The day finds the Troupe at the formal dining room, eating some of Masha’s amazing cooking and trying to figure out what to do next. They come up with a plan to intercept the messengers from the Empire that apparently carry information about the season’s trade report for Senator Stonehallow. They plan on using that information to get a jump on what the official mining and trading instructions from the Empire will be. They also start to figure out how to break Rinji’s stranglehold on the merchant’s guild and allow unaffiliated houses access to the merchant banks. This would allow House Terilaen and House Tesper to regain their foothold in Opal and solidify their position of owing loyalty to Mar’Khabazza in the Salt House. They set up a meeting with Muriel Trueheart for the next day.
At the same time Ravenna forges ornate weapons with small enchantments to sell via house Tesper to the wealthy in Opal for a profit while Magnus continues to romance Lady Catriona von Indi, sending some Winter Elf jewelry to her.
January 23, 7762
In the Crow Club, the Troupe meets with Trueheart about getting an edict passed before the town council. She explains that for an edict to pass they must generate the four votes required out of the seven on the Opal city council. An edict must be drafted and the council notified 14 days before a vote to allow for “public discussion and debate”.
Privately, Mar’Khabazza contemplates assassinating Senator Stonehallow and standing in for him the day of the vote. With Mar’Khabazza acting as Stonehallow and with Senator Redstone in his pocket, there are two easy votes, With Trueheart falling in line if they get the remaining votes, leaving the Postmaster and the Overlord as potential swing votes who will will be convinced to vote for “free trade and commerce”.
January 24, 7762
Magnus spends time with with Arlaina who has been kicking her drug addiction with Masha’s help. As he speaks with her, she describes her life. It is quite similar to Ravenna’s in that she was raided my Kelemis the Lost in his tower in the woods after being adopted by him. She trained skills to help he on her journey to Tothkubad and sent from the old man’s tower and into Tothkubad to find the location of Faylin the Stern Teacher or liberate the “Master Knower” godspark. Upon arival she was seduced by Rowan McNabb and subsequently captured and abused by Zalgroth the demon and Rowan McNabb. Inflicting phsycological torture upon her about the knowledge spark.
Magnus subsequently gets drunk after realizing what a horrible person Rowan McNabb must have been.
Senior Sergeant Joktuk pays a visit and declares the house clear of plague, surprising no one. The men of the Salt House Staff, Lotwill Veriatus and Sentinel Fengus return after hearing the Salt House is clear of plague.
Ravenna forges a second weapon to sell. In her tower she is visited by Savenia Loresong who tells her about how Arlaina assaulted her while she lay in a stupor in the Citadel after bearing the brunt of absorbing the Master Knower. While she works at her forge, Ravenna tries to come to grips with the “knowledge of everything” in her head.