Recaps

Shade retrieved Miss Goode’s orange cat, Mia, from a rooftop after luring it with Silver Light. He also found an old box of Rhodes Cards beneath the cat’s perch and headed to Miss Goode’s home with Mia.

• Shade climbed onto the pet boarding house’s roof after the owner offered him a shilling to take Mia away.
• Shade used Silver Light to draw Mia’s attention and gently picked up the cat.
• Shade found an old box of Rhodes Cards beneath Mia’s perch and pocketed it.
• Shade left Purple Iris Lane with Mia and went to Miss Goode’s home on Sandrew Street.

Shade found Little Mia and learned that her owner, Miss Mia Goode, had moved away, leaving him money and instructions to care for the cat until she returned. After seeing Lasoya near the silverware shop, Shade investigated the alley she had emerged from and found it blocked at a dead end.

• Shade learned from Miss Goode's neighbor that Mia had moved to the East Coast and left a letter asking him to care for Little Mia until she returned within six months.
• Shade accepted the extra money and responsibility, then arranged goat-milk deliveries for the cat at a lower-than-expected cost.
• A voice in Shade's mind told him to observe Lasoya's ring, and he spotted her wearing the white Pebble Ring near the silverware shop.
• Shade avoided following Lasoya directly, waited until she had gone farther away, then entered the alley she had emerged from.
• Shade found that the alley ended at a wall behind discarded pipes and wondered whether Lasoya had used the blind spot to transform through the ring.

Shade discovered a hidden statue of the Old God Vampire Duke Lawell and gained the Blood Echo curse, which let him see traces of blood. He left the alley and went to Doctor Schneider’s clinic, but learned Schneider was away at a Count’s manor and could not be reached.

• Shade found the word meaning “Appeared” scrawled on a wall and summoned a statue of Vampire Duke Lawell.
• Shade heard the Old God’s story, gained the Blood Echo curse, and learned that his right eye could reveal faint traces of blood.
• Shade checked that Little Mia had avoided the worst of the statue’s mental shock, then made the statue sink back underground by reciting the word in reverse.
• Shade took Little Mia to Doctor Schneider’s clinic, where Doctor Clay said Schneider was staying at a Count’s manor and refused to disclose its location.

Shade returned home after failing to find Doctor Schneider, recorded his first commission, and continued studying his new powers. That evening, Laggett Franklin arrived with a commission concerning his gambling-addicted son, Little Franklin.

• Shade learned Doctor Schneider was away and left a message about the evil god statue containing remnants of an Old God.
• Shade returned to Saint Derain Square with Little Mia, recorded the missing-cat commission, and reviewed the previous Detective’s records and belongings.
• Shade studied Spacetime and Silver Moon, finding that his spirit and ability to ignite paper had grown stronger after contacting the Old God’s remnants.
• Laggett Franklin visited Shade’s Detective Agency and was shocked to learn that Sparrow Hamilton had died.
• Laggett explained that his son, Little Franklin, had fallen into gambling and had previously been found at an underground casino and Lucky Southern Cross Club.

Shade accepted Mr. Franklin’s commission to retrieve Little Franklin from the Lucky Southern Cross Club, where he learned the young man had been taken upstairs over gambling debts. Shade reached the club’s quieter 2nd Floor by blending in with a group of drunk patrons, but had not yet found Little Franklin.

• Mr. Franklin hired Shade to bring Little Franklin home before the family moved to Artek City.
• Shade traveled to the North District and entered the Lucky Southern Cross Club through its concealed back entrance.
• Shade searched the crowded 1st Floor and overheard gamblers say Little Franklin had been taken to the 2nd Floor to repay his debts.
• Shade used a group of drunk patrons to slip past the club’s entry requirements and reach the 2nd Floor.

Shade went to the Lucky Southern Cross Club’s second floor to find Little Franklin and learned that the young man could leave after his gambling debt was paid. After Shade paid the two-pound debt, the chef demanded another half pound before letting Franklin go.

