Shadows in the Smoke S1E12 - "As They Breathed Their Last"

Shadows in the Smoke S1E12 – “As They Breathed Their Last”

Kim
Shadows in the Smoke is intended for mature audiences, and may contain material that some people find disturbing. Please see the episode description for content warnings, and listen with care.

[Shadows in the Smoke theme]

Kim
So at the very end of last week’s episode I kind of hijacked the beginning of the Day Phase because, T, you had the realization that you wanted to talk to Mr. Harlowe about the occult, and I realized that was a perfect intro for the Threat that I had always planned to introduce today…

The Spider Silk Seamstress.

[Harpsichord]

Kim
Among academics, Sir Richard Harlowe was a well-regarded, if eccentric, scholar of folklore—known for his vivid storytelling and far-fetched theories. To Hargrave House, he was a trusted friend whose expertise in Fae lore and magic proved invaluable on numerous occasions. The discovery of his sudden death comes as a shock—even moreso, the manner of his passing. Sir Harlowe’s body was found at his desk, strangely hollowed and preserved, wrapped head to toe in delicate silver thread. What’s more, he was set to present a summary of his life’s work at the Blue Feather Society, a private salon where curious minds explore the more esoteric subjects not discussed in formal institutions. Sir Harlowe was convinced that creatures of the Fae realm, or “the Other Crowd,” had infiltrated London, and he supposedly had new evidence to support his theory.

Ms. Abigail Walker, chair of the Blue Feather Society, reveals that Sir Harlowe had been courting Hazel Beaumont, a mysterious seamstress whose magnificent fashion designs—and, apparently her company—have proved irresistible to a number of London’s artistic and academic elite. Each of her other suitors have also vanished, though no bodies have turned up.

I now get to pose a question to the hunter with the highest Sensitivity, which I know to be Mr. Lloyd. And I’m operating under the assumption that Mr. John, you saw this and probably immediately ran back to Hargrave House to report the scene that you found. Mr. Lloyd, Hargrave House is familiar enough with fae magic to recognize its manifestations in the manner of Sir Harlowe’s death. How do you know that Ms. Beaumont is no human, but a dangerous fae creature in disguise?

Robert
So the cocoon that Richard Harlowe was wrapped in might just look like plain spider silk at a first glance. But as you get close to it, you notice the threads are woven together to create patterns, as if it were damask or brocade. And if you get even closer, you notice that he treads actually go into Harlowe’ skin and embroider little silver fern patterns all over him.

Kim
There are three Questions associated with The Spider Silk Seamstress. Answering any of them will give you the opportunity to resolve the Threat. The first Question is, “How is the creature ensnaring her victims?” This is a Complexity 4. You resolve the Threat by allowing a hunter to be lured by the seamstress as bait, then capturing or destroying her.

The next Question is, “What is the creature’s true name?” This is a Complexity 6. You resolve the Threat by learning the creature’s true name, gaining power over her and dismantling the binding rituals that sustain her in the human realm. This is when I tell you that fae names can take many forms. Ask the players if it is a fleeting series of images, a song or poem, a word unknown to human tongues, or something else.

The last Question is, “What does the creature truly want?” This is Complexity 8. Resolve the Threat by striking a bargain with the creature, in accordance with fae customs. Ask the hunter what that bargain is, or choose from the following: The hunters declare who is under their protection, even suggesting alternative targets, and allow the seamstress to continue her work. The hunters establish a fae embassy, helping fae integrate with human society. The creature will not kill other humans, so long as she is not threatened. Or, the hunters assist the creature in a ritual that opens a passage back to the fae realm. She will depart, as long as one of the group goes with her. Narrate an epilogue where that hunter retires.

So long as the agreement with Ms. Beaumont is kept, whatever agreement you all decide upon, Hargrave House has access to the custom move Draw The Veil.

When you invoke the powers of the fae realm in order to obscure the true nature of a person, object, or situation, roll with Presence. On a 10+, your deception goes unnoticed. Roll with advantage when acting to maintain it. On a 7 to 9, as above, but an unknown fae entity takes interest in your actions. And on a miss, you unknowingly violate an obscure aspect of fae etiquette. Take the Condition: Trespasser until you make amends.

T.
You get us with these custom moves, Kim. You know we’re so tempted by the custom moves.

Kim
[Laughs] I know…

Natalia
I can’t not go for a custom move, is the thing.

Kim
The Spider Silk Seamstress also has a unique mask associated with it. This is called the Mask of Glamour.

