Chapter 78
Added 2025-02-14 05:00:08 +0000 UTCThe gods liked a laugh.
Black House’s loc
Comments
"He's alive." "He was captured by enemies of House Tredegar." "He's in the custody of someone in Malan." "He's in Tintavel." "Only the Left Hand can get a message to him." "The Left Hand would be willing and able to do a deal for his freedom."
Aguido Horatio Davis
2025-02-26 07:26:51 +0000 UTCI mean... we never knew any facts about angharad's dad.
Sean Shivers
2025-02-26 07:15:53 +0000 UTCIzel is a Savant of the aether machinery track. Between Song, Angharad and Tristan I am not sure if they need a diplomat. Song is apt to deal with authority figures, Angharad knows her way in noble society and Tristan deals with underground actors.
Clément Lanteigne
2025-02-17 21:02:46 +0000 UTCDo you mean Laural? I'm pretty sure tinkers are the mehanical subset of savant, though I could be wrong. What they don't have is a diplomat.
Skoll789
2025-02-17 17:13:02 +0000 UTCSo many things we no longer know we know. Any fact about Angharad's father. Any fact about why the other members of the 11th Brigade are where they are. On the other hand, the 13th now has a Tinker. All they really need now is a Savant.
Aguido Horatio Davis
2025-02-16 14:10:56 +0000 UTCThe watch should “kidnap “ him, healing gods are always useful.
Joseph
2025-02-16 02:43:00 +0000 UTCI think he intentionally chose not to dig into her issues, especially when it seemed she was leaving the 13th. Considering the intentional avoidance of her judging tristan's behavior the way she does with Song and Maryam, it seems like a sort of informal pact to not dig into each other's business other then what's offered.
Mark W
2025-02-15 23:06:26 +0000 UTCThe same kaiju disapeared for a moment before returning, its charge halted. That would have been visible too.
Clément Lanteigne
2025-02-15 13:37:03 +0000 UTCI was wondering that myself. Hopefully someone freed it and got a Golden Fleece contract that definitely won't cause trouble in the future (hi, Jason!).
Pteromys Momonga
2025-02-15 08:19:58 +0000 UTCFrom across the city? Not really. A kaiju falling definitely is tho
Quack
2025-02-15 05:10:18 +0000 UTCEE forgor
Quack
2025-02-15 05:09:45 +0000 UTCjust out of curiosity, where is the golden ram? His healing power could be really helpfull now more than ever, becoming a official god of the island is now possible too.
Ed
2025-02-15 04:48:52 +0000 UTCTheir captain was s/perfectioning/perfecting/ her disappointed stare, “That fondness made s/if/it feel personal when you turned on me,” he said. A moment later Angharad s//heard/ her trip and curse. Also in a few places you use "terasse" instead of "terrace", but maybe the French is intentional?
Nathan Fish
2025-02-15 00:23:01 +0000 UTCA qualified field agent of the Left Hand, on assignment to be a damned good watchwoman. Or a seventy percent likelihood that she’s just that good.
Aguido Horatio Davis
2025-02-15 00:05:36 +0000 UTCIn hindsight the fact that this was their very first lecture in Scholomance should have been a hint that the Krypteia would be testing their loyalties: “Over your years of wearing the black,” she said, “you will take sides. That is natural and inevitable – putting on the cloak does unmake the ties of roots and blood. But if you learn anything at all from your time in this hall, let it be this.” Her gaze was all iron as she faced them. “There is a line,” Kavita Iyengar said. “A watchman can take sides, but never the Watch. It is the sole poison our order cannot survive.” Her lips pulled up in another mirthless smile. “Do not ever forget that,” the professor warned them, “else the last thing you will ever hear is a Mask pulling the trigger.” -Book 2, Chapter 13.
Emmet Mackle
2025-02-14 19:54:50 +0000 UTCI’m curious to know how Tristan feels having been caught unaware of way Angharad has been tricked by another Mask here. I suppose he had plenty of stuff to deal with already. I don’t remember how much he caught on to Angharad’s situation in general.
Nicolas
2025-02-14 17:02:14 +0000 UTCReally sad to see Osian take one on the chin. But there really was no way he was getting out of it. And story wise it wouldn’t do for the 13th to have too powerful an ally high up in the watch.
Noble Solana-Walkinshaw
2025-02-14 15:46:38 +0000 UTCWell, we can consider is time with the High Priest to be a destruction of Solomontera(?) in a way, so I think it's fine to count as 3 out of 3 already. When Scholomance collapses in the present we can then be funny and call it 4 out of 3.
sapassde .
2025-02-14 15:28:39 +0000 UTCThere was no mention of the deceased. Our boy Expandable bursted, which should have been just as noticeable as Maryam weilding the harpoon, but he didn't get mentionned at all during the ceremony.
