Adornment is another Exceptional Story offering from Harry Tuffs. The main throughline I see with most (possibly all) of Tuff's stories is that he works on multiple layers. Queen of the Elephants follows a group of thieves performing strange heists, but it also implies that the forces at play are just reflections of an ongoing conflict in the dreamlands. Tauroktonos follows a professor trying to investigate a Mithraic temple who instead gets drawn into a desperate quest that takes on aspects of a Tauroctony, a Mithraic rite. In that way, Adornment is something that I haven't fully wrapped my head around.

The story kicks off with an earthquake revealed to be caused by mining operations from Mr Stones. The ES is firmly situated in the near aftermath of Mr Chimes Grand Clearing-Out, and both the other Masters and the people of London are very cross with further risks to the city's stability. You quickly get drawn into a bizarre plot against Mr Stones, and have some opportunities to support or hinder the plans before everything goes off the rails and all the main characters are trapped in a mine collapse. Things continue to get worse until an eventual rescue.

The first part of the story mostly works to lay out expectations for the plot (many of which are overturned) and to introduce the characters in more normal circumstances. The second half applies risk and pressure to all of them and sees what shakes out. And the common thing you learn about each character in these interactions reflects their faith.

Plotting against Stones is the Superstitious Smuggler, who has a highly accurate name. Their superstitions are apparent in all their actions including their scheming. They want to hide a cursed diamond (almost certainly the Hope Diamond) in the Master's possession, believing the diamond will kill it. The other new character is Mica, an unfinished, Quaker, Clay Man who follows his faith's beliefs in pacifism and self-sacrifice.

Finally there's Mr Stones itself. Mr Stones, despite feeling like the focus character, is one of the reasons I don't feel like I've fully got a handle on what this story is about. Mr Stones either doesn't believe in anything but material, temporal power, or else does worship, while also despising, the Judgements. Both seem to lead in the same direction. It wants as much money and power as possible because that's all it respects. You get to see a few glimpses of Mr Stones mind, and it feels like having a better grasp of what it thinks would be the key to unlocking the rest of the story.

The climax seems to be adding more twists on these characters that I don't fully understand. And I realize that makes it seem like there's a problem with the story, or I didn't like it, but that's just not true. It's great. It fleshes out one of the Masters, even if it will probably make you like it less, and it delivers some very interesting characters and ideas, as well as being well written. It also feels like it's building up to something long term, since Mr Stones seems incapable of actually learning from it's mistakes, and continues to behave aggressively in Codename: Sugarplum soon after.