and Calvus discuss the new wrinkle of the Here thinking of the magi as its priests. They redouble their efforts to inscribe sigils on Ishta’s spot in the Pool-room.
Calvus has been looking into the Crow. Palpebra’s done some flights looking for Crow-sign, but he’s down to a couple of flying machines, and he’s mostly working on rebuilding his fleet. His rounds bring him word of the Crow’s depredations: mostly outlying villages, farms on the outskirts, lone travellers all in bits and pieces.
After creating an assembly line to scribe sigils on Illuminata’s column, they balk at the final symbols: the Cow, the Crow, and the Here. Illuminata prepares to leave Twilight, and visits Somnex to return Insomnium and Phrederick. She’s pulled out of Twilight into the Pool. The magi are uncertain of the lenses and the device.
The Day of Transformation
Manus Cyaneus is founded.
Honey gets married; a large party is held; Hayapo finally gets laid. (“It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s in a field, but hey.”) The Here is intrigued. Nothing else goes wrong.
Tension
Lætitia’s asserting her own dream realm so she can’t get fucked with, basically. Somnex’ goal is to keep her safe from manipulation on this level. Once she’s set up, she can leave Twilight. She drops out in the middle of his third-period lecture.
meta
The founding members of Manus Cyaneus:
Ferramenta Subtillior filia Nefas Edo of House Lem, played by Dylan;
Nemo filium Veritas of House Lem, played by Charles;
Iphigenia filia Pantera of House Savacion, played by Jenn;
Laternarius filius Volcanus of House Ægidius, played by Jake;
Torcular filius Quaquam of House Touccio, played by Kip;
Dulce, a doe, Iphigenia’s familiar, played by Jake;
Implicatio Cæsia filia [L97] of House Lem, played by Kim;
Sue, the 7-year apprentice of [L97], played by Barry;
unnamed apprentice of Implicatio Cæsia;
Cudjoe, a Picardian necromancer, played by Matt;
Iilai, an Avreth warrior, played by Kip;
Dulce has a venomous bite.
Implicatio Cæsia dresses in blue satin and has yellow hair and uses magic to keep herself looking young, and her apprentices looking like her. She’s a cloud-mage.
Iilai is blind, and plays the flute.
It’s decided that the scene from last session in which Ilba and Perdix burst into Illuminata’s lab and twilight didn’t so much happen. Too much frustration; too much deep stuff dealt with sideways. And so.
“I seem to have developed a case of sarcasm from Insomnium. He did rub off a bit on me.”
