Grand Architect Amelia Strauss of the Church of the Builder puts out a call for adventurers asking for them to look in to a recent disturbance at one of their temples just outside the city. Remuneration to be negotiated on application.

The party end the adventure with three of their number unconscious. Astraeus carries Ruby andMarian back to the Builder Church, while Silvio and Prim drag Anthony between them. They pick up Boris on the way, but not in the same sense.

The Builders seem… mostly happy to see Henry back safely. Henry is less delighted – he wants to go home. Complaining that the Builder Priests are total jerks, he then proceeds to resume mocking Lena for saying she loves him. Lena backtracks desperately.

Marian, Ruby and Anthony regain consciousness. Silvio expresses his horror at Ruby’s actions during the adventure, but Astraeus posits that the arm-hacking incident may not have been Ruby’s fault – he himself experienced a feeling of uncontrollable rage after being stung by the bees; Marian confesses that she had a similar experience, and decides not to take things further. Silvio, however, still does not trust Ruby – he’s seen her murderous tendencies in a previous adventure.

Under Cease Your Deceptions, Henry confesses that he… doesn’t know how he feels about Lena. Marian insists that the two rivals go on a date – Lena refuses unless Marian joins them with a romantic interest of her own. When Marian fails to deny being in love with Wilkins her butler, she tries to distract everyone by asking Astraeus on a date. Astraeus consents, on condition that a chaperone be present – how about Wilkins? Defeated, Marian agrees.

Through Marian’s tough bargaining, the party each receives 40R from the Builder Church, partly to ensure that they’ll keep quiet about the junior Builder Priest how seemed to have aided Henry’s kidnap after spending some time tormenting him. They also each receive 20R from the Terrecs and 20R from Walter Cargan – a sum that Astraeus turns down in exchange for a favour from his great- uncle. Walter seems willing to provide Astraeus with an extended visit of his estate… if Astraeus’s fathers agree.

Reporting back home, Astraeus tells his parents everything that happened. Armand is interested in a potential Cargan-Terrec alliance, and tells Astraeus to encourage the match between Lena and Henry. Francesco, meanwhile, seems interested in meeting Silvio to understand more about his son’s initiation into the Flock. Astraeus also mentions accidentally leaving the Builder Priests under the assumption that Armand is a Traitor cultist – Armand says that he’ll deal with it.

Ruby determines to punish Silvio (to be resolved in up-time); however, she apologises to Marian for cutting off her arm, and offers to lend Marian her powers of persuasion at a later date. Marian makes a deal with Prim, gaining fancy clothes for a mere 5R (the cost of the materials), as well as using a favour offered to Prim to get a master-crafted item in exchange for 45R. Prim and Marian together go to see Vulcan to ask for discount estates. Vulcan requires 200R apiece.

Later, Prim reports Marian’s virulently anti-Traitor tendencies to the Civil Service and offers to keep an eye on the situation. She also gains a contract to work on uniforms for the public face of the Civil Service.

Astraeus

* 60R

Ruby

• 80R

• A mirror potion that confers Weaken on the target for an encounter

• Addiction: Level 2 Dissolution

Marian

• -170R
• Some fancy clothes
• A master-crafted item
• An estate
• A favour from Ruby
• Quirk: Disarmed (right arm only)

Prim

• -75R

• An estate

Silvio

• 80R

Anthony

• 80R

• Addiction: Dissolution (Lv. 1)