Lady's Grace, cutters!

 

“Everyone has strong opinions about the Harmonium – especially the Harmonium."

Suwein Lous, Sensate poet

 

First Clerk Day of Retributus, 126 HR

 

After his brief visit with Factol Erin, Naghûl had spent the night in his quarters in the Festhall. Jana and Sgillin had stayed with Eliath and Lereia in her house, while Kiyoshi had returned to the Barracks. And that's where they all met up again the next morning, as agreed. They registered with the concierge, Lady Diana, and were immediately received by Factol Sarin. When they entered his office, they all bowed in greeting, with Naghûl watching Kiyoshi curiously from the side. The young man's knees actually seemed to twitch briefly, but he stopped, bowed and struck his fist on his chest. Then he remained motionless. Sarin nodded to the entrants, and the tiefling noticed that the factol looked a little battered that day. He had a black eye and a relatively fresh laceration above his right brow. Naghûl nodded to himself. Sarin was known for regularly leading more delicate and dangerous missions, even as a factol, and was happy to be in the front line. This contributed to both, the appreciation his people felt for him and the respect of Sigil’s criminal elements - though not always to his health, as was evident. He didn't seem to be the sort of person to let such things stop him, though.

Now he looked up from the letter he was writing and nodded. "Lady's Grace," he greeted, glancing briefly at Eliath.

The wizard grew a little smaller at that fleeting glance alone, but the factol immediately turned to Kiyoshi. "Soldier?"

“Venerable factol Sarin-gensui," he replied. "This is Eliath, who was supposedly dead and has supposedly returned. We would like to have him taken into protective custody here in the Barracks, as he could be an important informant."

Sarin took a few seconds, then raised his uninjured eyebrow inquiringly. "Excuse me? Slowly ..." He put the quill he was holding back into the inkwell. "I see, so you are Eliath." He turned his gaze back to the wizard. "Yes, Ambar told me, in his colorful way."

Lereia smiled briefly at this remark, but Eliath paled. "I ... I apologize profusely, Factol," he stuttered and bowed deeply.

"I see." Sarin eyed him skeptically. "For what?"

"Well..." The wizard swallowed. "For everything, I guess ... Just to be on the safe side ..."

Lereia placed her hand on his forearm reassuringly and Naghûl gave him a sympathetic look. He could well understand how overwhelming it was to suddenly find oneself standing directly in front of a factol of Sigil - and even more so in front of the Harmonium’s, if one was to be taken into protective custody.

Sarin scrutinized Eliath closely. "I congratulate you on your happy resurrection from the dead," he then said. Naghûl could not really tell from his tone whether it was irony or skepticism in his voice. Perhaps it was both. Eliath smiled nervously, then the factol turned back to Kiyoshi. "Report," he ordered curtly.

The young soldier immediately snapped to attention. "Honorable Factol Sarin-gensui, we have received preliminary information on Eliath's whereabouts ..."

He began with a lengthy, exhaustive, detailed and incredibly boring account of the events, which soon caused Naghûl's mind to wander. Meanwhile, he took a quick sideways glance at Jana, who seemed somehow strange to him. She only ever glanced at the floor, had shown no interest in following the conversation even before Kiyoshi's exhausting report and appeared strangely absent. What was wrong with her? Not the best demeanor with a factol, and Naghûl hoped that Sarin wasn't paying too much attention to her so he might not notice. The paladin, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows every now and then at Kiyoshi's report, crossed his arms in front of his chest at some point, lowered them again, briefly palpated the laceration above his eye, crossed his arms again and sighed barely noticeably. Then it obviously got too much for him and he interrupted Kiyoshi with a request to be more brief. For a moment, the young soldier managed to do so ... before drifting back into unnecessarily detailed reporting. This time, Sarin seemed more stressed and ordered Kiyoshi emphatically to finally get to the point. Naghûl was very grateful, as he already had to lean on his staff and worried that he would otherwise nod off at Kiyoshi's incredibly boring account. In fact, the young man now came to the end of his report fairly quickly. He had only left out the matter with Tylaric for the time being.

"... and therefore we decided to bring him here," he concluded, looking at Eliath, pounding his fist on his chest and bowing. "I would be happy to tell you more once Eliath's whereabouts have been clarified and he is safe, venerable Factol Sarin-gensui."

Sarin nodded - one could almost think with relief - when Kiyoshi finished. "Next time, a summary of the essentials will do," he explained and then looked at Eliath again. "And you confirm this story?"

