User/Human
<codex>
<character id="4412" name="Aurora Carter" aliases="Rory, Laila, Aurora, Carter, Malphora" pronouns="she/her" species="Human" storyRole="Protagonist">
<eyeColor>bright blue</eyeColor>
<hair>straight shoulder-length black</hair>
<height>5'6"</height>
<age>25</age>
<scar>small crescent-shaped scar on her left wrist from a childhood accident</scar>
<description>Aurora, referred to by her friends as Rory, is cool-headed, intelligent, and known for quick out-of-the-box thinking.</description>
<backstory>Born in Cardiff to an Irish barrister father (Brendan Carter) and Welsh teacher mother (Jennifer Carter née Ellis), Rory reluctantly pursued Pre-Law at Cardiff University. She fled to London at the behest of her childhood friend Eva after leaving an abusive ex named Evan. By day, Rory works part-time as a delivery person for Yu-Fei Cheung's Golden Empress restaurant. She lives in a flat above Silas' bar.</backstory>
</character>
<character id="4413" name="Silas Blackwood" aliases="Silas, Si, the Spymaster" pronouns="he/him" species="Human" storyRole="Mentor">
<eyeColor>hazel</eyeColor>
<hair>grey-streaked auburn</hair>
<height>6'1"</height>
<age>58</age>
<beard>neatly trimmed, matching his grey-streaked auburn hair</beard>
<limp>slight limp in his left leg from an old knee injury</limp>
<signetRing>silver signet ring, always worn on his right hand</signetRing>
<description>Silas is a retired intelligence operative turned bar owner. He carries himself with quiet authority.</description>
<backstory>Former MI6 field agent who retired after a botched operation in Prague left him with a permanent knee injury. He opened "The Raven's Nest" bar in Soho as a front for his network of contacts.</backstory>
</character>
<character id="4414" name="Eva Kowalski" aliases="Eva, Evie" pronouns="she/her" species="Human" storyRole="Best Friend">
<eyeColor>green</eyeColor>
<hair>curly red</hair>
<height>5'4"</height>
<age>26</age>
<glasses>round glasses</glasses>
<satchel>worn leather satchel full of books</satchel>
<freckles>freckled complexion</freckles>
<nervousHabit>tucking hair behind her left ear</nervousHabit>
<description>Aurora's childhood friend and an occult researcher.</description>
<backstory>Moved to London two years before Aurora and works as a research assistant at the British Museum's restricted archives. She holds a master's degree in Ancient History from Oxford.</backstory>
</character>
<character id="4415" name="Lucien Moreau" aliases="Lucien, Luc, the Frenchman" pronouns="he/him" species="Half-Demon" storyRole="Ally">
<eyeColor>heterochromatic — one amber, one black</eyeColor>
<hair>slicked-back platinum blond</hair>
<height>5'11"</height>
<age>32</age>
<cane>ivory-handled cane that conceals a thin blade</cane>
<dress>tailored charcoal suits</dress>
<description>An impeccably dressed fixer and information broker in London's supernatural underworld. He speaks four languages fluently.</description>
<backstory>Born in Marseille to a human mother and a demon father from the realm of Avaros.</backstory>
</character>
<character id="4416" name="Detective Harlow Quinn" aliases="Quinn, Detective Quinn, Harlow" pronouns="she/her" species="Human" storyRole="Antagonist">
<eyeColor>brown</eyeColor>
<hair>closely cropped salt-and-pepper</hair>
<height>5'9"</height>
<age>41</age>
<jawline>sharp jaw</jawline>
<watch>worn leather watch on her left wrist</watch>
<bearing>military precision</bearing>
<description>A Metropolitan Police detective with 18 years of decorated service who suspects the clique is involved in criminal activity.</description>
<backstory>She lost her partner, DS Morris, during a case three years ago under unexplained circumstances that had supernatural origins she doesn't yet understand.</backstory>
</character>
<character id="4417" name="Tomás Herrera" aliases="Tommy, Tomás, Herrera" pronouns="he/him" species="Human" storyRole="Support">
