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The invading force has now turned into a visiting dignitary. The dignitary doesn't sleep or take off his gloves, and is fairly vague about his actual wishes. His food taster has a haunted look to him. There are a couple of kleptomaniacs in the party; the host has been conjuring valuable trinkets with tracking devices in them to be stolen. The kleptos are also taking other people's stuff, too. Occasionally they even steal from each other. Nobody seems to recognize the language that is being spoken; some of the hosts claim that no such language could exist. Their kingdom of origin doesn't exist, either. The dignitary seems interested in the host's glass. When the host mentions the Sword of Stars and the Well of Night, two artifacts that were stolen from a masonic temple a thousand years ago, the dignitary panics and returns to his rooms. The dignitaries's minister vanishes from plain sight. The host locks down his castle.
The host imports his favorite scryer and uses the Philosophers' Stone to scry for the disappearing person. He is riding up to a castle in a place with a yellow sky and a six-armed guard out front. He enters a vault in the basement filled with artifacts, including the two artifacts that the host mentioned, plus the Eye of Ra, the Wandering Jew chained to a wall, and so on. The host recognizes the Wandering Jew from ages past. Something on the wall glows, and the demon scholar whacks the scryer. The scry drops. When the scryer awakes, he is missing two months of memory.
A few days later, the minister reappears in a hallway.
The host prepares to counter-invade with some demons as backup.
Cailin is outside the metropolis where Cyndia is apparently located.
Cailin considers bringing Beldin in to help. Cailin chats to Hubert and asks for help with a distraction. Cailin gates Hubert to the edge of the city. As he goes through the gate, several of Hubert's armaments make Cailin feel uncomfortable. They chat. Hubert denies any Morganti weapons and mocks Cailin's warfare. Beldin recognizes the place, and casts a small homing creature. He wanders off and returns a half hour later with a woman and two children in tow. Beldin introduces Cailin and Hubert to Samantha, his daughter.
[Bart and Eric are Samantha's kids.]
Cailin realizes that Cyndia can almost certainly see his magical energy. Hubert doesn't recognize the tanks.
A pseudorandom diversion occurs. Tanks shoot at each other. Zorro shows up with Cyndia over his shoulder. Cailin makes a gate to House Cara. Cyndia screams as Toram is burnt out of her, and falls over clutching at her head. Since she doesn't seem inclined to drink, Zorro contemplatively drinks the four beers while watching Cyndia.
Zorro returns, and points out that they may have a problem -- Cyndia doesn't seem to be in full control of her faculties.
Cailin sends a bird off to find Jean. Jean is playing tag with NSA agents and stealing kinetic energy from tank shells. Hubert throws the tank shells back at the tanks. People talk about the Cyndia problem.
Jean acquire the Serpent's Apprentice, who looks at Cyndia. She's been badly used, and her soul is heavily tattered. Ilk tries to play with staples, and may have turned her into a haunting spirit, but doesn't help reconnect the soul. He takes her through the rift in the skies over Amber to Ferethyn's Ways, and presents her to Norton for healing. Norton claims that she's dead and starts working. The stone sword is still with her.
[Speculation occurs that House Cara may now be the head of the Warriors' Guild]
Ilk notices that the process of revivifying Cyndia has re-contaminated her. Ecto-Ilk is imported to help, and Norton monitors Cyndia's soul.
Verra has surreptitiously started fondling some of Ilk's less busy tendrils.
Ilk is doing battle with Toram for Cyndia.
At some point during the fight, Titania sits up, curses, and falls back over again. She's not contaminated, but she's very Patternish.
After a while, Faythe takes over Norton's job and Norton starts looking for other ways to help. Jean wonders if Toram is drawing energy from the house. Ilk checks, and he is. Ferethyn is consulted, and gives Ilk a spell. Ilk checks for which side up, and casts. Toram is cut off from the House, and is soon overwhelmed. Toram manages to cast one last spell as he fails. Ilk shows it to Ferethyn, and Ferethyn pours through Ilk, does something esoteric, then returns.
Ilk heads back out to check on the place where they found Cyndia before returning her. The troops are contaminated, and the tanks are covered in Toram's signature. Ilk has the mob checked and evacuated to minimum safe distance, then blasts the area with a variable Pattern stoneburner. Samantha and Beldin play with the children. Ilk checks the area again, and deep-blasts a few remaining pockets. The taint in the central hotel and plumbing systems is pervasive enough that Ilk moves the rest of the city a few miles over, then stops being subtle.
Cailin complains about Hubert having a Morganti. That gets the Serpent's Apprentice's attention, who notices one of the evil things on Hubert's left foot.
Cailin calls out. "Hey Wanderer!" One of Hubert's socks pours off of his foot and grins at Cailin. Cailin tries to convince it to go play with Snarsht, and it pours back onto the foot and rolls down in the boot.
Ilk twists the shadow to invert gravity half-way down the hole, then leaves.
They get Hubert to fetch his sock drawer, and Ilk to check them for Morganti-ness. They're not life sucking, but they seem to be sentient, and are definitely angry.
Darkstar makes a trump of Samantha for Beldin.
They discuss bringing Cyndia back.
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