The group today is somewhat different from the normal population: Nick (Brother Xavier), Tim (Sir Brindal Karth), Jade (Del Tarrant), April (Sister Joann), and Chris (Peter Sangaree) appear from among those players who were present at the first session. In addition, Charlene (Lucy Madoc) and Josh (Ambrose Freeman) join the group.
Lucy Madoc is an Engineer and a physician. She has been blessed with a rather unusual upbringing, one featuring relatives with extremely liberal attitudes towards human vivisection. Finding that she did not fully agree with their experiments, she has since left them, though her own somewhat abrasive bedside manner is a reminder of the marks they have left. She has been in Lenbow for some time, working as a staff physician at the Wickingham Number Eight fusion furnace.
Ambrose Freeman is a man with too much past. A wanderer who has seen many of the Known Worlds, Ambrose is dogged by both his enemies and his lack of social connections. Despite previous problems with the Muster, he has recently attached himself to City of Wonders, as one of Captain Lewis Eyebolt's security staff. Captain Eyebolt, though dubious about Ambrose's vague history, has been happy enough with his knowledge and efficiency (especially compared to the peasant rabble he normally recruits) that he hasn't asked any piercing questions.
The day begins with everyone meeting in Gerald Forn's office at the City of Wonders. Though some of the characters show up nursing hangovers, Del Tarrant shows up with a smile upon his face, as he managed to successfully persuade Rosemary (one of the serving-wenches the characters interrogated the previous night) that seeing the inside of his ship would not damage her soul. He also points out that he has already prepared a flight plan out of the city, ready to go the instant the storm clears.
Lucy Madoc meets with the group at this point: she had been in City of Wonders on the night of the murder, and performed a quick forensic exam upon the body. Ambrose Freeman is also present, as Captain Eyebolt had detailed him to (subtly) keep an eye upon the characters, and ensure that they didn't suddenly make a run for the hills.
Gerald Forn presents the characters with a thick report, primarily composed of think machine printing, that Lucy Madoc has prepared upon the cause of death. Forn notes, in his dry, whispering tones, "…I see that our physician has concluded that Feoss died of stab wounds." With this conclusion, everyone makes brief fun of Lucy and her investigative skills, which she briefly retorts before stomping out of the office.
The remaining characters review the evidence they possess. They know that there were three people in the alcove with Deacon Feoss when he was killed. One of them is a Hawkwood noble, whose blade was found under a table in the alcove covered in Deacon Feoss' blood. A second is a Hawkwood Captain of artillery, identified by the serving-wenches as a regular at City of Wonders. The third is most likely a senior member of the Kib Family, and also a regular at City of Wonders. The murder weapon was a rare weaon, clearly the work of an artisan, identified as a product of the Master Bladewright Letitia Kib, who works at the North Face fusion furnace. They also know that Deacon Feoss was not the most virtuous of churchmen, and that the day watchman at the Cathedral of Saint Anatasius, one Pablo Spear, may know some of the Deacon's associates. Finally, they know that there will be an Inquisitor appearing in the city within a few days, most likely after the current storms clear and aircraft are once again able to land.
The characters decide to talk to the North Face fusion furnace to speak to Letitia Kib and see if her records will tell them the identity of the noble who owned it. It takes them about a half hour to reach the plant, which dominates the nortern side of the city with it's three huge cooling stacks and multitudes of mysterious pipes. They are stopped at the gate by a Hawkwood Lieutenant equipped with a riding crop and the proper attitude of those pre-WWI British officers who insisted that the honor and fury of the cavalry charge would always overwhelm the cowardice of the Machine Gun. He obstructs them for a while, until the characters point out Sir Brindal Karth as a wealthy noble interested in negotiating with the Master Bladewright Letitia Kib for a weapon. At that point, the officer promptly used a Telephone to speak to people inside the complex, then returned to announce that the Master Bladewright was unavailable, but that her assistant would be out directly. The officer then invites the characters to wait outside the gatehouse.
