- Both Carolan and Caelin are in House Moonlight.

- Jean is nowhere near House Moonlight, if he can help it.

- There is a tap at Carolan's door.  There are hits of Dzur, hints of
  Aethyra, and maybe a touch of Issola in the Dragaeran woman at the
  door.

  Carolan invites her in, and her bow highlights her Issola
  background. She tells him that he is required elsewhere, and asks
  him to prepare himself for travel.  However, she admits to not
  knowing where he is going.  However, she is talking to him on his
  goddess's behalf.

  Carolan prepares himself, and writes a short note to Caelin telling
  him that he's been called away.

- Elsewhere, there is a polite tap on Caelin's door.  Caelin invites
  Flora inside.

  "Get ready."  "For?"  "We're going."  "Where?"  "Just... get ready."
  Flora shrugs. Flora informs him that "he" is going to be traveling
  for parts unknown, and that his wife is packing her kit.

  The trip is described as "world-shaking", "changing everything",
  from a deliberately anonymous sender (so that they can see if Caelin
  can rise to the occasion).  Flora gives Caelin grief about
  scheduling and his wedding.  At her advice, Caelin conjures nicer
  and less travel-stained robes.

- Natasha calls out for Caelin from the front door.  

- Carolan finishes his preparations, and opens the door.  The
  dragaeran outside has apparently not moved.  He decides this makes
  her an Issola. Carolan finds a servant to take his note, and follows
  the young lady to the front entranceway.  He sees the Archivist,
  Natasha (still shouting at Caelin), and a couple of Easterners he
  doesn't know.

  Carolan is introduced to the Lady Flora by the Issola. Carolan
  recalls her from the garden during Verra's illness.

- Carolan scans the Easterners for obnoxious amounts of power.  His
  scan stops at the edge of Flora's skin, and does the same for two of
  the other Easterners, one young and one a very pale male.  Carolan
  has met Sethra, and isn't sure if the pale Easterner is alive.

  Caelin joins the group. The Archivist is surprised they're both
  going, and is concerned about the House.  Flora assures him it is
  necessary.

- The group steps outside.  There is a flotilla of dragons.  Carolan
  offers to ask Kintani to join the profession, and Caelin
  demurrs. Repeatedly. Firmly.

  The dragons wait for their bows.  Flora and the Issola make their
  bows, and most of the rest of the group makes some attempt at
  same. Caelin tries to read status out of the other members of the
  crew, and is able to determine they're so bad at bowing they can't
  be Chaosian.

  The group is pouched.  The dragon that pouches Carolan smells
  somewhat of garlic. The dragon that pouches Caelin smells like a
  spice - but not one he is familiar with.

  Time passes.

  There is a de-pouching.  This process is generally gentle and
  straightforward.  The group is in the center of a mostly deserted
  ampitheater. Some of the top row of archways have collapsed,
  apparently from wear.  There is bird and animal scat marking the
  stands.

  The ampitheater floor is stone generally covered by three to four
  inches of sand. There is a ball radiating attention, the dragons are
  decanting people on one side of the ball and taking off on the other
  side.

  Carolan is decanted and performs a security scan.  The pale
  easterner is decanted shortly thereafter and performs much the same
  scan.  Once the passengers are all dropped off, the ball winks out.

- Flora notes that someone has gotten lost along the way, but declines
  to specify.  There is a whistle as if something is incoming.  There
  is a light in the sky, descending at terminal velocity not quite
  directly at the ampitheater.

  It seems to be a worked object, descending at meteoric
  speeds. Carolan opines that it is part of something else, not a
  carved projectile.

- Flora asks someone to do something about it. Caelin begs off,
  concerned about his magic being stolen - so Carolan does it.
  Carolan puts a gate under its path and redirects the object away.
  As it passes through the gate, Carolan feels touched by a very old
  intelligence.

  When the object impacts, the world splashes. The object is
  unchanged.

  A loud voice announces "Standing out in the open makes you a target,
  you know." Flora looks like she was caught with her hand in the
  cookie jar and starts edging out of the center, followed by everyone
  else (including, with Natasha's guidance, Caelin).

  Carolan notices one member of the group slipping a handful of sand
  into their pocket.

