Scene One: Downtime

A few more rooms are cleared out at Benatky (Size added by Ernst). Salih plans now that he has Prime to put together a Grimoire of his custom rotes. Salih: Willpower dot (8X) , Library 0-1 (2X), Hollow 1-2 (4 X), Prime 0-1 (7X), Gnosis 2-3 (24A). (Recap of Emperor's travails, from the bells of the Capuchins after the first abbot's arrival to the dinner with lost invitations with the second abbot. Matthieu: Sanctum (Printing Press) (6X), Forgery (3X), Planting (3X), Library (2X), Status (2X), Gnosis 3-4 (32) (0 - 11)

Scene Two: Knighthood

The Emperor lies in his bed, candles lit, curtains blocking the sun. A group of men around the bedside, including Ernst. Two kneel, one starts reading out of a book in a mishmash of Latin and German. The Emperor, troubled with anxiety, looks to the men. "I need a sword! Give me a sword!" The rest of the men look troubled, Ernst comes over, hands his zweihander, and uses it to knight Hans and Hieronymous Makovsky.

It is two days after the cabal's return from Frankfurt, and Ernst was pressed into doing all the necessary paperwork to set up the brothers in the records of the nobility. Pistorius stays in the bedroom with the Emperor as the Makovskys accept the congratulations of the courtiers. "A pleasant surprise for you I assume?" Ernst says to Hieronymous. "There were... discussions the past few months, but the final decision was actually quite sudden. A bit of a surprise." The plans were put in place a couple of weeks ago. "I am sure you will do honor to the position as well as you have in your other endeavors at court," Ernst says. Ludovic offers to do the rest of the paperwork.

Salih, having given the students the day, has come back to his rooms in Golden Lane. He receives a visitor, Tycho Brahe. "Do you mind if I... sit down?" Salih welcomes him. Tycho says he's not been able to find him the past few weeks. Obviously, Benatky is a bit of a sore spot and Tycho tries to joke around it, but Salih can tell he is still bitter. "The manor is much as you left it, it is in good hands." Tycho has a chuckle over the student body, and how it must be difficult for them to teach them. "My family are all stuffed into that little inn. I am petitioning the Emperor for better accommodations, and I am not having much luck. The rumor is the Emperor spends 23 hours a day in bed and so I am getting nowhere. Anything you could do to help my family and I would be appreciated." Salih offers Tycho the use of his Golden Lane apartment as a "getaway." "It's going to twice as crowded when Kepler returns." Obviously, Tycho is expecting the Peregrini to help him, since they live in his old house.

Matthieu and his father: in an effort to make Matthieu's father's visit to Prague worth his while, Matthieu and Lóránt have tried to hook him up with wax dealers in the Jewish Quarter as well as Gentile merchant lords at court to get product to bring back to Paris. Exceptional success. With Lóránt's contacts, he has doubled his available suppliers and can play them off each other.

Pistorius comes to visit Matthieu in his office. Matthieu ponders his new place in the imperial household: a former Protestant who converted to Catholicism. Pistorius asks for Matthieu's discretion. "Dr. Demont, you are a good Catholic, yes?" Matthieu expertly dissembles. "Aren't we all?" "Well, not everyone, of course," Pistorius says. "I would imagine you are aware the Emperor has been suffering. Thank the Lord he has no longer had attacks of apoplexy due to the church bells. The real concern is the Emperor's recent melancholy. Since the banquet, he has not left his bedchamber." Matthieu can corroborate; Rudolf has not visited the art or curiosity halls. "He has called on me often since then. It is obvious to me that he is suffering from the sin of sloth and an excess of black bile." Matthieu knows Pistorius is not a doctor; he is picking up terms others have used around him, mixing medicine and theology. But he hasn't mentioned demons. "I realize you are more expert with the dead than the living." Matthieu's suspicions and hackles are raised by this volunteering of information. "We are calling together all the medical minds at court to consult on this." Pistorius says he also studied medicine. "Of course, since Dr. Hagecius's death, we need help." Matthieu receives news that the personal physician of the Emperor, Thaddeus Hagecius, had died during their travels. "I think there may be a connection, between his passing and the emperor's melancholy. Hagecius had a large library. I want to assign you the task of finding if there's anything else in his chambers here in Prague. But I have the feeling he may have receipts for medicines that helped the emperor." Matthieu asks if he could visit him; Pistorius says if Matthieu can find these receipts, he will lobby for him to visit the Emperor privately. But Matthieu gets the impression no one has been allowed a private examination. Pistorius says the cabal of "bootlicks" around the Emperor are preventing him from doing so. Pistorius says he'll get papers written up to search the Hagecius home. (11 - 40)

