Shadows in the Smoke S1E21 - "Better Spirits"

Shadows in the Smoke S1E21 – “Better Spirits”

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]

[Tubular bells ringing, fire crackling]

Kim
Mr. John and Mr. Lloyd, the two of you walking not quite side by side. Mr. Lloyd lingering behind you, Mr. John, as you are making your way into Limehouse and into Jenny Johnston’s opium den. As you enter, this room is dim and smoky. There is a heavy, ammonia-like smell all around you, and there are people lounging on cushions partaking in opium.

I have a Paint the Scene for you all as Mr. John and Mr. Lloyd enter this space. People from all walks of life patronize Jenny Johnston’s. What do you see that indicates this?

Cassandra
Sitting off in one corner, we see a very haggard young lady, probably in her late teens, early 20s. She’s a nanny, and she comes here sometimes if the children are particularly difficult that day.

Robert
Even though the den itself is a relatively open space, there’s a lot of hanging curtains and low furniture to sort of block line-of-sights, some folding screens. So that if you wanted to disappear in here and not be noticed, there are plenty of small dark corners in which you could do so.

T.
There’s one lounge with a pair of hipsters on it. One is clearly a vagrant, a beggar from the streets of London, and one is the Duchess of Kent. And they are passing a pipe back and forth between one another.

Natalia
The signs here are depicted in more than just English. They’re also in Chinese, in Spanish, in multiple languages.

Kim
As the two of you enter this space, I believe two people catch your notice. One is Ms. Jenny Johnston herself. She is pacing a little nervously by a set of stairs that lead down into her basement. She is in her late 30s. She has a very soothing disposition about her, quite pretty. She’s wearing a dark taffeta gown. The other individual in this space that catches your notice is a person that you recognize, Mr. John. There is indeed a man wearing a gold sun mask, lounging on one of the cushions in the opium den, raising a pipe to his lips.

T.
John came here with the intention of investigating the murders, but having the addition of Rabbit, he can eat his cake and have it, too.

Mr. John (T.)
Ni hao-dy, Jenny. I brought my occultist expert right from Hargrave House.

Jenny Johnston (Kim)
Yes, excellent, the people to fix the leak in my basement.

Mr. John (T.)
Hargrave Plumbing. Would you mind showing him? He doesn’t look like he can hold a pipe above his head for more than thirty seconds, but I assure ya, he knows his way around a wrench.

Kim
She looks at you, Mr. Lloyd.

Jenny Johnston (Kim)
Yes, you are an expert in this matter?

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Oh, I’m an expert in many things. Definitely have had my hands on a few pipes.

Mr. John (T.)
And Lord knows he knows his way around underground.

Jenny Johnston (Kim)
Very well, then. Follow me, sir.

Kim
And she starts walking down the stairs.

T.
And John turns to the Man in the Sun Mask.

Mr. John (T.)
Morning, sunshine. Hoping to find your visage around these parts.

[Wind-like ambient drone]

Kim
Mr. Lloyd, Jenny leads you down the wooden stairs into the basement of this opium den. Laid out here are three bodies covered in clean, white sheets.

Jenny Johnston (Kim)
I haven’t touched them, sir, except to place them here for you.

Robert
Morgan starts walking, weaving his way around the bodies. Not touching them, but holding his hands out as though he is conducting music or playing some sort of instrument. His fingers twiddle just a little bit, feeling energy over them. And, from a corner in this opium den basement, a very large black cat appears and hops up onto the table.

Jenny Johnston (Kim)
[gasps]

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Oh, don’t worry about him. He’s with me. He’s already seen to these three, though.

Robert
And Rabbit pulls the sheet away.

Kim
You pull back the sheet of Soft Jimmy.

Robert
Morgan is not looking at the body. It rather is like he’s looking through the body. His eyes are not focused on it even though he’s looking in its general direction. And it really seems as though he’s trying to just feel the air around it and feel some sort of energy. He slowly makes his way up and down the body until he gets to where the ankles are and starts really, just, inspecting the ankles.

Jenny Johnston (Kim)
May I ask what it is you’re looking for, sir?

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Where he left his body. Down here, look.

Robert
And Morgan points to the puncture scars on his ankles and calves.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
That’s where the blood all left.