We are at max capacity as far as Threats go. Just as a reminder, we have the Demon of Kilburn Abbey, the Creature of Cremorne Gardens, and the brand new Spider Silk Seamstress. As far as Conditions go, Mr. John you are Drained and Not The Leader. Miss Douglas, you are still feeling very Defiant. Miss Thanero, you are Shaken. And Mr. Lloyd, you are full up on Conditions. You still have the Condition: “Some People Are Beyond Saving,” the Condition: Conspicuous, and A Voice In Your Head. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about clearing that particular one until you resolve The Demon of Kilburn Abbey.

The Day Phase is yours, hunters. I imagine it was quite the rude awakening today, as Mr. John announced what it is he had found…

[A fireplace rumbles, birds sing]

Mr. John (T.)
Dick! Dick’s been drained! Everybody, they drained Dick!

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Mr. John I know this is your usual way of waking all of us up, but it’s to much and it’s too early. I’m sorry your dick has been drained.

Mr. John (T.)
Not my dick. Our Dick. Harlowe.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Oh, Richard…

Mr. John (T.)
The occultist. Our best clue to solving this demon threat that’s been plaguing us these past few weeks.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Did you drain him this morning, is that wat you’re saying?

Mr. John (T.)
No, of course not girl. No. It’s a spider.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Spiders?

Mr. John (T.)
Look, I might be grasping at straws here, but… I didn’t know how much of the supernatural I put stock in. Granted, I’ve rubbed elbows with some things that I would consider divine. I’m not trying to belittle what it is you do, Rabbit. And I know what you are, Miss Douglas. It’s just… I was brought up believing in smoke and mirrors, and now… There’s threads, sticky threads all over, and Dick Harlowe was wrapped up, cocoon-like. Whatever it was took his eyes, his tongue. And if that doesn’t smack of the supernatural, I don’t know what does. I don’t know. Doesn’t sound like any spider I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen some spiders, but… I got a close look at his face. And every place a thread was hit, almost like a doily and a tea party, embroidered all fancy-like.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Definitely sounds like it might be worth checking out.

Mr. John (T.)
I’ve got my hands full with this demon girl. Something about it is chewing at me, and I wanna see that buried… if you’ll pardon the expression… before I move on to anything else. But you have at it. Dick was a good friend of mine, and I’d like to see him brought to justice if at all possible.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Well, you’re not the only one who’s run into a few spiders in their time. I’ve got a little bit of experience with the things what creep and crawl.

Mr. John (T.)
I’ll leave this one to you then, Little Miss Muffet.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I don’t plan on going back to Cremorne Gardens until tonight, so I’m happy to tag along Rabbit, if you’d like some company.

Mr. John (T.)
Actually if it’s all the same to you, Miss Douglas, I could use your expertise on something. If you wouldn’t mind accompanying me.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
That’s okay. Yeah.

Cassandra
At this point, Ena just now walks out of her bedroom. She’s dressed already, but her eyes are dim and her skin is kind of waxen. She actually does have a look of being tired, because she is so shaken from the dream that she walked through with Greco and with Maesie.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Did I hear something about a spider?

Mr. John (T.)
Miss Thanero. Uh… Yeah, I, uh… First inkling I got of it, I thought – of course, we at Hargrave House know a master of the occult. I should plum his brain for what he might know about the strangeness that we’ve been tackling. But when I got there, I found him all done up like a fly in a web.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Interesting…

Mr. John (T.)
I did some digging around, and found something called the Blue Feather Society. He was supposed to be giving a big presentation at? In his notes, he had something about “the Other Crowd.” He had something he wanted to display to them. Might be a good lead to start on. And you know, far be it from me to insinuate anything about ladies of a certain type and the men they pursue, but… Dick Harlowe weren’t no looker. Last I saw him, he was real excited about some lady he’d been seeing. I rifled through his things, and I found her calling card. A Hazel Beaumont.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I know that name.

Kim
You would know that name, Miss Thanero. Just recently, she has been making the local papers for her very avant-garde couture garments. In fact, she has moved into the storefront on Saville Row that was abandoned by Vittorio Clemenza.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Yes, she’s making quite the splash in the London fashion scene. I think at some point I can go over to her new shop and do some looking around, but… I do have a previous engagement that I must attend to this morning.

Mr. John (T.)
Excellent. Well if you like, boss, I’d be happy to accompany you there. Ma’am, I mean.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
If you’d like. It will be grisly business.