Clément Lanteigne
2025-02-14 15:11:26 +0000 UTCAnd with this, Tristan has been heavily involved in to destruction of two of three ancient irreplaceable wonders while he's around. Scholomance better watch out over the next two years.
Mark W
2025-02-14 14:40:53 +0000 UTCI am still gathering my thoughts about the chapter but the mask stuff at the end leaves a bad taste , Reminds me of entrapment and the rules that come with it. I expected at worst Osian would be sentenced to life time service in his order because of his invention. It’s Hager’s fault playing games though Locke and key prevented him from Moving as freely as possible and no one thought there was a real infernal forge, so play games turned real. Someone mentioned imani could still be an ufudu or a former member , who knows the forge might have reached malan.
Joseph
2025-02-14 13:34:27 +0000 UTCFaaaaair...but I don't know that lying to Tristan about that serves him. By the point that he drops that info, Angharad is already on the Forge's trail. Not to mention, Locke and Keys seem to confirm that they had spread that as a lie, and while we shouldn't rely heavily on their word, I don't see them telling the *same* lies as Hage.
Jacob Shpiece
2025-02-14 13:29:54 +0000 UTCAlso, the Unluckies. That's a delightful moniker for our group (and fantastic accidental vindication for Tristan against Song for their brigade number).
Jacob Shpiece
2025-02-14 13:14:06 +0000 UTCMasks are vicious bastards, and knowing about a test isn't always enough. I'm prepared to believe they can contrive a scenario where Song is in a genuine dilemma, even if she suspects the Masks might be behind it.
Jacob Shpiece
2025-02-14 13:11:14 +0000 UTCSo here's the part I'm wondering about - Imani just passed her lesser tradecraft test (I assume to satisfy Hage that she can continue another year). But she started work on that test before classes at Scholomance had even started. So she's maintaining a brigade, taking Stripe and Mask classes, taking her yearly Mask exam before the year has started, on top of which it seems likely that the 11th was brought on the Asphodel delegation so that she could continue her work, which requires her to lead her brigade on their yearly test early on top of all of the rest of that? Who the fuck *is* this woman?
Jacob Shpiece
2025-02-14 13:02:38 +0000 UTCHage *said* that he didn’t actually think that the Forge was real.
primus
2025-02-14 12:54:09 +0000 UTCI’m assuming the Mask coursework is different for a fake Stripe.
primus
2025-02-14 12:48:30 +0000 UTCThe Imani thing is an amazing twist, wow. It feels so fitting in hindsight yet I never saw it coming.
sarvashaktimaan
2025-02-14 12:15:28 +0000 UTCI'm sure he is. He's a master of pissing people off, he's good with knives, and was originally watching a suspect officer.
Poop McScoop
2025-02-14 12:06:33 +0000 UTCRemember that Hage didn't actually think the Forge was real - it was a rumor started by the OOO. Given everything else going on, it's not surprising that they were caught off guard when Osian and Angharad *actually* found one.
Jacob Shpiece
2025-02-14 12:01:03 +0000 UTCAmazing. Layers within layers; lies within lies. The subtle compromises everyone makes! I missed Wen and his baffling/hilarious individual verbal takedowns, but it makes sense as he seems to never compromise anything.
MAS
2025-02-14 11:34:29 +0000 UTChe probably is really being held in that prison
andrew marturano
2025-02-14 11:16:56 +0000 UTCWait, Imani had to basically do the coursework of two covenants? How did she find the time to do her Mask lessons with the time dedicated to Stripe lessons? When did she sleep? Imani might just be the most badass Mask we have ever seen.
Avid_Appletree
2025-02-14 10:29:04 +0000 UTCWait was it ever confirmed what happened to Angharads dad?
Lena
2025-02-14 10:18:30 +0000 UTCThe little twist about Imani being a Mask was really fun. Didn’t see that coming at all, didn’t even remember considering it, which is quite fascinating because there was a little hint from one of the very first chapters she appeared in; in chapter 6 after Tristan caught her discreetly watching Angharad: “So the Malani was still trying to learn who had been looking at her. Spy, Tristan decided. Or at least someone with training in the craft. It might be he had found his first fellow Krypteia student.” Is she to be one of those ‘winnowers’ then? I’ve been looking forward to see more of Mask prospects and the dynamics between them and also Tristan. Which is also why I hope that that wasn’t the last we will see of Cressida. Always did have a soft spot for characters who aren’t as cold as they like to pretend to be, or as the world demand them to be. But while I like the Masks we’ve seen so far as individuals for their complexity and the games they play, I am beginning to dislike the Krypteia as an order. It gets more fascinating the more they reveal about how they work and there are parts I do like about them, but sometimes they seem like nosy, malicious assholes throwing around power because they have no one to check them but themselves. I can understand if it was necessary and that it was proven to work so far. But when they promised that the things they do was a means to produce men capable of snuffing out a hundred theogonies and prevent disaster for mankind, it irks me that in this case, as Song aptly put it, they were playing loyalty games to the detriment of two students who were actually doing the job they were failing to do and, instead of rewarding or even acknowledging that, they ended up punishing one of them. Another thing, I had thought the Skiritai to be the most cutthroat in their vetting process, with a few students dying in their first class. Should have known Mask officers straight up snapped unsuitable students’ necks. Makes me wonder how many had died already.
