View source for Session Play (12): Laying the Groundwork

==Character Summaries==
===Zealot===
'''Day 1'''

After arriving in Nexus and getting set up at Mesa's Cinnabar residence, Zealot was tasked with carrying out reconnaissance on Aleena Fortright's airship, the ''Cicada'', which was docked at her elaborate residence.  On his first pass, carried out the first night of their stay, Zealot made use of his recently acquired and overwhelmingly powerful teleportation device.  Using the shadows themselves as portals, Zealot perched himself on one of the ''Cicada'''s many ornate fins and then employed the Eight-Legged Harvest Promenade style to crawl along the ship's hull and peer in its windows.  He discovered that the ship was loaded with high-grade weaponry, summoned demons including Neomah and Blood-Apes, and a number of flesh-crafted mortals.  In particular, Zealot noted that one man's appearance was altered by Neomah to appear as a long, brown-haired man of somewhat athletic build.  Zealot later witnessed the Neomah ordering the man to read passages from a variety of book's in the ship's sizable library.  Zealot reported back to the group and they crafted the next step of their game plan.  He also observed a woman, whose description did not match Aleena Fortwright, sitting in the ship's elaborate uppermost chambers along with a large, black panther and a book with handwriting matching the handwriting found in the book stolen by the Grass-Spiders during [[Mission 5: Ransom for the Impious|Mission 5]] (The Broken-Winged Crane).

'''Day 2'''

Zealot and the One-Eyed Queen of Silk and Lace teamed up to determine if Aleena Fortwright was, in fact, the same woman that Zealot saw on the Cicada.  To do this, the One-Eyed Queen went to the Council offices in the Nexus district, while Zealot returned to the airship.  Queen reported to Zealot that Aleena was, in fact, at the Council offices.  At the same time, Zealot,who repeated his approach from the previous night to sneak onto the ship, heard the woman moving around in her upper chambers; this suggested to the group that Aleena and this woman were, in fact, not the same person.  This led to speculation on the Circe's behalf that perhaps Aleena is a mortal under the sway of the woman on the ''Cicada'', who the group judged likely to be a Celestial Exalt.  The ''Cicada'' began to depart from Aleena's residence with Zealot on board.  Deciding to literally see where the wind took him, Zealot stayed on board, but decided to get a better hiding spot.  He attempted to jump to the ship's massive, spinning rear sails.  Although he missed, the Eight-Legged Harvest Promenade again came in handy, as Zealot was able to shoot a line of Essence webbing to catch the axle he intended to jump to.  From there, he easily attained his perch and stayed hidden in the ship's sails for the rest of the journey.  Zealot rode along as the ''Cicada'' picked up Aleena and gray-haired, armored man at the Council offices.  From there, they departed out over the Yellow River, traveling an hour upstream before a rendezvous with two Haslanti airships.  Zealot ventured from his hiding spot to eavesdrop on their conversation and witnessed a transfer of arms and equipment to the Haslanti ships.  The gray-haired man left with the ship.  Following the deal, the ship returned to the Council offices, where the ship stayed docked until Aleena had finished her work there for the day.  After that, Aleena returned to her residence using her airship, and then entered her residence for the night.  Zealot stayed on the docked airship for several hours and did not note any activity by the woman who was allegedly controlling Aleena.  Finally, he returned to Mesa's residence in Cinnabar that night.

===Ash===
'''Day 1'''

Ash and Mesa devised a plan to handle Garis Ling, which consisted of Ash winging a hastily crafted cover story as an importer/exporter who needed the protection of the Hooded Executioners and wanted to arrange the deal through Garis.  At the same time, Mesa would set up a public performance which would be the precursor of a riot.  Other than his scheming, Ash didn't have any work to do the first night.  Ash spent most of the mission's first night drinking the time away with Mesa and Opal.  

'''Day 2'''

Ash and the One-Eyed Queen, who was working with Zealot, departed for the Nexus district for some reconnaissance.  Although Ash somewhat brazenly approached Garis's aides and requested a meeting with the Councilor, his ineffable social skills and flawless demeanor carried him through once again, and Garis's aide arranged a meeting six days later at Garis's Sentinel Hill office.  Ash instructed the aide to deliver any relevant messages to an "associate" who would be staying at hotel in Sentinel Hill near the Immaculate Shrine where Mesa intended to stage his concert.  Ash booked a hotel room in Sentinel Hill under the associates name before calling it a day.