Recaps

Hobart and Azzik discovered Gregaire, the Ancient Death God, in a hidden Stone Chamber and learned the history behind her corpse. There, Hobart found a notebook left by his father, Rex, and was told he could take two divine stone pillars to forge into weapons.

• Azzik identified the giant bird's corpse as the indestructible remains of Gregaire, the Ancient Death God, and explained how the Night Emperor had intended to use it against the Nether Emperor.
• Hobart realized the Stone Chamber was a separate space connected to the Door pathway and that its presence explained why he had been unable to use the Teleport Stone Statue.
• Hobart and Azzik examined three skeletons, including one beside unclaimed Death pathway Extraordinary Characteristics, and found two iron-like cylinders and two volumes.
• Azzik told Hobart that the cylinders were parts of stone pillars steeped in divinity and could be forged into weapons capable of harming souls.
• Azzik recognized Rex's name in a notebook and gave it to Hobart, who read that his father had left it there for his descendants and that a Zaratul Family member had left the chamber's belongings untouched for him.

Hobart and Mr. Azik explored the sealed ruins, where Hobart discovered a Blasphemy Slate and several powerful items. After returning to Backlund, Hobart offered most of his gains to the Country of Disorder and began examining them.

• Hobart searched the skeleton and found a Sequence 5 Error pathway Pocket Watch, an Extraordinary ring, and a Blasphemy Slate.
• Mr. Azik declined to take any of the items, and Hobart packed them along with the two Black Iron cylinders.
• Mr. Azik restored the ruins' seal and took Hobart through the Spirit World to Backlund, then gave him an address for sending future letters.
• Hobart returned to his room and offered most of the expedition's gains to the Country of Disorder.
• Hobart sensed that the Black Iron could harm spirit bodies and considered asking Jessica's Artisan friend to forge it into a weapon before picking up the Blasphemy Slate.

Hobart examined the God of Death card and learned the complete God of Death pathway Potion Recipes, including the rituals for Undying and Ferryman. He assessed the effects of several Extraordinary items and prepared to seal a dangerous Pocket Watch.

• Hobart activated the God of Death card and read the Blasphemy Slate’s Sequence details and Potion Recipes.
• Hobart concluded that Doffis had been preparing for the Undying ritual and that Silver City’s former Chief had failed the Ferryman ritual.
• Hobart decided to sacrifice the Blasphemy Slate to The Fool next week, pursue the Red Priest card only if an opportunity arose, and sell the Sequence 5 Gatekeeper characteristics.
• Hobart used the Country of Disorder to learn that the ring sped up thinking but impaired attention, while the Pocket Watch stole spirituality, vitality, and luck over time.
• Hobart wrapped the Pocket Watch in the Power of Order and tried to seal it.

Hobart reduced the Pocket Watch’s negative effects, arranged a Water Pump deal with Elliot, and summoned Aputon to Backlund for a job. Aputon left his gang in Connat City, while Hobart began reading Rex’s notes about ancient ruins and the Royal Family’s modifications to them.

• Hobart sealed the Pocket Watch and stored it as a trump card after reducing its negative effects.
• Elliot told Hobart that his clan head wanted two Water Pumps and offered a Sealed Artifact for the second Bribe; Hobart agreed to arrange the order after preparing the gold.
• Hobart used his alternate account to ask Aputon to meet him in Backlund, offering part of Bribor’s main ingredient as payment.
• Aputon received Hobart’s message while celebrating with the Coast Gang and announced that he would return to Backlund.
• Hobart read Rex’s notebook and learned that Rex had found seven ancient ruins in Backlund, four of which the Royal Family had modified.

Hobart read Rex’s notes about the Royal Family’s mausoleums and the Night Emperor’s history, uncovering entrances that could help him sabotage George III’s advancement. He found that Solomon’s strange behavior began after he became the Black Emperor and was linked to a Lamp Spirit, which the Trensoost family also sought.

• Hobart learned that four ruins excavated by the Royal Family were Solomon’s mausoleums and that Rex had found hidden entrances in them.
• Hobart read Rex’s account of a sealed chamber containing a dangerous Black Hound Spirit Beast and learned how to open the chamber and locate it.
• Hobart discovered documents showing that Duke Servia had recorded conversations between Tudor and Trensoost before they became Sequence 1.
• Hobart learned that Tudor and Trensoost suspected an unknown force had influenced Solomon after he became the Black Emperor, especially when Solomon spoke of a Lamp Spirit.
• Hobart offered the old notebooks to the Country of Disorder and read Rex’s note that Trensoost had sought a Lamp Spirit said to contain power beyond that of a True God.