"Yes, sir." The wizard looked almost anxious. "I know it all sounds completely crazy, but ... well, it was."

Lereia nodded in confirmation and came to his aid. "We've heard such a story from another source as well, Factol. Unrelated to Eliath."

Sarin actually smiled a little now, for the first time since they had entered the room. "It's not the craziest thing I've heard since I've been in Sigil, rest assured. After everything you've experienced, I'm sure there's something to this."

Now Jana looked up, visibly trying to reconnect with the conversation. Unlike Naghûl had hoped, Sarin had obviously noticed her absence. "Is everything all right with you?" he asked her directly. "You're not having another vision, are you?"

Jana shook her head hastily. "No, I ... No, I'm fine, factol. I just ... I just have a lot of things on my mind, please excuse me."

Sarin looked at her inquiringly for a moment, but then left it at that. "Yes, not just you ..." he said, more to himself, before looking back at Eliath. "Given the situation, it would probably be wisest for you to stay here for now."

"Um, yes ..." The wizard looked more than unhappy. "But I ... don't have to go to the Prison, do I? I haven't done anything wrong, really!"

"Don't worry," Sarin replied. "You'll stay at the Barracks. I just want to make sure you're not being stalked. And frankly, we might need you again. Just for a few questions."

Eliath nodded, resigned to his fate. "Certainly, factol. Just as you say."

The paladin shouted a quick command outside, whereupon the decuria entered, who was standing guard outside the door. "Factol!" she greeted, saluting curtly.

"Take this man to an interrogation cell," Sarin ordered. "Level one. And also taking into account the fact that we haven't charged him with anything so far."

At the words so far, Eliath turned a little paler again.

"Yes, factol!" The decuria saluted again and then nodded to Eliath promptly.

Lereia gave the wizard another encouraging smile. He nodded his thanks and then trotted after the officer. Naghûl gave him a sympathetic look. The poor fellow had never really wanted to join the Sinkers and had become a victim of this dubious group through no fault of his own. Now his old life was in ruins and he was stuck in the Barracks.

Sarin's gaze was also less stern and more thoughtful as soon as the door had closed behind Eliath. But then he turned back to Kiyoshi. "So, now to the other things you wanted to report."

The young soldier nodded, but looked towards Naghûl and Jana. "As this is a matter of magic, I would ask that you have one of the magically gifted explain it to you, venerable factol Sarin-gensui."

"I understand," replied the paladin. "But please, let's sit down." He gestured to the table and it was noticeable that his tone and demeanor, his whole manner, now seemed a little less formal and strict.

"With pleasure," Lereia replied. "Thank you, Factol."

They took their seats around the long table that stood against the wall opposite the desk. There were several large maps showing Sarin's Prime Material homeworld of Ortho, as well as a few others that Naghûl could not quite place. Perhaps they were the Material colony worlds of the Orthonian Empire, which was actually only known in Sigil as the Harmonium.

"I hear," the factol's voice snapped the tiefling out of these musings.

He clearly felt prompted to report and sat up a little straighter. "As Kiyoshi informed you, Sgillin found out that something is being suppressed in Eliath’s mind. What he didn't mention is that there is a fresh recruit in the Harmonium, a certain Tylaric Stormwing, who seems to have the same issues. Since Eliath and Tylaric are both on Toranna’s list, we suspect that they might be so-called sleepers - to consider the worst case scenario."

Sarin raised his eyebrows. "That would be very unpleasant and also dangerous."

Naghûl nodded. "Both died, both came back and, above all, Eliath's vision is simply a bad joke. By the way, Eliath has a mark behind his ear that was mentioned in the letter you should have received from Factol Ambar by now."

"Yes," the paladin confirmed. "He gave me a copy."

"I also spoke to Lady Erin," the tiefling continued. "So I know that Da'nanin doesn't have such a mark."

"At least this, if nothing else," Sarin said with a sigh. "To be honest, I find the names on this list quite disturbing."

"The sleeper theory is just a suspicion for now, of course," Naghûl admitted. "But we took the worst-case scenario as a precaution. Especially since it also involves some close confidants of the factols."

Now Lereia spoke up. "If Da'nanin doesn't have a mark, could that have something to do with the fact that he wasn't apparently dead yet? They might not get the mark until the magical assault by this half-elf."

"Yes," Sarin replied. "From what you've told me, I would assume so. It's a mark to make sure Toranna chooses the right corpses. But what exactly did she do to them? Do you know anything about that?"