• Shade overheard gamblers mocking Captain Rades for his capture and escape attempt, then slipped out of the second-floor room.
• A Club guard stopped Shade, but after learning he was looking for Poor Man Franklin, he agreed to take him to the kitchen for ransom.
• Shade declined the guard’s offer to inflate Franklin’s debt and paid the two pounds owed to the casino.
• Shade found Little Franklin being beaten by the chef, who demanded another half pound because Franklin had tried to run away and bitten him.

Shade rescued Little Franklin from Fat Jack by using Blood Echo to win a card draw, then was summoned to meet an unidentified noblewoman on the third floor of The Club. He entered her reception room alone and sensed that someone was watching him, though nobody was visible.

• Fat Jack demanded that Shade gamble for Little Franklin's freedom, and Shade used Blood Echo to identify the Emperor card and win.
• Fat Jack let Little Franklin go, and Mr. Nite gave Shade a receipt and escorted them toward the exit.
• A maid told Shade that a noble lady wanted to see him, while Mr. Nite agreed to watch Little Franklin.
• Shade followed the maid to a reception room on the third floor and entered alone.
• Shade examined the empty room and sensed that someone was watching him from somewhere outside it.

Shade triggered a containment failure in the Darkness Box after understanding its activation incantation, then used Silver Moon light to repel the darkness. He apologized to the high-ranking woman behind a hidden door, and she asked what to call him.

• Shade saw the writing on the brass Metal Gears box, understood its incantation, and triggered the Darkness Box's containment failure.
• Shade summoned his Brass Destiny Ring and used Silver Moon light to drive back the darkness and its hateful whispers.
• Shade noticed a hidden door in the bookcase and realized the woman he had come to meet was behind it.
• The woman explained that Shade's light-related Spirit Runes and the incantation had caused the Poet Level relic to fail containment.
• Shade apologized, and the woman accepted that they shared responsibility for leaving the relic unattended.
• The woman asked Shade what to call him.

Shade met the Lady behind the door, who identified his contact with the Old God’s statue and asked him to reveal its location. He offered the statue’s location and summoning incantation in exchange for usable power, leaving the Lady to consider the proposed trade.

• Shade introduced himself to the Lady, who asked where the statue of Vampire Duke Lawell was.
• The Lady explained that she had sensed the blood traces from Shade’s spells and pressed him to disclose the statue’s location.
• Shade admitted that he had touched the statue but asked whether the Lady was offering a commission.
• The Lady agreed to make the matter a fair transaction and promised not to hold the relic’s loss of control against him.
• Shade gave the statue’s location and its six-syllable incantation, asking to trade that information for power he could use.

Shade traded the address and incantation connected to the Old God statue for a Document Level relic and information about Blood of Mercury. He learned that the organization held God's Gift Box in Tobesk and received a Blood Ring, while the woman warned him to avoid Blood of Mercury for the next few months.

• The woman offered Shade a Document Level relic and information about Blood of Mercury in exchange for the address and incantation.
• She revealed that Blood of Mercury possessed God's Gift Box, a Sage Level relic that could synthesize powerful relics, and that Diake planned to use it to create the Angel Level relic Blood of Mercury.
• The woman warned Shade that Blood of Mercury could not move God's Gift Box and was nearly insane, advising him to avoid the organization in Tobesk for several months.
• Shade gave the woman the six-syllable incantation, and she sent a maid out with a relic as payment.
• Shade learned that the relic was a Blood Ring, which could draw blood from another person to heal its wearer but carried dangerous side effects.

Shade completed his first commission, left The Club with Little Franklin, and returned home to grow closer to the orange Cat Mia. The next morning, Shade visited Doctor Schneider, who discussed a troubling case involving a noblewoman before asking what Shade needed.

• Shade asked the unnamed Lady about her identity and the Darkness Box, and she explained the relic’s origins and the history of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Epochs.
• Shade caught Little Franklin after he tried to run away, then collected his payment from Mr. and Mrs. Franklin and left.
• Shade returned home, found that Little Mia had behaved well, and decided he would adopt her if her owner did not return.
• Shade spent the night at home and planned his next day over breakfast with Little Mia.
• Shade walked to Doctor Schneider’s clinic and found the doctor back from his trip, troubled by a strange case of gluttony involving a noblewoman.

