MargardKazuki/SessionTwentyOne
General Ajava exits the Underworld the morning after they went in. Word comes back that they were able to rescue the Dragonblooded Lieutenant and 6 of his Scale. None of the other 100+ who had gone down could be rescued as they had already been killed. They could, perhaps, be identified in the pile of body parts, but they did not have the people to perform the task. There was an epic battle against an Abyssal, and while they cannot say for certain that the Abyssal was destroyed, a significant portion of the Underworld has been razed and will not likely be usable by any other undead.
They suspect that a second Abyssal may have intervened at the last moment to pull the Seven Degreed Physician's remains from the midst of an explosion, so it is possible he still lives.
Judas works towards an early graduation.
Mizugami goes out in search for a spymaster. No, not the military recruits who pose as "spies," but someone who knows what it really means to be secretive. He is hired as Mizugami's "secretary" to manage the network. He also hires a cook out of Chef Huey's kitchen, a doctor, and additional mercenaries as guards and personal militia. Finally, he puts effort into his investments to build his personal riches even further.
It is not long into Resplendant Water that the first reports from Ranka's spymaster come in on the other schools for the Tournament of the Scarlet Grace. The Spiral Academy expects to send in all of their graduates -- they should all ace their written exams and should do well on Archery and Riding -- more than 50 students altogether. Jahanna request to find out who the top leaders are.
The House of Bells are planning to send everyone who scores at least a certain level on their own written exams. There are 27-29 members of the House of Bells that will likely advance to the competition. In the initial reports, there is poor espirit du corps amongst the House of Bells. While there are cliques, they, as a school, do not bond well together. Jahana sends a request for the spy to attempt to spread additional dischord amongst the students to try to cause them to act against one another in the written exam.
Psiops Stare currently has 8 students expected to attend the tournament.
The spy at the Cloister of Wisdom was unable to obtain any information and he is recalled. Ja'hanna wishes to send a different spy to The Cloister of Wisdom.
One student from Tame Storm should be attending the tournament. It is a Water Aspect martial artist.
The East will not be sending any students this year. The South looks like it will be sending 3 students -- a Fire Aspect swordswoman, an Earth Aspect Fire Wand wielder, and an Air Aspect Sorceror -- that seem loyal to the realm; Ja'ana wants the spy to approach them as a talent scout of sorts to try to find them a House to eliminate their reason for joining the tournament. There is no reports coming in from the West, and the spymaster plans on sending more manpower out in that direction.
While Kazuki himself does nothing significant, the Idiots are busy at work making their mark in Cherak. Daihama is making great strides towards restoring both Dunleavy Hall and the damaged houses of the Glittering Smoke District. By the year's end, he has succeeded in creating respectable modern housing for the people there. Mahiro takes care of the accounting and funnels profits from other business ventures into making this project successful, and Rokumasu teaches the inhabitants to care for themselves to become self-sufficient in the long-run.
Kira sends out a message to her cousins at Whitewall and tasks her team of thaumaturges to search out more information on other First Age artifacts, hauntings, and high-essence mortals. She also checks in on her young Thaumaturge protoge' with his fire-duck guardian. She establishes the Mnemon Kira School for Gifted children to set up an environment where he can be happier, working with Kazuki to bus in kids from his projects to study there. Together, they form a community center and school for the people to grow and thrive in.
As time marches on, Jahanna continues to get reports. The House of Bells hardly needed any prodding to instigate in-fighting; however, 29 of the toughest Dragonbloods are expected to make it to the tournament and all specialties are represented. There are also a handful of legendary artifacts that are in their posession, the most dangerous of which allows a young Exalt to use the Essense disruption attack.
Within the Spiral Academy, although the two top leaders are obvious, there are 10 students in particular that have plans to actually win the Tournament. J'hananana plans to have the spy there leak information about the Exalt at the House of Bells with the Essense disruption attack in an effort to get in close to them to learn more about their group.
The new spy at the Cloister of Wisdom reports that they are planning on sending a perfect circle of martial artists to the Tournament. It is likely they will know more about the group than any other team. They are planning on bringing in a monk of the Immaculate Order to take them to the Pinnacle of the Eye of the Hunt to have them go on a Hunt -- the monk's name is V'neef Chead.
The one student from Tame Storm was thrown out of the Cloister of Wisdom for expressing doubt about the Immaculate teachings. He has achieved form for the elemental Earth and the Elemental Water styles.
