Mizugami/SessionTen

9th Day of Descending Air, RY 769

Winter came in with a vengeance this year. I asked Emerald Dancer the other day if he would miss the ice. He assured me he wouldn’t, but I told him the odds were good that he wouldn’t be away from it forever. It’s such a great time of year. The temperature drops, there’s snow, the Inland Sea reminds everyone of its nature and it won’t be long til the stormy season of Resplendent Water.

J’hana had her first test as Speaker. The possibility of a day off for a winter festival in one of the nearby villages had both sides of the issue ready to declare blood feuds. Her… fascinating solution was to prolong the debate and stir up both sides to prevent any vote or consensus.

I hope she’ll understand when I explain that she needs to not run for a position in next year’s Deliberative. We’ve upset the order of things this year by not putting a freshman into the Speaker post. When I step up to President next year, if J’hana moves to Vice President and we put a freshman into the Speaker post, then that leaves the Greater Deliberative in trouble after we graduate. The only continuance would be the Speaker, who doesn’t get a lot of experience in how the Greater Deliberative operates, anyway.

The effectiveness of this body could be impacted for several years if we don’t bring a current freshman in as Vice President for next year and get an incoming freshman into the Speaker position. Unfortunately, I’ve got no good idea yet which freshman it should be.

Aunt Elana visited campus today. I didn’t know she was in town, so it was a nice surprise. She invited me and anyone I wished to bring to a performance of The Damnation of Keramed on the 11th by a theater company visiting from the Blessed Isle. I extended the invitation to my classmates as well as Reflections, Moro, and Esley and suggested to J’hana that we might advance her cause with House Cathak if she attended. I do hope that I’ll have at least a little time to advance my own causes that night.

Oh, and Aunt Elana’s Mastiff bitch has had puppies. She says I can have my pick of the litter and after it’s weaned she’ll have it brought to the Palace for me. We’re going to have dinner the night after the play and I can choose then.

11th Day of Descending Air, RY 769

At least the performance of The Damnation of Keramed was a good one. Little else was. It’s like J’hana went out of her way to look a fool. I didn’t accomplish anything tonight besides minimizing the damage she was doing to her adoption chances. Besides Judas acting the boor, which was hard to miss, I don’t have a clue how the rest of them did. I think, or at least I hope, he was trying to maintain his image. Unfortunately for him, he’s not half as charming as the Admiral so I don’t think folks will give him the slack that they do Helkar.

Worse still, there was news from the Blessed Isle. Ejava has been assigned command of our new Legion, her deputy has taken over the Vermillion, and both legions have been sent West to hunt pirates. It seems that even one Legion under the Roseblack is still too large a threat to the other Houses, so it, too, must be destroyed. Sending the Vermillion, too, will let them say this is a serious expedition to deal with pirates while ensuring that all those soldiers loyal to her will be eliminated, too. I imagine they’ll have naval support only until they reach one of the satrapies, where it will then disappear.

I have never been more proud of my House, nor more ashamed of my Realm. A reckoning is coming; centuries of rivalry kept in check by the might of the Empress now need only a spark to flare into a conflagration that could destroy not just the Realm, but all of Creation.

12th Day of Descending Air, RY 769

Had dinner with Aunt Elana tonight. We had an enlightening discussion on Threshold politics. She concurred with me on what Ejava’s reassignment means and also agreed to the importance of the North. She also agrees with my assessment of Dragonlord Avaku but cautioned that V’neef Tegraat is closer to Cynis Yorake than she’d like.

House politics came up, as well. General opinion in the impromptu House meeting we all had last night is that we should swallow our pride and convince House Cathak that we have something to offer in an alliance. I loathe the idea of taking sides in a civil war, but I’m not sure we have many options. If we are unaligned when the open fighting starts, all sides will turn on us for the riches of Lord’s Crossing. An alliance would at least cut down on the number of wolves.

If I had my way, I’d create a power bloc that could maintain the status quo until the Empress was seated once again on the throne. And if I’m really dreaming, this bloc would be powerful enough that the rest of the Realm would realize the folly of civil war before any blood was spilled.

The only positive of the night is that Aunt Elana is treating me like an adult. I hope that I’ve impressed her at least a little bit. She hasn’t given up hope and neither have I.

13th Day of Descending Air, RY 769

I forgot to mention that I chose a puppy. Well, she chose me. We went to look at the litter and I’d no sooner knelt next to them when she wobbled over and climbed up onto my boot. She’s glossy black all over except for a white patch on her chest and in about 6 weeks, she’ll be mine.

Esley invited us all up to his parents’ mountain place for that winter festival next week. Even Rector Danic is going. He’s turned out to be a good friend; I’m glad to know him. With his local knowledge and connections he could be a great ally, too.

Kira talked to all of the juniors at dinner tonight. Crow has given her a test tomorrow. She has to retrieve a scroll off a pedestal at the end of a long, trapped corridor. The rules of the test are open to some interpretation. Kira was looking for magical rope while I suggested maybe we could all use our various charms and spells to prepare her for a trip down the hallway. In the end, we decided to all go with her to the test tomorrow.

14th Day of Descending Air, RY 769

Crow was waiting for us at the hallway. As we guessed, Kira asking for help was definitely part of the test. In the end, it was pretty simple. Ranka summoned a fire elemental to make smoke. That way Kira could move up and down the corridor without touching the floor. When she got to the scroll and picked it up, all the spear traps started firing and the flame nozzles activated, too. Ranka and Kazuki solved the rest of the problem. Ranka’s fire elemental opened a hole through the magical flame for Kazuki to fly through. He then hacked off the spears, picked up the scroll from Kira, and returned it to Crow, turning off all of the traps.

Sometimes I wonder if there isn’t some agent of fate watching over my class. Judas informed us at lunch that Lucretia has had a premonition. If he isn’t present at that winter festival, an avalanche will occur that will kill hundreds. Only he can stop it.

22nd Day of Descending Air, RY 769

Well, we saved the day again. And ran into the School of the Golden Hand again. I wish I understood what they were up to. Maybe Winglord Meladus would have some insight. I’m really not looking forward to the repercussions of us purposely destroying a First Age research station. There will probably be some unkind words for me at the next meeting of the council.

Officially, it was the New Babylon Project’s Research Station #17. They were using the First Age artifacts to predict when the Bull of the North would attack Cherak and possibly rewrite events enough to prevent him from ever returning.

The School of the Golden Hand managed to place one of their own people in the facility and corrupt the head researcher. It seems like they were trying to breach another spirit realm, but that doesn’t make a lot of sense. The term alchemy was used, but it didn’t seem like alchemy to me. I’m sure that destroying the research station won’t help in figuring out what was going on, but Director Waller indicated they were very, very close to achieving their goals and we didn’t think it wise to leave the station, with their modifications to it, functional.

At least we rescued Ferem Lance, even if we cost him his job. After I graduate, I hope to hire him away from the College job we got him. Everyone could use a skilled artificer.

I think the best result of this incident is that Judas and I are learning to work together. We’re finally developing some trust. As for the Golden Hand, the next time I encounter someone I suspect of being with them, I’m simply going to knock them out before they can use their famous last words. I have no idea how I’ll interrogate them or keep them from disappearing after they wake up again, but I am tired of them vanishing on their terms. Judas used the research station to follow Aetna’s disappearing act and discovered that Glory is involved in the Golden Hand, probably even heading it, given the name.

Judas thinks he can find their lair, though I expect it will be abandoned by now. I also don’t think we have nearly the forces at our disposal necessary to deal with her and the rest of them. I wish I knew where Chead was.