Lóránt with Robert DeMont. Robert says, "I may be a very rich man when I return to Paris. I came here to help my son. I've felt like a criminal for the past few years. Tell me honestly, is my son a lost cause?" "Absolutely not, he is vital to the Emperor's court. One of the finest medical minds here." "I know he's very bright, but..." It seems he has doubts. "If you wouldn't mind... keeping an eye on him." "I don't think he needs to be watched, but I would be happy to enter a correspondence with you." (11 - 44)

Scene Three: Assignment

Ernst decides to check the banquet area to see if there is anything unusual going on in the prep for Makovsky's banquet before going to his office. Makovsky himself has no spells up as Ernst encounters him. Probably 80 - 100 guests. Ernst thinks on the politics of the brothers' ennoblement; and ponders the reaction at court. It might be a little before his time, and no one knows what Heironymous's brother has done to deserve it. Ernst looks for patterns in the ennoblements, and find most people have "bought" their titles. It's not weird enough for people to protest. The past year, it's been all Catholics ennobled... perhaps Makovsky the Utraquist was brought on to balance things out.

Salih: uses Fate magic to sever the bonds between himself and his rooms at Golden Lane. Salih looks for a new room to use when in the city. Arriving at Matthieu's office is Lóránt and DeMont pere, lingering in the kunstkammer outside Matthieu's office. "Welcome to my office, how did your business go?" Mr. DeMont praises Lóránt to the skies, and says he'll be leaving as soon as he is able to assemble all the materiel. After he leaves, Matthieu and Lóránt speak about Pistorius's visit and his assignment on Hagecius. "He wanted me to know he knows what I'm up to."

Ernst and Ludovic: speaking about Makovsky. Ludovic says nothing obvious regarding Makovsky happened while Ernst was gone. Makovsky himself delivered the request. Ludovic doesn't know why he'd be so quickly and suddenly elevated. Salih and Ernst. Salih visits, regarding the Tycho visit. Ernst tells him about the Makovsky ennoblement. Ernst checks the books and sees all of Tycho's backed-up housing requests. Without liquid cash, he can't buy or rent an actual house; he needs patronage and/or the gift of a house. When Ludovic leaves, Ernst and Salih can speak in more detail.

Lóránt asks about Matthieu's finger. He tells him about Armand. "Should we bring this to the attention of the rest of the cabal?" Matthieu insists he can handle it. Lóránt reminds him that as Doorwardens he and Ernst will have to deal with this if it comes to the cabal. Matthieu says he has bargained information with him, part of the cell theory thing, to placate him. "Should we tell the consilium." Matthieu is a solid no. Lóránt, despite his pleas, is in no position to make demands on Matthieu. (44 - 80)

Scene Four: Meeting

At Ludmila's. Salih begins with the Tycho issue. We wonder if Tycho has been in the Emperor's presence recently to read his stars; the consensus is no. Without his equipment, he has very little leverage to get better accommodations. Ernst says he'll try to see what he can do for him. Ernst brings the news of Makovsky to the group. Lóránt thinks about our history with Makovsky up to this point. His Mind magic, his ritual at the autopsy, his overall mysteriousness. Matthieu sees no problem with Makovsky cashing in. Ernst wonders if this is just the way of things with Mages, since he spent 25 years rising through the ranks to get to where he is. Lóránt thinks about others who have ascended quickly to the emperor's side; again, money is the rule, merit the exception. Perhaps, he muses, this will shackle him to the emperor more tightly. Matthieu thinks it's nothing, nothing, nothing. Salih notes it's a subtle way to gain more influence without magic; Matthieu says it's a good move for him if that's his goal. He might have also done it for his brother, who is about to get married. Ernst wants to set up a meeting with Makovsky's brother.

Lóránt directs the other cabal members' eyes to Matthieu's finger. Matthieu explains. "I would like to deal with this myself." Lóránt says he's already spoken with him about it and how we'll need to intervene if it affects the cabal or the sanctum.

Hagecius. Matthieu explains about Pistorius's need for a possible prescription made to quell the Emperor's melancholy. Lóránt, as an eyewitness to one of the Emperor's attacks, describes one to the rest of the cabal. The bells... there are all folktales about bells affecting faeries, witches... but since the last attack and the lightning strike, nothing. Just the melancholy. It would be tough to keep up a persistent effect like that, without Mind.