Robert
Morgan removes the sheet from the second body, starting this time with the ankles.

Kim
That would be Charla Belle, who volunteers at the Limehouse School, which is a workhouse in the Limehouse District.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Another one. All of her just spilled out through these tiny little holes. What a shame.

Robert
And he removes the blanket from the third.

Kim
Zhao Donghai, a very handsome young Chinese sailor.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Oh, I’m sorry. I’m afraid you’ve got a bit of a problem here.

Jenny Johnston (Kim)
Yes, I do. I have three bodies in my basement and no vampire found.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Ah, it’s going to be a lot worse than that. This is not normal for vampires, at least my understanding. Normally, you see the throats, the wrists, the inner thigh. Ankles are an odd spot.

Robert
And Morgan pulls out a knife and where the bite mark is on the third body, he cuts open as though he were a surgeon making his first incision.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Not a single drop of blood left in ‘em, either. Not a lot I can do here, I’m afraid. Their souls are long gone, their spirits passed. Cait, can you, uh, can you get me a sacrifice? I don’t think I can do this without any blood.

[Ominous hum rising]

Robert
And Cait jumps off the table and comes back in just a moment with just an absolutely giant spider. Something that you would not normally find in London, something tropical-looking, almost. And he drops it on the table, still wriggling. Rabbit then immediately, before it can skitter off, puts his dagger right through it.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Let’s see what answers we can find.

Kim
Sounds like you’re trying to do a Rite of Salt and Smoke here.

Robert
Yes, I am.

Kim
So go ahead and roll two d6 plus Sensitivity. Now, you used Cait to give you a sacrifice, but I don’t think you're specifically trying to draw something to you, are you?

Robert
No, I don’t think I am.

Kim
Then that is just going to be two d6 plus Sensitivity.

Robert
That would be a 14.

Kim
So, on a hit, you get to choose a effect from Rites of Salt and Smoke. What are you going for here?

Robert
I am going to observe another place or time. And, specifically, I am going to fill the basement that we are in with visions of the time and place of one of these people’s deaths.

[Tubular bells ringing, fire crackling]

Kim
Upstairs in the opium den, the Man in the Sun Mask motions for you to sit on one of the cushions next to him.

Mr. John (T.)
How’s things in Buckingham Palace these days?

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Oh, very well, sir. You should come see my apartment there.

Mr. John (T.)
Send somebody around for me. Actually, I’m looking for a place to sleep tonight.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Is that so?

Mr. John (T.)
My quarters have been compromised. Trying to stay on the run.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Tell me, what hunts the hunter?

Mr. John (T.)
Fuck if I know, brother. Women. Like most species, the woman’s the more dangerous when it comes to folk like me.

Kim
He passes the pipe to you.

T.
Mr. John isn’t one for altering his consciousness. He looks it over, thinks about it.

Mr. John (T.)
If it’s all the same to you, brother, I’ll stick with good old-fashioned American tobacco.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Of course.

Mr. John (T.)
I have something else, though, you might be interested in.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Oh? A gift?

Mr. John (T.)
Something to wet your whistle.

T.
I take out the bottle of ambrosia.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
It has been some time since I have seen a gift so fine.

Mr. John (T.)
Well, this gift comes with some mighty thick strings attached to it, so I figured I might as well butter you up, gold and yellow. [The Man in the Sun Mask chuckles.] Hoping for a favor.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
What is it I can do for you, John?

Mr. John (T.)
I know you’re a person who enjoys the evening entertainments.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
I do consider myself a patron of the arts.

Mr. John (T.)
Question I’ve got concerns a sister act.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Oh.

Mr. John (T.)
There was a time… I mean, stop me if you already know all this. You seem to know an awful lot about where I been and what I done.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Yes, but I like to hear you tell it.

Mr. John (T.)
Well, I was heartbroken. I was changing in ways I didn’t care for. And I was feeling mighty… well, mighty hard on myself. Started going on the run. Instead of going up and down, I started going left and right. Never made it as far as California, but I did see the good ol’ Atlantic again. Went North though, trying to avoid… [scoffs] Don’t know why I’m being cagey around you. Trying to avoid my family. I’m sure you can relate.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Family is complicated.

