It takes 10 days to travel through the tunnel beneath the Black Riage. 10 long days of listening to the stories of bravery of Lord Dro. However, the tunnel leads back to the west of the mountains and closer to home, and Lord Dro has promised them a mighty reward for their efforts in rescuing him. Eventually they find themselves coming out of the tunnel at the bottom of a canyon filled with pipes, houses and many many people. The buildings climb up both sides of the canyon, with the nicer mansions and homes at the top. At the bottom the streets are full of refuse - both literally and figuratively and the heroes nervously feel many eyes upon them. But Lord Dro seems to know they way and leads them up winding paths and through transport pipes until they are much further towards the top. They find themselves at the door of an inn. The name above the door proclaims it as 'The Revelry' and it lives up to the sign, with much merriment inside. Lord Dro throws open the door and strides inside. "Innkeeper!", he proclaims as the voices become quiet, "Yes, it is I. I have returned from my latest adventure and it is only due to the heroics of these adventurers that I have survived. You will provide them with the best this good inn has to offer. My father will pay." With that he turns to leave. "Chips, my good man", he thunders, "remain here for a time. I must return to the Oros estate and report to my father. I will return on the morrow with further instructions for you and details of your reward". With that he sweeps out from the inn. The heroes are immediately popular, with many coming and asking details of their adventures. They become even more popular when they make use of Lord Dro's father's generosity. At this point Kell decides to find the nearest Temple of Truth and report on all he has found so far. He departs. After much merrimaking the bar begins to become less crowded. A unimposing man comes up to the heroes table and looks them carefully up and down. Behind him are two identical hulking human(ish) figures, heavily augmented. "Chips is it?", he says quietly, "and you must be Nes and Buster. That means one of you is not here. I am Daan. My employer has requested that I collect you all and bring you to him." "Your employer is it?", replies Chips, "Who is your employer and why should we care to leave our comfort at The Revelry?". "My employer is known as Kartel and is a man of some subtle influence in Uxphon. He knows you, but I doubt you know him. He told me to pass a message to you. A message of one word. 'Dracogen'". Chips immediately remembers Dracogen, the underworld figure who smuggled them from Mulen on the back of a whale so long ago. They decide to follow this minion to his employer. They are taken back through the night into the lower city where Daan takes them to the front doors of a dilapidated house that was once grand, but now looks dangerous and unstable. But when they step through the front door they find themselves in a long hallway of shining synth. They pass through a disinfecting device and into another room. In front of them sits a familiar figure. It looks like Dracogen, but something in his manner is subtly different. "Ah. Chips, Buster and Nes", he says, "I remember you well, but where is your companion Kell? No matter, Daan will find him and bring him to me. You are a long way from home and you made a promise to me. I expect you to fulfil your promise". The heroes start going through their items to try and find their numenera. "No, stop", says the figure, "You promised to return those items to me in Mulen and you will do so. I wait there for you. I will communicate with me soon and let me know that I have seen you here. I am known here as Kartel and I do not have the need for your numenera as I do in Mulen. I have heard the stories of your heroism, but I would like to hear from you what has taken you so far away from the salvage site I sent you to". Chips proceeds to tell the stories of their adventures since Mulen and eventually they reach the point of entering Uxphon. "I thank you for your story", says Kartel, "but your debt still remains. You must return to Mulen. But I will hold off telling myself about this meeting until you have had time to conclude your business here. But take care, I am not one to cross and I have the ability to reach over the great continent should you flee. I show you mercy, but I do not have such mercy." "I thank you for your forebearance", says Chips, "and I would like to gift this to you". He gives Kartel a numenera device that creates clones of its wielder. Kartel is very pleased and thanks the group. "But now, it is time for you to go", says Kartel, "the sun rises and we all have business to attend to". He gestures back to the door and the heroes leave. They find themselves outside, but in a different part of the lower city and outside a different dilapidated house. They hurry back towards The Revelry, exhausted, dirty, drunk and a little lost. As they head upward, they here a muffled cry for help down an alley. They look and see a man—bloody, drenched in sweat, and terrified—stands at a precarious angle. Thin metal wire is wrapped around his body in places so tightly that it breaks the skin, and the wires extend to various areas in the walls around him, almost like he’s caught in a