The letter arrived none to soon, for it backed up my suspicions and would make my argument to the Hammers all the more valid. I opened the door just in time to see five iron sledgehammers strike five gongs. If I hadn’t been gripping the doorknob the sound would have thrown me a good distance backward, as it was it just knocked the wind out of me, and caused my ears to ring for a good hour thereafter. Seeing me, the entire squad jolted to attention.

The middle gonger stepped forward and shouted, "Master Nightfall! We, the servants of his high eternal majesty, the Master Builder stand ready to escort the Builder’s Emissary to the Grand Cathedral, upon his Lordship’s request, the High Priest of the Order of the Hammer!" At least, that’s what I think he said, my ears will still ringing terribly. I slowly walked out the door and up the short path to the gate, not wishing to appear undignified by my dizziness. I truly wish that little worm Jossimer had gotten that gong instead of me. Where was the creep anyway? I need to fire him next time I see him. I should have known better then to let James talk me into hiring a butler.

"Yes, good," I said simply, as I opened the gate and the entire group of them broke into a very brief genuflect. "Ahem, yes," I said again closing the gate behind me, when they all had resumed standing.

"Are thee prepared to travel forth now, Master Nightfall?" He shouted. I put my hand down hard on the soldier’s shoulder. "PLEASE, good sir, you do not need to SHOUT, good sir, I am RIGHT HERE, my very, very good sir."

He looked at me with a bewildered expression.

"Let’s go," I simply said, giving up.

"Please step into the Automated Travel Unit!" he shouted.

I looked at the contraption, and my brow furrowed. "A horse-less carriage?" I said under my breath. It was a very large contraption, mostly taken up by an riveted iron cylinder, which sat upon several large wheels. Smaller cylinders were linked to the larger one by pipes, and these smaller cylinders were linked by rods to the wheels; beyond that, I could not fathom its workings. Towards the back was perched a pair of compartments. One was occupied by a trio of Hammers, and the other was mostly taken up by a large mound of coal and a small tank of water. Crammed in on one corner was a pair of seats under a small awning. The coal furnace threw off a great deal of heat, and the occasional cinder came floating back towards me from the smokestack. The Hammers operating the beast seemed to consist of a driver, in charge, and two with shovels to feed the furnace; all three were blackened by soot, drenched with sweat, and wearing the peculiar grin worn by those who truly adore their mechanical toy. Once I was aboard, after a slow and reluctant journey, the engineer moved some levers, and with a loud hissing noise the machine lumbered into motion.....

With a jolt and a shudder, the thing started to move, controlled by a Hammerite Scientist up front, who was frantically turning valves, and pulling levels back and forth. It rotated slowly in place, until we were facing the stairway down, and we proceeded forth. I knew I was in for a slow ride, seeing as the twelve soldier obviously planned on marching along side the thing. Suddenly it hit me. How did they get this thing up the stairway? How was it going to get down? I dreadfully faced the fact that I would soon find out exactly how, and I was not looking forward to the possibilities. I held on for dear life as the crate, being driven by six wheels, navigated it’s way down the winding stair, shaking like hell as the hard metal wheels struck each step, and dropped down to the next. I wondered why I hadn’t heard the thing coming up in the first place, it was making so much noise!

All the while I was wondering how I would manage to avoid being seen with these Hammers. My favor amongst the community of thieves which I served would undoubtedly decline if I was seen being paraded through The City in this great mechanical beast. Somehow I could not help but suspect that it was intentional. The Hammers wanted me to be seen with them! This automobile was a sure attention getter, and no doubt all eyes shall be on it, and it’s passenger. I needed to figure out a solution before we reached the edge of town. Something that would not raise the suspicions of the Hammers either! Oh dear was I in a tight spot. The solution was simpler then I thought. I shouted to the Hammerite Captain, who was walking beside my chair.

"Pardon me Captain! I do not wish any dust to get on my clothing!"

