MargardKazuki/SessionNineteen

Ascending Water:

Virtual Cloud continues where she left off last episode. She notes that the group has already gathered for something else, and when she learns of the Satchel, she tells the group that they are getting ahead of themselves. There is a better action -- something that wouldn't exactly be the first, or even second, course of action most people would take.

She has learned of a pantheon of gods that she believes that the group should go speak with about the situation in Cherak in order to gain their assistance. The gods of the Haslanti League have reign over many domains that could assist Cherak at this time.

There are the Gods of Ice (Master Winter, Lady Chimney Draft, Autumn Frost); the Gods of Dreams (Owl from Out of the East, Carrion Crow, Snowshoe Hare Among Brambles); Goddesses of Fate (Cadileous, Avriaenon, Spring Snowfall)

Carrion Crow is perhaps the one most beneficial to visit, though most of them have a boon they can bestow to help. There are three that might not have something useful they can offer, but it would be insulting not to ask them of a boon either.

An Arrow that the Immaculate Order keeps is symbolic to the Order's victory over the gods of the Haslanti League. Autumn Frost would be the best to receive this gift.

House Margard holds a set of antlers that the Haslanti League reveres. Virtuous Cloud recommends that Kazuki speak with Margard Merta to obtain them. These could go to Lady Chimney Draft.

House Ragara holds one of two ravens that were once immortal, though one has since died. The Undying Raven is not necessarily a powerful spirit, but it is still representative of something symbolic and meaningful to the Haslanti gods. Carrion Crow is the best recipient for this gift. Ragara Takir is the current owner of the Undying Raven. There is a sum of money that he is willing to take to buy it outright.

Snowshoe Hare of the Brambles can enter peoples' dreams. A suitable gift for this god would be to have House Ferem agree to come to the Haslanti League's aid should the situation arise. The Showshoe Hare of the Brambles could enter a Ferem's dreams to plead for assistance.

Deadly Rose Lord is in possession of the Golden Falcon Chariot that once belonged to a god. The Guild recognizes the value of this Chariot and won't give it up easily. This will be best for Avriaenon.

Cynis Yorake owns a horn, the Multi-Hued Horn that would call on the elementals around for leagues to come to the aid of its blower. This could go to the Owl from Out of the East.

A grand Dire Lance, the Heaven Splitting Lance currently owned by Getato Funaleyu is a dealer of occult items and artifacts. This would be a gift for Cadileous.

Only Judas or Crow might be the only people in all of the North to collect the Thunderous Majestic Gavel. It resides in the stomach of Isac, the Kraken that is imprisoned under and powers most of Cherak. Something equally 'thunderous' would have to replace it, like a thunderbird, though the Elemental Bureaucracy might not take kindly to that.

In the governors' stables is an eight-legged steed that would make a good gift for Master Winter.

The final item is the Satchel of Resplendent Healing, which resides within a Solar Manse; only Crow and Virtuous Cloud should pursue that item as its defenses could likely overcome everyone else.

Judas and Ranka take Virtuous Cloud to discuss something in private.

Mizugami goes to pay a visit to the Satrap to speak with Ferem Amosa. He is able convince him to sign a contract that promises the might of House Ferem to come to the aid of the Haslanti League during a time of crisis.

Kazuki asks his mom to help back him up while speaking with Merta. When he asks for the item, Merta is cautious about how Kazuki came to learn that information. She tells Kazuki that When creation was young, the Solars battled with the primordials backed by the Lunars and Dragonblooded. One Solar's daiklaive was shattered in the battle, and reaching for a weapon, he grabbed hold of these antlers. It is essentially a fetish from the birth of creation. Kazuki taps into his optimism to convince Merta to donate the antlers to the group's cause.

Kira goes to pay Abbott Takgana a visit, but she is stopped at the front door when she is unable to convince the functionary of the importance of her mission. She searches Immaculate Order's facilities to find someone she knows and asks him to pass the message along instead. Takgana claims that while the Immaculate Order does hold the item, it is not his to give. The man who fired the arrow, Spectre of Ice, still lives, and is an elemental master of wind operating in the North, probably keeping other gods in line.

