The Ghost/Under the Sign of Mercury

This is the first Chapter of the chronicle This Exalted Thing We Do it is followed by The Details of Gods and Fairies

At The Elephant

We first meet our heroes in a caravansary by the name of "The Elephant" where they are planing their next move having found each other through the connected strands of fate woven together for their exaltations ere the ending of the last age. Their names are Golden Harmony a gifted surgeon and medical practitioner, of the twilight caste and Reverberating Catechism an occultist, alchemist, and scribe of the eclipse caste. They comment on the fact that Chiaroscuro is too firmly in the grip of the Immaculate Order and seek a place of greater freedom where they can grow into their power. Following up some rumors they learn of a city deep in the southern desserts near the summer mountains called Iskandar where the hold of the Immacualtes is weak and a Solar Anathema might find some respite from the Wyld Hunt. Deciding to seek out this place of refuge they leave The Elephant to make preparations for a trip into the deep deserts.

Meeting the Night Caste

While going through the city in search of supplies and beasts of burden to carry them for their trip Cat and Golden come upon River a young southern woman who now bears the shard of their circle's Night Caste. The three oath bound companions strike up a conversation but are accosted by a group of thugs seeking to take the scandalously dressed night caste captive to sell to slavers. Things manage to come off without violence, this time, but the slavers will reappear, with reinforcements, in a few more hours.

At the Sign of the Rooster

Our newly expanded circle continues on their way to secure provisions and finds themselves at a dry goods emporium called The Rooster's Nest. While going about their business they uncover the fact that the place is a front for guild drug sales in Charoscuro but do not do anything about it at the time. River steals several pieces of equipment they will need for the journey.

Enter the Artisan

Moving on, having secured the dry goods to be delivered once they have camels and other things lined up the team finds themselves at a purveyor of traveling clothes for deep desert expeditions. There they meet a Djala slave woman who goes by the name of ++Redacted++ who helps them with their shopping, but when the shopkeeper is called away addresses them as 'Princes of the Earth' a clear sign that she is more than she seems. They secure the shopkeepers agreement to have her help them with the rest of their shopping and go along their merry way.