Hobart studied Rex’s notes and pieced together possible links between the Night Emperor, the Child of Chaos, and the Trensoost Family’s Curse. After reflecting on Rex’s love and advice, he examined the notebook and map taken from the Skeleton.

• Hobart suspected that the Night Emperor had been corrupted by the Child of Chaos and had sought the Lamp Genie to release it.
• Hobart read how the Trensoost branches had separated, how Rex’s branch had suffered the Curse, and how powerful descendants had died trying to overcome it.
• Hobart learned that Rex believed the Night Emperor had placed an entrance to the Country of Disorder within the family bloodline and had attempted advancement to lift the Curse.
• Hobart found Rex’s final message urging him to walk his chosen path with his head held high.
• Hobart left the Country of Disorder, reflected on his family and Rex’s notes, then began seriously reading the notebook and map from the Skeleton.

Hobart read Valentine Victor’s notebook and found the location of a Skeleton Lord in the Feneport Kingdom, then told Christine and Doffis about his discovery. Their expressions changed when they heard where the creature was, leaving Hobart to wonder what they knew about it.

• Hobart read Valentine Victor’s account of encounters with undead creatures and learned that Valentine had found a Skeleton Lord in Colson County.
• Hobart compared Valentine’s marked map with a map of the Feneport Kingdom and confirmed the Skeleton Lord’s location.
• Hobart returned home, ate dinner with Christine’s family, and joked with Donna about his wealth and legal work.
• Hobart recounted the ruins expedition to Christine and Doffis, omitting some of Mr. Azik’s actions and words.
• Hobart revealed that the Skeleton Lord was in the Feneport Kingdom, and Christine and Doffis reacted with changed expressions.

Hobart shared a clue about the Skeleton Lord and learned about the troubled Colson County before heading to court to represent Emma in her case against Wendell. When Wendell argued that prostitution payments were not protected by law, Hobart shifted his accusation to fraud, leaving the trial poised to take a new direction.

• Hobart told Doffis and Christine about the Skeleton Lord clue, and Christine said Doffis should wait before pursuing it.
• Christine described Colson County’s abandoned waterways, its dead demigod, and its reputation as a lawless place.
• After a night of nightmares, Hobart went with Jessica to Emma’s trial against Wendell at a crowded Magistrate Court.
• Wendell claimed the law could not convict him because prostitution payments were not legal income, provoking the spectators.
• Hobart proposed accusing Wendell of fraud, prompting the Judge’s interest and Jessica’s admiration.

Hobart won Emma’s fraud case against Wendell, then spoke publicly in defense of the women he represented. Reading about the trial, Klein reconsidered his own belief that ordinary people could not change the world.

• Hobart argued that Wendell’s failure to pay Emma constituted fraud, and the Judge ordered Wendell to pay compensation and a fine and serve six months in prison.
• The Judge approved Hobart’s request to enforce Wendell’s financial penalties immediately, and Wendell paid them before being taken into custody.
• Hobart invited other women with similar cases to hire his team, while Jessica arranged meetings with potential clients.
• Hobart told reporters that the women’s circumstances reflected the sorrow of the era and urged them to hold their heads high.
• Klein read the newspaper report about Hobart’s case and speech, then wondered whether Hobart was changing the world by fighting for ordinary people.

Audrey learned that Hobart had defended a streetwalker and planned a Justice League gathering to help him. At his law firm, Hobart took on a weapon commission and replied to Elizabeth’s letter, offering to address her recurring nightmare in person.

• Audrey told Susie that Hobart had claimed not to represent Justice, yet kept acting justly, and decided to organize a Justice League gathering to help him.
• At breakfast, Hobart told Xue and Fors that he had defended Emma because she needed help, not because he cared about others’ opinions.
• Hobart asked Jessica to arrange a meeting with her Artisan friend Kelly about forging a weapon, and Jessica said Kelly also had a matter to discuss with him.
• Elizabeth wrote that she kept dreaming of a bull-headed monster with golden antlers and asked Hobart how to solve the nightmare and distinguish genuine Seers from others.
• Hobart replied that he could handle Elizabeth’s nightmare in person, advised her not to seek casual Seer interpretations, and invited Melissa’s brother to visit Backlund.

Hobart responded to Selena’s Mysticism questions and met Aputon to arrange a commission involving steam engine water pumps. Aputon chose the more lucrative payment option and agreed to sacrifice the pumps to the Creator for delivery to other Blessed.