<eyeColor>warm brown</eyeColor>
<hair>short curly dark brown</hair>
<height>5'10"</height>
<age>29</age>
<skinTone>olive skin</skinTone>
<scar>scar running along his left forearm from a knife attack</scar>
<medallion>Saint Christopher medallion around his neck</medallion>
<birthplace>Seville, Spain</birthplace>
<description>A former paramedic who provides off-the-books medical care for the clique.</description>
<backstory>Born in Seville, Spain. He moved to London to work for the NHS but lost his license after administering unauthorized treatments to supernatural patients.</backstory>
</character>
<character id="4418" name="Nyx" aliases="Nyx, the Shadow, Nightwhisper" pronouns="they/them" species="Shade" storyRole="Wild Card">
<eyeColor>faintly glowing violet</eyeColor>
<height>approximately 6'2" in solid form</height>
<age>ageless</age>
<form>humanoid silhouette of living shadow, can shift between solid and incorporeal</form>
<voice>sounds like a whisper carried on the wind</voice>
<description>A being of living shadow, existing between the mortal plane and the spaces between realms.</description>
<backstory>Nyx was once a human sorcerer named Aldric who became trapped between realms during a failed summoning ritual in 1643. They now exist as a Shade, bound to the mortal plane but able to slip between shadows.</backstory>
</character>
<character id="4419" name="Margaret "Maggie" Whitmore" aliases="Maggie, Mags, Mrs Whitmore" pronouns="she/her" species="Human" storyRole="Support">
<eyeColor>sharp grey</eyeColor>
<hair>silver-white, worn in a neat bun</hair>
<height>5'2"</height>
<age>72</age>
<glasses>wire-rimmed spectacles</glasses>
<walkingStick>blackthorn walking stick</walkingStick>
<build>slight, frail appearance but fierce wit</build>
<description>A retired librarian turned unofficial consultant for the clique on historical and occult matters.</description>
<backstory>Former head librarian at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. She retired to London. She is a widow; her late husband was a Warden.</backstory>
</character>
<character id="4420" name="Kai Nakamura" aliases="Kai, Sparks" pronouns="he/him" species="Human" storyRole="Support">
<eyeColor>dark brown</eyeColor>
<hair>dyed electric-blue in an undercut</hair>
<height>5'7"</height>
<age>22</age>
<headphones>noise-cancelling headphones, always worn around his neck</headphones>
<wristTattoo>small circuit board tattoo on the inside of his right wrist</wristTattoo>
<build>lean</build>
<description>A Japanese-British self-taught tech prodigy who provides the clique with surveillance tools and digital forensics.</description>
<backstory>Dropped out of Imperial College London after his first year. He lives in a converted shipping container in Hackney Wick.</backstory>
</character>
<character id="4421" name="Yasmin Al-Rashid" aliases="Yas, Yasmin" pronouns="she/her" species="Djinn-blooded" storyRole="Ally">
<eyeColor>amber</eyeColor>
<hair>long wavy dark</hair>
<height>5'8"</height>
<age>34</age>
<skinTone>bronze skin</skinTone>
<tattoo>flame serpent tattoo coiling up her left arm</tattoo>
<scent>faintly of sandalwood and burnt sage</scent>
<description>An alchemist who runs a discreet apothecary in Brixton, selling both mundane herbal remedies and supernatural tinctures.</description>
<backstory>Descended from a line of Djinn-touched humans from Marrakech. Trained by her grandmother.</backstory>
</character>
<character id="4422" name="Father Cormac O'Brien" aliases="Cormac, Father O'Brien, the Priest" pronouns="he/him" species="Human" storyRole="Support">
<eyeColor>pale blue</eyeColor>
<hair>thinning ginger</hair>
<height>5'8"</height>
<age>55</age>
<complexion>ruddy</complexion>
<rosary>rosary made of rowan wood beads</rosary>
<collar>clerical collar, worn at all times</collar>
<description>An Irish Catholic priest assigned to St. Brigid's parish in Islington who secretly assists the clique with blessings and wards.</description>