Mr. John (T.)
Oh, I meant to Saville Row.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Ah.

Mr. John (T.)
Whatever you got to do today, grisly or not, it’s your business, and… you know, grizzly… they’re a big business. Traditionally. The bears.

Cassandra
I think she just gently, like, taps him on the shoulder.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Thank you, Mr. John. We can connect later.

T.
He brings his hands up and touches your hand as well.

Cassandra
And she immediately pulls it away.

T.
And he twitches his hand and scratches at his arm, like hew as just going for an inch.

Natalia
Maesie pipes up from the back.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Mr. John, I thought you and I were doing things. I agreed to go with you. Why are you now going with Ena?

Mr. John (T.)
No, exactly. Today. Yeah. Yeah, that’s what I meant. I mean to say Ill accompany Miss Thanero for her protection after she handles her… and If I could implore you to provide… Um, I’m gonna take the air. I’m still a little rattled from my discovery this morning. If you’ll pardon me. Ladies. Rabbit.

Cassandra
I think Ena just looks at him. She doesn’t want to, like, get his goat over it, but she is the last person that he needs to protect.

Kim
Alright. So where are we off to today?

T.
I’d really like to ask Maesie for dancing lessons.

Kim
[Gasps]

T.
So I was thinking about going back to Cremorne Gardens, cause I know there’s a dancing pavilion there.

Kim
Yeah.

Natalia
That’s so cute.

T.
And I have a history with Cremorne gardens, so I think I’d know about that place.

Kim
Miss Thanero and Mr. Lloyd, what are we thinking? Either together or separately.

Cassandra
I’d like to go by myself to Pentonville Prison.

Kim
Are you engaging in your vice there, Miss Thanero?

Robert
In that case, Rabbit will go off by himself to Richard Harlowe’s study and investigate that scene.

Kim
[Chuckling] Robert not doing a vulnerable scene with full Conditions. You’re living very dangerously, aaaaaaand I love it.

Alright. Let’s kick off with Mr. John and Miss Douglas.

[Birdsong]

T.
John’s waiting outside on the front porch, just trying to clear his head and get through that embarrassment.

Natalia
Maesie pulls up next to Mr. John, dressed in like a little blouse and some checkered trousers.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Alright. Where’d you want to go?

Mr. John (T.)
Well I know you were planning to return to Cremorne Gardens later this evening, but… I used to work there, and I know a spot, and uh… You know, given the nature of who you are, uh.. If you don’t mind me beating around the bush about it, I have something that I could really use your help with. If you wouldn’t mind just following me.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
This is incredibly secretive and weird, but alright.

Mr. John (T.)
Well, the nature of our work is, Miss Douglas.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Well I know, but I figured maybe, like… When we’re talking to each other, we could be a little bit… that’s the whole purpose of Hargrave House, is it not?

T.
John glances at the door.

Mr. John (T.)
Alright, fine. I’ve always admired that you’re about as blunt as a hakapik anyway. Fact of the matter is I’ve taken interest in someone, and this person is, um… Well, a gift, a grace in a way that I lack. And… [Sighs] Well, damn it all to hell. Girl, will you teach me how to dance?

Natalia
Maesie’s eyes are the largest you’ve ever seen them.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Do you want… You want to dance… Let’s go dance. We’re gonna go dance. We’re gonna go dance! [Quietly] Sorry.

Mr. John (T.)
Keep it down. Keep it down. We’re supposed to be…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Sorry.

Mr. John (T.)
Not to mention the fact that we’re supposed to be investigating this threat.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
We’re going to do investigations into Cremorne Gardens and it is very responsible and I am… I… We are all doing our jobs. [Whispered] Am I… Is it good?

Mr. John (T.)
Yeah.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Do they believe it?

Mr. John (T.)
I think they are thrown completely off the scent.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Okay, great.

Natalia
Maesie takes off running and is like…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Come on, let’s go!

Mr. John (T.)
Alright, let’s make waves.

Kim
[Laughs]

T.
And I… [Laughs] Kind of getting caught up in her playful antics, like have to start to run to keep up with her.

Kim
Miss Thanero, tell me where you’re off to today.

Cassandra
Today I am off to Pentonville Prison, a newer prison – it was built in the 1840s. And it employs a very unique form of punishment, called the Separate System. So each person who is imprisoned here is held in a large open room, but they’re in their own compartments and they are not allowed to speak. They are required to be completely silent, so it leads to a lot of mental health issues and suicide attempts. So Ena is on her way there to hopefully find some folks who have attempted to end their life.

