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[Radio Controlled]

Yes to appointment. For second action I'd still go with quitting our day job in a amiable way. We could really use the three extra actions per week, and we'll be looking into making more money either way (as long as we can, on average, make 1 silver with 3 actions every week we'd break even).

[AoshimaMichio]

Yes to appointment. For second action I'd still go with quitting our day job in a amiable way. We could really use the three extra actions per week, and we'll be looking into making more money either way (as long as we can, on average, make 1 silver with 3 actions every week we'd break even).

This is not incompatible with my suggestion, therefore I'm not against it.

[Devastator]

1. Let's take up appointment with the spirit reader.
2. Quit day job amicably

(-4 silver)

You head off to the spirit reader for the appointment arranged last week.  When you get there, you are invited in, to a room that has been cleared of clutter.  The chair is there as it was last week, but there are now four lanterns surrounding it, standing on engraved metal tables.  The spirit reader introduces you to his assistant, who then heads off to an adjacent room.  After you sit down, he inserts the same copper rod as last time in the back of the chair, although this time he then takes a bucket of water and places it in a clearly marked position on the floor.

With that, he sits down and begins a recitation.

This time, you feel drowsy for a moment, and your eyes lose tracking for a second.  When you return to awareness, the lanterns are flickering slightly, and the bucket of water is readily boiling.  The spirit reader is sitting there, eyes shut.

A slow minute passes, water steadily boiling away.

Then the reader returns to his senses, obviously triumphant.  A moment later his smile fades, as once again the lights go out, and one of the metal tables is wrenched free of the floor and topples, causing the lantern upon it to topple and spill oil all over the floor.

After a moment to set things right, he adresses you and explains what he found out.

-The spirits are very powerful, but not actively hostile.
-They are doing something very important, and will not give up easily.
-They are trying to keep you informed about actions and events a great distance away.

The spirits were not pleased with the intrusion, but he thinks it was because the spirits feared of an attempt to remove them.

He then recommends that if an attempt is made to remove them, you should seek out intervention from a more skilled spiritualist, and that he would be glad to write you a referral should you desire such an attempt.  He does warn you that such an attempt may be somewhat dangerous.


This week, you discuss with your employer your desire to leave his service.  Although your words are cordial and non-specific, some part of your new purpose seeps through, and he accepts your resignation with grace, and he would be willing to assist you should you call on him in the future.

(+1 favor with Huan Zhang)


Do you have any retrospective questions for the spirit reader, or are you ready for time to advance?

[AoshimaMichio]

Number and alignment of spirits? As in heavenly, demonic, earth, wind, water, fire or whatever other alignments there possibly are.

That was expensive piece of information we pretty much already knew or guessed. I am dissappointed with spirit reader.

[Radio Controlled]

Do we get those 3 extra actions this week as already?
Could you perhaps repost that status update from time to time, for convenience? Or is that something you do at the end of every week?

Ask the Spirit reader to write two letters: a referral for when we want to consult a better reader, and also a sort of official `report` (with all the necessary stamps or whatever) detailing the methods he used, events that transpired and information he got. We could then use this later as proof if anyone thinks what we dreamt is just hogwash or attention seeking. Are spirit reader well regarded in this society, by the way?

[Devastator]

Sorry, the extra actions start next turn, but if you want to call on the favor from him this week, I'll allow it.

(I'll roll up the details of the more professional shaman when you decide to make a visit)

The referral includes information about your spirits, but it's written in a lot of jargon that you aren't familiar with, so you have to work at interpreting what you can.

From what you can gather, it's a reference to a studio that's associated with his teacher.  It's also including a lot of math, and what you can gather from that is that the spirits managed to break through something like strong armour with a single blow.

You can also tell from the tone that effect both impressed and significantly intimidated the spirit-reader.

Spoiler:  Status (click to show/hide)

Week 4.  Time available, two actions.

Assets and Abilities:
Prestige = 0
18 silver.
Referral letter from spirit shaman as to the nature of your spirits.

Allies:
Huan Zhang, diplomat, 2 prestige, 1 favor

It might take some effort to get him to reveal trade secrets.  Do you want to interrogate the existing spirit-reader about the details of the referral?

[Radio Controlled]

Yes, do so. Tell him what we saw in the dream if we didn't already, and make it clear that we are trying our very best to prevent some sort of calamity from happening, so it's in his best interest to help us if he can.

[AoshimaMichio]

Yes, do so. Tell him what we saw in the dream if we didn't already, and make it clear that we are trying our very best to prevent some sort of calamity from happening, so it's in his best interest to help us if he can.