"According to her own statements, she sent them through a portal to the Plane of Fire, venerable Factol Sarin-gensui," Kiyoshi answered. "Perhaps someone is waiting there who recognizes them and doesn't burn them, but does something else with them?"

"That's a good theory, Kiyoshi," the factol agreed.

"But I don't understand it," Lereia interjected. "Without Toranna, it would be logical: the wizard makes the people seem dead, he influences their minds. They wake up and think they've been sent back, infiltrate an organization without knowing it and things take their course. But so ..." She swayed her head thoughtfully. "You mean the mind-influencing is only done on the Plane of Fire?"

The paladin nodded. "If it really is the case that these people are implanted with a second, dormant consciousness, so to speak, then it is not only a dangerous thing, but also a very powerful ability that is being exercised. I highly doubt that it can be done just like that in the streets of the Hive. It certainly requires more. I'm no wizard, but I wouldn't even stake my life on the assumption that it works by magic." He pondered for a while and then sighed. "We'll have to find out. And by that I mean you."

Naghûl had already reckoned that all of this would continue to affect them, that they would not be able to simply escape the turmoil of this story. "I have a bold idea," he explained directly.

"I'm afraid mine is a bit bold too," Sarin replied. "But please, you first. Speak up."

"Surely we could reproduce this mark?" the tiefling said. "Perhaps one of us should play dead and ... be sent to the Plane of Fire?"

He looked from one to the other, and Sarin let out a low whistle. "It was obvious that this was to come from the Sensate in the round."

The Sensate addressed raised his shoulders innocently. "Well ..."

The factol couldn't help but grin briefly, but then immediately became serious again. "But that's a very high risk. How are you going to prevent the same from happening to you? Or prevent to burn to death immediately?"

Naghûl cleared his throat. "I know. I don't want to persuade anyone to do it either - it really is risky. What would be your suggestion, Factol Sarin?"

"Well, it's a risky one too," the paladin admitted. "I suggest that you go through the portal together and see what's behind it and what's being done there. Of course, I could assign a group of selected officers to do this. However, this is undoubtedly an important and profound matter. I do not want this matter to become more widely known than is absolutely necessary. All of you here already know about it and you all enjoy the trust of your respective factols. Of course, I cannot order you - except Kiyoshi - to get to the bottom of the matter."

Naghûl smirked inwardly. Even if it wasn't a direct order, it certainly sounded like one. But that was all right, he would have supported the young soldier in any case. "I'll go with Kiyoshi," he declared immediately.

"Me too, of course," Lereia joined in, and Sgillin and Jana nodded as well.

"I feel honored," Kiyoshi replied gratefully.

"Good." Sarin nodded with satisfaction. "I'll have some Dustmen faction badges handed to you. You should move through the Mortuary unnoticed at all costs. Otherwise Skall will be here with me tomorrow, and I want to avoid that by all means."

"You want us to pretend to be Dustmen?" Lereia asked.

"Yes", confirmed the factol. "Otherwise you will hardly be allowed to pass the portal. And I don't want Skall to know that I'm going to meddle in his ... What's the matter, Kiyoshi?"

Naghûl had also noticed the increasingly unhappy look on the young soldier's face. Nevertheless, he still tried to keep his face expressionless - although not quite as successfully as usual - and tightened up as he answered. "Honorable Factol Sarin-gensui. Apparently I misunderstood the laws of the city, for I had previously assumed that such a thing was not permitted. I thank you for opening my eyes in this regard."

Sarin lowered his head briefly, apparently to hide an all too obviously amused expression, then looked back at his soldier. "There is a saying on Arborea, Kiyoshi: What is permitted to Zeus is not permitted to an ox. I don't want to go so far as to pretend to be a god, but you can apply that to the Harmonium and the ordinary citizen."

Kiyoshi seemed to think about it and then couldn't suppress a soft sigh. "I must confess that I am reluctant to do so, as the rules of the Harmonium do not allow lying. But I can just keep quiet." He actually looked rather unhappy about it.