Kim
I’m hesitant to ask what you’re wearing today.

Cassandra
I… [Chuckles nervously] I kept the fit check a little simpler. Today she’s wearing an outfit of deep violet silk. It’s pleated. It gives the illusion of being a skirt, but it is actually pants. We have a little bit more of the black organza. Today for sleeves, wearing black short wristlet leather gloves. And on her lapel is a gorgon’s eye brooch. And her shoes are a little simpler today, and she wears a black veil – like a lace veil over her face. So you can still see her face through it, but it’s a little bit masked.

Kim
Into the carriage you go.

Let’s pick up with Mr. Lloyd. Arriving at the study of Sir Richard Harlowe. The door has been forced open – thank you, Mr. John.

[Unsettling chimes and ambient tones]

Kim
As you enter, you see the silver thread everywhere. But behind it, there are books and papers stacked from floor to ceiling. And a nest of threads surrounding a mahogany writing desk. You see a dusty cabinet of curiosities, containing artifacts from a lifetime of study and travel. Were you to peek in the wardrobe, you would see a simple array of plain tweed suits. A bed, rarely slept in.

I have a Paint the Scene for you all, here. Sir Harlowe was clearly obsessed with his work. What signs indicate he had uncovered new proof of his theories concerning The Other Crowd?

T.
I think he’s got a classic cork board with pins in it. But instead of portraits of high-ranking criminal officials or anything, there are passages of fairy tales and folklore that have been ripped out and underlined, and then put up as if they were mugshots. Including, of course, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Cassandra
I’m going to take that a step further and say that there is one exceptionally well-worn copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream on the desk. And while there are pages missing, each page has just writing, anywhere that there is blank space on the paper.

Robert
There’s a series of photo plates of what look like fairly normal people. But in all of the cases, the eyes are pure black, as though whatever light was bouncing off of or shining out of their eyes could not be captured on silver.

Natalia
And in this collection of notes on the cork board, there is a collection of newspaper clippings of disappearances, along with hand-drawn likenesses of the locations where ach of these disappearances occurred. And all of them seemingly have a circle on the ground.

Kim
Mr. Lloyd, what are you doing here?

Robert
Rabbit is looking around the room with an eye that is a little more trained to the intricacies of The Other Crowd. And in doing so, Rabbit pulls his little knife out of his vest and goes over to where the body is and starts peeling the layers of silk back, very delicately. Seeing the embroidered skin that I had mentioned earlier in the description of it, Rabbit is now convinced that he is looking for something fae. And so just starts going around the room to try and figure out who or what it was that did this to Richard Harlowe.

Kim
Alright, this sounds like an Information Move. Let me take a look at your Conditions… I hate to make “Some People Are Beyond Saving” still apparent here, but I think it is. Especially considering the hollowed body of Richard Harlowe. So this will be at disadvantage.

Robert
In that case, Rabbit grabs a small carpet bag that we’ve probably seen him with several times. It’s the sort of innocuous, you know, could be anywhere, could be anyone’s shabby carrying case. And from it, he pulls out a handful of iron spikes that were used in building a church. This is my Witch’s Cupboard that I am pulling something out of. So I’m marking one of my boxes off that. And specifically what he’s going to do is see if the fae reaction to iron is effective at all while looking for things.

Kim
Go ahead and mark a use of your Witch’s Cupboard. You have four uses left. And make this at a flat roll. So 2d6 plus your Reason, please.

Robert
[Rolls dice] That is a nine. I’m actually going to use a Mask of the Past, here. Bump that up toa 10+. This is the first whiff of anything fae-related that Rabbit has run into since working for Hargrave House, and he’s pursuing it full hog. So… yeah, I’m going to use that Mask of the Past.

Kim
I would like to go to Cremorne Gardens, please. To the Dancing Platform.

[Gentle birdsong, waves lapping]

Kim
Mr. John, you would know that Cremorne Gardens boasts the largest dancing platform that currently exists in London. It can hold up to 4,000 people at once.

T.
Oh my god.

Kim
And even now, in the late morning, it is packed with people. You see hundreds of lanterns above this platform. Of course, not lit currently. But you imagine that it would be quite the beautiful glowing sight at night.

[A jaunty string quartet]

Kim
And there is a dancefloor scuffed by thousands of shoes, as couples raucously dance and a band plays. The sounds echoing through this large pagoda.

