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The Chancel has mail. Letters marked with the enticing phrase. But no mail service. Quickly determining that there is a whiff of corruption about this the Chancel springs into action. Merlin, in his morning story (the equivalent to sunrise in the Chancel) warns the people of The City of Lost Alleys not to open their letters. Silvia follows up with a Greater Creation to enact a miraculous postal service (the Chancel now ahs Miracuolous Postal and Customs services). Later the familia gathers at the Neutral Ground, a nightclub in the Chancel famous for being neutral, in every way. There they debate matters of import to the familia. The nobles of familia Ineri will be leaving soon, so the rush t attain a gift deepens. After much debate and dithering the familia finally delegate Tess to the task. Their debates are interrupted by an inhabitant of the Chancel who can only speak the names of colors. Miracluolous by the Power of Tea indicates that these mortals have been aletred to only think this way, their very means of dealing with the world – both perception and communication – has been reduced or altered to only encompass colors. Each color have a galaxy of meanings. This seems to be spreading by word of mouth, and rather quickly. Tess decides to do a Greater Creation of Loss to deprive all affected in the Chancel of their sight and concept of color. This causes them to go catatonic. Turning the inflicted over to the care of the psychic emergency wards, the Powers, led by Alec, ascertain that this was the result of a book dropped off at the apartment of the first inflicted individual. The book is missing and no one is able to determine where. Alec and Nezha return to San Francisco where Nezha puts a blessing upon Linda Greene so that none corrupted by the world will bring harm against her. Nezha leaves, allowing Alec to develop the war plans for his fight against PsychoPharm and the entire pharmaceutical industry. Malcolm, the Duke of Confluence, commissions the Duchess of Cities to ensure that Paris is a city of love on Valentine's Day. He indicates that this is for his alchemical researches. In exchange he trades a snow-globe that contains a link to a city not of Earth. Something Sylvia greatly lusts after. Nezha, through divination, finds the most corrupt individual in San Francisco (other tha perhaps Bill gates who is in town for a conference) Teddy E Franklin. Mr. Franklin is a lord of the Cammora, an organization whose existence Nezha was not even aware of. Nezha commissions a man who has guilt and a boat. Negotiations commence which has Nezha imbuing a flower with a miracle of Desire, and providing information on the Desire of one man. Nezha gets in exchange a yacht and a local city council man who has a past of pedophilia. After a short discussion (the yacht piloted out beyond Golden Gate by the spider people servitors) she charges him with delivering a message requesting a meeting with the Lord of Death by Drowning, and throws him overboard. Nezha has decided that she needs to visit the gates of Heaven to further her research. Deterrming that Soma is the best way she, Thechari, and an anchor of Alec's and one of Merlin's depart to India to obtain some. Meanwhile Tess, at the farewell event for the Familia Ineri presents them with a bowling alley on a train car. This bowling alley has significant metaphysical juju. It was the place Tess lost her virginity, latter being torn down to make way for a strip mall. It is also the bowling alley where Allen Ginsburg first scored a hit, and where Bruce Springsteen went for his first date. |
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