<backstory>He witnessed a demonic incursion at his seminary in Cork twenty years ago that the Church covered up.</backstory>
</character>
<character id="4423" name="Zhou Wei-Lin" aliases="Wei-Lin, Zhou" pronouns="he/him" species="Human" storyRole="Informant">
<eyeColor>dark brown</eyeColor>
<hair>shaved head</hair>
<height>5'9"</height>
<age>48</age>
<build>muscular</build>
<tattoo>dragon tattoo covering his entire back</tattoo>
<missingFinger>missing the tip of his left little finger</missingFinger>
<description>A former Triad enforcer turned noodle shop owner who trades information with Silas.</description>
<backstory>Retired from organized crime after a near-death experience involving a Hel portal in Hong Kong. He now runs "Zhou's Golden Dragon" in Chinatown.</backstory>
</character>
<character id="4424" name="Isolde Varga" aliases="Isolde, the Seer" pronouns="she/her" species="Half-Fae" storyRole="Oracle">
<eyeColor>pale lavender</eyeColor>
<hair>silver, reaching her waist</hair>
<height>5'5"</height>
<age>300 years old</age>
<appearance>ethereal, ageless</appearance>
<speech>speaks in riddles</speech>
<footprints>leaves no footprints when she walks</footprints>
<compulsion>cannot lie (Fae compulsion) but can mislead</compulsion>
<description>A Half-Fae seer exiled from the Fae Courts for sharing visions with mortals.</description>
<backstory>She now lives in a hidden grove in Richmond Park, offering cryptic prophecies to those who seek her out.</backstory>
</character>
<location id="853" name="Dymas (Gluttony)" aliases="Dymas, gluttony, Dymasian" realm="Hel" sin="Gluttony">
<ruler>Prince Belphegor</ruler>
<skyColor>warm amber</skyColor>
<description>A place of excess and indulgence. Sprawling vineyards, orchards, and gardens provide exotic ingredients for master chefs — often helbound souls contracted from Earth. Grand feasts and culinary competitions are common.</description>
</location>
<location id="854" name="The Raven's Nest" aliases="the Nest, Raven, Silas' bar" realm="Earth">
<signColor>distinctive green neon sign above the entrance</signColor>
<secretRoom>hidden back room accessible through a bookshelf, used for clandestine meetings</secretRoom>
<description>A dimly lit bar in Soho, London. The walls are covered with old maps and black-and-white photographs.</description>
</location>
<location id="855" name="Avaros (Greed)" aliases="Avaros, greed, Avarosi" realm="Hel" sin="Greed">
<ruler>Prince Mammon</ruler>
<skyColor>sickly gold</skyColor>
<description>A landscape of towering vaults and endless treasure halls. The streets are paved with fool's gold and the air smells of copper. Mortals who enter often become obsessed with hoarding.</description>
</location>
<location id="856" name="The Veil Market" aliases="Veil Market, the Market, underground market" realm="Earth">
<currentLocation>abandoned Tube station beneath Camden</currentLocation>
<entryRequirement>bone token</entryRequirement>
<schedule>moves locations every full moon</schedule>
<description>A hidden supernatural black market that sells enchanted goods, banned alchemical substances, and information.</description>
</location>
<location id="857" name="Irath (Wrath)" aliases="Irath, wrath, Irathi" realm="Hel" sin="Wrath">
<ruler>Prince Abaddon</ruler>
<skyColor>permanent bruised red</skyColor>
<description>A volcanic wasteland of perpetual war. Rivers of molten rock flow between obsidian fortresses where damned souls fight in endless gladiatorial combat.</description>
</location>
<location id="858" name="Eva's Flat" aliases="Eva's place, the flat on Brick Lane" realm="Earth">
<cat>tabby cat named Ptolemy</cat>
<security>three deadbolts on the front door</security>
<description>A cramped one-bedroom flat above a curry house on Brick Lane, East London. Every surface is covered with books, scrolls, and research notes.</description>