I have a Paint the Scene, here. A sense of wild abandon, of an unshackling of the social constraints of the day, hangs in the air here. What do you see or otherwise perceive that indicates this?

Natalia
Where children are normally expected to be very formally dressed and kept quiet and demure, here on the dancing platform the children are allowed to run wild and have fun, and spin with each other in ways that are not in anyway synchronized with the music. But just to be free, and to be children.

T.
There is flagrant drug and alcohol use. People are making no effort to obscure pinches of snuff nor sniffs of cocaine. There’s sips of alcohol straight from the bottle, rather than decanting it into a glass. And in addition to the hedonistic imbibing and libations, I think there’s an overwhelming presence of drag. People really doll up and let loose here. And I think there’s drag and the earliest stages of ballroom happening here.

Cassandra
I think in one of the corners, we see strung over the railing kind of haphazardly, several pairs of women’s stockings and shoes at the base. And if you look around, you see a large circle of girls dancing barefoot, with wild abandon.

Robert
Building off of that, there are actually several piles of shoes outside the edge where people have sort of taken off their shoes to dance a jig or a reel. You know, feel the timbers under their feet. And its’ a variety of shoes, from the sort of like threadbare, falling apart, cloth shoes that barely are there, to the nicest leather heels.

Mr. John (T.)
I apologize in advance.

T.
John says, removing his own shoes.

Mr. John (T.)
I’m gonna be treading on you a little bit. I don’t have much skill in this.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Oh that is alright, because everybody learns at some point.

Natalia
Maesie is also taking off her shoes.

Mr. John (T.)
I, uh… picked this locale because there’s always people around here. And I feel like there’s a kind of special privacy with crowds. You can disappear without feeling like you’re disappearing, and… Allows you to be private in a way that’s not private. I hope you take my meaning.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Oh of course, yeah. Being in a crowd is absolutely… there’s no one looking specifically at you.

Mr. John (T.)
Told you I admire your bluntness earlier. Um… I just put my hands like so?

Natalia
Maesie goes into full, like, teaching mode. And is just like propping up joints as like…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Put your hand here, and put your… And then bend your elbow in this way, and then… Yes, you should be doing this. No, put your feet the other way.

Natalia
And just creates this picture of John in like perfect masculine, like ready to lead. And is like…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Right. So that is what you’d do if you were leading. Except that you’re not leading, because you don’t know how to do this. So I’m going to lead.

Mr. John (T.)
Yeah. I ain’t much of a leader. I don’t know how any person could feel masculine like that anyway. I feel exposed. My kidneys are asking for a knife in them.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Well that’s exactly what dancing is, it’s a trust that you put in someone else, and you just have a good time. There is no knives in dancing!

Mr. John (T.)
Well, there’s no trust in a good time for me. You ever been in love, Miss Douglas?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Uh… Yeah. I have.

Mr. John (T.)
Oh, sorry.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
It’s alright. So as I was saying, you put your arm right here, and…

Natalia
The bravado that Maesie had like a second ago vanishes. And she becomes a lot smaller in her energy. And goes…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Actually it’s, um… It’s probably best if I just teach you how to lead. Um… So if you just put your hand here…

Natalia
And she poses the two of them up, and says…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
So this is your basic stance. Um… If you’d like to learn the polka, that’s one of my favorites.

Mr. John (T.)
Uh, I didn’t mean to tread on more than just your foot. I take it by your reaction then that the lady or the fella was a three-color fool and let you go?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Um… It wasn’t really their fault, so it’s alright.

Mr. Jonn (T.)
Oh. Well yeah, I should know a lass as free as you can’t be wedded down.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Something like that.

Mr. John (T.)
And here I thought this would be one conversation I wouldn’t be blundering the moment I started opening my mouth. You’ll have to forgive me. I got no skill in matters of the heart, and apparently neither in matters of the tongue.

Miss Doulgas (Natalia)
It’s… It’s really alright. Um… It was a long time ago, and it, uh… doesn’t matter now. So… What matters is helping you with your bosom friend, whoever that might be. It’s not me, right?

Mr. John (T.)
Oh gods, no! No. No, no, no.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Okay. Alright. No. Just… I just wanted to be clear. You’re lovely. You’re great.

Mr. John (T.)
Darling, I’m old enough to be your father, and wise enough to know better than to try and parent you. No, I asked you cause I know… Well, you’re talented at this sort of thing. And the lady that I got a ken to… Hell, I don’t even know. As I said, I ain’t got much by the way of matters of the heart. I don’t know if I’m doing it proper, if I’m feeling it.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Well, do you know if she likes to dance?