The plan is for Matthieu, Salih and Lóránt to go to Hagecius's house tomorrow morning, but go to Ernst's and Matthieu's office beforehand. Bestow Exceptional Luck on Matthieu. Lóránt asks Ludmila if she knows of any places Tycho and his family could settle; Ludmila says the rumor is he refused a perfectly beautiful house right across from the castle, and he refused. (80 - 112)

Scene Five: Hagecius

Right around dawn, Salih, Lóránt and Matthieu arrive at the home of Hagecius. Some bits and pieces left, but mostly cleaned out of all furniture and other personal items. Lóránt detects nothing unusual with Auspex. The library is completely immaculate. There is not a spot of dirt, dust, or any other marks of habitation or passage. It's been unnaturally cleaned. "Neat trick," Matthieu muses. Salih uses his rote to find the important point in the room's history. He sees the process of moving the books out; they're all Jesuits. Lóránt figures he had to have left it to them. Salih tries again, this time for another important point in the room's history. A man and a woman walk in, the man he's never seen, the woman, is "Diana." There is a period of time that has also been scrubbed with Fate, Space and Time magic. The power of this effect wasn't enough to completely wipe their presence, though. Salih tries to bust through this, risking Paradox. Salih handles the backlash, probing deeper into the room's blocked history. He is casting a Matter effect, the woman works the ward. Wondering why they did such a substandard job on wiping their presence. Wondering how they got the right to take his entire library. Look into the past to see if he willed the library on his deathbed? Salih is reluctant; too much Time magic has been used here so far. Salih thinks they can retroactively piece together the recipe by talking to herbalists and apothecaries in town, finding which ones dealt with Hagecius. After the list is compiled, Salih uses Fate to find which one is the best prospect: Sinapius. Who lives at the Klementinium. He peddles elixirs of his own for the health of the courtiers and has his own garden and apothecary's shop. (112 - 142)

Scene Six: Writ

Back at Ernst's office. Physically, the Jesuits cleaned it out. Magically, the Seers cleaned it. We need to find out where the books are and how the Jesuits got the right to them. Ernst is being cautious and does not want to move against the Jesuits openly. To the archives. Housing first: getting Tycho a home, and using Exceptional Luck. Tycho did refuse the original house offered to him, and it is currently vacant. If he changed his mind, he could have it if the Emperor permits. Barvitz showed him the house originally. Any imperially-attested wills would be in the other imperial archives. Ernst goes there, the will says he left his city home to the Jesuits, country home to his family. This is uncalled for, horrible, totally unheard of for someone to do this without being coerced. History of payments to Hagecius: normal weekly visits up until the moment the Emperor started having his episodes. The Imperial Household was charged for medicines. Medical records would have been held by Hagecius personally. Back at the office. Preparing a writ, a false writ, to gain access to Hagecius's works in the Klementinium. Lóránt wants to go to execute the writ, but Ernst knows this would cause issues. Matthieu says he will accompany Lóránt, and that they will go now. Salih bestows luck. (142 - 166)

Scene Seven: Execution

They show the writ to one of the guards and a Jesuit at the gate, who goes to fetch the librarian. "Time is of the essence. This is medicine meant for the Emperor." Only Matthieu is allowed, not Lóránt. Lóránt kicks in Awe, and this allows him to join Matthieu in the chapter library." The librarian greets them and brings them over to the section. "Dr. Hayek was a great man." He left 4000 books to the library, and they're still being sorted and shelved and indexed. "Personal journals?" Matthieu asks. "They haven't been indexed yet." The librarian goes to his office, and Matthieu and Lóránt go to work looking for information. Lóránt activates Heightened Senses, and they look through as many titles as they can in a short time. Matthieu finds a hand-written journal of Hagecius's. A number of different recipes, trial and error that were administered to him. Sedatives, Matthieu can see. Once per week he was given these drugs. Lóránt obfuscates the journal. Full collection of Tycho's books. (166 - 180)

Scene Eight: Arrival

Tycho's stuff arrives, at the same time as Kepler and his family. It's a traffic jam at the Golden Griffon. Salih realizes his Fate magic put things in this situation. A quick negotiation is put together, as Tycho facepalms over all this. Ernst and Salih come over in an effort to smooth things out and offer him the home he was offered earlier. "Come inside, come inside." He'll take it, if Ernst can get Kepler an imperial stipend to help offset the costs. Kepler is sick. (180 - 193)

Tycho's living arrangements

Examine prescription

Kepler exam

Into Emperor's bedchamber to administer medicine

Consilium visit