Mizugami/SessionEighteen

3rd Day of Descending Air, RY 770

Spoke with Rector Danic today about Wannick. She agrees that his prospects after graduation are unappealing and confirmed my assumption that she's the one who gained his admission here. I asked her to keep an eye on him after I graduate and offered that I wanted to groom him for command of the forces I intend to assemble. After explaining my reasoning, she agreed.

Now I just need to put together those forces.

8th Day of Descending Air, RY 770

Started the interviews today. Kelana has been assembling the materiel and Flame has been handling the recruiting and initial assessments. Recruiting two different skill sets feels like the right decision. I hired a couple of guards and a half-dozen watchmen today. And I'm pretty sure I turned away a couple of spies.

That's what I was worried about and why I hadn't done this until now. I've come to realize I can't count on others to secure my life and property, though. So I'll trust my judgment and hope that the force of my personality will win over anyone that I miss.

11th Day of Descending Air, RY 770

I grow weary of being the only grownup among my classmates. Kira is sneaking children in and out of her suite, experimenting on something. As best I can tell, it's nothing troublesome, but she does seem to have the childish urge to have a secret and yet have others know she has a secret. Of course Judas noticed and rather than speak to her, he came to me. I hadn't noticed her 'secret' before now, so I spoke to her. She said she wanted to keep it to herself, I informed her that Judas was suspicious, and then I told Judas she was keeping it a secret and if they wanted to get into a fight with each other, they should just do it already.

21st Day of Descending Air, RY 770

The Bull has moved against us. His Unclean sorceress has inflicted a curse upon Cherak that cannot be countered. Dragon-Blooded are specifically targeted by it, but mortals will die, too. The diviners from the Blessed Isle say that the curse can be mitigated, though, if only we can find the answers. They assure us that these answers are to be found within the satrapy.

The Roseblack is going to move her headquarters to Fort Outweld in the hope that our military strength might be preserved. She is leaving troops at the satrap's disposal, should Amosa need to declare martial law. I have been appointed the Dutiful and Just Counsel for Exigencies, with power to compel action in matters pertaining to the curse.

Crow and I briefed the staff of the Colleges and the Palace this afternoon and I detailed the Exalted students to assist in the preparations.

23rd Day of Descending Air, RY 770

The current Glorious Serpent made contact with Kazuki and Kira while they were out investigating potentially helpful artifacts today. For unexplained reasons, they agreed to parley with her and she offered the location of a suit of soulsteel armor of searing inurement to help with the curse. After refusing to make a deal for it, they tried to attack her, but gave up when affected by some sort of damaging aura the monstrosity possessed.

I wish I understood them. Kazuki I sort of understand, I guess. He's clearly uneducated and surrounded by heretical mortals. I'm surprised that a bit of pain stopped him from killing a monster, though. Kira's behavior stunned me. She knows the threat the Deathlords and their minions pose, yet she refused a chance to destroy one of those minions.

26th Day of Descending Air, RY 770

Ranka and Judas are lying to me. I can only guess as to why, but they're certainly lying to me. They've been working on locating the library in the undercity where Glory and her assassins are hiding out. We think if there's any knowledge to help with these coming plagues, it might be there. Anyway, I know from what Judas said after the incident at the research station that the library is reasonably intact and occupied by Glory and her little band of cultists. So I asked them earlier this evening how much progress they'd made and Judas spun me this line about the library being destroyed, as it was right on the fault when the big earthquake happened. Ranka backed him up and they mentioned that they thought the books in that library had been scattered to other caches.

I don't think they've found it and I can't imagine either one would be so stupid as to try and deal with the Anathema, but I can't figure out what they're up to. Maybe they want whatever they find for themselves or maybe they're looking for something else down there.

I can't believe they think I'm so stupid or inattentive as to not know that they're lying to me.

I'm beginning to wonder if I should be associating with any of my classmates anymore. I know I live in the Threshold, but this is still a loyal satrapy of the Realm! Ranka and Judas are foreigners, their heresies and blasphemies are at least explainable, if not excusable. But Kazuki and J'hana grew up here; how can the Faith have missed them and their friends? I fear the day may be approaching when I am forced to take action against one of the Idiots.

I don't believe any of them except Kira respect me or my abilities and she presents other issues. At least she's starting to understand how the game is played. But if civil war starts, it would take a miracle for us not to be on opposite sides.

Ah well, I can endure this until graduation. After that I should be well shot of them.

27th Day of Descending Air, RY 770

My last entry has me musing on friendship now, I find. Before the Second Breath I had friends, other children I grew up with. Exaltation necessarily changed the nature of those relationships, while adoption into House Tepet ended them entirely.

After moving into the Palace I thought I was starting to form attachments, but growing familiarity with my classmates has ended any notions of friendship I might have felt. I still cling to the proper forms of behavior, but feel little loyalty to them besides the requirements of enlightened self-interest. This self-interest may be the only thing that keeps me from thinking of them simply as resources to be used and manipulated.

I've read stories, many stories, about sworn brotherhoods and circles formed from the shared experiences of secondary school-- Lifelong bonds of duty and friendship. I wish something like that had happened for me.

Perhaps new opportunities will present themselves after graduation. There are not that many representatives of the Realm here in the North and odds are good I'll be stationed somewhere other than Cherak. I'm bound to find some kindred souls out there...