  The group heads toward an entrance, looking for a quiet place. A
  magical gate opens in the center.  Through the gate comes Verra - in
  an aikido roll.  She throws a handful of sharpened pointy things
  through the gate and rolls out of the line of sight, drawing magic
  into herself.  Carolan checks - oh yes, that's actually Verra.

- Out of the gate comes another figure, looking like Barlen on
  steroids.  Verra throws more sharp pointys - past Barlen, into the
  gate.  Barlen does a barrel roll the other direction, pulling more
  magical power into him.

- Verra confirms that the gate should be closed.  Caelin does so, and
  absorbs a lot of power out of the gate.

  Barlen stands up and bows to Verra as rescuee to rescuer.  Verra
  stands up, bows to where Flora is (behind a wall), and apologizes
  for the delay but she had to rescue Barlen.

  She pulls out a small glass dog, checks to be sure it is unbroken,
  and puts it back.

  The group emerges, Flora tells Verra that she's assembled most of
  who she requested but couldn't find everyone.  Carolan asks Verra
  about the rock.  Verra pleads ignorance about the rock, and borrows
  Carolan's eyes (in an uncomfortably close to literal fashion).

  Carolan sees heat, and a rock.  Caelin sees that Carolan's eyes are
  no longer in his skull. Verra identifies the rock as a member of the
  Crafter's Guild.  Carolan gets his eyes back.

  Carolan asks why they're here, and Verra announces that the group is
  here to rescue the gods of Darkover.  Verra is not aware of who the
  other interested party is, but she did put out a call for assistance
  to other places.  Carolan and the pale easterner look for other people.

- Barlen opines that the meteor is in the habit of being part of a
  thought process.  He has to repeat this.

- Natasha positions herself such that the stone cannot be seen for the
  fallen earth, but the 

- Cagliostro has awakened, inside a cavern made of sleeping dragon.
  He pokes, and there is no response.  Cagliostro opens a gate two
  dragon radii... that way.  He sees Inara, crying her eyes out over
  Malcolm.

  The Ifrit are having a poetry contest, with fairly tight
  constraints.  Cagliostro rolls out from under the dragon, which does
  not stir.  Cagliostro leaves the gate open.

  Cagliostro gets a status report, Inara's presence is the only
  notable change.  Cagliostro gets a Trump contact - it's Jodo. The
  radiation has been dealt with, and is now clean.  There is growing
  acceptance of the new situation in the inner world. There is a new
  secret society, not known to be started by us. Jodo has sent two
  people to infiltrate.

  There seems to be a disruption of tranquility in the outer world,
  but they seem to enjoy their disruption of tranquilities.

  Absalom is starting to chafe for action. He's starting bar fights
  for amusement.

  Cagliostro briefs Jodo on the Ifrit.  He asks for a couple to break
  in first, and Cagliostro passes in a member of Team Achad and a
  non-magical Ifrit.  The Ifrit accept Jodo's masquerade of the Count
  as the grand jest it is.

  As the connection drops, Cagliostro gets another Trump
  call. Cagliostro talks with Natasha for a bit - they want him to
  read the memory in an object. Cagliostro brings Kintani into the
  contact.  Kintani has Colin the goldbug up his nose and a Jean on
  his horn.

- Everyone involved in the Trump contact is in Trump contact with
  Jean, and falls over.

- Jean notices a brief Trump contact, that went away.

- Ilk notices that Kintani falls over next to Cagliostro, that has
  fallen over.  Ilk conjures a bucket of icewater and awakens
  Cagliostro, who is wet, conscious, and does not have a headache.

- Ilk procures a Kintani-sized ice bucket.  Cagliostro moves well
  back. Kintani is wet, and is positive that Caelin is somehow
  responsible.  Cagliostro admits to having brought Kintani into Trump
  contact with Jean.

- The bug flies out of Kintani and onto Cagliostro's ear. Cagliostro
  asks for a Natasha-related consult.

- Kintani takes Darkstar and Cagliostro's note of apology, and pouches
  a Jean, and dives into the Sea looking for Natasha.  He comes up on
  a large promontory with chunks of shadow clinging to its shoals, and
  sees Natasha.  And a piece of Qrlon.  And there's Flora, and Verra,
  and Barlen, and Caelin, and the Archivist...

