Astraviya

Beltane, VIII H.C.

As Sylvie is working the counter at the Astraviya House of Wonders & Curiosities, she meets a young Boggart woman who has come about a curious notebook that had allegedly belonged to Argo the Bureaucrat. The Boggart is revealed to be Gwendolyn Gilmore when her big brother Earnest strides into the shop with Litha and Octavio. Talk briefly turns to the plight of Malakai and what the latest news from The Basement - a massive breakout from the notorious Deepdown Prison- might mean for him.

Although Gwen is somewhat distracted by the instant sparks flying between her and Litha, with Octavio's help she is able to determine that the newly purchased notebook may be a key that can unlock hidden messages in a book of Argo's known to be at the Imperial Conservatory in Mont Guignol (which is, coincidentally, the exact place Octavio is headed with a confidential letter from Caliph Laio to Marquis Tristan des Larmes). Meanwhile, Earnest's trip to see his paramour Hannah Blaum takes a shocking turn when it is revealed that the reason she has not written him in so long is because she has not received any of his letters for nearly a year. Furthermore, under duress from her family, she has actually become engaged to another man. She promises to reconsider her romance with Earnest, but asks for time.

With Gwen in tow, the party heads off for Mont Guignol. While waiting for an audience with the Marquis, they make a stop at the library of the Imperial Conservatory. A daring plan that involved Sylvie pickpocketing some keys off a guard and, after some unsuccessful stealthiness by Gwen and Octavio, conking a different guard over the head was soon put into action, resulting in the acquisition of Argo's book plus a very interesting collection of correspondence by Colonel Jules Des Larmes, the father of the Marquis.

The next day, in the rather bacchanalian environs of Tournoire, Octavio presents his letter to the Marquis. Mingled in with the crowd is, somewhat surprisingly, Gunther Lichtmann (a/k/a Walter Rivler). Eager to see this malefactor shut out of polite society, Octavio engages with him in a very public battle of words, which results in Lichtmann fleeing in embarrassment, but not before Sylvie can lift some very interesting letters from his pocket.

Returning finally to Astraviya, Earnest is met with happy news when Hannah informs him that she has broken off her engagement and will, in fact, marry him.

Faeriyev

Litha VIII H.C.

Following a short engagement, Earnest and Hannah wed in the salon of an upscale hotel. As Malakai is reconnecting with Yuliya on a balcony after the ceremony, an unknown figure dressed in black takes a shot, narrowly missing the couple, then disappears.

Several weeks later, the group gathers again in the village of Gamwich in The Hearth - the home of the Gilmore family - for a traditional Boggart wedding reception. Before the party, Earnest's mother Meredith hosts an extremely uncomfortable tea for the ladies - Hannah, Gwen, Litha, Sylvie and (for some reason) Octavio. Meanwhile Malakai joins the Gilmore boys and several other villagers for a rousing game of Boggart football, the "rules" for which seem to consist of violently colliding with people and occasionally kicking a ball. During the game, Earnest is pulled aside by his brother George and subjected to some light bigotry. Also, Malakai sports the mysterious Boggart in black again, lining up a shot, but loses him in the carpet fields.

The big talk at the reception is that a "company" of Tri-Starred have been raiding the area and are thought to be hiding in The Pinewood. Everyone drinks profusely, but only Sylvie gets drunk. George leads a small party the next day into the forest the next day to hunt for the bandits. After Litha's expert tracking, they come upon the Tri-Starred encampment. During a brief but hectic skirmish, the Tri-Starred leader engages Malakai in a duel while (after suffering a withering musket barrage) a combination of Octavio's homemade web bomb, Litha's sharpshooting and Earnest's ability to cause mayhem in general kills, captures or disperses the bandits in short order.

However, as the Faeries that are able to begin to flee, one of them is caught mid-air by a gargantuan web-casting spider - possibly big enough to be the legendary Fog Giant itself. Faced with this potentially deadly menace, Sylvie flies up into the boughs of The Pinewood to attempt to communicate with the spider, only to ensnared in a web and carried off...

Interlude

After a weeks-long search for Sylvie in The Pinewood proves futile, the group reluctantly splits to go their own ways. Earnest and Hannah settle down near Chesterfield, where Gwen has returned to continue deciphering Argo's notebook with Octavio's aid. Lithia makes requent journeys between Chesterfield and Downridge, while Malakai returns to Faeriyev to spend time with Yuliya. The group does not reconvene until nearly six months later, when Gwen has a breakthrough... the possible location of Argo's Diary.