Guylen Kib, the promised assistant, shows up in a couple of minutes, on board an electric vehicle reminiscent of a golf cart. He drives the characters to an office building nestled between a huge pair of throbbing conduits. Inside, he offers the characters brandy and coffee, and tries to sell Sir Brindal Karth a blade. Brindal Karth explains that he is looking for a blade similar to the one he produces (the murder weapon), and then inquires as to whether or not he could learn that blade's owner, so he could return it himself. After a minor 5 Firebird bribe, Guylen Kib looks up the sales records and reports that the weapon was made upon the order of Sir Orson Nettle, the Duke's Castellan, as a gift to the Baronet Oscar Hawkwood-Reike. Guylen Kib further notes that the actual giver of the gift was almost surely the Duke Reike himself. Guylen Kib offers to return the blade himself, but upon hearing that Brindal Karth refuses to let any other return it, attempts to sell him a beautiful inlaid box to carry it in for only 50 Firebirds. At this point, fearing that he might be witness to the senseless expenditure of large quantities of money, Peter Sangaree breaks in, "No, we shall return it the the Baronet in a more appropriate manner: buried within the heart of one of his enemies." Guylen Kib goes pale, and refrains from any additional hard-sell tactics.
The characters are heading out from the North Face plant along what was once a four-lane freeway when they see an armored truck pulled up across the lane, blocking them. Several obvious soldiers are arrayed around it. As the characters approach closer, they note that the vehicle has a Hawkwood insignia painted across it, along with some sort of unit designation. Fearing for the worst, Sister Joann starts to look for possible snipers. She notes that there is a metal-stamping factory on the right side of the highway, and a shantytown pushing up to the left side of the highway. Snipers could easily hide among the HVAC units on the factory roof, or among the myriad alleyways of the shantytown.
Trying to be subtle about readying their weapons, the characters stride up to the blockade. The characters allow Sir Brindal Karth to lead the way, as he is mounted and thus both looks impressive and serves as an easier target. Brindal Karth steps up to the blockade, where he is met by Captain Jakob Aster, a poorly-disguised Captain of Mechanized Infantry. The Captain quietly informs the characters that they should refrain from snooping around, and return the blade that has fallen into their possession. Brindal Karth initially refuses, and almost manages to infuriate Captain Aster to the point where he challenges him to a duel. Brother Xavier also does his best to infuriate Captain Aster, but is preserved from the risk of a duel by the fact that, according to the Captain, he does not possess sufficient honor. Sir Brindal Karth finally promises Captain Aster that he will return the blade when he is done with his present errand. Captain Aster is satisfied wiith this pledge, unaware that Brindal Karth intends that his "current errand" to be investigating the murder of Deacon Feoss.
At the end, Captain Aster drives off with his troops while the characters go on their way.
Several characters, led by Brother Xavier and Sister Joann, go to the Saint Anatasius Cathedral to speak to Pablo Spear, the day watchman mentioned as a friend of Deacon Feoss'. Once there, most of the characters look for the day watchman while Brother Xavier and Sir Brindal Karth slip into the shrine of Saint Makula, a minor saint that few folk visit. Once there, Sir Brindal Karth hides the Hawkwood blade behind the statue. The two of them feel that the blade will be much safer concealed in the Cathedral than it will be upon any of their easily-perished persons.
Meanwhile, the other characters have managed to locate the day watchman fairly easily, by the simple expedient of looking for somebody armed. They interrogate him in a conversation made the more unusual by the fact that he refuses to look into the faces of any of the priests (preferring to show respect by gazing at his feet). Pablo, punctuating his every sentence with mumbled mouthings of "Sir" and "M'am", tells them that while he surely wouldn't know of any dishonest or inappropriate things the Deacon might have been doing, he does know that the Deacon often associated with two gentlemen from the city: the Forge Master Salaeman Kib, who was charged with the maintenance and repair of the Cathedral's buttresses; and Captain Lukan Hawkwood-Pannice, an officer with a fiery anger.
