Back at Slaryn House, you rest and snack before visiting Ameronis in her room. She’s almost ready to leave and is in the process of packing her day bag.

“How can I help you?”

You casually take out Silas’ compass and ask her what she did with the pendant; she soon fishes it from a bag. You tell her that, after careful consideration, you’ve decided that you’ll keep both the compass and the pendant, seeing as she offered it. It’d be nice to have as a souvenir, and handy in the case of any financial troubles, though, you’ll need to get them both appraised first. You’re planning to do that some time today if you can find a suitable jeweller or antiques dealer.

You notice that, as you speak to her, and whilst she looks you directly in the eyes, she slowly slips the pendant into one of her coat’s inner pockets. She does not say anything, and maintains a serious expression.
Hey! Does she mind?!

“Fine, fine! It’s OK.. I don’t need any…I’ll just… remain gift-less… and wither away…”

She extracts the pendant again and holds it out to you by the chain.

Don’t be silly! She’s the one who offered to surrender it. Besides, it’d be wasted on her; she has no need for such decorations, remember? And she clearly has no trouble getting money, via her “good luck and good looks”. She laughs. As for you, you’d benefit from it more in a pinch.

“Ah, I see; poor and hideous!”

NO!

She laughs again and you snatch the pendant from her. Honestly, why do you talk to this woman..? Anyway, you’re going to go and see if you can meet with Lomack now, then find an appraiser, as you said.

“Oh? You’re not coming with me? Go on; you’ll see how much better literally every other teacher is in comparison to Cedric!”

You can’t help but snort, but you refuse. No thank you. Not interested. Also, those lessons are way too expensive. It’d be cheaper to hire a bodyguard rather than pay for all the lessons you’d need to become proficient with them.

“Oh, suit yourself. I’ll tell you about all the amazing, forbidden techniques I’ve learned when I get back.”

---

Outside the back door of Stardust, the doorman regards you for a moment before unbolting the door. Inside, you let him pat you down and confiscate your battle axe, then sit quietly in the waiting area as a messenger goes to see if Lomack is available. A short while later, you’re given the go-ahead, and you make your way upstairs once again, joining Lomack in his office. He greets you politely.

“Welcome back. Evidently you haven’t decided to move on from Derna just yet?”

You tell him no; you’ve only scratched the surface, but in the meantime, you thought about his offer and would like to take him up on it, if it still stands.

“Ah, excellent! I’m glad to hear that. I’m certain you’ll do well, and I appreciate your help. Let’s see…”

He begins rifling through one of the drawers, flicking through papers.

“We can take care of the paperwork now, but you can begin whenever you’re ready. The rate is 36 cogs an hour, and Sentinels work in rotating shifts, up to 6 hours per night, and up to 4 days per week. We’re open every night between 8pm and 2am, and you can begin as early as this evening, if you’re ready for it. When would you care to start?”

With no other plans for this evening, you let Lomack know you’d be happy to get stuck in today. You fill out the forms, giving your name as “Valine Klane” after giving yourself a surname you had previously heard on your travels, and note your temporary address as being at Slaryn House. He hands you another paper, from which you read some terms and conditions while he goes over your form, noting the hotel; he lightly questions it, but doesn’t press.

When all is said and done, Omon inexplicably appears; you figure Lomack must have some way of summoning staff members from around the building. He greets you with a smile and a polite nod, before pausing in front of Lomack’s desk.

“Ms Klane here has officially joined the Stardust team and will begin her first shift with us tonight,” Lomack says. “Run her through the process and make sure she’ll be ready to go.”

Omon thinks for a moment, glancing at the clock.

“Hmm… I can do a brief induction now, but she’ll have to come back later so I can give her a proper walk through.”

Lomack nods, then turns back to you.

“Omon will take it from here. You’ll report directly to him, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to seek him out.”

Omon gestures for you to follow, and, after saying goodbye to Lomack, the two of you head back downstairs.

