Chapter Summaries

Doctor Schneider used the Words of Sublimation, transforming his Spirit Runes into the Hound of Light and striking down Lassoya. Shade found the Doctor unconscious but alive, then saw Lassoya crawl from the wreckage with her severed hand and Pebble Ring.

• Shade wrote in the little book that he would awaken at the proper moment, hoping to stay conscious through the danger.
• Doctor Schneider warned Shade to watch his power as he began using a Ring Arcanist's Words of Sublimation.
• Doctor Schneider's five Spirit Runes merged, and he summoned the Hound of Light into a dark, malicious dream.
• The Hound of Light struck Lassoya, who vanished in holy light as the surrounding darkness receded.
• Doctor Schneider collapsed unconscious, and Shade found him alive and tried to gather the injured companions.
• Lassoya crawled from the wreckage holding her severed right hand, removed the Pebble Ring, and kissed it.

Shade was gravely wounded after Jack Deon survived Lassoya’s final attack by using the Metamorphosis Ring. As the Blood Feast began and a red-robed figure appeared, Shade faced the arrival of the evil god.

• Lassoya put on the Metamorphosis Ring and transformed into Jack Deon, who survived her attack.
• Jack Deon revealed the ring’s power, threw Shade into the banquet hall, and went upstairs to face the Ring Arcanist Squad.
• The glowing book and Silver Moon’s Pearl sent Shade into a Silver Moon dream, where his Core Rune resonated and awakened him before the relic drove him mad.
• Shade regained consciousness in the blood-filled banquet hall and realized False Immortality had been consumed by his injuries.
• A bell announced the start of the Blood Feast, awakening the sacrifices and forcing Shade to witness vessels of organs and corpses appearing.
• A red-robed figure began to emerge at the far end of the table as Shade sensed its arrival.

Shade resisted the Lord of the Blood Feast’s descent and, with the woman at his side, absorbed the Old God’s shadow. The power saved his life and inscribed the silver Spirit Rune Gluttony on his Destiny Ring.

• Shade fought off the madness caused by the Lord of the Blood Feast’s arrival, remembering the people waiting for him and refusing to abandon the city.
• Shade put on the Blood Ring and approached the Old God’s shadow, intending to use the living reflection at the head of the banquet table.
• As Shade began to collapse, the woman embraced him, and they accepted that they were one another.
• Shade touched the Old God’s shadow, and the Blood Ring shattered as it drew the shadow into his palm.
• The Old God’s power healed Shade, taught him its Miracle, and inscribed the silver Spirit Rune Gluttony on his Destiny Ring.

After the evil god vanished, Shade learned that he had gained Divinity and a path toward godhood. He used a Silver Moon Thaumaturgy to destroy Lassoya and the mercury giant before collapsing, while Annette and Priest Augustus escaped with the injured; Annette declared that the Epic of the Sixth Epoch had begun.

• Shade learned that his Destiny Ring held one drop of Divinity, which could help him ascend to godhood, and that he was Beyond Fate.
• Shade saw the Silver-Eyed One of Blood of Mercury protect Lassoya from the Orthodox Church's Ring Arcanist Squads, while Iluna Beias guarded the injured.
• Shade used Moon Shadow Illusion to unleash a devastating Silver Moon slash, vaporizing the mercury giant and Lassoya and carving a Moon Scar into Lake View Manor's courtyard.
• Shade collapsed, and Miss Annette dragged him back into the banquet hall, where Priest Augustus watched over the unconscious Doctor Schneider and Miss Louisa.
• Priest Augustus prepared to hold off the Church's squads as Miss Annette took Shade and the injured away, and she declared that the Epic of the Sixth Epoch had begun.

After the Lord of the Blood Feast’s failed descent, Orthodox Church Arcanists examined the Moon Scar and investigated the mysterious man who had intervened. They named him the “Masked Man Under the Silver Moon” and prepared to hunt Blood of Mercury while warning that the Great Prophecy could draw strange figures to Tobesk.

• Iluna Bayes told Lanina Green that she had seen a man emerge from the third-floor banquet hall before leaping into the air.
• Lanina Green and Modrow judged from the Moon Scar’s lingering power that the stranger was at least a Twelfth-Ring, possibly Thirteenth-Ring, Warlock.
• Modrow noted that the Heart Collector had been killed beforehand and suspected the stranger had deliberately countered Blood of Mercury’s ritual and the church squads’ movements.
• Captain Robinson confirmed that no one had come down from the manor’s third floor, while the investigators learned Duchess Galina Cavendish had attended the banquet.
• Lanina Green ordered a worldwide bounty for Blood of Mercury members and Lord of the Blood Feast cultists, while Modrow gave the stranger the codename “Masked Man Under the Silver Moon.”
• Lanina Green explained that believers in the Witch Emperors’ Great Prophecy would soon gather in Tobesk to fulfill the first verse of the Murmuring Chapters.

