While dreaming, Rota reaches out to Adele and asks her to retrieve the Codex of Spectral Evolution, a book stolen by the Three Daggers when they murdered him 20 years ago. The book contains his notes on Ascension and several potent spells. He warns her that the book is guarded by the Epicurean Grimoire, an old ghost who knows how to summon death spirits. After collecting a description and handwriting samples, she sets out to find the book.
Adele discusses the search with Valkyrie and Mammon. Little is known about the Three Daggers, except that they were Guardians of the Veil based in Chinatown. More helpful is the knowledge that the book passed from them to a bookstore on the North Side called Cobbler's Books. Mammon voices his worries about bringing a haunted book to the sanctum but has to agree the danger is better here than among unsuspecting Sleepers. He looks into the past of the bookstore and learns of its tragic history. Both the original owner and most of his family died after the book pass to them. Several were killed in a fire that ravaged the store. The store is now owned by a former employee.
Forewarned they then proceed to visit the store. Valkyrie and Mammon case the place, spying the charred memories of the building in Shadow and a suspicious death spirit in the shape of a crow. Once assured there isn't anything dangerous or supernatural in the area, Adele talks to owner, explaining that she is looking for a book. Valkyrie meanwhile finds a book for Evan called 'How to Train Your Dragon'. Merlin scurries off and searches on his own. The owner is reluctant to help and explains that the book is cursed, describing the tale of bloodshed it has left in its wake. He sold it about 10 years ago and was happy to see it go. Merlin meanwhile returns and reports on what the records say. The book was sold to an Eliza Torrin who also ran afoul of the curse.
Investigating Eliza Torrin, they find she was a wealthy socialite who died mysteriously 5 years ago when she fell through a 10th story plate glass window. Further investigation reveals that she bequeathed her wealth and books to her grandson Thomas Torrin. Tom, a notorious gambler, was murdered by the mob a few days later.
With the trail suddenly going cold, they hurry to the cemetery to summon Thomas Torrin's ghost. At the old graveyard they encounter more of the death spirit crows and a ley line of death leading out of the graveyard. They also find the Torrin family plot, with most of the graves dating to the turn of the century. Eliza's is dated 1889-1998. While Valkyrie investigate where the ley line leads, the others interrogate the ghost. They learned he had sold the books to a bookstore called the Black Quill to pay off his gambling debts. After letting him go and collecting Valkyrie (who had found a larger ley line filled with decay leading south), they leave to find the Black Quill.
Before visiting, they investigate the Black Quill's history. It is an occult bookstore nestled in a 3 story Victorian house near the University of Illinois-Chicago, dating back to the Roaring Twenties. Upon visiting they find it to be shielded by magic, with fate magic and temporal shielding over the building. The owner must be a skilled occultist, though not Awakened. The ghost of a gangster guards Twilight with a tommy gun and numerous cat spirits prowled Shadow. The staff, Sleeper college students, are shielded mentally. Lurking in the rare book section, the old man named Mr. Pritchett is found with an aura of sticks and a resonance of artifice and theft. While he is distracted helping Valkyrie find some books on dragons, Adele following Merlin's comments on secret compartments enters a secret room behind a wall of books.
In the secret chamber, Adele finds several occult tomes, magic items, and a spirit of a large cat guarding in Twilight. After chatting with Guardian Cat, she realized the codex isn't there. She does however learn that the spirit belongs to the true owner and that person is likely a shapeshifter, perhaps a werecat like Miguel. After exiting she is accosted by Mr. Pritchett, but manages to bluff her way out of trouble. Her leads running out, she admits to wanting the book. Unfortunately a rich Italian man going by the name of Stregheria Giovanni has already placed a deposit for the book. Unable to outbid him, Adele leaves. Mammon meanwhile buys several interesting books of his own and leaves his contact information for Mr. Giovanni as someone interested in the book.
After a little more research, they learn that the bookstore might have been prodded into selling the codex due to an incident at their storage facility. After discovering the night staff had died from poisoned takeout a few weeks ago, it seems clear the book was stored there and not at the bookstore itself. Adele calls Miguel, hoping he might know something about the owner of the Black Quill. Miguel admits that the owner Diana Coal was a relation, one of the first werecats in Chicago. He agrees to set up a meeting with her.
Mammon meanwhile is called by Strega, who wants a chat with him. Meeting over lunch, he has Valkyrie join him, watching from a nearby coffee shop. Mammon quickly surmises that Strega is a mage, an Apostate Moros from New York. He is also a member of the mob and clearly dangerous. Meanwhile outside, Valkyrie spots several of Strega's goons, including an Arabic man with the patchy aura of a ghost. Strega makes an effort to work with Mammon, seeking not to run afoul of Awakened politics. He is however serious about getting that book and he does not consider it merely a matter of money.
The next night, Miguel calls and sets up a meeting at the local diner. There they find the enigmatic Diana Coal, a seeming ageless woman who knows far more than they about Chicago's occult underground. She offers them the book in exchange for helping control the ghost inside it until she can extract its secrets. Miguel is also very curious about the book's magics. Adele agrees to help her, though there is some discussion on way to Engels house about the dangers of allowing shapeshifters to have access to their sanctum.
At the sanctum, they take the codex into the basement Demense. There the Epicurean Grimoire emerges. A ghastly almost mummified figure, it has no regrets about the deaths and is only concerned with finding more books to read. Placated with the cabal's library, the group can finally review the book. After making arrangements with Diana for visiting the sanctum, they break up for the evening. Diana promises to deal with Strega but they are sure this was not the last of their dealings with him.