Chapter Summaries

Shade discussed the Blood of Mercury commission with Doctor Schneider, then attended a Study Group with Miss Louisa and Doctor Schneider. They advised him on strengthening his Thaumaturgy, and Miss Louisa sent him to Old John’s shop for moon-related items as Shade continued studying The Mad Light Chaser.

• Shade visited Doctor Schneider and discussed the possibility that Mrs. Lawrence’s helpers could be powerful Ring Arcanists, then paid the doctor the six pounds he owed.
• Miss Louisa arrived, but Priest Augustus did not, so Shade, Miss Louisa, and Doctor Schneider began the Study Group without him.
• Shade described his meeting with Professor Garcia and shared what he knew about Peter, the Believers of the Lord of the Blood Feast, curses, and Thaumaturgy while concealing his experiences in the past Spacetime.
• Miss Louisa and Doctor Schneider told Shade to master his healing Thaumaturgy and understand the Silver Moon more deeply before pursuing other powers.
• Miss Louisa gave Shade Old John’s address, and Shade recognized the shop as the pawnshop owned by John Jones.
• Shade told the group that The Mad Light Chaser read like disconnected, illogical rambling after he had finished all forty-three pages.

Shade discovered that his ability to understand every language could help Miss Louisa translate an ancient occult book, though reading it caused him pain. He agreed to translate it over two weeks in exchange for the rare spell Frog's Leap.

• Doctor Schneider explained that books containing mad knowledge could cause headaches and advised Shade not to rush his Spirit Rune studies.
• Doctor Schneider discussed the difficult Aether Mechanics course, while Miss Louisa described her plans to prepare for exams and her struggle with Ancient Language.
• Shade understood the runes in Miss Louisa's book, Chasing the Four Elements: Wind and Fire, and identified one as meaning “Abyss.”
• Doctor Schneider and Miss Louisa accepted Shade's explanation that his Spacetime Spirit Rune had helped him understand the language.
• Miss Louisa asked Shade to translate the book within two weeks and offered him the rare spell Frog's Leap in return.

Shade met with Doctor Schneider and Miss Louisa, then learned and tested the spell Frog's Leap at home. The chapter ended with Mia imitating his jump and Shade enduring the lingering smell and taste of the spellcasting materials.

• Doctor Schneider told Shade he planned to pursue the Academy bounty for Falsified Philosopher's Stone and warned him to stay out of the danger.
• Miss Louisa said she planned to study at home and prepare for her exams, while Priest Augustus sent word that he was busy arranging Saint Prayer Day.
• Shade learned Frog's Leap using frog viscera, skins, and dried legs, enduring an unpleasant ritual to master his sixth spell.
• Shade tested the spell in his living room and leaped into a full spin before landing steadily.
• Mia imitated Shade's leap, turned in midair, and settled back onto the sofa.
• The frog materials left a foul smell and taste that lingered into the next morning.

Shade visited Old John Pawnshop to find an affordable relic for studying Silver Moon Thaumaturgy. Old John showed him the Poet Level relic Silver Moon's Pearl, and Shade saw the Silver Moon when he touched it.

• Shade went to Old John Pawnshop and recited the contact code Miss Louisa had given him.
• Shade told Old John he wanted a relic related to the Silver Moon and said he could spend around fifteen pounds.
• Old John fetched Silver Moon's Pearl, a Poet Level relic once recorded by Serkeses Higher Medical College.
• Shade touched the pearl and felt a cold sensation as he saw the Silver Moon before his eyes.

Shade bought the Moonlight Orb from Old John after bargaining and learned that Blood of Mercury possessed a Destiny-related relic. He then arrived at Lake View Manor for Little Clown’s dinner party, where he unexpectedly spotted a familiar Black-Haired Maid.

• Shade learned the Moonlight Orb could reveal the Silver Moon but risked driving its holder mad if they touched it too long, and he bought it for twelve pounds and seventeen shillings.
• Old John told Shade that Blood of Mercury possessed a weakened Keeper of Secrets relic linked to Destiny that could locate lost objects.
• Shade traveled to Lake View Manor, a property of Count Clown, for a dinner party hosted by the Count’s second son, Little Clown.
• Shade wandered the manor grounds, ate from the buffet, and handed out his business cards while waiting to meet Baron Lavend.
• After night fell, Shade spotted a familiar Black-Haired Maid among the guests.

