Previously, the heroes recovered the Chain of Forgotten Names by laying to rest the lingering spirits of three crownsguard that were out of time. The Raven Queen rewarded the heroes with her favour, and by having the Gravekeeper relinquish the chain for them to use it to power their binding circle.
Ninth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262
(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is waxing, Darkmoon is waning)When Quentin and Esmeralda returned to the laboratory Quentin tried to explain to the others what they had uncovered; the ramparts around Kingsport, including walls, gates, and bastions, were all part of an enormous circle. The revelation first sparked disbelief, then questions of what it could mean for their endeavour to bind Epidemius, before it devolved into a wider discussion about plans to move their mission forward.
Quentin voiced his admiration for the Senhadrim’s ability to orchestrate the defenses of Kingsport on such a grand scale, while Esmeralda suggests that she wants to go and address her find with Réonan, whom she believes must know more about it. Quentin supports that endeavour, and Emrys corroborates that Réonan knew more as he recalled the conversation he had with them after the confrontation with Epidemius. He remembered hearing Réonan and Epidemius address one another on the battlefield. When Emrys recounted some of his experiences, including that of collapsing the portal that he and his forces had appeared through, he glibly avoided speaking about what he had seen on the other side of that gate, which some recognised to come from the unresolved trauma of what he witnessed.
“On the day you were born, the very forests on the slopes of Mount Celestia whispered the name… Epidemael.”
– Réonan
Briefly, Neamhan approached Esmeralda and asked her what kind of magic she specialised in. The answer, abjuration magic, was not something Neamhan knew what to do with, but she asked whether Esmeralda was able to detect whether her memory had been altered in some way. Esmeralda said that it was possible, but not without sacrifice, and to come and see her to discuss it when she was ready.
With some encouragement from Astrid, Neamhan manages to convince Chakuq to come and join her on a trip to the Seat of Friendship. Their goal; to convince Geolgothis to help power the binding circle. Neamhan, who had communed with the tree before, knew that convincing it was going to be hard, since it hardly cared for the plight of mortals, and felt itself impervious to war, plague, or any of the every day concerns of the people of Lyria.
Emrys, Quentin, and Luca all decide to follow up on a rumour that prior Benedict is in Kingsport, thinking that his experience in fighting with the Silver Crusade will be invaluable against Epidemius and his infernal hordes. Esmeralda assures Emrys that she is not ready to confront Réonan yet, and will wait for Emrys to return, focussing first on checking the integrity of the copper underneath the ramparts.
Chakuq and Neamhan departed the laboratory and discussed how they would travel to the Seat of Friendship. Neamhan offered to fly them both there, but Chakuq declined, saying that he’d rather travel along the Silesian road on horseback. After a failed attempt to get the stablehands at the Bridle to release Walor, Quentin’s golden stallion, to Chakuq’s care, he got the help of Wojciech who managed to convince the stablehands. The stallion was both strong of physique as well as personality, but Chakuq managed to quickly build a rapport with the animal, confirming to some the stereotype of a Silesian horse lord. Neamhan found a secluded spot in the woods outside of the city to transfigure herself into the shape of a griffon; a first for Neamhan, and not one that came to her easily. But once she established herself in the new shape by all that she had learned from her interactions with Frostfeather, she quickly got used to the biomechanics. She was overwhelmed by the primal instinct of this shape, and had to fight hard not to give in to the urge to hunt, to stalk, to prey, to chase, to catch, to kill, to rend, to tear, to consume.
The other heroes left the laboratory and intended to find prior Benedict, but stopped by the Careless Wanderer first, before trying the Cathedral of the Platinum Father, the Custodians, and other potential sources of information on the whereabouts of the living saint.
At the Careless Wanderer, Luca spoke to Falka about the circle, about how it overlayed onto a map of the city of Kingsport, and how it reminded them of the layout of some of the Senhadrim vaults they discovered. Falka was to think about what some of the empty sources in the binding circle could represent. While discussing this, Magda, the blind proprietor of the inn, overheard their conversation and offered that one of the circles in the design seemed to represent the Careless Wanderer, which she described as neutral territory in the “accords.” Her worry was that what the heroes had planned might jeopardise that neutrality. She would consider lending aid to stopping Epidemius’ attack, but she would not go any further but to defend Kingsport.