Mr. John (T.)
I think she does. She tends to frequent the kind of events where dancing happens, so… Whether or not she does, it would make for a prime opportunity tog et close to her, like.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Then this is the perfect first step for you.

Mr. John (T.)
Been a while since I did this kind of thing.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Let’s get started, then.

Natalia
And Maesie starts leading him in sort of like the 1, 2, 3… 1, 2, 3… of learning how to do synchronized partner dancing. And is like pointing out people who are doing it well, and is like…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
See how he’s doing that, where he holds her waist and then he spins her?

Mr. John (T.)
I can’t watch and move at the same…

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
No, we’re stopping. We’re stopping. Just stop and watch.

Mr. John (T.)
Okay.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Observe.

Mr. John (T.)
I was about your age, last time I thought I was in it. I don’t know if you knew this about me, but I used to run a riverboat show.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I would not doubt it.

Mr. John (T.)
I got my moniker cause of a trick I used to do. The One-Shot. You take a healthy deck of cards and you pass it around to punters and ask somebody to inspect it, make sure it’s al above board. You ask them to give you a suit or a poker hand or something. And I’d toss the deck in the air, shoot my gun, and put a hole through whatever they requested.

There was another performer on that show. She was a snake charmer. And one day our boss comes to us, tells us some Kraut scientist published a paper on animal magnetism. And we were to build an act for the show where she’d hypnotize me and charm me like I was a snake into being in love with her. Well, there’s only so many times you can fake that before you start to believe it yourself. I don’t want to get tricked again.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
[Sighs]

Natalia
Maesie starts crying.

Mr. John (T.)
Hey now, uh… [Sighs] I really am bad at this.

T.
And John takes his handkerchief out of his coat pocket and he starts dabbing her eyes himself.

Miss Doulgas (Natalia)
It’s alright. I’m sorry. It’s just, um… sometimes I feel like you and I have a lot in common.

T.
He smiles a little bit at that.

Mr. John (T.)
I like to think so too.

Natalia
Mm.

Mr. John (T.)
Sorry your heart’s in pieces. But know if you feel like talking about it, I do have some experience in that arena.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I will keep that in mind.

Mr. John (T.)
Alright, show me that polka. I’m tired of the waltz.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
[Chuckles] Alright, so…

Natalia
Gets back into dancing stance, and they do some dancing.

Kim
Beautiful. Beautiful scene, T. and Natalia. I loved that.

So at the conclusion of a vulnerable scene, each of you can clear a Condition of your choice.

T.
I’ve been taught how to led. I would like to clear Not the Leader.

Kim
That makes sense to me. And Miss Douglas, I would say that this was certainly a situation where you weren’t feeling very Defiant.

Natalia
Yeah, I was gonna say that.

Kim
Yeah.

So from your vulnerable scene, you also get to give me a Clue. As a reminder, this can be for any of the currently active Threats. We have the Creature of Cremorne Gardens, which we have made very little progress with, the brand new Spider Silk Seamstress, or the Demon of Kilburn Abbey. It can be anything, as long as it does not definitively answer one of the questions. So what kind of Clue are we thinking?

T.
I know we’re so close to the Creature of Cremorne Gardens…

Kim
You’re in Cremorne Gardens.

Cassandra
[Laughs]

T.
Nobody can prove that.

[Natalia and Cassandra laugh]

T.
I’m so fixated on this demon. Um… everybody here is like cutting loose and throwing off the shackles of everyday life. What about, like, a piece of erotica tucked into, like, the shoe of a priest or a nun.

Kim
Oh! I like the idea that a religious figure is also cutting loose on this dancing platform.

Cassandra
It’s a nice day.

Natalia
Nun’s shedding the habit.

Kim
[Laughs]

T.
Yeah. And picking up other habits. Ooh, and also can it be gay?

Kim
Yes, of course it can be gay.

Cassandra
Happy Pride.

T.
Hooray.

Kim
Happy Pride, yes.

Natalia
Happy Pride.

Kim
We’re recording this at the end of June. It’s always Pride in our hearts. Okay, fantastic. I will put, “a piece of homosexual erotica hidden in a nun’s shoe.”

Now to another vulnerable scene, but I think this one perhaps a bit darker in hue.

Miss Thanero, what do we see here?