• Hobart explained that Selena’s questions concerned Ordinary Mysticism and invited her to visit Backlund to learn more.
• Hobart met Aputon at the Ghost House and learned that Aputon’s gang-leader role was helping him digest the Barbarian Potion.
• Hobart offered Aputon two payment options for establishing a company and purchasing two steam engine water pumps from Sharp Intent Machinery Company.
• Aputon chose to pay for the pumps himself in exchange for two-thirds of a Bribor Extraordinary Characteristic and general distributor status.
• Hobart instructed Aputon to purchase the pumps, find a secluded warehouse, and sacrifice them to the Creator so they could be bestowed upon other Blessed.

Hobart arranged a commission for Aputon, then brought exceptional Black Iron to Jessica and Kelly to forge two weapons. Kelly asked Hobart to protect her so she could refuse a mysterious Extraordinary Organization’s offer to recruit her and Jessica.

• Hobart assured Aputon that he could refuse most future commissions and would not lose money on them, and Aputon accepted the arrangement.
• Hobart read that an epidemic had broken out at the Wharf Union and realized it was the Official Extraordinary cleanup after Klein killed Lan'erwusi.
• Hobart brought Black Iron from the Country of Disorder to his law firm and showed it to Jessica and Kelly.
• Hobart asked Kelly to forge a Tang Sword and a modified longsword from the Black Iron.
• Kelly asked Hobart to protect her and Jessica so she could turn down a mysterious Extraordinary Organization that wanted them to join.

Hobart agreed to help Kelly and Jessica negotiate with the Beyonder team threatening them, while preparing to make his Corrupted Baron potion. Alger received 3,000 Pounds from Byron for his information and learned the Hell Admiral’s operation had ended; Hobart then waited for the Tarot Club to begin with the God of Death card ready.

• Kelly told Hobart that a team with one Sequence 6, one Sequence 7, and two Sequence 8s had targeted her, and Hobart agreed to accompany her and Jessica to negotiate after making his weapon.
• Hobart ordered the Corrupted Baron potion’s auxiliary materials from Gael, paid a deposit, and obtained aged wine from his family cellar.
• Byron told Alger that the Hell Admiral’s operation had ended and paid him the agreed 3,000 Pounds for his information.
• Alger returned to his ship and sent sailors to learn the details of the Hell Admiral’s operation.
• Hobart collected his potion materials and prepared for the Tarot Club, bringing out the God of Death card from the Country of Disorder.
• At three o’clock, Hobart was drawn into the gray fog as the Tarot Club began.

At the Tarot Club, Mr. World described the desperate lives of Backlund’s poor, prompting Audrey to confront the city’s suffering. Hobart then offered Mr. Fool the Death Card, and Klein allowed him to carry out his second Bribe.

• Mr. World described the poverty and early deaths of workers and children in Backlund, and Hobart argued that the powerful paid attention only when evil gods threatened to descend.
• Audrey said she would visit the East End herself and thanked Mr. Fool, Mr. Emperor, and Mr. World for helping her understand the problem.
• Alger manifested the Rosell diary page he still owed, and Mr. Fool read an entry about the taste of a Witch.
• Hobart presented the Death Card, which revealed part of the Corpse Collector pathway and captured Klein’s attention.
• Klein told Hobart that he could carry out his second Bribe.

Hobart sacrificed the God of Death card to Mr. Fool in exchange for Beyonder knowledge, completing the digestion of his Bribor Potion. Mr. Fool revealed that the Blasphemy Slate contained the complete potion recipes and rituals for every Pathway, offering a path to godhood and leaving the Tarot Club members shaken.

• Hobart asked Mr. Fool to share Beyonder knowledge after the gathering, and Audrey persuaded the Tarot Club to take a break so everyone could listen.
• Hobart performed the Bribe by sacrificing the God of Death card to Mr. Fool, and his Bribor Potion was fully digested when the sacrifice was accepted.
• Hobart returned to the Giant Hall with Audrey, Alger, and Derrick, where Mr. Fool explained that there were two Blasphemy Slates.
• Mr. Fool revealed that the Blasphemy Slate contained the complete sequence potion recipes and rituals of every Pathway, which could be called the Path to Godhood.
• Alger, Audrey, and Derrick reacted with shock as they considered what the revelation meant about Beyonders and the gods.

Klein explained that Rosell had created Blasphemy Slate cards containing a complete Sequence, while Hobart described how his family’s Curse drove him to advance. The meeting ended with Alger sharing the sale proceeds from intelligence Hobart had provided and discussing Hell Admiral Ludwell’s encounter with a ship.

