Ravenna and Mar’Khabazza call another meeting with House Tesper and House Terilaen.

Mar’Khabazza alludes to his new influence with House Inji. The four leaders are amazed at Balthus’ death as Mar’Khabazza doesn’t explicitly deny being involved in that situation. The three groups agree to an alliance with terms defined loosely as: If MK can get the law banning access to the Merchant’s Guild removed, provide the two houses funds for resuming trade operations, and provide wagons and teams to be ready in April, then both houses will tithe 30% of their profits to him.

But since Rinji controls the majority of council votes, and they were the ones who created the law in the first place and benefit in a great way from it, they will be an obstacle to this alliance and will have to be dealt with.

Ravenna begins to dream up ways to inflict bad fortune on House Rinji, from weevils in their grain stores, to flooding the house itself. Magnus suggests arson, “since burning down houses seems to be the way to be rid of problems”.

September 23, 7761

Over the next few days:

The weather begins to turn and the citizens of Opal begin to hunker down in anticipation of the winter’s first storm.

Mark Khabazza and Ravenna explore the lower city, finding a medly of the four tribes living vigorous and enthusiastic lives there. They find “candle crone” and buy a candle from her.

Ravenna continues to read the Duergar journals. She learns:

• Duergar have a merit-based leadership in which the most experienced person for the role assumes leadership. This leads to a very dynamic social order that can be confusing to outsiders.
• Duergar came to the Opal glacial valley 40 years ago, arriving ten years after the founding of Opal. They are searching for their lost city that was rumored to be where the Upheaval now stands.
• The two stacks of parchment bound in slate, the “Religios Cookbook”, detail Earthmender Gorboto’s various experiments in the creation of the Shapeless Ones. These books contain elaborate notes on necromancy, jewelcraft and enchanting.
• the cultist duergar were shipping the successful shapeless ones to the Winter Elves through the portal stones.

September 25, 77561

Mar’Khabazza is attacked by a posessed nobleman. Ravenna once again puts him to sleep but this time they take the sleeping figure to the Candle Crone hoping to perform an exorcism. She cannot, but directs them to a meat smoker who might be able to help.

They drag the nobleman north and find five people
1 warrior woman
1 warrior man
1 “beautifil northerner” (a half elf)
the female dark cleric
The meat smoker

They agree to do it and they leave the sleeping nobleman with them.

September 27, 7761

Kyle appears at the Salt House and apologizes to Ravenna. “Elder Sarophas and the Slenderman are planning something for you. A spectacle of some kind. I myself am trying to get away from them for what they did to you.”

Ravenna thanks him and, in an uncharacteristic moment of compassion, feels pity on him. She suggests that he pay a visit to House Indi to find work there as a means of escaping the Hoods.

She also continues to read the Duergar journals and decides to learn from the Religious Cookbook. She commissions a forge to be built in her tower and begins her study of material alchemy and matter manipulation.