Chapter Summaries

Klein learned from Danitz that Brando had helped Admiral of Stars Cattleya kill the original Seniors, while Lorne searched for treasure and pursued information about the Fourth Epoch. In Bayam, Koser obtained Danitz’s whereabouts and prepared to target him, leaving the danger to the Golden Dream unresolved.

• Klein questioned Danitz, who admitted that he and Brando had helped Cattleya defeat Seniors, and Klein realized Brando had a connection to Admiral of Stars.
• Lorne studied the treasure map and identified a likely location in East Chester County near his fief, Viller.
• Lorne received Queen Mystic’s offer to turn Marauder pathway Beyonder Characteristics into a Mystical Item and planned to subdue the evil spirit in his basement afterward.
• Lorne prepared for Melissa to start working as his part-time assistant and considered asking her to bring Lucky to the villa.
• Koser forced an information broker to reveal Danitz’s whereabouts, then set his sights on Flame Danitz to avenge the former Seniors.

Lorne investigated an Indulgence Faction restaurant and decided to keep the planned operation in his own hands. Audrey wrestled with doubts about her family, while Lorne received a Mystical Item from Queen Mystic before Sharron warned that the Indulgence Faction was preparing to flee.

• Lorne dined at the Indulgence Faction's restaurant, considered reporting it to the Nighthawks or buying it, and chose to proceed with the operation himself to protect Sharron and Maric and gather intelligence.
• Audrey questioned whether the accusations against the Hall Family were true, tried to trust her father, and reflected on Mr. Fool's advice that James Scott could help resolve the family's troubles.
• Lorne received Queen Mystic's letter and a Mystical Item made from the Sequence 3 Mentor of Deceit characteristic; Queen Mystic declined to trade for a Sequence 3 potion but offered to share its ritual.
• Lorne agreed to pay part of the crafting fee with rifles and ammunition, taking care to make sure the supplies could not be traced to him.
• Sharron appeared at Lorne's villa and warned him that the Indulgence Faction had noticed something and planned to relocate, forcing them to move up their operation.

Lorne joined Sharron and Maric in ambushing the Indulgence Faction’s supposed final shipment, but the attack turned out to be a trap. Zartwin appeared with another Sequence 5 Wraith, leaving Maric wounded and Sharron exposed to the demigod.

• Sharron told Lorne that the Indulgence Faction planned to move its remaining valuables to the docks, and they agreed to ambush the shipment on a secluded road.
• Lorne hid near the road as Sharron and Maric prepared an attack using the Scarlet Lunar Corona, explosives, poison, and Purification bullets.
• Maric and Sharron bombarded the carriage and its wreckage, but Maric found no sign of the spiritual reaction expected after killing Beyonders.
• An unseen force made Maric’s submachine gun turn on him, while a shard of glass struck Sharron with a possession attempt.
• Zartwin emerged and revealed that he had lured Sharron and Maric into the ambush, as another Sequence 5 Wraith appeared behind him.

Lorne rescued Sharron and Maric from Zartwin’s ambush, using a string of concealed attacks and stolen abilities to wound the Sequence 4 Marionette. Zartwin charged at Lorne, who declared that the probability of the attack hitting him was zero.

• Sharron realized that Zartwin had lured her and Maric into a trap, while Zartwin prepared to kill her.
• Lorne secretly took control of Santo, who screamed at Zartwin, detonated himself, and unleashed Purification charms, giving Sharron and Maric a chance to flee.
• Lorne attacked Zartwin with Punishment, Mental Storm, charms, and grenades, then stole the black leather glove from his hand.
• Lorne reflected that the Fortune-Seeking Treasure Map blocked his own perception as well as others’, and explained how he had used a Mentor of Deceit glove to control Santo and extend his abilities.
• Zartwin decided to attack Lorne rather than flee, and Lorne calmly asked what the probability was that Zartwin’s attack would hit before answering, “zero.”

Lorne bluffed Zartwin into believing that a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact made it impossible to hit him, then used that fear to turn Zartwin’s own attacks against him. After trapping Zartwin with a recorded Fairy-Tale Magic spell and stealing his thought of escape, Lorne prepared to finish the fight.

• Zartwin’s ice and undead attacks repeatedly missed Lorne, who purified the undead with charms.
• Zartwin tried a soul-piercing shriek and a close-range werewolf attack, but Lorne vanished into his Portable Space and appeared behind him to shoot Zartwin with a shotgun.
• Lorne’s deception convinced Zartwin that he wielded a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact capable of manipulating probability, while Zartwin’s fear caused his later attacks to miss.
• Lorne blocked Spirit World teleportation, stunned Zartwin with a Mental Storm, and trapped him inside a barrier using the pocket watch’s “Source of Peach Blossoms” spell.
• As the spell made Zartwin drowsy, Lorne stole his thought of escape and selected another pocket-watch skill while asking whether Zartwin would survive.