The eight students at Psiops Stare are perhaps the opposite of the House of Bells. While they are each criminals, they have banded together and are led by a Wood aspect Archer who has murdered people. There are two Wildmen (one fire one earth aspect) who caused excessive destruction; an air aspect sorceror who was tossed out of the House of Bells because he was guilty of alchemical experimentation beyond the pale. There is an air-aspect throwist thief. There is a water-aspect girl who was thrown out of the Spiral Academy for getting into too many fights. There is a water-aspect tossed out of the Cloister for promiscuity. There is a ninja tossed out of the Spiral Academy for being too interested in breaking into households to learn family secrets. Jaaaana has the spy to try to find out more information on the archer -- how much trouble he has in keeping the group in check, and who he murdered to get shipped off.
The three students from the south have been busy. They are all skilled combatants and are looking for sponsorship as a trio as they have already made a sworn pact with each other. They are very independent and have a very black and white view of the world.
The additional spies sent to the West send no reports. At this point, the spymaster recommends sending someone Serious, but that would require someone to bankroll the expedition. The spymaster recommends subcontracting the mission to the Guild. Ranka decides she is curious enough to learn what happened to the spies enough to speak with Deadly Rose Lord to gain their support. They come to an agreement and he is able to obtain answers in short order. There have been large numbers of disappearances of mortals throughout the Wavecrest Archipalageos in the past months, and they're not sure what is exactly responsible. However, they were able to find out some information on the school. There are currently 7 students in the graduation class; they are mostly uninterested in the tournament, and will probably, at most, send one representative.
Ranka hires a mercenary company in the West to look into the disappearances and, if it is within their power to do so, to take care of the issue if they can.
Kira gets some information back from Whitewall, which continues to be the most boring place in the north for ghost hunting (Aside from Mauramus Fel). However, there are a handful of thaumaturges in Whitewall that might possibly be Essence 2. In Gethamane, there are a ton of hauntings in the area. There are also a number of Thaumaturges with high essence. However, to contact them, one must go to them -- most people in Gethamane are agoraphobic -- they a frightened of the open sky. The Haslanti League is too widespread for Kira's thaumaturges to be able to definitively locate high essence mortals. The Haslanti League also has its share of hauntings. Any First Age artifacts that are in the Haslanti League are most likely not available for the taking, and are already in peoples' possession. There is almost a certainty there are no high-essence mortals or First-Age artifacts at the Daishan satrapy, but there are plenty of hauntings. The thaumaturges also send information on Shanarinara -- while there may not be First Age artifacts, hauntings, or high-essence mortals, but about 20 years ago, the city discovered a vein of Soul steel, and they now mine it. The last of Kira's Thaumaturges would like to investigate the Bull of the North's realm, to investigate the areas left in his army's wake. He passes along that he expects the Bull's army to march within the month, and that information is passed along.
Mizugami asks that an Infallable messenger be dispatched to Kasif in Gethamane to report the Bull's impending march. He confesses that he hasn't had enough time to convince the people there that it would be foolish to stand up against the Bull. He will arrange for an evacuation of outsiders at least, and then move on to another city.
Judas makes plans to return to Lookshy.
Kazuki goes out of his way to do something heroic. Because of the continued threat of assassins, Kira and Mizugami area also present, and Mizugami brings Wannik along to give him more experience. It's a good thing that Kira is in the group, since the others are not quite as perceptive. She notices a set of wet, child's footprints forming in front of them, which she recognizes as that of a Water Child, an elemental that has been angered by the drowning of a child. Mizugami negotiates with it to learn about the circumstances of the drowning first. As they follow the Water Child, they are taken to a seedy bar in the docks district, and all eyes turn to the group of Dragonblooded as they enter the building. What was once a raucous tavern becomes deathly quiet as the room waits to see what the group does.
They confront a large burly man that the Water Child points out. He claims that the child was a slave and that he had thrown the child overboard because he had been trying to incite a riot amongst all of his other slaves. Kazuki, in a rare moment of insightfulness, realizes that the captain keeps other child slaves and upon figuring this out, makes a deal with the captain to purchase the rest of the slaves. As soon as the captain agrees to the trade, he states that he is "done with him" and Mizugami declares that the captain now must face judgment of the elemental courts -- and the Water Child drowns him. Mizugami makes certain that the Water Child leaves peacefully after its deed is done, then reminds the room of the deal and encourages the sailors to change for the better. Soon thereafter, the children are obediently delivered -- Mizugami surreptitiously fronts some of the funds for their purchase -- and Kazuki immediately turns around and frees them all. He keeps them in the Community Center while Kira's sources work towards finding the children homes, whether with their original family or with new families.