Shade awoke at Dawn Church after sleeping through Sunday, relieved to find Little Mia safe beside him. Priest Augustus explained that their companions had escaped safely after the Lake View Manor incident, and Shade learned that the mysterious woman who helped them wanted to meet him through the Lucky Southern Cross Club.

• Shade woke on Monday night at Dawn Church and found Little Mia beside him.
• Priest Augustus told Shade that the others had escaped safely, while the Doctor would need weeks to recover from using the Words of Sublimation.
• Shade learned that That Lady had protected the group by claiming they had been with her and had not visited a sensitive location.
• Shade read That Lady's letter asking him to write to the Lucky Southern Cross Club so she could meet him and request his help.
• Priest Augustus speculated that That Lady might be connected to the royal family and advised Shade to remain cautious while accepting sincere help.

Shade discussed the aftermath of the ritual with Priest Augustus, who explained the cost of Bill’s use of the Words of Sublimation and reassured Shade that his identity as the Masked Man Under the Silver Moon remained secret. Shade left the conversation thinking about his goal of becoming a god, while Augustus lamented Bill’s terrible luck.

• Priest Augustus told Shade that Bill had used the Words of Sublimation for the first time and that Shade’s curse had lessened the damage.
• Shade asked for Miss Louisa’s address and learned that the Silver-Eyed One had escaped after being wounded, while the Church suspected the Blood Spirit School had helped the cultists.
• Priest Augustus warned Shade to hide his identity because the Church believed the Masked Man Under the Silver Moon was a powerful Ring Arcanist, and Shade said he could not use that power again.
• Priest Augustus praised Shade’s actions and said his experience might help him create Thaumaturgy, while Shade privately resolved to pursue divinity through twelve sublimations.
• Priest Augustus called Bill the unluckiest member of their group and prayed that God would bless him.

After recovering from his encounter with the evil god, Shade visited Miss Annette to learn about the Murmuring Chapters. She revealed a prophecy of thirteen Chosen Ones and invited him to help find them and prevent the door they would open from destroying the world.

• The priest confirmed Shade had recovered, hosted him for dinner, and reminded him to visit Doctor Schneider with him the next morning.
• Shade took Little Mia to Miss Louisa's apartment, where he met Miss Annette and rode with her toward the city center.
• Shade asked Miss Annette about the Murmuring Chapters, and she explained that they were prophecies of thirteen Chosen Ones who would advance to the Thirteenth Ring or die.
• Miss Annette said that when the surviving Chosen Ones reached their fates, a door would open and could bring either revelation and godhood or the world's Destruction.
• Miss Annette told Shade that he could not be a Chosen One because he was Beyond Fate, then asked him to help find the Chosen Ones and ensure the door did not destroy the world.

Shade agreed to cooperate with Miss Annette in finding and guiding the thirteen Chosen Ones, though he would first focus on strengthening himself while she approached Iluna Bayes. As the carriage crossed Tobesk on a quiet night, Shade realized he had begun to understand his place in the world’s approaching upheaval.

• Shade agreed to seek out the thirteen Chosen Ones with Miss Annette and established that he could understand any text but could not speak or write every language.
• Miss Annette explained that Iluna Bayes was the first Chosen One, a Second Ring Sorceress of the Sun Church who represented balance.
• Miss Annette said she had already met Iluna in disguise and would continue approaching her before revealing her identity, while Shade was to avoid interfering and build his strength.
• Shade confirmed that he could still use his dangerous Thirteenth Ring Warlock power, and Miss Annette apologized for leading him into danger at Lake View Manor.
• As Shade rode through Tobesk with Miss Annette and the sleeping Mia, he heard a voice describe the coming age of upheaval and the role he might play in it.

Shade reviewed the gains and losses from Lake View Manor, then used Silver Moon Slash to break the boards sealing the foyer and found a hidden wallet. The discovery led him to suspect that Detective Sparrow had been a Kasonlik spy.

• Shade assessed his damaged relics, new Gluttony rune, and progress toward becoming a two-ring Ring Arcanist.
• Shade tested Silver Moon Slash on the boards sealing the foyer, shattering them and cutting his hand.
• Shade found a hidden wallet containing twenty-eight pounds and twelve shillings behind the boards.
• Shade reconsidered Detective Sparrow’s habits and concluded they might have concealed a secret identity.
• Shade wondered whether Sparrow Hamilton had been a Kasonlik spy.