Lorne killed Zartwin, a Sequence 4 Marionette of the Indulgence Faction, and escaped with Sharron and Maric before the Official Forces arrived. Back at their safe house, he offered Sharron a Wraith characteristic, and she agreed to tell him about her past.

• Lorne confirmed Zartwin was dead, collected his corpse and characteristic, and reunited with Sharron and the wounded Maric.
• Lorne absorbed the nearby Wraith's soul and characteristic into his Blood Ring, then led the group to clean up and leave the battlefield.
• The Nighthawks and Leonard investigated the scene, while Pallez sensed that multiple demigods had fought there and warned Leonard to stay away.
• At their safe house, Lorne revealed that he had killed Zartwin and explained that his Blood Ring was a Mystical Item made from a Shepherd characteristic.
• Lorne offered Sharron the Sequence 4 Wraith characteristic, but she hesitated because she felt she already owed him too much.
• Lorne asked Sharron to tell him about her past, and Maric quietly left them alone.

After Sharron revealed her past and the Rose School’s conflict, Lorne offered her Zartwin’s Sequence 4 Marionette characteristic. They learned that the ritual required a rare mummy in the Southern Continent, and Sharron eventually accepted Lorne’s offer through a kiss, leaving him dazed.

• Sharron told Lorne about her teacher Reinette Tinekerr, the Temperance Faction, and the Rose School’s history, then Lorne admitted he might have encountered Suah and awkwardly mentioned his friend Tracy.
• Sharron explained that advancing to Sequence 4 required a divinity-bearing mummy tied to the Chained pathway, and she and Lorne channeled Zartwin’s spirit for information.
• Zartwin’s spirit revealed the Rose School’s retreat to the Southern Continent, its clashes with the Numinous Episcopate, and that the Episcopate had seized qualifying mummies from an Indulgence Faction stronghold.
• Lorne offered Sharron the Marionette characteristic as a gift, but she insisted she could not accept it without repayment.
• Sharron leaned in and kissed Lorne, then left the basement flushed while Lorne touched his mouth in surprise.

Antigonus discussed the Society’s aid to the Numinous Episcopate and considered approaching the Church of the God of Combat, then confronted an Amon avatar who hinted at his hidden plans. Above the Gray Fog, Klein decided to help Audrey and prepared to contact Lorne while collecting Danitz’s written account of Brando’s gossip.

• Antigonus persuaded the Society to continue supporting the Southern Continent and volunteered to contact the Church of the God of Combat, while the group discussed Derlink’s possible trip to Balam and Loen’s plans.
• Antigonus used the Realm of Mysteries to expose an Amon avatar, who teased him about secrets from his colleagues and seemed to carry something dangerous.
• Klein considered Audrey’s request for help, divined that Lorne had independently inferred the Tarot Club’s existence, and decided to contact him as Sherlock.
• Danitz gave Klein the written information he had demanded, including gossip about Brando, and Klein promised to free him once the ship reached Bayam.

Lorne recovered from his battle and tried to make sense of Sharron’s unexpected kiss, while Sharron began investigating female pirates she considered rivals. As Klein mailed Lorne a letter from Bayam, Lorne received Queen Mystic’s promised Sequence 3 ritual details and found them unusually abstract.

• Lorne woke from a dream about Tracy, recalled Sharron’s kiss, and decided to find her a suitable mummy before discussing their feelings.
• Sharron asked Maric to investigate Tracy and other knowledgeable female pirates, driven by a new competitive urge.
• Audrey transferred her Backlund Arms Company shares, while Hibbert speculated that James Scott was building a vast arms and pharmaceutical empire and decided to increase the family’s gift.
• Klein paid seven pounds to send Lorne a letter, released Danitz, and sensed that something bad was about to happen.
• Lorne received Queen Mystic’s letter containing the Sequence 3 advancement ritual and found its instructions abstract.

Lorne visited Rose Street to see Lucky and encountered Susie, who recognized him from their earlier ordeal in the sewers. Meanwhile, Charles prepared to target the banks connected to Earl Hall as the conflict between their factions intensified.

• Lorne considered the abstract Sequence 3 ritual and decided he still needed to find the Fate Card from the Queen of Mystic.
• Lorne visited Rose Street, where Susie panicked when she recognized him as the man who had dragged her through the sewer.
• Lorne reassured Susie that he had come to help and asked whether her trouble involved the Hall Family.
• Charles reviewed Earl Hall’s spending on media outlets and planned to weaken the family’s funding through trouble at its banks.
• Charles summoned his secretary and ordered banknotes prepared so a Faceless infiltrating Bavart Bank could exchange them there.