• Klein revealed that Rosell had seen the second Blasphemy Slate and created cards recording a complete Sequence, which was not any of the Tarot members’ Sequences.
• Hobart said his Potion had been completely Digested after Mr. Fool accepted his sacrifice and plea, then explained that a friend of one of his elders had known Rosell.
• Hobart told the Tarot Club that his family’s Curse made it difficult for members to live past thirty without becoming Madmen, and said the danger motivated him to advance.
• Alger reported that Hell Admiral Ludwell had bought the intelligence from the previous gathering for 3,000 Pounds, giving Hobart his agreed share of 900 Pounds.
• Alger said that, according to his inquiries, Ludwell had not fought the target vessel intensely and had not taken all its valuables.

Alger explained how he had reconstructed the likely deal between the Hell Admiral and the Intis ship, while Derrick shared how his sunlight-assisted work was benefiting Silver City. The Tarot Club discussed a possible trade for Silver City’s scarce Beyonder weapons, but no arrangement had yet been made.

• Alger explained that the Hell Admiral probably negotiated with the Intis ship, taking some gold and helping it evade other pirates.
• Alger said he planned to attend the Pirate Gathering and ask about the travel-capable Sealed Artifact, while no one had found clues about the Storm Blessed Potion.
• Derrick told Mr. World that he expected to obtain Mist Treant roots and sap through helping at the Workshop, and Mr. World agreed to look for a suitable weapon for him.
• Derrick explained that Silver City had few uses for many low-Sequence materials, and Hobart suggested that the Tarot Club might trade useful goods with the city.
• Derrick identified Beyonder weapons as something Silver City urgently needed because its own Workshop produced only ordinary weapons and monster spoils rarely included enchanted ones.

At the Tarot Club, Hobart arranged to exchange Beyonder Weapons for Silver City’s surplus Extraordinary Materials, while Alger offered to help The World find ingredients. After the gathering, Alger resolved to prepare more carefully for an expedition, Derrick recognized the value of Silver City’s unused materials, and Klein considered how to fund his next advancement.

• Hobart proposed trading Beyonder Weapons for Extraordinary Materials that Derrick did not need, and Alger asked to join the cooperation.
• Alger told The World that the Marrow Crystal of the Elven Spring and the Full Spinal Fluid of the Evil-Patterned Black Panther might be available at the Pirate Gathering.
• Derrick identified the Serial Killing cases in Backlund as resembling a Demon pathway advancement Ritual, and Klein ended the gathering after the members exchanged information.
• Alger, worried that Hobart and The World were approaching higher sequences, planned to seek the Storm Blessed Potion Recipe and explore a ruin more cautiously.
• Derrick calculated that many materials worthless in Silver City could be valuable outside it, then left home to help at the workshop.
• Klein considered selling Potion Recipes to raise money and decided to visit the Roselle Memorial Exhibition while waiting for the next gathering.

Audrey realized that the information she encountered might be filtered and planned to ask Mr. Hobart for advice before visiting the East End. Hobart brewed and drank the Corrupted Baron Potion, resisted its corrupting influence, and successfully advanced to Sequence 6.

• Audrey told Susie she had realized she did not know what Backlund or the world looked like and that some of her information seemed filtered.
• Audrey planned to visit the East End after the Justice League gathering and ask Mr. Hobart what to watch out for.
• Hobart considered selling the Madman and Werewolf Extraordinary Characteristics to afford a Sealed Artifact and seeking Klein's help finding Hayman.
• Hobart brewed the Corrupted Baron Potion using the fused main ingredients and its auxiliary materials.
• Hobart resisted the Potion's malicious and greedy thoughts, regained control of his body, and became a Corrupted Baron.

Hobart explored the abilities he gained from the Corrupted Baron's Potion and found that his strength had increased across the board. In the Country of Disorder, he discovered a powerful Black Crystal that could protect him from mental influence and lend him some of the Country’s power in the real world.

• Hobart found that Bribe, Distortion, his ability to find loopholes, and his physical strength had improved, while Corrosion had become a new skill.
• Hobart recorded how the Black Emperor’s Distortion and loophole-finding differed from the authorities of The Fool and Error.
• Hobart entered the Country of Disorder, moved the blurry figure from the pool into a lake, and sensed that his controlled territory and borrowed power had expanded.
• Hobart discovered a Black Crystal that could resist Loss of Control, Bewitchment, and spiritual attacks, but would strip emotions and Extraordinary Power from anyone who held it too long.
• Hobart realized that the Black Crystal’s negative effects would not affect him and that he could use it to borrow some of the Country of Disorder’s power in the real world.

After advancing, Hobart named the black crystal Order Crystal and fashioned it into weapons, accessories, and containers for dangerous items while discovering that the Order Wood and Stone of Loss of Control had grown stronger. He returned home, invited Fors and Xue to the Roselle Memorial Exhibition, then went to collect the completed swords from Jessica and Kelly.

