[Notes for the run of November 4, 1999.] Claire returns on the Thirdday after the fire, having been gone with Pierre investigating where the lavatrack vehicle destinations are. (Pierre's been trying to find the outer ring of junction points.) She asks where her stuff is, and we lead her to our new digs. During the week, Calais finds time to tell Irolo, the Duke's artificer, of about the problems we've been having, and asks if he knows anything about the Ravens. Irolo says the Ravens are just thugs, and mentions a more reputable group he calls the Gearheads. (Their formal name seems to be the Honorable Brotherhood of something, or perhaps Honorable Order, but what they're a Brotherhood or Order of he never quite finishes saying, always switching instead to "Gearheads".) To join them, one must demonstrate some skill with machinery. He shows Calais a complex mechanism that startles Calais as a bird pops out and cuckoos at him. Irolo says that once you're able to build something like that, and get a suitable introduction from someone already in the brotherhood, you can apply for membership. Calais says he understands. Irolo then brings the cuckoo clock over to the workbench and has Calais take it apart and reassemble it. Blindfolded. Calais manages not to do irreparable damage, and resolves to make a point of learning how to manipulate things solely by touch. Irolo does say more about the Ravens. He's heard that they're a newer band even than the Longknives. Calais fails to glean anything more about the latter, but Irolo adds that the Gearheads have been around a long time; they came into these lands from some mountainous region to the east. Calais asks if they were Know-Men. Irolo is pleased to find his apprentice isn't a total ignoramus. He offers to pass along any information he happens to pick up regarding the Ravens. All he hears by Sixthday is that they're getting really desperate. Calais also manages to locate the spider-quest survivor, Ravel Pensky, hanging out in a rather seedy inn. Nobody's sitting near him because he's got a mallet with which he frequently whacks at bugs, real or imagined. Calais tells him we're interested in killing some bugs. He laughs wildly at the thought of such as Calais trying to kill the sorts of bugs he knows about. Calais invites him to come to a higher-class inn where Alexis is waiting. (Her bodyguards won't let her go into such a low-class joint as where we found him.) He thinks it over, musing it's a pretty clean joint, so fewer bugs to bother him. He does check that it's not a full moon; he says the really big bugs come out in the full moon. In the cleaner inn, Alexis pumps him. His group went in and fought a pit spider like our group did, and found some treasure. On their way out, they heard chittering in front of them, so turned and ran deeper. He mentions spiders with swords for legs, spiders whose chittering drove men mad, spider webs so fine you can't see them before you're caught in them, spiders that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Eventually they found a place where the webs were spun over trees to form a four-turreted castle with various entranceways. Climbing the central tower was a huge spider shape that looked at them with intelligent eyes. It said something, and other spiders started heading for them. They ran, and he fell into the river. (He gives the name; Calais thinks he knows where it is, so he feels sure Rhori and Paris will know of it.) The innkeeper tells Alexis that her, um, guest, is causing a bit of a disturbance with his mallet. She wraps up the discussion and sends Pensky on his way. She then immediately heads for some maps and such and writes down what she's learned. Seventhday, it takes Paris longer than usual to come down for breakfast. She looks particularly gorgeous, having apparently spent a while on makeup and such. Rhori remarks that she "looks like a girl." Calais, who knows Paris is to go to a picnic with Ewen deLacey that afternoon, remarks with mock annoyance that people will have no trouble telling him apart from Paris today. We don't get to see Attila's reaction, as the barbarian moved out earlier in the week to hang out in the Adventurers' area, and has probably already headed off with an adventuring party. We go off to church, and again find Lorraine accompanied by Cordelia and Ewen. Lorraine latches onto Anton and Calais. Rhori keeps his distance. After the service, Cordelia announces it's such a nice day she would like to walk back to the palace. Alexis agrees, and offers to accompany her. Anton and Calais join them. This frees up space in the carriage, so Paris and Lorraine head off in the carriage, with Ewen on a horse beside them. Paris notices that one of the guards on the carriage is one she hasn't seen before, and he's wearing a pentacle beneath his cloak. The walkers manage to keep pace behind the carriage because the carriage is stuck behind a rather large party centered around a Lord Percy, the palace fop. Apparently Percy is planning to go falconing, and pauses to think about where to do it. We hear them deciding to head for the north side of town, which happens to be near the deLacey vineyards, where Paris's carriage is headed. As Percy talks with his retinue, Anton and Alexis notice that his guards include two older gents, one of whom Anton recognises as someone who he's seen training the cavalry (Alexis knows him to be Lord Chivar), and the other being Lord duGryphon himself. Elsewhere, Hobbes calls Rhori over to an alley where he meets up with Silverlocke (and Rex), who says they're going to provide a distant escort. Alexis tells us about the unusual guards, and Anton checks with mage sight. He sees that