In other news around the Duchy, the mysterious blood-draining murderer has attacked again. Vance, an eshu known to Jenny, is the latest victim. The rumors of a vampire preying on the changeling population continue to spread. Erendil hears through his entertainment connections that Leo is frantically at work on a new film. Those that have heard the pitch say that it is a very imaginative fantasy, and that it should be a hit.
Our heroes return to routine life, picking up where they left off. Mindful of the need to replenish their depleted glamour stores, they go about getting some in their own unique ways. Edward visits his furry-animal artist friend, who is hard at work on a new comics series based on some characters inspired by the pookas she met at Pennons through Edward. Edward helps motivate her to even greater ability and is rewarded by an infusion of glamour.
Back at the temple, Erendil helps Edward examine the treasures he recovered several months ago from the Dauntain’s lair. There is a paper airplane, which Erendil believes could be used to send messages over long distances. There is also a broken barbie doll with a voice string. Erendil assumes that the magic is in what she says when her string is pulled, but does not explore this much further. Edward also has an amulet in the shape of a broken sword. Erendil can tell it is an amulet of protection, but against what he doesn’t know.
Erendil accepts the lead role in the Old Globe Theater’s production of Neil Simon’s new play, which will be a world premiere. He quickly fits himself into the local theatre scene, doing the local college lecture circuit, attending cast parties, and hanging out at film and TV shoots. He decides to engage in some rather nasty ravaging, as he is still in a foul mood over his treatment by the Duchy at Pennons. He gets to know two bright, young students in a local MFA program, and manages to convince them that they have no talent and should choose a job in the clerical or service professions instead. He gets a nice glamour buzz off of that. He also begins to cultivate two of his co-stars in the Globe play. easily seducing both a young man and young woman. He begins to set them up as rivals for his affection, toying with them and stringing them along. He plans to reap his harvest later on, most likely when the play is over.
Edward decides to take Toby to the zoo, so Toby can have an opportunity to do a little ravaging of his own. Pensius and Franklin get wind that something is up, so Franklin invites himself along. Edward makes plans to meet Erendil in Balboa Park later in the day so that they have wreak some havoc on the set of Nightdude just for giggles.
When Toby, Franklin, and Edward reach the zoo, they wander over to the monkey cage. Toby noticed some kids teasing the monkeys with food, and, deciding that it is "OK to ravage baad kids" he attempts to jump up in their faces and frighten them with a hideous yell. He succeeds, but doesn’t glean any glamour from the exercise. Franklin notices what is going on, so Edward tries to distract him by finding something in his backpack. However, the ways of glamour are not always kind. Something in his backpack grabs ahold of him and tries to pull him in, kicking and screaming. Franklin goes over to help, trying to pull him out by the legs. No matter what they try to do, Edward just keeps disappearing, inch by inch, into the backpack. Edward tries to get ahold of whatever is biting his arm, but all he can feel is sharp teeth and soft fur. By now a crowd has gathered, and is looking on in excitement at what appears to them to be a man having some sort of seizure. In the meantime, Toby takes the opportunity to sneak away unnoticed in the chaos.
Franklin finally manages to pull Edward out of the backpack, but the thing grabbing his arm comes out too. It is a killer rabbit, with nasty, sharp, pointy teeth.* It stays attached to Edward’s arm, trying to gnaw its way through it. Edward tries to gnaw it back, but breaks a tooth on its hard skull. Franklin and Edward booth try to pull it off with no luck. Finally Edward bashes it with his free hand and Franklin grabs it by the scruff of the neck, hoisting it off of Edward. The zoo keepers rush over in alarm, concerned that some animal has gotten free and mauled a guest. They are amazed to discover that this is some new species of carnivorous rabbit not even discovered, much less in their collection. They take Edward off to fill out liability forms while Franklin looks around and notices that Toby is gone.
