There are no atheists in foxholes, so to speak. Thunderpeak was totally buying Iver’s anti-mystic propaganda earlier today, but now that he’s had to confront the reality of his own da’s death, he’s singing a different tune. Note he doesn’t beg GD to bring his father back, unlike some others we could mention…he can accept that Bonecrusher is gone, but not the uncertainty about Bonecrusher’s afterlife.

It is amazing how well Gravedust handles this situation. This is the role his people know him for performing—guiding and communicating with the spirits of the dead. And thanks to recent sacrifices, he can no longer do that the way they expect him to. You’d think that would give him pause! Instead, he doesn’t miss a goddamn beat, and his heartfelt eulogy and farewell to his friend are inseparable from his words to inspire the living. He is finally starting to look like the leader he needs to become to achieve his aims. And he ties this chapter’s two major plot threads together, to boot.

FB: You’re never too old to enjoy some Guilded Age action! Or too dead!