• Hobart shaped Order Crystal into sword components, a wax seal, a pocket watch key, black boxes for the Teleport Stone Statue and Dream Stealing Pocket Watch, and several masks.
• Hobart discovered that the Order Wood doubled his Distortion power beneath its canopy and that the Stone of Loss of Control had gained an adjustable attack range of three to eight meters.
• Hobart left the Country of Disorder, brought his prepared items into the real world, and wore the crystal seal and watch key on Kelly's Key Ring.
• Hobart invited Fors and Xue to the Roselle Memorial Exhibition with three VIP tickets, and they agreed to go the next day.
• Hobart carried the Order Wood and Order Crystal to Jessica and Kelly's residence to collect the completed Tang Sword and Two-Handed Sword.

Hobart visited Kelly and Jessica to inspect Kelly’s Beyonder weapons and recruit her as an Artisan by offering access to a confidential Beyonder gathering. After learning Kelly would negotiate with others the next night, he asked how Beyonder Weapons differed from crafted Mystical Items.

• Jessica showed Hobart the Black Tang Sword and Two-Handed Sword, explaining their spirit-damaging abilities and the Two-Handed Sword’s chance to send an enemy’s spirit body into the Underworld.
• Hobart had Kelly remove the weapons’ original handles, then used Order Crystal and the Country of Disorder’s power to refashion his cane and create a sword sheath.
• Hobart invited Jessica to a confidential Beyonder gathering, hoping to recruit Kelly and give them a chance to trade for materials; Jessica agreed and offered to sell Kelly’s weapons there.
• Jessica showed Hobart the Hurricane Axe and Slow Whip; Hobart declined the whip and left the axe for Klein to buy from Little Sun.
• Kelly said she would negotiate with the others at an abandoned suburban workshop the following night, and Hobart asked about the difference between Beyonder Weapons and crafted Mystical Items.

Hobart learned how Artisans made Beyonder Weapons and Mystical Items, then formed a long-term partnership with Kelly to have her forge weapons from Extraordinary Materials. He headed to the Freight Railway Station, where Grove and his partner witnessed a small locomotive rise into the air again.

• Kelly explained the differences between Beyonder Weapons and Mystical Items, including how Artisans made them and the risks involved.
• Hobart asked Kelly whether Extraordinary Materials could be used to forge Beyonder Weapons, and she agreed to work with him while warning that success could take several costly attempts.
• Hobart and Kelly established a long-term cooperative relationship, and Hobart left with the wooden box containing the Two-Handed Sword.
• Hobart told Jessica that he would take half a day off the next day, then traveled to the Freight Railway Station.
• Grove and his partner saw familiar firelight and a gust of wind as the small locomotive slowly rose into the air.

Grove and his companion found the locomotive mysteriously shifted off its tracks, prompting rumors that the Freight Railway Station was haunted. At the Roselle Memorial Exhibition, Hobart ran into Klein, recruited him for a bounty hunt, and mentioned a weapon Klein could buy.

• Grove and his companion saw the locomotive float and vanish, but guards later found it sitting off the tracks and reported the strange incident.
• Audrey invited Hobart, Fors, and Xue to a Justice League gathering on Friday and said she would introduce a new member.
• Hobart visited the Roselle Memorial Exhibition, where Machinery Hearts treated him as a low-priority suspect in the theft of Rosell's Creative Manuscript.
• Hobart recognized Klein studying the exhibits, and they stepped aside to talk.
• Hobart offered Klein a share of an 800-pound bounty for capturing or killing an extremist, and Klein agreed to meet him at the exhibition the next morning.
• Klein asked about Beyonder weapons, and Hobart told him about the Hurricane Axe, which cost under 600 pounds before his discount.

Hobart spotted Bernadette at a memorial exhibition but chose not to approach her, then learned Elizabeth and her companions planned to visit Backlund. That evening, he accompanied Kelly and Jessica to meet a group trying to force Kelly into their organization, and he began an attack when negotiations failed.

• Hobart saw a striking woman at the exhibition and realized after leaving that she was Bernadette, but decided to wait for a more natural chance to approach her about the Lamp Genie.
• Hobart received Elizabeth's letter saying she, Selena, Melissa, and Benson would come to Backlund that weekend, and he asked Elizabeth to telegram him after buying their tickets.
• Hobart traveled with Jessica and Kelly to an abandoned workshop, where they met John and his three Extraordinary companions.
• John demanded that Kelly join his organization and threatened Hobart and Jessica when Kelly refused.
• Hobart answered John's threat by beginning an attack, and the two Sequence 8 Provokers suddenly argued over Mary.