Session VII
Real date: June 23 /07
Game date: Day of Kindness, Center rule, state of Delirium, 127^th year of factol Haskor’s reign.

The walk to the Clerk’s ward was long and interesting, but uneventful. We walk past the Butcher’s block, where crowds wait for the butchering of the latest animal. We see a Gith Serai neighborhood. We were not made to feel welcome and move quickly on. As we approach the Clerk’s ward we see more and more Hard head patrols; the streets grow wider and the buildings taller. The houses had numbers and the streets have names. And there are Davas everywhere.

The Cleric’s ward is a multi-leveled structure, with roads and walkways arching over roads and walkways below; and multi-tiered entrances to several buildings. New construction is frequent. The neighborhood markets are lively and colorful.

The Hall of Records is a big round cylinder 11 or 12 stories tall. The place is thick with Asimars and bureaucrats. Everyone seems to have a place to go and things to do. Our thick cloaks attract quite a bit of attention. Fortunately Crysaeis’ presence seems to have reduced our number of Hard-head encounters. Still, in a region where no one’s derelict, our ash cloaks did seem strange.

We found the Incantarium on scholar’s row. It’s a large manor house that’s been massively expanded; a fair bit bigger than the mortuary I reckon. There’s lots of traffic around it: bureaucrats rushing about, clerics, sedan chairs and a whole flock of birds. Owls are the most common, with the doves next. There are humans, elves, ½ elves, gnomes -- it as a sea of people with only one commonality: they are either scholars, or, like us, had business with scholars.

As we’re standing there, marveling at it all; a piece of amber floats up and asks Crysaeis if it (he?) can help us. As Crysaeis explains our task, we are taken to a room to wait. The inside of the Incantarium feels like a huge house. The main doors open by themselves and display a place that really does seem bigger on the inside than on the out. There are lots of flamboyantly dressed individuals.

Our waiting room has a stained glass window, 2 rows of pews and a lectern. There’s bright light coming through the window, but I think the window was on an interior wall. We wait. The room itself was fun to explore. A lot of people went by the open door, and most of them at least peak in.

At one point I found myself nose to nose with another raccoon. His name is Hyzik. He invites me to the ceremony at the shrine in the Park of the Infernal and divine held every 7^th day.

A modron came in with books on its head and Aurilius balancing atop the books. Ekikos took the books (6 grimoirs, 8 abaca, 6 slates, and 3 boxes of chalk; in total it was 25-30 lbs of gear). Aurilius informs us that the floating piece of amber is Nitselet, a philosopher’s stone. He works with the gatekeeper.

Aurilius offered Factol Remander’s grace. We chat, telling him about Eliath’s disappearance and discussing what few clues we’ve found. We also learn that Aurilius is a mage within the Incantarium.

Ekikos, Crysaeis, and Ludvik divide the jink between them and we leave; heading into Little Arcadia. It’s the largest community of ortho-humans in the Cage.

We take Euge’s letter to Master Ragnal on Grey Dragon Lane, and we only got lost once. We enter Ragal and Eleezes Scriptorium. Master Ragnal calls Euge – Mister Eugene. He also said Mister Eugene’s writing is a chicken scratch. They also didn’t realize Mister Eugene is a raccoon. This seems to interest them greatly, but they were not subtle. They asked a lot of questions about our knowledge of the Beastlands. They pen a reply and I promise to deliver it.

The walk home is long. It is windy and wet weather as we travel from the Scriptorium to a more industrial sector. Ludvik bought Ekikos a new shirt along the way as Ekikos didn’t want to return home in a torn and bloody shirt.

A warehouse door turns into a gateway to Arvorita – the fields of plenty. Donkey-driven hay cart and sheep fill the plaza until the Hard heads came to clean it up. Ekikos asked one of the shepherds for the password to the gate and got it – Cornucopia. Throughout this region all manner of goods are brought in by gate. We saw barrels of wine, ale, apples, cartloads of hay, bags of grain, you name it.

Markets and stalls line the way as we approach the Bazaar. It takes us 2-3 hours of walking to cross the neighborhood. Lady’s ward is more wealthy than the clerk’s ward, with finer homes, people in livery, and fancy parks.

We arrive at Swordhold, and finally Crossguard where we stop at the Athenium first. The evening serving just ended. Priestess Ismine is glad to see us, but sorrowed by our news about Eliath. The jink will greatly assist the temple in teaching the young of the neighborhood.

When I go home, Euge is the first to greet me. He’s ecstatic about the reply and wants all the details about Master Ragnal; I edit the information a bit but try to warn him that a) Master Ragnal didn’t know Euge was a raccoon and that (b) the Master is neither subtle nor that polite. Marm tells me Javius Noll needs someone to search his rented room and inventory its ingredients.

I meet up with Crysaeis, Ekikos and Ludvik at the Keg and Cask. We share a drink with Ismine and Linni for a job well done and to wish Eliath well. We aren’t quite ready to assume his name needs to go in the dead book; but we have no other clues or hints as to what may have happened to him.