In Lookshy, Judas' mother gladly meets with him, while his father doesn't make time to greet him. He does ask whether Judas is ready to take his place in the Legions now that he's graduated. Judas tells him that he'd like to see the Bull's march through to see what happens, and that he might learn something from it to use against Mask of Winters.
A couple of months later, an Infallible Messenger comes to Ranka from Virtuous Cloud. She is almost back in the city and has found someone who might fit the bill for something of what they were looking for. Virtuous Cloud delays her arrival by a day in order for Ranka to call Judas back from Lookshy. Virtuous Cloud also reveals that she knows the existance of The Wind and his hideout.
When they finally meet up, there are three people Judas did not expect to see in the Wind Cave. Virtuous Cloud has brought along Sleeves of War and her nerdy little sister, Nari, a sorceress who has helped Virtuous Cloud in the past. Virtuous Cloud reveals that Sleeves of War is a Lunar Exalt. They have been brought along to try to convince Glory to leave Cherak. There is an Abyssal that Sleeves of War is planning to attack, and having Glory at her side, would be... preferable. After a brief, mind-influencing talk between Nari and Glory, Glory follows Sleeves of War off to the hunt.
Then, in further discussion with Steel Hand in the underground library, they are disturbed by some things they learn. Nari suggests the group return to the surface to come back at another time, and when they return, Steel Hand has been cut in two.
In Ascending Wood, the group receives word that Kasif and the refugees have safely arrived in Tuskee and that the siege of Gethamane by the Bull's army has begun.
Jana receives more reports from her spies -- in the House of Bells, the cliques are centered around the Houses, and that their differences go far beyond mere rivalries. Rather than a single force of 27, they should be counted as 11 groups of 2s and 3s. The House of Spirals spy does not report back again.
In Psiops Stare, the 8 students become 7 -- the ninja "passes away" at the hands of one of the instructors. The remainder of the students feel as if they owe their lives to the archer. They believe that the only way they can make something of themselves is to join the Vermillion Legion.
Nothing much more is learned about the three from the South, though Jhana learns that they're simply not suitable for the Peleps family. However, when Mizugami learns of them, he writes them a letter, personally offering to finance them after graduation.
Ranka learns more about the disappearances in the West. The V'donik are water elementals that are especially interested in emotions, and they are the likeliest culprits. They are not able to retain form upon land and someone has taught them a method of traveling upon land. Ranka's hired mercenaries were able to fight off a small group of them.
Near the end of Resplendent Wood, Kira's Thaumaturges come back with a list of haunted places and high-essence mortals within the Haslanti League.
Mizugami wages a months-long price war against merchants who had attempted to price-gouge during the time of crisis with the plague and blizzard-cane. In the end, he succeeds in putting several sketchy merchants out of business, while he takes over their customers and establishes himself as another financial powerhouse in the city.
It is mid-way through Resplendent Wood -- it's been months since there have been any disappearances and since the Warstriders went down to raze a good portion of the underworld Cherak. However, during this time, both Judas and Mizugami learn through different channels that Ferem Amosa has disappeared. Judas talks to Crow and Crow asks to gather the class. Mizugami tries to learn more about the disappearance -- who saw her last, and whether anyone else disappeared along with her -- and asks the house to check whether any mind-altering magics have been cast upon the servants.
Kira suggests rather than heading straight to the Chantry and going to the Satrap's estate to start there. At the estate, there are already Cheraki guard coming out of the woodwork. It doesn't take long before Ferem Melkator comes to speak with the group. They learn that the Amosa has left town, and that there was a second, unknown person with her. Outside of town, it becomes obvious that the two are using Bellows Pumping Stride to move ahead, and Ranka calls for the airship to continue chasing them. From the air, the group is able to discern that the pair are headed straight for the demense that the students discovered a year ago. With a destination in mind, Ranya urges the ship forward at all best speed.
When they arrive, they find that the Satrap has already entered the demense/manse, but they made up for much lost time and they are not far behind as they proceed downwards into the unknown...
