The next day, after receiving medical attention, food, water and much-needed rest at the Mages' Guild Hall, Envoy is up after getting a night's sleep and a chance to get ready for the day.

A clean set of amber-colored robes – not the same robes that she started with, obviously, but serviceable for the time being – were kindly set out for her. The cleaning staff was diligent enough that it even cleaned up her rags (those that were not so horribly infested that they needed to be burned, that is) and mended them, and set them out for her as well, along with a battered lantern, a salvaged taper, a rolled parchment with a seal on it, a stack of parchment sheets, a stoppered ink well, and a quill.

There's also the knife, which they were so thoughtful as to find a suitable sheath for. One can't beat them for service.

After getting dressed, Envoy picks up the sealed parchment, assuming the curse to still be in place on it. There's no way she can personally deliver it now though, unless Tania can be called for. She places the message into one of the pockets of the robe, and decides to find out if there's any news from outside of Babel in yet. Before opening the door though, she goes back and picks up the knife, which also goes into a pocket. Then she leaves her room.

As soon as Envoy leaves her room, she finds a bat outside with a fairly eccentric dye-pattern – half white, half black on each side of the face, divided vertically, and her hair has the reverse pattern. She has the robes of an apprentice, and the attitude of a wannabe-journeyman, just by her looks and her pretentious trappings. Still, she shows Envoy the proper respect, bowing to the more experienced mage. "Mage Envoy," she starts, "good morning. Mage Faust would like to meet with you. Privately."

To Envoy's knowledge, Mage Faust – formerly Dean Faust of the Sphere of Spirit – is a Korv mage who operates in Rephidim. He had resigned from his deanship when the Collegia Esoterica moved to Caroban, so that he might remain in Rephidim.

Envoy blinks, then says, "Of course, please take me to him." She somehow doubts the mage wants to just say "hello".

The black and white apprentice leads Envoy through the Guild Hall, and to a double door leading into a conspicuously darkened room. Spirit Mages. Always going for the spooky ambience. The bat pushes the door open for Envoy, and a trace of white mist spills out over the floor, and the interior is only dimly lit by a few flickering candles seemingly randomly placed about the interior at different heights.

Stepping inside, Envoy waits for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. As if she hasn't been in enough dark places lately.

The door closes behind Envoy, leaving her apparently alone in the chamber. Even though there are no windows leading in – though perhaps some vents, lest the candles fill the chamber with smoke – Envoy feels a breeze that stirs the mists and the candle-flames. In the center of the chamber, a magical circle carved into the stone of the floor emits a foxfire glow, and a spectral crow rises from its center, as if through the floor, and then alights upon an unseen perch. "Please forgive the unconventional means, Mage Envoy," the spirit says with the voice of Mage Faust, "but this was the most expedient means I could find of contacting you. First, let me express my pleasure to know that you are in good health."

Envoy nods to the spectre. "Thank you, Mage Faust. Physically, I'm fine, yes, but magic is still out of my reach at this time."

"A pity," the spirit says, looking genuinely sympathetic. "My hopes go out to you that you may recover swiftly." The spectral crow lowers his head, and brings his wings together. "Now then … I am to understand that you were in contact with the entity known as 'Sunala' in the Dream Realm recently?"

"Yes," Envoy says. "Am I to assume this is about the Srinala on Rephidim? Sunala was a bit upset about her being taken against her will. So was I, actually."

"There's a great deal to be upset about all around, then," the crow says, looking quite dour now. "You will understand that this 'Srinala' was possessed by the spirit you know as 'Sunala'. We have very specific procedures for dealing with such things. We have a long-standing arrangement with Rephidim that, should such dangers arise, we are the authorities in such matters."

"It was a case of possession then?" Envoy says, almost to herself. "I'd hoped it was just part of the overall ritual. Now that the ritual is over, I assume the girl is no longer showing signs of possession."