Mr. John (T.)
To say the least. Anyway, I was around Amherst when I saw a gal out for a morning ride. She was on horseback, I mean. And she was heading toward me, the sun to my back. So she, I knew, couldn’t see, but I could, a copperhead snake right there in the trail. And there were two dangers, cause that horse saw that snake and it reared up something fierce. And given what I’d been through, I knew I had a couple of options. I could kill the snake quick as blinking, but the horse was already spooked. This girl did not have what I would call an iron grip on its saddle. So I shot that horse, and it toppled over right on top of that girl, broke a few of her ribs, her wrist. In my haste to scoop her up off the ground, I got bit by that snake, but not positive it broke skin. Anyway, I was woozy by the time we got her back to her place, and I spent that winter nursing her back to health. I don’t know if I thought of her as a daughter or as a… what. But I was trying something funny, I was calling myself a fake name, trying to run away from my past. [The Man in the Sun Mask chuckles.] I was going by Benjamin Franklin. Thought myself awful cute. Benjamin Franklin Newton. And I taught this girl everything there was to know about poetry and verse, and guess I set myself up as something of her tutor. I don’t know if I loved this girl or if I was in love with this girl. But I do know that a few years later, we went and saw Jenny Lind singing round— the lady I told you about when I met P. T. Barnum.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Yes, the singer.

Mr. John (T.)
This girl looked at her in a way I’d looked at women before and have looked at women since. And I realized no matter how I felt about her, that didn’t matter, cause she weren’t gonna feel the same way about me. Ended up sending her a telegram to call things off later, which I don’t think she took too kindly for. But I just hope she’s out there writing poetry still. What I’m getting at: [heavy exhale] do I have a shot with your sister or no? I used to think didn’t have none at all, but lately I got myself even worse. I really let her down. She’s something furious at me, but I know a woman don’t get that angry if there ain’t something more than anger behind it.

Kim
Mr. John, roll Tall Tales.

T.
I’d like to use the ambrosia to get Advantage, if I may.

Kim
Yes, you may, of course.

T.
[rolls dice] 6 and 5 is 11, plus 2 is 13.

Kim
Alright. So, on a hit, they fall for your charm and do as you wish or reveal a clue, your choice.

T.
It doesn’t help us in the investigation, but I’d really love him to put in a good word for me with Athena.

Kim
Fantastic. And on a 12+, you also get a keepsake to remember this person by.

T.
Cass?

Cassandra
Mhm?

T.
What will the Man in the Sun Mask give me to remember him by?

[Tubular bells and fire fade away]

Cassandra
The Man in the Sun Mask reaches into a pocket of his smoking jacket and pulls out a brass medallion, and hands it over to you. And this is called a Taraxippoi, and it is used to scare horses. Like, if you think about chariot races or horse races, this might have a good use case.

T.
I can also think of another reason why Miss Thanero might enjoy that.

Cassandra
Maybe so.

[Wind chimes tinkling]

Kim
Speaking of Miss Thanero, despite what you may have anticipated coming in here, I do think you actually spend a rather serene, if not pleasant, hour in this salon with Mistress Beaumont. She is very complimentary, very attentive. You are looking about this space, making polite conversation, and much to your chagrin, you do not see anything that belongs to Sir Richard Harlowe. It seems as though Mistress Beaumont is wise enough to keep tokens from her paramours, especially her deceased paramours, out of her workspace. But something does catch your notice, especially as she is adjusting to fix your hem: her sewing needles, her scissors, now that you think about it, even the door handle as you were entering this shop, objects that would ordinarily be made of iron or metal, are all made of bone. That is a clue for the Spidersilk Seamstress.

Mistress Beaumont (Kim)
Well, darling, I do say, I think this might be my finest work.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Having seen so much of your creativity on display about London, I would have to agree.

Kim
She is loosening the garment so that she may package it up for you.

Mistress Beaumont (Kim)
It is a pity to seal it away in a box. It looked so wonderful on you.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Well, I shall have to find someplace extraordinarily special to wear it.

Mistress Beaumont (Kim)
Mayhaps, Miss Thanero. Mayhaps. I say, I would be quite enchanted to see you again.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
My feeling is mutual.

