I am amused by the attitude of these people of Jakal
Uku towards antiques and the possessions of any
deceased person generally. Childishly, they absolutely
do not wish to possess such objects and have no desire
for them. I once noted a wonderful pugal (a carved
low sitting table) left in an abandoned hut. 'What a
fine piece of the woodcarver's art!' I exclaimed to my
local friend. 'Why is it thrown aside?'
'I would not touch it,' he answered. 'I would think
of the persons who sat at it before me and whether
their lives were happy and if they are happy now
watching me sit where they once did.'
Narrative of a Shipwreck and Captivity
within a Mythical Land
Saeng[]
Old Man Moon explains to Saeng what service he requires before he will heal her brother: she must add to his already-extensive tattoos. The Moon, his patron, was recently damaged in an 'accident'; the new tattoos will help heal this. She does so, finding it unexpectedly draining. She asks him about the impending catastrophe that the leopard-god has mentioned; he points west where the light of one of the unearthly jade Visitors is shining and suggests it might be to do with that.
In the morning Moon and Ripan have disappeared. So has their house, leaving a tiny spirit house in its place. But Hanu has recovered, and they continue their journey through the jungle.
Thaumaturg Army[]
Progress becomes even slower for the Thaumaturg army. Their heavy supply wagons cope badly with the soft ground, and men continue to be lost to the jungle; the jungle's essence, Himatan, recognises them as foreign to it. One night they are attacked by swarms of poisonous biting insects. Golan demands that the Disavowed mages repel the swarms; one does, summoning an immensely powerful wind which blows them away but also flattens the camp
The Adwami[]
Warleader and the Adwami tribes arrive at the Thaumaturg southern capital, Isana Pura. Most of the troops take control of the main part of the city while Warleader and his mercenaries, commanded in theory by Jatal and Andanii, storm the central Thaumaturg precincts where most of the treasures are likely to be found. However when they do so they find it deserted with most of the inhabitants dead or dying; they have been overcome by Shaduwam priests of Agon who have secretly accompanied the Adwani. They are the Thaumaturg mages' brothers and opposites, and long-term rivals.
Against Jatal's advice Warleader and the tribal leaders decide to continue on to the capital, Anditi Pura.