  Kintani spits out Jean.  "Is that Qrlon?" Jean checks - it's rock.
  Not unalive.  Jean talks to Ilk, who sends some tendrils through to
  check.  To the Logrus - that is rock.  To the form of perception
  that Shiryu's taught Ilk - it's not promontory.

  Kintani pokes Natasha and wakes her up.  He delivers Cagliostro's
  apology.

  Ilk uses dragonish perception - there is a bit of soul in the
  rock. It's Qrlon's soul.

  Caelin opens a gate over the ampitheatre and shouts "CAROLAN!"
  through a megaphone.

- Meanwhile, Carolan and the vampire have been poking around and have
  found a campfire with remnants of meat.

  Caelin kills the gate and uses the apprentice/master channel to talk
  to Carolan more quietly, having completely blown his cover.

- Jean talks to Snarsht about Qrlon, who grabs Ilk's
  attention. Snarsht dives through Ilk, and if Snarsht hadn't warned
  him Ilk wouldn't have noticed.

  Snarsht arrives at the questionable Qrlon zone.  Snarsht asks Ilk to
  check for local Qrlon in the sea. Ilk discovers that this promontory
  is creating a larger number of solid bits in the sea near the
  promontory. Ilk scrapes up solid bits from the Sea.

- There is a slight noise, and Carolan feels something sharp against
  his neck. "You were looking for me, were you?"  This is
  admitted. There is parrying, just below the ear.  Carolan realizes
  the vampire has tried, and failed, to dislodge his captor.  Carolan
  chats briefly with Hamster Deirdre, who apologizes for capturing him
  and for knocking the vampire unconscious.

  "There was something small and furry at your throat...?"  The
  vampire is pleased to be on the same side as the small furry
  thing. They decide not to share the circumstances of their encounter
  with the group when they rejoin. The vampire is especially keen on
  this.

- Ilk talks to Snarsht about sifting the Sea for Qrlon. No other Qrlon
  bits are found.

- Kintani checks around, and finds that that the shadows are golden
  circlish and show no signs of recent breakage. He tries to frond in
  a friendly fashion with the kraken, but krakens aren't talkative.

- A small magical gate opens near the rock crowd.  A cat comes through
  the gate, and closes it.  Snarsht puffs himself up and looks
  important without deigning to look in the new cat's direction.
  Kintani checks the power of the new cat - old lord level.  Snarsht
  washes himself, and the new cat looks Snarsht up and down and bats
  at him.  Snarsht bats back, and the two cats start to fight.
 
  Snarsht grows big, the other cat grows big, and they take their
  fight off to the side.  Snarsht shifts into a giant lizard, the
  other cat shifts into another lizard.  Snarst starts shifting the
  local terrain as weapons and allies, and the new cat follows suit.
  They seem evenly matched, but the new cat is less experienced.

  The soul in the new cat is not Snarsht's soul, but is similar to
  it. It seems more like an echo than a child.

- Jean talks to Ilk about using bells to distract the cats. Ilk vetoes
  the part of the suggestion that involves Caelin, as Caelin isn't
  fast enough.

- One cat pins the other.  Only Ilk can tell which is which - our
  Snarsht is being pinned.

  Ilk tosses a bell past them, they both track the bell and go chasing
  after it.

  There is some discussion about the second Snarsht - Caelin is
  surprised by its use of magic.  Ilk opines that this place isn't
  large enough to support a Snarsht - whereopon a voice that only Ilk
  can hear inquires "Are you dissing my brother?"  Ilk responds,
  "Rainbow?"

  In the tree, Ilk speculates that this reality may be a proto-Chaos.

- Verra explains that this promontory was where her exiled pantheon
  fled to, and were imprisoned.

- Ilk talks to the purported local Rainbow, who is surprised Ilk is
  holding onto his soul that hard.  The only things he knows of that
  hold onto souls that tightly were the things that killed the
  Serpent.

  Ilk tries to convince them that there are multiple Serpents.  The
  local Rainbow is skeptical. The Serpent's Apprentice breaches
  offshore - it is similar to that which attacked their Serpent.

  Apparently their Serpent was killed by a Black Council member, which
  destroyed their Chaos.  They found a local refuge, and have sent the
  call back for reinforcements.  This Rainbow has Serpent power, which
  he claims to have learned from their enemy. Rainbow shapes himself
  as Ilk-type Logrus tendrils (probably through pure shapeshifting).