Ryu
2025-02-14 10:18:04 +0000 UTCIt's like we're finally meeting the 13th for the first time.
awakeatdawn
2025-02-14 10:06:37 +0000 UTCMy heart is warm and my day is complete
Machalt
2025-02-14 09:44:08 +0000 UTCI think he's legitimately not a Mask, simply because he doesn't have the temperament for it. He's way too brutally honest. While he's capable of cunning, he really doesn't fit the bill for Krypteia. We also have to consider that whatever happened on Tariac was LOUD. Something the Krypteia would nip in the bud within their own ranks.
PoiDess
2025-02-14 08:37:48 +0000 UTCI always did find it kinda fishy the way he got transferred to oversseing the 13th. Going from 2nd in command at the Trial of Ruins to overseer of a cabal, after the place literally collapsed down around him seemed like an odd promotion, even if he did weasel his way out of punishment
Muirenn Andréa Mc Mahon
2025-02-14 08:36:11 +0000 UTC... but are they gonna sell his nails though
PoiDess
2025-02-14 08:34:33 +0000 UTCWell, at least Tristan doesn't need to eat his hat
PoiDess
2025-02-14 08:33:38 +0000 UTCAlso this is getting skated over in the comments since it was a brief bit at the start. But Tristan has been changed by his brush with Sainthood in a way that feels dangerous... It feels like a permanently ajar door now that he could fall through.
Joe Rachman
2025-02-14 08:26:19 +0000 UTCI think the existence of Tintavel is public knowledge - it's not a secret prison, just extremely well guarded. As to whether Angharad's father is really there, it could go either way. The Watch looked into Angharad's history, so maybe one of their agents heard something?
Pteromys Momonga
2025-02-14 08:08:36 +0000 UTCI'm still amazed that I felt sad at seeing the end of a relationship that everyone knew had no chance of lasting.
Runaway_Cactuar
2025-02-14 08:05:57 +0000 UTCWith the confirmation that Masks can infiltrate other orders, I now wonder if Wen is one. He is a friend of Hage and he admitted to Maryam that the skeleton in his closet relates to an action that needed to be done despite deplorable collateral damages. He's also very good at keeping the façade of a rude and greedy jerk while also supporting his pupils whenever he is called upon.
Clément Lanteigne
2025-02-14 08:03:41 +0000 UTCI do think Imani is still Lefthand House, too. At least they trained her and traded or sent her to the watch. I'm guessing loyalty for masks works a bit differently. And that a lot of her "tests" are going to include seeing how well she can balance the interests of her two obligations
Misty57
2025-02-14 07:39:32 +0000 UTCSong did go to the Ambassador, but the difference there was that she wasn't choosing her family over the Watch. I don't think Watch members are forbidden from having ties to their families in general (some of them have kids and presumably spouses); the problem is when they prioritize their family, homeland, et cetera above their duty to the Watch. It's entirely possible that this won't count as her test, though.
Pteromys Momonga
2025-02-14 07:38:33 +0000 UTCIn shock and awe the whole chapter. What a book..
Muaz
2025-02-14 07:37:10 +0000 UTCOn the first point maybe it's true and they used it to spin the story, or maybe its just a lie. For the Forge if they knew all along I assume they had a plan to swoop in, grab it, and maybe embarass Malan. It's just the coup chaos and Angharad trading it to OoO was unanticipated. Clearly huge stupid blunder though - which is what gives Song leverage to negotiate with Hage.
Joe Rachman
2025-02-14 07:34:48 +0000 UTCSong still went to the Ambassador to secure the safety of her family. This means she keeps ties to them while wearing the black, the exact situation these tests are meant for.
Clément Lanteigne
2025-02-14 07:25:44 +0000 UTCSure but it wasn't directly Watch linked - and she wriggled a lot as opposed to making a clean refusal.
Joe Rachman
2025-02-14 07:20:57 +0000 UTCI wonder if she no longer needs a test after she chose to ambush the Yellow Earth instead of helping with their coup to save her family. It would be kind of funny if Ai unintentionally did the Watch's job for them.