</location>
<location id="859" name="Somnia (Sloth)" aliases="Somnia, sloth, Somnian" realm="Hel" sin="Sloth">
<ruler>Prince Asmodeus</ruler>
<atmosphere>faintly sweet, narcotic smell</atmosphere>
<description>An endless twilight landscape of fog-shrouded meadows and crumbling mansions. Inhabitants gradually lose all motivation and ambition, sinking into eternal lethargy.</description>
</location>
<location id="860" name="Yasmin's Apothecary" aliases="the Apothecary, Yas's shop" realm="Earth">
<password>moonrise (required for back room access)</password>
<frontStock>herbal teas and aromatherapy oils</frontStock>
<backStock>supernatural potions, binding salts, and alchemical reagents</backStock>
<description>A narrow shop on a side street in Brixton with a mundane front and a hidden supernatural back room.</description>
</location>
<location id="861" name="The Fae Grove" aliases="Isolde's grove, Richmond grove, the Grove" realm="Earth (Fae-touched)">
<parkLocation>Richmond Park</parkLocation>
<standingStones>ancient oak standing stones mark the boundary</standingStones>
<timeBehavior>time moves differently — an hour inside can be minutes or days outside</timeBehavior>
<flora>wildflowers bloom year-round</flora>
<description>A hidden clearing that exists in a pocket between Earth and the Fae realm.</description>
</location>
<location id="862" name="Luxuria (Lust)" aliases="Luxuria, lust, Luxurian" realm="Hel" sin="Lust">
<ruler>Prince Lilith</ruler>
<skyColor>deep twilight purple</skyColor>
<description>A hauntingly beautiful realm of moonlit gardens, mirrored halls, and enchanting music. Visitors become entranced by illusions of their deepest desires.</description>
</location>
<item id="2001" name="Heartstone Pendant" aliases="the pendant, Heartstone" type="Artifact" origin="Dymas">
<gemstoneColor>deep crimson</gemstoneColor>
<chainMaterial>silver chain</chainMaterial>
<size>roughly the size of a thumbnail</size>
<behavior>pulses faintly with warmth when near a Hel portal</behavior>
<glow>faint inner glow</glow>
<description>Given to Aurora by an unknown benefactor.</description>
</item>
<item id="2002" name="The Ledger of Debts" aliases="the Ledger, Debt Book" type="Cursed Object" origin="Avaros">
<pageMaterial>thin beaten copper</pageMaterial>
<binding>iron-bound</binding>
<inkColor>dark red ink that appears on its own</inkColor>
<power>whoever possesses it can call in debts owed to them</power>
<description>A thick ledger that records every supernatural debt owed.</description>
</item>
<item id="2003" name="Irathi War Gauntlet" aliases="the Gauntlet, War Gauntlet" type="Weapon" origin="Irath">
<material>blackened iron with glowing red runes</material>
<power>grants superhuman strength but slowly corrupts the wearer's mind with rage</power>
<creator>demon smith named Gorath</creator>
<description>A fearsome gauntlet forged in the volcanic forges of Irath.</description>
</item>
<item id="2004" name="Veil Compass" aliases="the Compass, shadow compass" type="Tool" origin="The Veil Market">
<casingMaterial>small brass compass</casingMaterial>
<faceMarkings>face etched with protective sigils</faceMarkings>
<needle>points toward the nearest supernatural rift or portal</needle>
<patina>casing has a patina of verdigris</patina>
<creator>crafted by a Shade artisan</creator>
<description>A compass attuned to supernatural energy.</description>
</item>
<item id="2005" name="Somnian Dream Dust" aliases="Dream Dust, Somnia dust, sleeping powder" type="Consumable" origin="Somnia">
<color>fine silver powder</color>
<containerColor>stored in small cobalt-blue glass vials</containerColor>
<sealMaterial>sealed with black wax</sealMaterial>
<effect>induces a deep trance for navigating memories and dreamscapes</effect>
<sideEffect>overuse causes permanent drowsiness</sideEffect>
<description>A narcotic powder harvested from the twilight meadows of Somnia.</description>