Unlike the others, Ranka does a little bit of research into the items she has been tasked to retrieve. She remembers Funaleyu as the second-most prominent crime lord in the city, and the items he holds are very likely stolen, and he is fencing them. She also learns that the Lance once belonged to the Northern God of the Sky; in fact, three items on the list that Virtuous Cloud provided belonged to him: The Lance, the Eight-Legged Steed, and the Undying Raven. The god was killed by the Immaculate Order during their subjugation of the Haslanti gods, and used by the Immaculate Order in their continued subjugation of the gods. It was last used by a Tepet of the Pinnacle of the Eye of the Hunt.

Ranka learns that the Horn was last blown at Thorns.

Jahanna goes out to town to look for more trouble. Instead, she finds Crow shopping for talismen. However, something doesn't seem right, as Crow doesn't seem to recall any important details. Working off of suspicions, she leads "Crow" back towards a guard post, and tells a guard that this is an imposter. The guard nervously runs off; Jahanna removes "Crow's" blindfold and notices that Crow still has eyes and can see. The guard eventually brings Unrepentant Jade back with him. Unrepentant Jade uses a couple of Investigation Charms, then calmly asks to have the three of them step outside. He then warns civilians away as he asks Jahanna to fully flare her anima. The blindfold in her hand immolates, and Soosilus is forcefully ejected out of the "Crow" form, and a wispy spirit is left standing there, which is easily dispatched with.

The next day, Judas and Ranka ask Soosilus to summon Walking Cloud to them to ask it to provide a thunderbird to trade out the Thunderous Majestic Gavel with. It is a large favor, and the elemental requests that the group be able to protect it from the sorceress that has created this plague, as it will eventually summon and control him as well.

Mahiro convinces what's left of the Lower Deliberative to maintain order within the student body.

Kira researches the location of the various other artifacts that they originally were searching for, and learns the location of a few.

Mizugami speaks with Rose Black about the need for AShigaru Armor. She would speak with Yorake in person to determine his worthiness to have the armor, but one way or another, the Horn would be delivered to Mizugami by the end of the day. Meanwhile, she would have a set of Ashigaru armor prepared for Judas' venture into the Leviathan's gullet.

Judas and Ranka, with Reflections in tow, go to the Leviathan so that Judas can go spelunking. He trades out the gavel, replacing it with the thunderbird, but becomes covered in the Leviathan's blood, which permanently scars his face.

Ranka speaks with Deadly Rose Lord about his Chariot. Deadly Rose Lord proposes that Ranka appoint him as her first Consort; the deal is, supposedly, completely for business purposes only. She accepts with few concessions. She sends a notice back to Gem about the arrangement and seals the deal. She also asks the Deadly Rose Lord to write a letter of credit so that she can purchase the Spear as well.

The final item is the 8-legged horse that is in the governor's palace in the Shadowlands. The whole group goes down to the destroyed Ragara compound where a link to the Shadowland was located. From there, they see that the Shadowlands version of Cherak never had an earthquake and the old city is still intact. As they continued, they witness a river-like parade of mindless undead shambling purposefully in a single direction. Some of the group also notice an old man looking out the window who ducked back behind blinds upon seeing the group. Kira feels that the group is still being watched, and after further investigation, notices a rat that is watching them more intently than is natural.The group wades through the mindless undead and successfully navigate the hazard without any problems.

As they approach the governor's palace, they see that the building is brightly lit -- which is a very unusual sight. There are teams of undead mindfully watching the grounds. What Kira sees, however, is that there has been a massacre of the dead upon the governor's courtyard, hidden from normal sight by walls and buttresses.

The group decides to approach the building and the undead guards drop into a defensive stance and a fully, socially-powered Mizugami requests a chance to parlay. Out from the building, carrying a severed arm and wearing a bloodied smock, steps a large, angry-looking man. He introduces himself as the Seven Degree Physician of Black Maladies and actually invites the group into the mansion.

Mizugami tells the Abyssal that he is there for the eight-legged steed, and the Abyssal seems more than happy to trade it away. Judas proffers the first-age map that he has in his possession, and the trade is finalized. Kazuki, ignoring the gore and the stableboy carving up horses, attempts to mollify the giant steed with sweets and a calm and confident demeanor. He succeeds in bringing the horse out of the stable and the courtyard and calms it down enough to eventually ride it. It takes a great amount of his willpower to get the horse back into creation and the Palace of Len Occam, but Kazuki eventually manages it. And, with all of the items the group has been tasked to get collected at the Palace, the group is finally ready to set out to save Cherak.