SJE/Session34
Session 34- Excession
4th Day of Calibration
The Circle, less the Captain, convened at Ahlat's House of Ribs to help Orchid overcome the new experience of a hangover. Ploughing through the menu of various combinations of Kafei, congealed cooking fat, meat from the sacrifices to Ahlat combined into attractive shapes and eggs all with crunchy bits. The contrast with the ambrosia and perfumes of Heaven of the night before added to the typical wariness of a patron of the House of Ribs in tackling their food.
As they began to order the Captain stumbled in looking even more bleary eyed and shocked than usual. He slumped onto the bench squashing the Circle and inhaled a nearby pot of Kafei. Revived he turned to the Circle, ˜And where did you end up?" asked Rav.
Such was the Captain's experience he felt that mere words couldn't describe it and turned the breakfast order to good use of meat puppetry leaving the Circle with no appetite. However Jaq, always on the lookout for interesting items couldn't help but notice the new ring on the Captain's finger.
"Surely you are not married Captain?" Jaq asked.
"Well, you see it was like this; at the time the Goddess and I got on so well, we thought why not? So we ended up with the God of Marriage, a huge fat guy with a white suit covered in little gems, eyes covered by a golden visor. But when we woke up we realised that, well . . . lets just say that the Goddess of Intoxicants doesn't look so good the morning after. She didn't seem so pleased either so I went to find the God of Divorces. He gave me this roll of paper", then he produced a scroll, its golden tag inscribed with Form 25(b)(2).
"And how will you fill that out Captain?" asked Orchid acidly.
"Well, as your office is burnt down I thought you could...", the rest of his suggestion was lost in the arrival of the second round of fat and he chowed down, oblivious to Orchid's icy stare.
When breakfast was over the Circle decided that they that meeting the Despot was the best course of action. As the current celebrities of the hour they were by this time surrounded by a gang of street children eager to see their heroes. The Captain picked out one snot-nosed urchin and asked him to run a message to the Palace. After some haggling the Captain agreed to make him a junior watchman who would get his own badge and so didn't need the Captain's.
In the meantime they decided to turn to the next pressing issue, namely the pallid circle of magicians who had recently taken up residence at Orchid's house. Travelling through the newly named Burntout District, they came across the shell of Orchid's house. Now it was the home of Abyssals who were busy turning it to their own designs.
One of the Abyssals, with long flowing hair and too much lace, alternated between directing several burly zombies on the best uses of a vile 3-layered fake wood that was used to clad the walls and create "illusions of space and the vast gulf of nothingness" and uttering vile design concepts into the foundations of the building, forcing them to twist and grow to the Abyssal's unholy aesthetic. Meanwhile the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile went from room to room, draping the walls in blood red velvet, black silk and silver candelabra.
With a cry of horror Orchid sprang forward to challenge her. "What are you...how...my solarium!"
"Now dearie", said the Maiden "we are simply making it more to our tastes".
"But its my home too. And I didn't give you permission!"
"Well perhaps we could work out some deal."
While the two of them haggled, the rest of the Circle could only watch aghast as the thin, twisted spires grew from the earth to cast the neighbourhood into the coldest of shadows. Rav's very form flickered on the point of changing, his every instinct to rend and tear down this monstrosity.
In the end Orchid and the Maiden agreed to split the use of the house, between her desire of light and warmth and their plan for rooms reminiscent of fresh wargraves.
Bickering over whose fault it was the Circle proceeded to the Palace, firstly to see Auntie. "Now dears, how are you all? Perhaps some tea after the long walk to the Palace". While the others sipped tea Orchid and Brand asked Auntie for help; the Circle was concerned about Master Tenaka and felt that they had demonstrated that they weren't baby-eating monsters and that some sort of agreement needed to be reached. "Well perhaps he'll come round for tea. Tomorrow at 11?". The Circle rather nervously agreed to leave it with her.
"And while we are on the subject of protecting the City", asked Orchid "it has come to our attention that we are needed at the Font of Morning. Does the Despot happen to have any magical texts or treatises that might be useable for a swift means of travel". "Well he does have his collection of detective novels from when he was a young despot, but nothing magical."
And with that a footman arrived to tell the Circle the Despot would see them now.
The audience with the Despot was as perplexing as ever. He agreed that the Watch was in charge of the laws of Gem while his role involved handling negotiations with outsiders and that if there were some overlap then he would expect the Watch to do its duty; whatever that might be.
(Notes and memory a little weak here)
* Rav asked about the City Father and studies his reaction? What happened?
* Brand asked for jurisdiction? Over what?
* Despot said that the main contact with the desert people was the Dehenn and that he would talk to them about the prophet?
After the audience the Circle was as much at a loss as before. Orchid decided to search magical means of reaching the Font and the rest of the Circle decided to return to its duties.
1) The Captain organised the Watch's disaster reclamation efforts, ensuring that buildings and items lost and damaged in the siege were properly accounted for and that the grateful citizens were taxed at 10% for this essential service
2) Rav spent time boosting the spirits of the Watch and also sourcing plenty of iron in preparation for the Fair Folk
3) Jaq spent time trying to track Black Mouse but he is always one step ahead. Jaq is also disturbed by dreams featuring Rav and some hint that they knew each other in a previous existence. Possibly even were married!
Over the next day Orchid wrestled with the knowledge hidden in the sorcerer, Arton Thule's tomes and came across a spell, Storm-wind Rider, that would do it. With Brand's help, she figures out the complex manipulations of essence required to make the spell work. Just after sunset, the two of them head outside the city walls to see if their work has paid off. A few words of command, a flare of essence and a flamboyant gesture bend the air to Orchid's will and the wind whips around her, lifting her from the ground in a funnel of air and sand. Brand is impressed: "Nice whirlwind - wanna show me what it can do?" He steps into the eye of the storm and with a WHOOSH!, they're off, racing through the desert at enormous speed. Ostensibly, it's a scouting trip to make sure that there aren't any nomad hordes or other dangers lurking out here. But that's just an excuse for tearing up and down sand dunes, through wadis and over cliffs. Dawn sees them back in the city, tired and dusty but triumphant and exhilarated.
The morning of Day 4 of Calibration, the Circle met in the plains outside Gem. There Orchid summoned the tornado and leapt in, followed by Brand, Rav, Alana and the Captain who all made their way to the centre. Jaq, ever nimble leapt in, mis-stepped and was expelled out at some speed. When finally all the party was within the heart of the spell, Orchid directed it off. It flew over the desert, scrub and then mountains before coming down to the Font. The plume of dust created by the tornado was replaced by two streams of swamp water, announcing the glorious approach of the Circle.
At the heart of the swamp, Orchid released the spell on a small island and the party rested and waited. It was not long before the island itself began to shake. In the distance a giant piece of land erupted. As the water and mud slipped away the Circle saw that this was in fact a giant tube made entirely of metal written with curious designs. As large as the city of Gem itself, this tube rose into the sky while some unknown portion of it remained buried. With a groaning of a thousand smithies the desgins revealed themselves as a face as two vast eyes opened in the side, and from what could only be its mouth, came a metal ramp. At this distance the small figures that swarmed from it seemed as ants leaving a hive in search of food.
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