</item>
<item id="2006" name="Fae-Forged Blade" aliases="the Fae blade, Isolde's gift" type="Weapon" origin="The Fae Courts">
<material>moonsilver</material>
<shape>slender, leaf-shaped dagger</shape>
<temperature>always cold to the touch</temperature>
<glow>faintly luminescent in moonlight</glow>
<power>can cut through magical wards; particularly effective against demons</power>
<givenTo>given to Aurora by Isolde as a gift</givenTo>
<description>A weapon of the Fae Courts, rare and highly coveted.</description>
</item>
<lore id="7001" name="The Veil" aliases="the Veil, the Barrier, the Boundary" category="Cosmology">
<solsticeEffect>weakens during the winter solstice, strengthens during the summer solstice</solsticeEffect>
<appearance>faint shimmering distortion visible only to those with supernatural sight</appearance>
<monitoring>rift points (tears in the Veil) are monitored by the Wardens</monitoring>
<description>The Veil is the metaphysical barrier separating Earth from Hel and the Fae Realms.</description>
</lore>
<lore id="7002" name="The Covenant of Separation" aliases="the Covenant, Separation Covenant" category="Law">
<signedYear>1215</signedYear>
<signatories>rulers of Hel, the Fae Courts, and a council of human sorcerers</signatories>
<enforcement>violations allow the Wardens to use lethal force</enforcement>
<physicalForm>inscribed on seven stone tablets, each held by a different Warden chapter worldwide</physicalForm>
<description>An ancient treaty that forbids direct demonic or Fae interference on Earth.</description>
</lore>
<lore id="7003" name="Rift Points" aliases="rifts, tears, Veil tears" category="Cosmology">
<peakActivity>most active during the winter solstice</peakActivity>
<formation>tend to form near underground water sources</formation>
<emission>emit a low hum inaudible to normal humans but detectable by supernatural beings and Warden instruments</emission>
<description>Naturally occurring weak spots in the Veil where the barrier between Earth and other realms is thin enough to cross.</description>
</lore>
<lore id="7004" name="Helbound Souls" aliases="helbound, contracted souls, soul contracts" category="Metaphysics">
<sealingMethod>sealed by blood and recorded in that Prince's domain</sealingMethod>
<retention>retain their skills and personality but are compelled to serve</retention>
<freedom>can only be freed if the contract is physically destroyed within the realm where it was signed</freedom>
<description>Mortals who have entered into a binding contract with a Hel Prince.</description>
</lore>
<lore id="7005" name="Shade Transformation" aliases="Shade ritual, becoming a Shade" category="Metaphysics">
<requirement>being caught between realms during a failed summoning or portal collapse</requirement>
<physicalLoss>strips the subject of their physical body permanently</physicalLoss>
<lostSenses>lose ability to taste, smell, or feel physical sensations</lostSenses>
<reversibility>irreversible</reversibility>
<description>The process by which a living being becomes a Shade.</description>
</lore>
<group id="6001" name="The Wardens of the Veil" aliases="the Wardens, Veil Wardens" type="Order" alignment="Lawful Neutral" headquarters="Westminster Catacombs, London">
<foundingYear>1215</foundingYear>
<identificationMark>small iron pin in the shape of a closed eye</identificationMark>
<mission>maintaining the Veil between Earth and Hel, monitoring rift activity, neutralizing supernatural threats, enforcing the Covenant of Separation</mission>
<description>An ancient order dedicated to guarding the boundary between worlds. They view the clique with suspicion.</description>
</group>
<group id="6002" name="The Crimson Court" aliases="Crimson Court, the Court" type="Demon Aristocracy" alignment="Chaotic Evil" headquarters="Dymas, Hel">
<leadership>council of seven demon lords, each representing a different circle of Hel</leadership>