Shade told Doctor Schneider about his encounter with the Darkness Box and traded statue, earning praise and a promise of four pounds from the group. Afterward, Shade developed a new use for Silver Moon and added a search of the apartment’s inaccessible areas to his plans.

• Shade recounted his dealings with the Silver-Eyed One, the Darkness Box, and Blood of Mercury to Doctor Schneider, who praised his handling of the danger and trade.
• Doctor Schneider said the group would compensate Shade with four pounds and warned him to avoid Blood of Mercury and focus on building his detective business until he grew stronger.
• Shade asked whether the Academy withheld important information, and Doctor Schneider said only the Academy knew when information was appropriate to share.
• Shade heard about a gas explosion near Silver Parrot Milk Company, then experimented at home and learned to make Silver Moon light cling to objects.
• Shade made Little Mia glow for ten seconds, frightening the cat into fleeing up the apartment’s broken staircase.
• Shade wondered where the Detective had hidden his gun and added searches of the sealed-off 1st Floor, inaccessible third floor, and vacant Room 2 to his schedule.

Shade experimented with basic spells and telekinesis before meeting Priest Latt Augustus, a devout Mister Dawn believer and the group’s newly introduced Second Ring Warlock. The doctor vouched for Augustus, leaving Shade to meet another trusted member of the group.

• Shade practiced igniting paper and moving objects with his mind, showing unusual strength when he shifted a heavy book.
• Shade wore the Blood Ring as a pendant and planned to ask the doctor and the others how to use it safely.
• Little Mia woke Shade by lying on his chest, and he left home early for his appointment at Schneider Psychological Clinic.
• Doctor Schneider introduced Priest Latt Augustus as a trustworthy Second Ring Warlock who had joined the Academy after awakening his talent later in life.

Shade met Priest Latt Augustus, the group’s trusted clergyman, and learned more about Luvia Annette’s ties to the Seer Association. Their warnings against seeking power through violence gave way to a toast celebrating the world, just as Louisa arrived and found them raising their cups.

• Shade met Priest Latt Augustus, a Second Ring Warlock and longtime Dawn Church priest whose church connections made him an important member of the group.
• Doctor Schneider explained that Luvia Annette was a jointly trained Correspondence Student and Seer Association arcanist, and Priest Augustus described her strength in combat.
• Shade asked whether killing a Ring Arcanist could yield their power, prompting Schneider and Augustus to warn him against killing for profit and urge him to live cautiously.
• Priest Augustus raised a toast to the strange but kind world, and Shade joined Schneider and Augustus in celebrating their friendship.
• Louisa entered without knocking and hesitated when she saw the three men raising their teacups.

Shade learned about the correspondence Ring Arcanist group and received a customized first-year study plan with nineteen required courses. After a mountain of textbooks arrived, he learned that completing his studies also required Practical Credits and that elective courses cost money.

• Doctor Schneider explained that Ring Arcanists met weekly to share knowledge, ask questions, and seek help with assignments, while Shade learned that relic identification was usually difficult.
• At ten o'clock, a parchment scroll appeared, and Shade opened his customized first-year study plan listing nineteen required courses worth fifty-three credits.
• Priest Augustus explained the course assessments and that Shade needed fifteen credits by year’s end to continue his studies.
• Shade learned that first-year students needed forty Practical Credits, including ten from Time Exploration, and that Time Travel could earn rewards when done independently.
• After more than a hundred books arrived, Doctor Schneider showed Shade the elective course list, and Shade was surprised to learn that electives cost gold pounds.

Shade reviewed the Academy’s elective courses and discovered a hidden midnight summons from two professors, then received a dangerous Keeper of Secrets relic from the History College. The chapter left him warned not to throw the relic’s Dice of Destiny, whose likely low rolls could bring terrible consequences.