But keep it civil.

[Devastator]

Yes, do so. Tell him what we saw in the dream if we didn't already, and make it clear that we are trying our very best to prevent some sort of calamity from happening, so it's in his best interest to help us if he can.

With your predicament in mind, he goes through some of the basics about what the spirits are and what was done.

Firstly, spirits are beings of mind, and are not part of anything else on this world, or part of anything that was on this world.  Spirits are their own creatures and live their own lives.

They have very little power and physical capabilities of their own, and even the strongest are limited to mere communication with other minds, including ones on this world.  Even so, a hostile or mischevous spirit could cause lots of problems with just that ability.

Next, he mentions how in order to contact the spirits additional energy is required, hence the torches.  He then uses that energy to grab and use the link the spirits have made to communicate with you, to examine the spirits on the other end through that same link.  That was how he found out a few pieces of information about them.

The physical manifestations, the wrenching of the table and the falling of the statue were the spirits being displeased with the use of that link, and were doing the same thing, attempting to use the link in the opposite way in order to break the contact with himself.  The table and the statues were affected because they were set up as a kind of tripwire, or armor, to take any excess in energy or information used against him, rather than letting that fall directly on his own mind.

The mathematics are there as part of the methods of rating things such as capacities, amounts of energy, and the details necessary for another practicioner to understand what exact methods were used, and what precautions should be taken before working with you again.

He does close by mentioning that he risked his very life, and was ready to make multiple attempts today.  The 'armor' he set up today was possibly the best that he has made in his career, and it was defeated in a single stroke.  He feels that he could have ended up killed by the spirits misusing his own spell back at him, especially last week, which although it probably would have made him (and you) famous, he's glad things did not end that way.

So no, he's not going to tangle with them again, although he wishes you luck with his teacher's studio.  He says it may take her time and money to do things properly, but from the information in that referral, she should be armed with enough knowledge so that she won't risk her own life.

[Egan_BW]

Argh, I'm bored of such trivialities. Obtain a weapon and set out for the country, seeking blood to spill. Asshole dark spirit thingy will not slay itself.

[Devastator]

The week comes to an end.

The spirits remain quiet in your dreams this week.

The weather this week is very good, somewhat hot and bright for early spring.  There is a bit of excitement in the air, as a small circus of about thirty performers has arrived in the city, and has set up a show in one of the market squares.

Other than that, the bustle of the city continues at more or less normal.

Spoiler:  Status (click to show/hide)

Week 5.  Time available, five actions.

Assets and Abilities:
Prestige = 0
18 silver.
Referral letter from spirit shaman as to the nature of your spirits.

Allies:
Huan Zhang, diplomat, 2 prestige, 1 favor

[AoshimaMichio]

Egan, we can't kill it by ourselves. Not without extensive training.

For this week: Figure out ways to gain more money, more and faster than we did previously, but equally reliably. Legally gray options are fine.
Check out the circus. Perhaps we can find out first warrior/assassin in there? Or someone else important we can use. Or something else useful. Or just for fun.

I think we should learn more about spirits, maybe get some training so we can better comminucate with them. Maybe take up the recommendation letter and visit the shaman, depending how much is gonna cost this time.

[TheBiggerFish]

Egan, we can't kill it by ourselves. Not without extensive training.

For this week: Figure out ways to gain more money, more and faster than we did previously, but equally reliably. Legally gray options are fine.
Check out the circus. Perhaps we can find out first warrior/assassin in there? Or someone else important we can use. Or something else useful. Or just for fun.

I think we should learn more about spirits, maybe get some training so we can better comminucate with them. Maybe take up the recommendation letter and visit the shaman, depending how much is gonna cost this time.

Make sure our personal belongings are secure.

[Radio Controlled]

Egan, we can't kill it by ourselves. Not without extensive training.

For this week: Figure out ways to gain more money, more and faster than we did previously, but equally reliably. Legally gray options are fine.
Check out the circus. Perhaps we can find out first warrior/assassin in there? Or someone else important we can use. Or something else useful. Or just for fun.

I think we should learn more about spirits, maybe get some training so we can better comminucate with them. Maybe take up the recommendation letter and visit the shaman, depending how much is gonna cost this time.

I also think we could follow up on that lead with the spirit reader teacher. Maybe do that first, since simply asking what she thinks shouldn't cost us anything, and if she'd indeed need time to prepare we might wanna get on that sooner rather than later. We can then try to make money while we wait.

[Devastator]

So that's two votes for checking out the circus, and one vote for checking out the shaman's recommendation?