one of the guards also has magic sight turned on. Hobbes tells Rhori there's a guy that Rex and Silverlocke say they're not supposed to interfere with; it's important that he not know he's being followed. Rhori asks which guy; Hobbes says the one who smells like a sewer. Rhori eventually makes out who it is. It's a non-descript peasant carrying a large bag, but not slung over his shoulder, as though whatever's in it is not very heavy and is maybe fragile. Rhori and Hobbes follow the guy to a building, and Silverlocke via Rex tells them to watch the building. Meanwhile, Cordelia takes in the sights and sounds of the street fair, getting advice from Alexis as to what would look best on her and so forth. Cordelia seems particularly interested in the musicians and entertainers. Alexis doesn't buy anything herself. After a while, Silverlocke shows up to join Rhori, and explains to him that there was an ambush set up involving three people with crossbows at various locations along Paris's route, but they were foiled because Paris was inside the carriage. The three, including Rhori's man, were then followed back to various buildings. Rhori asks why Silverlocke didn't just grab them and question them; Silverlocke replies that they caught a couple Ravens during the last week, but they died before telling anything useful, so the plan this time was to follow these and figure out where they're coming from. Paris spends a pleasant afternoon at the deLacey vineyards, with Percy and his, ahem, guards, falconing not too far off. But Paris doesn't get much chance to talk with Ewen, because many of the peasants who work the vineyards apparently come out and make a fuss over Paris, probably for reasons having to do with the grape cuttings Paris got from the Empress, but none of the rest of us know any of the details (which is okay 'cuz we're not there anyway). Once we get to the palace, Alexis hauls off to head home and prepare for dinner. Calais goes with her since she is to get him ready as well; as her only available kinsman he's to accompany Paris at the dinner. Anton escorts Cordelia into the palace, chatting a bit further. Cordelia mentions the graduation ball, the night before the Harvest Festival. As well as being the graduation for the men in Lord Gryphon's class, it's also a debutante ball for the women under Lady du Gryphon's tutelage. Anton mentions that he's going to be gone for a while, and Cordelia asks if he's going to be somewhere dangerous. He says yes, explaining he'll be seeking some stuff on the Prince's business. She is clearly distraught, but when Anton asks if anything is bothering her, she says no, and after a few increasing squeaky pleasantries she hastily takes her leave. Anton heads back, scratching his head. Dinner at the delaPonts. Alexis coaches Calais enough that he doesn't make an utter fool of himself, even though he finds it an odd sort of dinner -- lots of courses, but not much of any one thing, and no second helpings. Alexis's parents seem bothered by something, and occasionally look askance at Paris's sword, but are nevertheless quite gracious and proper. At the end of the evening, Paris asks Calais to check himself over. He doesn't find anything, but Paris is skeptical. Calais says he'd have to be pretty obvious to check more thoroughly, so Paris has Alexis direct him to the privy. Calais comes out and manages to slip his plate in with the rest of the dirty dishes. We get back without incident. Paris is amazed; the day passed without apparent incident. Rhori asks her if any more of the sewer people showed up. She asks, Ravens? He assumes so. She asks, "Did _you_ run into any of the sewer people?" "Nope, I was good, they didn't even notice me." "Uh, tell me about them?" Rhori explains the details of his afternoon. "So you were my bodyguard this afternoon?" "Well, me and the Baron." "Which Baron?" "Silverlocke." Oh. Paris explains she had heard that the Prince was concerned for her safety, so she guesses that's why he had the Baron out watching out for her. Calais adds, "Why not, everybody else was." So Paris asks him to explain, and he tells of Alexis noticing Lords Chivar and duGryphon. Paris realises why her day was so uneventful. Alexis sees the Duke at some point during the week, and says she hopes her absence from her regular duties has not inconvenienced him. He says that he thinks her researches for the Prince were quite helpful to the country, but he'll be happy to have her back. She asks for a more extended leave, partly because there's more information than she has been able to share with us in the time available, and partly because she's uncomfortable in court due to being unable to pursue her personal growth. He asks if she's discussed it with her parents. "Some." "I will consult with Baron delaPont. I will not go against his wishes in this matter. Do you know what you are letting yourself in for? You've heard the tales when they come back. They have been very lucky." Alexis says she understands. She does promise to return and accompany the Duke as his herald when he goes to Pelier. Thirdday evening, we come home for dinner and find Silverlocke waiting in our building. He tells Rhori to get some sleep, and to be ready to get up for some action at two in the morning. They've located the Ravens' secret headquarters. It's a house that actually adjoins onto the sewer system, including easy sewer connections to the buildings where would-be ambushers on Seventhday wound up. The rest of us are welcome to join the raid as well. Alexis, who was with us to discuss plans about the spiders, deals herself in. She promises not to actually enter, but to wait outside and cover the exit. Her bodyguards will