Kim
Miss Thanero, take the condition Infatuated with Mistress Beaumont.

Mistress Beaumont (Kim)
In fact, Miss Thanero, I think I might know just the place where you might wear my finery.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Oh, do tell. I would love for all of London to see it.

Mistress Beaumont (Kim)
There’s a fete happening, a Midsummer Masquerade.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
The pleasure would be all mine, believe me.

Mistress Beaumont (Kim)
I pray you, invite Mr. Lloyd as well.

Kim
From her pockets, she produces a small white rabbit’s foot.

Mistress Beaumont (Kim)
And when you do, give this back to him. He has already given me so many gifts.

Cassandra
Ena looks at it for a moment, realizing what this might mean, and then proceeds to go over to her clothing and starts redressing after the fitting is finishing up.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Of course. It’s safe with me. Now, are you sure that I can’t give you any type of payment?

Mistress Beaumont (Kim)
I’d ask for a kiss.

Cassandra
Ena walks over to her and starts to pull some of these veils back over her face. And she reaches up and covers Mistress Beaumont’s eyes, and kisses her very gently on the cheek.

Mistress Beaumont (Kim)
That is a very worthy payment, Miss Thanero.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Yes. Yes, it is.

Mistress Beaumont (Kim)
I shall look forward to our next meeting. I’m already filled with inspiration on a new garment.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
And I can’t wait to see it.

Kim
She packages up your dress, wraps it in fine silver ribbon. As you exit, you hear a young woman’s voice:

[Birds chirping, carriages rolling down a busy street]

Jenny Snell (Kim)
Did I just hear someone come out of Mistress Beaumont’s shop?

Kim
You see a young woman with wild, curly hair and a very haunted expression. She is wearing a simple dress. She is crouched on the streets of Savile Row near Mistress Beaumont’s shop.

Cassandra
Ena turns and takes this girl in, walks over to her, and crouches down next to her.

Kim
Now that you are close to this girl, you see that she is blind.

Cassandra
As Ena is crouched next to this girl, noting that she is blind, she gently reaches down and turns the girl’s arm over so her wrist is facing upward.

Kim
Mhm.

Cassandra
And there is a very small tattoo of a shield, but not of Aegis specifically. And when Ena touches it, it starts to glow gold.

Kim
This sounds like you are using one of your Playbook moves, Miss Thanero.

Cassandra
It is. I love that I just happen to walk out of this shop and find myself in the company of a young, blind woman, so I am going to be using Giveth. Because I have yet to use it, and this feels like a good person to use it on.

Kim
I love that. The move reads as follows: At any time, you can declare that a side character is secretly one of your worshippers. Describe how the side character subtly or not so subtly debases themselves before you in the scene. You would know this woman, or perhaps know of this woman, to be Jenny Snell, a young seamstress. How is she debasing herself to you to make obvious her worship?

Cassandra
Jenny, having recognized Ena’s voice, knowing that this is her mistress, she twitches her head from left to right in a way that would seem like she’s looking at Ena even though she clearly cannot. She reaches into an apron that she is wearing, and she’s still looking at Ena as she does so, her hands very practiced in knowing where everything is. And in her pocket, she pulls out a small vial of olive oil. And she reaches towards Ena’s ankle, very slowly snaking her hand over Ena’s shoe up to her bare calf, and begins to rub this olive oil into her skin.

[Ethereal, rumbling ambient drone]

Kim
Incredible. Miss Thanero, scar your reflection and describe to me how the masterwork has changed for the worse.

Cassandra
In the face of this painting, Ena’s lips originally looked full and beautiful. But having planted a kiss upon another creature, obviously not someone mortal, but a kiss nonetheless, which is something she does not do lightly, the lips in the painting begin to crack and dry and wither, lines forming around her mouth, and it pulls the originally serene and peaceful look on her face into more of a grimace.

[Ethereal drone fades away, street sounds resume]

Jenny Snell (Kim)
I knew it was you, my lady. I heard you might have an appointment here today, and I sat out here for hours waiting for you.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
It’s quite bold of you to attempt to anticipate my presence somewhere.

Jenny Snell (Kim)
It is an honor just to be in your presence, mistress.