Shade attended the gathering at Lake View Manor, where he noticed an Orthodox Church Ring Arcanist Squad and learned that the strange young woman he had encountered was one of the Chosen Ones. He stayed at the manor and joined a discussion about whether people could safely migrate to the New Continent.

• Shade recognized the Black-haired Maid and saw young ladies on the manor terrace before exploring the gardens and lakeside grounds.
• Shade passed a Church Ring Arcanist Squad entering from the racetrack gate and sensed the elements of Miracle, Enlightenment, and Whisper among them.
• Shade recognized a nervous young woman in the squad, and the voice in his mind told him she was a Chosen One whose presence foreshadowed a major event.
• Shade decided not to leave the manor, reasoning that he could avoid danger by staying away from suspicious places.
• Shade returned to the banquet table and joined men debating the feasibility of large-scale immigration to the New Continent.

At the Lake View Manor banquet, Shade spotted Mr. Lawrence with Lassoya, then joined Baron Lavend and his friends to play Rhodes Cards. The chapter left Shade watching Baron Lavend and Baron Rwanda prepare to stake their special-rule cards in a match.

• Shade noticed Mr. Lawrence arriving with Lassoya in a crimson gown and wondered whether Mrs. Lawrence’s helper planned to confront her.
• Baron Lavend recruited Shade to join his group, and Shade helped maintain his cover by enthusiastically discussing Rhodes Cards.
• Shade told Baron Lavend’s friends that a Founding Series card had reportedly appeared in Tobesk City, winning their interest and acceptance.
• Shade followed the group to the Grape Arbor, where Baron Lavend and Baron Rwanda sat down to play Rhodes Cards.
• Baron Lavend staked Flower 13 from the Northern Cities series, while Baron Rwanda chose Stars 6 from the Ancient Fairy Tales series as his stake.

Shade watched Baron Rwanda and Baron Lavend compete for valuable Rhodes Cards while keeping an eye out for the major event he had been warned about. He spotted a second Church squad and, later, Doctor Schneider at Lake View Manor, but the chapter ended before either encounter led to action.

• Baron Lavend and Baron Rwanda began a best-of-three Rhodes Card match, with Mr. Kandela shuffling and dealing.
• Shade used Blood Echo to inspect Baron Rwanda’s deck, then noticed a Ring Arcanist Squad from the Church of War and Peace approaching the manor.
• Baron Rwanda drew Ancient Fairy Tale · Match Girl and won the first round against Baron Lavend.
• Baron Rwanda and Baron Lavend each chose a friend to play the next round as night fell.
• Shade spotted Doctor Schneider walking in the garden with a friend, and Doctor Schneider noticed Shade beneath the Grape Arbor.

Shade encountered Doctor Schneider at Lake View Manor, where the doctor secretly gestured to him without explaining what was happening. Shade then joined the decisive Rhodes Cards game, where his suspiciously strong luck continued as he drew cards against Baron Rwanda.

• Shade saw Doctor Schneider at Lake View Manor, but the doctor silently made complicated gestures that Shade could not understand.
• Sir Soral beat Mr. Sikh by reaching 21 points, tying the card contest at one win each.
• Baron Lavend selected Shade to play the final game against Baron Rwanda, who questioned whether Shade was a fair opponent.
• Baron Rwanda offered an extra 20 Pounds, and Baron Lavend agreed that Shade could keep the stake if he won.
• Shade used Blood Echo to identify Baron Rwanda's first two cards, then drew Sun 1, Stars 9, and Moon 11, leaving him astonished by his luck.

Shade won the Rhodes Cards match against Baron Rwanda despite his improbable luck, securing Ancient Fairy Tale · Match Girl and helping Baron Lavend win two of the three matches. He left the banquet with the card and continued searching for Doctor Schneider, still wondering whether the Dice of Destiny had affected his luck.

• Shade won the second and third rounds against Baron Rwanda, who grew suspicious and demanded that the deck be inspected again.
• Baron Rwanda revealed Flower 13, Northern City City, and Shade rolled a twenty, allowing him to draw Sun 8 and win the fifth round.
• Baron Rwanda honored the wager by giving Shade Ancient Fairy Tale · Match Girl and giving Sir Soral twenty pounds.
• Baron Rwanda and Baron Lavend urged Shade to take good care of the special card, which Shade stored in his notebook.
• Shade declined Baron Lavend's invitation and followed Doctor Schneider's earlier route while considering the cause of his unusual luck.

