Dancer shifts her gaze to look at Flamefeather, and smiles. "Eager to go, I see. Good, good! I am pleased to inform each of you that you have now been accepted as probationary members of the Chamber Platinum! If you fulfill your preliminary duties satisfactorily, you will be confirmed as full members.

"Now then, as for your first duties..." Dancer pauses, and a frown crosses her face, as if she had just smelled something unpleasant, or heard unwelcome news. She clasps her hands in front of her and bows her head for a moment in thought, then begins to pace (an action which strikes you as unusual behavior for her). When she turns back to face the newly-pledged members of the Chamber Platinum, all traces of merriment are gone from her features.

"There are things that it would be best if you didn’t know," she begins, then stops, frowns, and begins again.

"What I mean is, there are things that it would be best if I did not tell you." Again she stops. She clasps her hands in front of her and stares at them intently for a moment as she laces and unlaces the fingers. After a moment she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and lets it out in a long sigh.

"What I REALLY mean is that there are things that I would rather not tell you. Truth is sometimes difficult to share with Outsiders and Strangers. But you are members of the Chamber Platinum now. You have taken the oath and struck the chime. As members of that organization you are entitled to the trust of all members of the Library staff."
 

Dancer look each of them in the eye, though it is clear that this time it is more difficult for her to do so. "As members of the Chamber Platinum, you have my trust and my respect. I shall hold nothing back from you. But in return, I would request that you repeat none of this to anyone, most especially here in Roundwander. My reasons for this will become evident in a moment."

"A little more than a year ago, an item of great importance was stolen from the Library, Everway, and Roundwander. The Everway Tarot was taken from the chambers of the Chief Librarian by his son, River Walker, and has disappeared from the Sphere. The Everway Tarot was the original tarot deck, supposedly drawn by the Walker himself, and the images on its cards are those upon which the images of all the lesser tarot decks of Roundwander are based. It has been used for generations by the ruling families of Everway to help predict the kingdom’s future needs and thus maintain its prosperity.

"Though we have tried for the last year to locate River Walker and the Everway Tarot, we have encountered little success. Lesser tarot decks seem almost impotent when used to predict the location of the Everway Tarot. It is only through multiple readings by numerous prognosticians at various times that we have finally managed to formulate a plan of action. It might interest you to know that each of you was selected for induction into the Chamber Platinum because multiple readings indicated that you were well-suited for locating either River Walker or the Tarot itself.

"Needless to say, the disappearance of the Everway Tarot must be kept a secret. Leaving aside for the moment the embarrassment that it would cause to the Library, if such information became general knowledge it would damage Everway’s economy by reducing trade and lowering the trust of the people for their government.

"Though we have yet to locate either River Walker or the Tarot, we believe that he must have had outside help to accomplish his theft. Most likely this assistance was of an illicit nature. This belief has led to the idea for your preliminary service to the Library. As your preliminary service you are to go to Strangerside and infiltrate the Mask family operations there. They are known to have ties to many of the illegal dealings that go on in Everway, and it is believed that if River Walker had assistance in his theft that at least some of it came from or was supplied by the Mask family. We need to know what they did, and what they know about where River Walker and the Tarot have gone.

"Naturally you will not actually be able to join the Mask family itself. Fortunately, the Masks employ a number of Strangers and Outsiders in their businesses in Strangerside. I would think that would be the best way to make contact with them. Once you do, you are on your own. It will be up to your own ingenuity and creativity to get the Library the information it needs. Success in this task will gain you full membership in the Chamber Platinum.

"I am sure that you all have many questions regarding this matter, but it is customary for new members of the Chamber Platinum to be given some time to discuss their task among themselves. When you feel ready, strike the chime with one of your scrolls and I shall return."

With that, Dancer leaves the room.

Waterspider turns and looks into the room, "The Librarian’s idea is as good a place to start as any. Has anyone been to the Masks before?"

He walks over to the refreshments and says, "I suggest everyone eats their fill. When you spherewalk you never know where your next meal is going to come from- or in what form." With that he heaps a plate full of vegetables and fruit, walks back to the window and starts to eat.

"So we must don masks of our own in order to gain knowledge from those of the Masks. Nothing will be as it seems. Fortunately, the world of things that are not as they appear is the world in which I live." Corvus covers his hands with his eyes. "Unfortunately, we must find a man who knows we are coming. We must be invisible to a thing that can see all." When he drags his hands off his face; his eye sockets are empty. "It seems the only way to do this is to be not as we appear. We must be disguised even to the far-seeing Fates." He opens his hands, and on his palms two ghost-like eyes look up at his face. "I can see that this is going to be tricky." He slaps his sockets with his palms, takes his hands away, blinks his restored eyes several times, and looks up. "Does anyone have any ideas?"