Miss Thanero (Casssandra)
Well, since you went to such great lengths to gain an audience with me, I have something to ask of you in return.

Jenny Snell (Kim)
Anything, mistress.

Cassandra
Ena pulls out the gold token from Tyrnavos-upon-Thames and presses it into Jenny’s hand.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Since you seem to enjoy this area so much, I would like you to, pardon the turn of phrase, keep an eye on Seamstress Beaumont.

Jenny Snell (Kim)
She’s a dangerous woman, mistress.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Yes, dear, she is. And I would like you to relay anything, absolutely anything that seems questionable about her day-to-day activities. And perhaps what she gets up to at night.

Kim
So, the rules of the move state: When you make a gift of something from your Personal Quarters to a worshipper, they will do exactly as you say, no questions asked, up to and including destroying themselves. Jenny pockets this token from Tyrnavos-upon-Thames.

Jenny Snell (Kim)
You honor me by giving this to me, ma'am.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
You would take great care not to lose it. I shall be very displeased if you do.

Jenny Snell (Kim)
Never, mistress. My most precious gift from you.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
And you will bring me any information that I seek?

Jenny Snell (Kim)
Aye, ma’am.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
I can count on you.

Jenny Snell (Kim)
Yes, mistress. I’ll apprentice myself. I will work in her shop.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Good. Don’t draw too much attention to yourself. Be as discreet as you can. But anything is of value.

Jenny Snell (Kim)
Yes, ma’am.

Miss Thanero (Cassandra)
Good girl.

[Street sounds fade]

Kim
Miss Douglas, the shape in the meat disappears back into a harmless pile of raw meat.

Natalia
Maesie takes the pearl that she’s been given, in such better spirits than she was this morning, and just sort of shouts as she leaves the larder:

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Goodbye, Moc’h! It was wonderful to meet you. Bye! Hope to see you around!

Kim
[laughs] Where are you off to, my dear?

Natalia
Definitely Cremorne Gardens. She’s very happy to have received this beautiful gift from her true love. I can’t, like, lie about it. She’s in love with this fish person and she hasn’t even met them.

[Birds chirping, distant roar of the ocean]

Kim
As Miss Douglas is returning to the promenade, I have a Paint the Scene here. So we know from the articles, from the Illustrated Police News, that the creature and sightings of the creature have become something of a phenomenon in London. People are visiting Cremorne Gardens for the express purpose of catching a glimpse of the creature. How can we tell that the people who are visiting Cremorne Gardens are not here for the Gardens’ entertainment?

Cassandra
Normally, where you would see a crowded, overflowing dancing platform, now there are just a handful of couples. All of the other people who have come to the Gardens are hovering around the railing that lines the Thames, looking over, pointing. You see people with binoculars. And the dancing platform is empty.

T.
There are people wearing memorabilia, handmade masks and gill cowls, and they’re holding up various signs that say things like, ‘Put the sea between you and me’ and ‘I believe in you’.

Natalia
Where musicians are usually gathered in Cheyne Walk, they are instead collecting on the pier, playing songs similar to the lilting tunes that have been heard called out, supposedly, by the creature.

Robert
Also along Cheyne Walk, the rows of artists that you usually see hawking their landscapes and still lifes have instead been replaced by a bunch of people with pictures of various interpretations of what this possible Fishman could look like.

Kim
Miss Douglas, you arrive at this bustling promenade. People are milling about with anticipation, waiting for this creature to perhaps arise from the water. As you are walking down the promenade, a woman sidles up to you. She’s wearing the most fabulous fascinator on her head that’s been fashioned into, like, a fish springing from the water. And she has a glass of wine in her hand.

Albertina Welke (Kim)
Are you also here to get a view of the Fishman?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Who isn’t? Isn’t it such a lovely day? Ugh, I’m just holding out hope that he will show up today.

Albertina Welke (Kim)
Why, yes. I mean, I dare say, I usually come to Cremorne Gardens for the dancing platform. I consider myself the finest dance aficionado in London. But the creature is quite exciting, isn’t it? Mayhaps has a few moves to show me, if I’m so lucky.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
You have read my mind. I would love to dance with him. I’m sure that he is graced by the powers of the ocean to be the most delightful dancer.

