"And if the Seraphim should come in force, what then?" Roman asks.  "The Nephilim may be mostly benign, but they are too weak to protects us from a massed onslaught.  Ruling over a wasteland has litte appeal."  He pauses to consider a moment.  "Allying with any faction of the Archons is a mistake until we have the power to meet them on equal terms.  And none of them will wish us to acquire such power.  Which means that we need to be subtle.  The documents may hold the key."

"It is unlikely that the Seraphim will come here, in force or otherwise.  Kushiel says there is nothing here that they would want.  The Nephelim do not wish to rule over us, but seek only to befriend somebody in the Courts.  If not us, then one of the other houses."  Senghiz smiles, and waves a hand in the direction of the heart of Chaos, "They offer us all of the Courts in exchange.  The next time somebody must negotiate with Amber on behalf of the Courts, that somebody could be you."

Roman shakes his head, slowly. "Except for preventing the Nephilim from realising whatever they hope to gain from an alliance.  The Seraphim and Nephilim are at war.  Neither side will permit the other to gain an advantage."

Senghiz leans back in the chair, fingers steepled before him, and his expression increasingly sour.  "I see.  So you are saying that if we make an alliance with the Nephelim, then that will attract the Seraphim?  They will come here simply to make things difficult for their enemies?"  He tilts his head back and stares at the ceiling, his lips moving silently for several minutes.  Finally his gaze drops back town to Roman, and he smiles.

"Kushiel!  Show yourself!"

There is a wave of heat, and an Archon appears, a wheel of flame growing larger and brighter alongside Senghiz.  "My nephew believes that your presence will attract your enemies.  What do you say to that, eh?"

+ THE SERAPHIM DO NOT KNOW I AM HERE.  THERE IS NO DANGER OF DISCOVERY. +
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:01, Sun 08 Sept 2013.

Roman looks at the fire-wheel.  "Really?" he asks.  "No danger of discovery ?  That's not what I've heard.  How can you be so sure ?"

Kushiel brightens then dims a little, and the there is a hiss, + WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD IS NOT CORRECT.  I CAN BE SURE BECAUSE I KNOW MY OWN CAPABILITIES.  I CAME HERE IN SECRET, AND NONE OF THE SERAPHIM ARE AWARE OF MY PRESENCE.  I HAVE BEEN MOST CAREFUL NOT TO REVEAL MYSELF. +

The Archon starts to move around the two men, + YES, IT IS TRUE THAT IF THEY DISCOVER THAT I AM HERE THEY MIGHT CHOOSE TO INTERVENE.  BUT THEY WILL NOT DISCOVER IT. +

"And yet an Archon told me that Senghiz was meeting with Nephilim" Roman answers with a shrug.  "How can this be so, if your presence is so secret ?"

+ YOU LIE! + 

The angry accusation actually cracks one of the panes in the window, startling Senghiz and bringing a denial from the man, "My nephew is not a liar Kushiel.  Could there be a way that your enemies might have received word of this pact?"

+ IMPOSSIBLE!  HE LIES. +

+ NO, IN FACT, HE DOES NOT. +

Roman feels his hair stand on end, and hears the sound of sparks snapping between the strands as Zakkiel's voice comes from behind him.  + WE ARE HERE. +

Senghiz screams, and Kushiel crashes through the window, doing further damage.  Beyond Roman can see more Archons winking into existence and giving chase.  Inside, Senghiz is on his knees, sobbing, as Zakkiel hovers above him...

Senghiz raises his head and stares at Roman, his face a mask of shock and terror, "You have brought an enemy down upon us!  Doomed us all.  They will fight their war here and everything we hold precious will be destroyed."

And above him, Zakkiel starts to laugh...

Roman looks down at Senghiz, feeling a twinge of contempt.  "They already knew.  Conflict was inevitable.  We'll discuss this later".  Without Archons listening in. I hope

"Later?" Senghiz looks up at Roman, his expression puzzled, "Then you were not sent to kill me?"

He starts to get to his feet, but remains bowed to avoid Zakkiel, still hovering above his head, "Has Derris then discovered mercy?  Or do you, yourself, work against her?"

"Or do you merely intend to end my existence after you have had a chance to torment me?"

"I was able to convince my dear grandmother that you might still have some value to the House." Roman says.  "Of course, she might easily change her mind again.  If, say, you were caught plotting against her again.  Or if anything untoward were to happen to me...."

"I see."

Senghiz apparently does see, and is not exactly thrilled by what he sees, judging by his tone.  "Obviously I would have to be a complete fool to consider any such thing again." he says glumly, "Rest assured that I have no intention of harming yourself or Derris, and will not engage in any scheme, in future, which would not meet with her approval."

He glances up at Zakkiel, who still hangs above him, "Please call off your dog, so that I might stand a little straighter, or are you merely a lackey in this creature's planned invasion of the Courts?"

"Neither.  We are cooperating in this matter, to forestall an invasion." Riman states.  "Perhaps you would permit my uncle to rise?" He asks Zakkiel.  "I think he appreciates his situation now"

Zakkiel moves aside, and Senghiz stands upright.

"'Appreciates' is not the word I would have chosen.  'Understands' would describe my situation."  He makes his way across to the chair and slumps down in it.

"I'm sorry, Roman, if I have caused trouble for you.  That was not my intent.  Kushiel came to me some time ago, and told me of the war against the Seraphim aggressors, and how the Nephelim could prevent an invasion.  He showed me a place that had been devastated by the Seraphim... " a glance at Zakkiel, which the Malakim ignores, or perhaps does not notice, "... for no reason beyond the mere fact that they had noticed its existence.  He told me of the swathe of destruction that the Seraphim were carving across Shadow, and how Amber is about to fall."