spider’s web. The wires all lead to some kind of device suspended in their skein, positioned directly in front of the man’s face. Something sharp protrudes from the device. It seems clear that if the man moves much, he will activate the device. There are also wires wrapped around his neck, suggesting that even a shout from his throat might trigger it. The heroes free him without too much complication and he is very grateful. His name is Calvan Desenis, an accountant who was kidnapped on his way to work the previous morning by “people with chalky skin who spoke with many different voices, sometimes all at once.” He was blindfolded while being moved to a new location but has an ability that allows him to always know where he is. He offers to take the heroes to the cellar where he was being held. The heroes are keen to investigate, but exhausted and still drunk. They ask Calvan to drop by the Revelry at midday so he can show them where the cellar is. Calvan then gives them directions to get back to The Revelry. The only other thing Calvan can offer about his captors is that they spoke of “invitations for the next round of the Hideous Game,” beginning soon. The sun is well established by the time the heroes get back to The Revelry. They are just settling down to bed when a loud knock at the door rouses Chips. He answers the door and finds a prim and self important individual standing at his door. "Still abed? Tut tut", says the individual, "there is no time for such self indulgence now that you are to become men of means". He rouses Buster and Nes, but there is still no sign of Kell. "Now, I am Ignatious Veldro. I am Lord Oros' man. I am here to inform you that you are to be the guests of honour 4 days hence at the Oros manor as gratitude for your deeds in rescuing his son. Official invitations will follow, but I was instructed to let you know now and to ensure that you are of standard. But now that I see you. Tsk. Tut tut. This will not do at all. If you appear as you are, you will dishonor my lord. You will go and buy yourselves clothes suitable for an appearance in front of the town leaders. I strongly suggest that you also get yourselves groomed and buy deportment lessons. There is little time before the ball and obviously much work to do. There is no time to be abed, Gentlemen. Rise and prepare!". With that, Ignatious Veldro leaves. The group go back to bed. When they awake Calvan is in the bar waiting for them. They invite him to breakfast (late lunch) and then Calvan takes them to the cellar he was being held below an abandoned house. Chips notes a small figure in a doorway opposite watching them enter. The cellar of the disused building has obviously seen recent use. Although it’s mainly full of old crates and barrels (mostly empty), there is also a wooden chair with some cast-off ropes around it and a makeshift table of crates and planks. Atop this table are twenty-three sheets of paper and a half-empty ink bottle (but no pen). The ink and paper are of very high quality. There is also a strange puzzle on the table. Chips attempts to solve it and fails. They leave the cellar and see the small figure still watching them. Chips starts to approach and the figure bolts, fleeing down the street. But Nes is quicker and intercepts and grabs the figure. The figure is a small girl, a street urchin called Sneer. They are able to calm her down, and for a small payment she tells them she has seen figures coming and going from the cellar for days. Strange figures with long white fingers. Chips pays the girl to see if she can find them again and if she does to report to The Revelry. They promise 15 shins if she succeeds. By now it is getting late. Nes and Buster ask Calvan about the Grand Arena. The arena is open that night so Calvan takes them. It is cheap to enter but the quality of the fighting is low. The fighters are slaves that the arena has bought for almost nothing as they were otherwise worthless to their owners. They fight to the death. Calvan explains that most performances are like this, but the slave that survives the year gets their freedom. Fortnightly there are non-lethal battles between volunteer gladiators and 3 times per year there are major events where gladiators fight for a large purse. Buster and Nes decide they want to join and go to talk with the arena owner, but he is not interested in discussing this with them and tells them to return tomorrow. They return to The Revelry where celebrations are well underway. It appears an up and coming thespian has been invited to a ball to be held outside in Liach Square two days hence. Being invited to a ball is a big thing in Uxphon as only those considered important to the noble families is invited. The invitation is odd, as it does not identify the noble family that is organising the ball, but the thespian, Thelian Myastre, does not let that put him off. However when Chips is shown the invitation he notices that the paper and ink are the same as the expensive papers and inks that the group found in the cellar. The following day (after a long sleep in) they head to the Arena. The owner of the Arena, Sotex Delarno, interviews Buster and Kell and decides that they need to be tested in order to prove their worth. He sends them to the Arena manager, Buzzard (so called, as he is often seen