He nodded, and signaled the private marching behind him. The Young Hammerite quickly ran, opened a compartment on the side of the machine, and produced a large red poncho, and a pair of goggles. With a smile and a nod, I took them from him, and put them on.

***

We returned from our excursion in the south ahead of schedule, due to our need back home. We were weary but happy, having visited a number of fascinating antiquities and renewed contact with old friends. But, weary or not, a situation had developed, and soon I set to work. As always, the task had several components.

I asked Corinne to plunge into the archives. She doesn't go through them quickly - but she goes through them *thoroughly* - and thereby she picks up on scraps and threads of information that most researchers miss. She also loves working in the archives, so she went happily off to work.

Step two: Get agents on the job. After a quick conference with the watch officer, we agreed to send a scholar along on the Hammerite Crypt mission. No sense sending yet another thief, as the team was expected to have stealth aplenty; but a scholar might find information the others would miss. Hopefully the others would keep the poor lad alive. In addition, after a conference with my chief of staff, several agents were assigned to gather information on the streets, and one to try to watch this place in the woods. Set a man to catch a man....

Step three: My job. Time to immerse myself in recent reports, and see what might come of them. and then to follow those up with a bit of ancient research of my own, following up the suspicions I had mentioned earlier to Daniel.

After a day of intense work, a great deal of consumption of beans from Java, and several requests from Corinne for willow-bark tea - "These people had terrible handwriting!", she complained - we began to have the beginnings of a picture, and I wrote to Daniel. He should receive the letter within the day.

***

"Master Nightfall, even if thou had more accurate information regarding this structure and it’s occupants, thy source is discreditable at best!" The High Priest didn’t look at me when he spoke. His half closed eyes spent most of their time examining the gavel he held tightly in his left hand. He sat erect in his grand marble throne. After a short pause, he looked up at me, his sharp stare attempting to pierce and wound my icy composure.

"I ask thee, what more information and creditability dost thou need? The very hinting of a rumor that such a structure exists, without record, and without warrant, deep within these woods should be enough to call you to action to investigate." I looked at him as I spoke, mocking him with the lack of intensity in my voice. His face erupted into a grimace as he saw the nodding approval of his subordinate Hammerite Priests. He suddenly stood, looked away from the council, stroking his beard with the hand that did not clutch the gavel.

The Priest slowly turned back to face the council of priests, seated around the oval table. "Brother Masok, quickly, send five of thy fastest men to the lodge in the forest. Instruct them to search the area which the Master hast described, form a tactical report, and return here at once." He then retook his seat.

"Yes my lord." The man immediately rose and walked out the grand double doors.

The High Priest again brought his eyes to me, but spoke to his fellow Hammerites. "If this building houses, as the Master Nightfall suggests, a pagan, then we shall make an example out of it."

Suddenly one of the brother priests spoke up. "Lord, should we not employ the skills of the master thief Garrett in the investigation of this structure? If our servants are discovered investigating, then the inhabitants may flee, and we shall loose our chance to, as you say, make examples out of them."

The eyes of the High Priest narrowed. He let the brother finish, but it was obvious that he wasn’t considering the suggestion. "The name of that man is not to be spoken within these halls! Our debt to him as been paid, he is now to be considered no more then a criminal, with the penalty of death by torture on his head when apprehended!"

The brother shuffled in his chair, as if the gaze of the High Priest was injuring him. "Pardon my words, my lord."

"When our servants return with information concerning the location and fortification of this structure, we shall launch a full assault, and crush the building to it’s foundations, and slay all that reside within. It shall be a grand example to ALL who would oppose our rule that our justice is swift and merciless!

"May the Master Builder Guide us to victory!" a particularly old one shouted, a shout that was greeted by many enthusiastic agreements. The High priest then struck his gravel to the table three times, and the meeting was adjourned.

"My brothers, please allow me a moment alone to speak with the Master Nightfall in private," he said, as they stood and began to talk amongst themselves. At that, that all left promptly.