Shade suspected Detective Sparrow had been an undercover agent, learned Cindyia’s Silver Moon Gift to heal his injured hand, and prepared to visit the badly injured Doctor Schneider. The chapter left Shade and Priest Augustus traveling to Schneider’s clinic while Sparrow’s remaining commissions stayed unfinished.

• Shade speculated that Sparrow had worked undercover in Tobesk and used the ninth-month letter to confirm his safety, but he had no proof.
• Shade used Silver Moon Dew and the moonlight to learn Cindyia’s Silver Moon Gift, then healed the wound on his hand.
• The next morning, Shade sent a letter to the Lucky Southern Cross Club and met Priest Augustus outside Dawn Church.
• Shade and Priest Augustus took a carriage to Doctor Schneider’s clinic to visit him.

Shade and the others discussed how to heal Doctor Schneider’s severe injuries to his mind and soul, with holy water as the best known treatment and Shade’s Silver Moon Gift as a possible aid. The group also agreed Shade should stay hidden while they investigated the Blood Spirit School and sought treatment for the doctor.

• Priest Augustus learned from Miss Annette that Doctor Schneider’s body could recover, but his mind and soul had suffered severe damage from using the Words of Sublimation.
• Miss Louisa explained that No. 2 or No. 1 holy water could heal the doctor, while Miss Annette said a friend in Kasonlik had some but shipping it would take at least a month.
• Shade offered to use Cindyia’s Silver Moon Gift, but Miss Louisa and the voice in Shade’s mind warned that his First Ring ability would likely be too weak to heal the doctor.
• Miss Louisa assigned Annette and Priest Augustus to seek holy water and asked Shade to stay out of sight for several days.
• Doctor Schneider thanked Shade for helping defeat Lasoya and said Shade’s actions had protected the group from exposure and possible pursuit.
• Miss Annette, Miss Louisa, and Priest Augustus explained that the Blood Spirit School pursued blood purification, conducted human experiments, and included the powerful Thirteenth Ring Warlock Hermons.

Shade showed the group the Gluttony Spirit Rune that appeared after he directly devoured part of an evil god’s power, and they warned him to watch for signs of losing control. The five survivors revised and submitted a report to the Academy, leaving Shade’s direct encounter with the evil god and the Doctor’s suspected secret out of the account.

• Shade revealed his glowing Gluttony Spirit Rune, and the Doctor and Priest Augustus warned him to report any strange symptoms.
• The Doctor said the Academy would be informed about Shade’s new rune in the report on the Lake View Manor incident.
• Shade decided not to reveal his suspicions about the Doctor’s connection to devils or demons, and planned to keep monitoring him.
• Shade, the Doctor, Miss Louisa, Miss Annette, and Priest Augustus revised the report, disguising Shade’s direct encounter with the evil god and emphasizing the Masked Man Under the Silver Moon’s apparent strength.
• The five survivors signed the finished report, and Miss Louisa submitted it to the Academy through a page from the Poet Manuscript.

After Saint Byron's reply arrived, Shade and his companions learned the Academy accepted their report about the Blood of Mercury attack and planned to reward them. The chapter left Shade preparing for Saturday's meetings with two professors, hoping to inspect the Canon of Sublimation early.

• Miss Louisa read Saint Byron's reply and told the group the Academy accepted their report and identified the Detective's gun as the Document Level Relic, Gun of Kindness.
• Doctor Schneider read the Academy's conclusion that Blood of Mercury and the Believers of the Old God, Lord of the Blood Feast, had jointly planned the terrorist attack.
• Priest Augustus announced the group would receive Practical Credits, learning materials, and Spellcasting Materials, and that the Academy would help Doctor Schneider recover from his injuries.
• Shade reflected on the support and trust he had gained in this world, then laughed with his companions as they celebrated their rewards.
• Shade learned Professor Röntgen and Professor Hesseng Garcia would meet the group on Saturday, and hoped to speak with Garcia about examining the Canon of Sublimation early.

Shade learned about the Black Raven Library, a secret trading place for Ring Arcanists, and planned to visit for Thaumaturgy knowledge. Doctor Schneider renewed his plan to pursue the Falsified Philosopher’s Stone, leaving the group to wait for his recovery before they could act.