Omon leads you down to the staff area on the ground floor, where he gives you a very basic overview of how things work for the sentinels. However, he explains that he’ll go over the full details later, and instructs you to come back around 6:30 wearing regular clothes, and to bring your nightlife attire so you can change into it when your shift begins. He also points out that you will have to leave your battle axe with the security guard at the back door, as usual, but you’ll be provided with a more suitable replacement self-defence tool, so you needn’t worry. He tells you that he’ll introduce you to the other staff members, and give you a tour of the place, as well as a proper rundown of what you’re expected to do when you see him again later. In the meantime, he has other business to attend to shortly, so he looks forward to seeing you in the evening.

It’s after 1:30 now, so you have some time to kill. Next on your agenda was finding a jeweller or antiques trader who might be able to tell whether Silas’s pendant is worth anything or not. You don’t find any suitable places on the high street, but with a little wondering, and directions from passers-by, you find one along one of the adjacent streets; Lester Silver Ltd.

The store is empty, save for a grey-haired man sitting behind the counter, reading a newspaper. He looks over the rim of his glasses when you enter, then removes them and folds his paper, turning his attention to you, and greeting you warmly. You glance about as you approach, taking in the fine jewellery on display, and retrieve the pendant from your pocket, placing it delicately on the counter in front of him. He looks at it with interest and picks it up gently when you ask him if he can confirm what material it’s made of. So far, you’ve received conflicting information suggesting that it could be glass, obsidian, or diamond.

“Oh not to worry,” he says as he reaches under the desk and pulls out a toolbox, “we’ll soon have it figured out.”

He proceeds to do a series of tests with the pendant, first attempting to look through it against the light using a jeweller’s loupe. Then he looks at the surface, checking how it appears in the light. He takes a cloth and cleans the pendant, then breathes on it, noting how the fog barely lingers on the surface; he cleans it once more. He looks carefully at the gold inlay, running his finger over it, seeming intrigued, then he weighs it in his hand for a few moments, a series of calculations running through his head, according to his expression. He rummages around in the box and acquires a clamp and a series of small files and scalpels. You watch as he secures the pendant with the clamp and, with the precision of a surgeon, attempts to scratch the black stone in an inconspicuous spot next to where the chain is affixed, testing each file and scalpel in turn; none of them leave a mark. Then, placing the tools down, he stares at the clamped pendant for a few moments before unclamping it and packing his tools back up.

“Well, I can confidently say that this pendant is neither man-made glass, obsidian nor diamond; I don’t know what it is. I thought it might be spinel, tourmaline, or even star diopside, but all of those can be scratched with one material or other; this was not.”

He hands the pendant back to you.

“And the gold inlay; there’s no signs of chipping, splintering, or heat damage in the area surrounding it, suggesting the stone is extremely hard, but not as brittle as diamond. I’m not sure what method could’ve been used to carve undisturbed channels like that; it would’ve taken a specialist for sure.”

He puts the toolbox away and joins you in looking at the pendant.

“I don’t suppose you have any idea where it came from? Where it was mined or who produced it?”

You shake your head. The person who gave it to you doesn’t have any idea either, as far as you’re aware. You mention that the original owner claimed it was only worth a few cogs, while someone else placed it in the high hundreds. The jeweller furrows his brow.

“Unless my testing was all wrong, or I’ve not kept up with the news and am simply unaware of some new type of common, black, seemingly indestructible stone, I’d be hesitant to put a price on this at all. I’ve never seen anything like it. The only other tests I could do would involve breaking the thing, but I’m not sure what it’d take to achieve that, and I’d not want to ruin it. Is this part of a set; are there any others that could be sacrificed for testing?”

You don’t think so. You only got vague details about it, so you can’t say for sure either way.

“Well, it is a mystery. So sorry I couldn’t be of any more assistance.”

