Ganister, and the University in Marigolds
Beyond the Ironwrought mountains, there is a city built into the cliffs on either side of a canyon- Ganister, home to the University in Marigolds. Known for its plumbing, paper and printing industries, learning, and labyrinthine structure and caverns, the caravan finds itself here during the holiday of the Sun Parade, celebrating the end of Monsoon's rains and the new season of Bright. It is filled with cats and bats and vultures and horned lizards, and the gods take the form of plants growing between stones and cairns.
- Where the University first broke ground, gods in the shape of marigolds grew; to this day, marigolds and small gods stud the University-side cliffs and bloom during the Sun Parade. To celebrate these flowers, the people of Ganister elect their Bloom Queen to preside over the festivities. Evangeline, as a seller of gossip, books and paper, and ephemeral things such as flowers, took full advantage of the seasonal market. Meanwhile, Chicory tried to stay out of the way before Dandelion tricked her into helping Evangeline before encountering the Loquacious Scholar again, Professor Ch'u. The two of them agreed to dinner with him later to discuss their time on Mistcrown Peak.
- SUPERB and Valerie went to explore the city and find some snacks, sampling various local treats such as fried scorpion, and marigold-colored sweet cakes. Before long, the maze of the place had caught hold of them, and they found themselves lost and in a curio shop run by a bat named Absalom. He gifted SUPERB a blue star-shaped lamp and traded Valerie an old copy of one of her early works after a discussion on writing and war.
- Elsewhere, Evangeline and Chicory were getting ready for the parade, and on an earlier suggestion of Evangeline's, were looking at embroidered dresses. Evangeline bought Chicory a dress as a gift, as well as thread for practicing her embroidery with, as she had revealed that it was something she enjoyed. They embraced and discussed their past experiences further, growing closer.
- Increasingly lost, SUPERB and Valerie wandered the University, before running into Valerie's uncle last seen 15 years ago by chance. They reunited, but their reunion was colored by Valerie learning the circumstances of her grandmother's death during the most recent rebellion that put an end to the kingdom their family traditionally served; she was a general, and the rebels brought her to justice. They discussed obligations to the living and the dead, and how to proceed with her sword once she located the grave of the leader of a past (failed) rebellion.
big wins this session for age gap yuri, annoying catboys, and examining Valerie's evolving relationship with war as a literary and personal topic
