Mizugami/SessionThirteen

16th Day of Resplendent Wood

It looks like Chancellor Dark and the Institute have decided on aggressive recruiting. They kidnapped Aoora, Mier, and maybe Fallows, too, right out of the Palace. And someone, I still don't know who, warned me via Infallible Messenger to not investigate. Judas got grabbed, too, while doing his lone wolf thing. With Crow's help we retrieved everyone and destroyed a number of fire demons.

Judas says the Institute made him an offer to become a Preceptor while he was captured. He says he made a counter offer to Mother of Ash, the ghost girl that we first ran into at Aoora's adoption party, and she agreed to consider it and let them out of their cell. I don't trust her for an instant, but Judas is convinced he's won her over.

I'm more worried about Fallows. He says he escaped from them, but our investigation shows him simply parting company with the Institute's students. Unrepentent Jade and I questioned him and he certainly seems to believe what he says, but Ranka detected Warlord's Convocation in effect on him, which could explain that. I don't know how much we can trust the information, but he told us quite a bit about the students of the Institute; they mostly appear to be god- and fae-blooded. After questioning he consented to being knocked out for a week until the charm wore off. Given his little meeting with J'hana before Aoora's adoption, I worry that he's been in the Institute's pocket since then, either willingly or unwillingly. I am more convinced than ever that I need to keep him off the student deliberative next year.

1st Day of Descending Wood, RY 769

Sometimes I really enjoy saying "I told you so." Judas and everyone else except me and Kira had a meeting with Mother of Ash tonight. He was convinced she'd seen the error of her ways and wanted to join the good guys. So convinced that he offered to let her off the hook for any of her past deeds. Given what little we knew of her, Kira and I were unwilling to agree to that so we didn't attend the meeting. Turns out she had at least 7 charms and spells on her during the meet, which, they only thought to check after they'd been talking to her for awhile getting suspect and highly suspicious intelligence. Then someone cast a spell on everyone and she disappeared into the ground. Luckily Ranka was able to quickly dispel it, so I don't think any harm was done by it. But that so-called intel could be a big problem. It needs to be investigated subtly and I'm not sure how we'll manage it. At least no one objected to giving Crow the information.

2nd Day of Descending Wood, RY 769

I just received word that Tepet Martelli is in town. Given how few of us there are in this region, I should try and arrange a dinner while he's here. It would be smart to introduce myself and evaluate my cousin. I wouldn't want to interfere in anything he's doing and I'm sure he feels the same way.

5th Day of Descending Wood, RY 769

I think Judas is learning from me, or at least trusting me more. He's consulting me on diplomatic affairs and how best to conduct them in his role as a representative of Lookshy. His uncle has an official little embassy now-- a walled compound, really. Judas is concerned that his uncle is censoring his official dispatches back home and asked me to see if I could tell what he's leaving out. Unfortunately, I got the impression that his uncle is only humoring him when he claims to be writing out Judas' dispatches. I think whatever is being sent home to Lookshy is being written in private, well away from Judas' eyes. From what I know of his father and his uncle, I fear that Judas is being used as a pawn in some spiteful game between them.