[K93.9] 35 Ortackus, evening around Bo's Point

We stayed in the front area of the temple, having a drink or two (purple frak!), while Jack went to find Hue. I thought we'd all go to talk with Hue, but Jack told her about the situation with the Burdez and what we've figured out so far about the tree ritual. When he returned, we discussed what to do next. First, about the artifact. If we want to get rid of it safely, we'd need to do that soon, before it's too hot to handle. If we're going to return it, also, the sooner the better, to calm the explosive Burdez. If we don't, they might end up going to the Esmic foci in town (which would be a political as well as a financial blow for them, showing that they need the help), and thhey might even be able to tell who'd used the object. So we don't want it escalating that far. The other option we came up with was trying to bring the artifact to the Esmic, in return for them not giving us away. Still, that leaves a lot of upset Burdez around.

Jack also said that he'd had visions before he talked with Hue.

• He was at a party that had colorfully dressed musician playing. A Taal was bringing wine to people, and he was the focus of attention.
  
• A blue, possibly female, Kafke was walking down a stone corridor. She undid the lock on a door, and slipped into the richly appointed room inside. She ignored the gold ojects, focusing on a box instead. Inside the box there were papers, some with a crown-and-fire seal on them. She collecteed the papers and slipped out.
  
• There was a Woeg man with a covered face hiding in the shadows. He stood a while until a blue and silver liveried Taal man came nearby, when the Woeg pulled him into the shadows, then laid him down, dead. He went around the corner, and killed a second Taal. He went into a room, another that was richly decorated, bent over the woman sleeping there, and killed her.

Jack had prayed about what we should avoid. Hue told Jack that these might be three answers, or three paths. Later we figured out that these are likely the three paths of the Blessed of the Lord of Luck, a priest, a fixer, or an assassin, and Jack is being offered a path to choose. The wheel turns...

Both of the Esmic foci in town work for House Wagokalane, which owns many taverns, especially dockside, and trades in Menarchic potions, and herbs and hides from the mountains. The master of the House is Lu, who is in negotiations with the Temple about the dockside situation (which is to say, the House isn't against the Temple, but neither is it an ally). If we bring the artifact to the House, it will take some time to get through the layers of people, which is time we don't really have. In the end, the plan was for Jack to sneak into the house and try to find the master directly. He'd set up a meeting with the Esmic the next day, while the rest of us stayed at the inn we'd gotten rooms in. And once that was dealt with, it would be time to deal with the ever-growing energy tied to the last ritual.

Before we left the Temple, Thymelixsen heard what Jack proposed to say, and tutored him in it, as well as casting a spell to help him resist layered magic. My blessings last much less time, so I will cast them on him at the inn, which is closer to his destination.

The rest of us talked about the ritual Mirashan's caught up in, whether she'd seen the hooded figures using an artifact in their ritual, and whether their hands were gloved when they gathered the artificial death energy, or they had a way to absorb it. It sounds like they have to have some way of storing this death energy, for some purpose of Winter's King, possibly another form of battling like that awful storm the Trappic knight had fought. There are still storms in the Tenerian and Haldakian lands, though. And those storms involved something about Winter's King building a castle.

It was about 7 bells, time to go to the inn. Jack stayed at the Temple for a while longer, while the rest of us went into the streets. Mirashan, Thymelixsen, and Ragashor were in the front, Cor and me trailing.

And it was all fine until Thymelixsen saw a group of about eight Woeg and Taals, a gang who pointed towards Mirashan, and attacked. Cor and I were too far back to join in the fray at the beginning, and I could see a swirly white vortex around Thymelixsen, who was taking the brunt of the first attack. They had a magic user to be able to do that, as well as the eight fighting men. I stayed back, readying His Mighty Shield, and Cor joined the fray. Mirashan kicked, Thymelixsen sent shooting stars, Cor used his sword... and Ragashor fell under the magical assault. Cor got to the magic user, and killed him in the region of darkness that the caster made (which also paralyzed the three fighters who'd followed him). Four of the other ruffians were killed, one captured (we so need to talk to one of them), while three escaped. And I don't know whether there's anything I can do for Ragashor.