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originally came almost as close as you two did. But the servants of the Lord did not manage to move him to a new hiding place and we know that as the next war begins a Death Lord will walk on land by the Inner Sea. That knowledge will be useful to us and it is important for our siblings to hear every detail you found out. But much else needs to be determined. You were right to call this meeting, Serdra.”
    Serdra nodded.
    “Shall we not start with the account?”
    “Yes.”
    They went over the series of events together. Katja was glad to take full part in it, but then it mattered to get as perfect a picture as possible. The people listened without comment until they came to the Death Lord himself.
    That terrible, fateful event had only lasted a few moments, but still most of the time went into describing it and answering questions. Katja felt there really was quite little they could add to the knowledge of this enemy but Roland and Agla both took everything in very seriously.
    Lindor had the least to say but showed the most obvious interest. He was after all younger than Serdra and so had not participated in the Death Lord wars himself.
    “After that we swam ashore,” Serdra finally said. “It was quite laborious and we simply do not know exactly where the sarcophagus sank.”
    “We do know that the depth in that area is too deep for any man,” Katja said before Serdra would. “All the fishermen we spoke to agreed on that.”
    Roland was silent for a few moments and watched Katja. She found it profoundly uncomfortable. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff, or being trapped in a cage with a lion content to sit still for the moment.
    “In ages past the Lords stayed awake between wars,” he then said. “They sat in their forts outside the light of civilization and planned, while we strengthened Jukiala from the inside to the best of our abilities and guarded the borders. The playing field changed with the fall of the One Nation. This deathly torpor, this long wait, is a new trick and Gavin’s testimony has long been our only information on it.”
    “Just what did Gavin Bloodhand experience?” Katja asked. Serdra had mentioned it briefly but suddenly she wanted to hear it from a man who had been alive at the time.
    Roland turned back to Serdra and Katja still didn’t understand whether it was due to disapproval or whether he was searching for something.
    “Initially we did not understand how the rules had changed after the Dusk War,” Roland then said. “We knew they had come up with some new way to hide from us and those we could spare looked into it. Gavin followed a rumour to an isolated mountain hamlet. It turned out to be a stronghold and training camp for the Night Hand, as well as a lair for one of the Death Lords. Half of them threw themselves at Gavin while the other half sped their master to safety. We believe that since then the sarcophagi have been kept away from the servants of the Lords to prevent another such incident, and we have modelled our search accordingly.”“It turns out you were right,” Katja said,
    “Yes.”
    After that they moved on to what Katja believed to be customary Redcloaks topics. They talked about distant lands and individuals. About old problems that were either re-emerging or had petered out once and for all. About how the power struggles of mortal men went, what effects those might have on the Silent War and what was generally out of view of ordinary folks.
    The most interesting bit of news came from the east, from the Outskirts.
    “I received news of Mia, the Seer,” said Lindor of Spjata.
    “Is she still lost in visions?” Serdra asked.
    “She evidently still sees little other than the future and its endless possibilities. And she has made no improvements in articulating her messages.”
    “That is a pity,” Serdra said.
    “But she did say something along the lines that the demon that came out of the Rocky Valley and harried Outer Fort four years ago