• Shade studied the elective course list as Doctor Schneider, the Old Priest, and Miss Louisa advised him on choosing courses.
• Shade found a concealed message summoning him to meet Hames Jane Sanchez and Hessinger Garcia at midnight, though Miss Louisa could not see it.
• Shade received the Keeper of Secrets relic Whisper from the History College and opened its bronze box to reveal a twenty-sided die.
• Miss Louisa explained that the Dice of Destiny could interfere with divination but would lower its bearer’s luck over time.
• Miss Louisa warned Shade that the die’s daily throw usually produced a number below ten and could cause horrifying misfortune.

Shade joined the Academy and rolled the Relic die, which landed on 20, while keeping the whispering woman’s guidance secret. He learned he had inherited Sparrow Hamilton’s house at 6 Saint Derain Square, but Doctor Schneider warned that the property had been sold for a suspiciously low price.

• Shade followed the whispering woman’s suggestion and rolled the die, which landed on 20.
• Doctor Schneider and Miss Writer warned Shade that the lucky result might consume his luck, while Shade kept the voice in his mind secret.
• Shade celebrated his admission to the Academy with Doctor Schneider, Miss Louisa, and Priest Augustus, and received a book to help inscribe his first Spirit Rune.
• Shade used the four pounds offered for information about God's Box and the Blood of Mercury to repay part of his debt.
• Doctor Schneider told Shade that he had inherited the entire building at 6 Saint Derain Square from Sparrow Hamilton, then revealed that Sparrow had bought it for only 300 pounds.

The old priest explained the deadly history of 6 Saint Derain Square, but Shade decided to keep living there for now. After the Church arranged Sparrow Hamilton’s death certificate, Shade learned more about his fellow Ring Arcanists’ strange behavior as he left the meeting.

• The priest told Shade that two Nine-Ring Arcanists had died in a battle at 6 Saint Derain Square, and later occupants who stayed after hearing strange sounds or seeing shadows had also died.
• Shade chose not to sell the house, while the priest offered to retrieve its ownership documents and obtain a genuine death certificate for Sparrow Hamilton.
• Shade asked about the Blood Ring, and Doctor Schneider offered to inquire about it through the Academy Library and advised Shade to learn defensive magic before reading The Mad Light Chaser.
• After the meeting, Augustus and Louisa reassured Shade about Doctor Schneider’s strict manner, and Augustus said Louisa’s occasional odd behavior was not yet cause for alarm.
• Shade noticed Louisa repeatedly touching her bare earlobes and learned from Augustus that she had shown unusual behavior since the previous year.

Shade brought his new textbooks home and learned three basic spells and the offensive Thaumaturgy Silver Moon Slash. He left the day with a first grasp of his new powers and planned to pursue further Thaumaturgies as he obtained the needed materials.

• Shade rented a cargo carriage, moved his books to No. 6, St. Derain Square, and stayed home to study through the Great Fog.
• Shade learned ignite, Summon Water, and Move Object, startling Mia with their effects.
• Shade read that Sense Time required a Four-Leaf Clock Flower he could not obtain until next month, and studied three Academy Thaumaturgies tied to Silver Moon.
• Shade attached Silver Moonlight to a broken silver knife thirteen times and learned Silver Moon Slash when the blade vanished into light.

Shade practiced Silver Moon Slash and resolved to build his detective agency to earn money for more occult knowledge. At midnight, he performed a ritual that summoned three Saint Byron's representatives, who appeared to meet with him.

• Shade practiced Silver Moon Slash and found that its elegant light trails fascinated Miya, though they were too weak to mark the walls.
• Shade concluded that he needed gold pounds to buy more Thaumaturgies and planned to earn them through his Detective Agency.
• Shade prepared four chairs and a basin of water, then burned his elective course list at midnight and cast it into the basin.
• The ritual transformed the scroll into blue lights, stirred wind through the room, and summoned three translucent figures.
• Hames Sanchez, Hesseng Garcia, and Lakes Jones introduced themselves, and Shade greeted them and offered tea.

Shade met with Professors Garcia and Sanchez, who explained his priority trainee status and prepared to begin his time-travel training. Their discussion was interrupted by a mercury mist invasion linked to the Old God statue, and Professor Garcia prepared to confront the intruders using spatial power.