[Empty, ambient tones]

Cassandra
Ena walks up the steps of this prison. There is a guard at the door who recognizes her, gently bends his head in a small bow, and opens the door for her. And she walks in and walks up to the front desk. There is an older woman standing at the desk, very stately. Her face drawn. All business. But she also knows who Ena is.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Good morning, Virginia. Do you have anyone for me?

Virginia (Kim)
I do, miss.

Cassandra
And as Ena usually does, reaches into her pocket and hands Virginia three gold coins.

Virginia (Kim)
Right this way, Miss.

Cassandra
And Virginia takes Ena down this narrow hallway. You can see in the distance the large open room where all of these prisoners are housed individually, but are not allowed to communicate with each other. And she opens a small wood door, and in this room there are just rows of cots. And in the back, there is one that has a man on it. And Ena starts to walk towards that man. And then when she reaches him, she peels back the veil that is over her face, and sits on the cot next to him and just looks at him for a moment. There is some white foam around his mouth that alludes to him having gotten into some arsenic.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
What troubles you, my young friend?

Prisoner (Kim)
Are you an angel, miss?

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I should say not.

Prisoner (Kim)
It’s the quiet, miss.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
What about it troubles you?

Prisoner (Kim)
It’s not quiet.

Cassandra
Ena reaches over, gloves still on, and gently brushes his hair off of his forehead.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
What is it that you seek in death?

Prisoner (Kim)
I haven’t known a lick of peace since I’ve been in here.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
And peace is what you want?

Prisoner (Kim)
Yes, angel.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Tell me, my friend. What is it that you leave behind?

Prisoner (Kim)
Nothing but a sad story, full of mistakes.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Would you like to go now?

Prisoner (Kim)
Can you do that, angel?

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I can, but you must be sure. You must be sure that there is nothing left for you here in this realm, and that everything is worth leaving and moving onto the next.

Kim
He reaches for your hand.

Cassandra
She grabs his wrist and sets it back down.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Not yet.

Prisoner (Kim)
Angel, would you kiss me goodnight?

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Are you sure that’s what you want?

Prisoner (Kim)
Yes.

[Ethereal ambient tones]

Cassandra
Ena very slowly removes her gloves one by one, revealing her bare hands, the symbol of Aegis etched on her palms. She grabs one of his hands, leans down, looks him in the eye, and in this moment her eyes start to glow gold. And she kisses him on the mouth, leaving her eyes wide open to watch as the light slowly eeks out of his.

Kim
Miss Thanero, since you have comforted the dying, you may clear a Condition.

Cassandra
Great. I’m gonna clear the only one I have, and that is Shaken.

Kim
Magnificent. You also get to give a Clue for me for any of the active threats.

Cassandra
I don’t really feel like this has any connection to Creature of Cremorne Gardens.

Kim
No, this seems like the antithesis of Creature of Cremorne Gardens.

Cassandra
Yeah. It definitely is not connected to that, and I don’t think it’s gonna have any relevance to the Spider Seamstress. I think I’m going to also go for Kilburn Abbey.

Kim
Alright.

Cassandra
Underneath this man’s cot is a phrase, and it’s written in really elegant script – too nice for this man to have done it. And it says, “He moaned the truth into my mouth as he died.”

Kim
Miss Thanero, because you have performed the vulnerable move alone, I am required to make you roll the Day Move.

Cassandra
Okay.

Kim
As you are ushering this man across the threshold, what are you afraid could go wrong in this moment?

Cassandra
My fear is that this man doesn’t actually die, and he is forever encased in this husk as a mortal who has kissed me on the lips.

Kim
Oh! I love that. I’d like  you to make the Day Move with Vitality, please.

Cassandra
Ooh! 6+3+1! 10, baby!

Kim
Tell me the conclusion of this scene, with no risk and no danger for you.

Cassandra
Ena pulls back, the light completely gone from his eyes. But now Ena’s eyes, those gold flecks kind of mixed in with the green, are glowing. And having removed her veil, her hair is now free. And it almost looks as if it is blowing in the wind of its own accord. Her skin is no longer waxen. She looks like the beautiful, ethereal creature that she is known to be around London. She stands up, straightens her jacket, looks down at him one more time, and says, “Ethelmi kali ademosi,” which in Greek means, “Hope for reunion in the afterlife.”

And she turns and starts to walk back out of the prison, nodding her head to Virginia. Virginia doesn’t even flinch at how she looks. Virginia just continues to do her paperwork as Ena exits the prison.

Kim
Let’s go back to Mr. Lloyd. Robert, you owe me a mask. Go ahead and give me that prompt, and let’s hear it.