Lorne received requests from Susie, Klein, and the Fool to help the Hall Family, so he sought more information and agreed to meet Earl Hall. Antigonus then upgraded Lorne’s authority in the Society and warned him that Backlund would soon become more dangerous.

• On his way home, Lorne learned that Susie wanted him to help Audrey and decided he could not promise to resolve the Hall Family’s political troubles.
• Lorne read Klein’s letter asking him to help the Hall Family and arranged for Asnia to investigate the private truth behind the newspaper reports.
• Asnia told Lorne that Earl Hall had invited him to a private meeting and a charity fundraiser, and Lorne agreed to meet him while postponing his decision about the event.
• Lorne searched the Society’s exchange catalog for a mummy but found no high-sequence resources, then Antigonus appeared in his study.
• Lorne told Antigonus about his encounter with Zartwin, and Antigonus announced that Lorne’s authority would rise to that of a regular numbered member.
• Antigonus said Lorne could use his new authority to seek a mummy and advised him to leave Backlund because the city would soon become more dangerous.

John infiltrated Bavart Bank to replace genuine banknotes with convincing counterfeits while noticing signs of trouble within the bank. Meanwhile, Earl Hall thanked Lorne for saving Hibbert with business assets and debt relief, but Lorne’s coin toss offered no reassuring sign about the Hall Family’s future.

• John used his Faceless abilities to impersonate a Bavart Bank duty manager and began exchanging genuine notes for counterfeit ones during the planned shift change.
• While working at the bank, John noticed that Earl Hall’s forced loans were unsettling shareholders and that someone was secretly selling bank shares.
• Earl Hall and Hibbert visited Lorne, thanked him for saving Hibbert, and gave him company shares and other business assets as a gift.
• Earl Hall also promised to settle Lorne’s £300,000 Bavart Bank loan, and Lorne agreed to attend the Hall Family’s charity event and public reception.
• Lorne offered to help the Hall Family counter unfavorable public opinion, but Earl Hall declined the offer and hinted that the family could support Lorne’s business through its financial and political connections.
• Hibbert asked Lorne to read the Hall Family’s near-term luck, and Lorne’s coin landed tails up as he shook his head.

Earl Hall and Hibbert tried to understand why Viscount Scott had offered to help their family, suspecting his connection to Audrey might explain his actions and the protective accessories she gave them. As the Hall family’s political troubles continued, Earl Hall suspected a hidden hand behind the Conservatives’ press campaign and prepared to investigate.

• Earl Hall asked Rory to estimate Lorne’s strength, and Rory judged him to be at least a Sequence 5 Beyonder.
• Earl Hall and Hibbert considered why Viscount Scott had offered help, ruling out the Church and greed before suspecting a connection to mysticism.
• Hibbert recalled that Audrey’s tie clip might have helped him escape the monster in Bridge Borough, and Earl Hall noted that her accessories had genuine mystical effects.
• Earl Hall connected Audrey’s secret outings and her brief absence at Scott’s party to Scott’s warning and the accessories, leading him and Hibbert to suspect they knew each other.
• Hibbert grew angry at the possibility that Scott and Audrey were romantically involved, while Earl Hall resolved to discreetly question his daughter.
• Earl Hall told Hibbert to monitor the newspapers and said he was investigating who might be guiding the Conservatives’ campaign against the Hall family.

Danitz was captured in a clash between Causer’s men and Kayson’s crew while Gehrman Sparrow hurried toward them. In Backlund, Lorne received Frank Lee’s experimental plants and began planning to grow and process them in Viller.

• Danitz wrote Lorne another warning letter and received Lorne’s reply, which included two good-luck charms and news of his experiments.
• Causer and his men ambushed Danitz and captured him, but Kayson’s crew intervened to seize him for Vice Admiral of Ailment Tracy.
• Danitz recognized his would-be rescuers as members of the Black Death and realized he might have to choose between the two pirate factions.
• Lorne received Frank Lee’s letter and a package containing experimental plants, improved garlic, and cultivation instructions.
• Lorne considered finding Frank the Sequence 5 Druid formula and planned to cultivate the plants and establish a processing industry in Viller.

Klein rescued Danitz from a street fight between two pirate crews, then regretted leaving before he could collect their bounties. In Backlund, Lorne hired Melissa as his assistant, found a suspicious banknote among the servants’ wages, and learned that Duchess Georgina’s representative wanted to see him.

• Klein fired a shot that triggered a fight between Causer’s pirates and the Vice Admiral of Ailment’s men, allowing Danitz to escape.
• Klein found Danitz, explained why he had rescued him, and led him to an abandoned warehouse to hide.
• Danitz told Klein that Causer’s crew had captured him and that the rival group had come after him over Monkey Brando; Klein realized the pirates’ combined bounties could be worth tens of thousands of pounds and regretted leaving.
• In Backlund, Melissa worked her first day as Lorne’s part-time assistant, drafting plans for a lighter and discussing her brother Benson’s prospects for marriage.
• Lorne noticed something strange about a five-soli note among the servants’ wages, kept it, and later learned that Duchess Georgina’s representative wanted to meet him.