with corpses). Buzzard fights them with wooden swords and although he is an incredible fighter, he is unable to defeat Buster and Kell together. He tells them that they are welcome to take part in the next 'freeman battle' in a week. It is now getting late. The group return to the Revelry where they are informed by the barman that a small beggar girl had come looking for them. The next morning Chips is awoken by a knock at the door. It is Ignatious Veldro from house Oros again with the official invitation. He quizzes Chips on their state of readiness for the ball in their honour tomorrow night and asks to see their clothing. Chips tells them that the tailor is still working on the clothes and promises that they have all been attending deportment lessons. Looking slightly sceptical, Veldro leaves. Chips decides that they had better get this sorted, so the group ask directions and head towards the part of town where the best tailors work. They find one and pay him an exorbitant amount to stop his current work and quickly create clothes for them. They are measured and prodded till mid day when they are informed they can leave and that the clothing will be ready tomorrow morning. They then head back to the Revelry where they the urchin, Sneer, waiting for them. She tells them she has seen the strange people in Liarch Square. They put together the clues and realise that something will be happening in Liarch Square tonight, and it probably won't be good. They head to the square to see what is going on. They find that the square is busy with people setting up for an event. There are guards at all the entrances to the square next to some some sort of device on either side of the entrance. Even from a distance Chips is able to identify these as force projectors. They will create a force wall stopping anything passing through. They decide to enter the square, but a guard stops them. Without a pass or an invitation they are not welcome. They move to another location to watch. The square slowly empties, but Buster notes heavily hooded figures around the square. When he looks more closely, he sees that they have strange, long white fingers. These are the creatures. At this point, a floating wagon enters the square. It sets up a table with 13 crystal sculptures on it and then leaves, but Chips sees and opportunity to cause a distraction. He attempts to use his telekenisis to nudge the wagon, hoping to make it scrape a wall. However he puts a lot more force into it than intended and the wagon smashes into a guard, crushing him into the wall and breaking him. While definitely not what they intended, the screams of pain cause the distraction they needed and they enter the square. They run for one of the creatures and it attacks, its hood and cloak dropping away. It is alien and strange with white skin and multiple mouths over it's head, all muttering, talking and shouting together, some of the voices disturbing indeed. It attacks and is freakishly fast, and before the group can blink all four of the creatures are upon them. The creatures shout at them, angry as their slaughter has been disturbed. It is a hard fight but the group manage to cut three of them down, the fourth running up a wall and escaping. By now they have a large audience on the edges of the square. It is obvious that the group have rescued the invited guests from some sort of slaughter. Buster and Chips tell the crowd to come to the Arena in one week hence if they wish to see them fight again. Already some of the crowd have noted that these are the same heroes who saved Lord Dro. The group return to their rooms, and the next morning make preparations for the ball. As the appointed time approaches, they order a carriage through 'tunnel 23', leading to the Glass Gardens on Lord Oros estate. The tunnel takes a twisting route through the city, passing over the top of the canyon where the group see for the first time the landscape above the canyon where Uxphon is based. They see the Cloudcrystal Skyfields, crystalline shards slowly drifting high above a plain of the shattered remnants of shards that fell. Some of the shards are as large as cities, and others are as small as a fist, or a splinter. The tunnel then dips back into the canyon and the group find themselves arriving at the Glass Gardens, a sprawling, maze-like open-air park located on the grounds belonging to the House of Oros. The name comes from the material the ground and the “plants” are made of: glass-like substance in a variety of hues and colors. Over the centuries workers and artists have turned the park into a dazzling display of various works of art, amazing structures, gazebos, bridges etc. Some of them are very delicate and with intricate details, others are massive columns of green-and-blue glass that rise high into the sky. There are large, open areas and narrow, winding passages. There is the main promenade and a multitude of dead-end paths, perfect for couples seeking some privacy. Some sections have been polished and turned into mirror halls, others retain the smoky, rough texture of raw rockglass. In short, it is a weird, magical place. The group alight from their carriage, noting that a number of guests are already there. They are greeted by servants who check their invitation and then ask to take their weapons...