Shade learned that his Another Me had used the Fate’s Die and his unusual fate to resist an attempt to kill him, while telling him the attacker would eventually appear. He met Priest Augustus at Lake View Manor and learned that the Orthodox Church had investigated Lassoya and confirmed he belonged to Blood of Mercury.

• Shade admired the moonlit lake and learned that contact with the Four Elements could strengthen his spirit, soul, and body.
• Shade’s Another Me explained that it had used his fate and the Fate’s Die to strike back against someone trying to kill him.
• Shade found Priest Augustus at Lake View Manor and told him he had seen Doctor Schneider, two Orthodox Church Ring Arcanist Squads, and Mr. Lawrence with Lassoya.
• Priest Augustus explained that Mrs. Lawrence had reported Lassoya to the Orthodox Church, which confirmed he was a member of Blood of Mercury.

Priest Augustus told Shade that the Church planned to arrest Jack Deon and sent him to warn Louisa while he went to find the Doctor. Shade was waylaid by the drunken Captain Rades, whose antique revolver appeared to be a relic, and the chapter ended with Rades’s friends giving the gun to Shade as compensation for his torn clothes.

• Priest Augustus explained that Jack Deon had used a Blood Spirit School ring to change his sex and warned Shade not to interfere with the Church’s planned arrest.
• Priest Augustus sent Shade to find Louisa and warn her while he went into Lake View Manor to find the Doctor.
• Captain Rades grabbed Shade in the courtyard and insisted that his antique revolver had made him shoot others instead of himself.
• Captain Rades tore off Shade’s right sleeve while showing him the revolver, and his friends restrained him and gave the gun to Shade as compensation.

Shade searched Lake View Manor for Miss Louisa and overheard two people discussing a Witch Council operating in Tobesk. He avoided getting involved and returned to the garden, where he found a young poet crying at the Grape Arbor.

• Shade accepted a revolver marked "Gun of Kindness" and received Captain Rades's address before continuing his search for Miss Louisa.
• Shade spotted a Golden-haired Girl near the stables and followed, but heard a man and Jenny talking instead of finding Miss Louisa.
• Shade overheard Jenny claim that a great Witches of the Witch Council was in Tobesk City, then slipped away to avoid trouble.
• Shade searched the manor and garden again without finding Miss Louisa and returned to the Grape Arbor.
• Shade found a young poet there holding a wineglass and shedding tears.

Shade encountered a blasphemous presence, foreign spies, and a Church of the Sun and Earth Ring Arcanist Squad while wandering Lake View Manor. He warned Dorothy Louisa that the Church planned to arrest Jack Deon, then met Luvia Annette as the manor’s crisis drew closer.

• Shade felt a blasphemous presence beneath the Grape Arbor but crossed the area safely and entered the Garden Maze.
• Shade overheard a Kassenric United Kingdom spy speaking with someone called Nightingale and left without getting involved.
• A Church of the Sun and Earth Ring Arcanist Squad questioned Shade, and its captain used his power to make Shade forget seeing them.
• Dorothy Louisa found Shade, and he told her Priest Augustus expected the Church to arrest Lassoya, also known as Jack Deon, that night.
• Luvia Annette approached Dorothy and Shade carrying two glasses of wine, prompting Shade to wonder what was about to happen.

Shade learned that Blood of Mercury planned to summon the evil god Lord of the Blood Feast at Lake View Manor that night, and Luvia and Miss Louisa went to warn the people in the main house. Shade suspected the garden held part of the summoning ritual, but a dangerous Ring Arcanist confronted him beneath the grape arbor and demanded payment for the luck he had given Shade.

• Luvia told Shade and Miss Louisa that Lassoya had come to obtain a material for Blood of Mercury's plan to summon Lord of the Blood Feast.
• Luvia and Miss Louisa hurried toward the main house to bring out Priest Augustus and Doctor Schneider, while warning Shade to stay away from it.
• Shade recalled the Blasphemy Elements near the grape arbor and suspected that the garden contained a node in the summoning ritual.
• Shade returned to the grape arbor and found a middle-aged man waiting for him beside the Stone Table.
• The man revealed his burned left arm and told Shade that his Gift of Fate had run out and it was time to collect payment.