You assure him its fine; he’d already helped clear one question up and is the second person to confirm it’s not glass, which is helpful. But now, if he can’t figure it out, you’re not sure what to do next. He pipes up immediately.

“Oh, you’ll have to find a specialist; a geologist or mineralogist in particular. I’d recommend asking around at the natural science museums or the university; surely they’d have someone who’d know more.”

——

Back on the street, you wander along slowly as you consider your options. The jeweller mentioned the university and three museums, giving you a rough idea of where they are. The specialist geology museums are in Blackminster, and far on the Western shore of the river, in Westwedge respectively. Inconvenient in both cases. The natural history museum is in Greenbrook, as is the University of Derna. Greenbrook isn’t far from here, so starting there would be the best option.

On the high street, you make your way back over to the taxi rank, but on the way, see the same paper boy from before, yelling and waving his papers around. He cries about “the Steelhaven Slaughter”, and a “crime spree”. He seems to be selling a lot of papers, and a few people stand around, reading the story for themselves.

You decide to grab a paper. You’re in Lanor now, but Steelhaven is the direct neighbour of Whenley, where you’re staying at Slaryn House. Should you be concerned about this “slaughter”? And in lighter news, it’ll be good to see what events are scheduled for this week, if any.

You buy a paper, hop in a cab, and read as it trundles along. The main story is breaking news and relates to a spate of murders that took place in Steelhaven over the weekend, an apparent mugging-turned-stabbing that took place in the evening on Orienday; the day before yesterday, and a triple homicide that occurred in the early hours of yesterday; Ruday. These crimes, committed within hours of each other, have sent shockwaves through the area, and this level of violence has not been seen there in decades. Though there don’t appear to have been any direct witnesses, the mugging took place in broad daylight, and the victims of the triple homicide, which included a local resident and a Law Enforcer, were left in the middle of the street, piled on top of one another, and set alight. The paper does not go into further details, but you get the impression that the murders were particularly gruesome beyond that.

Several pages are dedicated to the story, with police reports, and statements from shocked locals, including the ones who discovered the horrific sight. The elements around the crime scene remain a mystery, as does the motive for the murders. However, Lucas Parkes, the brother of one of the victims: Jayce Parkes, has made a statement claiming that his brother, a local business owner, was one of many targeted by a criminal organisation. Both Lucas, and Jayce’s fiancée, condemn these individuals, stating that they will do whatever it takes to bring those responsible to justice. There is a page dedicated to the fallen officer; Mounted Constable Abasi Cuerto, who was, evidently, an exemplary officer. There is even a mention of his horse, Black Rain; his noble companion, who sustained injuries that left no other alternative but for him to be euthanised. The Steelhaven Law Enforcers made statements praising Cuerto and also condemning those responsible. A manhunt is now underway, with at least three suspects being sought. Witnesses are urged to come forward in relation to both crimes.

You pause for a moment, contemplating the disturbing events. A quiet, well-to-do neighbourhood that suddenly turned into a bloodbath. A man, dragged from his home and left dead in the street, along with two others…

You continue reading, going over a few more perspectives and the implications, then move on to the next story.
“Weekend Crime Wave Continues! Prestigious Greenbrook Store Targeted in Sophisticated Burglary”

You freeze as you read the name.

‘The esteemed Bradwyn & Holden’s Curio Shop in Greenbrook was targeted in a calculated burglary yesterday morning…’
‘The thieves, believed to have used a sophisticated method of entry, left no visible trace…’
‘A precise crime in a district where such incidents are virtually unheard of…’
‘Authorities have launched a formal investigation, though details remain scarce..’
‘Store owner Oliver Soza is currently cooperating with the investigation…’
‘The detective on the case could not be reached for comment…’

“Greenbrook, miss!”

The cab has stopped, and the driver calls for your attention. You snap back, fold up the paper and pay the fare, hopping out, momentarily stunned as the cab moves away behind you.

A detective is on the case…? This… could be a problem…