A quick sideways glance at Sarin told Naghûl that Kiyoshi's behavior seemed to bother the factol, even though he tried to keep a neutral expression. "That's not a lie, soldier," he explained. "It's called an undercover investigation. And they're necessary when the safety of Sigil is at stake. I'll be happy to explain why the safety of the city is at stake: If we tell the Dustmen of our suspicions and say we want to look around their headquarters, this is what they'll say: 'Thank you for this information, dear Factol Sarin, we'll take care of it ourselves and then tell you what came of it.' There's no way I can send my people to examine another faction’s headquarters unless this faction is clearly threatening Sigil. Then Skall will send his people through the portal and find out what's going on there. And he won't tell us, of course, but will end up using it for his own ends. And that could indeed become a threat to Sigil."

Kiyoshi had been listening to him very carefully and now nodded seriously. "I understand. I thank you for those enlightening words, venerable Factol Sarin-gensui."

The paladin nodded graciously. "I know that all of this is still new to you. Not everything that happens in Sigil can be solved by rules written down in a book - even if it would be nice. Especially for a faction like ours. But sometimes, unfortunately, you have to take a circuitous route. - All right, so your mission is to find out what's going on there. But don't put yourself in unnecessary danger. If you can complete this mission without taking a major risk, do so. If not, just find out what you can and then report back."

Naghûl smirked. "Factol, we Sensates are known for not taking unnecessary risks."

"Well, of course," Sarin replied ironically, but not unkindly. Then he turned to Jana. "Terrance told me about another vision you had in his presence. And hinted that we should talk about it. Could you tell me what this vision was about?"

Lost in thought, Jana twirled a strand of hair on two fingers of her left hand and didn't even seem to have noticed the question. Naghûl bit his lips - and was also a little annoyed. That was not the way to behave in a normal conversation, but in a conversation with a factol, you just couldn't do something like that.

Sarin also raised a disapproving eyebrow. "What's wrong with you, Jana?" he asked admonishingly.

"I ... um ..." The sorceress blushed and stammered briefly. "I ... well, I ... I think I should eat something? I'm sometimes terribly unfocused and ... especially if I haven't eaten for a while. Excuse me, Factol."

She fell silent as Sarin's gaze grew increasingly annoyed at her stuttering. "You sound like you've joined the Xaositects," the paladin said reprovingly.

Sgillin leaned forward a little. "Why?" he asked with interest. "Do they become unfocused when they haven't eaten?"

Naghûl held his breath. He could almost feel Sarin getting angry.

"That's enough!" he replied sharply. "Where do you think you are?"

His previously relatively sociable mood quickly and noticeably changed. It was almost as if one could feel the air in the room getting hotter. Lereia flinched briefly at his forceful words and Naghûl bit his lower lip. Kiyoshi visibly struggled to keep his features under control. Sarin turned to Jana with a piercing look. "This isn't a boozing ken in the Hive. Even if that's where most of your investigations seem to take place at the moment. You'll eat something next time before you show up to talk to a factol! That's no way to behave."

"Very well, Factol," Jana replied quietly and then made no more noise.

The paladin looked at Sgillin again. "And you'd better hold your tongue. Sooner or later it will cause you problems."

Lereia brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and assumed a more upright sitting posture, while Sgillin raised his hands defensively, obviously surprised by the factol's unexpected and harsh rebuke.

"All right," he replied quickly and leaned back.

Sarin nodded, one could almost see his mood cool a little after he had set the half-elf and the sorceress straight. "So." He turned to Jana. "What about this vision?"

The sorceress nodded hastily and sat up straight, just like Lereia. "I, well ... saw you, Factol. I ... it makes me uncomfortable and I ... uh, could neither escape it nor ... well, shut my eyes to it ... I ... I'm sorry that I intruded into your privacy ... well, that I ... eavesdropped on you."

She became more and more confused as she spoke and Sarin frowned noticeably, but listened for the moment.

"Jana, keep calm and stick to facts," Naghûl interjected soothingly.

She nodded, took a quick breath, visibly composed herself and then reported on her vision, quietly and hastily, but now at least well thought out. Sarin listened to her attentively and obviously made an effort not to show his feelings too clearly. But Naghûl watched him closely and realized that the factol's features almost slipped once or twice. When Jana finished, he stared at her for a while, then sighed deeply, propped both elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. Lereia looked up from her book, in which she had jotted down a few more things.

"Factol, are you all right?" she asked quietly, carefully.

"No," Sarin replied laconically, but then looked at Jana again. "Have you seen anything else?"

She shook her head briefly and the paladin leaned back in his chair. "We're currently assuming that your visions are connected to the prophecy and the God Machine, aren't we?"

Jana nodded hesitantly, whereupon Sarin closed his eyes. "Heavenly powers, please spare me," he murmured softly.