Shade was cornered by a Ring Arcanist from Blood of Mercury, who used The Puppeteer's Script to explain their conflict and threaten him. As the man began writing a spell to strip Shade of his weapons and strength, Shade remained determined to survive.

• Shade met the burgundy-clad Ring Arcanist, who showed him The Puppeteer's Script and explained that it could influence reality at a price.
• The Ring Arcanist revealed that Blood of Mercury sought the stolen statue of Vampire Duke Lawell and that his attempt to write Shade's death had failed after a drop of blood altered the script.
• The man blamed Shade for the losses and trouble caused by his apparent good luck, including the death of Dwarf Rat Peter and the failed search for the statue.
• The Ring Arcanist's blood-red chains and aura forced Shade to sit at the Stone Table, where the man ordered him to surrender his relics.
• The Ring Arcanist began writing a script that commanded Shade to abandon his arms, cast aside his strength, and be left with nothing.

Shade faced a powerful man who used the Puppeteer's Script to force their confrontation and demanded Shade surrender an unknown Relic. When the man fired the Antique Revolver at Shade, its bullet curved back and killed him, revealing the gun’s power.

• Shade showed the man his Relics and other possessions, but the man insisted he was hiding something that could turn the situation around.
• Shade revealed the Antique Revolver, which the man recognized as a Relic that replenished its bullets.
• The man aimed the revolver at Shade and demanded that he explain what it did.
• Shade prepared to throw the Dice of Destiny and accepted the whisper asking if he was ready.
• The man fired before Shade could throw the die, but black iron-colored spirit light redirected the bullet into the man's skull.
• Shade survived beneath the grape arbor and named the revolver the Gun of Kindness.

Shade survived a deadly confrontation with Blood of Mercury's Heart Collector and regrouped with Miss Annette as a Divine Advent Ritual threatened Lake View Manor. He disguised himself in the dead man's clothes and went with her to help their companions confront a six-ring Ring Arcanist.

• Shade used the Gun of Kindness and his luck to kill Blood of Mercury's Heart Collector, then retrieved the dice, ring, Silver Moon's Pearl, and The Puppeteer's Script.
• Shade dragged the headless corpse into the garden Labyrinth and reflected that he wanted to gain power so he would never again have to gamble with his life.
• Miss Annette found Shade and told him that something had happened at the manor, where Doctor, Priest, and Dorothy were facing Lassoya, a six-ring Ring Arcanist.
• Shade saw Blood Mist and a godlike presence surrounding Lake View Manor, then put on the corpse's clothes and a wooden mask at Miss Annette's request.
• Shade agreed to go with Miss Annette to help, and she told him the Divine Advent Ritual's most important arrangements were on the manor's third floor.

Shade and Miss Annette entered Lake View Manor to identify and destroy the critical points of Lord of the Blood Feast’s summoning ritual before it took effect. They learned they had only seven minutes, leaving them as the only people able to move freely toward the ritual.

• Shade used Blood Echo and saw crimson patterns clinging to the unconscious banquet guests, while neither he nor Miss Annette bore any.
• Miss Annette explained that the ritual had begun affecting the manor and that the guests were not in mortal danger.
• Doctor Schneider confronted Lassoya on the third floor while Orthodox Church squads fought the cultists on the lower floors.
• Miss Annette led Shade through a service entrance and up the servants’ stairs, explaining that they needed to use a relic to find and destroy the ritual’s critical points.
• Shade learned that Lord of the Blood Feast could destroy all of Tobesk and that the ritual would take effect in seven minutes.
• Miss Annette told Shade that they were the only people able to act freely, and Shade agreed to stay and help stop the ritual.

Shade waited on the third floor while Miss Annette searched the illusion for the Ritual Nodes, learning that Iluna Bayes was one of thirteen Chosen Ones. An explosion hurled the severely wounded Louisa into the corridor, and the Divine Advent Ritual neared as Shade and Priest Augustus both fell injured.

• Miss Annette used Truth Dust to enter the illusion and told Shade to hold her hairpin while she searched for the Ritual Nodes.
• Miss Annette revealed that Iluna Bayes was a Chosen One and advised Shade to seek her out if the others died.
• Shade waited outside the banquet hall until an explosion blasted Louisa through its doors and injured him.
• Shade used False Immortality on Louisa to keep her alive, while fighting continued inside the banquet hall.
• A silver beam knocked Priest Augustus into the corridor, and he warned that the Divine Advent Ritual was about to begin before collapsing unconscious.