The characters take their leave of Pablo, assuring him as they do that he has helped the cause of justice and virtue. He appears grateful for this assurance, though it is hard to tell.
Some distance from the Cathedral, the group (excepting Del Tarrant and Ambrose Freeman, both of whom spend the afternoon resting upon the Remora, drinking brandy stolen from Guylen Kib's bottle) is waylaid by a gang of eight peasants, led by a crofty-looking ruffian named Wilfred Bogg. The lot of them are armed with a mix of clubs and cheap knives, excepting the leader who possesses a wicked-looking blade. The peasant thugs emerge from sidestreets and surround the characters' group, then prepare to utter dire threats. The characters don't even bother waiting for the threats to finish: Peter Sangaree unlimbers his assault rifle and sprays four of the toughs with gunfire while everyone else draws weapons and charges. Sir Brindal Karth draws forth his flintlock and fires straight into Wilfred Bogg's armored chest, then rushes and engages him in melee combat. Both Sister Joann and Father Xavier acquit themselves well, she with the Armor of the Pancreator and he with his massive two-handed blade. Finally, Lucy Madoc turns on her personal shield and retreats to a doorway, where she fires into the melee with her palm laser.
The fight quickly goes poorly for the ruffians, although both Sir Brindal Karth and Peter Sangaree are desperately wounded by the peasants' clubs. The sudden eruption of sniper fire from a nearby rooftop helps them little, as the bullets are harmlessly deflected by the characters' shields. By the end, half of the peasants lie dead while the others have fled into the alleyways of the surrounding district. The characters do manage to capture one, whom they drag off to the Remora for interrogation. They also search the bodies, discovering 3 Crests and 5 Wings scattered among the peasants, and an additional 20 Firebirds upon Wilfred Bogg's body. They also discover that Bogg is carrying an old ID card identifying him as a Standard-Bearer of the 12th Maniple of the Keiheidey Free Mobile Rifle Legion.
Once the dust has settled, the characters note that none of the locals appear inclined to give them any trouble at all. Sir Brindal Karth gives Lucy Madoc 3 Firebirds to rent a room and perform first aid upon him; he is later healed completely by elixir from the Duke's stores. Sister Joann hires a cart (complete with beasts and driver) for a Crest to transport the dead peasants' bodies to the Cathedral for appropriate disposal. Peter Sangaree, despite his rather desperate wounds, spends some time looking for ammunition to replace what he fired in the combat, finding an extraordinarily-generous trader able to sell him two clips of ammunition for 2 Firebirds each (after some discussion, it develops that ammunition will cost closer to two Wings per shot in the future, or about 6 Firebirds per clip).
Three hours later, everyone reunites at the ship except for Peter Sangaree, who stays out in the city much longer than the others.
When the characters return to the ship, Del Tarrant refuses to let them into the forward cabin, keeping them instead in the (relative) safety of the cargo hold. The characters start out by interrogating the peasant goon. It isn't very difficult, as he instantly breaks down, admitting that he was hired by Wilfred Bogg to intimidate (and possibly beat up) the characters. He also tells them that Wilfred was hired by an important-looking gentleman in a rooming house near to where the attack took place. Upon hearing this, several of the characters (particularly those who were not badly injured in the fight) utter recriminations at those who were, suggesting that they might have been able to find this "important gentleman" had they performed the interrogation as the dust of the combat was still settling. Sir Brindal Karth, who is a significant target of these recriminations, simply looks smug and noble.
With the interrogation complete, Sir Brindal Karth announces his intention to hire several goons of his own to provide a ready supply of violence. He explains that though he can easily bankroll the expense, he will need someone to help him as he is still fairly substantially injured. He gets some agreement, but no action occurs before Peter Sangaree returns with his news.
