Book II – Dorflich – September 2316 – September 2317 Prologue– Spymistress’ report on Evert Kallstrom. Circa Oct. 1, 2316. Took a week just to figure out where they were heading; E-ranked agents could not get closer enough observe; either they were not training or they could sense them coming and stopped; Infiltration attempts failed; any stray dog except the ones sent intentionally; Changed grounds. Training Evert picks up on earth affinity. Use it to brute force carve chambers. Interlude (this can get moved about; maybe during winter when Evert runs off) The four students get drunk and talk about how they came. Becca was shown his big thing. Lennie got caught by Becca and got scared straight by Evert. Sam, “And I got both hands on a sword like Evert’s and showed up.” “We know,” the other three echoed. “What about you Vince?” “Bah, I am not …” The First Culling – October 27, 2316 Soft climax. Winter training/shenanigans – one or more chapters Move them into a cave in the Hidden Valley; Opportunity for lots of inscribing; Also, makes them pack a lot of flour; training in the valley; winter hunts. Interlude – Spymistress report on Evert Kallstrom – Circa January 2317 Last weeks of fall, rediscovered them. Found they were heading into a gulley and staying there all day. Attempts to go down the Gulley seemed to end in a dead end. Review of Royal Maps shows there was a hidden valley beyond. Maps showed an old goat trail, but it had been washed away, and an E-ranker could not scale sheer cliffs. By the time a D-ranker was enlisted, we were well into winter, and making the attempt when iced over was ill-advised. What did they do all winter in the City? Not in the City? All broke their leases, and purchased large amounts of provisions. They left the gate a few days before the first major storm, and did not return. Stayed in the Hidden Valley? That is our working hypothesis, though our agents haven’t seen them in 3 months. In the spring, E-ranker re-attempt the cliffs. Even if not there, may be some clue as to their prior activities. Spring Training Rune advancement; runed weapons for the team but not Evert (?) Should he engage in some forging? Needs to be kept basic for setup with the Great Forgers. The Library Evert is antsy and is looking to do something besides fight.; Wanders around a bit until he finds the only public library; Old lady with a gravelly voice. “I was looking for a book.” Gives him an eye, “Well, we have a few spiritualist manuals.” “No, I’m not interested in those. I doubt they’d have anything good anyways. I think I’m more interested in ancient history, particular the Old Empires.” With a glint in the eyes, “No would you see that. A strong young spiritualist interested in history. Well, you’ve got the right of it. Those manuals are full of baloney. I may not look like it, but I was D-ranked once. But, history. I’m sad to say we only have a few tomes on that, and a collection of scrolls. The good news is that it won’t take you long to get through.” Runic inscriptions in the library keep it cool and dry to preserve the parchment.; A few days later, a lantern is gifted to the library. Summer Training Time to make a splash in the tournaments. Uniforms Based on OTL gains; figure this first year of training allows them to skip like 7-10 years. Right now, thinking Sam D; Becca D (which will make for a good finals match); and Lennie E rank. Vince at C rank or very high D and doesn’t participate. Evert must be B rank at least in order to pull off the book trick (also, that’s like 20 years of gains, and only leaves him like 11 years shy of his old power; recover in 18 months). Not a sustainable pace, but that’s okay for purposes of story. Years will stretch out soon. Interlude: An Invitation to Meet Master Curry Major flash back re Tournaments. Because who wants to watch a beat down. Flashback: Preparing for invasion Invasion: Climax of the book. We did it! Epilogue Not amused it occurred during the middle of your last report. “And there was, in the end, no Master Curry?” Dozens of our own people there, hundreds of spiritualists, leading the battle to destroy B-ranked threats. Brilliant plan to get those people there. Wall in place. If those hadn’t been there, it would have been a disaster. Still how did he know there was going to be an attack? Well, I have pretext for giving him a heroic award and inviting him to dine with the Royal Family. That may be difficult. He has, along with his crew, disappeared. Hidden Valley? No. Purchased one of the river barges we use to moving grain, and had it retrofitted. The day after the attack was repelled the barge was gone. We have eyewitness reports that his crew went on the barge and moved downriver. They’ve moved entirely passed our territory. Agents did inspect Hidden Valley. Found a cave and a pedestal with a single book on it. “To the good people of Dorflich.” And what’s in the book. I’ve only briefly skimmed it your highness. There’s something unsettling about my reading it. Unsettling? Yes, your highness, there’s a rune on the cover and when I powered it the ki that passed through gave off a unique signature, much like one might use spiritual perception to locate a close friend or family member. Fascinating, I didn’t know runes could be used like that. To the contrary your highness, to the best of our knowledge, they can’t. Bite Anyways, and the signature, did it perhaps match our friend Mr. Kallstrom. Well, no your Majesty, it actually matched yours. That’s deeply troubling. Perhaps, but as I skimmed over the journal, I believe it was meant as a sign that it should be given to you. Loss of words. As Queen Carol reviewed it. A short history of the world, and recent major events of the last century, including the destruction of one major and four minor cities from beast invasions. Compendium of training techniques, inscribing, botany, information on the Third Stage, Swordsmanship, skills. And the last filled in page, began with a note: To Carol. And on that page there were two things. First, various notes, though not comprehensive, on how to reach B-rank. And second, a skill on how to fake a power level with advanced version of masking. And with that, she smiled. Leave Dorflich in September 2317 Wants to get to Port City to prevent a disaster Book III – September 2317 – 2318 This Is Your Captain Speaking “Evert, you never did explain where it was you came from.” “Well, I’m not from the City. And I started on just your regular spiritualist path, but then I met this great group of friends, and we ended up traveling far and wide. Many different cities, and met many spiritualists. And we learned so much and became so powerful. And well, it’s a difficult story, but I got a chance to start afresh and to pass along that which I had learned. So I came to Dorflich searching for a group to come with me. And ultimately, I found each of you. You didn’t even know what it was you were searching for, but I did. Perhaps you thought that you were seeking a new master or great power. But what you were really searching for was family. And I just brought us all together.” “Aww, that’s so heartwarming.” “And what happened to your friends?” “… they died.” I stated neutrally. “What?!” “Nooo.” “It’s SOOO sad,” (Sam or Vince). “Oh shut up Sam.” After Mentioning the Sailing Ships in the Harbor at the Ocean Port “Yes, yes, but what is this ‘ocean’ you speak of?” “The ocean.” Blank faces all around. “Oh come on!” Evert grumbles. Of course, Dorflich is landlocked, with almost no knowledge of geography or any appreciation for knowledge like whatsoever. “Okay, okay, fine,” he relents, “You know how the City Lake is like a really big body of water that doesn’t really move?” Affirmatives all around. “So, the ocean is the biggest lake. It’s so big, you can’t even see the other side. But, most importantly, you can’t drink the ocean.” “Why not?” “Because it’s salty.” “Why is the ocean salty?” “That’s a very good question. I don’t know. But you can’t drink it.” “What’s a sailing ship?” Keg of beer