It doesn’t take Toby long to get into trouble. He finds some kids ("baad kids") tapping at a tiger through a large glass pane at Tiger River and scares the piss out of them, earning himself a small charge of glamour. Revved up on this, he decides to look for more. He spots some kids rocking the gondola on the Skyfari skybucket ride, and decides to teach them a lesson. Using the Hopscotch cantrip to jump high into the air and into their gondola (spending glamour for the cantrip and therefore wasting what he just ravaged, but he didn’t think about that), he rips off the door and roars at them. He doesn’t succeed in getting any glamour from the terrified youngsters, but decides to put more effort into it. He grabs one and dangles him by his feet out of the gondola, hoping to scare him some more. The boy is good and scared, but again Toby fails to harvest any glamour. He tries this with the rest of the boys, to little effect. People on the ground point and stare, yelling to each other than some ape has gotten loose and was attacking some kids. Toby gives up and Hopscotches back down to the ground, landing in the gorilla enclosure.
Franklin, looking for Toby with little success even though he is following the screams, overhears some people talking about the "gorilla in the gondola" incident and figures out what is going on. He high-tails it to the gorilla enclosure, and reaches it just in time to stop Toby from messing with the rather frightened gorillas. Franklin easily uses his great strength to jump into the enclosure and retrieve Toby, to the wonderment of the crowd. Edward, meanwhile, has followed the chaos to the gorilla enclosure and joins them. They vanish quickly before the zoo keepers can catch them.
Franklin, none too happy with the day’s events, tries to convince Edward to return with him and Toby to the temple to explain things to Sir Pensius. Edward argues that he has to meet Erendil later, and takes off before Franklin can stop him. Franklin marches Toby to the car by his ear and heads for home.
In the meantime, Pensius is holding services in temple. Inspired by a question of Toby’s earlier in the day as to why he should help others, he gives a fiery and impassioned speech about tolerance, and how our little green brothers in space can get along with all sorts of different beings, so why can’t we. Although he is quite eloquent, his message falls flat. He changes tack and speaks with equal eloquence about the wonders of the little green brothers, and why we should all endeavor to be like them so we can ascend. This part of the sermon meets with widespread approval. As the worship session breaks up, Pensius is kept busy greeting parishioners. He doesn’t notice the man with the notebook walking around, writing down his observations.
When Pensius is done shaking hands and receiving compliments, he feels a tap on the shoulder. He turns around and sees. Lorien asks to speak to him in private. Pensius obliges him as they retire to his study.
Lorien explains that Duke Valerian has asked him to come to Pensius with a request. It seems that Queen Aeron is quite put out that the Duke tolerates an unseelie enclave allegedly headed by an ogre hag. As Black Annis and her minions in Moria have been implicated as cold iron weapons-runners for the nunnehi rebels, the Queen commands Valerian to "clean out that nest of vipers once and for all. Or else I’ll find someone who will." Valerian knows he has no choice. Lorien says that right now, Val wants to keep things under wraps. Black Annis has many hidden allies, and he doesn’t want her to get word of his plans any sooner than necessary. Lorien cautions Pensius to keep all news of these plans from the Lady Tourmaline. Pensius questions the reasons for that, saying that he believes she is loyal. Lorien merely says that the Duke would prefer that her loyalties not be tested.
The Duke does not want to send troops into Moria without getting an idea of the extent of the opposition. Since no real intelligence has ever been gathered about Moria (spies tend to end up in Black Annis’ cookpot), he wants someone to go in and come back with a report on troop strength, the layout of the tunnels and caves, and information on any "secret weapons" that they might posses. Two of the few people outside of those belonging to Black Annis who have ever gone into Moria and returned are Pensius’ people, Chamone and Edward. Lorien asks Pensius on behalf of the Duke if he and his people are willing to try a scouting or infiltration mission into Moria itself. He knows it will be a dangerous mission and he is asking alot, but the Duke would be "very grateful." Lorien also says that he can supply them with various protections and supplies to help them survive the mission. He believes that Edward and Erendil have the best chance of success; neither Lorien nor Pensius proposes sending Chamone, whom Edward brought down into Moria last time without Pensius’ knowledge as a "sacrifice" to get him in the door. Pensius is reluctant to send his people on such a dangerous mission, but is persuaded of the necessity and agrees to broach the subject with Edward and Erendil. Lorien lets Pensius know how to reach him if he has any questions, and departs.
