The Caravan approaches the Porcelain Citadel and is met by a pair of porcelain walkers; open cupolas of glazed porcelain on a pair of ungainly legs. Each walker holds two Porcelain Princes, all wearing identical masks. Woger speaks with them briefly. They are allowed into the Citadel but warned to be aware of the guardian golems. The party sees those as they enter; eyeless statues surrounding the city, each surrounded by skeletons and remains of animals, vomes, or people—some recent.
The party winds up in a part of the Citadel known as the Rainbow, home to the Rainbowlanders who do not have full trade agreements with the Citadel. The Princes keep those close to themselves. Most of the trade here is controlled by the Porcelain Princes and the Spectrum Satraps. What little trade is left goes to the Grasslanders. Since the Caravan has no goods to buy or sell here, it is irrelevant.
Woger tells the party to be ready in a week and disappears into a nearby bar. The party starts looking around to determine what they will do next.
Kel and Kel say they will be doing maintenance on their autowagon but ask Johann to let them know if he does a concert. Duman will finish repairs to the autowagon they rescued on the last leg, and Gtharsis disappears into the city. Aliya stays with Sylverse.
The party asks around, trying to find opportunities for the week. They attempt to go higher into the Citadel but are turned back. Apparently, their access only goes so far.
They do find out more about the Porcelain Princes. The Princes are “polybodied”; they have achieved immortality by spreading their essence among several bodies. When one of their polybodies dies, then they just introduce another. The bodies remain in contact via a glandular implant that shares awareness among the bodies. All of the polybodies of one “individual” wear identical ceramic masks to make it obvious who they are.
The party is intrigued and investigates this furth. They find out that the operation to provide the implant is relatively inexpensive. But, they will have to supply the new body themselves. They are told that the body must be alive. Its current “occupant” must also be “willing.” They gain the impression that that second requirement may not always be followed.
They do ask what will happen to the “original inhabitant” of the body and are told that it is stored in a crystal. Those crystals are then sold to the Spectrum Satraps, who are very happy to get them, but it is unknown what the Satraps do with them.
Johann is especially interested in this, as are a few other members of the party. They also realize that they need a lot more coin than they have to get a body. They start looking for opportunities.
Sylverse and Aliya start looking into trade-goods. They manage to quickly find a “quasi-legal” dealer willing to sell them “recreational drugs,” but the party as a whole lacks coin for a purchase. They start looking for immediate opportunities.
The search then turns to local “adventurer inns.” They find three.
The Black House is considered the premier destination in the Porcelain Citadel. There, there are experiences that can only be fully appreciated by the polybodied, such as meals that can only be enjoyed if eaten by several mouths at once. But, anyone can be served there, for a cost of 3,000 coin for a week. There are no jobs immediately available there, but getting in the good graces of the patrons could result in their receiving a polybody. While a few of the party like this idea, they still do not have enough coin to afford a week there for even one of them.
They next investigate The House of the Unbowed Cardinal, supposedly the best BBQ in the Grasslands. The owner, Ulc of Aquamarine, is the head of a Grassland cult but is also quite welcoming of outsiders and is happy to see the party. He tells them that if they spend the week here, they will probably gain enough knowledge from the Grasslanders that the party will be able to better identify edible foods, which will benefit them as they continue their journey to the Black City.
He also has a job offer for them. He gets most of his supplies from the Grasslanders and other trade goods. Those include “slaves.” Well, not exactly. They are people who have agreed to become new polybodies for the Princes in exchange for a payment to their families. But, lately, the caravans transporting them back to the Citadel have been attacked by mercenaries operating under payment from the Redlanders. He offers a contract to escort a caravan out to one of the Grassland settlements, pick up the latest “volunteers,” and safely return to the Citadel.
As a Redlander, Mortimer is a bit unhappy at this, and the rest of the party is not sure this is something they want to get involved with. The party tells Ulc that they will consider this, then proceed to the third location they have been given, a place known as “Your Life Burns Faster in this House.”
There they find a very welcoming staff, especially when they see Mortimer with them. Again, the party inquires about jobs.
They find out that “Your Life Burns Faster in this House” is the hub of Redlander revolutionary thinking in the Citadel. The Redlanders here are offended by the Porcelain Princes’ actions, especially their “slavery” of their polybodies. They are looking for ways to disrupt the glandular link between the polybodies to acquire independence for the members of the polybody.
It is also evident that everyone here is quite sharply dressed. Spending a week here will give everyone in the party an improved fashion sense.
The group inquires about possible work, and Syruss Sensible, the sharply-dressed owner, gives them an offer. He wants someone to break into a place and to break everything they find in that place. The job pays well, but they will be kicked out of the Citadel if they get caught. At best. At worst, they will become unwilling polybody donors. Are they interested?
The party discusses among themselves and decide they like the “breaking and entering and breaking” job. They start making plans.