  Ilk shows the Rainbow butterflies, and he butterflies over to the
  group.  Wackiness ensues, particularly with Jean. The more local
  Rainbow approves of Flora.

  The Snarshts stop at the same moment, look at each other, bow, and
  turn away. Local Snarsht contacts Ilk - "I gotta learn me some
  Serpent power".  Rainbow is introduced to Verra, and Verra bugs
  local Snarsht ("little brother") for an introduction.  Snarsht pops
  a previously unseen form that looks like Verra's, and introduces
  Verra to her traveling companion and perhaps his better -
  Snarsht. Rainbow is a bit nervous about Verra, but she reassures him
  that "we aren't that close".

  Jean bow-geeks with Flora, and bows as son of old lord to that old
  lord's alternate.  They don't have a local Qrlon, so that chunk is
  presumed to be ours.  Verra suggests a four-way consult on the Black
  Council and how to fight them, while the original group continues
  their mission.

- Ilk and Rainbow compare Serpent power demonstration - Ilk can do
  "Soul comes out, soul goes in" repeatedly but Rainbow can only do
  "Soul comes out" and shatters.  Kintani tries to demonstrate, but he
  is still at "Soul comes out *gulp*".  Kintani's kraken half gets the
  soul, which indicates that it's still in the lead.

- They do have a local Princess Chandra, who bred descendants so she
  would have decent opponents.  This makes sense to people who are not
  Caelin. Jean speculates out loud that he might be in
  training. Caelin asks his head person to eat that memory, but it
  gets stuck to his short-term memory with black-council tape.

  Kintani is sure to let her Princess Chandra know that there is an
  alternate.  Princess Chandra opines that her alternate must be in
  mourning for her brother.
  
  The other survivor was their Shiryu.  Ilk compares notes with local
  Shiryu, who doesn't need the briefing since there's only one
  Shiryu. There is some speculation between Ilk and Shiryu as to
  whether this is a chunk of Qrlon or a decoy he put together so he
  could hide more completely.

  Local Snarsht brings the other Snarsht over to the chunk, and eats
  Qrlon.  The other Snarsht is surprised.  Snarsht dives through Ilk
  back to the pink fleshy place, and Kintani swallows Jean.  The
  remote Rainbow and Snarsht clamp onto Kintani, because they can deal
  well with the sea but are surprised that Kinanti can navigate. 

  Ilk tells Kintani where Snarsht has gone, and Kintani flies back to
  where he just was.  Kintani keeps an eye out for black council
  members.  Kintani warns the local Princess Chandra about the
  incoming nonlocals.

- Cagliostro has checked the vitals of the various people in bacta
  tanks. The bacta tanks have helped, and someone (Snarsht or Norton
  or someone) has been healing them on the Beastmastery level.  Mal is
  almost done, Jayne needs some major reconstruction, and there's a
  whole Zoe shell that isn't connected inside.  (This is something the
  bacta tank would never do.) 

  ETA: Malcolm in half an hour, Jayne in five hours, Zoe ...  a
  while. A good long while.  Kaylee's new lower half is functioning up
  to spec.  Kaylee is working with Mistress Janice on grafting another
  arm locus under her right armpit so she can have a robotic arm
  (while turning off her normal arm).  The locus won't change how her
  dress hangs when she's not wearing the arm.

- Cagliostro talks to Inara, who says "Your coffins look different
  than hours."  She's told they aren't coffins, he's in a healing coma
  and should be fine in about half an hour.  Inara gets quite angry
  that Malcolm put her through this without even dying.

  Princess Chandra talks briefly with Inara about seething. Inara
  repairs her composure.

  Snarsht returns.  He goes over to Princess Chandra, bows, and there
  is an obvious conversation that no one else can notice.  A few
  minutes later, Kintani arrives, followed by Rainbow and Snarsht.
  Kintani subvocalizes in his nose "At least this Rainbow doesn't hate
  you."  "I'm not taking any chances!" replies Darkstar.

  Local Snarsht introduces the other Snarsht and Rainbow around. They
  are introduced around, starting at Princess Chandra. They eventually
  get to Cagliostro, who fails to get involved but is very
  respectful. Snarsht strongly implies that this Cagliostro is
  considered very important by the local Princess Chandra, and messing
  with him would be a very bad idea.  Snarsht, as an aside - "He's
  still in your head, yes?"  Cagliostro: "Yes, that's why I didn't go
  on whatever just happened".  Snarsht: "A very bad idea!"

