Escaping the assassins, and their own errors, Midnight Brunch has set sail from Allyradyl, on their way to Tabaxavoy. They thought, at first, that they had escaped to safety on the seas, but their enemies found them there as well. Despite vicious attacks on their vessel, the group and their allies eventually docked in Taabaxavoy, part of The Kormer Republic and near to their destination of Tzizitztan.

Since they were in the city where Nines’ grew up, they were, of course, going to visit his family. The exuberant conversations of the Nikolovich family were deeply entertaining to Nines’ companions and it gave insight into what made the burgeoning entertainer who he is today.

His parents love the music of his chief rival, The Voice. His siblings are a mix of chaotic tornados and chill skateboarders. The family makes musical instruments but won’t write music. Contradictions abound as they do in many families.

Tabaxavoy isn’t simply a stop for pleasantries, though. There are powerful forces using the city for their operations and Midnight Brunch needs to find where they are. Chasing down a lead brought them to a warehouse where the Grotfel family was shipping mercury out of the country.

The secret shipping of the metal was being done under heavily armed guards and the direct supervision of Glinvie. Midnight brunch did what they could to disrupt the operation, but their intervention was soon complicated by the arrival of an even more troubling group, the Tashir’anun.

Three massive galleons sailed into the Tabaxavoy fort and hundreds of Tashir’anun troops began moving through the city. They purchased supplies and arranged for massive river barges to carry them upstream. Most worrying, however, was the appearance of not only The Forge, but another high up member of the cult, a mysterious tabaxi the group had seen once before.

The tabaxi sent out a small group of tashir’anun warriors to gather specific supplies. The group observed their movements and saw them enter and leave a house in the city. Their interest piqued, the group investigated the domicile. Inside, they found a home frozen in time, with no one inside. They learned that the mysterious tabaxi is named Drovan and his young life was marred by a tragedy.

Their family was small, only two children when most have six or more. His younger sister died, and it tore the family apart. Grief stricken, his parents drifted, his own behavior became erratic and self-destructive. At some point, though, Drovan began experimenting with temporal magics, attempting to manipulate the past and future. His apparent failures drove him ever further toward more powerful spells. How he became involved in the Tashir’anun remains a mystery though.

Armed with new information and a pressing new timeline, Midnight Brunch, the Divorcés, and The Serpentous Six, along with Sol’ath and Prael, made their way upriver to Tzizitztan.