Difference between revisions of "Shadows of Self"

[[Elendel]] is in a state of unrest. Food prices and unemployment are high, the people are tired of the corruption in the noble-controlled government, and working conditions for those who are employed are poor and unsafe., and Anan assassination attempt is made on the governor. [[Harmony]] talks directly to Wax through Wax's earring and asks for his help in finding [[Paalm]], a [[kandra]] who calls herself Bleeder and who is causing havoc in the city.

Wax and the gangothers go to [[Lady ZoBell's party]] to try to find her. He starts hearing her voice in his head while he wears his earring. Paalm wants to "free" the people of the city from Harmony. He chases a man playing the part of a server, but loses him in the mists. He instead walks into an ambush of [[Set]] operatives, but he gets some help from [[MeLaan]], a kandra who has been sent from Harmony to help him.

As the evening progresses, more events stoke the unrest, threatening to throw the city into complete chaos. Paalm dresses as a [[Pathism|Pathian]] priest and brutally murders a [[Church of the Survivor|Survivorist]] priest to sow religious discord. She makes an attempt on the governor’s life again, but Wax gives chase, and she escapes. He finds evidence that she’s been in the [[kandra Homeland]], so he goes there and meets [[TenSoon]]. They are both attacked by savage beasts—people transformed into an unknown [[Hemalurgy|hemalurgic]] construct. Wax figures that this was all a distraction and hurries back to try to protect the governor.

The governor is preparing to speak to the mob gathered around the mansion, and Wax realizes that the governor is really Bleeder. Wayne had already figured that out, but had gotten captured. Bleeder flees the scene and Wax catches up to her on a bridge. She removes her mask and reveals the face of Lessie. Wax shoots her with a special bullet – a bullet forged from his earring – allowing Harmony to gain control over Paalm again. She chooses to die instead and reveals that she was Lessie all along. She had been sent by Harmony to watch over Wax. Wax is furious at Harmony for making him kill her a second time, and loses what little faith he had in religion.