  The new Rainbow and Snarsht announce a particular grudge against the
  members of the Black Council, and wish to pursue it with malice
  aforethought.  They have heard that there are those who can fight
  them.  Princess Chandra provides information about their history, in
  a long drawn-out fashion.  She tries to shield dragonkind and those
  responsible as much as possible.

  Kintani and Cagliostro listen intently. Princess Chandra concludes
  her briefing at the most recent battle at the blucited promontory
  with Dalkantyr.  Kintani provides his insight, including that he has
  two of them inside him - he explains that they separate their power,
  which is a weakness.  Princess Chandra suggests that they learn to
  work with the local people, and notes that Cagliostro exempts
  himself from active combat with this enemy, for what she considers
  to be a prudent reason.  She indicates Cagliostro as a valued equal,
  but he returns the gesture with a bow from junior nobility to
  respected senior nobility.

  The Rainbow and Snarsht provide their story, which involves a losing
  fight with massive losses.  They modified their promontory to
  attract their other old lords. The Qrlon bit is discussed. They ask
  to meet a successful Serpent, and Princess Chandra agrees to handle
  it. Princess Chandra and Kintani talk on the dragon channel about
  our Rainbow - he's off hunting after what happened to the king.

- Jean briefs REN and Silver Lyra about the new Realms Lords.  Silver
  Lyra is pretending to be Osric, so she only gets a bit of the
  briefing (that cites Ilk, savior of chaos).

- There is a rip in reality in the fleshy place - an opening in the
  Void. Princess Chandra steps through the rent in reality, sword
  drawn and fire in her eyes.

  She gives Kintani five words to explain himself - the local Princess
  Chandra, from behind her, says "You are not good enough". The new
  Princess engages the original one, no doubt presuming a
  ruse. Princess Chandra defends herself, without drawing a
  blade. Janus and Calla stop fencing and watch the fight - when
  al-Nasir says "Hey, you aren't hitting me anymore!"  Kintani hits
  him.

  The new Princess Chandra gets less and less mad, and gets better and
  better.  Soon, the local Princess Chandra has to draw a
  sword. Cagliostro instantly loses track of which one is
  which. Eventually, one pins the other.  It soon becomes clear that
  the local one has pinned the other with daggers.  The remote one
  admits defeat, and is unpinned (with only one thrown dagger at the
  end).  They chat briefly; local Princess Chandra endorses training
  her descendants so they're more than a one-time challenge, and also
  says that she must introduce her alternate to Zorro.

- Princess Chandra requires the Serpent's Apprentice presence for when
  family meets family. The Princesses leave.

  Princess Chandra introduces her brother to one who has had a great
  loss.  The remote one goes to pieces.  Eventually, composure is
  regained and notes are compared.  The Serpents are close echoes,
  possibilities taken differently.  Their Dworkin was killed early,
  before he was allowed to breed, which solved a lot of
  problems. Princess Chandra goes to sleep curled up around the
  manifestation, for her first sleep since her brother died.  Princess
  Chandra asks Ilk to stay vigilant, just in case there is a chance of
  betrayal.

- Al-Nazir is bleeding from a large number of wounds, none too
  serious. Cagliostro provides him a very absorbent terry-cloth
  bathrobe, thanks him politely for his service, and offers to send
  him back to what he was doing before. There is some discussion of
  how to teach Al-Nazir - Mistress Janice demonstrates her technique,
  which involves squishing him between two wards until he is paying
  attention and playing along.  (It seems to Cagliostro like she's
  done this before.)

  A dragon arrives to take him off to his class, Al-Nazir is freed,
  swallowed, and flied off.

  Kintani talks to remote Snarsht about Al-Nazir, and his potential as
  a power battery for salamanders. Remote Snarsht says that he rarely
  needs power, and when he did it was against their Enemy.

- Cagliostro reads Jayne's mind to find out what he was promised, and
  creates an apparently explosion-damaged weapons cache, with almost
  all but one weapon nonfunctional. The functional weapoin is at the
  bottom, and is the World's Coolest Stunrifle.

- Eagleton is still on his plane, sailing through... something?