Albertina Welke (Kim)
Oh, yes, and I’ve heard his song is so compelling that one walks right off into the ocean.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
You know, I have heard it?

Albertina Welke (Kim)
[gasps] No.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Yes.

Albertina Welke (Kim)
No!

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
He sang just for me. It felt very special.

Albertina Welke (Kim)
[gasps] I dare say, what was the song about? You lucky duck!

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Well, it wasn’t really… There were no words. It was more of a call.

Kim
She holds out her hand.

Albertina Welke (Kim)
Albertina Welke.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Maesie Douglas.

Natalia
She takes it. She is so excited to be with this woman.

Albertina Welke (Kim)
Well, it seems as though you are just the person to know. I will stick close to you, if you don’t mind.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
I do not. You are delightful.

[Ominous ambient drone, lapping water]

Kim
The two of you pull up to the railing. And as you do, you start to hear some gasps and some screams from further down the railing as, emerging from the water, is this large, fishlike bipedal creature.

Albertina Welke (Kim)
[gasps] Oh, my word! Oh, it’s him! It’s the creature!

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
He’s here! Oh, my god, I’m so excited. Albertina, we should get closer.

Natalia
She drags Albertina as close as she can. She is pushing people out of the way.

Kim
Albertina follows your lead. She’s wearing quite high heels, so it’s a little difficult for her to scale the railing quite as nimbly as you do. But you are heading down the rocky, sandy shore towards the creature. Albertina takes one look at this beast of a man and, like, air-quotes “faints away” but in, like, you know, a stylish, beautiful swooning way. But, Miss Douglas, as you get close to this creature, you notice that this fish face is a papier-mache mask that’s been lacquered to look perpetually wet. This is an impostor.

[Hollow, echoing whalesong]

Natalia
Maesie’s sprint and glee slows down as she takes this in, until she is just at the edge of the water and every bit of joy and excitement has been replaced with outright anger. As she looks at this impersonator, the pearl that she was holding onto gets shoved deeply into her pocket as to not lose it.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
[insincere breath] Good day, Fish Man.

False Fish Man (Kim)
[growls menacingly]

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
You don’t say. I would love to dance with you.

Natalia
And she starts stalking towards the fish person, so slowly, the water bubbling around her.

Kim
This sounds like Curse of the Deep to me.

Natalia
I mean, he’s threatening me with his lies and deception. [giggles]

Kim
Just giving you a little peek behind the curtain here, this is the complication from the mixed success of Creature of Cremorne Gardens, that the Creature of Cremorne Gardens has become such a sensation that people are now dressing up as the creature and appearing all over London. So, roll with Sensitivity, please.

Natalia
Alright. [rolls dice]

Kim
Punish this man.

Cassandra
Hopefully.

Kim
This foolish man.

Cassandra
Take him out.

T.
This poor, unfortunate soul.

Natalia
That is a 7 plus a 2 is a 9.

Kim
Alright, so on a 7 to 9, choose one: you have Advantage on your next roll, they are overwhelmed with fear and flee, they refuse to harm someone of your choosing including yourself, or they gain a deep fear regarding bodies of water.

Natalia
Oh, they gain a deep fear regarding bodies of water.

Kim
Let’s pick back up with Mr. Lloyd. Mr. Lloyd, I’d like to hear what this ritual looks like.

[Low ambient drone]

Robert
He stabs his knife right through this large spider and into the table below where the bodies are being held. And smoke starts billowing out from the point where the knife impacted upon the spider, slowly filling the room, much in the way, like, a fog machine would fill the room by billowing out and covering the floor. And as it does so, shapes and shadows start to move up and form into more realistic things. So, the smoke and shadows form into a dreamlike facsimile of the opium den upstairs. Various figures are lounging about in various states of intoxication. You can’t really see any detail in their faces. It is like you’re observing through a dream where you can tell that they are people and you can tell that they are specific people, but you can’t make out the details. And we see a small human-looking figure come upon the dead-to-the-world but not yet dead Soft Jimmy, and just start drinking from his ankles.