The spirit seems to freeze in place for a moment, like a puppet whose puppeteer is not controlling it at the moment. Then, the animation resumes. "Mage Envoy … We now have the physical embodiment of a goddess of death running amok. Do you understand how serious this is?"

Envoy blinks, and asks, "What exactly do you mean by 'running amok' in this case? Sunala seemed to me to be the most reasonable of the Seven Sisters, and not prone to the capriciousness of the others."

"It is not for us to care how 'reasonable' she may seem to you, Mage Envoy," the spectral crow continues. "Perhaps you have simply become desensitized by all this exposure you have had to the Dream Realm and its denizens … but, please imagine what it is like: You are an Inquisitor for the Temple. You have filled out a warrant for the College Esoterica to allow them to apprehend a spirit-possessed individual for exorcism. And then … you later hear that Sunala, Babelite Goddess of Death, is walking around in corporeal form in Rephidim. What would you think?"

"Well, I'd probably wait for the mages to do something about it," Envoy says, frowning. "That's pretty much how they dealt with the Amaranth incident. I take it from this that Sunala wishes to stay on Rephidim? How many has she killed or … miraculously healed so far? Are they building a new temple to her or worshipping her or anything yet?"

"So far," the spectral crow says, "nothing has happened, save that she broke free from the holding cell we had her in, with the help of a Babelite priestess and a renegade former Knight Templar. Her rescuers had initially surrendered, but refused to be moved away from the subject. Considering the instability of the holding magicks, we couldn't risk a fight breaking out right there so close to the ritual's center. We were forced to humor them … but it didn't stay as peaceful as we'd hoped."

The crow continues, "When the subject awoke, she awoke as 'Sunala'. It seems that something drastic happened to the 'Dream Realm', and when that happened, rather than Sunala being wiped away, somehow her link to the subject preserved her, and she is now acting through that corporeal link."

Envoy buries her face in her hands for a moment before responding. "Well … that's … just … great." Dropping her hands again, she says, "I don't suppose you offered her a one-way ticket to Babel by any chance? I'd strongly suggest doing so if you haven't. This isn't something you want to try dealing with on Rephidim."

"What?" the spectral crow caws. "Capitulate like that? It was bad enough that we bowed to their threats to let them leave the facility! That Knight Templar threatened us, and seemed to be deluded into thinking that we were – all of us – renegades acting on our own! The nerve of that self-righteous … " The crow clamps his beak shut, and the puppet is momentarily inanimate again as the puppeteer composes himself.

"Yes, he sometimes has that affect," Envoy says wearily. "But you must agree that getting her out of the city by the most effective and least risky means is top priority. You can't endanger the population with a confrontation there."

"We'll do what we can to minimize the threat posed," the spectral crow caws, animated again, "but wherever 'Sunala' goes, no doubt we'll be held accountable for the ensuing mayhem. If you receive any communications from Sunala or from the Knight Templar known as "Shadows", report this immediately – to me, and to Caroban. Loose cannons and lone heroines will not be tolerated in this matter."

"It may be better for Caroban-Babel relations to let her come back here, really," Envoy says with a sigh. "Whomever gets the throne would have lots of support if they wanted to declare war on the College after all this, and returning a Goddess to them might be a useful gesture of goodwill. But yeah, if I hear from Sunala, I'll let you know. Not that she'd be likely to call me up for lunch or anything, I'm afraid."

The crow flaps his wings. "We have a Knight Templar in league with a Yodhsunala. At this point, I can't rule anything out. Your cooperation is greatly valued, Mage Envoy." He bows his head.

"I'll do what I can, Mage Faust," Envoy pledges, while thinking there really isn't much she can do, unless Sunala shows up while she's still in Babel.

The spectral crow nods at this, and then raises a wing. "Until we meet again." And then the spirit abruptly dissipates, melting into the mists that hang low to the floor of the dimly lit chamber.

Envoy takes a deep breath … then coughs a bit and takes another breath, before turning around to open the doors and air the room out. Why is it whenever that bird comes across a possessed girl, I end up getting in some kind of trouble from it? she wonders.