"Yes. Though the Shadows work to destroy the order of things, the Creator has laid bindings and bindings upon them to keep them in check. The struggle continues, but I have faith in Him."

"Is there potentially a way to defeat them completely?"

"Yes, potentially. The Creator has been working towards that goal for many centuries, but it is a great undertaking even for Him."

"How can I help make that happen?"

"Drive back the Shadows. Prevent their subversion of the Law. The more the Creator is distracted by battle, the less time he has for the greater plan."

"So exactly what I was going to do anyway. Okay. Works for me."

"I am glad to hear our goals are aligned in this way."

She smiles.

"Was there anything else you wished to ask before you left?"

"Yeah, lots. What are the different levels of shadows like?"

"They become more cunning the more powerful they are: minions are dull and pettily cruel; masters are intelligent and determinedly malevolent. The other shadows are somewhere on a continuum between the two."

"How powerful are masters, and how powerful are minions?"

"Minions are barely even threats to you. If you ever encounter a Master, you will know, and you will run if you have any sense."

".... Yes, I understand that, but what does that translate to? Do they casually warp reality around them? Do minds snap into jelly upon seeing them? Do they sing the most annoying songs that get stuck in your head for ages?"

"Masters are able to deflect even powerful spells with their natural resistance to magic: they are similarly proof against all but the most powerful mundane weapons. Should they be wounded, they regenerate extremely quickly.

They use magic to invade the minds of others and otherwise gather intelligence, have extremely destructive offensive spells, and are often extremely mobile as well. Their greatest power, however, is the ability to call up new shadows from human bones. No Master is ever encountered alone."

"You mentioned that I'd attract a Master's attention after about five years, and I'd need allies then. This implies that they can be killed, and that I'll need to. So... how do I kill one?"

"By the concentrated effort of a group of Majokko or other powerful allies, a Master's guards can be cut down. Then the Master's defenses and regeneration can be worn down by concentrated fire. It is most important to have a group in order to keep the Master confined to a small area, so that it cannot attack bystanders for additional bones to conjure more guards with."

"How large of a group of Majokko could reliably take down a Master and their retinue?"

"I would estimate at least five would be necessary to have any chance, and twenty or more would be needed to make it reliable."

Nod. "And how often are people abducted, and how often do they choose to become Majokko?"

"Reasonably commonly: my intelligence is not perfect, but I would expect a dozen or so each month. Of those, perhaps a fifth or a sixth become Majokko. So perhaps two candidates each month across the whole of the city, the majority of whom will die before you have a chance to find them. So one candidate every two months. Six candidates per year, five years - you will barely be able to assemble a force in time, even if you find all the candidates available to you."

"And keep them alive, which I doubt's going to be a cakewalk, and I bet doing something like this will attract a Master's attention early - I'll need more than Majokko, I think. Which cards are most suited for fighting the shadows? From best equipped to least, please."

"Majokko. Kukla. Fianna. Lilim. Cambiare."

"Empress, Hermit, Chariot, Hanged Man, Fool," murmurs Blair, matching them to their cards to stick them in his mind properly. He nods, after. "And how does the Cambiare's allies rank, from strongest to least?"

"Only the occultist is even vaguely competent in these things, unless the Cambiare has gained artifacts of power through their fate."

Nod. "But Cambiare would probably be good for infrastructure, gathering supplies and intelligence and the like," he muses. "Right. Okay. Do the Masters have personalities? Politics, maybe?"

"I believe so, yes. But it is difficult to know of their actual personalities."