• Professor Garcia told Shade that he would receive priority training, including time-travel practical training that would begin that night.
• Professor Sanchez asked Shade to keep their discussion secret and warned that Shade's group of five had serious problems.
• Mercury mist seeped into Shade's living room, and the professors recognized that someone was trying to invade.
• Shade told the professors about the Old God statue, and they concluded that the buyer had mostly removed Blood of Mercury's tracking but faint traces remained.
• Professor Sanchez explained that Blood of Mercury was a declining ancient organization tied to the hunted Blood Spirit School.
• Professor Garcia said he would confront the intruders and told Shade to watch as he demonstrated the power of space.

Professor Garcia and Professor Sanchez used spatial magic and truth-compelling magic to uncover and kill Dwarf Rat Peter, who had been trying to poison Shade. After Shade discovered evidence linking Blood of Mercury with two other organizations, the professors returned to their discussion of his five-person group and revealed that “Another Me” posed a major hidden danger.

• Professor Garcia merged Shade’s living room with Dwarf Rat Peter’s apartment, and Professor Sanchez forced Peter to explain that he was trying to kill Shade with mercury poison.
• Peter revealed that Blood of Mercury had lost the statue of the Old God Vampire Duke Lawell and had sent him to find and kill the person who stole it.
• Professor Sanchez killed Peter, and Shade searched the apartment for documents while the professors remained seated to maintain the spatial ritual.
• Shade found an unfinished letter describing Blood of Mercury’s dealings with the cultists of Lord of the Blood Feast and the Blood Spirit School, then reported what he had read.
• Professor Garcia dispelled the spatial anomaly, and Professor Sanchez warned Shade that “Another Me” in his five-person group was a serious hidden danger.

Professor Sanchez explained the problems the Academy had identified among Shade’s group and asked him to report any alarming changes in Bill Schneider or Latt Augustus. Shade learned that the Academy considered him trustworthy, though he privately remained burdened with secrets.

• Professor Sanchez told Shade that Bill Schneider might lose control because of an unidentified danger within him, and asked Shade to monitor him.
• Professor Sanchez revealed that Latt Augustus had survived an Unknown Level relic containment breach and might have recovered erased memories, so Shade could monitor him too.
• Professor Sanchez explained that Luvia Annette’s unusually accurate divinations concerned the Academy, while Dorothy Louisa was suspected of spying for Zaras Academy of Literature.
• Shade summarized that the Academy wanted him to report problems among his group, and Professor Garcia clarified that Shade himself had passed the Academy’s investigation.
• Shade claimed he had no problems while the woman’s voice in his heart laughed at him.

Professor Sanchez told Shade that his family had died during a famine and that Sparrow Hamilton’s secret involved no supernatural forces, then gave him a prophecy warning him about blood. Professor Garcia began Shade’s lesson and revealed that the key would send Shade through time alone.

• Professor Sanchez explained that Shade’s family died while fleeing a famine when Shade was sixteen, and said the Academy would let Shade investigate Sparrow Hamilton’s ordinary secret himself.
• Professor Sanchez gave Shade Poet Cohen’s Manuscript for emergencies and read a divination that showed Shade holding a Rhodes Card and warned him to avoid places filled with blood.
• Shade decided to visit the Seer Association the next morning to have his Rhodes Card appraised.
• Professor Sanchez and Miss Jones left, and Professor Garcia told Shade he was about to travel through time.
• Professor Garcia revealed that the key allowed only one person to travel through time, and only once.

Shade received a wooden Time Key from Professor Garcia and learned how it enabled a journey into the past. He opened his bedroom door into White Fog and stepped through, beginning his first investigation in Fifth Epoch 1068.

• Professor Garcia explained the Time Key’s rules, its connection to the Father of Infinite Tree, and the investigators’ role in observing the past.
• Shade retrieved a tiny wooden key from the basin and read its inscription invoking the World Tree.
• Professor Garcia told Shade the key led to autumn of Fifth Epoch 1068 and explained that it could be used to travel there for up to three hours.
• Shade placed the key in his bedroom door, recited the incantation, and opened it to find a passage filled with White Fog.
• Shade gathered his courage and walked through the fog door.