Mizugami/SessionTwentyOne

2nd Day of Resplendent Water, RY 770

The Roseblack and her men have returned. They rescued the Scalelord and 6 troops, but there were no other survivors. It was indeed the Seven-Degreed Physician responsible for the disappearances. General Ejava says a large portion of Underworld Cherak is no longer inhabitable by the denizens of the Underworld after their battle. They believe they were close to destroying him, but think another Anathema appeared amidst the destruction and retrieved his body before its death.

18th Day of Resplendent Water, RY 770

I've begun making the moves necessary to punish the profiteering bastards who exploited the curse on Cherak. It'll be a long game, but if I pull it off, my financial future will be secure. And it will be a valuable lesson to current and future enemies.

13th Day of Descending Water, RY 770

Put one of my competitors out of business today by hiring the physician and his entire staff that were providing him his wares. Having the physician is useful in and of itself. Reflections can't always be around and doesn't have endless essence even if she was. It will make recruiting my personal guard and ensuring their loyalty even easier.

I may have underestimated how complicated it all would be, though. Even with Kelana devoted to the task almost every day and spending much of my free time on it, things are getting out of hand. I need a dedicated secretary to keep everything organized.

20th Day of Descending Water, RY 770

Hired a secretary today after spending the better part of a week investigating his bona fides. He's got significant experience working for Dragon-Blooded and is intimately familiar with the laws of Cherak. I hope once he is up to speed it will free up some of my time for other pursuits.

12th Day of Ascending Earth, RY 770

It seems I have 2 possibilities before me. The House intends for me to become the junior Senator from Lord's Crossing or the junior officer on the Roseblack's staff. I hope it will be easy enough to convince them that serving the Roseblack would be entirely more useful. As the junior Senator from Lord's Crossing, it would be years before I could be of much use to our plans in the Deliberative as anything other than a sacrificial lamb. But here in the North, where I've lived my whole life and have spent all the years since I drew the Second Breath developing connections and resources, I am useful now.

18th Day of Ascending Earth, RY 770

It was to be expected, but I confess I am disappointed that my opponents have resorted to attempted arson. My guards caught the would-be arsonist, though, and I was able to get the truth from her with little effort.

At Kelana's suggestion, I took the matter to the Watch instead of handling it myself. As a result, another competitor is out of business, required to sell his assets to pay the fines for his conspiracy to burn my warehouse. And as the alternative to fines was imprisonment, he was motivated to sell quickly at sub-optimal prices and I was right there to take advantage of him.

Verdant Mantis has suggested trained dogs would be a useful addition to the guards, so I've begun looking for a suitable kennel-master and dog trainer. I wish I had the time for a trip to the Blessed Isle to purchase a few Blackstar Mastiffs. They'd only listen to me, but it would be nice to have them around.

22nd Day of Ascending Earth, RY 770

I wonder what J'hana is going to do when she graduates; she has thrown herself completely into planning for the Tournament of Scarlet Grace. I feel bad for her, she's been almost entirely unable to adjust to life as a Dragon-Blood. This tournament is just an attempt to recapture her mortal days of competition; it's pathetic. She's gotten Ranka to enlist her spymaster in spying on the other secondary schools to assess their senior classes. The wonder all around us and the power at her fingertips and she's obsessed with winning a near-meaningless tournament.

20th Day of Resplendent Earth, RY 770

Virtuous Cloud has returned to school. I wonder if she will remain a professor here after we graduate. More and more it seems like she has an interest in just my class.

25th Day of Resplendent Earth, RY 770

Judas has tested out of his classes to graduate early and has gone home to Lookshy for awhile. Would it be uncharitable to wish that they find a use for him there and he stays?

5th Day of Descending Earth, RY 770

Had a productive meeting with Chef Huey today. Upon my graduation, I will be hiring one of his proteges for my estate.

12th Day of Descending Earth, RY 770

I believe I could have picked a better day to influence Peleps Wannick. Kazuki was getting a little stir crazy so Kira and I took him out to find something to do and I invited Wannick along. While we were out, Kira noticed signs of a water child moving through the dockside area. We caught up to it and I got it to stop and talk. A man threw a bound child overboard not far from the harbor and thus this water child was born. The elemental agreed to let me talk to the perpetrator before it acted, so we settled in and followed it to a dockside tavern frequented by sailors.

The individual in question captained a slave galley. The child was his property and after trying to incite a revolt among the rowers, the captain trussed him up and pitched him over the side. I let the water child do its duty. It wasn't lawful, but it was just. I'm not sure Kazuki even understood the conflict.

When it was done, I helped him purchase the rest of the children from the dead man's second in command. I believe we impressed upon the entire table the urgency of their finding a new line of work.

Sometimes it really shocks me just how badly the Realm and the Immaculate Order failed Kazuki and his friends. If you didn't know he was from Cherak, I don't think anyone would identify him as a citizen of the Realm.

18th Day of Ascending Wood, RY 770

Kasif has sent word that he and everyone else willing to leave Gethamane are safely away. Sadly, very few of the natives were willing to go.

22nd Day of Ascending Wood, RY 770

Judas is back. They went and officially made him a Diplomat-Major. I wonder at the reason. Is he as friendly and diplomatic as they get? Do they not care about Cherak? Did they just want him out of Lookshy or back in the North? He's even asked me for what assistance I can give him in his new official job!

4th Day of Resplendent Wood, RY 770

The Bull has begun his siege of Gethamane. I do not relish trying to dig him out of that mountain in the future.

8th Day of Resplendent Wood, RY 770

J'hana filled me in on what Ranka's spymaster has discovered. I've sent a greeting to the sworn brotherhood from Chiaroscuro to offer them my backing. The intel says they've been doing heroic work down there and having some trustworthy, independent Terrestrials keeping me apprised of events in the South would be most useful. There is also a most interesting class from Pasiap's Stair. I've made Ejava aware of them, as they seek to join the Vermillion Legion. They might prove useful to me, as well. I intend to check them out at the Tournament and see what I can do.

13th Day of Resplendent Wood, RY 770

And with the stroke of a pen, my victory is complete. The last of the big profiteers is out of Cherak and I control a substantial portion of the medicinal trade in the city

14th Day of Resplendent Wood, RY 770

Satrap Amosa is missing. A quick search at the ruins of the Chantry showed that she didn't disappear into the Underworld. General Malkator sprang quickly into action and by the time I could meet with him, trackers were already following her trail out of the city. We're gathering horses and supplies right now to ride out after them.