• Miss Annette gave Shade the Black Raven Library’s address and warned him to disguise his identity there.
• Shade considered his debts and finances as he planned how much to spend on knowledge.
• Doctor Schneider announced that he would resume the operation to obtain the Falsified Philosopher’s Stone once he recovered.
• Miss Louisa and Miss Annette explained the relic’s properties and its use as a substitute for rare ritual items.
• Doctor Schneider said he wanted the relic both for his advancement ritual and to earn an opportunity to learn Thaumaturgy from Professor Roggs.

Shade asked Miss Annette to divine Detective Sparrow Hamilton’s past, and she confirmed he had been a Kassenric spy. After learning he was unlikely to pose a danger to him, Shade prepared to visit the Black Raven Library in disguise.

• Shade asked Miss Annette to divine Sparrow Hamilton’s identity using his notebook.
• Miss Annette found that Sparrow’s military years were concealed by anti-divination measures and concluded he had been a spy for the Gray Gloves.
• Shade realized Sparrow had likely settled his affairs before dying and would not endanger him if he burned the letter in September.
• Miss Annette warned Shade not to become too involved in political matters and offered to take him home.
• Shade changed clothes, took a mask, and approached the Black Raven Library’s side entrance in disguise.

Shade visited the Black Raven Library to find a Gluttony thaumaturgy and considered buying Satiety Feast. The voice in his heart suggested that his unusual Gluttony rune could make the thaumaturgy far more powerful than normal.

• Shade entered the Black Raven Library through a hidden book-trading room and asked for Gluttony-related thaumaturgies.
• The librarian offered Parkinson's Gluttony Desire for 14 pounds and 3 shillings, but Shade could not learn it because he lacked the required Spirit Rune type.
• The librarian offered Satiety Feast for 9 pounds and 7 shillings, or 11 pounds with its learning materials, and Shade realized his silver Blasphemy Gluttony rune met its requirements.
• Shade considered how Satiety Feast could provide food and healing, then wondered whether it would be useful to him.
• The voice in Shade's heart explained that his Gluttony came from power that had nearly devoured part of a deity and could make the thaumaturgy exceptionally powerful.

Shade bought a concealed thaumaturgy lesson from the Black Raven Library and learned that absorbing an Old God’s power required an artifact capable of taking it in. He visited Old John’s pawnshop, where the old man described its collection of ordinary and valuable objects as a reflection of civilization.

• Shade bought the Satiety Feast thaumaturgy materials hidden inside a cookbook and avoided discussing the Masked Man Under the Silver Moon with the librarian.
• Shade evaded anyone following him through the fog and learned that Old God power could grant him unusually strong Spirit Runes and divinity.
• Shade learned from Another Me that he needed an artifact like the Blood Ring to absorb a god’s power again.
• Shade visited Old John’s pawnshop and asked why the old man accepted so many ordinary items.
• Old John asked Shade what the pawnshop’s collection represented, and Shade guessed society and life before Old John answered, “Civilization.”

Shade visited Old John’s pawnshop to look for a Relic that could draw energy from living beings, but the one available cost more than he could afford. Back at Saint Derain Square, he found two messages and spent the evening learning the Thaumaturgy Satiety Feast.

• Old John explained that he valued old objects for the stories and traces of civilization they carried, and he and Shade discussed the Thirteenth Ring Warlock’s display at Lake View Manor.
• Shade asked Old John for a Relic that could draw energy from a living being and infuse it into its user.
• Old John found an acquaintance’s Relic priced at 300 pounds, beyond Shade’s budget, and offered to look for one costing under fifty pounds.
• Shade returned home, fed Little Mia, and found letters from Sir Lavender and Captain Rades, who wanted to discuss Match Girl and apologize for his behavior at the banquet.
• Shade stayed home that night and learned the Thaumaturgy Satiety Feast after gathering its costly materials.

Shade used Satiety Feast to create a healing Spirit Rune by drinking water, then discovered that Little Mia could benefit from it too. The next morning, life returned to a quiet routine until Baron Lavend visited the Detective Agency to ask about the Match Girl card.

• Shade completed four rounds of drinking water and used his blood to activate Satiety Feast, gaining a Spirit Rune that healed his cut finger.
• Little Mia licked the glowing water, began hiccuping, and showed Shade that the thaumaturgy could affect other creatures.
• Shade learned that the enhanced water’s effects faded quickly and could not be sold as a lasting potion.
• On Wednesday morning, Shade and Little Mia had little appetite after drinking too much water the night before, and Shade read the newspaper over breakfast.
• Baron Lavend visited the Detective Agency, seeking the Rhodes card Ancient Fairy Tales: Match Girl.