Robert
Narrate a flashback to your childhood that shows the first time you encountered a dark entity.

[Somber cello]

Robert
So we return to Grandmother Carys. It’s been about a decade, but she looks no older. And we’re far from the little cottage outside the village of Myrtha where we last saw her, because she lives in London now. She has a small flat in the French Quarter of Soho, but she’s rarely there. During the day she’s a governess for a middle class family in Kensington, and she pends most of her nights plying the trade of the cunning folk in the Rookery, Limehouse, Notting Hill, or any of the many other slums in London.

Nanny Cara, as she goes by now, tends to the bodies of those who doctors can’t or won’t heal, and the spirits of those that she can’t. For the past few years, Morgan has been joining Nanny on these visits, learning medicine and ritual – which often overlap. He’s helped to bring babies into the world, and sat with the dying as they breathed their last. He and Nanny have kept each other company, singing songs and telling stories. She hasn’t hidden the darkness from Morgan, but she has taught him to face it bravely and compassionately.

The days, however, belong to Morgan. He wanders the streets of the city, usually with only a book, a pocketknife, and his constant companion – a large black tomcat that Nanny calls Cath. It’s just about the best life that an adventurous nine year old could ask for.

It is on one of these glorious days that we see Morgan, while trespassing on a royal preserve, come across something odd. A small hillock in the middle of the woods with an enormous sprawling skeleton of an ancient oak tree, sun-bleached by age, resting like a crown upon a king’s head. The light and shadows dance alongside it, not with the movement of the windswept bows of the rest of the forest, but to a rhythm of their own.

[A mystical, ethereal hum]

Morgan didn’t realize he was walking towards it until a voice broke him out of his somnambulistic state.

“It’s a cairn. The tomb of ancient warriors and kings from long before the Romans called this place Londinium.”

Morgan takes a step back, and his eyes meet the liquid gold eyes of the cat.

“This is a place where your world and mine slip into each other. That’s what’s calling to you. Nanny has told you what I am?”

Morgan nods.

“Then I ask you, having been warned of the dangers that await you on the weirding way, would you like to travel to the other world?”

“I would.”

“I know that you have heard scolding priests and old wives tell tales of how we steal children from their beds, and pay a tithe of souls to Old Nick. Knowing that your immortal spirit may be at risk, would you still like to follow me to the other kingdom?”

“Yes.”

“And I know that you are a clever enough boy to understand that power doesn’t come without cost. And that temptations are usually traps. Before your head gets turned by any honeyed words, are you certain that you want to cross that boundary into the other kingdom?”

“I am.”

The cat lazily stretches, raises to his hind legs, and begins to walk widdershins around the mound. And as Morgan joins him, the forest shifts, warps, and grows into something primeval. The trees grow larger until the canopy is no longer visible, just the shadows that it casts. Ferns and moss fill the ever-widening space between the titanic trunks. Strange, mournful birdsong fills his years, and the sweet perfume of flowers, twinkling like stars, dance upon Morgan’s nose. And so Morgan takes his first step into the realm of faerie.

[Harpsichord]

Kim
Mr. Lloyd, looking about the study of Sir Richard Harlowe, you see the cork board with bits of fairy tale pinned to it, with notes scrawled in Harlowe’s own hand. A very annotated copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But one book in particular catches your notice, for it is clutched in the withered, hollowed hands of Sir Richard Harlowe himself. It is a book bound in pale blue leather, with silver embossing of leaves on the cover and spine. As you open it, you see that it is a book of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. And on the title page of this novel is also a note inscribed in beautiful silver ink. Though the hand is not Harlowe’s. It is far too elegant, far too florid. And the language is not English, though I believe it is one that you read and speak quite fluently.

It says, “My dear, I cannot help but notice some inaccuracies.”

And as you thumb through, you find that this book of fairy tales is covered with comments and corrections on every page, scrawled in this elegant script in the language of faerie.

[Shadows in the Smoke theme]

Kim
Shadows in the Smoke is a Kitten Marlowe production. This episode was edited and produced by Kim Dalton, and featured a theme song by Jake Pierle. You can find out more about us by visiting KittenMarlowe.com, signing up for our newsletter, or following us on socials. For Discord access, an exclusive behind the scenes show, and more, visit Patreon.com/KittenMarlowe and join Hannah Edgington and all of our incredible Kitten Marlowe patrons in supporting artist-driven storytelling. Thanks for listening.