Naghûl was not entirely surprised by his reaction. He knew about the problems he had had with Lord Valiant in the recent past, and if the vision was indeed about the celestial, as he assumed, Sarin's displeasure was all too understandable. Jana looked at Lereia's book, and something seemed to occur to her, as she took out her folder, opened it and searched through it for some time. Meanwhile, Sarin stared at the globe in front of him and seemed to have blocked out the others' presence for the moment. Jana pulled out the drawing she had made according to Eliath's instructions.

"I have a sketch here," she explained carefully. "This is roughly what the murderer in the Hive should look like ... the one who murdered ... attacked Eliath."

Brought back to reality by Jana's remark, Sarin leaned forward and looked at the drawing. Sgillin eyed him with interest as he studied the portrait, but the factol showed no particular reaction. "I'll have it passed on to my officers," he explained. "Since he's operating in the Hive only, our chances are probably rather slim, but still ..." He interrupted himself as Jana rocked back and forth in her chair and reached for the tabletop.

"Oh dear," Sgillin observed. "It seems to be starting again."

"I should ... I …", the sorceress mumbled quietly, then slipped off her chair and onto the floor.

Suddenly her eyes turned milky, then completely white, without iris or pupil.

Sarin stood up with a jerk. "What's wrong with her eyes? Is it always like this now?"

Lereia shook her head. "I've never noticed that before," she explained, startled.

Jana leaned against Naghûl's chair, breathed frantically and hastily moved her head and white eyes back and forth. Before the tiefling could lean over and do anything, the air suddenly seemed electrified and he thought he saw the light flicker. Kiyoshi knelt down and clapped his hands twice, then began to murmur words in his native tongue. Naghûl grew warm and looked at the others, but his vision blurred. He felt dizzy, something was roaring in his ears ... it was getting darker and very warm - then it flashed, so brightly that he thought he was blinded. When he opened his eyes again, when he could see again, he was in a different place ... still in the Barracks, he realized in confusion, but now in the Great Auditorium. He couldn't move or say anything, but he thought he recognized the others in the corner of his eye, standing next to him. What was going on? But he didn't have time to think about it, because he saw two people right in front of him: Killeen Caine ... and Lord Valiant. They were standing opposite each other in the Auditorium. Was that Jana's vision? Could they all see what Jana had seen this time? Tensely, the tiefling turned his attention to the two men in front of him ...

 

Killeen Caine, tall, quite athletically built for a wizard and very attractive. The long, black hair, the violet eyes ... His elven heritage was clearly visible in his facial features, while his height and physique seemed to be more human. Lord Valiant, on the other hand, embodied everything one would imagine a celestial to be: he towered over Killeen by quite a bit, his shoulders were broader and he wore a wonderful suit of Empyrean-style armor adorned with gold. His alabaster skin, golden hair and, above all, his large, white wings clearly spoke of his heavenly origins. Yet for all his beauty, he possessed an irritating aura. Something that went beyond the respect-inspiring majesty of all angels, something cool and intimidating. He measured Killeen with an irritated look.

"Who do you think you are?" he snapped at the half-elf. "You do as I say!"

The wizard was also visibly upset. "With all due respect, Lord Valiant," he replied indignantly. "But you are not my superior officer."

"I am above you in rank!" the angel stated. "There's nothing to argue about."

Killeen furled his dark brows. "You are prefect of the second rank and I of the first, that is true. But it is not customary in the Planar Harmonium for one prefect to order another around just because he is one rank higher. And I doubt it's normal procedure on Ortho."

A mocking smile now appeared on the celestial's lips. "I guess the elf inside you is showing. I always thought that the descendants of chaotic races should stay away from the Harmonium."

Now Sarin appeared and it became clear that this vision must also have happened several years ago. The paladin wore different armor, a rank insignia unknown to Naghûl - perhaps that of a prefect - and he looked several years younger. He stepped up to Killeen and Valiant, one could see him tense before he even knew what the scene was about.

"What's going on?" he asked, obviously trying to remain calm.

Killeen looked at Sarin and crossed his arms. "The same as always. Prefect Valiant is trying to tell me that he is in possession of the only truth regarding the goals and nature of our faction."

The celestial smiled snidely. "Don't push it too far, Prefect Caine. Lady Juliana is on Arcadia now, she is no longer here to hold her hand over you."

