FROM: Trantor Severus; Adeptus Mechanicus & Acolyte of the Holy Inquisition, Ordo Hereticus

Laurent thinks that the sword used by the black figure was a power sword.
Laurent can’t fix the Magistratum if they come after us, but has a contact in the Arbites (which don’t get along with the Magistratum).
We got permits for our weapons with fake DNA and fake names. When arrested we used our fake names. They collected us in The Spire later, but I wasn’t smart enough to clean my weapon before turning it over.

Chastener Castel Vizcania is the Abites contact. We tell him that we’d been contacted by Orday with a claim that he had information related to the missing niece on an encrypted dataslate, and in going to meet him we saw him assassinated and pursued the attacker (the truth, etc.).

I am currently -10% to everything as a consequence of drinking warp juice at the party.

The shotgun people were from the Dailoth neighborhood (next to the Hustle).

I meet with a former associate AM (2 ranks of success) maintainer of HVAC in The Spire, give him a photo of the BRF, and ask him to look into whom/when the modifications were made. I will contact him in the future to retrieve results.

We’d hoped to be invited to a lecture at the the Alabaster Court, but we’re told that after the shenanigans in the marketplace our invitation will not be provided.

We make our way to The Alabaster Court anyway, and Intios meets with the Councillor, who tells him to make a donation and come back in 3 days when Poobah Shoal is back. We don’t know where he is now. We can’t get in without paying/waiting.

Statue of woman from Flight of Fliteous, an ancient morality tale about Imperial Guardsmen who go AWOL and have trouble. His mother is the strong force, he denounces, leaves, but she is the unmoving, loyal, mentor. Wisdom of motherhood.

Intios met with a former colleague and asked for his help in throwing more paperwork at the local Administratum, a level 81/b2 requisition requiring that all contraband in the past 3 months be cataloged. Colleague wanted reimbursement, wavered for 5,000 Thrones. Wavered for introduction to Laurent. I left the room and a deal was struck that Intios would owe him a big one, no money, and no guarantee on how long the delay would last.

Arion investigates the Joyous Choir’s Alabaster Court employee entrance, but gives up without entering.

I ask Laurent whether his niece had any psychic talent. He responds that she seemed to be unusually lucky.

Terlian, acting as a servant of the JC at the AC, comes to Laurent’s home and asks for an audience with us, revealing that he is an Arbites working for Vizcania. We exchange information. He tells us that several ex-Magistratum are now doing security for the Joyous Choir, and the Arbites believe that the Magistratum organization is involved in protecting the Joyous Choir. Says that Shoals seems to live at the Alabaster Court. He was embedded 3 days before we made our complaint to the Arbites. Magistratum corruption is not his primary mission, neither is the missing niece, but he will not tell us what his primary mission is other than to say there may have been violations of Imperial law and a possible threat to the empire. He tells us that he believes we are in over our heads. He will get me a permit for the Deloss Auto Pistol. He estimates a handful of people at the employee entrance, same at front entrance, always servitors and skulls at both. There are patrols, but they tend to be discreet. There’s a huge court, alabaster marble, in the center with skulls. The rooms where the harmony meters tend to be near the entry, and he’s seen a couple of other kinds. Sizable meditation rooms, many offices (most of which he’s not been in), there are at least 3 levels. Bottom is employee entrance and food preparation. The main level has a blood square (dueling location) and main court and entrances. 3rd is presumably the living quarters some of which have balconies. Food prep suggests about few dozen to several dozen. Also a huge library on the main floor, which has gigantic windows on one side. Communications from inside to outside don’t tend to work. There is a rumor of a holoroom, but Terlian hasn’t verified it — he wouldn’t be surprised if it’s true. Commotion in the middle of the night sometimes, people coming and going very late, or the councilors doing stuff. He is especially interested in the drugs and xenotechnology.

Intios finds 2 access panels out of the spire which are near our goal, one in a hunting lodge, one in a service provider. We are given one climbing rig, and one tourist climbing rig, that covers 3 of us and Arion has his own. He also has an amateur version of a device which may overcome door panel security.

We sleep that night and in the morning I was pleased to find my shaking had stopped [succeed in Willpower and Toughness Tests].

Our plan is to leave the hive via the hunting lodge access port, rappel down to the balcony, then I will be Arion’s bodyguard and we’ll walk boldly through the halls. My helmet is in a bag I carry. Terlian will map out where the forbidden areas are. As a pair of nobles, with a pair of bodyguards, we will investigate the forbidden areas.

Terlian calls and gets ahold of Arion, there’s going to be a big event tonight at the AC, and the founder will be giving a speech. I leave them to decide whether they will use the invitation to avoid climbing outside The Spire, and I go check in with my buddy. My buddy has ascertained that the BRF’s augmentation was not done through approved Adeptus Mechanicus means on this world. In exchange for a favor, my buddy gives me access to the huntsman lodge’s 26 digit security code for a single use.

I bring 2 autopistols (from the fight), silk gloves, 2 sacred ungents, microbead, backpack, 8 frag grenades, auspex scanner, lascutter, and no respirator. My armor is the bodyglove and noble bodyguard garb.

Terlian will be working the event tonight. Intios and Odessa go through the front door with their invitation. The 20,000 Thrones is transferred, a receipt given, then they head to the Alabaster Court courtyard with its big stage and singers. Odessa seems to be more suppressed the closer she gets to the Court. They meet several people, one of whom seems confused about where he is and what’s going on, but thinks there will be a duel, though he doesn’t know between whom. Siprit and Lady Borella are there also.

On the stage is a masked figure who is cloaked in gray robes, the mask flickers to life and seems to be a hologram projector, and “call me chorus and prepare for a tale of woe”. The play begins and there is a strange emaciated guy up there too, but it’s not clear if he is part of the play. Lady Borella says she thinks he’s part of it, but there’s ‘probably going to be a spurring’.

1. Missing niece.
2. Xeno-tech, harmony reader.
3. Psycher connection (suppression of)?

Orday’s loot:
2 data keys
a) magnetic key, probably for the data slate case
b) bank account from Golden Hand Bank, with ‘a couple thousand Thrones’
Pattern-7 Steelburner Heavy Las Pistol (to Intios)
Deloss Auto Pistol (to me)