Contents
Chapter 6
Overview
Sancia visits the Scrappers in Old Ditch and learns the Candianos have changed sachets, heightening demand for forgeries. When Claudia and Giovanni test Clef, no known sigils register, leading them to suspect he is an Occidental artifact tied to recent Vialto ruins. Realizing the catastrophic stakes if a house acquires Clef, Sancia resolves to inform Sark and flee Tevanne, though Claudia warns her escape is imperiled by the waterfront fire’s fallout.
Summary
Sancia tracks down the Scrappers in Old Ditch using lantern signals and enters their hidden workshop, busy and overheated with illicit scriving. Claudia and Giovanni explain a rush: Candiano sachet protocols have changed, spiking demand from clients seeking access. Sancia haggles over faulty gear from her last job, then asks for advice rather than a copy job.
Sancia reveals Clef. Claudia and Giovanni, baffled by his unfamiliar sigils, place Clef in a scriving sieve, but the iron filings show nothing—implying Clef’s commands are in an unknown language. Concerned, they move to a private office to talk.
There, they outline the lost Occidental (hierophant) civilization—masters of scriving who once reshaped seas and mountains—and how modern houses only reverse-engineer scraps from rediscovered notes. Recent rumors of Vialto ruins have ignited a frenzy for genuine artifacts. They conclude Clef could be an Occidental tool worth a fortune and world-changing if captured by a house. Clef offers no clarification.
Shaken, Sancia decides to debrief Sark in two days and then flee Tevanne with Clef to keep him from the houses. Claudia warns escape may be impossible: Sancia’s waterfront blaze has likely made powerful enemies, and any captain will refuse her passage. The stakes escalate from a heist’s aftermath to a potential struggle over civilization-shifting technology.
Who Appears
- Sancia GradoThief seeking Scrappers’ advice; reveals Clef, learns he may be Occidental, decides to warn Sark and flee Tevanne.
- ClaudiaScrapper scriver; tests Clef, explains hierophants and Vialto finds, urges caution, warns Sancia about the waterfront fallout.
- GiovanniVeteran Scrapper; runs the sieve test, shares history of scriving and stakes, negotiates over faulty gear.
- ClefTalking key; unreadable by Scrapper tools, suggesting an unknown scriving language and possible Occidental origin.