Mizugami/SessionNineteen

5th Day of Ascending Water, RY 770

Virtuous Cloud thinks the prophecies about the curse are incomplete. She caught us on our way to try and retrieve the Satchel of Resplendent Healing we learned of. It's nice to know she remains well-informed of the goings on in Cherak even when she's absent for weeks at a time.

Anyway, she believes the part of the prophecies regarding where we'll find the answers is incomplete. It is her educated opinion that we must entreat the Haslanti Ennead to save Cherak and that we will find what we need to do that here within the satrapy. To that end, she briefed us on the 9 gods and suggested a gift for each that might be enough to obtain their help in return. Some of them ought to be easy to acquire, others...

While we gather the gifts, Virtuous Cloud is going to take Crow and a third individual (she wouldn't say who) to penetrate the Solar manse and acquire the Satchel. I'm not sorry to let significantly more experienced Dragon-Bloods tackle that manse, but I'm not sure that a trip into the Underworld is significantly safer.

Ranka and Judas are still hiding something. Before Cloud and Crow left for the Solar manse, they had a private consultaton with her that lasted for some time. I wish I could ask Virtuous Cloud what it was about, but she keeps her own counsel. The fact that she is a borderline heretic leaves me even more uncomfortable. I believe she's a good person, but I worry at the means she might employ.

I spent the evening with Satrap Amosa. We hammered out a treaty to present to Snowshoe Hare Among Brambles for the Haslanti League. It promises the full might of Cherak in defense of the League to repay the Ennead's saving of Cherak. The more time I spend with her, the more I am impressed by Ferem Amosa. I didn't even have to convince her that this was worth doing; I simply presented the plan and she agreed with it.

6th Day of Ascending Water, RY 770

Margard Merta agreed to give Kazuki the antlers when we are ready to depart on our mission.

The arrow could be complicated. Kira talked to Abbot Takgana and he informed her that the Terrestrial who fired it, an Elemental Master of Wind named Spectre of Ice, is still active in the North and still humbling gods. Takgana would not hand it over, but agreed to consider the request. We'll have an answer from him by the 7th.

Ranka is working on the spear and the chariot but has no progress to report yet.

Judas spoke with Yorake yesterday and he won't give up the horn unless the Roseblack gives him a suit of ashigaru armor. I disappointed Judas when I told him I would not use charms on Ejava to convince her to hand over the armor, but I did agree to do my best to get him the loan of a suit for his retrieval of the gavel. I'll be speaking to her before lunch.

Rector Danic informed us over breakfast that the curse has definitely struck. Several wells in the city are now shut and under guard, identified as the sources of several outbreaks of sickness. She also reminded me that the Greater Deliberative meeting was just days away and suggested I might want to cancel it. My first impulse was to hold the session and let Esley run it, but then it occurred to me that Fallowes could cause trouble if I was absent, so I decided to cancel it.

Judas has his ashigaru armor. Ranka and Reflections of Chaos have gone with him for the attempt. The Roseblack refused to simply hand it over to Yorake, but willingly loaned it to Judas for this task. She is going to speak with Yorake and promises I will have the Horn by this evening.

While I was gone, Judas and Ranka thought it would be a wonderful idea to have Soosilus summon Storm Who Walks right there outside the palace. Any mortal in the city who wasn't already panicking about the curse is probably worried now. Storm Who Walks cleared the use of a thunderbird to replace the gavel in exchange for a promise to defend him when the Bull's sorceress attacks him. He seems to think such an attack is inevitable and on his own, he is certain he will be defeated.

I've been mulling over what to do about the Undying Raven in Ragara Takar's possession. All I know of him is that he's an honorable man, but none of us is popular with House Ragara, above all me. I think I'm just going to talk to him.

I'm so glad I decided to speak with Takar. We cleared the air regarding the Chantry and I think we both feel better about the other. Even after that, it took all my skills to convince him to part with the Undying Raven. He intended to offer it to the Chrysanthemum Shogun to gain his blessings for Cherak. In the end, I agreed to do him a future favor for the good of Cherak and he handed over the raven, to be presented on behalf of the Thousand Scales.

While I was with Takar, Judas retrieved the gavel. I'm not sure the scars will ever heal. I can't imagine anyone else surviving that feat, ashigaru armor or no. And yet he still manages to irritate me. I paid his jade tax because he swore he needed his funds to do good in the city but then today he gives Ejava a small fortune to purchase the helmet of that suit as a memento.

True to her word, the Roseblack had the horn delivered to me. Yorake got a jade breastplate in the bargain and Dragonlord Avaku now has a suit of Ejava's ashigaru armor.

Tomorrow we find out about the arrow and hopefully Ranka will take care of the chariot and spear. If she does, that will only leave the trip to the Underworld.

7th Day of Ascending Water, RY 770

Abbot Takgana would not surrender the arrow. Once he explained himself, I couldn't fault him. Giving the arrow to a Haslanti god would cause Spectre of Ice to challenge him, which would lead to the death of 1 or the other, maybe both. Either way, that would mean a blood sacrifice.

We talked for some time and in the end, he agreed to have the Ennead venerated in his temple and to exert his influence as a senior monk on the other Immaculate temples in the North. He is also handing over a shirt of orichalcum chain.

Ranka has acquired the chariot. The price was making Deadly Rose Lord her first consort. From the way she speaks, I believe she intends to nullify the relationship the moment it becomes inconvenient. She also purchased the spear.

At dusk tonight we enter the Underworld in search of the 8-legged horse.

8th Day of Ascending Water, RY 770

Underworld Cherak is a haunting, desolate place. Kira and I kept everyone on task, at least, so we spent only the one night there. I hope I don't have to return any time soon. One of the Anathema, calling himself the Seven-Degreed Physician of Black Maladies, has taken up residence in the Underworld mirror of the satrap's palace. I successfully negotiated with him for the horse, giving up Judas' map of First Age Cherak in exchange. Thankfully everyone let me do the talking; I gave up a minimum of information, provided my name only, and didn't tell that psychotic butcher who we wanted the horse for, or why. He indicated that he ventured into Creation not infrequently. I hope we can encounter him as a group on one of those visits.

We still need to think of favors to ask of Master Winter, Snowshoe Hare Among Brambles, and Ivrieinen, but hopefully we'll depart for the League tomorrow.