Prelude: Prep/Christmas

Ernst: Politics specialty in Administration? Spies?

Christmas Eve: Hymns to Wenceslaus. 3 feet of snow, roofs bowing under the weight. Dozens of tents emblazoned with the ouroboros. Matthieu scribbling in a notebook. Ernst furiously scribbling with a team of scribes. Tycho/Kepler: Salih searching through box after box of Kepler's for something, his aura ablaze. In the Klementinum, two young fathers discussing excitedly theology. Two vampires grab them, and sup upon them. Zalmoxis... and Lóránt. (0 - 12)

Scene One: Four Weeks Earlier

Salih and Lóránt out stargazing on a very cold night at the Belvedere. Tycho, all of his assistants, Kepler, some nobles, Gans. Tycho, in a grand fur coat, slaps Salih on the back, "Bit cold for you out here?" Salih says he is not used to it. "This is balmy compared to a night on a Danish fjord." Tycho thanks Salih for the hot beverage, and we see coffee paraphernalia. Sky is crystal clear. Everyone is convivial, thanks to the cold or the coffee? Even Kepler. Salih: no sparks in Kepler's aura for the past few weeks. Lóránt has been the member of the cabal primarily engaged with Zalmoxis over the past month. Zsuzanna seems to be ceding "control" of Lóránt to Zalmoxis. Tycho says he could be up all night, his usual garrulousness even more acute. Salih's Fate magic has told him something will happen tonight, and he has seeded the coffee with Fate/Time magic to alert him to when the Perfect Moment will be. Whatever it is, it's not going to be related to the astronomical observations, the socializing, etc. Lóránt and Gans: Seers concern on Gans's part, calls the Arrow and Servitores useless. Lóránt says he'll need to discuss it with the cabal. Gans seems unnerved, and says this is a concern for all Mages in Prague. Lóránt becomes convivial and laughs it off, saying we'll get the two cabals together. Gans seems unimpressed, saying he is in over his head, and walks away. Salih activates Prime sight and is watching Kepler. What he is writing right now seems significant. The paper has a momentous resonance to it. Salih considers scrying, or the Perfect Moment so he does not disturb him. Salih comes over, enters just as he finishes. Kepler, "Quite a brew." Tasseomancy. Salih looks at the grounds and says, "It looks like you were working quite feverishly." The grounds form an ellipse. Kepler seems disturbed, and tells Salih about his Somnium. But he goes beyond the trip to the moon and talks about planetary motion. Kepler shows him the notes: the fact that even the heliocentric system does not seem to work perfectly with Tycho's Mars data. He says circles don't work, despite his desire for them to. Something passes between Kepler and Salih: Kepler is inspired, possibly by the Oracles. (12 - 31)

Scene Two: Fallow

Matthieu has spent November working on the Emperor. Taking measurements, providing him with laudanum in carefully controlled doses. Matthieu is not used to the intrigues of the Emperor's chambers, a real sordid psychodrama. Matthieu is seeing the real daily life and his psychic turbulence of the Emperor, and it takes the bloom off the rose a bit. Matthieu wonders if he should work on the Jean Bodin-type approach to his mental health. Matthieu has a dream. He views a vast field of wheat has been left to lie fallow and wild for multiple seasons. Weeds everywhere. It's winter. And he has a feeling of death. This field, so choked with life, is laden with death. Metaphysical, symbolic death. Matthieu overslept! He ponders it while he dresses for the Emperor's chambers. It might be a meaningful dream sent from the Awakened soul/Supernal realms. The Emperor says he feels a great turbulence on his soul, and he woke quite disturbed. He had the same dream. And the reason why the fields lie fallow: "It's my Empire. They're all dead." (31 - 39)

Scene Three: Letter

Ernst receives letter addressed to him, no return address is seen. Mage sight, no readings. From Corneliu, he tells Ernst not to trust Prince Michael and that he is a former servant of the order of the Dragon. Michael, Corneliu says, intends to gain power at the expense of Rudolph. Do not trust Zsuzanna or Zalmoxis; they are not allied with Michael but they'll support the order of the Dragon if it comes to that. The goal: Prince Michael is seeking to usurp power from Emperor Rudolf. Feel free to share this information with Lorant. (39-44)

Scene Four: Inspiration

Salih seems to think the oracle of the golden key is the one trying to contact Kepler. It is obvious that Kepler does not trust Salih with what he's just written down in so far as his inspiration is concerned. Salih wants to tell him he is it receiving divine inspiration. Kepler says he would like to believe that it is divine. He cites Catholic Protestant conflict and his own conflict with the Lutherans back in Graz. "God may want me to have this vision but man does not." Sally says this is part of the challenge of interpreting true inspiration. Kepler says he'd like to have something once come to him in life without great difficulty laughs and cries, a bit of a drama queen. "I can't rewrite your fate, Salih says, "but feel free to call upon me anytime." Kepler says every time he is inspired Salih seems to be nearby. Lorant has heard some of the conversation specifically about divine inspiration. Laurent thinks that maybe Salih was using Fate magic. Lorant and Salih: Gans is scared about the Seers. Salih says that nobody has really gotten anything on the Seers other than the Peregrini. Salih says we are taking an unfair share of the risk and so we need to talk to the Consilium. Lorant agrees. The academy students have also attended, and they have drunk the coffee. (44 - 55)

Scene Five: Dreams and Waking

Matthieu asks why he thinks it's his Empire dying. The Emperor says he could identify the fields, the wheat, the soil. It could be nowhere else. He then looks plaintively to Matthieu for him to interpret his dreams. Matthieu tries to move away from this interpretation, and suggests Salih see and speak to him. The Emperor says he can't bear to hear more bad news. He then sort of out of nowhere says Matthieu is sure to bring him bad news, calling him "cold and unfeeling." It's obvious the Emperor is trying to drag him into his drama. Matthieu says assertively he will be able to look at the information objectively and fairly. The Emperor agrees and calms down. (55 - 60)

Scene Six: 

Ernst wants to bring the letter to Salih to establish authorship. Matthieu is bothered by the fact he and the Emperor had the same dream. Matthieu finds Salih first, fills him in on the dreams, tells him we need as positive an interpretation as possible. Ernst comes up to the two of them, says he needs Salih immediately; Matthieu says he was about to take him to the Emperor. Ernst says he needs authorship of a letter confirmed, Salih says it can wait an hour, Ernst is not sure it can.

Matthieu and salih go and it's discovered that one of michaels envoys have arrived. Ambassador and messenger are received, Lorant goes to the salon. Ernst busies them (7 successes) with court protocol. While he is being dressed, salih says yes, that might be a good theory. Salih examines his aura, where is his fate weak? No issues. "is it prophecy? am I to fail? Am I to die? Assassins?" salih argues that a dream of death would mean dead fields. Occlude destiny. (60 - 95)

Concern on the Knights of the Order of the Dragon. Any ghouls among them? Where are their loyalties as they arrive en masse. Meeting with Zalmoxis about the arrival of Michael, loyalties. Zalmoxis has not yet met with the Consilium; looked at their library, etc. Magical treasures in Constantinpole? Outside of Matthieu's spehre. Wants to study Z's state/nature. They talk ghosts.

Michael's arrival. His men bivouac.

Salih lorant perun gans: Seers take the war to them. All secrets shared: paper and page infiltrating. We need help. Servitores? Have them beat the bushes? Gans says what about students. Sending them back. Assassins? No, Lorant wants their blood himself. Cosmas training.

Ernst and Michael: he wants the "leech" stuck to his family's name to be eliminated.

Corneliu, who is now human, stabs Lorant. Lorant is embraced by Zalmoxis.