Sarin visibly tried to compose himself. "I would appreciate if we could finally be reasonable with each other here," he explained. "We are factors of the Harmonium, such behavior doesn't become us."

"Then get a grip on your people, Prefect Sarin," Valiant replied condescendingly. "On Ortho ..."

"We are not on Ortho," the paladin interrupted him. "This is Sigil, Lord Valiant. The Cage is wired differently than the Homeworld."

The angel measured him with an irritated look. "I am not a clueless, I know that. But the city has to follow the Harmonium, not the Harmonium the city."

Killeen snorted in annoyance. "By the Lady, it's not that simple!"

"Not for you, I realize that," Valiant replied disdainfully. "And you, Sarin, don't tell me what becomes a prefect. After all, everyone knows that you were recently punished by Factol Delazar himself for refusing a direct order."

Naghûl could see that Sarin's cheeks flushed with anger at this remark. But he composed himself.

The half-elf, on the other hand, now dropped all self-control. "Go to hell!" he snapped at the celestial.

"Stop it, Killeen," Sarin intervened sternly. "He's just trying to provoke us."

The wizard looked as if he was ready to go at Valiant's throat. "As far as I'm concerned, it works like a charm!"

The angel turned back to Killeen and threw him a mocking smile. "Oh, you're welcome to try, Prefect Caine. I have no qualms about thrashing you right here."

Indeed, the half-elf took a step forward, but Sarin held him back. "Killeen! Go!"

He looked at Sarin, his violet eyes blazing with fury. Valiant smiled, almost as though he was hoping the wizard would completely lose his temper and attack him.

"Go!" Sarin literally shoved his friend back, and Killeen reluctantly put up with it, his fists clenched. He gave Valiant another scathing look, but then turned and left the Auditorium without a word.

The celestial measured Sarin with a patronizing look. "Clever of you, Sarin. Very clever indeed. - We'll meet at the briefing."

The paladin scowled. "I'm afraid we will."

 

Then there was another bright flash ... and Naghûl was back in Sarin's office. Well, they had probably been there the whole time. But the unexpected excursion into Jana's vision had obviously taken a bit of a toll on them. The tiefling sat in front of his chair, from which he had probably slipped during the unforeseen change of location, leaning back against the seat. Lereia and Sarin were also just getting up from the floor, shaking their heads dazedly. Only Kiyoshi, who had knelt down at the beginning of the looming vision, was in the same position as before. Naghûl heard a groan to his right and realized that Sgillin had not been as lucky as he had. The half-elf must have made rude acquaintance with the edge of his chair, for he grabbed the back of his head and had blood on his hand when he pulled it back. A thin, red trickle of blood ran down the back of his head. Meanwhile, Jana pulled herself up on the edge of the table and carefully sat back down in her chair. Still dazed, the tiefling watched as Sarin rose and then reached out his hand to Lereia to help her up.

"Thank you," the young woman murmured and reached for his hand, nodding weakly.

While she still held onto the chair, swaying slightly, the factol looked at Sgillin, whose injury he had noticed. "Do you need help?" he asked.

Sgillin looked at the paladin with somewhat unfocused eyes. "I ... I think so," he replied, still clearly pale around the nose.

Sarin leaned over to him, laid a hand on his neck and spoke something in Celestial, whereupon the bleeding stopped. Then he gave Sgillin a quick pat on the shoulder and sat down again.

"Oh ... thank you very much," the half-elf replied, sounding a little surprised.

Naghûl couldn't tell exactly what he was surprised about. He had also taken a seat in his chair in the meantime, as had Lereia and Kiyoshi.

Sarin now looked at Jana in astonishment. "That's ... What the hell was that? Did you just share one of your visions with us?"

"I ... I think so, Factol," the sorceress mumbled weakly.

"How did you do that?" the paladin wanted to know energetically.

"I didn't, Factol," Jana replied defensively. "Well, not on purpose. I'm terribly sorry ..."

" The child who looks into the past and the future ..." Lereia said quietly, almost to herself.

Sarin nodded gravely at her words. "Yes, we have just seen the past. Just like what Jana saw before."

Impressed, Sgillin looked at the sorceress. "I didn't know you could take us all into your visions."

"Neither did I," Jana replied wanly. "I ... there must be a reason why I ... why we saw this. Do you think this Lord Valiant has something to do with our cause?"

Naghûl grimaced slightly at Jana's assumption. It was an unpleasant thought, and Sarin obviously seemed to share this attitude, snorting irritably.