<operations>human proxies, corrupted artifacts, and Helbound agents</operations>
<description>An elite circle of demon aristocrats who seek to expand Hel's influence into Earth.</description>
</group>
<group id="6003" name="The Somnian Cult" aliases="Somnians, the Sleepers, Dream Cult" type="Cult" alignment="Neutral Evil" headquarters="Somnia, Hel">
<master>Prince Asmodeus</master>
<recruitmentMethod>promises of peace and freedom from suffering</recruitmentMethod>
<lure>distribute Dream Dust</lure>
<description>A cult of mortals who willingly entered Somnia seeking eternal rest. They recruit new members on Earth.</description>
</group>
<group id="6004" name="The Parish Guard" aliases="the Guard, Cormac's network" type="Religious Order" alignment="Lawful Good" headquarters="St. Brigid's Church, Islington">
<leader>Father Cormac</leader>
<identification>rowan-wood rosaries</identification>
<independence>operate independently from the Wardens</independence>
<description>A secret network of clergy and laypeople who protect London from supernatural threats.</description>
</group>
<group id="6005" name="Golden Empress Restaurant" aliases="Golden Empress, Yu-Fei's place" type="Business (Front)" alignment="Neutral" headquarters="Chinatown, London">
<owner>Yu-Fei Cheung</owner>
<role>neutral meeting ground for supernatural factions</role>
<employee>Aurora works here part-time as a delivery person</employee>
<description>A Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown. Yu-Fei knows about the supernatural world but stays strictly neutral.</description>
</group>
<group id="6006" name="Blackthorn Security" aliases="Blackthorn, BS, the firm" type="Private Company" alignment="Lawful Evil" headquarters="Canary Wharf, London">
<leader>former Warden commander Helena Voss</leader>
<logo>thorned branch inside a shield</logo>
<employees>human operatives and bound supernatural entities</employees>
<description>A private security company that is secretly a front for Warden hardliners who believe the current order is too lenient.</description>
</group>
</codex>
<text>
The Fae Grove in Hyde Park shimmered in the dying October light. The ancient elm standing stones hummed with a resonance that Isolde felt in her bones — or whatever passed for bones in her three-hundred-year-old Half-Fae body. She stood at the center of the circle, her waist-length silver hair stirring in a breeze that didn't exist outside the boundary. Her pale blue eyes, unblinking, settled on the group that had gathered at her summons.
Aurora arrived first, the Fae-Forged Blade warm at her hip. She'd strapped it there that morning, its familiar warmth a comfort against the chill. Eva was beside her, clutching her leather satchel with both hands, her curly red hair escaping from under a wool hat. Her square glasses kept fogging in the grove's strange microclimate.
"The Crimson Court stirs," Isolde intoned, her bare feet leaving clear prints in the soft earth as she paced the circle. "Their servants spread Dream Dust through the city — stored in little red glass vials, sealed with white wax. The Somnian Cult grows bolder. Their master, Prince Lilith, demands more dreamers for her garden of sleeping souls."
Father Cormac crossed himself, his dark brown eyes troubled beneath his thinning ginger hair. He gripped his cedar rosary beads tightly. "The Parish Guard has seen it too. We intercepted a shipment near our cathedral in Southwark last week. The Covenant of Separation — the old treaty from 1066 — forbids this kind of direct interference."
"The Covenant is paper," Lucien drawled, leaning on his mahogany cane. Both his amber eyes were fixed on Isolde with a calculating expression. "Mammon breaks it daily in Avaros. And my father—" he paused, adjusting the cuff of his charcoal suit, "—he says the Crimson Court's base of operations has shifted from Dymas to Irath."