Fresh from purchasing ammunition, Peter Sangaree heads to the Ducal Palace to try and get in contact with the Baronet Oscar Hawkwood-Reike. He is met by a long series of functionaries and sycophants at the gate, but finally manages to communicate his desires to someone equipped to act upon them, through a combination of polite persistence, restrained threat, and excellent Bureaucracy rolls.
He swiftly finds himself meeting with the rather corpulent Duke's Castellan, the extremely prosperous-looking Sir Oscar Nettle, in the Castellan's private office. The Castellan explains to him that he already knows exactly why Peter is asking questions, and suggests that there is really only one correct way to resolve the whole situation. The Castellan emphasizes that the Baronet, who is currently unavailable, really had nothing to do with the whole sorry situation, and should certainly not be the focus of investigation at all. Furthermore, his blade should be returned to him as quickly as possible, a duty the Castellan would be most happy to perform were Peter to hand it over (Peter demurs that he is not presently in possession of the thing). Finally, the Castellan notes that the whole murder wasn't even a murder, but a matter of honor, an honorable duel between the Captain Sir Lukan Hawkwood-Pannice and the dead Deacon. The Deacon had legitimately damaged the Captain's honor by cheating at cards, and all that followed he brought upon himself.
While Peter struggles to swallow this entire story and still look polite, the Castellan continues on. He describes how the Captain Hawkwood-Pannice has retreated to his hunting lodge, some 50 kilometers outside the city. Because the Captain will surely need to appear before the Inquisitor when he arrives, someone must go out and bring him back. The Castellan suggests that the characters might be the best-suited to perform this duty. To help them in this, he is willing to lend them a groundcar from the Ducal motor pool. He is sure that, as an honorable man and a noble of the Hawkwood blood, the Captain will agree to accompany the characters when they ask him to. However, the Captain does have several servants who may attempt to prevent the characters from speaking directly to him. To aid the characters in dealing with this problem, he is willing to provide them with a certain amount of additional assistance in the form of ammunition and other supplies from the Ducal armory.
Finally, the Castellan points out that the Duke and the local Hawkwoods have long had a mutually profitable relationship with the Supreme Order of Engineers, of which Peter is a member. He points out that it would be a terrible shame if anything were to damage this relationship, leaving unsaid the possibility that the Duke might abrogate all contracts with the Engineers if the characters did not accede to the Castellan's wishes. With that, the Castellan points out that he has another appointment, and must be going.
Peter Sangaree leaves the Ducal Palace with a certain amount of trepidation, then returns to the Remora to inform the other characters of the new developments he has discovered.
After Del Tarrant checks the local Charioteer satellite weather reports and notes that the storms will probably abate enough to let aircraft in within the next two days, Brother Xavier decides that he must speak to the Inquisition, ideally to the Inquisitor who will be sent to perform the investigation. Peter Sangaree escorts him to the Engineer Guildhall in the Freemen's Quarter, where they burst into the Office of Far Speaking and arrange to get a free long-distance call to the capital of Cragstadt.
Brother Xavier is escorted into "Speaking Booth Number Two", which proves to be a video-conference room equipped with a video wall that practically scares the vapors out of both the Brother and the somewhat cowed Inquisitorial functionary on the other end. The other priest listens to Brother Xavier's information, then tells him that the Inquistitor assigned to the incident is the Brother Malegus Arkos. He also notes that the Brother refuses to step into the Speaking Booth, a sentiment Brother Xavier echoes. Brother Xavier knows the man to be fairly moderate, as Avestites go. Before the conversation ends, he manages to get the functionary to agree that he will be the one to meet the Inquisitor's plane when it lands, and will be the first to speak to him upon his arrival.
After the transmission ends, Brother Xavier retires to the Cathedral to cleanse himself.
Each character gains five experience points. The group has about two days before the Inquisitor is scheduled to arrive, and is poised to raid Captain Sir Lukan Hawkwood-Pannice's hunting lodge, aided by a vehicle and gear from the Baron Reike's armory.