"I sought only to protect us."

"And in doing so, sadly, you would only have brought that destruction down on us sooner.  And with more certainty." Roman looks to Zakkiel.  "So long as the Seraphim project leaves the Courts - and their interests in nearby Shadows - alone, we have no need of alliance with the Nephilim."

An Archon appears at the shattered window, and reports to Zakkiel, + IT IS DONE, EXACTLY AS YOU COMMANDED. +  Senghiz flinches at the harsh voice, then appears to make a concious attempt at nonchalance.

+ EXCELLENT. +

Both of them seem about to leave, but Zakkiel pauses, + IT HAS BEEN INTERESTING WORKING ALONGSIDE YOU, ROMAN OF CHANICUT.  PERHAPS AT SOME POINT WE SHALL MEET AGAIN.  HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE UNDER LESS PROBLEMATIC CIRCUMSTANCES. +

Roman mutters some polite nothing's in reply, trying not to let the Archon realise just how much he hates the situation.

In the days and weeks that follow, he sets to studying the notes, looking for a defence that will protect the Courts, without seeming a threat to the Malakim.  Relying solely on the goodwill of others for protection is never wise.  But there seemed no alternative at the time.

Time passes.  Even in the Courts.  It's one of the few things that seems to have an orderliness to it, even there.  Before always precedes After, even in a place where Chaos reigns.  Chaos is endless change, but without the steady tick of the clock, there is nothing by which to measure that change.

And as time passes, Roman is fully occupied, studying the notes he obtained, discussing them with high ranking members of House Chanicut, though his grandmother is, strangely, seldom present for the meetings.  The discussions are used to hammer out a policy for defence, and the best strategy to enact that policy.

And still Roman studies the notes, collating and cross-referencing.

Until, one day, it occurs to him that he has seen a specific comment several times, scattered throughout the notes, always phrased in the exact same way.

"The Archon general holds the key.  Seize it, master it, and prevail."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:24, Wed 25 Dec 2013.

The Archon general?  An Archon who is a general?  Of which faction?  Or the woman who was called "the General" by the Archons, with the sword that could cut even Logrus threads?  Roman has to suppress a shudder at the thought of trying to taks something from that one!

Attempting to seize the key looks like something that could only be tried once, if at all.  Roman looks deeper into the manuscripts both to confirm the identity of the General, and to try to identify the nature of this "key".  With no second chances - and the potential consequences - grabbing the wrong thing could be disastrous.

Studying the manuscript further seems to be a largely fruitless endeavour.  There is no reference to this "general" beyond the same, oft-repeated statement.  But Roman perseveres, reorganising the notes in a more systematic fashion, and still they provide only tantalising glimpses of some secret meaning that lays hidden within.

Oddly, when more information is provided it comes, indirectly, from an unexpected source...

One day, a day just as frustrating as any other has been recently, Derris pays a visit to Roman, and asks to see the reorganised manuscripts.  Perusing the documents, she too notices the reference to the Archon general.  She leans back in her seat, right elbow cupped in the palm of her left hand, and the claw-like nail of her right index finger tapping against her lips.

"Senghiz has," she says after a minute or so of contemplation, "I believe, spoken of this general.  I talked to him four or five days ago, and he mentioned in passing that the Archon he was trafficking with, this Kushiel, had told him of the general - a woman who, unwillingly at first, had entered service with Kushiel's enemies.

That confirms the identity of the general, but still leaves the question of the key unanswered.  How to seize something without the faintest idea of what it might be?   Maybe Derris or Senghiz might have more information?  "Did he say aught more concerning this 'general'", he asks

"Sadly not.  He seems reluctant to speak to me since we disrupted his scheme to put us at the mercy... if that is the right word... of the Archons."  Derris continues skimming through the reorganised document, though she continues speaking to Roman.  "Would you like me to speak to him again?  I could try to be a little more persuasive and see if he will say any more."

"With more information to hand, we could decide if an assault on this Archon general might be worthwhile."

Roman has to spend a long time thinking.  "I don't know.  We can't do anything with this information without some understanding of this key.  And if Senghiz were to understand it, too, he might be inclined to seize it for himself, if he could."

He stands, gesturing at the pages. "But, curse it!, this text is too abstruse, I can't tell if the key is a thing of power, some secret knowledge or something else entirely!  I can't expect plain speech, but this!  We're missing something!  Some clues or context that would point the way to understanding!"

"As you say, we need more knowledge."  Carefully putting the pages back into a single stack, Derris moves to stand gazing at a portrait of herself when she could have been no older than Roman.  In the background of the portrait two red skinned demons kneel before an empty throne, with their backs to it and their heads bowed.  The throne is the one that Derris now uses when engaged in official Chanicut duties.

"I remember when this was painted.  Your great-grandfather commissioned it for me, as a birthday gift, but we had to have the face repainted.  The original artist made me look too... haggard.  He was cast into the Abyss, and I could still hear him screaming an hour later, still falling.  The most amusing thing is that he would stop screaming to draw breath, and then start again a few minutes later, as if he thought it would help."

A slow shake of her head, "People sometimes behave oddly.  I couldn't help but laugh every time I heard him scream again."  Her eyes are closed now, and her mouth curled into a smile as she remembers the simple pleasures of long ago.

Then she turns to face Roman, her eyes blazing with determination, "Do you know who this general is, Roman?  Or who it might be?  Do you think it might be worth a direct approach?  Capture the enemy general, and question her about the key?"