come along as well. Silverlocke argues about it some, but eventually gives in. He heads out to finish making arrangements. Later, as we escort Paris home from the palace, we fill her in as well. On the way over, we're shown another building more or less like the one we're hitting, to give us a feel for the layout. We're given some instructions, as well as some identifying tabards. Anybody not wearing such a tabard is to be killed. The two lions take out the four sentries atop the building. Silverlocke has a group in the sewer, and others covering the sides and rear. He and we are taking a battering ram to the front. Anton casts protection from normal missiles (+6 resistant PD vs non-magical ranged attacks), and Mia casts her PD/ED spell and her armor. Brillig looses his "beef himself up" spell and mans the battering ram, with three nummies to hold up the other end. As they charge the door, the lions roar to signal the other groups that the attack is starting. The door gives way, and the ram-wielders move aside as Silverlocke and Rhori lead the charge into the building. Silverlocke does in his first foe with a single blow to the head. Rhori tries to emulate him but succeeds only in nicking someone in the shoulder. Paris stuns one. Another soldier comes up and barely hits Rhori's opponent. Silverlocke moves again before Paris; presumably he's just high dex, not speed 6. Paris moves past her stunned foe and swings at another, who blocks her with his heavy crossbow. Rhori hits his guy again, who tries desperately to block, but gets hit solidly and goes down. Rhori pushes forward. Calais steps up and finishes off Paris's first opponent. Anton, at the back of the pack, tries to keep up so as to keep the front line covered by his protection spell. A crossbow bolt hits Paris's shield but does not lodge in it. The one who fired it shouts to another to run, but the thief next to him fires his crossbow anyway, and then looks down at it in disbelief as the quarrel hits the wall of the room and bounces off. Apparently Anton's spell protects _everything_. (Or the guy really flubbed on damage. :-) Silverlocke heads for the stairs. Paris opens a large wound in someone's chest; Calais decides this one doesn't need further attention and stays close to Paris, keeping an eye out for anyone who might recognise her and try to make her a special target. He tags along as Paris heads for the stairs as well. Outside, Alexis and Mia see a window open as someone prepares to climb down. Silverlocke heads rapidly up the stairs. He's apparently speed five. Yow! He points Rhori at one door and tells him to "take the room", as he rushes another door. Alas, his shield doesn't hit the door cleanly and fails to break it down. Rhori hits the first door indicated and breaks it down, finding six bad guys in the process of leaping out of bed and grabbing for weapons. Some of them swing at him but miss. Paris heads for yet another room, Calais (speed three to her four) trying desperately to keep up. Downstairs, Brillig and the soldiers continue mopping up the first few. Alexis sees a head pop out the window. The guy spots her and pops back in. She hears him say, "Shit, pass me the crossbow." Alexis and Mia back up to get some cover. Rhori tells his six opponents if they lay down their weapons he won't kill them all. They're unimpressed, since he hasn't wasted any of them yet. Three of them swing on him, and one actually hits him in the head, nearly stunning him. He sweeps back and hits two of them. Paris breaks open her door and finds her six more prepared. Two crossbows miss, and two swords also miss (once Paris remembers that her weapon levels ought to be on defense as she's bashing in the door). Alexis and Mia see someone jump out a side window. They know there are soldiers in the buildings on either side, too, so they don't fret it. Paris moves into the room, invokes her defense maneuver against multiple opponents, and guts one. Brillig joins some soldiers heading downstairs, and finds a room with several sewer openings. There are sounds of fighting from the sewers, and bad guys with crossbows aimed into the sewers. Brillig joins the soldiers in clobbering them. He whacks one in the leg, and the guy falls into the hole. The guy Alexis saw jump out, gets hit by three arrows. He goes down. She sees a guy in the original window occasionally looking around for a target for his crossbow. Rhori gets hit some more, for no serious damage (1 body gets through). Paris gets hit twice, taking a bit of damage as well. That gets Calais's attention, and he wades in and kills one. Brillig gets shot point blank in the head with a crossbow, but he's still barely in range of Anton's spell (now two stories above), so it bounces off, doing a bit of stun. The thief stares in astonishment as Brillig whacks him in the ankle. This one fails to fall into the hole, though. Paris tries to sweep, but hits only one of her two remaining opponents. He fails to block, and goes down. The fighting goes on. One soldier goes down, presumably merely unconscious. The one Alexis was watching jumps out his window and lands badly, losing his crossbow in the process. To the dismay of her bodyguards, Alexis rushes forward to stab him. They rush up to surround her, and whack him some more. As we come to the end of the second full turn of combat, there's an obvious magical effect: a black wavefront that races through all of the rooms, and emanates out the front of the building and down through the basement. Judging from the direction, it seems it may have been cast from the room at the far end of the one Silverlocke has been fighting through. As the spell passes, all the dead bodies start to stand up.