"Damn it," the paladin said. "I was hoping that subject would just be closed, over and forgotten. But if you, Jana, are seeing this in your visions ... I pray to the gods that this is not the case. But I fear, based on your visions, that Valiant is or will be connected to all of this in some way." He briefly buried his face in his hands and sighed. "If Jana sees all this in her visions, then it probably has significance for our cause. And in that case, you may have the right to know a few things. All right, then." He leaned back. "Ask. I don't promise to answer every question when it comes to faction internals. But ask."

They exchanged a few glances, then Sgillin went first. "What was the reason for this argument?"

Sarin furled his brows. "The reason was that Prefect Valiant tried to presume to give orders to prefects of almost the same rank as if they were ordinary soldiers. Even though he was new to Sigil. And that ..." He hesitated briefly, but then waved it off as if it didn't matter. "And that, as you could see from the argument, we - including Killeen and I - often disagreed with him."

That pretty much matched what Naghûl knew about the Harmonium's recent past in Sigil. "That was also true of Tonat Shar, wasn't it?" he asked cautiously. "And also to Lady Juliana."

"That is correct," the paladin replied curtly.

"I also have two questions," Lereia spoke up. "Firstly: Who is Lady Juliana? And secondly: Your reactions to Jana's first vision and now this one weren't reactions to simple dispute within a faction, were they? Wasn't there more to it than that?"

Naghûl raised his brows at the wording simple dispute . Of course, Lereia had no idea what had happened back then. He himself only knew what was publicly known, but that alone was enough.

Sarin gave Lereia an unhappy look, although probably more because of the general situation than because of her question. "Firstly," he replied. "Lady Juliana was my superior at the time. She became factol after Ulan Delazar, before I did. She is now archbishop of the Archonites in the gate town of Excelsior. Secondly: I wouldn't call it simple dispute, more like fundamental philosophical differences. And in a faction like the Harmonium, that's no fun at all."

"It affected everyone involved?" Lereia asked cautiously.

The paladin had to laugh, but he didn't sound very cheerful. "You heard the argument. That's not exactly the normal tone in the Harmonium, especially not among prefects. It left a lasting impression on us, I'd like to say."

Lereia nodded slightly. "May I ask what has become of Lord Valiant?"

"He left Sigil together with Ulan Delazar," Sarin explained. "When the latter ... departed. He went back to Ortho and is now a member of the Octade."

At these words, he sighed again and Lereia frowned. "Octade?"

"That's the eight people who rule Ortho, so to speak. Each one is responsible for a specific assignment. I'm also a member, in charge of planar affairs."

"And what is Lord Valiant responsible for?" Sgillin inquired.

"Inner Harmony," Sarin replied, twisting his lips into a sarcastic smile when Jana laughed. "Yes, I know ..."

Sgillin raised his eyebrows meaningfully, then another question occurred to him. "Is Killeen Caine also a member of the Octade?"

"No." The factol shook his head. "He is Legate of Arcadia, but only the factols of the Planar Harmonium are members of the Octade."

"So Delazar too?" Lereia interjected.

"Yes, but now in a different role. He was factol. When he resigned, he returned to Ortho because another seat in the Octade had become vacant. He still holds this position today."

Naghûl noticed how Sarin did not immediately answer the question about Delazar's current office. But he decided to wait and see if his friends would bring it up.

Sgillin's interest, however, went in a different direction for the time being. "Did the quarrel with Lord Valiant have any negative effects on his career? On Killeen Caine's, I mean?"

"No," Sarin replied. "But it was a close call."

"But there's still no love lost between them, I take it?"

The paladin laughed briefly. "Not at all. I mean, we haven't seen Valiant in person since then. But still ..."

Now Naghûl had a question on his mind and he joined in the conversation. "Valiant ..." he said. "Why is he part of the Harmonium? Is he perhaps ... more lawful than good?"

Sarin took a deep breath and hesitated briefly. Then he shook his head in displeasure. "My goodness. So, listen: All this crap ... I mean, all this is obviously connected to the prophecy, so I guess you have a right to know some of it. But not a word of it leaves this room, is that clear?" Lereia nodded firmly and the others also signaled their agreement. "Very well," the factol continued. "Valiant ... He's a celestial. I don't know what his alignment is. For reasons you can imagine, I tried to find out once. Tried to sense his alignment. He had disguised it very well, and he realized it immediately. He blocked me and the pain was ..." He fell silent for a moment, obviously remembering it vividly. "It was breathtaking. I never tried it again."

