After informing the Council that neither cabal was responsible for the hauntings, the group continues their investigation into Fortuna Redux and the mysterious death of Simon Ellsworth. A few days after the fire, they visit the apartment. The fire had begun in the kitchen and it seems the old man died of smoke inhalation in the center of the room. No ghost is detected but the room resonates as an anchor. A weak aura of charity also fills the room. While the rest of them leave, Colt visits his apartment and encounters Richard, Ellsworth's nurse. The nervous young man admits to having been bribed to leave the man unattended. But the place his mysterious employer had set up for him to live is very strange and he's too creeped out to return. He says Colt should take care of the old man's last wishes. He gives him the note he found with all the details. Unfortunately he left the man's ashes at the apartment.
The group heads to the apartment while Richard crashes at Colt's place. The building is a renovated church and is another of Fortuna Redux's properties. They quickly retrieve the ashes and then investigate the storage room that the nurse was afraid of. Inside they find human sized plaster men gestating in the walls. They get too close however and the things attack. The creatures prove hard to kill and are relentless in their assault. Eventually the mages are able to break them into their components with a mix of sword and knife blows. It is clear these things were what was used to kill Ellsworth.
Next they need to retrieve the special urn mentioned in Ellsworth's note. Using Richard's description, they determine it is in the main lobby of the Chicago Cultural Center. Using magic to speed the process, Colt and Adele retrieve the urn while Mammon and Valkyrie attempt to distract a passerby and a docent. In the end Colt's heartfelt honesty convinces the authorities to let them go. Along with the urn they also uncover a manila folder full of papers. This was Ellsworth's half of Chicago Workings, notes detailing how to set up a geomantic grid across a city, much like they had already uncovered. Working from the notes and a list Ellsworth provided, they chose a property to bury him in Engelwood. Again they convinced the owner to allow the burial using honesty.
As they continued to investigate Burgess's old company, they begin to see strange signs wherever they go. Buildings that glow or stand out, prophetic dreams of Ellsworth, and other oddities. Eventually while looking at a map they see a symbol in the creases, a symbol leading them through specific stations on the L. They take a train ride and begin to see the secret side of the city. Ley lines crisscrossing it with figures like ghosts or angels moving along them. They can see the flow of resonances as if they had Mage Sight up. And then they see Ellsworth beyond the glass. He quietly talks to them, thanking them for their help and warning them that Burgess has also created a geomantic grid and is using it to control the city. He must be stopped. He points out where Burgess's remains are and tells them they must deface his sarcophagus to defeat him.
After scouting the stark building that houses Burgess's spirit, the group decides on a plan. They send a note advertising a free dinner to the agents of the dead architect to get them out of the house. One takes the bait. They then prepare potent defensive spells and enter the building. Adele uses magic to get around the locks, while Colt and the others subdue the lone agent still within the building. Forcing their way into the basement they find a small force of plastermen there to stop them. While the others hold them off, Mammon rushes across the room and pulls free the marble slab block access to the sarcophagus . While he chips away at the stone, the others try to fight their way over. Valkyrie eventually brings a jackhammer to bear on the surface, scouring it. The plastermen and the spirit of Burgess then begin to focus their attacks on her, bringing her dangerously close to unconsciousness. Finally Adele uses her magic to crumble the stone, releasing Burgess's spirit. The House groans and then becomes silent. The plastermen crumble. Their job done, they flee before the police arrive.