Lorne met Duchess Georgina, who tried to recruit him to support the royal family’s reforms with promises of political influence and a possible marriage alliance. After divining that the reforms carried grave risks, Lorne consulted Antigonus, who advised him to delay his decision and leave Backlund before another upheaval.

• Lorne learned Duchess Georgina wanted to meet him and suspected the royal family might be probing his strength or seeking to win him over.
• Georgina offered Lorne a role in the government’s planned civil service and Industrial Coordination Committee, along with the prospect of a marriage alliance with the Augustus Family.
• Lorne avoided making commitments and concluded that the royal family wanted to use his public reputation and strength to advance its reforms.
• Lorne divined that the reforms faced dangerous resistance and that Backlund’s tense situation could spiral out of control.
• Lorne wrote to Antigonus, who advised him to delay accepting the royal family’s offer and leave Backlund until the coming upheaval had passed.

Lorne considered leaving Backlund to recover and inspect his fief, while checking whether the Hall Family still needed his help. After arranging a private meeting with Audrey, he reassured her that he was willing to assist and asked about the family’s current situation.

• Lorne decided that visiting his fief and a treasure-map location in East Chester County could give him a reason to leave Backlund, but he remained concerned about the Hall Family.
• Earl Hall told Audrey that the family’s troubles were easing, though he still worried about Alfred’s situation in the Southern Continent.
• Audrey persuaded Earl Hall to let her visit a department store, and he secretly sent bodyguards to follow her and find out whether she was meeting someone.
• Audrey met Lorne in a private room at the Philip Department Store, where he offered to help the Hall Family on behalf of a friend and because of the Fool.
• Lorne asked Audrey whether the Hall Family still needed his help, leaving her to explain its situation.

Lorne reassured Audrey that the Hall family seemed to be recovering, gave her a powerful luck charm, and warned her that trouble might soon come to Backlund before leaving for Viller. Earl Hall learned that Audrey had secretly met Lorne, while Sharron discovered scandalous reports about Tracy and Maric acted strangely when Lorne questioned him.

• Lorne met Audrey, learned that Earl Hall had declined his offer of help, and gave her a charm while warning her about possible trouble in Backlund.
• Lorne noticed four concealed mid-sequence Beyonders following him and suspected they were Hall family bodyguards protecting Audrey.
• Earl Hall learned that Audrey had met Viscount Scott in secret and wondered whether their friendship might become something more.
• Maric gave Sharron reports about Tracy, including rumors connecting her to Monkey Brando, and Sharron read them with growing jealousy.
• Lorne told Maric he was leaving for Viller and warned him to tell Ian to keep a low profile; noticing Maric's discomfort, Lorne asked if he had betrayed him.

Lorne left Backlund for a business inspection in Viller while Klein and Danitz sought Beyonder items among the Resistance Army, where Klein was nearly corrupted by a bone sword tied to Kalvetua. Meanwhile, Archbishop Anthony’s rescue mission found Alfred in a dungeon, but the apparent prisoner was revealed as a trap involving a Shepherd of Man-Goats.

• Maric nervously stopped Lorne from visiting Sharron, and Lorne left him two charms before departing.
• Klein and Danitz reported two pirate crews to the authorities, then visited the Resistance Army to look for Beyonder items; Klein was nearly possessed by Kalvetua through a bone sword.
• Lorne left Asnia in charge of his villa and boarded a luxury train to Viller with Benson and other company employees.
• Lorne praised Melissa’s work and teased Benson about finding a wife, then asked him about his brother Klein.
• Archbishop Anthony and the Red Gloves found the tortured Alfred in a dungeon, but Anthony sensed danger before the supposed prisoner transformed and the dead around them merged into flesh and blood.
• Archbishop Anthony identified the threat as a Shepherd of Man-Goats.

The Numinous Episcopate and its allies trapped Archbishop Anthony’s team in an explosive ambush, leaving him badly injured and delaying the Church of Evernight’s campaign in Balam. Xize then offered prisoner Alfred Hall freedom if he chose between converting to the God of Death or the God of Combat.

• Bishop Anthony sheltered the Nighthawks from a trap that detonated the mountain stronghold, and an enormous raven watched the blast before flying away.
• Xize told his collaborators that Anthony had survived but was badly injured, while Lester reported that he had delayed the Loen army by leaving traces blamed on the Rose School.
• Alfred, unable to use his Beyonder powers in captivity, considered escape and cooperation as Xize arrived with wine and offered him freedom.
• After Alfred drank the wine, Xize asked whether he wanted to convert to the God of Death or the God of Combat.