Yasmin uncorked a small vial and sniffed its contents, her amber eyes narrowing. "This isn't pure Dream Dust. Someone's cutting it with binding salts — probably from a supplier, not my shop. I'd recognize my own stock." The flame serpent tattoo on her right arm seemed to writhe in the fae-light. "Whatever this is, it's designed to create dependency, not just induce trances."
Wei-Lin, leaning against one of the standing stones with his arms folded, grunted in agreement. The edge of the dragon tattoo on his chest was visible above his collar. "I've heard whispers in Chinatown. Someone's been buying Fae-Forged Blades from the Veil Market — bronze daggers, they say, that can cut through wards. The market's moved to an abandoned station under Shoreditch for this lunar cycle."
"Camden," Kai corrected from behind his laptop screen, his natural black hair falling into his face. "The market's under Camden this month. I tracked the bone-token transactions." He tapped a key. "Also, Blackthorn Security has been mobilizing. Helena Voss pulled six operatives out of their Canary Wharf office yesterday. Their logo — the sword inside a circle — was flagged on CCTV near three rift points."
Maggie rapped her oak walking stick against a stone. "Voss is a zealot. If the Wardens' official stance is neutrality, Blackthorn is their id — all the aggression the order won't publicly endorse." Her keen green eyes swept the group. "We need to be strategic. The Wardens were founded in 1066 to maintain order, not wage war, but Blackthorn doesn't share that restraint."
Tomás, who had been quietly checking medical supplies in his bag, looked up. His scarred right forearm brushed the zipper as he closed it. "I treated a Helbound soul last week. She'd escaped from a contract signed in Avaros — said Prince Belphegor's agents are kidnapping humans and forcing contracts on them. She managed to destroy her contract document while still in Avaros, which broke the bond." His Madrid accent thickened with agitation. "But she said others aren't so lucky."
Nyx materialized from the shadow of a standing stone, their glowing blue eyes cutting through the twilight. "The mortal speaks truth," they whispered, their voice like wind through dead leaves. "I walked the shadow paths last night. The rifts are multiplying. Three new ones opened near underground water sources — consistent with what we know." They paused. "There is something else. A rift beneath Blackfriars is behaving strangely. It pulses in a rhythm — almost like a heartbeat."
Rory felt the Heartstone Pendant pulse in her pocket, as if in response. She pulled it out — the golden chain tangled in her fingers, the crimson stone glowing brighter than she'd ever seen. "It's reacting to something."
Isolde stepped forward, her pale blue eyes widening. "The Heartstone was forged in Avaros. It resonates with Hel's heartbeat — the deeper rhythms of the underworld. If a rift is pulsing in sync..." She trailed off, her ageless face unreadable.
"Then something is trying to come through," Eva finished, her green eyes wide behind her glasses. "Something big enough to synchronize with a rift point."
Silas, who had been standing silently at the edge of the grove, spoke at last. His hazel eyes were grave. "I've seen this before. Prague, 1987. A rift synchronized with an artifact and blew open a gateway that took twelve Wardens to close. Three of them didn't make it." He rubbed his left knee — the old injury from that very operation. "If this is the same phenomenon, we have days. Maybe less."
"Then we move tonight," Rory said, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her ribs. She looked around the circle — at her friends, her allies, her makeshift family. "Kai, I need everything you can find on that Blackfriars rift. Eva, cross-reference with the restricted archive. Lucien, reach out to your contacts in Hel — find out what the Court is planning. Tomás, prep medical kits for a rift encounter. Father Cormac, alert the Parish Guard. Nyx — shadow the rift. Don't let anything through."
She gripped the Fae-Forged Blade. It was warm in her hand, almost eager. "We end this before the solstice."
The group dispersed into the London evening. Above them, unseen, the Veil shimmered — thin as gossamer, and getting thinner by the hour.
</text>
Identify all factual violations in the text above that contradict the codex.