[Stomoxys]

Pressing Lunas on why we had to be locked in with Madan, they admitted they did not really know why, but that was how it was done when Varja was possessed. By staying at least a full night in the room, they hoped we would be able to observe Madan and perhaps learn something, but it was unclear what. Wolfram claimed to have extensive training in dealing with such matters and seemed willing to go immediately, but I wanted more information first. The room Madan is in is equipped with double doors in order to always keep a locked door between whatever is inside and the world. Similarly, food and drink can be brought in through a system of two hatches and communication with the outside happens with a bell. No food is prepared in the room and weapons are not supposed to be raised inside, but there are a number of board games there. The most important rule seems to be that books or writing equipment cannot be brought in or out of the room. Madan and a mage called Arkan had set the rules when Varja was possessed, but the rules were never explained and the mage disappeared when Krull arrived. The current goal is to keep the demon inside Madan and Madan alive as long as possible. Apparently, possessing apeoids is intoxicating to demons and, being apeoids themselves, they cannot resist the temptation. While possessing someone, they are confined to one place, so it seems possible that Tuza will be trapped as long as Madan is alive and confined. Perhaps the games are meant to distract the demon from trying to escape as both Krull and Madan had spent much time in the room when Varja was possessed. While Lunas went to fetch Pakk and Ebsalon, I finally convinced Wolfram that we should not rush headlong to Tuza by pointing out that Grogg was still not in good shape and we might get more information if Gromann kept working on the Tivito books. Instead, we could focus on the Kabal temple that was said to contain many trapped spirits. A great abomination according to the followers of Tiri.

At this point, Yana showed up and Nuur-Karif lost interest in anything else. The Ashtarites are not very fond of trapped spirits, considering them stolen property of Ashtar, but this is clearly less important than Nuur-Karif's desire to mate. Yana was shortly followed by Lunas returning and the mammals started drinking and reveling. I was sitting at the end of the table with Ebsalon, a bit away from the others, and tried to get more information from them. Interestingly, Wolfram appeared increasingly nervous and uncomfortable as the room got more crowded and seemed relieved when I called them over. Ebsalon was either unwilling or unable to provide more information, but hinted that one should have the confidence in order before entering the demon room. Nuur-Karif then showed up in Lunari's clothes and started dancing with Yana. The apeoids have strict rules for what males and females are allowed to wear, so this got the attention of the room and I used the distraction to get hold of Pakk. Some musicians had now showed up and Wolfram almost begged me to continue the discussion upstairs. I got the impression they are afraid of crowds. Mammals continue to amaze with their silliness.

Upstairs, we were joined by Grogg and Pakk recounted what had happened in the Kabal temple in greater detail. It seems the kabalists are able to trap the spirits of the dead in small clay tokens, similar to the ones we found in the tower in Guling. These spirits can then be used to as fuel for magical rituals and also for powering the clay statues, which are called golems. Wolfram looked like they wanted to rush off and burn the Kabal temple to the ground immediately, but they remained calm. There could be hundreds of spirits in the temple and releasing them all at once could be disastrous. Pakk had mentioned earlier that the room below the Kabal temple is dedicated to something called Elik, but they were more concerned about the room above. I tried to get them to elaborate, but they insisted they were not allowed to tell me about their suspicions and the gathering ended. Grogg and Wolfram went to their rooms while Pakk and I went downstairs where Nuur-Karif were still dancing with Yana. I had no desire to observe mammalian mating rituals, so I snuck out and went to the Ashtarite chapel.

In the chapel, I meditated on Nuur-Karif's condition. Up until now, they have appeared to be in control of their emotions, but since Gritt, it has been the other way around. Perhaps they were never blessed with a reptilian disposition, but were so singularly focused on Ashtar to the exclusion of everything else that they appeared to be rational. The alternative would be that Gritt was still there. Meditating further on the matter seemed pointless and I shifted focus to my newfound abilities. Getting someone to teach me about magic could be very helpful, but it is clear that the apeoids do not really know what they are doing with a high and dangerous rate of failure. Both Ebsalon and Wolfram insists that it is very dangerous to experiment alone, but I am not convinced their ways are any safer. I increasingly got the feeling I would have to see the stars to get any clarity and left the chapel.

When I reached the ruined tower, I spotted a group heading up towards the fortress. I quickly hid and when they got near, I could see eight guards surrounding two apeoids that had their hands tied and faces covered in hoods. They appeared to be wearing expensive clothing and it looked like one male and one female. It was clear that the guards wanted to hide the prisoners' identity and they all kept quiet until Lunas arrived and talked to the leader. One of the prisoners tried to talk, but was rewarded with an elbow in the stomach before they were sent off to the dungeon. They did not take the normal route through the courtyard, so I went ahead to the dungeon. As usual, the security was abysmal, no wonder Nujan has settled here. After a while, Keri, Lunas' alcohol dependent dwarf "assistant", came stomping down the stairs and confiscated the guards' key. They inspected the cells, but not the torture chamber where I was waiting. Very sloppy, possibly because they were busy quarreling with the warden of the fortress about the keys to the dungeon. The prisoners were then brought down and placed in separate cells and Keri and the guards left. One of the prisoners, the male, tried to contact the other, but got no response and not much happened, so I decided to leave. The guards at the door panicked a bit when I told them to open and Keri seemed very displeased when they realized I had been there. Outside I met Nujan and we went to observe the stars from a roof in the village.