When Franklin and Toby arrive back at the temple, Pensius is waiting for them. It seems Toby’s little escapade and the incident with the rabbit made the news. While none of the group were identified, Pensius is none too pleased. He has taken away the distributor cap from Edward’s truck and put it up on blocks, to make sure that Edward doesn’t take it and run off to avoid facing the music. He takes Franklin aside and gives him a throughout chewing out. Franklin takes it like a troll. Pensius gives Toby a long and harsh lecture about the dangers of ravaging and causing such mischief. Toby at first protests his innocence but finally breaks down and admits it. Pensius assigns him both extra spelling and penmanship homework, a harsh sentence for the redcap boy, and also makes him write a report on why what he did was bad and will make him read it to the other kithain children at the temple. Toby slinks off, despondent, to perform his penances.
Meanwhile, Edward and Erendil head downtown to Horton Plaza to cause some trouble at the set of Nightdude, an execrable low-budget TV show filmed locally. Giselle knows what Erendil is up to and decides not to join him. Erendil considers it his duty to his art to put an end to the abomination. Plus, he figures it should be fun. Erendil is recognized as Aaron Hunter by the crew and he and Edward are let onto the set.
Edward uses his Entangle cantrip to tie Nightdude’s cape to a banner while he is doing a particularly difficult flying stunt. He gets ensnared and thuds to the ground on his butt. In the meantime, Erendil tries to make time with a pretty woman in the cast. He manages to make some headway romantically but when he tries to ravage her something backfires on him. He feels a cold sensation squeeze his stomach and feels the weight of banality settle heavier on him. He has paid the price of ravaging for those who indulge too frequently.
This puts Erendil in a particularly bad mood, which he tries to lighten by ruining the career of the actor who plays Nightdude. He chats and gets friendly with him after the shoot, and goes over with him to sign some autographs up near the toy store. He casts a Dictim cantrip on him as follows:
"Only one thing will set your passion afire
The next child you sign for'sthe one you desire
Touch them you must
With unbridled lust
In all naughty places
Especially the bust."
The cantrip seizes the actor as he is signing an autograph for an adorable young boy. Unable to resist, he begins foundling the young child. The child’s mother begins to scream and all hell breaks loose. Erendil slips away in the confusion, his mood considerably lightened.
Edward and Erendil get back to the temple, only to find themselves summoned into Pensius’ office, where a chastised Franklin looms over them with his hand on his sword. The item about Nightdude made the news also, and Aaron Hunter’s sad comments to the newscasters on the live news report made it very clear to Pensius who was at fault. After he chews them out about their high-jinx, he tells them about Lorien’s request for them to infiltrate Moria. Both of them are rather reluctant, viewing it as nearly a suicide mission. They agree after Pensius convinces them that Lorien’s help with tools and supplies makes it possible to survive.
They discuss strategies. They decide on the following: they will get themselves publicly thrown out of Starry Wisdom Temple (not too hard after today’s events) and persona non grata at most other freeholds, leaving them nowhere else to turn but Moria. They will attempt to gain entrance by bringing Black Annis Count Tormentil’s magic mirror she geased Edward to bring to her, were it ever in his hands. Giselle, who returns and joins the conference, suggests that Edward give Little Alex, one of Black Annis’ minions, his confiscated gun back as a bribe for his good favor. They plan a visit to Count Tomentil’s estate to kill two birds with one stone: "borrow" the mirror and do something outrageous enough in Tormentil’s presence to leave Pensius no choice but to banish them. They decide to continue the discussion when Jenny is present to get her insights.
The next morning, there is an article on the front page of the North
County Times by David Ross, a local journalist. It is a slightly unfavorable
exposé of the church, although he gives Pensius praise for his eloquence.
Pensius curses when he realizes that he did not notice the reporter in
the temple during services the day before.
*There is a sign at the bunny hutch in the Children’s Zoo which says,
" Bunnies can get grumpy, and grumpy bunnies bite". Boy do they ever.