Sgillin raised his brows. "What reason does a celestial have to disguise his alignment?"

"If it is no longer what it should be ..." Naghûl speculated.

Sarin leaned back in his chair and sighed. "He told me back then that it was presumptuous to test a celestial's alignment. And that it was not for anyone to doubt him. And that he didn't have to prove anything to us."

"If you're not guilty of anything, you have nothing to fear," Kiyoshi explained matter-of-factly.

The remark elicited a grin from his factol, although Naghûl had the impression that it was laced with a hint of self-irony. Then Kiyoshi asked the question that Naghûl had actually been waiting for - and Sarin too, as he could tell from the look on his face.

"Since you have expressly allowed me to ask questions, I ask you to forgive my ignorance, venerable Factol Sarin-gensui. But what position does the former factol Delazar Ulan-gensui now hold in the Octade?"

The ever-changing suffixes that Kiyoshi added to all the names in his long-winded way still made Naghûl frown from time to time, even though he had largely gotten used to them by now. Sarin didn't seem to feel any differently, but he limited himself to answering the young soldier's question - with an audible sigh.

"Delazar presides over the Octade. Although all eight members rule together, one of us always has a prominent position, that of Octarius Elatus. This office also grants him a few more rights than the other members."

He didn't sound enthusiastic and Kiyoshi nodded seriously. "I thank you for those enlightening words about the Octarius Elatus Delazar Ulan-daigensui, venerable Factol Sarin-gensui."

Naghûl sighed inwardly and decided to stop trying to understand Kiyoshi's suffix bestowal. Now Lereia joined in the conversation again. "Your relationship with Delazar also seems rather strained?"

The tiefling couldn't hold back with an interjection. "All of Sigil had a strained relationship with him."

The factol didn't seem to take offense to his remark, but nodded in agreement. "Indeed."

"And what problem did Sigil have with Delazar?" Sgillin wanted to know.

"Delazar came from Ortho," Sarin explained. "Well, I'm from Ortho too, but he had never been to Sigil before his factolship. I was living here for over fifteen years before I became factol. Delazar ... never understood how Sigil worked."

The half-elf nodded. "I understand ... As well as Lord Valiant?"

"Exactly. I have great fears that he ... my goodness, if he returns to Sigil ..."

"Do you fear major trouble with the other factions?" Sgillin asked.

Sarin laughed unhappily. "That too. But I fear for the most trouble in my own faction."

Jana gave him a long, inquiring sideways glance. "They say you sit quite firmly in your chair," she remarked quietly.

The factol raised a brow as he looked over at her. "It's nice to be seen that way. In all modesty, I would assume that's true."

The sorceress nodded and then straightened up a little. "Well, I can't say how reliable it is, what I see. Even though this argument undoubtedly took place ... What is the conclusion? Could it also be the case that someone is deliberately trying to turn us against Lord Valiant?"

"That's not necessary," Sarin said sourly. "Believe me, a single encounter with him and he would turn you against him all by himself."

Naghûl cleared his throat. He had another thoroughly uncomfortable question. "Is there any child in our scriptures of the prophecy ... that could apply to Valiant?"

"Naghûl ..." Sarin sighed deeply. "Do you really have to reveal the biggest nightmare here now?"

"I just want to be able to rule out the worst-case scenario," the tiefling apologized.

Jana looked over at him. "You think maybe these visions are pointing us in the direction of other children?"

Naghûl nodded. "It's something to consider, I think."

"I rather think the whole thing has something to do with the tomb of the factions …", Sgillin muttered.

Lereia gave him a worried look but then turned to Kiyoshi. "Speaking of other children of the prophecy: You had that conversation with the grimace in the Hive about Keeper and Proclaimer. Where again were they supposed to be found?"

"It said under the skies of heaven, honorable Lereia-san," the young soldier replied. "Find them under the skies of heaven. Find them where the land in the waves is like the stars in the sky. Find them where tears are like jewels. We had a hunch that the Elysium might be meant."

"Yes, that does indeed sound like Elysium," Sarin agreed, obviously happy to change the subject. "Well, one thing at a time. First you'll take a look at the portal in the Mortuary, then we'll deal with any other children of the prophecy. Get some rest, I'll have everything prepared in the meantime. Return in three days and you'll receive your Dustmen faction badges and suitable clothing for this mission."

 

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played April 25 and May 3, 2012