We met Brahm on the outskirts of Bastion in one of the old neighborhoods abandoned from the effects of the cataclysm. We knew the luminaries were coming and it was only a matter of time so we secured ourselves how we could. Xoreos went to bait them away and give us more time. Magnus set up some defenses in the area. Brahm took to a tower and pulled out his rifle. I changed some settings on my pack to alter the natural leylines in the area, dampening magic around us.

We saw the golem first charging towards Brahm's position. It must have been 12 feet tall at least. The skirmish ensued and it was over almost as quickly as it began. Brahm fired some shots at it. Someone destroyed its antimagic eye with an arrow. I missed my first shot at it with my pistol, underestimating its speed, but managed to pull its arm off target when it tried to fire a beam at Brahm. The other two knights surrounded and attacked as well. Xoreos got hurt badly and I think Brok got caught up in a rope. I nearly got crushed by some barrels. Seeing our damage affecting the golem I rushed behind it, pried open a panel on its back and fired my pistol in there to seize its internal machinery

With the golem taken down the knights seemed less inclined to risk their lives over Brahm's book. One went off after being rebuffed that the book would not be returned until Brahm finished transcribing the ritual he wanted to test. The other knight stayed and expressed his admiration for what our guild has managed to accomplish with the theft from the Luminaries' library, destruction of the golem, but ultimately the gumption to impose our will on the wrongs in Bastion. He (I think his name was Labyrinthian) mentioned he had also attempted the ritual Brahm was trying to do and it did not deliver what he expected. Brahm wants to use it in conjunction with the aetherforge the old capital to bring his wife back.

I approached Brahm after Labyrinthian left and mentioned that I was working on a similar project maybe from the opposite side, trying to explore how different extraplanar entities move through the planes and are affected by them. I showed him the book I had stolen from the Luminaries library for my own research and offered to help in anyway I could. He seems set on returning to the old capital and making use of the powers of the bloom to finish his project. It seems incredibly dangerous and risky to me and I expressed as much. I want to go the slow, methodical route of recreating the science and magic of the old kingdom through hard work and experimentation. He said he doesn't have anything to lose with such risks. I told him I thought he did, but that was his business.

I left with a new respect for him. I hope I can be of help, both to his research and also his own peace of mind.

Brahm teleported Church and Xoreos into a luminaries building with some kind of potent arcana from a nearby rooftop. We made our way down to the sewers to use those to stay out of sight and make our way to the library. Found Bloom in the sewers, so covered up and tried to move quickly through it towards where we knew the library was relative to where we started. As we rounded the corner to the ladder leading up, a chitin rat and horde of smaller ones were in our way. Church tethered the big one with his pistol and pulled it off balance giving an opening to Xoreos to attack. As Xoreos attacked the big one, the horde swarmed Church and began biting at his ankles. Church focused on stomping on the critters trying to get them off while Xoreos 1v1ed the big chitin rat. Xoreos got thrown around by the chitin rat, but a roar from him scared off some of the rats allowing Church to finish stomping out the horde. Just as Church was about to assist in tangling up the big chitin rat again with his pistol, it jammed and Xoreos was thrown down again. Xoreos, being the stubborn fighter dug deep despite looking really bad and tore the chitin rat apart single handedly.

The party continued up the ladder into a storage room where Church took a minute to repair his pistol before they continued. They found the doors to the library locked. Church pulled out some tools and unlocked it lickety split pocketing a mold for the key to the library for future use. They began exploring the library getting the organization figured out. Some of the books were flying around and Xoreos made an attempt to catch one, but hurt himself in the process. Church found the book Brahm needed and pocketed it before taking a look around and finding a book for his own use on arcaneering/artificing and extraplanar entities. Hopefully, this will give him some help in improving his arcana. As they were leaving the library they encountered a young clerk walking in. Church mentioned they were doing a quick errand for the eccentric Dr. Bevin and cautioned the clerk to be careful in there. The books were in an especially bad mood. The clerk understood and let them go but kept an eye on them so the party had to find a window to climb out down an abandoned hallway.

Once outside, Xoreos lead them through the darkness to an outer fence that got them back into greater Bastion. Xoreos hurried back to the inn to rest while Church delivered the book to Brahm reporting the events of the mission.