Pteromys Momonga
2025-02-14 07:15:22 +0000 UTCHage definitely isn't wrong about Tristan having been taught the wrong things - even when he was considering killing the Nineteenth he kept in mind that Hage might just murder him for doing it. Also one more thing that is now kind of up in the air, with Imani not actually being an Udufu, does this mean that Angharads father is alive or was that just made up bait? I assume he is still alive mostly because it makes an interesting goal for her.
Mag1cM
2025-02-14 07:11:17 +0000 UTCAgreed. It seemed clear that their relationship wouldn't last, but ending it this way felt much more poignant and real than if Evander had pulled a sudden yet inevitable betrayal, or died tragically. It's a very "closure is something you give yourself" resolution.
Pteromys Momonga
2025-02-14 07:09:25 +0000 UTCHopefully we'll find out about Angharad's father in the next book. It could go either way: I'm sure the Krypteia has agents in Malan who hear things, but they could also have made it up. We know the Watch considers Gwydion Tredegar to be sketchy, so maybe they were also checking to see if Angharad would say anything to confirm their suspicions. As for the forge, I'm guessing Hage may have known there was one but lied to Tristan about it, to prevent the rest of the Thirteenth from interfering in Angharad's test (I believe she'd already located the forge at that point but hasn't obtained it, and being under scrutiny might have prevented her from doing so). It wasn't exactly a fool's errand on the Watch's part, either, since they would have gotten custody of the forge whether Angharad had brought it to Imani or reported it to the Watch. Lastly, I don't think Imani is a double agent, just a Krypteia agent given a role to play. This is all guesswork on my part, though.
Pteromys Momonga
2025-02-14 07:02:57 +0000 UTCHow do they loyalty test Song now that she knows about it?
Joe Rachman
2025-02-14 07:01:52 +0000 UTCWell, keep in mind that the forge Imani sent her after initially was the one back in the layer by Scholomance, and early on Imani was convinced that Angharad was just twiddling her thumbs while on contract for their tests. And there was at least some time period between the rumors of the forge on Asphodel popping up, and Hage "confirming" they were just spread by Locke and Keys. As for the father thing - I'm curious too! especially as Angharad now has the devil's owing her knowledge of any way into the prison, which seems like a real Chekov's gun to me.
Gynedroid
2025-02-14 06:59:06 +0000 UTCThe resolution to Song and Evander's relationship is bittersweet but feels so right. Very well done.
Hollow35
2025-02-14 06:56:42 +0000 UTCHoly based
AC832
2025-02-14 06:51:24 +0000 UTCThe Imani Langa thing makes no sense to me. If she’s a Krypteria asset, how does she know of Tintavel? And if Commander Osian will bend his cloak to help his niece, giving him an out to preserve the asset of the Infernal Forge is infinitely more valuable than continuing this entrapment.
Markos El-Far
2025-02-14 06:43:43 +0000 UTCfire chapter
joie01
2025-02-14 06:30:50 +0000 UTCSo is Angharad's father even alive, or was that just a lie from the Masks? And what was the point of bringing up her father after she refused to work with Imani initially at Scholomance? Or sending her on a fool's errands to find a forge that Hage told Tristan he thought didn't exist? Is Imani supposed to be a double agent, working for both the Masks and the Lefthand House? WTF.
Big I
2025-02-14 06:17:02 +0000 UTCThere was an earlier chapter in which, after Angharad gave Imani a beatdown for information, Imani looked "strangely vindicated." I figured there was something more going on with her - maybe another plot up her sleeve - but I definitely didn't guess she was a Krypteia student.
Pteromys Momonga
2025-02-14 06:05:59 +0000 UTCAnother great wrapping-up-the-book chapter, with some matters resolved and others left open. A few cool surprises - Floros joining the Watch, Imani being a Mask (and yes, I'd thought it kind of odd that the Krypteia would be so open about its students) - along with less surprising but still satisfying outcomes, like Maryam getting the skimmer and the two surviving members of the Nineteenth joining new brigades. I wonder if that means we'll get Izel chapters in the next book. Good Treasons has been amazing, even better than the first book, and all the characters have had such great arcs. Looking forward to what will probably be the epilogue next week!
Pteromys Momonga
2025-02-14 06:03:09 +0000 UTCOof. That was an excellent but bittersweet chapter, and a potent reminder of the strengths of the Krypteia. And Imani becomes a far more complex and interesting character; almost something like another Tupoc (though with very different details). I'm going to need a re-read once Good Treasons wraps up, and I'm curious if what's revealed here will make me see her differently earlier. And the 13th, via Maryam, gets the skimmer!
Rune of Doom
2025-02-14 05:56:39 +0000 UTCThe Fisher approves!!!
Etin Obaseki
2025-02-14 05:50:52 +0000 UTCBravo. Absolutely incredible chapter, and a perfect winding down to so many treasons.
Gideon
2025-02-14 05:47:11 +0000 UTC