I stood and looked at him, my hands resting on the back of my chair. He just stood and looked at me, his arms folded across his chest. He was rather young for a high priest. This is of course attributed to the fact that the last high priest died rather unexpectedly last winter, no doubt a result of the torture he received at the hands of the Trickster’s minions. This man was the most worthy of the old high priest’s five apprentices, and was thus chosen by the council to lead. When I say that he was young I do not mean that he was youthful, far from it in fact. He appeared to be in his late forties, a very young ages for the leader of the entire Order of the Hammer. He was sturdy and tall, and didn’t stand with the usual crookedness one expects from a Hammerite priest. I could tell he was examining me just as I was him.

"I have only this to say to thee, Nightfall. My predecessor decided that thou art the one prophesied as the emissary of the Master Builder. Thou art the strange man who arrived at The City, having never been seen before, knowing more about our order then any outsider has ever known, right after the return and defeat of this order’s greatest enemy. All in the prophecy points to thee being the man who speaks directly to the creators, and through them, the Master Builder. However I refuse to believe that a man such as yourself, who has more in common with those damned Keepers could have anything to do with our Order. It is only out of respect to my predecessor, may his soul reside eternally by the Master Builder’s side, and this council, who seem to have undying faith in you, that I recognize you as anything more then an arrogant nobleman, who undoubtedly has countless ties to the underworld. If it were up to myself, I would have you executed immediately, mutilated, your head cast in bronze and displayed on my shelf, and your burned broken body paraded through the streets of The City, as an example to all that NONE are above the law of the Order of the Hammer!" As he stood their saying this, the tension in this face grew to a scowl, and his voice thundered.

I simply looked at him cooly, and replied, in my smug manor. "The Master Builder appreciated thy skepticism, my brother. However faith is also needed for thee to truly serve your master." I could hear the steam rising from his brow as I turned around and left the room.

I never asked to be cast in this role. It wasn’t my idea at all. They were correct about one thing, I was the emissary to the creators, but the Master Builder is no more one of the creators then the Trickster is truly Satan, as they would have everyone believe. Still, it was useful, very useful to have this kind of voice in the highest level of the most powerful organization in The City, so I wanted nothing to ruin it. The High Priest was jealous. Very, very jealous. He disliked the thought of any mortal being closer to his God then he was, and he hated me for it. It made me stay on my toes, for I was sure he would jump on every and all opportunity to destroy the image the rest of the council had of me.

After a short navigation, I made my way down to the cathedrals main hall. This place was nearly an exact reproduction of the lost cathedral in the forbidden sector, only about four times larger, and five times more mechanical. Nearly everything about this place was automated, from the shutters that opened and closed by timer, to the lanterns which lit by the press of a button, to the doors which opened automatically via pressure plate on the stone floor in front of them. The time since the death of the Trickster has been the most prosperous time in the history of this Order. New devices were being invented daily, new breakthroughs in architecture and engineering occurred at breakneck speed. The main hall of this builder, which I now walked through, was the largest continuous indoor chamber ever constructed. When the humidity was right, sometimes storm clouds formed inside the massive vaulted room structure! Things like the rib vault and flying buttress made this all possible, a creation which, I say in all honesty, even filled me with awe and wonder. The sight of the colored light pouring through the stained glass windows that flanked the center aisle created breathtaking beauty in a place normally considered to be cold, gray, and rigid. I was in an interesting position, one held by very few. I could see the Order of the Hammer from the inside, rather then having it hidden by the dark iron curtain, which was all that outsiders could see, yet was not blinded into still cold rigidness that one truly of the order, and had his mind filled with their doctrines and methodology, experienced. I pondered briefly what it would be like if I seized control of this order. Could I turn it around, reforming it to be able to appreciate the beauty of creation, reshape it onto a fair and unoppressive government, or would I too become cold and corrupted? I shook the through out of my mind as I reached the huge double doors leading to the massive walkway to Town Square.