Kim
Indeed, yes. And because you got such a good roll, I’ll go ahead and give you a clue off of this as well as you are observing the final moments of Soft Jimmy. We rapidly see the color drain from this young mans’ face and then he lies still, his head lolled back on the cushions as if he is somewhere very far away. And then you see this child who’s very small. They have long hair, their pale face covered in blood. You see them reach up one of their fingers to touch that blood. And then they start drawing upon the floor of the opium den in Soft Jimmy’s blood this rather crude drawing. But as you inspect it, you see that what this small vampire appears to be scrawling in blood is an image of a Roman phalanx. That is a clue for the Limehouse Lurker.

Robert
Rabbit, upon seeing this, takes in a breath and blows gently towards the figure of the vampire, causing it to dissipate and the entire dreamworld that they are in collapses back into the dust and smoke of the largely empty basement.

Kim
As you are blowing that vision away, for just a split second, this small vampire straightens, turns over its shoulder, and locks eyes with you. As if it had felt your breath on the back of its neck.

Robert
Despite that, Rabbit turns intending to be comforting but maybe not necessarily succeeding towards Jenny, and puts a big smile on his face.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
No more yielding than a dream.

Jenny Johnston (Kim)
I thought when you produced the knife that you were perhaps a doctor.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Oh, I can do that too, in a pinch. Don’t have the proper schooling to be a doctor, but I’ve handled injuries.

Jenny Johnston (Kim)
I see. And, tell me, how does your hunt proceed?

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Just getting started, lady. Don’t worry about it, though. We’re pretty good at what we do.

Jenny Johnston (Kim)
I would ask you to speed your hunt as best you can. The families of the victims, those who had families, I suppose, they have agreed to keep silent. But I’m afraid I can only keep prying eyes out of this for so long.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Well, we appreciate what you’re doing, and we’ll do our best. But, you know, we are a motley crew, to say the best.

Jenny Johnston (Kim)
Motley. Perhaps the right word for it. You all are certainly colorful.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Now that we’re done here, I’m going to go back up and join my friend upstairs, if’n you don’t mind.

Jenny Johnston (Kim)
Very well. Please, yes, thank you. And I look forward to hearing the results of your investigation.

[Tubular bells ringing, fire crackling]

Kim
Upstairs, in the opium den, you see the hint of a smile from beneath the Man in the Sun Mask’s half mask.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Mr. John, you say that you have a complicated relationship with your family. I can’t say I talk to mine very often. I have not seen my sister in centuries.

Mr. John (T.)
It’d mean an awful lot to me. I don’t need you to intervene on my behalf. But if there’s no secrets between friends here, I know you can see things not everybody else can.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
I do possess the gift of prophecy. I don’t think sister mine would take kindly to me prying into her future, but I could put in a good word.

Mr. John (T.)
I’d appreciate it an awful lot, Sunny.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
I believe I have something of yours. I thank you for it. It helped me keep time.

Kim
And he produces from the pocket of his smoking jacket the golden pocket watch that you gave him. I have a question for you, though. The pocket watch has been changed in some strange, surreal way. How so?

T.
For one thing, the engraving from Constance is gone. And for another, instead of hands and a face numbered one through twelve, there’s the gnomon of a sundial.

Kim
Lovely. You can go ahead and add the changed pocket watch back to your Personal Quarters.

Mr. John (T.)
You’re just doling out the coins today, aren’t ya, Sun?

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Well, I consider you a friend, John.

Mr. John (T.)
As do I, you. And I wouldn’t be a very good friend if all I did was ask you for favors, but since I gotcha here…

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Yes?

Mr. John (T.)
You mentioned that you’d seen other worlds. I now glean what you’re talking about. I recently had the misfortune of visiting one, or at least its doorstep, without my ken. What if I wanted to get back on my own terms? You know how I might be able to do that?

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
I would say, ordinarily, you would need a guide. Someone who’s been there or knows the ways. Someone who could make the road.

T.
Rabbit, you wanna come back upstairs on your cue?

Robert
At this point, Rabbit saunters over.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Hello, there. I think I’ve seen someone like you before

Kim
He nods.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Sir.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Do you know the Queen?

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
We’re familiar.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
I met her once. Didn’t really like her.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
That does seem to be a popular holding nowadays.

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Well, I finished with my job downstairs, if you’re quite done up here, Mr. John.

