Session 19

Red comes over. We have tea, and talk around what we've done. He suggests that we collect more information from the Princes. Thus, we decide to smoke out the Golden Prince; Fynlan has a party (he takes an Establishment arc for this, I take an Aid a Friend arc). Among others, Grabblejean is there-- though since Grabblejean did not survive the Decimation, maybe he's a fake, and a magical researcher Apostate named Thae Nitaris.
 
I'm talking to Thae, when some annoying ghost bothers me. This is the ghost of a dude named Nathan Nevrimole (AKA Captain Pedantry), who was alive at Isabelle's party. I excuse myself, then go off to find Isabelle to let her know that Nathan is here. Later on, she lets us know that Nathan was murdered recently. I send her on over to Fynlan, since this is his sort of thing.
 
Nathan was murdered by a demon while shopping in a monograph store in Fartown called Pishogue. I call up Gwyn to join us. We investigate Nathan, and find out he has a sad, pathetic life. It turns out that he's so annoying that he's turned off even other Vislae. He's a spoiled rich kid, independently wealthy. No family, not sure where they've gone. Nothing interesting in his place.
 
We go to a diner for breakfast, then wander over to Pishogue. There's a sign there which has the Sign Against Evil. Locke decides that he should stay outside. The others go in, with Fynlan tasked with doing the talking. There is nobody in the building. The Scoobys investigate. I join them, and we start looking around for clues. There are two dead bodies in the back room; Nathan, and a woman in a red and black dress with a bunch of magic symbols on the dress. She has magical glyphs tattooed over her, all old fashioned ones.
 
Fynlan summons her ghost, and finds out she (Taiyo) was killed by a demon. We get a description, and it's a middle-level fucker named Agelast. Taiyo tells us that she has received threatening letters recently: "Despite your denials, I KNOW you have the Bodecker Candle. I will tell you one last time that I am prepared to pay you handsomely for it. Contact me immediately and we can conduct this
transaction for the benefit of both of us. Quilola Gold 28 February Street"
 
Bodecker Candles are the creation of a dead Maker named Ernest Bodecker. These candles each reveal some extremely specific secret. (The time of Ernest Bodecker is from a few hundred years ago, when all of Taiyo's stuff is from.)
 
Simone resurrects Nathan, and sends him away. We go on to February Street, which has exactly 28 houses on it. We knock on the door, which is opened by a middle aged woman with keyholes for eyes. I show her the note, she tries to deny it's her, Simone calls her out on her shit, and I offer that we'll let her go if she hands over the candle and writes a note of apology. She gets all indignant and tries to avoid owing up to what she's done.
 
She explains that 29 February only shows up on Leap Years. She thinks the candle will see it. She thinks her kid went there four years ago and got stuck in it. She admits she sent the demon to steal the candle, she claims the killing was unintentional.
 
I offer her a deal, give us the candle and go write the apology note while we look around for #29. That evening, the house shows up. I light the candle, and we go inside. We move through he foyer, following a path through the time dilation effect. Gwyn stumbles into the effect; I rescue him with magic. We then find the child, and an holder man named Ellest, and use a time spirit summoned by Fynlan to rescue them.
 
I bring the kid home, the others start talking to Ellest. They find out he made an enemy out of a crime lord dude named King Nine. We can look into that later.
 
(During downtime, I make an NPC bond with Taiyo. We each get +3 acumen and +1 joy for solving this riddle.)