Mr. John (T.)
I think I’ve bothered Sunshine here long enough. Unless you’d like to stay for a smoke?

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
No, don’t really need it anymore.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
A pity.

Mr. John (T.)
Til next we see each other again, friend.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Yes, sir.

Mr. John (T.)
May you be ever at my back and the road rise to meet me.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
May you always have warm, bright days, sir.

T.
I hold out my hand for him to shake it.

Kim
He shakes it. His handshake is very warm.

T.
I smile to myself about that.

Mr. John (T.)
Shall we, Rabbit?

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
Whenever you’re ready.

T.
And I hold the door open for him.

Mr. John (T.)
What makes you think you two were talking about the same Queen?

Mr. Lloyd (Robert)
What makes you think we weren’t?

Mr. John (T.)
I don’t like you, boy. Less and less these days.

Kim
Let’s go back to Cremorne Gardens. Maesie, let’s hear it.

[Hollow, echoing whalesong]

Natalia
Maesie approaches, threateningly, the person standing in the water. And they start to feel the water around their ankles solidify in that sense of, like, a Newtonian fluid where it’s still liquid, but as soon as they try to take a step or move in any direction it holds fast. And she leans in close, and whispers:

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Your disguise is charming. Truly. From a distance. Yet, upon closer inspection, it is crude and wanting and lacks imagination.

Natalia
And she pulls the mask of the costume off to reveal to everyone standing, watching this display, that it is, in fact, a person. And she circles this person slowly, and places her hands on their shoulder and whispers directly into their ear:

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
While I’m sure your intentions were to entertain or beguile the thirsty audience, you would be wise not to tamper with powers that you do not understand.

Natalia
And the person starts to feel the feeling of water filling their lungs. They can’t catch their breath. They’re gasping for air.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Do not do this again, or I will drown you for real.

Natalia
And the power releases them, and the fear of water drives them back to whence they came.

[Whalesong ends abruptly, replaced by birds chirping and water lapping]

Kim
You removed the mask and it was this acne-scarred eighteen-year-old boy who looks like ordinarily has a permanent, shit-eating grin on his face that is replaced with horror as he flees up the embankment, over the railing, and away from you. Miss Douglas, standing in the water, you’re now hearing whispered voices:

Bystander (Kim)
It’s her. The Witch of the Harbor! It’s her!

Natalia
Maesie turns to this audience.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
A lovely play that my friend and I have now performed for you all. The Witch of the Harbor and the Creature of Cremorne Gardens. Good day to you all!

Natalia
And sort of just, like, scurries away.

Kim
Albertine Welke springs back up as well, and says:

Albetina Welke (Kim)
Aha, yes! Thank you so much, Witch of the Harbor, for saving my life. Yes, we will do another show at 4 past.

Natalia
Maesie, like, scoops her by the arm and they kind of just, like, run off together.

Albertina Welke (Kim)
I’ll beg you, friend, to tell me what exactly just happened.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
If you’d really like to see the true creature, you should come on a walk with me sometime.

Albertina Welke (Kim)
So, there is a creature? It’s not just a person in a costume?

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Very much not.

Kim
She links arms with you.

Albertina Welke (Kim)
My dear, I will walk wherever you lead.

Miss Douglas (Natalia)
Right this way.

[A busy street]

Kim
We see the sun set over London. Miss Thanero, you are leaving Jenny Snell, who quietly knocks upon the door of Mistress Beaumont’s at your behest. As you walk down these fine streets, even though the sun is disappearing behind buildings, you feel the heat of the sun extra warm and throbbing on the back of your neck. And you hear the sound of hooves as a gold carriage pulls up next to you and the door opens.

[Hoofbeats approach and stop]

Cassandra
Ena takes in the carriage, noting the warmth and the familiarity of it. It is comforting in its own way. And Ena’s going to poke her head into the carriage to confirm who is inside.

Kim
You look inside and you see a young man wearing a gold smoking jacket, silk pants, golden slippers, and a bright golden mask.

The Man in the Sun Mask (Kim)
Sister, I believe it’s time we finally talked.

[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 Wes Franks and all of our incredible Kitten Marlowe patrons in supporting artist-driven storytelling. Thanks for listening.